THE Q & A’S WITH EJ COX

This Florida/Alabama native brought his southern influence to our neck of the woods a handful of years ago, and he and his band have since been no stranger to performing in front of dancing crowds and sold-out shows around the area. Be sure to check out his newest single off his latest album, River Town called “Up ‘Round Monterey”, a song written after a coastal excursion up the California coast. Well, we’ll let him fill you in on the deets. (For best results, read with a slow Southern twang.)

Q. When did you first learn to play/sing?

A. My grandparents had this shack on a lake, there was an old upright piano. This is where I first started singing and playing. I’d play the upright, my grandmother played the fiddle, and my cousins would pick the banjo and guitar. These family barbecues were my first times performing for an audience. Later on at Auburn, I learned guitar and eventually started singing.

How would you describe your latest single, “Up ‘Round Monterey”? What inspired you to write it?

I had just moved to L.A. and was talking to this girl at the Big Boy lunch counter, her story sounded a lot like me… she was homesick and tired of L.A. traffic. She told me driving up the coast helped clear her head, so I took off up Highway 1 and didn’t stop until I reached Monterey. I wrote the song that night.

What’s your biggest musical dream?

What goal do you aspire to?

Every artist has their dream venues they want to perform at like the Ryman or the Opry, but just making music that people enjoy is pretty rewarding in and of itself.

What has been your most memorable show to date?

My band and I performed at Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez, it was my CD release party, and we sold the place out. The crowd was having a great time, which is the most important thing to me. We had everyone there, from ranchers sportin' spurs to movie stars like Judy Greer and Jason Siegel. The crowd never stopped dancin’ and they kept begging for encores at the end.