Since their formation nearly eight years ago, The Howlin’ Brothers have been bringing their fun-loving picking and singing to audiences in Nashville, Tenn., and more recently around the country. 

The trio of Ben Plasse on upright bass/banjo/vocals, Ian Craft on fiddle/banjo/vocals and Jared Green on guitar/harmonica/vocals make up the Nashville-based string band, which performs a traditional style of old timey American roots music.

After an extensive tour in 2013, the trio looks to continue their success into the summer. Their new album “Trouble” is scheduled to release May 13.

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The Daily Egyptian had the opportunity to interview Ben Plasse before the band makes their way to Tres Hombres Restaurant and Bar on Saturday night.

How did you guys come together?

We were all students at Ithaca College. We were all doing different things. Ian was a drummer when I met him, and Jared and I were classical guitar players and recording majors. We all got interested in the same traditional music around the same time. After college, Ian and Jared moved straight to Nashville and I moved down there about five years after that.

You guys play a lot of traditional American roots music. What makes you unique?

Well, it’s tough to say. I think we bring more of a rock ‘n’ roll energy to it, but it’s still very rooted in the traditional stuff. We put our whole heart and soul into it every time, and leave it all on stage and hopefully people take that extreme amount of positive energy home with them and take it into their daily lives.

What is life like on the road?

Life on the road is awesome. It’s constant stimulus and it takes you out of your element. I’m a pretty introverted and shy guy but every single day I have to meet strangers and interact with them so it’s been really good for me to be forced into a situation like that.

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What was it like recording in Sun Studio, the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll, like so many greats before you?

It was really amazing. When you do it, you go on the last tour of the day through the studio so you get a real good synopsis of the history. Its really amazing. We were playing the song “Tennessee Blues” and it literally felt like a ghost was moving my hands. I was playing bass lines that I had never played on that song, where is that coming from? I’m not even consciously thinking of changing that, but it’s happening.

Could you talk about your new album “Trouble” and your relationship with producer Brendan Benson and Readymade Records?

Brendan has been a really good friend to us. We met him at an old time picking party and I think he was really fascinated in the washed up bass. That inspired him to explore that music more. We thought he was joking when he said he wanted to produce the next Howlin’ Brothers album, and the next thing we knew his manager was calling us asking when we could book time to do it. It all kind of spiraled fast but organically, which was amazing. The new album “Trouble” is pretty cool because all the songs were born from (touring). There is a lot of songs about traveling and songs about girls who we wouldn’t have met if we wouldn’t have gone on the road. It’s a pretty good synopsis of our year last year. I’m really proud of it.

What our your plans from this summer?

We have some festivals lined up this summer and a lot of Howlin’ touring. We’re really just trying to take this album as far as we can take it. We have a real good schedule coming up. Hopefully, it all keeps slowly going up hill. It has been a pretty beautiful ride so far.

If you were to have the opportunity to sit down and talk to one famous musician from the past, who would it be?

I think it would definitely be Doc Watson. He has been such an inspiration. I’ve never heard anything bad that he did. He has the most amazing catalogue of picking and singing. I’m a lot more attracted to the people who are musicians rather than rock stars. It always seemed like he had his manners together and was really grateful for the life that he had and those are the kind of guys I would really like to hang out with and pick tunes.

Kyle Sutton can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @KyleSutton_DE or at 536-3311 ext. 254.