Watch alt rockers A Will Away bring songs to life in spirited Sanctuary Sessions

August 31, 2017

It's undeniable that alt rockers A Will Away are a mesmerizing live band, and their live Sanctuary Sessions, premiering through Alternative Press, prove this to be the case.

After releasing their game-changing debut album, Here Again, back in March, the band hit the road on a summer tour with Dryjacket and This Wild Life. On an off day in Nashville, the band stopped by to record with the Sanctuary Sessions team for a dynamic series of videos that truly bring their songs to life.

Watch the live tracked sessions, featuring “Pay Raise,” “Gravity,” “My Sitter” and more now, and read a Q&A with vocalist/guitarist Matt Carlson below.

“Pay Raise”

“Gravity”

“Chemicals” and “Crochet”

“Cheap Wine”

“My Sitter”

What was it like recording with the Sanctuary Sessions team?
It was great! We became very fast friends and the energy in their studio was really wonderful. Creative work like this is always easier when everyone's on the same page right from the get-go. They're extremely easy-going people and it was an absolute blast to be around them.

You recorded this session while on your summer tour with This Wild Life. How was that tour for you guys? Any standout moments?
Yes, this was the day after our Nashville show during the latter half of the tour. The tour was fun! We really jived with both Dryjacket and This Wild Life. Any time we were all packed into green rooms together would constitute a stand-out moment. It's always great to come off of a long drive into a venue filled with friends. Makes the whole trip a lot more fun.

Not to mention, you released your debut album, Here Again, earlier this year. How does it feel having the record out and performing those songs live?
We're really very happy to have the record out. We change our set lists every night on tours, so adding an additional 13 songs into our pool of options has been a lot of fun for us. We're constantly making adjustments to the way the songs play and feel live. These songs have been in our practice rotation for the better part of two years now and they'll always be a work in progress—it's just a joy to be able to share them and live performance is our favorite way to do that.

You’ll be headed out on tour this fall with Have Mercy, Boston Manor and Can’t Swim—a stacked tour, if we do say so ourselves. How excited are you to hit the road with these bands?
We're REALLY excited for that tour and have been all year. The vast majority of the people on that run (both bands and crew) are already good friends of ours and people we enjoy spending time with on a personal level. I think audiences are going to feel the positive vibes in the room every night and I think the bands will be playing off of one another's energy in just the right way. If you're a fan of any of the bands on this lineup you do NOT want to miss this one.

Is there anything else we have to look forward to this year from A Will Away?
Many things. We've got a ton of stuff in the works that we can't wait to share. We've really only just gotten started.

Check out the band's tour dates with Have Mercy, Boston Manor and Can't Swim below. Tickets are on sale now.

Plus, you can pick up their new album, featuring title-track “Here Again,” which we happened to rank as one of the best songs of 2017 (so far), here.

Dates:
10/06 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
10/07 – Richmond, VA @ The Camel
10/08 – Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
10/10 – Tampa, FL @ Crowbar
10/11 – Margate, FL @ O'Malley's
10/12 – Orlando, FL @ Backbooth
10/13 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
10/14 – Nashville, TN @ The End
10/16 – Houston, TX @ Walter's
10/17 – Austin, TX @ Come And Take It Live
10/18 – Dallas, TX @ RBC Dallas
10/20 – Mesa, AZ @ Nile Theater
10/21 – Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
10/22 – San Diego, CA @ The Irenic
10/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
10/25 – Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone Berkeley
10/27 – Portland, OR @ Analog Theater
10/28 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
10/30 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
10/31 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
11/01 – Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Music Hall
11/03 – Minneapolis, MN @ Amsterdam Bar and Hall
11/04 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
11/05 – Detroit, MI @ The Loving Touch
11/07 – Cleveland, OH @ Mahall's
11/08 – Toronto, ON @ The Hard Luck
11/09 – Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory
11/10 – Buffalo, NY @ Waiting Room
11/11 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
11/12 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair