Introducing the Sugar + Hi Lows

Photo by the Sugar + Hi Lows

Coming up from Nashville, Tennessee, this country duo has been making killer country music for ages before getting together. Their newest album “High Roller” came out in June, and we have to say it’s definitely one to listen to. We sat down with Trent and Amy of the Sugar + Hi Lows after their performance to learn more about them and speak about their music.

How have you two been? Have you seen any performances at ACL so far?

Trent: “Good, good. We actually haven’t had a chance to see anyone yet but we’re looking forward to Drake and Sturgill Simpson.”

I am too. So I’m going to go straight into this, I want to learn how this duo happened. How did you guys come together?

Trent:  “We both had solo records out, and we were fans of each other’s music. A friend of ours that worked at BMI suggested we write together and literally from that one co-write, that was kind of the birth of the band.”

You guys have a new album out that I personally enjoyed a lot. Tell me about the work that you guys did for your new album “High Roller”?

Amy: “We did our first self-titled record kind of quick. Sometimes we wrote two songs in one day and had about a week in the studio. But for “High Roller,” we took about two years while we were touring, and we would get together on our off time and co-write. So this time we actually overwrote. We wrote a ton of songs and recorded more than we needed and dwindled it down to make the album.”

Trent: “But similar recording style, we called the same friends that know how to dial in the sound that we love. We just cared about the songs and we knew that the sound would take care of itself.”

Who are some of your influences?

Amy: “I grew up here in Texas before moving to Nashville [and] I loved great songs.  Some of the people that I heard growing up were Mavis Staples, Lucinda Williams, and Johnny Cash.”

Trent: “Coming up to stacks , I listened to a lot of Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke and Neil Young.”

Since this is for a college newspaper, I also wanted to ask you about your college experience. What can you tell me about that?

Trent: “I went to Mississippi State University for five years and got a phycology degree, which is helpful in songwriting when you write with all these different people. It’s come in handy, but I have to attribute going to Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi to pursuing music because I don’t think I would’ve pursued the dream if I wasn’t with some friends in a little town where people would come watch us.”

Amy: “I graduated high school in Abilene, Texas and knew that I wanted to do music and everyone was like you have to go to Belmont University. I actually didn’t get in, so I went to Lipscomb University in Nashville. I ended up getting an academic scholarship there and studied marketing and classical guitar and I loved it so I stayed.”

And lastly, when you left college, what sparked that interest that said you had to jump into the music industry. What made that happen?

Trent: “I would say that for me it was drive. I have that personality that if someone says I can’t do something, it turns me on to try it and I was well aware of how hard it was going to be to try to pursue music in a town where everyone plays music like Nashville but I like that sort of challenge so I was going to die trying.”

Amy: “It was during college when I was playing out. During college I met a producer there named Nathan Chapman, and he was the first person I co-wrote with and got me connected with some people. It really started during college and kind of overflowed after college to a career.”

You can buy and listen to “High Roller” on iTunes and Spotify and make sure to follow the Sugar + Hi Lows on Twitter, @sugar_thehilows, and on Facebook.