According to The Granny Whites website, they’re an all-female band that “brings the hot summers of Tennessee to your ears.” At last year’s Pride Festival in Nashville, they didn’t have to work too hard to do just that.
“It was really hot,” said guitarist Daphne.
“We got access to the cool Gibson tour bus, which was awesome,” chimed in multi-instrumentalist JK. “It was very air conditioned and helped with the sweatiness. The breeze off the water was nice too. I wanted to take a running jump into the river.”
The Granny Whites will be back again at this year’s Pride festival. Daphne explained the group feels a strong connection to Pride. “About half our band members are gay, roughly,” she said.
“Half?” asked JK incredulously.
“Okay, I’d say about 4/5. Most of them, but not all of them,” Daphne conceded with a laugh. “I think it’s good to tap into that part of the community, even though a lot of bands are afraid to get labeled as just a gay band. There is still a lot of hatred out there.”
The Granny Whites are way more than just a gay band. As a group, they’re committed to great causes and often play shows for local charities.
“If someone is going to ask us to do something and it’s for a charity, we’re probably 200 percent more likely to say yes than if it’s just like, ‘do you want to play in this bar?’” Daphne explained. “I think it’s really important to give back, especially if it’s for a good cause. We spent our entire Christmas this last year for Second Harvest Food Bank. We got like 23 other bands to join us and we called it the Granny White Food Drive. We did six or seven shows.”
“It was a Very Granny Christmas,” said JK.
All the members of The Granny Whites are gainfully employed in areas other than music so the band provides an outlet for their charity. “The day jobs don’t really lend themselves necessarily to giving,” said JK. “This is a great way for us to be able to give to charity while having a good time.”
Somewhere in between the day jobs, Pride, and the shows for charity, The Granny Whites recorded a full-length album at the Sound Emporium and released it in February. It’s now available on iTunes and Spotify. They’re in the process of writing songs for their next album and they are working on a music video as well.
Word is starting to spread about The Granny Whites. They’re playing with the Nashville Rollergirls at the Municipal Auditorium on July 27 and at the Wilson County Fair later in the summer. They’ve even secured billing for Louisville Pride next year.
“We wouldn’t mind playing Atlanta too,” JK laughed.
You can catch The Granny Whites at Nashville’s Pride Festival on June 15. They’ll rock your face off, but according to their website, they’ll reattach it with superglue because they care about you.
Check out The Granny Whites when they perform at Nashville Pride. Also you can 'like' their Facebook page and pick up their album online at their website.