Bottomland, the duo that has exploded onto the country scene from nowhere, almost never happened. Like a movie, Cannon Brand and Justin Lane Gates wanted to give music just one more try. And a matter of months later, they soared.
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I've already discussed how Bottomland somehow achieved over a million listens in two months on their debut song. Although the band has only existed since December, and their first song is less than two months old, Brand and Gates have been kicking around in the industry for years.
When we spoke, they explained what they were doing before forming Bottomland. And it surprised me to learn that, as though a dramatic movie, Bottomland was the pair's final attempt to make music work. Like everyone else, they had bills and families to provide for.
It was a last-ditch effort. But look at them now. To think that only some months ago, they were probably being kept up at night with career anxieties is crazy. Although they're probably still being kept up as they're now so damn busy.
Brand And Gates Gave Bottomland A Chance After Carving Their Careers
Both Justin Lane Gates and Cannon Brand had comfortable careers lined up.
Gates started playing at 16 and did shows from 17. Music was "Always in the back of [his] head," but life got in the way. With a family and bills, he needed an income and lifestyle that music couldn't provide him. But then, "Bottomland came into the picture and saved me from all that." So he turned to "blue-collar jobs" to provide a respectable living.
Brand had a similar story. He started playing guitar when he was 7, and began performing as young as 12. Around 15 is when he started trying to do the "solo country thing." Sometimes his career did decently, but he had to work the whole time to make ends meet.
He spent two years training to be a realtor, but only two months after becoming one, Bottomland blew up. At least he has that career in his back pocket.
"We had to make ends meet, and we were both working our asses off, for sure," Brand reflected. "We were not loving either of our career paths at the time, and we were burnt out and tired."
After varying success in the industry, they disappeared from the scene entirely "for at least a year."
But it called them back. "We missed music," Brand said. "We were ready to come back."
"It's funny, because I feel like we both had the same mindset at the same time. It was like, 'Dude, one more shot,'" he continued. "One more shot, let's do it together and let's give it every f--kin' thing that we had."
"We were not kidding this time... we'll do it right."
And do it right they did. Their songs suddenly blew up on TikTok, and their three singles were met with lots of praise, especially "Over You, Over It."
They've got more music and an album in the works... so stay tuned for our breakout duo.
