Probably Whiskey is a folk and bluegrass genre inspired band with its own sound and plenty of stories to tell. Officially formed in 2018 in Annandale, Virginia, WMCO Program Director, Brice Lillibridge and I had the pleasure of interviewing them.
The band is composed of Phil Spiess, Matt Feller, and Frank Sylvester. Cousins Phil and Matt co-founded the band bringing together their guitar, vocal, and fiddle skills.
Sylvester is the newest addition to the group, having started touring with them in January. He plays the bass and jokes the band added him to “make them look younger.”
Before Probably Whiskey came to be what it is today, cousins Spiess and Feller started playing together when Feller was 13 years old. Spiess brought him onstage during his street performances.
Now 21, Feller and Spiess work together writing songs that give the band its original sound.
Each member is a seasoned musician who encourages others that want to go into music. “I say just do it, far too many people out there think, ‘well I’m not going to be very good. I’m not going to sound good.’ Just make it fun make it a fun thing first and the rest will come,” said Sylvester.
Being a student studying jazz music at McDaniel College, Feller brings his flare to Probably Whiskey. “You get the rewarding aspect of ensemble classes and recitals and just when you’ve been working for an entire semester or even some pieces you start them and I’m good enough for a recital next semester and next semester and when you finally get that recital that cathartic performance is just like, ‘Yeah I did that.'”
Spiess has experience in not only performing and writing music, but he has also worked in audio engineering and firefighting. “I went heavily into audio engineering with college bar bands and I spent the past 10 years pretty much focusing solely on firefighting as a career firefighter up until this past December. I would have four days off in a row that touring, gigging, and stuff with the band and other bands happened around the same time that I would do during those off-days,” said Spiess.
Sylvester, being the newest member added to the band, brings his classical style to the group. “Phil and I have been playing a little bit together over a couple years, we actually came up together in some of the same circles in the firefighting scene but I officially became a member in November. My first gig was Jan. 3 in Roanoke at the 3rd Street Coffeehouse. It’s a great spot,” said Sylvester.
Probably Whiskey fuses country, jazz, classical, and bluegrass to make a unique sound for listeners. Their music has aired on WMCO.
