American Mile Brings Their Road-Tested Rock and Roll to San Diego
When it comes to bands keeping the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll alive, American Mile is the real deal. Based in Los Angeles but rooted in places from across the country (Indiana, Vermont, Arizona, and California), the four-piece brings harmony-driven, road-worn energy to every stage they play. With Joe on lead guitar and vocals, Eugene on guitar and lead vocals, Desmond on bass, and Colton on drums, the band boasts not one but four singers, trading off seamless two-, three-, and four-part harmonies that hit as hard as their riffs. Born from friendship, persistence, and a shared obsession with chasing the dream “on that great American mile,” the band formed in 2018 and has since been touring relentlessly, turning every night into a celebration of grit, soul, and pure rock energy. We had the pleasure of interviewing Joe from American Mile to learn more about the band and their upcoming San Diego show. Let’s get into it!
YOU’VE BEEN DESCRIBED AS “THE PUREST ROCK AND ROLL YOU CAN IMAGINE.” WHAT DOES THAT PHRASE MEAN TO YOU PERSONALLY, AND HOW DO YOU KEEP THAT SPIRIT ALIVE IN TODAY’S MUSIC SCENE?
“It probably just means, 'cause we just do whatever we want and we're just free to do whatever we want, that's really the essence of it in my opinion. We just do what we wanna do, and we try to not listen to as many people as possible while doing it. So we play our music and we go do our shows and we try and make everyone happy and comfortable around us. We just want everyone to have a good time.”
HAS THAT EVER CAUSED YOU ANY ISSUES WITHIN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?
“Yeah...We love to get in the crowd and we love to like, dance with people, and well...Sometimes it gets next level. We'll get on the tables and we'll get on the bars and sometimes Eugene will start swinging from the rooftop...So sometimes the venues are like, ‘Hey, you can't do this,’ because insurance and all that. But that's just part of our thing, and so sometimes that will cause issues for us, for sure. We dance with the wrong people, and someone gets upset that we're dancing with their girlfriend or something that. That also can be a problem. But we're just there to have, like I said, a good time. We call it being on the mothership. We're like, everyone's on the mothership with us to party.”
YOUR SOUND BLENDS SOUTHERN ROCK WITH COUNTRY SOUL. HOW DID THAT MIX OF GENRES COME TOGETHER, AND WHAT ARE SOME INFLUENCES THAT HELPED SHAPE THAT?
“We're big fans of the Black Crows and Blackberry Smoke, but we also love all the old country stuff. Like Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and we just like a blend of, like you just said, country and southern rock, and it's just how it comes out...A lot of those bands we loved when we were growing up, and that's what we listened to. Me and Eugene especially have that common thread of music and that blend, and it just naturally comes out like that. I love it.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GENRE IN GENERAL? DO YOU FEEL YOU FIT IN A CERTAIN BOX OR TRY TO STRAY AWAY FROM LABELING YOUR MUSIC?
“For American Dream, there was probably like 30 to 40 songs written. And we're never like ‘Oh, we should aim to be a certain genre.’ On the album American Dream, there's like a real old country song. Then there's like a funk song on there. Then there's acoustic stuff, and there's just straight-up southern rock stuff. So it is variety, but as long as it feels authentic to us and we like it, then we play it.”
LISTEN TO THE ALBUM AMERICAN DREAM ON SPOTIFY BY CLICKING BELOW
YOU NEARLY PLAY 200 SHOWS A YEAR. IS THAT CORRECT?
“That is correct.”
THAT'S SERIOUS ROAD WARRIOR STATUS. HOW HAS THAT PACING SHAPED YOUR SOUND AND CHEMISTRY AS A BAND?
“Definitely makes you a better musician on your instrument. Because you're spending more hours with your instrument. It definitely made everyone step up their singing because we do a lot of working gigs; one guy can't sing forever all the time. So we do trade off singing lead on some songs. The schedule can be pretty crazy. For one year, we did 250 shows, and I was like, ‘That's too much.’ We saw where the line was, and I was like, ‘Okay, that's fine. We don't have to do that many.’ So 200 seems to be a comfortable rate for us, at least right now.”
“We probably gig three to four nights a week. Also gives us like three nights off. But, to me, it doesn't feel like, as crazy as it sounds...I also feel like we're real lucky to be doing it. Just music all the time and doing 200 shows a year. The big question I get asked a lot is: ‘How's your mental health with the 200 shows a year?’ But we don't feel like that...If we have a problem with each other, we talk about it. If there's a problem in the business, we talk about it, and it just seems to be fine.”
“...Desmond and Colton have been in the band for the last two years, and so that's been really good too. They seem to fit in really well, 'cause we've had other members where the road is not for everyone. And some people realize that after a while... So it's been really good having Colton and Desmond with us. 'Cause they have a very similar mindset as to what me and Eugene have.”
THAT FLOWS REALLY WELL INTO MY FOLLOW-UP QUESTION. DOES BURNOUT EVER GET TO YOU GUYS? NOT JUST MENTALLY, BUT PSYCHIALLY AS WELL.
“Yeah, you gotta pace yourself for sure. You gotta know when to not go out after the show. There's four of us, so it's not like one person's driving all the time. Like, we take turns driving, we take turns taking care of the merch, we take turns singing on stage, and everyone has their responsibilities...I feel like it's not as taxing as it may seem. If it was just one person doing everything, I don't think it'd be possible at all.”
WHAT'S SOME ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO SMALLER BANDS/BANDS WHO ARE TYRING TO GET INTO TOURING TO HELP THEM KEEP THEIR STAMINA ON THE ROAD?
“I don't know. I don't drink alcohol. That helps. So I think that's what's able to keep me going so long for, 'cause 200 shows is a lot. You can't like, just party all night and then wake up and drive six hours and then play for four hours, and let alone set up and tear down. So that, and just not eating terrible. Like, we try to hit grocery stores a lot of the time if we're on the road. And whenever we can get a good meal somewhere, we take advantage of it.”
LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING SAN DIEGO SHOWS AT MOONSHINE FLAT. IT SEEMS YOU KEEP COMING BACK TO THIS PARTICULAR VENUE. WHAT MAKES IT SO SPECIAL TO YOU GUYS?
“The people and the vibe. I think there's a military base in San Diego, so the audience just really likes us there for whatever reason. We are American Mile, so we do the whole Star Spangled Banner. We throw the flag up, do the whole thing. The people there like country music, and we play country in Southern Rock, and everyone likes rock and roll there, too. It's just really our vibe.”
IS THERE ANYTHING IN SPECIFIC YOU WANT TO LET YOUR SAN DIEGO FANS KNOW ABOUT THE SHOWS YOU HAVE COMING UP AT MOONSHINE FLAT?
“No, let's keep it a surprise, because we always plan something weird every time, but we don't really know yet. You know what I mean? It's October right now, so we got a month to figure out something weird to do.”
YOU GUYS HAVE PLAYED WITH A LOT OF NOTABLE ACTS. AFTER SHARING THE STAGE WITH ARTISTS LIKE BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, ERIC CHURCH, THREE DOORS DOWN, HAVE ANY STANDOUT LESSONS OR MOMENTS STUCK WITH YOU FROM SHARING THE STAGE WITH THESE MUSICIANS?
“Most of the time, everyone's very nice...It's cool to see a band like Blue Öyster Cult. They've been a band for 50 years. And they were just so chill and so cool and so nice...Just be cool all the time. Just be nice all the time. Because you never know.”
AMERICAN DREAM WAS NOMINATED FOR A HOLLYWOOD INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARD. WHAT DOES THAT ALBUM REPRESENT FOR THE BAND AND HOW DOES IT FIT INTO YOUR OVERALL STORY?
“The album took three years to make. And so the first initial recording sessions were actually—we actually released three of those songs as singles in 2023. And so some of those songs (recorded when 2023 singles were) ended up on American Dream because the studio we were working out of at the time moved locations. So they totally shut down. They packed everything up, which took forever. And at that same time, we were still doing 200 shows a year.”
“We went through multiple lineup changes. So, we're waiting on the studio to reopen, and we're trying to keep our band together...and during that time...we wrote even more music. So, by the time the studio opened up again, we had a whole other batch of material, and we narrowed that down to I don't know, six or seven or eight songs or whatever.”
“For me, American Dream was like, just keep going, keep pushing for your dream, keep working hard, being honest, being fair. And when Colton and Desmond came in and the studio opened up, it was like a whole moment. We were able to button everything up, and those guys helped finish up the record, and they contributed a lot to the album. And then it felt really good when we got nominated, 'cause I felt like all that hard work was like, ‘Oh, okay, someone is paying attention somewhere.’”
“We got one nomination in the country category and one nomination in the Americana category at the Hollywood Independent Music Awards. And we went out to the ceremony, and we lost, and we made fun of everyone, and we got tacos, and then we went home. So we had a good time regardless.”
WHAT'S NEXT FOR AMERICAN MILE?
“We do have a new song coming out in a month. And then we have a bunch of live mixes that are gonna be coming out focused around American Dream, the new album. We are planning a big tour and a big move over to Nashville. We're gonna relocate our business. And that's what's going on in the next six months for us...”
ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO MENTION?
“Just come see us at Moonshine Flats in San Diego, November 21st, November 22nd, and listen to our new album, American Dream, and be our friend everywhere. We wanna hang out with everybody.”
After years of building momentum across the country, American Mile is bringing their signature sound to San Diego for two back-to-back shows on November 21st and 22nd. Expect powerhouse harmonies, searing guitars, and the kind of chemistry that only comes from living life on the road together. Whether you’ve been following their journey or you’re discovering them for the first time, these shows are a reminder of why rock and roll still matters—and why American Mile is one of the bands keeping it burning bright.
