By Emma Weidmann | Arts and Life Editor
As children, brothers Will and Caleb Chapman rode the Wabash Cannonball ride at the now-closed Opryland theme park in Nashville, Tenn. It was named after an old folk song that told the tale of the Wabash Cannonball — a train that took passengers to the afterlife.
Over 20 years down the tracks, neon strip lights illuminate the faces of members of Colony House in the back of their tour bus on a stop in Columbia, Mo. The self-described “landlocked surf rock” band boasts over one million monthly listeners on Spotify and is soon to headline Alpha Chi Omega’s Block Party.
Colony House, made up of the Chapman brothers, bassist Parke Cottrell and guitarist Scott Mills, is currently touring with its fourth album: “The Cannonballers.” The title track taps into the childhood memories of riding the Wabash Cannonball, combined with the new memory — and album cover photo — of Caleb Chapman’s son jumping unafraid into a pool during a hot Tennessee summer.
Chapman said “The Cannonballers” was both a return from the COVID-19 shutdown and a departure from the band’s usual Nashville style. They worked with producer Chad Copelin for the first time, and Chapman said the band valued getting to hear a fresh perspective that allowed them to push the envelope on the album.
“We’re really proud of it,” Chapman said. “I think it’s our best record. And I want that to always be the case whenever we’re making new records. You always want the next one to be the best, but also, I’m proud of everything we’ve done and all of our records. They each almost feel like they have a moment for our career.”
When it comes to songwriting, Cottrell said if he had to choose one song to show an alien who had never heard music, his pick would be “Yesterday” by The Beatles. Out of Colony House’s own discography, Cottrell’s current favorite is “Do You Ever Feel” — a sentimental track on the latest album.
“There’s just something about the spirit of that song that feels like it’s just a classic Colony House song,” Cottrell said. “Caleb wrote the lyrics. There’s real, personal lyrics to them, so they kind of hit home in a different way. … I feel like every day if you asked me this question, it might change, just depending on the mood.”
Colony House is no stranger to the Baylor campus. The Chapmans’ older sister was a Bear and lived with Mills’ wife during their time at Baylor. As Chapman and Cottrell both enthusiastically held up a Sic ’em, making a stop in Waco in the midst of the tour seems like a no-brainer.
Chapman said a typical day on tour starts with breakfast and coffee on the bus, and around noon, the band may stop by radio stations or do interviews. By 3 p.m., Colony House is in sound check and hangs out with fans until it’s time to take the stage for real around 9 p.m.
Cottrell said with all the years of performing under their belt, they don’t often get nervous, but they’re always honored to perform.
“It feels really exciting every night to walk out — doesn’t matter how many people are out in the crowd,” Cottrell said. “It’s a pretty humbling reminder of like, ‘Dude, this is what we get to do for a living.’ And the fact that there’s people that come to all these shows and want to hear the songs and are singing along extremely loud, that’s a pretty cool feeling.”
The next day, it’s rinse and repeat. It’s a busy life, but it’s one they enjoy. Even with the hectic days and family sacrifices that come along with being on tour, Chapman said there is no shortage of gratitude that this is the life they’re able to lead.
Cottrell recalled the band’s most intense performance of their career to date: opening night of The Cannonballers Tour at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville this past summer. The band worked on borrowed time to smooth out production issues, and it only got the chance to play through the final setlist once before it went on. In the end, the show went off without a hitch.
“For as stressful as it was, it was also equally as fun,” Cottrell said. “Oh, goodness gracious. Intense.”
The show reminded Cottrell of the Wabash Cannonball and encapsulated the spirit of “The Cannonballers” in one performance, he remembered.
“Who knows what’s going to happen, and then like the kid [on the album cover], I’m just jumping into a pool, living my life,” Cottrell said. “Thinking about getting ready for the Ryman show was both, we were all super excited, just like, ‘Dude, we get to play new songs. This is awesome.’ And also, we have no idea if this is going to work, and it’s going to come at us real fast.”
Chapman said as the band has gotten older, their lives have become more complicated, but touring is one thing that brings them back to a simpler time “when you get on a bus with your bros.”
“Being able to do this as long as we’ve been able to do it and not stopping anytime soon, there’s just this feeling [that] we all love each other a lot,” Chapman said. “We’ve kind of built this pretty tight crew and group of people, and so I think if anything, we’ll be able to look back when we close this chapter. … It feels like it will be a lot of just, like, summer camp memories. … It’s like we’re the baseball team from ‘The Sandlot,’ but a band version. … We’ll be able to look back and be like, ‘Wow, hey, we really did it.’”
Take the plunge and see Colony House live on Oct. 11 at Touchdown Alley near McLane Stadium in support of the Family Abuse Center, an organization that provides shelter and resources for victims of domestic abuse.
