What’s in a reputation? For Muscadine Bloodline, a title rebrand could have been the spark that elevated the nation duo from everlasting faculty city cowl band to now enjoying in entrance of sold-out audiences at professional soccer stadiums.
It’s now 9 years since Gary Stanton and Charlie Muncaster selected ditching not solely their house state of Alabama but in addition their nondescript stage identify—Gary and Charlie—and head to Nashville in pursuit of nation music stardom. Not solely did Muscodine Bloodline sound extra like an actual band, the change helped forge a each a friendship and now devoted partnership with a sole purpose of launching their distinctive type of nation music worldwide.
“We at all times joked that every one band names sucked except it labored out,” Muncaster says. “We’re nonetheless chugging alongside. So hopefully it’s understanding simply advantageous.”
The self funding has paid off greater than the 2 may have envisioned. Since shifting to the Music Metropolis, the indie nation artists have constructed an enormous cult following—and their success is now blowing up on a nationwide platform. They’ve obtained a brand new album, The Coastal Plain, which has been critically acclaimed. And along with their very own U.S. tour in assist of their work, they’re additionally at the moment opening the for rap-country crossover famous person Submit Malone.
“We had been simply operating round as Gary and Charlie, as a result of we didn’t know that we had been actually going to work collectively in an official capability,” Muncaster says. “As soon as we lastly constructed a whole lot of chemistry, and determined we had been going to do that factor collectively, we determined we have to have a band identify. We needed one thing that rhymed and one thing that sounded inherently southern, and we landed on Muscadine.”
Their careers are reliant on one another’s full consideration. This has required Stanton and Muncaster to grow to be almost inseparable—and never simply onstage or the recording studio.
“There’s the side of placing your life into Charlie’s arms and his into yours,” Stanton says. “We each symbolize one another—and we’ve been just about married for 9 years. We’ve seen one another quite a bit—typically greater than our spouses.”
The 2 have now developed a teammate-like camaraderie within the weightroom as effectively. Muncaster, now six years sober, has needed to depend on Stanton—a lifelong health buff—to assist him regain his well being. At this time, Muncaster is down is greater than 50 kilos in his bodily pursuit of changing into a greater conditioned nation performer.
And whereas weightlifting and conditioning have allowed each of them to point out off a little bit of their nation muscle, higher efficiency onstage is permitting Muscadine Bloodline to showcase their high-energy stage reveals on a nationwide degree.
“We need to sound good, and have you ever go away our present saying that was an amazing stay band,” Muncaster says. “We’re assured that if we will get you to a present, you’ll purchase one other ticket as a result of it was a ok efficiency to warrant one other purchase.”
Staying Sober and Staying Devoted to Health
Muncaster started enjoying guitar at age 14, however admits to actually having no preliminary need to pursue music till faculty. This was in regards to the time when voice started to develop in addition to his instrument expertise. His onstage profession started enjoying nightly gigs alongside the Auburn bar scene. As he performed for largely pals early on, he began incomes some money—as effectively with free meals and booze.
“The second for me was after I was like, ‘Oh, I can drink free beer and get 300 or 400 bucks?” he remembers. “That was my jumpstart second into music.”
Quickly after he paired up with Stanton, who had completed up faculty at Southern Miss with a level in music administration. After listening to constructive critiques among the many native crowed, the 2 quickly determined that it was the suitable time to go to Nashville. “Inside like six months, we began to actually see some traction,” Stanton remembers. “We’re like, dang let’s maintain at it.”
On the street to music success, nevertheless, the late-night efficiency got here at a well being value for Muncaster—he ballooned to over 270 kilos. Fortuitously, he discovered the willpower to drop alcohol chilly turkey. Since then he hasn’t had a drink in over six years.
“I began realizing that no good determination I’ve ever made has come from being hammered,” he admits. “So for me it was so simple as saying to myself, it’s simpler for a man like me to be sober.”
However what Muncaster didn’t have was a plan to drop the 50-plus kilos of additional weight he’d steadily gained. The additional poundage started affecting his efficiency onstage. Fortuitously, Stanton was the weightroom position mannequin Muncaster wanted. The 2 started understanding collectively, with the assistance of non-public coach Matt Clean. Clean was a good friend of Stanton’s throughout faculty on the College of Southern Mississippi.
Stanton by no means wanted to make use of a troublesome love method to get Muncaster to hitch him within the gymnasium, however as an alternative supplied a lead by instance components—consistency. That’s all Muncaster wanted.
“I might inform Charlie that I’ve been going to the gymnasium, and finally Charlie determined to tag alongside,” Stanton says. “From there we’ve gone via spurts of understanding daily collectively. Some days, if Charlie desires to go play a spherical of golf, he’ll go do this. Or if we’re not going to work out on a day, we’ll provide you with a plan for issues we have to keep away from.
Coaching grew to become a sample forming staple in Muncaster’s each day world. He started catching on to sure life-style changes—meal prepping being one. And the wholesome habits started to snowball, with Muncaster asking questions and Stanton at all times there to reply.
“He was actually, like the primary individual in my life at age 23, who confirmed me learn how to depend energy,” Muncaster stated. “And it blew my thoughts.”
Now, Muncaster sports activities a 220 pound body, due to a gradual and constant exercise and weight loss program routine. “I’d actually try what he was doing to start with,” Muncaster says. “Then I’d be like, alright, I’m gonna prepare dinner some grilled rooster and rice and name it a day. The extra I discovered the simpler it grew to become.”
Stanton sees the progress, and is proud to be part of his accomplice’s transformation.
“To Charlie’s credit score, he’s achieved it wholesome,” he says. “It’s not like a crash weight loss program to achieve a purpose, then stop and three months later he’s again to the place he was. I really feel like Charlie’s obtained, like, a reasonably good grasp on what he wants.’
Muscodine Bloodline Are Companions on the Stage and the Weightroom
Earlier than selecting Muscadine Bloodline because the official identify, Stanton and Muncaster toyed round with different choices. One was Dry County Riot.
“It sounded an excessive amount of like a southern steel band,” Stanton says. They settled on combining “Muscadine”—a domestically grown grape—with “Bloodline,” a easy time period representing their southern heritage. And the phrases type of rhymed too. “We got here alongside Muscadine Bloodline, and it was like, We don’t hate that. In order that’s the place we landed,” Stanton says.
Even with a flowery new identify a constantly increasing worldwide fanbase, the 2 admit separating themselves from their Alabama and southern traditions won’t ever be an choice. “You cant disguise these rednecks,” Muncaster says.
The closest “non-southern” exercise can be Muncaster’s penchant for golf, which he does as typically as time permits. Stanton, in the meantime stays an avid hunter who purposely stays away from the hyperlinks. “I’ve addictive character,” he says. “I simply don’t have room for yet one more [hobby]. If I do, I’ll attempt to be enjoying on the tour if I begin.”
The 2, nevertheless have developed a wholesome sample for getting in a exercise irrespective of town they roll into. Having an Anytime Health membership helps. “Twenty bucks a month get you into any gymnasium in America,” Muncaster says. “That’s fairly wholesome.”
Stanton has been heavy into weightlifting since highschool soccer and baseball days. “It’s been part of my life eternally,” he says. “I type of discovered the ropes throughout highschool exercises for soccer and baseball.”
Whereas the 5’6”, 165-pound former athlete is a seasoned veteran within the gymnasium, Muncaster is rapidly changing into a dependable pec-building protegé. He’s continually gobbling up fast coaching suggestions Stanton throws at him whereas on the identical time burning energy all through this weight-loss journey.
They’ll additionally depend on a exercise program created by coach Matt Clean. Stanton and Clean have recognized one another since their faculty days at Southern Miss. “We’ll open it up and do the exercises particularly made for me and Charlie,” Stanton says. “During the last two years, he’s helped us preserve a method, particularly on the street.”
Stanton says usually they’ll do a two-on (higher physique, decrease physique), one-off break up, with Sundays put aside for R&R. On the street nevertheless, they generally are inclined to sort out full-body exercises when soundcheck, media appearances and different commitments go away them with little time.
“Gary has set instance, and I’m beginning to catch on,” Muncaster says. “I’ve been like, I’m wondering what that’s prefer to be wholesome. When you begin catching on to that, you additionally begin desirous to be higher in sure different areas. And that’s type of the trickle down impact it had.”
A Duo Made for the Lengthy and Regular Run to Success
On the street, when the temptations of post-concert pizzas, Oreos, or a chilly beer hover backstage, Stanton tries to come back ready with more healthy alternate options. He’ll oftentimes fill the tour bus fridge with deer meat or turkey breast ready following one in every of his latest looking journeys.
However whereas they each proceed to maintain their waistlines down with higher meal choices, the Muscadine Bloodline duo understands that their actual meal tickets are their voices. So protecting them wholesome evening in and evening out is as vital as counting macros.
“We’re not Greek gods like Riley Inexperienced or Parker McCollum,” Stanton says laughing. “So now we have to exit and sound good each evening.”
Earlier than and after each live performance, Stanton and Muncaster go over a bunch of vocal workouts and breath work so as their voices keep on level for every 90 minute present and to additionally forestall fatigue the vocal chords. Ingesting tea helps as effectively, the duo says.
“I’ll do respiratory workouts earlier than I’m going on stage,” Muncaster says, “as a result of I gotta maintain these massive breaths to sing. I really feel like if we don’t do our warmups, we’ll actually get worn out. Then you definately’re anxious in regards to the subsequent evening.”
Whereas their songwriting for The Coastal Plain—with southern melodic ballads resembling 90-10 has been labeled “sneaky good, typically overtly stellar,” the pair desires to current to their latest followers that their stay performances are much more dazzling because the critiques.
“You’ll simply have to come back out and see one and work out,” Stanton says. We’re very detailed in how we construct a stream of songs. We don’t simply stand up there and simply play. We attempt to take your 90-minute journey of what we’re engaged on in the mean time. Our purpose is you simply sound is healthier than we did on the information.”
Within the minds of Muscodine Bloodline, the rise to nation music as impartial artists has been a gradual and regular climb—and so they’re OK with that—whereas seeing others skyrocket to success. In 2020, they teamed with present nation music phenom Lainey Wilson on “Items.” Whereas her rise to worldwide stardom seems to some to have come at meteoric speeds, Stanton and Muncaster nonetheless take the gradual and regular grind method to proceed shifting ahead.
“For those who’re your profession and saying, ‘Why aren’t we right here?’ I feel that’s an enormous lesson that we’ve discovered to keep away from alongside the best way,” Muncaster says. “It doesn’t matter what anybody else is doing— I’m pleased for them. What we’re doing is is what we’re doing. We will’t and don’t examine to all people else. We prefer to say, ‘Be the place your toes are.’”
