“It’s nothing short of a miracle that any band makes it 20 years,” says the Band of Heathens co-founder and co-frontman Gordy Quist.
He’s got a point – the double-decade distinction is a milestone many groups never reach. As they grew as songwriters, individuals, and as bandmates, Quist and his fellow founding frontman, Ed Jurdi, found themselves charting the map for their roots rock group without many models.
With a chuckle, Quist recounts some pseudo-advice he received in his mid-twenties from an older musician: “He was like, ‘Man, write as many songs as you can before you turn 30, because after 30, it dries up for most songwriters.’
“I remember thinking that it was bullshit,” Quist says. Having since turned 30 and then some, he and Jurdi have come to understand that, while songs might not dry up, creative work is, well, work. Relying on the “shooting stars” of inspiration that dazzled them as young songwriters is a thing of the past for these two experienced musicians. In the intervening years, they’ve fretted over public perception and refound confidence in their artistry, experimented with different composition methods and learned to trust what works for them, navigated touring and starting families, and rediscovered their identity as a folk-inspired rock band again and again.
The story’s all there on their upcoming album, Country Sides, out Feb. 20, 2026. Produced by the band alongside Jim Vollentine (Spoon, Patty Griffin, White Denim), the LP is, as the title suggests, as country as the Band of Heathens has let themselves get – “We put more pedal steel on this record than we have with anything,” Quist jokes. It’s also an unintentional biography of the band.
“There’s this interesting narrative that weaves throughout the record,” Jurdi says. The project tracks the early phases of wonderment, through settling into commitment and a middling plateau, and ends on a note of “hard-won resolution.” The pair didn’t set out to create a concept album, but reflecting on two decades of work together showed up in the songs nonetheless.
“It is like any long-term relationship – everybody changes and has different seasons and different periods within that,” Jurdi says.
In every chapter, they’ve still managed to find the magic. That’s what the album’s first single, “High on Our Own Supply,” is all about.
“The supply is music,” explains Jurdi, principal songwriter on the track. “When you plug into that, it gives you whatever the feeling is that we’re all chasing after: This ephemeral thing, this feeling of joy, or feeling of contentment, or a feeling of being excited about what you’re doing and the thing that you’re doing being enough to literally sustain you.”
“Getting high on our own supply/ There’s enough left to get us by/ When you’re all alone/ And you need a song/ We play rock & roll music/ All night long,” the duo croon on the laid-back Americana song’s chorus, blending cozy, campfire sing-along energy with a more soulful, anthemic roots feel.
It isn’t always glamorous, but these thoughtful writers are committed to their craft – and it shows. On their 10th studio album, the fivepiece is as dedicated to the nuts and bolts of classic rock storytelling as they were when the band began to find its footing 20 years ago. Alongside current members Trevor Nealon (keyboards), Clint Simmons (drums), and Nick Jay (bass), the founding pair continue to hone their energetic, roots-inspired sound. With swamp-swaggering guitar licks, barroom-bouncing piano melodies, and soul-scratching lyrics, the Band of Heathens are taking two decades in stride and marching into the next two.
“We’re in a really good place as a band and creatively and personally,” says Quist. He and Jurdi are excited to share that energy, and the new songs, onstage first in Texas, and then across the country. “It’s going to be something really special for us to be able to celebrate all the music and the people that have helped us make it to this point.”
The Band of Heathens celebrates their 20th anniversary and previews Country Sides at ACL Live on Nov. 29.
