Pearle, Merle, and A.P. Floyd are making their way around Brisbane, along with their long, lost cousin Earle (the second), and they want you to join their family!
With a shot of country, dash of bluegrass and a swizzle of western swing, the Floyd Family Breakdown delve into the country-music heartland with their own brand of originals and refreshing take on good ol’ country tunes.
What began as an idea for a western swing band, the Floyds have become a country band with a twist, priding themselves on the creation of ‘Floyd Grass’ and having the ability to take any country classic and make it their own. “One of our former members, Earle [Jerry] came up with the name Floyd Family and I [A.P. Floyd] came up with Breakdown thing as a pun on the instrumental music that happens at blue grass.
"When Jerry suggested the Floyd Family we thought that was so much more fun, and it meant we could have our trio, which is our immediate family, and for bigger shows we bring in other players, other 'members of the family' to come in.”
Aside from country, the Floyds have a variety of influences across genres and artists, including jazz blues, swing music, The Carter Family and bluegrass, alternative country, and bluegrass/ rock combinations. “[Top country influences] Bob Wills, Gillian Welch and the Flatlanders.
“There's a lot of families in country music – it's kinda like a tradition, and that's the idea of country music. It's about people sitting around together and playing together and hopefully something good will come out of it.”
The Floyds have just finished an April residency at The Bearded Lady and were ecstatic about the response from fans and the public. “We had a packed bar, which is not the biggest space but it was great!
“The good thing is that people come in off the street, but it was really, really busy. We played well, it had a good vibe and a very upbeat set.”
With a June residency at The Bearded Lady already secured, the Floyds are now preparing for their upcoming show with Megan Cooper at The Milk Factory this Sunday (3 May). “We're gonna do our most upbeat songs and a really lively engaging set, really showcasing some of our original songs and some of the songs that we just love to play out of the old melting pot of old country music.
“Megan Cooper is one of our favourite Brisbane singer/ songwriters. She's very fresh and has great lyrics. She draws from old-school country, which really influences her style, so it's going to be very interesting having the different types of country on the same show.”
The Floyd Family Breakdown with Megan Cooper will be performing at The Milk Factory 3 May, 4pm. The Floyd Family Breakdown then play the first Saturday of the month at The Bearded Lady commencing 6 June.
