Eli Young Band will soon celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band, and one of the ways they have survived so long is by being willing to be honest and have the hard conversations with one another when necessary. Lead singer Mike Eli says, “After 20 years of being in a band, you have to be honest with each other. I don’t necessarily think it always has an impact. I think that the four of us can sometimes – either you’re ready to listen to something or you’re not ready.”
Whether someone in the band is ready to hear the truth or not, the guys make it a priority to be there for one another and to tell each other what they need to hear. “Whether it’s drinking too much or smoking too much or whatever, one of us or all of us have been there for each other in that moment. I was going through some hard times, I think, vocally, and getting some help with that probably took a little bit of a push. And there have been times where some of us have been drinking a little too much and we’ve had to be there for each other by being honest.”
Eli Young Band was formed when all four guys were in college, and over the years they’ve become more of a brotherhood than just fellow band members, and Mike says, “You don’t make it 19 years of being a band if you can’t be honest with each other. And I think that one of the biggest reasons we have made it is because we make sure that we talk to each other and we communicate.”
That communication has allowed the Eli Young Band to not only survive, but to continue to thrive and make great music like their latest #1 song, “Love Ain’t,” and their current single, “Break It In.”
Eli Young Band – bandmates hold each other accountable :45
Mike Eli – “After 20 years of being in a band, you have to be honest with each other. I don’t necessarily think it always has an impact. I think that the four of us can sometimes – either you’re ready to listen to something or you’re not ready. We’ve tried to prioritize being there for each other. Whether it’s drinking too much or smoking too much or whatever, one of us or all of us have been there for each other in that moment. I was going through some hard times, I think, vocally, and getting some help with that probably took a little bit of a push. And there have been times where some of us have been drinking a little too much and we’ve had to be there for each other by being honest. I mean you don’t make it 19 years of being a band if you can’t be honest with each other. And I think that one of the biggest reasons we have made it is because we make sure that we talk to each other and communicate.”