Favored Sons is a Rock/Alternative/Pop Rock band from Tallahassee, FL with a relentless work ethic and strong DIY roots. The band prides themselves on being a good live band, and have worked hard to earn a solid fan base. Lead vocalist Mitch Patti took the time to share some of the band’s history and how they stay driven in the Tallahassee music scene.

How did Favored Sons form?

Favored Sons formed in the spring of 2008.  I (Mitch – Lead vocals) had been bouncing around in different bands in Tallahassee just as a guitar player, and me and Russ (Drums) went to high school together, but never really thought of starting a band together until we had both finished college.  I wrote a few songs that him and I would just jam on in our house for fun, it wasn’t until I met Luke (lead guitar) in my last semester of college that we got the ball rolling on a serious project.  We had a few bass players come and go, with Harlen joining last year right after our album was released, and things have really started to take off for us since then. This is by far the best this band has ever been.

Who are some of your musical influences?

We all have such different backgrounds. Going into writing and recording our last album I was listening to a lot of pop/rock songs with big catchy choruses. Bands like Kings of Leon, Go Radio, Paramore, Transmit Now, etc. all had a big impact on how the songs were crafted.

What do you hope listeners gain from your music?

I hope we’ve struck on something original and that we can take listeners places they’ve never been. I hope people can connect with a line or two in the lyrics, and that maybe we can make someone’s day a little better.

What is the Tallahassee music scene like? Did it embrace you guys right away, or did it take some time for the band to find its place in the scene?

Tallahassee has a great music scene, but it by no means embraced us right away, as when we first started our sound was very different than it is now.  It took us a little while to evolve, and many, many live shows to become a good live band.  Now we have a solid fan base that supports us, but we’re still always working to expand it.  There’s a lot of people involved in the music scene here that aren’t even in bands, and the radio stations and college newspapers stay actively involved as well, which is cool to see.

You guys self released your most recent EP, “Never The Whole Story,” along with two albums before that, as your band continues to grow do you plan on staying with the DIY method?

Well it would most certainly be great to get more outside help! But we have been doing this for so long on our own, we really don’t know how to do it any other way.  But I think it’s really helped us develop the work ethic we have.  Writing, rehearsing, booking, promoting, traveling…  we work insanely hard at all of it simply because we love what we do.  Like I said though, some outside help is pretty nice.

Did any of you have knowledge or experience with recording and producing before you produced your first album, or was it a learn as you go experience? 

Luke and I had a little experience in the past with other bands, but nothing professional.  Our first album was recorded in a bedroom on an HP computer, and it sounds like it too.  We definitely learned a lot as we went, and by the time we got to “Never The Whole Story”, we were pretty seasoned engineers. Luke and I were really able to stretch out on this one and try a bunch of things on different songs. Plus we had a bigger recording space and much better studio gear. The only part we outsourced was the final mastering of the album.

What are some of the greatest successes and setbacks your band has experienced?

Recording and releasing “Never The Whole Story” is probably our greatest success, it took a year from start to finish, and we had a huge amount of support from fans and family.  We played a packed house for the CD release show, and it’s by far the moment I am most proud of.   As for setbacks, line up changes are always difficult, because it kind of feels like starting over again, but you have to learn how to embrace those things.  We’ve had our share of equipment problems in the middle of shows, van break downs, van getting wrecked… all the things a working band will experience. But we always show up on time ready to play, so I can’t really say we have had any significant setbacks.

What do you guys have in store for the future? Any plans on tours or new music?

Just to keep working.  Right now we’re on a “weekend warrior” type of schedule, but we would love to get out on the road and stay there.  We’re totally ready.  We will probably be promoting “Never The Whole Story” for a good while longer, and maybe around late fall start demoing out some new songs.  I already have around 20 songs written, and I’m sure I’ll have 40 more when that time comes. So yeah, all that’s in store for the future is to just keep working as hard as possible.