Inside Sons Of The East: Rituals, Raw Studio Magic, and Emotive Folk-Rock in Motion

Interview by Allie LaRoe

Sons Of The East - Photo provided by The Syndicate PR

Just in time for boot-and-scarf season, the Australian folk-rock band Sons Of The East is wrapping up its global tour in the Pacific Northwest. The band’s sound feels intimate and comforting—like the sonic equivalent of wrapping yourself in a wool blanket and watching a bonfire burn down.

The trio was formed in 2011 by Nic Johnston (vocals, keys), Dan Wallage (guitar, banjo), and Jack Rollins (vocals, guitar). Their sound draws heavily from classic rock influences such as Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and the Eagles, while also incorporating country and folk elements reminiscent of Townes Van Zandt.

Since August, the group has been on a global tour promoting its sophomore album, SONS, and took a few moments to answer questions about creativity, inspiration, and how they stay connected amidst the pressures of touring.

ALLIE: You’re currently touring for your sophomore album SONS - Do you go into creating an album with a clear idea of what you’d like to make, or does it reveal itself as you go? 

SONS: This one definitely revealed itself as we went. We’re not really the pre-plan everything kind of band - half the fun is seeing where the songs want to go. Some ideas started on the road, some in the studio back home in Sydney - it all just sort of grew together into SONS.

ALLIE: How has the writing process evolved between your first album and this one?

SONS: The writing’s still super collaborative - that’s always been at the core of what we do. I think this time the difference is that the production feels a lot more alive. We recorded a bunch of songs just sitting around together with a bunch of mics, feeding off each other’s energy, which I think you can really hear.

ALLIE: Have you been surprised at all by which songs the crowd responds to? Now that you’ve been touring for this album for a while, has your set list changed at all from that first show? What surprised you? What landed exactly as you had hoped? 

SONS: Yeah, "Pour the Wine" has been a huge crowd favorite - that one has been landing as we hoped, it’s such a fun tune live. We’ve also been doing an acoustic version of one of the songs that’s gone down really well. The set list hasn’t changed heaps, but we’ve added a few bits and found new moments to play with.

ALLIE: Do you have any practices or routines you go through before a show or in between shows to try and manage your energy? What do you do to avoid burn out so you can put on the best show you can night after night? 

SONS: Our only rule before hitting the stage is that we all have to touch each other - a high five, fist bump, hug, whatever. It sounds silly, but it keeps us connected. Exercise helps too, and honestly just spending time together as mates. We’re lucky we actually like each other, which makes touring way easier.

ALLIE: Who inspired you as you were imagining this album? Do they influence how you perform? What kind of planning do you put into your shows ahead of time? Do you like to follow the energy night to night, or do you go in with a well rehearsed routine? 

SONS: We were listening to a lot of JJ Cale, The War on Drugs, The Band, The Eagles, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Sam Cooke to name just a few. We think a lot about the energy of the show, the setlist is planned, but the feel is always pretty fluid. You’ve got to read the room and go with the flow if you want to stay connected with the crowd, so our thing is to have a structure and be flexible within it.

ALLIE: You’ve had really positive reception to your shows so far, including a few really fun celebrity interactions. What is an experience that really stood out to you? (Tell a story - what happened, where, how did it make you feel, why did it make you feel that way, how has it changed you moving forward)

SONS: The celebrity moments have been really fun, but there have been a bunch of small but really meaningful moments. People telling us a song helped them through hospital stays, grief, or just hard days - those stay with you. I’ll never forget a security guard in Austin dancing through our whole set, or a woman who wanted to tip me after a show because one of our songs helped her after losing someone close to her. It’s those little reminders that make you realize what we do actually matters to people.

ALLIE: In one sentence, how would you summarize the vibe of your live show? What should attendees expect? 

SONS: Energetic but emotive - fun, heartfelt, and hopefully a night that leaves you on a high and sticks with you.

Catch Sons of the East for their final US date at Seattle’s own The Crocodile Oct 29, 2025 and listen to their sophomore album, Sons, on your favorite streaming service.