On your fifth full-length album, ‘Watching It All Fall Apart,’ you teamed up with producer/mixer Tucker Martine (My Morning Jacket, The Decemberists, First Aid Kit, case/lang/veirs) to add elements of psychedelia and soul to your folk-rock sound. How did you come together and what was that experience like?

It was as natural as can be. Tucker instantly felt like he was on our team, and he made it extremely easy to make a great record. He knows how to induce the best performance out of an artist, and have fun while keeping the workflow flowing. We all love Tucker!

This will be your first time playing LOCKN’. Welcome to the family! You’ll play a daytime set in the Garcia’s Forest where the intimate vibe bounces between band and audience. How do you think the unique performance space under the trees and sunshine will take your performance to the next level?

I have no idea, as we’ve never played here and I’ve never been to the fest before. But I’m looking forward to it!! That’s one of the best things about touring. You never know what kind of magical space you’ll get into next.

We read in an interview that the band started because of busking. Busking is such a beautiful art! Do you feel that your experience connecting on such an intimate level with an audience directly impacts your performances as a band today?

Busking is how we started and there are techniques and lessons that you learn from street performance that you never lose. One of them is how to let go and pour yourself into every performance. So I’d say yes:)

Festivals are a completely different atmosphere to indoor gigs, and you’ve played major festivals like Bonnaroo and Telluride Bluegrass. What do you love about playing festivals? What does the energy of a festival crowd bring out of you that an indoor crowd doesn’t?

I can’t say that a festival crowd or an indoor crowd is better than the other. I also can’t say that I love playing festivals over dark divey bars. There is beauty to behold on all sides of the spectrum, just like there is ugliness to all sides. I will say that people at festivals are usually there for a whole weekend specifically to party and get down. Which can be really special for a performance, or can do the opposite as people’s attention spans can only handle so much… one way or the other, I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of vibe LOCKN’ will throw out!