Since 2005, Augusta’s Andy Colbert and Trey Pitts, also known as The Mason Jars, have been strongly surging with their positive and fun melodies after reuniting from their high school days. Now, they aspire to keep people happy and dancing as they forge forward with their creative and unique sound.
“We’re a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll,” said Pitts.
“All over the map really. We got rap songs and fast-ish songs,” said Colbert.
The duo has even won the title of best bluegrass band in Augusta despite having never played an actual bluegrass song.
“We get thrown in with bluegrass a lot, but we really sound nothing like other bluegrass bands,” Pitts said.
The band’s name is a nod to Colbert’s mother, who has loads of Mason jars in her house.
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“She canned a lot of vegetables and jams, stuff like that, and it just sort of fit with the style of music we play. Sort of Americano, bluegrass, folk and ingrained with moonshine just to keep things fresh. It’s all kind of mixed together really. Canning fresh jams of our own,” Colbert said.
Their own songs have been inspired by current and past loves and crushes. Pitts’ has dedicated several songs to his wife.
“I mean that’s the only reason a 13-year-old boy picks up a guitar. It’s cause he’s trying to play for some girls,” said Pitts.
One of the band’s most popular songs, Come Home Molly, Colbert said is half about a dog and the other half about a girl he had a crush on at the time.
“I was looking for my neighbor’s dog, her name was Molly, and I just started singing it. And then I combined it with another song which was about a cashier girl at this place we used to play at in the very early days, we played for gift cards back then. I had a crush on her, and she was very unimpressed with us and wanted nothing to do with us. I think that part of the song speaks to people – you’re just trying to impress someone, and it doesn’t work, but you keep trying anyway,” said Colbert.
Both Colbert and Pitts said they hope listeners get enjoyment and “a decent time” out of their music, because they hope to give a little relief from the negative things happening in the world around them.
“I try to stay as happy and positive as possible and hope that shines through. Even if a song was written in a dark time, I try to put it in a positive angle,” Colbert said.
They’ve heard from fans that their songs do indeed bring light into their lives.
One fan served in the military and told them he listened to their music to bring a sense of comfort while deployed.
“He’d be in a tank or helicopter, blasting our music, getting ready to do what he needed to do. And then our music reminded him of home and calmed his nerves,” Colbert said.
“He was really thankful to us, when he came back, and it was just really cool. Somebody used our music to help them through a tough time, and a time when they were being a hero,” Pitts said.
Pitts and Colbert both listen to a wide range of music, including rap, country, alternative and 90s and think appreciating these different genres and groups heavily influences the band’s unique sound.
“I’ve always had a deep love for original music. I’ve never been the type to want to sit around and learn cover songs. I’ve always wanted to create songs to try and get the ideas in my head out,” said Colbert. “I want to do something different and new, not a copy of what [other bands] have done. I want to do my own thing and make the music its own.”
“[Other people’s songs] have probably already been done better than we can do it, so we’d rather just play the stuff that we know how to do better than other people, which is our own music,” said Pitts.
Despite the band’s vast stage experience, Colbert admits that he still gets nervous before a performance, and it takes three or four songs before he’s warmed up to the audience enough to break through to his comfort level.
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Even though The Mason Jars have opened for and played with a lot of bands, Colbert and Pitts said one of their favorite concerts was recently opening for Corey Smith because both of their kids finally got to see them play in person.
“We got some respect from the young’uns,” Colbert said of his daughter and her peers seeing the band perform.
And while The Mason Jars are mainly known in the Augusta area, that’s OK with Pitts and Colbert.
“It’s a great creative outlet, and I enjoy playing the guitar and playing with [Colbert]. We’ve been doing this for years and years, and I would hate to ever quit. Even if the only people who ever hear our songs are those from Augusta, I would still hate to quit playing and for none of our songs to be played again,” said Pitts.
Both Colbert and Pitts hope to play for as long as possible because they both have a passion for playing and performing.
“I want do it forever, as long as I can keep [Colbert] doing it,” said Pitts.
To know more about the band go to facebook.com/themasonjarsusa.
Liz Wright is a correspondent for The Augusta Press.
