49 Winchester Rock Intimate Nashville Showcase

Sitting backstage at a club on the outskirts of Nashville last week, 49 Winchester lead singer/guitarist Isaac Gibson took a moment to collect himself before an intimate showcase at the “Rolling Stone Writers’ Room” presented by George Dickel Bourbon.

“I grew up in a pretty poor, blue-collar Appalachian household, one where you really had to work hard for anything that was worth anything,” Gibson tells Rolling Stone. “It’s that ‘put on your hard hat and let’s get to work’ kind of thing. And we do the same thing with our music — be true to yourself as an artist, be true to the way you write and perform.”

Recently named by Rolling Stone as “Country Music’s Buzziest of Buzz Bands,” the rural Southwestern Virginia outfit was chosen for the event for their downhome roots and honest songwriting — whether they be songs about the band’s native Southern Appalachia or what it’s like to be a touring band.

“The ‘Rolling Stone Writers’ Room’ is all about digging deeper and savoring the nuances of songwriting — to that end, 49 Winchester were ideal subjects,” says Joseph Hudak, editor of Rolling Stone Country. “Isaac Gibson’s songs may seem like simple depictions of everyday life, but there’s so much depth there when you take time to really listen.”

In front of a raucous audience, Rolling Stone conducted an in-depth onstage Q&A with Gibson, only to then hand over the reins to the band, who tore apart the intimate room with a blistering seven-song set. The gig also included a special guest appearance by up-and-coming country star Hailey Whitters for a rendition of Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.”

“It takes country people to make country music,” Gibson says. “And a lot of people would maybe disagree with that. But, in terms of the artists that I’ve always been drawn to throughout my life, they’re real country people with a real country experience to write about.”

In recent years, 49 Winchester have becoming one of the hottest rising acts on the national and international touring circuit, with the group soon to head overseas as the opener for Luke Combs’ European tour.

“We’re just keeping our nose to the grindstone and staying busy,” Gibson says. “It’s about being business as usual as the world keeps trying to take hold of it — our biggest virtue has been persistence and to just keep pushing forward.”

In 2022, 49 Winchester released the album Fortune Favors the Bold to rave reviews and widespread acclaim. A seamless blend of country, rock, soul and folk stylings, the LP is the ensemble’s debut for Nashville label New West Records.

George Dickel Bourbon, first launched in 2021, honors the legacy of its namesake, George A. Dickel, a Nashville businessman who sold liquor over 160 years ago in “The Volunteer State.”

Just two years into its worldwide release, the 8-year-aged George Dickel Bourbon won Double Gold at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, “the oldest and largest competition of its kind.” It’s a seamlessly balanced bourbon whisky handcrafted in small batches and stored in charred oak barrels.