When the folks in Spirit Family Reunion raise their voices in song, they deliver an inspiring message. Their mostly acoustic approach combines elements of rock with hints of bluegrass and country music. They have a feel that approaches the fervent emotions of gospel music, but their messages stay grounded in the secular world. Banjo player Maggie Carson will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our new feature on the band
Carson: We’ve driven our last 10,000 or so miles in a rental. When I think about renting, I think about opening a window and throwing piles of cash out of it. But with the amount of miles that we drive, and the amount of time and money that’s caused us to spend at mechanics, this is a smart move. When we decided to try renting, we had no idea how to make it happen. When we found out about Bandago, it all was easily done. Apparently, they’ve been in business for more than a decade, but we just found out about them last year, and it’s made our job of driving all over this giant country much easier. They’ve been flexible anytime we need to alter a reservation. Everyone we’ve interacted with has been real nice and accommodating. As for the vans we’ve rented, they’ve been newer than anything we could afford otherwise. They drive smooth, and we don’t have to clean or maintain them. They’ve had internet, TVs, plenty of electrical outlets and lots of room for our gear and baggage. Once we started renting, we began to notice all these black vans with California plates just like ours parked in band lots at festivals and venues all over. Enough to start playing Bandago bingo or something. It seems like this a need that has existed for a while, and it’s nice that somebody finally did something to fill that need in a way that is accessible to bands of all shapes and sizes. Thanks, Bandago, for helping to keep bands on the road, and doing it fairly.
Video after the jump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40rkuBSA6-4
