Just two years after forming, Owensboro-based band Sons of Habit has checked off two of its biggest career goals in a single day.
The band recently performed at the Railbird Music Festival in Lexington before a packed crowd and learned immediately afterward that it had earned an invitation to make its debut at the Grand Ole Opry on Aug. 14.
Frontman Mitchell Douglass said both milestones had been written down on a piece of notebook paper when the band first started.
“When we started the band, we just had this old notebook paper that we wrote down, just goals,” Douglass said. “At that time, we never thought they would happen, but Railbird was the unanimous No. 1 for everybody.”
Douglass said the Railbird performance exceeded anything the band could have imagined.
“We brought a huge crowd. We packed the entire tent out on Saturday,” he said. “Truly, in every sense, a dream come true. It was the greatest day of my life.”
The accomplishment is the latest chapter in a rapid rise for the five-piece band, which includes Douglass, Hagan Edge, Dalton Daniels, Jeffrey Parrish, and Noah Patrick. The group recently signed with WME and Republic Records and has continued to build a national audience while maintaining strong ties to Owensboro.
“You always think you can do it. I think everyone believes in it,” Douglass said. “But to actually see it happen, I could never dream of it being this big now, where we’ve been able to play and how blessed we are. We’re just so thankful for everybody that’s been around this far.”
The Railbird appearance came with an unexpected surprise.
Douglass said the band had completed the audition process required for an Opry debut, but members had no idea whether they had been selected.
“The only thing they tell you is that if you don’t get it, they’ll let you know,” he said. “If you do get it, you never know when they’ll announce it.”
That announcement came while the band was still on stage at Railbird.
Douglass said their girlfriends and the wife of band member Dalton Daniels walked out during the set and revealed the news moments before the final song.
“They surprised the crap out of us,” Douglass said. “Savannah announced that we got the Opry debut on Aug. 14.”
The invitation completed what Douglass called the band’s second unanimous goal.
“The Opry was No. 2 for everybody,” he said. “I like to say two birds, one stone. We got to do a lot of our bucket-list items in one day.”
The debut is scheduled for a Friday night at the iconic Nashville venue. Douglass said the band expects to perform two or three songs and anticipates a strong Kentucky presence in the audience.
“Tickets have been going off the rails right now,” he said. “It should be a lot of Kentucky in the crowd, which I’m really excited about.”
As for the setlist, Douglass said one song is non-negotiable.
“For me, ‘Madeline’ has to be played,” he said. “It’s the first song, and it’s really what got us here. Without that one, we may be in a totally different position than we are now.”
Douglass described the band’s sound as “y’allternative,” a blend of country, folk, indie, and alternative influences.
“My inspirations are a lot of Kentucky-based music, Tyler Childers and Chris Stapleton, but also early-2000s Coldplay and Kings of Leon,” he said.
While preparing for the Opry, Sons of Habit is also finishing work on its first full-length album.
The band recently spent time in Talco, Texas, recording with producer Taylor Kimball, whose credits include work with Koe Wetzel and Treaty Oak Revival.
Douglass described the studio as a converted historic bank building filled with music memorabilia.
“It is the coolest place in the world,” he said. “You walk in and don’t even have words.”
The recording process also sparked new creativity. Douglass said several songs were written from scratch during the sessions.
“There are a lot of songs that we didn’t even have done or even started when we came to Texas,” he said. “We created three or four songs brand new in the studio.”
Douglass and Edge write all of the band’s music, a point of pride as artificial intelligence becomes more common in songwriting.
“I always want to make sure we’re writing our own music,” Douglass said. “I think that’s step one of the process. I think people, the fans, can see through that at the end of the day.”
For now, the band is focused on enjoying the moment while continuing its momentum.
The same five musicians who formed Sons of Habit two years ago remain together today, and Douglass said the approach has not changed despite the band’s rapid success.
“We’ve just got to keep going,” he said. “That’s all we know to do. It’s worked so far.”
