Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Payton Pruitt. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Payton, appreciate you joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I’m the Singer/Guitarist for a band called Carver Commodore. We started back in 2017 with two members, and have slowly found our core members over the years, the most recent being our bassist, David, in 2021. More than anything, I wish we could’ve all met when we were 20 and started making music together back then. By the time we all found each other, we were all in our late 20s for the most part. BUT I also feel like the experience we’ve all gained playing in other projects/bands throughout our early 20s has helped us to know exactly what we want in this band, so it’s hard to wish otherwise. It’s also allowed us to live more life, which means more experiences, more songs, better players, etc.

Payton, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Payton Pruitt. I’m the singer/guitarist for a band called Carver Commodore. We’re an indie rock/alternative band based in Alabama. We play very fun, high-energy shows and try our best to make records you’ll never get tired of listening to. Our guitarist Phil & I started Carver Commodore back in 2017 after our folk rock band fell apart. We both knew we always wanted to be in a Rock & Roll band anyway, so we decided to stop worrying about what genre was popular at the time and make music we loved. Our drummer, Noah, joined the band in 2018; Clayton, our keys/guitar/perc boy, joined in 2020, and our bassist David joined in 2021. We like for our shows to be fun, loud, tight, and heavy (the riffs not the mood). We are very proud of the music we make, and the more we get to make together, the better it gets. We’ve got a new EP coming out soon, and we can’t wait for people to hear it. It’s really the first time we’ve been able to have everyone play their actual parts in the studio.

If you like The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, The Hives, Foo Fighters, Wallows, Paramore, Jack White, Kings of Leon, Wet Leg, IDLES, Dayglow, etc. – You’ll like Carver Commodore.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Oh man. So many come to mind. When the 5 of us are together, it almost feels like there’s nothing we can’t do. We get into the dumbest and craziest situations.

A recent one that comes to mind:

This year at SXSW, we had two shows on our last day and had to find parking for our van AND trailer (which is nearly impossible). We found a lot that opened later than the rest so we waited for it to open and snagged a spot. By the time we got out of our last show, the lot was full. So full, in fact, that we couldn’t get out of the spot we were in with our trailer. We were so determined to get out of there that we picked up our trailer and moved it with our brute Alabama strength so we could get out of there.

Sometimes it seems like other artists/bands will give up/quit at the drop of a hat “due to unforeseen circumstances” but we don’t like to do that if there’s any way we can help it. We are one of the most determined and hard-working bands there is.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Our biggest goal is to inspire others to do what they love. One of the most inspiring things for me is to go to a concert and see an artist I love – it almost always inspires new ideas & songs and rekindles my love for the craft. Even if the people that come to our shows don’t play music, we hope they leave inspired to go and do whatever it is they feel like they’re here to do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://carvercommodore.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carvercommodore/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carvercommodore/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/carvercommodore
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/carvercommodore
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@carvercommodore

Image Credits
Photos by Lindsey Chambley & Braden Walker