The Mighty Pines, a St. Louis-based quartet known for their deft fusion of bluegrass, soul, and rock & roll, unveil their most accomplished work to date with their third studio album, ‘Good Luck, Nice To Meet You’. Drawing inspiration from Bruce Hornsby, Tom Petty, Counting Crows, and Hiatus Kaiyote, the band’s dual songwriters and signature three-part harmonies shape a collection defined by infectious rhythms, soaring melodic lines, and nuanced storytelling. The group’s stature within the American roots landscape is underscored by standout performances at Telluride Bluegrass Festival, a national television appearance on NBC’s The Voice, collaborations with Michael McDonald, and the continued growth of their annual Pines Fest, now a fixture in the Midwest roots calendar.

With ‘Good Luck, Nice To Meet You’, The Mighty Pines reinforce their standing as one of the most dynamic live acts on the American roots circuit. Read on for our exclusive interview exploring the creative process behind the album.

Hey, thanks so much for sitting down with us today – what’s been the absolute best part of your week so far, music aside? 

We’d have to say waking up in our own homes after being on the road for a little while in support of our brand new studio album. 

Which genres best describe your music?

Four words: Grass, Soul, Rock ‘n Roll. 

If someone wanted to understand the real vibe of the band beyond the music, what’s one story from your everyday life that says it all? 

There’s probably not just one story, just the fact that we value time being outdoors, exploring new music, and supporting our colleagues in the St. Louis music scene, cooking for others, and nurturing our relationships with friends and family. 

What’s the wildest creative risk you’ve ever taken in the studio that actually paid off in ways you never saw coming? 

Trusting in a producer to help mold your sound.  That process is quite an interesting landscape.  You get vulnerable with someone else handling your songs.  For Example, one of our latest songs, ‘Good Luck, Nice To Meet You,’ has a chorus that was more of a double time feel when we first wrote it. Kick on all four beats, accents on the upbeats, kind of a disco vibe.  Then our producer suggested that we lay it back into more of a half time feel.  It completely changed the vibe for the better and we all dug it on the spot. It grooved harder and that was such a pleasant surprise. 

How often do you hope to release new music? 

Releasing new music on a regular basis is key in this current musical landscape.  Something new every 6-12 months is a goal of ours whether it’s singles, an EP, or full length album.

What is the date of your next planned single/EP/Album release?

Well we just released a brand new studio album titled “Good Luck, Nice To Meet You” on July 31st, 2026.  We might toy around with a cover project here in the fall time though.

If you could change one thing about the modern music industry overnight, what would it be?

That record labels/streaming services stop siphoning money from the artists.  Pay artists fairly when it comes to streaming and sales royalties.

Do you see AI as a threat to musicians, a helpful collaborator, or something else? How do you plan to keep your music relevant as the industry changes rapidly because of these tools? By embracing AI, avoiding it, or taking a different approach?

In our eyes,  we don’t see AI as an ultimate threat to musicians because we believe people long for that human to human musical connection.  People would miss it too much if that aspect went away.   Sure, AI could be a tool to help musicians on the business side with  administrative tasks.  And when it comes to music underwriting or music scoring, that could be a threat to some musicians.  But when it comes to actual music being written and performed, we have the upper hand because well… we’re human. We will continue to write our own music organically and that will keep us relevant.  Side note; It would help if all streaming services banned AI generated music on their platforms. 

What is the single biggest challenge you currently face as an independent band?

Doing all of the business/administrative work yourself.  General promotion of all shows, answering emails, show advancing, tour prep, managing merchandise, posting on all your social media profiles, creating content, releasing music, the list goes on and it really doesn’t stop.  And on top of all of that there always needs to be time for the music. Writing, performing, rehearsing.  Rinse and repeat.

What core themes were you hoping listeners would connect with in your latest track?

We don’t really care what theme a listener picks when listening to our music.  We know we dig our latest songs and think they’re some of the best work we’ve put out there. If people can resonate and feel good with what they hear, that’s a nice cherry on top.

If you could revisit one decision from your artistic journey and do it differently, what would it be? 

Try to hire a producer early on in your career to get used to the fact that outside influence can work in a positive manner.

What’s one unexpected influence, maybe from outside music, that keeps showing up in your work? 

I think it’s just all the different kinds of music that influence us to find a way to show up.  We have experience from a lot of different backgrounds and since we play bluegrass from time to time, we can also play some really soulful stuff. That kinda keeps our audience on their toes a bit.

What’s one fun or ridiculous moment from the studio or road since this release that still makes you smile?

The fact that we were able to get legendary producer Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) to work with us for a second time and help us make some of the best music we’ve put out to date.  It’s really cool to think that we were able to work with someone of that caliber not once but twice in the studio.

Stream ‘Good Luck, Nice To Meet You’

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