At the 2015 inaugural Pilgrimage Music Festival in Franklin, Tenn., Memphis Chapter spent some time with coffeehouse act Madisen Ward And The Mama Bear. Because Ruth Ward's adult years were spent in coffeehouse performances as regular gigging, Madisen took an interest in both performing at local intimate venues himself and also doing some stuff with his mom. Together, when they created Skeleton Crew, the aesthetic success that propelled them to national celebrity through television appearances, they deliberately kept the small-room essence of heir sound intact, but livened up in part with additional instruments. "Whenever we recorded, we really wanted to make sure that it kept the intimate, organic raw style that we're very familiar with and used to," Madisen shared. "We wanted to take what we do in the coffee house and … keep that in the album."
