Photo by Rae

Formerly known as My One and Only, Benjamin and Kassie Wilson are the Nashville-based Americana duo, Goldpine. Just released is their self-produced debut LP, “One” which covers quite a bit of territory within the Americana genre. Strong harmonies lead the way through a record that features touches of Folk, Country, Blues, Gospel and even the gentle sound of what some folks call “Lo-fi.”

Start with the gorgeous Lo-fi sound of the LP’s lead track “Wander Away.”

Thanks Ben and Kassie for paying 11 Questions a visit. Folks can hurry and see the duo this Sunday, December 4 at Nashville’s Hard Rock Café at 6pm as a part of the benefit concert “A Songwriters’ Christmas 2022.” After that the duo hits the road for some festivals and shows around the USA.

Where are you from originally, when did you move to Nashville and why?

Kassie: I was born in Cullman, AL and raised in Somerville, AL. I moved to Nashville when I was 19-years old to pursue a career in Country music. My dad had just passed away and I just took the leap and decided to go chase my dreams.

Ben: I was born and raised in Iowa. I moved down to Nashville in 2006 to go to audio engineering school. It was my “back-up plan” to music in a way. And my audio studies have really been such an advantage to us as musicians now. I still do some music producing and engineering and I just love knowing about and how to manipulate sound.

What are the first and the last records you bought, and where did you buy them? Were they CD, vinyl or digital?

Kassie: I can’t quite remember the first CD, but what I can remember is listening to the Boyz II Men CD in my Walkman. I wore that thing out as a young girl. The last vinyl that we bought was and we got it at his concert in Waco, TX.

Ben: Well, I’m sure the first CD I bought was something like Sonicflood or something. When I was growing up, I was listening to a lot of Christian rock and stuff. It was certainly purchased at the Christian music store in Oskaloosa, IA.

First and last live concerts that you’ve seen?

Kassie: The first concert I ever saw was Sister Hazel. This was when I was in college at Judson in Alabama. A friend from high school invited me.

Ben:  First concert…. that’s a tough one, as it’s so hard to remember that far back! Again, I’m sure it was something like Third Day or something. It was most likely at a Christian music festival. The last concert we went to was Brandi Carlile at the Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville. Kassie actually ended up getting a free ticket to that show. We were there outside the venue, and we didn’t have any tickets yet. We were gonna try to scalp some. We saw this lady who was standing around out there and she looked like she might have a ticket to sell (or like she wasn’t sure if she was going to use her ticket or not), and we went up and asked if she had a ticket for sale. She did, and she ended up giving us her ticket for free. Pretty awesome. Really good seat too! Stuff like that happens all the time to Kassie. So, Kassie took that seat, and I had to buy a lawn ticket for $50. We watched that concert separately that time. Ha.

Whose star should be added to the Music City Walk of Fame? 

Ben Wilson and Kassie Wilson should be added to the Music City Walk of Fame. 🙂

Where do you go in Nashville for coffee and pizza?

Ben: So, neither of us drink coffee at all. I’ve worked in several coffee shops before, but still never drank coffee! So, we don’t go anywhere for coffee in Nashville. But we do eat pizza. Honestly, most of the time, when I’m grabbing some pizza, I just get some Little Caesars. Ha. Not quite the answer you’re searching for. I can’t get over how cheap and fast it is, and I usually feel pretty good about it afterwards.
What’s your favorite record to ever come out of Nashville?

Kassie: Lee Ann Womack’s Call Me Crazy

Ben:  Oh my, that is something I’ve not thought of before. Well, instead, let me name a few off the top of my head that I really love: Alabama Shakes’ Boys & Girls, John Prine’s The Tree of Forgiveness and Caroline Spence’s Spades & Roses

Where’s the best place to eat late at night after a show?

If we are starving after a show, you might find us running for the border…. that’s Taco Bell. When are those Mexican pizzas gonna be back in stock?

The Bluebird calls and asks you to host an “In the Round.” Pick three local songwriters to join you.

Caroline Spence, Ruston Kelly, and Gabe Dixon.

What are your favorite music venues to play in town?

We are on tour a lot, but when we do play Nashville, we play the Listening Room Cafe. They’ve created a great space for appreciating music and songwriting in that venue. I always suggest people go to a songwriter round there.

Name a musician who you’d like to see move here.

Robert Ellis

Finally, what’s in your musical future?

Well, we are going to be continuing to tour all the time. We are definitely away from “home” more than we are at “home.” But we are excited about playing upcoming festivals like 30A Songwriters Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival (Welcome Home Fest), and Opelika Songwriters Festival. I suppose there’s a lot of highways in our future. In fact, I’m writing this from the highway right now (in Texas!). I’m sure our dog misses us.