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GW I’m hearing you play some slide on the record, too.

MATTHEW I’ve always played a little slide. You know, you grab a beer bottle and just let ’er rip. But I think I’m doing it more and more now in a proper manner. I’m nowhere near where I want to be. It’s such an art form, being an awesome slide player. I listen to people like Ry Cooder, and he’s just the best, you know?

GW Do you have any kind of set routine as far as practicing?

MATTHEW Nah. If I have a couple drinks I’ll pick up a guitar and practice. But really, it’s rehearsals and soundchecks when I practice and come up with stuff. I’ll show up about 20 minutes early and find stuff. When I’m at home, I’m totally chilling, not doing anything to do with music or anything.

GW Caleb, I know you’re a big fan of country music. Do you see the day when you might make a straight country album?

CALEB Absolutely. I think I will before I die. I don’t know if it’ll be Kings of Leon on it, but I’ll definitely have Nathan drumming on it. The other guys, they don’t have the same love of whisky and trouble like I do. [laughs] In fact, I have a country song written, and it’s one of the prettiest songs I’ve ever come up with. It’s one of the prettiest songs I’ve ever heard.

GW You guys have worked pretty steadily since you started issuing records. Do you foresee any kind of extended break soon?

CALEB Well, I do feel that we’ve earned a break. And our women, they’d definitely like it if we took some time off. [laughs] But it’s hard, you know? We’re on the verge of going down in history as one of our generation’s great bands.

GW What does that feel like? To know that you could go down as one of the greats?

CALEB I don’t think anybody could put any more pressure on us than we do ourselves. We wake up every day and whenever we walk into a venue, our goal is to make every concert better than the one before. The same with albums. Plus, we’re surrounded by family, which means we get complete honesty. I can’t write a bad song and not have people tell me that. [laughs]

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