With a rich blend of Americana spirit and progressive rock sensibility, Los Angeles-based duo Euphoria Station returns with Smoking Gun, their most ambitious and evocative release to date. Anchored by the soaring, emotionally charged vocals of Saskia Binder and the expressive guitar work of Hoyt Binder, the album dives into a “western-fueled daydream” shaped by vivid storytelling, rootsy textures, and a deep reverence for Southern Rock. We caught up with the duo to discuss the inspiration behind Smoking Gun, the creative evolution from their previous work, and the unique sonic and visual journey they’re bringing to life.
Congratulations on the release of Smoking Gun! What inspired the concept and themes behind this album?
Saskia: I was raised on a ranch in South Dakota for a few years as a child. I would fantasize about cowboys and western movies. As I got older, music was a part of my life and Southern Rock was definitely a part of it. I remember going with my parents to visit their friends. On the living room wall was a painting of a man standing holding a smoking gun and a woman lying on the floor (it appeared to be of western times from their clothing.) I have never forgotten that painting…
You describe Smoking Gun as a “western-fueled daydream.” Can you elaborate on the story or imagery that ties the songs together?
Saskia: As I mentioned before, I feel that painting stayed in my mind. My daydream brought the character Jesse into play. Jesse started practice shooting at 13. At 18, he was the fastest and most accurate gun shooter. Word got out throughout the West of the fastest gunman around. Now at 18, gunmen want to challenge him. I had this dream while taking a train through the Southern States to end up in South Carolina, the birthplace of the Marshall Tucker band, and showing Doug Gray our version of Take the Highway.
Songs like Nowhere Junction” give the feeling of taking a train ride and paint a picture of love lost, while “Carolina On My Mind” references many Marshall Tucker Band lyrics and the fact that so many Southern Rock heroes left us too early. “Off The Beaten Path” explores the random nature of daydreams and how they often come with surreal imagery such as bears laughing, fish surfing and rabbits teaching us to walk that way. “Sweep Me Away,” “Here With You,” “Living For Today” and “November Came Early” mix elements of my own life with the character Jesse finding love.
How did covering The Marshall Tucker Band’s “Take the Highway” come about, and what does that song mean personally to Saskia?
Saskia- Great melodies stand the test of time!! The first time I heard that song, it had an impact on me. Doug Gray’s powerful voice singing about a broken relationship. Enter Jerry Eubanks’ killer flute solo pulling on the heart strings! Followed by the unstoppable guitar solo by Toy Caldwell. The song comes back to its beautiful melody. I told myself that ONE DAY I want to cover that song! How I ‘feel’ about a song is my takeaway.
Compared to The Reverie Suite, this new album has a more raw, improvisational energy. What led you in that direction creatively?
Hoyt – Creatively, we have a goal to not repeat ourselves, so the initial thought was to rely much more heavily on the rhythm section this time around and have less orchestration, relying more on a singular performance to carry the weight. With Southern Rock being our inspiration, we wanted to take a stab at the improvisational approach that The Allman Brothers were so great at. Not planning everything out led to a noticeable energy throughout the record that brought us even closer to the 70s vibes we love.
What was it like working with Toss Panos and Jorgen Carlsson, and how did their contributions shape the album’s sound?
Hoyt – I had worked with Toss in the past on my instrumental album, Prayrie Go Round, and I’m a huge fan of his style. His energy is infectious and inspires me. There’s a sense of never knowing what he’ll do next, and he can handle any progressive changes you throw at him. He recommended Jorgen, who he’s worked with before and who is the bassist for the great Southern Rock band, Gov’t Mule. Jorgen fit perfectly and added a ton to the overall feel. His playing and tone were right in the realm of 70s style players and gave me the feeling of listening to Cream or The Allman Brothers. He has a way of being very busy but never obtrusive and extremely tight.
Euphoria Station has always blended genres—progressive rock, Americana, even Southern Rock on this release. How do you approach crossing musical boundaries while maintaining a consistent identity?
Hoyt – Our signature sound. We both have worked hard to create a sound that is unmistakably us and Saskia’s voice is instantly identifiable. No matter what she sings, you know who it is and that’s a trait we both value. No matter what style we are exploring, I want people to know it’s me on guitar the second they hear it. Musicians like Eddie Van Halen, Freddie Mercury, Elton John and Brian Wilson have been role models to us, because they are immediately identifiable, even if you’ve never heard the song before.
There’s a deep reverence for Southern Rock heroes on this album. Were there specific artists or moments in that genre’s history that served as key inspirations?
Saskia – I feel that down-to-earth kinship listening to Southern Rock music. After living on a ranch in South Dakota, even as a child, that open-air small-town feeling is always there. Listening to the bands of the day later was really for the rest of my life. I am thankful I can listen to those bands who chose to make a life out of music, because they loved it.
Can you talk about the songwriting process between the two of you—how do lyrics and instrumentation typically come together?
Hoyt – it can vary quite a bit. Many times, it is an idea on guitar or piano with a melody that I’ll bring to Saskia and if she likes it, I know it’s a keeper. Other times, she’ll bring me lyrics that inspire me to write melodies and chords that fit. In other cases, Sakia will have a complete chorus with melody and lyrics as was the case for our title track, “Smoking Gun,” that I wrote additional music around. Ultimately, we look for a melody that I feel is timeless and harmony that is unique. Saskia’s lyrics always fit these criteria, and she easily delivers the emotion, so I ‘m lucky to have her and she acts like an executive producer, having spent much of her life listening to great productions and knowing what she wants in an album. She helps me make the right decisions quickly when we work out the details of a given song.
Saskia, your voice carries so much emotional weight throughout the record. How do you prepare—mentally or technically—to deliver performances that intense and personal?
Saskia – To prepare, rehearse mentally and physically, I must get plenty of rest and when rehearsing the songs, I must feel and project the lyrics. I give each song all I must give. In other words, as if I had an audience. My goal would be for the audience to feel what I’m feeling. Every song is a musical story. It takes a lot of energy and breathing is very important. Recently a friend of mine told me that on “Smoking Gun” she could feel the emotion pouring out of me. It felt visceral to her. I believe coming from the heart when I sing is the answer. I believe when I, or anyone else comes from the heart, life is more meaningful.
Hoyt, your guitar work balances technicality with feel. What were some of the tonal or stylistic choices you wanted to explore on Smoking Gun?
Hoyt – I’ve always wanted to do a Southern Rock album. I listened to a lot of Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd in high school and I was a big fan of Zakk Wylde who put out a Southern Rock album called Pride & Glory. I wanted to do my own thing while being in that realm and stay true to our own signature sound. I took the same approach as on The Reverie Suite, always do what’s right for the song and never over-play. With this album, that meant. a lot of time on layering acoustics guitars and dobro to create a vibe and relying heavily on slide guitar. There are however a handful of songs that required long guitar solos and during those times, I let loose and over played, but it was the time to do so, to pay homage to songs such as “Free Bird” and “Jessica.”
How do returning collaborators like Ronald van Deurzen, Rebecca Kleinmann, and Tollak Ollestad influence the band’s evolving sound?
Hoyt – There’s a reason we work with these musicians. They are so gifted, and they bring something special to the table, every time. My strategy is to always give each musician the freedom to do what they feel or hear. I believe records become much more interesting when each musician gives a bit of themselves.
Ronald is a virtuoso that knows how to rein it in and do what’s right for the song. His organ and piano parts tie in everything so beautifully and he’s great at bouncing ideas off because he has so much knowledge on tap. He is the glue that holds everything together on this album.
Rebecca is an amazing musician. You can give her a song and she will play the parts of course, but she can improvise so well and more importantly, her emotion and energy come through the recordings. I’m convinced she’s incapable of giving a stale performance.
Tollak is the best harmonica player I can think of. He can literally do anything and again, he doesn’t need direction, he hears the song and knows the perfect way to add to it, every time. He is a person that exudes emotion in his playing and I’m happy we have him on our team. He played the theme song on the 90s tv show, Northern Exposure, which happens to be Saskia’s favorite show. It was a perfect match when we met him.
The phrase “Nowhere Junction” evokes a sort of mythical destination. Is that a metaphor for something deeper in the context of the album?
Saskia – At one point in our lives, Hoyt and I lived in a small town. We were in a transitional time. I called it “Nowhere Junction. It was a place to be for a while, but I knew I would never live there permanently. It turned out to be the perfect title of that track : )
What do you hope listeners take away from Smoking Gun, both musically and emotionally?
Hoyt – We hope that each song will impart an emotion that stays with the listener long after listening. For us, music is that which transcends the everyday and takes us out of the mundane. The greatest music, whether it be J.S. Back or the Beach Boys does just that. It’s not about the technicality, it’s about the magical transport to “the other.”
Looking back at The Reverie Suite and now Smoking Gun, how do you feel Euphoria Station has grown artistically over the years?
Hoyt – I think we have honed our production skills to reach a larger audience. We still have quite a few technical or progressive elements on this album, but big picture, we took cues from greats such as Yes and Genesis and have evolved to be deceptively simple. No matter where life takes us, we will be true to ourselves and always aim to carry our signature sound.
What’s next for Euphoria Station—any plans for touring, videos, or perhaps more new music already in the works?
Saskia – We will be having an album release party/ show on June 21st at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA and we’re looking forward to bringing these songs to a live audience
We are about to begin on our second video which will be for the title track, “Smoking Gun.” It’s a big project with cowboys, guns and horses in the wild west and we can’t wait to share it as it should be epic.
Smoking Gun is out now and is available on Bandcamp. For more about Euphoria Station visit their website.
