Who Is Banson? The Story Behind Their Journey to Country Music

New York City is buzzing with talented singers, bands, and songwriters in just about every single genre. It is also often truly a hidden gem for country music fans too. Recently we got to chat with Josh Oslacky, the frontman of the NY/NJ band, Banson, all about creating music in New York City, their new single, and of course, their show this Friday at Common Country (Get your tickets here).

“I grew up in Northern New Jersey,” began Oslacky, who grew up split between both New Jersey and New York. “When I was a young kid, both of my parents worked, and I found myself starting with music.” The singer-songwriter shared that his brother was sick growing up, so his parents tried to introduce music to his brother; however, it was eventually, Banson’s frontman, who took a liking to it.

“I was always doing sports and this and that, but I always loved the idea of, like, writing songs. I liked playing other people’s stuff, too. I eventually started to, like, go on YouTube and look up [how do I play this song.] And then from there, that would give me more ideas as to why I saw that that worked well together while I played this other guy song, so maybe I could grab apart from that and put it into something I’m working on on my own. And so I just started to write all these songs, but I never really knew what to do with it because it was always just little pieces of songs, and I couldn’t really sing or anything like that at the time and didn’t really think I was ever do anything with this. “

For the singer, music was something that he loved growing up, but he wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to do with it, when he was really young. In high-school, he began to really hone in on his love of music. “I continued to be really obsessed with it and loved music so much,” he shared, adding, “I got a laptop at Christmas time, and I was able to download this music recording software. That’s where I first started to be like “Wow, this is so cool. Like, I can just plug in drums here and I can just plug in a bass line, and this and that.” All along, he was drawing inspiration from artists like Bon Iver and Kanye West.

The Turning Point:

After graduating high-school, Oslacky moved throughout the South, living in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida during his college years. “Those were my adult years,” he shared. It was there that he began taking songwriting more seriously. “That’s where I really started to write full songs.”

While home during college breaks, Oslacky reconnected with Hunter, an audio engineer from back home in New Jersey. Together, the two spent countless hours recording music in Hunter’s basement studio. “We probably did like 50 songs that we never released,” he shared. “It was just a really good experience and exercise to figure it out.”

However, the true turning point came during a music festival trip to New Orleans around 2017 or 2018, where Oslacky watched Caamp perform for a tiny daytime crowd. “I remember watching them and being right there, and I was like, ‘This is the sound that I’ve been looking for.’”

Inspired by the experience, he returned home and immediately began writing music in a new direction. One of the first songs created from that shift was “Hurt.” “We put a banjo in on the chorus,” he recalled, adding that suddenly, “this is it.”

Soon after, another unexpected collaboration helped shape Banson’s sound even further. While writing the song “Cards” at his home in New York, Oslacky heard a violinist playing nearby for hours. After connecting with the musician, Tommy eventually became one of Banson’s key collaborators, helping introduce the fiddle-driven sound that became part of the band’s identity.

Eventually, Oslacky, Tommy, and Hunter locked themselves in a basement studio for three days and recorded Banson’s debut album, Country House. From there, Oslacky slowly began building the full band through chance encounters across New York City, eventually leading to his first live performance just one week after meeting the band’s drummer in Brooklyn.

As the band expanded, so did the music. “I didn’t want to just make Country House 2, 3, and 4,” Oslacky explained. “I wanted us to sound like our own band.”

Today:

Flash forward to today, Banson has expanded into a much larger collaborative project featuring horns, fiddle, saxophone, keys, and layered instrumentation that feels both cinematic and deeply personal. Rather than continuing to recreate the same sound over and over again, Oslacky knew he wanted this next era of music to feel bigger and more intentional.

Earlier this year, the band gathered in a studio in Chelsea, New York, spending back-to-back 14-hour days recording what would eventually become their upcoming album, Dog Days. “The newest stuff I was writing was the best stuff I’d ever written,” Oslacky shared, explaining that allowing each band member to contribute their own musicianship completely transformed the process.

Their newest single, “Anvils,” serves as the first real glimpse into this next chapter. “It gives you the full picture as to what we’re doing here on this album,” he explained. Sonically, the track showcases driving drums, layered strings, horns, electric guitars, and emotionally charged storytelling that feels larger than anything the band has released before.

Lyrically, “Anvils” explores themes of shame, forgiveness, relationships, and growing older. “The whole song is built off the first line I wrote for it,” Oslacky shared. “I could carry anvils filled with shame.” The upcoming album, Dog Days, reflects on navigating life in your late twenties, changing relationships, and stepping into new chapters.

As Banson gears up for the release of Dog Days, fans can expect a project that feels deeply personal, collaborative, and fully representative of where the band is headed next. Stay tuned!

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