Oklahoma country band, The Damn Quails is preparing to take the 2019 Larry Joe Taylor stage. After taking a hiatus to spend time with family in 2016, the band got back together a year later and continued touring.

“We had been touring hard for years and we felt we needed some time to slow down. Especially as some of our families were expanding and needed us home to help out,” Band member, Gabriel Marshall said.

The band had an understanding that the time off would not be permanent.

“When we agreed to take some time off, it was always understood it wasn’t going to be permanent. We wanted to allow enough time to take care of the things that needed taken care of, to kind of get our legs back under us. Once we felt we could go back out and maintain a balance between work and home, we hit the road again,” said Marshall.

Although the band enjoyed their much needed time off, they knew they couldn’t just stay away from the music forever

“Taking some time off was good for us,” said Marshall. “It was nice spending time with our families and relaxing a bit, but the itch to get on stage and play never goes away.”

After their reunion in 2017, the band has been extremely happy with the reception they have received.

“Since getting back out on the road the response has been great. We’ve played to some really great crowds, including our first main stage show at Billy Bob’s with 1,500 of our friends and family. Being back out on the stage has been great,” Marshall said.

When The Damn Quails were first starting out they were pretty carefree but as time progressed and they became more successful they experienced more challenges.

“When we first started out, things were pretty easy. We had a local following, but didn’t tour, so there wasn’t a lot of expectations surrounding the band,” said Marshall. “We had some issues with our record label that led to some tough times, but pushed through. These days, our challenges are more just finding dates we can book and still be around home to help take care of our families.”

Although the band does not have a definite release date set for a new album, Marshall confirmed that they have been working on new material.

“Bryon and I have both been writing for a while,” said Marshall. “We have discussed doing another album and probably will in the future. No definite plans as of yet.”

When asked about what fans can expect from the quails, “you can expect us to bring our music to a town near you and play our hearts out. Some things never change,” said Marshall.

The band is anxious to get back up on the LJT stage with all of the other artists.

“We are most looking forward to the atmosphere. Between the vibe of the crowd and the camaraderie of the artists, it’s always a great time,” said Marshall. “We are also looking forward to seeing our friends play again. We haven’t been able to catch as many shows as we did in the past, so we will get to see what the other guys have been doing.”

The Damn Quails will be the last artists to take the Hydropro’s stage at LJT on April 25 at 3:30 p.m.