Meet Estin McGraw | Lead vocalist of Estin & the 86’d

We had the good fortune of connecting with Estin McGraw and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Estin, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Sharing the same vision with each member of the band. We see it a lot in the local scene that bands have rotating members, which we understand is a completely normal and common occurrence, but being able to stick with the same group of people really enables the creativity to flourish.

Each of us made a set of goals for our band (we write up on the whiteboard in our practice space) to keep us motivated in what we really want to do with this music and this band. One of the biggest benefits we’ve seen is, we keep all money made by the band in the band. We use those funds to buy things like new/better gear, studio time, travel expenses, etc. Since forming the band we have self funded 2 full length albums. That kind of impact is huge for a band trying to get the ball rolling. All being on the same page about goals and finances has been HUGE for us.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
We started this band back in 2018 not really having any goals other than wanting to create music we all wanted to listen to.

We are most proud of our 2 full length albums. We were on the grind for over a year to raise the money to fully self fund each album. Something we take in high regard is being able to do the things we want to and peruse the sounds we want to all on our dime.

We have had our fair share of struggles. Mostly just life getting its share of the pie , so to speak. We’ve lost members of the band, we have gained members of the band, getting married, trying to juggle day jobs and music, members of our band have kids. It can all be difficult to navigate, yet we have always found a way to make time to peruse the music.

Our biggest motivator is the music. It always SHOULD be. We’ve made a vow to always be real with each other and honest with the direction of our music.

If nothing else, people should know that we are always simply trying to make music we enjoy. If others like it as well, that’s awesome. But it’s more about the love of the art for us right now.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For any live music fan, the Moxi in Downtown Greeley is a must see. Great bands roll through every week and the atmosphere of the venue is amazing.

A night in Old Town Fort Collins never disappoints. Lucky Joes is always my favorite spot to hit on any given night.

As far as go to food spots… Luna’s Tacos in Greeley never disappoints.
Can’t go wrong with Illegal Pete’s or Torchy’s Tacos. (Big taco fan)

A spot we frequent before shows in Fort Collins is DC Oaks Brewhouse. Good beer, great food!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We all draw from a different influence in our journey. We have a lot of people we credit for our success and influence; people who helped us along the way whether they know it or not. People such as : Christina Contreras, Wendell Wood, Jimmy Dupre, Benjamin Newell (Pistol Pete), Wil Thorpe, Ely Corliss, Adam Haag, Darren Brand, and Andrew Berlin.

Website: Estinandthe86d.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/estinandthe86d?igsh=cjY2bmEwNmoxeDVj&utm_source=qr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/estinandthe86d?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Youtube: https://youtu.be/FHxrg_UDYU4

Image Credits
Megan Renee Photography Kam Hess