NEEDTOBREATHE brings its South Carolina charm to The Blue Note on Friday, and — take it from a long time fan — they put on one heck of a show.

In September, NEEDTOBREATHE headed out on The Stomping Ground Tour, aiming to bring its Southern rock with a folky twang to smaller venues around the nation. You may know them as those guys that opened for Taylor Swift on the Speak Now World Tour in 2011, and with four albums under its belt and a fifth on the way, the rootsy rock group isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

MOVE chatted with bassist Seth Bolt about The Stomping Ground Tour, life on the road and NEEDTOBREATHE’s upcoming album:

**[MOVE]:** How has the tour been?
**[Seth Bolt]:** It has been great so far. It’s our first time playing in rooms where we can look everyone in the room in the eye.

**[M]:** And you’re about halfway finished?
**[S]:** We just finished up with Ivan and Alyosha. We’re touring with The Wild Feathers now. I think they might be the first band we’ve toured with that is more redneck than us. There’s a family feel backstage.

**[M]:** Why did you guys decide to play smaller venues this time around?
**[S]:** We’ve been blessed to play larger and larger rooms over the years. We wanted to get back to something that could be memorable for fans. Fans have been appreciative of the up-close and personal experience so far.

**[M]:** Do you have any good tour stories?
**[S]:** One thing we have on this tour that we haven’t had before is pool tables. Two nights ago the drummer and I faced off and wagered a Sharpie to the face. Bo (Rinehart) could draw on our face, and one of us had to wear it for the rest of the night. I won and didn’t have to wear it.

**[M]:** How is the next album coming along?
**[S]:** The new album is going good. We’re putting the finishing touches on it and are eager to get it out.

**[M]:** What can fans expect Friday night at The Blue Note?
**[S]:** Expect us to leave everything on the stage. The focus is on the fans, and we couldn’t be more excited. We want each night to be its own event, so we make the set list different each night. We’re very thankful, and we’re hoping everyone shows up and gets rowdy.