Coming Home and Making Music Together: The Family on “Delusions of Grandeur”

Sarah Silbert
1 hour ago
3 min read

The Family | by Sarah Silbert for Zany Waves

When musicians have spent decades building successful careers individually, forming a new band isn’t usually the next step. But for The Family, it wasn’t about starting over; it was about coming home.

Made up of Dylan LeBlanc, James LeBlanc, Angela Hacker, and Bay Simpson, The Family is a project years in the making. Their debut album, Delusions of Grandeur, marks the first time they’ve fully committed to creating something together. Recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals during the pandemic and finally released on July 31, the record blends warm ’70s-inspired folk rock, rich harmonies, and soulful songwriting into a world that feels both nostalgic and refreshingly genuine.

Ahead of their New York City show at Lucinda’s on July 28, The Family spoke with Zany Waves about the journey that led to Delusions of Grandeur, the collaborative spirit that shaped the record, and why making music together has become one of the most rewarding experiences of their careers.

The Family isn’t just a fitting name; it’s a literal one. James LeBlanc and Angela Hacker have spent years building careers of their own while raising musicians Dylan LeBlanc and Bay Simpson. Having grown up together in a music-filled environment, Dylan and Bay never had to look far for inspiration. Music was a constant presence in their lives, influencing not only their upbringing but also the artistic paths they would eventually pursue. By the time they formed the band with James and Angela, they already knew each other’s strengths as both artists and family members. That shared history allowed ideas to flow freely, creating an environment built on trust.

Rather than competing for creative control, each member approached the project with mutual respect. When ideas were brought into the room, no one was afraid to let go of a lyric, melody, or arrangement if someone else’s idea better served the song.

“If it just works, then no one fights back on it,” James LeBlanc explained. “There’s no ego.”

That rejection of ego is rooted in the culture of Muscle Shoals itself. The band and co-producer, Brad Crisler, described being part of a musical community where collaboration came before commercial success, a philosophy that naturally carried into the recording process.

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While reflecting on the Muscle Shoals approach to making records, Crisler said, “It begins in a place of, ’Let’s make music we want to listen to in our car.’“ Rather than chasing trends or writing for a specific audience, The Family focused on creating music they genuinely loved.

Listening to the record, that philosophy is easy to hear; the songs feel timeless without trying to imitate the past. Beyond the music itself, the project has become an opportunity to reconnect as a family. As Angela Hacker put it:

“We go through what any other family would go through. Then we get to share what we love, which is music. That’s so cool to me.”

If Delusions of Grandeur proves anything, it’s that some of the best musical partnerships don’t always happen overnight; they can be built over a lifetime. For The Family, years of shared experiences, mutual respect, and a love of making music laid the foundation long before they ever became a band. In the end, coming together wasn’t about starting something new; it meant rediscovering something that had always been there.

Delusions of Grandeur is out now on all streaming platforms.