Things are falling into place for the Eli Young Band. The group won Song of the Year at the ACM Awards this year (for “Crazy Girl”), and with “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” topping the Billboard country charts last week, they’ve now earned two Number One singles. And their latest album, Life At Best, is making a huge impact in the country market.

At a stop on the Rascal Flatts Changed Tour in Detroit last weekend, 99.5 WYCD personality Steve Grunwald had the opportunity to find out what else is happening.

The band’s current hit single “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” was written by their good friends Will Hoge and Eric Paslay. The band explains that it was kind of a “selfish tune” that tells their story about being a band for the last 12 years and “playing every show we could. As songwriters, when a great song comes your way, you don’t ignore it. This was one of those songs you couldn’t ignore.”

Eli Young Band is on the road with Rascal Flatts through the end of October, but that tour did get off to a rocky start. On their first night, their “temporary” bus driver forgot to check the bunks and left without them. Incidentally, the band had been visiting Jay DeMarcus on his bus and when they said their goodbyes for the night, they soon discovered they had no place to sleep. Graciously, Jay put them up for the night. “His bus smells a lot better.”

The Flatts each have their own bus. “You look at these buses from the outside and they look huge, until you start living in it with nine guys, and the walls tend to creep in on you a little bit. Tends to have weird smells…unique smells.”

After spending night after night with nine guys on a bus, it has to be refreshing to go home to sleep in their own beds. Each of the Eli Young Band members is married, all within the last few years, and Mike tells us excitedly that he and his wife Kacey are expecting their first child, due the first part of August. Guitarist James (Young) recommended “‘James’ or ‘Jamie.’” They have decided on a name, but all they will reveal is that is will follow a family tradition and start with a “K.”

Is the band excited? Yes, it will add a “new dynamic to our touring. . . and hey, we get some time off!”

- Nanci Haskin/99.5 WYCD