Country Beat Magazine - Summer 2019 by CountryBeatMagazine

TABLE OF CONTENTS Volume 2 • Issue 2 Summer 2019 PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Neal Nachman DIRECTOR OF SALES AND PROMOTIONS: Liz Stokes

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GRAPHIC ARTIST: Neal Nachman DIRECTOR OF MULTI-MEDIA: Kenny Moore ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Liz Stokes LEGAL COUNSEL: Shobha N. Lizaso EDITORIAL INQUIRIES: info@countrybeatmagazine.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Alanna Conaway Terry Canter Kelly Geist Marianne Horner Melissa Kucirek Liz Stokes PHOTOGRAPHERS: Neal Nachman Joe Orlando

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Woodinville, Washington. Additionally, Stuart will curate the first of three artist-in-residence events at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on September 11th.

Crow, Bentley to Play Marty Stuart’s 2019 Late Night Jam Held annually on the eve of CMA Fest in Nashville, Marty Stuart’s Late Night Jam has proven to one of the most eclectic events each year. Stuart’s 18th edition of the freewheeling concert, set for Wed., June 5th at the Ryman Auditorium, will include performances from rock legend Steve Miller, along with Sheryl Crow, Dierks Bentley and up-and-coming singer-songwriter Tyler Childers. Additional artists will be announced in the coming weeks. The Late Night Jam, which has in recent years featured appearances from Dolly Parton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Neko Case, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton, Maren Morris and Dan Auerbach, among many others, is being presented in association with Stuart’s Congress of Country Music — the Philadelphia, Mississippi performance venue and education center planned for Stuart’s hometown. With the inclusion of his massive collection of artifacts and memorabilia, the complex will celebrate, preserve and protect the cultural heritage of country music. One week after the Late Night Jam, Stuart and his band, the Fabulous Superlatives, will join the Steve Miller Band on tour. The trek begins June 13th in Des Moines, Iowa, and runs through August 31st in 4

2019 CMT Music Awards CMT announced the nominations for the “2019 CMT Music Awards,” airing LIVE on Wed., June 5 at 8:00pm ET / 7:00pm CT. Nashville’s biggest party returns to kick off the summer with a grand celebration recognizing the most beloved names in country music. Each winner is selected by the fans, with voting open now at vote.cmt.com. Continuing the “CMT Music Awards” tradition of embracing blendedgenre collaborations among all musical formats, this year’s nominations feature a wide range of talent, from rising stars to music legends, spanning the worlds of pop, soul and R&B. Superstars Brothers Osborne, Jason Aldean, Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert and Zac Brown Band will compete for the most accolades of the evening, each with 3 nominations. Other artists with more than one nomination include Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Cole Swindell, Dan + Shay, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Florida Georgia Line, Julia Michaels, Kacey Musgraves, Kane Brown, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Country Beat Magazine

Big Town, Luke Bryan, Sugarland, and Taylor Swift. With first-time nominations, R&B legends Boyz II Men and soul singer Leon Bridges will compete for Performance of the Year. Other artists with first-time nominations this year include “Empress of Soul” Gladys Knight and pop sensation Shawn Mendes, along with Ashley McBryde, Brandi Carlile, Jimmie Allen, Jordan Davis, Julia Michaels, Mitchell Tenpenny, Morgan Wallen, Runaway June and Tenille Townes. This year, 14 acts are in the running for the highly coveted “Video of the Year” award, including Carrie Underwood, who reigns as the most awarded artist in CMT Music Awards history with 18 wins. The top five “Video of the Year” nominees will be announced the morning of the show, and fans will be able to vote all day and throughout the show on Twitter to determine the winner. Fan voting begins today at vote.cmt.com and continues until 11:59pm ET on Tuesday, June 4.

Pandora LIVE Free Concert With Maren Morris, Lindsay Ell & Tenille Townes June 3rd No halos will be lost when Pandora hosts Pandora LIVE in Nashville on June 3rd at Marathon Music Works. Maren Morris, along with Lindsay Ell and Tenille Townes will celebrate a night of trail-blazing, female

empowerment at the free concert. The all-female bill is in response for a call to action from many artists, including Maren herself, that women in country music need more representation in Nashville and beyond. Maren Morris’ performance will broadcast live on SiriusXM’s The Highway channel at 10:00 pm ET, marking the first Pandora LIVE event to broadcast on SiriusXM since Pandora was acquired earlier this year. Maren Morris has over 484 million lifetime streams on Pandora, which helped her newest album GIRL shatter the record for largest ever debut streaming week for a country album by a woman. The Grammy Award, Billboard Music Award, ACM Music Award, CMA Music Award and iHeartRadio Music Award winner is known for her pop aesthetic, unapologetic style and has quickly become the new face of modern country. Lindsay Ell saw her full length country album debut The Project named Billboard’s Best Country Album of 2017. Additionally, her song “Criminal” marked her first U.S. Top 20 and was the first No. 1 song in over 10 years by a solo female on the Canadian Country Radio Chart. As if those feats weren’t enough, she’s quickly earned 47.6 million lifetime streams on Pandora as well as toured with Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Sugarland and more, solidifying her as a standout in the genre. Opening act Tenille Townes is quickly gaining ground in the country world after being on the road last year with Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town helping her earn over 5 million lifetime streams on Pandora. With her first single “Somebody’s Daughter” hitting the No. 1 spot at Canadian

country radio, Tenille became the first Canadian country artist to have a debut single go No. 1 in the Mediabase Canada era. She’s currently on tour with Dierks Bentley and a part of Opry Entertainment’s “Opry NextStage” program for 2019 which only highlights 4 rising country artists a year.

topping Texans’ music video, it highlights their sense of humor and effortless vintage country style. “Mr. Lonely” marks the first release off the band’s highly-anticipated second album (Big Machine Records). Earlier this month, Variety exclusively premiered a trailer showing Quaid’s Mr. Lonely getting a little roughed up encountering some of the women from his past. As a singer/songwriter, Quaid has hundreds of thousands of miles under his belt as a touring musician and continues to receive stellar reviews displaying equal ease with both originals and country standards with his all-star band, Dennis Quaid & The Sharks.

Mason Ramsey Sold Out First Headliner Show In Nashville Big Loud Records and Atlantic Records’ rising star Mason Ramsey sold out his first headlining show in Nashville during his ‘How’s Your Girl & How’s Your Family Spring Tour 2019 on April 24th. With a jam-packed crowd, he topped off his career milestone night by crowd-surfing through the iconic Music City venue while riding an inflatable horse float and performing his breakout hit “Famous.” Ramsey kicked off his sold-out 11-date headline trek last month after supporting labelmate Chris Lane, plus becoming the youngest artist ever billed to a Las Vegas residency with Florida Georgia Line last year. Bringing fan-favorites from his debut Famous EP to the stage, he’s also been teasing brand new music from his next anticipated project. Midland Taps Dennis Quaid as “Mr. Lonely” Acclaimed actor and singer/ songwriter, Dennis Quaid, joins GRAMMY®-nominated trio Midland for his most intriguing role to date – “Mr. Lonely.” Starring in the chart-

During a recent packed crowd at Billy Bob’s Texas, one reviewer noted how Quaid “delivered a memorable two-hour, 19-song set. The 64-year-old Quaid rushed onto the stage like a 20-year-old, and leapt into the crowd with his guitar during the second song to share some high fives, all without missing a note on his six string” (ILoveFTW.com). Recently, Dennis Quaid & The Sharks celebrated Record Store Day by releasing their first-ever album, Out of the Box, on vinyl via Omnivore Records. Described by Quaid as “a junkyard of American music,” the A-side includes the original title track “Out of the Box” while the B-side features a rousing cover of Larry Williams’ hit “Slow Down.” Recorded at the legendary Village Studios in Los Angeles, the band’s debut album was released on CD and Digital last November to rave reviews. On May 25, Dennis Quaid & The Sharks will open for Midland at their show in Westside Pavilion in Tuolumme, Calif.

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Photo: Blue Rose, Inc.

By Liz Stokes One of the most successful, talented and influential country music artists of all time is Garth Brooks. We had the pleasure of spending time with him while he was in Bradenton, Florida, signed with the Pittsburg Pirates for Spring Training. And yes, I am meaning that Garth Brooks signed a contract to a baseball team for a week. While it was for charity, he did take it very seriously, and practiced and trained. We asked him what made him decide to do this and he said, "It's the 20th Anniversary of Teammates. If you were alive twenty years ago, we started this thing with the Padres. Launched the foundation, now the foundation is 20 years old. Teammates for Kids, we had thirty something baseball players sign up the first year. Now, we're four thousand professional athletes strong: MLB, hockey, football, golf, soccer, basketball, NASCAR and rodeo. They've all joined together for the kids, its been good. The Bucs (Pittsburg Pirates) have been kind of my team, since I was a baby. So as a foundation you're working with all these teams, and just kind of keep quiet about who your guys are. On the 20th Anniversary, we get to wear the black and gold. This is what I was 6

raised on. Roberto Clemente was my hero, other than my dad and my brothers; he was the guy." I asked Garth if he got in shape for this and he said, "You know what? It's weird, you can't get in shape. You can run miles, you can do anything, and you can do stadium tours. This is a whole different shape right here. So it's just what it is, and it makes me feel good when the young guys are sore. I feel good, I was working, trying to get ahead. The crazy thing is what these guys will do, if I understand it right, these guys will use the whole season to get to where they want to be in October. So that's kind of what you do, you pick something, you keep working on it and working on it, once it becomes second nature, then you pick the next thing. And you just keep working on it, that's all we're doing. I'm just trying to not let the game be ahead of me right now, so I'm just trying to get that first move in. These guys are being very sweet, they all treat you like a teammate. When you say, 'Hey, man, I don't want to get in the way,' he goes, 'Hey, you're wearing the uniform.' It's a sweet thing. So you just get in there, take your cuts, be one of them. Be as best as you can, respect the game, Country Beat Magazine

respect the players, and thank everybody for their time here. It's awfully sweet. They don't know it; they're bringing a lot of attention to a foundation that raises a lot of money for kids in need, so that makes me feel good about it." Garth has always been amazing to his fans, probably better then most, always taking time out for fans and listening to their stories. Garth says, "It's good, because everyone here just wants to tell you that they played 'The Dance' or 'To Make You Feel My Love' as their wedding song or first dance as husband and wife, or first dance with their mom or dad. That's cool, if you ain't got time to listen to those, I don't know why you're in this business. So it's cool." Garth is in the midst of his stadium tour and I asked him if participating in Spring Training with the Pittsburg Pirates helped him getting prepared for the tour. He said, "Yeah, it sure as hell doesn't hurt. It's all totally different muscles, but just getting outside, getting to breathe deep, starting to get the lungs ready. I'll be honest, that last tour, all we were doing is rolling into a city going, '"How can I save my voice?' This one, you get to roll into a city going, 'All right, let's blow it out. Let's have some fun.' Because

I'm gonna have time to recover, I am gonna have time to heal and go again. So this is probably the tour I'm looking the most forward to than any tour we've ever done, even the comeback tour. During the Comeback tour, I was scared shitless. But this one, I'm more eager, and more hungry for it. It's good!" I asked Garth what should fans expect from this tour and he responded, "The main thing. If you've ever been to a buffet, order two of them. I'm telling you, order two 'all you can eats' right there, because this is gonna be all the stuff. When people walk away going, 'I wish you'd have played, or I wish you had played this,' there ain't gonna be nothing they can think of. It's gonna be fun, because we're just going to line it up and just start dishing it out. It's gonna be good!" Garth has a new album coming out, but when ask how much of the new material is gonna be on the new tour, he stated, "We'll see, it's up to them. Nothing pisses me off more than going to see somebody I love and they just dump a whole new album on me. I'm not ready for it yet. But we've been lucky, we've had 'All Day Long' out there for a while and now we've got 'Stronger Than Me.' We've got a couple of songs that I'm interested in trying out; one's called 'The Road I'm On,' it's kind of written for that. A sweet kid by the name of Randall King. You'll be interviewing him soon, he'll be the next thing in country music. Good kid. We might even try a thing called 'Dive Bar,' it's kind of fun. But this whole record is kind of fun, so that's why that's the name of it. This has been a blast. Players coming in, really not in any hurry. Just writing and recording things that make you laugh, make you stronger." Garth stepped away from touring a while back to spend time with his family and watch his kids grow up. Garth says, "People ask me if I missed touring, and if I would have been going to something that I didn't love as much, I would have missed it. Those kids, if you've ever been a parent, it's the greatest thing on the planet. The crazy thing is, I miss my kids. They're off doing their thing and they've got to, because we all

do. We all have our turn, so you gotta go off and do that thing, but I miss them. Music's fine, music was a great way to not face the empty nest syndrome, because my mom had a real hard problem with that. Last of six kids, so I didn't have to face the empty nest syndrome. I was with the love of my life, with my best friends touring, and my girls were in that place where they didn't have time to pick up the phone. So it all worked out good. So the stadium tour, I'm looking forward to now the good blend, because we're not out 391 dates this time. This time we're out over three years, maybe 30 dates over the three years, ten a year. Gonna be big, big nights, that's our job, right? But then you get to balance getting to be with the babies, getting to do the thing you fell in love with after you fell in love with music, and that's children. It's really, really good, so I think its the best of both worlds, good Lord willing, and I'm just gonna enjoy it!" When we asked if his wife, Trisha Yearwood, would be part of this tour, Garth said, "You know the thing with Trisha is, be careful if you invite her because if you invite her, she's gonna steal the show. She just does. She's not trying to. Everybody loves Trisha! So we talked to her about doing this thing called, "Trisha's Tailgate," it's this big ass tent that we put up at Notre Dame. So in the afternoon before the show, what the agency wanted to do. I don't care who you are, 2:00 in the afternoon on a 125 Country Beat Magazine

degree field, by the time you get there, that crowd's not going to be the crowd you want them to be. So I say we've got to find some other way for these people to spend their day and make it a whole day. I said, "Trisha's Tailgate." So now they buy tickets for that, they go into Trisha's Tailgate, there's food, she does cooking demonstrations, they play music the whole time, she's got her books there. So it's great. Every mother/daughter that you can imagine at Notre Dame was in that tent all afternoon. And then here's the part that didn't piss me off, but it's why you don't invite her. They had to manually close it down and force people into the stadium for the show, because they were having such a good time. I was like, 'Thanks a lot.' And that's not a statement of humbleness, that's a statement of honesty. I was like, 'Honey, you're gonna have to shut your program down, so your husband can do something!'" Garth tells us the one thing that's on his bucket list is, "I just want one more day because, think about it, children are healthy, they're happy. The love of your life is healthy and happy, good Lord willing, and these people are still showing up and I'm 100. That's pretty good, I'll take one more day of it!" Garth is currently on his stadium tour, so if you have the opportunity to check out his amazing new tour, you won't be disappointed! 7

Photo by: Neal Nachman

Photo: J. Meyers

By Melissa Kucirek Calling from his home in the Malvern, Arkansas area, Justin Moore is prompt and just as expected, polite. Moore, at 34, mentions several times in the conversation, that he’s been blessed and lucky to be doing what he does the past 12 years. It’s not hard to believe, while talking to Moore, that well, he’s got more, and it just feels like he’s not even close to the seventhinning stretch. After all, he has his priorities straight. To get to know Moore, one simply has to listen to the down-to-Earth lyrics from any of his four albums – 2009’s Justin Moore, Outlaws Like Me (2011), Off The Beaten Path (2013) and 2016’s Kinda Don’t Care. His fanbase grew out of the top hits “Small Town USA,” “How I Got to Be This Way,” “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away,” “Til My Last Day,” “You Look Like I Need a Drink,” “Somebody Else Will,” and his most recent release, “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home.” The man he is today, Moore said, can be traced to his Poyen, Arkansas roots. “I’m from a town of about 300 people, it’s a town where really the things that matter are the church on Sunday and the relationships with people and whatever sports are in season at the time,” Moore said. “Basketball, football, 10

baseball or whatever. It’s a town where everyone’s down home and just help each other – old school southern town.” When the crossroads between sports and music confronted Moore, he took the road more travelled, armed with a guitar and stories to share, he became a musician. Some of his first gigs were spent with his uncle (who still performs in Southern rock bands) in moose lodges, VFW’s, bars and community spots. Sports still continue to be a part of this life, though, as he’s now father of four (three girls and one son) and finds time to coach their youth basketball and softball teams when he’s not on the road. “I played all through high school, I played basketball and baseball and started on those teams and contributed to us winning,” Moore said. “I had opportunities to play college baseball at smaller schools but started playing music and determined that I was a senior in high school at 5’6” and 140pounds that I was probably not going to make money playing baseball and could potentially play music. “Regardless if I was 6’5” or 5’ 6”, when you walk on stage you feel different for sure. It’s an awesome feeling to Country Beat Magazine

walk up there [on stage] and have the opportunity to play for fans and the connection you have with them is pretty special.” With four studio albums under his belt, and his fifth, Late Nights and Longnecks due April 26 of this year, bringing that energy and magic from the stage into the studio is not his favorite part of the job. He tips his hats to his producers and engineers for enjoying the “fiddling parts and pulling lines up, poking and prodding.” Moore said he’d always rather enjoy playing in front an audience. “Being in the studio is better than digging ditches for a living, but it’s not the funnest part of the job to me,” he said. “It’s something that you get better over time and quite a ways into my career and finding the right energy whatever song we’re recording than maybe I was earlier on in my career.” “Late Nights and Longnecks” lead single, “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home,” has a stirring message and in a way, a follow-up to the 2011 hit “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” written by Dallas Davidson, Rob Hatch and Brett Jones. Moore said his own writing inspirations aren’t at set times – he’s not one to set aside a weekly writing session. “To me, it’s just

Photo: Cody Villalobos

whenever it hits me,” he said. The idea to write “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home” happened during a concert. The words feel timeless and its chorus is like a soothing prayer: <em>Here’s to the ones that didn’t make it back home / The ones we haven’t seen in so long / The hold up a beer ones, the wish they were here ones / The not forgotten but gone / They’re in a better place up there / But they still left a hole down here / We’ll just go on livin’ and go on missin’ the ones / The ones that didn’t make it back home. The song is co-written by Moore, Paul DiGiovanni, Chase McGill and Jeremy Stover. Scott Borchetta, Big Machine’s Label Group President, co-produced with Stover. “That song more than any other of my career at the time helped people get through difficult times and really had a positive impact on people from them tell me that,” Moore said. “For that long and until now, we played that song and we always talk about our military, police officers, firefighters, and teachers and nurses – all of the people who serve our country. I always say, ‘here’s to the one’s that didn’t make it back home.’ You know they went to work one day and didn’t make it back home. For whatever reason, I said it one night….it was like a light bulb went off ‘why don’t I write that.’ I don’t know why it took me eight or nine years to realize that, but better late than never.”

The song’s video is garnering much attention for its moving images that include a fallen military hero and a school shooting scenario. In what can be traced back to Moore’s earlier statements on his own small town community support, the video showcases a small town community coming together to mourn the loss of life and build up survivors. Moore’s own social media director, Cody Villalobos, directed the video. Moore said he, himself, had “zero” input on the direction or concept of the video. “I’m very proud of him for doing such an incredible job,” Moore said. “He’s a part

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of our team for sure.” As in years past, Moore’s time away from home and family will be significant. The troubadour will canvas much of the United States in Canada through August, with more gigs expected to be added. The 2014 Academy of Country Music Awards’ New Artist of the Year winner, and 2012 ACM Artist of the Year: Breakthrough Artist nominee seems to go about living his life, and prioritizing his family when he’s not on stage or in the studio. “With four little ones most of my time is hanging out with them which is my favorite thing to do,” he said.

Photo by: Neal Nachman

Photo: Jim Wright

By Liz Stokes Columbia Records Nashville recording artist and hometown resident Mitchell Tenpenny has been keeping busy with touring with Old Dominion and performing at festivals. We had a chance to sit down with him and find out what fans need to know. I asked him what is one of the best things about touring with Old Dominion and he said, "Just getting to see them every night. Honestly, they're so professional and great songwriters. Halfway through the set, they come out and play a bunch of the songs that they've written and stuff. I just think that's so cool. It's awesome!" Mitchell has had his share of success writing songs with other people that have done really well, like for Granger Smith. Mitchell says, "Absolutely, sometimes you get lucky and someone will cut one of your songs and you get to hear someone else sing it; that's always fun. As a songwriter, that's the goal. So, it's been pretty cool," says Mitchell. Mitchell tells me about some of his biggest musical influences. "Brooks 16

& Dunn. I love Brooks & Dunn. But Michael Jackson and John Mayer growing up were some of the biggest. And the Eagles, I just love their harmonies," explains Mitchell. "John Mayer's songwriting. The honesty in it, the cleverness of it and just how he plays guitar. What he can do with basic cords just really intrigues me. I'll never be John Mayer as far as a player, but he gives you something to practice to, more or less. I used to play his records over and over again, and try to learn the guitar. And to learn how to describe a situation like he describes it. There's just something brilliant there that he does, that nobody else does. They're some of my biggest influences for sure." Most people leave where they're at and go to Nashville, and Mitchell was actually born and raised in Nashville. So I asked him if he always envisioned being a country artist and he said, "To be honest, No. I bumped my head early, I guess. I don't know what happened. I was around the industry. My grandmother was in the industry of songwriting. She Country Beat Magazine

was a president of Sony Publishing, which meant she dealt with all the songwriters and artists who wrote their own songs. So, I got to grow up in country music, so I always thought I'd do something music-wise. But to be an artist, that never really crossed my mind. I was in bands my whole life, rock and roll bands, pop bands, singer/songwriter stuff, but I never thought it would be me doing it. That just kind of happened from songwriting. You're playing your songs out at songwriters rounds and stuff, trying to get songs cut by the artists. One thing lead to another, and someone says, 'You should sing that song, you should do it.' Then I ended up putting something out. I don't really know how it happened, but I never truly expected to be Mitchell Tenpenny as an artist. That was never the plan. But I'm having fun with it. I love it!" "Drunk Me" did really well for Mitchell, it actually went to number one. So I asked Mitchell if he envisioned that song to be the one that kicked off his career and he said, "No, it's weird, cause when I

wrote that song, I pitched it. We were hoping someone would cut it. The song felt like a big song to me. You write so many, you end the day going, 'I don't think that's it.' But that one felt like, 'Someone will take this,' but no one did. When it came time to make a record, I actually didn't sing the demo, my buddy did. He did such a great job on it. I was kind of nervous singing. I was like, 'I'm not gonna do better than him on this demo.' But I got a producer, one of my best friends, and we worked it out. When I heard it back the first time, I was like, 'Man, this sounds different enough. I don't know if it's a good or not, but it's different enough that if we're gonna give something a shot, it needs to sound something like this.' We put it out and thank god country radio supported it and the fans. It was just one of those god crazy things from the stars on up. You just sit back and enjoy the ride. Man, it was just crazy." The inspiration behind the song, Mitchell says, "Having your heart broken and going and try to drink'em off your mind. It just doesn't work out that way. You keep taking shots and the next thing you know, you're thinking about them even more. I've been there and my co-writer had been there. I wanted to write a song about that, where someone might quit drinking for a minute to stand a chance of getting over somebody. You can clear your mind, go hang out with your friends and don't just go sulk about it. That's kind of where it all derived from. I co-wrote every single thing on the record with my best friends in town, that I think are the most talented songwriters in Nashville. We kind of came up together and we all were writing songs and getting cuts together. So I wanted to make sure my record was full of that. I have to write my songs for me, personally, to make you believe it. I'm not saying I'm not open to outside songs. But it has to relate and connect to me just perfect for me to sing it as an artist. I want to be honest. I want to tell the truth, and if it wasn't written by me, it's kind of hard for me to do that. Having said that, if the perfect song comes along, I'd love to cut it." I asked Mitchell if he ever worries about how the song titles are ever

perceived. He said, "Yeah, luckily we haven't had any problems with those. But yeah, when they see 'Drunk Me,' 'Alcohol You Later,' 'Bitches' or 'Mixed Drinks,' it's like, 'This guy's a drinking problem. All he writes about is drinking.' My goal is for you to hear the song. You can't worry about someone judging a book by the cover. That's gonna happen no matter what. So, you're hoping they dive in and actually listen to lyrics, and see that 'Drunk Me' has nothing to do with that. It's a completely different song. 'Alcohol You Later' is about you get drunked. Done on an ex and you just can't get over that ex no matter what it is. Even if you haven't started drinking yet, you want to start drinking, just to give yourself an excuse to call them type thing. And 'Mixed Drinks' is about a girl that got her heart broken, then went to drink that guy off her mind. So, you want to open up these stories, but yeah, I can't worry about it too much. The titles aren't what they are." Mitchell says his favorite song to perform live is, "It's a song called Goner. Me, personally, I love to perform it cause it's fun playing guitar and it's a fun band song. And obviously, Drunk Me, Alcohol You Later and Bitches when people sing it back. Those are fun live songs to play cause people are singing every word. But Goner, for me as a player. I love playing that song." Mitchell recently had the opportunity to play the Grand Ole Opry and we asked him what that experience was like for him. He said, "I keep saying it. It's so cliche. I kind of lost myself in the moment. It's something I won't be able to describe until you're standing up there again. It was just pure, full circle. This is something I've always dreamed of, seeing so many people play there. You kind of black out when you get up there, to be honest with you. So, it was just a dream come true. I'm excited to get the chance to do it again so I can kind of feel it again, because there's just one of those moments where you're just like, 'Don't mess up. Where are you? What is going on?' Then it's over and it's like, 'Geez, man,' It's a crazy moment, you're just like, 'Wow. We just played the Grand Country Beat Magazine

Ole Opry.' That was pretty cool!" Now, Mitchell was up for an ACM nomination for New Male Artist. He said, "Yeah, I'll lose, but I don't care. They deserve it. I'm just happy to be nominated. It's an incredible honor. I did not expect that in any way, shape or form. I love all those guys and they worked their butts off. It's just an honor to be noticed, it truly is. I had no idea. Me and my girlfriend were driving back from Gatlinburg and listening to the radio. They announced that. I was like, 'Did they just say our name?' She's like, 'I think they did.' I called my manager and she's freaking out, and I'm like, 'Wow. That's really cool.' So, really neat." Mitchell considers his biggest musical accomplishment to date to be, "Just having the team we have, that believes in this. Honestly, it is an accomplishment. It's so hard to find a band and a group, and a team that all believes in that. I mean, we ended up getting a platinum song. It's just tough to do. It has nothing to do with the singer or the artist. It has to do with your team, your radio team and your management, and the band that goes on the road every day. So, I think that's probably our biggest accomplishment, cause they just work their tails off." 17

Photo by: Neal Nachman

By Alanna Conaway Seven years ago, if you told Chris Lucas and Preston Brust – better known these days as LOCASH – they would become one of country music’s hottest duos with a handful of Top 30 hits, including a charttopping smash, they would’ve laughed in your face. While it was their dream and their vision for the future, it was something hard to see while facing their daily struggles at the time. Chris had a wife and a baby to support, and both Chris and Preston had their fair share of bills each month to pay in order to survive. “2011 was the toughest year ever, but we had each other to keep going,” Chris tells Country Beat Magazine. “There was a time that we thought it was over because everything just kept falling and falling out of our hands, and we couldn’t do anything about it. We couldn’t control it. We looked at each other like is this it? We knew in our hearts that it wasn’t it because we never had our fair shot at radio. We never gave radio a chance with LOCASH. Something always happened with the label or with the song, where it didn’t go to radio the right way.” Several singles and two more 22

record label deals later, their luck changed in 2015 when LOCASH released “I Love This Life.” The tune skyrocketed up the charts where it peaked at No. 2 and was certified Gold. Their follow-up release, “I Know Somebody,” was another monster hit for the duo, going all the way to the top, showing country music they are here to stay. “Radio finally accepted us at that point,” notes Chris. “We can’t talk highly enough of radio and how they’ve taken us under their wings and believed in us. It’s definitely changed our world. Thank God we didn’t give up.” All those struggles and years of hardships led to their most recent album, Brothers, which was released on March 29. Produced by songwriter Corey Crowder and Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard, the project was two years in the making. Originally set for release on their previous label, LOCASH retrieved the project when signing to their new label home, Broken Bow Music’s Wheelhouse Records in 2018. “When we signed the new deal with our label, the first order of business was to get the album that we had Country Beat Magazine

just turned in, because we knew there were some really good songs on there,” Preston explains. “So we got the album, and we wanted to freshen up everything with five or six new songs. That’s how we ended up with new producers. It’s been an exciting, fresh change. There’s a lot of new energy, and hopefully, a lot of new hits on there.” While Chris and Preston are not blood brothers, the name of the album was a natural choice, seeing how far they’ve come and the challenges they went through that has cemented their bond deeper than most real-life brothers. “I feel like me and Preston are closer than some people I know who are blood brothers or even blood sisters. It doesn’t matter,” Chris says. “I know ‘brothers’ is the only name we use in the song, but it’s talking about girls out there, too … it just would’ve been weird to call the album Sisters.” “It could’ve sold a lot of records,” Preston quips. “It might not have been weird,” Chris responds with laughter. “Who knows! But there’s a lot of people out there that this song can relate

to. Let’s look at our military. The men and women out there will die for each other in the battlefield, and that’s what the song ‘Brothers’ talks about. They’re not blood related. I feel like the world should live like that. Not necessarily die for each other, but love each other like that and respect each other like that. And that’s what ‘Brothers’ is all about.” The album is filled with hit songwriters such as Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson, Ben Hayslip, Ashley Gorely, Jeremy Stover, Chris DeStefano and Zach Crowell, among others. “It’s pretty cool when you get A-list songs like that and you have guys like Rhett calling you going hey, I’ve got a song for you guys. You’re going to listen to it immediately,” laughs Chris. “There’s a reason he sent it to you. These songs are massive. There are great writers in this town, and we’re blessed to have these guys on this record with us.” Their current single and the first release from the album is their laid-back groove, “Feels Like a Party,” penned by Chris, Preston, Tyler and Corey. Upon its release, the tune became the No. 1 most added song in the format in its debut. The song became the anthem during Pepsi’s inaugural Pepsi Tailgate Tour where the duo performed live in conjunction with some of the biggest college and NFL matchups across the country, including the Super Bowl. However, their song catalogs are not the only thing that has been growing over the past few years. Combined, they now have five kids under the age of eight. “We have a basketball team between the two of us,” Preston says, laughing. “It’s the starting five!” “It is very, very hectic around our houses right now!” adds Chris. Chris and his wife, Kaitlyn, now have three – eight year old son Caden, three year old daughter Remi and the newest addition, daughter Violet who turns two in September. Preston is also the proud father to a beautiful three year old daughter, Love, and eight month old month son, Legend, with his wife Kristen. “It’s awesome,” Preston says as a soft smile spreads across his face. “My little

girl and I are best friends, but my little boy … he just looks at me differently than anyone has ever looked at me. It’s weird, and it’s cool. It’s like this glow. He knows my voice, and he knows that I’m his dude, so it’s kind of cool to see that. “Last night he said ‘Dada,’” he adds proudly. “I got it on video. It’s so cool. It’s not the real ‘Dada’ that comes out later as he gets older; it’s just that first word that he’s said. He doesn’t know what he’s saying, but I really love it. I will take it because it’s not ‘Mama’ and it’s not anybody else’s name!” “I’m telling you man,” Chris says, turning to Preston. “You have a boy now, so you will know the feeling. It only gets better. Caden just looks up to me. I’m his idol. He will go around telling people, Hi, I’m Caden. It’s nice to meet you. My dad’s a singer [laughs]. He’s just so proud.” The time away from home and their families definitely takes its toll on both their hearts, as the busy tour schedule keeps them on the road now more than ever. “Leaving is the hardest thing right now,” says Chris. “I tell myself this every day, and it’s something I tell my family daily, too. I tell them that I am never going to go past seven days without seeing them. So that’s definitely the hardest thing right now. But sometimes I put myself in the military’s position. I come from an Army background, so everybody in my family is Army. My cousin is gone for 13 to 14 months without seeing his kids, and he’s got three kids. I’m gone for seven days. I Country Beat Magazine

can’t even imagine what those guys go through.” In addition to their own headlining dates throughout the summer to support Brothers, Chris and Preston will be joining Chris Young on his Raised on Country Tour, also featuring Chris Janson, as well as Rascal Flatts’ Summer Playlist Tour. In the recent weeks leading up to the latest album’s release, LOCASH has been treating their fans to the new material, which has already been well received not only coast-to-coast, but also in the land Down Under. “That was our first time in Australia, and it was absolutely insane,” recalls Chris. “I want to go back! I loved it so much. Country music fans over there are rabid. It’s amazing.” “Crowds have already been singing the new songs back to us,” adds Preston. “The new songs have just been really going over great. It’s cool to see really catchy hooks working and people attaching to those lyrics and putting them on Instagram and quoting lyrics. It feels good to know that the new music is connecting with folks on that level so soon. That’s a refreshing thing.” Regardless how the album sells or how the singles perform on the charts, one thing is for certain. LOCASH is here to stay and will continue to make music for many, many years. “We are survivors,” Chris says with a smile spreading across his face. “We have definitely moved on to another level – for sure – and here we are. It feels good.” 23

Photo by: Neal Nachman

by Alanna Conaway It’s a little hard to believe that Rodney Atkins has not released a new full-length album in nearly 11 years. That is mainly due to the fact that his absence on country radio has not been felt during that time. He has continuously remained a staple on country radio throughout the duration of his career, after releasing his 2006 smash “If You’re Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows).” In fact, six of Rodney’s tunes landed within the Top 54 of Country Aircheck’s Top 100 Songs of Our Decade list in 2016, which he crested with his platinum-certified hit “Watching You.” Keeping it company on the elite list were “If You’re Going Through Hell,” “Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy),” “Take a Back Road,” “These Are My People” and “Farmer’s Daughter.” He was also ranked as the second most-played artist of the decade. Not bad for an artist who hadn’t released a single in five of those years. “It’s pretty humbling when something like that comes out and you see just how much of an impact your music is making and has made in general,” Rodney tells Country Beat Magazine. “The 28

support and love from country fans and country radio never ceases to amaze me.” So it makes perfectly good sense why Rodney wanted to make sure he took plenty of time putting the finishing touches on his highly anticipated fifth studio album, Caught Up in the Country, set for release on May 10. “It’s been a labor of love,” Rodney says. “The recognition for the songs and being one of the mostplayed artists of that particular decade kind of justified me taking time to work on this stuff. Every album I’ve done, I think I’ve averaged like four to five years, but with this one, I was just closer to it. I’ve sweated all the details, from every little kick drum to every guitar fill. It was hard to let it go, but they finally said I had to turn it in [laughs].” The 12-track project still offers Rodney’s southern charm and good ole country boy songs, but there’s something strikingly different with the collection of tunes. And he has his wife of five years, singersongwriter Rose Falcon, to thank for it. “I completely give Rose all the credit for the music and myself Country Beat Magazine

being more vulnerable this time around,” notes Rodney. “I think in order to show that side of yourself and your music, you have to know you’re loved. It’s all a direct reflection of Rose. Before she came along, I always kept it all inside.” In addition to pushing Rodney’s musical boundaries, Rose’s presence on the project can also be heard through multiple duets and the background vocals on nearly all the songs found on Caught Up in the Country. “It’s awesome how much she was involved with this album,” Rodney says with a smile. “She’s so capable of doing so many different things, so it’s been really neat hearing her in there doing all the stuff she does. She just puts layers on these songs that I couldn’t accomplish without her. It’s been really cool.” The album is filled with songs penned by some of Nashville’s biggest hit makers such as fellow artist Josh Thompson, who’s had a string of chart topping songs recorded by other artists within the recent year. Other tunesmiths contributing to the album include Connie Harrington, Luke Laird, Jessi Alexander and Jimmy Yeary,

as well as Rodney, who co-wrote four of the tunes, two of which were written with his wife. “I’m a believer of the talent in Nashville,” praises Rodney. “You’re selling yourself short to not go out there and tap into what’s in this town because there are so many talented songwriters. The goal is obviously to find something that fits you so well that nobody would believe that you didn’t write it.”

starting to see things different now / Out of nowhere you showed up / Said you liked my edges rough / Felt your touch and for the first time / I didn’t wanna buck.”

One stand out track on the album is Rodney’s cover of the Jason Isbell’s “Cover Me Up,” which like most of the songs on Caught Up in the Country, feature’s Rose’s vocal. Rose brought the song to Rodney’s attention as he first started to dig into the song selection process for the album. “Rose was home, and she sent it to me when I was on the road,” Rodney recalls. “She said you should sing this song. I listened to it, and I didn’t know anything about Isbell at the time. I just loved it. We sang it a few times, and I did it live a few times. I said what the heck. Let’s give it a shot. So we recorded it and loved it. I thought it was something so special. It’s just an amazing song. So again, it’s just her influence all over this album.”

The video, filled with candid photos of Rose and Rodney throughout their relationship, coincided with Valentine’s Day. It also allowed for the perfect opportunity for the happy couple to make their big announcement of the new arrival coming to the Atkins’ household in August of this year. The final photograph in the video features Rodney’s 17-year-old son, Elijah (from his previous marriage), and his 16-month-old son, Ryder, holding the ultrasound picture of their new baby boy on the way. “We are so excited to give Ry a best friend,” says Rodney. “He is a sweetheart, and we know he will be so excited when the new baby is here, so that will be fun to see.

Fans have already been given sneak peaks of several album tracks in the recent months from Rodney’s live shows, as well as through different streaming services such as YouTube Music. The singer partnered with the online channel in February to release monthly lyric videos leading up to the album’s release starting with the very personal track “My Life.” Penned by Rodney, Rose and Curt Gibbs, the song documents some of the hardships in his life that all began to turn around after meeting Rose while they were both part of the all-star lineup on the 2012 Country Throwdown Tour. “My eyes are brown / I spent my whole life looking down / Dodging punches, bounced around / Telling myself I wasn’t no count / I’m

“When we started to write ‘My Life,’ we were initially trying to write Rose’s grandmother’s story,” explains Rodney. “We just weren’t getting anywhere, so we started writing my story.”

“It’s also been cool seeing Rose be a mother,” he adds with a smile in his eyes. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed. She didn’t have a mother growing up. Her mom passed away when Rose was four. That’s something that she has always wanted to know, what a mother relationship would be like. She jokes that she never learned how to fold fitted sheets, but everything that she’s ever known about being a mother is from being one. She’s just amazing. All her instincts on everything are just spot on. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Life on the road with a baby has been an easy transition for both Rose and Rodney, as baby Ry has been in tow since he was only six weeks old. “He’s comfortable out there. He sleeps better on the bus than he does at home,” says the proud dad. “It’s great.”

To help accommodate the expansion of their touring entourage, Rodney’s making some custom modifications to his home on wheels. “Come August, we are really going to be a rolling family!” he jokes. “Touring life is definitely crazier now, loading up all the baby stuff to take with you. It is a lot to juggle at times, but we love everything about it.” But a new bus set up isn’t the only change for Rodney’s 2019 tour. He has also been hard at work in the past several months building a brand new show for his fans who have continued to support him over the years. “We are very excited about it,” he says of the new show. “We went in and spent about four days building a new set, and we are adding new production elements to the show as well. We are really excited about getting out there and having a few more gadgets on stage! “We are more ready than ever to get out there and share this new music,” he continues. “We can’t wait to see all the familiar faces and just continuing this amazing ride.”

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Photo by: Neal Nachman

By Liz Stokes

By Melissa Kucirek

“Whisperin’ Bill Anderson has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1961. The iconic country singer-songwriter has released more than 40 studio albums and has reached No.1 on the country charts seven times with hits like “Mama Sang A Song,” “Still,” “I Get the Fever,” and “My Life (Throw It Away If I Want To).” Through it all, including being a television star, Anderson has learned to ride the wave and embrace change. The Country Music Hall of Fame, Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame is still challenged to write and record. Released in 2018, Anderson, is the Columbia, South Carolina born and Georgia-raised, artist’s staggering 72nd album. Yes, 72. Anderson himself is 81 years of age. Between a robust touring schedule, with several appearances at the Grand Ole Opry, Anderson carved out some time to chat via phone. His career reflections not only felt as warm as the strings in his guitar, his advice and outlook are proof to his legacy and legendary status. With such a varied career and outside of the No. 1 hits afore32

mentioned, Anderson has penned a slew of pivotal songs adamantly important to American history: “City Lights” (1958 chart hit for Ray Price), “Still” (James Brown recorded Anderson’s version in 1979), “A Lot of Things Different” (Kenny Chesney hit No. 6 with this on the Billboard Hot Country Chart in 2002), “Whiskey Lullaby” (Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss recorded in 2003) and in 2006 the Academy of Country Music Song of Year, “Give It Away” co-written by Anderson and sung by George Strait (the song also claimed the 2007 Country Music Association Song of the Year). What is left for Anderson? “I think about that from time to time,” Anderson said. “I’ve been so blessed. It’s just so hard for me to sit here and say, ‘Well, golly. I didn’t get to do this, or I didn’t get to do that.’ I’ve gotten to do so much more than I ever dreamed I would. I was just an average kid growing up down in Georgia in a very average family. Just getting on a jet plane and fly across the ocean, and getting to play Carnegie Hall in New York, and the London Palladium, and all these things. I don’t know what I’d put on my bucket list. I really don’t know. Country Beat Magazine

“There’s some things I’d like to go back and spend maybe a little more time doing. In this business you travel, and you look out the window of the bus, you see a sign that says, ‘Grand Canyon, 10 miles’ and you think, ‘Gee, I wish I had time to see that.’ But we got to get to the show.” Anderson’s admits that one day he might just take the time off and go and see the places instead of just letting them pass him by. He said he finds inspiration everywhere. And, like most people, he has bills – writing songs is both a necessity and his outlook in life all falls back to music. “I liken it to a painter,” he said. “…if an artist who paints wakes up in the morning and he looks out and he sees a beautiful blue sky and the sunshine and the clouds, maybe. And he paints with colors, I can’t draw a broomstick cowboy. But I could look at the same scene and write, ‘Oh, the sky is blue, and the sun is too,’ or something. “I just look at the world in terms of a song. People say things to me all the time that give me ideas. I get them out of real life, of course. I get them from movies, television

shows, things people say, things I read…” Sometimes an Anderson song interpretation has been just as impactful sung by another artist. James Brown’s version of “Still” tops Anderson’s list of appreciation. He also mentioned Aretha Franklin’s co-writing abilities on “I May Never Get To Heaven.” “I appreciate an artist giving it his interpretation,” Anderson said. “If James Brown had recorded ‘Still’ just like I recorded…I say anybody can trace a picture, but it takes a great artist to paint one. When a Bing Crosby records one of my songs or these other people, it’s a great compliment that they like the song well enough. Then, when they take it and put their own stamp on it, that’s the ultimate compliment to me.” It’s easy to compliment Anderson’s legendary career and it feels only natural to still reflect on the words that he first wrote as a 19-year-old while working at WJC-AM and the Ray Price hit in 1958, “City Lights.” “The cabarets and honkytonks, their flashing signs invite /

A broken heart to lose itself in the glow of city lights…they paint a pretty picture of a world that’s gay and bright/But it’s just a mask for loneliness beyond those city lights.” One might ponder the weight of these words on future musicians and aspiring songwriters. “I think if I could put that into one word, I would say originality,” Anderson said, giving his advice to up-and-coming artists. “Be different. I’ll have people come to me all the time and in years gone by, and say, ‘I want to sing just like Johnny Cash.’ Well, go home and learn to sing like yourself. We’ve already got a Johnny Cash. If you’re going to write songs, don’t copy me. Don’t copy Tom T. Hall, don’t copy Tom Douglas, these great writers, Bobby Braddock, that are out there today. Figure out your own way and write and express your feelings and thoughts and try to do it in a way nobody’s done it before, because that’s the way you’re going to be successful.” Just as Anderson’s songs have been embraced for nearly 60 years,

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his own originality and longevity doesn’t seem to be slowing down. “I’m a stylist,” he said. “I do things my own way. As far as the songs, I’m just hoping that they will outlive me. If they do, I would consider that probably my greatest accomplishment.

Photo by: Neal Nachman

By Melissa Kucirek “I’m incredibly average guy, but I do think my work ethic is my best strength. If you work hard and stay after it, I believe you can move some mountains. It’s one of those things…you can move mountains, but it might be one rock at a time,” Aaron Watson said. One song at a time and one album at a time, Watson has been trekking the country music landscape and making dents even before the aptly-named ‘The Underdog’ (2015). Watson proved his tenacity and elbow grease first in 1999 with Singer/Songwriter and has consistently released full length albums of work that have included such standouts as “Walls,” “Raise Your Bottle,” “July in Cheyenne,” and “Outta Style.” His upcoming release, Red Bandana (due out June 21) features the catchy “Kiss That Girl Goodbye” and Watson himself took it upon himself to challenge his writing and his entire approach sur40

rounding his remarkably fifteenth record. The path he’s forged, the stretch he’s taken is his own and his fans have gladly followed like a Sherpa to the summit. “My soul purpose with this new album is what if I could single-handedly write the best album in country music next year?,” he said, calling from the tour bus. He’s apologizing that the air conditioning unit might be loud, but all focus is on the infectiously energetic voice on the end of the line. “What if I could do that? What if I could push myself and work so hard and make one of the best albums in country music and I’m not talking about sales or winning awards. What if I could make music that really meant something to people. Music with meaning – music that helped people get through the hard times.” Groundswell seems to follow Watson. And, the buzz surrounding Red Bandana is no different. Town after town and Country Beat Magazine

one fan at a time, he’s fiercely recorded music that gets folks dancing and tugs at their heartstrings. While 2017’s “Outta Style” may have reached the top 10 in airplay, Watson has long been a renegade. Red Bandana is being released via Big Label Records, Watson’s own label. “The first 10 years I was independent for survival,” Watson said. “Without a doubt, I’m now independent by choice.” The album has a whopping 20 tracks – writing each track is part of the Texan’s discipline. He’s been able to compartmentalize the work- life balance astonishingly well. When he’s not relentlessly touring, Watson and his wife Kim are parents to three children. He said it was important for him to write every word to every song on Red Bandana

“When I’m at home I have a routine, if I can get up an hour before my kids and my wife,” he said. “There’s something about the morning with me – I’m full of energy pretty much 24/7. But in the morning, I wake up and I’m excited to get up. I’m excited to have that cup of coffee. That simple cup of coffee and I just sit at my desk – look out and see the country. The sun is starting to come up….it’s my place. It’s home. And, I get so much done in an hour. “I’ve got a very productive way of writing. I’ll be working on 10 songs at a time, and if I hit a road block on one song, I go to the next, and I can just really get on a roll. And, I kind of do the same thing at night after the kids go to bed and the house kind of settles back down. I get in the zone….I also thank God and say thank you for blessing me to write songs today.” Watson continued that in one occasion he wrote one song twice – two different versions and ended up using one in a different direction. In his determination to write each and every song, he had to become his own editor. He said it took him 20 years to get to that point. “That old Kris Kristofferson quote where he says, ‘write 1,000 songs the throw them away and now you’re ready to be a songwriter,’” Watson said. “I think it’s taken me 20 years of practice makes perfect and I’m still learning. As a songwriter, you know, I really feel like I’m starting to catch my stride.” He’s empowered being an independent artist and he jokes that the proceeds all go to him, or uh-hum, his wife.

“All the proceeds go straight into my wife’s purse,” Watson said. Kidding aside, Watson’s vision for Red Bandana is clear and focused. Coming up with the mood and the direction of each of those tracks was varied. Like his other collections, Watson has a keen idea of what the fans want to hear. While he’s a big fan of “artsy fartsy” and deepmeaningful songs—he raddled off Townes Van Zandt as an example—he wanted a pure fun song. Enter “Kiss That Girl Goodbye.” “When you have an album with 20 songs, you can’t have an album full of the deep stuff,” Watson said. “You have to have those moments, those flavors to compliment the other songs on the record…yeah The Beatles had ‘Blackbird’, but they also had ‘baby you can drive my car, beep, beep, beep, beep yeah…it feels good and it’s one of my favorite songs. It was important to me to have one of those windows down on a summer day kinda feel songs.” Watson also had a second inspiration behind the song – a fan. “I was at a show there was a girl waiting in line to meet me, like I do after each show,” he said. “She had mascara running down her cheek. I could tell she was upset. I could see that she was three or four people deep in the line. When she got to me, I asked her what was wrong, she said, ‘you’re not going to believe this, but my boyfriend just broke up with me here at your show.’ I was like what a jerk and I was just giving her this pep talk like you don’t need that. Seriously, he brings you to a

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show where you’re supposed to have fun, and he breaks up with you. You know what he could have done this tomorrow and not in front of your friends. He did you a favor…I said something like you can kiss that jerk goodbye. And, I wrote down some notes. When I got on the bus, I was like I’m totally going to write a song for that girl.” He continued that performed acoustically “Kiss That Girl Goodbye” has blue-grass tones and has strong influences from The Beatles and even Glen Campbell. “I wanted every part of the song to be catchy and fun,” Watson said. Mission accomplished.

Photo by: Neal Nachman