WE ARE ONE COUNTRY.
THE STORY BEHIND
THE NEW ALBUM
To be honest, country music was not my favorite growing up. In fact, I made fun of the "hillbillies" I knew who thought that any country music was way better than the "dumb rock and pop crap" I was obsessed with.
NO F***ing' WAY!
From elementary school to high school. I lived in a small town in Massachusetts. Yeah, Massachusetts. You don't think of country music when you think of Massachusetts, especially when I was kid.
The town I lived in was super tiny. I'm talking 250 people (not including dogs and cows). There were farms for sure, but mostly to grow some produce to feed the college professors, actors and tourists everywhere.
Needless to say, the music of my youth was not filled with Hank Williams Jr. or Reba McEntire songs on my Sony Walkman. Nope, not even close.
Fast forward to my 30s and this all changed. That's about the time you start to really respect ideas that are not your own. Maybe you listen, maybe you don't, but you acknowledge they exist. By then I happily accepted that country was a valid style of music. In fact, I even bought a few CDs. Yep.
So now I've written and produced an entire album of country songs. Songs about love and acceptance, heartbreak, loss and joy. There's some vivid storytelling, and even a few about empowerment,
The main thing I can say about COUNTRY VOL. 1 is this guy (me), who writes a grimy, all-out rock anthem one day, gets up the next and belts out a country tune.
It took me a while, but I learned not to dismiss something just cause you grew up hating it. So yeah.
Side note: I don't have a hint of twang in my voice, but for the demos I couldn't help it. I sound like some guy from Texas or Alabama. Hilarious. I don't even know if this would offend anyone. I hope not. The singers I worked with are from Nashville and they never said anything, so....
THE SOUND
MODERN POP WITH TONS OF COUNTRY FLAVORING.
As this album moved from guitar and piano demos to final production, the goal was mass appeal. Not be to be too commercial about it, but I wanted the soundscape to draw in lovers of pop, and listeners of all ages.
Guitar is the foundation of all the songs. There are country tones plastered all over it. Some of the drums are live, but most of it is programmed with snaps and samples throughout.
We pushed the overall feel towards modern pop, but left enough of the country vibe to feel authentic. It's a balancing act, and I'm really proud of the result.
I feel like you could sing these songs with an acoustic guitar only, in front of an intimate crowd. They were written that way. But hey, if you're a a bunch of young girls headed out with friends, or on the way to work, that works too.
Crank it!
THE LATEST ALBUM
COUNTRY
VOLUME 1
LEAVE A LIGHT ON (released)
INTO THE BLUE (released)
READY OR NOT
LOVE DRUNK
UNFAIR
RIGHT ON TIME
HOW LONG
YOUR THIN AIR
RUN IT DOWN
LET YOU
INTO THE BLUE V2
RIGHT ON TIME V2
THUNDER
THE NEWEST SINGLE
SINGLE: LEAVE A LIGHT ON
ALBUM: COUNTRY VOLUME 1
PREVIEW
No one can tell you who
you can and cannot love.
True Love has zero boundaries. It's the most unstoppable force there is! When you truly feel love deep in your bones, it feels like you can face anything. No one can tell you it isn't real, or it's a bad idea, or there's danger if you give yourself over to it.
They're powerless over you.
Yeah, it can feel a little political I guess. When some people are taught to hate, irrationally, it's infuriating. There have been many songs, films and books written about how love can be the motivation to cross over forbidden lines. These lines only exist if you let them exist. It's a cliche, but love does conquer all!
