INTERVIEW: Randy Rogers Band

by Chad Cooper - December, 2008

Rolling Stone magazine, the Billboard music charts and hundreds of clubs across the country dig the sound of the Randy Rogers Band. The 30-year-old Cleburne, Texas native has assembled a group of musicians and have taken the Country music scene by storm with six albums and constant non-stop touring that, in 2007, generated more than $2.5 million in revenue, which is a big number for a country group that is not on mainstream radio.

“Everyday I wake up, I get the feeling this is the best thing that has ever happened to me,” said Rogers. “As far as being on stage, there is no feeling like it. We love being on the road and this is what makes our living. We all care about our families and work as hard as we can to provide for them. We bring a ton of energy to the stage and want people to jump up and down and spill beer on themselves, or at the same time go out on the dance floor and two step.”

Rogers is one of many artists that have taken over the college scene in the sub-genre of Country music called Texas Country. Some describe it as “Outlaw Country” but Rogers calls it music for the common man.

“We may not sound like traditional Country music but our songs are for the average man,” he said. “This style of music is an alternative. Most radio these days is geared to pop, teeny-bopper stuff.”

Rolling Stone described the band as a “must see” and USA Today explained his style as “loads of grit, swagger and heart.”

Rogers said the blueprint of success began at the age of 6 when he learned to play piano.

“At Christmas, everyone around the family always asked for musical instruments,” said Rogers. “I always wanted to start a band. For whatever reason, I really wanted to play music. My dad played guitar around the house and he and his buddies would gather around and play guitar and sing and I thought that was the coolest thing ever.”

So at the age of 13, Rogers wrote his first song called “Leave Me Behind,” which he describes as a sad love song.

“I was trying to be all grown up,” he said. “I had a ton of singer/songwriter influences. It was basically anyone my dad had a record of like Michael Martin Murphy, Beatles, ‘Stones, Cream, Willie, Merle and Glen Campbell.”

Those influences paid off in 2002 when Rogers and his band recorded an album in San Marcos, Live at Cheatham Street Warehouse, which was a bar in the college town. They then signed an independent deal and in 2005 released their second recording label titled Rollercoaster that dipped into the Billboard charts.

Co-produced by Radney Foster, that album raised eyebrows on Music Row and the label Mercury Nashville came calling and scooped them up.

In September of 2006, Rogers and his band released their first national record Just a Matter of Time and have since released Randy Rogers Band, which debuted No. 3 on the Billboard Country charts.

“The new record has been out several months and it’s a good representation of our band,” he said. “We didn’t have a lot of outside influences from the label and that’s one thing the Randy Rogers Band is fortunate for — we get to make the records we want to make and a lot of other groups don’t have that opportunity.”

The list of Texas Country artists is long and is growing every day. From Pat Green to Cross Canadian Ragweed, it’s a musical phenomenon but don’t clump Rogers as your average artist.

“We’ve been together for about six years without changes,” he said. “Everything is split up evenly and we are all equal. Just because the drummer isn’t Randy Rogers doesn’t mean he gets less. We are a big family and that alone sets us apart. Every person that comes and sees us play, we want to give them their money’s worth. You know, at the age of 11, I knew I wanted to do this. When God gives you a talent, you make the best of it and I’m still trying to do that.”

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INTERVIEW: Earl Thomas Conley

by Chad Cooper - February, 2009

Earl Thomas Conley is 68 and by his standards he’s slowed down some, but he continues to perform numerous shows each year.

“Back in the day, I would do some 200 shows a year,” said Conley from his home in Smyrna, Tenn. “We don’t do as many any more, probably 60 or so. I ran into an old buddy from the Oak Ridge Boys the other day and they still do 100 or so, and I was like, oh man, no way.”

Many know that “ETC” charted more than 30 songs, 21 of which went to the top of the charts and of those 21, 18 were consecutive No. 1 singles.

Born in the small town of Portsmouth, Ohio, Conley said he grew up listening to the radio on Saturday nights. “I remember us all gathering around the radio and I loved me some Hank Williams.”

It was 1968 when Conley finally took the step towards pursuing a music career but he didn’t find instant success. After a stint in the Army, Conley moved to Huntsville, Ala. to get closer access to Nashville, the centerpiece of country music. He began writing songs, one of which became a hit for singer Mel Street, “Smokey Mountain Memories.”

Also during that span, Conley worked at a steel mill. “I worked in bars and clubs at night and worked seven days a week and even 10 hours on Sunday and I said I ain’t getting nowhere with this.” ETC was making just $15 dollars per gig so he quit the steel mill and began writing full time and finally made the move to Nashville.

After writing a No. 1 song, “This Time I’ve Hurt Her More Than She Loves Me,” for Conway Twitty, Conley began translating his own words and signed a record deal in 1979 with Warner Brothers. But after an album, Blue Pearl, failed to chart any singles, he signed with an indie label and released the song “Fire and Smoke,” which became an instant success and his first No. 1 hit.

“I wrote half that song while in Huntsville,” described Conley. “I had the verses to that song some two years before and when I moved to Nashville, I finally finished it.” RCA Records signed Conley and his career blew up faster than Bud did when he found out Sissy was riding the bull at Gilley’s.

Another five albums were released that included a greatest hits record with No. 1 singles such as “Somewhere Between Right and Wrong,” “Your Love’s on the Line,” “Angel in Disguise” and “Nobody Falls Like a Fool,” just to name a few.

In 1982, another one of Conley’s No. 1 tunes, “Holding Her and Loving You,” won a Grammy for Country Song of the Year. It was also the first time an artist had four No. 1 singles from one album.

It wasn’t just country as ETC teamed with Anita Pointer in 1986 and recorded “Too Many Times.” That song landed him a spot on the television show “Soul Train” as Conley, still to this day, is the only country artist to ever perform on that show. “Oh man that was cool,” said Conley. “It was fun to watch everyone dancing to my song.”

Despite everything ETC has accomplished in his career, one of his fondest memories came when “Brotherly Love” was released in 1991. It was a duet recorded with Keith Whitley, who at the time was married to Lorrie Morgan.

“That single was actually recorded in 1989 but RCA had shelved it,” he said. “Keith has signed with RCA and we became very close friends. I was as close to him as anyone in the business.” When Whitley tragically passed away, the label released the song and of course it became a hit.

The living legend still enjoys playing with his band today.“You get addicted to it,” he said. “I’ve been doing it all my life, well at least since 1968. That’s what you do if you work, and this is my work.”

He plans on returning to the studio sometime this year to record yet another album. Plus, Conley states that there’s a tribute album being tossed around as he would like some of his peers to record some of his greatest hits.

“I love making really good music,” he said. “That’s the whole deal. All the albums I’ve made, I’ve tried to load them up with No. 1 records. I want to give fans their money’s worth.”

Official ETC Website
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INTERVIEW: Pat Green

by Chad Cooper - March, 2009

Pat Green is one of the founders and leaders of the surging Texas country scene, but there’s more to him than the beer joints and dancehalls. He hasn’t outgrown his Texas roots since he branched out and made his niche on the national scene, from selling more than 250,000 albums without major record label support to signing a big deal and touring the country.

“The market was ready and I had some dumb luck on my side,” said Green from his cell phone.

“The fans of country music were wanting what I was providing at that time and that can be a powerful thing,” he said of his days in the early stages of his career. “But it also pigeon-holed me at the same time because people thought I was just Texas and beer, and Texas and beer. But I continued to grow and move on. I didn’t want to be in just one place all my life.”

Born in San Antonio and raised in Waco, Green is still Texan at heart. After high school, he went to Lubbock and enrolled in Texas Tech and started playing music with Cory Morrow.

“I think there were delusions like any high school kid,” said Green of seeing his future grow bright. “You don’t stand in front of the mirror with a guitar saying you are going to play at the coffee house. You are thinking Springsteen.”

That’s Pat Green for you. But don’t let him fool you as the 36 year old does have a sensitive side.

“To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “I just ended up here is really how I feel and however I ended up here I am eternally grateful to the master-planner upstairs.”

His plan was rather simple though. Green was making money with his hobby and knew he could make $10, so he tried to make $20. Once he made $20, he wanted $100.

His popularity was growing. Not just in Lubbock, but elsewhere around the Lone Star state. Green opened for legend Willie Nelson before recording his first album, which he asked his family to loan him $10,000 to help pay for recording expenses.

“I was already drawing some pretty decent crowds so it wasn’t a startup thing,” he explained. “My family saw how passionate I was and they knew they were going to get their money back, sooner or later.”

That first album, Dancehall Dreamer, would be the first of 10. With the help of Lubbock producer Lloyd Maines — the father of Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks — Green put out three before Universal/Republic jumped on board in 2001 with Three Days.

Two years later, Green was on top of his game with Wave on Wave, which sold over 500,000 units, certifying it gold.

So what was it that fans were hearing? “I think everyone was tired of Garth Brooks,” proclaimed Green. “Not necessarily him but where the record industry was. When Garth made it big, everyone tried to recreate, recreate and recreate so everything sounded alike with these fantastical songs with not a lot of truth in them, no reality and not a lot of storytelling.”

One can hear that explanation in his latest song “Country Star” off his new album, What I’m For. With lyrics like “I’d think it’d be a cryin’ shame not to have my own airplane,” “I’ll be ridin’ shotgun with Kenny, Faith and Tim... And I wonder how they lived without me” and “...breakin’ hearts like Keith Urban,” Green takes his shot at the country norm.

“If every song I put out was like 'Country Star', I would vomit,” he laughed. “It was a one-time deal and I was trying to be funny.”

Green went on explain the resurgence of not only himself, but other rising Texas country players.

“When Garth was on top, guys like Robert Earl Keen went walking right through the door and filled the void,” he said. “Jerry Jeff Walker popped up again and even Willie saw a resurgence. Guys like me, Jack Ingram and Cory Morrow were the young guys sitting around doing nothing. The audiences were so hungry.”

Green laid the groundwork for artists like Cross Canadian Ragweed, Eli Young, Honeybrowne and Stoney LaRue.

As one of the founding fathers, he gave his take on why this genre has taken on a mind of its own.

“Everyone has their own stories to tell,” he said. “I don’t care who you are. The younger audience is drawn to that young sound that’s a little less polished and less cleaned up. That’s the way they feel and look at life.”

But Green has grown up some and sees things a little different.

“I clean it up now because I don’t feel that way anymore at 36,” he said. “I can’t act like a teenager anymore because I’ll look like a fool.”

There may be some maturity in the sound but Green’s live shows are still the same — sold out.

“I hope its because I do what I want to see done,” he said. “I don’t want to give the fans an ‘aw shucks’ country show, but at the same time I don’t want to get rowdier than Hank Williams Jr. I want to be somewhere in the middle. I don’t want to get preachy on politics because I don’t want to hear politics when I go out into a bar. When I get on stage I want to put on a show that I want to see.”

After everything he’s accomplished, Green said he’s still not satisfied. By that, he means that he wants to have more impact. And if you know Pat Green, he always says what he means.

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INTERVIEW: Staind

by Chad Cooper - November, 2008

Fame, fortune, world tours, 15 million records sold, four No. 1 hits and multiple appearances on the Howard Stern Show — just a few highlights on the resume of Staind. Nearly 13 years to the day, and six albums later, the four-piece rock band from Massachusetts continues rolling along without a True Hollywood Story or Behind the Music hitch in their step. Their career has yet to be marred with keeping band members out of jail or dealing with other sorts of drama.

“There’s always drama,” laughed guitarist Mike Mushok. “But we’ve been fortunate. Part of that comes from certain people putting themselves in that situation. Does Britney Spears really need to live in Los Angeles? That’s never what any of us wanted. We all love playing music and still live in New England. Could we have? Yes, but that’s not us.”

If there’s no made-for-television Staind movie, who are they? Is it the lyrics? Lead singer Aaron Lewis’ vocals? Edgy riffs?

It all started when the band self-released their first album, Tormented, in 1996 then opened for Limp Bizkit, who was the hottest act on the market at the time. Front man Fred Durst wasn’t happy with their album cover and didn’t want them to play.

“It was a collage of pretty gruesome looking pictures,” said Mushok. “It was more a shock value to grab people’s attention and it worked.”

It wasn’t long after that when Staind emerged into the mainstream when Durst joined the band onstage for a live performance of “Outside” on the Family Values Tour in Biloxi, Miss.

Their second album Dysfunction was already double-platinum and the “Outside” video became an instant classic on MTV by the time the group began recording their third album, Break the Cycle. That album produced their second No. 1 single, “It’s Been Awhile,” which stayed atop the modern rock and mainstream rock charts for a combined 30 weeks.

“The single ‘Outside’ blew up as we were recording Break the Cycle,” said Mushok. “We redid that song as it blew up, which led into ‘It’s Been Awhile.’ The first time we played it as a band, we looked at each other and knew it was going to be special. We’ve had that feeling before with other songs that didn’t do as good but you’re not always right with that. But that was a special one.”

Their next album, Chapter V, came in August 2005 and of course was another certified platinum record thanks in large part to the first single “Right Here.” That’s when they met Stern.

“First off, I’m a big Howard fan and have Sirius throughout my house,” he said. “We have been on the cover of ‘Rolling Stone,’ had a No. 1 record but until you are on the Stern Show, you haven’t really made it. We’ve done the show several times but when you do Howard, there’s always a twist. We aren’t like Kid Rock — we can’t go on there to talk about all the chicks we’ve banged or fights you’ve had — we are not that band. Most of us are married and pretty low-key.”

So what was the twist? After playing a few acoustic songs, the group had remade a song for one of the Stern characters, Beetlejuice, entitled “This is Beetle.” Mushok wrote the music and Lewis put his twist on the melody.

With a greatest hits album thrown in the mix that leads fans to Staind’s sixth album, The Illusion of Progress, which hit shelves in August and Mushok claims is their best to date.

“If you never think the album you are putting out is your best record, then you are probably not done with it,” he said. “So yes, I believe it’s our best. There’s something about the songs on this record that gives me that same feeling from ‘It’s Been Awhile.’ It’s more experimental. More musical.”

Plus Mushok shows off more with plenty of guitar solos. The first single, “Believe,” is currently No. 9 on the modern rock charts and No. 12 in mainstream making Staind a single’s machine.

“We try to write good songs,” he said. “We want people ten years from now to still listen and appreciate it as a good song. That’s what it’s about to me.”

A group that has accomplished so much and kept it together for so long must be at the end of the tunnel and ready to relax.

“You have to talk about (the future),” said Mushok. “We will keep touring but Aaron wants to put out a (solo) record so I expect to do one more album. We will head over to Europe and Iraq in early 2009 then back to the U.S.”

But there is a life outside of music, a sense of normalcy.

“I love playing but I love being home,” said the father of a 2-year-old set of twins. “I’ve been married for six years (together for 14) and I never knew how hard it would be to leave my family and go on the road.”

After tuning his last guitar, Mushok, who loves to write music, would like to do some music for a movie soundtrack but reiterates his likeness for his current job.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to make a living playing my own music and to achieve that in this day and age still putting out records, it makes me feel real thankful.”

Official Staind Website
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INTERVIEW: Kevin Fowler

by Chad Cooper - February, 2009

The Texas country genre has been described in terms like outlaw, the truth of the matter and music for the common man. Some music gurus say this genre began in the 1960s and 70s with the likes of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings but it’s been modernized, so to speak, by the emergence of singer/songwriters, including Pat Green, Robert Earl Keen, Cory Morrow and Kevin Fowler.

“I think the entire Texas country music scene thrives because of the fans,” said Fowler. “It’s one of the few scenes that’s not about the hype, radio or Billboard charts. It’s like a lifestyle.”

Fowler and his lyrics speak volumes. With songs like “Cheaper to Keep Her,” “Best Mistake I Ever Made” and “Loose, Loud and Crazy,” all that listen to Fowler’s music can relate to the Amarillo native who started out playing rock music.

“I was like a Sideshow Bob,” said Fowler. “I was a guitar player that played in different bands.” But that led him to Los Angeles as he attended the Guitar Institute of Technology to master his craft.

Fowler returned to Texas — but this time to Austin — and tinkered with several rock bands, including Dangerous Toys and Thunderfoot.

“I was writing songs but they were country,” he added. “Those demos started turning into records and no one was really singing my songs so I thought, hey I’ll do it and it took off. I never planned on being a singer.”

That idea came to life when he released his first album Beer, Bait & Ammo, with the title track eventually becoming a Sammy Kershaw single that Beaumont boy Mark Chesnutt even sang at some of his live shows.

After two indie releases, Equity Music Group, a label headed by Clint Black, signed Fowler and the team released the album Loose, Loud & Crazy, which spawned the single, “Ain’t Drinkin’ Anymore.”

His most successful album to date came in 2007 when Bring It On reached No. 14 on the Country album charts with the single “Best Mistake I Ever Made” leading the way. Also on that record was a song titled “Long Line of Losers,” which has since been recorded by country duo Montgomery Gentry and put on their 2008 album Back When I Knew It All.

Fowler added, “When someone else grabs your song, it’s really the highest form of flattery,” he said. “Montgomery Gentry did a great job with that song. They tore it up.”

Equity Music Group eventually went away but Fowler kept strong and remained on the road with his constant touring. “A lot of my fans will come out and see us 10 times a year,” he said. “One night you may see them in Oklahoma City and a week later you may see them in Corpus (Christi). It’s like a Grateful Dead vibe.”

Fowler said he has seen the vibe grow from just a few guys playing on the road to an entire slew of artists who tour as relentlessly he does.

“It wasn’t a scene then,” he described. “It’s amazing what its grown to today. One cool thing about Texas Country is not all bands sound alike. It’s not a sound where everyone is trying to copycat each other. Anything goes.”

But is it too much too often? For instance, there’s at least one or two Texas country artists playing the Golden Triangle each week.

“We aren’t national touring acts,” said Fowler. “They do one record and come once a year and be done with it. The business model in this genre is touring, and by touring you build fans. You have to take it one person at a time and you can’t do that by coming to a market once a year. I don’t know if you can overplay.”

With 20 years under his belt, Fowler shows no signs of slowing down. “I’m a procrastinator, but I’d like to get another record out by the end of ’09.”

That’s if he can find time between touring.

Official Kevin Fowler Website
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