Events Home / HANK FM Presents Acoustic Stars & Guitars: Lee Brice, Jerrod Niemann
HANK FM Presents Acoustic Stars & Guitars: Lee Brice, Jerrod Niemann
Feb 21, 2018 – 07:30 PM
The Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
502 North New Jersey Street
Jerrod Niemann
Chase Rice
Lee Brice: The Sumter, South Carolina native aspired to be a football player before a sidelining injury ended his career during his senior year at Clemson University. Switching gears from a pigskin to a six-string, Brice began working as a songwriter in 2007. Brice scored his first hit when he co-penned "More Than a Memory" for Garth Brooks in 2007. The single debuted at #1 on the charts and Brice became an underdog to watch in Nashville. The success of the single won Brice a contract with Curb Records who released his debut single "She A'int Right," which peaked at #29 on the Billboard Country Singles chart. Lee Brice tour dates were scheduled to promote his upcoming debut disc. The album, Picture of Me, was scheduled for release, but was ultimately shelved and instead Brice released two moderately successful singles to country radio.
Brice wasn't deterred and released his next album in 2009, Love Like Crazy, which peaked in the top ten on the country charts in 2009. The title track set a record for the longest run on the country singles chart when it spent 55 weeks as a hit single. The track was certified Gold and Lee Brice tour dates were scheduled to capitalize on the single's success. Brice followed up with "Beautiful Every Time", which is currently in heavy rotation on country radio. In addition to his commercial success, Brice has been honored with nominations from the Academy of Country Music and at the CMT Awards for his single "Love Like Crazy".
Jerrod Niemann: Jerrod Niemann is not a typical country artist, and the audacious, groundbreaking Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury is a far cry from a typical country album. With the first track, which is a humorously hyperbolic movie trailer, and the attention-grabbing lyrics of the opening song, "They Should Have Named You Cocaine," listeners quickly realize they're in for an extraordinary ride. Niemann's debut for Sea Gayle/Arista Nashville includes up-tempo cuts, heartache balladry, wicked wordplay and a couple of cool covers, all woven together with short comedic interludes. The 20 tracks constitute a progressive, album-length voyage into utterly unique territory in the country music landscape. The lead single, "Lover, Lover," is a groove-oriented, handclap-fueled Top 15 smash that features nine vocal parts, all recorded by Niemann himself. "My original plan was to just sing the lead vocal part," Niemann explains. "I was going to get Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Chris Young and a bunch of my friends to each sing a part. But I didn't have a record deal, and I realized that getting permission for all of them would have been torturous, so my co-producer, Dave Brainard, suggested that I try singing all the parts. I sang eight out of nine parts the first night. The only part I didn't have was that low bass part. I just couldn't hit those notes. So Dave and I went down to the Tin Roof in Nashville, and in the name of country music, we properly medicated the vocal cords. When I woke up the next morning, I sounded like a mix between Richard Sterban from the Oak Ridge Boys and that cartoon Grape Ape." Listeners might get the catchy chorus of "Lover, Lover" permanently stuck in their heads — which is exactly what happened to Niemann when he heard the original version of the song, written by Dan Pritzker of the rock band Sonia Dada, and titled "You Don't Treat Me No Good." "When I first heard that song, I was in a community swimming pool in Liberal, Kansas, in 1993," Niemann recalls. I've always loved that song, and I associate it with my childhood. I took it into the studio, played it for Dave [Brainard], and literally five minutes later we were recording it, just on a whim." Niemann wrote or co-wrote ten of the album's dozen songs. His co-writers on "They Should Have Named You Cocaine" were his buddies Jamey Johnson and Dallas Davidson. This track's unusual production merges traditional, jazzy sounds with a space-age theremin (inspired by the Beach Boys) and just a touch of the Electric Light Orchestra hit "Strange Magic." Niemann shows his sensitive side with "What Do You Want," the emotional centerpiece of the album. "That was the first time I had ever written a song truly from the heart," Niemann admits. "I wasn't trying to write a hit song. I just wanted to get it out of my system. I was missing an ex-girlfriend, and I would just start the process of getting over her, and then I'd hear from her. So that's how that song came about." Niemann's compositions reflect an adherence to the adage "Write what you know." He calls "Old School New Again" his "soapbox" number because it comments on the machinations of the music industry. The song chronicles the hopes of a struggling musician, as Niemann sings, "I know times, they change / So I ain't sayin' we need to go back to Nudie suits, rhinestones and fringe / I just wanna be proud of what I'm playin' / And sing a little Lefty now and then." He returns to the music-industry theme with the lighthearted barroom anthem "One More Drinkin' Song." The track is preceded by "A Concerned Fan," a tongue-in-cheek skit addressing the notion of using demographic data as the basis for writing a country song. The solo composition "For Everclear" is the smile-inducing tale of a hard-partying college student who winds up in bed with his instructor. A boisterous cover of Robert Earl Keen's "The Buckin' Song" features the kind of sly wordplay that Niemann has made a trademark of his own songwriting. "I didn't write that song, but I thought it was just offensive enough to put on the album," he jokes. Puns and wordplay also are showcased in the tropical tune "Down in Mexico" and its accompanying sketch, "Phone Call at 3 A.M." This Buffettesque track proves that an episode of quasi-drunk-dialing can result in a great country song. Other album highlights include the R&B–flavored scorcher "Come Back to Me," a poetic rumination on lost love called "Bakersfield," the honky-tonk rave-up "How Can I Be So Thirsty" (penned with John Anderson and Billy Joe Walker, Jr.) and a dramatic ballad with strings, "I Hope You Get What You Deserve." With a single spin of the album, it's obvious that the recording sessions for Judge Jerrod were a blast. Ironically, Niemann's personal life at the time was in tatters. Although Niemann had experienced triumphs as a songwriter — with his songs being recorded by Garth Brooks, Jamey Johnson, Julie Roberts and Blake Shelton — he yearned to be a performer himself. Things weren't going well in that regard. He had signed a recording contract, only to see the deal fall apart. Niemann signed another recording contract, but that one also failed to come to fruition. Then his life took a turn for the worse. "I was at rock bottom," he recalls. "I had horrible depression. I ran off a girl I was dating, and she moved clear to India. I gained 60 pounds, so I looked like the Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters. I didn't write a song for almost a year. That's when I ran into Jamey Johnson, at that point in my life. He said, 'Man, I can tell you're not yourself. Why don't you go cut a record? That's what I did, and it changed my life.' And Jamey was right. So I took a year to record the album, and by the end of that process, I had lost every bit of the weight. It's amazing how doing something that you love can change your inner self and your outer appearance." After Niemann finished the album, he shared it with the heads of his publishing company, Sea Gayle Music. They wanted to shop it to Arista Nashville, and Niemann agreed, but under one condition: Not a single note on the album could be changed. In a bold move, Arista Nashville signed Niemann and agreed to release the album as is, even keeping the title (with its double entendre) intact. Niemann says, "We called it Judge Jerrod & The Hung Jury, but it's not so much because I'm a judge. Instead, it's about the idea that everybody is going to judge me and my band for making this album. Whenever you attempt to do anything different or unique, people are going criticize it. But that's okay. I've been made fun of my whole life. Why stop now?" Niemann grew up in Liberal, a tiny town in west Kansas. As a child, his knowledge of music was expanded at the skating rink that his parents owned. "That's where I got my street cred, as a 7-year-old, rolling in circles, looking dangerous and mysterious on eight wheels of Country & Western thunder," he recalls with a laugh. "I remember skating to Queen, to Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith doing "Walk This Way," and to the Oak Ridge Boys' "Elvira." After graduating from Liberal High School, Niemann studied music for two years at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. Then he moved to Fort Worth, where he honed his songwriting and learned how to win over tough crowds in bars. He moved to Nashville in 2000. Today, Niemann is ready to become the full-fledged artist he always dreamed of being. "A few years ago, my friends and I were burning up the honky-tonks in Nashville, but now everybody has matured a little bit," he reflects. "We all realized that we're representing country music whenever we leave Nashville. We still get rowdy and have fun, but we know where this town came from. We love it and we respect it. We're doing what we can to ensure that country music fans have music that not only entertains them, but that they can enjoy in any mood." Niemann feels that he can be a distinct voice in country music, but he realizes he's standing on the shoulders of giants. "Waylon and Willie are considered hard-core traditionalists now, but they were very innovative back in the day, and they caused a lot of controversy. No one's ever going to say what they said, or sang what they sang, as well as they did. But I think there's something unique that I can contribute to the format. If I can make somebody laugh, or get someone who's never listened to country music to come over and check it out, then I've accomplished my goal."
Chase Rice: This Carolina reared, good-times tunesmith must be dripping adrenaline from beneath his backwards ball cap as he's always at full throttle both on and off the stage. Beneath the party up persona, you'll find the persistent passion of a college football linebacker, the drive of a NASCAR crew member and ultimately the level-headed, hard working values that are the result of a close family unit (and a mom that whipped him into shape). "That guy you see on stage having the time of his life is the same guy you get behind the scenes. Some artists turn on a switch and you're like 'where did that come from?' but for me --- this is it. I'm a ball cap and t-shirt guy to the core. We'll roll out some songs and I may even join you for a few when we're wrapped and ready to head out." It hard to believe that at such a young age, Chase truly has encountered all of the life experience mentioned above. While he had Garth blasting from his radio at an early age, he never thought about picking up the guitar until after an injury took him off the field at University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. "I started playing guitar and I'll never forget a piece of advice from my dad. He said 'boy anyone can play guitar, but no one is gonna really listen to you until you start singing.'" Those words would be the first turn on a new course for Chase, but his journey to the stage would take a few more turns (especially a lot of left ones).
After graduation, Chase tackled a scene that many race fans only dream of by securing a spot on the celebrated Hendrick Motorsports pit crew. While NASCAR served as his day job, he spent his nights either writing songs or going to small bars around Charlotte and playing live. He would also spend any free weekends he had flying to Nashville to perform in writer's rounds and continuing to build his knowledge of the music scene.
While honing his songwriting skills, this performer with an unwavering competitive spirit landed a slot on the hit TV show Survivor. Viewers tuned in each week to see the southern bred relentless participant blaze through each challenge taking him through to the final episode. The program would serve as a spring board bringing Chase to his current home in Music City where he continues to pierce through the sea of rising acts and stake career benchmarks within the industry. "We had a great introduction with the EP Country As Me last year and the video for 'Buzz Back,' so I expect Dirt Road Communion will continue to validate my grassroots approach. As my belt buckle beckons, 'Cowboy Up!' and just enjoy the ride."
Dirt Road Communion marks the first full length project for Chase serving up his concoction of contemporary country spiked with shots of rocking guitars, explosive crescendos, hands in the air grooves and lyrical content that swings like a pendulum from loud and fun to dark and vulnerable. When his isn't on stage opening up for acts like Jake Owen, Sara Evans, Lee Brice or Corey Smith, you'll find him penning tomorrow's hits with his songwriting circle that continues to grow. Aside from the Carolina blue, Chase has no qualms about rocking some camo-green on hunting trips with his brothers tracking deer, quail, pheasant or turkey. Chase is also a phene for America's past times. This football and baseball fan, known for rocking his backwards Braves hat on more than one occasion, has delivered an indie project that is truly a grand slam for a new act lining him up to be a David Freese of the music scene and an MVP (Most Valuable Performer) to watch in 2012.
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