/// ON TOUR
Drastic Genre Crossover
Questions for Staind Lead Singer and Country Artist Aaron Lewis, who is performing at Common Ground
Y
by Rich Tupica
ou’re best known for your melodic alternative rock songs like “It’s Been Awhile” and “So Far Away,” but now you’re doing country music. What’s the deal? I grew up with country music around me all the time. My grandfather, wherever he was there was country music playing. It was a permanent fixture.
When my grandfather passed away and we moved away from Vermont, the people I was hanging out with at that point were listening to rock music, so I forgot about it for a long time. When I was out on tour with Kid Rock for our very first tour ever, I rode the bus with him a lot because we’re pretty good friends. All that he played on his bus was old country music. It all seemed extremely familiar and I haven’t been able to get away from it since my re-introduction.
Why did you decide to do it solo? I’ve been playing solo shows for about nine years now. I’d sell out pretty much every solo show I’d play, even without having a record to be working. The opportunity had almost presented itself two or three times in the past, and I finally made sure I didn’t give up until all of the obstacles were out of the way. I finally got it to come out.
How was it recording with country music legend George Jones on your new CD? When you just said it, it still gives me goose bumps a little bit. That’s one of the voices I remember from my childhood. That was one of my grandfather’s favorites. I’m sure he’s looking down and smiling on the whole situation.
Did some Staind fans not appreciate the country record? Well, there are Staind fans that don’t like the fact that we’ve put out ‘It’s Been Awhile,’ ‘Outside,’ and ‘So Far Away’ – all of our biggest songs. Those Staind fans probably aren’t very happy about it. But they’re ecstatic about the new Staind album we are getting ready to put out in the fall. It’s the heaviest thing we’ve done in quite some time.
AARON LEWIS (of Staind)
*solo performance Wednesday, July 13 Common Ground Festival Adado Riverfront Park, Lansing
commongroundfest.com
Are you going to record another country album? Absolutely. We’re already trying to figure out when I can get back down to Nashville to record more songs. I feel at this point in my life, where I’m at, I’m where I belong. I fit in to the country world as far as my feelings, my beliefs, my pastimes, my hobbies – the way I live. I choose to live in a town of 1,200 people where there are more farm animals than humans – I live up in the hill towns of the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. I hate concrete; I want to be surrounded by trees.
What inspires your lyrics? I’ve written my own songs, so every song I have to feel like I’ve left a little bit of myself in that song. It’s got to be real and true to my life. I can’t just throw words out on a piece of paper just because they rhyme. Another thing I don’t like doing is saying where I was coming from in a song, because that takes away from some of the listeners’ experience.
I hear you are filming a new hunting show? It’s tentatively called ‘Hunting with Heroes.’ It’s centered on the military and giving back to the military, saying ‘thank you.’ Every hunt there will be a soldier with us that’s fought for what we take for granted every day – not everyone, but a lot of us.
Who performs with you at your solo gigs? It’s just me and my friend Ben Kitterman, who was the driver for my tour bus before I caught him one day playing his Dobro. I heard him play and I was like, ‘Holy crap! You got to come out and play a few songs with me every night.’ That’s how it started; next thing you know, he was in Nashville with me to record the record. Now he rides the bus with me instead of driving it. n
10 |
REVUEMM.COM | JULY 2011
SCHEDULE | SIGHTS | SOUND | SCENES
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28