Category Archives: Interviews

Randy Rogers Band Interview

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The Randy Rogers Band Takes Some Time Before A Show To Answer A Few Questions! Last Friday I had a 6:30pm appointment to have a sit down with the guys of the Randy Rogers Band (“Kiss Me In The Dark“, “In My Arms Instead“, “Interstate“, “Buy Myself A Chance“, “Down and Out“) in Fort Smith, Arkansas at the 1st annual Festival On The Border. It was a great day, so I have decided to start this piece from the VERY beginning… With my notepad and press pass in hand I arrived at the Riverfront Amphitheater on September 9. I got to the venue in plenty of time to pick up my ticket and all access pass, as well as make my way to the backstage area. I asked for my envelope of goodies and the nice women working the ticket booth were sad to report they had nothing for me. Not worried, I called the tour manager (Kyle) and told him my predicament. He assured me not fret and wait right where I was. A few minutes later I was picked up in a golf cart by a nice man and jetted to the opposite side of the grounds where crew members were busily working away. There I was escorted to one of two tour busses, where my new friend and I knocked on the door. While waiting for a bus driver or manager to invite me in, I was surprised when out walked Dierks Bentley! He greeted us, drink in hand, and headed towards his own bus. Knowing this was going to be a great night I climbed aboard the bus eager to get my interview started! Brady Black (fiddle), Geoffrey Hill (guitar), Les Lawless (drums), Jon Richardson (bass) and Randy Rogers (lead vocals, guitar) were all ready and gracious enough to answer some questions for me. Here are some things I thought you, the readers, would be interested to learn… This was the bands first time to play Fort Smith, let alone the amphitheater, and they were really excited for the show! I asked about life on the road and they all agreed it can be rough at times, but they find ways of passing the time. When in cities with history such as Fort Smith, they walk around and check out the sites and museums. At the points of a tour where they find themselves playing a show in a field somewhere they play “Washers” and hang out with the other bands. No matter where they are or what they do in their spare time, Randy believes that everything is worth it for the show, “My favorite part of the day is the 90 minutes on stage.” I believe that statement, especially since the guys had two shows the next day. They planned on hitting the road around midnight to head to Texas. There they would play in College Station and then Texas City, both events were festivals. Along with many others, the band is working on Continue reading Randy Rogers Band Interview→

Josh Abbott Band Interview

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Josh Abbott Band Comes To George’s Majestic Lounge In Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Josh Abbott Band headlined at George’s Majestic Lounge this past Saturday, August 27, where the Texas based band had the garden amped up for the first weekend of the college semester. I met up with the guys that afternoon for a short interview. Josh Abbott (vocals, acoustic guitar), Preston Wait (fiddle, electric guitar), Edward Villaneuva (drums), James Hertless (bass), and Caleb Keeter (electric guitar) all sat with me and graciously answered my questions. They told me how George’s was one of their favorite places to play outside of Texas and that this was their 6th time playing at the Dickson Street club. They have previously opened for the Randy Rogers Band and the Eli Young Band at the venue, both bands that JAB looks up to. Along with RRB and EYB, Wade Bowen is another veteran that they admire. Each has taught them different things, from business, to life on the road, to interacting with the fans. The guys all agreed that festivals with lots of bands are always fun because they feel more like family reunions. I asked each member what they would be doing if music hadn’t of worked out and each had very different answers. Preston would more than likely go into the family business of farming, James would work in computers or photography, Josh would finish grad school, Caleb might become a radiologist and Edward would be in law enforcement. Thankfully they are successful at what they do and proved that to Fayetteville Saturday night! The show went great! The college town was having a blast and singing along to every song. There were numerous “Hog Calls” which was a treat for guitarist Caleb, an Arkansas native. “Oh Tonight“, “She’s Like Texas“, “Good Night For Dancing“, “All Of A Sudden“, “If You’re Leaving (I’m Coming Too)”, “Miss You Again“, “I’ll Trust You“, and “Taste” were included in the set list. The last song of the night was their latest single “My Texas“. This song features another friend and leader of the Texas Music world, Pat Green. It’s kind of a late 90s, throwback, bucket list type of song. The guys said it is really awesome because fans will tell them what they have done and what they have left to do on the song’s checklist. “My Texas” will be on their upcoming album which is set to be released on February 14. Also on the album will be the sequel to their very talked about, racy “Taste“. The second part to the scandalous, yet passionate song is titled “Touch” and was written by Josh Abbott, Jay Clementi and Radney Foster and should be hitting radio towards the end of November or beginning of December. “We just like having fun with the fans.” These boys said it and they really do mean it! They have been known to buy a round for the bar, cheers to the fans, pass out free shirts or koozies, and Continue reading Josh Abbott Band Interview→