NASHVILLE |DATE: DECEMBER 16, 2010
FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/TODD BRODGINSKI/ANGELA VILLANUEVA
(MSO, Los Angeles)
LYNDIE WENNER
(MSO, Nashville)
AARON LEWIS
HITS #1 SPOT ON THE
CMT.COM CHARTS
WITH THE
VIDEO FOR HIS DEBUT SOLO RELEASE “COUNTRY BOY”
STAIND FRONTMAN TO RELEASE CD ‘TOWN LINE’
MARCH 1, 2011
VIA STROUDAVARIOUS RECORDS
"Aaron's debut solo offering 'Town Line' sees the Staind singer soaring to heights of timeless Americana…'Town Line' comes to life with the same unbridled urgency that made Staind one of the most important hard rock bands of the 21st century, while adding a catchy country twang. It's already the first essential album of 2011 and bound to be remembered as a classic."
– ARTISTDIRECT.COM (Rick Florino, 12/1/10)
AARON LEWIS is off to an impressively strong start with his debut solo single and video “Country Boy.” The song is taken from the Staind frontman’s CD TOWN LINE, due March 1, 2011 via Nashville-based Stroudavarious Records.
In only its first week, the singer, songwriter, and guitarist’s personal manifesto “Country Boy” has sold over 20,000 digital singles, debuting at #9 on the Billboard Country Digital Singles sales chart. The song has also generated widespread airplay ahead of official January release, with several rock and country stations adding it to their playlists on their own. Remarked WCCC (Hartford, CT) Assistant Program Director Mike Karolyi, “From the first moment ‘Country Boy’ hit the air, it became our most requested song.” The striking video for “Country Boy” quickly hit #1 on the CMT.com chart, receiving over 200,000 views in its first ten days on CMT.com alone. *See a Q&A with LEWIS below.
Jay Frank, Senior Vice President of Music Strategy at CMT, echoes the early excitement. "The minute Aaron walked into CMT with this song, we knew it would be a smash,” says Frank. “In advance, we jointly planned a release strategy with Stroudavarious and The Collective across all our platforms. The huge sales debut, #1 CMT.com debut and phenomenal TV response is confirmation that our instinct on how country fans would respond is spot on. Once again, CMT's commitment to new music and impact above even network television helps launch another artist's Country Music stardom."
With a little help from legends George Jones and Charlie Daniels, LEWIS tells his story like never before on the song. LEWIS’ voice carries a catchy chorus over a slide guitar, and he opens up about his past, present, and future. Featuring a fiery fiddle lead from Daniels and a booming verse from Jones, "Country Boy" strikes a balance between classic and modern country.
Their participation formally announces LEWIS' arrival in Nashville with a bang. The song's music video is an event in and of itself. Not only does the video feature Jones and Daniels in the studio, but it also draws from LEWIS' own family archives, giving a glimpse into his youth, home, passions, and so much more.
TOWN LINE was produced by Grammy Award-winning James Stroud and LEWIS and proudly sits alongside LEWIS' numerous accolades. With Staind, he crafted the most-played rock song of the decade, "It's Been Awhile," sold 13 million albums worldwide, had four consecutive top 3 debuts on the Billboard 200, and released multiple cross-format radio hits. However, listeners haven't heard him like this until now.
Country music comes naturally for LEWIS. It's something the Staind frontman grew up with in rural Vermont. It's something that he comes back to. It's something that inspires him. It's something that's in his blood. Hints of that are present in the stripped honesty and acoustic melodies of Staind hits such as "Outside," "It's Been Awhile" and "So Far Away."
LEWIS fully shows that spirit on TOWN LINE, which includes the songs "Massachusetts” (“I live in the sticks there,” he says), "Vicious Circles” and a new version of "Tangled Up in You," the stand-out ballad from Staind's sixth album, The Illusion of Progress. "The song was already a little bit country in term of its flavor with the slide guitar and the pedal steel," LEWIS says. "We brought it further down that road."
Look for LEWIS to head out on the road January 15 for a new run of solo acoustic dates (see below); his freewheeling acoustic shows (which he has been performing for the past few years in tandem with his continuing role in Staind) have earned him rave reviews.
Here’s a Q&A with AARON LEWIS:
In tandem with your role in Staind, you’ve been touring as a solo acoustic artist for the past few years—and your upcoming solo EP takes you into the realm of country. What inspired you to take this country direction? Listening to the lyrics of “Country Boy,” it’s clear that country music isn’t a stretch for you but rather something instilled in your life.
“It just seemed like the natural progression for me. If you listen to the songs I've written over the years on the acoustic guitar (e.g. ‘Outside,’ ‘It's Been Awhile’), those songs could have had country accompaniment behind them as well.”
“Country Boy” has cameos from George Jones and Charlie Daniels…not too shabby! How did these collaborations come to be and what were your thoughts on working with these artists?
“When James Stroud, who produced the album, asked me who I would like to have guest on the song, grasping at straws I suggested Charlie Daniels and George Jones, not knowing that James was the godfather of Nashville and could actually call them and get them to do it.”
“Country Boy” is a powerful autobiographical song about you proudly living your life out loud: where you come from and where you live, with your views about living independently as someone who hunts and smokes weed, steering clear of societal intervention. Can you talk about how this song evolved and how it has been received on the road in recent months?
“’Country Boy,’ as most of my songs do, evolved accidentally. Live, it seems to go over extremely well. I think it's easy for people who hear it for the first time to really relate to it.”
Which country artists–past or present–do you listen to and what do they mean to you?
“I listen to Hank, George, Waylon, Charlie, etc. etc. My childhood memories are intertwined with all of them. My grandfather always had country music playing on the radio and these guys seemed larger than life to me. The fact that George and Charlie appear on the song ‘Country Boy’ still blows my mind. If my grandfather's looking down right now, he's shittin' his pants!”
What did producer James Stroud bring to the recording of this EP?
“Not much (laughs). Seriously, what can you say about working with James? He's just one of the best in the business…really not much of a resume or anything!”
Can you talk about the other songs–musically and/or lyrically–on the EP?
“’Vicious Circles’ is about relationships. ‘Massachusetts’ is where I'm from. ‘Tangled Up in You’ was originally on the last Staind album but I always envisioned performing it this way.”
What do you have to say to the Staind fans who may not be country music admirers?
“Sorry.”
Aside from music, you enjoy spending time outdoors hunting, fishing, golfing, riding dirt bikes, etc. What value does this add to your life?
“Being outdoors is something that's been a part of my whole life. These (outdoors hunting, fishing, golfing, riding dirt bikes, etc) are the things I live for, along with my family.”
For up-to-the-minute news and information, please visit: www.myspace.com/aaronlewismusic and www.staind.com.
AARON LEWIS – ON TOUR
DECEMBER 2010
18 Denver, CO Colorado Convention Center
31 Tampa, FL The Straz Center (with special guest Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour)
JANUARY 2011
15 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun
28 North Las Vegas, NV Aliante Casino
29 Temecula, CA Pechanga Casino
FEBRUARY
18, 19 Atlantic City, NJ The Borgata
20 Westbury, NY Westbury Music Fair
MARCH
3 Detroit, MI Motor City Casino
4, 5 Verona, NY Turning Stone Casino
17 Snoqualmie, WA Snoqualmie Casino Ballroom
18 Reno, NV Silver Legacy Resort & Casino
19 Las Vegas, NV Green Valley Ranch Resort
25 Fladreau, SD Royal River Casino
26 Walker, MN Northern Lights
APRIL
14 Elizabeth, IN Horseshoe Southern Indiana
15 Robinsonville, MS Horseshoe Tunica – Bluesville
16 Biloxi, MS Hard Rock Biloxi
21 Council Bluffs, IA Harrah’s Council Bluffs
22 N. Kansas City, MO Harrah’s North Kansas City
For more information, please contact:
MSO: 818-380-0400
Mitch Schneider mschneider@msopr.com
Todd Brodginski toddb@msopr.com
Angela Villanueva avillanueva@msopr.com
Lyndie Wenner lwenner@msopr.com
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AARON LEWIS HITS #1 SPOT WITH "COUNTRY BOY;" STAIND FRONTMAN TO RELEASE CD ‘TOWN LINE’ MARCH 1, 2011
