RSS
Home
Emerson Drive had its moment in Denver so what's next?
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Emerson Drive's upcoming album cover
Tell me about a bit about the new album.
Brad: It’s probably the best piece of work we’ve done yet in the studio. Being able to take advantage of our first number one single, we’ve gotten together some great songwriters together. And, also we got some incredible songs sent in to the office. The album is very strong musically. Once again, we just have our sound on it. We’re the only artists playing and singing our records.
What were your greatest concerns that you had while producing your latest album?
Brad: Having a number one song puts a lot of weight on your shoulders. Being able to go in to the studio and come back with something fresh and new is a really important thing to do. When searching for songs, we had to find the best. Once again, trying to make the best piece of work we’ve done yet. We’re looking at a release in September now.
Do you still have the same production team working with you on this album as you did for Countrified?
Brad: Yeah. We’re using the same guys, Teddy Gentry and Josh Leo. I think we found a great team. They totally understand what it is to be a band and what it takes to be a group on the road and off the road as well. To have a guy like Ted Gentry who’s a part of your team - who has seen the biggest end of what can happen in your career. He’s probably one of the best to have on your side.
Obviously, “Moments” is a loaded song – I’m sure there are plenty of fans that have unfortunately dealt with suicide as well – so what’s the most touching thing a fan has ever said to you?
Brad: There’s a ton of em, for sure. I don’t know if I could pick one. I could tell you that I’ve heard so many different stories week after week ever since that song started playing on the radio. And, just hearing how it helped at such a rough time – it’ a pretty incredible gift when an artist can sing a song and it relates to people in a significant way. I think it’s just overwhelming sometimes to still see the different people that e-mail stuff in to the office or come over to the shows then come up to talk to us after we’re all done. It’s incredible. It’s something we’ll never forget in our run that we influenced that many people.
How is country perceived in the United States in comparison with Canada? Do you feel that it’s more so universal or is there a difference?
Brad: It’s very universal. Up in Canada this is the biggest thing that all of us artists struggle with is the size of the country. You can travel up there –picking and choosing your cities to play on because there’s only four major cities across the country. And, obviously we’ve been very lucky to have a great career in the U.S. in the last ten years. We sneak home to do a tour across Canada. We’re doing 19 shows. And, that covers all the major cities and things in between. It’s something we still feel is important. We’ve had some success up there as well.
I read somewhere that some of the band members are ski enthusiasts, have they had a chance to visit any of our resorts?
Brad: Oh yeah. The drummer and the fiddle player, Mike and David, are just getting back today from a trip to Vail. They’ve been there for the last ten days. Spring break! It’s a great time of year for all of us to get some air and have some drinks.
A lot of country musicians pay tribute to their roots through covers, so who are you covering right now?
Brad: We’re currently covering The Dirt Band, Charlie Daniels Band, and Dylan, Henley.
Do you have people that recognize you from your appearance on LA Ink?
Brad: (laughs) There’s a few. Absolutely. What amazed us in a big way was when it came to be the amount of people that actually had seen it. Especially – a couple weeks after we got done the show– there’s a ton of people at random places and they knew - walking through the airport, going to the store. The funniest story I had. I was getting a new vehicle and I was test driving a couple of different cars and this guy looked over at my arm with the tattoo. He said, “Man, I swear to God I saw a man look like you getting a tattoo on LA Ink.” It’s a random story like that where we didn’t realize how people the show actually tune in to it week after week.
The band is touring all the time, how do you maintain your energy and passion for live performing?
Brad: Touring has always been the biggest part of our career ever since we started the band 14 years ago. Making sure we played in front of people. So we could show them the music and let them know who the band was and what we were going after. And, that never changed from day one up to today.
Emerson Drive has been nominated for so many awards and has opened up for big events – so what has been the greatest accomplishment you feel you’ve achieved as a band?
Brad: I think having the number one song was pretty incredible. We’ve had songs do well in the past 10 years but just never climbed over that #2 spot to #1. It goes back to the song itself to have a song like “Moments” that connects with people in such a huge way. We’ll remember that number one for the rest of our career.
What’s next for you guys?
Brad: We have some more dates up till May. We start getting really busy then. And, just getting in front of a group and letting them know the new album is coming out in the early fall. And, a new single off the album called, “That Kind of Beautiful,” which is going to be out there in the next couple of weeks. Very exciting times right now.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
.jpg)
