Here`s - CityScope® Magazine

Grab your sunglasses and buy your
pins, because it’s time for Riverbend
2014. This year, as always, thousands
will be flocking to Chattanooga’s
21st Century Waterfront to see over
100 music artists perform live on
six stages. To get you pumped up,
CityScope magazine chatted with four
of the world-class acts headlining the
main stage. Here’s a sneak peak of
this year’s festival.
iverbend
2014
Gary Allan
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Since he signed to Decca Records in 1996, Country music superstar Gary Allan has had 26
singles hit the Billboard Hot Country charts, including five that reached the No. 1 spot. His
ninth studio album, Set You Free, hit No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart in February of
last year. We talked to Allan about Set You Free, his favorite song to play right now, and what
to expect at Riverbend on opening night.
Growing up in California, what inspired you to start playing country music?
My dad was a big country music fan and had a band. I started playing in bars with him and
my brother when I was very young. That sort of set the tone for everything with me.
What was your first impression of Tennessee when you got to Nashville to
start recording?
I had always been a country fan and wanted to come to Nashville to make a demo, so I was
just excited. To get to work with Nashville session players and be in studios where so many of
the legends had played was quite a thrill for me.
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Photo By Eric Adkins
How does Set You Free
compare to your previous
eight albums?
I think every album reflects where
I am in life at that moment, so I
think my music has grown and matured with me. You can hear that in
Set You Free. It sounds very different
from the first album.
If you had to pick a favorite
song from your entire career,
what would it be?
That is a tough one. I have different favorites at different times. My
favorite right now is “It Ain’t The
Whiskey.” I wish I had written that
song. I love the way it is written, I
love to perform it, and I love the
reaction we get when we play it
each night. It is one of my all-time
favorite songs.
What musical influences shape
your records and who are your
favorite artists – country and
otherwise – of the past and
present?
I have a lot of favorite artists, but
the people who have had the
biggest influences on me are my
dad, Merle Haggard, George
Jones, Buck Owens, Willie Nelson,
Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash,
and Kris Kristofferson. Those guys
made an impact on me at an early
age.
What can the people of Chattanooga look forward to seeing at
your Riverbend performance?
You can expect a mix of some of the
new songs from Set You Free, as well
as a lot of the hits from all the previous albums and just maybe a few
new things we have been working
on for the next album. You can plan
on a good time, that is a guarantee!
Opening
Night
Friday, June 6
9:30 p.m.
On the Coca-Cola
Stage
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So the younger generation
is digging it!
Most definitely. And a lot of them seem
to be the children of our original fans
that date back to their college days. You
see a lot of fans and kids of those fans
go to shows together, which is really
strange to see at a rock concert, but
it’s pretty common at ours.
Widespread Panic
June 7, 9:00 p.m.
On the Coca-C
ola
Stage
Transcending the boundaries of rock and roll for over 28 years, Widespread Panic is one
of the most quintessential jam bands in the history of American music. To date, the band
has sold over 3 million records – but of course, their diehard fans will tell you that there’s
nothing like a live performance. We spoke with drummer Todd Nance about the “jamming”
state of mind, his inspirations, and keeping it fresh every night.
Your bandmate once told the Miami
Times that “people either love you
or they hate you.” Does your music
really have that effect on people?
(laughs) Maybe not so much as it did
in the past. Now-a-days our music has
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crossed over through a couple generations. When we first started we played
for college kids, and yeah, they’d pretty
much either love us or hate us. It was
more black and white. But as the band
grew and became more diverse, that
started changing a little bit.
a song for everybody. I don’t just have a
niche market in my head.
TobyMac
Your latest album Eye on It has a
dubstep vibe. When did you start
getting into that type of music?
Well, it’s definitely not a dubstep record
by any means, but I think I definitely tip a
hat to it. I see music as moving like a river,
and because I’m a pop artist I’m in that
river moving with it. So you get affected
by things. Your mind starts to open to
them and you start to dabble a bit. Which
I love – I love that about being what I call
a “schizophrenic pop artist.”
How do you decide what to play
on a certain night?
It really does reflect the mood of the
day. It’s kind of organic and real. Like,
if we had a bad day, we may play
aggressively and strong, or if we feel
mellow and laid back, it might be that
kind of show.
S a tu rd a y
What do you think of Chattanooga?
Faith &
Family Night
When you’re “jamming”– what’s
going through your mind?
It’s like a reflex memory. Some people
call it “numb-mindedness.” Some
people call it “the zone.” You kind of
get into a consciousness where you are
just reacting to what you are hearing
instead of thinking. When that happens, it’s pretty fun. It’s kind of what
you are shooting for. And that’s one
reason why people come see us I think.
Tuesday, June 10
9:00 p.m.
On the Coca-Cola
Stage
Interview by Laura Childers
I think it’s like the secret diamond of Tennessee. I’ve gone there just to write. I’ve
gone there for a couple days to hang out
with my family. I’ve even done after shows
there. Like back in the day we would
do a show at the arena and then run to
Club Fathom afterwards and do songs for
people just because we wanted to love on
Chattanooga.
What’s one of your favorite
songs to perform live right now?
I love doing “Eye On It” because it’s perfectly obnoxious. “Speak Life” is another
song I’m really enjoying right now, because
I think it’s significant. You know, I wrote
it after reading a Brendan Manning quote
that said, “In every encounter, we either
give life or drain it. There is not neutral
exchange.” And I think most people are
probably like me, they just don’t always realize that. Personally, I want to be responsible
with my words.
What are some of your
favorite albums?
You know, the other day somebody
asked me, ‘If you were stranded on
an island and could only take three
songs, what would they be?’ So my
answer was, Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in
Blue,” “In my Life” by John Lennon,
and “Rocket in my Pocket” by NRBQ.
That’s a really diverse
set of music!
(laughs) Yeah, well, we are pretty much
affected by anything we see or hear.
You know, that’s one of the nice things
about growing up in the South. That
you get exposed to great music. And
if you think about Rhapsody in Blue
— it’s classical. But it’s American classical because its got American music
like the blues.
2014 ]
With 11 million albums sold and 6 Grammy® Awards to his credit, recording artist TobyMac
is one of the best-known Christian pop and hip-hop artists out there. His latest album, Eye on
It, entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 when it was released in August 2012. We talked with
Toby about labels, his love for Chattanooga, and his thoughts on the songwriting process.
You’re usually called a “Christian
hip-hop artist.” How do you feel
about that?
I think I would call myself a pop-funkhip-hop artist. And you know, sometimes
Interview by Laura Childers
that “Christian” label causes your music
to fall on deaf ears. Now I am a Christian, but for me, I would love for people
to figure out for themselves what they
can take away from it. Because when I
sit down to write a song, I try to write
What’s on the docket for the rest
of 2014?
I’m making a record and just trying to write
songs that are real and poignant and cause
people to think and to love better. It’s sort
of exciting, like, “What can I share with
people that I’ve learned along the way?” I
look at music as something to serve people,
so the songwriting process is an important
time for me and I take it very, very seriously.
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What drew you to music first –
singing or songwriting?
I love the process of songwriting and
couldn’t imagine not doing it. But from
the beginning, singing and performing
were most important to me. They still
are. They’re why I got into music in the
first place.
Justin Moore
How does Off the Beaten Path
compare to your previous albums?
OTBP is the most diverse album of
my career. It was my goal to record an
album that allowed me to stay true to
what I have done up to this point in
my career, but also to grow as an artist.
I think we accomplished that. I took a
couple risks on the album that I hadn’t
taken before. I’ve been thrilled with the
response.
Thurs
If you had to pick a favorite song
from your new album – and one
from any album you’ve done –
what would they be?
I would say “That’s How I Know You
Love Me” is my favorite song on the new
album. That song is very personal to me
even though I didn’t write it. As far as
my favorite song on any album, I’d have
to say “Outlaws Like Me.” I think it’s
the best song I’ve ever written.
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Watch out – because 30-year-old Justin Moore is joining the ranks of the hottest names in
country music. Earlier this month, Moore won the sought-after “New Artist of the Year”
Award at the 2014 Academy of Country Music Awards. Now he’s more than half-way
through his 57-city tour that began in November. We talked to Moore about his early career
in country music, his latest album Off the Beaten Path, and the music artists that inspire him.
When did you first know you wanted
to pursue a career in country music?
It started after I recorded a demo for my
mom and dad – they wanted me to do
it before I left for college. I guess I liked
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the attention it received. It prompted
me to have an interest in playing music
live. After that, my uncle had a southern
rock band that I started to play with.
That gave me the itch and I still haven’t
gotten rid of it.
What musical inspirations shape
your records?
I listened to old-school country growing
up mixed in with a little Southern classic
rock. I think you can probably hear the
influence of both styles throughout my
albums. More specifically, Charlie Daniels, Hank Williams Jr., and Dwight Yoakam are three of my biggest influences.
What can we look forward to at
Riverbend?
We have a very high-energy show. I feel
like it’s our job to throw a party for a couple hours. Through the years I’ve learned
that if we have fun on stage, it’s infectious.
So that’s our goal every night.
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