NYS Music 20​14

Category: Central NY

  • Turkuaz to Perform at The Westcott Theatre December 11

    Turkuaz, a fun filled funk band out of Brooklyn, NY who are infamous for their matching jumpsuits are playing at The Westcott Theatre in Syracuse on December 11. This large family consists of 8 members; Dave Brandwein on guitar and vocals, Taylor Shell play the bass, Craig Brodhead on guitar and synths, Michelangelo Carubba on drums, Greg Sanderson plays saxophone, Joshua Schwartz also on saxophone and vocals, Chris Brouwers trumpet and keyboard, lastly Sammi Garett, vocals and tambourine. Despite the size of the band, these multi-talented musicians have a unique chemistry amongst themselves. This celebration starts on Thursday, December the 11 at 8pm. Annie in the Water and Ocupanther open up the night. Get your tickets here.

  • OMG, DSO! Dark Star Orchestra at the Westcott Theater

    In my entire college career, I can’t say I’ve witnessed the Westcott Theater to its full, maximum capacity. Sure, they bring in big names every week that bring in hundreds of people in to listen, but this DSO concert was my first time experiencing difficulty locating my entourage through crowds of dancing bears…I mean, people.

    DSO westcott theatreDark Star Orchestra has quite the reputation for delivering vast glory through their extensive tour history, with shows ranging from The Palace Theatre to the Best Buy Theater, and the creation of their own music festival, Dark Star Jubilee, in Ohio. Somewhere in between a tribute band and the Grateful Dead themselves, this seven member masterpiece consisting of Rob Barraco on keys and vocals, Rob Eaton on guitar and vocals, Dino English on drums, Lisa Mackey on vocals, Jeff Mattson on lead guitar and vocals, and Skip Vangelas on bass and vocals, have combined forces to create a clean, vibrant, and expressive sound that kept your whole body moving as you jammed to songs of your earlier years.

    DSO westcott theatreBased on my little knowledge of past Grateful Dead setlists (sorry guys, I’m a baby), I guessed that either “Casey Jones” or “Alabama Getaway” would kickoff the show. That’s why when “Casey Jones” started things off, I freaked out for a second. In a yelling cheer, the whole audience commenced as a choir to sing along to the Dead’s hit tune, and the energy from the band was ever so present to match. To make me even more excited, DSO played my favorite Dead tune, “Hell In A Bucket” right after, making my jaw drop once again. There’s no doubt that this group has been around for a good long while, with their almost second-nature musical blend, incorporation of solo instruments, and attention to detail. I also kept watching Barraco, wishing that I could master the art of piano rhythmic syncopations between hands that he clearly has mastered.

    Finishing up their fall tour, Dark Star Orchestra has interesting tour spots ahead, including Jamaica. Luckily, if you live on the East Coast, you can see them live at the 89 North Music Venue in Patchogue on December 11, Garcia’s at the Capitol Theatre in Portchester on December 17 or at The Paramount in Huntington on December 3o and New Year’s Eve. Be sure to also check out their Facebook Page and follow them on twitter @darkstarorch.

    Set 1: Casey Jones, Hell In A Bucket, Jack-A-Roe, El Paso, Loose Lucy, Tom Thumb Blues, When I Paint My Masterpiece, West L.A. Fadeaway, My Brother Esau, Rubin And Cherise

    Set 2: Keep On Growing, Victim Or The Crime, Crazy Fingers, Saint Of Circumstance, Terrapin Station, So Many Roads, All Along The Watchtower, Tangled Up In Blue

    Encore: Overseas Stomp, New Orleans

    photos by Alex Hamer

  • The Southern Tier Proudly Welcomes the Trey Anastasio Band to Our Neck of the Woods

    Apparently willing to go a bit out of their way during their winter tour to grace Binghamton with their presence, the Trey Anastasio Band (TAB) will be performing at the Broome County Forum Theatre on Tuesday, December 9, sandwiched between shows at the State Theatre in Portland, ME, on the 7th, and the Beacon Theatre in NYC on the 11th. and 12th.

    With a new album not due to be released until early next year, TAB will be sure to give us all a taste of what’s to come from their upcoming Paper Wheels. Recorded at Trey’s studio The Barn in the time span of a week (with no doubt a lot more rehearsal time beforehand to prepare), Anastasio and his six band-mates recorded most of the songs together in one room, and often in just one or two takes. Joined by six incredibly talented musicians, including a brass section, TAB allows Trey to take a different, funkier approach to his music. Having thrown fun little treats into their sets throughout this tour, including a cover of the Looney Tunes theme song and Ana Tijoux’s “1977”, perhaps best known for being featured during a particularly intense scene in Breaking Bad, I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us at Tuesday night’s show!

    The show will be starting at 7:30PM, and tickets are still available, but you might want to move on them soon, as the Forum Theatre only holds 1,500 people, and you wouldn’t want to miss such an intimate performance by TAB, now would you?

    Since you’re making the trip to Binghamton for TAB, why not come into town a couple of hours early and stop by Dillingers Celtic Pub and Eatery, where will be sponsoring a TAB pre-party event, with entertainment provided by local musician Timbo Linkroum from 4:00 until the show starts! A full menu with food and drink specials will be available there all night long, and being that the bar is located only three blocks from the Forum and across the street from a parking garage, you can even leave your car behind and stroll on over the show. I will be there getting my grub on before the show and listening to some fine fine music by Timbo, so stop on by and say hi!

  • The SAMMYS – Syracuse Area Music Awards Open Submissions for Their 2015 Edition

    The 2015 Syracuse Area Music Awards, The SAMMYS, have opened submissions for the annual celebration of music and music history in Central NY.

    This year’s event will be held at the spectacular Palace Theater in Eastwood, NY on Friday, March 6th at 7:00 pm. Live musical performances by area favorites, Grupo Pagan, Ruddy Well Band, Joanne Shenandoah and more will highlight the event. As has become tradition, their SAMMYS Hall Of Fame Induction ceremony will precede the main event on Thursday, March 5th, upstairs at The Dinosaur BBQ in downtown Syracuse. Both events sold-out in 2014, tickets will be on sale in February, 2015.

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    Submissions for consideration must be in a CD format only, with the official submission form that is available here along with all of the important instructions. Recordings released between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014 are eligible, artists must be located in a 60 (sixty) mile radius of Syracuse. The deadline for submissions to be considered by the SAMMYS panel of judges is January 5, 2015.

    The ever-popular “People’s Choice” awards submission/nomination period kicks off a bit later on January 1, 2015 and runs through January 13, 2015. The public is encouraged to participate and nominate their favorite local music artist, local music venue and local music series or festival for voting by the general public. Weekly online voting is set to begin on January 14, 2015. Thousands of local music fans and artists participate annually with last year’s winners being The Ruddy Well Band and Shifty’s (venue).

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    The SAMMYS Committee is proud to announce the World of Beer as the 2015 Title Sponsor. As well as recognize the support of WSYR-TV 9 & their Bridge Street program, 105.9 The Rebel, 93Q, 95X , New Country-WOLF 105.1, SubCat Music Studios, The Post Standard and Syracuse.com.

    Keep up with all of the SAMMY announcements on Facebook and on Twitter and on their website.

  • Syracuse’s Ben Mauro Album Release This Weekend at The Palace

    It has been a pleasure over the last year to work with Ben Mauro.  A native of Syracuse, Ben has followed his dream all over the world playing music along with some of the greatest musicians ever.  Currently touring with Lionel Richie, Ben has had the opportunity to work together with some major stars in the business such as Kelly Clarkson, Brittany Spears, and John Fogerty to just name a few.

    Lionel Richie - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
    Lionel Richie – Saratoga Performing Arts Center

    Over the last year Ben has been working on some of his own music.  At an EP Release party back in May, Ben shared a taste of what was to come to a sold out crowd at Shifty’s.  The music was awesome, and left listeners in high anticipation for the final release. Home for the holidays, Ben’s album release is finally here.  At The Palace Theater this Saturday, December 6, fans will finally be able to get their copy of this talented musicians final cut.

    Ben Mauro Album Release
    Ben Mauro Album Release

    Joining Ben on stage will be the SAMMY Award winning backup band, Phoenix Eleven, who also are on hiatus from touring.  With Greg “Goose” LaPoint on drums, Joe Grosvent on bass, and Max McKee on guitar and vocals, they will be joined by special guests Deyquan and Yajha Bowens on keyboards and vocals, Al Cutri on saxophone and lifelong friends Peter McMahon and Paulie Cerra.

    Phoenix Eleven Ben Mauro Album Release
    Phoenix Eleven – Ben Mauro Album Release

    Tickets can be purchased on his website or at the door, if still available.  Don’t wait to the last minute to share this special evening with Syracuse’s finest musicians in celebration of music and holiday cheer.

  • Swon Brothers – From Team Blake to Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill

    Toby Keith‘s I Love This Bar & Grill in Syracuse has been a mecca for country music artists and fans to come together and have a chance to celebrate country music since it’s opening at Destiny USA. Bringing in national acts all year long, it was a thrill for NYS Music to be able to cover The Swon Brothers as they played on October 3, 2014.

    Best known for their third place finish on season four of The Voice as part of team Blake, this dynamic duo has set the country music world on it’s ear since that time with their new album, The Swon Brothers, which their single “Later On” shot up the charts right away.

    Zach and Colton Swon, graciously agreed to speak with NYS Music prior to their show, to say hello to all our country music fans here in Central New York.

    Kathy Stockbridge:  Thank you for agreeing to doing an interview with NYS Music…..Our readers are huge country music fans.

    Zach and Colton Swon – (SB):  Thanks for having us.

    KS:  Music has been a major part of your life.  Talk to us a little about growing up in a musical family.

    SB:  Growing up in a musical family was pretty fun.  It was pretty fun, we really didn’t have any other choice. From day one, we both grew up on a tour bus.  My parents had a southern gospel group and went from church to church on weekends. That’s really all we’ve ever known.

    KS:  So you’ve been on the stage since a young age.

    SB:  Yeah, we just thought that was part of life.

    KS:  That’s sounds like a fun childhood.  Now I read that one of your major influences in your music were The Eagles.  Talk to me a little about what stood out about The Eagles and their style of music that is carried through today in your work?

    SB:  Well a lot of things.  First and foremost are their harmonies.  Nobody did it like them.  Their harmonies are spot on.  I have watched multiple videos and documentaries and they focused more on that during rehearsal than any other part of their show. The other thing is their stylistic differences  in songs.  They can go from “Life In The Fast Lane” which is really rocking to “Peaceful Easy Feeling” which sounds like a classic country song.  But no matter what they were doing, you knew it was The Eagles because of those harmonies they put on top.  That’s kinda the approach we took to our record,  that’s coming out on the 14th.  The songs musically are all over the map, but I think they sound like they go together because our harmony sets on top.

    KS:  Do you have other musical influences in your life that stood out as you were growing up?

    SB:  Oh yeah, there are tons. Growing up we did everything from Merel Haggard and George Jones to Michael Jackson.  There are so many that have influenced us over the years.  Even gospels groups, like Kenny Hinson and some artists you’ve probably never even heard of.  So it’s been a wide variety of people who have influenced us…ELVIS…loved Elvis.

    KS:  Who doesn’t love Elvis?

    SB:  Right!

    KS:  Talk to me a little about your experience on The Voice.

    SB:  Tell ya what, Blake Shelton…well first of all The Voice in general and everyone involved with that production are amazing.  From  the guy driving the van, to the Executive Producer Mark Burnett, they are all amazing.  They really want to see everyone succeed.  It’s a great, great program they have for artists that want to get out there.  We were lucky enough to have Blake Shelton as a coach.

    KS:  Yeah, talk to me a little about being on Blake’s team.

    SB:  Working with Blake was like working with a crazy uncle or big brother ya know.  He always kept it lighthearted and left a lot of the stress out.  Really it should have been a pretty stressful situation, but working with Blake made it a lot easier.  I think one day he brought us in and was making fun of Usher and his coaching habits…all the physical activities that they did so Blake made us do some shake weights with him as a workout, as a new coaching method.  You just never knew about him.

    KS:  He seems like a fun guy, a cut up.

    SB:  Oh, everything you think Blake Shelton would be like, he’s like.

    KS:  Whirlwind, ever since the end of The Voice you guys have been a huge whirlwind with a new album coming out this month.  Talk to me a little about life after The Voice and this whirlwind you are on right now touring with your new album coming out.

    SB:   More than anything we are just really thankful for this opportunity.  We’ve been trying this way before The Voice, and it’s been a great platform and opened doors.  We’ve met a lot of great people along that way that have helped us, like Blake and Miranda, and Carrie Underwood has been in our corner as well.

    KS:  That’s right, she’s from your neck of the woods.

    SB:  We have been really, really blessed this year and we’ve put our heart and soul into the record, we picked the songs we thought fit us best and we were able to work with a great producer and put out our first single and support has been phenomenal.

    KS:  I love it BTW.

    SB:  Thank you …and we just got nominated for a CMA Award.

    KS:  Yes, I saw that.  congratulations.

    SB:  Yeah, it’s crazy.  This whole year seems like ..

    KS: Surreall isn’t it?

    SB:  Every week something happens and we’re like, man how did we get here. We’re very grateful.

    KS:  Well we love ya, and we’re right behind ya cheering you on!!.  I do something I call a social speed round…random questions that are fun and give our readers an insight into you on a personal level.  Mind playing along?

    SB:  Let’s do it!

    KS:  One word that you would describe yourself?

    SB:  (Colton)  Awkward   (Zach) Confident

    KS:  Okay Zach, one word you would use to describe Colton

    SB: (Zach) Mom.  He’s the “Mom, the worrier”.

    KS:  Okay, Colton one word to describe Zach.

    SB:  (Colton) One word to describe Zach Swon…hairy.

    KS:  What’s your guilty pleasure:

    SB: (Colton) Miley Cyrus’s “Party In the USA”

    KS:  Haha, I love it!  And Zach…

    SB: (Zach) Well, it’s not on anymore but I hated the fact that I loved watching “Jersey Shore”.  I don’t know why, I got mad at myself every time it came on..

    KS:  Deer in the headlights huh?

    SB: (Zach) Yep, but I watched every episode.

    KS:  You’re on the road, you see this, you have to pull off.  No if, ands, or buts.  You must detour!!

    SB: Graceland

    KS:  What’s on your iPod right now? What ya listening to?

    SB:  (Colton) I just downloaded the Blake Shelton CD, Bringing Back The Sunshine, Miranda Lambert’s new album, and there are Kings of Leon..

    KS:  I love Kings of Leon..

    SB:  (Colton) And there’s even a little Daft Punk.  (Zach)  I’ve actually been listening to the new Tim McGraw album, I love it.

    KS:  Great choices you guys!  Okay now..favorite movie?

    SB:  (Colton) I’m gonna go, Dumb and Dumber (Zach) I have a tie between Jerry McGuire and That Thing You Do.

    KS:  Thank you guys so much.

    As I left the dressing room, I had just witnessed a taste of what these two brothers share night after night on stage with their fans. Their playful, energetic personalities come across as they converse with their audience. Each and every night they share pieces of themselves to those they play for. This quality of bearing it all on stage is what makes them so appealing.

    Opening for The Swon Brothers this evening were local favorites, The Fulton Chain Gang.  Together now for years, these five men continue to entertain audiences all over the state with their modern country and southern rock style.  With Nick Bontempo (lead vocals, guitars), Mark Werchowski (lead guitar, vocals), Dennis Buczek (pedal steel guitar), Dave Montany (bass, vocals)and Brian Spoor on (Drums), they played both classic traditional country and modern country hits and warmed up this crowd for the awaiting brothers.
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    As the two brothers and their band took the stage, they came out like gang busters playing some of their original songs mixed with an array of covers of all genres. You could tell the musical influences that played a part in finding their sound. With a mix of The Temptations, “My Girl”, George Jone’s “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes”, and throw in a little Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishin’ In The Dark” (in which the entire crowd sang along to) they demonstrated their musical range and adaptability as true musicians. I must duly note as well, that their ability to harmonize is astounding. As unique as each brother is singly, together they have a harmonic chemistry that is untouchable.

    They wore the stage like a pair of comfortable jeans. This stage presence comes from being on stage for their entire lives I’m sure. As they bantered back and forth with each other, band mates, and even audience members, they demonstrated how to them, the stage is their home away from home. They sang a happy birthday to an audience member, put their bass player on the spot to sing (in which he hit it out of the park, great job Seth), and had the audience eating out of the palms of their hands in no time.

    As a child of the 80’s I have to say my personal favorites, and they nailed them, were The Eagles, “Life In The Fast Lane,” Boston’s “Long Time” and Tom Petty’s, “American Girl”. Excellent choices to close out this show. By the time they came to their current hit, “Later On,” these gentlemen had the audience transfixed. How could you not love these two? With the looks that garnered them a spot in People’s Sexiest Men issue, the smiles that melt your grandma’s heart, and voices that can croon and rock, it’s apparent why they are one of country music’s favorite duo’s on the rise.
    [FinalTilesGallery id=’56’]

  • Dark Star Orchestra set to raise the Dead at the Westcott Theater

    Following their tradition of “continuing the Grateful Dead concert experience,” Dark Star Orchestra is back on the road, making a short stop at Syracuse’s Westcott Theater on December 1st.

    dark star orchestra westcottFor anyone who knows this 7 member tribute band extraordinaire, listening to their limited discography is just not enough to achieve the full DSO experience. They’ve extensively toured since their start in 1997, hitting up venues across the globe with the hopes of sharing the energetic spirit and fresh improvisational musicality that the Grateful Dead started so many years ago. It is this experience that breaks DSO apart from the cover band realm, giving them the musical flexibility and large following they have today.

    While fans that attend a DSO should certainly be prepared to rock out to extensive Grateful Dead repertoire, DSO has a way of throwing in some surprises here and there, attributing to the Beatles and sometimes, Bob Marley. One thing I can say for sure is, you will not leave this concert on a sad note.

    Make sure you head over to the Westcott around 7pm, and purchase your tickets online or at the door for $25. Make sure you follow DSO’s updates on their website and Facebook page, and come channel your inner dancing bear to kickoff this December!

  • Animals as Leaders to play at The Westcott December 2

    On December 2, Animals as Leaders will take to the stage at Syracuse’s Westcott Theatre. This progressive metal band consists of three very talented members, Tosin Abasi, Javier Reyes and Matt Garstka, with the bands’ sound being something of an experimental jazz infused technical metal. MetalSucks has ranked Animals as Leaders Guitarist Tosin Abasi as number 2 on their list of modern metal’s top guitarists and he will surely grace Syracuse’s Westcott with his 8 string guitar. The trio released The Joy of Motion earlier this year and hopefully it will be celebrated on Tuesday night. The show starts at 8 pm with three bands including Monuments, Turn the Tide, and How to Disappear Completely.

    Animals as Leaders

  • Country Superstars Announce Syracuse show at Oncenter War Memorial

    LeeBrice_ChrisYoung_unlocalizedIn a very special press release this morning, the Oncenter together with AEG Live will bring the One Night Live tour to the Syracuse Oncenter War Memorial Arena January 22, 2015. Country superstars Lee Brice and Chris Young will be joined by the Osborne Brothers in what is expected to be one of the years best live shows in Central New York.

    Tickets to the show will go on sale Friday, December 5 at noon. Tickets to the show cost $41.50, $37 and $31.50 (additional fees may apply); they will be available in person at the Solvay Bank Box Office at The Oncenter (760 S. State Street), charge by phone 315.435.2121 or online via Ticketmaster.com.

    Brice released his debut album, Love Like Crazy, in 2009. The title track reached #3 on the Billboard Country chart and set a record as the longest-charting song in that chart’s history. In 2012, he topped his own success with Hard 2 Love, an album that went Gold and featured three #1 Country singles, including “I Drive Your Truck,” which won Song of the Year at both the CMA and ACM Awards. The record earned raves from NPR to Country Weekly and found the New York Times hailing him as “a sensitive macho man,” a compliment that perfectly encapsulates both sides of Brice’s persona. Hard 2 Love also garnered Lee his late-night debut with a stirring performance of “I Drive Your Truck” on NBC’s “The Tonight Show.” Brice took it a step further on his latest album, I Don’t Dance, relishing the role of producer with flair of experimentation. For more information on Lee Brice, visit www.leebrice.com .

    Young released his self-titled debut album in 2006. The album produced two singles on the Billboard Country chart: “Drinkin’ Me Lonely” and “You’re Gonna Love Me.” He released his second album, The Man I want to Be, in 2009; from this album the singles “Voices,” “Gettin’ You Home” and the title track all went #1. Young’s third album, Neon, produced two more number one hits: “Tomorrow” and “You” in 2011 along with the Top 20 hit “I Can Take It From There” in 2012. Most recently, Young’s 2013 album, A.M., has produced three Top 5 hits: “Aw Naw,” “Who I Am with You” and “Lonely Eyes.” For more information on Chris Young, visit www.chrisyoungcountry.com.

  • Interview: Craig Campbell gets Loved by Syracuse

    Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill in Syracuse has done it again. National recording artist Craig Campbell partied with Syracuse Friday, November 14.

    From the moment I met Craig Campbell I knew that he would not disappoint. Such an amazing talent with such respect and love for his fans. From the VIP meet and greet, through his entire show, and even after his performance by inviting every fan to his merchandise table for pictures and autographs, he proved just how important his fans truly are to him.

    Performing his hit songs “Keep Them Kisses Coming”, “Outta My Head”, and “Family Man”, Craig proved to Syracuse just what a class act he is. He and his band left the crowd cheering after every song and wanting more. Inviting two special fans up on stage to enjoy a shot of Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine (Big Orange Moonshine) and a beer while he played a few songs on the keyboard was simply amazing. He played a verse of Garth Brooks’ hit song “The Dance” and the entire place sang it right along with him. Best of all, Craig Campbell shared a little piece of a song he wrote that Garth Brooks performs on his new CD!
    Craig’s entire performance was full of fun. I have to say that one of my favorite parts was while he was taking client’s cell phones and videoing himself singing and of course, making funny faces. I’m hoping he comes back to Syracuse many times. I would go to every show!

    Kim Richer: Craig, thanks for taking the time to speak to . it’s so very nice to meet you.

    Craig Campbell: You’re quite welcome. It’s my pleasure.

    KR: So tell me a little about this tour you’re on.

    CC: Well this isn’t really a tour. I enjoy going out and playing at festivals, bars and honky tonks. The size of the venues are nice because it gives me a chance to be on a more personal level with my fans. The shows that I’ve had this year have been great. This is the busiest year I’ve ever had coming off a top 10 song with “Keep them kisses coming”. Things have been really good for me this year.

    KR: That’s great! Now do you find that you have more freedom doing shows this way instead of doing a tour?

    CC: Well, there’s pros and cons to everything. I want to be on a tour to expose my music to more people. I could go do shows all day long and have the same 1000, 2000 people show up but when you get on a tour you have the opportunity to play in front of 15,000 and there’s a good chance that many of those 15,000 have never heard of your or never heard any or your music so that’s the appealing side of being on a tour. You get to be in front of all of these people and try to get your music out to more as the percentage of exposure is way higher. There is something cool about doing your own show in a club, but then there is also something really neat about being able to play in front of a whole ton of people.

    KR: That’s true, but I must say from a fan standpoint I love the smaller shows because it’s so much more fan friendly and on a much more personal level.

    CC: Even more personal than that are the theater shows I’ve done where everyone is sitting down and you can talk to the fans and carry on and talk about the songs.

    KR: If there is someone you could pick to go on tour with, who would it be?

    CC: Oh gosh, I’d love to go out with Luke Bryan. I’d love to go out with Garth, Eric Church, anybody. I’ve made some good friends over the years in country music. It doesn’t matter to me because I know no matter who it is we are gonna have fun no matter what.

    KR: Now I understand you come from a pretty large family in Georgia. Is anyone else musically inclined or are you the only one?

    CC: Well, everyone on my mama’s side of the family had some sort of musical ability whether it be singing or just playing. I was always the only one that wanted to chase it down and pursue it.

    KR: When you were young was there anyone that you aspired to be like?

    CC: I was a big Travis Tritt fan. I listened to the way he sang, the way he wrote his songs and the way he played. He was a great musician. He was the all around music package, he could do it all, write, play and sing. He was someone that I absolutely looked up to.

    KR: Have you had a chance to meet him?

    CC: Yeah, actually he sang on my last record. He’s a really really nice guy. It was a must on my bucket list to meet him so having him sing on my record was icing on the cake!

    KR: I love Travis Tritt myself. I also understand your wife played a part in your last album with the song “Topless”

    CC: Yeah, we wrote it together. She’s an amazing singing and songwriter herself so she always has a place on my albums for at least one song. We wrote it and thought it would be perfect for that last record.

    KR: Oh most definitely. It shows the fun side. A lot of married artists usually do something sweet and sentimental but it’s nice to see the fun side as a couple too.

    CC: I feel like both of us have a really good sense of humor so that was perfect for us.

    KR: Can we look forward to her performing with you live anytime?

    CC: Yeah, when she is on the road with me or if we are in her hometown or my hometown she will get up and do a couple songs. Eventually I would like to have her sing on my album, so we’ll see. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

    KR: I’m interested in hearing a little more about this corn hole tournament you host annually.

    CC: During CMA Fest there is a lot going on. There are a lot of free shows, there’s golf tournaments and all these other events going on for charity. I have always been geared toward Colon Cancer and Colon Cancer Research and awareness and I though man, nobody is having a corn hole tournament, let’s have a corn hole tournament. So we started it two years ago and did it this past year and it was a great success. It actually was a big part of me becoming the spokesperson for Fight Colorectal Cancer which March is Fight Colorectal Cancer month and we are actually going to my next tournament in the month of March. It’s going to be bigger and better and Bayer Heath Care is going to sponsor it so it’s going to be huge.

    KR: Oh, that’s fantastic. I look forward to seeing that. I’ve played corn hole and I can tell you that I am not the best.

    CC: Oh you don’t have to be good as long as you’re having fun. That’s one of the reasons I chose that game. It’s fun and anyone can do it.

    KR: Have you been to Syracuse before.

    CC: No, I’ve been to the area but never to Syracuse before. We actually played with the Hootn-Anges when we were in NY before out at Kegs Canal side.

    KR: Are you working on a new album or are any new projects coming up?

    CC: Yeah, my record label actually closed last May so I’ve been trying to get that worked out. Now that it is, I will have some announcements in the next few weeks.

    KR: If there was anything in your career you could change, what would it be?

    CC: I signed my record deal without having a manager. At the time it sounded like a good idea but in retrospect it wasn’t a great choice. Just because there were no checks and balances. There was nobody on my side holding anybody accountable. For the most part though we’ve done really well and I would do it all over again.

    KR: Have you always wanted to sing and write music?

    CC: Yeah, even in high school I was at the bars as often as I could trying to get in with the bands to see if they would let me go in and sing a couple of songs. After graduation, I knew that music was something I couldn’t shake so I decided to move to Nashville and chase it down.

    KR: What was your journey like when you got to Nashville?

    CC: It was long but I was making a good living in Nashville singing demos, playing and writing songs. I played piano for Tracy Bird and Luke Bryan. I got to do some really cool things and was putting food on the table so that was a success as far as I’m concerned.

    KR: Has country music always been the choice?

    CC: Yes, that’s all I know.

    KR: If I were to grab your ipod would it all be country?

    CC: I listen to some other stuff. I like good singing. I love Bruno Mars, Adele, Boyz to Men, Brian McKnight but it’s about 98% country.

    KR: If you could sing with one person past or present, who would it be?

    CC: Definitely Keith Whitley

    KR: If you could give one piece of advice someone following your path, what would it be?

    CC: It’s either all or nothing. You have to be 100% and not take no for an answer.

    KR: Do you have any regrets?

    CC: Nope, not one. Every decision I’ve made has either been based on gut feeling, or prayed about it or decisions my wife and I have made together. It’s all good stuff.