Have you ever turned on the radio and just got lost in a song? Sitting in traffic singing at the top of your lungs or just have that one song that puts you in a great mood. Well, about 4 months ago I heard a song by a duo out of Nashville and I have been hooked on LoCash since.
I reached out to the duo last month to see if I could arrange an interview and hopefully get them some creds North of the Border. Well the boys accepted the invite a couple weeks back and we finally hooked up to chat. Just to let you know, LoCash (Chris Lucas & Preston Brust) are about to launch a new single next week and trust me this one is a hit. Here is how the convo went down.
Sound Check: Guy's thanks so much for taking the time to chat today. You have a new single hitting radio in about 2 weeks' time I Love This Life, maybe tell us a bit about the song.
LoCash: We wrote this one with the two good buddies that we had success with and we wrote Truck Yeah with (Eventually a #1 Hit for Tim McGraw) Danny Myers and Chris Janson. Great songwriters and I just remember sitting around, we were stumbling across something big, we just didn't know what we were talking about yet. Kinda like how Truck Yeah was discovered. We were sittin' there and I remember Jansen just sayin' stop, just stop for a second. Let's just make an anthem. Let's just do something fun, something upbeat that everyone will wants to cut. And that's how I Love This Life came in. We talk about it now, especially in interviews with this song being dropped shortly, I am sure it's the same way in Canada, but we are hearing the negativity of the media and everyone is talking about the bad stuff and there is a lot of It unfortunately man, but there is a lot more good but we just don't get to hear about it. So we picked this song, just to be that little uplifting moment. It's a fun song that makes you think about the good stuff in your life. Just for once lets talk about the good stuff in your life and that's what this song does. It hits a chord and I even like listening to the song. I listen to the original demo that was made by Danny and him singing. I just love the lyrics to the song it's not rocket science it's really not. Just like Truck Yeah wasn't rocket science. It brings the positive in everybody's life.
Sound Check: Well I've had an "Advanced Copy" of the studio version of the song for a couple days now and have to say it really is a catchy tune that does give out those positive vibes.
LoCash: Thanks, that's all we wanted to do with this song and when we turned it into Sony our publisher at that point, it got put on hold by two different artists, two big artists it was a decision we had to make about 3 months ago to take it off hold and keep it ourselves. We were singing it live and the fans were saying that's your song. That's your song and the fans aren't going to lie so you gotta go with what they say so we did, and took it off hold and kept it for ourselves.
Sound Check: We would love to see hear it get some airplay North of the border that's for sure. With outlets such as XM the Highway that have played a couple of your tracks previously how does that play into the new single and hoping they pick it up and then it does get to break those boundaries as per se?
LoCash: Well, we did an exclusive with The Highway, The cool thing about Canada is when we played Havelock last summer, that was our first time playing in Canada. We had so much fun with that crowd and I really think we can do something up there. There are so many great Country Music Fans up there. We thought the energy was great. The crowd was amazing and signing autographs for those fans was so much fun. I really think we can break into that market. But the cool thing is, I'm going to let Preston take over, but we are songwriters and Preston has a song on Tim Hicks latest album. (Preston) Speaking of that "Canadian" content I wrote Tim's next single So Do I that, if I am not mistaken, will hit radio in the next week or so. So, that's a really cool thing and Tim just kills the song, he just nailed it. And I also have a single on Victoria Banks album called Ruined. Not sure if it's still at radio or not but yeah, I did that one too. So that's a little bit of Canadian Content. We just really want to break into the Canadian market. We think it's the right fit for us. It's kinda funny because the Canadian Artists want to break into the US market and the US artists want to break into to the Canadian market, so we kinda need each other.
NOTE: (some top secret stuff was discussed but can't leak it at this time) Fingers crossed that it comes to fruition....
Sound Check: Ok, this is 100% truth before I even knew that you guys had anything to do with Tim, but since Havelock I always thought that would be a heck of a pairing on a tour. Dallas Smith is just wrapping up his cross Canada tour with Sundy Best on the East and Charlie Worsham on the West coast and it went VERY well. Would love to see other artists do the same as it keeps things fresh and not recycle the same artists over and over again.
LoCash: Absolutely and that is something we would love to do.
Sound Check: So, in this day and age that we live in today, where music really has no borders thanks to social media and Satellite radio, can you tell how that has changed the way Locash gets the word out?
LoCash: There really isn't man with Twitter, Facebook and Instagram just blowing up right now. It's all over the country and world. We get people for England, Ireland and Holland. It really opens up the world to us. There are a lot of good things about the internet and some things that I personally don't like about it but from a marketing stand point it really is fantastic.
Sound Check: Ok, so songwriting... something you boys are very good at, having written for the likes of Tim McGraw, Keith Urban & Joe Nicols to name a few. How did the song writing side all come together? I know you were DJ's together somewhere if my research serves me well...
LoCash: Ya, we were running the show at the Wild Horse for a few years together. I didn't know a lot anything outside of church music. I mean my dad's a preacher, (This is Preston) so it was all about Church stuff for me. And then I get down here and meet Chris and we become a team and start DJ and MC'ing all the concerts at the Wild Horse. One week it would be Brad Paisley the next it's Chris Leduc live in concert at the Wild Horse. So we were getting this education on the back catalog of so many songs and so much music. And then we would play music in between the sets. And playing some of Clay Walkers best songs that were never even on the radio. The one about the moon, on Clay Walkers CD, I can walk over there and grab it and it was #7 on the CD, a slow song. Anyway it was having songs like that I would have never known had Chris not introduced me to some of those older songs. (Chris) You're welcome! (Preston) I think with the songwriting, having that step of a background in some of the music that some folks don't have. It really opened the floodgates to melodies, concepts and lyrics and just keeping that stuff alive. We really love that part of it.
Sound Check: When you guys are getting into that songwriting mode, how does that all come about? How do you guys put it down? Do you guys write kind of spur of the moment or is more planned out?
LoCash: Yeah, I guess it really depends on where you're at. I think if were writing with other people and other songwriters will come and write with us, we come up with some cool titles and ideas and will pick one. But if it's just me and Preston, we just think of some weird stuff or we'll hear each other say something and we'll write it down and be in the back of the bus and grab a band member and say ok, here is what we got and let's put it to a cool riff and put it to music. But that's how we do it on the bus, but with songwriters it just comes down to a whole bunch of ideas. When we wrote Truck Yeah, it's a really funny story, Danny Miret>>>>> heard from the a publishing company that nobody wanted to hear about Trucks anymore. And we literally were like are you kidding? We are in Country music isn't everything about a truck? So we specifically wrote a song about trucks. Just to be different and go against the grain like we usually do. And I remember Jansen saying yeah F#$k Yeah! And Preston looked at Jansen and said hold up, Truck Yeah. And that's how it started.
Sound Check: Pretty cool how some of these songs come to life then.
LoCash: It is, you never know what's going to fly. These are very quick songs that we put down in less than two hours. We really didn't think anything of them. The cool thing is we test all our songs live and we know which ones work almost immediately. When we're on stage we just know, like for I Love This Life when we sang it for the first time, we looked at each other and said "yup this is a keeper".
Sound Check: Yeah, because you can see that fan reaction while performing.
LoCash: You have to get that fan reaction, you really have to go off the fans. They're not going to lie to you.
Sound Check: Anyone you would really like to collaborate with that you currently haven't had a chance to work with?
LoCash: There are a couple of them that's for sure. I know one that I would love to write with, I don't know of the chances of this one, but we dream big, we go for the gold. I would love to write with Bruno Mars. He is one of my favourite artists and I know it's so far off the beaten path of Country Music. I just think the guy is so talented and I think Preston feels the same way about that one. Yeah I think my dream write would have to be Babyface. He really is one of the greatest songwriters of all time. And it really has been a goal for me since I was in High School to write with him. Man I really want to see that come to fruition. That would be a dream come true. The guy has written all types of music, he really has written country music songs and just because people are singing them on the pop charts doesn't mean it wouldn't work in country. The talent of Babyface alone, Preston is right the guy has been writing country songs for years. And I think that Bruno could write a country song in a heartbeat. We take our style with some of their lyrics and some of the stuff that they are writing right now I think it would be huge. We would actually love to write with Keith Urban and we are actually working on making that happen because he and I have been texting back and forth so that should come around.
Sound Check: Well you said it earlier, dream big! Cause if you don't you won't ever reach that ultimate goal. On your climb you have been able to help out a great charity down in Memphis St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Can you enlighten us with your involvement with the organization?
LoCash: Well with St. Jude we started the LoCash Unplugged 4 years ago in Southern Illinois and they would call us whenever they would do their radiothon and we would donate a LoCash Package with signed stuff and it would raise some money. And right around that time, Chris and I visited the actual St. Jude Hospital in Memphis and we came away from that weekend, it's called Country Cares. We came away from that weekend trying to think of a way we could do more. Once you see it with your own eyes it's not just something you're donating money towards. It's families, it's real people, it's real doctors, it's real scientists, it's really so much more. So we thought, we wondered if we could raise a couple thousand dollars for this place. So in our first year we had a goal of $5000 and we hit that the first year. So the second year we thought we knew where we could improve from the first year so in year two we raised about $10,000 and thought man we're really on to something. And then in our third year we raised around $20,000 and then this year our 4 th year doing it we raised just over $30,000. So next year we are going for $50,000 and we're going to do two shows and do two auctions. And we're going to do it all in one day and try and shatter our record. When it's all said and done, in just a few short years we can look back on that one town and that one charity and say we raised over $100,000 in just 5 years for the charity and that's really cool. For us, just being a couple guys who moved to town to be writers and singers and to know we raised $100,000 for a charity that we really believe in, is pretty cool. That's really means something in your heart, it makes ya feel you're earning those wings right there. You know we're all about the kids, they are the future of this world. I have a little boy, so I can speak as a parent and you know exactly what I am talking about when that kid means the world to you. There is nothing else that means more to you. So when we go to a children's hospital anywhere, if there is anything we can do for those parents and those kids, we are going to do it.
Sound Check: Well as a parent of 2 amazing kids I can thank you for all the work you do to help support these families, it's pretty special. I have one final question for you... We are looking for some great female artists to introduce into Canada is there anyone you can think of off the top of your head that is pretty special.
LoCash: Well, there is one I can think of off the top of my head and that would be Preston, I could put him in a dress and make him look real pretty. (Laughing) This girl can really hit the low notes. There is so much talent here in Nashville. There are so many girls and they have it hard, a lot harder than we do I think. There is a girl named Sara Hayes who is a really fantastic singer. We do like Lindsay Ell, but you guys know her because I am pretty sure she is Canadian.
Sound Check: Sure do and we LOVE Lindsay. She is one hell of a guitarist that's for sure and her vocals are unreal!
LoCash: She knows how to play that's for sure.
Sound Check: Well, guys. Thanks so much for taking the time to chat today. I hope the new single that hits the airwaves later this month is a hit! And love to see you boys come North for a few shows this summer. Fingers crossed that happens.
LoCash: Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us Corey, we sure hope to make it up there this summer for some dates and when we do we will have to have a drink. Thanks.
That wraps up a great chat with Chris & Preston of LoCash. If you want more info or looking for their current single I Love This Life it will be released to radio on Feb 23 rd. Request it EVERYWHERE that plays good music!
Corey Kelly / @CoreyKelly76
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