![]() “Another Mother,” not only evokes this sense of emotion, but also celebrates one of the sources of Humbert’s passion for country music: his mother, who passed away unexpectedly in 2018. While Bullseye is packed with rollicking barnburners that are just flat-out fun, some of its finest moments come from songs that evoke the heartfelt authenticity that has always been at the core of country music. The song could have been a hit for Dwight Yoakam during the country music resurgence of the 1990s, while also subtly honoring longtime favorites, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. On “Everything I Know,” Humbert invokes his talent for crafting catchy hooks as the band walks closely with the music that shaped him. “Here Come the Blues,” which features Mead on harmony vocals, could be an outtake from a lost Buck Owens album.īut despite its homage to country music’s luminaries, Bullseye is far from derivative. The title track’s jaunty western swing, written by Poston, would be right at home in a 1940s bandstand with Bob Wills at the helm. There’s a mournful twinge in Humbert’s vocals on “I Still Care” that echoes 1950s vocalists like Marty Robbins and Ray Price. Just as his own band created a renewed interest in honky-tonk and western swing during the mid-1990s, Mead is surely passing the torch to The Shootouts in the 2020s.īullseye carries the clear inspiration of the songs Humbert grew up listening to, while also shaping and polishing his own individual talent. Mead’s influence is unmistakably felt on every track. “The final result is Bullseye - a collection of top-notch, modern honky-tonk music that is rooted not only in great tradition, but in the here and now. “In the face of all that, these folks came into the studio with good humor and tenacity and proceeded to kick major ass,” Mead said. When they scheduled March 2020 recording dates, Mead said they had no idea that a tornado would rip down his street in East Nashville three days before starting, or that a worldwide pandemic was about to really kick in while they were in the studio. I’m really glad that it actually happened.” When Ryan and I ran into each other again that year at AmericanaFest, the subject came up of me producing a record for them. “He gave me a copy of their record, Quick Draw, and I immediately understood what they were about - a modern honky-tonk sound firmly rooted in tradition. “I first became aware of the Shootouts when I met their leader, Ryan Humbert, in the summer of 2019,” Mead said. The songs invoke a wide array of country music’s most important contributors, lassoing the band’s classic influences and bringing them straight into the present. Produced by former BR549 lead singer Chuck Mead, Bullseye shows The Shootouts mining their roots and expanding the territory they explored with Quick Draw. Along the way, The Shootouts performed with Americana heavy-hitters Steve Earle, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Jim Lauderdale, Sheryl Crow, Radney Foster, Robbie Fulks, Lake Street Dive, and Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives. ![]() Released in May of 2019, Quick Draw drew rave reviews, landing in the Americana radio album chart Top 50 for over nine weeks, and garnering the band a nomination for Honky-Tonk Group of The Year at the 2020 Ameripolitan Awards. “Onstage during that first show, I finally felt at home.” I had been holding that back for a long while,” Humbert said. “Starting The Shootouts finally allowed me to follow my heart to the music that I truly love. That first performance hit Humbert like a bolt of lightning. After toying with the idea of starting a traditional country band for nearly a year, they finally played their first show in October of 2015. When Humbert met Poston, the two bonded over their mutual love for all things classic country. The roots of these band members have since grown into the unique blend that make up The Shootouts – equal parts vintage Nashville, Texas swing, and Bakersfield bravado.ĭespite their steadfast devotion, the band actually formed by accident. And while lead guitarist Brian Poston had been in a wide array of bands throughout his early days, he was mostly drawn to the flashy guitar styles of western swing. Similarly, vocalist Emily Bates spent her younger years singing harmony with her dad in their old pickup truck, and eventually became a member of a bluegrass band in college. Classic country, bluegrass and gospel songs were among the first that he learned to play on the guitar. Lead singer Ryan Humbert grew up surrounded by the genre, listening to its songs with his parents and grandfather. The Shootouts’ deep love of traditional country music forms the bedrock of their signature sound. Two years after releasing their energetic debut, Quick Draw, The Shootouts are prepared to hit the mark again with their sophomore album, Bullseye, set for release on Apvia Soundly Music.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |