Bryan White Interview
5-05-06
(Country Singer)
Listen to the audio here.
Transcript:
Tracey: Hey, this is Tracey! Kay?
Kay: This is Kay.
Tracey: Today we are bringing you an interview with country singer, Bryan White. How’s it going Bryan?
Bryan: Doing great, how are you guys?
Tracey: Good, good.
Kay: Good.
Bryan: Good.
Tracey: People say you helped start the teen trend in country music. How do you feel about that? (Tracey)
Bryan: You know, at first, when I was a younger guy, it was one of those things where I was a little embarrassed. I don’t know why. I guess, just the fact that people would recognize that. When I first started realizing that a lot of my audience was teenagers, it was just a little overwhelming at first. But as I grew to get used to it, I really welcomed it. I thought it was really cool. Just being somebody that has captured an audience of that demographic in country music, and I thought it was really cool.
Tracey: Yeah, didn’t you have to do all ages, like out in the parking lot, because you’re shows were all 21 plus or 18 plus?
Bryan: Oh yeah. That was the one thing that I noticed immediately. A lot of my audience, a lot of the listeners weren’t able to come to the shows. When you’re a new artist, you sort of have to play wherever you can, you know, to draw awareness to your music, and sell records. And it’s not really easy to get out on a big tour, at first. The big tours, anybody can come to, because they are the types of venues that anyone is welcome. Unfortunately, I had to play a lot of clubs in the beginning. I recognized that a lot of kids couldn’t come see the shows, and it really bothered me, so we started making ways, in order for those folks to come to the shows. We would cut deals with the clubs that we were playing at, and ask if it was okay, since everything was actually shut down, if while we were doing our soundcheck, if the kids and everybody could just come in and watch our soundcheck. We would treat our soundcheck, just like a real show. So we actually got to where we really catered to the young people, in every town we went to. I think that was one of the coolest things we ever did.
Tracey: Yeah, that’s really cool. Bet the kids really appreciated it. I know, my friends have been bummed, because the artist actually comes there, and they want to go see it, and then they can’t.
Bryan: Yeah, yeah.
Tracey: What’s going on with “Out of the Storm?” When will it be released, and what can we expect on the album?
Bryan: Well here’s the story, and here’s the scoop on “Out of the Storm”. It’s been set back a little bit this year, for different reasons. But nonetheless, we are pressinga pre-release or an EP if you will. It’s literally a sneak peak to the album. It’s got 5 tracks on it, from the album. And it will be available, I think the first time it will be available is going to be during the CMA Music Fest week. It will be available there, and it will also be available on my website. That’ll be the first, little sneak peak before the album. The album will be soon to follow, just after that.
Tracey: Awesome, what type of songs are on that album?
Bryan: Anything and everything. I feel like this whole album was obviously, way overdue. But it was really neat to be able to do an album at my own pace, and not be in too big of a hurry. And I got to write a lot of songs that were just very personal. I got to say some things, that I’ve never said before, you know. I wrote a lot of material about very personal things, you know, my wife, my kids, my dad. There’s a lot of great love songs. There’s a song about being late, which, like today I called you guys a little late. That’s kind of, it’s autobiographical. It talks about being late all the time, and how I feel like I’m always running behind. It’s a song I actually cut with Steve Wariner, and Steve Wariner is my musical mentor, my musical heroe growing up, and still is. He did a duet with me on that song, it’s called “Hands of Time”. And then, there’s a song about leaving home, and how you can’t really ever go back. You can go back there emotionally, and in your mind. But you can’t really go back, you can’t go back in time. So there’s a lot of really neat stuff on the album, that I think people should really enjoy listening to it. It’s a really nice rollercoaster of life.
Tracey: Sounds awesome.
Kay: Are you going to have your own booth at fan fair this year?
Bryan: I won’t have my own booth, but I will be signing at several different booths, mainly the fan club house booth, which will be located in the central part of the exhibit hall.
Tracey: I’ve always wanted to go to fan fair, but I’ve never mad it.
Bryan: Well come on, this is going to have to be your year.
Tracey: *laughs* Kay lives in Tennesse actually, and she’s never been.
Bryan: What’s that?
Tracey: Kay lives in Tennesse, and she’s never gotten there.
Bryan: Oh man, well we’re going to have to get on her.
Kay: I’m 5 hours from Nashville, and I’ve never even been there.
Bryan: Well it’s really a special week, it’s really cool. I mean, country music fans travel from, all over the world actually to be there, see their favorite artists, get an autograph, and a picture. There’s fan club parties, and there’s concerts. I’ll be play at the Riverstages show on the 10th of June. Just a lot of events, and benefits. Literally, you could probably see everybody that you ever wanted to see, all within the span of 5 days.
Kay: Probably so.
Bryan: Pretty incredible.
Tracey: What did you say Kay?
Kay: I said probably so.
Tracey: I know last year would have been cool to go to, when you did the fan club party with the Wilkinsons.
Bryan: Oh, yeah.
Tracey: I was like both of my favorite country singers, that would have been awesome.
Bryan: *laughs* Definitely. It was fun.
Tracey: If you had a time capsule and could place 5 items from your career into it, to bring out and show your kids 10 years from now what would they be? (Tracey)
Bryan: Gosh, man that is so hard. Probably, I would say, you said 5 items?
Tracey: Yeah.
Bryan: 5 items from my career?
Tracey: Right.
Bryan: Wow, probably, first of all probably my CMA Horizon Award, which was in ’96. I think that would be neat to put in there. Maybe, gosh, probably I have a Martin, pink 1969 Martin D guitar, and it’s my favorite guitar. That would probably be something I would put in there, because that was played on a lot of my records, and just kind of a really nice time piece, that I really like. I love old guitars. And that was always with me through all that stuff. So definitely, probably that. Gosh, I’m trying to think. I don’t know, clothes *laughs*, a video, maybe like my first record maybe, gosh that’s kind of a tough question. I’d almost need a day to think about it, but maybe some of those kind of items, you know. Maybe memorable pictures of certain events that happened, you know. I think stuff like that, probably.
Tracey: You should just make a scrapbook for them.
Bryan: Definitely, yeah. Totally. But you know, I’ll tell you what. The fans have made me so many incredible scrapbooks. I guarantee you, I’ve got it. If I ever wanted to do anything with that stuff, I mean I’ve got so much stuff from them. I could do all kinds of things like that. I’ve got so many pictures, so many items, so many gifts. It’s just really incredible.
Tracey: Speaking of the fan club party last year, what was the fan club party with the Wilkinsons like? (Tracey)
Bryan: First of all it was the first kind of shared fan club party that I’ve ever done. I’ve never really split one with somebody. And it was really awesome. I think we sort of introduced some of our folks to the Wilkinsons and vice versa. And we got to sing together. You know, we got to sort of crack jokes onstage. I think it was just really fun, you know. They’re really good people, and they’re obviously not hard to get along with.
Tracey: No, not at all.
Bryan: I think it really created a buzz for the fans. I think it was exciting for them too. So it really was a nice vibe, and I think the energy just came up a notch, because of it.
Tracey: Yeah.
Bryan: Probably because I’m so boring, you have to throw a little spice in there every now and then.
Kay: Oh you’re not.
Tracey: Nah.
Bryan: *laughs*