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June 17, 2009
An interview with Mark Chesnutt
1. Has
country music always been your favorite kind of music growing up?
I was a rock and roller, people used to look
at me like I had 3 heads, because I had 8-tracks of Van Halen and
Aerosmith mixed in with my George Jones albums. I love the
hard-rocking country, that’s one of my favorite kinds of music. I
also have a lot of Hank Williams and Waylon Jennings on my iPod.
2. I just
listened to your greatest hits (1996 package). There’s an obvious
Cajun fiddle influence in a lot of the songs– is that intentional?
Beaumont
Texas, where I
live, is only a few miles from Louisiana,
so it’s hard not to have that influence in my music. The music and
people are a mix of influences. We grow lots of rice and eat lots
of crawfish here, for sure.
3.
How does
a song like “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” get from Aerosmith to
Mark Chesnutt – do you have a say in that or is it a management
thing?
When I heard that song, I thought
it was really a departure for Aerosmith. But my producer called me
up out of the blue and said we should cut it. I thought it was ok,
for a pop song, but I really didn’t want to do it. We were doing
an album and we needed one more strong ballad, and this was for a
major record label. When you work for a major label, it’s best not
to cause too much trouble, if you want to get things done. I was
still unsure about doing it, so I called Waylon Jennings, and
asked his opinion. He said sure, go ahead and sing it – you’re a
singer and you should be able to sing the phone book, if you had
too. So I said I’ll give it a shot, and it was really nice when
Waylon showed up to the actual recording sessions for support.
A few years ago I managed to get
some backstage passes for an Aerosmith show in
Nashville. I was hanging out backstage, when
from behind me I hear this very familiar voice singing “I Don’t
Want to Miss a Thing,” and Steven Tyler sneaks up and gives me a
big hug. I got to talk to him for a half hour. He later told me I
did a really sweet version of that song.
4. You’ll be
in the Columbia River Gorge next week. Have you ever been through
here before?
We’ve driven through many times,
but we never get to stop for the day. It’s beautiful out there,
with the mountains, and I love opening the bus window to let the
mountain air in.
5.
Tell us
about the band and what can we expect at the show.
I travel with a full
country-honky-tonk band – including pedal steel and fiddle. We
constantly play and practice on the bus, and we try to bring that
energy to the stage. We’ll be doing a lot off the new album,
Rolling with the Flow, a lot of my hits, and select covers, for
sure. I feel very fortunate to be able to travel and work music
the way I do.
6. Your web
site says you’re scheduled to be in
Norway
this year? Is this a regular stop or new on the tour? You’ll also
be in Iraq
to play music for the troops. What’s it like playing over there?
Norway
is definitely a new stop on the tour this year, which should be
interesting. I’ve played in France,
Germany,
Japan, so this should be a new
experience. We play a lot of US military bases and we’ll be
traveling to Iraq
this summer. For me it will be very interesting to play in a war
zone, and actually see how our troops live in difficult
conditions. It’s very inspiring for me to play for our troops,
it’s a real honor.
7. There’s a
“Request a Meet and Greet” feature on website – how has that been
working and do fans appreciate that link?
I’m constantly signing CDs and
pictures, and this is a great chance for fans to meet me. Folks
should know that since my new record, “Rollin with the Flow,” is
not on a major label, it might be a little tough to find in the
regular stores. The best way to get it is to come to show, we have
lots of copies.
8. How long
typically does it take to record one of your album in the studio?
We used to have to try and put
out an album every year, and promote 4 or 5 singles from it.
Lately we’ve taken a more relaxed approach, and now I’m able to
really take my time with the sessions. We took two years for this
last CD. I bring the band in the studio to do tracking sessions,
and we’ll listen to each part over and over to make sure it’s
right. Then I’ll add my vocal tracks, and I can do 3 or 4 of those
a day. For some reason, I like to sing at night, so I’ll start at
8 or 9 at night, and get done at 2 or 3 in the morning.
9. What new
and upcoming artists do you listen to?
Well, my favorite right now is an
artist called Jamey Johnson. He definitely plays the hard driving
country that suits me.
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