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June 17, 2009
So,
how do you think fans would react to a cover of "Walk this Way?"
An interview with Mark
Chesnutt
OK, I just got off the phone with country
singer Mark Chesnutt! Mark’s Nashville
based marketing company contacted the News a few weeks ago, and
let me tell you, they are organized. I mean, we’re talking
organized down to 15 minute time intervals. I think I got 4
confirmation emails on the fact that I would have a Mark Chesnutt
phone interview at such and such a time, on such and such a date.
Sheesh, that’s almost as much
e-mail per topic that flies around if you’re in a local band (and
you know who you are!)
Mark called from his home in
Beaumont,
Texas, where he’s gearing up for the next
leg of his tour. Mark is so busy, he wasn’t quite sure where he’d
be after The Dalles
show, coming up on June 20, at the Granada Theater. He’d have to
check his own web site, for that, I suspect. But I’m sure he’s
used to it, I mean, Mark has been on the road for the last 20
years.
The first thing that grabbed me
when I read Mark’s bio sheet was his birthdate. Besides the fact
that he’s been on the country music charts with hit albums and
songs, it turns out he’s only two years older than I am.
So I got to thinking, what kinds
of songs did Mark listen to growing up, and if you decide to be a
professional musician, does what you listen to affect what
direction you take? I put a version of that question out there and
came up with an interesting connection.
I turns out, in this case, that
the connection between listening to music in
Texas and listening to music in
New Jersey, where I grew up, is a band
that is pretty far removed from country music.
And that band turns out to be
Aerosmith.
Yup, the loud, long-haired
rockers from Boston
turns out to be a big influence on Mark. To this day, Aerosmith is
one of Mark’s favorite bands. And in another twist, Mark’s career
had another hit on its hands when his record label decided that he
should try recording a song that Aerosmith had a hit with, called
“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” which was featured in the movie
“Armageddon.”
Mark and I both agree that this
pop- power ballad really doesn’t represent the Aerosmith we grew
up with. I mean, the song is fine for what it is, but the style is
a far cry from tunes you find on 1975’s “Toys in the Attic.” To
this day, (and I don’t know why, some memories just stay with you,
I guess) I still remember going to the store with my dad and
getting the 8-track of that album. And as Mark reveals in the
interview, he got some funny looks from folks because he had some
Aerosmith albums mixed in with his George Jones tapes.
In fact, I’m sure my dad probably
gave me a funny look when he saw what I wanted to listen to.
After all, he probably paid for
it. (thanks Dad!)
Mark Chesnutt will be at the
Granada Theater in The Dalles
on Saturday, June 20.
Read Jim’s interview with Mark
Chesnutt
here:
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