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MUSIC
KEY WEST WEEKLY / NOVEMBER 7, 2019
Contributed
RACE Y R T N U CO LEE BRICE, NICK NORMAN ROCK BOAT RACES he night after the first powerboats churn through Key West Harbor to kick off this year’s races, country music singer Lee Brice will rock the Coffee Butler Key West Amphitheater at Truman Waterfront on Thursday, Nov. 7. Special Key West guest Nick Norman will open the show for Brice. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and tickets are available at keywestconcertseries.com. Lee Brice has achieved gold and platinum status on every album and single he’s released, with “A Woman Like You” reaching double-platinum. Brice also has collected more than 2 billion spins on Pandora, placing him among the Top 25 most-streamed country artists of all time on the streaming service. Brice is a Grammy Award nominee, a Country Music Award nominee and a double Academy of Country Music award winner. His five No. 1 radio singles include, “A Woman Like You,” “Hard To Love,” “I Drive Your Truck,” “I Don’t Dance,” and “Drinking Class.” He has performed on national television, while other singers – including Garth Brooks, Jason Aldean and Kenny Chesney – others have recorded Brice’s songs.
“When one digs into his new, self-titled album, ‘Lee Brice,’ with its thick grooves, squalling guitars, tumbling drums, sheets of steamy organ and wide open vocals, the two-time Song of the Year nominee takes listeners to church, school, home and out on a Saturday night,” said Brice’s representatives. “For a man known for raucous live shows and contemplative songs, there’s a whole lot of gospel driving his fourth album,” Brice’s team said. “Beyond the hell-raising and church-leaning, there’s a real man who works hard to support his family by driving everything about who he is and what he does into his work. It doesn’t fit into music business clichés, but it’s the bottom line for the rugged songwriter/guitarist.“ “I’ve tried to walk a fine line between the commercial and the things that are tangible,” said Brice. “I’m on the road 200 days a year, trying to write songs when I’m in town. But I also want to make a life: I have a wife, a baby, two little boys and a home. That’s important to me. So when I’m home, I work harder and dig deeper into living. You know, you have to live so you have something to work from and write about.” Key West’s own Nick Norman, who grew up with Brice, will take the stage first as special guest. Norman, whose name is now synonymous with the Key West music scene, grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, and acquired his own passion for music as a child. His father played guitar and his mother encouraged him to write, while the Baptist Church exposed him to the power of the choir.
“It was how I first learned that you can truly make people feel what you feel, by believing in what you are singing. They sang from their hearts and that is something I believe that cannot be faked,” Norman said. As he grew up, Norman was surrounded by the sounds of South Carolina’s emerging musicians of the time, such as Edwin McCain and Hootie and the Blowfish. He was also drawing from the styles of legendary artists including Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. Inspired by an eclectic array of influences, Norman created a sound all his own that he’ll share on the stage Thursday evening at the Coffee Butler Key West Amphitheater. The concert will include a range of food vendors, drinks and captivating views of the Gulf of Mexico from the top of the lawn. With a grassy, sloped, general admission lawn, intimate reserved seats, and a one-of-a-kind panoramic backdrop, the Coffee Butler Key West Amphitheater provides the perfect entertainment space for all music fans. — Contributed
Tickets are available at www.keywestconcertseries.com or at the box office at Key West Theater, 512 Eaton St.