"Progeny of successful musicians face great expectations"

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Contemporary Christian pop star Steven Curtis Chapman is a big fan of his sons Caleb and Will Franklin’s burgeoning music — enough to take their band The Following out on tour as his backing band.To Dad, it’s been a top-notch tour.“It’s the coolest thing as a dad I can imagine,” he says,“to get to have my guys on stage with me.”

Progeny of successful musicians face

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Knowledge of industry gives them a leg up, but they still have big shoes to fill

By NICOLE KEIPER

AS Staff Writer

As a baby band, Metallica’s four members camped in a squalid practice space and scarfed a daily meal of “loser’s lunch”: bologna on an open hand, no bread.

But on the first tour for teenage Franklin rock band The Following, lunch is catered, a spread of

Sterno-warmed pans piled with stir-fried meat and rice leading back to dessert trays of pert little citrus and chocolate tarts.

When lunch is done, the young band members climb back onto their bus and sink into leather seats behind a flat-screen television.

“I’d love to do this for the rest of my life,” 17-year-old front man Caleb Chapman chirps, sandy blond hair trained toward his face, 16-year-old brother/drummer Will

Franklin Chapman slumped comfortably to his left. The boys are still in high school, hitting classwork from the bus, playing in arenas to what’s usually between 6,000 and 12,000 squealing fans.

“Especially after being on this tour,” Caleb says, “I wouldn’t mind it at all.”

Up front, Steven Curtis Chapman — one of contemporary Christian rock’s biggest draws, Caleb and Will’s dad and the guy

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The Chapmans on tour:Will Franklin, left, father Steven Curtis and Caleb Chapman.

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MUSIC LOCAL MUSICAL OFFSPRING

A small sampling of young locals with musical bloodlines, and where to hear them: • Be Your Own Pet www.myspace.com/beyourownpetmusic Local post-punk crew Be Your Own Pet’s parental ties are weighted more on the industry side — singer Jemina Pearl’s dad is photographer and musician Jimmy Abegg, guitarist Jonas Stein’s dad is prominent manager Burt Stein and bassist Nathan Vasquez’s is skilled Tejano guitarist and band leader Rafael Vasquez. Founding drummer Jamin Orrall calls song scribe Robert Ellis Orrall Dad. • Justin Townes Earle www.myspace.com/justinearle Earle flits from smart acoustic story songs to fiery rock. His dad is wellknown singer-songwriter Steve Earle.

MICHAEL CLANCY / FOR THE TENNESSEAN

Local rock band Miracle Drug plays a recent hometown show at The Rutledge. Miracle Drug features guitarist/singer Keith Follese, center, bassist Ian Keaggy, right, and guitarist Nash Overstreet, left — all three sons of successful Nashville musicians.

their band is backing on this tour — checks the weather, to be sure wife Mary Beth’s drive down to Birmingham won’t meet with snow.

Youngsters get a head start

Dad’s loser’s lunch days are long behind him, and his long-held success brings this gift to his upstart musician sons: a head start.

That head start doesn’t come without strings attached, though, and that was on Steven Curtis Chapman’s mind long before his boys picked up sticks and a guitar.

“The scary thing is, they’ve grown up watching and living out the fruit of my success,” he says.

“What if they do this and it doesn’t meet with that kind of business response? Are there expectations at this level? And then how much of what they do, how much is my name gonna be something they’ll have to overcome? It’s a reality.”

In a professional musicians’ town like Nashville, it’s long been a reality for more than a few young musicians and more than a few successful parents. And that’s particularly evident now, as the local rock, pop and Americana scenes burst with second- and third-generation musicians like the Chapman boys, working to forge their own path and share their own sounds.

Having a musical pedigree means you generally eat a little better, but the weight and expectations that come with a well-known last name sometimes can be plenty hard to choke down.

AT TENNESSEAN.COM

Band Miracle Drug was set for a Thursday showcase at this week’s music festival South by Southwest in Austin,Texas.The festival, which wraps today, draws more than a thousand established acts and next-big-things from Tokyo to Tucson.They swarm Austin in March (and have since 1987) to meet and greet SXSW’s congregation of industry players and fill a staggering number of venues with live music. Labels, managers and agents head there to find their new projects; the artists go in hopes of ramping up their careers.

Tennessean and All the Rage rock writers Nicole Keiper and Dave Paulson have been reporting from Austin since Wednesday.To read their reports, search SXSW at Tennessean.com.

• The Following www.myspace.com/thefollowing Melodic alt-rock; singer/guitarist Caleb Chapman and drummer Will Franklin Chapman are contemporary Christian pop star Steven Curtis Chapman’s sons.

• Johnnyswim www.myspace.com/johnnyswimmusic Slinky soul-folk duo composed of Amanda Sudano (daughter of disco star Donna Summer and songwriter Bruce Sudano) and Abner Ramirez.

• Lenny www.myspace.com/lenny Hooky emo, led by J.D. Dickerson, son of Prince’s original The Revolution guitarist Dez Dickerson.The band’s We Are Criminals EP hits stores Tuesday.

• Miracle Drug www.myspace.com/miracledrugmusic Attitude-driven rock, from singer/guitarist Keith Follese (son of hit country songwriters Keith and Adrienne Follese), guitarist Nash Overstreet (son of songsmith Paul Overstreet), bassist Ian Keaggy (master guitarist Phil Keaggy’s son) and drummer Moses McCoy.

MICHAEL CLANCY / FOR THE TENNESSEAN

Miracle Drug guitarist/singer Keith Follese isn’t hesitant to tap his parents, hit songwriters Keith and Adrienne Follese, for help with his music career. But showing two seasoned pros his music, at first, was pretty nerve-wracking.“My dad works for the greatest singers that there are, and he’s very blunt,” the younger Follese says.

Hit songwriter Keith Follese

• Chris Scruggs www.myspace.com/chrisscruggs Scruggs has recorded smart, timetested country, rockabilly and more and logged a hunk of time as part of BR549. He’s also the grandson of banjo legend Earl Scruggs, and the son of musician/songwriter Gary Scruggs and songwriter/producer Gail Davies.

— NICOLE KEIPER, STAFF WRITER

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MUSIC “It’s sort of funny, because the music business is one of those (rare) places where that comes up,” says JD Dickerson, who fronts local emo band Lenny and calls Dez Dickerson, the original guitarist in Prince’s The Revolution, Dad. “With athletes and that sort of thing, you don’t hear it nearly as much. Like, ‘He made it to the NBA just because his dad was in the NBA.’ ” That sour-grapes stuff came up a lot as local post-punk crew Be Your Own Pet rose to international-press-darling status, and word got out that each original member had a music-biz parent.

“People jump to conclusions,” guitarist Jonas Stein told The Tennessean’s sister publication All the Rage during their 2004 baby-band days. Singer Jemina Pearl interjected, “They think (our parents) pay our way. . . . If you don’t like our music, that’s OK — you don’t have to. But you don’t have to spread lies.”

To young local singer-songwriter Keith Follese — who fronts local rock band Miracle Drug, and whose parents are hit country songwriters Keith and Adrienne Follese — as often as those conclusions are jumped to, they’re ultimately always moot.

“Being connected helps,” he says, “but it doesn’t matter if you suck. We’ve already sucked — the last batch of music we had, we were as connected as could be, and it (didn’t) matter.”

Kids have to hold their own

For the young Chapmans, so far, there’s been little overt conclusion-jumping.

What there has been: bigger challenges than most guys barely old enough to have prom dates meet with, like holding up under the weight of a co-headlining slot at this big Christian rock fete, the Winter Jam tour.

When they take the stage with band mates Dale and DJ Lipscomb to back their dad, the band leader offers no head start, launching straight into his hit-stocked set

BJCC arena, Will Franklin’s messed up none of Dad’s stuff, and when Steven announces the members of his backing band and asks them to play one of their own songs, “Invisible Tears,” howls only escalate. The Following nails their song, too.

“How about The Following?” Dad says, beaming through the arena speakers, bouncing and giggling. “They’re, like, my favorite band.”

Parental guidance pays off

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Local emo band Lenny features JD Dickerson, second from left, the son of Prince’s original The Revolution guitarist Dez Dickerson.

and skipping anything in the way of backing-band introductions that might soften the expectations of the Donna Summer throng.

The Following digs in, locking tight and precise.

The young Chapmans and their JOHN PARTIPILO / THE TENNESSEAN compatriots boot-camped mornAmanda Sudano hopes Johnnyswim, the duo she formed ing through night for weeks leadwith boyfriend Abner Ramirez, left, manages to showcase a ing up to the tour, feeling the breadth of influences from soul to folk — many of which she was introduced to by her mom, singer Donna Summer. weight of what they had to prove, “We grew up listening to Otis Redding,The Carpenters, Joni even if Caleb and Will have yet to Mitchell,” she says.“People expect my parents’ influence to be pelted with sour grapes. be the songs my mom sang. But really, it’s the stuff they Caleb, whose face is a ruddy gave me to listen to all my life.” match for his dad’s, is more worried that “people in the audience are proba- 8 anymore.’ ” bly like, ‘Aww, that’s cute.’ My dad says, Will Franklin shrugs. He worries more ‘Guys, there was a point where you being about “messing up my dad’s stuff, so he on stage with me was cute. But now, gets mad at me.” you’ve gotta sound good. You’re not 7 and Halfway through the set at Birmingham’s

The support and fandom of a parent who’s also a world-class musician can certainly have benefits that far outweigh any baggage the public dumps on.

World-class help with honing one’s craft is a big one.

Miracle Drug’s Follese learned to tap the valuable resources he had in his house early on. His first few years of songwriting were spent co-writing with his folks, who’ve penned hits for the likes of Martina McBride and Randy Travis. And he’s still quick to grab advice from them now, for the songs that’ll end up on Miracle Drug’s debut album, which the band has been recording in the Folleses’ well-appointed Nashville home studio.

“I feel like I’m surrounded with more talent than anybody could be blessed with,” the singer says. “I will ask for an opinion or advice on any topic, because I feel like I’ve got the best source of advice on tap all the time.”

Miracle Drug guitarist Nash Overstreet, whose father is well-known country songscribe Paul Overstreet, was in less of a hurry to pick his dad’s brain, but isn’t so sure now if that was the best approach.

“There were so many years of terrible songs that probably would’ve been better if I had (asked for help),” he says.

To Amanda Sudano, who sings in local soul-folk duo Johnnyswim with boyfriend Abner Ramirez, fumbling through her nas-

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MUSIC cent songwriting process with almost constant professional input — from disco star mom Donna Summer and successful songwriter dad Bruce Sudano — had its frustrations.

“I feel like Abner could write anything growing up, and any song he ever wrote, (his parents) were like, ‘Oh my gosh, you wrote a song! That’s great!’ ” she says.

“There was no, ‘Oh that’s great, but why don’t we work on this part.’ ” Dad Chapman felt himself sliding into oppressive input while he was teaching Caleb to play guitar, and forced himself to step back.

“My tendency is perfectionism . . . and I could see real quickly that if I work with them too closely, I’m going to start demanding perfection,” he says. “I just thought, ‘I don’t wanna do that to them. . . .

It’s been a challenge at times to hang back, but it’s so rewarding when I watch them really push through and create something that’s their own.”

Sudano may have considered the benefits of unchecked adolescent musical flailing, but also credits her parents for her steady grasp of both songwriting and music-business machinations.

“I had the benefit of getting to learn about music from people who know, who’ve been a part of it, but are still really grounded,” she says. “So I feel pretty blessed. Let’s not make

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it a bad thing, you know?”

Lineage has its ups and downs

The word that can most easily turn a famous bloodline into a bad thing is “comparison” — one need only consult Jakob Dylan or Sean Lennon to get a sense of the bugaboo that comparisons to a famously talented parent can create.

Sudano has felt little bits of that, and the biggest frustration, she figures, is that her music can’t really hit ears purely.

“When they already have an idea of what you are or what you’re gonna sound like, it’s harder to get a really honest take,” she says. “It’s either they automatically think you’re great, or it’s (disappointment), ‘Oh, you don’t sound like your mom.’ ” The elder Chapman feels it from the outside.

“They don’t get a completely fair, cleanslate shot,” he says. “They can’t just walk in and be (met with), ‘Hey, let’s see what these kids have to offer.’ ” For a lot of established artists from musical families, the key to avoiding comparison and grabbing hold of success has been a complete stylistic departure from their parent’s work.

Hank Williams Jr.’s rowdy roar earned him both success and a persona that’s distinct from his legendary father; Norah Jones’ smooth jazz-pop is massively suc-

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Billy Joel’s daughter dreams of Nashville

By NICOLE KEIPER

Staff Writer

There’s some romance inherent in the less familiar, so it makes sense that kids who’ve grown up in Nashville with country songwriting parents, like the guys in local band Miracle Drug, might feel titillated by rock and pop.

It’s equally natural that a kid raised on a steady parental issue of pop and rock — like New Yorker Alexa Ray Joel, the daughter of mega pop star Billy Joel — might look country’s way.

The younger Joel has a blossoming young music career, and although the tracks you can hear on her MySpace page (www.myspace.com/alexarayjoel) nod assuredly to her father’s work, Dad says of late she’s been on a country songwriting kick and has plans to make a trip to Nashville.

“She discovered it only recently,” Joel says. “I think she was watching a country music awards show, and she was knocked out by how good the singers are. I always told her this, ‘You gotta listen to country singers, because those people can sing.’ ”

Alexa Ray’s predilections, Dad says, lean toward Willie, Dolly and a lot of older country, and she’s been fired up focusing on that writing style, even if she’s had a worry or two that her background doesn’t make as much sense with it.

“She was asking me, ‘Is that OK?’ ” the elder Joel says.

“I kid around with her saying, ‘Who Billy Joel . . . are you to write like that? You grew up in New York.’ But I said, ‘Sure it’s OK — if you really feel it, that’s what you should write. You should go wherever your soul takes you.’ ” From her proud dad’s perspective, Alexa Ray’s aim is looking solid enough so far.

“I think she’s good enough that someday, rather than me being known as who I am, I may be known as her father,” he says. “I think that may come to pass.”

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stery of her dad, Ravi Shankar.

Amanda Sudano’s music with Johnnyswim sounds more like a mix of Lauryn Hill and John Mayer than her mother’s thumping disco; J.D. Dickerson’s band leans more Fall Out Boy than “Little Red Corvette.”

That route, to the guys in Miracle Drug, offers the best possibility of sidestepping your parents’ shadow. Thus, it’s the one they’re taking to.

“It’s kind of interesting, trying to measure up to a successful parent in the music industry,” says guitarist Overstreet. “But I think we’ve all got the perfect scenario, because (my dad and Keith’s dad) write country music . . . but we play rock music, so it’s not too easy to be compared to that.

(Band mate) Ian’s dad is a great guitar player (finger-picking virtuoso Phil Keaggy), but he’s playing bass here.”

“It’s good that Ian’s not playing lead guitar in this band,” singer Follese says, “because they’d be like, ‘Yeah, he’s good, but he’s not as good as his dad.’ Well, who is?”

Kids have affinity for the biz

Whether or not the child of a music-star parent ever manages to match their mom’s or dad’s skills, many of them — like J.D. Dickerson, who’s been recording and touring since he was 10 — take to the job with an uncanny ease.

It makes a good argument for their being uniquely qualified to try.

It might be a nature thing, or a nurture thing — Dickerson has no sure guess, but figures a parent’s aptitudes and lifestyle, whatever their job, can’t help but feed into their kids.

“When I was in high school, I played football with Brandon Fisher, Jeff Fisher’s son,” he says. “And you could see in practice and on Friday nights at games, the way he looked at football was totally different than the way the rest of us looked at it. He

had this sense of belonging, he knew what he was doing, and he was so confident. I think growing up in the (music) business is similar, in the fact that you’ve seen it from so many different sides, you know what your place is, and what you wanna do and what you wanna get to.”

Sudano’s mom Donna Summer figures her daughters are indeed uniquely qualified to enter the entertainment business — and more importantly, uniquely qualified to survive it.

“Because they know the short and the long of it, they have seen the pain of it,” she says. “They do not glamorize it, they understand that it is work, they know that it’s an up and down thing. Kids who don’t have the history through their parents and some firsthand knowledge, they go into it pretty blindly. People who’ve been around it and have lived it their whole lives, they know the level of sacrifice that it takes to do this, and that it’s not a game, it’s a job.

And it’s an intense and difficult job at times, and very painful at times.”

That lifelong preparation is proving invaluable, too, to the guys in Miracle Drug, as their music biz-dealings are ramping up.

The band just took its first trip to Austin industry fest South by Southwest, which wraps today; leading up to it, the elder Keith Follese rattled a list of major label reps expected at his son’s showcase. As things get more complicated, the band mates feel prepared, but still have smarts enough not to make a move without their industry-vet parents’ input.

“There’s a huge layer of (bull) in the music industry, as far as people who you don’t want to know,” the younger Follese says. “Being where we are, those people never exist to us. We’re not gonna get suckered in by a bad manager, we’re not gonna get suckered in by anybody.

Because we know who the suckers are, and

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t’s the difference.”

Success hard to define

You can avoid the suckers, ignore the sour grapes and take the time to mold your own voice, and there’s still something left to gnaw at you, when you’ve grown up, as Chapman says, “watching and living out the fruit” of a star parent’s success: your own expectations.

“No matter how much they fight it or don’t want it there, it’s just built in,” Chapman says. “They watched this, ‘Wow, Dad did tours and they grew and it went to this level, and he played these kinds of concert venues,’ so the expectation is sort of there.

‘Well, if I don’t do that, am I a failure? Have I failed?’ ” To 24-year-old Sudano, that’s best nipped in the bud straight away.

“When I was thinking about music, I had to figure out, ‘What does success mean to me?’ ” she says. “And pretty early on, I was just like, ‘You know . . . I don’t need to be like my mom, I don’t need to have a bunch of awards, and I don’t need to have everybody knowing my name.’ There are plenty of people I love that the majority of people

have no idea who they are. That might not actually be too bad.”

Dickerson sees the virtue in recognizing the difference between goals and expectations. “(Your parent’s success) sort of leads to setting the bar as high as possible for yourself and really challenging yourself to live up to what you’ve seen,” he says. “You’ll probably never get to that point, but you want to spend your entire life trying to get there.”

Dad Chapman still worries, especially as his boys get a pretty unusual introduction to touring life. Young Caleb Chapman, sure enough, does have his eye on what his famous father has achieved. But Dad probably doesn’t need to worry too much. “(My dad’s) extremely successful in the business that maybe I’ll one day be in, and he’s extremely successful as a father and a husband,” Caleb says. “He’s just a great person to look up to. It’s one of those things where I tell myself, ‘If I can be half the man he is, I’ll probably be set, you know?’ ” Nicole Keiper writes about pop and rock music. Reach her at 2598041 or by e-mail at nkeiper@tennessean.com.

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