THUNDER THE ENTERTAINER! MAGAZINE APRIL 2016
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Christina Fuoco-Karasinski » The Entertainer! frequently told “no” by record labels. “I was then going to be a writer,” she says. “My first publishing deal was a horrible deal. You definitely cry a lot but it’s a blank plate to fill your dreams in.” CHASE BRYANT Known for his successful debut single “Take It on Back,” Chase Bryant couldn’t be any more excited about Country Thunder. “Yeah, Country Thunder, we’re excited to be out there,” says Bryant, calling from his Nashville home. “I’m a big fan of Country Thunder, but I’ve never played out there before. We’re really excited about that. Festivals are always a blast, too, but hopefully I won’t drink too many beers in the heat.” Early last year “Take It On Back” became a top 10 single on the Country Airplay chart, which is published weekly by Billboard. “Having my first Top 10 hit ‘Take It on Back,’ and the second one, ‘Little Bit of You,’ that’s still climbing really well is too cool. It’s a moment you don’t forget. I’ve dreamed of that since I was a child. It’s one of those moments you can’t explain or fathom how it happened. I’ve had a blast with these songs. It’s a pleasure to have them played on the radio.” Bryant is an acclaimed guitarist with a unique guitar playing style, as he is lefthanded but plays a right-handed guitar upside-down. “A lot of people don’t understand how all that works,” he says. “I play righthanded guitar upside down and backward. I’ve had a tough time. It was one of those things that took a while to grasp how it was going to work. I played that way since I was a kid. It’s like trying to speak Spanish backward. Everything is so inverted that way. It’s my own things and not a lot of people do that.” His talents have certainly been appreciated, given the success of “Take It on Back.” He’s working on a new album. “I’ve been a lot more serious with it lately,” he says. “I’m not sure it’ll be done soon. I’m just trucking away.” Bryant calls the studio his “happy place.” “It’s a fun place to be creative,” he says. “It’s like a canvas. You can throw all these different colors at it.”
Country Thunder
20585 E. Price Station, Florence, arizona.countrythunder.com, various times, Thursday, April 7, through Friday, April 10, starts at $50. WWW.ENTERTAINERMAG.COM