Beach Country Duo Bringing Hits, Enjoyable Occasions To ‘Rison in the Fall’

RISON – Thom Sheppard and Coley McCabe, the dynamic duo often known as Thom and Coley, are gearing up for a efficiency at thirty fifth annual Rison within the Fall Festival.

The couple can be bringing their distinctive mix of nation, folks, and ‘Beach Country’ music to the stage, Saturday, Oct. 18. In this week’s episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast, the pair mentioned their journey, from their separate paths to Nashville to their shared life as a musical and married couple, and their deep connection to the songwriting group and the Trop Rock world.

The episode, hosted by Festival Director Douglas Boultinghouse, Herald Publisher Britt Talent, and visitor host Rison Mayor Charles Roberts, is streaming now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and ClevelandCountyHerald. com Both Thom and Coley discovered their technique to Nashville within the Nineties to pursue their musical goals. In truth, Coley talked about her path crossed presently in Nashville with good friend and headliner of this yr’s competition, Sunny Sweeney.

Thom, initially from St. Louis, Missouri, moved to Virginia in highschool earlier than heading to Nashville in 1993 after school. He rapidly secured a songwriting gig at a publishing firm. Coley, hailing from West Virginia, moved to Nashville in 1996. She had her sights set on a document deal and touring, however like Tom, she first discovered success as a songwriter, finally getting signed to RCA Records.

The two met when their publishing firms have been in the identical constructing. ‘In the music enterprise, Nashville is a very small city,’ Coley defined. They started enjoying music collectively a few yr after they obtained collectively in 2011, and have not stopped since. Coley humorously recalled how they met, ‘After he stalked me for a few years… Just kidding.’

Boultinghouse famous that the couple could be celebrating their tenth anniversary across the (continued from web page 1) time of the competition, a milestone Coley recalled with an amusing story about their final anniversary. ‘Last yr, you recognize, it is all the time the man that forgets the date, proper?’ she mentioned, recounting how Tom shocked her with champagne on stage throughout a competition present. “He was like, ‘Happy anniversary, babe,’ to this whole big crowd. And I was like, oh my God, I forgot.’

Thom’s songwriting career has been particularly prolific, earning him five number-one hits. His first was ‘Riding with Private Malone’ recorded by David Ball. He also wrote ‘Redneck Yacht Club’ for Craig Morgan, and had three Texas number ones with Kevin Fowler, Josh Abbott, and Kyle Park. Tom and Coley believe that ‘songs want to be written and they won’t leave you alone until you write them,’ and Thom estimates he has written around 1,500 songs.

Their musical journey also led them unexpectedly into the ‘parrot head world’ or ‘Beach Country’ scene, which is dedicated to the music of Jimmy Buffett and other beach-themed artists. They initially stumbled into the genre after Thom was booked for a festival in New Orleans, only to discover it was a beach music event. He realized that the fans of this genre ‘just love songwriters,’ and he felt like he and Coley ‘fit, like a hand in a glove.’ This connection has become a significant part of their career, leading to close friendships and their own successful festival, the Lone Star Luau, which has won ‘Festival of the Year’ twice.

During the podcast, the duo also reflected on the differences between the Nashville and Austin music scenes, having lived and worked in both cities. Thom explained that Nashville is where the ‘business happens,’ where artists can get paid to be full-time songwriters. Coley added that Texas’s Red Dirt music is generally ‘a little more raw’ and has a different vibe from the typical Nashville sound. They both praised the live music culture in Texas, noting that kids are raised to go listen to live music, a practice that is ‘ingrained in the culture.

A significant influence on their music, particularly their ‘Beach Country’ sound, is Jerry Jeff Walker. Thom and Coley credit him as a “gypsy music man’ and a key determine within the style. Thom shared a narrative, handed down from Walker’s son Django, that if it ‘wasn’t for Jerry Jeff, Jimmy Buffett would have by no means gone to Key West.’ According to the story, Walker invited Buffett to hitch him on a visit to Key West, which turned the turning level for Buffett’s profession and music.

Coley’s profession additionally features a memorable expertise with nation legend Loretta Lynn. Growing up, Coley by no means imagined she would get to work with a star of that caliber. She recalled her writer calling to inform her that Loretta Lynn was going to document one among her songs, a revelation she initially thought was a joke. The expertise turned a profession spotlight, particularly when she later met Loretta at an awards present. ‘I mentioned the title [of the song], and she or he simply began singing the refrain to me,’ Coley mentioned, describing the second as ‘so unreal.’

The dialog concluded with a dialogue of their upcoming efficiency and the county’s connection to Johnny Cash. The competition is in the identical county as Cash’s birthplace, a undeniable fact that resonated with Coley since she wrote a music, ‘This Ain’t the ’60s,’ which references Johnny Cash and June Carter. She mentioned she would ‘like to see a few of these [historical] issues whereas we’re there’ and that they must play the music throughout their set.

They additionally shared that followers can anticipate to really feel all of the feelings throughout their set, from laughter to crying.