Country music is hotter than the Texas summer right now.
Were it not for Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen would arguably be the biggest pop star in America, one who has managed to snag “song of the summer” from Taylor each of the past two years. Zach Bryan (country enough) is a phenomenon. Luke Combs is playing football stadiums. Jelly Roll is arguably the most lovable guy in music today, and women artists like Lainey Wilson and Megan Moroney are becoming household names.
Then, there are the newcomers. Beyonce recently put out a very respectable country album. Post Malone has one coming next month. As country continues to shine in today’s crowded musical scene, rest assured, there will be more.
Somewhere in the middle is Aaron Lewis.
Lewis, who plays a solo show at 713 Music Hall on Thursday night, is by no means a newcomer to the country scene. In fact, he’s put out five country records since his country debut, Town Line, dropped in 2011 (his newest, The Hill, is a particular treat). Nor is Lewis considered first and foremost a country singer by anyone who listened to pop and rock radio in the 2000s.
See, not only is Lewis an accomplished country singer-songwriter; he’s also the frontman for Staind, one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the 2000s, a band with three No. 1 albums and four multi-platinum releases to its name, one that crossed over from rock to pop radio back when both were a thing. In short, Staind easily ranks among the best and best-selling rock acts of its era.
So, it might seem surprising that Lewis would transition so seamlessly into an altogether different genre. He admitted as much in a 2012 interview with the Houston Press. “Years ago, if you had told me I was going to record a country record,” Lewis said at the time, “I would have laughed at you.”
So, Lewis and fans alike are likely surprised that his country career – more than a decade in – has featured five albums that charted inside the Billboard U.S. Country Top 10 and a smattering of hit singles to this point.
They shouldn’t be.
Sure, Staind could grind and rock with the best of them, particularly in its earliest years. Hell, it’s hard to imagine the guy that once performed “Mudshovel” would one day don cowboy boots and sing tracks with titles like “Let’s Go Fishing,” “Country Boy” and “Granddaddy’s Gun.” Dude even collaborated with the late, great George Jones! That said, in looking at Staind’s catalog, the country parallels were kinda right there in front of us the whole time.
“It’s Been Awhile,” when performed in an acoustic setting, is essentially a country song. “Outside” is an acoustic song that pretty much is a country song. Slow down “So Far Away,” and same rules apply. Same for “Fade.” Lewis did “grit” well in his rock days, and that hasn’t changed since he moved to country.
Point being, Lewis could craft a hook when he was rocking, and he can do the same as a country musician. The rules are pretty much the same. Tell a story, grab the listeners and give people something to sing along to. Ideally, do it in under four minutes. It helped Staind become one of the biggest bands of the early 21st Century, and it’s helped Lewis become a respected and prolific country singer-songwriter in his own right.
Lewis didn’t start out a country crooner, nor did he latch on to the genre because it was cool at the time or for some sort of clout or commercial gain. Yes, Post Malone’s foray into country has yielded a pair of smash hits – “I Had Some Help” and “Pour Me a Drink” – and I’m as big a fan of Country Posty as can be and can’t wait for his F-1 Trillion album next month. Same for Beyonce, who really impressed with Cowboy Carter.
Lewis’ journey feels a bit more organic, like he picked up a guitar and accidentally found a second wind in country music. He sings of the working class, those who feel that they’ve been left behind, love and loss, road weariness, that sorta stuff. It works now, just as it did when Staind ruled rock radio.
The classics never go out of style. Sometimes, they just need a change of clothes and a new pair of boots.
Aaron Lewis on Thursday, July 18 at 713 Music Hall, 401 Franklin, Suite 1600. For more information, visit 713musichall.com. Tickets $41.25-$118.95, plus fees.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
