Hometown: Forest City NC
Genre: Country
Influences: 90’s Country, New artists like Luke Combs, Riley Green, Muscadine Bloodline
When did you find your love for music?
“I have always been a huge fan of any kind of music. Growing up baseball was my main focus, I played through high school and two years into college. After my baseball career was over I found my love for music again and decided to try and chase this dream. Even if I don’t make it, I still love doing it.”
Was music always in your life growing up?
“My mom’s side of the family has always been into music. My papaw could play pretty much any instrument by ear, and my mom can sing pretty good as well. So I started being around music real early, my first love in music was actually Elvis. The women at my church growing up would always love when I played Elvis at the church’s Mother’s Day banquets which is pretty funny to me now.”
What is the story about ‘Our Buzz’?
“Well, me and my buddy Austin Shires wrote our buzz in about an hour sitting out in my man cave one day. He came to me with the idea and we kind of just ran with it. It was a real fast process for us on that song. It’s on iTunes just search “our buzz by ascending south” which is the band he and I used to play with. I also plan to put it on my EP.”
Do you write your own music or do you co-write with other songwriters?
“I have always loved to write, it was always my best thing in school. Like I said earlier, I wrote “our buzz” with Austin Shires. I also write on my own. I have tons of songs I’ve wrote that have not even been played yet.”
What do you do in your free time?
“Like I said earlier, baseball was my first love. I coach my little brothers team now. I also love to spend time with my family in my free time. I also just got married this past year and have a four month old son. So I’ve been busy.”
What is your goal with music?
“My goal is to always be the best at whatever I do. I hope to play my music in as front of as many people as possible and all over the country.”
Is there music coming soon? Are you currently recording?
“I am currently writing for an EP that I will get out in 2018. So be ready for that.”
Are you planning on touring in Nashville in the near future?
“Definitely. I was in Nashville a couple weeks ago and made some friends, I met a guy named Steven Nix who I feel like is a great writer and I hope to write with him very soon as well as other guys up there.”
Where is your favorite place to play in NC?
“Right now my favorite place would have to be a little place in my hometown called “The Shak”. It’s a smaller place but that is the first place that gave me a chance to play at when my old band first started. But on a bigger scale I would love to play at Coyote Joes in Charlotte NC, and The Blindehorse Saloon in Greenville, SC. Those are both dream venues of mine. I’ve grew up watching guys that I look up to play there like Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line and newer guys like Luke Combs, Riley Green, and Josh Phillips. If you play there, that’s when you kind of know you have made it when you play at those two places.”
Who is your number one influence and why?
“My number one influence in anything has always been my papaw. Growing up me and him could not be seperated. As soon as I got home from school I was off to his house everyday. My senior year of high school he passed away unexpectedly and it tore me apart. From then on I have always said, anything positive i do in my life is for him. Also the rest of my family though and my mom and dad, I couldn’t be where I’m at in life period without them.”
Tell us about your Crayton Davis Co partnership? What’s your favorite thing to wear from them?
“Yeah, Crayton Davis is awesome. I found the company one day because I’m a huge gamecock fan. One of the co-founders of the company played for the gamecocks and I believe I’ve seen him post about Crayton Davis. After that I started looking at the brand and loved it. One day I messaged them on Instagram and told them that I would love to partner with them and wear their stuff at my shows, 2 days later I had a package at my door step full of shirts and hats. So definitely go check them out!”
