Logan Mize is a country music singer songwriter from Clearwater, Kansas. His album Nobody in Nashville, released in 2012, charted at #49 on Billboard's Country Albums and #15 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums Charts. Logan has also had success as a songwriter when Bucky Covington recorded his song "Mexicoma" for his album Good Guys.

Logan's current single "Used Up" can be heard on Sirius XM's The Highway, where it is climbing the charts. Logan graciously took time to call in from his home, where he was spending the day writing.
 
You have been in the business for a few years now, but a lot of people unfortunately don't know your music. Can you give us a little background on yourself?

There are lots and lots of people that don't know me or my music. I grew up in Kansas and started playing piano at age seven. I loved music, but it was nothing I ever thought about doing professionally. When I went off to college, I took one of my dad's guitars with me. This was against his will though, because he thought I'd do something to it and ruin it. I surprised him, because I actually sat down, taught myself and learned to play. Even before I learned cover songs, I had songs of my own because I had a book of poetry that I had written. I put them to music when I learned four chords. 

Even though I played the piano, I never put two and two together until I played the guitar. After I learned more chords, I wrote more songs, maybe twenty or thirty. During college, I was coming to Nashville more than I was attending class. I would come down every Monday and play the Bluebird, meet people and write songs. So I dropped out of college, went back to Kansas and took a job framing houses in order to save money to move to Nashville. I saved money, but by the time I got to Nashville I think I had about $60 left.... which wasn't enough to go back to Kansas. So I took a job real quick and got by, all the while trying to figure it all out and here I am.

In 2009, I released an independent record, which was hit and miss. There were a few things I did on there that I liked, and some that I know weren't good. Then I signed to Big Yellow Dog Music in 2010 and recorded another record, Nobody in Nashville, with Daniel Tashian producing. That record was better, yet there were still a few things where I knew I didn't quite have it yet. Now, I am at the point where I have figured out what I want to say and what I want to sound like. I'm working on a new project and am really excited about it. 

Your music has a bit of a rockin' edge to it. What was it that drew you to the country genre and do you have any specific influences? 

I never labeled my music really; it just seemed to naturally fall in the country category lyrically. I listened to everything growing up. My favorite was Elton John, I wore those records out. My mom was a huge Aerosmith fan, so I loved them as well. Lots of people where I'm from loved Skynyrd, but I was really into Tom Petty and the Hearbreakers and Alan Jackson. I thought Alan Jackson's songwriting was so simple and real, and in a language I could relate to. The town I grew up in was a farming community that had 1800 people. His music made a lot of sense to me. He had catchy hooks, great melodies and was an excellent writer. That's where country music hooked me.

Do you write all of your songs or do you also co-write? 

I do both. I co-write a good bit, but I also write by myself. I have a little place here in the basement where I spend a lot of time writing.
Getting married and having a son have influenced how and what I write. My son had to have a serious surgery on his first birthday. That was really scary, both the surgery and being in the hospital for a week. I came away from that with a different perspective on life. What I write about now is a bit more mature than what the college party crowd wants to hear. There is a time and a place for those songs, and I'm a little more mature now I guess.

What do you think makes a good country song?

For me, the simpler a song is the better. It is important to let my inner self come through in a song. The best songs usually have a girl in them (laughing) with simple melodies and something people can relate to.  

You have a song, "Used Up," that is doing very well on Sirius XM's The Highway. How did they come to play the song and what does that mean to you?

John Marks is an awesome guy. He wanted to play Nobody in Nashville, but we had put that album out independently and there was really no promotion, so it was never played. We came back to him and asked him if he would play one of my songs. He said of course, so we went and played him three songs, one of them being "Used Up." He loved it, said it sounded like a hit, started playing it and hasn't given up on it. People seem to keep requesting it more and more and I'm excited about it. The song didn't blow up, it has been a slow grower, which I think is good. Hopefully, the fans can push it to #1 [it currently sits on the Highway Hot #45 at #11]. I would love that.

Will there be a video for the song? 

Yes, we just finished it back in Kansas, close to the town where I'm from. Other than the big ugly guy with the guitar who is in it (laughing), I think it turned out pretty good. It should be done sometime this week and maybe out on the internet by the end of next week

Are you working on a new record? 

That is the plan, but we are in the middle of label talks, so we have to wait and see what happens with that. I would love to put out an independent record to have some music out there, but I would also love to be signed to a major label, so my music can connect at a larger level. I will probably be working on music for an album for the rest of the year. 

You have supported artists like Dierks Bentley and Eric Church in the past. Will you be touring in 2014?

We will tour for a bit. We don't have the entire year laid out yet like we usually do because that depends on what happens with the label talks. We will do selective dates though. 

You seem to have had some great experiences. You were a part of the Blake Shelton Country Cruise. You also appeared in the Cotton commercial alongside Hayden Panettiere where you were shown playing at the Station Inn and on the television show Hart of Dixie. What is the one thing you want to experience this year?

I would just love for "Used Up" to make the transition from XM to FM radio and do really well on the charts. The song came from a real place, a personal experience. It's not a happy song, but thankfully it wasn't a permanent situation, just a bad day. It's a really relatable song, you know. Everyone has those feelings about their spouse, even if you are married for 50 years, sometimes you just get really upset and have an argument and want to say forget it. To watch the story behind the song click here.

What are you listening to now?

I am kind of in transition. I really wore out Jason Isbell's Southeastern and I'm listening to the Allman Brothers a lot, but I'm looking for something new and fresh to listen to.

For more information please visit www.loganmize.com
You can follow Logan on Twitter @LoganMize
Find him on Facebook

Watch the lyric video for "Used Up" below.

Plain and simple, Whiskey Myers is a band which makes good, honest music. Hailing from Texas, the five members of the band, Cody Cannon, Cody Tate, John Jeffers, Jeff Hogg and Gary Brown, write songs that are stories; stories about celebration and sadness, hardship and jubilation. They pull from, and seamlessly mingle, a wide range of influences resulting in an unique sound. 

Their 2011 release, Firewater, enjoyed great success on the Texas charts culminating with their single "Anna Maria" reaching #1. They continue to play for larger and larger crowds, drawing in new fans with their music and dynamic shows.

Now, Whiskey Myers is readying the release of their third album Early Morning Shakes on February 4th. Their singer, Cody Cannon, was gracious enough to check in for a fun chat about the record, touring and how they like to operate.

We heard that you had to cancel some shows due to strep throat. How are you feeling?

I don’t know if it was strep, but I was horizontal for like, four to five days. My throat didn't get any worse, but I had the fever and chills. I got some antibiotics and now I'm better and ready to go.

Tell us a little bit about Whiskey Myers. Are the members of the band related? How did you decide to write and play music as a career?

Kinda where we're from, everybody is related (laughing). Gary, who plays bass, is my cousin, that's the only real relation in the band, but all the rest of us guys are friends. The only other relatives involved with the band are some cousins who are in the crew. We have been together as a band for about six years. As for making it our career, this was our first project, and it kind of just happened. It's just so weird now that it is now our career. John and I started playing guitar together when we were about sixteen. His Dad gave both of us lessons and for me it just kept progressing from there. I started writing songs and then we got out there and played locally. Then we were touring and suddenly we were like 'this is what we're doing for a living.' It wasn’t like a set plan and now, we don’t really know how to do anything else.

On your previous two albums, you can hear so many different genres of music represented from Southern Rock to Country to Blues. Does this represent what you listen to and are there any artists in particular that stand out as influences? 

Our influences are very vast. Our style kinda reflects what we listened to, what was imprinted on us by the music we have been listening to our whole lives. You know, we really love everything from the old classic country, I was six years old when I got my first Hank Williams Jr tape, to rock n' roll and southern rock. We listen to a lot of Zeppelin, The Band and Neil Young. We're very diverse. We like everything from jam bands to the blues to the Stones, because you gotta love the Stones. 

With all of the influences, how would you describe the music of Whiskey Myers?

You can call it 'country boys trying to play rock n roll.' People call us southern rock or country, but it's just music to us. It really is hard to put us in a genre, which I am not really a fan of anyway, but I guess it's what people need to do. I think a good song is a good song. We just stick to putting out good music.

You have a loyal and growing fan base, first in Texas and now all over the country. Is Texas a genre unto itself or just a better place to get your music out there and be heard?

I think both. I mean, Texas has red dirt music which is like its own genre. In Texas and Oklahoma they have a lot of their own local stations that bands can get airplay on. Plus, Texas is so big that when you get out there it's like touring a small country and the fan base is just so great. So many great musicians and artists have come from Texas. It's just a great place for music.

Talk about the new album Early Morning Shakes which is coming out on February 4th. Did you do anything differently when making this record?

We did one thing, but it wasn't on purpose. I wasn't able to sing because I had vocal issues from touring a lot. So a year ago we went in for four songs and we ended up laying down part of the album, but there weren’t any lyrics. I had to write all songs in a couple days in hotel room in Division Street on Music Row. I had sticky notes on the wall like a crazy person when I was writing this album. So that was kinda different for me (laughing).

You know, we don’t do a lot of stuff that’s planned; we kinda operate on the fly a lot. We worked with Dave Cobb [Jamey Johnson, Jason Isbell] as a producer, which was awesome. He was just brilliant and was able to capture some really great sounds from us in the studio that we had never gotten before. Everything that we used on the album for recording, from the microphones to the amps, was old. This was really important to us because we feel that the old stuff just really sounds better. For example, we used a Helios board, and John got to use a 52 Gold Top and a 66 Silver Tone that a lot of great artists before us had used. I think that's how we were able to get some of the sounds we got and it turned out really well. 

Why did you choose to use Early Morning Shakes as the title for the album?

Because it's the coolest song I have come up with in my life! I am not usually a fan of naming records after songs. With Firewater, we just wanted to have a separate name for the album, something different. It wasn't our plan to name the new album after a song, but the song is just so cool that we felt that we had to use it.

You played NYC a few months ago and you will be back at Rockwood Music Hall on January 28th.

That was our first time in NYC when we played Hill Country Live. It was quite shocking. We are all from the woods, I mean literally from the woods, and it sure didn't look like home. You know, I graduated high school with twenty two people and Gary graduated with sixteen, so where we are from is totally different than NYC, but it was pretty cool. We're glad to come back and play some music off of the new album.

So what are the band's plans for 2014?

We are always touring and we will continue to do that. We never really stop. It's how we, and a lot of musicians, make our living. We'll come to NYC and then fly out to Seattle to meet the crew and do a West Coast run for two weeks. Then we'll head to the Midwest. We might make a stop back home for a few days, but then we are right back out on the road again. It's just what we do. We're always on the road.

On your website there is a video talking about the origin of the name Whiskey Myers. What does it mean exactly?

Let's think on that. I'll go with Spanish for fighting rooster. It can mean a lot of different things. You know, Whiskey Myers, he's like Bigfoot around these parts. I've seen him, I have a photograph as proof, but it's blurry (laughing). 

Is there one record that you are listening to now on repeat? 

Man, it's been so long since I bought anything, hold up and let me think a second. I have been on a Creative kick lately. But I'd have to say Southeastern by Jason Isbell. He's a brilliant writer and it's just a terrific album. 

Whiskey Myers will play at not to be missed show at Rockwood Music Hall on January 28th at 8:30pm. Tickets are available here.

To pre-order Early Morning Shakes and find out more about Whiskey Myers, including the origin of their name, visit www.whiskeymyers.com

Follow them on Twitter @whiskeymyers
Find them on Facebook 

We love new artists who make good music. One young woman from Ireland is doing just that. Her name is Sara Crockett. In 2013 alone, Sara supported Nanci Griffith, played at the Bluebird Cafe and on WSM radio, and released a debut EP, Better Be Gone. Sara graciously agreed to chat with us via email about music, influences and what's ahead.


Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? 

I am a 21 year old, singer songwriter from a small village called Ahoghill in Northern Ireland. I have been hooked on creating music since I first tinkled the ivories at the age of 5. Growing up, the radio was always on in our house and I was lucky to have a family who have always supported and encouraged me. My solo career was raised from the ashes of a rock band which I fronted while in school called “Goodbye Pluto.” In our time, we managed to support British recording artists Taio Cruz and Pixie Lott. We also collaborated with and co-wrote a track called “The Hardest Thing” for Filo & Peri. I threw myself into writing after I received my guitar as a 19th birthday present. Country music was the genre that I truly loved the most and it felt right. 

I have since went on to support Nanci Griffith during the Belfast Nashville Songwriters’ Festival, traveled to Nashville twice this year and released my debut EP Better Be Gone all while studying for a degree in Dentistry at Queens University Belfast.

Being from Belfast, how does one get involved with country music, especially as a career? Was it something you grew up with? 

I grew up listening to my Dad’s records which included Dolly Parton, Nanci Griffith, and Willie Nelson. Every Christmas a Live DVD of the Highway Men would be on during the festivities of the evening! There are some great outlets for country music in Belfast. For example, this year will be the 10th anniversary of the Belfast Nashville Songwriters’ Festival. This event involves over 100 songwriters both locally and from the States. In the past it has brought in writers like Chris Young, Bob De Piero, Brett James and Lee Roy Parnell. There is also Belfast Music Week in November which has Nashville music executives travel to Ireland to participate in the events. Country’s popularity is growing here. Even though I am still living in Belfast, after spending some time in Nashville this year, I think an extended stay there could be on the cards once I wrap up my degree.

Is country the genre you were always drawn to? Who are your musical influences?

A good song is always going to be a good song, no matter what genre, so anything with a hooky melody that makes me want to sing along will catch my attention! In my teens when I was in the band we drew a lot of influences from the likes of Paramore and Jimmy Eat World, but country is the genre that I love the most now, partly because of how clever and powerful the lyrics are, and also because country artists genuinely have incredible voices both live and on record. I have seen The Band Perry live on numerous occasions and am always captivated by their performance. Holly Williams’ lyrics are so powerful and can always make me cry and Kacey Musgraves – she just says it how it is and I love that. March 2014 brings a great opportunity to hear even more acts that I have looked up to through the years like Brad Paisley, Dixie Chicks, and Rascal Flatts, through ‘Country2Country’ a festival held in Dublin and London. It’s going to be amazing.

Your lyrics are really honest & relatable. Do you write your songs yourself or do you have co-writers? 

Thank you! Song ideas are often drawn from my own personal experience, trying to capture exactly how I felt at the time, knowing that I will not have been the only person to have ever been in that situation. I love co-writing, bouncing ideas off each other and feeding off each other’s creative energy. For my EP I took five songs into the studio with my producer Tre Sheppard. Together we reworked some areas and really gave the songs that extra sparkle. I was privileged to encounter Benita Hill while in Nashville ("Two Pina Coladas" & "It Was Your Song" for Garth Brooks) and I am very excited that she is one of the writers on what is due to be my next single “Honeytrap.” 

Do you play an instrument?

The first instrument I ever laid hands on was the piano, but I have picked up guitar and fiddle along the way. The latest addition to the family is a ganjo, it is very, very cool!

How did it come about that you were able to open for Nanci Griffith?

I had just launched myself in January 2013 with my first recording of "Hide & Seek" (which was rerecorded for the EP). A lot of my progress from that point on, I owe to the Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival. I first met the organizers at a song writing workshop in conjunction with the festival in Belfast. I gave them a CD with that one track on it and within a month was given the news that I would be supporting Nanci Griffith in concert. I was so excited and have to admit that I did have a little cry to myself when I got the news! Nanci’s music had been playing in my house for years, and it was such an honor to play before her.

Then you came to Nashville and played at the Bluebird and WSM. Talk about those experiences.

It was in May 2013 that the organizers of the Belfast Nashville Songwriters’ Festival got in touch to invite me along as one of four chosen artists to showcase in Nashville in June. We would play in various venues around the city, and get an insight into the music industry through meeting with successful songwriters, producers, management and publishing companies. We got to share the stage with big hit songwriters such as Lee Roy Parnell and Benita Hill. Our main showcase was in the Bluebird Café. It was such a pleasure to play on that stage where so many country music greats had gone before, and so early in my career too. I am very lucky! Another highlight of the trip was being invited to chat and perform live on air on WSM 650 AM on ‘The Music Row Show’ with Scott Southworth and Heino Moeller. To play on the same radio station that is home to the Grand Ole Opry was an amazing experience. As an aspiring country artist, I couldn’t really have asked for a better kickstart to my career. 

I then took myself back to Nashville for six weeks in the summer. I just wanted to be surrounded by the music and the writers, to listen and learn. I reconnected with people from my previous trip with the festival the month before, arranged co-writes with songwriters I met along the way and played out myself too. A few of the venues I played in my time there were The Commodore, Silver Dollar Saloon and Two Old Hippies for Billy Block's Folk Night. I attended a lot of writers nights just as a member of the audience, amazed and inspired by the level of songwriting every time. Of course, I was a tourist too, there was lots I had to see! You name it, I saw it including the Country Music Hall of Fame, Studio B, Belle Meade Plantation.

What are your plans for 2014?

I hope to release a new single in the not too distant future, and I’m currently making plans for my first ever video shoot which is very exciting! I just need to keep writing, keep playing out and meet and gain more brilliant fans along the way! I hope to return to Nashville again in the summer. I loved the time I spent there this year. It is amazing town full of crazy talented people who were all very welcoming to an outsider like me. I can’t wait to get back!

What are you listening to? One record on repeat, any genre.

Folie a Deux by Fall Out Boy. Ok, so I know it’s not country and I know it was released in 2008, but I found this album over Christmas again, one of my all time favorites. I am so glad they have reunited, and I hope to catch them in Dublin on their Save Rock and Roll European Tour in March. It’s sold out but I will find tickets. somewhere!

To find out more and hear Sara's music, visit her website and her Facebook page

Twitter @Sara_Crockett

Spotify and iTunes 

Zane Williams is an American country music singer song-writer who has been honing his craft for over a decade in both Nashville and Texas. He has released four albums that contain well written songs that run the gamut from tearjerkers to songs that make you want to kick back and have a good time. He called in to chat with us a few days before leaving for MusicFest in Steamboat, Colorado.

You have been making music for quite some time, but your music is new to a lot of people. Can you give us a little bit of background on yourself?

Let’s see, I grew up in a lot of different places from West Virginia to California. I went to college in Texas where I started writing songs as a hobby. After I graduated college, I realized I wanted music to be more than a hobby so I moved to Nashville for nine years. For seven of those years, I made a living playing at college coffee houses all over country. My wife and I traveled to forty-six states together. I wrote original songs and played them on my guitar. Then for the next couple of years, I wanted to focus on songwriting and getting cuts, but I was never truly happy because in my heart I wanted to be an artist.

Zane nearly gave up songwriting after his time in Nashville. He was writing songs that were recognized for their craftsmanship, but he was just making a living. He decided to move on, but then he got a second unexpected boost.....from the real estate industry. He enrolled in a seminar to learn how to revitalize neighborhoods then selling the houses. He decided that helping people and providing a better life for his family was something about which he could get passionate. On the seminar's final day, the presenters spoke about work that aligned with your passion. It reminded Zane of one of his songs, which he played for them. When he was done they said to him, ‘Why are you here? If you can write and sing like that, you need to go do that!’” That conference rekindled his dream and he hasn't looked back.

You graduated college with a math degree, when did you decide to make your passion a career?

I had a lot of encouragement in college. I had enough people tell me that they liked my songs, so I made a cd. I spent three grand of own money to print up 1000 copies and I sold them around campus at $3 a piece. I figured if I could print a thousand, sell them and break even all while having fun then there would be a 1000 people who would have my music. Sure enough, after six months or so I sold them all and I made another. I sold that one for $5 to up the ante a little bit. I had sold one thousand of those by the time I graduated, mind you this was at Abilene Christian University, a campus that only has 4500 students. While I was there, I would do shows, people would come and I gained a fan base. It got to the point where it was time to make a decision to do something with the math degree or decide to follow my deepest passion which was with music.

When did you leave Nashville and move back to Texas?

About five years ago, we decided to move back to Texas. We moved to my wife's hometown and near my family. We started a family of our own and I found myself in the place I needed to be. I really did start from scratch with my career because I didn't know anyone and I never played there before. Texas has a thriving independent music scene where the people and the radio stations are supportive of both local and original music. So I put together a band, started playing local venues, started getting radio airplay and am on an independent record label. Now, we have a single on XM radio, a video on CMT and are going to try and go after the nationwide market again.

Was the turning point for your career when you moved back to Texas?

In Nashville I was able to earn a living. I had some success and won some songwriting contests. I won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest overall grand prize for the song "Hurry Home" [which was recorded by Jason Michael Carroll] and the Nashville Songwriter's Association Contest. I also was a finalist in three categories at Merlfest where no one had ever been a finalist in three categories before, so that was a very encouraging moment. All of this was part of my journey and kept me going, but at the same time, I never really had a breakthrough. In Nashville, I never really had a band, never played in real venues and never had a large fan base. It was when I moved to Texas that I started feeling like a recording artist for the first time. I have music out there which gets played on the radio, people know me, say hi to me, and listen to my music in their truck.

Would you say it is easier to make the type of music you want to make and be the type of artist you want to be in Texas?

I think my music has as much in common with mainstream country music as it does with Texas red dirt music. And I hope that my songs are just as good as what is on mainstream country radio and that people like the sonic quality of the cd. The difference is in Texas it's easier for an independent guy like myself to be heard. It is different than on a national level because in Texas there are stations that play local music. You can still do it the old fashioned way by just showing up at station with donuts and a cd, shaking hands and getting to know people. They’ll listen and if they like it they’ll play it. Plus, there is not just one station. There are so many that Texas has its own charts with basically all of the artists that are not on Top 40 chart. That’s where I'm at. I think my music at its heart is country mainstream but it's easier as an artist to take root and grow a career in Texas. It has allowed me to get the music out there, be heard and grow a fan base. Now it's up to us from here to steer the ship out to the rest of the country, but it's a matter of how do you get the music out there so people can hear it.

Your music is now getting out there on a national level as Sirius XM's The Highway is playing a song of yours called "Overnight Success." Can you tell us how they got hold of the song?

I'm so grateful and thrilled that they are playing it. Sirius is so unique in that they find a song, like it and play it; giving an artist national exposure. My independent record label is based in Nashville and really their hard work got me this opportunity. They believed in me and worked hard for me to get the song played. I know John Marks really liked the song. He just waited for a spot so they could add it and they did.

The lyrics talk about everything that happens to someone in their journey as an artist including one day making it and having someone call them an "Overnight Success." Is the song semi-autobiographical?

Not semi. I have lived every line in that song and still am. From the wrecked van, to shopping online for a new van to the drummer being a friend of a friend from church. That's all true.

You have recorded four albums with a true balance of songs that are funny to heartbreaking. Did you write them all yourself?

I wrote them all myself. I have only recorded one song that I co-wrote. Every word on the four cds I recorded is from the brain of Zane Williams, for better or for worse (laughing). It is important for me to sing what I write. I have been writing songs for so long that I have process I am comfortable with. I am certainly open to co-writing in the future, but for me as artist I think it is something that makes me different from everyone else out of there. I think I write quality songs that are different, but have the common thread that they represent my world view and I think people can appreciate that uniqueness.

Was country the genre you were always drawn to and who are your musical influences?

I didn't grow up listening to country so I don’t necessarily have those influences. I discovered country music when I was a junior in high school. I would flip through the channels and listen to the country countdown on Sundays and I was like “hey I like these songs, there is good stuff here.” It was the 90's when Garth Brooks, George Strait and Alan Jackson were on the radio a lot. That’s when I fell in love with country music. I have a pretty broad mindset when it comes to music, I listen to and love all kinds, but I love country the best. A lot of people have told me they don't necessarily like country music, but they like my music and I like to think maybe that’s because I draw from so many influences and that somehow translates to my music and the listener.

What are your plans for the new year?

To just be huge. (laughing) I want to make a new record. I always want to be releasing new material every year and a half or so. I will keep playing both solo shows and with the band every weekend, which adds up to anywhere between 150-200 shows a year. The goal really is to build a nationwide fan base and to build on the exposure from XM radio and the Troubadour TX show. I have toured with Randy Rogers Band, Stoney LaRue and Wade Bowen, all big names in Texas market. My fantasy is to tour with the Zac Brown Band, we could call it the Zac and Zane show. 

I feel a kinship with Kacey Musgraves, Ashley Monroe and Charlie Worsham. Part of my goal is not to get pigeon hold as a Texas artist, but to ally myself with what I consider to be the good music coming out of Nashville. My strategy is to shoot for the big break and hope it works out, but in meantime to keep steadily building a fan base. I know that slow growth is something that I can count on if I work hard. You know, we are always shooting for big hit song and if we can do that great, but if not slow growth is cool with me because I get to make a living doing what I love to do. 

There aren't many people that have it better than I do. I know that with big names there is a pressure to record certain songs, not record certain songs and to have an image. I don’t have that kind of pressure on me. I write my songs and get to perform them. I like the guys in my band and we have fun. I know I have it pretty good, but like anybody, I am always trying to push to get better and reach for next level and hoping people hear my music.

What are you listening to now? 

Charlie Worsham. Right now Rubberband is my kind of album. It has catchy songs that still have substance and the production is modern but still country. I've got young kids and this is one cd they can listen to as well. We jam out to a lot of his music these days. My other favorite record is Randy Rogers Band Trouble. I have opened for them a fair bit and know them pretty well. To me, they are the kings of the Texas country music scene. They do that sound thing better than anyone else. They represent their own sound with songs that are consistently great. They don't pander to what anyone wants; they are just a great band. 

To learn more about Zane Williams & hear his terrific music visit www.zanewilliamsmusic.com
You can follow Zane on Twitter @ZaneTheSinger
Find Zane on Facebook