 Country-rocker Adam Rutledge recently released his EP Runway on June 22. The new project showcases Rutledge's first class songwriting, which caught the attention of country music hitmaker Phil Vassar through a connection with longtime Vassar collaborator, Jeff Smith. This resulted in Vassar taking the fellow Virginian under his wing as a management client and opening act. Runway was produced by Smith alongside Hunter Hayes' band leader Andy Sheridan (CharlieHorse Productions). The seven-song collection features fan-favorite singles “July,” “Rub A Little Dirt On It” and “Love Kickin’ In.” Here, Rutledge answers his Essential 8 and talks about the project, his musical mentors, and the concert that changed his life forever. Is there a story behind your album’s title? It ties into the lyrics of my first single "Love Kickin' In" ("It feels like a jet plane on a runway about to fly, fly..."), but I also felt like this was the starting point of my career and that hopefully it's about to takeoff! Why did you choose to anchor the album with the songs you did? Well, we had originally planned to only record five songs, but then "Hard To Be Happy For You" (Andy Sheridan, Justin Adams and Jared Slocum) popped up, and I loved it. I'd have to have been crazy to pass that opportunity up. I loved that song from the very first note. Such an honest lyric...Who hasn't had a relationship fall apart and then heard that the the other person is doing well or has moved on? That's hard to hear no matter how much you want those things for the person. We added "Curls" at the last second. Andy Sheridan (Producer) and I really liked that song. It's a sexy, playful song I wrote about my wife. She has really beautiful straight black hair, but this one night I was waiting in the living room to take her out, and she walked into the room with these beautiful curls in her hair and KNOCKED ME OUT! So much so that I had to write a song about it. With any particular song, was there an “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect? When we were recording overdubs for "Wherever The Night Takes Us," Andy Sheridan (Producer) had a last second idea to have pedal steel added to it. When we got the mix back with the pedal steel, I knew it was finished. It was the icing on the cake...scratch that, it was the cherry on top!  Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you?
There have been a few people along the way, but my dad for sure. He's been in bands for as long as I can remember. He was the church organist when I was growing up. He's always guided me...with advice, but also by example. I grew up on Lynyrd Skynyrd, KISS, all that classic rock stuff in a large part because of him. That's the stuff he listened to when I was around. That's the stuff he played in his bands. I remember going to see him play when I was very young. Seeing him play had a HUGE influence on me. Dave McDonald is another. He and I spent a lot of time together recording in Salem, Va. He produced "July" and "Rub A Little Dirt On It." I learned a TON from him about song structure, and recording, sonic space and all that stuff. Jeff Smith (Executive Producer) is another and the most recent. He and I worked very closely on this record. I leaned on him a lot throughout the process on what works and what doesn't. We both come from a rock 'n' roll background, so we knew what each other wanted to go for on this record. It's a pretty rock 'n' roll sounding record mixed by Patrick Thrasher. Big guitars, big drums, big vocals....We wanted the sound to fit in with what you hear on the radio, but not blend in. Thanks to Andy Sheridan (Producer), who's a little more on the pop side of things, I think we achieved that. Andy, Jeff and Patrick were a great team! I'm a lucky guy to have worked with them. Who would you love to collaborate with? I'll give you four....Keith Urban: He's the reason I got into country music. I love everything he puts out. Matt Ramsey from Old Dominion: I just love that band. Their writing is incredible...plus Matt is from the same area as me. Virginia boys! Slash: He's one of my favorite guitar players. He's just killer. Total package. Can play his butt off and looks great on stage. Dr. Dre: I would LOVE to work with him one day...even if just on one song. I would die! Favorite (or first) concert you have ever attended? First concert - Lynyrd Skynyrd. My dad took my brother and I to see them at the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, Va. It changed my life forever. Which song of yours gets the best crowd response? "Love Kickin' In." It doesn't seem to matter if it's someone's first time hearing it or seeing us or not. People dance and rock out to it. Is there a professional “bucket list” item you would love to check off? I want to headline my hometown civic center. The place where I went to see so many incredible concerts...KISS, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Elton John, Jason Aldean, Eric Church, etc. Website/Facebook/Twitter To purchase or stream, Runway, click here
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