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10 Questions with ... Aaron Watson
March 26, 2019
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Singer/songwriter Aaron Watson has built his career over 20 years, dozens of albums and more than 2,500 shows in the U.S. and Europe. The Texas native and owner of record company BIG Label has been called "one of country music's biggest DIY success stories" by Forbes. His history-making 2015 album, "The Underdog," debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, making him the first-ever independent, male country artist to debut in the chart's top spot. The follow-up, 2018's "Vaquero," debuted in the Top 10 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart and #2 on Top Country Albums, marking his biggest sales debut to date. His next project, "Red Bandana," is set for release on Friday, June 21st, with lead single "Kiss That Girl Goodbye" paving the way.
1. When did you launch BIG Label and why did you decide to go the independent, DIY route?
I've had a very interesting career path. In the beginning there was some interest from some major labels. I had one label fly me [in] and talk to me about making a record, and kind of the whole process of doing things. At the time, I had a band already touring around and I could just not understand the concept the labels were pushing at me of quitting the band and moving to Nashville and writing songs every day. In my mind, it made more sense to keep the band together, to continue touring and to experience a live show in front of those fans -- spreading your name and then making trips to Nashville to write. That was my suggestion. Like, "I don't want to quit the band. If I'm going to be the best artist I can be, I need to continue playing shows every week. I need to continue getting out there on that stage, in those lights, in front of those fans," and that's just not really the way things are done.
The first 10 years of my career I was independent out of pure necessity, pure survival. I was independent because that was the option for me to continue chasing my dream. I've always been proud of that. I don't think that signing a record deal is a bad thing, it's just never been a good thing for me, and that's just the way the cookie crumbles.
2. How much time do you spend in Nashville with your label team, or are you essentially running it from the road?
I don't really spend any time in Nashville, I just don't have time. My manager has been with me for coming up on 17 years, so we're a well-oiled machine. We have conference calls, but honestly, I surround myself with people who are smarter than me who can do their job better than I could ever do it. I don't have to worry about anything. I give them my ideas and my opinions, but at the end of the day, for them to be able to do their job, I gotta be able to trust them and put confidence in them.
I think a lot of people think that because of my song, "Fence Post," and because I'm a Texan, that I don't like Nashville. I love Nashville.
3. How many people are on your payroll now, between your label, band, and crew, and how do you feel about the responsibility of having that many people depending on your career?
Oh gosh, you know, there's a couple of dozen. Around 24 or 25 employees. It's at the point where I'm having trouble keeping it up [laughs]. Of course, we have some people that are part-time, but we've got two dozen people that are all about the Aaron Watson business 24/7. It is a great responsibility because they put their trust in me and I know that they're working hard for me so that I can take care of my family, and I have to work hard for them so that they can take care of their families. It's called teamwork. It takes all those little pieces inside that watch to make that clock go 'round. BIG Label Records, in the beginning, wasn't so big [laughs], but now our staff continues to grow and it's just getting more and more exciting every day.
4. We've heard of possible plans for BIG Label to sign other artists at some point. What qualities are you looking for in artists that would represent your label?
I think I'll know it when I hear it. I don't know that there's a style. There are several factors that separate what I think is something worth the time, and the effort, and money, and that's that the artists have heart and soul. Are they in it because they love music, because they have to write a song, because they have to sing, or are they just in it because they want to be famous? I hear that a lot, like, they just want to be famous. Well, I'm sorry. For me, that just doesn't cut it. That's shallow to me, and I think when the goin' gets tough, the people who want it just because they want to be famous are going to fold up. I want someone who has to do their art. I have to write my songs or I will go out of my mind. Painters gotta paint, writers gotta write. It's how you satisfy your soul.
When I sign that artist, that artist has to understand some things. If I'm going to invest my time, my effort, my money in you as an artist, then after every show, you're going to go hang out at the merch booth and you're going to sign autographs, and you're going to take selfies and you're going to talk to anyone and everyone. I tell people [at] every show, "I don't know if you know this, but when you bought that ticket, it came with a free hug, and you can redeem that hug at the end of the night. I'll be hanging out at the merch booth." I will hug anybody and just thank them for supporting my music.
I think that by touring for the last 20 years and putting out my own records, I have a lot of things that I can pass down to younger artists. But at the same time, there's still a lot of things out there for me to learn. I'm hungry and I'm passionate about music, and it is fixin' to get fun. I'll tell you right now, we are fixin' to shake things up.
5. It's no secret you're a big baseball fan. What similarities do you see between the game of baseball and the music industry?
So many. I mean ... So. Many. Comparisons. I always tell people that baseball is life. You have to understand a Hall of Fame hitter, he failed 70% of the time. That means seven out of 10 times he gets out. But then you understand that's just part of the game and you gotta just keep pluggin' away. [In] baseball, you keep stepping up to the plate and you keep on swingin' until you finally get a hit, and that's what we're doing with Country radio. I kinda feel like when I get up to the plate and I see that there's runners on second and third, I used to want to hit a little single that might score a few runs. Well now, I'm swinging for the fence. There's a different swagger.
I am so grateful for every little bit of success that we have because I have gone years without any of that. I understand how precious and few these moments are, so I'm tellin' ya, I've never been this excited. I mean, I've got more energy than a whole baseball team full of 18-year-old boys. I'm ready to go!
6. The title of your next album is "Red Bandana." What was your inspiration behind that title, and what can fans expect to hear when that album gets released in June?
It's a cowboy poem, actually. I was in Montana riding horseback with one of my heroes, Red Steagall. Red is a legendary cowboy poet and Country music singer, and is actually the one who discovered Reba [McEntire]. I was on vacation with Red and Reba, and I was just riding horse side next to Red, and he was just sharing his heart with me and giving me all this knowledge -- like granddads do. I got back that night to the ranch house we were staying and I started writing this song called, "Riding With Red," and then, on the album, it transitioned into this almost Country-Western, movie-theme sounding song, and that's the title track, "Red Bandana. I don't actually sing [on it]. I'm actually reading a poem and it's just epic, It's like something out of a movie.
7. "Red Bandana" has a long, 20-song track list of new music for your fans, and we understand you wrote the majority. Can you talk about what the songwriting process is like for you?
I dotted every I, crossed every T. The music, the melodies. In a world where everyone's putting out EPs I was like, "Nope. We're going to continue giving the fans more." There's literally 71 minutes worth of music on this record.
I tell people this: the Beatles had "Blackbird" and they also [wrote,] "Baby you can drive my car, beep beep, beep beep, yeah," and I love both those songs. Sometimes I'm in a "Blackbird" frame of mind where I just need to sit down, close my eyes and be in that moment. And sometimes I'm like roll the window down, out on the highway, turn up the fast-sung song. I'm having more fun than I've ever had and I just want to keep taking care of the fans that God has blessed me with. I want to keep growing my fan base. I just want to keep making music that makes a difference. It really was so fun making this record.
8. You recently completed your eighth international tour. Why is it important to you to develop fans overseas and how do those audiences respond to your music?
I'm a businessman, and fans are fans regardless of where they live. Part of it is [that], for all of these years, everybody always said, "Oh, he's just a Texas artist." When I hear that, I say, "Listen there, buddy. I'm a Texas artist, yes, and I play worldwide. If you call me a regional artist I can look at you and go, 'I am a regional artist ... you know, the region known as Earth. I've only played 42 states and 11 countries in the last three years. I guess I'm regional.'"
Country music is so American. It's an American pastime, like baseball. We go to these other countries and they love that part of our culture. The first time we went over there, all these people showed up and they all knew my songs and it completely blew me away. At that point right there I was like, "These people, they love us and we need to come see them." They're Country music fans and, as Country music artists, we need to take care of them.
I love to travel and it makes me look so good when I take my wife over to Europe. Our last U.K. tour last Fall I took [wife] Kimberly with me. After the band went back [home], I kept her there for four or five days at this fancy hotel and I took her shopping. I'll tell you what, I did so good. I have to make up for all the other times, so when I do good, I do real good.
9. Tell us about the inspiration behind your new single, "Kiss That Girl Goodbye," and why you ultimately decided on it as the single.
There was a girl in my merch line after one of my shows. She had mascara running down her face and her jerk boyfriend broke up with her at the show, and I was like, "I'm writing a song for that girl right there." I don't know the girl. She was just waiting in the merch line, and I don't know that I'd recognize her, honestly. I did put something out about that story and I had about two dozen girls say it was them. I'm not one to argue with any girls so, if that was you, then that was you. It's for all those girls who have dated that jerk. It happens way too often.
It's funny, people always ask me what's the biggest difference between being an independent artist and a major label artist and I say, "Well, here's the deal. If you're a major label artist you finish that album, the label has to make sure that they like it. It's their money. I get it, they've got to make sure this is something they can sell and, a lot of times, I'm sure they pick what your first single is going to be. Well, I'm an independent artist, and my eight-year-old daughter picked what my next single is going to be.' People ask me how I decided it was the one and I say, "My eight-year-old little girl was like 'Dad, this is the song' and I was like 'For real?' and she said 'Dad, I love it.'"
10. You have a lot going on with your music, but you're also a very involved dad and devoted husband. How do you balance your life at work and home?
It's tough to balance, but you have to do it because those kids, they're growing fast. Sometimes you walk away from opportunities because [the kids] are more important than anything. Sometimes you have those big offers come in for a show, but there's a ballet recital. There will be more offers, but there won't be more ballet recitals. You try to balance it out. I could be gone every day and make way more money, but I would just burn out and I wouldn't be happy. Honestly, if I'm gone more than three or four days, I become irritable and I start missin' my babies.
On my deathbed I won't be thinking about how many records I sold. I'm going to be thinking about memories I made with my family. I'm a Dad first, always. I'll go places with my kids and people will say, "Oh, dude, you're a Country singer " and I say, "Not today. This is Daddy."
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