Celebrity Travel: Go Away With Russell Dickerson
Musician Russell Dickerson says one of the perks of touring is getting to explore. "I've learned so much about history on my travels, even to smaller towns around America," says the Nashville resident. "Whenever we pull into a new city, we usually look up a little history on that place. It's cool to learn why this town came to be, like was it coal or oil or a certain good that made this city what it is today? I've definitely been getting some history lessons." Dickerson, who is part of the Summer Plays On Tour with Lady Antebellum and Darius Rucker -- is promoting his album "Yours" and his single, "Blue Tacoma." Fans may follow him on Twitter (https://twitter.com/russelled), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/russelled) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/russelled).
Q. Where have you heard country singers perform where you thought, "Wow, they sound like they're from Nashville"?
A. We've been to the United Kingdom quite a bit in the last couple years and there are some awesome artists making a name for themselves over there. I remember playing the Nashville Meets London festival and one of the artists really caught my ear. It was super cool to hear our Nashville sound on a completely different continent!
Q. How did growing up in Tennessee affect your musical choices? And was there a period in your childhood when you thought you wanted to pursue a different genre of music?
A. Being born in a rural West Tennessee town definitely had a lot to do with my musical inspiration, but moving to Nashville at 10 and growing up around so many different genres definitely had a big effect on the music I create as well. So in high school we started a heavy rock band -- you know, as any teen would -- and that has definitely had a huge influence on my stage presence. There's no better feeling than going out on stage and just giving the crowd every single ounce of my energy to try and put on the best live show they've ever been to.
Q. Where was your first professional gig away from home?
A. It was a NASCAR event in Charlotte, N.C., and me and my band were so hyped we got to play for more than 100 people. I remember there being a huge crowd and we were all just so pumped to be playing music together. I think we maybe got $500 to play. At the time, we had no van or trailer or anything, so I had to rent it all and probably went $300 in the hole just to drive eight hours there and back to play this festival. Livin' the dream, baby!
Q. Do you find that you are able to create new music on the road?
A. I love writing on the road! It's a whole different head space out here, because writing in Nashville, it's like, "All right, let's wrap up this bridge. I gotta stop by Trader Joe's on the way home before dinner." But out here on the road, it's like we're out here for this exact purpose. I'll bring writers out on my bus and we'll just write all day until it's time for Meet & Greet, play the show, and then come back and vibe out on the demo of the song we wrote or start something fresh. It definitely feels a lot lower pressure writing on the road, which makes for better songs anyways.
Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?
...continued
(c) 2018 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
