Music is experiencing an ever-increasing shortage of true badasses. Luckily, Eric Church is battling that trend. Recently, the 34-year-old has been tearing up the country music charts. In July, his third studio album, Chief, reached number one on both the Top Country Albums and the Billboard 200 chart. Church also won the Academy of Country Music Award this year for Top New Solo Vocalist. He has toured with Jason Aldean and is currently touring with Toby Keith as part of the “Locked and Loaded” tour, which will be stopping at the Comcast Center on September 17th.
Church’s style is simplistic, and he tells it like it is. There are no sappy love songs or stories of old break-ups. Songs such as “Smoke A Little Smoke” and “Drink In My Hand” are straightforward anthems to his favorite things. Lyrics such as “Doctor says I gotta quit/Get on the wagon and off of them damn cigarettes/But they ain’t killed me yet,” show his trademark resilience and uncompromising style. His live performances are just as authentic as his recordings. Church shows he’s the real deal by pounding beers onstage and firing supersoakers into the first few rows of the crowd. The king of the modern badasses recently talked to the Mass Media about his new record and his upcoming performance in MA.
“Chief” blows all of your previous works away. How do you explain this big of a leap from your last album?
I had like six weeks off from touring, and we wanted to figure out what was next for us. This is the fourth record of my career. I decided we needed to make a record that was absolutely fearless, and it needed to sound like a live show. There were no rules when we made this record. We let the creative process blossom, and by not trying to do too much to it, it really came out awesome. We did a lot of it live, and whatever mistakes were made we threw them in there.
You’ve been touring relentlessly lately. How did all of those shows impact your album?
The reason the record sounds the way it does is because we’ve played so much. It almost sounds like a set list, and the way each song relates to the next one is really good. Touring takes its biggest toll on the songwriting process. After a show, I’m usually spent. It’s hard to be creative when you’re that tired.
You’ve been a supporting act all summer on the “My Kinda Party” and the “Locked and Loaded” tours. Do you think it might be time to go out on a headline tour?
We’re going out in January for a headline tour. The way the record rose to number one was a good indicator for us. The fans spoke up and said we’re in a group of artists that can go out and headline. It’ll be great to be able to do more than a 45-minute set and to play as many songs as we want.
What do you think of the country scene in Boston? How do the fans compare to Nashville, Atlanta, and other traditional spots?
It’s been one of the best places for us! The passion the people in Boston have for their sports teams is the same for their music. They match the passion that I have on stage. We’ve played some great places in Boston like Showcase Live and the Paradise a few times.
What are your favorite tracks to play?
Obviously “Smoke a Little Smoke” makes the crowds explode. I love playing the new stuff. “Creepin'” has been incredible, [as well as] “Springsteen” and “Drink In My Hand.” It’s been such a huge record as far as catching on quickly. [With] the last two records we had to wait a while before crowds were asking for the songs, but people have already been screaming for the new songs so fast that we haven’t been able to work them in fast enough. We’re playing more of the Chief record right now than any of our [other] records.
Are you as much of a badass in real life as you are in your songs?
Most of it is a stage thing. I’m actually pretty laid back. When the fans come to shows and they’ve been working a job all week, they want to lose their mind and go nuts. That’s how I am on stage. I think if I were different in real life, I wouldn’t be like that on stage.
After the crowd gets going, I black out and basically do stupid stuff and go crazy.
Tickets are still available for the “Locked and Loaded” tour stop at the Comcast Center featuring Church and Toby Keith September 17th.
Visit www.ericchurch.com for more information and to purchase “Chief.”