Jaryd Lane: Press

On his MySpace page, Jaryd Lane describes his musi...
On his MySpace page, Jaryd Lane describes his music as "country/blues/acoustic." The line could simply say "storyteller." The title cut of Lane’s new CD, Riding For The Brand, is the touching story of a hard-working cowboy, who is taken out by cancer but still lives on in spirit over the land he once worked. A hopeless couple argues over money, groceries, rent and more until they count their blessings in What are We Fighting For? After one too many sleepless nights, a girl packs her bags as she chooses between her whiskey-filled boyfriend and San Antone.
For Lane, music is a means of telling good stories.
"I'm a story guy, songs that hit home for people," said Lane, who lives in Kaplan. "I just really love music. I like everything from writing to composing, entertaining, singing. I'm not just here to say, 'Look at me. I got a guitar and can sing.'
"I'd be very happy without a person knowing what I look like. That's not why I'm doing it. I enjoy making music and giving it to people.
"You always get feedback and everybody likes something different."
Lane braces for more feedback on his new 12-song, all original CD, Riding for the Brand. A CD release party will be held tonight at Grant Street Dancehall. Mike Dean performs as the opening act.
CDs are available at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Lafayette and Baton Rouge, Abbeville Record Shop and online his revamped Web site, jarydlane.com.
Riding for the Brand is the follow-up to Lane's 2005 debut, Country Boy Sessions. That all original CD made him the top selling local artist at the Lafayette Barnes & Noble store.
Country Boy Blues, a song from that CD, became a No. 1 request on Lafayette country station KXKC. It finished No. 8 in the station's Top 100 songs for 2006.
Country Boy Blues and What are We Fighting For return with a full band on the new CD. Other songs include a salute to cowboy-chasing, boot-cut wearing babes in God Bless the Country Girl and joys of Deuce, Deuce Red Man Chew after a hard day in the field.
A visit back to a home shared with an ex- inspires I Use to Love There.
Lane says his stories come from everyday life, listening to conversations and other styles of music. He counts George Strait, James Taylor, Otis Redding, and Sam Cooke among his diverse influences.
Lane feels the CD will appeal to country music fans and beyond.
"It's not straight-up country. But the things we touch on, it's got real country flavor to it.
"Some of the songs have a bluesy flavor. We have two acoustic songs. It's not an overproduced project by any means.
"I like that it has a real raw sound. Hopefully it doesn't sound like anything out there. I wouldn't say I'm the best singer in the world. But the kind of songs I sing, it works for me. I don't think I'm the American Idol type."
Lane's music has allowed hip to open for Billy Currington, Edwin McCain, Sammy Kershaw and John Conlee. His MySpace page has enjoyed 50,000 hits and growing almost everyday.
"To me one of the coolest things about it is we have a cool male audience. You want to really touch everybody and obviously the females are going to like certain songs. I always try to write songs for the guys too.
"Riding for the Brand has been one of those songs. Country Boy Blues and The Wrangler have too, and Working Man's Paradise. Even though it's Working Man's Paradise, a woman can relate to it just as much. That's the thing about country music.
"You really listen to the story in it. It's about a working person." - Herman Feuselier

With his million-dollar voice and solid songs, it’s a shame that Jaryd Lane hasn’t been snapped up by Nashville. If the country music record labels had any sense, they’d offer him a deal solely on the strength of “San Antone,” a song that pulls off openhearted honesty, great lyrics (“What she said cut me like glass”) and a catchy radio-ready hook. The well-written narrative perfectly complements his voice, getting tons of mileage just by the way he sings the hook of “take the whiskey and I’ll take San Antone.” Lane’s deep pipes have a sight twang rounded out with the robustness of a Southern rock star or a George Strait. – Nick Pittman

"A Legend In The Making"
Now that we are all fully recovered from the madne...
Now that we are all fully recovered from the madness that is Mardi Gras, it’s about time to get ready for the stress of homework and exams. I didn’t notice much new music over the break. I may of missed something, but what can I say, I took a break for Mardi Gras too. A great way to relax in between cramming is to check out a local artist by the name of Jaryd Lane. Lane is a Louisiana native who plays at many bars and clubs around the Southern Louisiana area, and his popularity is growing to a national level. He is the best known local country artist in Acadiana, and is popular for a reason: This man has a vast amount of talent. His new CD “Riding For The Brand” is now available from Barnes N’ Noble, The Abbeville Record Shop or as a download from his Web site. The album has 10 new tracks, two re-released tracks from “Country Boy Sessions” and runs for approximately 45 minutes. When I first sampled his CD it sounded nothing like a local artist; it sounded more like a country veteran. The music is enjoyable to listen to even for a die-hard indie rocker like me. I personally think Jaryd is going to hit it big withing the next year or so. His first album, “Country Boy Sessions” was released in 2005. The CD has been steadily selling out in local music stores. His powerful vocals and pleasing guitar work are most likely to blame. His voice is articulate and clear and his lyrics are very genuine. Jaryd released the single “San Antone” to local country radio stations in December and it has been highly requested ever since. His second album was not available in until Feb. 16. That Friday he performed with Drew Zaunbrecher at Barnes N’ Noble and held a CD release party at Grant St. Dance Hall on Feb. 23. Jaryd has his own website, www.jarydlane.com which is very polished, professional and easy to navigate. In the biography page, he has a description that perfectly describes his music. “In a style that varies from Skynyrd grit to acoustic country and blues, Jaryd touches hard working fun loving people with songs about love, sin, God, and family – with lyrics that speak to everyday people about everyday life.” He is a very down-to-earth guy and he has a personality that tells you he grew up in the South. Hospitality and humility are words that came to mind when I met him. I was present for the performance at Barnes N’ Noble, and it was spectacular, but the audience was a bit different than what Jaryd was used to. The crowd at this performance was either too young to get into his usual venues or too old to go to a bar. Nonetheless, he played his heart out to a very excited and grateful crowd. The first track on “Riding For The Brand” is called “God Bless The Country Girl.” This song is a great opener for the album. It’s a tribute to all the country girls out there and how they drive guys like Jaryd crazy. It’s a very catchy song, and if I didn’t know he was a local artist I would automatically assume it was a national hit. A song that was released on his previous album, “Country Boy Blues” is on this release as well. The recording is very polished and true to life. It tells of a cowboy’s blues. I catch myself humming the chorus to myself while at work: “Hey, cowboy tell me what ya trying to prove. Ya don’t need no fame and fortune to make this woman love you.” He has may other powerful and heartfelt songs on this album. It is difficult for me to choose a favorite, but ones I recommend are “Working Man’s Paradise”, “San Antone”, “Bonafied Countryfied” and the deeply emotional “I Used To Love There.” Jaryd’s music is simply amazing. It makes me want to trade in my plastic black rimmed glasses and sweater for cowboy hat and boots. – Michael Mouton

"Riding Louisiana roots to Nashville"
In the opening line of his song Honky Tonk Angel, Jaryd Lane sings "I was raised on ol' Haggard, Jesus, & etoufee." At first, Lane was afraid a national country audience wouldn't know what etoufee was. But he decided to leave the word in, just to let the world know south Louisiana is his home-always was, always will be. "I thought maybe that was too much," said Lane "but that's who I am and that's what made me. I definitely dont' want to disown that. We try to touch on the whole south La. thing. I love zydeco and Cajun, but that's not what we're going for. But you try to find the words where people will say, 'Oh yeah, that's the south La. guy.' but at the same time, not the Cajun artist." Lane serves his acoustic country music with a Louisiana flavor on his debut CD, Country Boy Sessions. The 11-song disc features all original songs with the exception of Baton Rouge. Lane hits on a gumbo of familiar themes, ranging from mother, making up, breaking up, sin, Jesus, family and more on originals like That Woman Tried, Promise Land, Ain't No Love and What I Call Home. Country Boy Blues has already started recieving ariplay on KXKC 99.1 FM. Lane said his sounds have been influenced by Jim Croce, James Taylor, Ray Charles, Travis Tritt and others. Lane opened for Edwin McCain in a gig at Grant St. Dance Hall in summer of '05. "The main purpose was to get it out there and create a buzz, I'm very happy with the way it turned out" said Lane, winner of the 2004 Louisiana Blues Challenge. "I'm a huge fan of music, especially the stories told in the songs, songs that people can really relate to. Music is more of a way of life to me than just a song."

"One of Southern Louisiana's next Big Stars"
While traveling through Southern Louisiana, we stopped at a local County Fair to see Platinum Country Star, Billy Currington. The Cajun Hot Sauce Festival had all sorts of things for the locals to see and taste. Fantastic local favorites like Fried Catfish, Pulled Pork dripping with locally made BBQ sauce that made your mouth water just smelling it.

Southern Beauties wandering around in their cut-off Daisy Dukes and those real Cowboys, not the type you see at the yearly Hank Williams Jr. concert. No, these boys looked liked they lived on a horse and actually made Boot Cut Wranglers look good.

Local Fairs are always fun people watching, but what surprised me most, was the opening band. We had never heard of him and hadn’t even planned on watching him; we had come to see the headliner.

That was till he took the stage and we started hearing his mesmerizing voice. We fought our way through the crowd of screaming girls and went behind the stage where we could really see him work the whipped up crowd.

I asked a security guard who he was and why the women were going so crazy? Cindy slapped me on the back of my bald head saying “Have you looked at him, He’s Smoking Hot!!” The security guard said he was a local boy, and has a few number one songs on the local country stations.

The local girls naturally love him for his good looks and deep southern drawl. It was at that time when he sang one of his songs off his newest album that Cindy and I looked at each other and said “This is that song!” We had heard a song on the radio a few days earlier and had wrote down the artist saying, “We have to get this CD.”

For the next hour, we sat there listening to one of the best performances we’ve ever heard. Being in the entertainment business, we’ve seen a lot of shows, and this young country star knows how to play the crowd.

Jaryd Lane introduced his band, let them take a break mid-way through the show, and sat on a stool singing a few songs acoustic for the first 10 rows of screaming girls. Jaryd brought the band back on stage and brought the house down all the time making it look like he’s been doing this for years.

After the show, he came backstage and gave Cindy and I a few minutes of his time. He sat talking to us like we were old friends. Even though he had hundreds of girls screaming for an autograph and a chance to get a picture with him, he sat talking to us and even gave us both of his CD’s to listen to.

It wasn’t till a few days later that I realized how talented this young guy is. Jaryd Lane’s new album, Riding For The Brand is amazing!! From the first song to the last, it blends sounds of the southern rock from Lynyrd Skynyrd, a little Stone Temple Pilots acoustic, a young George Strait and his own addictive sounds to make one of the best albums I’ve heard in years.

If you’d like to hear some fantastic music, check out his website to see where you can buy his CD. www.jarydlane.com or at www.myspace/jarydlane.com

Back to the Cajun Hot Sauce Festival in Louisiana where after we heard the opening band, we sort of forgot about the headliner. It’s rare to see a show, and walk out more impressed with the little guy who was supposed to get you hyped up for the main event. Maybe it’s time to move Jaryd Lane up to the Headliner.

PS. On a side note, a few days later we were driving through Arkansas on our way to another event; flipping through the channels, and who do we hear but Mr. Jaryd Lane on NPR’s Prairie Home Companion, singing one of his acoustic melodies. Maybe this local boy is bigger than we thought!

"Hard Work and Hard Partying: Music From Cattle Country"
Back when Fort Collins was as much a cow town as a college town, when most people still called CSU “A&M,” country-western music and country dancing were a staple of local clubs and local radio. While it remains a great music town, it is bigger and more diverse, and seems to believe that country music is either out of date or too massaged by the producers of look-alike, sound-alike artists. At the same time, the West of ranching has shrunk as developers have thrown up McMansions and condos, med centers and retail space, on bare pastures between the feedlots and the gravel pits. I myself haven’t been a fan in years.

But one evening in late April, getting ready to go to the symphony, I heard a country singer/songwriter on Prairie Home Companion.

The song was, “What Are We Fighting For,” about a young man in the middle of one of those no-reason-for-it wrangles that bubble over from a combination of not much money, a couple of kids, an aging truck, a fritzy television, and too much work. It sounded so real, and so loving, that you could imagine he’d written it after she’d stomped out in tears, and gone down to her mother’s. It was rivetting.

I wrote down the name, Jaryd Lane, and later looked up his website, (http://jarydlane.com/),, listened to the generous group of songs streamed on the site, and bought his CD, Riding for the Brand, on a tiny Nashville label, Treehouse Music Group. It arrived in a few days, in an envelope with a hand-written address and a Kaplan, Louisiana postmark.

The music business generally hasn’t caught on that CD sales are dropping because so many feature only a couple of good tunes worth downloading, instead of enough to make full purchase worthwhile. This was different: ten good to outstanding songs, two lesser ones. Nearly all of them are celebrations of country life, even its hard times, and especially its hard partying when the work is done.

Right out front comes an anthem, Thank God for Country Girls, to the charm of blue-jeaned and booted, honky-tonking girls from coast to coast. There are some great dance tunes: Bonafide Countryfied, a salute to the good luck of people who get to stay home and farm, rather than go off to college. It features a quotable refrain that made me laugh, “If we go off the deep end on the weekend, that’s all right…” Then a rollicking un-PC hymn to 22 ounce bottles of beer and chewing tobacco (Deuce, Deuce, Red Man Chew); and Working Man’s Paradise, about the pleasures of a tall cool one at the end of a tough day. Besides What Are We Fighting For, there’s a second great ballad (San Antone) about the loss of a woman whose parting line is—before she spins out of the driveway and his life-- “…as long as you keep that bottle I’ll be gone…”

Song after song, Lane seemed to be relishing high times, lost love and the sustaining power of love, missed connections, and fond memories, including the title song, an elegy to a cowboy who asked nothing that he didn’t demand of himself. It all had the ring of truth, not a slick effects-powered synthesis of country, but the real deal, in a smooth Southern baritone integrated with a small, close, practiced ensemble.

On a cold October day, I was with a group of friends, driving back across the Plains, and passed the CD forward to the driver. The group was blown away by it. On the dance tunes, we tapped toes to two-step rhythms—blue-jeaned and booted, though two of us were grey-haired, and all of us a long way from being girls. A couple of us teared up on San Antone, remembering our own departures from men who drank. “Who is this guy? Why haven’t I heard him on the radio? He’s terrific. Why not at Avo’s, or the Aggie?”

Beats me, except that he isn’t local in the geographical sense, though he may be in the spirit of the town it once was. Anyway, I thought I’d ask.

Lane turns out to be 29, and, like so many young musicians, struggling. He calls me from home in Kaplan, Louisiana, the state’s premier cattle country along the Vermilion River. The place is geographically, as well as musically, about halfway between New Orleans and Houston. His family has lived there for generations, and he makes his home there with wife Tracy and baby son Cole. The town has produced several well-known musicians (the Kershaws, Cedric Benoit), and, because it’s known as the gateway to Cajun country, he’s jokes that a singer from there is expected to turn up with an accordion.

He fell in love with music in his teens, sneaking through the back doors of local bars to play with what tended to be barn bands, rather than garage bands--first with drums, then adding guitar. His influences were many, including Jim Croce, James Taylor, and George Strait. He went off to Louisiana State to study architecture, switched to music, and absorbed new influences, as he moved further toward songwriting and arranging.

After a self-produced CD, Country Boy Sessions, he hooked up with Treehouse. His gigs are mostly local, and so is what radio play he’s getting. He clearly knows more about musicianship than about marketing. In a cowboy hat and an embroidered shirt, he mostly wears work clothes, conceding only to a pair of well-shined boots. Balding, with forearms like trees, he can’t be packaged as pretty, nor would he be inclined to try. He wants to stay with what feels right to him, in a tough business with other ideas. Here’s hoping he sticks to it.