By Jennifer Litz
Editor
June 1, 2007

Southern country rocker Randy Rogers has a lot going for him: Just a Matter of Time, his first album released on major Mercury Nashville label, has been getting airplay on CMT and spurred a nationwide tour. He’s also about to embark on an acoustic tour with fellow friend and musician Wade Bowen. And Rogers is set to marry his longtime girlfriend on July 28 (so expect more songs about that holy sacrament—and its colorful interludes). We caught up with Rogers right before an early June appearance at Blaine’s pub.

How did the upcoming acoustic tour with Wade Bowen come about?

We’ve been buddies for a long time, three years ago is when we started the acoustic thing. I try not to play any acoustic during the year, except for this tour. I try and keep it just me and Wade. He and I are real good buddies—kinda show fans a different side. It’s our own songs that we’ve written acoustically through the years; sometimes we collaborate with each other, sometimes do cover songs people like to hear. We try to keep it fresh.

It’s just me and Wade on the stage—no real difference from the other tours [in terms of cost of touring, or amount of props]; we still like to have a PA and everything; we just trade off songs and stories back and forth…

It’s all the same, lots of highway miles, just a different vibe.

Sounds kind of like VH1 “Storytellers.”

Yeah, exactly like that. I just think that—if you’re a fan of the music, you’d like to understand why someone wrote a song.

For example, there’s a song called “Lay it All on You,” which Wade and I wrote together: we basically got together one afternoon where I started, by Cheatham Street Warehouse [in San Marcos]. He and I wrote that day in the little bitty songwriters room that’s across from Cheatham Street. It was the first time we collaborated together. It turned out really well, and it spawned our friendship. I think that story is pretty well-received.

Since signing with Mercury, in interviews, you’ve said the big label hasn’t made you change your sound: you haven’t “sold out.” So, what is different now that you’re with Mercury Nashville?

Well, we’re getting airplay on CMT and GAC, that’s a new thing for us—it’s a very interesting thing, kinda scary, kinda freaks you out. That’s the big difference. Just recently, we’ve been touring nationally: we were touring all over the country last fall and the spring, and that’s a big difference.

What does your family think of your increasingly high-profile gig?

They’re just proud and happy for us. We’ve been doing this a long time: seven years. It’s nothing that happened overnight. They’re pleased. As far as feeling like we’ve accomplished anything, I don’t feel like we’ve accomplished anything yet, we’ve achieved national coverage to some extent, but no Top 10 hits, so I feel like there’s still a lot of work to be done…

What would make you feel like you’ve “accomplished something?’

National airplay; Top 10 Billboard singles, without having to conform. I’d like to keep on plugging away, doing our own thing, and drawing attention to our music.

I’ve read a review of your new album that cites some of your early influences as Nirvana and Pearl Jam. What are the rest of your musical influences?

Well, they were a small part, in high school: As far a singer-songwriters, Merle Haggard, Don Edwards, Wayland, Billy Joe Shaver. I’ve met Billy Joe Shaver, been lucky enough to do several shows with him throughout the years. He’s a sweetheart.

What is the band’s songwriting process like, for both lyrics and music?

Typically, I don’t start writing until I have a decent melody in my head—the melody drives the song. I don’t get into it until the bass, foundation, melody and rhythm [are in place]…I write songs and bring them to the table, and if the band likes them, good; if not, they veto it—sometimes you sit down to write lyrics, other times, someone says something, and you ask if you can write a song about that.

You’ve said in an interview that Country Music is still about “loving, losing, leaving, and drinking.” Do you have—or plan—any off-the-wall songs, like about food, or anything of that nature?

That’s a good question…like Guy Clark, who has that song “Texas Cookin’ ”; he’s a legendary Texas singer-songwriter…[I don’t write any lyrics that are] off-the-wall, like I said earlier in that story you read. I keep things similar to traditional things that people can relate to. I can’t think of a topic I could write about that someone wouldn’t be able to relate to.

How did you meet all your band members (Brady Black, Les Lawless, Geoffrey Hill, and Jon Richardson)?

We all met around, 2000, 2001; I was attending Southwest Texas, and some of the other band members were too, living in and around San Marcus, playing in different bands. That’s how we forged our friendship. The country band I had originally played guitar with and sang harmony for, pretty much everyone in that band had moved on, and then within a year I found the four guys.

I’m sure you all get along well…any interesting stories from the road?

We usually don’t talk about that…no, we’ve been busted up and broken down on the side of the highway several times, stuck without rides for several days, lived a lot on the road. Nothing that a couple of fist fights won’t fix. It’s a band of brothers, eight or nine guys on the road together. There are bound to be a few fights—sometimes men just need to get it out of their system.

What’s next? Are you all already working on material for a new album?

We’ve been writing songs basically since the new one came out; we went back to the studio in the fall to make another record. Still with Mercury. It’s the same sound; Randy Foster’s gonna come in and produce it for us, nothing should change. It’s very simple working with him; it’s a dream come true. He’s a great guy, good at what he does.

What are your favorite places to play?

Floore’s Country Store in San Antonio and Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth are just legendary hot spots that have been around for a long time. You feel like you’re accomplishing something [by playing there].

And I heard there was an addition to the band?

We actually had two babies; the guitar player had a boy and our drummer had a girl.

So you all are becoming honorary uncles.

Yeah, I think so, we’ve been bestowed that duty.