THE UNDERDOG: Aaron Watson decided to remain independent and stick to the style of music he preferred. He is now enjoying his best success yet.

By Geoffrey Rowlands


It’s been two and a half years since Aaron Watson released his last album. “Real Good Time” was comfortably the Texas native’s biggest hit. It peaked at number 81 on the Billboard 200 and number nine on the Top Country Albums chart.
But this pales in comparison to the success 37-year-old Aaron is currently enjoying with his newly released 12th album, “The Underdog.” The record stands at number 14 on the Billboard 200 and has stormed straight to pole position on the Top Country Albums chart. It also holds top spot on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart.
“I’m very grateful to have so many people appreciate my music,” Aaron smiled. “It wasn’t always like this so my success now makes everything all the sweeter.”
The album title could hardly be more appropriate. Aaron has always been something of an underdog since releasing his self-titled debut album in 1999. A singer/songwriter who played country music in the Texas honky tonk tradition, Aaron’s material was largely out of step with the pop-influenced sounds that dominated the country genre.
“I was never concerned about selling massive numbers of records. Sure, it would have been nice. But I played the kind of music I loved to people who shared my musical passion. The numbers may not have been particularly large but everyone had a great time.”
His concert venues on the rodeo and dancehall circuit gradually became bigger as Aaron’s brand of spurs and stetson songs attracted an ever increasing audience. There was the possibility of a major label record deal. The tale of this is told in the lyrics of Fence Post, track 14 on “The Underdog.”
“I basically had the suits on Nashville’s Music Row tell me I’d never make it on a national level if I didn’t radically change my style. I don’t feel upset or bitter about what happened. If I did, I’d have written a song about it long before now. But it’s a story I wanted to tell in the hope of inspiring others to stay true to their dreams even if important people say they need to change.”
Aaron’s refusal to compromise saw him continue as an independent artist. Deprived of record company backing, he was left to do everything himself.
“I do have the help of my manager. Essentially though, I write and record the songs, arrange my own tours, do my own promotion, design my own album artwork, you name it, I pretty much do it. But I don’t regret remaining independent. I could either adapt my sound to fit mainstream values or stay true to myself. It was an easy decision.”
Despite his love for the traditional styles of country music, Aaron has the utmost respect for those who push the musical boundaries.
“Sam Hunt’s album, ‘Montevallo,’ is probably the most un-country record I’ve ever heard in the country charts. But I own the record, it’s a great album. My record is incredibly country in comparison. But that’s okay, there is room in country music for ‘Montevallo’ and ‘The Underdog.’ It wouldn’t be right if everything sounded the same.”
The graph of his career has been ever upward as each tour and album has been bigger than the last. But the possibility of a flop album is Aaron’s one concern as an independent artist.
“Response to ‘The Underdog’ has been nothing short of remarkable. But I’m always conscious about creating top notch songs for my next album. I already have the basic concept and lots of ideas for new songs. As an independent artist though, you’re pretty much only as good as your next album. We only continue to live by putting out quality records.”

in
brief

Yumi Zouma

“We haven’t heard that one,” laughed Yumi Zouma singer Kim Pflaum when asked if her band had ever been confused with Chelsea’s French defender Kurt Zouma.
Just as Kurt has attracted acclaim for the quality of his performances on the football field, so Yumi Zouma have received a generally positive response to their dreampop musical output.
Kim and her bandmates, Charlie Ryder and Josh Burgess, shared a house in the New Zealand city of Christchurch until it was destroyed in the 2011 earthquake. This was the catalyst for Charlie moving to France and Josh to America. But the trio retained their musical connection via the Internet creating tracks through file sharing.
Their self-titled four-song debut EP was released around this time last year. It can be heard in full at (no www.) soundcloud.com/yumizouma. Three of the five songs on their newly released “EP II” are also posted here.
The video for lead single, Catastrophe, can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSX3_qTcQEM
Created by the Brooklyn-based collective BANGS, it is “the first of a two-part film about a fictional small town where people are shaken from their foundations by some out-of-this-world activities.”

Carly Rae Jepsen

Apart from Good Time, her collaboration with Owl City, Canadian singer/songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen has struggled to find significant chart success since her 2011 world-wide smash with Call Me Maybe.
This could be about to change thanks to the forthcoming release of Carly’s next single, I Really Like You. The song is already being hailed as a can’t miss summer anthem to which everyone will be dancing and singing along.
A video, which reportedly features Justin Bieber and actor Tom Hanks, has been filmed but is not yet available to view on YouTube. However, an audio posting of the song can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=77PzXCKDyVQ

Three Days Grace

Canadian rock quartet Three Days Grace issue their fifth studio album, “Human,” on March 31. This is 364 days after the release of lead single, Painkiller.
The long delay is explained by the band having only recorded about half of the album when Painkiller was released. Adam Gontier had quit Three Days Grace more than a year earlier but replacement vocalist Matt Walst, who had toured with them after Adam’s departure, was only confirmed as an official member five days before the single was issued. The idea was to offer fans a new song featuring Matt’s voice.
Unconventional as the process may have been, it certainly worked. Painkiller became their eleventh number one on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. This was followed later last year by second single, I Am Machine, which also topped the chart.
A lyric video for Painkiller is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfwVB7ePMZQ while the official video for I Am Machine can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zx6RXGNISk

Faith No More

Many fans of American rockers Faith No More expected the band to record new material when, after an 11-year break, they reformed in 2009 for “The Second Coming Tour.” When that didn’t happen and lead singer Mike Patton suggested their reunion had “sort of petered out,” it seemed that 1997’s “Album of the Year” would forever remain Faith No More’s last recorded output.
But they reunited again for a concert last summer during which two new songs were played. This naturally led to speculation about a new album with confirmation coming in September that the band was recording new material.
The fruits of their labour can be heard on Faith No More’s seventh studio album, “Sol Invictus,” which is set for release in May. A promotional track was issued late last year. It can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=glr878X82PE
The first official single, Superhero, is available now. It is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKP98hDBJ8w