Cherry Festival Music

June 29, 2008

The National Cherry Festival and its Bay Side Entertainment Stage has had a history of bringing some of country music’s up-and-coming stars (Trick Pony, Kenny Chesney and Kellie Pickler), and this year is no exception. To kick off the eight-day festival Julianne Hough (Dancing With The Stars champion) and The Lost Trailers will take the stage Saturday, July 5. Country-rocker James Otto will perform Monday, July 7.
Here’s a look at who’s performing this week. Check next week’s Express for acts performing at the Cherry Fest July 8-12.

The Lost Trailers

Established in 2000 when vocalist Ryder Lee and lead guitarist Jeffery “Stokes” Nielson met in a church band and began writing songs together. They eventually assembled fellow band mates bass player Andrew Nielson, drummer Jeff Potter and rhythm guitarist Manny Medina and made their public debut at the famous Willie Nelson Fourth of July Backyard BBQ.
After eight years on the road and semi-success in the studio, the band has hit it big on the country charts with their current release Holler Back, and the CD title song has climbed to number 20 on the Billboard Country single charts.
“I think the whole concept behind Holler Back is that we put together songs that have meaning and lasting quality,” said Ryder Lee. “But we also incorporated fun into our songs, which is reflective of our live show, and I think is an equally important element to songwriting.”
Still in high school when they met, Nielson and Ryder began sending out demos and one found its way to Willie Nelson.
“Of course we were floored to get this opportunity. But we learned something that day, performing in front of a crowd of 15,000,” said Nielson. “We learned that by putting on a great show, you build a fan base, and if you put on a great show night after night and you earn those fans early, they will stay fans for life. Look at Willie -- he puts on a great show every night and is good to his fans -- and that is what we are striving for.”
Nelson was so impressed with The Lost Trailers that he brought them on the road with him, introducing them to legions of his fans.
As for the name, it started as a joke when the band’s first equipment trailer was stolen. But when a second and third equipment trailer was also stolen, the name seemed more prophetic as well as appropriate.
“After that third trailer we were pretty down and out -- maybe not ready to throw in the towel, but close,” said Nielson. “But ultimately, going through hard times together has helped to define who we are individually and as a band.”
As for the success of their current album, Holler Back, the band took some advice from Kenny Chesney.
“We took six months off to make this record,” said Ryder. “We haven’t taken that much time off the road in six years. Kenny told us when we were touring with him that in order to be successful in the studio, we had to put as much energy into our songwriting and recording as we do on stage. We poured all of that energy that would have gone into performing live, and put it on this record.”
So now that they have hit the country charts in a big way and have gone more than four years without losing an equipment trailer, is a name change in order?
“No way,” laughs Ryder. “The name has so many meanings. we will be The Lost Trailers forever. It is a part of who we are, and everything we have done for the last seven years has led to this record.”
His band mate and buddy Stokes Nielson agrees.
“Despite all we have been through, we have stuck together through thick and thin. This album is a testament to that,” said Nielson. “Every time we would get down, we would keep reminding ourselves that we needed just one chance to show the world what we could do. Now it looks like that chance has finally arrived.”

Julianne Hough
Joining The Lost Trailers will be Julianne Hough. The aspiring country singer is already an international superstar, not as a singer but as a dancer, as she is back-to-back Dancing With The Stars dance champion. She won first two years ago with skating icon Apolo Ohno, and last year with racing superstar Helio Castroneves.
When Hough (prononced “huff”) takes the Cherry Festival Stage, she will be two weeks from her 20th birthday.
Hough released her self-titled album earlier this spring and the CD quickly went to number one on the Billboard Country Album Charts. Her single “That Song In My Head” is quickly climbing the country charts. Proving that Hough is not someone using her celebrity status to make a music career, she has the vocal chops to become a major country music superstar.
“I started singing at country fairs when I was three in Utah,” said Hough. “While I love dancing, singing has always been my number one ambition.”
At the age of 10 her family moved her to London so Hough could train at one of the top performing arts schools. As a teenager she won two world dancing championship titles before moving back to Utah at the age of 15 to finish high school with her friends.
While enjoying success as a dancer, she never gave up on her country music ambitions.
“My mother was always sending out demos for me, to successful musicians and record companies,” said Hough. “Before I knew it I was graduating from high school and I had to decide to either move to Nashville or Los Angeles. I chose LA because I felt I could support myself and pay my rent with my dance.”
Hough was right and landed on the popular show Dancing With The Stars. She also landed a big time management contract with Irving Azoff (The Eagles, Van Halen). Her success on the show has made her a national star. But the country music industry has always been suspect of celebrities seeking out a musical career.
Luke Lewis, chairman of Universal Music Group Nashville, released this statement upon signing Hough to a label deal:
“She’s blessed with a whole lot of gifts,” said Lewis. “She’s one of those young people you run into and you wish she was your daughter. She’s amazingly grounded for somebody who has been in the limelight like she has.
“I believe what you see is what you get,” he continued. “She’s very forthright and doesn’t put on airs. She carries herself like a Southern lady. When she first arrived, it’s like an actor coming to Nashville, and there have been some that want to be country music stars. You are sort of immediately suspect. You spend a few minutes with Julianne Hough and you realize that she wanted to be a singer more than she wanted to be a dancer. She just didn’t have the opportunity until the last couple of years. She is grabbing the bull by the horns, I’ll tell you that.”
Her celebrity status in Hollywood and Nashville has made Hough fodder for the tabloids. She has been rumored to be romantically involved with both of her dance partners.
“Just rumors,” laughs Hough. “I am not sure if I have time for a serious relationship right now. I have a lot to accomplish.”
Hough has also found herself being asked about her comments that she plans to wait for marriage before having sex.
“It is amazing that when you have celebrity status, the media wants your opinion on everything,” said Hough. “I am not formulating an opinion on sex before marriage for everyone to abide by. What I am doing is making decisions in my life that I believe are best for me. I think it is best for me to wait until I am married – I believe it will give more meaning to the relationship.”
While Hough is not interested in becoming the poster girl for “no-sex-before-marriage,” or any other cause for that matter, she is certainly a better role model for the youth of America today. Her hard work ethic, coupled public persona shows that not all young stars of today are incapable of being role models.

James Otto
At the age of 35 James Otto will be the oldest of the up-and-coming country stars at this year’s National Cherry Festival. He is currently touring in support of his April 2008 CD Sunset Man, and will take the Bay Side Entertainment Stage on Monday July 7.
For fans of country rock, James Otto is your man.
By today’s music industry standards, Otto was considered “old” when at age 29 he launched his country music career. He signed a label deal in 2002 with Mercury and scored a couple of minor hits but was dropped by the label two years later. Last year, he signed with Warner Bros. Records and in December released his number one hit single “Just Got Started Lovin’ You,” that was a pre-release to his Sunset Man CD.
“Hey, as I can remember, I wanted to be a musician. I had this record player as a kid that had a microphone and I used to sing along to the songs,” said Otto. “My dad and grandpa were part-time musicians. It is in my blood.”
But it wasn’t country music that inspired Otto to become a guitar player.
“When I listened to Van Halen and Prince, it was then I knew I wanted to play the guitar,” said Otto. “One day I was at a friends house and I found an old guitar in their garbage, so I grabbed it. My father taught me the basics -- three chords. For me rock and roll was where it was at and country music was what my grandparents listened to. So I was into everything from Bob Seger to Led Zeppelin. But as I got older, my musical tastes expanded.”
At 6‘5“ Otto is an imposing figure on the country music scene. He was born into a military family and moved around often during his childhood. He would also serve in the military, joining the Navy.
So when did country music enter into his playing style?
“I moved to Alabama with my mom during junior high and the kids were into country rock like Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the world of pop-rock just didn’t exist there,” said Otto. “I found myself absorbing Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakum, Willie Nelson and Randy Travis.”
After high school, with one eye on pursuing music and one eye on his debts, he joined the U.S. Navy.
“My father was an Army Ranger drill sergeant,” said Otto. “So I understood the military life. To be honest, I joined the Navy as a way to pay off my bills and save some money to move to Nashville. But the Navy gave me a chance to really see the world as I visited over 20 countries. ”
After his Navy stint, Otto moved to Nashville and signed a songwriting contract with Mercury, eventually landing a recording deal. But it was far from what he had imagined.
“I had three different A&R chiefs during the recording of my first album and that resulted in the album’s vision becoming diluted and changing directions constantly,” said Otto. “Equally frustrating was when the album was finally released, it was done so with no fanfare from Mercury. They just didn’t market it and the funny thing is some of the songs from that album became hits for other artists.”
After being dropped by Mercury in 2004, Otto’s musical career was in turmoil. But everything turned around a couple of years ago when he joined the MuzikMafia. A group of country musicians formed the MuzikMafia in 2001 with the idea of putting music first and breaking down the boundaries that exist within musical genres. The MuzikMaffia has been compared to the collaborative “outlaw” efforts of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings in the ’70s. This loose-knit organization includes such stars as Cowboy Troy, John Anderson, Gretchen Wilson and Big & Rich.
“Joining up with the Mafia was definitely a turning point for me,” said Otto. “I was finally having fun and the creativity began to flow. It was great touring with friends and having these high-energy shows night after night.”
Now his career seems to be on track. He is a popular figure around NASCAR and stars like Randy Travis and John Anderson are recording his songs. He has been commissioned by the Atlanta Braves perform their new theme song “The Braves Play here.”

For a complete line up of the National Cherry Festival Bay Side Entertainment Stage, check out www.cherryfestival.org.