(As appeared in the 11/10/11 edition of the Tompkinsville News.)
It’s been four years. Four long, seemingly endless
years, full of countless days in the studio, nights at practice, and
shows from Nashville to Louisville and everywhere in between, all to
perfect 49 total minutes of music that make up the
12 songs of Chasing Layne’s new album,
Sin and Regret.
“To finally have the cd finished and in our hands was
such a feeling of relief and accomplishment,” Justin Myatt said. “We really
took the time to make it the best that we could, and we’re extremely
happy with how the album turned out.”
Sin and Regret is the second album from the band that calls Mt. Hermon their official hometown. Guitarist Myatt, bassist Evan Harper and drummer Chase Blakely are from and still live in Monroe County. Chris Clines, the band’s singer, and Kevin Groce, who plays lead guitar, are from Glasgow. This southern Kentucky heritage makes it no surprise that there are clear southern undertones to their particular brand of rock music.
“If you come from the south, you’re going to play with
somewhat of a southern feel, just because it’s what you have always
been surrounded by,” Myatt said. “We are proud to be from the south and
it definitely influenced our mentalities in
how we treat people we work with. Plus, it’s undeniable that we have a
southern twang to our music.”
That “twang” that is present in much of the album
comes from influences of music that the band had listened to all of
their lives.
“I grew up listening to a lot of different kinds of
music, from country to rock, and even pop and blues, and the rest of the
band is the same way,” Blakely said. “It’s hard not to let all those
varieties of music influence the songs we write.”
Having southern roots in this area may be more of a
help than a hindrance to Chasing Layne. Bowling Green, especially, has
become a hotbed for producing famous bands, most notably Cage the
Elephant. When you also consider Metcalfe County’s
Black Stone Cherry and the Kentucky Headhunters, there is a lot of
promise for musicians from south central Kentucky.
With the release of their second cd, the guys of Chasing Layne feel
like they are finally equipped and ready to start
taking the steps others have taken toward that next level.
“We’re ready to take the next steps and see what we
can make of this band,” Harper said.“We have worked hard and have paid a
lot of our dues,all we need is luck to help us meet the right people so
we can really make a run at it.”
The road to here hasn’t been easy, and the band has encountered more than a few naysayers
along the way.
“No one has really directly told us that we should
just grow up or quit, but you can tell by the way that people start to
look at you that they may think that we should,” Myatt said. “When we
were kids, then the band was just something that
we were doing to have fun, and no one thought that much about it. Now
that we are more serious about it, a lot of people don’t think we have a
shot. That’s discouraging and deflating for us, but it would be foolish
to put all this time and work into the band
and just give up now and not take the chance. It’s a huge risk, trying
to be a rock star. We’re not so naïve that we don’t realize that. You
just have to be confident enough to take a risk, hope for luck, and
refuse to give up.”
Copies of
Sin and Regret are available through most online retailers,
including iTunes. It will also be for sale at Chasing Layne shows, the
Great Escape in Bowling Green, Apollo PC in Glasgow, or by contacting
any band member.
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