More About LOCASH

Having signed to BMG/BBR Music Group’s, Wheelhouse Records, after a series of small independent deals, LOCASH brethren Preston Brust and Chris Lucas certainly have that story to tell – four No. 1s, a top five, three gold singles and three major award nominations. But that’s not the most compelling narrative to be found in the fortuitous pairing of thoughtful songwriters with a natural chemistry as entertainers.

The question that most begs asking is, how have LOCASH managed to run the music industry gauntlet for the better part of a decade only to emerge stronger with a new album on a top label? Maybe it’s because they’re not just a couple guys who write and sing together. Their connection is, in fact, a lot more like family.

Baltimore native Lucas gave up sports for music and moved to Nashville in the early 2000s. “I was a baseball player and tore up my knee,” he says. “I saw that as God’s way of saying I was meant to be onstage.” He met preacher’s kid from Indiana by way of Arkansas Brust, the two hit it off and soon found work as between-band DJs.

“One of us would DJ and the other would go out on the mic as master of ceremonies,” Chris says. Preston adds, “One day we were kind of bored, looked at each other and just walked out there at the same time. In that moment we realized we had something when it came to engaging an audience and knowing what they wanted.”

“The best way I can describe it is like watching Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin on TV with my grandfather,” Chris says. “I’m not comparing us to those guys – they’re legendary – but it felt like we had that kind of chemistry in front of a crowd.”

While the bands played, Chris and Preston were backstage comparing musical notes and working on harmonies. “I was showing him stuff from secular music and he was teaching me gospel harmony,” Chris says.

“After a few months of that, we’d developed a real sound,” Preston continues. “Gospel group harmonies are often built around a family blend and we realized we’d created something that really felt like that. In a way, we sounded like brothers. That’s what got us thinking about becoming a duo.”

They did just that, finding something unique along the way. “Chris has taught me so much about how songs are written and sounds are formulated in the secular world,” Brust says. “There’s nothing he can’t sing, especially up top. I think I knew the potential of his voice long before he did. Because of that, I knew we’d develop a sound that went wherever we wanted with harmony and lead vocals. That’s a weapon.”

Likewise, Lucas sees his partner as a perfect complement. “I would never want to be doing this on my own,” he says. “I need Preston’s attitude, his confidence and his musicality. I have no idea how to do under-harmonies and he’s got the ear we need to figure that stuff out. He’s also a master of melody. We could be writing with best in town, but when we get in that room, I’m looking at Preston first. He knows exactly who we are and what works for us. I trust him completely.”

Preston quips, “That just means if a song doesn’t hit it’s my fault.”

“And he always knows the right thing to say, as you see,” Chris laughs. ” He handles things so much better than I do— I’ve got a little more Baltimore in me, which isn’t always a bad thing. We round each other out.”

Their spark drew the attention of an independent label and, when that one closed, another and another. “Throwing in the towel is often easier than hanging in when things get tough,” Preston says. “‘Hey, the record label folded. I guess that’s it.’ There’s always an excuse. But we carry on and that resonates in our music. There’s a bigger picture.”

Through that stretch, LOCASH were building a fan base and having another kind of success as songwriters. “You Gonna Fly” was a No. 1 for Keith Urban and “Truck Yeah” was a top 10 for Tim McGraw.

“We’ve had our share of record deals, some better than others,” Chris says. “Everything’s a step in life, the key is to keep the steps going forward … going up. Even if you fall back, got to keep stepping up. That’s what LOCASH is all about.”

The big step up was 2015’s The Fighters, which included chart-topping, gold selling singles “I Love This Life” and “I Know Somebody.” “Ring on Every Finger” reached the Top 20. Their success earned 2017 duo of the year nominations from the ACM, CMA and CMT. Those accolades, nice as they are, are simply by-products of the duo’s easy connection with their fans. In fact, when Chris and Preston reflect on the world and their place in it, the stats never come up at all.

Instead, they focus on those fans and how their new music will be received. The first LOCASH single for Wheelhouse Records, “Feels Like a Party,” was co-written and produced by Corey Crowder and Tyler Hubbard. “Sometimes people in the business will wonder if an artist can ‘get away’ with a song like that,” Preston says, “but I recently had someone say to me, ‘We need stuff like this. Taking a short vacation in a song has its own kind of impact.’ That affected the way I thought about it and we’re proud to be the guys who can deliver that kind of positivity for people.”

Chris elaborates: “We write every day and are purposeful in focusing on the positive. Everybody has issues and there are tons of problems in the world. There’s a place and time to talk about that, but as kids we both turned to music to pick us up. So over our first two albums and definitely this new one, we want to make you smile. We’re not trying to change the world. Or are we?”

Even as LOCASH embrace the upbeat, they find a balance with deeper songs like the title track of their new album “Brothers,” also co-written with Crowder and Hubbard. They focus on inclusion and embracing each other, as depicted in their current Top 30 single, “One Big Country Song.”  People have taken notice to their uplifting sentiment and relatability, earning them nominations for “Duo of the Year” at both the 2019 ACM Awards and CMT Awards.

That’s not just the message in the music, it’s the truth about their journey. “We’ve figured out how to build careers, lives and families we’re proud of,” Preston says. “We keep climbing – rung by rung. Sometimes the next one seems just out of our reach and that’s when we lift each other up. We grind. We persevere. And in that way, we’re just like the people we make music for.”

Now that’s a story worth telling.

More About Nate Smith

Featuring a mix of gritty backwoods soul, rock ‘n’ roll swagger and velvet-thunder vocals, Nate Smith’s personal journey inspired him to be a beacon of country-music hope, an inspirational mission he puts front-and-center. A California native, former worship leader, and lifelong music lover, Smith approaches that mission with a background as eclectic as it gets. Learning guitar at 13, Garth Brooks, Elvis Presley and Bob Seger were among those informing his powerful, fire-from-within vocals, while Michael Jackson made him crave the spotlight and Nirvana gave his sound a jagged edge. He first chased his neon dreams to Nashville in his early 20s – but it didn’t stick. The disheartened Smith returned home and thought he was “100-percent done” with his artistic journey…until a crucible of change burned away the past.

In 2018, Smith lost everything he owned in the devastating Camp Fire which tore through Paradise, California, now known as the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in the state’s history. Although his family was safe, he struggled to cope and turned back to music, hoping that it would help comfort himself and others. Help it did, inspiring a month-long road trip across the U.S. to Music City, writing music and playing dive bars along the way. Soon after his arrival to Nashville, Nate released his biggest song to date, “Wildfire,” and landed a publishing deal with Sony ATV. Since then, he’s released new music including “Sleeve” and “Under My Skin,” which has amassed over 70 million on-demand streams to date. The singer was named a Spotify Hot Country Artist to Watch for 2021 – an accurate prediction as he rounded out the year with a record deal with Sony Music Nashville and two new songs: “Raised Up” and the viral TikTok hit “I Don’t Wanna Go To Heaven.” The powerhouse vocalist is now making waves with his latest release, “Whiskey On You,” which is currently Top 12 and climbing at country radio. Nate is managed by Kevin “Chief” Zaruk and Simon Tikhman with The Core Entertainment.

More About Michael Ray

MULTI-PLATINUM ARTIST | FOUR NO. 1 SINGLES

CURRENT SINGLE: HOLY WATER

• Ray recently released The Warehouse Sessions, featuring live performances of songs from his recent project Higher Education.
• The Warehouse Sessions includes his fourth 1 single, Platinum-certified “Whiskey And Rain” and current single “Holy Water,” from Higher Education, along with his Platinum-  certified No. 1 single “Think A Little Less” from his 2015 self-titled major label debut.
• Ray vhas also released a cover of Tracy Lawrence’s “Time Marches On” from his upcoming The Bootleggers Sessions
  
• Ray’s latest single “Holy Water,” an engrossing story song that follows a Florida preacher and his lucrative midnight side hustle, is currently climbing the charts at Country radio.
• Ray, who grew up going to a tiny old country church and hearing stories of his grandparents running moonshine up the East Coast, knew immediately he had to record the song when he heard it.
• Ray is currently on the road with Lee Brice for the Label Me Proud Tour through September.
• Ray has garnered over 1 billion global streams, over 650,000 album equivalents, over 100 million YouTube views and has performed at the Grand Ole Opry over 65 times.
• As a traditional country fan and cultured in ‘90s Country, Ray is heavily influenced by qualities found in both, noting heroes such as Gary Stewart, Earl Thomas Conley, Tim McGraw and Steve Wariner.
• Ray grew up playing traditional country in a family band – “The Country Cousins” – with his dad and grandpa Amos, the latter of whom inspired his sophomore album.
• Ray has garnered four No. 1 songs: “Get to You,” “Think A Little Less,” “One That Got Away” and “Whiskey And Rain”
• Two of Ray’s No. 1 singles, “Think A Little Less” and “Whiskey And Rain” have earned RIAA Platinum status
• The Florida-Native has four RIAA Gold-Certified Songs: “Get to You,” “Kiss You in the Morning,” “One That Got Away” and “Her World Or Mine”

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