Aaron Watson On ‘The Underdog’, Touring In Europe & Enjoying The Moment – Interview

For well over a decade, Aaron Watson has been a mainstay on the Texas scene. An independent artist, his 2015 album, The Underdog topped the Billboard charts for two weeks, resonating with people from West Texas to the U.K., where Watson played a few shows earlier this year. Maintaining a constant touring schedule, Mr. Watson graciously took the time to answer some questions via email about the success of The Underdog,touring Europe and enjoying the moment.

Congratulations on the success of  was it anything you could have anticipated a decade plus in the business and a dozen albums in?The Underdog,

Thank you! A year later it’s still pretty humbling to look back and see all that we have accomplished. I think you always anticipate wanting to do the best you can, we definitely tried to have a bigger record than we had before and set out to do some big things but I’m not sure we expected it to be this big. The amazing thing is we’ve seen every record from 1 to 12 grow so I can’t wait to see what we can achieve with 13-25!

A year out from its release, why do you think it was so well received and resonated with people?

It’s a very real record, it’s a part of my heart and soul. Having played these songs live, meeting these fans, looking at social media I think a lot of people can relate to the music and songs which is so important to me. These people aren’t just fans, they are friends and people that support my family. We really wanted to include them in all the success because they are the reason for the success and I think everyone also loves getting behind an underdog. They are also really passionate and we definitely could tell people not only loved the record but told their friends how much they loved it. Truly, my fans are the best sales people a guy like me could ever have.

The album seemed to be one of the driving ones behind a shift to, or appreciation of, traditional country. Do you think things have sort of changed this year in country music? How?

I always get caught in this and it’s definitely very interesting. For me, at the end of the day, I’m a guy that wears boots, a buckle and a cowboy hat from West Texas. I sing country music and have maintained that same style for 15 years. You aren’t going to make music that fits everyone but I could see starting in Texas then moving to the west coast and midwest then east coast and eventually overseas there are a lot of fans of traditional country music, western music, cowboy music. So really, I just focus on continuing to do my thing and trying to be better with every song and record. But it’s fun to see some of these more real records finding success from Chris Stapleton to Maren Morris – A Texas girl! to Jason Isbell. I think it’s definitely healthy for country music and I’m proud to be a part of that conversation.

Has the scene in Texas changed over the years as well?

Sure. I’ve been doing this a long, long time. At first, even the bars in Texas were hard to get booked in until we had some success and a circuit. Then some guys got popular, toured outside Texas, got record deals, and the whole Texas/Red Dirt thing became bigger than the state. There’s definitely more of a business now… managers, agents, tour buses, concert production, radio promoters. Everything evolves but it’s exciting for young acts that now there’s this huge infrastructure in place that they can capitalize on.

It seems that many people, including yourself, can sell a lot of albums, have a solid fan base, and make a good living touring (especially in Texas) yet not be found on top 40 radio. Is commercial/terrestrial radio success something you concern yourself with?

I’ve now been fortunate to not only be able to make a good living in Texas but across the US and into Europe. We’re selling 2,000 tickets in Denver, 2,500 in Phoenix, selling out places like Bakersfield, Chicago, and Des Moines to name a few. It’s all really humbling. At the end of the day being a dad and providing for my family and my band and crew and their families is really important to me. There are many radio charts and many radio stations that support my music and we are very appreciative of that. Of course we’d love more so that more people can “discover” us and I always say the door is wide open and the more the merrier.

The album debuted at #1 and was on many a “best of” list. You have talked a lot about “Fence Post” which closes the album but another strong song, “The Prayer” opens the album. Why did you choose those songs to anchor the album?

Great question. I’ve always made albums and concepts around albums. I knew what I wanted to say on this record and how I wanted to present myself. For a long time “Freight Train” was going to open the album, it opens our live show, but I woke up one day and really wanted to set a precedence of a songwriter and felt “The Prayer” was a strong track to do that. Then we get into the fun country stuff. But it was really to set the tone. By the way, I wrote that song after reading The Man In White about Johnny Cash’s struggles and faith. I highly recommend it. As far as “Fencepost,” it’s an honest story and it’s really not a jab at anyone but rather a motivation to people to go out and chase your dreams. It definitely had a poignant message and something I wanted to put on the record and it just closed out the entire story and concept of The Underdog really well.

I’m sure 2015 had many highlights, but one must have been playing the Opry for the first time. How was it standing in the Circle?

Wow… amazing! Really, it was beyond an honor. They asked me afterwards how it felt and all I could say was it took me 12 albums, 15 years and 2,000 shows to get there and it was worth every part of that. Such a special night. My parents I flew in for their 40th wedding anniversary and of course my wife came in which was special and we had many friends in Nashville we work with come out and many friends from Texas that wanted to be a part of the moment. I’ll honestly never forget it.

At the end of January, you headed to the UK for some shows. Is it exciting to being your music to a whole new country and a whole new audience?

It really is. We’ve always been adventurous and explored a lot of areas. I started going to Europe 5 or 6 years ago and saw quickly there was a big, big desire for my brand of country music. It just so happened this year we and two festivals we were headlining in France and Italy on back to back Saturday’s with a blank week. We noticed online Bob Harris was a fan and playing the music on BBC radio and a lot of fans from the UK were chiming in. So we called the Nashville office of our agency and said we wanted to make the most of our time over there and finally hit the UK because it made sense, and felt like a lot of people were wanting to see us so they called their London office and it all came together with a great partnership with Live Nation. They said they started guys like Eric Church and Kacey Musgraves the same way and I told them I’m all about building and coming back and I will definitely be back. To never be in London before and sell out the show a month in advance was a bit crazy but fun and Manchester and Birmingham were also great stops.

I’ve spoken to a few artists who have played in Europe and they say the crowds are incredibly enthusiastic, polite and are an appreciative listening audience. Did anyone tell you what to expect?

Well, every country is unique. So yes, they are all of the above but each different. At the end of the day you’re going to a whole new place with a whole new culture and I’m getting to see the world doing what I love, and I’m appreciative these people are welcoming me into their country and know they love the music however they communicate it with their feedback in the audience. Sure at times it may be a bit different that the States but still great. We really did kind of learn by trial by fire though just showing up and doing our thing.

Was it an all work trip or was there time to enjoy yourself? If so, was there anything you got to see or do while overseas?

Well, each trip is different. Sometimes there is time to get around and see things but the past trip was pretty busy. We stopped off in Boston for a show then went straight to France, then over to London the next day for radio, then three UK shows, then to Italy with one off day then a show then home so I didn’t get to see much, but even walking the streets and driving around you get to see so much stuff. I just try to take it all in and enjoy it as much as I can and whether it’s working or personal time, it’s all better than digging a ditch or sitting in an office.

Having accomplished much, is there any bucket list item that you have yet to cross off?

You know, I’m not really a bucket list kind of guy. I mean looking back I had Willie Nelson sing on my record, I have a tour bus I get to travel the country in, played the Opry, had a #1 record, played shows with some of my heroes in big arenas and now headlining my own shows in some of those places. I really just try to be better today than I was yesterday and put my faith in the Lord in his direction and appreciate all the blessings that we’ve had. I’m sure there will be other things that we haven’t done yet, I mean this year we’re playing Cheyenne Frontier Days which is huge, but I don’t really have a “list.” I just enjoy the moment when something special comes in.

Finally, being that 2015 just ended with a slew of best of lists, what was your favorite album from 2015? (any genre)

Wow… really I listen to music all the time and all kinds of music from Sinatra to rap to rock and yes of course country both new and old. There are some people putting out some great records and my some of my friends are having great success. It’s almost hard to have a favorite to stand out because it changes all the time. I’m starting to really get into my next record so recently I’ve been leaning on some more older influences than current stuff, but it’s a great time for music and a ton of great stuff out there!

Thank you very much for your time and the excellent questions. I really enjoyed this!

Originally posted here.