AMERICANA

Maturity leads him Home Home is Green’s first album of new material in six years By Tom Geddie LIFE IS GOOD FOR THREE-TIME GRAMMY ciples rather than just “playing a own perspective. If I try to write and he recorded five songs from having babies and get past the nominee Pat Green, an icon of the third bunch of gigs.” from anybody else’s perspective, the 2012 tribute album in Tyler. age of 30. L almost without fail that song He performs — generally to sold- “It’s difficult these days if you The long run Lgeneration of Texas country-rockers who con- doesn’t make it onto the record.” out audiences — about once a are going for nationwide impact,” siders himself both hardworking and lucky, and “OUR BUSINESS MODEL IS “I definitely try to write good year in Tyler and Nacogdoches he said. “Radio needs a little more songs. I’m not ever going to sit whose new album, Home, kinda brings him full pretty simple. I try to treat the and from time to time in other commercial sound. When Willie music like a business and like an down and write something half Northeast Texas venues. had his hits on the radio, he was circle to his roots. art at the same time,” he ex- assed or that I don’t think is He turned 43 in April. fitting in with the sound of the He does about 90 shows a play for big crowds, and I’m plained. “That’s why we’ve had clever. I’m not putting anything What’s important to him is times. year. He has a nice sideline busi- happy as long as the place is such a long run. Right now, I’m out that I think is mediocre,” he “being home, man,” he said, “af- “So was Johnny Cash, and all ness — real estate development full.” trying to continually diversify my said. “I really feel like my job, if ter years of spending 175-250 the other guys. I wish we could and construction — and a good life, make opportunities happen I do it correctly, is to focus as days a year on the road. be a little more acoustic, but we wife, Kori, and two children in Home in and outside the music indus- clearly as I can while I’m writing “Once you get that marriage go with the times. The goal is Fort Worth. He has a little bit of THE NEW ALBUM IS HOME. try and see how it goes.” the song. The rest of it just kinda part nailed down, the rest is all always the same: get it on radio leisure time, including hunting which Rolling Stone describes as The essence of the art side of takes care of itself — the perfor- kinda easy, not a struggle. Once and have an impact. Eventually for deer and fishing for large- an album with “a mature, easy- the business model is good songs mance and the live audience, I’ve I found Kori and started appreci- the well goes dry because you’re mouth bass in the Tyler area going country sound — one that’s – whether they are his own cre- always put on what I thought ating the notion of being a hus- not the hot new thing anymore, with Clay Cavender and other rooted and free of cross-genre ations or songs he covers, Green was an exciting show, at least band and father, it’s much easier,” and you’ve gotta have new places members of the family that owns influence — and lands some- said. worth watching — somewhat hu- he said. “I don’t drink as much as to go.” Cavender’s Boot City. where between Green’s early “Telling the truth is always morous and not too preachy.” I used, to, or party. I don’t see the As a third-wave leader, It would be easy — incom- Texas dancehall days and big the savior for the songwriter. It’s Green grew up in China point to that anymore. I kinda though, Green maintains his in- plete, but realistic — to believe radio hits like “Wave on Wave.” difficult to write accurately, or to Spring, near Waco. His grand- got burned out staying up until 5 dependent attitude. that Willie Nelson and Jerry Jeff He’s got guests: Lyle Lovett, sound like you’re writing accu- parents are from Mount Vernon in the morning and sleeping all “I’m not trying to prove any- Walker started what’s become Sheryl Crow, Delbert McClinton, rately when you’re not using your and he has an aunt from Tyler, day. That changes when you start thing to anybody,” he said. the sound now labeled Texas/ and Marc Broussard. “I’m trying like Red Dirt, to believe that Robert It’s Green’s first album of new every other man I’ve Earl Keen — who headlined an material in six years. The sound ever met to provide earlier bass classic show at Lake is good, although, with some a living for my fam- Fork — guided the sound in new blues influences, it’s not as purely ily, and I’ve found directions, and that Green shifted country as Rolling Stone indicates. the job for me that it again. Then again, it’s not as obviously allows me to enjoy He pays tribute to his own commercial as some of his other myself, my family, roots the way many of the efforts. and my time. That younger musicians credit his in- The album is well played — means something to fluence. only occasionally overpopulated me — to be so lucky The essence of a Pat Green with sound — and Green’s in to find a career that show is “loud, sometimes a little fine voice on the 13 songs that is so pleasing to my sloppy, but fun,” he said. “That’s mostly deal with familiar issues: life. A lot of people all I want to do — not the sloppy finding the way back home and go through life with part, but I’ll mess something up back to the basics, “girls” from lots of talent — be it sometimes. We have fun. Texas are the best, maybe she’ll in acting or paint- “I don’t get to play the little catch him when he falls, missing ing or whatever — tiny bars anymore, but I still his daughter but may the good and for whatever have a very healthy following times never end, there’s gotta be reason they end up and I look forward to the rest of more to life than minimum wage, putting mufflers on my life doing the shows,” he lost love, and even the cars or diminishing said, standing on a balcony in acknowledgement that “(there’s their existence a snow-covered Steamboat Springs nothing like a) Good Night in little bit. I lucked where he was visiting with New Orleans” with all of its glo- out.” friends. “I have the luxury of a rious cliches. Green describes 20-year-long career, and don’t Music aside, Green’s success Home, which he re- have to worry anymore. I like to is built on sound business prin- leased on his Green Horse label, as be- ing for the core fans who helped him kick start his career. “Telling the truth is always the “I really just wanted to make a savior for the songwriter. It’s statement to our hometown fans — difficult to write accurately, or the ones that were with me forever — to sound like you’re writing and say, ‘I recognize that what I did, I did accurately when you’re not on purpose,” he said. “And it might using your own perspective. have distanced me a bit, going out on If I try to write from anybody tour with Keith Ur- ban and Kenney else’s perspective, almost Chesney and Dave Matthews. I don’t without fail that song doesn’t regret that, but at the same time, I can make it onto the record.” understand why there are people out –PAT GREEN MATTHEW HOGAN

there that aren’t the

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○ His success is built on sound business principles rather than just “playing a bunch of gigs.”: Pat Green keenest on it.” ■ SEPTEMBER 2015 BUDDY 13