For most mainstream country music artists, tour stops in towns like Starkville are a rarity they seek the comfortable door revenues from large stadium venues or use college bar dates as a kitschy marketing tool rather than to acknowledge the huge fan base at their disposal. Tonight, though, Rick’s Café will host one of the new breed of “country” artists with a performance by Eric Church.
Church, unlike many larger acts, seeks out the college crowd. For him, the little college hangouts dotting the nation are familiar turf.
“I started playing back in college at Appalachian State. We played five nights a week three nights we were in a bar, and the other two nights were frat parties. [Colleges] are where I feel most at home,” Church said.
Despite the fact that Church has not garnered a hallowed top 10 hit doesn’t offer much insight into his career. He is one of the top touring acts in clubs across the country.
Church refers to the small town stops and college bar shows as winning fans versus “borrowing” them. Rather than subscribing to the normal Nashville convention of waiting around for a big hit and then beginning to tour, Church did what he knew best – he got out and played music. Church’s tour schedule better resembles a rock band’s tour schedule, with all of the stops at the college towns and clubs and festivals along the way.
“I believe in [touring]. It’s the way all of my heroes got their fan base built up to the biggest thing you’ve ever heard of,” Church said. “Music is all about formulas [with record companies]. They cram all of these acts into one side of the formula, and only a few make it out alive. I didn’t like those odds. My main objective is to win fans.”
At his concerts, one of the most popular songs played has never been released on radio.
“Livin’ Part of Life,” Church said, is one of his own favorites, but he shares the same affinity for the song that most of his fans display at a concert.
Church doesn’t fit into the typical formulas showcased by Nashville. Rather than relying on the witty songsmiths of Music Row, Church wrote all of the songs for his latest album Carolina. The autobiographical tone of Church’s songs, even though very personal for him, resonate deeply with fans of his music.
“‘Sinners Like Me’ [from his first album] is my most autobiographical, but I lived ‘Guys Like Me’ and ‘Two Pink Lines,’ but so have a lot of other people,” Church said.
Church prides himself on penning his own songs, but he said that is an example that was set for him by his heroes.
“I use the example a lot; my favorite song is ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down.’ I had heard it a hundred times when Johnny Cash sang it, but I really didn’t truly hear the song until I heard Kris Kristofferson sing it,” he said. “It’s when you hear the person who wrote the song sing it is when you really get the meaning.”
For what many Nashville aficionados would call a lack of chart success, Church would quickly allay their criticisms with his performance.
“I’ve made more fans just going town to town,” he said.
Last time in Starkville, Church got a first hand glance at the appeal of his songs to the college set.
“I was out running before the last show, and I was downtown. I heard my song ‘Pledge Allegiance to the Hag’ playing out of a truck, and these guys were sitting in their yard hanging out and drinking beer, and I was like that’s what it’s about,” Church said.
Rick Welch, owner of Rick’s Café, said patrons are definitely becoming fans of Church.
“I’m very proud that [Church] keeps coming back to Rick’s. Every time he plays the crowds are really into the show and he is a great performer,” Welch said.
The growing fan base for Church’s live performances in Starkville are not lost on him either.
“The first time we were in Starkville there were just a few hundred people that showed up for the show, and then the next time we come there are people up to the rafters,” Church said.