“Life is circular. Country just came back to me. It’s like the acoustic thing. I did that before the band [Staind]. This is full circle because this was the first music I was ever exposed to as a child.”
– Aaron Lewis
If you want to get to know Aaron Lewis, who headlines the Visalia Fox Theatre on Thursday, March 27, just listen to his first full-length album, The Road. On that album, the Grammy Award-nominated, multi-platinum singer, songwriter and guitarist tells one story after another. Echoing traditional country, some of those tales are hilarious and heartwarming, while others are pensive and personal.
For Lewis, The Road continues to unwind and surprise like it always has.
In 2011, the Staind frontman formally arrived in the country world with the release of his debut EP, Town Line. Highlighted by the success of gold-selling single “Country Boy,” featuring the legendary George Jones and Charlie Daniels, the seven-song EP reached #1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and #7 on the Billboard Top 200.
Lewis also received two Academy of Country Music nominations for “Vocal Event of the Year” for “Country Boy” (for his work as artist and as co-producer) as well as two CMT nominations – one for “USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year” and another for “Collaborative Video of the Year.”
After a whirlwind year, Lewis began working on what would become The Road in the fall of 2011. In many ways, that album brings things full circle for Lewis. In Staind, he made his mark on hard rock. The group sold 13 million albums worldwide, yielding four consecutive top 3 debuts on the Billboard Top 200, as well as numerous radio hits. Their single “It’s Been Awhile” also remains the most-played rock song of the decade.
Still, this new chapter proves cyclical for Lewis, actually bringing him back to the first style of music he’d heard – country music.
Tickets for the 7:30pm concert are $29-$69. For tickets or more information, visit the Visalia Fox box office, call 625-1369 or visit www.foxvisalia.org.