The Lost Trailers Bring Signature Sound to New CD

"You have to see them play live!"

That's a phrase often said about the five best friends who make up The Lost Trailers, and they took that to heart with their latest CD, 'Holler Back.' The country band notorious for their electric live show transferred their energy from the stage to the studio on this new project. And so far, so good. The album's title track is the Trailers' highest-charting song to date.

Lead singer Ryder Lee, guitarist/head songwriter Stokes Nielson, bass guitarist/keyboardist Andrew Nielson, guitarist Manny Medina and drummer Jeff Potter all paid a visit to The Boot's studios for a candid chat about their new album, their flirty female fans and a surreal concert moment, compliments of Kenny Chesney.

What's the one song on the album you're the most proud of?

Stokes: 'Holler Back' is a really special song for us as a group. It's one of those songs that make fans want to go to a show. And when we released it, we heard from stations all over the country that the phones were lighting up about it. So from a songwriter's perspective, it's about getting back to your country roots and having fun on the weekend -- the way that we all grew up. Ryder grew up in rural North Carolina, and my brother [Andrew] and I grew up in rural Georgia, and on the weekends, we would all go out in the fields and have these parties. And our grandfather was always like, 'Oh, you boys are going back to the holler this weekend.' People use 'holler back' as an expression. And every time I heard it, I thought, 'I want to go to the holler back -- the holler back in the woods!' So that song really hits people, whether you're from rural areas or even from the city. People want to just get out of their daily grind and get back to raising cain.

And it's your first Top Ten record -- congratulations!

Stokes: It's crazy, because we've been together since high school. And every once in a while, we'll be on a stage somewhere -- maybe opening for Carrie [Underwood] or Kenny [Chesney] -- and sharing this experience with your four best friends is just amazing. And I think our story is rare, because there are not a lot of groups in Nashville who come up from being high school buddies.

What would you say is the biggest difference in this album and your last one?

Ryder: The biggest difference is really the time it took to do it, and also how many songs we wrote, as well as how many songs we listened to -- to complete the picture of this band. We took time off the road and put all the energy that we usually put into our live show into this record -- putting a lot of heart and soul into it. And I think our sound, what we call 'trailer country,' is enraptured in it.

Exactly what is 'trailer country'?

Ryder: [laughs] Trailer country is a sound we have -- when The Lost Trailers come on the radio, you just know who it is. And to get that definitive sound, first of all, you've got to have that time together -- as long as we've been together, we've been able to develop our own sound. And it's also an internal quality control thing. If a song doesn't sound quite right in the studio -- if it doesn't meet our 'trailer country' sound -- then it won't make it on the record.

Stokes: Another important part of 'trailer country' is Ryder's vocals. Nobody in country music sounds like Ryder Lee. And in the course of our next few singles, people are really going to grasp onto this new voice in country music. And the songwriting is done primarily internally. So that's something also definitive of our standards -- the perspective that we write from. We're getting calls from DJs saying that a lot of people are calling in and asking, 'Who is this?' And that makes us feel so good, because if you sound like other people, people will tune you out. They'll like the song, but maybe not the artist. But for us, we want to get our name out there.

You put a little outlaw country in your trailer country with 'Gravy,' a song with references to marijuana.

Stokes: Well, we wanted to give a shout-out to Willie Nelson, because without his help on the onset, we wouldn't be where we are today. He picked us out of obscurity and put us out on shows throughout the southeast and Texas, and gave us our first shot. Family farming is an issue near and dear to him, and it's also important to us. So we just wanted to do a song for Willie, and 'Gravy' is a song about a kid who saves his family farm. And then, in typical Lost Trailer fashion, he throws a party and all the cowgirls come out and do this crazy 'gravy' dance.

But this album isn't entirely full of rowdy, fun songs. You show real emotion and vulnerability on a few tracks.

Stokes: We've got some ballads, like 'How Bout You Don't,' which shows a side of The Lost Trailers that we're not known for right now, but I hope we will be because Ryder is a great ballad singer. It's a song about never giving up on a relationship and trying to save love if you've got it.

Manny: It's been really powerful live, especially because we've been playing a lot of army bases recently. And sometimes you play a song in front of a different crowd, and you put yourself in their shoes. For us, we're gone so much playing music that it's hard to keep a relationship. But then you think about how long our troops are gone for, and it's much worse in comparison.

Was there a particular moment when you knew you'd made it?

Stokes: We never looked for a record deal. But I remember, after our first Willie show, we sent out this demo CD to clubs all across America. And only two replied -- one in Lubbock, Texas and another in New York. So in New York City, we went to this place called the Lion's Den, and the owner says to us, 'Guys, I don't know if country music is gonna work here, but I really liked your CD.' And low and behold, the third time we played that club, it was sold out. And he came up to me afterwards and said, 'I can't believe I'm saying this, but you guys sold out my club, and you're an unknown country band!' And that showed us early on that this band has a chance to help expand country music to other audiences.

Ryder: We always try to go sign our merchandise after our set. You need to be as intimate with your fans as you can. And what's gratifying is that we'll hear someone say, "Hey, I'm not a fan of country music, but I came here with my friend who loves country. And now, I may not love country but I really love y'all.' To me, that's really powerful. And it's partly because of the energy of our live shows and partly because of the songs. We really value the connection with the fans. Country music has that more than any other genre.

A lot of your fan base was developed because of those live shows, before you even had a radio hit. What is it that makes your shows stand out?

Andrew: As a country music fan myself, I want to see an artist who is real. We're real – our songs come from the heart, and we want to be a part of the audience. We learned from Kenny Chesney that you need to meet everybody and be a part of your audience.

Manny: Plus, so many times, people say to us, 'We can really tell y'all are having a great time up on stage.' And it's true – we are. You can't fake
that. It's a good time all around for everybody.

Jeff: And we've always just wanted to go out and play music for people, not to get a record deal or get on the radio. I think people can read that.

What's the coolest venue you've ever played?

Ryder: Probably Grand Rapids, Michigan, playing with Kenny Chesney in front of 18,000 people.

Stokes: We were actually shooting the video for 'Holler Back,' and his tour manager called me and said, 'Stokes, you need to get over to the arena. Kenny wants you guys over here.' And I was like, 'But Kenny is on stage right now.' And he said, 'Yep, and he wants you guys to come out.' So we ran across town – literally ran.

Andrew: So we get there and sprint out on stage. Potter gets on drums, I'm on keys and Stokes grabs the guitar. It was just crazy.

What's one thing about Kenny Chesney that fans might not know?

Stokes: You see him live and you see this huge performer, but Kenny Chesney is one of the nicest guys I've ever met in my whole life. The way that he treats new artists is indicative of where he is today. It's not an act -- the guy is sincere as he can be. We learned so much from watching the way he interacts with people, and the way he runs his live show. He's genuine. He's the real deal.

Ryder: The first time that I ever met him was at a show in Alabama, right after we'd signed our record deal. And he puts out a tour scrapbook every year, so it was about three or four months later, I get this handwritten note that said, 'Ryder – Good luck with everything. It was nice to meet you.' And there's a signed picture of us together. I thought that was really cool, because of all the people he meets over the course of touring, he made the effort to reach out to us, because he knew we were just getting started. We need to keep that in mind through our career.

Do you guys have any funny fan stories?

Stokes: I have been recently derailed from stage by dry erase boards. They're constantly being turned around and say different phrases. Some of them are more lewd than others. [laughs] It can definitely affect your mindset! There was this one girl with a dry erase board, and she had really targeted Ryder ... and after each song, you could tell she'd maybe had another beer, and it just got more and more lewd.

Ryder and Stokes, you're both married. How do your wives deal with these female fans who come on to you?

[Laughter erupts in the room.]

Ryder: No comment. [laughs] No, I met my wife a long time ago, so she knows it's just a part of the live show. And there have been some rough times, but you find something that's real and you latch onto it. I'm lucky that I've got it, and I think Stokes can say the same thing.

Among the single guys, which one of you is the biggest flirt with female fans?

Stokes: That's a good question! [laughs]

Manny: I'm gonna go with Andrew.

Andrew: No way, dude! Manny for sure.

Stokes: Yeah, it's probably Manny.