‘90210’ Star Helps Road Hammers Find U.S. Following
The Road Hammers are getting a little help from a TV icon in their move from Canada to Nashville. Jason Priestley, of 'Beverly Hills 90210' fame, is directing a reality series on GAC, following the Canadian crooners as they try to develop an American fan base.
"We made an album and it went platinum, won two CCMAs and a Juno," lead singer Jason McCoy recently explained to the NY Daily Times when asked why they made the move to the States while their career was already in high gear. "Why not move the band to Nashville and tackle the American market? It seemed like a good idea at the time."
Priestley, who also hails from Canada, became a fan of the Road Hammers after a friend loaned him their CD. He then heard the band was looking for someone to direct their TV show.
"For me, it was very similar to something I had tried to do 10 years ago with the Barenaked Ladies," Priestley said. "But 'Bare-naked in America' wasn't the movie that I had set out to make, so here I was faced with another opportunity to shoot what I had tried to do a decade before."
Since his '90210' days, Priestley has been filling his resume with other directorial jobs, including the TV show '7th Heaven' and 'Grosse Pointe.' But he admits that while he is a huge music fan, his knowledge of the country music industry was very limited.
"I wasn't really hip to the whole Nashville music scene, but they really do it their way," said Priestley. "When we were done shooting, I was left shaking my head and just wondering how anybody makes it in the music industry. How does anyone go to Nashville on a Greyhound bus with a guitar and a dream and actually make it? The odds against that happening are just astronomical."
It didn't take long for Priestley to realize how powerful the city really is.
"If you're a country artist, whether you're British, or Polish, or Canadian or Australian, if you want to really do it and you really want to be considered the best in the world, you have to eventually go to Nashville and really prove it," he said. "If you're not big in Nashville, it doesn't really matter."
The Road Hammers is now airing on GAC. Click here for a list of showtimes.