Zac Brown Band Find Magic in ‘Crazy’ Ideas

The Zac Brown Band have earned a Grammy award, sold more than three million albums, had five No. 1 hits and successfully headlined their own "Breaking Ground Tour," which is an incredible list of accomplishments for any musical group. But considering that they have achieved all their successes while also running seven different businesses, covering a wide variety of areas, including publishing, T-shirts, knives and film and music videos, and it seems almost impossible to thrive all the pressure and demands ... which is just the way they like it.

"The crazier the idea the more likely it is to be highly successful with this group of guys," drummer Chris Fryar tells ABC News. "It's amazing."

The band, who are thriving on their own record label, Southern Ground, and management company, ROAR LLC, make it a point to put the fans first, which includes feeding hundreds of fan club members. At each show, band members utilize their large, traveling kitchen custom-built on an 18-wheeler to serve up meals. It's all part of the dream their boss, Zac Brown, had from the beginning.

"We want people to go to other concerts and feel like they got robbed," Zac explains. "That's our goal."

"He's got this whole vision of greater things," Will Ward, one of ROAR's partners, adds. "And some of the ideas he comes up with I've found myself on occasion saying, 'Wait a minute, I should've come up with that. That should've been our idea.' Because he really gets it, and he understands. He really puts himself in the fans' shoes and wants to make the experience for them something above and beyond going to the concert."

The members of the band say they are all in favor of trying some of their boss's ideas -- but it wasn't that way in the beginning. "The first couple times that Zac had a couple of crazy ideas," fiddle player Jimmy DeMartini starts, before being interrupted by Chris Fryar, who quickly adds they collectively told Zac his plan "would never work." But now, with the band moving full-speed ahead, they are all happily on board with even the most outlandish plans.

"I guess everybody is kind of all in on everybody else's crazy ideas," guitar and organ player Coy Bowles attests. "I think that that's kind of the magic of the whole band. It has to do with songwriting and arranging music and living together and all that stuff. Everybody's kind of a lunatic on their own. So a lot of the ideas Zac comes up with, we're like, 'Yah, why not? What have we got to lose?'"

One thing that is still challenging for the ZBB guys is how to find time, with so many business ventures, to hang out with their loyal supporters. "We love our fans and are very connected with our fans," Zac tells The Boot. "I just hope everybody stays with us. We are not trying to be snobs or jerks. We are in a whirlwind trying to figure out the best way to be accessible. [People think] we have changed. We haven't."

The Zac Brown Band's new single, 'Colder Weather' recently broke into the top 40. The tune comes on the heels of their No. 1 hit, 'As She's Walking Away,' which features guest vocals by country legend Alan Jackson. They will hit the road again in March for a long line of shows, including stops in Houston, Baton Rouge and Philadelphia. See their tour schedule here.



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