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Monday, 1 February, 2010 8:11 PM
Phil Vassar
releases new album, Traveling Circus, in stores now
PHOTO
BY JIM HINDY / ©MAGAZINE OF COUNTRY MUSIC
Phil
Vassar performed at the 2009 Downtown Hoedown at Hart Plaza in Detroit.
NASHVILLE,
Tenn. -- Phil Vassar was born on May 28, 1964 in Lynchburg,
Virginia. He is best known for the number one singles “Just
Another Day in Paradise” and “In a Real Love.”
I had the opportunity to speak with him on the phone recently. The
country singer attended James Madison University and graduated with
a degree in business administration.
“I
guess it’s a good thing now,” he said. “I love
everything that goes along with the music business. It’s a
good thing I probably have that background. But I always knew I
was going to be an artist.”
Vassar opened
a restaurant with a friend before making it big in Nashville.
“I
used to play at a lot of clubs, I had this following in Nashville,”
the country singer said. “There was this building right down
the street from this club I used to play all the time. It had sat
vacant for years literally. We put a club in the basement and his
restaurant on top. It did really well, had it for about five years.
Sold it when my first single came out.”
Throughout
his career, Vassar has co-written songs for Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina,
Collin Raye and Alan Jackson. Which do you enjoy more – performing
or writing?
“Well,
I love them both,” he admitted. “I love every facet
of what I do. I love writing, playing the piano, getting on the
stage. That’s sort of a payoff, when everybody’s singing
the words back to you. It’s always fun to play LIVE. I’m
always going to love that. I do love the songwriting aspect of it.”
The country
singer has also had hits with “Carlene,” “That’s
When I Love You,” “American Child,” “Last
Day of My Life” and many others. Which song is his favorite
to perform?
“I
don’t know if I have a favorite to be honest with you,”
Vassar responded. “It’s hard to say like picking a favorite
kid.”
He was one
of the judges on the third and fourth season of Nashville Star
on the USA Network.
“I
had a good time doing it while I was doing it,” he said. “I
just thought it would be kind of an interesting thing to do. It
was fun to watch the talent out there. I think I did it long enough.
Two years was good for me. I think more than that would really have
been a stretch. It’s such a commitment to do a TV show and
play LIVE. I have two kids, two young girls. It’s so hard
to do too many things.”
The country
singer released a new album, Traveling Circus, on December
15, 2009.
“I
love this record,” Vassar said. “The guys from the band
played on this record. I go to go in the studio with these guys,
sort of take my time the way we wanted to do it. I think it just
came out really, really great.”
What’s
the story behind your new single “Everywhere I Go”?
“I
wrote the song with Jeffrey Steele, a songwriter in Nashville,”
he responded. “It’s a song about loss. A song about
losing somebody and thinking about them all the time, how they cross
your mind. It really relates to a lot of people. You lose a parent
or somebody you love or whatever it is. It’s a powerful tune.”
Vassar is
very energetic at his shows. Fans may remember him jumping on the
piano, climbing the side of the stage and moving around a lot. What
gives you the energy to do all this?
“Drinking
a lot of coffee, a lot of coffee. We try to keep active. I try to
write a lot. I really do have a good time. I used to watch Rod Stewart
and a lot of guys like that put on great shows and ran all over
the place. That’s probably me, you know.”
The country
singer will be performing at the upcoming CMC Rocks the Snows 2010
festival in Australia.
“I’m
excited about that,” he admits. “Next week, I leave
for London, Dublin, Glasglow, Belfast, Frankfurt, Munich and Milan.
I’m in Europe next week. Then we come back and head to Australia.
We’re literally playing all over the world in the next few
months.”
Vassar doesn’t
have any dates scheduled for the Detroit area at the moment.
“I
hope so, you have a great station there. Those guys are my buds.
I just love playing Detroit, it’s a great town. People there
are just real. I love that. It’s a real rockin’ town.
I always grew up a huge Bob Seger fan. He’s from up there
and I’m such a big fan of him as a writer/singer/performer.
He’s one of the reasons I do what I do.”
The country
singer performed at the Downtown Hoedown last year and said he would
like to return again soon.
“If
they have me back, I’d love to play it. It’s one of
the best I’ve ever been to. It really is. There’s a
lot of folks there.”
For
more information, visit www.philvassar.com
and check out his new album, Traveling Circus, in stores
now!
CD
cover courtesy of www.amazon.com
Phil
Vassar's new album, Traveling Circus, is in stores now!
Photo
courtesy of Rink Entertainment
Phil
Vassar surprises fans Tim and Janice Gustafson with private concert
at Red Roof Inn.
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