Riley Green Archives - off the record

INTERVIEW: Riley Green Joins Thomas Rhett

Imogen Marshall — Mon, 02 May 2022 06:00:40 +0000

Riley Green joins Thomas Rhett for an interview on Where We Started Radio to share how he first got involved in music, the story behind his hit “I Wish Grandpas Never Died,” and how their collaboration on “Half Of Me” came to be. Tune in and listen to the interview with Riley Green in-full on-demand with an Apple Music subscription here.

Riley Green on doing music in his teen years

You know, in school, I wasn’t a big… I wasn’t a big music guy. I would never really consider myself a musician. I played three sports. I did construction work in the summer with my dad. And my musical influences, and I guess passion for it, kind of came from my granddaddy, Buford. He was a big country music fan. I wrote a song about him, I played at his funeral in 2010. He wasn’t good. He didn’t play guitar, but he had one and we both liked it so much, we’d just sit around and try to play it. It led to him calling up some buddies that played and we started a little music hall at my grandparents’ house. And that was just kind of a little side project and they never had any goals or aspirations of being in music, but just… He enjoyed it, so that’s what we did.

Riley Green on being a college athlete and doing music at the same time

So I walked on at Jacksonville State, I was initially a walk on. The college, like going to class part, was not for me. I struggled there. My mom would say I could get up at four o’clock in the morning and go walk through a swamp and try to kill a duck but I couldn’t make it to a 9:45 class. What was really been beneficial for me in the sense of my music was I met all those people in this college town. That’s when I started playing the little music was in college, on weekends I go play in bars. People came to the shows not because I was all that good, they just knew that was where the party was at in a small town like that. The transition from football, the lack of that career going anywhere kind of started me playing these hole in the wall bars every weekend.

Riley Green on pursuing music after finishing college

So I get out of college, and I had business cards with my phone number on it. I was passing out to people that own bars and didn’t have anybody working for me. It was just word of mouth. I started getting calls to go play bars, and it started to gradually get bigger, Northeast Alabama slipping into Georgia every once in a while. I met up one of my old ball coaches from Jacksonville. The head coach got fired and he moved into an apartment I was living in and he was a big Jamey [Johnson] fan and just a big fan of the same country music that I liked. Jamey being from Alabama and him seeing that, how it happened, man, you should try to get his gig in Nashville. We went and played in Tootsies one time and I’ll never forget. This was early on. This was 2014 or ’15. I rode up first time ever being in Nashville, and there was a line of people to the door waiting to play. It was an open mic and everybody that played after me was 10 times better than me and it was the most miserable thing. I was like, “Man, I’m never coming back up here.” I know people don’t like me back home so it really made me concentrate on just kind of hammering out those honky-tonk bars everywhere somebody wanted to see me and controlling what I could control. And that was getting better, trying to write a little bit and just put on a good show. Just go to a coffee shop and make people stop and sit down to drink and look up. That was my goal, trying to figure out how to do that.

Riley Green on “There Was This Girl”

I had some success with songs like “Georgia Time” and some of that stuff that even still is big songs for me, but I started coming to Nashville and writing. That was where me and Erik Dylan sat down and wrote “There Was This Girl.” It was the two of us. I think it was the second song we’d ever written together. I think I went and cut it to put on another EP. I was going to release it myself. Next thing you know, a record label started calling.

Riley Green on “I Wish Grandpas Never Died”

That one will never get old. I mean, people always say when you have a hit, “Well get used to playing that one. You’re going to be playing it forever.” But it doesn’t. And probably, more than anything, because I saw firsthand how that song affects people. And that’s what’s awesome about writing songs in general. But I was just thinking about… My granddaddy Buford, like I said, was just such a big influence on me. I spent time with both of them growing up, as much as my parents. He passed away early, before any type of success in music for me. So I just pictured, after traveling and seeing the things that I’d seen over a couple years of having a record deal, what it’d be like, him asking about it. Basically pictured what that conversation would be like. I start thinking about some of the things that he taught me growing up and the values that my granddaddies taught me. And there are places that some of that stuff’s lacking. What’s been really cool about that to me too, is I’ve heard people come up… Like a guy came to me after a show or meet and greet and said, it’s an old man, he said, “I never knew my grandparents, but I’m a grandfather.” And he loved the song for that reason. And I mean, that’s something. There’s something about it people relate to in a million different ways.

Thomas Rhett and Riley Green on “Half Of Me”

THOMAS: I want to say it was one or two o’clock in the morning, we were sitting on the couch, and we had started this song that actually ended up on your current record. But I also remember playing you a song that I was like, “Man, would you want a feature on this?” I remember at the time you were to like, “Yeah, I like the song. It’s cool.” Then I don’t think anything ever happened about it. Fast forward six months later, I texted you the song again and I said, “Hey, I would love for you to feature on this thing.” You said, “You know what, man? I love this song. You tell me when to come sing on it.” You came in, took a good song, and made it great.

RILEY: You’re probably like me, getting a lot of songs and stuff sent to you, and you hear a lot of songs. Finding out if it’s you, and if it fits, and everything. I just remember hearing this one. First off, it sounds like a hit. It’s a fun song. To be honest with you, after singing on it, it was great, man. Like I said, it’s been something I’ve been really excited about, everybody hearing it, to play it for everybody.

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Riley Green Has Released A New Live Album

Imogen Marshall — Sun, 10 Apr 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Riley Green has released a new live album – We Out Here: Live via BMLG Records, ahead of his nationwide tour.

Riley Green has delighted fans with the release of WE OUT HERE: LIVE via BMLG Records. “We’ve seen our biggest and loudest crowds so far on this tour, and to thank all the fans who have come out, we recorded one of the nights for them,” says Riley. “Can’t wait for y’all to hear it.”

More dates have been added in the US to his WE OUT HERE TOUR, including a stop at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater on July 3 to kick off one of the largest Independence Day weekends in the country, the Alabama-raised singer/songwriter is set to deliver those same concert vibes to playlists. The stripped-down version fittingly opens with “Different ‘Round Here” before diving into fan favorites like “If It Wasn’t For Trucks” and “Georgia Time,” plus his PLATINUM-certified No. 1 “There Was This Girl.”

TRACKLIST:

Different ‘Round Here (Live) | Written by Riley Green, Randy Montana, Jonathan Singleton

Get That Man A Beer (Live) | Written by Riley Green, Jonathan Singleton, Channing Wilson

If It Wasn’t For Trucks (Live) | Written by Riley Green, Erik Dylan, Randy Montana

Put ‘Em On Mine (Live) | Written by Riley Green, Wyatt McCubbin, Jonathan Singleton

Georgia Time (Live) | Written by Riley Green

When She Comes Home Tonight (Live) | Written by Riley Green, Jordan Fletcher, Ryan Nelson

I Wish Grandpas Never Died (Live) | Written by Riley Green, Lendon Bonds, Buford Green

Hell Of A Way To Go (Live) | Written by Riley Green, Erik Dylan, Wyatt McCubbin

That’s My Dixie (Live) | Written by Riley Green, Jessi Alexander, Randy Montana

There Was This Girl (Live) | Written by Riley Green, Erik Dylan

Dixieland Delight (Live) | Written by Ronnie Rogers

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SINGLE REVIEW: Huntin’ Land (feat. Riley Green) – Dustin Lynch

Imogen Marshall — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 17:00:42 +0000

Broken Bow Records star – Dustin Lynch – has released his newest collaboration, ‘Huntin’ Land (feat. Riley Green)’ available now on all streaming platforms and digital retailers.

“‘Huntin’ Land’ is one of those fun songs that we can listen to and have a laugh at while hanging with our buddies,” shares Lynch. “I’ve been playing this one out at shows recently, and it’s been cool watching fans react in real time to it. So pumped Riley [Green] was able to hop on it too. Now we need to get a hunt on the books!”

Following the hunt over his heart, Lynch is biting the bullet and sticking it out – not for the girl, but for her daddy’s “Huntin’ Land.” Going through hell for a little slice of God’s country, he justifies, “If I ain’t in the stand / I’ll be holding her hand,” in the banjo-heavy runner produced by Zach Crowell and penned by Lynch, Andy Albert, Hunter Phelps, and Will Weatherly. That is, at least until December.

From the farm to the woods, Lynch and Green pull the trigger on a day every country boy dreams of in the adjoining music video. Directed by Matthew Paskert, watch as the avid outdoorsmen get Lynch’s own real-life farm in tip-top shape for hunting season. Fans can also spot cameo appearances by some of hunting’s most popular faces like the Drury Outdoors crew, Nate Hosie (HeadHunters TV), Phillip Culpepper (Realtree Outdoors), and Michael Waddell (Realtree Outdoors).

Lynch continues his string of some of Country music’s hottest collaborations, with his power duet with Mackenzie Porter, “Thinking ‘Bout You” trending Top 15 this week at Country radio.

Keep up with Dustin Lynch: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

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Riley Green Set to Release Behind The Bar on 2nd July

Imogen Marshall — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 17:00:03 +0000

Riley Green has announced that he will release his new project – Behind the Bar – on the 2nd July.

The Seven song collection is available to pre-order here.

2020 ACM Awards New Male Artist of the Year, Riley Green has announced that his new seven-song collection BEHIND THE BAR is due this Friday, July 2 via BMLG Records. The Alabama native is credited on each track – showing his ability to connect with fans all over the country through his relatable lyrics, simplistic lifestyle and blue-collar roots. Celebrating the release in partnership with BRUT, Riley will also host a livestream of his sold-out show Thursday, July 1 at Joe’s on Weed Street in Chicago. Tune in at 8 PM CT here: https://RileyGreen.lnk.to/BTB_LivestreamPR.

“I’ve always enjoyed writing songs and one of the biggest tools I’ve used over the years to shape my songwriting is playing those songs on the road for fans and gauging their reactions,” explains Riley. “I’m looking forward to releasing BEHIND THE BAR and getting to play those songs on the road this summer.”

Opening with the rowdy “Behind The Bar” before transitioning to the life-lessons in “That’s What I’ve Been Told,” Riley also veers into nostalgic territory with his current single “If It Wasn’t For Trucks.” Elsewhere the collection showcases his knack for flirting with a good time on “Put ‘Em On Mine” and offers sentimental touches with the Jessi Alexander duet “That Was Us” as well as “That’s My Dixie,” and “I Let A Damn Good Woman Leave,” a fan favourite since Riley debuted the unreleased track during his Golden Saw Series last autumn.

BEHIND THE BAR TRACK LISTING

Behind The Bar (Riley Green, Erik Dylan, Randy Montana)

That’s What I’ve Been Told (Green, Chris Dubois, Bobby Pinson)

If It Wasn’t For Trucks (Green, Erik Dylan, Randy Montana)

Put ‘Em On Mine (Green, Wyatt McCubbin, Jonathan Singleton)

That Was Us (featuring Jessi Alexander) (Green, Jessi Alexander, Thomas Rhett)

I Let A Damn Good Woman Leave (Green, Brent Cobb, Adam Hood, Scotch Taylor)

That’s My Dixie (Green, Jessi Alexander, Randy Montana)

For tour dates and more information visit RileyGreenMusic.com for more updates.

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