Eric Church shows you can go home again
Monday, May 21, 2007 – Eric Church proved you can go home once again as he gave a benefit performance Sunday before more than 4,000 people at South Caldwell High School's Spartan Stadium in Hudson, N.C.
Residents of Church's hometown of Granite Falls and the surrounding North Carolina counties turned out. His publicist said hundreds of members of Church's fan club, the "Church Choir," made the trip and gave a check to Church, on behalf of the fan club, to benefit the school.
"I just wanted to say, before anything else - it's good to be home," Church said. "I've been fortunate enough to have played all across the country, but nothing beats this."
Church played a set of songs from his debut album, "Sinners Like Me," mixing in references to local fishing spots, rowdy bars, friends and relatives that drew loud cheers from the hometown crowd and a sing-along to the current-single "Guys Like Me."
"The whole reason that 'Sinners Like Me' is here is because of that school, that town and those people, so coming home to do this benefit was a no-brainer for me," saod Church. "My first single, 'How 'Bout You,' is as indicative of Granite Falls as anything else: 'I know where I come from - how 'bout you?' I see small town values as being Middle America values: community, family, God, hard work. Those values crafted what these songs are about."
Church's first single "How 'Bout You" became a Top 10 hit, catapulting the CD to seventh on the Billboard album chart. "Two Pink Lines," a song about pregnancy, also charted. The current single is "Guys Like Me" is the current single.
Church has been touring since the album's release last year with such acts as Bob Seger, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley.
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CD reviews for Eric Church
Carolina
After stepping on to the scene nearly three years ago with hits like How Bout You, and Guys Like Me, , Eric Church returns with a sophomore album that tries hard to mine the same sounds. He combines that rough around the edges, good ol' boy attitude on some songs with a more sensitive, straight-forward approach on others. And the good thing is that he's equally impressive with both on most of the 12 songs.
Church starts with a couple of outlaw-esque rockers, the rollicking Ain't »»» |
Sinners Like Me
The cover of newbie Eric Church's debut shows him looking disconsolate grasping a glass of whiskey with a big bottle of booze nearby. But don't think this is tears in your beer, hard core honky tonk music.
That's clear from the soaring rock guitar lines of "Before She Does" where Church hits easy targets with cries lauding "Mama's apple pie" and claiming "the tax man and the devil share the same address." "Lightning," a first-person song »»» |
Editorial: Walking the talk –
When names like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon and the Hag are invoked, you're talking hard core country. These are the touchstones of country , the guys who made country music what it was and still is (or maybe can be). When these folks would sing about being down-and-out and the rough-and-tumble, they knew of what they were singing about. Fast forward a few years to the country singers of today. »»»
Concert Review: Cherryholmes comes together –
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Concert Review: Ray LaMontagne demands attention –
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