Joel Crouse has traveled quite a few miles since we last chatted for the release of his debut album, Even The River Runs. “A lot of life has happened to me,” the now 23-year-old tells us. His hair has gone from tempered to mane-like, he shares tour bills with Love and Theft and not Taylor Swift, and he seems to have traded his more youthful pop offering for songs like “Whiskey and Weed,” which allows an edge to bite into his lyric and his vocal. Crouse took a moment home from the road to chat with us about sharing stages with Love and Theft and honing his new, more experienced sound.
The Shotgun Seat: You’re currently back out on the road with Love and Theft. How is touring with them?
Joel Crouse: We toured together last fall, through just about March. At that point I had been out on the road for the past three years touring so I kind of took a step back and starting writing and recording more. Now we are doing another tour with Love and Theft, doing these things acoustic and trying out my new tunes as we get ready to release something very soon. It’s a blast – I love Stephen and Eric, always happy to share a stage with them.
When you guys are out is it a prank filled tour or are you well pretty behaved?
JC: It’s just really really laid back and fun. Going out on the road with them is definitely the most fun I’ve had ever, almost. For me it’s just going out with a couple of my best friends for the weekend and getting to do what we love and we get to just hang with each other. It’s one of the best times I have had on the road. They are always really good to me – they’re like my older brothers.
You’re originally from Massachusetts. What’s the country crowd like in New England, and how are the fans?
JC: I have always had a following up there because the radio stations are good to me just being from up there, and when I was on tour with Taylor Swift we got to end the tour at Gillette Stadium up there. New England in general has always had my back. As far as the typical country crowd they are pretty fucking rowdy, I’m not gonna lie, especially the winter shows, when it’s cold out and everybody is inside drinking and you add southern rock country music to that. But I love it – they are really loyal fans and the cool thing about fans up there as well is they have a broad spectrum for music in general.
It definitely seems that country fans have grown up listening to a wider and wider array of music.
JC: It’s funny, music constantly evolves – look at the past decade – and each decade has its own sound. Country is definitely in this spot right now where it’s influenced by so many different genres. If you take all the people that are making music right now, they’re in their 20’s and 30’s – we all grew with up with internet and iTunes and Spotify so our access to other genres is a lot easier than Johnny Cash’s access. All these different genres are blending into one another because everybody is listening to so many different things growing up. I mean, I listened to rock to rap to country to folk to jazz. I’m just all over the place. I think the average listener now a days is the same as well.
That must make it cool when you go to write as well since you can draw from all of those influences that you grew up loving.
JC: That’s the cool thing about writing here in Nashville, too. It’s so cool to see everyone take on what they can hear in their head, really cool to see what everyone brings to the table from what they are influenced by.
How do the songs you’re writing now compare with your first album?
JC: The thing about my first record was I finished it at 19 and it didn’t get released till I was 22. It was kind of a weird situation, unfortunately. I am really proud of the first record and it was great, I just wish it came out a little sooner. The new music I am working on definitely still has the same vein, instrumental and real music, but I think lyrically it is a little more raw and honest.
I have lived in town now for six years. That first record I wrote from 17-19 and and lot of life has happened to me from 19-23. Especially with getting a record deal and going out on tour and all that… love, and trying to be an adult. I always try to write from personal experience, but I think this record is going be really, really fun. I think it will be different from what people are expecting from country in general. I just really hope people relate to the songs.
I am really excited about the new music and what people’s take is going to be. It is different from the first album and I am really excited and am hoping people will be excited as well.
Connect with Crouse on his website, Facebook, and Twitter.