Interview: Country Riser Lane Smith Releases New EP “Volume One”

After spending the past year releasing singles, country riser Lane Smith has debuted “Volume One” of his brand new EP released in October.

You can read the exclusive interview below with Lane.

What’s the inspiration behind your release? I grew up rodeoing and playing sports. Most people knew me from the rodeo world! Professionally fighting bulls was a thrill and something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. After making the choice to step away from rodeo I found myself looking for the next “arena”…. then I found music! The life of a traveling musician gave me a lot of the same experiences that I missed about rodeo. I still get to travel to a new town everynight and perform. You can’t beat the rush of the crowd and the love you feel after a job well-done (rodeo or music). I hope my music stays true to the story telling nature of classic-country with a twist of some 90s rock guitar and melodic hook. I couldn’t be more happy with the way this project turned out and I’m excited for everyone to hear it!

What’s your production process like? What’s it like making the song? My manager and I go back and forth quite a bit on which songs best serve the project and what message we are trying to convey to the fans at the given time. Once we’ve made our choices we take them to my producer Grady Saxman (Saxman Studios — Nashville, TN). In pre-production the songs are charted and we discuss the vibe / goals for each tune. I’m blessed to work with a stellar group of musicians for the studio as well as the live show. We try to let the music breathe enough to incorporate direction and ideas from everyone on the team. The studio team on this project absolutely nailed it and the songs turned out exactly how I wanted them! I can’t wait to get back to those guys and make more bangers! It’s a humbling experience to work with such talented individuals!

Who are your biggest influences? Hardy, Morgan Wallen, and Jordan Davis are some guys who I really look up too. I learn so much through their song writing. I hope to one day be able to collaborate with them!

What are your upcoming releases and projects?This project will be followed by “Lane Smith — Volume Two” in the Spring of 2022. Together, these two projects will make up my debut self-titled album and I’m pumped for that as well! The band and I will be hitting the road hard to support this project. We are blessed to have some pretty iconic venues on the calendar including Gruene Hall (New Braunfels TX), Floores Country Store (Helotes TX), and Whiskey Jam (Nashville TN). Stay tuned!

In 5 years, where do you see your music career? I have so many plans for myself and I’m excited for the future. In 5 years I hope to be doing exactly what I am doing today… spreading my music to as many new people as possible…. song after song and show after show. I have never been short on motivation…. and now i have a team running alongside me to help knock the blocks out from under this old muscle car. With my family, team, and most of all the good lord in my corner…. its full speed ahead! Good times, Good Laughter, New Friends, and Even Greater Music. Let’s go!