Lonestar is a band that sings about people, said guitarist/vocalist Michael Britt.
"We think of ourselves as normal everyday people," Britt said during a telephone interview from Kennewick, Wash. "We sing about the everyman. The songs we write are about regular people. Even the songs we chose to record but didn't write speak for us. I think that's why we have loyal fans. I think they feel like we're singing about their lives. The thing is, we are actually singing about our own lives, too."
Along with Britt, Lonestar is composed of vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist Richie McDonald, drummer Keech Rainwater and keyboardist Dean Sams. They have been in the public's eye since 1993. Three years later, the band relocated from Texas to Nashville, Tenn., and released a six-song live CD, signed with BNA Records and saw its country single "No News" hit No. 1.
In its third year, the band's self-titled album hit the Top 10 and sold more than 500,000 copies — a gold record. The Academy of Country Music named Lonestar the Top New Vocal Group and Billboard Magazine did the same.
Now, some six years later, the band has racked up nine No. 1 country hits, played for President Bush at the White House and released a greatest-hits album, "From Here to There," which features three newly recorded songs — "Walking in Memphis," "I Pray" and "My Front Porch Looking In."
It doesn't seem that the band is going to stop anytime soon, said Britt. "We do have some things that have happened to us in the past few years that have made us think about our profession. We have to balance our personal lives with our professional lives. We have to find that balance between family and job, just like the average person. It's that road life vs. home life thing. It's a challenge, but it's something we have dealt with and will keep on dealing with. Our families have grown over the years, and it's not possible to take everyone on the road like we were able to in the past."
Still, said Britt, the band members' hearts lie with their families when they are thousands of miles apart.
McDonald wrote the hit single "I'm Already There" because of a personal experience he and his family shared at the end of a tour.
Likewise, the new songs on the greatest-hits album reflect the philosophy of Lonestar, said Britt. " 'I Pray' is about what we do when we look at the state the world's in. It's that feeling we get when so much is happening and we can't do anything about it but pray."
"My Front Porch Looking In," which became Lonestar's ninth No. 1 single, is an introspective number that lies on the same plane as "I'm Already There," said Britt. "And 'Walking in Memphis' was a song we had been playing live acoustically. So our label suggested we do a fully arranged version of the song for this greatest-hits album."
Britt said Lonestar's overall goal is to keep making quality music that will last. "We look at bands like Alabama and the Eagles and see how they keep going year after year. That's what we want to do. We don't want to fade away. We want to make music that's relevant."
If you go
What: Lonestar
Where: David O. McKay Event Center, UVSC
When: Tonight, 7 p.m.
How much: $20-$30. Get a second ticket free with a $5 donation to the American Red Cross.
Phone: 467-8499 or 1-800-888-8499
Web: www.smithstix.com
E-MAIL: scott@desnews.com