...and Amazon, and Zune, and CDbaby, and Last.fm; coming soon to Rhapsody and Verizon or wherever you get your music!!! See the iTunes preview here.

I'm stoked to announce the digital distribution of the first 3 songs from my upcoming CD to the above sites and more!!! Just click the links above to go to my profile on each site!!

More coming soon...I hope to have an EP out in time for Christmas!!

Thanks y'all!!!

Lance

Heading into the studio tomorrow to begin working on a new song. It will be a surprise remake that will be made exclusive to fans of the site! Of course, once you have it, burning is strongly encouraged!

Also, I'm starting a new thing, called Movie Mondays, where every Monday I will be uploading a new video of myself playing a song. Monday is usually my day off, but this way, you guys will still be able to get your Lance on!! Some videos will be older (I found a ton of videos that I forgot I had), some will be newer, and thanks to the wonders of technology, some will be live!! Which you will still be able to view at your leisure.

The band is working on a new demo so that we can get out and book some more band dates, so be on the lookout for us appearing in some new venues! And don't worry, we'll be heading into the studio soon to record some new originals. We hope to record 3 at time this next go round, so that we will have an EP to release to iTunes!

Stay tuned!

Lance

It’s weird to have your own song stuck in your head. I mean weird in an awesome way…

“Hey Margarita” is done!!! Well, 99% done, Brian still wants to edit some things that only he can hear, but the version I have is going to radio!! I’ve already heard back from 94.9 the Bull and they will be playing it on Backyard Country next Saturday night! Go ahead and start bombarding them with requests….lancehouston@clearchannel.com.

Y’all be sure to come the Hey Margarita Release Party on Cinco de Mayo at Pappasitos in Marietta and get your FREE copy!!! The party will be starting up around 5pm and we take the stage at 7pm!!!

I am really happy with the way it turned out, I’ve listened to it non-stop for 2 days now and it still hasn’t gotten old. Definitely a good time song and perfect for this time of year with Cinco de Mayo coming up and summer just around the bend. And, it’s amazing how every time I hear it I hear something I didn’t hear before. This song has 108 tracks on it! Great job, Brian (drums, percussion, production, backing vocals)! And everyone else involved – Mark Kovaly on accordian and organ, Joe Reda on bass, the Mariachi band – Mariachi Vallarta(sp), and Wes McElmoyle for helping out with the gang vocals.

See y'all at the Jimmy Buffett Tailgate Party on Tuesday!! 

Lance

It’s trying to warm up outside. Despite a week of record lows, the sun is straining to break through and usher in the good weather. And it couldn’t come at a better time for me. I can’t remember a time when I have been so ready for warmer weather. The snow was nice; I got to build my first snowman. But, enough is enough, I’m ready for my flip-flops!! I think I’m just gonna go ahead and declare an end to winter and wear them anyway.

Also, Tax Time is here. Piles of receipts and bank statements retrace my every step of the past year. A chaotic time for me, but a time when I get to look back at the past year and take note of my progress. And I must say, it looks good. Overall, I’d have to say that last year was a giant step forward for me. Got into the studio, got some originals on the radio, got a full calendar despite the recession and the slowness of the winter months, got some new toys: studio, p.a., 12-string, this website, new ride etc. This year is looking great so far, too. “Encore” is still going strong on 94.9 the Bull’s Backyard Country. I’m playing some new venues. The crowd is slowly but surely getting bigger, every night…

Another reason I’m ready for summertime is the new song I’m working on, “Hey, Margarita”. Yep, it’s exactly what it sounds like. But, with a slightly different twist. I’m really excited about the direction it is taking. Brian’s drums take it in almost an A Tribe Called Quest meets Sublime direction, which is exactly what I wanted. I swear he reads my mind at times. Mark Kovaly came in and laid down some great accordian, which I had my doubts about but loved once I heard it against the track. He also put some screaming organ parts on there. Tomorrow, I get to go in and lay down lead guitar tracks. I gotta get my hands on a nylon string somehow…

Yeah, it’s definitely a feel good, hot weather song. It definitely gets me in a patio weather mood when we’re working on it. I think it’s ironic that we’ve had to cancel a few sessions due to the weather, but in the studio, it’s definitely summertime. You can keep up with our progress by going to tinyurl.com/btscam where you can watch us live in the studio or watch past recordings.

Well, that’s it for now. I’ve got to tie up some loose ends so I can be ready to face the Taxman on Thursday. I hope he doesn’t want any money…

…and I missed it!

You can see the playlist for Saturday night here.

Sorry I didn’t let you guys know, but I didn’t even know myself! I submitted the song early last week with the hopes that I could announce at the “Encore” Release Party last Thursday night that it would be played the following Saturday. Since I didn’t hear back from the station I assumed that they’d already made the playlist for that week. At any rate, apparently Lance Houston, the station’s Music Director who has taken over the show, thought it was good enough for radio and spun it Saturday night, and for that I am extremely grateful!!

So now you guys have a new person to harass. If you dig “Encore”, please email Lance Houston at lancehouston@clearchannel.com and tell him how much you like the song. Or, you can always call the station and 404.741.0949 and request it!! Hopefully, they’ll spin it again this Saturday and maybe one day soon put it into solid rotation!!

This time I’ll be listening.

Lance

I would have to say that the “Encore” Release Party at Suburban Tap last night was a smashing success! I am still reeling. Thanks so much to everyone who came out and gave us love and support!! It meant the world to me. I hope y’all are enjoying your CD’s and mass-producing copies to give to everyone!

I’ve also got to give mad props (oh yeah, I say “mad props” now) to my boys Wes McElmoyle and Brian Stephens for working so hard on this song as well as playing a great show last night. Brian, as always, did an outstanding job producing this song and exceeding the vision that I had for it. I also believe he may have added a keyboard note or two. And as Brian said last night, Wes gets the MVP award for getting pummeled by Brian for about 4 hours straight stacking violin parts. Yeah, that “orchestra” you hear in the background is about 30 tracks of Wes stacked to sound like an orchestra, and me filling in the low end with cello and bass parts on the keyboard. So Wes had a ton of parts to choose from to play last night! I am extremely happy with it. I think the strings take the song in kind of a Beatles direction.

Anyway, I hope you guys like it and find something in it that you feel is worth sharing with your friends. I am so thankful that you all have been part of the process, from the first time I played the song until now. I sincerely hope that you all will continue to be a part of the process in future songs. I'm getting ready to go into the studio to cut the next one..."Hey, Margarita". 

Love Y’all!!

Lance

Happy New Decade! Got tons o’ stuff to be excited about: New website, calendar is looking great for January (usually a very slow month), “What Country Used to Be” is still getting some airplay on 94.9 the Bull, getting into the studio to finish “Encore” later this week (Oh, you thought it was finished? Nope, that version was “leaked”. I’ve still got to add strings and I’ve got to get my boy Wes on there), the home studio is coming along nicely, and oh yeah, I got a new puppy (his name is Luke). Still waiting for my jetpack, but if this week is any indication of how the coming year will be, then it is going to be an awesome one.

So, you’ve noticed the new website? Yeah, I dig it, too. Take some time, look around, lots of stuff to click on. One of the features that I’m really excited about is that new fan page I’ve been talking about for so long. Don’t see it? Well, you’ve got to register and then log in, and you’ll see a new tab at the top that says “Fan Club Page”. On this page, you will find exclusive downloads (such as videos, demos, rough mixes, bootlegs, etc.) that will be available only to Fan Club Members. As of now, I have posted acoustic performances of “What Country Used To Be” and “Encore” recorded live at The Swallow at the Hollow on 12.17.09. So please, take a second to register and then help yourself! Oh, and if you registered at the old site you will need to re-register for this one.

Another great thing about this new site is that I will be doing all of the updating myself. My goal is to have something new for you guys to look at every week whether its pics, video, audio, blog, etc. so keep checking back!

Special thanks to Brian Stephens for making this awesome site for me (as well as producing some great music), find out more about him at www.brianstephens.com and his web design company at www.techmuz.com.

Happy New Year, y’all!!!

Lance

94.9 The Bull Atlanta played "What Country Used To Be" for the THIRD straight week this past Saturday on its "Backyard Country" show, which you can hear every Saturday night between 9 and 10pm. DJ Scott Lindy had some great things to say about the song. The first night he played it he said that he "got this one in the email, and it blew me away...I think it's going to blow you away, too." Last Saturday he called it a "big favorite here at Backyard Country".

Thanks to everyone who called in and requested!!! Keep it up and maybe we can get the song into solid rotation! You can request it by emailing DJ Scott Lindy at scottlindy@clearchannel.com and/or calling 404.741.0949!

I've been doing quite a bit of songwriting in the past year. When I heard about "Backyard Country", a show on 94.9 the Bull where they play songs by local unsigned artists, I thought it would be a great format to get a song out there. I sent a bunch of acoustic demos to producer Brian Stephens (www.brianstephens.com), who is a good friend of mine that I worked with on the Ocean Street project. We decided that "What Country Used to Be" would be a great first single to send in. It's uptempo, catchy, and makes a declaration of sorts.

I wrote "WCUTB" a few months back with Wil Hodge, who is a local songwriter and manager of the Swallow at the Hollow in Roswell, Ga. I had the idea that this song would be a real barn-burner, so I wanted to get some of the best musicians in town to rip on it. Brian produced and played drums. We got Joe Reda who is a major session player in Atlanta to play bass, Gaylon Mathews who played with Gretchen Wilson for years to play steel guitar, David Blackmon who has played with everyone from Jerry Reed to Widespread Panic to play fiddle, and Eric Frampton who has played with the B-52's and lately did a stint with Billy Currington on the piano. That left me (the weakest player in the room) to cut lead and rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar (trust me, it's there), and lead and backing vocals. It was a dream working with these guys, I can't wait to get to work on the other songs.

While recording, we were streaming via Brian's studio cam and had about a hundred folks tune in throughout the process to watch us working live. You can still see some of this footage at www.tinyurl.com/btscam.

Well, I'm heading back into the studio tomorrow to cut "Encore". Stay tuned....

Lance