Brad Cotter | The 'Bama Bad Boy
Had some beers with Brad Cotter the other night at a Nashville music showcase room/bar called The Rutledge. I'm talking with the Rutledge about getting Totally Chipotle on their bar menu, we'll see where that goes.I really liked chatting with Brad - very talented, real smart/knows the music business, very funny/articulate and... ONE BAD BOY. Why do I say that?
For starters, I'm pretty sure he's a preacher's son. Seems to me the preacher's kids are always the wildest ones in town; they've been roped in & down-pressed so hard growing up, they
usually go crazy the first opportunity they get.
Second, he's good friends with my good friend Tim Beattie, (on right, photo by Leigh Hanlon) my fave/best harp player in the world. You can't be goodie goodie and be pals with Tim Beattie, folks.Third, he's obviously got a wild streak in him when he does a very truthful interview regarding the current state of country music with Billboard magazine days after winning Nashville Star (the country version of American Idol), essentially pissing off the Nashville music mafia and destroying any hopes of a mainstream career. Tim Beattie had a great quote, telling Brad: "You did that interview a million records too soon." CRAZY BAD BOY!!!
But you know what? As I told Brad, I think he probably gained a lot of secret fans in the industry and absolute respect from all those in the business too afraid to speak the truth about how the industry really is - I know I've gotten in trouble myself for telling it like it is, and I've paid the price. And I'm not even a preacher's kid - go figure.
As an example of what Brad most likely lost career-wise, look at who he beat on Nashville Star who seems to be doing just fine: Miranda Lambert (R).
In the spirit of how most folks love a good comeback story, though (and with some PR spin, of course), I think it's just a matter of him getting involved with the right material/branding/re-inventing, etc. I've been chatting with him about a long-simmering TV project I think he'd be perfect for - The Americana Music Series. Think Austin City Limits, but live worldwide streaming online (Ustream.tv?), Brad as host, more of a raw production, with Brad bringing in his picks for the best Americana music that country radio would never play.
Knowing the power of TV (who would ever go see a Miley Cryus concert or buy one of her CDs without that TV show first?), I think Brad could come back to where he was with the right on-camera format.
There are some lyrics Brad was hitting me with the other night which stuck in my head: Some lines about how he's glad he didn't close his eyes to pray in church, because he saw the preacher's daughter winking at him... Hell yeah. To get a sense of the exactly what Brad had right in the palm of his hand...check out a couple of his video clips (the guy is absolutely a star).
In the spirit of how most folks love a good comeback story, though (and with some PR spin, of course), I think it's just a matter of him getting involved with the right material/branding/re-inventing, etc. I've been chatting with him about a long-simmering TV project I think he'd be perfect for - The Americana Music Series. Think Austin City Limits, but live worldwide streaming online (Ustream.tv?), Brad as host, more of a raw production, with Brad bringing in his picks for the best Americana music that country radio would never play.
Knowing the power of TV (who would ever go see a Miley Cryus concert or buy one of her CDs without that TV show first?), I think Brad could come back to where he was with the right on-camera format.
There are some lyrics Brad was hitting me with the other night which stuck in my head: Some lines about how he's glad he didn't close his eyes to pray in church, because he saw the preacher's daughter winking at him... Hell yeah. To get a sense of the exactly what Brad had right in the palm of his hand...check out a couple of his video clips (the guy is absolutely a star).
Labels: Americana Music Series, brad cotter, miranda lambert, nashvillle star, Tim Beattie
