Review: Review: Lee Gantt 'Ruined This Town'
Having a knack for writing heartfelt lyrics and being a top-notch performer, Ohio native Lee Gantt is undoubtedly a star in the making. He has toured the country over the last seven years, fostering a hard working reputation. He recently released an EP 'Casa Blvd" in October of 2017. This EP features five tracks, including his current single "Ruined This Town."
With songs like "Ruined This Town" up Lee Gantt's sleeve, it won't be too long before he reaches the next level of country music stardom. The rest of 2018 looks very busy for Gantt, who will be performing alongside fellow country artists, Dustin Lynch, Dylan Scott, Ryan Follese, and Jordan Davis.
Check out the Q&A I had with Lee:
“Touring with artists like Dustin Lynch and rising star Jordan Davis this summer, what do you hope to learn from them?”
It’s always great to get an opportunity to watch other artists and see the way they interact with their fans. Both Dustin and Jordan have very high energy stage shows and I pride myself on trying to interact and include the crowd as much as possible.
“You've travelled to 25 different states during your 7-year touring career, how is the country music scene different in other states opposed to your home state of Ohio?”
To be honest, the country music scene in most states is consistent with the way it is in my home state. Whether you are in large urban areas like Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia or rural towns across the Midwest and South, country music has pushed its way into the mainstream and I believe it’s here to stay.
“You wrote "Ruined This Town" with songwriter Heidi Hamels, who also happens to be the wife of MLB World Series champion Cole Hamels and former TV Show Survivor Contestant; what was that experience like?”
Getting the opportunity to collaborate with such talented and kind people is truly a blessing. Heidi is a very talented songwriter and somehow finds time to run four other companies that her and Cole own, respectively. Heidi is the type of person who always sets very lofty goals and has the drive and determination to reach them. I am very excited to be associated with such great people and excited to see how far she can take the label (HH Entertainment) as one of the only female ran labels in Nashville.
“How has touring over the last 7 years helped you mature as an artist?”
There’s just something spiritual and baptizing about traveling across the country in a van and trailer with four other guys and lots of different personalities. The biggest thing touring consistently prepares you for is how to deal with unexpected or unfavorable situations. It teaches you how to problem solve and overcome challenges to make sure the show goes on. Another way touring has helped me to mature as an artist is getting to meet people from all different walks of life and taking those experiences and including them in my songwriting and storytelling.
“At what point did you truly know that you wanted to pursue a country music career?”
After my first show opening for a nationally touring artist (Thompson Square) I was absolutely certain I couldn’t do anything else with my life. We played in front of a crowd of about 2000 people and the energy they were giving us back was just insane. I stood at the merch table for an hour and a half after the show signing autographs and taking pictures and listening to people talk about how my music really spoke to them. That was definitely the moment I knew I couldn’t live without performing.