Tickets- Official Box Office

 The OFFICAL BLUESTONE TICKET BOX OFFICE

Get Tickets to The Bluestone and never miss your favorite artist again. Tickets From country and electronic to Indie Rock.  THE Bluestone brings quality entertainment to the stage every time. We’re working hard to bring you the best  concerts and special events in Columbus, Ohio. Keep an eye on our tickets and events calendar and check back often for concert updates. Just click on an event to purchase tickets

https://www.ticketmaster.com/the-bluestone-tickets-columbus/venue/41852

 

Feb
1
Fri
Winter Werk Out Music and Arts Two Day Festival @ The Bluestone
Feb 1 @ 6:30 pm

THE WERKS (TWO NIGHTS)

February 1st and February 2nd

Doors open at 6:30pm each night

PURCHASE HERE 

 

Feb
2
Sat
Winter Werk Out Music Festival @ The Bluestone
Feb 2 @ 6:30 pm

Winter Week Out Festival

THE WERKS (TWO NIGHTS)

February 1st and February 2nd

Doors open at 6:30pm each night

www.thewerksmusic.com

PURCHASE HERE

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WINTER WERK OUT MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL 2019

The Winter Werk Out returns to the beautiful Bluestone in Columbus February 1st & 2nd. feat. THE WERKS (TWO NIGHTS)EMANCIPATOREOTO (ft. Michael Travis & Jason Hann of String Cheese Incident)TROPIDELICZACH DEPUTYCONSIDER THE SOURCELITZ (Daft Punk tribute)MOM & DAD (ft. members of Dopapod)ANY COLOUR (Pink Floyd tribute)BULLS ON PARADE (Rage Against the Machine tribute)PRONTOHGHOST GARDENS X2SHATTERmany more TBA www.thewerksmusic.com

Feb
15
Fri
Love and Theft LIVE February 15th 2019 @ The Bluestone
Feb 15 @ 7:00 pm

Love and Theft will be performing LIVE at The Bluestone on Friday, February 15th, 2019

Doors for the show will open at 7pm

Opening Artists: Stevie Monce and Crawford & Power

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 day of show

Tickets will go on-sale Friday, October 26th at 10am

PURCHASE HERE

L&T_503x
“We wanted to show a different side and make a record that sounds like us,” Stephen Barker Liles says of Love and Theft’s boundary-pushing new album Whiskey On My Breath. “Country music has always been about honest performances and songs that mean something, and that’s the kind of record that we wanted to make.”

“We’re at a different place, in our music and in our lives, than we were when we made our earlier records, and we wanted this album to reflect that,” agrees his longstanding musical partner Eric Gunderson. “We worked harder and more passionately on this record than anything we’ve ever done. The whole experience was refreshing and inspiring for us.”

Whiskey On My Breath—the duo’s third album—marks a significant creative statement for the two singer-songwriter-guitarists, whose resume already includes a long series of career highlights. Having already established themselves as one of country’s hottest young acts with such memorable hits as the #1 country smash “Angel Eyes” and the Top 10 hit “Runaway,” and their widely acclaimed albums World Wide Open and Love and Theft, the ACM/CMA/CMT-nominated twosome take their music to the next level on Whiskey On My Breath.

Dec
12
Thu
LOCASH LIVE December 12th 2019 @ The Bluestone
Dec 12 @ 7:00 pm

The Bluestone

LOCASH LIVE at The Bluestone on December 12th, 2019

Doors for the show will open at 7pm

Opening Artist: Drew Baldridge

Tickets are just $25 in advance and $30 day of show

Tickets on-sale Friday, August 23rd at 10am

PURCHASE HERE

Creating a sound that fuses modern Country and classic heartland rock with an edgy vocal blend, Wheelhouse Records’ LOCASH is the Country music duo made up of singer-songwriters Chris Lucas and Preston Brust; natives of Baltimore, Maryland, and Kokomo, Indiana, respectively. With two albums and eight charting singles to their credit, LOCASH broke out in 2015 with their gracious GOLD-certified hit, “I Love This Life,” followed by the flirtatious GOLD-certified #1 smash, “I Know Somebody” –their first trip to the top of the Country radio airplay charts –and 2017’s fun-loving romantic anthem “Ring on Every Finger.” All three singles were part of their album, THE FIGHTERS, which was released in the summer of 2016 to Top 15 success. In 2017, they earned their first round of awards show recognition, nominated at the ACM Awards for New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year, the CMT Music Awards for Duo Video of the Year (“I Know Somebody”), and the CMA Awards for Vocal Duo of the Year. The 2019 ACM Duo of the Year nominee released their latest album (and first with their new label BBR Music Group/BMG), Brotherson March 29, 2019 with their lead single, “Feels Like A Party” reaching Top 25. Their current single, “One Big Country Song,” is currently climbing the charts.

Dec
14
Sat
Morgan Evans LIVE @ The Bluestone
Dec 14 @ 7:00 pm

Morgan Evans live at The Bluestone on Saturday, December 14th, 2019

Doors for the show will open at 7pm

Opening Artist: Madison Kozak

Tickets for the show are just $15 in advance and $20 day of show

Tickets go on-sale Friday, June 21st at 10am

PURCHASE HERE

Morgan Evans

Morgan Evans Live at The Bluestone Dec. 14th

MORGAN EVANS EXTENDS WORLD TOUR 2019 TO NORTH AMERICA THIS WINTER
JUNE 17 2019

NEW TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED AS “DAY DRUNK” BUZZES INTO COUNTRY RADIO’S TOP 25

ON THE ROAD ALL SUMMER WITH RASCAL FLATTS; ADDITIONAL FESTIVALS ON TAP FOLLOWING BONNAROO, CMA FEST PERFORMANCES

Warner Music Nashville rising star MORGAN EVANS has announced the North American leg of his WORLD TOUR 2019, with more than a dozen dates set in the U.S. and Canada. Further expanding his international fan base, the Australia native will crisscross the globe with 26 shows in 8 countries on tap, including previously announced European and Australian dates. The career-milestone performances mark Evans’ biggest shows to-date in his home country, already selling out one of two Sydney shows, as well as Perth, Adelaide and Toowoomba.

Feb
1
Sat
Lauren Alaina LIVE February 1st, 2020 @ The Bluestone
Feb 1 @ 7:00 pm

“Following the recent news that multi-award-winning country star Lauren Alaina is a contender on this season’s “Dancing with the Stars,” the platinum-selling singer’s That Girl Was Me Tour scheduled for this fall is shifting to a January start date. The That Girl Was Me Tour originally scheduled at The Bluestone on October 3rd 2019 is being rescheduled to February 1st 2020. ”  If you have already purchased tickets, those tickets will be valid for the new date.

Lauren Alaina LIVE at The Bluestone on February 1st, 2020

Opening Artist: Filmore

Doors for the show will open at 7pm

Tickets are $20

This is an All Ages Show

Tickets on-sale NOW

PURCHASE HERE

Georgia native Lauren Alaina captured America’s hearts when she competed on Season 10 of American Idol. In 2017, Lauren followed up her No. 1 debuting first album, Wildflower, with the release of the critically-acclaimed Road Less Traveled. The album landed on multiple end-of-year “Best Of” lists including Billboard, Rolling Stone and Amazon, and it became the top-streamed female country album release of the year. Praised as “full of life lessons and uplift” (PEOPLE), the collection of 12 songs all written by the young star includes Lauren’s first No. 1 hit, title track “Road Less Traveled.”

The “sassy Southerner with killer pipes” (PARADE) has shared the stage with superstars including Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Martina McBride. Lauren recently joined Cole Swindell on the Reason to Drink Tour and is currently on tour with Jason Aldean for this summer’s High Noon Neon Tour.

 

 

Feb
15
Sat
SOLD OUT! LANCO: What I see Tour LIVE at The Bluestone @ The Bluestone
Feb 15 @ 7:00 pm
Lanco

Lanco Live at The Bluestone

THIS SHOW IS SOLD OUT!

LANCO will be performing live at The Bluestone on Saturday, February 15th, 2020

Doors for the show will open at 7pm

Opening Artist: Tyler Rich

Tickets on-sale Friday, November 1st at 10am

PURCHASE HERE

Country-rock band LANCO — which stands for Lancaster & Company — were formed in 2013 by namesake and frontman Brandon Lancaster. Hailing from Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, the quintet members included drummer Tripp Howell, guitarist Eric Steedly, keyboardist Jared Hampton, and bassist Chandler Baldwin. Crafting feel-good country anthems tinged with classic rock and blues edges, LANCOgot their start after a chance meeting between Lancaster and producer Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Little Big Town) at a Keith Urban concert. Joyce signed LANCO to his publishing company and produced their eponymous debut EP. The band signed with Sony Music Nashville imprint Arista Nashville in late 2015. Their second EP, Extended Play, was released in early 2016. It contained three of the same songs as their debut, exchanging “High” for newer track and lead single “Long Live Tonight,” a pop-infused country song with a Kings of Leonundercurrent. In 2017, their song “Greatest Love Story” was also featured as the theme for the Netflix series The Ranch, and this placement helped break the band, with the single reaching Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Top Ten. Hallelujah Nights, the band’s long-awaited full-length debut, appeared in January 2018. They returned the following year with the single “Rival.”

Mar
5
Thu
Mitchell Tenpenny Concert Tickets @ The Bluestone
Mar 5 @ 7:00 pm
Mitchell Tenpenny Concert Tickets @ The Bluestone

Mitchell Tenpenny Concert at The Bluestone In Columbus, Ohio

March 5th, 2020

Doors for the show will open at 7pm

Opening Artist: Adam Doleac

Tickets are just $25 in advance and $30 dos

Tickets will go on-sale Friday, December 13th at 10am

PURCHASE HERE

“I wanted to tell a bunch of different stories on this album, but they all had to be authentic and believable to me,” says Mitchell Tenpenny. “What I was feeling at the time, where I was in my head, what’s going on in the world, it all contributed to the end product. The songs that made it were the ones I was sure that I was passionate about getting on there—what I was proud of, what I really wanted to say.”

On the heels of his Platinum-certified No. 1 single, “Drunk Me,” comes Tenpenny’s major label debut album, Telling All My Secrets. Revealing a wide range of influences and a level of assurance and confidence that comes from already having years of songwriting and touring behind him, the record marks the arrival of an artist recently singled out recently singled out as one of Pandora’s Artists to Watch in 2019, MusicRow’s Next Big Thing honorees, and The Tennessean’s Next Nashville Stars for 2019.

Jul
23
Fri
Lanco Live in concert July 23, 2021 @ The Bluestone
Jul 23 @ 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm

Lanco Live in concert

ONLY $25

 July 23, 2021

Doors at 7 PM

Lanco live in concert

Tickets on sale May 7th, 2021

Country-rock band LANCO — which stands for Lancaster & Company — was formed in 2013 by namesake and frontman Brandon Lancaster. Hailing from Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, the quintet members included drummer Tripp Howell, guitarist Eric Steedly, keyboardist Jared Hampton, and bassist Chandler Baldwin. Crafting feel-good country anthems tinged with classic rock and blues edges, LANCO got their start after a chance meeting between Lancaster and producer Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Little Big Town) Keith Urban concert. Joyce signed LANCO to his publishing company and produced their eponymous debut EP. The band signed with Sony Music Nashville imprint Arista Nashville in late 2015. Their second EP, Extended Play, was released in early 2016. It contained three of the same songs as their debut, exchanging “High” for newer track and lead single “Long Live Tonight,” a pop-infused country song with a Kings of Leon undercurrent. In 2017, their song “Greatest Love Story” was also featured as the theme for the Netflix series The Ranch, and this placement helped break the band, with the single reaching Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Top Ten. Hallelujah Nights, the band’s long-awaited full-length debut, appeared in January 2018. They returned the following year with the single “Rival.”

 

 

Oct
21
Thu
Gorgon City Olympia Tour presented by PSG @ The Bluestone
Oct 21 @ 8:00 pm – 11:45 am

 

Gorgon City Olympia Tour

Gorgon City Olympia Tour

TICKETS ON SALE TO THE PUBLIC MAY 7 @ 10:00AM: https://www.tixr.com/groups/prime/events/gorgon-city-23154
Prime Social Group presents…
GORGON CITY – Olympia Tour
==================
The Bluestone || Columbus, OH
==================
Thursday, October 21 || Doors 8PM || 18+
==================
Support: TBD
Click “Interested” or “Attending” in the FB event for updates and other important information!

Follow Gorgon City:

https://www.facebook.com/gorgoncity

https://www.instagram.com/gorgoncity
https://twitter.com/gorgoncity

For the first look at new show announcements, follow us!
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @primesocial
This ticket is a revocable license and may be taken up and admission refused upon refunding the purchase price appearing hereon and is grounds for seizure and cancellation without compensation. Holder of this ticket (“Holder”) voluntarily assumes all risks and danger incidental to the game or event for which this ticket is issued whether occurring prior to, during, or after same, including, but not limited to, contracting, and/or spreading the COVID-19 virus, and agrees that the organization, venue, presenter, agents, participants, or players are not responsible or liable for any injuries, sickness, or death resulting from such causes. Holder acknowledges that the COVID-19 pandemic remains a threat to individual and public health, COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease transmitted through human contact and respiratory droplets (including through the air and via common surfaces) and it is possible that Holder may contract COVID-19 while at the game or event for which this ticket is issued. Holder agrees by use of this ticket not to transmit or aid in transmitting any description, account, picture, or reproduction of the game or event to which this ticket is issued. Breach of the foregoing will automatically terminate this license. Holder agrees that the license comprised by this ticket may be removed and Holder may be ejected from the game or event for which this ticket is issued in the event that Holder violates any law, ordinance, or venue regulation. Holder grants permission to the organization sponsoring the game or event for which this ticket is issued to utilize Holder’s image or likeness in connection with any video or other transmission or reproduction of the event to which this ticket relates.

Nov
19
Fri
SOLD OUT Tracy Lawrence LIVE November 19, 2021 @ The Bluestone
Nov 19 @ 7:00 pm – 11:45 pm

Tracy Lawrence will be performing LIVE at The Bluestone

Special guest Tyler Booth

November 19th, 2021

Presale $25 Day of show $30

Doors at 7 PM

If you purchased tickets for the previous show and did not receive a refund, your ticket will be good for the new date.

Tracy Lawrence

Tracy Lawrence

In 1994, Lawrence contributed the Top Ten hit “Renegades, Rebels and Rogues” to the soundtrack of the movie version of Maverick and also released his third album, I See It Now. “Texas Tornado” became his sixth number one hit, and three more singles — the title track, “As Any Fool Can See,” and “If the World Had a Front Porch” — all went to number two. Somewhat lost in all the success was Lawrence‘s arrest that same year on a weapons charge, but it didn’t slow his career momentum at all. He tossed off the Live and Unplugged set in 1995, which compiled acoustic tracks and concert performances with his backing band Little Elvis. In 1996, he returned with the proper follow-up album Time Marches On. The title track was a huge hit, topping the country charts, and “If You Love Me,” “Stars Over Texas,” and “Is That a Tear” all went Top Five. His hit streak continued with 1997’s The Coast Is Clear, which contained two more Top Five singles in the title track and “Better Man, Better Off.”

This ticket is a revocable license and may be taken up and admission refused upon refunding the purchase price appearing hereon and is grounds for seizure and cancellation without compensation. Holder of this ticket (“Holder”) voluntarily assumes all risks and danger incidental to the game or event for which this ticket is issued whether occurring prior to, during, or after same, including, but not limited to, contracting, and/or spreading the COVID-19 virus, and agrees that the organization, venue, presenter, agents, participants, or players are not responsible or liable for any injuries, sickness, or death resulting from such causes. Holder acknowledges that the COVID-19 pandemic remains a threat to individual and public health, COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease transmitted through human contact and respiratory droplets (including through the air and via common surfaces) and it is possible that Holder may contract COVID-19 while at the game or event for which this ticket is issued. Holder agrees by use of this ticket not to transmit or aid in transmitting any description, account, picture, or reproduction of the game or event to which this ticket is issued. Breach of the foregoing will automatically terminate this license. Holder agrees that the license comprised by this ticket may be removed and Holder may be ejected from the game or event for which this ticket is issued in the event that Holder violates any law, ordinance, or venue regulation. Holder grants permission to the organization sponsoring the game or event for which this ticket is issued to utilize Holder’s image or likeness in connection with any video or other transmission or reproduction of the event to which this ticket relates.

Nov
26
Fri
FREAKFEST 11/26/2021 ZOMBOY LUCII BRONDO @ The Bluestone
Nov 26 @ 9:00 pm – Nov 27 @ 1:45 am

FREAKFEST 11/26 at THE BLUESTONE
featuring:
ZOMBOY
LUCII
BRONDO

Disco Donnie Presents

FREAKFEST NOVEMBER 26 2021

A MASSIVE 3 ACT MEGA PARTY

featuring:

ZOMBOY 

LUCCII

BRONDO 

Tickets: After completing your purchase on See Tickets, you will receive an email confirmation with your attached PDF ticket(s).  You MUST print and bring your PDF tickets AND VALID PHOTO IDENTIFICATION to be admitted for the event.   You may download the See Tickets app and show your ticket on your mobile device for entry in lieu of printing.

Disco Donnie Presents | Ticket Transfer Policy: You may gain entry to the event even if your name is not on your ticket ONLY so long as the barcode is scannable.  Disco Donnie Presents is not responsible if ticket(s) cannot be scanned and the order is under a different name than the person presenting the ticket.

Please do not post a photo of your ticket publicly in order to avoid the potential risk of a stolen bar code.  Tickets are treated like cash and cannot be replaced if lost or stolen.

Ticket Reminder: To ensure your satisfaction, Disco Donnie Presents cannot guarantee tickets purchased from unauthorized third party resellers (individuals or brokers). DDP recommends that you purchase tickets directly through discodonniepresents.comSeetickets.us, our authorized partners, and the venue box offices. For questions: contact@discodonniepresents.com

Feb
23
Wed
Two Friends Live February 23, 2022 @ The Bluestone
Feb 23 @ 8:00 pm – 11:45 pm

Prime Social Presents

Two Friends Adventureland Tour

The Bluestone, Columbus, OH
Wed Feb 23, 2022 at 8:00pm EST
Ages 18 & over

|

Doors open at 8:00 PM
Two Friends

Two Friends

$22 GA

$44-$55 VIP

Two Friends Backstage Package $199

Two Friends Meet & Greet Package $149

Two Friends VIP Merchandise Package $99

https://www.tixr.com/groups/prime/events/two-friends-30598

Included in this total ticket price is a 5% arts and culture fee on the base ticket as required by the City of Columbus. This fee supports exemplary artists, arts and cultural organizations and programs that educate and engage audiences of all ages throughout greater Columbus. For more information on this click here.

Tickets: After completing your purchase on TIXR, you will receive an email confirmation with your attached PDF ticket(s). You may print your PDF ticket OR download your PDF ticket to your mobile device to be admitted into the event, and you MUST bring A VALID PHOTO IDENTIFICATION as well. The name on the tickets do not have to match the ID so long as the barcode is scannable. PSG is not responsible if ticket(s) cannot be scanned and the order is under a different name than the person presenting the ticket. 

All Patrons must present a “Legal ID” for alcohol Purchases. Fake IDs will be confiscated. Presenting a fake ID is a crime and punishable by law.

Mar
18
Fri
Mammoth WVH & Dirty Honey Live March, 18 2022 @ The Bluestone
Mar 18 @ 6:30 pm – 11:45 pm

Mammoth WVH & Dirty Honey Live March 18th, 2022 6:30 PM

The Bluestone
Columbus, Ohio

https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/05005B5B9DE84DB9

WRKZ presents Mammoth WVH & Dirty Honey in Columbus, OH at The Bluestone March 18th, 2022.

Tickets on sale Friday, November 5th at 10 AM!

About Mammoth WVH

Official Website: www.mammothwvh.com

Official Facebook Page:www.facebook.com/MammothWVH

Official Twitter: www.twitter.com/MammothWVH @MammothWVH

Official Instagram: www.instagram.com/mammothwvh @mammothwvh

Official YouTube Channel:www.youtube.com/MammothWVH

First impressions last a lifetime. Wolfgang Van Halen has prepared a lifetime to make his first impression. The songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist worked tirelessly towards the introduction of MAMMOTH [Explorer1], his self-titled 2021 debut album. Playing every instrument and singing each and every note, his music presents a personal and powerful perspective, balancing memorable hooks and tight technicality. As many times as audiences have experienced his talent alongside the likes of Tremonti,Clint Lowery, and of course, Van Halen, they meet Wolf as an individual for the very first time now.

“You only have one chance to make a first impression, and I wanted to do so to the best of my abilities,” he affirms. “Throughout the whole process, I was finding who I am musically and by the end, I got a pretty good handle on a sound I can claim for myself.”

His father often played guitar against his mother’s pregnant belly, and Wolf absorbed those vibrations from the womb. At the age of 10, his Pop gave him a drum kit for his birthday. To this day, Wolf considers himself “a drummer before anything else.” As he developed as a musician, he learned how to play guitar in order to perform “316” —which his father penned for him —at a 6th-grade talent show.

It may come as a surprise, but outside of his father teaching him one drumbeat from an AC/DC song, Wolfgang taught himself every instrument. “My dad wasn’t the best teacher,” he laughs. “I would ask him to play something, and then he would just proceed to be Eddie Van Halen. He would look at me and say, ‘Do that.’ to which I would laugh and sarcastically reply, ‘Sure thing, no problem.’”

In the summer of 2006 when he was 15 years old, Wolf grabbed a bass and began noodling. While at the legendary 5150 Studios, his impromptu woodshedding inspired Eddie and Uncle Alex. Endless family jam sessions followed. By summer’s end, Wolfgang phoned David Lee Roth’s manager and by winter Roth showed up for rehearsal. They rocked “On Fire,” and “That’s how the 2007 tour began,” says Wolf.

Not only did Wolf canvas the world with Van Halen while in high school, but he also held down the low end on 2012’s A Different Kind of Truth—which debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200. When not on tour with Van Halen, he cut bass for Tremonti’s critically acclaimed Cauterize [2015] and Dust [2016] in addition to joining the band on the road. In 2019, Wolf handled drums and also played bass on half of the 10 songs for Clint Lowery’s solo debut, God Bless The Renegades.

In the midst of all this, at the beginning of 2015, Wolf broke ground on what would become MAMMOTH with producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette [Alter Bridge, Slash] behind the board. Wolf began to embrace his voice, inspired by everyone from his father, to bands like AC/DC,Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails, TOOL, and Jimmy Eat World. “I’ve been singing my whole life, but it wasn’t until MAMMOTH that I really found my voice. Elvis was great, and he helped me gain the confidence to become a lead vocalist.”

“The name Mammoth is really special to me.” says Wolf. “Not only was it the name of Van Halen before it became Van Halen, but my father was also the lead singer. Ever since my dad told me this, I always thought that when I grew up, I’d call my own band Mammoth, because I loved the name so much. I’m so thankful that my father was able to listen to, and enjoy the music I made. I’m really proud of the work I’ve done and nothing made me happier than seeing how proud he was that I was continuing the family legacy.”

About Dirty Honey

Official Website: https://www.dirtyhoney.com/

Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/DirtyHoneyMusic/

Official Twitter:  https://twitter.com/dirtyhoneyband @DirtyHoneyBand

Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirtyhoneyband/@dirtyhoneyband

Official YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsxtEOcwpVO9Rnw93Fuv2pQ

Some musicians take a while to build an audience and connect with fans. For the Los Angeles-based quartet Dirty Honey, success came right out of the gate. Released in March 2019, the band’s debut single, “When I’m Gone,” became the first song by an unsigned artist to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. Their second single, “Rolling 7s,” went into the Top 5 and was still headed up when COVID changed everything. That same year, Dirty Honey opened for The Who, Guns ’N Roses, Slash, and Alter Bridge and was the “do-not-miss-band” at major rock festivals such as Welcome to Rockville, Rocklahoma, Louder Than Life, Heavy MTL, and Epicenter. On its first U.S. headline tour in January and February 2020, the band sold out every date.
When it came time to record its self-titled full-length debut album, the band—vocalist Marc LaBelle, guitarist John Notto, bassist Justin Smolian, and drummer Corey Coverstone—wasn’t about to mess with what was already working. Teaming up with producer Nick DiDia (Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam), who also produced the band’s 2019 self-titled EP, Dirty Honey again captured the lightning-in-a-bottle dynamics and energy of their live sound.
“As a guitarist, I’m always inspired by the everlasting pursuit of the perfect riff,” says Notto. “I also wanted to extend the artistic statement that we had already made. We weren’t looking to sound different, or prove our growth, necessarily. It was more about, ‘Oh, you thought that was good? Hold my beer.'”
“Because of the pandemic,” added drummer Coverstone, “we had a lot more time to write and prepare, which was great. It meant that we were able to workshop the songs a lot more, and I thinkit really made a difference.”
Dirty Honey’s album indeed builds on the band’s output to date, with airtight song writing that plays up their strengths: sexy, bluesy, nasty rock’n’roll, melodic hard rock, and soulful 70s blues-rock. On “The Wire,”LaBelle reaffirms his status as one of contemporary rock’s best vocalists, while “Another Last Time” is a raunchy, timeless ballad about a toxic relationship that you just can’t stop saying goodbye to. “Tied Up” and the album’s lead single “California Dreamin,’’ both feature smoking guitar solos bookended by massive riffs and hooks.
“‘California Dreaming’ was the last song we wrote,” said bassist Justin Smolian. “We finished it about two weeks before we recorded it, so the song was still so new, and we were trying out different things,so every take was a little different. But there was that one where we just captured it, and it was magic.”
Although each band member started playing music as kids—at the age of eight, Notto’s parents even bought him a red-and-white Stratocaster—each one brings eclectic influences to Dirty Honey’s sound. For example, drummer Coverstone has studied with jazz and L.A. session drummers but loves heavy metal; Notto grew up listening to ’70s funk and R&B as well as rock ‘n’ roll,and bassist Smolian has a bachelor of music in classical guitar and loves Tom Petty and The Beach Boys.
LaBelle meanwhile,takes cues from hissongwriting idols (to name a few, Robert Plant, Steven Tyler, Mick Jagger, Chris Robinson, and the late Chris Cornell) when coming up with lyrics. As a result, the songs on the Dirty Honey albumhint at life’s ebbs and flows—shattering heartbreak, romantic connection, intense soul-searching—while giving listeners space to draw their own conclusions.
“Sometimes,if you just let lyrics pass behind your ears, they sound like cool shit is being said,” LaBelle says. “And then once you dive in, you realize, ‘Oh, that’s really thoughtful.’ But it still doesn’t have a meaning that’s easy to pinpoint. There’s an overarching idea that is really cool, but it’s not necessarily on-the-nose.”
Although the Dirty Honey album may sound effortless, its genesis had a bumpy start. The day before the band members were due to fly to Australia to track the album, Los Angeles entered lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and traveling was off the table. However, Dirty Honey was still eager to work with DiDia, so they devised a Plan B: recording the full-length in a Los Angeles studio with one of DiDia’s long-time engineers, and the producer beamed into the proceedings via the magic of modern technology.
“He was able to listen to what we were laying down in real-time, through this app,” says LaBelle. It was like he was in the room with us. It was surprisingly seamless the way it all went down.”
Having to switch gears delayed the start of recording slightly, although this extra time ended up being a boon. Dirty Honey rented a rehearsal space and demoed the album’s songs in advance, meaning the tracks were in good shape when DiDia came onboard. Notto mixed and recorded these workshopped tracks himself, which helped him rediscover one of Dirty Honey’s biggest strengths: being well-rehearsed while not overpolishing their work.
“I’ve learned just a little bit more about what people might mean when they say, magic—you know, ‘This one has the magic,'” he says. “We would do two and three different demos of a song, so there would be a few versions. On a few occasions, the version that people kept going back to was the sloppiest, if you look at it from a performance standpoint.”
LaBelle agrees. “It’s just about getting the performance right and not thinking about it too much. I never like to be perfect in the studio. None of the stuff that I really liked as a kid was. I don’t really see myself getting away from that too much in the future just because I think you lose the soul if you do it too many times, if it’s too perfect.”
Notto also admits that the creative process isn’t necessarily always all fun and games. But for him and the rest of Dirty Honey, pushing through those tough times and coming out stronger on the other side is worth it. “When you finally come through on those moments, that’s where the real magiccomes in,” he says. “What makes all of our songs fun to play and listen to is we don’t allow ourselves to stop short of getting the best possible results out of each one of them.”

Mar
25
Fri
Lauren Alaina’s TOP OF THE WORLD TOUR March 25, 2022 @ The Bluestone
Mar 25 @ 7:00 pm – 11:45 pm

Top of the World Tour

LAUREN ALAINA

Presented by maurices

March 25, 2022 7 PM

at The Bluestone

Columbus, Ohio

Tickets $20

Artist Biography

Lauren Alaina | Sitting Pretty on Top of the World

Ten years into her Nashville career, Lauren Alaina is in the upper echelon of country music’s most authentic voices, beloved personalities, and open hearts. She’s earned a reputation as one of the genre’s most compelling storytellers by boldly incorporating her struggles and heartache into her critically acclaimed first two albums. Lauren’s third studio collection, Sitting Pretty on Top of the World, is an artful evolution of immaculately penned, unflinching reflections of the mountains and valleys on her journey.

Sitting Pretty on Top of the World opens with the telltale sound of a needle dropping down on a record, and with that, Lauren sets the tone for some of the most captivating music of her career. Lauren was inspired to lean into the tenets of classic country music for this project and on the albums lead track, “It Was Me,” she offers a timeless country ballad filled with heartsick self-reflection. Lauren’s voice emotionally soars through the aching, introspective lyrics: “It wasn’t you I didn’t love, it was me.”

“The other person isn’t always the bad guy,” Lauren concedes. “On ‘It Was Me,’ I’m taking full ownership of being in the wrong. It was really hard to admit that I was the one at fault and to realize that I didn’t love myself enough to allow someone else to love me.” But the vulnerable “It Was Me,” co-written with Hillary Lindsey, is a song Lauren considers to be one of the best she’s ever written.

Lauren takes pride in the exposed transparency of her songwriting on this project, and though most writing sessions took place via Zoom, Lauren was crafting verses and choruses alongside the likes of award-winning songwriters including Liz Rose, Lori McKenna, Hillary Lindsey, Emily Weisband, David Garcia, Jordan Reynolds, Ben Johnson and Kennedi Lykken. She co-wrote 14 of the album’s 15 songs, much of it inspired from recent life experiences including two impactful break-ups, the loss of her stepfather, and like much of the world, Lauren struggled with despondency as she adapted to life in the pandemic.

The album’s title track “On Top of the World” delves into the dark reality behind polished facades. Writing the song with Jordan Reynolds and Sasha Sloan after the pandemic forced her to stay home for the first time in a decade, Lauren, in a heightened emotional state, revealed how she felt enveloped in loneliness and sadness.

“I’ve been on the road and touring for 10 years and having that taken away so suddenly felt like an abrupt stop to everything I’ve been working for, and that was a really scary thing for me,” she says, “but the whole world stopped for everybody, and I needed to find new ways to connect with people.”

Lauren applies that same honest vulnerability throughout the album from the harrowing ballad “What Do You Think Of?” featuring Danish Pop Star Lukas Graham, to the pensive flow of “I’m Not Sad Anymore,” to the beautiful simplicity of “Good Ole Boy” with its scaled back production that truly allows Lauren’s vocals to shine.

“This whole thing [album] is about loving yourself and being brave and being strong,” Lauren says. “I was faced with all these trials, and I hope people feel themselves in these songs. I think we all live the same stories with different characters. And maybe people realize new beginnings can be good.”

“Getting Good,” a duet with Trisha Yearwood, is the only song Lauren didn’t write on the album. Penned by Weisband, the song is a poignant truth-telling about choosing to be happy. Drawn to the concept, Lauren says, “Life is all about perspective, and you sometimes you have to shift your perspective.”

Lauren punctuates the lovelorn with the playful yet forthright “When the Party’s Over” and with the propulsive yet nostalgic “Run.”  She also teamed up with Emily Weisband and the album’s producer Paul DiGiovanni to write the lighthearted, here-for-the-fun, rebound tune, “Getting Over Him,” featuring country star Jon Pardi. Lauren rounds out the album with the beautifully hopeful “Change My Mind,” which she co-wrote with Seth Ennis and Cameron Bedell.

Then with the familiar crackle of a vinyl record nearing its end, the album comes to a close. A journey from start to finish. Lauren explores life in these unique times and Sitting Pretty on Top of the World is the salve and the soundtrack for anyone traversing their own personal quest for hope and new beginnings.

Mar
31
Thu
Dillon Carmichael March 31, 2022 @ The Bluestone
Mar 31 @ 7:00 pm – 11:45 pm

Dillon Carmichael

March 31, 2022 7 PM

at The Bluestone

Columbus, Ohio

About Dillon Carmichael:

FOR DILLON CARMICHAEL, THE LAST THREE YEARS HAVE BEEN A WHIRLWIND, TO SAY THE LEAST.

Since unleashing his critically acclaimed 2018 debut, Hell On An Angel, he’s toured with everyone from Lynyrd Skynyrd and Trace Adkins to Dwight Yoakam and Justin Moore, written a song for Travis Tritt’s latest album, racked up millions of streams on Spotify, gone viral on TikTok, and even gotten engaged. And while you might have expected the cancellation of a year’s worth of tour dates to finally slow him down, Carmichael instead used his pandemic downtime to head right back into the studio and record Hot Beer, a brand new collection of high-energy, feel-good country.

“I felt like my catalog could use a little more fun in it,” says Carmichael. “After putting out a record as heavy as Hell On An Angel, I wanted to make something faster, something looser, something that’d leave you with a smile on your face.”

Recorded with producers Jon Pardi and Ryan Gore, Dan Huff, and Phil O’Donnell, Hot Beer is all sly humor and raw heart, with tongue-in-cheek lyrics and double entendres lurking around every corner. Carmichael’s rich, velvety baritone is still very much front and center here, but there’s a newfound playfulness to his delivery that manages to offer up a knowing wink even as it breaks your heart. It’s a delicate tightrope for any artist to walk, but if Hot Beer proves anything, it’s that Dillon Carmichael is a songwriter who knows how to take his fun seriously.

“Whether I’m singing a tear jerker or a party tune, the only thing that really matters to me is that it’s a great song,” Carmichael says. “And great songs are honest songs.”

Growing up in the small town of Burgin, KY, Carmichael inherited his passion for honest music through familial osmosis: his father and uncles performed in a Southern Gospel Quartet, his mother sang all over the eastern part of the state, and her brothers (John Michael and Eddie Montgomery) both enjoyed massive chart success. As a kid, Carmichael fell in love with country legends like Waylon Jennings and Vern Gosdin alongside the rock and roll he heard on the radio, and by the time he hit his teens, he was writing his own songs and performing live.

“I didn’t at any point consciously decide I was going to be a musician,” says Carmichael. “It just happened naturally. I found a kind of truth in country music that I couldn’t get anywhere else.”

After finishing high school, Carmichael relocated to Nashville, where he earned a publishing deal at the tender age of 18. It was his first taste of life outside of rural Kentucky, and the discovery of a whole city full of like-minded artists whose lives revolved around making music thrilled him. Buoyed by his early success, Carmichael began collaborating all over town with some of most revered writers in the business, but no Nashville resident had a bigger influence on him than producer Dave Cobb, whose stewardship helped guide Hell On An Angel from a dream to a reality.

“Dave just immediately understood my vision,” says Carmichael. “He helped me zero in on my truth.”

Merging a sonically progressive palette with a tasteful reverence for the past, Hell On An Angel was at once old school and modern, traditional and contemporary, timeless and timely. The New York Times compared Carmichael to Randy Travis and said his voice “moves with the heft and certainty of a tractor-trailer,” while NPR praised his “deep holler,” and Parade raved that “Carmichael defines pure country.” He landed on Artist To Watch lists from Billboard, Rolling Stone, Taste of Country, Pandora, and more, reached #2 at country radio’s Most Added chart with his debut single, “Dancing Away With My Heart,” and electrified festival crowds from Seven Peaks to Faster Horses.

“One of the things I learned getting to play big festivals and arenas and theaters was that it doesn’t matter if there’s 200 people or 20,000 people in the audience,” says Carmichael. “They’re there to hear country music and have a good time. It’s that simple.”

And so Carmichael began plotting his follow-up to Hell On Angel with those good times in mind. Reaching back to the lighthearted 90s country that had always held a special place in his heart, he began cutting a series of lively, uptempo, sometimes hilarious tunes full of mischief and innuendo. Lead single “Hot Beer,” written by Carmichael’s good friend HARDY, rattles off a list of everything the singer would rather do than get back together with his cheating ex (“I’d rather drink a hot beer / Build a fire in the pouring rain / Burn all of my fishing gear / Then set sail in a hurricane”), while the anthemic “Big Truck,” written with David Lee Murphy and Jessi Alexander, questions the true source of his partner’s affection, and the bawdy “Sawin’ Logs” spins a tale of two lovers on very different pages.

“Phil sent me that song last year and it was our summer jam,” says Carmichael. “We rocked out to it all the time, and I posted an acoustic version to TikTok just for fun one day. It ended up getting millions and millions of views and everyone started singing along to it at my shows, so I knew I had to record it.”

Not everything on Hot Beer is quite so irreverent, though. The sweetly sincere “Since You’ve Been In It” celebrates the kind of love that makes everything better; the bittersweet “Somewhere She Ain’t” reckons with the ghosts of a lost love that just won’t fade away; and the grateful “Lucky Man” takes stock of the little things that add up to a beautiful life.

“My uncle Eddie originally recorded ‘Lucky Man’ with Troy Gentry back in 2006,” says Carmichael, “and I thought putting my own spin on it would be a nice nod to my family legacy, as well as a tribute to Troy, who passed away in 2017. I’ve loved that song ever since I heard them sing it for the first time, and I’m honored be able to share my version of it.”

With live music returning and his calendar filling up once more, Dillon Carmichael is indeed a lucky man. And with Hot Beer, it’s clear he’s ready to dive back into the whirlwind and have some serious fun.

COVID-19:

The Bluestone does not require COVID Vaccinations to enter our venue. We follow all local guidelines and cleaning procedures. The current Columbus “Mask Mandate” for an indoor event does not apply to anyone who is “ACTIVELY EATING OR DRINKING.” We kindly ask that you enter the building with a mask on. You can keep it on or remove it as long as you are actively EATING OR DRINKING! This will be a full capacity show, and it is an “ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK EVENT.”

Apr
10
Sun
Whitey Morgan and the 78’s April 10, 2022 @ The Bluestone
Apr 10 @ 7:00 pm – 11:45 pm

Whitey Morgan and the 78’s

with Alex Williams

April 10, 2022 7 PM

at The Bluestone

Columbus, Ohio

About Whitey Morgan:
In a career spanning 15 years, Morgan has released five studio albums and a live recording from his hometown of Flint, Michigan. Additionally, he has toured relentlessly averaging over 125 shows annually. Rolling Stone has described him as a “Waylon Jennings acolyte.. modern day outlaw [with a] hard hitting blue-collar brand of music” while NPR Music hailed, “Staying close to the sound and subject matter of classic outlaw artists like Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and David Allan Coe, Morgan is poised to lead this hand-worn brand of country to the next generation.” His most recent LP, Sonic Ranch (2015), was released to critical acclaim and praised by Detroit Free Press as, “a bold well-crafted album that doesn’t forsake the gritty undercurrent running through Morgan’s stuff.”

Whitey Morgan and the 78’s anticipated new album, self-produced by Morgan, was recorded in the Neve Room at famed Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, Texas. Featured on the record are collaborations with acclaimed songwriters Travis Meadows and Ward Davis plus a cover of ZZ Top’s “Just Got Paid.” Alongside Morgan, the 78’s consist of Brett Robinson (pedal steel guitar), Joey Spina (guitar), Alex Lyon (bass) and Eric Savage (drums).

Of the recording, Morgan shares, “It’s not like my vision happened overnight. I’ve been chipping away at it forever. It’s slowly evolving and it’s going in a little bit different direction. It’s not so straightforward anymore. This record definitely has a wider path, it’s broader, but it still sounds like a Whitey Morgan record.” With grandparents from Tennessee and Kentucky and hometown roots in Flint, Michigan, Morgan’s family geography has factored into his approach to music.

Apr
13
Wed
BTSM: Once Upon A Time In Cyberworld Tour April 13, 2022 @ The Bluestone
Apr 13 @ 8:00 pm – Apr 14 @ 12:45 am

BTSM: Once Upon A Time In Cyberworld Tour

April 13, 2022 8 PM

at The Bluestone

Columbus, Ohio

BLACK TIGER SEX MACHINE –

The Canadian trio Black Tiger Sex Machine are known for their dynamic rage-ready style, an explosive blend of heavy electro and bass. Their show is a unique experience that strikes the perfect balance between a live performance and a DJ set. Along with their music, their signature Tiger helmets and their apocalyptic Kannibalen world have attracted legions of faithful followers called the BTSM Church.
BTSM were already world-traveling artists before their rise to stardom, which began with their first string of shows in the United States in 2015. In 2016, they released their debut album, Welcome To Our Church, which The Huffington Post hailed as “one of the best electronic albums of the year.” They’ve since gone on several successful headlining tours across North America and received notable festival bookings for 2017 including a highly anticipated return to Electric Forest, as well as appearances at EDC Las Vegas, Lollapalooza Paris, Paradiso and Shambhala. In 2018, Black Tiger Sex Machine had their three part Ceremony Tour, as well as their first foray into Asia, all after dropping their critically acclaimed sophomore album, New Worlds. The album’s lead single “Zombie” currently has over 1 million streams on Spotify.
BTSM also run Kannibalen Records, which has quickly become one of the top independent labels in dance music. Through Kannibalen, they’ve shaped the careers of breakthrough artists like Apashe, Kai Wachi, Dabin, HVDES and more. Kannibalen Records has been recognized worldwide through major publication partnerships with Netflix, Marvel, NBA, HBO, MTV, UFC, adidas, Samsung and more.

KAI WACHI-

Kai Wachi has been a dominant force in bass music since his debut. His thrilling productions continue to break new ground as the Boise creative has become accustomed to bridging different styles for dynamic hybrid works. Although he has been highly acclaimed for extraordinary sound design and his hip-hop signatures, his emotionally driven musical sensibilities are where he truly stands above the rest.
Over the years Kai has established himself as one of the industry’s most promising producers with support from the likes of Excision, NGHTMRE and many more. Records including his debut album, DEMIGOD, which includes collaborations with Famous Dex, Sullivan King, Grabbitz and more, have been particularly integral to his more recent growth, as they’ve mesmerized fellow artists, fans and curators at both Apple and Spotify. He’s also collaborated with the likes of Dylan Matthew, PhaseOne and Apashe, as well as done official remixes for Excision, Tech N9ne, BTSM and Svdden Death.
Kai has been hailed as an MVP at festivals including Lost Lands, EDC Las Vegas, Paradiso and Wobbleland, as well as become a mainstay on Kannibalen Records while touring alongside Black Tiger Sex Machine numerous times. With one of the best independent labels and booking agencies at his back, there is no limit to Kai Wachi’s success in the future where he will continue to advance electronic music forward.

VAMPA –

VAMPA, otherwise known as Emily Mucha, is producer / DJ rising in the North and Southeastern dubstep scenes, bringing a new wave of otherwordly deep bass music to the masses. Through her low end, wobbling frequencies, she allows people to feel the bass resonate and move within themselves, capturing the audience and delivering them to a new kind of heightened experience from right where they’re standing. Her unique sound is represented by her love for the underground, hailing respect from artists she has opened for in the past, including Mija, Boogie T, Trampa, Dubloadz, EPROM, Whipped Cream, Nitti Gritti, Blunts and Blondes, Jphelpz, Xaebor, Yheti and more. Playing sets at Okeechobee Music Festival, Miami Music Week, Hulaween Music Festival, Zen Awakening Festival, Pass the Good Festival, and Fractal Beach, she has gained a dedicated following, seeing her dreams manifest before their eyes as she progresses in the scene. Her mission is to unveil her creative expression to the world and prove to others that there is infinite potential for every person to succeed. Through the perfect blend of logic, creativity, and spiritual inspiration, her visions continue to come to life.

HAIRITAGE-

VISUALS BY SIF

18+

Oct
14
Fri
Maddie & Tae October 14, 2022 @ The Bluestone
Oct 14 @ 7:00 pm – 11:45 pm

Maddie & Tae October 14, 2022 7 PM

with SACHA

The Bluestone

Columbus, Ohio

Tickets purchased before postponed date are still valid.


Maddie & Tae‘s All Song No Static Tour presented by CMT Next Women of Country is headed to Columbus with special guests SACHA.

  • Website: www.maddieandtae.com
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maddieandtae
  • Twitter: @MaddieandTae
  • Instagram: @maddieandtae
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MaddieandTae

About Maddie & Tae

Award-winning duo Maddie & Tae are drawing praise for their No. 1 debuting The Way It Feels album release with Rolling Stone saying the new music is “anchored around their stellar vocal pairings and some of the tightest harmonies on Music Row.” Together as longtime friends and music collaborators, Maddie Font and Taylor Kerr co-wrote 14 of the album’s 15 tracks including the Platinum-certified No. 1 country radio hit, “Die From A Broken Heart,” which Esquire calls “their finest moment yet.” The pair also co-wrote two brand new holiday songs to join a collection of classics for their first ever holiday project- We Need Christmas.

Maddie & Tae first broke out in 2013 with their brilliant counter to bro-country, the Platinum-selling smash, “Girl In A Country Song,” which took Country radio by storm, skyrocketing to the top of the charts and quickly going PLATINUM. The duo became only the third female duo in 70 years to top the Country Airplay charts, also earning trophies from the Country Music Academy and Radio Disney Music Awards along with multiple ACM, CMA and CMT Award nominations. Maddie & Tae have received widespread praise from Associated Press, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, The Tennessean, The Washington Post, Glamour and others. The celebrated duo has toured with country music’s hottest stars including Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley and more.

About SACHA

Making a name for herself in the U.S. and Canada since the release of her EP The Best Thing in July 2020, SACHA is one of country music’s fastest rising stars. Becoming an iHeartRadio’s “Future Star” following the success of her latest single “Standards”, SACHA has since been named as a member of CMT’s Next Women Of Country 2021 class and earned her first GOLD single alongside The Reklaws with their viral hit track “What The Truck,” which was the the fastest-ever Canadian country song to go GOLD in the streaming era (under 16 weeks). She recently performed the track alongside The Reklaws to close out the national broadcast of the 2021 Canadian Country Music Awards.

Featured in major television, print and online press including CMT, Music Row Magazine, American Songwriter, Rolling Stone Country, Billboard, The Boot, Hello! Magazine, US Weekly and Bustle, SACHA has also appeared on A-list editorial playlists (U.S. and Canadian) on Spotify, Apple & Amazon Music. Fans can catch her recent music videos on CMT, including “Cheers,” “Standards” and “What The Truck”. SACHA recently premiered her music video for “Pretty Please” in New York City with a takeover of the Paramount Times Square billboards and on CMT. The track can be found on SACHA’s sophomore EP WE DID, which is available everywhere now.

Nov
17
Thu
Matt Stell November 17, 2022 @ The Bluestone
Nov 17 @ 8:00 pm – 11:45 pm

Matt Stell

w/ George Birge

November 17, 2022 8 PM

Doors Open 7 PM

at The Bluestone

Columbus, Ohio


About Matt Stell:

THE COUNTRY MUSIC INDUSTRY HAS LONG BEEN FILLED WITH ITS SHARE OF CHARACTERS. FROM WILLIE TO HANK AND DOLLY TO WAYLON, EVERY LEGEND STARTS OUT AS JUST ANOTHER ARTIST THAT DOESN’T FIT EASILY INTO SOME PREDETERMINED BOX. AND AS HARD AS COUNTRY MUSIC MAY TRY TO FIT MATT STELL INTO ONE OF THOSE TRIED AND TRUE BOXES, IT’S DARN NEAR IMPOSSIBLE.

Heck, he’s 6’7.

But more so than the massive physique that helped Stell become a collegiate basketball standout, the Platinum certified singer has proven via the songs he sings and the shows he puts on that he is far too powerful of an artist to ever fit into some sort of singular category. In fact, to describe Stell in a few words would be a complete disservice to the man he is and the artist he looks to become as he releases his new EP Better Than That on October 16.

“If you cut a groove too deep, it’s hard to get out of it,” he remarks with a chuckle. “I’ve never wanted to be some one-dimensional artist, and with this new EP, I think I’m determined to show that there is much more to me than just a guy who can sing a love song.”

Indeed, the Arkansas native comes from a long line of self proclaimed badasses. He can spin a romantic verse as easy as he can rock out an anthem. He can overanalyze a word as easily as he can let the melody ride a lyrical wave. And yes, he gets as much enjoyment out of discovering a hook in the writing room as he does hooking a fish.

“When you step out into that river and the salmon are still swimming upstream like they have for thousands of years, it’s a real cathartic, therapeutic thing for me,” he says of a recent fishing trip to Alaska. “It’s a great reset.”

In everything he does, it’s evident that Stell is reflective and adventurous and funny and pretty damn smart. And if he’s being totally honest with himself, he’s never been one to love a love song.

Yep, you heard that right.

Granted, it was in fact a love song that catapulted Stell to country music success in 2019 via his massive hit “Prayed for You,” a life-changer of a song that spent two weeks at the number one spot. As the only debut single to top Billboard’s Country Airplay chart in 2019, and one of NSAI’s “10 Songs We Wish We’d Written,” the hit has gone on to rack up some impressive stats with over 270 million streams, his first RIAA Platinum certification and more than 20 million views of its official music video to date.

But there’s a catch.

“If the only thing you’ve heard is ‘Prayed for You,’ you would have a different idea of who I really am,” Stell explains. “Knowing that you are making music that means something to people is the ultimate compliment, but there is so much more to me.”

A few more of the many facets of Stell are currently on display via his current top 10 and rising single “Everywhere But On,” a song that Stell calls ‘autobiographical’ in the way that it tells the story of a man trying to escape the memories of a long lost love.

“Having two songs on the radio is an incredible thing, but what’s even more incredible is finding your own voice and your own identity,” he says.

Stell showcased a whole bunch of identities in another Better Than That EP standout – “If I Was a Bar.” At a time when some of his fellow artists were perfectly content in simply sitting down with their guitar and playing their songs during the pandemic that Stell lovingly refers to as a ‘damn biological hurricane,’ Stell and his rather relentless work ethic turned out a music video that had him playing thirteen different roles in the span of a 3-plus minute song.

“I threw every stitch of clothing I have ever owned into my truck for that video shoot,” laughs Stell of the somewhat restrictive project. “Sometimes creativity benefits from constraints.”

Yet, there were few constraints on Stell’s songwriting during the creation of the new Better Than That EP, which was co-produced by Stell alongside Ash Bowers. Via songs co-written by Stell such as “I Love You Too,” “Chase It Down” and the title track “Better Than That,” the listener can still hear Stell’s distinctive way of wrapping a lyric around a memory and the twist he can put on a phrase.

“Songwriting is a craft that can get better the more time you put into it,” remarks Stell, as he laments to himself about how much he hates clichés.

But for the first time in his still evolving career, Stell relied on outside writers on three of the eight tracks of the Better Than That EP in an effort to fill in the blanks of the overall project.

One of those cuts is “Sadie,” a melodic brain-buster of a song that offers ‘a sparse lyric but one in which every word means something.’ Another outside cut is “Look At Me Now,” perhaps one of the most earth-shattering love songs in recent memory. Yes, the guy who says love songs aren’t his thing just might make history with yet another love song.

But before Stell looks too far into the future, he finds his soul planted deeply in the present. He is praying for the day he can plug his amp back in and jump on the bus with his band and play these new songs for a live crowd.

This new chapter in his journey leaves Stell with a whole bunch more ammunition in the writing room and a unique vantage point to view the characters in his songs…and the character he might ultimately turn out to be.