![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dev.celebrityaccess.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Lewis_bethlehem.jpg\")
I arrived at the venue and got questioned by security for about 30 seconds until I had Ben [Kitterman, Lewis\u2019 manager] on the phone. Once I had that All Access pass around my neck, the rest was cake.<\/p>\n
Kitterman was my first in-person contact with anyone from Lewis\u2019 camp. He was friendly, engaging, and highly respectful. However, as laid-back as he was \u2013 he was aware of all that was going on around him … astute as hell. I did get the disclaimer before he jetted off to LA for industry business, \u201cWe don\u2019t grant this type of access often.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a wait, I was summoned by Lewis\u2019 tour manager, Pete Ricci, that he was ready to talk. I don\u2019t know what I expected walking to his bus, but I know it wasn\u2019t what I got. Instead, I was welcomed in with open arms \u2026 literally. Maybe he sensed my hesitation at being in \u201chis space,\u201d but that evaporated at his welcoming.<\/p>\n
You first notice that the bus walls are filled with military and first responder patches \u2013 Army, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Navy, fire, police – you name it. Patches that were willingly given to him by those who fought and earned them.<\/p>\n
That was my first observation of Lewis – that the man is not a fake \u2013 he practices what he preaches in his songs, loves his country, and supports military\/first responders. In casual conversation, Lewis told me he feels honored and humbled every time a patch is given to him and that there are more in boxes – waiting to be hung on bus walls.<\/p>\n
He was extremely warm, approachable, and down to earth, not at all what they sometimes paint him out to be in the trades.<\/p>\n
This was supposed to be six questions, but it became much more. With his American Spirit cigarette pack sitting on the table, one between his fingers, and a cup of coffee, he smiled at me and waited for my cue. MY CUE \u2013 So, I began, and it felt like I was catching up with an old friend I hadn\u2019t seen in a few …<\/p>\n
Interview<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In an interview with the LA Times, you said, \u201cI don\u2019t write songs to escape life.\u201d So, what does Aaron Lewis do to escape life \u2013 what does your mental health break look like? I know you hunt and fish \u2026<\/strong><\/span> Do you ever turn to any other artists\u2019 music for that escape? As fans, many of us turn to music, TV, or movies to escape the bills on the kitchen table.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Not really, no. I\u2019ve got a weird thing where I don\u2019t listen to much music because I\u2019m afraid it will creep in and make it so that my songs sound like someone else\u2019s. So, I try not to. If I am listening to the radio or something, it\u2019s talk radio, podcasts, or political stuff. I don\u2019t get the same mental break from listening to music.<\/p>\n Is that because you\u2019re a singer\/songwriter?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Maybe, I don\u2019t know, but I don\u2019t. I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s the case with all musicians. I can just speak for myself on that one. I don\u2019t listen to music very often. But, you know, when I do, I am in the car with my kids when I am listening to what they\u2019re listening to \u2013 you know, the newest f*cking craze on the street.<\/p>\n They don\u2019t put Dad\u2019s music on in the car. (He has three teenage daughters<\/em>)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Laughing, he looks me dead in the eyes \u2013 \u201cNO.\u201d<\/p>\n What motivates you to stay on the road \u2013 away from your family, wife, and daughters? What motivates you to keep going?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The empty void inside of me that I\u2019m continually trying to fill.<\/p>\n Really?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Really. That\u2019s very real.<\/p>\n The void isn\u2019t filled by songwriting or the connection with the fans. Let\u2019s go here. What gives you the most joy? What is your favorite part of the \u201cmusic industry machine?\u201d Is it sitting in a studio or connecting with someone in the audience who may be crying at a lyric you wrote?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s the live show, the fans, the connection.<\/p>\n How do you keep the ego in check? First, you must be very aware of the power you hold when you\u2019re on stage.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I don\u2019t say anything on stage that I can\u2019t back up with proof or fact. That\u2019s very important.<\/p>\n And I\u2019m sure you realize your effect on people whenever you sit on the stool or take the mic at center stage. Tonight\u2019s show is nearly sold out.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Music still holds a lot of power.<\/p>\n So, for your latest album, Frayed at Both Ends<\/em>, you were in the studio with Dan Tyminski and Vince Gill, among others. How was that for you?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I love them both.<\/p>\n You typically write solo – is collaboration a lot different for you?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve embraced the idea of having my friends write songs with me. They aren\u2019t strangers. It\u2019s not just someone that I\u2019ve hired to help me write. It\u2019s a person that knows me, how I think and what my inner workings are.<\/p>\n So, this wasn\u2019t a label thing \u2026 it was an Aaron thing?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n It is. These are all my choices.<\/p>\n What is your preference?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m getting to the point where writing on my own is, honestly, a really painful process.<\/p>\n How so?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Well, having someone write with me dilutes it a little for me.<\/p>\n It dilutes what? The pain from pulling from your head, the memories only you know.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Yeah, that and, you know, I compartmentalize everything. So, when I go up there on stage or when it\u2019s time to write songs, and I start opening the drawers of my compartmentalization, I don\u2019t have the same control over how much comes pouring out as I used to. So, it takes me time to process and recover and put all that back to re-compartmentalize and put it back in my brain and create a situation where I can now sing the song I wrote – without crumbling on stage in front of everybody.<\/p>\n Is there a song thus far where that has happened? Where have you gotten emotional on stage, regardless of how many times you\u2019ve performed it before?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n No, because I put it away. I\u2019ve only had that happen once.<\/p>\n So, singing it, it\u2019s back here (motioning to the back of my brain). You know what it means to you; you know where it came from, but singing it \u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I can sing it as if someone else wrote it and not feel it and not be destroyed by the content of the song.<\/p>\n Which song? You said that happened one time \u2013 care to share?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n “The Story That Never Ends”<\/p>\n I was playing a local show where I live in Massachusetts, and it was a show that would\u2019ve usually been packed, but a lot of stuff happened leading up to the show in town. I get to a line (in the song) that directly points out this bar in Worthington – where my house is. Over the years, people would get fired up and cheer me on when that line came up, but that night, it was fucking crickets.<\/p>\n My bottom lip started quivering, and my compartmentalization drawer flew open in my fucking brain … and I don\u2019t know, it\u2019s the craziest thing; they (the audience) picked up on it. They felt it, and they sang the entire song for me. To this day, that show has never made it to YouTube, and a video has never been posted. It\u2019s nowhere.<\/p>\n They sang the entire song for me after they graciously let me walk off stage and have Luke, my guitar player at the time, come out on stage and do a song – while I went backstage and completely lost my shit for the rest of that song. So, this is what I mean when I say I can compartmentalize and turn it off because, by the end of the music that Luke played, I went back out there and played another 7 or 8 songs and was okay.<\/p>\n Were you fine?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Completely fine \u2013 as if it never happened.<\/p>\n Is Massachuset<\/strong>ts your favorite place to play?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The Grand Ole Opry because of how much it means. It\u2019s the only venue where I get nervous.<\/p>\n One song on the Frayed<\/em> album always stood out to me \u2013 \u201cPull Me Under.\u201d This is the one song on the record that you wrote alone. So, I must ask, where did that come from \u2013 the inspiration for that song?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPull Me Under\u201d is one of those word-vomit songs (chuckles). I don\u2019t know where it came from \u2026 it just came out, came out fast and in a puddle of fucking tears and wrecked me for the whole rest of the record. It was the first song written, and from there, I was like, where do I go from here? So, um, yeah, Ira, you want to write a song with me? Hey Matt, wanna write a song with me? David or Dan, wanna write a song? I still don\u2019t know what it is about that song, but it just spoke \u2026 fucked me up more.<\/p>\n So, what new music is forthcoming? I\u2019ve heard a new Staind album AND a new solo effort.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The Staind album is in production.<\/p>\n When should we expect that?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I don\u2019t know \u2026 Ben is the mad scientist, and Oz behind the curtain. He\u2019s trying to time everything, but I believe in the Fall. (He then offers to play me some new tracks off the record).<\/p>\n Is the solo effort in the same genre as your past albums? Can we expect more Country music from Aaron Lewis, the solo artist?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Eh, it\u2019s hard to put it into a genre. It\u2019s in the same form \u2013 I\u2019m just a singer and a songwriter doing what I do. So, it doesn\u2019t really fit into one genre specifically. But, since I\u2019ve been spending all this time on the road, I\u2019ve written and recorded two records \u2013 the Staind album and my solo record.<\/p>\n And the solo record will be out soon?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Yes.<\/p>\n So, you\u2019ve been \u201csomewhat\u201d open with the media about your mental health issues and things that you\u2019ve been through.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Mmmm. Not really.<\/p>\n And that is why I said somewhat …\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Your hit, \u201cIt\u2019s Been Awhile,\u201d is one of the Top 5 Recovery songs for those who struggle with addiction. But, listening to those lyrics, that song could be taken a thousand different ways. Was it about substance abuse, a woman, or something else entirely?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s so cool\u201d (regarding the track being a recovery song<\/em>). \u2018It\u2019s Been Awhile\u2019 was just a random collection of thoughts I had … it\u2019s been a while since \u2026 since whatever is in your past. I\u2019m a human being, and I\u2019m addicted to many things \u2013 absolutely. It doesn\u2019t have to be a drug; it doesn\u2019t have to be alcohol; it doesn\u2019t have to be a chemical substance.<\/p>\n You can be addicted to chaos, addicted to the pain, addicted to the road. But, aside from maybe weed, I\u2019ve successfully navigated my way through recreational drug use over my lifetime. I\u2019ve never been addicted to anything or out of control with any of the substances I\u2019ve touched recreationally.<\/p>\n Porn, food, drugs, chaos, it doesn\u2019t matter. It\u2019s the dopamine hit and the chemicals your brain release – people figure out a way to fucking make those chemicals release.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve read you smoke a joint on your way to the stage, and it hasn\u2019t failed you yet.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Yes, I do (chuckling<\/em>).<\/p>\n Well, that\u2019s an accurate rockstar way of putting things.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I mean, listen, if I am being honest, I don\u2019t warm up. I don\u2019t warm down – no sound check for most shows.<\/p>\n So, nothing special for that multi-million dollar selling baritone you carry around?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Well, I do; I am right now (takes a drag<\/em>).<\/p>\n I am well over six questions, but the vibe is good, so I continue.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n What can we expect from an Aaron Lewis show?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Well, it won\u2019t be the wildest show you\u2019ve ever seen me play because I tone things down a bit as I\u2019m pushing and promoting something else. It has nothing to do with my opinion, mouth, or political songs. It\u2019s about respecting the other band members on stage with me. They weren\u2019t around for my base awakening, and they haven\u2019t been around for me expressing it on stage \u2026 and I don\u2019t feel they should be forced into dealing with it now. At this time, we were interrupted by other guests who wanted Lewis\u2019 attention for a moment. However, I was never made to feel like a bother \u2026 especially when he said – \u201cShit, I have other guests coming. Are you okay? I\u2019m sorry. Do you have or need tickets?<\/p>\n Still, he wanted to play me snippets of the unreleased music coming from the Staind album … and Lewis being a man that\u2019s followed his own path – that\u2019s precisely what he did.<\/p>\n I won\u2019t detail the tracks he played, the names, or the processes used to write and create the songs. We shall save that for the release.<\/p>\n He also took the time to play me some solo stuff \u2013 Song No. 1 he played, which I won\u2019t reveal the title – will resonate whether you\u2019re a Democrat or a Republican (or fall somewhere in the middle). The lyrics speak to people \u2013 it speaks to the human condition.<\/p>\n In the blink of an eye, Ricci handed me my ticket from will call so I didn\u2019t have to hunt it down. It was closer to show time than I thought.<\/p>\n I left that interview not knowing how to feel or what to write \u2026 but it didn\u2019t matter \u2013 he was about to take the stage and give Wind Creek precisely what they paid to see \u2026 and feel.<\/p>\n _____Live Show Review_____<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I left the tour bus and headed to my seat in the 2,550-capacity, almost sold-out Wind Creek Event Center \u2013 formerly the Sands Casino Resort. The Bethlehem, PA, venue, nestled in the heart of the Lehigh Valley, is operated by Wind Creek Hospitality, owned by the Poarch Creek Indians.<\/p>\n Over the next few hours, Lewis and his two bandmates, sitting on simple stools, performed as if they were sitting at a backyard BBQ and knew the names of each person there. It was intimate and personal. There were no pyrotechnics, no distractions, just Lewis, his pack of smokes, his bandmates, a couple of guitars, and us.<\/p>\n The set list included most of his solo releases, but he threw in several Staind hits. He started the show with \u201cSinner\u201d and then led into fan favorites, \u201cGranddaddy\u2019s Gun\u201d and \u201cEverybody Talks to God.\u201d<\/p>\n He then pulled out the unreleased song, \u201cLet\u2019s Go Fishing,\u201d he\u2019s done numerous shows before but can\u2019t be found on any album. Some would call it another one of Lewis\u2019s \u201cright-wing political viewpoint\u201d songs. I call it a song just like any other written in songwriting history \u2013 it will resonate with some and not with others.<\/p>\n He then played \u201cLost and Lonely\u201d and \u201cKill Me Like You Love Me\u201d before launching into a small set of cover snippets.<\/p>\n It was refreshing to see Lewis smiling while on stage, letting loose and chuckling at himself as he played the small clips for the people who paid to come and see him \u2013 his friends for the night.<\/p>\n They included \u201cSo Far Away\u201d (Staind), \u201cSummer of 69\u201d (Bryan Adams), \u201cI Want It That Way\u201d (Backstreet Boys), Careless Whisper (Wham), an even smaller snippet of \u201cIf I Could Turn Back Time\u201d (Cher), and a fantastic cover of \u201cShe Talks to Angels\u201d (The Black Crowes).<\/p>\n Even though it was a cover, \u201cIronic\u201d by Alanis Morissette was a stand-out because, for a man as intense as he can be at times \u2026 he had a smirk on his face. He was seemingly laughing at himself as he sat up a little straighter to reach the higher notes of the song. But, at that moment, he was having a great time on that stool, knowing exactly where he was, who he was with and what he was doing – while enjoying every minute of it.<\/p>\n At the beginning of the Staind hit, \u201cOutside,\u201d he stopped his guitar and said good-naturedly into the microphone, \u201cYou\u2019re supposed to sing the words when I forget,\u201d as he started the song again.<\/p>\n Throughout the show, I did not detect any tension within the audience. However, when Lewis raised his right hand, putting his two fingers and thumb in the air in a \u201cquiet down\u201d motion, you could get the sense they knew he\u2019d been in the press for walking off the stage due to frustrations with the crowd in the past.<\/p>\n The show continued without interruption except for a few \u201cSHHHHHH\u201d from fans. On the flip side of that, he called for audience participation more than once and when he waved his arm for the audience to sing louder or yelled, \u201cCome on!\u201d into the microphone – the crowd happily obliged.<\/p>\n Lewis is aware of the vibe coming from the audience and hears those yells \u2013 even if you don\u2019t think he does. He\u2019s very cognizant \u2013 even though he performed most of the show with his eyes closed. He\u2019s been known to come up with some creative comebacks in response to audience members\u2019 disturbances. However, Wind Creek\u2019s audience was the opposite of rebellious and unruly.<\/p>\n At one point, Lewis dropped his guitar pick after throwing some to the audience; no problem, he just leaned over to where his cigarette sat smoldering in the ashtray and grabbed another.<\/p>\n The years had not taken a toll on Lewis\u2019 vocals as he unleashed the beast on \u201cIt\u2019s Been Awhile,\u201d and the audience loved it \u2013 telling them, \u201cI wrote this song when no one gave a fuck.\u201d<\/p>\n For the last song of the night, he asked the audience, \u201cAre you gonna sing every fucking word with me,\u201d as the guitar began for \u201cAm I the Only One.\u201d<\/p>\n Lewis enjoys what he does, not even picking up his guitar for the encore song. Instead, he swayed back and forth on the stool as the fans in the audience sang the words for him, and he reveled in the moment. He turned his ear to the crowd at one point and quipped, \u201cYou all fucked up,\u201d while laughing. It was as if he was sitting back at a live show, enjoying his cigarette, and hearing the words he wrote sung back to him.<\/p>\n It was an Aaron Lewis show, so some colorful political commentary was thrown out from the stage throughout the night, but nothing over the top or offensive. It\u2019s common knowledge Lewis doesn\u2019t like our current Commander-in-Chief. That is his opinion and his show. That\u2019s the beautiful thing about the USA; he\u2019s free to say that, just as you\u2019re free to disagree with it \u2013 should that be your choice.<\/p>\n Most music fans can love and appreciate a singer\/songwriter\u2019s efforts, fall in love with a song, learn every word and not care about whom that artist voted for in the last election. In fact, I felt that most of the audience followed as he jumped from one genre to another.<\/p>\n Standing at the merchandise booth, I came across a fan named Heather from Indiana. We chatted, and I asked her, \u201cWhat originally drew you in as a fan and what keeps you a fan.\u201d She said it was his voice the first time she heard the song \u201cEpiphany\u201d by Staind and saw him in concert for the first time in 2012. She said she met him, and at that time, he explained the song was related to his battle with ADD, which she also suffers from, and that is what keeps her around as a fan \u2013 that \u201che\u2019s so emotional with every song, every time.\u201d<\/p>\n Should Lewis\u2019 political beliefs have anything to do with the talent flowing from his fingers and how he has used that amazing instrument known as his voice over his decades-long career? Should his political beliefs erase the fact that he\u2019s one of the few artists who have successfully flipped from one genre to another? No \u2013 I certainly don\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n Staind’s latest single drop “Lowest In Me” from their upcoming album Confessions of the Fallen<\/em>, is now Top 10 at Active Rock Radio – so there are surely others who agree with me.<\/p>\n I get it – Aaron Lewis is polarizing, and you may not like all that comes out of his mouth, but he\u2019s also fallible and, most importantly, a human being.<\/p>\n In the days of cancel culture, Americans sometimes forget those terms \u2026 fallible, human, and flawed. Just because Lewis is a multi-platinum-selling singer\/songwriter doesn\u2019t mean he knows it all or is always right.<\/p>\n It means he\u2019s a passionate, talented musician who writes about the things that are important to him and brings you along for the ride \u2026 everyone trying to find their way in a country that can, at times \u2026 be difficult to navigate \u2013 regardless of if you\u2019re Left, Right, Blue or Red.<\/p>\n Patriotism can be displayed a lot of different ways \u2013 a small child waving a flag at a parade, giving up your seat to the man next to you wearing the WWII Vet hat, voting \u2013 and this is Lewis\u2019 way \u2013 singing about those who came before him and gave their lives so that he can sit on that stage free to chain smoke in a non-smoking concert venue.<\/p>\n Aaron Lewis is many things \u2013 NOT just his political opinions. Whether you agree with his politics or not, there\u2019s no denying the man writes from the heart, believes every word he belts out on stage and wears his thoughts and opinions on his sleeve. Subtlety has never been his strong point. I went to review an Aaron Lewis show and left pleasantly surprised.<\/p>\n His musical transformation from the head of the nu-metal band Staind to him sitting on a stool chain-smoking in an acoustic set AND back again shows that life isn\u2019t about the destination but the journey. However, I can\u2019t help but think his journey has been more painful and complex than most. I hope that one day, that void he speaks of finally gets filled.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BETHLEHEM, PA (CelebrityAccess) – I received a media pass for a live show review and short Q&A with Staind frontman and Country Music Singer\/Songwriter Aaron Lewis weeks before his acoustic An American Patriot Tour stop at the Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem, PA, on Wednesday (April 19). I arrived at the venue and got<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":134260,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_stc_notifier_status":"sent","_stc_notifier_sent_time":"2023-05-18 10:33:03","_stc_notifier_request":false,"_stc_notifier_prevent":false,"_stc_subscriber_keywords":"","_stc_subscriber_search_areas":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[71,51,22,108,54],"tags":[15100,19336,19334,19335,15102],"class_list":["post-134249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artis-news","category-breaking-news","category-industry_news","category-opinion-news","category-touring-news","tag-aaronlewis","tag-afl","tag-americanpatriot","tag-liveshowreview","tag-staind"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nYou just answered it. I mean, that is what I do. I get away from it all. I go to nature, and if you can\u2019t find God in the woods, you aren\u2019t looking hard enough.<\/p>\n
\n________________<\/p>\n