The KNIX Barbeque & Beer Festival is the perfect gig for country singer Kameron Marlowe. His raucous beer anthem, “Raise One Up,” is a hit when he performs, and barbecue is among his favorite foods.
“I think it’s going to be an awesome show,” he says. “I’m going to try out new songs and the old music we still love to play. We’re excited for some barbecue.”
The North Carolina native was introduced to country fans with the autobiographical, self-penned song “Giving You Up.” Marlowe has gone on to amass more than 153 million career on-demand streams.
Music was innate to Marlowe. He longed to be a musician, but it was in the back of his mind, as he wasn’t sure how to accomplish that.
“I did ‘The Voice’ in 2018, and I met some songwriters out there in Nashville,” he says. “I was going back and forth and realized I really wanted to do that.”
Signed to Columbia Nashville — home to Luke Combs and Maren Morris — he received critical acclaimed before his debut single, “Sober as a Drunk,” was released. He says accolades do not faze him.
“To be honest, I just keep my head away from any of that stuff,” he says. “I just write my music and play the shows. If they love it, they love it. If they don’t, they don’t. I love being a musician. I’m just going to keep on doing that.
“However, I think it’s because there are so many different genres I pull from, although it’s mostly country. I grew up on a lot of rock and blues music, as well as pop music. There are a lot of different sides to me.”
“Hungover” reflects those influences, while the charming “Tequila Talkin’” is a rollicking song that leans toward country-pop. The song was co-written by Marlowe, Ray Fulcher and Dan Isbell.
“I was pretty new in town,” he says about the songwriting process. “I’ve written a ton of breakup songs. I thought it was time to write something a little different. So, I pulled up a guitar and picked up a groove. We were throwing out different titles. ‘Tequila Talkin’’ is an old Lonestar title. We didn’t want to step on that song in any way.”
Co-writing a song was challenging initially for Marlowe.
“I had written by myself for so long,” he says. “That was a different animal in itself. I had to be vulnerable and be confident. Now I love writing songs with other people.”
With his soaring, emotive vocals and gritty, rock-infused sound, Marlowe calls Brooks & Dunn, George Strait, Travis Tritt and Ray Charles his influences. Check out his muscular cover of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.”
Last summer, he hit Ak-Chin Pavilion with Brad Paisley and Jimmie Allen. Marlowe says, for a fledgling act like him, the summer tour proved to be educational.
“One thing I really respected about Brad Paisley and his camp was how they handle all their situations,” says Marlowe, who hails from Kannapolis, North Carolina.
“They’re very professional on the road. They’re flawless. They take care of all their artists. They’re the nicest people in the world. They’re Johnny-on-the-spot.”
Marlowe is parlaying those experiences into a new project, which he calls “fully me.”
“There are a lot of different styles on the record — everything from traditional-sounding music to a little bit of old-school rock. It’s going to be cool. I don’t know what to expect yet. It’s still going in the studio.
“Just all of this has been a dream come true, to be honest. I never would have thought I would be here getting to play music every night.”
KNIX Barbeque & Beer Festival w/Lee Brice, Parker McCollum, Kameron Marlowe and Jacob Morris
WHEN: Noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 26
WHERE: Tumbleweed Park, 2250 S. McQueen Road, Chandler
COST: $20 general admission in advance, $30 at the door; $225 VIP. Military and first responders get $15 off at the door with ID. Kids 12 and younger are admitted free. Admission does not include food and beverage.
INFO: forty8live.com, chandlerbbq.com
