AARON LACOMBE “Dream Along with Me” – with Web-Exclusive Interview

Musician:  AARON LACOMBE

Video:  “Dream Along with Me”

SINGER-SONGWRITER AARON LACOMBE “BREAKING GROUND”

ON TEXAS RED DIRT AND AMERICANA WITH FOURTH ALBUM

At first glance, Aaron LaCombe seems to be the quintessential Texas-based singer-songwriter, wearing faded jeans—just the right shade of blue, flannel shirt with sleeves rolled up and work boots. Visual cues impossible to ignore which make it clear he is connected to every man and can relate to those trials and tribulations. Beyond the humble physical exterior, this modern-day troubadour is reinventing, redefining and expanding the parameters of country music with a unique style of bittersweet storytelling paired with infectious melodies. Breaking Ground, LaCombe’s fourth album builds on the thematic elements of previous releases, while offering a glimpse of an emerging talent whose songwriting will captivate, spellbind and demand repeated listens.

Aaron LaCombe sings with an honesty of a life well lived. His songwriting captures the essence of a neighbor friend you’ve grown up with—but his appeal is universal. His lyrics, bursting with detailed imagery, are thoughtful, introspective and relatable. When his songs and stories unfold, you may feel like he is telling your story—expressing your dreams—and the way you feel about the joy and despair that makes life such a beautiful ride. On Breaking Ground, Aaron LaCombe invites you to dream along with him.

LaCombe’s journey as a singer-songwriter began in the mid-80s when the idea of being a professional musician became his dream. He waxes nostalgic about growing up in Detroit during that decade with parents who had a different, almost opposing, taste in music which inspired a young LaCombe to write songs. Dad loved James Taylor and Willie Nelson. Mom was all Beatles and Billy Joel. She forced LaCombe to listen to the Beatles, and he became a fan. Listening to the Beatles gave the singer-songwriter an interesting perspective, starting with pop stuff that’s very relatable, but then moving into another layer of albums like Sgt. Pepper’s and the White album. LaCombe elaborates, “They seemed like a totally different band, totally different songwriting—both musically and lyrically.”

“Once you get to Texas, the influences here are just unavoidable. It’s very rich with songwriters down here—and a particularly honest songwriting.”

Reminiscing about his roots in the Motor City, and the first 25 years of his life spent there, LaCombe recalls the very moment he realized the power a songwriter could have. LaCombe tells the story of his father taking him to see Keb’ Mo’, Lyle Lovett and Willie Nelson play at a venue called Pine Knob, outside of Detroit. “Midway through Lyle’s set, he played a song called ‘Nobody Knows Me’—musically, it’s really sparse. There are two-to-three second spaces where notes are just quietly fading out. In between these brutally confessional lyrics about having cheated on a woman who is so devoted to him—she knows exactly how he likes his coffee—his tortillas. ‘Nobody knows me like my baby.’ Powerful! It was so quiet in those spaces that you could hear someone swallow the lump in their throat from across the venue—and I haven’t been the same since.”

In high school, a teenage LaCombe sported long hair, listened to Ozzy Osbourne, and was in a heavy metal band. Def Leppard was his first concert. He thought the band in high school was going to be what he’d do for the rest of his life. The first time LaCombe pictured himself on stage—it was with a wild Metallica-style guitar and thousands of raging fans. One of the members of that original heavy metal band is now in an internationally touring band called Walls of Jericho. LaCombe completes the circle, “When I go back to Detroit, it seems frozen in time. It’s not uncommon to hear the stuff I heard in high school—on every radio station.” (Laughs)

After moving away from home, LaCombe started to widen his taste in music. He found himself at the Detroit version of Walmart called Meyer’s, and walked by a copy of James Taylor’s Greatest Hits. LaCombe was acquainted with the music because his father played that record constantly throughout his childhood—especially while the family was in the car. Referencing his epiphany LaCombe says, “When I listened to it, I realized this is really good stuff. It was my introduction to singer-songwriter music.” LaCombe moved to New Mexico and then later to Texas, drawing from the musical well of different influences, but he stopped playing for a couple of years. Meeting a guy at a restaurant resulted in the Comfort Waist Band. It only lasted six months, but it got LaCombe playing again. He reflects on the rediscovery, “When I started writing again, it was a lot like the stuff I’d grown up listening to—with my parents. Once you get to Texas, the influences here are just unavoidable. It’s very rich with songwriters down here—and a particularly honest songwriting.”

“It always comes back to sincerity. If it doesn’t work in my voice, then I shouldn’t be singing it.”

October 2022, “The Laundry Song” was chosen as the first single to be released to major digital platforms from the Breaking Ground album. LaCombe shines a spotlight on the album’s evolution, “Even as I was driving out to the studio to start recording, I hadn’t settled on exactly which songs would make the album. Once I decided on “Breaking Ground” as the title track, it all sort of fell into place, and I chose the songs that fit around that central idea.” While some artists embrace wearing many hats, LaCombe learned that he’s happier with the end result when he doesn’t try to do everything himself. Acknowledging the efforts of the album’s producer Chad Mauldin (Mauldin Productions), LaCombe says, “Chad’s very intuitive in the studio, and understood what I was going for with each song. He’d hear me sing the lyrics and automatically have ideas for how to build out the arrangements.”

Breaking Ground is a combination of both Texas Red Dirt and the Americana genres. Red Dirt gets its name from the red soil found in Oklahoma, and many of the artists associated with this subgenre of country music got their start like LaCombe—travelling many miles to perform their music with only an acoustic guitar and a wooden stool in alcohol-soaked dimly lit bars. And this ethos is present on every track of Breaking Ground.

LaCombe runs every line in every one of his songs through the filter of “Is this how I would say it if I were just talking?” I didn’t always do that, and when I listen back, it sounds like I’m trying to make something sound more important or meaningful than it is. I know it wouldn’t work for everyone, but for me, and for the songwriters I listen to when I need that connection—it always comes back to sincerity. If it doesn’t work in my voice, then I shouldn’t be singing it.

“I think if you want to stay positive and try to make a difference, you’ve got to do it small scale, and hope it radiates out from there.”

LaCombe accentuates the need for authenticity in his art, “I know it wouldn’t work for everyone, but for me, and for the songwriters I listen to when I need that connection—it always comes back to sincerity. If it doesn’t work in my voice, then I shouldn’t be singing it.”

Aaron LaCombe cites Lyle Lovett as his all-time favorite songwriter, along with Prince and the Revolution’s Purple Rain as one of his Top 5 albums of all time. These influences are present on Breaking Ground, a melting pot of Americana music that travels from somber introspective pieces like “Dream Along With Me” to the upbeat humor of “She Was a Waitress.”

“Dream Along With Me” the album’s opening track sets the tone. It came about a little under a year into the COVID-19 pandemic and LaCombe had to make a lot of changes to stay afloat in the new normal. He realized how lucky he was to have someone in his life who he could count on to pivot and regroup with him, and not focus so much on all their dreams working out as planned—rather, work on a new dream, if necessary. LaCombe has experienced success in the digital realm with Spotify. “Dream Along with Me” has been released to Texas radio stations, with the expectation that listeners will like what they hear and help move the song up the charts.

“All of the songs on this album are personal to me.”

“Tired of Being Right” is social commentary which cuts sharper than a Bowie Texas knife. LaCombe tells audiences at his shows that this song came about from watching the news too much. LaCombe used to turn the news on before he left the house for the day, and it got to a point where he was getting a little too good at predicting how things were going to pan out or get worse. In this unique socio-political climate LaCombe struggles with staying hopeful. He expands on the philosophy of the song: “Hopeful isn’t the right word anyway. If you stand back and try to look all at once, it’s too much. I think if you want to stay positive and try to make a difference, you’ve got to do it small scale, and hope it radiates out from there.”

Aaron LaCombe sings with an honesty of a life well lived. His songwriting captures the essence of a neighbor friend you’ve grown up with—but his appeal is universal. His lyrics, bursting with detailed imagery, are thoughtful, introspective and relatable. When his songs and stories unfold, you may feel like he is telling your story—expressing your dreams—and the way you feel about the joy and despair that makes life such a beautiful ride. On Sacred Ground, Aaron LaCombe invites you to dream along with him.

LaCombe left the studio happy with what he’d done, but still had a feeling like something was missing from the record. A week or so later, he sat down to write something and “Fluorescent Lights” just sort of came out—in a matter of minutes. LaCombe recorded his parts at his home studio and sent them to the producer just in time to get the song on the album. It’s a song LaCombe wrote for a friend at the end stages of his life. It’s a true story, and something he sat down to try to write about ten times in the years since it happened, but could never make it work. It’s LaCombe’s favorite song on the album—ever since he first heard the finished product. “All of the songs on this album are personal to me, but that one really means a lot,” explains  LaCombe. “Yes, it’s sad, but I think fans will be moved by it. And we tried to balance the project with its share of upbeat music.”

“Fluorescent Lights” illustrates  LaCombe’s storytelling prowess much like an earlier LaCombe composition “Uncle Carl” from 2020’s Pictures of Ourselves. While the story the song tells is fictional, it was assembled from little bits of things LaCombe has seen people go through. It’s a subject matter that is not usually explored in country music. LaCombe wrote it for a Christmas songwriting contest, and wanted to see if he could take the concept of love and acceptance and deliver it with just enough nostalgia and humor that it would sneak up on the listener. The love LaCombe received back from that song making its way through the world has been the greatest honor of his career.

“Play with people who are better than you, as well as those who aren’t as seasoned. Play the charity gig. Open for the band you think is terrible. Just play.”

“Everything is Different Now,” “Fluorescent Lights,” and “Dream Along with Me” were released as singles to Spotify and other platforms. Smith Music Company then released the entire album digitally.

One thing that has always served LaCombe well is to just play any opportunity you get. Play with people who are better than you, as well as those who aren’t as seasoned. Play the charity gig. Open for the band you think is terrible. Just play. Some of the best opportunities of his career have come from gigs that sounded the worst on paper. This is the advice he would offer that heavy metal head banging teenager in Detroit, with long hair—who yearned to become a professional musician.

LaCombe starts just about every show with “A Little Bit Broken,” from Outside Dog [2020]. It’s upbeat, relatable and warms up his voice. He wonders if Willie Nelson starts every one of his shows with “Whiskey River,” for similar reasons.

Over the years, LaCombe has gotten to play with a lot of great musicians, but his entire pinch me moments have a lot more to do with the audience than anything. “The feeling that you’ve got them—that they’re listening and feeling what you’re trying to make them feel—you just can’t beat that. I have trouble singing with my eyes open, so I rely on audio cues to know how I’m doing. At a house concert in Colorado a couple of years ago, I was singing a particularly good line in a very sad, quiet song, and I heard the whole audience let out a collective breath in unison. That’s the stuff, man.”

— Rodeo Marie Hanson & Merlin David

Where can new fans get more info and stay updated?
www.AaronLaCombe.com
www.facebook.com/aaronlacombemusic/
www.instagram.com/aaronlacombemusic/
https://Twitter.com/aaronlacombe1
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKKcgG9Qqo8Rqj8QAyj7G8w

“The feeling that you’ve got them—that they’re listening and feeling what you’re trying to make them feel—you just can’t beat that.”