32 Below, with Kings Landing
WHERE: JD Legends, 65 Millard Drive, Franklin
WHEN: 10:30 p.m. Saturday, July 16
COST: $9
MORE INFO: (937) 746-4950 or www.jdlegends.com
ARTIST INFO: www.32below.net
Fargo, N.D., is the home base for independent country rockers 32 Below, but the group is no stranger to southwest Ohio. Musicians Matt Aakre (vocals, guitar), Jeb Reinhiller (fiddle, guitar), Tyler Waslien (bass) and Luke Nygaard (drums) — who are returning to JD Legends in Franklin for a headlining show on Saturday — have been performing in the area for years.
Most recently, 32 Below opened for Justin Moore at JD Legends in May and the group will return to the venue for another headlining show in September.
“They like to get us there as many times in the summer as we’re able to make the trip,” Aakre said. “We love going there. It’s become like a second home, and not just JD Legends but that whole area. Everybody has been huge supporters of ours, so we try to get there as often as we can.”
With their fans in mind, Aakre and his band mates are working on their new album, the long-awaited follow-up to 2008’s “Stopping the Machine.”
“Just about all of the album is written but as far as the recording goes, that’s only halfway done,” Aakre said. “We’re working on quite a few new ideas, but it’s one of those things where the further you get into it, the more you keep coming up with new stuff. At some point it’s like, ‘Uh, I guess we’d better call it and go on to the next one.’
“We always feel a little rushed because it always ends up taking a lot longer than we plan on,” he said.
“But, hey, when you’re an independent artist, you can kind of go with the flow. Nobody is breathing down our necks to get it out other than the fans on Facebook, I guess, but that’s cool because they’re the most important people.”
Part of the delay in the album is due to 32 Below’s busy tour schedule, which never allows for an extended break to focus on recording.
“In an ideal world, we’d be able to completely take a few months off and spend every day in the studio,” Aakre said.
“If we could just go without eating for the next three months, we’d be set.”
Contact contributing arts and music writer Don Thrasher at donaldthrasher8@aol.com.
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