Aaron Lewis Goes Country

I have been a fan of Staind forever. Since people were saying, Who is this Staind Band? Catchy lyrics, heavy guitar riffs and rocking sound gives this band a distinct sound that has topped music since they formed.

With Staind in between album cycles, frontman Aaron Lewis begins a 19-date solo acoustic tour tonight (Oct. 7) at Boston's House of Blues, in support of a five-song EP due out in the spring. Lewis tells Billboard.com the country-based effort, which marks his debut into solo waters, is a natural step.

"When you look at the songs in the past that I have sat down and written on an acoustic guitar -- 'Outside,' 'It's Been a While,' 'So Far Away,' 'Everything Changes,' 'Epiphany' -- if I had a country band behind me to put down country accompaniments, that would have worked, too," Lewis tells Billboard.com. "It just seems like being where I am, what my history is, country was kind of the next step. It made the most sense.

"It wouldn't have made any sense for me to put out a record that was like John Mayer," Lewis adds. "That doesn't really follow suit with the last 13 years."

The EP includes tracks "Vicious Circles," "Massachusetts" and "Country Boy," the latter of which is the lead single and was cut in both country and rock versions. Lewis said they will be serviced to radio soon, with the Nashville-sounding track debuting at the end of November on CMT.

"The country version has George Jones and Chris Young singing on it, and Charlie Daniels plays the fiddle and gives us a piece of his mind at the end of his song." Lewis says.

Full Story

The one thing that has made Staind so unique is the vocals of Aaron Lewis and it seems like he is taking that talent in a new direction.