If you’re ever in Nashville, you may find Joel Crouse enjoying a chicken burrito at a Chipotle or a burger at Paradise Park, drinking a Nashville brew at 12 South Taproom, or playing pool at Melrose Billiards. The Massachusetts native left the Bay State for the Music City when he was a teenager to chase his dream and it was a good thing he did- the singer-songwriter is preparing to release his debut album, titled ‘Even the Rivers Runs,’ on August 19th and he is excited for people to hear what he calls ‘the first chapter in his book.’
After his grandfather bought him his first guitar when he was thirteen years old, it was the beginning of his path to Nashville and to the career he was always serious about: singing. He began writing songs when he was fourteen and was in a pop rock band when he was fifteen before realizing it wasn’t for him. Just a few years later he would move to Nashville and was playing on street corners because he was not old enough to play in bars. Playing those street corners and the hard work he put in paid off when Joel was rewarded with his first record deal at just 19 years old. And ever since, he has been living his dream which he calls a “blessing and an honor.” His determination even allowed him to tour with global superstar Taylor Swift including two stops at Gillette Stadium last summer. He describes that experience to us.
“First night in Phoenix, the lights go down in the arena, and screams, just crazy screams. And I just looked at the band, and said ‘This is it.’ We had such a blast on that tour, playing those gigs. I got to close out at Gillette Stadium for two nights, and that was unbelievable… That Sunday afterwards, I played the WKLB Street Party, right outside Fenway Park. Playing Gillette Stadium and at Fenway, it couldn’t have been any better.”
Being on tour with Taylor, Joel says that he learned so much from things she does on stage to how things are run behind the scenes. One thing that is similar between the two is their music and their writing style. Both Joel and Taylor write on personal experiences, things they have been through. Despite describing himself as a “terrible songwriter” when he was younger, Joel wrote or co-wrote every song on his debut album and plans on writing most, if not all, of his songs in the future.
The 22 year old singer completed this album two years ago and has been putting the final touches on the album since. The first song that he wrote for the album was written when he was 17 and the last song he wrote for the album was when he was 20. And let’s just say that when you listen to the album, you’re going to learn a lot about Joel and his life in his late teens and early 20s.
“I’ve got songs that talk about me leaving home and chasing my dreams. The name of the album is called, ‘Even the Rivers Runs,’ and that song is about me leaving Massachusetts and going to Nashville. That’s the song about me chasing my dreams. There’s a song on there about me walking in on my girlfriend with a college basketball player (called ‘You Could Break a Heart Like That’). ‘Don’t Tell Me’ is the song about the first time I got drunk and forgot to call my girlfriend back. I close it out with a song called, ‘I Never Said I Was in Love,’ which is just a song about me being honest about my commitment issues. Basically all these tunes are about personal experiences. I’m hoping there will be a lot of people who relate to me through my music. As an artist, I’ve learned that you have to be an open book because there are people who are going through the stuff you are. I like to call it the first chapter in my book.”
The album will feature his first top 40 country airplay hit, ‘If You Want Some,’ which recently surpassed one million listens on Spotify, and Joel found that to be “awesome.” There are a few songs on the record that he is most excited for people to hear; one called ‘Ruby Puts Her Red Dress On’ and another called ‘Slow Motion.’ He is excited for people to hear ‘Ruby Puts Her Red Dress On,’ because “it’s a cool story song,” he tells us. Not giving up too much about the song, but the song is about personal coping mechanisms to make up for missing a loved one. Joel describes ‘Slow Motion’ as a “very intimate song” that describes the first time Joel was intimate with someone. As you can see, Joel is very open in his songwriting and with his personal experiences. You certainly cannot call Joel shy.
As he releases his debut album, he will also be finishing up his tour with Darius Rucker and will have a short break before returning to touring this fall with Love and Theft. Joel has already begun writing songs for his second album, which we can assume will be his ‘next chapter.’ Until then, the storyteller will continue living his dream, learning, and trying to inspire people through his music.
You can preorder ‘Even the Rivers Run’ on iTunes now here, before it comes out tomorrow, August 19th.
Joel will make stops in New England on the following dates:
September 12th: Blue Hills Bank Pavilion (Boston, MA- Darius Rucker tour)
September 13th: Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (Gilford, NH- Darius Rucker tour)
September 14th: The Big E (West Springfield, MA- Darius Rucker tour)
October 16th: The Asylum (Portland, ME- Love and Theft tour)
October 17th: Royale (Boston, MA- Love and Theft tour)
October 18th: Fairfield University (Fairfield, CT- Love and Theft tour)
Track Listing:
1.) ‘Don’t Tell Me’
2.) ‘If You Want Some’
3.) ‘You Could Break a Heart Like That’
4.) ‘Summer Love’
5.) ‘Even the River Runs’
6.) ‘Slow Motion’
7.) ‘Oh Juliet’
8.) ‘Ruby Puts Her Red Dress On’
9.) ‘Why God Made Love Songs’
10.) ‘I Never Said I Was In Love’
Main photo credit courtesy of Kristin Barlow.