She had just seen one of her idols, Shania Twain, in New York City the night before. And fresh off a catered New England lobster dinner, just hours before taking the stage at the Cape Cod Melody Tent, Knoxville native Logan Brill sat down with New England Country Music. Red solo cup of whiskey in hand, the young, talented, and beautiful songstress immediately made us feel comfortable in her green room and we became a bigger fan of Logan than we already were.
Brill grew up in the mountains of Tennessee, just three hours outside of Nashville, in Knoxville. And growing up she had all sorts of musical inspirations. She drew from her parents’ generation of music like Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Van Morrison. But when she moved to Nashville she began to be more influenced by the contemporary stuff. Logan says that her influences range from very country and bluegrass to Americana Blues, “which is how my sound has become what it is.”
And these days she is touring with just about everyone. From the traditional country artists like Dwight Yoakam (you may have seen Logan open for Dwight in Connecticut in March) and Merle Haggard to The Band Perry and Lee Brice. And because of this, she cannot pick just one piece of advice that one of these great artists has given her. “I have had so many great experiences. I feel like there are some artists that I have gotten to spend more time, one-on-one with, than others. I spent a lot of time with Josh Turner. I feel like just getting to watch them do what they do, I will draw from that. I have learned so much from touring and opening up for people. I have been super lucky. I have been with people like Steve Earle to The Band Perry, Lee Brice, Gary Allan. Obviously Dwight Yoakam and Merle Haggard were both incredible. Just being able to be backstage and be a part of that and watch them do what they do. Their lifestyle on the road has been very insightful for me.”
In 2013, Logan released her debut album, titled ‘Walking Wires,’ and played over 120 dates just last year, touring for that record. So when it came to her second record, she wanted similar song content but wanted to “rock a little harder, and move a little more;” she was more intentional on how the new record would sound live. And that’s exactly what she did for her second album, titled ‘Shuteye.’ And on ‘Shuteye,’ Logan recruited both Charlie Worsham and David Nail to join her on the album. She says, “I am a huge fan of both of them just as musicians and artists and people. I was really excited to have them both on it. I feel like the both made the songs that they sang on. Charlie was so great. I’m pretty sure he was on tour in Canada. So he recorded it on his bus and sent it to us and we mixed it in and made it work. So I am lucky to have them on it for sure.”
You can purchase ‘Shuteye‘ on iTunes here.
Logan does not have a favorite or one particular song that means the most to her on ‘Shuteye,’ equating each of them as her ‘babies,’ but goes on to say that each song means a lot to her in different ways. However, the one that emotionally affects her the most is ‘I Wish You Loved Me,’ which is the track that Charlie Worsham is featured on. Logan describes the song as ‘raw’ and originally wanted the track to be a breath in the middle of the record but at the end of the day, the song felt like the ‘right final thing to say,’ so the track closes out the album.
Between touring and making great music, Logan has gotten some great exposure and attention, including recently being named as one of the 10 New Country Artists You Need To Know (Summer 2015) by Rolling Stone! And on May 16th, Logan made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry, which may be the ultimate compliment to any country singer. Looking back at that experience she says, “It was awesome. It was such a weird experience in that it was definitely a bucket list item that I did not expect to cross off as early as I did in my career. I honestly don’t really remember being on stage at all. Stone cold sober other than a shot of whiskey that I take before going on stage. But that was the only thing that I had. And walked off stage after and I could not remember what I said. Honestly, if I didn’t know the setlist, I couldn’t have told you what we had sang. Because I was buzzing so hard from being on that stage.” Luckily for Logan, she will play the Opry again next week, on July 25th, which she is extremely excited for and excited to start a relationship with the Opry that allows here to play there more often.
Logan jokes that she cannot believe this is her job. But she wants her fans to know that she absolutely loves doing this and could not imagine doing anything else. She lives for being on stage, connecting with her fans, and making music. And with the talent, attitude, and outlook that Logan possesses, she doesn’t need to be looking for a new job anytime soon as she appears to be a staple in the country music scene for years to come.
Make sure to follow Logan on Twitter and Facebook.