Red Dirt Country singer-songwriter Wade Bowen is adding his tenth studio album to his diverse portfolio of music with the highly anticipated release of "Flyin" (Bowen Sounds via Thirty Tigers/The Orchard).
The second project that Bowen produced fully himself, the 12-track genre-bending album takes listeners on a journey from old-fashioned honky-tonk country to gut-wrenching ballads, classic rock, and even a love song to Texas that highlights how his home state shaped who he is today, and features talent including Songwriter Hall of Famer Hillary Lindsey, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman and singer-songwriters Eric Paslay, Chase Bryant, Heather Morgan, and more.
"Flyin" is now available to stream and purchase at all digital retailers.
“I’m extremely proud of this record,” Bowen said. “Flyin really came out of this energy I needed at this point in my career at 20-plus years in. Right now, I’m having more fun than I ever have playing music, writing songs, producing albums. I wanted people to see that with this release. This album has an energy we have never had before, and I hope my fans can feel that as well!”
To stay up to date on Wade’s current and upcoming projects, visit wadebowen.com and follow him on Instagram @wadebowen and Facebook. Check out Wade’s newest video, “ Nothin But Texas ."
Men's Journal : Congratulations on your second Male Vocal Award at T3R recently. Tell me what do awards mean to you? Validation?
Wade Bowen: I don’t know if validation is really it. I do love it. It’s obviously not why we do what we do, but when someone acknowledges your hard work and nominates you for any award, it is really nice to be considered. I’m very appreciative when we do get nominated or win. Especially the Texas radio people have always been good to me and my music over the years. I am truly thankful for the acknowledgment of all the hard work I’ve put in for that.
MJ : Your tenth album, “Flyin,” is coming out on May 10. It's a mix of many things and sounds. Tell us about how you select your songs for an album, especially this one.
Bowen: I kind of have the same process. I try to write as many songs as possible, see what happens and what I have been thinking about, and just let it tell me what it wants to say. It’s kind of funny how that works. I don’t really plan it; I just let the album speak out. I write a lot. I write a lot for every record. I don’t just write twelve songs and say, here’s the twelve for the album. I’ll write thirty or forty songs and even pull from songs from the past from my twenty-plus years of writing and make sure I didn’t miss a song from then as well. Everything is on the table when I go into the studio. It’s always a fun process for me to figure it out.
MJ : How long has “Flyin” been in the works?
Bowen : I’d say, probably about a year from the moment I started writing to getting it all finished and out.
MJ : One of the cuts, “Nothin But Texas,” has become popular with our Texas Rangers. How did that come about?
Bowen : I am a huge Rangers fan, and I am very outspoken about that. Obviously, it’s been a very fun year for that. I had that song and sent it over to them, and said I thought this could be really good for the both of us, so asked them what they thought. They were very responsive about it. It’s been good, they played it on MLB Opening Day and it seemed to go over really good in that ballpark I’ll tell you that much.
MJ: You sang at their opening day, right?
Bowen : Yes, I sang the National Anthem.
MJ : Another great song on this album is “Friday Night,” which is a nod to Texas Friday night lights! You had someone special in the intro to that song. How did all that come about?
Bowen : I don’t really cut many outside songs, but my good buddy Chase Brian sent me this one. Actually, when I heard it, I was driving my son to football practice, and it couldn’t have been more perfect timing for me to hear that song right then and there. It just sounded perfect to me, and Chase is an amazing, talented guy anyway, so anything he sends to me is such a huge honor. I fell in love with the song. It brought so many memories. Having Troy Aikman as the football announcer seemed perfect. He and I have been friends for a long time, and I couldn’t think of anybody better to do it. I had posters on my wall of him as a kid, so it was another huge honor for me to have him do it.
MJ: Living in Texas myself, I know the difference between country music and Texas/red dirt country music. It seems to be growing and gaining popularity across the country now. What’s your take on that?
Bowen: I don’t know if I’d say I’ve seen growth; I feel it’s always been popular. I guess there is a little bit of growth. I think mainstream-wise, with the success of Parker McCollum, Cody Johnson, and Koe Wetzel, there is a national exposure that we haven’t really gotten before that’s making it pretty popular. All of us, for a long time, have been going places outside of Texas and performing with good success and having a lot of fun with it. Right now, is a great time to continue to do that and get those crowds growing even more.
We are about to hit the West Coast and the Northwest for a while. We’re hitting it all over and trying to get out of the region as much as we can with our music, and we did that last year as well. It’s been really good for us for sure.
MJ: You have had some great collaborations. Who are some you’d like to collaborate with of all the artists out there that you haven’t so far?
Bowen : Well, I named my son Bruce after Bruce Springsteen, so I would love to do a collaboration with him. The iconic, classic one would be George Strait. I’d love to do a collaboration with him one day, which would be amazing. There’s a lot of them. I’m also a huge fan of Don Henley and would love to do something with him. Wynonna would be amazing. The list goes on and on. I’m a fan first, so there are so many.
MJ: What’s your favorite type of song to write/perform?
Bowen: As far as performing, I think that changes periodically depending on the night, what mood I’m in, or what I’m going through. I do love the newer stuff, it’s always fun for me because it’s fresh. But my favorite is “Before These Walls Were Blue,” which I wrote about my sons. I don’t get to play it every night; it’s not always a crown I can play that for. It has to be a more intimate crowd, but I do enjoy the opportunity when I get to play that song. It’s a song I’m really proud to play. As far as one I play every night, right now it’s “Rainin On Me”, the new one. I can’t wait to get it on the setlist because it’s one of those amped-up, feel-good songs.
MJ: Do you have a favorite venue to perform at?
Bowen : The Ryman is really hard to beat. We’ve played Red Rocks a few times and I really enjoy it there. Then there’s Billy Bob’s. Billy Bob’s is literally family to me. When I step on stage at Billy Bob’s I feel like I’ve walked into home. Walking in that back door I feel like I just walked into my mom’s house. But the Ryman is unbelievable.
MJ: Taking a step, or two, back. I know you started in your first band with your friend, Matt Miller and West 84, but when did you first start playing and writing?
Bowen : I actually started in college when I met Matt I was writing and playing guitar. When I met him, he and I gave each other the courage to get out there and perform, so we started a band based on that. We started in Waco in the summer and took it out to Lubbock when were in college there.
MJ: The Bowen Family Foundation. What a great mission. Do you have any upcoming events, are they all in Waco?
Bowen : The majority of our events started in Waco because that’s my hometown. We started expanding as my career expanded to try and help as many people as we can, which is the goal. We are definitely growing beyond that area, so we can help as many people as we can. We try not to limit our area we help. We hit the six-million-dollar mark in a very short time, which is something I am very proud of. Last year, we gave over twenty different grants. Anything involving children or families we are happy to help with. You can go to our website, BowenFamilyFoundation.org , and submit a request. we get together as a board a few times a year, go through them, and see what we can and can’t get out.
MJ: What do you like to do in your downtime? Or do you have downtime?
Bowen : When I do have downtime, I love to spend time with my kids. Whatever they have going on, I try to spend every waking moment with them. I love to cook and play golf, too. That’s really it. All that keeps me busy enough trying to keep up with their schedules and mine. Growing up, my grandfather had a meat market, and my uncles started a couple of small restaurants and catering businesses out of the Waco area, so that’s just always been in our family. We all enjoyed cooking and sharing recipes and stuff.
MJ: Well, you just answered my last question, something about you that we may not know, cooking is it then.
Bowen : Yes, my uncle’s had restaurants called Bill and Bob’s in Waco. That’s where our love for cooking comes in. My mom’s an amazing cook and she shared that passion with me as well. I wouldn’t say I’m good at it, but I do love cooking. As for golf, I love golf. My dad played golf at Baylor. He was a really good college golfer and a good golfer after that, and he passed that love down to me. Those two things are a passionate part of my life.
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