Pat Green












































Pat Green
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It’s impossible to know your limits without testing them.

It’s a truth that Pat Green has employed in his career, one that has propelled him to repeatedly refashion his sound, his approach and his own perception of who he is.

He’s simultaneously a Grammy-nominated hit maker with an outsider reputation, a Texas inspiration and a mainstream country artist who can rock arena and stadium stages with the likes of Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney.

Each of those roles has its own place. But each of them is too small to define Pat Green, who after 15 years in the recording business has earned the right to be everything Pat Green can be. Without limitations.

“I’d much rather be me and comfortable in my own skin than trying to be five different guys to get to the top,” he says.

In fact, after building a reputation as an ace songwriter of his own material, Green is fighting even that limitation with Songs We Wish We’d Written II, a sequel to a 2001 album he recorded with longtime friend—and fellow Texan—Cory Morrow.

Stocked with music penned by the likes of Lyle Lovett, Tom Petty, Shelby Lynne and Jon Randall, the disc—Green’s first for the acclaimed Sugar Hill label—mixes country, rock and blues in a manner that defies categorization. Petty’s “Even The Losers” and Collective Soul’s “The World I Know” will be familiar to just about anyone who gives the album a listen. Others, such as Aaron Lee Tasjan’s quirky “Streets Of Galilee” and Todd Snider’s burning “I Am Too,” are introductions from the underground to a large majority of music fans.

Songs We Wish We’d Written II is an expansive step in Green’s ongoing development. By piecing together songs from a variety of writers, he was able to assemble an album that reflects the multiple genres that influence him as an artist. The source of the songs wasn’t as important as the quality of the music and its ability to connect with Green’s maturing sense of his craft.

“If you listen to my young music or anybody’s young music, it’s all over the place,” he suggests. “It sounds like that because the thoughts are all over the place. You were sleeping on mattresses on the floor, the TV was on a cinderblock – that’s all cool. That’s all we needed, then. Now, I’ve grown up a bit.  As my life has evolves, my taste for music continues to evolve with it.”

While Green was looking for songs for the album from outside sources, he was adamant about recording music that ultimately seemed designed specifically for him and his band. With drummer Justin Pollard co-producing, Green drew up an initial list of 10 titles and recorded them during a concentrated week of sessions in Austin. They tracked another five in Tyler, Texas, then culled the best to get the final 10 cuts on Songs We Wish We’d Written II, creating a cohesive package from disparate sources.

“We all just sat around discussing and if somebody’s idea would sound better than my idea, I’d get fixated on it,” Green says. “I would very much encourage them to bring an idea. For instance, the Walt Wilkins song ‘If It Weren’t For You,’ that was somebody else’s idea completely. There were all kinds of ideas going around from Genesis and Peter Gabriel, Colin Hay from Men at Work – all kinds of crazy stuff from the ‘80s. Of course, we ended up with Petty from 1979.”

They also ended up with a stellar list of guests. Collective Soul’s Ed Roland brings an authentic cynicism to “The World I Know,” Jack Ingram’s threads a snarling desperation into “I Am Too,” Cory Morrow adds a craggy earthiness to “If I Had A Boat,” and former Sons of the Desert member Drew Womack adds a smooth, Vince Gill-like presence as a backing vocalist on the driving “Austin.”

Monte Montgomery provides a thick, expressive blues voice on the Allman Brothers’ “Soulshine” and trades licks with Green’s guitarist, Chris Skrobot, in some of the most riveting moments on Written II, with their dueling lines careening like pinballs.

Skrobot also introduced Green to Aaron Lee Tasjan, who’s something of a new discovery on the album. Tasjan’s “Streets Of Galilee” combines a seemingly random parade of images into an escapist story while Tasjan makes a wry vocal appearance, adding an ethereal presence in the mold of AAA talent Brett Dennen.

“Aaron is a super guy, an amazing talent, and he has a band in New York called The Madison Square Gardeners, so he’s obviously a very funny, very clever human being,” Green assesses. “He’s definitely the kind of writer I really enjoy listening to.”

“Galilee,” “Soulshine,” “Jesus On A Greyhound” and the imagery in “Austin” combine to form a spiritual undercurrent on the album akin to the message of Green’s biggest hit, “Wave On Wave.” It’s appropriate – Green spent much of the last two years searching his conscience as he battles the prism of limitations that were created by his own successes in Texas, and on a national stage.

And in a way, Songs We Wish We’d Written II is the first chapter in the next act of his career.

“There’s a man inside of me now that didn’t used to live here, whereas there was only a boy before,” he says. “The boy was so strong and had done so much, so I’m kind of seeing things in a new way. The last couple years have really been an eye opener, much more intense and richer.”

That’s a large statement – Green’s life and career have already been filled with rich experiences. He’s co-written songs with Willie Nelson, Brad Paisley, Jewel and Rob Thomas. Appeared on such national TV shows as Austin City Limits, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Show With David Letterman. Been hailed by Billboard, USA Today, Esquire, People and Country Weekly. Toured with the likes of Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban and the Dave Matthews Band. And become a concert force in his own right, regularly selling out venues from Los Angeles to New York, where he’s now sold out his last seven appearances.

All of that is impressive. But it’s also history. As much as he appreciates it, Green puts it in his place on his cover of “Even The Losers,” where he highlights a lyric that Petty obscured in the original: “It’s such a drag when you’re living in the past.”

Green may be recognized for those past achievements, but he doesn’t intend to be limited by them as he continues to progress creatively. And that progress will come by simply testing what it means to be Pat Green.

“I want to be me,” he says. “There are so many people who live with so many masters in their lives. I really just need one.”

Date Venue City State Note
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07/12/2011 - Pat Green Talks About The Business Of Music - Read More
04/06/2011 - Going Green: Country Singer Pat Green Headlines Polo on the Prairie  - Read More
02/16/2011 - Pat Green Finds Contentment  - Read More
12/09/2010 - It's a Green party at Billy Bob's Texas - Read More
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06/02/2003 - Pat Green Q&A - Read More
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Average Rating : 0              Total Reviews: 1214


Pat Green  11/12/2008            
TexasCountry
to the guy who quoted LSM magazine, shut up. you have no idea what texas country is if you think selling out is the point. the point is to play country, not scratching pop-country. pop-country is selling out. the randy rogers band got a big record deal and their 3rd cd sounded just like the other two; meaning they didnt sell out. pat greens new stuff, however, sounds nothing like the pat green that got the record deal. he plays bad music, he sold put, that doesnt discredit the music he made before that we all love still. so shut up you jackass
Pat Green  11/10/2008            
TexasCountry
I want to know what happened to the Pat Green I saw in concert every year for 6 years? I stopped going after a show I sad at Billy Bob's Texas in which he sang only new songs, and then tried to sinf Songs about Texas but was too drunk to remember past the second line! Not to mention the terrible, Nashville-style pop-"country" he plays now. Come back to Texas...remember when you gave up on Nashville a long time ago?
Pat Green  09/19/2008            
jstn
i agree with zach... hes (pat) not there yet but will soon be. if you want TEXAS country play some OLD pat green like the album Here We Go [LIVE] or 3 Days. the OLD pat green is some of the BEST music EVER. and ill stand by that till the end, but the new stuff is just nash-trash.
Pat Green  09/18/2008            
zack
I for one dont think the dude "sold out". i think he grew up. i dont think he's made his decisions based on money. i think he has matured. the problem with that is this version is over polished and watered down. take a guy like mike mcclure who's music has gotten better with maturity, pat greens has gotten worse. i heard "let me" on the radio for the first time the other day and just assumed it was someone out of nashville. so thought it may not quite be rascal flatts yet, he's only a stepping stone or two away
Pat Green  08/20/2008            
ljd
the person saying he is traitor should not be allowed on this website. we are here to promote not belittle. in the newest issue of LSM magazine, there is an Ask Mother Hubbard question about 'selling-out': Q: What is wrong with selling out? Isn’t that the point? Why is it bad for a musician to finally get paid for all their hard work? Basically where is the line when it comes to selling out? BradyAustin, TX Dear Brady, I think the term “selling out” has been tagged on a lot of musicians undeservingly. It seems to be thrown around a lot when a Texas Music artist goes to Nashville to record or signs with a Nashville label. Maybe his/her sound changes a little because they are using a different producer or studio musicians on the record. This isn’t always a bad thing and it certainly isn’t in my book considered “selling out.” If an artist likes their new direction, who are we to judge that they should have stayed the same? Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to feed your family and advance in your career or you can end up playing happy hour at the Holiday Inn for the rest of your life. To me, selling out would be if an artist known for anti-war songs does a commercial for the NRA. I checked with Mr. Hubbard to find out why he never sold out and he said , “Because nobody ever asked.” xxxMH" pat is still doing the music he loves to do. he writes most of the stuff on the cds and he is spreading our music to people that desperately need it. mj 7/28/2008 should be ashamed!
Pat Green  08/03/2008            
RileyWayne
While this isnt one of my favorite Pat Green cds, it is still a quality cd from Pat. I like the songs Way Back Texas and Feels Just Like it Should. These songs still reflect back to the days of seeing Pat Green in Stephenville or in Wichita Falls on those hot summer nights. They are catchy summer songs that are true to what Pats about. I think that people who say Green is a sellout are just closed minded folks who wanna hear another song about getting drunk on a friday night. Lets grow up here people, Green is still Texas` Favorite Son. If you happen to see him, he still is one of country best performers. Looking forward to the new cd!
Pat Green  07/28/2008            
mj
He is a traitor take him off this website. now he sucks period.....
Pat Green  06/18/2008            
Brien
of course we're all a little disappointed that pat isn't "ours" anymore. we have to share him with the rest of america. but it's even more disappointing when i see people bashing him for being "too big for texas now" or especially when somebody makes a george straight reference. george straight was, for several years, the epitome of that nashville cookie cutter crap that texas/red dirt music is opposed to. for awhile there, especially around the time of his awesome movie pure country, everything he sang sounded like check yes or no (exclude the cd somewhere down in texas ... i liked that one). so if you're making an argument against pat, that was a poor choice. maybe use robert earl keen instead. but heck, even his music has changed. compare no kinda dancer or swerving in my lane to what i really mean or to farm fresh onions. tell me those songs don't sound completely different. REK's music has evolved through the years just as pat's has. pat has grown up a little and add to that a record label that is throwing large amounts of money into the production of his albums and it's a no brainer that his music is going to sound different than the early days of a five piece band and a live cd. it's all very understandable but what isn't understandalbe are the comments about pat being a sellout. somebody please explain how that's derived soley from the evolution of his music and his popularity nationwide. and might i also ask is that how jack is being viewed now since his music is being heard on a national level? is that how any of our favorite local guys will be viewed if they go national? we claim that texas/red dirt music is the best music in the world but as soon as people outside of texas start noticing and listing to one of our guys, then we tear him down. it seems some of us have become hypocritical elitist snobs that would actually rather keep these guys just to ourselves like we're the cool kids that everybody envies because we have the neatest toy on the block ... but that's just my opinion.
Pat Green  06/10/2008            
DirkRules41
Pat's music may carry a different sound, but he hasn't forgotten where he comes from. He still spends half of his concerts playing the old-school tunes that continue to influence the younger guys like Johnny Cooper. Pat is married and has children; his music simply reflects his position in life as a husband and father (much like Cory Morrow's music has changed). Any critics need to attend a Pat Green concert and discover that he is still a Texas music pioneer.
Pat Green  06/02/2008            
Jimbob
Well,I know he got to big for Texas but darn! Nashville!!! George Strait's music still sounds the same after all these years and is still a true TX boy.
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