BANDRYLAND IS THE NEW NAME OF THE DREW LANDRY BAND
Probably because of the way the story ends, Drew Landry doesn’t often brag about how Kris Kristofferson called him the best songwriter he’s heard in 30 years. Landry impressed the legend by playing him his “Last Man Standin” backstage at a Kristofferson concert. Afterwards, Kristofferson called him out, repeating his praise to the crowd. The only problem was Landry missed the whole thing because he was in the bathroom.
“I figured that would be one of those things in life that would be a real cool confidence builder nobody ever knows about,” says Landry. “It’s just like, well, this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”
The incident is par for Landry’s course: incredible luck coupled with unstoppable hustle. In grass roots marketing terms, Landry is a weed—ever-present and relentless in his efforts to get his music into the right hands. He’s hobbled around Austin on crutches during SXSW and mailed CDs to anyone with an address, and he has seen the results. His Tailgaten Relief & Hurricane Companion and this year’s Sharecropper’s Whine landed on the Euro-Americana Chart. However, Landry’s appeal is more than just hustle. Landry is a legit old school balladeer who weaves down home and ultra honest songs (even if they are completely fictional). Part good ole boy, part conspiracy-minded, politically incorrect pundit, he draws comparisons to Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt and Woody Guthrie. Though he sounds like he just ate a large, greasy meal and washed it down with a whiskey soaked night on the town, his slightly nasal voice has its own unique appeal. Landry spent the summer in Los Angeles, playing the Roxy and the Mint as he worked with a manager in hopes of getting a distribution deal for the October re-release of Sharecropper’s Whine.
“For me it’s just getting out of Louisiana, getting out of your comfort zone, trying to reach more people,” says Landry. “There is always somebody you haven’t met and something else you can do. I’m doing what I can.”
The record features 20-plus friends and incredible musicians, including Anthony Dopsie, members of the Red Stick Ramblers and Andrew Duplantis of Son Volt. “Last Man Standin” is definitely the album’s gem. In it, Landry’s politics come into their own. Landry regretfully croons, “If Jesus were alive, I bet we’d string him up just like we were the Romans. / Instead we’re going to use his name to justify a fight across the ocean.”
The song’s title is also the name of Josh Hyde’s documentary about Landry’s struggle for stardom. As Hyde follows Landry, the songwriter hits the road and gets tossed a record deal from Memphis International—a deal he rejects because it offered a 15 percent return.
“The movie is about making it, what does it mean to make it,” Landry says. “It’s funny because [Hyde] showed it to some people up north and they were like, ‘This dude didn’t make it because he wasn’t on American Idol.’ I showed it to people down here; they were like, ‘Dude, you finally made it.’ I guess it’s all relative. It’s one thing to write songs. It’s another thing to record them and get them sounding the way you want with the right musicians. If that makes money or not, that is a completely different thing. I don’t know. I’m pretty happy with where I am.”
Nick Pittman -OFFBEAT MAGAZINE
