Go Away With ... Russell Dickerson

Musician Russell Dickerson says one of the perks of touring is getting to explore. “I’ve learned so much about history on my travels, even to smaller towns around America,” says the Nashville resident. “Whenever we pull into a new city, we usually look up a little history on that place. It’s cool to learn why this town came to be, like was it coal or oil or a certain good that made this city what it is today? I’ve definitely been getting some history lessons.” Dickerson, who is part of the Summer Plays On Tour with Lady Antebellum and Darius Rucker -- is promoting his album “Yours” and his single, “Blue Tacoma.” Fans may follow him on Twitter (https://twitter.com/russelled), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/russelled) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/russelled).

Q. Where have you heard country singers perform where you thought, “Wow, they sound like they’re from Nashville”?

A. We’ve been to the United Kingdom quite a bit in the last couple years and there are some awesome artists making a name for themselves over there. I remember playing the Nashville Meets London festival and one of the artists really caught my ear. It was super cool to hear our Nashville sound on a completely different continent!

Q. How did growing up in Tennessee affect your musical choices? And was there a period in your childhood when you thought you wanted to pursue a different genre of music?

A. Being born in a rural West Tennessee town definitely had a lot to do with my musical inspiration, but moving to Nashville at 10 and growing up around so many different genres definitely had a big effect on the music I create as well. So in high school we started a heavy rock band -- you know, as any teen would -- and that has definitely had a huge influence on my stage presence. There’s no better feeling than going out on stage and just giving the crowd every single ounce of my energy to try and put on the best live show they’ve ever been to.

Q. Where was your first professional gig away from home?

A. It was a NASCAR event in Charlotte, N.C., and me and my band were so hyped we got to play for more than 100 people. I remember there being a huge crowd and we were all just so pumped to be playing music together. I think we maybe got $500 to play. At the time, we had no van or trailer or anything, so I had to rent it all and probably went $300 in the hole just to drive eight hours there and back to play this festival. Livin’ the dream, baby!

Q. Do you find that you are able to create new music on the road?

A. I love writing on the road! It’s a whole different head space out here, because writing in Nashville, it’s like, “All right, let’s wrap up this bridge. I gotta stop by Trader Joe’s on the way home before dinner.” But out here on the road, it’s like we’re out here for this exact purpose. I’ll bring writers out on my bus and we’ll just write all day until it’s time for Meet & Greet, play the show, and then come back and vibe out on the demo of the song we wrote or start something fresh. It definitely feels a lot lower pressure writing on the road, which makes for better songs anyways.

Q. What is your favorite vacation destination?

A. As of late, it’s definitely Italy! We tacked on five days to the beginning of our European tour and spent it in Florence and Tuscany. It was the absolute best, because we had no plan other than to eat amazing pasta and drink incredible wine, and obviously Florence and Tuscany delivered. I find myself comparing everywhere we go now to this trip, like, “Where does this rate on a scale of one to Tuscany”?

Q. What was the first trip you took as a child?

A. We have family in New York, so some of my earliest memories are our biannual family trip to New York. I always loved going, because we would hit all the attractions, like the Statue of Liberty, then go see a Broadway show at night. Also, I still have a picture I took on a disposable camera looking up at the Twin Towers, so New York City definitely has a special place in my heart.

Q. Where are your favorite weekend getaways?

A. Just after CMA fest, we had four days off, so we loaded up the bus and brought all my band guys’ wives to the one, the only, Disney World! My wife, Kailey, grew up going every year, so it’s always super fun to go with her, because she crushes the planning and we hit everything within a matter of days!

Q. Where is the most romantic destination?

A. Our honeymoon was definitely romantic, but the resort is obviously set up for that environment. A more organic romantic experience was in this little cabin in the woods a couple hours outside Nashville. We just burned a fire all day long, read books, cooked delicious dinners and never even left the cabin.

Q. If you’ve ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?

A. My wife’s family always did a huge Fourth of July bash. She has a big family, so the Fourth is one of the rare times the whole fam gets together. We fly up to Wisconsin for the four-day festivities full of parades, Tomaso’s pizza, 200-foot slip ‘n slides and Spotted Cow beer, which is only sold in Wisconsin. Definitely lots of memories made!

Q. What is your best vacation memory?

A. Sun Valley, Idaho, was one of our best vacations ever. We went recently for our buddy’s birthday. They rented a gorgeous house minutes from the mountain. We would snowboard all day, and then come back to this beautiful house with incredible food and wine. There was a masseuse, a bartender and a chef, so we just enjoyed some good ol’ fellowship with good people.

(Jae-Ha Kim is a New York Times bestselling author and travel writer. You can respond to this column by visiting her website at www.jaehakim.com. You may also follow “Go Away With...” on Twitter at @GoAwayWithJae where Jae-Ha Kim welcomes your questions and comments.)

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