FORT SILL, Okla.-- Country music fans get ready to kick back and listen to the Josh Abbott Band on Fort Sill's Polo Field July 5.
The group of six musicians are hoping to connect with their audience as they take stories from the past and put it to a melody.
"Josh is really good about writing about people's experiences growing up and loves songs," said fiddler and electric guitar player Preston Wait.
Songs based on real experiences include "Small Town Family Dream" which is about Wait's family and the album "She's Like Texas" is mostly about Abbott's wife.
There is one song in particular that may strike a strong chord with the military audience at Fort Sill. "Let My Tears be Still" is about a Korean War veteran and is actually based on lead singer Josh Abbott's wife's grandfather.
My name is Lieutenant Colonel William Todd.
I flew the 101st Airborne in '42.
You may think that you've met veterans like me before,
but you don't have a clue.
The song goes on to say the Soldier saw a woman in a photograph and swore he would marry her. He did just that.
JAB
The band is composed of Josh Abbott, Austin Davis, Preston Wait, Edward Villanueva, James Hertless and Caleb Keeter. What they do on the stage is the same thing they do in the studio.
"I think we're a group of young fun guys, and we have a real energetic concert," said Wait. "There's not a whole lot of bands out there that record all their own stuff with their actual band. A lot of times they have session musicians and the singer comes in and does his part. What you hear on the album is actually us."
JAB released their new album "Small Town Family Dream," which landed at No. 1 on the iTunes Country Chart and No. 2 on the iTunes All Genre Chart.
"Both me and Josh and a few others in our band grew up in really small towns,"said Wait. "I grew up in a small town in Colorado of 150 people. Josh grew up right outside of Lubbock, in a town called Idalou."
Not coincidentally, "Idalou" is another one of their hits.
Wait said the title of their latest album is really about those who can't wait to leave their town, only to want to go back.
"You don't know what's out there and you just really want to go see. And then when you're out there you just really miss it."
"I live in Austin, now and it's been a big adjustment for me. I just miss how you can walk down the street and know where everybody lives. And if anything goes wrong like if your pickup breaks down, you'll have five or six people sitting there helping you for nothing and you don't get that in a whole lot of places," said Wait.
The fans can look forward to hearing "Oh, Tonight," "I'll Sing About Mine and Wait's favorite "Touch."
"That song has a really cool energy to it on stage. Some songs, even if people are giving a great response when you're up there getting into the groove of things you know, there's just some that are easier than others and that one to me goes over really well."
This is the band's first opening for Trace Adkins something they are looking forward to.
"It's always neat to play with an international, big touring artist like that. It's always interesting to see how all that works," said Wait.
The band is currently touring in support of their album and upcoming single "I'll Sing About Mine." Their stop at Floore's Country Store in May sold out making them the fifth artist in over a decade to sell out the venue in advance, according to the band's publicist. In doing so, they joined the likes of Willie Nelson, Gary Allan, Randy Rogers and the Eli Young Band.
"We just want fans to come out and have a good time and hopefully our music connects with them," said Wait.
Visit www.joshabottband.com for more information and tour dates.
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