You’re out there doing high-fives, stalking leads,
sniffing out opportunity, and hanging to touch base with a producer. Any
producer. Anyone. Anyone who will stop the musical conveyor belt
long enough to hear the songs you’ve sweated over.
In a recent e-mail, country newcomer Mike Lounibos
tells of trudging Music Row, guitar case in tow with a satchel of songs.
Stomach butterflies took care of the loneliness.
"I remember when I first went to Nashville in
1989," says Lounibos. "I was never so excited and nervous all at
the same time. I got out of the cab on Music Row, loaded down with a
guitar, an overstuffed suitcase full of demo tapes, blood shot eyes from no
sleep the night before, and wearing a big white Stetson hat and cowboy
boots."
For a California-raised kid who took his first guitar
lesson at 11, Lounibos was finally where he wanted to be.
And, so, what did he learn in those first few days in
Nashville? "I learned there are real good singers in just about any
club you went into, and that, to make it here, I had a long way to go to be a
competitive writer in this town."
The good singers and the competitive writers are still
there, but, now, they have company. Full Tank Of Love, on Southern
Angel Music, is the debut Nashville-recorded CD from the man in the white
Stetson.
These twelve songs highlight not only a contemporary
voice, but prove Lounibos can pen a song. He has co-written on every
track. "Songwriting is probably my favorite thing to do in
music," says the Sonoma, California resident. "I do a lot of
co-writing because I love the exchange of ideas with another person.
&You never know where it’ll lead."
After polishing his performance skills at various
songwriter venues including Nashville’s legendary Blue Bird Café and the
Broken Spoke, Lounibos is enthusiastic about his music.
"I don’t think I’ll ever get over the great
feeling when one of my songs touches someone’s heart," he says.
"When they tell me about it, then that’s what the music is all about for
me."
The album’s title track is sure to help with that
musical connection. The song, set to a soft-rock tempo, tells of married
love and its ability to handle the hard times — a father’s death, a new
baby, and a husband’s unemployment.
Lounibos sits comfortably in the new country mold with
a personal preference for George Strait, and the talents of Brad Paisley, Alan
Jackson, and Mark Chesnutt. "I admire George Strait because he has
influenced so many contemporary artists," says Lounibos.
The influence of the hatted crooners is obvious on many
of the ballads filling this CD. "I Wonder What It’s Like In
Love" is something Alan Jackson might record. Lounibos saves the song
from schmaltz by investing his own brand of sensitivity; the result is a
memorable standout track.
The vocals continue to please with "Tomorrow
Today" and the poignant "My Son’s Coming Up Tomorrow".
The Son song is a cute word-twist about the absence of a son and a lonely
father. Dad gets to rejoice in knowing his boy is flying in from out of
town tomorrow. Clever.
"I co-wrote the song with Craig Harris.
It’s a true story about his son," he explains. "It’s one of
those songs other songwriters love, but hard to get cut by other artists because
it’s so personal. In the past, it was not considered the most commercial
of subject matter; however, when I perform it live, it gets a huge reaction from
people."
The pace quickens on "More Love Between You &
Me". The song hits the humor groove with the hook-line:
"There’s a lot of letters in Mississippi/A lot of tatters up in Idaho/ A
lot of big things in Texas/And that’s just the way it goes/But when it comes
down to finer things/Honey I still believe/There’s more love between you and
me."
"We Didn’t Know You Were Leaving" is a
tear-laced track honoring the memory of the departed. A sprinkling of
Tammy and Conway references stand alongside the recall of significant others.
"The song has many lives," Lounibos writes.
"It was originally written for my close friend who passed away. The
song has another life now. Two co-writers came in, and together we
re-created it as a tribute to racing legend Dale Earnhardt. The song is
nationally charting. We’re getting played on traditional and Internet
stations."
Lounibos is a regular commuter to Nashville these days.
He is still out there doing the high-fives, pounding the pavement, and working
towards a recognizable country music career.
"All I try to do is remember to have fun," he
says. "I write the best songs I can, and I sing my heart out in the
studio. That’s all I have control over."
The story goes that if
you’re looking for the next big thing in country music: Try a Nashville bus
driver or talk to the mailman. You could even check with the lady in the
Wrangler store. For an ounce of interest, they may produce a guitar and
give you their song — curbside Karaoke fashion. It seems everyone has a
tune. Everyone wants to make it, and the competition is like a melting
cone in summer — hard to lick.
Copyright © 1998-2001 CountryReview.com.
All rights reserved.
Mike Lounibous Country CD Page
