Stripped-down sound: Aaron Lewis' latest perfect for acoustic shows

Joe Hadsall, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·2 min read

Feb. 9—More than a decade of time spent in the genre shows that country is no side project for Aaron Lewis.

The former frontman of the metal band Staind will perform Saturday at Downstream Casino's Pavilion in an acoustic show that the casino has reported is sold out.

It is one of many shows in Lewis' American Patriot tour — already starting with 50 dates, even more shows were announced Monday, with future stops announced for West Plains, Poplar Bluff and Cape Girardeau alone.

The tour is in support of "Frayed at Both Ends," his latest album released in January 2022. The album sends Lewis even further into the roots of country, featuring a stripped-down, acoustic-style sound that highlights his voice.

The tone of the songs, however, is not far off from the music he made with Staind.

"Big heartache is part of it," Lewis said in an interview with Lorie Hollabaugh of MusicRow.com. "Country music takes on the tough stuff, the doubts and the working harder to just stay where you are."

Staind broke out in 1999 and became part of the nu metal surge of the 2000s. The band released seven studio albums between 1996 and 2011.

But Lewis dived into country in 2010, releasing his first solo EP in 2011 and his first full-length album, "The Road," in 2012. It was the first of three consecutive albums that reached the top 10 of Billboard's U.S. country chart. "Country Boy," a song with Charlie Daniels and George Jones, helped the EP become an RIAA platinum seller.

His music has focused around mental health and substance abuse, giving him a chance to share his struggles. He has also used the genre to share political feelings and ideas about gun rights, and opposing the COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates.

Billboard reported that Lewis in March gave a long speech about the state of the country from his point of view. Now viral, his digression dived into conspiracy theories about Russia's invasion of Ukraine and others popular among QAnon adherents.

But he has also honed his voice in the genre with some of its finest, including Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss and Vince Gill.