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 Events
Sawyer Brown to headline AquaPalooza on Lake Martin
July 23
Saturday, July 23, 12-6:30pm
Kowaliga Beach on Lake Martin
Tickets: Land access $15. Mooring on first three rows by sponsorship only.
Read the AquaPalooza FAQ here >
Artists
Sawyer Brown with special guests
Rhett Akins, Chase Rice and
Derek Welsh & The Cold Hard Truth
Once again, Lake Martin is the setting for great music, lots of fun with family and friends and the largest boating bash of the summer in Alabama.
There are many wonderful fun activities to do in the summer on Lake Martin — boating, barbequing, skiing and, of course, the best on-water summer concert anywhere — AquaPalooza.
Saturday, July 23rd, Lake Martin erupts with AquaPalooza 2011. For the sixth great year Russell Marine will play host to Sea Ray’s AquaPalooza on the shore of beautiful Lake Martin. With even bigger sound than last year, this year’s four-band event will kick off around noon at Kowaliga Bay and will feature the music of Derek Welsh and The Cold Hard Truth, Chase Rice, Rhett Akins and wrap up with the high energy show of Sawyer Brown.
 Three number one singles, over 50 songs to hit Billboard’s Hot Country Charts, the 1997 Academy of Country Music’s Vocal Group of the Year, and over 3,500 shows behind them, Sawyer Brown will headline Russell Marine’s AquaPalooza! The world of Sawyer Brown is still filled with dirt roads, small towns, little thrills, tiny moments and intimate connections...but mostly, it's about recognition of how major those things really can be: every day people seeing themselves in each other, the five men onstage and their songs. For the Apopka, Florida-bred band, these are songs of the common man delivered without mercy, only a relentless commitment to the freedom and fun that only a night out among good friends can allow.
"We came out of the notion we were there to entertain people, to make sure everybody had a good time," concedes creative catalyst Mark Miller, known as much for his hyperkinetic performances as for writing "Some Girls Do," "The Dirt Road," "Hard To Say," "Step That Step," "This Time," "The Boys & Me," "Thank God For You" and "The Walk."
"You're looking at a bunch of blue collar people here, who were raised to put the work in, to make sure the people are satisfied and who really love being on that stage and seeing the people letting it all go. Somebody once told me `If you can't have fun at a Sawyer Brown show, you can't have fun.'"
 Rhett Akins
Some men are just born to be country singers. It has nothing to do with chart positions, signed deals or marketing plans. It has everything to do with a rowdy Friday night crowd singing along to a song you just wrote because they've immediately embraced the words. You've written about your life and theirs and the connection has nothing to do with music industry politics and everything to do with honest communication and gut reaction.
Rhett Akins moved to Nashville in 1992 and landed a songwriting deal with Sony Tree Publishing. Like many other Music Row newcomers, he began writing songs and singing demos. Those demos caught the attention of an executive at Decca Records and Akins was signed to a deal in 1994. From there, the young artist became one of country music's hottest acts, well known for such hits as "That Ain't My Truck," "She Said Yes" and the No. 1 "Don't Get Me Started." His boyish good looks, warm evocative voice and energetic stage shows made him a favorite with fans of all ages.
 Chase Rice
Chase Rice started playing guitar his sophomore year of college, and his music career has taken off pretty quickly since then. His dad was and always will be his greatest inspiration to write music. He was back at home, sitting on the couch playing guitar, and his dad said to him, "Anyone can play guitar, but nobody is really gonna listen until you start singing." Well, he didn't start singing right away, but a few months after that conversation he got a call from his mom telling him to come home, his dad had a heart attack. He was taken home to see the Lord that day and Chase's life changed forever.
People deal with the loss of a loved one differently, but he dealt with losing his dad by writing a song about everything he was feeling. You can't sum something like that up in a song, but music quickly became Chase's outlet to express what he was going through. He was sitting in his room one night and began pouring his heart and soul out onto a piece of paper. Chase wrote a song that night about his dad called "Larger Than Life." Since then, Chase has been writing songs about pretty much anything that happens to him. He doesn't just write his own music, he lives it. These songs are his life, as the ''Survivor: Nicaragua" runner-up, he was able to share with millions of people last season on the show.
 Derek Welsh & The Cold Hard Truth
Derek Welsh has been active in the music industry since first performing as lead singer/songwriter for successful bands, McQueen Street (EMI), The Rat Race (Ring of Four) and now The Cold Hard Truth. He has recorded, performed on and produced five albums: McQueen Street (1991), Alice (1993), Uncle Jim's Secret Garden (1995), Live Unelectrified (1996) and McQueen Street 2 (2003) which have sold well over 300,000 copies in the U.S. and Europe.
Derek Welsh holds a BA in business from Auburn University. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, he currently lives in Tennessee and is actively performing with The Cold Hard Truth, whose members include Welsh on vocals, guitar and piano, Steve Rutledge on lead guitar, Steve Forbush on bass and Alexander City native Pat Bailey on drums.
Get the best seat in the house!
Call your nearest Russell Marine location to find out how you can moor your boat on the first three rows in front of the stage.
To learn more about AquaPalooza, visit www.aquapalooza.com or www.russellmarine.net.
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