NSFW hit launches country artist’s career

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Photo | facebook.com/RandyHouser

Band: Trey Lewis
Date: Friday, Feb. 26 with doors at 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Soul Kitchen, 219 Dauphin St., soulkitchenmobile.com
Tickets: $15-$29.50, available through the venue’s website or by calling 866-777-8932

What started as a humorous song among friends has kindled the career of a longtime Alabama country artist. Not too long ago, singer-songwriter Trey Lewis was making his living playing lengthy cover sets in venues across the Southeast. 

With the pandemic leaving many artists apprehensive to release new material, Lewis decided it was the best time to release the provocative country ballad “D**ked Down in Dallas,” and he was right. Since its release, not only has “D**ked Down in Dallas” evolved into a cross-chart hit, but the single has also introduced the public to Lewis’s original catalog. Lewis took a break from a soundcheck to talk to Lagniappe’s Steve Centanni about his growing fan base.

Steve Centanni: Down here in Mobile, our country scene has really been booming. As somebody who has been in the game for a while, what do you think about the current state of the Alabama country scene?

Trey Lewis: I think it’s awesome! You’ve got Muscadine [Bloodline], who’s from Mobile. We used to all play the same gigs. I watched them blow up a few years ago. Now, they’re crushing it. They’re good friends of mine, and I was on their podcast not too long ago. They do really well. Then you got Reid Haughton and a couple of other Alabama artists. There’s Justin Holt, who is one of my good friends. He just had a track chart on iTunes last week. 

There’s Clay Barker, who’s my roommate. Joybeth Taylor is a songwriter in Nashville, and she’s one of the best that I know and a hell of a singer. Ella Langley is another one of my roommates. She’s doing a show with us this weekend. There’s a lot of good things going on. I don’t really know how far you can really go in Alabama. I do know that the one thing that is cool about Alabama artists is that we all try to help each other out. That’s the coolest thing.

Centanni: You’re back on the road and you’ve already got a sold-out show in Nashville. How does it feel to be back out there doing your thing?

Lewis: It’s really cool. Before the song came out, I was really just traveling around the Southeast playing cover gigs. I did the Tin Roof Circuit for six years with four-hour shows with no breaks, six nights a week. Since we put the song out, I’ve been going around playing my original music, and people are coming out to hear it. 

You know how every company has a mission statement? My mission statement is, “Come to a show a ‘D**ked Down in Dallas’ fan and leave a Trey Lewis fan.” It’s been really cool to do that. I’ve gotten a few DMs over the past few months that have said, “We’re definitely Trey Lewis fans now. We were ‘D**ked Down in Dallas Fans’ and now we’re definitely Trey Lewis fans.” 

Playing original music is always what I wanted to do. That was the long-term goal. When you’re working all those long nights on the road and playing four-hour cover sets, you think that it might never happen. They always say that it only takes one song to change everything, and that definitely happened to me.

Centanni: Another special thing about “D**ked Down in Dallas” is that it came out and gained traction at a time when a lot of artists were in a pandemic limbo. It’s been hit or miss with artists releasing new material. Taking that into consideration, what do you think about this song becoming such a crossover hit?

Lewis: Man, I think it’s great, dude! We’re actually working on a remix right now, but I can’t release any details on that. I’ve been putting out music for a long time, and it’s just crazy that a song that was a joke amongst friends has changed my life and opened the door to all my other music that’s a little more serious. It’s been really cool, man.

Centanni: So, when’s the next album?

Lewis: Well, we’ve got that remix on hold. That’s going to come out soon. I’ve also got a new single coming out called “Back Up Man.” We’re playing it at the show every night. It’s the second song on the setlist. We’ve got that song done. We just need to iron out a few details. Then, we’re going into the studio in a couple of weeks to record an album. I’m not sure if we’ll do an album or an EP, but we definitely have plans to put out new music before the end of the year.

Centanni: What’s the story behind “Back Up Man?”

Lewis: So, I was hanging out with this girl, like people do. I thought we were about to start dating. I really liked her, and she called me up one day and said, “Trey, I’ve gotta tell you something.” I said, “What’s that?” She said, “Well, I met somebody.” Fast forward two years later, she calls me up and says, “Guess what? I’m single.” I loaded up my truck and drove down to Birmingham and hung out. I haven’t talked to her in a long time, since that night. 

On my way down there, I called my buddies Mark Addison Chandler and Davis Corley, who are two guys I write with a lot. I told them that I had an idea for a song called “Back Up Man.” The hook of it is, “If you ever need a backup plan, then call me. I’ll be your backup man.” It’s a serious song, but it’s also funny. I think people can relate to it.

Centanni: You’re out on the road with a full band for this stretch. What’s your favorite thing about playing with a full band versus going solo?

Lewis: Everybody is locked in. The real benefits are all my guys are working, and they don’t have to do their side jobs. So, that’s pretty cool. The other thing is that we’re bringing an action-packed show. We play our original songs that have been out like “Whole Lotta Nothin” and “Whiskey Miss Me,” and, of course, we play “D**ked Down in Dallas.” It’s just high energy and fun to watch the crowd, even if it’s a socially distanced show. We’re doing what people allow us to do. It’s fun to watch people lighten up and get excited about something besides sitting inside their house.