New Artist Spotlight: Lost Trailers

New Artist Spotlight: Lost Trailers

By Peter Cronin

Say what you will about the Lost Trailers, but you can't say that this Georgia quintet didn't come by their name honestly. Over the course of their five years of constant roadwork, the band members have suffered more than their share of setbacks, not the least of which was having their trailer, containing all of their equipment, stolen - three times. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger and the Lost Trailers - singer/guitarist Stokes Neilson, singer/keyboardist Ryder Lee, guitarist Manny Medina, bassist Andrew Nielson and drummer Jeff Potter - have emerged from their trials with a self-titled album full of undeniable, hook-filled honky tonk songs.

"We love to bring people together for a good time," Lee said. "But we also know what it's like to be down. Our music is about hanging in there and always looking up, because there's redemption in the end."

For the Lost Trailers, redemption began with the loss of their third trailer. Feeling like they'd "hit bottom," the band pulled together and rallied around Nielson's increasingly powerful songwriting and moved to Nashville. They soon found a fan in Music Row producer Blake Chancey (Dixie Chicks, Montgomery Gentry), and when SONY BMG Nashville Chairman Joe Galante heard the tracks they recorded together and caught the band's take-no-prisoners live set he quickly signed them to his BNA imprint.

The Lost Trailers wrote 10 of the 11 songs on their debut, including the album's leadoff single, "Why Me," which was co-written by Neilson and Jimbeau Hinson. The album was released on Aug. 29.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS:

Which song would you secretly like to cover?

BAND - "'Georgia on My Mind,' but it's a real challenge to even come close to Willie's or Ray's versions."

What do you sing in the shower?

STOKES NEILSON - "Our most recent single 'Why Me' ... you gotta rehearse somewhere in private!"

What actors would portray you in a biopic about your life?

BAND - "The guys from 'Jackass.'"

What moment in your life would you relive if you could?

RYDER LEE - "Family vacations."

If you wrote an autobiography, what would the title be?

BAND - "Tales from the Trail: The Story of the Lost Trailers."

When they look back on your life in 50 years, what do you hope people say about you?