Chris Lucas and Preston Brust know tips on how to throw a celebration. Because the nation music duo LOCASH, they’ve spent greater than twenty years entertaining audiences throughout the nation. This December, they’re bringing that very same power to Fort Lauderdale as grand marshals of the fifty fifth annual Seminole Onerous Rock Winterfest Boat Parade.
“It’s loopy,” says Brust, about being named grand marshal. “It was an prompt sure for us. And it’s in Florida in the midst of December. That’s one other huge sure. Throw some lights on a ship and name us the grand marshals. Let’s go.”
The duo will lead the festive flotilla on Saturday, December 12, because the annual Fort Lauderdale vacation custom celebrates its fifty fifth yr. This yr’s theme, “Social gathering in the united statesA.,” commemorates America’s 250th anniversary and is anticipated to draw multiple million viewers. Starting on the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale, the illuminated procession travels alongside the Intracoastal Waterway earlier than heading north towards Pompano Seashore, protecting roughly 12 miles.
For Lucas and Brust, who’ve spent greater than twenty years making music collectively, the parade comes throughout an particularly busy season full of touring, new music, and loads of vacation cheer.
And Christmas, it seems, is one thing each males take very critically.
For Lucas and Brust, Christmas is all about household. Lucas celebrates together with his spouse, Kaitlyn, and their three kids: Caden, 16, Remi, 10, and Violet, 9. Brust shares the vacations together with his spouse, Kristen, and their kids: Love, 10, Legend, 8, and Lion, 3. For each households, the season brings Christmas bushes, matching pajamas, and loads of vacation films.
For Lucas, one in every of his favourite traditions is settling in with the household to make amends for the classics. “The week of Christmas, we’ll placed on pajamas, and we’ll simply watch each Christmas film over and over.”
His household’s most-watched movie is Elf, though Lucas additionally has a specific fondness for the shenanigans of Clark W. Griswold and household. “I actually love Christmas Trip,” he says, recalling how exhausting he laughed watching the film as a toddler.
The vacation film dialogue shortly turns into a spirited alternate involving Dwelling Alone, The Christmas Chronicles, and the perennial query of whether or not Die Onerous qualifies as a Christmas film.
Brust is completely happy to incorporate Die Onerous among the many vacation classics, and the film has even discovered its approach into LOCASH’s latest Christmas music. One of many duo’s authentic songs references three movies: Elf, Dwelling Alone, and Die Onerous.
“It may be the primary time Die Onerous is talked about in a Christmas tune,” Brust jokes.
Their Christmas enthusiasm extends properly past film evening. Brust says his household’s tree goes up November 1, and he’s already wanting ahead to the second when touring ends, and he can settle in for the vacations. “We’re actually exhausting staff. We’re blue-collar tour guys,” he says. “We keep on the highway. That’s how we make our cash.”
However after their last December efficiency, the tempo modifications significantly.
“It’s gonna be good to take that deep breath, mild the fireside, placed on matching PJs with the household, and never come out of them for a number of weeks.”
This season, LOCASH is including its personal music to the Christmas soundtrack with My Kinda Christmas, a five-song vacation EP arriving in November.
The gathering options three authentic songs written by Lucas and Brust — “My Kinda Christmas,” “Over the River,” and “Snow Angel” — together with their interpretations of two vacation classics, “O Holy Evening” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to City.”
For Lucas, who describes himself as a Christmas fanatic, recording authentic vacation music offered an surprising problem. “I’m a standard Christmas man, so I don’t like authentic Christmas songs,” he admits. But the three new compositions managed to win him over. “I like these songs. They sound conventional to me,” he says.
Brust sees the challenge as one thing that might grow to be a part of their households’ celebrations for years to come back — and will probably flip into a brand new vacation traditional. “When you concentrate on generations down the highway, our children are going to listen to Christmas songs that we carry out and that we wrote and we put our entire coronary heart and soul into,” he says.
The duo’s hands-on strategy to the vacation EP displays how critically they take their music, even when the subject material is lighthearted.
Brust explains that making music doesn’t essentially finish when a tune is written or recorded. Whereas mixing the Christmas challenge, he discovered himself persevering with to make changes to preparations, devices, and particular person sections. “I believe the artistic course of goes all the best way till it’s mastered,” he says.
That focus to element can also be evident of their newest album, Chris & Preston, named for the 2 males behind LOCASH. Launched October 23, the challenge is their sixth studio album.
Chris & Preston gives listeners a extra private introduction to Lucas and Brust, whose music has lengthy been related to upbeat melodies, feel-good messages, and songs that invite audiences to sing alongside.
The album revisits the friendship, shared historical past, and real-life experiences which have formed their music by the years. It options the brand new monitor “The place My Stars Line Up” and their present single, “Talkin Bout.” The duo chosen the fabric they felt finest represented them at this level of their careers. Songs comparable to “Love At all times Wins” and “Music Row” reveal a extra private facet of the performers.
For Brust, the objective has at all times been to create music that connects with listeners, no matter whether or not they take into account themselves nation music followers. “We’ve lots of people come to us and say, ‘I’m not a rustic fan, however man, I’m a LOCASH fan,’” he says.
He factors to songs comparable to “I Love This Life” and “I Know Any individual” as examples of music that resonates due to its relatable themes and optimistic messages.
The duo’s songwriting philosophy is equally simple: Write one of the best tune doable, then decide the place it belongs. Over time, Lucas and Brust have written materials for different nation performers, together with a few of the trade’s largest names. However after they create one thing notably suited to LOCASH, they typically set it apart for themselves first.
That doesn’t at all times imply they’ll be those to report it.
“When Luke [Bryan] calls and says, ‘Hey, man, what are you guys doing with this tune? I need to put it on my album,’ properly, it’s Luke, so we’re gonna give it to him,” Lucas says.
Brust provides that the method retains them difficult themselves creatively. “If this can be a tune we need to report, can we outwrite it? Can we write a greater tune within the meantime earlier than we go to the studio?”
Their songwriting concepts usually start with a title or phrase entered right into a telephone, generally ready months or longer earlier than changing into a completed composition.
The duo has additionally taken better management of its profession by Galaxy Label Group, a transfer that Lucas says permits them to make their very own selections and settle for accountability for the outcomes. “Nobody cares about your profession greater than you,” he says.
After years of working with main labels, Lucas believes having extra management provides the duo a greater alternative to succeed by itself phrases. “If it’s in our fingers and it fails, we didn’t win that one. It’s okay. Come again and attempt to win one other one.” They’re additionally fascinated by serving to different artists develop careers, sharing classes realized from their very own experiences within the music enterprise.
For 2 musicians who’ve spent a long time writing, recording, and performing collectively, the work continues. However their enthusiasm for the vacations supplies a welcome counterbalance to the calls for of life on the highway.
Though neither musician has participated in Winterfest earlier than, Brust already has a connection to Fort Lauderdale’s waterways. In the course of the pandemic, he and his household spent a number of months within the space with pals who owned a ship. They continuously traveled alongside the Intracoastal Waterway, and he’s wanting ahead to returning to the water, this time aboard one of the vital celebrated boats within the parade.
The duo hopes their households will be capable to be part of them, though these preparations have but to be finalized. Their wardrobe is equally undecided.
Brust wonders whether or not the event requires beachwear, ugly Christmas sweaters, or matching pajamas for your complete household.
Lucas, in the meantime, has one other thought.
“I’ve an thought, and I’ll ship it to you, Preston, nevertheless it’s gonna be a shock for everyone on the parade.”
Brust instantly gives his personal interpretation.
“Chris desires us to put on antlers and be reindeer.”
No matter they select, music can be a part of the celebration. LOCASH expects to have its songs enjoying aboard the Grand Marshal boat and can also be planning a dwell efficiency on the annual Seminole Onerous Rock Winterfest Black Tie Ball. Their authentic vacation tune, “My Kinda Christmas,” appears particularly applicable for the event.
And whereas their December calendar contains touring, radio appearances, and charitable work supporting organizations comparable to St. Jude Youngsters’s Analysis Hospital, Winterfest gives one thing totally different: an opportunity to benefit from the holidays with a million folks gathered alongside Fort Lauderdale’s waterfront.
For Lucas and Brust, whose careers have been constructed round bringing folks collectively by music, that feels like a becoming strategy to rejoice the season.
There could also be Christmas pajamas. There could also be reindeer antlers. There will definitely be loads of smiles and loads of music.
And if a sure Bruce Willis motion film is a part of the festivities, don’t be stunned.
Yippee Kai-Yay, Winterfest!
