Song Of The Week: 3/22/15

Song: "Forever"

Artist: Aaron Lewis

Album: "The Road"

Year: 2012



"Forever" is a straight forward, but personal song by Aaron Lewis about how his relationship gets strained by his being on the road. He often has to miss special events and kids' birthdays because he is a travelling musician and that's what his job calls for. He often wonders if his relationship has lost it's spark but in the end realizes that when he finally gets home, the fire still burns between he and his wife. Aaron Lewis has been active musically as far back as 1990. Hailing from western Massachusetts, Lewis is most famously known as being the lead singer of hard rock band Staind, but he has been playing solo acoustic shows since he was 17 years old. He was actually in a band pre-Staind called J-CAT. The popular Staind songs "Outside" and "It's Been Awhile" actually date back to his days in J-CAT. From 1995 to the present day, Staind has released seven full length albums and have sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, making them one of the most successful hard rock acts in modern music. During breaks from Staind, Lewis enjoyed playing small acoustic solo shows. There are many videos on YouTube of Lewis performing not only Staind songs, but also covering songs from bands he was influenced by like Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots and the Smashing Pumpkins. In 2010, Lewis recorded an EP called "Town Line" which would mark his very first solo release. This album featured the songs "Massachusetts", "Vicious Circles" and "Country Boy", the latter featuring country artist greats George Jones, Charlie Daniels and Chris Young. In 2012, Lewis released his very first solo full length album, "The Road". This album featured the singles "Endless Summer", "Forever" and "Grandaddy's Gun", which is a cover song. Currently, Lewis is working on new material which he hopes will be a brand new solo album to be released in early 2016. While more recognized as the front man for a heavy rock band, Lewis' solo material shows his love for country music, a love he shared with his grandfather who used to play him old country records. Though Staind hasn't had a new album since 2011's "Staind", Lewis has confirmed that the band is very much active and they have not disbanded. In fact, Staind has gotten back together to perform at several music festivals in 2014, though they have not confirmed if they are working on any new material. Whether with Staind or as a solo artist, Lewis has cemented himself as one of the great voices of his generation.