When the Zac Brown Band returns to Philips Arena for its second consecutive New Year’s Eve gig, it won’t be a typical concert.
No, these guys are more interested in promoting the theme that seems to permeate the ZBB camp: unity.
Of course, since they’re headliners, the Cumming-born Brown and cohorts Clay Cook (guitar, keyboards), Chris Fryar (drums), John Hopkins (bass), Coy Bowles (guitar, keyboards) and Jimmy De Martini (fiddle) will steal the spotlight for a portion of the night.
But of a higher priority is sharing the stage with most of the artists on Brown’s recently established Southern Ground record label: Sonia Leigh, Nic Cowan, Levi Lowrey, the Wood Brothers, Dugas and Blackberry Smoke.
The Southern Ground movement percolated in Brown’s mind long before the band reached the massive success that just landed it an eighth No. 1 hit (“Keep Me in Mind”), and in its earliest form it was supported by bandmate Bowles.
“Zac and I feed off each other to do all of these different projects. We kind of fuel each other. He has the business sense and the ambition and personal power to pull this stuff off, and now he’s in a financial place to take some risks. Plus, people are drawn to him,” Bowles said recently while hanging out at the Majestic Diner in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood.
“Before the band [hit], I’d go to his house and we’d be up until 5 in the morning daydreaming about what could happen. This was two years before anything took off, and we were playing to 200 people in a bar in Atlanta. He and I were both into having other people come on stage and the whole vibe of everyone hanging out together. From the beginning Zac was like, ‘I want it to be a huge circus.’ ”
That “circus” now not only involves budding music moguldom, but also a line of food products such as rubs and sauces (“Southern Ground Grub”), "The Southern Ground Cookbook" (which, Bowles points out, contains no images of food, thus making it more of a lifestyle book with homegrown recipes), a music and food festival held this fall in Charleston, S.C., and a camp for special-needs kids in Fayette County -- Camp Southern Ground -- currently undergoing zoning changes.
While Bowles approaches all the band’s projects with a spirited attitude, he has also branched out this year with a second solo record (“Love Takes Flight”) and a just-released children’s book, “Amy Giggles, Laugh Loud,” for which Brown wrote the foreword.
But the musical component of Southern Ground is something Bowles believes Brown dreamed about from his earliest success with ZBB, especially since the band often shared (much smaller) stages with Leigh and Blackberry Smoke.
“That vibe just started happening where everybody started hanging with everybody,” Bowles said. “That collective energy started taking place, and all it took was to form a label and pull everyone in officially.”
ZBB loyalists don’t need to worry about having to share the guys too much at the New Year’s Eve show, though. In fact, Bowles is looking forward to debuting not only a fresh light show, but some new tunes from the band’s next album, due this spring and featuring, he said, some rock tunes, some “island-based” songs and some with “a U2/Kings of Leon vibe.”
No doubt the rest of the Southern Ground crew will be busy learning them, too, for the next collective jam.
We talked to some of the Atlanta-based acts on the Southern Ground label to find out what it’s like having Brown as a boss.
Sonia Leigh
Q. When did you and the Zac Brown Band first cross paths?
A. I met John [Hopkins] before anyone else [Hopkins produced Leigh's 2007 album] and met Zac and Coy a little later. But I became friends with Zac about seven years ago. I was playing in his restaurant in Eatonton [Zac's Place] and we became friends. Those guys are like my brothers now.
Q. Was it hard to make the jump from being independent to being on a label?
A. I feel like doing this with Southern Ground was still an indie move, even though it's a national release. But because everything is in close quarters and the label is in-house, it seemed like an exciting journey. It was more than just about me. It was like being part of a movement.
Q. Did Zac mentor you at all?
A. A lot. I really valued his opinion on things. When people were interested in having me sign contracts, I would always talk to Zac. At a certain point in my career I came to him with a dilemma and he said, "I'm going to start my own label and I want you to be part of it." It just felt right.
Nic Cowan
Q. How long have you known Zac and the band?
A. I met Zac before he ever got really popular on the radio, a few months before "Chicken Fried" hit. I was opening for him at a bar ... and eventually, all of this happened. From that point I started going on the road with him and the guys, opening for them, and Zac produced my first record.
Q. What’s the best thing about being on his label?
A. The main benefit is he allows me to be myself creatively. He doesn't hold me back in any kind of way. At Southern Ground, you can be whoever you are. I talked to other labels, but from the moment I met him, I knew I wanted to be part of this camp. I love being part of something bigger than my career.
Q. What have you learned from the band while on the road?
A. I wanted to make sure I was a sponge to the whole environment. I had only played in Georgia before, so I learned so much about what life on a big tour is about. Everybody in that band is among the most proficient musicians. I wouldn't be half the musician I am now if I hadn't been around those guys.
Levi Lowrey
Q. Your career started playing with Sonia Leigh. How did that lead to Zac?
A. I met Zac at Dixie Tavern in Marietta -- it was a weekly gig for me and Sonia. It was definitely understood that whoever [became popular] first would come back for the other.
Q. All of the Southern Ground artists have gotten amazing exposure, especially with the 2009 "Breaking Southern Ground" tour.
A. With touring comes an audience and more people hearing what I do. The "Breaking Southern Ground" tour was like a volunteer-jam type of show with everyone on stage at the same time. It was just amazing.
Q. What have you learned from hanging around Zac and the band?
A. How to co-write, which is something I never did before. Being in an environment with them and getting to sit with [Brown's writing partner] Wyatt [Durrett] was a big help as well. But Zac always gave me clear direction. He instilled in me the idea of working smarter as opposed to harder.
Concert preview
Zac Brown Band
With Sonia Leigh, Nic Cowan, Levi Lowrey, the Wood Brothers, Dugas and Blackberry Smoke. 8:30 p.m. Dec. 31. $37-$74. Philips Arena, One Philips Drive, Atlanta. 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.
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