Listening to Kristian Bush talk about his band's upward trajectory inspires enough convincing, aw-shucks optimism to fill an arena-sized washtub.
And why shouldn't it? In a music industry pummeled by plunging CD sales and mutating business models, country-pop superstars Sugarland are a relative anomaly, a band that gathers awards and platinum discs by the armload.
“You have to take chances, musically, and you have to take them in your business,” Bush said. “Everything we've done that was safe didn't work out.”
While it's debatable that Sugarland's rock-and pop-leaning songs take any real creative chances, it's undeniable that they have worked. The chart performance of Sugarland's two albums, 2004's “Twice the Speed of Life” and 2006's “Enjoy the Ride,” reads like a how-to manual on radio domination.
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Sugarland
When: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Grandstand Stage, San Diego County Fair, Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar
Tickets: $25-$81, does not include admission to the fair
Phone: 24-hour recorded information, (858) 793-5555 or (619) 220-TIXS
Online: sdfair.com or ticketmaster.com
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That's especially impressive considering that founding songwriter Kristen Hall hastily left the Atlanta-based act in 2006. Now a duo composed of Bush and golden-voiced singer Jennifer Nettles, Sugarland has continued its ascent by learning from its elders – and employing that experience on its own headlining tour.
“We've had some great leadership from people like Kenny (Chesney) and Brooks & Dunn and Brad Paisley,” Bush said. “They've shown us that part of what you do is about sitting in your room and writing a song, but another part is standing in front of people and going through that emotion and sharing it with them. Jennifer and I both are interested in the value of an entertainment experience.”
Indeed, Sugarland's headlining shows have taken cues from unlikely sources to ramp up the energy and spectacle. Recent shows have seen Bush and Nettles rolling atop the crowd in giant plastic hamster balls, a la indie rockers the Flaming Lips.
“I'm a big Flaming Lips fan and I thought, 'Why not? Someone's gotta do it.' And you figure nobody in country music's ever seen anything like that.”
The rock quotient also feels higher at recent Sugarland shows, thanks to the composition of Bush and Nettle's backing band, which includes members of Better Than Ezra, Train and Bush's former group, Billy Pilgrim.
“There's no reason that a lot of touring country musicians can't pick up where Van Halen left off,” Bush said. “It's just that they don't want to.”
Bush also pointed to Nashville's tradition of mentoring as one reason Sugarland has enjoyed Grammy, CMT and CMA award wins – including wresting the CMA Vocal Duo award from Brooks & Dunn in 2007 after that pair's 14-year domination.
“It's less torch-passing than a dramatic amount of encouragement. If I ever have a question I can call up Kenny Chesney or Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn and they'll talk to me,” Bush said. “Competition is partly a construct of the awards.”
Genres like R&B also have a tradition of mentoring, and other country artists (including Brooks & Dunn) have employed high-tech spectacle in their stage shows. But Sugarland's momentum is increasingly self-sustaining, especially as it plans another busy year with a new single this month, an as-yet-untitled album in September and its first-ever overseas tour in the fall.
