Over the past year and a half, country artists have had to find ways to get creative while social distancing at home. But, now that things are finally beginning to open back up, they’re getting back out in front of fans again.
And, Lee Brice has a very special way to give his much-deserved fans a summer to remember!
Just in time for warm-weather gatherings, Brice, in partnership with Casey’s Convenience Store, announced he will give one lucky fan and their hometown a chance to win a free live concert. The special promotion is all part of Casey’s Summer of Freedom Sweepstakes, which is currently going on through September 7. Rewards members, who purchase qualifying food, drinks, and fuel gain automatic entry into the Summer of Freedom Sweepstakes, and more information on rules and how to enter can be found at caseys.com/summer.
“I’m excited to team up with Casey’s to bring one lucky fan and their local community a free concert,” Brice said in a recent statement. “Summer is the best time for family, friends, delicious pizza, cold drinks, and most of all, live music. I cannot wait to bring a ‘Parking Lot Party’ to someone’s hometown.”
Aside from the once-in-a-lifetime promotional giveaway, Brice has continued to stay busy. Not only does the multi-award-winning artist plan to perform more shows throughout the summer, but he also has been spending quality time with his wife and kids.
Music Mayhem spent some time with Brice to find out more about his concert giveaway with Casey’s Convenience store and pizza chain. During our conversation, he also discussed upcoming tour plans, fatherhood, and current projects on the way!
Read on to find out more about Brice in this exclusive Q&A below.
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Can you tell us about your partnership with Casey’s Convenience store and pizza chain for their Summer of Freedom sweepstakes?
Casey’s has just always been a part of my life. I loved it from the very beginning. Whenever I got to meet them they started talking about the “Summer of Freedom” sweepstakes and what it meant and what it represented, and their plans for maybe combining it with a show, all of that just felt like a great partnership in the works. So we decided to go for it, and it’s really something that I’m excited to be a part of.
What’s your go to convenience store snack and pizza order?
It really depends on what time of the day it is. If it’s in the morning, then something with some energy in it. Maybe some coffee and a donut. I try to stay healthy and maybe get a sandwich if it’s for lunch, but if I’m not being healthy then I’m going straight for the pizza.
On the topic of summer, do you have any fun plans for the summer with your family or tours in the works?
This summer is going to be amazing. We’re going to get back on the road a lot. That is one of the things that we’re really looking forward to the most. I mean, the kids will be out of school. We’ve also been with the kids every day, 24/7 for the last year, so I’ll be able to hit the road. We really gotta catch up from where we were last year. So we’ll be doing a lot of stuff on the road – a lot of shows and just soaking that in. And then we usually try to get us at least one or two little family vacations in. That might be the fall though. We might go somewhere cool in the fall—take the kids skiing or something for the first time or something different than we’ve done before. We’ve always gone to the beach, but maybe we’ll end up going to a cabin or a lake somewhere.
You recently won two ACM Awards for your collaboration with Carly Pearce, can you talk about what was running through your mind when you won these?
Aw man, I mean winning an award at any type of award show is kind of indescribable. It’s already crazy to be nominated. It’s already icing on top of the cake. We already get to play music for a living. So, we’re already happy but we’re kind of blown away and speechless when somebody actually says, “and the winner is…” – and it’s you. Especially the Single of the Year that we won, whenever they said “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” I could not believe that we just won against the stiff competition that was there. It was just a stacked house. And to see her face, that really lit me up, because Carly just jumped out of her skin. So it was really cool to be able to see her come from… some people might see her as a newer artist… but see I know, and a lot of other people know that she’s been working for a long time. So to see all of that work turn into hardware, holding up two trophies there at the ACMs, man that was something to be proud of and something to be proud to be a part of.
Following you and Pearce’s win for Single Of The Year, you performed the song during the awards show. How did it feel to finally return to the stage and perform this duet live?
Man, you know it’s hard to describe how you feel when you get back up there after being gone for a long time, especially on a stage like that. Not only is it the ACMs and in front of millions of people, and also on the Opry stage which made it extra special… We hadn’t sang the song a lot together because of all that has happened over the last year, and so we had all of these nerves going on, but that’s kind of, to me a part of what makes it special. You know, you have nerves before you jump off the top of a cliff into the lake or something. It’s got that… It’s more adrenaline as well, and so it’s fun. But once you step out there and you start singing, it makes it all worth it.
Recently on Instagram you shared that you wife Sara co-wrote a few songs on Allie Colleen’s album, Stones. Have you ever written any music with your wife or have plans to?
Absolutely, so Sara has been writing for a few years now. She has always been a poet like her whole life since she was a kid. She has always been a music lover. She was a DJ. She’s a dancer. So she understands all the facets of a song, and so I was always like, “look you need to write.” Then she met some friends that wrote and they started writing together, and then I started going, “man, those are some really good songs.” She’s such an approachable and wonderful person – people just cling to her. They love her. So yeah, she got to meet Allie and they wrote a song, so I started writing with Sara some. But really, Sara has done it all on her own. And that’s what makes me so proud to be able to talk about her songwriting is that I haven’t done anything to help her do that – other than I go get into a room with her and write with her because I want to be there. I want to be a part of this idea she came up with or whatever. But she has done it all on her own and that’s something to be proud of.
You and your wife actually just celebrated your wedding anniversary just a few weeks ago on April 20, Did you and her do anything fun to celebrate?
It was eight years. We had planned to go out and to have just a night out together, and we were leaving the next day to go on a trip that was going to be more of our anniversary present for each other, and then one of the kids was kind of feeling sick… so it kind of just flopped everything. It’s kind of like our engagement. I had all of this stuff planned out and everything was falling through. It’s kind of our M.O. sometimes. We have all this stuff planned, but it always ends up being okay because at the end of the day she’s not one that needs something or wants for something. She’s so content in what she has, and she’s so happy to have healthy kids, and I’m the same way. So even when it comes to birthdays and Christmas, we spend time together and that’s our gift to each other.
You and your wife have several children and with Father’s Day approaching in just a few weeks, do you have any special plans set to celebrate with your kids?
On Father’s Day, Sara usually lets me do whatever I want to do. Right? Because that’s what you do. If I can, if she gives me that option again this year for Father’s Day, I’d love to take them out fishing somewhere – go out on a lake, be on the water. It’d be really fun. That’s the kind of stuff that really fills my heart up, and I know that the kids enjoy it, so that would kill all the birds with one stone. It would be a great Father’s Day to be out on the water with the family.
