Holding the same job for 10 years is an impressive accomplishment, especially for a professional musician.
But 10 years ago the Randy Rogers Band played its first show in Texas, and Thursday night it’ll perform at the Varsity Theatre.
Frontman Randy Rogers said the band’s 10-year career has been a roller coaster ride, and the band has experienced both extreme highs and extreme lows over the years.
The Randy Rogers Band has always been known for its commitment to grueling tour schedules, a consistent workload Rogers says the band has adapted to over time.
“It’s a huge amount of work being on the road 200 days a year,” Rogers said.
Rogers said he and his fellow bandmates receive support from loved ones back home, which helps make life on the road a little easier.
“Touring and playing music has been our goal forever,” Rogers said. “We have good support systems at home with our families and with people who understand who we are. I think that is the reason that we’re all still able to do this.”
A support system of loved ones helps make extensive touring more bearable, and Rogers said that support from the large network of country music artists around the nation has also been a source of immense help throughout the band’s career.
Rogers believes country artists are naturally inclined to help one another, and that spirit of country camaraderie has contributed to the band working with country superstars like Willie Nelson.
“We’ve been helped out by a lot of people to get to where we are, and hopefully we’ll be in a position one day to help others,” Rogers said.
The Randy Rogers Band takes the stage tonight toting a brand new album’s worth of new material.
“Burning the Day,” which was released in August, debuted at No. 2 on the country Billboard album chart. The album represents a continued effort on the part of the band to create what Rogers calls “authentic country music.”
“It’s real, it’s applicable to life and it’s about the common man, the blue collar worker and the average Joe,” Rogers said about his music. “It’s rough around the edges, real and honest.”
The band mixes its authentic country music on stage with what Rogers describes as a constantly evolving live show. Rogers said the band is always pursuing perfection in its live performances, and that pursuit has helped it flourish.
Varsity Theatre Marketing Director Chris Lundgren said in an e-mail to The Daily Reveille that the Randy Rogers Band has made a consistent effort to grow a fan base in Louisiana, and that it has been averaging a crowd size of 300 to 400 people per show. Lundgren also said the band’s rock ‘n’ roll live shows gives it mass appeal.
Nick Zaeff, petroleum engineering sophomore, said he discovered the Randy Rogers Band last spring, and has since become a devoted fan.
“I went to their concert last semester and had a great time,” Zaeff said.