Texas country singer and self-proclaimed cowboy Casey Donahew returns to George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville on Saturday in support of his new album, All Night Party, out today. All Night Party follows four independently produced albums from the last 10 years of Donahew’s career, and he says the new album lives up to its name — with upbeat tempos throughout and lyrics that bring a good time.
FAQ
Casey Donahew Band
with Charlotte Leigh
WHEN — 9 p.m. Saturday
WHERE — George’s Majestic, Fayetteville
COST — $23
INFO — caseydonahew.com
“I wanted to make sure we stayed pretty true to what we do — to our sound — and take what we do up a couple notches, and that’s what we did,” Donahew says by phone just two weeks before the album’s debut. With this album, Donahew “turned the reins over to someone who’s been [producing] since before I was born! But we’re continuing to do what we’ve always done for going on 14 years now, which is just putting on a great live show and try to be entertaining.”
Relinquishing his production responsibilities didn’t keep Donahew from the songwriting process, though. A true Texas country boy, Donahew says he looks to the music of the late ’80s through the ’90s — a time when he feels like the songs had more content and more stories for the modern cowboy.
“I write 90 percent of what we do. I fancy myself a storyteller. That’s how I express myself, and I’ve been doing it a long time,” he says. Whether it’s a party song or a love song, Donahew says his process for putting a new story together has stayed pretty much the same. “I always look for that one line that brings the whole thing together and try to build the story around that idea.”
His tour continues through November and takes him across the south and into the Midwest. But Donahew remembers his last trip through our corner of the state — in December — and is excited to bring his energetic show back to the crowd at George’s.
“It’s beautiful there, that’s one thing I noticed right away,” he says. “Two guys in the band are from Conway, so it’s kind of a coming home show for them. We’re constantly working on our live show. I can control everything we do on stage but can’t really control the fans and the reaction. So, when those two sides come together, it makes for a good night.”