12.18.2004
www.sugarlandmusic.com
i freakin' love this band. it's my moving tunes for the morning.... :)
On the sweet Sugarland express
By Brian Mansfield, Special for USA TODAY
Sweet to the ear: Atlanta-based country group Sugarland consists of Kristen Hall, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush. The group's first single, rags-to-riches tale Baby Girl, is climbing the country charts, now at No. 30. The group formed in 2002 out of singer/songwriter hotbed Eddie's Attic, an Atlanta nightclub owned by Nettles' husband, Todd Van Sickle. Twice the Speed of Life, the honey-harmonied trio's debut album, hit stores last week. (Related audio: Hear a clip from Sugarland's Something More)
Sugarland is made up of three veterans of Atlanta's thriving folk-rock scene.
By Julie Dennis Brothers, UMG Nashville
Sweet taste of variety: All three members are veterans of the Atlanta folk-rock scene that produced the Indigo Girls, Shawn Mullins and John Mayer. Hall, 42, released her first album in 1990 and recorded two albums for Windham Hill before turning to full-time songwriting. She has written tunes for Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Colvin and Amanda Marshall (international hit Let It Rain). Bush, 34, recorded two mid-'90s albums for Atlantic as half of duo Billy Pilgrim. Lead singer Nettles, 30, fronted her own band and also performed in local band Soul Miner's Daughter. "We come from different musical backgrounds," Nettles says. "We have different personalities. That creates a balance among the three of us that creates something pretty unique." Sugarland Swirl, the band-inspired flavor at Jake's Ice Cream in Atlanta, plays off that idea by mixing fudge swirl, blonde brownies and white-chocolate-covered pretzels into white chocolate ice cream.
The sweet life: Like the protagonist of Baby Girl, who hits the big time and stays at the Ritz, the members of Sugarland got a hotel upgrade when they played the Nashville showcase that led to their record deal. "The hotel we could afford was a Red Roof Inn next to a steel mill," Hall says. "Nobody slept all night. While we were onstage, our manager and the William Morris Agency moved all our stuff over to the Loews Vanderbilt. We stepped offstage, and everybody wanted to sign us to a record deal. Life changed from that moment on."
The sweet spot: Both Sugarland and Billy Pilgrim got their record deals as the result of showcases at Nashville's 12th & Porter nightclub. "That's one of the most psycho things that's happened in my life," says Bush, who worked as a computer programmer between gigs. "Maybe we were supposed to be born out of that bar."
Sweet dreams are made of this: Folk-rockers often can't make the transition to mainstream country, but Sugarland had built a huge buzz in Nashville before signing with Mercury last year, based mostly on original songs and their regional following. "It's a natural progression of folk-rock songwriting," Bush says. All the group's members see Sugarland as their last best chance for success. "When you're a musician that has a hit record, you win the ability to continue being a musician," Hall says. "I'm praying every day that we're going to hit one out of the park and I get to be a musician for the rest of my life. It's not easy to do that."
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