When most people think about country music they think Nashville aka Music City. Canadian country music isn’t on the forefront of the industry but in actuality the movement has been around since the 1920s with influences from Appalachian folk music mixed with Southern Blues. Artists such as Shania Twain, Stompin’ Tom Connors and Blue Rodeo are some of the biggest names in the scene and currently it is having quite the resurgence.
North Vancouver, B.C. native, Dave Hartney, is one of the fresh faces in Canadian country music and need I say, quite easy on the eyes. In 2017, the singer/songwriter released his debut single titled “Party Lights” and it was met with such success that in the same year, he opened on the Sunfest Country Music Festival’s main stage and was even granted the honours of closing out the beer gardens following the legendary Eric Church. A well known name in his hometown, his songs have also been played in the Rogers Arena during the Vancouver Canuck’s NHL games. Dave cites one of his earliest memories of wanting to play guitar was when he was young watching Marty McFly jam on that Gibson in Back To The Future.
On May 2nd, the independent artist released his third and newest single titled “Jeep Thrills”. A lively new summer anthem that was timed perfectly! When asked about his new song Dave says, “As the title suggests, the song is about driving around in your Jeep! I just had an interview with a radio DJ who said, “I can’t believe it took this long for someone to release a country Jeep song!” I’m really happy with how it turned out. My producer, Jeff Johnson’s wife came in one day and said “hey you should write a jeep song.” And she said the main line, “Lets go riding in my Jeep, Jeep, Jeep” …and then like any good songwriter, her husband stole the line and wrote the song with a couple buddies, David Borys and Brad Sunders. I love the song and since I have owned a couple Jeeps and love them, there were a few essential things missing from a Jeep song, like the Jeep wave! So they let me come in as a writer and re-write a bit of the second verse and make it just right”. Dave says this song is different from his other releases because “I have one party song (Party Lights), one love song (Everything Girl) and like that I have something fun and a little different with this one”.
A song as vibey as this certainly needs a visual accompaniment and on May 9th, the country music singer released the single’s official lyric video. Dave explains why he chose a lyric video for his newest track, “It’s always nice to shoot a full feature video, and I have been lucky in the past to have the budget to do that. But for most artists, a lyric video gives you that visual representation of the song that you want fans to see, but saving a big chunk of budget to record more music. It worked out great for this song. Had I had the budget to go shoot footage, it would have just been trying to make it look like what I got from LyricVids.com for a fraction of the cost.” We couldn’t agree more. The hassle of a live shoot, location permits, scheduling, casting, editing, can be very taxing. Lyric videos are an exceptional alternative to a music video, maintaining the high video production level with a fast turnaround and without breaking the bank!
The “Jeep Thrills” lyric video is no exception. The song is all about “riding in my Jeep” and the artist had a really creative vision on how he wanted this song to be visually represented. In keeping with the branded theme, the video features a variety of fun Jeep footage. The lyrics are showcased with two different font choices, one being that of the Jeep font (fitting) and the other a neat brush font and when paired together, looks great. As the vehicle is known for its off-roading characteristics, the choice to include dirt and mud splatter behind the lyrics was really clever. The brown against the yellow and white font helps keep the video in that country music universe. If you love Jeeps, then you will LOVE this video! When asked his favourite part of the video Dave says, “It’s hard to pick one frame. I had an idea for what I wanted the lyric video to be, and somehow the guys at LyricVids.com just pulled it right out of my mind’s eye with a few emails and I’m just so happy with how it turned out. When my manager first saw it, he said “this looks better than most of the (full story, cinematic, aka expensive) music videos that I see.” And I think he’s right. Very proud to have it accompany this single.”
What’s up next for Dave Hartney? He says, “This summer I’m playing a bunch of festivals including Sunfest (Darius Rucker, Billy Currington, Hardy, Kip More), and just really looking forward to being back playing large stages in front of great country music fans.” I’d second that! You can follow him across all social media and music streaming platforms at @davehartney or check out his website at www.davehartney.com
Check out the lyric video for “Jeep Thrills” on Dave Hartney’s Official YouTube Channel Here: