"Anyone who has ever seen us live is going to hear the first 15 seconds of "Holler Back" and say ‘There’s The Lost Trailers. Those are the guys I saw open for Chesney or open for Sugarland’," says Stokes, tagged on the band’s website as The Writer."
Music is important and has a lasting quality," adds lead vocalist Ryder, aka The Voice. "But music should be fun too, there needs to be a balance. "Holler Back" is a fun song that captures the element of our live show which is really important to us as well.
"Ryder and Stokes both gravitated towards music in high school, where they convinced another student, drummer Jeff Potter, to join them in a band named Ryder Stokes. Soon, Stokes’ younger brother Andrew came on as their bassist, a position now held by the fifth and last member to join the band, Manny Medina (Andrew moved over to keyboards).
The new band caught a break early, as their demo found its way to Willie Nelson, who invited them to perform on his annual Fourth of July picnic. By the time they got to Austin, they had changed the band’s name, thanks to some unfortunate incidents involving successive equipment trailers. The 15,000 fans there that afternoon witnessed the debut of The Lost Trailers, and the response was so enthused that Nelson ended up inviting them to open other dates for him.
"What we learned from that experience was that putting on a great show will build a fan base," remembers Stokes. "If you do it night after night, your fan base will grow. If you earn those fans early on, they will stay fans for life. Even after all these years, Willie puts on a great show every night, and he takes care of his fans, and we strive for that sort of connection with our fans."
The Lost Trailers hit the road, first crammed into an SUV, then a van and ultimately graduating to a bonafide bus, which was the place they called home 300 days a year for five years. "For five years, we were basically living in America," says Ryder. "That experience was the basis of this record. It was being a group of guys with unique personalities who learn to live as a family, who have been there, done that, and tell that story honestly. We learned a lot about ourselves from constant touring, and we were able to define our sound before we got signed.
"The Lost Trailers came to the major label table after SONY/BMG Nashville A&R head Renee Bell introduced them to label chairman Joe Galante, who immediately signed them, seeing in The Lost Trailers that same road-tested talent and passionate drive that Alabama brought to his label 25 years before. "Alabama has always been one of our biggest role models," says Stokes. "It turned out that the first songs Ryder and I ever performed in front of an audience were Alabama songs. It was such a thrill to be on the same label where they spent their career, and signed by the guy who broke them. It just felt like it was meant to be.
"Through 2006, The Lost Trailers maintained their permanent temporary bus residence, headlining clubs like they had always done, and opening dates in massive arenas for established stars like Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley and another great teacher, Kenny Chesney.
"What we learned from Kenny was put out great songs, put out songs you believe in, and that your fans believe in," says Stokes. "Deliver to your fans. Give them what they want that’s the best of you. All the years of touring, we’ve learned what we do best. It was time to put that on a record.
"The band found the key to realizing that in producer Brett Beavers, who came into the picture with the same goal: capture the energy and excitement of The Lost Trailers’ live show and put it on a record. He produced several of the tracks, notably the album opener, "Holler Back," and the second cut, "How ‘Bout You Don’t". The wrenching ballad that does a complete emotional and musical 180 from the jacked-up title cut, and relies on Ryder’s resonate, soulful vocals to convey the desperation of a man about to lose everything, piercing the hearts of listeners who have been on either side of that door.
Ryder and Stokes not only share songwriting credits on several tunes, but also took the production reins in the studio on a couple of cuts, not unlike the way they used to do it before they were signed to a recording contract.
"We took six months off to make this record," says Ryder. "We haven’t taken that much time off the road in six years. We poured all of that energy that would have gone into performing live, and put it on this record. Everything we have done for the last seven years has led to this record."
Gravy
The Lost Trailers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cause I'm young comin' up my own way
I got a bottle and a bag of seed
You can call me Saturday.
Oh don't mind me
I mean no harm
I'm just tryin' to save the family farm
Cause Papa can't handle them interest rates
Well my Mama cried, my Grandma cried
Grandpa would'a cried but he done died
But he gave me a bag before he saw the light
Said plant these seeds if times get tight, boy
[Chorus: x2]
Whys everybody hate on me
Cause I'm young comin' up my own way
I got a bottle and a bag of seed
You can call me Saturday.
You say you want it
You say you need it
Just come by on Saturday
Well man I hope they don't legalize it
I make more cake when I gotta hide it
I get loco row by row
Put the Hank on and we do-si-do
Mama said "Boy you goin' straight to hell"
Till I brought the money back
She said "Damn that sells"
Had the farm paid off in 53 days
Now it's time to go raise some kane
Call my cowgirls and get 'em out
That's how we roll in the Dirty South, ya'll
[Chorus: x2]
You say you want it
You say you need it
Just come by on Saturday
To all my cowgirls around the world
Put your hands up and start to swirl
Hit them hips when you get 180
Shake them Grits let's make some gravy
[Repeat: x3]
I said all my cowgirls around the world
Put your hands up and start to swirl
Hit them hips when you get 180
Shake them Grits let's make some gravy
That's right girls
Shake it
Whys everybody hate on me
Cause I'm young comin' up my own way
I got a bottle and a bag of seed
You can call me Saturday.
The Lost Trailer's song Gravy is a tale of a young man who is struggling to save his family's farm while facing resistance from the community. The song opens with the young man questioning why people are hating him just because he is trying to come up with his own way of saving the family farm. He reveals that he has a bottle and a bag of seed, and people can call him Saturday. The young man means no harm, and he is just trying to save the family farm. The bank had chained the farm's gate since his father couldn't handle the interest rates. The young man's grandmother, mother, and grandfather were all sad, but the grandfather had given him a bag of seeds before his death, asking him to plant them if times get tight.
In the chorus, the young man continues to question why people hate him just because he's young and coming up his way. He has a bottle and a bag of seed, and people can call him Saturday. He notes that anyone who wants something can come by on Saturday.
The second verse reveals that the young man hopes they never legalize it since he enjoys making more money when he has to hide it. The young man is a hard worker and gets loco row by row while listening to music. The Mama had thought he was going straight to hell, but upon making money, she was astonished. The young man had managed to pay off the farm in 53 days, and it was time to celebrate.
Overall, Gravy is a captivating country song that tells a beautiful story of a young man who is determined to save his family's farm.
Line by Line Meaning
Whys everybody hate on me
Why do people criticize me?
Cause I'm young comin' up my own way
Because I am young and trying to succeed in my own way
I got a bottle and a bag of seed
I have a bottle of liquor and a bag of cannabis seed
You can call me Saturday.
That is what you can refer to me as
Oh don't mind me
Please don't pay too much attention to me
I mean no harm
I do not intend to cause any damage
I'm just tryin' to save the family farm
I am just trying to rescue our family's farm
The bank came out and chained the gate
The bank locked up the farm's entrance
Cause Papa can't handle them interest rates
Papa can't manage the interest rates
Well my Mama cried, my Grandma cried
My mother and grandmother both cried
Grandpa would'a cried but he done died
Grandpa would have cried too, but he passed away
But he gave me a bag before he saw the light
But before he died, he gave me a bag of seeds
Said plant these seeds if times get tight, boy
He told me to grow these seeds if we ever face hard times
[Chorus: x2]
This is the chorus that is repeated twice
You say you want it
You said you want it
You say you need it
You said you need it
Just come by on Saturday
Just come over on a Saturday
Well man I hope they don't legalize it
I hope they don't make it legal
I make more cake when I gotta hide it
I earn more money when I must keep it a secret
I get loco row by row
I get high, row by row
Put the Hank on and we do-si-do
We dance to Hank Williams Jr. and do-si-do
Mama said "Boy you goin' straight to hell"
My mother scolded me saying 'you are heading for damnation'
Till I brought the money back
But when I made money, she changed her mind
She said "Damn that sells"
She said, 'Wow, that's selling well'
Had the farm paid off in 53 days
I could pay off the farm in 53 days
Now it's time to go raise some kane
Now it's time to raise havoc and have some fun
Call my cowgirls and get 'em out
Call my female friends and get them out here
That's how we roll in the Dirty South, ya'll
That's how we party in the southern US, y'all
To all my cowgirls around the world
To all of my female friends around the world
Put your hands up and start to swirl
Raise your hands and spin around
Hit them hips when you get 180
Move your hips when you make a 180-degree turn
Shake them Grits let's make some gravy
Shake your whole body, let's have fun
[Repeat: x3]
Repeat this section three times
That's right girls
That's right ladies
Shake it
Shake your body
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: STOKES NIELSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind