LOCASH: Country music is not just for the South

NEW YORK – Country duo LOCASH first sound success as songwriters in Nashville, penning hit tunes for fellow artists like Tim McGraw and Keith Urban. Now Preston Brust and Chris Lucas are climbing the charts with their own single, "I Love This Life." They sat down with FOX411 Country to talk about their new music and why country music is not just for the South.

FOX411 Country: Your new single is climbing the charts and getting a lot of airplay on country radio. Why do you think fans have responded so well to the song?
Preston Burst: 'I Love This Life' is a long list of things that we love. But there were four guys in that room when we wrote that song. So there's things that I love, that Chris loves, that [cowriter] Danny loves, and i think the more honest we are with the specifics of what we love about our life, things like a little white church, things like that resonate with your heart and it takes you to a place where it reminds you of things you love. You always hope a song does that, but if it doesn't, we can't worry about that. We've got to keep being honest with ourselves.

FOX411 Country: New York is not known for country music, yet you mentioned that New York City is your best-selling area. Why do you think that is?
Chris Lucas: I think it's kind of a new thing for New York to have a country radio station and I think there's lots of country fans here. All country music is, is stories about what people go through and emotions. I think New York is craving country music and I think now that it's here, with NASH FM, people are just starting to appreciate the songs. I think all people appreciate good songs now.

FOX411 Country: You guys are getting a lot of play on country radio right now. However, it hasn't always been that way. Do you think country radio needs to expand its playlist?
Brust: I think as artists, you always want the playlist to be bigger but as listeners there is a familiarity in hearing the same song that you love.

Lucas: I get frustrated too when I hear the same songs over and over again but I think radio is trying to get away from that right now. I think they're going to have to do it slowly and gently -- if the ratings ain't broke, don't fix it. But I think you'll see a big change in that because of the Internet and kids getting whatever they wants whenever they want. I think radio wants to have new artists.

Brust: We've been on both sides of it where [radio] won't even touch our song because we're so new and now we're on the other side of it like guys like NASH Fm are playing us and that feels great too, being a part of that selective playlist. I think part of it is earning your due a little bit. You just earn it if you work hard and when you finally cross that threshold if feels really good to be on a station. Good songs pay off as well. You gotta try and write the best songs you can, you gotta try and make things that are relatable to people.

FOX411 Country: There seems to be a borderline obsession with labeling artists within country music. Bro country, hick-hop, pop country. How do you feel about that?
Lucas: It's funny with the labeling, it cracks me up. When they say bro country...if what you hear right now is bro country, then that's been around for a long time. In the 70s they were still singing about Daisy Dukes, trucks and drinking beer. I do love the fact that country has broadened its horizons. The genre has gotten huge and some people don't like it. Taylor Swift opened a huge door for country music and we love her, that's amazing.

Brust: If it's a song I like, I don't care who's singing it or how it's produced. I just love the song. And for someone to label that, it's sort of unfair because there's a lot of influence that's gone into that song. It's hard to put labels on things in my world, because I hear all kinds of influences in Chris and I. Gospel, southern rock, 80s rock, glam rock as Chris calls it, I hear country, there's times where I hear bluegrass.

FOX411 Country: How does your new single, "I Love This Life" reflect the sound on your upcoming album?
Brust: We've always had music out but never something this current, this fresh and it really defines who we are musically right now.

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Follow Sasha Bogursky on Twitter @SashaFB.