Interview with Southbound 75
The Hernando Sun
Seen on The Country Network, Today in Nashville and CMT.com, Southbound 75 performs throughout the state of Florida and far beyond. This weekend, Southbound 75 is coming to Brooksville on Friday, April 12, when they will perform at Brooksville Main Street’s Friday Night Live, 6:30-9:30 p.m., under the bandshell at Hernando Park, 205 E. Fort Dade Ave., historic downtown Brooksville.
Mark Lorenzo, lead singer of Southbound 75, is excited to be making a return to one of his favorite places to play. “When you travel all over the country, playing some incredible venues, and still remember the first time you played the Blueberry Festival in Brooksville, you know something about that town is special,” said Lorenzo. “That was a great day, and we still talk about how much fun the crowd was. So, you know we are going to play in Brooksville any time we can make it happen. We are very thankful, and we can’t wait until Friday Night Live!”
Southbound 75 is known for songs and recordings such as “That Summer,” “Tales from the Black Swamp,” “Spilled Champagne” and “Missing Carolina.” They have performed at prestigious venues such as The Ryman Concert Series, Wildhorse Saloon, NBC’s “Today in Nashville,” the renowned “Whiskey Jam,” and at special events such as WQYK’S Guitar Pull, The New Country 103.1 Rib Round-Up, The Field Of Dreams Country Festival, and the upcoming High Seas Rally Cruise.
“When you come to a Southbound 75 show, expect to sing, move and leave in a good mood,” Lorenzo said. “We make sure that we give everyone a big concert experience. We are technically a country band, but we play rock, pop—basically any songs that people already know well.”
In Lorenzo’s eyes, a Southbound 75 show is a one-of-a-kind experience. “It’s like seeing your favorite national act in concert, but it’s personal enough to feel like you can dance, sing along and hang out with the band,” he said.
Sharing the stage with famous artists like Bailey Zimmerman, Lainey Wilson, Jordan Davis, Jimmy Allen, and Chase Matthews, Southbound 75 has seen substantial airplay of their latest single, “That Summer,” in the United States on the syndicated show “New Country Brew” and internationally on the X Sussex Country Show, among other stations. The song has climbed to the top 20 on the UK charts.
Nate Smith, guitarist, would love for Southbound 75 to become everyone’s favorite band.
“We are having fun doing what we do, and we want that to convey to everyone that hears our music—either live or just listening to our original songs at home,” said Smith. “We just want to be your new favorite band.”
Their latest full-length release, “Tales From The Black Swamp” (The Orchard), has been hailed as “one of the year’s standout albums” by Country Music International. Three of the band’s videos have premiered on The Country Network, and tracks like “Spilled Champagne” and “Missing Carolina” have been added to CMT.com. “Spilled Champagne” was featured on CMT’s prestigious “The Roundup” playlist on Spotify, alongside releases by industry heavyweights like Old Dominion, Carrie Underwood, and Hardy. Additionally, the single has already received widespread airplay on 50 US Music Row/Indicator/Non-Reporter Stations.
Justin Pietrowski, guitarist, feels that the band maintains a fun, light atmosphere at shows. “We joke with each other, keep it light, have a ton of fun, and focus on showing everyone a good time and drawing everyone in to want to do the same,” said Pietrowski.
Vance Eskesen, bass guitarist, feels privileged to be a part of a popular, much-beloved band. “They can expect to see five guys that genuinely care about the quality of the music; that are grateful/blessed to be doing what makes them happy and to be able to share the experience,” he said. “We know that the audience has the option to go and see anyone they wish, but they should choose to come see us.”
Blake Russell, drummer, added, “What do you expect when you see Southbound 75? Have you heard of miracles? Well, come to a Southbound 75 show and watch those miracles happen.”
