Nashville is coming to rock radio in a big way.
Following in the footsteps of big crossover hits from Jelly Roll and HARDY is “Devil You Know” by Tim Montana, which has been climbing up Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. After more than a decade of releasing country music, Montana harnessed a heavier rock sound with “Devil You Know” that’s long been a part of his musical DNA.
“I’ve been scaring country audiences across the country for many years now headbanging and playing with loud amplifiers,” Montana tells ABC Audio.
“I grew up in a single white trailer house in rural Montana without electricity, so acoustic instruments remind me of being very poor as a child,” he laughs. “The minute I had electricity and an amplifier, I’m plugging it in, and I’m playing loud.”
Montana grew up a state over from Seattle during the ’90s grunge explosion, which he counts as a driving influence for the sound and vibe of “Devil You Know” and future music to come.
“I wanted to capture those sounds that are just ingrained in me from my youth, from Seattle,” he says. “I feel like I really found a lane for myself that is so much more creatively comfortable for me to play in that space.”
Fitting for a song inspired by the sound of a city famous for its rain, “Devil You Know” was recorded amid some extreme weather.
“As we were recording it, a giant storm started coming in,” Montana recalls. “It was very weird, ’cause it was a beautiful day in Nashville, and we just see the sky turning black. The birds were still chirping, so I said, ‘Let’s mic the storm!'”
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