After diving headfirst into the music scene with his 2005 debut, Above the Underneath, Sam Thacker released his sophomore album, Lines, in August of 2009.  But while it is often tempting to measure the careers of artists simply by their discography, much of Thacker’s story is found in the interim – it lives in overnight van rides and cramped motel rooms, grows through honest experiences and inspired collaborations, and it is written on the walls and stages of clubs and theaters across the country.

Indeed, taking such a substantial amount of time between albums was a conscious decision; one that afforded Thacker the opportunity to develop as an artist in a way that seems to have been forgotten by most of the music industry today.  He honed his skills as a songwriter and a performer over time and, perhaps most importantly, on the road.  “I’ve spent the better part of the last three years between a van, an SUV and a bus driving across the country playing music – following broken lines along highways and back roads to and from places I’d never been before,” he says.  “Every song on this album was shaped, in some way, by those stripes that lead me away from and back to my home…the lines that have made me the artist and person that I am today. They represent loss and appreciation for the past, growth and transformation, hope and excitement for the future. So this new album is called Lines. It is about crossing lines and drawing new ones. It is about the lines that bring us to where we are and the lines that will lead us to what we will become.”

Thacker’s journey thus far is evident on Lines.  Recorded in 2008 with renowned Atlanta-based producer Russ-T Cobb (Avril Lavigne, My Chemical Romance, Butch Walker), the album represents a remarkable growth for Sam both as a songwriter and a performer.  The twelve songs drip with relentless reality and emotion that demands notice, yet he manipulates melody and rhythm in a way that allows the songs to remain accessible to his diverse audience.  Performer Magazine notes, “Thacker writes lyrics that are personal while at the same time easily relatable.”

While Thacker’s sincere songwriting remains rooted in singer/songwriter tradition (think Bruce Springsteen meets John Mayer), he delivers his tunes with sweeping anthemic choruses that point to the influence of larger-than-life rock bands (like U2 and Coldplay).  Atlanta Music Guide writes, “Thacker combines the expected folk and country guitar riffs with an unexpected rock edge.”  Indeed, one listen to Yes (the opening track on Lines) forces the listener to immediately dispel any inclination to pigeonhole Thacker as just another “guy-with-guitar singer/songwriter.”

Ricky and Micol Davis, shortly after marrying in 1994, began their musical life together at an open mic night at Sassy Ann’s in Knoxville, which proved to be the beginning of something very special. After releasing their debut album, My Side Of The Road, in 1997, they moved to Nashville in 1998. Vanguard recording artist Mindy Smith, who had just moved from Knoxville to Nashville a few months earlier, encouraged Ricky and Micol to move to Music City, where open mics, jam sessions and songwriter rounds found the duo ready for 2001’s Delta Low ~ Mountain High, a release that continues to garner favor and attract media attention. 2005’s Miramax film, Daltry Calhoun, features Blue Mother Tupelo’s dreamy rendition of the Paul Anka classic, “Put Your Head On My Shoulder,” and the movie’s soundtrack also includes BMT’s version. Love Live ~ 5 Songs From The Road showcases some live favorites recorded between 2001 and 2006, and highlights BMT’s penchant for jams and spontaneous sincerity. The song “Without You” (from Delta Low ~ Mountain High) is included in 2009’s 1970s style film, Sugar Boxx, directed by cult film maker Cody Jarrett. Through the years, BMT has traveled wherever the music leads—touring, recording, and living through their music.