Country Music People: The Doug Briney Interview

I recently had the pleasure to ask up and coming country artist Doug Briney a bunch of questions. He was a real trooper and was forthcoming to even the most personal of my inquiries. If you haven’t heard Doug sing yet, you’ll be happy to follow the links after the interview. If you’re already a fan, you will love learning a little bit more about Doug than you may have known before clicking on this Doug Briney interview. Enjoy.

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When you were young, most of your friends loved Rock n’ Roll? Was there any rock music you enjoyed or was it all Kenny Rogers, Lee Greenwood and your other country superstars?

Haha… well, yes, I did enjoy some Styx and I loved the Beach Boys as well as some Chicago.

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You’ve physically traveled a long way over the years. You were raised in southern California but lived quite a while in Anchorage, Alaska. How did you wind up in Alaska?

After I graduated college in California I moved to a small town called Bath in Michigan and spent four years working as a Music/Youth Minister. During that time, my Father-In-Law started a church in Alaska and my wife, myself and our newborn son went up for a visit. The rest as they say is history. There were several factors, but our visit was in December and in June we moved up and we spent the next 21 years living there even though all our family moved away.

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You’ve performed at some huge Alaska events like the Iditarod, the Alaska Rodeo and the Alaska State Fair and have quite a following in the state. I have to ask, did you ever see Sarah Palin or any of her family at your concerts? Have you ever met the Palin family?

Yes, I actually have met them. They are great people. They were at the start of the Iditarod when I sang the Alaska Flag Song and the National Anthem.

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You have now relocated to Nashville, TN. What was the determining factor to take the family and move to the big city of Nashville?

Truthfully, there were several things again at play but the bottom line was I knew in order to really make it in this industry, I couldn’t do that from Alaska. We looked at several other places and talked with my manager but we really determined that if we were moving for the music, then Music City was were we needed to be.

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I’ve read that some of your songs have gained international airplay. What country outside the U.S. are your songs the most popular? Any song in particular?

I am playing I know in Australia, the Netherlands, England, Italy, Germany, Singapore, Spain and Canada. I think the single that is getting the most play is Super Country Cowboy, but my cover of Believe is getting a lot of play as well.

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Have you traveled overseas to promote your music? If so, what location was your favorite to play?

I have not…. YET. I hope to do so soon though. I actually right now have an invitation to go to England and sing for a benefit, I just have to figure out how to afford the tickets there.

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Where’d you get the passion you have for playing live dates? Are you simply a natural extrovert or is it something it took you a while to grow into?

I love the interaction with the crowd and love to see the smiles and folks singing along. I guess that came from singing in church my whole life. LOL, no I am not what I would call and extrovert, I am I guess if with only a few people, but in larger crowds I like to stay back and observe and stay quiet until it is my time to perform. Then I just have fun!

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Can you remember your favorite concert performance ever? What was special about the crowd or the venue?

I would honestly say, singing at the Iditarod was the highlight so far. There were about 24,000 folks lining the streets in Anchorage and it was broadcast all over the world. To sing the National
Anthem and hear the crowd sing along with me and to see our flag waving was just very special to me.

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Do you have any typical routines you follow when you go out on tour?

I usually spend a lot of time getting all my gear ready. I pack it and unpack it several times and check for cables, mics and stands everything. Nothing quite like showing up and not having a piece of gear. The funny thing is I usually pack my clothes and stuff, an hour or maybe two before I leave.

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I recently read that you find recording music in the studio is a labor of love, more so something that must be done than something you can’t wait to do. Why is that?

I don’t really know, I love the rawness of it and then the process of mixing. I just really enjoy it however, I still prefer a live audience.

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When you were back in Anchorage, you were a pastor with the Anchorage Cowboy Church, how did you get into the ministry side of church?

I graduated from Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College and have worked in ministry since 1988. Most of the time I was a Music/Youth Minister, but about 9 years ago, felt called to be a Sr Pastor. I Pastored a small church in Talkeetna, Alaska for four years before moving back into Anchorage. After the move back to Anchorage is when I started The Cowboy Church.

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Do you believe the labels “Christian” and “Country Music Star” are compatible? Are they personas that can or should be kept separate or are they just two parts of the man named Doug Briney?

I think they are very compatible. For me, being a follower of Christ is just who I am and I happen to love to sing and perform. I can’t separate my faith from who I am, nor would I ever want to. I heard Willy Robertson from Duck Dynasty speak back in August and I loved what he had to say. He said, “For the Robertson’s our priorities are Faith, Family and Ducks.” I change it just a little by saying, “Faith, Family and Music.” My faith guides me in how I choose to live my life, how I treat my family and relate to them and in my music as well.

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Do you find that some people just go to church (point A), while there are others that take their Christianity quite seriously (point B)? As a minister, how important do you think it is to get people from point A to point B? And how in the world can ministers help make that happen? (I’m in the ministry too, that’s why I ask).

For sure, that is a major problem I think with our churches here in America. We have a lot of people who attend but don’t really let God guide their lives. I think for ministers to help move people in that direction we need to be sure to preach the Bible, not opinions or from books we have read. I think then a lot of the moving really comes from 1 on 1 mentoring. Then teaching those you mentor to mentor someone else. I really think that and a lot of prayer are the answer.

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You started out signing in church and have been active in ministry after graduating from seminary, do you record songs with a spiritual element too?

I haven’t done any professional recordings of gospel songs. I have however done some from my home and from church. None of the recordings ever came out that good though. I really try to choose my songs carefully and although they are not “Gospel” songs, I think there is an element of my faith that comes through in each one.

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Do you feel compelled to actively share your faith and if so, have people been receptive to your thoughts.

I do actively share my faith although I don’t do so from the stage in concert. I prefer one on one talking with folks and sharing what God has done for me. I was in a bar in Anchorage, getting ready to sing and met a young lady who was pouring over a lot of paperwork. I made a simple comment that it was the first time I’d seen anyone with that much work at this particular sports bar. She broke down and told me it was all the paperwork from her husband who was wanting a divorce. I asked if I could pray with her and did so. I then shared with her the Gospel and although she did not pray to receive Christ there, she did hear and understand what I was saying. I think I planted a seed that I hope will germinate and grow.

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You’ve had quite a bit of success over the past couple years. Your album “It’s All Country” reached # 6 on the Roots Music Report True Country chart and it remained in the Top 40 for 8 months. It also reached #11 on the iTunes Country New Release chart. And your album Super Country Cowboy which was released last year has done well too. Can you tell our readers more about the reception for Super Country Cowboy?

I wish I had the numbers on it, but all I can tell you is I know it is selling well on iTunes and in my concerts is selling very well. I think overall, the reception has been very positive in concerts, sales and in radio play.

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It’s now February of 2014, how has the new year been going for you so far?

It has been very busy! I have two boys that are wrestlers and between, wrestling, work and music I have been burning the candle at both ends and the middle. Besides being busy, it hgas been fantastic musically. I have been nominated and have made it to the top 5 for Male Vocalist of the Year on Nashville Universe and on February 17 I will be performing at the awards show with Colt Ford, Amy Rose and several other great artists.

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Can you tell our readers what to expect from you this year? New releases? New tour? Etc?

A lot of touring this year! If you’d like me in your area, drop me an email from my website www.dougbriney.com and let me know. I will do what I can to get there. Late this month and early March I’m heading out to Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. Then in May I’ll be in Missouri and Tennessee we are also working on Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Illinois.

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Finally, I have to ask about Pizza. I run PizzaSpotz.com and I am always asking those I interview about their favorite pizza. What is your favorite pizzeria in Anchorage and do you have one in Nashville yet? Also, what type of pizza do you love best?

My favorite pizza place in Anchorage is from Firetap. My favorite pizza is meat-lovers or as they call it at Firetap the Meat Lover’s Extreme.

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Thanks Doug for taking time to answer these questions. I look forward to your next visit to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area

Visit Doug Briney’s website to learn more about him and buy his music. You can also check him out on Facebook.

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