Matt Axton w/ Rodney Rice

The line between Country Bumpkin and Classical Master

Although music was always part of my life, I didn’t find my own voice and style until after high school when an injury confined me to a bed and my best friend became the guitar. My dad always said he felt like he was a satellite dish, the Music was floating in the cosmos and he was the lucky one who could pick up the waves. I feel the same. So I grabbed that guitar and the music flowed. Beginning with the simple Singer/Songwriter and picking up whatever sound the songs asks for along the way, but never straying too far from my roots and the unique storytelling that a group of note with the right set of words behind it can bring. I truly love the adventure of trying to make someone dance a little longer, think a little deeper and bring just a little more JOY TO THE WORLD!

I like to ride the line between the Country Bumpkin and the Classical Master, pulling inspiration from every life journey, whether it's the simple joy of fresh air on a beautiful mountain day or the grind of a packed overnight ride to the next gig. Having a song connect and bring a smile or a tear to the face of a new friend is about as close to magic as I have found in this life.

Having an open mind, surrounding yourself with good people and going wherever the song takes you seems to be the best way to travel. And I hope you can join me somewhere along this crazy journey.

Rodney Rice knows just how to capture the fleeting glimmers of an emotional moment in life and turn them into songs that evoke our own feelings of despair and hope, loss and love. Rice delivers his lyrics with a knowing nod and wink and a twinkle of the eye to the difficulties we encounter in our daily lives, and creates memorable characters in his songs whose foibles remind us of folks we know. As he says, “Music is a common language that reaches all and brings people from worlds apart together.” Rice cannily matches music with lyrics, pairing a glimpse of a world turned upside down with a jaunty New Orleans jazz swing melody or an ode to young love with a lively country shuffle.

Host or Publisher Swallow Hill Music