A Very LOCASH Christmas  | Life-style Media Group

Chris Lucas and Preston Brust know how you can throw a celebration. Because the nation music duo LOCASH, they’ve spent greater than twenty years entertaining audiences throughout the nation. This December, they’re bringing that very same power to Fort Lauderdale as grand marshals of the fifty fifth annual Seminole Exhausting Rock Winterfest Boat Parade. 

“It’s loopy,” says Brust, about being named grand marshal. “It was an instantaneous sure for us. And it’s in Florida in the course of December. That’s one other huge sure. Throw some lights on a ship and name us the grand marshals. Let’s go.” 

The duo will lead the festive flotilla on Saturday, December 12, because the annual Fort Lauderdale vacation custom celebrates its fifty fifth yr. This yr’s theme, “Social gathering in the usA.,” commemorates America’s 250th anniversary and is anticipated to draw a couple of million viewers. Starting on the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale, the illuminated procession travels alongside the Intracoastal Waterway earlier than heading north towards Pompano Seaside, overlaying roughly 12 miles. 

For Lucas and Brust, who’ve spent greater than twenty years making music collectively, the parade comes throughout an particularly busy season stuffed with touring, new music, and loads of vacation cheer. 

And Christmas, it seems, is one thing each males take very severely. 

For Lucas and Brust, Christmas is all about household. Lucas celebrates along with his spouse, Kaitlyn, and their three kids: Caden, 16, Remi, 10, and Violet, 9. Brust shares the vacations along with his spouse, Kristen, and their kids: Love, 10, Legend, 8, and Lion, 3. For each households, the season brings Christmas timber, matching pajamas, and loads of vacation films. 

For Lucas, certainly one of his favourite traditions is settling in with the household to compensate for the classics. “The week of Christmas, we’ll placed on pajamas, and we’ll simply watch each Christmas film over and over.” 

His household’s most-watched movie is Elf, though Lucas additionally has a selected fondness for the shenanigans of Clark W. Griswold and household. “I actually love Christmas Trip,” he says, recalling how onerous he laughed watching the film as a toddler. 

The vacation film dialogue shortly turns into a spirited change involving Dwelling Alone, The Christmas Chronicles, and the perennial query of whether or not Die Exhausting qualifies as a Christmas film. 

Brust is completely satisfied to incorporate Die Exhausting among the many vacation classics, and the film has even discovered its means into LOCASH’s latest Christmas music. One of many duo’s unique songs references three movies: Elf, Dwelling Alone, and Die Exhausting. 

“It may be the primary time Die Exhausting is talked about in a Christmas music,” Brust jokes. 

Their Christmas enthusiasm extends nicely past film evening. Brust says his household’s tree goes up November 1, and he’s already wanting ahead to the second when touring ends, and he can settle in for the vacations. “We’re actually onerous staff. We’re blue-collar tour guys,” he says. “We keep on the street. That’s how we make our cash.” 

However after their remaining December efficiency, the tempo modifications significantly. 

“It’s gonna be good to take that deep breath, mild the hearth, placed on matching PJs with the household, and never come out of them for a number of weeks.” 

This season, LOCASH is including its personal music to the Christmas soundtrack with My Kinda Christmas, a five-song vacation EP arriving in November. 

The gathering options three unique songs written by Lucas and Brust — “My Kinda Christmas,” “Over the River,” and “Snow Angel” — together with their interpretations of two vacation classics, “O Holy Evening” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to City.” 

For Lucas, who describes himself as a Christmas fanatic, recording unique vacation music introduced an sudden problem. “I’m a standard Christmas man, so I don’t like unique Christmas songs,” he admits. But the three new compositions managed to win him over. “I like these songs. They sound conventional to me,” he says. 

Brust sees the challenge as one thing that would turn into a part of their households’ celebrations for years to come back — and will presumably flip into a brand new vacation traditional. “When you consider generations down the street, our children are going to listen to Christmas songs that we carry out and that we wrote and we put our entire coronary heart and soul into,” he says. 

The duo’s hands-on method to the vacation EP displays how severely they take their music, even when the subject material is lighthearted. 

Brust explains that making music doesn’t essentially finish when a music is written or recorded. Whereas mixing the Christmas challenge, he discovered himself persevering with to make changes to preparations, devices, and particular person sections. “I believe the artistic course of goes all the way in which till it’s mastered,” he says. 

That spotlight to element can be evident of their newest album, Chris & Preston, named for the 2 males behind LOCASH. Launched October 23, the challenge is their sixth studio album. 

Chris & Preston affords listeners a extra private introduction to Lucas and Brust, whose music has lengthy been related to upbeat melodies, feel-good messages, and songs that invite audiences to sing alongside. 

The album revisits the friendship, shared historical past, and real-life experiences which have formed their music by way of the years. It options the brand new observe “The place My Stars Line Up” and their present single, “Talkin Bout.” The duo chosen the fabric they felt greatest represented them at this level of their careers. Songs similar to “Love All the time Wins” and “Music Row” reveal a extra private facet of the performers. 

For Brust, the objective has at all times been to create music that connects with listeners, no matter whether or not they think about themselves nation music followers. “We’ve got lots of people come to us and say, ‘I’m not a rustic fan, however man, I’m a LOCASH fan,’” he says. 

He factors to songs similar to “I Love This Life” and “I Know Any person” as examples of music that resonates due to its relatable themes and constructive messages. 

The duo’s songwriting philosophy is equally simple: Write the very best music doable, then decide the place it belongs. Over time, Lucas and Brust have written materials for different nation performers, together with among the business’s greatest names. However after they create one thing notably suited to LOCASH, they typically set it apart for themselves first. 

That doesn’t at all times imply they’ll be those to file it. 

“When Luke [Bryan] calls and says, ‘Hey, man, what are you guys doing with this music? I need to put it on my album,’ nicely, it’s Luke, so we’re gonna give it to him,” Lucas says. 

Brust provides that the method retains them difficult themselves creatively. “If it is a music we need to file, can we outwrite it? Can we write a greater music within the meantime earlier than we go to the studio?” 

Their songwriting concepts usually start with a title or phrase entered right into a telephone, generally ready months or longer earlier than turning into a completed composition. 

The duo has additionally taken higher management of its profession by way of Galaxy Label Group, a transfer that Lucas says permits them to make their very own choices and settle for accountability for the outcomes. “Nobody cares about your profession greater than you,” he says. 

After years of working with main labels, Lucas believes having extra management offers the duo a greater alternative to succeed by itself phrases. “If it’s in our arms and it fails, we didn’t win that one. It’s okay. Come again and attempt to win one other one.” They’re additionally fascinated about serving to different artists develop careers, sharing classes realized from their very own experiences within the music enterprise. 

For 2 musicians who’ve spent a long time writing, recording, and performing collectively, the work continues. However their enthusiasm for the vacations offers a welcome counterbalance to the calls for of life on the street. 

Though neither musician has participated in Winterfest earlier than, Brust already has a connection to Fort Lauderdale’s waterways. Throughout the pandemic, he and his household spent a number of months within the space with buddies who owned a ship. They incessantly traveled alongside the Intracoastal Waterway, and he’s wanting ahead to returning to the water, this time aboard one of the celebrated boats within the parade. 

The duo hopes their households will be capable of be a part of them, though these preparations have but to be finalized. Their wardrobe is equally undecided. 

Brust wonders whether or not the event requires beachwear, ugly Christmas sweaters, or matching pajamas for the complete household. 

Lucas, in the meantime, has one other concept. 

“I’ve an concept, and I’ll ship it to you, Preston, however it’s gonna be a shock for everyone on the parade.” 

Brust instantly affords his personal interpretation. 

“Chris desires us to put on antlers and be reindeer.” 

No matter they select, music will likely be a part of the celebration. LOCASH expects to have its songs taking part in aboard the Grand Marshal boat and can be planning a reside efficiency on the annual Seminole Exhausting Rock Winterfest Black Tie Ball. Their unique vacation music, “My Kinda Christmas,” appears particularly applicable for the event. 

And whereas their December calendar consists of touring, radio appearances, and charitable work supporting organizations similar to St. Jude Youngsters’s Analysis Hospital, Winterfest affords one thing completely different: an opportunity to benefit from the holidays with a million folks gathered alongside Fort Lauderdale’s waterfront. 

For Lucas and Brust, whose careers have been constructed round bringing folks collectively by way of music, that seems like a becoming option to rejoice the season. 

There could also be Christmas pajamas. There could also be reindeer antlers. There will definitely be numerous smiles and loads of music. 

And if a sure Bruce Willis motion film is a part of the festivities, don’t be stunned. 

Yippee Kai-Yay, Winterfest!