If you go
› What: Green River Ordinance with Luke Wade opening. › When: 9 p.m. today, April 7. › Where: Revelry Room, 41 E. 14th St. › Admission: $15. › Phone: 423-521-2929. › Venue website: revelryroom.co. › Artist website: greenriverordinance.com.
Discography
2016: “Fifteen”2013: “Chasing Down the Wind”2012: “Under Fire”2011: “A Green River Ordinance Christmas”2010: “The Morning Passengers EP” / “Wait a Minute”2009: “Out Of My Hands”2006: “The Beauty of Letting Go”
Some musicians thrive on being admired from afar by fans with whom they have little to no contact. The members of Fort Worth, Texas-based country-folk rockers Green River Ordinance prefer a more hands-on approach.
"We want to come out after the show and shake hands and hug people and take pictures," says lead singer Josh Jenkins. "I think it comes down to us not wanting to operate on a rock-star mentality or thinking we're high and mighty. We get to play music, and we're excited about that.
"We don't feel like we're any greater than the people who come to our shows who work at a bank or as a plumber. I feel like a lot of times in this business, you can get wrapped up in the glamour of it. That's not something we've really fallen into or stepped into too much. We like to be normal and have fun and share these songs with people and hopefully get to know them."
Green River Ordinance kicked off its year by releasing "Fifteen" on Jan. 22. The band will play at Revelry Room tonight, April 7, as part of a tour in support of the 11-track LP. SoundsLikeNashville.com reviewer Annie Reuter says the project "showcases Green River Ordinance's pop sensibilities and rock influences alongside vivid country storytelling."
Jenkins says the album is a celebration of the 15 years that have passed since the band got started as a group of high school students gathering in the garage of brothers Jamey and Geoff Ice. Jenkins, who grew up singing Gene Watson and Merle Haggard songs in "little opry houses around Texas" joined the brothers early on and later recommended his classmate, Joshua Wilkerson, as the nascent group's guitarist.
From those early days, the band persisted through their years together at college. Eventually, Jenkins says, they dropped out, bought a van and trailer and hit the road. In the late 2000s, the band was signed to Capitol Records, with whom they released the 2009 album, "Out of My Hands."
That record, Jenkins says, was the work of early 20-somethings and embodied a more pop/rock sound than the distinctly Southern bend they've migrated toward on "Fifteen."
In addition to showcasing the band's evolution, sonically, he says, its creation also afforded the band members a chance to consider the path they've trod for the last decade and a half, both the highs and the lows. If the album embodies a message, he says, it's that their longevity is as much a product of their friendship as it is their musical chemistry.
"I feel like there's a sense of needing each other on this one with songs like 'Keep Your Cool' and 'Maybe It's Time,'" he says. "The communal aspect of the record has been cool to see people connect with."
Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.