THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: Multi-talented duo Everette — consisting of Brent Rupard and Anthony Olympia — have released Kings of the Dairy Queen Parking Lot: Side A, the first half of their new album produced by legendary songwriter and producer Luke Laird. “We don’t care where you come from,” Brent Rupard of Everette says. “Whether you’re a city person or a country person or from Mars, you’re always welcome at the Everette party.”
Rooted in country, rock ’n’ roll, southern storytelling, and heartland hooks, Everette is glued together by two Kentucky natives who write their own songs, play their own instruments, and proudly blur the boundaries between themselves and their audience. For the boys, music is all about community. It’s about connection. That’s why the duo’s motto — “We are Everette” — isn’t just a statement about the musical bond shared by bandmates Rupard and Olympia. It’s a reference to the communal bonds they share with their fans, too.
Everette — named after George Clooney’s philosophy-spouting, folk-singing character in O Brother, Where Art Thou — both co-wrote all 14 songs on Side A and Side B, teaming up with collaborators like Bryan Simpson, the Warren Brothers, Brent Cobb, Matt Jenkins, and Bobby Pinson along the way. Before recording those songs with Grammy-winning songwriter and producer Luke Laird, they whittled them into shape during a monthly residency at the Springwater Supper Club & Lounge, a no-frills dive bar sporting one of Nashville’s smallest stages where they packed the room each show with both music industry and fans alike.
Split into two parts, Kings of the Dairy Queen Parking Lot is described by the duo as “…that first taste of freedom that I feel like no matter where you’re from, we all had that around 16 or 17 years old where you’re hanging out in your parking lot, maybe doing something a little bit menacing and just hanging out and having a good time.” The first half of the album, Side A, makes an impact of its own. There are wild ‘n’ rowdy drinking songs like Dang the Whiskey that may or may not be a true story about one of the guys having too much fun on a Friday night, falling-in-love salutes like Way Back about meeting that person that feels it’s been a lifetime of friendship and love upon just meeting them, country-rock breakup anthems like Break it to Me about the guessing game of an inevitable breakup of when and how it’ll happen.
The album also contains a tribute to their families with songs like Love Me Like I Am, which is a tribute to their wives who’ve supported Brent and Anthony’s dreams for years and Momma, I’ll Be Okay which is a touching thank you to their parents for raising them well regardless of their wild cross-country escapades that come with the territory of being in the music industry. From the funky, party-ready guitar riffs that kick off the EP’s opening track, Can’t Say No, along with their aforementioned heartfelt tracks, Side A is modern country music at its finest: one part twang, one part rock & roll attitude, and a generous dose of anthemic hooks. The lyrics may be biographical, but these songs are for everyone. They’re not just Everette’s stories, after all. They’re ours. Whether someone is old, young, from New York City, or a small dot on a map — this is just a glimpse as to how Everette fits in with everybody and everybody fits in with Everette.”
