Meet some of the artists scheduled to perform at the 2015 Florida Strawberry Festival.
HUNTER HAYES
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. March 1
TICKETS: $40
When you play 30 instruments — as singer-guitarist Hunter Hayes did on his self-titled debut album — time can slip away from you in the studio
“Easily, 16-hour days are not a problem,” Hayes said by phone from his Nashville home studio. “You don’t even realize time is just flying by, and then right around midnight or 1 o’clock, you’re like, ‘You know what? I should probably turn in.’”
Hayes started as a teenage prodigy and earned millions of young fans through ceaseless touring and a relentlessly professional, squeaky-clean image. But fans of all ages quickly grew to respect his formidable talent. He was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2013 Grammys; the next year he returned to the same stage to perform his anti-bullying anthem Invisible; this year he actually hosted a portion of the Grammy ceremony.
On March 1, Hayes will play the festival for the second time in three years.
Every artist who comes into the public at such a young age eventually has that album where it’s like, “Hey, I’m not a kid anymore.” Do you ever think about that?
I don’t, because if you’re real, if you’re truly honest with yourself, you write about the stuff that matters to you. Everybody gets to know you as you grow up. My first record was launched when I was 19; my second record came out when I was 22. Being 23 now, these are years with the most changes. In my life, there’s a lot changing. You embrace that, you write about it, and you go through your whole life writing about things that matter to you.
You’ve talked about wanting to work with Ed Sheeran. Any closer to making that collaboration happen?
Collaborations are so tricky, because I never want to be pushy. But yeah, we’ve talked. And he’s really cool. I just became a massive fan, because he is just so talented.
DAN + SHAY
WHEN: 3:30 p.m. March 7
TICKETS: $15 to $20
Plant City is a long way from Wexford, Pennsylvania, but for Dan Smyers, Dan + Shay’s gig at the Florida Strawberry Festival will still feel a little like a hometown show.
Smyers’s parents moved from Pennsylvania to Clearwater a few years ago, and come to almost all of his Florida shows. “It’s a nice change of pace from the weather in Pennsylvania,” he said in a recent phone interview. “It’s a more laid back, kind of beachy vibe. It’s great, man.”
Smyers and longtime pal Shay Mooney, who have racked up fans touring with Hunter Hayes and Blake Shelton, will bring their Top 10 single 19 You + Me to the Strawberry Festival stage on March 7. Here’s more from our chat with Smyers.
You’re playing the same day as John Legend. How similar do you think your fan base is to his?
It’s going to be interesting to see. I know that I’m a fan of John Legend, and I’m going to be watching his set after we play, which is incredible. I’ve been a fan of John Legend’s for a while, since the first album he put out, and he’s had so much continued success of late, with All Of Me and everything else. Hopefully a lot of females out in the crowd will be getting a little crazy for it.
What are the pros of playing a festival?
Obviously, you’re exposed to a bunch of new people who may not have heard your music before. People draw different crowds, and it’s cool to try to win over new people. It’s fun to try the local food, a chili cookoff, that kind of stuff. It’s cool to get out of your little bubble that you live in.
PARMALEE
WHEN: 3:30 p.m. March 8
TICKETS: $15 to $20
This will be Parmalee’s first trip to the Florida Strawberry Festival. But don’t think for a second Barry Knox doesn’t know his way around a berry patch.
“My grandmother used to grow strawberries,” said the bassist for the North Carolina band. “We actually had a U-pick garden right outside of Parmale, North Carolina. My grandmother would take me there to pick strawberries all the time. So I’m a fan.”
Parmalee may hail from tiny Parmale, but the family band’s sound can get big-city raucous, a revved-up combo of straight country and Southern rock that has enabled them to tour with artists like Brad Paisley and Florida Georgia Line.
What’s your favorite strawberry food?
Strawberry shortcake.
Biscuit or cake?
Cake. No doubt.
When’s the last time you played a show in Parmale, N.C.?
Last time we played in Parmale was when we were rehearsing out there, and that was probably 2007 or ’08, I’d say. But we did play in Williamston, North Carolina, which is right down the street. It was at the end of the summer, and it was awesome. I think it was about 8,000 people there, and we were the headliners, and it was just amazing, because all those people from Parmale and Robertsonville and Martin County, in general, they all came out.
“Musta Been a Good Time” was based on personal experience, right? That’s a fun twist on the party song, in that it doesn’t really focus on the party itself, but the aftermath.
Yeah. Well, that one was definitely based on true events. We all lived in the house in North Carolina, and it was the band house, the party house. We had the swimming pool and all that. We had people lined up at our door. If we weren’t home, or were on the way home, they knew we were coming. There’d be people standing outside, just waiting for us to get there.
SCOTTY MCREERY
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27
TICKETS: $25 to $30
The last time Scotty McCreery played the Florida Strawberry Festival, in 2013, what stood out the most was the kindness he experienced by festival staff and volunteers.
“The folks that work it, they really make you feel like you’re at home, like you’re family,” McCreery said. “There were some really sweet old ladies walking around offering me different strawberries — chocolate covered, white chocolate covered, everything you could imagine. Me and the band, we really dug in pretty good.”
Nearly four years after winning the sixth season of “American Idol,” McCreery, 21, is balancing his status as an increasingly bankable headliner with some semblance of a normal life as a college student at N.C. State. He’ll headline the festival Feb. 27.
Can you even remember your initial audition for “American Idol,” or has so much happened since then that it kind of gets hard to remember?
No, I remember it like it was yesterday. I was just your typical 16-year-old kid playing baseball in high school, living life, and all of a sudden, I had a dream and decided to audition. I was a nervous wreck. I remember just being there and thinking, “What the heck am I doing here? These guys are too good for me. I’m in over my head.” And then it all worked out way more than I ever thought it would.
You’re starting to write songs for your next album. Have you thought about any new ideas or themes you want to explore?
I keep an iPhone notebook on hand, and if I hear something cool, or an idea, I’ll jot it down and bring it to Nashville, and, hopefully, we can write about it. One of the cool things about my music is that I started out so young at 16, 17 years old, that my music will grow with me. My first record, listening back to it, it sounds pretty young. This last record sounds a little more mature. Hopefully this record is even more mature.
THE COMPLETE LINEUP
Feb. 26
Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra (10:30 a.m., free)
Bobby Vinton (3:30 p.m., $15-$20)
Alabama (7:30 p.m., $40): One of the biggest country groups of all time returns to the festival for the first time since 2001.
Feb. 27
Mel Tillis (3:30 p.m., $15-$20)
Scotty McCreery (7:30 p.m., $25-$30): After winning “American Idol” in 2011, the earnest baritone now balances his successful music career with college classes at N.C. State.
Feb. 28
MercyMe (3:30 p.m., $20)
Kevin Costner and Modern West (7:30 p.m., $35): The actor and director still churns ’em out in Hollywood, but he seems to be having the most fun whenever he gets on stage with his Americana rock band, Modern West.
March 1
Brett Eldredge (3:30 p.m., $20-$25)
Hunter Hayes (7:30 p.m., $40): Louisiana wunderkind Hunter Hayes is only 23, but he already has legions of fans young and old thanks to hit singles both energetic (“Wanted”) and uplifting (“Invisible”).
March 2
Sawyer Brown (3:30 p.m., $15-$20)
Happy Together Tour (7:30 p.m., $25-$30): Expect a night of classic hits from Flo and Eddie of the Turtles, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, Chuck Negron of Three Dog Night, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, and Gary U.S. Bonds.
March 3
Ronnie Milsap (3:30 p.m., $15-$20)
Sara Evans (7:30 p.m., $20-$25): Evans will always be a lively and bankable country act thanks to a staple of No. 1 singles, including “Suds In the Bucket” and “A Little Bit Stronger.”
March 4
Ricky Skaggs (3:30 p.m., $15-$20)
Craig Morgan (7:30 p.m., $20-$25): Morgan’s unapologetically fun sing-alongs — “Redneck Yacht Club,” “International Harvester,” “Bonfire,” “Little Bit of Life” — earned him this headlining gig.
March 5
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (10:30 a.m., free)
Oak Ridge Boys (3:30 p.m., $15-$20)
Newsboys (7:30 p.m., $20): The megaselling Christian pop-rock group has headlined many of the biggest Christian festivals around.
March 6
Loretta Lynn (3:30 p.m., $20-$25)
Boyz II Men (7:30 p.m., $20-$25): The ’90s R&B kings are back at the festival for a second straight year.
March 7
Dan + Shay (3:30 p.m., $15-$20)
John Legend (7:30 p.m., $50): By the end of February, R&B croooner John Legend will have performed at the Oscars, Grammys and Super Bowl. How’s your 2015 going?
March 8
Parmalee (3:30 p.m., $15-$20)
Reba McEntire (7:30 p.m., $50): McEntire has been a mentor to young Tampa Bay native Caroline Kole, a frequent Strawberry Festival performer who will open the performance.