When you first start to play music you find out that there are a lot of pitfalls – long drives, late nights and playing to empty rooms. When Mark Leach takes the stage at The Country Fest on Saturday, June11th, it will mark a point in his country music career where it all starts to payoff.
“It’s a dream come true, especially to be in my home town and opening for my idol, who actually got me wanting to do this full time, Eric Church,” Leach explained. “So it’s a whole bunch of goals accomplished in one day.”
Leach started this part of his musical journey six years ago, the Barberton native started to front his band and play clubs and festivals all over Ohio. He quickly became an audience favorite and those fans rewarded the country singer when he needed their support to record his latest EP, Homemade.
“The fans helped me with this last Kickstarter campaign for the EP and they not only helped us reach our goal, but surpass it,” said Leach.
The EP was released last month and made its debut at #11 on the iTunes country chart. “Then I found out that we are a featured country act on iTunes front page,” Leach added.
The release of the EP has made Leach and his entire family dream about what else lies ahead. “These past few weeks has been a whirlwind of success that we haven’t received in the past albums,” Leach said. “Everyone is excited for the ride.”
Though Leach has released EP’s and albums in the past, Homemade is a little different, as he didn’t write every song. “For my past albums and EP’s I’ve written all of them,” he explained. “For this EP we wanted to showcase me as not only a writer but an artist, as well. Down here in Nashville a lot of people don’t write their stuff, they will just cut other people’s songs,” Leach admits. “For this EP I wrote co-wrote two of the songs, “You Know Who To Call” and “If There’s a Bar up in Heaven.”
Leach and his brother, Chris, have been busy promoting the EP and spending even more time in Music City. “We’ve been doing a lot of groundwork down here in Nashville sitting down with different labels and publishing companies,” the 25-year-old singer adds.
His brother has been working with him since he started, but the whole Leach family is behind the dream of Mark. “I’ve been very lucky that they never told me to try to do something else, they have been supportive from the get go.”
Leach’s wife, Jackie has been a part of his life since he started his career. The high school sweethearts have been married for two years. “I told her I wanted to move to Nashville and she said, OK, lets do it,” said Leach. The two have had to work at seeing each other at times…“We finally figured out a schedule for it…it was tough at first and our schedules had been so opposite, but she has been great with everything and very supportive of everything I’ve been doing.”
Though Leach has opened for everyone from Kip Moore, Chris Janson and Trace Adkins, his latest billing at The Country Fest was still a bit of a shock to him he admits. “I remember when I found out when they announced it, I think I laughed the entire day.”
Leach will stay busy playing dates locally before The Country Fest and then will start to expand to other regions with shows already booked in Chicago, Kentucky and a return to a place he has played previously in Kansas.
“Without a label you have to do everything grass roots and that’s what we are trying to do.”
The singer may still have some long drives and late nights ahead of him, but it is doubtful that any venue he plays will be anywhere near empty ever again.
Mark Leach will be performing at The Country Fest on Saturday, June 11th at 3:00pm. The Country Fest tickets are available online at www.TheCountryFest.com by phone (330)930-0398 or at The Country Fest box office located in Orrville, Ohio.
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