Jarred Pierce to shoot music video at festival
Jarred Pierce, of Frog Pond, will perform on the main stage at the Watermelon Festival at 4 p.m. as part of the kickoff to his tour to promote his EP, “It’s Going Down.”
By Alison James
alison.james@fct.wpengine.com
In the wake of his record deal and signing with a management group, Frog Pond-native Jarred Pierce is kicking off his first tour. It all starts at the Watermelon Festival, where a Nashville crew will shoot footage for the music video for “It’s Going Down.”
Pierce has performed at the Watermelon Festival twice in the past and is no stranger to the community event, where his father has long been an entrant in the watermelon competitions. “When I was little, growing up, that was the place to be,” Pierce said. “The music was always my favorite part.”
This year, Pierce is an integral part of the action.
He takes the main stage at 4 p.m. Saturday to open the afternoon’s entertainment. His Nashville-based camera crew will capture footage of both his performance of “It’s Going Down” and the crowd reaction – ideally including people singing along – as Pierce brings a high energy show with songs that will showcase his voice, including five of the six songs from his EP as well as a few cover tunes that people will definitely want to sing along with.
“It’s going to be a fast-paced show,” Pierce said. “We’ve actually decided, instead of stopping between songs and talking, the best thing to do is just roll on to the next song. I feel like, every concert I’ve ever been to, when you go into a show and they roll from one song to the next and you really don’t even have a chance to breathe, you’re like ‘Wow, I really got my money’s worth.’”
Filming for the music video will actually begin the night before as Pierce performs at Rattlesnake Saloon and continue first thing Saturday to capture Pierce’s “everyday life – getting up, getting ready for a show,” he said. Footage shot at his home will center on “a little party down by the pond doing different things with friends – riding on the ATVs, stuff like that,” Pierce said. “We’re going to fish and go across the road and do a little mud riding – just stuff you do in the country.”
Final footage will be captured at an after party locally, Pierce said.
Pierce said he is both excited and anxious as the weekend approaches.
“I’ve never been in front of a camera a whole lot,” Pierce said. “So we’ll see how that goes.”
Pierce said he hopes everyone come out for the performance, for the music video, and to help get his tour started off with a bang.
“I just want everybody to be excited about it,” Pierce said. “For my little town, this is going to be a first, and that’s one reason I decided I wanted to bring it to my hometown, to let them be a part of it. It’s going to be fun. I’m looking forward to it.”
It’s “something my family, my friends, everyone can be a part of,” Pierce added. “Your family and friends want to be a part of everything you do. They have supported me so much.”
Musicians who have performed with Carrie Underwood as well as a guitar player who played with Lonestar will join Pierce on stage to perform his music.
“These are professionals,” Pierce said. “They have packed out some of the biggest stadiums around.”
Jarred Pierce CDs, koozies, hats and T-shirts will be available at the festival, where Pierce will also take some time for pictures and autographs. Merchandise is also available for purchase online.
