While we were catching up with LOCASH about the country music community’s ability to come together for an amazing annual event like the CMA Music Festival, the guys opened up to us about how important it is for artists to rally around each other, even in the most difficult times. LOCASH (a musical duo that consists of Chris Lucas and Preston Burst) shares a label with Granger Smith, who announced on June 6 that his three-year-old son had died in a ‘tragic accident,’ and the guys were understandably rocked by the terrible news.
“There’s a lot of stuff that happened today that’s really affected a lot of us,” Chris told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY ahead of LOCASH’s CMA Fest show at the Ascend Amphitheater. “But we know we have each other’s back and we know we always will. We are a family. It’s devastating.” Granger revealed the sad news about his son, River, via an Instagram post, in which he wrote, “Our family is devastated and heartbroken, but we take solace in knowing he is with his Heavenly Father. Riv was special. Everyone that met him knew that immediately. The joy he brought to our lives cannot be expressed and his light will forever be in our hearts. If there are words to say more, I cannot find them in this moment.” A rep for the country singer later told People that River had died in a “drowning accident” at home.
Despite the devastating news, the country music community rallied together to kick-off CMA Fest on June 6, which Preston said is one of the most important weekends of the year for any artist in country music. “The whole event is based on face-to-face interactions,” he explained. “Getting that autograph and picture, seeing our favorite fans and making it happen. Those are the moments that last forever — when you can connect with your favorite band or artist. It’s one big country family reunion.” Chris added, “And when we say family, it’s with a capital F.”
Stay tuned for more from our interview with LOCASH and other EXCLUSIVE artist interviews from CMA Fest weekend! CMA Fest airs on Sunday Aug. 4 at 8:00 p.m. on ABC.