Country music artist Stoney LaRue was recently in Tyler, and stopped to chat with Stonewater Sessions about his life on the road. He also shared some personal advice for musicians who are just getting started. LaRue and Longview band Post Profit were featured in the newest installment of the Facebook live show which highlights some of the very best regional recording artists.

“It doesn’t ever get old,” said LaRue about touring. “It gets tiring.”

However, as a music industry veteran, LaRue now knows how to cope with the daily grind on a tour bus. “Exercise helps out tremendously,” he explained. “Diet, not drinking too much, just finding the balance.” While some people might find this lifestyle to be a chore, the twinkle in LaRue’s eye shows that he wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

You can catch LaRue on the road right now. Head over to his website for tour dates and ticket information. He has shows coming up in Texarkana, Waco and Fort Worth soon, along with many more. Plus, he will be playing at the Red Dirt BBQ & Music Festival in Tyler in May. Stonewater Roofing is among the proud sponsors of this event.

For younger artists who want to commit themselves to playing music, LaRue has one key piece of advice. “Mean it,” he stated with conviction. “Be honest with your talent, with what you want to do with it. Know what you’re going to say. Just be honest about it, because your body will know, your crowd will know, your audience will know if you’re faking it.”

As for whether musicians should focus their attention on the road or in the recording studio, LaRue hedged, understanding that it’s important to split focus. “It kind of depends on what they’re after. A lot of people sound better recorded than they do live. I know that a lot of my crowd prefers a lot of my live stuff. So, I guess it’s just based off of the individual artist,” he said. “I kind of like both, and it definitely changes, but I like the live thing.”

Check out Stonewater Sessions to see band Post Profit perform “Same Sad Song” at The Robot Cave in Tyler, and hear more from our interview with LaRue. What is his biggest pet peeve? What name would he like to have? What was his dumbest injury? (“The bass player threw up,” he recalled.) Those personal details and more are all revealed, so you don’t want to miss it.

Be sure to follow Stonewater Roofing on Facebook for alerts about the next episode of Stonewater Sessions.