‘This Side of the Dirt’ Hits Home

We are in one of the biggest revivals of sad and insightful songs in recent Country music history, and right now more than ever songs about struggle, loss, and real feelings people get are hitting home. That sentiment is allowing artists that sometimes are known for their backroad bangers to steer a little off the center of the lane and release some songs that have a little more feeling behind their songs.
Bryan Frazier and Marc Oriet, who have their share of carefree songs in their catalogs, show the other side of their artistry on “This Side of the Dirt” which just dropped today. As you hear the song kick in you hear “Raise em up, Raised em up higher” which is a familiar sentiment in the Country music scene, but you also hear a little of the story of what they are in fact raising their glasses to.
With this release, Bryan and Marc venture into the dark story of losing someone you hold dear. Someone that is gone before their time and the feelings that make that story hit so close to home.  “Everyone at some point in their life will lose someone that was close to them. I lost one of my best friends in 2008 at the young age of nineteen to bacterial meningitis and I remember specifically a few songs that got me through that tough time. If ‘This Side Of The Dirt’ can even help one person through something as tough as losing a loved one like that then we will have done our job,” Frazier stated.
Without digging too deep into the hardest feelings, Frazier and Oriet really capture the uplifting feelings needed to get over a tough loss. With so many things going on in the world and recently in Tennessee, this song seems more pertinent than ever.
Artists and writers draw their influences from their experiences, and Marc let us know about how his good friend Colton passing away really changed his perspective on life. ” I remember how hard it was and how much trouble I had during that time. Lee Brice’s song ‘I Drive Your Truck’ helped me when I was going through it.”
Country music at its peak form is about finding balance and building yourself and others up, and this track really does just that without overly politicizing anything.
We are really excited for you all to hear this track that we have loved so much after hearing Bryan and Marc play it at some of our writers rounds in Nashville. It seems every time they do so everyone pays attention JUST a little more than usual.
So give this track a listen and get yourself into that healing season of grief.
About Bryan Frazier

Hailing from Winchester, Virginia, Bryan Frazier’s songwriting passions stem from the notable influences of 90s/00’s Country and early 2000s Rock. (Eric Church, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Third Eye Blind, Creed, Nickelback)

Upon his arrival to Music City in 2015, Frazier quickly broke into the  music scene, penning songs such as “When You Don’t” (Chris Ruediger-Over 4 Million On-Demand Streams), “Stereotype” (Jobe Fortner),  “Somebody Had To” (Dawson Edwards) and “Bad Tattoo” (Ryan Nelson).

Such songwriting success led to Frazier’s own artistic opportunities opening up for Kameron Marlowe, Phil Vassar, Jimmie Allen, Tyler Rich, and Cole Swindell. Frazier’s career highlights include the addition of songs to Spotify’s highly regarded playlists of “Fresh Finds Country” and “New Music Nashville” while headlining some of Music City’s most prominent stages of “Whiskey Jam”  and “The Bluebird Cafe.”

About Marc Oriet

A singer/songwriter, originally from Gaston, Oregon, Marc Oriet has resided in Nashville, Tennessee since 2013. Marc has penned many songs with upcoming artists, as well as already established artists, and even released a few himself (including the TikTok viral song “Masterbaiter”). With musical influences such as Three Days Grace, Brooks and Dunn, Eric Church and Journey, and Morgan Wallen, his multi genre style is truly one of a kind. Marc spends most of his time either on or around water, writing songs and playing gigs across Tennessee and other Southern states in between. If you ask him what it’s like to work in the music industry, he would say, “Can it really be work, if you’re doin’ what you love?”

Well we love these boys, and this song. We sure hope you do too.

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