Florida Georgia Line to Record With Good Charlotte’s Madden Brothers
The Madden Brothers and Florida Georgia Line may have more in common than meets the eye: after all, they’re both duos with a penchant for hip-hop roots, tattoos and going sleeveless. But in the coming weeks, they’ll take it one step further by collaborating on new music together in the “Sun Daze” singers’ adopted hometown.
“We’re such big fans of those guys,” FGL’s Tyler Hubbard tells Rolling Stone Country of Benji and Joel Madden. “We’re going to be writing with them and recording at the Treehouse studio in Nashville. They’ll be in town in the next week or two, and we’re really excited.” Though neither Hubbard nor his bandmate Brian Kelley would divulge any plans, they both assured that the result would be in keeping with their “anything goes” approach. “You’ll just have to wait and see,” adds Kelley with an eyebrow raise.
Florida Georgia Line is certainly known for their creative and bombastic pairings — namely their “Cruise” remix with Nelly, which gave the hit single second life on the Billboard Hot 100 and proved that the duo wasn’t so concerned about playing within any traditional country boundaries. The Madden Brothers also took a recent departure from their Good Charlotte snot-punk on September’s Greetings From California. The record is a collection of shimmery pop tunes laced with thick choral harmonies ripped from the Seventies-era albums more likely owned by the parents of kids who made Good Charlotte’s 2003 buck-the-authority hit “The Anthem” their, well, anthem. The foursome has apparently been growing a friendship of late, with Joel recently tweeting congrats to his “homies” on their Anything Goes album release.
“We got along with these guys the minute we met,” says Joel. “Then ended up having an awesome hang one night in New York City. We’re really excited to go to Nashville, hang and write songs. We think it’s really cool our paths crossed and that we get to experience Nashville and music with these guys. We are big fans.”
New York-bound to play New Years Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest on the 31st, Florida Georgia Line may also embark on a studio session — or at least a nice vacation — with one of rock’s most recent country-dabbling torch carriers, Steven Tyler, who told ABC (with more than a few innuendos peppered in their conversation) that the duo was his current favorite in the genre.
“Probably because of all that Aerosmith went through starting out,” Tyler said, likening the early criticism his band experienced to the pushback bestowed on the polarizing country-hip-hop duo. “Their songs spoke for themselves yet they still get put down for stuff. But you know what, they’re new, they’re on fire and they’re great. I love ‘Dirt,’ [it’s] ridiculous. What a great song.”
Apparently the praise may lead to just a little more than some back-patting. “That was a huge honor, because he is a legend,” says Hubbard of Tyler’s comments. “We’ve been texting with Steven about doing something together. Maybe a trip, or a write.” Time will tell if the conversations will lead to the studio or Tyler’s sun worshipping Maui abode. Either way — don’t forget to grease those bare shoulders, boys.