The Railers

Once described as sounding like a cross between the Dixie Chicks and Fleetwood Mac, the Railers are a Nashville-based band whose music fuses progressive country with elements of rock and pop, with the focus on upbeat melodies and vocal harmonies. The Railers' story begins in 2002, when brothers Jordan Lawson and Jonathan Lawson, born and raised in Missouri, were attending North Arizona University in Flagstaff. Both brothers were studying music at NAU, and one day in a grocery store Jonathan bumped into a woman whom he recognized from one of his classes. The woman was a voice student named Cassandra, and not only did they hit it off personally -- they would later marry -- they discovered they had similar tastes in music, and she soon began working up songs with Jonathan and Jordan. In 2003, Jonathan decided to move to Nashville in search of a career in the music business, and both Cassandra and Jordan followed him within the next few months. While all three had jobs within the industry -- Jordan had a gig with Josh Turner, Jonathan worked with Sara Evans, and Cassandra did song plugging for a publishing house -- they felt the itch to play together, and pledged to form a band. In September 2010, they made good on their promise, and formed Tin Cup Gypsy, with Jonathan on fiddle, mandolin, and vocals; Cassandra on concertina and vocals; and Jordan on guitar and vocals. Tin Cup Gypsy soon landed a spot opening for Jonathan's old boss Sara Evans, and began headlining club dates in Nashville. In 2012, the band adopted the new name the Railers, and soon landed a recording deal with Warner Music Nashville, as well as a publishing contract with Sony/ATV Music. In 2014, the Railers dropped their debut single, "Kinda Dig the Feeling," which fared well on the country airplay charts, and the band hit the road with Hunter Hayes, serving as the opening act on his Tattoo Your Name tour.
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