Texas singer says ‘performing is what makes touring worth it’

Casey Donahew, a Texas country singer from Burleson, Texas will be performing at Denim in Diamonds Feb. 7 at 10:30 p.m. as part of a spring concert series and in support of his latest album — Double-Wide Dream.

Donahew said he started writing songs at a young age, but it wasn’t until just before college that he learned to play the guitar.

He started performing publicly during tailgates before football games in college.

“I started the band in 2002 and I’ve never looked back,” Donahew said.

Donahew attended Texas A&M university and later graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington.

“I didn’t do anything in college that would lead me to success in the beginning. It was just a whole lot of fun,” he said.

Donahew said he believes his songwriting process is unconventional compared to other musical artists.

“I usually just wait for motivation and jump off of that because I can’t set aside time to focus on songwriting. It just doesn’t work that way for me,” Donahew said.

He also noted that sometimes he will go months without writing a new song, but there are also times when he writes four or five songs within a week.

“A lot of my inspiration comes from life, random ideas, or a certain phrase (that) strikes me as a good start,” Donahew said.

Casey admires other artists such as Elvis and Garth Brooks.

“They are amazing entertainers and that’s what my band strives to do,” Donahew said.

The fans are the biggest reason for his band touring.

“Performing is what makes touring worth it because it is hard due to the terrible food and hotels, but the crowd and the fans keep me going,” Donahew said.

Casey has performed all over the country, but he said playing in Fort Worth is his favorite.

“Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth is a special place because it’s where the band is from and nothing beats performing at home,” he said.

After playing for fans for over ten years Donahew doesn’t get nervous in front of crowds anymore.

“I used to get really nervous during big shows but now I think it’s something you get past with experience,” Donahew said.

Sometimes touring all of the time makes it difficult for Donahew to balance work and the other aspects of his life.

“I have to work at it and I must make the most of my travel time so I can have more time for family and friends,” Donahew said.

When asked about three items he could never live without, Donahew replied that he’d be lost without his iPhone, some kind of gun, and chicken parmesan.

“But really I’d mostly miss my iPhone because that’s where I write most of my ideas for songs and waste time playing Words with Friends on the tour bus,” Donahew said.

The country artist loves to stay true to his fans and make them feel important to him.

“As an independent artist, the band and I can do what we want and connecting with the fans is the most rewarding thing about what we do,” Donahew said.

He said the band tours so much because they know the fans want to see them perform.

“I don’t exactly know what the band’s legacy will be, but I hope the fans enjoy our music because we definitely enjoy making it,” Donahew said.