Chase Rice Shares 'Live From Chief's' EP

03-07-2025

(EBM) Country music maverick Chase Rice has surprised fans with today's release of a special three-song EP, Live From Chief's. Captured during his recent acoustic underplay shows at Chief's on Broadway on Feb. 13 and 14 - which American Songwriter cited as emblematic of the fact that "Chase Rice didn't change, he just got brave enough to be himself" - the project highlights Rice's raw, unfiltered artistry in a way that fans rarely get to experience at his larger arena shows. Listen HERE.

The project opens with two standout covers: fellow Asheville-area native Eric Church's "Carolina," one of the first songs Rice was inspired to learn to play on guitar during his college years at UNC, and George Strait's iconic rodeo hit "I Can Still Make Cheyenne," which itself inspired the EP's third song.

The previously unreleased "Cowboy Goodbye," a yearning song co-written by Rice with Oscar Charles and Foy Vance during a recent post-Red Rocks retreat in Colorado, serves as a pivotal moment for his next studio album - the oft-teased Eldora expected later this year. The first song written for the highly anticipated follow up to recent independent success Go Down Singin', "Cowboy Goodbye" reflects on the sacrifices that come with the pursuit of music and the longing for something more:

Now she knows why they tell mamas don't let your babies be one
Well here I go barely knowing home or the man that I've become
One more tough guy didn't wanna see the hurt or heartache in her eyes
So I head west hole in my chest
Just another cowboy goodbye

"I love my life; I love my job; I love what I get to do for a living - but I've given up a lot to do it," Rice shares in the live recording's introduction, reflecting on the deeply personal parallels between the life of a touring musician and that of a true cowboy. "I don't have a family yet - that's the goal - but that's one of the main things that I've given up to do this thing... Since I was a little kid, I always wore the cowboy boots, I always wore the cowboy hat and the cowboy way of life was always just kind of in my mind."

Co-produced by Rice and Charles, the EP features an intimate, stripped-down sound with Charles on drums and background vocals, Jonathan Sherwood on bass and Tori Allen on fiddle. Recorded at two back-to-back sold-out shows at Chief's just a few weeks ago, these performances were part of a unique two-night residency where Rice celebrated his artistic evolution:

Feb. 13: A Night of I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go to Hell - A deep dive into the storytelling and raw emotion of Rice'sacclaimed album praised for its authenticity and connection to his roots, hailed by Billboard as "one of 2023's most unexpected artistic pivots" and Forbes as "a full-circle, career defining journey for Rice, as both a singer and a songwriter."

Feb. 14: A Night of Go Down Singin' - A showcase of Rice's recent independent release, praised by Rolling Stone as "an excellent collection of poignant, often anthemic country," which finds him "trying to do what creative people are supposed to: grow and change," while Cowboys & Indians proclaimed that "maturity and clarity are the reality on Chase Rice's new album...what is sure to be one of 2024's most well-received country albums of the year."

With Live From Chief's available across all streaming platforms now, fans get a rare, up-close listen to the stripped-down magic that made these shows unforgettable, while also catching a first glimpse of what's to come with Eldora.