Cody McCarver
The shocking news is included in a centerpiece to McCarver's forthcoming eponymous album on E-1 (formerly Koch Entertainment), "Through God's Eyes.'" (Cody McCarver is set for release on September 15.)
"I'd never seen my dad take a drink or smoke a cigarette. He has always been a fine, upstanding man,'" says McCarver. "We were absolutely stunned when we were told that at a nearby gas station parking lot, he had shot a man who had been having an affair with my mother.'"
"In the midst of crisis, McCarver, who has been part of the smash country band Confederate Railroad since 1999, decided to try to create something positive.
"I was riding with my daughter when we saw a homeless man and she asked me about him,'" McCarver recalls. "I told her we all look the same through God's eyes. I thought it was a good song title, and as I was writing the song, I felt I needed to include a verse about my dad and mom.'"
But McCarver did more than simply write a song. "There are more than 7 million children in the United States with at least one parent in jail or prison,'" says McCarver, who is now a spokesman for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America. "Statistics show that more than 70% of these kids will end up there, too. I want them to know that they don't have to be part of that statistic. They don't have to follow in their parents' footsteps.'" McCarver is currently producing a documentary film - Cody McCarver: Behind The Walls - which was shot at the prison where his father is incarcareted. "This message is very important,'" he says. "When I visited my father the first time, it was hard for me and for him, and we are both adults. When I saw other inmates with their younger children, I thought they need support to stay out of these places.'"Produced by the renowned Csaba Petocz (John Michael Montgomery, Ben Folds, Metallica), Cody McCarver was recorded on an analog console in historic Studio B at Capital Records, Hollywood. The record was mixed by the legendary Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day, Bad Religion, Tim McGraw).
"I grew up listening and admiring guys like Waylon Jennings,'" said McCarver. "The term 'outlaw' country came from the fact that Waylon just didn't want to record the way they were recording in Nashville.
"On this album, we went to LA to record with guys not typically associated with country,'" he continued. "While the country music industry has changed, I still believe there are good ol' boys out there who want this kind of music. We just want to give them the kind of music they love.'"
On Cody McCarver, McCarver dives headlong into the same water he's been swimming in all along, right beside artists like Jamie Johnson, Confederate Railroad and the Kentucky Headhunters.
With Dan Mitchell, McCarver takes on the production seat himself on the album's single, "White Trash With Money,'" a hysterical look at the nouveau riche status of a country star.
"Red Flag'" is a warning for women and offers advise on what to look for in a man. Other highlights on the album include "Chosen One,'" a groovin' outlaw country remake of the theme song from The Sopranos. "Sunset Boulevard" is a witty, tongue-in-cheek request by Cody to be Hollywood cool, to help him forget a girl that broke his heart.
Though steeped in Outlaw Country and Southern Rock, McCarver's music is a merely a reflection of who he is as an artist. His songs are an honest and real look at his own life.
