MUSIC

Verizon Wireless Theater presents Aaron Lewis. (of Staind).

Aaron Lewis paves his own path. It's a path that he's forged with honest, heartfelt lyrics, resounding guitar chords and an unmistakable voice. It's a path that sits somewhere between Johnny Cash's classic Americana and Layne Staley's epic grunge soul. Along that path, Lewis and Staind sold nearly 13 million albums over the course of six full-length releases, and they penned one of the most-played rock song of the past decade, "It's Been Awhile."

 Lewis's path broadened in 2004 when he embarked on his first solo acoustic tour. The acoustic tour has become a tradition for the singer as he traverses the country playing Staind classics and solo tunes every winter.

Playing acoustic is nothing new for the Staind frontman. In fact, his career began with an acoustic guitar and a dream. He explains, "The solo shows bring things full circle for me. It's something that I used to do before I ever met the guys in Staind. It was a way that I put money in my pocket since I was 17. The first song that I ever recorded for Jordan Shur was one of my acoustic songs. That song, 'Black Rain,' was played for Jordan over the phone, and he inevitably gave us a record deal with Flip Records. From that point, doing a solo project, when the time came, was always talked about."

When he's alone on stage with just an acoustic guitar and a microphone, Lewis connects with the audience intimately. "The songs’ lyrics are front and center during the solo shows, and I find that most rewarding," says Lewis. "The words often get buried under all of the instrumentation. In the solo shows, there's nothing else to pay attention to but the lyrics."

Aaron has always been a storyteller, and he continues that tradition with the solo material. "For the most part, the stories are personal tales of mine. Once in awhile, they're observational. I don't know how to write fiction. My songs always explored that glimmer of hope that I was so desperate to attain. I'm lucky and honored to say that my music has affected many people. I can say everything that I need to say in a song, and everybody gets to have his or her own personal take on it."

Ultimately, Lewis continues to build a legacy that fans can share and believe in. "I'm truly living the American dream. I took my story of struggle and turned it into something that changed my life and my children's lives. We'll see how far it goes. I started with nothing, and I turned a thought into a dream career. That's the beauty of this country that we have."

That's the beauty of the road Aaron's made and continues to travel with Staind and solo.