By GINA KINSLOW
GLASGOW — Adam Glover was in England in early August when he got a Facebook message that his band, Burly Cruz, would be opening for country music great Montgomery Gentry at Western Kentucky University’s E.A. Diddle Arena.
To say he was excited about landing the gig is an understatement. Glover, who plays lead guitar and does backup vocals, is still floating on cloud nine.
“It’s both exhilarating and terrifying,” he said.
The concert is 7 p.m. Thursday.
Burly Cruz is a local band that has been performing for more than a decade. Several of its members joined the band as middle school students.
Scott Buchanan, lead vocal singer, was surprised the band got the job to open for Montgomery Gentry.
“That’s as good as it gets,” he said.
Drummer Trevor Riddle said words couldn’t describe how excited he was to learn the news.
“Oh my gosh, I’m super excited. I can’t even explain it I’m so happy. It’s something we’ve waited for such a long time. I started playing with the band when I was 15. We were playing at the Factory. We were playing a lot of lower-end shows. Now we’re starting to branch out where we’re playing downtown Nashville. It’s so cool how far we’ve come in the last four or five years. I think that’s the most exciting part of it,” he said.
The band has been practicing each week leading up to the concert. Brandon Hodges, who plays bass, said he would like to say he isn’t nervous about the concert, but admitted he was a little nervous.
“We’ve played a lot, but I don’t think anything quite to this scale,” he said.
“We have played a few shows like this in the past, but this will be the largest,” said Andy Moore, who plays rhythm guitar and sings back up. “During 2008 we played with artists such as Doug Stone, Jack Ingram, and Lee Brice.”
Over the years the bond has branched out and now travels long distances for concerts.
“We’ve played in North Carolina. We’ve played in Nashville. We’ve played all over Kentucky,” Buchanan said.
In 2007 the band recorded a demo CD featuring all original music.
Burly Cruz landed the Montgomery Gentry gig through Ashley Moore, who sings with the band. Ashley Moore is friends with Candace Montgomery, daughter of Eddie Montgomery, Glover said. Both Ashley Moore and Candace Montgomery are members of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority at Western. The concert is sponsored by Kappa Alpha Order and Alpha Omicron Pi with proceeds benefiting the Arthritis Foundation and Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Two of the band’s five members still live in Glasgow. The others have gone their separate ways.
Glover, 23, is a third-year grad student at the University of Kentucky where he is pursuing his PhD in Hispanic literature.
Moore, 23, who plays rhythm guitar, keyboard and sings backup, lives in Glasgow, and teaches agriculture at Barren County High School.
Buchanan, 22, lives in Nashville and works as an agent for Xerox.
Hodges, 23, bass player and backup vocalist, also lives in Glasgow, and works as a climate control technician for HVAC Services.
Riddle, 18, lives in Nashville and is attending the School of Audio Engineering Institute where he is pursuing a degree in audio engineering.
Tickets for the concert can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com or by calling WKU’s Ticket Office at (800) 5BIGRED. To hear a sample of the band’s music visit its Web site at www.myspace.com/burlycruz.
