A year of enjoying Home Free and Home Fries!

July 2014 five highly talented young men (with a featured guest, so six really) released a video to the world that would go viral. I’m sure it was a turning point in their career. However, this simplistic, yet stunning video also changed my life. Home Free’s cover of Ring of Fire, featuring Avi Kaplan, seems to be a pivotal moment in the lives of so many people, many of whom I have either met or become friends with over the past year. I don’t know the exact date I watched the video, due to when I saw it I went on a Home Free hunt and didn’t stop for several days! I know it was within a week or two of my birthday, because I bought the Home Free Crazy Life CD and Tim Foust’s The Best That I Could Do CD for my birthday. What I think is so fantastic is how many fries have recently written or posted about their one year “Fryniversary”, with no intentions of slowing down. I guess I’ll join them.

I know most of you have heard the story of how Home Free and more specifically Tim’s song I’ve Seen inspired me to start writing again. So today I will tell all the other things that have come from Home Free’s music.

The most rewarding thing is that I now have friends all over the world ranging in age from 17 to those in their 60’s. I have met a few of them and they will always have me as a friend, whenever they need me. The first fry I virtually met was an awesome girl of 17 that lives in Brazil. I felt so ridiculous going gaga over Home Free at my age and then I found out her age and she made me feel like a kid again. As the days went on and we all goofed around about Home Free, I realized these a guys just inspire youth, smiles, giddiness and pure adrenaline. I have been encouraged and inspired by so many wonderful people and I hope to meet them all one day. I’ve cried with them, laughed until my side hurt, felt embarrassed and completely vulnerable, not to mention felt a little drunk after seeing Home Free live. Yes, Home Free is a strong source and the Home Fries cling to that source and each other with all our hearts and souls.

The first time I actually met fries was when I had plans to see Home Free in Dallas. Well, a couple weeks before that concert an extremely kind fry offered me a VIP ticket to the concert in Oklahoma City, which was a few days before the Dallas concert. Well, how could I possibly say no? I made my arrangements and the next thing I knew, I had made plans to drive to Oklahoma City with two ladies I had never met before. I joked about how my mom had done this years before, by going to California to meet fans of a soap opera, that she had never met, and we teased her that one of them could be an ax murderer! Well, these ladies assured me they had no axes! Two concerts and a great trip to Oklahoma later, we’ve all become good friends. I know I would do anything for any of them. And we have planned to see four Home Free concerts together in October! I met so many other fries at these two concerts and hope to see them again and meet other fries, I haven’t met yet!

As for my writing, since hearing I’ve Seen, I have written twenty nine song lyrics, twenty poems, one children's story and started the second story in the adventures, created two blogs and have had the honor of playing a small role in helping an incredible lady and dedicated fry create some extraordinary tribute videos for each of the members of Home Free. Plus, I’ve volunteered for other small writing “assignments” at work and for our Girl Scout troop. My hope is to, someday, get paid to write!  

Let’s not forget the guys that started me down this unbelievable trek, Home Free. Their music has so much to offer and I find it hard, at times, to find the right words. Their voices alone are remarkable and together they are this perfectly put together 3D puzzle. Their sound is rich, vibrant and full of life and energy. You want to hear the song over and over again. Their arranging talents have blossomed over the past year and the fries continue to be amazed with each new song. I’m so excited for the new album, I could just bust! If they don’t hurry and release it, the fries are going to hunt them down (visions of Young Frankenstein where the villagers are breaking down the door with Inspector Kemp’s wooden arm). Hurry, Home Free, hurry! And yes, I do support Home Free on Patreon, it's so worth it!

Happy “Fryniversary” to all my fellow fries that found Home Free around this time last year!

How long have you been a Home Fry?

I've Seen by Home Free (written by Tim Foust) https://youtu.be/u_v_5Jr8bx0?list=PLfWdh4XTtIqnVcLdXTjXzvv_ahtWOC2S7

Home Free All About That Bass cover video published a year ago on 8/18/2014

Hey, Home Free fans! The Don’t It Feel Good tour is almost here and I know there are fries heading out to State Fairs and music festivals all over the northern part of the country to see Home Free this summer. I don’t understand why they don’t want to do outdoor summer concerts here in Texas (Dallas area). We had a great summer, only twelve days over one hundred degrees, so far.

Today I thought I’d go back and check out Home Free’s cover of All About That Bass, since it was released almost a year ago. Let me start off by saying that when this video came out, I had just discovered Home Free from their Ring of Fire video. I had not heard the original song, nor had I seen the original video. When I saw Home Free’s video, I thought it was funny and loved it, but I didn’t know how funny, at the time.

So, here I am, a little out of touch with the world, watching All About That Bass cover by Home Free. It was great, I liked the song, they guys had fun with it, I could tell they were cool. After I had watched all the videos of Home Free I could find, I decided to watch the original video by Meghan Trainor.

First, Meghan you’re a doll. I’m glad you have the guts to say what’s on your mind and the talent to make the delivery enjoyable and yet still mean something. You go girl! Second, I could not stop laughing as I watched the original video and how it compared to Home Free’s video. The hair and the hats, laying on the sheer colored fabric and the pretty camo plastic cloth and the list goes on. And to go from the pop version of this song to the really cute and perfectly arranged country version was brilliant.

It may have been All About That Bass, but this video was all about Home Free and how they were gearing up to win over fans around the world! They started with a terrific song by Ms. Trainor, did their own creative, awesome arrangement and with Kristine Slipson, put together an adorable video with just the right amount of humor and an over-abundance of talent! And, of course, seeing them do this song live, is a special treat. Nothing like five guys singing about booty and posing like Barbie dolls, something Home Free pulls off quite well!

I know the fries have all seen this video, but ICYMI https://youtu.be/BuyGVhQFLbs?list=PLfWdh4XTtIqnVcLdXTjXzvv_ahtWOC2S7

Who thinks Austin looks 12 in this video (especially compared to WWAG)?

More Home Free, more Periscoping and Home Fries can't get enough!

The whole Periscope thing has just been a complete blast! There is nothing like hearing that whistle go off on my phone and then see Home Free live! Now, so you don’t think I sit around waiting for Home Free Periscopes, I often watch them later. But there have been a few that I am so glad I got to watch as they happened! The fireside chat, periscoping from the stage during a show and during a break while recording a video with Kenny Rogers! There have been so many and the fans are falling in love with Home Free all over again. These live streams have not just given fans some extra time with the guys, but those who have never been able to see them live, get a delightful sneak peek!

During the fireside chat, the guys did a little singing, some joking around and even opened themselves up to questions. It was almost as good as sitting there with them, just hanging out and being friends. They were genuine and full of little surprises, like Austin breaking wood by throwing it  at rocks, successfully, I might add.

Then they scoped from the stage! The first time they scoped from Downey, ID and sang A Little Bit of Everything. I was so impressed with how incredible they sounded AND how well Rob handled the camera while singing! They did great! Then they scoped from Kasson, MN and sang Champagne Taste. Again, they sounded fantastic and played to the audience and the camera! I’m not sure if that makes them impressively talented or really big camera hogs?! After these two great scopes on stage, fans in the audience posted videos of the guys Periscoping during the show. It was kind of funny seeing it from the audience point of view. Best part, though, was when Tim asked a lady in the audience if she was watching them Periscope and when she said yes, he laughed and said, we are live on the other side of your phone! Yeah, but we were on stage with you! Tough choice, right there!

Then today, when I thought the Periscopes just couldn’t get any better, they jumped on during a break while shooting a Christmas video with the one, the only, The Gambler himself, Kenny Rogers! Chris opened up the scope and put the camera on Mr. Rogers. He waved, but I’m not sure he knew exactly what was happening, but he smiled and was very gracious. Yes, I was very happy to see Home Free all dressed and looking sharp, but Kenny Rogers. This was a short scope, but a truly awesome one!

So, again, I refer to Rob as #coolestdudeinHomeFreeforusingPeriscopetobringthefanssomeextrafun! But a HUGE Thank you to all of Home Free for bringing us along with you on this fast paced, spectacular ride! We've seen them real time when they're tired, on stage, relaxing, wasting time and goofing off. Honestly, I can't wait to see what to see what they will do next! Your fans are simply astonished at your non-stop devotion to us!

Down Periscope!

Heres’s a few screen shots from some of these Periscopes.

A little Home Free goes a long way!

A little Home Free inspiration goes a long way! Have you ever checked out the other blogs that just love highlighting the guys? I started mine to be able to separate my personal blog from one that I really wanted to use specifically to promote Home Free. However, there are several other blogs out there that have been supporting the guys a lot longer than me!

First, there is Home Free Happenings at http://www.homefreehappenings.com/.  You can find anything you could possibly need, in regards to Home Free that is, right here. Tour schedule, a great newsletter, Patreon information and even a link to saved Periscope session with or of Home Free, plus other video links. This is a great blog to check out for anything Home Free.

Next, there is Home Free Fasion at http://homefreefashion.tumblr.com/ , that’s right, these guys are stylin’! Chris, Adam, Rob, Tim and Austin always look great and at Home Free Fashion you will get a close up look at just how cool they are! From belt buckles to vests to some mighty hot tees and bandanas, this blog will keep you up to date on the latest Home Free fashions, just in case you missed them.

Now we’re going to hit Rachel Cheng’s BuzzFeed Community at http://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelymcheng. Rachel is a witty and clever blogger with an affinity for Home Free. Do you blame her? She breaks down the entertaining music videos of Home Free in a nerdy kind of way that only Rachel can do. You really need to check out her write ups on Home Free. You’ll be back the next time she posts, just to see what she’s up to next!

The final blog I’m going to talk about is not completely Home Free related, but the writer is a huge Home Fry and she loves writing about the guys! It’s Carina’s Joys of Life at http://carinasjoysoflife.blogspot.com/. Carina is an amazing writer with a talent to twist a short story in a direction you may not have seen coming. However, you can tell that Home Free is definitely one of her Joys of Life. Her articles about Home Free are fact filled and heart-warming. Check it out!

If you’re a Home Fry, and you haven’t visited all these blogs, you have some catching up to do. If you’re not a Home Fry, you might be after you visit these sites and watch Home Free videos.

Home Free Website - http://homefreemusic.com/

Home Free YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTFuNYrqAcsmSjgqYMvxOqw

Home Fries speak up

Yesterday a brave Home Fry posted a deep dark confession and it opened up the topic to all Home Fries and it led to many other confessions. My friend and fellow Home Fry, who graciously allowed me to use her name and declaration here today, began her confession like this, “HELLO: My name is __Cindy__! It has been 106 days since I last saw Home Free….” She goes on to talk about meltdowns waiting for concerts, 57 days until her next fix and hallucinations of new albums, oh and burst of excitement over Home Free periscoping! Yes, she’s a Home Free Addict and proud of it!

This admission led to so many other fries pouring their hearts out with how long it had been since their last concert, oh hold on please, Home Free is periscoping from Utah…… Hi, I’m back. That was fun, they started periscoping as I was writing this and well I couldn’t miss it, could I? And no, Rob, y’all are not boring and don’t forget to flip Adam.

OK, back to the revelations of the Home Fries. Some had seen Home Free as little as a few days ago, some several months and some, bless their hearts, have yet to see them live. But our support group is here to make sure those fries get to see lots of videos and pictures. I mean that’s our job to feed their addiction of Home Free with everything Home Free, right?

Never have I seen so many addicts in one place that thrive off each other and make it a happy place to be. In these admissions I saw phrases like ‘the wait is killing me’, ‘intense withdrawals’, ‘faceplants’, and ‘go crazy’. These fans are suffering from the constant teasing from Home Free about new songs, a new CD and the periscoping (and maybe a slip of the tongue, once)! If we had any more fun, we’d all bust a gut!

A funny story here, Cindy has been working on projects, one for each of the guys, and today she was working on Tim’s and asked for an opinion. Before I knew it, she and I were ridiculously having a conversation that was made up of song titles from Tim’s CD and Home Free’s Crazy Life CD. Yeah, we need help, or do we?

I know Home Fries are content in their world of everything Home Free. But a word of advice, don’t ever offer a Home Fry a cure. Fries don’t want a cure, they want a new album, they want a concert new their home, they another Periscope with Rob, #coolestdudeinHomeFreeforusingPeriscopetobringthefanssomeextrafun.

Are you a Home Free addict? No? What the Hell?

Check out their YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTFuNYrqAcsmSjgqYMvxOqw

Did someone say party?

Hello Home Free fans and visitors. I hope everyone is still enjoying the latest video released by the fun loving guys of Home Free. Country Fried Pop Medley has been a huge hit since its release on July 29^th and is over thirty five thousand views on YouTube. That number may be off, I’ll make a sad confession here; those view numbers are confusing to me.

Today’s topic is Home Free and Patreon. First, Patreon is a great site that allows fans to support artists and creators by contributing money in amounts they can afford. I’m certainly not an expert on Patreon, but it has helped many creators get started and keep up with the competition.

Home Free is on Patreon and is currently sitting at $24,174.00 per video from 2,405 patrons. WOW! Patreon allows them to set milestones. When they hit those milestones, they give the Home Free patrons something in return. So far they have reached 7 milestones, ranging from $500 all the way up to $20,000.00 per video. That is just outstanding, in my opinion. The last milestone, at twenty thousand per video, the patron fans got learning tracks for Anyway the Wind Blows. That was pretty cool, I love listening to each part. It gives their already rich, full-bodied sound even more depth. And just to be clear, patrons receive many other benefits for their contributions too, including mp3’s of the songs and even live streaming with the guys depending on your level. The more you contribute, the more benefits you get. But the one thing that makes it completely worth it, is you get first pick at concert tickets and that’s with just a $1 per video contribution!

Their next milestone is $25,000 per video and they are getting close! Now before I tell you the patron reward for this milestone, if you’re not a patron close your ears (you’ll hear the screams). Are you ready for this? When Home Free reaches the twenty five thousand dollar per video milestone, they are going to throw a Home Free patron party! Home Fries around the world are squeeeing in their seats! Did you hear it? #partytime

If you’re already a patron, pass it on. We all know how these wonderfully talented guys have given many of us a cheerful spirit and youthful energy when we hear them sing or see them live. If you’re not a patron, consider a $1 per video contribution. There are several options, including contributing $1 and setting a monthly cap, so you don’t break the bank.

Still need some convincing? Well if a Home Free patron party isn’t enough, then check out some of their videos. Below are several useful links to learn more about Patreon and Home Free!

Are you a Home Free Patron?

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com

Home Free - http://homefreemusic.com/

Home Free YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTFuNYrqAcsmSjgqYMvxOqw

Summer in the Country video - https://youtu.be/QbwIFEhrFzw

Country Fried Pop video - https://youtu.be/1mLyvjU7f1s

Butts Remix video - https://youtu.be/IA0WCc3vTls

Champagne Taste video - https://youtu.be/1L8zGfKDCCY

Country Fried Pop anyone?

Those Home Free Guys don’t know how to do things in a small way, do they? Country Fried Pop Medley is their latest new video and of course, they hit it out of the park!! This video has already spread like wild fire. Home Fries have jumped all over this one with a teenage enthusiasm. But then, how could you not? Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry and so many more. This medley is a pop song lover’s dream. However, Home Free gave it an a cappella country twist and their own special blend of adorable! 

I know you’re thinking ‘five men singing pop songs together, OK.” But let me tell you, over the past year, these guys have continued to amaze me with their endless ability to take any song and make it their own with their rich, unique, brilliant vocals and boyish charm. Oh, but they are not boys, they will make the ladies giggle like girls in one song and swoon in the next one. 

This video has a little bit of everything in one giant mash-up. Home Fries know that Austin Brown loves mash-ups and he arranged this one with compelling skill. There’s Austin wails, Tim serenades, Rob rappings, Chris harmonies and Adam percussioning. There is an overall goofiness about the video, but don’t let that fool you, their talent is real and unrivaled. Their expressions are priceless and the intermingling of the songs is down right mind boggling. And for the Home Fries, there's a step back in time to a much loved guilty pleasure.

So sit back, relax and enjoy Home Free having some fun and inviting y'all to come along. You’ll recognize the songs, enjoy the fun theatrics, oh and don’t forget to look for the chicken. Remember, he’s stealthy!

I love Home Free’s desire to keep their fans guessing what is next and then stunning us with new videos and songs. The fries love you Home Free! We know about a couple things coming up and we are dying of anticipation. New album, new songs, new tour and some legendary collaborations have the Home Fries ready to bust! However, we are grateful for this entertaining video and we'll share it with the world!

What is your favorite part of this new video?

https://youtu.be/1mLyvjU7f1s