Burly Cruz

More than fourteen years ago Burly Cruz originated as a five piece band located in Glasgow, KY. At the time, most of the members were at the start of their high school career, and shared a common interest to be more than just a passing band. Throughout the duration of the decade all five members managed to continue performing together, and a bond of brotherhood was developed. The band has performed venues of all scales throughout the southeastern region of the United States. From playing the honky-tonk circuit, corporate and private events, and the college scene at numerous venues and campuses all across Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee, Burly Cruz has left little ground unturned. Burly Cruz has also been deemed a favorite at fairs and festivals due to the “southern charm” they share with their fans - through their upbeat country vibe and smooth melodic lyrics, their music goes straight to the center of a country heart! As a result of the band’s perseverance, they have been granted the opportunity to share the stage with many of country music’s finest including artists such as Clay Underwood, Jeff Bates, Doug Stone, Jack Ingram, James Wesley, Lee Brice, Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, and Randy Houser.
After spending more than a decade traveling the roads in every direction playing live shows, Burly Cruz elected to take a new approach which included less traveling and devoting the majority of their time on learning about the country music business and industry. Starting in 2010, Burly Cruz began stomping out their own path on the streets of Nashville, TN. Though it wasn’t overnight success, from spending time learning from Nashville’s top session players to co-writing songs with many of Nashville’s newly established writers, the members of Burly Cruz soon became accepted into an elite network of Nashville musicians. Currently, you may find Burly Cruz performing a high energy show at a downtown venue, or playing an original song on a flattop guitar during one of Nashville’s renowned songwriter nights. When you can’t catch Burly Cruz in the lime light, they are likely in a studio laying down tracks to their newest songs!
Burly Cruz’s Nashville debut began early in 2010, when they entered a new realm with a project guided by legendary producer Jim Vest. In his earlier years, Jim was recognized as one of the most talented pedal steel guitar players to ever arrive in Nashville, Tennessee. He played steel guitar for artists such as Vern Gosdin, Johnny Paycheck, George Jones, and Alan Jackson to name a few. When Jim was introduced to Burly Cruz through a distant connection, he wasted no time in going to work with producing their first professional recordings. The first song from the project, “Just You and Me” was introduced to country radio on June 21, 2010. Following the release date, the song received increased airplay on radio stations nationwide.
Prior to this project, Burly Cruz recorded a sample of original music in June 2007. The recording consisted of five original songs all written by Burly Cruz. The positive response shared by fans of the original songs, was the early encouragement the band members needed to devote their time off stage to writing and recording new music. The band feels no shame in admitting that it is due to their rural farm-life upbringing in Barren County, KY that allows them to write and perform songs that catch the ear of every country music fan that listens.
From their extensive touring experience, recent “Nashville raising”, and their ability to steal a crowd when they perform together, Burly Cruz found themselves in mid 2013 eager to carry their show back to the road with increased tour dates and venues. Though living the normal life by day, and feeling the burden of breaking through the music scene by night, Burly Cruz is continuing to strongly pursue their love for entertaining fans. Like the uniqueness in the name Burly Cruz, the personalities of each member are very diverse. Nonetheless, it is the common interest and desire which allows the band to “stand out from the crowd” when they take the stage.
Lead singer Scott Buchanan lives in Nashville, TN working his day job of IT outsourcing. In addition, Scott enjoys his time on the golf course, hunting in the wild outdoors, and is a dedicated songwriter.
Lead guitarist and backup vocalist Gabe Feese lives in Glasgow, KY. Gabe works at Music Is Me, where he sells musical supplies, provides music lessons, and produces albums for local artists. Gabe also plays mandolin, banjo, and participates in songwriting sessions on a regular basis.
Rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, and backup vocalist, Andy Joe Moore, lives in Glasgow, KY, on his farm located on Barren River. Andy Joe is a high school agriculture teacher and recently received his doctorate degree. In addition to teaching and farming, Andy Joe devotes the majority of his time to songwriting.
Bass player and backup vocalist Brandon Ho