Member of the Month
CONGRATULATIONS to our Great Voice Inner Circle “Member of The Month” April 2009 – Rick Lance
Rick Lance
I got started in voice-over here in Nashville as a singer, singing demos in the studios around town. While chasing after my musical dreams, I was in a studio with a director who needed a quick radio spot for a local restaurant. When they asked me to record it, I said ?You mean you just want me to talk?? That was my first vo back in 1993 for Tony Roma’s Restaurant.
Not having found my voice yet, I’m sure it was pretty bad. But I got $100.00 and they were happy. I thought this voice-over stuff can be quite musical…. with rhythm, timing, pitch, dynamics, texture and emotion. On and off I began doing voice-over work and realized there’s more to it than I thought. It became an extension of my singing. Although, I still didn’t take it that seriously, until about 6 years ago. Since I had spent most of my time trying to be a Country star and had started my own commercial photography business, I bounced back-and-forth between all three for several years. With a little on-camera work, theatre acting, workshops and classes for acting thrown into the mix.
Who are some of your inspirations?
Early on, I was inspired by Ed Bruce and Hoyt Axton, both older guys with big voices and big personalities doing country style voice-overs. Also a famous radio personality in Nashville, Gerry House with WSIX FM, one of the funniest, most creative men I’ve ever met and Hoss Allen from WLAC FM were both encouraging to me. Many songwriters and artists over the years have been inspiring to me while being immersed in the Nashville music scene as a Singer/Songwriter/Musician/Performer.
I once met then Astronaut John Glenn (before he became a Senator) and was struck by his presence of greatness and warmth. I’ll always remember that day. Robert Redford’s life philosophy has always fascinated me. In general, so has the history of the American Indians in our country.
Today as career models, Sam Elliott, Harlan Hogan, Rodney Saulsberry, Pat Fraley, JoeCipriano, Sella Ward, Richard Gere, Anthony Hopkins and of course, Susan Berkley have all helped me. Whether or not I’ve met them…some I know, some I would like to know.
Share with us any new achievements or accomplishments
I seem to be getting a lot of new attention lately. Hopefully, it’s because of my increased awareness out there through my postcard marketing, website activity and just working in general. I’m starting to get requests for Interactive Gaming voice-overs. This is something new to me, since I don’t really play those things. It is character work and it is really fun to do.
I’m going straight for the THROAT in my marketing campaign. Susan has helped steer me in the direction of ?The Voice of Americana?. Bold yes, but that term has been thrown around a while by my clients. Now I know to use that phrase to help perpetuate the niche I’ve been working in the past couple of years. I’m also voicing a couple of characters on Angelo Panetta’s newest adventure with Anne Manx and the Princess Blair Project for Radio Repertory Company of America.
I just began my third season of narration/promos of INSIDE REINING on ?Wide World of Horses?, on RFD-TV and have become the promo voice of CHAMPIONSHIP BULL RIDING on GAC. Both are done with my western accent character voice. I’m doing some other new local TV station promos with my straight voice for a brand new client on the Alabama Gulf Coast.
I’m currently in rehearsals for a musical play called SCATHE: A CIVIL WAR INCIDENT IN SPRING HILL, TN, to be presented here in my town of Spring Hill in May. It’s a true story about a murder and/or assassination of Confederate Army General, Earl Van Dorn, who was holed up here with his Army waiting for the famous battle of Franklin, TN (about 12 miles from here). While here, he was having an affair with a doctor’s wife. Dr. Peters was believed to have possibly been a spy for the Union Army. Van Dorn was shot in the back of the head by the doctor and the blood stain is still on the wall in the building we are rehearsing in.
I play a confederate soldier, Smokey, who is very gruff and sarcastically humorous (yes, a real stretch, I know). It’s a cast of 20, with most of us singing as well. And I didn’t even have to audition. I was asked to join the cast.
The director is hoping to impress a group of representatives from an outdoor drama company to underwrite/finance a full scale outdoor drama with horses, wagons, weapons, etc. She just might pull it off since Spring Hill and Franklin are protected national Civil War battlefield areas and have gotten a lot of attention from historical societies and the like.
Tell us some fun or interesting on the job stories.
Sometimes I run into some pretty famous people at the studios in Nashville when I’m called in to do voice- overs. I’ve also appeared in several music videos made here. I’ve met Tim McGraw, Trace Atkins, Steve Windwood, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, Michael McDonald, The Bellamy Brothers, John Kay (Steppenwolf), Randy Bachman (BTO) and more.
Last week I had lunch with a friend and actor who I did a ?B? level horror movie with called EVIL LURKS. We spent our lunch reliving the experience. In a cast of 42 we spent 3 weeks on a Boys Ranch outside of Selma, Alabama in the summertime shooting the film. I played the part of a deranged caretaker and guardian of a large family of mutated nuclear war victims. I feed them huge slabs of 20 thick raw beef each day. Here I am wearing yellow, rubber overhauls slinging real bloody meat around in 100 degree weather as I’m being knocked around by tractors, pick axes and other actors. Despite the conditions, I didn’t lose much weight or energy; since we had fabulous home cooked meals prepared by two old ladies in the dormitory we were all staying in. I was completely and utterly immersed in making this film. We were all isolated from what we knew, allowing for complete concentration. It was a great experience, but I doubt you’d ever be able to find the movie anywhere.
