Review Fix Exclusive: Big City Brian Wright Talks ‘Down in Dixie’

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter Big City Brian Wright about his new single, “Down in Dixie,” breaking down the influences and creative process that helped make it possible.

Review Fix: What inspired “Down In Dixie”?

Brian Wright: I felt like I needed a song that just told everybody a little about me, where I’m from, who I am, etc.  So, I just kinda started saying it all.  It’s just a bunch of facts, put to song and summarized in a chorus “I was born the son of a southern man, come from a long line of hard-working hands.  We’re just good folks doing the best that we can, down in dixie.”  Pretty simple stuff, like I always do.  I wasn’t even sure I was gonna like it, until we made the work tape (just a vocal and guitar).  And then I knew I had a strong song that people would relate to.  

Review Fix: Who do you think will enjoy this track the most?

Wright: Anybody born in the south will get this.  But, like I tell everybody, there’s country folks everywhere, all over the world really. We’re hard workers, religious, still cut loose, but worry about reputation a lot. I grew up in a handshake world where folks did what they said and letting you down was not an option.  Your reputation was your only real asset.  As a teenager, I went to church every week, read the entire Bible cover to cover, but still managed to stir up the local police department. So, I put those real-life lyrics with a country meets southern rock production. And, it sets the tone for the entire album.  

Review Fix: What are your goals for this track?  How do you want it to affect people?

Wright: I wanted to tell a little about myself.  Where I’m from, what I like, what kind of guy I am.  It’s really putting a lot out there, some of which I’m not proud of.  Lyrically, it’s a little uncomfortable.  But as a songwriter, that’s what we do.  It’s even worse for me, because my style is to only write the truth.  I don’t make this stuff up.  It’s all real.  I wanted to open the lines of communication.  Everybody should be proud of where they’re from, the life they made and how they got where they are.  Good or bad, it’s your life.  Own it.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Wright: I invented/described “Honkytonkitis” as a disease.  It’s an addiction to honky tonks, neon lights, and the real country music that gets made and played there.  Well, “Honkytonkitis” is spreading worldwide and going places I’ve never even been as an airline pilot.  I’m getting messages from folks who I didn’t even know spoke English, telling me how much they love the album.  So, I wanna go wherever they’ll have me.  

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14262 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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