Earlier this year GAC partnered up with Katie Armiger and her record label to give one fan the chance to fly to Nashville and write a love song with Katie. Later on it was decided to add Carolwood Records newcomers Love & Theft into the equation as not only co-writers but the producers of the song. The winner would get to go to Sound Kitchen Studios in Nashville and get to witness the recording process of the song.
In the second week of March, 2009, Stephen Schumacher of Charleston, West Virginia was chosen from over 50,000 contest entrants as the lucky winner of the contest and he flew out to Nashville to write the song on March 23 with Katie and Love and Theft. Roughstock was there at the studio to witness the team in action as their newly written song “I Guess That’s Love.” During a break from recording, we sat down and discussed the song with Katie, Stephen Schumacher, and Love & Theft’s Stephen Barker Liles, Brian Bandas and Eric Gunderson.
Matt Bjorke: (To Love & Theft): Is this the first production that you guys have done?
Stephen Barker Liles: No, We’ve done some other stuff but as a group this is our first time producing as the group Love & Theft.
Eric Gunderson: We’d done a few things on our own in the past…
Matt: When they asked you if you wanted to do it, did you jump at the chance?
Brian: Soon as we knew we were free to do it and the studio time was included in the contest, we jumped at the chance.
Matt: So Katie, did GAC bring up this idea or did your folks bring up this idea for the contest?
Katie: Originally we were going to write a couple but it then evolved into this huge sweepstakes and then we got Love and Theft involved and I think it ended up working really, really well.
Matt: Had you meet Love & Theft before this?
Katie: Nope, I’d never met them before this. They’re pretty cool and nice, (everyone laughs)...
Brian: Well, we were introduced for about four seconds at CRS…
Matt: It was probably between interviews…
Katie: Yeah, it was one of those “Hi…bye” kind of things…
Matt: What has this opportunity meant for you, Stephen, to win this contest?
Stephen Schumacher: Well, it was such a unique opportunity, a once in a lifetime chance to be able to participate in the whole process. It’s been absolutely incredible. And, you know, you could probably add up a couple of their ages together and still not get to mine (laughs).
You know, language is something everyone can understand and relate to so working with them, I felt very comfortable because they made me feel that way. It was a good time and a great experience.
Eric: The writing session was really fun.
Everyone: Yeah, it was…
Steve: And the cookies were good too…
Stephen: The cookies Katie made were awesome…
Eric: It’s been really cool, so far.
Matt: When’s the song going to be available? On iTunes?
Katie: It will be on iTunes after we mix it. When will that be?
Brian: It will be available in two or three weeks…
Matt: Maybe it will end up on Katie’s record too…
Katie: Yes, it could. It’s a really, really high possibility of ending up on there.
The single is now finished and available on exclusively on iTunes for everyone to purchase. From the sounds of it, Katie Armiger has found a new trio of future writing partners and, you never know, Stephen Schumacher may just have a 2nd career as a Nashville songwriter in his future.
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