Headliner – The LACS
Fusing the unlikely combination of Southern rap and Southern rock, the LACS created their own brand of hip-hop. Hailing from Baxley, Georgia, the duo of of rapper Clay Sharpe and singer/guitarist Brian King have a sound that incorporates Southern guitar riffs with booming beats and rhymes about life in the Dirty South.
The LACS made their debut in the early 2000s with Midas Well Get Drunk and South on Fire, a pair of independent releases. In 2006, their third album, Lacology, followed, and they signed to Colt Ford’s Backroad label for 2011’s Country Boy’s Paradise, which included appearances from Ford, as well as the single “Kickin’ Up Mud.” One year later, 190 Proof featured the like-minded Big & Rich and Bubba Sparxxx, becoming their first album to break into the overall album charts. Keep It Redneck appeared in 2013, and again included friends and well-wishers Ford, JJ Lawhorn, Noah Gordon, and Sarah Ross. In 2015, the duo released their eighth full-length, Outlaw in Me, which climbed to number three on both the country and rap album charts, and 2016 saw a split LP with Hard Target titled Welcome to Dodge City. Continuing with their tried-and-true formula, the ever-popular duo delivered their sixth LP, American Rebelution, in early 2017, with the single “Redneck Rockstar” dropping the following year. Dirt Rock arrived in May 2018 and landed in the Top 25 of the Billboard Country Albums chart. A year later, they returned with Rise and Shine.
Get more info about The LACS by visiting their website!
Opener – Justin Champagne
Born and raised in south Louisiana, Justin Champagne makes genre-bending music rooted in the sounds, stories, and swampy swagger of his home turf. It’s a soundtrack for Louisiana’s small towns and muddy backroads — a gumbo of hip-hop, country, hook-heavy pop, and hard rock, glued together by a hometown hero who raps and sings not only about his own experience, but also about the country lifestyles of his neighbors in the Deep South and beyond. Champagne has been releasing new music over the past couple of months including the vibey and sure to make you dance “I’m The One,” latin remix featuring El Taiger, the sultry break-up anthem “Refill,” and the much anticipated EP IF SHE AIN’T COUNTRY.
Everything changed in 2016, when Justin Champagne wrote “Sun Goes Down.” A breakup anthem filled with hip-hop beats, countrified guitar riffs, soaring vocal hooks, and rhythmic rapping, “Sun Goes Down” was the first song to embrace the full range of Justin’s musical tastes. By combining a variety of different sounds together, he created something new: a boundary-breaking genre that showcased not only the depth of his influences, but also his versatility as a songwriter, storyteller, vocalist, and rapper. Unsurprisingly, the song became a hit, earning more than a million listens on Spotify and laying the foundation for a unique, trendsetting career. Champagne’s full-length debut, Small Town Sentiments, was released in 2018. Tracks like “Beers” and “In Them Jeans” became fan favorites, introducing a growing audience to Justin’s sound. Things accelerated once again in 2019, when Justin teamed up with hip-hop artist Gabe G to record the wildly-popular “BackRoads.” A tribute to rural living and the great outdoors, “BackRoads” earned Justin a dedicated following not only on Spotify, but also on YouTube, where the song’s music video — shot in the mud bogs, fields, lakes, and country lanes of his home state — amassed 5 million views during its first year. The song was an anthem for small-town residents across America, but it was personal, too, grounded in the experience of a musician who has always preferred country roads to city streets.
Get more info on Justin Champagne by visiting his website!
Opener – Dustin Spears
“I pride myself on being a regular everyday blue collar, hard working man. I’m thankful for technology. It has allowed me to put my music out to the masses at the touch of a button. We all hear how Tiktok changes peoples lives on a daily basis but I never thought that would be me. Now off of one song technology has allowed me to build a following of fans of my music and has expanded my career as an artist into an opportunity with Dirt Rock Empire where I have been shown full support by The LACs and the rest of the label team” said Dustin Spears. “Over the past couple years, many people have not had a lot of reasons to smile, so I wrote a song hoping I could make them laugh and it has worked. Music is my life. I eat, breathe, and sleep music. My hopes for this song are to help bring back a little bit of that old school sound that I love back into music while offering listeners a genuine smile at the comedic play on the words.”
Dirt Rock fans instantly connected with Dustin Spears when he laid down the sugary sweet vocal melody on The LACs recent single “Redneck Tan” which has grown to be a fan favorite. In a very short span, Dustin Spears has managed to garner the hearts of country fans with his light-hearted sense of humor and his soulful delivery. Growing up in a musical family from Tennessee, Dustin naturally picked up the musical ear for instruments and has been using his guitar and unique vocals to spread good vibes to audiences across the United States.
Before joining forces with The Lacs at Dirt Rock Empire, Spears tried out for The Voice and was a potential for the show until the producers deemed his blue-collar everyday man story not Hollywood enough for television but loved his voice. It was at that point Spears started creating his own original music outside the confines of the traditional music industry, placing all bets on himself. His risks have rewarded him in a lot of new ways he never even dreamt of experiencing.
Check out Dustin’s latest music video!
Enjoy a hot, home-style dinner before the big show! With all-day breakfast, mountain-sized nachos, and mouth-watering burgers, The Cascade Grill has something for everyone to enjoy before the big show!
We encourage all our concert attendees to order off the full menu at the Cascade Grill before entering for the show!
Why worry about how you’re getting home when you can stay at our on-site hotel? The Portlander Inn welcomes you to Portland with the cozy feel of a true Northwest lodge. All 100 guest rooms offer refrigerators, microwave ovens, coffee pots, free wireless internet, direct-dial phones with voicemail and televisions with complimentary HBO and Showtime premium channels. Learn more and book your room here.
Event Policies:
ALL PURCHASES ON TICKETS ARE FINAL. There are NO REFUNDS and NO TRANSFERS of tickets with the exception of event cancellations.
Support acts are subject to change.
No re-entry permitted.
21+ event.
Questions? Check out the FAQs on the Ponderosa website for answers to the most common questions.