JOE FRYE con't from p.36
his brother. With their chemistry spot on since
day one, the band connects best with engaged
audiences. Joe agrees, “We play better and feel
better when our audiences interact with us!
When they get into the music, then this gives
us energy. Our vision with the Low Down Dirty
Heathens is to play for big crowds, sold out
shows! No one cares about the money as long as
the bills are paid.”
Finishing every single show with Willie
Nelson’s Whiskey River, Joe smiles, “We play it
exactly like he doesn’t... for about 10 minutes.”
Always making the music their own, so it is with
life. Joe encourages, “Follow your heart. Don’t
give up. Don’t take, ‘No’ for an answer. Don’t
be afraid to take chances. Don’t settle for what
someone else wants. Every once in a while you
have to take a leap.”
In following his heart to make the music
happen, Joe wraps up the interview with a
standing ovation to thank all of his family,
friends and fellow musicians who join the Low
Down Dirty Heathens’ tour. Joe shares, “I want
to thank our family, who are invested 110%,
for putting up with us all these years. We have
friends who are like family and have been with
us since day one. And our fellow Moore County
musicians from Frankie Moree to Dark Horse
Band, Whiskey Pines, Tony Barnes, McKenzies
Mill and up and coming artists like Dalton Davis
to name a few, remain a constant source of
inspiration. With all of the well-known havens
for local music such as the Rooster’s Wife, the
Poplar Knight Spot and the Sunrise Theater,
Moore County is full of great music!”
With an excellent support base in place
and a growing fan base, Joe Frye and the
Low Down Dirty Heathens encourages all to
check out joefryemusic.com. Follow them
on Facebook,YouTube, and iTunes. Listen on
Spotify or better yet in person at a local venue.
And Joe cheers, “Vote for us! We’d love to win
Best of the Pines as we invent a new genre all
our own!”
So take a leap! Join the harmony and become
a Heathen as Joe Frye shares the rest of the story
from his American Outlaw,
“I’m just an ol’ country boy, and that’s all I’ll
ever be,
And many men & women have gave their
lives so I can be free,
Some don’t like it, but I will always Stand &
Salute the Flag,
Cause I love our country, and if you don’t like
it I really don’t give a ....
Yeah if you don’t like it here, I’m sure Canada
will take you in.” ☐
Photo Credit: Dan Ring, Mechanics Hill Marketing.
Joe Frye
Getting to know Joe Frye & The Low
Down on the Low Down Dirty Heathens:
Describing your music as Outlaw Country, what
do you mean? The genre comes from the 70’s,
with artists like Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard,
Hank Jr., Kris Kristofferson. When they didn’t like
the way Nashville was doing things, they went
out to Arizona and started their own label and
recording studio.
Favorite musician?
Joe: Robert Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Sturgill
Simpson, Willie Nelson. All the old Outlaw
Country guys, Classic Rock, Blues.
Ronnie: Waylon Jennings.
Donnie: Outlaw Country, and Conway Twitty-he
can melt your heart!
Favorite song?
Joe: Texas Flood by Stevie Ray Vaughn
Ronnie: Tonight by Ozzy Osbourne
Donnie: Lynyrd Skynyrd was my first band; I like
that old swamp music.
What kind of instruments do you play?
Guitars: Fender Telecaster and Fender
Stratocaster
Drums? Pearl, Tama, DW
Bass? Ibanez
Looking back, what do you wish you would’ve
known then that you know now? The cool kids
aren’t the ones skipping class! The cool kids are
the ones with the books and doing what they are
supposed to do. But then again, I wouldn’t do
anything different because I wouldn’t be who I
am now or where I am now. Everything we have
done has led us here.
How would you inspire others to live their
dream? Follow your heart. Don’t give up, don’t
give in. When you mess up, don’t stop. Keep on
going. ☐
FROM ROOFTOP con't from p.30.
question. I was so disappointed in myself, but
then again, I had defeated myself before I even
took the test with all of the negative thoughts.”
As time passed, Ethan’s mom Lois asked him
what he was going to do. Upon thinking about
it, Ethan proclaimed, “I’m gonna take the test
all over again.” At that point smiles Ethan, “I
wasn’t going to let any negative thoughts get
into my head. Whenever someone said anything
negative, I turned it straight into a positive.”
When his Uncle Mike asked him what he
wanted to make on the test, Ethan stated, “I just
want to pass with at least a 70%.” Mike wouldn’t
take that for an answer and challenged, “ Why
not shoot for a 100%? Tell yourself you are going
to make a 100, and study like you are going to
make a 100 on the test!”
The power of Mike’s encouragement coupled
with the power of positive thinking created a new
chance! Ethan remembers, “Mike understood
my struggles from his own challenges; I could
relate to him as a guy, and he was easy to talk
to with no judgment. You know, moms always
say they love you and that you look good and all
that!” We laugh.
Enduring the wait of another six months
before he could take the test again found Ethan
gearing up for victory. He smiles, “I didn’t make
a hundred, but I passed with a 90-something!”
The timing could not have been more perfect
for Ethan. As his dad needed to take some time
off to be with a friend before he passed, Ethan
stepped right up, put his foot in the opened door
and started doing his own home inspections.
Taking an opportunity to prove himself to
everyone from his family to the community,
Ethan passed this most important inspection of
a lifetime! With almost a year now under his belt,
Ethan’s vision is to stay busy working within his
hometown of Moore County. To be able to help
locals invest in their dreams with confidence
drives his business goals.
In looking back over the year in business and
his twenty-one years of life, Ethan considers the
passes and fails along the way, “The value of
not giving up is being able to share your story
with someone else. I may not have the biggest
or the best story, but it’s still worth sharing. It is
worth going through the pain to be able to help
someone else out, which is always better than
pointing your finger at someone in judgment. I
plan to help others from here on out.”
In considering others, Ethan understands
the peace that comes from perspective. For
a long time, I asked, “‘Why me,’ but then, I
realized many people have it way worse than
I do. Until you walk a day in their shoes, then
you don’t understand the struggles. I really don’t
think anyone has it better than anybody else, so
we just need to love one another.”
And so the inspection of both life and home
comes full circle to the summation of all things
Ethan Payne Home Inspection. Remembering
the inspiration found in his Uncle Mike’s
encouragement and in understanding God’s
purpose in the pain, Ethan summarizes, “Going
through the challenges made me hit my knees
in prayer and figure out who God really is. God
has helped me through it all!”
From the rooftop to the crawlspace and
every space in between, Ethan is ready for
any checklist as he give thanks in the ground–
breaking events. Come what may, pass or fail,
Ethan assures, “You may fail, but you are never
a failure!” So too with your home inspection, no
matter what the results uncover, there is always
hope in the building of dreams! ☐
For more on Ethan Payne, see info p. 35.
(910) 639-3534
Ethan Payne Home Inspections
PO Box 601 • Southern Pines
Check out Joe Frye and the Low Down Dirty
Heathens: www.joefryemusic.com
Fb: @The Low Down Dirty Heathens Band
A house is not a home unless it
contains food and fire for the
mind as well as the body.
~ Benjamin Franklin
No. 138 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.37
/joefryemusic.com
/www.joefryemusic.com