TRI-CITIES, Wash. – Country singer-songwriter Logan Liebert grew up in the Tri-Cities before heading to Bozeman, Mont. to attend Montana State University.
He leads the band Logan Liebert and the Light Blue in Bozeman and plays his own gigs when he comes home from school.
“I love this place,” Liebert said of his upbringing in the Tri-Cities. “I can’t stay away too long.”
He spent his early years in Richland, Wash. before moving to Kennewick and attending Kamiakin High School.
That’s when he began making original music.
“[Music has] been a big part of my life my whole life,” Liebert said. “My brother’s been a musician longer than I have. I kind of wanted to be a part of that. So I started playing guitar, and then the rest followed.”
Liebert largely credits classic country artists Townes Van Zandt and John Prine as inspiration for his work, along with Jason Isbell of current fame.
“I always look at it from a songwriter’s perspective… I’m by no means a professional singer or guitarist,” Liebert laughed. “The one thing I can do is write a song.”
When it comes to working through writer’s block, Liebert said he doesn’t have a set solution for getting the creative juices flowing:
“It’s a hard thing because I write my best when maybe things aren’t going so well in my life, right? So it’s not something that you hope for. But, you know, when you are down like that and you have it– you can at least write.”
It’s the classic tale of artists pouring their emotions into their work, and Liebert said it goes both ways.
“When you’re having a really good time and, you know, things are on the up-slide– it’s like, all right, I’ll write about this,” Liebert smiled.
Liebert reminisced about enjoying the live music at Sausage Fest at Christ the King School. He said his favorite memory of playing music in the Tri-Cities was when he was able to play alongside his brother at the event.
“It was a cool, full circle moment,” Liebert said.
Liebert spoke highly of the music scene in Bozeman.
“It’s amazing. There’s a little more opportunity over there,” Liebert said. “It’s kind of a college town, right? The drinking scene is bigger, so people want music more.”
Liebert will play at Anelare Winery in Benton City, Wash. on July 13, 2024 and Summer’s Hub of Kennewick on July 20, 2024.