Sauk Rapids Native Releasing Song 'Benton County Lemonade'

NASHVILLE (WJON News) -- A man who grew up in Sauk Rapids and now lives in Nashville has a new song and EP coming out that takes him back to his roots.

"Benton County Lemonade" is the title track off Aaron Clafton's EP that will be released on November 9th.

He says he had the song title saved in his phone for years and recently pitched it to a couple of his friends to help him write it.

I brought it to a couple of co-writer friends of mine Brittany Moore and Palmer Lee and they looked at me when I pitched this idea to them and it was like a deer in the headlights look. It turns out they are both from Benton County, Arkansas.

Clafton says the three were meant to write the song together. He says he's proud of how it turned out because it captures what it's like to grow up in central Minnesota and it's not about the south.

If you are interested in listening to the song, you can pre-save it before it gets released.

One thing that helps out independent artists is pre-saving songs. It basically tells Spotify and its algorithms that people are interested in this song when it comes out. That can help with playlisting and getting onto radio stations.

In case you're wondering, Clafton says Benton County Lemonade is Canadian Whiskey and a mixer that some people drank when he was younger.

"Benton County Lemonade" is the title track of Clafton's EP that has three other singles on it "Beer Joint", "Things You Do When You're Young", and "Bar Changes". There is a bonus track of the "Beer Joint" intro that features Clafton's grandpa Ken Clafton playing the piano. They recorded at the family cabin near Grand Rapids before his grandpa passed away in July.

The artwork for the EP is of Clafton at the Benton County Fair this summer.

You'll be able to download the song wherever you get your music starting on November 9th.

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Earlier this month Clafton played at the famed Bluebird Cafe. He says it wasn't his first time playing there, but it was the first time as an invited person to a round there. You'll also find him occasionally at one of the bars on Broadway. He has a regular gig at a brunch place on Sundays in the W Hotel.

Photo: Aaron Clafton

Clafton says his main focus over the last few years has been on his songwriting. He's been down in Nashville since 2016.