Trailer Choir photo courtesy of Show Dog Nashville.

The manifestation of that statement is "What Would You Say," a song that opened a deeper vein of communication between Trailer Choir, country radio and their ever expanding fan base. The song evolved from a conversation Butter had with his father about the Sago, West Virginia mine collapse that claimed the lives of 12 miners. A few of the men had been able to write short notes to their loved ones as the oxygen dwindled in the shaft. "Dad asked what I would do in that situation, knowing my chances were fading," Butter says. "’What would you write in that note,' he said. 'What would you say?’" And, with the help of Big Vinny, a song was born.

Instantly striking an emotional chord, the song was another affirmation of Trailer Choir's ability to condense a grand idea into a simple phrase, if on the opposite pole from their lighter fare. As a powerfully direct query that gets to the very core of the human value system, "What Would You Say" speaks the same language as "Off The Hillbilly Hook" with its instantly recognizable imagery. "She’s rockin' the beer gut" or telling someone about plans for "my next five beers" are similarly adept at putting thoughts and phrases into the lexicon with such ease it seems they've always been there. Except for the fact that before Trailer Choir, no one had quite voiced them that way.

All of which made "What Would You Say" the perfect and completing final piece for Trailer Choir’s 2009 debut release, "Off The Hillbilly Hook." "We're really proud of this group of songs," Big Vinny says, "because they really show what we're about ... and what we're capable of."

"This has been pretty much a nonstop ride that's gone so fast it seems like a blur half the time," Butter says. "But having these songs come together the way they have really gives a picture of where we're coming from and where we're going. Because we're not slowing down."

On the contrary, Trailer Choir are putting more energy than ever into their music and, as they see it, job one: earning each and every fan. And to that end they are continuing to write prodigiously, tour recklessly and perform enthusiastically. Whether it's opening for Toby Keith, playing their own dates in honkytonks, bars and fairs nationwide or visiting with a few listeners and staffers in a radio station conference room, they're in.

"It's been a good start," Crystal says. "Actually, no. It's been a great start. Because every time we played in an amphitheater parking lot, every time we hit a stage, every time someone buys this record, we have a shot to introduce ourselves and let them know what we're all about. And getting to see that response, that recognition that they've been moved a little bit – whether it's a little shimmy during 'Beer Gut' or a hard swallow during 'What Would You Say' – let's us know they're glad to meet us. That's what keeps us going."