While country star Phil Vassar [ tickets ] was growing up in Lynchburg, VA, he was a big fan of the Virginia Tech Hokies, based in nearby Blacksburg. So when a gunman killed 32 people before killing himself at Virginia Tech on April 16, Vassar felt the need to somehow bring the community together.

"I've been around Virginia Tech all of my life," Vassar said during an interview with LiveDaily. "When all that stuff went down, it sort of freaked me out. I figured it would be nice to do something."

Vassar is teaming up with Nas, the Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer to present "A Concert for Virginia Tech" on the university's campus Sept. 6.

During the show, Vassar--best known for his songs "Carlene" and "Six-Pack Summer"--is expected to preview material from his forthcoming album, "A Prayer of a Common Man," slated to hit stores Oct. 30.

Vassar spoke to LiveDaily about "A Concert for Virginia Tech," the forthcoming album and the high price of gas.

LiveDaily: During "A Concert for Virginia Tech," can we expect any collaborations?

Phil Vassar: I'm not sure. It'll be a great show, though. It just kind of came up in the last month or so. I think everybody's on the road, working pretty hard right now. It might be fun if we can do something like that. We're kind of zooming in and zooming out. We're playing Chicago the night before and then Iowa the next night. It's kind of sandwiched between two dates. We're having to jump through hoops to get there, but it's going to be great.

Your forthcoming album, "A Prayer of the Common Man," was produced by Mark Wright, who is also your label head. Was it a challenge to work with him?

Mark's a great producer, so it was pretty exciting. Mark's a great guy and he's a great producer.

What was the most important thing you learned from him?

Well, the cool thing about Mark is he said, "We don't have any parameters here. Let's just make some great music." That's how we approached the whole deal. We went in with some great songs and had fun.

I heard that you collaborated with Los Lonely Boys on the song "Why Don't You." How did that come about?

Man, it's great. It came out really, really good. They're Texas guys. The song, it's a real sort of Tejano, kind of a fun, song. When you hear it, you'll know why. Those guys seemed like a natural deal. I know those guys through Mark, and their attorney's one of my good old friends. It was just kind of one of those natural things that came to be.

Why did you decide to name the album "Prayer of the Common Man"?

"Prayer of the Common Man" is one of the tracks on the album. It just talks about where I grew up, where I came from. I grew up in a small town that was very blue collar. It's just where I come from. It just seemed like a great title.

The first single on the new album, "This is My Life," includes lines like "Fat cats just getting fatter/Lining their pockets/What does it matter?" and "Sticking it to the middle class/Well, they can kiss my price of gas." That must have been fun to write.

It was really fun to write. I went to the gas station, and it was $86 to fill up my pick-up truck. I was like, "Holy smoke. Are you kidding me!" You fill up a tour bus a couple times at $900 a pop. I think the Virginia Tech thing was one of the reasons I put the song out. It just needed to be said.

Is it difficult to write songs in which you're being so honest?

I don't think so. Not any more. I think there was a time when I was like, "Well, this is probably too serious. I need to have some fun and loosen up." Not any more. In this day and age, it needed to be said.

What has the reaction been to the song?

It's been great. As soon as we sing, "Well, they can kiss my price of gas," everybody lights up. It's really fun. I'm glad I got to put it out. It's something different on the radio right now, and I like that.

How do you feel your new album fits into your catalog? Is it closer to your early material or a logical progression?

It's definitely a progression. It's been three years since my last studio album. There's been a lot of water under the bridge since then. I'm in a different place than I was three or four years ago. It's different.

What initially inspired you to play the piano? One of the best features of your live shows is watching you jam out on the piano.

It was always the Billy Joels and the Jerry Lee Lewises--Elton John and [Bruce] Hornsby, of course. It was just something I've always wanted to do. I wanted to learn how to play the piano. I just sort of taught myself. Never took lessons. I love it. It's hard for me to walk by one and not just sit down and start playing it. I just love making music, and the piano was my love. I love playing it.

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