Backroad Anthem are moving forward following the loss of the band's founderCraig Strickland, in a hunting accident -- but they're balancing their charge ahead with honoring Strickland's legacy. The band has already figured out how to memorialize their friend and bandmate onstage, but they haven't yet done so in song. They're planning on it, though.

"We’ve been approached by several people, and we have plans to write with a guy named Bart Butler. He’s a really good friend of ours; he’s a phenomenal writer," Backroad Anthem member Toby Freeman tells The Boot. "... We’ve all talked, and I think we’re just going to get into a room with Bart, and we’re going to spend the whole day just trying to pin something down."

The group's career was starting to ramp up just before Strickland's death between Christmas and New Year's: They had recently released their first single, "Torn," from their debut EP. Backroad Anthem will continue on that path, both for themselves and in honor of Strickland.

"... The plan is to keep writing a lot," Freeman explains. "We’ve started exploring other artists, or artist / writers, in Nashville, because there’s so many really good writers here in Nashville. We’ve started looking through their catalogs and looking through some of their songs and trying to find some really cool stuff from the outside of us writing."

The band also plans to keep touring and spend much of 2016 on the road while keeping their eyes on the ultimate goal of a record deal.

"Touring is a huge part of our lives," Freeman says. "We’ve played 150 dates for the past three years, every year. We’re going to try to match that, and maybe even try to do a few more than that."

Still, they remain realistic about the process.

"I know that’s a process. We’re very respectful of that process," Freeman notes. "We understand that with a label, it’s got to be a mutual beneficial relationship. We want to make sure we’re at the right place."

"Torn" is available for download on iTunes, and Backroad Anthem's touring schedule is available on their website.

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