Country Brunch with Jason Morton of Chesapeake Sons

Jason Morton and Brett Wilmer of The Cheaters have finally made the trek to Tennessee with their infectious tunes and high-energy harmonies for their Nashville debut as the lead act.

With enviable talent they have held their own opening for renowned bands such as ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kid Rock, Eric Church, Shooter Jennings and many others.

From entering a contest and being handpicked by Slash as an opening act, to being the only band picked by Paul McCartney’s manager to represent the U.S. in a Lithuanian Music Festival, these guys have rocked with some legends and are ready to show country music what they are made of.

Hailing from coastal Maryland, this dynamic duo brings a rejuvenating edge as well as class tight harmonies to country music. Citing influences like the Black Crowes, The Cheaters have a unique and refreshing style. They can rock out on guitar like Skynyrd with explosive crescendos but, are still able to sing to the hearts of many with their vulnerable ballads like Eric Church. “Our style is a combination of pop, rock and country,” lead guitarist Brett Wilmer said. “We always want to have the same undertones throughout underneath it all; the same feeling and idea. We just want to create great songs that make you feel something. A great song is a great song no matter what format it is in.”

While many country stars were introduced to music through church and school choirs, The Cheaters were introduced to music like any teen, through MTV and from listening to bands like Nirvana. “We both started to play in middle school because it was the cool thing to do,” lead guitarist Brett Wilmer said. “Afterall, Girls love guys who play guitar and it was when MTV was huge and Nirvana was really popular. My friends wanted to start a band, and I think I was the only one who actually bought a guitar and learned to play. When I got to high school, I played with some older blues guys in a band, and they always would play at clubs or bars. I would have to use our drummers old ID to get in just to play our gig!”

Lead singer and guitarist, Jason Morton, started playing piano at age 4 with his grandmother. He then picked up guitar in his early teens. “I performed the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ on guitar at my 8th grade talent show and got a standing ovation,” Jason said. “That is when I knew I wanted to do this the rest of my life. I actually met Brett through a mutual friend in high school who was talking about music and how awesome his band was. He took me to one of the shows at a fraternity party, and I became a fan. Then, the lead singer left the band, and I had the opportunity to audition. We have been together ever since then touring and playing our music all over the world.”

The Cheaters dream of coming to Nashville, writing songs and producing a new EP has finally come true. Their melodic lines and vocals on their eight song EP Waitin’ On Right Now were perfected under the production of Tommy Harden, Reba McEntire’s drummer. “We have never been more proud of anything we have ever created,” Jason said. “This is our 4th record, and it is scary because it is more mainstream than what we are used to. Our original fans have had a great reaction even though some of the elements are more diverse than previous projects. They seem to have embraced the change. “