While artists like Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood have made waves in bringing country music to the mainstream with more modern sounds, there are artists like Luke Bell who like to go the more traditional route. Inspired by the classic greats like Merle Haggard, he's been creating honky tonk music perfect for this generation. So what drew him to this sonic style?

"I guess [it's] the simplicity of it," he told Myspace. "Well-written songs and simple direct and fun. You can dance to it. I always enjoyed that with honky tonk you can two-step and line dance to it. It forms an interactive experience."

With the release of his self-titled debut and lighthearted yet heartbreaking single, "Sometimes," Luke comes off as a chilled out guy, and we don't doubt he is. However, his music moves you to not only start two-stepping but also take another swig of your drink as you reminisce about the one you loved.

Find out more about the breakout country crooner below.

Merle Haggard Inspired Him to Become a Performer

Throughout high school, Luke would play along to the classic rock tunes on the radio. However, it wasn't until he heard an iconic Merle Haggard record that he considered this to be an actual career. "This record by Merle Haggard, Okie from Muskogee, really got me interested in the idea of live performing," he says.

New Orleans, Nashville and Austin Influenced His Career

Luke lived in a number of major musical cities on his journey to stardom, and each had its own lesson for him. "Austin is a great place to do live music," Luke says.

"There's always somewhere to play, lots of dancers. Austin is just a lively, fun town. New Orleans was really cool, and that’s where I got interested in the busking scene. And I was really impressed with their ability to perform in any situation — playing music to make money and build a show. And Nashville, there’s so much recording history, especially with country music. The studios up there, especially The Bomb Shelter, there’s no other place like that studio where I heard records that sounded like that."

He Still Performs at Santa's Pub in Nashville

Never forget the ones who've always been there, and Luke really holds true to that. Whenever he's not touring and in Nashville, he makes sure to stop by Santa's Pub and will likely play a song or two.

“For me, the most important thing about music is community,” he reveals. “And I am on the road more often now, and I don’t get to go to Santa’s often. But that community is something. We’ve been supporting each other for a few years now. And I know we’ll grow and change and people will move on in different directions, but it’s fun. I enjoy going there and seeing the people who’ve been coming out to see us for two years. And not to mention, the beer is $2 PBRs at the bar. And Santa and Angelina have been great friends the whole deal.”

He's Proud of the Debut LP But Ready to Move On

“I’m just happy that it’s finally out and able to take a life of its own,” he starts, “which allows me to move forward to work on new stuff. I have nothing bad to say about the record. I enjoyed the artists who played on the record and the songs. But as an artist, as with many things, by the time they’re done, they’re ready to do something else. Hell, by the time they’re half-done, they’re ready to do something else.”

He Really Had to Work With 'The Bullfighter' to Get It Right

“I don’t know why I felt like I couldn’t get that recorded the way I wanted it,” he says of The Bullfighter. "It doesn’t mean that it wasn’t good or bad. That’s just how it goes sometimes. But I never felt quite like I nailed that one. There were some on there that I felt like we nailed. There were some songs we nailed, like ‘Loretta,’ but there were some that we worked on a lot. 'All Blue' was another one that took some work.”

You Won't Catch Him Doing 100 Takes in the Studio

While other artists will stay in the recording booth for hours (maybe days) until they get the song right, Luke is the opposite. “I can’t get through three takes before I’m bored and mad,” he admits. “I like to get it and keep moving.”

He Questions Love in "Loretta"

“Trying to have a relationship in our generation can be frustrating because you don’t know when you’re supposed to stay and when you’re supposed to move on,” he explains. “That song in particular was about being torn between leaving or staying. Are you the right age to settle down or do you keep moving? It also tackles those feelings and emotions in a song.”

He Tries Not to Be Too Serious in His Lyrics

"I’m an open book, but at the same time, the style that I’m into, traditional," he says, "I’m not trying to take myself too seriously. There are lines in my songs that are like a theater piece. I think of my work like that."

And He Avoids Self-Indulgence in His Music

"One thing that I really shy away from and really dislike is being self-indulgent in your work," he says. "I think it’s important to be honest, but I also don’t want to wallow in self-pity. For me, the goal is to find the sense of humor in sad emotions or paint a romantic picture of your sadness. So say that girl who is Loretta in the song can listen to it and feel sentimental and know more about the story, instead of ‘Oh I’ve smashed a whiskey bottle / I’m a broken man / And you’ve ruined my life’ or something like that."

He'll Likely Play New Material at His Shows

"That's the one thing as an artist that my business people get frustrated with," he says. "I like to perform new songs. I like to perform things that I'm inspired by currently or try to."