Hootie & the Blowfish never were cut out to be superstars. They were meant to be the best band at the local bar. They were ordinary guys, and they played ordinary music, the kind that could be heard in any college town on the East Coast or Midwest during the early '90s when the local bar wasn't having grunge night. It was the ordinariness of the music on their 1994 debut, Cracked Rear View, that connected with millions of American listeners – they sounded like everybody's favorite local band. Once they were superstars, their bubble burst fairly quickly as the 1996 follow-up sold considerably fewer than the debut, and by the end of the decade, they had settled into a reliable routine of turning out modest records and touring steadily, without many people outside of their core fans noticing. Their popularity might have declined, but as the 2004 Atlantic/Rhino compilation The Best of Hootie & the Blowfish (1993 Thru 2003) illustrates, their music changed very little over the course of the decade, nor did the quality of their music decline.

"Midlife Priceless" is how Mark Bryan, lead guitarist and co-founder of the 20 million-selling, two-time Grammy®-winning band Hootie & The Blowfish, is living. It's also the title of his latest solo album, and it represents the many moods and friends that have passed through his studio and world recently. Coming on the heels of Hootie & The Blowfish's sold-out 2019 arena tour, Bryan's latest feels confident, free, and perfect for long-time fans of his band and new listeners alike. Collaborators and contributors include Wyatt Durrette (Luke Combs, Zac Brown Band), Steven Fiore (Young Mister), and Tim Neilsen (Drivin & Cryin). “‘Die young as late as you can.’ That line speaks to the point I am in my life and why I’m still making music,” Bryan says, defining the mission statement of "Midlife Priceless.