A twenty year anniversary is cause for celebration, and Lonestar is marking this career milestone in more ways than one. Reunited with original lead singer Richie McDonald, the multi-platinum country music quartet is working hard, with over 90 dates scheduled in North America alone in 2013. ''Twenty years ago, when we put this little band together to play in some bars and make a little money, I dreamed it pretty good,'' admits keyboard player and songwriter Dean Sams. ''But I never dreamed it quite this good.'' Known for merging their country roots with strong melodies and rich vocals, Lonestar has amassed RIAA-certified sales in excess of ten million albums since their national launch in 1995 and achieved ten #1 country hits including ''No News,'' ''Come Crying To Me,'' and their crossover smash ''Amazed'' (which was also #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the first record since 1983's ''Islands in the Stream'' to top both charts). The band's awards include a 1999 ACM Single of The Year for ''Amazed'' (the song also won the Song of the Year award) and the 2001 CMA Vocal Group of the Year. ''Music is a very powerful tool and can help people going through both good and bad times,'' observes McDonald. Nowhere has this been more evident than in the group's performances for U.S. armed forces stationed overseas in Iraq and Kuwait, where classics like ''I'm Already There'' have elicited powerful emotional displays from men and women who've put their lives on the line defending America. ''When you can truly say that what you do can make a difference, that it really can impact somebody's life in a positive way, that's the greatest thing,'' admits Sams. For their next chapter, Lonestar decided to self-produce their new album. ''It's kind of a no-brainer for us to come along at this stage in our careers and say, 'Yes, we can produce our own music.' After all, nobody knows what Lonestar should sound like better than Lonestar,'' says drummer Keech Rainwater. ''I m proud that as a band, collectively, we're smart enough to know what we need to do and how to get it done.'' The new material sounds as thrilling as any of the band's classics. ''I'm more proud of the new songs than anything we've recorded in our careers,'' says guitarist Michael Britt. ''And not just because they're new. I feel like we're as good or better now than we've ever been.'' ''Life As We Know It'' is the follow-up to 2010's ''Party Heard Around the World,'' which was recorded with singer Cody Collins, who stepped in after McDonald left to pursue a solo career in 2007. Parting ways with an original member even temporarily could've spelled the end for many bands, but not Lonestar. ''We've been very fortunate that a lot of our fans have stuck with us through the good and the bad,'' says Sams. ''You know who your true friends are by who stands by you during the low times, and we found out we have a lot of friends.'' With McDonald now back in the fold, Lonestar is starting its third decade of making music together with a bang. The best may be yet to come. ''I'm so excited to think about the songs that are going to come out of the next chapter of Lonestar,'' concludes Rainwater. ''And I m looking forward to another twenty years of great music.'' Lonestar is: Richie McDonald lead vocals, piano; Michael Britt lead guitar, backing vocals; Keech Rainwater drums; Dean Sams keyboards, acoustic guitar, backing vocals.