Tyler Rich's northern California pride might have gotten the best of him one night. Yes, alcohol was involved, and yes, the inner-lip tattoo was very painful.

"The Difference" singer's hidden lip art is the word "hella," as in "Hella Good," a popular No Doubt song. There's a connection — that's a word people from northern California use often to mean "really" or "extremely." When Rich moved to Los Angeles a decade ago, he moved in with a southern California native who hated the phrase and thus began a personal NorCal vs. SoCal rivalry.

Flash back to a night spent drinking with NorCal friends at his L.A. apartment. The roommate, Hunter, who's now a good friend, leaves because he's annoyed with all the "hella" happening in the room and the remaining group decides to get "hella" tattoos.

"Our downstairs neighbor in our apartment complex was a tattoo artist that had a home built-in tattoo parlor. He had a chair and everything," Rich tells Taste of Country Nights.

"He says, '$25 apiece, let's do it.' And it sucked. It hurt really bad."

No Doubt and Gwen Stefani are from Orange County, but (according to Rich) wrote the song "Hella Good" about a great show in Sacramento in northern California. These days Rich's tattoo is barely legible, as inner-lip tattoos have a tendency to fade, and he hasn't re-upped the ink or returned to a lower-level apartment tattoo parlor, we assume.

"The Difference" is Rich's first single and can be found on a four-song EP that he says showcases all sides of his personality. The beachy, summer vibe of the love song is balanced by others like "Take It or Leave It" on the project. He's definitely able and willing to get dark quick.

Taste of Country Nights is a syndicated night show which airs on nearly 100 radio stations nationwide. Listen to highlights on iTunes or your Android device.

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