1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,520
Speaker 1: Catch up time with Tammy Nielson. She's been back at

2
00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:05,040
Speaker 1: Willy Nelson Studio recording some new music. We also have

3
00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:09,000
Speaker 1: news of a tour Nielsen meets Nelson. You like that

4
00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:11,440
Speaker 1: she'll sing some of her favorites on the Willy Nelson

5
00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:13,160
Speaker 1: song Book. Anyway, Tommy Neilson back with this.

6
00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:14,520
Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning.

7
00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:17,080
Speaker 1: Good to have you back on the program and touring

8
00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:18,960
Speaker 1: the country. And we'll talk about the tour and we'll

9
00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:22,120
Speaker 1: talk about the Willy Nelson connection. Last time we talked

10
00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:25,279
Speaker 1: obviously the song it exploded and you'd met Willy and

11
00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:27,080
Speaker 1: perform with Willy and all of that sort of stuff.

12
00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:30,840
Speaker 1: With the passing of time, does it still sort of

13
00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:32,760
Speaker 1: is it still a pinch me thing for you?

14
00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:37,640
Speaker 2: Absolutely? Like I still check my phone every once in

15
00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:39,560
Speaker 2: a while to see if it exists in the world,

16
00:00:40,400 --> 00:00:45,080
Speaker 2: and kind of expect to wake up from this dream

17
00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:47,400
Speaker 2: that I did a due about with him.

18
00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:50,920
Speaker 1: Fantastic And the new album. When's the new album drop?

19
00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:56,840
Speaker 2: The new album Nielsen Sings Nelson is the sixth of September.

20
00:00:57,320 --> 00:00:59,880
Speaker 1: And how does it work when you want to sing?

21
00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:02,720
Speaker 1: So do you go into the lounge at Willie's house

22
00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:04,640
Speaker 1: and go hey by the way, Willie, here is my ID?

23
00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:06,040
Speaker 1: How does that work.

24
00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:11,280
Speaker 2: Well? In this case, it was actually a surprise for him.

25
00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:15,000
Speaker 2: The whole reason I recorded the album was he was

26
00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:17,920
Speaker 2: going to be turning ninety last year and his big

27
00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:21,960
Speaker 2: milestone birthday, one of many and hopefully more to come.

28
00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:28,440
Speaker 2: And I actually conspired with his wife Annie, and I said,

29
00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:31,759
Speaker 2: you know, we were coming back to Texas to their

30
00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,800
Speaker 2: ranch to play the festival again Luck Reunion that's on

31
00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:37,199
Speaker 2: their ranch. And I said to her, is it okay

32
00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:39,640
Speaker 2: if we stay in extra few days, would we be

33
00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:44,119
Speaker 2: able to use Willy's studio to record these songs for him?

34
00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:48,600
Speaker 2: And you know, because his studio wasn't really open to

35
00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:51,840
Speaker 2: the public anymore. It's just kind of his private place

36
00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:56,800
Speaker 2: where he records his vocals and trigger his guitar. And

37
00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:01,000
Speaker 2: she said yes, And we used his enginey Steve Shady,

38
00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:05,320
Speaker 2: who's a legend, and we went in for like three

39
00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,400
Speaker 2: or four days and just recorded all our favorite Willie

40
00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,600
Speaker 2: Nelson songs. And I kind of joked with him when

41
00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:13,000
Speaker 2: I gave it to him, I'm like, is this like

42
00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:14,160
Speaker 2: giving you socks?

43
00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:21,280
Speaker 3: Because because like everybody records his songs, you know, I mean,

44
00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:26,120
Speaker 3: he's had like people right from Aretha to God. Everybody

45
00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:29,880
Speaker 3: has recorded a Willie Nelson song, and I've just I

46
00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:32,399
Speaker 3: guess added to the list of his sock collection.

47
00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:35,640
Speaker 1: Well, I take it. He didn't go, yes, it is.

48
00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,200
Speaker 1: But I mean, what did he did he like what

49
00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:40,639
Speaker 1: he got? I mean, does he critique it? What does

50
00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:41,080
Speaker 1: he say?

51
00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:45,720
Speaker 2: Well, it was really special. I got actually a text

52
00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:52,400
Speaker 2: from his son Micah on his birthday and he well,

53
00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:54,800
Speaker 2: actually it was a year later, on his ninety first,

54
00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:59,520
Speaker 2: because then the vinyl existed, and he said, on his birthday,

55
00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:02,360
Speaker 2: we sat down and we listened to your whole album

56
00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:07,920
Speaker 2: and Micah said, he says, it's a masterpiece. Oh yeah,

57
00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:11,880
Speaker 2: and he said it was quite emotional, and he said

58
00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:18,240
Speaker 2: it was. He goes, I was surprised to hear these songs.

59
00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:20,160
Speaker 2: You know, I've heard them a million times, he sung

60
00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:23,560
Speaker 2: them a million times, even his son Micah has And

61
00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:26,160
Speaker 2: he said, you know, to hear always on my mind

62
00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:29,840
Speaker 2: in a way that caught me off guard and surprised me.

63
00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:34,600
Speaker 2: Was a really emotional experience, and so like that was

64
00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:39,160
Speaker 2: the highest praise. So if they love it, then I

65
00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:41,080
Speaker 2: you know, that's all I really need.

66
00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:44,640
Speaker 1: Will he says. Nielsen sings the hell out of Neilsen

67
00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:47,400
Speaker 1: Tammy's the real deal? And does my song's a great honor?

68
00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:50,320
Speaker 1: I mean, that doesn't get any better than that, doesn't

69
00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:51,560
Speaker 1: It doesn't.

70
00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:54,560
Speaker 2: And when he first sent through his quote it was

71
00:03:54,960 --> 00:04:02,400
Speaker 2: a little bit less family oriented. There was a different

72
00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:06,120
Speaker 2: word instead of hell, and I said, Willie, I think

73
00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:07,960
Speaker 2: we need to make this a little more family friend

74
00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:15,040
Speaker 2: They just they laughed, but yeah.

75
00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:16,839
Speaker 1: I love it. So several questions out of the recording session.

76
00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:19,320
Speaker 1: How do you give them the so much material? How

77
00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:22,160
Speaker 1: do you pick? You know, when you say your your favorites,

78
00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:23,120
Speaker 1: how do you go about that?

79
00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:26,560
Speaker 2: Honestly, that was the hardest part of the whole thing,

80
00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:29,520
Speaker 2: was choosing songs that were favorites. And I tried to

81
00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:32,839
Speaker 2: kind of go into it. I wanted him to be

82
00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:36,120
Speaker 2: surprised and not hear just the same old, you know,

83
00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:40,800
Speaker 2: really really well known covers that we all know. Obviously,

84
00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,240
Speaker 2: songs like always on My Mind are iconic, and so

85
00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:46,560
Speaker 2: there are a couple of those in there, but I

86
00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:48,880
Speaker 2: kind of I wanted to surprise him, and so I

87
00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:53,000
Speaker 2: chose some really deep cuts, ones that you don't hear

88
00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:58,080
Speaker 2: often mixed with some of the beloved ones. But even

89
00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:02,320
Speaker 2: songs like I never ca for you, which is possibly.

90
00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:04,599
Speaker 2: I mean, you can't even say what's your favorite Willy song?

91
00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:09,200
Speaker 2: But one of my all time favorite Willie songs. That's it.

92
00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:11,719
Speaker 1: That's his wife's fiber, doesn't it. That's Endy siber, doesn't it?

93
00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:14,039
Speaker 2: Yes, And that's why I chose it. I wanted to

94
00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:17,040
Speaker 2: open the album with that, and he plays it every

95
00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:21,920
Speaker 2: show because she loves it, and so yeah, that was

96
00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,159
Speaker 2: kind of my way of starting the album, like knowing

97
00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:27,520
Speaker 2: it it's her favorite song. And so it wasn't just

98
00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:31,240
Speaker 2: about what are the most popular Willy songs. I kind

99
00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:33,280
Speaker 2: of wanted them to be special to them as well.

100
00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:36,280
Speaker 1: So not only are you recording Willy's songs, You've got

101
00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:41,120
Speaker 1: Willy's endorsement, You're at Willy's place, in Willy's studio. That's

102
00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:43,919
Speaker 1: that's got to be still blowing you mind, doesn't it?

103
00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:48,600
Speaker 2: Definitely? Like it was just incredible being in that studio.

104
00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:52,120
Speaker 2: You know, my brother was sitting in the chair that

105
00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:56,040
Speaker 2: Willy sits while he records in his little recording corner,

106
00:05:56,120 --> 00:06:02,000
Speaker 2: singing into his mike and getting to like visit, you know,

107
00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:06,400
Speaker 2: his little recording like the Master's vault, which is just

108
00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:10,000
Speaker 2: this really unassuming room you kind of walk in. It's

109
00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:14,200
Speaker 2: like a storage room, but the walls are lined with

110
00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:19,680
Speaker 2: masters of like Redheaded Stranger and just like all these

111
00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:25,840
Speaker 2: iconic reel to reels. And yeah, it felt very very

112
00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:27,640
Speaker 2: dreamlike for sure.

113
00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:28,560
Speaker 1: I'm not surprised.

114
00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:28,720
Speaker 2: Now.

115
00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:30,360
Speaker 1: Now I got to ask Tommy, what's the place like,

116
00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:32,680
Speaker 1: I mean, describe it to me as as in the

117
00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:35,560
Speaker 1: ranch you know in Texas where the you know, where

118
00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:38,120
Speaker 1: he does all is recording. I mean, is it like

119
00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:39,440
Speaker 1: a compound where they live.

120
00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:43,000
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I think it was back in the either

121
00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:46,599
Speaker 2: the late seventies or early eighties he bought this property.

122
00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:54,640
Speaker 2: And originally it's a golf a golf course, and there

123
00:06:54,800 --> 00:07:00,839
Speaker 2: is a the studio is kind of this renovated the

124
00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:04,680
Speaker 2: golf club, like the country club, and so there's a

125
00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:08,440
Speaker 2: bunch of like little condos, and then there's the whole

126
00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:12,720
Speaker 2: golf course and then there's this building which is and

127
00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:17,560
Speaker 2: people still golf on the golf course. And yeah, the

128
00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:22,360
Speaker 2: studio is it's definitely like I've heard stories of like

129
00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:25,520
Speaker 2: the Glory days, you know, where it was like party Central.

130
00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:29,040
Speaker 2: There was a pool there. There was this pool in

131
00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:31,080
Speaker 2: the back and people would record and then they go

132
00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:34,280
Speaker 2: swimming and have a party, and now like the pool

133
00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:37,480
Speaker 2: is all like concreted over, and I think they had

134
00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:40,400
Speaker 2: too many issues of locals like jumping in and using

135
00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:42,760
Speaker 2: the pool, and then it was going to cause.

136
00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:48,240
Speaker 3: All these like liability, so they Yeah.

137
00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:50,440
Speaker 2: But yeah, it's just kind of nuts to like walk

138
00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:55,240
Speaker 2: into this kind of unassuming golf country club kind of

139
00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:59,680
Speaker 2: vibe and it's very much just now a storage facility

140
00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:03,760
Speaker 2: for a lot of his things. And then the studio

141
00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:07,720
Speaker 2: itself is just basically used by him. So it's it's

142
00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:10,800
Speaker 2: really yeah, you're you're walking into an archive.

143
00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:13,880
Speaker 1: Really, that's incredible. You on those too reviews. I take it,

144
00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:15,400
Speaker 1: you know, tell some of these stories as well as

145
00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:16,360
Speaker 1: sing some songs, aren't you?

146
00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:18,800
Speaker 2: Absolutely, I'll give you all the juice.

147
00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:22,760
Speaker 1: What did you do interpretation wise for the songs? And

148
00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:25,360
Speaker 1: and what what's the rule around that when you cover something,

149
00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:28,240
Speaker 1: especially given the connection you have, do you do it

150
00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:31,240
Speaker 1: you know to form? Do you twist it a bit?

151
00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:31,800
Speaker 1: What do you do?

152
00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:36,520
Speaker 2: I wanted to wanted the songs to be recognizable, but

153
00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:40,120
Speaker 2: also and and be you know, respectful and true to

154
00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:45,680
Speaker 2: the originals. But again, like I think my whole you know,

155
00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:48,319
Speaker 2: mindset going into it was was to give him some

156
00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:52,800
Speaker 2: surprises and so it would be like maybe tweaking like

157
00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:57,120
Speaker 2: the feel or the tempo. But really I wanted to

158
00:08:57,160 --> 00:08:59,880
Speaker 2: go in. My original idea was just me and my

159
00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:04,720
Speaker 2: brother acoustic, no other instruments, like just honoring the song

160
00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:09,360
Speaker 2: and the lyrics and keep it really sparse. And the

161
00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:12,720
Speaker 2: album is still quite sparse. But we ended up my

162
00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:15,560
Speaker 2: other brother came and filmed everything while we were there,

163
00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:18,920
Speaker 2: and he's also a drummer. So it kind of also

164
00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:23,080
Speaker 2: marked the first time the three of us performed together

165
00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:25,640
Speaker 2: since we were in a family band when we were kids.

166
00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:28,720
Speaker 2: It was like twenty years, but it was just like

167
00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:31,280
Speaker 2: you know, riding a bike or slipping on an old

168
00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:35,640
Speaker 2: pair of shoes. We started playing, and the songs that

169
00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:38,840
Speaker 2: you hear are literally like one or two takes and

170
00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:43,480
Speaker 2: the first time we've ever played them together. So that

171
00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:46,880
Speaker 2: is also very much kind of honoring the Nelson tradition.

172
00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:52,280
Speaker 2: Willie always wrangles in family, you know, whenever you even

173
00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:56,960
Speaker 2: see his posters, it's Willie Nelson and the family, And

174
00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:01,000
Speaker 2: so I think that's also why we connect deeply with them,

175
00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:07,400
Speaker 2: is incorporating family into things and and things not having

176
00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:09,880
Speaker 2: to be perfect. You know. I love that things are

177
00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:13,360
Speaker 2: live and a little bit rough and tumble and a

178
00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:17,000
Speaker 2: little bit of rough around the edges. And I think

179
00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:20,520
Speaker 2: that is definitely Willie Nelson. You know, he's not mister

180
00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:24,680
Speaker 2: smooth and slick. Yeah, you know you like that bit

181
00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:28,160
Speaker 2: of bit of rugged, little bit of danger in there.

182
00:10:28,679 --> 00:10:31,120
Speaker 1: It is. It's such a special thing that you've got

183
00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:33,880
Speaker 1: and you know that that's evolved between the two of you,

184
00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:37,480
Speaker 1: and it's brilliant and so so the tour, the album,

185
00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:39,360
Speaker 1: and then before we come to it, you told me

186
00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:41,000
Speaker 1: you've got another album. So you've got the album which

187
00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:43,560
Speaker 1: isn't even out. So once that's you got the album

188
00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:45,360
Speaker 1: after the one that's not even out. So you just

189
00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:48,360
Speaker 1: like you're just turning them out like dollar bills, Tammy.

190
00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:52,760
Speaker 2: Right man. I wish I could turn dollar bills out

191
00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:56,760
Speaker 2: like that. I'm a musician. We don't do that.

192
00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:00,600
Speaker 1: Well, listen, lovely to catch up with you again. Good

193
00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:02,320
Speaker 1: luck with the album and good luck with the tour,

194
00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:03,520
Speaker 1: and we'll talk again soon.

195
00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:04,439
Speaker 2: Thanks mate.

196
00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:08,200
Speaker 1: Fantastic Tommy Nielsen. The shows by the way, Wellington, christ

197
00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:11,800
Speaker 1: Church and Auckland in October, So if you want to

198
00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:13,559
Speaker 1: go everywhere from the Opera House to the town Hall

199
00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:16,520
Speaker 1: to the Isaac Theater Royal in christ Church Timmy Nilson.

200
00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:20,000
Speaker 1: For more from the mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to

201
00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:23,160
Speaker 1: news talks it'd be from six am weekdays, or follow

202
00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:24,719
Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio