WEBVTT - I'm leaving this country. Bad idea? 0:00:11.240 --> 0:00:15.120 Padi. Everybody, Welcome to the Granger Smith podcast. What's Up? 0:00:15.160 --> 0:00:20.120 Thanks for listening. Would traveling to another country right now 0:00:20.560 --> 0:00:23.960 be a smart thing to do? If I just packed 0:00:23.960 --> 0:00:28.080 my bags and headed off to the airport and went 0:00:28.160 --> 0:00:31.280 to a completely different country during the craziness of this 0:00:31.360 --> 0:00:34.120 world right now, in the state we're in, would that 0:00:34.320 --> 0:00:37.280 be smart? And if I did well what I see, 0:00:38.080 --> 0:00:41.519 would I feel safe? Well, I'm here to tell you 0:00:41.560 --> 0:00:44.320 I just did it. I actually just got back, and 0:00:46.240 --> 0:00:49.120 I learned a lot from this trip. And probably most 0:00:49.159 --> 0:00:53.360 importantly was when I was deciding to go in this 0:00:53.479 --> 0:00:57.480 crazy time and leave my family and go to another country, 0:00:58.440 --> 0:01:04.759 and I was having some serious commitment remorse, like maybe 0:01:04.760 --> 0:01:07.880 I shouldn't like now I'm scared, Maybe I should be scared. 0:01:08.200 --> 0:01:11.119 Everyone's telling me I should be scared. I should try 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:15.440 to be super safe right now. And then I decided 0:01:15.480 --> 0:01:17.800 against it, and I decided to go with my gut 0:01:17.959 --> 0:01:23.760 and go with the original commitment. And I was really happy. 0:01:23.920 --> 0:01:27.119 I was really really happy that I did. I felt 0:01:27.120 --> 0:01:29.280 like I'm better for it. I felt like nothing bad 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:32.080 happened from it. I'm want to tell you all about 0:01:32.120 --> 0:01:35.039 that where I went, How I did it, what it 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:39.160 was like on this podcast. I want to read a 0:01:39.200 --> 0:01:41.360 few shout outs here before we get started, because shout 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:44.640 outs on this podcast are really important to me. So 0:01:44.680 --> 0:01:48.240 I want to give a shout out to Jesse Nettie 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:52.520 Covin that is any tt E k O v E N. 0:01:53.240 --> 0:01:57.640 Sorry if I'm so bad at these names from oshcost, Wisconsin. 0:01:58.120 --> 0:02:00.720 I'm going to give a shout out to Justin Toner 0:02:00.840 --> 0:02:08.600 from Oklahoma. Landon Manzonis from Durango, Colorado, thirteen years old. 0:02:08.639 --> 0:02:13.680 Thank you, Landon. Here's a shout out to Love Cows. 0:02:13.840 --> 0:02:16.360 Love Cows always listen to this podcast. I don't exactly 0:02:16.360 --> 0:02:19.720 know who you are, but what's up? Thank you? You said? 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:22.200 Will you ever have Matt character on this podcast? Yes? 0:02:22.280 --> 0:02:25.880 I will. Good question. Love Cows shout out to Spencer 0:02:25.960 --> 0:02:30.320 Nielsen from Boise, Idaho. Love Me from Idaho. Thanks Spencer. 0:02:31.800 --> 0:02:34.400 Here's a question from our Here's a shout out to 0:02:34.760 --> 0:02:41.000 Isaiah Claverweedon. Thank you Isaiah for listening. Appreciate you do 0:02:41.040 --> 0:02:46.080 a few more. Alexis Valeda from Minneola, Texas. What's up, Alexis, 0:02:46.160 --> 0:02:53.080 thank you for listening. Justin Zevenbergen, sixteen years old from 0:02:53.480 --> 0:02:55.799 Low Michigan. It's crazy. You have to read some of 0:02:55.800 --> 0:02:57.040 these names, and I think it's going to be a 0:02:57.080 --> 0:03:01.400 foreign country and it's it's Michigan. What's up? Sixteen years old? 0:03:01.560 --> 0:03:07.880 Justin thank you for listening. Man and Tyson Lindbergh. Appreciate you. Buddy. 0:03:08.400 --> 0:03:15.239 Mason Corral from Tiffan, Ohio. Caleb Sea Hand see hand 0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:20.800 from tom Ball, Texas. What's up? Caleb Gabriel Gonzales from Henderson, Texas. 0:03:21.720 --> 0:03:27.560 Dylan Dillon Dylan Sorry, Dylan Shavers thirteen years old, Dylan, 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:32.880 that's the second. Thirteen year old. Mandy Clevinger from Southwest Missouri. 0:03:33.520 --> 0:03:40.600 What's up? Mandy Bryson bocom is turning eleven years old 0:03:40.640 --> 0:03:44.040 on January sixteenth, shout out. Thanks for listening to Diesel Bryson. 0:03:47.080 --> 0:03:50.200 I appreciate you guys. I mean you could. You could 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:52.480 get a shout out if you want. Grangersmith podcast at 0:03:52.560 --> 0:03:54.920 gmail dot com. I can't do them all, I'm sorry, 0:03:55.720 --> 0:03:57.400 but I would like that. I'll go through and just 0:03:57.440 --> 0:04:00.640 shotgun through some of them like that. I appreciate you 0:04:00.680 --> 0:04:02.600 guys so much, love you, thank you for giving me 0:04:02.640 --> 0:04:05.240 this platform. I'm not only going to tell you about 0:04:05.640 --> 0:04:09.160 going to a foreign country and why I think you 0:04:09.240 --> 0:04:13.080 should consider it and get your comments ready because you're 0:04:13.080 --> 0:04:14.640 about to attack me. I know some of y'all are 0:04:14.640 --> 0:04:17.680 going to attack me for even saying that, but I 0:04:17.720 --> 0:04:19.720 also want to answer some of your questions. There's some 0:04:19.800 --> 0:04:24.080 really good questions today, including one that says, how could 0:04:24.120 --> 0:04:29.640 I get on stage and glorify alcohol and tobacco when 0:04:29.680 --> 0:04:31.360 I'm trying to be a man of Christ? How could 0:04:31.400 --> 0:04:33.440 I do that? And so I dug in and completely 0:04:33.520 --> 0:04:39.200 unpacked that really good question on this podcast. Appreciate y'all listening. 0:04:39.800 --> 0:05:18.359 Love y'all, Ye yee did chant in DC mon tires 0:05:18.440 --> 0:05:23.599 and school, long line of good by, fool of up 0:05:23.640 --> 0:05:41.560 and down during back rangy cog yeah goation. So I 0:05:41.640 --> 0:05:45.800 just got back from Mexico last night, really late last night. 0:05:46.320 --> 0:05:50.719 Flew in the last flight out of Atlanta from Mexico 0:05:50.800 --> 0:05:56.479 City from Airmasile, and so I have a little little 0:05:56.839 --> 0:05:59.440 tired today, but good to be back home, Good to 0:05:59.440 --> 0:06:03.120 be back on the podcast. This trip to Mexico, it's 0:06:03.200 --> 0:06:06.320 interesting and I want to talk about it because, uh 0:06:06.839 --> 0:06:12.280 my good buddy Preston from I know him from We 0:06:12.320 --> 0:06:16.800 went to grade school together and then college together and 0:06:16.839 --> 0:06:20.880 then our lives became very different when he went into 0:06:20.880 --> 0:06:24.600 commercial real estate. He's really really smart guy, brilliant guy, 0:06:25.200 --> 0:06:26.840 and he's one of these guys you meet him, you 0:06:26.880 --> 0:06:29.719 just know he was going to be successful, and he 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:32.200 is very successful at what he does. And then I 0:06:32.240 --> 0:06:35.600 went and joined a band out of college. So we 0:06:35.760 --> 0:06:39.920 our lives took really really big turns away from each other, 0:06:40.560 --> 0:06:43.719 but we talk a lot still and we share a 0:06:43.800 --> 0:06:46.040 love for the outdoors. We always have ever since we 0:06:46.040 --> 0:06:51.200 were kids. So we go hunting at least once a year. 0:06:51.240 --> 0:06:56.960 We'll go hunting for something, whether it's bird or deer. 0:06:57.640 --> 0:07:00.400 This time it was mule deer in Mexico. And the 0:07:00.440 --> 0:07:04.440 reason this happened was he called me of just about 0:07:04.440 --> 0:07:08.480 two days before we left and said, hey, man, I 0:07:08.480 --> 0:07:11.680 have this trip planned to go to Mexico and the 0:07:11.720 --> 0:07:15.160 state of Sonora and I was going with my dad 0:07:15.240 --> 0:07:19.960 and my dad got diagnosed with colon cancer and needed 0:07:19.960 --> 0:07:23.320 to get some test done so he can't go. Do 0:07:23.360 --> 0:07:27.920 you want to take a spot? And I said, hey, man, awesome, 0:07:28.600 --> 0:07:30.800 let me check with Amber, let me look at the 0:07:30.840 --> 0:07:34.120 schedule and I'll get back to you soon. So hung 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:39.840 up with him. And it's interesting because I went to 0:07:39.840 --> 0:07:42.120 Amber and she was like, yes, do it. You need 0:07:42.120 --> 0:07:46.000 to do it. You know, these kind of opportunities are rare, 0:07:47.040 --> 0:07:49.880 and you only live once. And Amber, you know, since 0:07:50.360 --> 0:07:55.040 Amber is always really into you only live once, take 0:07:55.080 --> 0:07:58.320 advantage of life when you can, because tomorrow is not guaranteed. 0:07:58.960 --> 0:08:01.280 And this was a special trip with your friend. So 0:08:01.320 --> 0:08:04.280 I was like, cool, cool. So I texted him and said, 0:08:04.880 --> 0:08:08.000 I'm in give me the details, you know, let me 0:08:08.000 --> 0:08:11.200 get the flight and everything. And then when I said that, 0:08:12.120 --> 0:08:15.320 I started getting sort of building up the slow remorse. 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:20.360 You know, you talk about buyer's remorse. For me, there's 0:08:20.400 --> 0:08:25.120 something that's what I call commitment remorse. It's like I 0:08:25.120 --> 0:08:27.560 commit to something and then I go, oh, why did 0:08:27.560 --> 0:08:30.320 do this? So I just wrestle in my brain and 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:33.320 I was literally laid down on the bed and you know, 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:36.280 face down in the pillows, and I was just like, shoot, 0:08:38.080 --> 0:08:40.720 do I need to be leaving the family right now? 0:08:40.840 --> 0:08:45.000 You know, the world's weird right now? Do I need 0:08:45.040 --> 0:08:48.840 to be traveling to Mexico? And Amber the whole time? 0:08:48.960 --> 0:08:52.240 Thank God for Amber, She's just reassured me like, yes, babe, 0:08:52.640 --> 0:08:56.000 do it, do it. These opportunities don't come you're gonna 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:59.560 make memories. And I was like, into my mind, I'm like, well, 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:01.720 I'm gonna go to the farm and do a podcast 0:09:01.800 --> 0:09:04.920 and you know, get stuff done around the house and 0:09:06.040 --> 0:09:08.720 work on you know, do radio interviews. And I'm like, man, 0:09:08.520 --> 0:09:12.080 I do those all the time. Anyway, why do I 0:09:12.240 --> 0:09:14.520 Why do I want to be stuck to this routine? 0:09:15.800 --> 0:09:18.480 And so I was like, well, I started thinking, well, 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:20.760 Preston asked me for a reason. There has to be 0:09:20.800 --> 0:09:22.800 a reason. There's a reason for everything, and maybe I 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:26.559 actually just embrace this, embrace an adventure, embrace the unknown, 0:09:27.600 --> 0:09:32.439 give up on this commitment remorse. And so it's like, okay, 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:34.080 I just committed my mind to it. I'm gonna be gone. 0:09:34.080 --> 0:09:38.600 It's gonna be like five days. So I did, and 0:09:39.280 --> 0:09:42.679 I'm so glad that I did. It was it was 0:09:42.720 --> 0:09:46.120 an amazing trip. We flew into we I flew from 0:09:46.120 --> 0:09:51.000 Austin to Phoenix to airma Cillo and from airm Cillo, 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:54.640 our guide, which is basically the owner of the ranch, 0:09:55.120 --> 0:09:58.040 picked us up at the airport and we drove about 0:09:58.040 --> 0:10:00.280 an hour and most of that drive was on a 0:10:00.280 --> 0:10:04.079 dirt road. We went to that I mean, we throw 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:09.040 around the phrase middle of nowhere in the Sonoran Desert, 0:10:09.720 --> 0:10:13.000 you could really get in the middle of nowhere. I'm 0:10:13.000 --> 0:10:16.600 talking no first of all, just no roads. There's no 0:10:16.679 --> 0:10:19.200 road there's no county roads, there's no power lines, there's 0:10:19.240 --> 0:10:24.560 no buildings, there's no civilization at all. So down a 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:27.960 certain point on these dirt roads, you just start going 0:10:28.000 --> 0:10:32.280 through ranches and you're we're going through other people's ranches. 0:10:32.400 --> 0:10:36.240 Every land, every piece of land and Sonora is privately owned, 0:10:36.280 --> 0:10:40.800 and they're massive ranches because it's just arid desert. So 0:10:42.000 --> 0:10:45.640 I mean it's heavily vegetatd heavily vegetated, is that right. 0:10:45.880 --> 0:10:49.440 There's a lot of vegetation, so it's not open desert. 0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:52.719 It's it's like mesquite trees and all different kinds of 0:10:52.800 --> 0:11:02.160 cactus and PalaVerde trees. But it's it's still very arid desert. 0:11:02.200 --> 0:11:05.240 So you're driving through ranches and going through these cattle gates. 0:11:05.280 --> 0:11:08.360 It's all cattle country. In fact, this country is known 0:11:08.960 --> 0:11:11.160 for this part of the country is known for carnee asada. 0:11:11.520 --> 0:11:14.880 They invented carne asada. So they know their beef very 0:11:14.920 --> 0:11:17.440 very well, they know their cattle very very well. They 0:11:17.440 --> 0:11:20.959 could tell you what breed of cattle and what cut 0:11:21.240 --> 0:11:24.840 produces what taste, and the reason in the difference of 0:11:24.880 --> 0:11:28.440 breeds for that taste. So you're driving through these different 0:11:28.480 --> 0:11:31.559 ranches and you have a key that will get you 0:11:31.800 --> 0:11:34.680 through the gates of different people's ranches. So that's how 0:11:34.720 --> 0:11:39.160 far you're going away from civilization and out there. We 0:11:39.240 --> 0:11:41.880 finally got to Beto is his name. We got to 0:11:41.920 --> 0:11:47.160 Beto's ranch and it's twenty thousand acres all just free range, 0:11:48.000 --> 0:11:52.880 and there's no power that they run a backup generator 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:55.360 and then they have a solar system, which the solar 0:11:55.400 --> 0:11:59.880 power was pretty iffy. It would go off a lot, 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:01.600 would lose power a lot, so they have to crank 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:04.800 up the backup generator. No water, of course, it was 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:08.120 all well water, hand dug well water. And then there's 0:12:08.120 --> 0:12:12.959 some cowboys that lived there and it was to me 0:12:13.320 --> 0:12:15.600 like what Texas would have been one hundred and seventy 0:12:15.600 --> 0:12:19.840 five years ago, you know, just modern technology is not 0:12:19.920 --> 0:12:23.880 there yet, and I just loved it. It was incredible. 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:26.880 The hunt was all high rack hunting. So we're in 0:12:26.880 --> 0:12:29.360 the back of a pickup. There was two pickup trucks, 0:12:29.400 --> 0:12:33.359 and then they built these metal high racks basically platforms 0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:36.360 in the beds of the truck. And then Preston went 0:12:36.400 --> 0:12:38.800 with a guy and would drive around, and I went 0:12:38.840 --> 0:12:40.920 with the guy. We'd drive around and we would just 0:12:40.960 --> 0:12:43.960 drive around all day down these dirt roads, very slow. 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:47.960 Just he's looking left and I'm looking right, and we're 0:12:48.000 --> 0:12:51.760 just scanning the brush looking for desert mule deer. And 0:12:51.920 --> 0:12:53.600 of course I filmed the whole thing. You guys know me, 0:12:53.640 --> 0:12:55.320 I like to film everything. So I made a video 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:58.520 for my YouTube channel called Gigge Life, and I made 0:12:58.559 --> 0:13:02.760 it a video for the Smiths. The Smiths are always 0:13:02.800 --> 0:13:05.640 the ones that don't include the hunt, you know, don't 0:13:05.679 --> 0:13:09.120 include any animals in it. And then Yege Life, there's 0:13:09.120 --> 0:13:13.360 no rules because you know, I'll just show everything. But 0:13:13.559 --> 0:13:19.240 just fantastic trip. Saw every sunrise and every sunset, ate 0:13:19.320 --> 0:13:24.760 some incredible Mexican food, and was so grateful that I 0:13:24.880 --> 0:13:28.600 gave up on my commitment remorse and did it. Just 0:13:28.920 --> 0:13:33.719 sucked it up and did it. Everything went smoothly, made 0:13:33.760 --> 0:13:39.199 it back home, grateful for that. So I can't wait 0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:43.480 for you guys to finally see these videos. The Smith's video, 0:13:44.120 --> 0:13:47.480 which is just about mainly about the food and the scenery, 0:13:47.520 --> 0:13:49.760 will come out for you for those of y'all listening 0:13:49.800 --> 0:13:51.959 to this podcast real time, it'll come out tomorrow. All 0:13:52.000 --> 0:13:55.440 my smith's come out Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Ye Life, 0:13:55.720 --> 0:13:58.760 the full video of the Mexico Trip. I'm not sure 0:13:59.240 --> 0:14:01.080 because that's going to take a lot of editing, so 0:14:01.840 --> 0:14:03.560 that might be we might be a week or so 0:14:03.960 --> 0:14:07.440 out at least from finishing that video. Pump for you 0:14:07.440 --> 0:14:10.960 guys to see it. And uh, maybe that's just a 0:14:11.000 --> 0:14:14.440 message to everyone that when an opportunity comes up and 0:14:15.400 --> 0:14:18.280 you feel like you should probably stay stuck in your routine, 0:14:18.320 --> 0:14:21.040 and you should probably, you know, keep your nose with 0:14:21.080 --> 0:14:24.280 the grindingstone. You might want to second guess that and go, 0:14:24.480 --> 0:14:27.960 you know what, you only live once. You gotta be 0:14:28.000 --> 0:14:29.240 smart about it. You know, you don't want to tell 0:14:29.240 --> 0:14:34.120 your boss that you're leaving tomorrow, but uh, you only 0:14:34.160 --> 0:14:36.920 live once. You only have Sometimes these opportunities never come. 0:14:36.960 --> 0:14:39.600 I've never done anything like that. And then I got 0:14:39.600 --> 0:14:41.320 back and taught to my brother Tyler was like, I 0:14:41.320 --> 0:14:42.840 want to go. I want to do it next time 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:46.080 and maybe we will. I want to I want to 0:14:46.120 --> 0:14:48.800 also get into y'all's questions. You guys have been so 0:14:48.960 --> 0:14:52.360 good emailing me your questions and you could email anything 0:14:52.400 --> 0:14:55.840 you want to Grangersmith podcast at gmail dot com. I 0:14:55.880 --> 0:14:59.440 get these emails every day and I enjoy reading them, 0:14:59.520 --> 0:15:06.320 and I god kind of racking my brain and plowing 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:08.880 through these questions with you guys, because the questions are 0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:13.560 usually all over the place. I'm gonna start with, let's 0:15:13.560 --> 0:15:16.080 see a boom. I'm going to hit a random one here. 0:15:16.800 --> 0:15:21.280 This is from Cody and it says, Hey, Granger, I've 0:15:21.320 --> 0:15:23.480 been singing for about six years now, and I've always 0:15:23.560 --> 0:15:26.720 enjoyed performing for others. About half a year and a 0:15:26.760 --> 0:15:29.560 half ago, my voice started getting very rough. I've not 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:31.960 been able to sing for that period, and when I 0:15:32.000 --> 0:15:35.040 try to, it sounds the same as my voice would 0:15:35.360 --> 0:15:38.000 after yelling and screaming for a long period of time. 0:15:38.520 --> 0:15:41.160 A t's cannot figure out what is going on. Do 0:15:41.200 --> 0:15:44.800 you have any remedies that you use whenever your voice 0:15:44.840 --> 0:15:48.200 gets rough or sore? Also, love your music, your concerts, 0:15:48.200 --> 0:15:51.840 and your outlook on life. Keep being an inspiration. Thank you, Cody. 0:15:52.320 --> 0:15:55.000 I appreciate it, buddy. Thank you for emailing. Thanks for 0:15:55.040 --> 0:15:57.680 the question. It's a good question and I've dealt with 0:15:57.680 --> 0:16:03.240 this for quite a while. Vocal cords are you know, 0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:08.480 that's your that's your main tool as a performer. And 0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:12.640 over the years, you know, I've been singing for singing 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:19.480 on stage for twenty five years, and I think over 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:24.160 the twenty five years I have won, for one, I 0:16:24.240 --> 0:16:29.640 have cared a little bit less about making sure that 0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:34.880 they are always clear and staying the same vocal cords 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:38.520 because you look at you look at some people and 0:16:38.560 --> 0:16:41.200 as they get older, your voice is just naturally going 0:16:41.240 --> 0:16:46.040 to get rougher and deeper as you get older. Like 0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:49.080 an old man doesn't talk the same as he did 0:16:49.120 --> 0:16:53.240 when he was thirty years old. So that's the natural 0:16:53.560 --> 0:16:56.200 wear and tear on the muscle of the vocal cords. 0:16:56.760 --> 0:17:00.960 So I don't talk the same. In fact, if I 0:17:01.040 --> 0:17:04.440 ran audio and I have before on this podcast of 0:17:04.480 --> 0:17:08.520 me talking when I'm seventeen, I sound like a different person, 0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:12.320 a different human. And I've looked at that now. It's 0:17:12.359 --> 0:17:15.240 not a bad thing. It's an evolution of the sound 0:17:15.880 --> 0:17:18.679 and you just kind of go with it. So if 0:17:18.680 --> 0:17:21.879 your voice is getting rough, you just kind of go 0:17:21.960 --> 0:17:24.919 with it and that becomes your sound. There's a difference though, 0:17:25.640 --> 0:17:31.280 in if it starts hurting, if it's hurting you, then 0:17:31.440 --> 0:17:35.000 there's a problem. There's a problem. If your voice is 0:17:35.080 --> 0:17:40.400 rough and it doesn't hurt at all, then that could 0:17:40.440 --> 0:17:42.280 be a lot of people do great and you know, 0:17:42.320 --> 0:17:45.520 there's a lot of singers that sing with a rough 0:17:45.960 --> 0:17:49.320 voice and they everyone loves it. In fact, there's a 0:17:49.320 --> 0:17:51.840 lot of times I wish my voice was rougher than 0:17:51.880 --> 0:17:57.120 it was because people love that. That being said, though, 0:17:57.280 --> 0:17:59.679 you said it's the same as if I had been 0:17:59.760 --> 0:18:01.479 yelling and screening for a long period of time. So 0:18:01.520 --> 0:18:05.760 that indicates that maybe there's something something else going on. 0:18:07.119 --> 0:18:09.800 And I would think, because I have this problem, I'm 0:18:09.800 --> 0:18:13.119 gonna assume that is your talking voice that's the problem, 0:18:13.200 --> 0:18:18.600 not your singing voice. Your talking voice is being strained 0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:21.119 and it's putting a lot of stress on your vocal 0:18:21.119 --> 0:18:24.280 cords themselves. So I want to start with a couple 0:18:24.320 --> 0:18:29.720 of things. Sleep is number one for vocal cords for 0:18:29.880 --> 0:18:32.200 me and I know a lot of other people, as 0:18:32.680 --> 0:18:34.960 is with a lot of things in life. Sleep is 0:18:35.000 --> 0:18:39.680 a remedy that it's probably the ultimate healer. The ultimate 0:18:39.720 --> 0:18:44.280 physical healer is getting sufficient amounts of sleep. Lack of 0:18:44.320 --> 0:18:50.280 sleep leads to fatigue all over the body, including the 0:18:50.359 --> 0:18:56.160 vocal cords. It's no different. Hydration is number two. Hydration 0:18:56.320 --> 0:18:59.119 is so important. Drink plenty of water. Every time you 0:18:59.240 --> 0:19:03.440 drink a cup of caffeine of any kind, you're gonna 0:19:03.440 --> 0:19:05.679 want to double up on water. So one cup of 0:19:05.720 --> 0:19:10.919 coffee equals later that day to extra glasses of water. 0:19:11.440 --> 0:19:15.360 So if you're unsure on how to measure that, try 0:19:15.400 --> 0:19:18.000 to drink a gallon a day. And the way you 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:20.520 do that is just a milk carton. Grab a milk carton, 0:19:20.600 --> 0:19:24.840 fill it with water in the morning, and start pounding 0:19:24.880 --> 0:19:28.399 it during the day and make sure you ration enough 0:19:28.440 --> 0:19:31.399 to get that entire gallon done. By the end of 0:19:31.400 --> 0:19:33.480 the day, you're gonna be going to the restroom all day. 0:19:34.200 --> 0:19:37.640 But that's a good test, and you don't quite need 0:19:37.680 --> 0:19:42.520 a gallon unless you're a bodybuilder or an extreme athlete, 0:19:42.560 --> 0:19:45.160 you don't quite need a gallon. But that's a good 0:19:45.320 --> 0:19:50.840 marker on what kind of hydration you're getting, especially, I 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:54.920 would say at least marking down what kind of water 0:19:54.960 --> 0:19:57.440 you're drinking, how many cups are you drinking a day, 0:19:57.480 --> 0:20:00.159 and keep a tally of that at the beginning so 0:20:00.200 --> 0:20:05.080 you'll know this is what's happening. Three alcohol. Alcohol is 0:20:05.800 --> 0:20:09.520 a huge, huge problem with the vocal cords and with 0:20:09.760 --> 0:20:14.720 drying them out or being rough. So alcohol is worse 0:20:14.800 --> 0:20:18.960 than caffeine on the vocal cords. So whatever you've read 0:20:19.040 --> 0:20:26.040 about using whiskey to help warm me up, it's a myth. 0:20:26.119 --> 0:20:29.960 It's a complete myth. I usually will take like a 0:20:30.000 --> 0:20:32.879 shot of whiskey with the guys, a ceremonial shot with 0:20:32.920 --> 0:20:35.960 the guys. But I know that that shot of whiskey 0:20:36.000 --> 0:20:39.399 before the show is not to make me sing better. 0:20:40.000 --> 0:20:44.879 It's more ceremonial, and it's kind of a just a 0:20:44.880 --> 0:20:47.679 little bit of an equalizer to the body itself, but 0:20:47.760 --> 0:20:52.400 it's not benefiting me singing, unlike some people will tell you. 0:20:53.000 --> 0:20:58.520 So go through those things right there. Sleep, sleep, reduce 0:20:58.560 --> 0:21:04.280 your caffeine, increase your hydration, reduce your alcohol. Start with that, 0:21:04.800 --> 0:21:07.960 and then if you don't see an improvement right away, 0:21:08.680 --> 0:21:12.600 then you need to think about how you're talking. If 0:21:12.600 --> 0:21:15.680 you talk from your throat like this like I'm doing 0:21:15.760 --> 0:21:20.360 right now, you are using the upper part of your 0:21:20.480 --> 0:21:23.160 chest and your throat, and it is a big strain 0:21:23.240 --> 0:21:27.720 on the vocal cords. Or if you come and put 0:21:27.760 --> 0:21:31.880 your chin down and you breathe out of your belly, 0:21:32.080 --> 0:21:35.960 so your air comes from your belly, and you exhale 0:21:36.920 --> 0:21:40.720 with your muscles in your belly, and you talk from 0:21:41.160 --> 0:21:44.080 deep down in your body. And you could tell the 0:21:44.119 --> 0:21:47.440 difference even on this podcast with me talking like this 0:21:47.480 --> 0:21:49.880 with my chin is down and I'm up on the mic, 0:21:50.600 --> 0:21:53.760 so my eyes are literally looking down at the floor. 0:21:54.400 --> 0:21:57.679 Chin is down, my shoulders are back, and I'm breathing 0:21:57.680 --> 0:22:00.280 out of the bottom of my sternum as a post 0:22:00.320 --> 0:22:03.359 and then I'll reverse it and I'll start looking up now, 0:22:03.680 --> 0:22:06.320 So now I'm looking up at the ceiling and taking 0:22:06.400 --> 0:22:08.520 quick breaths out of the top of my chest, and 0:22:09.480 --> 0:22:13.320 all the pressure is going straight through my throat and 0:22:13.720 --> 0:22:15.960 that will wear if you're doing that. Not necessarily. I 0:22:16.000 --> 0:22:17.600 know you're not looking at the ceiling when you're talking, 0:22:17.640 --> 0:22:20.239 but if you think about when you're talking to your 0:22:20.280 --> 0:22:23.400 buddies or wherever you are at work and there's loud noises, 0:22:23.720 --> 0:22:26.639 try to keep your chin down and breathe out of 0:22:26.680 --> 0:22:31.320 your belly. So these are all just this little tricks, 0:22:31.800 --> 0:22:35.640 and you could practice that breathing technique just throughout the day. 0:22:36.520 --> 0:22:42.560 It's really important. You could also be having trouble while 0:22:42.600 --> 0:22:46.800 you're sleeping, breathing out of your mouth, and it could 0:22:46.840 --> 0:22:49.280 be a snoring thing, it could be an acid acid 0:22:49.320 --> 0:22:55.240 reflex thing. And if you're experiencing acid reflex in when 0:22:55.240 --> 0:22:57.359 you're sleeping on your Hey, by the way, Cody, you 0:22:57.359 --> 0:22:58.760 didn't know this was going to be so in depth 0:22:59.000 --> 0:23:00.320 when you ask me, But I do. I know a 0:23:00.359 --> 0:23:03.960 lot about this stuff. So you could be sleeping and 0:23:04.400 --> 0:23:09.000 your body is literally regurgitating acid out of your stomach 0:23:09.400 --> 0:23:12.920 and it's going into your throat and it's burning your 0:23:13.000 --> 0:23:19.680 vocal cords. It is common. It's terrible for your vocal cords, 0:23:19.680 --> 0:23:22.720 and you might not even know what's happening. So if 0:23:22.720 --> 0:23:25.560 you wake up in the morning with this rough, dry feeling, 0:23:26.400 --> 0:23:30.040 there's a good chance that could be happening. An instant 0:23:30.480 --> 0:23:33.800 remedy for that is sleeping with a humidifier, and I've 0:23:33.840 --> 0:23:36.560 done that before in my life. I've had if we're 0:23:36.560 --> 0:23:39.760 touring in a really arid climate, for example, possibly put 0:23:39.760 --> 0:23:44.520 the humidifier just rolling a cloud of mist over into 0:23:44.560 --> 0:23:48.800 my face and it's like instant relief to your throat. 0:23:49.000 --> 0:23:51.359 So that's something to think about. And then the acid 0:23:51.400 --> 0:23:54.840 reflex thing, there's medication for that over the counter and 0:23:55.080 --> 0:23:58.680 you could start realizing, oh, you're eating too much foods 0:23:58.680 --> 0:24:03.080 with tomato in it or onion or you Probably people 0:24:03.160 --> 0:24:05.159 listening probably know a lot more about that than I do. 0:24:05.240 --> 0:24:10.080 But google it. Google acid reflux. You want to stop that? Man? 0:24:10.280 --> 0:24:14.320 Is that it? So? Other remedies hot tea, no caffeine, 0:24:15.440 --> 0:24:19.040 Cut off the caffeine and drink non caffeinated hot tea. 0:24:19.400 --> 0:24:21.199 Put a little lemon in it, A little bit of 0:24:21.240 --> 0:24:24.840 honey helps. Those are remedies that help immediately. If you're 0:24:24.840 --> 0:24:27.120 trying to get on stage and you need a little 0:24:27.160 --> 0:24:31.080 bit of a jolt of power to your vocal cord, 0:24:31.119 --> 0:24:33.320 get a hot tea with lemon and honey, just a 0:24:33.400 --> 0:24:35.760 touch of honey, not too much honey because you don't 0:24:35.760 --> 0:24:38.960 want sugar will do the same problem as caffeine eventually. 0:24:39.000 --> 0:24:45.760 So it's it's a lifelong expedition, my friend. Dealing with 0:24:45.800 --> 0:24:49.920 your vocal cords is a it's a lifestyle that you 0:24:49.960 --> 0:24:54.080 cannot ever break that lifestyle if you truly want longevity 0:24:54.080 --> 0:24:56.919 in your vocal cords. So, if you're sitting around a 0:24:56.920 --> 0:25:02.000 campfire with your buddies and smoke is rolling into your face, 0:25:02.520 --> 0:25:05.240 you're talking loud because there's music playing out of a boombox, 0:25:05.800 --> 0:25:11.159 and you're drinking alcohol, talking loudly using the top of 0:25:11.200 --> 0:25:14.280 your chest, breathing in the smoke, and drinking alcohol and 0:25:14.320 --> 0:25:18.760 staying up till two am. You're doing all the things 0:25:18.840 --> 0:25:22.040 wrong to the vocal cords. And so then you go, 0:25:22.280 --> 0:25:25.280 that's what's going on. So that could be your problem, Cody, 0:25:25.320 --> 0:25:28.160 that could be it. So there's a lot of ways 0:25:28.640 --> 0:25:32.600 to deal with it. And that's my vice. So right, 0:25:33.160 --> 0:25:34.919 let's go through some of these things, Cody, and then 0:25:35.000 --> 0:25:38.440 right back into this podcast and we'll see exactly what's 0:25:38.480 --> 0:25:45.520 going on. Let me move on. This question is from 0:25:45.600 --> 0:25:47.760 Steve and it says, Hey, Granger, I'm a big fan, 0:25:47.960 --> 0:25:49.879 not just of your music, but if you as a person, 0:25:50.080 --> 0:25:52.440 your new album. I really love on your new album, 0:25:52.480 --> 0:25:55.920 I really love I Kill Spiders. My question for you is, 0:25:55.960 --> 0:25:58.479 when you're writing music, how do you decide what the 0:25:58.560 --> 0:26:01.440 rhythm of it is and the tempo and what key 0:26:01.520 --> 0:26:03.600 to write it in and where to put a bridge 0:26:03.600 --> 0:26:08.360