1 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: Unsigned and Independent Season two, episode nine with j D Clayton. 2 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 2: Now, I don't know JD. 3 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,279 Speaker 1: I know he's from Arkansas though, and I know that 4 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: Morgan number one, my manager, also has started working with JD. 5 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:24,959 Speaker 1: And she reached out and she was like, do you 6 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:26,880 Speaker 1: care if I pitched this to Kevin? And I was like, oh, 7 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 1: you can pitch whatever you want. I'm never going to 8 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: tell you no. And she was like, well, I just 9 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:31,639 Speaker 1: don't want to because Morgan I've been together forever and 10 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:34,600 Speaker 1: she did want to abuse the relationship, which she never 11 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,200 Speaker 1: would so, and I know you wouldn't just take him either. 12 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: So there must be something about this guy you really liked. 13 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:41,519 Speaker 3: It's his music, yeah, yeah, it's the sound of his 14 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 3: music is awesome. It's like a blues grass, old school field. 15 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:50,159 Speaker 3: But it's weird because his inspiration was like Jack Johnson 16 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 3: and John Mayer, like acoustic. Yeah, but it's that either 17 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 3: you're sitting by the campfire and you're really enjoying it 18 00:00:57,040 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 3: on a Sunday night or some or it's your foot 19 00:00:58,960 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 3: stomp and kind of music. 20 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: So Fort Smith, Arkansas native JD Clayton, he did not 21 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 1: grow up on classic country, you know, like you said, 22 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: it's a lot of the singer songwriter stuff. I know 23 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: he likes Ben Harper. I'm a big Ben Harper guy too. 24 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 2: Man love Ben Harper. So I was watching a video. 25 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: It looked like he was pretty hard to when he plays. 26 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, which is weird because he's so calm in person. 27 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:20,120 Speaker 2: He is yeah, very What do you think about him? 28 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:22,479 Speaker 3: I thought he was great. His story is awesome how 29 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 3: covid He lost a job and he had to work 30 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 3: for a landscaping company. But that's where he wrote his album, 31 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 3: literally on the steps while working for the landscaping company, 32 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:32,120 Speaker 3: on the steps on the steps of like a apartment 33 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 3: complex that he's working on. 34 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 1: Here he is j D Clayton, Season two, episode nine 35 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 1: of Unsigned and Independent with kickoff Kevin. 36 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 3: All Right, JD, how are we doing today? 37 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 2: Man? Doing good? Man? Thanks for having me, of. 38 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:44,960 Speaker 3: Course, of course, clad you're in here, And I want 39 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 3: to say, the reason, not the only reason, but the 40 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 3: main reason that you're in here is I'm a big 41 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:49,920 Speaker 3: fan of your music. 42 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 2: Thanks man. 43 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 3: I like your sound. I liked that it's it's something 44 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 3: that reminds me of I can either be sitting on 45 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 3: the couch on Sunday morning drinking cup of coffee, maybe 46 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 3: doing a little work or something like that. Or I 47 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 3: can be by a bonfire tapping my feet and you 48 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:09,639 Speaker 3: got that little variety of sound. And I'm gonna play 49 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 3: two clips real quick right here, just so our listeners 50 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:13,639 Speaker 3: have an idea of what that means. And the first 51 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:25,080 Speaker 3: one is American millionaire lappy and a man can mean okay, 52 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:26,560 Speaker 3: And then the next one will be a long way 53 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 3: from Home. 54 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 2: Mama longway keeps. 55 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 3: So this sound, is it something that you've always had 56 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 3: or cause it seems like I don't know if I 57 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 3: don't really like to compare artists, you know, directly, but 58 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:48,399 Speaker 3: it's almost like that it's up and coming a little 59 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 3: bit with that whole like Zach Bryan, Warren Zeider's Tyler Child, 60 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 3: something like that. Worth that toe tapping, not necessarily that 61 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 3: pop country, you know what I mean? Is that something 62 00:02:55,720 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 3: that you try to, you know, aspire for and something 63 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:00,040 Speaker 3: that you listen to. We're like, that's kind of the 64 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 3: sound I'm looking for or is it just your own thing? 65 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:07,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely. I have been heavily influenced over the last 66 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:10,240 Speaker 2: couple of years by the music I like to listen to, 67 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 2: just late sixties, early seventies rock and roll Leonard skinnerd 68 00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:18,359 Speaker 2: Greeden's clear Water Revival. I really love Chris Stapleton. But No, 69 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:21,519 Speaker 2: to answer your first question, it's not what I started 70 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 2: out trying to do. I didn't know what to do. 71 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 2: I just was making music that writing songs, learning to 72 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 2: write songs, making stuff up, and you know, just kind 73 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 2: of stumbled upon this sound I knew. I guess it 74 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 2: was during COVID. I just had the realization that I 75 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 2: wanted to make something that felt honest and felt like 76 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 2: it was me, and so I tried to. I did 77 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 2: a pretty deep dive on trying to understand my sound, 78 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:57,880 Speaker 2: understand where I come from. And so yeah, I mean really, 79 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 2: when I talk to people after shows, I mean, this 80 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 2: is I call it the Arkansas sound. I'm trying to 81 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 2: I'm trying to bring a little bit of who I 82 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 2: am and where I'm from and that part of the 83 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:16,159 Speaker 2: world into my music and the stories that I'm writing about. 84 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 3: And you are from where I at in Arkansas. 85 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 2: Western Arkansas, Fort Smith, Arkansas on the border of Oklahoma. 86 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:23,720 Speaker 3: And when you moved to Nashville about three and a 87 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:25,920 Speaker 3: half years ago, so not too long ago, not too 88 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,039 Speaker 3: long ago. I mean you get a little mixed, I guess, 89 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:31,000 Speaker 3: but that's still a little fresh, right, Yeah. And what 90 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:33,280 Speaker 3: was your upbringing like in West Arkansas? 91 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 2: So pretty pretty standard, middle class family. My dad's a pastor, 92 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 2: my mom is an oil painter. Not much going on. 93 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:47,719 Speaker 3: Where'd the country music or where did music in general 94 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:48,159 Speaker 3: come from? 95 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:54,320 Speaker 2: For you? Uh? My dad kind of an interesting upbringing 96 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 2: in music. My dad was a huge fan of singer 97 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 2: songwriters like Jack Johnson and On Mayor. That's you know, 98 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:05,679 Speaker 2: really what we that type of music, amous Lee, Ben Harper. 99 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:08,440 Speaker 2: That was kind of what I was brought up on Surfer. 100 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:11,240 Speaker 3: I mean, I'm a California guy. That sounds like more 101 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:13,040 Speaker 3: California then that's what Arkansas. 102 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:15,200 Speaker 2: That's all we listened to, like on the way to practice. 103 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 2: I didn't ever hear country music until I was probably 104 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:24,040 Speaker 2: a junior in high school. All the football team guys 105 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:26,120 Speaker 2: would be playing stuff, you know, in the locker room, 106 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:29,040 Speaker 2: and I kind of got into it. But pretty much 107 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:32,720 Speaker 2: in our household, it was just late sixties, early seventies 108 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:36,599 Speaker 2: rock and roll. James Taylor, John Denver, the Beatles, and 109 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:38,279 Speaker 2: then Jack Johnson and John Mayer. 110 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:41,599 Speaker 3: That's a mix there. When did you pick up the first. 111 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:44,479 Speaker 3: Was it a guitar that you first learned how to play? Yeah, okay, 112 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:45,360 Speaker 3: when did you pick that up? 113 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:49,720 Speaker 2: When I was younger, my grandfather played banjo in a 114 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:54,839 Speaker 2: bluegrass band that they would just go to prisons around 115 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:58,039 Speaker 2: the region in Arkansas and serve barbecue dinners and then 116 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:01,159 Speaker 2: play a bluegrass show. So he kind of when I 117 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:03,400 Speaker 2: was really young, taught me to play a few chords 118 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:05,640 Speaker 2: and just play along with him. So that was pretty 119 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:10,920 Speaker 2: much my only introduction besides trying to learn Jack Johnson 120 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 2: songs and John Mayer's songs on guitar. That was pretty 121 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:16,280 Speaker 2: much it just GC and D playing along while he 122 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:17,040 Speaker 2: played banjo. 123 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 3: And when did you realize Did you have an age 124 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 3: at all where you're like, this might be something I 125 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 3: wanted to do for a career or long run rather 126 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:26,880 Speaker 3: than just playing a couple of chords here and there 127 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:28,200 Speaker 3: at a little shop here and there. 128 00:06:28,279 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was. It's a pretty long drawn out process, 129 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:36,159 Speaker 2: it really. There's never really a moment that I just 130 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:40,839 Speaker 2: thought I had it. My sister was given a piano 131 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:45,360 Speaker 2: when I was in about the ninth grade, and I 132 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:47,520 Speaker 2: would sneak into her room and kind of figure out 133 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:50,919 Speaker 2: just I played music by ear, so I could. I 134 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:53,680 Speaker 2: figured out how chords worked by just like you know, 135 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 2: using your fingers and spacing one note in between each finger, 136 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:02,159 Speaker 2: and you had a chord. And I just would, you know, 137 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:06,320 Speaker 2: mess around until I something sounded right. You learn that 138 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 2: if you play C G and F or CFG, you 139 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 2: have a one four five. I later learned, you know, 140 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 2: it's just it just sounded right, and if it doesn't 141 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 2: sound right, you're not playing something. So it was I 142 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 2: figured out I could kind of play piano. Then I 143 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:24,480 Speaker 2: started taking some lessons, and then I started messing around 144 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:28,080 Speaker 2: with my iPhone voice Memo app, just learning cover songs, 145 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:30,680 Speaker 2: and then I would try to sing along. And there 146 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:35,880 Speaker 2: was I remember recording a version of The Scientists by Coldplay, 147 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:39,520 Speaker 2: and I'd been jamming that song for a while, went 148 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 2: down and showed the recording to my folks and my 149 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,880 Speaker 2: dad was like, holy cow, like you can sing really, 150 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 2: So it was that's you know. I had been in 151 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 2: choir at church and stuff, but it was just really 152 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:53,040 Speaker 2: nothing that my parents never pushed me in the in 153 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:56,040 Speaker 2: the direction of music, never told me I should do that. 154 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:59,160 Speaker 2: It just slowly kind of happened, and really what started 155 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:02,360 Speaker 2: was a free kind of convinced me to play graduation 156 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:06,920 Speaker 2: with her the ceremony, and that was the first time 157 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 2: I'd ever really like played in front of a huge 158 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 2: group of people in high school. In high school, Yeah, yeah, 159 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:14,840 Speaker 2: we played and it did really well, and I kind 160 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 2: of got the bug after that. So I just started 161 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:20,080 Speaker 2: going down to the farmer's market in Fort Smith and 162 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 2: started busking right next to the guy selling peaches and 163 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:28,680 Speaker 2: would h cover Donovan, Franken Ryder, famously Jack Johnson, just 164 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:32,480 Speaker 2: whatever I could make a couple of bucks, and yes, 165 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:34,920 Speaker 2: A couple months later, when I started college, I started 166 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 2: a band. 167 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 3: Where'd you go to college at? 168 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:38,640 Speaker 2: In Fort Smith? The University of Arkansas? 169 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 3: Oh you did? 170 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:39,680 Speaker 1: Yeah? 171 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 3: I was that for Were you did you graduate from there? 172 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:42,520 Speaker 2: Yeah? 173 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:44,520 Speaker 3: Okay, I thought you were going to say you left 174 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:46,560 Speaker 3: there and foresee the music career. But it's good to 175 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:48,760 Speaker 3: see that you finished there. So were you playing all throughout? 176 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:52,120 Speaker 3: Would you play at local venues there like maybe die bars? 177 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:56,560 Speaker 2: Yeah? My uh. I think my folks were super ticked 178 00:08:56,600 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 2: at first, just because they thought I was just wasting 179 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:02,320 Speaker 2: time and and call much money. But formed a band 180 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 2: and our first show was at the Starbucks on campus well, 181 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:08,720 Speaker 2: just ride in the student union there. It was just 182 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:10,600 Speaker 2: like my folks and my grandparents that came. 183 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,480 Speaker 3: That's awesome. Would you ever be cause I went to 184 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:16,560 Speaker 3: a University of Tennessee game last year was my first 185 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:19,840 Speaker 3: SEC game ever. Yeah, And we were walking around pregame 186 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 3: and tailgating and all that, and there was a couple 187 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:23,679 Speaker 3: of bands, but there was one band in particular that 188 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:26,120 Speaker 3: I had the whole crowd or in this parking lot 189 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:28,280 Speaker 3: jam in. There's food, drinks, everything. Would you ever do 190 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:30,640 Speaker 3: anything like that before the game's big game something like that. 191 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 2: No, that would have been awesome, But I never really 192 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 2: got invited to do anything. I just went on the 193 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:38,680 Speaker 2: weekends go down and play at the bars in Fort Smith. 194 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:42,320 Speaker 2: And I got really good at, you know, designing posters 195 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 2: for it or whatever. Just I was trying to like 196 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:47,520 Speaker 2: really learn how to do the indie band thing and 197 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 2: what is it that's bringing people to downtown Fort Smith? 198 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:56,120 Speaker 2: You know. It was just very focused on that, and 199 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:59,120 Speaker 2: so I started planning shows around holidays, like we would 200 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:01,440 Speaker 2: do a Thanksgiving shit or we would do a Christmas show. 201 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:05,240 Speaker 2: And Fortsmith is one of those towns that basically everybody 202 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 2: graduates high school and then they leave and they go 203 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:09,839 Speaker 2: off to college, and then on the holidays they all 204 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:13,920 Speaker 2: come back. So I realized that if I planned these shows, 205 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:17,200 Speaker 2: it was a chance for everyone to just meet up, 206 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:19,839 Speaker 2: and if they're going to meet up, might as well 207 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:23,120 Speaker 2: meet at my show. So it started to grow, and 208 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:25,240 Speaker 2: we did that a couple of years, and by I 209 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:28,720 Speaker 2: guess it was the year I moved. I had booked 210 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:31,959 Speaker 2: to thanks to having a Christmas show, and yeah, I 211 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:33,640 Speaker 2: mean we had like, you know, two hundred and fifty 212 00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:36,320 Speaker 2: three indred and fifty people showing up at these things, 213 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:38,120 Speaker 2: So it just slowly grew. 214 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 3: Were you the only one playing? You and your band? 215 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:40,520 Speaker 2: Yeah? 216 00:10:40,559 --> 00:10:42,840 Speaker 3: So yeah, so that show is specifically for you. 217 00:10:42,960 --> 00:10:44,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, hometown headline type of thing. 218 00:10:44,800 --> 00:10:46,559 Speaker 3: That's awesome. What was that like for you playing in 219 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:47,160 Speaker 3: front of your hometown? 220 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:49,080 Speaker 2: Oh, my gosh, it was. It was amazing just the 221 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 2: fact that we had gone from you know, fifteen people 222 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 2: in Starbucks to three years later, you know, three hundred 223 00:10:55,559 --> 00:10:58,800 Speaker 2: people all from you know, my high school and the 224 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:00,440 Speaker 2: other high schools. It was awesome. 225 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:04,720 Speaker 3: What year did you graduate? 226 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:07,120 Speaker 2: I graduated twenty eighteen. 227 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:09,120 Speaker 3: Okay, and you moved here, you said three and a half, 228 00:11:09,160 --> 00:11:11,199 Speaker 3: So did you move twenty twenty. 229 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:15,240 Speaker 2: Twenty twenty one. No, I'm sorry. I moved here twenty. 230 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:16,200 Speaker 3: Nineteen, twenty nineteen. 231 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 2: My wife was in nursing school, so we waited a 232 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 2: year for her to graduate and then moved. 233 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:24,040 Speaker 3: And you moved here? Was that right before the pandemic? 234 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:24,760 Speaker 2: How? Yeah? 235 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:25,000 Speaker 3: Really? 236 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:26,880 Speaker 2: And she'll live twenty nineteen. 237 00:11:27,080 --> 00:11:29,360 Speaker 3: Okay, So every artist I've talked to you in here, 238 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:33,000 Speaker 3: you know obviously the pandemic was a hit for them 239 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:36,640 Speaker 3: and not the right way. What was that like going 240 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:37,280 Speaker 3: through for you? 241 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:37,440 Speaker 2: Then? 242 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:39,480 Speaker 3: You only been here six months and then something like 243 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 3: that hits, and for an artist like you, or it's 244 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:43,480 Speaker 3: already hard enough, that's something you got to deal with. 245 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:48,439 Speaker 2: It was rough. I was working for Frothy Monkey in 246 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:54,040 Speaker 2: the Nations. Yeah, just slinging some slinging some brew and yeah, 247 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:57,200 Speaker 2: I remember the day they called us in. They were like, hey, 248 00:11:57,200 --> 00:12:01,840 Speaker 2: we're that week of Nashville was and everything was shutting 249 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:03,480 Speaker 2: down and they just called us in and said, hey, 250 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:07,000 Speaker 2: we're we're letting you go. And I just lived down 251 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 2: the street. So I was just driving home after just 252 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:15,000 Speaker 2: getting fired, and my landlord was sitting outside and he 253 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:18,000 Speaker 2: owns a landscape company, and I just jokingly pulled up 254 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:20,560 Speaker 2: and was like, Hey, I'm gonna have to come cut 255 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:22,640 Speaker 2: some grass for you. I just lost my job and 256 00:12:22,679 --> 00:12:25,520 Speaker 2: we were laughing about it, and a couple hours later 257 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:28,719 Speaker 2: he called me and said, if you're serious, I've got 258 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:31,480 Speaker 2: a job for you. And I think like five days 259 00:12:31,559 --> 00:12:35,040 Speaker 2: later I was working for the landscape company down in Nolan'sville, Tennessee. 260 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 3: Really, so you never that's good then, you never really 261 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 3: skipped a beat as far as you know income goes. 262 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:41,600 Speaker 3: It's not something you wanted to do, and you knew 263 00:12:41,679 --> 00:12:44,000 Speaker 3: obviously that wasn't your long term thing, but you had 264 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:44,440 Speaker 3: to get through. 265 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:49,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, I just I'm I didn't feel good about doing 266 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:51,920 Speaker 2: the unemployment thing, and just I just he and I 267 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 2: were good friends, and I just you know, gave me 268 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:57,959 Speaker 2: a chance to hang out with him and work and 269 00:12:58,080 --> 00:12:59,760 Speaker 2: do some manual labor, which was good for me to 270 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 2: be outside, and ended up they put me on the 271 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,960 Speaker 2: install crew. So we were just, yeah, doing running irrigation 272 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:09,719 Speaker 2: lines and planting trees and. 273 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:13,840 Speaker 3: Still working for them. You're knowing that. 274 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:16,760 Speaker 2: It's a bittersweet thankful to not be there, but I 275 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:20,000 Speaker 2: do miss the guys. It was me and Alfredo Jose 276 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:22,559 Speaker 2: and Nico. That was our truck, and yeah, I mean 277 00:13:22,679 --> 00:13:27,040 Speaker 2: just it was. It was crazy, man. I went from 278 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 2: I had never done anything like that, never I learned 279 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:32,480 Speaker 2: how to speak Spanish, you know. I was going to 280 00:13:32,559 --> 00:13:36,880 Speaker 2: Alfredo's kids' birthday parties, just hanging out by the pinata. 281 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:41,839 Speaker 2: I mean that's I changed a lot over COVID as 282 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 2: a person and learned a lot, and for all for 283 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:48,679 Speaker 2: the better. But yeah, it helped me write songs, and 284 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:51,480 Speaker 2: that's I wrote a long way from home all during 285 00:13:51,480 --> 00:13:55,199 Speaker 2: that time. So it was it wasn't all for nothing. 286 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:58,319 Speaker 3: And were you playing shows pre pandemic out here? You 287 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:00,120 Speaker 3: were out here about six months or so, like when 288 00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:01,800 Speaker 3: you were working out the Favey Monkey or no. 289 00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:04,480 Speaker 2: Not really, I was. The plan was to I was 290 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:08,800 Speaker 2: a freight broker at the LL and C Tower downtown. 291 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:11,080 Speaker 2: I worked for a company called Propax, So I was 292 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:13,280 Speaker 2: in the trucking industry, and that was what brought me 293 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:16,200 Speaker 2: to Nashville. Had that income and that's how we were 294 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:17,600 Speaker 2: going to make it for a while. But I realized 295 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:20,320 Speaker 2: I couldn't. There's no time to play shows. I had 296 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:23,000 Speaker 2: tons of shows that I had booked before we moved 297 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,440 Speaker 2: it down. Still in Arkansas. So my first four months 298 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:28,520 Speaker 2: of being in Nashville, I was just driving. I think 299 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:31,200 Speaker 2: I drove back to Arkansas like eight times, playing shows 300 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:35,080 Speaker 2: that I'd already booked, So I really didn't play in Nashville. 301 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:38,320 Speaker 2: I think I played one time and it was the 302 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:43,240 Speaker 2: New Faces Night at the Basement that Grimy does, and 303 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:46,480 Speaker 2: that was like the week before COVID, So that was it. 304 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:49,760 Speaker 3: And then during twenty twenty you spent just basically writing. 305 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, I played a couple things. Arkansas wasn't taking COVID 306 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:58,040 Speaker 2: very serious, so there were a couple performances I was 307 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:01,440 Speaker 2: able to pull off during COVID, but yeah, for the 308 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:03,440 Speaker 2: most part, it was pretty it was pretty shut down. 309 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:06,480 Speaker 2: I was just basically I used that time to work 310 00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:09,560 Speaker 2: on the album I started recording in twenty twenty one. 311 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:12,840 Speaker 2: Took the whole year to record that record, and then 312 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:16,600 Speaker 2: I just started getting on Google and finding out everybody 313 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:20,280 Speaker 2: in town, what they did, who they were, started cold, cold, 314 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:25,840 Speaker 2: cold emailing my record to people, and it just, yeah, 315 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:31,000 Speaker 2: slowly kind of stumbled upon my current situation with William 316 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:32,680 Speaker 2: Morris and Red Light and. 317 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:34,240 Speaker 3: The album you're talking about it is called Long Way 318 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:37,480 Speaker 3: from Home right released earlier this year. Yeah, that's something 319 00:15:37,680 --> 00:15:39,840 Speaker 3: I was reading a little bit about it, and it's 320 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 3: something that has to do with your life and your upbringing. 321 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:43,960 Speaker 3: Is that something that the album that you were aiming 322 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 3: for as you're writing all these songs and you're going 323 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:47,640 Speaker 3: through the pandemic and everything, and you're just thinking of 324 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:50,880 Speaker 3: what do I need to write about? And your childhood 325 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:53,920 Speaker 3: Arkansas was everything to you, And that's kind of how 326 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:54,840 Speaker 3: this album came about. 327 00:15:55,560 --> 00:16:01,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I felt desperate. I felt a sense 328 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:06,000 Speaker 2: of urgency because I was sick of landscaping. 329 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:08,440 Speaker 3: How long did you do that for it? 330 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 2: By the way, year and a half, It's just it 331 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:14,760 Speaker 2: starts to eat away. I was like, I mean, that's 332 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:16,840 Speaker 2: I'm jumping ahead, but I mean that's how I wrote 333 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:19,160 Speaker 2: long Way from Home. I was just sitting on the 334 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:21,880 Speaker 2: steps of this apartment complex that we had just finished 335 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:24,840 Speaker 2: the irrigation on, and you know, Alfredo's taking a nap 336 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:26,800 Speaker 2: next to me. They always would take a CS to 337 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:30,640 Speaker 2: that lunch break, and I was just sitting there typing 338 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 2: on the notes app on my phone, and I typed 339 00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:37,560 Speaker 2: long Way from Home in like twenty minutes. It really 340 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:40,960 Speaker 2: like I was like breaking down. I was so emotional, 341 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:44,520 Speaker 2: just like, you know, this is ridiculous. Why am I here? 342 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:46,960 Speaker 2: Why am I If I want to do landscaping with 343 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:49,240 Speaker 2: my life? I have a college degree, I'm trying to 344 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:51,160 Speaker 2: do music. If I want to do landscaping, we need 345 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:53,400 Speaker 2: to just go back to Arkansas. I can do landscaping there. 346 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:58,160 Speaker 2: But missing not seeing my family, you know not. I 347 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:00,200 Speaker 2: hadn't seen my folks in over a year. It was 348 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:02,280 Speaker 2: just like, what is what am I doing? Is this 349 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:04,639 Speaker 2: really worth it? Is this what this is all about? 350 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:07,199 Speaker 2: You just just for your music dream? You can just 351 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:13,680 Speaker 2: screw off and you don't see anybody anymore. That's so. Yeah, 352 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:17,240 Speaker 2: it was a really hard time for me. So I 353 00:17:17,359 --> 00:17:19,800 Speaker 2: just it just started pouring out in the songs, and 354 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:24,000 Speaker 2: I kind of slowly got some songs together and realized, like, 355 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:26,719 Speaker 2: what you're talking about the upbringing? It kind of I 356 00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:29,040 Speaker 2: realized there was a story here. I didn't really necessarily 357 00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:30,720 Speaker 2: plan it that way at first, but it just kind 358 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:36,320 Speaker 2: of happened. I had a good Morning song, which is 359 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:38,040 Speaker 2: the intro of the album, a low good Morning, and 360 00:17:38,119 --> 00:17:39,399 Speaker 2: I was like, hey, that'd be a cool way to 361 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:42,960 Speaker 2: open it. And then it just slowly kind of I 362 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:45,160 Speaker 2: had a marker board in my room where I had 363 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:48,840 Speaker 2: my studio, and I just started kind of writing the 364 00:17:48,880 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 2: songs as they came, and I got the form down, 365 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:54,360 Speaker 2: and I knew it was going to be a kind 366 00:17:54,359 --> 00:17:57,160 Speaker 2: of an arc of an album, just a concept album, 367 00:17:57,200 --> 00:17:57,600 Speaker 2: if you will. 368 00:17:57,800 --> 00:17:59,320 Speaker 3: Was this something that you were coming up with on 369 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:01,720 Speaker 3: your own or kind of like you taught yourself growing 370 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:03,840 Speaker 3: up playing the guitar and everything, or were you reaching 371 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:06,120 Speaker 3: out like you said you're emailing people, Is anybody responding 372 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:08,280 Speaker 3: or was it something that you were just kind of 373 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:10,680 Speaker 3: doing on your own and figuring it out and here 374 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:11,960 Speaker 3: we are it all kind of worked out. 375 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:15,159 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's I can't explain it to you better than that. 376 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:18,600 Speaker 2: I don't I don't necessarily deserve to be here. I'm 377 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:21,720 Speaker 2: grateful to be here. I don't know how it happened 378 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:24,920 Speaker 2: or why it happened, but I just I'm just a 379 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:28,399 Speaker 2: kid that can stro my guitar and that's it. Man. 380 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:32,320 Speaker 2: I don't know. It's a really cool thing and I'm 381 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:35,080 Speaker 2: so happy to be here and all the people that 382 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:37,119 Speaker 2: have taken a chance on me. But that's really what 383 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:39,000 Speaker 2: it is. It's just people that took a chance on 384 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:39,560 Speaker 2: a kid. 385 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:41,720 Speaker 3: Yeah, but it's also well deserved at the same time, 386 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:44,240 Speaker 3: like obviously you've putting in your long days and you're 387 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:46,360 Speaker 3: you know, everybody has their down days and it makes 388 00:18:46,359 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 3: sure those up days a lot better. And it's us 389 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:51,400 Speaker 3: sitting here right now. If that landscape had never happened, 390 00:18:51,440 --> 00:18:53,639 Speaker 3: this album might never happen. And you know, COVID and 391 00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:54,479 Speaker 3: that's right and all that. 392 00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:56,439 Speaker 2: So that's right. It all happened for a reason. It 393 00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:59,120 Speaker 2: happened now it's supposed to. And you know again, I'm 394 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:01,440 Speaker 2: just happy to be here. It's cool. 395 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:07,120 Speaker 3: Just long for the ride. Yeah, yeah, what's next then? 396 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:09,040 Speaker 3: For you to have like a in your head? Do 397 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:09,679 Speaker 3: you vision this? 398 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:10,359 Speaker 2: All? 399 00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:12,160 Speaker 3: Right? I gotta I need to do this and this 400 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:15,080 Speaker 3: is my version of success here in Nashville. I need 401 00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:16,520 Speaker 3: to do this, I need to write with this person, 402 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:18,639 Speaker 3: I need to make this song. I need to be 403 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:21,199 Speaker 3: on this stage or do something like this, or you 404 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:22,720 Speaker 3: just enjoyed the right as you're going here. 405 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 2: No, I'm able to look back on everything that's happened 406 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:32,120 Speaker 2: and and talk very carelessly about it. And I am 407 00:19:32,119 --> 00:19:33,879 Speaker 2: along for the ride. But I'm a I am a 408 00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:37,000 Speaker 2: very driven person, and so I do try to keep things. 409 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:41,159 Speaker 2: I don't know if they're gonna work. But I just 410 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:42,760 Speaker 2: have Yeah, I have a list of things that I 411 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 2: know we need to get done. And it might not 412 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:48,240 Speaker 2: be the right direction, might not be the right strategy. 413 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:51,960 Speaker 2: I don't know. So yeah, I've already started recording my 414 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:55,920 Speaker 2: next album. It's almost done. The goal in my mind 415 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:58,640 Speaker 2: is to start, you know, put some songs out soon. 416 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:01,480 Speaker 2: Even though we just put the record out of I 417 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 2: think in the day and age we live, people are 418 00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:08,960 Speaker 2: hungry for more content, and I think people will find 419 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:11,320 Speaker 2: their way to Long Way from Home down the road. 420 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:14,480 Speaker 2: It might take me four albums before someone hears a 421 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:16,560 Speaker 2: long Way from Home. That's just kind of how it works, 422 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:19,080 Speaker 2: I guess. But yeah, I'm just kind of trying to 423 00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:21,520 Speaker 2: find ways to just stay on the grind, stay on 424 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:23,879 Speaker 2: the right path. Meet Last night I went to a show. 425 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:27,680 Speaker 2: There was a lot of writers there and that was great. 426 00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:30,560 Speaker 2: I got some phone numbers, and yeah, I need to 427 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:33,639 Speaker 2: be writing with more people. I typically like to write alone. 428 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:36,679 Speaker 2: I wrote long Way from Home alone, except for Beauty 429 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:41,880 Speaker 2: Queen with my friends Lauren Huntgate and Redoster. But that's 430 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:44,960 Speaker 2: just kind of been my writing. Is kind of my 431 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:48,040 Speaker 2: time to get a loan and just think and but 432 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:50,199 Speaker 2: but I realized the benefit of co writing, and so 433 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:51,320 Speaker 2: I'm trying to do more of that. 434 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:53,840 Speaker 3: And there's a lot of that Nashville. There is, I mean, 435 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:55,959 Speaker 3: everyone I've talked to on here is co writing, and 436 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:58,800 Speaker 3: you know, somebody's helping me write. But I could see 437 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:01,400 Speaker 3: the you know, the day of writing by yourself and 438 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:03,439 Speaker 3: getting all of what's in your head out on that 439 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:05,760 Speaker 3: piece of paper or out on your phone with your notes, 440 00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:06,760 Speaker 3: whatever it might be. 441 00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:11,040 Speaker 2: And it's like a puzzle, right, It's like a there's 442 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:14,679 Speaker 2: a great sense of accomplishment when it's done, and you 443 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:17,119 Speaker 2: can listen to the voice memo of a song you 444 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:20,959 Speaker 2: just created and you're like, that's you know, that's what 445 00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:21,679 Speaker 2: it's supposed to be. 446 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:23,679 Speaker 3: Mm hmm. And then how many times do you have 447 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 3: it where you picture something in your head as you're 448 00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:27,280 Speaker 3: maybe writing it out, and then you go to record 449 00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:29,199 Speaker 3: it and just sounds completely different. Is it ever like 450 00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:31,280 Speaker 3: that or is it something from beginning to end where 451 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:33,639 Speaker 3: you have an idea of what this song or this 452 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:34,560 Speaker 3: album is going to be. 453 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:42,399 Speaker 2: I it's typically pretty close. I'm I keep most stuff 454 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:44,240 Speaker 2: up in my head, so it's like when we're going 455 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:46,960 Speaker 2: in if it doesn't sound like what's in my head. 456 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:48,760 Speaker 2: Then it's not right. You don't want it, We'll get it, 457 00:21:48,920 --> 00:21:52,280 Speaker 2: We'll get what so like with Cotton Candy Clouds for example. 458 00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:55,720 Speaker 2: To highlight that song. The day before we went into 459 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:58,480 Speaker 2: the studio, I had a meeting with this guy that 460 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:01,600 Speaker 2: was helping me produce the record, and we just couldn't 461 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:03,399 Speaker 2: figure it out. Like I tried to play it for 462 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:06,600 Speaker 2: him on my guitar. He didn't get it. It didn't 463 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:11,360 Speaker 2: make sense. And I left the studio and just went 464 00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:16,159 Speaker 2: for a walk around McKay Park and just did like 465 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:19,240 Speaker 2: three three or four laughs, and just had my voice 466 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:22,080 Speaker 2: memo app and I was just singing how I thought 467 00:22:22,119 --> 00:22:25,159 Speaker 2: the song was gonna sound like all the parts at 468 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:27,639 Speaker 2: the end, like I would like hum the guitar, what 469 00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:31,720 Speaker 2: the guitar would be doing everything, And then went into 470 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:34,560 Speaker 2: the next went into the studio the next day, showed 471 00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:38,280 Speaker 2: the band basically how the song was going to feel 472 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:44,840 Speaker 2: based on these voice memo apps recordings, and that's the song. 473 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:49,959 Speaker 2: So it just when I hear it, I can pretty 474 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:52,600 Speaker 2: well know if it's right right away. 475 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:55,359 Speaker 3: Do you have anybody out here in Nashville that's been 476 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:58,200 Speaker 3: a big influence on you? Whether it's a writer, some 477 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,159 Speaker 3: part of your team, or just somebody that helped you 478 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:04,040 Speaker 3: along the journey, taking you from you know, a guy 479 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:07,439 Speaker 3: just writing songs while working in a landscaping company to 480 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:09,439 Speaker 3: really trying to hone in on your craft. 481 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:12,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think somebody to highlight would be would be 482 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:16,600 Speaker 2: Thomas Dolan. He is a producer in town. Helped me 483 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:20,359 Speaker 2: with a Long Way from Home and he was the 484 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:25,200 Speaker 2: first person that I reached out to when I was 485 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:28,919 Speaker 2: coming to Nashville a lot to help me get some 486 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:33,639 Speaker 2: professional recordings. And so my first EP a couple of 487 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:35,680 Speaker 2: singles that I did, and then Long Way from Home 488 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:38,440 Speaker 2: I did at his place and he was really good 489 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:41,600 Speaker 2: about He taught me a lot and I kind of 490 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:46,840 Speaker 2: have learned how to produce and get songs to sound 491 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:49,600 Speaker 2: the way they need to sound in the studio through 492 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:54,199 Speaker 2: his guidance. So that was Yeah, he was really instrumental 493 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:57,120 Speaker 2: during those early years being here. 494 00:23:57,240 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, Okay, I want to run through some real quick 495 00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:01,840 Speaker 3: questions and as we kind of wrap this up here 496 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:03,560 Speaker 3: with some rapid fire gets to know you a little 497 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:06,160 Speaker 3: bit more even outside of the music. Just three quick 498 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:08,399 Speaker 3: ones for you, sweet, and the first one is what 499 00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:09,960 Speaker 3: is your favorite hobby outside of the music. 500 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:16,119 Speaker 2: Favorite hobby outside of music would probably be fly fishing. 501 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:20,000 Speaker 2: I guess my dad and my brother and I go 502 00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:23,200 Speaker 2: a lot quite a bit. Arkansas is a good place 503 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:25,480 Speaker 2: to do that. The little Red River, White River are great. 504 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:29,000 Speaker 2: But I grew up every year going Every year we 505 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:33,719 Speaker 2: go to Colorado and we we fish out there, and 506 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:35,760 Speaker 2: we've been doing that. My family's been going out there 507 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:39,159 Speaker 2: for about forty years. So really that's that's probably the 508 00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:40,320 Speaker 2: that's what we do together. 509 00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:42,760 Speaker 3: Okay, what about your favorite movie? You have one favorite 510 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:43,480 Speaker 3: movie of all time? 511 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:49,280 Speaker 2: Yes, Once upon a Time in Hollywood and by Quentin Tarantino. Okay, 512 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:55,640 Speaker 2: the most recent one. I have watched that probably four 513 00:24:55,720 --> 00:25:02,520 Speaker 2: hundred times, and I'm not exaggerating seriously. I I don't 514 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:05,600 Speaker 2: know what it is. I think it is a masterpiece. 515 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:09,960 Speaker 2: I watch it for inspiration, I watch it for uh style, 516 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:14,960 Speaker 2: I watch it for I mean everything. I love that film. 517 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:17,280 Speaker 3: Are you a big Tarantino guy in general? Or is 518 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:18,600 Speaker 3: it just that movie I like? 519 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:22,760 Speaker 2: I like his films, It's it's really that movie. I've 520 00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:27,240 Speaker 2: watched a lot of his movies, but that one in particular. Yeah, 521 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:28,960 Speaker 2: I don't know. It just checks all the boxes for 522 00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:33,280 Speaker 2: me when I'm chilling at home, I'll if I'm trying 523 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:35,000 Speaker 2: to kind of get in the right headspace, I'll just 524 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:39,560 Speaker 2: throw that on, like some mincense or something that's quite 525 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:42,879 Speaker 2: some movie, some Stone or something. I don't know. I 526 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:47,560 Speaker 2: just yeah, I just uh, it's great, man. I don't 527 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:49,480 Speaker 2: know what. My friends, I'll make the guys in the 528 00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:51,760 Speaker 2: band give me such a hard time, but it's it's 529 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:53,879 Speaker 2: all I want to watch. If we're chilling them throwing 530 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:54,119 Speaker 2: that on. 531 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:56,040 Speaker 3: That's wild. I mean it's a great movie. Don't get 532 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:57,680 Speaker 3: me wrong, but that's quite the movie. I don't know 533 00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:00,320 Speaker 3: if I've ever heard anybody say something like that. All right, 534 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:02,879 Speaker 3: last one, you kind of talked about this a little bit, so, 535 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:04,399 Speaker 3: but I'm gonna ask it. Anyways. He said he'd like 536 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:06,240 Speaker 3: to write alone. But if you could co write with 537 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,720 Speaker 3: anybody dead or alive, who would it be? 538 00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:10,280 Speaker 2: Chris Stapleton. 539 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:13,280 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, okay, see that one. I understand definitely. 540 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 2: That's uh. Like I said earlier, I don't, I don't. 541 00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:21,000 Speaker 2: I didn't understand country music. Didn't grow up with it. 542 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:28,919 Speaker 2: My dad hates country music. It just wasn't until I 543 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:30,879 Speaker 2: guess I was either a senior I think I was 544 00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:34,360 Speaker 2: a senior in high school. Yeah, there a video came 545 00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:38,119 Speaker 2: across my YouTube feed of Chris Stapleton playing at the 546 00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:42,480 Speaker 2: Opry singing Amanda just a trio with his bass player 547 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:46,280 Speaker 2: and his wife and my dad and I were sitting 548 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:48,719 Speaker 2: there watching it, and I mean I almost got choked up. 549 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:50,080 Speaker 2: I was just like, what is this? 550 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:51,160 Speaker 3: Have you seen him live? 551 00:26:51,760 --> 00:26:52,160 Speaker 2: I haven't. 552 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:54,879 Speaker 3: I think he's playing here this summer too, isn't he No, 553 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:56,480 Speaker 3: I'm on the road, on the road. 554 00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:58,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a sad It was a sad day to. 555 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:00,639 Speaker 3: Learn that sorr I mean, and bring it to a 556 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:03,200 Speaker 3: subject that's well speaking on the road. Go check him out. 557 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:05,760 Speaker 3: Go to JD Claytonofficial dot com for your tour days. 558 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:07,080 Speaker 3: You're on the road quite a bit this summer. Right 559 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:09,200 Speaker 3: open up for Hank Williams Junior. 560 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:12,720 Speaker 2: I did. Yeah, that was just a couple of weeks ago. 561 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:13,480 Speaker 2: It was unreal. 562 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:16,160 Speaker 3: Yeah, it was a wild Do you like his music? 563 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:18,239 Speaker 3: He grew up on his music or listened to him? 564 00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:18,720 Speaker 3: I guess not. 565 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:21,520 Speaker 2: That, but that was in it. I guess that's an 566 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:25,720 Speaker 2: exception to country Hank Williams kind of or his stuff 567 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:29,120 Speaker 2: in the seventies, early eighties kind of flirts the line there. 568 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:36,160 Speaker 2: Arkansas loves its Southern rock and so some Hank's music 569 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:38,720 Speaker 2: kind of blurs the lines there. So I'd listened to 570 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:39,639 Speaker 2: some of that in high school. 571 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:42,439 Speaker 3: Okay, okay, Well check him out on social media as 572 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:44,800 Speaker 3: well at JD Clayton Official, check him out, fall him, 573 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:48,080 Speaker 3: stream him over five million streams. He's awesome, man, Keep 574 00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:50,040 Speaker 3: doing what you're doing. Thanks man, love your music and 575 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:51,719 Speaker 3: keep listening. I appreciate you coming in here. 576 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:54,119 Speaker 2: Thanks dude, Thanks for having me, Thanks for listening to 577 00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:54,960 Speaker 2: the Bobby Cast. 578 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:58,000 Speaker 1: Share this episode with a friend because they don't pay 579 00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:01,680 Speaker 1: to advertise us.