1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:01,520 Speaker 1: Taking a Walk. 2 00:00:01,639 --> 00:00:05,480 Speaker 2: I believe music with the capital M is spiritual by nature. 3 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:08,640 Speaker 2: I actually don't even think you have to put a 4 00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 2: spiritual overtone to it lyrically. I just think music is 5 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 2: inherently spiritual as a spiritual language. 6 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:20,639 Speaker 1: Welcome to this episode of the Taking a Walk podcast 7 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:25,279 Speaker 1: with Buzz Night. Today, Buzz speaks with Joel Smallbone from 8 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:29,000 Speaker 1: for King and Country, the Christian pop duo from Australia. 9 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 1: Joel and his brother Luke make up the band that 10 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:36,959 Speaker 1: spends a cocoon of sounds, enveloping listeners with inspiring sounds. 11 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:41,519 Speaker 1: They're a quadruple Grammy winner, and they're releasing a drummer 12 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:45,519 Speaker 1: Boy Christmas both as a feature film and a new album. 13 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:49,880 Speaker 1: Let's welcome Curb Records recording artist Joel Smallbone from King 14 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:52,160 Speaker 1: and Country on Taking a Walk. 15 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 3: Thanks for being on. I really appreciate it. We have 16 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:00,120 Speaker 3: a lot to unpack here. We want to talk about 17 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 3: a drummer Boy Christmas album. 18 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 4: We want to talk about the. 19 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 3: Cinematic concert experience, and we want to also. 20 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 4: Talk about the tour. 21 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:14,960 Speaker 3: So we're going to get to all that congratulations that 22 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:17,759 Speaker 3: you ambitious, young lad. 23 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:22,039 Speaker 4: I receive it. I receive it. Thank you man. 24 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:27,320 Speaker 3: So tell us about your upbringing in Australia and how 25 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:29,960 Speaker 3: that really influenced this great musical journey. 26 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's like any It's like any great journey. 27 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 2: It starts with one step right, and I feel like 28 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 2: the Australian childhood beginnings, albeit in many ways so simple, 29 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 2: were so profound. I mean, buzz some of my first memories. 30 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 2: We're looking at vinyl forty five records of like rock 31 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 2: bands and Stripper and Whiteheart, and my dad was a 32 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 2: concert promiser, so he'd bring artists down and often say 33 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 2: that music me even more than I chose music, because 34 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 2: we were just inundated with it for at such a 35 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 2: young age. And then far forward to when we moved 36 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 2: to the States, our sister Rebecca and James started traveling 37 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:15,800 Speaker 2: as sort of a gospel Christian artist and Dad needed 38 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:17,959 Speaker 2: cheap labor, and he looked around and saw that he 39 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 2: had five sons, and so we became the road crew. 40 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 2: So we stage managing, background, vocals, lighting, and it really 41 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:29,400 Speaker 2: taught us how to put on a show. But not 42 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 2: only that, it taught us the sort of hallmark importance 43 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 2: of compromise and creativity and collaboration these these things that 44 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 2: if you do not have the ability to compromise or 45 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 2: collaborate with people, it's over before it begins. And so 46 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 2: I'm man, I'm so grateful for the younger years of 47 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 2: what would become for Keen Country, but more than that, 48 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 2: just as a family and as young men learning how 49 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 2: to create together. 50 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:06,240 Speaker 3: So did you and Luke always get on? 51 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:06,639 Speaker 1: Well? 52 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 3: Now, could you answer that a little more quickly? 53 00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 2: Luke and I didn't get on well, because you know 54 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:21,800 Speaker 2: the whole if you've got two magnets and you sort 55 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:23,840 Speaker 2: of you know, you flip them around the right way, 56 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:26,679 Speaker 2: and they just but if you flip them around the 57 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 2: wrong way, they. 58 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 4: Just repel each other. 59 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:31,239 Speaker 2: Luke and I were two magnets flipped around the wrong 60 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:37,279 Speaker 2: way in that I'm the older brother and as a teenager, 61 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 2: you know, there are certain things that are sort of 62 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 2: unforgivable sins for the younger brother. One, the younger brother 63 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:48,120 Speaker 2: should not get taller than the older brother, and he's 64 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:51,800 Speaker 2: four inches taller than me. Two, the younger brothers should 65 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 2: not be better sportsman than the older brother, and he's 66 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 2: a better sportsman than me. And three, the older the 67 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 2: younger brother should not be a better singer and more 68 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 2: naturally talented than the older brother, and I think he is, 69 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 2: and so it just made this hot, hotbed buzz of 70 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 2: resentment from me. And ironically and sort of poetically, it's 71 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:17,160 Speaker 2: music that brought us back together. But you know, when 72 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 2: he was nineteen and I was twenty one, he was 73 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 2: he'd torn his acl in his first game of his 74 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:28,720 Speaker 2: junior year, and I'd come to him and at dad's request, 75 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:31,039 Speaker 2: and said, do you just want to write some songs together? 76 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:34,239 Speaker 2: He'd never written a song before. I had been writing 77 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:40,360 Speaker 2: since about fifteen or sixteen, and we never stopped. Here 78 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,120 Speaker 2: we are and music, really, music brought us back together 79 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:44,719 Speaker 2: in many ways. 80 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 3: So talk about the evolution of the band names to 81 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 3: the present. 82 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:58,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, oh man, there's awful band names, you know. One 83 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:04,440 Speaker 2: of them one of them was was Osterville wanted to 84 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 2: be like Australia to Nashville, a Us to Ville, the 85 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 2: vill you know, put together. One time, Buzz, we just said, 86 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:15,960 Speaker 2: we went into a coffee shop. We said we're not 87 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:17,920 Speaker 2: leaving this coffee shop until we count with a band name. 88 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:22,160 Speaker 2: And we walked out with Joel and Luke as our Bennett. 89 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 2: And then honestly we started getting closer. I we were 90 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:32,560 Speaker 2: very close to actually being called Churchill, just less of 91 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:36,200 Speaker 2: an homage to Winston and more of a just an 92 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:38,039 Speaker 2: idea of like a city on a hill, and it 93 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:41,560 Speaker 2: just felt regal. And then I came up with the 94 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 2: phrase all the King's Men, and it just thought there 95 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:49,200 Speaker 2: was something about I wanted to have a name that 96 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:53,120 Speaker 2: started with A because you know, everything was digitizing at 97 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:54,480 Speaker 2: the time, and I always wanted to be at the 98 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 2: top of the list, you know. And then I actually 99 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 2: walked into the studio, I said, what about all these men? 100 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:02,839 Speaker 2: And was that producer Sean Schenkle that swung around his 101 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:04,719 Speaker 2: chair and he said, do you remember that British phrase 102 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 2: the King and Country? That you know, when soldiers were 103 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:11,160 Speaker 2: charging in to bleed for what they believed and to 104 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 2: stand for something greater than themselves, they would chant the 105 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 2: King and Country. And I kind of thought, we we 106 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 2: haven't looked back. We thought that's it. So we jumped on, 107 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:24,599 Speaker 2: you know, the World Wide Web and it was great. 108 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:26,280 Speaker 2: And then in that day, this was ten years ago, 109 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:31,159 Speaker 2: we jumped on MySpace and you know, thank god that 110 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 2: was available, you. 111 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:34,840 Speaker 4: Know, and the rest is history, as they say, the 112 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 4: rest is history. 113 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:40,360 Speaker 3: Yeah, So tell me about a typical songwriting process that 114 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:45,000 Speaker 3: you guys go through. Yeah, And I want to stop you, Joel, 115 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 3: real quick. This is a fact of the way the 116 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:53,359 Speaker 3: world is right now. So I'm sorry. The ups truck 117 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:57,359 Speaker 3: is pulling up and my two maniacal dogs are going 118 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 3: nuts downstairs, so please don't let that distract you. 119 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:03,360 Speaker 4: Oh I can't. I can't hear them. 120 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:05,400 Speaker 2: We have a great Dane, So every now and then 121 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 2: I'll be in an interview. I'm at the management office now, 122 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 2: but this great Dane will sort of, you know, this 123 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:14,800 Speaker 2: one hundred and thirty pounds beast will sort of pass 124 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:19,720 Speaker 2: by the camera. So not not today though. So music 125 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 2: and songwriting, it's interesting. You know the statement buzz that 126 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:31,240 Speaker 2: art imitates life. I would also say that art imitates process. 127 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:37,480 Speaker 2: So if your process is too rigid and consistent, your 128 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 2: art will inevitably feel rigid and consistent, and sometimes not 129 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 2: in the best way. 130 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 4: And so I'm a very methodical thinker. 131 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:49,320 Speaker 2: But when it comes to songwriting, I'll actually try to 132 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 2: break the whole thing up. I try to you know, 133 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:55,280 Speaker 2: it might be a beat that inspires us, and it 134 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:58,560 Speaker 2: might be taking two verses or two ideas from different 135 00:07:58,560 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 2: songs and merging them together. 136 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:00,720 Speaker 4: You know. 137 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:02,640 Speaker 2: One of the ideas that we came up with for 138 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:04,920 Speaker 2: a so Uncle fixed my eyes was Luke came up 139 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 2: within the shower and recorded on his eye, you know, 140 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 2: on his iPhone. I wasn't there to verify, but I'm told. 141 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:18,960 Speaker 2: And so you just create safe spaces where and try 142 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 2: and keep this humble spirit of possibility of like what 143 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:27,600 Speaker 2: what could happen here? And that's for us where good 144 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 2: art usually shows up. But when you go in and 145 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:32,280 Speaker 2: you're like, well we're going to do this and this 146 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:35,920 Speaker 2: and this, first of all, I tend to sabotage those environments. 147 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 4: So I'll just like, I'm not I'm not I'll. 148 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 2: Just boy I sort of, I'll just do like a 149 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 2: sort of. 150 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 4: A mild boycott. I'm like, I'm a creative boycott. I'm 151 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 4: not going to do this. 152 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 2: And but we we have selected, you know, a handful 153 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:57,800 Speaker 2: of really good men and women that we work very 154 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:00,720 Speaker 2: closely with and and we branch out of it occasionally. 155 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:04,240 Speaker 4: That trust is so key in the process as well. 156 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:06,880 Speaker 3: You know, Well, and how did you end up with 157 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:09,040 Speaker 3: the amazing folks at CURB. 158 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 4: I love them. 159 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:13,040 Speaker 3: I've met so many of them over time. They're just 160 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:16,199 Speaker 3: the nicest people. How did that come to pass? 161 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:21,080 Speaker 2: The closest illustration that probably put to the Curb relationship 162 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:26,040 Speaker 2: was an arranged marriage because we were on Warner and 163 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:29,000 Speaker 2: then we got shifted over to Word Warner, and then 164 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:35,240 Speaker 2: Warner got bought, and then Warner sold Word and Curb 165 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:40,560 Speaker 2: had always had a small portion of Word, but then 166 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:45,679 Speaker 2: they about seven years ago, they actually bought Word records 167 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:52,200 Speaker 2: holistically and they became Curb Word in essence. And it's interesting, 168 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:55,640 Speaker 2: you know, to take the arranged marriage to the end 169 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 2: of itself. Sometimes those arranged marriages actually really work well, 170 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:03,439 Speaker 2: uh you know, and sometimes the people that set them 171 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:05,880 Speaker 2: up actually knew what they were doing, and sometimes they 172 00:10:05,920 --> 00:10:09,679 Speaker 2: work better than when you've just chosen two people. And so, uh, 173 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:11,960 Speaker 2: it's it's there's been a lot of twists and turns 174 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:15,320 Speaker 2: when it comes to you know, labels and contracts for 175 00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:17,520 Speaker 2: Luke and me. But by the grace of God and 176 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:23,520 Speaker 2: Kurb's no exception, we've always found a way, as has 177 00:10:23,559 --> 00:10:25,959 Speaker 2: the label to or Land on our feet. We never 178 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:28,080 Speaker 2: we never got into that we were closer points. We 179 00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:30,280 Speaker 2: never got into that moment where it was like the 180 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:34,640 Speaker 2: gridlock you know you hear about the infamous artists label gridlock, 181 00:10:34,679 --> 00:10:36,880 Speaker 2: where the label doesn't want you to do anything and 182 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:40,480 Speaker 2: they won't release you, and you you're stuck. Fortunately, we've 183 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:43,760 Speaker 2: never gotten to that point and we're far from it 184 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 2: with Curb and their leadership. 185 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:47,520 Speaker 4: Well, when you. 186 00:10:47,559 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 3: Got a guy like RJ Meetscham involved, good things are 187 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:55,000 Speaker 3: bound to happen because he's a he's a solid slid sore. 188 00:10:56,040 --> 00:11:01,240 Speaker 3: So the spiritual nature and the black end of spiritual 189 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:05,680 Speaker 3: and pop is really just an amazing combination. The music 190 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:10,080 Speaker 3: is so uplifting and makes you just feel feel great. 191 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:17,920 Speaker 3: Do you personally believe that music has really healing powers? 192 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:25,120 Speaker 2: I personally believe that music is the language of the 193 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:34,520 Speaker 2: angels buzz. It's this unexplainable What else can can pull 194 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:38,679 Speaker 2: you out of depression? You know what else can spore 195 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:43,120 Speaker 2: you on on that run? What else can restore a relationship? 196 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:48,280 Speaker 2: You know what else can change literally metaphysically the way 197 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 2: you see yourself or the world, or God or those 198 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:56,800 Speaker 2: around you. It's magic, you know, it's it's miraculous And 199 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:00,239 Speaker 2: the chance to stew. 200 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:02,600 Speaker 5: Would this miracle. 201 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:09,640 Speaker 2: For Luke and me is really profound And the short 202 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:12,520 Speaker 2: answer is yes, I believe. I believe music with the 203 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:16,440 Speaker 2: capital M is spiritual by nature. I don't I actually 204 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:19,839 Speaker 2: don't even think you have to put a spiritual overtone 205 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:25,960 Speaker 2: to it lyrically. I just think music is inherently spiritual. 206 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:29,320 Speaker 2: It's a spiritual language. Now, like anything spiritual, there can 207 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:31,560 Speaker 2: be a dark spirit or a light spirit. 208 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 4: And I've heard music that I, you know, I. 209 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:38,800 Speaker 2: Felt had very deep darkness to it, but it's still spiritual. 210 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:39,560 Speaker 5: You know. 211 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 2: We've just probably chosen to focus on. 212 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:45,480 Speaker 1: The light and. 213 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:52,000 Speaker 5: Invite that into the room and sort of look heavenward 214 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:56,400 Speaker 5: as we write, and and and and yet try to 215 00:12:56,400 --> 00:12:58,280 Speaker 5: do it in a way that does not feel sort 216 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:04,040 Speaker 5: of fluffy and kitchy and Paul Mark at least we hope. 217 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:08,080 Speaker 3: We produced this other podcast called Music Saved Me about 218 00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:12,679 Speaker 3: the healing power of music. And have there been moments 219 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:16,880 Speaker 3: where you have been personally at a low moment and 220 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:20,760 Speaker 3: a particular song or an artist has lifted you up 221 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:21,959 Speaker 3: at a difficult time. 222 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:23,240 Speaker 5: Yeah. 223 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:29,720 Speaker 2: I remember I was a teenager and it was when 224 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:35,880 Speaker 2: the Twin Towers had fallen, and you know, they obviously 225 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:38,440 Speaker 2: fell on nine to eleven, and then, you know, not 226 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:44,880 Speaker 2: three months later, the American football Super Bowl happened and 227 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:47,560 Speaker 2: you two had been asked to perform that year, if 228 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:52,160 Speaker 2: you remember, and they played where the streets had no name, 229 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:57,080 Speaker 2: and they had this scroll of all of the lives 230 00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:59,559 Speaker 2: that were lost in the attacks behind them on this 231 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:03,680 Speaker 2: massive white curtain. And I'm sitting in front of the 232 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:10,720 Speaker 2: Tube TV just moved emotional, you know, to the point 233 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:13,800 Speaker 2: of tears. And even now recording it affects me in 234 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:20,640 Speaker 2: the same way. This song and this voice and this 235 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:27,320 Speaker 2: band could literally reach through the Tube TV into millions 236 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 2: or billions of lives simultaneously and impacts and reframe the 237 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:39,160 Speaker 2: way they looked at this great tragedy. And that was 238 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:41,440 Speaker 2: actually one of the hallmark moments for me of going, 239 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:45,080 Speaker 2: if music can do that, I'd like to be part 240 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:47,160 Speaker 2: of that, whatever that is. 241 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:50,040 Speaker 3: You know, Oh, I got chills. What a great story. 242 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:54,040 Speaker 3: Thank you, Thank you for sharing that, that deep story. 243 00:14:55,120 --> 00:15:01,720 Speaker 3: So let's talk about these projects, these multi tiered projects. 244 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:06,320 Speaker 3: First of all, A drummer Boy Christmas the album coming out, 245 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 3: and tell me how you feel about the creation of 246 00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:10,520 Speaker 3: the album. 247 00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:14,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, I'm gonna I'm going to invert the two 248 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:17,280 Speaker 2: projects because one really kind of precedes the other. 249 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:23,440 Speaker 4: So it was towards the end of last year and we. 250 00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:28,200 Speaker 2: Were in the middle of what would end up being 251 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:31,720 Speaker 2: our kind of final arena Christmas tour for the moment, 252 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:37,240 Speaker 2: and we love Christmas, we love the Christmas season. We 253 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:44,440 Speaker 2: love taking these incredibly nostaltic, spiritual, emotional songs, these classics, 254 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:49,240 Speaker 2: and giving them the for King Country flair and sharing 255 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:52,400 Speaker 2: them every Christmas. The only trouble Buzz is that you 256 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 2: can only be in one place at the one time 257 00:15:54,360 --> 00:15:57,120 Speaker 2: when you're on tour, and the Christmas season is so short. 258 00:15:57,200 --> 00:15:59,960 Speaker 2: Unless you're the Trans Siberian Orchestra, you can only go 259 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:04,000 Speaker 2: to like ten cities. And so every year we'd announced 260 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:08,120 Speaker 2: the Christmas tour and three quarters of America and Canada 261 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:10,760 Speaker 2: and the UK they're all upset. You know, Brazil, how 262 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:13,960 Speaker 2: dare you? You're not coming here? And so again it 263 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:16,200 Speaker 2: was sort of poetry in motion. We were in the 264 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:18,040 Speaker 2: middle of the tour and I just started getting pretty 265 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:22,000 Speaker 2: nostalgic and feeling like, man, this is an amazing tour 266 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:24,640 Speaker 2: and it's such a snapshot in time for us as 267 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:29,360 Speaker 2: a band. So three weeks before the last show, I 268 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 2: called our producer, Josh Watash, our film producer and our 269 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:41,200 Speaker 2: film crew from our movie Unsung Hero through Lionsgate, and 270 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:45,960 Speaker 2: I said, hey, let's all head over to the Toyota 271 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:48,640 Speaker 2: Center in Houston, Texas, where it was twelve thousand folks there. 272 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:50,840 Speaker 2: It was the last show of the tour. I said, 273 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 2: let's catch it. Let's capture a cinematic, constant experience, so 274 00:16:56,320 --> 00:17:00,120 Speaker 2: that in twenty twenty four, instead of upsetting everyone and 275 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:03,240 Speaker 2: we announced that we're not going within one thousand miles 276 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:08,560 Speaker 2: of them, we can put this in theaters and it 277 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:13,439 Speaker 2: will be in driving distance of every American fifteen hundred 278 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:18,879 Speaker 2: theaters December fifth through the ninth, and potentially even beyond that. 279 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:23,119 Speaker 2: And that's what happened. We had a Grammy Award winning 280 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:26,120 Speaker 2: mixer and an Emmy Award winning film mixer tag team 281 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:30,640 Speaker 2: bringing it sonically to life, and an incredible film editor 282 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:33,119 Speaker 2: who worked on our movie cinematically to put it together. 283 00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:36,199 Speaker 2: And this is when you know, buzz I. Literally, my 284 00:17:36,320 --> 00:17:38,159 Speaker 2: wife came to me after she saw the screen of 285 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:41,560 Speaker 2: Mariah and she said, Joel, I think this is better 286 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:45,480 Speaker 2: than your live shows because every seat is a front 287 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:52,119 Speaker 2: row seat in the theater sonically, cinematically, and so we're 288 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:55,440 Speaker 2: so proud to bring that to theaters. And then, as 289 00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:58,920 Speaker 2: I said in the reverse order, because we captured that inherently, 290 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:02,480 Speaker 2: we had this beautiful live album. So we're not only 291 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:04,600 Speaker 2: going to be able to keep people company in the theaters. 292 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:07,320 Speaker 2: Is this Christmas and USh you're in the greatest holiday 293 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:09,639 Speaker 2: of the year and the greatest news the world has 294 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:11,840 Speaker 2: ever known. But we're also going to be able to, 295 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:17,159 Speaker 2: you know, reach into people's homes and on their phones 296 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:21,200 Speaker 2: and into their cars and through the drum Boy Christmas 297 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:25,840 Speaker 2: Live Album and kind of sonically keep them company as 298 00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:29,400 Speaker 2: they're you know, mixing their eggnog and making. 299 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:32,640 Speaker 5: Gingerbread houses or whatever they do. 300 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:35,280 Speaker 4: That's Christmas. Oh, that's tremendous. 301 00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:39,119 Speaker 3: So folks can look forward to many opportunities to be 302 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:45,840 Speaker 3: able to hear, see, experience the band and the great 303 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:49,600 Speaker 3: music and the great vibe. So in closing, I know 304 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:55,960 Speaker 3: you have tremendous gratitude for your fans and how they 305 00:18:56,080 --> 00:19:02,159 Speaker 3: follow you and speak to them right now as we 306 00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:02,960 Speaker 3: close out this. 307 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:09,120 Speaker 2: Episode, well, I'll start by saying, the reason we work 308 00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:11,960 Speaker 2: so hard on this cinematic experience was for. 309 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:15,200 Speaker 4: You, because we wanted to give. 310 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:22,640 Speaker 2: Our supporters and family in our American family, our Canadian family, 311 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:26,879 Speaker 2: our United Kingdom, our Australian and New Zealand family, the 312 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,800 Speaker 2: opportunity simultaneously. 313 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:30,600 Speaker 4: To experience. 314 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:35,560 Speaker 2: The story of Christmas and these, like I said, these 315 00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 2: incredibly nostalgic songs. So this in many ways, we see 316 00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:44,959 Speaker 2: this cinematic concert experience as a gift to you. And 317 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:48,960 Speaker 2: then secondly, we've announced this about a month ago, but 318 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:53,080 Speaker 2: we're taking we're stepping away from touring in twenty twenty 319 00:19:53,119 --> 00:19:56,399 Speaker 2: five for the entirety of the year. And while I 320 00:19:56,520 --> 00:19:58,360 Speaker 2: want you to know that we did that for you 321 00:19:59,400 --> 00:20:03,560 Speaker 2: because it's time to create, and you're pouring out so 322 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:06,359 Speaker 2: much on the road that you need that time to 323 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:08,960 Speaker 2: be able to write. As we started this conversation with, 324 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:12,400 Speaker 2: and we're going to go into production for our next 325 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:17,240 Speaker 2: film next year, and so we're doing we're taking twenty 326 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:21,960 Speaker 2: twenty five off from touring to create so that we 327 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,280 Speaker 2: can come back to you in twenty twenty six sort 328 00:20:24,320 --> 00:20:28,119 Speaker 2: of for King and Country two point zero with some 329 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:32,840 Speaker 2: new music and a new movie. And we see the 330 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:35,720 Speaker 2: honor of our lives to sing and play and now 331 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:37,000 Speaker 2: make movies for you as well. 332 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 3: Joe, Thank you so much to you and your bro 333 00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:46,359 Speaker 3: and your whole team, and congratulations on everything. I wish 334 00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:49,920 Speaker 3: you well and good health this holiday season, and thank 335 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:53,600 Speaker 3: you for the joy of the music, and thanks buzz. 336 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:57,399 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a 337 00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:01,360 Speaker 1: Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends 338 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:04,920 Speaker 1: and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking 339 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:09,040 Speaker 1: a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 340 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:11,360 Speaker 1: and wherever you get your podcasts.