WEBVTT - BobbyCast Presents: Unsigned & Independent: Walker Montgomery - Creating His Own Path 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:02.680 Welcome to the fifth episode of Unsigned and Independent with 0:00:02.759 --> 0:00:05.920 Kevin O'Connell. Kevin continues to look for different artists. A 0:00:05.960 --> 0:00:08.280 goal of his is to find a reason why these 0:00:08.400 --> 0:00:11.959 artists or bands may be unique or interesting to you guys, 0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:15.000 the listener. Now we've had a former lobbyist, two ranchers 0:00:15.000 --> 0:00:17.560 from South Dakota. You know, it's all about the variety 0:00:17.600 --> 0:00:20.280 of backgrounds and the upbringings of these artists. That's what 0:00:20.360 --> 0:00:22.639 Kevin's interested in. And this whole show is talking to 0:00:22.680 --> 0:00:25.319 people who are doing it independently. Now we're talking to 0:00:25.360 --> 0:00:28.400 Walker Montgomery today. You may recognize the last name because 0:00:28.440 --> 0:00:32.280 that's because he's the son of John Michael Montgomery. Walker 0:00:32.400 --> 0:00:34.599 is the sign of a well established country artist. But 0:00:34.880 --> 0:00:37.920 Kevin's goal is to tell walker story, not his dad's story. 0:00:38.240 --> 0:00:40.240 And because these artists are independent, it allows them to 0:00:40.240 --> 0:00:41.839 tell their story in their own words and let the 0:00:41.840 --> 0:00:43.639 audience know what their goals are, what their dreams are, 0:00:43.840 --> 0:00:46.880 without ever losing what makes them unique in their own right. So, 0:00:47.400 --> 0:00:51.000 Walker Montgomery with Kevin O'Connell. He's got over five million 0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:53.360 streams of his debut song, Simple Town, and he was 0:00:53.479 --> 0:00:55.800 chosen as an artist to watch in two by Country 0:00:55.800 --> 0:00:59.240 Now and Music Mayhem Magazine. And here it is Unsigned 0:00:59.280 --> 0:01:12.039 and Independent with Kevin O'Connell and Walker Montgomery. Hey, this 0:01:12.080 --> 0:01:15.160 is Kevin O'Connell back with Unsigned and Independent. This is 0:01:15.200 --> 0:01:17.520 episode five. I really appreciate it. If you've listened to 0:01:17.560 --> 0:01:19.760 the first four or any of the first four, they've 0:01:19.760 --> 0:01:23.319 all been so great, so different, little unique. Everyone's background, 0:01:23.319 --> 0:01:26.200 everyone's story and upbringing can be so much different than 0:01:26.240 --> 0:01:28.840 each other, and this one is exactly the same. We 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:31.919 have Walker Montgomery on the son of John Michael Montgomery. 0:01:32.120 --> 0:01:33.720 But I didn't really want to talk about John Michael. 0:01:33.760 --> 0:01:35.920 I wanted to talk about Walker, so we dive into 0:01:35.959 --> 0:01:38.200 walker story, his upbringing and how he never really got 0:01:38.240 --> 0:01:40.880 into music until he was a teenager, which was pretty 0:01:40.920 --> 0:01:42.959 surprising to me because he grew up in it with 0:01:43.000 --> 0:01:45.240 his family. But Walker is a great guy. He's a 0:01:45.280 --> 0:01:47.880 cool story. You can follow him on social media at 0:01:47.920 --> 0:01:50.560 Walker Montgomery. Make sure you follow these artists. Follow me 0:01:50.600 --> 0:01:53.000 on social media as well at kick Off Kevin, Share 0:01:53.000 --> 0:01:56.120 the podcast, show some support these artists love it, share 0:01:56.160 --> 0:01:58.480 their music, listen to their music, and support them as well. 0:01:58.640 --> 0:02:01.240 Here is Walker Montgomery, Walker around you doing today? Man 0:02:01.320 --> 0:02:03.600 I'm doing great, man. I'm happy to be here, appreciate 0:02:03.640 --> 0:02:05.360 you having me on. Of course, of course happy to 0:02:05.400 --> 0:02:06.560 get you in here. I know I told you this 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:08.600 right before we started this. I don't want to, you know, 0:02:08.639 --> 0:02:12.120 make this about your dad, but you know, obviously I 0:02:12.200 --> 0:02:14.400 want to touch on it, and you know, talk about 0:02:14.440 --> 0:02:16.079 a little bit and your upbringing. So you are John 0:02:16.120 --> 0:02:20.280 Michael Montgomery's son I am, and you're from Kentucky, from 0:02:20.360 --> 0:02:23.400 born and Rice from Kentucky born and raised. I just 0:02:23.400 --> 0:02:25.400 want to ask you real quick, like what was that 0:02:25.480 --> 0:02:29.280 upbringing being the son of you know, a pretty big 0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:31.840 country music star. But you but you lived in Kentucky 0:02:31.880 --> 0:02:33.799 your whole life, right like you were in Oldville whole 0:02:33.919 --> 0:02:36.119 entire life. I think by the time I was eighteen, 0:02:36.639 --> 0:02:39.320 I've I've counted it one time. I might have been 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:42.480 to Nashville like three times my entire life before I 0:02:42.520 --> 0:02:44.560 moved here. So did you know growing up at all 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:46.200 that you wanted to be in country music as well 0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:51.480 as a performer? Growing up? Not not particularly, uh, because 0:02:51.480 --> 0:02:54.680 I mean, my my parents were so great. They surrounded 0:02:54.720 --> 0:02:57.799 me with sports, acting, you know, all these different things, 0:02:58.320 --> 0:03:01.680 and uh kind of let me find my own path. 0:03:01.760 --> 0:03:04.360 To music, and it was It wasn't really till you know, 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:08.040 junior year of high school where I started picking up 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:11.120 the guitar and and uh kind of had to look 0:03:11.200 --> 0:03:13.400 myself in the mirror and and say, hey, you ain't 0:03:13.400 --> 0:03:17.359 going to the NFL, you know, but you too? But yeah, right, 0:03:17.720 --> 0:03:20.280 but uh yeah, I started picking up the guitar and 0:03:20.280 --> 0:03:22.160 and that's kind of that's kind of when I fell 0:03:22.160 --> 0:03:23.880 in love with it. But it was definitely later on. 0:03:24.160 --> 0:03:25.720 Did you You You didn't play as a kid or anything, 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:27.639 you know, growing I mean, you literally grew up with 0:03:27.680 --> 0:03:30.080 it around it. So how did you want to make 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:31.400 your own path, fir, if you wanted to try to 0:03:31.480 --> 0:03:34.440 find your own way in life. I don't, I don't know. 0:03:34.639 --> 0:03:36.920 I think it was really just you know, regular high 0:03:36.920 --> 0:03:39.600 school stuff. And I I picked the guitar or play 0:03:39.600 --> 0:03:43.160 a little piano growing up, but I was always, you know, 0:03:43.240 --> 0:03:47.000 kind of focused on on football and basketball and everything. 0:03:47.280 --> 0:03:50.240 And I had choir in school and and and stuff 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:53.600 like that. So I was still involving myself in some 0:03:53.680 --> 0:03:57.480 kind of music always, but definitely it took a second 0:03:57.480 --> 0:03:59.800 to get there. Do you credit your parents a lot 0:03:59.800 --> 0:04:03.119 for We're not pushing it on you? And let absolutely 0:04:03.200 --> 0:04:07.000 live a normal quote unquote teenage life. Absolutely, And I 0:04:07.040 --> 0:04:09.600 mean all I had to worry about in high school 0:04:09.680 --> 0:04:13.520 was things that regular high school kids should worry about. Uh, 0:04:13.560 --> 0:04:16.960 So I didn't have any pressure from them going, you know, 0:04:17.000 --> 0:04:19.480 but you got to go into music, you gotta do 0:04:19.560 --> 0:04:22.920 all these things and uh and yeah, I mean I 0:04:23.240 --> 0:04:26.280 really do give them a lot of credit for for that, 0:04:26.320 --> 0:04:28.480 because it's different when you find it on on your 0:04:28.520 --> 0:04:30.839 own and and you fall in love with it, uh, 0:04:30.880 --> 0:04:33.280 you know, on your own. But yeah, I definitely give 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:34.760 them a lot of credit for that. Yeah. You hear 0:04:34.760 --> 0:04:36.720 about that all the time, whether it's sports or music, 0:04:36.800 --> 0:04:40.040 where these crazy dads have their kids going to fifty 0:04:40.080 --> 0:04:42.240 different games. That's seven years old, and by the time 0:04:42.279 --> 0:04:44.400 they get to fifteen, they're like, dude, I'm burnt out. 0:04:44.880 --> 0:04:46.640 I'm done. So I'm glad that you're able to find 0:04:46.680 --> 0:04:49.720 your way kind of naturally and organically if you will. 0:04:49.800 --> 0:04:52.120 So when did you move to Nashville. Then you're twenty 0:04:52.160 --> 0:04:58.520 two years old, and I moved to Nashville nineteen around there. 0:04:58.560 --> 0:05:01.760 I was coming down and you know, writing and and 0:05:01.800 --> 0:05:04.040 doing different things like that. But it was probably twenty 0:05:04.120 --> 0:05:07.320 nineteen early twenty nineteen when I finally made the move. Now, 0:05:07.360 --> 0:05:10.200 what was your deciding factor were, Hey, maybe I should 0:05:10.279 --> 0:05:12.760 just go to Nashville and go for it. Yeah, I'm 0:05:12.800 --> 0:05:15.919 I mean, it really was just that I wanted to 0:05:16.120 --> 0:05:18.320 wanted to give it, give it the old old try. 0:05:18.360 --> 0:05:20.440 And uh, I was at college. I was at UK 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:24.360 for what I called my glorious nine weeks and uh 0:05:24.480 --> 0:05:28.080 joined a fraternity and and uh did all the college things, 0:05:28.080 --> 0:05:31.880 which was really good experience. But I just had I 0:05:31.920 --> 0:05:34.039 had a song that I that I'd written in my 0:05:34.120 --> 0:05:37.560 dorm and uh, you know, wrote it, sing it, sang 0:05:37.560 --> 0:05:41.239 it down, and we came down here and before I moved, 0:05:41.400 --> 0:05:45.599 started recording and stuff, and it just uh song started 0:05:45.600 --> 0:05:48.280 doing well on Spotify and everything, and I was just like, well, 0:05:48.320 --> 0:05:51.080 it might as well, it's time go for it. Yefore, 0:05:51.080 --> 0:05:53.080 I saw a story and correct me if I'm wrong. 0:05:53.080 --> 0:05:55.800 Here where you played at a pre party or something 0:05:55.800 --> 0:05:59.040 for football, right man, And a radio guy came up 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:00.520 and he said, Hey, I think you you damn good 0:06:00.520 --> 0:06:02.080 at this. I'm gonna put you on the radio. And 0:06:02.120 --> 0:06:03.880 that did that make you kind of uh or tell 0:06:03.920 --> 0:06:06.080 that story first, I guess. And what that leads to, well, 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:09.080 it definitely did. I mean, it was definitely a catalyst 0:06:09.240 --> 0:06:11.400 to to me moving down here. But yeah, I was 0:06:11.880 --> 0:06:15.640 in college at the time. It was my freshman year. Uh, 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:18.880 and they had the University of Kentucky had a fan 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:25.000 voted Twitter pole uh thing where the winner would play 0:06:25.279 --> 0:06:30.240 the opening game kickoff concert. And of course, you know, 0:06:30.320 --> 0:06:32.800 my mom's voting like ten times a day and everything 0:06:32.839 --> 0:06:36.120 like that, getting everybody to do it. And uh, but 0:06:36.200 --> 0:06:38.520 we just ended up winning and we played it. And 0:06:38.920 --> 0:06:41.279 my drummer at the time, I've shown him that song 0:06:42.040 --> 0:06:45.039 and uh, I didn't know what I was doing, you know, 0:06:45.080 --> 0:06:47.480 I did. I always say it was just a god things. 0:06:47.520 --> 0:06:50.760 I've never written a song, never really sang a song 0:06:51.080 --> 0:06:53.480 that I've written, obviously, and I just showed him that. 0:06:53.560 --> 0:06:55.039 He was like, hey, we can put music too, and 0:06:55.040 --> 0:06:57.520 I was like, well might as well. And that was 0:06:57.560 --> 0:06:59.719 the first time that we have ever played it actually, 0:06:59.760 --> 0:07:01.920 and and yeah, radio guy came up and me and said, hey, 0:07:02.160 --> 0:07:04.479 I'll play that on the radio if you go down 0:07:04.480 --> 0:07:06.680 and record it. And when that happens, you know, you're 0:07:06.720 --> 0:07:09.440 kind of like, well, uh, the college thing might might 0:07:09.480 --> 0:07:11.760 be on hold for a little bit, right right, I mean, 0:07:11.760 --> 0:07:13.400 how can you say no to that, especially at how 0:07:13.400 --> 0:07:17.280 old are you? Nineteen? I mean your eyes probably lit up. Yeah, 0:07:17.800 --> 0:07:19.680 I get excited just think about it. I can tell 0:07:19.720 --> 0:07:21.360 you by looking at you. I know you guys can't 0:07:21.360 --> 0:07:22.800 see this, but I can see it in his eyes 0:07:22.880 --> 0:07:24.760 right now. What'd your what'd your parents say when you 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:27.560 told him that? They? I mean, look, they were happy. Uh. 0:07:28.200 --> 0:07:31.240 I think my dad really he wanted me to go 0:07:31.320 --> 0:07:34.880 to college, just because he never got the chance. And uh, 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:37.320 because but he was, you know, straight out of high school. 0:07:37.360 --> 0:07:40.480 He's playing honky tonks and and uh and everything, and 0:07:40.520 --> 0:07:42.520 I was. I was too, but I was still going 0:07:42.560 --> 0:07:44.640 to college. I was. That's why my grades might have 0:07:44.640 --> 0:07:46.960 suffered because I was trying, you know, I was. I 0:07:47.040 --> 0:07:50.600 was playing Proud Mary's honky Tonk and Lexing and Kentucky 0:07:50.600 --> 0:07:53.640 and stuff and and uh. But yeah, they were. They 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:55.920 were excited about it. And I think they kind of realized, 0:07:56.480 --> 0:07:59.760 uh that I had the bug, and they they I mean, 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:02.320 they've been supportive and everything I've done, but this is 0:08:02.840 --> 0:08:06.200 this They knew it was coming. Once it once it happened, 0:08:06.200 --> 0:08:08.360 they were they were all in. Their writing was kind 0:08:08.360 --> 0:08:10.560 of on the wall, and it was that was the 0:08:10.600 --> 0:08:13.160 last straw, if you will. Now, when you moved to Nashville, 0:08:13.200 --> 0:08:15.560 what was were you thinking like I want to be, 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:18.240 you know, someone big or you just kind of winging 0:08:18.240 --> 0:08:20.320 and as you came out here and started started playing 0:08:20.360 --> 0:08:22.840 at local places and kind of seeing where it went. Well, 0:08:22.920 --> 0:08:25.040 I mean, as an eighteen year old, nineteen year old, 0:08:25.040 --> 0:08:27.440 you don't know. And I didn't know, Like I said, 0:08:27.440 --> 0:08:30.000 I'd only been to Nashville three times, I think, so 0:08:30.560 --> 0:08:34.560 I didn't know anything about songwriting. Uh. All I knew 0:08:34.640 --> 0:08:37.800 was playing a little honkytongk bars and stuff in Kentucky 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:40.760 and uh so, and obviously, you know, being being on 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:43.439 the road with Dad some I've I've seen seen some 0:08:43.840 --> 0:08:46.960 stuff that I guess, uh maybe somebody who was just 0:08:47.000 --> 0:08:50.880 completely grain coming town might not have. Uh, But yeah, 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:53.080 I was just seeing what happened, you know. I was 0:08:53.080 --> 0:08:55.240 trying to get a group of guys that I really 0:08:55.240 --> 0:08:59.160 liked riding with, uh and get as many meetings and 0:08:59.280 --> 0:09:01.920 everything that I can keep booking shows. Of course, at 0:09:01.920 --> 0:09:05.000 the time, it was just my mom and me booking shows. 0:09:05.600 --> 0:09:09.280 Uh So, we were we were just calling county fairs wherever, 0:09:09.679 --> 0:09:11.120 seeing if they had a little bit of money, and 0:09:11.120 --> 0:09:12.640 even if they did and were like, well, can we 0:09:12.720 --> 0:09:15.920 still come play? Uh? But yeah, I mean at the time, 0:09:16.600 --> 0:09:21.800 I've really didn't have a plan, I guess, uh, because 0:09:21.840 --> 0:09:24.000 I was eighteen and I was just like, well, let's 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:26.959 see what happens, right and then since so since then, 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:30.040 you do have a management team now, right, but you're independent, 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:32.360 you don't have UM any label or anything. But how 0:09:32.440 --> 0:09:34.760 much is that management team because I'm interested to find 0:09:34.760 --> 0:09:36.600 out people that come on this some have managers, some 0:09:36.640 --> 0:09:40.320 who don't UM all are obviously independent, unsigned, But how 0:09:40.360 --> 0:09:42.760 how much has that management team helped you, you know, 0:09:42.960 --> 0:09:45.680 be able to juggle things or getting more gigs or 0:09:45.720 --> 0:09:48.120 travel or whatever it may be. Yeah, well, I mean 0:09:48.120 --> 0:09:50.400 it's helped tremendously. And I got a great team over 0:09:50.440 --> 0:09:53.600 Red Light Management, uh, Sean mcspaden, Jenny Tack and ends 0:09:53.640 --> 0:09:57.240 up even Senzo and it's uh, it's a special group 0:09:57.320 --> 0:09:59.439 and I'm blessed to work with them. But they definitely 0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:02.800 does take you know, some weight off of my shoulders 0:10:03.160 --> 0:10:07.320 because they obviously know things that I don't and and 0:10:07.679 --> 0:10:11.840 they can handle things that that I might not. Really, 0:10:11.920 --> 0:10:14.319 even though I've been here for for a little bit now, 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:16.440 you know, I still it might be the first time 0:10:16.520 --> 0:10:20.120 doing something for me when they've done it a million 0:10:20.120 --> 0:10:24.800 times before. And uh, but no, it's helped tremendously. Uh. 0:10:24.840 --> 0:10:28.360 And William Morris my book and agent, uh, Kevin Maid's 0:10:28.400 --> 0:10:31.040 has I mean just doing a tremendous job over there, 0:10:31.080 --> 0:10:33.800 so the whole two. You know, having more people on 0:10:33.840 --> 0:10:36.839 the team, it just always helps, right, everyone balances, it 0:10:36.880 --> 0:10:39.440 plays a ball in some way. Now, do you enjoy 0:10:39.520 --> 0:10:42.480 because I always I also find it interesting, especially nowadays 0:10:42.480 --> 0:10:45.440 with social media, a lot more people, it seems like 0:10:45.440 --> 0:10:48.040 since I've started this are talking about how they enjoy 0:10:48.120 --> 0:10:50.120 being independent because you know, they have a lot of 0:10:50.120 --> 0:10:52.600 their rights to their own stuff. And so I gotta 0:10:52.640 --> 0:10:55.000 ask you as well, the same question of do you 0:10:55.120 --> 0:10:58.280 enjoy that independent And you're still young enough and still 0:10:58.400 --> 0:11:01.080 raw enough, probably you're still trying to figure things out. 0:11:01.720 --> 0:11:06.920 Do you enjoy that independence of it? I mean yes, 0:11:07.080 --> 0:11:11.000 And and though obviously you know, I guess the main 0:11:11.080 --> 0:11:13.000 goal for everybody is to get a get a label 0:11:13.040 --> 0:11:15.960 behind you and more people that believe in you. Uh, 0:11:16.000 --> 0:11:19.320 but to have kind of that creative freedom really does 0:11:19.679 --> 0:11:24.000 in some cases help out. And uh, but yeah, I 0:11:24.080 --> 0:11:28.479 mean there's pros and constant to everything, especially being independent. 0:11:29.120 --> 0:11:34.600 But it it just depends on the situation. Uh really, 0:11:34.640 --> 0:11:38.120 I guess. But owning and owning all the all all 0:11:38.120 --> 0:11:40.440 the music, it's pretty nice, you know, right knowing that 0:11:40.480 --> 0:11:42.640 you have that ownership to it. But it seems like 0:11:42.640 --> 0:11:44.839 one of those you know, if the right deal were 0:11:44.840 --> 0:11:46.880 to come along, then we can sit down and talk 0:11:46.920 --> 0:11:49.840 about that. Well, I mean, and that goes into I 0:11:49.880 --> 0:11:52.680 ment I keep mentioning the team. It's it's if if 0:11:53.040 --> 0:11:56.640 the team believes in you, then that's that's the right deal. 0:11:56.720 --> 0:11:59.000 And when it comes to points and whatever it is, 0:11:59.040 --> 0:12:01.439 obviously there's a longer and stuff like that. But if 0:12:01.440 --> 0:12:03.400 people are behind you and really believe what you're doing, 0:12:03.480 --> 0:12:05.640 that just it makes all the difference. Have you had 0:12:05.640 --> 0:12:08.960 any trouble in the industry because and maybe you haven't 0:12:08.960 --> 0:12:10.880 at all. This isn't it at all, um. But at 0:12:10.880 --> 0:12:13.360 the end of the day, as a business, do you 0:12:13.400 --> 0:12:15.000 ever have you ever found it in the last few 0:12:15.040 --> 0:12:17.040 years or growing up? But all like, oh you know 0:12:17.040 --> 0:12:19.160 who your dad is, like you probably have it so easy. 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:20.880 Like even in the industry, have you had and you 0:12:20.960 --> 0:12:23.400 not have to call anybody out? But I don't call anybody. Yeah, 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:25.720 But but have you run into those roadblots or people 0:12:25.720 --> 0:12:28.640 think that you have it easier when the reality is no, Man, 0:12:28.679 --> 0:12:31.480 we're all on the grinder. Yeah. I mean there's always 0:12:31.679 --> 0:12:34.760 people that and this. I mean you mentioned a business. 0:12:34.800 --> 0:12:37.000 I I just assume it would be the same thing 0:12:37.040 --> 0:12:40.120 if your dad was a football coach or something. You're 0:12:40.120 --> 0:12:42.960 trying to become a football coach yourself. There's always the 0:12:43.000 --> 0:12:45.439 people that I think that way. You know, I always 0:12:45.520 --> 0:12:47.240 gotta be easy. He's only doing it because the day's 0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:50.440 doing it. Uh. But for the most part, man, I 0:12:50.440 --> 0:12:54.439 mean I think that lucky, luckily enough. I mean dad 0:12:54.480 --> 0:12:59.120 was Dad was very successful, and people respect that. Uh, 0:12:59.160 --> 0:13:02.320 but they kind of they do. See, I'm trying to 0:13:02.320 --> 0:13:06.040 make my own own path and uh while paying homage 0:13:06.080 --> 0:13:08.920 to all the success that he had because he had 0:13:09.120 --> 0:13:12.160 some great songs. But yeah, you do get every now 0:13:12.240 --> 0:13:14.559 and then some people that or I don't know if 0:13:14.559 --> 0:13:17.080 it's bitterness or whatever it is. When you first came 0:13:17.080 --> 0:13:20.280 out here, were you playing Broadway or anything, or were 0:13:20.320 --> 0:13:24.160 you more like the writer's round kind of. I did 0:13:24.200 --> 0:13:26.520 a few things on Broadway when I first moved down here, 0:13:26.520 --> 0:13:28.520 but then you know, once I started kind of getting 0:13:29.080 --> 0:13:33.160 into Riders circles and stuff like that. It Uh, I 0:13:33.200 --> 0:13:37.320 started doing more the live Oaks and Demumbrians, uh and 0:13:37.320 --> 0:13:40.360 and just riders rounds, which are which I really enjoy 0:13:40.400 --> 0:13:44.400 but uh yeah, didn't didn't really do the Broadway thing 0:13:44.480 --> 0:13:46.800 for that long. Kind of moved up to Demumbre and 0:13:46.840 --> 0:13:50.640 pretty quick. Uh. But the Riders rounds are also just fun, 0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:52.560 you know, it's They're just fun to do. So I really, 0:13:52.640 --> 0:13:55.000 I really, I really enjoyed them. I enjoyed the intimate 0:13:55.080 --> 0:13:57.319 intimacy of those more than anything. I've been to a 0:13:57.360 --> 0:13:58.920 few of them out here, especially have a live Volk 0:13:59.000 --> 0:14:01.840 a couple of them. And as fun as you know, 0:14:02.000 --> 0:14:04.240 watching somebody go crazy on stage and having a beer 0:14:04.240 --> 0:14:06.120 in your hand, yelling and hooting and all er in 0:14:06.600 --> 0:14:08.319 those writers rounds, it's cool because you can get like 0:14:08.360 --> 0:14:11.760 the backstory of of these songs, and you can get 0:14:12.080 --> 0:14:14.760 the artist or multiple of the band up there talking 0:14:14.760 --> 0:14:17.480 about where the inspiration comes for this song or where 0:14:17.480 --> 0:14:19.680 the sound comes for this song. So is that something 0:14:19.720 --> 0:14:22.520 you enjoyed to do as well? Yeah, I mean, especially 0:14:22.520 --> 0:14:25.840 when I'm on on stage. Uh, even the live show 0:14:25.880 --> 0:14:27.440 when I got the full band behind me. I mean 0:14:28.000 --> 0:14:30.760 it seems uh my TM gets mad at me. I'm 0:14:31.120 --> 0:14:34.320 I'm almost try to tell the story to every song 0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:36.480 just because I want I want people to hear it. 0:14:36.520 --> 0:14:39.480 But uh, but yeah, I do really enjoy hearing the 0:14:39.520 --> 0:14:42.520 stories and and telling the stories of you know, when 0:14:42.640 --> 0:14:45.040 when the song was written, or if I didn't write 0:14:45.080 --> 0:14:47.520 the song, where where it came from, how I found it. 0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:50.480 But yeah, it is a cool little thing. Yeah. I 0:14:50.800 --> 0:14:52.280 mean me as a listener, I don't know how to 0:14:52.280 --> 0:14:54.840 play anything but musician, but me as a listener, I 0:14:54.960 --> 0:14:57.000 enjoy it. And when you sit down to write a song, 0:14:57.480 --> 0:15:00.320 do you have something a process in your head or 0:15:00.360 --> 0:15:01.880 does something just hit you that day? Because I know 0:15:01.920 --> 0:15:05.800 you guys have these scheduling writer writer meetings, So what 0:15:05.800 --> 0:15:08.360 what goes into writing a song for you? Well? I write. 0:15:08.560 --> 0:15:10.720 I write about two to three times a week, and 0:15:10.960 --> 0:15:13.520 that's just because I'm on the road on the weekends. Uh, 0:15:13.720 --> 0:15:16.440 you know, get get a one day break or something 0:15:16.440 --> 0:15:18.640 before we go on the road. But I'm I'm a 0:15:18.680 --> 0:15:21.840 melody guy, so I'm always kind of thinking of melodies. 0:15:21.880 --> 0:15:23.720 And obviously I got a bunch of titles on my 0:15:23.760 --> 0:15:27.680 phone and everything. But it, uh, the process, it almost 0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:30.040 goes back to once you find a group of folks 0:15:30.040 --> 0:15:33.840 that you really like writing with. For me, at least, uh, 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:37.560 you can kind of hone in on everybody's strengths and 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:41.000 weaknesses and stuff, and and uh, you know, I've got 0:15:41.040 --> 0:15:43.840 a few guys that are really good with words, and 0:15:43.840 --> 0:15:45.960 and I hate words. I just want to do melodies 0:15:46.000 --> 0:15:48.360 and and everything. And then I've got some good some 0:15:48.400 --> 0:15:51.400 really great track guys and everything. So it uh, it 0:15:51.480 --> 0:15:54.080 takes time to figure out your process and kind of 0:15:54.200 --> 0:15:56.880 learn how to do it. But once you once you do, 0:15:56.960 --> 0:15:59.560 you can kind of get into groove and that sound 0:15:59.600 --> 0:16:01.480 that you look for. I'd love to play a song 0:16:01.800 --> 0:16:03.880 um of yours on here, but we're not legally allowed 0:16:03.920 --> 0:16:07.040 to do some one here anymore. So I do want 0:16:07.040 --> 0:16:09.120 to talk about, you know, some of your sound and 0:16:09.480 --> 0:16:12.800 where your background comes from. Do you do you feel 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:15.680 like that nineties country is a sound that you've kind 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:17.440 of grown up and it's just naturally into you or 0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:19.760 is that something that you're trying to get away from? No, God, no, 0:16:19.920 --> 0:16:23.280 I think Uh, I think you you awarded it perfectly. Really, 0:16:23.280 --> 0:16:26.400 I mean, it's just kind of naturally what I gravitate towards. 0:16:26.480 --> 0:16:29.640 And uh, it didn't when I moved down down here. 0:16:29.800 --> 0:16:31.520 It didn't take me long to figure out that my 0:16:31.600 --> 0:16:34.440 voice doesn't sound good on a pop track. And uh, 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:36.240 and I'm not dogging on that because there's so many, 0:16:36.320 --> 0:16:38.600 you know, pop country songs that I love listened to 0:16:38.640 --> 0:16:41.800 and everything. But it it naturally just the way my 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:44.680 voice is and the way I hear things. Definitely, the 0:16:44.760 --> 0:16:49.600 nineties influence has has more, has has more kicking into 0:16:49.640 --> 0:16:52.280 my songs. Is it just me? I don't know about 0:16:52.280 --> 0:16:54.320 you being an industry, I feel like the nineties sound 0:16:54.400 --> 0:16:55.960 is kind of coming back a little bit. Oh, I 0:16:56.000 --> 0:16:59.560 think absolutely, And I'm I think it's a good good thing. 0:16:59.600 --> 0:17:04.480 It's yes, it's storytelling telling music and uh and just good. 0:17:04.520 --> 0:17:07.800 You know. I'm glad the steel's come back, fiddles come back. Uh. 0:17:08.000 --> 0:17:10.119 That steel guitar is my face. Oh, it's just awesome. 0:17:10.160 --> 0:17:12.640 I wish I could play it, man, but I've I've 0:17:12.680 --> 0:17:15.080 seen some boys that can that can play, and there's 0:17:15.080 --> 0:17:16.600 just so much that goes into it. I'm like, I'm 0:17:16.640 --> 0:17:18.600 just gonna I'm gonna stick to guitar, man, like I'll 0:17:18.640 --> 0:17:20.800 let you do. Yeah. Yeah, you had to EP come 0:17:20.800 --> 0:17:22.800 out earlier this year speaking of sound, and there's a 0:17:22.800 --> 0:17:24.560 couple of songs on there that I like, and I 0:17:24.560 --> 0:17:27.000 gotta I gotta say this just a title alone gets 0:17:27.000 --> 0:17:29.520 me A bad day to be a beer? Yeah, I 0:17:29.560 --> 0:17:32.560 think I think that's me every Saturday and watching college football, 0:17:33.119 --> 0:17:34.920 and every Saturday is a bad day to be a beer. 0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:36.320 So I talk about this EP a little bit. They 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:37.920 came out in March of this year. Is that correct? Yeah, 0:17:37.960 --> 0:17:40.600 it was March of this year, and uh, EPs called 0:17:40.680 --> 0:17:43.800 Russ but bad Day to be a Beer? U. It 0:17:44.000 --> 0:17:46.919 is my favorite song on there. It's just and I 0:17:47.040 --> 0:17:50.000 recorded that actually maybe two and a half years ago. 0:17:50.320 --> 0:17:53.320 And even how my voice is now, I can kind 0:17:53.359 --> 0:17:56.040 of I can tell that my voice is either I 0:17:56.080 --> 0:17:58.280 don't know if it's gotten deeper or whatever, but I've 0:17:58.480 --> 0:18:00.520 or just matured a little bit. But man, it's just 0:18:00.560 --> 0:18:04.359 a fun song. And in my glorious nine weeks in college, 0:18:04.400 --> 0:18:07.719 we'd wake up on Saturdays. Of course we call him 0:18:07.760 --> 0:18:13.000 catter days, and uh almost saying my brothers, would you know, 0:18:13.040 --> 0:18:14.520 they say it's a bad day to be a beer. 0:18:14.560 --> 0:18:17.320 And then I didn't write that song, but uh, a 0:18:17.400 --> 0:18:20.800 great man named Dallas Davidson actually wrote that song with 0:18:21.160 --> 0:18:23.480 a couple of good buys of mine, Ray Fulter, Cole Taylor, 0:18:24.080 --> 0:18:25.959 and uh but as soon as I heard that, I 0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:28.399 was like, I gotta cut it. I gotta cut it. 0:18:28.440 --> 0:18:29.840 I mean we can all relate to that. Oh yeah, 0:18:29.960 --> 0:18:31.800 oh yeah. I gotta say, by the way, real quick, 0:18:31.840 --> 0:18:34.280 my first SEC game I went to a few weeks ago. 0:18:34.280 --> 0:18:36.120 You're probably not gonna like this, but it was Tennessee 0:18:36.640 --> 0:18:38.800 and Kentucky. I'm sorry but I had to bring that up. 0:18:38.800 --> 0:18:40.719 But I will say, I'm just saying a guy from 0:18:40.760 --> 0:18:44.440 California going to my first SEC game is unbelievable. It's different, man, 0:18:44.840 --> 0:18:47.000 I mean it's an experience. Yeah, it was. It was great. 0:18:47.000 --> 0:18:49.040 I had to throw that little nugget it well, but 0:18:49.160 --> 0:18:51.359 I was on the road when that happened, and you 0:18:51.400 --> 0:18:54.800 probably didn't watch much of it. Well, I put on 0:18:54.840 --> 0:18:57.520