Summary

This podcast episode from 2015 features an in-depth conversation with renowned Nashville-based songwriter Sam Lewis, who is currently promoting his latest album, Waiting on You, released under Brash Records. The discussion delves into the intricacies of Lewis's artistic journey, highlighting his extensive touring experiences across the United States and Europe, which have profoundly influenced his songwriting process. Notably, the album showcases a remarkable collaboration with esteemed musicians, including the likes of Mickey Raphael and Oliver Wood, thus bridging the gap between established legends and emerging talent in the music industry. Throughout our dialogue, we explore the dynamic evolution of Lewis's songs, particularly in live performances, emphasizing how they adapt and transform over time. This episode serves as a testament to the vibrant and collaborative spirit of Nashville's music scene, offering listeners a unique glimpse into the life and artistry of Sam Lewis.

What We Wrote in 2015

Sam Lewis first crossed our radar on a video from Music City Roots, but the timing was off to feature him on the show. As Lewis has toured more in the US & UK, he has built a following and honed his songs, yielding a his new Waiting On You album, recorded with some of Music City’s Americana elite at an historic studio, Southern Ground (recently purchased by Zac Brown). When folks like Brandon Bell champion you to Darrell Scott, Will Kimbrough, Mickey Raphael, Gabe Dixon, and the McCrary Sisters, then you know that your record will sparkle.

Show Notes

In this episode, host Sloane Spencer sits down with Nashville-based songwriter Sam Lewis for an engaging conversation about his latest album, Waiting on You, out now via Brash Records.

The episode kicks off with a look back:

• Sam reflects on how he first caught listeners' attention through Music City Roots videos.
• Those performances featured him alongside a wide range of talented musicians, helping set the stage for his career.

A big focus of the conversation is on the stellar collaborations featured on Waiting on You:

• Recorded at the legendary Southern Ground Studio (owned by Zac Brown).

The album brings together an incredible lineup, including:

• Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson’s harmonica player)
• Will Kimbrough
• Gabe Dixon
• The McCrary Sisters

Sloane and Sam chat about how these musical heavyweights add depth and soul to the record.

Sam also opens up about his touring journey:

• Over the past year, he's traveled across the U.S. and even toured Europe.
• Shared stages with legends like Merle Haggard and Marty Stuart.
• Touring helped shape his sound and his songs, which he describes as “living things” that grow and evolve with each performance.

Later in the episode, the focus shifts to the making of the album:

• Sam shares how a chance connection led him to work with Oliver Wood (of The Wood Brothers), who ended up producing the album.
• The recording process was fast but powerful, thanks to the vibe at Southern Ground and the support of engineer Brandon Bell.

By the end of the episode:

• Listeners get a full picture of Sam’s creative journey, from songwriting roots to meaningful collaborations.
• Waiting on You is more than an album: it's a testament to the community, spontaneity, and soul that fuels Sam Lewis’s music.

Links

• Sam Lewis
• You may also enjoy our conversation with Mic Harrison
• After you buy music or see a show, we would love your support with a few bucks in our Tip Jar
• Sloane Spencer now hosts a Gen X sleep podcast, Sleep with Rock Stars

Takeaways

• Sam Lewis talks through the making of his new album, Waiting on You, and shares stories from his journey as a Nashville songwriter. It’s a deep dive into both his personal growth and the creative partnerships that brought the record to life.
• He opens up about how his songs change and grow when he plays them live. For Sam, they’re not set in stone, each performance helps shape them into something new.
• The album came together fast, just two and a half days in the studio. Sam shares how that quick turnaround was possible thanks to the chemistry and talent of the musicians involved.
• He also reflects on working with some incredible collaborators, from seasoned pros to rising stars. Their contributions, he says, really elevated the sound and feel of the record.
• Touring is a big part of Sam’s story. He talks about how life on the road, and connecting with different audiences, has helped shape his music in meaningful ways.
• And for fans of vinyl, there’s an interesting look at how the format influenced the album. Sam explains how thinking in terms of Side A and Side B helped guide the flow and feel of the whole project.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Brash Records
• Music City Roots
• Southern Ground
• Zac Brown
• Mickey Raphael
• Willie Nelson
• Will Kimbrough
• Gabe Dixon
• McCrary sisters
• Alan Thompson Band
• Brandon Bell
• Oliver Wood
• Wood Brothers
• Giano Jono
• Kenny Vaughn
• JT Cure
• Derek Mixon
• Christina Trains
• Daryl Scott
• Merle Haggard
• Marty Stewart
• JD McPherson
• Chris Stapleton
• Todd Snyder
• Steve Jones
• Brash Music
• Al Moss
• Eddie's Attic
• Red Clay Theater
• Drivin n Cryin
• Steve Soto
• Twisted Hearts

Recommended If You Like

country music podcast, Sam Lewis interview, Nashville songwriter, Waiting on you album, Brash Records, Music City Roots, Southern Ground studio, country music touring, songwriting process, live performance tips, independent music scene, vinyl records, new country music, emerging artists, collaboration in music, songwriting evolution, music industry insights, acoustic music, album production, country music festivals

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.160 - 00:00:58.220

This week on Country Fried Rock, I'm talking with a Nashville based songwriter named Sam Lewis with a brand new record called Waiting on youn out now on Brash Records.

I first discovered Lewis watching some of the best of Music City Roots videos along with a variety of other Country Fried Rock alumni on there, including folks like the Alan Thompson Band. Pairing legends and emerging songwriters is exactly what this record does.

Recorded at Southern Ground, the studio is currently owned by Zach Brown and with stellar playing from folks like Mickey Raphael, Willie Nelson's harmonica player, Will Kimbrough, Gabe Dixon and the McCrary sisters waiting on you make Sam Lewis's song sparkle. Today on Country Fried Rock, I'm your host, Sloan Spencer.

My guest today on Country Fried Rock is a guy named Sam Lewis who I first saw on Music City Roots. He's got a brand new record called Waiting on you. Welcome.

Speaker B

00:00:58.800 - 00:00:59.760

Thank you for having me.

Speaker A

00:01:00.000 - 00:01:07.840

This is fun. I truly did. First to see you on Music City Roots a while back. Tell me a little bit about what you've had going on in the last year or so.

Speaker B

00:01:08.080 - 00:01:35.680

Oh man, quite a bit. Quite a lot of touring. Been touring a lot of the states. I did a west coast run east to west last year.

Got to play a lot of great shows with my favorite people, Merle Haggard and Marty Stewart and folks like that, and got to do a couple European tours, mostly based in the uk and made a new record in the middle of all and made a lot of new friends and wrote some new songs. So I think it's almost time to make another record.

Speaker A

00:01:37.440 - 00:01:42.400

What has been changing for you musically in this large bit of touring?

Speaker B

00:01:42.800 - 00:02:29.600

It's funny, when you record songs, some of them are, you know, a little older and some are a little newer. I continue to enjoy and learn how the songs can evolve, especially in a performing, live setting.

Songs are living things and, you know, they can be documented numerous times.

That's kind of what I've learned most after last year, you know, especially going into the studio in the middle of the touring and then coming out the other end and already playing some of these songs a little differently than the way I recorded them, even though they're, you know, a few months old.

That's been an interesting thing, you know, and exploring and getting to travel to newer, you know, cities and states and countries that I'd never thought in a million years that I would ever be visiting. And now I'm leaving little pieces of myself behind and insanely rewarding on this.

Speaker A

00:02:29.600 - 00:02:32.040

Most recent run of touring. Have you been doing that solo?

Speaker B

00:02:32.360 - 00:02:41.240

Yes, I'm in the solo world as we speak. Been working on a duo act and a couple other things, but it's mostly solo out there in my old Honda Element.

Speaker A

00:02:41.400 - 00:02:43.960

Oh, I drove one for 10 years. Best car ever.

Speaker B

00:02:44.200 - 00:02:49.800

Ever, right? Best car ever. You know, I've preferred the sleep in mine versus some hotels that I've had to.

Speaker A

00:02:49.800 - 00:02:53.570

I could talk about the Honda Element all day long. And camping. That is the best car ever.

Speaker B

00:02:53.730 - 00:02:57.490

It is. It's a good one, man. So, yeah, I don't know why they quit making them seriously.

Speaker A

00:02:57.970 - 00:02:58.930

But we digress.

Speaker B

00:02:59.010 - 00:03:02.050

Hey, folks, this is Sam Lewis on Country Fried Rock.

Speaker A

00:03:02.210 - 00:03:24.300

Hey, y'. All. This is Sloan Spencer, the host of Country Fried Rock.

We've had an incredible year with more people finding us on the radio and our podcast than we ever imagined. Thank you all so much. Careful what you wish for. You just might get it. You were able to record this record waiting on you with some incredible folks.

How did all that come to be?

Speaker B

00:03:24.460 - 00:04:15.860

I paid them a lot of money. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Actually, I still owe them a lot of money.

You know, I've been in Nashville for about seven years, and I've been insanely fortunate to meet. Not only meet and know, but work with some of my personal favorite musicians and songwriters in this town.

Some of the people that played on the record are people that I've known for, you know, four, five, six, going on six years, and some that I've known about for a long time.

But the circle gets a little bigger and you get to know people a little bit more as you spend time and to get to work around some of the musicians and songwriters that are on the album. So a lot of that was spearheaded by the engineer. His name is Brandon Bell.

He's the chief engineer at Southern Ground, and he was responsible for my first record and the second record for sounding really as good as it does. And he introduced me to Oliver Wood, who. Of the Wood Brothers.

Speaker A

00:04:15.860 - 00:04:16.420

Yeah.

Speaker B

00:04:16.660 - 00:05:35.480

So Oliver does a lot of things at Southern Ground, and of course, he's in a fantastic band with his brother Chris Wood. And Giano Jono's actually featured on the album as well, playing piano. Not drums, but piano. One of my favorite attributes to the album.

But anyway, he introduced me to Oliver. About a year ago, me and Oliver just started talking about music and what we loved and what we wanted to do and all that.

And I just asked him if he'd be interested in helping me make a record and producing a new album, basically my second album ever. And he was into it.

And so we just immediately started talking about the songs, what exactly we were working with and what we heard and kind of what our resources offered. And they obviously offered quite a bit. We were very fruitful. Will Kimbrough and Gabe Dixon and Kenny Vaughn I've worked with a lot.

All of it's grown out of JT Cure and Derek Mixon, who are the rhythm section on the album. Two of my favorite people in the whole wide world. Christina Trains featured great vocalist from Savannah, Georgia. She's fantastic.

I learned a lot from her. And the McQuarrie sisters, who also featured Daryl Scott, made an appearance.

And probably my favorite hour at the interrogation was when Mickey Raphael came in and played harmonica on a song called Texas.

Speaker A

00:05:36.270 - 00:05:36.710

That's a big deal.

Speaker B

00:05:36.710 - 00:05:40.830

I originally wrote that with him in mind, and that was quite serendipitous, to say the least.

Speaker A

00:05:41.070 - 00:05:45.710

How did you end up getting connected with Southern Ground? Because the studio alone is historic.

Speaker B

00:05:46.030 - 00:06:37.850

I've known about the studio for a while, even before Zach Brown bought it, and has made it what it is. It's an amazing environment that he's created here.

But I was introduced to the studio and Brandon Bell, like I said, he's the chief engineer at the studio, and I visited him a couple times when he was working on some projects and just kind of fell in love with the place. And I never thought that I would actually make a record there.

But, you know, when I started talking to Oliver, we were looking at some studios and it just kind of naturally happened to bring the session here. You know, I was extremely excited about it and realized, you know, what, all we had to work with.

And most of the time I have way too much than I really need. So we did the album actually in just two and a half days. It was fast paced, but we had just enough time to do what we needed to do.

So that's how I was introduced to Southern Ground. This is Sam Lewis, and you can check my music out@sam lewistunes.com Hey, y'.

Speaker A

00:06:37.850 - 00:07:12.770

All, this is Sloan Spencer, the host of Country Fried Rock. Those of y' all who listen on our podcasts. It's a quick hit of just the conversation.

If you want the full radio program with all the songs that we talk about, ask for it on your local radio station, joining 20 other stations across the country.

Get the [email protected] what a great opportunity on a lot of different levels to be able to bring your songs to people with that kind of support behind it. How do you adapt that from this incredibly layered recorded version with These awesome dudes to what you're doing on your own.

Speaker B

00:07:13.570 - 00:07:42.340

Solo acoustic versions were there before, you know, the record was. So it's just what you do. You just play the song. That's all I have.

And fortunately, I was able to add some color to those sketches with some fantastic musicianship. But, yeah, that's kind of it. I'm just a songwriter. That's about it. That's what I do. I just play the songs and hope that they get across.

And if you buy the album, you're gonna get more than, I think, probably what you asked for, which I think is a really good situation to be in.

Speaker A

00:07:42.500 - 00:07:45.700

So were these songs that you had already played live before you recorded them?

Speaker B

00:07:46.020 - 00:08:33.350

A few of them.

I had half of that album pinned and was already exercising those songs in live settings for probably about a year, year and a half before I documented them on this new album. And then there was a few new ones that came into play last year, you know, when we started filling out what I had to work with.

And we had probably about 20 songs to kind of pick and choose from and figure out what we were looking at. And then I wrote a few new ones in the summertime when I was over in England and added them to the mix.

And, you know, they just kind of sorted themselves out. Some of them, they're pretty oiled and greased, especially in the live setting. And some. I'm still moving around a bit. They're still demanding to.

They're wanting a little more attention, you know, as far as the recording and the album, I think we bottled something really good on every one of them. I don't think there can really be.

Speaker A

00:08:33.350 - 00:08:39.110

Beat you were able to get some independent label support for this record. Tell me about how that relationship came around.

Speaker B

00:08:39.430 - 00:09:43.490

Yeah, that's great. I was introduced to Steve Jones, who's the CEO of Brash Music. I was introduced to him by a friend and by the name of Al Moss.

He's a fantastic radio promoter and just a fantastic human being. And he turned Steve on to my music a couple years ago, and I was introduced to Steve.

He started coming to some of the shows I was playing in Atlanta there at Eddie's Attic, Red Clay Theater there, and Duluth.

You know, we talked about what I was up to and what I wanted to do, and he was just really interested and very, very intrigued and asked how he could help. You know, I came back from England last summer and I had a record contract waiting on me and immediately went to work and made the album.

A couple months after that, pretty Fast paced. But, you know, I was introduced to Steve and brash music and they've been absolutely amazing to work with. I'm very spoiled, to say the least.

To not just have the opportunity, but to be able to work with these amazing people that I can call them anytime about anything. They're always there, open arms and they're very creative.

Speaker A

00:09:43.570 - 00:09:49.890

Well, so I know that you're fixing to be, as we say here in the south, fixing to be on the road quite a bit. How did some of these come about?

Speaker B

00:09:50.530 - 00:10:44.500

You know, I have my normal haunts that I go and play. My normal cities and towns, you know, strongest in the southeast, of course. And the circle has grown quite a bit in just the past couple years.

And some of those are solo shows. And some of them I'm fortunate enough to be supporting...