Summary

From 2012: Tara Nevins of Donna the Buffalo dives into her journey of creativity and self-discovery in this episode, kicking things off by chatting about her latest solo album, Wood and Stone. She shares how her upbringing in a musically vibrant household and her classical training on the violin shaped her path, leading her to embrace the roots of old-time fiddle music that resonate deeply within her. Tara reminisces about her time in Huntsville, Alabama, where she penned much of the album, revealing how the laid-back Southern vibe inspired her songwriting and allowed her to explore new musical avenues. With a mix of personal anecdotes and reflections on her artistic evolution, she highlights the significance of collaboration, especially her serendipitous connection with producer Larry Campbell, which helped her craft a record that celebrates her journey while keeping the fiddle close to her heart. This episode is packed with warmth, wisdom, and a whole lot of musical soul, perfect for anyone looking to vibe with the creative process.

Show Notes

Diving into the vibrant world of music and its eclectic influences, Sloane Spencer welcomes Tara Nevins, the creative force behind Donna the Buffalo, to chat about her solo project, Wood and Stone. Tara reflects on her roots, tracing her musical journey from the violin in public school to the heartfelt fiddle tunes that embody her current work. With a warm, conversational vibe, Tara shares anecdotes about her upbringing in a musically rich household, where gatherings would turn into lively jams, setting the stage for her eventual dive into the world of old-time and folk music. Throughout their chat, they explore how her time spent in Huntsville, Alabama (where she penned much of her new album) shaped her artistic perspective. In a thoughtful exchange, Tara explains how her creative process evolved after significant life changes, including her marriage ending, highlighting the introspection that fueled her songwriting. The duo dives deep into the influences of traditional and modern sounds, illustrating how Tara's unique blend of genres manifests in her latest work. As they uncover the sonic tapestry of Wood and Stone, listeners are treated to a glimpse into the heart of a musician who embraces her past while forging a new path, embodying the spirit of creativity and resilience.

Links

• REMINDER: IGNORE ALL LINKS OR EVENTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE FROM 2012
• Tara Nevins of Donna the Buffalo
• You may also enjoy this conversation from 2015 with Willow Avalon's dad, Jim White
• Toss a few in our Tip Jar!

Chapters

• 00:08 - Interview with Tara Nevins
• 02:46 - The Journey into Traditional Music
• 11:21 - The Journey of Self-Discovery Through Music
• 13:24 - Transitioning to New Beginnings in Music Production
• 17:30 - Cultural Reflections on Living in Alabama

Takeaways

• Tara Nevins' journey into music was deeply influenced by her childhood experiences and family gatherings filled with music, showcasing the importance of early exposure to artistic expression.
• Living in Huntsville, Alabama, brought Tara a refreshing perspective on southern culture, highlighting the warmth and non-judgmental nature of the community, which inspired her creativity.
• The evolution of Tara's sound in her new album Wood and Stone reflects her personal growth after significant life changes, blending elements of traditional music with modern influences.
• The collaboration with Larry Campbell marked a pivotal moment for Tara, as it allowed her to explore new musical avenues while maintaining her roots in old-time and folk traditions.
• Tara's songwriting process during her time in Alabama was fueled by introspection and self-discovery, leading to a record that conveys a vibrant and upbeat vibe despite its thematic depth.
• The supportive nature of fans in the folk music scene is a testament to the community aspect of music, where audiences are eager to embrace and explore the individual members' solo projects.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Donna the Buffalo
• Sugar Hill Records
• Larry Campbell

Recommended If You Like

Country Fried Rock, Tara Nevins, Donna the Buffalo, Wood and Stone album, old time fiddle music, Southern music, Huntsville Alabama, folk music community, creative process, songwriting inspiration, traditional music, acoustic guitar, bluegrass music, fiddle festivals, relationship reflections, music collaboration, Larry Campbell, music production, independent artists, music interviews

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.320 - 00:00:18.240

Welcome to Country Fried Rock where we talk with musicians to find out what inspires their creativity. Country Fried Rock music uncovered. My guest today is Tara Nevins of Donna the Buffalo on her solo effort Wood and Stone.

Thank you, Tara, for being with us on Country Fried Rock.

Speaker B

00:00:18.240 - 00:00:19.440

Well, thanks for having me.

Speaker A

00:00:20.000 - 00:00:21.760

How did you learn to play as a kid?

Speaker B

00:00:22.080 - 00:02:23.480

Where I grew up, where I went to school, had a public school system that I grew up in, had a really good music department and I was offered, you know, like everybody in grammar school, whatever, to pick an instrument. And I chose the violin. And so I, you know, I basically learned, you know, in public school and then through high school to play violin.

And I also had an acoustic guitar at home and I started, you know, I taught myself to play guitar at home. And I always really loved music. My mother and father loved music and were always having folks up.

They grew up in Greenwich Village and on the weekends and they grew up in Greenwich Village and then when they got older and they got married, they left the city and moved up to where I grew up in Orangeburg, New York, or which is a suburb of New York City, I guess you'd say.

And so on the weekends, all their crazy friends from Greenwich Village would come up and they'd pull back the rugs and have these just get togethers almost every weekend and dance all night, listen to music. So my family, there was always a lot of music in my family and a lot of support from me playing music.

So when I was playing the violin through high school and learning the acoustic guitar and buying my songbooks, my James Taylor and Carole King and all my song books, learning these different songs, I actually started writing songs then too. I guess when I was then in college for my classical studies, I discovered old time fiddle music. And so it was then that I.

My world shifted in direction, kind of. Although I have to say that even when I was in high school, I was fascinated by fiddle music.

And I had a Mel Day fiddle book, you know, and I would actually sit in the back of orchestra practices and sort of be, you know, while the conductor was talking to the trumpet section or something, I'd be back there, you know, playing, you know, really quiet, trying to play turkey, turkey in the straw. Fiddle book. I always had an affinity for that.

And when I was in high school also, I guess it was high school, yeah, that I got the album Will the Circle Be Unbroken.

Speaker A

00:02:23.480 - 00:02:23.960

Yes.

Speaker B

00:02:23.960 - 00:04:01.390

And that was really inspirational to me.

But then I went off to college and was in the classical music program, but there my roommate turned out to be someone who played in an old time fiddles band, that turned my head right there. And the minute I graduated out of college, I just dove into traveling to fiddle festivals and playing fiddle music.

And I never played another note of classical music. After I graduated I just dove right into what I think had been a yearning inside of me all along.

So I kind of went down that road into the world of traditional music. And over the years I'm part of a large community of folk that play old time fiddle music.

And during that time you naturally discover other traditional music when you're doing that.

And so I traveled to Louisiana and discovered the Sydeco and Cajun creole music there and fell in love with that and bought an accordion and this whole time was writing songs. And so it was sort of like over the course of many years, just an evolution of, you know.

And then I was playing the old time fiddle music and for like 10 years was in a band called the Heartbeats and all female string band and pretty hard driving fiddle tunes and songs. And then dawn of the Buffalo started.

And so now Don the Buffalo, you know, is sort of has a combination of a lot of all of these influence, you know, the fiddle music and the country music and the zydeco music and so on and so forth, you know.

And I still travel to all these fiddle festivals and I'm part of this old time fiddle community and it's a big part of guess where my sort of center of music comes from. And that's also the need to make a record like I just did too.

Speaker A

00:04:01.470 - 00:04:13.370

I appreciate that you, you encapsulated what it is that drives someone as creative as you are to investigate these different styles within what they're. Have you been based out of the greater New York area this whole time?

Speaker B

00:04:13.690 - 00:04:44.650

Yeah, basically I'm hardly ever here, but yes, I spent four years, two years ago, four years leading up to two years ago. That makes sense. I spent four years spending a lot of time basically sort of living in Huntsville, Alabama.

And that's actually where a lot of this record was written and. Yeah, so yeah, but I'm from here and I still have my apartment here and that's where I am right now.

And we have a few days off and so yeah, just I travel so much, I'm hardly ever here and I'd love to move to the South. I love the South.

Speaker A

00:04:44.730 - 00:04:47.210

You know, if you're going to move to the South, Alabama will do it.

Speaker B

00:04:47.450 - 00:05:28.630

Yeah, no, absolutely. Absolutely no.

I was, I was seeing someone, you know, and one of the relationships reflected in the album, the writing of the record, I never would have necessarily looked at the map and pointed and put my finger on Alabama, necessarily, because a lot of the fiddle music I play traveled to North Carolina a lot, Virginia and such, you know, and I. So I do travel and I enjoy tennis, but I hadn't really had much of any experience with Alabama.

But after spending time there, I just really fell in love with Huntsville. And I really, really like Alabama. And it's just I have just this yearning to move to the south, have the opportunity I may.

Hey, this is Tara Nevins and you're listening to Countryside Rock.

Speaker A

00:05:28.790 - 00:05:31.990

I wondered what led to covering Stars Fell in Alabama.

Speaker B

00:05:32.070 - 00:06:34.590

What actually led me to covering that actually, is when I was living in Huntsville, I was approached by these gentlemen that were directing and producing a movie called 20 Years After.

And they asked me, they knew I was spending time there in town and I was hooked up with them and they asked me if I would rewrite that song, Stars Fell in Alabama, they said, you know, the jazz classic Stars Fell in Alabama.

Would you consider kind of rewriting it for the movie in like an old time sort of mountain music approach, you know, same lyrics, but completely different melody treatment. And basically I was commissioned to do that and I did that. And it's in the soundtrack of the movie. So that's where that came from.

But definitely, probably would never have come my way as an opportunity if I hadn't been living in Huntsville, Alabama. And it's just funny that the song is called Stars Fell in Alabama. I mean, how horrible. I was talking to a friend down there last night.

Huntsville was hit pretty hard. It's just awful. And I have friends down there just sort of.

Because, you know, they lost electricity and when you lose that, you can't charge your cell phone. Right.

Speaker A

00:06:34.590 - 00:06:42.230

You know, and it's been terrible. Over 300 people killed. I mean, just the Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, I mean all the way up to Huntsville. Just terrible.

Speaker B

00:06:42.650 - 00:07:02.970

I know, it's just. It makes you really crazy things that have been happening weather wise.

You know, this makes you really wonder what's going on just around the world with all the tsunamis and the earthquakes and fires and the extra snow every year and all these places that don't normally get it and these storms and these like 100 and something tornadoes hitting down in Alabama.

Speaker A

00:07:03.050 - 00:07:03.610

Insane.

Speaker B

00:07:03.610 - 00:07:16.940

I can't even fathom that makes you think that, you know, it's all true and that the world is about to end or something. And when I was spending time in Huntsville, there would be Warnings and sirens would go off, but there would never.

There never was one in Huntsville in my time.

Speaker A

00:07:17.020 - 00:07:33.020

Right.

We've had a lot of focus on the resurgence in the Muscle Shoals sound and the Muscle Shoals music scene right now, but not so much old time music coming out of Alabama. What kind of support did you have for playing live there? Or were you simply based there and on the road a lot?

Speaker B

00:07:33.260 - 00:08:05.080

I was based there and I was on the road a lot. But there's definitely a group of folks that play old time music there.

In fact, where I was living, there was fellow and his wife that lived right down the street from me that I actually knew from the old time community and I spent a little bit of time with them and that was really nice. Definitely invited to some gatherings and so yeah, it doesn't have a super loud voice there in Huntville anyway, but it is there.

You know, I did experience it a little bit while I was there, but yeah, I was on the road a lot and when I was there, I was taking it pretty easy.

Speaker A

00:08:05.480 - 00:08:22.730

You said you wrote the bulk of this record while you were living there. When I first listened to this, I had like these little snippets of inspiration from completely different music and it just really drew me in.

So what was leading you creatively to this solo venture?

Speaker B

00:08:23.450 - 00:08:59.309

Well, I made an. This is my second solo album. I made one probably came out also on Sugar hill Records, probably 10 or 11 years ago.

Yeah, it was called Mule to Ride and it was really an old time, sort of slash, light, curly, bluegrass kind of sound. Really featured my fiddle playing and sort of a cast of thousands. And I only sang maybe two songs on it. Mostly traditional public domain material.

And I knew how to do that. I knew how to present it, I knew how to produce it. So I produced the record and all that. I always knew I would do another one.

It was part of my whole situation with Sugar Hill and I wanted to do another one.

Speaker A

00:08:59.309 - 00:08:59.589

Right.

Speaker B

00:08:59.589 - 00:14:02.650

It took me this long to get around to it being busy in dawn of the Buffalo and also, and I'm glad it took this long because I knew that anyway, so because it's been this many years, I wanted to do something different. I didn't want to do the same thing again, of course. Well, I guess what happened was I just started writing these songs.

I was married for a long time and I thought I would always be married, you know. And six years ago that marriage ended and it was a huge shift in my life, my level of independence and all that.

And from then till now, I've had some other relationships and I've just. It's been a time of a lot of discovery and finding yourself core and your strength.

And it's been actually really a great time of discovery and just reflection on these relationships. And I just.

In this time period and living in Huntsville, I just started writing these songs and it kind of came together and I thought, this is my record, you know, this is what I have to say right now. And this is, you know, the fiddle will be on this record. And it is. It's not always the main featured instrument.

You know, Larry Campbell's wonderful pedal steel and electric guitar and then this banjo and you know, so on and so forth and you know, life just works in a mysterious way, as we know.

And for some reason I was just led in this direction and these songs came about and then my opportunity to record with Larry Campbell came about and I realized actually when I was writing these songs I was, I was getting excited and I was thinking, wow, you know, these songs, these songs, like, you know, when you make a record, you kind of want to paint a picture and you kind of want to say something. You kind of want. It's kind of nice to send one sort of vibe out there or one sort of message.

And when I was writing these songs, I was like, God, you know, these songs, they're. They're not downers. Even though they're about relationships, they're pretty upbeat.

I like the vibe and you know, I think all these songs together could make like one cool, paint one cool picture in a record. I wasn't sure how to do it because it wasn't about just playing bluegrass or old time music. It's about songs.

It's about me singing about what instrumentation should I use. I don't want it to be like rock and roll. I don't want it to be totally, totally soft tracks with no drums somewhere in the middle.

I don't know exactly how to do this. So I realized I could not. I didn't want to produce it myself. I wanted someone to help me.

But I had a sort of an idea in my head of what I wanted it to be.

So I think that my marriage ending and the six years in between writing these songs, spending the time in Huntsville, Alabama, just this whole growth period, I guess you say self discovery, it's a pretty introspective record and it just kind of led me in this direction and I don't know, here I am. And then I got the opportunity...

Summary

From 2012, Adam Remnant from Southeast Engine dives deep into the creative process behind their music, sharing how inspiration strikes like lightning when least expected. He chats with the host about the band's roots in Athens (Ohio) and their journey through the indie music scene, revealing how the blend of personal experiences and diverse musical influences shapes their sound. The conversation flows effortlessly, touching on everything from their social media presence to the dynamics of live performances, where the energy of the audience can make or break a show. They explore the evolution of their songwriting, including the transition from basement jams to studio recordings, and Adam's passion for crafting lyrics that resonate on multiple levels. This episode is a laid-back yet insightful ride into the world of Southeast Engine, showcasing their unique vibe and collaborative spirit.

Show Notes

• Discussion on the band's origins and their Athens roots.
• Insights into how social media platforms like Twitter influence their music outreach.
• The creative process behind songwriting and live performances.
• Exploration of their new album, "Canary," and the dynamics of arranging songs.
• Fun banter about musical influences, including Nirvana and Bob Dylan.
• Creativity often stems from unexpected moments and experiences.
• The energy of live audiences plays a crucial role in shaping performances.
• Songwriting is an evolving process that benefits from collaboration and spontaneity.
• Social media can be a powerful tool for musicians to connect with fans.
• Each album reflects a unique phase in the band's musical journey.

Links

• REMINDER: IGNORE ALL LINKS OR EVENTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE FROM 2012
• Adam Remnant of Southeast Engine still makes music
• You may also enjoy this conversation from 2015 with Kevn Kinney of Drivin n Cryin
• Toss a few in our Tip Jar

Chapters

• 00:00 - Introduction to Country Fried Rock
• 02:57 - The Origins of Southeast Engine
• 10:10 - The Evolution of Live Music Performance
• 14:12 - Creative Processes in Music
• 20:21 - Exploring Musical Influences and Inspirations
• 23:30 - Creative Direction and Album Development

Takeaways

• Southeast Engine's formation story is a classic tale of shared musical passion that blossomed in Athens, Ohio, with roots tracing back to their childhood in Dayton.
• The band members have distinct musical influences, blending folk, rock, and country, which creates a unique sound reflective of their diverse backgrounds.
• Social media plays a crucial role in connecting with fans, especially Twitter, where the band shares updates and engages with their audience in a more casual manner.
• Live performances are dynamic and tailored to the venue's atmosphere, highlighting the band's ability to adapt their energy to different audience vibes.
• The songwriting process for Adam involves a blend of spontaneity and reflection, allowing ideas to develop organically rather than being forced.
• Southeast Engine aspires to explore a more atmospheric sound in future albums, indicating a creative evolution that reflects their growth as artists.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Southeast Engine
• Couch by Couch West
• Three Elliott Studios
• Misra Records
• Judee Sill
• Absolutely Kosher
• Moonjaw Records

Recommended If You Like

Country Fried Rock, Southeast Engine, indie rock podcast, music creativity inspiration, Athens music scene, songwriting process, live music performance, musical influences, folk rock bands, music production techniques, Twitter for musicians, Couch by Couch West, band dynamics, harmonies in music, acoustic instruments in rock, music collaborations, lyrical songwriting, Americana music, live recording techniques, band interviews, Judee Sill

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.320 - 00:00:08.560

Welcome to Country Fried Rock, where we talk with musicians to find out what inspires their creativity. Country Fried Rock music Uncovered.

Speaker B

00:00:08.560 - 00:00:11.640

Yeah. Hi, this is Adam Remnant from the band Southeast Engine.

Speaker A

00:00:11.640 - 00:00:12.760

Hey, Adam. How are you?

Speaker B

00:00:12.760 - 00:00:14.000

I'm doing well. How are you?

Speaker A

00:00:14.000 - 00:00:17.360

I am well, thank you. Are y' all still based in Athens?

Speaker B

00:00:17.520 - 00:00:45.500

We're relatively still based out of Athens. Myself and my brother, Jesse Remnant, who plays bass in Things Harmony in the band, also live in Athens.

And then our drummer, Leo DeLuca, recently moved to Durham, North Carolina, and our keyboard player lives in Morgantown, West Virginia. Leo and I started the band, like, 10 years ago, and we just. Until the last year, we've all lived in Athens, except.

Except our keyboard player, Billy Matheny is from Morgantown, West Virginia. He's always lived there, but the rest of the band's always been in Athens for the most part.

Speaker A

00:00:45.740 - 00:00:52.300

Well, I'll tell you how I found Southeast Engine. And I. You may not know this. I could not go to south by Southwest this year.

Speaker B

00:00:52.380 - 00:00:53.260

Neither did we.

Speaker A

00:00:53.340 - 00:00:58.300

Well, so I ended up finding one of y' all on Couch by Couch west on Twitter.

Speaker B

00:00:58.750 - 00:01:00.750

All right. Yes. Yes, that would be me.

Speaker A

00:01:00.910 - 00:01:02.430

Tell me about your Twitter life.

Speaker B

00:01:03.790 - 00:01:12.910

I recently. I've only recently started to become a fan of Twitter. We've been using Facebook for a while, and recently I've adapted to Twitter as well.

Speaker A

00:01:13.230 - 00:01:17.070

Honestly, Couch by Couch west was the first time I ever got Twitter.

Speaker B

00:01:17.150 - 00:01:17.790

Oh, really?

Speaker A

00:01:17.790 - 00:01:22.590

Well, it's the first time I ever really understood the power of how it's different than Facebook.

Speaker B

00:01:23.150 - 00:01:48.380

Yeah, you know, there is a subtle difference, and I think it's that with Twitter, I feel like with Facebook, if we make updates every day or more than once a day, that it could be sort of annoying to people that, you know, follow our page. But with Twitter, I don't know, it just feels like it can be a little bit more lighthearted or not. Not, as you know, I don't know. It just doesn't.

It seems like you can post more on Quick Little message.

Speaker A

00:01:48.460 - 00:01:52.620

So are you in charge of the Twitter account for Southeast Engine, or do y' all each do your own thing?

Speaker B

00:01:52.780 - 00:02:05.540

I say that I would update the Twitter page and the Facebook page. It's mainly me updating them. And then sometimes, occasionally the other band members will post something, but it's mostly me.

Speaker A

00:02:05.780 - 00:02:06.820

Is that by choice?

Speaker B

00:02:08.340 - 00:02:44.900

I don't know. I just started. I just started doing it. And the drummer, Leo DeLuca, he posts stuff occasionally. It just kind of happened that way, I guess.

I don't really. It wasn't really too deliberate a Friend of mine, he's in a band from Boston called Hallelujah.

The Hills had posted his video that he did for it on Facebook. I saw it, I was like, oh, that's a good idea. And I just got out the little flip video camera and my wife is in the video.

She's the one that's filming it. I just asked her, you can see in the video, me asking her to film it, to do a song for Couch by Couch Bus.

And I did an old time song called Cripple Creek and I played it on banjo.

Speaker A

00:02:45.140 - 00:02:57.080

As I said, that was how I found you all.

So when I then went and researched what you all do as a band, I was like, oh, not quite old time music here, but, you know, that's what I was expecting. How did Southeast Engine form originally?

Speaker B

00:02:57.240 - 00:03:34.820

As early as 1999, me and my brother and Leo DeLuca the drummer, all grew up in Dayton, Ohio, like a suburb right outside Dayton. And then Leo and I went to school in Athens, went to college here at Ohio University. And I don't know, it was a pretty typical story, really.

We just liked a lot of the same music. And he was playing drums and I was starting to write some songs and we just started playing music together. And that's basically it. There's really.

There's really no great tale behind it, but pretty typical. This is Adam Remnant of Southeast Engine. You're listening to Country Fried Rock. You can find us [email protected].

Speaker A

00:03:34.980 - 00:03:36.740

How'D you learn to play music originally?

Speaker B

00:03:36.740 - 00:04:06.710

I think when I was in, like sixth or seventh grade, like 12, 13 years old, me and my other.

One of my other brothers who's not in the band, we grew up, we got really into Nirvana and so Nirvana was breaking and we became obsessed and we both. Our parents bought us both really cheap electric guitars and got us in guitar lessons. And I don't know, we were just completely obsessed. We just.

I've been completely obsessed with rock and roll ever since, and I haven't been the same.

Speaker A

00:04:07.430 - 00:04:09.990

So did y' all have kind of your family Nirvana cover band?

Speaker B

00:04:09.990 - 00:04:19.610

Oh, yeah. We would.

We would do little fake concerts in our bedroom and we'd set up cardboard boxes and pretend they were amps and then smash our guitars into the cardboard boxes.

Speaker A

00:04:20.010 - 00:04:20.570

Awesome.

Speaker B

00:04:21.770 - 00:04:23.930

Oh, yeah. I mean, what a great way to start.

Speaker A

00:04:24.890 - 00:04:31.850

So you say you. You became obsessed with rock and roll ever since. Once you branched out from your Nirvana fandom, where did you head?

Speaker B

00:04:31.850 - 00:05:28.100

Well, I was into other, like, alternative bands like Dinosaur, junior Zebedo, and bands like that. But then There was some Dayton stuff too, like Guided by Voices readers were out there and.

But then as I got a little bit older, I started, you know, exploring more like classic rock, like the Beatles and Bob Dylan. And really I think that's more.

The sound of Southeast Engine is kind of more based on 60s and 70s, you know, rock and roll and folk rock and things like that, Things of that nature.

Growing up with those records, I mean, I just remember, you know, my dad had a copy of the Beatles White album, listening to that when I was in ninth. Somehow I missed hearing the Beatles growing up. And I just remember hearing the Beatles when I was in like ninth grade.

And it just sounded totally bizarre to me.

It actually took me a little while to get used to how they sound, which I think for a lot of people seem strange, but because most people it's just they sound so natural because you heard them growing up. But somehow my parents didn't play it around the house. And so it took me a little while to get used to it.

But then I just became completely obsessed with the Beatles and Bob Dylan.

Speaker A

00:05:28.500 - 00:05:30.900

So what was the music scene like at OU when you were there?

Speaker B

00:05:31.140 - 00:06:12.930

There's sort of two aspects to it. There's the rock clubs uptown, which have a lot of garage rock type bands.

And then when I was first going to school here, there was a lot of jam bands around, which, you know, I like the Grateful Dead and some of that stuff. But I was curious of having Southeast Engine be something different than the garage rock and the jam band scene today.

There's a lot of like indie rock sounding bands in Athens. Each club kind of has its own vibe, you know, like the Union. And there's a lot of rock and roll happening there.

And then there's bars that kind of cater more towards jam ban and things like. But there's also a real like old time music element here. Sort of Appalachian old time music. Not necessarily bluegrass, but old time.

Speaker A

00:06:12.930 - 00:06:13.330

Right.

Speaker B

00:06:13.490 - 00:06:42.510

And there's a couple groups around here that play that music and that influenced us more recently. But I think it was always kind of an influence living here and those sounds just seeping in. Folk music in general, going back to the 20s and 30s.

You can find all our albums [email protected] and you can also find information on the band there. And you can actually read all the lyrics, hear certain songs from each of our [email protected] that was a pretty intentional.

Speaker A

00:06:42.510 - 00:06:47.870

Choice then in terms of a production method. Who had you read about that did it that way that you wanted to emulate I don't know.

Speaker B

00:06:47.870 - 00:07:25.170

Even, you know, most of the Bob Dylan albums are all always recorded live, Even a lot of the Beatles stuff. The basic tracking was recorded live.

And even really, you know, even going back and looking like the Beach Boys, Pet Sounds and Smile sessions, even these really advanced production techniques and arrangements, a lot of the basic tracking was still done with the group. You put the work into that initial live performance, and then you just do the overdub.

I only wanted to overdub stuff that we couldn't do, that we couldn't do in those initial tracks, you know, because we had our hands full.

Speaker A

00:07:25.250 - 00:07:26.370

Who did y' all work with?

Speaker B

00:07:26.450 - 00:07:36.590

We work with a studio here in Athens called Three Elliot Studios, and there's a engineer, slash producer there named Josh Antonuccio. We've been working with him since our first studio album.

Speaker A

00:07:36.910 - 00:07:38.430

That's nice to have that continuity.

Speaker B

00:07:38.590 - 00:07:51.790

Yeah, I just. Josh and us, we speak the same language musically.

I feel like we have the same vocabulary, and he just gets our perspective and where we're coming from and. And he's just a really good friend of ours, so I always feel really comfortable in the studio.

Speaker A

00:07:51.790 - 00:07:56.670

Sure. That goes along well, especially if you're going to be tracking live. That really makes a difference.

Speaker B

00:07:57.260 - 00:08:11.100

Yeah, yeah. And Josh is. You know, Josh has been.

He's sort of been like the fifth member of the band in a lot of ways, and he sort of evolved with us, and, you know, we're always. You know, he'll challenge us and we'll challenge him. You know, it's been a really good relationship.

Speaker A

00:08:11.100 - 00:08:15.260

Do you feel that you have captured the sound you want to capture in your recording?

Speaker B

00:08:15.580 - 00:08:39.750

Yeah, I do. I mean, I. You know, each. I think all the albums that we've done there at 3 Elliott Studios sound great. Each.

Each time we make an album, you always kind of. I don't know what it is, but you always see musicians kind of swinging back and forth with each album, like.

Well, you know, the last time we had the album was really epic and dense, and this time we wanted more space. I don't know. That's just a natural tendency where you want to compensate for what you've done previously.

Speaker A

00:08:39.910 - 00:08:40.310

Sure.

Speaker B

00:08:40.630 - 00:08:49.950

And you just maybe just don't want to repeat the same things, do the same things over and over. But. So I think with each album, we've gone for a specific thing, been able to achieve it.

Speaker A

00:08:49.950 - 00:08:53.290

If someone were to see you live currently, what would they expect?

Speaker B

00:08:53.770 - 00:09:32.300

Well, right now we're doing about at least half of the new album, Canary, and we typically just choose Songs that translate best live. We definitely differentiate between how to work in a studio and how to work in a live setting.

So I think in the live shows, you know, whatever songs from each album have translated the best live over the years. And then we're definitely wanting to pull some from our new material and our new album.

And we definitely play songs from all of our previous albums as well. Typically we try to keep it largely with high energy songs. We do play some quieter ones too. We don't shy away from doing a quiet song.

Try to, you know, reign things back sometimes.

Speaker A

00:09:32.380 - 00:09:34.219

So you do road test new material?

Speaker B

00:09:34.460 - 00:09:58.320

We do sometimes. It just depends. Yeah.

Like we were definitely doing some of the songs from our new album before it came out and I don't know, sometimes that's a good idea, sometimes maybe it's not, but because you're still working out the arrangements and I just feel like sometimes you can practice a song a million times in your basement, but you're really not going to figure out how to play live until you start playing it live.

Speaker A

00:09:58.320 - 00:09:58.720

Right.

Speaker B

00:09:59.520 - 00:10:09.520

I just find that we'll think that we've got it down completely and then you go play live and I don't know, usually it takes a few times in front of an audience for it to really start clicking the way you want it to.

Speaker A

00:10:10.080 - 00:10:17.600

What song off of Canary changed the most from that original, like Play in the Basement to the actual choice of heading into the studio with...

Summary

Back in 2011, we chatted with Aaron Beavers of Shurman. Surprising everyone, they reunited in August 2025 for a number of tour dates.

Sloane kicks things off with a warm welcome to Aaron from the band Shurman, and it's all about that sweet, sweet vibe of creativity in music. Right from the get-go, they dive into the heart of the matter, how music festivals bring artists together, not just for the love of the music, but for the chance to reconnect with old friends and share new tunes. Erin reflects on the joys of making music with pals, highlighting how it’s less about the cash and more about the camaraderie and experiences. They chat about Shurman's latest holiday record, which started as a tongue-in-cheek joke during a scorching Texas summer but turned into a surprisingly successful project. The convo flows from the essence of their musical journey in Austin to the quirky tales of life on the road, making it clear that for these musicians, it’s all about keeping it real and staying connected to their roots.

Links

• REMINDER: IGNORE ALL LINKS OR EVENTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE FROM 2011
• Shurman
• You will probably enjoy this conversation from 2015 with Aaron Lee Tasjan
• Toss a few in our Tip Jar!

Show Notes

Diving into the vibrant world of music and creativity, the latest episode of Country Fried Rock brings listeners a delightful chat with Aaron from the band Shurman. The conversation flows like a sweet melody, starting with a nostalgic recount of a recent rendezvous in Nashville, where the duo reminisces about the electric atmosphere of outdoor shows and the camaraderie that music festivals foster. Aaron expresses the joy of jamming with old friends, highlighting the essence of music not just as a profession but as a cherished connection among musicians who rarely get to meet. The discussion unfolds into a nuanced exploration of the challenges faced by artists, particularly the struggle for exposure in an industry that often prioritizes profit over passion. Aaron shares candid insights about the realities of touring life, the financial hurdles, and the sheer joy of performing despite the odds.

As the episode progresses, the conversation takes a fun twist as Aaron reveals the story behind their latest holiday record, which unexpectedly became a hit. What started as a playful idea during a scorching Texas summer evolved into a project that not only showcases Shurman's musical prowess but also weaves in a sense of humor and irony about creating Christmas songs in the heat. The banter between the hosts and Aaron adds a laid-back vibe, making it feel like a friendly hangout rather than a formal interview. The narrative delves deeper into the roots of their music style, with Aaron sharing anecdotes about his punk rock beginnings and the evolution of their sound, blending country, rock, and soulful influences. This episode is not just a glimpse into Shurman’s journey but a heartfelt celebration of friendship, creativity, and the joy of making music.

Listeners will leave with a sense of connection to the artists and a greater appreciation for the stories that shape the songs they love. With a sprinkle of humor and a whole lot of heart, this episode paints a vivid picture of the music scene and the bonds it creates, inviting everyone to tune in and enjoy the ride.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Country Fried Rock

04:24 The Birth of a Band

09:48 The Journey of Musical Discovery

20:54 The Journey to Austin: Musical Authenticity and Personal Growth

22:22 The Influence of Austin's Music Scene

Takeaways

• In the heart of Nashville, the vibe of music festivals is all about reconnecting with old friends and sharing creative energy, rather than just chasing the big bucks.
• Aaron from Shurman passionately shares that music is deeply rooted in friendships, and collaborating with old pals is the ultimate creative high.
• The unpredictable journey of creating a Christmas album during a scorching Texas summer led to unexpected musical success, showcasing the magic of spontaneity.
• The rich musical history of Austin has given Aaron a sense of authenticity and confidence that fuels the band's creativity and growth.
• Aaron reflects on how his songwriting has evolved, highlighting the transformative nature of music and how past experiences shape current expressions.
• The camaraderie and support among musicians in Austin creates an inviting atmosphere where creativity flourishes, contrasting sharply with the competitive nature of larger cities.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Shurman
• Blues Traveler
• Mother Truckers
• Blue Shop
• Stonehoney
• Whiskey Town
• Vanguard
• Sustain
• Universal Republic

Recommended If You Like

Country Fried Rock, podcast episode, musician interviews, creative inspiration, Nashville music scene, Shurman band, Americana music, Texas music, music festivals, songwriting process, holiday music, music collaboration, indie music, country rock, live performances, recording studio, acoustic music, music industry insights, musical influences, music promotion

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.800 - 00:00:10.080

Welcome to Country Fried Rock, where we talk with musicians to find out what inspires their creativity. Country Fried Rock Music Uncovered Hey, Sloan.

Speaker B

00:00:10.080 - 00:00:12.080

How you doing? This is Erin from the band Sherman.

Speaker A

00:00:12.320 - 00:00:16.320

Hey, Erin. Thanks a bunch for being with us. I'm so glad I got to meet you in Nashville this year.

Speaker B

00:00:16.720 - 00:00:21.120

What a fun time that was. Wasn't that great? Amh great. I just had such a blast.

Speaker A

00:00:21.520 - 00:00:27.520

Perfect weather, perfect time. Country Fried rock out in Nashville. A little outdoor show of you solo.

Speaker B

00:00:27.880 - 00:00:38.360

Yeah, you know, it was kind of a laugh that popped in with some old friends, and I never turned down, if I can make music with old friends, that's kind of as good as it gets, you know?

Speaker A

00:00:38.680 - 00:00:41.800

You know, that is exactly what music festivals are all about.

Speaker B

00:00:42.120 - 00:01:37.170

You know, it really is, because you're, you know, half a lot of those times the bands that are playing are doing it in order to get exposure. You know, they're not doing it so for the huge payday. And so you're kind of just going, well, okay, I'm eating the show. I'm handling the expenses.

I'm doing this. I'm taking care of himself, which as musicians, have a hard time doing, in case you haven't heard.

Yeah, but, you know, those kind of conversations, you get to meet with all your old friends who are touring all over the country as well, and you don't get to see them except for maybe south by southwest and the AMAs and all the clients and CMJ and, you know, a couple times a year, you'll all get together and you're lucky enough, there's instruments around and everybody gets to play some songs and, you know, not only catch up on what everybody's girlfriends, wives, kids, brothers, sisters, moms and dads are doing, but also, you know, get to catch up musically on whatever it's got coming down, you know, the creative pipeline as far as what's their new song or what's they're excited about and a lot of times, you know, what bands we're kind of all listening to.

Speaker A

00:01:37.170 - 00:01:47.610

You know, it's funny that you say that, because that's actually how I found you. We did an interview a while back with Josh and Teal from the Mother Truckers, and that's how I found Sherman.

Speaker B

00:01:48.010 - 00:02:20.130

Oh, yeah, we love Josh and Teal. They're both. They both make appearances not on the same song, but in separate songs.

Our holiday record that we have, Little Sherman, the holiday album. Oh, cool. She'll sing the song. I always wanted to do a duet with her, so I wrote a song to do with my drummer and bass player, Mike.

And then I also always wanted to have an instrumental, just like full on, you know, guitar, rock, you know, instrumental. And never be able to do that. When you're friends with someone like Josh Z, those kind of things seem a little bit more possible.

Speaker A

00:02:21.650 - 00:02:25.970

So wait, I know that you have other things in the work for 2012. You have a holiday record out too?

Speaker B

00:02:26.330 - 00:04:03.200

Yeah, we just released it last week as a matter of fact. It's been incredibly successful. I mean we've had. It's the most record we've ever sold online of any album we've done.

It's basically we did after we finished our last studio record.

It was kind of as a joke, our bass player said, you know, it was the middle or, you know, end of July, middle of August, when we were wrapping up the new studio record and we were experiencing what was the hottest summer that Texas had ever had and the history of keeping track of temperature. And we had almost like 100 plus days and we just built our new studio and we didn't quite.

One of the last things that we kind of dealt with when we were making the studio was the air conditioning and the how will we cool this thing off? Kind of a two story, like little mini house behind our drummer's house. It's just we call our little tree house. But it was 125 degrees in that studio.

You have to keep the AC off while we were tracking. So there was very much a sense of urgency. We've got to get this or I'm going to pass out.

And as a joke we kind of said the end, like we should make a Christmas record. You know, it's 100 and, you know, 104 degrees, you know, and we're writing songs about like it's snowing outside and all this kind of stuff.

And we were doing it totally tongue in cheek, right. We started like writing these songs, like good. This is a good song, you know.

And so we started recording it and sending some stuff around to our friends. Like kind of jokingly like John Popper from Blue Shop. Yeah, you know, everybody's from Roger Klein, the Peacemakers and Friends in Stone, Honey.

And we ended up thinking, why don't you guys come down and help us make this record. We're gonna just do some original, maybe a couple of choice little covers. Like we did a cover of a band.

I didn't know that the band did a Christmas song, but a fan sent it to us.

Speaker A

00:04:03.200 - 00:04:04.280

I didn't know that either.

Speaker B

00:04:04.520 - 00:04:24.740

Yeah, it's called it's a song called Christmas Must Be Tonight. They actually did a few different alternate takes of it off Kingdom Come record I think it was. And they sent us a copy of the.

Of the song and loved it and we wouldn't actually cut it. Caught the guys from Stonehoney to come in and do some harmony vocals and our. And and Phil from Stonehoney played guitar on it.

So yeah, it was really kind of a cool project.

Speaker A

00:04:24.980 - 00:04:33.380

When I first heard about the band Sherman, I was trying to spell it with an E. And you know we're based in the south and the war is not over yet here.

Speaker B

00:04:34.260 - 00:04:36.020

So I thought exactly why it's with you.

Speaker A

00:04:36.100 - 00:04:40.020

I thought, wow, that's really brave of a Texas band to name themselves Sherman.

Speaker B

00:04:40.020 - 00:06:24.120

Well, it's even crazy because I actually, you know, my high school years and my mother lives in Georgia and so yeah, to have General Sherman as part of your name after what he did in the Civil War, probably not the best marketing. And oddly enough, I mean that's how the name kind of how came about. I mean there's a couple different reasons.

It was like one of those things where the name clicks with me because for a few different reasons in my life I thought of it when I was younger aiming a band Sherman because my mother went to high school in Denison, Texas and their arch rival was the Sherman Bearcats.

And I always thought that would be really funny because at the time I was trying to put together punk bands and if you had a punk band, it didn't offend your parents or at least a really good name. So it was early on that was in junior high when I was putting their punk my skate punk dude. And it's funny enough, I don't remember.

I was talking to a friend of mine, Ben Peeler on the phone and he said we were talking about the super bowl was going on in Atlanta. And he said, you know what they need? They need Sherman to come back through there and melt all that ice. Is this kind of a joke? You know, I was like.

And it was like, you know what that's. And at the time I was. The band was called Blue Train, which is just a horrible name. And even a funnier story is like I basically living in Los.

I got offered a gig.

I was out at the bar and this guy who was like, yeah, I booked a whiskey at Go Go and I just moved to la and I was, you know, like starry eyed trying to put a ban together. I didn't even have a band. And I just said I have a Band I want to come play. There he goes. Great, man. He's like, how about next Friday night?

And he's like, what's the name of the band? And I was looking around the room and there was all these posts, like, all these rock posters everywhere in this bar that we were at.

And there was also this in the corner. It was that John Coltrane poster that said Blue Train on it. Blue Train. And I came to find out later that they were the guys.

Blue Train were the two guys for Baywatch. Wasn't really a really hip maybe.

Speaker A

00:06:24.840 - 00:06:31.080

Yeah, you're cool. When you started your first little skate punk band, were you writing your own stuff then or were y' all covering punk?

Speaker B

00:06:31.080 - 00:07:12.300

Oh, yeah, I was writing, like, kind of got into music through.

I had an English teacher who I always really loved music growing up, but I had an English teacher in, like, middle school who got me into all these poetry contests. Started getting really into that.

It was funny because I was a lost kind of punk kid trying to get into sports and, you know, awkward seventh grade taller guy in my class and doing poetry, you know, I kind of really thought about it. And then I entered a few of these contests and I won one of them.

And I actually got some where I was like, poetry's kind of hokey, but when the songwriting. Now, that's pretty cool, you know, that sounds a chickal. Like, I learned really quickly. Okay, this. All right, I get it. I get it.

The rest is a lot of truck stops and Florida line vans down the.

Speaker A

00:07:12.300 - 00:07:17.620

Road, you know, did you have some musical stylers or specific bands that you were trying to model yourself after?

Speaker B

00:07:17.940 - 00:07:48.400

You know, when I was first coming out, I was into punk rock. I think secretly I wanted to be like, a member of Van Halen, you know, I think everybody did in the early 80s.

And you're living like I lived up in, like, North Dallas.

I just remember a friend of mine's mom took us to go see Van Halen in concert, and I came out with, like, you know, four bandanas tied around my left leg, if that tells you anything. Mom, I think I want to get a sword for Christmas. She's like, a sword? What are you going to do with the sword? I was like, I don't know.

Dave Lee Roth throws one around, looks pretty cool. Seems to get a lot of chicks.

Speaker A

00:07:49.280 - 00:07:51.680

Women will throw their underwear on stage at me, mom, if I do this.

Speaker B

00:07:51.680 - 00:08:08.140

Exactly right, you know, does something. I can't figure it out. I figured out that the results are positive results, but I can't figure out why the sword is doing this.

I didn't get it until I saw, you know, Sami remains the same. Then full circle. Hey, this is Aaron from Sherman on Country Fried rock.

Speaker A

00:08:08.620 - 00:08:14.060

As you were first forming those bands, what kind of music were y' all working on and how did that move to where you are now?

Speaker B

00:08:14.460 - 00:10:56.360

I'd say it was a lot more folk and a lot more country. We had like a stand up bass player at the time and so I was like an air force brat as a young kid.

So I kind of traveled around a lot and my family just in general, you know, Winnebagos and trailers and pop up trailers. And their idea of having a good weekend was going on camp for three days.

And so, you know, the camaraderie of being on the road, it was just something that always just really, really, really, really came, you know, for me. Something I've always loved. Still to this day, I really. It's one of my favorite parts about, you know, being a musician.

But you know, I did a lot of traveling kind of growing up and I think it kind of set me on a path of, you know, wanting to make music. But when I went, right before I moved to Hawaii, I guess there's this long winded circular story here.

I. I had a bunch of friends that were going to be moving out to Hawaii. They were all kind of saving our money.

And what I was actually doing, I was working on them mountain as like a lift off in the summer, you know, like, I just like kind of bailed out of college at Arizona State and I was like, what am I gonna do? I'll go up to Colorado mountains, you know, it's snowing and I've always wanted to do that. So I got a job doing that.

I met a bunch of these crazy, you know, mean guys who are all like kind of getting in this new sport called snowboarding. And everybody was like, you know, it was like a really cool time to be there. A bunch of us had this kooky plan that went to snowman.

So we were gonna save up all the money we made at the resort and, and go to Hawaii. And at the time, my dad was a polyhouse.

I flew for free and said, oh, this will be, you know, I can still come home for Christmas and live there for a while. I ended up going out there for a few years and I only went out with like a few, a handful of records.

And one of those records was the Uncle Tupelo record, you know, the one with the date on it, 1992, whatever. And I just Was over the

Summary

Back in 2011, we chatted with the guys from Dawes. Sloane Spencer kicks things off with an easygoing chat with Dawes, and it’s anything but your average interview. They dig into the band’s musical origin story, tracing it back to a family that didn’t just play music, they lived it. Picture jam sessions in the living room, with dad laying down the soulful grooves that sparked a lifelong love for sound.

As they swap stories of sun-soaked California days and the wild mix of influences that shaped the band’s vibe, one thing becomes crystal clear: collaboration isn’t just part of Dawes’ process: it is the process. They dive into how songs evolve on stage, sometimes turning into something completely unexpected (and even better) than what was captured in the studio.

Sprinkled throughout are laughs about life on the road, local food gems, and the never-ending hunt for a decent cup of coffee. It’s a conversation that proves music isn’t just about the notes; it’s about the ride, the stories, and the people you meet along the way.

Links

• REMINDER: IGNORE ANY LINKS OR DATES MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE
• Dawes
• You may enjoy this conversation from 2015 with Lilly Hiatt
• Toss a few in our Tip Jar!

Show Notes

In this episode, it’s less of an interview and more like a jam session with friends. Here’s what goes down:

• The hosts sit down with a musician whose roots run deep in R&B, funk, and soul, thanks to a dad who could play piano like nobody’s business.
• Growing up in a household where family dinners came with a side of singing, music wasn’t just around, it was a way of life.
• They talk about how California’s rich and eclectic music scene helped shape his sound from the very beginning.
• The conversation flows from early influences to the evolution of his band, Dawes.
• Songwriting? It’s a team effort. He brings in the bones—chords and lyrics—and the rest of the band helps build it out into something that truly connects.
• Live shows are a different beast altogether. He shares how songs take on a whole new energy on stage, sometimes changing entirely from the studio version.
• They swap stories about memorable gigs, unpredictable venues, and the unique energy each audience brings.
• And of course, there’s plenty of humor, warmth, and behind-the-scenes moments that show the human side of being a working musician.

At its core, the episode is about more than just music. It’s about collaboration, creativity, and what happens when you grow up with rhythm in your bones.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Country Fried Rock

00:19 The Influence of Family on Musical Journey

05:20 Exploring the Road: Food and Music

11:32 Transitioning to New Beginnings

15:26 The Resurgence of Vinyl and Gear Maintenance

Takeaways

• The guest grew up in a home where R&B and funk were just part of the daily soundtrack. That early exposure shaped who they are as an artist today.
• Dawes isn’t a one-person show. Songwriting is a full-band effort, with everyone bringing something to the table to shape the final sound.
• Playing live is where things really come alive. Songs often shift and evolve on stage, making every performance feel fresh and unpredictable.
• Life on tour isn’t just about the music. They’re also big on checking out local food spots. They aim to eat healthy...but they’re not skipping the good stuff either.
• The band is all about keeping things real in the studio. They stick with analog gear and an old-school recording vibe, largely thanks to their producer’s influence.
• Moving from openers to headliners didn’t happen overnight. The band reflects on the ups and downs of that journey, and how they’re planning smart for what comes next.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Dawes
• Vetiver
• Bright Eyes
• Alison Krauss
• Brett Dennen
• Otis Redding
• James Brown
• Joni Mitchell
• Jackson Browne
• Grateful Dead
• Warren Zevon
• Whole Foods
• First Avenue
• Delta Spirit
• Langhorne Slim
• Romney Rye
• Steve Soto
• The Full Tones

Recommended If You Like

country music podcast, musician interviews, songwriting inspiration, creativity in music, Dawes band interview, California music scene, funk and soul influences, acoustic guitar arrangements, live music performances, touring experiences, band dynamics, music production process, vinyl records resurgence, healthful food on tour, coffee culture in music, local dining spots, music collaboration, festival performances, artist influences, music gear and equipment

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.800 - 00:00:12.800

Welcome to Country Fried Rock, where we talk with musicians to find out what inspires their creativity. Country Fried Rock Music Uncovered Hey, Taylor. This is Sloan Spencer from Country Fried Rock.

Speaker B

00:00:12.880 - 00:00:13.360

Hi.

Speaker A

00:00:13.360 - 00:00:14.400

How are you doing?

Speaker B

00:00:14.400 - 00:00:14.720

Great.

Speaker A

00:00:14.800 - 00:00:18.080

Fantastic. So thank you much. I appreciate you being with us on Country Fried Rock.

Speaker B

00:00:18.080 - 00:00:19.520

Yeah, thanks for having me.

Speaker A

00:00:19.840 - 00:00:21.680

How did you get into music as a kid?

Speaker B

00:00:21.840 - 00:00:48.320

My brother and I grew up in a musical family, and whenever there was time to. For, like, you know, at the end of, like, family dinners or holidays or anything, we don't. Everyone would just always been singing.

Our dad was a great piano player and songwriter, so he doesn't go much anymore. But, yeah, he brought us up very much in love with music, and we never really felt like.

We never really made a choice of, like, oh, this is what we're going to do. It was always just already agreed upon saying that music was what our lives were going to be all about.

Speaker A

00:00:48.640 - 00:00:51.280

Cool. So what kind of stuff did your dad play?

Speaker B

00:00:51.750 - 00:00:58.470

It was more R and B, funk and soul kind of stuff, like Otis Redding and James Brown, and so that's what he brought us up on.

Speaker A

00:00:58.790 - 00:01:00.150

Where'd the band name come from?

Speaker B

00:01:00.230 - 00:01:02.270

That's me and the drummer's grandfather's name.

Speaker A

00:01:02.270 - 00:01:03.270

Where'd y' all grow up?

Speaker B

00:01:03.510 - 00:01:10.150

Los Angeles, California. Different parts. Started out in, like, Glendale and went to high school out in Malibu and different areas of la.

Speaker A

00:01:10.550 - 00:01:21.420

The whole Southern California area has a lot of different musical influences. And your dad was into the funk in the R and B. What other kind of stuff played on your interests? As y' all were developing Thoughts was.

Speaker B

00:01:21.420 - 00:01:58.490

Coming together, I started listening to a lot of stuff that I wasn't really thinking about it. I was just really getting into Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne and the Grateful Dead and Warren Z. Von.

As time went on, I started to realize that all these artists, they were all California artists.

And I didn't even realize that at first, but I guess there's just something that permeated with their songwriting personalities that resonated with me that might have been that the fact that we were both coming from that same world. So that was a big.

That was like, in terms of what California music comes from, that was a big deal for me, even though I wasn't even quite aware of it. And I think that even made it that much bigger of a deal.

Speaker A

00:01:59.130 - 00:02:09.690

Even though y' all are on the same page creatively and with what's influencing you since you've come together with Dawes, how does that work for you all? As you all work together to develop a song as A group?

Speaker B

00:02:10.810 - 00:02:53.860

Well, we. We. I write the song by myself, and then we all kind of come together to arrange them.

When it comes to, like, how we're going to represent, how we're going to present the song, and we sort of lean on each other for what they're good at. You know, I'll have a song on acoustic guitar, and then I'll bring it to the guys and be like, how do you think we should do this?

And then we'll kind of go through the different ideas till we arrive upon something that everyone feels like this is a good way to show people, this song. So we definitely lean on each other. I don't really, like, decide upon anything until we're all together.

The only thing I do is the chords and the words and the melodies and then. And then everything else. What the drummer plays. The drummer decides what the bass player plays that he decides.

Speaker A

00:02:54.420 - 00:03:03.740

Y' all really have refined what it is people expect when they come to your shows. Are there any songs in particular that have evolved a lot for you all? With all of this time on the.

Speaker B

00:03:03.740 - 00:03:40.410

Road, I think, like, with certain things, we end up. It ends up growing on stage and, like, you know, like a song like Love Is All I Am or a song on the new record called A Little Bit of Everything.

Like, the dynamics don't get that big. It tends to be a smaller. Less like a smaller something that suits the song and just something that's mellow all throughout, and that's that.

But then live, they end up having, like, an arc to it where they start at that level and then with the lyric and with the feeling of the song tends to grow a little bigger than it does in the record and then kind of come back down. So it. It doesn't kind of stay on this one level being this ballad, it turns into more of, like, a parked experience.

Speaker A

00:03:41.050 - 00:03:44.970

Y' all are on the road quite a bit, obviously. What can you agree on to listen to?

Speaker B

00:03:45.130 - 00:04:25.350

Well, whoever's driving tends to put on the music.

You know, some guys are doing different stuff, so someone might be reading a book in the back and have the music faded up so they don't have to hear that or whatever. Or we're all listening to stuff. I mean, we all have different tastes, and they're sometimes sort of dictated by instrumental. Life is kind of cool.

Like, our bass player listens to a lot of the R and B and, like, soul music and a lot of stuff that's, like, really bass driven, and it's perfect for him to be listening to that.

And then I might listen to a lot of song based stuff, stuff that the band might not want to even sound like, but stuff that I respond to as a songwriter and you know, like along those lines, like we all kind of have our own tastes, but the same taste kind of.

Speaker A

00:04:25.750 - 00:04:29.670

Do you get the opportunity to listen to any of the bands they're opening for you all?

Speaker B

00:04:30.240 - 00:04:53.040

Totally. I tried. The band's gonna open for us. We want to make sure it's something that we want to be represented by as well.

So like last fall when we went out and Vetiver was main support, that was a big deal for us because they're there. Those guys are heroes of ours, really. We've admired that band for a long time. Stuff like that.

We always make sure that we feel represented by the band that's opening for us. So we always make sure to like give it a good listen before and during the tour.

Speaker A

00:04:53.200 - 00:04:56.800

Have you had anyone in the last year or so that you really were just turned on to because of that?

Speaker B

00:04:57.370 - 00:05:17.050

You know, we actually like, like everyone that we've gone out with hastened to be.

Bands that we were already familiar with, like the Romney Rye were friends of ours beforehand and, you know, it was really fun to get to play with them every night. And then Vetiver were, you know, some heroes of ours. So, you know, examples like that.

But there hasn't really been that many groups where we didn't know who they were before the show.

Speaker A

00:05:17.610 - 00:05:20.330

So as y' all are on the road, where do you like to stop and eat?

Speaker B

00:05:20.730 - 00:05:33.480

We always like to try to find local cool spots. I wouldn't call us health nuts, but we're definitely. We don't ever eat in any fast food places or anything.

Not because we're against it, but just because I feel like once we open ourselves up to that being okay, I feel like we can get carried away.

Speaker A

00:05:33.480 - 00:05:36.680

And it'll just be who's in charge of deciding where you go.

Speaker B

00:05:36.680 - 00:06:15.100

I mean, I guess we all are, but. But we always have to really cater to Wiley, our bass player. He's, he's, he's. He's the one that doesn't eat any meat ever.

So if there's a spot that's like a really great barbecue spot, like the only way we're gonna. We feel okay going there as if we make sure that he's taken care of when we're going somewhere else that can eat at.

But we're all pretty healthy guys every time. Every city that we find a Whole Foods in, we're pretty excited about that. But like Today we're in Asheville.

We just ate at an incredible breakfast spot, and we all had really weird local selections that were delicious, but it's not like. Yeah, but it wasn't like, oh, I'm gonna go get some fried biscuits and gravy or something like that. Early girl.

Speaker A

00:06:15.180 - 00:06:16.460

Early girl. Is that where y' all went?

Speaker B

00:06:16.860 - 00:06:17.140

Yeah.

Speaker A

00:06:17.140 - 00:06:18.300

Oh, that place is great.

Speaker B

00:06:18.540 - 00:06:19.260

You've heard of it?

Speaker A

00:06:19.260 - 00:06:19.900

I love it.

Speaker B

00:06:20.060 - 00:06:23.020

Yeah, it was incredible. That's what we just say is insanely good.

Speaker A

00:06:23.100 - 00:06:29.260

I'm in the south, so I can say this, and I'm from the South. It can get difficult to find healthful food options on the road around here.

Speaker B

00:06:29.820 - 00:06:30.860

Yeah, totally.

Speaker A

00:06:31.100 - 00:06:33.980

I mean, I really respect the challenge that. That is for Wiley.

Speaker B

00:06:34.300 - 00:06:53.850

Yeah, yeah, I know. It's. It's. It can be hard, but we figured out, I mean, the bigger cities always have a Whole Foods, right? As long as there's a Whole Foods, we're.

We're pretty. We're all fine. Yeah, I mean, like, we. There's always like, a Thai place or something nearby that's. That makes it all right. So we don't.

We don't get stuck with no options ever. That. That's good.

Speaker A

00:06:53.930 - 00:06:55.210

So are y' all coffee people?

Speaker B

00:06:56.170 - 00:06:58.010

Yeah, I'm a big coffee guy.

Speaker A

00:06:58.010 - 00:06:58.890

What do you have to have?

Speaker B

00:06:58.970 - 00:07:27.300

I don't know. I just like to find a strong cup of coffee wherever I go. I mean, if I. If I. There's nothing else than Starbucks.

Even though it's not, like, my favorite, I at least know it's got some strength to it. But.

But, I mean, like, there's some really awesome spots around the country, like, yeah, Intelligentsia and Blue Bottle and Stump Town and really cool beans that local spots sometimes brew. And that's always really fun to come across those spots.

Speaker A

00:07:27.380 - 00:07:30.100

I mean, gosh, it's only been, what, five years? Is that right?

Speaker B

00:07:30.820 - 00:07:35.460

Yeah, yeah, I guess so. I mean, our album came out officially about a year and a half ago.

Speaker A

00:07:35.460 - 00:07:40.820

Or two years ago, as you all are moving then into this next one. Have you been road testing these songs?

Speaker B

00:07:41.520 - 00:08:16.220

Yeah, we've been playing the new material on stages for a long time.

I feel like most people that are familiar with Dawes know just about every song a new album, which, you know, for some people might be a bummer, but I think for most people, they'll be excited that these songs, they've sort of grown, like, they've watched the songs grow in front of them, and I.

And, you know, the song that they might want to always hear live when they come to the show now they're going to get to have their recorded version finally. So I think it's a cool thing. But yeah, we've played our new material on stages more than I think other bands even tend to want to.

Speaker A

00:08:16.300 - 00:08:22.540

Has anything changed in particular over time from when you first started playing it live to as you went into the studio with it?

Speaker B

00:08:22.940 - 00:08:48.439

Not really. Like, some songs there'll be subtle changes that we'll learn that work better than others.

Like, okay, we shouldn't do that, or we should trim that part down or make that part longer just for the sake of like, what worked on stage and what didn't. But.

But overall there haven't been like these wild changes to songs for the sake of like, like, like, you know, between the first time we put it on stage and then by the time we.

Speaker A

00:08:48.439 - 00:08:54.559

Recorded it, you've really, you've been on the road a ton. What kind of venues have really been a pleasant surprise for you in the recent past?

Speaker B

00:08:55.199 - 00:09:10.340

We'll get to some cities and we, we won't really have any idea as to how many people will come out and they'll just be, you know, like, we put. When we played First Avenue in Minneapolis, I didn't really think that we would, we would, we should be playing that venue.

But then it ended up...

Summary

In this episode from 2015, we sit down with singer-songwriter RayLand Baxter to talk about his upcoming album Imaginary Man, set to release on August 14 through ATO Records.

Although he grew up in Nashville and is the son of a well-known songwriter, RayLand didn’t dive into music seriously until his twenties. He shares what led him there and how his path into songwriting unfolded a bit later than expected.

We also talk about his evolution as an artist and some of the personal choices that shape his identity, including why he chose to capitalize the "L" in his name. It’s a small detail with real personal meaning behind it.

RayLand walks us through the collaborative process behind Imaginary Man, and we get into the key moments and experiences that helped shape the sound of the new record.

This episode gives a great look at RayLand Baxter’s creative journey, from finding his voice to crafting an album that captures where he is now as an artist.

Show Notes

In this episode, we catch up with RayLand Baxter to talk about his new album Imaginary Man, releasing soon on ATO Records.

• RayLand comes from a strong musical background. His dad, Buddy Baxter, is a respected songwriter and studio owner. But surprisingly, RayLand didn’t start playing guitar until he was 20.
• He shares what led him to pick up music later than most and how those early experiences shaped his voice as a songwriter.
• We get into his creative process and the unique way he approaches his music, including the personal story behind the capital "L" in his name.
• RayLand reflects on his connection to Nashville and how the city continues to influence his work, even as he carves out his own path.
• Throughout the conversation, you’ll hear how authenticity, heritage, and a love for songwriting all come together in Imaginary Man.

Links

• RayLand Baxter
• RayLand Baxter on Bandcamp
• You may also enjoy our conversation with T Hardy Morris
• After you buy music or see a show, please toss a few bucks in our Tip Jar
• Sloane Spencer now hosts a Gen X sleep podcast, Sleep with Rock Stars

Chapters

• 00:01 - Introduction to Raelyn Baxter
• 01:12 - The Journey Back to Music
• 10:29 - The Release of Imaginary Man
• 18:23 - A Journey Through Music and Heritage
• 22:23 - The Journey of Imaginary Man

Takeaways

• RayLand talks about his new album Imaginary Man and how it reflects his growth as a songwriter and artist.
• Growing up in Nashville with his dad, Buddy Baxter, in the music business definitely shaped his early connection to music, even if he didn’t dive in right away.
• It wasn’t until he moved back to Nashville in his twenties that he seriously picked up the guitar and decided to chase music full-time.
• Imaginary Man is a true team effort, with input from a range of talented musicians and producers who helped bring the album to life.
• RayLand shares how important live shows are to him, especially the energy that comes from playing with other musicians and connecting with an audience.
• The album cover is also part of the story. It represents a turning point in his creative journey and shows how much he’s evolved both personally and artistically.

Mentioned in this Episode

• ATO Records
• Three Trees Music
• Cage the Elephant
• Chrome Pony
• Drivin n Cryin

Recommended If You Like

RayLand Baxter, Imaginary Man, Country Fried Rock, Nashville songwriter, ATO Records, music podcast, acoustic guitar, songwriting process, Americana music, new album release, Nashville music scene, live music performance, indie music, music collaborations, Raelyn Baxter interview, music production, Americana Fest, Nashville musicians, songwriting evolution, musical influences

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.240 - 00:00:33.310

Welcome to Country Fried Rock. This week we're talking with Raelyn Baxter, who has a brand new record, Imaginary man, on ATO Records.

Although Baxter grew up in Nashville as the son of noted songwriter and studio owner Buddy Baxter, Raylan did not pick up a guitar until his early twenties.

We find out about his songwriting growth and why he capitalizes the L in the middle of his name and a whole lot more with Raelyn Baxter on Country Fried Rock. I'm your host, Sloan Spencer. My guest today on Country Fried Rock is Raelyn Baxter with a new album, Imaginary man, coming on the 14th of August.

Welcome.

Speaker B

00:00:33.870 - 00:00:34.350

Hello.

Speaker A

00:00:34.510 - 00:00:39.310

We've had a little chat had about locations and places across the way. How'd you end up in Nashville?

Speaker B

00:00:39.790 - 00:01:09.920

Well, I was born here and I grew up here until I was 13. My dad was in the music business, my mom was not, but she loved my father at that time. And so this all started here.

And When I was 13, I moved up to Maryland and then did my thing there and then moved back seven years ago. So Nashville's home. Nashville is my home. Even around the country. I'll be going around and be like, where are you from? I'm from Nashville.

Well, where are you from?

Speaker A

00:01:10.079 - 00:01:10.480

Right.

Speaker B

00:01:10.880 - 00:01:12.800

I mean, I'm from Nashville, man.

Speaker A

00:01:12.880 - 00:01:19.200

What made you end up heading back into the music business rather than trying to move away from that?

Speaker B

00:01:20.010 - 00:01:39.290

Well, you know, I was never a part of it when I was growing up. My dad was, but I was, you know, just like a little sewer kid running around in the creeks and playing soccer and playing lacrosse and basketball.

And so I was not. I didn't pick up a guitar until I was 20 years old.

Speaker A

00:01:39.370 - 00:01:40.250

Oh, that's late.

Speaker B

00:01:40.410 - 00:02:12.490

Yeah, very late. So once I picked up a guitar when I was 20, it had come at a time.

I don't want to jump ahead in the interview, but I was playing lacrosse in college and I had torn my acl, my knee ligament. And then at the same time as I tore my acl, my dad was given an acoustic guitar in exchange for rent.

My friend Luke Reynolds, who actually played on the album, he's played a bunch of guitar on the new album, gave my dad this guitar that Luke's dad had built him from a tree that fell down in their yard in Vermont.

Speaker A

00:02:12.570 - 00:02:13.130

Wow.

Speaker B

00:02:13.130 - 00:02:19.160

And it's a beautiful bird's eye maple acoustic guitar, dreadnought style. Kind of looks like a Martin.

Speaker A

00:02:19.480 - 00:02:19.960

Wow.

Speaker B

00:02:20.440 - 00:02:34.920

During Christmas break, I went down to stay with my dad. This is my sophomore year in college. And he was like, ray, take this guitar, man.

See, you can't Walk that well, so you might as well learn how to play guitar. And so from then on, it was kind of. It was on.

Speaker A

00:02:35.160 - 00:02:36.440

Did you end up going back to school?

Speaker B

00:02:37.160 - 00:02:58.230

I did. I went back. I didn't graduate, but I went back and finished. Finished just shy six credits shy of my degree.

And I was like, I really cannot stand living in Baltimore anymore. And I was like, I'm out of here. So I got in a car and I drove to Colorado. Still haven't finished my college degree.

That's maybe something I'll take care of down the road at this point.

Speaker A

00:02:58.230 - 00:02:59.990

Surely they can give you six credits of life.

Speaker B

00:02:59.990 - 00:03:13.720

You know, I know I would love to call the dean of students who was my arch nemesis during college and be like, listen, I'm doing something with my degree. I'm using it. Although it's not official I'm using it.

Speaker A

00:03:13.880 - 00:03:19.480

But, you know, the secret person you need to know in college is the registrar. That person has magic powers.

Speaker B

00:03:20.040 - 00:03:23.800

Ah, maybe that's. I've been firing at the wrong target all these years.

Speaker A

00:03:23.880 - 00:03:25.200

Are you up on the whole FIFA.

Speaker B

00:03:25.200 - 00:03:56.840

Drama lately with the refs getting arrested and stuff? Yeah, I followed the sport only because they started playing it a bunch in the United States.

Like, the way it went for me sports wise was I played soccer every day of the week all year until I was 13, until I moved to Maryland, and then I started playing lacrosse almost immediately. So I'm happy that it's becoming more popular in the United States.

And I do think that it seems like a pretty corrupt situation, but I don't know who's going to fight him. Who's going to beat the beast?

Speaker A

00:03:57.320 - 00:04:01.320

Just curious. I've been surprised by the passionate feelings folks have had about that.

Speaker B

00:04:01.680 - 00:04:06.680

Well, you know who is passionate is Eric Massey, who is the co producer on this on Imaginary Man.

Speaker A

00:04:06.680 - 00:04:07.240

Oh, yeah.

Speaker B

00:04:07.240 - 00:04:15.760

He's a crazy soccer fool and he loves it. And he. If he was next to me, he'd take the phone, he'd be like, actually, yes. And then he'll tell you all about it.

Speaker A

00:04:16.560 - 00:04:49.340

Keep your ears open for some fun things going on with Country Fried Rock in the next few months. We're going to have a new way for y' all to submit some music to the show for a fall feature.

And we'll be hanging out and having a party in Nashville during Americana Fest. Yep, it's official, but I can't give you the detail details just yet. 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.

Speaker B

00:04:49.500 - 00:04:53.100

Hello, this is Raelyn Baxter on Country Fried Rock.

Speaker A

00:04:53.180 - 00:05:05.620

That's a great segue because you worked with Adam Landry as well, who is somehow becoming the unintended theme of this year's show. Probably awesome. More than half the records we've covered this year have been touched by Adam Landry.

Speaker B

00:05:05.940 - 00:06:03.350

He's the man. So I've known Adam since I was a sophomore in college. He used to.

My dad had a studio called Three Trees Music out in White's Creek, Tennessee, and it was a beautiful studio built of a bunch of old buildings from the Opryland Amusement park that shut down a while ago, and he built a beautiful studio. And Adam had just moved to Nashville from Maine, and he was playing guitar with Ray Lamontagne, and he was doing all these cool things.

And I met Adam, and he was a rock star to me, you know, he still is actually, more so than ever. And so when it came around to looking for producers, we had a couple names in the bucket, but Adam kept on coming around. Adam is rad.

He's a great guitar player. He knows when a song has good movement and good feel to it, and it was really a joy working with him, and I hope to work more with him in the future.

Speaker A

00:06:03.670 - 00:06:06.550

What was different for you this time around versus previous releases?

Speaker B

00:06:07.030 - 00:07:45.550

Feathers and Fish Hooks was like, you know, I started playing guitar when I was 20, and it's really late, so I did in three years, really, what most people who planned ahead and found their gift, or passion, whatever you want to call it, in their teens. I did 15 years of work in three years. So feathers and Fish Hooks was like, how do you do this? Okay. Oh, you have to sit that way against the mic.

You know, in terms of recording. Oh, I have to sit, and I have to sing into that part of the mic. Oh, I was singing into the wrong end of the mic. All these things.

I didn't know what I was doing, and luckily, I was the dumbest person in the room. So Feathers and Fish Hooks. It came out great, but it was very. It was my rookie attempt.

And so then I've had a few years in between to figure out to write a bunch more songs, to spend a lot more time, pretty much every waking hour, thinking about cool melodies and lyrics and observing what's around me at all times, and how can I use this to express an emotion and how can I put this into a song? And so imaginary man came out this group of songs.

We started recording, and we all kind of knew a little bit more what we were going to be doing in the studio. And we had something to look back on.

I would just sit in the vocal booth with my guitar and look into the control room, and whenever I saw Eric and Adam kind of bobbin. Adam would stand up. Eric would be sitting because he recorded it all as well.

Eric would be sitting, and Adam, when Adam started kind of like, pacing, it was like, all right, we're onto something. We're onto something. Then that was my meter to be like, okay, we got this. Let's work on this idea. That's that.

Speaker A

00:07:45.710 - 00:07:48.190

So were a lot of the songs developed in the studio that way?

Speaker B

00:07:48.850 - 00:08:22.480

I came to the studio with all the lyrics and, for the most part, chord structures and everything like that. And then, yeah, we were just like, let's find a groove. And so we started track one of the album.

Mr. Rodriguez, is the first song that we tracked, and that kind of set the tone for the rest of the tunes. Really grooving. Yeah. They just kind of fell together.

It was not effortless, but it was a bit of effortlessness and then a bit of precise decision making.

Speaker A

00:08:23.040 - 00:08:29.840

You also were able to bring in some friends and colleagues to support some of this. Tell me about the other folks who collaborate to make this record happen.

Speaker B

00:08:30.720 - 00:09:20.120

So we'll start with the band. Chip Kilpatrick played drums, and Matt Roland played the keyboards. Eli Beard played bass. These are all Southern boys. Eli is from Nashville.

Chip is from Birmingham. Matt is from Arkansas. All of these guys kind of live in Nashville. And then Jeffy Balin came and sang on some of the record. She lives in Nashville.

Mickey Echo is a Nashvillian. All these are friends. They're just friends.

And then Matt Vasquez, who I had not met before, him showing up to the studio, but he and Adam are really good friends. And Adam was like, matt will sound really good with your voice. So Matt came in, and we all hung out for a few days, and he sang a bunch.

And now Matt and I have become friends, and I'll see him in Austin when I go down there.

Speaker A

00:09:20.200 - 00:09:20.680

Cool.

Speaker B

00:09:20.920 - 00:09:41.490

Isaac Bird, who used to be in a band called the Bridges, a family band, and she sang on Feathers and Fishhooks as well. And so we brought her back in. She's singing on youn Love. I think that's the only track she sings on. Track? Yeah, it was just a nice family effort.

Everybody was behind the songs, and I called them, and they're like, yeah, I'd love to.

Speaker A

00:09:41.810 - 00:10:28.830

Hey, y'. 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] we'd like to send a big thank you to our Country Fried Rock listeners for supporting Country Fried Rock alum Alan Thompson, who is recovering from a diving accident.

If you'd like to donate, every dollar matters and it goes directly to helping defray his bills, you can find that link on Country Fried Rocks, Facebook or Twitter. It's a you caring donation page. Keep your ears peeled for a few different benefit shows in the Nashville area for Alan Thompson. We love you, man.

Get better soon.

Speaker B

00:10:29.070 - 00:11:30.580

The title of the new record is Imaginary man, and you can get yourself a copy at your local record store, my website, raylonbaxter.com or come see us at a live show and come say hi to me at the merch table and I'll sell you one myself. And if you're broke, I'll give it to you.

We finished the album in November of last year, so I did a tour in March as a trio with the drummer and the keyboard player, and we played Mother Mother a couple of songs. The tour that I do in Europe, I'll be playing solo. So all the songs.

This is the cool thing about a song is, you know, they can be translated in a different. All different forms. So I'll play a bunch of new songs in the solo form, and they're completely different than the record. Not completely.

The melodies are still there and obviously the lyrics don't change. But I'm a fan of presenting the songs in five different forms if I can, just to keep it exciting for me.

Speaker A

00:11:30.580 - 00:11:33.620

You mentioned a little bit about Austin. Is that Austin City Elements Fest?

Speaker B

00:11:34.100 - 00:11:55.460

Yeah. Sweet. That's going to be a lot of fun. Maybe Matt will come sing with us.

My buddy Shaky Graves, who I toured with last year, him and I have become really good friends. He's kind of one of my favorite guys out there making music right now. He's going to be around.

He might show up, but I've never played acl, so I'm looking forward to it. I love playing music in Austin, Texas.

Speaker A

00:11:55.740 - 00:12:05.020

On these solo tours. Are you solely touring alone or are you also pairing up with, like, buddy bands or other songwriters to share bills?

Speaker B

00:12:06.060 - 00:12:34.750

Sometimes I'll Borrow some bandmates from other bands. Usually if I'm an opening act as a solo, I'll just keep it solo because I like having the stage to myself.

I can get through a set between an acoustic and an electric guitar. I can do sometimes more than a full band can do. You know, just in terms of the presentation, I don't ever plan ahead for stuff like that.

But if some people are in town or who knows, you know, it's like, are you available? Cool, let's jam. Or. No, I got this.

Speaker A

00:12:34.830 - 00:12:45.550

You're in...

Summary

In this episode from 2015, we sit down with T. Hardy Morris, best known as the frontman of Dead Confederate, to talk about how his music has evolved and what went into making his latest album, Drowning on a Mountaintop.

Hardy opens up about the creative process behind the record, including how he’s been experimenting with different sounds, like blending pedal steel into a rock setting, and how that’s shaped the feel of the album.

We also talk about the collaborative nature of his work. He shares stories from his time with the supergroup Diamond Rugs and reflects on the strong musical relationships he’s built over the years.

Throughout the conversation, Hardy gets into how his lyrics and music come together, usually in a pretty natural, unforced way. His songwriting leans into both his country roots and the raw edge of grunge, and Drowning on a Mountaintop really shows that mix.

If you're curious about how genre lines blur, or how an artist stays grounded while constantly growing, this episode gives a great look into Hardy’s creative world.

Show Notes

In this episode, we catch up with T. Hardy Morris to talk about his latest solo album, Drowning on a Mountaintop, and the path that’s led him here.

• Hardy, known for his work with Dead Confederate and the supergroup Diamond Rugs, shares stories from his early days growing up in Augusta, Georgia. Those early community experiences helped shape his creative outlook.
• We talk about how his sound has evolved over time, landing in a space that blends rock and country in a way that feels both fresh and familiar.
• The conversation takes a closer look at the making of Drowning on a Mountaintop, including how working with producer Adam Landry helped shape the album’s tone and texture.
• Hardy opens up about his songwriting process, especially how lyrics and music come together naturally for him, with an emphasis on honesty and emotional impact.
• Whether you’re a longtime fan or just discovering his solo work, this episode offers a real look into Hardy’s creative world and what drives him as an artist.

Links

• T Hardy Morris
• T Hardy Morris on Bandcamp
• You may also enjoy our conversation with Folk Family Revival
• After you buy music or see a show, we'd love your support with a few bucks in our Tip Jar
• Sloane Spencer now hosts a Gen X sleep podcast, Sleep with Rock Stars

Chapters

• 00:08 - Introducing T. Hardy Morris and His New Album
• 03:03 - The Evolution of Sound: Collaborating with Adam Landry
• 08:25 - Exploring the Intersection of Country and Grunge
• 12:57 - New Connections in Music
• 14:29 - Transition to New Music Ventures

Takeaways

• Hardy talks about his new album, Drowning on a Mountaintop, which brings together a mix of rock and country influences in a way that feels fresh but grounded in tradition.
• He shares how his songwriting tends to evolve naturally, and how experimenting with pedal steel helped shape the album’s sound.
• Collaboration plays a big role in his creative process. Hardy talks about working with other artists and especially highlights the impact producer Adam Landry had on this project.
• There's an interesting conversation about the link between grunge and southern rock. Hardy points out that both genres have a rural quality that people don’t always recognize.
• He gives a quick update on what's next, including touring plans and some recording time with Dead Confederate. The band isn’t done yet, just taking things slow.
• The episode wraps up with a real talk about how tough it can be to connect with audiences in today’s crowded music world. Hardy reflects on the challenges of staying visible without losing authenticity.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Danger Bird Records
• Diamond Rugs
• Dead Confederate
• Reverb Nation
• Drive By Trucker
• Meat Puppets
• Justin Collins
• Delta Spirit
• Deer Tick
• Chase Park

Recommended If You Like

Country Fried Rock, T. Hardy Morris interview, Dead Confederate, Diamond Rugs supergroup, Drowning on a Mountaintop album, Danger Bird Records, indie rock podcast, southern rock music, pedal steel guitar, songwriting process, Americana music, music collaborations, grunge and country fusion, Athens music scene, music production, lyrical songwriting, vinyl records, music industry insights, emerging artists, country music podcasts

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.160 - 00:00:23.360

Welcome to Country Fried Rock. This week we're talking with T. Hardy Morris, frontman for Dead Confederate, as well as part of the Diamond Rugs indie rock supergroup.

Morris is also known for his solo work with a brand new album out from T. Hardy Morris and the hard knocks called Drowning on a Mountaintop, out now on Danger Bird Records. You're listening to Country Fried Rock and I'm your host, Sloane Spencer.

Speaker B

00:00:23.360 - 00:00:24.400

Where are you now?

Speaker C

00:00:24.640 - 00:00:25.760

I still live in essence.

Speaker B

00:00:25.760 - 00:00:27.440

But you're originally from Augusta.

Speaker C

00:00:27.780 - 00:00:38.180

Yep, that's where I was born and raised. Down. Down. Well, just outside of Augusta.

But yeah, essentially we used to float the river and we would moon everybody as they went across the icewinning bridge.

Speaker B

00:00:38.340 - 00:00:45.780

You're a pretty busy guy with not just solo projects, but some band things as well. What has led to this most recent album that just came out?

Speaker C

00:00:46.180 - 00:01:29.240

Kind of a natural progression of things. I'd made a solo record a couple years ago and kind of did a little more slowed down acoustic. Yeah. Songs that I had. And I just. I don't know.

My friend Matt Stoessel, who plays pedal steel, we had kind of explored a little bit.

I'm a big fan of the pedal steel and the way it works within songs and I just wasn't quite through exploring the pedal steel and the ways it could work within the songs that I write. So we took it a step further and kind of did more of a rock and roll version. You know, just see what came about.

And down on the mountaintops where we wound up kind of bummed our Dead Confederate drummer. And so that took it to a place where it had to be a little more heavy handed and it was a lot of fun.

Speaker B

00:01:29.320 - 00:01:37.080

I noticed in the background we are unintentionally having an Adam Landry year on Country Fried Rock. Was your connection to him via Diamond Rugs?

Speaker C

00:01:37.640 - 00:02:27.260

Yes, exactly. First met Adam when we.

When we did the first Diamond Rugs record, we just kind of spoke the same language in the way we learned, like to create music and just recordings in general. Just kind of the same ethos as far as recording and just kind of letting it happen.

And he's got a good ear to kind of help us sift through the songs, you know, because I'll come in with a lot of stuff, a lot of ideas and we kind of can focus on certain ones and he's just easy to work with for me and the way I like to work. This one we did actually in Athens.

We wound up mixing a little bit over at his place in Nashville, but we recorded it here At a studio called Chase Park. Had a lot of good records come out. I was expecting my daughter essentially any day, so we kind of had to. Had to record it here. Proximity.

Speaker B

00:02:27.500 - 00:02:28.540

Congratulations.

Speaker C

00:02:29.100 - 00:02:44.240

Thanks. I've done a little bit of touring since she came. You know, even that had to slow down a good bit. You know, shoot out and do a few and come home.

Nothing too extensive. There's a lot of dates, but it's. You know, they're not all just back to back, three months at a time or whatever like I used to do.

Speaker B

00:02:44.480 - 00:02:48.080

With so many different projects going on, how do you filter songs?

Speaker C

00:02:48.800 - 00:03:01.600

Usually I just kind of know right off the bat. It just has the feel of where it should wind up. Every once in a while, they'll cross paths, but for the most part, it's all in my head.

I don't really know how to explain it, but I can just kind of tell where it needs to wind up.

Speaker B

00:03:01.680 - 00:03:03.560

We were saying originally there's some changes.

Speaker A

00:03:03.560 - 00:03:05.880

From the sound of audition tapes to.

Speaker B

00:03:05.880 - 00:03:15.080

This record with Drowning on a Mountaintop. And it's not just instrumentation. How do those come about for you? You kind of hinted that perhaps they developed a bit with Adam Landry.

Speaker C

00:03:15.480 - 00:04:19.240

We had done.

When we did the first Diamond Ruggs record, there was a song called Country Mile that kind of had this heavier verse, kind of stone and rock verse, and then it veered off, and the chorus was country. I called it the country part.

And then there was another song called Share the Needle on audition tapes that kind of had that same push and pull between the verse and chorus. And Adam and I were just. We were talking after. After a show one night.

We were kind of like, what do a whole record that's like that, you know, that has that. That kind of push and pull throughout it and kind of really exploit that idea. Because a lot of people seemed really drawn to those songs.

You know, they didn't seem as crazy to me, but other people were like, oh, that's crazy how that happened, you know, And I was like, oh, well, people seem to like that. Let's just try to go for it. So, yeah, just kind of went with that idea. I mean, we don't. It's not. Doesn't happen on. On every single song.

And we didn't try to force it. It kind of works for the way I write the stuff I like and for my vibe. I think it worked out pretty good.

Speaker A

00:04:19.240 - 00:04:19.640

Hey, y'.

Speaker C

00:04:19.640 - 00:04:19.720

All.

Speaker A

00:04:19.720 - 00:04:58.700

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 like to send a big thank you to our Country Fried Rock listeners for supporting Country Fried Rock alum Alan Thompson, who is recovering from a diving accident.

If you'd like to donate Every Dollar Matters and it goes directly to helping defray his bills, you can find that link on Country Fried Rock's Facebook or Twitter. It's a you caring donation page. Keep your ears peeled for a few different benefit shows in the Nashville area for Alan Thompson.

Speaker B

00:04:58.700 - 00:04:59.540

We love you, man.

Speaker A

00:04:59.540 - 00:05:00.460

Get better soon.

Speaker C

00:05:00.770 - 00:05:03.410

Hey, this is Pete Hardy Morris on Country Frad Rock.

Speaker B

00:05:03.410 - 00:05:10.050

You can listen to this record and miss some of what you're saying, and then you hear it, like the third or fourth time, you're like, holy cow.

Speaker A

00:05:10.050 - 00:05:11.170

That'S a great line.

Speaker B

00:05:11.730 - 00:05:14.210

A lyrical versus music contrast as well.

Speaker C

00:05:14.930 - 00:05:43.380

Lyrically, the album, a lot of it is. I don't know, I write a lot of stuff pretty quickly when I'm writing the lyrics. So a lot of times I don't even.

I don't know exactly what I said until after I hear it back, and I'm like, oh, that was kind of pointed or whatnot. But yeah, and especially that. That stuff happened.

That album happened kind of fast, the writing of it, because I went in with a lot of ideas lyrically. Yeah. Song by song and just kind of finishing them on the fly. Some of them were.

Speaker B

00:05:43.380 - 00:05:45.900

They always fleshed out before you got into Chase Park.

Speaker C

00:05:46.540 - 00:06:14.500

Pretty close. I mean, I was still writing some lyrics as we got into Chase park, but I think that's fine. That that works for me. Just kind of the way my brain is.

I've always been a little add, so I don't know. And sometimes. And I don't think that a lot of those lines you're speaking of or I'm talking about would really come about.

If I sat down alone with my pen and, you know, tried to labor over it. It might sound a little labored or might sound a little dramatic. You just speak what's on your mind. Sometimes it makes more sense.

Speaker B

00:06:14.660 - 00:06:17.380

Was there some time between completion and release?

Speaker C

00:06:18.260 - 00:06:52.000

Yeah, there was. There was a little bit, I guess.

We were done recording a year ago, and then we spent a little bit of time mixing it kind of sat for a little bit while the baby was born, and then I was home doing that whole thing, learning how to change diapers and all that stuff.

And then we got around to mixing, and that even took a little bit longer because we wound up going back over to Adams and doing a couple things just because we had to mix it so fast. Everybody just was busy. We mixed it and then we had a couple more things we wanted to do, so we fixed those over in Nashville and then finally done.

Speaker B

00:06:52.000 - 00:06:53.660

Who else else was able to help.

Speaker A

00:06:53.660 - 00:06:55.300

You fill out the sound you wanted?

Speaker C

00:06:56.180 - 00:07:15.460

Vaughn Lamb is who plays bass on the record and plays bass in the Hard Knocks. He's a local Athens bass player. He's played with, you know, a lot of bands around here, but I just like his style and vibes.

He's kind of got this noodley hippie punk thing going on that I like. Kind of fits what we're doing.

Speaker A

00:07:15.460 - 00:08:00.670

Hey y', all, this is Sloane 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 goods@country friedrock.org hey y', all, Country Fried Rock has a few cool new things going on that we've been teasing for a while.

Pop on by countryfriedrock.com scroll down on the right hand side of the screen or just keep on scrolling if you're on mobile. Down at the bottom, we're doing a quick listener survey. Find out a little more about what y' all want as we plan now for 2016.

I know it seems so far away, but actually we've already got a very cool thing up our sleeves that will be happening while I'm in Nashville next month.

Speaker B

00:08:00.750 - 00:08:01.070

So.

Speaker A

00:08:01.070 - 00:08:10.190

Looking forward to that. Speaking of which, lots of Country Fried Rock alums are going to be playing Americana Fest in September and we'll be hanging out that week.

Come on by and say hello.

Speaker C

00:08:10.830 - 00:08:13.630

Hey, this is T. Hardy Morris. Get more info at T.

Speaker B

00:08:15.880 - 00:08:21.800

What kind of stuff was speaking to you? Because there's, you can hear a lot of different things going on in the different songs on this record.

Speaker A

00:08:21.880 - 00:08:22.680

Specifically.

Speaker B

00:08:22.760 - 00:08:24.600

I got a little Nirvana on some of it.

Speaker C

00:08:25.240 - 00:09:51.110

Oh yeah, that was one of the things I was trying to convey with the record is, you know, you don't really think of, of like country music or, or Southern rock and grunge really sitting hand in hand. But to me, they're, they're not that really that far off. They're both kind of come from a rural sounding place to me.

You know, I don't know, just sounds like what I, that's what I grew up on. But I think they're a little Closer fit than a lot of people give them credit for. Especially like southern rock and grunge music.

What the real early versions of grunge music, you know, those are.

A lot of those bands were from out in the middle of nowhere, you know, kind of coming up with these ideas in the garage and southern rock with, you know, just these wood shedding out in the middle of nowhere in the. In the South. I don't know, they're just both kind of rural.

So I thought that the pedal steel and that country sound works a little better than you might think with the heavy handed side of grunge. Yeah, the Meat Puppets kind of. Kind of did that. They always had had a country vibe going on, kind of country punk. So there's definitely. And I've.

I've toured with those guys before and we've talked music a good bit. They're kind of buddies and I mean it's a little. A lot of the albums are a little more heavy handed than Meat Puppets. But I kind of.

They're often a band that I kind of have a touchstone in the studio that I kind of. When I hear Becca's song, I'm like, I wonder if Kurt and Chris would like this song. I'm like, yeah, I think they would.

Speaker B

00:09:51.110 - 00:09:54.510

There's a particular song I want to ask about. Who is the other voice on?

Speaker A

00:09:54.510 - 00:09:56.070

It's either quiet or quieter.

Speaker C

00:09:56.630 - 00:10:13.290

That's Justin. Who? Justin Collins, who's was the other producer on the record. Justin co produces a lot of stuff with Adam.

He did audition tapes and the Diamond Rug stuff. He's also a musician, singer, songwriter over in Nashville. His stuff's awesome. It's really good.

Speaker B

00:10:13.610 - 00:10:16.730

How have some of those relationships come around for who you get to go on tour with?

Speaker C

00:10:17.130 - 00:10:57.760

Well, you know, I've known the Drive By Trucker guys for a long time. From Day Confederate touring with them. They took us to the west coast. The first time we ever toured on the west coast.

We just always have kept in touch. Patterson and I specifically. He's been kind of a good proponent of my stuff, solo stuff and decofederate and so yeah, it's just.

I don't know, I feel like we're the band that when they just have to go do some one off shows, they're always like, hey, you want to come play? That's just local connection. You know, they.

They live here...

Summary

In this episode from 2015, we catch up with Mason Lankford from the Texas-based band Folk Family Revival to talk about the band’s evolving sound, especially with their new album Water Walker. Mason shares how this latest record marks a real shift from their earlier work, both stylistically and creatively.

We dig into how the band approaches making music, especially the role live performance plays in shaping their songs before they ever hit the studio. Mason talks about finding the balance between experimenting in the studio and letting songs grow naturally through playing them live.

As they head out on their summer tour, the band is excited to bring this new, more psychedelic sound to audiences. It’s clear they’re in a phase of growth and exploration, and Water Walker is a big step forward in that journey.

What We Wrote in 2015

Folk Family Revival consists of three brothers and their buddy, but they are definitely moving towards psychedelic rock rather than straight-up folk with their sophomore album, Waterwalker, out now on Rock Ridge Music. With a homemade liquid light show from a visually talented friend, the luxury of regular studio access, and no external time constraints on recording, Folk Family Revival leaps into new territory. The songs continue to grow, both intentionally and for diverse audiences ranging from post-line dance classes in a legendary Texas roadhouse to sportsbars, finding ways to keep audiences engaged and the music fresh.

Show Notes

• This episode of Country Fried Rock features a deep dive into the journey of Texas-based band Folk Family Revival, from their early days to their latest album, Water Walker.
• Host Sloane Spencer chats with band member Mason Lankford about how their sound has shifted over time. He explains how Water Walker reflects a big step forward in style and creativity.
• Mason shares what went into making the new album, including a lot of experimentation and refining. Many of the songs were tested out live before they were recorded, giving them time to grow naturally.
• That live-first approach helps the band connect more deeply with their audience and shapes the final versions of the songs in meaningful ways.
• The band blends psychedelic rock influences with their folk roots, creating a sound that feels fresh while still grounded in tradition.
• Live shows are a big part of what makes Folk Family Revival unique. Mason talks about how they avoid sticking to rigid setlists, instead aiming for a one-of-a-kind experience at each performance.
• He also reflects on the challenges of playing in places where audiences expect more traditional country music, and how the band stays true to their sound even when it doesn’t fit the mold.
• As they hit the road for their summer tour, the band is inviting fans to experience this new phase in their music firsthand. It's all about growth, experimentation, and creating something real on stage every night.

Links

• Folk Family Revival
• You may also enjoy our conversation with Great Peacock
• After you buy music or see a show, we would love your support with a few dollars in our Tip Jar
• Sloane Spencer now hosts a Gen X sleep podcast, Sleep with Rock Stars

Chapters

• 00:03 - Exploring New Sounds in Folk Music
• 02:05 - Transitioning Sounds: The Evolution of Folk Family Revival
• 07:16 - The Evolution of Live Performance
• 12:39 - The Liquid Light Show: A Journey Through Music and Visuals
• 16:00 - Transitioning to New Beginnings
• 19:01 - The Dynamics of Touring and Relationships in Music

Takeaways

• Water Walker, the band’s new album, shows a clear shift in style compared to their earlier record, Unfolding. It marks a new chapter in their sound.
• Mason Lankford talks about how live performances play a big role in shaping their songs before they even hit the studio. Playing them live helps the music evolve naturally.
• Instead of trying to copy the studio versions on stage, the band focuses on making each live show its own thing. They want every performance to feel fresh and unique.
• The making of Water Walker brought in a mix of talented musicians, adding new layers and textures to the album with a wide range of instruments.
• Their live sets are always changing. They adjust based on the venue, the crowd, and the energy in the room, which helps keep things exciting for both the band and the audience.
• Folk Family Revival is focused on staying creative and true to their vision. They're not chasing trends or sticking to a formula just to appeal to the mainstream.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Folk Family Revival
• Rockridge Music
• Magnolia Red
• Levi Weaver
• John Foreman
• Switchfoot
• Fiction Family
• Nickel Creek
• Drivin n Cryin

Recommended If You Like

Country Fried Rock, Folk Family Revival, psychedelic folk, Water Walker album, Mason Lankford interview, Texas music scene, live music performances, recording process, studio versus live sound, indie rock bands, Texas country music, road testing songs, music festivals Colorado, music production insights, evolving sound, songwriting journey, musical influences, band dynamics, touring experiences, liquid light show

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.160 - 00:00:33.100

Welcome to Country Fried Rock. I'm your host, Sloane Spencer. Apparently we've been on a psychedelic folk kick.

Didn't even realize it, but this new record, water Walkers from the Texas band Folk Family Revival shows a distinct change from their debut record.

We talk with Mason Lankford, one of three brothers in the band, about recording songs that have never been played live versus road testing and then recording or mixing it all up and finding new ways to keep it fresh. They're on the road this summer. Folk Family Revival today on Country Fried Rock.

Speaker B

00:00:33.100 - 00:00:40.860

My guest today on Country Fried Rock is Mason Lankford, who along with a couple of brothers and his buddy Caleb form Folk Family Revival. Welcome.

Speaker C

00:00:41.180 - 00:00:42.380

Yeah, thanks for having me.

Speaker B

00:00:42.380 - 00:00:53.420

I've known the name of your band for a while due to a friend of mine who has a radio station in Knoxville, Tennessee. But I'm excited to know about this most recent record, Water Walker. Tell me a little bit about what y' all have been doing.

Speaker C

00:00:53.740 - 00:02:01.060

Well, the record took us a while to make. We had recorded Unfolding and released it in 2011. It was our first one.

Started touring Steamboat, Colorado for the music fest up there and traveled down through California.

We were doing all that while trying to record this record, record a little bit, go back in the studio and either say, oh, we don't like the way this song sounds and scratch it, or add a new song and take out an old one or whatever. So. And we have the liberty because our manager, Jeffrey, is also our producer. So it's good because we can take time on records.

But it's also probably what helped us take so long making the record, you know. But, yeah, so took a while. But it's a good thing because there's such shift in style from the old one.

Then I think it took some time for us to figure out what that sound needed to be. And then, you know, dropping the shift on our friends and fans that soon, without a little time to wait may have not been the best decision.

So it's good that it took so long. And now we've just been touring a radio tour with the new record, pushing the single if it don't kill you, playing shows around that.

And then, you know, we just released the record, so we're about to hit the road.

Speaker B

00:02:01.710 - 00:02:07.430

It is, sonically a big shift from unfolding to Water Walker. Tell a little more about what happened.

Speaker A

00:02:07.430 - 00:02:10.510

In between those with the songs unfolding.

Speaker C

00:02:10.590 - 00:03:26.590

With that one, you know, we had just started the band.

Well, the band had been in other bands before as a group, but we had started Full family Revival and scratched everything we did previous and knew that this was the direction we were going to take. And all those songs had never been recorded. I mean, I had demoed them at home on a little rolling digital recorder.

We'd never even played them live together. So we got in the studio with Jeffrey and put those songs together in the studio and recorded them with Water Walker.

All these songs had been written while we were touring, unfolding or recording unfolding. And then we went into the studio immediately and recorded them after we had been playing them live.

So I think they had a little time to mature as far as a live sound goes. They knew how they needed to sound in a room. So when it comes to studio, you know, that's a totally different monkey.

It's a whole different process than setting up your amp and only having one shot to play the song in front of a bunch of people. You know, you actually get the time to pull them apart. So I don't know.

I guess they just, you know, already had a life, knew what they were supposed to sound like, and we knew what we were going for, so took on this psychedelic rock sound. With Caleb turning into a really good guitar player and us knowing how to play better with each other, these songs just.

They were already more worked out when we went into the studio.

Speaker A

00:03:26.840 - 00:03:51.480

We'd like to send a big thank you to our Country Fried Rock listeners for supporting Country Fried Rock alum Alan Thompson, who is recovering from a diving accident.

If you'd like to donate every dollar matters and it goes directly to helping defray his bills, you can find that link on Country Fried Rock's Facebook or Twitter. It's a you caring donation page. Keep your ears peeled for a few different benefit shows in the Nashville area for Alan Thompson.

Speaker B

00:03:51.480 - 00:03:52.360

We love you, man.

Speaker A

00:03:52.360 - 00:03:53.760

Get better soon. Hey, y'.

Speaker C

00:03:53.760 - 00:03:53.840

All.

Speaker A

00:03:53.840 - 00:04:08.040

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.

Speaker C

00:04:08.120 - 00:04:12.440

This is Mason Lakeford with Folk Family Revival, and you're listening to Country Fried Rock.

Speaker B

00:04:12.680 - 00:04:19.000

So have those previous songs from Unfolding continued to change live, or did you kind of leave them be as that's who you were?

Speaker C

00:04:19.520 - 00:05:05.470

Yeah, that's kind of something we've always tried to do. We're really into, like, old rock and roll. I'm a big Dylan fan. We like Neil Young in the band, guys like that.

And we've noticed that back then, a big deal about a live show the reason people wanted to come see you is because they would have a totally different song than what they have on their vinyl record at home. And these days it's all programmed and has to sound exactly like the record. And we want to not do that. We want it to.

When people come to our shows, we want it to sound different. So now, I mean, when we go back and listen to unfolding once in a while, like, what was I playing there?

Whatever, it's just a totally different experience.

Come get me doesn't sound live anymore like it does on the record, you know, I don't think we could ever go back to playing it the way we did because it's changed so much.

Speaker B

00:05:05.630 - 00:05:16.510

Let's talk a little bit specifically about the recording of Water Walker. You said that there was a lot more in letting the songs grow live before you went in. But did you all stick with the four of you playing?

Speaker C

00:05:16.990 - 00:07:16.000

We had a couple of other musicians come in and help us out. Because making a record for us.

I don't know if it's this way for everybody, but songs just, for some reason, they just need certain instrumentation on them, like a lap still or a pedal still or whatever, you know.

And Caleb or I or Barrett could get away with playing a pedal still part, but it's not something we practice regularly, so we don't have the technique. So we'll call Will Van Horn, who plays with Robert Ellis and the Boys. And, you know, he played pedal steel on it.

And we had our really good friend Blake Bentley, who's played with us live and is at our house all the time. And we even fool around with another little band with him. Nothing serious, but he's one of our favorite musicians. He can play anything.

He played keys on the record, you know, Shelly Coley did background vocals. And we added a whole bunch of other just weird things. Like there was one day where we had Lincoln in an ISO booth.

He's our drummer in an ISO booth with a big clay pot. And he was tapping on it. And Jeffrey, producer had it ran through this bass synthesizer with all those weird delays and stuff going on.

That's what you hear in the background of I Found God, the last track on the record. All that weird, trippy mess. That's just Lincoln beating on a clay pot.

You know, just sometimes anything can be an instrument, but, you know, you gotta find it sometimes. In the last record, I sang into like a little harpsichord with a mic on the other side of it for a vocal effect on Chasing a Rabbit.

But yeah, I guess the recording Process for us with Jeffrey is it's kind of laid back for the most part. There's some intense moments where, like, nobody slept or ate for a while, and somebody will have to tell Jeffrey, like, you need to eat some food.

Or, you know, we're going to all freak out here. But, I don't know, we just get really creative with it and try to make the song sound the best it can. Like sunshine.

We had one version of it live, ended up retracking it about three times, and finally Jeffrey was like, man, we need to pull this back, slow it down and make it dark and creepy. And we did. And that's the take we kept.

Speaker B

00:07:16.000 - 00:07:20.720

You know, live shows are a huge part of what y' all do. What is that looking like for you right now?

Speaker C

00:07:20.800 - 00:07:57.480

It's getting great.

We spend a lot of time trying to figure out what our genre is, where we should play or what rooms or whatever, and playing a lot of clubs that play top 40 country and stuff like that, and it's fine. But, you know, it's sometimes damaging because people want to hear Copperhead Road and they're hearing some psychedelic offbeat rock song.

But I think we're finally getting in that groove and figuring out how to work it out in whatever room we're in. We can change our style enough to play a country set or a blues set or whatever to make it work.

And I think now the only thing that scares people is that I don't wear shoes on stage sometimes.

Speaker B

00:07:57.720 - 00:08:03.320

And it should be said that y' all are from Texas, and so you're primarily in kind of that Texas and Oklahoma area.

Speaker C

00:08:03.820 - 00:08:04.140

Yeah.

Speaker B

00:08:04.220 - 00:08:06.820

Where the clubs do have certain expectations.

Speaker A

00:08:06.820 - 00:08:07.820

From a live show.

Speaker C

00:08:08.140 - 00:08:09.420

Definitely. Yeah.

Speaker B

00:08:09.820 - 00:08:11.340

So you're not two stepping.

Speaker C

00:08:11.740 - 00:09:01.320

No, but it's funny that you say that. We played Billy Bob's in Fort Worth a couple nights ago, and we've done it about three times. We've never done the big stage.

We've just done the honky tonk stage. Thursday night thing. Yeah. You know, they have the line dance class.

All these line dancers that have just been, you know, working on their chops for like an hour are like ready for the band so they can line dance, you know, and then we come out playing this weird golf timing, American Standard, you know, kind of a weird bass driven. There's a groove in there that you could dance to, but it's too slow and, like swoony to do a line dance to. But they. They did.

I mean, a lot of them pulled it off. The guy told me he's like man, they can line dance to anything. And I was like, okay, I hope so.

threw him a few country songs and some old rock and roll stuff that sounds like Elvis or whatever, and they figured that out.

Speaker A

00:09:01.500 - 00:09:21.900

Hey, y', 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 goods at country Friday, rock.org.

Speaker C

00:09:21.980 - 00:09:33.020

This is Mason Langford from Folks Family Revival. Make sure and come to one of our shows and pick up our new record, Water Walker.

If you can't get it at one of our shows, you can get it on itunes or a hard copy off of Amazon.

Speaker B

00:09:33.640 - 00:09:51.400

Outside of that Texas and Oklahoma region, just do not grasp the nuance of the term that is red dirt, which you are not. Outside of there, people are like, you're either country or rock. You know, they don't really get all of that.

And y' all are definitely pushing the psychedelic edge with this new record. How is that translating?

Speaker C

00:09:51.800 - 00:10:59.430

It's good. I mean, it just depends.

When you play a show and 10 people are really into it, and then 30 people might not be or whatever, then those 10 people are going to come up to the merch table and, you know, tell you they liked it and follow you on Facebook or whatever and come to your next show. Bring some friends and slow growing. But a lot of times you got 30 people talking louder than the music.

I guess it just depends what room and just who's there, you know? Last night, we played in Nacogdoches at the Liberty Bell, and they loved it.

I mean, every single seat in the house was facing the stage and no one was talking. We were able to even do, like, a really sad, slow, spacey song, and. And it was just like you could have heard a pin drop, you know?

But at Billy Bob's, for instance, you got a whole bunch

Summary

This week's episode from 2015 features an in-depth conversation with the Nashville-based band Great Peacock, comprised of Andrew Nelson and Blount Floyd. We delve into their creative journey, particularly focusing on their recently released debut full-length album, which showcases their evolution as musicians. Throughout the discussion, we explore the intricacies of building a cohesive musical team, the transformative nature of songwriting over time, and the unique recording experiences within Nashville's vibrant music scene. The dialogue is enriched by the band's reflections on their live performances and the diverse influences that shape their sound. Join us as we uncover the essence of Great Peacock's artistry and the dynamic world of contemporary music.

What We Wrote in 2015

Great Peacock blew me away during a live taping of their song, “Take Me To The Mountain,” nearly 18 months ago. I’ve been anxiously awaiting their debut full-length album, Making Ghosts, ever since. Recently released on This Is American Music, Great Peacock continues with the roots-based anthems and sing-along choruses, more Southern Indie than Americana.

Show Notes

• In this episode, host Sloane Spencer chats with Andrew Nelson and Blount Floyd of Great Peacock, a Nashville-based band blending folk, country, and rock into a sound that’s all their own.
• The focus is on their debut album Making Ghosts, and the journey that led them there, everything from the ups and downs of recording to how their sound has evolved over time.
• Nelson and Floyd talk honestly about the challenges of making a record in today’s music scene. While modern recording tech offers a lot of options, they admit it sometimes slows things down more than it helps.
• They look back fondly on the days when recording was simpler and more immediate, and share a desire to get back to that kind of creative flow in the future.
• Live shows are a big part of where they see themselves heading. They hint at leaning more into an electric sound, which could mark a new phase in their music.
• Songwriting within Great Peacock is a true collaboration. They take a careful, selective approach—making sure each song really connects and adds something meaningful to their overall sound.
• Throughout the conversation, it’s clear that the band is focused on staying true to who they are, even as they grow and adapt. Their commitment to authenticity comes through in everything they do, both in the studio and on stage.

Links

• Great Peacock
• Great Peacock on Bandcamp
• You may also enjoy our conversation with Year of October
• After you buy music or see a show, please toss a few dollars in our Tip Jar
• Sloane Spencer now hosts a Gen X sleep podcast, Sleep with Rock Stars

Takeaways

• We got into how Great Peacock’s music has grown over the years and what it’s been like building their career in the Nashville music scene.
• A big part of the conversation focused on collaboration, especially with producer Dan Fernandez, and how that relationship helped shape their sound.
• The band opened up about some of the real challenges that come with recording and releasing music today, including the pros and cons of modern technology.
• They shared what it’s like to play live and how their dynamics as a band have shifted over time as they’ve evolved musically.
• Staying true to who they are as artists came up quite a bit. It’s something they’re clearly committed to, even as the industry keeps changing around them.
• We also talked about life on the road and how touring, while tough at times, brings a lot of joy through the connections they make with audiences in different places.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Great Peacock
• CMT
• CMT Edge
• Dan Fernandez
• Wes Floyd and the Daisy Cutters
• Drivin n Cryin
• St. Paul and the Broken Bones
• Apache Relay

Recommended If You Like

Country Fried Rock, Great Peacock band, Nashville music scene, Southern rock music, debut album release, music industry insights, live performance evolution, recording studios in Nashville, songwriting collaboration, folk and rock fusion, Americana music, indie music podcast, band interviews, music production process, touring experiences, album art design, music festival performances, audience engagement, music streaming platforms, Southern musicians.

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.160 - 00:00:41.340

Welcome to Country Fried Rock. I'm your host, Sloane Spencer.

This week I'm finally talking with Great Peacock, a Nashville based band of guys from Alabama that I've been following for a couple of years. Andrew Nelson and Blunt Floyd are the core of Great Peacock in their debut full length album was just released in May 2015.

On this is American Music we talk about building a team, how songs change over time, and stealth recording studios in Nashville, a whole lot more with the guys from Great Peacock today on Country Fried Rock. My guests today conferenced in on the fancy phone are Andrew Nelson and Blunt Floyd, better known together as Great Peacock. Welcome.

Speaker B

00:00:41.500 - 00:00:43.020

Oh, thrilled to be here.

Speaker A

00:00:43.260 - 00:00:55.500

My pleasure.

We kind of run in some of the same circles, so I've known about you all for a very long time, but the first time I ever actually saw you was recording at the CMT studios for CMT Edge.

Speaker B

00:00:55.500 - 00:00:56.060

Yeah.

Speaker A

00:00:56.620 - 00:01:02.860

So lots has happened for y'. All. In the meantime, help us set the stage for what's going on with your debut record.

Speaker B

00:01:03.390 - 00:01:25.230

Well, it finally came out last week. We're thrilled about that. We waited forever for it to come out. It just takes a long time to get stuff ready.

You'd think technology would help out with that, but it doesn't. It kind of slows us down a bit.

I miss the old days or when I heard of the old days of making records and like putting them out quick, you know, doesn't happen anymore.

Speaker A

00:01:26.030 - 00:01:37.770

I don't want to put words in your mouth, but I know that you all have had this ready to roll for quite a while. So what has been changing for you all in terms of live performance in that G? I mean, it's been like more than a year since the record's been done.

Speaker B

00:01:38.170 - 00:02:15.880

The band has changed and evolved quite a bit for a while. We kind of always went through periods where we have like a four piece. Our bass player and our drummer are always with us.

And for a while we were had interchanging sort of melody instruments. Like sometimes we do a show with a fiddle player, sometimes we do a show with a pedal steel player.

And then we recently had somebody with us for a really long time playing electric and that person is no longer with us.

So we're actually kind of entertaining the idea of just being a four piece and being a little less folky and playing a little more electric guitar ourselves. But who knows, after this interview that might not happen. Yeah.

Speaker C

00:02:15.880 - 00:02:41.770

And we've had the guy who produced the record, Dan Fernandez, who actually played with us for a long time before that, has been out with Us for the last couple of runs, and it's been great to just kind of get back to kind of where it all began. And, you know, he's a great person to show off what the record is because he played pretty much all the guitar on it, so that's been fun.

He's gonna be with us this weekend also, and the next weekend after that.

Speaker A

00:02:41.930 - 00:02:44.570

That's cool. Well, how'd y' all initially connect with Dan Fernandez?

Speaker B

00:02:44.890 - 00:02:53.330

Dan lives with one of our best friends in Nashville. And I would go over to hang out with my friend, and I would hear this guy just, like, incessantly playing.

Speaker C

00:02:53.330 - 00:02:56.410

Lead guitar, practicing, practicing.

speaker B

00:02:57.370 - 00:03:08.950

And I was like, do you get tired of that, man? He was like, no, you just eventually drowning out. I was like, well, I guess the good thing is, at least he's really good at.

It's just, you know, 10 hours a day of lead guitar.

Speaker C

00:03:09.510 - 00:03:33.190

And way back when, when we had just started it, the band, because it was just something fun for us to pass the time as far as not getting out of music.

It was our first show, and that guy who lived with him was gonna play bass that show, and he was like, hey, do you mind if Dan comes to play mandolin? And we were like, sure. He hasn't practiced with us, but let's do it. And he nailed it.

And pretty much the only person that plays with us from that first show.

Speaker A

00:03:33.670 - 00:03:38.290

That's crazy. Where did it end up that Dan end working in the producer role?

Speaker B

00:03:38.610 - 00:04:04.290

He had just gotten into that role himself through just passing time. And it's kind of where his heart is, which is why he doesn't play with us all the time. And it just happened. It was really organic. It wasn't forced.

He was just kind of like, well, let's start working together. And I don't remember a single point where we were like, you know, had serious conversations about it.

We just turned around one day, and we were making a record. And then the serious conversations came much later.

Speaker C

00:04:05.090 - 00:04:35.710

Originally recorded Tennessee, actually a studio in Birmingham. When we were recording it, it was just like, all of a sudden, it's like, hey, we're not just producing this as the collective.

He really stepped up and took a spot where we were. We were like, wow, you know, you're kind of producing this track also. That's kind of where it came from.

We were like, well, we could do this whole record with you. And it makes sense because Nashville and we don't have to travel because you throw a rock and there's a studio in Nashville.

Speaker B

00:04:36.910 - 00:04:47.650

You always talk about like, these destination studios. And you're like, man, we had the money. We'd go to this place or we'd go to that place.

And then it's like, you think about it, you're like, well, honestly, why would we ever leave Nashville? Record a record.

Speaker A

00:04:47.650 - 00:05:02.370

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.

Speaker B

00:05:02.530 - 00:05:07.570

Hey, this is Andrew Nelson and Bluff Lloyd. We're great Peacock. And we're on Country Fried Rock.

Speaker A

00:05:07.570 - 00:05:09.810

Where did y' all end up recording it, or was it all over the place?

Speaker B

00:05:10.130 - 00:05:12.370

It was actually in a sort of.

Speaker C

00:05:12.370 - 00:05:28.690

Nondescript backyard studio, exactly like you said. It was, like, probably used to be a three or four car garage back in one day. And then they just built it out, and it's just in a neighborhood.

And you walk in the backyard and you open the door.

Speaker B

00:05:28.770 - 00:05:45.000

And Dan's so well connected. He's such a people person that, like, you can't go out to grab a drink without him running into 20 people he knows.

As a result, I mean, it's like we weren't in a professional studio, but we had all the professional gear we wanted or needed. Dan made sure we had it.

Speaker A

00:05:45.080 - 00:06:00.840

I saw you once, then I didn't see you all for, like, a year playing live. And it was definitely folkier, twangier.

And then when I started to hear the later music, I was like, whoa, we got some, like, entire, like, fill the stadium kind of stuff going on here.

Speaker B

00:06:01.400 - 00:06:39.260

We love music. We love pop music. We love country music. We love rock music. We love it all.

I think the reason our music sounds like it does is just because as far as it being southern or leaning more towards folk or something like that, it's just because that's just who we are. But, I mean, we listen to everything and we absorb and soak up everything. So that was just natural. That wasn't planned.

We weren't like, let's be more commercial or popular. It's just we like having songs that people can sing along to, and we like having songs that hit people.

And sometimes hitting people requires more instruments. Sometimes it requires a guitar and a voice, and that's it. It just depends on the.

Speaker C

00:06:39.260 - 00:06:55.840

So everybody evolves.

And that's just kind of what has happened as far as from the EP to now, because there was really technically only one electric guitar part on that first ep, and they're quite A larger song. It just kind of naturally happened that way.

Speaker A

00:06:56.080 - 00:07:01.600

They're kind of anthems. I mean, like, you can hear it one time and, like, have your verse in chorus to sing along.

Speaker B

00:07:02.000 - 00:07:42.220

We're just really picky. I mean, we write together. Not as much as we used to. We need. We've been saying we need to write together more.

But Blunt and I, if we don't like where the song's going, we throw it out quick. I have a saying. I always say, you can't polish a turd. So, I mean, if it's not immediately something that feels really special, we just move on.

We've gotten overwhelming compliments from people that have heard the record, either friends or strangers and fans, and they felt like we didn't have any filler songs on the album. Covered a lot of musical territory, was easy to listen to because the songs were great. And that's not me bragging.

That's just we're so picky about what we'll put out as a song.

Speaker C

00:07:42.220 - 00:08:07.720

It's a great thing about always writing with the same person or another person is you wind up almost being a good editor.

More than, like, even, you know, working together songwriting wise is usually when you sit down to write a song as a regular solo person, no matter what, you're gonna sit down and you finish the song. But kind of the way that me and Andrew work will come with ideas to the table. And, like, that was not good. That one's good.

Speaker B

00:08:07.800 - 00:08:08.240

Wow.

Speaker C

00:08:08.240 - 00:08:10.040

That's it. Let's write that song today.

Speaker B

00:08:10.120 - 00:08:16.160

Blunt has a joke. He likes to always tell me that. He says, that would be a great one on your solo album one day.

Speaker A

00:08:18.240 - 00:08:19.840

Blunt, where are you from originally?

Speaker C

00:08:20.160 - 00:08:24.800

I'm from a small town in South Alabama called Dothan.

Speaker B

00:08:24.800 - 00:08:25.360

Oh, yeah.

Speaker C

00:08:25.600 - 00:08:32.720

Like an hour north of Panama City and kind of close to Montgomery. About two hours from there and two hours from Auburn.

Speaker A

00:08:32.720 - 00:08:34.400

How did you end up getting to Nashville?

Speaker C

00:08:34.560 - 00:09:25.120

Well, it was a little bit of a trek. I went to Auburn for a little bit and decided to go to another college because, well, at that point, really nothing interested me, job wise.

And I transferred to a school in Orlando to go to recording, you know, for recording. And I did that and moved to Nashville because that was where you're supposed to go after you finish Three Best Cities to go to.

My brother had already lived in Nashville, so I was like, well, it's obvious I'm gonna go to Nashville and conquer all the major recording studios in town. And wound up meeting Andrew along the way. And then, you know, one of those weird Things where you're like, oh, this dude's my best friend now.

You know, the first night that you meet, you know, we've been on a musical journey ever since.

Speaker A

00:09:25.280 - 00:09:46.680

Hey, y', 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] hey, guys, if y'.

Speaker C

00:09:46.680 - 00:09:54.200

All want to know more about Great Peacock and what's going on with us and where to see us, go see us at ww.grape peacock.com were you ever.

Speaker A

00:09:54.200 - 00:09:55.280

In bands with your brother?

Speaker C

00:09:55.760 - 00:10:13.130

Yes, we were, actually. Andrew was in that band also. It's called West Floyd and the Daisy Cutters. Yeah, we did a record and a half release DP with him way back in the day.

It was really good for especially me because we were young and we learned a lot. What not to do.

Speaker A

00:10:13.450 - 00:10:14.490

Those are good lessons.

Speaker C

00:10:15.290 - 00:10:19.050

Love my brother. Shout out to him, you know, just had his first kid, Gus.

Speaker A

00:10:19.290 - 00:10:23.610

I made his wife cry by telling him to listen to Daniel's song from Loggins and Messina.

Speaker C

00:10:23.690 - 00:10:26.010

Yeah, I heard about that. I heard about that.

Speaker A

00:10:27.130 - 00:10:34.250

And I only did it because it came on after I had my son, and I was, like, driving down the highway, like, bawling my eyes out, like, oh, my God.

Speaker B

00:10:34.250 - 00:10:36.090

I never knew how good this was.

Speaker C

00:10:36.490 - 00:10:48.790

But, yeah, it was great. You know, we learned so much from playing with Wes.

He is a wonderful songwriter in his own right and actually both helped kind of us on our journey to how we write songs today.

Speaker A

00:10:49.190 - 00:10:50.230

Andrew, where are you from?

Speaker B

00:10:50.630 - 00:11:21.170

I grew up outside of Birmingham in a small town called Helena. That was until I was about 14, 15. Then I moved to another town outside of big city in Atlanta, a town called Alpharetta.

And then I went to University of...

Summary

In this episode from 2015, we dive into how Year of October has grown and evolved, especially with the release of their latest album, Golden Days. Phlecia and Josh Sullivan, who started out making acoustic music together, have really expanded their sound. Now performing as a trio, they’ve moved into a heavier, more dynamic style that reflects how far they’ve come.

We talk about the making of Golden Days, which they recorded and produced themselves, something that marks a big step forward in their creative journey. They also share stories from the road, as their regional touring continues to grow.

Of course, Nashville’s music scene plays a big part in their story too. Felicia and Josh talk about how being surrounded by such a rich, competitive environment has shaped their writing, their performances, and how they work together as a team.

This conversation gives a closer look at the way their music has developed over time, and how collaboration has been at the heart of it all.

What We Wrote in 2015

Phlecia & Josh Sullivan are Year of October, creatively and personally joined together. Originally from Kentucky, the band has been in Nashville for a few years, touring regionally and self-recording and self-producing their two albums thus far. Year of October is outside of our circle within Nashville, and I actually discovered them via Bandcamp!

Links

• Year of October
• Year of October on Bandcamp
• You may also like our conversation with Sam Lewis
• After you buy music or see a show, please toss some support into our Tip Jar
• Sloane Spencer now hosts a Gen X sleep podcast, Sleep with Rock Stars

Show Notes

• Phlecia and Josh Sullivan talk about how Year of October has evolved over the years, especially with the release of their latest album, Golden Days.
• The duo, originally from Kentucky and now based in Nashville, share how they’ve grown from an acoustic project into a full band with a much bigger sound.
• We dig into their songwriting process, which has always been collaborative, and that teamwork has played a big role in shaping their current style.
• Golden Days is a big milestone for them. It’s a self-recorded, self-produced album that captures where they are now creatively and professionally.
• They talk about hitting the road and expanding their touring efforts across the region, using this album as a way to connect with new audiences.
• Being part of the Nashville music scene has had a major impact on their growth. They open up about what it’s like to navigate such a competitive and inspiring environment.
• Throughout the episode, they offer a real look at what it takes to build a distinct musical identity, and the hard work that goes into every step of that journey.

Takeaways

• Phlecia and Josh Sullivan of Year of October have come a long way since they first started making music together. Their latest album, Golden Days, really shows how much their sound has grown and evolved.
• Golden Days was completely self-recorded and produced, which gave them full creative control. It also helped them take their music to a wider audience through more regional touring.
• Living in Nashville has been a huge part of their journey. Being surrounded by so many talented artists has pushed them to grow, not just as musicians, but also in how they approach live performances.
• They’re already looking ahead to their next album and are excited to keep developing their sound. A lot of that inspiration comes from the connections and experiences they’ve had in the music scene.
• Their focus on authenticity extends beyond the music. Even the album artwork is intentionally simple, something that feels true to who they are and sticks with you.
• When it comes to songwriting, it’s very much a team effort. Phlecia and Josh usually start ideas together and build on them collaboratively, making sure the final product reflects both of their voices.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Year of October
• Bandcamp
• University of Kentucky
• Strange Connections
• Red Ember
• Oliver Ocean
• Sky Temple Blues
• JD Wilkes
• Dirt Daubers
• Dick's Sporting Goods
• John Michael Montgomery
• Drivin n Cryin

Recommended If You Like

Country Fried Rock, Year of October, Sloane Spencer, Phlecia Sullivan, Josh Sullivan, Golden Days album, Nashville music scene, Kentucky musicians, self-produced music, regional touring, acoustic music, indie rock band, Bandcamp recommendations, songwriting process, live performances, Nashville venues, creative community, music collaboration, music industry insights, contemporary folk music

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.160 - 00:00:37.990

Welcome to Country Fried Rock. I'm your host, Sloan Spencer. Today I'm talking with Felicia and Josh Sullivan, better known as the band Year of October.

Their recent album Golden Days demonstrates their growth as a band, working together, primarily writing as a duo, but performing as a trio or full band.

Originally from Kentucky and now residing in Nashville, this self recorded, self produced release is helping Year of October expand their regional touring schedule. Year Never. Guess how I found this band. Coming up in my conversation with Year of October today on Country Fried Rock.

Speaker B

00:00:38.070 - 00:00:43.270

My guests today on Country Fried Rock are Josh and Felicia of Year of October. Welcome.

Speaker C

00:00:43.510 - 00:00:45.030

Thank you. We're glad to be here.

Speaker B

00:00:45.350 - 00:01:01.030

So I was just saying, off the air, I said, I actually found you through Strange Connections via Bandcamp, which Bandcamp totally rules, by the way, but they make suggestions based on things you've purchased in the past, and occasionally I pay attention to that. And I was like, oh, my gosh, I love these people. I need to find them.

Speaker C

00:01:01.550 - 00:01:04.190

That's awesome. I didn't even know Bandcamp made suggestions.

Speaker B

00:01:04.510 - 00:01:11.390

They do. Well, it's. It pops up at the bottom of your screen based on your previous purchases. And I guess they have some magic algorithm.

Speaker C

00:01:11.550 - 00:01:13.150

That's really cool. Yeah.

Speaker B

00:01:13.230 - 00:01:18.910

Yeah. But as I was doing a little homework for the show, I saw that y' all went to University of Kentucky.

Speaker C

00:01:19.150 - 00:01:21.350

Yes, we did. We both graduated from there.

Speaker B

00:01:21.350 - 00:01:23.230

Are you still recovering from basketball season?

Speaker C

00:01:23.470 - 00:01:25.070

Oh, my gosh. It killed me.

Speaker B

00:01:27.630 - 00:01:32.830

Longtime listeners know my husband went to University of Kentucky, so I have learned about basket.

Speaker C

00:01:33.690 - 00:01:37.250

Yes, Blue Bleeds Deep, but it was.

Speaker B

00:01:37.250 - 00:01:43.250

Good for me because I actually understand basketball, unlike the fact that I'm a lifelong Southerner who still doesn't understand football.

Speaker C

00:01:43.250 - 00:01:47.290

Is a whole nother deal. Yeah. If you're in sec, you have to know a little bit about football.

Speaker B

00:01:49.209 - 00:01:53.050

Anyway, well, so sorry for the ending of the season, although the ride up there was great.

Speaker C

00:01:53.450 - 00:01:54.090

Thank you.

Speaker B

00:01:54.490 - 00:01:56.890

As a band, how did you all come together?

Speaker C

00:01:57.290 - 00:02:22.390

Well, Josh and I, we met at UK and we actually dated.

We dated for about a year before we started playing music together because we both knew that we played music separately, but we didn't really want to mess up our relationship if the music stuff didn't work out. So we dated for a year, and then we were like, we should write together.

And so it kind of started with just me and him playing some acoustic songs that we had written, and that's how we started out.

Speaker B

00:02:22.870 - 00:02:24.950

Okay, so that's not the usual story.

Speaker C

00:02:25.510 - 00:02:25.910

No.

Speaker B

00:02:26.790 - 00:02:30.550

You were dating, then you said, hey, let's write together, and then where did it go?

Speaker C

00:02:31.020 - 00:02:58.620

Well, we wrote several songs and then we got some of our friends together because we knew the songs we were writing. We love acoustic music, but what we wanted to do was not play in an acoustic band.

So we were writing for a full band, and so we got some friends together, and then we started filling the songs out and making it into the more rock music that we play. And so that's where it went, and that's how it was when we recorded our first album. We were just still feeling things out.

Speaker B

00:02:59.140 - 00:03:01.300

Things have expanded for y' all musically since then?

Speaker C

00:03:01.780 - 00:03:22.980

Oh, yes, yes. Much more. We found our sound a little more, and in the first album, like I said, we were filling things out and we didn't really have a set band.

We were just getting it done so we could get our name out there to get shows. So with this album, we had a set band.

It was me, Josh and Greg who played drums with us, and it made it a little more fluid on Golden Days, I feel like.

Speaker B

00:03:23.460 - 00:03:30.620

And so then when y' all are playing out live, you were able to use the same people that you took into the studio or did you add some other folks when y' all recorded?

Speaker C

00:03:30.940 - 00:03:48.540

It's pretty much the same people. Right now. We just play as a three piece.

Josh, and it was Greg, but he just recently moved back to Utah, so we've got another guy playing drums with us. But what we added in the studio on Golden Days was bass, because Josh is originally a bass player, so he played bass and guitar on the record.

Speaker A

00:03:48.780 - 00:03:58.060

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.

Speaker B

00:03:58.140 - 00:03:59.730

Thank you all so much.

Speaker A

00:04:00.920 - 00:04:03.560

Careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

Speaker C

00:04:03.640 - 00:04:07.240

Hey, this is Alicia from Year of October on Country Fried Rock.

Speaker B

00:04:07.320 - 00:04:10.520

Y' all have been playing kind of around the region, I guess.

Speaker C

00:04:10.840 - 00:04:35.860

Yeah, we play in Nashville sometimes during the week because we both work full time jobs at a bank during the day to support what we want to do. So we work playing Nashville during the week, and it's a lot of fun.

Play shows with a lot of our friends, and then on the weekends, we travel all around Tennessee and back into Kentucky to our homes. And we played in Alabama a little bit, and the shows are great.

It's always different crowds, but all the people are really receptive of our music and it's a lot of fun to play it.

Speaker B

00:04:36.260 - 00:04:40.740

I should have said that y' all have been in Nashville for a while, even though you originally formed In Lexington.

Speaker C

00:04:40.900 - 00:04:45.620

Yes. Yeah. Yeah. We've been in Nashville going on four years. Yeah, almost four years now.

Speaker B

00:04:46.020 - 00:04:49.300

What does being in such a creative community like that do for you all?

Speaker C

00:04:49.860 - 00:05:28.000

It's really crazy. I never really knew what it was like until I moved down there. And working at the bank has opened my eyes to see that everyone really does play music.

Like, everyone we meet. Like, oh, I either write or I play in this band or I'm a producer.

Like, everyone you meet has something to do with the music industry, and it's been really cool. And I think that that has made us better musicians because playing in Nashville, you have to be on top of your game every single show.

Everybody watching you is a musician, and they're all great. So you are like, I have to live up to that standard.

So I think that living in Nashville has probably made us better in our performance and better in everything.

Speaker B

00:05:28.240 - 00:05:31.920

Do you have particular venues you enjoy? I know everybody kind of has their little pet places.

Speaker C

00:05:32.960 - 00:05:42.980

We really like playing. There's a place called Pooh Bar in East Nashville and then Spring Water Supper Club over by Centennial Park. Both of those are a lot of fun for us.

Speaker B

00:05:43.380 - 00:05:52.260

I'm familiar with both. That's a little bit outside of the normal loop of folks that we have gotten to know through the show. So who else is in your circle musically?

Speaker C

00:05:52.660 - 00:06:26.800

We've been playing with some people actually from my hometown that have recently moved to Nashville.

I'm from Western Kentucky and a little bitty tip and a bunch of people from there are moving to Nashville now because it's only about a two hour drive. We have a band called Red Ember that plays with us. Yeah, they're kind of alt bluegrassy kind of thing.

They have a Punch Brothers feel and they're awesome. We play with them a lot. There's another band called Oliver Ocean that we play with, and then there's some guys called Sky Temple Blues.

They fit our sound a little better. They're a bluesy rock band. They're awesome.

Speaker B

00:06:26.960 - 00:06:29.440

JD Wilkes is from Paducah originally as well.

Speaker C

00:06:29.440 - 00:06:30.400

Yeah, yeah, he is.

Speaker B

00:06:30.480 - 00:06:37.530

He was on the show a while back with Dirt Daubers and, you know, all his various projects. But Paducah is a funky little creative community now as well.

Speaker C

00:06:37.770 - 00:06:53.210

Yeah, it's awesome. Since I moved, actually, they've really grown a lot in the music industry. I know they did that.

They had that initiative to bring in artists from all over the world to downtown Paducah to build it back up, and that's really helped the creative movement in Paducah.

Speaker D

00:06:53.210 - 00:06:53.610

A lot.

Speaker B

00:06:53.690 - 00:06:55.930

It transformed it. I mean, it really did.

Speaker C

00:06:55.930 - 00:07:06.440

Yeah, it was awesome. They started that probably my senior year of high school, maybe a little before that.

And so I left and then all of this awesome stuff came to downtown Paducah. So it's cool to go back home now.

Speaker B

00:07:06.440 - 00:07:16.920

Lake City, South Carolina, which has neither a lake nor is it a city, is actually doing something similar. And it's, it's not there where Paducah is yet. But I mean, it's stunning the difference just in two years.

Speaker C

00:07:16.920 - 00:07:17.800

It's crazy.

Speaker B

00:07:18.040 - 00:07:25.400

As I said, I lived in Kentucky for five years and my brother in law lives in Owensboro, so I don't get quite as far west as Paducah, but I'm familiar with the area.

Speaker C

00:07:25.480 - 00:07:28.840

Yeah, yeah, we played Owensboro not too long ago. That's good.

Speaker B

00:07:29.150 - 00:07:29.470

Cool.

Speaker A

00:07:29.550 - 00:07:39.870

I'm your host, Sloan Spencer. You can keep in touch with us on Facebook. But I really like Twitter where we are at Country Fried Rock ending with R O K. And if you want.

Speaker B

00:07:39.870 - 00:07:41.390

To see pictures of my shoes, my.

Speaker A

00:07:41.390 - 00:07:48.230

Dog and my lunch, stop by Instagram. But whatever way you like to hang out, stop by and say, hey, hey.

Speaker C

00:07:48.230 - 00:07:57.740

This is Alicia from Year of October on Country Fried Rock. If you want to find out more about us and where we're playing, you can check us [email protected] it's neat to.

Speaker B

00:07:57.740 - 00:08:11.860

Hear overlap of different circles of folks in music that are based in Nashville.

Now when you all are doing the shows, are you trying to partner up with other bands when you go places or do you have bands in those places that you're looking to team with?

Speaker C

00:08:12.740 - 00:08:38.800

Yeah, we partner up a lot of the times when we go to Paducah, we play with the same sort of people that we're playing with in Nashville now because we both have big draws back there and so it's fun to be able to travel with your friends. But we also, we go up to Lexington a lot and play and we have a lot of friends up there that are different.

We play with different bands when we go up there. But it's really cool. We've got a good vibe going now. People who are really supportive. That's great, everybody.

Speaker B

00:08:39.360 - 00:08:44.800

So tell me a little bit more about getting into record specifically for what became Golden Days.

Speaker C

00:08:45.200 - 00:08:56.370

I'm going to pass the phone off to Josh for that one because he actually produced the record. He went to school for audio engineering so we do it at our house and he does all of it. So I'm going to has the phone up.

Speaker B

00:08:56.610 - 00:09:01.570

Question was, tell me a Little bit about what ultimately became the recording for Golden Days.

Speaker D

00:09:02.050 - 00:09:57.280

It was pretty interesting because, like Felice was saying, with the first record, it was not only was it the first record we did as a band, it was the first record that I had produced. And then I'd recorded myself. I'd done some single tracks. So doing Golden Days, I had a little bit more of a feel as to what I was going for.

And it was definitely a process. Each song was, you know, we took it song by song and, you know, we'd lay down all the drum parts first.

We have scratch vocals with guitar, and those were just scratch tracks. And then we'd lay down the drums, and then I would kind of layer everything else over top of it.

It was pretty exciting because there were some songs that were very fresh and we could really develop them more in the studio. And our...

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...