Country Fried Rock

Summary

This week on Country Fried Rock from 2015, we dive into the story behind the long-awaited return of 6 String Drag, a band that made waves in the late '90s before quietly stepping away from the spotlight.

• We caught up with bassist Rob Keller to talk about the band’s journey, from their beloved album Hi Hat to their brand-new record, more than 15 years later.
• The big question: why the long break, and what brought them back together now?
• Even though we recorded this one out in the field (so the audio’s a little rough), the conversation is full of great insights into the evolution of roots rock and roll.
• Rob opens up about the unique dynamics of reuniting with old bandmates, how their creative process has changed over the years, and what it feels like to make music together again.
• We also touch on the magic of reconnecting—not just as musicians, but as friends—with songs that carry the weight of time and experience.

It’s a heartfelt look at a band rediscovering its rhythm, and a reminder of how music can bring people back together, even after years apart.

Show Notes

In this episode of Country Fried Rock, we hit the road—literally—trying out mobile recording gear to capture the feel of live, in-the-moment conversations. Here’s what you can expect:

• We sit down with Rob Keller, bassist and creative force behind 6 String Drag, for a deep dive into the band's history and recent reunion.
• Rob shares stories from the High Hat era, an album that had the band on the verge of a major breakout back in the '90s.
• We talk about the band’s long silence after that high point, and the personal and professional factors that led to their extended hiatus.
• The conversation blends nostalgia with fresh excitement, as Rob reflects on what it’s been like to reconnect with Kenny Roby and the rest of the band after 15 years.
• He opens up about how their sound has changed, what’s stayed the same, and how life off the road shaped the music they’re making now.
• Despite some audio hiccups from recording in the wild, the heart of the conversation comes through, full of honesty, history, and hope for what’s next.

This episode is all about second chances, old friends, and the music that never really goes away.

Here's What We Wrote Back in 2015

Kenny Roby (previously featured) and Rob Keller disbanded 6 String Drag at the top of their game, nearly 15 years ago. The first new album from 6 String Drag, Roots Rock N Roll, brings the group together again, ranging the gamut of roots rock with their brother-from-another-mother harmonies. Why would a regionally beloved band, seemingly at the peak of success, fall off the face of the earth? Love.

Links

• 6 String Drag on Bandcamp
• Welfare Liners on Bandcamp (Rob Keller in a side project)
• Roberto Adega on Bandcamp (Rob Keller project in Portuguese)
• You might also like our conversation with Jim White
• After you buy music or see a show, we appreciate your support with a few dollars in our Tip Jar
• Sloane Spencer now hosts a Gen X sleep podcast, Sleep with Rock Stars

Takeaways

• In this episode of Country Fried Rock, we talk about 6 String Drag’s return to recording after an 18-year break. Yes, it’s been that long!
• Rob Keller shares how his musical path has evolved over the years, including his work with both 6 String Drag and the Welfare Liners.
• There’s real excitement around the band’s upcoming album, their first in nearly two decades and reflects everything they’ve learned and lived through since the early days.
• Rob talks about the importance of supporting local record stores and how much it means when fans pick up physical copies of the music.
• We also touch on the realities of touring: the good, the tough, and how musicians juggle their love for the road with family life back home.
• And finally, we get into what it actually takes to make a record these days, from songwriting to studio time to the collaborative magic that brings it all together.

It's a laid-back, honest conversation about returning to your roots, growing through the years, and still chasing the music.

Mentioned in this Episode

• 6String Drag
• Welfare Liners
• Drive By Truckers
• Memories and Birds
• Adobe Audition
• Fidelatorium
• Jason Merritt
• McKenny
• Joe Swank
• Skillet Gilmore
• Drivin n Cryin

Recommended If You Like

Country Fried Rock, Six String Drag, Rob Keller interview, roots rock music, bluegrass band, new album release, mobile recording technology, music podcast, Americana music, band reunions, live music shows, vinyl record production, folk rock, band dynamics, songwriting process, music collaboration, audio quality issues, house concerts, regional music scenes, music industry insights, 6 string drag

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.240 - 00:00:58.940

This week on Country Fried Rock, we decided to take the show on the road for a few weeks, testing out some new technology for mobile recording. Yep, it sounded like a great idea, but unfortunately, it doesn't sound that great.

So don't miss a minute of the Country Fried Rock road trips on countryfriedrock.org this week on Country Fried Rock, I talk with Rob Keller of Six String Drag.

After their successful album hi hat in the 1990s, the band seemed poised to move beyond their regional success when they seemingly fell off the face of the earth. What happened to that great combination of Kenny Robey and Rob Keller and friends as Six String Drag?

This is another one of our field recordings, so the audio quality is not quite up to our standards, but it's a great conversation about roots rock and roll. The first record in 15 years from Six String Drag, it's Rob Keller of Six String Drag this week on Country Fried Rock.

Speaker B

00:00:59.410 - 00:01:09.250

My guest today on Country Fried Rock is Rob Keller, bass player, musician, songwriter, producer, and currently back with Six String Drag again. Hey.

Speaker C

00:01:09.490 - 00:01:09.970

Hey.

Speaker B

00:01:10.290 - 00:01:27.090

So just in some context for listeners, we met through mutual friends a few years ago, and then I realized at the same time, I was like, oh, that's the same Rob Keller from Six String Drag. Wait a minute. What are you doing playing bluegrass? What have you been doing musically for the last few years?

Speaker C

00:01:27.890 - 00:02:08.670

Well, the last few years, as you might know, I've been in the. I've started a bluegrass band called the Welfare Liner. Three years ago, just playing.

I really put it together, really just because I was bored and didn't have a lot of playing going on in the area. And I played bluegrass in the past and I had some friends that also played. And so we decided to put the band together.

And then as it progressed, I started writing songs for the band. So we put out one record so far and we've got one in the can actually. Actually have another record supposed to come out next year, so.

So that's what I've been doing, really, up until about a year ago. Been hooked back up with Kenny again, the Six String Drag, which has been a real blast.

Got the one record about to come out and we're really excited about it.

Speaker B

00:02:09.070 - 00:02:20.670

There's lots more that goes on with all that. Kenny Robey is, of course, the Kenny that you're talking about.

And we actually featured Kenny on his last solo record, Memories and Birds, which was a beautiful record as well.

Speaker C

00:02:21.070 - 00:02:32.960

Yeah, he recorded that at the same time we recorded the Welfare Liners. And we were swapping songs back and forth and playing Each other's songs, you know, because we were all through all this. Yeah.

My wife's like brothers. We're like brothers.

Speaker B

00:02:33.920 - 00:02:41.360

Speaking of which. And I'm sure I know I'm not the person won't be the last to say it. Your voices together when you sing. You do sound like brothers.

Speaker C

00:02:41.920 - 00:02:51.120

That's true. We love the brother harmony. Something really has clicked with Kenny and I as far as the.

We seem to have our own little sound with it and people seem to enjoy it. We enjoy it.

Speaker B

00:02:51.380 - 00:02:55.780

At what point did it become, hey, let's. Let's see what Six String Drag might look like?

Speaker C

00:02:56.020 - 00:03:36.170

Well, it kind of started probably over a year ago. We talked about maybe Kenny and I just doing a record together as a Kenny solo record and then me playing on it.

And then it progressed into, well, let's get Scott Miller. And then it progressed and, well, let's fly Duffy Ann for this little project, you know.

And so then it kind of and still was going to be maybe a Kenny Roby solo. Because we didn't know what the band could get back together and actually play on the road. We decided to do some of that, actually.

Just Kenny and I being six String drag as a duo. Just the two of us with the pitch of guitar and stand up bass, you know, or get some other guys and be able to go out and play as a six String Drag.

The band, dude, the rock band.

Speaker B

00:03:36.330 - 00:03:42.490

I got to see y' all as both a duo and as a band. Then over this reinterpretation of what six String Drag is.

Speaker C

00:03:43.050 - 00:03:59.880

Yeah, I think we kind of picked up where we left off because we still have that same sound. Been 18 years since we recorded a record.

And I like to think that even if we stay together all this time and we had recorded made all these albums in between during all these years, that we still would have come out with a record that sounded like this at this time.

Speaker A

00:03:59.880 - 00:04:14.560

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 C

00:04:14.560 - 00:04:15.120

Oh, yeah.

Speaker A

00:04:15.120 - 00:04:28.020

And if any of you all are experts on Adobe Audition, would love some help fixing up these last few field recordings, helping to get rid of that echo and improve the sound because next week's show is pretty darn fabulous.

Speaker C

00:04:28.260 - 00:04:32.340

Hey, this is Rob Keller from Six String Drag on Country Fried Rock.

Speaker B

00:04:32.500 - 00:04:37.700

In the meantime, both of you have really, really developed as players and writers.

Speaker C

00:04:38.340 - 00:05:03.120

Yeah, I think that we are better musicians. I mean, during all this time that we weren't together, we did get together a few times all through the years, do some little not reunion things.

We just play together and then we been in different bands and we've kept in touch with each other. And just through the years, we still play that. We're lifers, you know, we're playing music for life, whether we make money or not.

Yeah, we're constantly playing. And so through all the years, you know, we have developed musicians, I believe.

Speaker B

00:05:03.520 - 00:05:10.400

What's different for you all deciding to come back together and making this really be your choice to make it happen.

Speaker C

00:05:11.040 - 00:05:43.220

I think we just decided to do it because we like to play together and we like the music. I think that's just the number one thing. There's never been too big of a market for us probably anyway. We've always been very eclectic.

And we started off, we'd play Honky Tonk country song here, then we play a rock song and sometimes meld the homogenized kind of sound from that.

But mostly that we were influenced by many different things and we would play a song in that style of all those different things that we like, rather than melding it all together.

Speaker B

00:05:43.300 - 00:05:47.860

What's it like for you to decide to put out a record from a logistics standpoint now?

Speaker C

00:05:49.030 - 00:06:12.910

It's not too hard, actually. It's kind of easier in these days. You know, anybody can put out a record if they want to. It's a little bit of money.

You can record something on your phone and then record something and then release it digitally if you wanted to.

There was a chance that we might just do something digital, but, you know, now it's escalated into even getting vinyl out, which I'm very excited about. That's actually why the record was pushed back almost a month, is because we're waiting for some vinyl records to be pressed.

Speaker B

00:06:12.910 - 00:06:17.590

So have you been able to bring in other people to be part of the team to help make this successful?

Speaker C

00:06:18.060 - 00:06:57.550

Oh, yeah.

I mean, we have our porn players, we have David Pops Wright, who is our piano player slash trombonist, played with us back in the past in round 96 to 97. He was not on High Hat, but he's on that Jack session CD that we. Yeah, he's all over that with the keys and the horns.

And so he's playing with us now. And that's really exciting too. I think having some horns on the road makes our sound bigger.

Kenny's worked with Jason Merritt, who engineered and helped produce the record. He worked Very hard on it. He worked on some McKenny stuff in the past.

Memories and birds, people with the label, and, as you know, Joe Swank helping us. And everybody's really excited about it, I think.

Speaker A

00:06:58.030 - 00:07:16.110

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 to see pictures of my shoes, my dog and my lunch, stop by Instagram. But whatever way you like to hang out, so stop by and say, hey.

Speaker C

00:07:16.430 - 00:07:55.410

Hey. This is Rob Keller of six Dream Drag. You can find out everything you need to know about [email protected]. that's with the number 6 or S IX.

Where did y' all recorded? Fidelatorium, Mitch Easter's studio. He did not record it. He wasn't around. But Jason Merritt, he was a mastermind, I would say.

Kenny and Jason probably had most to do with that. We did a lot of helping with the arranging of the songs and of course, made up our own parts and stuff like that.

But as far as producing, yeah, it was very collective. Collective, I'd say. We were there for four days and we recorded this.

Speaker B

00:07:55.570 - 00:08:00.050

Had you all already worked those songs up live prior to going in to record at the auditorium?

Speaker C

00:08:00.210 - 00:08:32.540

No, we did not. Kenny had just written them and we just got together and all played them for the first time.

I went through song by song and just did some arranging and put them down on tape. And I think there's some real magic there.

We had a great time doing it, and I think having fun and having a blast doing it really helps, like, the energy of the whole thing. Little on the, you know, on the acoustic side, it has this neo retro vibe, I guess you'd call it.

Has a lot of 50s rock influence as far as the themes, really. Some of the songs venture out into other things, but we're excited.

Speaker B

00:08:32.860 - 00:08:35.700

What does touring or playing out look like for y'?

Speaker C

00:08:35.700 - 00:08:56.720

All? Well, getting around day jobs, we are starting off with long weekends, just trying to take it as it comes.

And if things get offered to us that are big and further away, then we can take time from those jobs and get out and, you know, and do what we need to do. But right now, it's long weekends in the Southeast, mainly. Some Midwest, I think, later on. And when the record comes out, we hit it a little harder.

Speaker B

00:08:57.200 - 00:09:03.360

What surprises you of people who are finding your music now, whether they're rediscovering it or whether they're new to it?

Speaker C

00:09:03.960 - 00:09:26.120

I guess both is surprising me a little bit because maybe I've just been out of it for the past 15 years, stuck in that, playing into bluegrass. Man, it's fun seeing people coming out of the cracks and going, whoa, I love these guys back then.

They fell off the face of the earth, and here they are again. It's kind of neat to hear that. You know, it's spiked some excitement in all of us to be able to go out and do this again.

Speaker B

00:09:26.680 - 00:09:32.370

What did happen? I felt like y' all were, like, at the top of your game, and then the next thing I knew, we.

Speaker C

00:09:32.370 - 00:09:52.330

Fell off the face of the earth. Yeah. Yeah. Well, basically, family, just three out of the four members came home and got their wives and girlfriends pregnant.

So we had babies to tend to. We do everything for love, and love found us. You have to stay with love.

So now that the kids have kind of grown up, now that we can get out and, you know, daddy can rock and roll.

Speaker B

00:09:52.330 - 00:10:05.240

I guess you used the word earlier. Something like the old magic back together or something to that effect.

And it was interesting because I guess the last time I saw y' all play as a full band was over the summer. And there really is just some magic with y'.

Speaker C

00:10:05.240 - 00:10:12.720

All. Yeah, I think so, too. We feel it, and it's real exciting when we play together. And that's why we like to do it.

That's why we want to do it as much as we can.

Speaker A

00:10:12.800 - 00:10:34.940

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...

Summary

This week’s episode from 2015 of Country Fried Rock takes a deep dive into the world of collaboration, with the talented Jim White joining us to talk about his recent partnership with the Packway Handle Band. We get into the highs and lows of working together creatively, especially when it comes to music production. Jim shares what it's like to take on the role of a “record foreman” instead of a traditional producer, giving us a fresh perspective on the creative process.

Throughout the conversation, we talk about how different musical influences blend together, particularly the mix of Bluegrass with other genres, and Jim opens up about how his sound has evolved over time. Plus, we get into the challenges and wins he’s experienced in the studio, all while emphasizing how important spontaneity and connection are to making great music.

It’s an insightful look at the art of collaboration and the exciting world of modern Southern music. Tune in and join the conversation!

Show Notes

• In the latest episode of Country Fried Rock, the hosts try out some new mobile recording tech to capture their musical conversations on the go.
• While the idea is exciting, the sound quality didn’t quite turn out as expected, and it’s a bit rough around the edges.
• Despite that, the episode is packed with engaging discussions, featuring the talented Jim White.
• Jim shares some great insights into his recent collaboration with the Packway Handle Band, giving listeners a peek into the creative process behind their work.
• This episode runs a bit longer than usual, offering plenty of time to dive deep into the artistic chemistry that comes from blending different musical backgrounds.

Here's What We Wrote Back in 2015

Jim White’s songwriting and visual art are some of the tangible fruits of his sometimes dark thoughts, but he is not the tortured Southern Gothic poet of his past. When Packway Handle Band (previously featured on Country Fried Rock), sought White’s assistance in producing their new record, they ended up collaborating in a back and forth manner, with White sharing a trove of bluegrass songs he had written with the Packway Handle guys, and Packway Handle sharing their new songs with White — hence, Jim White Vs. Packway Handle Band on this new Yep Roc release. Do not pigeonhole what you think you know about Jim White, nor of the Packway Handle Band; they all are pushing their boundaries to move into new territory musically. White does not tour the US much, but catch a show, if you can, most likely in Europe, where he is a cult figure.

Buy Take It Like A Man here.

Takeaways

• In this episode, we took a shot at mobile recording and explored some new tech along the way.
• Even with the challenges of recording on the road, we managed to have some great conversations over the course of four weeks.
• Jim White joined us to talk about his collaboration with the Packway Handle Band and the creative journey they’ve been on together.
• Their process was all about trading songs and ideas back and forth, building something truly collaborative.
• Jim shared how much he enjoys producing music—not just for himself, but in helping others bring their artistic visions to life.
• We wrapped up the episode reflecting on how connection, creativity, and a little spontaneity are at the heart of making music.

Chapters

• 00:00 - Country Fried Rock Road Trips
• 02:53 - The Musical Collaboration Begins
• 07:45 - Exploring Genre Boundaries in Music
• 11:12 - A Journey to Denmark: The Arts Festival Invitation
• 21:51 - The Journey to Connection
• 22:43 - Letting Go and Contributing

Links

• Jim White vs Packway Handle Band on Yep Roc Records
• Jim White
• Jim White on Bandcamp
• You may also enjoy this conversation with Danny Barnes
• After you buy music or see a show, we appreciate your support with a few dollars in our Tip Jar
• Sloane Spencer now hosts a Gen X sleep podcast, Sleep with Rock Stars

Mentioned in this Episode

• Country Fried Rock
• Jim White
• Packway Handle Band
• Skipper Dee's
• Bright Eyes
• YEPROC
• Luakabop
• Anchor and the Butterfly
• Drivin n Cryin
• Steve Soto and the Twisted Hearts

Recommended If You Like

country fried rock, Jim White, Packway Handle Band, bluegrass music, mobile recording podcast, country music podcast, music collaboration, Southern music scene, indie music production, music interviews, recording studio techniques, music technology, acoustic music, Americana music, music production tips, creative collaboration, road trip podcast, artist interviews, music genre fusion, live music performance

Summary

Danny Barnes, the incredibly talented banjo player, just won the prestigious Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. It's a huge recognition that really highlights his impressive musical journey. In this conversation, we dive into the different sides of his artistry, everything from his experimental electronic folk music to his deep roots in traditional bluegrass. This year is extra special for him as he’s starting on some exciting new projects, like a pure banjo album and even a unique blend of banjo and tuba. We also talk about how this award, along with its financial support, is giving him the freedom to focus on long-awaited projects that are finally coming to life. So, come along as we explore the many layers of Barnes's music and how his creative vision is leaving a mark on today’s music scene.

Here's What We Wrote in 2015

Danny Barnes returns to Country Fried Rock to discuss his recent accolade, the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass. Barnes has two distinct audiences: those who know him for playing with bands ranging from Dave Matthews Band to the Butthole Surfers, and those who know him for his songwriting and wide-ranging banjo styles. The term “electronic folk” may have been coined just for him.

Barnes is fascinated by sound, and how incongruous sounds mesh or conflict. From the computer programs he designed to interpret his banjo or bazouki playing to his obsession with noise music and cassettes, Barnes is engrossed by the process as much as the product. This year, he released a special recording for Cassette Store Day on his cassette-label, Minner Bucket Records, and will release a more traditional bluegrass album later. Barnes’ take on “tradition” is anything but traditional, though, so it is guaranteed to be another fascinating investigation of technology and instrumentation.

***We also spoke with Barnes in 2010 and hope to find that hard drive.

Show Notes

• The latest episode features Danny Barnes, an influential banjo player known for his groundbreaking work in bluegrass and experimental music.
• Barnes recently won the prestigious Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, and in this conversation, he reflects on the impact of that recognition on his creative journey.
• He explains how the financial support from the award is giving him the opportunity to pursue new artistic goals, including a long-awaited banjo album that captures his musical evolution and celebrates the instrument's pure sound.
• We dive into his diverse musical influences, from traditional bluegrass to experimental electronic compositions, and discuss how his upcoming banjo album represents a return to his roots.
• This album is just one side of Barnes’s creativity. He’s also continuing to push the boundaries of electronic music, blending genres in unique ways and challenging conventional ideas of what music can be.
• Barnes’s label, Minner Bucket Records, plays a big role in his approach to music. He values artistic independence and community engagement, and shares stories about his hand-crafted cassette releases, highlighting the personal connection they create with his audience.
• As the conversation unfolds, Barnes explores how bluegrass and electronic music, though different, share a common thread rooted in cultural tradition while embracing modern technology.
• This episode is a celebration of how bluegrass remains a vital and evolving art form, with Danny Barnes at the forefront of shaping its future through his innovative work.

Links

• Minner Bucket Records
• dannybarnes.com
• Danny Barnes on Bandcamp
• You might also like our conversation with Mike Mantoli of Hollis Brown
• After you buy music or go to 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

Takeaways

• Danny Barnes has had an amazing year, winning the prestigious Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, which is a huge recognition of his talent in the genre.
• His music spans a wide range of styles, from experimental electronic folk to classic bluegrass, proving just how versatile he is as an artist.
• Thanks to the financial support from the prize, Barnes now has the time and resources to finish several long-term projects, including a much-anticipated banjo album he's been working on for a while.
• Barnes is all about embracing technology to fuel his creativity, stressing the importance of using new tools while staying true to his artistic vision.
• His work with Minner Bucket Records is a great example of this. Not only does he release his own music, but he also supports and promotes other artists he believes in.
• Throughout the conversation, Barnes shares his belief that music and art have the power to transform, and he encourages others to innovate and express themselves authentically in their creative journey.

Chapters

• 00:02 - Danny Barnes: A New Chapter in Bluegrass
• 04:40 - The Journey of Music and Creativity
• 08:16 - The Evolution of Music Production
• 16:20 - Exploring the Intersection of Music and Technology
• 24:00 - The Evolution of Music Production
• 25:21 - The Allure of Cassette Players

Recommended If You Like

Danny Barnes, banjo player, Steve Martin Prize, bluegrass music, experimental folk, electronic music, Country Fried Rock, noise music, banjo recordings, Minner Bucket Records, Barnyard Electronics, cassette tapes, DIY music, underground artist, acoustic music, creative process, music production, sound manipulation, contemporary art in music, music collaborations

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.160 - 00:00:39.860

Danny Barnes joins us again this week on Country Fried Rock. The upstart banjo player just won the Steve Martin prize for excellence in banjo and bluegrass.

While Barnes is often known for playing with other bands, his own work ranges from experimental electronic folk music. Yes, you heard that. Right. Through funky rock with a banjo all the way through. To noise music and a traditional bluegrass record on the way.

There's a whole lot going on this year with Danny Barnes on Country Fried Rock, and I'm your host, Sloan Spencer. My guest today on Country Fried Rock is Danny Barnes, a country fried rock alum from several years ago, following his record Pizza Box.

But, boy, has a lot happened since. Welcome.

Speaker B

00:00:40.100 - 00:00:41.780

Hey, Sloan. How are you guys doing?

Speaker A

00:00:41.780 - 00:00:46.340

Doing great. What an amazing, incredible year for you.

Speaker B

00:00:46.660 - 00:00:48.900

Yeah, I've been kind of busy, kind of wacky.

Speaker A

00:00:48.980 - 00:01:00.500

I first read about the Steve Martin Prize with the excellence in banjo and bluegrass, and I thought, what an amazing thing. And that was the first that I had heard about it.

Speaker B

00:01:01.380 - 00:02:04.200

Yeah, he's a pretty smart fella, and he's kind of figured out a way of. I don't know, it's pretty invigorating for artists, you know, to get a little bit of help and a little recognition.

If you kind of give someone that's a creative person a little bit of help, they tend to do interesting things with it and stuff. And he's a fan, a real fan of banjo. He just likes banjos and banjo music. And I don't know, he's pretty. Seems to be pretty obsessed with it and stuff.

And so him and I have a lot in common in that regard, I guess. But I think what he's doing is pretty smart, and it's really interesting that he would do that.

And the people that have won have been really different kinds of different. All different kinds of players. And then the folks he has on the board represent a lot of different kinds of players, too, like J.D. you know, J.D.

crow is one of the guys and all different people and stuff. It's real interesting. I don't know, I just think he's a.

He's a super smart man, and he's really figured out a way to give back in a pretty powerful way, you know, So I know my hat's off.

Speaker A

00:02:04.200 - 00:02:11.440

To him, you know, it's incredible. And the prize also comes with some significant financial support. What is that allowing you to do?

Speaker B

00:02:11.920 - 00:02:53.330

Well, a lot of things. One is, I've just got a lot of music that I've written that I haven't really been able to sort of commit to either tape or paper. Because I've been.

I have to work really hard, and I do, you know, 120 days a year, whatever, touring. So I'm out a lot and I have to work really hard. I put out a lot of recordings and I work really hard because I'm pretty far underground.

And so I have some projects that I sort of haven't really been able to finish because I've been working really hard on just trying to, you know, just keeping my business going and stuff. And so that kind of gives me a little breathing room on that. One of them is I've never really done like a straight up banjo record.

Speaker A

00:02:53.570 - 00:02:54.130

Yeah.

Speaker B

00:02:54.450 - 00:03:55.170

And I've been talking to some people about doing that.

And I'm excited about going to Nashville and getting some kind of straight up a team bluegrass player guys and just do just a straight up banjo record. You know, like, left to my own devices, I tend to blend like American music with like 20th century art or whatever.

You know, I compose music and noise music and things like that is what I'm interested in. And so I've never really made just a straight up banjo record. But I've been working on that stuff since 1971, which is 43 years or whatever.

So I've been working on it a long time, but I've never put any of that out. So I've been talking, been working on getting that done. And I have several different things I'm working on.

One is I have this suite of music that it's serial music or 12 tone music for banjo and tuba. It's like the most maligned instruments in the history of the world.

That has the most jokes about them, but some heavy music for those two instruments, which I thought would be kind of an interesting juxtaposition.

Speaker A

00:03:55.490 - 00:03:55.970

Cool.

Speaker B

00:03:56.130 - 00:04:36.160

And I've been working on that. I have a couple pieces done, but I need a little bit of time to finish it and record it and everything. And it's gonna help me do that this winter.

And I'm excited about that. And just things like that just. I don't really know. My response to everything is just make stuff.

So I don't know, it's like I don't really have a plan B. It's just. I just. Whatever happens, I just make something, I don't know, in response or whatever, as a.

As an answer to or to ask a question or whatever. I just tend to like make something so I don't really know what else to do. I'm like just a valve, you know, it just only does one thing or something.

Speaker A

00:04:37.200 - 00:04:51.980

Hey y', all, this is Sloane Spencer, the host of Country Fried Rock. We've had an incredible year with more 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

00:04:52.220 - 00:04:55.660

Hey, this is Danny Barnes and I'm on Country Fried Rock.

Speaker A

00:04:55.820 - 00:05:12.700

Well, I've followed you in social media for a long time and seen you play live many, many times. You do a lot of different things that I'm fascinated by. So you also have these cassettes that you hand do the covers for.

But then I think there's maybe more an official approach to some of these cassette releases.

Speaker B

00:05:12.700 - 00:08:22.500

Now sometimes I have them made, you know, depending on what I do. And I put out some cassettes on other artists too.

I have this little label that I run called Minner Bucket Records, which is M I N N E R Minner Bucket Records. And we have a bunch of stuff on our site that listeners can just stream for free and listen.

But I put out tapes on some other people that I like, friends of mine, and stuff that I think is interesting and needs to be heard. And I put out tapes of my own music. And sometimes if I gonna do like this one tape that I make called Barnyard Electronics, which is kinda like.

It's like the basic sort of palette of my, sort of my aesthetic, Barnyard Electronics on a cassette. And I have that going in perpetuity, that's not a fixed number.

But sometimes I'll do tapes where I just do like a hundred of them signed and numbered and they're sequentially numbered and everything and I'll hand draw the covers and all that. In that case, if I'm gonna make 100 of them or 200 of them, I'll. I'll have them duplicated. And if I.

For this particular run though, we were kind of up on it really close and I kind of had to crank them out. So I just made them at home. I just dubbed them at home. I just sat in front of two tape decks and just dubbed them off.

It took about three days to do it.

I made 50 copies and I just sat there and did them all by hand and just sat there and looked at those VU meters for about three 12 hour days or something. It took a long time, plus recording it and mixing it and mastering it. I mean that took like about a week probably. But I don't know.

I do these projects. I'm kind of like, I. I do like our first thing we did on did on Minter Bucket Records was a series of CDRs.

And there was a hundred of only 100 made, but every one had different music on it. And I'll have one name called the Pathos of Smack, which is a title I got from a Charles Dickens novel, Nicholas Nickleby.

But I did, I had 100 and they all had hand drawn covers. Like I'd take like a. Like a cereal box and cut it up and draw things on it and that would be like the COVID or whatever.

And I made a hundred of them and they were all different, you know, I sold them for $25 a piece and it took a lot of work, just a little bit of time. I had $2,500 free and clear. And it was like, whoa, man, this is pretty cool.

You know, because in music it's really hard to get actually get the money in the bank, you know, it's like you can spend so much time on your press releases and social media and manufacturing product and setting up tours, talking to people and legal stuff and setting up your publishing and doing. You can easily spend 50, 60 hours a week and never actually put a penny in the bank, you know. And that was like about the year 2000 or 1999 or so.

That's when it was like that was way before all this stuff was really happening. People doing self publishing back then, it wasn't really.

That wasn't what people were thinking about, you know, but it certainly turned on a little 40 watt appliance bulb in my head and sort of it interested me because it was something that I just did it directly to my fans and it was something that was super creative on an artistic level and it went straight to people that were really interested in music. And it was a lot of work though. If you can imagine a hundred different records, it was a lot of work, but it was fun.

Speaker A

00:08:23.140 - 00:08:44.780

You're constantly creating on so many different levels, I guess. I saw you play last live maybe a year ago and that was the first time that I had seen the app. I don't know if app isn't the right word.

You had made a program on your computer. We're making noise music. I don't even know the right terms to use, but it was the first time I had seen you perform in that kind of capacity.

Speaker B

00:08:45.420 - 00:09:58.980

Nice. I had to kind of figure out like programming and building programs because I couldn't find what I wanted. So I had to make it.

It was pretty good to do that because that launch opened up a whole new like world for me, was learning about programming and stuff and something. Something I Didn't really. I use computers a lot of my work, like in the office, respect or whatever and certain things.

But for recording, my training is actually in audio stuff. I use computers, obviously, a lot for that, but I never really created a platform for audio manipulation.

And it took about two years really, probably to get it where I kept tweaking it and having to play live with it and see, and then it would screw up and I'd go home and rebuild. Took a long time, you know, to test it where I could. And then, you know, I got where I could play.

Like, I did open up a show at Red Rocks for some friends of mine. There was. I don't know, there's probably 7,000 people there, but I could walk out there and do a set with my computer. And it was real solid.

And I got my stability up and got it really reliable and stuff like that. And I'm rebuilding. I'm constantly rebuilding it. And I'm starting on another version of it now. And I kind of been tweaking on that.

Speaker A

00:09:59.220 - 00:10:03.740

Is that something that you would like to collaborate with friends on, or is that more your way of seeing it?

Speaker B

00:10:03.740 - 00:13:22.580

It's kind of my thing, you know, Like, I like manipulating the banjo and making these kind of soundscape things. I feel like it's like something I have to offer artistically.

If you take commerce completely out of the picture and you're just talking about what does this guy do that's interesting or something.

Like, for me, making something that wasn't there before is kind of interesting, you know, I mean, I get known for songs and for playing the banjo and playing on people's records and things like that.

I think just my typical fan knows me more from that respect because I played on some record that they like, or maybe one of my songs or something was on a TV show they liked or they liked a song or something like that or whatever, or one of their friend or a band that they're into plays one of my songs or whatever and. But this is like something that I feel like is kind of like my own little tableau, so to speak, to create, you know, and things. And it's.

It's really invigorating and it's not really for everybody because it's kind of like a hybridization of various kinds of musics.

But I feel like, you know, I'm pretty driven about it and I really like it and it's really creative and it's kind of cool because, like, you can bend it and morph it sort of on the spot. Kind of like the way a DJ works, you know, you can kind of bend things in the moment.

And some people think of electronics as being real static kind...

Summary

This week in 2015, we're diving into a great conversation about the New York City-based band Hollis Brown. Front man and lead songwriter Mike Montali shares how independent record labels have been key to their journey, especially when it comes to getting them into industry events that led to some pretty major touring opportunities.

We also talk about how the band’s sound has evolved, with their upcoming album 3 Shots showing a real shift in style. It’s got a more polished production compared to their earlier stuff, and you can really hear the growth. Mike opens up about what it was like working in the studio with producer Don Diego, and all the behind-the-scenes effort that went into bringing this new project to life.

Throughout the chat, we touch on the power of music to transform, not just for listeners, but for the artists themselves, and how Hollis Brown stays true to their creative vision.

Show Notes

• We catch up with Hollis Brown, the NYC-based band known for blending garage rock roots with evolving, more refined sounds.
• Lead songwriter Mike Montali shares how the band's sound has grown, from the raw energy of their debut Ride on the Train to the polished production of their upcoming album 3 Shots.
• Mike talks about intentionally moving away from their earlier, grittier style to explore a more immersive and layered sound.
• A big part of that shift came from working with producer Don Diego, whose quiet studio in the Poconos offered the perfect space for deep creative focus.
• To get 3 Shots just right, the band sifted through more than 50 songs, narrowing it down to 10 tracks that best represented their current direction.
• That careful selection process reflects their dedication not only to songwriting, but also to creating a cohesive album experience.
• Mike also talks about how independent record labels have played a vital role in supporting the band, giving them both credibility and the chance to reach broader audiences through tours and industry connections.
• Speaking of tours, Hollis Brown has some big plans, including hitting the road with Counting Crows and Citizen Cope, an exciting step forward in their growing career.
• Mike reflects on the power of touring, the energy of live shows, and the bonds built with other artists along the way.
• The conversation wraps up with Mike sharing his excitement for connecting with fans and getting Three Shots out into the world.
• Overall, the episode is a deep dive into Hollis Brown’s artistic journey, highlighting their resilience, creative growth, and unwavering commitment to authentic music-making.

Here's What We Wrote Back in 2015

Hollis Brown rocked CMJ & SXSW so hard that they ended up on this summer’s tour with Counting Crows and Citizen Cope. The NYC band, fronted by songwriter, Mike Montali, tours extensively in the US and Europe, building audiences who yearn for their new albums, including their brand new one, 3 Shots, out 5/5/15 on Jullian Records.

Buy Hollis Brown’s music here.

Takeaways

• In this episode, Mike Montali, lead songwriter for Hollis Brown, opens up about the band’s creative journey and how their music has evolved over time.
• Their new album, 3 Shots, marks a big step forward in both sound and production, showing how far they’ve come since their early garage rock days.
• Mike talks about how independent record labels have been a huge part of their success, helping them get into the right rooms and onto bigger stages.
• The band recorded 3 Shots in a quiet, tucked-away studio in the Poconos, an ideal spot for staying focused and experimenting with their sound.
• One key part of their process? Road testing songs live before heading into the studio. It helped them narrow things down to the best of the best for the album.
• Hollis Brown is also feeling the love from their growing fanbase, and they’re excited about how that support continues to open new doors for them.

Links

• Hollis Brown
• Hollis Brown on Bandcamp
• You may also like this conversation with Lilly Hiatt
• After you buy music from these musicians 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

Mentioned in this Episode

• Hollis Brown
• Counting Crows
• Citizen Cope
• Julian Records
• Don Diego
• Adam Landry
• Jesse Mallon
• Black Keys
• Iggy Pop
• Kieran Kelly
• Converse
• Velvet Underground
• St. Paul and the Broken Bones
• Replacements
• Big Star
• Nikki Lane
• John Agnello
• Drivin n Cryin

Recommended If You Like

Hollis Brown, Country Fried Rock, independent record labels, Mike Montali, new album Three Shots, music evolution, touring with Counting Crows, music production process, indie band interviews, songwriting journey, vinyl records, music industry events, artist-friendly labels, Pledge Music, creative collaborations, Nashville music scene, live band recording, European music tours, Americana music festivals, record release strategies

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.160 - 00:00:24.080

This week on Country Fried Rock, we're talking with Hollis Brown, a band out of New York City.

Their lead songwriter, Mike Montale, shares with us how they've benefited from the support of independent record labels, as well as playing industry events that have led to large tours. It all starts with making great music, and that's the brand new album from Hollis Brown called Three Shots today on Country Fried Rock.

Speaker B

00:00:24.240 - 00:00:32.130

My guest today on Country Fried Rock is Mike Montale of Hollis Brown with a new record coming out May 5th called three shots. Welcome.

Speaker C

00:00:32.370 - 00:00:33.610

Hey, thanks for having me.

Speaker B

00:00:33.610 - 00:00:41.810

I followed your band for a while, and as I've listened to the different records, your sound has been evolving. What's happening for Hollis Brown?

Speaker C

00:00:42.050 - 00:01:32.350

Yeah, we're definitely evolving, that's for sure. I mean, I think every great band does evolve. You know, we don't want to make the same record over and over again. Definitely.

People noticing an evolution in the. In the records is kind of cool. I think means we're doing what we set out to do.

First record was Ride on the Train, which we put out 2013, and that was kind of more of a garage rock vibe, just like us in a home studio of our producer Adam Landry, in Nashville. And we just set up for, like, 10 days in his studio, like, in a circle pretty much, and just played everything live and, like, raw.

And we wanted to do that record that way because it was our first crack at it, and we wanted to record that way because that was the band we were.

But this one, we wanted to evolve a little bit and produce it a little more and really dive into the recording process more than we did on the first record. So it's definitely an evolution.

Speaker B

00:01:32.590 - 00:01:38.190

So you mentioned bringing in some different things to the productions with Three Shots. Tell me a little more about that.

Speaker C

00:01:38.270 - 00:02:25.920

Yeah, we recorded it with Don Diego, the producer, on this record, and we went to his studio as a house in the Poconos in Pennsylvania, and it's really, like, in the middle of nowhere. There's nothing around it at all. We went there, and we just pretty much sat and in his house for, like, two weeks.

We didn't leave, and we just focused on the music. We set it up in his living room as a live band, and we tracked a lot of the instrumentation there. But then we went back and we redid.

For the first record, all the vocals were live in the same room with the band.

This record, we tracked the vocals, and we did the vocals separately, and we did some guitars separately and a little more of a modern style of recording onto Pro Tools. And the whole nine than the original than Right on the Train was. So it was definitely a. We try to up the production quality on this one.

And I think you can hear that.

Speaker B

00:02:26.000 - 00:02:27.360

How did y' all connect with Don?

Speaker C

00:02:27.760 - 00:03:38.700

Don produced a friend of ours named Jesse Mallon, and we went on tour with Jesse in the uk And I asked Jesse, you know, we're trying to make a record. Well, what happened was we got asked to do something for Record Store Day last year, which was a Velvet Underground cover record.

So we did a bunch of Velvet Underground songs for Record Store Day, and it was like only 500 copies made available. It was just like a cool niche, just a fun project to do. And we had a tight recording schedule. We had to do it all in two days.

So I asked Jesse if he knew anybody, and he recommended Don.

So we did that record with Don, and then we felt with this record, we should go again with Don, since he did such a great job with the Hollis Brown Gets Loaded record. You know, we're friends, so we're all friends in New York City. And so it worked out.

Relationships, like, they take time to really feel comfortable, especially when recording and stuff.

You know, you got to really all have the same vision and, you know, because one thing could throw it off if a producer you're not feeling comfortable with, you're feeling forced, you're not feeling the soul or, you know, the performance or everything can go it off. But we just felt really comfortable with Don, and we were really comfortable as a band after being on the road for most of 2014.

So we just felt like it was the right time and right place, and we're all really proud of the record.

Speaker B

00:03:39.100 - 00:03:41.660

Do you all road test those songs before recording?

Speaker C

00:03:42.220 - 00:04:28.310

Yeah. You know, you take your whole life to write your first record, and then you have like two years to write the next record.

So we, Homie and John, we've been friends since high school, so we've known each other quite a while. And we've written so many songs together. And we just wrote about 50 songs or 60 songs.

And the thing about the first album, Ride on the Train, was we had all these songs. We went in and we recorded that. And then we had a year before the album even came out. And then it's been two years since then.

So we really had like three years to nail down a bunch of songs that he's written or I've written or we wrote together. And then we just took them all to the band, you know, at least 50 songs. And then we took it to Don and then we pared that down to about 20 songs.

And then from there we try to demo them and see what's going on. And then we recorded 12 of them, and then 10 made the record. It was a process, you know.

Speaker A

00:04:28.310 - 00:04:37.430

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

00:04:37.670 - 00:04:40.070

Thank you all so much.

Speaker A

00:04:40.310 - 00:04:43.110

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

Speaker C

00:04:43.190 - 00:04:59.650

Hey, this is Mike from Hollis Brown on Country Fried Rock. I think it's all time and place.

You know, we weren't too rushed to have this album done or any schedule, so we really took our time and made sure we all believed in the songs first and foremost, and we believed in the way we were going to record it and came out really good.

Speaker B

00:04:59.970 - 00:05:06.450

I know that y' all were on the road heavily during 2014. What is that looking like for you all with the new record coming out?

Speaker C

00:05:06.850 - 00:05:53.390

Oh, yeah, we're going to be on the road quite a bit, actually. The new record comes out May 5th. We'll be. We're actually going to be on tour with the Counting Crows this summer.

It'll be us, Citizen Cope and the Counting Crows. We're doing 40 cities in the United States, and then we're going to go to Europe after that and headline in Europe for a month.

So we'll be on the road for about four months, probably promoting the new record. Yeah, I love it over there. We went there last year as well. I think we did 31 shows in, like, 32 days in about nine countries.

So kind of a whirlwind experience. But, you know, it's. It's such a cool vibe out there, and everybody's supportive of rock music, and we just love seeing bands actually play.

You know, sometimes in the States you don't get that vibe Die Hard as you do out there. So it's not. It was nice.

Speaker B

00:05:53.550 - 00:05:55.230

Well, so how did that connection come about?

Speaker C

00:05:55.710 - 00:06:39.130

We put Right on the Train out with a live natural sound record, and I think it just started taking off, and I think the label has a natural following in Europe. So we had some pretty good press and some pretty good attention just from putting it out with them.

And then it started to take off in the Netherlands and a couple other countries. So we. We had some festivals and we got a booking agent out there, and we just did it the old fashioned way and started tour out there to build it.

But we went out there three times, so we went out there twice last Year once was with Jesse Madeline where we just did the UK for two weeks and then the other one was months tour, five week tour or something like that. So we just kind of built it, you know, we got some good press and started seeing that people were buying the record.

So we went after it and went out there and started playing.

Speaker B

00:06:39.450 - 00:06:42.490

What does an indie label like that bring to a band like yours?

Speaker C

00:06:43.130 - 00:07:14.410

Can only speak for us, but it brought us some validity. They're really taste makers.

Especially alive is in terms of that style of music, especially for a band coming out with their first album, you know, instead of doing it ourselves.

The fact that we had a record label that's been out for 20 years, that's put out the Black Keys and Iggy Pop and a bunch of other bands that people know, I think it just gave us some validity and it gave us some credibility and it gave people definitely in Europe, it was just a reason to say, oh, they must be worth a listen, you know, if these guys are putting it out. That really did help us this time around.

Speaker B

00:07:14.650 - 00:07:16.890

You all are doing some things a little bit differently.

Speaker C

00:07:16.970 - 00:09:05.170

Started doing the record with pledge music because, you know, we wanted to make the record that we wanted to make and that we felt was right and we wanted to keep the audience that we built, you know, involved in what we're doing. So we wanted people to say, hey, this is us right now working on this song in the studio. Check it out.

And pledge music is cool because it's like a crowdsourcing site, but you can really take part in the process of the record. So you see it from start to finish. You can watch it on the website, you know.

So we did that to fund the recording so we can make the record we wanted to and how we wanted to and have it sound how we wanted to.

And once we had the record in hand, it's coming out now on Julian Records, which is a label based out of New York City and they're kind of a very artist friendly label. So basically they let you make the record you want and the album cover and everything.

You basically present them with a finished product and then you work hand in hand on the best strategy to get it out with our management, start the cycle how you want it to. You can hire whoever you want for pr, for radio, for this, that or the other thing.

So it's really, it's not like you're just in some mass machine that's already established and they just throw you in there whether or not you fit. You know, it's really artist Friendly. And they pick who works with each artist very specifically based on the record you make.

For us, it worked out, and we're really happy with it.

And I think in an artist at our band, our size, the size we are now, you know, we couldn't have asked for a better, more ideal situation to launch the new record, because sometimes if you're on a major label, you know, you're a small fish in kind of a big pond, and they already have their wheels in motion, and they work with the same people all the time who might not get the record you made, you know, might be more chances for not the best bang for your buck, so to speak.

So I think with Julian, it really gave us an opportunity to first and foremost be creative and also try and get the music heard the way we wanted it to be heard, you know?

Speaker B

00:09:05.490 - 00:09:08.930

Well, so you mentioned album art. How did you all make those decisions?

Speaker C

00:09:09.970 - 00:09:51.070

Well, we called a guy named Jeffrey Crowe, who did our first record. He's a live records go to guy for album art and friends with him.

So we were looking for artists to make the record, and I called Jeff and I said, hey, Jeff, you know, we want to do something called Three Shots. Soon to be wife said, you know, it'd be a really cool album cover. Would be if you just have a bullet look like it went through the whole.

The whole album, you know, so, like, to be the front is bullet hole, and then on the back is like the exit hole, you know, so. Wow, that's kind of really cool.

So I told Jeff about that idea, and he kind of sent over four or five different looks and kind of just picked the one we wanted and then showed it to the label, and pretty easy.

Speaker B

00:09:51.550 - 00:09:54.910

And you've got some vinyl to really appreciate that art with.

Speaker C

00:09:55.490 - 00:10:07.650

Yeah, yeah. Well, that was the thing that struck me, because once she said it out, like, yeah, on a vinyl, you know, that would look so cool.

Just you see one side, and you turn the vinyl over, and it just looks like a bullet hole through a record. That would be really cool.

Speaker B

00:10:08.210 - 00:10:12.050

What did that creatively allow you all to do with liner notes, et cetera?

Speaker C

00:10:12.770 - 00:10:44.680

Well, you definitely put more into the vinyl, you know, this time I wanted the art to be a little more minimal, one cool image that...

Summary

In this episode, we sit down for a great conversation with the always-inspiring Aaron Lee Tasjan, known for his work with bands like Everest and the New York Dolls. The spotlight is on his latest album, In the Blazes, a project shaped by creativity, collaboration, and a spirit of spontaneity.

Aaron shares stories from the road, including recent shows in Texas and his time at Americana Fest in Nashville, giving us a feel for the vibrant, supportive community that fuels this genre. We dive into the making of In the Blazes, where he talks about the joy of working with talented friends and the magic that comes from capturing real, unfiltered moments in the studio.

Throughout the chat, Aaron offers thoughtful insights into his journey as a songwriter and reflects on the unpredictable (and often thrilling) nature of live performance—giving listeners a deeper look at the heart and soul behind his music.

Show Notes

• The conversation takes place in the heart of East Nashville, where Americana music is not just a genre but a living, evolving community.
• Aaron Lee Tasjan—known for his work with bands like Everest and the New York Dolls—talks about his recent projects and his upcoming album, In the Blazes.
• He shares his thoughts on Americana as a genre, describing it as a mix of diverse musical styles. While that variety is exciting, he acknowledges the challenges it brings in connecting with wider audiences.
• Aaron dives into the creative process behind In the Blazes, explaining how the album came from a real need to express something personal and honest.
• Recorded at New Monkey Studio in California, the sessions were shaped by collaboration, spontaneity, and a strong focus on capturing moments as they happened.
• He emphasizes the value of working with talented musicians and a great producer—key elements, he says, in giving the album its genuine, lived-in sound.
• The conversation also highlights Aaron’s approach to recording: keeping it live, keeping it real, and staying open to the unexpected.
• Beyond the album, we explore the strong sense of community in Nashville. Aaron recalls putting together a one-night band with local artists—a perfect example of the camaraderie among musicians in the area.
• We also touch on his journey from being a guitarist in other people’s bands to carving out his own voice as a songwriter and solo artist.

Here's What We Wrote Back in 2015

Aaron Lee Tasjan writes folk songs for an indie rock crowd, weaving storylines with humor and social commentary. His debut full-length album, In The Blazes, includes friends from his former band, Everest, at the helm, and the vibe of Elliott Smith’s studio, New Monkey. Tasjan is touring heavily in support of the album, opening for Ray Wylie Hubbard, and playing solo and band gigs across the country. NOTE: We previously featured ALT, following his debut EP.

Takeaways

• In this episode, we have a thoughtful and engaging conversation with Aaron Lee Tasjan about his journey as an artist.
• Aaron talks about how important community and collaboration have been throughout his career in music.
• We dive into the making of his latest album, In the Blazes, and how spontaneity played a big role in the recording process.
• The conversation also touches on the unpredictable nature of live shows and how those unexpected moments can shape a performance.
• Aaron offers great insight into his approach to songwriting, including the artists and techniques that have inspired him along the way.
• We take a closer look at Americana as a genre, and how its wide range of influences makes it such a rich and evolving musical space.

Chapters

• 00:00 - A Chat with Aaron Lee Tasjan
• 03:08 - The Process of Making an Album
• 05:01 - The Evolution of a Songwriter
• 07:14 - The Neighborhood Jam Session
• 13:44 - Live Performance Dynamics and Audience Interaction
• 17:00 - Music and Touring Plans

Links

• Aaron Lee Tasjan
• Aaron Lee Tasjan on Bandcamp
• You may also like our conversation with Kevn Kinney of Drivin n Cryin
• Sloane Spencer now hosts a Gen X sleep podcast, Sleep with Rock Stars
• After you buy music or see a show with these musicians, consider tossing a few bucks into our Tip Jar

Mentioned in this Episode

• Country Fried Rock
• Everest
• Drivin n Cryin
• Madison Square Gardeners
• New York Dolls
• Elliot Smith
• Delta Spirit
• Steelism
• Billy Joe Shaver
• George Satellites
• Lilly Hiatt
• Brian Wright
• Ray Wiley Hubbard
• Lightning 100
• Curtis

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Aaron Lee Tasjan, Americana music, Country Fried Rock podcast, Nashville music scene, folk music, songwriting techniques, live music performances, music collaboration, indie music, music production, guitar player interviews, music festivals, in the Blazes album, Texas music gigs, music video production, Americana fest, Elliot Smith influence, creative songwriting, live recording sessions, neighborhood music collaborations

Transcript

Sloane Spencer

00:00:00.560 - 00:00:33.160

This week, I got to hang out with Country Fried Rock alum Aaron Lee Tasgin.

You might know Aaron Lee Tasgin from his time playing with the band Everest as the guitar slinger for a time with Driving and Crying, his stint with the Madison Square Gardeners, or even on the road with the New York Dolls. We spent some time at his place in East Nashville just before his brand new album, in the Blazes, came out.

We'll chat with our bud, Aaron Lee Tasgin, the alumni tour of Country Fried Rock, and I'm your host, Sarah. Sloan Spencer. So, Aaron, what you been doing?

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:00:33.880 - 00:01:10.040

Well, I just came back from a bunch of gigs in Texas that was really fun. I haven't played in Texas too much, so it's been an exciting adventure playing down there. But, yeah, I just did that, and that was really cool.

And here in Nashville for the big Americana fest this week, it's cool to have, like, a community of people that care about the records, that great artists who maybe. I don't know. I feel like Americana is like one of those things that's combination of all this different stuff.

So that might make it sometimes maybe too eclectic for certain people or something like that.

Sloane Spencer

00:01:10.440 - 00:01:25.230

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.

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:01:25.230 - 00:01:28.030

Hey, this is Aaron Lee Taschen on Country Fried Rock.

Sloane Spencer

00:01:28.430 - 00:01:41.070

So at Country Fried Rock, we've been on board with what you're doing for a while, since your ep. Well, I guess since before that ep. Anyway. It's been a bit of a process to get in the Blazes recorded and released.

How did all that end up working out for you?

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:01:41.390 - 00:01:55.220

You know, it was really a process of necessity, I think, more than anything. I was doing this tour with my friends John Moreland and Caleb Cottle, and I think you actually sponsored the tour or some of the tour anyway.

Sloane Spencer

00:01:55.700 - 00:01:56.740

One Good Night's Sleep.

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:01:56.740 - 00:03:08.200

Yeah. Yeah, no, it was awesome. Thank you very much for that. But, yeah, I was, you know, and I wanted to have something new to give people on that.

So I just made this little another EP here in town really quick, just me and my guitar. Kind of like I do my gigs, and that was cool.

And I didn't even really try to do anything with it, but I just kind of put it up online, and some people actually ended up writing some stuff about it that was really nice. Kind of out of nowhere and that was kind of cool.

But, you know, I guess my point in saying all that dumb stuff I just said is that there wasn't really much ambition for it at all. And I knew I needed to make like an album because that's.

If you're gonna be a songwriting guy that makes records, at some point you have to do like a whole one.

So I kinda, you know, I kind of felt like, I don't know, some just weird self imposed thing to just want to prove to myself that I could put something together that lasted longer than like six songs or whatever. And so I did that. I just called, called up a bunch of my friends and said, let's, you know, make a record together.

Just a bunch of people that like I'd met throughout the years that had offered to help, like, you know, hey, if you ever want to make a.

Sloane Spencer

00:03:08.200 - 00:03:11.000

Record, where did you end up recording it?

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:03:11.240 - 00:03:13.320

We did it in California.

Sloane Spencer

00:03:13.560 - 00:03:15.960

Oh, okay. I don't know why, I thought you were in New York.

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:03:16.120 - 00:03:32.740

Yeah, no.

Well, we did Crooked River Burning in New York, but this one, we in California at this studio called New Monkey, which is a really cool little studio. That's where Elliot Smith came from, a base. He like basically put the studio together and they've gone a long way to kind of keep it.

Sloane Spencer

00:03:32.900 - 00:03:35.460

So, yeah, I mean, they kind of kept Elliot Smith's vision alive.

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:03:35.700 - 00:04:23.500

Yeah, it's so. It's cool. I don't know, it's fun to be in there and it's just a great room with a great vibe. And, you know, that's the other thing too.

I think I learned a lot.

This guy Eli, who we hired to produce it, he really taught me a huge lesson about recording, which is like, I think the two most important things are a good engineer and the other people that are playing on it. It's like if it's the right group of people, you can just really fly, fly through getting great stuff. And.

And we did a lot of that live thing, you know, we did a lot of the live thing where it's like there wasn't a whole lot of overdubs or anything like that. And yeah, it was just fun to. It was just fun to make a record that way.

That's kind of like very much like in the moment, like shooting from the hip kind of vibe, you know.

Sloane Spencer

00:04:24.060 - 00:04:25.980

How did you connect with Eli originally?

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:04:26.140 - 00:04:28.060

We were in this band together called Everest.

Sloane Spencer

00:04:28.300 - 00:04:29.820

Oh, okay. That Eli.

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:04:29.980 - 00:04:40.540

Yeah, he was the bass player in Everest and then he also produced the first two Delta Spirit records, which are still, I think, my Favorite Delta Spirit records. They're so good.

Sloane Spencer

00:04:41.340 - 00:05:01.119

Well, so for folks that I mention you to, I think most of them recognize you as a guitar player for other people's bands. And I don't think it was till the EP with Crooked River Burning that they were like, oh, he writes songs, too.

And then the work that you do tends to be a little more, I guess, coming from a folkie or a folk songwriter base. And I've had a lot of folks.

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:05:01.119 - 00:06:01.370

Be like, oh, yeah, that's true. I think there's definitely some truth to that, you know, And I'm.

I'm kind of, you know, thinking about it much more in terms of, you know, the songwriting things these days, just because that's, like, what I'm just choosing to put my time and efforts into, you know, or what I feel like. I don't know. I feel like that's what I wanted. Like, doing that makes me feel happy and. And I have a lot of fun doing it, so. But, you know, I can't.

I certainly can't deny, like.

And there's good reason for people to know me as that, because that's pretty much all I've done, really, for the last, like, 10 years of my life, you know, was. I'd always did this in between, but it was very much that, you know, in between playing guitar in bands. But I still. I still.

Every once in a while, I get to get up in town, someone will call. Joe Fletcher called me up a couple weeks ago and asked if I wanted to jam with him. And Brian Wright did, too, which was really not fun.

Man, those guys are so good.

Sloane Spencer

00:06:02.730 - 00:06:19.910

Oh, man, Brian Wright is the best. We featured him a couple records ago, and then it got picked up. And, you know, he was Texas, then he was Los Angeles, then he moved to Nashville.

Anyway, that dude is amazing. I totally love him. I cannot wait to see him play live again. We need to get him back on the show, too.

Brian, when you get back off tour, we need to talk. We've been chasing Joe Fletcher for a while, too.

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:06:21.350 - 00:06:32.070

Yeah, he's so good. He's so good, man. He's got. Joe has a song on his new one about this dream he had about Hank Williams. It's just amazing.

Sloane Spencer

00:06:32.310 - 00:06:53.610

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] hello, my.

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:06:53.610 - 00:07:06.610

Name is Aaron Lee Tasjan. You can catch me on tour for all of the time and you can find out where that's [email protected].

Sloane Spencer

00:07:07.010 - 00:07:13.730

I'Ll admit I'm super excited about your set at our party tonight with Erin Lee Tasjan and friends. Who did you give a buzz to?

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:07:14.080 - 00:07:20.400

Yeah, just, you know, a bunch of people from the neighborhood. We're just a band of neighborhood folks.

Sloane Spencer

00:07:20.720 - 00:07:22.240

In a really cool neighborhood.

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:07:22.400 - 00:08:17.260

Yeah, in a really cool neighborhood. That's kind of what it feels like to me. You know, it's not. I don't want to get all high school football about it.

You know, we're not, like, representing our community or anything, but, like.

But it is fun to, like, be like, man, all these people just live right around here, and you can call them up and start a band for, like, one night, and that's what we're doing.

So we got John Radford who's, you know, played with everybody in town, but probably most recently people would know him from his band Steelism that he plays in. So he's playing drums with us, the great Keith Christopher from Billy Joe Schaefer and Steve Marriott and the George Satellites on bass.

And then we have Lily Hyatt singing. Love Lily Hyatt. She's so her.

Her album that she put out earlier this year is one that I've listened to a bunch, and we're actually doing one of off of that tonight. A song of hers called Jesus would have let me pick the restaurant, which is.

Sloane Spencer

00:08:17.260 - 00:08:19.100

That's the best lyric ever.

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:08:19.100 - 00:08:49.379

Isn't that so good? That one made me green with envy. I was like, man, that's good. You Lily Hyatt. But yeah, so we got Lily Hyatt singing.

We've got Brian Wright is singing. We're gonna do.

Since the whole night is basically kind of a fundraiser for Eddie's piece spaghetti, we're gonna do a super sucker song that Brian's gonna sing and he. Oh, man, he sounds so good. And then Alan Thompson's coming by and he's gonna sing some Grateful Dead with us.

Sloane Spencer

00:08:49.859 - 00:08:50.659

That's fitting.

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:08:50.739 - 00:09:49.980

Yeah, totally. Yeah. So we're excited about that. And then we've got our special end of the end of the whole thing. Closer outers.

Our good friend Kevin Kinney's gonna come sing the last one with us. So it should be a lot of fun.

So it's kind of like a little Rolling Thunder review, you know, I Mean, it's nowhere near that good, but just people in the neighborhood, it's really fun to see.

You know, I always loved, like, looking back through like, magazines, music magazines when I was a kid, you know, and it would just show, like these one time things that happen where all these people, like, just happened to be on stage together at some cool moment. And I don't know, I just feel like that kind of stuff is fun and like, totally forces me to consider different things creatively.

You're working very closely with a bunch of other people who thing you really like respect and. Yeah, it's a great thing for a lot of reasons. For me, you know, I enjoy it on several levels.

Sloane Spencer

00:09:50.460 - 00:09:52.700

So what's happening with the release of in the Blazes?

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:09:53.100 - 00:10:30.850

Well, there's a bunch of. Basically, there's a bunch of gigs. So there'll be a lot of that going on.

I'll be in Washington state and then I gotta come run back to Nashville because I'm doing something for the very fine people over at Lightning 100. And then it's just like a bunch of gigs. I've got some stuff opening for Ray Wiley Hubbard and then some.

Some stuff that I'm doing kind of on my own and then some gigs. What are you doing? Is a very intimidating question for me. And I've always. I've always tried to shy away from having to answer it.

Sloane Spencer

00:10:30.850 - 00:10:33.290

I feel like, what's your aversion technique?

Aaron Lee Tasjan

00:10:35.870 - 00:11:50.300

I don't know. I gotta mix it up. Because a lot I get asked that question more than probably some other people do. So I try to keep it fresh.

So my answer always seems genuine. But change the subject is always a good one, especially if it's something really interesting.

Yeah, I saw an episode of Seinfeld where I learned that when I was a kid. In the episode, Jerry was gonna get this girl's number off a charity list. And he was wrestling with the morality of that.

And I think he ultimately decided to do it at

Summary

In this episode, we celebrate a big moment for Drivin n Cryin as they're inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, a well-deserved honor that recognizes their lasting impact on the music world. We're thrilled to welcome back Kevn Kinney, the band’s front man, who shares stories from their 30-year journey, touching on the creative partnerships and experiences that have shaped their sound. Kevn talks about the excitement around their upcoming performance at the Hall of Fame ceremony, as well as what the band has been up to lately. We also dig into their songwriting process and how their music has evolved over the years. Whether you’ve been a fan for decades or are just discovering them, this conversation offers a heartfelt look at the spirit and passion behind Drivin n Cryin's music.

Show Notes

In this special episode, we celebrate a major milestone for Drivin n Cryin, marking 30 years as a band and being inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Highlights of the episode include:

• A heartfelt conversation with Kevn Kinney, frontman of Drivin n Cryin, reflecting on the band’s journey and what these recent honors mean to them
• Insights into the band’s evolution, staying true to their sound while navigating an ever-changing music landscape
• The deep and lasting connection they've built with fans over the years
• A look at how the band’s resilience and authenticity have kept their music meaningful and relevant

The discussion also dives into:

• The creative collaborations that have helped shape their sound, including work with respected producers and fellow musicians
• The musical chemistry within the band and how it fuels experimentation without losing touch with their roots
• The shared camaraderie and mutual respect among the band members and collaborators
• Excitement about future performances and new music on the horizon

This episode offers both a tribute to Drivin n Cryin’s past and an invitation to be part of their future. Whether you've been with them since the beginning or just discovering their music, it's a conversation full of inspiration, reflection, and anticipation.

Here's What We Wrote Back in 2015

Kevn Kinney of Drivin N Cryin has been a thread throughout my life in music, from teenage punk wannabe sneaking into clubs for shows (thanks, Randy!), to not getting hired at the first radio station I interviewed for because the program director told me he hated DNC and I defended them anyway (look who turned out to be right, Chris), to one of the very first radio shows on Country Fried Rock, before we had a podcast and were still streaming on Live 365, to now — me filling my dream of talking to the best songwriters about music I love and so many of y’all loving what we share. Kevn Kinney changed my life and now his band will be inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

Fangirl.

Kevn Kinney is not stuck in the 1980s, though, and that is what makes his solo work interesting and also what keeps DNC vibrant. They are not a nostalgia band at all; in fact, their series of EP’s over the last couple of years, produced by Sadler Vaden (then, playing in DNC, now playing with Jason Isbell, but also a solid songwriter in his own right and his former band, Leslie), brought DNC to fresh territory and new audiences. I first learned about #CFRalum, Aaron Lee Tasjan, via Kevn, and Tasjan later played with the band for a while. (ALT also has a new album, In The Blazes.) Currently, Warner Hodges (solo, Jason & The Scorchers, Dan Baird) is bringing his guitar to the stage with the band.

Collaborations are Kinney’s behind-the-scenes hallmark, regularly writing with his pal, Todd Snider, and upcoming recordings with Chuck Mead (BR-549). Just as Peter Buck gave Kinney new platforms to share his writing with MacDougal Blues, Kinney does the same for folks like Findlay Brown, The Everyothers, and Angie Aparo (who sings like an angel, y’all). Kinney has at least four other records coming out in the next twelve months, keeping fans and new listeners on their toes. Catch a show, solo, band, or the special “And Friends” sets — you will be in for a treat.

Buy Drivin N Cryin or Kevn Kinney‘s music.

Takeaways

• This is a special moment, our first time welcoming back a songwriter to Country Fried Rock!
• We catch up with Kevn Kinney, celebrating 30 years of Drivin n Cryin, a band that’s left a lasting mark on the music world.
• We talk about the band’s recent induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and what that milestone means to them.
• Kevn shares how the band’s sound has evolved over the years, including how collaborations with other musicians have brought fresh energy to their music.
• We highlight the power of community support, with a look at upcoming benefit shows helping fellow musicians in need.

Chapters

00:06 Celebrating Milestones in Music

04:24 Exciting Developments in Country Fried Rock

07:39 Celebrating Milestones in Music

12:14 Emerging Artists and Special Events

16:56 The Art of Live Performance

Links

• Drivin n Cryin
• Kevn Kinney
• Drivin n Cryin on Bandcamp
• Kevn Kinney on Bandcamp
• Check out the indie music documentary, Taking the City By Storm: the Birth of the Milwaukee Punk Scene
• You might like this conversation with Aaron Lee Tasjan
• Sloane Spencer now hosts a Gen X sleep podcast, Sleep with Rock Stars
• After you buy music or see a show, consider tossing your loose change into our Tip Jar

Mentioned in this Episode

• Drivin n Cryin
• Georgia Music Hall of Fame
• Aaron Lee Tasjan
• Golden Palominos
• Cafe Bustelo
• Goodwill
• Reverb Nation
• Plowboy Records
• Sin City Social
• Guitar Town
• The Basement East
• Bottle Rockets
• Eddie Spaghetti
• Allen Thompson
• Chuck Prophet
• Tim Nielsen
• Sadler Vaden
• Warner Hodges
• Jason and the Scorchers
• Owen McCarthy
• Every Others
• Finley Brown
• Ray Wiley Hubbard
• Nancy Griffith
• Jason Isbell
• Todd Snider

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Country Fried Rock, Drivin n Cryin, Kevn Kinney, Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Americana music, songwriter interview, indie music podcast, Scarred but Smarter album, music collaboration, Aaron Lee Tasjan, 30th anniversary celebration, Southern rock, music history, live music events, EP releases, Nashville music scene, benefit concerts, music discovery, emerging artists, podcast for music lovers

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.160 - 00:00:13.760

Jumping into a special week with Country Fried Rock. It's the first time we've ever revisited a songwriter. It's all for a special cause. Driving and Cryin's induction into the Georgia Music hall of Fame.

Kevn kinney, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the band.

Speaker B

00:00:13.920 - 00:00:14.280

Wow.

Speaker A

00:00:14.280 - 00:00:43.620

Which makes me skip in high school for the release of that first record, Scarred but Smarter. Making me pretty old. Sure beats the alternative.

We talked with Kevin Kenny a while back after his collaboration with Anton Fear and Golden Palominos on a good country mile, which is when he first turned us on to Aaron Lee Taschen. Well, got all kinds of mutual friends at this point. And we're going to talk about them in this special conversation.

Kevin Kinney of Driving and Crying returns to Country Fried Rock. And I'm your host, Sloan Spencer.

Speaker B

00:00:43.620 - 00:00:48.780

Hey, Sloan. Kevin Kinney in Brooklyn. I have to sit outside to talk on the phone because it's like Green Acres out here.

Speaker C

00:00:49.660 - 00:00:52.060

There's no background noise. That's amazing.

Speaker B

00:00:52.220 - 00:00:53.820

Well, I have a little garden.

Speaker C

00:00:53.820 - 00:00:54.620

Oh, cool.

Speaker B

00:00:54.940 - 00:00:59.060

Marm really is a rock. I've got my Caffeine Busello Keurig cup ready to.

Speaker C

00:00:59.060 - 00:00:59.900

Ooh, I'm jealous.

Speaker B

00:00:59.900 - 00:01:02.940

Oh, my God. Did you have a Keurig kit? I bought one at Goodwill.

Speaker C

00:01:03.270 - 00:01:06.390

I was kind of freaked out by the water. Living inside the machine.

Speaker B

00:01:07.110 - 00:01:09.750

Oh, this is like a single cup. So you pour it in every time.

Speaker A

00:01:09.750 - 00:01:11.030

Oh, now I could do that.

Speaker B

00:01:11.350 - 00:01:13.270

Yeah, it was at Goodwill.

Speaker C

00:01:13.590 - 00:01:17.750

Even better. Even better. Cafe Bustello.

Speaker A

00:01:17.750 - 00:01:18.470

Can't go wrong there.

Speaker B

00:01:19.750 - 00:01:25.430

I'm a fan of Cafe Bustelo. Cure cups now. It's really exciting.

Speaker C

00:01:25.590 - 00:01:26.190

That is exciting.

Speaker B

00:01:26.190 - 00:01:27.750

It's the small things that excite me.

Speaker C

00:01:27.750 - 00:01:30.550

Listen, caffeine makes me happy every day, so. Yeah, I'll take it.

Speaker B

00:01:30.550 - 00:01:30.950

Yeah.

Speaker C

00:01:31.510 - 00:01:33.950

My guest today on Country Fried Rock is Kevn Kinney.

Speaker A

00:01:33.950 - 00:01:34.550

Welcome back.

Speaker B

00:01:35.110 - 00:01:36.350

How are you doing, Sloan?

Speaker C

00:01:36.350 - 00:01:40.830

I'm great. I sure appreciate your time. I'm a fan girl. I admit it. Everybody knows that.

Speaker B

00:01:40.830 - 00:02:40.370

Well, thank you. I'm pretty excited for us lately too. We've had a really good last four years.

I mean, once we hooked up with Saddler Vaden, we just started making music. And you know, Sadler co wrote and co produced all of our eps that we had out and really rejuvenated the band.

And then when he went off to play with Jason, you know, we had a great thing with Aaron Tashin on guitar for a while. Was out there in America selling himself. He's awesome folk singer. And now we have Warner Hodges from Jason Scorches. So it's like full circle.

Just great energy. And we're having a lot of fun doing it. We are excited every time we get a gig booked, you know, we're like, oh, wow, that'll be fun.

But we're excited. And then, you know, little the cream of the crop. You know, the Georgia Music hall of Fame thing is exciting for us.

You know, it validates us, you know, validates our fans, that we have a lot of fans that are, like, cheering for the underdog. You know, people that like us, like John Daly, they like.

Speaker C

00:02:42.770 - 00:02:50.570

You know, you also give a platform to folks like Sadler or Aaron or even Warner, who should be a household.

Speaker B

00:02:50.570 - 00:03:23.900

Name, but is not quite yet arrangements of our songs. I mean, this is a little craft talk here.

The arrangements of our songs are simple enough so that the people who do come to play with us can really shine. There's some songs that are, like, constructed that there's not a lot of place to jam in, like Hot Wheels or REM or some of those songs like that.

There's not really any room to jam.

But some of the songs, Waiting On Tomorrow and some of the newer stuff, there's enough Runway in there for them to really, depending on who I have, can really take off, you know. And Warner's been using every inch of that Runway. Man, he's amazing.

Speaker C

00:03:24.500 - 00:03:30.900

Been keeping an eye on him for years of various Dan Baird projects and the Jason projects and his own work, of course.

Speaker B

00:03:31.380 - 00:04:07.780

He's just one of these guys, too, that just gets better every year.

And people say that, but, you know, the cruel part of this career that you have is the older you get, the better you get, because you can't help it, because you just keep practicing and you learn and you learn and you learn. But, you know, it's a young man's. It's a young man's game for publicity and things like that. So it's like drama crime.

Was this good as it is now back in 1987, 88, when we made Whisper, if we were this good, we would have. We would have been almost as big as Cinderella.

Speaker C

00:04:13.860 - 00:04:14.300

Hey, y'.

Speaker A

00:04:14.300 - 00:04:14.380

All.

Speaker C

00:04:14.380 - 00:04:15.740

Country fried rock has a few cool.

Speaker A

00:04:15.740 - 00:05:27.180

New things going on that we've been teasing for a while.

Pop on by countryfriderock.com, scroll down on the right hand side of the screen or just keep on scrolling if you're on Mob, that's 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, so 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. So I think I've teased it long enough.

That super special fun thing we're going to be doing during Americana Week in Nashville is an official kickoff party with Sin Social and Guitar Town at the Basement east on Tuesday, September 15. Our headliners are the Bottle Rockets. We're doing a fundraiser for Eddie Spaghetti. Badge holders and wristband holders get in free.

Five dollar donation at the door goes directly to help Eddie Spaghetti in kicking Cancer's tail. We'll see y' all there. 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.

Speaker B

00:05:28.040 - 00:05:32.200

Hey, this is Kevn Kinney from Drivin n Cryin and you're listening to Country Fried Rock.

Speaker C

00:05:32.280 - 00:05:49.720

You mentioned a little bit about the songs off of those eps. When we last talked, it was right after Great American Bubble Factory. And so these eps had not quite rolled around yet.

From a fan perspective, I thought keeping the concept tight and short with those eps was cool. But then I liked how they made a series and then now there's this vinyl on Plowboy.

Speaker B

00:05:50.200 - 00:07:03.330

Well, you know, be aware of your surroundings. That's what I always tell my kids. Like, look and see where you are. What are you doing?

When I look around me, I see people downloading songs and making their own playlists. So I was like, well, I'm going to stop making them their playlist. I'm going to make them the A and R person.

I'm going to give them the 20 songs, 25 songs that I would have given to, like, Kim Bowie, our A and R person. I would have given her 25 songs and then she would have picked nine. That would have been on Whisper Tim's lion or 10. You do that.

You know, what 10 would you pick to make on Earth? The ones I picked, I made onto an album that's.

I wanted to do an album and it's only available on the album because it's, it's my, you know, what would my record be if I made it from all these eps? And that's what I did.

But that's why I encourage everyone to go home and make their own if you own all four eps, make your own ep, you know, and see what you would have done and, you know, give it a title. Do a cover. Send it. Send it in. You know, we'll do a contest or something. Best album, and you come up with your. You can design an album cover.

I designed two of those covers on my phone on this thing called Fonto Cool. And another app called Psychotropic or something like that. I did, Yeah. I did two of those album covers on my phone.

Speaker C

00:07:03.330 - 00:07:03.970

That's good.

Speaker B

00:07:03.970 - 00:07:04.930

Laying in bed.

Speaker C

00:07:05.890 - 00:07:07.530

That album cover reminds me of, like.

Speaker A

00:07:07.530 - 00:07:10.210

Waiting for the K Tel compilations to arrive.

Speaker B

00:07:10.689 - 00:07:29.200

Yeah, yeah. The album. I sent those albums. I didn't. That one I did not do. I did do all the pre work on the. In bed, though.

I sent the art director, like, a dozen different K Tel records. I said, I want it to look like the K Tel record. He's like, oh, I have this amazing graphic designer. So he's like, got it. Love it.

Speaker C

00:07:29.440 - 00:07:39.319

I knew about the 30th anniversary of the band, which is making me feel old, but in a good way. And then right after, I guess, I found out about the Georgia Music hall of Fame. Y' all got a ton going on.

Speaker A

00:07:39.319 - 00:07:40.480

How did all of this roll around?

Speaker B

00:07:41.120 - 00:07:52.320

Do people love the anniversaries? I'm not a big anniversary guy because everyone's been around 30 years. It used to be a much bigger deal.

Like, remember when Sergeant Pepper was, like, 25 years old?

Speaker C

00:07:52.320 - 00:07:53.120

Holy cow. Yeah.

Speaker B

00:07:53.740 - 00:08:08.060

Oh, Pepper's 25 now. It's like, who isn't around 30 years? You know what I mean? It's something to celebrate.

But when you do celebrate 33 and a third, that would be an anniversary at, like, 33 and a third. Well, I appreciate it. Which one? Scarlet. Smarter.

Speaker C

00:08:08.060 - 00:08:08.700

Scarborough.

Speaker B

00:08:08.780 - 00:08:10.300

You know, garbage smarter. Be the better one.

Speaker C

00:08:10.300 - 00:08:10.700

Yeah.

Speaker B

00:08:10.780 - 00:08:17.380

And then Whisper came out, and you...

NOTE: Justin Townes Earle died from an accidental drug overdose on 8/20/2020. If you are struggling with addiction, no matter how many times you have tried to quit, you are worth a million more fresh starts. Reach out to MusiCares, the Sims Foundation, Nuci's Space, Backline, HAAM, Porter's Call, or your local substance abuse support centers. We grieve for Justin's loved ones these many years later.

This podcast was taken from a live radio interview with fellow radio host, Mike Allen.

Summary

In this episode, Justin Townes Earle opens up about the personal and creative journeys behind his companion albums, Single Mothers and Absent Fathers. A Nashville native, Earle talks about how his move from Bloodshot Records to Vagrant brought both challenges and growth, offering a fresh perspective on his evolving career. We explore the contrast between his Southern roots and his time in New York City, and how those places have shaped his sound and identity as an artist. Throughout the conversation, Earle shares his approach to songwriting, blending personal stories with universal themes, and emphasizes how important honesty and emotional depth are to his music. It’s a candid, thoughtful look at the way life, place, and experience come together in his work.

Episode Highlights

• In this episode, we sit down with acclaimed musician Justin Townes Earle for a thoughtful conversation about his companion albums, Single Mothers and Absent Fathers.
• Earle shares the life experiences that have shaped his music, from growing up in Nashville to spending time in New York City, and how those places influenced his perspective.
• We talk about the emotional and cultural themes woven into his songs, especially how they reflect the complexities of Southern identity and personal history.
• Earle offers insight into his songwriting process, stressing the importance of honesty and emotional depth in creating music that truly connects with listeners.
• He also reflects on how his sound has evolved over the years, balancing tradition with growth and change.
• This conversation goes beyond the music, touching on the deeper stories and cultural commentary that make his work so compelling.

Here's What We Wrote Back in 2015

Justin Townes Earle ended up moving to Vagrant Records and surprised his fans with not one, but two, new albums within a year. The companion pieces, Single Mothers and Absent Fathers, are not concept records, but complimentary, as he describes, “like the two parts of Springsteen’s The River.” Our conversation w/ Earle was conducted live in the studio of a radio station in Columbia, SC, that my friend, Mike Allen, was kind enough to include me, knowing that I am a fan. The format differs from our typical conversations, but we have the pleasure of better quality audio because of the studio. Enjoy!

Takeaways

• In this episode, we talk with Justin Townes Earle about the personal and creative threads connecting his albums Single Mothers and Absent Fathers.
• Justin shares how his life experiences have shaped his songwriting and how he continues to grow and learn as an artist.
• We explore the rich cultural landscape of the American South and how its musical traditions have influenced his sound and storytelling.
• The conversation also touches on the differences between Nashville and New York, and how each place has left its mark on his creative process and musical direction.

Links

• Justin Townes Earle
• Justin Townes Earle on Bandcamp
• You may also like our podcast with Steve Earle
• Sloane Spencer now hosts a Gen X sleep podcast, Sleep with Rock Stars
• After you buy music or see a show with these musicians, feel free to toss a few in our Tip Jar

Mentioned in this Episode

• Vagrant
• Bloodshot Records
• Communion Records
• Centromatic

Recommended If You Like

Country Fried Rock, Justin Townes Earle, Vagrant Records, Single Mothers album, Absent Fathers album, Nashville music scene, Southern Americana music, live interviews podcast, songwriting process, musical contrasts, indie music, country music influences, music evolution, record label challenges, autobiographical songwriting, performance dynamics, Southern culture, music competitions, audience engagement, music industry insights

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.240 - 00:00:47.080

Welcome to Country Fried Rock. This week we're talking with Justin Towns Earl. Over the last year or so, he's released a couple of new records from his current label, Vagrant.

First Single Mothers and then Absent Fathers. Not exactly a double album. More like companion albums.

Speaking of companions, this is the first time we've done a live in studio interview for Country Fried Rock. I was hanging out in Columbia, South Carolina at a radio station with my friend Mike Allen.

And Mike knew that I'm a fan of Justin's, so he invited me into the station and let me sit in on part of this interview. I held onto this for a while because of the different format, but it's a great conversation so we're going to go ahead and share it.

A slightly different format for Country Fried Rock with Justin Towns Earl.

Speaker B

00:00:47.560 - 00:00:53.320

I'm Justin Towns Earl and I'm from Nashville, Tennessee. Actually. Born and raised there. Rare thing.

Speaker C

00:00:53.760 - 00:00:56.520

Okay. And our friend Sloan, tell her about who you are.

Speaker D

00:00:56.520 - 00:01:03.040

Oh, hey, I'm Sloan Spencer. I host Country Fried Rock. I'm originally from Atlanta, but I currently live in Back Swamp, South Carolina.

Speaker B

00:01:03.200 - 00:01:03.680

Yeah.

Speaker C

00:01:03.680 - 00:01:11.920

And welcome to the big city. You mentioned Nashville. I was reading a little bit background for this. You're living in New York now?

Speaker B

00:01:12.160 - 00:01:41.550

Well, I had been living in New York. Some family things. I had to do some things for my mother.

So it made good sense at the time to go where it's a little cheaper so I could, you know, do those things. And I definitely miss New York in a. In a big way. But I have a feeling that if I hadn't left, I.

Well, I wouldn't have met my wife probably, which would have been. I'd still be continuing on my lethargic, very disappointed in life way.

Speaker C

00:01:42.830 - 00:01:54.250

It's a hard way to look at it, I guess. Different places bring out, I think, different sounds for artists. What did. Is there a difference between Nashville and New York for you, sonically?

Does it do anything to the writing?

Speaker B

00:01:54.490 - 00:02:34.280

It does. I think I had a. New York was so inspiring.

There was just songs came in a bit more of a flood there because you were just surrounded by all these intense things. You just have people that are the best at what they do and it's constant competition. You can be gone tomorrow.

And even working in a clothing store in New York, you know, so there was very much. The people that you're around aren't. You're not going to say like how you doing to somebody?

And they're going to be like, well, I don't have a job and I'm sitting Around the apartment and I'm doing this. Everybody's like, well, I got this going on and I'm doing this. Or I'm trying to do this. And it's a very interesting place to live for that reason.

Speaker C

00:02:35.000 - 00:02:35.640

Slow.

Speaker D

00:02:35.880 - 00:02:48.520

Well, it's interesting. You just actually did something that was. One of my questions was you're animated and up tempo when talking about some pretty serious content.

And I see that or hear that at least in a lot of your songs as well. How do you express that contrast?

Speaker B

00:02:49.250 - 00:03:47.490

A lot of my fans do find they think that my songs are very autobiographical and things like that, which they're not so much.

I definitely know what I'm talking about because I think that's the first rule to songwriting is know at least have your interpretation of the feelings the. That you're going for. But, you know, I think that I don't know the. I think if I'm confused every time I make a record and I always.

I don't think I want to get to the day where I don't question whether my record is good. And, you know, every night on stage, I typically. I turn to Paul, my guitar player, and be like, is everything like rhythm okay?

And all this because I don't think that it is a very good thing to be, I'm sure myself as far as a performer and I mean as a writer, but I just don't think that it's. To be an artist, you can't know everything. You gotta still have stuff to learn, I think.

Speaker A

00:03:47.890 - 00:04:06.650

Hey, y', all, this is Sloane 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. Here's more from my live in studio conversation with Justin Towns.

Speaker C

00:04:06.650 - 00:04:15.630

Earl, I've seen a couple of pieces where you've described your music. Instead of putting it in another sort of label, you would describe it as Southern America. What is Southern American?

Speaker B

00:04:16.510 - 00:05:22.580

Well, basically, with the exception of some forms of music today. Well, and still kind of every bit of American music, popular music, with the exception of hip hop and things like that, came the ideas.

The starting point of it was all in the Southeast, where you have mountain music coming from.

The Scotch Irish that settled in this region and up in North Carolina, bluegrass from Flatland, Kentucky and the West Nashville with country Memphis, you know, you have jazz and New Orleans and then the Delta and everything comes together at Memphis and becomes rock and roll. So I think Southerners should And if they try should have a better connection to that because it's in. We understand the language a little bit better.

We can they Talk Like we do, which was a number.

Like when I heard Woody Guthrie for as an example, I realized that I could do this because I realized that I could actually sing better than Woody Guthrie. So I decided that it was. I could at least try.

Speaker D

00:05:23.060 - 00:05:38.740

I'm always interested in the contrast and like my previous question as well. But as a Southerner, I think we kind of live with and accept contrasts as part of who we are and what we do.

I'm noticing a little bit more of the Southern contrasts coming out in these last two records especially specifically.

Speaker B

00:05:39.060 - 00:08:08.170

Yeah, I. I feel like that we have in the south and then some places like Louisiana especially, we have the most distinct culture in America. Our nobody has the huge difference in food. Nobody has the huge difference in culture. And it's.

It's a completely different world and very alien to the rest of the United States. A lot of misconceptions and we had a lot of misconceptions about the north, but the, the south has always been. It's always been home.

I do feel very comfortable in the. In the south and I think that it's.

I stayed away from kind of a lot of Southern mentality, a lot of Southern imagery for a while because I didn't want to be just labeled a Southern musician. I didn't want to be. I didn't want to get stuck in that old timey country thing.

I made my first record, the Good Life and it taught me a lot of things because I especially as far as contrast goes, because the contrast between my crowd when I put out the Good Life and now just in who gathers is. I mean, I noticed that I was going to have the Grand Ole Opry crowd, I was going to have an older crowd.

And let's face it, nobody needs a crowd that's going to die in 20 years. So that's, you know, I started because of that. I was completely disappointed when I did the Grand Ole Opry. I found it very.

Just mechanical and strange. And so I knew I didn't want to be a part of that world. I wanted. I wanted a younger audience. And I do have a vast. I mean, what comes to the.

I have entire families of father, son and mother that come to the show. I have, you know, girls that at least look like they're 18 to 25 and then middle aged couples. And so it's very much a scattered crowd.

And also something that that contrast is. I'M very proud of it because, you know, that's a very wide reaching kind of audience there. You know, not like I draw gigantic crowds or anything.

It's just the contrast between those. This crowd is. It's incredible. And it's helped me change what I do because the crowd's gone along with me.

I'm sure I've lost a lot of the fans from the first record. And, you know, and that's fine. I only off all the right people, I feel. And so that's.

Speaker C

00:08:08.170 - 00:08:09.130

That's a goal in life.

Speaker B

00:08:10.650 - 00:08:59.050

And so, yeah, I think that that's the South. And making sure that there is a fairly vast contrast between my previous records and the new ones is very, very important to what I do.

You don't want to ask. Ever be asking yourself the question, is this art? You know, I don't think so.

In order to do that, you have to pay respect to the past and gather what you want from your current. Let's play today in a Lonely Night. It's a.

It's become one of my favorite songs to play and one of those things again where I think I'm lucky that I have a crowd that will. That will listen to things like this. And you won't. You won't. Well, most of the time it won't.

You won't really hear a sound unless it's a free show in Merrill's Inlet.

Speaker A

00:09:00.890 - 00:09:37.510

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@country friedrock.org I'm Sloane Spencer, your host of Country Fried Rock.

I've had the pleasure of catching Justin Towns Earl perform both solo duo and with a full band over the last couple of years. And I recommend you catch one of his shows. Here's more from my live in studio conversation with Justin Towns. Earl.

Speaker C

00:09:37.910 - 00:09:46.320

This dichotomy here, and they. They actually look dramatically different. Tell me about what used to be a double album became two single albums.

Speaker B

00:09:46.560 - 00:11:47.360

I thought better of the situation that I was in. I'd gone from Bloodshot Records, which was a great relationship. They were as stand up as you can be.

When they said the check was coming, the check showed up, things like that, which is hard to find. And then I went to Communion Records, which I was told something completely different from what they tried to do when I had signed the contract.

Luckily, they didn't sign it. And I was able to just be like, you know, you're not gonna shake money in my face and win.

You know, there's no way that's gonna work, you know, and anybody who knows me knows that. So. There was also a time. There was a timing issue. Releasing a double record is hard to convince people of. It's hard to get people these days to.

They don't have the time to sit down and listen to a full hour of music, you know, and they don't have the attention span, I don't think. And from the very beginning, I like when I made the Good Life. I actually looked up what the average commute for an American to work was.

And so therefore all my records have been 30 to 40 minutes. That's what I've noticed. Most people listen to music is in their car and just making the records digestible, letting people get really in use to the.

The record, the first one. And if they pay attention to the first one, then Absent Fathers comes out. And they're very.

They are related, but related in the same way that both discs of the river are Springsteen's the river because it's. They're not like concept records exactly, but they have loose concepts to them. The characters in Absent Fathers are definitely in a different.

A better place, a different place.

Not discouraged by life, realizing that they're seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, even though it's like the tip of a ballpoint pen way off in the distance.

Speaker D

00:11:47.920 - 00:12:00.400

We've been talking about all these contrasts and dichotomy in the double album that became two separate albums. I have been interested in the continuity of your album covers. Are you involved in the visual art decision making?

Because didn't Joshua do some of your photography?

Speaker B

00:12:01.130 - 00:13:01.970

Yeah, he did, but I'm 100% part of the creation of them. We decided me and Joshua were, like, trying to figure out what a record cover we should do. And we'd thrown out a bunch of ideas.

And I said, well, what about just me and a girl on the album cover? And we carried that on for quite a while, every record. But now my wife is on the COVID of Absent Fathers with me, and she will be the last.

The last woman on the COVID of one of my records. But it was an interesting thing to do for the fans in a minor way. They became like Bond girls. People were very interested in who these women were.

And so it was a funny thing we realized when we made the Next Midnight at The movies that we were just like, we're gonna do this every time. I would have probably continued it if I hadn't gotten married.

Speaker C

00:13:02.370 - 00:13:07.570

You mentioned past troubles with record companies. The relationship with Vagrant feels good.

Speaker B

00:13:07.890 - 00:14:02.730

Vagrant feels good. It's impressive to be able to survive, to have been able to survive the 90s and early 2000s as a smaller record...

Summary

Lilly Hiatt’s album, Royal Blue, marks an exciting step forward in her musical journey, moving beyond the traditional singer-songwriter style into a sound that’s more vibrant and adventurous. In this podcast, we explore how Hiatt taps into her personal insecurities and turns them into powerful, relatable songs that resonate with listeners. She also opens up about life on the road, sharing what it’s like to perform both solo and with a band. Royal Blue stands out for its mix of humor and heartfelt reflection, tackling life’s ups and downs with honesty and charm. Through our conversation with Hiatt, it’s clear that she’s an artist in constant evolution, and we can’t wait to see where her music takes her next.

Episode Highlights

• Host Sloane Spencer sits down with talented singer-songwriter Lilly Hiatt to talk about her second album, Royal Blue, released on Normal Town Records.
• Royal Blue marks a shift in Hiatt’s sound, moving away from the folk-centered vibe of her debut and embracing a more dynamic, indie-rock feel.
• The conversation dives into the personal themes behind the album, including Hiatt’s reflections on insecurity, growth, and the creative journey that shaped each song.
• Hiatt shares what touring has been like, from playing solo shows to performing with a full band, and how those experiences have influenced her connection with audiences.
• She talks about how much she’s grown since her first album, and how life’s twists and turns have shaped her songwriting and artistic voice.
• The episode also explores her collaboration with producer Adam Landry and her band, who helped bring the sound of Royal Blue to life.
• Hiatt opens up about the importance of community, praising the support and creativity of fellow musicians in the Nashville scene.
• Listeners get a behind-the-scenes look at the music-making process, the stories behind the songs, and what it means to keep evolving as an artist.

Chapters

• 00:03 - Introducing Lilly Hiatt and Her New Album
• 05:58 - The Journey of Songwriting: From Idea to Album
• 13:24 - The Creative Balance: Ego and Self-Doubt in Music
• 14:15 - The Creative Process: Writing on the Road
• 19:51 - Transitioning to Royal Blue: The New Album

Here's What We Wrote Back in 2015

Lilly Hiatt released Royal Blue, to the surprise of fans of her singer-songwriter styled debut a couple years ago. For those who have seen her live with her band, though, Royal Blue comes closer to catching Hiatt’s quirky, reflective, trippy sensibility and personality. Royal Blue moves forward, demonstrating her growth as an artist in her own right, finding her path, and doing so her way. With an honest, open discussion of the self-doubt necessary to create art and some songwriters who are catching her ear, Lilly Hiatt shares who she is in this conversation.

Takeaways

• In this episode, we dive into Lilly Hiatt’s artistic growth and the making of her latest album, Royal Blue.
• Hiatt shares how her sound and songwriting have evolved since her debut, showing just how much she’s grown as an artist.
• We talk about her creative process, from writing songs to working closely with other musicians.
• Hiatt also opens up about life on tour and what it’s like to connect with audiences, whether she’s playing solo or with a full band.

Links

• Lilly Hiatt
• Lilly Hiatt on Bandcamp
• You may also enjoy our conversation with Aaron Lee Tasjan
• Sloane Spencer now hosts a Gen X sleep podcast, Sleep with Rock Stars
• After you buy music or see a show with these musicians, we would love your support with a few dollars in our Tip Jar

Bands and Musicians Mentioned in this Episode

• Deer Tick
• Diamond Rugs
• Buxton
• Aaron Lee Tasjan
• Margo Price

Recommended If You Like

Lilly Hiatt, Royal Blue album, Country Fried Rock podcast, singer songwriter, Normal Town Records, Nashville music scene, touring musicians, creative process in songwriting, live acoustic performances, album art design, music collaboration, indie music interviews, songwriting inspiration, emerging artists in Nashville, analog recording, personal music journey, songwriting challenges, music production techniques, humor in songwriting, music career evolution, Normaltown

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.160 - 00:00:32.940

Welcome to Country Fried Rock. I'm your host, Sloane Spencer. This week, I'm talking with Lily Hyatt about her recent album Royal Blue, available now on Normal Town Records.

Hyatt's debut album was strongly in the singer songwriter camp, and her sophomore release takes her much more in the direction of her live shows. No folky coffee shop barista right here. Lily Hyatt is channeling her creative insecurity and taking her songs one step further.

Expect a lot more to come from Lily Hyat Fried Rock.

Speaker B

00:00:33.100 - 00:00:44.540

My guest today on Country Fried Rock is Lily Hyatt, who I've been tracking down for the past couple of records, but her most recent one is Royal Blue, out now on Normal Town Records. Welcome.

Speaker C

00:00:44.860 - 00:00:46.460

Hey. Thank you for having me.

Speaker B

00:00:46.700 - 00:00:55.340

Yay. So I'm very excited to get to finally chat with you. I've seen you live once, solo acoustic situation quite a while ago, well before this album.

Speaker C

00:00:55.740 - 00:01:09.650

Wow. Okay, cool. Well, hopefully you'll see me again sometime with the band. I'm always wondering when people say that. I'm like, oh, when was it?

You know how you always think, well, it's better now. It's better now. So that is how it goes.

Speaker B

00:01:09.810 - 00:01:13.410

Well. All right. So Royal Blue's been out for a while. What have you been up to with it?

Speaker C

00:01:13.569 - 00:01:27.150

Well, been on the road for about a month.

I just got back a few days ago to Nashville, so I'm just getting in the swing with being back in town and prepping for summer and seeing what kind of stuff comes up.

Speaker B

00:01:27.470 - 00:01:29.230

Were you touring solo or with a band?

Speaker C

00:01:29.390 - 00:01:54.930

I did some stuff with a band we went to south by, which was really fun, and then I did a lot of stuff as a duo. So me and guitar player, so we were out on the west coast, and that was fun and presents some odd challenges, but in the best of ways.

So the band stuff's easy, but the solo duo, that stuff gets a little trickier in terms of engaging people.

Speaker B

00:01:54.930 - 00:01:59.090

You know, songs obviously change when you're having to have a different kind of setup like that.

Speaker C

00:01:59.330 - 00:02:13.970

They totally change.

And kind of trying to figure out how to maintain the essence of the record yet rework it so that it's conducive to that kind of format, is it's a process, but it's fun, so I enjoy it.

Speaker B

00:02:14.530 - 00:02:27.270

I guess I first got to know about you just before the previous record came. Came out, and you have had a ton of professional changes in the meantime. What started with you making your own music?

Speaker C

00:02:28.150 - 00:04:16.230

Well, I think that I have always kind of had that as the goal, I mean, I went to college and studied. I didn't study music in college, but I still had the mindset of, but I'm going to play music. So I suppose it became something that was the focus of.

I'm really going to try going for this. When I moved back to Nashville after college, so that was. Sadly, it was longer than I'd like to admit.

I think it was like nine years ago or something like that. I don't know, I'd say 2006.

But you know, in the meantime, I've worked a lot of different jobs, mainly coffee shop type things and, you know, kind of been chipping away for a little bit at this. So when I made that first record, it was 2012 and it took about a year to make it. So maybe we got started on that 2011. Ish.

Oh God, that was a while ago. But I had songs and I'd done a little EP and I'd done some recording. My dad had a studio and I'd done some recording with him.

And then I decided I need a whole record so I can put it out there. I kind of talked to him about producing it and he was like, why don't you talk to my friend Doug about that? Because I don't think he didn't want to.

I just think he wanted me to kind of find my own way with that. And I ended up talking to Doug Lancio and he was really willing to work with me.

And over time I was able to, and through the kindness of my bandmates and different people willing to work with me at a pre budget price, I was able to make that record and pay for it, you know, and then that became something. That was my first piece of work that I could present, try to get somebody to distribute it.

Speaker B

00:04:16.550 - 00:04:26.150

That was a great opportunity for you to say, this is me doing my thing, which I. You know, I respect your father for not assisting you on that particular process.

Speaker C

00:04:26.790 - 00:04:35.270

Yeah, no, I thought that was really cool. He just wanted me to go my own way, you know, so it was a loving, smart thing to do on his part.

Speaker B

00:04:35.510 - 00:04:42.070

Sure, I totally support that. After that record with the Drop Ponies came out, what continued to evolve for you in your music?

Speaker C

00:04:43.000 - 00:05:20.890

When the first record came out, a lot of those songs were. They were gathered over a few years time and you grow up, you change, you gain confidence, you lose it, you gain back more.

I think all sorts of life events occurred and that becomes part of writing and perspective and it's ever changing that whole thing. I'm always looking at things from new angles, but there's a continuation of kind of finding what your voice is.

I don't think I've completely found that, but I think I have a better idea now than maybe I did then. But what I was doing then was where I was at at the time.

Speaker A

00:05:20.890 - 00:05:21.370

Hey, y'.

Speaker B

00:05:21.370 - 00:05:21.450

All.

Speaker A

00:05:21.450 - 00:05:41.440

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 fried rock.org.

Speaker C

00:05:41.520 - 00:05:44.240

Hey, this is Lily Hyatt on Country Fried Rock.

Speaker B

00:05:44.640 - 00:05:52.320

Once that was out and you knew that you were going to be making another album, what was your process in gathering your new songs since they're all written by you?

Speaker C

00:05:52.480 - 00:07:27.380

I think I work all right with deadlines, and I knew I wanted to have a record made within the next year.

Well, the year prior to recording my last album, Royal Blue, I knew I wanted to make something, so I just started writing and writing and writing, and before I knew it, I had, you know, over that year's time, at least 15 songs that I wanted to show other people, you know, and that's what we ended up recording is 15 songs, but we only put 12 on the album. It's motivation. When I know I need to have a batch together, I'll do it. It was good. I wasn't doing a lot else either. I mean, I was working.

I was working at Whole Foods and traveling a little bit, but it's not like I was on the road a ton. You know, I was pretty grounded, so I had plenty of time to just write stuff. Some of the songs I played out, but only a few, really.

The rest, a lot of them had never been played, other than to my garage band on my computer. So most of those songs for pre production, the band really knew only three of the songs. The rest were.

We spent three days rehearsing before we recorded, and they got the feel for them really fast. That's a lot of fun. I like the people I play with because we all speak a similar language, so there doesn't have to be a lot of.

I don't like telling people what to do, you know, I just. But I do want them to do what I like, you know, so it's nice to have a band where you're all on the same page and you don't have to say, do this.

No, don't do that, you know, everyone's able to express themselves and it can be a cohesive thing.

Speaker B

00:07:27.460 - 00:07:29.460

How did you choose to work with Adam Landry?

Speaker C

00:07:29.700 - 00:08:18.050

I had known Adam for a while, and I really like him as a person, and I like the other bands he works with. I like Dear Tick, and I like Diamond Rugs a lot. That record that they made at his studio was one of my favorites.

He's a cool guy, and I like his whole approach. And I knew he did analog recording, which always been interested in. So I just had a feeling like, this is going to be cool.

I've had people ask me, like, how was it working with Adam? Or I'm thinking about working with him, and I'm like, you should. Because he has a real unique style and way of working.

He's really smart, and he's one of those people that, I don't know, he doesn't step on your toes, but he brings a lot to the table. But he does it for you, not for himself, you know, which I really love about Adam.

Speaker B

00:08:18.050 - 00:08:25.010

So a lot of people want different things in a producer relationship, and so it's good to find one that is helping you become a better you.

Speaker C

00:08:25.810 - 00:08:47.490

Yeah, it is. Yeah. With him, it was really easy and fun and to work, but, you know, it did feel like we're speaking the same language.

No, you know, same thing with when, you know, I showed the songs to my band and they're like, oh, we know what to do. And I'm like, yeah, that's exactly it. You know, he just.

To me, it was almost like, well, Adam is another band member, you know, and he was kind of tying it all together for us.

Speaker B

00:08:47.780 - 00:08:52.420

When you're recording and touring, do you work with the same folks or do you have different bands for the different circumstances?

Speaker C

00:08:52.980 - 00:09:48.720

You know, sometimes that changes around. I was happy because I got to make Letdown and Royal Blue with the same band, which I thought was cool.

You know, in my mind, I've always wanted to be part of a band, and it so happens that I ended up kind of.

I hesitate to use the term solo artist, but that is kind of what I am at the end of the day, you know, so sometimes there is a revolving cast, but I have my preferred group that in my head, I think that's my band. Not that I think they're mine exclusively, but I want to change stuff up, too. You know, you never know what can happen.

And everyone that I play with, most of them play with a lot of people, and that's part of the fun. Sometimes somebody can't go on the road and you got to call someone else and you meet someone else who's really fun and great to play with.

You know, it's fun to have your crew and it's fun to keep it open as well.

Speaker A

00:09:48.720 - 00:10:07.360

I'm your host, Sloane 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 to see pictures of my shoes, my dog, and my lunch, stop by Instagram. But whatever way you like to hang out, stop by and say, hey, hey.

Speaker C

00:10:07.360 - 00:10:16.040

If you'd like to know more about my music and what I'm doing, check out lilyhiet.com Lilly L I L L Y H I A T T Speaking.

Speaker B

00:10:16.040 - 00:10:21.360

Of collaborating or different kinds of collaborating, who have you enjoyed getting to play with?

Speaker C

00:10:21.840 - 00:10:26.320

We did a show with this girl. You've probably heard of her idea, Victoria.

Speaker B

00:10:26.320 - 00:10:27.040

Oh, yes.

Speaker C

00:10:27.680 - 00:10:33.280

She's really cool. I like her band. I love her band and her thing. I think it's really neat.

Speaker B

00:10:33.360 - 00:10:37.920

And she's only got three songs out right now, so I can't interview her until she has an album, but I'm waiting.

Speaker C

00:10:38.560 - 00:11:14.410

Yeah, yeah. She's. She's. I really, really think her. What she's doing is cool. And I love her drummer. Tiffany Minton is just awesome.

And their whole setup is really neat, so that's fun. And I have this band, Buxton, that's on New West. We got to do some shows with them recently, and that was really cool.

It's great to be on bills and all be rooting for each other, you know what I mean?

But also be playing with really great musicians so that not to feel competitive or anything, but just so you're like, oh, I gotta really up my game on this and do as good a job as they did, you know.

Speaker B

00:11:14.490 - 00:11:29.930

So you happen to be in Nashville, East Nashville, so that you're able to see a lot of the bands that may not be able to be on the road to the degree that those of us who live elsewhere would like. So who's kind of in the scene right now that you really are enjoying getting to see?

Speaker C

00:11:30.410 - 00:12:04.980

I really like that band Bully. I mean, they're starting to really get out there, too, I think. Erin Ray is really, really talented. Just beautiful voice, great songwriter.

Margo Price is new Love. Her country band is just great.

And I've known her for a while and seen her work really hard and try lots of different things, and it's just really neat to watch. I'm sure. I'm Forgetting people, because I know that I think about this all the time. Of, oh, I love this band. I like Aaron Lee Tasjan.

I don't think he's a really great writer and think there's just so much going on in Nashville. It's crazy to me.

Speaker B

00:12:04.980 - 00:12:22.380

Well, and we have to say that both Margo Price has been on the show with one of her previous bands, talking specifically about the fact that she was getting ready to start a country band, which is now Margo and the Price Tags. Aaron Lee Tashin's been on as well, and he's a good friend of the show. Just great folks. Tons of great folks.

And I love checking out the other people that you've recommended as...

Summary

In this episode, we’re diving into the world of the legendary Steve Earle and his latest album, Terraplane, a heartfelt journey into the blues. I’m Sloane Spencer, and while I don’t claim to be a blues expert, I’ve always had a deep appreciation for its many styles, from Carolina Piedmont to Delta and Texas blues. During our chat, we explore Earle’s creative process and how working closely with his band—especially guitarist Chris Masterson—shaped the sound of the album. Along the way, we also touch on the rich history of blues music and how it continues to influence Earle’s songwriting today. Tune in to hear how tradition and innovation come together in Terraplane—you won’t want to miss it!

Show Notes

This episode features a fun and thoughtful conversation between host Sloane Spencer and legendary musician Steve Earle, who's currently sharing his latest album, Terraplane. Steve dives into his growing love for Texas blues, a style he’s come to really appreciate, even if he admits he’s still learning about it. He reflects on his Texas roots and the influence of blues greats like Mance Lipscomb and Lightnin' Hopkins, who left a big impression on him early on.

Steve also talks about how working closely with his bandmates, especially Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore, helped shape the album’s sound in an organic, collaborative way. Throughout the episode, listeners get a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process behind Terraplane, and how Steve pushes himself to keep his songwriting honest, powerful, and rooted in tradition. He shares how important it is for him to stay true to the blues while still adding his own voice—creating a record that both honors the past and explores new territory.

Here's What We Wrote Back in 2015

Steve Earle channels his Texas Blues roots with his latest album, Terraplane — named for the noted song by Robert Johnson, but known to me in the well-circulated Canned Heat live tapes. Referencing everyone from Lightning Hopkins to Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Earle interviews himself, but does not get caught up in his script. He deftly name drops his own stint in jail, averting some questions by glossing over them and moving on so quickly that the pace is disrupted when going back to pick up dropped threads of thought. Earle respects those with whom he works, highlighting Chris Masterson’s (previously featured here) role in developing this blues trail during sound checks.

Buy Terraplane here.

Takeaways

• The podcast features a thoughtful chat with Steve Earle about his latest blues-inspired album, Terraplane, which marks an exciting new chapter in his music.
• Earle shares his deep love for Texas blues, talking about how it’s shaped his sound and influenced his growth as an artist.
• One standout moment is when Earle highlights how important his band was in shaping the album—he really emphasizes the power of collaboration.
• He also opens up about the hard work that went into writing the lyrics for Terraplane, showing how seriously he takes his craft.
• The hosts get creative with mobile recording gear, giving listeners a behind-the-scenes peek at the fun (and occasional challenges) of taking the show on the road.
• Earle reflects on the roots of blues music, helping listeners connect his work with the powerful history and legacy of the genre.

Links

• Steve Earle
• Steve Earle on Bandcamp
• You might also like our conversation with Justin Townes Earle
• Sloane Spencer now hosts a Gen X sleep podcast, Sleep with Rock Stars
• After you buy music or see a show with these musicians, please support us with a few dollars in our Tip Jar

Bands & Musicians Mentioned in this Episode

• New West Records (label)
• Canned Heat
• Howlin Wolf
• ZZ Top
• Lightning Hopkins

Recommended If You Like

country fried rock, Texas blues, Steve Earle, Terraplane album, blues music, Carolina Piedmont blues, Delta blues, electric blues, acoustic blues, music podcast, singer-songwriter interviews, blues history, music collaboration, songwriting process, live music performance, independent music, blues guitar, music production, blues influences, Americana music

Chapters

• 00:03 - Introduction to Texas Blues
• 03:40 - The Making of Terraplane
• 06:10 - The Influence of Blues in Contemporary Music
• 09:16 - The Influence of Texas Blues
• 12:20 - The Evolution of Music: Blues to Pop
• 15:01 - Musical Journeys and Personal Reflections

Transcript

Speaker A

00:00:00.400 - 00:00:59.260

Welcome to Country Fried Rock. I'm your host, Sloane Spencer. Somehow this year we've ended up on a Texas blues kick.

One of those things that seems to happen to us every so often as we follow one trail down the rabbit hole.

So I'll admit that I'm not the most knowledgeable person about blues music, although I certainly appreciate the kinds with which I'm most familiar of Carolina Piedmont blues, a little bit of Delta blues, and of course, Texas blues. But I'm definitely not an expert. Thankfully, talking with Steve Earle, all I had to do was open the floor and takes the ball and runs with it.

Steve Earle's brand new record, Terraplane, is out now on New West Records. This week on Country Fried Rock, we decided to take the show on the road for a few weeks, testing out some new technology for mobile recording.

Yep, it sounded like a great idea, but unfortunately it doesn't sound that great. So don't miss a minute of the Country Fried Rock road trips on countryfriderock.org.

Speaker B

00:00:59.260 - 00:01:06.360

My guest today on Country Fried Rock is Steve Earle with a new record called Terraplane that goes in a blues direction. Welcome.

Speaker C

00:01:07.240 - 00:01:07.880

How are you?

Speaker B

00:01:08.760 - 00:01:20.520

I'm doing well, thank you. I'm looking forward to chatting with you about this.

I actually spoke with Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore right after or right before y' all were getting ready to do a little recording related to this.

Speaker C

00:01:21.320 - 00:02:45.580

Well, Chris has a lot to do with it happening in the first place. I mean, since Chris and Al came along, this kind of best band I've ever had. But Chris, this is what Chris's background is in the blues anyway.

It's how he's kind of started. And the acoustic side of the stuff I'm pretty comfortable with.

I was in the same room with Mads Lipscomb and Lightning Hopkins on more than one occasion. And I've recorded stuff like that before, you know, several times over the course of my career.

But there's a thing, if you grow up in Texas, that can be a little intimidating about the electric side of it. I saw Frady King and I saw Johnny Winter. I saw, you know, the first brothers bands, the Vaughn Brothers were in. You know, I.

Rocky Hill, who's Dusty Hill or was Dusty Hill's older brother. He's gone now, but took me to see Rory Gallagher for the first time when I was 17 years old.

I know a lot about it, you know, and I was in a blues band when I was in 13 or 14. But you become. I moved away from it and did something else and it becomes A very. Look, there's. There is no LA Shuffle. There is no New York Shuffle.

There's a Texas Shuffle, and there's a Chicago Shuffle. So it's. The bar is really high on that stuff if you're from Texas. So it was intimidating to me.

But Chris being in the band and just some stuff that sort of happened organically on soundchecks over the last few years sort of, I think, led me, got me pointed towards thinking it was time to finally make this record.

Speaker B

00:02:46.060 - 00:02:51.300

That's cool. I didn't realize that he was such an impetus to make that happen, but with his history, that makes sense as well.

Speaker C

00:02:51.300 - 00:03:05.720

It was just. He was there, the tool was in the box. You know, he's like. It was a resource I had at my disposal that I'd never had before. He's really.

You know, and I got to see Chris with a Strat in his hands because his son sort of sworn off Stratocasters, and he kind of had to pick one up for this record.

Speaker A

00:03:08.920 - 00:03:29.480

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 atcountry fried rock dot org.

Speaker C

00:03:29.560 - 00:03:31.710

Hey, this is Steve Earl, and you're listening to Country Fried.

Speaker B

00:03:32.660 - 00:03:43.700

I know that you all, as a band, tour quite a bit as well, but what led to the actual writing of these songs? Because you're not just reinterpreting Texas blues tunes. You're doing your own thing.

Speaker C

00:03:44.420 - 00:05:06.550

We wrote them. I started writing them, touring with the band, you know, because nearly all my records start with stuff that we.

That we start, you know, playing on sound checks. And that happened with this record, too.

But then when I realized that, you know, I'm not the first singer songwriter to make a blues record, Bob Dylan's been doing it almost exclusively for a long time. He. Beginning with Bringing It All Back Home, that's kind of what he started doing.

And then the records that aren't blues records can kind of be counted on one of Billy Joe Shaver's hands. You know, it's not like there's only a few records that he. I mean, arguably, National Skyline's not. Arguably Blood on the Tracks is not.

But almost every record since, that's what he's worked with as a palette. And so, you know, it wasn't like I thought I was breaking Any new ground.

I did realize very quickly that it was still needed to be a record that sort of came up to my standards, you know, lyrically and which is, you know, that bar is kind of high. I just had really good teachers, and I expect a lot of myself, and I think the people that buy my records expect a lot of me as a lyricist.

So I worked really, really, really hard on the lyrics on this record. And I wrote like a half of the record. I finished it on a tour that I did by myself.

I would just have a lot of time because I was touring, just no crew, nobody. Just me and a guitar and a mand a backpack. And touring mostly by train in Europe last fall.

And I finished most of the songs, then went in and recorded in October.

Speaker B

00:05:07.030 - 00:05:16.870

When you were developing those particular songs that developed when you were doing your solo thing in Europe, when you brought them back to record with the band, did you all work them up first? Did you work them up in the studio?

Speaker C

00:05:17.110 - 00:05:40.490

There were some that we had worked up before I left, but the stuff that was brand new that they heard for the first time in the studio. There were no rehearsals, but we had enough material that we had. They did. This band's really good about doing his homework. They were all set.

Guitar and vocals. As I finished the songs, I made garageband guitar and vocal files. And I sent them off as MP3s to everybody in the band as I finished them.

Speaker B

00:05:40.490 - 00:05:45.890

With y' all collaborating in the production role of that, how does working with someone like him help you?

Speaker C

00:05:46.690 - 00:06:37.450

I always have a producer, you know, at least a co producer. I mean, Ray Kennedy and I made records together for a long time, and he's essentially the engineer, but he's also a co producer.

When we make records and it's just me and him, you know, I've tended towards using outside producers. I made a record with T Bone. I made a record with John King. Square Serenade Record. There's some things. The Town's record.

There was no need in working with another producer. I was doing that largely guitar, vocal, you know, by myself and the Low Highways. Really just me as a producer and Ray as an engineer.

I kind of knew exactly what I wanted to do there. And it was really about the band and the way this sounds. But this is like, you know, Bobby I've known for a long time.

He's made a lot of blues records. He's made John Mayhow records. He's made Buddy Guy records. And I just felt like I wanted that in my camp, you know, when I did this I recorded it.

So we were. Were all pretty comfortable. I knew everything would sound good.

Speaker A

00:06:37.450 - 00:06:55.450

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 to see pictures of my shoes, my dog and my lunch, stop by Instagram. But whatever way you like to hang out, stop by and say, hey.

Speaker C

00:06:55.610 - 00:07:00.650

Hey. This is Steve Rowan. You can check out what me and the Dukes are doing for the rest of the year on Steve.

Speaker B

00:07:03.280 - 00:07:21.200

When you're dealing with folks like this, it's obvious that they've got a lot in their own wheelhouse to bring to the table. But you also reference a lot of the deep Blues history. I mean, all the way back to the title of the record.

When I first saw the title, and I'm admitting my own lack of knowledge, I grew up knowing the Canned Heat version of that Robert Johnson tune.

Speaker C

00:07:21.680 - 00:07:29.650

Well, there's a. Canned Heat is very much a part of this record. Because the second concert I ever saw was Canned Heat. That's awesome.

Speaker B

00:07:29.650 - 00:07:30.250

I didn't know that.

Speaker C

00:07:30.250 - 00:07:57.610

And so to me, this was as much about. There's three sonic templates for this record. One is Howlin Wolf Records. Not all Chess records, but Howlin Wolf Records in particular.

And then the other two are the first two ZZ Top records and Can Heat. And Can Heat was like the second concert I ever went to. And I loved that band. It was one of my very, very favorite bands.

Yeah, it's like in 1968, can heat was probably my favorite band. Next to the Beatles.

Speaker B

00:07:58.140 - 00:08:03.660

You mentioned Zeezy Top and their history with Texas Blues. You mentioned Rocky Hill, Dusty's brother.

Speaker C

00:08:03.900 - 00:10:28.840

I met Gibbons finally through Guy Clark after I went on bass for Guy in 1975, because he had always known Guy. And I had already met Dusty and actually Frank one time through Rocky Hill, who I was pretty close to. Rocky was, you know, was Dusty's brother.

And originally that rhythm section that became ZZ Top was a band called American Blues with Rocky. And that dissolved. And just as the moving sidewalks was breaking up, given the span. And then those guys became a ZC type when Bill put Top together.

But I knew Rocky really well. He and Towns were really close. And I knew him through towns. And like I said, the first time I saw Rory Gallagher, I went with Rocky Hill.

So I'm at Liberty hall in Houston. The North Texas thing is more of an electric thing, more of a shuffle thing.

It's Freddie King and, you know, Albert King, you know, is the biggest influence on the Vaughn brothers, especially Steve. Then Freddie King's really kind of.

When I was growing up, he was kind of the guy up there, you know, and all the people that came out of Fort Worth, you know, the Vaughns are from Dallas, Dusty and Frank are from Dallas. But people came to Houston for the most part. The Vaughns went to Austin, but because you could do that by then.

But when I was growing up and, you know, a young teenager and when I first started being, becoming interested in music, Houston was the big time in Texas. That's where Mike and Hopkins, that's where ZZ Top was. That's where it just was the big city. And Sir Douglas Quintet was my.

Where my local hometown here is in Santano, but She's About a Movie was recorded in Houston and at Sugar Hill. So I just, I gravitated towards Houston and, you know, and I knew Townes was there too.

And the Houston thing because of Lightning and Mance, that's where Top was from. And if you listen to what Billy Gibbons does, it's kind of Lightning Hopkins really loud.

And that's, you know, probably, you know, Lightning, you know, as big an influence as anybody on Billy's playing. But he's like, he's one of the greatest guitar players on the planet.

Maybe, you know, because of ZZ Top being such a thing as a band and the records in the 80s, I think people, there's a tendency to not quite give him his due as one of the greatest guitar players that's ever lived. He's really a monster. He still plays great and he's still, still does really interesting stuff. So I, I, I just, I, he's, he's the real deal.

Speaker A

00:10:28.920 - 00:10:43.640

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 C

00:10:43.720 - 00:11:54.710

Hey, this is Steve Earl and my new record Terraplane is available kind of anywhere that you can get records, but I'd go buy it at your independent local record store where you can get. All right, record store day single will be a version of Terraplane Blizz, my version of Robert Johnson's Terraplane Blizz.

The main thing you have to understand about, and I think we get to that on this record, you're the best lover is Smokestack Lightning, basically. And it patterned out, it started out trying to be Lightning Hopkins, but I, but it turned into Smokestack and I just let it be that.

And I just decided to stay with the acoustic guitar because I'm pretty comfortable on that instrument and. And it just sounded cool with Chris's electric against my acoustic, and we stayed with that.

But the fact of the matter is, what it captures is the thing that blues has become this improvisational long form of music and live performance. But on records, those records, those classic records, they were jukebox records.

And you don't make a song longer than 2 minutes, 30 seconds on the jukebox because otherwise you're cheating yourself out of quarters. They were short records, you know, they were made for people to put. Keep putting money in the juice jukebox and to dance to.

Speaker B

00:11:54.790 -...

Summary

At the heart of Country Fried Rock was something simple but powerful: real, honest conversations with some truly incredible musicians who might not always get the spotlight they deserve. I’m Sloane Spencer, and from 2009-2020, I had the chance to sit down with amazing artists like Margo Price, Drivin n Cryin, and St. Paul & the Broken Bones at the emerging and re-emerging stages of their careers; folks who really capture the spirit of independent Southern music.

Our new website is CountryFriedRock.com. If you have a favorite old episode you would like to hear, we will try to find it in the box of freeform files on hard drives.

These chats, recorded between 2009 and 2020, dug into the real stuff: songwriting, making records, and the deeply personal drive to create. We’re going back into the archives and sharing these original episodes just as they were: raw, unfiltered, and full of heart.

So come along with me as we revisit the stories and voices that helped shape Country Fried Rock into a space for authentic, gutsy music.

What Country Fried Rock Is All About

• We dive into heartfelt, honest conversations that celebrate the rich, diverse world of Southern music.
• Our focus is on independent artists, those whose work often flies under the mainstream radar but is full of depth, emotion, and authenticity.
• Between 2009 and 2020, we recorded hundreds of conversations with emerging songwriters who were shaping the indie music scene in powerful ways.
• You’ll hear from artists like Margo Price, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, and Drivin n Cryin, each bringing their own voice and story to the table.

What You’ll Hear in These Episodes

• Real talk about songwriting, recording, and the often messy, beautiful journey of finding your voice as an artist.
• Stories of resilience, creativity, and personal growth, not just the usual press-cycle soundbites.
• A celebration of music as personal expression, not just a product to sell or a trend to follow.

Why We’re Sharing These Archive Episodes

• These are the original, unedited conversations: raw, unfiltered, and full of soul.
• They serve as a kind of musical time capsule, capturing over a decade of creativity and change in the indie Southern music world.
• Whether you’re a longtime fan or just discovering these artists, it’s a chance to reconnect with the roots of great music.

Our Invitation to You

• Join us as we revisit these moments, reconnect with these voices, and explore what makes truly independent music so compelling.
• This isn’t just about nostalgia. It’s about honoring the craft and spirit of artists who continue to inspire and influence the sound of Southern music today.

Links

• Our new website is CountryFriedRock.com. Disregard whatever might be in old episodes.
• We ardently support Nuci's Space in Athens, Georgia, an amazing resource reducing barriers to mental health care for the local music community.
• We always want you to buy music directly from musicians and go to their shows. If you want to show your appreciation for this podcast, toss a few dollars in our Tip Jar.

Chapters

• 00:02 - Introduction to Country Fried Rock
• 00:31 - Shining a Light on Honest Music
• 00:41 - Digging Into the Archives
• 01:07 - The People Behind Country Fried Rock
• 01:16 - Introducing Country Fried Rock

Takeaways

• The podcast is all about real, down-to-earth conversations with up-and-coming songwriters in the world of independent Southern music.
• You'll hear from incredible artists like Margo Price and St. Paul & the Broken Bones, as they open up about their creative journeys and what drives their music.
• We're not chasing celebrity or hype. We're digging into the heart of what makes music meaningful: honest, personal expression.
• We’re bringing back the original episodes just as they were: raw, unfiltered, and full of soul, so you can hear the stories as they were first told.
• At its core, this podcast is about shining a light on heartfelt music that’s rooted in authenticity and an independent spirit.
• Whether you're a longtime fan or just curious, it's a great way to discover your next favorite band through real conversations with passionate songwriters.

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Transcript

00:00:00.400 - 00:01:23.540

Well, hey, y'. All. Welcome to Country Fried Rock.

I'm Sloane Spencer, and from 2009 to 2020, we had some of the best conversations you didn't know you needed with emerging songwriters from independent Southern music and beyond before they hit the big festivals and late night shows. Artists like St Paul and the Broken Bones, driving and Crying and Margo Price and hundreds more stopped by for a chat.

Not about fame or press cycles, but all about the music. It's real stuff, like writing songs, making records, finding their voices. We weren't chasing the stars, though.

We were shining a light on the people making honest, gutsy, heartfelt music. Loosely Southern, rooted in rock, and always with an independent spirit. And now we're digging out the archives.

We're re releasing as many of those original episodes as we can find, just as they were. No updates, no re edits, just raw, real conversations with some of the most compelling songwriters out there.

Many of them right before they became household names. So whether you're hearing these episodes for the first time or you've been with us since the beginning, pull up a chair.

Let's revisit the music and the stories. But most especially the people who made Country Fried Rock more than just a podcast. Rehashed, revisited, resurrected, whatever.

It's Country Fried Rock. Subscribe now wherever you get your favorite podcasts and we just might help you find your new favorite band.