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 CHRIS CANTERBURY

Happy 2023 everyone!

As a bit of news to start out, Carly and I are thrilled to announce that The Troubadour Podcast is now an affiliate for Sweetwater.  I’ve been buying guitar strings and live gear through Sweetwater for years now.  Carly has been equipping her home-studio with audio and recording gear from Sweetwater for quite some time as well.  By using the Sweetwater link at thetroubadourpodcast.com when you order your gear, it will cost you nothing extra but, the podcast will receive a small percentage of your order and will help us fund this little operation.  Sweetwater’s customer service is second to none AND they throw in a little bag of candy with every order which is also a cool touch.  So, if you don’t mind, anytime you get ready to order music, audio or recording gear in the future, even if it’s just a set of your favorite strings, please consider using the Sweetwater link at thetroubadourpodcast.com that will take you right to Sweetwater’s website.  Carly and I would be very appreciative. 

Also, don’t forget, The Troubadour Podcast now has a Patreon page where you can support the show and earn some free swag from us to boot.

For the first new episode of the year, we’re starting out with an interview with singer-songwriter Chris Canterbury. 

Chris has a great new record out called “Quaalude Lullabies”; the name of the project itself had me interested from the get-go.  The record is described as a nine-track collection of mostly sad songs and honest insight into razor-edged topics like addiction depression and loneliness.  With a description like that, and as a songwriter myself who digs on that kinda subject matter, I knew I wanted to hear this stuff and learn more about this guy.

Chris is originally from Louisiana but now calls Nashville home.  I think you guys are really gonna enjoy this visit.

So let’s get to it!  Here’s the first episode of 2023 on The Troubadour Podcast featuring singer-songwriter, Chris Canterbury!

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The Texas Country Music movement is synonymous with names like Jerry Jeff Walker, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Robert Earl Keen.  By the mid 1990’s these previously mentioned forefathers of the movement started to inspire some young up and comers in the scene who quickly solidified themselves as artists who were the “real deal” and here to stay.  Undoubtedly, Jack Ingram fits that mold.

In this interview Jack tells us how, at an early age, he knew he had a greater connection to music in his being than most of his friends.  He recounts the when going to parties with his friends during his teen years, he’d want to stay in the car, getting high and listening to good music, while his friends were wanting to get inside as quick as possible to hang with the girls.  Jack told them if they were patient enough and the music was good, the girls would come find them.

Jack talks in-depth about his latest record released on April 26th, 2019 entitled “Ridin’ High…Again” playing off of Jerry Jeff Walker’s 1975 album, “Ridin’ High”.  The project was recorded over a “loose” two-day session and features a good deal of “behind the scenes” type of conversation and ambient sounds within the studio with the mics hot.  After listening to the album in its entirety I consider this a record to be “experienced” rather than a collection of single songs packaged together to be “listened to.”  In my humble opinion, this recording effort and style is simply genius as it is a totally refreshing take on great music, when compared to much of the over-polished record projects being released every day in this country.    

The record pays homage to some of Jack’s music heroes through the recording of Willie Nelson’s, “I Gotta Get Drunk”, Kristofferson’s “Jesus was a Capricorn”, Guy Clark’s “Desperadoes Waiting for a Train”, and my personal favorite cover song on the project, Rusty Weir’s “Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance”.  It also features some great originals and co-writes with the likes of Jon Randall, Miranda Lambert, and Todd Snider.  Lambert had some huge radio success with song “Tin Man” written by her, Ingram and Randall.  It was a real treat to hear Jack recount how this epic song was written over a weekend writing retreat in Southwest Texas by the three friends. 

Being a huge fan of Todd Snider and knowing he and Jack were close friends, it was also a real pleasure to listen to Jack tell how the two become best friends early in their respective careers and how they remain very close to this day. 

Ingram and Snider co-wrote the first song on this latest record entitled, “Alright, Alright, Alright” which is a nod to another one of Jack’s close friends, movie star and University of Texas’ Minister of Culture, Matthew McConaughey.

We also get Jack to tell us about the “Mack, Jack and McConaughey” annual 2-day fund-raising event recently held in Austin, TX.  The joint effort was started in 2013, by Ingram, McConaughey, and Mack Brown and to date, the event has raised over $14 Million for various charitable children’s organizations.  The event features many things including golf, a fashion show, and of course a concert, which this past year’s event featuring Ingram and others, including The Troubadour Podcast alum, Wade Bowen.

One of the bigger take-aways from this interview with Jack Ingram for me was when he said that one of the most important key ingredients to any great song lies with it having ‘honesty’.  Truth.

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In this episode of the Troubadour we have a great conversation with West Texas Singer-Songwriter, Dalton Domino.

During our visit Dalton doles out some great and heartfelt advice for aspiring writers and artists.  He has a unique perspective on life and music and this interview gives the listener a great snapshot of who Dalton Domino is.

I also find out in the episode that Dalton, like me, is a fan of Todd Snider.  I dig his taste!

Enjoy the episode and make sure and check out Dalton’s website by clicking HERE.

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Brandon Rhyder’s backstory in becoming a modern-day staple of the Texas and Red Dirt Music scene sounds familiar, yet is totally unique.  In the beginning, a small spark is lit inside the aspiring artist.  They ponder their life and the gravity of the decision to seriously give the dream of being a touring and recording artist an honest to goodness shot. Then, through a series of events, that small spark gets fanned into a flame and through hard work, dedication, perseverance and “conviction” leads to a successful career.  Sounds simple doesn’t it…

But in Brandon’s case, before any of that happened, it took a little encouragement from his friend Ricky to make him seriously consider giving the music business a shot; and when he did, it completely changed the trajectory of his life. 

Brandon grew up in northeast Texas, but it really wasn’t until he attended college at UT-Tyler that he even considered picking up the guitar.  Once he did, it was a natural evolution for him to start stringing chords together behinds the words he’d already been writing.  But, that’s almost where the story ends.

After graduation, Brandon did what most good boys and girls do; he entered the workforce, took a steady job and settled down with his wife.  The thought of pursuing a career in music hadn’t even crossed his mind. 

He and his new wife built a home and began what looked to be a very “normal” life.  Interestingly enough, within a year of building the home, and through the encouragement of the home builder himself, (the previously mentioned Ricky), Brandon and his wife headed for Austin.  They put a for-sale sign in the front yard and took off to chase the music dream.  Almost 20 years after making that decision now, it’s certainly proved to be the right one.

In this interview with Brandon he talks with us about his early years in Austin and slowly building a following.  Then, he explains that after meeting and sharing the stage with legendary singer-songwriter, Walt Wilkins, things quickly changed.  Walt produced Brandon’s 2005 record, “Conviction”.  After that, Brandon’s career gained steam very quickly with larger crowds at live shows and record sales going way up.

With the success of Conviction, Brandon was soon playing 180+ live shows per year; a pace that would continue for the next 6 years.

In the interview Brandon also talks about recording trips to Nashville and working with other legendary artists like Radney Foster who would also go on to produce Brandon’s 2008 record, “Every Night”.  During this time of his career Brandon explains how he landed a deal with a Nashville publishing company and was travelling there at least six times a year or more to write with other people.

Towards the end of this interview the conversation takes a more serious tone as Brandon divulges his recent multi-year struggle with a health issue.  Finally after many, doctors and many tests, they were able to pinpoint what had been plaguing him and now Brandon is feeling better than he has in years which has lead to great vocal range and more new songs being written.

Brandon also talks about the awful disease that is Cancer, and how it recently claimed the life of his hunting and fishing buddy, who also happened to be his father-in-law.  The silver lining in this sad story is that Brandon has written and recently recorded a new tune stemming from this experience which pays homage to his father-in-law.

In the final minutes of the interview Brandon relays a very sad story to us involving a friend and fan of his music named Jacob who was a member of our armed forces whom just in the morning before this interview was recorded, had attempted to take his own life.  Brandon makes clear that he wants to shine more light on the tragedy that is PTSD and the high suicide rate of former military personnel.

In Carly’s outro for this show she gives a couple resources for those suffering from PTSD which we ask that all listeners of the podcast and readers of this blog to share with others.  The first is Mission 22, who’s goal is to put an end to veteran suicide. Please visit www.mission22.com and consider donating to their cause.  The second resource is the Suicide Prevention Lifeline whose number is 1-800-273-8255.  One life lost is one too many….

To find out more about Brandon Rhyder, where he’s playing next, and how to buy his music and merch, please visit www.brandonrhyder.com .

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Fans of Texas Country Music, Red Dirt Music, Americana, and any other name folks want to come up with to describe this genre, may not be aware of it, but one of the best songwriters and most unique artists in their midst hales from WAY NORTH of the Red River. (I think I’ve heard Corb describe his music as “Agriculture Tragic” or “Ag Trag” for short)

Born and raised in southern Alberta, Canada, the son of veterinarian, in a family with livestock and ranching history, Corb Lund “strayed a little from the herd” (see what I did there?) and chose to make his living behind a microphone and holding a guitar.

One familiar with Corb’s music today might suspect he’s been doing the country & western thing since his outset; not so.  In this interview Corb explains how for the first many years of being in the “biz” he was actually a bass player in a Canadian Heavy Metal band called “The Smalls”.  Corb played in The Smalls until 2001 when they broke up.  However, a few years prior to that, he’d began dabbling with his own country trio on the side.  After The Smalls hung it up, Corb dove head first into his own career and hasn’t looked back.

Today, Corb Lund and the Hurtin’ Albertans, as they’re billed, can now be found playing all over North America from coast to coast. 

In this interview with Corb, Carly and I really hit on his unique writing style and the diverse subject matter in his song.  As you’ll hear, Corb explains how he feels his style may have been influenced at an early age by one of his grandmothers who placed such an importance on the study and learning of Phonics.  No matter how he developed his songwriting style, it’s ultra-unique, even in this genre.  On the same record, for example, 2012’s “Cabin Fever”, one can hear a very western themed tune professing the tragedy that is cattle ownership (“Cows Around”) and a few tracks later you’ll be hit in the face with a punk sounding tune about sexy chicks in goth attire (“The Gothest Girl I Can”).

We also discuss Corb’s relationship and collaborations with another Texas favorite, Hayes Carll.  Corb discusses how he initially formed his relationship with Hayes some 15 years ago after Corb’s girlfriend at the time won all of Hayes’ money in a poker game.  Years later, Hayes helped Corb finish a song he’d been sitting on for a few years called “Bible on the Dash” that also spawned the hilarious video version of the song seen HERE. 

This interview is full of great stories including Corb’s take on bad tattoos and how he nearly was burned alive on a motorcycle trip from Vegas to Austin, but somehow, never knew how close he’d been to catastrophe until the whole event was over and done with.

You can check out more about Corb and the Hurtin’ Albertans, where they’ll be playing and how you can buy their music at www.corblund.com .

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In this episode of The Troubadour we interview Wade Bowen.  Wade takes us on the journey he’s made from rocking the bars of Lubbock, Texas during his college days at Texas Tech, all the way to performing on legendary stages including that of The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee and the picturesque Red Rocks in Morrison, Colorado.

In the interview he recounts his early days as a band leader, traveling with a full band in a crew cab pickup before “graduating” to the customary 15-passenger van and finally to his own coach. 

Wade explains that he’s a proud graduate of Texas Tech with a degree in Public Relations which he feels has served him well during his career in music.

We also visit briefly about his children and their respective ambitions in life.

Listen in as we talk music and life with Texas’ own Wade Bowen.

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Hey everybody – welcome to Episode # 66 of The Troubadour Podcast.  We’ve got a great interview for you today.  Anyone who knows anything about the greatest guitar players to ever live are familiar with names in the Rock wold like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Albert Lee.  If you move on over to the Country Genre names like Vince Gill, Brent Mason, Steve Wariner and Ricky Skaggs come to mind.  Our guest on today’s episode has played with ever single one of those guys I’ve just listed as well as other notable guitar freaks like Joe Bonamassa, Ted Nugent and Sammy Hagar.

Johnny Hiland was born in the state of Maine with an eye condition called Nystagmus making him legally blind from birth.  However, that disability hasn’t stopped Johnny from becoming one the world’s best guitar players alive today.  Moving to Nashville in the mid-90s, Johnny quickly gained a reputation around music city as a beast with a guitar in his hands.

While he can proficiently play 22 different instruments, Johnny’s simply an expert at “Chicken Pickin’” on his Johnny Hiland JH6 signature guitar made by Keisel Custom Guitars.

While this episode featuring Johnny is a bit of a departure from the Texas Country / Red Dirt vein we are usually deep within in this podcast, towards the end of the interview you’ll hear Johnny give major props to the music coming out of the Texas / Red Dirt Scene and even mentions one of my biggest inspirations, Pat Green by name.

So, here we go folks.  Episode #66 of The Troubadour Podcast featuring one the best guitar players and nicest guys to ever walk God’s earth, Mr. Johnny Hiland.

So, kick back and enjoy this episode of The Troubadour Podcast.

Johnny’s website: www.johnnyhiland.net

Facebook: www.facebook.com/JohnnyHilandOfficial/

Instagram: www.instagram/ johnny.hiland/

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/johnnyhiland1?lang=en

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/JohnnyHiland?feature=watch

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Welcome to today’s episode! 

Our guests today help us bring you an episode with lots of laughs and conversation about music among many other things as you’ll soon hear.  Sean and Sal of the Austin based band, The Ransom Brothers were simply a hoot to have on the show.  And what’s more – they also play some damn good original music influenced by the like of the Allman Brothers, The Marshall Tucker band and Outlaw Country.

Within their sound you’ll hear slide and twin guitar riffs as well as some fierce fiddle playing.

We talk about their new album, Resurgence, their method of recording the project as well some other wild shenanigans involving these guys.

To find out more about The Ransom Brothers, their music and where they are playing next, go check out www.theransombrothers.com .

Now on to the show!

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Welcome to today’s episode! 

Before we get to today’s show we want to remind you all to subscribe to The Troubadour and if you would be so kind, go give the podcast a rating and written review on the various podcasting platforms, especially Apple Podcasts, as it really helps us increase our visibility in the podcasting world.

Also, don’t forget to check out our Patreon page if you would like to help support us financially for as little as $3 per month and keep this thing on the air.  There are clickable links within the show notes for this episode at thetroubadourpodcast.com or you can just go to www.patreon.com/thetroubadourpodcast to sign up and get some troubadour merch headed your way.  We just had our 6th patron sign up on and it was none other than Kurt Shobe of the band Steel Skarecrow so a big shout out to Kurt for helping us out!

Now, on to today’s show. Our guest today is another guy with lots of experience in many facets of the music business.  Andrew Sample is the front man of Colorado based rock band, The Dirty Kings, but he’s also spent years in radio, promotion, he’s worked for labels, he hosts a podcast  and was fully engulfed in the L.A. music scene for years.  This is an interview with a ton of useful nuggets for anyone interested in the music business or furthering their career!  So here we go with out visit with the one and only: Andrew Sample.

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As we’ve said before on the show, we get guests on the shows in various ways.  Sometimes we reach out to them, sometimes their promoters reach out to us, and other times, artists just hit us up on Facebook.

That’s what happened for this episode. I opened up a message from Kurt from the KS band Steel Skarecrow a couple months back.  When I realized that he was in a band right here in my home state and I’d never heard of them, I immediately wanted to know more.  Kurt and I messaged back and forth a couple times and we got an interview scheduled.

Kurt and the other members of the band have lots of experience in the music business and rather than me running through Steel Skarecrow’s pedigree, I’ll let Kurt give you the low down on them. 

So here comes our visit with Kurt Shobe from Steel Skarecrow!

STEEL SKARECROW WEBSITE

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