Carolina Country Music Fest 2026: Behind the Scenes in Myrtle Beach

[00:00:12] Welcome back to Whiskey Riff Raff. I'm Shelby and on this very special episode of the podcast we headed out to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and got an interview and talk with so many of the artists that were playing the festival. We didn't just talk with some of them. We also did some crazy activities like moonshine tasting, mini golf, and even I went up in a helicopter so that was kind of crazy.

[00:00:36] We talked with Drake White, Cleto Cordero of Flatland Cavalry, Stella Lefty and the list goes on and on. I hope you enjoy it and if you're listening to this I also encourage you to go follow us on our YouTube channel at Whiskey Riff where you can see actual videos of our activities or just a really beautiful backdrop of Myrtle Beach.

[00:00:56] So be sure to subscribe, like, that's where we post all of our content not even just podcast related but a lot of other interviews as well. Other than that I hope you enjoy it. I hope you find a new country artist that you like and we'll be back very soon with some new episodes.

[00:01:18] Alright, we are at Carolina Country Music Festival at Myrtle Beach, specifically at Old Smokey. We got great music, the ocean a couple minutes away and one of the best performers, Drake White here with us. So how are you feeling today? I'm great. Thanks for having me. Yeah, so we're gonna drink some moonshine. We just started with some pickles and what makes you certified to rate some moonshine? Mmm, well, I like it. Yeah.

[00:01:47] I think being from Northeast Alabama, being around the foothills of the Appalachians and the history behind what moonshine is and what moonshiners are and where they come from, it's all about the water and water's really good coming out of that limestone in North Alabama. So that kind of certifies me. I grew up around it. I grew up around that culture. So yeah. Yeah. And how dangerous is it to be sipping moonshine before you even go on stage?

[00:02:11] I don't do it. I usually wait till after the show. I don't imagine a couple little tastes here will affect it much, but may loosen it up, may put the WD-40 to it, you know, so. And you play festivals all around the country. What makes beach festivals special to you?

[00:02:29] You know, just, I grew up going to Panama City, going to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. So the beach was always with me and in me. My dad was a Buffett fan, Grateful Dead fan. So the beach and the sand and just that feeling that you feel when you're barefoot and close to the equator, I mean, it just makes you feel good.

[00:02:50] So it's always been part of me. You know, going down there, we went down there for July the 4th. My parents are some of the only people I know that can actually make money on a timeshare. But we stayed down there and there's so many great memories down there. So the beach is always brings a side out of the writing and the music that I love. I grew up going to the Florida Mama, you know, and cutting my teeth there. And what is your perfect beach day? Do you start at the water? Do you end at the water? Get some fried fish?

[00:03:19] Oh, perfect beach day for me is wake up early, 7, 8 o'clock if you want to. Walk out on the beach with a mimosa or a, you know, something like that. And just kind of have a beach walk, set up all the tent, the chairs up on the beach and get your poles set up.

[00:03:41] You know, if you want to do some beach fishing, get your family set up, get your book, get your thing and just get ready to sit there. My family is one that stays there all day, watches the sunset. And my dad was the nurturer of the family. So he would always bring oysters down there, bring fruit down there, bring stuff down there. So it was an all day like you can read a book, you can take a nap, you can do whatever, but it's all day on the beach. And maybe catch a fish or two and that's about it. Love it.

[00:04:10] A bunch of nothing. Love it. Okay, let's see if we can get our second round of moonshine. It's got like Prosecco and white wine. Nice. Nice to make a glaze with some nice chicken off the grill. This is super nice with just about anything. Make a good fruit salad, take it to church. I'm sure they'll appreciate it too. Shelby felt that bite on those pickles. Yes, I did. I hope I know on this one. Still biting? Still biting, but not as bad.

[00:04:34] Well, that pickle. I didn't expect it in the first one. The end was the bite. That's good. I like pineapples. I do too. And are you a picky eater? No. What's one thing that you've gotten pickier about? Not just food wise, as you've gotten older. Good coffee. Oh, okay. What kind of coffee do you like? I grew up in the construction world. I graduated from Auburn.

[00:05:00] Started working construction. So it was just, I thought coffee was black. I thought coffee was Folgers. And coffee, no offense to Folgers. I still love it. But to take your time and do a good press coffee and have that in the morning. And I don't have it every morning, but my wife's got a really good coffee maker at home. And just a good strong bold Brazilian or a cup of black coffee that tastes good that you can, you know.

[00:05:29] I'm not going to lie on the weekend. I might juj it up a little bit with some latte stuff. But for the most part, it's just a good black strong coffee from Colombia or Brazil. Something like that. Those are my favorites too. Yeah. What is something that fans might be surprised that you are really good at? Besides music. Whistling. Really? Yeah. Do you do that in a lot of your songs? I have. So they might not be surprised, but I think whistling is one of them.

[00:05:56] I enjoy The Notebook and the movie, a good romantic comedy. Good rom-com. I do. I like it. I enjoy it because what we were talking about earlier, everything's so well written, whether you talk about Sons of Anarchy or Ozark or Yellowstone or all these things.

[00:06:13] But I'm such a, the songwriter in me, I was watching Sons of Anarchy as I was telling you and my songs began to get dark. So it's like, I like a good Matthew McConaughey rom-com like palate cleanser. So that, that could be surprising for some people. Definitely. And let's move on to the next round. You can do anything like that. Just slam it back like you're mad at it. Go stick your tongue in it. It just gets weird. This is pretty good. It's a great mix of other things.

[00:06:40] Probably like a pickle chaser. Yes. Oh, you're upset. You're OCD aren't you? Yeah, a little bit. All right. Cheers. Cheers, my friend. Don't make a face. Oh. Following up with that, we're going to do, we're going to counteract that malic acid that's happening in your mouth right now. There's a little bit of sour watermelon, 40 proof. This is the base of the acid. It's going to instantaneously get rid of that burr.

[00:07:08] Drink your juice, Shelby. Much better. Oh, I could get in trouble with that. Now, at your shows, you know, you probably have a certain kind of demographic that comes to your shows, but festivals, you kind of get a wide variety. Yeah. Do you get any, like, surprised fans to come to see someone else and leave always just like messaging you on Instagram about their stories or about how much their music moved to them?

[00:07:34] Yeah. I really like that. I like having to win somebody. Like, I like the challenge of that. Obviously your headline and stuff, we're on the road with Riley Green right now. So going into his demographic and mine, they overlap a lot in some same ways. But for me to go into a festival like this and play and then people go, oh, I didn't know that story.

[00:07:56] I didn't know where, you know, his health journey or his this or his musical journey through Muscle Shoals and all this funky swampy music. Like, you know, where that kind of, so yeah, that's, that's what we're doing for. And they're great. I think there'll be 30, 40,000 people are doing that. Yeah. Can you share a specific moment on stage that kind of reminds you why you are a touring musician and why you keep playing your music for people?

[00:08:20] Hands down, no doubt. You know, full circle, me and Riley, Riley started after, just after me, he's about five years older. He says he's 15 years younger. But he's actually five years younger. So it's like we got, he asked me to come play Red Rocks with him. And so we had a lot of, you know, there's sold out, of course, and we're just sitting there playing at this beautiful venue that, you know, is carved into the side of this mountain.

[00:08:47] And just going through all the stuff I've went through, you know, you, you have to love it. You have to want it like there's so many, there's so many obstacles that get thrown at you. And like, I love songwriting. I love the essence of the song. And to be in front of that crowd, it felt like a hometown crowd because me and him are from the same, basically hometowns.

[00:09:09] And about three miles away from Jacksonville. I'm from Hoax Bluff. And just playing that was just like a, oh, I am supposed to be here. I can do this. Between that and playing the Ryman every year for benefit for the brain and really showing people that the light at the end of the tunnel, tunnel and the light in the darkness and that stuff and just really pushing that good vibe out there is something that it just gives me the gas to keep going, you know? Yeah, I love that. So let's drink some more message.

[00:09:40] Let's kind of switch to a beach vibe. What are you listening to when you're on the beach? Jack Johnson. Yeah. So I've probably got more mileage with Jack than a lot of artists. My go-to island record is definitely legend Bob Marley. Okay. And then I'm going to be listening to that stuff. And then, then it's just like, there's so many, you know, I love Ben Harper on the, on the, on the beach.

[00:10:07] I love your, you know, your nine, two thousands and stuff like that. Your Kenny Chesney's and, and that thing, uh, spearhead. I like those guys. I like, uh, just anything up feeling good. And, uh, but yeah, my go-to's would definitely be Jack Johnson. And, uh, I like Colby. Colby's a good friend of mine. Colby's a good friend of mine. And, uh, you're getting the vibe. Like Bob Marley, like get there. Yeah. So everyone has their own like little beach vibe. It always depends like where you're from, what you grew up on listening to.

[00:10:36] So I love that that's your playlist. Now let's see how many more we have left. Hey, Lake Berry Moonshine, Pellant Mountain wine. It was 40 proof. Okay. This is super nice. I like this paired with grilled steaks. Of course, in the proceeds of this goes to the friends of the Smokies and it helps the black care population too every time you buy more. Nice. Good to know. Okay. And then we'll end with some rapid fire. Cheers. Pick your favorite beach song. Whatever comes to your mind.

[00:11:07] Oh man, it's almond brother song. It's called blue sky. Okay. That's a good one. It's the best. You're my blue sky. You're my sunny day. I love it. Great. Who is your most underrated country artist? Someone that, you know, is alongside you just working away. Hmm. Will Jones. Okay. I really like him. Yeah. Will Jones. Right now, he just toured with us. He's got the Zach Topp thing, but he's just unbelievable human being. Funny.

[00:11:37] Never stop laughing when you're around Will Jones and he's got new songs out. Love Will Jones. Okay. And then the last of the rapid fire, if you had to be stuck on an island with any country artist, who are you choosing? I've got to think about this because that's a, that's a... Do you want someone like Riley who can fish with you? Do you want someone who's really good at hunting? Do you want someone who just can entertain you and make you laugh while you're there?

[00:12:01] Yeah. Well, I mean, me and Riley have spent so much time together anyway, and we're very much alike in the fact that we would go off fishing. So, I think with me being married and a female not being an option there, you know... Yes. I feel like Riley, it's kind of weird to go right back into a Riley. But, you know, if we had a boat, you know, Riley... Well, then my mind switches. Sorry. No, you're good.

[00:12:28] Because Riley already, I already love Riley. Riley already loves me. So, like, it's like somebody that I think that I could get, you know, I think Chesney would be cool. Mm-hmm. And I'll sing you some beach songs all day long. Yeah. Yeah. Let me think one more second because it's important to me. Okay. This is important to me. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, it's probably going to be Riley because we just know each other. Yeah, and he's playing up top right now. Yeah. He's always playing right now.

[00:12:56] And last question. Myrtle Beach says that you belong at the beach. What makes people feel like they belong at a Drake White show? Mm, spirit. Spirit. Yeah, the spirit of it. When you come into a Drake White show, you're going to have something... My goal is that you leave with the light. You leave with something... You leave better than you came, you know? So, your question is what says you belong at a Drake White show?

[00:13:25] I mean, the fact that we got the opportunity to get up this morning and love music. There's the redemptive quality of going through the stroke and going through all the stuff that we've been through, of course. But then mixing with whiskey and stuff like that, you know, I mean, we have a good time. So, that's a tough question. What says, you know, you put a pair of jorts on? I guess that'd be it. Everyone leaves with a smile, that's for sure. Everyone's going to leave with a smile, with something to think about, and hopefully a good perspective.

[00:13:56] Awesome. I appreciate that, and I appreciate you hanging out with us today. I appreciate you. We're hanging out at Carolina Country Music Fest with one of my personal favorite songwriters in country music. And if you know anything about Flatland Calvary, their songs are filled with storytelling, and you guys have built one of the most loyal fan bases in the genre. So, welcome to CCMF. How are you doing? I'm doing great. Thanks for the kind words, and it's good to be here.

[00:14:24] Yeah. Have you had the chance to enjoy the beach at all yet? I have. Earlier today, I took a plunge in the water and did some breathing exercises and all that stuff. So, I'm like, I got my beach baptism in and I'm ready to sing some songs. And have you been to Myrtle Beach before? We have before, yes. Okay. What are your beach necessities when you do visits? I always bring like a little mat so I don't burn my ass in the sand. Smart. And like a, I picked up one of those like towels that will dry off in like 10 minutes and usually a journal.

[00:14:53] So, just get some thoughts out. Have you ever written a song on the beach? I have not yet, but I did, an idea did come to me today, but I don't want to say it because... Has it been written yet? No, not yet. Got it. Well, Flatland went from like a Texas favorite band to a pretty well known name across the whole genre. So, I wanted to ask about those big moments in your career. Have you ever thought we've made it and then another big thing happens? We've made it and then another big thing happens.

[00:15:22] Definitely, there's neat things that pop up, milestones if you will, like playing Red Rocks and feeling it out and getting an ACM nomination and to name a couple of them. But, I feel like I've written in a song that's on the new album. It's called Entertainer's Lament. It says that happiness is when you make it. So like every day I wake up and try to find all things to be grateful for because as wonderful as it is to like chase your dreams, it's also very, can be very grueling out here and trying to sleep on the bus and stuff.

[00:15:51] So, just try to focus on being happy while you're doing it. So, not like oh, when I get off the road someday. You know what I mean? Enjoy it in the present. Yes, ma'am. And is there something about your guys' rise that other fans might not see about what comes with more success?

[00:16:11] I definitely feel like the more eyes and ears that are on you, there can be a temptation to like perceive that as pressure, that you have to like do better, be better. I feel like we're always aiming to be our best. So, and also try not to, despite those factors, try not to let those external pressures like get inside of what you know you're supposed to be doing it. So, I just feel thankful versus afraid, you know? That's a good perspective to have.

[00:16:40] And is there a song that you think really launched you guys kind of into the next portion of your guys' career? Definitely have had little second winds along the way that keep lifting us up into some other stratosphere. Like getting a song in the Hunger Games movie some years ago and Mountain Song being in Yellowstone and Never Coming Back is our current song at country radio. So that's the first time we've had a song on radio stations all across the country.

[00:17:09] So when we go play those new markets, like there's a lot of people singing along that we've never seen before. So that's, every little bit helps. Yeah. And if someone hasn't heard your music here today at Carolina Country Music Fest, what song would you tell them to go listen to? Ooh. I would tell them to go listen to, for whatever reason, On and On comes to mind. It's a love song. It's got that classic flatland like backbeat, hop and skip.

[00:17:38] It's got the fiddle going and the guitar cooking. So that's a good place to start. But we also do a lot of different stuff too. Okay. And like I said, your songwriting is one of my favorites. Thank you. Now have you always written about your own personal experiences or are you just trying to tell a story regardless of whose story it is? Initially, yes. It was just from my own experiences and pains and emotions and such.

[00:18:00] And then as I continued to grow as a writer, I realized like if you only write when inspiration strikes, so you're feeling it, you're not going to write that many songs. So I had to learn how to like poetry and the craft and stuff, which led me to write songs that are just about anything really. I was really picking a title or another character like I could write a song about you. Love that. Hair blowing in the breeze. And on the beach.

[00:18:28] Now your wife, Caitlin Butts is also a songwriter and artist. And I imagine you guys probably write a lot. And you probably, do you guys write together? Not as much as folks would imagine. Really? Yeah. I thought we would do that a lot more too. But she stays working on her thing and I do mine as well. And there's also something too, like we're both very particular about what we want to say.

[00:18:52] And I'll always, I have had songs though that I tried to write and like pitch to her, which Never Coming Back was actually a refurbished verse that I wrote for her song, What Else Can She Do? And she was like, nah. But it ended up, you know, becoming something new. So, but yeah, I think there's more of that in her future though. Okay. Love that. It's going to take some time off the road, I think. Yeah, that's fair. Do you have any songs that you've written about her recently? About her recently?

[00:19:21] Yeah, there's, there's ideas and emotions that come, that arise as she's doing her thing and I'm doing mine. And you know, a lot of longing and, and just, you feel like something tugging on your soul. You know what I mean? That's, but you have to be present while you're here. So like a lot of those kind of thoughts and meditations are turning themselves into songs. Okay. For sure. And are there any songs that you guys have released and sang at shows that people kind of relate to differently than you thought they would?

[00:19:51] Whether that's, it was more popular than you thought it would, or it wasn't as popular as you thought it would be, either way. Yeah. One that's been surprising, I feel like is, well, not so, a bird's eye view comes to mind. And that one's a storytelling song too. And I feel like more times than not, we can kind of get in a frame of mind that you have to like play the bangers and stuff like that.

[00:20:17] And some songs just kind of rise to popularity by themselves and people relate to them. And that's one, it's a storytelling song. And I think a lot of people are traveling all over the place too, like on planes and stuff. So I think it hits close to a lot of people. Yeah. That's one of my favorites from the new album. Oh, thank you. So definitely relate to that. Now I'm switching to some rapid fire. Okay. What is your best road food stop?

[00:20:41] I have to say Bucky's in Texas, or I know they have them elsewhere now, but that's like the mecca of snacks. It is. What do you have like a go to every time you go into a Bucky's? I always get the beaver chips, the fresh ones and maybe those buckos or beaver nuggets. Yep. Okay. Very good. Who is the most underrated Texas country artist at the moment? Oh my gosh. That's a good question. Wish I could rapid fire answer that. I know there's a lot.

[00:21:07] I feel like Hudson Westbrook is making a lot of noise and I look forward to seeing him grow as an artist and just appreciate there's another generation of kids doing the same thing we were doing because we were inspired by people before us. Yeah, that is really cool to see. And would you pick a beach vacation or would you pick a mountain vacation? Because I think of like mountain songs. Yeah, that's a good question.

[00:21:32] I think I like if it's going to be beach, I like more of a secluded vibe like not around. I went down there to the beach to like find my Zen and people were playing their speakers like and then getting up and going in the water and not even like being there to listen to it. So that was kind of frustrating. But if I'm looking for peace and quiet probably the mountains. Okay. Yeah. And then what is the most requested flatland song? Life will work out. Still? Yeah. We got a lot of parallel yesterday in Landslide which is a cover but yeah.

[00:22:02] Okay. And then is there a song that you wish you had written? I wish I could have written Sunday Morning Coming Down by Kristofferson. That's a great one. Yeah, it's so brilliant. For a closing question. I know we're pretty far from West Texas but is there something that you always bring on the road with you regardless of how far you are from home? Wow.

[00:22:27] I usually always have my journal with me just to be able to get those thoughts out when they come to you. That's something that... Not the phone notes, you go journal. No, yeah. The phone thing is just, I don't know what it is. I feel like it's that little device from Men in Black where it zaps your brain and I try to type in there what I'm thinking and I just forget what I'm thinking. Okay. I respect it. Yeah. Last question because you have the George Strait shirt on. What is your favorite George Strait song? At the moment, you look so good in love. It's just so timeless. Yeah, it is timeless.

[00:22:57] Alright, well thank you so much. Everyone go listen to the new album. Go catch Flatland on the Road if you're not here at CCMF this weekend. We're at Carolina Country Music Fest. We've got Chris Jansen here with us. Oh, thank you brother. Yeah, absolutely. Is this your first time playing this festival? No, it's my... I played it once when no one knew who I was and didn't have any ribs. I played it twice when I had like three ribs. Now we got some more things for you.

[00:23:27] So, three times but we're no stranger to Myrtle Beach. We've played over here quite a bit in the years. Just every now and again but proud to be back and very proud to be here with Blake. You know, we're like brothers so it's really nice. Yeah, Myrtle Beach is such a great town and it's kind of a family town. There's a lot to do. It's old school beach vibe which is what I like the best. You know, it's not pretentious, really low-key and fun. Yeah, exactly. And it feels like you were perfect for a beach festival. You know, you got... Thank you very much.

[00:23:55] Buy me a boat, good vibes. It seems like this could kind of fit your vibe. It really does. I mean, this is a... This is that crowd, you know? Yeah. So, I appreciate that. Thank you. Yeah, it's a great crowd out there. So, one thing that I didn't realize, you know, you just mentioned Buy Me A Boat. I didn't realize that you self-released that the first time you released it. That woman right there, Kelly, my wife. So, thanks for asking and bringing it up. Buy Me A Boat, I wrote in Nashville, Music Row.

[00:24:22] I was kind of in a pissed off mood because, you know, I didn't have... All the things in the song were true. No boat, had a Yeti cooler I bought off Craigslist, truck off Craigslist, the whole thing. Anyway, so I was... I wrote the song. I took it home as I play her all my songs first. I played her all these songs that I thought were hits and she was like, nah. I played her Buy Me A Boat last. And she said, that's a smash. We were independent at the time and she said, let's... We're gonna release that, keep your independent touring going and just see what happens. No record deal, no nothing.

[00:24:52] And she... We paid $1,700 total to get it mixed, put through TuneCore up onto iTunes the very next day. Bobby Bones played it at random. It wasn't like a set-up deal. And it blew up and then such is life now. Yeah, it's crazy. It's $1,700 to produce it and it changed your life. And it sold... Thank you. And it sold 117,000 copies the next morning. So, it's kind of crazy how God works but that is the real truth.

[00:25:21] So, $1,700 turned into $1,700 overnight. That's insane. And it's had such longevity. I mean, you still... You walk out on the beach and you still hear that song play. Everywhere you go. It's so... It's crazy. Thank you so much. It's very humbling. I mean, it's a career song. You know, they call those. And then like a legacy song too because it solidified a point in time for me. And again, like you said, it's a staple. Yeah. It's a staple song. And a lot of artists, man, they have amazing careers for a long time.

[00:25:50] But some people never have a staple song. And I'm glad I got one. That's exactly what I was going to say. A lot of artists go their entire career and they never have a song like that. They have big music but they never have a staple. And I'm... You know, a lot of places I go, if somebody's not talking about, you know, one of the more recent songs or something like that or just anything in general, they'll say, buy me a boat, baby. And I'm like, yeah. And they'll say a lot. Do you get annoyed with that? Absolutely not. Like, who wouldn't want to be that? You know? I mean, it's a great honor. And I'm...

[00:26:20] Yeah. Who wouldn't want to have a song that big? I'm incredibly grateful for it. I can tell you that. Yeah. I just... It shocks me every day, man. You know, humility overwhelms me with it because these are things that guys like me and guys like you from Beckley, West Virginia dream of. Oh, absolutely. Having success in the career field that you want to have success in and actually getting it done. Being able to go to work and have fun every day. And actually being able to do it, you know? And close the deal. It's a big deal, man. Yeah. Absolutely. I saw you... I guess the last time... I've seen you a few times.

[00:26:49] The last time was at a festival in 2024 in Ohio. Yeah. And you have such great energy on stage. We're very kind. Thank you. Man, I... I... At the end of the day, I love what I do for a living. So, I've been playing music since I was nine years old. I've been rocking and rolling since I was nine years old with a guy in my band actually. The guy in my band tonight you'll see with a big beard, Stan. I was the first guy that ever put a guitar in my hand in a garage at one of my dad's

[00:27:19] buddies' house in my hometown. And that's... You know, I get the energy from like, I love rocking and rolling, dude. Yeah. I like writing my own songs. I take a lot of pride in that, writing my own stuff. And I do. I write all my own things. I've written a lot of songs with these guys and one of their biggest ones. But just like, it's a big blessing, you know? And I got a hot wife. I got healthy kids. That excites me. It makes me feel good. Yeah. I have the best fans in the world. You know, it's like... If...

[00:27:46] I remember a time early on when you would have to get people hyped up because you only had maybe one hit. Right. Or you had maybe a hit and a half. Or maybe even before that when you didn't have any hits. So I get a lot of energy from that, man. The crowd. I like to hear them sing my song. I mean, I don't know who wouldn't want to hear that. Yeah. So it's a big blessing. Yeah. Another thing that was really cool with that festival was you brought your son out to sing Real Bass Pro with. Yeah! Thank you. That was really cool. How's it feel being able to have your family on tour with you? I know a lot of artists don't get that opportunity.

[00:28:15] Well, you're kind for asking. I wouldn't do it without Kelly and the kids. That's it. As much as I do love and appreciate my job, I wouldn't do it if I wasn't being able to day in, day out raise my family with Kelly and be a husband to her wife. I couldn't do it. So that's one of the greatest honors that I have during this whole journey is we travel together, as you know, and do our thing together. And we work together too.

[00:28:44] I mean, you know, so we work, love, raise our kids. And one thing I'm proud of is that we've built our career where we go out on the road and play shows and we go home every night. We have a normal life inside of this. Yeah. That's the most important aspect I could ever impress upon anybody. If you want to have a normal life, you can do it. You just have to make it work. Yeah. You have to figure out those priorities early on. You really do. Build up your career around that. You really do. That's really admirable when artists kind of make that sacrifice. Because it really is a sacrifice. Thank you very much. Yeah.

[00:29:14] It is a sacrifice. But I know you're big on the outdoors. Are you going to get to do any fishing while you're in town? Oh, man. I wanted to fish with you. Sorry. I know we tried. We tried to get him fishing. I'm sorry. I wanted to fish with you, but I was doing interviews in New York City today. And to answer your question, no, I didn't get to fish in town. There is great fishing here. There's great inshore and offshore fishing here, of course. But I didn't get to. And I'm sorry. We'll have to work that out another time. Yeah, we'll make that happen. You come by the farm sometime, we catch some bass, and we'll do a whole write-up about it. We'll have some fun.

[00:29:43] But, you know, I love getting on stage with Jesse. You mentioned JJ. Like, the real bass pro, man. I'm a bass pro man, of course. And I brought you a hat. It's on the bus, on the counter in there. So, you know, we sell these hats for conservation. We give all the money back to the rivers, streams in Tennessee. Right. I love that. And thank you. And one called Hunters for the Hungry where, you know, any wild game harvested that somebody maybe doesn't want to keep for themselves, they want to donate, my hats, proceeds, pay for the processing of it, and then we give it away for free. Oh, that's awesome. Yeah.

[00:30:13] Yeah, that's really cool. So what are you excited about tonight? You got any surprises in front of the crowd? Absolutely. First of all, I love the time slot that I'm in. I'll say that. Yeah. Right before the very last of the night is the perfect, in my opinion, the perfect time of the night to play. I'm excited to play the brand... There it is right there. Oh. Thank you. That's awesome. You're welcome. I love that. So I'm excited to play my brand new single that's coming out at the end of the month called Fight for a Girl. It's already out of the streaming, but it'll be on radio called Fight for a Girl. So I'm excited to play that. Yeah.

[00:30:42] You know, we just hit top 10 with a big song called Me and a Beer off the Wild Horse's album. Thank you so much. It's a great summer song. Thank you. Well, we're going to play that, and I would imagine we'll probably play it right off the bat sometime. Yeah. And then, you know, just... I have to tell you, man, and I say this with like, just understand great humility. Like, for a guy like me coming from the bars early on and coming from literally nothing, sleeping in my car, all I ever wanted was hit songs on the radio. Yeah. And so if I... And now I'm in a place where I've got like...

[00:31:11] You worked so hard for me so many years to get one, then you want another one, and then selfishly, you know, you just hope and climb and climb and climb. Now I've got a whole set tonight of playing songs that people know. And there is no greater... Yeah. It's just a great honor. And I think you can really tell the guys that come up through the bars and playing those smaller shows. You can. Yeah. Oh my God, dude. We played where... When we landed in Myrtle Beach today, I told Kelly, I said, do you remember when we got into your little Lexus and we were married?

[00:31:40] Because my car was... I don't think it had made it. So we got into her little Lexus and we got... We were just dating, I think. And we drove all the way to Myrtle Beach in that Lexus with a kid, you know, one of our our kids in the back or something. Yeah. And opened up for Trace Atkins Acoustic. And I mean, I thought like I was really doing it and I think they paid me like 500 bucks and I was like, ooh, we ain't missing that 500, you know? Yeah. So there's something to be said for putting in the work to get to where you are and play in these big festivals. Buddy, you ain't kidding.

[00:32:09] I mean, you know, I can't speak on behalf of anybody else. You know, I just kind of keep my own, but like, it's not easy. Yeah. It's not an easy road. So a guy like me is very thankful for it and very happy to do it. And I personally like the people who put this festival on. They're good folks. Yeah, they're great. And they've been in my corner a lot. So I appreciate it very much. Yeah. I think, like I said, I think all that work really shines through in your live shows. Thank you. One of the most energetic, greatest live shows you'll see in country music.

[00:32:38] So I'm really excited to see it. Thank you for that. One more song I did want to ask you about quickly. You, Me and the River. Love a Good Murder Ballad. You gave me one of the nicest write-ups when that came out. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it. I know. I appreciate it. I do my homework, buddy. Thank you. Love that song. Love a Good Murder Ballad. How did that song come out? Me too. Well, I got to say I love Eric Church, as you and everybody else does, right? But I was playing a benefit for our military at the Opry House, but not an actual Opry show.

[00:33:08] And Billy Gibbons put it on with Easy Top. Yeah. I think I was there, though. And Eric walked up to me. I'd never met Eric. And he goes, hey, man, I'm Eric. I said, I'm Chris. And you want to go fishing sometime? And I said, yeah. He goes, when? How about tomorrow? I said, I'll be there. This looked true. So I got his number, and I met him at his farm the next day. We went fishing. We got to being buddies. And then, like, I'm thinking, cool. And then the day ended. It was a full day.

[00:33:35] And I thought, all right, if it was only ever that, it was really awesome. And what a great, you know, what a great friendship. So then I'm elk hunting in Colorado a few weeks later, and I get this text from Eric's time I was getting up to go into the rims. And so I'm thinking, galley, what a thing. So he sends me a voice memo, and it was a song called Flag on the Wall. It was a title for it, and it's on that album, the same You, Me, and the River album. Yeah. I wrote Flag on the Wall with Eric over the phone, sitting in the elk woods in the Rocky Mountains way up in elevation.

[00:34:04] And he was traveling across the country somewhere in his bus. So we were trading back voice texts like, you know, back and forth, and we wrote that song. And then he said, hey, what do you think about this? And he sent me You, Me, and the River. And I was like, I think it's awesome. And it was just his vocal. Right. And he's like, cool. Well, if you, you know, basically in so many words, if you'll cut it, I'll cut it with you. And I was like, amazing. I mean, I don't care if it says hunky dory. Those are cool looking tires.

[00:34:34] I mean, yeah, that sounds really good, you know? So, so all of a sudden I had to do that with Eric Church and then he was nice enough to shoot a video with us and get the video and that was how it happened. And I've got to tell you guys for Whiskey Rift exclusive, I never told him about this, burying Eric Church in real time in life with the hazy cold weather outside and the steam rolling up. And you know that the video is, yeah, obviously it's a fake video, but it's, it's as real as it, that's not acting.

[00:35:02] I was literally, he goes bury me. I said, I'm not burying you in the dirt, dude. He's like, no, really, it'll make it real. I was like, for real. So I'm burying, I covered him completely in mud and dirt. That is wild. Freaky dude, really? Yeah. Cause we were off, we were off in the ghettos of Nashville. When I say ghettos, we were like in a really pretty shaky part of town. Right. And, you know, dragging that bag out of the river. I mean, we shot that up until like two, three o'clock in the morning. Yeah. So I mean the video is so dark and you gotta, yeah. Oh yeah.

[00:35:29] So, you know, whatever, but I love Eric for that and I will always be grateful for it. That's awesome. Yeah. That was such a cool song. Thank you. Like I said, the country music needs more murder ballads. I agree, dude. Thank you so much. All right. Well, excited to check out your set. Can't wait to see it. I'm pumped to see what you got coming up. I appreciate your kindness, man. Thanks. Thank you so much. Absolutely. I'm in a country music fest with Stella Lefty. Welcome. Thank you. I know you just flew in.

[00:35:59] So how has the beach been treating you so far? Well, this is my first experience on the beach. Ever? So I would say, no, no. This is my first experience seeing sand. No. This is my first, um, this is my first time today on the beach. Okay. But so far so good. You know? I got the boots in the sand. I wish we could get like a foot in the sand. I know the boot in the sand, it's not hitting the sand. After, after you're set, you can go jump in the water all you want. Yes. Yeah. So you have obviously blown up so fast with your song Boston. And I feel like everyone knows your name, but no one really knows anything else about

[00:36:28] you besides your name and your music. So what are a couple of things that people should know about you? Okay. Well, I'm 23. Okay. So we'll, the age. I'm 23. Um, I'm from outside Chicago, like an hour away. Um, I went to college in Louisiana. I graduated. I was always posting on Tik Tok. Like that was always my thing since like, I think 2020 I was like posting covers. Um, and yeah, that's, and now I live in LA. I live in LA. Maybe people don't know that. Yeah.

[00:36:58] Maybe no one knows where I live. Um, but I live in LA now. I moved there two years ago. Okay. Two and a half years ago. Um, and I live with my two besties. And yeah. Any plans to move to Nashville now? Uh, I think about it. Well, the thing is, and I've said this, like people have asked me this and Nashville is like my happy place, like on this planet earth. It's my favorite place to be. Um, but I don't want to ruin it by living there because I think that like, you know, there's magic and not being there all the time. Yeah. You don't want too much of a good thing. Yeah, exactly. And your song Boston has blown up.

[00:37:28] Like I said, it has taken on a life of its own. Did you expect that to happen? No, no, no, not at all. I literally like when I first posted, I posted on my, like covers account, which is where I post things that I'm like, not so sure about. And I posted it and it like did well. And I was so confused. Honestly, I was like, why what's happening? Like, I didn't think that anyone was going to like resonate with it. Um, but then I finished it like a week later. Cause I was like, okay, like I want to give, I want to give the people what they want. And did, so there's no strategy to it.

[00:37:58] It was just pure algorithm luck. It was literally actually, you want to know what happened? I posted, it was three videos that I posted on my covers account that day. One was a cover of, um, Tyler Childers, but it playing. I just don't like you. That was the first thing that I posted. And then two versions of Boston, but just like the part that I'd written, which was like the first half of the chorus. And one was me smiling and one was me not smiling as much. And that was honestly like this. I was like, I don't know which one's going to do better,

[00:38:28] but maybe like the smiling one will do better. And it did. It did. And then, so the song wasn't even fully written when you posted it. No. Oh, that's also kind of crazy. I was not prepared. So things have been kind of crazy for you. What is the craziest moment since the song blew up? Well, they're getting lit over there. Um, my, the craziest moment, I think it's moments like this. Like I have never played a festival. This is like besides CMA Fest, which we just played this past few days. Like I've never done anything like this. And I never imagined, like I've always wanted to,

[00:38:57] but I never knew what that would look like. And so I think these are the craziest things where people are showing up and I'm like, what? I'm excited for you to see how many people actually show up for you too today. Ah. Yeah. So what made you confident enough in your music to start posting your music online? I honestly, I don't know. Like I kind of was always posting. It was like a weird, like I think, but it was also like during COVID everybody was posting. I felt like, and so I just always was doing it. Like I was posting videos of me lip syncing on there, like covers on there always.

[00:39:27] So like you can, you can go back deep into my TikTok. Okay. And I had like a, a phase where I was doing accents. So I had like a French accent thing that like kind of went viral in like 2022. Okay. I didn't know that. But yeah, but don't find those. Don't look for those. Good to know. Good to know. We're not, we won't tell anyone. Yeah. Don't, don't look for those ones. And what is your songwriting process actually look like? Well, I write basically everything with my best friend, Grace. So she's like someone who I met really early on in LA. Like she was like one of my first friends there.

[00:39:55] But she's an amazing artist and she also is obviously an amazing songwriter, but we started writing together. Like the first thing we ever wrote together was thinking about you, which I put out in January. And then once like I started teasing that we were like, maybe we should write together more. Like let's just see what happens. And so we kept writing and now she's like the only person that I trust of my life. Okay. Love it. Well, we're at the beach. Like I said, what is your dream beach day look like? Oh, my dream beach day.

[00:40:24] I think it would be, well, I'd want to be tanning. So I think it would have to be really sunny because I love doing that. So maybe I would sit like really close to the water, have like a big beach blanket. Maybe the beach blanket would be pink. Okay. Okay. One of those blanket ones. Yeah. Like a blankety one. Yeah. And I would lay on that. Maybe I would be alone. Like I haven't done that in a really long time. I haven't done anything alone in a really long time. So I'm like, it could be good for me. Lay on the beach. Maybe I'll be drinking.

[00:40:54] I want, oh, have you ever had, this is not even like a hot take or anything, but like this Starbucks, when you go to Starbucks and you just order like an iced water, like a huge one. Okay. So it's not, it's not a new thing. I mean, I always get it with my, whatever my coffee order is. I would order also like a freezing cold water. Yeah. That water hits different. It's like really cold and amazing. So that's what I would have next to me. I would have one of those. Okay. Perfect. Yeah. I have some rapid fire questions for you.

[00:41:33] Okay. But also I'm a huge Morgan fan. So maybe that would be the craziest thing. I don't know. There's so many people. They're on tour together right now. So you could be with both of them. Exactly. But I also love Taylor Swift. Like if she ever went on tour. Oh yeah. I love, there's so, I'm such a fan of so many people. So that's like the hardest question for me. Okay. Who was your favorite country artist growing up? Oh, I mean Tim McGraw, I think for me, like just reminds me of like my family, like growing up so much. I think he, also Brad Paisley, like one of my favorite songs of all time is Letter To Me. Oh yeah, that's a good one.

[00:42:03] And that one like really makes me cry every time I listen to it. Yeah. So I think them too. Who was another artist you would tell everyone to go listen to right now? Oh, like a new one? Yes, a new one. A new one. Okay. I'm going to say, I'm going to say, can I give two? Yeah. Okay. Lacey K. Booth, huge Lacey K. Booth fan. I've been watching her from afar. Also Joshua Sloan. Yeah. I love him. He is good. He just did a great show in Nashville too. Oh yes, I heard. It was like right before CMA Fest started. Yeah.

[00:42:33] Okay. What is something that people assume about you that actually is not true? Ooh, what do people assume about me? I can't imagine what they say in the comments on your TikToks. I know. Like what are people assuming? I don't know. Maybe they assume that like, because I'm so like smiley in like all of my videos that I'm happy like all of the time. And I will say like, I'm a really unserious person generally. So that tends to mean that I like am happy. You know what I mean? Yeah. Like if you take nothing that seriously, you're happy. Yes. I feel.

[00:43:03] Um, but I have my days, you know. Everyone has their days. Everyone has their days. Yeah. And then what is the weirdest DM you've ever gotten? Ooh. Ooh. Uh, there was a DM. There's definitely a lot of like feet pic DMs. Okay. But I feel like there has to be weirder ones. Like I need to think. I wish that I had my phone. I hope that like you actually don't go find the really, really weird ones. I want to find them. They're honestly really entertaining. Okay. Like I love receiving them. I also got an email one time, like a marriage proposal. Oh my goodness.

[00:43:32] In my email. And I loved it. I was like, yes. I'm flattered. I'll take it. Okay. So a lot has changed from a year ago to today. What's something that you want people to be saying about you and your music a year from now? That it's only gotten better. Okay. You know, I want to keep growing and just, yeah. Yeah. Well, thank you so much for hanging out at Royal Beach with us. Thank you. Thanks for having me.

[00:43:55] Carolina Country Music Fest with Rodney Adkins. Have you ever played this festival before? Played a few years ago. Yeah. It's a blast. It's a big, big festival. It's a lot of fun. Yeah. It's a great festival. Seems like a great crowd. How was your set? It was insane. The people singing. When I can just kind of shut up and let the crowd sing. Yeah. That's the coolest thing ever. I got the chills over and over.

[00:44:25] And I think that really speaks to how many hits you had in your career and the longevity of your music. You know, you had so many like watching you about the south and just so many that have resonated for so long. Yeah. It's cool when folks come up and they tell you how, like just then a guy came up and told me how important watching you was to him and his daughters actually. And a couple little kids came up that were I think six and nine.

[00:44:52] And they said watching you was them and their dad's song. And that's that's cooler than having a hit. You know, when it songs mean something to people. Yeah. And watching you was what 2006 when you released that? Yeah. And how old is your son that you wrote that about now? He's 24. Wow. He was four when it was. Time flies. And you actually recorded a version of that song with him, right? We did. Yeah. Last year we did. We called it watching you 2.0. Yeah. And it's kind of the way it was always meant to be.

[00:45:22] I think I like it better. So he's singing the chorus on the song. Yeah. Sort of is just a crazy tick tock idea. And 12 million views later. We said we got to do the whole version. So it was fun. Yeah. Music's changed so much since you, you know, since that song was released with tick tock and streaming and everything. Everything's just it's a different music, different world in the music business. Completely. And you can embrace that or you can kind of try to run from it. It's cool, man.

[00:45:48] You can write a song on a Monday and buy your show the next weekend. People know the words to a brand new song. Yeah. It's been pretty wild. Yeah. You just have a new album out, True South. How's the reception to that been? It's been amazing. It's really been really cool. It's can't believe it's been since seven years since my last record. Yeah. I just take my time making these records and I like to try songs out in the real world like this. It's been amazing, man. People have talked about how they love that. A lot of people saying it's their favorite record I've ever done.

[00:46:18] So yeah, it's a blast. Yeah. I love the new album. I think it really fits in with some of your older music. I think it's a perfect kind of continuation and you growing with your music. So it's really cool. Thank you. So what do you have left the rest of the year? Any big plans? Just hitting it, man. We're just kind of now getting up on the road. We're out playing three and four shows a week. So this is an exciting time. We get to go out and do this. Yeah. Do you get to check out Myrtle Beach any while you're here? Have any fun on the beach? This time probably not in a whole lot. We did go to the beach.

[00:46:48] My kids are with me and my wife. So we got out and played around in the sand for a little while. Yeah, it's a beautiful beach and we were over at the Bowery earlier, you know, the home of Alabama where they got their start. Myrtle Beach was the beach. I didn't go many vacations when I was a kid, but the couple of times we did it was Myrtle Beach is where we came. Same thing. I'm from West Virginia and so this is where we always came to. Love it down here. Rodney, it was great to meet up with you. I appreciate you taking the time to chat with us. Absolutely.

[00:47:18] Everybody go check out the new album. Please do. Thanks. Alright. We're here in Myrtle Beach at Carolina Country Music Fest and we're sitting with Slater Nally. What's up? With 60 miles of beach behind us, which is beautiful. Well, thank you so much for spending some time with us here. Of course. How was it? You just played your set at Carolina Country Music Fest. How was it? It was incredible. A lot of fun.

[00:47:41] This crowd was so much fun to play for and being here with the incredible ocean breeze and everything is really nice. It was hot at first, but it cooled down a little bit and I'm happy about that. And a lot has happened for you in this last year. You went from being in high school to playing music kind of all over the country. Yeah. How does it feel? It's definitely different than what I had expected I'd be doing at this point in my life, but I'm so grateful for it. And this is what I've always dreamed of doing.

[00:48:10] And so the fact that it was able to start earlier than I even expected it to, that makes me happy and want to keep working hard. What do you think the craziest moment has been from this past year? The craziest moment?

[00:48:22] Definitely when I was on Idol having the Cody walk out with Carrie, but after Idol I'd say just being able to play in so many different towns, so many different states and areas, meeting so many new people and artists that I've been such fans of that, you know, we're all kind of in a lane together now and it's really fun to learn from them. And has any of us started to feel normal at all? I think it's starting to feel normal. I moved to Nashville in August, so it's been almost a year now and I'm getting the hang of things.

[00:48:52] What's something that people might assume about you that's not actually true? I think a lot of people assume that when I'm not releasing music or posting about music, I'm not writing music, but that's not true. We got a lot of good music. I just like to take time with it. So that way it's the music that they actually want to hear, you know? And I know that you have some music coming. I'm assuming. What can you share about it? Yeah. So we have our first release in a little while called Hey Georgia back last month.

[00:49:20] And then we have These Please coming out June 12th. I've been posting that on my Instagram a little bit. I'm really excited for that one. I think it's catchy. I think people are going to... It's a drinking boat song. It's just a fun one, I think. I think people will really get behind that one, hopefully. And yeah, after that we got a lot of new releases that are just going to be following it up. And so the wait's kind of over for a long waiting period. It's going to keep hitting everybody very, very, very fast. So I'm excited. Can't wait for some new music. Me neither.

[00:49:49] Now being thrown in the spotlight so fast, what's the biggest lesson you've learned? The biggest lesson I've learned is to just be yourself, honestly. You know, it's a lot of times easy to try and compare yourself and try and be somebody else who's in the camera all the time or whatever it is. And there's a reason that it's happened. So I just got to be myself. And I think that was the lesson. Don't try and be anybody else, you know? And for people who might not be familiar with your music, what song would you tell them to go listen to?

[00:50:17] Or maybe even what YouTube clip would you tell them to go look at? Yeah, absolutely. If you're not familiar with my music or artistry, I'd say probably go check out Hey Georgia. It's a mix of where I'm from. It's an identity piece. It's Southern rock and country all mixed in one. And I'm really happy that everybody has that one and it's out then. And yeah, listen to all of it. Yeah. And what I love about you as an artist is that you're very open about being a songwriter first. Yeah.

[00:50:43] And you talk about your songwriter inspirations, which kind of are our favorites as well at Whiskey Riff. Yeah, absolutely. So can you talk about how your music taste was molded and who your favorites are? Sure. So growing up, I always listened to Allman Brothers with my dad. He always play them in the car. And so having that soul from the south with multiple different perspectives, there wasn't a whole lot of bands like that. And I really took after that and dove in in that lane. Then I discovered my uncle took me to a Jason Isbell concert.

[00:51:10] I was probably like 13 and from there I was sold. I think he's the best songwriter of our generation. And him, Tyler Childers, Sturgill, all of them, it's just they did something that nobody else was doing and showed that being yourself can pay off in ways that nobody expects and can also create inspiration for other people to break off and not follow what everybody else is doing. Love it. I love those people. What's like your favorite Jason Isbell song? Favorite Jason Isbell song changes about every day.

[00:51:39] But I'd say I like Speed Trap Town the best. I think that one's very, that gets me. Good one. For sure. Now switching back to the beach, is the beach your dream vacation or are you more of a mountains person? What's the deal? That's a great question. I love the mountains. I love being in the mountains and having rain or whatever it is. A lot of greenery and stuff like that, lakes, whatever it is. But a beach day is very awesome when you get it. Yeah. Especially this one. I mean the water is crazy.

[00:52:09] When you do have a day off, is there even a day where you don't play music or have music involved? And if there is, what do you do on it? I feel like every day I'm at least singing. Whether that's still on my own or writing a song. But I'm writing most days and so that makes me sing I guess. And from there I just love music. Being able to sing is what I was put here to do and what I'm going to keep doing. So I love doing it. Okay. And now we're going to get into a little bit of a rapid fire segment. Let's do it. I like it. Okay.

[00:52:38] Favorite country song of all time? Favorite country song of all time is Everything That Glitters Is Not Gold. Ooh. Okay. Dream artist to go on tour with? Dream artist to go on tour with would be Stapleton. Okay. What song have you had on repeat lately? Recently I've been listening to a lot of Anderson East. Okay. Because he's been producing all these new songs and I'm really excited for everyone to hear them. So I dove in and listened to his songs and they are incredible. Go check them out. Okay.

[00:53:06] And when you're on the road what's your best gas station snack or fast food? Coke Slurpee every time. I love a good Slurpee. And some Jolly Ranchers. I'm a big Jolly Ranchers fan. Okay. And what is one thing that fans might be surprised to know about you? Hmm. I think a lot of people when they hear me think I'm older is what I've been told. And I think that's because I listen to a lot of older music and stuff like that and write kind of similar to the old stuff. But I'm only 19 so it's been really fun to be able to kind of tell people that and see their reaction.

[00:53:36] But I'm just grateful to be doing it. But that's definitely I think the surprise that most people figure out about me. Okay. A year ago where did you think that you would be today? A year ago I really did not think I'd be playing Carolina Country Music Fest. I'd be touring with artists that I love and writing songs and releasing them with people who are wanting to hear them and listening every day. That's what's been the most special part about this all is that no matter how far you think you're going to go you can always go further.

[00:54:06] And I have a long way to go but I've got a great jump start, a great team and I'm really excited to be where I am. And where do you hope to be in one year from today? In one year from now I'd like to have a lot more music out which I will. I'd like to be playing some stages with more artists that I'm fond of. You know what I mean? And I'd like people to really understand who I am as an artist. You know break away from the American Idol thing which I'm so grateful for and I love and I'll talk about anytime.

[00:54:36] But you know after that it's like where do you go from there? And I think the songs that we're writing and producing now are really showing that side of me. This new identity and I'm excited about that. Awesome. Well thank you so much for your time. Thank you I appreciate it. Hope you get to enjoy the beach and rest of the weekend. Absolutely. Thank you for your time. I appreciate it. Alright so we're here at Carolina Country Music Fest. We've got Miles Morgan in the Myrtle Beach Skywheel.

[00:55:04] What better views of the city are you going to get than right up here? What's up guys? I'm so excited. Thank you so much Whiskey Rip for having me. This is awesome. Yeah absolutely. I mean you can see the whole city, the whole beach. I think they said there's like 60 miles of beach in Myrtle Beach. That is wild. So that's really, yeah. Have you ever been here before? So I came last year for CCMF also. Okay. And that was my first time coming to South Carolina. Yeah. I still haven't come very often but yeah I love this place. It's awesome. Yeah it's a great town. I grew up in West Virginia and so we always came down here for vacation.

[00:55:34] Yeah. You know they have putt-putt and Broadway at the beach is great if you have time to go out there. There's so much to do. There is a lot of fun stuff to do. So I wanted to talk about your music. You're playing Carolina Country Music Fest tomorrow. Yeah man. Is this your first time playing or were you just here last year? So we were here last year and no I played last year. Okay. Got an opportunity to play early. I was really, really, really fresh last year. Yeah. Hadn't played a whole lot of shows. Didn't really know what I was doing.

[00:56:01] So I'm excited for this year because we kind of got our legs under us a little bit now and we're ready to put on a really good show. And I love it here. I had a great experience last year and I can only imagine it's going to be even better this year. So yeah. Because you used to be a baseball player. Is that right? That's right. Before I did music, I was nothing but a baseball player my whole life. I was growing up playing baseball. Nobody in my family really did music.

[00:56:23] And my senior year of high school, I picked up a guitar and my dad actually told me I needed to get a job before college and start making some money. So I started knocking on doors at restaurants down at the coast and asking if I could play some cover gigs and stuff like that. And kind of got started playing my senior year and then went to Tuscaloosa, went to the University of Alabama and started playing bar shows and stuff like that. Got a band together.

[00:56:47] And just shortly after that, I played my first headline show last year and signed with WME. And then it's just been crazy since then. Yeah. I can imagine, you know, growing up playing in bars, you really get, you know, that instant reaction from fans. Oh, yeah. So you can tell what works and what doesn't. Do you feel like that helps you know what to do with your music when you get that from the fans playing in bars? A hundred percent.

[00:57:11] I feel like there's no better way to come up than to get firsthand personal experience right out of the gate of like, this is what a rowdy crowd is like. This is how you're supposed to handle it. And it's always fun. You just got to be you got to be ready for it and know how to handle it. But yeah, I wouldn't have wanted to do it any other way. I loved it. Do you know a lot of people do, you know, come up on TikTok and social media? Do you do a lot of that stuff? I do. I love posting on TikTok and I post all the time, almost every single day.

[00:57:37] And I mean, obviously, I'm trying to haven't had a super, super, super viral moment yet. So that's still something that we're hoping for. But yeah, that's definitely a big part of what we do as well. Yeah. So I know you play a lot. You're from Alabama. Yeah. And so you've played a lot at the Floribama. Oh, yeah. How was that? That was one thing. So my senior year before I went to college, I got a chance to play at the Floribama. And at the time I was still considering playing college baseball.

[00:58:05] And I had, you know, an offer to play for one school, but I'd always been a Bama fan and I was kind of torn. And then I played at the Floribama before I went to college. And I was like, man, this is this is a fun thing. I think I like music. So, yeah, I stuck with the music thing. And here here we are now. So it looks like it was the right decision. Right. Yeah. The Floribama is such a cool bar. You know, beach bar, you really can't beat a beach bar. That's exactly right. You can just walk out and hear live music on the beach. It's amazing. Oh, yeah.

[00:58:33] Floribama is probably my favorite bar in the world. It's hard for me not to say that. Yeah. I love Orange Beach and I love everything about the Floribama. So, yeah, such a cool environment. So you just released new music and new song this past week? Yes. Yesterday. So we just released a new song called Wrong Kind of History yesterday. And I wrote that one with a couple of guys named Jet Harvey and Michael Lawton, two amazing guys, a couple of the best songwriters in Nashville. And I am super excited about it.

[00:59:01] It's been, I've gotten good feedback so far from people who have heard it and we're actually playing it. We just debuted it at CMA Fest yesterday for the first time ever. Okay. And we're playing it tomorrow at CCMF. Yeah. So I'm really pumped for all these people to hear it. So do you live in Nashville now? I do. Okay. I moved to Nashville less than a year ago. So just, you know, a few months shy or something. Right. Do you feel like that helps being in Nashville? Because I mean, that's where all the songwriters and producers are. So. A hundred percent.

[00:59:28] You know, when I was starting in the music industry, it's a big thing is like networking and being able to just go talk to people and say what's up and show your face and just be a cool guy. And that's what I was trying to do within the Floribama is where it started. I was like going up because there's a lot of history, a lot of amazing musicians at the Floribama. And it was always a point of mine to go try to, you know, say, Hey, to everybody, shake everybody's hand, see if you can get up on stage and play a song with somebody if they'll let you.

[00:59:55] And once I moved to Nashville, it's like, all right, time to do the same thing here, you know, go, go work your way into places and see if you can meet everybody and say, Hey, and make some friends. And then it's, it's helped me along the way. The music business is so much about making connections and finding the right people and finding kind of your tribe, your songwriters, your producers, your band. A hundred percent. So that's, you know, being in Nashville, you're around so many talented people. I feel like it just makes everybody better. That is exactly right. Couldn't agree more. Yeah.

[01:00:25] So what else do you have planned for the rest of the year? So we are, we have a busy June. We're playing CCMF tomorrow and then five days from now, six days from now, I guess on June 12th, we're playing rock the South in Decatur, Alabama. Really excited for that. I've been to that one. That one's a blast. Yes. I went, I think it was like 2019. That was the only time I've been to rock the South. And this was years prior to me ever thinking about doing music.

[01:00:52] I was just a fan in the crowd, but I absolutely loved it. And that was back when it was in Coleman. But yeah, I'm, I'm super excited for that one. Cause that that's going to be a cool moment for me. Cause the last time I was there, it was just me as a fan and it's going to be a different experience. Oh yeah. Every time I play in Alabama, it's all, it's obviously awesome. Yeah. And then after rock the South on the 19th, we're, we have an opportunity to open for Brantley Gilbert in Farmington, Pennsylvania. Okay. So I'm excited for that as well.

[01:01:23] And then the next week is barefoot country music fest. So busy summer. And then we're going to do a headline tour this fall as well. So be looking out for that. We'll be releasing some dates shortly. Yeah. We'll be up at barefoot country music fest up in Wildwood, New Jersey too. That one. I've heard great things about that one. I'm excited to see that one. Wildwood is such a cool place. Have you been there? Yes. So we, we, I've got to play CCMF and barefoot last year. Um, for the first time and I can't wait to go back.

[01:01:52] I was, I didn't know what to expect. First time going to New Jersey, um, as an Alabama boy, I was like, hope everybody's not mean up here, but everyone was super nice. It was like surprisingly felt kind of like Southern hospitality. Yeah. I guess country fans, you know, you're surrounded by your kind of people. There's good people everywhere. Yeah. So what kind of your sound, I mean, you talked about how you get a chance to open for Brantley Gilbert and I think that fits really well with your sound, kind of this country rock thing. How would you describe your sound and kind of your influences?

[01:02:21] Well, I grew up listening to a lot of, uh, you know, the, the country that was popular in the 2010. So I was, I was growing up on Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan, obviously Florida Georgia line. And then, um, when Morgan started coming up, I was listening to a lot of Morgan. He's a big inspiration of mine. And, uh, I also love like Southern rock music. I love Leonard Skinner and, um, greatest rock band of all time. And I 100% agree with you on that one. Give me some, but, uh, I love Leonard Skinner.

[01:02:50] And then also I, I love Post Malone, like from way before he was doing country music, I was listening to Stoney and Beerbongs and Billies and stuff like that when I was in middle school. Um, I just love the melodies and, uh, the uniqueness of his song, uh, his songs. So, um, I try to take, I like a lot of different stuff and I feel like my sound is a blend of kind of all that stuff. There's so many talented country artists from Alabama. I mean, especially like just right now, you've got Riley, you've got Ella, you've got Jamie Johnson, Muscadine too.

[01:03:20] Muscadine bloodline. Yeah. Those guys are awesome. Mobile. I mean, I saw them at, uh, I'm sure, you know, Iron City in Birmingham. Yep. They were opening for Luke Combs back in 2016. That is so crazy. And you know, that was right before hurricane and Luke blew up, but Muscadine was opening for them and now they've even gotten so big. So it's really cool to see so many talented artists from that region really blowing up and having success. And the red clay strays are from mobile too. It's crazy. I forgot about them. That's true. And they just played CMA Fest and they, you know, had a big night at the CMA awards.

[01:03:49] So there's so much talent in Alabama that it really gets overlooked. Oh yeah. We're, since we're at the beach, we have to talk about it. What are your favorite things to do at the beach? Well, I mean, I am a beach guy. I like going on the beach and, uh, I mean, me being a baseball player, I always try to take a glove and take a ball and bring a buddy with a glove so I can play catch. Um, I would say I'm probably more of a beach guy than like be out on the beach guy than a pool guy. Yeah. If I had to say one or the other. Well, Miles really appreciate it. Thank you for taking some time to meet with us.

[01:04:19] Absolutely. Excited to see your set tomorrow. Heck yeah. I'm excited for it too. Anything else you want to plug? Feel free. Well, Wrong Kind of History just came out. It's a brand new single and I feel like you guys will really love it. So y'all please go check that one out, stream it, save it, share it with your friends. And we got a lot more music coming for the rest of the year. Uh, we're probably going to have, we're going to have a release. I would say every six weeks or so. So, um, y'all be on the lookout for a lot of new, good music and, uh, y'all come catch a show.

[01:04:48] We got, we got a bunch of dates that we're about to throw out there. So y'all come see me. Welcome to Myrtle Beach. We are currently, well, we currently just got out of a helicopter that we're flying and we're hanging out with a rut Spence to talk about Myrtle Beach, the area, the festival, and there's a lot going on. So I can't wait to talk about it. How do you feel about being at CCMF? I am stoked. I'm excited to be back for a second year in a row.

[01:05:14] I used to come here whenever I was younger, I would say younger, I guess in the last 10 years, I used to come and support other bands and just come and watch them. And, uh, I played it for the first time last year on the Coors Banquet stage and I'm just really excited to be on the T-Dos vodka stage this year. And you're from the area, is that correct? Yeah, I'm from Lexington, so about three hours away, but I lived in Myrtle Beach for three years. Um, I love coming back here. I went to the beach in Myrtle growing up my whole life with my family. One week out of the year, um, we would go to Garden City. So we'd always have a house down here and come and visit.

[01:05:42] So it's nice being able to come back, play in a place that I do consider like home for me. And can you name a couple of your favorite, uh, local Myrtle Beach spots? Oh, let's see. I used to go to Shuckers all the time. Key West Grill was one of my favorite places. A hidden gem is Magoo's. And then the I'm not here sports bar and grill is a really cool local bar that we love hanging out with the owners. They're really good people. So love it. A couple of gym, local gyms for you.

[01:06:08] And we're hanging out today, but you're performing tomorrow and you just dropped a huge bomb. We obviously will not share this until after it happens, but can you share with everyone else what you're doing after your set tomorrow? So, it's a big secret. My girlfriend definitely doesn't know, but I'm going to be proposing on stage. Got the ring. My brother's coming up with it and he's going to bring her up on the stage. I'm thinking I'm going to tell her, like, I want her to help throw some shirts out and get her and my bass player's girlfriend up there. Still planning, like, how to pull it off, but I may just pull her up on stage and propose. I don't know. Yeah.

[01:06:38] So, a little surprise for everybody still. Tell her that afterwards that you guys, that we're going to come take a bunch of pictures. Oh, yeah. And make sure that she gets all dressed up and is ready for the big moment. Oh, yeah. I'll make sure she knows without knowing. Yes. And just because we're at a country music festival, can you name a couple of your favorite country music songs or artists? Oh, yes. So, Toby Keith is one of my favorite all time. I grew up listening to Shocking Y'all on repeat in my dad's truck going to baseball games and everything. I think I know almost every song and every lyric probably to every Toby Keith song ever. Love it.

[01:07:07] One of my favorites. And then I got to open up for Craig Morgan in November at an amphitheater and he was one of my childhood favorites too. I love his songwriting and lyricism. I love Hardy a lot. Hardy is one of my favorite songwriters all time. Okay, awesome. Well, thank you so much for hanging out with us and I can't believe we just got a ride in a helicopter. I know, I know. I'm happy we made it down safe. Yeah, me too. We're at Carolina Country Music Fest in Myrtle Beach with one of country music's fastest rising stars.

[01:07:36] You've gone from being like the name to watch in country music to be having like one of the busiest schedules and always being on the road. So, how does it feel? How are you enjoying CCMF so far? Oh, it's so fun. I mean, I'm a beach girl through and through. I'm from California and Florida. So, this feels like a little bit of home getting to come escape CMA Fest and come here for a while. So, it's been super fun. We've gotten some local coffee and walked the beach. My dog is here. It's been a really good day.

[01:08:03] So, what is your actual like dream beach day if you get a day off and you're by the water? Dream beach day. Oof. I mean, wake up, get some matcha somewhere, hit a workout, go to the beach all day, lay out, get a good tan and then go home, take a shower. Nothing's better than post beach shower everything off and be a little sunburned and go get some dinner and hang out. So, it's probably that order. Love it.

[01:08:28] Now, your career has grown over the past five, six years really, but a lot of people just say, you know, it's just overnight. Is there a moment where it started to actually feel real rather than just like, wow, I can't believe it's all happening? Yeah. I mean, I think the time that it really started to set in was my first headline tour. There's nothing like walking on a stage into a room full of people that you know booked the babysitter, you know, did the thing, bought the tickets, planned to be there and are singing every word to your music.

[01:08:58] It's just, it really makes it real when you see a crowd of people that are dedicated to being there to support you. I'm now going on my third headline tour. We're about to go on it. It's called the Baby Blues World Tour and we're going to the UK. We're doing all over the US playing the Ryman in Nashville, which is going to be crazy. Yeah. I think just those, those moments, I, it really hits me 10 times harder just walking on stages like that and feeling like my people, my community is there in the room. And so I think that's just, yeah, around, around the time of my first headline tour was when that all started to happen.

[01:09:27] And is there a crazy moment from the tours or even a festival that like stick out to you? Like, I can't believe that just happened. Ooh. Honestly, we, we just played CMA Fest the last couple of days and I felt like it was a different year. Like it was, it was really cool to be on the riverfront stage, to be at category 10, all these places that we've played the last couple of years, but there was just something different in the energy of these crowds. They just, they knew more than just Your Place, which is my first number one song.

[01:09:56] They knew the whole set. Like they were singing along. They were wearing the merch. They were there. They showed up. And so it feels like there's a bit of a shift happening, which is really exciting because you know, we've been working on it. I've been at this since I was 11. Um, but I've been assigned to my first record deal since I was gosh, like 22. Been a couple of years. We've been grinding at it. And so it's, it's fun. It feels like a lot of the work that we've put in and the sleepless nights in the van and then in the bus, it's all starting to kind of pay off a little bit, which is just really exciting and such a blessing.

[01:10:24] And I'm just happy that people are discovering my music and want to come see us play. Yeah. That has to be such a cool feeling going to that kind of crowd. So cool. Is there a song that they, the fans connected with more than you kind of expected them to, or at least in a different way? A hundred percent. Um, it's funny cause you know, as artists, we always pick the songs we think are going to work and pick the songs they think are going to be the next radio single or whatever. And the fans are always like, Nope, we're going to decide, which I love. I think that's really special to happen with your place. And also now this new single I have called baby blues. It is crazy.

[01:10:54] That song is just having a complete life of its own. And I first posted the demo last year and didn't really think much of it. And next thing you know, the numbers are jumping and everybody's singing along and it's become this moment in our set. That's so big and just so cool to see people respond and react and people find my music, find my albums, find all of it from that song. So it's, that song is definitely growing legs for sure. And I've seen you post it on social media a couple of times that you do something kind of fun during that song.

[01:11:23] Can you share exactly what it is? Yeah. So I, I don't even know when it started. I just one day started picking somebody from the crowd and singing to them, like picking somebody with blue eyes or just somebody cute. I don't know. And singing a chorus of the song directly to them. And it's been so fun because it, it gives the crowd a moment to look forward to where every show is going to be different. Every show I pick somebody new, I do it to somebody new and it's just fun whether it's

[01:11:49] a guy or a girl, just anybody there that's having a good time, cute, has blue eyes, all the things. It's, it's a really fun moment. And I'm going to do it today at Carolina Country Music Press. So yeah. How do you pick? Is it personally you or is it your team? It's me. It's all me. Every time? Yep. Every time. Has anything come from one of those cute guys you bring up and sing to them? I'm sure they're like blushing. It's very fun. It's fun because sometimes they're super shy and sometimes they lean in and they're like extra confident. And that's the, that's the beauty of us. The beauty of the moment, every show being something different.

[01:12:18] But I mean, yeah, I've, I've become friends with quite a few of the people that I've sang to. Um, and it's just been fun to get to kind of share that moment. Maybe I'll do something at the end of the year with all of them or something could be fun. I don't know. I haven't thought that far in advance yet, but yeah, it's been, it's been fun. And I've, I've pretty much become Instagram friends or hung out with a couple of people. So it's, it's been a really good time and I'm just happy that people are loving the moment as much as I do, you know? Yeah. And with new music and a new tour, I'm sure everyone's always asking what's next, what's next, what's next.

[01:12:45] But how do you balance like enjoying the tour that you're on while still probably writing music and thinking about that next step? Yeah. I mean, it's tough. I'm, I'm just such a, like, I've always been somebody who copes with everything in my life through writing songs. So I'm nonstop writing. My album is done. It's turned in. It's ready to come out August 14th, but I'm still writing every day. I'm still, you know, exploring different things that I want to do sonically. And I already have my whole next record planned out in my head.

[01:13:13] And so it's, it's a continual just moving, moving target of what I want to do. But that's the beauty of it. Right? I don't ever want to get to a place where I've created as much as I want and then I just stop because that's just never, it's never going to be me. I just always want to keep creating. Um, so it is, I've been trying my hardest to really be present, be in the moment, enjoy everything for what it is because my life is planned out through February of next year when I play the Ryman. So I, it is kind of weird to know exactly where I'm going to be when I'm 29, when I'm

[01:13:41] 30, you know, it's like you, you can think ahead on that. But I think so often in this career so far, I've forgotten to really be in the moment and live where my feet are planted. So I'm, I'm trying my hardest to, to be where my boots are, which is in the sand right now. So yeah. And everything changes so fast too. And you never even can really plan for that either. No, you can't, you don't know. I mean, like I had a single at radio called the hell you are that was doing amazing. Everyone was loving it. It was such a fun song. And then baby blues pops up and it's like, okay, we should go with that song. And so you just never know what's going to happen.

[01:14:10] And I'm just thankful that so much of my career is, is happening. It's not like just one song. It's there's multiple songs and multiple things. And I don't know. It's really, it's a fun time to be creating music and getting to play it and just be in this, in this career. I have a little bit of rapid fire for you. Hit me. Okay. I love rapid fire. Beach or lake? Ooh, today beach. Okay. Favorite country song of all time? Of all time. Of all time. Man, I feel like a woman Shania Twain. Okay. Great one. Artists that you've had on repeat lately.

[01:14:40] Who about on repeat lately? I've had Patrick Droney on repeat lately. Yeah. Your dream duet partner. Dream duet partner? Ed Sheeran. Ooh, okay. Most underrated artist in Nashville right now? Underrated artist in Nashville right now. Lacey K. Booth. You love her. She's so freaking good. She is good. It's crazy. And last one, best road trip snack. Road trip snack? Yes. What are those like white popcorn things? Pirate's Booty? Yes. Pirate's Booty. Very good. Okay.

[01:15:10] And then last question. What's something that you're chasing right now that has nothing to do with, you know, status, awards, number ones? What's something that like you've set a goal for? Set a goal for? I want to sell out the Ryman. Okay. We'll go with that. There we go. I want to sell out the Ryman. We're getting there. We're getting close. Thank you so much for being here with us. Can't wait to see you perform at CCMF today. Thank you. We'll see y'all out there. All right. We're here with Chandler Carpenter and the Reckless Souls here at Carolina Country Music Fest, beautiful Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

[01:15:40] How's it going, guys? It's going good, man. We just got done playing an acoustic set down the road for the corporate sponsors. So we're excited. We can come up at eight o'clock here tonight. Awesome. And you guys are from not far away. You're from Boone, North Carolina. Is that right? Yeah, Boone, North Carolina. So it's about a five hour drive for us. A lot of different weather up there than it is down here. Oh yeah, I'm sure. Did you grow up coming to Myrtle Beach? Yeah, I came up to Myrtle Beach my entire life. I remember when this used to be the pavilion back in the day. Same.

[01:16:08] So this is my fifth time at Carolina Country Music Festival. I came three times as a spectator and then we got to play last year. Oh cool. And this year got our way up to the main stage. That's going to be sick. That's awesome. So this is your first time playing the main stage? Yeah, yeah. Last year we was under, I forget what it's called, the banquet stage on the side. Last night was a great crowd, so I think you're in for a treat. Yeah man, we're excited. It should be. I really like your guys' story. You kind of started in your hometown, grew up playing bars. It actually started me and Christian playing acoustic gigs.

[01:16:38] We played acoustic for about a year, you know, kind of found our sound. And then Gus and Mason were already, you know, we were already good buddies. And they were like, hey man, we play drums and bass. So we kind of put it together, first practice, you know, like butter. So it's been uphill ever since. How long has that been since you got started? What's it been about? Maybe two years? Yeah. Two years now. Maybe not even. Two and a half, something like that. Oh wow, so y'all got to the main stage quick. Yeah, we're trying to.

[01:17:07] You know, it's just nose on the grindstone, grinding every, playing every weekend we can and getting in the studio. We got some new music coming out soon. We're trying to get out. Yeah. And I feel like your sound really fits in with a lot of what's popular in country music right now. I know, you know, Co Wetzel and blending the country and rock. That's really popular right now. And so I think you're coming along at a good time. Yeah. We get a lot of inspiration from those guys. That whole red dirt scene, you know, Co Wetzel, Trudio, Sterling Alza.

[01:17:35] And then even out of North Carolina now, you got Fox and Veed. You know, we look up to those guys a lot. They're great. I saw them a couple months ago. They're really good. Yeah, they're taking off. We met them guys a couple months ago and they're real chill dudes. Yeah. So, yeah, trying to do our thing. Yeah. Who were some of your favorite artists growing up? You know, let's let Christian answer this. He got the sauce in the bag. We all have different like musical tastes, I would say.

[01:18:02] I grew up on like good old classic rock, like the Stones, the Eagles, CCR. We all kind of grew up with different. I know Chandler, you listen to a lot more like 90s country than I do. Oh, yeah. Chandler throws on Alan Jackson, George Strait and I throw on the Rolling Stones. So, it's a little bit different from everywhere. I mean, who did you grow up listening to, Mason? Big Foo Fighters guy. Okay. All into super, you know, just all kind of alternative rock and roll. Yeah. That's just me. It's kind of my drama style.

[01:18:32] Look up Dave Grohl and all them. Yeah. That's just me personally. You guys are kind of describing like my high school mixtapes, like the burnt CDs that you would pop in your car and yeah, there's some rap on there, some Eminem. I always tell people my musical tastes are like, what do you listen to? I'm like dude, bluegrass to young Dolph, like hip hop, like everything in between man. Like we have very open music tastes. I think you can kind of see that in our music. We're not afraid to get experimental like in the studio. So, it's fun. You know, if it doesn't work out, you scratch it and start over sometimes. Yeah, absolutely.

[01:19:01] Do you guys write songs together or how do you do that? I would say every song we've written has kind of happened differently. Like some songs Chandler kind of like drives them and then kind of sends them to us and we kind of get together, rehearse and rap around them. Me and Chandler have written several songs together. Even Mason, our drummer will send us a chord progression sometimes like, oh, that's okay. Yeah. So, we kind of, all of us kind of play multiple instruments. So, we kind of like tag team everything. So, I would say, yeah, we write a lot together.

[01:19:32] Chandler usually does it. He's the main lyricist. Chandler like does the main part of the lyrics and... He's the words guy. Yeah, he's the words guy. Yeah. I always tell people I sing with my fingers. I don't sing. Okay. I don't sing. I sing with these fingers. But, that's kind of our writing process. A lot of times is that Chandler will send us kind of like words or I'll send him like a chord progression. He'll write words that chord progression and then we just... It kind of just falls into place. I don't even know how to explain. Yeah. That's how, you know, you talk to so many artists and it's like, I don't know.

[01:20:01] The song just kind of came to me and fell together. It seems like it's... Yeah. I mean, that's definitely it. I mean, there's certain songs that we've released that like Chandler just... Everybody talks about this. Like he probably wrote in what, 15 minutes and it's just like, oh, it's there. Oh yeah, actually. Yeah. I wrote a Smile Talk, one of the songs we're playing tonight. I kind of, I thought about it in a dream. It sounds cliche and stupid, but I actually like dreamt of a couple, I don't even know if that's a word, but I dreamed of it and woke up like 3am, wrote down a couple words on my notes app. Yeah.

[01:20:31] And then went back to sleep, woke up at 8 o'clock in the morning, grabbed my guitar and kind of wrote the song that morning in like 20 minutes. But that's a pretty cool song to me because it came out of nowhere. Yeah. I don't know how to explain it. That's awesome. I love stories like that about good songs. Yeah. So have you got to spend much time in Myrtle Beach while you're down here? Got to do anything cool? We came down last night, so we ain't got to do much. I mean, today we got to go down to that pregame and play for the sponsors.

[01:21:01] Yeah. So that was cool. Yeah. A lot of cool people down there that's going to come out and see us. Oh, cool. Good. And I know they've had jet skis out here for the artists and... Yeah, we missed out on that, but I wish we'd go out there and catch a wave. Right. The beach here is beautiful. It's such a great place. We were out there swimming earlier and it was pretty nice. Oh, yeah. Well, you guys really looking forward to catching your set tonight. Love your sound. I think you're going to do big things and I'm excited to see where you go from here. Thank you, man. I appreciate it. Awesome. Appreciate it.

[01:21:37] We're in the hot water. We have the ocean behind us. Drake White in the background, you might be able to hear him. He's so good. And of country music, favorite personality, Lauren Alina here. Hello. Thank you. Thank you for hanging out with us. Of course. You know, we're going to talk beach, we're going to talk country music and I feel like you're the perfect person to ask. So let's start with the beach. What kind of personality do you have when you're here? Are you sleeping in? Are you getting in the water? Are you doing all the activities? Oh, I'm in the water. I'm reading a book by the water. I am not a pool person.

[01:22:06] I'm a beach person. I'm in the sand at all times. But yeah, I love to get in the water. Are you putting lots of sunscreen on? Oh, yeah. Or are you letting yourself burn? I, it depends. No, I tan pretty easily actually. This is all fake, so don't look at this. But I put sunscreen on. I like to ease myself into it. You know, as a person who works, my busiest time of year is the summer. Yeah, so I don't get to sit on the beach very often.

[01:22:36] So when I do go, I'm like very scared I'm going to fry. And when you're on vacation, is there anything that you tend to overpack? I feel like as a woman, we all overpack. Everything. You may not overpack everything. Clothes for sure. I pack like I'm going to change outfits four times a day. Okay. For sure. Yeah, I think that's all women. My husband packs enough underwear that he can poop in his pants twice a day and have enough underwear. It is like, I'm like, what do you think is going to happen? Why do you have so much underwear?

[01:23:06] It must be a men thing. He packs so much anywhere we go. Socks and underwear. He has so many. Like, yeah, I'm like, are you going to change your socks four times a day? Like, what are you doing? I don't know. I guess it's better than not having enough. True. Now, let's get into your life right now. You have a new album coming out August 28th called Stages. What can you share about the album? So I, it's 16 songs. 17. 17. Seven of 10 are out so far. I know. Okay. So it's 17 songs. Do you know more than I do?

[01:23:35] That's funny. Um, I named it Stages because I, it's kind of a concept album. I broke the songs into three stages of my life. So like where I came from, my, the, the young girl dreaming up this dream. My parents love story. All of that is stage one. Stage two is Broadway Lauren, where I was just downtown Nashville, working through all

[01:23:59] my breakups leading me to stage three, which is about my life now with my husband and my daughter. Who's here by the way. Um, she doesn't go everywhere with me, but we, I put her in the ocean today. So, and how old is she now? She will be a year old on the 11th. Amazing. So it's almost her birthday. But stage three is where I am now in life. And so I call it Stages to like represent all of these stage. I've been, I've been doing this for 15 years.

[01:24:26] I feel like I've grown up with my fans and I just wanted to cover everything that we've lived through together on this album and I'm really proud of it. And I think I know the answer to this, but what is the favorite thing about this stage of life right now for you? My daughter. Yeah. What's her name? Benny, Benny and the Jets. So cute. It was my grandfather's name. And what has surprised you most about this chapter of your life? Oh my gosh.

[01:24:51] Well, you know, I was always so, I didn't know how having a family and my career would go together. Like I was always very scared of that and it's much easier than I thought. She is like, I would like to push the narrative that you can do both. You can have the career and the family. Cause I feel like there's a lot of, at least for me and my friends that I'm close with, there's a lot of fear that you can't have both.

[01:25:20] And so is that the advice you'd give your younger self or is there anything else that you would tell your younger self about? I get asked this a lot. I would just say thank you to my younger self. Like that 15 year old girl that went to Nashville and tried out for American Idol gave me everything I have now. And I would just tell her like all of your dreams come true. You get the husband, the hot husband and the cute baby and the career. It all works out. It all works out the way it's supposed to. Let's switch gears into country music now.

[01:25:49] Who are you hanging out with and laughing with backstage usually? Oh my gosh. Like my best friends in the industry. I would say Laney is one of my best friends. Hardy. Actually, all of us were together last night. Hardy had an event in Nashville last night, but Hardy, Kane Brown, Carly Pierce. I've recently gotten close with Ashley Cook. I just have done a few shows with her. I absolutely love her. And she'll be here this weekend at some point.

[01:26:18] She is coming? Yes. Okay, great. I just was on the phone with her before I walked here. I'm going to like, I'm going to walk away from this and be like, I can't believe I didn't say this person, but I think as long as I say Kane, Hardy and Laney, I've crushed it. Those are all of my closest ones. Now, opposite question. Who would you not want to have a room with on a beach vacation? Oh, there's so many.

[01:26:46] The ones that I dated probably that no one knows about. They're running around potentially here tonight. So let's see who I would not want to go on a beach vacation with. Anyone like super shredded and fit. I do not want to be laying next to that. Yeah. I feel that. I feel that. Absolutely. Just don't even look at me. What is on your beach playlist? Oh, gosh.

[01:27:15] I mean, country music. Actually, my husband and I love to play like throwback songs for my daughter, like songs from the 60s. I don't know if we would do that on the beach though. Let me think. From my love shack. Yes. That's a good one. If you like pina coladas. That's a good beach song. Yeah, that is a good one. Drinking songs. Drinking songs. Talks about drinking. True. And what current artists are you actually listening to? Not even at the beach, but just every day, day to day. What? I'm a big fan of Zach Talk.

[01:27:45] I'm super obsessed with him right now. Honestly, I think my favorite artist right now over everyone else is Cody Johnson, which he just had a big win at the ACM. So I was like, let's go. Yeah. Love Kojo. Cody. Let's see. Like women I'm listening to. I really think the new Ella Langley record is a masterpiece. So, I mean, me and everyone in the whole world.

[01:28:13] I'm not alone in that judgment, but I was trying to make like not just say the lake, but I think that record is crazy. I mean, they're at the top for a reason. Yeah, it's true. It's true. Now a little bit of rapid fire for you. Would you prefer the beach or the lake? The beach. Sunrise or sunset? Sunset. Favorite summer drink? Probably like a Mai Tai. Okay, good. And then what? It's like the rum drink, right?

[01:28:40] Mai Tai, it's like rum and... Yeah. Did I drink one today? Was that a Mai Tai? No, you had a mermaid something. Oh yeah, a mermaid. What was that restaurant we went to? Oh, Sea Captain. Sea Captain? I haven't been yet. I had lunch at Sea Captain. It was so good. Okay, good to know. It was really good. Okay, we'll have to hit that one. I had some sort of... I was like, when in Rome, have a beach. It was like a mermaid drink. Yes. Anyway, yeah. What is one song that's on repeat for you right now?

[01:29:13] Um... My song. No, I'm just kidding. Um... Let's see, what song is on repeat for me right now? Probably... Love and Life Again. Okay, yeah, that's a good one. I think it's pretty... Like, I just think... I'm like in a very life phase of life. You know, like... It fits for any scenario, any scenery. It does. Definitely. Last question is, what is your favorite thing about country music fans? Oh, the loyalty and the... Well, they're my people. Yeah.

[01:29:42] You know, I'm a country girl. Um... So, I feel like we fit in together and I think they're always down to have a good time. And especially at festivals. Festivals are the best. Yeah. People are... Are people wearing bathing suits at this? I'm sure. I can't imagine they're not. I feel like we're all on the beach. Yeah. They've gotta be like in... Yeah. I haven't seen them yet, but I have a feeling I'm gonna find my people out here today. What's the craziest thing you've seen at a festival? What's the craziest thing you've seen at a festival? Boobs. Boobs. Bare. Just bare boobs. Well, I think that's the first thing. And I'm an interesting person to show them to.

[01:30:12] Yeah. You know? Yeah. Like, I get it for the dudes, but like, women flashing during my set is always an interesting time, so we'll see. You're like, hey. Let's see if we see. Well, I feel like that is... My band's usually good with it. That's the perfect way to end it. Well, thank you so much for being here. Thank you. I appreciate it. We are here at Carolina Country Music Fest. While we're in Myrtle Beach, of course, we have to come mini-golfing. It's the mini-golf capital of the world.

[01:30:40] There are, I think, over 30 mini-golf courses across Myrtle Beach. The mini-golf championships are here, so we had to bring some guys mini-golfing. We've got the Wilder Blue here with us. Woo! Have you ever played any of the mini-golf courses around here? No. Not a one. Certainly not one like this. Yeah, this one's pretty cool. We're here at Ripley's Crazy Golf. Well, I'm gonna win. Okay. Yes, I'm definitely gonna win the hole-in-one challenge. I like the confidence. It has been decided by the mini-golf gods.

[01:31:11] Zane's gonna give me a run for my money and we have a little sleeper over here. We'll see. I think it's all about mindset. You know, I think you gotta go in to win. I think you gotta see the hole. You gotta be the hole. Yeah. We the hole. Let's talk about you guys for a minute. You guys have a really interesting story. You've been around since, what, around 2019 as a band, but before that you guys were all kind of doing your own thing with solo careers? Yeah, or I was doing a solo career and Linden was running the studio.

[01:31:39] Sean was playing bass in Bree Bagwell's band. Our guitar player Paul was playing with Kevin Fowler. And Andy, who plays banjo and dobro in this band, was my bass player in the Zane Williams days. So yeah, we were all doing different projects within the general Texas music scene, I would say. Yeah. So what kind of brought you together? What made you want to form The Wilder Blue? This guy.

[01:32:04] Yeah, I mean, I had seven solo albums, but I'd always dreamed about having an awesome band and the camaraderie that we could have. I heard Randy Rogers talking once on Parker McCollum's bus about the camaraderie that they had in the Randy Rogers camp. And it sounded really good. And I was inspired by bands like, you know, The Eagles, The Beatles. Even like the Turnpike Troubadours and Randy Rogers band, they have multiple singer-songwriters.

[01:32:34] They have multiple singers. They play multiple instruments. You know, they've got a lot of talent packed into there. Yeah. You know, that's what makes them so great. So it kind of occurred to me like, well, a lot of people know who I am in the Texas music scene. What if I just made some phone calls, put out some feelers and started a new project? You know, that was an even split band band. Yeah. So we've read online, are you related to Sam Elliott? I like to say no, I'm not.

[01:33:03] But I get young Sam Elliott a lot. I get Dickie Betts a lot. I get Zach Topps dad. Matthew McConaughey from Dallas Buyers Club when he was dying of AIDS. Okay. Those are my celeb lookalikes. I definitely see the Sam Elliott. So that's why I just had to ask to see if that part was true. So I want to talk about you guys' sound a little bit. You have a really kind of eclectic sound that's really hard to fit in one box.

[01:33:30] You've got everything from country to rock to bluegrass to folk. Where do you kind of get your influences and who were some of your biggest influences coming up in the music scene? This is only three fifths of us. So between the five of us, it's pretty broad. Country rock era of the seventies, folk rock, you know, the Bob Dylons, the Eagles, the Alley. Alabama's, the Lone Stars, the Blackhawks, the Outlaws. Yeah, baby. Yeah, baby. You could go all over the place. Yeah. Spent too much time on this subject.

[01:34:02] Zane, you write most of the song solo. How did you get into songwriting and how do you go about bringing a song to the band saying, hey, let's do this? Yeah, so I've just kind of always written songs, started doing it for fun in college. And then, like I said, I had seven solo albums. That was pretty much all stuff I wrote by myself. I dabbled with co-writing. I lived in Nashville for nine years, but I've always just, a lot of ideas come to me while I'm driving the bus or in the shower and stuff.

[01:34:32] And I usually don't have a co-writer there. And so that's why I write a lot by myself. And then, I don't know, when I get a pile of them or one that I'm super excited about, I just send it to the fellas and we see if we think it fits the band's sound. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. I've got kind of a catalog of ones that we've passed on for the band for whatever reason. It's not like everything I do, we record.

[01:35:01] And we're always open for outside songs. We, this new record that is coming out later this year, album number five for us, features the most outside songs and the band members being involved that we've ever done. Because it really was always my goal getting back to the Eagles and the Beatles and stuff for it to be a collaborative thing on the writing side. So writing by myself is sort of just out of necessity.

[01:35:30] And the new record features, you know, a song that's from the 70s that we didn't write. It's another song that a buddy of ours in Nashville wrote by himself. And then several that the different band members co-wrote. We did a writing retreat. So we're, you know, we're having fun just kind of experimenting around. I want to, I wanted to get these guys funky funkiness in there, you know, and not have it all just totally be dependent on me and a guitar.

[01:36:00] Yeah. And this last album was really cool because it was fan funded and produced by Brent Cobb. Incredible producer, songwriter, just all around talent. What did he add to it that compares to your earlier music? Well, it was our third album that was produced by Brent. That one's called Supernatural. And the first, second and fourth we self-produced. Oh, okay.

[01:36:24] And then this newest one that's coming out this year, the fifth, we're saying that the band co-produced it with Lyndon over here because really he pulls the most weight in the studio. And that's what he was doing before we hijacked him to be on the road list as a producer. So you want to answer more? Yeah, man. I lived in the studio for 15, 17, 18 years, something like that.

[01:36:50] That feels like home even more than the road or, you know, playing out. I love the studio and thankfully we get, I get my name on this one. So I feel honored, privileged and just thrilled. Yeah. And I'm sure it helps to, you know, have a member of the band producing because you kind of know what everybody's going for when you're making the album. Yeah, yeah, sure. Or not. Okay. It's a trade off all the way down.

[01:37:18] No, it's definitely true that when we're self-producing, nobody cares more than we do. Yeah. It's our stuff. Yeah. We try to take the time to get it right. And I'm glad we have that ability. Now with Brent, that was a lot of fun on album three. We basically kidnapped him, took him down to Texas for two weeks and he just oozes, you know, that Brent Cobb vibe. Yeah.

[01:37:48] And that kind of Southern funk style groovy stuff. He showed up off the plane with a mustache and fit right in. We actually wrote one in the studio with Brent and recorded it the next day. So that was fun. I want to talk about, you guys are from Texas and I know that's kind of a completely different music scene than Nashville, but you've also attracted a lot of attention from some big names in Nashville. Some mainstream guys like Luke Combs, you guys have toured with him. He's a big fan.

[01:38:17] How does that help you as a band from Texas independent to get the attention from a mainstream guy and somebody as big as Luke Combs? Well, it definitely opens up, you know, people's minds to stuff that they wouldn't find on their own. You know, when Luke texted or tweeted about the first album, a bunch of people glommed onto it real fast because they trust him to have good taste, you know? And I think that's true of anybody who's popular.

[01:38:44] You know, their fans will be like, oh, they must know I like what they're doing. So whatever they like, I'll probably like. And so it's always super helpful. I mean, it's super helpful for the fans. The business is the business. Yeah. You know what I mean? You guys opened some stadium dates for him, right? Yeah. How was that? Unbelievable. The first one was unbelievable and then it was all Groundhog Day after that. To see his crowd, because like when we played, we were first at four openers. And you know, it was cool.

[01:39:14] We did 20 minutes as people were kind of starting to trickle in, find their seats. But just to watch his show every night in front of like 50, 60,000 people singing every word to his songs. It was amazing. Even as long as you guys have all kind of been around the music business, do you still learn things when you're out on tour with other acts like that? Absolutely. Yeah.

[01:39:38] I mean, we definitely upgraded a lot of our equipment on that tour and we kind of became more efficient. I think overall we learned some things on the sort of tour managing side and logistics side. But I wish I learned how to write a hit song. I still haven't figured that one out. I got to watch a few more shows on that. Yeah. We just got to pick up a few more stadium dates and we'll have a hit before we know it. Yeah. So what do you guys have left to look forward to the rest of the year?

[01:40:08] Maybe new music coming? A lot of new music. Yeah. We just released a digital standalone single called High Livin'. Great song. Thank you. That's one that we did kind of all by itself in a studio a relatively long time ago. We didn't think that it sonically matched with the new album that we're about to do. So we just put it out there by itself and it's out now.

[01:40:33] And then the first single off of the new album drops June 18th. June 18th. We're very excited about that one. It's called Texas Women. Who doesn't like that subject? And we got our buddy Tracy Bird to sing on. Oh, there's a Texas legend right there. Yeah. And it kind of has a 90s country shout out in it. So we're proud to have a 90s country legend on it.

[01:41:02] Plus he's a fan of the band and just a good friend at this point. He's a really nice guy. So Texas Women coming out June 18th. And then a couple more singles, right? Yeah. There'll be a couple more peppered in over the summer. But just be on the lookout. You know, there's always going to be music from us for the rest of this year. Yeah. New music all summer long and then the album late summer, early fall. Awesome. Well, excited to hear it. Excited to see your set out at Carolina Country Music Fest.

[01:41:30] Like I said, it's a great crowd, great festival, great venue. So thank you to Ripley's Crazy Golf for having us. Yes. Thank you, Ripley's. Thanks to Whiskey Riff for having us. You made believers out of us. You made believers out of us. This is Shelby with Whiskey Riff and we are coming to you live all weekend from Carolina Country Music Fest in Myrtle Beach. And right now I am with Zach John King and we're here because you're playing today. We are. We're playing.

[01:41:58] Are you excited to play at the beach? Is this a little bit different than what you've been doing on the road? Yeah, this is our first beach festival we've ever played. First time to Myrtle Beach. So I'm really excited. I love the view. The air off the water feels great. It's going to be a great day. And do you do anything different for festivals than you do like, I know you're on the road with Morgan right now. Is there anything you do a little bit different for these shows versus the others? I try to relax a little bit more on these. I think they're a little bit more laid back. People are just kind of here to have fun.

[01:42:25] And so it's more fun for me a little bit more because we get to kind of settle in and settle down. It's not so hectic. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everyone's here to have a good time. And you know, what is your dream beach day if you actually had the day off and you weren't playing? I think it would be, I love to, I try to surf. I really like to surf. I think if we had, I don't know about Myrtle Beach being a surf capital, but if we had some good waves, I'd surf and then probably try to go catch some fish, like maybe some red

[01:42:52] snapper and then I'd get back home and cook them up. Okay, fun. And I know you can't see it on camera right now, but there are a ton of roller coasters and helicopters going on. And you said that you actually would do it if you could. That slingshot. I've seen the videos of that thing and I would absolutely do it if my team would let me. Love it. And yeah, I wish we could. Maybe next time. We'll do it next time. I know. I want to ask about the Morgan tour and how it's been going and you know, where are you guys in the tour? Are you guys like about halfway? Yeah.

[01:43:21] So he's about halfway done. We have two more shows with him in Chicago, which will be a blast. We've had, we've had eight weekends with him. Oh my goodness. So it's been a blast. It's been incredible. I've been learning so much about just how to build a team, how to operate at such a high level and honestly just learning how to convince people that maybe walked in the door to buy a beer, don't know who I am, convince them to come back to a show when I come back through the town. And so it's, it's helped our show get better. I think. Okay. And how, yeah. How do you do that? Besides, I mean, obviously the music is always going to be the selling point, but is there

[01:43:50] anything you like try to talk to the crowd about to kind of win them over? I try to find one thing about their town that, that, you know, like in Pittsburgh, it was easy as the Steelers. Okay. I brought the terrible towel up there and swung it around. Got it. Try to find one thing about the city or the town that really connects and gets people ready to roll. And then I think I try to do a good job at looking at everybody and making them feel seen. Okay. Because I think this thing with an opening act is people don't know who you are and I don't think they think that you know who they are.

[01:44:18] So as soon as you can connect them, I think you, you convince a crowd. Yeah, I know. That's a good one. Now you're living on the road. I imagine a lot of mishaps happen with luggage and anything else. Can you share a story about anything? I have a recent story. I, uh, I flew in, I don't remember where we were. I think we flew into Roanoke, Virginia and, uh, my bag at loss. Okay. Won't mention the airline. We never fly that airline for that reason, but we had to that day. No bags. I had two shows back to back needed wardrobe.

[01:44:48] There's a mall and, uh, I found an old Navy in the mall and I currently only have like neon green underwear right now. Cause that's the only thing they had left. And that's what you'll be in the ocean and later. Exactly. Exactly. Awesome. And so for people who don't know you, can you kind of just give them a little rundown on who you are, what they can expect from one of your shows? Yeah. My name is Zach John King. I'm a kid from Fayetteville, Georgia, born and raised on country music, traditional country from my grandparents and then Indian alternative rock from my dad.

[01:45:17] And I sort of mixed the two together. Our shows are just super, super high energy. So I think my favorite thing to do as a show is just to give it 110% energy up there. And I know not everybody does that. You know, a lot of people are low key in their shows and that's fine, but our style is very much more similar to a rock and roll show than it would be a country show. Okay. And what is the one song that people should go listen to when they first hear your name? I would say right now it's space. I wrote that song. I love that song. That's one of my favorites.

[01:45:45] And it's a, it's sort of a perfect mix of genres. It's a mix between that alternative rock and that country that you like. Love it. Now your career has been growing really, really fast. What do you hope, where do you hope to be in one year from now? Well, we're starting a headline tour this fall. So I think realistically, I'd love to be building that and, and you know, getting bigger and bigger shows on my own headline stuff. I love opening for people. It's been such a gift, but like end of the day, I want to play for my people. So I hope, I hope we got a bigger fan base than we do this year. And, you know, I hope that for the rest of the career.

[01:46:15] Okay. Awesome. And then one last question. What song do you have on repeat right now? Oh, let me think. There's a John Bellion song called Wash. I don't know if you've heard of John Bellion. He's not country at all, but I've had that on, on loop. Okay. I love that song. Well, go stream that song and go stream all your music as well. Come on. Thank you. Thank you. All right. So we're here at Carolina country music fest. We have Alexis Wilkins. She's getting ready to take the stage.

[01:46:45] So we really appreciate you taking the time to meet with us. Absolutely. Happy to. Yeah, absolutely. So you're in Nashville now. Is that right? Yes. Nashville most of the time. How'd you get your start in country music? I started writing when I was really young. I was 13 in Nashville in town, just really getting my feet wet, writing for myself and other writers and trying to learn the ropes. And that was kind of it. I knew I wanted to write and I started, like I said, writing from a young age and just kept learning and growing. And that was kind of it. Yeah.

[01:47:12] And did you say, did you kind of always know that you wanted to be in country music? I always knew I loved country music. And once I started in music and even writing for other artists and other genres, I knew I wanted to do country music as an artist. But really before I even understood that music and country music could be a career path, I was, you know, I loved music, was working. Funny story, read an article in a magazine in Smithsonian about coal fires when I was really little and I wanted to fix them. I was like, we can donate all of our money, mom.

[01:47:41] And she's like, we can't. But people do something they love to raise money and awareness for things they believe in. And so from then, even though it was, you know, it was not fruitful. It was me writing on my own. I was writing music and, you know, fell in love with country music. I grew up mostly in Arkansas. So for me, just huge influence there. Yeah. That was that. So I grew up in West Virginia. So the heart of coal mining country. Oh, yeah. That's a good spot. Yeah. Part of the country. So what kind of country music did you like growing up? Who were some of your favorite artists? Gosh. Okay.

[01:48:11] I grew up listening to a lot of Garth Brooks, a lot of George Strait, just really everything my mom was listening to. Yeah. If she was listening to it, I was listening to it. So anything that she really fell in love with and, you know, she's always loved country music. And then for me, as I've gotten older, my like status quo, what I'm putting on when I get home and trying to like not think about music as a business is Marty Robbins and Gene Autry and like Western, Western country music. Yeah. That's what I love listening to.

[01:48:40] Marty Robbins has such a cool story. You know, NASCAR driver, country artist, like such a huge superstar and had two separate career paths. I love Marty Robbins. So you're into the, like the classic country, like the Merle Whalen, anything like that? Yeah. Love all of it. Yeah. Do not discriminate. Love it all. Country music, such a songwriting genre, like the songwriting so much more important. Nothing in country music than it is in other genres. You know, you hear pop music and it's not as songwriter focused, but country music, you have to be a good songwriter or have good songwriters to really have success. I think.

[01:49:11] Yeah, I think so too. I think that the story is what really guided me to country music. You know, after of course, sonically being drawn to it, being drawn to the instruments. I love fiddle. I love pedal steel. You know, there's something that just tells the story even in the way that people play those instruments. You know, it's very much a, I don't know, very much a real people genre anyway. Yeah. And then when you get into the fact that these stories are people's real life, you know, people want to hear things they can relate to. Yeah. And I think that that just makes it so much more approachable than other genres.

[01:49:39] And that sound of country music, I feel like is really coming back. Like you mentioned the steel and the fiddle, like that's so popular with artists like Zach Topp and even the Red Clay Strays. Like they have, you know, such a cool sound that's kind of bringing it back to that vintage sound. So it's really cool. So have you ever played Carolina Country Music Festival before? I have not. This is my first year playing it. Awesome. I'm super excited. Have you ever been to Myrtle Beach before? I have not. My first time in Myrtle Beach. Really? Yeah. Are you going to get to spend any time here while you're in town? A tiny bit.

[01:50:07] We got to take a little whirl around today, got to sit by the pool for a few minutes, going to probably try to go down to the beach and stick our toes in the sand tomorrow morning and then, you know, right back to Nashville to finish up CMA Fest. Gotcha. So what else do you have in the works for the rest of the year? Any new music? Any big plans? Yeah. So finishing out festival season, we've got Windy City Smokeout coming up, Barefoot Music Fest up in Wildwood, New Jersey. That's a great one. Going to be actually doing some international dates as well, heading over to Belgium. I'm really excited about that and then have some music finished up that I am ready to put out.

[01:50:37] So, pumped on that. Awesome. We're excited to hear it. We appreciate you taking the time to meet with us. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank you.