Kip Moore

[00:00:14] Welcome back to another episode of Whiskey Riff Raff. Full disclosure, we're recording this probably two weeks early from when this is coming out. So hopefully everything we talk about is still somewhat topical. Yeah, relevant by the time it comes out. So with that, you want to dive into the big stories that we're covering?

[00:00:33] Yeah, well, huge story is that we're interviewing Kip Moore today, which I'm very excited about. But yes, we do like to recap some of the bigger stories that Whiskey Riff has been covering in the past couple of weeks. And one that I'm finally super pumped that it's out there for the world to see. Eric Church debuted a Charlie Daniels inspired song called Johnny that features a full choir.

[00:00:57] So a lot, it's a lot like what, you know, there was all that controversy about him bringing in, you know, more gospel sound to his music. And he heard that and said, I'm going to keep doing it, which that's one thing that I love about Eric Church. This song was inspired actually by, I think it was the day after the Covenant shooting in Nashville, he dropped his kids off.

[00:01:22] He described that as one of the hardest days that he's ever gone through and penned a song about it. And it is, it is a doozy. Yeah, it's awesome. And we were saying that we both actually saw him talk about it and perform it because we both went to his residency at his bar chiefs here in Nashville, which was one of the coolest shows I've ever seen. I think I agree. If you haven't been to Chiefs bar, it's like a mini Ryman.

[00:01:49] So it's supposed to give that church feeling. They call it the neon steeple and the bottom floor for it. They put chairs and then the top floor is pews and they took your phone. And it's just like a very candid show where he talks and performs.

[00:02:05] It felt like you were just sitting in the living room with Eric Church and he just so happened to have a couple of guitars and told a lot of stories. And it's, it's always funny to me how natural some artists can, it seemed like go right into, you know, a comedian standup role. Um, and obviously like not everything that Eric Church was saying was a standup quote unquote, but he's, he's a very funny individual.

[00:02:30] Um, and anybody that got to go see that show at chiefs, his residency, which I don't, I'm sure he'll maybe fire it back up at some point. I hope so. But it was just, it's just a, it's a very unique way to see, cause I don't even know if I'd call it a concert, but I guess in technical terms it was. Yeah. And it's crazy because like songwriters are storytellers. So in a sense you would think that they would be able to do that standup role, but not all artists can or do.

[00:02:58] So it's interesting to see the ones that do and the ones that don't, but Eric Church's music, I feel like it's so authentic to him that I don't know. It's just really cool to see it. And, you know, I feel like he's had like the gospel, whether it's like the background tracks or whatever in his music for a long time. And I don't think it was really controversial until his stagecoach performance last year.

[00:03:18] Right. That was a big story too. We covered all that. And honestly, like I think of it as at his residency, he had the choir kind of hidden throughout the venue. And so that was one of those surprising things that, you know, as you're sitting there at Chief's in the neon steeple, and then all of a sudden all these people around you start singing.

[00:03:40] I was like, man, these people really know the song. And then I finally put it together. Oh, okay. This is, this is, you know, a choir that has been placed throughout, you know, the seating. And it was, that's one of those, like, I think I got chills whenever he went into that song and the choir started playing. So obviously happy to see that that song is kind of seeing the light of day because it has been, I guess, under wraps for a while since the only way you could see it was at Chief's during his residency. With no phones. With no phones. So that's why there was no trace of it really.

[00:04:10] And then another, another story that was really cool was Zach Topp. Huge fan of Zach Topp. Yep. I will admit that. He powered through a full show and then refunded his fans for the show. Yes. Because he was sick and he didn't feel like he had given the performance that he wanted to that night. And this actually just happened too with Parker McCollum where he did the exact same thing.

[00:04:34] So it's kind of like, I mean, it's great that they're, like, still performing for everyone who showed up, but they're just refunding the tickets, which, I mean, I guess is cool. I would be perfectly fine with that. I'd be fine if they didn't refund the tickets. Exactly. It's just really nice that they do. Yeah. I mean, to power through, I can't imagine, you know, I know a lot of us can probably relate just not feeling great, you know, during a work day and, like, having to power through.

[00:04:59] And these people, these artists are getting up there and obviously the voice is affected most of the time whenever you're battling some sort of sickness. So for them to do that, power through it, I'm sure they're hammering all kinds of, you know, herbal teas and stuff like that. And, yeah, I mean, if I was a fan and got to see Zach Topp and then he came on and was like, hey, I'm giving you your money back, I would probably be like, is there a way that I can't take the money back?

[00:05:23] Because obviously, you know, you still play the show, but it's just a really cool thing to, you know, see artists have some accountability. And that to me is a decision that's like a fan first decision. Yeah. So I think that's really cool. And I wouldn't expect anything else from Zach Topp. No, he seems like the nicest. And like you mentioned, we are interviewing Kip Moore today, who I'm really excited to talk about. But honestly, he kind of scares me.

[00:05:48] Not that, like, he's scary looking or anything, but, like, he just seems so, like, passionate about his music. And he's, like, very has very strong opinions that, like, I just would never want the anger to be directed towards me. Sure. Well, deflect it towards me if he. I don't think we're going to have any issues. I don't think so either. But no, I get what you're saying. And obviously, he's a very well-respected artist in the country music industry.

[00:06:12] So it seems like it's just another cool opportunity for you and I to get to sit down with one of those people. And so today, yeah, that person happens to be Kip Moore. And, you know, usually we talk about whether there's any concerts we've been to. I don't think either of us went to shows over the weekend, right? Nope. Nope. But you were talking about going to some games coming up. Yes. Yes. Well, I just went to a Louisville game. Mm-hmm. And went to Louisville.

[00:06:39] They played Zach Bryan's revival during the game, probably, like, towards the end of the game. They've kind of adopted that as their anthem this season because it's, like, Louisville basketball's been really bad. And now they're reviving. Yes. And the Ville, Louisville portion that fits perfectly into it. So that was kind of cool to, you know, the whole stadium was kind of singing along to that. But, yeah, trying to go to not an SEC basketball fan by any means, but trying to maybe go to the SEC tournament here in Nashville. Yeah. You know?

[00:07:09] Yeah. Why not, right? I mean, if I had free tickets, I'd go. Exactly.

[00:07:41] Exactly. It's been the rotation for me in my country music playlist. But as of late, I've been playing it a lot. I just love it. Mine's actually a little bit of an older song, too. It's Velvet by Stony LaRue. I, you know, I've heard it before, but I don't know what about listening to it recently really just got me playing it on repeat this week. So, and especially after talking to Cody Canada and him talking about Stony, I've kind of been in, like, the older Red Dirt music as of late. So that's it for me.

[00:08:10] And obviously I've been listening to some Kip Moore leading into today's interview. So we're really excited to get into today's episode. And I guess without further ado, here's our interview with Kip Moore. Kip Moore, welcome to Whiskey Riff Raff. Good to be here. Thank you for being here. We were just talking about how last time you were on the podcast, Stephen West, we're hosting. Yeah, they're too big time now, man. I know. I hope you're watching. I hope you're not too disappointed. No, no. We're good. We're good.

[00:08:38] I'm already like, this is already a better deal. Wow, okay. My tease. Well, I'm excited to talk about a ton of things. And I think we should just kind of dive right into the music. So I feel like you were one of the first people that I heard in country music that had a little bit more of like a rock sound to you. What kind of, what music really inspired you to make something, you know, maybe not traditional honky tonk country, but have a little bit of an edge to it that was different?

[00:09:09] Number one, I think that way too often now, everybody gets so fixated on genres and what's what. And it's like, you know, I would get personally bored if everything sounded like Waylon Jennings. And he's one of my all-time favorites. I love Waylon, but man, it'd be boring if everything sounded like Waylon Jennings. Same with 90s country. There's elements of it that I love, but if it all sounded like that all the time, I'd get bored.

[00:09:39] Like, I love that Zach Topp is thriving, but you watch. There's everybody's going to start trying to sound like Zach Topp. And then we'll have too many of them. It's already happened with Morgan Wallen. I mean, he's the king of radio and does what he does so great. And now we've got all these clones out of the, and it's crazy. But so for me, early on, I was never focused on just, I have to be country. I have to be this, or I got to be that. And I was raised solely on rock and roll.

[00:10:09] My dad was a big catalyst for that. He was always listening to Seeger records. Seeger was his guy. And then like the Little River Band and stuff. So like I was learning harmonies and how that worked at earliest. I think one of the best bands ever with harmonies. And then he was huge on Sam Cooke and Bill Withers. And so, and then my uncle, who I just idolized, my uncle David. I mean, he was just the coolest dude.

[00:10:35] And I'm going to never forget him popping in a Springsteen record when I was probably 10 or 11 in his Jeep. And that was just like my brain exploded. And it was him playing Tom Petty and Springsteen. And then, so I dove in all those guys. And then my oldest brother, Brian, who I've always looked up to, you know, he was playing Nirvana and Pearl Jam and Van Halen and all that. And my mom was the only one that I'd hear country records with.

[00:11:01] My mom was this great piano player and she played organ in the church and she was, she loved Red Headed Stranger. So that was always, and I, right off the bat, loved Willie Nelson. I was just like, man, what a captivating voice. And I was always, I think I was so enamored, but I didn't understand the definition or why, but his cadence was always just like, wow, this guy's cadence is so left-footed, like Dylan's at time.

[00:11:28] So in Dylan, I kind of discovered from my other uncle, Steve, that I looked up to, he played guitar and he was always playing Dylan on his guitar. And it was like, so luckily I had this eclectic mix of people in my life that love good music. You know, luckily it wasn't like lame stuff. And it was like, I was super turned on though to rock and roll. And then I got in, in my teens, I started listening to Brooks and Dunn and Travis Tritt. And then I started listening to Waylon and all these people.

[00:11:54] So I think that by the time, you know, I was really deep into writing up all night and stuff. I just think that the rock and roll was the backbone. And when I speak, it's raspy. So I kind of was already leaning into what I do. I didn't feel like Billy Currington when he just opens his mouth and he starts singing. And I think he has one of the best pure country voices in the genre. And it's like, that's what he's great at. But I noticed right away when I sang, it was a different kind of thing.

[00:12:24] Um, and so what I loved about country was the craft of the lyric. That was what I was so drawn to was the craft where rock and roll can be really sparse and it can not even like, I mean, Aerosmith can't even explain half of the songs they wrote what they're about. They can't explain sweet emotion and those things. It was all about the feeling. So I feel like there was an innate part of me that, that was just, um, a connection to

[00:12:51] my spirit when I would write, it was just like, I was always drawn to rock and roll production aspects and melodic structure. So you'll see me jump octaves a lot for choruses and things. So I get a little, uh, bored sometimes if melodies just kind of stay right here. And, but I'm always been drawn to the lyrical aspects. So I think I combined the two of those that are like in a, there's like a subconscious thing

[00:13:19] that just kind of like happened with like crazy more time where I'm really painting a clear cut country picture, but I'm still using, um, rock and roll production and melodies. Um, and that wasn't something that I just was like, I'm going to do this. It was just how I did it. And, you know, at that time, I don't think there was a lot of records that sounded like up all night when that came out. And there was really not many people in this genre for sure that we're doing that kind of thing. No, definitely.

[00:13:49] Uh, that, that album to me still stands out. Um, and it's cool to hear you talk about all these musical influences, uh, that potentially led to that sound that you kind of debuted with. And, um, do you view that as like all of those influences as an arsenal? Like you can kind of like tune into one of those whenever you go into, uh, you know, creating music or do you see those more as like, I just, you know, I I've listened

[00:14:15] to those, those have helped me form what I want to do, but I'm not necessarily like you even yourself just said, you're not trying to, there's a lot of copycats out there. You're not sure. Yeah. I really don't think, and I'll say this, like, um, I, you know, I don't listen to, and this is not a me dogging on any of it.

[00:14:40] But I try not to even like writing this record, I don't listen to what's happening. I don't research any of, and I know there's cool stuff happening, but I've kind of purposely don't so that I'm never influenced by anything or what the current thing is happening. I don't think I would be, but I think sometimes subconsciously those things bleed through you and then you might not even know that you're doing it. And it's like, you know, there's certain little phrasings that, that, that everyone does right now.

[00:15:07] And I just, I try not to listen to what's happening at the moment, but you can't help, but hear some people you're going to hear it. But, um, I just think that it's like a, an, uh, a thing that, that ends up kind of bleeding through you, your, your, your inspirations that you were raised on are going to, they're going to come out, you know, in some ways. Um, there's even sometimes I might sing something like, am I on top of something?

[00:15:33] I've heard this melody maybe before, but then, you know, I can't seem to find it. So, um, yeah, I mean, they definitely, but it's never like a strategic thing or it just, it just happens. I feel like people know that you're a country artist, but they don't necessarily equal a country artist with a songwriter anymore. Um, but you are a songwriter on most of your music. Yeah. How do you choose what songs that you write, you put out versus a cut from someone else?

[00:16:03] Yeah. I think I've had two outside cuts in my career. Um, and like with bad spot on this record was I was already writing a lot of this record with Casey Bethard. Um, I had written probably, I don't know, 30 to 40 songs where I had, I would purposely get halfway done and I'd stop. Um, there's a few of them that I just went ahead and finished, but a lot of them I would write the first half of the song and then I would call Jaron Johnston or, you know, Dan

[00:16:33] Kaus, be like, how do you feel? What do you think about this? Uh, Luke Preston, who I've just gotten where I love writing with him and Andrew DeRoberts have become really close with me. Um, but, um, Casey was one of those that when I was going into this record, um, I had written High Hopes and Live Inside. So I write every single morning, like every morning that's the first thing I do. And sometimes that turns into two, three hours. Sometimes that turns into 30 minutes.

[00:16:58] Um, but there was a, there was, when I say that to say that I'm not necessarily writing for something, but then something will click and happen where, when I wrote Solitary Tracks, Live Inside High Hopes Within a Week of Each Other. And I was like, uh, I think I'm on a record cycle now. Like I'm saying something, there's something I'm trying to get out.

[00:17:22] And so I, with the nature of those songs, Leonard Skinner Jones is one of my just, oh man, like you want to talk about like songwriting 101. Like, and so I've known Casey for a while. We've written maybe once or twice together, but I called Casey and said, Hey man, I'm, I'm starting to write this record. Would you want to come out to the East coast and hang out for a bit? And so he came out there and I had this like pile of songs that were half finished. And I just said, let's, let's get to work. And he's just the best human.

[00:17:51] He's an incredible writer, but just the best human. Um, so, you know, that was kind of the beginning foundation of the process for this whole thing. And bad spots, definitely a song, which. And that's how it happened because I was like, do you have anything? We'd already written like four or five. And I said, Hey man, you don't, he would never try to pitch me something. That's just how Casey is. And I said, do you have anything that might fit what we're doing that I might love?

[00:18:20] He said, yeah, I got this song bad spot, you know, and he played it for me acoustic. And I was like, Oh my gosh. And it just was, just felt like something I would write. So it just made sense. Well, it's just a, it's a wonderful song. And you released that ahead of the album's official release, which, you know, we're like, we're recording this before the album comes out. So we're talking about it as, you know, it's out. Even though we haven't heard some of the songs, we're very much excited to hear some of the songs and feel free to talk about all those songs.

[00:18:49] We're very, we're very much looking forward to them, but kind of an interesting question that, you know, we sometimes like to pose. Is there a song you have heard that you wish you wrote? Oh, wow. Like current or just in general? I guess anything. Well, I mean, Simple Man. If there's ever a song that I, that I just wish that was mine, that I could sit down with the songwriters around and say, here you go. Let me just play one song and I'll be getting out of here.

[00:19:15] I mean, it just, I mean, Ronnie Vanzana is one of my all time favorite vocalist ever. He might be my favorite vocalist ever. And it's not that he's, you know, doing crazy melodic things. He's just, you believe every word out of that man's mouth. Yeah. So Simple Man would be, would be that song for me. Yeah. Unequivocally, that would be it. I got a lot that I wish I'd have written, but Leonard Skinner Jones is one.

[00:19:44] I mean, I just, when I heard that song, I just wept. It just made me, that song made me pull the truck over on the side of the road. I remember where I was and I just was just stopped in my tracks and was like, holy cow, what a way to spin this whole thing. It just blew my mind. And when we talk to artists who have longer careers in country music, I feel like there's two things that they kind of all have in common.

[00:20:11] One, they talk about their relationship with alcohol and that how that changes kind of like while being on the road all the time and adjusting. And then two, they usually say that there's a period of time where they kind of wish they would have released music differently, that they put out something that wasn't necessarily authentic to themselves. Do you feel that way about any of your music or do you feel like you've remained true to yourself? Are we talking about alcohol right now? Are we talking about, you know, somewhat of a vague opening. Yeah. Yeah. Whatever stands out to you.

[00:20:40] Well, I mean, for me, I was in a unique spot. Number one, nobody was on top of me when I was writing up all night. It was, you know, Joe Fisher had already heard a lot of my catalog that I'd written was like, you know, this guy's a writer. He's actually a real writer. So he's telling that to the label. And, you know, so nobody was on top of me being like, you know, a lot of times artists

[00:21:09] having to turn in songs and the suits kind of tell you what's what's what'll work, this and that. And so I had a green light and it was a big. Yeah. I just, I mean, crazy more time didn't sound like anything in country music. Faith When I Fall didn't everything but you. And those were the backbone of that record, Reckless. So when the record exploded the way it did, then all of a sudden it was like, hey, hey, now like, OK, you know,

[00:21:38] because that's the way a label to work a lot of times. You know, they'll sign what they think's talent and they'll just throw all this putty against the wall and they'll see, OK, well, this one's still hanging around. Let's throw some more putty on the wall and it slides off. OK, well, let's get back to this. This is working now. So all of a sudden I felt like I had all these, you know, people, you know, where promo already believed in me.

[00:22:01] You know, the Michelle and and Mars and EJ and Van and, you know, it was, you know, Miranda. There was so many people, Donna Jo, that were all big believers when they heard the record. So they were all, you know, we all became close and built these relationships. But it was like when I was going to do Wild Ones, all of a sudden, you know, everybody's like, well, what are the songs? What can we hear some, you know, this and that? And I still kept everything tight.

[00:22:28] And I'll never forget playing that record for the whole room of Universal. And man, you could hear a pin drop in there. It was just fear. It was like what lipstick, I think, was one of the first tracks. And they were just like, what is this? We don't dislike it, but this is not like up all night. You know, where's the where's the formula of what worked? And it was you could you could cut the tension with a knife in that room. Truly like it was like here I was stoked.

[00:22:57] I mean, I had heart's desire, which I always knew was a hit song. And now I'm seeing it finally 12 years later blow up. But it's like that was us. It's, you know, what built my career, essentially. How frustrating is it as an artist to pour your heart into it, into something? And for the suits to sit there and be like, well, this isn't like what you did the first time. Yeah. I don't think there's anything more.

[00:23:30] And I had a good relationship with everybody. Most people over there at that label. And you can't blame them. And I have a lot to be thankful for. But but as far as just playing music for the music industry fucking sucks. There's nothing more just taking your soul out and just, you know, like because it's also to their defense. Sitting in a sterile room is not the way to listen to like any record I ever discovered that I loved.

[00:23:57] I mean, I remember hearing Full Moon Fever Tom Petty and my buddy Tom Pritchett's 1992 Honda Prelude. It was an old Honda Prelude with a spoiler on the back that we thought was so rad. But neither here nor there. But I remember he had these two tens in the back and, you know, running down a dream came on and we're on a sorry, mom.

[00:24:27] We're, you know, on a back dirt road and we had hit a little bit of a joint. You're listening to this record and you're like, what is this? And it's blaring and the windows are down and you're in it. We don't do that enough anymore. We listen to everything. Just you hold up your phone with some shitty speaker and it's just like, you know, it's all so sterile. So it's also hard to get connected. You're just because and their brains are wired to only they're listening from here and not here.

[00:24:57] And I get that they're they're all trying to make, you know, their jobs work and they're trying to like make hit records. And but it's it's interesting because it's like I remember playing Fire and Flame. I'm jumping up here, but I remember playing Fire and Flame and everybody being like, oh, my gosh, what an incredible song. And everybody being this might be our favorite one of the whole. But it's not a radio tune. And I just remember being like, what does that mean?

[00:25:23] And like, you know, you all just reacted in a visceral way, but it's not a radio. Well, it's too heady. And that kind of stuff, I just go, you know, that's the that's the the really difficult part. But I'll say that once while one's caught like it did and the crowds doubled and tripled in size from that record. Where the fear turned into trust was like, go do whatever you want.

[00:25:53] So when I made Slow Heart and that stuff, it was just kind of and I'll say this, too. It's kind of one of those things where you guys know this when you get a record from a certain artist, you know what it's going to sound like. You know what they're going to say. You know what all the tones are going to say. It's going to be the same thing over. It's a formula that they dial in because it's working. And I get it. But but my favorites, my heroes were always taking chances.

[00:26:16] And I think about how drastically different, you know, the dichotomy like in Springsteen records that were just and then fans rip them apart. You know, this ain't like the river and this ain't, you know, yada, yada. But like petty records, you know, it's I love artists that stretch. And for me, you know, there's times when I'm going to fall on my face because I'm stretching and I'm not, you know, when I when I did damn love.

[00:26:46] I mean, I've always loved 80s sounds and I really leaned into that and did these things. There's people that aren't going to like it. There's people that are. And but you just kind of have to trust what you're doing at that time. And you always have regrets. I think you rip your own stuff apart. And there's times when I get finished, I'm like, I love this one day. And the next time I'm like, this sucks. Next day I'm like, I love it. It sucks. And I'm just all over the place. But sometimes it takes time for fans to attach themselves to something that sounded different. Right. Sure.

[00:27:14] I mean, I know my dad, huge U2 fan. And so I grew up listening to a lot of U2 and they put out an album, you know, after the Joshua Tree is Zeropa. And everybody was like, what the hell is this? Obviously, you know, looking back on it now, people are more fond of it. But it is interesting to see. Did that have a, you got to get yourself together stuck in the moment.

[00:27:40] That was the 2002 record. Anything that you can't leave behind. Okay. Something like that. Yeah. That one's, that's a beautiful song. Yeah. I always love that one. Man, I love that one. But it's just interesting to me to see like fans, even fans of the artists that they like are like, well, why didn't you just make something that sounded exactly like the last one? And then it's, you know. What I also learned is you can never please fans. Never. You're never going to.

[00:28:11] It's, if you, if you do the same thing, then they rip you apart. And then if you don't do the same thing, where's, where's the old Eric Church? We want the old. I'm like, he's still making killer stuff. Like, just open your ears and quit looking for, you know, guys like me. He's already written that. Like, what's the point in doing it again? You know, it's like, you know, he's writing killer stuff still. And I commend him for always swinging, you know, at least. And it's, you can't win for losing.

[00:28:41] And we live in a world that's just so, it's everything is just, you get celebrated for tearing everything down. So, I quit, you know. I'm always hoping that fans enjoy what I've created, that are the fans. But you can't think about them while you're making it. You have to make it for yourself. And I've always tried to do that.

[00:29:09] You know, at times, I might have gotten a little skewed here and there at times, but not anymore. You're just hoping that they dig where you were at at that specific time. And, you know, we post articles that are opinionated and we give people, fans, a platform to voice their opinion. And, I mean, I work on socials all the time. So, I am constantly seeing comments left and right, negative, positive. What is your relationship like with social media during, like, that record process versus after?

[00:29:38] I mean, I've always been pretty non-existent. My team will post stuff for me. I'm not on it a lot. You know, there's times where, you know, I just recently, I don't think I was on it for two straight weeks recently of any kind. And then I might be on it for three or four days in a row and then I'm not again. But it's always very little. But luckily, you know, I will say this, though.

[00:30:06] So, I've had very little, very little hate throughout my career. Like, when if you look at my comment session, it's all, I very rarely ever seen negativity on my page. And maybe that's, I don't know why that is. But I certainly see it in other places. People just love to gripe their complaints and get tapped on the shoulder by somebody being like, yeah, you know, you told them. Yeah.

[00:30:36] You know, so, it's, I just can't. I can't spend any time worrying about that. That'll eat you alive. Definitely. Yeah. I get people, you know, track me down on Facebook and say, like, that article that you wrote was terrible. It's like, okay, I don't care. Cool, man. That's what you have to do. I'm going to go back to drinking my coffee and take care. Yeah. And then something else at Whiskey Riff, I feel like it happens a lot. It's like, we'll have, we have different writers, so they have different opinions. And then, like, all of a sudden, different opinions will be on Whiskey Riff. And it's like, well, kind of the same thing.

[00:31:06] You don't want us all to think the exact same way. We have, like, favorites that are different and we're allowed to have different opinions. Well, you're not allowed to do that anymore. Yeah. You're not allowed to feel differently, you know, than somebody, you know. And it's, it's wild, man. And, you know, it's so, it's, yeah, it's, it's, uh, and a lot of people, what you'll find out is how full of shit people are.

[00:31:32] Like, I can't tell you how many times I've heard somebody, you know, say, like, well, I don't like this. I like Cash. You know, I'm like, oh, you do? I know the guy's whole catalog. So, what's your favorite Cash tune? And they can't name a single song by Johnny Cash, but it sounds cool to say that. And that's what the whole circle's doing. We are such sheep by nature. Um, everybody just follows the pack.

[00:31:59] If the pack is positive, you know, if the trend, the trend now is everybody be loud and be real negative. So, we all, like, adapt that nature. Um, but that kind of stuff is what's so comical to me, is you can say that and you can't name me one song. And that's usually the case. They can't name a song outside of Folsom Prison Blues. Yeah.

[00:32:19] Um, but that's the, that's the hip thing to say, you know, so I've always been of the nature of, I don't care what you think about what I like as far as the, when it comes to music. Um, man, I love Red Headed Stranger is one of my all time favorite records. Man, I love Willie Nelson.

[00:32:40] Um, and I love Waylon's probably my favorite of that era, but, um, I got no problem like listening to, you know, recently I was somewhere where people were hating on Coldplay and I was like, I love Coldplay. Couldn't care less what anybody in the room is saying. You're allowed to like Coldplay and then allowed to like an early Metallica record. It's okay. You're allowed to do that.

[00:33:10] You know, you're not a sellout. Yeah. It's just like, you know, if you like red dirt, cool, man, you don't have to just like red dirt though. And I love some red dirt. There's a lot of shitty red dirt. There's a lot of really good stuff that's from that. There's going to always be good and, and bad. And that's, and that's just, it's subjective to each listener. The one where I think a lot of it might be terribly written. You might love it and that's okay. Just own it.

[00:33:39] You don't have to be swayed by how I feel or how whiskey riff feels, you know? So if you like Dan and Shay, who that guy sings his face off, he's unreal. You're okay to like that. And then in the next breath, like Cody Johnson, who I love. And yeah, I've just always kind of been like, we're getting so wrapped up in the wrong things. So. And it's almost like you have to, there's a societal pressure where you have to fit in a box and you can only fit in one box. Man. You can't spread yourself out. It's wild.

[00:34:08] It is interesting. We have a lot to cover on still. Yeah, I'm good. I'm in no rush. I'm in no rush, guys. I don't have to be anywhere until two, so I'm good. Perfect. Sounds good. Well, I want to dive a little bit into the new album. Okay. Live Here to Work was one of the first singles. Okay. And that's something that I had on repeat at the gym the week it came out just because the tune of it, the melody of it is like exactly what I want to hear when I'm working out and taking that break from work. Yeah.

[00:34:35] And it just feels like a very authentic you song because this is my first time meeting you, but my perception of you is that you were very passionate and opinionated in like the best way. And so like that song feels like you just kind of like flipping off. Yeah. I mean, that was just me. I had these construction workers that were making a lot of noise every morning close to where I was living here in Nashville. And I got up early one morning and they were all fussing about something.

[00:35:05] And one of them was like, you know, the hell with that. I don't live here to work. Well, the hell with that didn't sound as cool to me, but I thought that I don't live here to work was so like, man, I went back inside right away. And I think I wrote that probably 45 minutes just went back inside. I was like, all right, here it is. And then I just wanted to make it a rowdy, you know, old school rock and roll feeling thing. And the album is 23 songs long. Why a longer album? Well, it was it was initially only side A and B, which is 13.

[00:35:34] I believe that was the record. It was a very specific. It was a very specific. And when you hear the record as a whole, you'll get what I mean by this. But it was a very specific sound and message and thing. The sonic nature of A and B is very consistent. And that was just an unpacking for me of the closet.

[00:35:54] It was trying to find peace with a lot of things that I'd buried, trying to give myself a little grace in those things and also just trying to let go of things that I was holding on to that were harboring, making me angry inside. It was it was a freedom of I have never not like intentionally, but it's not to be a jerk or I've just never wanted to walk with the pack.

[00:36:24] I've been that way since I was a kid. I've always been OK with being my own man and feeling the way I feel. And, you know, at times you might get ribbed on those kind of things. And so there was some specific things that happened at that particular time in my life where I felt that way more than ever. I felt very alone on my journey. So that was kind of how solitary tracks got written.

[00:36:53] And initially I was writing that the night before Brett James and Dan Kouts were supposed to come up to the house next morning. And I thought that I might just finish it by myself that night. And I'd gotten it started. And it was initially just about me. It was the chorus wasn't what it ended up being. It was the same. All the melody structures are the same. A lot of the lyrics are the same. And it was, you know, I had, you know, just looking for something ain't never going to find, you know, and I had those things. But it was all about the very personal.

[00:37:21] And the record is that way in a sense where I feel like at times I've drawn on nostalgic characters, which were a lot of times me. But it was like not necessarily about me. The first half of this record is about me. It was a very inward thing. And, you know, so I got finished with that. I was like, all right, the record's done. And mentally I was done. I was done with feeling that way. I was just done.

[00:37:52] About a week or two goes by. And they said, all right, well, you know, we're going to put this out February 28th. So the record, you know, we got to have everything turned in by all the stems and everything by like early October. Well, I still had three, four months. And I don't stop writing. So then it was like Love and War came and Alley Cat and these things. And it was like a different levity kind of in the music. And then it just was this hodgepodge, this eclectic mix of songs that I was writing. Forever is a lie. It was a heavy, heavy song.

[00:38:21] I'll never forget writing that. It's probably one of my favorites on the record. But that sounds nothing like Love and War. But I was kind of like, I've already got one piece that's a piece. I'm going to just let this be an eclectic mix of different sounds. And I couldn't do that before. I couldn't make a 23 song record. But it was, I just felt like one time, I'm not going to do it again. It was just like, this is the time I want to do this. Just give you a big body of work. Let you find a few songs here and there that you really love.

[00:38:51] And then I'm already working on the next one, which is, I know I'm not supposed to be talking about that because we're talking about this. But it is the record I've always wanted to make. What I'm making right now, it's the record that I've always wanted to make. It's, this one's just going to bleed through me. And it's, yeah, might be it. And it might be like, see y'all. What a teaser. Yeah.

[00:39:18] So, but it's going to be a thing, you know. But I just felt like with this one, I had the freedom to be like, it's okay if this side C&D doesn't all really connect. Let's just give a bunch of songs out. That's what I was going to ask. Because earlier you described Damn Love, your other album, having like that 80s sound. Would you say there's a theme throughout Solitary Tracks? Or is it just kind of a song? Definitely in side A and B. Okay. Definitely side A and B.

[00:39:44] I mean, and it was a very intentional keeping a lot of tension on the music because there's a lot of tension in the lyric. So I wasn't worried about the sonic structure of, okay, I need to make this first. I mean, Solitary Tracks, you're listening to that and you don't really get to a big course until three minutes into the song. So, but a lot of my favorite records were that way. And even like live inside, like it took a doom, doom, doom, doom, doom.

[00:40:13] And we kept that one riff going through. It was just all, it's kind of like in the vein of like a Toto Michael Jackson, kind of the little syncopated riff that's happening. And even with things like that where normally I would have let that grow into this different, I said, no, no, no. Just ride that the whole way and keep the tension. Let it build. Never let it explode kind of thing. So, yeah, there's a very deliberate thing with A and B lyrically, sonically.

[00:40:43] The guitar tones line up and sync together. So, but C and D not so much. And with 23 songs, are you, when you hit the road with Billy Carrington again this year? No clue what I'm going to do. No clue yet. I'm like, are you going to do more of the new stuff or kind of just do a little bit of everything still? I'll never, I'll never, I'm never going to just play only new stuff.

[00:41:05] I don't, I don't think that's personally ever like really cool for the fans. You know, I remember, you know, yeah, I went to see one of my favorite artists one of the time. It was just all this really just, you didn't get to hear any of the stuff that you kind of grew up. So there's never going to be a time where I'm just going to play the whole record that's that. And, but I'll definitely play a lot of it.

[00:41:35] And we are still, we're still a live band. That's a lot of times that's not the case, you know. So we are moving and flowing as a live unit throughout the night. So it's, every night's a little different. I never know what's going to happen. It keeps the guys on their toes. I'm writing the set list 30 minutes before we walk out. It's not strapped to a computer for the whole tour and that this is what we do every night.

[00:42:02] So there'll be some nights where I'll play maybe six or seven from the new record. Some nights, maybe one, maybe two. And I know a lot of Kitmore fans are going to be just pumped to have 23 new songs to listen to. But I'd be remiss if I didn't go back and ask another question about this other album that you're saying that you're working on. If I'm not mistaken, you said it might be kind of a Sia situation, like a swan song? Yeah, I don't know. We'll see. You know, I just, it's, I've always...

[00:42:32] And maybe, if you don't, if you're not supposed to talk about it. And maybe this will never happen. You know, maybe I'm not being forthright with myself when I say this. But I've just, I'm always looking to make that perfect record. Like, that I know I did the very best I could. The best of what's in me. The best of my capabilities. I haven't done it yet. You know, I've loved what I've done a lot of times.

[00:43:00] But I've, that's what I've been striving for is to make something from start to finish that I know. That was everything that I had. And I'm about four or five deep into this. And I'm, I feel that way right now. Wow. So when that happens, I just know me. What I've learned about myself.

[00:43:27] And this is what I think all these trips that I take, you know, they're very solitude trips. And I'm getting a dirt bike in El Salvador and making my way down the coastline. And I don't know where I'm going to end up half the time. And I end up in these crazy situations. They're beautiful situations. But I am very maniacal in my approach to trying to be great at this. And trying to be as great as I can possibly tap into.

[00:43:56] And I'm obsessed with listening to production of records. Like, man, the production of Genesis record blows my mind where I'm just like, how did they do this? I know how they did it now. But like, how'd they do this in the moment? And I'm listening to all these counter melodies and stuff. And it just makes me want to strive to be great, you know. And kids, if you're listening to this, Genesis records, you know, they're getting this great. It's just blowing me away.

[00:44:25] The Pink Floyd records. Just wow. How'd they do this? But I know how much I love music. I love it. I think about it too much. And I know that I'm never going to water any other gardens if I stay in this. And I don't want to do it halfway. So I don't know how to, you know, I see people living very normal lives. But I think the difference is, is I'm so connected with what I'm doing.

[00:44:54] I'm not just getting a batch of songs. And there's people that, you know, we got all this going. Come here. Do you like this? Yeah, I like this. Let me put a vocal on and I'm out. And I'm so connected to everything. And I'm, that's all I think about. So often. And it drives me to madness. Like truly like to like a dark. I'm tired of kind of feeling dark in a way. Not in a way. I'm just tired of it. It's become exhausting a little bit.

[00:45:21] Feeling tormented in that sense of I live in the space of being really hard on myself. And, but I feel everything big and small a lot. But, um, I know that if I create something that I feel like was the best I could do, um, I'm, I'm going to need to lay it down at some point. Quit, quit chasing it. Because it's definitely not going to be for, to keep going and playing shows, get a check. Money's never driven me.

[00:45:50] Like, truly never driven me. I don't, I really don't care about things at all. I've never cared about things. I don't have things. Um, I'd be completely content living in a little old, you know, tiny home on the coast down in Central America and just surfing and just doing the foundation stuff that I do and stepping away from music at some point. But it's more about not because I've lost the love for it. I'm on fire as much for music as I've ever been.

[00:46:17] But I just, uh, I don't want to drive myself into, you know, insanity. And I'm on the verge of that sometimes. I don't feel right here sometimes. And so I've learned that in about myself where at some point I'm going to have to make that definitive, um, thing of, I've got to stop chasing this, not chasing that out there. Don't care about adulation, none of that stuff. I got to stop chasing this thing that's here.

[00:46:46] Um, you know, you mentioned surfing and you've mentioned rock climbing before as well. I feel like you have all these other hobbies outside of music and that you kind of just search for adventure. Is, is that where that originates from? Just trying to like get your mind right or is it something else? Yeah. I mean, I've always been drawn to like teetering on that edge a little bit for sure.

[00:47:09] Um, and not just for an adrenaline, adrenaline junkie feel, but man, when you catch a wave, like a way that's really throttling and you're on top of like a one foot reef and you can see it right below. You've only got that much of water and it's razor sharp. And you, you just saw somebody come out completely bloodied. Like there's a fear element controlling that fear. Cause you know that you're capable.

[00:47:33] And, but when you tap into that and you can feel it like, you know, and you're, you pump out the back and you know, I said this in the earlier interview cause they were asking me about sharks and stuff. And I said, you know, if you told me, Hey man, um, you do anything this winter? And I said, yeah, I'm gonna go snowboard. And you said, well, have fun, man. Just know there's like a, there's been this big, like 12 foot giant monster that comes out of the mountain every year and he eats somebody on the way down. I'd probably never go snowboarding again.

[00:48:03] And I love snowboarding, but surfing makes me tap into that like childlike innocence that I think is impossible. When you become an adult, we all have joy. We have happiness, but like becoming a child again is impossible. And I feel that way when I'm surfing. So I'm just chasing that feeling, I think more than anything. Yeah. I love that. That's such a, yeah, that's such a cool point. Cause, uh, what's, what's the saying? You don't, you don't grow old cause you stop playing or you don't stop playing cause you grow old. You grow old cause you stop playing. Yeah.

[00:48:32] And, uh, sorry, I butchered it. No, no, no. I, I, I 100% feel that way. Yeah. And finding something like that, obviously there's maybe an element of that in, in making music, but it does sound like, you know, whenever you're out, outside, it's whenever you really connect with that feeling. Yeah. Well, my feet are in the dirt and you know, I don't think I wore a pair of shoes for the last two months before yesterday when I landed in Nashville. So I just love it, man. I love feeling that way.

[00:49:01] Okay. And, and it was seven hours from home.

[00:49:31] And I was like, this will be, you know, once again, I wanted just to kind of like not know anybody and start on something completely, not go to a school where buddies were and stuff in the South. And, um, so yeah, I went there and I kind of started golf a little late in life. My, my dad was a pro. My brother was incredible, all American. And like, he's such a good player. Um, and I kind of wanted to do my own sports. I was always doing basketball, let him have golf.

[00:49:56] And, you know, and my junior summer when I quit baseball, I went out to the driving range and started hitting some balls. And I remember my dad coming up and, and he was just an intimidating figure. He never really gave you compliments. Like even, you know, I could score 30 points in a game and come home and be like, what the hell was that pass in the third quarter? You know, he was that guy. And I can just remember him standing and just intimidatingly just watching me hit and, you know, and him stopping me and be like, do you hear the sound of that?

[00:50:25] Like that sounding like hardly anybody out here. And if you practice this, you're going to get good. And I got pretty good that summer. And, and, um, so anyways, I was at Wallace playing basketball for, you know, a while and had made friends on the golf team. And then, um, the coach heard from me going out and hitting balls with some of those guys on the weekends that I could play. So he asked me to play around with the team and it's a really tough track called Terry Pines.

[00:50:55] And I shot 71 and on a tough day, tough conditions. And so he offered me a scholarship, asked me if I'd switch sports. And so I'd had this feeling after a couple of years of basketball, like I'm not, uh, NBA is not in the cards. I can play, but, but, um, you know, the, the, the point guards are now six, five and six, six in college. And, um, so I thought maybe I had a shot at doing something with golf because it, it, it was kind of a natural thing for me.

[00:51:24] Um, and, uh, just wish I'd have my brother, David's putting. Um, but, but yeah, I played for a couple of years there and was getting offers from schools, um, to go transfer. And I did. And yeah, so I was, I did the five year college stint. So, yeah, I did the same thing. Yeah. Um, Shelby would probably be upset. I played college golf as well. So, um, yeah. Where'd you play? Uh, Murray State University. Um, not a lot of people know. I know Murray State. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:51:54] John Morant. Yeah, we played, uh, we played, uh, basketball. Um, we did like Birmingham Southern, Murray, like in like the, like the kind of warmup game before the season would start. So yeah, that's where I went to school. Um, and I was there for five years and, uh, I don't play that much now. Most of the time, if it's, if someone asked me. Yeah. Do you still get out on the course that much? Never.

[00:52:19] I played 18 holes for the first time probably in, I don't know, maybe three years this past summer. Um, you know, there might be a year goes around and I'll hit a few balls somewhere with somebody. Um, or I'll play nine holes here then four or five years ago by or a year ago by. It's all kind of, but I've maybe played 18 holes, um, three times in the last 12 years plus.

[00:52:48] Um, but I played this summer a full round. Is it like riding a bike? You catch up pretty quick? My ball strike and never, you know, it's a little off, but that's, that was, that was the best part of my game. That doesn't, my iron game always seems to be there. Um, so I can, even if I kind of struggle, which in that round that I played this summer, I struggled the first five holes putt and I had a few three putts out of the gate and then I was able to keep it, you know, around par for the rest of the round. So it's a hard sport to put down and come back to it. Yeah. For sure. So a lot of feet. Yeah.

[00:53:18] The short game kind of is what starts to kind of fade. I find golf very interesting. I'm new to it, but I love it. I don't know. On a, on a good weather day. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I think that's the thing is I never really, um, loved it. There was a, I think getting that nod from my dad that I looked up to so much when he was like, you're nobody's ball sounds like yours when you're striking it. If you do this, you're going to be good.

[00:53:44] But, and I became a maniac, like truly, like it was like, this is all I did for, you know, and by the end of that summer, I was shooting a lot of rounds in the sixties. It was like, I practiced that whole summer and it was just like, that's all I did was from dust to dawn. Like, you know, I could talk golf for a little bit. I know we probably need to move to something else, but I mean, for you to pick it up late and be shooting in the sixties, like that's a, that's a huge deal. Shelby, if, if the numbers aren't making a lot of sense. Yeah.

[00:54:14] So for, you know, hitting a couple of drivers and hanging out in the sun, but that's right. Yeah. I love it anyways. And you just, you kind of don't strike me as a person who does anything halfway. So, you know, I think that's it. I think I just know that I'm not going to put the time in to do that anymore. And so going out and, you know, if it's a good group of guys that I really enjoy, I can go out there and do that. But there's a, there's just a, I never throw clubs.

[00:54:39] I'm not acting crazy, but there's just an element of me where, you know, if I'm, you know. Like competitive. The 75 isn't enjoyable for me. I'm like, if I don't feel like I'm capable of hitting those old shots, if I don't feel like I'm capable when I walk on of shooting that number that I used to get shoot, it just doesn't feel as. Well, surfing is still new for me. You know, I started in 2015-ish, 14-ish. And so every time I go, I get a little bit better and they're still like that.

[00:55:08] But I got to my peak ability at that time because I was practicing every day of my life in college, you know. So I had the time to do that. Do you ever have days where you go surfing and you come back, you're like, man, I didn't do as well. Yeah, for sure. Golf would be like, man, I didn't score. There's some days you go out and you're like, I feel like I've never surfed in my life right now. And everything just feels off. And I think that's with any sport. But there's some days where you're so, so dowdy.

[00:55:36] And, yeah, they just feel I've got a good buddy of mine who's become like a dear friend who's one of the biggest big wave riders in the world. So I'm all the time sending him, you know, if I have any footage of myself surfing, I'm like, all right, coach, what did I do wrong here? Or what did I do here? And he goes back and forth with me. That's awesome. Yeah. I love podcasting because, you know, you get on these little tangents about anything. And it's, you know, in radio interviews, you only get, you know, this much of an interview.

[00:56:05] I love hearing about like all the other things that go on besides the music as well as music. You guys are great at what you do. It's been enjoyable. Thank you. Well, I want to wrap up with some rapid fire questions. These usually aren't as rapid fire as they sound. The first one's very general. It can go in any direction you feel. What are your 2025 predictions? I'll be honest. I no longer do that. I don't, I don't set musical goals anymore.

[00:56:33] I'm not because I don't care, but because music is such a subjective thing. And I've just learned that that I'm already nuts. And that just drives me into a further. So I don't have like any, and I feel like you're asking me, you know, prediction wise with music. I just don't. It could be anything. Yeah. I just, um, um, I don't really have any predictions of 2025. I know some things that I'm, I'm diving into pretty deep right now that are completely outside of music.

[00:57:03] And that's kind of like stuff that I'm trying to accomplish. Um, but I don't know if I got any predictions. Okay. That's right. Uh, what song do you have on repeat right now? Wow. Um, what song do I have on repeat right now? Um, you know, I would actually say wildflowers for some reason. I've been listening to that record a lot again, and I've been listening to Tom Petty wildflowers over and over. I think just because of the production of it.

[00:57:32] Now we touched on a couple of your hobbies, but are there any other obsessions you might have outside of country music right now? Yeah. Um, you know, I don't know if obsession is the way to put it, but I'm very, um, so I've been, uh, I started this, um, foundation years ago, this one heartbeat Maui Hawaii foundation.

[00:58:02] And that was initially just to try to help the local Hawaiians, um, that are really strapped over there. They're just the best guy. They're the best. Um, and I was trying to find a way to help the housing crisis there. Um, but it's turned into all these different things. And like when I was playing in South Africa two years ago, um, I heard about a woman that was running a soup kitchen in these like, um, shanty towns and they're guys.

[00:58:32] It is, it is extreme. Like I've been to a lot of third world countries and the situations there are extreme. And it's this saint of a human being is just feeding all these kids. And, um, so I asked to go meet her and they were, you know, like, well, you can't go in there. It's too dangerous to this and that. And I said, well, who's going, I'm going. So somebody is going to have to go with me. So they took me and I met her and, um, was blown away by her and what she was doing.

[00:59:01] And so I've been involved with that for the last couple of years and doing a lot with her, helping her continue that. But now we've even stretched it to where we're building these, um, safe houses inside these, um, inside these areas where there's a lot of gang violence that pops off. And now these kids got somewhere to go. So obsession is not the right word, but like my focus is becoming that.

[00:59:29] And I want to expand on that. And I want to, um, I want to take that to a different level. And so I think that's kind of, um, where my attention will go when I do at some point step away from all this. It's a very noble, uh, thing that you're doing and there's no good way to transition to the next question. Um, your go-to hangover cure. Oh, okay. All right.

[00:59:59] I gotcha. Complete shift, Tony. Um, I gotcha. I gotcha. You know, how, uh, you know, um, uh, man, I'm a coffee addict. God, I love it so much. I love it. Love it. Love it. Um, but I think for me, um, if I'm on the road and it happens, which it does on occasion, I'm, I'm always searching

[01:00:23] out, you know, coffee always helps a little bit, but I'm searching out, uh, pancakes and I don't eat a lot of pancakes, but I always want them when that happens. I'm searching out like, and I, I don't want to clean when like I want it loaded, you know, with the stuff. And I, I tend to, to, to look for that when that happens. I'm jealous that the coffee works on you. It gives me anxiety when I'm hung over. I'm like, I'm overstimulated. No, it's, yeah, it definitely helps. Uh, will you name something that's overrated in your opinion?

[01:00:53] Ooh, I mean, I mean the, the, the, the, the, the quickest thing for me, and this is going to be an unpopular thing because everything, you know, it's, there are some beautiful things about it, but social media in general for me, um, I just think it's created a monster and everybody.

[01:01:17] Um, it's created this vanity ridden world. That's kind of like just out of control right now to me. So I know there's good things about it. Um, you know, there's, there's ways that, you know, it's allowed people to make, you know, careers outside of the corporate world in a really unique and cool way. And I think that's awesome.

[01:01:42] Um, but, um, just as a whole, I think that's the first thing that comes to mind where it's just kind of, you know, and I would say that I would say things we, I said social media because I feel like we all look at it and we're like, Oh, whether it's, I need that face. Every girl is starting to look the same now. They're all getting the exact same work and it's so bizarre to me, but it's like, I also

[01:02:08] kind of get it because we're so possessed with our phone. You watch it, man. People can't put it down. Like you're having dinner and there's a break in the conversation for two seconds. Well, let me pick it up. Let me look at Instagram real quick. You scroll, you're looking at nothing. People at the stoplight. Yeah. It's just, it's so crazy. So social media is the backbone, but I say things cause I just watched and we're now in this kind of weird thing and country music where it feels like, uh, and I don't feel like

[01:02:37] it's ever been that way where it's like this, like WWF, like it's everybody's showing their stuff and stuff. I never want fans to look at my life and feel less than, I never want anybody to feel that way. I, and I don't have to try to live simple. It's just the way I choose. And it's just cause I don't care about stuff.

[01:03:07] I care about human connection and I care about experiences and all the other stuff is just, it's whatever. So even like the times where we've taken private jets or whatever, I'm like, nobody's. And the cool thing is I have a, a, a group full of guys that are so rad too. And they're not caught up in that stuff. But I'm like, nobody's posting a damn thing about this private jet. Cause it doesn't mean anything.

[01:03:35] And I don't want people looking at that feeling like, well, their life's not fulfilled because they're not in a jet doing this right here. Got their, you know, drink in front of them and their servant and this and that and their cars. And it's just, it's just, this stuff is so silly to me. Um, and it always has been, but now, now more than ever, I'm just, uh, I'm so turned off by that world. I want nothing to do with it. I think I can agree.

[01:04:03] And I, I don't know if you felt this way, Shelby, but when you said earlier, like you hadn't been on social media for weeks, it's like both of us, especially Shelby, we have to be on social media to, you know, looking for things. And I get it. I get it. 24 seven. I was like, it is, it is our job. I get it. So it's like, it's like, there is no break. And that's, and that's something that I feel like is, is like, you know, it's doing so much to you, whether you want it to or not, you know, is there's a, there's a beautiful thing that happens when you, and I'm not on it much to begin with anyway.

[01:04:33] So for a guy like me, it's not a huge transition, but like, I was truly like, I don't, you know, I think that I hadn't picked it up in a solid two weeks, you know, recently. And it's just like, you just feel different. You really do. You feel different. Um, I'm in the middle of reading a book called the anxious generation. It's all about that. Dude, we're going to be so whack. Yeah. It's very interesting. We're going to grow. And how our kids or grandkids are going to be. It's like an episode of Black Mirror in real life.

[01:05:04] Um, next question, name something underrated. Oh, wow. Oh, wow. Underrated. Um, underrated is, um, using live amps. Yeah. I know you didn't see that coming, but I'll say using live amps for all you up and coming musicians out there, um, not relying on the tracks, you know, like there's a, there's such

[01:05:32] a cool craft with learning your instrument and learning how to use it and, and having fun geeking with your amps every night and finding that sound. Um, you know, yeah. Yeah. It's very convenient to just hit the computer and kind of have all the sound beefing up around you. And, and, um, but man, being on a stage with a, with a group of live guys and there's something neat that's happening every night.

[01:06:01] That's a little different. And, oh my gosh, you just hear him play that riff right there and that, and he'd never done that. And it's super underrated, man. And we're going to end with kind of a funny question. Quinn, you can go ahead and ask. Gotcha. Um, yeah, this one, this one has actually been a lot of fun to, to ask people a little strange, but, uh, what's the largest animal you could take in a fight? One V one. Oh, wow. I feel like, I feel like people's reactions to that question. Wow.

[01:06:30] The largest, some knowledge on this with the largest animal that I could take in a fight. Yep. And if you're worried about like, well, why is he fighting? Like maybe in a self-defense situation, maybe like if you had no other choice, but to fight this animal. No, I gotcha. I would say a kangaroo. Okay. They get really big. Yeah. Um, but you know, and they're powerful, man. You look at how muscular their legs are and stuff, but you know, I think that the reach,

[01:06:58] they got short reach, really short reach. And so I think maybe that would be the, the, the ticket. Um, because all the other animals that I think of off top of my head that are really big, you got no chance. Um, but yeah, I'm going with a kangaroo and they'll stand up, you know, stand up to be seven feet, you know, so they're, they're big. That tail strong too. Yes. A lot of people don't know that. Yeah. And they're aggressive. They're aggressive. But I could get one good licking in the nose and I think I could end it.

[01:07:28] Great answer. Love it. And like I said, I'd love to kind of go on a million tangents with you, but we only have so much time. So I want to thank you for being here and I'm really excited to listen to the full album. Thank you. Wait, what are some of the other answers right quick? Um, someone, well. Someone said a big dog. Yeah. Like a large dog, like a great Dane. Um, so that's me and, um, Colby Acuff. He brought up a moose, but he said a moose. No, no, no. He ain't got a prayer.

[01:07:56] But he was saying, he was saying like, he spun our question into another question. It's like how many, he asked us and. How many people do you think it would take to take down a moose? Because he's from Idaho. So he was like. Oh, I was like, I was like, Colby, what you smoking over there, man? Those things are, those things are nasty, man. I think we landed around 30 people. Okay. To take down a moose. Yeah. They're intense. I'm like, I'm trying to think. No part of a moose. Yeah. You know, everyone gets kind of just thrown off by the question. They're like, I don't even know. Like. Yeah. That's.

[01:08:24] I've never been asked that right there. Perfect. There you go. Yeah. Well, thank you again for being here. You bet, guys. I appreciate it. I hope we get the opportunity to do it again. Yeah. For sure. Thanks so much. You bet.