S5: E14: Sam Banks - (Craig Morgan) Local Gigs to Legendary Stages

Speaker 1: 0:46

This is Backstage Pass Radio, the podcast that's designed for the music junkie with a thirst for musical knowledge. Hi, this is Adam Gordon, and I want to thank you all for joining us today. Make sure you like, subscribe and turn alerts on for this and all upcoming podcasts. And now here's your host of Backstage Pass Radio, Randy Holsey.

Speaker 2: 1:16

Sam. It's been a little while, man, but it's great to see your mug there on the screen.

Speaker 3: 1:20

man, welcome, it's good to see you thank you, you bet I was just talking. What was that? Six or eight months ago, maybe already or no?

Speaker 2: 1:27

Yeah, you know, I think it was the summertime. Yeah, I think. Yeah, probably three, at least three for sure. I'm horrible with dates, but yeah.

Speaker 3: 1:34

I'm going every day, man, so I don't know I'm bad with time in general.

Speaker 2: 1:38

Yeah, that's one thing that drives me nuts. You talk to these artists and especially when you get the bigger name artists, everything is like it's just a chronicle of albums and stuff and what year they came out, and trying to keep all that in your mind. I mean, I have cheat sheets and whatnot, but I've always struggled with dates. I can remember people I met 50 years ago, but I can't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday. So you know it's a struggle, right, it's a real thing.

Speaker 3: 2:04

It is. I got two kids and a wife and I say my wife has three kids and I'm the oldest of the three. But same here. When did you eat last? You know what time's your nap? I'm not talking all the time.

Speaker 2: 2:14

Yeah, the dad or the husband's always the biggest kid and the hardest one to deal with, I'm sure.

Speaker 3: 2:20

That's right. That's me for sure.

Speaker 2: 2:22

Yeah, well, I know you reside in the Nashville area now, but start off real quick by sharing with the listeners where you grew up and, if it was outside in Nashville, what brought you to Nashville? What's the story, the backstory there for you, the backstory.

Speaker 3: 2:38

I guess I can make a long story long story. But I grew up in Missouri, actually outside of Kansas City, about 30 miles, a little town off of I-70 called Grain Valley, and what brought me to Nashville was my older brother was a guitar player in a local band in Missouri and they didn't need another guitar player at the time. But I came in. I don't know if you can see, my dad bought me a cheap dough bro when I was 15 years old and so I would sit over in the corner not knowing how to play this stupid thing and started doing that and finding my way in bands and was playing with my brother and a friend, the singer of our band. After a gig one night he said I'm going to Nashville in the morning, you want to come with me?

Speaker 3: 3:16

And I hopped in the car and probably packed a pair of dirty underwear and just went on a whim and I fell in love with the city right when I pulled into town, and obviously too young to get in anywhere, it just stuck and I did everything that I could out of high school to get down here immediately. But I was from a small town, just a rural town in Missouri called Grain Valley. Honestly, my dad had to drive me to gigs and my brother would drive me if we were playing together and it just stuck man. So just grew up in a little town there and found my way down here just from playing in bands with my brother and kind of got my way doing that.

Speaker 2: 3:53

In this little town you speak of. How far is it from? Like Overland Park or Kansas City? Pretty close.

Speaker 3: 4:00

Yeah, we were about 35 minutes to Kansas City. Overland Park was a 45-50 minute drive probably, being on traffic but and actually I did play a few things over in Overland Park. You know just little restaurants and things like that, bands that I was playing in. We'd play bars and clubs out that way too, really all around the Midwest. But in my hometown there was a there still is a club there, but when I grew up there it was a little club called Whiskey Tango that brought in a bunch of nationals and so I played a lot.

Speaker 3: 4:27

Actually it was pretty cool. You know as small as our town was. There was a club there that you know held a couple thousand people, maybe 1500 people, and brought in a lot of nationals and stuff. So we had the opportunity to open up for a lot of guys coming through. And that's where I got to shake a lot of hands, and a guy who I'm still friends with today and he's still in the business owned all the production that was in that venue when I was a kid. I was just honestly rolling cables, helping strike the stage and helping the changeovers in between acts and stuff. So I was pretty fortunate to have that smoky club in my town, you know it was pretty neat.

Speaker 2: 5:02

It doesn't matter how you get there, it's whether you do or not. What's the old story with John Bon Jovi boy? He was sweeping floors in a recording studio when he kind of came up, you know. So it's timing, everything's timing in life. Right it is. You just got to be in the right place at the right time. Sometimes that's all it. But it amounts to.

Speaker 3: 5:18

That's exactly right, and I knew I wanted to do music and I knew you know you can't dig for gold where it's not at and if you're going to do music you've got to be down here. So I found any way that I possibly could to get down here to Nashville and, like I said earlier, my wife and my boys we live about a half hour outside of town over in Lebanon, tennessee- and how long have you been there in the greater Nashville area?

Speaker 3: 5:40

Well, I graduated high school in 2013 and I spent my summer there after I graduated in Missouri and then, right when school started, I went to Nashville State Community College for a year so 2013,. I lived here from 13 to 14 and I was commuting back and forth there for a while. I was still playing in bands in Missouri and we'll probably jump into when I started with Craig Morgan and stuff but I was commuting back and forth so 2013,. I lived here for a year this is the long story long and then, in November of 2018, I moved back. So it's been about five years since I've been here for this strand of time, but it's been about 10 years. Man. I've been coming down here for 10 years.

Speaker 2: 6:19

Wow, you said 2013. You just made me feel really old, so I'm going to go ahead and end this interview right now.

Speaker 3: 6:25

Yeah, I'm 28 years old now. So there's the math for you. Yeah, I was, you know, 18 years old when I came down here, when I was my first time. You know I was 17 and it was crazy and the city was really big and 10 years later it seems very small man. I've been fortunate to meet a lot of really really cool people here.

Speaker 2: 6:43

I bet, and I know you've seen Nashville grow and that's probably a blessing and a curse all at the same time, and I know that. I was out in Las Vegas and the same thing you know, the city has just taken on so many people and the infrastructure can't handle the amount of people that are moving in. So now you've got all this traffic and just wall-to-wall people and it's Nashville is a hotbed. In fact, I was reading something about a year ago that I think Nashville is probably the most moved to city in the nation right now. I believe that, man. I mean, they're just coming in droves.

Speaker 3: 7:18

Yeah, and it is. It has been a blessing and a curse man. You know there's tons of talent here and it's, you know, but it's a. It's a big community but a small one and nonetheless, you know if networking is crazy here, but you know the downfall to it growing is, as you know, I'm sure a lot of the older original spots here are, you know, kind of going away from us.

Speaker 3: 7:38

Like when I first started coming here, I was hanging out at a place called the Fiddler and Steel and Printers Alley and honestly, that's kind of where I cut my teeth, man, I was too young to be there but I was playing every Tuesday night from eight to 10 with that guy I was talking to you about earlier from Missouri. His name is Branson Ireland. Yeah, sure Him. And I would do the acoustic set on Tuesday nights before the big jam night started. And then it was half a Toby Keats band, you know, dave McAfee, dean Cook, trey Hill playing guitar from Big, and Rich Craig Maddox.

Speaker 3: 8:05

You know he played with Clint Black, you know that you could name it. It was just these all-star guys who I was just like. Oh my gosh, you know, and I got to play guitar on that acoustic set before it started. So the curse part of that is all of those places, with this city growing the way it is, or those things are going away, man, and it's really unfortunate, but we still got, you know, the station in and you know the basement and all the other Nashville Palace, all those cool spots hanging around, you know.

Speaker 2: 8:29

Well, that was a cool spot, the Nashville Palace, and we'll talk about that and I was going to share with the listeners real quick kind of the story behind me meeting you was I was in town and my buddy, john Evans, who's originally from Houston, moved out to Nashville and has done some recording, like I mentioned earlier, with Dave Rowe, who was with Johnny Cash and Dwight Yocum for a while and then wrote some songs, and his good friends with Hayes Carl out there. So John kind of migrated out to Nashville and we hooked up and John said no, we got to go to a good place to listen to some music. I said, well, you suggest it because I have no idea. And he said let's go to the Nashville Palace. So you know, I was there to do an interview with a couple of people and I think it was you and was it Corey Hunt that we're playing.

Speaker 2: 9:16

I think you were playing playing a song swap at the Palace when I met you. So that's kind of the first introduction to you and, by the way, you guys had some great covers, but I was, I was taken back by some of your original work and that's you know. I pulled you aside and said, hey, man, I got this podcast and your songs really resonated with me and I wanted to have you on to talk about. You know some of your stuff, so congrats on a lot of great songs that you've written over the years.

Speaker 3: 9:44

And thank you. I really appreciate it and I'm glad those got your attention. I'm one of the million songwriters here but you write them every day and, you know, very seldom do they get heard, recorded, do you even get to record them yourself, you know you just you find yourself piling up all these songs and and some of them stick with you, some of them you never sing again, and so I'm glad that some of those resonated with you, man, because you know it's a, it's an everyday thing of waking up and whether I'm right in here in my little studio in Lebanon or or I'm going into town, you know, so I'm well. I appreciate you listening to the original stuff because that's a, that's a big part of of what everybody here, what I particularly do.

Speaker 2: 10:21

So well, I have this conversation all the time, sam, and it's you know, I'm a. I'm a songwriter, and not so much of a songwriter but more of a performer. I play a lot of shows here in the Cyprus, texas, greater Houston area, at one time probably somewhere around the tune of about 130 a year, and I listen to music, whereas a lot of people don't listen to music anymore. Maybe that's an age thing, maybe it's just a respect thing, maybe it's just the love of music, but when I go in to someplace like the Nashville Palace and I know you see hundreds and hundreds of people come to your shows. But if you were to take a snapshot of me being there that night, you would have seen me very attentive and watching the songs and listening to the stories and the songs, and people don't listen to music like that anymore. So when you find those people, you got to gravitate to them, because those are ones that really jump on the bandwagon with you and write it. You know, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3: 11:17

And honestly, vice versa, like from the stage. I remember right where you guys were sitting, you know, right by the garage door at that table, you and John and, and from us up there singing. When we sing one of our songs and we can kind of tell that they got your attention or your paying attention, it's like, ok, well, you know, maybe I'm going to wait on this $10 tip we just got for a wagon wheel, I'm going to keep on singing. You know, we notice and appreciate thoroughly when you guys are actually listening to what we put our heart and our souls in. You know, so you can, you can totally tell from from our side of the. I mean, as you know, as you know, you can, you can totally tell when it's like, OK, I think I think I might have, you know, struck something here. I'm going to keep going on that course. Try to keep the show going. You know, so you can.

Speaker 2: 12:00

You can, and for people that don't sit on a bar stool night after night, I think that you might. The facade might be to the person that's watching the artist that we're not paying attention or we're in the song and you know we don't notice anybody in the place, but we're. We're very attentive to eye contact, we're very attentive to who's paying attention, who's not paying attention, and we're making mental notes as we go. Right, would you agree with that?

Speaker 3: 12:28

Oh, 100 percent. Yeah, I was reading the room. You know, it's like playing about. The National Palace is as you can. For me, I can do what I want, because I grew up on Merle Haggard. You know George Jones, wayland Jennings, jerry Reed the list goes on and on. And you know, as you know, randy Travis used to work in there and I'm pretty sure, if I'm not wrong, jerry Reed opened that spot.

Speaker 2: 12:47

I had no idea, I had no idea.

Speaker 3: 12:48

Yeah, his picture hangs up in there and anybody listening don't quote me on that, but I am pretty positive he has something to do with it. But anyway. So I get to do what I want, you know. But in a lot of times you know you get your request that I'm a fan of all kinds of music but what I like to play is the older stuff and I feel like I get to do.

Speaker 3: 13:05

And sometimes it'll strike a chord with some folks and they're going OK, he just sang a Merle Haggard song and they'll go play some George Jones. You know kind of set the mood or set the tone of reading the room and what people. I just start out doing what I want to do and then it's just kind of get the ball rolling from there. You know, looking around People are doing all this guy just saying a Haggard song, I'm going to request some more Haggard, or you know, the list goes on and on Throwing in an original tune or two in there. I've been lucky, you know. Hey, do you mind if I try this original song on you? And most of the time they say yeah, let's do it, and then they're like play more originals. So then I really get to do what I want. You know so.

Speaker 2: 13:42

You mentioned some names about the Nashville Palace and it made me think. Where we were sitting, there was a big old picture on the wall right behind me of one of the master songwriters in Nashville, dean Dillon, and I said man, would I love to have that cat on my show Boy. He's written some songs, hadn't he, he best?

Speaker 3: 13:59

man. I sing his songs every day, man, wow. And I fortunately got to meet Dean when I was playing guitar for Craig Morgan. We did a show down in Key West and and Dean was down there and the bus was leaving in about 45 minutes to head back to Nashville. And another dear friend of mine in town, marla Cannon Goodman, her dad, her dad's buddy Cannon, the legendary producer, singer, songwriter here been in town, I mean, he is, he is Nashville in my book and and Marla says, if you ever met Dean, and I said no, I haven't, actually mean, obviously know who he is. Well, come over here, meet Dino, you know. So I shook his hand and he said you come back to the hotel. You're gonna get up and sing some songs, aren't you? And I got on my phone immediately, called my wife I'm like you have to book me a flight tomorrow so I can stay. Yeah, you know opportunity.

Speaker 3: 14:47

Yeah, I couldn't make it happen, man. I had to hop on the bus and hitch back to Nashville, you know. But fortunately, man Dean is paved. The way for a lot of songwriting in my book is Dean freakin Dylan man and, and Everybody, I feel like tries to accomplish that. Just storytelling, of course, way you know that he has. So anyway, one of these days is coming, we're all sitting sing some songs with Dean Diller. But there you go, man.

Speaker 2: 15:09

I hope you do. And yeah, I hope you do for sure. And it's funny. I watched a documentary not too long ago and it was about George straight. And George straight said If there was no Dean Dylan, there would be no George straight. Right, because he wrote so many hit songs for the chair, marina del Rey. You know, like all the firemen, like all of those songs were written by Dean Dylan and and not many people know that, right, they just see George straight is the face of those songs.

Speaker 3: 15:36

Absolutely. Yeah, dean, yeah, for sure, dean is the George straight thing. You know and I think I watched that documentary man, I couldn't even tell you how many times and you can tell that that George knows that and thinks that as well. It's a super cool, super cool dynamic back then. Man. It was, it was super cool.

Speaker 3: 15:53

And you know honestly that the business is different these days. But I think I was born too late. I just love how everything was then and have everybody Interacted together and recorded each other songs like. I've even had talks like that with with our friends group. You know we all write songs together and sing together and do a bunch of different things and it's like, you know, at the end of the writing session or whatever you may call it, it may fit somebody else's voice better but it's like change the key and then you go sing it too. You know I mean, yeah, tennessee whiskey, the Dean Dylan song that was a David Allen Co song, before it was a Joan song. You know it's like everybody's saying each other stuff and I just really respect that and the business back then was was so freaking cool man.

Speaker 2: 16:31

Well and I think you'd have to to agree with me on this one too Nobody even looks as cool as Dean Dylan, right? I mean? The dude just rakes of coolness like I can't even wake up and try to look that cool.

Speaker 3: 16:45

Yeah, you can't, you can't buy that.

Speaker 2: 16:47

No, that's either have that or you don't. You don't wake up without one morning. Well, it's interesting because there's so many great, like you mentioned earlier. There's so many great players, so many great songwriters. There's thousands of you guys out there. And it was kind of interesting because, as I talked to you, I went back to the hotel and started just looking some things up and I later found out that you played with Craig Morgan and Then I found out that Corey played piano for for a Luke Combs, right. So you, I was telling somebody, I said you just looked and there's a guy playing a guitar on a stool and you think, ah, just another aspiring musician. But you never know when these people have been and what their story is. Some of them have a story, some of them don't yet have a story, but you guys have played with two of the Nashville greats, right? Some of the greatest songwriters in Nashville today yeah, man, and Totally, craig is just.

Speaker 3: 17:41

I grew up on his music and I'm probably giving away my age and other people's age there too. But Speaking of that little club I was chatting about earlier in my hometown, craig came through there and the production guy I was telling about he ran front of house in that club and, like I said, it was all his gear and stuff and he called me. His name is Rob Harman, dear friend of mine, and I mean he built me my first for all you gear and nerds out there, built me my first pedal board, gave me my first amp. I threw cables and rolled up cables and clean the microphones and struck stages, and he's, he said if I helped him do all that stuff He'd give me a strat, a stratocaster, and and he did man. And so, anyways, rob, if you're listening, I love you, buddy it.

Speaker 3: 18:19

And so, anyways, rob called me and he said, hey, craig Morgan's coming through the club, do you want to open up? And I'm like, absolutely. You know I had been hashing away playing acoustic gigs and had a little band there in town and I'm like this is, you know, it's a big deal for me. And so my band opened up for him. We knew some guys in Craig's band. I knew Chuck Ward, we knew Mikey Rogers, and I know you had Perry Richardson on the show, didn't you? Yeah?

Speaker 2: 18:40

Yeah, that's from striper.

Speaker 3: 18:42

And yeah, firehouse, yeah, yeah yeah, perry was still playing bass with Craig, and so anyway.

Speaker 2: 18:47

That's right.

Speaker 3: 18:48

Yeah, I was doing my soundcheck and and Mike Rogers walked out front of house and I just saw during I was playing an original song to soundcheck and I saw Mikey give give Rob a hug at front of house. I'm like that's a, that's a good sign. You know, rob was mixing real well and Rob goes. Man, they offered me the front of house gig and and he toured for a year with them and he called me and he said, man, they need a, they need a merch guy out here with Craig Morgan would. Would you be interested in doing that? And I thought, man, you know it and get my foot in the door on Touring on a bus and and seeing the country, and I'm, you know, trying to get my foot in the door a little bit more. And and so I did, man, I went out and I sold merch for Craig for two years and, yeah, I kind of grinded it out and learned how to live on a bus and and learned a lot from watching Craig sing every night. And but one of the guitar players was leaving and Craig and I had a conversation. He said, man, you're the only other guy in the crew that knows anything about my guitars. You want to be my guitar tech and stage manager? And I said, man, I thought he was gonna say guitar player, which where I was heading was and guitar and singing background vocals from him. And Mike had been with Craig for a real long time and and wasn't going anywhere. And so, anyway, I said, yeah, I'll do it, man. So I ran the semi truck with with the truck driver for a while and, you know, just ran these stages that every he had no clue what I was doing. Course least, I was not a stage manager, but I knew enough about loading in and loading out that I could probably get by. And so, long story short, you know, band members keep changing and the world goes round.

Speaker 3: 20:17

And Craig called me one morning. I was getting up and he said what are you doing? You awake? And I said yeah, I have a one-year-old son. I am wide awake. He said how do you feel about, you know, playing guitar with me? How well do you know my songs? And I said man, I know, I know all of them, I can do it. And he said the gigs yours if you want it. And I played, and I play guitar for Craig for two years, so six years collectively was the time I was with Craig and and yeah, I did merch stage manager guitar tech and played in the band for two.

Speaker 2: 20:44

So that's a super cool story in it, a great positive story to share with the listeners who aspire to do what you do and to play to be a big name or to play with a big name. You have to seize every opportunity, even if it's not the most glamorous thing. Right, shining the windows or the wheels on the bus, you know, sometimes that gets you on the bus later on. You know what I mean. Like Can't pass those up and think that you're too cool to do those kind of jobs to pay your dues right. Yeah and the way I looked at it, man.

Speaker 3: 21:16

I, I really just wanted to be on a tour bus.

Speaker 3: 21:19

I wanted to be in that world, I wanted to be on that level and you know, as much as I didn't want to be a merch guy, I thought it was really freaking cool that I got the opportunity to do that and see, see the country and other countries for that matter.

Speaker 3: 21:31

We, when I was stage managing and still we, we did a one-off in Seoul, south Korea Wow, so blue, all the way over to the USO base there and did a show for the troops and I was stage managing there, and so you know the back line and the stage tech and all that stuff that comes into it. Man, I I didn't play guitar over there at that time with Craig, but you know, to be in that, that position that I was in, and to fly 15 hours and see another part of the world that I Love to see again, but you know it's like I wouldn't be able to do those things. You know, if I was just like no, no, thanks, I don't, I don't want to do merch, that's not where I'm going, you know I I would have missed over half the things that I've seen in my life.

Speaker 2: 22:04

You know it's like and is a very young age too right? I mean, you did all this in your 20s, right?

Speaker 3: 22:10

Yeah, I started merch with Craig when I was 22 years old and, like I said, I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Speaker 3: 22:14

You know, it's like holy crap, craig Morgan, I grew up on his music, you know so, and and now Craig is a dear friend.

Speaker 3: 22:19

He he's ended up recording a couple of my songs that I've been a co-writer on, and and Craig and I have written together and I think we've written really good songs together.

Speaker 3: 22:27

Obviously, I mean it's, it's Craig freakin Morgan, but sure, yeah, so you know, getting my foot in the door, man, I think I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish while I was there and six years later I I called Craig up and said, hey, look, man, you know, at at the end of the month I'm gonna be done in the band and I'm chasing my own artist thing. And he was nothing but helpful and, you know, gracious, and so, yeah, where I'm at these days is chasing my artist thing and and still doing the songwriter thing. And, like you know, I'm playing at the Nashville Palace a few times week and Kind of just keeping my head down and, like everybody, man, chasing the artist deal, and and I feel like there's a, there's a cool story behind why I'm at where I'm at. So I'm just, I'm blessed to be able to say that I'm just, you know, running and gunning man.

Speaker 2: 23:10

Well, every every day is a teeth cutting day. Right, you cut your teeth every day and you get better and you know, you never know when your opera, the big opportunities gonna come right, no, I get it. And then it's interesting because later I watched the video I think it was, I think it was the Craig Morgan and Jelly Roll where they saying, was it almost home At the Grand Old Opry? And I was. I stumbled across the video and I really didn't think much about it and I started like kind of scams, like hey, wait, that's Sam. Let's say I'm on stage, those guys I didn't. I didn't put two and two together and it's like I didn't realize that you know, jelly Roll was on you. Like it all came together. Yeah, so it was interesting to see that and I mean what that video I think had. When I looked at it yesterday it had like three and a half million views or something like that.

Speaker 3: 24:05

And I bet it said jelly is just absolutely taken over everything, man and and Craig and and his relationship is super cool. So for that to happen was was really special. I mean, because then he was already something, you know, when he obviously you know singing on the opera with Craig. But now, you know, after this award show I'm sure you probably watched it, man it's been pretty cool to say that I, that I stood beside him, man, and yeah, and and got to share that experience with both of those guys and you know, the band Are all my brother still, even though I'm not traveling around with those guys anymore, and it's. That was a pretty neat thing, man, and that's. It's funny you bring that up because I've gotten screenshots like holy crap, I didn't know that you know, I was like, yeah, that was me.

Speaker 2: 24:46

That's super cool. I had an artist out of California spends a little time out in Las Vegas by the name of Scott Billman Scott little Billman and Scott actually played drums with Jelly Roll on one of the videos on YouTube. I don't know, he was never in the band, he was a session guy, but he was in the video for one of them and I looked at that the other day. So he has a connection with Jelly Roll as well. So it's funny like that's like everybody's so connected in music. Somehow. You're just like three third degree of you know I knew that person through that person kind of thing. It's a small world, right.

Speaker 3: 25:21

It really is, man. It's a big city but a small town is how I like to say it, you know, because everybody knows everybody, of course, and but I will say, man, while we're talking about, jelly is one of the nicest people I've ever met.

Speaker 2: 25:33

Well, he's humble man, you know. It's like most of the time you come up on the streets and in prison like that. You're more humble than some people are right, and I think you gotta, you gotta give him props there. But the dude is clearly talented and appreciates Everything and the place where he is right now. You can tell he's so humble and so appreciative of that because totally you know his life before. That was was shit Then and he would tell you that, right, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3: 26:00

Yeah, it's been cool to see and and we did a couple performances with him, you know, and and so he came up we played. Our last show of last year was the rhyming auditorium and that was my first time playing the right. It wasn't the Grand Ole Opry, on the rhyming, craig Craig sold out a night. They're at the rhyming and that was our last show, full band show of the year, and Jelly Roll came out and sang almost home with us again. So it's been cool, man, to be able to play that song with them to together a couple of different times. Man, it's been awesome.

Speaker 2: 26:28

So share with the listeners real quickly. You talk about some of the holy grails of places to play. As an artist, you know the Grand Ole Opry, the rhyming. What's it like from your perspective to walk up on stage at these places? Because here's the thing. Well, let me let me preface, but then I'm gonna let you answer it.

Speaker 2: 26:48

But yeah, the same day that I met you I had just come from the Grand Old Opry. I did the backstage tour and it's like just walking across it, standing in the circle, the history behind it, watching, watching Garth and Trisha Yearwood's introduction of the place. I sat there with the just watching the video of Garth, garth and Trisha and talking about all the people that Were were asked to become members of the Grand Old Opry and I and I literally had tears coming down my eyes and I don't think you get that and unless you feel the power of music like guys, like you know us, you know we're so into the music and love the music so much. But share with the listeners what your experience was walking up on stage in both of these places for the first time.

Speaker 3: 27:36

Yeah, I will. I would too, like you did the Tourman. I would encourage anybody if you're in Nashville for you listening to do that, because it really is a first-hand look at At some of the most, the most iconic things that have you know in this business. That has been done, and the first time so, when I was still doing stage manager, I would go to the Opry and I'd never done one actually yeah, no, I had never done one on the rhyming with Craig.

Speaker 3: 28:03

It was just over at the Grand Old Opry house over in Music Valley, and In between songs Craig would play his guitar and on songs he wouldn't play his guitar. I got to do some guitar changes for him, okay, between songs, and so that was my first thing was there's no way I'm getting ready to walk out on this stage and grab a guitar from the man singing in the circle, you know. So I got to stand there, grab his guitar from him and vice versa, bring him a guitar in the circle, and, and so that was my first experience, and that was nerve-wracking enough to make sure my timing was right to, you know, not just stand behind him for 30 seconds waiting for him to end the song. You know you got a time at just right and don't trip on the way out.

Speaker 2: 28:41

Right, Don't trip over your own shoes.

Speaker 3: 28:45

My first experience was was nerve-wracking enough, just just seeing the place from the stage. But the first time playing it, luckily I had had some experience of you know when to walk in, where the rooms were, what the kind of what the drill was, but there was nothing like playing it and and singing on that stage. For the first time the front of house booth that you can see from the stage has plexiglass on it and his soundproofed. And we did a song and I'm like, okay, I'm making it through, you know, and then we get to do. That's what I love about Sunday and from just growing up on that song and what it says and the melody and everything just has always made me feel something right and so playing that I kind of have the head lick part underneath it on the acoustic thing, and and I just remember getting to the course and I see me and Craig's reflection off of that plexiglass and that got me finally I was like where am I? You know I'm kind of setting, trying to perform the best I can and you know, remember the dang song and when I saw me standing next to Craig and I saw that in the reflection and everything that I'd been through and just, you know my journey to, to be able to stand on that stage, that finally made me well up for sure, man, and and that's why, just like I can't freaking believe that I'm here and and I'm two feet away from, you know, from Craig, in the circle, and, and I found a lot of times when I was playing that stage I would just look to the left and and just stare at the wood in the circle.

Speaker 3: 30:06

You know, it's just, it's really Unexperienced, and when I got done, it's it was like any other gig. You know, I feel like I blacked out. You know, you put your guitar back in the case, you say bye to everybody, you say bye to mr Jim on the way out, and, and then you get in your truck and you go home to your family. It's like, did I just really play the Grand Ole Opry? Like, like it was a gig. You know, it's just, it's really really man, it's surreal, almost right.

Speaker 3: 30:31

Yeah, and and honestly, man, it did feel like I blacked out. You only do three or four songs, but it's like you start one and you end the last one and then you're done and you're driving home in your truck Like everybody else does, like sure it's really crazy, but anyway, that's my experience on on the Grand Ole Opry house. But the one at the rhyming was really cool. Like said, jelly roll came out and and Trace Adkins was there that night too. He surprised the crowd with with Trace as a guest, and we did meet me in Arlington, arlington, and that was just the song is just Wow and that was pretty cool.

Speaker 3: 31:05

And when we showed up for soundcheck I didn't realize how close it, the benches and all the the pews were to the stage. Of course the ground Ole Opry house is huge when you look up at it, but when you get to the rhyming I mean it's, it's right there, yeah, and it's kind of creepy feeling, man, it's when you're, when you're singing those songs and the room and the Dynamics and the acoustics in there is just really unexplainable. You know, it's just all very personable. It's mother church, I mean. Of course Everybody says there's ghosts in there and stuff and I would probably believe it because it's it's pretty powerful man hallowed halls right, I mean hallowed halls, though.

Speaker 2: 31:40

You talk about the size of the Grand Ole Opry and it. You know the size steps down to the rhyming, different acoustics and both. But then you've got the Bluebird cafe right, which you're also a veteran of playing rounds at the Bluebird. I was gonna have some fun with you just for a minute, just a. I mean not to put you on the spot, but I don't know if a A lot of people haven't been to the Bluebird and I don't know if you knew, like, how many seats they had in the Bluebird. Little Bluebird trivia for you. Real quick, right? Oh boy, any idea how many? How many people can sit in the in the Bluebird? Is it 60, close 90? Yeah.

Speaker 3: 32:25

Okay, I also said 75, but it seemed like I was gonna be overshooting it.

Speaker 2: 32:28

Yeah, and then I was surprised to find out that Kathy Mateo was one of the original artists that first played the Bluebird. And then the first writers night was held in 84 and Don Schlitz was First special guest who won a Grammy and he wrote the song the Gambler. Right made the song the gambler famous, or Kenny Rogers Made it famous, but that was a Don Schlitz song.

Speaker 3: 32:54

And then he was forever and ever amen.

Speaker 2: 32:57

He was and that he wrote. I think Paul overstreet Was part of one of the first rounds with Schlitz and those guys wrote together a lot of George straight songs too. Forever and ever, amen, randy Travis. And then he had one called Seeing my father and me, which was a, which is a great song by Paul overstreet. But Now a lot of history in there and Taylor Swift was what discovered in there when she was 14 years old by Scott Borschetta.

Speaker 3: 33:26

So yeah, it's crazy heard the dance was being sung by the writer and Garth was in the crowd the first time he ever heard that song. I'm not mistaken on that.

Speaker 2: 33:35

That little, yeah, I think, and it's so interesting because, even for me, you hear of the Bluebird all your life or not all your life, but I'm an old guy but you hear about it for years and years and I think I equate it to the Alamo in Texas. If you, if you grow up and you take Texas history, you learn all about the battle of the Alamo and it's this big, it's this big place in your mind. History has made it into this big place and you show up and it's just this little bitty thing that looks like a church right, and it's. It's almost like Can I say, anti climatical, because it's sure you know in your mind you're thinking, man, I thought it was going to be like five city blocks in size.

Speaker 2: 34:18

And it's small and I remember pulling up to the bluebird for the first time and I'm like this, is it Like it's in the strip center, the awnings kind of ripped and it's like it was kind of lackluster. But good God, have some great people singer, songwriters and established artist in general come through the doors of that place. Holy.

Speaker 3: 34:37

It really is hard to believe and like, when you see, yeah, the power that's been in that tiny little johns, right as the roof hadn't fallen in, from the freaking huge songs that have been saying in there, it's exactly really wild the fact that I mean, you know Garth Brooks sat in here. It's like you got to be kidding. You know it's some of the biggest ever, the biggest ever do it man and my book.

Speaker 2: 34:57

Well, and the crazy thing, people like even as big as Steven Tyler from Aerosmith have sat in that room and played songs right Like you and Bono from YouTube, Like there's been so many great artists that have come through the doors of the blue bird.

Speaker 3: 35:11

Yeah, I was very lucky to I actually, the night that I did it the first time I was actually in the round in the middle of the room, because now they do it on the stage up against the wall to. Yeah, and I was excited. The first time I played it we were actually in the round and sitting in a chair, everybody sitting around you, you know. I mean you could reach over to somebody's table and touch it. You know it's a pretty cool thing and a lot of these songs that I'm writing to I like to write really personal stuff with my wife and my boys.

Speaker 3: 35:37

I've got a lot of things that hit home to write about and I call them blue bird songs because if you, if you sing those in the blue bird, you know people are going to listen and, of course, and Pay attention, because it's just such a, you know, trying to hone in on my craft. It's like you know, I'm really trying to to stay true to myself and and with my family it's easy to do and just my life experiences with family things and and just growing up. People in the blue bird freaking, listen man and it's. It's really awesome to just end nerve wracking at the same time. It's not big festival show where you're singing in front of thousands of people, it's like, and these guys are going to listen to it.

Speaker 2: 36:10

It's intimate, it's very intimate and I think you would agree with me too, sam. I had I somebody did an interview on me years ago and they asked me do you ever get nervous playing like? Because I played some festivals here that were two, 3000 people. And they said do you ever get nervous going up and playing on stage? And I said, you know, I I really don't. But if you ask me to sit down in front of three people and play in front of three people, and you know that those people you have their undivided attention, would you agree with me that that's more?

Speaker 3: 36:39

what? My sister-in-law's wedding just over the summer. And I was about to shake out of my suit and I told some of my my wife's family friends. We were out there and and I told him I said, eric, I would rather sing in front of 20,000 people, right, of course? Of course, in front of the 70 people that are sitting here going. You know, watch me on the first dance. As you know, it's like yeah, yeah, sitting at the blue bird, you can hear the glasses clinking and it's like, all right, here we go, buckle down and and and do man so, but what a great place to intake and ingest music.

Speaker 2: 37:13

If you're a music lover, I mean to sit in a listening room like that and just just give your undivided attention to people that are pouring their hearts out through three and a half minutes of story. Right, it's, it's just an amazing thing, and you know nine out of 10 people won't fill that way, but I, I know I do, and I really enjoyed my first time at the blue bird, so that's awesome.

Speaker 3: 37:37

Yeah, I totally agree, man it is. It is something special for sure.

Speaker 2: 37:41

Yeah, well, it's my understanding and please educate me if I'm off a little bit here, but it's my understanding. You have a pretty new song out. Is it called me? And all my songs? Is that fairly new for you? Am I on track there?

Speaker 3: 37:54

You're on track there. Uh, I haven't released it yet, man, I'm I'm trying to do some final touches here on on what I want to put out, but I'm trying real hard to get music out before the end of the year. Okay, all right, if not it's, it's going to be the first of the year. Um, I'm actually opening up for Craig again a full circle moment. I'm doing a festival in Monterey, tennessee, and I'm I'm one of the openers for Craig there that day and I'm really trying to have music out before that show and me and all my songs is in the running. I have a one song on mind called barn that I'm really wanting to release and I've been playing me and all my songs out. I wrote that with Dan Smalley and Bobby Tomberlin and, uh, people are really, really enjoying that song and and I enjoy singing it just the same. But, yes, that is a fairly new song, just a few months old, man, and uh, I'm I'm thinking about throwing that one out there. What do you think?

Speaker 2: 38:41

Yeah, I think you should tell, tell the listeners a little bit more or what you can share about the song, like what was the mindset or what, what was the idea, where did it come to you at right?

Speaker 3: 38:53

Yeah, totally, I uh, I actually just saw Dan Smalley the other day. Um, we, we wrote over at Dan's house and uh, you know, we're tossing around ideas and what do you want to write where you all at? And uh, and he goes. Man, I got this idea, called me and all my songs, and and me and Bobby were just like we love it. And Bobby started playing that. Dan was like I love that, and, and that's where we ran with it.

Speaker 3: 39:17

Maybe you can get Dan Smalley on here to tell you about where that idea came from, cause I know I'll get it wrong, but when we were talking about it the other night, I I said, dude, I've been playing the song out and everybody just loves it, and uh, and he told me where the idea came from. He's been doing some shows over in Denmark and uh, when he was on his way home. I think, like I said, I'm not even going to try to explain where his idea came from, but it was Dan's idea and I tell people that I'm I'm very blessed to be a part of that, because essentially, the song is about me and all my songs on an old bar stool and we list all the songs that this guy is up here singing and uh, it's about this girl falling in love, uh, from the crowd, while I'm singing, all me and all my songs, and uh, I take it as the way I portrayed. It was kind of a song to my wife of chasing me on this, on this dream that I really couldn't do without her, and uh, you know, her being with the kids while I get to go play the shows and write every day in town, and and uh, so I kind of sing it as a an appreciation to her of you know, you fell in love right, right then, and there with me and all my songs, and you're, and you're still on the ride with me.

Speaker 2: 40:21

It's cool where these songs come from and I've always got so wrapped up in the behind the music or the storyteller portion of the songs and a lot of artists. I don't know that they necessarily need you to know the gory details of why or how they came up with them, because they want you to interpret them the way that you want to interpret them. But but, being the but, being the music geek like I think, you just listen to songs differently when you understand the meaning and case in point I had a guy on my show, Kyle Hutton. He's a local musician here and he wrote a song called three more bottles and she's gone and on the surface that sounds like, oh, another drinking song, right. But what people don't know is that he and his wife are foster parents and he knew that when they had this one baby, they had three more bottles in the refrigerator for the baby and then the mother was going to come pick the baby up and take him away. So, whoa, right. So you listen totally different to the song. At first you think oh, another falling love, fall off the bar stool drinking song. But it's the three bottles he's referring to, or baby bottles with milk in it. Not has nothing to do with alcohol. So I love that. I love that stories behind the songs, because you you can get inside the story and listen in a whole different way and it opens up so many different things.

Speaker 2: 41:46

Actually, I wanted to talk a little bit about a couple of your older songs, which are some of my favorites. Who's Teaching who, which you wrote with Ethan Phillips right, yes, sir, Great song. Love that. And then there's one of my favorites, the Drinker. Love that song too. Man, yeah, Good stuff. And I want to let the listeners know that they can go out to YouTube and find both of those songs, for sure, and the video associated with it.

Speaker 3: 42:14

So to the listeners and along with me and all my songs yeah, that's all my socials as well. I think that one's up on my YouTube too, and you know it's going back to writing songs every day. You write them. Sometimes people never hear them, but it's like all of a sudden you've got hundreds of songs that you haven't recorded and put out to the world here. You know and I get that question a lot when can I listen to these on Spotify and iTunes and all that and that's coming, I promise. But now, man, I am just feet forward writing every day.

Speaker 2: 42:44

You have a special talent that a lot of people don't have and I've always said you're either a lyricist or you're a lyrical airhead. It's one of the two. Like there's no, there's no in-betweens right, and you can either do it or you can't. But I didn't want to ask you about the Drinker Again, one of my favorite songs, that that you wrote, and I wanted to understand a little bit about how that one came to life for you. If you don't mind sharing that with myself and the listeners.

Speaker 3: 43:12

I'd love to man Dan Alley, not Smalley. Dan Alley and I, which he's been my best, one of my best friends since I've moved here. Him and I were roommates together over in Donaldson and we had a little two bed, one bathhouse and we had a enclosed back porch that screened in back porch on it and and we'd write a lot, you know, and folks would come over to the house and write with us or vice versa, I'd leave, he'd bring somebody over, you know, he'd leave, I'd have somebody over. One night we honestly were just drinking on our back porch, man, and just playing guitars and hanging out. We weren't even writing, and we just kind of came up with this idea of kind of where the world was at.

Speaker 3: 43:50

Really, you know, everybody's blaming guns on stuff and not the people doing it, and really that's what we were talking about, of just kind of like the craziness of what was going on at the time. And we were sitting there thinking, well, what if we wrote a song? Like I said, we weren't even writing, we're just, you know, drinking, to be honest, and what if it was like? You know, it ain't the, it ain't the gun, it's the finger, you know, and I was smoking cigarettes at the time and I'm like, yeah, I mean, it's not the lighter's fault that I'm smoking this right now, like I'm sitting here doing it. So that was kind of some more lingo in it. And then it just turned to it ain't the bottle, it's the drinker. It's like you know it's, it's not the bottle's fault, you know kind of thing.

Speaker 3: 44:31

And so like the second verse does get a little dark. You know, I passed by the liquor store, swear, I see my name, all that stuff. But really we just wrote a song about this kind of drinking man who we had pictured in our head. Sure, and I make the joke about it. Before I sing it I said me and Dan were drinking one night and wrote a song about a drinking man, yeah, and. And we wrote that song in an hour maybe and listen to it a couple of days later and we're like dude, this song, I think, is really good, and so we. That was three or four years ago and we both still sing that song out in town, in and around town, you know. So it's a great song man.

Speaker 3: 45:06

And we're just hanging out, drink a little bit, picking some guitars and just being being roommates. Man, and it just fell out.

Speaker 2: 45:12

So I've always said it's amazing how these things come about and when you, you know I've had some some. Every artist that I've had on my show is great, but I've had some big ones. One of the guys from Hall of Notes was on my show and you know you talk about Daryl Hall writing the song Rich Girl back in the day, 15 minute. Right, you know, in 15 minutes he pops this out and it's still played on the radio the day. Yeah, no, it's like, and it seems like to me and you could agree or disagree, but it seems like some of the best songs are the ones that just pop out organically in 15 minutes to 30 minutes and there's. You know it didn't take you years to write it, they just come, man.

Speaker 3: 45:51

You know I couldn't agree more If you actually you know you have a grasp on what you're doing. I agree in that sense. You know I, anybody could, could crap something out in 15 minutes. But when it's stuff like that, the real ones, it seemed to come out that fast. In particular, one song I wrote when I really started getting the grasp on songwriting.

Speaker 3: 46:10

I wrote a song in 45 minutes about my mom who had some alcohol issues and unfortunately isn't isn't here today, but I wrote this song about it. The title of the song is Bottle in your Hand and the hook of the song they're just spoiled, I guess is there ain't room to hold the ones you love when there's a bottle in your hand? And I wrote that song by myself and, like you're saying, man, about 45 minutes it just came out and that was probably the first real song I wrote. I look back on some of the earlier stuff I wrote and laugh at myself, you know, but that was probably the first one, you know. Like you're saying, it just came out really quick. And to the New Age stuff, there's a song on the New Cody Johnson record called Dirt Cheap and that was a solo write from a guy down here named Josh Phillips, and some of the best songs, man, they're solo rights and I totally, totally agree with you in that sense. It's so cool how they can pop out like that.

Speaker 3: 47:06

It's just what you feel and you can get in a room and throw that idea around and people will agree with you on those ideas and you could write a great song. But when you have that in your heart, nobody else can jump on that train with you. When it falls out like that man it's coming and you've got to put it on paper before I hear you.

Speaker 2: 47:23

I wanted to shift gears on you just a little bit. So, being a guitar player myself, I had a few questions for you centered around the guitar and I'm going to see if my memory served me correct, because sometimes I question my memory. But we talk the day we met in Nashville and you told me the brand of your guitar. I specifically ask you about it. I don't know if you remember that or not, but I remember you telling me that I believe you said it was a Chinese made guitar.

Speaker 3: 47:56

It is, it's an.

Speaker 2: 47:57

Eastman. Yeah, eastman, ok.

Speaker 3: 47:59

Behind me, man. It's a. I love this thing, this is my, this is my go to yeah.

Speaker 2: 48:05

Eastman. Ok, I'm going to write that down before I forget it.

Speaker 3: 48:09

It's my go to and they make everything great.

Speaker 3: 48:13

I picked this thing up off the wall at corner music at the newer location. I write a lot and play a lot and drop D and I picked it up off the wall. I was broke, me and my, my wife we were dating at the time. I picked it up off the wall, put it in, drop D and it just stuck like a dream and I was like I have to leave with this guitar and I was broken. She went behind my back, went to the counter, started a credit card at corner music and she said let's go bring it up to the counter. I'm like what are you doing? You know, like yeah, I wish you know. And. And she was like no, I got it, you know, and I paid my wife girlfriend at the time payments until I paid this guitar off. I wanted it that bad.

Speaker 3: 48:51

I love this guitar with everything I've got. I've written a million songs on it and, yeah, it's, it's my number one man, it's just my go to and it is just a canon of a guitar, I think. And and I put a different pickup in it for you know, if we're talking gear nerds, it's the the LR bags element. Yeah, yeah, okay, it had the ant the minute when I came with it. But I a lot of these places I'm playing I use a sound hole cover just to. I like my wedge is a little louder. So yeah, yeah, I'll cover. And the mic. You know it has the blend knob in it, but the mic was still bleeding a little bit for my liking, so I just the element in it which is just the piezo, yeah, instead of having the mic mic in it as well for the blend. Yeah, that's the guitar nerd behind that.

Speaker 2: 49:35

No, I like that I play my tailors, which are my stage guitars. I play through a bags on on all of those. So yeah, I remember. It's funny that you use the term canon, because I remember sitting there and thinking that very thing when I watched you play, because sometimes the songs don't have to be great when you're listening to musicians, but if the sound is good it's, it's very palatable. And and you guys and I'm not saying I wasn't prefacing that by saying you guys suck, but you sound the tone, you guys were great all the way around. But you're Eastman and I think, if my memory serves me correctly, again Corey was playing a Martin. I don't I don't know what model of Martin, but I think he was playing.

Speaker 3: 50:21

Yeah, it was like a triple O thing and they only made a handful of them. Gosh, I might be wrong now, but yeah, he, he got a screaming deal on a thing. It's one of the smaller body guitars and and that thing man, speaking of cannons dude, I mean that guitar both of them sounded amazing.

Speaker 2: 50:38

Man, I'm telling you, like it, I'm a, I'm a geek about the tone, right, the tone that comes out of the speaker. It really sounded good in that room and I'm not going to I'm not going to attribute it to it being a cool room or whatever, and it's probably cool, but there was some good quality sound coming out of those PAs right there, the speakers, right. So yeah, I couldn't remember the brand. And would you say that Eastman is a higher end guitar? Is it a generally known as a lowering guitar? I know nothing about them, but I'm like, okay.

Speaker 3: 51:09

They have both and they make mandolins. They've been making electrics for a few years now too, and but really they're, they're handmade in China. Yeah, and they do have their lower end ones, speaking numbers. I think that guitar is like mine is like 16 or 1700 bucks, I think. But no, they do have Ethan Phillips, who I wrote who's teaching who with. He's got one of the real, real nice ones and they're they're up there.

Speaker 3: 51:33

But you can also get some of the lower end ones that sound great. But yeah, I mean they're, they're down in the hundreds, you know hundreds of dollars. You know you get what you pay for. But with Eastman you're going to get something good, whether it's the really high end stuff or the low end stuff. And I, when I say lower end stuff, it's not cheap stuff, it's just the cheaper stuff, yeah, if that makes sense, it's all great. But yeah, corey's is. He was playing a Martin, yeah, and, and he did give a pretty penny for that, but he got a screaming deal on it and I kind of NBM for it.

Speaker 2: 52:02

They both sounded great. Thanks for sharing that about the guitar. I'm always I'm always geeked out by guitars a little bit, so good to know how long have you been playing the guitar. Did you start as a young kid, did it? Did it start in the teens, like when? Talk to the listeners a little bit about when you jumped on the guitar bandwagon.

Speaker 3: 52:23

Yeah, I was in the third grade. I got a just a squire strat in the amp and the and the combo package deal for Christmas from Santa Claus, aka my dad and and I just fell in love with it and, looking back, the thing wouldn't stay in tune for nothing. You know, it was my first one but I beat around on it and my brother's first guitar was a squire Tilly, but it was one of the old, old ones and it was like the when the squire stuff was like legit. You know, I mean, this guitar was, was awesome and it was third grade and, honestly, I got frustrated.

Speaker 3: 53:01

My dad was a preacher growing up and I took lessons from my youth pastor and I got frustrated for a while. I was playing sports growing up too and I put it down for a while. When it just started pissing me off and that was about a year, I stopped playing and then I heard something on the radio and my brother, like I said, was a guitar player too and I was like you know what? I think I could do that and I picked it back up and just finally something between my brain and my right and left hand clicked and I was like, oh, I got that and I've never put it down since. Interesting, but it was third grade. So every old, you are in third grade. What is it?

Speaker 2: 53:32

I don't know, it makes me think way too much. Now that sounds good to me.

Speaker 3: 53:39

But yeah, man, I was a kid and that that that year that I put it down from being frustrated like anybody starting out doing something would, would be I. That's the only time I haven't had a guitar in my hand.

Speaker 2: 53:49

Well, who would you say was the better picker, you or your brother?

Speaker 3: 53:53

Oh, my brother for sure. Now I don't know, I mean he still plays at his house and stuff, but I mean me now because it's my profession, you know. But my brother was really good guitar player. Yeah, growing up, like I said, my dad was a preacher and at church the band was my brother play guitar. Guy named Dwayne Phillips played the other guitar and Dwayne Phillips toured with George Jones for 11 years. The drummer was Doug Dimmel, he was with Barbara Mandrell for years and the bass player was a guy named Brian Her and he was one of the bigger bands he was in was a group called Route 66.

Speaker 3: 54:25

They were, I think, a Western swing band down there. Right, yeah, I think so. Yeah, I think so. And so that's what I grew up listening to. Was, you know, all of these guys in freaking huge bands? My little brother, you know, over there hanging on playing these church songs, you know, every Sunday morning, sure, but no, it was definitely my brother. Growing up I learned a lot of stuff from my brother and, like I said, when I was playing Dobro in the band that I wasn't even needed in, my brother was smoking. So definitely him then for sure.

Speaker 2: 54:56

Well, who would you say? Your guitar heroes were coming up as a kid. Who were you? Who were you gravitating to? Is there a couple that just come to mind real quick?

Speaker 3: 55:04

There is man, clint strong, all those guys in Haggard's band and who played on all the Haggard's records. One of my favorite guitar solos is on Haggard song. What am I gonna do with the rest of my life? And man, it was just when I heard that I was like I want to do that. You know, it's just kind of a mix between country guitar and kind of a jazz thing on that solo Really.

Speaker 3: 55:26

But, jerry Reed, you know I don't play like that claw style, like with a thumb pick, like they do, but when I heard all that and how much they move and how much they chicken pick, I mean, and they were even they were sweeping back. Then you know, before sweeping was like, oh yeah, I would say some of those guys and you know watching Dwayne play on Sunday mornings and stuff and and that just kind of the country, country guitar deal. But from all those older records I would say that now Glenn strong and I mean, and even hag was playing on a lot of that stuff too. So yeah, off the top of my head, that's probably what I'd, what I'd say.

Speaker 2: 56:00

Is it an amazing like when you, when you say I'm a musician, I play the guitar, and you, you think about how good you are, and then you, you start thinking about guys like Jerry Reed and Glenn Campbell and and Roy Clark and Brad Paisley and I was gonna say I didn't even talk about, but you know, when I was, you know, and then I was born in 95, so it's like when I finally was listening to the radio that that was all Brent and you know, dan Huff and James Mitchell and all those guys.

Speaker 3: 56:29

You know, it's like I don't know how they're doing it, but I love it and I'm gonna come. Man, they could.

Speaker 2: 56:34

Keith Urban, like all those guys are just great pickers. You know what I'm saying. Like they, absolutely they could. They could put on a whole show just on the guitar, not ever even open their mouths. You know, gosh, you ain't lying man. What, in your opinion, sam? What? What makes a great song Like? Have you ever thought about that much? Like what? What is it that just?

Speaker 3: 56:54

either people gravitate to a song or they don't it's funny because just the other day I don't know who said this or who quoted this, but you could have a really bad lyric and a great melody and listen to it. But you could have a really bad melody and a great lyric and I don't think anybody would give it as much attention as it deserves. Yeah, I think the melody. I think the melody is is very important, but if you're not saying something, you know it's like the older stuff, man, it was just so true and so real. So it's like I mean, obviously this is the dumb answer, but the lyric and the melody just finding a place to live together.

Speaker 3: 57:33

Okay, you know you can't just freaking talk out your butt and and have an amazing melody over it. You know the two have to marry together because you can have a really great lyric and sing it and it's like that's still just doesn't feel right, like the way that I'm singing this Lyric just doesn't feel right yet and you've kind of got to find a new way to do it. So, honestly, I think when you find a way to marry the melody and marry the lyric, I think you've really got a good song. You know whether it's whatever it's saying or not. You know, if the two go together and it makes you feel something, I think you've got a song man.

Speaker 2: 58:04

Yeah, and I don't think there's any right or wrong answer to that question. I'm just curious what kind of what your thought process was around it. You know, if I was to put you on the spot there, you know.

Speaker 3: 58:13

You're, and like you know, from me and you playing guitars and stuff too. That's a lot of times I write stuff, you know, I just pick up a guitar and whatever just comes out, I'm like, oh, that's cool. And then you marry, you know, you start kind of spitballing stuff and you find a melody around it. It's like what'd you just say is, I don't know, that's kind of cool. And then, and then it just all kind of marries together, you know. But you know, between being a guitar player, a writer and a singer, all of them kind of have to matter. But I'm a big like a headlit guy too, like, if I'm right, and I like to have a head lick around it, and you know certain twin parts you know on the guitar and and so yeah, collectively, all of it. Marrying together, I think, is what makes a song, you know. But melodies, melodies, huge.

Speaker 2: 58:53

Well, they say what all the stars have to align for it to be a great song, right?

Speaker 3: 58:58

100%, and some days it's there and some days it's not. I mean you could sit around for four hours and end up just going to have lunch and not even leave with the song you know. Or you could Sit up here in this little studio room of mine and come up with something in an hour.

Speaker 2: 59:13

Of course there's some days it's hot, so Again, the stars have to align and I think the the songs that just organically come out, or sometimes just the best ones. So what's new and exciting for Sam Banks as it relates to shows, new music that you can talk about. Share with the listeners a little bit about what's exciting coming up for you.

Speaker 3: 59:35

The first thing off the top of my head is that show in May, may 25th. It's in Monterey, tennessee, just a couple hours outside of Nashville. It's Craig Morgan and Clay Walker are the are the headliners. Clay is on the 24th, craig is on the 25th, but I'm doing a show there. It's me, nate Smith, ashley Cook, boy named Banjo, the Reeves Brothers. It's a two day festival in Monterey, tennessee, in May, and that's that's the thing on the top of my head right now.

Speaker 3: 1:00:03

But right now, songwriter wise for me, william Michael Morgan. If you guys know William Michael, he's on one RPM now. The label and he's probably getting pretty close I would thank to release in his project. I have two songs on that that I co-wrote with William Michael and our buddy Dan Hudson. And down there in Texas, where you're at, I've got a song coming out on Josh Ward's next record called Burning Other Beer, joint Down, and I wrote that with a Texan down there, jacob Boyd, and our buddy up here in Nashville, andy Austin.

Speaker 3: 1:00:35

That song together that's coming out on on Josh Ward's record and and then, if you remember, got him Craig Wayne Boyd. He's got a song on his project that I was a co-writer on as well. So there's some songwriter things happening down here for me and then that show in May. Man, I'm just kind of trying to get out of town a little bit more and play some music. Like I said, and if you're still listening that I'm not with Craig anymore, you know. So I'm chasing my artist thing 100% and and writing just the same, you know. So some of these that I'm not keeping on, you know I'm pitching and and thankfully still getting songs recorded.

Speaker 2: 1:01:10

So yeah, just you know, for the listeners, you got to tell them, just because I'm not with Craig anymore doesn't mean I'm not handsome anymore, exactly. Well, you brought. You brought it up a little bit earlier. I wanted to touch base on this before we kind of adjourn. But you mentioned Spotify and I went out and normally what I do is I'll clip songs. Like you know, I spoke of some of your songs earlier and there was no music by Sam Banks there. Speak to the listeners a little bit. Is this Sam being lazy and hasn't put anything on Spotify?

Speaker 3: 1:01:47

I'm doing my best. I have that song barn recorded and in the can and ready to release. So I'm thinking until me and all my songs happened, that was the song that I was going to release. But no, to maybe better answer your question, I'm unsigned as a writer. I'm unsigned as an artist. I'm doing all this stuff myself.

Speaker 3: 1:02:04

And so, with writing every day and, and you know, raising a family and you know being playing the husband, I honestly, and you know, as anybody would know, recordings you know freakin expensive and it's a process, man, you can.

Speaker 3: 1:02:20

You can write songs every day, but you don't get to release everything that you write. And so I'm trying to find the thing that best expresses me and what I want to put out to the world and, honestly, with how much I'm writing, man, I keep writing songs that I love and kind of just writing my story and where I'm at in my life and trying to find the best thing that's going to represent me, the best way. On the first thing that I release, yeah, and that's that's the best way I could explain it. But, like I said, I've got that song called Barnett with my buddy. If you're listening to Travis Gibson up in Missouri, we wrote this song years ago and I've loved it ever since we wrote it. So to be on the lookout for it though you know, with me being unsigned, it's it's all me doing it myself. Okay, fair enough. Writing songs is easier than putting them all together, record them and then release them all.

Speaker 2: 1:03:05

That's a whole nother. That's a whole nother line of work in and of itself.

Speaker 3: 1:03:08

I wish I could say I was being lazy, but it's actually the complete freaking opposite.

Speaker 2: 1:03:11

I'm busting my butt to to get everything that I'm writing and loving out to the world and to the public, and please know that I was being facetious when I said that. Right, like I was. That's Randy's poor attempt at being funny, but but I know you're not being lazy. You know, if you're a songwriter and you're playing, you're out there. You're out there grinding, I totally get it.

Speaker 3: 1:03:31

So every day man, right, right and playing every day. And and family man and in between, every day, every day he's hustling every day, every day, man and their family first, and music to follow shortly. So that's right, I mean, and we'll have it out to the world very, very soon.

Speaker 2: 1:03:48

That's right Now. Where can the listeners find you on social media if they wanted to go? Follow Sam.

Speaker 3: 1:03:55

My main thing is Instagram. Right now I'm pumping up the tick tock deal, but I'm the boring one. I don't have tick tock. I post a lot on Facebook and Instagram and YouTube, and that's Sam Banks music on on everything there. So Instagram is my bigger one, you know, but I guess I'm just old school and I have a tick tock. I'll be honest with you, but I'm terrible at using it. So, yeah, that's the thing.

Speaker 2: 1:04:19

No, you, yeah, you're right. And it's funny because even at my age, I, I fight. It's a struggle, it's an internal fight, like, yeah, do I, do I not? But you know, it's in this, in this line of business whether it's, you know, my shows, my live music shows or even the podcast to be relevant you have to have a social media presence. I hate social media. I wish I didn't ever. If I never saw it again, I wouldn't care. But it is a necessary evil that you have to be on all of these things, regardless of whether people say, well, aren't you a little too old for that? Well, yeah, if I was playing around on it, yes, I would answer. Yes, that question. But if you're trying to promote a platform, it's a necessity, right?

Speaker 3: 1:05:07

You have to really it. Unfortunately it that's just the game these days is, you know, if you want to get listened to and get seen? Man, not everybody can be everywhere at once, and that's the easy way to pick up your phone or your computer and find it all right there. So, and it makes you the world we're in these days.

Speaker 2: 1:05:25

You know and you're right. You're right. And what in the interest thing is? You're a young guy like what, what in the hell did people do 40 years ago to promote themselves, like it was even to me, even to book a gig, like I can get on social media, reach out to a place that I want to play. Hey, I'm Randy, I do this, I do that, negotiate the deal right over instant messenger and I'm booked. Right back in the day you had to put something in the mail, have a CD mail it. It got there eight days. Like it's just crazy times how we do things now versus the way it was done I know 25, 30 years ago.

Speaker 3: 1:06:01

So cool stuff, yeah yeah, exactly it is, you know, blessing in the curse. But it's like walk to the neighbors house and ask for a carton of milk instead of column you know exactly, exactly.

Speaker 2: 1:06:12

Well, sam, listen man. This has been really cool catching back up with you, and thanks for sharing your story with the listeners from all over the world. If I get back to Nashville soon, maybe we can catch up for a, for a beer or a song or both. What do you say?

Speaker 3: 1:06:26

Absolutely. I really appreciate you having me and thank you all for listening out there and listening to what I have to say.

Speaker 2: 1:06:32

Thanks for the platform and to your for sure. Certainly my pleasure and for the listeners out there. Make sure you go check out Sam on his social medias. And then I also asked the listeners to like, share and subscribe to the podcast on Facebook at backstage past radio podcast, on Instagram at backstage past radio and on the website at backstage past radio dot com. You guys take care of yourselves and each other and we'll be right back here on the next episode of backstage past radio.

Speaker 1: 1:07:30

We'll see you next time right here on backstage past radio.