Backstage Pass Radio

S2: E6: - Gabe Garcia - A Nashville Star From Lytle, Texas

February 16, 2022 Backstage Pass Radio Season 2 Episode 6
Backstage Pass Radio
S2: E6: - Gabe Garcia - A Nashville Star From Lytle, Texas
Show Notes Transcript

At 15 years old Gabe recorded his first 2 song demo in Nashville with his brother’s high school buddy Touchstone Mcdonald. When Gabe turned 16, his brother left to college leaving behind a guitar that Gabe self taught himself with and where a year later Gabe joined a band from Pearsall, Texas called the “Texas Wranglers”. During a family vacation in South Padre Island, Gabe and his dad met Clint Bullard, a Nashville songwriter who was performing at a nearby hotel. Clint allowed Gabe to sing a few songs and months after Gabe and his brother flew out to Nashville to cut a full country album with Clint. In high school, with some musical experiences already under his belt, at age 17 he was asked to sing and compete for his high school FFA program. Gabe competed in and won all rounds of the competitions and performed back to back years at the National FFA Convention.

​After playing with country band the “Texas Wranglers” Gabe and the band regrouped and began a new band renaming themselves the “Maverick Creek Cowboys”. Gabe and the band toured the South Texas scene gaining a following and also later landing a First Place spot at the Annual State Colgate Country Showdown. After graduating from high school Gabe landed a job in San Antonio working 8 years for CPS Energy and using every vacation day traveling back and forth to Nashville gaining major attention from major record labels while working with Bart Bartler. Bart and his Dad Bill Butler from Hondo, Texas were introduced to Gabe by friend Tommy Calame. Bart who is a successful songwriter & producer in Nashville continued working with Gabe where in 2006 he produced another full country album with Gabe that gained more major label interest and hinted for Gabe to move to Nashville. In 2007 Gabe hit the hardest time of his life when his dad Juan J. Garcia Sr. passed away. With Gabe’s dad and family being very supportive in his musical accomplishments Gabe then decided to quit his job, sell his home, and finally move to Nashville in January 2008.

After 3 months into moving to Nashville Gabe landed a spot on NBC’s then popular show Nashville Star in 2008 where he placed First Runner-up out of 65,000 total contestants that tried out. Shortly after the show Gabe was taken in by Manager Erv Woosley, whom currently still manages George Strait. Gabe and Erv worked together for 2 years while also landing a one year songwriting deal with Bill Butler Music who published well known Strait songs such as “Baby Blue” and “Love Without End Amen”. After the 2 years Gabe was then managed and signed to another writing deal with John Rich of country duo “Big & Rich”. While working With John, Gabe landed a record deal with Average Joe’s Entertainment out of Nashville. After 5 years of living in Nashville Gabe decided to just follow his roots back to South Texas. As he continues to travel back and forth between Tennessee and Texas, Gabe left his Nashville label and began his own current label 396 Entertainment with Dallas, Texas buddy Jody Redlich.

​While Gabe has had an awesome adventure in his long running music career and experiences playing the smokey bars of South Texas, opening for major country artists in large venues, being on major network television, toured and played Canada and France, radio stations playing his music all over the world, and many more accomplishments under his belt, Gabe continues to love his passion for music which he will never let down. Gabe has 3 country albums "Shotglass", "Missing", and "Cold Beer and a Suntan" available on iTunes, Spotify, and Pandora. You can connect with Gabe via his social media accounts located above or for more info and tour dates right here on gabegarcia.com.

 

Gabe Garcia Multi Track Mixdown MASTER

Mon, 2/14 6:39PM • 1:19:29

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

nashville, people, play, song, songs, artists, backstage pass, country, music, big, dad, bit, labels, called, record, texas, sing, Lytle, Lytle Texas, signed, gigs, Nashville Star, NBC, Gabe Garcia, Gabe Garcia Music, San Antonio, Rebecca Creek Distillery, Randy Hulsey, Randy Hulsey Music, Backstage Pass Radio, Podcast, Interview, Backstage Pass Radio Podcast, Best Music Podcast, Eddie Trunk

SPEAKERS

Gabe Garcia, Randy Hulsey, Adam Gordon

 

Randy Hulsey  00:00

All right country music fans, this is your show. It's Randy Hulsey here with backstage pass radio and my guest this evening comes to us from Lytle

 

 

At 15 years old Gabe recorded his first 2 song demo in Nashville with his brother’s high school buddy Touchstone Mcdonald. When Gabe turned 16, his brother left to college leaving behind a guitar that Gabe self-taught himself with and where a year later Gabe joined a band from Pearsall, Texas called the “Texas Wranglers”. During a family vacation in South Padre Island, Gabe and his dad met Clint Bullard, a Nashville songwriter who was performing at a nearby hotel. Clint allowed Gabe to sing a few songs and months after Gabe and his brother flew out to Nashville to cut a full country album with Clint. In high school, with some musical experiences already under his belt, at age 17 he was asked to sing and compete for his high school FFA program. Gabe competed in and won all rounds of the competitions and performed back-to-back years at the National FFA Convention.

 

 

After playing with country band the “Texas Wranglers” Gabe and the band regrouped and began a new band renaming themselves the “Maverick Creek Cowboys”. Gabe and the band toured the South Texas scene gaining a following and also later landing a First Place spot at the Annual State Colgate Country Showdown. After graduating from high school Gabe landed a job in San Antonio working 8 years for CPS Energy and using every vacation day traveling back and forth to Nashville gaining major attention from major record labels while working with Bart Bartler. Bart and his Dad Bill Butler from Hondo, Texas were introduced to Gabe by friend Tommy Calame. Bart who is a successful songwriter & producer in Nashville continued working with Gabe where in 2006 he produced another full country album with Gabe that gained more major label interest and hinted for Gabe to move to Nashville. In 2007 Gabe hit the hardest time of his life when his dad Juan J. Garcia Sr. passed away. With Gabe’s dad and family being very supportive in his musical accomplishments Gabe then decided to quit his job, sell his home, and finally move to Nashville in January 2008.

 

 

After 3 months into moving to Nashville Gabe landed a spot on NBC’s then-popular show Nashville Star in 2008 where he placed First Runner-up out of 65,000 total contestants that tried out. Shortly after the show Gabe was taken in by Manager Erv Woosley, whom currently still manages George Strait. Gabe and Erv worked together for 2 years while also landing a one-year songwriting deal with Bill Butler Music who published well-known Strait songs such as “Baby Blue” and “Love Without End Amen”. After the 2 years Gabe was then managed and signed to another writing deal with John Rich of country duo “Big & Rich”. While working With John, Gabe landed a record deal with Average Joe’s Entertainment out of Nashville. After 5 years of living in Nashville Gabe decided to just follow his roots back to South Texas. As he continues to travel back and forth between Tennessee and Texas, Gabe left his Nashville label and began his own current label 396 Entertainment with Dallas, Texas buddy Jody Redlich.

 

 

While Gabe has had an awesome adventure in his long running music career and experiences playing the smokey bars of South Texas, opening for major country artists in large venues, being on major network television, toured and played Canada and France, radio stations playing his music all over the world, and many more accomplishments under his belt, Gabe continues to love his passion for music which he will never let down. Gabe has 3 country albums "Shotglass", "Missing", and "Cold Beer and a Suntan" available on iTunes, Spotify, and Pandora. You can connect with Gabe via his social media accounts located above or for more info and tour dates right here on gabegarcia.com.ell, Texas. He's a Nashville singer songwriter and has one of the smoothest voices that I've heard in a while saddle up because I'm going to chat with the pride of West Texas Mr. Gabe Garcia when we return. 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 Halsey. Gabe, what's going on? Brother? Good to see you again, man.

 

Gabe Garcia  00:51

Hey, what's going on, man? Thanks for having me on. And then looking forward to it.

 

Randy Hulsey  00:56

Yeah, it's been a while I know, I guess you and I bumped into each other. I was in town in San Antonio. And I think I was sitting at the bar at Pinkertons. And I heard this music startup. And I'm like, Man, that sounds like live music. You know, being a musician too. You have an ear for that run? like, Where's that coming from? I turn around and you were playing like, Oh, it's a great night. You know, I was there on business. And how about a little barbecue and some good live music. So that's where I think you and I first met we chatted a little bit on one of your breaks. And I had mentioned that, you know, I did kind of what you did here in the Cypress Texas area and just spun up a podcast and wanted to see if I could get you on the show. So thanks for taking the time to jump on and share your story with the listeners, man.

 

Gabe Garcia  01:44

Yeah, man. Appreciate it. Uh, yeah, that was I was how's it Good night. It's always nice to run into some other musicians there. And like I said, it's pretty like back gig. So I've been I've been, I've been booking the heck out of place. Because, again, like I said earlier, I can't do those long nights.

 

Randy Hulsey  02:03

For that, yeah. And the listeners didn't hear our conversation before we hit the record button here. It's 30 years ago. For me, that would have been perfectly fine to stay up till 12 One Two o'clock in the morning to play shows. But that ship has sailed for me. So I don't know about you. But I like those when you're in and out and at home by 1010 30 at the latest, especially on a work and it turned down at two o'clock in the morning. No way. So Lydell Texas. This is a town that I believe is south west of San Antonio, and a population of around maybe three to 4000 people now do you still live in Lidl? Are you somewhere else now?

 

Gabe Garcia  02:46

I recently moved to Prague about 10 months ago, I moved downtown San Antonio, which is not too far from Pinkertons barbecue. For me, you it's actually like less than a mile down the road. Oh, well.

 

Randy Hulsey  02:58

That's an easy drive home. Then.

 

Gabe Garcia  03:01

I came into San Antonio, I figured, yeah, I lived in Nashville for a while. So I kind of had that thought that city life for a little bit. But I figured out, you know, trying to get out of the small town to come back into city again and just just be close to everything over here. And I mean, and my old town isn't far from where I live, like 15 minutes from from Lidl. So it's it's not too not too bad.

 

Randy Hulsey  03:21

Sure. And does that help you from a commute for work? I know that you know, you and I talk that you're you're certainly a professional musician, and you make some type of living playing professionally, like I do. But we both work those full eight to five gigs during the day in corporate America. Right. So is that commute better for you live in San Antonio versus Lidl to get to where you need to

 

Gabe Garcia  03:45

be? Luckily, I'm a little spoiled because I have a company truck to drive to the office. But uh, yeah, I have a company truck. And it helps because a lot of my gigs are in San Antonio or outside of San Antonio. So if sometimes when I was working in town, I would have to drive all the way back to live with traffic. Come all the way back for gigs. And it was like, it was a pain in the butt just Oh, yeah. Yeah. Back and swap trucks. I couldn't I couldn't be driving my company truck to. To my other gigs.

 

Randy Hulsey  04:12

Yeah, fibre fire me. Yeah, yeah. Well, no,

 

Gabe Garcia  04:15

it's a great balance during the job in the end plane. You know, I did music full time for 10 years. And I kind of figured out that, you know, it's time to get my benefits back. And most of my days are on my weekends anyways. And so I had a lot of fun for a lot of years, so it's time to put the big boy big boy. Exactly. They can think about my future. That's right. That's right. Well, this job saved my butt to like during COVID COVID hit because I was so busy with gigs too, that I was thinking about going full time again. And I was like, Man, I'm so slammed with stuff like I mean, it just just jobs just kind of getting in my way a little bit, you know, and yeah, so I was like, every week for like, I swear for like two months. I was like, Okay, this is the week, I'm going to tell my boss my turn into, like two weeks. I'm a terrible two weeks and, and I just felt absolutely, like I had to do it right and COVID hit man and everybody like, shut down. And it was like, I was so grateful I had that violet. Ever. I have other friend musicians that were Yes, looking for jobs. And it was as bad. So I was like, Man, I'm glad I didn't do it. And they say, gentlemen, just awake when that's right.

 

Randy Hulsey  05:28

They say that thing fortunate to have it. Yeah, they say that things happen for a reason. Right? I mean, that that would have been a little bit premature to to pull the plug on corporate America there, that would have been devastating, because so many of my running back to the door. Oh, yeah. Yes. And, you know, it was kind of sad, because a lot of my musician friends were out of work for a long time. And luckily, some of them were able to subsidize income by playing these fake Facebook Lives and, you know, setting up their Venmo accounts. And, you know, were they able to make the same money? No, but I think some of them did well enough to, to get by, you know, just to kind of keep the keep the lights on kind of thing, but it's good that people are trying to get back to work. And you know, we start we came out of the pandemic, then they we went into this whole Delta variant thing, and it seemed like everything was going to close down again. But I haven't heard lately what the, what's going on with with COVID My daughter's a nurse for a major hospital here in Houston and actually worked in the COVID unit. And some of the stories she would tell were for pretty horrific, but I don't hear her talk too much about it now. So I don't know. Hopefully, it's getting better. Anyway. I don't want to dwell too much on the COVID thing, but what was it like growing up in small West Texas town? Right?

 

Gabe Garcia  06:46

Yeah, I mean, it was, it was a well, I'm, like pretty much relate to everybody on both sides. My family are from Lidl, and my mom, my dad, so I'm related just about everybody there. And so it's a lot of support, when I know we'll probably get into like, the Nashville stuff and the Nashville Star stuff. And I mean, that sound I've been singing around since I was like 14 years old. And okay, my brother started singing first. And then he went to college, and I picked up the guitar and taught myself and my dad was a city councilman in there for, like, 16 years. So he would always have us play a lot of city functions. Okay, so when my brother went to college, they were like, well, like, how are we good? We need somebody saying these like, Well, my son gave good saying and this and that. And so they're like, really? So then I started doing it and just took over from there. And like that town is so supportive, especially now like, after the the TV show, which we'll get into later. 70 even more, you know, putting a lot on the map. But yeah, it was cool. You know, growing up because nowadays I tell people man like I remember back in the day when we're young when there was like just dance halls galore and everybody there's you would always follow these bands to go play Go dance and stuff like you know when you're in high school and I mean, you don't even have that Harley much anymore. You know all these younger kids now are on to the game games and everything now, I mean, back then I was over there you know chasing bands and dance and a lot of these dance halls now just like the one of my hometown, which is called Countdown dance off is now church just like no really a lot of other dance halls. But George straights played there. I mean, just so many people play that that dance was called Countdown Dancehall Okay, yeah. It's cool, grownup grownup a small town.

 

Randy Hulsey  08:43

Well, were you a sports kid growing up, were you always a music guy? I mean, but talk talk to the listeners a little bit about that. Because, you know, I was a, I was an athlete and then you know, I always had music on the side and I didn't know if it was just always music for you only or if it was you know, football, basketball, baseball.

 

Gabe Garcia  09:00

Yeah, I mean, like, I was 14 when I started singing. So I was you know, still in school and and but like I was I would just so many phases. He will still ask me because I will be. I was in my why I didn't play sports like football, basketball and everything. But then I was also into like, I would get into this low rider. Yeah, phase my cousins were in a lowrider car club. And I had a little old Schwinn bike that remember those? Yeah, I picked up one of those that the long handlebars Yes. That was like the only little rider kid and Lidl cruising around little white walls. And it's funny, so I was still saying that at the time too. And, and people just laugh because there's pictures of me singing on stage with baggy pants and Anna and my shirt just singing George Strait songs, you know, and, and then I got into a rollerblading phase where I was okay. Rogaine, jumping, doing The tricks on jumping over trashcans and ramps and doing all these kinds of crazy things and my neighbor down the street, had a couple of horses down there and so when I got into high school, they they got me into FFA. They're like, hey, I want you to sing for us and this so I had to change them put the wranglers on and then the cowboy. Yeah, on the horse. I kind of started roping a little bit back then. Horses and FFA and I sang in FFA my junior senior what's a national convention? Saying, my junior senior year so just kind of cool. So then I kept on the country country vibe. Yeah,

 

Randy Hulsey  10:43

I will. I bet you. I bet you when you were on those low rodders you didn't have wranglers on I bet you had some Dickies on then you raised shoes. That's it. You know,

 

Gabe Garcia  10:54

I was all separate. Oh, my dad, I will worry about cat backwards sometimes. My My dad is retired military. City Councilman, he would he would say we're not leave the house to turn that cap around. And yeah, we get into so much. It's funny. We're gonna go with this restaurant. Let's turn that cap around.

 

Randy Hulsey  11:10

Yo. What's interesting is there was a girl that I went to high school with. And this was some years back, this is back when the whole that show Storage Wars was on TV where people leave stuff in the storage bins and people come and, you know, bid on them or whatever. And she actually did that one time. And in the storage Ben that she won, there was a low router bike in there, and it had the white wall tires on it with the velvet seat, the velvet banana seat, and she wound up giving that thing to me. And I cleaned it up and polished it you know and use the What'd he call it, the Brillo pads to get all the rust off the the wheels and had like 100 spokes on both of the wheels. And I think I wound up giving that to my air conditioner guy like a year ago. So it like hung in my garage forever. So I know exactly what you're talking about. What did the Garcia family look like from a musical perspective? You know, you said your dad's in the military. Were mom and dad musical people were they not? And and you know, where did that come from? You know, your brother you said was a guitarist, and you of course came up in the music. Talk to us a little bit about that.

 

Gabe Garcia  12:21

Yeah, actually, my brother never learned guitar. He had a guitar that one of his buddies gave him and he was supposed to learn it and like say he went to college. Suppose Texas State University that was South was Texas. And he took off to college and my uncle gave me an old millbay guitar book. I was I was probably about maybe 15 ish around there and started teaching myself and said about being on the streets running around. I was in my room just practicing and practicing and practicing and nobody my family besides my brother saying my dad and saying my mom didn't sing. on my mom's side, the only person that actually did music. Professionally was a lady, which was my grandma's first cousin. Her name was Rosita Fernandez. Okay. And you can look her up and she's she was a Spanish mariachi singer. And she was called the First Lady of San Antonio. Because she used to sing at the Arneson river theater. Like if you go to the Riverwalk, there's a RC River at the end of the bridge that goes from the seating to the theater and it's and it says row seat those bridge, okay. And it's named after her. So she said she used to sing a lot for a lot of dignitaries, a lot of, you know, commissioners, state representatives, a bunch of people. She was also and the movie, The Alamo with a with John Wayne. Okay. And yes, she was also NASA so I got to meet her before she passed away. Fears when I was young, and it she was really, you know, really pushed me I'm really proud of UFC taken on this thing. But yeah, she's really the only one that actually did anything like professionally in the family and actually saying, yeah, it's stuff

 

Randy Hulsey  14:09

that's interesting and was getting the guitar when your brother left for Swat. Was that kind of the first exposure to a musical instrument or had you been around musical instruments before that?

 

Gabe Garcia  14:22

Yeah, I was kind of into drums. I was when I was young. I was always banging on buckets at my grandpa, my grandpa's house. And my dad, like say he retired from the Air Force. And he he bought a used electric drum kit from the Air Force band that they're selling and so I used to have that in my room too. So I kind of just playing drums and doing all that and then so I was pretty much musically inclined, still involved with it. But when my brother left, I picked up that guitar and just moved to the guitar and haven't even tested drums out and how long spices I had that kid?

 

Randy Hulsey  15:01

Yeah, I was gonna ask you if you consider yourself a drummer or not. I had an interview. I was

 

Gabe Garcia  15:09

okay. But I'm not sure. Like no, you know, I'm not one to date asked me to do a drum so I can do it.

 

Randy Hulsey  15:15

Now you you worked for an energy company. I believe it was maybe right out of high school. But you were also traveling back and forth to Nashville at this time is is my timeline kind of correct there?

 

Gabe Garcia  15:29

Yeah, that's, that's right. So I actually recorded my first two songs in Nashville with my brother's buddy. We went to high school with he moved to Nashville and he worked for a publishing company. And so he told my brother I'd bring bring me up to Nashville. So the first time I went to Nashville, I was 14 Come my first two songs. And then we used to go to vacation, South Padre Island every year for in July. And it was my dad was always looking for me to sing somewhere, do something, you know, and I hated that. I was hated to be like, showing off or to saying like, don't get kinky my son up there. I hate that. And yeah, it'd been putting on the spot. Yeah. And so he was looking at the paper at South Padre Island where they'll vacation and said Nashville songwriter playing at one of the deck so that the hotel and so we went over there and he asked, of course, ask the guy, his name is Clint Buller. Okay? And and so he was playing there. And so my dad asked him, so of course, Clint invited me up. And I played a couple songs. He was blown away. And so he invited us back the next day. So I went from sing three songs to like 30 minutes. And then my dad was back when we had cassette tapes. Yes. So I was 10 hour donation, get a free cassette tape. And so we got one. My dad contacted guy later on, I was 17 at the time, when my dad contacted this plant to produce me. So we went up to Nashville, and I was 17 years old. I did my first full 10 Song album, when I was in Nashville. And then when I was 19, I started working at Electric Company, CPS energy, and connected with a guy locally here who lives in Nashville, Mr. Butler, and he came down to Texas to come see me in his from Hondo, Texas. And he's been living in Nashville ever since he got out of high school too. And so he came down to see me and we started working together and that was kind of my he was my, my God that I kept going back and forth to meet Nashville go right and record that. Just started it all right there. Yeah.

 

Randy Hulsey  17:39

And I think Paul's gonna say, Hondo that's home with a big prison there, isn't it? Then they're big prison or Hondo. Yeah. Now, I think you are getting some major label attention around this time to correct

 

Gabe Garcia  17:55

Yeah, little bit after a barn I got together a rally back in I would say maybe Oh, four ish. or so. We started, like I said, I was going back and forth with Bart and working on projects and riding with him and he was a sending my stuff to record labels. And Sony Records came down to Texas, San Antonio did a showcase for them, and they love me, but they wanted me to move up to Nashville. Right after Sony came down the president of RCA Records, Joe Golani, the same Szczesny Brooks and Dunn, just about everybody that was on, on RCA. He flew me up, man, same thing, I met up in office with him and they and our guys, and he loved me. And same thing. He moved Nashville, he moved Nashville. So I came back and went back to work. And, and, I mean, it was just, I had that interest there. And my dad was, you know, being the ex military and city council. And he was really, he knew I wanted to move to Nashville and pursue my dream and he was a screw. If he and he was real strict with us to you know, I didn't have college, I went straight to work from high school when I was 19. So, you know, he pushed that a lot. He was again, you have a great job, which we'll say is a great job. Yeah. And, you know, I'm back working with him again, right now. And but I you know, he would always be like, now I know you want to move up there but you know, you have great jobs, I don't know college and so in 2007 He passed away of a heart attack. And that's what kind of made me look at life differently. And I had that interest still with the labels and I 2008 I took off to Nashville, quit my job after eight years and went to go chase the dream so

 

Randy Hulsey  19:40

it almost it sounds like it took your dad passing unfortunately to say you know, this is my chance now. I mean, we look back and pretty

 

Gabe Garcia  19:51

much I mean he died of heart attack just just gone like that and it just kind of made you look at life differently. You know, it is the internet never no one district time to go. So I didn't want to lose that opportunity and and also to do it for him, you know, he was a big supporter, you know, as well as my mom and me, they used to drive me everywhere and when I was younger, to all the shows and and even though I know my dad, you know, was was strict with us. I mean, I know he had good intentions, but uh, I'm sure he didn't get upset. No me. Me quitting, you know, if you pass and then take off because I'm just he had the best seat in the house, you know, for sure what Jerry was proud to see everything. And now that was a tough time for me too, because he like said he passed and October 2007. I quit my job in November oh seven, stuck around for the holidays. And then January 2008. I took off and Yeah, three months later ended up Vietnam. TV show their national that went from there.

 

Randy Hulsey  20:44

Yeah. And I want to talk about that as far I mean, so we'll get into discography a little bit for sure. But were those three? Well, I'm not going to get ahead of myself. We'll we'll talk about the labels and that type of thing. We'll get to the discography. But when you were in Nashville, I think you were taken in by Herb Woolsey. Is that correct?

 

Gabe Garcia  21:05

Yeah. So yeah, Laura, after the show. And all that stuff happened. I ended up working with her because they figured, you know, I was on a TV show. And I was like, the Hispanic George Strait thing and all the Jordans all the country stuff, are they going to be a perfect fit? You know, South Texas boy and, and yeah, I worked with her for like two years. And it was just a great experience, you know, working with Arab and just, I mean, herbs like the king and that. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean, you got the biggest producer in town, you know? Yeah. Well, for the people to you, and that just experiences you get to get to do just working with

 

Randy Hulsey  21:49

him. Yeah, for sure. And I was gonna mention to the the listeners if they're not familiar with who herb is that they gave speaking about this as a, this is the same guy that was instrumental in getting George Strait signed back when he was kind of a nobody. And then I think, you know, he catapulted him into mega stardom. And then I think he was also managing Leon Womack and clay Walker as well. Correct. Yeah. How did you end or find one another? How did that meeting come about?

 

Gabe Garcia  22:20

Well, it was kind of a mixture of things because a BART and his dad have Hoshi company, which they're one of their riders back in the day wrote a baby blue live that in a man which is Aaron Barker. And so Aaron used to write for Bill Butler which marks that and so they're they're already connected with Herb and all that before I even moved to Nashville or vecchia has a couple bars or Nashville losers or winners and we'd always go into losers and go play and sing songs and Herb was always in there you know and so Bart would always want to put me in front or like he can hear me saying yes and and so he was already familiar with me and I would go frequent that bar when I was around there because that's that was like the the place to be kind of thing industry hang out just because or like say he was he was like Elvis was in town guy Thank

 

Randy Hulsey  23:11

you meter everyone yes here. And it was cool you know so so once the show was done with and we did our tour with the show after all that John Rich who was a judge on on the show national star who I was on I've known John before too that I met through Barbie doll my ears go to Nashville. So he was like hey, you know what let's let's set up this meeting so we all kind of got together a bar Bill John and I and got this meeting with Herb and and we worked together for two years now I didn't realize this but i There's a song that I frequently play in some of my shows called I can still make Cheyenne by George Strait and Herb was either a writer or CO writer on that song as well I learned you know after digging a little bit but you talk about John Rich This is the same John Rich of the group big and rich Correct. Did you have a writing deal with him somehow?

 

Gabe Garcia  24:12

So yeah, that was another so after I saw I worked with her for two years and then John Rich wanted to continue to work with me so I moved along from Earth and went with John And so John signed me to management to publishing deal and a shopping agreement and so I will for John for a while and also had a record deal with average Joe's entertainment brands like Coke Ford and a bunch of these guys so average Joe's is more and they had like the country rap kind of guys. Oh four Yeah. But at that time, it was the more country guys was were me, Kevin Fowler about going Gentry that were signed on f1 shows at the time. So Yeah, I was there for me another three years maybe I would say with with John, label

 

Randy Hulsey  25:05

you speak of writing, publishing deal with John Rich for the casual listener out there that listen to this podcast that isn't a musician that isn't in the business. They're just casual music fans, what does that mean? Tell tell them what that means. You're, you're signed to a writing publishing deal. What is Gabe doing for this company? At this toe?

 

Gabe Garcia  25:27

I always tell people to like, you know, everybody thinks that you're just there as an artist, yours. You're just singing and that's it, you know, but uh, there's a lot to there's the business part of it, and like the writing and everything. So that's, it's called the music business, you know, for a reason. And I always express that to other artists and when they're doing stuff in their distinct because they're just gonna go to Nashville or wherever just go sing. There's a lot, there's a lot more to it than than just that. Yeah, you guys. I mean, I was fortunate to, you know, work with Bart and his dad and and learn about publishing and contracts and everything. I mean, I can look at contracts and reading myself and, you know, and and know if it's a pretty good deal or not. Yeah. But yeah, so So nowadays, is changed from back then today, you know, you you're signed with the label, you're also with a publishing company, whatever. Nowadays, it's changed so much that now there's a 360 deal, which a lot of these labels are now wanting to do with artists, because they want to control everything. So they have, say, labels. So like John, John wanted everything. So he signed me to a 360 deal, which she had my management, publishing, and a shopping agreement and my producing. So I wrote for John, he managed me and everything. So like, average, Joe's was just the label that was signed on as far as my record goes, and but that's, that's how the business rose now. And because there's so many independent artists, so many independent investors and stuff like that, now that there are a lot of major labels have shut down, and or have, you know, combined together and to form a, you know, label together. Because there's so many independent artists, and labels that can do everything a label did back then. Yeah, so that's why all these labels are trying to capture everything. So for an artist to make money besides touring, do they want to be the labels or try to get as much as they can, even to the or even to your merch? Like back then your main The only thing that artists would be signed with a label on and will make their money almost a merchant? Yeah, now labels are ticking that now. You know, that's part of the whole 360 deal. And so even if the artist does, watch what you're doing, and read everything and get a lawyer, because there's so many things going on out there that you can be taken advantage of. And if you don't, you know, everybody wants everybody, of course, wants to be a star and wants to do this, but you got to,

 

Randy Hulsey  28:05

that's the Yeah, that's the glamorous side of the business. Of course, everybody wants that. And it's funny that you say that, because, you know, you you just look out on social media like Instagram, and I, you know, I'm, I'm always looking for the next artist to have on my show. And I see a lot of these artists, and a lot of them are female. And you see that, you know, there's, they're putting hundreds of pictures of themselves all cute and dolled up and, I mean, I get it that you have to market yourself, you know, you have to be marketable, but I'm wondering, okay, I see all these nice pictures of you. But what's going on behind the scenes? Like are you are you even play in any shows, I think you're a musician, right? But you don't see a lot of that. And I wonder how many of them flee from wherever they're from in small town America to Nashville that, you know, there have that mindset that, you know, I'm going to go out there and I'm just going to sing and play the guitar and I'm going to get discovered and then I'm going to be the next Carrie Underwood. That's, that's the easy ride, I think. But like you said, somebody that's come from the trenches or been in the trenches. It's not like that right at all.

 

Gabe Garcia  29:18

Yeah, I mean, when I used to live there, I used to be there, you know, set the bar sitting there playing whatever and, and these new guys will come in and be like, how's it take to get a record deal? I'm like, man, don't worry about that. Man. You should just move here just because you're passionate about it first. Yeah, you know, there's what you want to do. I mean, everything's gonna happen within time where were supposed to you know, yeah, everything's on the right timing but but you're here you know, learn the business that's God learn a business because that's gonna be the most important part. Yes. And get a record deal on to be stuck and ever be released. Yep. You know, never never have an album out or anything. Just be sitting there like sitting duck, you know, like a lot of people are because they just signed a record deal because they While they think they're gonna blow up, and yes, you said that, because they didn't read the contract and get a good lawyer, and then, you know, people signed up and you know, that's one of the main things he liked. Was the release date gonna be if I sign with you when's the first time we're going to be in this timeframe? You know, because like I said, you could be sitting there for forever never just be shelved for sure. Yeah.

 

Randy Hulsey  30:23

And, you know, the more I learn about the record business, the more I am kind of glad that I didn't go down that path. You know, it's, you know, because I like you, and I'm sure you thought the same way at some point in time, just like, you know, the people that I talk about just posting the glam shots on the internet. I think that we, at some point in time before you are educated on this, and I certainly thought the same way that, you know, you, you know, an a&r guy walks into a bar that you're playing that and says, Oh, Randy, you're wonderful, or game, you're wonderful. You're going to be a star now. And there's nothing else that you have to do. And it's just, that's, that's not the way it works, unfortunately. So I think there's a big stress level in that industry,

 

Gabe Garcia  31:07

your bubble, everybody out there, but I mean, oh, it's real

 

Randy Hulsey  31:11

talk. And like, they say, if it was easy, everybody would be doing it. And it's not unless it's like everybody is trying to do it. You know, and I wish everybody luck out there. I'm not wishing any ill will against anybody, like you're never gonna make it. But I think that there's this facade that is just a cakewalk. Once you get signed, you're home free. And I don't I don't think that that's so much the case.

 

Gabe Garcia  31:35

Now, it's like you're like you're saying to there's a lot of guys, I love people that don't even play live now. And they go to Nashville, and they have no stage experience. Exactly. can't just go on a stage and sing and be in front of people. And it's crazy. There's a lot of people like that. Yeah, you know, just just go they sing a couple songs and a

 

Randy Hulsey  31:52

karaoke bar phone.

 

Gabe Garcia  31:56

Yeah, oh, stage presence or never even sang from anybody in there. Like, I'm so scared again. I never sing from people. Like, I like to move dance. To do that. Oh, no. It's just like, when I was on the TV show, a lot of people thought, you know, I was on a big NBC TV show and television for nine weeks. And you know, on NBC, and a lot of people thought I moved up there for that. But a lot of people don't know the story, which is good for like the this podcast, you know, they can tell the whole story of where I started. And now I'm doing this because a lot of people just thought I moved through the show. Yeah, I mean, I've been going through about 14 years over, you know, doing this the correct thing my first rodeo, you know, yeah, this helped launch. The show helped launch that big thing and band put me out there. Probably more than I probably got more exposure than some of these major artists that are in radio. The label has to spend so much on marketing and get this person out. I was on TV on national television, you know, that really helped and launched me out there a lot and all over the world at Watch. Watch the show. That was a big thing. A big thing for me, but doubt always. I always get see articles or people's comments all the time. Like, oh, he just got on. He just got this nap because he was on the show. Man. I've been busting butt for a long time. Yeah. Well, that's

 

Randy Hulsey  33:11

a great segue. You mentioned the show in VCs Nashville Star is the show that we're talking about. While you were in Nashville, you were first runner up in that production. And when I say first runner up, I mean that you were the first runner up of what 60 some odd 1000 singers? Correct. There wasn't like seven people in this competition. There was 10s of 1000s of people talk a little bit about that high level,

 

Gabe Garcia  33:39

photo 65,000 People tried out for the show. And they narrowed down to the top 14 for NBC for the TV show. So I was fortunate that I got second place there. And we did our top four. We did a tour national star tour and stuff the top four, which is a good time, which I know a lot of people have been seeing a cafe Anderson. He's been he's been blown up right now with his song that he's had, you know, the military sounding that he did. He was on a TV show. He was on top four with us. Okay, that was pretty cool. So I get to know Kafei pretty well,

 

Randy Hulsey  34:12

Nashville Star. In my little bit of reading. I think that of course it's kind of formatted along the lines of the voice or American Idol. But I think that it was genre specific. Right. Was it not just country and exposing the country artist or was there other genres in there as well? Educate me on that.

 

Gabe Garcia  34:34

There were we'll see like so I was in the sixth season. Like the voice wasn't even out yet. Nothing like that. That came out right after our show got aired and national star was never around anymore. American Idol was, I think still going. So Nashville Star started on that on USA channel and maybe CMT. And so NBC bought it out. And so I was on the 60s in which the seasons before had Moran lamber. Buddy Joel Christian was on one I think Kacey Musgraves Yes. Now do you know it was mainly majority country and they're all individual acts. The one that I was on those actually, it was still pretty country. They added a few songs here and there. They did a couple segments, like, Pop Goes country or something like that. But uh, they made me sing a dang. Ricky Martin song.

 

Randy Hulsey  35:29

Oh, no, no.

 

Gabe Garcia  35:31

Yeah. But now this is like, so this this, that season that I was on data, actually, like groups and duels was, which was the first time they did that. So each judge had had somebody like the jewel was my mentor. She was a judge on there. She had all the guys. John Rich had all the the girls and Jeffrey Steele was a big songwriter at all the groups. Okay, so there was, so there was the first time they had like, groups in there. Yeah, so yeah, that was a big that was a big change to the show. So

 

Randy Hulsey  36:07

do you think they wanted you to do a Ricky Martin song because you're a multi linguist like you because you you can sing in Spanish and and an English is what do you think the idea was?

 

Gabe Garcia  36:19

So because a lot of people didn't know like that they would only give us like maybe two or three choices per show. Okay, that's enough songs to pick from. When I first started when we first got on the show, they give us a big book of just songs and we just kind of like mark it off what we liked, so that they can get an idea but they may of course at the end they would choose where they wanted but yeah, I kind of made an issue about that when they first sent to me because either that or some other like really pop song that I didn't know but yeah, I was like, guys, like I know why are doing this. Like, screw it. I'll do that I guess. Yeah, it ended up working pretty well is fun. Now that's interesting because I think I had like 10 Girls shemale dancers dancing by me so I was like, okay,

 

Randy Hulsey  37:03

twist my rubber arm. Well, I think that's kind of the way your song and you correct me if I'm wrong. I'm just learning a lot of your music. I've listened to a lot of it here lately, but you have a song called is it Rosa Del Mar that that is part in Spanish and and part in English as well. Right?

 

Gabe Garcia  37:20

Yeah, actually was my first bilingual song that I recorded and wrote I was actually on a sailboat going down to Key West. I mean, some friends thought I was going to Key West songwriting festival was the Nashville songwriter festival that was having it in Key West and my buddy from the Hanna's Texas, which is like right down the road from mando lived in Key Largo and he was retired Navy and he had a sailboat down there in Key Largo, which he charters people and stuff and so Mark's dad was I had this idea is like hey, why don't we just take a boat out and sail to get the Key West? So me Bard and a couple other writers we sold about three days on the water from Key Largo to Key West and the name of the boat was called Rosa the mud. Okay, he's rose to the sea and and my buddy was like, second day we're out he was like me to read a psalm a boat or excuse the name or something. So yeah, we did we we anchored on nine had dinner on the boat. Me and two other guys that were with us. We sat and wrote that song. And you'll be surprised about once you're done with the show. You can go to YouTube and just put Gabriel there Rosa mon it's like I swear the biggest like overseas line dancing songs. It's huge. Really? Yeah, check it out. I switch my songs and stuff just to see what because there'll be other artists so there's like other artists singing Rosa and my like from other countries their show they're filming them live at music festivals there and it's crazy to you can hear their accent and singing and just all the line dances are like over 100,000 views of some of them are crazy. Wow it's pretty cool. Yeah, so you overseas

 

Randy Hulsey  39:04

Yeah. Speaking of accents, say the say the name of the boat again Rosa Denmark. How come it didn't sound like that when I said that sounds a lot better coming off your tongue for sure. So just kind of backing up to the show a little bit. Would you say that the show how much did the show help your

 

Gabe Garcia  39:25

career? Well, yeah, I mean, I mean being on NBC is like the biggest networks on television now and being live every Monday for nine weeks. I mean, it was nuts just just out people. I mean that during that time it was like I said the boys wasn't out yet so it was either American Idol or national star. Yeah, and and it was just crazy how people I got to experience the whole paparazzi got thing and and just got to do a lot of really cool stuff and me I was on big TV shows like extra And with the today's showdown New York, we did that morning show. I mean, that's how big it was. I mean, that experiment imagined being on that cusp sure that it was, you know, it was a huge launch. Yes. I said, now even people worldwide like no music, I look at my iTunes, my Spotify stuff, and I just grew. And it's a sight. UK, China, Japan, I like Australia, like everywhere, like my music is expanded through that. And a lot of people have watched me on the show, and I agree, it was a huge launch. From what I was doing. I mean, I guess me yeah, I've been playing for a long time, but the show did actually just throw my name out there. And my music and I was very happy and, and lucky, it was blessed that I was I was able to be on that show asked to be on it. And, you know, it was a really great experience. When especially at the time, like I said, my dad had just passed away. And that was kind of the tough thing, because they really use that they at the very beginning. That was the whole story of the whole thing is, that's, that's the thing was big TV shows, too. They, they they have they want the story and but you know, with the with the artists too, so that to build the show, you know, so, man, I remember when I first when I was on that stage when I went there doing the tryouts and, and I got up and that made it. And that was directly off the stage and boom, a camera in my face. Or like, what do you think your dad would think right now? Like, oh my god, I couldn't even talk. I was just like bawling like, Oh, wow. Me, you know, and because I had like, okay, they're gonna be trying to use this on me, made me break down and just cry for the TV show. So I had to really like, build that up and down and stick and stay focused and strong. And, and, you know, that was a it was it was just a huge moment for my family. And like I said, my dad was, you know, one of my biggest fans and to do that for him and my family and the town and we did a hometown concerts. And for the top floor, and like you said live earlier, it was, you know, 3000 people, but it was 10,000 people in my hometown for the hometown concert in the state park there. So a lot of people remember that. And it's cool to watch back on videos and just think, oh, town go crazy. And that was like the talent. The time when everybody got to just be free and no cops pulled over anybody around. My friends were like it. It's funny to still hear stories, you know, people just had to take off, but it was every Monday. So they're like, I had to take off Monday, Tuesday, and everybody had parties, you know, watch parties until we did the hometown concert. Everyone's just going nuts and driving around golf carts and drinking ice chests. And my friends are just having a blast or like, wearing cops didn't care. It was a free for all for a lot of time. Wow, it was just cool to hear that they know that. People really enjoyed it and Absolutely. Experience besides me.

 

Randy Hulsey  42:56

Yeah, yeah. And I was gonna ask you, you know, you gotta you got to

 

Gabe Garcia  43:01

a small taste of

 

Randy Hulsey  43:04

the fame, kind of the paparazzi kind of treatment. You know, on on the grand scale. You were, you were somewhere like around here. But when you think of stars like George Strait, they're like that paparazzi thing goes through the roof is do you think knowing what you know, and what you experienced? Is that something that you would want in your life? Because a lot of people think that that's really cool to have people chase them around like that. But you know, until you have people chasing, you're like, I wouldn't want that myself. I know what kind of temperament I have. And I couldn't like deal with that too much. So it's great to have that question posed to us somebody that's had a taste of that. Maybe not at that super superstardom level, but talk a little bit about that. Is that something you could live with? Or no,

 

Gabe Garcia  44:01

it was kind of it was kind of weird. It was fun at the time, because like, there was so many of us and on the show, so it was kind of like a you know, they weren't just chasing around disuse. It was kind of like, yeah, you know, and we're fortunate we had like security with us all the time. Because whenever we were on the show, we stayed at Opryland hotel, and we had a whole winged ourselves. And we had a security guard at one end of the hallway and at the at the beginning of the hallway. So we couldn't leave and people couldn't come because people have tried to look for us, because they knew we're staying there to build a floor. And they they would tell us like man, people come down drunk, coming up to the rooms and trying to the fine dining. We would go down for rehearsal, and we would go down and then we have our vans parked outside waiting for us. And people would always ask are you all the Nashville Star people and I'll always be like, No, we're church group. And some of the producers are like now's a good one right? So we kept as we kept doing because they're like, what we heard National Star People were saying here and us never

 

Randy Hulsey  45:05

know. I don't know. They're on the sixth floor.

 

Gabe Garcia  45:09

So yeah, we would go to the pool like, and we would, you would see people like standing the windows, like, taking pictures like it was. Stuff like that. And people would just go nuts. Like it was it was crazy. I guess I didn't. I mean, I get to experience a little bit afterwards too, because I think because when I came back to Nashville, I mean, to Lidl, or when it would have come visit. I mean, it was I would still have quite a bit of people will still come around, or they know I was in town. But you know, the more I was around Mario kinda like, the guy used to make me around and, you know, I go the HIV or something in the supermarket and everybody's just staring or people, you know, come up to you, but now it's just more of a normal thing. Now, you know, that I'm around and yeah, it's been, it's been so long ago, but I still I still do a lot of good things. But you know, people still remember and love the stories and, and that's probably the best thing is for sure experience. Everybody, you know, not just me. Yep.

 

Randy Hulsey  46:05

Yep. Let's talk about discography a little bit So correct me where I'm not correct. But I think there's four full length albums you have out now

 

Gabe Garcia  46:15

is that correct? Yeah, so I actually have a total of five five shots. You can actually go to my website it's some websites called Tennessee tango. That's the one I recorded when I was 17 years old. Okay. And my dad actually only had 1000s of those made my dad actually hand like didn't want his computer and he got to one of those it was really computer savvy yet Oh, dismay that like two or three disks? This deals burners Yeah, you could make the labels and okay, they're 1000 of those made and after that we never made any more and so it's kind of like you know, people love that album. They still like thanks to me offered my brother like 50 bucks to give them a copy. Oh no kid. Yeah, they're like they're like now we love that song you know 17 years old you can hear the voice difference from Yeah, then now you know

 

Randy Hulsey  47:03

he still sounded like a little girl then Huh

 

Gabe Garcia  47:06

You know I've always been pretty pretty up there. Yeah, but yeah, a lot of great songs on there and but yeah, put it on iTunes Spotify, there's four four. Okay, that's that's why we've seen the last two I saw produced Okay, before that was a co producer with Mark Okay. Mark is actually now John party's

 

Randy Hulsey  47:28

co producer. I gotcha. Okay, so two in Nashville two here in Texas then no I got them all I've done them all in Nashville all in Nashville. Okay.

 

Gabe Garcia  47:36

I just actually went up to Nashville and actually produced it on my own.

 

Randy Hulsey  47:41

Okay, I follow you now so the it was the the first one the 17 year old release that that is an out on Spotify. That's the one I'm missing correct. So I think in 2009 Your first well that's so it would technically be your second you had a record called shotglass right. And you had a song on there that has turned out to be one of my favorites and it's called I don't want to know we're going to give this song a listen and then we'll come back and chat.

 

Adam Gordon  48:13

When feeling is this strong as need be feels wrong and to me did you have to have some now I have to turn and bow this turns to follow as long as you are aware God cannot dance

 

Randy Hulsey  49:20

that was a song I don't want to know off of the 2009 release shot glass gate. Would you say that songwriting comes easy for you or is it something that's always been a challenge talk to us a little bit about the songwriting for you,

 

Gabe Garcia  49:35

um, songwriting I probably I would say a little both because I need to co write with somebody because I'm more melody driven. So like, my phone is just flooded with melodies and stuff and all the songs that I write are all my melodies and and I'm more of the guy like when I need to get jump started because I think I've only written maybe maybe five or less songs by myself. Like so long you know how I did it? And, and so yeah, I needed I needed to correct with somebody to get jump started and somebody that's good with the lyrics and yeah because once once I once they get going and get me going, and I'm kind of like stop was to be like yeah get in the groove make fun of me because I'll be I'll be right I'll be there. Thank you something I'll be like oh, oh I know, because I just don't boom. Absolutely and but yeah so it was always get a kick out of that I always did that.

 

Randy Hulsey  50:29

Yeah, I think a good good writers feed off of each other and that's probably what's going on when you're co writing right?

 

Gabe Garcia  50:35

I mean I've written with guys that have sat there for three hours and write nothing and there's times I've ran with guys that I wrote two songs and at one session you know, you just have to find that writer and get those guys that you click with and that you you work well together and I mean, I kind of stuck with those guys and written a lot of great songs. So these photos guys because of that.

 

Randy Hulsey  50:59

Yep. And would you like to share with the listeners? What inspired the song I don't want to know.

 

Gabe Garcia  51:03

The wax? Yeah, I don't want to know I didn't write. Okay. So who wrote that? That was a Barnhill. Okay. All right. Actually, that was cool about that song because Richard venio was supposed to get that song he never did. And he I don't know hold and I'm glad he didn't because I get it's gotten absolutely. What my most popular. That's a great song. That's like one of those like those staple songs that people know. Yes. Yeah, it's like I wish I did that.

 

Randy Hulsey  51:33

Yeah. And when I when I listened to the whole record there, that was one of them that jumped out. I mean, they're all They're all great for the listeners that are listening. You guys should treat yourself and go out and listen to games music download, purchase the music, but that that was one that jumped right out at me. I said, Okay, I'd like to really feature that one in 2000 Yep, in 2014 there was a record called missing and you had a song off of there called country looks good on you. And I think the first time that I was explained that one, okay, you wrote this we're going to give you credit for that one. Now. I think the first time that I saw this, I had met you in San Antonio. And you you had agreed to do the show and I said all right, let me let me do a little homework and I saw the video and this was I think it was the songwriter series that you did with Ray Benson and jacking are incorrect. So that's where I first got exposure to country looks good on you. We're gonna play a clip of the song for the listeners and then we'll come back and chat about that

 

Adam Gordon  52:43

same falls in stop phone comm for coffee instead of from boom speed as to religion rat race you came down gaming baby slip off. business suits land round blue jeans and cowboy boots. Right next to Maine's look and laugh back. Game Changing this sounds really good country show good news

 

Randy Hulsey  53:43

that's country looks good on you off the 2014 release missing gay bet that song is it's kind of to me the epitome of a country song. It's one that I've listened to. I'd say 500 times it seems like in the last couple of weeks it's a it's one that grows on you. It's got a great hook to it. Do you remember where you were when you heard the melody to this one in your head? Like what were you doing Where were you when did this one come to you

 

Gabe Garcia  54:15

was actually in the end the record like you know those guys are sorry about that written like two songs and one kiss session what it's actually a guy wrote that song with so my buddy Tommy Callum who's from Divine Texas has a ranch and him and his wife him and his wife walking down the ranch he looked over to his wife and said honey Kutcher looks good on you. And he sent me that song title and and I kept it for Buddy mine artists Allbritton who like so we were write really well together. And we sent the songwriting room and I don't know it just it just we just kind of says kind of like sound more melody driven only November if I made it up that time or if I had it like in my phone and but man it was just perfect. It's just super easy just don't even think we took that long to write that song and ended up five another staple song right there like yes that's probably one of the most downloaded that is the most downloaded actually song all my all my dreams everything country was gonna see people singing the words that's that's the songwriter?

 

Randy Hulsey  55:21

Absolutely. I think that when I hear certain songs you know some of them just blend in with other songs not yours I'm talking about in general and I think you're probably the same way you hear you hear something? It's like yeah, that's good. That's good. And then there's that one that pops and you're like, that needs to be on the freakin right. That should be on like, mainstream radio. I'm not talking about local radio. I'm talking about national radio. And I think that that's one of those songs. That's that's the way I see that song. Don't

 

Gabe Garcia  55:49

get me started with that. Okay,

 

Randy Hulsey  55:52

yeah, well, we'll be on this thing for three hours. We're not going to go down a rabbit you know,

 

Gabe Garcia  55:56

especially now like recently there's an artist on you want to say his name because I was gonna kind of blast them out there a little bit on my social media, but I might now because I'm just gonna give him exposure. Yeah, exactly. Somebody actually wrote a song called, he didn't write it, but he recorded a song in a major label, like, sign Emmys this Hispanic artist, guy. Oh, spang name and it's like, okay, well, I guess I should be flattered by it. But the song's called country looks good on, you know, country with it with an apostrophe D. Wow, Mike. So a friend of mine from Nashville saints, and they're like, Dude, are you serious? Like, I'm like, Oh, my God. Wow. Is the same concept of this a unit. So write that one down. So you got to look that one country? Country looks good on you. Wow. Yeah. So. So talk about kick in the gut without money. You know, it's like, okay, they're pushing this guy and this song and everybody had that, you know, it's like, like, come on.

 

Randy Hulsey  56:56

You know, I'm the one that would think that if I was a songwriter, you know, and I heard something that somebody did I, I mean, what, why would you even take a derivative of it knowing, you know, because then everybody's gonna know, oh, well, you arrived in the Kotel of somebody else or whatever. Like, I just wouldn't want to be that guy. But that that's just me. And again, we won't go down that rabbit hole. Who was the lead player that that you had in that video? The the right Benson and Jack Ingram, you were playing with another acoustic guy.

 

Gabe Garcia  57:30

Who, who was that? That was Donnie Guyer from Piersol, Texas. Okay. Yeah, he was actually his original guy from my first band since he's playing. Sam 41. Now we're both the same age. Donnie and I and we've been playing together since we're 17. feels off my first man. Okay.

 

Randy Hulsey  57:50

And is he still active with you today? Okay. So I have to also ask you, I might be jogging your memory a little bit, but that guitar strap that you were wearing in that video? It looked like a custom made strap. And if you don't know which one I'm talking about, maybe go look at the video, but I'd love to know where you picked that up at or who made it for you?

 

Gabe Garcia  58:12

Yeah, I get those. So my belts my straps again from Double J salary. Data, Yocum, Yocum, Texas. So yeah, they actually have a I don't know if it's that strap or another one that they made for me that stack she had on their display. Like if you go online to their website, Double J salary calm, okay. There'll be you go to stress and he has a couple of stress loans mine. Okay.

 

Randy Hulsey  58:38

I jotted that down. So I'll take a look. I'm assuming that they'll make just about any custom strap you want to you want to make? Yeah. So in 2018, there was a record called cold beer and a suntan and then shortly thereafter 2021 One more for the road. And that's the latest one that you have out Correct. There's a song on there, which you collaborated with, I believe several other artists you can talk a little bit when we come back. We're gonna take a listen to I'm the one who ain't coming back. We'll take a quick listen to a clip of that and then come back and chat about it

 

Adam Gordon  59:31

with Dragon lab is going to tank intake, intake to play. I've just been trying to get over this pain 1000 times out at Old Town the sound has never been this far gone before. I don't know where the row hit it flowing down on one way

 

Randy Hulsey  1:00:30

or the other that's a clip of I'm the one who ain't coming back off the 2021 release one more for the road gave talk to me a little bit about who you collaborated with on this particular

 

Gabe Garcia  1:00:50

song. Yeah, so I'm gonna come back with that actually written by a guy named Kevin Denny. You remember Kevin, Danny, some code that he that's just Jesse. Yes. For the Asja is Jesse. Yeah, so I've had that song for a long time. And I kept them in the in the bowl to the song bowl. And always wanted to cut it. And so when I was listening to it, I was like, now I could hear it accordion. And they're a little thing and it was kind of cool to just to kind of maybe collaborate with some guys. Donal guys. And I thought about me, my little toe, David Lee Garza. He's the king of Donalyn. accordion and everything. And then I was trying to think of another artist to go in there. And I was thinking to country at first, but I was like, No, I might as well just keep it down. Oh, yeah. And so I know Rahm had his big country, Donald guy, but also he loves his country really well, too. So I thought he'd be great fit. So when I asked the guys to do it, they're they're honored and and I was honored, you know, to have these guys that I've had long, long careers in the music, business insurance, Donald business, so they're really well known and respected. So I thought it'd be kind of cool to do that. And I came off really good.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:02:07

Yeah. And is it which one is one of them sing in the second verse? Is that correct? Yeah. Ram. Okay, Ram is doing that one. Okay. I was wondering which one of the guys was singing that? Would you say that the song has more of a Tohono flair than a lot of your other recordings? Like is this just this song is just like a one off? Or are there others? I can't say that I any of them stuck out to me that were that had much of a Tejano flair. Like this one did but the only

 

Gabe Garcia  1:02:38

one okay. And what it was it was intense. Intentionally the to be that way too short. I mean, especially having that accordion in there. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I mean, it's, and that's, that's another thing too, which is surprising to me. That's that. So anyway, it's not really surprising either, but it's it's the top downloaded song with that on that album. Okay. Well, that

 

Randy Hulsey  1:03:01

squeeze box sure gives it the Tejano flair. There's there's no doubt about that. There's no mistaking that. I've seen you play your solo show there in San Antonio. But tell the listeners a little bit about your bandmates, the full band who's who are the musicians in your band

 

Gabe Garcia  1:03:20

these days? Well, of course, my guitar player has been with me. You know, Donnie gar has been playing guitar with me for a long time. My drummer Kyle Schneider, he's a he's from around here in San Antonio, too. He's been playing with me quite a few years as well. bass players, I kind of jump around to guys, some of the guys I've had for a long time they moved down to Dallas and Houston was in the valley. So if I go play down in those areas, I'll mark those guys play play with us. And it just be like old times, you know? Yeah. But yeah, I've been I mean, we've been you know, it's kind of cool to Yeah, you just played with a four piece you know, I don't have I used to have a steel player and all that back in the day, but I just play a four piece and we still sound just as big and tight as that as a full band. kind of amazed when I hear us play with a for just a four piece and and everything sounds really big and full. Yes. It's I mean, that's that goes a long ways with when you've been playing so long together. And you're really tight. And everything else. It's really comfortable there and we just put on a good show. And do what we do. We've been doing for a long time.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:04:26

Yep. Recently I played a show here. I'm gonna do Oh, my. My lead guitarist is from Galveston, Texas. Chris Hughes is his name. And I think that the night of the show, he decided that Eric Clapton was more important and he went to the Eric Clapton show instead of playing with me, I don't understand that thought process but whatever. So it was a night that I took advantage of having a one of my guests from the shows come and play the show with me. Her name is Sandy June. And she brought her bass player and she brought her pedal steel player and it was the first time that I've ever played with a pedal steel player and wow you know it just that's such a cool sound that it it feels so so many holes of a solo you know your your solo guy too right so to add that pedal steel or something

 

Gabe Garcia  1:05:27

I would pick up pedal steel guy over there. Yeah, like even when like I would play when I would hire extra fire out and always be still Guitar Man. Yeah. makes everything sound super country you know, man,

 

Randy Hulsey  1:05:41

man, any you know, I'm playing a little bit all over the place. I'm playing old country I'm playing Americana. I'm playing 70s 80s 90s Classic Rock, and even even some of those old songs that I was doing like from the Eagles in America and stuff like that. I mean, the the steel just sounded fantastic. And then fast forward. There was a show that I always just play by myself because it's a short two hour show. And the steel players name is Jimmy Deval and he's like Hey man, can I come out and play with him like sure bring your stuff and so he and I just played that one and I'm like I could really get used to having a steel player play with me but I love Chris and the the acoustic leads and fills that he brings to my shows but I guess that the steel was really cool for me because I've never in my life played with a pedal steel player. So I've never been in a country band. So that was a cool treat for me.

 

Gabe Garcia  1:06:39

Yeah, I love I love steel guitar. Yeah, for sure. That's a that's a dying breed man. You don't find too many C males guys. Well, those guys are older guys. And there was a show I played recently with another artist and he had a young steel player and I'm like, I went talk to him just to shake his hand I'm like man, like you're one of the rare guys Yeah, and I still play a young guy play

 

Randy Hulsey  1:07:00

yep, you're right and I'm not gonna say that Jimmy's old but but I will say that that Jimmy's not 20 years old. Let's just say that right and in he'll tell you he's been playing many decades. Yeah. So you're you hit that nail right on the head. You can tell that you know he's been playing that thing a long, long time. What's coming up for Gabe Garcia what what kind of shows you got lined up any festivals coming up anything that the listeners need to know

 

Gabe Garcia  1:07:27

about? Yeah, quite a few shows. I got one in Castroville coming coming up this Saturday. Castroville Texas if you're heading down kind of the you know West sandstone and to the hill country area there the first annual big city, barbecue cook off. We find that eight o'clock on Saturday. Get a bunch of the stuff coming up. I just made this pie. It's better just to follow my social media pages. And like, like I told you earlier, we're chatting, I have to take a week off just to wind down so everything's laid out. I just needed a little break. And so my week's done, so I'm back at it again. But yeah, just go to gig RC official on Instagram, gave us the official fanpage on Facebook, and I'm always posting my gigs on there, I need to I need to update my website get Chris calm. That's a new date new dates on there. But everybody's everybody's on social media nowadays. Like I don't even know when I've looked at anybody's website. But I think people still do sometimes, I still

 

Randy Hulsey  1:08:33

have one. And that's where I post the Backstage Pass radio shows. And then, you know, my schedule, my music schedule, and the songs I play the places I play. You know, I always wanted the domain name as what I wanted. I wanted my email to be professional like I didn't you know, I didn't want to have a, you know, some far out email address. I wanted to Randy Hulsey comm email address because I wanted to be cool, like the big kids. And with that, you know, came the webpage and I designed the web page and i You're right. I mean, how many people look at the web page. versus social media? Probably not many. But it's nice to have that presence because I can easily say hey, you can find me at Randy Hulsey calm versus Well, let's see. Go to Facebook and search for slay it's too much for me to remember. Yes, so So that's where the listeners can find you on social media. Let's do some quick fire questions and then we'll get you out of here. How about summer or winter for Gabe Darcy or summer or winter guy?

 

Gabe Garcia  1:09:39

By winter it is my birthday December 20 Yeah, well it was to say try to cheat me out of gifts.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:09:48

Well my brother's December 20 as well and yeah,

 

Gabe Garcia  1:09:53

I love fires man like to be around a fire. Yeah. With an acoustic guitar, right

 

Randy Hulsey  1:10:00

No doubt. Oh yeah, yeah, you can't be by a fire without a cold beer and an acoustic guitar for sure. How about TV TV or radio for you

 

Gabe Garcia  1:10:10

not see TV. Okay, TVs? I I don't know just a bunch of weird YouTube's YouTube stuff for Netflix shows. I like a lot of documentary caught types things. Yep.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:10:26

Um, with all that stuff. Yep. How about how about perfect vacation for you? Where would you vacation?

 

Gabe Garcia  1:10:32

Cabo San Lucas. I was I was going there about every three months before COVID hit. I was playing down there all the time. And I went down to recently, last May, this past May and I hadn't been there since before COVID. Hit. Okay. So it's kind of nice to be back in a play to actually play to an event with a lot of those. Donal guys. Okay, David Lee got a bunch of guys. So I was the only country guy on there on that show. So it's kind of fun to be back in Cabo.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:10:59

It seems like so I'm gonna have a guest on my show coming up. His name is Kyle Hutton. And I believe that he does something with Kevin Fowler down in Cabo. They have a an annual music event down I think it's in Cabo.

 

Gabe Garcia  1:11:16

Maybe it's somewhere it's probably the one that him and Roger Federer. So

 

Randy Hulsey  1:11:19

it is that's exactly the one it is. Yep. Yep. Yep. acoustic or electric guitar. Acoustic

 

1:11:26

your early bird or

 

Randy Hulsey  1:11:27

night owl. I think we covered that earlier.

 

Gabe Garcia  1:11:32

That's just gonna hurt because I'm starting getting to that point where I'm I'm really getting tired by 10 o'clock.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:11:38

You probably looking at your watch right now.

 

Gabe Garcia  1:11:41

But when I was doing music full time, or when I'm working, so that was those two different times because I was a night owl during that time. But right now, I have reason to get up now.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:11:50

Gay people are looking at it as watch. You guys can't see it. He's looking at his watch. And I'm sure he's thinking Come on, Randy. You got to get me off, man. It's it's 840. Here, I got to get in bed. How about a favorite place to play for you? Now you can always tell my guest. You can plead the fifth on this because I don't. I think I would probably plead the fifth. Because I don't want to show partiality to one place that I play over another. So plead the fifth on this. But is there a room that you just love to play? But

 

Gabe Garcia  1:12:19

it's always hard question because I and that's always been a tough one for me. Either that or what's your favorite song? Because I like so many things across the board. You know, like, so many places? I mean, you can't I don't know, I don't play a lot of the same places. All the time, like to where it's like, oh, this is my favorite place to play. You know, that's it. Yeah. Because even like here in San Antonio, I don't even play party here anymore. Like, as far as like all the dance halls and that I used to play you know, like, because, you know, I don't want to burn myself out down here. Like I said, Everybody I've done since I was playing was 17 years old. So it's kind of like to venture out to other new places. And even though so it's kind of hard to say like, oh, there's my favorite place to play because I just like to I don't know, just expand myself.

 

Randy Hulsey  1:13:04

Absolutely. And I drop a an episode this Wednesday at 7am. And it's artists out of Nashville. Her name is Jen Bostic. And I asked her the same question but in her answer was the Ryman and the opera house right. And I'm like, well, that's cheese. Not I mean, how many of the people that I'm interviewing here have ever can say that they've ever played those rooms. Right? So yeah, I guess that's easy. That's easy for you to say. Yeah, yeah, so not favorite song of all time. But do you have a favorite song? That you like to play live? That is your song to play

 

Gabe Garcia  1:13:42

live? Hmm I guess I'm big like vocal I like to do you know it's not more because my favorite song but I think it's like vocally like price used to be mine. brixon done. So it's a really good shows my vocal range and and just just you know, it's a bad a good valid and that is probably one of my strong. My strong points is just singing a great balance. Yep. That that sometimes shows on some of my albums too, because I always have a hard time. Put an album together because I don't have a lot of up tempo, up tempo songs. And I always have to dig around for those or try to write one or try to like guess for other writers to send me some dub tempos because I have so many mids and ballads and because I love singing that kind of stuff. Yeah, that's where my my voice is right there. Yeah. Yeah, so I would, I would say like about brixon down. She's been mine was one of the ones and that's actually one of the songs that John Richmond me saying, when I did my showcase for I was okay. Because we're singing some songs and he's like, Dude, you need a scenario like this. Your voice is right to Africa. Well, yeah, that's a wheelhouse

 

Randy Hulsey  1:14:57

song for sure. And you Your solo shows when you know like when you're playing Pinkertons right your your solo acoustic, what percentage of the songs you're playing in your sets our covers versus your songs?

 

Gabe Garcia  1:15:12

I would probably say about half. Okay, so

 

Randy Hulsey  1:15:14

you're 5050

 

Gabe Garcia  1:15:16

Yeah, exactly. You know you got like stuff people know you know, I kind of really I kind of just more I just gauge the audience see who's out there and see the man. Regardless, I'm I'm a big most of my songs are all 90s Country stuff. I don't see any really any any new stuff, like, share on the radio right now?

 

Randy Hulsey  1:15:36

I don't even know any of it. If I'm playing

 

Gabe Garcia  1:15:39

like, an hour or 90 minutes show, I'll do all originals. I guess I can go

 

Randy Hulsey  1:15:46

and did you say you're formally trained or mostly play by ear guitar

 

Gabe Garcia  1:15:50

wise? As my you're okay. Do you have

 

Randy Hulsey  1:15:54

a maybe a number one influential musician or a band that that you followed forever and has inspired you the most to just be a musician but would you say that there's a band or a musician in particular that has been that person or band for you.

 

Gabe Garcia  1:16:13

I know when the when I was back in FFA. They would always have artists that there were big artists that would used to be in FFA, come play our convention. And I would say one of those, you know, those groups was Blackhawks. Henry Paul band students and a Robin's all the guys back when they were together. They would they played at the national convention. And I got off the stage that they were playing on, we kind of opened up like a few of us high schoolers, and we're gonna have a fake. They got to play national convention we played on that stage. And then I walked off and Henry Paulson, Blackhawk was like, hey, cowboy command, and he probably went over there and he gave me his number and just always wanted to work with me for a long time. But it was kind of tough because I was kind of local to bar. So I kind of just kept a little my bar but but the main event even in i We didn't work together, but he always supported me. We always kept in touch. Every show they would come Santos, I would always be back there with them and stuff. And yeah, I mean, there probably was, like, probably longest grew up that I've kind of kept in touch with him. You know, growing up, being in Nashville and going up to Nashville so long, for so long, I met so many artists, and that influenced me as well. But Richard Nino was one of them, too. You know, I used to cover a lot of Rick stuff. And, you know, him being Hispanic, too, you know, and I mean, he just had a lot of great songs. And we became really good friends and play a lot of shows together. So yeah, there's, there's been there's been a bunch of different artists that probably it was me in different ways. But I think Black Hawk was probably one of the first and you know, when I was still in high school and just getting started, you know, getting out there a lot more live and I got to just stay in touch with him for so

 

Randy Hulsey  1:18:03

long. Okay, thanks for joining the show. I wish you continued success with with everything that you're working on the music and the daily grind that you have going on there Monday through Friday. I hope to catch you at a show in San Antonio. Soon, I asked the the listeners to like, share and subscribe to the podcast. Also make sure to follow Gabe on all the social media outlets make sure you download that music and support the artist. As always, you can find the show on Facebook at backstage pass radio podcast on Instagram at backstage pass radio on Twitter at backstage pass PC and on the website at backstage pass. radio.com You guys make sure to take care of yourselves and each other and we'll see you right back here on the next episode of backstage pass radio.

 

Adam Gordon  1:18:53

Thanks so much for joining us. We hope you enjoy today's episode of backstage pass radio. Make sure to follow Randy on Facebook and Instagram at Randy Hulsey music and on Twitter at our Halsey music. Also make sure to like, subscribe and turn on alerts for upcoming podcasts. If you enjoyed the podcast, make sure to share the link with a friend and tell them backstage pass radio is the best show on the web for everything music. We'll see you next time right here on backstage pass radio