October 13, 2025 • 46 mins
In this episode, country star Jon Pardi joins for a post-run chat in Connecticut ahead of his show. He talks about the stamina it takes to tour, his competitive spirit, and the fitness routine that keeps his performances high-energy. Jon reflects on growing up in Dixon, California, the work ethic that shaped him, and his move to Nashville, where he honed his craft before breaking out with Head Over Boots and California Sunrise. He also opens up about life on the road, family, and the lessons learned along the way — offering an authentic look at the heart, humor, and hustle behind one of country music’s most genuine modern voices.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey guys, it's your friend Kate Max.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Welcome back to post Ran High. So last week we
drove up to Bridgehampton, Connecticut, where John Party was making
a stop on his Honky Tonk Hollywood tour, and wow,
I just have to say, guys, you and I have
been on a country music artist bender these last few months.
From Dirk s Bentley to Jordan Davis to John Party.
(00:25):
I'm thinking up next we need Kelsey Vallerini and I
just have to say that was also John's suggestion. So
my fingers are crossed and let me know what you
guys are thinking. But John and I started off with
a two mile run on the Long Island Sound and
then we sat down to record this conversation. Today, we're
diving into John's California roots, the grind that took him
from playing dive bars to headlining arenas, and how a
(00:48):
California boy became a true Nashville staple. With more than
four point two billion total streams and multiple number one singles,
John's not just a fan favorite, He's one of the
most respected names in Nashville. He's one CMA New Artist
of the Year, an ACM New Male Vocalist, of the Year,
and in twenty twenty three, he earned one of country
(01:10):
music's highest honors, induction into the Grand Ole Opry. Today,
we're going to get into life on the road, touring
versus home life, and what it really takes to build
longevity in country music.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
John is a who.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
He's truly one of those people who reminds you that
hard work and authenticity never go out of style.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
So let's get into it.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
This is John Party on Post Run High.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
John Party, Welcome to Post Run High. Yeah, how are
you feeling feel good?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
We ran about two miles. We're currently in Connecticut. You've
got a show tonight. It's nice get a little movement in.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Before your show, little beach run.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I feel like the fact that you have a performance tonight.
You did a little bit of a lifting workout before
our run then, and like you're getting a lot of steps.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
In in a day, a lot of burning calories and
stand in shape. You know, it's a high energy show
and you need to have, you know, high energy, and
you can only really get there by working on and
doing cardio. Even like my vocal coach, he's like, you're
doing cardio and I'm like no, It's like you need
to up your cardio. And so when the whole Run
(02:24):
Your Show came along, I was like, oh, I'm totally
down because they usually do you know, a gym, Planet
Fitness and we go for a run.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Yeah, and I mean honestly, like once John heard that
Jordan Davis did one mile, he was like, well, I
absolutely have to do too. So we were getting a
little bit competitive amongst the country folk, with which I like.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
I mean, two miles is a good standard.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
What did you say it was your doctor was telling
you that you got to get cardio.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
In or your tour manager okay, vocal coach. I like
knowing that because I mean you mentioned it when we
were running. But when Taylor Swift was on her erroostur,
everybody was like, did you know she trains while running
and singing on the treadmill.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
That's what I heard. I don't know if it's true.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Yeah, I don't know if it's true either. We we
have to find out.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
But I do have to say my hot take is
that if you want to get good at something, to
do it while running or dancing.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Dancing is very high demand and it's very physically like.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Like the real dancers do you feel like when you're
performing on stage, like are you getting it? Like?
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Are you sweaty?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Oh my god, Christmas. I'm a beast when it comes
to sweating, Like I feel bad for people who touch me. Yeah,
because you know they get off shows. Somebody wants a photo.
I'm like drenched and sweat But I'm a sweater. I
am too, just like embarrassing sweaty sucks. Shout out on
my sweaters out there. Go deal with that.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Yeah, you know, it's it's hard for us out there.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
I'm going to keep a towel on a spare shirt
all times.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Well, you know, sometimes, especially this summer when we were
doing this show, I would have to tell people like listen,
I'm going to be in the same outfit after the run.
I do recommend if you're uncomfortable being sweaty on camera,
like for the podcast with the lights, bring a change
of clothes.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Well, we got lucky. You had a nice breeze, so
it helped.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
And we're drinking a cold beer.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
And we got a cold beer.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
You know, this is cheers boom non alcoholic for anybody
out there watching on YouTube.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Yeah, non alcoholic.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
But this is my.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
First time drinking a cold beer during a podcast, and
I'm kind of loving it.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
It's good, it's good for the soup.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Guys, we're gonna insert if you're watching this, we're gonna
insert a little clip from John and I's run, just
so you get a little taste of what we were
up to and what we were talking about.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Hey, John, how many miles are we running today?
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Oh? Man, I just got a good work out in him.
But you know what, we can allay use some cardio.
So I'm down for a mile, but let's go somewhere pretty.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
What's a quoter mottol that you live by?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Winner's just a loser to try one more time. Take
the losses on the chin, pick your head up, get
back at it, and go get the win.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Gosh, nothing is better than a nice run before sitting
down to chat.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Poor beer.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
But definitely felt good out there.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
It was great.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
And now we got that post run high going and flowing.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah. One of the best friends of the year right there.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
And we're currently in Connecticut.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
I don't know if I mentioned that yet, but we're
sitting at the venue where John's going to be performing tonight.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
This venue is so homey.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Yeah, no, it's very nice.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
And it's been so cool to witness how your team
comes and sets up. I'm like, you got a full
army out here for you.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
We set the circus up every night, and we tear
the circus down.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Shout out to the crew, Shout out to the road crew. Seriously,
it's so impressive.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
And I was watching one of your team members set
up just your closet, which if you guys are watching,
you can kind of see it behind us. But this
is an impressive wardrobe set you got behind here.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Yeah, yeah, that's me and the band.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
How would you describe your outfits on stage? Like what
type of stuff do you like to wear?
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Right now? I'm really into staying cool because we're going
through climates that are still kind of hot. So still
in straw hats, you know, and short sleeves. I know
it's felt season for the cowboy guys out there, but
I mean, if it's hot, I'm wearing a straw I
don't care the felt it's too hot.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
I love the variation of cowboy hats.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Yeah, oh that's a thing. But it's just being comfortable
right now. Tonight, I'm you know, tonight it's gonna be
a little cooler this weekend. We could get maybe wear
a felt hat.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
And I was peeping from a distance. I wasn't touching
into your wardrobe.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Just to be clear, you can look at it.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
You've got some fun T shirt like not T shirts
like polo button downs and funky colors and patterns.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Like you're wearing some bright clothes on stage.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Those are snap shirts snap shirts, yeah, like Western Western
snapshirts one of the shirts man, Yeah, sponsible by Wrangler
a long time.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Do you guys get into what you wear on stage?
Like is it a big part of the show for you?
Like do you like?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Oh, these are pearl snaps for my New York girl
over here.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Okay, so you can like take it off on stage.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Girls love this.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Easy access.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Oh you better have a six pack.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Okay, I love that shirt. Those are cool here.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Maybe got to get you some pearl snaps.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
All right. Hey, we've got a good space here, buddy.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
I'm so cozy on this couch. Normally we're sitting in
chairs that maybe are a little bit too small. We
got to get some bigger chairs because this is pretty
comfy and I love being nestled in this corner. All right, Well,
you grew up in California. Am I getting it right?
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Is it Dixon, California where you grew up?
Speaker 2 (07:43):
So when I think of California, I don't always think
about the farming or the western kind of life out there, right.
I think about la and city culture, hip hop a
little bit. But California is a big agricultural state, the
number one one, number one. And tell us a little
bit about where you grew up.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
Dixon's a farm town. That's it's close to the Bay Area,
so we got a lot of commuters moving in there now.
But for the most part, it's like farm construction and hardworking,
good people. Most of northern California is farms and hardworking people.
Billion dollars, valleys of all kinds of food and vegetables,
(08:29):
and you know, you got olives and wine, and I
mean it's just some of the best you can get.
And they love country music. You know. Everybody's like, oh,
I don't really you know, when I think of country music,
I don't think of California. I was like, well, we
got this big country music festival called stage Coach. It
was like the biggest, the biggest way, Like everybody wants
(08:51):
to go to Stage Coach. And I was like it's
in California.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Would you say that country in California, Northern California where
you grew up, does it differ at all from Southern kind.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
A little bit. I man, it's more high energy, it's
got a different attitude, but it's the same. You know,
my albums are, so every song is different from each other.
I don't know. I just I take a little bit
of the South with me now too, because I've lived
there for so long.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
It's interesting.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
You got you gotta drive influence from wherever you live.
And we were talking about it, but you've been living
in Nashville since two thousand and eight, we mentioned on
our run.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
But what I love.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
About you is you see it with a lot of
your songs and your album names. Like your current album
that just came out this year, twenty twenty five is
Honky ton Hollywood. You know, so you do always throw
it back a little bit to your California roots a little.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Bit when I hear Hockey Hollywood, though, I think in Nashville.
Really yeah, it's it's very honky tongue Hollywood. Ye had
all the bars and the music scene, the songwriters, the awards,
the the movies about Nashville and the just the stigma
and like the everything is there and it's it's just
like a booming industry and like I feel like Nashville's
(10:02):
like the it.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Thing right now, You're right, Nashville definitely is Honky Tonk Hollywood.
And I should have just said California Sunrise.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
Yeah, California Sunrise. But when I when I but a
lot of people think it's it was like a going
question like when you hear hon Kitong Hollywood, what do
you think you think? Do you think Hollywood? Do you
think Nashville? A lot of people said in Nashville, because
I was like, you think about it in Nashville.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
I'm going to Nashville for the first time and in
a couple of weeks and I am so excited.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
To get and then you're gonna be like, definitely, I'm.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Going to be like I'm having a party freaking time
to Oh.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Yeah, what was your life like growing up?
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Like, what kind of kid were you?
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Oh? Knucklehead, class clown. I had a lot of fun.
I'm always playing music, you know, working hard, worked a
lot with my dad, doing all kinds of stuff. What
did your dad land leveling like big tractor stuff.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Big tractors stuf. We got a real cowboy here.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
We did a lot of dirt moving and went and worked.
You know, my buddies ranches would help out. We did
a little bit of everything. You know. In high school
was an ACMEC welding. It's just I tried to learn everything.
A little bit of everything's good for everybody.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
And your mom was a teacher.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
No, she was just worked at the university. But now
she's just super.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Mom, supermom, super grandma.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Yep, super grandma, got two great grandmas.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Did you play sports growing up?
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Yep? I played football?
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Okay, what position were you?
Speaker 3 (11:37):
I was center when I was like pee wee's and
up I was the linemanking so I was big and
then I moved it tight end and I'm too slow.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Did you play all through high school?
Speaker 3 (11:48):
I got hurt junior year and I just stopped playing.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
How did you get hurt? What injury?
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Acls miniscus And the doctor was like, you plan on
playing college? Just like no, I'm playing a band. He's like,
well then, don't you know? It was? It was just
kind of he's like, don't play football place in your year?
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Well, we have that in common. I tore my ACL
twice a clmc ominiscus.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Yeah, no, I've had two surgeries on it, but it's
I gotta fixed. In Nashville, Doctor l Rod out there
is really good. So this whole Elite Sports they they
did my shoulder and and my leg. I was I
(12:31):
was team roping a lot like a horse throwing in
like this motion, and I had a bone spur in
the shoulder and it like tore it all up and
so had to get that fixed.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
From what like whipping a rope around your head? Oh wow,
like a lasso sound like?
Speaker 3 (12:48):
I guess you can call it. It's more like riding
and roping.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
So you ride horses, Yeah, I love riding.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
I don't have horses, but they're paying the butt and
it's hard to see my baby girls. I couldn't imagine
having a demanding horse bill, you know. But we'll get
there one day.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
We'll get there one I mean, it'd be amazing if
your girls got into horseback riding.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
They love animals. Yeah, it's gonna happen.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
It's gonna happen.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
So you know, for me, when I tore my ACL
like it twice in back to back years, it really
pushed me in a totally new direction. But I'm curious
for you. Do you think you'd be where you are
today if you hadn't had that knee injury? Yeah, because
you said to your.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
Coach, I want to I wouldn't have made college football.
I was too slow and I was too unfocused. My
main focus was songwriting and playing music. Like even you know,
that's just what I did. That's what I was known for,
like playing guitar and singing. I wasn't known for scoring touchdowns.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Yeah, so cool, Like just thinking about that. You know, football,
who's your favorite team for nine ers? Who's your favorite
player right now?
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Kittle? I mean, Kittle is a leader, He's a great
tight end. It was somebody, you know, a look at
somebody that in my position that does really well. He's
a beast and good buddy. And but before I knew Georgia,
I always looked up to his rowdiness. How he like
rallies a team, rallies the fans. He's a very captain
(14:20):
kind of a player.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Yeah, I mean it makes sense that you like somebody
that takes on that kind of a role because you
take a take on that type of a role in
your industry too, and with what you do with your band,
and you got to be a leader on our run.
We were talking about the first song that you wrote
when you were twelve years old after break up, deep
Blue Ocean.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
So it was bluey deep Blue sy.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
I was twelve, I had no girlfriend. I've never even
had a relationship with the girl.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Yeah, but I got dumped back in the day. Like
how did you go about rallying a band together? And
do you still hang out with any of the guys
from your og bands back in high school?
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Yeah? Some in college too. You know, I live in
you Go for a little bit here in California and
had a all guitark band called up Non Northern Comfort
out there. Had a lot of good times. Some of
those guys I still talk to and then but you know,
my roadband, we have some guys like Terry and Lee.
(15:15):
We've been together for fourteen years. Like it's like family.
So we're just a big rolling family. But it's it's
nice because you got support, you know, all around you
when you needed.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Who were your early country music influences growing up? Like
who were the people that you had playing in your
house that your parents had playing I.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Mean there's definitely George stra Randy Travis, Alan, Jackson Brooks
and Dunn, Joe Diffie, Mark Chestnut. I mean, it was
a lot of nineties country. Hey Williams Junior.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
I loved learning that your grandma had a big influence
on you music wise.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
Yep, Grandma Loretta, she loved the scene, loved singing.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Man, was she good?
Speaker 3 (16:03):
She was just like she was just a singer.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Okay. I heard karaoke was big in your house.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
If your yeah, oh yeah, big karaoke. That was the
big That's what we did.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
What was your go to karaoke song?
Speaker 3 (16:14):
I can't I can't believe we left out Garth Brooks.
I mean, I love Garth books. We had a lot
of Garth Brooks in George Strait now Jackson karaoke and
back in the day twangy voice still you know, I
could you listened back to just still had some twang.
It's funny you just kind of you mimic the guys
you listen to on the radio. Just kind of Teachi's
(16:37):
house sing country.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
I mean, And maybe it was your grandma, maybe it
was your parents. Who was the who were the people
in your life that really were saying to you early on,
like John, you're really talented at this, Like I want
you to go for it because sometimes, you know, sometimes
people don't have that that family support or friend support.
But it seems like you had it, you know, like
who in your life was maybe giving you the confidence
(16:59):
to go for it because at twenty two you moved
to Nashville and you went for it.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
Yeah, you know at the time, and my parents were
parents got divorced at eighteen, so I was kind of
just floating around, you know, I didn't know, but music
was what got everybody together, playing the bars and give me.
He gave me a home, he gave me some ado
and something I was good at. And it was really
(17:22):
my friends and family and mainly friends that were successful
and like, hey, they would tell me like, ain't gonna
happen in Dixon, you know, ain't gonna happen here. He
gotta go, and uh, you know, one of my good buddies,
Jason Harrison bless blessed soul, God bless him me. He
(17:44):
started a big company called Couu. It's a big hunting
ultra light hunting gear and he was a successful guy
and he was like a real big in my ear
like you gotta get out of here. Like he was
just somebody was doing he started this. I mean it's
it's a huge company now, but he was one that
was I looked up to because of what he was doing.
(18:05):
And it's just like guys like that that I'm still
friends with, I mean that were around us and and
you know people and Dixon were the ones that really
kind of like you should go.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Isn't that amazing to have people that you grew up
with really saying to you, like, go for it, because
I feel like sometimes people have friends in their hometowns
that can hold them back. But you had friends that
were like, move to Nashville and do your thing.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Yeah. Cool. And now we sit around and talk about
like like the days will never get back. We're like
the days at the Buds and Dixon and playing at
the Buckhorn and the Wrangler and Elk Grove and like
like we'll never get those back. And little did we
know that, like at that time, like that you know
it's all gonna be big stages now.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Right right now? Yeah, exactly, stages.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
On the floors. That's what we never had a big life.
We'd like set up on the floor like the people
would be dancing.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Right and like there was no you were in the crowd.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
I was in the crowd.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
You were getting low in the crowd, right in your face.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
So it's like days you'll never get back.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
It's so true. What do you miss the most about
those days?
Speaker 3 (19:12):
It was just everything was just fresh, you were, everything
was exciting. Everything's still exciting. It's just everything's more serious,
and it's it's more goals and to break and and
just it's just a grind. You know, it wasn't a
(19:33):
grind then, but you just didn't think about it.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
It's like now you're kind of like living the dream
of like everything you prayed for, you know, and it's
amazing to just like you have to like kind of
take those moments to be like, damn, what I've accomplished
here is so cool.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Like my younger self would be so proud.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
But yeah, it's all everybody always misses those early grind
days where it's you know, it's still serious, but it's
like a little less serious.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
We would go we would go to Chico's Stay and
literally put on backpacks and walk around and flyer the
campus to come to our show. I would say that
was the last of the last of the flying the town,
like putting flyers on telephone poles, and like we had
these cool like outlaw looking Northern comfort cross guns and
(20:20):
like we were. We had our own songs I've written,
we played covers, We played for four hours. I don't know,
like I kind of feel bad for this younger generation
that it's just all social media now.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
I was just thinking that.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
But you know what came to my mind when you
were saying that is, you know, like handying out flyers,
it stuff like that, like even like the a side
of a highway billboard, like selling CDs, like those traditional
forms of advertising. They still work. Like we get very
caught up in social media, being on our phone getting views,
(20:55):
but sometimes all it takes is getting your hometown local
support first and growing from there. And that happens with
flyers and CDs and yeah, grassroots kind of approach.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Yeah no, well, the flowers are cool, but it was
but you know it was as innocent. You were just
having fun. You're wanting people to come see you.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Well, my favorite thing during our run was finding out
that at twenty two you had this crazy flow.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
You know, you were in Nashville trying to make it happen.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
And one of my favorite things about talking to Dirk
s Bentley and Jordan Davis and Margot Price and you know,
the greats along alongside you is that there is an
art to Nashville, to songwriting and country music and you
really have to learn. What Dirk said is like you
really have to learn the craft of country music and
put the years in so like, let's talk about what
(21:41):
those years looked like for you as somebody that always
loved country music was all like basically your whole life writing.
But then you get to Nashville and like, what did
you have to learn?
Speaker 3 (21:49):
I say, the most impressive thing is you learning how
to present yourself in a talking environment, whether it's at
an interview, you can get a lot of stuff done
at dinner. Being an impressive storyteller, just being realistic and
(22:09):
relatable in person. It's something I learned in Nashville. I've
always had it, but it was like really developing, you know,
going to dinner and like, you know, let getting people
to meet you with just you just got one dinner.
You got it's like one time to make this person
(22:30):
or this girl play you on the radio or like
do this, and it's like have a good time. Of
course we love drinking party, but like you know, it's
it was about being presentable, not just on stage, off stage.
That's a big thing that I learned. And I remember
Mike Duncan. Duncan he signed me to Capitol Records. He said,
(22:54):
welcome to the fish Bowl. Everybody's watching, and I was like, yeah,
that's true.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
How did that feel?
Speaker 3 (23:00):
It's great? But he gave me. He gave me a
lot of you know, tips like the fish bowl and
he said, you know, walk around and meet everybody at
the label because these guys say your name every day
they're calling somebody trying to do something for you, you know,
say get to know them, say you know, be presentable
and like little things like that that you never forget.
And of course we we've always had fun. Everything we
(23:24):
do is fun. Yeah, I mean it's so sometimes we
like make the fun stop.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
No, it is so cool, and like your team is
so fun just being here with you guys today, Like
everybody's having a good time, which is so nice to see.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
And it's just a testament to you.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
And like the work environment that you create for your
teammates and the people that work with you.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
Sometimes good now and then. But it's out of love.
It's out of love.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
He's like, Okay, sometimes it gets like.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Ken cowboy around here.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
Come on, no, that's fair, that's fair. Work is work.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Did you have to do like multiple jobs at any
point when you were before you signed with the record label?
Like were you you know, were you roughing it at all?
Speaker 1 (23:59):
And Ashville?
Speaker 3 (24:01):
I mean I had a townhouse that I got and
I had roommates and it helped pay pay my mortgage,
which was nice. But I played at Losers. Shout out
Steve everybody at Losers.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
I don't know how you feel about that, Barney.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
It's one of the best bars in Nashville. Okay, sorry,
all right, okay, And when you go to Nashville, you
just go on down to Losers in Midtown. You'll see
my home. I have a lot of friends that are
family now there.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
I feel like I'll have a lot of street a
lot of street crowds. If I say that John Party
sent me yep, and.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
You'll see my my name's on the wall on the
road sign right up there.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
I'll send you a selfie with it.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
In a couple of weeks, send me a selfie. Uh,
that's where I first started playing in Nashville. I gotta
start writing songs. You know, I've been writing songs, but
I wanted to move to Nashville to get into the
co writing world, the songwriting world that was you know
I did. I did the four hours in bars in California,
like I've done that. Really wanted to focus on songwriting.
(25:06):
So we wrote songs for years, and I got a
publishing deal, which is a songwriter you paid to write songs,
which led to demos and then what's led the showcases
to which led to getting signed to the record label.
And then we spent four years in the van touring
the country the South. I remember the first time I
(25:27):
ever played in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and they're like, man, you
want to get the crowd ready, you just say roll Tide.
And it was like roal, I mean the crowd. We
must have said roll Tide like twenty times on stage,
and like I was like, college towns are awesome because
I've just been on the West coast. It's like the
(25:47):
Southern I love football. And we would tour all around
the South in the van, and then we got our
first bus in like twenty fifteen. Then sixteen, Head of
a Boots came out and then it just kind of
kept going. But that's a really fast story.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
From the time that you signed with your record label.
How long after did you put out your first album?
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Four years?
Speaker 1 (26:14):
Wow, So it takes it took four years to write
that album.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
It took six years to get a number one.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
What was your first number one? It was it Boots.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
Yeah, Like the first album is really good. It's actually
it actually went gold, which was like a big deal
to me because it was my first record and you know,
it wasn't like the biggest commercial sex success, but like
it's got that we have more of a grassroots following
where they go back and they listen to everything, and
there's some great songs on that record I'm proud of.
(26:46):
I'm very proud of the right You song record. It
just California Sunrise became such a monster album.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
Yeah, California Sunrise, I feel like, is what a lot
of people would consider, like they it has so many
bangers on it.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
People love that album from you.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
All my albums got bangers on everybody. You just need
to go listen to all the albums.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
No, that is true, that's a fact. But California and Sunrise.
People go crazy for some of those songs.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
Yeah, I think it was it just hit a vein
that needed to be hit. You know, that met a
lot of people, especially at a time, you know, as
it was a huge bro country is huge?
Speaker 1 (27:21):
What is bro country?
Speaker 3 (27:22):
It was like Florida Georgia line. But it was fun,
it was real. It was just kind of different beat.
It was real, it was real catchy and it was fun. Hell.
I mean, I remember when I first heard a Cruise.
I was like, that was a monster song. That baby
was song You make Me. It was such a monster song.
But I was like, man, they took over and it
was like this whole new sound and then here comes
(27:42):
the head of a boots, a country shuffle dance love song,
and it would just was completely different than what was
going on. And I think that's what California. Sunrise kind
of came in and it was dirt on my boots.
It was hardly going to dance floor and the night
shift just all this kind of different country kind of attitude. Dude,
you know, the West Coast swagger with high energy.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Yeah, and high energy was something that you referenced on
your run, and I agree I think a lot of
your songs have really really high energy and you feel
it in the lyrics and just in the in the
beat of the song. Let's start with your debut album.
What was going on in your life at that time?
And then how does it differ from California Sunrise, Like
when you think about the evolution, I.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
Mean, write your song was like that was just years
of writing in town into my first record and just rowdy,
you know, upbeat, fast, living in you know, rocking, playing
in a band, driving a van everywhere. You know, it
was very just rowdy breakup songs in and out of relationships.
(28:43):
It was a lot of fun, you know, I mean
there it was just really what I was living up
all night. Write you a song, Love You from Here.
It still one of my favorites off that record, Trasha,
Hotel Room, when I've been drinking what I Can't put down.
I mean, those are all singles that didn't do very well.
Missing You Crazy charted, died at twenty three, but it
(29:04):
all went top forty. But it was just like a
you know, it was like you were just trying to
knock through the door and trying to have them open
the door, and then through the time from like twenty
and fourteen thirteen, fourteen fifteen. You know, I was writing
California Sunrise with a different attitude, like I'm going to
(29:25):
get on the radio. I'm going to get number one,
and then that kind of just head of Her Boots
just kind of set the tone and then we just
became played on the radio.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Do you remember writing head of Her Boots? What was
the story behind the song.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
Well, it was just we were in Texas. My dad
lives in Texas, and you know those are we were
out cowboy in and you know, going out and experienced
at Texas dance halls and like got a lot of
friends there, and you know, we're having fun roping and
doing all kinds of Texas things, and Texas loves to day.
I always shout out to every body Texas keeping the
(30:02):
dance halls alive. And they were always they were dancing
like Sadborough Haggard songs.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
You know.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
I was like, man, I need to write like a
fun upbeat two step in the song it's about falling
in love. And I remember writing that I want to
sweep you off your feet and I want to sweep
you off your feet, and I recorded in my phone,
brought it back to Luke Laired, one of my favorite songwriters,
and we wrote that thing like an hour and a
half and then we were doing the work tape and
(30:28):
and then you know, I kind of everybody I played
it four really loved it, and we recorded it, and
then you know, Capitol promo was like, this is gonna
be our first single off California Sunrise. It's like a shuffle.
You're gonna record this, like, oh no, this country's song
on the record. You want to put this out first.
And I was glad they did.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
You know, I was asking you on the run what
the formula is to a good country song and what's
the secret to learn in you know, how to write
country music and you were saying, I think the secret
is writing fast and just putting songs together. And when
I was talking to Dirk's he was saying that, you know,
one of the tech techniques that he does is it's
just like you sit there with post it notes. You
(31:18):
write a song, slap it on a post it note,
write another song, slap it, and then just shove them
all on a drawer, and at some point you write
a banger. I'm curious, like when you write a banger
after writing hundreds of songs, do you know it?
Speaker 3 (31:31):
I think it's a feeling you never really know, you know,
you never really know.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
It just feels good, can't You kind of know in
the recording studio though, when you're like putting the song together,
if it sounds good.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
I mean, you can always say it feels like a hit.
That's not hurt nohing. That doesn't mean gonna be it.
It doesn't mean it's gonna be it.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
I've been through a lot of hits songs and warn't hits,
but they're now fan favorites because there's still that emotion
that you like, this is a hit in regardless of
what the charts say, it means something. Especially with streaming
now we can really tally up the streams like this
is streaming, you know, like this wasn't this is only
(32:12):
a top twenty song or top thirty, but it's streaming
like it's playing top ten, you know. So I always say,
now more than ever, the fans can decide.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
Is there any song on one of your albums that
you think deserved more love than it got?
Speaker 3 (32:26):
There's a lot She ain't in it ain't. I was
a cowboy yeah, there's a lot.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
What's it like going from writing your own music to
now starting to work with some incredible songwriters in collaboration, Like,
is that a turning point for an artist?
Speaker 3 (32:43):
I mean, I love cutting outside songs that song where
send in and I always try to make my own
because a lot of people don't know which ones I wrote,
write because I try to mold it into something and
I would write and I look at outside songs as like, well,
I don't have to write that kind of song anymore,
thank you you, because I don't have time. Yeah, for
a lot of things. You know, it's it's hard enough.
(33:05):
Songwriting is very time consuming, and it should be. When
I say written fast, it's naturally written fast, like it
just happens. And that's just something that like usually those
are like big songs that just kind of pour out
of you. That's what I've said was fast. It wasn't
like we tried to write it fast. It wasn't like
you can sit You can't sit down and say like, hey,
(33:27):
let's write a song an hour. Never happens. But if
you don't think about it, it just flows out. You're like, man,
some of those sometimes it does. There're some of the
best songs.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
You guys are so busy when you're on tour. You're
on tour for a big chunk of the year. And
when you're on tour, we were talking about on the
run how you don't love to be songwriting while on
tour because you like to be kind of locked into
your shows, which makes sense. But then you know, when
you're not on tour, you're you're you have a family,
You've got daughters, you know, wife, two kids, and then
(33:57):
also making time for songwriting, like you've got so much
going on, just.
Speaker 3 (34:01):
Gotta make time. It's gotta make time. It's all about,
like you said, time management. But like for little things,
we try to write at least one time a week.
It's not that demanding, doable, but still sometimes I can't
do it because there's so.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
Much going on, and sometimes you're just not in the
mood to write right.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
There's there's real things as like writer's blocks or just
not being in the right head space.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
I don't know. That's where the co writing helps. You know,
you get in talk about and have time. It's like
a therapy session anyway, you know, you get you get
around girls and guys you would just you know, try to,
like I said, be the guy in the song and
whatever you're going through you kind of talk about it
and then you get a song or you just get
a good hang and you know, that's the beauty of
(34:45):
co writing. I don't really run in the writer's block
because I try not to overdo it, you know, I
feel like that's the key.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
Yeah, he's a pro pro living life. What's your advice
to young artists out there that want to make it
in Nashville?
Speaker 3 (35:01):
Moved to Nashville?
Speaker 1 (35:04):
Move to Nashville? First up?
Speaker 3 (35:05):
Okay, second step, that's your first step.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Give us step number two.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
Did you move to Nashville.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
I live in New York.
Speaker 3 (35:13):
I'm saying step number two. Oh did you move to Nashville? Right?
Speaker 1 (35:17):
Did you move to Nashville?
Speaker 2 (35:18):
Okay, so step number one? Move step number two. John
is now asking if you have moved yet? Yes, Before
we can get to step number.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
Three, number three, where's your favorite bar?
Speaker 1 (35:27):
Losers?
Speaker 3 (35:28):
Have you met co writers?
Speaker 2 (35:29):
You?
Speaker 3 (35:30):
And I say this every young writers, like you know
the guys the young and you'll find young songwriters and
people you click with, and that's the guys you write with,
and that's like you stick with them and you get
to go write with other bigger songwriters and you just
you keep working it. But I mean you say you
can always say never give up, but it's like, never
(35:53):
get so disappointed in yourself. You know, you gotta believe
in yourself. It takes tough skin.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
What do you mean by that? Like tough skin?
Speaker 3 (36:01):
Oh man? People don't talk shit whatever whatever, Like you know,
I mean why people gotta be so hateful, you know
more than ever. It's like, you know, people always say
are gonna say something, and you might hear about it,
but you gotta like let it bounce off your skin,
you know, don't let it get to get you down.
(36:22):
Because the moment that you show those people you're successful,
they ain't gonna they ain't gonna say nothing bad back
you anymore because they're gonna be just like, oh, he's great,
I know, he's great. Yeah. You know. I had to
sit through losers so many times and just deal with
you know, bullshit.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
But it's got tough it out, It's true, and it's
hard at first. I gotta say, it takes time to
to thicken your skin.
Speaker 3 (36:48):
Yeah, especially with social media and all that. Like my
favorite my wife's summer, she like responds to mean comments.
I'm like, oh my god, like blocks people.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
And like, you know, it's just she's protecting you.
Speaker 3 (37:03):
Oh no, no, it's her, it's hers, And then they
talk about the kids. My favorite is like when you
call out the haters and you show their little profile
pictures and it's so good.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
That's my Favorite's gonna be Like, I'm sick of people
telling me I have Runner's face.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
What does their face look like?
Speaker 2 (37:18):
I want to see get rid of that anonymous profile picture.
We were all we were huffing and puffing out there.
Speaker 3 (37:29):
Yeah we're running. We were running, but that's real. Yeah
Runner's face.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
Yeah, Like what do you look like?
Speaker 3 (37:38):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (37:39):
Classic?
Speaker 2 (37:40):
I love the content that you and Summer do together.
We were talking about this on our run. But you
guys work out together. Are you currently renovating your house?
Speaker 1 (37:48):
Is that? Is that something that's going on in the
new house? Building a new house? Yeah? I mean Summer's
got a great social media profile.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
Yeah. No, she's really good at it.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
Yeah. I like all of her, like recommendation she puts
on her stories.
Speaker 3 (37:59):
She has to you know, really influence good stuff. Excuse
so much stuff, so much stuff gets mail to the house. Amazon,
you bs fed x all of them random random people
just showing up with boxes like five in the morning.
Speaker 2 (38:20):
You're like, oh my god. The worst is when Amazon
delivers at four am.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
Oh yeah, that's always some dude in a blue vest
and like a beat up car. Very suspect, but it's Amazon,
you know, like it's like the most suspect drivers Amazon. Ah,
he's good.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
The worst thing is in uh in New York City,
they buzz up and the buzz is so loud. It's
not like a dainty doorbell. Yeah yeah, And I'm like,
why is I literally been emailing my building. I'm like,
I think somebody's trying to rob me and they're like, nope,
that's just your Amazon delivery.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
I'm like at four am, Oh yeah, are they allowed
to show up to?
Speaker 3 (38:54):
Says it on there it's like four in your window,
four the eight, And you're always like, hey, won't coming
four a m here there are.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
They're there, but no.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
It's been amazing to see your guys' content together. I mean,
I think it's so important to see that strong family
unit and you guys have it. What has it been
like having a supportive partner like summer in your life?
Speaker 3 (39:13):
Yeah, I mean summer has been she's you know, very
taught me about communication and it's it's a battle, but
we talk it out. You know, we have we have
to have a date night every night. I think that's
good for parents and busy people. You know, we have
a lot of fun and it's just make time. Like
(39:37):
I said, time management, and it's relationship time. You know.
The kids take over, they take over everything. It just
becomes kid land.
Speaker 1 (39:46):
Do they come out on tour with you?
Speaker 3 (39:47):
Evere?
Speaker 1 (39:48):
Have you brought the girls out on stage?
Speaker 3 (39:51):
Presley's been out. She's like, she don't get it though.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Do you think either of them is gravitating towards entertainment?
Do they like singing, dancing?
Speaker 3 (39:58):
Presley likes to sing. She loves that was a saying
all her songs though, Jesus loves me that little Einstein
theme song, she loves that one treat a little Star
classic classic, and then she makes up her own songs.
So she over her songwriting, and I'm like, well, climbing
(40:18):
the ladder, climbing the ladder. She's funny.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
Yeah, it's uh.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
When I remember when I was little, I would always
like make up songs in the shower and thinking back
on that, I'm like, damn, my parents probably thought I
was so weird in that shower, singing like crazy, like
whatever I was, whatever was coming out of my mouth.
Speaker 3 (40:35):
I would say, got big imagination. Yeah, kids got big imagination,
which they deserved.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
It's kind of a beautiful thing.
Speaker 3 (40:42):
Every kid should have a big imagination.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Yeah, and one of yours.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
So your your latest album is honky Ton Hollywood. We
referenced it in the in the beginning of this podcast.
You're on the honky Ton Hollywood tour right now. And
one of the songs we referenced on the album that
I had noticed and listened to it's a It's she
Away and uh, it's a tear jerker. Yeah, So let's
talk about the NSPO behind that song.
Speaker 3 (41:06):
Well, I mean it's some great songwriters. You know, we
all everybody can see, you know, through socials and me
in summer, the girls and they look and you see
what's going on. And then there's girl that they got.
You know, everybody's lost songer has got kids, and it's
just a beautiful song. I remember I first heard I
was blown Away, and you know, put it on hold
(41:26):
and we couldn't wait to record it. It was just
so good. I love the story. I love it was tough,
still was still tough, and it just has a great message.
And you know, it's from your father in law to
a baby girl. You know, the one day you're you
know you're going You're going to go through everything. It's
just like an evolution of fathers and it's really pretty.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
One of your songs, mister Saturday Night, is going crazy
right now on social media. It's having a viral moment,
and I think the funniest part about it is it's
taking on a total life of its own, right.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Have you seen any of these viral videos?
Speaker 3 (42:02):
Yeah? Yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (42:03):
Okay, what's been your favorite one that you've seen?
Speaker 3 (42:06):
Man, there's been a lot of falling into bushes, but
they're like start off like all the girls who like
guess got ready and they're all done up, and then
they're like, here's all messed up, and they're all like wasted.
I mean one I saw one it was like the
dog was in the cage and then all of a sudden,
the dog's in front of the camera and the person
was in the cage like the dog kennel.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
What was your original interpretation of the song, Well.
Speaker 3 (42:29):
Mister Saturday Night is a facade. I don't I guess
that's the right word. It's like he's he's living the life,
but he's not living the life, you know. At the
same time, he's a big like I'm having the best
I am mister Saturday Night. But they don't know how
much I missed her Saturday Night. And I thought that
was such a clever hook. And it was always a
(42:50):
big song, was always big live song. We did a
music video for it. I love to like swing to.
It's got the pirate call me missed Saturday It's got
that kind of like yeah hard or heard and and
it had the energy and I love that. You know,
(43:10):
your past work, your albums. The fans are listening. I say,
I was telling you, they go back, they listen. And
whoever starts these trends is like it starts trending. And
it's great for artists that you can just be plowing
away writing new albums and have a brand new album
(43:30):
and then like nay, mister Saturday Night, it's popping off,
heartache medications, popping off. She ain't in it's popping off.
It's like, it's great to see because most of the
is a younger audience, and first and foremost and the
only thing that matters, truly matters as they're enjoying the music,
because that video or whatever they do, it will not
(43:52):
be as good if it didn't have mister Saturday Night
or that whatever songs trending they want to use.
Speaker 4 (43:59):
Like even the jet see Holiday for fifty pounds?
Speaker 3 (44:02):
How many time you seen this? Stupid?
Speaker 1 (44:05):
But it's like, have you done a video today?
Speaker 3 (44:07):
Oh? But the videos wouldn't be good if you haven't
had that. Well, nothing beats a jet to holiday. Like
it's like, uh, you know exactly what you're gonna see.
And that's the point of like just those little that's
what makes this special. It's like and just to have
songs that mean something like that, that's a big deal.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
It's been so fun hanging out with you.
Speaker 3 (44:27):
It's been fun. You guys are fun.
Speaker 2 (44:29):
One thing, guys, the holidays are almost coming up. This morning,
I listen to John's Christmas album. It's incredible, So I
recommend it going in I have to say it. I
recommend it going into the holiday season. If you love John,
you love John's voice, turn on his Christmas album. It's incredible.
You've got a lot of the classics on there too.
But what do you have coming up that you want
to shout out?
Speaker 3 (44:48):
Oh, you know, we got the Big twelve halftime show
at AT and T Stadium. Then that's gonna be a
championship for college football football. Uh, you know, I love football,
and so you'll get to see us there and come
come hit the Honky Talk Hollywood Tour. We do have
a Christmas tour that's gonna be in Florida this year.
(45:10):
That's gonna be fun, just a little end of the year.
And then like the Christmas show, we have a big band,
we have the Horns. We played the Christmas album. We
also play some of our big hits with the big band,
and it's like we'll play a couple of covers, so
you kind of get this Christmas party vibe where it's
not all like Christmas songs, but we mix it in
(45:30):
and it's a lot of fun. That's kind of our
end of the year like celebration. So and just keep
on listening to music, keep on pick another song and
make a tread. I don't care, you know, have fun
with my music. That's that's why we make music. And
you asked do you listen to music? Yes, I listen
to music because if I don't want to listen to
my music, somebody else won't want to listen to my music.
(45:52):
That's why I think about it.
Speaker 1 (45:54):
That's true. That's true. You gotta be a fan. Yeah, Well,
thank you so much. This was amazing.
Speaker 2 (46:00):
That is it for today's episode with John Party. Thank
you guys so much for tuning in. If you enjoyed
this one, it would mean so much to me. If
you followed, rated, and reviewed post friend high, it helps
us keep growing this amazing community, and it helps us
continue bringing you incredible guests.
Speaker 1 (46:17):
I'll see you guys next week. Bye,
Hey guys, it's your friend Kate Max.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Welcome back to post Ran High. So last week we
drove up to Bridgehampton, Connecticut, where John Party was making
a stop on his Honky Tonk Hollywood tour, and wow,
I just have to say, guys, you and I have
been on a country music artist bender these last few months.
From Dirk s Bentley to Jordan Davis to John Party.
(00:25):
I'm thinking up next we need Kelsey Vallerini and I
just have to say that was also John's suggestion. So
my fingers are crossed and let me know what you
guys are thinking. But John and I started off with
a two mile run on the Long Island Sound and
then we sat down to record this conversation. Today, we're
diving into John's California roots, the grind that took him
from playing dive bars to headlining arenas, and how a
(00:48):
California boy became a true Nashville staple. With more than
four point two billion total streams and multiple number one singles,
John's not just a fan favorite, He's one of the
most respected names in Nashville. He's one CMA New Artist
of the Year, an ACM New Male Vocalist, of the Year,
and in twenty twenty three, he earned one of country
(01:10):
music's highest honors, induction into the Grand Ole Opry. Today,
we're going to get into life on the road, touring
versus home life, and what it really takes to build
longevity in country music.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
John is a who.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
He's truly one of those people who reminds you that
hard work and authenticity never go out of style.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
So let's get into it.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
This is John Party on Post Run High.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
John Party, Welcome to Post Run High. Yeah, how are
you feeling feel good?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
We ran about two miles. We're currently in Connecticut. You've
got a show tonight. It's nice get a little movement in.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Before your show, little beach run.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I feel like the fact that you have a performance tonight.
You did a little bit of a lifting workout before
our run then, and like you're getting a lot of steps.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
In in a day, a lot of burning calories and
stand in shape. You know, it's a high energy show
and you need to have, you know, high energy, and
you can only really get there by working on and
doing cardio. Even like my vocal coach, he's like, you're
doing cardio and I'm like no, It's like you need
to up your cardio. And so when the whole Run
(02:24):
Your Show came along, I was like, oh, I'm totally
down because they usually do you know, a gym, Planet
Fitness and we go for a run.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Yeah, and I mean honestly, like once John heard that
Jordan Davis did one mile, he was like, well, I
absolutely have to do too. So we were getting a
little bit competitive amongst the country folk, with which I like.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
I mean, two miles is a good standard.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
What did you say it was your doctor was telling
you that you got to get cardio.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
In or your tour manager okay, vocal coach. I like
knowing that because I mean you mentioned it when we
were running. But when Taylor Swift was on her erroostur,
everybody was like, did you know she trains while running
and singing on the treadmill.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
That's what I heard. I don't know if it's true.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Yeah, I don't know if it's true either. We we
have to find out.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
But I do have to say my hot take is
that if you want to get good at something, to
do it while running or dancing.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Dancing is very high demand and it's very physically like.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Like the real dancers do you feel like when you're
performing on stage, like are you getting it? Like?
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Are you sweaty?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Oh my god, Christmas. I'm a beast when it comes
to sweating, Like I feel bad for people who touch me. Yeah,
because you know they get off shows. Somebody wants a photo.
I'm like drenched and sweat But I'm a sweater. I
am too, just like embarrassing sweaty sucks. Shout out on
my sweaters out there. Go deal with that.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Yeah, you know, it's it's hard for us out there.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
I'm going to keep a towel on a spare shirt
all times.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Well, you know, sometimes, especially this summer when we were
doing this show, I would have to tell people like listen,
I'm going to be in the same outfit after the run.
I do recommend if you're uncomfortable being sweaty on camera,
like for the podcast with the lights, bring a change
of clothes.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Well, we got lucky. You had a nice breeze, so
it helped.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
And we're drinking a cold beer.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
And we got a cold beer.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
You know, this is cheers boom non alcoholic for anybody
out there watching on YouTube.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Yeah, non alcoholic.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
But this is my.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
First time drinking a cold beer during a podcast, and
I'm kind of loving it.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
It's good, it's good for the soup.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Guys, we're gonna insert if you're watching this, we're gonna
insert a little clip from John and I's run, just
so you get a little taste of what we were
up to and what we were talking about.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Hey, John, how many miles are we running today?
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Oh? Man, I just got a good work out in him.
But you know what, we can allay use some cardio.
So I'm down for a mile, but let's go somewhere pretty.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
What's a quoter mottol that you live by?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Winner's just a loser to try one more time. Take
the losses on the chin, pick your head up, get
back at it, and go get the win.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Gosh, nothing is better than a nice run before sitting
down to chat.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Poor beer.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
But definitely felt good out there.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
It was great.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
And now we got that post run high going and flowing.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah. One of the best friends of the year right there.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
And we're currently in Connecticut.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
I don't know if I mentioned that yet, but we're
sitting at the venue where John's going to be performing tonight.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
This venue is so homey.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Yeah, no, it's very nice.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
And it's been so cool to witness how your team
comes and sets up. I'm like, you got a full
army out here for you.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
We set the circus up every night, and we tear
the circus down.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Shout out to the crew, Shout out to the road crew. Seriously,
it's so impressive.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
And I was watching one of your team members set
up just your closet, which if you guys are watching,
you can kind of see it behind us. But this
is an impressive wardrobe set you got behind here.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Yeah, yeah, that's me and the band.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
How would you describe your outfits on stage? Like what
type of stuff do you like to wear?
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Right now? I'm really into staying cool because we're going
through climates that are still kind of hot. So still
in straw hats, you know, and short sleeves. I know
it's felt season for the cowboy guys out there, but
I mean, if it's hot, I'm wearing a straw I
don't care the felt it's too hot.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
I love the variation of cowboy hats.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Yeah, oh that's a thing. But it's just being comfortable
right now. Tonight, I'm you know, tonight it's gonna be
a little cooler this weekend. We could get maybe wear
a felt hat.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
And I was peeping from a distance. I wasn't touching
into your wardrobe.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Just to be clear, you can look at it.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
You've got some fun T shirt like not T shirts
like polo button downs and funky colors and patterns.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Like you're wearing some bright clothes on stage.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Those are snap shirts snap shirts, yeah, like Western Western
snapshirts one of the shirts man, Yeah, sponsible by Wrangler
a long time.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Do you guys get into what you wear on stage?
Like is it a big part of the show for you?
Like do you like?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Oh, these are pearl snaps for my New York girl
over here.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Okay, so you can like take it off on stage.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Girls love this.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Easy access.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Oh you better have a six pack.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Okay, I love that shirt. Those are cool here.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Maybe got to get you some pearl snaps.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
All right. Hey, we've got a good space here, buddy.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
I'm so cozy on this couch. Normally we're sitting in
chairs that maybe are a little bit too small. We
got to get some bigger chairs because this is pretty
comfy and I love being nestled in this corner. All right, Well,
you grew up in California. Am I getting it right?
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Is it Dixon, California where you grew up?
Speaker 2 (07:43):
So when I think of California, I don't always think
about the farming or the western kind of life out there, right.
I think about la and city culture, hip hop a
little bit. But California is a big agricultural state, the
number one one, number one. And tell us a little
bit about where you grew up.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
Dixon's a farm town. That's it's close to the Bay Area,
so we got a lot of commuters moving in there now.
But for the most part, it's like farm construction and hardworking,
good people. Most of northern California is farms and hardworking people.
Billion dollars, valleys of all kinds of food and vegetables,
(08:29):
and you know, you got olives and wine, and I
mean it's just some of the best you can get.
And they love country music. You know. Everybody's like, oh,
I don't really you know, when I think of country music,
I don't think of California. I was like, well, we
got this big country music festival called stage Coach. It
was like the biggest, the biggest way, Like everybody wants
(08:51):
to go to Stage Coach. And I was like it's
in California.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Would you say that country in California, Northern California where
you grew up, does it differ at all from Southern kind.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
A little bit. I man, it's more high energy, it's
got a different attitude, but it's the same. You know,
my albums are, so every song is different from each other.
I don't know. I just I take a little bit
of the South with me now too, because I've lived
there for so long.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
It's interesting.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
You got you gotta drive influence from wherever you live.
And we were talking about it, but you've been living
in Nashville since two thousand and eight, we mentioned on
our run.
Speaker 1 (09:23):
But what I love.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
About you is you see it with a lot of
your songs and your album names. Like your current album
that just came out this year, twenty twenty five is
Honky ton Hollywood. You know, so you do always throw
it back a little bit to your California roots a little.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Bit when I hear Hockey Hollywood, though, I think in Nashville.
Really yeah, it's it's very honky tongue Hollywood. Ye had
all the bars and the music scene, the songwriters, the awards,
the the movies about Nashville and the just the stigma
and like the everything is there and it's it's just
like a booming industry and like I feel like Nashville's
(10:02):
like the it.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Thing right now, You're right, Nashville definitely is Honky Tonk Hollywood.
And I should have just said California Sunrise.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
Yeah, California Sunrise. But when I when I but a
lot of people think it's it was like a going
question like when you hear hon Kitong Hollywood, what do
you think you think? Do you think Hollywood? Do you
think Nashville? A lot of people said in Nashville, because
I was like, you think about it in Nashville.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Yeah, it's true.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
I'm going to Nashville for the first time and in
a couple of weeks and I am so excited.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
To get and then you're gonna be like, definitely, I'm.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Going to be like I'm having a party freaking time
to Oh.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Yeah, what was your life like growing up?
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Like, what kind of kid were you?
Speaker 3 (10:39):
Oh? Knucklehead, class clown. I had a lot of fun.
I'm always playing music, you know, working hard, worked a
lot with my dad, doing all kinds of stuff. What
did your dad land leveling like big tractor stuff.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Big tractors stuf. We got a real cowboy here.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
We did a lot of dirt moving and went and worked.
You know, my buddies ranches would help out. We did
a little bit of everything. You know. In high school
was an ACMEC welding. It's just I tried to learn everything.
A little bit of everything's good for everybody.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
And your mom was a teacher.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
No, she was just worked at the university. But now
she's just super.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Mom, supermom, super grandma.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Yep, super grandma, got two great grandmas.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Did you play sports growing up?
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Yep? I played football?
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Okay, what position were you?
Speaker 3 (11:37):
I was center when I was like pee wee's and
up I was the linemanking so I was big and
then I moved it tight end and I'm too slow.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Did you play all through high school?
Speaker 3 (11:48):
I got hurt junior year and I just stopped playing.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
How did you get hurt? What injury?
Speaker 3 (11:53):
Acls miniscus And the doctor was like, you plan on
playing college? Just like no, I'm playing a band. He's like,
well then, don't you know? It was? It was just
kind of he's like, don't play football place in your year?
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Well, we have that in common. I tore my ACL
twice a clmc ominiscus.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Yeah, no, I've had two surgeries on it, but it's
I gotta fixed. In Nashville, Doctor l Rod out there
is really good. So this whole Elite Sports they they
did my shoulder and and my leg. I was I
(12:31):
was team roping a lot like a horse throwing in
like this motion, and I had a bone spur in
the shoulder and it like tore it all up and
so had to get that fixed.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
From what like whipping a rope around your head? Oh wow,
like a lasso sound like?
Speaker 3 (12:48):
I guess you can call it. It's more like riding
and roping.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
So you ride horses, Yeah, I love riding.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
I don't have horses, but they're paying the butt and
it's hard to see my baby girls. I couldn't imagine
having a demanding horse bill, you know. But we'll get
there one day.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
We'll get there one I mean, it'd be amazing if
your girls got into horseback riding.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
They love animals. Yeah, it's gonna happen.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
It's gonna happen.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
So you know, for me, when I tore my ACL
like it twice in back to back years, it really
pushed me in a totally new direction. But I'm curious
for you. Do you think you'd be where you are
today if you hadn't had that knee injury? Yeah, because
you said to your.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
Coach, I want to I wouldn't have made college football.
I was too slow and I was too unfocused. My
main focus was songwriting and playing music. Like even you know,
that's just what I did. That's what I was known for,
like playing guitar and singing. I wasn't known for scoring touchdowns.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Yeah, so cool, Like just thinking about that. You know, football,
who's your favorite team for nine ers? Who's your favorite
player right now?
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Kittle? I mean, Kittle is a leader, He's a great
tight end. It was somebody, you know, a look at
somebody that in my position that does really well. He's
a beast and good buddy. And but before I knew Georgia,
I always looked up to his rowdiness. How he like
rallies a team, rallies the fans. He's a very captain
(14:20):
kind of a player.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
Yeah, I mean it makes sense that you like somebody
that takes on that kind of a role because you
take a take on that type of a role in
your industry too, and with what you do with your band,
and you got to be a leader on our run.
We were talking about the first song that you wrote
when you were twelve years old after break up, deep
Blue Ocean.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
So it was bluey deep Blue sy.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
I was twelve, I had no girlfriend. I've never even
had a relationship with the girl.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Yeah, but I got dumped back in the day. Like
how did you go about rallying a band together? And
do you still hang out with any of the guys
from your og bands back in high school?
Speaker 3 (14:55):
Yeah? Some in college too. You know, I live in
you Go for a little bit here in California and
had a all guitark band called up Non Northern Comfort
out there. Had a lot of good times. Some of
those guys I still talk to and then but you know,
my roadband, we have some guys like Terry and Lee.
(15:15):
We've been together for fourteen years. Like it's like family.
So we're just a big rolling family. But it's it's
nice because you got support, you know, all around you
when you needed.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Who were your early country music influences growing up? Like
who were the people that you had playing in your
house that your parents had playing I.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Mean there's definitely George stra Randy Travis, Alan, Jackson Brooks
and Dunn, Joe Diffie, Mark Chestnut. I mean, it was
a lot of nineties country. Hey Williams Junior.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
I loved learning that your grandma had a big influence
on you music wise.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
Yep, Grandma Loretta, she loved the scene, loved singing.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Man, was she good?
Speaker 3 (16:03):
She was just like she was just a singer.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Okay. I heard karaoke was big in your house.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
If your yeah, oh yeah, big karaoke. That was the
big That's what we did.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
What was your go to karaoke song?
Speaker 3 (16:14):
I can't I can't believe we left out Garth Brooks.
I mean, I love Garth books. We had a lot
of Garth Brooks in George Strait now Jackson karaoke and
back in the day twangy voice still you know, I
could you listened back to just still had some twang.
It's funny you just kind of you mimic the guys
you listen to on the radio. Just kind of Teachi's
(16:37):
house sing country.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
I mean, And maybe it was your grandma, maybe it
was your parents. Who was the who were the people
in your life that really were saying to you early on,
like John, you're really talented at this, Like I want
you to go for it because sometimes, you know, sometimes
people don't have that that family support or friend support.
But it seems like you had it, you know, like
who in your life was maybe giving you the confidence
(16:59):
to go for it because at twenty two you moved
to Nashville and you went for it.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
Yeah, you know at the time, and my parents were
parents got divorced at eighteen, so I was kind of
just floating around, you know, I didn't know, but music
was what got everybody together, playing the bars and give me.
He gave me a home, he gave me some ado
and something I was good at. And it was really
(17:22):
my friends and family and mainly friends that were successful
and like, hey, they would tell me like, ain't gonna
happen in Dixon, you know, ain't gonna happen here. He
gotta go, and uh, you know, one of my good buddies,
Jason Harrison bless blessed soul, God bless him me. He
(17:44):
started a big company called Couu. It's a big hunting
ultra light hunting gear and he was a successful guy
and he was like a real big in my ear
like you gotta get out of here. Like he was
just somebody was doing he started this. I mean it's
it's a huge company now, but he was one that
was I looked up to because of what he was doing.
(18:05):
And it's just like guys like that that I'm still
friends with, I mean that were around us and and
you know people and Dixon were the ones that really
kind of like you should go.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Isn't that amazing to have people that you grew up
with really saying to you, like, go for it, because
I feel like sometimes people have friends in their hometowns
that can hold them back. But you had friends that
were like, move to Nashville and do your thing.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Yeah. Cool. And now we sit around and talk about
like like the days will never get back. We're like
the days at the Buds and Dixon and playing at
the Buckhorn and the Wrangler and Elk Grove and like
like we'll never get those back. And little did we
know that, like at that time, like that you know
it's all gonna be big stages now.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Right right now? Yeah, exactly, stages.
Speaker 3 (18:51):
On the floors. That's what we never had a big life.
We'd like set up on the floor like the people
would be dancing.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Right and like there was no you were in the crowd.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
I was in the crowd.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
You were getting low in the crowd, right in your face.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
So it's like days you'll never get back.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
It's so true. What do you miss the most about
those days?
Speaker 3 (19:12):
It was just everything was just fresh, you were, everything
was exciting. Everything's still exciting. It's just everything's more serious,
and it's it's more goals and to break and and
just it's just a grind. You know, it wasn't a
(19:33):
grind then, but you just didn't think about it.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
It's like now you're kind of like living the dream
of like everything you prayed for, you know, and it's
amazing to just like you have to like kind of
take those moments to be like, damn, what I've accomplished
here is so cool.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Like my younger self would be so proud.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
But yeah, it's all everybody always misses those early grind
days where it's you know, it's still serious, but it's
like a little less serious.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
We would go we would go to Chico's Stay and
literally put on backpacks and walk around and flyer the
campus to come to our show. I would say that
was the last of the last of the flying the town,
like putting flyers on telephone poles, and like we had
these cool like outlaw looking Northern comfort cross guns and
(20:20):
like we were. We had our own songs I've written,
we played covers, We played for four hours. I don't know,
like I kind of feel bad for this younger generation
that it's just all social media now.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
I was just thinking that.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
But you know what came to my mind when you
were saying that is, you know, like handying out flyers,
it stuff like that, like even like the a side
of a highway billboard, like selling CDs, like those traditional
forms of advertising. They still work. Like we get very
caught up in social media, being on our phone getting views,
(20:55):
but sometimes all it takes is getting your hometown local
support first and growing from there. And that happens with
flyers and CDs and yeah, grassroots kind of approach.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Yeah no, well, the flowers are cool, but it was
but you know it was as innocent. You were just
having fun. You're wanting people to come see you.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Well, my favorite thing during our run was finding out
that at twenty two you had this crazy flow.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
You know, you were in Nashville trying to make it happen.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
And one of my favorite things about talking to Dirk
s Bentley and Jordan Davis and Margot Price and you know,
the greats along alongside you is that there is an
art to Nashville, to songwriting and country music and you
really have to learn. What Dirk said is like you
really have to learn the craft of country music and
put the years in so like, let's talk about what
(21:41):
those years looked like for you as somebody that always
loved country music was all like basically your whole life writing.
But then you get to Nashville and like, what did
you have to learn?
Speaker 3 (21:49):
I say, the most impressive thing is you learning how
to present yourself in a talking environment, whether it's at
an interview, you can get a lot of stuff done
at dinner. Being an impressive storyteller, just being realistic and
(22:09):
relatable in person. It's something I learned in Nashville. I've
always had it, but it was like really developing, you know,
going to dinner and like, you know, let getting people
to meet you with just you just got one dinner.
You got it's like one time to make this person
(22:30):
or this girl play you on the radio or like
do this, and it's like have a good time. Of
course we love drinking party, but like you know, it's
it was about being presentable, not just on stage, off stage.
That's a big thing that I learned. And I remember
Mike Duncan. Duncan he signed me to Capitol Records. He said,
(22:54):
welcome to the fish Bowl. Everybody's watching, and I was like, yeah,
that's true.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
How did that feel?
Speaker 3 (23:00):
It's great? But he gave me. He gave me a
lot of you know, tips like the fish bowl and
he said, you know, walk around and meet everybody at
the label because these guys say your name every day
they're calling somebody trying to do something for you, you know,
say get to know them, say you know, be presentable
and like little things like that that you never forget.
And of course we we've always had fun. Everything we
(23:24):
do is fun. Yeah, I mean it's so sometimes we
like make the fun stop.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
No, it is so cool, and like your team is
so fun just being here with you guys today, Like
everybody's having a good time, which is so nice to see.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
And it's just a testament to you.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
And like the work environment that you create for your
teammates and the people that work with you.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
Sometimes good now and then. But it's out of love.
It's out of love.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
He's like, Okay, sometimes it gets like.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Ken cowboy around here.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
Come on, no, that's fair, that's fair. Work is work.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Did you have to do like multiple jobs at any
point when you were before you signed with the record label?
Like were you you know, were you roughing it at all?
Speaker 1 (23:59):
And Ashville?
Speaker 3 (24:01):
I mean I had a townhouse that I got and
I had roommates and it helped pay pay my mortgage,
which was nice. But I played at Losers. Shout out
Steve everybody at Losers.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
I don't know how you feel about that, Barney.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
It's one of the best bars in Nashville. Okay, sorry,
all right, okay, And when you go to Nashville, you
just go on down to Losers in Midtown. You'll see
my home. I have a lot of friends that are
family now there.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
I feel like I'll have a lot of street a
lot of street crowds. If I say that John Party
sent me yep, and.
Speaker 3 (24:40):
You'll see my my name's on the wall on the
road sign right up there.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
I'll send you a selfie with it.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
In a couple of weeks, send me a selfie. Uh,
that's where I first started playing in Nashville. I gotta
start writing songs. You know, I've been writing songs, but
I wanted to move to Nashville to get into the
co writing world, the songwriting world that was you know
I did. I did the four hours in bars in California,
like I've done that. Really wanted to focus on songwriting.
(25:06):
So we wrote songs for years, and I got a
publishing deal, which is a songwriter you paid to write songs,
which led to demos and then what's led the showcases
to which led to getting signed to the record label.
And then we spent four years in the van touring
the country the South. I remember the first time I
(25:27):
ever played in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and they're like, man, you
want to get the crowd ready, you just say roll Tide.
And it was like roal, I mean the crowd. We
must have said roll Tide like twenty times on stage,
and like I was like, college towns are awesome because
I've just been on the West coast. It's like the
(25:47):
Southern I love football. And we would tour all around
the South in the van, and then we got our
first bus in like twenty fifteen. Then sixteen, Head of
a Boots came out and then it just kind of
kept going. But that's a really fast story.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
From the time that you signed with your record label.
How long after did you put out your first album?
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Four years?
Speaker 1 (26:14):
Wow, So it takes it took four years to write
that album.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
It took six years to get a number one.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
What was your first number one? It was it Boots.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
Yeah, Like the first album is really good. It's actually
it actually went gold, which was like a big deal
to me because it was my first record and you know,
it wasn't like the biggest commercial sex success, but like
it's got that we have more of a grassroots following
where they go back and they listen to everything, and
there's some great songs on that record I'm proud of.
(26:46):
I'm very proud of the right You song record. It
just California Sunrise became such a monster album.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
Yeah, California Sunrise, I feel like, is what a lot
of people would consider, like they it has so many
bangers on it.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
People love that album from you.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
All my albums got bangers on everybody. You just need
to go listen to all the albums.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
No, that is true, that's a fact. But California and Sunrise.
People go crazy for some of those songs.
Speaker 3 (27:10):
Yeah, I think it was it just hit a vein
that needed to be hit. You know, that met a
lot of people, especially at a time, you know, as
it was a huge bro country is huge?
Speaker 1 (27:21):
What is bro country?
Speaker 3 (27:22):
It was like Florida Georgia line. But it was fun,
it was real. It was just kind of different beat.
It was real, it was real catchy and it was fun. Hell.
I mean, I remember when I first heard a Cruise.
I was like, that was a monster song. That baby
was song You make Me. It was such a monster song.
But I was like, man, they took over and it
was like this whole new sound and then here comes
(27:42):
the head of a boots, a country shuffle dance love song,
and it would just was completely different than what was
going on. And I think that's what California. Sunrise kind
of came in and it was dirt on my boots.
It was hardly going to dance floor and the night
shift just all this kind of different country kind of attitude. Dude,
you know, the West Coast swagger with high energy.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
Yeah, and high energy was something that you referenced on
your run, and I agree I think a lot of
your songs have really really high energy and you feel
it in the lyrics and just in the in the
beat of the song. Let's start with your debut album.
What was going on in your life at that time?
And then how does it differ from California Sunrise, Like
when you think about the evolution, I.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
Mean, write your song was like that was just years
of writing in town into my first record and just rowdy,
you know, upbeat, fast, living in you know, rocking, playing
in a band, driving a van everywhere. You know, it
was very just rowdy breakup songs in and out of relationships.
(28:43):
It was a lot of fun, you know, I mean
there it was just really what I was living up
all night. Write you a song, Love You from Here.
It still one of my favorites off that record, Trasha,
Hotel Room, when I've been drinking what I Can't put down.
I mean, those are all singles that didn't do very well.
Missing You Crazy charted, died at twenty three, but it
(29:04):
all went top forty. But it was just like a
you know, it was like you were just trying to
knock through the door and trying to have them open
the door, and then through the time from like twenty
and fourteen thirteen, fourteen fifteen. You know, I was writing
California Sunrise with a different attitude, like I'm going to
(29:25):
get on the radio. I'm going to get number one,
and then that kind of just head of Her Boots
just kind of set the tone and then we just
became played on the radio.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Do you remember writing head of Her Boots? What was
the story behind the song.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
Well, it was just we were in Texas. My dad
lives in Texas, and you know those are we were
out cowboy in and you know, going out and experienced
at Texas dance halls and like got a lot of
friends there, and you know, we're having fun roping and
doing all kinds of Texas things, and Texas loves to day.
I always shout out to every body Texas keeping the
(30:02):
dance halls alive. And they were always they were dancing
like Sadborough Haggard songs.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
You know.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
I was like, man, I need to write like a
fun upbeat two step in the song it's about falling
in love. And I remember writing that I want to
sweep you off your feet and I want to sweep
you off your feet, and I recorded in my phone,
brought it back to Luke Laired, one of my favorite songwriters,
and we wrote that thing like an hour and a
half and then we were doing the work tape and
(30:28):
and then you know, I kind of everybody I played
it four really loved it, and we recorded it, and
then you know, Capitol promo was like, this is gonna
be our first single off California Sunrise. It's like a shuffle.
You're gonna record this, like, oh no, this country's song
on the record. You want to put this out first.
And I was glad they did.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
You know, I was asking you on the run what
the formula is to a good country song and what's
the secret to learn in you know, how to write
country music and you were saying, I think the secret
is writing fast and just putting songs together. And when
I was talking to Dirk's he was saying that, you know,
one of the tech techniques that he does is it's
just like you sit there with post it notes. You
(31:18):
write a song, slap it on a post it note,
write another song, slap it, and then just shove them
all on a drawer, and at some point you write
a banger. I'm curious, like when you write a banger
after writing hundreds of songs, do you know it?
Speaker 3 (31:31):
I think it's a feeling you never really know, you know,
you never really know.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
It just feels good, can't You kind of know in
the recording studio though, when you're like putting the song together,
if it sounds good.
Speaker 3 (31:43):
I mean, you can always say it feels like a hit.
That's not hurt nohing. That doesn't mean gonna be it.
It doesn't mean it's gonna be it.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
I've been through a lot of hits songs and warn't hits,
but they're now fan favorites because there's still that emotion
that you like, this is a hit in regardless of
what the charts say, it means something. Especially with streaming
now we can really tally up the streams like this
is streaming, you know, like this wasn't this is only
(32:12):
a top twenty song or top thirty, but it's streaming
like it's playing top ten, you know. So I always say,
now more than ever, the fans can decide.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
Is there any song on one of your albums that
you think deserved more love than it got?
Speaker 3 (32:26):
There's a lot She ain't in it ain't. I was
a cowboy yeah, there's a lot.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
What's it like going from writing your own music to
now starting to work with some incredible songwriters in collaboration, Like,
is that a turning point for an artist?
Speaker 3 (32:43):
I mean, I love cutting outside songs that song where
send in and I always try to make my own
because a lot of people don't know which ones I wrote,
write because I try to mold it into something and
I would write and I look at outside songs as like, well,
I don't have to write that kind of song anymore,
thank you you, because I don't have time. Yeah, for
a lot of things. You know, it's it's hard enough.
(33:05):
Songwriting is very time consuming, and it should be. When
I say written fast, it's naturally written fast, like it
just happens. And that's just something that like usually those
are like big songs that just kind of pour out
of you. That's what I've said was fast. It wasn't
like we tried to write it fast. It wasn't like
you can sit You can't sit down and say like, hey,
(33:27):
let's write a song an hour. Never happens. But if
you don't think about it, it just flows out. You're like, man,
some of those sometimes it does. There're some of the
best songs.
Speaker 2 (33:36):
You guys are so busy when you're on tour. You're
on tour for a big chunk of the year. And
when you're on tour, we were talking about on the
run how you don't love to be songwriting while on
tour because you like to be kind of locked into
your shows, which makes sense. But then you know, when
you're not on tour, you're you're you have a family,
You've got daughters, you know, wife, two kids, and then
(33:57):
also making time for songwriting, like you've got so much
going on, just.
Speaker 3 (34:01):
Gotta make time. It's gotta make time. It's all about,
like you said, time management. But like for little things,
we try to write at least one time a week.
It's not that demanding, doable, but still sometimes I can't
do it because there's so.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
Much going on, and sometimes you're just not in the
mood to write right.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
There's there's real things as like writer's blocks or just
not being in the right head space.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
I don't know. That's where the co writing helps. You know,
you get in talk about and have time. It's like
a therapy session anyway, you know, you get you get
around girls and guys you would just you know, try to,
like I said, be the guy in the song and
whatever you're going through you kind of talk about it
and then you get a song or you just get
a good hang and you know, that's the beauty of
(34:45):
co writing. I don't really run in the writer's block
because I try not to overdo it, you know, I
feel like that's the key.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
Yeah, he's a pro pro living life. What's your advice
to young artists out there that want to make it
in Nashville?
Speaker 3 (35:01):
Moved to Nashville?
Speaker 1 (35:04):
Move to Nashville? First up?
Speaker 3 (35:05):
Okay, second step, that's your first step.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Give us step number two.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
Did you move to Nashville.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
I live in New York.
Speaker 3 (35:13):
I'm saying step number two. Oh did you move to Nashville? Right?
Speaker 1 (35:17):
Did you move to Nashville?
Speaker 2 (35:18):
Okay, so step number one? Move step number two. John
is now asking if you have moved yet? Yes, Before
we can get to step number.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
Three, number three, where's your favorite bar?
Speaker 1 (35:27):
Losers?
Speaker 3 (35:28):
Have you met co writers?
Speaker 2 (35:29):
You?
Speaker 3 (35:30):
And I say this every young writers, like you know
the guys the young and you'll find young songwriters and
people you click with, and that's the guys you write with,
and that's like you stick with them and you get
to go write with other bigger songwriters and you just
you keep working it. But I mean you say you
can always say never give up, but it's like, never
(35:53):
get so disappointed in yourself. You know, you gotta believe
in yourself. It takes tough skin.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
What do you mean by that? Like tough skin?
Speaker 3 (36:01):
Oh man? People don't talk shit whatever whatever, Like you know,
I mean why people gotta be so hateful, you know
more than ever. It's like, you know, people always say
are gonna say something, and you might hear about it,
but you gotta like let it bounce off your skin,
you know, don't let it get to get you down.
(36:22):
Because the moment that you show those people you're successful,
they ain't gonna they ain't gonna say nothing bad back
you anymore because they're gonna be just like, oh, he's great,
I know, he's great. Yeah. You know. I had to
sit through losers so many times and just deal with
you know, bullshit.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
But it's got tough it out, It's true, and it's
hard at first. I gotta say, it takes time to
to thicken your skin.
Speaker 3 (36:48):
Yeah, especially with social media and all that. Like my
favorite my wife's summer, she like responds to mean comments.
I'm like, oh my god, like blocks people.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
And like, you know, it's just she's protecting you.
Speaker 3 (37:03):
Oh no, no, it's her, it's hers, And then they
talk about the kids. My favorite is like when you
call out the haters and you show their little profile
pictures and it's so good.
Speaker 2 (37:13):
That's my Favorite's gonna be Like, I'm sick of people
telling me I have Runner's face.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
What does their face look like?
Speaker 2 (37:18):
I want to see get rid of that anonymous profile picture.
We were all we were huffing and puffing out there.
Speaker 3 (37:29):
Yeah we're running. We were running, but that's real. Yeah
Runner's face.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
Yeah, Like what do you look like?
Speaker 3 (37:38):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (37:39):
Classic?
Speaker 2 (37:40):
I love the content that you and Summer do together.
We were talking about this on our run. But you
guys work out together. Are you currently renovating your house?
Speaker 1 (37:48):
Is that? Is that something that's going on in the
new house? Building a new house? Yeah? I mean Summer's
got a great social media profile.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
Yeah. No, she's really good at it.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
Yeah. I like all of her, like recommendation she puts
on her stories.
Speaker 3 (37:59):
She has to you know, really influence good stuff. Excuse
so much stuff, so much stuff gets mail to the house. Amazon,
you bs fed x all of them random random people
just showing up with boxes like five in the morning.
Speaker 2 (38:20):
You're like, oh my god. The worst is when Amazon
delivers at four am.
Speaker 3 (38:23):
Oh yeah, that's always some dude in a blue vest
and like a beat up car. Very suspect, but it's Amazon,
you know, like it's like the most suspect drivers Amazon. Ah,
he's good.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
The worst thing is in uh in New York City,
they buzz up and the buzz is so loud. It's
not like a dainty doorbell. Yeah yeah, And I'm like,
why is I literally been emailing my building. I'm like,
I think somebody's trying to rob me and they're like, nope,
that's just your Amazon delivery.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
I'm like at four am, Oh yeah, are they allowed
to show up to?
Speaker 3 (38:54):
Says it on there it's like four in your window,
four the eight, And you're always like, hey, won't coming
four a m here there are.
Speaker 1 (39:00):
They're there, but no.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
It's been amazing to see your guys' content together. I mean,
I think it's so important to see that strong family
unit and you guys have it. What has it been
like having a supportive partner like summer in your life?
Speaker 3 (39:13):
Yeah, I mean summer has been she's you know, very
taught me about communication and it's it's a battle, but
we talk it out. You know, we have we have
to have a date night every night. I think that's
good for parents and busy people. You know, we have
a lot of fun and it's just make time. Like
(39:37):
I said, time management, and it's relationship time. You know.
The kids take over, they take over everything. It just
becomes kid land.
Speaker 1 (39:46):
Do they come out on tour with you?
Speaker 3 (39:47):
Evere?
Speaker 1 (39:48):
Have you brought the girls out on stage?
Speaker 3 (39:51):
Presley's been out. She's like, she don't get it though.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Do you think either of them is gravitating towards entertainment?
Do they like singing, dancing?
Speaker 3 (39:58):
Presley likes to sing. She loves that was a saying
all her songs though, Jesus loves me that little Einstein
theme song, she loves that one treat a little Star
classic classic, and then she makes up her own songs.
So she over her songwriting, and I'm like, well, climbing
(40:18):
the ladder, climbing the ladder. She's funny.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
Yeah, it's uh.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
When I remember when I was little, I would always
like make up songs in the shower and thinking back
on that, I'm like, damn, my parents probably thought I
was so weird in that shower, singing like crazy, like
whatever I was, whatever was coming out of my mouth.
Speaker 3 (40:35):
I would say, got big imagination. Yeah, kids got big imagination,
which they deserved.
Speaker 1 (40:40):
It's kind of a beautiful thing.
Speaker 3 (40:42):
Every kid should have a big imagination.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Yeah, and one of yours.
Speaker 2 (40:44):
So your your latest album is honky Ton Hollywood. We
referenced it in the in the beginning of this podcast.
You're on the honky Ton Hollywood tour right now. And
one of the songs we referenced on the album that
I had noticed and listened to it's a It's she
Away and uh, it's a tear jerker. Yeah, So let's
talk about the NSPO behind that song.
Speaker 3 (41:06):
Well, I mean it's some great songwriters. You know, we
all everybody can see, you know, through socials and me
in summer, the girls and they look and you see
what's going on. And then there's girl that they got.
You know, everybody's lost songer has got kids, and it's
just a beautiful song. I remember I first heard I
was blown Away, and you know, put it on hold
(41:26):
and we couldn't wait to record it. It was just
so good. I love the story. I love it was tough,
still was still tough, and it just has a great message.
And you know, it's from your father in law to
a baby girl. You know, the one day you're you
know you're going You're going to go through everything. It's
just like an evolution of fathers and it's really pretty.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
One of your songs, mister Saturday Night, is going crazy
right now on social media. It's having a viral moment,
and I think the funniest part about it is it's
taking on a total life of its own, right.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Have you seen any of these viral videos?
Speaker 3 (42:02):
Yeah? Yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 1 (42:03):
Okay, what's been your favorite one that you've seen?
Speaker 3 (42:06):
Man, there's been a lot of falling into bushes, but
they're like start off like all the girls who like
guess got ready and they're all done up, and then
they're like, here's all messed up, and they're all like wasted.
I mean one I saw one it was like the
dog was in the cage and then all of a sudden,
the dog's in front of the camera and the person
was in the cage like the dog kennel.
Speaker 1 (42:26):
What was your original interpretation of the song, Well.
Speaker 3 (42:29):
Mister Saturday Night is a facade. I don't I guess
that's the right word. It's like he's he's living the life,
but he's not living the life, you know. At the
same time, he's a big like I'm having the best
I am mister Saturday Night. But they don't know how
much I missed her Saturday Night. And I thought that
was such a clever hook. And it was always a
(42:50):
big song, was always big live song. We did a
music video for it. I love to like swing to.
It's got the pirate call me missed Saturday It's got
that kind of like yeah hard or heard and and
it had the energy and I love that. You know,
(43:10):
your past work, your albums. The fans are listening. I say,
I was telling you, they go back, they listen. And
whoever starts these trends is like it starts trending. And
it's great for artists that you can just be plowing
away writing new albums and have a brand new album
(43:30):
and then like nay, mister Saturday Night, it's popping off,
heartache medications, popping off. She ain't in it's popping off.
It's like, it's great to see because most of the
is a younger audience, and first and foremost and the
only thing that matters, truly matters as they're enjoying the music,
because that video or whatever they do, it will not
(43:52):
be as good if it didn't have mister Saturday Night
or that whatever songs trending they want to use.
Speaker 4 (43:59):
Like even the jet see Holiday for fifty pounds?
Speaker 3 (44:02):
How many time you seen this? Stupid?
Speaker 1 (44:05):
But it's like, have you done a video today?
Speaker 3 (44:07):
Oh? But the videos wouldn't be good if you haven't
had that. Well, nothing beats a jet to holiday. Like
it's like, uh, you know exactly what you're gonna see.
And that's the point of like just those little that's
what makes this special. It's like and just to have
songs that mean something like that, that's a big deal.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
It's been so fun hanging out with you.
Speaker 3 (44:27):
It's been fun. You guys are fun.
Speaker 2 (44:29):
One thing, guys, the holidays are almost coming up. This morning,
I listen to John's Christmas album. It's incredible, So I
recommend it going in I have to say it. I
recommend it going into the holiday season. If you love John,
you love John's voice, turn on his Christmas album. It's incredible.
You've got a lot of the classics on there too.
But what do you have coming up that you want
to shout out?
Speaker 3 (44:48):
Oh, you know, we got the Big twelve halftime show
at AT and T Stadium. Then that's gonna be a
championship for college football football. Uh, you know, I love football,
and so you'll get to see us there and come
come hit the Honky Talk Hollywood Tour. We do have
a Christmas tour that's gonna be in Florida this year.
(45:10):
That's gonna be fun, just a little end of the year.
And then like the Christmas show, we have a big band,
we have the Horns. We played the Christmas album. We
also play some of our big hits with the big band,
and it's like we'll play a couple of covers, so
you kind of get this Christmas party vibe where it's
not all like Christmas songs, but we mix it in
(45:30):
and it's a lot of fun. That's kind of our
end of the year like celebration. So and just keep
on listening to music, keep on pick another song and
make a tread. I don't care, you know, have fun
with my music. That's that's why we make music. And
you asked do you listen to music? Yes, I listen
to music because if I don't want to listen to
my music, somebody else won't want to listen to my music.
(45:52):
That's why I think about it.
Speaker 1 (45:54):
That's true. That's true. You gotta be a fan. Yeah, Well,
thank you so much. This was amazing.
Speaker 2 (46:00):
That is it for today's episode with John Party. Thank
you guys so much for tuning in. If you enjoyed
this one, it would mean so much to me. If
you followed, rated, and reviewed post friend high, it helps
us keep growing this amazing community, and it helps us
continue bringing you incredible guests.
Speaker 1 (46:17):
I'll see you guys next week. Bye,
Host
Kate Mackz
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