New Music & More from Michael Ray

Michael Ray has put out so much great music over the year but for him, this time is different. He has new producers, writing with new people and says he almost feels like a new artist.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
All right, let's hang out.It's been a minute since I caught up

(00:03):
with this guy. And last time, to be totally honest, we were
on his turf. Now he's cometo our turf. Michael Ray, how
are you doing? Man? Yeah? Man, good to see you,
dude, Good to see you.Last time we caught up it was Key
West, which, um, Imean you're not necessarily from Key West,
but Florida's home. Yeah. Uh, what's that like to go back there
now? And you would even mentionlike I used to come down here and

(00:25):
run around like a punk kid,and now like I'm here as an artist
performing. Yeah, man, yeah, well the first time, like you
know, because it was for thebing My Songwriter's festival, So this time
we were headlining the whole festival,you know, right there on the vault,
and uh, I'd gone down thereto that festival so many times.
I think I even told y'all whenwe were all listening to the to the
record by the pool um that likeliterally been the first time I went.

(00:47):
I went with a buddy of mineand his wife and we rented. We
didn't know anything, you know,we rented this cheap, like ninety dollar
room and That's when I realized,like, do not rent a ninety dollars
room and key West because you're gettinga ninety dollars room and we didn't have
anything else we had to you know. It was I mean, it was
a horrible everything that just makes agood story of years later. It was
all that so um. But yeah, it was a real cool, full
circle moment. I'm from about eighthours north of there, and so we

(01:11):
should go down there all the time, Fish and Marathon Key grew up with
Buddy Mine and his dad going downthere and and then, but for the
songwriter Festival of it, man,it was just really cool. I used
to go down there and try tosneak in and watch Red Akins and Bobby
Penson and you know all these writersthat now I'm writing with they're sending sending
me songs now or buddies in mine. Man, we used to try to
sneak in because we didn't know anythingabout like how it worked or whatever.
We're just like, especially the firsttime it was Fly by Sea or pants

(01:34):
Many Squirrel, Let's just go downthere and figure it out. So it
was a cool thing to be oncebe in the crowd for many years watching
you know, Chris Young and allthese other people play that same stage for
us now play and B and Micehad a huge part of my whole career
and how I ended up getting intoand eventually getting into Nashville. So it
was a cool, get big familyreunion type thing. And it has to
feel like semi first full circle foryou too, right, like like you've

(01:57):
gone from You've gone from here tolooking up to looking down? Yeah,
yeah, yeah, I actually so, my videographer, I got this like
spot in my house, in mydining room where I don't have any of
your It's a typical malehouse, youknow what I mean, where there's like
some walls just buried, there's nothingon it. Yeah, And I'm like,
I don't know what the heck toput on there. I don't have
that mind of like, oh weneed to put a good you know,
Tuscan sunset and you're dining room,you know, like I don't know.

(02:19):
And so my videographer took this photoman, and it's it's from stage and
it's packed, and you see sloppyJoe and you see all these places and
just it was just that moment wherehe captured everybody's face is like excitement.
Everybody was like perfect moment, andso I think that's when I'm gonna end
up hanging up in my in mydining room as this table because it has
a Florida feel as a little bitof home, you know. So,
uh it's I've actually got on mybackground on my phone now I look at

(02:43):
all the time because it was becauseof that moment, you know, a
full circle moment of being in thecrowd and then all of a sudden be
on stage and going maybe we're doingthis, and especially after the you know,
coming out of COVID and everything.Man, now it's just everything feels
like it's full back, and uhit was. It's great. Man,
it was a full circle moment anddoing doing what you have done at the
level you've done it for so long. They're probably you probably don't get too
many I've made it moments anymore,right, because you've been established, you've

(03:07):
sold out shows, you've had numberone songs. You don't get to celebrate
like Holy Cow probably very often.But that was a time for you.
Yeah. Yeah, you know,I think I think through this thing because
through this career, you never Idon't think you ever really feel like I
made it, you know. Ithink you I think you have moments through
the journey that make you know thatyou're on the right path, you know,
And you have the number ones,when you have the sold out show,

(03:28):
when you play the opera. Youknow those moments you're like, all
right, it's working. You knowwe're doing it. Because I think it's
it's Music's that one thing man,like a lot of other things that are
you're never gonna master it. It'snever you can always get better, you
know. I mean you can talkto whoever, any artist, you know,
you talk to Kenny Chesney, andhe's trying to get better all the
time, you know what I mean, how is he going to grow this?
And it's like, dude, you'replaying stadiums, you know, So

(03:49):
it's always you're always trying to growand get better. But I do think
throughout the path there's those moments whereyou're like, holy cow. And yeah,
that was one of them where Iwas like, all right, it
working. You know, we're doinggood, we're back. You know,
we're good. It turns around like, yeah, it was. I'll tell
you this, man, because itwas one of those things where I was
like, I was remember telling myband. I was like, man,
um, how's it look out there? Dude? It's packed. I was

(04:10):
like, thank god. I waslike, because you never want to be
the one guy where it's like they'vehad this party all you know, for
twenty years of you play and there'sten people you know, and there's always
that fear. I don't know ifit's building our brains or whatever, like
it's always that fear of like isanybody here? You know? And uh
so, but it was you canit was packed. Men, it was
awesome you with uh this EP thatyou put out. Gosh, I'm horrible

(04:32):
with dates and calendars because it feelslike we're in Key West yesterday, but
it also feels like three years ago, so I'm yeah, right, it
was a couple of weeks ago.It came out. The EP came out
about two and a half weeks ago. I think, Um, it's called
Dive Bars and Broken Hearts, Andit feels like we were lucky enough to
hear it a few days early,a few weeks early, and man,

(04:54):
it's so good and it feels likelike like a new part of your career,
like every album is an extension,right, But there's something about about
this EP, that's almost like you'rebrand new again. Do you feel that
way? Yeah, totally, Man. I think in a lot of ways
I feel brand new. I thinkI think what people here in this EP
when when they say that, andit means a lot to me that you

(05:15):
said, because I feel like I'mbrand new as a person, you know
what I mean. I feel likeI know what I want to feel,
very clear minded, avery in agreat spot, you know. And and
I think that just comes out inyour music. And I think you know,
through years trying to find the sound, trying to you know, country
music is always the sounds always kindof changing and doing different things and up
turning in here, and so you'rekind of like, oh, what do
you fit in in this? AndI think once you kind of take a

(05:39):
breather and just go, okay,wait a minute, what are we doing?
Get the team together? What dowe want to do? Here's what
I want to do, you know, and then boom execute when you get
that path you know where you wantto go all the other things, it's
just like trim and fat, youknow, you're just like, now of
a sudden, you get to whereyou want to be. And I think
that's what all the years leading upto this EPs has been and and so
I think that's why it feels brandnew. I feel brand new, you
know in a lot of ways.You have lived a lot of life since

(06:01):
COVID to where you are now andeven before. Anybody that hasn't necessarily dove
into the full EP yet maybe theyjust heard the song with with Megan Patrick,
or they saw the first video forthe first song we got off of
there. Um do you hear thatin the EP? Like's a lot of
that growth being told in the storiesyou're sharing with this, yeah, man,

(06:23):
And it really was a big playplayed a big part in how we
laid out the EP as well,yeah, you know, and and we
strategically put those songs in in orderto be start here and in on working
on it, right, And sowhat I wanted to do that will show
the evolution in the last three years, you know, of just life in
general, you know, and andknow that we've all gone through stuff,

(06:45):
right, especially in the last fewyears, and there's those songs that are
that, you know, get HerBack, you know, dive Bars and
broken Hearts, you know, allthese songs that through those time periods was
what I was kind of living throughand what what we were all kind of
going through and all the way downto you get through all that, you
live through all that, right,you kind of got to navigate through some
bad stuff to get too good.And I think good and bad now is

(07:06):
what makes you end up where youare supposed to be in life. And
and I think sometimes you got togo through the bad because it's kind of
like when you're a kid. Youknow, if you you got popped or
whatever it was, you know you'relike, Okay, I don't want to
do that again, you know whatI mean. So it's kind of that
it's God do that near jerk reaction, like all right, dude here,
you know, all of a sudden, we're world rocks. You gotta renavigates.
Yeah, it's like bowling. Yeah, it's like bowling. You know,

(07:27):
you're the bumpers, but you stillup with a strike, you know
that. See, you got kids, You got excuse. I don't have
kids. I just like the familybowling party. But uh but yeah,
man, And I think the reasonwhy we ended up on working on it
was because through that, throughout thewhole thing, one thing I realized was
we're all human we're all just tryingto figure this stuff out, you know.

(07:47):
And and nobody's perfect. And Ithink we live in a time where
so everybody's so quick to hop ona bandwagon or hop on and read a
headline and make a judgment on somethingand forget the fact that we're all just
growing, you know, we're alltrying to figure this stuff out. You
know. We we post empathy postbut then talk smack on a Twitter,
you know, so it's like noneof it makes any sense. And uh
and and and I think a bunchof people live in a house with no

(08:09):
mirrors, you know, so umbecause they don't do any reflections. But
uh, I think at the endof it, when we realize that we're
all people just trying to make tomorrowbetter than today, you have more empathy
for yourself, you have empathy forother people too. And so that's why
we wanted to end it on that, because I feel like out of all
that through the you know, becauselisten to You're Human man, So I'm
human. You know, you yougo through the you know, the rage

(08:31):
stage of just like you know,I went. I went back to being
a useless trailer park redneck for alittle bit like I was like, who
said what you know? And yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it
was like porns some gas lead tothat fire. But uh but you know,
so you go through those stages ofemotion and then at the end of
it, you just kind of comeout kind of like a baptism, you
know. And I'm a huge Rockyfan of the movies, and I always

(08:52):
say it's like when he gets beatand finally gets the title and he's Adrian,
you know, he's holding up,he's all beat up. You nobody's
got the title in his hand.He's like, we did it, you
know. So yeah, man,but answer your answer your question is yeah,
I mean that the whole EP wasjust kind of the growth and evolution
in the last few years. Therapeutic. Yeah, probably absolutely. Yeah.
EPs the way they normally work isyou have a massive selection of songs,

(09:13):
you put it together. An albumis coming, but you're like, let's
do the EP. I'd imagine youheld onto a lot of stuff and maybe
some of it's even going to meanmore or be a deeper story or a
tougher story to tell as we getready for and not that you've announced any
album plans, so I'm not liketrying to corner you into giving us dates
and stuff. But i'd imagine youhave this is this is a sampler before

(09:37):
we get the main course. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got some.
We got a lot of songs thatI've wrote, songs we got on
hold, and then we're working onnow Buffy, My manager and I would
just talking about it the other day, you know, when we're getting ready
to go back in the studio andjust keep everything rolling. You know,
I feel like we're on a good, good path, a great trajectory.
I feel great. The show's beenawesome. You know, fans singing every
word already to songs on this EP, Um hell Man, even before the

(10:01):
EP came out, because we wereplaying I was playing these songs alive,
but except for Spirits and Demons withMegan Um and so Man, they were
fans showing up already singing, youknow, every word to like Don't give
a Truck And I'm like, thatsong is not even out. You know.
The only way you've heard this isif you listen to a probably a
crappy iPhone recording of you of itlive or came to a show, and
so to see fans already already singalong with me. I just feel we

(10:22):
feel I feel in a great spotand I'm excited about all the new music.
Um that we're ready just to keepkeep things rolling, man, and
keep getting music out. Uh.The EP is great, get her Back,
there's something that feels like smash thanksMan, like biggest song. Yeah
right, and it's it's just theenergy and the way it's written. It's
so well done. Um. Alsoon the EP, you work with Megan

(10:43):
Patrick, Spirits and Demons. Um. There are a ton of first of
all, collabs are red hot andcountry music right now, So why Megan
and did this song always feel likea collab to you? Yeah? It
was written um to be a collabof duet um and Man, it was

(11:05):
one of those songs man that thetitle and loan. I was like,
Man, if this song is anywhereas good as the title is, you
know, Spirits and Demons, I'mlike, who hasn't you know? I
definitely went through that, you know, and and and we all have of
of you know, It's not itdoesn't fix anything, you know what I
mean? You think it is.That's a first human reaction to go,
oh I'm broken hearted, Let's goto the bar. You know, and
it's like, buddy, that memoryline can be bumpy, you know what

(11:28):
I mean, when you're drinking andyou're you know, you're you're you're just
trying to cope and do the things. It's it's, it's it's a dangerous
place to be sometimes. And um, I recorded my version. I recorded
my part before we had landed onon Megan. We've kind of been bouncing
back and forth because, like yousaid, you know, collaps are hot
right now. When any you youbounced around? Do we go outside the
genre? Do we um? Youknow, let's go to Warner. Let's

(11:50):
see who's at our label, youknow. And then Megan's name popped up.
And I've been friends with Megan forfor a while and been a fan
of hers and and she'd been youknow, kicking ass in Canada and it
was just about to release her newEP, Best Show on Dirt that's out
now. And man, as soonas she as soon as they said her
name, I was like, yeah, let's let's reach out. So I
reached out to her. We certainthe song, they loved it, and

(12:11):
dude, she came in the studioand like it was like first take,
Like we're like, well, Imean, if you want to sing it
a few more times just to haveit, you know, I guess,
Like, I mean, she's justand it's like, as soon as she's
sang, our voices just blend sowell together. She's got this like power
of Carrie Underwood, but with thislike kind of rasp to it too.
It's just this like all these thingsthat went in that go into her tone

(12:31):
of her voice that fit with mine, and we're like cut from the same
cloth, man. You know,like she's Joe, I'm like, she's
from Canada. I'm from Florida.But it's like when I you know,
when we hang together with it,it's like hanging out with my sisters or
you know, my cousins from backhome, and and she's she's a real
deal, man. And she showedup and we've sing it a couple of
times now live, and man,she's just she rocks it. And as

(12:52):
soon as we heard it, we'relike, she was meant for this song.
This was meant to be her.There probably aren't a ton of surprises
when it comes to sitting in aare sitting and recording, because you you've
done it so long, you knowwhat you're expecting you know what's coming?
What songs are the biggest surprises toyou on the EP that you're like,
damn, we made that, notthat you're not and that's like yeah,
like damn, but like but liketo to have this new evolution of who

(13:16):
Michael Ray is as as an artistin a human being. What's what's songs
on the EP? Have you beenlike that came out of something we did?
Yeah? Okay, man, youknow well I think a lot of
the we we did the recording processway different. And as and saying that,
I mean, um, I calledMichael Nas who's my producer produce all

(13:37):
Jason Aldeen stuff, and yeah,um we've heard of him. I was
like, yeah, yeah, hemight have a couple, he might have
a hand or two in this ability. I don't know. Um, but
I said, man, I go, dude, I don't want to I
hate being in a studio like acubical boss. And and again, dude,
and this is something that like Iwasn't confident to say this to anybody
else before COVID and before all thisstuff, Right, but you go through

(13:58):
all this stuff and you kind ofrealize, Okay, here I am.
I gotta be upfront and honest andwhat I'm gonna do. So long story
short, we recorded very kind of. He's like, well, good,
because I don't want to. Idon't record that way anyway. I god,
I want to be in a studiowith some stains on the floor,
you know what I mean, ifthe engineer smoking cigarettes, I don't care.
I just want to be in agrungy studio. And then I want
to like cut vocals, And sowe cut vocals. Dude and Michael Wishire's

(14:20):
back shed studio in his yard,grilling out. I was doing singing vocals.
People were coming in and out,you know, And so I think
a lot of it was you putyour mindset in that relaxed state, you
know, we and it just kindof made it fun. It was like
making a record with your buddies inhigh school. It was like kind of
for you forgot the responsibility that thisEP needs to have. You know,
you're just making a try to makethe record as best you can. So

(14:43):
I think one of the ones thatstayed out is Spirits and Demons. For
me, I think that one standsout vocally. I feel like I'm singing
better than I ever have on theCP and then don't give a truck,
which is the song that I wrotewith some buddies in mine, Josh Phillips,
Michael Tyler, and Ryan Ball.And we had this idea and it's
a saying that um I think Mt. Michael Tyler and Josh had this idea,

(15:05):
um. But it's a saying thatmy family used to say all the
time, you know. And itwas like kind of like, my mom's
gonna let your babies grow to becowboys. It's not a it's not a
disc to cowboys. It's actually ahey, you know, cowboys are great,
but mamas, be careful if youdo, because he's not gonna be
the same. This kid's changing,you know. And it's a lot like
that first time you get your keysto your first truck when you're sixteen.
It's like you're not the same thatthat night when you went to bed the

(15:26):
night before you got your keys.Everything changed, you know, especially if
you got the truck and you're liftedup and you put the subs in it
and you know all this stuff andsaid you're the first friend in your group.
Yeah yeah, yeah, the firstone. So you're cruised. You
know, your family's using you forall the pickups that they forgot about and
m but that the whole song wasjust a warning to the mamas and to

(15:48):
the kids, like make sure you'rethe boys ready, because the second he
gets some keys, man, itall changes. And I'll tell you.
As we sat pool side here inthe EP for the first time, Tay
was like, because Tay's got ayoung son, so she's all sitting at
the fun it's sweat. I swearit, I saw it. I was.
I did a private event on Mondayin South Carolina for Hilton graand Vacation
and there was a table with likefour boys. Yeah, and those types

(16:11):
of shows been. They're fun becauseit's kind of like old old times where
it's just a barstool and acoustic guitarand I don't even make a set list,
you know, you just kind ofgo up there and talk and play
as you go. And I lookedat her, I was like, I'm
gonna play, don't give a truckAnd I did the same thing. You
see the mom She's like, I'mlike, got them. Yeah, it's
a weird thing. As an ARTISTRlike, are they crying? Yeah?
Perfect, it hit them when itcomes to to the life the lifeline of

(16:37):
an artist and the music you have. We've talked to enough people where we
get we get the EP or weget the album and that's like that's for
us to enjoy now. But you'resix like you're six months past it,
right because you're thinking album, you'rethinking what the songs you can record?
So as this EP came out,what are you working on? Like,

(16:59):
where are you with the album processor where are you with the writing recording?
Are you is that still a massivepriority or can you be like not
take the EP and we'll get tothe rest later. I think there's like
a month of breathing room when theEP comes out, where you're doing like
a lot of you know, press, you're doing a lot of stuff where
you're you're we're on the road alot. I mean, we stay on
the road all you know, allthe time. So there's a little bit
of breathing room once the EP comesout where you're like, okay, let's

(17:22):
enjoy you know, the hard workof the label. The man, there's
so many people producer, you know, musicians, there's so much that goes
into making an album, an EPor hell just a song. Now you
know, um that I think it'simportant to celebrate the moment and then when
that's out and stunne, you gota couple of weeks of like, all
right, look at look at allthis Okay, everything's worked out great,

(17:44):
everybody's loving it. Cool. Nowwhat do we do? You work your
way up to that point, celebratethe EP and then go back to work,
you know. And so leading upwe've been listening to songs, writing
songs. I've been on the road. Um, I really lean hard into
the songwrite community for a bunch ofreasons. One, I'm on the road
one hundred days a year. Youknow, we're working on a TV show

(18:04):
with a Circle Network, you know. So, like we were talking about,
we're all over the place. Two, right now, more than ever,
songwriters need us to to lean onthem. You know, we got
men and women. We have thebest songwriters in the world. You know.
All my heroes cut outside songs,you know, So why wouldn't I
if I can call you know,Bobby Penson or or Jesse Alexander, all

(18:25):
these huge songwriters and go, hey, here's what I'm you know, Michael
Tyler, Josh, Hey man,I can't write this week, but here's
what we're looking for, you know, and and here's what we're doing it,
and they go, got it,you know, And so it's it's
it's something that we've been working on. We're constantly writing, constantly getting outside
songs, constantly putting songs in ourdropbox that our team shares and listening and

(18:45):
going through. So the process neverstops. I think you celebrate for the
a few weeks when it comes out, and then it's back to it.
So our main focus right now isgetting songs, writing songs, um playing
these shows, and getting back inthe studios soon as we can to keep
everything rolling. Do you have atarget season, We'll say for a full
hour for the next We don't havea date. We're you know, hopefully
beginning of next year sometime maybe Idon't know, you know, we don't

(19:07):
have a date yet, but it'llbe it'll We're getting in the studio as
soon as possible, as soon aswe can get Michael Knox out of his
beach house. And I was justkidding, I was cringe asking asking like
date commitments, like when a manager'sin the road, So I'm like,
I'm making sure that she throws something. I'm ducking back. Notice I'm like
behind mind the light, um man, when it comes that. We talked

(19:30):
before we started talking here about howbusy life can be. And if somebody
falls you on social media. Man, you are either on the road,
or getting ready to go on theroad, or just getting off of the
road. You've done this, uhfor so long? How do you still
make make room for yourself? Doesthat make sense? Yeah? Um,

(19:52):
I really never did before. Youknow that was a problem. Um.
I think just being a you know, no one listening to your body,
listening to your mind, you know, being being honest about how you're feeling,
you know, to your team aroundyou of like, hey, man,
you know, man, I'm justworre out or whatever it is.
Um. But the thing, theman, the thing about it is and

(20:12):
this is the truth. And thismight sound cliche, but it is the
truth. You know. You canhave the worst travel day and we've had,
dude, We've had travel days whereit's held you're pulling up right before
the show, you know, Imean barely in no time to like for
your drum to even throw symbols on, let alone everybody's sound check. But
you get a crowd of people whereyou get you just watch people connect with
your music, and you know thatespecially now do. But the climate things

(20:33):
are in, it's expensive to doanything. Someone. These guys, these
many women spent their harder and moneyto come out. They could be anywhere,
you know where. They could besaving money at home. M God
knows what they're going through. Youknow. It could be the one thing
that they that the one last givea try for their marriage. It could
just be the first date. Itcould be them and their boys because they
connected to one of the songs thatyou know, it's all these all these

(20:53):
variables that bring people to concerts,you know, but the one thing is
is they connected to the song andthey connect to the music. So you
could have the worst travel day ever, dude, and it's like and you
could you know, bitch and moanthe whole way up and that first beat
down you see that crowd and it'sgreat, everything goes away. Yeah.
So it's like it's like that's likeyour shot of adrenaline that carries you to
the next one. You know.So those moments, man, when you're
feeling down and filling out, man, the crowd really does carry you,

(21:15):
man. I mean, you getyou get a good electric crowd and I
don't care if it's at a baror a stadium, man, you know
what I mean. I've played big, big arenas, amphitheaters and had you
know that that electricity. And thenI've also felt that same electricity to at
you know, five Spot when wedid the EP release, you know,
with too three hundred people during cmafest. So it's it's just a fans man,

(21:37):
they just I think that's what carriesall of us through those those hard
time moments, because man, there'sbeen some They don't even get me started
on airlines. Man, you're alreadyGod knows well even we're just talking before
some of the crew that was downin Key West get stuck trying to come
back. We left a day earlybecause our kids had football. Yeah,
so I was like, yeah,I didn't have to live in air And
the last time I saw y'all,y'all had your feet in the hot I

(22:00):
was like, you coming to theshow? No? Man, I was
like, all right, do youlike what show? No? I gotta
I gotta thing do. Yeah,I'm actually getting hit by a car.
Later. I would love and seeyour show, but I gotta slay my
finger in a slide. Last doorand I've already scheduled it, so I
can't three five, I can't.Um, you were talking about songs,
um that other people have written thator you'll you'll spit out the idea,

(22:23):
they'll they'll write a song you guyscollaborate on it. Has there been a
song that you've passed on at anypoint that ended up big for somebody else?
And that's and I asked that question. But I also know that a
hit song doesn't matter to you.You it has to you have to feel
it, you have to live it. It has to make sense coming from
you when you're singing it. Right, Um answers we've gotten before? Is

(22:48):
um Jason and eld No, Jacoand pass on Big Green Tractor. Eldine
recorded a massive song. Kenny Chesneypassed on check Yes or No ended up
a massive song for a guy namedGeorge. Yeah. Yeah, Um,
have you had had a moment likethat where and maybe it wasn't a massive
song on the radio, but itended up connecting and with with fancy like

(23:08):
well I had it first, itwas it's pretty massive. Oh yeah,
what are some of them? Andobviously it's not disrespectful to who recorded it.
No, no, and man,I'll tell you this. I think
too that songs end up where theyshould be, you know, because you've
had songs like what HRSA most wasrecorded by a bunch of people, um,
and then Rascal Flat I think MarkWills cut a version of it Faith

(23:29):
Hill did um you know Friends inLow Places? Was was cut by Uh?
Wasn't Mark Chestnut or Tracy Byrd oneof the two? Um? You
know? And it never popped up. Joe Nichols cut uh the Blake Shelton
song. I can't think of thename of it now, but anyway,
Blake made a big hit out ofit. Um, who are you or
who? Yeah? That you knowwhat I'm talking about. I think the

(23:51):
Books song where you talking about thebooks and stuff? Um? So I
think a song finds its way.Um. But I had upbound on hold
and fought for it, and everybody'slike, man, I don't get it,
And I was for you Yeah,I had it, yeah, And
I was like again, no,man, I didn't you know, I
didn't really I didn't stand up toit. I was, you know,
I just didn't have the right peopleat the time in my corner were really
good man. You know. Letus fight for this. I think now

(24:14):
would have been a different story,you know. Um. But also man,
it's like if Jake On would havecut Big Green Tractor, maybe it
wouldn't have been a big hit,you know. I mean who knows,
you know, who knows what itis if they fall where they are?
But um, yeah, so updownwas mine? Yeah? Do it anyway
in a show? Why? Whynot? Oh? This is my first
more than Like you guys might haveheard of some Morgan Whalen coming up in

(24:41):
between now and the rest of theyear. What are what are some big
things you're excited for, maybe likea big show or a big vacation you
got planned? Like, what arethings that that you're looking forward to on
the schedule outside of just playing show? Yeah, I'm playing, I got
some some hunting. I'm playing ondoing um at December that we're taking off,
you know. Normally, Man,we play all the way up to
like what December twentieth most time,second third week, you know, and

(25:03):
then we take Christmas and first coupleof weeks of January off because it's duck
season. And also, man,my band and crew, man, they
go they roll right along. Women. Man, I'm as much as you
see me gone at least one orall or with me doing the same thing.
So we try to give them thattime off. So we don't really
do like New Year's Eve shows orI mean, if one come across,
I guess we would, but Ijust try to give them that time with

(25:25):
family and friends. I think that'sso important, you know, to make
sure you have the recharged state ofbeing with your your loved ones and people
that you know bring you back toyour roots and it does make you feel
ready and energized to get back outthere at the end of January. So
excited for that. Um, we'llhave any trips playing, I don't think,
just just some hunting stuff and inDecember. That's that's really it.
Well enjoy it, pretty simple,dude, unplugging whatever you can, no

(25:48):
matter what it is, it counts. And that's still a vacation. Yeah,
it's because there's not going to bea beach there. Yeah, and
you know in your mind, youknow, I'm from Florida, so I
just go down there and drive thirtyminutes and go. But yeah, I'm
excited. I also out of men. I haven't seen too much of my
family here in the last few months, just because we've been, you know,
on the road a lot, andmy step mom's been battling breast cancer,
so she's she's been going through ita lot, and my dad's been

(26:11):
going through that with her. Sowe haven't been I haven't seen seen a
lot of times. They come outon the road, is what I'm saying.
So it kind of bounces that out. So it's tide to see them
and spend some time with them.And she's doing she's she's kicking but right
now so she's doing good. Butuh yeah, seeing some family, doing
some deer hunting and enjoying the fallas you should, man, and keep
recording some music. All right.We're waiting on that album. Thanks man,
you said it's coming early. Firstthere we just drop a date.

(26:34):
Can't wait for January twenty thirty.We'll see all that. Michael Ray,
thank you, brother, thank youso much. But it