Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
And we're live.
Let's do it.
Hello everybody, and welcomeback to another episode of Skip
Happens, where we bring you thestories that inspire and connect
.
I'm your host, skip Clark, youknow that, and we have a true
rising star in the world ofindependent country music, and I
love this.
He's been turning heads withhis raw, authentic sound and his
(00:23):
deeply personal lyrics.
He's been turning heads withhis raw, authentic sound and his
deeply personal lyrics From hisearly influences to his
evolution as an artist.
Cody has carved out his ownpath in the ever-changing
landscape of country music andnow tonight we're going to be
diving into his journey.
We're going to talk everythingfrom what first drew him into
the genre and then how he'sbuilt such a strong connection.
(00:44):
And let's say hello to Cody.
Welcome to Skip Happens, myfriend.
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Good man Good.
How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (00:51):
We're doing good, a little bit late tonight, I
apologize.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Hey, it's all good, Stuff happens.
Skip, stuff happens.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Well, we call it Skip Happens.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
You know, that's a pretty good name for it.
You never know, it's alltechnology, but we've now
connected, which is really good.
Uh, cody, tell me a little bitabout where are you right now?
Where in the world is Cody?
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Um so I am in Middletown.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Pennsylvania.
I actually just finishedplaying a show in Middletown,
yeah so you know what Imentioned, that you're going to
be on Skip Happens tonight, andsomebody immediately posted he's
(01:41):
our Harrisburg boy that is yes,that's pretty close to where
you are correct.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Yes, so yeah, probably, from where I'm at
right here, probably not even 10minutes from where.
I live from where I live,actually like 25, 30 minutes
maybe, so yeah, Now you've 25,30 minutes maybe.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
So yeah, now you've Cody.
Early on, you've beenrecognized as an emerging talent
in independent country music.
What first drew you to thegenre and how did you know that
country music was your calling?
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Oh, man, you know I grew up.
I grew up on 90s country.
I'm a 90s country baby, but atthe same time I can also say
that I grew up on classic rock.
I mainly had two stationsgrowing up listening to, and my
(02:40):
mom was the country radiostation and my dad was the
classic rock station.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
I kind of figured that's the way it would be.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, yeah.
So you know whoever I wasriding around with if it was mom
, I was hearing all the great90s country, and if it was a dad
, I was hearing all the greatclassic rock and that's what I
grew up listening to.
Um, that's that's what I grewup listening to.
And you know what really drewme to country?
(03:09):
Um and I, I will say I played alot of rock and roll and like
heavy metal in high school and,um, shortly out of high school.
And then I always, I always hada soft spot for country, but I
never, I never played it, Inever performed it out or
anything.
I just I was too much in lovewith heavy rock and roll and
(03:33):
metal and stuff.
But then, about I don't know 20, when I was probably like 22,
started going out to the openmics in the area, uh, playing
country and bluegrass, and justshifted, shifted gears, you know
, right then.
And there I decided that youknow the the country scene is is
(03:57):
where I want to be and I still,I still have a deep love for
all rock and roll or heavy metal, just so everybody knows and
definitely would like to, andactually I think you might be
able to hear it in some of thestuff that I do.
(04:19):
I try to incorporate a bit of asouthern rock vibe or a rock
vibe in general into the stuffthat I'm doing.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
I love that You're writing as well, correct?
Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
And tell me about your songwriting process.
Man, it is as abstract as itcould possibly, as any person
could possibly write songs Likeum I I.
I try not to force right.
I try not to sit down and, youknow, be like I need to write a
new song.
I try not to do that.
I try to get genuine.
(05:03):
You know, inspiration when itcomes as it comes and um it
built build.
Off of that, I mean I could be.
You know, I could be sittinghere right now and just kind of
have a liner, you know, like aline or two pop into my head,
that's kind of catchy and I'lljump to my phone and go into my
notes and just get it down asquick as I can and and then I'll
(05:30):
I'll go back and revisit itwhen I do have time to sit down
and try to get somethingtogether.
It's yeah, man, there is nomethod to what I have created so
far at all.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
I swear to God.
Maybe that's a good thing.
I mean, you know it could be.
It's something different.
Do you take your personalexperiences and turn them into
lyrics?
Most definitely yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Most definitely I try .
You know, there's a lot ofpeople, a lot of awesome
songwriters, that are so good attalking to someone and like
pulling ideas from someoneelse's experiences, you know, or
stories.
I have not developed, uh, thatkind of talent yet.
I can only write about personaluh.
(06:17):
You know how I'm, how I'mfeeling personally, or or
something that's happened in mylife so do you get um?
Speaker 1 (06:24):
do you get any help from your hometown radio
stations?
Speaker 2 (06:28):
I do actually, um, honestly, the first station to
ever play any of my stuff wouldhave been a station called red.
One or two, three, uh out ofcarlisle, okay, um, and the
program director it's and it'sfunny, you, you brought that up
the program director there, uh,rick, uh, he actually just
(06:49):
retired, um, like two weeks agomaybe, and he has been with that
station for I want to say, ohmy God, probably at least 20
years, if not more.
I feel bad.
I should know that number.
He's, he's been at that stationforever.
Um, so I give him, I give him ahuge debt of gratitude for um
(07:11):
putting my music on.
Um, they, they had a thingcalled Sunday night center stage
and I'm sure they're, I'm surethey're still going to do it,
but it was a Sunday nightshowcase of a local country
talent.
A sunday night showcase of, uh,local country talent.
Yeah, they would do like threeto four artists um, every sunday
(07:32):
afternoon slash evening andshowcase, like you know, uh,
however many songs they couldfit into the program or whatever
, but yeah for sure, uh, I gotrick stenn red one, 1023.
And now, more recently, I haveto say that Bigfoot Country, I
think it's 92.5 out of Lewistown, pennsylvania Bigfoot Pete.
(07:56):
I got to give him a huge shoutout.
He has been playing a lot of mymusic.
Actually, everybody at thestation up there has been
playing.
See how cool is that.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
It's serious.
They get the hometown love.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
That's there's nothing better and like.
So I gotta say lewistown islike lewistown's like an hour, I
think it's an hour away fromwhere I'm at, from where I live,
um, so for them to just bewilling to con, to consistently
like it's um, some of my songsare consistently in rotation,
(08:27):
you know, on the daily.
It's not, uh, it's not so muchjust like a, a specified you
know showcase or you know what Imean?
Speaker 1 (08:35):
it's actually in a rotation.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Yeah, yeah, I'm so I'm beyond grateful, man beyond
grateful absolutely it's.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
It's great to have that connection.
It's hometown, it's local,that's, and we need to see a lot
more of that.
We kind of got away from thatand now we need to bring it back
home with everything that'sgoing back, that's going on.
What, um, tell us a little bit.
I mean music it's, it's yourlove, it's your passion.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
I was reading you've been doingit since 2021, just a few years
(09:04):
ago, I mean, or what did I?
Speaker 2 (09:08):
so, no, no, no, that's you.
You probably read it correctly.
Uh, 2021 is when I decided tostart on a solo, on a yeah, on a
solo career.
Prior, prior to 2021, I was in,uh, like two or three different
bands over a span of 10 yearsyeah, 10 years.
(09:33):
I think.
I started playing out live in2012.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
All right, cool.
Oh my God, how old were youthen?
Well, it's like all right, youdon't have to say it.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Okay, oh my God, how old were you then?
Um well, it's like oh, youdon't have to say okay, All
right, but listen before I,before I divulge my age you
don't have to dude if you don'twant to no, I absolutely will.
I absolutely will, but I it's.
You know, I still getcompliments.
Uh, I take them as compliments.
People like all the timethey're like, how old are you,
how old are you?
(10:03):
And I tell them as compliments.
People like all the timethey're like how old are you,
how old are you?
And I tell them and they'relike, well, you don't look your
age.
And I'm like, well, that's agood thing and I hope it stays
that way.
I hope you know um, but now so,uh, 2012, I was 12, I was 20.
Uh, all right, that's good weget 20 couple.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
I was 20, all right, yeah, yeah, that's, that's good
enough, dude.
I mean I don't know, you'vewaited a while, you, you do have
a full-time gig and uh, we weretalking before we went out in
the air with the lights and thecameras and all that good stuff,
but you have a full-time gig.
Uh, you're doing likeconstruction, road construction,
storm sewers, catch basins.
(10:41):
I did that too and I hate it.
I hated it.
It was like it was.
It was a lot of work, dude,unless I was running the backhoe
or maybe I had the cat dozer orsomething like that, or the
great all digging the ditch.
I mean, if I had to go in thatditch, I hated it.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
But you know, you know I work with a lot of
awesome guys and I can honestlysay I've been with uh.
I've been with other companieswhere they're not so awesome and
I really uh, I've I've seenboth sides like I've been
miserable and I've also been,you know, had some of the uh I
(11:19):
wouldn't say best days, but likeway, way better than than than
uh past experiences at differentcompanies.
You know what I mean.
I'm really, but like way, waybetter than than than past
experiences at differentcompanies.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
I'm really, I really do?
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Yeah, I really do enjoy the company I work for now
and the guys.
I get to work with.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Cool, Get them.
I was going to say yeah, andthe name of the company.
We can have them endorse.
The skip happens podcast.
I'm just kidding, that's allgood.
But so now I have to ask well,you're doing a job, Maybe you're
laying some 12-inch corrugatedpipe steel.
I don't know.
How is that?
See, I still remember.
But do you have the radio onand does your song come on and
(11:58):
everybody kind of stop and go.
Holy crap, that's Cody and go.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Holy crap, that's Cody.
So that specific scenario hasnot happened, but I can say that
my general foreman, he rocks mysticker on the back of his work
truck, my sticker on the backof his work truck.
(12:31):
So, uh, that's a huge um, I, I,I, I highly uh, thank him like
constantly, like thank you forputting my sticker on the back
of one of the work trucks, likeyeah, no kidding, that's yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
You never know where that truck's gonna be.
It's kind of cool yeah, rightyeah, so tell us about the song
you just dropped the song thatis out.
Matter of fact, I'm going toplay a little bit of it.
Here it is.
It's cody ross smith.
I'm playing back to, back tothat.
Let's give me a little tastehere we go, it's cody we go.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
It's cody.
There's an old dirt road thattakes me home, a sweet southern
song that saves my soul, ahonky-tonk town where I grew up
and a damned old turn where Iwrecked my truck with no
trespassing signs and nostoplights, where everybody
works hard and the fish aregonna bite and take it on the
(13:29):
chin or take it to the bank Canparty all night and sing a
little hank.
These are my stomping groundsfrom the harbor to the city.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
We'll cut your fried roots and a little bit of hippie
my stomping grounds.
Yeah, we blue-collar proud,Keep shining side up, get dirty
side down.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
It's 5 o'clock around here.
All the time Everybody'skicking back where the moon's
gonna shine.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
My stomping grounds, dude, that rocks and I can hear
a little bit of your rockinfluence in that song.
I hear that guitar riff.
I mean that is cool.
That is cool, Thank you so?
Much you know, and that wouldbe.
You know, I hear a lot of music, but that would be one of those
(14:16):
songs.
If I was cruising down the roadman in my hometown, I'd be
cranking that.
It's just.
That's what I'm about.
That's what I'm about.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
And I can see.
That's what you did there.
That's what you're about.
So did you really rock thetruck on the curve?
I did, I did um, but so so itwas actually.
It was actually my mom's truckthat I wrecked um.
It wasn't my truck, but she letlet me, she let me drive it Um
and.
I wrecked it and, um, I can tellyou.
(14:51):
So listen, just, I I feelterrible about it.
I still feel terrible about itto this day, cause I, I messed
the rim up, I rest, I messed thefront bumper, like it was.
It was pretty bad.
But to top it off, I had mylittle brother riding, shotgun
and and I had our dog bow in theback seat and, uh, freaking, I
(15:14):
felt so bad, like I was just allI was trying to do was just
goof around a little bit and,and you, you know, do a little
dukes of hazard maneuver and, uh, it didn't pan out the way I
wanted it to and long, longstory short, uh, my brother
pretty well, bashed his face offthe dash and our dog our, our
(15:37):
dog bow.
Oh man, our dog bow flew upthrough in between the seats and
smacked into, smack into thedash too.
Now nobody, nobody was hurt,nobody was seriously hurt.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Okay, I was laughing before.
Now I feel bad.
If somebody got hurt, thatwouldn't be the wow, I'm sorry
but can you hear me?
Speaker 2 (15:57):
yeah, I hear you so everybody, everybody was fine,
um, but I just you know what Imean I felt genuinely terrible.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
But yes, I did.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
That part of the song is most definitely true.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
I guess that's an example.
What I was trying to get at iswhen somebody like you, you sit
down to write a song, you thinkabout what's going on in your
life.
That happened.
Now it's a part of a song andthere's probably more than you
can imagine that guys that wouldbe listening and going yeah, I
did that.
Yeah, I did that.
(16:31):
Yeah, I messed up there too, soyou know that's way good.
I'm just reading one of thecomments here.
Jonathan says hi, skip COVIDhas kidnapped my wife.
Oh boy, yeah, well, we hopeeverything's okay.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
My mom.
My mom tested positive thisweek.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
She's been.
You know it's, it's.
I think there's more than we,we really know.
I think there's a lot of thatgoing on.
So I think it's just like youget the flu, it doesn't matter,
you get the flu, it doesn'tmatter, you get the flu, you
take care of yourself, you'regoing to be OK.
So yeah, I don't get into.
(17:11):
You know all that whole wholething about it.
So yeah, absolutely.
So I mean you get up every day,you go to work.
What's your day like?
I imagine you're in the ditchat 7 o'clock or doing what you
do with the construction workthat you do, and then you
probably work to 3.30, 4 o'clock, get home, clean up and go play
(17:35):
a gig.
How does that work for you?
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Yeah, you're pretty well, spot on.
I typically, you know, shows upmy way are primarily Friday,
saturday nights.
Oh, I got you Now tonight,today's Thursday, which is kind
of a one-off for me, um, whichis kind of a one-off for me, um,
(18:03):
I, I pick them up when I can,but they're they're few and far
between, uh, venues that'll havelive music, um, on like through
the week, you know, not on theweekends, um, but yeah, you're,
uh, I know.
So I actually I just got off alayoff this week, like I, I just
came back to work.
I've been laid off since aboutchristmas, oh, wow, um, yeah,
(18:26):
which is which is typical,because you know winter roll,
yeah, winter rolls around and um, you, just you know you, you,
just you, nobody, nobody wantsto be out there freezing their
butts off.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
So, um, no, exactly right, I totally get that,
totally get that.
But as a musician, uh, did youget an opportunity during the
layoff maybe to make a trip tonashville or maybe put some
tracks down?
Were you able to do that?
Speaker 2 (18:57):
I, I did, I did and actually I was down.
I went down in november, um, Iwas still working at the time,
um, but then I did end up.
I went back down just infebruary for, more specifically,
for uh, crs, um, oh, which is,yeah, country radio seminar yeah
(19:21):
and that was my.
I think that was my third year.
It's even my third or fourthyear, um, going to that, but the
difference, the difference thisyear, is that I actually, um,
actually participated in a lotmore as to, as to, like, how the
(19:43):
whole thing functions, theevent itself, Right, I probably
saw you and just didn't realizeit.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
I mean, I've been doing that for well over 20
years, really.
Were you there, oh I was there.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Oh dude, oh man.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
No, I know, and it's like I was talking to an artist
the other night and it's likedude, were you there?
Yeah, I was there.
Were you at bar lines?
Yeah, I was at bar lines.
Hey, were you hanging out inthe lobby by kitchen notes?
Yeah, I was down there too.
Yeah, oh yeah, just you knowwell, definitely next year, man.
Next year, now that you know,now that we know each other for
sure 100 100 there's, you knowit's um I I did meet a lot of
(20:21):
the artists that I've had onSkip Happens.
It's just nice to put a face Imean you see them anyways, like
you and I here but to actuallygo up and say hello and have a
beer or hang out or shake hands.
It was nice to catch up with alot of those people.
I look forward to it again.
Know, for example, I mean wegot a whole year now.
I think next year it's later inmarch, so I I think I saw that
(20:46):
yeah, did you um, did youperform?
Speaker 2 (20:49):
I did not.
I well not not at um, not atbar lines or not at, you know
yeah yeah, now, I did have, um,I did have two writers rounds.
I think that I did Okay.
Uh, yeah, I did.
Yeah, I had two writers roundsin town, uh, while I was there
(21:13):
and uh, I actually I kinda Ikinda lied, I did get to play a
suite.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
Uh, showcase for um did get to play a suite.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
Uh showcase for um oh my god, nashville music, god,
nash music, god, oh okay, okay,yeah, I did get to do that that
was in the omni, correct.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Yes, yes, yes, okay, there, you know.
They have the sweet thingsgoing on everywhere.
B-dubs got his suite.
All the big labels have theiryes, there's so many.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Like, anybody with a suite is probably having music.
They're probably havingmusicians play.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
But it's a good opportunity for somebody like
you, if somebody's watching this, just to be at that event,
because pretty much anybodythat's anybody will be there at
least for one day out of thethree, if not all three.
And it's good to wellnetworking, Because you and I
both know sometimes it's who youknow and not necessarily
(22:08):
anything else.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Most definitely.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
It kind of sucks that it's that way sometimes, but it
works out, it works out.
Hey, cody, is there one songfrom your catalog that kind of
holds a special place in yourheart and if there is, could you
share the story or inspirationbehind it?
Speaker 2 (22:28):
oh man, um.
So probably, as far as songsthat are released, the most
sentimental to me, uh isdefinitely my grandpa's song.
Uh, it's called that's mygrandpa, um and uh, yeah, he, uh
, he was.
So I lost my first grandfatherin 2012.
(22:51):
I lost my uh last grandfather,uh, 2019 and um.
So I wrote I wrote that's mygrandpa.
More specifically, about my uhlast grandfather passed away in
2019 and I think I put that outuh, I want to say 2021, I think
(23:14):
um and uh, you know it's um,it's definitely it's.
It's the most sentimental songuh to me and I actually had.
I had somebody come up to me ata show and they came to see me
from out of state, which really,that, really um, struck a nerve
(23:37):
with me.
You know like I was.
I was like holy cow.
You know somebody's, somebody'swilling to bring their family
uh to come see me from out ofstate, and they specifically,
they specifically said uh, andit was a, it was a younger guy,
he was like man.
You know, I brought my wife, mydaughter, my mom and dad up to
(23:58):
see you because, uh, your songthat's my grandpa means like so
much to me.
It's such a good song and I waslike holy cow, like you know,
that's, that's one of them.
Um, that's one of those likefull circle moments, you know
what I mean, where you know it'slike who, who really?
You know, I could sit here andbe like man who's really
listening to my music andwhatever, and then that happened
(24:20):
and it was like you, you neverknow and you never know um who
your music is touching and whatit means to them, and that was
just.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
It was just such a good moment, um, it made me feel
good, you know, absolutely, butum yeah you know, I love
hearing that.
Um, you know, shout out tojacob smalley, who's watching as
well.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
He y'all you know, jake, yeah, yeah yeah, let me go
there.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
It is.
I don't know if you can seethat or not, but what's up?
Speaker 2 (24:51):
yes, yeah what's up, jake?
Speaker 1 (24:54):
I've had jake on the podcast and I need to get him
back on again.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
It's been a while so yes sir people yeah man, his, uh
, he, I, I think his last songhe just dropped not too long ago
.
Sober, I don't know if you'veheard it yet or not, I'm just
saying you need to hear it ifyou haven't heard it you see
jacob at uh crs.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Yes, sir, yes sir we were hanging a little bit.
See, I don't know where youwere, dude, yeah, yeah next year
, man next year we'll have somefun, absolutely, um.
So let me just get back here alittle bit.
What direction, uh, do you hopeto take with your music, and
(25:33):
are are there any new sounds orthemes that you're eager to
explore, maybe in your upcomingprojects?
It's kind of a crazy question,I guess, but you know, just keep
doing what you're doing.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Yeah, you know, cause , you know, I, I don't have, uh,
I I'm a hundred percentindependent.
And when I say that, like, like, I have no management, I have
no booking agent, I have, youknow, it's 100% me.
So I don't really have anybodyto push or suggest new ideas on
(26:13):
stuff.
Even the guy that I mainly haverecorded most of the music
that's out there, he's not even.
He's not even.
Okay, let me, he doesn'tconsider himself a producer.
You know what I mean.
Like he, he pretty well expectsthe artist to know exactly what
(26:37):
kind of sound or what they wantto get out of him.
Exactly what kind of sound, um,or what they want to get out of
him, um, you know he, hedoesn't really, uh, he doesn't
really, um, put his own twocents into your song.
You know what I mean.
Like he right, you, you prettywell have it figured out, but by
the time you go and take it tothem, Exactly.
(26:58):
So, um, I don't really knowthat I have a, an agenda or or,
like you know, a real directionto try new things.
Like I feel like, um, I feellike I would still like to sort
of focus on, like you know, thethe country slash Southern rock
(27:22):
type vibe.
Um, you know, I really I reallydig, uh, travis denning's new
stuff yes, specifically he just.
He just dropped a song not toolong ago.
I think it's actually calledsouthern rock.
Uh, with hardy, I think hardy'sin on it.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
Oh, I wouldn't doubt that.
Hardy seems to be just abouteverywhere now, not only
songwriting, but, uh, you know,it seems to be collaborating
with a lot of different artists.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
Yeah, that's cool, yeah, that's, but um, yeah, to
answer your question, skip, Idon't really you know, I think
I'll just keep doing what I'mdoing, um and um, cool, maybe,
maybe record some more.
I did cut a track in Nashvillewhen I was down for CRS.
I did cut an acoustic trackdown there.
Um, and my goal, honestly, mygoal is to record more in town
(28:12):
and uh, just see, uh see, seewhere the see, where the studio
guys down there can take me, youknow See what happens.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
So you're pretty much you're committed to staying
true in the roots of countrymusic.
But with that being said, whatdo you think the future holds
for the genre?
And you know the rise of allthese new artists and shifts in
the musical taste.
I mean there's so much of thatgoing on.
I mean, morgan Wallen's goingto drop another double album
here not too far out.
(28:43):
He's got a couple of songscoming out on Friday and the way
I look at that, it's great, Iget it.
But you know it's people likeyourself that need to be heard
and get on those charts.
And there's so many radiostations there that are going to
go.
We're going to play the Morganand, and you know, nobody knows
(29:06):
who this guy is.
It's not giving you anopportunity and I believe that
all these artists need anopportunity.
And you did mention, you know,the radio station doing a
special thing on sundays, butstill, it's just it's got to
make it so difficult yeah, um,definitely, um, I mean, as, as
you probably know, stompingGrounds, the song that you
played a little bit of a coupleminutes ago.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Yep, no, you're good, you're good.
So I'm trying to push that songto country radio and see how it
gets accepted and see whathappens.
So far I think it's doingpretty good.
You know I'm I've.
(29:52):
This is the first time, this isthe first time in song that
that that I'm trying to make anattempt at having, you know, a
bigger or yeah, oh my gosh,having country radio, sending it
to country radio and seeingwhat kind of reaction I can get.
So yeah, we'll see what happens, man.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
Yeah, no, I think it's a good thing.
And if you could get radiostations, something I do is I'll
take a song like this and I'lldo a little competition in the
afternoon.
I'll let the listeners decide,just to give me an idea what
they're liking, you know.
And also it gives an artistlike yourself a little bit of
airplay, which is cool.
Yeah, what you're seeking toget, and, of course, you're
(30:31):
doing it with grassroots whocouldn't you couldn't get
anybody better.
They are awesome, just so youknow.
Yes, sir, definitely do theirthing and they do it right yeah,
I'm super.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
I will say I'm super happy with uh, with uh working
with them.
So far, they they're like everyday I'm getting emails, you
know, um, about what's going on,um, who's playing it, how many
times they're playing it.
They're who's playing it, howmany times they're playing it.
They're very communication.
(31:03):
In my opinion, so far,communication is just awesome.
Yeah, and they will continue todo that.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
I've never heard anybody say different and I've
been doing this for a long time.
So Nancy Tunick and that wholestaff is just Teresa.
Everybody is phenomenal,everybody.
Yeah, you know, and I telleverybody this too, the cool
thing about grassroots is thatthey know music.
They're not just somebody outthere trying to make a buck,
(31:30):
they know music.
They've got radio people thatwork for them now, and also they
are musicians.
So I mean you've got the bestof both worlds.
You know going after what youwant, which is good Right,
helping you get to where youneed to be.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
You know that's really cool.
So your truck battery is notgoing to go dead, is it?
Speaker 2 (31:52):
I hope not.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
What do you got for a truck?
What is it?
Speaker 2 (32:00):
Toyota Tundra.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
Okay, okay, you liking it yeah, absolutely,
absolutely uh what year?
What year?
Speaker 2 (32:08):
uh, this is a 19 okay , I get it.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Yeah, I've heard good things about them.
I've got a brand new chevycolorado.
I downsized a little bit, butit's the trail boss, so yeah,
yeah, love it, I love it.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
Listen, I might be, might soon be behind the wheel
of a Chevy not a truck, though,uh, looking at a bourbon.
Um dude.
Listen, we need more room, weneed more room.
The family's growing.
I actually have a baby that'sdue in April.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Oh, congrats, that's cool, thank, actually have a
baby that's due in April.
Oh, congrats, that's cool.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
Which number, how many?
Speaker 2 (32:46):
That would be number four.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Oof dude.
So you got two boys two girls,three girls, one boy.
What do you got?
Speaker 2 (32:52):
I have three boys, and this last, this last one, is
a baby girl, and that that isquits.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
that's dunzo, we're done um, I have to ask, when you
heard it was going to be a girl, what was the reaction?
Speaker 2 (33:08):
because he had the three boys everybody listen,
everybody was team girl,everybody.
So um I was, I was the wife washappy.
The other boys are happy, likeGrammy's happy, like everybody's
happy.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
That's cool.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
Yeah, that's cool, it's going to not what age for
the boys.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
You get the three boys now.
What are the ages?
Speaker 2 (33:34):
So I have a, I have a 12 and an 11 year old.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
Oh boy.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
And yeah, yeah, tell me about it.
Um, pre pre dude, preteen years, like I know, I uh, um, I'm,
I'm struggling Some days, Istruggle some, I don't know, but
anyhow, um, so yeah, 12 and 12and 11.
And then there's a pretty biggap there to a two-year-old and
(34:04):
then baby girls coming in April.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
Yep, you know, there's nothing.
You love all your kids, I getit.
I have three daughters from myprevious marriage.
They're all grown.
They've given me eightgrandkids.
Nice, my wife, I know, and Ilove that.
Oh my God, there's nothing likeit.
You wait, you'll see it someday.
And um, my wife Nancy and I nowwe have a son who's down
(34:27):
syndrome, who's 24, and it'sjust, it's so awesome.
But with my daughters, there issomething about that bond
between a father and hisdaughter and I'm gonna tell, I
walked my three daughters downthe aisle, I bawled my eyes out.
It's just, it's.
There's that bond I mean, it'sjust like no other, and you'll
(34:49):
see what I mean Someday.
You're going to go.
Skip was right, this is so cool, this is the best thing that
ever happened to me and you loveit.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
I get it, but the daughter wow, yeah, I have no
doubt that you're absolutelyright and I like everybody,
everybody keeps saying well,she's gonna be a daddy's girl,
she's gonna be a daddy's girland I'm sitting here like I mean
, I hope she is, you know, butlike I, I, I, I hope that, uh,
(35:22):
that that the brothers, that theolder brothers you know, just
do their do their job and helpdad out looking out for looking
out for baby sister.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
They will, and that's the other thing.
I just know that you know theolder or the yeah, yeah, the
brothers are gonna watch out forher.
They're gonna watch over her.
Nobody's gonna mess with her asshe grows up, because these
brothers will kick the shit outof anybody that I'm just telling
you I've seen it, I've seen itall and that's a good thing.
Now how does your wife and thekids you being an independent
(35:57):
artist, I mean what do theythink of dad doing what he's
doing?
Speaker 2 (36:10):
I mean, they support it.
Um, you know it's it gets, itgets difficult, I'm not gonna
lie, and they would tell you thesame thing.
Uh, it's a lot of late nightsand you know, weekends, um, but
I try to.
Well, there goes my trucklights again.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
I try to tell them that actually looked kind of
cool, Cause you could just.
It was like I'm watching amovie.
I can just see your face whenthe light went out.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
Yeah, it's kind of cool, but anyways go ahead, so
let me know if I lose you.
Can you still hear me?
Speaker 1 (36:40):
All loud and clear.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (36:42):
We're good, phone's gonna go dead.
Oh, there, it went.
Okay, you got me.
Yep, I can hear you.
Uh, you sound different now,but that's all right.
Oh no, there you go.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
Gotcha, there we go okay, so um, back to playing
shows or wait.
Was that the question?
Speaker 1 (37:04):
I'm sorry no, I forgot about it.
Well, I asked about how how thefamily reacts to you being an
independent musician doing whatyou're doing, and then we just
kind of drifted off.
But sorry about that I know Iwas getting I was.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
I was going to go into something um it'll come to
you.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
It'll come to you.
Do you have pets?
Speaker 2 (37:29):
yes, okay, probably too many.
Speaker 1 (37:35):
So yeah, three, three dogs okay, three dogs and a cat
three dogs and a cat and that's, that's down.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
We actually just lost a cat.
Uh, oh god.
Um, last it was in the fall.
It was in the fall.
We had to put one down.
Um, so, yeah, we're down.
We were three dogs and two catsand now it's three dogs in one
cap gotcha gotcha like.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
We have labradors.
What, what, what do you havegotcha labrador like?
Speaker 2 (38:12):
we have labradors.
What, what, what do you haveman?
We're a.
We're a mixture of everything.
We're a house of mutts andmixes and yeah, uh, no, that's
okay, we rescue, we rescue dogs,so that's yeah, so my wife had,
um, she had two rescue dogs, uh, or she rescued two dogs, a
blue healer and a jack russelluh, border collie mix very nice
(38:36):
and then a couple couple yearsago, we we made a decision to
get another dog and we got a redbone.
How a female red bone hound ohwow, yep wow, yep, uh, she was
not a rescue, she was, um, youknow she was a puppy, but we
picked up uh, and I love to hatethat dog so much.
(38:57):
Um, she sees the biggestsweetheart and she just the
biggest pain in the ass at thesame time.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
Yeah, that's how our.
We have a yellow lab that'sdoing that now.
Well, usually we have two dogs.
We're down to one right rightat the moment, but uh, rossi,
he's like six, but he's verywell.
This is gonna sound crazy.
He's very well behaved, butthen he's not.
It's like don't leave anythinglaying around.
Uh, the you know, make sure youput the dirty clothes in the
(39:31):
clothes hamper, or else they'regonna end up all over the house.
Um, it's just whatever.
If he can get his mouth on it,he will grab it, and the thing
is, he'll bring it to you, butyou won't like to take it out of
his mouth.
It's like look at me.
Yeah, it's a beautiful thing,though.
I mean, I love it, but itpisses me off.
Speaker 2 (39:53):
Yep, no doubt.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
All right, I got you, bro.
So what's next for you, cody?
Where do you see yourself infive years?
Where do you want to seeyourself in five years?
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Oh, man, uh, you know I'm a, I'm a realist and just
the goal and and I'm sure anymusician would tell you this,
but like, the goal is to just beable to make a living, um, a
solid living, being a musicianand playing music, that's happy,
(40:30):
yeah, that's just just justdoing what you genuinely love to
do as your profession, you know, or as your as your job.
Right, and you know, I, I keeptelling people like, like I
don't, I don't need to be on tv,I don't need to be winning
awards, I don't need any of onTV, I don't need to be winning
awards, I don't need any of that, I just want to be able to, uh,
(40:52):
I just want to be able to dowhat I love and provide for,
provide for my family, uh, indoing so, so, um, you know, in
five years, if you ask, um, I, Ijust, I just saw a, uh, a
spiritual medium the other day,okay, and I don't know if you
(41:15):
believe in any of that or not.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
I get it.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
I had a different.
I didn't really go, I didn'treally have this, uh, this um
session or whatever, to likefind out my future or anything
like that it was.
I had a different motive for it, but she, um, she proceeded to
tell me that in the next coupleyears, more specifically like
when I'm 40 I think she said 41there's going to be a big change
(41:47):
, uh, and and she kept sayingabout, she kept telling me, like
move west, move west.
And she did the whole card thingyeah she did the whole card
thing and uh, there was like twodifferent references to being
west.
One, uh, something to do withthe Pacific ocean, but but she
(42:11):
reiterated, like listen, westjust means West from where we
are.
So that could be, you know,ohio, you know, let's just you
know, it's a little bit furtherSouth West, but still.
Yeah, yeah, it could.
Yeah, you know Montana, wyoming, texas, like you know anywhere
West from Pennsylvania, um, soyou know to to answer your
(42:36):
question in five years, I would,I would really hope to, uh,
just to be happy, you know, behappy and uh, potentially
hopefully be in the situationthat I just described, just
being able to have music, um,make a living for the family.
(42:57):
Cause you know, as hard as I'mpushing and as hard as I've been
pushing the last three years, Ikind of told myself that, like
when I um, uh, when I kind ofhit a, a certain age that you
know I'm not going to be able tokeep pushing as hard as what
I'm doing right now.
Um, you know, and I hate to, Ihate to say that cause it's like
(43:21):
you know, you're kind of givingup or quitting, but I'm, I'm
not necessarily, it's, it's justRight, no, I get it.
There's a there's a certainamount of effort and time.
You know that that I'm, thatI'm putting in consistently now
that in five years from now, Idon't know if I'm going to be,
(43:43):
if I'm going to be as driven asI am right now.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
Right.
I think that's hard to predict,though it all depends it, you
know.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
so, like I, I like to , I like to think of it, I like
to think of everything as havinga step right or or wrong on a
ladder, like every um, every,every good step forward or up
Right.
So you know, every year, forthe last three years, I have
tried to essentially one up uh,each year, you know whatever
(44:19):
that may be you know um.
Last year I played the barefootcountry festival and still no
idea, no idea no idea how I goton that.
You know, I'm grateful, I'mbeyond grateful for that, um,
and now this year I'm probablygetting into stuff that you're
gonna ask me.
Speaker 1 (44:37):
I'm sorry no, no, go ahead, because it makes my job
easy so, you know, that was a.
Speaker 2 (44:42):
That was an awesome step forward, um, an opportunity
for last year.
Now this this year, um, I'mgetting to play the Carolina
country festival, um, which isamazing.
And um, I'm also, you know,trying to push this song to
radio now, um, and who knows,you know, who knows what else
(45:04):
could happen this year.
I don't know, but I alreadyfeel like what my 2025 is pretty
well scheduled for already, isalready a step ahead of last
year yeah, it already is,there's no doubt, and what you
have scheduled is it's justgoing to make it even better.
Speaker 1 (45:21):
Uh, and how did you get on those festivals?
That's one of.
You must have been noticedsomewhere.
People know who you are andsaid you know what this guy
needs to come on on this stage.
We need to get them in this,this festival.
Speaker 2 (45:36):
Honestly, man, I think, and I think genuinely
this is how it happened, becauseI never asked um the.
I never asked the contact, uh,that I have.
How did you ever hear about me?
It's just something that Ididn't.
Speaker 1 (45:52):
Right.
Speaker 2 (45:53):
The conversation just has never, you know, come up.
But what I can tell you is andthis is how I think it happened
and actually, if you go to theCarolina Facebook, the Carolina
Country Fest Facebook right nowFacebook, the Carolina Country
(46:13):
Fest Facebook, right now, theyare accepting um, their um I
can't think of the right word,but uh, I'll say applications,
essentially um.
For now they're, I thinkthey're looking for local um
local artists.
Yeah, local artists to uh, toput on uh down there.
You know, and I think that'show I ended up getting on
(46:34):
barefoot last year.
Uh, I submitted, you know, Isubmitted whatever and um, yeah,
it all, it all worked out.
And, trust me, I so I'll get alittle personal with you.
I so I'll get a little personalwith you.
Speaker 1 (46:51):
I actually I, I had a heart attack last year, that's
right.
No, I, I read that in your bio.
Wow, yeah, so I had a heartattack for that.
Speaker 2 (47:08):
I, I know, I know, um , a lot of different, uh, a lot
of different factors, just a lot, okay, but anyhow so had a
heart attack.
It was the day after Cinco deMayo, may 6th, and the day that
I got out of the hospital.
I was in for two or three days,I think it was three days, and
I get out of the hospital andI'm obviously on all kinds of
(47:30):
new medication, you know.
So I'm like, I'm like really,I'm really out of it and just
you know, it's just not with it.
Well, I opened my phone and Istarted going through emails as
I'm leaving the hospital and oneof the emails was from a
barefoot country and I, like Ihad to reread that email like
(47:55):
three or four times to fullyunderstand what it was.
Cause I you know what I mean, Iget, I get a lot of emails
asking, you know, to playcertain benefits and you know
other other, smaller, you knowsmaller festivals and stuff, um,
and nothing, absolutely no,nothing against them at all.
You know what I mean, but likeno I, I, I open this one up and
(48:18):
I read through it and I'm likeoh, okay, then I read through it
again.
I was like wait a minute.
Then I read through it a thirdtime and I was like holy, okay,
um yeah, and you had anotherheart attack because of the
email and you went back.
Speaker 1 (48:31):
No, I'm just kidding, no, it had to be such a good
feeling I mean to get that.
I mean, there, you are, dude,well-deserved, so that's cool.
Speaker 2 (48:42):
Oh man, without a doubt, I'm still there.
I'm still um there there.
Words, honestly, like wordscannot describe how genuinely
happy and, uh, just blessed.
Quite honestly, like I surviveda heart attack and I get to
play um one of the biggestcountry music festivals on the
(49:03):
East coast.
You know what I mean.
Like it's absolutely that'ssomebody has a bigger plan, I
think somebody's watching you?
Speaker 1 (49:12):
there's no doubt my friend, there's no doubt, and uh
, I know, uh, lisa is on hereand says gonna check you out on
my itunes and download a few.
So that's great, thank you.
Yes, absolutely, that's.
Uh, your music's all though onthe socials and all that right
which they could.
For example, if Lisa wanted tolog on, she can get the music.
Speaker 2 (49:35):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (49:36):
Awesome, very cool.
Pay $1.29 for the single.
I don't know what it is now.
Yeah, I don't know either.
But that's pretty coolWhereabouts I would expect you
to be on all the social media.
You probably TikTok, Insta andall that Correct.
Speaker 2 (49:53):
Yes, yep, all of yes.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
And the website.
Speaker 2 (49:58):
Yes, yeah.
But so just to just to clarify,the website is not, it's not
just like Cody Ross Smith dotcom, it is a.
It's it just like Cody Rosssmithcom?
Um, it is a it's.
It's more of a business profile.
Um, it's through a company.
It's through a company calleddot.
Speaker 1 (50:16):
Um, but um yeah.
Cool, very cool.
What's that?
What's wrong?
Somebody in the back seat?
Speaker 2 (50:26):
No, no, I was actually.
I actually I was looking um.
My phone looks like it's gonnadie okay well, you know what we.
Speaker 1 (50:33):
It's about time to wrap it up anyways, so I'll hold
you much longer, but uh, it's,it's been a lot of fun chatting
with you, finding out about you,you know, getting to know you a
little bit and, uh, getting toknow your music and we.
We go into the backstory andit's interesting.
You are just a cool guy,interesting guy, still working a
(50:53):
full-time gig all day, workingyour ass off, and you go out and
you play at night and you writesongs in between, and I think
you're thinking right that, uh,you know you're happy doing what
you're doing and if you canmake a living at it, you're
going to be.
That's going to be fine.
You don't need to be asuperstar, you know, and don't
(51:14):
just be yourself.
Speaker 2 (51:15):
Yeah, you know, yeah, 100%.
Speaker 1 (51:19):
Well, you know, you're not that far away.
We're in Syracuse, you're inPennsylvania.
Speaker 2 (51:24):
That's right, I forgot that yeah, and your roads
suck.
Speaker 1 (51:28):
Um, yeah, no, I know I know, all kidding aside, but,
uh, we drive to the outer banksevery year and of course you
know it's like pennsylvania isthe longest state ever, takes
you forever to get through itand the roads are not the best.
So, but no, I think they'regetting better.
Speaker 2 (51:48):
I think they're getting better, so it's okay
yeah, without a doubt you wouldthink, for as much construction
as we have going on um that, ourroads would be beautiful,
pristine, uh, no potholes.
Speaker 1 (52:01):
But it's the same here.
I was just messing around.
Speaker 2 (52:06):
It's the same here no , I know I messing around.
It's the same here.
No, I know, I know, I know.
Speaker 1 (52:10):
All right, very cool, cody.
Thanks for coming on.
Skip Happens tonight, gettingto know you a little bit,
looking everything.
All right, it's your, I got you, I know.
Oh, now I can't hear you.
There we go, yep.
Airpod fell out, sorry, therewe go, yep.
Speaker 2 (52:26):
AirPod fell out.
Sorry, that's all.
Speaker 1 (52:28):
No, no, no problem at all.
I just want to thank you forcoming on, skip Happen.
It's been great to get to knowyou a little bit.
Hopefully, people will see this, viewers will see this,
(52:50):
listeners will see this andthey'll be able to go on and
download some of your music andmaybe call some of the radio
stations and request your musicand get them to play it.
Um, to be a cool thing and,like I said, you're with good
people.
You got a great team withgrassroots, so it's just a lot
of work for you to do yourselfand, frankly, I don't understand
how you do it all.
I mean, like I said, workingfull-time gig and doing all this
.
Speaker 2 (53:01):
so it's kind of cool yeah, yeah yeah, for sure, yeah,
I skip.
Thank you so much for having meon um, I'm great greatly
appreciated and I look forwardto hanging out with you at crs
next year, for sure, oh that'llbe a lot of fun and hopefully,
hopefully the people with uh,with grassroots, to hopefully
(53:23):
get to hang out with some ofthem yeah, did you.
Speaker 1 (53:24):
Uh, real quickly did you?
You go to the dinner, thegrassroots dinner.
Speaker 2 (53:31):
I did not, no, Okay.
Speaker 1 (53:32):
I did, but I was just .
If you were there, then thatwould have been another spot
that we were like, probablypretty much next to each other.
Right right, yeah, but it's allgood.
It's all good.
All right, my friend, cody RossSmith, and check him out online
, download the music, buy themusic and just tell everybody
(53:55):
about him.
He's cool.
He's been on Skip Happens.
That means a lot to me, so it'spretty cool.
All right, everybody, have agreat night, Cody, stay right
there.
Have a great night everybody.
Thank you for watching SkipHappens.
Make sure you give us a like,subscribe on YouTube and uh, and
if you have a YouTube page makesure I do.
Speaker 2 (54:15):
I do not.
I'm working on it.
I'm working on it.
Speaker 1 (54:17):
Just keep an eye out for it, because once he does,
then make sure you subscribe.
So, cody, thanks for joining ustonight.
Speaker 2 (54:24):
Thanks, skip.
Thank you, man.
And we're live.
Let's do it.
Hello everybody, and welcomeback to another episode of Skip
Happens, where we bring you thestories that inspire and connect
.
I'm your host, skip Clark, youknow that, and we have a true
rising star in the world ofindependent country music, and I
love this.
He's been turning heads withhis raw, authentic sound and his
(00:23):
deeply personal lyrics.
He's been turning heads withhis raw, authentic sound and his
deeply personal lyrics From hisearly influences to his
evolution as an artist.
Cody has carved out his ownpath in the ever-changing
landscape of country music andnow tonight we're going to be
diving into his journey.
We're going to talk everythingfrom what first drew him into
the genre and then how he'sbuilt such a strong connection.
(00:44):
And let's say hello to Cody.
Welcome to Skip Happens, myfriend.
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Good man Good.
How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (00:51):
We're doing good, a little bit late tonight, I
apologize.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Hey, it's all good, Stuff happens.
Skip, stuff happens.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Well, we call it Skip Happens.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
You know, that's a pretty good name for it.
You never know, it's alltechnology, but we've now
connected, which is really good.
Uh, cody, tell me a little bitabout where are you right now?
Where in the world is Cody?
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Um so I am in Middletown.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Pennsylvania.
I actually just finishedplaying a show in Middletown,
yeah so you know what Imentioned, that you're going to
be on Skip Happens tonight, andsomebody immediately posted he's
(01:41):
our Harrisburg boy that is yes,that's pretty close to where
you are correct.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Yes, so yeah, probably, from where I'm at
right here, probably not even 10minutes from where.
I live from where I live,actually like 25, 30 minutes
maybe, so yeah, Now you've 25,30 minutes maybe.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
So yeah, now you've Cody.
Early on, you've beenrecognized as an emerging talent
in independent country music.
What first drew you to thegenre and how did you know that
country music was your calling?
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Oh, man, you know I grew up.
I grew up on 90s country.
I'm a 90s country baby, but atthe same time I can also say
that I grew up on classic rock.
I mainly had two stationsgrowing up listening to, and my
(02:40):
mom was the country radiostation and my dad was the
classic rock station.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
I kind of figured that's the way it would be.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, yeah.
So you know whoever I wasriding around with if it was mom
, I was hearing all the great90s country, and if it was a dad
, I was hearing all the greatclassic rock and that's what I
grew up listening to.
Um, that's that's what I grewup listening to.
And you know what really drewme to country?
(03:09):
Um and I, I will say I played alot of rock and roll and like
heavy metal in high school and,um, shortly out of high school.
And then I always, I always hada soft spot for country, but I
never, I never played it, Inever performed it out or
anything.
I just I was too much in lovewith heavy rock and roll and
(03:33):
metal and stuff.
But then, about I don't know 20, when I was probably like 22,
started going out to the openmics in the area, uh, playing
country and bluegrass, and justshifted, shifted gears, you know
, right then.
And there I decided that youknow the the country scene is is
(03:57):
where I want to be and I still,I still have a deep love for
all rock and roll or heavy metal, just so everybody knows and
definitely would like to, andactually I think you might be
able to hear it in some of thestuff that I do.
(04:19):
I try to incorporate a bit of asouthern rock vibe or a rock
vibe in general into the stuffthat I'm doing.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
I love that You're writing as well, correct?
Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
And tell me about your songwriting process.
Man, it is as abstract as itcould possibly, as any person
could possibly write songs Likeum I I.
I try not to force right.
I try not to sit down and, youknow, be like I need to write a
new song.
I try not to do that.
I try to get genuine.
(05:03):
You know, inspiration when itcomes as it comes and um it
built build.
Off of that, I mean I could be.
You know, I could be sittinghere right now and just kind of
have a liner, you know, like aline or two pop into my head,
that's kind of catchy and I'lljump to my phone and go into my
notes and just get it down asquick as I can and and then I'll
(05:30):
I'll go back and revisit itwhen I do have time to sit down
and try to get somethingtogether.
It's yeah, man, there is nomethod to what I have created so
far at all.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
I swear to God.
Maybe that's a good thing.
I mean, you know it could be.
It's something different.
Do you take your personalexperiences and turn them into
lyrics?
Most definitely yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Most definitely I try .
You know, there's a lot ofpeople, a lot of awesome
songwriters, that are so good attalking to someone and like
pulling ideas from someoneelse's experiences, you know, or
stories.
I have not developed, uh, thatkind of talent yet.
I can only write about personaluh.
(06:17):
You know how I'm, how I'mfeeling personally, or or
something that's happened in mylife so do you get um?
Speaker 1 (06:24):
do you get any help from your hometown radio
stations?
Speaker 2 (06:28):
I do actually, um, honestly, the first station to
ever play any of my stuff wouldhave been a station called red.
One or two, three, uh out ofcarlisle, okay, um, and the
program director it's and it'sfunny, you, you brought that up
the program director there, uh,rick, uh, he actually just
(06:49):
retired, um, like two weeks agomaybe, and he has been with that
station for I want to say, ohmy God, probably at least 20
years, if not more.
I feel bad.
I should know that number.
He's, he's been at that stationforever.
Um, so I give him, I give him ahuge debt of gratitude for um
(07:11):
putting my music on.
Um, they, they had a thingcalled Sunday night center stage
and I'm sure they're, I'm surethey're still going to do it,
but it was a Sunday nightshowcase of a local country
talent.
A sunday night showcase of, uh,local country talent.
Yeah, they would do like threeto four artists um, every sunday
(07:32):
afternoon slash evening andshowcase, like you know, uh,
however many songs they couldfit into the program or whatever
, but yeah for sure, uh, I gotrick stenn red one, 1023.
And now, more recently, I haveto say that Bigfoot Country, I
think it's 92.5 out of Lewistown, pennsylvania Bigfoot Pete.
(07:56):
I got to give him a huge shoutout.
He has been playing a lot of mymusic.
Actually, everybody at thestation up there has been
playing.
See how cool is that.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
It's serious.
They get the hometown love.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
That's there's nothing better and like.
So I gotta say lewistown islike lewistown's like an hour, I
think it's an hour away fromwhere I'm at, from where I live,
um, so for them to just bewilling to con, to consistently
like it's um, some of my songsare consistently in rotation,
(08:27):
you know, on the daily.
It's not, uh, it's not so muchjust like a, a specified you
know showcase or you know what Imean?
Speaker 1 (08:35):
it's actually in a rotation.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Yeah, yeah, I'm so I'm beyond grateful, man beyond
grateful absolutely it's.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
It's great to have that connection.
It's hometown, it's local,that's, and we need to see a lot
more of that.
We kind of got away from thatand now we need to bring it back
home with everything that'sgoing back, that's going on.
What, um, tell us a little bit.
I mean music it's, it's yourlove, it's your passion.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
I was reading you've been doingit since 2021, just a few years
(09:04):
ago, I mean, or what did I?
Speaker 2 (09:08):
so, no, no, no, that's you.
You probably read it correctly.
Uh, 2021 is when I decided tostart on a solo, on a yeah, on a
solo career.
Prior, prior to 2021, I was in,uh, like two or three different
bands over a span of 10 yearsyeah, 10 years.
(09:33):
I think.
I started playing out live in2012.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
All right, cool.
Oh my God, how old were youthen?
Well, it's like all right, youdon't have to say it.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Okay, oh my God, how old were you then?
Um well, it's like oh, youdon't have to say okay, All
right, but listen before I,before I divulge my age you
don't have to dude if you don'twant to no, I absolutely will.
I absolutely will, but I it's.
You know, I still getcompliments.
Uh, I take them as compliments.
People like all the timethey're like, how old are you,
how old are you?
(10:03):
And I tell them as compliments.
People like all the timethey're like how old are you,
how old are you?
And I tell them and they'relike, well, you don't look your
age.
And I'm like, well, that's agood thing and I hope it stays
that way.
I hope you know um, but now so,uh, 2012, I was 12, I was 20.
Uh, all right, that's good weget 20 couple.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
I was 20, all right, yeah, yeah, that's, that's good
enough, dude.
I mean I don't know, you'vewaited a while, you, you do have
a full-time gig and uh, we weretalking before we went out in
the air with the lights and thecameras and all that good stuff,
but you have a full-time gig.
Uh, you're doing likeconstruction, road construction,
storm sewers, catch basins.
(10:41):
I did that too and I hate it.
I hated it.
It was like it was.
It was a lot of work, dude,unless I was running the backhoe
or maybe I had the cat dozer orsomething like that, or the
great all digging the ditch.
I mean, if I had to go in thatditch, I hated it.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
But you know, you know I work with a lot of
awesome guys and I can honestlysay I've been with uh.
I've been with other companieswhere they're not so awesome and
I really uh, I've I've seenboth sides like I've been
miserable and I've also been,you know, had some of the uh I
(11:19):
wouldn't say best days, but likeway, way better than than than
uh past experiences at differentcompanies.
You know what I mean.
I'm really, but like way, waybetter than than than past
experiences at differentcompanies.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
I'm really, I really do?
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Yeah, I really do enjoy the company I work for now
and the guys.
I get to work with.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Cool, Get them.
I was going to say yeah, andthe name of the company.
We can have them endorse.
The skip happens podcast.
I'm just kidding, that's allgood.
But so now I have to ask well,you're doing a job, Maybe you're
laying some 12-inch corrugatedpipe steel.
I don't know.
How is that?
See, I still remember.
But do you have the radio onand does your song come on and
(11:58):
everybody kind of stop and go.
Holy crap, that's Cody and go.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Holy crap, that's Cody.
So that specific scenario hasnot happened, but I can say that
my general foreman, he rocks mysticker on the back of his work
truck, my sticker on the backof his work truck.
(12:31):
So, uh, that's a huge um, I, I,I, I highly uh, thank him like
constantly, like thank you forputting my sticker on the back
of one of the work trucks, likeyeah, no kidding, that's yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
You never know where that truck's gonna be.
It's kind of cool yeah, rightyeah, so tell us about the song
you just dropped the song thatis out.
Matter of fact, I'm going toplay a little bit of it.
Here it is.
It's cody ross smith.
I'm playing back to, back tothat.
Let's give me a little tastehere we go, it's cody we go.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
It's cody.
There's an old dirt road thattakes me home, a sweet southern
song that saves my soul, ahonky-tonk town where I grew up
and a damned old turn where Iwrecked my truck with no
trespassing signs and nostoplights, where everybody
works hard and the fish aregonna bite and take it on the
(13:29):
chin or take it to the bank Canparty all night and sing a
little hank.
These are my stomping groundsfrom the harbor to the city.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
We'll cut your fried roots and a little bit of hippie
my stomping grounds.
Yeah, we blue-collar proud,Keep shining side up, get dirty
side down.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
It's 5 o'clock around here.
All the time Everybody'skicking back where the moon's
gonna shine.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
My stomping grounds, dude, that rocks and I can hear
a little bit of your rockinfluence in that song.
I hear that guitar riff.
I mean that is cool.
That is cool, Thank you so?
Much you know, and that wouldbe.
You know, I hear a lot of music, but that would be one of those
(14:16):
songs.
If I was cruising down the roadman in my hometown, I'd be
cranking that.
It's just.
That's what I'm about.
That's what I'm about.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
And I can see.
That's what you did there.
That's what you're about.
So did you really rock thetruck on the curve?
I did, I did um, but so so itwas actually.
It was actually my mom's truckthat I wrecked um.
It wasn't my truck, but she letlet me, she let me drive it Um
and.
I wrecked it and, um, I can tellyou.
(14:51):
So listen, just, I I feelterrible about it.
I still feel terrible about itto this day, cause I, I messed
the rim up, I rest, I messed thefront bumper, like it was.
It was pretty bad.
But to top it off, I had mylittle brother riding, shotgun
and and I had our dog bow in theback seat and, uh, freaking, I
(15:14):
felt so bad, like I was just allI was trying to do was just
goof around a little bit and,and you, you know, do a little
dukes of hazard maneuver and, uh, it didn't pan out the way I
wanted it to and long, longstory short, uh, my brother
pretty well, bashed his face offthe dash and our dog our, our
(15:37):
dog bow.
Oh man, our dog bow flew upthrough in between the seats and
smacked into, smack into thedash too.
Now nobody, nobody was hurt,nobody was seriously hurt.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Okay, I was laughing before.
Now I feel bad.
If somebody got hurt, thatwouldn't be the wow, I'm sorry
but can you hear me?
Speaker 2 (15:57):
yeah, I hear you so everybody, everybody was fine,
um, but I just you know what Imean I felt genuinely terrible.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
But yes, I did.
Speaker 2 (16:06):
That part of the song is most definitely true.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
I guess that's an example.
What I was trying to get at iswhen somebody like you, you sit
down to write a song, you thinkabout what's going on in your
life.
That happened.
Now it's a part of a song andthere's probably more than you
can imagine that guys that wouldbe listening and going yeah, I
did that.
Yeah, I did that.
(16:31):
Yeah, I messed up there too, soyou know that's way good.
I'm just reading one of thecomments here.
Jonathan says hi, skip COVIDhas kidnapped my wife.
Oh boy, yeah, well, we hopeeverything's okay.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
My mom.
My mom tested positive thisweek.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
She's been.
You know it's, it's.
I think there's more than we,we really know.
I think there's a lot of thatgoing on.
So I think it's just like youget the flu, it doesn't matter,
you get the flu, it doesn'tmatter, you get the flu, you
take care of yourself, you'regoing to be OK.
So yeah, I don't get into.
(17:11):
You know all that whole wholething about it.
So yeah, absolutely.
So I mean you get up every day,you go to work.
What's your day like?
I imagine you're in the ditchat 7 o'clock or doing what you
do with the construction workthat you do, and then you
probably work to 3.30, 4 o'clock, get home, clean up and go play
(17:35):
a gig.
How does that work for you?
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Yeah, you're pretty well, spot on.
I typically, you know, shows upmy way are primarily Friday,
saturday nights.
Oh, I got you Now tonight,today's Thursday, which is kind
of a one-off for me, um, whichis kind of a one-off for me, um,
(18:03):
I, I pick them up when I can,but they're they're few and far
between, uh, venues that'll havelive music, um, on like through
the week, you know, not on theweekends, um, but yeah, you're,
uh, I know.
So I actually I just got off alayoff this week, like I, I just
came back to work.
I've been laid off since aboutchristmas, oh, wow, um, yeah,
(18:26):
which is which is typical,because you know winter roll,
yeah, winter rolls around and um, you, just you know you, you,
just you, nobody, nobody wantsto be out there freezing their
butts off.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
So, um, no, exactly right, I totally get that,
totally get that.
But as a musician, uh, did youget an opportunity during the
layoff maybe to make a trip tonashville or maybe put some
tracks down?
Were you able to do that?
Speaker 2 (18:57):
I, I did, I did and actually I was down.
I went down in november, um, Iwas still working at the time,
um, but then I did end up.
I went back down just infebruary for, more specifically,
for uh, crs, um, oh, which is,yeah, country radio seminar yeah
(19:21):
and that was my.
I think that was my third year.
It's even my third or fourthyear, um, going to that, but the
difference, the difference thisyear, is that I actually, um,
actually participated in a lotmore as to, as to, like, how the
(19:43):
whole thing functions, theevent itself, Right, I probably
saw you and just didn't realizeit.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
I mean, I've been doing that for well over 20
years, really.
Were you there, oh I was there.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Oh dude, oh man.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
No, I know, and it's like I was talking to an artist
the other night and it's likedude, were you there?
Yeah, I was there.
Were you at bar lines?
Yeah, I was at bar lines.
Hey, were you hanging out inthe lobby by kitchen notes?
Yeah, I was down there too.
Yeah, oh yeah, just you knowwell, definitely next year, man.
Next year, now that you know,now that we know each other for
sure 100 100 there's, you knowit's um I I did meet a lot of
(20:21):
the artists that I've had onSkip Happens.
It's just nice to put a face Imean you see them anyways, like
you and I here but to actuallygo up and say hello and have a
beer or hang out or shake hands.
It was nice to catch up with alot of those people.
I look forward to it again.
Know, for example, I mean wegot a whole year now.
I think next year it's later inmarch, so I I think I saw that
(20:46):
yeah, did you um, did youperform?
Speaker 2 (20:49):
I did not.
I well not not at um, not atbar lines or not at, you know
yeah yeah, now, I did have, um,I did have two writers rounds.
I think that I did Okay.
Uh, yeah, I did.
Yeah, I had two writers roundsin town, uh, while I was there
(21:13):
and uh, I actually I kinda Ikinda lied, I did get to play a
suite.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
Uh, showcase for um did get to play a suite.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
Uh showcase for um oh my god, nashville music, god,
nash music, god, oh okay, okay,yeah, I did get to do that that
was in the omni, correct.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Yes, yes, yes, okay, there, you know.
They have the sweet thingsgoing on everywhere.
B-dubs got his suite.
All the big labels have theiryes, there's so many.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Like, anybody with a suite is probably having music.
They're probably havingmusicians play.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
But it's a good opportunity for somebody like
you, if somebody's watching this, just to be at that event,
because pretty much anybodythat's anybody will be there at
least for one day out of thethree, if not all three.
And it's good to wellnetworking, Because you and I
both know sometimes it's who youknow and not necessarily
(22:08):
anything else.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Most definitely.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
It kind of sucks that it's that way sometimes, but it
works out, it works out.
Hey, cody, is there one songfrom your catalog that kind of
holds a special place in yourheart and if there is, could you
share the story or inspirationbehind it?
Speaker 2 (22:28):
oh man, um.
So probably, as far as songsthat are released, the most
sentimental to me, uh isdefinitely my grandpa's song.
Uh, it's called that's mygrandpa, um and uh, yeah, he, uh
, he was.
So I lost my first grandfatherin 2012.
(22:51):
I lost my uh last grandfather,uh, 2019 and um.
So I wrote I wrote that's mygrandpa.
More specifically, about my uhlast grandfather passed away in
2019 and I think I put that outuh, I want to say 2021, I think
(23:14):
um and uh, you know it's um,it's definitely it's.
It's the most sentimental songuh to me and I actually had.
I had somebody come up to me ata show and they came to see me
from out of state, which really,that, really um, struck a nerve
(23:37):
with me.
You know like I was.
I was like holy cow.
You know somebody's, somebody'swilling to bring their family
uh to come see me from out ofstate, and they specifically,
they specifically said uh, andit was a, it was a younger guy,
he was like man.
You know, I brought my wife, mydaughter, my mom and dad up to
(23:58):
see you because, uh, your songthat's my grandpa means like so
much to me.
It's such a good song and I waslike holy cow, like you know,
that's, that's one of them.
Um, that's one of those likefull circle moments, you know
what I mean, where you know it'slike who, who really?
You know, I could sit here andbe like man who's really
listening to my music andwhatever, and then that happened
(24:20):
and it was like you, you neverknow and you never know um who
your music is touching and whatit means to them, and that was
just.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
It was just such a good moment, um, it made me feel
good, you know, absolutely, butum yeah you know, I love
hearing that.
Um, you know, shout out tojacob smalley, who's watching as
well.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
He y'all you know, jake, yeah, yeah yeah, let me go
there.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
It is.
I don't know if you can seethat or not, but what's up?
Speaker 2 (24:51):
yes, yeah what's up, jake?
Speaker 1 (24:54):
I've had jake on the podcast and I need to get him
back on again.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
It's been a while so yes sir people yeah man, his, uh
, he, I, I think his last songhe just dropped not too long ago
.
Sober, I don't know if you'veheard it yet or not, I'm just
saying you need to hear it ifyou haven't heard it you see
jacob at uh crs.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Yes, sir, yes sir we were hanging a little bit.
See, I don't know where youwere, dude, yeah, yeah next year
, man next year we'll have somefun, absolutely, um.
So let me just get back here alittle bit.
What direction, uh, do you hopeto take with your music, and
(25:33):
are are there any new sounds orthemes that you're eager to
explore, maybe in your upcomingprojects?
It's kind of a crazy question,I guess, but you know, just keep
doing what you're doing.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
Yeah, you know, cause , you know, I, I don't have, uh,
I I'm a hundred percentindependent.
And when I say that, like, like, I have no management, I have
no booking agent, I have, youknow, it's 100% me.
So I don't really have anybodyto push or suggest new ideas on
(26:13):
stuff.
Even the guy that I mainly haverecorded most of the music
that's out there, he's not even.
He's not even.
Okay, let me, he doesn'tconsider himself a producer.
You know what I mean.
Like he, he pretty well expectsthe artist to know exactly what
(26:37):
kind of sound or what they wantto get out of him.
Exactly what kind of sound, um,or what they want to get out of
him, um, you know he, hedoesn't really, uh, he doesn't
really, um, put his own twocents into your song.
You know what I mean.
Like he right, you, you prettywell have it figured out, but by
the time you go and take it tothem, Exactly.
(26:58):
So, um, I don't really knowthat I have a, an agenda or or,
like you know, a real directionto try new things.
Like I feel like, um, I feellike I would still like to sort
of focus on, like you know, thethe country slash Southern rock
(27:22):
type vibe.
Um, you know, I really I reallydig, uh, travis denning's new
stuff yes, specifically he just.
He just dropped a song not toolong ago.
I think it's actually calledsouthern rock.
Uh, with hardy, I think hardy'sin on it.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
Oh, I wouldn't doubt that.
Hardy seems to be just abouteverywhere now, not only
songwriting, but, uh, you know,it seems to be collaborating
with a lot of different artists.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
Yeah, that's cool, yeah, that's, but um, yeah, to
answer your question, skip, Idon't really you know, I think
I'll just keep doing what I'mdoing, um and um, cool, maybe,
maybe record some more.
I did cut a track in Nashvillewhen I was down for CRS.
I did cut an acoustic trackdown there.
Um, and my goal, honestly, mygoal is to record more in town
(28:12):
and uh, just see, uh see, seewhere the see, where the studio
guys down there can take me, youknow See what happens.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
So you're pretty much you're committed to staying
true in the roots of countrymusic.
But with that being said, whatdo you think the future holds
for the genre?
And you know the rise of allthese new artists and shifts in
the musical taste.
I mean there's so much of thatgoing on.
I mean, morgan Wallen's goingto drop another double album
here not too far out.
(28:43):
He's got a couple of songscoming out on Friday and the way
I look at that, it's great, Iget it.
But you know it's people likeyourself that need to be heard
and get on those charts.
And there's so many radiostations there that are going to
go.
We're going to play the Morganand, and you know, nobody knows
(29:06):
who this guy is.
It's not giving you anopportunity and I believe that
all these artists need anopportunity.
And you did mention, you know,the radio station doing a
special thing on sundays, butstill, it's just it's got to
make it so difficult yeah, um,definitely, um, I mean, as, as
you probably know, stompingGrounds, the song that you
played a little bit of a coupleminutes ago.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Yep, no, you're good, you're good.
So I'm trying to push that songto country radio and see how it
gets accepted and see whathappens.
So far I think it's doingpretty good.
You know I'm I've.
(29:52):
This is the first time, this isthe first time in song that
that that I'm trying to make anattempt at having, you know, a
bigger or yeah, oh my gosh,having country radio, sending it
to country radio and seeingwhat kind of reaction I can get.
So yeah, we'll see what happens, man.
Speaker 1 (30:10):
Yeah, no, I think it's a good thing.
And if you could get radiostations, something I do is I'll
take a song like this and I'lldo a little competition in the
afternoon.
I'll let the listeners decide,just to give me an idea what
they're liking, you know.
And also it gives an artistlike yourself a little bit of
airplay, which is cool.
Yeah, what you're seeking toget, and, of course, you're
(30:31):
doing it with grassroots whocouldn't you couldn't get
anybody better.
They are awesome, just so youknow.
Yes, sir, definitely do theirthing and they do it right yeah,
I'm super.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
I will say I'm super happy with uh, with uh working
with them.
So far, they they're like everyday I'm getting emails, you
know, um, about what's going on,um, who's playing it, how many
times they're playing it.
They're who's playing it, howmany times they're playing it.
They're very communication.
(31:03):
In my opinion, so far,communication is just awesome.
Yeah, and they will continue todo that.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
I've never heard anybody say different and I've
been doing this for a long time.
So Nancy Tunick and that wholestaff is just Teresa.
Everybody is phenomenal,everybody.
Yeah, you know, and I telleverybody this too, the cool
thing about grassroots is thatthey know music.
They're not just somebody outthere trying to make a buck,
(31:30):
they know music.
They've got radio people thatwork for them now, and also they
are musicians.
So I mean you've got the bestof both worlds.
You know going after what youwant, which is good Right,
helping you get to where youneed to be.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
You know that's really cool.
So your truck battery is notgoing to go dead, is it?
Speaker 2 (31:52):
I hope not.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
What do you got for a truck?
What is it?
Speaker 2 (32:00):
Toyota Tundra.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
Okay, okay, you liking it yeah, absolutely,
absolutely uh what year?
What year?
Speaker 2 (32:08):
uh, this is a 19 okay , I get it.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Yeah, I've heard good things about them.
I've got a brand new chevycolorado.
I downsized a little bit, butit's the trail boss, so yeah,
yeah, love it, I love it.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
Listen, I might be, might soon be behind the wheel
of a Chevy not a truck, though,uh, looking at a bourbon.
Um dude.
Listen, we need more room, weneed more room.
The family's growing.
I actually have a baby that'sdue in April.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Oh, congrats, that's cool, thank, actually have a
baby that's due in April.
Oh, congrats, that's cool.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
Which number, how many?
Speaker 2 (32:46):
That would be number four.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Oof dude.
So you got two boys two girls,three girls, one boy.
What do you got?
Speaker 2 (32:52):
I have three boys, and this last, this last one, is
a baby girl, and that that isquits.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
that's dunzo, we're done um, I have to ask, when you
heard it was going to be a girl, what was the reaction?
Speaker 2 (33:08):
because he had the three boys everybody listen,
everybody was team girl,everybody.
So um I was, I was the wife washappy.
The other boys are happy, likeGrammy's happy, like everybody's
happy.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
That's cool.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
Yeah, that's cool, it's going to not what age for
the boys.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
You get the three boys now.
What are the ages?
Speaker 2 (33:34):
So I have a, I have a 12 and an 11 year old.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
Oh boy.
Speaker 2 (33:39):
And yeah, yeah, tell me about it.
Um, pre pre dude, preteen years, like I know, I uh, um, I'm,
I'm struggling Some days, Istruggle some, I don't know, but
anyhow, um, so yeah, 12 and 12and 11.
And then there's a pretty biggap there to a two-year-old and
(34:04):
then baby girls coming in April.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
Yep, you know, there's nothing.
You love all your kids, I getit.
I have three daughters from myprevious marriage.
They're all grown.
They've given me eightgrandkids.
Nice, my wife, I know, and Ilove that.
Oh my God, there's nothing likeit.
You wait, you'll see it someday.
And um, my wife Nancy and I nowwe have a son who's down
(34:27):
syndrome, who's 24, and it'sjust, it's so awesome.
But with my daughters, there issomething about that bond
between a father and hisdaughter and I'm gonna tell, I
walked my three daughters downthe aisle, I bawled my eyes out.
It's just, it's.
There's that bond I mean, it'sjust like no other, and you'll
(34:49):
see what I mean Someday.
You're going to go.
Skip was right, this is so cool, this is the best thing that
ever happened to me and you loveit.
Speaker 2 (34:57):
I get it, but the daughter wow, yeah, I have no
doubt that you're absolutelyright and I like everybody,
everybody keeps saying well,she's gonna be a daddy's girl,
she's gonna be a daddy's girland I'm sitting here like I mean
, I hope she is, you know, butlike I, I, I, I hope that, uh,
(35:22):
that that the brothers, that theolder brothers you know, just
do their do their job and helpdad out looking out for looking
out for baby sister.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
They will, and that's the other thing.
I just know that you know theolder or the yeah, yeah, the
brothers are gonna watch out forher.
They're gonna watch over her.
Nobody's gonna mess with her asshe grows up, because these
brothers will kick the shit outof anybody that I'm just telling
you I've seen it, I've seen itall and that's a good thing.
Now how does your wife and thekids you being an independent
(35:57):
artist, I mean what do theythink of dad doing what he's
doing?
Speaker 2 (36:10):
I mean, they support it.
Um, you know it's it gets, itgets difficult, I'm not gonna
lie, and they would tell you thesame thing.
Uh, it's a lot of late nightsand you know, weekends, um, but
I try to.
Well, there goes my trucklights again.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
I try to tell them that actually looked kind of
cool, Cause you could just.
It was like I'm watching amovie.
I can just see your face whenthe light went out.
Speaker 2 (36:32):
Yeah, it's kind of cool, but anyways go ahead, so
let me know if I lose you.
Can you still hear me?
Speaker 1 (36:40):
All loud and clear.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (36:42):
We're good, phone's gonna go dead.
Oh, there, it went.
Okay, you got me.
Yep, I can hear you.
Uh, you sound different now,but that's all right.
Oh no, there you go.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
Gotcha, there we go okay, so um, back to playing
shows or wait.
Was that the question?
Speaker 1 (37:04):
I'm sorry no, I forgot about it.
Well, I asked about how how thefamily reacts to you being an
independent musician doing whatyou're doing, and then we just
kind of drifted off.
But sorry about that I know Iwas getting I was.
Speaker 2 (37:22):
I was going to go into something um it'll come to
you.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
It'll come to you.
Do you have pets?
Speaker 2 (37:29):
yes, okay, probably too many.
Speaker 1 (37:35):
So yeah, three, three dogs okay, three dogs and a cat
three dogs and a cat and that's, that's down.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
We actually just lost a cat.
Uh, oh god.
Um, last it was in the fall.
It was in the fall.
We had to put one down.
Um, so, yeah, we're down.
We were three dogs and two catsand now it's three dogs in one
cap gotcha gotcha like.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
We have labradors.
What, what, what do you havegotcha labrador like?
Speaker 2 (38:12):
we have labradors.
What, what, what do you haveman?
We're a.
We're a mixture of everything.
We're a house of mutts andmixes and yeah, uh, no, that's
okay, we rescue, we rescue dogs,so that's yeah, so my wife had,
um, she had two rescue dogs, uh, or she rescued two dogs, a
blue healer and a jack russelluh, border collie mix very nice
(38:36):
and then a couple couple yearsago, we we made a decision to
get another dog and we got a redbone.
How a female red bone hound ohwow, yep wow, yep, uh, she was
not a rescue, she was, um, youknow she was a puppy, but we
picked up uh, and I love to hatethat dog so much.
(38:57):
Um, she sees the biggestsweetheart and she just the
biggest pain in the ass at thesame time.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
Yeah, that's how our.
We have a yellow lab that'sdoing that now.
Well, usually we have two dogs.
We're down to one right rightat the moment, but uh, rossi,
he's like six, but he's verywell.
This is gonna sound crazy.
He's very well behaved, butthen he's not.
It's like don't leave anythinglaying around.
Uh, the you know, make sure youput the dirty clothes in the
(39:31):
clothes hamper, or else they'regonna end up all over the house.
Um, it's just whatever.
If he can get his mouth on it,he will grab it, and the thing
is, he'll bring it to you, butyou won't like to take it out of
his mouth.
It's like look at me.
Yeah, it's a beautiful thing,though.
I mean, I love it, but itpisses me off.
Speaker 2 (39:53):
Yep, no doubt.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
All right, I got you, bro.
So what's next for you, cody?
Where do you see yourself infive years?
Where do you want to seeyourself in five years?
Speaker 2 (40:09):
Oh, man, uh, you know I'm a, I'm a realist and just
the goal and and I'm sure anymusician would tell you this,
but like, the goal is to just beable to make a living, um, a
solid living, being a musicianand playing music, that's happy,
(40:30):
yeah, that's just just justdoing what you genuinely love to
do as your profession, you know, or as your as your job.
Right, and you know, I, I keeptelling people like, like I
don't, I don't need to be on tv,I don't need to be winning
awards, I don't need any of onTV, I don't need to be winning
awards, I don't need any of that, I just want to be able to, uh,
(40:52):
I just want to be able to dowhat I love and provide for,
provide for my family, uh, indoing so, so, um, you know, in
five years, if you ask, um, I, Ijust, I just saw a, uh, a
spiritual medium the other day,okay, and I don't know if you
(41:15):
believe in any of that or not.
Speaker 1 (41:18):
I get it.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
I had a different.
I didn't really go, I didn'treally have this, uh, this um
session or whatever, to likefind out my future or anything
like that it was.
I had a different motive for it, but she, um, she proceeded to
tell me that in the next coupleyears, more specifically like
when I'm 40 I think she said 41there's going to be a big change
(41:47):
, uh, and and she kept sayingabout, she kept telling me, like
move west, move west.
And she did the whole card thingyeah she did the whole card
thing and uh, there was like twodifferent references to being
west.
One, uh, something to do withthe Pacific ocean, but but she
(42:11):
reiterated, like listen, westjust means West from where we
are.
So that could be, you know,ohio, you know, let's just you
know, it's a little bit furtherSouth West, but still.
Yeah, yeah, it could.
Yeah, you know Montana, wyoming, texas, like you know anywhere
West from Pennsylvania, um, soyou know to to answer your
(42:36):
question in five years, I would,I would really hope to, uh,
just to be happy, you know, behappy and uh, potentially
hopefully be in the situationthat I just described, just
being able to have music, um,make a living for the family.
(42:57):
Cause you know, as hard as I'mpushing and as hard as I've been
pushing the last three years, Ikind of told myself that, like
when I um, uh, when I kind ofhit a, a certain age that you
know I'm not going to be able tokeep pushing as hard as what
I'm doing right now.
Um, you know, and I hate to, Ihate to say that cause it's like
(43:21):
you know, you're kind of givingup or quitting, but I'm, I'm
not necessarily, it's, it's justRight, no, I get it.
There's a there's a certainamount of effort and time.
You know that that I'm, thatI'm putting in consistently now
that in five years from now, Idon't know if I'm going to be,
(43:43):
if I'm going to be as driven asI am right now.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
Right.
I think that's hard to predict,though it all depends it, you
know.
Speaker 2 (43:55):
so, like I, I like to , I like to think of it, I like
to think of everything as havinga step right or or wrong on a
ladder, like every um, every,every good step forward or up
Right.
So you know, every year, forthe last three years, I have
tried to essentially one up uh,each year, you know whatever
(44:19):
that may be you know um.
Last year I played the barefootcountry festival and still no
idea, no idea no idea how I goton that.
You know, I'm grateful, I'mbeyond grateful for that, um,
and now this year I'm probablygetting into stuff that you're
gonna ask me.
Speaker 1 (44:37):
I'm sorry no, no, go ahead, because it makes my job
easy so, you know, that was a.
Speaker 2 (44:42):
That was an awesome step forward, um, an opportunity
for last year.
Now this this year, um, I'mgetting to play the Carolina
country festival, um, which isamazing.
And um, I'm also, you know,trying to push this song to
radio now, um, and who knows,you know, who knows what else
(45:04):
could happen this year.
I don't know, but I alreadyfeel like what my 2025 is pretty
well scheduled for already, isalready a step ahead of last
year yeah, it already is,there's no doubt, and what you
have scheduled is it's justgoing to make it even better.
Speaker 1 (45:21):
Uh, and how did you get on those festivals?
That's one of.
You must have been noticedsomewhere.
People know who you are andsaid you know what this guy
needs to come on on this stage.
We need to get them in this,this festival.
Speaker 2 (45:36):
Honestly, man, I think, and I think genuinely
this is how it happened, becauseI never asked um the.
I never asked the contact, uh,that I have.
How did you ever hear about me?
It's just something that Ididn't.
Speaker 1 (45:52):
Right.
Speaker 2 (45:53):
The conversation just has never, you know, come up.
But what I can tell you is andthis is how I think it happened
and actually, if you go to theCarolina Facebook, the Carolina
Country Fest Facebook right nowFacebook, the Carolina Country
(46:13):
Fest Facebook, right now, theyare accepting um, their um I
can't think of the right word,but uh, I'll say applications,
essentially um.
For now they're, I thinkthey're looking for local um
local artists.
Yeah, local artists to uh, toput on uh down there.
You know, and I think that'show I ended up getting on
(46:34):
barefoot last year.
Uh, I submitted, you know, Isubmitted whatever and um, yeah,
it all, it all worked out.
And, trust me, I so I'll get alittle personal with you.
I so I'll get a little personalwith you.
Speaker 1 (46:51):
I actually I, I had a heart attack last year, that's
right.
No, I, I read that in your bio.
Wow, yeah, so I had a heartattack for that.
Speaker 2 (47:08):
I, I know, I know, um , a lot of different, uh, a lot
of different factors, just a lot, okay, but anyhow so had a
heart attack.
It was the day after Cinco deMayo, may 6th, and the day that
I got out of the hospital.
I was in for two or three days,I think it was three days, and
I get out of the hospital andI'm obviously on all kinds of
(47:30):
new medication, you know.
So I'm like, I'm like really,I'm really out of it and just
you know, it's just not with it.
Well, I opened my phone and Istarted going through emails as
I'm leaving the hospital and oneof the emails was from a
barefoot country and I, like Ihad to reread that email like
(47:55):
three or four times to fullyunderstand what it was.
Cause I you know what I mean, Iget, I get a lot of emails
asking, you know, to playcertain benefits and you know
other other, smaller, you knowsmaller festivals and stuff, um,
and nothing, absolutely no,nothing against them at all.
You know what I mean, but likeno I, I, I open this one up and
(48:18):
I read through it and I'm likeoh, okay, then I read through it
again.
I was like wait a minute.
Then I read through it a thirdtime and I was like holy, okay,
um yeah, and you had anotherheart attack because of the
email and you went back.
Speaker 1 (48:31):
No, I'm just kidding, no, it had to be such a good
feeling I mean to get that.
I mean, there, you are, dude,well-deserved, so that's cool.
Speaker 2 (48:42):
Oh man, without a doubt, I'm still there.
I'm still um there there.
Words, honestly, like wordscannot describe how genuinely
happy and, uh, just blessed.
Quite honestly, like I surviveda heart attack and I get to
play um one of the biggestcountry music festivals on the
(49:03):
East coast.
You know what I mean.
Like it's absolutely that'ssomebody has a bigger plan, I
think somebody's watching you?
Speaker 1 (49:12):
there's no doubt my friend, there's no doubt, and uh
, I know, uh, lisa is on hereand says gonna check you out on
my itunes and download a few.
So that's great, thank you.
Yes, absolutely, that's.
Uh, your music's all though onthe socials and all that right
which they could.
For example, if Lisa wanted tolog on, she can get the music.
Speaker 2 (49:35):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 1 (49:36):
Awesome, very cool.
Pay $1.29 for the single.
I don't know what it is now.
Yeah, I don't know either.
But that's pretty coolWhereabouts I would expect you
to be on all the social media.
You probably TikTok, Insta andall that Correct.
Speaker 2 (49:53):
Yes, yep, all of yes.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
And the website.
Speaker 2 (49:58):
Yes, yeah.
But so just to just to clarify,the website is not, it's not
just like Cody Ross Smith dotcom, it is a.
It's it just like Cody Rosssmithcom?
Um, it is a it's.
It's more of a business profile.
Um, it's through a company.
It's through a company calleddot.
Speaker 1 (50:16):
Um, but um yeah.
Cool, very cool.
What's that?
What's wrong?
Somebody in the back seat?
Speaker 2 (50:26):
No, no, I was actually.
I actually I was looking um.
My phone looks like it's gonnadie okay well, you know what we.
Speaker 1 (50:33):
It's about time to wrap it up anyways, so I'll hold
you much longer, but uh, it's,it's been a lot of fun chatting
with you, finding out about you,you know, getting to know you a
little bit and, uh, getting toknow your music and we.
We go into the backstory andit's interesting.
You are just a cool guy,interesting guy, still working a
(50:53):
full-time gig all day, workingyour ass off, and you go out and
you play at night and you writesongs in between, and I think
you're thinking right that, uh,you know you're happy doing what
you're doing and if you canmake a living at it, you're
going to be.
That's going to be fine.
You don't need to be asuperstar, you know, and don't
(51:14):
just be yourself.
Speaker 2 (51:15):
Yeah, you know, yeah, 100%.
Speaker 1 (51:19):
Well, you know, you're not that far away.
We're in Syracuse, you're inPennsylvania.
Speaker 2 (51:24):
That's right, I forgot that yeah, and your roads
suck.
Speaker 1 (51:28):
Um, yeah, no, I know I know, all kidding aside, but,
uh, we drive to the outer banksevery year and of course you
know it's like pennsylvania isthe longest state ever, takes
you forever to get through itand the roads are not the best.
So, but no, I think they'regetting better.
Speaker 2 (51:48):
I think they're getting better, so it's okay
yeah, without a doubt you wouldthink, for as much construction
as we have going on um that, ourroads would be beautiful,
pristine, uh, no potholes.
Speaker 1 (52:01):
But it's the same here.
I was just messing around.
Speaker 2 (52:06):
It's the same here no , I know I messing around.
It's the same here.
No, I know, I know, I know.
Speaker 1 (52:10):
All right, very cool, cody.
Thanks for coming on.
Skip Happens tonight, gettingto know you a little bit,
looking everything.
All right, it's your, I got you, I know.
Oh, now I can't hear you.
There we go, yep.
Airpod fell out, sorry, therewe go, yep.
Speaker 2 (52:26):
AirPod fell out.
Sorry, that's all.
Speaker 1 (52:28):
No, no, no problem at all.
I just want to thank you forcoming on, skip Happen.
It's been great to get to knowyou a little bit.
Hopefully, people will see this, viewers will see this,
(52:50):
listeners will see this andthey'll be able to go on and
download some of your music andmaybe call some of the radio
stations and request your musicand get them to play it.
Um, to be a cool thing and,like I said, you're with good
people.
You got a great team withgrassroots, so it's just a lot
of work for you to do yourselfand, frankly, I don't understand
how you do it all.
I mean, like I said, workingfull-time gig and doing all this
.
Speaker 2 (53:01):
so it's kind of cool yeah, yeah yeah, for sure, yeah,
I skip.
Thank you so much for having meon um, I'm great greatly
appreciated and I look forwardto hanging out with you at crs
next year, for sure, oh that'llbe a lot of fun and hopefully,
hopefully the people with uh,with grassroots, to hopefully
(53:23):
get to hang out with some ofthem yeah, did you.
Speaker 1 (53:24):
Uh, real quickly did you?
You go to the dinner, thegrassroots dinner.
Speaker 2 (53:31):
I did not, no, Okay.
Speaker 1 (53:32):
I did, but I was just .
If you were there, then thatwould have been another spot
that we were like, probablypretty much next to each other.
Right right, yeah, but it's allgood.
It's all good.
All right, my friend, cody RossSmith, and check him out online
, download the music, buy themusic and just tell everybody
(53:55):
about him.
He's cool.
He's been on Skip Happens.
That means a lot to me, so it'spretty cool.
All right, everybody, have agreat night, Cody, stay right
there.
Have a great night everybody.
Thank you for watching SkipHappens.
Make sure you give us a like,subscribe on YouTube and uh, and
if you have a YouTube page makesure I do.
Speaker 2 (54:15):
I do not.
I'm working on it.
I'm working on it.
Speaker 1 (54:17):
Just keep an eye out for it, because once he does,
then make sure you subscribe.
So, cody, thanks for joining ustonight.
Speaker 2 (54:24):
Thanks, skip.
Thank you, man.
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