Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
live.
It said go.
So we gotta go.
I know, look at that.
Yeah, buddy, it is skip clarkand I'm the host of skip happens
and I got a guy that's alreadydigging the music, but you're
gonna be digging him by the timewe get done with this tonight.
You may already know him.
Uh, I remember watching him onthe voice and, uh, it was season
(00:22):
14.
Yeah, man.
I think it had to be about 2018,just before, I mean a year or
two before the world stopped.
Yeah, it was.
It was season 14.
It had to be about 2018.
It's Pryor Baird.
What's up, dude?
What's up, mr.
Clark Doing great.
I got your label mate's hat ontonight, yeah you great, I got
(00:45):
your label.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Mates hat on tonight, yeah you do yeah.
I like the skip happens too.
That's good.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
It is.
That's.
That's what this is all about.
And before we get done or whenwe click, when we say goodbye
tonight, I want to make sure Iget your, eddie, and I'll send
you some skip happens bugs.
So or send it to somebody.
Are you there?
Did you freeze up?
He's gone, but I think he'sgoing to be back.
I don't know what happened here.
(01:10):
There you are.
What'd you do I?
Speaker 2 (01:12):
don't have any idea.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Did I piss you off already I?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
have no idea what happened, sorry about that Prior
Dad.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
It's so good to see you, man, so good.
We just got to know each other.
What was it Just back at theCRS, at the Country Radio
Seminar?
As a matter of fact, I think webrought bread together.
I think we sat at the sametable.
Was it the new faces?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
It was.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
It was yeah.
So what's going on with you?
Where are you right now?
Where in the world is Pryor?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
I'm in Nashville Tennessee.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Cool.
Do you live right downtown oryou don't have to tell me where?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
exactly.
I live outside of town about 35minutes.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Smart man.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
I've been downtown for the past 14 years, so I've
been there 13 years.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
That's long.
Wow, I didn't know you were inNashville.
That long Is Nashville home foryou?
Nashville is years long.
Wow, yeah, I didn't know youwere in nashville that long.
I mean, what is national homefor you?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
uh, nashville is.
Nashville is like my second.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
It's my second home, for sure so where is your first
home, though?
Where are you actually from?
Old orchid, california holyshit, dude, that's, that's a
hall.
Now where is what?
An old orchard orchid?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
that's like old old town orchid.
So it's uh, it's okay, 60 milesnorth santa barbara, right on
the coast I got you, so youmoved to nashville.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
You wanted to do the music thing.
You got on the voice and, uh,be honest with you, you should
have won it that season.
Um, I do remember that.
But uh, what place you you camein.
What third Was?
Speaker 2 (02:44):
it.
We like to say we tied forfourth.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
I like that.
Okay, okay, I'll go with that.
I'll go with that.
I just didn't remember off thetop of my head.
But I'll go with that, butthat's pretty damn good.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yeah, great.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
You know, and how is that whole experience for
somebody like you that wants to,uh, you know, make a living, uh
, have a career in music, uh,how is that being on the voice?
Does it really help you, or isit just?
It's just there, or how wouldyou, as let's hear it from you
did it really help you?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
yeah, absolutely, but it all depends on what you make
of it, just like anything elsein life.
You know it's like a lot ofpeople go on that show and they
think you know, when you go onthe show they do everything for
you.
I mean, they tell you when towake up, where you know where
you sleep, when's lunch, whatyou're going to wear, what your
hair is going to be.
You know it's like people justthink that's the way it goes and
then when they get off the show, they just expect their phone
(03:40):
to ring, like okay, well, whatdo I do next?
so you got, you know, you got tomake sure you have a plan.
And I'll be the first to admitI didn't have a plan.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
I was just gonna ask if you had a plan hell.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
No, never in a million years did I ever think
I'd be on a reality tv show shit.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
No, you're so talented and I remember watching
that and you were you were upthere and you were just doing
what you had to do.
You were the only one that Ican recall that had all four
chairs turned yeah and uh, wasit?
I don't not honestly off thetop of my head, which is really
amazing.
Um, I don't need no doctor.
(04:18):
Was it the ray charles student?
Yes, humble pie, humble pie.
Why did I think Rachel?
All right, I was partiallycorrect.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Everybody's covered that song, man, and I did the
John Mayer version of it, Iguess.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Yeah, that was pretty cool.
That was pretty cool, so yougot off of that, you went back
to Nashville where you wereliving, and what happened after
that.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Work.
You know, like you get off theshow and it's.
You've got a lot of momentumand a lot of momentum and you
need to strike while the iron ishot.
You need to make sure that youmake the most of what you're
doing, because I mean, at thattime see, that was 2018.
I got here in 2011.
So seven years, and that sevenyears, I couldn't have made that
kind of momentum by myself.
And so when I got that sevenyears, I couldn't have made that
(05:04):
kind of momentum by myself.
And so when I got that momentumoff the show not to mention, I
met Caleb Lee, so we had a duo,we met on the show and then it
was just like there wassomething about this.
It was totally meant to be.
You know, I met him, he met me,we came together and the first
time we ever sang together inour hotel room, I remember
thinking I was like that is theeasiest I've ever had to, like
(05:25):
that was so easy.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
That's so cool.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
And uh, it turned into, you know, I'd go do a show
and there'd be some peoplethere, but then I'd bring Caleb
with me and there'd be 10 timesas many.
And then Caleb would go do ashow and take me with him.
There'd be 10 times.
Try this out.
So we did and we made it.
You know, we, we were duo andman, we had it all.
We were ready to go, we weregoing to be the next, next Dan
(05:52):
and Shay, and uh, no, we'd havebeen like the next brothers
Osborne, but like okay, thereyou go, all right Okay.
It was rock and roll, it wasawesome music and he just quit
one day.
So it's like, oh crap, no shit,yeah, we were like.
He just never heard from himagain.
(06:12):
I've never seen him again.
It's just really weird.
It's like, oh, you like you're,you're right there and you made
it, and it's like we made it,dude.
And then I'll never forget.
I thought my, I thought my timewas over being here in
Nashville and I told my fianceat the time.
I said I got one egg left in mybasket.
Your dryer's going off.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
No, no, actually it was my watch and it's my son
upstairs, he's watching.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Oh hi son.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
It's named Zach.
Zach has Down syndrome and he's24 and he just loves.
He loves music and he loveswhat I do, and it just could be
prouder so what's up Zach?
No, you'll be down now that youdid that, but go ahead.
I can't believe.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
He just walked away and you have not heard from
Caleb never and we were togethersince I mean, I met him in 2017
when the voice started.
After the voice, he lived indaytona beach, florida, and him
and his wife and his three kidsand his two dogs lived at our
house at the time.
So there was about seven.
There was seven humans andthree dogs in a three-bedroom
(07:17):
house for 180 pieces like oh boy, four years, oh wow he was
traveling and doing his thingtrying to make it work and I was
traveling doing my thing,trying to make it work.
And I was traveling doing mything, trying to make it work.
And then I remember one time Icame home and I told my fiance.
I said I got one egg left in mybasket.
If this doesn't work, I said Ithink I don't know what else to
do.
And um, it was a uh publishingcompany.
(07:39):
I'll never forget they emailedme the next day.
It was a sunday, and theyemailed me on monday and they
said you know, we love yourmusic, we love all that, but
we're gonna pass.
And I was like wow, dude, andit.
Just like you know I moved here.
You know I've been doing it mywhole life.
I've chased it down.
It's all I've ever.
It's all I've ever done.
I mean I've waited tables, I'veroofed houses, I've cut grass,
(08:02):
I've washed it, I've babysat,anything you can think of.
I've done it to try to keepthis thing going.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
But you didn't give up.
You didn't give up.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Nope, but I'll never forget.
I remember I cried.
I cried like a baby.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
I don't blame you Wow .
Speaker 2 (08:20):
I'll never forget.
Caleb FaceTimed me and I waslike I wonder, and I answered
the phone and he said I'll be atyour house tomorrow.
We have a meeting at 2 o'clock.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
And.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
I was like great, come on up here, caleb, let me
play the guitar for you.
And let's make your life better.
And he came up.
He drove up from Daytona Beach,Florida, and we had three songs
and we he came up, he drove upfrom Daytona beach, Florida, and
we had three songs and we wentin the next day black river and
they looked at us after weplayed.
And now this is on Monday.
Now this is on Tuesday.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
And how long ago?
How long?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
ago prior.
This is 2020.
Okay, right before the wholeworld shut down.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Yeah, okay, okay.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
So on Sunday, on Monday I thought it was over
Tuesday he gets here, Wednesdaywe have our meeting and
Wednesday afternoon they offerus a record deal.
And I was like you've got to beshitting me, Like you got to go
all the way to the bottom andit's like this, is it Like it's
over?
And then it turns around, andso then you're from the bottom
and then you're all the way backup to the top and you're just
flying high.
You're so happy.
And then we work and we'reworking, working, working and we
(09:24):
have so much going, so much.
And then March 2020.
And it just shuts us down bigtime Just kills everything, just
like it does the whole world.
So we're on the road, we'redoing virtual stuff, we're doing
a virtual radio tour and we'rejust working our asses off.
(09:44):
Things start to lighten up andwe're back on the road again and
we're playing like crazy andwe're on the road with Travis
Tritt.
It's going so good.
And I'll never forget, man, wewere in Florida and we finished
like a month worth of stuff withTravis Tritt and we were down
there down by the watersomewhere and there, down, there
(10:08):
, down by the water somewhere,and um, there was a blues band
in there and I got up and played.
We went down, caleb and I.
We sat down by the water it wasa big full moon, must have been
three o'clock in the morningjust listening to the waves, and
we both cried because we werelike dude, we made it holy shit
like we did it.
I'll never forget him sayingyou know, no matter what I say,
no matter what I do, like prior,this is, this is this is it.
This is what I'm here to do.
He called me on a Tuesday andsaid I quit.
(10:34):
I was like what'd you quit?
Smoking, drinking, what he'slike this?
I was like what are you talkingabout?
That was it.
We were going to meet GarthBrooks on Wednesday at the Ryman
to go talk, and so that wholething, and then that just you
(10:55):
know.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Just like that, just like that Just like that.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I mean, it's like it was a Tuesday at three o'clock.
He called me at Tuesday atthree o'clock and I'll never
forget and I was like now what?
Yeah, but I mean like oh, allright, mosquito, but it's like
my whole life, I've dedicated mywhole life to this and then and
I it's almost like I alwaysexplained it's kind of like I
don't have kids, but I wouldimagine would be like something
(11:24):
that you've kept with you yourwhole life, kept very near to
your heart and created, madesure that you kept it protected.
And then you let somebody elseinto the picture.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
You let them into your bubble.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Yeah, and then it dies and it's like, oh my God.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
It hurts.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Yeah, it hurts, but you know, and you think it dies,
but it doesn't die.
It just makes it stronger.
And I'll never forget.
This is no bullshit.
This is one of those thingsthat happened in my life where
I'll remember to the day that Idied.
He quit on a Tuesday.
On Monday we had a.
It was the Country Music Hallof Fame Songwriters Gala.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Okay, yep.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
And I'll never forget .
Monday morning I woke up justlike any other Monday morning,
went downstairs making coffeeand my coffee maker is on the
left-hand side and I'm standinghere, so I would just turn left
right.
Mm-hmm left right, right, forsome reason I went like the
other way and just turned rightlike made a circle, and as soon
(12:29):
as I turned, like my head justto turn and I'm I mean, I'm
talking, we're talking onesecond, split second sure it was
five minutes and everything wascomplete in total silence.
It was as blue as looking at themost crystal clear blue sky
you've ever seen, not like water.
Just like I was floating in themiddle of nothing and there was
(12:53):
nothing there and I was justlike.
I remember I was like I justkind of looked around and it
seemed like it took forever andI was like what in the hell?
And I just felt like this, justlike this thing the most calm
thing I've ever felt in my lifeJust come from the top of my
head to the bottom of my feet.
(13:13):
I was like, wow, I'm prettychill right now, right on.
Then I went to that.
We went to the gala that night.
I was like this is thesongwriting thing saved my life,
like it was, and I had no ideawhat it was going to do to my
(13:33):
life and what it was going tobring to my life and how it was
going to help me through so manythings being here now.
And he quit the next day and Ihad this calmness about me and
when he told me and I was likeokay, and he's like okay, and I
said yeah, anything else, and hegoes.
Well, do you want to talk aboutit.
(13:56):
I said no, wow, don't ever,don't ever call me again Like
this is, we're done, we're done,we're done here.
And he's never, never reachedout, never, not once, not ever.
When my dad died, nothing.
When I got an abortion, nothinglike nothing, just just.
And we're the like we havesister dogs.
(14:17):
His wife and my fiance werepretty much just friends yeah
like those two like wow, yeah,they were.
They were team prior and caleband they had the kids and they
were I mean they, they dideverything together and so we
just became this huge travelingfamily.
Like those, kids stayed at ourhouse when they moved from
(14:37):
florida, like we uh, we unloadedan entire semi-truck, andrea
and I set their whole house up,and we've never seen or heard
from them what um, I know we'rehere to talk about you and your
music a little bit uh more butit's all a story man this is the
story that, um, a lot of usdon't realize, we don't hear,
(14:58):
and I listening to you andanybody else that might be
watching this now or down theroad um, they see how dedicated
you are and how much passion youhave.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Uh, just to continue to do what you do and kill those
mosquitoes.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
I just got him too man, I got him right here, so my
dad would have said no, but Iscared him, scared him.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Yeah, you did good, but no, it's just the whole
passion and dedication, for youknow, I mean it's just, it's a
good example of the downs, butyou've got a lot of ups too, and
for every down you probablyhave learned something and you
know you've got some ups.
I just I just find it hard tobelieve that he hasn't reached
out.
You guys had a great start, youand Caleb doing what you did,
(15:48):
the talent, all that, what doyou think you would do?
Let's say he called you rightnow and it's a FaceTime.
I mean, would you ignore it orwould you pick it up?
Speaker 2 (15:57):
100%.
I would 100% answer it.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
Yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
A lot happens.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
It does.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
But what I don't like ?
Don't be a coward, Don't be aliar.
If something's happened, tellme Cool.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Deal with it, be upfront.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
I also.
What would I have done if hesaid I'm thinking about quitting
?
Then I'd have been like oh myGod, don't quit.
Blah, blah, blah.
I don't want to talk somebodyinto doing something they don't
want to do.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Right, they don't want to make it worse.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
It's not a job where it's like you know you're
talking about passion, like ifyou want to do this, do it.
This is 100%, this is 1000%every day or nothing, because it
(16:48):
is so hard and you got to getso comfortable with the
uncomfortable and the words no,and I mean I like I said I've
been here, it doesn't matter, itdoesn't matter like it can be
over right now.
Somebody can quit, just likethat.
It's like wait hold on a second.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
last week we were it and now it's over like no
nothing yes, it's like somebodyflipped a switch.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
It's like, all right, we're done, goodbye it's
literally like a death, likewith them it is.
We have never heard from them,never seen them, I mean their
kids.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
It's wild, it's a crazy story, you know well, yeah
, it is a crazy story, but hereyou are.
Prior baird black, black RiverEntertainment.
I saw you at CRS.
I was hanging out in the suitehaving a couple of cocktails and
I heard you perform.
I saw you perform Just fabulousman, just fabulous, just
(17:40):
fabulous.
And now that you've come outwith this song the one left
behind, and just how they allcame together, the more I
listened to it I go.
That is so true.
You have no idea.
You could be the one to leave,but you have no idea what's
going on with the one you leftbehind or what we're feeling.
So wow, so can you tell us alittle bit about the song?
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Yeah, it's about my life and it's about getting left
behind.
I mean, literally that's mylife in the past year it's been,
you know, pretty bad.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Yeah, so you wrote it .
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Yeah, I wrote it with Terry Jo Box and Barrett Baber.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
Reflecting on your own life.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Yeah, I had this idea of you know, I don't know where
it was, but I heard itsomewhere, I think.
Actually, I said I think I wastalking to my fiance on the
phone and I was like, man, youknow, there's nothing worse than
being the one left behind and Iwas like the sick part of being
(18:47):
a songwriter it's like oh God,wait a minute, I got to write
that down Shit.
You know, you look all of myeyes out, dude.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
I don't know how you, as a songwriter, can get
through some of these thoughts,because I'm going to be honest
with you From being a guy, I crythe littlest things I am.
I'm very soft.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Me too, me too, and I and you know it's me too, you
know talking about it, you knowthese things.
It's real.
But I also feel like that's.
Those are my kind of songs, man.
You know, that's the way I livelife.
If I want to do something, Iwant to feel it a hundred
percent.
If I want to taste something, Iwant to taste a hundred percent
.
If I'm going to live it, let'slive it a hundred percent.
If we're going to write itright at a hundred percent and I
can't write a hundred percentof what somebody else is feeling
I can write a hundred percentabout me or get close to it.
It's the raw emotion.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Yeah, it's the.
I'm going to see if I want toplay a little bit of it here,
but my phone did somethingreally funky, wouldn't you know
it when I need it not to?
Speaker 2 (19:49):
But I'm not leaving, I'm going to go close this door
Because the mosquitoes arecoming.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
You go close the door and you people just hang on
Because he's coming right backIn the meantime.
I am Looking for the song and Iwant you all to hear it,
because it's got a lot of pedalsteel guitar which is very, very
cool.
So once I get it up here, ofcourse, I just probably can't.
(20:16):
So that's Brooks and Dunn.
We don't want Brooks and Dunn.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Hey Brooks and Dunn good.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Well, no, no, we don't want Brooks and Dunn, it
came up on my phone, I don'tknow, but I gotta find, I gotta
find you, man.
Oh you good.
Well, no, no, we don't wantBrooks undone.
It came up on my phone, I don'tknow, but I got to find you,
man.
Oh, here we are.
Here we are.
Oh, wait a minute.
So oh, this is what I remember.
Hang on, this might bring backa few memories here.
Let me see if I can do thisDoing the old Humble Pie tune,
(20:48):
and this was on the voice.
That's pretty cool.
That's pretty cool.
So well, I'm, uh, hopefully Ican move on to the next one.
But what were you feeling whenall four chairs turned around
while the first one came aroundand then the other three
followed suit?
What was going through yourmind?
Do you feel that like holy crap?
(21:11):
Of course, yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Yeah, hell yeah.
I mean I don't think I'd evereven I'll take it back.
I watched the Voice the yearbefore that because a buddy of
mine was on.
I was like, huh cool, but youdon't really think.
I mean, what were you feelingwhen all four chairs turned
around?
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Well, the first one came around, oh boy.
Never mind, you know what I'mgoing to do.
I'm going to take that song andI'm going to tag it after.
You know when I put this uponline, but it's called the One
you Left Behind.
I know there were a lot oftears shed writing this, a lot
(21:47):
of raw emotion and uh, as Imentioned to you earlier, early
on, uh, the pedal steel guitarnow is that something that's in
a lot of your music now.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Uh, I mean, I think it's.
This is definitely the mostpresent it's ever been, that's
for sure, but I love it, youknow what does that sound
represent for you?
It's gonna sound funny.
Um nothing's funny.
I love it.
What does that sound representfor you?
Speaker 1 (22:06):
It's going to sound funny.
Nothing's funny.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
I love it.
My mom cannot listen to countrymusic, to that pedal steel,
because got him.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Look at that.
What are we?
Oh wow, Jesus, he blew him overhere.
Stop.
Are we?
Oh wow, oh Jesus, he blew himover here Stop.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
Because it's so painful, like it just it's it.
Just, to me it's just this whenit's played that way, it's the
nothing can, yeah, nothing canmake that sound that pain, just
like when it comes out of youlike, oh man, I mean it'll take
the wind out of you.
(22:47):
You know that's what it meansto me.
It just represents this sadnessand the crying and the you know
you can feel it.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
I think I have it.
I think I have it.
Here we go.
It's the beginning of it.
It is it's you getting out ofthe vehicle or going into the
bar.
That's what it's all about.
Now, listen to the steel.
Wow, it's kind of bluesy too.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
You said you made it to Houston, cried every mile,
dodging potholes and sad songs,pulling a U-Haul full of half of
our lives.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Don't cry, dude.
I know I appreciate you callingdude.
I know I'll get out of it herein a second oh, that's great,
that's great.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
I'm going to get this on the radio pretty quick,
powerful, dude, powerful.
Here we go, because the oneleft behind has to look at these
walls when we hung up thememories.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Just because they're empty Don't mean that they're
gone's my life dude, telling youbeen there no matter which
heart decides.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
If you think it's hard to leave in, maybe try
being the one left behind.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
There it is.
I know you know that wholething is out there.
It's going to be available.
You're going to hear that onthe radio pretty quick.
I know they're dropping it herepretty soon, if they haven't
already, and we're prettyexcited about that, dude.
That is the phone man.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
I mean, it's just.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Well, you know what I you said your mom, your mom,
can't listen to country.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Well, she just can't listen to that.
That's like that sound.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
With the steel yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Yeah, it just sounds so sad, it just makes her cry
Like immediately.
She just it just does.
The sound just makes her so sadand I'm like man, that is,
that's that's powerful when asound can do something to you,
you know well, that's what Ilove about it, because it does,
and I want to hear it again, andI want to hear it again.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
That's what it's about.
That's a good move.
Who decided that that was thesong that was going to go to
radio?
Speaker 2 (25:37):
uh well, I was the first one, I mean, as soon as we
like, when we wrote the song.
It's just one of those momentswhere you just kind of sit there
and you look at each other andyou're like, did we just write?
That is like as good as wethink it is.
And you said then we sang it,we're like this is really good.
And the two people that I wroteit with like they could both
(25:57):
sing their asses off.
So we did this three-partharmony thing.
Even when we were doing it, like, guys, this is, and just like
you said, you want to hear itagain, we wanted to sing it
again and we wanted to sing itagain.
We wanted to sing it again.
We're like, guys, this is agreat sign.
And so as soon as we had it youknow just the work tape I said
I don't want to send this over,just the work tape.
So we sent it over to my teamand as soon as we did, they were
like, yes, this is, we lovethis, and this is what your
(26:20):
voice, you're like your voicesounds so good.
Yeah, and it just feels andit's real and it's my life and
it was lit like authenticity isis.
You cannot, it's not replicated.
You can't duplicate it.
It's like it has to be real andso, like I said before, I can't
write somebody else's feelings.
I can try, that's gotta be youlike you, give me the recipe and
(26:41):
I can make, but you don't havethe feelings I have inside and I
can't.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
I can't explain it.
That's so true.
That's so true and that's whatmakes a good songwriter.
When you can, you can expressyourself with music words that
turn it into a song.
That's that's a good songwriter, and anything like that is just
.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
You know that's art like a, a painting, you know, a
book um a picture, a song.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
You know it's a soundtrack to our lives, dude,
because I'll tell you if I'mdriving my truck down the road
and I got a brand new chevycolorado, by the way.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
I don't know what you drive, but we'd like to thank
toyota for a uh chevrolet forthis sponsor, what you drive.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
But we'd like to thank toyota or a chevrolet for
this sponsor.
Yes, you have a toyota, so welove you and it happens to be
the uh oh, that uh oh.
Man, I can't think of the model, never mind, sorry, chevy, um,
but uh, I do love it.
I do love it and, yes, we'dlike to thank chevrolet for the
sponsorship that I do not haveyet.
Um, but I love it.
(27:48):
I love it.
It's soundtrack to our lives.
That's what the music's allabout.
So now I kind of, yeah, oh,that song, it's well.
I said if I was in my truck I'dbe cranking that and I'd want
I'd play it over and over again.
I think that's what I was goingto say.
I kind of lost my track, atrain of thought.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
So it's true, man, and it's, it's the soundtrack,
like I'll be honest, I justtalked to my ex today and it was
hard, you know, and it's firsttime I talked to her in a long
time and we even she, you know,she said something about how she
has to live in that house.
It's so hard, she's like I hadto take the pictures down and I
was like I know that's wherethat came from, you know,
because I walked through thehouse one time I had to go get
something and she'd taken allthe pictures off the wall.
(28:23):
It's like fuck Wow.
You can still see, like whenyou go into a house that people
used to smoke.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
It's not that we didn't smoke, but I'm saying you
still see, like you see, it'sstill there, but it's like wow,
that's been there for the pastdecade.
Now it's not there, but it'sthere.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Yeah, the feelings are gone, but when you see that
the pictures are gone it kind ofmakes you go holy shit.
You know they're gone, but Iget it, I get it.
Totally.
Been there, my friend, beenthere.
I think we all have.
I think we all have.
Tell me about you know you'vebeen on the Grand Ole Opry.
Yes, you've done that.
Tell me about that experience.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Best stage in the world, man, Best stage in the
world Best, like.
That's one of those things likeyou never know, Like you dream
about those moments.
You know, Bottom of the ninthTie ball game, Full camp World
Series, You're up.
It's like, yeah, we made it.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
Look, look, look here up it's like yeah, we made it
here, I'll toss you the baseball.
It's all good, hey, there yougo.
But it's good, we're a baseballfamily.
That's why who's your team?
Speaker 2 (29:31):
uh, we go with the mets.
Oh okay, okay, right, I've gotno problem with the mets.
I'm a dodger fan, so I meanokay, oh okay, all right, all
right.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
no, we um the team here in town, the triple a team,
is the Syracuse Mets.
So the parent club is the NewYork Mets and I also work for
them part-time.
I'm not supposed to say that,but I just did.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
I'd like to thank the Mets for our sponsor today too
as well.
Thank you very much.
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
I could only wish but no one of their PA announcers.
And I do all that up in thepress box.
My son works up there too, soit's kind of cool.
It's a cool thing, but yeah, Imean being on that stage.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
what the feeling what is that like coming from an?
Speaker 1 (30:15):
artist point of view.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
I mean you said like nothing like it, Nothing like it
.
There's nothing, absolutelynothing like it.
And it's you know, it's such aholy place, if you will Like,
when it comes to music, thepeople that have been there.
And music is my life, you know,and as a little kid, even being
in California, you know we, Igrew up watching he haul with my
dad as a kid.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
I mean every other week.
I listened to Merle Haggard andDwight Young and Buck Owens
over and over and over and itwas great.
I mean that's what made me partof who I am, but it's those guys
get on those stages and youwork so hard, you work and you
dream, and you dream and you'relike you know you chase it.
And then I know, for me, when Imoved to Nashville, I was like
(31:01):
I will never go on stage at theRyman or the Opry until it's my
turn.
I have been invited to go bypeople like hey, come watch us
play.
Come hang out with us friends orguests and I was like yeah, man
, I'll totally come, and they'relike come backstage.
I said no, no, no, no, no, no,I don't go backstage.
I won't go backstage until it'smy time to go and it took.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
I mean, of course there's thoughts where it's like
I wonder if this will everhappen.
And then when it does, andBlake Shelton calls you.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
you're like oh, they got me on video.
Man, I thought we were going toone of the girls in management.
I thought it was her birthday.
We had this big old party setup.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
No.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
But man getting on that stage out there, not just
even walking out there, like myfriend micah she's you know,
she's in the band, so she was soexcited to see me come there
and it's like you kind of feellike you're already part of the
family and they treat you sogood and I will never, ever,
ever, forget.
Right before the curtain wentup, the piano player and the
band director walks right up tome and I'm standing there right
(32:04):
before I walk in the circle andhe says mini Pearl always said
if you love the people, they'lllove you back.
And I was like man and helooked at me and winked and just
walked over there and I waslike this is the greatest night.
And I walked down there and Iput my hand on the circle and I
looked out and I saw my familyand my friends and there were so
many.
You know, nobody gets it, Nobodygets anywhere If you don't have
(32:26):
a team.
You got to have people behindyou and people that support you.
And, man, that place was packedfull of people, that people
that knew who I am, my friendsand my family that have been
with me since the very beginningand they traveled to come see
it and it's kind of feel likeit's one of those things like we
(32:47):
all made it, you know, and yeah, yeah, no, I get it.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Um, but you did make it.
Even you had the voice.
He had caleb caleb.
You, you did make it.
People know who you are, andnow that you're on black river
and you're putting out the songthe one left behind, uh, people
know who you are.
Therefore, you're heading outon tour pretty quick too, right,
don't you have something comingup?
Speaker 2 (33:10):
That's the goal.
If anybody out there islistening and wants to take me
on tour, I'm ready.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
I thought you were heading out already.
I didn't know if you were goingto be with somebody or what's
going on.
I must have misread that.
But yeah, I think something isgoing to come your way pretty
quick and as all these tours getinto shape, Come up there to
New York and come see We'll goto a baseball game.
Dude, I'll take you to a Metsgame.
Come on, bring it on.
Come to Syracuse anytime andI'll I'll take good care of you,
(33:37):
I promise you Don't?
Speaker 2 (33:38):
you have like a really famous donut shop right
there in Syracuse too?
Speaker 1 (33:42):
Donut shop?
We have.
No, I don't think so.
We have our donut, the Dunkin'Donuts.
We used to have Tim Hortons.
They're gone.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
I thought, like I was up there one time and there was
a it was like a pink buildingand it was lined and there was a
line of people out there, yeah,we call the guy Pauly Donuts.
But they made like donuts orsomething like that.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
Yes, yes, yeah, no, you're right.
So when were you here?
And we didn't know?
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Man, it was a long time ago.
I came up there and somefreaking booking agent guy got a
hold of me.
Man, I got some plays for youto play, so I played like the
dew drop in and Poland, new Yorkfor nobody on, like January
19th, it was so warm.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Oh, glazed and confused, I think.
Yeah, somebody just chimed inhere.
Let me see if I can bring thisover here.
Glazed and confused is the nameof the donut shop Polly, Polly
donuts is.
Is the owner.
We call them Polly donuts?
Uh, sydney Irving.
That sent that along.
She is a great artist.
She's been to Nashville, shelives here, uh, but uh, on the
(34:54):
podcast, what's that?
Speaker 2 (34:55):
I said what's up Sydney?
Speaker 1 (34:57):
There you go.
Oh, she'll probably probablychime in now if I know how to
get.
See, this is a whole new systemI'm using, so I just got to
figure out how to get rid of itnow.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
I feel like we're like the Joe Rogan thing right
now.
Man, you got the guy that canlook up all this stuff for you.
Like, before you even sayanything, be like oh, here it is
, here's the answer for what youwould like.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
Wouldn't that be nice ?
I wish I did have.
Other side of the room is avoiceover and production area
and I have a vocal booth.
So because I do a lot of VOwork, voice acting and stuff
(35:35):
like that, not only am I on air.
What's that?
Speaker 2 (35:41):
long commute from Nashville to come up there and
be on the podcast but I'll comeup.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
You know what?
No, no, we wouldn Nashville tocome up there and be on the
podcast.
But I'll come up, you know what?
No, no, we wouldn't just haveyou come and be on the podcast.
I'll put you in front of a lotof fans, a lot of listeners, and
you'll make new fans.
Let's go, definitely.
I'll definitely work on that,we'll let you know and we'll get
it taken care of one way or theother.
And Sydney says says hello, soshe just chimed in, so she's
pretty cool, so yeah, so, um,where do you see yourself in
(36:07):
five years?
I know dumb question, but Iwant to know that's not a dumb
question, you know um I know.
See, this is good, pryor.
This is good Because you got tothink about it, because there's
(36:27):
so much.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
Going on, but not just that.
You know, if you were to ask meFive years ago, I wouldn't
Expect I would be here.
Not at all.
Speaker 1 (36:42):
And you worked Hard for it.
You had good things going, whynot?
Speaker 2 (36:46):
Oh yeah, oh no, but I'm saying like uh, not in a bad
way, I'm just saying like Iwouldn't, I just life is well.
I only would have said fiveyears.
I'd be like man.
Hopefully I'll have a, I don'tknow, I don't know, I don't know
(37:07):
.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
I have no idea, man, I'll tell you it, just you know.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
I would like I have a general direction forward, not
backwards, not sideways.
I'd like to just be, you know,moving everything forward and
getting things going when I'myou where I'm.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
You know life is good .
I'm living the dream.
You know I love it and I'm gladyou're living the dream and
it's only going to get betterprior.
You know that it's going to.
It's going to continue to grow.
I want to ask if we could takeit back again a little bit to
the voice days.
How was it being on, team Blake?
Speaker 2 (37:38):
Amazing, it was great .
I mean, blake is such a niceguy, he's such a real deal.
And not only that, kellyClarkson was on the show.
That was her first year andI'll never forget.
Caleb was on her team andeverybody else on the show.
You know, you're friends witheverybody and you talk to
everybody.
Yeah, kelly Clarkson was onwhat American Idol?
Speaker 1 (37:57):
Yeah, yes, I believe so.
Speaker 2 (38:00):
So her first year she's got what?
Do you have?
12 people on your team, I think.
I think that's how it starts,man.
She got custom leather-boundnotebooks and wrote a full-on
letter to every personindividually.
It's like saying, hey, welcometo this.
This is going to be really hard.
(38:21):
I know where you're at.
It's scary.
She paid people's bills, paidlike mortgages, um, to help make
sure that people could anythingyou need.
I mean blake did the same thing.
Blake would help out.
Like what can I do to help out?
What can I, what can we do tohelp you?
I mean that whole tv show, thatplatform, literally how, if you
(38:41):
really want to do this, how canI help you get yourself to
where you need to be?
Speaker 1 (38:47):
Wow See, I think, being reality TV, we don't see a
lot of that.
We didn't know that.
I think you get out out there.
They want to see you sing.
Uh, people watching at homewant to.
You know you have your fans andthey want to watch.
You do all that, but they don't.
They don't have an idea, uh,what's going on behind the
scenes and how much that theseyou know team coaches, for
(39:10):
example, blake or or kelly, howthey really help out.
Speaker 2 (39:14):
I, I mean and not only that, I mean.
Then you got to think about theband.
Ah, I mean you got 12 people oneach team and you got four
teams and they got to learn allthose songs for every person,
every artist, and learn themperfectly, with no mistakes, and
so it's like it really steps upyour game.
You go out there it's like Ooh,and you get to the lives.
(39:40):
And you walk out there it'slike oh gosh.
You know, this is hey, don'tmess up, because if you do, it's
in front of 11 million peoplethat are watching you're like
holy, yeah, you're better offnot to think about that like I
mean, and that was the beautifulthing.
Like for me, one of the moststressful things going on stage
is like oh, you know, let's justpray, there's no mistakes,
nothing go, nothing bad happens,nothing goes wrong.
You don't have those fears withthose guys.
(40:02):
It's like if there's a mistakeit was you, you know.
So it really levels up yourgame.
It makes you I mean, it's goodthat's good.
Speaker 1 (40:12):
I imagine everybody talks to you about the voice.
You probably don't even want totalk about it much anymore, but
it was such a big part of yourlife.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
I love talking about all of it.
You know it's a part of my life.
It got me to where I am andI'll be worried when people
don't want to talk to me.
They'll be like, well, thatsucks.
Speaker 1 (40:28):
Well, they're going to be talking about all your big
hits Back to back, to back.
I don back.
I don't like that.
It even sounds good when yousay back to back back to back to
back prior beard sounds likecrazy.
I don't know.
I'm a radio guy what can I tellyou?
Back to back to back yeah, sotell me about an album.
(40:49):
What's going on?
Speaker 2 (40:50):
man, we got so much music like this.
It's just, uh, we have tons ofmusic, tons of ready to go.
I've got my full band and we goout and we play and I mean
we've got music recorded.
It's just like it's a strangetime and like streaming stuff.
You put stuff out.
Do you not put stuff out?
Do you like it?
(41:10):
When do you put it out?
How much do you put out?
Um, but I have plenty of music.
We have a lot of it.
I don't know what the timelineis for an album, but I know that
there's an ep on the way that'svery cool and the singles
coming out here really soon, aswe talked about a few minutes
ago.
Speaker 1 (41:28):
Um, but uh, tell me a little bit about your band.
Uh, these guys you play withall the time.
Uh, it's a regular group, or orwhat?
Speaker 2 (41:36):
yeah, so, uh, actually it's kind of funny how
it happened.
I've just, you know, beenlooking for a band for a long
time and then I was at the dogpark not the dog park, dog park,
but like.
I was at park and this guywalked by and he's like hey man,
it's cool dog, we just gottalking, come to find out he's a
phenomenal jazz pianist.
Wow, oh yeah, man, you know,I've just here a couple of years
(41:57):
and we're just playing musicand blah, blah, blah.
So I checked out a social mediapage and I was like Holy cow,
this like this guy'sunbelievable Good, and so I said
, hey, man, we should, we shouldget together and play sometime.
He's like yeah man and we wentand that was it.
We went and had rehearsal oneday.
I was like, okay, boys, well,that's how this is going to work
(42:18):
.
And they're killer and don'tlet them like I would be.
I have to keep them verywrangled because they're so good
.
I'm a pretty good musician.
I consider myself I can hold myown.
But if these guys get let looseI'm like, okay, boys, I can't
keep up.
They're jazz players and theyknow all the notes and they can
(42:40):
do it all and sometimes they'dlike to run circles around me.
I'm like guys, come on, youknow, they're just a bunch of.
They're a bunch of greatmusicians that love music you
know, want to play that's cool,just want to play music.
It's like yes I love that.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
I love that.
Describe what it's like if Iwere to go to a show.
You're up there with your band.
What, what would I hear?
What would it be like?
For me?
Is it very?
Do you play a lot of rock?
You stick with the country.
I know, you know after hearingI don't need no doctor.
What's your show like?
Speaker 2 (43:20):
it would definitely.
It's not the rock and roll likewhere it's so loud you can't
talk to anybody next to youright like I love.
I'm a musician's musician.
I love going to a show whereyou can.
You can sit there and you canlisten and it's pleasant on the
ears.
It's like this is this is sogood, but it's uh, very muscle
(43:42):
shoals, very bakersfield, verychris dapleton.
It's not a I'm not a one-trickpony.
I'm not just gonna play you,you know the same three chords
of the same four chords.
I'm gonna play all the chords.
Uh, I'm not just going to playthe same three chords or the
same four chords, I'm going toplay all the chords.
I'm not going to overdo it, butit's going to be one of those
where you're not just going togo like this, you're going to
(44:04):
want to get up and move.
Or you're going to sit down andyou're going to listen, and
you're going to listen to everynote, or you're going to.
You know it's like maybe mysongs and and I hope that's what
it is when people come to myshows, I hope it's one of those.
Something in one of my songssomewhere is going to strike and
(44:25):
never be like well okay, thatwould be the goal I would think.
Yeah, that's the goal and so,but it's fun, it's it and so,
but it's fun.
It's man, it's all the emotionsLike it's.
I love music and I love the artof it.
I love the storytelling of it.
I love where the songs can takeyou.
(44:47):
I love how a song can literallytransport you to another time,
even if it's not your story.
But if it's done well enough,you're like well, for three and
a half minutes I was somewhereelse.
Speaker 1 (44:56):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (44:57):
What I want to do, and that's what happens.
That's what I try to makehappen.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
Oh, you're making it happen, dude, come on.
Come on, I saw it.
I saw it happen.
I saw it when I was inNashville.
It wasn't with the full band,but I saw it.
Speaker 2 (45:10):
Yeah, that was cool, even though I stole the hat that
was supposed to be yours, butthat's a true story.
Everybody that's watching.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
I'm grateful you got it, but it's a true story 100%.
We happened to be in the sameplace at the same time and
Scotty Hastings left it on thetable, while he left it with you
.
Yeah, I left it.
Speaker 2 (45:36):
Hey man, I brought your hat.
I was like yeah, because I'm onthe set this right here, so I
don't forget it and skip walkedaway with it skip.
Skipped away with it, skipwalked away right here grateful
and we are grateful.
Speaker 1 (45:47):
So he's your label mate, and we're going to be
talking to him in just a coupleof weeks on the, on the podcast
too.
I have him on the calendar, soand what a story.
Speaker 2 (45:54):
What a guy, what a, what a hero you know hero, hero,
big time, hero, big time.
Speaker 1 (46:03):
Yeah, so do you like baseball?
Did you say that you go to abaseball?
Yeah, any question.
Okay, all right.
And you said uh, your team iswho?
Speaker 2 (46:12):
oh, they just won the world series last year okay,
the dodgers come on.
Speaker 1 (46:18):
Why are you doing this to me?
Anyways, now we're with themets, we came close, we came
close, but, seriously, I love totreat you to a game here in
town, because you never know whoyou're going to see at this
level, which is pretty I lovebaseball games.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
That's always been one of my.
I always wanted to like set upa tour where, like during
baseball season, and go to everypark.
Like set up a tour where you goto you know every town and
catch a ball game and go to allthe parks.
I think that'll be so much fun.
Speaker 1 (46:46):
Eat hot dogs, drink cold beer see, the gears are,
everything's turning right nowbecause we got a whole summer
ahead of us and you know wecould work something out where
we get you up here.
We'll get you to do a littlebit at the ball field.
I don't know, do you sing thenational anthem, or is that a
song you stay away from?
Absolutely yeah, that's.
It's a hard song to sing.
(47:06):
That's why I said thatsometimes artists get like oh, I
don't know.
One thousand percent, yeah, yeahthat would be cool, that would
be, cool on that, then we treat.
We treat you to the game.
So it's cool and there's a lotof cold beer.
So do you have pets?
I do.
I have dogs, right.
Speaker 2 (47:26):
I have a dog.
Her name is Winnie.
Yeah, she's a Germanshort-haired pointer, but she
looks like that.
She's like a rust-colored whaledog Beautiful.
Speaker 1 (47:35):
I have a yellow lab that likes to steal everything,
so he's great, he takes after me.
Uh, stop, all right, I'll mailyou the hat for crying out loud
now.
Man, that's good, I don't havebugs, everything's fine scotty,
scotty, hastings, I'm getting anew hat.
Speaker 2 (47:57):
Thanks for the sponsorship, dude.
Speaker 1 (47:59):
We'll be talking about this when I talk to him in
a couple of weeks.
But how cool, how cool.
What do you drive?
I forgot, did you tell meearlier.
Speaker 2 (48:06):
Toyota Tundra Yep, my hometown dealership in Santa
Maria.
Speaker 1 (48:19):
They hooked it up right after the voice man, they
were like hey.
I said hey, my toyota, oh yeah,sponsored by toyota, you betcha
, I love it.
Yeah, hunters are a nice truckman, I'll tell you, I looked at,
I looked at those yeah, they're, they're great but I gotta be
honest with you, the price tagwas a little bit too much for me
, so well, I gotta love yourhometown dealership man.
Speaker 2 (48:34):
I love a hometown dealership man.
I love a hometown dealershipSanta Maria, toyota baby, what's
up?
Speaker 1 (48:40):
Sponsored by Okay, brought to you by.
Damn, what's up with thosemosquitoes?
Speaker 2 (48:47):
Vanilla candle sponsorship is what we need.
Speaker 1 (48:51):
What do they call those candles that keep the bugs
away?
I forgot Citronella, orsomething like that.
Speaker 2 (48:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:58):
There it is.
You know it's been great justchatting with you, kind of a
just a one-on-one conversation,and, you know, just to catch up
where we left off in Nashvillehere a couple of weeks ago.
But it's so good to see youprior and, you know, talking to
black river, talking to thosepeople, everybody's so proud of
you, everybody is just just,they know you've got what it
takes and, uh, they're standingbehind you 100.
(49:20):
I mean, I talk to the reps allthe time, um, you know, and then
grassroots, hooking me up withthis interview, with you to sit
down and chat.
But it's not like we'restrangers.
I mean, right, you know it's,we know each other a little bit
black river.
Speaker 2 (49:34):
I mean there there's something to be said about, like
each other a little bit BlackRiver.
I mean there's something to besaid about, like you know, about
, a small town dealership.
Small town, like a small townlabel.
Speaker 1 (49:44):
Well, small label in a big town.
Speaker 2 (49:46):
Right and you know if you need something you can go
right to.
You go right to the CE, walk inhis office.
Speaker 1 (49:54):
That's the way it should be.
Speaker 2 (49:56):
You know and like they call you on a first name,
they care about your genuinewell-being.
Like how are you?
Are you okay?
Are you doing good upstairs?
Do you need any help with this?
What can we do with that?
It's like you're not gonna getthat, you know.
Go work for any company.
Go work for a giant corporation, be like we get treated like
shit.
Speaker 1 (50:14):
We don't ever get a number you're a number you're a
number, that's all you are.
Nobody knows your name exactlyit's like where I am, and you
know, the radio station is asmall.
Now I work for the bigcorporations.
I've been there, I've done allthat and I played music back to
back to back, but uh, I just butuh, I've been there, I know
that.
(50:34):
But now I'm working forhometown radio station and, uh,
we are right up there with thebig guys.
We love it, it's just.
You know, they call me by name,I'm not a number, everybody is.
You know what I mean.
It's that feeling, exactly whatyou just described about Black
River.
It's the same thing.
It's the same thing.
Speaker 2 (50:54):
And it's that small town.
Feel Like I mean the same thing.
It's the same thing and it'sthat small town feel like.
I mean I'm from a small town.
We got two stop signs jerry the, the dj, and my hometown.
I still talk to him all thetime.
I send him my work tapes and heplays them on the radio.
That's cool, it's small town,you don't find that.
And it's the same thing withlike river.
It's just it's hard to find.
And when you find it I meanchris young said the same thing
(51:17):
he's like I knew as soon as Iwalked over.
He's like that's, that's whereI'm going exactly, and that's
what, yeah, oh and that's coolyeah, it's walking in, like
you're walking in the frontdoors of your house.
When you walk in over there,it's like when you hear your
family come in, sit down.
Speaker 1 (51:34):
We need to talk, but it's good talk.
Yeah, now, chris ch, chrisYoung can sit over there.
Scotty Hastings, you're overthere.
Here you go.
Pryor, you're going to hang outover here a little bit.
Let's get together.
Does anybody need a beer whilewe're here?
Yeah, I'm just saying it'd bethat type of atmosphere.
So we're looking for a beersponsor folks, just in case, All
(52:00):
right beer sponsor folks, justin case it's me all right on
that note, what's your favorite?
Uh flavor?
Uh, yes, okay, I like that too.
I'm trying to get us dude.
You got to help me out here uh,we're just throwing them out.
Speaker 2 (52:06):
That mean coming miller light's gonna be, you
know okay all right, okay, doyou guys get?
Speaker 1 (52:10):
do you have labatt's blue there?
Speaker 2 (52:14):
I never knew how.
I didn't know if it's labats orlabot or labbetter well, it's
not labbet, it's labats.
We call it labats yeah, no, wedon't have it down here, but I
like that.
It's like uh, it's got that.
Yeah, no, we don't have it, butI like it shock top.
Speaker 1 (52:29):
Oh okay, do you drink craft beer?
Uh, like a seasonal.
Speaker 2 (52:36):
I don't know if you so my dad was a home brewer
growing up.
Oh nice okay always had.
He loved dark amber beer.
All right, and man, I havedrank so much of that stuff and
it just I mean you drink numb toit bastard, you know.
And it's like I just I grew updrinking with my dad.
(52:56):
It's like, dad, I can't.
It's like you gotta chew it, Idon't know it's a hot day like I
just I grew up drinking with mydad.
It's like, dad, I can't.
It's like you gotta chew it, Idon't know.
It's a hot day like I can't dothis man.
And then you drink free andyou're like I'll go take a nap,
drink miller lights.
Be like no problem, dude, we'regood booze in there, there's
just a little bit of water.
Speaker 1 (53:21):
But yeah, no IPA.
That's just, we have Sam'sSeasonal here Now.
I don't know if they have itdown there at all.
I doubt it, but there's like aWinterfest, there's like a
Summerfest.
Speaker 2 (53:33):
What's that?
Sam Adams, of course Is it.
Sam Adams Might be.
Speaker 1 (53:40):
Yeah, no right, you're right, you're right,
you're right my dad, cool goodstuff.
Hey, uh, do you get down onbroadway at all to play?
I know you're not gonna go downthere and hang out, probably,
but uh do you get.
Speaker 2 (53:51):
Uh get a chance to play um, you know, no, I never
did.
I never did the broadway thing.
I actually went down there whenI first moved to town.
I went down to go play and Iplayed at tootsies.
I tried out in the backstageand the guy that like you're not
good enough, and I was likewhat?
Hey, cool, and you know what,it's great.
That's probably the best thingthat could have ever happened to
(54:13):
me, because getting down onBroadway and it takes the
uncomfortable away real quickbecause you make good money
every night You're playing coversongs and you get to sleep in
your bed at night.
You don't have to travelanywhere and it's like man, it's
(54:35):
kind of nice.
You don't have to travelanywhere and it's like man, it's
(54:55):
kind of nice.
You know, and I will tell youthat my biggest fear is if sit
here right now and tell youwho's playing where, what songs
they're playing, I can tell youwho's in the crowd from the
whole central coast ofCalifornia and it's the same
guys playing the same songs.
And that terrified me, even asa young guitar player and being
an artist in the town.
I was like a young guitar playerand being an artist in the town
(55:18):
.
I was like these guys are these?
Why don't you guys do anything?
Why aren't you here?
You know, and it terrified me.
I was like I don't want to dothat.
That's uh-uh not good.
So, you know, I packed it upall over California and moved
(55:39):
here and I was like I'm notgoing to Broadway, I'm not going
to do that thing, I'm not going.
So I'm going to go see how farwe can take this.
Speaker 1 (55:47):
Smart.
I have a?
Um, I have a friend that playsat Tootsie's.
All the time he goes out on theroad with an artist If they
need a guitar player his name'sJason Teska.
You know Jason, yep, yeah, yep,yep.
He plays the tootsies, uh,pretty much on a regular basis.
He's from the area um, we'veknown each other for god knows
how many years, but we keep intouch and when I'm in town I try
(56:08):
to make it a point to say hello.
Speaker 2 (56:10):
So yeah, I mean my neighbor across the street.
He was the drummer for uh umerrol singletary for like 15
years oh wow, very cool broadway.
Every now and then I'm like man.
There's nothing wrong with itabsolutely not.
I mean I got tons of buddiesthat do it.
I mean that's, it's great.
I mean, especially for touringmusicians it's killer because
(56:31):
you can go down, keep your chopsup, come down and play.
But I just would not want to doit for a, for my income and
like that's my job right?
Speaker 1 (56:38):
no, I don't blame you there and you don't do anything
else but write and perform whoyou are as of right now.
Correct, you don't have a job.
I mean, you're not like at thedollar general, um, being a
manager or anything during theday, and and don't laugh,
because I've actually talked toother artists and I go, okay,
what else do you do?
Well, the Dollar General,what's that?
Speaker 2 (57:01):
My first job was at the Union Stockyard and I wore a
tuxedo every day and I waitedtables and served wine.
Okay, I went and I started myown handyman service because I
got fired and so I was doinghandyman stuff for anybody that
I can.
I didn't know anybody.
It was like my first two yearshere I didn't know anybody.
It was like my first two yearshere I didn't know anything or
anybody.
Then, after that, I got a jobat Virago.
(57:21):
I was 31 years old, washingdishes bus boy.
Then I was a server and I woulddo that at night and during the
day I would cut the grass atthe Cool Springs Galleria Mall.
I worked for ERMC and it's likeone of those corporate.
(57:42):
You know taping companies andmy job.
You know the islands where youpark your cars in those big
parking lots and they got liketrees and shit.
Cool Springs Galleria isprobably I don't know 50 I I.
Cool Springs Galleria isprobably I don't know.
5 o'clock in the morning.
(58:04):
Get up, go out there, put yourblower on your back and it's
July, it's sweaty, it's humidand you're already just like
you're wearing clothes thatstink of grass and they're nasty
.
And then you get out there andit's just, you open the door and
it's sauna, sweat, gross, andmy job was to cut those islands
(58:25):
but I had a blower on my back, Ihad a push mower and a weed
whacker and a 55 gallon bucketand a 55 gallon bucket and I had
a case of water and I put thatcase of water in that trash can
and then I had done that.
(58:46):
And then I would go work atVirago and wait tables and then
after that I worked for aconstruction company where
roofing houses, re-roofinghouses.
Speaker 1 (58:55):
You've done it all.
Speaker 2 (58:57):
Yeah, wow know, roofing houses re-roofing houses
.
Speaker 1 (58:59):
You've done it all.
Yeah, so well, I get it.
I get it.
My friend, prior baird, thehardest working man in music
right now, because he's ready toput out those hits back to back
to back.
Um, I don't know why, when Italk it kind of cuts you off.
(59:19):
So I apologize if I'm cuttingyou off All of a sudden.
It just kind of goes silent.
But I do apologize for that.
Let me just play with thislittle.
There you go, but thanks forcoming on tonight and chatting a
little bit and I'm going to putthe link to the song the One
Left Behind.
It'll be right under this video.
It should be like right downthere somewhere, pretty quick,
you know.
(59:40):
Yeah, right down there.
Once we get done I'll get itall up and uh, you know we're
live now, but uh, there'll be anupdate.
So you'll see the link and allthat good stuff and we look.
I look forward to seeing you onthe road because I'm gonna get
you out of nashville, I'm gonnaget you into the northeast and
the best time to come up here islike the latter part of the
summer where the weather isgoing to be really, really nice.
Speaker 2 (01:00:01):
You're going to go to a Buffalo game.
Speaker 1 (01:00:04):
We can make that happen if we wanted to.
You know what you do here We'llwork on routing.
I'll call my friends inRochester and Buffalo and say we
need to get Pryor up here,let's do something, and we can
route you Buffalo, Rochester,Syracuse.
You can go see Maddie Jeff inAlbany.
Then you do the whole New YorkState Thruway, which is pretty
(01:00:24):
cool.
Speaker 2 (01:00:25):
Gordon Kerr and the pagoulas that you're listening
here ready, We'll play theBuffalo Bills, We'll do all of
them.
Whatever you need, we got it.
Speaker 1 (01:00:36):
I'm so excited.
It's going to be so cool.
But thanks for joining ustonight.
It's been a great conversation.
You're pretty deep.
You've been through a lot, man,and you're really just.
Your heart is there and yoursongwriting is showing that it's
just.
It's so cool, dude, and I'm sohappy for you and I'm like I
(01:00:56):
said I was.
It was an honor to meet you acouple of weeks ago and uh, sit
at the dinner table with you andwatch some music and listen to
it and uh, you know we had agood time.
So, but uh, thank you forcoming on here.
Uh, we're going to say goodbye,but uh, I want you to hang out
there for a minute and uh, I'llget some information from you.
But thanks for watchingeverybody.
Make sure you follow priorbaird.
(01:01:18):
Uh, look them up on youtube,little subscribe, do that, then
you'll have more videos back toback.
Prior baird now playing on thatsounds good yeah, I wish, I wish
I got paid for it.
That'd be good.
I I have no idea.
(01:01:38):
I just love what I do.
That's the whole thing.
I just love what I do, justlike you do.
But thanks for hanging out.
Make sure you check out hismusic.
The new single is the One LeftBehind man.
You're going to hear it andyou're going to want to hear it
again and again and again, andprobably back to back to back, I
don't know, just back to backto back.
I don't know.
Just tell me to shut up.
(01:01:58):
Anyways, pryor, you're awesome.
Thanks for watching everybody.
Until next time We'll see you.
Peace out.
Thanks, skip.
You're welcome man.
live.
It said go.
So we gotta go.
I know, look at that.
Yeah, buddy, it is skip clarkand I'm the host of skip happens
and I got a guy that's alreadydigging the music, but you're
gonna be digging him by the timewe get done with this tonight.
You may already know him.
Uh, I remember watching him onthe voice and, uh, it was season
(00:22):
14.
Yeah, man.
I think it had to be about 2018,just before, I mean a year or
two before the world stopped.
Yeah, it was.
It was season 14.
It had to be about 2018.
It's Pryor Baird.
What's up, dude?
What's up, mr.
Clark Doing great.
I got your label mate's hat ontonight, yeah you great, I got
(00:45):
your label.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Mates hat on tonight, yeah you do yeah.
I like the skip happens too.
That's good.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
It is.
That's.
That's what this is all about.
And before we get done or whenwe click, when we say goodbye
tonight, I want to make sure Iget your, eddie, and I'll send
you some skip happens bugs.
So or send it to somebody.
Are you there?
Did you freeze up?
He's gone, but I think he'sgoing to be back.
I don't know what happened here.
(01:10):
There you are.
What'd you do I?
Speaker 2 (01:12):
don't have any idea.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Did I piss you off already I?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
have no idea what happened, sorry about that Prior
Dad.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
It's so good to see you, man, so good.
We just got to know each other.
What was it Just back at theCRS, at the Country Radio
Seminar?
As a matter of fact, I think webrought bread together.
I think we sat at the sametable.
Was it the new faces?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
It was.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
It was yeah.
So what's going on with you?
Where are you right now?
Where in the world is Pryor?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
I'm in Nashville Tennessee.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Cool.
Do you live right downtown oryou don't have to tell me where?
Speaker 2 (01:45):
exactly.
I live outside of town about 35minutes.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Smart man.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
I've been downtown for the past 14 years, so I've
been there 13 years.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
That's long.
Wow, I didn't know you were inNashville.
That long Is Nashville home foryou?
Nashville is years long.
Wow, yeah, I didn't know youwere in nashville that long.
I mean, what is national homefor you?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
uh, nashville is.
Nashville is like my second.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
It's my second home, for sure so where is your first
home, though?
Where are you actually from?
Old orchid, california holyshit, dude, that's, that's a
hall.
Now where is what?
An old orchard orchid?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
that's like old old town orchid.
So it's uh, it's okay, 60 milesnorth santa barbara, right on
the coast I got you, so youmoved to nashville.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
You wanted to do the music thing.
You got on the voice and, uh,be honest with you, you should
have won it that season.
Um, I do remember that.
But uh, what place you you camein.
What third Was?
Speaker 2 (02:44):
it.
We like to say we tied forfourth.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
I like that.
Okay, okay, I'll go with that.
I'll go with that.
I just didn't remember off thetop of my head.
But I'll go with that, butthat's pretty damn good.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yeah, great.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
You know, and how is that whole experience for
somebody like you that wants to,uh, you know, make a living, uh
, have a career in music, uh,how is that being on the voice?
Does it really help you, or isit just?
It's just there, or how wouldyou, as let's hear it from you
did it really help you?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
yeah, absolutely, but it all depends on what you make
of it, just like anything elsein life.
You know it's like a lot ofpeople go on that show and they
think you know, when you go onthe show they do everything for
you.
I mean, they tell you when towake up, where you know where
you sleep, when's lunch, whatyou're going to wear, what your
hair is going to be.
You know it's like people justthink that's the way it goes and
then when they get off the show, they just expect their phone
(03:40):
to ring, like okay, well, whatdo I do next?
so you got, you know, you got tomake sure you have a plan.
And I'll be the first to admitI didn't have a plan.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
I was just gonna ask if you had a plan hell.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
No, never in a million years did I ever think
I'd be on a reality tv show shit.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
No, you're so talented and I remember watching
that and you were you were upthere and you were just doing
what you had to do.
You were the only one that Ican recall that had all four
chairs turned yeah and uh, wasit?
I don't not honestly off thetop of my head, which is really
amazing.
Um, I don't need no doctor.
(04:18):
Was it the ray charles student?
Yes, humble pie, humble pie.
Why did I think Rachel?
All right, I was partiallycorrect.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Everybody's covered that song, man, and I did the
John Mayer version of it, Iguess.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Yeah, that was pretty cool.
That was pretty cool, so yougot off of that, you went back
to Nashville where you wereliving, and what happened after
that.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Work.
You know, like you get off theshow and it's.
You've got a lot of momentumand a lot of momentum and you
need to strike while the iron ishot.
You need to make sure that youmake the most of what you're
doing, because I mean, at thattime see, that was 2018.
I got here in 2011.
So seven years, and that sevenyears, I couldn't have made that
kind of momentum by myself.
And so when I got that sevenyears, I couldn't have made that
(05:04):
kind of momentum by myself.
And so when I got that momentumoff the show not to mention, I
met Caleb Lee, so we had a duo,we met on the show and then it
was just like there wassomething about this.
It was totally meant to be.
You know, I met him, he met me,we came together and the first
time we ever sang together inour hotel room, I remember
thinking I was like that is theeasiest I've ever had to, like
(05:25):
that was so easy.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
That's so cool.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
And uh, it turned into, you know, I'd go do a show
and there'd be some peoplethere, but then I'd bring Caleb
with me and there'd be 10 timesas many.
And then Caleb would go do ashow and take me with him.
There'd be 10 times.
Try this out.
So we did and we made it.
You know, we, we were duo andman, we had it all.
We were ready to go, we weregoing to be the next, next Dan
(05:52):
and Shay, and uh, no, we'd havebeen like the next brothers
Osborne, but like okay, thereyou go, all right Okay.
It was rock and roll, it wasawesome music and he just quit
one day.
So it's like, oh crap, no shit,yeah, we were like.
He just never heard from himagain.
(06:12):
I've never seen him again.
It's just really weird.
It's like, oh, you like you're,you're right there and you made
it, and it's like we made it,dude.
And then I'll never forget.
I thought my, I thought my timewas over being here in
Nashville and I told my fianceat the time.
I said I got one egg left in mybasket.
Your dryer's going off.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
No, no, actually it was my watch and it's my son
upstairs, he's watching.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Oh hi son.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
It's named Zach.
Zach has Down syndrome and he's24 and he just loves.
He loves music and he loveswhat I do, and it just could be
prouder so what's up Zach?
No, you'll be down now that youdid that, but go ahead.
I can't believe.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
He just walked away and you have not heard from
Caleb never and we were togethersince I mean, I met him in 2017
when the voice started.
After the voice, he lived indaytona beach, florida, and him
and his wife and his three kidsand his two dogs lived at our
house at the time.
So there was about seven.
There was seven humans andthree dogs in a three-bedroom
(07:17):
house for 180 pieces like oh boy, four years, oh wow he was
traveling and doing his thingtrying to make it work and I was
traveling doing my thing,trying to make it work.
And I was traveling doing mything, trying to make it work.
And then I remember one time Icame home and I told my fiance.
I said I got one egg left in mybasket.
If this doesn't work, I said Ithink I don't know what else to
do.
And um, it was a uh publishingcompany.
(07:39):
I'll never forget they emailedme the next day.
It was a sunday, and theyemailed me on monday and they
said you know, we love yourmusic, we love all that, but
we're gonna pass.
And I was like wow, dude, andit.
Just like you know I moved here.
You know I've been doing it mywhole life.
I've chased it down.
It's all I've ever.
It's all I've ever done.
I mean I've waited tables, I'veroofed houses, I've cut grass,
(08:02):
I've washed it, I've babysat,anything you can think of.
I've done it to try to keepthis thing going.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
But you didn't give up.
You didn't give up.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Nope, but I'll never forget.
I remember I cried.
I cried like a baby.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
I don't blame you Wow .
Speaker 2 (08:20):
I'll never forget.
Caleb FaceTimed me and I waslike I wonder, and I answered
the phone and he said I'll be atyour house tomorrow.
We have a meeting at 2 o'clock.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
And.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
I was like great, come on up here, caleb, let me
play the guitar for you.
And let's make your life better.
And he came up.
He drove up from Daytona Beach,Florida, and we had three songs
and we he came up, he drove upfrom Daytona beach, Florida, and
we had three songs and we wentin the next day black river and
they looked at us after weplayed.
And now this is on Monday.
Now this is on Tuesday.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
And how long ago?
How long?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
ago prior.
This is 2020.
Okay, right before the wholeworld shut down.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Yeah, okay, okay.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
So on Sunday, on Monday I thought it was over
Tuesday he gets here, Wednesdaywe have our meeting and
Wednesday afternoon they offerus a record deal.
And I was like you've got to beshitting me, Like you got to go
all the way to the bottom andit's like this, is it Like it's
over?
And then it turns around, andso then you're from the bottom
and then you're all the way backup to the top and you're just
flying high.
You're so happy.
And then we work and we'reworking, working, working and we
(09:24):
have so much going, so much.
And then March 2020.
And it just shuts us down bigtime Just kills everything, just
like it does the whole world.
So we're on the road, we'redoing virtual stuff, we're doing
a virtual radio tour and we'rejust working our asses off.
(09:44):
Things start to lighten up andwe're back on the road again and
we're playing like crazy andwe're on the road with Travis
Tritt.
It's going so good.
And I'll never forget, man, wewere in Florida and we finished
like a month worth of stuff withTravis Tritt and we were down
there down by the watersomewhere and there, down, there
(10:08):
, down by the water somewhere,and um, there was a blues band
in there and I got up and played.
We went down, caleb and I.
We sat down by the water it wasa big full moon, must have been
three o'clock in the morningjust listening to the waves, and
we both cried because we werelike dude, we made it holy shit
like we did it.
I'll never forget him sayingyou know, no matter what I say,
no matter what I do, like prior,this is, this is this is it.
This is what I'm here to do.
He called me on a Tuesday andsaid I quit.
(10:34):
I was like what'd you quit?
Smoking, drinking, what he'slike this?
I was like what are you talkingabout?
That was it.
We were going to meet GarthBrooks on Wednesday at the Ryman
to go talk, and so that wholething, and then that just you
(10:55):
know.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Just like that, just like that Just like that.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I mean, it's like it was a Tuesday at three o'clock.
He called me at Tuesday atthree o'clock and I'll never
forget and I was like now what?
Yeah, but I mean like oh, allright, mosquito, but it's like
my whole life, I've dedicated mywhole life to this and then and
I it's almost like I alwaysexplained it's kind of like I
don't have kids, but I wouldimagine would be like something
(11:24):
that you've kept with you yourwhole life, kept very near to
your heart and created, madesure that you kept it protected.
And then you let somebody elseinto the picture.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
You let them into your bubble.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Yeah, and then it dies and it's like, oh my God.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
It hurts.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Yeah, it hurts, but you know, and you think it dies,
but it doesn't die.
It just makes it stronger.
And I'll never forget.
This is no bullshit.
This is one of those thingsthat happened in my life where
I'll remember to the day that Idied.
He quit on a Tuesday.
On Monday we had a.
It was the Country Music Hallof Fame Songwriters Gala.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Okay, yep.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
And I'll never forget .
Monday morning I woke up justlike any other Monday morning,
went downstairs making coffeeand my coffee maker is on the
left-hand side and I'm standinghere, so I would just turn left
right.
Mm-hmm left right, right, forsome reason I went like the
other way and just turned rightlike made a circle, and as soon
(12:29):
as I turned, like my head justto turn and I'm I mean, I'm
talking, we're talking onesecond, split second sure it was
five minutes and everything wascomplete in total silence.
It was as blue as looking at themost crystal clear blue sky
you've ever seen, not like water.
Just like I was floating in themiddle of nothing and there was
(12:53):
nothing there and I was justlike.
I remember I was like I justkind of looked around and it
seemed like it took forever andI was like what in the hell?
And I just felt like this, justlike this thing the most calm
thing I've ever felt in my lifeJust come from the top of my
head to the bottom of my feet.
(13:13):
I was like, wow, I'm prettychill right now, right on.
Then I went to that.
We went to the gala that night.
I was like this is thesongwriting thing saved my life,
like it was, and I had no ideawhat it was going to do to my
(13:33):
life and what it was going tobring to my life and how it was
going to help me through so manythings being here now.
And he quit the next day and Ihad this calmness about me and
when he told me and I was likeokay, and he's like okay, and I
said yeah, anything else, and hegoes.
Well, do you want to talk aboutit.
(13:56):
I said no, wow, don't ever,don't ever call me again Like
this is, we're done, we're done,we're done here.
And he's never, never reachedout, never, not once, not ever.
When my dad died, nothing.
When I got an abortion, nothinglike nothing, just just.
And we're the like we havesister dogs.
(14:17):
His wife and my fiance werepretty much just friends yeah
like those two like wow, yeah,they were.
They were team prior and caleband they had the kids and they
were I mean they, they dideverything together and so we
just became this huge travelingfamily.
Like those, kids stayed at ourhouse when they moved from
(14:37):
florida, like we uh, we unloadedan entire semi-truck, andrea
and I set their whole house up,and we've never seen or heard
from them what um, I know we'rehere to talk about you and your
music a little bit uh more butit's all a story man this is the
story that, um, a lot of usdon't realize, we don't hear,
(14:58):
and I listening to you andanybody else that might be
watching this now or down theroad um, they see how dedicated
you are and how much passion youhave.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Uh, just to continue to do what you do and kill those
mosquitoes.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
I just got him too man, I got him right here, so my
dad would have said no, but Iscared him, scared him.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Yeah, you did good, but no, it's just the whole
passion and dedication, for youknow, I mean it's just, it's a
good example of the downs, butyou've got a lot of ups too, and
for every down you probablyhave learned something and you
know you've got some ups.
I just I just find it hard tobelieve that he hasn't reached
out.
You guys had a great start, youand Caleb doing what you did,
(15:48):
the talent, all that, what doyou think you would do?
Let's say he called you rightnow and it's a FaceTime.
I mean, would you ignore it orwould you pick it up?
Speaker 2 (15:57):
100%.
I would 100% answer it.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
Yeah, okay.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
A lot happens.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
It does.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
But what I don't like ?
Don't be a coward, Don't be aliar.
If something's happened, tellme Cool.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Deal with it, be upfront.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
I also.
What would I have done if hesaid I'm thinking about quitting
?
Then I'd have been like oh myGod, don't quit.
Blah, blah, blah.
I don't want to talk somebodyinto doing something they don't
want to do.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Right, they don't want to make it worse.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
It's not a job where it's like you know you're
talking about passion, like ifyou want to do this, do it.
This is 100%, this is 1000%every day or nothing, because it
(16:48):
is so hard and you got to getso comfortable with the
uncomfortable and the words no,and I mean I like I said I've
been here, it doesn't matter, itdoesn't matter like it can be
over right now.
Somebody can quit, just likethat.
It's like wait hold on a second.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
last week we were it and now it's over like no
nothing yes, it's like somebodyflipped a switch.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
It's like, all right, we're done, goodbye it's
literally like a death, likewith them it is.
We have never heard from them,never seen them, I mean their
kids.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
It's wild, it's a crazy story, you know well, yeah
, it is a crazy story, but hereyou are.
Prior baird black, black RiverEntertainment.
I saw you at CRS.
I was hanging out in the suitehaving a couple of cocktails and
I heard you perform.
I saw you perform Just fabulousman, just fabulous, just
(17:40):
fabulous.
And now that you've come outwith this song the one left
behind, and just how they allcame together, the more I
listened to it I go.
That is so true.
You have no idea.
You could be the one to leave,but you have no idea what's
going on with the one you leftbehind or what we're feeling.
So wow, so can you tell us alittle bit about the song?
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Yeah, it's about my life and it's about getting left
behind.
I mean, literally that's mylife in the past year it's been,
you know, pretty bad.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Yeah, so you wrote it .
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Yeah, I wrote it with Terry Jo Box and Barrett Baber.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
Reflecting on your own life.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
Yeah, I had this idea of you know, I don't know where
it was, but I heard itsomewhere, I think.
Actually, I said I think I wastalking to my fiance on the
phone and I was like, man, youknow, there's nothing worse than
being the one left behind and Iwas like the sick part of being
(18:47):
a songwriter it's like oh God,wait a minute, I got to write
that down Shit.
You know, you look all of myeyes out, dude.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
I don't know how you, as a songwriter, can get
through some of these thoughts,because I'm going to be honest
with you From being a guy, I crythe littlest things I am.
I'm very soft.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Me too, me too, and I and you know it's me too, you
know talking about it, you knowthese things.
It's real.
But I also feel like that's.
Those are my kind of songs, man.
You know, that's the way I livelife.
If I want to do something, Iwant to feel it a hundred
percent.
If I want to taste something, Iwant to taste a hundred percent
.
If I'm going to live it, let'slive it a hundred percent.
If we're going to write itright at a hundred percent and I
can't write a hundred percentof what somebody else is feeling
I can write a hundred percentabout me or get close to it.
It's the raw emotion.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Yeah, it's the.
I'm going to see if I want toplay a little bit of it here,
but my phone did somethingreally funky, wouldn't you know
it when I need it not to?
Speaker 2 (19:49):
But I'm not leaving, I'm going to go close this door
Because the mosquitoes arecoming.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
You go close the door and you people just hang on
Because he's coming right backIn the meantime.
I am Looking for the song and Iwant you all to hear it,
because it's got a lot of pedalsteel guitar which is very, very
cool.
So once I get it up here, ofcourse, I just probably can't.
(20:16):
So that's Brooks and Dunn.
We don't want Brooks and Dunn.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Hey Brooks and Dunn good.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Well, no, no, we don't want Brooks and Dunn, it
came up on my phone, I don'tknow, but I gotta find, I gotta
find you, man.
Oh you good.
Well, no, no, we don't wantBrooks undone.
It came up on my phone, I don'tknow, but I got to find you,
man.
Oh, here we are.
Here we are.
Oh, wait a minute.
So oh, this is what I remember.
Hang on, this might bring backa few memories here.
Let me see if I can do thisDoing the old Humble Pie tune,
(20:48):
and this was on the voice.
That's pretty cool.
That's pretty cool.
So well, I'm, uh, hopefully Ican move on to the next one.
But what were you feeling whenall four chairs turned around
while the first one came aroundand then the other three
followed suit?
What was going through yourmind?
Do you feel that like holy crap?
(21:11):
Of course, yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Yeah, hell yeah.
I mean I don't think I'd evereven I'll take it back.
I watched the Voice the yearbefore that because a buddy of
mine was on.
I was like, huh cool, but youdon't really think.
I mean, what were you feelingwhen all four chairs turned
around?
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Well, the first one came around, oh boy.
Never mind, you know what I'mgoing to do.
I'm going to take that song andI'm going to tag it after.
You know when I put this uponline, but it's called the One
you Left Behind.
I know there were a lot oftears shed writing this, a lot
(21:47):
of raw emotion and uh, as Imentioned to you earlier, early
on, uh, the pedal steel guitarnow is that something that's in
a lot of your music now.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Uh, I mean, I think it's.
This is definitely the mostpresent it's ever been, that's
for sure, but I love it, youknow what does that sound
represent for you?
It's gonna sound funny.
Um nothing's funny.
I love it.
What does that sound representfor you?
Speaker 1 (22:06):
It's going to sound funny.
Nothing's funny.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
I love it.
My mom cannot listen to countrymusic, to that pedal steel,
because got him.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Look at that.
What are we?
Oh wow, Jesus, he blew him overhere.
Stop.
Are we?
Oh wow, oh Jesus, he blew himover here Stop.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
Because it's so painful, like it just it's it.
Just, to me it's just this whenit's played that way, it's the
nothing can, yeah, nothing canmake that sound that pain, just
like when it comes out of youlike, oh man, I mean it'll take
the wind out of you.
(22:47):
You know that's what it meansto me.
It just represents this sadnessand the crying and the you know
you can feel it.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
I think I have it.
I think I have it.
Here we go.
It's the beginning of it.
It is it's you getting out ofthe vehicle or going into the
bar.
That's what it's all about.
Now, listen to the steel.
Wow, it's kind of bluesy too.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
You said you made it to Houston, cried every mile,
dodging potholes and sad songs,pulling a U-Haul full of half of
our lives.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Don't cry, dude.
I know I appreciate you callingdude.
I know I'll get out of it herein a second oh, that's great,
that's great.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
I'm going to get this on the radio pretty quick,
powerful, dude, powerful.
Here we go, because the oneleft behind has to look at these
walls when we hung up thememories.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Just because they're empty Don't mean that they're
gone's my life dude, telling youbeen there no matter which
heart decides.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
If you think it's hard to leave in, maybe try
being the one left behind.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
There it is.
I know you know that wholething is out there.
It's going to be available.
You're going to hear that onthe radio pretty quick.
I know they're dropping it herepretty soon, if they haven't
already, and we're prettyexcited about that, dude.
That is the phone man.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
I mean, it's just.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Well, you know what I you said your mom, your mom,
can't listen to country.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Well, she just can't listen to that.
That's like that sound.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
With the steel yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Yeah, it just sounds so sad, it just makes her cry
Like immediately.
She just it just does.
The sound just makes her so sadand I'm like man, that is,
that's that's powerful when asound can do something to you,
you know well, that's what Ilove about it, because it does,
and I want to hear it again, andI want to hear it again.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
That's what it's about.
That's a good move.
Who decided that that was thesong that was going to go to
radio?
Speaker 2 (25:37):
uh well, I was the first one, I mean, as soon as we
like, when we wrote the song.
It's just one of those momentswhere you just kind of sit there
and you look at each other andyou're like, did we just write?
That is like as good as wethink it is.
And you said then we sang it,we're like this is really good.
And the two people that I wroteit with like they could both
(25:57):
sing their asses off.
So we did this three-partharmony thing.
Even when we were doing it, like, guys, this is, and just like
you said, you want to hear itagain, we wanted to sing it
again and we wanted to sing itagain.
We wanted to sing it again.
We're like, guys, this is agreat sign.
And so as soon as we had it youknow just the work tape I said
I don't want to send this over,just the work tape.
So we sent it over to my teamand as soon as we did, they were
like, yes, this is, we lovethis, and this is what your
(26:20):
voice, you're like your voicesounds so good.
Yeah, and it just feels andit's real and it's my life and
it was lit like authenticity isis.
You cannot, it's not replicated.
You can't duplicate it.
It's like it has to be real andso, like I said before, I can't
write somebody else's feelings.
I can try, that's gotta be youlike you, give me the recipe and
(26:41):
I can make, but you don't havethe feelings I have inside and I
can't.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
I can't explain it.
That's so true.
That's so true and that's whatmakes a good songwriter.
When you can, you can expressyourself with music words that
turn it into a song.
That's that's a good songwriter, and anything like that is just
.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
You know that's art like a, a painting, you know, a
book um a picture, a song.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
You know it's a soundtrack to our lives, dude,
because I'll tell you if I'mdriving my truck down the road
and I got a brand new chevycolorado, by the way.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
I don't know what you drive, but we'd like to thank
toyota for a uh chevrolet forthis sponsor, what you drive.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
But we'd like to thank toyota or a chevrolet for
this sponsor.
Yes, you have a toyota, so welove you and it happens to be
the uh oh, that uh oh.
Man, I can't think of the model, never mind, sorry, chevy, um,
but uh, I do love it.
I do love it and, yes, we'dlike to thank chevrolet for the
sponsorship that I do not haveyet.
Um, but I love it.
(27:48):
I love it.
It's soundtrack to our lives.
That's what the music's allabout.
So now I kind of, yeah, oh,that song, it's well.
I said if I was in my truck I'dbe cranking that and I'd want
I'd play it over and over again.
I think that's what I was goingto say.
I kind of lost my track, atrain of thought.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
So it's true, man, and it's, it's the soundtrack,
like I'll be honest, I justtalked to my ex today and it was
hard, you know, and it's firsttime I talked to her in a long
time and we even she, you know,she said something about how she
has to live in that house.
It's so hard, she's like I hadto take the pictures down and I
was like I know that's wherethat came from, you know,
because I walked through thehouse one time I had to go get
something and she'd taken allthe pictures off the wall.
(28:23):
It's like fuck Wow.
You can still see, like whenyou go into a house that people
used to smoke.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Yes, yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
It's not that we didn't smoke, but I'm saying you
still see, like you see, it'sstill there, but it's like wow,
that's been there for the pastdecade.
Now it's not there, but it'sthere.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Yeah, the feelings are gone, but when you see that
the pictures are gone it kind ofmakes you go holy shit.
You know they're gone, but Iget it, I get it.
Totally.
Been there, my friend, beenthere.
I think we all have.
I think we all have.
Tell me about you know you'vebeen on the Grand Ole Opry.
Yes, you've done that.
Tell me about that experience.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Best stage in the world, man, Best stage in the
world Best, like.
That's one of those things likeyou never know, Like you dream
about those moments.
You know, Bottom of the ninthTie ball game, Full camp World
Series, You're up.
It's like, yeah, we made it.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
Look, look, look here up it's like yeah, we made it
here, I'll toss you the baseball.
It's all good, hey, there yougo.
But it's good, we're a baseballfamily.
That's why who's your team?
Speaker 2 (29:31):
uh, we go with the mets.
Oh okay, okay, right, I've gotno problem with the mets.
I'm a dodger fan, so I meanokay, oh okay, all right, all
right.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
no, we um the team here in town, the triple a team,
is the Syracuse Mets.
So the parent club is the NewYork Mets and I also work for
them part-time.
I'm not supposed to say that,but I just did.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
I'd like to thank the Mets for our sponsor today too
as well.
Thank you very much.
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
I could only wish but no one of their PA announcers.
And I do all that up in thepress box.
My son works up there too, soit's kind of cool.
It's a cool thing, but yeah, Imean being on that stage.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
what the feeling what is that like coming from an?
Speaker 1 (30:15):
artist point of view.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
I mean you said like nothing like it, Nothing like it
.
There's nothing, absolutelynothing like it.
And it's you know, it's such aholy place, if you will Like,
when it comes to music, thepeople that have been there.
And music is my life, you know,and as a little kid, even being
in California, you know we, Igrew up watching he haul with my
dad as a kid.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
I mean every other week.
I listened to Merle Haggard andDwight Young and Buck Owens
over and over and over and itwas great.
I mean that's what made me partof who I am, but it's those guys
get on those stages and youwork so hard, you work and you
dream, and you dream and you'relike you know you chase it.
And then I know, for me, when Imoved to Nashville, I was like
(31:01):
I will never go on stage at theRyman or the Opry until it's my
turn.
I have been invited to go bypeople like hey, come watch us
play.
Come hang out with us friends orguests and I was like yeah, man
, I'll totally come, and they'relike come backstage.
I said no, no, no, no, no, no,I don't go backstage.
I won't go backstage until it'smy time to go and it took.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
I mean, of course there's thoughts where it's like
I wonder if this will everhappen.
And then when it does, andBlake Shelton calls you.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
you're like oh, they got me on video.
Man, I thought we were going toone of the girls in management.
I thought it was her birthday.
We had this big old party setup.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
No.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
But man getting on that stage out there, not just
even walking out there, like myfriend micah she's you know,
she's in the band, so she was soexcited to see me come there
and it's like you kind of feellike you're already part of the
family and they treat you sogood and I will never, ever,
ever, forget.
Right before the curtain wentup, the piano player and the
band director walks right up tome and I'm standing there right
(32:04):
before I walk in the circle andhe says mini Pearl always said
if you love the people, they'lllove you back.
And I was like man and helooked at me and winked and just
walked over there and I waslike this is the greatest night.
And I walked down there and Iput my hand on the circle and I
looked out and I saw my familyand my friends and there were so
many.
You know, nobody gets it, Nobodygets anywhere If you don't have
(32:26):
a team.
You got to have people behindyou and people that support you.
And, man, that place was packedfull of people, that people
that knew who I am, my friendsand my family that have been
with me since the very beginningand they traveled to come see
it and it's kind of feel likeit's one of those things like we
(32:47):
all made it, you know, and yeah, yeah, no, I get it.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Um, but you did make it.
Even you had the voice.
He had caleb caleb.
You, you did make it.
People know who you are, andnow that you're on black river
and you're putting out the songthe one left behind, uh, people
know who you are.
Therefore, you're heading outon tour pretty quick too, right,
don't you have something comingup?
Speaker 2 (33:10):
That's the goal.
If anybody out there islistening and wants to take me
on tour, I'm ready.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
I thought you were heading out already.
I didn't know if you were goingto be with somebody or what's
going on.
I must have misread that.
But yeah, I think something isgoing to come your way pretty
quick and as all these tours getinto shape, Come up there to
New York and come see We'll goto a baseball game.
Dude, I'll take you to a Metsgame.
Come on, bring it on.
Come to Syracuse anytime andI'll I'll take good care of you,
(33:37):
I promise you Don't?
Speaker 2 (33:38):
you have like a really famous donut shop right
there in Syracuse too?
Speaker 1 (33:42):
Donut shop?
We have.
No, I don't think so.
We have our donut, the Dunkin'Donuts.
We used to have Tim Hortons.
They're gone.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
I thought, like I was up there one time and there was
a it was like a pink buildingand it was lined and there was a
line of people out there, yeah,we call the guy Pauly Donuts.
But they made like donuts orsomething like that.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
Yes, yes, yeah, no, you're right.
So when were you here?
And we didn't know?
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Man, it was a long time ago.
I came up there and somefreaking booking agent guy got a
hold of me.
Man, I got some plays for youto play, so I played like the
dew drop in and Poland, new Yorkfor nobody on, like January
19th, it was so warm.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Oh, glazed and confused, I think.
Yeah, somebody just chimed inhere.
Let me see if I can bring thisover here.
Glazed and confused is the nameof the donut shop Polly, Polly
donuts is.
Is the owner.
We call them Polly donuts?
Uh, sydney Irving.
That sent that along.
She is a great artist.
She's been to Nashville, shelives here, uh, but uh, on the
(34:54):
podcast, what's that?
Speaker 2 (34:55):
I said what's up Sydney?
Speaker 1 (34:57):
There you go.
Oh, she'll probably probablychime in now if I know how to
get.
See, this is a whole new systemI'm using, so I just got to
figure out how to get rid of itnow.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
I feel like we're like the Joe Rogan thing right
now.
Man, you got the guy that canlook up all this stuff for you.
Like, before you even sayanything, be like oh, here it is
, here's the answer for what youwould like.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
Wouldn't that be nice ?
I wish I did have.
Other side of the room is avoiceover and production area
and I have a vocal booth.
So because I do a lot of VOwork, voice acting and stuff
(35:35):
like that, not only am I on air.
What's that?
Speaker 2 (35:41):
long commute from Nashville to come up there and
be on the podcast but I'll comeup.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
You know what?
No, no, we wouldn Nashville tocome up there and be on the
podcast.
But I'll come up, you know what?
No, no, we wouldn't just haveyou come and be on the podcast.
I'll put you in front of a lotof fans, a lot of listeners, and
you'll make new fans.
Let's go, definitely.
I'll definitely work on that,we'll let you know and we'll get
it taken care of one way or theother.
And Sydney says says hello, soshe just chimed in, so she's
pretty cool, so yeah, so, um,where do you see yourself in
(36:07):
five years?
I know dumb question, but Iwant to know that's not a dumb
question, you know um I know.
See, this is good, pryor.
This is good Because you got tothink about it, because there's
(36:27):
so much.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
Going on, but not just that.
You know, if you were to ask meFive years ago, I wouldn't
Expect I would be here.
Not at all.
Speaker 1 (36:42):
And you worked Hard for it.
You had good things going, whynot?
Speaker 2 (36:46):
Oh yeah, oh no, but I'm saying like uh, not in a bad
way, I'm just saying like Iwouldn't, I just life is well.
I only would have said fiveyears.
I'd be like man.
Hopefully I'll have a, I don'tknow, I don't know, I don't know
(37:07):
.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
I have no idea, man, I'll tell you it, just you know.
Speaker 2 (37:11):
I would like I have a general direction forward, not
backwards, not sideways.
I'd like to just be, you know,moving everything forward and
getting things going when I'myou where I'm.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
You know life is good .
I'm living the dream.
You know I love it and I'm gladyou're living the dream and
it's only going to get betterprior.
You know that it's going to.
It's going to continue to grow.
I want to ask if we could takeit back again a little bit to
the voice days.
How was it being on, team Blake?
Speaker 2 (37:38):
Amazing, it was great .
I mean, blake is such a niceguy, he's such a real deal.
And not only that, kellyClarkson was on the show.
That was her first year andI'll never forget.
Caleb was on her team andeverybody else on the show.
You know, you're friends witheverybody and you talk to
everybody.
Yeah, kelly Clarkson was onwhat American Idol?
Speaker 1 (37:57):
Yeah, yes, I believe so.
Speaker 2 (38:00):
So her first year she's got what?
Do you have?
12 people on your team, I think.
I think that's how it starts,man.
She got custom leather-boundnotebooks and wrote a full-on
letter to every personindividually.
It's like saying, hey, welcometo this.
This is going to be really hard.
(38:21):
I know where you're at.
It's scary.
She paid people's bills, paidlike mortgages, um, to help make
sure that people could anythingyou need.
I mean blake did the same thing.
Blake would help out.
Like what can I do to help out?
What can I, what can we do tohelp you?
I mean that whole tv show, thatplatform, literally how, if you
(38:41):
really want to do this, how canI help you get yourself to
where you need to be?
Speaker 1 (38:47):
Wow See, I think, being reality TV, we don't see a
lot of that.
We didn't know that.
I think you get out out there.
They want to see you sing.
Uh, people watching at homewant to.
You know you have your fans andthey want to watch.
You do all that, but they don't.
They don't have an idea, uh,what's going on behind the
scenes and how much that theseyou know team coaches, for
(39:10):
example, blake or or kelly, howthey really help out.
Speaker 2 (39:14):
I, I mean and not only that, I mean.
Then you got to think about theband.
Ah, I mean you got 12 people oneach team and you got four
teams and they got to learn allthose songs for every person,
every artist, and learn themperfectly, with no mistakes, and
so it's like it really steps upyour game.
You go out there it's like Ooh,and you get to the lives.
(39:40):
And you walk out there it'slike oh gosh.
You know, this is hey, don'tmess up, because if you do, it's
in front of 11 million peoplethat are watching you're like
holy, yeah, you're better offnot to think about that like I
mean, and that was the beautifulthing.
Like for me, one of the moststressful things going on stage
is like oh, you know, let's justpray, there's no mistakes,
nothing go, nothing bad happens,nothing goes wrong.
You don't have those fears withthose guys.
(40:02):
It's like if there's a mistakeit was you, you know.
So it really levels up yourgame.
It makes you I mean, it's goodthat's good.
Speaker 1 (40:12):
I imagine everybody talks to you about the voice.
You probably don't even want totalk about it much anymore, but
it was such a big part of yourlife.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
I love talking about all of it.
You know it's a part of my life.
It got me to where I am andI'll be worried when people
don't want to talk to me.
They'll be like, well, thatsucks.
Speaker 1 (40:28):
Well, they're going to be talking about all your big
hits Back to back, to back.
I don back.
I don't like that.
It even sounds good when yousay back to back back to back to
back prior beard sounds likecrazy.
I don't know.
I'm a radio guy what can I tellyou?
Back to back to back yeah, sotell me about an album.
(40:49):
What's going on?
Speaker 2 (40:50):
man, we got so much music like this.
It's just, uh, we have tons ofmusic, tons of ready to go.
I've got my full band and we goout and we play and I mean
we've got music recorded.
It's just like it's a strangetime and like streaming stuff.
You put stuff out.
Do you not put stuff out?
Do you like it?
(41:10):
When do you put it out?
How much do you put out?
Um, but I have plenty of music.
We have a lot of it.
I don't know what the timelineis for an album, but I know that
there's an ep on the way that'svery cool and the singles
coming out here really soon, aswe talked about a few minutes
ago.
Speaker 1 (41:28):
Um, but uh, tell me a little bit about your band.
Uh, these guys you play withall the time.
Uh, it's a regular group, or orwhat?
Speaker 2 (41:36):
yeah, so, uh, actually it's kind of funny how
it happened.
I've just, you know, beenlooking for a band for a long
time and then I was at the dogpark not the dog park, dog park,
but like.
I was at park and this guywalked by and he's like hey man,
it's cool dog, we just gottalking, come to find out he's a
phenomenal jazz pianist.
Wow, oh yeah, man, you know,I've just here a couple of years
(41:57):
and we're just playing musicand blah, blah, blah.
So I checked out a social mediapage and I was like Holy cow,
this like this guy'sunbelievable Good, and so I said
, hey, man, we should, we shouldget together and play sometime.
He's like yeah man and we wentand that was it.
We went and had rehearsal oneday.
I was like, okay, boys, well,that's how this is going to work
(42:18):
.
And they're killer and don'tlet them like I would be.
I have to keep them verywrangled because they're so good
.
I'm a pretty good musician.
I consider myself I can hold myown.
But if these guys get let looseI'm like, okay, boys, I can't
keep up.
They're jazz players and theyknow all the notes and they can
(42:40):
do it all and sometimes they'dlike to run circles around me.
I'm like guys, come on, youknow, they're just a bunch of.
They're a bunch of greatmusicians that love music you
know, want to play that's cool,just want to play music.
It's like yes I love that.
Speaker 1 (43:01):
I love that.
Describe what it's like if Iwere to go to a show.
You're up there with your band.
What, what would I hear?
What would it be like?
For me?
Is it very?
Do you play a lot of rock?
You stick with the country.
I know, you know after hearingI don't need no doctor.
What's your show like?
Speaker 2 (43:20):
it would definitely.
It's not the rock and roll likewhere it's so loud you can't
talk to anybody next to youright like I love.
I'm a musician's musician.
I love going to a show whereyou can.
You can sit there and you canlisten and it's pleasant on the
ears.
It's like this is this is sogood, but it's uh, very muscle
(43:42):
shoals, very bakersfield, verychris dapleton.
It's not a I'm not a one-trickpony.
I'm not just gonna play you,you know the same three chords
of the same four chords.
I'm gonna play all the chords.
Uh, I'm not just going to playthe same three chords or the
same four chords, I'm going toplay all the chords.
I'm not going to overdo it, butit's going to be one of those
where you're not just going togo like this, you're going to
(44:04):
want to get up and move.
Or you're going to sit down andyou're going to listen, and
you're going to listen to everynote, or you're going to.
You know it's like maybe mysongs and and I hope that's what
it is when people come to myshows, I hope it's one of those.
Something in one of my songssomewhere is going to strike and
(44:25):
never be like well okay, thatwould be the goal I would think.
Yeah, that's the goal and so,but it's fun, it's it and so,
but it's fun.
It's man, it's all the emotionsLike it's.
I love music and I love the artof it.
I love the storytelling of it.
I love where the songs can takeyou.
(44:47):
I love how a song can literallytransport you to another time,
even if it's not your story.
But if it's done well enough,you're like well, for three and
a half minutes I was somewhereelse.
Speaker 1 (44:56):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (44:57):
What I want to do, and that's what happens.
That's what I try to makehappen.
Speaker 1 (45:02):
Oh, you're making it happen, dude, come on.
Come on, I saw it.
I saw it happen.
I saw it when I was inNashville.
It wasn't with the full band,but I saw it.
Speaker 2 (45:10):
Yeah, that was cool, even though I stole the hat that
was supposed to be yours, butthat's a true story.
Everybody that's watching.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
I'm grateful you got it, but it's a true story 100%.
We happened to be in the sameplace at the same time and
Scotty Hastings left it on thetable, while he left it with you
.
Yeah, I left it.
Speaker 2 (45:36):
Hey man, I brought your hat.
I was like yeah, because I'm onthe set this right here, so I
don't forget it and skip walkedaway with it skip.
Skipped away with it, skipwalked away right here grateful
and we are grateful.
Speaker 1 (45:47):
So he's your label mate, and we're going to be
talking to him in just a coupleof weeks on the, on the podcast
too.
I have him on the calendar, soand what a story.
Speaker 2 (45:54):
What a guy, what a, what a hero you know hero, hero,
big time, hero, big time.
Speaker 1 (46:03):
Yeah, so do you like baseball?
Did you say that you go to abaseball?
Yeah, any question.
Okay, all right.
And you said uh, your team iswho?
Speaker 2 (46:12):
oh, they just won the world series last year okay,
the dodgers come on.
Speaker 1 (46:18):
Why are you doing this to me?
Anyways, now we're with themets, we came close, we came
close, but, seriously, I love totreat you to a game here in
town, because you never know whoyou're going to see at this
level, which is pretty I lovebaseball games.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
That's always been one of my.
I always wanted to like set upa tour where, like during
baseball season, and go to everypark.
Like set up a tour where you goto you know every town and
catch a ball game and go to allthe parks.
I think that'll be so much fun.
Speaker 1 (46:46):
Eat hot dogs, drink cold beer see, the gears are,
everything's turning right nowbecause we got a whole summer
ahead of us and you know wecould work something out where
we get you up here.
We'll get you to do a littlebit at the ball field.
I don't know, do you sing thenational anthem, or is that a
song you stay away from?
Absolutely yeah, that's.
It's a hard song to sing.
(47:06):
That's why I said thatsometimes artists get like oh, I
don't know.
One thousand percent, yeah, yeahthat would be cool, that would
be, cool on that, then we treat.
We treat you to the game.
So it's cool and there's a lotof cold beer.
So do you have pets?
I do.
I have dogs, right.
Speaker 2 (47:26):
I have a dog.
Her name is Winnie.
Yeah, she's a Germanshort-haired pointer, but she
looks like that.
She's like a rust-colored whaledog Beautiful.
Speaker 1 (47:35):
I have a yellow lab that likes to steal everything,
so he's great, he takes after me.
Uh, stop, all right, I'll mailyou the hat for crying out loud
now.
Man, that's good, I don't havebugs, everything's fine scotty,
scotty, hastings, I'm getting anew hat.
Speaker 2 (47:57):
Thanks for the sponsorship, dude.
Speaker 1 (47:59):
We'll be talking about this when I talk to him in
a couple of weeks.
But how cool, how cool.
What do you drive?
I forgot, did you tell meearlier.
Speaker 2 (48:06):
Toyota Tundra Yep, my hometown dealership in Santa
Maria.
Speaker 1 (48:19):
They hooked it up right after the voice man, they
were like hey.
I said hey, my toyota, oh yeah,sponsored by toyota, you betcha
, I love it.
Yeah, hunters are a nice truckman, I'll tell you, I looked at,
I looked at those yeah, they're, they're great but I gotta be
honest with you, the price tagwas a little bit too much for me
, so well, I gotta love yourhometown dealership man.
Speaker 2 (48:34):
I love a hometown dealership man.
I love a hometown dealershipSanta Maria, toyota baby, what's
up?
Speaker 1 (48:40):
Sponsored by Okay, brought to you by.
Damn, what's up with thosemosquitoes?
Speaker 2 (48:47):
Vanilla candle sponsorship is what we need.
Speaker 1 (48:51):
What do they call those candles that keep the bugs
away?
I forgot Citronella, orsomething like that.
Speaker 2 (48:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:58):
There it is.
You know it's been great justchatting with you, kind of a
just a one-on-one conversation,and, you know, just to catch up
where we left off in Nashvillehere a couple of weeks ago.
But it's so good to see youprior and, you know, talking to
black river, talking to thosepeople, everybody's so proud of
you, everybody is just just,they know you've got what it
takes and, uh, they're standingbehind you 100.
(49:20):
I mean, I talk to the reps allthe time, um, you know, and then
grassroots, hooking me up withthis interview, with you to sit
down and chat.
But it's not like we'restrangers.
I mean, right, you know it's,we know each other a little bit
black river.
Speaker 2 (49:34):
I mean there there's something to be said about, like
each other a little bit BlackRiver.
I mean there's something to besaid about, like you know, about
, a small town dealership.
Small town, like a small townlabel.
Speaker 1 (49:44):
Well, small label in a big town.
Speaker 2 (49:46):
Right and you know if you need something you can go
right to.
You go right to the CE, walk inhis office.
Speaker 1 (49:54):
That's the way it should be.
Speaker 2 (49:56):
You know and like they call you on a first name,
they care about your genuinewell-being.
Like how are you?
Are you okay?
Are you doing good upstairs?
Do you need any help with this?
What can we do with that?
It's like you're not gonna getthat, you know.
Go work for any company.
Go work for a giant corporation, be like we get treated like
shit.
Speaker 1 (50:14):
We don't ever get a number you're a number you're a
number, that's all you are.
Nobody knows your name exactlyit's like where I am, and you
know, the radio station is asmall.
Now I work for the bigcorporations.
I've been there, I've done allthat and I played music back to
back to back, but uh, I just butuh, I've been there, I know
that.
(50:34):
But now I'm working forhometown radio station and, uh,
we are right up there with thebig guys.
We love it, it's just.
You know, they call me by name,I'm not a number, everybody is.
You know what I mean.
It's that feeling, exactly whatyou just described about Black
River.
It's the same thing.
It's the same thing.
Speaker 2 (50:54):
And it's that small town.
Feel Like I mean the same thing.
It's the same thing and it'sthat small town feel like.
I mean I'm from a small town.
We got two stop signs jerry the, the dj, and my hometown.
I still talk to him all thetime.
I send him my work tapes and heplays them on the radio.
That's cool, it's small town,you don't find that.
And it's the same thing withlike river.
It's just it's hard to find.
And when you find it I meanchris young said the same thing
(51:17):
he's like I knew as soon as Iwalked over.
He's like that's, that's whereI'm going exactly, and that's
what, yeah, oh and that's coolyeah, it's walking in, like
you're walking in the frontdoors of your house.
When you walk in over there,it's like when you hear your
family come in, sit down.
Speaker 1 (51:34):
We need to talk, but it's good talk.
Yeah, now, chris ch, chrisYoung can sit over there.
Scotty Hastings, you're overthere.
Here you go.
Pryor, you're going to hang outover here a little bit.
Let's get together.
Does anybody need a beer whilewe're here?
Yeah, I'm just saying it'd bethat type of atmosphere.
So we're looking for a beersponsor folks, just in case, All
(52:00):
right beer sponsor folks, justin case it's me all right on
that note, what's your favorite?
Uh flavor?
Uh, yes, okay, I like that too.
I'm trying to get us dude.
You got to help me out here uh,we're just throwing them out.
Speaker 2 (52:06):
That mean coming miller light's gonna be, you
know okay all right, okay, doyou guys get?
Speaker 1 (52:10):
do you have labatt's blue there?
Speaker 2 (52:14):
I never knew how.
I didn't know if it's labats orlabot or labbetter well, it's
not labbet, it's labats.
We call it labats yeah, no, wedon't have it down here, but I
like that.
It's like uh, it's got that.
Yeah, no, we don't have it, butI like it shock top.
Speaker 1 (52:29):
Oh okay, do you drink craft beer?
Uh, like a seasonal.
Speaker 2 (52:36):
I don't know if you so my dad was a home brewer
growing up.
Oh nice okay always had.
He loved dark amber beer.
All right, and man, I havedrank so much of that stuff and
it just I mean you drink numb toit bastard, you know.
And it's like I just I grew updrinking with my dad.
(52:56):
It's like, dad, I can't.
It's like you gotta chew it, Idon't know it's a hot day like I
just I grew up drinking with mydad.
It's like, dad, I can't.
It's like you gotta chew it, Idon't know.
It's a hot day like I can't dothis man.
And then you drink free andyou're like I'll go take a nap,
drink miller lights.
Be like no problem, dude, we'regood booze in there, there's
just a little bit of water.
Speaker 1 (53:21):
But yeah, no IPA.
That's just, we have Sam'sSeasonal here Now.
I don't know if they have itdown there at all.
I doubt it, but there's like aWinterfest, there's like a
Summerfest.
Speaker 2 (53:33):
What's that?
Sam Adams, of course Is it.
Sam Adams Might be.
Speaker 1 (53:40):
Yeah, no right, you're right, you're right,
you're right my dad, cool goodstuff.
Hey, uh, do you get down onbroadway at all to play?
I know you're not gonna go downthere and hang out, probably,
but uh do you get.
Speaker 2 (53:51):
Uh get a chance to play um, you know, no, I never
did.
I never did the broadway thing.
I actually went down there whenI first moved to town.
I went down to go play and Iplayed at tootsies.
I tried out in the backstageand the guy that like you're not
good enough, and I was likewhat?
Hey, cool, and you know what,it's great.
That's probably the best thingthat could have ever happened to
(54:13):
me, because getting down onBroadway and it takes the
uncomfortable away real quickbecause you make good money
every night You're playing coversongs and you get to sleep in
your bed at night.
You don't have to travelanywhere and it's like man, it's
(54:35):
kind of nice.
You don't have to travelanywhere and it's like man, it's
(54:55):
kind of nice.
You know, and I will tell youthat my biggest fear is if sit
here right now and tell youwho's playing where, what songs
they're playing, I can tell youwho's in the crowd from the
whole central coast ofCalifornia and it's the same
guys playing the same songs.
And that terrified me, even asa young guitar player and being
an artist in the town.
I was like a young guitar playerand being an artist in the town
(55:18):
.
I was like these guys are these?
Why don't you guys do anything?
Why aren't you here?
You know, and it terrified me.
I was like I don't want to dothat.
That's uh-uh not good.
So, you know, I packed it upall over California and moved
(55:39):
here and I was like I'm notgoing to Broadway, I'm not going
to do that thing, I'm not going.
So I'm going to go see how farwe can take this.
Speaker 1 (55:47):
Smart.
I have a?
Um, I have a friend that playsat Tootsie's.
All the time he goes out on theroad with an artist If they
need a guitar player his name'sJason Teska.
You know Jason, yep, yeah, yep,yep.
He plays the tootsies, uh,pretty much on a regular basis.
He's from the area um, we'veknown each other for god knows
how many years, but we keep intouch and when I'm in town I try
(56:08):
to make it a point to say hello.
Speaker 2 (56:10):
So yeah, I mean my neighbor across the street.
He was the drummer for uh umerrol singletary for like 15
years oh wow, very cool broadway.
Every now and then I'm like man.
There's nothing wrong with itabsolutely not.
I mean I got tons of buddiesthat do it.
I mean that's, it's great.
I mean, especially for touringmusicians it's killer because
(56:31):
you can go down, keep your chopsup, come down and play.
But I just would not want to doit for a, for my income and
like that's my job right?
Speaker 1 (56:38):
no, I don't blame you there and you don't do anything
else but write and perform whoyou are as of right now.
Correct, you don't have a job.
I mean, you're not like at thedollar general, um, being a
manager or anything during theday, and and don't laugh,
because I've actually talked toother artists and I go, okay,
what else do you do?
Well, the Dollar General,what's that?
Speaker 2 (57:01):
My first job was at the Union Stockyard and I wore a
tuxedo every day and I waitedtables and served wine.
Okay, I went and I started myown handyman service because I
got fired and so I was doinghandyman stuff for anybody that
I can.
I didn't know anybody.
It was like my first two yearshere I didn't know anybody.
It was like my first two yearshere I didn't know anything or
anybody.
Then, after that, I got a jobat Virago.
(57:21):
I was 31 years old, washingdishes bus boy.
Then I was a server and I woulddo that at night and during the
day I would cut the grass atthe Cool Springs Galleria Mall.
I worked for ERMC and it's likeone of those corporate.
(57:42):
You know taping companies andmy job.
You know the islands where youpark your cars in those big
parking lots and they got liketrees and shit.
Cool Springs Galleria isprobably I don't know 50 I I.
Cool Springs Galleria isprobably I don't know.
5 o'clock in the morning.
(58:04):
Get up, go out there, put yourblower on your back and it's
July, it's sweaty, it's humidand you're already just like
you're wearing clothes thatstink of grass and they're nasty
.
And then you get out there andit's just, you open the door and
it's sauna, sweat, gross, andmy job was to cut those islands
(58:25):
but I had a blower on my back, Ihad a push mower and a weed
whacker and a 55 gallon bucketand a 55 gallon bucket and I had
a case of water and I put thatcase of water in that trash can
and then I had done that.
(58:46):
And then I would go work atVirago and wait tables and then
after that I worked for aconstruction company where
roofing houses, re-roofinghouses.
Speaker 1 (58:55):
You've done it all.
Speaker 2 (58:57):
Yeah, wow know, roofing houses re-roofing houses
.
Speaker 1 (58:59):
You've done it all.
Yeah, so well, I get it.
I get it.
My friend, prior baird, thehardest working man in music
right now, because he's ready toput out those hits back to back
to back.
Um, I don't know why, when Italk it kind of cuts you off.
(59:19):
So I apologize if I'm cuttingyou off All of a sudden.
It just kind of goes silent.
But I do apologize for that.
Let me just play with thislittle.
There you go, but thanks forcoming on tonight and chatting a
little bit and I'm going to putthe link to the song the One
Left Behind.
It'll be right under this video.
It should be like right downthere somewhere, pretty quick,
you know.
(59:40):
Yeah, right down there.
Once we get done I'll get itall up and uh, you know we're
live now, but uh, there'll be anupdate.
So you'll see the link and allthat good stuff and we look.
I look forward to seeing you onthe road because I'm gonna get
you out of nashville, I'm gonnaget you into the northeast and
the best time to come up here islike the latter part of the
summer where the weather isgoing to be really, really nice.
Speaker 2 (01:00:01):
You're going to go to a Buffalo game.
Speaker 1 (01:00:04):
We can make that happen if we wanted to.
You know what you do here We'llwork on routing.
I'll call my friends inRochester and Buffalo and say we
need to get Pryor up here,let's do something, and we can
route you Buffalo, Rochester,Syracuse.
You can go see Maddie Jeff inAlbany.
Then you do the whole New YorkState Thruway, which is pretty
(01:00:24):
cool.
Speaker 2 (01:00:25):
Gordon Kerr and the pagoulas that you're listening
here ready, We'll play theBuffalo Bills, We'll do all of
them.
Whatever you need, we got it.
Speaker 1 (01:00:36):
I'm so excited.
It's going to be so cool.
But thanks for joining ustonight.
It's been a great conversation.
You're pretty deep.
You've been through a lot, man,and you're really just.
Your heart is there and yoursongwriting is showing that it's
just.
It's so cool, dude, and I'm sohappy for you and I'm like I
(01:00:56):
said I was.
It was an honor to meet you acouple of weeks ago and uh, sit
at the dinner table with you andwatch some music and listen to
it and uh, you know we had agood time.
So, but uh, thank you forcoming on here.
Uh, we're going to say goodbye,but uh, I want you to hang out
there for a minute and uh, I'llget some information from you.
But thanks for watchingeverybody.
Make sure you follow priorbaird.
(01:01:18):
Uh, look them up on youtube,little subscribe, do that, then
you'll have more videos back toback.
Prior baird now playing on thatsounds good yeah, I wish, I wish
I got paid for it.
That'd be good.
I I have no idea.
(01:01:38):
I just love what I do.
That's the whole thing.
I just love what I do, justlike you do.
But thanks for hanging out.
Make sure you check out hismusic.
The new single is the One LeftBehind man.
You're going to hear it andyou're going to want to hear it
again and again and again, andprobably back to back to back, I
don't know, just back to backto back.
I don't know.
Just tell me to shut up.
(01:01:58):
Anyways, pryor, you're awesome.
Thanks for watching everybody.
Until next time We'll see you.
Peace out.
Thanks, skip.
You're welcome man.
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