Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
He comes from a small town, a mail route well, not
really from a small town mailroute to center stage under the
big lights.
Today's guest is rewriting thestory of country rock with a
voice that has to be heard to bebelieved.
He's only 22.
Preston Cooper is alreadydrawing comparisons to legends
like, for example, bob Seger,chris Stapleton and many others,
(00:21):
thanks to his soulfulblues-driven sound.
That's equal parts grit andgrace.
I heard him back in Februaryand that is absolutely true.
Once known as the singingmailman in Fredericktown, ohio,
preston's journey has beenanything but ordinary, and now,
with his debut album, toledoTalk, and due to drop in the
(00:41):
near future, he's teaming upwith country powerhouses and
stepping into the nationalspotlight.
He's teaming up with countrypowerhouses and stepping into
the national spotlight.
We talk his humble beginnings.
I love this, can't you believeme?
It's going to be good Viralmoments, musical influence and
the raw studio sessions behindhis explosive new sound.
Now you're going to want towatch this whole thing.
(01:02):
You're going to have to, youknow, put your ears and your
eyes on this video.
All right, this is one youdon't want to miss.
Preston Cooper, cooper, cooper,hey, yeah, sounds like a town?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
yeah, it is.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
You're from Cooper, yeah all right, preston Cooper,
and this is one obviously youdon't want to miss.
He is here, he is hanging out.
Country rock may never be thesame and a Preston I finally got
through it.
How are you, my friend?
Speaker 2 (01:26):
I'm doing great, just traveling and doing the music
business.
Yeah, really.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
It says you're only 22.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Obviously, that's correct, but you were a mailman.
I was, yeah, and you were knownas the singing mailman.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Yeah, yeah, I would walk around on my route it was
like 14 miles roughly and Iwould sing and deliver people's
mail.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
So you would sing like between houses, or you
would just continue to sing asyou dropped the mail in the
mailbox and walked away.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
A little of both.
I would write a lot of songstoo on my route, because it was
just something that kind of tookme to another place, you know,
and I kind of almost forgot Iwas working, you know so you
worked for the government, sothe United States Postal Service
yeah, so you gave that up to goand chase your dream, your
passion.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Yeah, yeah, was it hard to do that?
Or did you just?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
say, oh, this is what I want to do, and I'm young and
I'm gonna do it there was alittle bit of doubt, you know,
for a while, but eventually Iwas just having so much fun
playing gigs.
I was just like, wow, I canmake money doing this.
So I was like I'm gonna do whatI love.
So how did you like?
Speaker 1 (02:32):
the singing on the, yet your roots.
How did you just started doingthat?
Speaker 2 (02:37):
because you always wanted to sing yeah, well, I
love this thing too.
I just, I don't know.
There was never a time where Iwasn't singing, I guess you know
?
Speaker 1 (02:47):
And when did you realize that people were paying
attention to you?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
I started playing bars and restaurants around my
hometown in Ohio, and that'sreally when I started getting a
lot of phone calls from otherplaces Like, hey, can you come
play our venue?
Speaker 1 (03:01):
When did you first pick up the guitar?
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I was a freshman in high school just a couple of
years ago.
Yeah, yeah, it was a guitarclass.
It was more like a study hallbecause, you know, we just kind
of did whatever we wanted.
But I actually was interestedin playing the guitar, so met my
(03:25):
best friend, eli.
He taught me how to play crazyguitar player.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
And, yeah, I just started singing shortly after
you know, when I talk to a lotof artists and I asked them
about playing the guitar, howthey learned, a lot of them will
say they're self-taught andwhat they do is they go to
YouTube, yeah, and they bring up, you know, guitar lessons on
YouTube, or, and that's how theylearn to play, and they bring
up guitar lessons on YouTube andthat's how they learn to play
guitar.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
That's what I did, and I would like hear songs and
I would just like match what Iheard on the guitar.
You know, that's cool.
Just have a sense of rhythm too.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
So it's fun.
What about Chris Stapleton andBob Seger?
You're influenced by them, buthow does that affect your sound?
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Well, I grew up listening to them, okay, no,
ever since I was little, in thebackseat of my mom's car.
I'll never forget the time Iheard Tennessee whiskey come on
by Stapleton and it just kind ofchanged my whole experience
musically.
And then, obviously, bob Segerlove him, listen to him
constantly, really Really.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah, and old blues.
I was super into the blues.
I'm trying to think of somegreat Bob Seger songs.
Oh, of course, old time rockand roll which you hear at every
wedding Legendary, it'slegendary, but Night Moves and.
Against the Wind.
Oh yeah, Was there Fire Lake?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Yeah, fire Lake, fire Lake, Fire Lake, that's a good
one.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yep, definitely good stuff and of course you
mentioned Stapleton, and why not?
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Yola Company is actually another great Seager.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Yeah, there you go.
Do you play any of those inyour set?
I?
Speaker 2 (04:51):
do I play Night Moves ?
Every now and then I'll be likehey guys, let's play Seager and
they're like gotcha and we justswitch up, right there I was
going to say you switch up onthe go.
Oh yeah, it go.
Oh yeah, like okay, yeah, turnaround to your bed and go.
You know what?
Screw this, get setlist.
We're gonna mess with itsometimes.
Sometimes we got to be carefulwith that every now and then
I'll get a little crazy on themand I'll be like alright, we're
(05:11):
playing this song, so you know?
Speaker 1 (05:13):
alright, switch over.
We talked about your setlistand we talked about you playing,
but you're on tour in the Rileygreen yes, yeah, in June, dude
and you're like in between well,that's coming, but you're on
tour right now with, is itCameron?
Cameron Marlowe yeah.
How cool.
It's been a lot of fun with him.
Yeah, definitely a great artist.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Oh yeah, both of you together.
He's probably one of the bestsingers in Nashville.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
And I heard from a little birdie that you're going
to be playing Red Rocks down theroad.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Yeah, august 25th be there.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Yeah, I'm really excited.
I'm trying.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
You know, my first well, actually my second tour
with Riley Greene playing RedRocks is absolutely mind-blowing
.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
You know, I've never been there obviously, and I see
the pictures and the artistsbeing up on that stage.
You can feel it just bywatching the videos of what kind
of place that is.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah, man.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
And to be able to play on that stage.
And it goes back what?
At least 100 years.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Oh yeah, it's wild.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
It's wild.
I gotta sign the wall.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Yes, you know the rock wall in the backstage.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
yeah, yeah, Don was telling me that they have the
tunnel that goes from yourdressing room to the stage and
everybody that's anybody signsthat wall.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Sinatra, all those guys.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
How cool is that to have Preston Cooper, Frank
Sinatra.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Yeah, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Wow, what a change though.
All those years right, allthose years.
And so you kind of grew up onthat classic rock sound, as well
as the, of course, like theChris Stapleton who we all know
was such a great songwriter fora lot of years before he got his
voice actually on the radio,right, yeah, yeah.
So, um, it says heresongwriters round in toledo yeah
(06:53):
, man do you tell us about thosesongwriter rounds?
Speaker 2 (06:56):
yeah, um, so I was.
I just quit the post officethree months before this
songwriter corporate event intoledo and I got a call and
they're like hey, we want you toopen up for some Nashville
songwriters.
So I drove up and it was at aHoliday Inn in the middle of
nowhere.
I think it was.
Yeah, it was in Toledo.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Well, if you stayed at a Holiday Inn, you're good to
go.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Yeah, right, right.
What's that commercial?
Oh no, I should have stayed ata Holiday Inn last night.
Mm-hmm, that was not meant tobe a plug, but so, yeah, we
drove up.
It was two hours from myhometown and I played 45 minutes
and I noticed the Warrenbrothers were there and JT
Harding Love all those guys.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Oh, Brett and Warren, are you kidding me?
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Oh yeah, they're amazing Best songwriters.
And they kept coming out oftheir Huge ballroom in this
holiday inn and after I was donethey wanted to meet me.
So I went back as they wereeating dinner, I opened these
double doors and they're likedude, like who are you and why
are you still here in Ohio?
You need to be in Nashville.
So three weeks later theycalled me out of the boil and
(08:03):
they're like dude, you want tocome to Nashville?
And I'm like sure.
So I dropped my stuff.
And it was funny because we metthe one time at this Holiday
Inn, you know.
But there was such a connectionthere, you know, we just really
got along.
And my mom's like are you surethey're not serial killers, you
know?
in a white van you know, but I'mlike now they're cool.
So I drove down, stay at theirplace and we wrote week, the
(08:27):
first day I went down firstradio single.
Just a wild experience.
And then, right after we wroteit, we drove straight to the
studio Curb Studios and recordedthe song Wow, the first day I
was ever in Nashville.
Were you like.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
I was on cloud nine.
Yeah, exactly Like.
Is this really?
Did I wake?
Am I dreaming, I guess?
Yeah, yeah, am I dreaming?
It was that feeling I must besleeping.
I'm sorry, I thought I wasgonna wake up and be like, oh,
this is not real.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
It was really cool.
And then the next day we playedthe Bluebird cafe Together.
It was just, and to play theBluebird is like absolutely a
huge honor.
You know the legends.
How is it just not to stop you?
Speaker 1 (09:08):
mid-person here but playing the Bluebird.
That is so one-on-one withthose that are there, those that
are in the audience.
You could hear it For one.
I've never been there, I'veseen it, you should go.
You should take a trip.
It's on my bucket list.
You can hear a pin drop andeverybody listens to what you're
singing and how you're singingit, and how you're playing.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Everybody's got an ear on you.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Yeah, how does that make?
Speaker 2 (09:37):
you feel as an artist .
It's like holy crap, wellnervous as hell.
The first one especially, youknow.
You know I played it four orfive times now and it's just a
lot of fun.
But yeah, it was a crazyexperience and that's how I got
to Nashville.
Nine months later, after I metthe Warren brothers, I moved.
They got me to to move there.
Yeah, just really, really cool.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
What is your hometown , your actual hometown?
Speaker 2 (09:58):
It's Fredericktown Ohio.
It's about 45 minutes north ofColumbus.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Is it a big?
Okay, so it's kind of a smalltown.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Small, super small, maybe like 2,000 people, I don't
know.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
So if I was to drive into your hometown, what would
be the first thing I would see?
Let's say, I come in on themain drag.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Well, the main drag is basically a one lane A lot of
dirt roads, lots of Amisharound the area, lots of farms
yeah, yeah, man, but the Amish,that's good, they build great.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Oh, they do, I, they do.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
I mean I actually built a barn at my mom's place.
Exactly yeah, and they do goodwork super fast workers.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
So did you grow up on a farm?
Yeah, I did, you did.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Yeah, my grandparents are the main farmers.
They had cattle, baled hay,corn beans, goats, chickens, the
whole nine yards Did you do allthat yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
I helped a lot.
Yeah, were you on the bigtractor?
Yeah, the big green tractor,the big green tractor, big green
tractor, yeah Well, that wouldhave been a deer Shout out to
Jason Aldean, I think it wasJason, no it was it was yeah,
good stuff, man Cool.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
So and you had the.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Massey Ferguson and all that.
You know they have all the whatthe Dooley's on the tractors
and all that.
That's pretty cool.
But now look at you.
So you're mailman, you quit,you move to Nashville.
Where abouts in Nashville doyou live?
Speaker 2 (11:12):
you don't tell me exactly where I live around the
Berry Hill area, okay what's.
The Berry Hill area is nearwhat you know, it's like 10
minutes southeast of Nashville.
Okay, downtown looks like downthere.
Yeah, down there.
Yeah, well, if you're lookingat the map would be down there.
But yeah, okay, my first place,though is in Antioch.
(11:32):
Oh yeah, first place, though,was in Antioch.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Oh yeah, Everybody's got to live in Antioch for their
first year or so I've heardthat so often.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Yeah, man.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Yeah, exactly.
And when you first moved toNashville, what was that like
for you?
Were you like, oh my God, scary, I am really here, yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Oh gosh, I moved to Nashville in February of 2024.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Okay, so a year.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Yeah, a year and three or four months ago, so you
moved there when you were 20,21 years old.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
And you were all alone and now it's like what do
I do?
It was that way, but you hadthose.
Yeah, I had the Warren brothers.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
They were my friends there.
Well, that could be good or bad.
Well, good now.
But but I know the WarrensMaybe 20 years ago it might have
been, you know, a littledifferent, but props to them too
.
They're so great, they've beenvery good to me.
But yeah, I was alone and youknow it was scary.
It really was scary, to becompletely honest, I went to
(12:28):
every open mic I could findAbsolutely you.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
I went to every open mic.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
I could find.
Absolutely, I tried to meet asmany people as I could meet and
I met some great people.
But then the Warrens and I juststarted writing a lot.
They introduced me to somepeople.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Oh, they know people.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Yeah, we made a record Toledo Talkin' and we
just were having fun, we werejust making music that was cool
to us.
And then I don't know if youwant to get to the the record
story, the record deal yeah,let's go, let's write, let's go
right into it yeah.
so we wrote all these songs.
(13:01):
I think we wrote like 20 songsor whatever.
And they're like oh, let's pick12 and just go record him.
A week was already recorded,you know, at this time, and we
just kind of knew the potential,the sound, it was cool.
So we took 11 more songs, wewent in the studio and cut them.
And then we're like, well,let's go to a record company.
(13:24):
And so the Warren Brotherscalled Allison Jones, head of
A&R at Big Machine.
I went and met with her.
We met for like two hours.
It was amazing, it was a greatmeeting.
And I think she was moreimpressed by the fact I walked
14 miles a day than you knowsing.
It was really funny.
She's like I can't even get myown son to go get the mail out
of the mailbox, but that'sbesides the point.
(13:45):
So she called Scott Borchetta,which is the head of Big Machine
, and she's like you have tohear this kid.
And so a couple weeks later wewent in Scott's office, sat down
with an acoustic guitar.
I played three songs off therecord and he goes that's enough
.
And we're like, oh my gosh, youknow, the chest is like beating
(14:06):
.
And he goes when do we startand I was like wow, and it was
the oh frick moment.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
I think I said oh frick yeah, I'm sure it wasn't
oh frick.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
But uh, you know what I?
Speaker 1 (14:14):
mean, but um being in that office with Scott yeah.
I mean that's like playing atthe bluebird, that's like
playing at the.
You know places like that whereyou got to be so nervous I was.
I was like this is the guy thatmade.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Taylor Swift.
I was like oh my gosh, you knowand um, it was such a cool
experience I think after thefact when I left.
I was like, oh my gosh, youknow, and it was such a cool
experience I think.
After the fact, when I left, Iwas like, did that really just
happen?
You know that I really just sitin the same seat Steven Tyler
did, and you know it was amazing, amazing.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
And so you're on the, you're under the Valerie
umbrella.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
Yes, big machine, which is cool.
I know you're a TR, thomas red.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
Rhett, yep, and and others.
What Justin Moore as well.
How cool is it?
You're on the.
You're on the label.
You're on the same label asthese stars now it's pretty cool
, man.
Yeah, label mates and being outon tour yeah, label mates being
out on tour with Raleigh andall that that's coming up being
out with Cameron.
Now is there a particular citythat you think has been your
(15:11):
favorite so far?
Speaker 2 (15:13):
That's a good question, man.
Well, they're all good.
The most beautiful so far hasbeen Salt Lake City, utah.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
The mountains are right there.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
It's just surrounded by mountains and that's probably
the coolest one I've been to sofar, because I'm super into the
outdoors.
I love to hunt.
I was gonna ask.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
That was super cool to me.
It says you love to hunt, youlove to hike, yeah, yeah.
So how often?
How often do you get out andjust go for a walk, take a hike?
Is?
Speaker 2 (15:37):
there other places where you are, in natchville
yeah, there are, you know, not awhole lot, but um, one of my
favorites is down near Brentwoodum, but yeah, whenever I get
time.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Uh, right now I do not have time to go hiking or
hunting, I think, uh, I try asmuch as I can.
We were chatting before we wentout with the camera and the
lights and all that and theseveral different takes.
But you were saying your tourschedule.
Right now You're on what theycall a radio tour, as well as
being on tour with Cameron,which means you know I was
talking to a Don your man herethis morning from Valerie Saying
(16:10):
.
I said so what's next?
Because we go to Rochester, wego to Buffalo, then we go to
Akron, akron.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Cleveland.
This is all the way back downto DC and then fly to Miami and
then do all of Florida radiotour grind it is the grind.
I'm gone for the next I don'tknow two and a half weeks, but
you're single and you don't haveI'm not single, well you know
what.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
And you don't have I'm not single, well, you know
what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
You're not married.
I'm not married.
Yeah, I'm not married.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
I'm sure you've got a beautiful girlfriend, so you're
doing all that.
I understand, but you don'thave the family to worry about.
Yes, you worry about her, I getit, but at least at this age to
get in, yeah, oh my God, Imight as well do it now.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
I'm 22.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Yeah, show up at six in the morning for a morning
show.
Right, you know I mean I youknow been there, done that,
Something like that, tomorrow, Ithink Tomorrow morning actually
yeah, awesome, do you get toenjoy, like, but did you get to
enjoy anything around here?
Did you go out at all?
Speaker 2 (17:12):
I think I got to enjoy the Starbucks at the hotel
.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
That's about the extent of it.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
And the grilled chicken sandwich I had last
night Did you tell them?
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Did you say I'm Preston Cooper?
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Sometimes we do that, but not much.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
No, and I get that, but just say, hey, do you listen
to country?
Yeah, that happens a lot whenI'm at the airport.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
I make friends all the time on the plane and stuff
you know they listen to my stuffso cool, awesome.
If you don't do that, yourlabel rep will go.
You know who this is.
Yeah, yeah, exactly yeah.
They're not doing that, thenthey're not doing a good job.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
You need to get his music, you need to buy it, you
need to download it, you need togo see him.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
By the way, if you want a couple of tickets.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Here you go.
We'll see you tonight at theshow.
Is that how it works now.
Yeah you said pretty much,that's cool, very cool.
What was your first concert?
Speaker 2 (18:00):
You as Preston Cooper .
My first big concert, JohnMayer.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
I went to see.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
John Mayer at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus
.
That was a life-changingexperience.
Why was it life-changing man?
When I was watching him play, Ijust felt like I was supposed
to be up there on stage with him.
You know, I just felt off.
I was like, man, I need to beup there playing with him and
singing.
There was just a sense of likeI need to do that someday.
(18:28):
You know, it was really cooland you look at everything
that's going on on stage, likewho's doing what.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
See, when I go to a concert, I probably look at it
from a little different anglethan you, you being an
entertainer.
I'm a geek and I think I like alot of other radio guys.
We look at that stage and welook at the production of the
event the lights, the sound,sound.
Who's doing what?
Who's running around with thecamera?
Right, you know, it's justamazing how they put some of
(18:58):
these shows together.
Yeah, it is, you know.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Yeah I pay attention to all that little stuff.
Really.
You know the band, what thisguy's playing.
You know, oh, there's a banjoplaying in the back.
Like it's like.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
I need to get one of those.
Yeah, exactly, you know I needto.
I wonder who that is.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Maybe he's got some friends yeah, well, it's so cool
because, like keith urban andstuff I've, I um got to go to
hawaii with his base, but well,used to be bass player.
Jerry flowers, oh okay, and um,it's just so cool getting to
meet those guys.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
You know that play with these stars, it's, it's
really cool and they're thenicest guys you know I love when
I do a lot of these type ofinterviews, it's not only the
stars like yourself, but I loveto talk to the guys that are
behind the artist, behind thescenes.
Behind, you know, it could bethe drummer, yeah, or it could
be a guitar player, you knowjust to find out from their
(19:45):
perspective what it's like to bein that position.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Yeah, man.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
So it's pretty cool, it is cool but now we get to
find out what it's like to be inyour your yeah, so as as
preston cooper.
It's cool.
What is your?
Do you have a guilty pleasuresong, something you go to when
you want to feel?
Speaker 2 (20:00):
good a song, yeah, or or an artist, maybe you know
let's say, you know, you justhave one of those days.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
I know for myself, if I want to feel good, I'll go
into youtube and I'll pull upsomething that you know I
haven't heard it in a while, butI need to hear it.
Once I put on the headphonesand I crank up the volume, it's
like okay, I feel good now.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
I mean right now it's the Foo Fighters If I like to
listen to it.
You know, if I'm like man, Ineed to listen to some music, I
pull up the Foo Fighters If I'mwanting to play something live
that I'm wanting to feel goodabout.
It's probably Stapleton.
I got you.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
So do you like the slower Stapleton, or you?
Know, we have Tennessee Whiskey, which is that's a classic.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Both.
Yeah, parachute is amazing, Oneof my favorite ones to sing.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
If you could collaborate with anybody, would
it be Stapleton?
I'm just saying.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Yeah, I would love to do Stapleton, to collaborate
with him, but Bob Seger would bea huge one.
Actually, vince Gill's maybe onthe books for coming up in the
future.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
You know, I would bet I did write some songs with him
recently.
Yeah, okay, all right, I wouldbet that if Vince watches this
interview, that he's going tocall you and say let's do it.
Yeah, maybe Because he's thattype of guy he is.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
He is one of the nicest guys I've ever met.
I mean, I pulled up to hishouse.
He just like invited me in.
You know, let's write somesongs.
Just such an amazing humanbeing.
You know what's cool about him.
And a Christian guy, yeah, noexactly, exactly.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
And what I love about him is he's so real, so down to
earth he is.
He's like you and I he's likeDon over there he's, you know,
just the real thing.
Yeah, and it's.
I was chatting with him a fewyears ago it must have been the
Country Radio Seminar and hetold me you know what I'm saying
(21:53):
, right?
Speaker 2 (21:53):
yeah, he told me two things I'll never forget.
He said man, I just want to letyou know.
If the music business doesn'twork out and sometimes it
doesn't, he's like you canalways go back to the post
office.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
I was like all right, thanks, I just love how honest
he is, but then he's like, thenhe's like man.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
This is a huge piece of advice.
He's like you know, when you'remaking music and you're just in
the music business, if you'renot having fun doing what you're
doing, then you need to askyourself why you're doing it.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
So that was really important to me and I hope this
never happens.
But would it be easy for you togo back to the post office?
No, you know, because isn'tthat you have to take a test to
get that job?
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Yeah, I mean, oh yeah , and it's a great thing.
Yeah, I went through like fivebackground checks.
No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
So if you weren't, if you were not a mailman, you
weren't doing music.
What do you think you would bedoing?
Do you have?
Speaker 2 (22:46):
anything else.
I mean.
A mailman is one thing, I don'thave a plan B man, no, no, it's
music all the way.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
Well, you're young enough to say that it's
performing.
Yeah, it is when I'm on stage.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
there's nothing else like it, so tell me about your
on stage.
Lots of energy.
I feed off the crowd.
I love the crowd interactionand my band.
When my band and I are justmeshing, it is the funnest time
ever.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
You mean like jamming , jamming you, you know, or?
Speaker 2 (23:13):
feeling, feeling it, yes, you know, somebody does one
little lick and I look over andthey're like yeah, that was
cool, right?
Speaker 1 (23:17):
I'm like yeah, do it again.
Yeah, that's cool.
So what's in your tour bag?
So what do you always have withyou when you hit the road?
Besides underwear, shorts,socks, you know what else?
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Shorts, socks.
You know what else is in yourbag.
You know my guitar, obviously.
What's?
Speaker 1 (23:32):
in your tour bag.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Chargers, tons of chargers.
Beef jerky there you go.
Sweet tea, there you go.
And water, oh, extra gum,spearmint gum is a must for me.
I'm actually chewing gum rightnow.
I'm always chewing gum.
Even when I sing live for somereason, I just love to chew gum.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
At least it's not the other.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Yeah, you know what I mean.
At least it's not the othertype of chewing gum, yeah, no
exactly Good for you.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
You're staying healthy.
You're trying, man, yeah,trying.
And, like I said, I cannotstress enough that Don's phone
is going off over there.
But I cannot stress enough isit my, is it my bird feeder?
No, did you look to my birdfeeder?
No, he says no.
But the funny thing about that,we were, we've been.
I had to throw my watch over tothe producer down, uh, from
Valerie, and said, dad, becauseit kept going off.
(24:21):
And it kept going off becauseyou're gonna think I'm such a
geek, it's all good, I have asmart bird feeder oh my god, ai
so really time.
Yes, dude, especially probablywhere you live, you can use one
of these probably.
It's very cool.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
So it's like does it tell you like what kind of bird?
Speaker 1 (24:38):
it'll tell you what kind of bird, how many times
it's visited the bird feeder?
Uh, it's, it's crazy, I didn'tknow they made something like
that.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Yeah, well, it's ai that's kind of cool.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Actually it's.
Yeah, I think it's very cool.
The scary part is it's ai, andwe all know that it can be good,
it can be bad, and you, as anartist, somebody could take your
voice and put it on something.
There's something that somebodylike you needs to think about,
or your management, or whoever.
However, whoever, all thatworks.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Cool man.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
I'll send you the link.
Thanks, man, because they're onsale right now on amazon yeah,
that'd be interesting.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
I'm not kidding, check that out it's very, very
cool.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
So what's next for you?
Of course, you got the singlecoming out uh, single may 19th
hits radio week.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
I'm so excited for it .
Um wait till you hear it.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, and I I heard it.
I heard it at what we call thecountry radio seminar and that
was back in february and I knowmaybe you didn't they didn't
tell you that you're going to besinging in front of all these
radio executives and labelexecutives and people that make
big time decisions yeah, theydidn't scare the crap out of me,
they just told me act like it'sa real show and you're with
(25:53):
your band and just jam out.
So you go out there and you singthat your voice in the
beginning.
It's like crap.
Listen to this.
And then when he got into thechorus you could hear the cheers
and everybody going wow.
And then afterwards I wastalking to your people and I
said you know, we need to gethim for a show in Syracuse.
(26:15):
I mean, it was immediatelyafter we were sitting at the
same table and I turned to yourguy, don, and I said, don, we
need to get him in town.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
Yeah, absolutely, let's do it, man.
Yeah, the single's coming out.
We got tour coming up.
You know we're finishing up thetour with Cameron Marlowe,
starting the tour in June withRiley.
Green do yeah, in the nearfuture.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
So all right.
What we're gonna do is, ofcourse, preston.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
Thank you for coming by it's so cool to see you chat
with you.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
I was one of those that was screaming when I heard
your voice saying this is soawesome.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
Thanks, so yeah, I hope everybody else feels that
way.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
No, no, and I will say one thing as a radio
programmer and then somebodythat's on the other side and
you've given us great music likethat makes us who we are.
That, um, you don't sound likeothers.
You know.
You have your own unique sound.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
My feeling is is that's the way you have to?
Speaker 1 (27:12):
be.
You have to own unique sound.
Thank you, I appreciate that.
My feeling is that's the wayyou have to be.
You have to be unique.
You've got to be Preston Cooper.
You don't want to sound likeyou know as much as you love
Chris Stapleton.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
You don't want to sound like Chris Stapleton?
No, you've got to do your ownthing, man, exactly Well, I want
to say have you play a coupleof songs?
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Okay, and we're going to get that posted.
We are going to put the singleup underneath this interview so
you hear the full producedversion with the full band in
the studio.
We'll do that, but you'll comeback here in just a moment or
two and play another song.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Sure man, let's do it , Okay.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Thanks for watching everybody and stand by.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
See you later.
Watch the next video.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
All right I need to get some water, yeah, yeah.
We'll take care of you.
I don't know what to do yougood, because I'll light it.
I'll light up the thing, that'sall good.
End screen.
Ah.
I know you don't know, it's allgood.
He comes from a small town, a mail route well, not
really from a small town mailroute to center stage under the
big lights.
Today's guest is rewriting thestory of country rock with a
voice that has to be heard to bebelieved.
He's only 22.
Preston Cooper is alreadydrawing comparisons to legends
like, for example, bob Seger,chris Stapleton and many others,
(00:21):
thanks to his soulfulblues-driven sound.
That's equal parts grit andgrace.
I heard him back in Februaryand that is absolutely true.
Once known as the singingmailman in Fredericktown, ohio,
preston's journey has beenanything but ordinary, and now,
with his debut album, toledoTalk, and due to drop in the
(00:41):
near future, he's teaming upwith country powerhouses and
stepping into the nationalspotlight.
He's teaming up with countrypowerhouses and stepping into
the national spotlight.
We talk his humble beginnings.
I love this, can't you believeme?
It's going to be good Viralmoments, musical influence and
the raw studio sessions behindhis explosive new sound.
Now you're going to want towatch this whole thing.
(01:02):
You're going to have to, youknow, put your ears and your
eyes on this video.
All right, this is one youdon't want to miss.
Preston Cooper, cooper, cooper,hey, yeah, sounds like a town?
Speaker 2 (01:11):
yeah, it is.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
You're from Cooper, yeah all right, preston Cooper,
and this is one obviously youdon't want to miss.
He is here, he is hanging out.
Country rock may never be thesame and a Preston I finally got
through it.
How are you, my friend?
Speaker 2 (01:26):
I'm doing great, just traveling and doing the music
business.
Yeah, really.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
It says you're only 22.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Obviously, that's correct, but you were a mailman.
I was, yeah, and you were knownas the singing mailman.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Yeah, yeah, I would walk around on my route it was
like 14 miles roughly and Iwould sing and deliver people's
mail.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
So you would sing like between houses, or you
would just continue to sing asyou dropped the mail in the
mailbox and walked away.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
A little of both.
I would write a lot of songstoo on my route, because it was
just something that kind of tookme to another place, you know,
and I kind of almost forgot Iwas working, you know so you
worked for the government, sothe United States Postal Service
yeah, so you gave that up to goand chase your dream, your
passion.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Yeah, yeah, was it hard to do that?
Or did you just?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
say, oh, this is what I want to do, and I'm young and
I'm gonna do it there was alittle bit of doubt, you know,
for a while, but eventually Iwas just having so much fun
playing gigs.
I was just like, wow, I canmake money doing this.
So I was like I'm gonna do whatI love.
So how did you like?
Speaker 1 (02:32):
the singing on the, yet your roots.
How did you just started doingthat?
Speaker 2 (02:37):
because you always wanted to sing yeah, well, I
love this thing too.
I just, I don't know.
There was never a time where Iwasn't singing, I guess you know
?
Speaker 1 (02:47):
And when did you realize that people were paying
attention to you?
Speaker 2 (02:51):
I started playing bars and restaurants around my
hometown in Ohio, and that'sreally when I started getting a
lot of phone calls from otherplaces Like, hey, can you come
play our venue?
Speaker 1 (03:01):
When did you first pick up the guitar?
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I was a freshman in high school just a couple of
years ago.
Yeah, yeah, it was a guitarclass.
It was more like a study hallbecause, you know, we just kind
of did whatever we wanted.
But I actually was interestedin playing the guitar, so met my
(03:25):
best friend, eli.
He taught me how to play crazyguitar player.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
And, yeah, I just started singing shortly after
you know, when I talk to a lotof artists and I asked them
about playing the guitar, howthey learned, a lot of them will
say they're self-taught andwhat they do is they go to
YouTube, yeah, and they bring up, you know, guitar lessons on
YouTube, or, and that's how theylearn to play, and they bring
up guitar lessons on YouTube andthat's how they learn to play
guitar.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
That's what I did, and I would like hear songs and
I would just like match what Iheard on the guitar.
You know, that's cool.
Just have a sense of rhythm too.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
So it's fun.
What about Chris Stapleton andBob Seger?
You're influenced by them, buthow does that affect your sound?
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Well, I grew up listening to them, okay, no,
ever since I was little, in thebackseat of my mom's car.
I'll never forget the time Iheard Tennessee whiskey come on
by Stapleton and it just kind ofchanged my whole experience
musically.
And then, obviously, bob Segerlove him, listen to him
constantly, really Really.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Yeah, and old blues.
I was super into the blues.
I'm trying to think of somegreat Bob Seger songs.
Oh, of course, old time rockand roll which you hear at every
wedding Legendary, it'slegendary, but Night Moves and.
Against the Wind.
Oh yeah, Was there Fire Lake?
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Yeah, fire Lake, fire Lake, Fire Lake, that's a good
one.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yep, definitely good stuff and of course you
mentioned Stapleton, and why not?
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Yola Company is actually another great Seager.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Yeah, there you go.
Do you play any of those inyour set?
I?
Speaker 2 (04:51):
do I play Night Moves ?
Every now and then I'll be likehey guys, let's play Seager and
they're like gotcha and we justswitch up, right there I was
going to say you switch up onthe go.
Oh yeah, it go.
Oh yeah, like okay, yeah, turnaround to your bed and go.
You know what?
Screw this, get setlist.
We're gonna mess with itsometimes.
Sometimes we got to be carefulwith that every now and then
I'll get a little crazy on themand I'll be like alright, we're
(05:11):
playing this song, so you know?
Speaker 1 (05:13):
alright, switch over.
We talked about your setlistand we talked about you playing,
but you're on tour in the Rileygreen yes, yeah, in June, dude
and you're like in between well,that's coming, but you're on
tour right now with, is itCameron?
Cameron Marlowe yeah.
How cool.
It's been a lot of fun with him.
Yeah, definitely a great artist.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Oh yeah, both of you together.
He's probably one of the bestsingers in Nashville.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
And I heard from a little birdie that you're going
to be playing Red Rocks down theroad.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Yeah, august 25th be there.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Yeah, I'm really excited.
I'm trying.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
You know, my first well, actually my second tour
with Riley Greene playing RedRocks is absolutely mind-blowing
.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
You know, I've never been there obviously, and I see
the pictures and the artistsbeing up on that stage.
You can feel it just bywatching the videos of what kind
of place that is.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Yeah, man.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
And to be able to play on that stage.
And it goes back what?
At least 100 years.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Oh yeah, it's wild.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
It's wild.
I gotta sign the wall.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Yes, you know the rock wall in the backstage.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
yeah, yeah, Don was telling me that they have the
tunnel that goes from yourdressing room to the stage and
everybody that's anybody signsthat wall.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Sinatra, all those guys.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
How cool is that to have Preston Cooper, Frank
Sinatra.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Yeah, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Wow, what a change though.
All those years right, allthose years.
And so you kind of grew up onthat classic rock sound, as well
as the, of course, like theChris Stapleton who we all know
was such a great songwriter fora lot of years before he got his
voice actually on the radio,right, yeah, yeah.
So, um, it says heresongwriters round in toledo yeah
(06:53):
, man do you tell us about thosesongwriter rounds?
Speaker 2 (06:56):
yeah, um, so I was.
I just quit the post officethree months before this
songwriter corporate event intoledo and I got a call and
they're like hey, we want you toopen up for some Nashville
songwriters.
So I drove up and it was at aHoliday Inn in the middle of
nowhere.
I think it was.
Yeah, it was in Toledo.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Well, if you stayed at a Holiday Inn, you're good to
go.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Yeah, right, right.
What's that commercial?
Oh no, I should have stayed ata Holiday Inn last night.
Mm-hmm, that was not meant tobe a plug, but so, yeah, we
drove up.
It was two hours from myhometown and I played 45 minutes
and I noticed the Warrenbrothers were there and JT
Harding Love all those guys.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Oh, Brett and Warren, are you kidding me?
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Oh yeah, they're amazing Best songwriters.
And they kept coming out oftheir Huge ballroom in this
holiday inn and after I was donethey wanted to meet me.
So I went back as they wereeating dinner, I opened these
double doors and they're likedude, like who are you and why
are you still here in Ohio?
You need to be in Nashville.
So three weeks later theycalled me out of the boil and
(08:03):
they're like dude, you want tocome to Nashville?
And I'm like sure.
So I dropped my stuff.
And it was funny because we metthe one time at this Holiday
Inn, you know.
But there was such a connectionthere, you know, we just really
got along.
And my mom's like are you surethey're not serial killers, you
know?
in a white van you know, but I'mlike now they're cool.
So I drove down, stay at theirplace and we wrote week, the
(08:27):
first day I went down firstradio single.
Just a wild experience.
And then, right after we wroteit, we drove straight to the
studio Curb Studios and recordedthe song Wow, the first day I
was ever in Nashville.
Were you like.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
I was on cloud nine.
Yeah, exactly Like.
Is this really?
Did I wake?
Am I dreaming, I guess?
Yeah, yeah, am I dreaming?
It was that feeling I must besleeping.
I'm sorry, I thought I wasgonna wake up and be like, oh,
this is not real.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
It was really cool.
And then the next day we playedthe Bluebird cafe Together.
It was just, and to play theBluebird is like absolutely a
huge honor.
You know the legends.
How is it just not to stop you?
Speaker 1 (09:08):
mid-person here but playing the Bluebird.
That is so one-on-one withthose that are there, those that
are in the audience.
You could hear it For one.
I've never been there, I'veseen it, you should go.
You should take a trip.
It's on my bucket list.
You can hear a pin drop andeverybody listens to what you're
singing and how you're singingit, and how you're playing.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Everybody's got an ear on you.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Yeah, how does that make?
Speaker 2 (09:37):
you feel as an artist .
It's like holy crap, wellnervous as hell.
The first one especially, youknow.
You know I played it four orfive times now and it's just a
lot of fun.
But yeah, it was a crazyexperience and that's how I got
to Nashville.
Nine months later, after I metthe Warren brothers, I moved.
They got me to to move there.
Yeah, just really, really cool.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
What is your hometown , your actual hometown?
Speaker 2 (09:58):
It's Fredericktown Ohio.
It's about 45 minutes north ofColumbus.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Is it a big?
Okay, so it's kind of a smalltown.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Small, super small, maybe like 2,000 people, I don't
know.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
So if I was to drive into your hometown, what would
be the first thing I would see?
Let's say, I come in on themain drag.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Well, the main drag is basically a one lane A lot of
dirt roads, lots of Amisharound the area, lots of farms
yeah, yeah, man, but the Amish,that's good, they build great.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Oh, they do, I, they do.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
I mean I actually built a barn at my mom's place.
Exactly yeah, and they do goodwork super fast workers.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
So did you grow up on a farm?
Yeah, I did, you did.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Yeah, my grandparents are the main farmers.
They had cattle, baled hay,corn beans, goats, chickens, the
whole nine yards Did you do allthat yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
I helped a lot.
Yeah, were you on the bigtractor?
Yeah, the big green tractor,the big green tractor, big green
tractor, yeah Well, that wouldhave been a deer Shout out to
Jason Aldean, I think it wasJason, no it was it was yeah,
good stuff, man Cool.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
So and you had the.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Massey Ferguson and all that.
You know they have all the whatthe Dooley's on the tractors
and all that.
That's pretty cool.
But now look at you.
So you're mailman, you quit,you move to Nashville.
Where abouts in Nashville doyou live?
Speaker 2 (11:12):
you don't tell me exactly where I live around the
Berry Hill area, okay what's.
The Berry Hill area is nearwhat you know, it's like 10
minutes southeast of Nashville.
Okay, downtown looks like downthere.
Yeah, down there.
Yeah, well, if you're lookingat the map would be down there.
But yeah, okay, my first place,though is in Antioch.
(11:32):
Oh yeah, first place, though,was in Antioch.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Oh yeah, Everybody's got to live in Antioch for their
first year or so I've heardthat so often.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Yeah, man.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Yeah, exactly.
And when you first moved toNashville, what was that like
for you?
Were you like, oh my God, scary, I am really here, yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Oh gosh, I moved to Nashville in February of 2024.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Okay, so a year.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
Yeah, a year and three or four months ago, so you
moved there when you were 20,21 years old.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
And you were all alone and now it's like what do
I do?
It was that way, but you hadthose.
Yeah, I had the Warren brothers.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
They were my friends there.
Well, that could be good or bad.
Well, good now.
But but I know the WarrensMaybe 20 years ago it might have
been, you know, a littledifferent, but props to them too
.
They're so great, they've beenvery good to me.
But yeah, I was alone and youknow it was scary.
It really was scary, to becompletely honest, I went to
(12:28):
every open mic I could findAbsolutely you.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
I went to every open mic.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
I could find.
Absolutely, I tried to meet asmany people as I could meet and
I met some great people.
But then the Warrens and I juststarted writing a lot.
They introduced me to somepeople.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Oh, they know people.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Yeah, we made a record Toledo Talkin' and we
just were having fun, we werejust making music that was cool
to us.
And then I don't know if youwant to get to the the record
story, the record deal yeah,let's go, let's write, let's go
right into it yeah.
so we wrote all these songs.
(13:01):
I think we wrote like 20 songsor whatever.
And they're like oh, let's pick12 and just go record him.
A week was already recorded,you know, at this time, and we
just kind of knew the potential,the sound, it was cool.
So we took 11 more songs, wewent in the studio and cut them.
And then we're like, well,let's go to a record company.
(13:24):
And so the Warren Brotherscalled Allison Jones, head of
A&R at Big Machine.
I went and met with her.
We met for like two hours.
It was amazing, it was a greatmeeting.
And I think she was moreimpressed by the fact I walked
14 miles a day than you knowsing.
It was really funny.
She's like I can't even get myown son to go get the mail out
of the mailbox, but that'sbesides the point.
(13:45):
So she called Scott Borchetta,which is the head of Big Machine
, and she's like you have tohear this kid.
And so a couple weeks later wewent in Scott's office, sat down
with an acoustic guitar.
I played three songs off therecord and he goes that's enough
.
And we're like, oh my gosh, youknow, the chest is like beating
(14:06):
.
And he goes when do we startand I was like wow, and it was
the oh frick moment.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
I think I said oh frick yeah, I'm sure it wasn't
oh frick.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
But uh, you know what I?
Speaker 1 (14:14):
mean, but um being in that office with Scott yeah.
I mean that's like playing atthe bluebird, that's like
playing at the.
You know places like that whereyou got to be so nervous I was.
I was like this is the guy thatmade.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Taylor Swift.
I was like oh my gosh, you knowand um, it was such a cool
experience I think after thefact when I left.
I was like, oh my gosh, youknow, and it was such a cool
experience I think.
After the fact, when I left, Iwas like, did that really just
happen?
You know that I really just sitin the same seat Steven Tyler
did, and you know it was amazing, amazing.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
And so you're on the, you're under the Valerie
umbrella.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
Yes, big machine, which is cool.
I know you're a TR, thomas red.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
Rhett, yep, and and others.
What Justin Moore as well.
How cool is it?
You're on the.
You're on the label.
You're on the same label asthese stars now it's pretty cool
, man.
Yeah, label mates and being outon tour yeah, label mates being
out on tour with Raleigh andall that that's coming up being
out with Cameron.
Now is there a particular citythat you think has been your
(15:11):
favorite so far?
Speaker 2 (15:13):
That's a good question, man.
Well, they're all good.
The most beautiful so far hasbeen Salt Lake City, utah.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
The mountains are right there.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
It's just surrounded by mountains and that's probably
the coolest one I've been to sofar, because I'm super into the
outdoors.
I love to hunt.
I was gonna ask.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
That was super cool to me.
It says you love to hunt, youlove to hike, yeah, yeah.
So how often?
How often do you get out andjust go for a walk, take a hike?
Is?
Speaker 2 (15:37):
there other places where you are, in natchville
yeah, there are, you know, not awhole lot, but um, one of my
favorites is down near Brentwoodum, but yeah, whenever I get
time.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Uh, right now I do not have time to go hiking or
hunting, I think, uh, I try asmuch as I can.
We were chatting before we wentout with the camera and the
lights and all that and theseveral different takes.
But you were saying your tourschedule.
Right now You're on what theycall a radio tour, as well as
being on tour with Cameron,which means you know I was
talking to a Don your man herethis morning from Valerie Saying
(16:10):
.
I said so what's next?
Because we go to Rochester, wego to Buffalo, then we go to
Akron, akron.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Cleveland.
This is all the way back downto DC and then fly to Miami and
then do all of Florida radiotour grind it is the grind.
I'm gone for the next I don'tknow two and a half weeks, but
you're single and you don't haveI'm not single, well you know
what.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
And you don't have I'm not single, well, you know
what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
You're not married.
I'm not married.
Yeah, I'm not married.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
I'm sure you've got a beautiful girlfriend, so you're
doing all that.
I understand, but you don'thave the family to worry about.
Yes, you worry about her, I getit, but at least at this age to
get in, yeah, oh my God, Imight as well do it now.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
I'm 22.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Yeah, show up at six in the morning for a morning
show.
Right, you know I mean I youknow been there, done that,
Something like that, tomorrow, Ithink Tomorrow morning actually
yeah, awesome, do you get toenjoy, like, but did you get to
enjoy anything around here?
Did you go out at all?
Speaker 2 (17:12):
I think I got to enjoy the Starbucks at the hotel
.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
That's about the extent of it.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
And the grilled chicken sandwich I had last
night Did you tell them?
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Did you say I'm Preston Cooper?
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Sometimes we do that, but not much.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
No, and I get that, but just say, hey, do you listen
to country?
Yeah, that happens a lot whenI'm at the airport.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
I make friends all the time on the plane and stuff
you know they listen to my stuffso cool, awesome.
If you don't do that, yourlabel rep will go.
You know who this is.
Yeah, yeah, exactly yeah.
They're not doing that, thenthey're not doing a good job.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
You need to get his music, you need to buy it, you
need to download it, you need togo see him.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
By the way, if you want a couple of tickets.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Here you go.
We'll see you tonight at theshow.
Is that how it works now.
Yeah you said pretty much,that's cool, very cool.
What was your first concert?
Speaker 2 (18:00):
You as Preston Cooper .
My first big concert, JohnMayer.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
I went to see.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
John Mayer at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus
.
That was a life-changingexperience.
Why was it life-changing man?
When I was watching him play, Ijust felt like I was supposed
to be up there on stage with him.
You know, I just felt off.
I was like, man, I need to beup there playing with him and
singing.
There was just a sense of likeI need to do that someday.
(18:28):
You know, it was really cooland you look at everything
that's going on on stage, likewho's doing what.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
See, when I go to a concert, I probably look at it
from a little different anglethan you, you being an
entertainer.
I'm a geek and I think I like alot of other radio guys.
We look at that stage and welook at the production of the
event the lights, the sound,sound.
Who's doing what?
Who's running around with thecamera?
Right, you know, it's justamazing how they put some of
(18:58):
these shows together.
Yeah, it is, you know.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Yeah I pay attention to all that little stuff.
Really.
You know the band, what thisguy's playing.
You know, oh, there's a banjoplaying in the back.
Like it's like.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
I need to get one of those.
Yeah, exactly, you know I needto.
I wonder who that is.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Maybe he's got some friends yeah, well, it's so cool
because, like keith urban andstuff I've, I um got to go to
hawaii with his base, but well,used to be bass player.
Jerry flowers, oh okay, and um,it's just so cool getting to
meet those guys.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
You know that play with these stars, it's, it's
really cool and they're thenicest guys you know I love when
I do a lot of these type ofinterviews, it's not only the
stars like yourself, but I loveto talk to the guys that are
behind the artist, behind thescenes.
Behind, you know, it could bethe drummer, yeah, or it could
be a guitar player, you knowjust to find out from their
(19:45):
perspective what it's like to bein that position.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Yeah, man.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
So it's pretty cool, it is cool but now we get to
find out what it's like to be inyour your yeah, so as as
preston cooper.
It's cool.
What is your?
Do you have a guilty pleasuresong, something you go to when
you want to feel?
Speaker 2 (20:00):
good a song, yeah, or or an artist, maybe you know
let's say, you know, you justhave one of those days.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
I know for myself, if I want to feel good, I'll go
into youtube and I'll pull upsomething that you know I
haven't heard it in a while, butI need to hear it.
Once I put on the headphonesand I crank up the volume, it's
like okay, I feel good now.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
I mean right now it's the Foo Fighters If I like to
listen to it.
You know, if I'm like man, Ineed to listen to some music, I
pull up the Foo Fighters If I'mwanting to play something live
that I'm wanting to feel goodabout.
It's probably Stapleton.
I got you.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
So do you like the slower Stapleton, or you?
Know, we have Tennessee Whiskey, which is that's a classic.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Both.
Yeah, parachute is amazing, Oneof my favorite ones to sing.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
If you could collaborate with anybody, would
it be Stapleton?
I'm just saying.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Yeah, I would love to do Stapleton, to collaborate
with him, but Bob Seger would bea huge one.
Actually, vince Gill's maybe onthe books for coming up in the
future.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
You know, I would bet I did write some songs with him
recently.
Yeah, okay, all right, I wouldbet that if Vince watches this
interview, that he's going tocall you and say let's do it.
Yeah, maybe Because he's thattype of guy he is.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
He is one of the nicest guys I've ever met.
I mean, I pulled up to hishouse.
He just like invited me in.
You know, let's write somesongs.
Just such an amazing humanbeing.
You know what's cool about him.
And a Christian guy, yeah, noexactly, exactly.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
And what I love about him is he's so real, so down to
earth he is.
He's like you and I he's likeDon over there he's, you know,
just the real thing.
Yeah, and it's.
I was chatting with him a fewyears ago it must have been the
Country Radio Seminar and hetold me you know what I'm saying
(21:53):
, right?
Speaker 2 (21:53):
yeah, he told me two things I'll never forget.
He said man, I just want to letyou know.
If the music business doesn'twork out and sometimes it
doesn't, he's like you canalways go back to the post
office.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
I was like all right, thanks, I just love how honest
he is, but then he's like, thenhe's like man.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
This is a huge piece of advice.
He's like you know, when you'remaking music and you're just in
the music business, if you'renot having fun doing what you're
doing, then you need to askyourself why you're doing it.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
So that was really important to me and I hope this
never happens.
But would it be easy for you togo back to the post office?
No, you know, because isn'tthat you have to take a test to
get that job?
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Yeah, I mean, oh yeah , and it's a great thing.
Yeah, I went through like fivebackground checks.
No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
So if you weren't, if you were not a mailman, you
weren't doing music.
What do you think you would bedoing?
Do you have?
Speaker 2 (22:46):
anything else.
I mean.
A mailman is one thing, I don'thave a plan B man, no, no, it's
music all the way.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
Well, you're young enough to say that it's
performing.
Yeah, it is when I'm on stage.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
there's nothing else like it, so tell me about your
on stage.
Lots of energy.
I feed off the crowd.
I love the crowd interactionand my band.
When my band and I are justmeshing, it is the funnest time
ever.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
You mean like jamming , jamming you, you know, or?
Speaker 2 (23:13):
feeling, feeling it, yes, you know, somebody does one
little lick and I look over andthey're like yeah, that was
cool, right?
Speaker 1 (23:17):
I'm like yeah, do it again.
Yeah, that's cool.
So what's in your tour bag?
So what do you always have withyou when you hit the road?
Besides underwear, shorts,socks, you know what else?
Speaker 2 (23:30):
Shorts, socks.
You know what else is in yourbag.
You know my guitar, obviously.
What's?
Speaker 1 (23:32):
in your tour bag.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Chargers, tons of chargers.
Beef jerky there you go.
Sweet tea, there you go.
And water, oh, extra gum,spearmint gum is a must for me.
I'm actually chewing gum rightnow.
I'm always chewing gum.
Even when I sing live for somereason, I just love to chew gum.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
At least it's not the other.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
Yeah, you know what I mean.
At least it's not the othertype of chewing gum, yeah, no
exactly Good for you.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
You're staying healthy.
You're trying, man, yeah,trying.
And, like I said, I cannotstress enough that Don's phone
is going off over there.
But I cannot stress enough isit my, is it my bird feeder?
No, did you look to my birdfeeder?
No, he says no.
But the funny thing about that,we were, we've been.
I had to throw my watch over tothe producer down, uh, from
Valerie, and said, dad, becauseit kept going off.
(24:21):
And it kept going off becauseyou're gonna think I'm such a
geek, it's all good, I have asmart bird feeder oh my god, ai
so really time.
Yes, dude, especially probablywhere you live, you can use one
of these probably.
It's very cool.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
So it's like does it tell you like what kind of bird?
Speaker 1 (24:38):
it'll tell you what kind of bird, how many times
it's visited the bird feeder?
Uh, it's, it's crazy, I didn'tknow they made something like
that.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Yeah, well, it's ai that's kind of cool.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Actually it's.
Yeah, I think it's very cool.
The scary part is it's ai, andwe all know that it can be good,
it can be bad, and you, as anartist, somebody could take your
voice and put it on something.
There's something that somebodylike you needs to think about,
or your management, or whoever.
However, whoever, all thatworks.
You know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Cool man.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
I'll send you the link.
Thanks, man, because they're onsale right now on amazon yeah,
that'd be interesting.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
I'm not kidding, check that out it's very, very
cool.
Speaker 1 (25:19):
So what's next for you?
Of course, you got the singlecoming out uh, single may 19th
hits radio week.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
I'm so excited for it .
Um wait till you hear it.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, and I I heard it.
I heard it at what we call thecountry radio seminar and that
was back in february and I knowmaybe you didn't they didn't
tell you that you're going to besinging in front of all these
radio executives and labelexecutives and people that make
big time decisions yeah, theydidn't scare the crap out of me,
they just told me act like it'sa real show and you're with
(25:53):
your band and just jam out.
So you go out there and you singthat your voice in the
beginning.
It's like crap.
Listen to this.
And then when he got into thechorus you could hear the cheers
and everybody going wow.
And then afterwards I wastalking to your people and I
said you know, we need to gethim for a show in Syracuse.
(26:15):
I mean, it was immediatelyafter we were sitting at the
same table and I turned to yourguy, don, and I said, don, we
need to get him in town.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
Yeah, absolutely, let's do it, man.
Yeah, the single's coming out.
We got tour coming up.
You know we're finishing up thetour with Cameron Marlowe,
starting the tour in June withRiley.
Green do yeah, in the nearfuture.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
So all right.
What we're gonna do is, ofcourse, preston.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
Thank you for coming by it's so cool to see you chat
with you.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
I was one of those that was screaming when I heard
your voice saying this is soawesome.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
Thanks, so yeah, I hope everybody else feels that
way.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
No, no, and I will say one thing as a radio
programmer and then somebodythat's on the other side and
you've given us great music likethat makes us who we are.
That, um, you don't sound likeothers.
You know.
You have your own unique sound.
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
My feeling is is that's the way you have to?
Speaker 1 (27:12):
be.
You have to own unique sound.
Thank you, I appreciate that.
My feeling is that's the wayyou have to be.
You have to be unique.
You've got to be Preston Cooper.
You don't want to sound likeyou know as much as you love
Chris Stapleton.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
You don't want to sound like Chris Stapleton?
No, you've got to do your ownthing, man, exactly Well, I want
to say have you play a coupleof songs?
Speaker 1 (27:29):
Okay, and we're going to get that posted.
We are going to put the singleup underneath this interview so
you hear the full producedversion with the full band in
the studio.
We'll do that, but you'll comeback here in just a moment or
two and play another song.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
Sure man, let's do it , Okay.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Thanks for watching everybody and stand by.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
See you later.
Watch the next video.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
All right I need to get some water, yeah, yeah.
We'll take care of you.
I don't know what to do yougood, because I'll light it.
I'll light up the thing, that'sall good.
End screen.
Ah.
I know you don't know, it's allgood.
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