Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:01):
Hello, everybody, and welcome to another edition
of Skip Happens.
As you know, I'm Skip Clark.
I am the host of Skip Happens,also uh afternoon guy in upstate
New York, Central New York, thewolf.
Not a 2.1, the wolf, but tonightI'm sitting down with one of uh
Texas uh fastest uh risingcountry artists, Hayden Haddock.
(00:23):
Haddock.
I said that right, right?
Yes, sir.
You got it right.
Okay.
From uh, you know, I want to sayfrom a viral college video to a
number one Texas country hit.
He's become a real force in theuh red dirt scene, they say.
He's uh his new single, it'scalled Hell or High Whiskey.
It dropped back in November onthe 21st.
It's already making some noise,and we love that.
(00:44):
And uh, we're talking new music.
We're gonna be talking life onthe road and the stories behind
it all.
Let's get right into it.
Here's uh Hayden Haddock.
Hayden, it's good to see you,man.
Hey, absolutely.
Thank you for having me on.
I really appreciate it.
SPEAKER_02 (00:58):
Absolutely.
Where um where exactly are youright now?
Uh so I live in Rockwell, Texas,right now, so just east of
Dallas, about 45 minutes.
Um, but we're actually movinghere in the next month.
We're gonna move move a littlebit up towards uh the McKinney
area, uh, which is more likenorth of Dallas.
So about to be making a movehere soon.
(01:19):
So you're like close enough tothe city, but far enough away.
SPEAKER_00 (01:23):
Exactly, but we still got traffic, don't worry.
It's it's everywhere.
So is this like you where youare now?
Is this like your hometown whereyou grew up?
SPEAKER_02 (01:32):
Uh basically, I mean, I grew up in the uh Dallas
Fort Worth area.
I grew up in the Garland Planoarea.
So um, again, from here inRockwall, probably about 45
minutes.
Um it's close enough.
And my whole family's from thearea, so we're all within about
an hour of everybody.
SPEAKER_00 (01:46):
So what's the big thing in your town?
Let me just throw it at you thisway.
If I was to drive into yourhometown where you are now,
let's forget about Dallas andall that.
But uh you're pro being a suburband probably a small town.
What's the first thing I'm gonnasee if I drive in on the main
drag?
SPEAKER_02 (02:01):
Well, other than traffic now, uh now here in
Rockwell, we have this bigbridge um that like you'd come
in and you'd actually pass a bigold Bass Pro, and we've got a
huge lake right here, Lake RayHubbard.
Um, but once you get to thatbass pro, it's a bridge that uh
with past few years is nothingbut traffic.
But outside of that, we actuallyhave we have some great uh
barbecue places here inRockwell.
(02:21):
We've got a couple of the, Idon't know if you've heard of
them, but like the Texas um whatdo they call it, the top 50
monthly top 50, but it's apretty big deal here in Texas.
And so we've got a couple ofthose joints actually um right
around us.
Um and then we've got a a prettyfamous old uh live live music uh
venue called Southern Junction.
Um so there's there's some stuffto do around here.
SPEAKER_00 (02:44):
See, I was uh that we were saying before we went on
uh on the air here that uh youknow my wife and I had made a
trip to San Antonio a couple ofyears ago.
We ended up going to FloresFloors General Store.
Floors Country Store, yep.
Country store, that's what itwas.
We saw one of uh Texas artistsuh Kobe Cooper there.
And uh just I love I love thethe atmosphere in Texas when it
(03:05):
comes to these venues.
It is it's just so very cool.
So very cool.
SPEAKER_02 (03:10):
Yeah, it's definitely Texas.
I mean, everybody always saysTexas is for sure it's kind of
own, you know, own littlebubble.
And obviously, yeah, there'sthere's so many venues here and
so many great venues, really.
Um, almost every town you go to,you're bound to find a pretty
decent live music venue.
I love it.
SPEAKER_00 (03:26):
And what I also love is uh it not it's not every time
I do an interview that I'mtalking to a uh a country artist
from Texas, because when I saythat, Texas has its own chart,
you have your own country musicscene, and it kind of overflows
in the Nashville a little bit.
But uh, you know, eventuallysome of those artists.
I know I'm a fan of RandyRogers, what was it, Pat Green?
(03:50):
Um, I can go on and on just someof the great, great Texas uh
country artists.
So that's pretty cool.
Yeah, so anyway, no, no, no,it's all good.
I took a breath at the same timeyou did.
But uh, you know, so that dormroom, let's start right from the
scratch.
I did a little homework.
That uh dorm room video 2018literally launched your career.
(04:14):
What's the wildest part oflooking back at that moment?
And now that you're you know anactual touring artist, you got
millions of streams.
Uh, what's all that like?
SPEAKER_02 (04:23):
Yeah, no, it's definitely still still crazy to
think about.
Um, you know, and yeah,obviously the whole the whole
thing back then was you neverthought it would really amount
to much.
Um, and I've I'm surprised it'samounted this to this, even
because I've heard that video afew times, you know, a couple
years after that all happened,and I'm like, sheesh, that's not
you know, not very good.
(04:44):
But um it doesn't matter though.
Look what it did.
It's cool.
Yeah, I can see it.
No, it's it's been crazy, andit's it's been a fun ride.
And obviously we've we've gottena lot done, but you know, we've
got got a long, long way to goum to get to where we want to
be, but we've been we've beenbusting our butts and trying to
do everything we can, and and umthat's kind of what we're gonna
gonna keep trying to do here.
(05:05):
But uh but yeah, no, it'sdefinitely crazy just going from
that, you know.
I almost didn't even bring aguitar um to college station for
my freshman year, which is kindof right around that time that
video was filmed or voice memo,whatever it was.
And um, yeah, so it's just crazythinking about how you know how
things would have changed had Inot brought that little I think
I had a little travel sized uhTaylor guitar.
SPEAKER_00 (05:26):
Um so had I not brought that kind of was that
one of those that kind of foldedup or was it just a small it was
just a small didn't they comeout with a guitar at one time
that it it folded up?
I don't know.
Maybe I saw it CRS or something.
SPEAKER_02 (05:39):
Yeah, that that sounds familiar.
It sounds like something theydid.
SPEAKER_00 (05:42):
It was kind of weird, actually, when you it's
like that's a guitar, yeah.
You know, but I've heard of thebaby tailors, the smaller, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (05:49):
That's what this was, and yeah, it was actually
actually a good little guitarfor its size.
But yeah, but I always think,yeah, had I had I not brought
that with me, how how thingswould have been different.
I guess I'd be doingconstruction right now,
probably.
SPEAKER_00 (06:01):
I was gonna say that because from what I read here is
I did a little bit of homework,as I mentioned a moment ago,
that uh you studied constructionscience at Texas AM, and then
music started to pull on pull onyou pretty hard, hard enough
that you knew you had to goafter it from a professional
side.
SPEAKER_02 (06:19):
Right.
Yeah, yeah.
We um yeah, once that video kindof came out, and then I guess I
ended up playing my first likelittle show, which of course was
just a little acoustic.
I actually played four songs onthe house or on the break of a
house jazz band at a jazz bar inDallas that my my family someone
in my family happened to knowsomebody who knew the owner, and
(06:40):
you know, because of course atthe time we didn't know how you
got a gig or you know, so thatwas that was the best we could
do.
Um, so my of course my wholefamily was there and a bunch of
my friends, and yeah, um, so wedid that one, and then that that
was kind of the one, you know,being the first in front of
everybody, um, and that wasn't arecording, you know, everybody
was like, Well, man, you're nothalf bad.
(07:00):
And so I always say we've beenbeen rolling ever since.
That's so awesome.
SPEAKER_00 (07:05):
Now, if if the 18-year-old Hayden could see you
now, what would he say?
And what would surprise him themost about your journey so far?
SPEAKER_02 (07:15):
Oh man, that's a good question.
Um, probably just keep, youknow, I mean, it's kind of
cliche, but keep going and don'tgive up because, you know, I
mean, there's there's definitelybeen some very low times where
there's no doubt.
I'm like, hey, you know, I'vegot the construction degree.
I could probably go make moremoney pretty quickly doing that.
But then, you know, the flipside of that as well, would I
(07:36):
really be as happy as I am, youknow, for the most part, getting
to getting to live out or atleast try to live out my dream
of playing music for a living?
SPEAKER_00 (07:44):
Yeah, have that to fall back on if something should
happen, and let's hope itdoesn't, and I don't think it
would, but uh still it's I wasgonna ask, what would you be
doing if you weren't doingmusic?
And obviously you've got thisdegree in construction, and you
know, and there's probably somany different avenues with
that.
What would you be would you belike be building houses,
furniture?
What would you be doing foreverything?
SPEAKER_02 (08:06):
Uh no, I guess if I if I had to imagine it'd
probably because actually, so mydad um has his own interior
design like architecture firm.
Oh, okay.
Um, and he was an Aggie as well.
And then actually both of myolder brothers have construction
degrees from AM.
Um, so they're both my secondoldest brother, Cameron, he's
actually a uh project managerfor like a residential company
(08:27):
where they do like custom homes.
Um, and then my oldest brotherdoes more of the commercial
side, he's a project managersuperintendent, one of the two
for uh more of the commercialside of stuff.
So imagine it'd be somewherealong those lines.
SPEAKER_00 (08:38):
Do you ever do anything with them?
Do they call on you once in awhile to help out or no?
SPEAKER_02 (08:42):
Oh no, no.
They they work for pretty yeah,they work for pretty large
companies.
So I got you.
Yeah, I got you.
I don't think I'm cool enough togo help them.
Well, you are pretty cool.
SPEAKER_00 (08:53):
So, you know what I'm reading though, you've had a
chance to sit down and writewith some uh pretty, pretty big,
some uh heavy hitters.
I know David Lee Murphy, I sawon the list.
I'm looking here.
Kevin Fowler, by the way, thatwas the name I should have
mentioned earlier.
Love his music, Trent Wilmon.
Uh Terry McBride, McBride andthe ride, dude.
Yeah that is that is prettycool.
And Terry, of course, he haswritten so many, so many big
(09:16):
songs.
I think he, if I'm not mistaken,he did a lot for Brooks and Dunn
as well.
I think he wrote Red Dirt Roadand songs like that.
I believe so.
I believe.
SPEAKER_02 (09:25):
I believe.
I should know that because yeah,me and my me and my drummer were
actually just talking because wejust ran into Terry McBride at a
gas station.
I say we, actually, my band, Iwasn't with them, but um, and
they were talking and stuff, andand then me and me and BJ
started talking about all thesongs he had written.
And I know there was a bunch ofthat Brooks and Dunn stuff, but
I can't remember which ones hewas listing off.
SPEAKER_00 (09:44):
He came by the radio station once and we were we were
talking, and uh all of a suddenhe started just rattling off
some of the songs he's beeninvolved in, and it's like I
knew a lot of them, but thenthere's others I go, holy crap,
you you were I had no idea thathe read some of those, so which
is pretty cool.
What's the uh biggest writingroom lesson that you've learned
from you know writing with thoseguys, the heavy hitters?
SPEAKER_02 (10:05):
Yeah, uh yeah, probably just um, you know,
don't be afraid to I guess likespeak your mind while you're in
a writing room or throw out yourideas, I guess maybe is a better
way to put that.
Um, but and I mean I'm stilllike this, even though, as I
just said, some of these biggerguys have said to not not be
scared.
But you know, I've always beenafraid of you know saying
(10:26):
something stupid or you know,something that other people
won't like or something.
Dude, I'm doing this.
SPEAKER_00 (10:31):
I say stupid things.
It's like afterwards to go, whydid I do that?
Why didn't you say that?
I hear you.
SPEAKER_02 (10:37):
No, but of course they're their thing is like,
well, you know, even if you saysomething and you know, maybe
it's not the best line or butwhatever it may be, that can
that can always help spark, youknow, someone else's mind with a
a different line or a differentidea, or you know, make the song
go a whole different direction.
So that that's probably been thebiggest thing is just don't be
(10:57):
afraid to kind of when somethingcomes to your mind, just say it.
SPEAKER_00 (11:00):
Yeah, you know, I one thing I I usually don't talk
about is too much, or I will askis, you know, who who are you
influenced by?
But then I I looked it up alittle bit and it's like you're
big into straight.
You got Tracy Lawrence, Tracy,hell of a guy, love Tracy, Cody
Johnson.
I mean, they're they're youknow, from bull riding to doing
what you're doing, being outthere, and uh Clay Walker as
(11:23):
well.
How do you create a modernHayden Hadock uh sound while
keeping that Texas traditionalive?
SPEAKER_02 (11:30):
You know, I don't know.
I think just uh really justworking with the right people.
Um, you know, I uh pretty muchall the songs that we've we've
had out for the last, I guess,since 2020 from my album Red
Dirt Texas, um, and then throughall the singles up until Heller
High Whiskey, um, those were allproduced by Trent Wilman, um,
who's obviously Cody Johnson'slongtime producer, Kevin
(11:51):
Fowler's longtime producer, um,and a lot of guys like that.
Um, and really if you go listento a lot of the stuff he's done,
um, and obviously, you know,Cody kind of being the biggest,
but it it kind of keeps thattraditional line, yeah, or that,
you know, that traditional thinggoing, but also riding the line
of okay, there's a little bit ofmodern twist to it.
Um, but you know, you're notgonna hear all the the snap
(12:12):
tracks and and whatever it maybe, and no knock against them,
it's just not what I want to do.
No, I don't blame you.
Yeah, and so uh, anyways, I'dsay yeah, just kind of kind of
making sure, especially withyour producer um on stuff,
making sure you're on the samepage of like, hey, all right, we
want to keep this kind oftraditional traditional sound
going.
(12:32):
Yeah, how do you um Hayden?
SPEAKER_00 (12:35):
How do you handle you do 80 plus shows a year?
How do you handle you know allthat road life and how it ends
up in your songwriting, theexhaustion, the ad uh
adrenaline, and the weird hotelstories, all of it.
I imagine you got that's gottabe a little crazy, but how do
you handle it?
80 shows a year is a lot.
SPEAKER_02 (12:54):
Yeah, um, yeah, and we're actually, I think we're on
track to do more uh over ahundred this year, actually.
Um the goal is to get up closerto 200 at some point.
I know it sounds like a lot, butobviously um kind of part of it.
But yeah, no, I don't know.
Um really just uh I don't know,kind of kind of gotta watch
yourself because obviouslythere's a lot of a lot of
(13:15):
drinking that you're surroundedwith, um, a lot of late nights,
obviously a lot of bad, bad foodyou're surrounded with.
Because guess what?
When you're you know finallyloaded out of the venue at 2
a.m., there's not a lot ofhealthy options to eat.
No, no, no, I know that.
Been there.
So yeah, I mean, so really justI mean, you're never gonna be
perfect, but definitely at leastkeeping a you know, trying to
(13:35):
keep it.
SPEAKER_00 (13:36):
Let's let's talk about eating a little bit.
You had to change your diet.
You, if I was really now, I'myou know, I'm probably very
close to where well you're Idon't know if I can get into the
personal stuff, but I think Iread like a type 2 diabetic or
type one, yeah, yeah, yeah.
All right, all right, yeah.
Oh, it's type one.
All right.
So I was my diet had to changehere recently because I was
(13:58):
right on the edge of possiblyneeding insulin.
I mean, my A1C was so high, andyou know, now I I take meds for
that and other things, and I'velost weight and I feel great,
and I have changed my eatinghabits, but that's gotta be so
hard for you knowing that youand you mentioned the late
(14:19):
nights.
I mean, you get you get done at2 a.m.
You're gonna go and uh yeah,you're gonna eat some crap.
I mean, but you gotta getsomething in your stomach, so to
speak.
So, you know, how do you handleall that?
SPEAKER_02 (14:31):
Yeah, really.
I mean, I I wish I had a realcool answer for you, but really
I think with that, it's justkind of you gotta almost kind of
roll with the punches.
And luckily, um, you know, likeI wear a um uh omnipod insulin
pump and a GEXCOM continuousglucose monitor.
And now the way they have thetechnology, those things work
together, and it's pretty muchthey call it a closed loop
(14:53):
system, which is like theclosest you can get to a
functioning pancreas.
Um, I'm sure we're boring theaudience with the medical talk
right now.
SPEAKER_00 (15:00):
But yeah, you know what?
When I talk, I don't think webore anybody because when we
talk like this, not only aboutyour music, but a little bit
about you personally.
We talk about where you live,and that's why I ask some of the
questions like that, because youknow what?
You're no different than I am,and somebody that's watching
this, somebody that's listening,listening to this.
Uh, except that you're amusician, you're an artist, and
(15:22):
uh you have a talent.
Everybody's got their owntalent, and this is your talent.
This is you know, so it it'sinteresting.
If somebody they hear you onradio or they go to one of your
shows, they're gonna go, yeah,that guy, you know what?
He goes to the same store I goto.
He drives the same truck Idrive.
He you know what I mean?
That's the stuff I think iscool.
And that's one of the that'swhat I bring out when I do the
(15:42):
podcast is to prove to everybodythat these guys are real.
You know, the artists are real,they're real people.
Yeah, that's it.
SPEAKER_02 (15:49):
I was just listening to uh because I listened to a
lot of podcasts, I can'tremember who it was.
It may have been actually JoeRogan and Billy Bob Thornton or
something like that.
But uh that they were justtalking about uh basically,
yeah, people, you know, I thinkit was Billy Bob obviously
saying it, but people don't wantto see pictures of you on stage,
they want to see pictures ofyou, you know, eating a steak or
yeah, shopping at the grocerystore, you know, doing regular
(16:11):
people stuff.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (16:13):
It'd be like, holy crap, I saw McGraw at the store
in uh Nashville the other day.
It's like, well, you know, hewas picking up uh a sack of
potatoes.
I mean, he's going home to makepotato salad or something, you
know.
Right.
I guess that's exactly whatyou're saying.
Um, I want to talk about the newsingle.
That's uh one of the big reasonsum that we have you on tonight.
Not only that you're a numberone artist in in Texas, but
(16:35):
let's talk about Heller HighWhiskey.
Um, what's the story behindthat?
And where did the idea oremotion come from?
SPEAKER_02 (16:43):
Yeah, so um honestly we wrote that um because I went
and lived in Nashville, me andmy now wife at the time she was
my fiance, but we went and livedin Nashville um for a year um
after I graduated college.
Um, and so um that year while wewere living there, I was doing a
quite a bit of writing.
Um, and so I went into a writeone day with um it was actually
(17:05):
this lady, one of the writers onit, her name is Liz Hangber.
Um, and she was one of thewriters on one of my previous
singles called uh He Sings forMary.
Um and um anyway, she'd beenwanting to get back in the room,
and so she said, Hey, I've got awrite with um, you know,
obviously myself, um, and then aguy named Matt Willis and Frank
Moroni who you want to join.
So went in and um, you know,first 10 minutes we all got some
(17:28):
coffee and we're trying tofigure out what we wanted to
write.
And I guess um I was the onlylike artist in the room.
So typically when that happens,they always say, Well, what you
know, what song do you need?
What do you want to write?
You know.
Um I'm like, look, I don't know.
You know, I didn't come with anybright ideas, so we can do
whatever.
And so um I think it was MattWillis.
He's like, Man, I've had thistitle um called Heller High
(17:50):
Whiskey.
He goes, I don't know what youknow what it's about, but he
goes, just like hell or highwater, but hell or high, you
know, just thought it was a coolidea.
Um, and so we fumbled aroundwith some other ideas, but
everyone seemed to kept comingback to that title.
Um, and so kind of the rest ishistory.
We sat there and and wrote on itfor the next few hours, and
yeah, and we we think we got a areally good song out of it.
SPEAKER_00 (18:12):
I love it.
I love it.
And if not mistaken, um, I thinkI listened to the link and that
Kat sent me.
I was gonna try to download itto play a little bit of it, but
I'll I'll I couldn't do that,but I will attach it to the uh
this interview afterwards.
So if you're watching this orlistening to this, it'll be at a
link uh you know below this.
But uh, I'd love if I'm notmistaken, he hit some steel in
(18:33):
the beginning.
You have the steel guitar.
Yeah, I love that.
I love that.
You can't go wrong with a goodsteel.
SPEAKER_02 (18:38):
Yeah, no, and I just I just got a a really I don't
know if badass if I'm allowed tocuss, if I'm not, sorry, but
badass, yeah, nobody cares.
Just got a badass steel playerum in my band.
And so that when we went intorecord this, it's another thing.
I'm a bit when I go into thestudio, I'm big on, and I know
there's some things you gotta doin that slide, but it it's kind
(18:58):
of one of those deals where it'slike, all right, if we go into
the studio and I don't have akeys player, why are we gonna
why are we gonna have you know aminute and a half long keys?
So you know what I mean, whenyou can't pull it off.
So yeah, uh now granted they'restill fiddling stuff on the new,
you know, and all that.
Um, but yeah, with the steel, Iwas like, go go big on the steel
for this, because I was like,Mike, my player, I was like,
(19:20):
he's gonna love it.
So sure, sure enough, this ishis new favorite.
SPEAKER_00 (19:23):
This so the steel player is the guy that's out
with you doing the shows, too.
Right.
Cool, you know, because andthere are correct me if I'm
wrong, but there's a lot ofartists that go in the studio
and it's a completely differentband.
It's all studio musicians, andthey hit the road, they have a
touring band.
So, I mean, that's what happensaround here a lot.
It's like two different things.
SPEAKER_02 (19:42):
Yeah, and we we do that too.
Um, there is there is a I don'tknow, there's definitely pros
and cons, I would say.
Um, because I will say somethese studio musicians, they are
the best, just incrediblytalented.
They're usually, yeah, the best.
Um, and I always say it's justum it's not even really a talent
(20:03):
thing.
It's how almost like how fasttheir mind just picks up on
stuff.
Um, because you'll play them,you know, play the studio
musicians like uh a uh roughtrack where let's just say it's
just my vocals and the acousticguitar.
Um, and I mean within two triesof them running the song
together, it sounds like they'vebeen playing the song yeah, on
(20:25):
the road for you know a hundreddates a year.
Yeah, that's chilling.
So it's just crazy.
Um, but yeah, there's definitelypros and cons to it for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (20:32):
And I I made a note, um, Barroom Country Energy.
And uh and what made this theright track to put out right
now?
SPEAKER_02 (20:40):
Well, really, just after talking with the with the
management company and you know,including Kat and everybody, um,
because our last single, keep meup, um, you know, it was a good
little mid-tempo, but kind ofbreakup song.
Um, and uh anyway, so and thenthis song for some reason also
playing this for everybody, um,including my band, including you
(21:01):
know, my wife, family, uh,friends.
Um, I played them this, and weactually recorded two more songs
at the same time.
So we had three total, andthey're three completely
different songs.
Um, and literally, I think 99%of people were like, Man,
they're all good, but thatheller high whiskey, you know,
you've got something there.
SPEAKER_00 (21:21):
So with all that being said, Hayden, is Heller
High Whiskey part of a biggerrollout?
Maybe an EP an album or steadysingles for the year of the year
and uh 26?
SPEAKER_02 (21:33):
It's a good question.
We've um we get asked that allthe time, and we've had me and
the management team have hadmany discussions about it.
I think for right now, we'regonna keep doing the single
thing, um just until we feellike doing something else would
would have the benefit.
Um, but right now it's just kindof from what we've seen and what
we've been told by a lot ofpeople is that especially for
(21:56):
you know younger upcomingartists, um is this the single
thing just seems to have moreeffect.
Um, because obviously, yeah,it's like we can put this one
out and then you know, a monthand a half, two months later, we
can roll another one out, thenanother month and a half, two
months.
You know what I mean?
Yeah, but what I do yeah, atsome point I do want to roll up
all the singles and at least doum make a vinyl out of them.
(22:20):
Vinyl's the way to go now.
SPEAKER_00 (22:22):
I mean, I know it's coming back.
Man, I'm getting vinyl every dayin the mail.
I just got I got a LannyGardner.
Um uh it's just everybody islike, as well as the digital
side of things, but they'resending out the vinyl, like the
whole album, which is cool, andI love that.
I had to go out and get anotherrecord player.
(22:42):
It's like I got rid of thatyears ago.
I had to go get another one.
Uh, but it's so very cool thatthat artists are doing that, and
I think that would be a greatidea if you did something like
that as well.
I mean, I mean that that is socool.
Um you know, let me ask, I don'tknow if you're aware of this,
but uh this is this could be ait makes me very angry.
(23:03):
I'll tell you why.
AI.
I love AI.
Don't now here's all right.
There's two sides of AI.
There's a side that it can helpyou.
You're you're kind of lost for aword, or you need a I don't
know, a line, or like me in theradio side of things when I'm
writing commercials or I need towrite a promo or a sweeper, what
we call them in the business, orsomething like that.
I can go on AI and say, this iswhat I'm thinking of, and it'll
(23:25):
spit something up.
Now, this morning, I'm watchingGood Morning America and they're
talking about the song that isat the top of the billboard
charts right now, which is allAI.
It's by an artist, uh, was itBreakout Rust, Breakthrough, I
don't know, something like that.
And the guy doesn't exist.
The song doesn't freaking exist,but it's AI.
I mean, really, but it's at thetop of the charts.
(23:46):
That made me very angry becauseI look at you like I'm looking
at you right now.
Somebody, you're out therebusting your ass.
You're out there, you're writingsongs, you're putting music out,
and this is your livelihood.
Now that that's out there.
I mean, how do you feel?
You know, as an artist, what areyou feeling when you hear
something like that?
SPEAKER_02 (24:06):
Yeah, no, I I think it's insane, and it's funny
you're even bringing that upbecause I literally just sent
that uh, you know, some articlepopped up on my Instagram this
morning of that guy being numberone.
So I sent that to my wife andbrother and all of my band guys,
and then actually, right beforewe got on here to do this, um
Woody Harrelson was doing, Idon't know if you've seen those
hot ones things that I use thehot wings.
(24:29):
Um and I guess at the end of ithe was talking about, you know,
he's kind of scared for actingin the next 10 years.
So even my wife was like, Well,what does that mean for you know
acting artists like you in thenext 10 years?
I think it's I'm like, it'sgonna get weird.
SPEAKER_00 (24:42):
It's gonna get really weird, but it's you know,
I mean, you you have a talentthat nobody else will have.
You've got your own.
You're unique.
You you are Hayden Haddock.
You are you, you've got a greattalent, everybody's got their
own talent.
Uh, but then this is stuff likethis is just I don't know.
It it's scary.
(25:03):
And you're right.
I don't know if we're gonna beable to stop it.
How are we gonna stop it?
I don't know.
SPEAKER_02 (25:07):
I guess the only thing would be that's what I was
just telling.
I don't know if anyone would bewilling to write, you know, some
kind of laws into play.
I feel like that's the only waythat would even something.
SPEAKER_00 (25:15):
They don't even know who did this.
They they even, you know,there's a name on there, then
they did a a search for thatname, and it didn't apparently
it didn't exist.
So nothing.
I haven't looked yeah, I haven'tlooked far into it.
I thought get your feathers allruffled.
But minor two, I'm gonna tellyou from the other side of
things, from the radio side,this is not right.
It's not right.
Yeah, you know, so it's crazy.
(25:36):
All right, change the subject.
So I want to, you know what?
You've had a number one song onthe Texas country music chart
and a front porch in the rain.
And how did hitting thatmilestone change your confidence
going into the new music?
I mean, that first of all, whatwas that like hitting number
(25:59):
one?
And then, you know, how did thatuh change your confidence going
into the, you know, what youhave now with the new music?
SPEAKER_02 (26:06):
Yeah, no, it it was um it was definitely an awesome
feeling.
Um and it's kind of one of thosethings um, you know, we've we've
been promoting, I think prettymuch uh I think we promoted a
couple songs off my first ladythat we had.
So we've been promoting songsout to radio for, I mean, it's
gotta be close to seven years.
(26:27):
Um and uh of course that onethat one just went number one
here not, you know, not too toolong ago.
Um, and so it was just a greatfeeling that after all those
years, with obviously all allthose years the goal being to
get to the number one spot.
And we just, you know, we hadgotten to I think number 10, had
a couple top 15s, a few toptwenty, you know.
So we were always kind ofsniffing around, getting up
(26:49):
there, but never could quite uhcatch it.
And then actually that song Imentioned, uh He Sings Fairy,
um, that had gone to numberseven, and then that very next
one, Front Porch in the Rain,went to number one.
So no, it was a great feeling umto finally be able to um you
know kind of put the put thatfeather in my hat.
Um definitely an exciting thing.
And then yeah, we're actually umwe're actually trying to get our
(27:12):
our second number one right now,um, because we actually still
have Keep Me Up, which was mylast single.
That's actually been um ourradio single.
Um and it's been running a longcourse, um, longer than normal,
but it dropped in May, right?
Am I right to say because you'reyou're quizzing me on stuff and
I'm the whole timeline.
(27:32):
Yeah, no, no.
SPEAKER_00 (27:33):
I just you know, from the radio side of things,
just because you know, we'rekind of in a different world
here in the Northeast than youare in Texas when it comes to
music, but I keep track ofeverything.
I watch it like I said earlier.
You know, I'm a big fan of theTexas country music scene.
As a matter of fact, uh there'sa programmer in Stillwater,
Oklahoma.
(27:53):
His name's uh Jason Kranz, sayswe play his music here on the
radio.
So that's cool.
SPEAKER_02 (27:58):
Oh awesome.
Well, thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (28:00):
Yep, yep.
And uh yeah, I got some.
Oh, I wasn't looking at allthese comments.
Oh, yeah.
A lot about um there's stuff inthere about AI, but uh very
cool.
Anyways, so let's get back toit.
It's like, you know, I make aturn and we go.
Um so you're a part of um well,good company entertainment.
(28:22):
What does having the right teambehind you allow you to do now
that you couldn't do early on?
Yeah, um, yeah, good company.
SPEAKER_02 (28:30):
Um that's obviously yeah, the new management company
I signed with.
Um, I guess it was December oflast year, something like that.
Um, but we really got going um,you know, early this year.
Um and no, they've been they'vebeen nothing but great.
Um they've got a got a full teamum with them.
So, you know, we've got a lot ofstuff in-house, which is
absolutely great.
(28:50):
Um, not having to outsource abunch of stuff.
But yeah, Keith, Keith Gale'sthe head, yeah, um, head manager
over there, and and I I lovehim.
We just actually got back fromNashville um a couple weeks ago
going going down there tofinally let Sierra, my wife,
meet the team and meet him andget to hang out with Keith and
his girlfriend.
And yeah, so we've we we uh wehave very good good thoughts and
(29:14):
feelings about uh everythingthat's to come with those guys,
and we're excited.
Uh yeah, the Heller High Whiskeyrelease is kind of their first
full release under them.
SPEAKER_00 (29:22):
That's exciting, you know, uh working with them and
so uh you know you've beenfeatured in Billboard, Taste of
Country, Country Now.
And how have you learned tonavigate the business side of
being you know a modern artistwithout losing sight of the art?
SPEAKER_02 (29:37):
Well, that's a good question.
I guess just not getting toowrapped up in the social media
stuff.
Um, you know, but that's hardnot to.
Oh, absolutely.
But yeah, sometimes like notmaybe not reading all the
comments um, you know, is forthe best.
Um, you know, there's always anegative comment on any of that.
Uh well, haters are gonna hate.
That's all there is.
SPEAKER_00 (29:56):
Everybody says that, I know that, but it's so true.
unknown (29:58):
It's just
SPEAKER_02 (30:00):
Uh what is it?
You know, everybody tells you ifyou don't have hate or if
someone's hating on you, youknow you're doing something
right because that means peopleare paying attention.
I'm just gonna say that.
SPEAKER_00 (30:08):
That means they've got an ear on you.
So that you know, they'relistening.
It's the same thing in radio.
Somebody bitches aboutsomething, it's like, right,
they're listening.
Thanks for doing that.
You know, I mean, it's you neverhear from the, you know, people
that have something good to say.
But I shouldn't say you never,very rarely, but you'll always
hear from somebody that's got abitch about something and they
don't like the sound orwhatever.
(30:29):
It's the same thing for radio.
But that means, like I said,they're listening.
And we say thank you.
100%.
And so uh the can we I want toget back to uh a little bit
about your health because you'redoing actually you've been
through a lot and you're on ayou have a journey going.
Uh, you're open about livingwith type one diabetes.
How does that affect life on theroad?
(30:50):
And what do fans really seeabout the day-to-day reality
with you?
SPEAKER_02 (30:55):
Yeah, um, so being on the road, I mean, like we
kind of talked about earlier,um, definitely just obviously
watching the obviously diet's abig thing um with diabetes in
general.
Um, so yeah, just kind ofwatching that stuff.
Um, and then obviously, youknow, another big thing is um
actually a huge thing becauseit's been a problem that I've
had to learn from, but nothaving enough extra supplies
(31:16):
with me or backup supplies, andthen you know, we're in um, you
know, Missouri or something, andI'm trying to get a prescription
call, you know.
Um, so now I just travel withyou know three times of
everything um that I couldpossibly need.
Um teaching the band how to usea um you know an emergency
glucagon shot.
(31:37):
Yeah, exactly.
Um that's what I've learned isthe best strategy.
Um, but yeah, really, I mean,and then in terms of the fans
and stuff, I guess they reallydon't see much of it um going on
because obviously I take care ofa lot of that stuff before the
show and exactly um and allthat, which is obviously you
know how it should be.
Um But there's there's only beena couple times where like during
(31:59):
the during the set I've had tokind of stop or let the band
roll a little bit and I'll betrying to get my my Tim or my
merch guy or whoever can see mereally be like, I need a Dr.
Pepper or something with somesugar.
I need a little bit of sugar.
SPEAKER_00 (32:13):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah.
It might maybe you do like ahand gesture or something that
they'll they'll see and go,okay, we gotta get this up to
Hayden now.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But it, you know, you're notalone.
You're not alone.
I think there's so manyAmericans that are going through
so many people going through thesame thing that you're going
through, and I just about goingthrough.
(32:33):
Uh, when it comes to that, uh,you've worked closely with JDRF.
Uh, what's one misconceptionabout type 1 diabetes that you
always find yourself correcting?
SPEAKER_02 (32:44):
You know?
Oh, oh, probably the biggestone, the easiest one is that you
can't eat sugar.
That's always the fun one.
Yeah, that you know, someonewill find out I have diabetes
and oh my gosh, so you can't eatsugar?
No, or I'll be yeah, about totake a bite of something.
Be sure you can eat that.
Yeah, like I promise I can eatit.
SPEAKER_00 (33:04):
Yeah, I did.
Uh we have the Reese's here leftover from Halloween, and uh I
grabbed a two-pack before I cameon here tonight, open it up, my
son's like, no sugar, dad.
Like, all right, Zach.
No, dad's dad can have somesugar.
So yeah, it's all good.
You know, um, when fans meet youoff stage, what's something that
will surprise them?
(33:24):
Maybe I don't know, a hobby,personality trait, something
totally random.
Is there something?
I know it's a crazy question.
I have some shorts.
I don't know.
You're short.
SPEAKER_02 (33:39):
I don't know.
Probably a lot of people,because I wear dress shirts a
lot, and most of the time I'llroll them up, roll my sleeves up
a couple of times.
Yeah, but then I guess sometimesafter shows I'll pull my sleeves
up the rest.
So some people I guess,especially if we're like opening
for somebody and it's peoplethat haven't really seen us
before, yeah, they always areshocked by how many tattoos I
(33:59):
have.
Um, you got a full sleeve I knowon one arm.
SPEAKER_00 (34:02):
Do you have do you have a full sleeve on both?
SPEAKER_02 (34:05):
No, I've got yeah, I've got the sleeve on that arm,
then I've got a bunch of randomstuff on the other, but then
sometimes too, like when I weara dress shirt.
Yep.
Um and I've, you know, thebuttons.
I've got like both my my chestis all tattooed.
Um got one on my legs.
SPEAKER_00 (34:20):
When did you get your first tat?
SPEAKER_02 (34:22):
Oh, um probably freshman year of college.
Yeah, I don't think my familyeven knows that because I hid it
for a while, but we'll we'llbreak it here.
SPEAKER_00 (34:33):
It's kind of what I was gonna say.
So did uh mom and dad knowyou're out there getting a tat?
No, uh absolutely not.
SPEAKER_02 (34:40):
But you're old enough to do it yourself, so
yeah, and there was only so muchthey could say because I think
my oldest brother had alreadyhad a full sleeve um from that,
you know, at that time, and thenmy second tallest brother, I
think he started his littlesleeve.
And then but my first tattoo isa little baby, little baby thing
up by my armpit.
SPEAKER_00 (34:59):
Yeah, but once once you get one, you're you're gonna
want to get another.
I've got a couple, you know, anduh it's like now, okay, I want
to dress this one up.
I want to, you know, I'mstarting to think about that.
Even at my age, it's like yeah,I just now they're fun, they
just they just get expensivereal quick.
SPEAKER_02 (35:14):
Yeah, they do.
SPEAKER_00 (35:15):
It does add up.
So we gotta get you out moreshows.
No, you already have one.
That's all.
Um exactly.
Yeah.
So what do you want?
What do you get around town in?
What do you drive a truck?
I would assume you're in Texas.
You have a dually?
Yeah, no, I do not.
SPEAKER_02 (35:28):
I I used to have a I used to have an F-250.
Nice um, but then I got tired ofpaying for maintenance on that
thing and paying for dieselbecause the whole idea was the
whole idea was I got that umwhen we finally got like a big
um band trailer, like afull-size, you know, big, big
boy, 14 foot or 15 foot,whatever it is.
(35:49):
And um the idea was if I wasgonna have to pull that around,
well then pretty much as soon asI got that truck, it wasn't a
few months later, and we decidedwe were gonna go ahead and get
into a sprinter van.
Oh, yeah.
Um, and so that truck I had itfor I don't know, two, two, two
or three years, and it neveronce got hooked up to pull
anything.
(36:10):
So then after that, I I wentback and my little brother
actually got that truck.
He got one hell of a firsttruck.
Um, but uh and then I've got aI've got a 1500 uh Silverado
now.
SPEAKER_00 (36:23):
Now I was gonna go to the Silverado.
I know I've had the Chevy's,I've had the Ram, I've had the
Ford, not uh not the 250, justthe 150, but still, you know,
now I'm driving around in a babytruck.
I get a Chevy Colorado, which isstill nice.
I mean, the new Colorados arebig.
SPEAKER_02 (36:38):
I've had a couple Tacomas, and I sometimes I miss
my little Tacoma.
SPEAKER_00 (36:41):
Yeah, yeah, I'm telling you, this is you know, I
kind of I I don't know.
I fell in love with it.
So it's cool, it's cool, it'svery cool.
So um what album when you weregrowing up, what album did you
wear out?
Like you listened to over andover and over again?
SPEAKER_02 (37:01):
That's a good question.
I don't know if I remember anyalbum specifically, um, but I
know, I mean, kind of probablyas you'd guess, because I think
you kind of mentioned earlier,but really just a lot of that
90s stuff.
SPEAKER_01 (37:12):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (37:12):
Um, because I remember just between my dad, my
uncle, and and my brother um inhis truck, um, just a lot of
Tracy Lawrence, Claywalker,George Strait.
Um, and I guess that's where allthat, you know, that influence
that I talk about came from.
Um, and then yeah, of course,um, you know, being a Texas guy
and all that stuff.
(37:33):
I think it was actually my mybrother Cameron that kind of
introduced me and my wholefamily to Cody Johnson when like
I think it was like Diamond inMy Pocket first came out or
something like that.
And so um, I mean, I rememberdriving to go see Cody, actually
not far from here, uh SilverSaloon and Tarrell, uh, my
junior year of high school goingto see him, and I was buttoned
up to get to the front of thestage, and you know, now we've
(37:54):
played there a few times, sokind of a cool full circle
thing.
Um, but yeah, so I don't know,just a lot of mainly that 90s
stuff though, for sure.
And a lot of Randy Travis.
My dad was always a big RandyTravis fan.
SPEAKER_00 (38:06):
Now I was a fan you talk about that though, like AJ
Allen Jackson, and now I'mlistening to the Zack Top.
I mean, I love that stuff.
Yep, and and it's cool with ZackTop.
It's I know this isn't about me,but I can tell you the drummer
went to the same high school Iwent to, Nick Felty is from this
area.
And it's like, dude, when he heplayed, they were here for a
show.
I forgot who they were openingup for a couple of years ago,
(38:29):
and I thought that's neat.
What the hell?
You know, and it's like, dude,yeah, you know, but I thought it
was cool.
Uh, so Dream, I'm sure you getasked this a million times.
Dream duet partner, straight,Tracy, Kojo, Clay?
Uh that is, yeah, that's a greatquestion.
SPEAKER_02 (38:47):
Will you pick any one?
I guess, you know, I want to sayGeorge Strait, but I feel like
everybody would say GeorgeStrait.
So I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go,yeah, probably Tracy Lawrence.
SPEAKER_01 (39:00):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (39:00):
Um, just because yeah, probably outside of
probably outside of George, Ithink he might be kind of my
number one influence guy.
Um, and the modern guy,definitely a Cody Johnson thing.
So Cody Johnson or John Party,honestly.
I'm also a big John Party fan.
SPEAKER_00 (39:16):
Oh, John Party's awesome.
Yeah, absolutely.
Um, so if I was to tell somebodyabout you, I said, hey, uh, you
know, I interviewed this guy,Hayden Haddock.
Uh, he's really cool.
And they said, well, what's hismusic?
What would be the first song Ishould tell them to listen to?
You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02 (39:33):
That they're gonna go, wow, yeah, okay.
Well, Heller High Whiskey, ofcourse.
Of course, of course.
No, uh, Heller High Whiskey is aobviously a great one.
Um to get them started on you.
Yeah, keep me up was a reallygood song.
Um, or you know, is a reallygood song.
It is, yeah.
Um, I think that's very wellwritten.
Me and Trent actually wrote thattogether.
(39:53):
Um, and we from the time wewrote that, we we really loved
that song and and had goodfeelings about it.
Um, and then another one of myfavorites that's kind of a it
was kind of slept on in myopinion.
Um I wish it would have donemore.
Um, but it was a single, I thinkin early 2024, um, but it's
called Rolling Stone.
That is a great song, even justfrom the lyric side of it.
(40:16):
It's a great song.
SPEAKER_00 (40:18):
So how often do you get to Nashville?
SPEAKER_02 (40:21):
Um now it's uh it's pretty much been once every
couple months or so.
Um, but really I like to sayit's on a need-to-go basis.
Um, so I mean if I'm if they doyou really want to go to
Nashville?
SPEAKER_00 (40:33):
You've got everything right there.
SPEAKER_02 (40:35):
Yeah.
No, I I don't mind going at all.
Nowadays, it's it's more so forum like if we have meetings or
something that's you know withpeople up there.
Um, or if I just need to gowrite, then I'll go.
Um but we try to make sure thatum, you know, I'm not just
flying up there to I don't know,to you know, write once and then
(40:56):
sit there.
Right.
Um so we'll try to if you knowif we're gonna go, we'll try to
get meetings, I'll try to do acouple riders' rounds, I'll try
to get a few writes in, you knowwhat I mean?
We'll try to pack the scheduleum as full as we can.
SPEAKER_00 (41:08):
Yeah, are you happy?
I mean, obviously you're happy,but I mean you're you're Texas
and Texas country.
Is there gonna be a time whereyou'd say, you know what?
I want to expand.
I want to, I want to hiteverywhere.
I want to be on the big chart.
I went not that Texas isn'tdon't take it the wrong way.
I'm just but I want to be onthat big chart.
I want to be on media base.
(41:29):
I want to I want to do that.
SPEAKER_02 (41:30):
Is there gonna do you think that time will come or
yeah, no, that's that'sabsolutely that's the goal.
Um and uh, you know, yeah, likeyou said, there's some guys that
are absolutely content with um,you know, staying to be a Texas
artist will say.
Um and you know, yeah, theydon't care to go do the
Nashville thing or the nationalthing.
(41:52):
Um and that's fine becausethere's obviously, I mean, you
can tour Texas all year andyou'll never play all the venues
around here.
Right.
Um, and you can definitely makemore than enough to have a good
living um playing in Texas.
But um, yeah, I guess just overthe years working with Trent and
kind of seeing what Cody didcoming from Texas to now where
(42:12):
he's at.
Yeah, um, that definitely, youknow, kind of sparked a fire
under my ass to well, hey, itmade me realize there's a lot
more out there.
Um, and I mean that in a goodway to do it.
But look what you're doing,dude.
You're killing it.
You're doing great.
We're trying, yeah.
Well, you're gonna be able to doit.
SPEAKER_00 (42:29):
But yeah, no, definitely you're successful, so
that's cool.
SPEAKER_02 (42:32):
But no, definitely the goal is to to get out and
kind of do the national thing.
Basically, take take it as bigas we can take it, is what I
always say.
SPEAKER_00 (42:40):
Exactly.
What is the um Texas?
What is the most Texas thingyou've ever done that you're
oddly proud of?
Oh shit.
Most Texas thing.
SPEAKER_02 (42:52):
I don't know.
Maybe uh cooked a pretty goodbrisket, smoked a pretty good
brisket.
Well, we do that here, though.
I mean, it's different.
SPEAKER_00 (42:59):
Maybe it's not the same, though.
Maybe it's you know, Texas, itmay taste different, even though
it's not really different, butit's Texas.
SPEAKER_02 (43:06):
That's cool.
Yeah, I don't know, other thanlike hunting and fishing stuff,
but yeah, everybody does that.
I can't really think ofanything.
So do you hunt and fish?
Yeah, I do.
You do?
Wish I could do it more, butkind of time time pending.
SPEAKER_00 (43:19):
It's got you, it's got you going pretty good,
though.
What are you?
Are you deer hunter?
SPEAKER_02 (43:23):
Yep, deer, and then obviously we'll go and hunt hogs
and then you know, bird huntingwhen it's time.
SPEAKER_00 (43:28):
And I see a lot of videos on the hogs.
Is that a big problem there?
That that they oh yeah, yeah,yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (43:33):
They're a big big nuisance.
So a lot of a lot of likelandowners, they you know,
they'll let you come.
Right?
Yeah, yeah, and they'll let youcome shoot pigs for free just to
help them out.
SPEAKER_00 (43:44):
Now are they edible?
I'm sorry if that's a stupidquestion.
SPEAKER_02 (43:47):
I'm just no, they they are.
Some people are kind of weirdedout by eating them just because
they are like wild pigs, andthey're I mean, they're
obviously pretty nasty animals,but like we've in our deep
freezer, we've got some uh hogbreakfast sausage right now.
Um, and then my brother just I'mtrying to think of what that was
that he cooked.
He cooked something else from apig.
It may have been the backstrapor something.
(44:09):
I don't know, but he cookedsomething else the other night.
It was actually pretty good.
Um so it's kind of one of thosethings, as long as you can get
over that you're not eating umor that you're eating, you know,
kind of a nasty well pig, but ittastes it tastes decent.
SPEAKER_00 (44:22):
Well, I mean, you have to cook it a certain way.
I mean, just like with venison,if you just cook it just venison
without putting onions andpeppers and spicing it up a
little bit, you know, it's likekind of bland.
Right.
But so, but if you cook it theright way.
So oh, Michael James just saidHogan is fun.
I don't know, like I say, I I'venever done it.
(44:44):
So anyways, so that you knowYeah.
Just trying to think.
Uh wow.
So your family.
Before I let you go.
You're the only musician.
Oh, I think he just liked to saygoodbye.
No, there he is.
He's back.
You disappeared for a second,dude.
Are you there?
Can you hear me?
(45:04):
Hello?
Hold on, you cut out.
All right, I'm hanging.
I'm hanging.
That's all good.
That's all good.
It's Hayden Haddock, everybody.
He's a uh number one recordingartist in Texas, so and he's got
uh he had a song all the way tonumber one.
And uh I can see you, but Ican't hear you.
(45:25):
Okay how about Al?
What about now?
That was a Lone Star song.
But anyway.
Can you hear me?
No?
I can't hear you.
I can hear you.
Okay, he's gonna go out and comeback.
But if you get a chance, checkout his music.
Uh definitely jump online.
(45:47):
You can follow him on YouTube.
Now I can hear you.
You can hear you now.
Sorry, I don't know.
SPEAKER_02 (45:54):
Someone tried to someone tried to call me, but I
declined it, and then it cutout.
My fault.
SPEAKER_00 (45:58):
Ah, yeah, no.
It's probably the kids from theother room.
I don't know.
Give dad a call.
He's been on that long enough.
Uh, yeah.
So, anyways, no, I do want touh, all that being said, that uh
if somebody wanted to get a holdof your music, listen to your
music, I imagine.
You have a YouTube channel, Iknow that.
Uh, but where can they get yourmusic?
SPEAKER_02 (46:19):
Yeah, um, so you can get our music anywhere you
stream your music.
So Spotify, Apple, Amazon, um,obviously, yeah, YouTube.
Um, but the easiest thing to dofor anything and everything is
just my website, which isHaydenHaddock.com, and that has
links to shows, merch, music,um, everything under the much is
very important.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (46:39):
But yeah, HaydenHaddock.com is the easiest
way.
Yeah, exactly.
Support the artist when you seethem on Skip Happens.
If they have a merchandise link,click on it, support the artist.
It's very important.
Uh, you know, this is theirlivelihood.
So, and and what I was gonna saybefore somebody tried to call
you from the other room was uhno, I'm just kidding.
But um your family, you're theonly musician in your family.
(47:04):
Right.
And and you've had a number one,you've had a number one song on
that Texas chart.
How does the family react tothat, knowing that, hey, my
brother or my son, or you know,he's a number one recording
artist in Texas?
SPEAKER_02 (47:17):
Yeah, no, they were they were very proud um and very
happy.
And obviously, yeah, that wasone of those things they've
they've been very supportive andvery uh, I guess you could say
close to my career um this wholetime.
So I think it was kind of a kindof a win for all of us, and like
I said earlier, kind of afeather in the cap for all of
us.
So it was definitely a coolfeeling uh to be able to kind of
(47:38):
send out the text in our familychat that you know, hey, finally
got to the number one track.
SPEAKER_00 (47:43):
Yeah, did you guys party?
Did you uh get some beer andcelebrate?
What did you do?
SPEAKER_02 (47:48):
Oh yeah, we're we're always partying.
SPEAKER_00 (47:50):
Come on.
No, yeah, we did.
We all we went to dinner andcelebrated a little bit.
I love it.
What is the uh before I let yougo, what is the most trouble
you've ever gotten into?
Man, uh we're all kids, man, atone time.
We did a lot of crazy stuff.
SPEAKER_02 (48:06):
Trying to think, because honestly, growing up,
like me and my second, my myoldest brother, I think, got in
all the trouble.
I think he kind of took it awayfrom us.
But uh no, we other than likestaying out late or you know,
closing the door with thegirlfriend or something,
probably.
Uh, we really didn't get intomuch trouble like at school or
anything.
(48:26):
I did get in trouble when I wasin like middle school for
kissing my girlfriend afterhours in the after football
practice.
She was a cheerleader, so thenwe had to go call our parents in
the office.
Um other than that, but likeI've never had anything with the
law.
SPEAKER_00 (48:43):
How would a parent handle that though?
SPEAKER_02 (48:45):
I mean, you're come on, it's a part of growing up.
My dad just kind of chuckledbecause you also got to remember
I've got two older brothers, soit wasn't nothing he hadn't
dealt with before.
That's my boy.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (48:57):
Exactly.
SPEAKER_02 (48:57):
Yeah, but he didn't.
Oh, sorry, go ahead.
No, no, no.
Oh, I was just gonna say, no,other than that, um, no, really,
just never got in much trouble.
Um, was always tried to be kindof a good kid, and we were
obviously we were raised kind ofhard, so obviously we knew if we
did something wrong, we weregonna get our butt work.
SPEAKER_00 (49:15):
So made you a good person, the good person that you
are today by being raised thatway.
So that's cool.
That's cool.
How many kids do you have?
I actually don't have any.
Oh, okay.
I thought I thought early on yousaid you had one or two, so I
didn't know.
SPEAKER_02 (49:27):
No, yeah.
So the phone call was actuallymy my grandfather.
You're joking about it being mykid in the other room.
It was my grandfather.
SPEAKER_00 (49:34):
Yeah, I love it.
I love it.
Well, tell them we said hello.
So, anyways, uh, we're gonna letyou go.
I want to thank you for takingthe time tonight to join us uh
here on Skip Happens.
And uh, you know, it's gonnawrap it up for this episode.
Uh big thanks to Hayden Haddockuh for hanging out, sharing the
stories, giving us an insidelook at the music.
It's really cool, especially thenew single, Hell or High
(49:57):
Whiskey.
By the way, I went looking forthe video.
There's no video yet.
Not yet.
Not yet.
We're gonna do something though.
But the single is out.
So if you've enjoyed theconversation, make sure you
subscribe, hit the notificationbell, check out more artist
interviews.
Uh, you'll see them all righthere on Skip Happens.
We're now gonna add uh HaydenHadock to that list.
Uh you can also catch me on 92.1the Wolf here in Syracuse.
(50:19):
Follow along in all our socialsto stay connected.
And uh, want to say thanks forlistening.
Thank you for supporting theartist.
And as always, uh, we'll see youon the next episode of Skip
Happens.
Hayden, thank you so much.
We're gonna sign off and uh stayright there.
We're gonna say goodbye.
Goodbye, everybody.
Thanks for watching.
Don't forget to subscribe.
Please help me out.
There you go.
(50:39):
All right, here we go.
Hello, everybody, and welcome to another edition
of Skip Happens.
As you know, I'm Skip Clark.
I am the host of Skip Happens,also uh afternoon guy in upstate
New York, Central New York, thewolf.
Not a 2.1, the wolf, but tonightI'm sitting down with one of uh
Texas uh fastest uh risingcountry artists, Hayden Haddock.
(00:23):
Haddock.
I said that right, right?
Yes, sir.
You got it right.
Okay.
From uh, you know, I want to sayfrom a viral college video to a
number one Texas country hit.
He's become a real force in theuh red dirt scene, they say.
He's uh his new single, it'scalled Hell or High Whiskey.
It dropped back in November onthe 21st.
It's already making some noise,and we love that.
(00:44):
And uh, we're talking new music.
We're gonna be talking life onthe road and the stories behind
it all.
Let's get right into it.
Here's uh Hayden Haddock.
Hayden, it's good to see you,man.
Hey, absolutely.
Thank you for having me on.
I really appreciate it.
SPEAKER_02 (00:58):
Absolutely.
Where um where exactly are youright now?
Uh so I live in Rockwell, Texas,right now, so just east of
Dallas, about 45 minutes.
Um, but we're actually movinghere in the next month.
We're gonna move move a littlebit up towards uh the McKinney
area, uh, which is more likenorth of Dallas.
So about to be making a movehere soon.
(01:19):
So you're like close enough tothe city, but far enough away.
SPEAKER_00 (01:23):
Exactly, but we still got traffic, don't worry.
It's it's everywhere.
So is this like you where youare now?
Is this like your hometown whereyou grew up?
SPEAKER_02 (01:32):
Uh basically, I mean, I grew up in the uh Dallas
Fort Worth area.
I grew up in the Garland Planoarea.
So um, again, from here inRockwall, probably about 45
minutes.
Um it's close enough.
And my whole family's from thearea, so we're all within about
an hour of everybody.
SPEAKER_00 (01:46):
So what's the big thing in your town?
Let me just throw it at you thisway.
If I was to drive into yourhometown where you are now,
let's forget about Dallas andall that.
But uh you're pro being a suburband probably a small town.
What's the first thing I'm gonnasee if I drive in on the main
drag?
SPEAKER_02 (02:01):
Well, other than traffic now, uh now here in
Rockwell, we have this bigbridge um that like you'd come
in and you'd actually pass a bigold Bass Pro, and we've got a
huge lake right here, Lake RayHubbard.
Um, but once you get to thatbass pro, it's a bridge that uh
with past few years is nothingbut traffic.
But outside of that, we actuallyhave we have some great uh
barbecue places here inRockwell.
(02:21):
We've got a couple of the, Idon't know if you've heard of
them, but like the Texas um whatdo they call it, the top 50
monthly top 50, but it's apretty big deal here in Texas.
And so we've got a couple ofthose joints actually um right
around us.
Um and then we've got a a prettyfamous old uh live live music uh
venue called Southern Junction.
Um so there's there's some stuffto do around here.
SPEAKER_00 (02:44):
See, I was uh that we were saying before we went on
uh on the air here that uh youknow my wife and I had made a
trip to San Antonio a couple ofyears ago.
We ended up going to FloresFloors General Store.
Floors Country Store, yep.
Country store, that's what itwas.
We saw one of uh Texas artistsuh Kobe Cooper there.
And uh just I love I love thethe atmosphere in Texas when it
(03:05):
comes to these venues.
It is it's just so very cool.
So very cool.
SPEAKER_02 (03:10):
Yeah, it's definitely Texas.
I mean, everybody always saysTexas is for sure it's kind of
own, you know, own littlebubble.
And obviously, yeah, there'sthere's so many venues here and
so many great venues, really.
Um, almost every town you go to,you're bound to find a pretty
decent live music venue.
I love it.
SPEAKER_00 (03:26):
And what I also love is uh it not it's not every time
I do an interview that I'mtalking to a uh a country artist
from Texas, because when I saythat, Texas has its own chart,
you have your own country musicscene, and it kind of overflows
in the Nashville a little bit.
But uh, you know, eventuallysome of those artists.
I know I'm a fan of RandyRogers, what was it, Pat Green?
(03:50):
Um, I can go on and on just someof the great, great Texas uh
country artists.
So that's pretty cool.
Yeah, so anyway, no, no, no,it's all good.
I took a breath at the same timeyou did.
But uh, you know, so that dormroom, let's start right from the
scratch.
I did a little homework.
That uh dorm room video 2018literally launched your career.
(04:14):
What's the wildest part oflooking back at that moment?
And now that you're you know anactual touring artist, you got
millions of streams.
Uh, what's all that like?
SPEAKER_02 (04:23):
Yeah, no, it's definitely still still crazy to
think about.
Um, you know, and yeah,obviously the whole the whole
thing back then was you neverthought it would really amount
to much.
Um, and I've I'm surprised it'samounted this to this, even
because I've heard that video afew times, you know, a couple
years after that all happened,and I'm like, sheesh, that's not
you know, not very good.
(04:44):
But um it doesn't matter though.
Look what it did.
It's cool.
Yeah, I can see it.
No, it's it's been crazy, andit's it's been a fun ride.
And obviously we've we've gottena lot done, but you know, we've
got got a long, long way to goum to get to where we want to
be, but we've been we've beenbusting our butts and trying to
do everything we can, and and umthat's kind of what we're gonna
gonna keep trying to do here.
(05:05):
But uh but yeah, no, it'sdefinitely crazy just going from
that, you know.
I almost didn't even bring aguitar um to college station for
my freshman year, which is kindof right around that time that
video was filmed or voice memo,whatever it was.
And um, yeah, so it's just crazythinking about how you know how
things would have changed had Inot brought that little I think
I had a little travel sized uhTaylor guitar.
SPEAKER_00 (05:26):
Um so had I not brought that kind of was that
one of those that kind of foldedup or was it just a small it was
just a small didn't they comeout with a guitar at one time
that it it folded up?
I don't know.
Maybe I saw it CRS or something.
SPEAKER_02 (05:39):
Yeah, that that sounds familiar.
It sounds like something theydid.
SPEAKER_00 (05:42):
It was kind of weird, actually, when you it's
like that's a guitar, yeah.
You know, but I've heard of thebaby tailors, the smaller, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (05:49):
That's what this was, and yeah, it was actually
actually a good little guitarfor its size.
But yeah, but I always think,yeah, had I had I not brought
that with me, how how thingswould have been different.
I guess I'd be doingconstruction right now,
probably.
SPEAKER_00 (06:01):
I was gonna say that because from what I read here is
I did a little bit of homework,as I mentioned a moment ago,
that uh you studied constructionscience at Texas AM, and then
music started to pull on pull onyou pretty hard, hard enough
that you knew you had to goafter it from a professional
side.
SPEAKER_02 (06:19):
Right.
Yeah, yeah.
We um yeah, once that video kindof came out, and then I guess I
ended up playing my first likelittle show, which of course was
just a little acoustic.
I actually played four songs onthe house or on the break of a
house jazz band at a jazz bar inDallas that my my family someone
in my family happened to knowsomebody who knew the owner, and
(06:40):
you know, because of course atthe time we didn't know how you
got a gig or you know, so thatwas that was the best we could
do.
Um, so my of course my wholefamily was there and a bunch of
my friends, and yeah, um, so wedid that one, and then that that
was kind of the one, you know,being the first in front of
everybody, um, and that wasn't arecording, you know, everybody
was like, Well, man, you're nothalf bad.
(07:00):
And so I always say we've beenbeen rolling ever since.
That's so awesome.
SPEAKER_00 (07:05):
Now, if if the 18-year-old Hayden could see you
now, what would he say?
And what would surprise him themost about your journey so far?
SPEAKER_02 (07:15):
Oh man, that's a good question.
Um, probably just keep, youknow, I mean, it's kind of
cliche, but keep going and don'tgive up because, you know, I
mean, there's there's definitelybeen some very low times where
there's no doubt.
I'm like, hey, you know, I'vegot the construction degree.
I could probably go make moremoney pretty quickly doing that.
But then, you know, the flipside of that as well, would I
(07:36):
really be as happy as I am, youknow, for the most part, getting
to getting to live out or atleast try to live out my dream
of playing music for a living?
SPEAKER_00 (07:44):
Yeah, have that to fall back on if something should
happen, and let's hope itdoesn't, and I don't think it
would, but uh still it's I wasgonna ask, what would you be
doing if you weren't doingmusic?
And obviously you've got thisdegree in construction, and you
know, and there's probably somany different avenues with
that.
What would you be would you belike be building houses,
furniture?
What would you be doing foreverything?
SPEAKER_02 (08:06):
Uh no, I guess if I if I had to imagine it'd
probably because actually, so mydad um has his own interior
design like architecture firm.
Oh, okay.
Um, and he was an Aggie as well.
And then actually both of myolder brothers have construction
degrees from AM.
Um, so they're both my secondoldest brother, Cameron, he's
actually a uh project managerfor like a residential company
(08:27):
where they do like custom homes.
Um, and then my oldest brotherdoes more of the commercial
side, he's a project managersuperintendent, one of the two
for uh more of the commercialside of stuff.
So imagine it'd be somewherealong those lines.
SPEAKER_00 (08:38):
Do you ever do anything with them?
Do they call on you once in awhile to help out or no?
SPEAKER_02 (08:42):
Oh no, no.
They they work for pretty yeah,they work for pretty large
companies.
So I got you.
Yeah, I got you.
I don't think I'm cool enough togo help them.
Well, you are pretty cool.
SPEAKER_00 (08:53):
So, you know what I'm reading though, you've had a
chance to sit down and writewith some uh pretty, pretty big,
some uh heavy hitters.
I know David Lee Murphy, I sawon the list.
I'm looking here.
Kevin Fowler, by the way, thatwas the name I should have
mentioned earlier.
Love his music, Trent Wilmon.
Uh Terry McBride, McBride andthe ride, dude.
Yeah that is that is prettycool.
And Terry, of course, he haswritten so many, so many big
(09:16):
songs.
I think he, if I'm not mistaken,he did a lot for Brooks and Dunn
as well.
I think he wrote Red Dirt Roadand songs like that.
I believe so.
I believe.
SPEAKER_02 (09:25):
I believe.
I should know that because yeah,me and my me and my drummer were
actually just talking because wejust ran into Terry McBride at a
gas station.
I say we, actually, my band, Iwasn't with them, but um, and
they were talking and stuff, andand then me and me and BJ
started talking about all thesongs he had written.
And I know there was a bunch ofthat Brooks and Dunn stuff, but
I can't remember which ones hewas listing off.
SPEAKER_00 (09:44):
He came by the radio station once and we were we were
talking, and uh all of a suddenhe started just rattling off
some of the songs he's beeninvolved in, and it's like I
knew a lot of them, but thenthere's others I go, holy crap,
you you were I had no idea thathe read some of those, so which
is pretty cool.
What's the uh biggest writingroom lesson that you've learned
from you know writing with thoseguys, the heavy hitters?
SPEAKER_02 (10:05):
Yeah, uh yeah, probably just um, you know,
don't be afraid to I guess likespeak your mind while you're in
a writing room or throw out yourideas, I guess maybe is a better
way to put that.
Um, but and I mean I'm stilllike this, even though, as I
just said, some of these biggerguys have said to not not be
scared.
But you know, I've always beenafraid of you know saying
(10:26):
something stupid or you know,something that other people
won't like or something.
Dude, I'm doing this.
SPEAKER_00 (10:31):
I say stupid things.
It's like afterwards to go, whydid I do that?
Why didn't you say that?
I hear you.
SPEAKER_02 (10:37):
No, but of course they're their thing is like,
well, you know, even if you saysomething and you know, maybe
it's not the best line or butwhatever it may be, that can
that can always help spark, youknow, someone else's mind with a
a different line or a differentidea, or you know, make the song
go a whole different direction.
So that that's probably been thebiggest thing is just don't be
(10:57):
afraid to kind of when somethingcomes to your mind, just say it.
SPEAKER_00 (11:00):
Yeah, you know, I one thing I I usually don't talk
about is too much, or I will askis, you know, who who are you
influenced by?
But then I I looked it up alittle bit and it's like you're
big into straight.
You got Tracy Lawrence, Tracy,hell of a guy, love Tracy, Cody
Johnson.
I mean, they're they're youknow, from bull riding to doing
what you're doing, being outthere, and uh Clay Walker as
(11:23):
well.
How do you create a modernHayden Hadock uh sound while
keeping that Texas traditionalive?
SPEAKER_02 (11:30):
You know, I don't know.
I think just uh really justworking with the right people.
Um, you know, I uh pretty muchall the songs that we've we've
had out for the last, I guess,since 2020 from my album Red
Dirt Texas, um, and then throughall the singles up until Heller
High Whiskey, um, those were allproduced by Trent Wilman, um,
who's obviously Cody Johnson'slongtime producer, Kevin
(11:51):
Fowler's longtime producer, um,and a lot of guys like that.
Um, and really if you go listento a lot of the stuff he's done,
um, and obviously, you know,Cody kind of being the biggest,
but it it kind of keeps thattraditional line, yeah, or that,
you know, that traditional thinggoing, but also riding the line
of okay, there's a little bit ofmodern twist to it.
Um, but you know, you're notgonna hear all the the snap
(12:12):
tracks and and whatever it maybe, and no knock against them,
it's just not what I want to do.
No, I don't blame you.
Yeah, and so uh, anyways, I'dsay yeah, just kind of kind of
making sure, especially withyour producer um on stuff,
making sure you're on the samepage of like, hey, all right, we
want to keep this kind oftraditional traditional sound
going.
(12:32):
Yeah, how do you um Hayden?
SPEAKER_00 (12:35):
How do you handle you do 80 plus shows a year?
How do you handle you know allthat road life and how it ends
up in your songwriting, theexhaustion, the ad uh
adrenaline, and the weird hotelstories, all of it.
I imagine you got that's gottabe a little crazy, but how do
you handle it?
80 shows a year is a lot.
SPEAKER_02 (12:54):
Yeah, um, yeah, and we're actually, I think we're on
track to do more uh over ahundred this year, actually.
Um the goal is to get up closerto 200 at some point.
I know it sounds like a lot, butobviously um kind of part of it.
But yeah, no, I don't know.
Um really just uh I don't know,kind of kind of gotta watch
yourself because obviouslythere's a lot of a lot of
(13:15):
drinking that you're surroundedwith, um, a lot of late nights,
obviously a lot of bad, bad foodyou're surrounded with.
Because guess what?
When you're you know finallyloaded out of the venue at 2
a.m., there's not a lot ofhealthy options to eat.
No, no, no, I know that.
Been there.
So yeah, I mean, so really justI mean, you're never gonna be
perfect, but definitely at leastkeeping a you know, trying to
(13:35):
keep it.
SPEAKER_00 (13:36):
Let's let's talk about eating a little bit.
You had to change your diet.
You, if I was really now, I'myou know, I'm probably very
close to where well you're Idon't know if I can get into the
personal stuff, but I think Iread like a type 2 diabetic or
type one, yeah, yeah, yeah.
All right, all right, yeah.
Oh, it's type one.
All right.
So I was my diet had to changehere recently because I was
(13:58):
right on the edge of possiblyneeding insulin.
I mean, my A1C was so high, andyou know, now I I take meds for
that and other things, and I'velost weight and I feel great,
and I have changed my eatinghabits, but that's gotta be so
hard for you knowing that youand you mentioned the late
(14:19):
nights.
I mean, you get you get done at2 a.m.
You're gonna go and uh yeah,you're gonna eat some crap.
I mean, but you gotta getsomething in your stomach, so to
speak.
So, you know, how do you handleall that?
SPEAKER_02 (14:31):
Yeah, really.
I mean, I I wish I had a realcool answer for you, but really
I think with that, it's justkind of you gotta almost kind of
roll with the punches.
And luckily, um, you know, likeI wear a um uh omnipod insulin
pump and a GEXCOM continuousglucose monitor.
And now the way they have thetechnology, those things work
together, and it's pretty muchthey call it a closed loop
(14:53):
system, which is like theclosest you can get to a
functioning pancreas.
Um, I'm sure we're boring theaudience with the medical talk
right now.
SPEAKER_00 (15:00):
But yeah, you know what?
When I talk, I don't think webore anybody because when we
talk like this, not only aboutyour music, but a little bit
about you personally.
We talk about where you live,and that's why I ask some of the
questions like that, because youknow what?
You're no different than I am,and somebody that's watching
this, somebody that's listening,listening to this.
Uh, except that you're amusician, you're an artist, and
(15:22):
uh you have a talent.
Everybody's got their owntalent, and this is your talent.
This is you know, so it it'sinteresting.
If somebody they hear you onradio or they go to one of your
shows, they're gonna go, yeah,that guy, you know what?
He goes to the same store I goto.
He drives the same truck Idrive.
He you know what I mean?
That's the stuff I think iscool.
And that's one of the that'swhat I bring out when I do the
(15:42):
podcast is to prove to everybodythat these guys are real.
You know, the artists are real,they're real people.
Yeah, that's it.
SPEAKER_02 (15:49):
I was just listening to uh because I listened to a
lot of podcasts, I can'tremember who it was.
It may have been actually JoeRogan and Billy Bob Thornton or
something like that.
But uh that they were justtalking about uh basically,
yeah, people, you know, I thinkit was Billy Bob obviously
saying it, but people don't wantto see pictures of you on stage,
they want to see pictures ofyou, you know, eating a steak or
yeah, shopping at the grocerystore, you know, doing regular
(16:11):
people stuff.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (16:13):
It'd be like, holy crap, I saw McGraw at the store
in uh Nashville the other day.
It's like, well, you know, hewas picking up uh a sack of
potatoes.
I mean, he's going home to makepotato salad or something, you
know.
Right.
I guess that's exactly whatyou're saying.
Um, I want to talk about the newsingle.
That's uh one of the big reasonsum that we have you on tonight.
Not only that you're a numberone artist in in Texas, but
(16:35):
let's talk about Heller HighWhiskey.
Um, what's the story behindthat?
And where did the idea oremotion come from?
SPEAKER_02 (16:43):
Yeah, so um honestly we wrote that um because I went
and lived in Nashville, me andmy now wife at the time she was
my fiance, but we went and livedin Nashville um for a year um
after I graduated college.
Um, and so um that year while wewere living there, I was doing a
quite a bit of writing.
Um, and so I went into a writeone day with um it was actually
(17:05):
this lady, one of the writers onit, her name is Liz Hangber.
Um, and she was one of thewriters on one of my previous
singles called uh He Sings forMary.
Um and um anyway, she'd beenwanting to get back in the room,
and so she said, Hey, I've got awrite with um, you know,
obviously myself, um, and then aguy named Matt Willis and Frank
Moroni who you want to join.
So went in and um, you know,first 10 minutes we all got some
(17:28):
coffee and we're trying tofigure out what we wanted to
write.
And I guess um I was the onlylike artist in the room.
So typically when that happens,they always say, Well, what you
know, what song do you need?
What do you want to write?
You know.
Um I'm like, look, I don't know.
You know, I didn't come with anybright ideas, so we can do
whatever.
And so um I think it was MattWillis.
He's like, Man, I've had thistitle um called Heller High
(17:50):
Whiskey.
He goes, I don't know what youknow what it's about, but he
goes, just like hell or highwater, but hell or high, you
know, just thought it was a coolidea.
Um, and so we fumbled aroundwith some other ideas, but
everyone seemed to kept comingback to that title.
Um, and so kind of the rest ishistory.
We sat there and and wrote on itfor the next few hours, and
yeah, and we we think we got a areally good song out of it.
SPEAKER_00 (18:12):
I love it.
I love it.
And if not mistaken, um, I thinkI listened to the link and that
Kat sent me.
I was gonna try to download itto play a little bit of it, but
I'll I'll I couldn't do that,but I will attach it to the uh
this interview afterwards.
So if you're watching this orlistening to this, it'll be at a
link uh you know below this.
But uh, I'd love if I'm notmistaken, he hit some steel in
(18:33):
the beginning.
You have the steel guitar.
Yeah, I love that.
I love that.
You can't go wrong with a goodsteel.
SPEAKER_02 (18:38):
Yeah, no, and I just I just got a a really I don't
know if badass if I'm allowed tocuss, if I'm not, sorry, but
badass, yeah, nobody cares.
Just got a badass steel playerum in my band.
And so that when we went intorecord this, it's another thing.
I'm a bit when I go into thestudio, I'm big on, and I know
there's some things you gotta doin that slide, but it it's kind
(18:58):
of one of those deals where it'slike, all right, if we go into
the studio and I don't have akeys player, why are we gonna
why are we gonna have you know aminute and a half long keys?
So you know what I mean, whenyou can't pull it off.
So yeah, uh now granted they'restill fiddling stuff on the new,
you know, and all that.
Um, but yeah, with the steel, Iwas like, go go big on the steel
for this, because I was like,Mike, my player, I was like,
(19:20):
he's gonna love it.
So sure, sure enough, this ishis new favorite.
SPEAKER_00 (19:23):
This so the steel player is the guy that's out
with you doing the shows, too.
Right.
Cool, you know, because andthere are correct me if I'm
wrong, but there's a lot ofartists that go in the studio
and it's a completely differentband.
It's all studio musicians, andthey hit the road, they have a
touring band.
So, I mean, that's what happensaround here a lot.
It's like two different things.
SPEAKER_02 (19:42):
Yeah, and we we do that too.
Um, there is there is a I don'tknow, there's definitely pros
and cons, I would say.
Um, because I will say somethese studio musicians, they are
the best, just incrediblytalented.
They're usually, yeah, the best.
Um, and I always say it's justum it's not even really a talent
(20:03):
thing.
It's how almost like how fasttheir mind just picks up on
stuff.
Um, because you'll play them,you know, play the studio
musicians like uh a uh roughtrack where let's just say it's
just my vocals and the acousticguitar.
Um, and I mean within two triesof them running the song
together, it sounds like they'vebeen playing the song yeah, on
(20:25):
the road for you know a hundreddates a year.
Yeah, that's chilling.
So it's just crazy.
Um, but yeah, there's definitelypros and cons to it for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (20:32):
And I I made a note, um, Barroom Country Energy.
And uh and what made this theright track to put out right
now?
SPEAKER_02 (20:40):
Well, really, just after talking with the with the
management company and you know,including Kat and everybody, um,
because our last single, keep meup, um, you know, it was a good
little mid-tempo, but kind ofbreakup song.
Um, and uh anyway, so and thenthis song for some reason also
playing this for everybody, um,including my band, including you
(21:01):
know, my wife, family, uh,friends.
Um, I played them this, and weactually recorded two more songs
at the same time.
So we had three total, andthey're three completely
different songs.
Um, and literally, I think 99%of people were like, Man,
they're all good, but thatheller high whiskey, you know,
you've got something there.
SPEAKER_00 (21:21):
So with all that being said, Hayden, is Heller
High Whiskey part of a biggerrollout?
Maybe an EP an album or steadysingles for the year of the year
and uh 26?
SPEAKER_02 (21:33):
It's a good question.
We've um we get asked that allthe time, and we've had me and
the management team have hadmany discussions about it.
I think for right now, we'regonna keep doing the single
thing, um just until we feellike doing something else would
would have the benefit.
Um, but right now it's just kindof from what we've seen and what
we've been told by a lot ofpeople is that especially for
(21:56):
you know younger upcomingartists, um is this the single
thing just seems to have moreeffect.
Um, because obviously, yeah,it's like we can put this one
out and then you know, a monthand a half, two months later, we
can roll another one out, thenanother month and a half, two
months.
You know what I mean?
Yeah, but what I do yeah, atsome point I do want to roll up
all the singles and at least doum make a vinyl out of them.
(22:20):
Vinyl's the way to go now.
SPEAKER_00 (22:22):
I mean, I know it's coming back.
Man, I'm getting vinyl every dayin the mail.
I just got I got a LannyGardner.
Um uh it's just everybody islike, as well as the digital
side of things, but they'resending out the vinyl, like the
whole album, which is cool, andI love that.
I had to go out and get anotherrecord player.
(22:42):
It's like I got rid of thatyears ago.
I had to go get another one.
Uh, but it's so very cool thatthat artists are doing that, and
I think that would be a greatidea if you did something like
that as well.
I mean, I mean that that is socool.
Um you know, let me ask, I don'tknow if you're aware of this,
but uh this is this could be ait makes me very angry.
(23:03):
I'll tell you why.
AI.
I love AI.
Don't now here's all right.
There's two sides of AI.
There's a side that it can helpyou.
You're you're kind of lost for aword, or you need a I don't
know, a line, or like me in theradio side of things when I'm
writing commercials or I need towrite a promo or a sweeper, what
we call them in the business, orsomething like that.
I can go on AI and say, this iswhat I'm thinking of, and it'll
(23:25):
spit something up.
Now, this morning, I'm watchingGood Morning America and they're
talking about the song that isat the top of the billboard
charts right now, which is allAI.
It's by an artist, uh, was itBreakout Rust, Breakthrough, I
don't know, something like that.
And the guy doesn't exist.
The song doesn't freaking exist,but it's AI.
I mean, really, but it's at thetop of the charts.
(23:46):
That made me very angry becauseI look at you like I'm looking
at you right now.
Somebody, you're out therebusting your ass.
You're out there, you're writingsongs, you're putting music out,
and this is your livelihood.
Now that that's out there.
I mean, how do you feel?
You know, as an artist, what areyou feeling when you hear
something like that?
SPEAKER_02 (24:06):
Yeah, no, I I think it's insane, and it's funny
you're even bringing that upbecause I literally just sent
that uh, you know, some articlepopped up on my Instagram this
morning of that guy being numberone.
So I sent that to my wife andbrother and all of my band guys,
and then actually, right beforewe got on here to do this, um
Woody Harrelson was doing, Idon't know if you've seen those
hot ones things that I use thehot wings.
(24:29):
Um and I guess at the end of ithe was talking about, you know,
he's kind of scared for actingin the next 10 years.
So even my wife was like, Well,what does that mean for you know
acting artists like you in thenext 10 years?
I think it's I'm like, it'sgonna get weird.
SPEAKER_00 (24:42):
It's gonna get really weird, but it's you know,
I mean, you you have a talentthat nobody else will have.
You've got your own.
You're unique.
You you are Hayden Haddock.
You are you, you've got a greattalent, everybody's got their
own talent.
Uh, but then this is stuff likethis is just I don't know.
It it's scary.
(25:03):
And you're right.
I don't know if we're gonna beable to stop it.
How are we gonna stop it?
I don't know.
SPEAKER_02 (25:07):
I guess the only thing would be that's what I was
just telling.
I don't know if anyone would bewilling to write, you know, some
kind of laws into play.
I feel like that's the only waythat would even something.
SPEAKER_00 (25:15):
They don't even know who did this.
They they even, you know,there's a name on there, then
they did a a search for thatname, and it didn't apparently
it didn't exist.
So nothing.
I haven't looked yeah, I haven'tlooked far into it.
I thought get your feathers allruffled.
But minor two, I'm gonna tellyou from the other side of
things, from the radio side,this is not right.
It's not right.
Yeah, you know, so it's crazy.
(25:36):
All right, change the subject.
So I want to, you know what?
You've had a number one song onthe Texas country music chart
and a front porch in the rain.
And how did hitting thatmilestone change your confidence
going into the new music?
I mean, that first of all, whatwas that like hitting number
(25:59):
one?
And then, you know, how did thatuh change your confidence going
into the, you know, what youhave now with the new music?
SPEAKER_02 (26:06):
Yeah, no, it it was um it was definitely an awesome
feeling.
Um and it's kind of one of thosethings um, you know, we've we've
been promoting, I think prettymuch uh I think we promoted a
couple songs off my first ladythat we had.
So we've been promoting songsout to radio for, I mean, it's
gotta be close to seven years.
(26:27):
Um and uh of course that onethat one just went number one
here not, you know, not too toolong ago.
Um, and so it was just a greatfeeling that after all those
years, with obviously all allthose years the goal being to
get to the number one spot.
And we just, you know, we hadgotten to I think number 10, had
a couple top 15s, a few toptwenty, you know.
So we were always kind ofsniffing around, getting up
(26:49):
there, but never could quite uhcatch it.
And then actually that song Imentioned, uh He Sings Fairy,
um, that had gone to numberseven, and then that very next
one, Front Porch in the Rain,went to number one.
So no, it was a great feeling umto finally be able to um you
know kind of put the put thatfeather in my hat.
Um definitely an exciting thing.
And then yeah, we're actually umwe're actually trying to get our
(27:12):
our second number one right now,um, because we actually still
have Keep Me Up, which was mylast single.
That's actually been um ourradio single.
Um and it's been running a longcourse, um, longer than normal,
but it dropped in May, right?
Am I right to say because you'reyou're quizzing me on stuff and
I'm the whole timeline.
(27:32):
Yeah, no, no.
SPEAKER_00 (27:33):
I just you know, from the radio side of things,
just because you know, we'rekind of in a different world
here in the Northeast than youare in Texas when it comes to
music, but I keep track ofeverything.
I watch it like I said earlier.
You know, I'm a big fan of theTexas country music scene.
As a matter of fact, uh there'sa programmer in Stillwater,
Oklahoma.
(27:53):
His name's uh Jason Kranz, sayswe play his music here on the
radio.
So that's cool.
SPEAKER_02 (27:58):
Oh awesome.
Well, thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (28:00):
Yep, yep.
And uh yeah, I got some.
Oh, I wasn't looking at allthese comments.
Oh, yeah.
A lot about um there's stuff inthere about AI, but uh very
cool.
Anyways, so let's get back toit.
It's like, you know, I make aturn and we go.
Um so you're a part of um well,good company entertainment.
(28:22):
What does having the right teambehind you allow you to do now
that you couldn't do early on?
Yeah, um, yeah, good company.
SPEAKER_02 (28:30):
Um that's obviously yeah, the new management company
I signed with.
Um, I guess it was December oflast year, something like that.
Um, but we really got going um,you know, early this year.
Um and no, they've been they'vebeen nothing but great.
Um they've got a got a full teamum with them.
So, you know, we've got a lot ofstuff in-house, which is
absolutely great.
(28:50):
Um, not having to outsource abunch of stuff.
But yeah, Keith, Keith Gale'sthe head, yeah, um, head manager
over there, and and I I lovehim.
We just actually got back fromNashville um a couple weeks ago
going going down there tofinally let Sierra, my wife,
meet the team and meet him andget to hang out with Keith and
his girlfriend.
And yeah, so we've we we uh wehave very good good thoughts and
(29:14):
feelings about uh everythingthat's to come with those guys,
and we're excited.
Uh yeah, the Heller High Whiskeyrelease is kind of their first
full release under them.
SPEAKER_00 (29:22):
That's exciting, you know, uh working with them and
so uh you know you've beenfeatured in Billboard, Taste of
Country, Country Now.
And how have you learned tonavigate the business side of
being you know a modern artistwithout losing sight of the art?
SPEAKER_02 (29:37):
Well, that's a good question.
I guess just not getting toowrapped up in the social media
stuff.
Um, you know, but that's hardnot to.
Oh, absolutely.
But yeah, sometimes like notmaybe not reading all the
comments um, you know, is forthe best.
Um, you know, there's always anegative comment on any of that.
Uh well, haters are gonna hate.
That's all there is.
SPEAKER_00 (29:56):
Everybody says that, I know that, but it's so true.
unknown (29:58):
It's just
SPEAKER_02 (30:00):
Uh what is it?
You know, everybody tells you ifyou don't have hate or if
someone's hating on you, youknow you're doing something
right because that means peopleare paying attention.
I'm just gonna say that.
SPEAKER_00 (30:08):
That means they've got an ear on you.
So that you know, they'relistening.
It's the same thing in radio.
Somebody bitches aboutsomething, it's like, right,
they're listening.
Thanks for doing that.
You know, I mean, it's you neverhear from the, you know, people
that have something good to say.
But I shouldn't say you never,very rarely, but you'll always
hear from somebody that's got abitch about something and they
don't like the sound orwhatever.
(30:29):
It's the same thing for radio.
But that means, like I said,they're listening.
And we say thank you.
100%.
And so uh the can we I want toget back to uh a little bit
about your health because you'redoing actually you've been
through a lot and you're on ayou have a journey going.
Uh, you're open about livingwith type one diabetes.
How does that affect life on theroad?
(30:50):
And what do fans really seeabout the day-to-day reality
with you?
SPEAKER_02 (30:55):
Yeah, um, so being on the road, I mean, like we
kind of talked about earlier,um, definitely just obviously
watching the obviously diet's abig thing um with diabetes in
general.
Um, so yeah, just kind ofwatching that stuff.
Um, and then obviously, youknow, another big thing is um
actually a huge thing becauseit's been a problem that I've
had to learn from, but nothaving enough extra supplies
(31:16):
with me or backup supplies, andthen you know, we're in um, you
know, Missouri or something, andI'm trying to get a prescription
call, you know.
Um, so now I just travel withyou know three times of
everything um that I couldpossibly need.
Um teaching the band how to usea um you know an emergency
glucagon shot.
(31:37):
Yeah, exactly.
Um that's what I've learned isthe best strategy.
Um, but yeah, really, I mean,and then in terms of the fans
and stuff, I guess they reallydon't see much of it um going on
because obviously I take care ofa lot of that stuff before the
show and exactly um and allthat, which is obviously you
know how it should be.
Um But there's there's only beena couple times where like during
(31:59):
the during the set I've had tokind of stop or let the band
roll a little bit and I'll betrying to get my my Tim or my
merch guy or whoever can see mereally be like, I need a Dr.
Pepper or something with somesugar.
I need a little bit of sugar.
SPEAKER_00 (32:13):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah.
It might maybe you do like ahand gesture or something that
they'll they'll see and go,okay, we gotta get this up to
Hayden now.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But it, you know, you're notalone.
You're not alone.
I think there's so manyAmericans that are going through
so many people going through thesame thing that you're going
through, and I just about goingthrough.
(32:33):
Uh, when it comes to that, uh,you've worked closely with JDRF.
Uh, what's one misconceptionabout type 1 diabetes that you
always find yourself correcting?
SPEAKER_02 (32:44):
You know?
Oh, oh, probably the biggestone, the easiest one is that you
can't eat sugar.
That's always the fun one.
Yeah, that you know, someonewill find out I have diabetes
and oh my gosh, so you can't eatsugar?
No, or I'll be yeah, about totake a bite of something.
Be sure you can eat that.
Yeah, like I promise I can eatit.
SPEAKER_00 (33:04):
Yeah, I did.
Uh we have the Reese's here leftover from Halloween, and uh I
grabbed a two-pack before I cameon here tonight, open it up, my
son's like, no sugar, dad.
Like, all right, Zach.
No, dad's dad can have somesugar.
So yeah, it's all good.
You know, um, when fans meet youoff stage, what's something that
will surprise them?
(33:24):
Maybe I don't know, a hobby,personality trait, something
totally random.
Is there something?
I know it's a crazy question.
I have some shorts.
I don't know.
You're short.
SPEAKER_02 (33:39):
I don't know.
Probably a lot of people,because I wear dress shirts a
lot, and most of the time I'llroll them up, roll my sleeves up
a couple of times.
Yeah, but then I guess sometimesafter shows I'll pull my sleeves
up the rest.
So some people I guess,especially if we're like opening
for somebody and it's peoplethat haven't really seen us
before, yeah, they always areshocked by how many tattoos I
(33:59):
have.
Um, you got a full sleeve I knowon one arm.
SPEAKER_00 (34:02):
Do you have do you have a full sleeve on both?
SPEAKER_02 (34:05):
No, I've got yeah, I've got the sleeve on that arm,
then I've got a bunch of randomstuff on the other, but then
sometimes too, like when I weara dress shirt.
Yep.
Um and I've, you know, thebuttons.
I've got like both my my chestis all tattooed.
Um got one on my legs.
SPEAKER_00 (34:20):
When did you get your first tat?
SPEAKER_02 (34:22):
Oh, um probably freshman year of college.
Yeah, I don't think my familyeven knows that because I hid it
for a while, but we'll we'llbreak it here.
SPEAKER_00 (34:33):
It's kind of what I was gonna say.
So did uh mom and dad knowyou're out there getting a tat?
No, uh absolutely not.
SPEAKER_02 (34:40):
But you're old enough to do it yourself, so
yeah, and there was only so muchthey could say because I think
my oldest brother had alreadyhad a full sleeve um from that,
you know, at that time, and thenmy second tallest brother, I
think he started his littlesleeve.
And then but my first tattoo isa little baby, little baby thing
up by my armpit.
SPEAKER_00 (34:59):
Yeah, but once once you get one, you're you're gonna
want to get another.
I've got a couple, you know, anduh it's like now, okay, I want
to dress this one up.
I want to, you know, I'mstarting to think about that.
Even at my age, it's like yeah,I just now they're fun, they
just they just get expensivereal quick.
SPEAKER_02 (35:14):
Yeah, they do.
SPEAKER_00 (35:15):
It does add up.
So we gotta get you out moreshows.
No, you already have one.
That's all.
Um exactly.
Yeah.
So what do you want?
What do you get around town in?
What do you drive a truck?
I would assume you're in Texas.
You have a dually?
Yeah, no, I do not.
SPEAKER_02 (35:28):
I I used to have a I used to have an F-250.
Nice um, but then I got tired ofpaying for maintenance on that
thing and paying for dieselbecause the whole idea was the
whole idea was I got that umwhen we finally got like a big
um band trailer, like afull-size, you know, big, big
boy, 14 foot or 15 foot,whatever it is.
(35:49):
And um the idea was if I wasgonna have to pull that around,
well then pretty much as soon asI got that truck, it wasn't a
few months later, and we decidedwe were gonna go ahead and get
into a sprinter van.
Oh, yeah.
Um, and so that truck I had itfor I don't know, two, two, two
or three years, and it neveronce got hooked up to pull
anything.
(36:10):
So then after that, I I wentback and my little brother
actually got that truck.
He got one hell of a firsttruck.
Um, but uh and then I've got aI've got a 1500 uh Silverado
now.
SPEAKER_00 (36:23):
Now I was gonna go to the Silverado.
I know I've had the Chevy's,I've had the Ram, I've had the
Ford, not uh not the 250, justthe 150, but still, you know,
now I'm driving around in a babytruck.
I get a Chevy Colorado, which isstill nice.
I mean, the new Colorados arebig.
SPEAKER_02 (36:38):
I've had a couple Tacomas, and I sometimes I miss
my little Tacoma.
SPEAKER_00 (36:41):
Yeah, yeah, I'm telling you, this is you know, I
kind of I I don't know.
I fell in love with it.
So it's cool, it's cool, it'svery cool.
So um what album when you weregrowing up, what album did you
wear out?
Like you listened to over andover and over again?
SPEAKER_02 (37:01):
That's a good question.
I don't know if I remember anyalbum specifically, um, but I
know, I mean, kind of probablyas you'd guess, because I think
you kind of mentioned earlier,but really just a lot of that
90s stuff.
SPEAKER_01 (37:12):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (37:12):
Um, because I remember just between my dad, my
uncle, and and my brother um inhis truck, um, just a lot of
Tracy Lawrence, Claywalker,George Strait.
Um, and I guess that's where allthat, you know, that influence
that I talk about came from.
Um, and then yeah, of course,um, you know, being a Texas guy
and all that stuff.
(37:33):
I think it was actually my mybrother Cameron that kind of
introduced me and my wholefamily to Cody Johnson when like
I think it was like Diamond inMy Pocket first came out or
something like that.
And so um, I mean, I rememberdriving to go see Cody, actually
not far from here, uh SilverSaloon and Tarrell, uh, my
junior year of high school goingto see him, and I was buttoned
up to get to the front of thestage, and you know, now we've
(37:54):
played there a few times, sokind of a cool full circle
thing.
Um, but yeah, so I don't know,just a lot of mainly that 90s
stuff though, for sure.
And a lot of Randy Travis.
My dad was always a big RandyTravis fan.
SPEAKER_00 (38:06):
Now I was a fan you talk about that though, like AJ
Allen Jackson, and now I'mlistening to the Zack Top.
I mean, I love that stuff.
Yep, and and it's cool with ZackTop.
It's I know this isn't about me,but I can tell you the drummer
went to the same high school Iwent to, Nick Felty is from this
area.
And it's like, dude, when he heplayed, they were here for a
show.
I forgot who they were openingup for a couple of years ago,
(38:29):
and I thought that's neat.
What the hell?
You know, and it's like, dude,yeah, you know, but I thought it
was cool.
Uh, so Dream, I'm sure you getasked this a million times.
Dream duet partner, straight,Tracy, Kojo, Clay?
Uh that is, yeah, that's a greatquestion.
SPEAKER_02 (38:47):
Will you pick any one?
I guess, you know, I want to sayGeorge Strait, but I feel like
everybody would say GeorgeStrait.
So I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go,yeah, probably Tracy Lawrence.
SPEAKER_01 (39:00):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (39:00):
Um, just because yeah, probably outside of
probably outside of George, Ithink he might be kind of my
number one influence guy.
Um, and the modern guy,definitely a Cody Johnson thing.
So Cody Johnson or John Party,honestly.
I'm also a big John Party fan.
SPEAKER_00 (39:16):
Oh, John Party's awesome.
Yeah, absolutely.
Um, so if I was to tell somebodyabout you, I said, hey, uh, you
know, I interviewed this guy,Hayden Haddock.
Uh, he's really cool.
And they said, well, what's hismusic?
What would be the first song Ishould tell them to listen to?
You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02 (39:33):
That they're gonna go, wow, yeah, okay.
Well, Heller High Whiskey, ofcourse.
Of course, of course.
No, uh, Heller High Whiskey is aobviously a great one.
Um to get them started on you.
Yeah, keep me up was a reallygood song.
Um, or you know, is a reallygood song.
It is, yeah.
Um, I think that's very wellwritten.
Me and Trent actually wrote thattogether.
(39:53):
Um, and we from the time wewrote that, we we really loved
that song and and had goodfeelings about it.
Um, and then another one of myfavorites that's kind of a it
was kind of slept on in myopinion.
Um I wish it would have donemore.
Um, but it was a single, I thinkin early 2024, um, but it's
called Rolling Stone.
That is a great song, even justfrom the lyric side of it.
(40:16):
It's a great song.
SPEAKER_00 (40:18):
So how often do you get to Nashville?
SPEAKER_02 (40:21):
Um now it's uh it's pretty much been once every
couple months or so.
Um, but really I like to sayit's on a need-to-go basis.
Um, so I mean if I'm if they doyou really want to go to
Nashville?
SPEAKER_00 (40:33):
You've got everything right there.
SPEAKER_02 (40:35):
Yeah.
No, I I don't mind going at all.
Nowadays, it's it's more so forum like if we have meetings or
something that's you know withpeople up there.
Um, or if I just need to gowrite, then I'll go.
Um but we try to make sure thatum, you know, I'm not just
flying up there to I don't know,to you know, write once and then
(40:56):
sit there.
Right.
Um so we'll try to if you knowif we're gonna go, we'll try to
get meetings, I'll try to do acouple riders' rounds, I'll try
to get a few writes in, you knowwhat I mean?
We'll try to pack the scheduleum as full as we can.
SPEAKER_00 (41:08):
Yeah, are you happy?
I mean, obviously you're happy,but I mean you're you're Texas
and Texas country.
Is there gonna be a time whereyou'd say, you know what?
I want to expand.
I want to, I want to hiteverywhere.
I want to be on the big chart.
I went not that Texas isn'tdon't take it the wrong way.
I'm just but I want to be onthat big chart.
I want to be on media base.
(41:29):
I want to I want to do that.
SPEAKER_02 (41:30):
Is there gonna do you think that time will come or
yeah, no, that's that'sabsolutely that's the goal.
Um and uh, you know, yeah, likeyou said, there's some guys that
are absolutely content with um,you know, staying to be a Texas
artist will say.
Um and you know, yeah, theydon't care to go do the
Nashville thing or the nationalthing.
(41:52):
Um and that's fine becausethere's obviously, I mean, you
can tour Texas all year andyou'll never play all the venues
around here.
Right.
Um, and you can definitely makemore than enough to have a good
living um playing in Texas.
But um, yeah, I guess just overthe years working with Trent and
kind of seeing what Cody didcoming from Texas to now where
(42:12):
he's at.
Yeah, um, that definitely, youknow, kind of sparked a fire
under my ass to well, hey, itmade me realize there's a lot
more out there.
Um, and I mean that in a goodway to do it.
But look what you're doing,dude.
You're killing it.
You're doing great.
We're trying, yeah.
Well, you're gonna be able to doit.
SPEAKER_00 (42:29):
But yeah, no, definitely you're successful, so
that's cool.
SPEAKER_02 (42:32):
But no, definitely the goal is to to get out and
kind of do the national thing.
Basically, take take it as bigas we can take it, is what I
always say.
SPEAKER_00 (42:40):
Exactly.
What is the um Texas?
What is the most Texas thingyou've ever done that you're
oddly proud of?
Oh shit.
Most Texas thing.
SPEAKER_02 (42:52):
I don't know.
Maybe uh cooked a pretty goodbrisket, smoked a pretty good
brisket.
Well, we do that here, though.
I mean, it's different.
SPEAKER_00 (42:59):
Maybe it's not the same, though.
Maybe it's you know, Texas, itmay taste different, even though
it's not really different, butit's Texas.
SPEAKER_02 (43:06):
That's cool.
Yeah, I don't know, other thanlike hunting and fishing stuff,
but yeah, everybody does that.
I can't really think ofanything.
So do you hunt and fish?
Yeah, I do.
You do?
Wish I could do it more, butkind of time time pending.
SPEAKER_00 (43:19):
It's got you, it's got you going pretty good,
though.
What are you?
Are you deer hunter?
SPEAKER_02 (43:23):
Yep, deer, and then obviously we'll go and hunt hogs
and then you know, bird huntingwhen it's time.
SPEAKER_00 (43:28):
And I see a lot of videos on the hogs.
Is that a big problem there?
That that they oh yeah, yeah,yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (43:33):
They're a big big nuisance.
So a lot of a lot of likelandowners, they you know,
they'll let you come.
Right?
Yeah, yeah, and they'll let youcome shoot pigs for free just to
help them out.
SPEAKER_00 (43:44):
Now are they edible?
I'm sorry if that's a stupidquestion.
SPEAKER_02 (43:47):
I'm just no, they they are.
Some people are kind of weirdedout by eating them just because
they are like wild pigs, andthey're I mean, they're
obviously pretty nasty animals,but like we've in our deep
freezer, we've got some uh hogbreakfast sausage right now.
Um, and then my brother just I'mtrying to think of what that was
that he cooked.
He cooked something else from apig.
It may have been the backstrapor something.
(44:09):
I don't know, but he cookedsomething else the other night.
It was actually pretty good.
Um so it's kind of one of thosethings, as long as you can get
over that you're not eating umor that you're eating, you know,
kind of a nasty well pig, but ittastes it tastes decent.
SPEAKER_00 (44:22):
Well, I mean, you have to cook it a certain way.
I mean, just like with venison,if you just cook it just venison
without putting onions andpeppers and spicing it up a
little bit, you know, it's likekind of bland.
Right.
But so, but if you cook it theright way.
So oh, Michael James just saidHogan is fun.
I don't know, like I say, I I'venever done it.
(44:44):
So anyways, so that you knowYeah.
Just trying to think.
Uh wow.
So your family.
Before I let you go.
You're the only musician.
Oh, I think he just liked to saygoodbye.
No, there he is.
He's back.
You disappeared for a second,dude.
Are you there?
Can you hear me?
(45:04):
Hello?
Hold on, you cut out.
All right, I'm hanging.
I'm hanging.
That's all good.
That's all good.
It's Hayden Haddock, everybody.
He's a uh number one recordingartist in Texas, so and he's got
uh he had a song all the way tonumber one.
And uh I can see you, but Ican't hear you.
(45:25):
Okay how about Al?
What about now?
That was a Lone Star song.
But anyway.
Can you hear me?
No?
I can't hear you.
I can hear you.
Okay, he's gonna go out and comeback.
But if you get a chance, checkout his music.
Uh definitely jump online.
(45:47):
You can follow him on YouTube.
Now I can hear you.
You can hear you now.
Sorry, I don't know.
SPEAKER_02 (45:54):
Someone tried to someone tried to call me, but I
declined it, and then it cutout.
My fault.
SPEAKER_00 (45:58):
Ah, yeah, no.
It's probably the kids from theother room.
I don't know.
Give dad a call.
He's been on that long enough.
Uh, yeah.
So, anyways, no, I do want touh, all that being said, that uh
if somebody wanted to get a holdof your music, listen to your
music, I imagine.
You have a YouTube channel, Iknow that.
Uh, but where can they get yourmusic?
SPEAKER_02 (46:19):
Yeah, um, so you can get our music anywhere you
stream your music.
So Spotify, Apple, Amazon, um,obviously, yeah, YouTube.
Um, but the easiest thing to dofor anything and everything is
just my website, which isHaydenHaddock.com, and that has
links to shows, merch, music,um, everything under the much is
very important.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (46:39):
But yeah, HaydenHaddock.com is the easiest
way.
Yeah, exactly.
Support the artist when you seethem on Skip Happens.
If they have a merchandise link,click on it, support the artist.
It's very important.
Uh, you know, this is theirlivelihood.
So, and and what I was gonna saybefore somebody tried to call
you from the other room was uhno, I'm just kidding.
But um your family, you're theonly musician in your family.
(47:04):
Right.
And and you've had a number one,you've had a number one song on
that Texas chart.
How does the family react tothat, knowing that, hey, my
brother or my son, or you know,he's a number one recording
artist in Texas?
SPEAKER_02 (47:17):
Yeah, no, they were they were very proud um and very
happy.
And obviously, yeah, that wasone of those things they've
they've been very supportive andvery uh, I guess you could say
close to my career um this wholetime.
So I think it was kind of a kindof a win for all of us, and like
I said earlier, kind of afeather in the cap for all of
us.
So it was definitely a coolfeeling uh to be able to kind of
(47:38):
send out the text in our familychat that you know, hey, finally
got to the number one track.
SPEAKER_00 (47:43):
Yeah, did you guys party?
Did you uh get some beer andcelebrate?
What did you do?
SPEAKER_02 (47:48):
Oh yeah, we're we're always partying.
SPEAKER_00 (47:50):
Come on.
No, yeah, we did.
We all we went to dinner andcelebrated a little bit.
I love it.
What is the uh before I let yougo, what is the most trouble
you've ever gotten into?
Man, uh we're all kids, man, atone time.
We did a lot of crazy stuff.
SPEAKER_02 (48:06):
Trying to think, because honestly, growing up,
like me and my second, my myoldest brother, I think, got in
all the trouble.
I think he kind of took it awayfrom us.
But uh no, we other than likestaying out late or you know,
closing the door with thegirlfriend or something,
probably.
Uh, we really didn't get intomuch trouble like at school or
anything.
(48:26):
I did get in trouble when I wasin like middle school for
kissing my girlfriend afterhours in the after football
practice.
She was a cheerleader, so thenwe had to go call our parents in
the office.
Um other than that, but likeI've never had anything with the
law.
SPEAKER_00 (48:43):
How would a parent handle that though?
SPEAKER_02 (48:45):
I mean, you're come on, it's a part of growing up.
My dad just kind of chuckledbecause you also got to remember
I've got two older brothers, soit wasn't nothing he hadn't
dealt with before.
That's my boy.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (48:57):
Exactly.
SPEAKER_02 (48:57):
Yeah, but he didn't.
Oh, sorry, go ahead.
No, no, no.
Oh, I was just gonna say, no,other than that, um, no, really,
just never got in much trouble.
Um, was always tried to be kindof a good kid, and we were
obviously we were raised kind ofhard, so obviously we knew if we
did something wrong, we weregonna get our butt work.
SPEAKER_00 (49:15):
So made you a good person, the good person that you
are today by being raised thatway.
So that's cool.
That's cool.
How many kids do you have?
I actually don't have any.
Oh, okay.
I thought I thought early on yousaid you had one or two, so I
didn't know.
SPEAKER_02 (49:27):
No, yeah.
So the phone call was actuallymy my grandfather.
You're joking about it being mykid in the other room.
It was my grandfather.
SPEAKER_00 (49:34):
Yeah, I love it.
I love it.
Well, tell them we said hello.
So, anyways, uh, we're gonna letyou go.
I want to thank you for takingthe time tonight to join us uh
here on Skip Happens.
And uh, you know, it's gonnawrap it up for this episode.
Uh big thanks to Hayden Haddockuh for hanging out, sharing the
stories, giving us an insidelook at the music.
It's really cool, especially thenew single, Hell or High
(49:57):
Whiskey.
By the way, I went looking forthe video.
There's no video yet.
Not yet.
Not yet.
We're gonna do something though.
But the single is out.
So if you've enjoyed theconversation, make sure you
subscribe, hit the notificationbell, check out more artist
interviews.
Uh, you'll see them all righthere on Skip Happens.
We're now gonna add uh HaydenHadock to that list.
Uh you can also catch me on 92.1the Wolf here in Syracuse.
(50:19):
Follow along in all our socialsto stay connected.
And uh, want to say thanks forlistening.
Thank you for supporting theartist.
And as always, uh, we'll see youon the next episode of Skip
Happens.
Hayden, thank you so much.
We're gonna sign off and uh stayright there.
We're gonna say goodbye.
Goodbye, everybody.
Thanks for watching.
Don't forget to subscribe.
Please help me out.
There you go.
(50:39):
All right, here we go.
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