Sofia Lee Davis

Josh Mattei chats with Sofia Lee Davis this week!

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
This week on Country on Deck. I genuinely Josh just love
meeting people and that's I meanthis one lady that came up to me
after almost had me crying. I had met her four years ago at
a four years ago at a show I didback when I was touring and

(00:20):
opening a lot more, you know, pre COVID, before life changed
for everyone. But she for her birthday.
It was her birthday. She took her and her fiance got
a hotel room and came to to country on deck just to I wish
I. Heard that story, I would have
said something to her that's. Crazy she was, it was insane.
I that's why I was over there. I was giving her a free T-shirt

(00:43):
but literally almost made me tear up and she said to me, and
again, this is exactly why I do it.
I don't care if I have one listener or 1000 or whatever.
This stuff makes all the difference.
She leaned into me and she said I show my family your music all
the time because you you just say how I feel.
And sometimes I feel like peopledon't understand me and you just

(01:03):
get it. And I was like, Oh my gosh.
Discover the stories of rising country stars Country on Deck
with Josh Maddie. Kick off your boots and settle

(01:26):
in country on this. About to begin.
Josh Maddie's here. Stars on the rise.
Voices of hope, Dreams in their eyes.
Singer songwriters, Stories on phone.

(01:46):
Hearts of wonder. Hearts out of bones.
Does he rose to rise. Sane lines capture the journey.
Shares their fights. Country on deck.
We're tuning in. Well, the new star stories are

(02:10):
coming in from a small town. Dreams.
They're gonna take you away. Country on deck with Drunk Man
Day. Hello and welcome to another
episode of Country on Deck, where I sit down with today's
rising country stars and help you discover the stories behind

(02:34):
their music. I'm your host, Josh Maddie, and
I'm back at my desk in Connecticut with another rising
country star on the show this week.
After taking last week off for some family reasons, we're
excited to be back with with another rising country star on
the show. But if you missed our most
recent episode with Justin Federico, we sat down to talk to

(02:57):
Justin about playing the writersround our writers round in
Groton at the Barn. And Justin also told us the
story about leaving his full time job to go after to go after
his music. I went to work one morning.
I, you know, rolled up to the job site, had my I was the first
guy there. Surprisingly, Usually I'm not

(03:18):
that early. They're like, oh, something's
wrong. So I, you know, I'm the first,
I'm the first guy there. My headlights are, are on the
front door and I'm just looking into it was a like an apartment
complex we were working on for that job.
And I'm just looking into this gutted out apartment complex
that I'm I'm going to go in and,you know, start doing work on.
I looked at myself in the mirrorand I said, I didn't say the

(03:39):
heck with this, but we'll keep it clean.
I said, you know what the heck with this?
I, I picked up my phone. I called my boss and I said, hey
Jamie, I'm going to give you my 2 day notice.
I, I quit 2 day. He's like what?
I was like, yeah, I'm going to. I'm going to go be a musician.
You can listen to our entire episode with Justin Federico.

(04:00):
That episode is streaming below this episode on the platform
that you're listening on. And don't forget to hit that
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We released new episodes every single Friday and we don't want
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(04:20):
And 2nd, consider sharing the show with a friend so that they
can listen every single Friday just like you do.
On the show this week she also played our Country on Deck
writers round. We're excited to catch up with
her after playing back on August13th.
We had so much fun meeting her and and learning a little bit

(04:40):
more about her. In addition to her music, she's
also a lawyer which I find really really fascinating.
Her latest song release is called Ain't That Lonely on the
show this week, Sophia Lee Davis.
Sophia, how you doing? I'm.
OK. How are you?
Doing OK. It's almost Virgo season.

(05:01):
Almost what season? Virgo season.
It's my birthday almost. When's your birthday?
September 20th. Happy early birthday.
Thanks. My my birthday is in December so
I still have some time to go. Oh, you're a Sagittarius?
Yes. Yeah.
Uh huh. Uh huh.
Yes. My oldest is a Sagittarius.

(05:23):
OK, that's cool. Any plans for your birthday?
Yeah, I'm going to Turks and Caicos.
That's an awesome birthday present.
I know I've never been. Have you been?
I have never been out of the United States before so.
Well, you got to fix that. Definitely at some point, yeah.

(05:43):
That's on the bucket list. Were you originally from from
Georgia? So I was born in New Hampshire,
went to boarding school in Virginia when I was 13, then I
went to school in Texas, and then I moved to Georgia, and I
was in Georgia for 11 years and I just moved back up north.

(06:03):
So most of my life was South. That makes sense now the the
accent. So funny you say that I have an
accent because I don't. Because if you actually go to
Georgia, people have a really thick accent there, so I don't
hear it. And then people say that I hear,
they hear it, and I'm just like,I don't know what you're talking
about. Well, for here in New England,

(06:25):
it definitely sounds like an accent for sure.
Well, I don't, yeah. I don't have a Boston accent.
That's I don't. Park the car hobby.
Yeah, and you're from Connecticut, right?
Born and raised in Connecticut, yeah.
Right. Yeah.
Do Connecticut people have accents?
I'm not really sure actually. Maybe for somebody else they

(06:47):
think we have an accent. I think y'all are pretty
neutral. People do say Connecticut's kind
of boring, so neutral is a good way to put it.
I didn't say boring. I think you guys get a bad rap.
For for New England, it's like we're the forgotten state.
Everybody just kind of disses onConnecticut.

(07:07):
Yeah, To be fair, I was definitely a part of that
population. But then moving here, I have a
different outlook and especiallyfinding stuff like country on
deck, I have a new a new view ofConnecticut.
Oh wow, I'm honored to hear that.
That's pretty awesome. Speaking of country on deck, you
were you were playing with us a couple weeks ago.

(07:29):
What an awesome show that was. So, I mean, we had such a great
turn out. Didn't you have so much fun?
It was a lot of fun. I was blown away by the the
crowd. I know we were talking before
the event started and I was mentioning the fair going on in
Rhode Island. There was a couple things going
on that night that slipped my calendar.
When I was planning, I didn't realize it was a jam packed

(07:52):
night of of activities, so I wasgetting nervous.
But people, people came out. It was packed.
So I think the reputation kind of precedes you at this point
because you have a good reputation in the community and
when people want to hear countrymusic.
I just don't think there's a lotof places in Connecticut,
especially that Nashville Writers round feel and you're

(08:14):
bringing that. So congratulations because I
think that's why we had such a great turn out.
I appreciate that, that means a lot.
You looked like you were having a lot of fun.
I had too much fun. I was so excited that you asked
me. You were probably the the best
at bringing the the crowd together.
Everybody was clapping and you had everybody on the edge of

(08:36):
their seat. I just really, that's my
favorite part of performing is just being there and meeting
people. I mean, honestly, right, because
you, when you do this, as I'm sure you've met a ton of
artists, you kind of get people on a different, some people are
there because they're just incredibly talented, right?
And they're just sharing their gift with the world.
And that's pretty much it. Like they don't really stay

(08:57):
around and talk. They just, they are incredibly
talented and they show you it and then they leave.
Then you've got people that I think you know, they're doing
this for the business. I'm sure they still love it, but
they're like, OK, I have to do this, this and this smile wave
and whatever. I genuinely, Josh, just love
meeting people. And that's I mean, this one lady

(09:19):
that came up to me after almost had me crying.
I had met her four years ago at a four years ago at a show I did
back when I was touring and opening a lot more, you know,
pre COVID before life changed for everyone but she for her
birthday, it was her birthday. She took her and her fiance, got

(09:41):
a hotel room and came to to Country on Deck.
Just to I wish I heard that story, I would have said
something to her that's. Crazy she was, it was insane.
I that's why I was over there. I was giving her a free T-shirt
but literally almost made me tear up and she said to me, and
again, this is exactly why I do it.
I don't care if I have one listener or 1000 or whatever.

(10:02):
This stuff makes all the difference.
She leaned into me and she said,I show my family your music all
the time because you, you just say how I feel and sometimes I
feel like people don't understand me and you just get
it. And I was like, Oh my gosh.
So that's it. That's why I do it, just to
connect with people because I really, I really love everyone.
I think everyone's got a story and I think music gives us a

(10:25):
really cool opportunity to to learn about people.
That's got to be so validating to hear that your lyrics
resonate so closely with people.Well, I think, yeah, because
even I'm sure when you turn on asong, when I turn on a song and
it hits you and you just understand every word, the
melody is carrying you to a place, a time where something
meant something for you. And you're just like, wow, how

(10:47):
did that person know where they have fly on the wall?
It's like musics, a playing field that's helping level
everybody's human experience, right?
That's the one time where we're really all just the same, we're
all living the same life, and I think if people didn't lose
sight of that so much all the time, that life would be a lot

(11:08):
better. Being a listener, it's a special
moment when those situations happen, when a song hits you
like that. I was on a run the other day and
I was listening to a Walker Hayes song and I literally said
out loud I was like is this songabout my life or something?
Which song was it? Song for my son.
That's his new one. Isn't somebody featured on that?

(11:30):
Kane Brown. Yes, that's OK.
I'll have to listen to you. I haven't listened to you yet.
That's a good one. Yeah.
The lyrics about kind of like putting away alcohol and being a
better person for your kid. That kind of resonates with me.
Yeah, we're all just trying to be better, right?
And so anybody that understands.So are you just going through a

(11:52):
sobriety journey or? Everybody's different with
alcohol, but I'm the type of person that I I probably just
better off without it. I hear that, yeah.
I mean, it's so funny you you say that like my whole life has
been completely affected by alcoholism.
I personally don't struggle withit.
You know, I've definitely love people with it.

(12:12):
There's been people in my familywith it, people that passed away
young with it. So it's just been always kind of
intertwined. I think, you know, there's
addictions in everybody's lives and either you yourself or the
person with the addictions or your love somebody with the
addictions, which is actually, Idon't know if you saw that video
that I did, but my response to Jelly Roll, but that was the
whole reason I wrote it. Oh wow, that's cool.

(12:35):
Yeah, everybody unfortunately has somebody that they know
that's been affected by it. Yeah, yeah, it's, it doesn't, it
doesn't discriminate for sure. It's cool that you got to play
for your son. The girls organized you playing
last. I didn't tell them why, but I
said can we start with Laura Mustard and work our way?

(12:56):
Because I know the guys had started the first round.
The guys had started. What was it so right to left And
I just said, hey, can we please just start left to right?
I think we should start left to right.
And nobody really pushed the issue.
I didn't tell them why, but it was such perfect timing because
then when I started, my, my oldest son walked in.
He was at football and I really,he loves music and he's

(13:17):
definitely one of my really big supporters.
So I wanted him to be able. It was his first time because
you know, usually venues it has the age limit and stuff.
So it's his first time that he'sbeen able to actually see me
perform. So thanks for that.
Oh, you're welcome. Yeah, the barn is pretty laid
back about that. It's a really cool spot.
Yeah, I've had such a great experience.

(13:39):
I'm definitely going back. There was one event I was taking
a video of everybody on stage performing and then like some
little kid runs by and I'm like,this is such a unique, unique
spot. Yeah, that's the one thing I
think Nashville is missing. Obviously I understand like
liquor licenses and laws and things like that, but I mean,
there's actually country singersthat'll talk about it right when

(13:59):
they're too young to go inside. So they're playing outside.
That's why they're buskers. So they'll go outside and
they'll be playing because they can't get inside.
I just think I wish there was just something maybe Off
Broadway where younger artists could participate.
Because I think that's honestly where it starts, is just
cultivating that love of music super soon.
And if you have people that really want to be there and want

(14:22):
to listen and learn from people that are already in their shoes
that they want to be in, I thinkthat that would be super
helpful. So maybe that already exists.
I just don't know about it. Yeah, it must be kind of
frustrating a little bit that your your kids would only be
able to really see you perform if you were in like a theater
type setting. So they might miss out on some
of these smaller shows. Well, honestly, I keep this part

(14:46):
of my life pretty separate. I don't put my kids in my
videos. It is funny though, when I write
songs, my kids are the first ones to listen to them.
So if we get like a work tape back or a demo, I'll put it on
in the car. Then they'll be with other
people asking for songs that don't even exist yet.
So that's kind of cool because then because then they can, I

(15:06):
mean, they're 10 and four. They are people with opinions
and I respect their opinions. And they'll be songs where
they're like, I don't really like that or those.
They're songs that they ask for every day, like that last song I
sang, All the Red Dirt Ruin, that's not released, it's not
recorded, but I have like a worktape of it.
And my little 4 year old, every morning on the way to school

(15:27):
he'll ask me for, he calls it Doctor Ruin for some reason, but
he knows all the words and they love that song so.
Oh wow. How many kids do you have?
Two. Three.
I have two boys. Oh wow, two boys.
Yeah, they must keep you busy. Oh, they do, Yeah.
They they're they're wild for sure.

(15:49):
But I'm lucky to have them. My my oldest sister has three
boys and she was it was definitely a handful.
Yeah, they, I mean, people are always like, oh, boys are
crazier than girls. I think just kids in general are
crazy. Like, just kids are a little bit
nuts and you just kind of, it's kind of like every day being in
a tornado, but also with that horrifying realization that it's

(16:11):
all going to be done soon. Kind of like a tornado, right?
It just wrecks havoc. But then it's over.
So I'm trying to just enjoy it. My oldest is starting fifth
grade. Oh wow.
Yeah, I know. The whole music thing started
for you when you were 15. You were singing karaoke.
So yeah, it's actually crazy. Even earlier, so 13, I was doing

(16:33):
Suzuki violin lessons and piano lessons, and then my parents
allowed me to do. I grew up very strict.
Like education was everything. You could have a hobby on the
side, but that was it. And I had a singing teacher and
I was learning to sing opera. So Sarah Brightman, you know,
the muse to Phantom of the Opera, who played the original

(16:56):
role. So she was one of the people
that I grew up listening to. And I was singing opera.
But then I mentioned to my vocalteacher I liked to write and I
had started writing songs, so like 1213.
And he was the one that said, would you like to learn how to
write songs and your own songs? And he was actually a songwriter

(17:18):
from LA, which I didn't know at the time.
I was young. And so he started teaching me
songwriting and then when I was 15, I then had tracks of those
songs that I was writing and I started entering into like local
competitions, like karaoke competition, Seacoast Idol or I
would just go out to random places back when we had C DS,

(17:40):
right, Josh? Like no iPods or anything, but
like a Burn CDI had cassette tapes.
I used to listen to the Top 40 Disney radio when I was little
and recorded on a cassette tape so I could listen to it.
So yeah, that's kind of how it all started for me.
You're running around with your your Walkman and your wired
headphones. Yeah, I had a Walkman.

(18:02):
I would had very few CDs. Like I said, my parents were
super strict about what we listened to.
I wasn't allowed. I didn't get to listen to like
Britney Spears and stuff. It was always classic.
People like Alison Krauss, Nicole C.
Mullen. So she's like a praise gospel
singer. My parents religiously, well, my
mother specifically listened to Elvis growing up.

(18:23):
Anything Motown. So I have a ton of Motown C DS.
That was me. I was.
I just love music. When you were being shown how to
write your first initial lyrics and and songs, where were you
living then? I was.
So if I was 12, it was and then just turned 13, I was up in New
Hampshire because then I got, I went down to Virginia shortly

(18:46):
after that. And then in Virginia, I was at
the boarding school and there was like an open mic karaoke
night down there. And they used to have, there
were two boys boarding schools and my boarding school and they
used to do like a mixer at this.I couldn't even tell you what
the name of it was, but it was like this hole in the wall
place. And obviously for underage kids

(19:08):
and you could all go and read your poems or sing.
And I used to go sing Martina McBride songs.
And that's what I really startedrealizing I liked performing a
lot. So she was a big influence for
you? Oh, absolutely.
Concrete Angel was one of the first songs I sang.
Alison Krauss is a huge influence for me.

(19:29):
And then it all came totally full circle because I got to
record at the studio she records, which is owned by her
husband, Blackbird Studios in Berryhill in Nashville.
So that was really cool. Yeah, I saw you recorded your
your latest song there. Yes, Ain't That Lonely and Going
with Goodbye. Those are my 2 newest singles.

(19:51):
I recorded them at Blackbird Studios in Berryhill and like I
said, it's just such an incredible experience.
I never thought I'd be able to record somewhere like that.
It's so historic. It's so you walk in there and
you just know that it's a reallyspecial place.
Everybody there is so incrediblytalented, have worked with every
* imaginable. And I just felt really special

(20:13):
to have even gotten to walk in the with the door.
How'd you get linked up with that?
I was talking to a friend and I was explaining to them that I
had all these songs and I wantedto record them.
And I was frustrated about because at that time I was
thinking about moving back up north.
I was frustrated. There was really a lack of.

(20:33):
There was no studios in the areathat I was living and except for
Atlanta, which they have countrystudios, but it's focused more
like R&B, hip hop, rap, and that's not my style.
So I was just frustrated that the only place was Nashville.
And then I just said, you know, I hoped one day that I could
record a Blackbird. And they said, you know, the

(20:55):
studio is open to everyone. You can just try to call and
make a session, send the songs over, see if they let you
record. And so I did, and they were
like, yeah, sure, sign me up. Hook me up with Brian Clark,
who's an amazing producer. He's also a professor at
Belmont, which is super renownedfor songwriting and music and
has some huge acts coming out ofthere.

(21:16):
So it was just a very lucky opportunity that I had.
You're not a rapper. So actually crazy enough, one of
my secret loves is I love country rap.
I think it's fun. I think it's just so I like
listening to it, like being on aboat and listening to it.
I think you have to be in the right headspace for it.
Some people think it's completely stupid.

(21:37):
I love it. And actually I wrote a country
rap song, did not perform it, but I gave it to Dando, who you
definitely need to look up. He's an emerging artist out of
Colorado. He's a country rapper.
He's fantastic. He just had a new single
released with Clever, who's a very well known rapper and he's

(22:00):
definitely about to completely pop off.
So if y'all want the the word onthe street, listen to Dando
Dando. And you heard it here before.
They're huge stars. Yeah, 'cause he's, he's really
on the brink of that for sure. One thing I was impressed about
learning at the round? You're also a lawyer.

(22:20):
Yes, I am. How do you balance all of that?
This is That's crazy. I don't know.
People ask me that question all the time.
I've never slept a lot. And it's a flawed, it's also a
positive thing. I don't like sitting still.
I don't like resting, which is not sustainable.
I know that. Yeah, exactly.

(22:45):
I just, I, yeah, I need, I need,I need to work all the time.
And I honestly, these are thingsthat I just naturally do.
So law was kind of always on theback burner for me.
It was always something I was interested in.
I studied science in college andthen I was pre law and then I

(23:06):
worked as a medic in Atlanta fora while.
So I knew one day that I was going to have to make a better
career move just because I just being a single mom, I couldn't I
couldn't keep doing the jobs that I was doing.
You know, I was waitressing. I worked at a gas station for a
while. A lot of the situations I was in

(23:26):
we're just not safe and weren't helpful because if something
happened to me, there really wasno one to take care of my son.
So because I just had one at thetime.
So I applied to law school in the pandemic and I was pregnant
with my youngest and I worked ata gas station in Georgia in the
middle of nowhere. Eaton 10.
So shout out to Eaton 10. Like Oconee, 'cause I know

(23:47):
there's people that definitely still follow me from there.
And my best friend Brooke, that I met at the gas station 'cause
we worked third shift together. So overnight she used to do all
'cause you have to like clean upand change drink machines out
and things like that. She used to take all my chores
for the night and tell me just to study for the LSAT, which is
the test to take before you get into law school basically.

(24:10):
And so I did that and I got in so and then here I am.
It's been a year now. I've been a lawyer for a year.
Oh wow, congratulations. Thank you.
It's got to be a tough job. It is, but it's not because
again, it kind of has that underlying want that I have,
which is knowing people and getting to know the human

(24:33):
experience and getting to know people and why people do things
and kind of just sorting out problems and putting out fires
and navigating people through really difficult points in their
life. And I've been in difficult
things. So I try to have empathy every
day. When you were studying for for
the bar, you were going down to Nashville like you had a big

(24:55):
trip to Nashville planned. Yes, Crystal at Gravel Rd. was
amazing. She allowed us to perform at CMA
Fest because they had a stage onBroadway on the rooftop and
Nashville underground. And so me and my whole band got
to go down there for CMA Fest 2024 and perform our originals.

(25:16):
And so it was really cool. And I was, I was studying for
the bar, so my drummer and manager PJ Donahue, him and I
drove all the way down to Nashville from his house, which
is 1718 hours. And the whole way down I was
like, don't talk to me, I have to study.
So I'd be studying and then takea music music break and, you

(25:36):
know, take a food break and thenjust go right back to studying.
So I'm really lucky it worked out, but I just thought the
opportunity was too good to to pass up for sure.
You're not kidding that you don't mind not sleeping because
I barely made the trip and I wasn't even doing anything but
being in the car. It's a rough, it's a rough trip.
It's gorgeous. We, I usually go down think it's

(25:57):
84 because I've made that drive so many times at this point From
Georgia, from Florida. I love, I love driving through
the mountains in Virginia, like the Shenandoah Valley, that's
always gorgeous. So I don't mind the drive.
I find that I think a lot on my drives, and that's actually
where a lot of my songs come from or my drives.

(26:20):
I feel like you could almost make a song about the trip.
Oh, for sure. Still in the car?
You know, want to get out? Yeah, yeah, I'm thinking about
writing one about being it's 21 hours.
Something like that. Yeah, maybe not so much just
like that, but something wrong that line for sure.

(26:40):
There's definitely a story there.
I'm sure you'll be able to come up with a much better idea.
Yeah, why aren't you songwriting?
I don't know cuz my ideas are usually like the cheesy end of
it and it doesn't seem like it would pan out.
I think there's always room for cheese.
I really do. I mean, look, the one I just

(27:02):
that that you were talking aboutwith the crowd clapping along to
that's red dirt ruined and it's talking about Walmart jeans and
blue moon beer and four Wheelinglike it's not it's not anything
deep. I think there's there's room for
cheese. That's true, I'll keep an open
mind to it. Yeah, you should.

(27:23):
I I saw that you went back to Nashville this year, couple
months ago for CMA Fest 2025. How was it?
What was it like going back to play again?
That was really cool. Different experience this year.
It was just an acoustic set. It was off Broadway, very neat
venue. I think it's called Club 821.
If I got that wrong, I'm sorry. It's gorgeous.

(27:44):
It's like a Speakeasy venue and so a lot of artists are doing
their like EP releases there. It's all velvet couches and like
Moody lighting and stuff. That was also with Gravel Rd.
They asked me back. So that was great experience.
And yeah, it was just a different experience because you
know that the first year was right on Broadway, right near
like the Riverside Stage. All the the whole festivals

(28:07):
happening, tons of traffic trying to lug equipment, you
know, my whole band, we're all walking because Broadway's
blocked off for CMA Fest, so people can walk around.
And so you basically we were like trying to find a place to
park and then walking all that heavy equipment.
And it's, it's Nashville in the summer, so it's super hot and

(28:27):
sweaty. And by the time you get to the
venue, you're just kind of like,Oh my gosh, this is so this year
was definitely a more chill atmosphere, but we still had a
great turn out. I was really happy to have been
invited back for sure. Both times you must have just
been taking everything in like asponge, like all these big
artists around you. Like especially the first time

(28:47):
you were right there in the in the middle of it.
There must have been a lot of excitement for you.
It's just cool to see how much music matters to people.
This is something they've been saving up for months, maybe
years, their whole life. There's people always meet
people when I go to Nashville from like the UK, they're coming
here because they've heard Nashville so fun and they have.

(29:09):
They came and they saved up all their money to come.
When I go to Nashville, I meet people from all over the world,
not just Tennessee. It's actually pretty rare that I
meet somebody from Tennessee. Yeah, I was amazed at how nobody
had an accent in Nashville. Well, because most people aren't
from Nashville. Exactly.
I figured that out pretty quickly, but I was a little
confused at first. I was like nobody has an accent.

(29:31):
What's? Going on, I mean, if you go out
to like Franklin, Brentwood, just a little further out of
Nashville, you'll start hitting native Tennesseans and they they
definitely have an accent. One of my favorite places, if
you ever get to go back, is Chattanooga and the Smoky
Mountains and you have to go eata Purple Daisy Picnic Cafe.

(29:53):
It's a BBQ restaurant, It's family owned.
It's at the bottom of the mountain.
It's my favorite. They all have accents.
I'll oh good, good, good. I'll definitely jot that down
and keep that in mind. Yeah, it's definitely worth it.
And it's right off the highway. So if you're driving from like
my drive from Atlanta to Nashville, I would always stop
there. I know you're a big fan of this,

(30:13):
so you'll probably love this story.
When Megan and I went down to Nashville after the 17 hour, 18
hour drive, I was, I was following this awful to admit,
but I was starting to fall asleep behind the wheel and the
rental car was like beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.
Like telling me to like, essentially, like you got to
pull over or you're going to die, you know?
Yep. So Yep.

(30:33):
So we I was like, Megan, maybe we should pull over and and take
a rest. So we went and stopped in a
crackle barrel parking lot. Oh.
My gosh, I already knew where this is going.
Yep. And we slept for maybe about
like 2-3 hours, just kind of a fog.
I have no idea how long we were asleep for.
But then we woke up, we went inside, we grabbed some food.

(30:55):
It was the nicest gentleman everthat took our order.
And it was, it was great. And I know you're a huge fan of
Cracker Barrel, so I thought you'd like a.
Story I am Josh and I actually wrote a song it's not released.
It's called Cracker Barrel crazybecause I really am that
obsessed with Cracker Barrel. But did you see the whole like
feud happening now? I did want to ask you about

(31:16):
that. Yeah, Yeah.
Yeah. So the word on the street is,
from what I see, I can gather isI guess they rebranded, they
change their logo and they're taking off a lot of the antiquey
looking dusty things that are onthe wall.
And there's a huge argument withpeople about, well, now you're
taking away the nostalgia. You're taking away what makes

(31:38):
Cracker Barrel. Cracker Barrel.
That's like super corporate. And I was just like, what are
the odds that I write this song?And then Cracker Barrel is like,
well, I mentioned very specific things that they no longer are
going to have. So I was like, well, that's
terrible timing. And some people even have been
commenting on the videos becauseI did an amazing like a little,

(31:58):
not a lyric video, but just a little video snippet.
It's not a full blown music video.
That was by Jay Wilson, and he'sout of Atlanta and Nashville.
He's an amazing videographer, Soif you guys ever need somebody,
hit him up for sure. Jay Wilson.
But he and I went to the original Cracker Barrel in
Tennessee and recorded it. And people are commenting on the

(32:19):
video now saying we don't like it anymore.
You tell Cracker Barrel they better pay your money, you're
going to be broke. And I'm like, Cracker Barrel
didn't ask me to write this song.
Like, I'm actually just that obsessed with it.
So yeah, it's I'm caught in thisreally weird controversy right
now. That's interesting.

(32:39):
I never I never even thought of that.
How like the whole look at your video and some of the things
mentioned are it's like out, it's like a instant throwback
almost. Right.
How are you feeling about that? Well, again, timing wise, I
don't know if that was the best move, but also it's kind of like
at this point any attention is good attention.
So whatever, just enjoy the video, take it for what it's

(33:03):
worth. I just really loved Cracker
Barrel and that's why I wrote a song.
I wrote that with Tim Comu, Lauren Patton and Annabelle
Lyle. Annabelle Wiles, She's amazing.
She's out of the UK, so London specifically.
But do you know the crazy thing is I wrote that song with the
three of them. Not one of them have been to a

(33:24):
Cracker Barrel. So I told them I was.
I just made a joke. You know when the song pops off,
we can all go. Nothing better than some chicken
fried steak and their dumplings and playing that little game on
the table with the you put it into the holes.
What is that? Yeah.
I forget what it's called but it's like the triangle game and

(33:46):
you jump the. I play it every time.
I have no idea what the heck it's called.
Well, now we have to figure it out.
Do they even still have it? Well, I don't know because I
haven't been back since the rebrand.
It does seem kind of silly to methough.
Like if they they want to make the walls white you.
Know, yeah, it doesn't. So I think it is contacting.
I understand they're just tryingto make it more corporate and I

(34:08):
guess cleaner 'cause it's kind of like that millennial
minimalist look, I guess 'cause they say that we're obsessed
with Gray and muted colors. But Cracker Barrel, the reason
why I loved it so much is just it's super.
It's a little bit tacky, but it also feels homey and I love
going to the gift shop. It's honestly not bad quality
because I've had stuff from Cracker Barrel.

(34:29):
I've bought clothes from CrackerBarrel that have outlasted
anything I've bought anywhere else.
So I don't want to say that it'sjust like kitschy and you throw
the stuff away and they got all that candy that you can't buy
anywhere else. And I love looking at the
seasonal decor. I don't know, I just it's it's a
boost to serotonin. I think that I can't find very
other places. So I'm I'm kind of sad if they

(34:51):
change up. I don't know.
It's called the triangle solitaire game, by the way.
It's like a peg game makes. Sense maybe I'm crazy have you
ever done this before in a Cracker Barrel?
I, I started doing this as a kidand I just kept doing it as a
tradition. When I would go to the bathroom
in the the little shop there they they always had the the

(35:12):
stop light that would go like green, red, yellow.
I would always like stop when itwas red and like wait for it to
go green. I.
Think that's just you, I would not enter.
I would not. You waited.
I do remember the stop sign. I I just.
I don't think I. I would listen to it.
For some reason I was, oh, it's red, not going to go in, not

(35:35):
going. To So what?
Cracker Barrel? There's one in Connecticut.
There's one in Milford, CT, yeah.
OK, I haven't seen it, haven't been.
That's why I haven't been back. And I think the other closest
one is somewhere in Rhode Island, like not too far from
Groton. OK, well I'm going to have to go
check it out and I'll report back and let you know if they
took away the triangle game. I'll be waiting.

(36:01):
We are back in the Barn on September 10th.
That's Wednesday night starting at 7:00 for another free, yes
free Nashville style writers round.
We can't wait to be back at the barn.
They've been tremendous hosts, allowing us to use their
beautiful venue each and every month since since the end of

(36:22):
last year. Can't believe we're saying that.
When we first started these events, I, I really wasn't sure
where things would would go. It was an ID, Yeah, it was a
goal. It was a vision.
And things have just really taken off thanks to you and and
all your friends coming out to the the events each and every
month. We've gone from not knowing if

(36:43):
it was going to happen and, and work to a whole crowd of people
screaming. We love Country on Deck.
If you haven't seen that video yet, head to our Instagram
account at Country on Deck. That was a really, really cool
moment. At the end of last month's
event. We had a packed house.
We filled the barn last month and we hope you can help us fill

(37:06):
the barn for another one. September 10th, another
tremendous lineup. Going to be performing original
music and sharing stories, bringing a little bit of
Nashville to New England, to Connecticut.
And we have another ticket giveaway thanks to Mohegan Sun.
They have been tremendous. They've been a tremendous

(37:27):
partner just like the barn giving us a pair of tickets to
give away the last couple, last couple shows and Warren Zeiders
those tickets on September 10th.If you attend your chance to win
Warren Zeiders tickets his show November 15th at Mohegan Sun
tickets on sale right now through Ticketmaster or you can

(37:49):
get more information at their website, mohegansun.com.
But if you hang out with us on September 10th, you and a friend
or you and a family member, you and a spouse could be going to
see Warren Zeiders perform in Mohegan Sun on on November 15th.
So hang out with us next month, September 10th and then possibly

(38:11):
win those tickets. Thanks so much to Mohegan Sun.
For a for making this one possible.
Seems like you go down to Nashville quite often for for
how busy you are. So the thing about Nashville is
not everybody will write remotely.
So there's some writers that I really want to go and visit.
But also at the end of the day, writing songs with other people,

(38:33):
it's so much harder on technology because as you know,
things lag and then you have thetime changes.
So if it ever gets to a time where I have writers that I
really want to work with and they happen to be in Nashville,
I try to playing my trips aroundthat.
And I'm hopefully going in October because we have a bunch

(38:53):
of new songs that I need to get recorded and I hope to write
some new songs with new people. That'd be exciting right around
the corner. Yeah, and then I'm not the only
one doing this. So Josh, like other people that
don't live in Nashville, it's kind of wild.
What we'll do is you plan like a72 hour trip, you don't sleep.

(39:15):
So you basically you'll get thatred eye or you'll go out super
early like the three AM, 4:00 AMto the airport, 6:00 AM take
off, you land in Nashville and then you just go, go, go.
So you have like right, scheduled meeting scheduled,
recording scheduled and then youknow, you go out at writers

(39:36):
rounds at night so you can meet people.
It's all about the FaceTime and meeting people and networking
and making new friends, checkingup with your old friends, going
to see friends shows, do it all over again the next day and then
go home. Oh, wow, Yeah, I think Justin
Federico kind of does that, likeit maybe like a couple days and
then he's back in New England. Yeah, 'cause I mean everybody, I

(39:57):
mean, unless you got a trust fund or something, which good on
you. But people, you know, people
that are working. Full time am still trying to
live their dreams and which I think is totally acceptable.
I've had some people say, well, you can't really give your music
the full attention it needs unless you just quit and just do
music. And that might be their story,
but that's not my story. I feel perfectly comfortable

(40:19):
giving 110% to my music while also giving 110% to my quote UN
quote real life. So that's how you have to do it
sometimes. Just that 72 hour plow through
making, making music and headingback.
You seem like really committed to the lawyer stuff and it seems
to be a like a big passion for you.
What would drive you to go all music?

(40:41):
So being a lawyer though, just atype of lawyer right now it
'cause I have to be in court allthe time.
But being a lawyer in having ajdspecifically like a Juris
Doctorate, you can do a lot of things.
So I think even if I were to do music full time in whatever
capacity, whether I'm touring oreven doing law, like there's
entertainment law, there's people that need you to look at

(41:04):
their contracts, there's artists, there's publishers,
there's songwriters. I'm always going to use my
degree. It'll just be in what capacity?
Oh, I see. That makes sense.
Yeah, the entertainment law. That'd be a a cool mix for you.
Right. So Landon Derrickson, he's an
amazing entertainment lawyer. So if anyone ever needs an
entertainment lawyer down in Nashville, I'm hoping to meet

(41:25):
him in person and kind of learn from him because it's actually
very few real entertainment lawyers.
People will say they're an entertainment lawyer, but really
they're a General practitioner. And unless you have that really
hands on experience, it's all about being enveloped in the
scene. And so unless you're one of
those few lawyers that have beenaround Nashville for a while,

(41:48):
there's only, I think, maybe 30 real entertainment lawyers in
the United States. So yeah, just it's a very niche
group of people. It is interesting how specific,
but so broad at the same time, that industry is.
Right, right. Totally.
And it's a close knit community for sure.

(42:08):
Kind of like country music. Yeah, yes, just like country
music. I feel like everybody kind of
knows each other. Like you say, you know somebody
and they're like, oh, I know that person or like that
everybody has like some type of connection.
Because it's it's feels so big, but it's honestly so small at
the same time. Your your latest song you you

(42:30):
sang it at the round. I really definitely loved that
one for sure. Oh, ain't that lonely.
Ain't that lonely? Yeah, I love that one.
That's definitely that's been thank you.
That's been the best release so far.
I think we got 1000 streams and climbing in the first week.
So as an independent artist, I, you know, that might seem like
small numbers, but that's great.For me.

(42:50):
That was when I recorded at Blackbird, produced by Brian
Clark and have some really greatmusicians on that background
vocalist. I wrote that solo.
So that's a solo, right? And I love it.
I don't know, it's a little bit sassy.
And I have this thing where I only write about what I know.
And I know some people can be really creative and get into a

(43:13):
mindset that they've never experienced before, but I'm very
much cut and dry. Like I write what I know.
So that may or may not be based on real experiences.
How do you feel like your music has evolved over the years?
Like your debut single came out in 2017?
Learn you something. How do you feel like your music

(43:33):
has kind of changed between thenand now?
I definitely think just structurally linking up with
NSAI starting to Co write because I never knew pride.
Like 20/16/2017 I was doing solorights.
Prior to that I had no idea thatCo writing was a thing so just
getting linked up with NSAI Nashville Songwriters

(43:55):
Association, doing workshops, going to Tim Pencil Songwriting
festival and learning from people that knew more than me.
I just think structurally my songs have changed, they're just
tighter. And also I will say the content
definitely has gotten happier asI have found happiness in life
for sure. Speaking of happier your your

(44:18):
EP, it kind of had a a title to it that alluded to some sadness.
Can't go back to Georgia? Yes, and that's definitely true.
I, I mean, I love Georgia. I don't think I'd ever go back.
Like I wouldn't live there. Funnily enough, after I released
the EPA, I did move back to Georgia.
So that's so that was not true. I didn't move back.

(44:41):
Next single release actually went back to.
Georgia, actually, I did. But for anyone though, everyone
has a Georgia, like everyone hassomewhere that's like painful,
able to go back to you for whatever reason.
Like you just have too many memories or you lost a
grandparent or a sibling or something, and it's just hard to
go back to. So that's Georgia for me.
So many beautiful memories, so many bad memories.

(45:04):
And I don't know. And I, I just, yeah, that you
hit it on the head for sure. It's funny that you mentioned
that cause couple months back Megan and I had an opportunity
to maybe move back to our hometown and the thought of it
was kind of cool at first. I was like, ah, it'd be cool to
be back in our hometown. And I sat down and thought about

(45:26):
it some more and I'm like, do I really want to move back to my
hometown? Like I kind of feel it feels
good to be distant from that andhave a new life and.
Yeah, generally, I don't know how y'all feel about this, but
like I think for the most part, revisiting places, you kind of
figure out why you left in the first place.
Like there was a reason why you're not there anymore, so

(45:49):
it's usually not helpful to justgo back.
No, like, it's fun to have that nostalgia vibe when you visit.
You know, you crossover the border and you're there and you
see some old memories, but it's kind of nice to leave at the
end. Yes, 100%.
Like I said, I have people that are really near and dear to me
that I still love very much thatare in Georgia that completely

(46:11):
have elevated my life in every way.
But I just, I would never live there.
Next stop is Tennessee, just like the song says.
So is that a big bucket list item for you to to eventually
get out there 100%? Do you have like a ETA for that?
Like a time goal. Or I don't know, Josh, I need
to, I need to get some momentum.I actually a lot of people say,

(46:32):
oh, are you waiting to be signed?
And obviously publishing deals. So as a songwriter, that would
be cool, or even as an artist, but I've just been seeing some
pretty amazing artists making anindie and that's my goal for
right now. It's definitely a hard Ave. to
trek on, but that's my goal is just to get sustainable enough

(46:52):
that we can at least start breaking even and start touring
more and then hopefully call Tennessee home base, whether or
not that's Nashville. As much as I'd be celebrating
for you that you'd be down in inTennessee, I'd be a little sad
because we'd country on deck wouldn't get awesome artists.
Thank you. No, because there's airplanes,
Josh, and we can come right on back that.

(47:14):
'D be cool, that'd be awesome. Yeah, and that's the that's the
cool thing I I loved about country on deck is the fact that
Nashville artists were vying to play.
I mean, I think that's pretty incredible.
There's, I mean, writers rounds outside of Nashville are usually
not something that people want to do.
And and you guys have such a good, I don't know, you've just

(47:34):
created something really special.
So people from Nashville are literally travelling to come
play country on deck. Yeah, Laura, Laura Mustard came.
We were supposed to have Scotty Pope, but I guess they had a
really awful storm. I heard.
And with American Airlines, which as far as I've heard, I
don't think that's ever a good bet.

(47:54):
Oh man, another time though, when there's no bad weather,
we'll have to come out. Yes, for sure.
I would love to see him live. I haven't gotten to meet him,
but Laura Mustard, she was amazing.
Yeah, we've never had a keyboardplayer before, so that was
really unique and fun. Yeah, it was incredible.
I loved her song Dancing but shehasn't put it out yet so maybe

(48:14):
this will pressure her to do that.
Put it out, Laura. Yeah, put it out, Laura.
Still stuck in my head. Do you have like plans to put
out another EP in the future? So I definitely think that's
where it's headed. I am planning to put on, I hope
to put out at least two more singles before the year is up.
And again, still pitching music and everything like that.

(48:35):
But I think 2026 will be an EP year for sure.
How many songs do you kind of have in the pipeline?
Currently right now waiting to be recorded.
I think I have 8. So yeah, it's just a matter of
finding the time, talking with the Co writers, trying to see
what their vision is for the music, right?
Because we have the melody written, we have the chords
written, we have the lyrics, butthen it's the production side of

(48:58):
it. So who do we want for a
producer? What's the kind of sound do we
want? Do we want it radio ready?
Do we want it for more live music?
Like what? What is it we're looking to do?
And so just coordinating those conversations definitely take
time. And then there's the funding
aspect of it. I mean, sometimes you have Co
writers that are able to put some money forward and then some

(49:20):
of it's just independently funded.
So it's just managing all of that.
So there's, there's a lot of, there's a lot of things coming.
You must have had a lot of songsto choose from for the round,
like some tough decisions. I did.
I, I wanted to. I was so great that you let us
have three. I know some rounds, or even less
than that, really. Yeah, for sure.

(49:40):
Sometimes there's like 2. I bet on a round that you could
do 1. 1 I feel awful like only allowing 3 for time purposes for
one. Well, No 3 was great.
I think that's like a very happymedium for everybody.
But yeah, it was definitely hardpicking stuff because the thing
that's really special about rounds and country on deck
specifically is that's kind of when you get to test out your

(50:02):
new material, right? So just because you or your
writer or the inside of your truck thinks that your song is
good, it doesn't mean everybody else will.
So this is like you're you're testing audience to see, well,
do people get what I'm trying tosay?
Is there a way I could say it better?
And then when you sing it, you're like, oh, I didn't really
like the way that it was sung. Let's go back and change the

(50:22):
chords or whatever. So I got to sing Headed Home,
which was, that's a new one and I've never played it out before.
So that was with Kathy K Wallace, who's an amazing
songwriter. So that was cool that I got to
do that for the first time. Based on what I heard, it sounds
like New England country music needs to get you some
nominations. Hey, New England Country music.

(50:45):
You heard it from Josh Maddie. I didn't say nothing.
Yeah, that'd be amazing. I was nominated years ago.
I think it was 2019. I want to say it was for a new
country artist and I was nominated.
It was my first year kind of going out and playing, so I was
just excited to even be nominated.
And I think that's been it ever since I was nominated for

(51:09):
Georgia Music Award back in 2020, I believe, or 2019 and
didn't win it. But again, best new country
artist. That was a really cool
nomination. So I would love to be nominated
for something. Yeah, that'd be fun.
You definitely deserve it. You're super talented and you
you're so busy and doing a juggling all this stuff, so you

(51:29):
deserve some recognition. Thank you.
I appreciate that we have. We have such a plethora of
talented people out here. So I know it's super hard for
the committee to even choose nominations in the 1st place, so
just to be considered would be really awesome.
Yeah, I feel like even just since 2019, the country music
scene in New England has evolvedlike times a million.

(51:51):
Yeah, I think it's just because also it's the demand, right?
Because when I was first starting out and only wanting to
do country, that was sort of frowned upon.
Pop was still really big. And everyone's like, don't you
want to be like a pop artist? And I was like, no, I really
love older Americana, country music, which is now what we call
Americana, right? Because country is kind of split
into so many things. It's not just country anymore.

(52:14):
I think that that level of talent is rising to meet the
demand basically because now country is cool and everybody
wants to listen to country. So I think there is a huge
market for that and people are tapping into it.
Now everybody's packing GilletteStadium to watch Morgan, Wallin
and Dronk. Yeah I know.
I I was not at that concert but I think there is over 300,000

(52:37):
people if I'm correct. Yeah, the the merch looked that
they were selling for that show looked crazy.
I was like, I would have gone maybe just for some of the
merch. Oh, speaking for merch wasn't
what you make in the hat place. That was at Country on Deck.
I think they were there. Oh, yeah, I saw that.
She was, she was there. Yeah.
She she was like selling hats inthe parking lot.
Yeah, the lot 5 for some hats. That was amazing.

(53:00):
What you did is bringing them in.
What you make in was awesome. I still wear my hat almost every
day. It says bless your heart.
Awesome. Yeah.
I was amazed at how quickly, like I picked out my patch and
picked out the hat and then likeinstant, I was like how that was
quick, like the patch got thrownon there and it was really good
quality. Yeah, this is, this is great.
Yeah, it's super good quality. I love my hat.

(53:22):
I did like a Navy blue and I putthe silver chain and it's got a
heart and it says bless your heart.
Absolutely. It's an amazing business.
So thanks for bringing them. That was fun to meet them.
And it sounds like they're at most country concerts in New
England. Yeah, it looks like they have a
pretty packed, packed schedule. They definitely brought that
like extra vibe of Nashville forus.
That Oh, for sure. Yeah.

(53:43):
That's what I'm saying. It just feels like Nashville in
in Connecticut. Well, I'm happy.
You're, you're picking up on that and, and you can see the
like everything that we're doing.
I appreciate it. Yeah, it's a feeling though,
because you can do everything and it doesn't work out.
But you guys have something really good going, so I'm
excited to just even come and watch next time.
That'd be cool, yeah. If you're available, come on out

(54:04):
and maybe even play again at some point.
Yeah, I would love to play againsome point.
Is it September 13th? Is the next time right?
September 10th. September 10th September 10th
Y'all need to go to Country on deck.
Oh man, that's awesome. I'll be rooting for you going
forward. I hope everybody goes and listen
to all your songs on the on the listening platforms and and

(54:26):
start supporting you. Thank you, Josh.
Thanks so much for having me. And again, thank you so much for
what you're doing with Country on Deck.
I appreciate it. That's going to do it for this
week's episode. Thank you so much to Sophia for
making some time for us coming on the podcast after playing the
Country on Deck Writers round. We had so much fun catching up

(54:49):
with her and thank you, Sophia, for all the nice things you said
about your experience with country on deck.
That that really does mean the world to me.
I, I just such such nice thing she said that was that was
awesome. You can learn more about Sophia
Lee Davis. Head to our Instagram account at
Country on deck and you'll be able to link to her social

(55:09):
media. You can also search her name on
all listening platforms and findall of her music on on Apple and
Spotify. Go support Sophia Lee Davis.
Isn't she great? Isn't she great?
Go go check out all her music. We'll be back next Friday with
another rising country star on the show talking.

(55:31):
We'll be talking to somebody else next week, so make sure you
hit that follow button so you don't miss it on on the platform
of your choice. Again, head to our Instagram
account. Show up at our round on on
September 10th. If you heard, if you were
listening earlier, you know thatwe're giving away some tickets
for Mohegan Sun Thanks to Mohegan Sun November 15th,

(55:52):
Warren Zeider's tickets attend our next round and and check out
all these talented artists and and maybe win some tickets.
We're back next week and I can'twait for it until then.
Thanks so much for for listening.
I'm Josh Maddie, and this is country on Deck.

(56:16):
Kick off your boots and settle in country on this.
About to be in Josh Maddie's here.
Stars on the rise, voices of hope dreams in their eyes singer
songwriters stories on phone. Heart the wonder hearts that a

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bone does he Rhodes, she writes.Angelines captures her journey,
shares their fights. Country on this We're turning in
where the new star stories are coming in and the small town

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dreams they're gonna take you away.
Country on day with drunk man 8.Thank you so much for listening
the Country on Deck with Josh Maddie.
Josh is back at his desk every Thursday talking with a new
country artist, so make sure youhit that follow button whenever
you're listening so you don't miss an interview.

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Follow country on deck on socialmedia.
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