#178 - Judah from Judah and the Lion on his favorite TV Shows, new music and Weezer

Judah from Judah and the Lion stops by to talk about their new music from their album "Pep Talks". We find out about Judah's athletic upbringing and how he met the guys from the band in college. Judah talks about the success of their song "Take It All Back", touring with Twenty One Pilots, Weezer and some of his favorite TV shows and music, 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
All about to hop into the episode with Judah from
Judah and the Lion, which we just finished a bit ago.
But I will say this about the guy. He was
here early. It was like fifteen minutes early, and he
was like, is that okay? And fifteen minutes before the
show starts, I'm already up here, just kind of sitting.
And we love it when people are early. And it's
also a weird spot because traffic is always terrible around

(00:21):
here and we record a lot of these at five pm.
So the fact that he was early, yeah, I know that. No,
that I was. I was pretty happy with the situation
whenever the show starts. But um, I really like Judea
in The Lion. I really like Judah, and they came
in on the radio show a couple of months ago
home whenever that Casey song I just come out and
they came in. So um, we'll get to that coming
up in a second. Let me again recommend Get Real

(00:45):
with Caroline Hobby, which if you like music, and I
suspect you do if you're sitting here. She has a
fantastic podcast where she talks to um a lot of
the spouses of country music stars, which is a pretty
interesting angle and one of the last ones. She it
was Taylor Young, wife of Brett Young. Abby Smires, who's
Dan Smyers his wife from Dan and Shay is a

(01:06):
good one. Caroline Brian Luke Bryan's wife is really good.
And I don't know when it's going up or maybe
it has already, but I know Thomas rets wife. It
comes out tomorrow, so it'll be Monday because we're putting
this up on Sunday, So um tomorrow or you're probably
hearing this whenever you here name there is a one
with that Thomas Schutt's wife. Um, Laura Aikins, Laura Akin Laura. Yeah,

(01:30):
there you go. Um, So we check that out. Get
Real with Caroline Hobby would love for you to check
that out. Amy's podcast Four Things with Amy Brown. If
you're into sports, Lunchbox, Ray Mundo and Eddie have the
Sore Losers podcast, and I guess that's it. You can
check out me. I'll be on tour all this fall
doing comedy and music. It's the Raging Idiots. It's Eddie

(01:53):
and myself, UM with Walker Burrows from American Idol and
m mclein and come out to a show and half
and we're actually practicing today whenever you came here where
we were, Yeah, playing, are finishing it up. You know,
we've written a couple of funny songs, and so it's
gonna be music and comedy. And you got a Raging
Idiots dot com and you can get tickets and come
out and see us wherever you are, if you're in

(02:14):
Austin or Chicago or Louisville or everywhere in between. Well
not everywhere, but a lot of a lot of where.
All Right, here we go. Here's the next episode with
Judah from Judah in the Line and welcome to episode
one with Jude. I don't know your last name was Acres.
I didn't know that was your last name. Is that
a public? I guess it's public I found on the internet.

(02:38):
I did. I thought of maybe like Judah in the
Lion like that. I didn't know his Acres though. And
what's funny is before I was really um knowing that
your band was a thing. I've known your uncle for
a long time. Who um. Obviously now at this point
Gator is our station program director, but he's your uncle,

(02:59):
and he'd be like, man, my nephew is in a
band going places and I would be like, come on, everybody.
Everybody's got a cousin or a nephew or something in
some sort of musical group in this town that's going places.
And I'll be daring if he wasn't right, and then
um here here you guys are. Do you guys feel
like now that the band is actually like like piercing
the consciousness, because that's if you can do that. I mean,

(03:22):
that's tough to actually be something that kind of matters. Yeah,
And I think that's what we're all kind of kind
of striving to do, but it's hard because there are
so many people doing it. Do you feel like the
band now is kind of hit that place where people
like the music in generals like I'm curious what you
do the Lions are doing? Yeah, I think especially we
felt that with the release of this record, and it

(03:45):
was the first time I felt like personally that there
was a genuine like energy or like a genuine kind
of hype around what we were doing, just because with
each record, for better or for worse, like each record
kind of has like a new flavor, new sound, or
a new kind of perspective on the music that we
make and in our goal as a band has always

(04:05):
been like that. We would just sound more and more
like Jude in the Line with each records, so whatever
that means. UM, So yeah, it does feel good to
um to have people enough to care about you know,
what you have coming next or what you're doing, and
in that way it can you can kind of create
this excitement. There's always that shift in interviews where for
a long time you're begging to be interviewed and then
there's a turn where the interviewers and then begging you

(04:29):
to interview you. And so are you feeling now, like
with a lot we'll just say radio or even the
streaming platforms like they're like, oh, this is really cool
June and the Alliance coming by. For a long time
it was like, oh, we have talked to Jude in
the line. Whoever this is because there is that shift.
Do you feel like you're on the second side of
that now, I don't know, We'll see. We we love
working hard and we love we love I mean, as
weird as it sounds, and I know some bands kind

(04:50):
of hate it, but we really don't. Actually kind of
love the personal side of getting to know people at
radio or getting to know people on the streaming side
or I don't know, kind of being involved with that
quote unquote business side of what we do. Um. So
I think the more and more we visit places, even
for us, it becomes like we're just coming in and

(05:10):
talking to our friend Bobby, not like this like weird
kind of introduction. It's like I've no, I've We've met
a few times now. So now that barrier or whatever
that we feel, hopefully it's kind of been broken a
little bit, which we were starting to feel a little bit.
Let's up with the lion, Like, let's just go basic,
like what's up with the line? Like was that a
youth thing before you met the two dudes? It was

(05:31):
actually my mom. Okay, I wanted to be a rapper
when I was a five year old kid, which we
all did. I was like right when, like you know,
some shady was kind of doing his thing, and I
just was obsessed with like fifty cent growing up. And um, anyways,
not that I'm necessarily proud of that now, but um,
shout out to my heroes. But yeah, I had this
like notebook and UM, and I would like write like

(05:54):
these horrible poems. I called him poems or lyrics and
then my mom was like, I think she overheard me
as like a little kid kind of like trying to
rap or whatever. And um, the encouraging mom that that
she was and is, she said, well, if you're ever
actually in a real group, you can just call it
the line of Judah um, which that comes from the
Old testaent Bible Bible. Um. But at the time I
wasn't thinking Old Testament. I was just like, oh, that's tough,

(06:16):
you know, like lions or whatever. Um. But when we
when we came up with the band, like when we
started it was it wasn't even like we really didn't
even like have intentions of starting a band. I had
these songs that I was writing at the time playing
college baseball, and um, what was really wanting to just
record these songs for myself, just to document kind of

(06:37):
the season of life that I was in. And then
when I met Nat and Brian, They're like, we want
to make this a band, Like we think that this
is just more than just documenting these songs. And um,
so the name selfishly Judah in the line kind of
came in. And then Nate and Brian were very hairy
at that point as well. Brian had like physically long hair,
and then Nate has the beard that he's always had.

(06:59):
So the Lion just kind of fit. So are they
now seen as the two guys that make up the Lion?
Like the Blowfish? And even though it really wasn't a
thing like Hoodie and the Blowfish, they really it really wasn't.
There was no Hoodie, there were no Blowfish, but people
assumed that Darius was Hoodie and the rest of the
guys were the Blowfish. And I assume if people are like, oh, well,
you're judea YouTube must be the Lion. Yeah, and they

(07:21):
kind of fight over it, which is sick. I'm make
him with each interview kind of do like a little
arm wrestler. This fight for it. And you guys met
in college. Yeah, university shout out. So you go to
music school though, Yeah, I went to muse the business.
And so your goal or maybe your degree goal was
to do what study and learn how to do? I

(07:41):
love songwriting, um, but for me as a songwriter, I
almost don't like I didn't want to study it as
maybe as ignorant and as shallows. That sounds like I
just didn't want my songwriting to be necessarily boxed into
this kind of formula or just because X and Y verse,
you know, get to the course in thirty seconds or

(08:03):
whatever the rules are. Um, I just I don't know.
I didn't want to put like a box around songwriting.
So I wanted to be around music and music business.
And I was on a baseball scarship which helped. Um.
But yeah, that the goal was to do songwriting in
some capacity. And uh, I've never really aspired to be
an artist. I didn't. I didn't think. I mean just maybe,

(08:25):
um just transparently, like, I never really thought that I
was I had enough talent really to be an artist
or to like to start a band or whatever. It
was like, why would anybody want to listen to music
outside of my uncle? Um? But it's really cool. But wait,
so you could sing? Though I could sing, I was
quit kid. I would love. Let me get this straight.

(08:46):
You dance and you sing, and you play a dancer
as you That's not true. Listen. You dance and you
sing and you play ball and you're a big boy.
How big are you? Well? Actually, just gotta my first
physical other day, and I think I've grown an it.
But I'm gonna say six too. This is. This is
why I don't really have a lot of like a town,

(09:06):
because you get all of them. I think I was
like skipped over and you had So you're a ball
player and a singer. Which what were you known like
in high school? Then? What was the main thing that
they knew you for? The basket? I was basketball player
in high school. You were not even a baseball player.
You're a basketb I was like I honestly it was
like Zach zac Efron of like like one coat had

(09:28):
like the basketball thing and another Coade was like singer.
So what were you like? A two guard? I was
a two guard. I was just I was kind of
the classic just shoot it. And you had good size
at six too as a two guard. That's pretty good.
So why did you choose bad? Why did you just
baseball over basketball? Well? I got offered to walk on
at Belmont UM. Then I got offered or I I

(09:48):
could have potentially played at IV League school to play basketball. Um.
I don't think I was smart enough to go to
IVY League school, and I didn't really want to go
to Dartmouth UM. And I always wanted to do music,
and Bell just kind of had that flavor Um, and
I honestly just fell in love with a baseball program
at Belmont, so they said, you can come walk on basketball,
go to school here. You were that get of a

(10:09):
basketball player. I mean I was you at the time.
So what are we talking about? Average per game? Like
my senior year? Yeah, like, oh my goodness, he was
twenty What what class ball was this? It was five
A cooka high school used to average over twenty points
a game and five A five basketball. Good god, I
shot it a lot, though, I'm amazed right now that

(10:34):
those are some heavy numbers. It was. It was a
fun time. I really missed the game of basketball probably,
I mean, honestly, I miss it more than baseball. I
really missed basketball. So you scored over twenty points a
game as a senior in high school? Five A ball?
Where'd you go to high school? Cookball high school? Just
right up the road? And I said, that is just stupid.
That's just stupid that you were that good. Yeah, you
ball too, right, No, not like you know, it's not

(10:55):
the same. It's just not. I was a decent baseball player,
and I played football a little bit, but I didn't
have eyes either. Um, then you played baseball what did
you play in baseball position? I was I was there
to hit, essentially. I Um, I found out really quickly.
I didn't have a great arm for that D one
level and played first base my freshman year. Is right
right handed, and actually, honestly, for a D one first baseman,

(11:16):
it was kind of small. It's like most first basemans.
I feel like that D one level were like six
well it was six two to like six seven or whatever.
But um, yeah, I played first base and d H
d H my freshman sophomore year, and and then I
played first base my junior and senior year of high school. College.
You played all four years of baseball college? Did good? God,

(11:37):
why is this guy even here? What is happening right
now that you think you may be the most talented
person to come and sit it? And I talked to everybody,
this is crazy. It's so funny. I love that you're
in like the sports die hearts. I did a national
sports show for a long time. I'm just a sports nerd.
But again, just let me just roll back to high
school for a second. So, um, do you have for

(11:58):
average in high school? Uh? Yeah, like two eighty guy,
Well maybe more in high school I think I was
more like like it was like four hundred or whatever,
but you know, it's high school. I'm gonna wrap this
interview up and I was gonna go play ball. Would
you do? Um? Bringing on? So? Okay, So you have
four hundred in high school like on a good like

(12:20):
junior and senior year, but you're also probably when I
when I was a guest in two eight, I was
imagine because you were taking some big cuts, but you're
taking big cuts. Also hit four hundred. That was more
like college college like coming home j senior in high
school just roughly, I don't remember. I was a doubles
guy in high school. I became more of a home
and in college I just didn't have that power. Dude.

(12:42):
So you're playing baseball in college and you're you're figuring
out music or you kind of have found your spot
and you know it and you know that's long term,
still definitely figuring out. I somebody had this quote that
that really marked me in instead, if if you come
to Nashville or you come to Belmont, you can allow
music to do two things to You can either allow

(13:02):
it to intimidate you or to inspire you. And I
think my first couple of years was definitely I was
allowing it to kind of intimidate me. And um, just
because even like even like the bubble the Belmont University
is that everybody from every town that's in the music industry,
whether they're into commercial vocals or um guitar or whatever

(13:23):
they're studying, it's like the most skilled, you know players around.
So you like kind of jump in there as like
a you know, a baseball player or whatever, and it's
like you can't hang with, you know, people that went
on to do really well in like American Idol, and
so it's just kind of like it's that culture. And
so I think when I really started just kind of
all allow the people around me to inspire me and

(13:45):
to kind of push me was when I think I
really started to kind of found my voice. But that
was like later on probably my junior senior year. Now
we'll talk about a literal voice. So you're in high
school and you're singing in choir, but what kind of
are you singing? Um, it's like singing songs at the
church choir or like high school high school choir. Yeah,
and then uh yeah, I started up Planet Church like that.
That was when Um, I kind of started finding I

(14:08):
guess like more of like a It's kind of funny
because you hate to say like performance, but you know
you're in front of people and you're singing songs. Um,
It's definitely not about the performance. It's more about you know,
church and and God. Um. But definitely that that kind
of started my my freshman year of high school. You
grew up pretty religious? I did. Yeah, big big Jesus lovers. Um.

(14:30):
Religion was kind of a weird word to use in
our in our family, like we never really saw God
as like a set of rules or like an agenda
that we needed to follow. Um. I always just have
focused on the love of God and what how that
can kind of um drive us as human beings rather
than it be like the fear factor version of God,
which a lot of people um and naturally can kind

(14:53):
of find themselves into depending on what church or whatever
you go to. But it was always just about loving,
loving God and allowing my heart to kind of let
him living back. Let me walk through this. You finished
high school, you go to college, your baseball player, you're
probably playing gregg basketball to a dominating stupid not dominating Yeah,
playing Uh, you're you're you're you're figuring out the music thing.

(15:14):
When do you go, Well, I've now decided that my
career is in music and this is what I'm going
to pursue. I think this switch happened um for me.
My really, when I met the guys, I was still
kind of singing and writing songs and um, but I
just hadn't found like that aha moment where do you sing? Um?

(15:36):
I saying, I still was still singing in church. Um.
Were you around Nashville at all and sing any places here? No?
It was mostly just like like I kind of said
it was, it was mostly to myself like um, and
like through church or whatever outlet. Um, there was what
we were singing all the time, you know, there was
always like an event or whatever. Um. But when I
met the dudes, it was December of two thousand eleven.

(15:58):
I think it was like kind of like right before
Christmas break um, my junior year. That was when it
was like I met the dudes and I called my mom.
It's kind of like, UM, it's like you know when
you meet your wife or whatever, and it's like some
people it's like the first day like call them mom
or whatever. Um, it was kind of that similar kind

(16:19):
of type feeling. I'm very heart driven, very feelings oriented.
Um and I just had a feeling and I called
my mom like crying. I was like, Mom, I really
think that this is like the sound that feels like
it's coming from something that's bigger or whatever. And and
at the time, we were just kind of making these
like folk bluegrass kind of type songs, like quirky songs

(16:40):
or whatever. How do you meet both of them at
the same time, though, So what's kind of interesting, Like
my um my roommate at the time my junior year
randomly new Nate. Nate was honestly kind of a figure
around campus. Um. Everybody thought he was homeless. That's when
beards weren't very trendy. Like it was like, oh my gosh,
who's at quirky kid? That's very sweet to everybody on

(17:03):
campus or whatever in UM, so I called I just
simply called him up and I was like, dude, you
don't know me. You like, I'm just a baseball player.
I just want to jam out with you. Which that's
kind of a common thing that's like around Belmont. It's
like to kind of go for a jam or whatever.
With people, um, and I always like, dude, if you
have anybody that's in your wheelhouse that kind of plays

(17:24):
similarly or you've been playing with, bring them along. And
so it was their sophomore and freshman year and we
met up for like some lunch and essentially wouldn't like
played through some songs and it was like, I think
it was kind of over for all of us. We
just there was something like palpable that you know, it
wasn't like crafted well crafted, but it was just kind

(17:45):
of like raw and organic and it just felt felt right.
So the sound that you guys have, and I'm curious
when you can trust that with the sound that you
guys had, then you're in a room and you're playing
let's like three months after this first meeting, Like what
kind of what is And I don't even know that
it's Judea the Lion yet, but what is? What? What?
What's the sound that you guys were rolling within? It
was very like folk like like we wore like top

(18:11):
hats and like we wore suspenders and stuff and our
it was more like the Lane of Americana probably fit
in and more kind of unlike nothing was crafted like
it was. It was just rang and honestly was just
kind of raw us. It was. It was just the
banjo of the mandolin, and we had a cello at

(18:32):
the time, and we had a female vocalist and and so,
and we were very inspired by like what was going
on in the folk scene then the women Ears and
Mumford were just kind of starting out. And Um honestly
didn't even listen to womin Ears or Mumford until people
started kind of comparing or whatever, and then I was like, Oh,
these guys are sick or whatever. So it was definitely
more kind of in that. I mean, I had a
kick drum that I played, um while playing the guitar,

(18:54):
So it was kind of just stripped shipped back, UM
more kind of simple. I guess did they see it
is a long term band solution live plan? Dude? Nate.
Nate dropped out of school like three months after we met.
He was like this is it? Oh, he was into it.
He was like this is it? Like he like out

(19:17):
of every all of us, all three of us, um,
he was the one that just kind of believed, like
from the kick out, that this was going to be something. Um.
I think for me it was like I I love music,
and I loved writing and I love performing. Um, but
like I said, I was like, I don't, I don't.
I don't know if it's like cocky for me to
think that people would want to, like, I don't know,

(19:38):
he would want to come and like watch me sing
my own songs. And I think there's a healthy arrogance
and I would say ego to it, because I have
I struggle with that still today, Like who is going
to one spend the morning listen to me talking on
the radio, or to come out and pay, you know,
forty bucks for a ticket to watch me to stand up?
And I'm like, so I really think I'm good enough

(19:58):
that people will dedicate their time and their money to.
It's a weird things and I've struggled with that. It's
funny to hear you say that too, So that was
going on in your head? Yeah, I was. Maybe it
was more practical for me. I was like, this is
not gonna happen, like, you know, we're more likely to
get struck by lightning for this thing to like really go.
And yeah, I think Nate was like right away. I

(20:20):
think Brian was kind of a little bit later. Um, yeah,
I think I think it was after a little bit
of pushing and some of the shows that were out
of town that really started to even if they were
small crowds, you could kind of fill the passion in
the room or whatever to have kind of like really
loyal fans. That was when it was like, oh, this

(20:43):
might actually be like something that people can attach themselves to.
Where do the fans build from it? First? Like, how
did the word get out about you guys? I would
say mostly was mostly college uh, like Athens, Georgia. That's
like will always be like when evoured we we um.
We booked this show we I was on I had
a mandatory n C a like weekend off or whatever.

(21:05):
They they're like you can't practice or play games, blah
blah blah dead week um. And so we booked this
show and our managers at the time was like, you
guys are stupid for booking this show. We were only
we were booking our own things. We actually like had like, um,
we made up like our own voice for an agent.
I would just clear a call and be like hey
this is so and so, like representing to the line

(21:26):
or whatever. And we booked this room was like seven
cap Rain or whatever, which we had no business booking
looking back, um, but we are managers. Was like this
is stupid, like it's not gonna work or whatever. And anyways,
we get there and the show sold out somehow, we
don't know how, Like there was this, um a friend Kate,
that's a friend now that kind of like helped us

(21:47):
promote it kind of naturally, and somehow people were singing
the songs. And I just will never forget that moment
of being like, oh, we're not like in Nashville where
our friends kind of reluctantly come to this shows, or
like our moms are showing up or whatever. It was
like these are real people, like they paid ten bucks
or whatever they get get into this show. And it

(22:07):
was like from then on it kind of it just
felt like it kind of spread organically, like amongst the college. UM.
Belmont was was such an like a beautiful kind of
way too, because all you have all these people that
obviously come in from everywhere, um, but then they spread
out in the summer and so you would have you

(22:29):
go play the shows in Georgia. We played at Bell
Monard University of Arkansas, Texas, or a lot of our
hometowns like Chicago, Nates from Klara Springs, I'm from Cookeville. Um,
and then it just felt like it kind of started
spreading kind of organically after that. Were they download of
the music on iTunes at the time, like, how are
the well that that's another thing we that was right
before the whole streaming thing like really started. Um, I

(22:52):
think that that was kind of starting. But um, we
actually gave away our record for free on Noise Trade. UM.
That what what Noise Trade did at the time, um
is they would essentially give your record away for free. Um,
but you would get an email in a turn, and
so as a new band, like emails were like like
an email address to send to someone to market I'm

(23:12):
coming to your town. And how many songs do you
put up on this Noise Trade? Like six songs? It's
like just an ep any of them? Any good that
you look like now and go? I think could still
survived today. I think there's a song called Backskins the
Wall that we still play. UM. Sweet Tennessee was on
that record that sometimes it gets played at the University
of Tennessee football game. So there's there's some songs that

(23:33):
are like even though we were young and still in college.
It still feels like us. Um, like you would hear
the song and be like, oh yeah, that sounds like
Judo in the line. Like five years ago or whatever.
What was the situation like with you as living were
you living together now where all three of your roommates
were all still separate? So Nate Nate was homeless. Um,
this is kind of funny looking back. Nate was like

(23:56):
he chose to be homeless essentially, Like he was does
I mean homeless though? He's just like lived on friends
flours and it's always been like a traveler. So like
he would go and just for a week if he
had a friend like in Fayetteville or whatever. You'd be like, Hey,
can I go sleep in your couch for a week
or whatever? We have these weeks off? Um, Me and
Brian actually shared a bed in the room like a

(24:18):
room that we were at. Um. So it was just
kind of like we were always together and had no money,
had like we were, you know, living off of like
grilled cheese and raman or whatever. What were you driving
around uh in my high school jeep wrangler and so
you were cramming it full of everything? Oh no, we were,
we have we had cletus the van, like we uh

(24:40):
we bought her. Uh, we just sold her. So that's
kind of emotional me talking about clus But we bought
her as soon as we could afford that the debt
or whatever. And we were We lived in that fifteen
passenger white van for six years. Who drives, we all
do definitely a different flavor though. It's like it's so

(25:04):
funny you can tell like where each person is from
based off the where they drive. Very interesting where they drive,
how they drive. Yeah, so Brian from Chicago, remember like
driving him with him the first time in the fifteen
passenger and it was so scary. He is just like
he's on a mission. We're in the car. If he's driving,
it's like we're gonna get there as fast as we can.

(25:27):
Um for me, like I'm a cookbook kid and so
like I remember crossing into like the Northeast for the
first time and people like honking at us because we're
in a white van with a trailer and I don't
know how to drive it. Um actually my uncle's trailer,
which is um kind of funny thing back. But yeah,
just like getting honked dead in the South, like it

(25:47):
ruins your day, Like I remember being like so bummed
going into our show in Phillygees because I made like
three or four people like super upset the way there.
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(26:09):
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I was reading some stuff about you guys early on
when you guys basically played a lot acoustic, but then
when you started to go a bit electric. It reminded
me because I'm a I'm not a huge Dylan fan,
but I'm a Bob Dylan historian, and that I read
everything about him and that angered a lot of people

(28:19):
when he flipped and played electric. And not to compare
the two and say that you're like Bob Dylan, but
that situation is similar. Was that a thing where some
people were getting irrited? You guys were kind of switching
the style a bit, like after we came out with
Foul Cop and Row, which is our previous record, Like
the first couple weeks, like I needed I had to
get off the internet because like people were just our

(28:40):
old fans were like so piste off and like I
didn't know why we would add distortion to the banjo,
didn't know why we we needed or we felt they
need to add like some hip hop flavors and then
adding the synth and UM doing some like weird things
to my vocal just kind of for the fun. UM

(29:00):
it was like it was for It was like honestly,
like look at each other. After a month, we're like, man,
we might be done as a band. And I remember
one of our musical mentors he did text me that
he said, you know, like after he heard the new
record before we released it, he texted me and was like,
this is going to make a lot of people upset.

(29:21):
But just like UM and and obviously at a very
different level, just like when Doing changed over to electric
it made a lot of people upset. But you have
to do what you have to do UM for your
creative flows and for you to move forward and what
you think that the band's going. And so UM. I
guess about four or five months after it was when

(29:41):
it really started to actually pick up and it was
kind of getting into the ears. It took a while, Yeah,
and for a while did you feel like, oh man,
maybe we didn't do the right like dang, we're quitting music,
like we're done. UM, But yeah, that there was there
was kind of like a palpable moment of just like, oh,
people now are like really get it and kind of

(30:01):
understand that. You know, that's that's kind of who we
are as a band. We want to kind of change
and grow, and hopefully with each record we can do that.
I'm gonna play a little bit of take it all
back here. Here's that. By the way, three Weeks has
a number one song. How about that? Amazing um massive

(30:26):
fan of you guys in the song, But I just
I hear you and I'm like, what if you get
a cold? Like how did you sing like that? When
you get a cold? Are you get allergy? Like you
live in the allergy capital of freaking North America. I
think that helps, honestly, be being out on the road
because you're like more you're kind of better at defending
it than maybe other places. Uh, a little cold is

(30:50):
actually better for me. That That's like my hotspot from
my book. Always like if we're going into the studio,
it's like you're looking not all the door knobs, like
if you just look in at hold. I was like,
cough on, hey, can you cough for me just a
little bit? But yeah, if it's it's too much, it's
too much, especially for some of the I like kind
of having like this punk rock flavor, like for the

(31:12):
live show, which is more kind of like aggressive and
screaming at times and whatever. Um So, it definitely helps
when you have a healthy voice. I'm assuming this song
was a big Tony point for you guys as far
as just feeling love from not only your die hards
it's been there forever, but new fans just come piling
in right. Yes, this song, uh was a part of
that transition that I was talking about about six months

(31:34):
was when it really kind of started to happen and
people it felt like new listeners kind of understood what
we were doing in a way that we had an
experienced up until that point in the record record cycle.
Um So this this song especially kind of lifted lifted
it up in three weeks at number one, not just one.

(31:55):
Do you watch the charts, You're like, Oh, we're getting close, boys,
We're getting close. That's the thing that I love being
involved on the business side of what we do, and
I love like pushing our team and I'm more like
I love that side was like as well as the
creative um but I try to look at the charts.
I just try to like, um, I think the last

(32:17):
thing that I would want to do for like for
creativity or for writing songs is to be thinking about
what would work on the chart and rather than it
just coming from a creative outlet that doesn't have like
any barriers or any kind of I don't know. Yeah,
but are you watching as it's climbing and you're like, oh,
we're definitely watching because it happened on Christmas Day? Yeah,
we like, uh, I guess I don't know whenever the

(32:39):
chart went active, like I guess it was after the
New Year's or whatever, um, but we found out on
Christmas Day that it it wasn't mean like the number one um.
And then they have the two weeks to follow, which
it was really really cool. Do you know what's long?
Replace you guys? I don't who dethroned you after three weeks?
Probably some like it's not like the same game at thrones.

(32:59):
What we were holding out that you're saying their name
over and over again until you can know. I don't.
I don't have that much animosity towards whoever de thrilled this.
I had a number four song here Suit and Jacket

(33:24):
talking about that one for a second. So this this
song was actually written um and pretty I was going
through like a lot of new stuff life. I Uh,
my first nephew was born and I got to go
meet meet the little dude out in California and I
was just such an amazing moment. And then follow that
up about a month later, my grandpa was very close

(33:45):
with like suddenly passed away from a pretty aggressive form
of lung cancer. Um. And then one of my best
friend from high school after like almost like three weeks
after my grandpa passed, he passed with a pretty aggressive
form of like leukemia. UM. And I've been around you know,
new life at that point, but not to the extent
it where it's like my nephew. It's just like it
kind of feels like my own flesh and blood. I

(34:07):
don't have children yet, but it just it was just surreal,
like holding him and then to walk out, UM through too.
I'm very close with Blake, Blake and and FAF my
my grandpa and I had never been around like death.
That was I guess like the week before like they
kind of knew, you know, it was like the doctor can.

(34:27):
I was like, you don't have you know much um,
time left and with both instances, we were about to
go out out on the road, and so I I
went and visited both of them respectively at different times,
and um, it was just such like a marketing, very
marking experience to to talk with two people that were
going through like what it looks like to pass and

(34:48):
um it was very like beautiful and sad and painful.
And UM, I think with with student Jacket, it's kind
of like a dramatic instrow to and Jacket, But I
think it was just like we wanted the right a
song that was like it was kind of like one
of those ah ha moments of like why are we
doing this? Like why are we making music? Why? Um,

(35:12):
it's not about like becoming famous or the fluff for
making a lot of money or whatever, Like we wanted
to get to mean something and so like I don't
know that this song a lot kind of instills like that,
like what are we doing with life? Like what are
what are our listeners doing with your life? I don't
care if you're gonna count it, if you're Bobby Bones,

(35:33):
if you're a doctor, if you're an artist, Like we
all need to get after life because we're not promised
tomorrow and so, um, I think that's what I learned
so much through that. And what would I tell my
little nephew about life? Um? And I think that is
just to get after it. I get a little bit
more of this. What do you list? So we have

(35:58):
we have our first set, um, like really first set
with the new stuff and some of the old stuff.
This is gonna be like I think it's gonna be
mid midway. What do you always a good um? Icebrigger? Uh,
We're still gonna end what they get all back right now.
What's what's interesting about that song is I guess you
guys had written it and you played it for like
a like a year and a half or something before

(36:18):
you ever cut it two years before the two years
and so you kept playing it and you guys as
people will be like, yo, where the song? Yeah yeah,
and you're like, we only got it yet. It's kind
of like what Luke Combs just did with being Never
Broke My Heart Now, like, hey, put up the So
you finally make this and by the way, after two
years of building, it's like, how do we cut this

(36:40):
thing exactly? Right? Like people? It was very hard, yeah, yeah,
and it had it had such a cool live feel.
But we obviously like when people listen to the record,
they want to hear it from a record, not like
the live version. Um. So it was fun to kind
of actually mixed mix and match um because up to
that point, like we've never recorded up to this last record,
never recorded anything to click. Um. So if you add

(37:04):
kind of the popular or whatever elements to a thing
that's not on a grid, you know, it becomes really hard.
But um in the vocals, like the live part of
this is actually part of the live show, right, Like
you took some of them singing you put it on
this track. Yeah, we had four We essentially had our
three iPhones just at the at the front of the
stage and had people sing um the chorus or whatever,

(37:26):
which was really fun. It was back in my hometown
cook Folle. We had we did like a outside show there.
It was it was cool. They have a sign for
you yet like hometown Cookville, Tennessee, hometown of Judah, anyone
else from your hometown famous? Yeah, rich frowning, rich frowning.
Oh um, he's uh, he's like to fit it. He's

(37:46):
been like the fittest man on earth four or five times.
He's like like a body the CrossFit. Yeah, like the
weight lifter guy. He's essentially I don't know if he's
only seen I've seen that guy in ESPN. Yeah, he
took me as he's like, he's like kind of the
face of cross fit. Okay, but arguably I would say
that so far you're winning. Anyone else. I'm just seeing
who's gonna be on the sign, Like if they got

(38:07):
to pick a sign, so far, I think it's you, Judah, No,
it's definitely rich. It's it's you and a guy doing curls.
So what so what in Nashville. You're married. I've been
for how long I'm married? Yeah, going on four years.
It's crazy. What do you guys do for fun? Like,
what's what's the what's the thing. We Well, we have
a dog, new dog. So we love going to the
parks now, um, whether it be Shelby Park or uh

(38:29):
Severe whatever and just like walk around with with our
our puppy. We love um like going out to dinner
and going to get coffee like Crama or Steadfast or
barrista parlor wherever people get coffee. Um, we we love
all that stuff. We love the community that we have
kind of around. We love like growing out and doing

(38:50):
the thing. It's like, for me, home is such a
I'm kind of a natural. Like naturally, I'm kind of
a home body. Um So for me, home is just
so much about doing the simple things like cooking and
um walking your dog and just being with your wife.
You work out, I saw it, that's that same thing.
It's not the same thing. That's why I said I
would just saw it every day and never work out

(39:12):
of my kid. I'd just be like, but we all
aren't as genetically blessed you, so would your dad, big dude? Yeah,
kind of it was an athlete. He was an athlete. Yeah,
what do you do sportswise like he played? He played.
He was really a basketball player. Yeah, I'm so jealous.
I'm jealous. You have all the skills. I saw those

(39:32):
running videos of either day with your shirt off you look.
You know what those running videos they made fun of
me because I like swing my hands in a very
feminine way when I run. So I'm glad you bring
that up because I'm running. Like Hey, Like I get
like I've donna called the internet or so mean, but
they keep us honest too, So I don't look at Facebook.
I can't because it's just Facebook. You guys, you just

(39:55):
got Instagram. They're like in December. Yeah, well we kind
of did the whole like go way thing and then
came back. When when did the band's page start? Uh?
Yeah a few years ago when we started, and then
you shut it down, shut it down, and we we
wanted this record to be kind of dramatic, so we
did the Taylor Swift shutdown things and they came back,
it off and then brought it all back. I do

(40:17):
run a little feminine, would you? Probably pretty Maskelyn Runner? Huh?
He probably run by and the like that's a man's
man right there. Maybe No, I might have some some
quirkiness there too. How did you meet your wife? She
was a songwriting major at Belmont um and yeah, just
through through school. We met just throw our friend group
and that was another it was on for me when

(40:39):
I when after the first day, it was like, it's over.
I gotta convince this girl I don't really like me?
Was there more love initially meeting the band? Your wife?
Obviously the wife obviously? Why are you winking any kid?
He's not waking appy, he's not waking amy, So um
all right, let's let me let me go some of
this new stuff here. Um, let's do over my head.

(41:00):
Here we go. I've heard this on the radio, right,
this is right, this is one that we played. Huh
top ten May top ten is still moving? Uh? We
still the single? We kind of well, we we kind
of stuffed that. We we started pushing another one. Essentially
this one on the radio chose up. So what's the
point if that's our purpose? All this stressing? What are

(41:23):
you guys on? Now? A song called why did You Run? Um?
Here's that one. I wasn't What do you like in
the studio? If you're going how many times are you
singing this song? Are you I need to do it
a hundred times to get it right? Or you feel
good pretty early? You know? I think that we kind

(41:45):
of came from the Ruld Book of um perfection imperfect
the imperfections make beautiful like music. Um, and those kind
of what did uh? Robin Williams saying uh um, good
will hunting that the idiosyncrasies are the ones that really
make us like human beings. So we which we as

(42:06):
much as perfection as we like to get to with
with everything and all that. I think the imperfections and
not overthinking it is what makes it the beautiful music
that um we hope we strive to uh to put out.
Your movie guy, I would say once six I'm a big,

(42:28):
big show guy like TV TV shows. I'm more like
a foreign movies. It's just a long time. I agree.
There's like we have a lot of a lot of
friends that going to movies. Members like I don't know
I would even go to a theater. I'm still haven't
seen adventures. I have to go seen adventures. I haven't
seen it. I just I don't want to touch things
that people have been touching. Oh interesting, I'm not in

(42:50):
you know how kind there You know how you would
like want gnrhe and stuff so you can see what
is that what you said, Elidy want to say, I
don't want to touch in that stuff. I'm not. I'm
not trying to catch anyone's like hand her. I just not.
So you're kind of a clean, clean free bit. You
know how you walked in you were like, Wow, the
carpet sure is clean to the shoes. I just keep
things clean for the most part. Interesting, I like that.

(43:11):
That's where my wife is. I think with me though,
it's so deep rooted that if I don't know if
you spent much time in therapy, I have, And I
feel like I'm me because I just show up to work.
I am not incredibly I don't have an incredible skill set,
but I show up all the time and on time,
and I work. By the way, you were early here today,
look at you. You get an award, absolutely, and but

(43:31):
I show up all the time, and I show up
to work and I work hard, and I feel like
if I get sick, then I'm not able to do
the one thing that I can do. You just show
up and work right. And so if I get sick,
how do you get sick? Well by touching and licking things.
So I'm not trying to touch and licking. So it's
all it's very deep rooted that I'm not secure with
my ability to do anything like that. So I want

(43:52):
you start to peel it back. I'm not just weird.
I'm scared, you're just a professional. I'm scared that's what
shows you. Like, Well, I'm we're sorry. I kind of
mumbled there out and I'm hesitating to even say it. Yeah,
that's okay. I'm We're not gonna spoil it. I'm a
big fan. I love Game of Thrones. Ye, big fan.

(44:14):
I was reading a story today and depending on when
you guys hear this because these things last forever. But
how a lot of the people are they're petitioning for
them to be new writers and to rewrite this season,
the last season. How do you feel about that situation
without spoiling anything, I think it is what it is personally,

(44:34):
like they are they're trying to write and they're trying to,
you know, obviously provide the story that they think that
it's going to happen, because you know, with with the
books and they're coming out, they're not completed. So it's
like they've been given a pretty hard task. And yeah,

(44:57):
that the media has been like has been gnarly, like
everybody is just not liked. I don't know what I'm
allowed to say, but I loved it. For me speaking,
I love and I feel like the writers have been
have been and we're consulting with George armartin anyway, right
he totally had to sign up and on for whatever
happened to happen, and I think it gives him if

(45:20):
he decides to finish the book before he dies because
they're like, hey, dude, you don't get any skinnier and
you're getting older, so you needn't get the writing. I
think it gives him the freedom to actually go a
different way as well. Yeah, and which can make him
kind of the hero, which is sick. So okay, Game
with Thrones. I'm I'm totally down on Game of Thrones too.
Me and my wife watched The Office every single day too. Yeah,

(45:42):
Like it's I don't know if you're like this, but
oh I was. I was doing that. Um yeah, it's like,
I don't know. You're not supposed to go to sleep
with your phone, blah blah. I can not get for
your sleep. But you're a rock star with the phone, dude,
that's what rock stars doing now, sleep with But you
watch your comfort You watch Office on the phone? How

(46:04):
old are you? Typical typical young guy thing to watch
the shows on the phone before he goes to bed.
I'm doing the old Pilgrim thing. You kinda have to
get used to it. Yeah, I'm like an old colonial guy.
I'm watching on a TV before I go to sleep.
Whose your favorite character on the Office. Take Michael Scott
out of it. Creed is so fascinating me, right creating Kevin. Kevin,

(46:27):
Kevin's a good one. Kevin any It's so small, so
this blips, but to me so funny when he comes on.
There's so many like the Office wall always go down.
It's probably my favorite show, best show of all time.
Do you ever watched The British Office. I tried for
a few episodes and just it didn't. It didn't give
me what the other which makes sense, like even with

(46:49):
the Office, you kind of have to watch the first
season to kind of really start to understand it. So
I don't know if I really gave it like the
shot that it needed, but I haven't haven't done it yet.
It's funny when I recommend the people that I'm us
to to watch The Office, I'm always like, watch it.
But I'll be honest. The first season is not great. Yeah,
they're they're they're finding themselves. About middle season two is
when it starts to just raw. It's just it's on,

(47:11):
and it's on through about season seven where it loses
this place a bit after Michael, but then it comes back.
Gets That show is so good at bringing on second
I wouldn't even say secondary characters. Got's say creating Kevin
or secondary characters, but bringing in new characters and they
just feel like they belong, Like with Andy and Aaron.
They fit. And that never happens on a show where

(47:33):
you bring in main characters and you're like, oh, they're good,
we'll just keep going. Yeah, you like them. They feel
like they're part of the story. And my rule is, um,
ten years and you can actually talk about the ending
of a show like the tenure spoiler rule, Like openly,
I just found at the Office only ended six years ago.
Did you know that it only ended six years ago? Interesting?
So I guess we can spoil episode one of the

(47:54):
first season first toy? Yeah? So um yeah them, big
Office fan? What else you Big Office? I mean, I
guess now let's see what else am I watching? Other
than a Game of Thrones? What will be your platform?
Like when it's ton of pull up in your Netflix? Guy? Netflix?
Of course? Um have Yeah, I have Hulu. We just
we we had Hulu just for This is Us. Um

(48:17):
so I think we deleted it. Actually watched This is Us? Yeah,
I know they're not any of the Marvel stuff. Like
you ever watched The Punisher on Netflix? I've never watched it. No,
I just want one person to answer yesterday. At one point,
My it's so good, Okay, interesting you like shoot him up?
Stuff like do you like you like the superhero stuff?

(48:37):
Have you seen Avengers except for the last one? Uh
not the one before this one? Okay, but yeah, I'm
done with the Avengers. Yeah it's good, and I only
watched that. I'm not even that cool. I don't want
watch the second one, like three months ago. And except
for getting whatever clamydia I'm gonna get in the movie theater,
I would go, well, I'll go right now. Yes, it's

(49:01):
escalating the longer we go. You know, um, whenever you
came to the studio, Um, you came in. We played
for the first time that song that you did with
Casey Musgraves and had so good. This is called Pictures.
There we go like, guess all here, Oh good, we've come.

(49:28):
So that's from the new album Pep Talk. It's called Pictures.
So you're sitting in a room and who goes, hey,
maybe we should make this a duet or is it
written as a duet? It it was. What was funny
about this song is we came got into the studio
in versions, so we did like one week and a
half in May, week and a half in June, and
week and half in July, and this this song came

(49:51):
up at the weekend half in the kind of the
middle middle part. We didn't even have this on like
the list of songs that we were going to cut, UM,
but I had this old voice memo. It's it's kind
of the reason why we did it this way, so
we could remember songs that we had written and blah blah,
and I had this old voice memu of me just
kind of planning it through the first time. After UM,
I had written it that day and after I listened

(50:12):
to this song, I was like, oh my gosh, this
just needs like this needs Casey Musgraves on this case immediately,
because I was so obsessed with the Golden Hour at
the time that I was writing that song. And I
was like, this sounds like I was just almost maybe subconsciously,
just influenced by Casey and her writing and um and

(50:33):
I'm not even I don't even want to compare uh
this song to any of Casey songs, but like I
could feel the kind of the natural the naturalness of
like the voices together and her voice on the song,
and um so we yeah, so we we essentially sent
the demo that we made after that day. We're like,

(50:54):
let's cut this song, let's see if let's let's see
if she will do it. And she ended up randomly
like really loving the story behind the song and loving
the song and came in and did it. It was crazy.
It's the only artist you've asked to do something and
hop on a record. Have you been turned down before?
We haven't been turned down yet, which is really cool. Uh,

(51:14):
I like in life with all the girls, he probably
just baseball. I feel like that's that's Stereotypes sometimes can
bite you on the head some sometimes people hate that. Um.
But we we had John Billion on this record as well,
um so, and he's become like a clip buddy of ours?
Is that right? Boy? His stuff is mind blowing. He

(51:34):
is so good. He's so good even better human being,
like you love him? How did you guys? How did
you guys took up? We we did a tour together
with twenty one pilots and just kind of became boys
on that. He's also a big baller, um and so
we would play basketball after the games and the arenas
that we were at and I just love that dude,

(51:54):
love his music, love his heart. So the tour was
to Pilots John and you guys, what what's that? What's
that whole scene? Like? That was such a fun tour.
I mean we were we were like to take it
all back. Was just kind of starting to happen at radio.
So I don't even know why we belonged on that tours.
You know, twenty one Pilots amazing live band. Um, we

(52:16):
we were already kind of like in love with their
music and their lives show and what they did, and
we aspire to put on as energetic of a live
show and um, anyways, when we got asked, it was like,
oh my gosh, I cannot believe this happening. And then
you get on the tour and it's like the fans
are amazing, very like inclusive. Um, you get to see
the production of what John Billions doing and what twenty

(52:37):
one Pilots is doing, which is super inspiring and super
like we try to become like super cult coachable in
that um moment to just like learning like why is
this working and why is this going so well? And
like what's this culture that they're setting up? So it
was such an amazing thing. And then getting to play
the basketball. UM, like I think ten ten spots. It's

(52:59):
really fun. Ten spots, like ten different venues. So like
like when we were meant this play the Grizzlies, you
you go to the NBA. Yeah, so we we played
in the Grizzly stadium, but they have like a practice sport,
so we gotta play. By the way, there's a better
than any other court you're gonna get on. They're so sick.
It was so fun. We did Mavericks, Boise State, and

(53:19):
UM a couple of others that would just even getting
into the who makes that call? Because I go places
no way, let's mean anywhere, dude, that's all. That's all camp.
That's that's not us called pilots. Next time they'll get
me into hit Tyler Repp and he'll he'll make app
What are those dudes like? You like them? Yeah? We
love the whole twenty pots camp so good. UM obviously

(53:40):
make meaningful, heartfelt music and that UM is accessible to
people and everyone, and UM very like Tyler is very
passionate and very intense and that's so inspiring, Like he's
he knows what he wants and that's what he goes
for and it's really cool. And then Josh is just
like this sweetheart drummer and he's also really buff. So

(54:03):
do you ever anybody wants to starting to crap with
you because you're Judah from Juda and the line like hey,
pretty boy, let's fight. I don't know if I've got
that yet. No one's out like, hey, what's up with
that long hair? Pretty boy? And all the tattoos think
you're a singer shove. I mean all my old like
jock friends, that's what they do, but never like one's
trying to prove a point. They can beat up Judah.
Not yet. I bet you can handle yourself. Huh. I

(54:26):
don't know. I'm not really I'm not really a fight
fighting person. Yeah, but you don't have to be a
fighting person to actually I have such man, inv right now,
you're everything that I had ever wanted to be in
every way encouraged you should You should leave here just
top of the freaking world. Man, that's interview man. Uh.
The PEP Talks worldwide tour all July through October, everywhere

(54:48):
from Kansas City to Lincoln, Nebraska, Birmingham, Raleigh, Nashville, you're
you're you're moving up a level. I'm looking at the
venues and I'll say this, by the way, you're playing
to send in Nashville and a lot of places. Is
that my show is her? Pittsburgh, Greenville, South Carolina, d
C at the Anthem, Boston Grand Rapids, a couple of St. Louis, Tulsa. Um.
That being said, let me say this, it's you're gonna

(55:10):
play a sin ampitheater. Our tickets on sale? It or no.
They've been on sulfur about a month. Now, do you
get Because tomorrow I'm doing a whole stand up tore
all through the fall as well, and I think it's
going still tomorrow. And I'm like, dear God, please take
account big time. Dude. I look and I'm just like,
I just don't want. You're very, very vulnerable when you

(55:32):
have to go do people like me? Will they buy
just anything? I mean? And you you last time you
played the Rheman and now you're gonna play a Sin,
Well that's a little bigger. I played the Rieman. I've
never played a sin. I don't think eno people would
by tickets for me to play a sin. You never
know until you try it. Well, but I'm not gonna
try because I'm not ready to be out there. I'm
not ready. Will not to buy tickets, That's what That's
what I told our agent. I was like, what if

(55:54):
we put this on this, you know, seven thousand cat
Vinue and nobody come. That's always life or even fourth,
only four thousand come. Because when you sell out d
or whatever the rhyman is and it's full, you look great.
But if you sell four thousand and the seven thousand,
we'll get the big dope that thought you're a lot
cooler than you actually work and it could happen, which

(56:14):
is scary. I'm taking you back down. I want to
do that. I want to take you back down. I
want to take you back down. I like, I just
wonder if that to you is a level like do
we do we try to or who are you the
one that goes let's let's do bigger. I think it's
it's a pushing pull. Honestly, I think we have a
we have a great team that kind of advises on
what what swings we can take, and um, there are

(56:37):
a lot of rooms like I mean Red Rocks is
on there, there's um a lot of rooms that I
was like, when when you say that schedule to me,
I was like, dear God, it's not going to be
good if people show up. You're playing a CEO music
festival a cl for the first time. We're super pumped
for that. Yeah. I still live in Austin part of
the year. My favorite city. It's amazing, legit, it's the best.

(56:58):
What's your taco spot? Awesome? I'm just not Mike, you
can answer this. I'm just not a everybody loved tacos.
So you know what I did. I didn't love tacos.
That's sick. I like that so individual, Mike, I make
my own. He's true Mexican. So, um, all the places
that people tell you they're usually overrated because they just

(57:20):
looked on the internet. That's true. I'm not I'm not
a big Gueros guy. Did you ever go to Gueros?
Never went well? So I'm curious with being kind of
local awesome, Um, torchies good? Yeah, yeah, it's it's I
that's like, because fine, it's actually good. It is good,
but the whole Like, if you're gonna go for barbecue,

(57:41):
people will go here, Like I like like an iron works.
Really nobody goes to like old school. You have big
barbecue place. I don't mean oh yeah, he's spaking. Mike
as a hundred and twenty pounds. He was. He was
a hardcore and then he went no more. You know
what he would do, he would listen to take it off,
and then he was running all of your music and
it just drive even just runs. And so you're thank

(58:03):
thank you, and you're welcome. Well listen, man, it's it's
crazy to see crazy to hear your story. I had
no idea, I had no idea something. And thanks for
the free merch. Oh yeah, of course. One thing. I'll
let me see with this ship. We didn't know what
side you were extra large? Oh god, no, I'm barely
a medium. Okay, I was like, I told him the
medium here's but I don't know what sides they have.

(58:24):
Jude in the line, it's a basketball. Go what I'm
blind is that? What is that a basketball? It's a basketball. Um,
I'm gonna put this love with take a picture. And
I like wearing people's merch next to them. It's like,
I know the guy who shared I'm wearing. It's a
real pride point for me. So all right, So like,
what's the deal I know you got the records out,
PEP talks gonna go out and tour, like, like, what's
happening in your mind? Now, what's the what's the next
level up for you guys? Well, I mean right now,

(58:46):
it's just we are so excited about playing these songs live,
you know it. There's nothing like putting a record out
and then seeing what the live show kind of births
into and grows into and all of the words. And
so we're playing some festivals this year that we're really
really stoked about. Obviously the tour UM and you know,

(59:06):
we're just we're hoping that we love this message in
the record. We really feel like, um, this is the
maybe the I hate to say, like maybe the best everybody,
but it really is. It's like it's it's um, but
it should I think. I think the way I would

(59:27):
like to say it is that this record we really
had something to say UM. And so I think within
that it feels like, UM, there's some there's already some
really cool stories that have come out from it, and
we're really excited to play these shows live and just
to kind of see where UM the world takes. It's
been out for like a week and a half now,
so it's like, um, everything is kind of happening. It's

(59:51):
it's out in the world forever. Just once and the interview.
I don't care where it is. It could be but keepsie,
it could be sacramented. I hate this and I hate
our new record. No, I don't say I hey, but
just do that. You know we're really thinking about it.
This is probably the least personal record we've ever done,
because I think since this one was so personal, I
think the next one is going to be like, yes,
you can do like Weezer. Do you know what he
you know what he about? Just do the covers? Well,

(01:00:12):
so Rivers would write the song. I'm a huge Weezer
guy Rivers And so you ever met him? We haven't met. Yeah, Um,
kind of a peculiar feller. Yeah, he's very Have you
have you listened to um? I don't want to get
your beef up your competition, but you have you Have
you listened to a song Exploder's podcast? Uh? First of all,

(01:00:34):
I have no competition. It's everybody makes everybody better and
no I haven't. No, I'm just what is it all?
I don't know if you wanted to cut everybody else do.
It's a podcast called song Exploilder, Song Splitter, song Exploder,
song Exploder, got it, that's the cookbook coming out. I mean,
um yeah, song Exploder. And essentially what they do is
they take songwriters like Rivers and they break down um

(01:00:59):
like just the way that they songwrite, the process like,
and then they'll have like flashes at their demo of
the song or whatever. Um. And they have a really
cool one with with withs with Rivers specific and he
is so inspiring the way that he writes, so like
mechanical and so um it's so interesting. It's really really cool.

(01:01:19):
I He's gonna be at American Idol on Sunday, which
I'm on this season, umzing, and they're gonna play, and
I'm pretty excited that I'm dying. I mean, that's why
I looked like I looked too, because I was a
nerd and I was like, well, if Rivers Cuomo can
be cool, because he was. I was a tiny kid
listening to the Blue record, the Blue Album, and I
was like, oh, but you know they he didn't write
a bunch of songs about anything personal, right, nothing personal person?

(01:01:42):
And then you know they Pinkerton album. He's like, I'm
gonna try to write some personal stuff, writes it, people
hate it, and then he's like, screw this, I'm doing
nothing personal ever again. And so now you know, and
I've I've read interviews. I'll check out the podcast where
he just talks about how it's just a lot of
nonsensical stuff. It's like stream of consciousness. Yeah. Yeah, it's
like right at a bed thirty minutes writes down. Um,

(01:02:02):
it's it's very interesting. His process is really cool. I
had a friend that wrote with them, and I won't
say her name, um, but she she's like, okay, I
did I recorded this song and I haven't, and she
wanted Rivers to be on the record, and she's pretty
big artist, and she was like okay. So I sent
it to him and I said, hey, this is your part,
and he sent it back. I was like, this is terrible.

(01:02:23):
I'm gonna do my own thing. I'm gonna completely completely
rewrote it, sent it back. I guess she goes. She goes.
At first, I was a little bit insulted, she goes,
But then I heard it and I was like, oh,
it's way better than what I had written anyway, So yeah,
that it was cool. Get on this mysterious lady that
UM swallowed her pride and let rivers do this thing.
It's cool. Yeah, and any other these other acts that

(01:02:46):
you looked up to or thought were cold, but now
you can reach out to you or you reach out
to them. I got to meet UM. Well, my my
hero band growing up with Switched Foot, and I've become
like a UM. Like John Foreman is always been somebody
that I just think someone that it's meant something, and
I think that's always been like so inspiring for us,

(01:03:07):
is like we we want our music to mean something
more than just whatever. Umm. Also a band who have real,
real Christian roots, and people will go, wait, are they
a Christian band or not secular? And I don't, but
they were, you know, a straight ahead pop rock band
that which is very Christian, and I think you guys
kind of get that as well, like wait, what's what's
happening with these guys? Are they a Christian band or

(01:03:28):
they a rock band that are Christians? Yeah, we can,
and I think for for what we do, it's like
we sometimes you put the Christian name on something that
obviously means that is exclusive. And so you have X
and Y that's at a festival and they hear that
you're a Christian ban will they already brought you off
because they think that you judge them or hate them
for their experience in their own version of what somebody

(01:03:50):
has represented Christianity to them has been, which is which
is sad about Um? You know, it's just sad about it.
You know, it's like, uh so you at that name
on it, it becomes kind of exclusive. It's like, well
this person, this is what this person thinks about me,
whether whether it be like drinking or sexuality or whatever.

(01:04:10):
And I feel like our message is always just been
like we're all like in this together. I don't care
like what you believe in, Like I don't care what
even like you're doing this specific moment or whatever, Like
it's all about us kind of just doing life together. Um. Yeah,
so I've become friends with John, which has been really cool.
Now from this part of the podcast, were stake like

(01:04:31):
two more minutes, and if you have not seen a
Game of Thrones, I encourage you to turn it off
stop listening right now. I'm just giving you a spoiler
free zone here. Who do you think we'll have the
throne after next week, because it's all gonna be on
file right here, it's going to be saved. I think
based off of the prophecy over Aria with the eyes,
I think Aria is going to kill the green eyes.

(01:04:53):
She has green eyes, so you think she'll killed. Everybody
thought it was gonna be searcy and then now it's like, no, um,
would you like John Snow to be or is that
just too good to be true? Is it too much
in the all the fans like that it's pointing back
to the starts, because you know the show starts. But
I think it's I think Brand's probably the guy. If
it's me, I think that's who's got the throne next week.

(01:05:15):
But Brand has been so like funny, I think, like,
what does Brand even do? That's exactly like it rolls around,
it rolls his eyes, looks like like very judgmental at
people and just kind of like like, what are you doing?
I'm picking Brand to have the throne, all right, I'm
picking I'm picking son Sons. I think they're gonna I

(01:05:38):
think they're gonna let her solid choice. I think that
she's going to be the one I would like to
see are to have it. Everyone's favorite. Sorry, she's a
scrapper and everybody feels like they're scrappers. Right, Yeah, that's true.
Question for you, go ahead, Do you think because I
know that technically, I think from the books, Danny can't
get pregnant after the whole after or whatever, right with

(01:05:59):
the which thing that happened or whatever, the horse and
all that. Um, I still think she might be pregnant
with John's baby. Um and the baby rule. Will it
be like a Twilight You ever watched Twilight? Yes, good
for you. I haven't. What a loser, you're such a loser. No,
it is because because Jacob, I actually know Jacob was

(01:06:19):
like actually wasn't in love with her. He's in love
with the baby she had in her belly. That's some Yeah,
can I say stuff? So you're going with Sansa, I'm
going with Braun might dy? I said Braun too. Think
if that doesn't pay off from like this whole time,
I think it has to be something there From the
first episode when the guy falls off the freaking tower,

(01:06:40):
when he catches the you know them doing it, that's
kind of redemptive. That is true. Yeah, listen, I'm glad.
I'm glad you came by so much an hour here
just chopping it up, talking about life and thrones and Gnerhea.
We got it all in, We got it all in,
But I got in a movie theater. You know. It
wasn't any other way other than that. Um, So you're

(01:07:01):
gonna be out on tour all the summer and fall.
PEP Talks is out, and I'm going to spend some
time with you. And what I'm about to do about
to put on your court, I'm gonna put on the
hoodie too, and they're gonna take a picture together and
they are not gonna know the difference when you and
I can already what's gonna happen. I'm want to post
a picture and they could be like, what one did
you do? Yeah, yeah, that's true. I'll take that. Yeah,
it'd be good for you to go, wow, good. All right,

(01:07:22):
We'll see you guys next time. By everybody,