Southern Ashes!

Valley's own Southern Ashes stopped by the studio to talk about who they are and what they're all about, when we can expect new music, and to answer the most controversial question of all...Pineapple on Pizza?

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
For FM one hundred k text.This is a will and I'm joined by
a very special group near and dearto my heart, Southern Ashes. Guys.
Say what's going on a doing?Man's all right? First off,
super excited. I've been wanted todo something like this, an interview with
y'all for a long long time,finally getting to do it, and uh
yeah, just real quick, letthe folks know who you are, where

(00:21):
you're from, and what y'all areabout. We're from the Valley. We're
Texas country band. Man. We'vebeen around for a while. I'm so
appreciative of it. But we're froma little bit of everywhere, Elsa,
Edinburgh, Harlan, Gin La Fettia, So I mean we get little pieces
of here and there from the valleyand we just mix it all together and
we created this Texas country band that'sbeen around for nine years and we're local

(00:43):
boys, but we've been playing allover South Texas, North Texas, East
Texas and our favorite West Texas becausethey're crazy. But yeah, we enjoy
it and we've been Valley boys andwe've been playing a lot down here because
it's what we love to do.And you know what, I know for
a fact the people that here Ilove you as well because they ask you
to go anywhere and everywhere. Imean, shoot, you just got a

(01:03):
call just a minute ago about playinga gig out there. So my biggest
question that I always asked a lotof artists is what is the craziest thing
you'll have ever seen witnessed whenever you'reon stage? Oh that's that's a tough
well. One that I can saypublicly. One of the craziest things that
I've seen has to have been seeingsomebody you're with with somebody else in front

(01:26):
of you singing your songs. Onethat I can say on the radio,
when you can stay on the radio, now, what what about when you
can say off the radio now I'mplaying, I won't get you in trouble.
I'm not gonna get you in trouble. No, no, no,
no, no, that's dude withno shirts. Oh okay, you know
what You're gonna stop right there.FCC is gonna get us, guys.

(01:46):
I know a lot of the timesthat you all are out and about on
the road, you all are alwaysgetting well, a lot of folks coming
up to you saying hi at theconcert, saying hi, really wherever you
go. So what does it meanto be one a Valley band? A
band from the valley representing the valley, but also at the same time,
you know, being a part ofthe valley. Oh man, it just

(02:07):
it feels like an honor. Andyou know, with everything going on with
music and music coming out of SouthTexas, I feel like we have to
carry this legacy of great people comingfrom here. Whether we go to San
Antonio, whether we go to Austin, we have to take that we're from
the valley be be very prideful aboutthe valley. I know when we go
places they say nine five six andthey're like, you guys are Valley boys,

(02:30):
And I'm just like, yeah,and we won't hide it because at
the end of the day, we'rea blue collar, hard working band and
we're gonna be loud and proud aboutit no matter where we go. Nice
I like that. I like thata lot now talking about this being loud
and proud. I know that beingloud and proud, there's always something that
gets behind that, you know,whether it's something that you've experienced in the

(02:52):
past, your journey here. Sothat's what I want to know. It's
like your journey being are getting towhere you're at right now? How has
that? Know? How has thatjourney fared? My whole thought process of
looking back has been like a crazyroller coaster, worse than the Rattlesnake in
San Antonio. It has been ashaky one. It's been a long one.

(03:13):
I've laughed, I've cried. Thisjourney started off a long time ago.
I tried out for American Idol andthat was literally the start of this
band. I came back very defeatedbecause I didn't make it to the third
round. I met a guy whointroduced me to a fiddle player. May
she rest in peace, miss Ruby. She was one of our founding members
of this band, and she passedaway with cancer, but with her introducing

(03:37):
me to a couple of other members. And then I met the guy who's
here to my right, missus Read. And then we met his cousin,
and then we met a couple ofpeople along the way. And we've lost
people when we gained people. AndI mean it's not even to say that
we lost him, but we gainedso many family from this, the Southern
Nash's family, and even through COVIDit was tough. We hit the very

(04:00):
top in what I feel was thevery top at at one point, and
then COVID came and we came backdown, and then we're going back up
and we're just NonStop. But thebeautiful thing about the journey is that we
never stopped playing. We've never notplayed more than ninety shows a year.
So that's the journey. It's along roller coaster. It sounds like a

(04:20):
long roller coaster, up and downs. I know all journeys have their twists
and turns. It seems like fallhad if you twist and turns in there.
But one thing I want to goback to. You use the word
family. I really really enjoy whenfolks use the word family and you know,
describe their band who they are asa family. So I mean,
what is this kind of family dynamicto you? And I mean this is

(04:43):
an open question anyone, like,what is this family dynamic mean to you?
Specifically? Oh my god, itmeans trust, It means brothers,
sisters. Some of these guys havekids, and their kids are like our
kids or like our little brothers.And some of these guys are younger than
us and they're like my brothers.Will always say that, Hey, my

(05:05):
little brother from another mother, orhey, my brother of music. So
it's a brotherhood, it's a sisterhood, it's everything in one. It's a
family. It's a family. Family. Read. We haven't heard from you
much. I want to know whatthis family dynamic means to you. It's
one of those things. Man,I've always told everybody that Matt's a little

(05:26):
brother I never had. I'm actuallythe baby in my family, so you
know, having somebody I can pickon and you know, just do all
those big brother things too. That'swhat he is right now, and hopefully
he continues like that. You know, the way we go. It's the
way it's been going. So it'ssomething that you know, I really look
forward to pretty much every single weekendthat we do. We do our stuff.

(05:46):
So you know, it's a familyspeaking about the baby of the family.
Cookie, come on up to him, Mike, pick him. Mike,
you are the actual baby of theSouthern Ashes family. So I want
to know one how you got involvedwith the family and two what this family
dynamic means. Oh man, Well, I got involved through other musicians.
These guys reached out to me andI've seen their work before and I just

(06:12):
completely fell in love with their music. It really is like a family,
a family thing in this band,and we don't it's all about trust with
us. So they're great guys.I love them, and I couldn't ask
for anything more. I like that. I like that, Yes, sir,
I sound like an old man.I feel like an old man.
To add on that, my favoritething about this whole family of Southern Ashes.

(06:34):
I only have a sister, onlyone sister. I don't have brothers
to pick on or fight with.It's probably one of the reasons it started
a band to pick on the topick on band members and just to have
silly fights and then make up.That's exactly what happens with my family,
all right. So I also hearthat you got some new music you're working

(06:56):
on? Is it so real quick? You gave me a percentage like eighty
percent? Is that still true?Was still got eighty percent of this album
done? We have, I wouldsay, I mean, boys, we
can agree it's probably like eighty ninepercent of the way done. Well,
we are doing a part A anda part B. So Part A is
ninety five percent done and then PartB is a little less than that,

(07:18):
just because we gotta go back andcorrect some things. And then my way
of thinking is just I gotta rewritethat, I gotta do that different,
I gotta do it better. Soyeah, and it's coming. It's it
should be. We should have asingle out this year, all right before
the end of twenty twenty three.I like that. And so I'm gonna
be a little bit of a spoilright here, but you played me a

(07:38):
little bit of one of the songsyou had earlier. I want to know
what the name of the second onewas, because that one was really good.
The second one that's called Chance,and that has a whole story behind
it. And it's true. Iwent to one of my favorite bars,
Hillbillies and McCallen, and this wasprobably before I even met any of these
guys. There was this one girlthat I went to college with and she

(08:00):
was by herself, and I'm like, okay, I know you have a
boyfriend. Why are you by yourself? So then I started thinking in my
mind. I didn't go up toI was very nervous, So I was
like, man, what's going onin her head? So I started writing
some things. You know, shelooked like she didn't want to be there.
Her friends brought her here. Youcould tell by her face, and
those are some of the lyrics inthe song. I literally went up to

(08:22):
her and I was like, Hey, would you like to dance? No,
it was a big note. Soand I didn't take it to heart
because her face went straight back toher phone and there was like a massive
message. So I knew something wasgoing on. Went back to the bar,
started writing some things and took ithome and it evolved the Napkin Song.

(08:43):
I think it's what a lot ofpeople call that, like the Napkin
lyrics, the Napkin song, somethinglike that. I like that. I
like that. I cannot wait tohear a chance. Real quick before we
wrapped this up, I got somerapid fire questions for you guys. Okay,
so just real quick, give mean answer. This is for both
of y'all. So both y'all goingto answer. So I want to know

(09:03):
favorite era of country music nineties nighties. Who's your favorite artist from the nineties
Brooks and Dunne. You know Garthbrooks Man. And if it wasn't him,
oh nice Crystal to do all right, Cookie, what about you?
I'd have to go with Toby KeithToby Keith, Toby Keith, I love
it, Yeah, I love it. I love that guy. Okay,

(09:26):
this is a controversial one because myanswer differs every two days. But pineapple
on pizza totally four with Hallopenels.I can do it, Okay, Cookie,
what about you? Oh yeah,I'll see why not. Okay,
So y'all have pineapple on pizza.People, and then Matt apparently also like
Slopaniels. I've had that before.Super good all right, DC or Marvel

(09:48):
Marvel DC? Who's your favorite superherofrom each I'm Batman, iron Man,
I'm spider Man. Guys. Igotta be honest, I love spider Man.
Alrighty and last question, when doyou think that this album is going
to be coming out? To puta stamp on it, I'm going to
shoot for We'll probably start the yearoff with it. It's hard to put

(10:09):
anything out in December because Mariah Careytakes over everything. I'm gonna shoot for
January just because of how busy weare as a band and with our daily
lives as well, because we arethat working band, January, blue collar
band. Yeah, we out there, we sweat before we get to the
gigs, and then we sweat inthe gigs and then afterwards you get to
take a nice shower. Feels good. I bet alrighty guys, thank you

(10:30):
all so much for coming and uhyeah, this has been Southern Ashes guys.
If y'all can real quick, justto let them know which radio station
brought y'all in. Y'all listening toF one UK text, make sure you
check out, will go like himeverywhere and making go follow him as well.
Appreciate that, and oh yeah,real quick, where can they follow
you on the socials? They canfollow us at TikTok, at Southern Ashes,

(10:52):
Instagram, Southern Underscore Ashes, SouthernAshes everywhere, Facebook, Twitter,
all that good stuff. All right, guys, you heard right there.
That is me. That is RedCookie and the rest of the gang from
Southern Ashes on FM one hundred atk Tex