Luke Combs is fresh off of his SNL debut. He talks about finding out he was the musical guest just a week and a half out. Luke tells the story of the guy at a record label who told him he needed to go back and write better songs after meeting him. Luke then turns all the songs he played for him that day into No. 1. He also talks about why he is vegan for the next 3 months, his 7 No. 1 songs and why he was hiding cash around his house.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
About to hop in a podcast with Luke Combs, which
I mean, as you see if you looked at the
timer here, we spent over an hour. I just got
talking about all kind of stuff. So, uh yeah, it's
good to see Luke. And I know that he was
just in town for a day or so and uh
came over. We were gonna do this about a month
(00:20):
and a half or so ago, maybe Lauren and that maybe,
and it got delayed and um yeah, so hang out.
Luke Hombs will be on just second. Let me uh
kind of throw a couple of things at you. First
of all, check out movie mis Movie podcast. I'll give
you a plug, Minke. All right, I think you're episode
this week is really interesting. People may hear this for
weeks and weeks obviously, but check out the podcast. But
he's doing movies that are real life movies that are
(00:40):
supposedly based on fact, and you actually see how much
fact they are. Yeah, I go through and fact check
them all like you did. What was the Tom Hanks
DiCaprio movie, Catch Me if you can? So? How true
that was? What are some other ones you did? I
did remember the Titans, I did the rembrant Um and
then I did Blindside Texas Chainsaw because there's a big
conspiracy that that actually happened. Okay, so I kind of
(01:01):
took what it came from on that movie. So you
can check that out movie, Mike's Movie podcast, Amy's Got
Four Things with Amy Brown, There's Velvet's Edge with Kelly Henderson.
So there's just a lot of podcasts for you. I
hope you check it out. My instagram is Mr Bobby Bones,
and I'm pretty excited to finally get to play this
one for you. Um we go through a lot, all
(01:24):
the number ones, what he was like in high school
and college, and just pretty honest guy. I can always
appreciate how honest that that Luke Combs is. Anything you'd
like to say, Mike before we get started here, I
really enjoyed this one. I think people are gonna like it. Yeah,
I do too. I walked up and I was like, well,
this will be one of the most streamed ones. And
by the way, you can watch all these on our
YouTube channel. So what's the YouTube dot com slash Bobby Cast,
(01:49):
So check that out. Subscribe to our YouTube channel if
you don't mind. You can watch all that you have
cameras in here two cameras, one on off base, one
on Luke Combs's face, but a lot of the other
ones too. I encourage you to go check it out
and share it with your friends, and if you all mind,
because we get to do these because our numbers are
so high, Like we have, you know, millions and millions
of people that listen to this interview podcast. But it's
only because you guys listen and write comments and share
(02:10):
and rate it, and because our streams keep going up,
Bigger and bigger artists come on the podcast, and so
it's pretty cool. We get to keep making this great
content because you guys are boosting it. So we if
you don't mind, and you'll rate us five stars and
you'll write a nice comment and be like, it's the
greatest podcast ever. I don't care what anyone says. We
appreciate that. Without any further ado, let's get over to
Luke Combs Episode two twenty six. Here we go, all right,
(02:34):
welcome to episode twenty six with Luke Combs. Good to
see it. I know you've been home in a while,
so I appreciate. I got a text from me like,
I don't know, it's gonna take an hour to get here. Yeah, yeah,
i'd think gets a decent way because you text me.
I finished working out and I was like, oh, looks
Luke's gonna be here, and like I was throwing on
clothes you're underwears wet because I was hell off all
(02:57):
the way And then I didn't realize you live so
far away? Yeah, when did that happen for you? Did
you were actually able to buy some landing and yeah,
it was probably just about a year ago. So I've
been in my house just over a year now. So
does it feel like home? It does? It does now
for sure. It definitely didn't when we move there, you know,
just because it was, you know, so far from town,
(03:18):
and all our friends you know, still live in town,
and it's it's just it took a little bit of
getting used to, man, but I wouldn't want to be
anywhere else now. Isn't furniture the worst? Yes, because you
just don't expect it to be that expensive. Not only that,
but you think that like, Okay, well, if I'm gonna
spend X amount on this couch, which I think is
an insane amount, there should just be one that's there,
(03:43):
like you have one in the store and it's gonna
take you six months to get one to my house. Like,
I just don't understand, especially for a nice one. Right,
you would think they could move the next one. Right,
you would think they would just be like, oh, let's
just make this tomorrow. The things that I buy that
are frustrating to me, our furniture, and again, I live
in a pretty nice house here now, and but to
(04:06):
fill it up with crap. I'm not even in most
of my rooms. Few are you in most of your own? Nope,
not at all. And I don't want to leave them
empty because I'm mos c d about that stuff. And
then they're like, this is how much a bed costs.
Refrigerators suck? Refrigerators are mind just broke recently, which was great.
Car tires. It's in something else that you go. You
(04:27):
gotta have good ones. You get what you pay for.
I've got a vehicle that's getting I'm not they're now
giving me a new vehicle because it's it's broken like
four times since I've had it. Did you get a
lemon like lemon law? That's the thing right where they
just are like, Okay, well we're just gonna take the
loss and just give you a new one. So the
(04:49):
car that you bought been broken four times? Yeah, I
mean it works, but it's just kind of user error. No,
it's not a user error. No, it's it's great, and
it's just every time. Um, and it always happens right
when I get right when I get home from like
a long period of not being here and I haven't
been able to drive, and then I get in it
(05:11):
like at the airport, and then it it breaks like
on the way home, like you're just trying to get home.
The TV does that with Netflix, Like I'm ready to
get home. I've been I've been out forever. The only
time I need to use it, it didn't work, so right,
watch the office and just chilling and then it doesn't connect. Yes,
So I don't want them to fix it anymore. Just
just either send me a new one or give me
a refund or something. So you did the last couple
(05:31):
of days, You're in New York doing doing SNL? Well,
what was that like for you? Get in the call
and I'm not sure how that call works. Do you go,
I'd like to be on SNL? Think about us or
not really? You know, it was like it was super
last minute and I think it always is. I think
it's like because they booked the hosts. I mean, I'm
not certain, but I feel like they booked the hosts
(05:54):
three weeks out and then the musical act. I mean
it was like a week and a half, So you
didn't know for three or four months that you were
going to be on SNL. Yeah. No, No, it was
like I got called and it was like, Hey, we're
doing sl that's in the week a half and I
was like, okay, So we had to rehearsals scheduled, like
we had rented out the space and like all the
(06:15):
crews they're setting everything up and the band guys had
already rehearsed a couple of days and then they had
to up and go to New York like super last minutes.
That's pretty cool though, right. It was awesome, man, it
was really awesome. It was It was definitely the coolest,
coolest like filming saying experience that I've had. What's it
like walking into that space for the first time, Because
(06:36):
you do you rehearse pre a day before a couple
of days. So I we went in I mean two
or three days. We were in New York for four
days and I can't imagine how long JJ was there.
He was probably there for at least a week, maybe
even the writing meetings. He was in all the writing
meetings and changing the skits and everything like that. So
it was really cool because I grew up watching SNL
(06:57):
with my dad and and so it was really neat.
It was very surreal to be there and like see
the set because it's so iconic, you know, and it
was awesome. Man. I was you know, definitely do it again.
Do you do the first because the first show they
do is full, and then they'll end up moving and
cutting sketches a bit, and then they just go again
and do it again live. When you do the first one,
(07:18):
you do the same two songs. If you do, you
run it just as you were gonna run it. And
how did you feel after basically the super dress rehearsal.
I felt really good about it. I mean, you know,
Lauren came in and was like, hey, you're holding the
mic too high on the first song and because the cameras, yeah,
and you can't because normally I'm holding it up here.
And he's like, well, I can't see your face if
you're holding it up here, so you gotta just coin up.
(07:39):
But that was the only note that he had. But
other than that, it was great. Who did you ask
to take pictures with? I didn't really ask. I'm not
a big like, I'm not a big like take the
picture backstage guy, you know, unless it kind of happens naturally. Um,
obviously me and JJ got a picture, But I mean,
obviously I wanted a picture with Lauren because I've been
at faning Is for a long time. And uh, but
(08:00):
that was it. You know, I've never been huge into
the like unless it's a natural thing that happens, you know,
Like I'm not a big like pop in the dressing
room and be like what's up? You know. I mean
I don't mind that at all. I actually love when
people do that. But sometimes I just feel uncomfortable about it,
you know, because you don't really know. Like I didn't
know j J was gonna be like super nice, awesome guy,
(08:22):
you know what I mean. I've never met him, so
he might have been like, who's this guy? You know?
What was Laura Michael's like? He was awesome, man, he
was super nice. He's definitely a boss. You can definitely
tell how he runs the show. Um, but he was.
He was very nice man, very normal um and just
had some great stories, you know. And then j J.
You know, obviously he's massive. My experience of the NFL
(08:43):
players is they look big on TV, but then when
you meet them, you're like, oh my god, they're so
big like that. To me, yes, they're so much bigger.
They look big on TV, but everyone on TV is
big on the games, you know, so you don't really
like if there's a guy that looks bigger than the
rest of the guys, that guy is really big and
(09:04):
so standing beside j J, it was it was definitely weird.
I'm not a small guy, but he was just massive.
So when you did the promos, I was watching some
of those promos because that's those are the iconic thing
where they have one of the cast members, the host
and the musical artist. Like, as far as what I
was able to see, that was one of the coolest
(09:25):
things I got to see you do because I've just
seen so many cool people do that over the years.
It was neat and they put a d Bryant on
a like an apple box because she was because she
was like, I mean, she looked like a child, you know,
beside us they had her up on an apple box
just so she was like in the frame, you know
what I mean. It was it was pretty wild. As
you're doing the musical performance, are you at all able
(09:48):
to just think about it, like can you get comfortably
in place you're singing? You can be super present? You were?
I was, yeah, because I was like, and we we're
only doing two songs, you know, and they're one at
a time. I mean it's broken up, so I guess
you really never get in like a groove like you
would at a show. But I mean I've sang beer
(10:09):
you know, a million times, so it's I was definitely
comfortable doing that one. Loving on You was the song
that they picked. You know, they were like, hey, we
want we're looking for this out of it, so they
picked that tune. Um that it was great. I mean
that was the one I was I guess least comfortable with,
you know what I said. I mean, I'm saying that
one a thousand times too, But it was you always
(10:31):
get that thought like because I never really think about
it when we're doing the show. I'm not like, oh
what if I mess up or what if I do this?
And then I was like, you know, there's a chance
that I could just blow it, you know, like, I mean,
I usually don't think that way, but SNL is kind
of a huge opportunity. So I was like, and wouldn't
it just be ironic, you know, if I just got
(10:52):
too comfortable and then on the biggest TV thing that
I've done today, I just let my guard down a
little a bit too much. Luckily that didn't happen. So
you ever get one of these settings that's really big
or cool and it's just the sound just isn't working right,
like maybe an ears out or you're like, god, dang,
I gotta you just have to go, and not really
(11:13):
know until you look back at the feedback at out went.
So my stage right guitar players ears were out for beer,
and so they were great the whole time, you know,
for every I mean we must have ran it five
or six times over the course of a few days,
you know, and after as we were doing rehearsals and
stuff and sound checks, and the ears were really really great.
(11:34):
And then for some reason during beer, which was the
second song, so we had already done one of the
songs on television where his ears were working, and they
just didn't work. So it sounded good though, So did
you have floor monitors and ears or just ears just tears? Yeah.
If he has no ears, he has nothing, So what
what then is he looking at visual cues? I mean,
how is this working where a guitar player with no
(11:55):
ears is still able to play guitar. I guess it
would just be muscle memory at that point, you know,
I mean, because you know, you just played it so
many times that you know what's going on and and
and you know, luckily you killed it so well. Congratulations,
Thank you. It was very cool. Are you able to
kind of see what's happening to your career or is
it moving so fast that sometimes you're able to take
a peek, like what is it that you're able to Yeah,
(12:18):
it's it's hard to understand, you know, because you know,
I spend most of my time, you know, at home.
If I'm not doing something like sn L. You know,
it's like I just try to not think about it,
because it can be really overwhelming to under like try
to understand the scope of it. So I just try
(12:41):
to not I guess, not not think about it, but
I try to not bathe in it, you know, as
much as I guess I could, but it's it's crazy,
you know, I don't think I really fully understand. Honestly,
it's been quite rapid even to to to watch it
happen for you and know you as is happening. It's
(13:04):
it's been rapid to watch, you know, the ascension of
of Luke Combs whatever that is at this point. And
so you know, as I'm watching kind of one hit
after another, and it's not even about the hits, it's
also the people, the fan base that that grows at
the same time, because I've seen a lot of people
(13:24):
with hits, but they're not selling out arenas. What do
you credit that too? I mean, we try to, you know,
do everything we can to to make sure we take
care of the people that come to the shows. Um,
you know, and and I'm sure everybody says that, you know,
but our fan club is is free, always has been,
always will be. Um, you know. I I don't see
(13:46):
really any real need to monetize that, you know, I think,
you know, letting those people know that you appreciate them
enough to to do something like that form and give
them the first chance of tickets and give them the
chance to do that without charging them to do that
I think can invoke a little bit of loyalty as well,
because they're like, oh, this guy's not trying to get
(14:06):
something out of me at every step, you know. Uh,
you know, the t shirts are are still as reasonably
priced as they can possibly be. Uh, And they're still
expensive in in my opinion, but there's not really there's
not I can't go any lower. Uh. So we were
constantly doing things like that. The tickets to the tour.
They're the last tour where the cheapest ticket was twenty
(14:27):
and the most expensive ticket was a hundred dollars, And
so I think keeping ticket prices reasonable obviously this. You know,
we do the Ticketmaster Verified Program UM, which I don't
think anybody in the genre besides Church does UM, to
screen to make sure that it's actual fans getting the tickets.
And then we have to go back and and revoke
(14:49):
tickets for people who we think are scalpers, and and
there is a form they can fill out if their
tickets are revoked, and they can kind of prove that
they're actually a fan and get their tickets back and
we can resell those tickets to actual fans. Comes Tattoo,
the fixture of my inner side tattoos, blue Cone. They
have to show the tattoos, yeah, and uh, but no
(15:09):
we do. I think it's just little things. It's a
lot of little things that require a lot of work
from a lot of people. Um, but it's paid off.
You know. As I talked about how rapidly you've risen,
it's it's been a bit odd to have you blow
up so quick where I feel like a lot of
people don't know young you because you it happened so fast,
(15:29):
you didn't have a lot of time to tell your
full story all the time before it was like you
got so big where you couldn't put yourself everywhere. Yeah, yeah, definitely.
It's it has just been insane, you know. And it's
it's felt that way since the start, like everything just
kind of happened in such quick succession, and it was
always I guess things were always just trending upwards, you know.
(15:53):
I think a lot of the times when people start out,
and I can't speak from experience, I get so I'm
just going off, my buddies have told me. But you
start going up and something great happens, and then you
kind of hit a plateau for a year or two years,
and then you start and then you get a song
that kind of gets you back on the the elevator,
(16:14):
the escalator back up, and then you plateau for a
little bit, and then that kind of keeps going until
you're ultimately at the top of the thing. So mine
just seemed to go like that the whole time. You know,
I'm not really sure why. It's just the way that
that the chips fell. I guess, what were you like
as a kid. Let's let's go back to like seven
(16:35):
or eight years old, because I feel like even knowing
you early on in this run, we didn't get to
a lot of like what was Holmes like as a kid,
but what was home like it? At six, seven, eight
years old? Home was really great. I was living in
Charlotte at that time. I went to Hunter'sll Elementary School.
I was an only child. Both my parents worked full time.
(16:56):
My mom worked as a mortgage processing officer, so she
wasn't a mortgage officer, but she was kind of like
the assistant to all the mortgage officers within a certain
branch of at that at that time, it was First
Union is where she worked at that time, And and
my dad, um back then he was. He was kind
(17:19):
of owned his own like landscaping business. And I don't
mean like a cool, big landscaping business. I mean like
it was just him and his tools and then he
would mow your grass and weed eat and stuff like that,
and uh, that's kind of And he also did maintenance
at a at a different bank, uh in downtown Charlotte,
and that's what he did when we moved to Ashville
(17:40):
as well. Did you learn a lot from your dad
as far as if he's using his hands and you know,
mowing weed eating, which is what I did for many
of those times, Like yeah, could you go and do
that now? And do you do that now on your land?
And like you could you could actually use your hands,
And because I don't, you know, I would I would
like to lot everybody and say that, um, you know,
then I'm out there, you know, cutting down trees with
(18:03):
an axe. But I'm not, Um, I don't have the
time right now to do those things. I could teach
you how to string a weed eater. Yes, I mean
I grew up, you know, doing all those things out
of necessity, you know, because there were a lot of
times when you know, Dad had something even more you know,
(18:23):
annoyingly necessary to do than mow the grass or weed eat.
So sorry, that's my phone. It's cool. No, I have
is a while. You know the tile is, so I
have one in my wallet, so it's probably just probably
I don't know what that. What's the tile? It's like
a thing. So I keep on in my wall. Show
you here. So I got my wallet, handy eddy wall.
Your wallet zips. It zips because somebody stole my credit
(18:45):
card one time. So this is one of those like
r F I D things. So it's this guy right.
It just looks like a credit card, but it's kind
of like a find my iPhone for my wallet. So
but if I press this, then I should it. Then
I know where my phone is. And and this this
looks like a credit card, but you push it and
(19:06):
then it makes your phone ring. Yeah, and so like
but I can also if I if I get on
my app, I can make my wallet ring with this,
so they can find each other. Yes, and I lose
your stuff a lot with this. No, I just I've done.
I had like I have one in my passport, I
have one on my car keys, um and just various
like I keep I keep them in my guitar cases too,
(19:27):
and so everyone that has one of these, this thing
is constantly on bluetooth. So if I were to lose
it and you had one and you were near it,
it would say, hey, this thing just picked up Bluetooth
on this guy's phone, and so they're I'll be like, oh,
well it's over there somewhere. It's close to where that
guy was, and so it would report every step that
(19:50):
it's made on its journey of like going by people
who picked it up. So I originally got them from
my guitars. So I was like, well, someone ever steals
my guitar, I would at least have some way to
like track it, because there it would be is hidden
in the case. You know, Um, so I don't steal
my guitars if you're out there. It just it was
(20:10):
nothing huge. It was like, you know, my business manager
was like, hey, did you spend eight hundred dollars at
Ace Hardware in Iowa or something? And I was like no.
And so essentially I was just somewhere and people have
those skimmers, and actually it was in New York City.
I was I went to the Nike store in New
York City probably last year. Uh, and then I went
(20:31):
to the Adidas store and my business manager was like, Hey,
did you just buy six hundred dollars worth of shoes
at the Nike store and then six hundred dollars worth
of shoes at the Adidas store? And I didn't. I
didn't buy anything at the stores. But someone in the
store had skimmed my wallet while I was in there,
and then they were in there buying ship like literally
(20:52):
when I was in there. So they skimmed your wall.
You didn't stick your card in a skimmer. They somehow
magnetize it. They can magnetize it without even touching it.
Now they can just I've never heard of that. Yeah,
it's pretty wild. And so because of the you have
a zip wallet. Yeah, so this thing has stuff all
in the wallet to keep the magnetic stuff from being
able to go through it. Is your WiFi protected at
(21:13):
your house? Like super Man? When did where did this
all come from? That? I mean, by the way, great
and healthy Amy. My coach husband is you know, super military, Like, hey,
you don't know what they like, He's don't cover your
whole He's that guy. I'm not that necessarily that he's
he's that guy because he's seen it, and you better
cover everything it does happen though, And I think you know,
like when you're dealing in intellectual property, you know, which
(21:37):
is whether you're writing songs or composing things, or writing
a book or you know, if someone were to have
access to your Internet, I mean, they could steal all
of your songs, you're writings, whatever you're keeping on your
in your cloud or whatever it is. I'm not really
sure how that stuff works. But who tipped you off
to do that? Or did something bad happen to you?
(21:59):
Nothing bad happen to me to get tipped off about it.
I had just been like, well, hey, man, like I
can't afford to do that, so like I should probably
do it, Like that would be a safe thing to
just to do. And it's not insanely expensive or anything. Um,
it's just like a series of firewalls. I'm just saying firewalls,
Like I know what that is, by the way, and
question that just sounds like the thing that it should be.
(22:22):
So and they sound scary. So I was talking to
Ronnie Dunne. Him and I become pretty good buzzed in
the last six months or so, and he and I
didn't know this story but he credits you with pretty
much making that whole reboot album for them happen. Yeah,
(22:43):
I've heard that. So here is a little bit of
a brand new Man with Luke and Brooks and Dunne.
Here you go. So how did this come together? In
your mind? The story I've heard is so their manager,
Clarence Spalding is friends with my manager Cappy, Uh, the
(23:06):
guy that cried on the show. Um, and we were
at a show. I believe it was at Joe's Bar
in Chicago, Um, probably three years ago or so. Um.
We we had a show there and um, Clarence had
come or he was in town or something, and it
linked up with Cappy. Cappy was there and he came
(23:29):
and watched the show and stuff, and we did that
cover a brand New Man. And I talked about in
the set how much Brooks and Done meant to me
and how much they had influenced my career. And I
had no idea what Clarence was there, um, but I
I had just been doing that every night, like hey
grew up listen to these guys. They really shaped the
music that I want to make and things that I
want to do. And I guess that kind of sparked
(23:50):
the idea within him, like, hey, there's probably a lot
of other artists around my age that grew up listening
to Brooks and Dunn Um which is you know which
happened to be the truth? If you were to Mount
Rushmore artists, which is four and we'll do we'll do,
We'll do five total five if you're alive that after
(24:10):
the country, they can they can be freaking any they
can be Mozart anyone. Yeah, you get to Mount Rushmore
because and as you think, I'll just kind of walk
you that would put Garth John Mayer on mine. I
put bin folds, I put so it can be, it
can be from wherever you want. So, who would be
the first artist on your Mount Rushmore? Like like influence
(24:31):
or like you just raw there no, not raw talent,
but influence you your favorite probably Elton John. Okay was
where I would go first, for sure. Elton John. All right,
Billy Joel, Are you a piano player? I'm not? Those
are your first two? Yeah? They're so Keys. There's just
like just the songs are so great. I've always loved keys.
(24:52):
I'm not smart enough to play piano. I don't think. Um,
I'm just been honest with myself about that. I've tried
and it's just not there. You know, I'm not a
big technical musician, um, which is why I'm just able
to strum enough chords to write songs and play a
couple of them at the show. But it would definitely
be those guys, you know, Tom Petty, Tom Petty for sure,
(25:16):
Brooks and Dunn would be on there for me. One
spot left. That's tough. That's tough, man. That's hard, you know,
because I you know, I did go for spots really quick. Um,
I'm trying to think of who I just I mean,
there were so many different phases of my music listening
since since that age. Um, I would, man, it's hard
(25:41):
for me to go against an edge hearing at this
at this stage, I just think the amount of work
that he does, the size of the tours that he does,
the quality of everything he puts out in the volume
is just pretty staggering, and there's not really anybody doing
much like that. Have you met Let's just kind of
go back to your first people. Have you Metlton John?
(26:02):
I have not. I'm gonna a low key flex here.
He kissed me on the mouth once, that's awesome. It
was the greatest. That's so cool. I was sitting next
to him at a charity event. He was showing me
pictures of his kid. He had just adopted his kid,
and he's like these a pictures some more and he's
gone up to play like two hundred people there and
he's like all right, and he goes out the planey
grabs in my head and just planted on my face.
I was like, that's freaking amazing. You're like whatever, I'm in.
(26:23):
I am whatever you want, whatever, man, I would have
done the same thing, have you. Billy Joel? I have
not meant Billy Joel. Favorite Billy Joel song scenes from
an Italian restaurant. Nice, that's my favorite Bility. That's how
you know you're a hardcore Billy Joel fan. Yes, because
that song is it's all over the place. I mean,
(26:43):
I feel like it's I feel like it was three
different songs that he just kind of I think I
think I've heard that story, but maybe I mean I
might be making that up. Don't quote me on that,
But I've not meant Billy Joel. I would like to.
I have a lot of friends that are big Billy
Joel fans and most of them picked this as their favorite.
Now me, I'm a middle of the road. I've seen
him through a four times and I would always go
(27:05):
with listen if you if piano manage your favorite, which
is one of mine, you're not as hardcore? Yeah, yeah,
I love piano man, I love it, but you're a hardcore.
Like if you come to me and you say your
favorite John Mayer song his Daughters, I'm like, you're not
a hardcore exactly like you can be the middle of
the road John Mayory, but no real John Mayor fan
picks Daughters or or Bubble Dalm Tongue does not want
(27:27):
you pick as Okay, So those two, um Tom Petty,
have you seen the five hour documentary? I have not,
and I want to see it. You can't watch it
in one setting obviously, and just have this like thing
that hurts my hard a little bit about Tom Petty
because I know we hated country music and that hurts
me a lot. So somebody was in recently talking about
(27:50):
oh Ronnie Dunne talking about him and Tom Petty because
Tom Petty was like a was like a punk guy.
He he talks about Tom Petty when he met him
as being a guy guy who was playing punk music.
And but I just think there is a a misunderstanding
to a lot of people at what country music means,
certainly because I think Tom Petty would be a country
(28:11):
artist now I agree with that statement, yes, because it's
such a broad term. Now, and to and to dislike
something artistic because of a taste you have of it,
I believe is unfair. It's like saying you don't like bread.
It's such a huge thing. There's so many different car cheese,
you know, which I'm currently vegan, which is horrible. But
(28:34):
what do you mean currently into that currently vegan? It's
odd that someone just goes for a minute, I lost
a bet. I lost a bet. It's it's a whole thing.
I lost a bet and I'm given a charity a lot.
You know, it's like a lifestyle. It is a thing.
I mean, it's like it'll definitely be beneficial. You know, Um,
who did you bet with? My my keys player? And
(28:57):
what was your side of the bet? Though? Okay, so
it's it's this is the very oddes seen into a bet.
So I'm a big Caroline Panthers fan, huge die hard.
I was living in Charlotte. Where was I cheering for
the Panthers in the first year, you know, and he's
a big Atlanta Falcons fan. So we played each other
twice a year. Were in the same division. Obviously, there's
(29:19):
a lot of pride involved. At the time of the
bet being made, the Panthers were five and two. I
don't think they won another game. Was this pre Cam
getting hurt? No, this is Kyle Allen had won three
straight I think Cam was out in the second game
or first game, um. But Kyle Allen came in won
three or four straight games. Um. And then I was like, oh,
(29:41):
we're gonna smash the Falcons because they were two and
eleven by the time we played them. They were two
and eleven and and so I was like, and the
Falcons just absolutely destroyed, like dismantled the Panthers, like beat us.
I think it was like thirty four at seven or something.
But of all the terms of a bet, he picked
you being the agen if he won, yes, yes, Well
(30:02):
I hadn't made that bet previously with Cappy. So with
the Panthers played the Cowboys, and the Panthers won, and
Cappy had to shave his beard off where I had
to go vegan. Luckily I won the vet the bet,
but it's like to me, it's like there's nothing like
really fun about like betting money on stuff. You know,
why is everybody picking you to go vegan? Like that's
two different people with the same bet. I think they
(30:22):
see me in there, like this guy loves eating red
meat and going hunting and doing which is a true statement,
but I think it's something that like people think that
I can't do, you know, like they're like, no way
he can do that, And I'm like a super prideful guy.
So I'm on, I'm only on day three. I'm having
how long dift go? Three months? Oh? You bet three
(30:45):
months on a single game? And what was his low? If? Okay,
so he's what's happening here? Well, so so he's bald,
but he has he can grow like the I call
it the happen the circle. So he keeps his head
shaved and wears a hat. His bat was he had
(31:06):
to grow his hair out for three months and couldn't
wear a hat. So it was a very extreme. So
it had to be like he had to match that
with something that he felt was equally as extreme and
better on one game better on one game. We almost
doubled down on the second game, which I'm glad we
didn't because we lost that game too. Then what happened?
You don't eat for three months? I just it and
(31:28):
and nothing. I think it would have been six months
vegan at that point. And have you noticed your body
being any different? It's only been three days. I'm definitely
not as tired sitting around. You become a vegan like
like Rick Ruben vegan. That happened. That happened to my, uh,
my utility player. Are you just eating no vegan or
(31:48):
you no belts you live in the lifestyle or what? No,
I'm not living the lifestyle. I'm not living there like no,
Like I'm I would go hunt tomorrow if it was
hunting season, for sure. I'm definitely not by and into
the like. You know, we usually send everybody home with
the rack of ribs, but I guess we'll just you
could do like a rack of like lentil of or
something like that would be great. So we got on
(32:12):
that fronts a funny bet though, we went Tom Petty
to veganism. Yeah, and again, if Tom Petty were around
now and making new music, he would be on that
rock getree cusp definitely, And I think had you know
as a kid, when you were singing songs, was it
country music for you or was it a mix of
(32:33):
a little like what was it in your mind that
you wanted to sing because you were singing? I was
singing and it was when I was living in Charlotte,
it was country and that was it was country, And
like my parents were listening. So like my mom loved
like Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, that kind of was the
kind of stuff my mom loved. My dad loved led Zeppelin,
(32:55):
who I mean, those were kind of classic rock on
the radio type live Yeah, but most listening to country radio,
um at that because my mom loved country too, she
grew up listening to that as well. And so at
that time, I was, you know, you mostly go around
with your mom when you're a young child. You know,
dad's working or he's out doing something on the weekend
(33:15):
to make extra money. Kind of think that's what my
dad was doing. So I spent a lot of time
in the car with my mom and so she was
listening to country radio. So I listened to Vince Gill.
I mean that, I mean that guess that table was
burned through a thousand times hard working Man Brooks and
Dunne Tracy Chapman album from Like Thing It's from is that,
Like give me One Reason? Tray Chapman No Faster the
(33:39):
first first album and listen to that all the time,
um with my dad. That's what kind of went me
and my dad listen. My dad has never been a
huge country fan except for Dwight Yoakum. Listen to a
ton of Dwight Yoakum with my dad, um, and and
I was listening. And then when we moved from Charlotte
to Asheville, it it just kind of stopped, like I
(34:03):
just my mom just stopped listening to country music for
whatever reason. That was. So when you're eight, you really
don't have your own taste in or for music yet.
You're just kind of like, whatever is on is what
I'm listening to. You're not going and buying albums and
finding stuff that you like. You're just kind of listening
(34:24):
to what your parents are listening to. And so my
mom was just she stopped listening to country radio at
that time. I'm not exactly sure why. And so I
didn't really listen from then until my freshman year of college.
And so there was ten years where I just I
didn't listen to country like at all. As you're a kid,
(34:45):
what is that you're singing? Do you have an eight
year old wrath? Or did when it? Like? You know,
I was, I was. I had a really high voice
when I was little, So I was, I mean I
was singing Vince Gill, you know, I mean killing that stuff. Uh.
And then I just got in I always liked singing.
I was getting troubling class for humming or you know,
talking or I was just constantly making noise um. And
(35:08):
then and then I found a you know, a channel
for that through chorus class. And like the sixth grade,
they make us, they made us take every elective in
the sixth grade. So you took like art and homeck
and jim and and and chorus and band, and you
took all of those classes. Uh. And then so when
I went to pick my electives for the next year,
(35:30):
I picked up my electives were always jim and chorus class.
That was it. When you started singing? Was it duck
to water for you? It was, but I didn't know
it at the time. It was just kind of like
I just like doing it, but I didn't think. I
thought it was just you don't understand that there's I
just never thought of doing something like this, you know.
(35:51):
It wasn't like I was the kid that was like,
I'm gonna be Garth Brooks, I'm gonna do this or that.
I never had that intention in mind at a young age.
And I know a lot of people who do you
know they heard at Tricia Yearwood song and went, I'm
gonna be Trisia Yearwood. That's what I want to do.
I just never thought of that as an option. I
was playing sports. I was horrible at sports, but I
(36:12):
was playing sports. I like doing that, and I was
just singing because it was something to do that I
liked to do. You know. I was just, I mean,
at that point in time, truly just living my life.
You know. I wasn't planning for the future at that time.
And um, I didn't really know I was any good
until like ninth grade, probably until I went to high
(36:34):
school and my course teacher was like, hey, you're pretty good,
you know, and I was like, cool, that's good because
I like I like doing it, so it's cool that
I'm good at it, you know. And then I sang.
I was in course class every day of high school
from ninth grade to the time I graduated. Play football horribly.
I was horrible. Really And what position do you play?
(36:55):
Defensive tackle? Did you like hitting? Loved hitting? Um? I
didn't have UH. I didn't really have the quickness, per
se or the aggression. It wasn't like an aggressive guys,
But I loved hitting people. You weren't saying Vince gil like.
I wasn't singing Vince Gill in high school. No, I
(37:16):
wasn't um. I always you know, It's funny. I played
rugby in college, which I was good at and I
did enjoy a lot, But I loved I always wanted
to I was like a running back stuck in a
offensive guards body, you know what I mean. Like I
always wanted to have the ball and run with the ball,
but that was never an option. And the and my
(37:36):
my high school team we were in we were one
of the first teams to run the spread, and so
obviously there's a high school football team. Yeah, you ran
the spread and for you in two thousand and probably
five four or five. And you gotta you gotta be
able to move if you're running the spread. No doubt,
even even the lineman, you gotta get up and go.
And so I wasn't in like in shape enough to
(37:59):
be you know, I didn't have the endurance two to
run with the offense because we had we had two
running backs that ran sub for three forties. I mean
they were just lightning fast, um, And so we were
up and down the field a lot. I mean, thirty
forty yard play. It was not something that was out
(38:20):
of the ordinary for us. And so yeah, I was
just not cut out for that either. You know, in
a lot of teams we were playing, we're playing we're
you know, we're running the wing tea and like the
super antiquated offenses and stuff like that. So yeah, I
was just I was just not cut out for that
particular thing. Now, looking back in time, I would have
(38:42):
I would have loved to play offensive line. It's one
of my favorite most intriguing positions now and I think
I would have been very good at that actually. Um,
But I was just I was just not because I
didn't play when I was little. I started playing in
high school. So all of my all of my teammates
been playing since they were seven or eight years old,
(39:02):
you know, So by the time I was a senior,
it was like there are guys who had been playing
football for fourteen or fifteen years and I had only
been playing for three. So I was way behind the
curve of you know, strength training and learning the game.
And I just wanted to hit people. That was it.
You go to Appalachian State and as you leave high
(39:24):
school and you go to college. In your mind at
that point, why are you going to college? I just
thought that was what you did because I didn't want
to go to work, I think, you know, Um, but
I had went to actually went to a chorus camp
at app in probably maybe eighth grade or ninth grade
(39:45):
or something like that. For the summer. I was like
one of those two weeks you go and stay in
the dorms and there's kids from all the different schools
and everything. And I just fell in love with that
place because I grew up in the mountains already, but
that was way I mean, that's way in them as
much in the mountains as you can be in North Carolina. Um,
kind of nestled in this little valley thing, and I
(40:05):
just fell in love with the campus and like the
in the weather, you know, I like the cold. You know,
I'm fine with being cold, and it's very cold, and
it sows a lot there, and I just I absolutely
was enamored with that place. And ever since I went
to that camp, I was like, that's where I'm gonna
go to college. I'm gonna go to school there. And
(40:26):
I was not a very good student in high school.
I've always been interested in in learning things. I really
enjoy that. I just was never interested in learning things
that people wanted me to learn. So what were you
doing in college? For the most part, If obviously you're
getting too because you didn't leave until and you left
right before you graduated, which so look at us, But
(40:47):
what were you doing in school? Were you just keeping
the grades up so you could keep singing, or we're
like why, what was your motivation? It was like it
was college was a big time for me of like, okay,
how do you be three hundred pounds and get a girlfriend?
That was what I spent most of my time trying
to figure out. Did you have girls in college? No? No,
(41:08):
I was definitely not a ladies man. Uh, you know,
not not because I didn't want to be um. But
in high school you don't exactly get judged on your
great personality. Um so those were interesting times for me,
But I mean that was what I did in college. Man.
I hung out, I drank with my buddies, I didn't
go to class a lot. I played rugby. I sang
(41:30):
in an acapella group my my first year and a
half of school. Um, I pluged. I pledged a fraternity
and ended up quitting doing that before I became an
initiative member. Um I did. I did a bunch of stuff. Man,
I just tried a bunch of stuff, you know. And
I think that's what I'm thankful for in the college experience,
(41:50):
because that's where I found out that this is what
I was supposed to be doing. And you left ear
like you were closer graduating, right. Well, I was there
for five years, so I didn't leave early, but you left.
I stayed late and I didn't graduate. Yeah. How many
hours you think you need? Not even semester and a half. Yeah,
(42:10):
not even. But I could have done like a summer
and a semester. But the problem was I always hated math,
and I always hated science. Um I'm not good at
not good at science, not good at math. Um, And
so I never what happened was I I loved I
was a major, and I changed my major from business.
(42:32):
I started out at business and I was like, wait,
I hate math. Why am I doing that? That's just
something that I was like, Oh, you could probably get
a good job doing business things, you know. So I
tried that for like a year, and then I switched
my major to criminal justice because do what incriminal justice?
Near mind, I wanted to be a homicide detective, is
what I wanted to do. Uh still and very interested
(42:52):
in that um and so I I went balls to
the wall and in that major, and I really enjoyed that.
So I liked onto my you know, forensic science class,
and my this and this and this class. But the
things that I the twenty one hours I was short
where all my math classes, all my science classes so
(43:12):
like basic like your freshman year stuff. Never took any
of them. I never took stats one in stats too,
And then I never took chemistry or biology because I
was like, this is just I don't want to do
any of this stuff, you know. And so by the
time I got to the end of my major, I
kind of ran into this huge roadblock because I had
(43:36):
two or three classes that I needed for my major,
and they were like, well, you can't take this class
unless you have Stats one in stats too, and you
can't take them at the same time. So that's at
least a year of school to take two classes. So
I had to do Stats one Stats to biology or
chemistry one in biology or chemistry too, and those were
(43:57):
both prerequisites, and then I would have had to take
the classes for the end of my major, and then
I would have had to do my internship because I
couldn't do my internship until I did the classes for
the end of my major. And you've already done five
years and I had already done yeah, like four. I was, yeah,
I've already done like four and a half years. So
I was like, I'm not staying here for another two
and a half years in school at least. I ended
(44:17):
up living in Boone until I was twenty four before
I moved to Nashville. Um, but I was just like, man,
I just I don't you know what that by that time,
I was already playing music. Were you going back and
the forth from Boone to Nashville or what did you
when you came to Nashville. Was that you came to Nashville.
The first. I came to Nashville twice in in those years,
and that was two thousand and at the end of
(44:38):
two thousand and thirteen, and then the summer of two
thousand and fourteen when the first time, did you know
you wanted to stay? Yeah? Oh, yeah, because I had
written a few songs, and so I came at the
end often and recorded those songs, and then I met
had you know, through the internet, had met a couple
(44:58):
of people. I was like, Oh, I write songs with
these guys, and so I wrote a couple of songs
when I was there, and then I got back and
I was like, man, like, I gotta play another trip.
So I played another trip, wrote some more songs, and
then on that trip and probably aprilish May of two
thousand and fourteen is when I recorded she Got the
Best to me? Can I get an outlaw and share
(45:20):
if you want to? And then at that time after that,
those came out in June, and I moved in September
of that year of two the tweet you posted what
you said, I think the topic was tell me something
about yourself that no one believe, And the just of
it was that you came to town and you had
some songs and people were like, hey, they weren't good,
(45:42):
and your all thing was don't let anyone lets you
stop chasing your dreams. Yeah, those meetings where you were rejected,
are they vivid to you? The early meetings definitely. Um.
The one in the meeting in particular was with somebody.
It was, you know, they have like the artist like
to reps at like B and I. So I had
(46:02):
a friend that had a rep there and I went
in and I was like very excited because I had
just moved to Nashville at this time and I didn't
know anybody. You know, I knew a couple of writing
buddies and was going out and playing a few writers
rounds and writing songs every day, and because by that time,
I was living off of those songs that I had
put out the previous year. And I went in and
(46:25):
it was kind of like this this person was like,
we'll play me three songs. And I was like, oh cool,
Like this person is gonna be like I'm gonna play
these three songs and like they're gonna walk me into
the best publishing thing and they're gonna like this guy
is great, Like how could you not love this guy?
Give him a publishing deal? So I played Hurricane When
(46:45):
It Rains in one Number Away, which were my first
three number ones, and they were like, Okay, here's the deal.
You gotta get better a SONGWRT and you gotta write
better songs and you're never gonna be an artist. So
that's it. And I was like, and I wasn't like mad,
do you know who said it? Yeah, but I'm not
(47:05):
gonna I'm not gonna say I would never ask you
to say it, but I'm just asking if you know
who's that? Oh? I know? Yeah? Have you seen them since? Yeah?
I've ran into them awkwardly at actually the bm MY Awards.
Do you think they remember telling you that? Or do
you don't get just someone that was coming through attorney
to the system. I don't think so at all, which
is fine, you know I have I have nothing against
(47:27):
that person, you know what, because I get it, man.
I mean it's it's like, if you look at it,
would I would. I would equate it to at that level,
you know, because you're not even screened at all. At
that level, like any Tom Dick or Harry can walk
in off the street pretty much to be am I
and get one of those meetings. So I can't imagine
the pressure of like, Okay, well, I've got six kids
(47:50):
that moved to town yesterday that want to come in
and they all think they're awesome, and I've got to
be able to figure out which ones I think are
good enough to go on to the next thing. And
so I wasn't mad about it at all. I'm actually
very thankful for that meeting because I did go out
and feel like I wrote some of the best songs
that I had ever written, because I was like, man,
(48:10):
I gotta I gotta write more and do better, Like
I'm not even close to as good as I need
to be, And so I just kept my head down
and I went and wrote a ton of songs and
then they're kind of The rest is just kind of
fell into place. I mean, I know that's, you know,
summarizing a big chain of events, but that's kind of
(48:31):
how it felt. Like, get a few minutes left here.
I wanted to run a couple of other things about
you that I heard. First of all, a lot of
folks come in, myself included that worked retail because we
kind of had to you gotta pay the bills somehow
as you're chasing your creative endeavor. And I worked at
Hobby Lobby. Mike who was in Michael Hobby from Thousand
(48:52):
Horses worked at the Buckle. You worked at ISO? How
did that go? I was not a great it at
izod Um, but I had you know, I had as
much fun with it is you could possibly have folding
people's golf sweaters, you know. Um. It was in an
outlet mall, like one of those like Tanger outlets or
(49:12):
whatever they call it. They had one in Blowing Rock,
which is right down the road from Boone, So it
was I mean it was pretty pretty miserable. How long
did you do that? I probably worked there for I
mean close to a year probably, I would think. And
whenever you are walking past a table of shirts that
are messy, does it bother you? And will you refold
(49:34):
a shirt? No chance? No chance. But I'll tell you
what I do. I do fold a mean shirt, you know,
when I'm when I'm doing the laundry at home, which
I'm sure people are supposed to do do laundry. My
fiance does handle the brunt of the laundry. Um, but
I do. I do chip in quite a bit, and
you know, helped fold stuff. And you know, I'm not
(49:55):
I'm not afraid to do laundry. I I don't. I
don't mind it at all. But or do throw it
all in. I if I wasn't in a committed relationship,
I would throw it on. Yeah, but I do separate
it now just because that's what. But now it's like
her stuff's in there, which is the thing. Like mine
are just old, like gross t shirts and jeans really,
(50:16):
so I'm not too worried about them like shrinking or like.
But now there's this whole like don't wash this thing
with that thing, and don't dry this thing, but it's
gotta be tumble dried, but don't put it in with
this thing that has to be high heat. And then
some stuff is like cold water. And so it's I mean,
(50:37):
it gets pretty matthey to me, you know. And you
don't like, I don't left school because you didn't even
take laundry. That was like year three and that was
year three and I skipped laundry class, that's for sure.
The bank bag, I'm curious about the us to save
money in so you went and bought one of those
bank bags. It zips like it's let with the lock
(50:57):
on it. Yeah, so what was that about? And and
where was this money coming from? You were sticking in
the bag. So I had I had started playing shows.
And and when Cappy moved to town after he started
managing me, he had never managed anybody before. Um, you know,
he kind of blew through his life savings like trying
to build my career. And and so he made a
(51:18):
promise to me. He was like, hey, man, I'm not
gonna take a commission until you're actually making enough money too,
like live off of And so at the time, you know,
the gigs were I mean, they could have been two
d fifty dollars a night, they could have been a
thousand dollars a night. And those were a thousand dollars
was really good, you know. And so we would go
(51:40):
and do those gigs and excuse me, I would take,
you know, t shirt money, whatever was left over. And
and Cappy was great because he would always go settle
the show. You know, he would run me through the
statement every night and day. Here's what we got, and
here's what we did, and here's the tickets and this,
and and there would always we were we were selling
out everything, you know at that time, which is great
(52:02):
on those club gigs because usually they they'll they'll kick
you back and pretty like sweet bonus and it's always cash.
And so that's where the money was coming from, was
that these sellout bonuses on these club shows, and so
I would I was like, I remember getting to thinking
I had like five or six thousand dollars in my apartment,
you know, and I was like, man like, so mikeyl
(52:22):
just walk in here and like take this if they
wanted to. So I had like a folder's can, and
instead of putting just the money in there, I put
it in the bank bag and then rolled the bank
back up and put it in there. It's been back
like behind my microwave on my counter. My microwave kind
of sat like in a corner, so it was kind
of there was that space behind it, yeah, because it
(52:42):
was diagonal. Yeah, and so that's what that's what that's
where the money was coming from. And that's what I
did with it. At that time, I saw Cappy. He
was in the Delta lounge. I was walking through. I
wasn't going of the Delta lodges, and we hadn't know
each other obviously and he was on the phone and
I just like touched show. I was like just saying
hi to him, not pulling off the phone, and he
and he was talking about um, some of your technology.
He's on the phone talking about shore. He's like, he's like,
(53:05):
and he goes, I'll call you back to hang just
hangs up on him and it's like, how you doing, man?
And I was like, you don't have to hang up
a phone call. But it's such a testament to like
how present minded that he always wants to be. Yeah, definitely,
and just how giving of his time. And we sat
there and talking. I was like, happy, why don't you
get back on the phone and handle your business. I'm
gonna go get like a one of these little fancy
(53:25):
Delta chocolate bars, right, And then someone else walked down
that I know he did the same thing. It's really
one of the sweetest guys. He is man and he um.
He and I are very similar. I Mean, people think
he's my dad all the time. How did you guys meet?
We met so his his best friend from growing up.
They went to high school together and then went to
college together, joined the same fraternity. UH is a guy
(53:46):
by the name of Bradley Jordan's uh, and he books
a ton of a ton of clubs in the Southeast
as a promoter. He had He used to own Pea
Street tavern in Atlanta in the early like mid two thousands,
like Brian used to there Swindel f gl That was
kind of one of those big clubs where like when
you went and played Atlanta and you were coming up,
(54:06):
you played Bradley's place. Uh. And when he eventually sold that,
he started a company uh called Peastree Entertainment, which he
still runs, you know. And um, and so he booked it.
You know, right now he's booking shows with like you know,
Hardy and We're Gona Wall and Riley Green, like those
kind of guys. And so Bradley was had booked me
on one or two shows. And then you know, obviously
(54:26):
him having known Cappy his whole life, he knew that
Cappy's ultimate goal was to always be a manager. He
had just never found the right guy, or it wasn't
the right time, or the stars didn't line up, and
so um, he called Cappy and was like, hey, I
got the guy. And so he showed up at my
show at Zydeco and Birmingham, and we talked and he
(54:46):
was like, I live in Atlanta and all this, and
I'm gonna move. And I was like, dude, this guy's
fucking crazy, Like he's gonna like he's just gonna up
and like walk away from his entire life to do this.
And I was kind of like a little like apprehensive
about it, you know, like I was like, am I
getting involved with like some like sharky guy who's gonna
come and like, because you always hear the stories like, well,
(55:07):
make sure who you do business with because they're everyone
in the music business is trying to you know, steal
from you or get something out of you kind of thing.
So I was like my thinking was like, man, you
get one shot, you know, like do I want to
take my risk with this guy who I don't know,
who's never managed anybody before, or do I want to
try to get a proper management to at a you know,
(55:29):
at a big firm or do this? And and so
I met with a couple other managers and you know,
everybody had kind of passed on me in that situation too,
and and uh and Cappy's you know, we stayed in
touch about things, and he sent me this huge email.
I mean it was like five or six pages long,
(55:50):
and I remember reading it. I was I was like
reading it like in my car, and I had just
come home from a ride or something, and and I
remember and he had heard that he had met with
some other manager type people, and essentially this was a
six page letter of like why he was going to
be the best manager, you know, for not only for me,
(56:11):
but he wanted to become you know, a great manager,
and and this is how we're gonna do things, and
this is why we're gonna do him and this is
why I believe in you, and this is why I'm
willing to sacrifice everything for you, you know, to do this.
And after I read it, I was like, man, there's
nobody's going to care more about it than this guy,
you know. So then it then it just we instant.
I mean he helped and moved like the next week.
(56:33):
What was that? That was two thousand and fifteen, probably
late fifteen. I would think, great story, it is. Yeah,
the last thing we're gonna do is walk through these
number ones and just can a couple of sentences about
what they like when you hear them back, Like what
was happening around the time that either you wrote it
or number one. Like what story we'll start. We'll start
(56:54):
with hurricane. Here you go, here's that. What do you
think when that plays? I mean, it just as a
flood of like things were just really happening at that time,
you know, and and that song was around it for
you know, in my life at that time a long time.
(57:14):
You know, it had been out for you know, by
the time it went number one, it had been out
for two years. And so I played that song in
a lot of clubs and and I just could I
I can just feel the like the momentum when you
play that song, because it's you know, I kind of
(57:35):
everything to that song, you know. I mean, I wouldn't
be sitting here talking to you if it wasn't for
that moment in time, you know. And I just remember,
you know, playing all these shows, and man, we're selling
everything out, and people were all these important you know,
business people were coming out and we want to see
the show, and we want to talk to you about this,
(57:55):
and and just excitement, I guess would be the word
that I think when that song comes to mind. All right,
Number two, here is your second one one number away.
Number that's just different, you know. It was. It was
the most different thing that I had done at that time,
(58:17):
especially when we wrote it. You know, I had never
written to a track before. I didn't know what that was. Um,
and it was just it was it was cool, man.
It was kind of like I was like, man, this
thing is just so cool. It's such a risk for me,
I felt at that time to put out, you know,
and so mean. Luckily it worked out, but that one
is is definitely I would like risky, I think, is
(58:39):
how I would felt. I felt about that one when
it rains of pores. Yeah, man, I mean just I mean,
I just think that's probably my It just makes me
happy when I hear that song. Man. You know, I
remember shooting the video and and um and Charleston and
(59:00):
and uh, you know, me and my uh you know,
now fiance had had just really got into the throes
of our relationship at that time, and it was just
really fun. That was just a really fun time for me.
You know, that song brings back a lot of of
really cool, fun memories for me. Right number four here
she got the best of me? Why did you laugh
(59:24):
right there? What what happened up there? Was I mean,
it's just that's full. It's like full circle is the
word I would use. Because I wrote that song in college. Um,
I wrote it here in Nashville, but it was on
one of my trips and it just the way it
all came together was um that you know. I wrote
it with Rob Snyder and Channing Wilson at that time.
They were both, you know, doing the revival thing together
(59:47):
at Tin Roof, and um, a buddy of mine that
I went to Nashville with had you know, kind of
walked up to those guys and was like, hey, let's
write a song thing and and so they were like sure, man.
You know, we're in town for a couple of days.
And they're like, oh, well, right tomorrow or whatever. I
me and my buddy got just super drunk that night
at the Tin Roof and and you know, we played
revival that night and uh. And so he called me
(01:00:10):
in the morning and was like, hey, man, like, I'm
too hungover to go to this right, will you go instead?
And I was like sure, man, like I'll go right
with these you know, two complete stranger guys, you know.
And so I went over to Rob's apartment. Me and
Rob were kind of sitting there writing and this. I mean,
Rob and Channing are both like big dudes. They're both
(01:00:32):
taller than me. They're both even broader than I am.
And and Channing walks out in this like bath towel.
You know, he's got his long hair and his big
beard and everything. And Rob was like, dude, come come
get on this song with us. Man, h you come
write this song with us. And he was like, man,
I'm not feeling it, you know, And he said, we'll
play He said, dude, just just play him something. So
(01:00:54):
I played night Moves on my guitar by Seeger and
He's like, yeah, I'll come right with you, guys. And
then so we wrote. We wrote she Got the Best
of Me that day, uh, And I ended up recording
it uh in college when I'm still in college, putting
it out, and then when it came time to record
the deluxe version of the album, you know, Lynn was like,
this song is just great and your fans love it
(01:01:16):
at the shows, and and I really think it deserves
a chance to, you know, to be recorded with the
proper equipment and the proper proper band and and get
a shot at being a single one. So it's definitely
a full circle experience for that one beautiful crazy. I
mean definitely, my fiance comes to mind more than anything.
Um and that song really just changed a lot for me.
(01:01:41):
I mean it was seven week number one, which is crazy.
I want to never imagine that that to you, that
song to me put you on a hold different Like
it's you have to have a massive song to actually
make the jump. You can have eleven number one and
sometimes you don't make the jump, but if you get
that one definer, you can make a jump. I think
for you, that's when it launched you up. And that's
what I was thinking, is this is the one that
(01:02:02):
took us from like I mean, we had four number
ones and things were awesome, and then it was all
of a sudden, it was like next it was the
next gear after that song, you know. And you know,
I think of obviously winning the Song of the year
uh here recently, and you know, all the accolades and
and and and things. There's so many really positive, you
(01:02:23):
know memories. I mean, I wouldn't be you know, I probably,
I mean I would like to think I would still
be with my fiance without that song. But I mean,
this is the song that I played for her, you know,
after we weren't even officially dating yet when I wrote
this song about her, and I remember playing it for
like two days after I wrote it, and I was
like so nervous because I was like, man, what does
(01:02:44):
she thinks I'm just a total creep, like, you know,
because it was like, I mean, we're hanging out. We
were hanging out a good amount at that time, but
it was still like, man, it was such a risk
in my mind, like to play her that what did
she do? She was working at b M. I know,
what did she do when you played the song? Did
she get emotional or did she well? I I played
(01:03:04):
it smart because her one of her friends was there,
and so I had actually bought her a record player
as a gift, like a Crosley record player with like
the legs and like its own little speaker and stuff,
and so it had an OX cord jack. And I
plugged my phone in and played the work tape and
her friend was in there, and her friend was like,
oh my god, like this is just wow, you know,
(01:03:27):
And so I was like, I know, if I can
like hook the friend and the friend thinks it's sweet,
she at least has to pretend like she likes it
so that I'm not in this awkward situation. We're both like, well,
we'll just stop hanging out now, because do you think
I'm super weird? So it was she, but no, she
loved it, and I mean she obviously loves that tune.
All right. There never broke my heart. I didn't just
(01:03:54):
feel the live show on that one. Yeah, I mean,
it's just like it just was like, you know, it
just feel like I can imagine what the environment would
have been like at an A C d C concert,
you know, like and not that that song sounds anything
like an A C d C song, but it's the
most rock and the thing that we have. You know.
(01:04:14):
It has those heavy like chugging guitars and and just
it just feels like an arena rock like anthem song.
And that's what it feels like every time we play it.
And I think that song, you know, if Beautiful Crazy
was important, I think beer is just as important. Because
we followed Beautiful Crazy up, which was this very vulnerable,
(01:04:36):
like low you know, fiddle like violin kind of acoustic thing,
and then it just polar opposite is this song and
and this song, you know, I think this gave us
a jump too, because you know a lot of and
like you said, we did have hits, but a lot
of the hits that were kind of like mid tempo
e like there wasn't that like kick you in the
(01:04:58):
teeth thing in the set it And I think that
song brought that to the table for us. And the
last one before we go, even though I'm leaving seven
number one in a row as we record this right now,
this is the one multi week number one when you
wrote this, how do you feel? I've man, this was
(01:05:18):
like crazy, right, So actually one of the guys I
wrote beautiful Crazy with White drette Um. This was the
first song that we wrote together, uh and me and
him and and a good friend of ours Rave Fulture
wrote this together and it was one of those things
like I love to get into a rite and just
not go until I feel like it's perfect, and I
(01:05:40):
feel like sometimes the Nashville environment can be We got
three hours, We're walking out with a song. I don't
care if it's terrible. I don't care if it's the
best song that anybody's ever written. I just want to
get it done and turn into my publisher and get
on with my life, you know, which is great if
that's what you want to do. And I understand that,
(01:06:01):
and I enjoy that sometimes too, but I have to
go into it with a different thing because I'm writing
it as something that could potentially be a humongous part
of my life forever. You know, that song is never
gonna go away. It's never not gonna have been a
number one. I'm never not gonna play it every night.
And so I love to go in and make sure
(01:06:22):
that if I'm going to record something and i'm gonna
put it out there for people, that it's something that
has the stamp of approval. And so that was a
right that took probably eight hours, seven or eight hours
and one day. And we were in the little like,
um we were in like the little office rooms at
Southern Ground in the studio. We weren't in the studio,
(01:06:45):
but there's a little spot next door where there's like,
you know, just a little fluorescent bulb like offices. And
why it's Son at that time was you know, getting
ready to you know, he was getting to the age
where he was going to be graduating from high school
very soon, and that was his only a child at
that time, and um, He was like, man, I want
(01:07:05):
to write my son a song and let him know
that I'm gonna be there for him no matter what,
you know, Like just because he's not living at home,
he doesn't I don't want him to feel like he
can't still call me or he can't still you know,
be my son or ask for help if he needs it.
And so that's how that song started. Uh and and uh, man,
(01:07:26):
we had trouble getting through it. You know, I'm lucky
enough to still have my my parents in my life
and and so I haven't you know, had to deal
with that you know, horrible day yet. But we were all,
you know, very emotional, like you didn't sing in the
work tape. I got a little choked up. I was like, man,
this is like and I knew, like if that's happening
to me, like that's gonna happen to a lot of
(01:07:47):
people with that song. So um, that song is just
you know, it's it's really powerful for a lot of folks. Alright,
See what you see is what you get towards ashing me.
Brian Andrew Drew Parker's happening lots of festival dates this
You and Eric Church are headlining rock to South. You're
told with mc graw, I don't even know how you
have a minute. It's like every day on your calendar
there there's something on it. You know. That's what I
(01:08:09):
call music seventy three. Holy crap, man, it's crazy, man,
you know, but it's it's I just think, you know,
you only get this chance, you know, once, if you
ever get it. And you know, I don't want to
look back when i'm you know, sixty years old, you know,
and and go, man, I could have done more, I
(01:08:31):
should have done more. I wish I would have done that,
or I wish I would have worked harder, you know,
because I don't want to lose this, you know. It's
it's it's a special feeling, you know, to go on, man,
people are really loving me right now. I'm hitting some
kind of I'm hitting some kind of vain somehow some
way that that maybe somebody else isn't doing. And that's
a neat feeling. So I don't you know, I'm I'm
(01:08:53):
not prepared to lose that, and I know it, and
inevitably will come. There will be a time when you
know the next guy that's really awesome will come along
and go Luke Combs. That gots old news. You know.
I was talking with in the last few days, a
plus plus artist, just we're hanging out a little bit
and he had brought you up because that he was
(01:09:14):
a plus plus still is massive and he was confident.
He was like, you know what, it's Luke Combs the time.
Now he's like, I had my time, and he goes,
it's Luke Holmas the time. She said, I'm still gonna
do massive shows. But now it's Luke's time, and Luke's
gonna have his time, and then hopefully Luke will look
at the next person. He goes, you know what, I'm
still gonna play a big shows. He goes, that's just
how this works. And the people who don't, who are miserable,
(01:09:35):
who don't embrace what they have when they have it
and what they had when they had it, and roots
for the guys that are coming next. Yeah, And you
got to, man, you know, because I've had a lot
of really great experiences with with people here in town,
with other artists who have said, man, you know you're
gonna do this, and and everybody's thing is always enjoy
it while it's here. You know, do the thing that
(01:09:58):
you go to that after party that you're too tired
to go to go you know, hang out with Ed
Sheering or you know, any a cool opportunity you should
go do that because you're not always going to have
those opportunities. So um, that's something that I have always
taken to heart. Now I do enjoy a good nap sometimes,
(01:10:19):
you know, it's just hard to pass up on that sometimes.
But so yeah, I'm just trying to I'm just trying
to do it the best I can. And uh and
and you know, enjoy it. Well it's here. Well listen,
I appreciate time. Just a big fan of you. Thank you.
I think over your artistry, Like I got to know
you a little bit before you had a bunch of
I was always like your honesty when you came. Thanks
(01:10:40):
and and it's very authentic. So area is Luke Holmbs
Episode two twenties six. Um, this thing is gonna be
listen to forever. The single right now is does to me.
But when this is gonna be around for years and
years of podcast So whatever. His n number one and
we'll have to do another one another one. Good to
see my friend Luke Combs. There we go. What the
to day
About to hop in a podcast with Luke Combs, which
I mean, as you see if you looked at the
timer here, we spent over an hour. I just got
talking about all kind of stuff. So, uh yeah, it's
good to see Luke. And I know that he was
just in town for a day or so and uh
came over. We were gonna do this about a month
(00:20):
and a half or so ago, maybe Lauren and that maybe,
and it got delayed and um yeah, so hang out.
Luke Hombs will be on just second. Let me uh
kind of throw a couple of things at you. First
of all, check out movie mis Movie podcast. I'll give
you a plug, Minke. All right, I think you're episode
this week is really interesting. People may hear this for
weeks and weeks obviously, but check out the podcast. But
he's doing movies that are real life movies that are
(00:40):
supposedly based on fact, and you actually see how much
fact they are. Yeah, I go through and fact check
them all like you did. What was the Tom Hanks
DiCaprio movie, Catch Me if you can? So? How true
that was? What are some other ones you did? I
did remember the Titans, I did the rembrant Um and
then I did Blindside Texas Chainsaw because there's a big
conspiracy that that actually happened. Okay, so I kind of
(01:01):
took what it came from on that movie. So you
can check that out movie, Mike's Movie podcast, Amy's Got
Four Things with Amy Brown, There's Velvet's Edge with Kelly Henderson.
So there's just a lot of podcasts for you. I
hope you check it out. My instagram is Mr Bobby Bones,
and I'm pretty excited to finally get to play this
one for you. Um we go through a lot, all
(01:24):
the number ones, what he was like in high school
and college, and just pretty honest guy. I can always
appreciate how honest that that Luke Combs is. Anything you'd
like to say, Mike before we get started here, I
really enjoyed this one. I think people are gonna like it. Yeah,
I do too. I walked up and I was like, well,
this will be one of the most streamed ones. And
by the way, you can watch all these on our
YouTube channel. So what's the YouTube dot com slash Bobby Cast,
(01:49):
So check that out. Subscribe to our YouTube channel if
you don't mind. You can watch all that you have
cameras in here two cameras, one on off base, one
on Luke Combs's face, but a lot of the other
ones too. I encourage you to go check it out
and share it with your friends, and if you all mind,
because we get to do these because our numbers are
so high, Like we have, you know, millions and millions
of people that listen to this interview podcast. But it's
only because you guys listen and write comments and share
(02:10):
and rate it, and because our streams keep going up,
Bigger and bigger artists come on the podcast, and so
it's pretty cool. We get to keep making this great
content because you guys are boosting it. So we if
you don't mind, and you'll rate us five stars and
you'll write a nice comment and be like, it's the
greatest podcast ever. I don't care what anyone says. We
appreciate that. Without any further ado, let's get over to
Luke Combs Episode two twenty six. Here we go, all right,
(02:34):
welcome to episode twenty six with Luke Combs. Good to
see it. I know you've been home in a while,
so I appreciate. I got a text from me like,
I don't know, it's gonna take an hour to get here. Yeah, yeah,
i'd think gets a decent way because you text me.
I finished working out and I was like, oh, looks
Luke's gonna be here, and like I was throwing on
clothes you're underwears wet because I was hell off all
(02:57):
the way And then I didn't realize you live so
far away? Yeah, when did that happen for you? Did
you were actually able to buy some landing and yeah,
it was probably just about a year ago. So I've
been in my house just over a year now. So
does it feel like home? It does? It does now
for sure. It definitely didn't when we move there, you know,
just because it was, you know, so far from town,
(03:18):
and all our friends you know, still live in town,
and it's it's just it took a little bit of
getting used to, man, but I wouldn't want to be
anywhere else now. Isn't furniture the worst? Yes, because you
just don't expect it to be that expensive. Not only that,
but you think that like, Okay, well, if I'm gonna
spend X amount on this couch, which I think is
an insane amount, there should just be one that's there,
(03:43):
like you have one in the store and it's gonna
take you six months to get one to my house. Like,
I just don't understand, especially for a nice one. Right,
you would think they could move the next one. Right,
you would think they would just be like, oh, let's
just make this tomorrow. The things that I buy that
are frustrating to me, our furniture, and again, I live
in a pretty nice house here now, and but to
(04:06):
fill it up with crap. I'm not even in most
of my rooms. Few are you in most of your own? Nope,
not at all. And I don't want to leave them
empty because I'm mos c d about that stuff. And
then they're like, this is how much a bed costs.
Refrigerators suck? Refrigerators are mind just broke recently, which was great.
Car tires. It's in something else that you go. You
(04:27):
gotta have good ones. You get what you pay for.
I've got a vehicle that's getting I'm not they're now
giving me a new vehicle because it's it's broken like
four times since I've had it. Did you get a
lemon like lemon law? That's the thing right where they
just are like, Okay, well we're just gonna take the
loss and just give you a new one. So the
(04:49):
car that you bought been broken four times? Yeah, I
mean it works, but it's just kind of user error. No,
it's not a user error. No, it's it's great, and
it's just every time. Um, and it always happens right
when I get right when I get home from like
a long period of not being here and I haven't
been able to drive, and then I get in it
(05:11):
like at the airport, and then it it breaks like
on the way home, like you're just trying to get home.
The TV does that with Netflix, Like I'm ready to
get home. I've been I've been out forever. The only
time I need to use it, it didn't work, so right,
watch the office and just chilling and then it doesn't connect. Yes,
So I don't want them to fix it anymore. Just
just either send me a new one or give me
a refund or something. So you did the last couple
(05:31):
of days, You're in New York doing doing SNL? Well,
what was that like for you? Get in the call
and I'm not sure how that call works. Do you go,
I'd like to be on SNL? Think about us or
not really? You know, it was like it was super
last minute and I think it always is. I think
it's like because they booked the hosts. I mean, I'm
not certain, but I feel like they booked the hosts
(05:54):
three weeks out and then the musical act. I mean
it was like a week and a half, So you
didn't know for three or four months that you were
going to be on SNL. Yeah. No, No, it was
like I got called and it was like, Hey, we're
doing sl that's in the week a half and I
was like, okay, So we had to rehearsals scheduled, like
we had rented out the space and like all the
(06:15):
crews they're setting everything up and the band guys had
already rehearsed a couple of days and then they had
to up and go to New York like super last minutes.
That's pretty cool though, right. It was awesome, man, it
was really awesome. It was It was definitely the coolest,
coolest like filming saying experience that I've had. What's it
like walking into that space for the first time, Because
(06:36):
you do you rehearse pre a day before a couple
of days. So I we went in I mean two
or three days. We were in New York for four
days and I can't imagine how long JJ was there.
He was probably there for at least a week, maybe
even the writing meetings. He was in all the writing
meetings and changing the skits and everything like that. So
it was really cool because I grew up watching SNL
(06:57):
with my dad and and so it was really neat.
It was very surreal to be there and like see
the set because it's so iconic, you know, and it
was awesome. Man. I was you know, definitely do it again.
Do you do the first because the first show they
do is full, and then they'll end up moving and
cutting sketches a bit, and then they just go again
and do it again live. When you do the first one,
(07:18):
you do the same two songs. If you do, you
run it just as you were gonna run it. And
how did you feel after basically the super dress rehearsal.
I felt really good about it. I mean, you know,
Lauren came in and was like, hey, you're holding the
mic too high on the first song and because the cameras, yeah,
and you can't because normally I'm holding it up here.
And he's like, well, I can't see your face if
you're holding it up here, so you gotta just coin up.
(07:39):
But that was the only note that he had. But
other than that, it was great. Who did you ask
to take pictures with? I didn't really ask. I'm not
a big like, I'm not a big like take the
picture backstage guy, you know, unless it kind of happens naturally. Um,
obviously me and JJ got a picture, But I mean,
obviously I wanted a picture with Lauren because I've been
at faning Is for a long time. And uh, but
(08:00):
that was it. You know, I've never been huge into
the like unless it's a natural thing that happens, you know,
Like I'm not a big like pop in the dressing
room and be like what's up? You know. I mean
I don't mind that at all. I actually love when
people do that. But sometimes I just feel uncomfortable about it,
you know, because you don't really know. Like I didn't
know j J was gonna be like super nice, awesome guy,
(08:22):
you know what I mean. I've never met him, so
he might have been like, who's this guy? You know?
What was Laura Michael's like? He was awesome, man, he
was super nice. He's definitely a boss. You can definitely
tell how he runs the show. Um, but he was.
He was very nice man, very normal um and just
had some great stories, you know. And then j J.
You know, obviously he's massive. My experience of the NFL
(08:43):
players is they look big on TV, but then when
you meet them, you're like, oh my god, they're so
big like that. To me, yes, they're so much bigger.
They look big on TV, but everyone on TV is
big on the games, you know, so you don't really
like if there's a guy that looks bigger than the
rest of the guys, that guy is really big and
(09:04):
so standing beside j J, it was it was definitely weird.
I'm not a small guy, but he was just massive.
So when you did the promos, I was watching some
of those promos because that's those are the iconic thing
where they have one of the cast members, the host
and the musical artist. Like, as far as what I
was able to see, that was one of the coolest
(09:25):
things I got to see you do because I've just
seen so many cool people do that over the years.
It was neat and they put a d Bryant on
a like an apple box because she was because she
was like, I mean, she looked like a child, you know,
beside us they had her up on an apple box
just so she was like in the frame, you know
what I mean. It was it was pretty wild. As
you're doing the musical performance, are you at all able
(09:48):
to just think about it, like can you get comfortably
in place you're singing? You can be super present? You were?
I was, yeah, because I was like, and we we're
only doing two songs, you know, and they're one at
a time. I mean it's broken up, so I guess
you really never get in like a groove like you
would at a show. But I mean I've sang beer
(10:09):
you know, a million times, so it's I was definitely
comfortable doing that one. Loving on You was the song
that they picked. You know, they were like, hey, we
want we're looking for this out of it, so they
picked that tune. Um that it was great. I mean
that was the one I was I guess least comfortable with,
you know what I said. I mean, I'm saying that
one a thousand times too, But it was you always
(10:31):
get that thought like because I never really think about
it when we're doing the show. I'm not like, oh
what if I mess up or what if I do this?
And then I was like, you know, there's a chance
that I could just blow it, you know, like, I mean,
I usually don't think that way, but SNL is kind
of a huge opportunity. So I was like, and wouldn't
it just be ironic, you know, if I just got
(10:52):
too comfortable and then on the biggest TV thing that
I've done today, I just let my guard down a
little a bit too much. Luckily that didn't happen. So
you ever get one of these settings that's really big
or cool and it's just the sound just isn't working right,
like maybe an ears out or you're like, god, dang,
I gotta you just have to go, and not really
(11:13):
know until you look back at the feedback at out went.
So my stage right guitar players ears were out for beer,
and so they were great the whole time, you know,
for every I mean we must have ran it five
or six times over the course of a few days,
you know, and after as we were doing rehearsals and
stuff and sound checks, and the ears were really really great.
(11:34):
And then for some reason during beer, which was the
second song, so we had already done one of the
songs on television where his ears were working, and they
just didn't work. So it sounded good though, So did
you have floor monitors and ears or just ears just tears? Yeah.
If he has no ears, he has nothing, So what
what then is he looking at visual cues? I mean,
how is this working where a guitar player with no
(11:55):
ears is still able to play guitar. I guess it
would just be muscle memory at that point, you know,
I mean, because you know, you just played it so
many times that you know what's going on and and
and you know, luckily you killed it so well. Congratulations,
Thank you. It was very cool. Are you able to
kind of see what's happening to your career or is
it moving so fast that sometimes you're able to take
a peek, like what is it that you're able to Yeah,
(12:18):
it's it's hard to understand, you know, because you know,
I spend most of my time, you know, at home.
If I'm not doing something like sn L. You know,
it's like I just try to not think about it,
because it can be really overwhelming to under like try
to understand the scope of it. So I just try
(12:41):
to not I guess, not not think about it, but
I try to not bathe in it, you know, as
much as I guess I could, but it's it's crazy,
you know, I don't think I really fully understand. Honestly,
it's been quite rapid even to to to watch it
happen for you and know you as is happening. It's
(13:04):
it's been rapid to watch, you know, the ascension of
of Luke Combs whatever that is at this point. And
so you know, as I'm watching kind of one hit
after another, and it's not even about the hits, it's
also the people, the fan base that that grows at
the same time, because I've seen a lot of people
(13:24):
with hits, but they're not selling out arenas. What do
you credit that too? I mean, we try to, you know,
do everything we can to to make sure we take
care of the people that come to the shows. Um,
you know, and and I'm sure everybody says that, you know,
but our fan club is is free, always has been,
always will be. Um, you know. I I don't see
(13:46):
really any real need to monetize that, you know, I think,
you know, letting those people know that you appreciate them
enough to to do something like that form and give
them the first chance of tickets and give them the
chance to do that without charging them to do that
I think can invoke a little bit of loyalty as well,
because they're like, oh, this guy's not trying to get
(14:06):
something out of me at every step, you know. Uh,
you know, the t shirts are are still as reasonably
priced as they can possibly be. Uh, And they're still
expensive in in my opinion, but there's not really there's
not I can't go any lower. Uh. So we were
constantly doing things like that. The tickets to the tour.
They're the last tour where the cheapest ticket was twenty
(14:27):
and the most expensive ticket was a hundred dollars, And
so I think keeping ticket prices reasonable obviously this. You know,
we do the Ticketmaster Verified Program UM, which I don't
think anybody in the genre besides Church does UM, to
screen to make sure that it's actual fans getting the tickets.
And then we have to go back and and revoke
(14:49):
tickets for people who we think are scalpers, and and
there is a form they can fill out if their
tickets are revoked, and they can kind of prove that
they're actually a fan and get their tickets back and
we can resell those tickets to actual fans. Comes Tattoo,
the fixture of my inner side tattoos, blue Cone. They
have to show the tattoos, yeah, and uh, but no
(15:09):
we do. I think it's just little things. It's a
lot of little things that require a lot of work
from a lot of people. Um, but it's paid off.
You know. As I talked about how rapidly you've risen,
it's it's been a bit odd to have you blow
up so quick where I feel like a lot of
people don't know young you because you it happened so fast,
(15:29):
you didn't have a lot of time to tell your
full story all the time before it was like you
got so big where you couldn't put yourself everywhere. Yeah, yeah, definitely.
It's it has just been insane, you know. And it's
it's felt that way since the start, like everything just
kind of happened in such quick succession, and it was
always I guess things were always just trending upwards, you know.
(15:53):
I think a lot of the times when people start out,
and I can't speak from experience, I get so I'm
just going off, my buddies have told me. But you
start going up and something great happens, and then you
kind of hit a plateau for a year or two years,
and then you start and then you get a song
that kind of gets you back on the the elevator,
(16:14):
the escalator back up, and then you plateau for a
little bit, and then that kind of keeps going until
you're ultimately at the top of the thing. So mine
just seemed to go like that the whole time. You know,
I'm not really sure why. It's just the way that
that the chips fell. I guess, what were you like
as a kid. Let's let's go back to like seven
(16:35):
or eight years old, because I feel like even knowing
you early on in this run, we didn't get to
a lot of like what was Holmes like as a kid,
but what was home like it? At six, seven, eight
years old? Home was really great. I was living in
Charlotte at that time. I went to Hunter'sll Elementary School.
I was an only child. Both my parents worked full time.
(16:56):
My mom worked as a mortgage processing officer, so she
wasn't a mortgage officer, but she was kind of like
the assistant to all the mortgage officers within a certain
branch of at that at that time, it was First
Union is where she worked at that time, And and
my dad, um back then he was. He was kind
(17:19):
of owned his own like landscaping business. And I don't
mean like a cool, big landscaping business. I mean like
it was just him and his tools and then he
would mow your grass and weed eat and stuff like that,
and uh, that's kind of And he also did maintenance
at a at a different bank, uh in downtown Charlotte,
and that's what he did when we moved to Ashville
(17:40):
as well. Did you learn a lot from your dad
as far as if he's using his hands and you know,
mowing weed eating, which is what I did for many
of those times, Like yeah, could you go and do
that now? And do you do that now on your land?
And like you could you could actually use your hands,
And because I don't, you know, I would I would
like to lot everybody and say that, um, you know,
then I'm out there, you know, cutting down trees with
(18:03):
an axe. But I'm not, Um, I don't have the
time right now to do those things. I could teach
you how to string a weed eater. Yes, I mean
I grew up, you know, doing all those things out
of necessity, you know, because there were a lot of
times when you know, Dad had something even more you know,
(18:23):
annoyingly necessary to do than mow the grass or weed eat.
So sorry, that's my phone. It's cool. No, I have
is a while. You know the tile is, so I
have one in my wallet, so it's probably just probably
I don't know what that. What's the tile? It's like
a thing. So I keep on in my wall. Show
you here. So I got my wallet, handy eddy wall.
Your wallet zips. It zips because somebody stole my credit
(18:45):
card one time. So this is one of those like
r F I D things. So it's this guy right.
It just looks like a credit card, but it's kind
of like a find my iPhone for my wallet. So
but if I press this, then I should it. Then
I know where my phone is. And and this this
looks like a credit card, but you push it and
(19:06):
then it makes your phone ring. Yeah, and so like
but I can also if I if I get on
my app, I can make my wallet ring with this,
so they can find each other. Yes, and I lose
your stuff a lot with this. No, I just I've done.
I had like I have one in my passport, I
have one on my car keys, um and just various
like I keep I keep them in my guitar cases too,
(19:27):
and so everyone that has one of these, this thing
is constantly on bluetooth. So if I were to lose
it and you had one and you were near it,
it would say, hey, this thing just picked up Bluetooth
on this guy's phone, and so they're I'll be like, oh,
well it's over there somewhere. It's close to where that
guy was, and so it would report every step that
(19:50):
it's made on its journey of like going by people
who picked it up. So I originally got them from
my guitars. So I was like, well, someone ever steals
my guitar, I would at least have some way to
like track it, because there it would be is hidden
in the case. You know, Um, so I don't steal
my guitars if you're out there. It just it was
(20:10):
nothing huge. It was like, you know, my business manager
was like, hey, did you spend eight hundred dollars at
Ace Hardware in Iowa or something? And I was like no.
And so essentially I was just somewhere and people have
those skimmers, and actually it was in New York City.
I was I went to the Nike store in New
York City probably last year. Uh, and then I went
(20:31):
to the Adidas store and my business manager was like, Hey,
did you just buy six hundred dollars worth of shoes
at the Nike store and then six hundred dollars worth
of shoes at the Adidas store? And I didn't. I
didn't buy anything at the stores. But someone in the
store had skimmed my wallet while I was in there,
and then they were in there buying ship like literally
(20:52):
when I was in there. So they skimmed your wall.
You didn't stick your card in a skimmer. They somehow
magnetize it. They can magnetize it without even touching it.
Now they can just I've never heard of that. Yeah,
it's pretty wild. And so because of the you have
a zip wallet. Yeah, so this thing has stuff all
in the wallet to keep the magnetic stuff from being
able to go through it. Is your WiFi protected at
(21:13):
your house? Like super Man? When did where did this
all come from? That? I mean, by the way, great
and healthy Amy. My coach husband is you know, super military, Like, hey,
you don't know what they like, He's don't cover your
whole He's that guy. I'm not that necessarily that he's
he's that guy because he's seen it, and you better
cover everything it does happen though, And I think you know,
like when you're dealing in intellectual property, you know, which
(21:37):
is whether you're writing songs or composing things, or writing
a book or you know, if someone were to have
access to your Internet, I mean, they could steal all
of your songs, you're writings, whatever you're keeping on your
in your cloud or whatever it is. I'm not really
sure how that stuff works. But who tipped you off
to do that? Or did something bad happen to you?
(21:59):
Nothing bad happen to me to get tipped off about it.
I had just been like, well, hey, man, like I
can't afford to do that, so like I should probably
do it, Like that would be a safe thing to
just to do. And it's not insanely expensive or anything. Um,
it's just like a series of firewalls. I'm just saying firewalls,
Like I know what that is, by the way, and
question that just sounds like the thing that it should be.
(22:22):
So and they sound scary. So I was talking to
Ronnie Dunne. Him and I become pretty good buzzed in
the last six months or so, and he and I
didn't know this story but he credits you with pretty
much making that whole reboot album for them happen. Yeah,
(22:43):
I've heard that. So here is a little bit of
a brand new Man with Luke and Brooks and Dunne.
Here you go. So how did this come together? In
your mind? The story I've heard is so their manager,
Clarence Spalding is friends with my manager Cappy, Uh, the
(23:06):
guy that cried on the show. Um, and we were
at a show. I believe it was at Joe's Bar
in Chicago, Um, probably three years ago or so. Um.
We we had a show there and um, Clarence had
come or he was in town or something, and it
linked up with Cappy. Cappy was there and he came
(23:29):
and watched the show and stuff, and we did that
cover a brand New Man. And I talked about in
the set how much Brooks and Done meant to me
and how much they had influenced my career. And I
had no idea what Clarence was there, um, but I
I had just been doing that every night, like hey
grew up listen to these guys. They really shaped the
music that I want to make and things that I
want to do. And I guess that kind of sparked
(23:50):
the idea within him, like, hey, there's probably a lot
of other artists around my age that grew up listening
to Brooks and Dunn Um which is you know which
happened to be the truth? If you were to Mount
Rushmore artists, which is four and we'll do we'll do,
We'll do five total five if you're alive that after
(24:10):
the country, they can they can be freaking any they
can be Mozart anyone. Yeah, you get to Mount Rushmore
because and as you think, I'll just kind of walk
you that would put Garth John Mayer on mine. I
put bin folds, I put so it can be, it
can be from wherever you want. So, who would be
the first artist on your Mount Rushmore? Like like influence
(24:31):
or like you just raw there no, not raw talent,
but influence you your favorite probably Elton John. Okay was
where I would go first, for sure. Elton John. All right,
Billy Joel, Are you a piano player? I'm not? Those
are your first two? Yeah? They're so Keys. There's just
like just the songs are so great. I've always loved keys.
(24:52):
I'm not smart enough to play piano. I don't think. Um,
I'm just been honest with myself about that. I've tried
and it's just not there. You know, I'm not a
big technical musician, um, which is why I'm just able
to strum enough chords to write songs and play a
couple of them at the show. But it would definitely
be those guys, you know, Tom Petty, Tom Petty for sure,
(25:16):
Brooks and Dunn would be on there for me. One
spot left. That's tough. That's tough, man. That's hard, you know,
because I you know, I did go for spots really quick. Um,
I'm trying to think of who I just I mean,
there were so many different phases of my music listening
since since that age. Um, I would, man, it's hard
(25:41):
for me to go against an edge hearing at this
at this stage, I just think the amount of work
that he does, the size of the tours that he does,
the quality of everything he puts out in the volume
is just pretty staggering, and there's not really anybody doing
much like that. Have you met Let's just kind of
go back to your first people. Have you Metlton John?
(26:02):
I have not. I'm gonna a low key flex here.
He kissed me on the mouth once, that's awesome. It
was the greatest. That's so cool. I was sitting next
to him at a charity event. He was showing me
pictures of his kid. He had just adopted his kid,
and he's like these a pictures some more and he's
gone up to play like two hundred people there and
he's like all right, and he goes out the planey
grabs in my head and just planted on my face.
I was like, that's freaking amazing. You're like whatever, I'm in.
(26:23):
I am whatever you want, whatever, man, I would have
done the same thing, have you. Billy Joel? I have
not meant Billy Joel. Favorite Billy Joel song scenes from
an Italian restaurant. Nice, that's my favorite Bility. That's how
you know you're a hardcore Billy Joel fan. Yes, because
that song is it's all over the place. I mean,
(26:43):
I feel like it's I feel like it was three
different songs that he just kind of I think I
think I've heard that story, but maybe I mean I
might be making that up. Don't quote me on that,
But I've not meant Billy Joel. I would like to.
I have a lot of friends that are big Billy
Joel fans and most of them picked this as their favorite.
Now me, I'm a middle of the road. I've seen
him through a four times and I would always go
(27:05):
with listen if you if piano manage your favorite, which
is one of mine, you're not as hardcore? Yeah, yeah,
I love piano man, I love it, but you're a hardcore.
Like if you come to me and you say your
favorite John Mayer song his Daughters, I'm like, you're not
a hardcore exactly like you can be the middle of
the road John Mayory, but no real John Mayor fan
picks Daughters or or Bubble Dalm Tongue does not want
(27:27):
you pick as Okay, So those two, um Tom Petty,
have you seen the five hour documentary? I have not,
and I want to see it. You can't watch it
in one setting obviously, and just have this like thing
that hurts my hard a little bit about Tom Petty
because I know we hated country music and that hurts
me a lot. So somebody was in recently talking about
(27:50):
oh Ronnie Dunne talking about him and Tom Petty because
Tom Petty was like a was like a punk guy.
He he talks about Tom Petty when he met him
as being a guy guy who was playing punk music.
And but I just think there is a a misunderstanding
to a lot of people at what country music means,
certainly because I think Tom Petty would be a country
(28:11):
artist now I agree with that statement, yes, because it's
such a broad term. Now, and to and to dislike
something artistic because of a taste you have of it,
I believe is unfair. It's like saying you don't like bread.
It's such a huge thing. There's so many different car cheese,
you know, which I'm currently vegan, which is horrible. But
(28:34):
what do you mean currently into that currently vegan? It's
odd that someone just goes for a minute, I lost
a bet. I lost a bet. It's it's a whole thing.
I lost a bet and I'm given a charity a lot.
You know, it's like a lifestyle. It is a thing.
I mean, it's like it'll definitely be beneficial. You know, Um,
who did you bet with? My my keys player? And
(28:57):
what was your side of the bet? Though? Okay, so
it's it's this is the very oddes seen into a bet.
So I'm a big Caroline Panthers fan, huge die hard.
I was living in Charlotte. Where was I cheering for
the Panthers in the first year, you know, and he's
a big Atlanta Falcons fan. So we played each other
twice a year. Were in the same division. Obviously, there's
(29:19):
a lot of pride involved. At the time of the
bet being made, the Panthers were five and two. I
don't think they won another game. Was this pre Cam
getting hurt? No, this is Kyle Allen had won three
straight I think Cam was out in the second game
or first game, um. But Kyle Allen came in won
three or four straight games. Um. And then I was like, oh,
(29:41):
we're gonna smash the Falcons because they were two and
eleven by the time we played them. They were two
and eleven and and so I was like, and the
Falcons just absolutely destroyed, like dismantled the Panthers, like beat us.
I think it was like thirty four at seven or something.
But of all the terms of a bet, he picked
you being the agen if he won, yes, yes, Well
(30:02):
I hadn't made that bet previously with Cappy. So with
the Panthers played the Cowboys, and the Panthers won, and
Cappy had to shave his beard off where I had
to go vegan. Luckily I won the vet the bet,
but it's like to me, it's like there's nothing like
really fun about like betting money on stuff. You know,
why is everybody picking you to go vegan? Like that's
two different people with the same bet. I think they
(30:22):
see me in there, like this guy loves eating red
meat and going hunting and doing which is a true statement,
but I think it's something that like people think that
I can't do, you know, like they're like, no way
he can do that, And I'm like a super prideful guy.
So I'm on, I'm only on day three. I'm having
how long dift go? Three months? Oh? You bet three
(30:45):
months on a single game? And what was his low? If? Okay,
so he's what's happening here? Well, so so he's bald,
but he has he can grow like the I call
it the happen the circle. So he keeps his head
shaved and wears a hat. His bat was he had
(31:06):
to grow his hair out for three months and couldn't
wear a hat. So it was a very extreme. So
it had to be like he had to match that
with something that he felt was equally as extreme and
better on one game better on one game. We almost
doubled down on the second game, which I'm glad we
didn't because we lost that game too. Then what happened?
You don't eat for three months? I just it and
(31:28):
and nothing. I think it would have been six months
vegan at that point. And have you noticed your body
being any different? It's only been three days. I'm definitely
not as tired sitting around. You become a vegan like
like Rick Ruben vegan. That happened. That happened to my, uh,
my utility player. Are you just eating no vegan or
(31:48):
you no belts you live in the lifestyle or what? No,
I'm not living the lifestyle. I'm not living there like no,
Like I'm I would go hunt tomorrow if it was
hunting season, for sure. I'm definitely not by and into
the like. You know, we usually send everybody home with
the rack of ribs, but I guess we'll just you
could do like a rack of like lentil of or
something like that would be great. So we got on
(32:12):
that fronts a funny bet though, we went Tom Petty
to veganism. Yeah, and again, if Tom Petty were around
now and making new music, he would be on that
rock getree cusp definitely, And I think had you know
as a kid, when you were singing songs, was it
country music for you or was it a mix of
(32:33):
a little like what was it in your mind that
you wanted to sing because you were singing? I was
singing and it was when I was living in Charlotte,
it was country and that was it was country, And
like my parents were listening. So like my mom loved
like Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, that kind of was the
kind of stuff my mom loved. My dad loved led Zeppelin,
(32:55):
who I mean, those were kind of classic rock on
the radio type live Yeah, but most listening to country radio,
um at that because my mom loved country too, she
grew up listening to that as well. And so at
that time, I was, you know, you mostly go around
with your mom when you're a young child. You know,
dad's working or he's out doing something on the weekend
(33:15):
to make extra money. Kind of think that's what my
dad was doing. So I spent a lot of time
in the car with my mom and so she was
listening to country radio. So I listened to Vince Gill.
I mean that, I mean that guess that table was
burned through a thousand times hard working Man Brooks and
Dunne Tracy Chapman album from Like Thing It's from is that,
Like give me One Reason? Tray Chapman No Faster the
(33:39):
first first album and listen to that all the time,
um with my dad. That's what kind of went me
and my dad listen. My dad has never been a
huge country fan except for Dwight Yoakum. Listen to a
ton of Dwight Yoakum with my dad, um, and and
I was listening. And then when we moved from Charlotte
to Asheville, it it just kind of stopped, like I
(34:03):
just my mom just stopped listening to country music for
whatever reason. That was. So when you're eight, you really
don't have your own taste in or for music yet.
You're just kind of like, whatever is on is what
I'm listening to. You're not going and buying albums and
finding stuff that you like. You're just kind of listening
(34:24):
to what your parents are listening to. And so my
mom was just she stopped listening to country radio at
that time. I'm not exactly sure why. And so I
didn't really listen from then until my freshman year of college.
And so there was ten years where I just I
didn't listen to country like at all. As you're a kid,
(34:45):
what is that you're singing? Do you have an eight
year old wrath? Or did when it? Like? You know,
I was, I was. I had a really high voice
when I was little, So I was, I mean I
was singing Vince Gill, you know, I mean killing that stuff. Uh.
And then I just got in I always liked singing.
I was getting troubling class for humming or you know,
talking or I was just constantly making noise um. And
(35:08):
then and then I found a you know, a channel
for that through chorus class. And like the sixth grade,
they make us, they made us take every elective in
the sixth grade. So you took like art and homeck
and jim and and and chorus and band, and you
took all of those classes. Uh. And then so when
I went to pick my electives for the next year,
(35:30):
I picked up my electives were always jim and chorus class.
That was it. When you started singing? Was it duck
to water for you? It was, but I didn't know
it at the time. It was just kind of like
I just like doing it, but I didn't think. I
thought it was just you don't understand that there's I
just never thought of doing something like this, you know.
(35:51):
It wasn't like I was the kid that was like,
I'm gonna be Garth Brooks, I'm gonna do this or that.
I never had that intention in mind at a young age.
And I know a lot of people who do you
know they heard at Tricia Yearwood song and went, I'm
gonna be Trisia Yearwood. That's what I want to do.
I just never thought of that as an option. I
was playing sports. I was horrible at sports, but I
(36:12):
was playing sports. I like doing that, and I was
just singing because it was something to do that I
liked to do. You know. I was just, I mean,
at that point in time, truly just living my life.
You know. I wasn't planning for the future at that time.
And um, I didn't really know I was any good
until like ninth grade, probably until I went to high
(36:34):
school and my course teacher was like, hey, you're pretty good,
you know, and I was like, cool, that's good because
I like I like doing it, so it's cool that
I'm good at it, you know. And then I sang.
I was in course class every day of high school
from ninth grade to the time I graduated. Play football horribly.
I was horrible. Really And what position do you play?
(36:55):
Defensive tackle? Did you like hitting? Loved hitting? Um? I
didn't have UH. I didn't really have the quickness, per
se or the aggression. It wasn't like an aggressive guys,
But I loved hitting people. You weren't saying Vince gil like.
I wasn't singing Vince Gill in high school. No, I
(37:16):
wasn't um. I always you know, It's funny. I played
rugby in college, which I was good at and I
did enjoy a lot, But I loved I always wanted
to I was like a running back stuck in a
offensive guards body, you know what I mean. Like I
always wanted to have the ball and run with the ball,
but that was never an option. And the and my
(37:36):
my high school team we were in we were one
of the first teams to run the spread, and so
obviously there's a high school football team. Yeah, you ran
the spread and for you in two thousand and probably
five four or five. And you gotta you gotta be
able to move if you're running the spread. No doubt,
even even the lineman, you gotta get up and go.
And so I wasn't in like in shape enough to
(37:59):
be you know, I didn't have the endurance two to
run with the offense because we had we had two
running backs that ran sub for three forties. I mean
they were just lightning fast, um, And so we were
up and down the field a lot. I mean, thirty
forty yard play. It was not something that was out
(38:20):
of the ordinary for us. And so yeah, I was
just not cut out for that either. You know, in
a lot of teams we were playing, we're playing we're
you know, we're running the wing tea and like the
super antiquated offenses and stuff like that. So yeah, I
was just I was just not cut out for that
particular thing. Now, looking back in time, I would have
(38:42):
I would have loved to play offensive line. It's one
of my favorite most intriguing positions now and I think
I would have been very good at that actually. Um,
But I was just I was just not because I
didn't play when I was little. I started playing in
high school. So all of my all of my teammates
been playing since they were seven or eight years old,
(39:02):
you know, So by the time I was a senior,
it was like there are guys who had been playing
football for fourteen or fifteen years and I had only
been playing for three. So I was way behind the
curve of you know, strength training and learning the game.
And I just wanted to hit people. That was it.
You go to Appalachian State and as you leave high
(39:24):
school and you go to college. In your mind at
that point, why are you going to college? I just
thought that was what you did because I didn't want
to go to work, I think, you know, Um, but
I had went to actually went to a chorus camp
at app in probably maybe eighth grade or ninth grade
(39:45):
or something like that. For the summer. I was like
one of those two weeks you go and stay in
the dorms and there's kids from all the different schools
and everything. And I just fell in love with that
place because I grew up in the mountains already, but
that was way I mean, that's way in them as
much in the mountains as you can be in North Carolina. Um,
kind of nestled in this little valley thing, and I
(40:05):
just fell in love with the campus and like the
in the weather, you know, I like the cold. You know,
I'm fine with being cold, and it's very cold, and
it sows a lot there, and I just I absolutely
was enamored with that place. And ever since I went
to that camp, I was like, that's where I'm gonna
go to college. I'm gonna go to school there. And
(40:26):
I was not a very good student in high school.
I've always been interested in in learning things. I really
enjoy that. I just was never interested in learning things
that people wanted me to learn. So what were you
doing in college? For the most part, If obviously you're
getting too because you didn't leave until and you left
right before you graduated, which so look at us, But
(40:47):
what were you doing in school? Were you just keeping
the grades up so you could keep singing, or we're
like why, what was your motivation? It was like it
was college was a big time for me of like, okay,
how do you be three hundred pounds and get a girlfriend?
That was what I spent most of my time trying
to figure out. Did you have girls in college? No? No,
(41:08):
I was definitely not a ladies man. Uh, you know,
not not because I didn't want to be um. But
in high school you don't exactly get judged on your
great personality. Um so those were interesting times for me,
But I mean that was what I did in college. Man.
I hung out, I drank with my buddies, I didn't
go to class a lot. I played rugby. I sang
(41:30):
in an acapella group my my first year and a
half of school. Um, I pluged. I pledged a fraternity
and ended up quitting doing that before I became an
initiative member. Um I did. I did a bunch of stuff. Man,
I just tried a bunch of stuff, you know. And
I think that's what I'm thankful for in the college experience,
(41:50):
because that's where I found out that this is what
I was supposed to be doing. And you left ear
like you were closer graduating, right. Well, I was there
for five years, so I didn't leave early, but you left.
I stayed late and I didn't graduate. Yeah. How many
hours you think you need? Not even semester and a half. Yeah,
(42:10):
not even. But I could have done like a summer
and a semester. But the problem was I always hated math,
and I always hated science. Um I'm not good at
not good at science, not good at math. Um, And
so I never what happened was I I loved I
was a major, and I changed my major from business.
(42:32):
I started out at business and I was like, wait,
I hate math. Why am I doing that? That's just
something that I was like, Oh, you could probably get
a good job doing business things, you know. So I
tried that for like a year, and then I switched
my major to criminal justice because do what incriminal justice?
Near mind, I wanted to be a homicide detective, is
what I wanted to do. Uh still and very interested
(42:52):
in that um and so I I went balls to
the wall and in that major, and I really enjoyed that.
So I liked onto my you know, forensic science class,
and my this and this and this class. But the
things that I the twenty one hours I was short
where all my math classes, all my science classes so
(43:12):
like basic like your freshman year stuff. Never took any
of them. I never took stats one in stats too,
And then I never took chemistry or biology because I
was like, this is just I don't want to do
any of this stuff, you know. And so by the
time I got to the end of my major, I
kind of ran into this huge roadblock because I had
(43:36):
two or three classes that I needed for my major,
and they were like, well, you can't take this class
unless you have Stats one in stats too, and you
can't take them at the same time. So that's at
least a year of school to take two classes. So
I had to do Stats one Stats to biology or
chemistry one in biology or chemistry too, and those were
(43:57):
both prerequisites, and then I would have had to take
the classes for the end of my major, and then
I would have had to do my internship because I
couldn't do my internship until I did the classes for
the end of my major. And you've already done five
years and I had already done yeah, like four. I was, yeah,
I've already done like four and a half years. So
I was like, I'm not staying here for another two
and a half years in school at least. I ended
(44:17):
up living in Boone until I was twenty four before
I moved to Nashville. Um, but I was just like, man,
I just I don't you know what that by that time,
I was already playing music. Were you going back and
the forth from Boone to Nashville or what did you
when you came to Nashville. Was that you came to Nashville.
The first. I came to Nashville twice in in those years,
and that was two thousand and at the end of
(44:38):
two thousand and thirteen, and then the summer of two
thousand and fourteen when the first time, did you know
you wanted to stay? Yeah? Oh, yeah, because I had
written a few songs, and so I came at the
end often and recorded those songs, and then I met
had you know, through the internet, had met a couple
(44:58):
of people. I was like, Oh, I write songs with
these guys, and so I wrote a couple of songs
when I was there, and then I got back and
I was like, man, like, I gotta play another trip.
So I played another trip, wrote some more songs, and
then on that trip and probably aprilish May of two
thousand and fourteen is when I recorded she Got the
Best to me? Can I get an outlaw and share
(45:20):
if you want to? And then at that time after that,
those came out in June, and I moved in September
of that year of two the tweet you posted what
you said, I think the topic was tell me something
about yourself that no one believe, And the just of
it was that you came to town and you had
some songs and people were like, hey, they weren't good,
(45:42):
and your all thing was don't let anyone lets you
stop chasing your dreams. Yeah, those meetings where you were rejected,
are they vivid to you? The early meetings definitely. Um.
The one in the meeting in particular was with somebody.
It was, you know, they have like the artist like
to reps at like B and I. So I had
(46:02):
a friend that had a rep there and I went
in and I was like very excited because I had
just moved to Nashville at this time and I didn't
know anybody. You know, I knew a couple of writing
buddies and was going out and playing a few writers
rounds and writing songs every day, and because by that time,
I was living off of those songs that I had
put out the previous year. And I went in and
(46:25):
it was kind of like this this person was like,
we'll play me three songs. And I was like, oh cool,
Like this person is gonna be like I'm gonna play
these three songs and like they're gonna walk me into
the best publishing thing and they're gonna like this guy
is great, Like how could you not love this guy?
Give him a publishing deal? So I played Hurricane When
(46:45):
It Rains in one Number Away, which were my first
three number ones, and they were like, Okay, here's the deal.
You gotta get better a SONGWRT and you gotta write
better songs and you're never gonna be an artist. So
that's it. And I was like, and I wasn't like mad,
do you know who said it? Yeah, but I'm not
(47:05):
gonna I'm not gonna say I would never ask you
to say it, but I'm just asking if you know
who's that? Oh? I know? Yeah? Have you seen them since? Yeah?
I've ran into them awkwardly at actually the bm MY Awards.
Do you think they remember telling you that? Or do
you don't get just someone that was coming through attorney
to the system. I don't think so at all, which
is fine, you know I have I have nothing against
(47:27):
that person, you know what, because I get it, man.
I mean it's it's like, if you look at it,
would I would. I would equate it to at that level,
you know, because you're not even screened at all. At
that level, like any Tom Dick or Harry can walk
in off the street pretty much to be am I
and get one of those meetings. So I can't imagine
the pressure of like, Okay, well, I've got six kids
(47:50):
that moved to town yesterday that want to come in
and they all think they're awesome, and I've got to
be able to figure out which ones I think are
good enough to go on to the next thing. And
so I wasn't mad about it at all. I'm actually
very thankful for that meeting because I did go out
and feel like I wrote some of the best songs
that I had ever written, because I was like, man,
(48:10):
I gotta I gotta write more and do better, Like
I'm not even close to as good as I need
to be, And so I just kept my head down
and I went and wrote a ton of songs and
then they're kind of The rest is just kind of
fell into place. I mean, I know that's, you know,
summarizing a big chain of events, but that's kind of
(48:31):
how it felt. Like, get a few minutes left here.
I wanted to run a couple of other things about
you that I heard. First of all, a lot of
folks come in, myself included that worked retail because we
kind of had to you gotta pay the bills somehow
as you're chasing your creative endeavor. And I worked at
Hobby Lobby. Mike who was in Michael Hobby from Thousand
(48:52):
Horses worked at the Buckle. You worked at ISO? How
did that go? I was not a great it at
izod Um, but I had you know, I had as
much fun with it is you could possibly have folding
people's golf sweaters, you know. Um. It was in an
outlet mall, like one of those like Tanger outlets or
(49:12):
whatever they call it. They had one in Blowing Rock,
which is right down the road from Boone, So it
was I mean it was pretty pretty miserable. How long
did you do that? I probably worked there for I
mean close to a year probably, I would think. And
whenever you are walking past a table of shirts that
are messy, does it bother you? And will you refold
(49:34):
a shirt? No chance? No chance. But I'll tell you
what I do. I do fold a mean shirt, you know,
when I'm when I'm doing the laundry at home, which
I'm sure people are supposed to do do laundry. My
fiance does handle the brunt of the laundry. Um, but
I do. I do chip in quite a bit, and
you know, helped fold stuff. And you know, I'm not
(49:55):
I'm not afraid to do laundry. I I don't. I
don't mind it at all. But or do throw it
all in. I if I wasn't in a committed relationship,
I would throw it on. Yeah, but I do separate
it now just because that's what. But now it's like
her stuff's in there, which is the thing. Like mine
are just old, like gross t shirts and jeans really,
(50:16):
so I'm not too worried about them like shrinking or like.
But now there's this whole like don't wash this thing
with that thing, and don't dry this thing, but it's
gotta be tumble dried, but don't put it in with
this thing that has to be high heat. And then
some stuff is like cold water. And so it's I mean,
(50:37):
it gets pretty matthey to me, you know. And you
don't like, I don't left school because you didn't even
take laundry. That was like year three and that was
year three and I skipped laundry class, that's for sure.
The bank bag, I'm curious about the us to save
money in so you went and bought one of those
bank bags. It zips like it's let with the lock
(50:57):
on it. Yeah, so what was that about? And and
where was this money coming from? You were sticking in
the bag. So I had I had started playing shows.
And and when Cappy moved to town after he started
managing me, he had never managed anybody before. Um, you know,
he kind of blew through his life savings like trying
to build my career. And and so he made a
(51:18):
promise to me. He was like, hey, man, I'm not
gonna take a commission until you're actually making enough money too,
like live off of And so at the time, you know,
the gigs were I mean, they could have been two
d fifty dollars a night, they could have been a
thousand dollars a night. And those were a thousand dollars
was really good, you know. And so we would go
(51:40):
and do those gigs and excuse me, I would take,
you know, t shirt money, whatever was left over. And
and Cappy was great because he would always go settle
the show. You know, he would run me through the
statement every night and day. Here's what we got, and
here's what we did, and here's the tickets and this,
and and there would always we were we were selling
out everything, you know at that time, which is great
(52:02):
on those club gigs because usually they they'll they'll kick
you back and pretty like sweet bonus and it's always cash.
And so that's where the money was coming from, was
that these sellout bonuses on these club shows, and so
I would I was like, I remember getting to thinking
I had like five or six thousand dollars in my apartment,
you know, and I was like, man like, so mikeyl
(52:22):
just walk in here and like take this if they
wanted to. So I had like a folder's can, and
instead of putting just the money in there, I put
it in the bank bag and then rolled the bank
back up and put it in there. It's been back
like behind my microwave on my counter. My microwave kind
of sat like in a corner, so it was kind
of there was that space behind it, yeah, because it
(52:42):
was diagonal. Yeah, and so that's what that's what that's
where the money was coming from. And that's what I
did with it. At that time, I saw Cappy. He
was in the Delta lounge. I was walking through. I
wasn't going of the Delta lodges, and we hadn't know
each other obviously and he was on the phone and
I just like touched show. I was like just saying
hi to him, not pulling off the phone, and he
and he was talking about um, some of your technology.
He's on the phone talking about shore. He's like, he's like,
(53:05):
and he goes, I'll call you back to hang just
hangs up on him and it's like, how you doing, man?
And I was like, you don't have to hang up
a phone call. But it's such a testament to like
how present minded that he always wants to be. Yeah, definitely,
and just how giving of his time. And we sat
there and talking. I was like, happy, why don't you
get back on the phone and handle your business. I'm
gonna go get like a one of these little fancy
(53:25):
Delta chocolate bars, right, And then someone else walked down
that I know he did the same thing. It's really
one of the sweetest guys. He is man and he um.
He and I are very similar. I Mean, people think
he's my dad all the time. How did you guys meet?
We met so his his best friend from growing up.
They went to high school together and then went to
college together, joined the same fraternity. UH is a guy
(53:46):
by the name of Bradley Jordan's uh, and he books
a ton of a ton of clubs in the Southeast
as a promoter. He had He used to own Pea
Street tavern in Atlanta in the early like mid two thousands,
like Brian used to there Swindel f gl That was
kind of one of those big clubs where like when
you went and played Atlanta and you were coming up,
(54:06):
you played Bradley's place. Uh. And when he eventually sold that,
he started a company uh called Peastree Entertainment, which he
still runs, you know. And um, and so he booked it.
You know, right now he's booking shows with like you know,
Hardy and We're Gona Wall and Riley Green, like those
kind of guys. And so Bradley was had booked me
on one or two shows. And then you know, obviously
(54:26):
him having known Cappy his whole life, he knew that
Cappy's ultimate goal was to always be a manager. He
had just never found the right guy, or it wasn't
the right time, or the stars didn't line up, and
so um, he called Cappy and was like, hey, I
got the guy. And so he showed up at my
show at Zydeco and Birmingham, and we talked and he
(54:46):
was like, I live in Atlanta and all this, and
I'm gonna move. And I was like, dude, this guy's
fucking crazy, Like he's gonna like he's just gonna up
and like walk away from his entire life to do this.
And I was kind of like a little like apprehensive
about it, you know, like I was like, am I
getting involved with like some like sharky guy who's gonna
come and like, because you always hear the stories like, well,
(55:07):
make sure who you do business with because they're everyone
in the music business is trying to you know, steal
from you or get something out of you kind of thing.
So I was like my thinking was like, man, you
get one shot, you know, like do I want to
take my risk with this guy who I don't know,
who's never managed anybody before, or do I want to
try to get a proper management to at a you know,
(55:29):
at a big firm or do this? And and so
I met with a couple other managers and you know,
everybody had kind of passed on me in that situation too,
and and uh and Cappy's you know, we stayed in
touch about things, and he sent me this huge email.
I mean it was like five or six pages long,
(55:50):
and I remember reading it. I was I was like
reading it like in my car, and I had just
come home from a ride or something, and and I
remember and he had heard that he had met with
some other manager type people, and essentially this was a
six page letter of like why he was going to
be the best manager, you know, for not only for me,
(56:11):
but he wanted to become you know, a great manager,
and and this is how we're gonna do things, and
this is why we're gonna do him and this is
why I believe in you, and this is why I'm
willing to sacrifice everything for you, you know, to do this.
And after I read it, I was like, man, there's
nobody's going to care more about it than this guy,
you know. So then it then it just we instant.
I mean he helped and moved like the next week.
(56:33):
What was that? That was two thousand and fifteen, probably
late fifteen. I would think, great story, it is. Yeah,
the last thing we're gonna do is walk through these
number ones and just can a couple of sentences about
what they like when you hear them back, Like what
was happening around the time that either you wrote it
or number one. Like what story we'll start. We'll start
(56:54):
with hurricane. Here you go, here's that. What do you
think when that plays? I mean, it just as a
flood of like things were just really happening at that time,
you know, and and that song was around it for
you know, in my life at that time a long time.
(57:14):
You know, it had been out for you know, by
the time it went number one, it had been out
for two years. And so I played that song in
a lot of clubs and and I just could I
I can just feel the like the momentum when you
play that song, because it's you know, I kind of
(57:35):
everything to that song, you know. I mean, I wouldn't
be sitting here talking to you if it wasn't for
that moment in time, you know. And I just remember,
you know, playing all these shows, and man, we're selling
everything out, and people were all these important you know,
business people were coming out and we want to see
the show, and we want to talk to you about this,
(57:55):
and and just excitement, I guess would be the word
that I think when that song comes to mind. All right,
Number two, here is your second one one number away.
Number that's just different, you know. It was. It was
the most different thing that I had done at that time,
(58:17):
especially when we wrote it. You know, I had never
written to a track before. I didn't know what that was. Um,
and it was just it was it was cool, man.
It was kind of like I was like, man, this
thing is just so cool. It's such a risk for me,
I felt at that time to put out, you know,
and so mean. Luckily it worked out, but that one
is is definitely I would like risky, I think, is
(58:39):
how I would felt. I felt about that one when
it rains of pores. Yeah, man, I mean just I mean,
I just think that's probably my It just makes me
happy when I hear that song. Man. You know, I
remember shooting the video and and um and Charleston and
(59:00):
and uh, you know, me and my uh you know,
now fiance had had just really got into the throes
of our relationship at that time, and it was just
really fun. That was just a really fun time for me.
You know, that song brings back a lot of of
really cool, fun memories for me. Right number four here
she got the best of me? Why did you laugh
(59:24):
right there? What what happened up there? Was I mean,
it's just that's full. It's like full circle is the
word I would use. Because I wrote that song in college. Um,
I wrote it here in Nashville, but it was on
one of my trips and it just the way it
all came together was um that you know. I wrote
it with Rob Snyder and Channing Wilson at that time.
They were both, you know, doing the revival thing together
(59:47):
at Tin Roof, and um, a buddy of mine that
I went to Nashville with had you know, kind of
walked up to those guys and was like, hey, let's
write a song thing and and so they were like sure, man.
You know, we're in town for a couple of days.
And they're like, oh, well, right tomorrow or whatever. I
me and my buddy got just super drunk that night
at the Tin Roof and and you know, we played
revival that night and uh. And so he called me
(01:00:10):
in the morning and was like, hey, man, like, I'm
too hungover to go to this right, will you go instead?
And I was like sure, man, like I'll go right
with these you know, two complete stranger guys, you know.
And so I went over to Rob's apartment. Me and
Rob were kind of sitting there writing and this. I mean,
Rob and Channing are both like big dudes. They're both
(01:00:32):
taller than me. They're both even broader than I am.
And and Channing walks out in this like bath towel.
You know, he's got his long hair and his big
beard and everything. And Rob was like, dude, come come
get on this song with us. Man, h you come
write this song with us. And he was like, man,
I'm not feeling it, you know, And he said, we'll
play He said, dude, just just play him something. So
(01:00:54):
I played night Moves on my guitar by Seeger and
He's like, yeah, I'll come right with you, guys. And
then so we wrote. We wrote she Got the Best
of Me that day, uh, And I ended up recording
it uh in college when I'm still in college, putting
it out, and then when it came time to record
the deluxe version of the album, you know, Lynn was like,
this song is just great and your fans love it
(01:01:16):
at the shows, and and I really think it deserves
a chance to, you know, to be recorded with the
proper equipment and the proper proper band and and get
a shot at being a single one. So it's definitely
a full circle experience for that one beautiful crazy. I
mean definitely, my fiance comes to mind more than anything.
Um and that song really just changed a lot for me.
(01:01:41):
I mean it was seven week number one, which is crazy.
I want to never imagine that that to you, that
song to me put you on a hold different Like
it's you have to have a massive song to actually
make the jump. You can have eleven number one and
sometimes you don't make the jump, but if you get
that one definer, you can make a jump. I think
for you, that's when it launched you up. And that's
what I was thinking, is this is the one that
(01:02:02):
took us from like I mean, we had four number
ones and things were awesome, and then it was all
of a sudden, it was like next it was the
next gear after that song, you know. And you know,
I think of obviously winning the Song of the year
uh here recently, and you know, all the accolades and
and and and things. There's so many really positive, you
(01:02:23):
know memories. I mean, I wouldn't be you know, I probably,
I mean I would like to think I would still
be with my fiance without that song. But I mean,
this is the song that I played for her, you know,
after we weren't even officially dating yet when I wrote
this song about her, and I remember playing it for
like two days after I wrote it, and I was
like so nervous because I was like, man, what does
(01:02:44):
she thinks I'm just a total creep, like, you know,
because it was like, I mean, we're hanging out. We
were hanging out a good amount at that time, but
it was still like, man, it was such a risk
in my mind, like to play her that what did
she do? She was working at b M. I know,
what did she do when you played the song? Did
she get emotional or did she well? I I played
(01:03:04):
it smart because her one of her friends was there,
and so I had actually bought her a record player
as a gift, like a Crosley record player with like
the legs and like its own little speaker and stuff,
and so it had an OX cord jack. And I
plugged my phone in and played the work tape and
her friend was in there, and her friend was like,
oh my god, like this is just wow, you know,
(01:03:27):
And so I was like, I know, if I can
like hook the friend and the friend thinks it's sweet,
she at least has to pretend like she likes it
so that I'm not in this awkward situation. We're both like, well,
we'll just stop hanging out now, because do you think
I'm super weird? So it was she, but no, she
loved it, and I mean she obviously loves that tune.
All right. There never broke my heart. I didn't just
(01:03:54):
feel the live show on that one. Yeah, I mean,
it's just like it just was like, you know, it
just feel like I can imagine what the environment would
have been like at an A C d C concert,
you know, like and not that that song sounds anything
like an A C d C song, but it's the
most rock and the thing that we have. You know.
(01:04:14):
It has those heavy like chugging guitars and and just
it just feels like an arena rock like anthem song.
And that's what it feels like every time we play it.
And I think that song, you know, if Beautiful Crazy
was important, I think beer is just as important. Because
we followed Beautiful Crazy up, which was this very vulnerable,
(01:04:36):
like low you know, fiddle like violin kind of acoustic thing,
and then it just polar opposite is this song and
and this song, you know, I think this gave us
a jump too, because you know a lot of and
like you said, we did have hits, but a lot
of the hits that were kind of like mid tempo
e like there wasn't that like kick you in the
(01:04:58):
teeth thing in the set it And I think that
song brought that to the table for us. And the
last one before we go, even though I'm leaving seven
number one in a row as we record this right now,
this is the one multi week number one when you
wrote this, how do you feel? I've man, this was
(01:05:18):
like crazy, right, So actually one of the guys I
wrote beautiful Crazy with White drette Um. This was the
first song that we wrote together, uh and me and
him and and a good friend of ours Rave Fulture
wrote this together and it was one of those things
like I love to get into a rite and just
not go until I feel like it's perfect, and I
(01:05:40):
feel like sometimes the Nashville environment can be We got
three hours, We're walking out with a song. I don't
care if it's terrible. I don't care if it's the
best song that anybody's ever written. I just want to
get it done and turn into my publisher and get
on with my life, you know, which is great if
that's what you want to do. And I understand that,
(01:06:01):
and I enjoy that sometimes too, but I have to
go into it with a different thing because I'm writing
it as something that could potentially be a humongous part
of my life forever. You know, that song is never
gonna go away. It's never not gonna have been a
number one. I'm never not gonna play it every night.
And so I love to go in and make sure
(01:06:22):
that if I'm going to record something and i'm gonna
put it out there for people, that it's something that
has the stamp of approval. And so that was a
right that took probably eight hours, seven or eight hours
and one day. And we were in the little like,
um we were in like the little office rooms at
Southern Ground in the studio. We weren't in the studio,
(01:06:45):
but there's a little spot next door where there's like,
you know, just a little fluorescent bulb like offices. And
why it's Son at that time was you know, getting
ready to you know, he was getting to the age
where he was going to be graduating from high school
very soon, and that was his only a child at
that time, and um, He was like, man, I want
(01:07:05):
to write my son a song and let him know
that I'm gonna be there for him no matter what,
you know, Like just because he's not living at home,
he doesn't I don't want him to feel like he
can't still call me or he can't still you know,
be my son or ask for help if he needs it.
And so that's how that song started. Uh and and uh, man,
(01:07:26):
we had trouble getting through it. You know, I'm lucky
enough to still have my my parents in my life
and and so I haven't you know, had to deal
with that you know, horrible day yet. But we were all,
you know, very emotional, like you didn't sing in the
work tape. I got a little choked up. I was like, man,
this is like and I knew, like if that's happening
to me, like that's gonna happen to a lot of
(01:07:47):
people with that song. So um, that song is just
you know, it's it's really powerful for a lot of folks. Alright,
See what you see is what you get towards ashing me.
Brian Andrew Drew Parker's happening lots of festival dates this
You and Eric Church are headlining rock to South. You're
told with mc graw, I don't even know how you
have a minute. It's like every day on your calendar
there there's something on it. You know. That's what I
(01:08:09):
call music seventy three. Holy crap, man, it's crazy, man,
you know, but it's it's I just think, you know,
you only get this chance, you know, once, if you
ever get it. And you know, I don't want to
look back when i'm you know, sixty years old, you know,
and and go, man, I could have done more, I
(01:08:31):
should have done more. I wish I would have done that,
or I wish I would have worked harder, you know,
because I don't want to lose this, you know. It's
it's it's a special feeling, you know, to go on, man,
people are really loving me right now. I'm hitting some
kind of I'm hitting some kind of vain somehow some
way that that maybe somebody else isn't doing. And that's
a neat feeling. So I don't you know, I'm I'm
(01:08:53):
not prepared to lose that, and I know it, and
inevitably will come. There will be a time when you
know the next guy that's really awesome will come along
and go Luke Combs. That gots old news. You know.
I was talking with in the last few days, a
plus plus artist, just we're hanging out a little bit
and he had brought you up because that he was
(01:09:14):
a plus plus still is massive and he was confident.
He was like, you know what, it's Luke Combs the time.
Now he's like, I had my time, and he goes,
it's Luke Holmas the time. She said, I'm still gonna
do massive shows. But now it's Luke's time, and Luke's
gonna have his time, and then hopefully Luke will look
at the next person. He goes, you know what, I'm
still gonna play a big shows. He goes, that's just
how this works. And the people who don't, who are miserable,
(01:09:35):
who don't embrace what they have when they have it
and what they had when they had it, and roots
for the guys that are coming next. Yeah, And you
got to, man, you know, because I've had a lot
of really great experiences with with people here in town,
with other artists who have said, man, you know you're
gonna do this, and and everybody's thing is always enjoy
it while it's here. You know, do the thing that
(01:09:58):
you go to that after party that you're too tired
to go to go you know, hang out with Ed
Sheering or you know, any a cool opportunity you should
go do that because you're not always going to have
those opportunities. So um, that's something that I have always
taken to heart. Now I do enjoy a good nap sometimes,
(01:10:19):
you know, it's just hard to pass up on that sometimes.
But so yeah, I'm just trying to I'm just trying
to do it the best I can. And uh and
and you know, enjoy it. Well it's here. Well listen,
I appreciate time. Just a big fan of you. Thank you.
I think over your artistry, Like I got to know
you a little bit before you had a bunch of
I was always like your honesty when you came. Thanks
(01:10:40):
and and it's very authentic. So area is Luke Holmbs
Episode two twenties six. Um, this thing is gonna be
listen to forever. The single right now is does to me.
But when this is gonna be around for years and
years of podcast So whatever. His n number one and
we'll have to do another one another one. Good to
see my friend Luke Combs. There we go. What the
to day
Host
Bobby Bones
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