WEBVTT 00:00:10.480 --> 00:00:13.119 Welcome to My Weekly Mixtape, a podcast that 00:00:13.119 --> 00:00:15.919 takes the classic mixtape approach to building 00:00:15.919 --> 00:00:18.440 a modern playlist. I'm your host, Brian Colburn. 00:00:18.559 --> 00:00:21.300 This episode is a bit of a different animal. 00:00:21.339 --> 00:00:24.079 It is a bonus episode, as this week's current 00:00:24.079 --> 00:00:27.539 episode, the Ultimate Modern Female Country Artists 00:00:27.539 --> 00:00:30.699 Playlist, with guest curator Carrie Cunningham, 00:00:30.760 --> 00:00:32.740 has been making the rounds and has been getting 00:00:32.740 --> 00:00:36.079 some amazing feedback thus far. As the first 00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:38.780 country episode on my weekly mixtape, it puts 00:00:38.780 --> 00:00:41.880 a real big smile on my face. Now, in a minor 00:00:41.880 --> 00:00:45.479 spoiler alert for that episode, I chose a song 00:00:45.479 --> 00:00:48.560 from country artist Morgan Wade, and I had pulled 00:00:48.560 --> 00:00:51.219 a short clip of her talking about the song's 00:00:51.219 --> 00:00:53.500 origins from an interview that Jay Sweet and 00:00:53.500 --> 00:00:57.340 I did with her back in 2021 for the TuneStyles 00:00:57.340 --> 00:01:00.950 podcast. Now, breaking the fourth wall a bit 00:01:00.950 --> 00:01:04.189 here, little did we know that that episode was 00:01:04.189 --> 00:01:07.349 actually the penultimate episode of Toon Styles, 00:01:07.709 --> 00:01:10.569 and one week later, the show's final episode 00:01:10.569 --> 00:01:13.930 would air. In another little -did -we -know moment, 00:01:14.109 --> 00:01:16.989 when we ended our contract with our then -podcast 00:01:16.989 --> 00:01:20.790 host, all 81 episodes of Toon Styles disappeared 00:01:20.790 --> 00:01:24.349 from podcast services as if they'd never happened 00:01:24.349 --> 00:01:31.489 at all. this week's episode, I kind of felt compelled 00:01:31.489 --> 00:01:33.450 to listen back to our entire discussion because 00:01:33.450 --> 00:01:36.569 it had been a few years. And like all the interviews 00:01:36.569 --> 00:01:39.870 I've produced for my weekly mixtape, Jay and 00:01:39.870 --> 00:01:42.069 my questions were centered around the stories 00:01:42.069 --> 00:01:45.769 behind the songs. Something that, to me at least, 00:01:46.010 --> 00:01:49.829 makes for a timeless slash evergreen kind of 00:01:49.829 --> 00:01:52.930 listen. So after listening through the episode, 00:01:53.129 --> 00:01:56.329 I reached out to Jay and pitched this idea of 00:01:56.329 --> 00:01:59.329 sharing our sit down with Morgan as a bonus episode 00:01:59.329 --> 00:02:02.349 of my weekly mixtape, because unless you were 00:02:02.349 --> 00:02:05.549 one of the tune styles faithful who tuned in 00:02:05.549 --> 00:02:08.370 over that three week period between when this 00:02:08.370 --> 00:02:12.090 episode launched and when the show ended, this 00:02:12.090 --> 00:02:15.229 is pretty much an unheard interview with her. 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:18.840 And we dove into a bunch of tracks from her 2021 00:02:18.840 --> 00:02:22.120 debut album, Reckless, as well as talked about 00:02:22.120 --> 00:02:25.599 some stuff from her Our Vinyl sessions, as well 00:02:25.599 --> 00:02:28.240 as some of the music she did prior to working 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:31.979 with Sadler Vaden on Reckless. Remember, if you 00:02:31.979 --> 00:02:34.199 like what you're hearing on My Weekly Mixtape, 00:02:34.259 --> 00:02:36.139 you can help me out by either telling a friend 00:02:36.139 --> 00:02:38.719 about the show, leaving the show a five -star 00:02:38.719 --> 00:02:41.379 review wherever you're tuning in, or becoming 00:02:41.379 --> 00:02:44.680 a Patreon mixtaper at patreon .com forward slash 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:48.199 myweeklymixtape. There you can enjoy ad -free 00:02:48.199 --> 00:02:50.259 episodes of the show, you can become a future 00:02:50.259 --> 00:02:53.500 guest, interact with the other mixtapers, and 00:02:53.500 --> 00:02:56.699 so much more. So after this, I'll fire up the 00:02:56.699 --> 00:02:59.500 My Weekly Mixtape Wayback Machine and bring us 00:02:59.500 --> 00:03:02.319 back to 2021, where Jay Sweet and I sat down 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:07.419 with the incredible Morgan Wade. And joining 00:03:07.419 --> 00:03:10.580 us now is Morgan Wade. Morgan, thank you so much 00:03:10.580 --> 00:03:13.719 for joining us. Yeah, thanks for having me. Now, 00:03:13.740 --> 00:03:16.919 your debut LP, Reckless, was produced by Sadler 00:03:16.919 --> 00:03:19.680 Vaden. How did you come to work with Sadler on 00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:22.020 the album and what did he bring to the table 00:03:22.020 --> 00:03:24.520 in terms of capturing what lies at the heart 00:03:24.520 --> 00:03:28.219 of your music? Yeah, so I actually was playing 00:03:28.219 --> 00:03:31.219 a show and after I got done, this guy came up 00:03:31.219 --> 00:03:34.240 to me and he was like, hey, you know, loved your 00:03:34.240 --> 00:03:37.259 set. Can I get some of your music? Blah, blah, 00:03:37.300 --> 00:03:39.199 blah. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, you know, whatever. 00:03:39.379 --> 00:03:41.500 He's like, oh, yeah, Jason Isbell's guitar tech, 00:03:41.620 --> 00:03:45.340 which then, you know, changed my. my attitude 00:03:45.340 --> 00:03:47.199 a little bit. I was like, okay, it's not just 00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:49.520 some, not just some random dude. Who's like, 00:03:49.599 --> 00:03:52.039 can I get a CD? Cause I'm like, yeah, you can 00:03:52.039 --> 00:03:55.599 go buy one. Like, I don't know why. And, uh, 00:03:55.620 --> 00:03:58.580 who, and this guy's name's Kane and we're, we're 00:03:58.580 --> 00:04:00.800 good friends now, but he's like, well, I think 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:02.240 the guys would really like to hear this. And 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:04.759 I was like, yeah, sure, man. You know? And I 00:04:04.759 --> 00:04:07.900 didn't like take it to heart because, you know, 00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:10.039 people say stuff all the time. And so it was 00:04:10.039 --> 00:04:11.879 literally like two days later, I get an email 00:04:11.879 --> 00:04:15.110 from Sadler. He was like, hey, I listen to your 00:04:15.110 --> 00:04:18.230 stuff. I love your voice. I love your songwriting. 00:04:18.529 --> 00:04:21.269 You know, would you like to send up like a FaceTime 00:04:21.269 --> 00:04:23.250 or something and we can chat? He was like, I'm, 00:04:23.250 --> 00:04:25.509 you know, I produced a couple records. I'm looking 00:04:25.509 --> 00:04:28.050 to add some more to that catalog. And I was like, 00:04:28.069 --> 00:04:30.730 well, hell yeah. So then like two days after 00:04:30.730 --> 00:04:33.389 that, we, you know, I was super nervous because 00:04:33.389 --> 00:04:35.310 I was like, you know, big Jason Isbell fan. And 00:04:35.310 --> 00:04:38.110 I'm like, damn, I'm going to get to sit here 00:04:38.110 --> 00:04:40.050 and FaceTime with Sadler. And they were out on 00:04:40.050 --> 00:04:43.170 tour. yeah we facetimed and and went over some 00:04:43.170 --> 00:04:46.149 songs and stuff and set up a meeting i went out 00:04:46.149 --> 00:04:48.550 to nashville to his house and hung out with him 00:04:48.550 --> 00:04:51.769 and it took me about you know an hour to realize 00:04:51.769 --> 00:04:57.990 oh my gosh this guy's a total nerd so we i can't 00:04:57.990 --> 00:04:59.790 wait for him to hear that but not like a bad 00:04:59.790 --> 00:05:02.329 way he's like super like he's just this weird 00:05:02.329 --> 00:05:04.750 dude that can just sit there just come up with 00:05:04.750 --> 00:05:06.689 all these riffs and stuff i mean like you would 00:05:06.689 --> 00:05:10.769 assume like he's a musical genius and um We just 00:05:10.769 --> 00:05:14.509 clicked. I was there for an hour and a half. 00:05:14.689 --> 00:05:16.949 He was like, you guys hungry? We went and got 00:05:16.949 --> 00:05:20.670 Thai food. I was like, all right. This is the 00:05:20.670 --> 00:05:23.490 kind of guy that I think I can work with. He 00:05:23.490 --> 00:05:27.149 had me sold then. That's been two years ago, 00:05:27.389 --> 00:05:30.930 which is crazy to sit there and think that we've 00:05:30.930 --> 00:05:32.850 been working on this stuff that long. It's all 00:05:32.850 --> 00:05:34.649 gone through a bunch of different processes. 00:05:35.389 --> 00:05:38.000 The thing I love about Sadler is like, I mean, 00:05:38.019 --> 00:05:40.699 this guy, he's a rock and roll guy. I mean, that's 00:05:40.699 --> 00:05:42.399 what he listens to. He listens to rock and roll. 00:05:42.860 --> 00:05:46.420 He's like a 70 -year -old man. He's a big Tom 00:05:46.420 --> 00:05:49.620 Petty guy. And so that's what I like so much 00:05:49.620 --> 00:05:52.100 about working with him is, you know, a lot of 00:05:52.100 --> 00:05:54.120 other people were just wanting to, like, put 00:05:54.120 --> 00:05:57.500 me in this box and just have me as this, you 00:05:57.500 --> 00:05:59.639 know, we want you to do this outlaw country or 00:05:59.639 --> 00:06:01.519 we want you to do this folk music. We want you 00:06:01.519 --> 00:06:04.170 to do this. And Sally was just like. No, we're 00:06:04.170 --> 00:06:06.250 just, we're going to do what we want to do. We're 00:06:06.250 --> 00:06:08.350 going to write songs that we believe in and that's 00:06:08.350 --> 00:06:10.269 what we're going to do. And that's exactly what 00:06:10.269 --> 00:06:12.930 we did. And it all came together really well. 00:06:13.509 --> 00:06:16.389 That's awesome. Absolutely. So now while you 00:06:16.389 --> 00:06:18.889 wrote all of the songs on Reckless, both Sadler 00:06:18.889 --> 00:06:21.709 Beaton and Paul Abersold, who engineered the 00:06:21.709 --> 00:06:23.610 album, also shared some credits with you on a 00:06:23.610 --> 00:06:26.230 few of the album's tracks. So talk about your 00:06:26.230 --> 00:06:28.410 approach to writing songs by yourself, which 00:06:28.410 --> 00:06:31.000 you have a lot of experience with. as well as 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:33.980 writing with both Sandler, I'm sorry, Sadler 00:06:33.980 --> 00:06:38.279 and Paul, what those dynamics were like. It's 00:06:38.279 --> 00:06:40.279 funny that you said Sandler because my grandpa 00:06:40.279 --> 00:06:43.180 got confused and was telling people that Adam 00:06:43.180 --> 00:06:46.360 Sandler produced my record instead of Sandler. 00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:52.220 That was a good one. I was like, yeah, but that'll 00:06:52.220 --> 00:06:58.540 be more my comedy special. But yeah, so. I'd 00:06:58.540 --> 00:07:00.639 always written alone. You know, I never co -wrote. 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:02.699 And so that was like a thing that was like really 00:07:02.699 --> 00:07:05.060 weird for me. I wasn't like against co -writing. 00:07:05.420 --> 00:07:09.300 I just hadn't done it. And so Sadler was really 00:07:09.300 --> 00:07:13.040 the first person that I did that with. And Sadler 00:07:13.040 --> 00:07:15.439 and I, we can sit down together and write a song. 00:07:15.819 --> 00:07:18.300 We'll get something, even if we have to step 00:07:18.300 --> 00:07:20.160 away from it for a little bit and come back. 00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:23.300 And so that was really good for me because it 00:07:23.300 --> 00:07:26.459 challenged me to bring better stuff to the table 00:07:26.459 --> 00:07:29.959 too. Because, you know, I wanted to be somebody 00:07:29.959 --> 00:07:33.500 he wanted to work with. And so then I started 00:07:33.500 --> 00:07:36.620 working with Paul as well. And where Paul came 00:07:36.620 --> 00:07:40.379 into play is Paul builds tracks. And so that's 00:07:40.379 --> 00:07:42.540 kind of, I mean, Paul sent me a track this morning 00:07:42.540 --> 00:07:46.040 that I wrote to today. And that's something that 00:07:46.040 --> 00:07:48.300 I've really enjoyed doing since going out to 00:07:48.300 --> 00:07:50.439 Nashville and meeting these people is that they 00:07:50.439 --> 00:07:53.379 can come up with the track, the music, the instrumentals, 00:07:53.379 --> 00:07:54.939 all that stuff, and they can just send it to 00:07:54.939 --> 00:07:58.160 me and I can ride down the road. and just write, 00:07:58.259 --> 00:08:01.180 which is really cool. So I've been blessed to 00:08:01.180 --> 00:08:03.079 be able to start writing that way as well, which 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:05.180 is, there's a couple tracks on the record that 00:08:05.180 --> 00:08:08.240 we wrote like that. Last Cigarette and Don't 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:11.519 Cry were both written. I wrote all the lyrics 00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:14.540 just based off of these tracks. And so that, 00:08:14.600 --> 00:08:16.660 it's honestly been like, it's been a process, 00:08:16.699 --> 00:08:18.399 but it's been good for me, you know, writing 00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:20.959 with these people who push me to write better 00:08:20.959 --> 00:08:24.620 stuff and challenge me. Not to just use the most 00:08:24.620 --> 00:08:27.160 common phrase, but to dig a little deeper. So 00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:29.920 it's been great. Do you find it easier to write 00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:33.179 the lyrics after the track is written or vice 00:08:33.179 --> 00:08:37.379 versa? It depends. I mean, I can write a completely 00:08:37.379 --> 00:08:41.480 different song with the track versus just sitting 00:08:41.480 --> 00:08:43.919 down. Just because I've already got this beat 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:47.259 and this feel and this mood for a song. I've 00:08:47.259 --> 00:08:50.419 started, I work for Universal Publishing as well 00:08:50.419 --> 00:08:54.330 now. I've got access to a lot of beats and stuff 00:08:54.330 --> 00:08:56.769 that they send me. And it's great because I can 00:08:56.769 --> 00:08:58.370 kind of sort through there and be like, all right, 00:08:58.389 --> 00:09:00.529 I've kind of got this idea for something, but 00:09:00.529 --> 00:09:03.690 I've got to find that mood for it. And so that's 00:09:03.690 --> 00:09:05.549 a good thing about writing that way. But then 00:09:05.549 --> 00:09:07.750 I'll go sit down and pick up my guitar and just 00:09:07.750 --> 00:09:10.690 come up with something, you know, that way as 00:09:10.690 --> 00:09:12.509 well. So sometimes the lyrics come, sometimes 00:09:12.509 --> 00:09:14.830 the music comes. It just kind of depends on the 00:09:14.830 --> 00:09:17.610 day and the flow. Some days you don't get anything. 00:09:18.669 --> 00:09:21.629 Yep. I want to jump in on something that you 00:09:21.629 --> 00:09:23.389 were just talking about because the album's first 00:09:23.389 --> 00:09:26.070 single, Don't Cry, immediately generated a buzz. 00:09:26.389 --> 00:09:28.710 Can you talk about the meaning behind this song 00:09:28.710 --> 00:09:31.210 and why this one was chosen as the lead single? 00:09:31.909 --> 00:09:36.789 Yeah. So I had written that back last January 00:09:36.789 --> 00:09:40.509 out at the studio with Paul. He just played this 00:09:40.509 --> 00:09:42.470 track and he was like, what do you think of this? 00:09:42.549 --> 00:09:44.070 I was like, that's awesome. I was like, just 00:09:44.070 --> 00:09:46.789 keep playing it on loop. And so I sat down and 00:09:46.789 --> 00:09:48.850 just started writing and I was going through 00:09:48.850 --> 00:09:51.049 a pretty tough time right there just with my 00:09:51.049 --> 00:09:52.809 depression and everything going on. And that 00:09:52.809 --> 00:09:55.830 time of year is just, you know, it's cold, it's 00:09:55.830 --> 00:09:58.370 snowy, it's rainy, it's dark. And so I was just, 00:09:58.389 --> 00:10:01.789 you know, struggling to, you know, working on 00:10:01.789 --> 00:10:03.690 the record. And it was just kind of like I was 00:10:03.690 --> 00:10:06.230 in this really one position. I couldn't really 00:10:06.230 --> 00:10:09.129 do anything. And I was having a hard time with 00:10:09.129 --> 00:10:11.970 that. And so those are the times the winter months 00:10:11.970 --> 00:10:14.350 are the hardest times on my sobriety as well. 00:10:15.519 --> 00:10:19.120 This was just a song about looking at myself 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:21.399 and who I've been and being like, all right, 00:10:21.460 --> 00:10:23.720 you got to make those changes and move forward. 00:10:24.460 --> 00:10:26.759 It's okay for you to not be who you've been in 00:10:26.759 --> 00:10:29.000 the past. It's okay for you to change. I was 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:31.600 struggling with that, too. A lot of friends I 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:33.820 don't have anymore, people I don't talk to, and 00:10:33.820 --> 00:10:36.480 beating myself up about that and then just kind 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:39.539 of realizing I was growing up, my life was changing, 00:10:39.659 --> 00:10:42.320 and that there was no reason to feel guilty about 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:45.460 that. It was perfectly okay. You know, we all 00:10:45.460 --> 00:10:47.940 go through these seasons of trying to figure 00:10:47.940 --> 00:10:50.840 stuff out. And, you know, I think we're always 00:10:50.840 --> 00:10:52.919 just the hardest on ourselves. And that was a 00:10:52.919 --> 00:10:55.059 realization that I came to. And I was like, all 00:10:55.059 --> 00:10:57.279 right, you know, sometimes you got to kill the 00:10:57.279 --> 00:11:00.399 ego. You got to get past all the old stuff and 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:02.519 being torn between something I love and something 00:11:02.519 --> 00:11:04.840 I hated. You know, just kind of it comes back 00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:07.440 to I write some of my best stuff when I'm super 00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:12.000 sad. you know it kind of that that tears you 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:14.120 a little bit because you know you look you mean 00:11:14.120 --> 00:11:16.259 you look at all the my favorite writers and stuff 00:11:16.259 --> 00:11:19.019 like that sylvia platt and kurt cobain all these 00:11:19.019 --> 00:11:20.519 people you know they wrote their best stuff when 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:22.600 they were sad they were depressed people and 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:26.039 so all of that was just stuff that was circulating 00:11:26.039 --> 00:11:29.799 through my brain when i wrote it and i really 00:11:29.799 --> 00:11:33.399 wanted when i got on the phone call with all 00:11:33.399 --> 00:11:36.299 the label folks you know figuring out what to 00:11:36.299 --> 00:11:37.980 put out i was like i want to put something out 00:11:37.980 --> 00:11:40.159 i was like The last thing that I put out was 00:11:40.159 --> 00:11:42.840 the night. I said, I think Don't Cry is the perfect 00:11:42.840 --> 00:11:45.960 thing to follow the night up, especially this 00:11:45.960 --> 00:11:48.059 time of year. You know, when we released it, 00:11:48.120 --> 00:11:50.879 I was like, it's a tough time for people mentally. 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:53.240 I said, especially on top of that, we've got 00:11:53.240 --> 00:11:55.860 the pandemic on top of the holidays. People are 00:11:55.860 --> 00:11:58.100 isolated. They're alone. They've lost their job. 00:11:58.220 --> 00:11:59.620 I was like, people are going through a bunch 00:11:59.620 --> 00:12:02.159 of stuff. And I was like, that feels like a season 00:12:02.159 --> 00:12:05.220 change. So that was a song that we ended up going 00:12:05.220 --> 00:12:08.159 with. And I was super excited for that. Well, 00:12:08.220 --> 00:12:10.700 I just have to say I have goosebumps hearing 00:12:10.700 --> 00:12:13.899 that story. My words that I took notes when I 00:12:13.899 --> 00:12:16.700 was listening to the album and the word I have 00:12:16.700 --> 00:12:19.480 after hearing Don't Cry for the first time was 00:12:19.480 --> 00:12:22.019 sobering. And I mean that in a positive way. 00:12:22.139 --> 00:12:25.139 The song is just so healing. And that was the 00:12:25.139 --> 00:12:26.960 song that as soon as I heard it, I called Jay 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:28.600 immediately and said, we need to get Morgan on 00:12:28.600 --> 00:12:32.059 the show. This song is unbelievable. Yeah. And 00:12:32.059 --> 00:12:34.360 I think that it's such an important message. 00:12:34.440 --> 00:12:36.720 The whole thing you just said, Morgan, about 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:38.840 dealing with the depression of the pandemic and 00:12:38.840 --> 00:12:42.200 the holidays. And as somebody who also suffers 00:12:42.200 --> 00:12:44.559 from seasonal affective disorder, it's not something 00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:47.279 you should take lightly for sure. But to be able 00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:48.940 to turn that over and flip it into something 00:12:48.940 --> 00:12:51.519 positive and give such a great message about 00:12:51.519 --> 00:12:54.740 it in a song like this, I think that speaks loudly 00:12:54.740 --> 00:12:57.460 to the changing culture on mental health awareness 00:12:57.460 --> 00:13:00.360 in this country as well. But for sure, it's such 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:02.759 a great, important message for everybody to kind 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:05.019 of just adjust. There's a light at the end of 00:13:05.019 --> 00:13:07.580 the tunnel. It's not an oncoming train. Just 00:13:07.580 --> 00:13:10.080 breathe. You know what I'm saying? Right. Amen. 00:13:10.220 --> 00:13:12.899 Absolutely. So I mentioned before, I listened 00:13:12.899 --> 00:13:15.500 through the entire album and loved every track. 00:13:15.679 --> 00:13:18.139 I heard a unique blend of country, blues, pop 00:13:18.139 --> 00:13:20.580 rock, even bluegrass shining through some of 00:13:20.580 --> 00:13:23.779 your songs. I'm interested to know who some of 00:13:23.779 --> 00:13:26.389 your biggest influences are. And how they helped 00:13:26.389 --> 00:13:28.009 shape the music that you run. I know you mentioned 00:13:28.009 --> 00:13:29.990 Kurt Cobain, you mentioned Sylvia Plath, which 00:13:29.990 --> 00:13:33.330 are phenomenal writers in their own right. Tell 00:13:33.330 --> 00:13:36.990 me more. Yeah, I mean, I grew up being the biggest 00:13:36.990 --> 00:13:40.850 Elvis Presley fan ever. You know, that was all 00:13:40.850 --> 00:13:42.789 I wanted to listen to growing up. And I still, 00:13:42.850 --> 00:13:46.169 I listen to Elvis all the time. I just think 00:13:46.169 --> 00:13:50.929 that that played a role in me enjoying the pop 00:13:50.929 --> 00:13:53.409 music, the mix of country and pop. Because, you 00:13:53.409 --> 00:13:55.279 know, I mean, they... For a long time, they couldn't 00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:57.440 figure out, like, what the hell is he singing? 00:13:57.580 --> 00:14:00.080 You know, is it, what is this, this rockabilly 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:03.360 stuff? And so that, for me, I've always enjoyed 00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:06.320 not really being able to be put into a box, which 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:07.840 is something, you know, you can see from this 00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:10.220 record. But as far as, like, stuff I'm listening 00:14:10.220 --> 00:14:12.460 to today, I look to people like Miley Cyrus. 00:14:12.919 --> 00:14:15.559 I love what she does because it's so many different 00:14:15.559 --> 00:14:17.460 things. You listen to her record. She's got a 00:14:17.460 --> 00:14:19.659 pop song. She's got a country song. She's got 00:14:19.659 --> 00:14:22.360 a rock song with Joan Jett on there, you know. 00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:25.210 So it's those. Those are the type of people that 00:14:25.210 --> 00:14:28.629 I really, you know, look to. And Lana Del Rey, 00:14:28.769 --> 00:14:31.309 I'm a big Lana Del Rey fan. And the same thing 00:14:31.309 --> 00:14:33.669 kind of goes with Halsey as well. You know, she 00:14:33.669 --> 00:14:35.710 put out a record and she had a ton of different 00:14:35.710 --> 00:14:39.570 things out on that. And that's just what I like. 00:14:39.590 --> 00:14:41.769 I like seeing people just like reaching outside 00:14:41.769 --> 00:14:44.110 of the lines because it seems like everybody 00:14:44.110 --> 00:14:46.830 thinks, OK, we got to stay in this box and you 00:14:46.830 --> 00:14:49.549 have to just do this. And it's like, I don't 00:14:49.549 --> 00:14:51.769 want to just do that. I want to touch all kinds 00:14:51.769 --> 00:14:54.879 of different areas. So I look to people like 00:14:54.879 --> 00:14:57.600 that that kind of bleed the lines a little bit 00:14:57.600 --> 00:15:00.539 and choose a bunch of different routes. Oh, you're 00:15:00.539 --> 00:15:02.539 definitely speaking to my musical soul because 00:15:02.539 --> 00:15:05.159 there's nothing I despise more than a song that 00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:07.220 sounds like it was literally made from a batter 00:15:07.220 --> 00:15:11.000 that somebody took a cookie cutter and just cut 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:12.799 into the music. If you know what I'm talking 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:16.159 about when I say that. Yep. So Rolling Stone 00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:19.220 listed your single Wilder Days amongst their 00:15:19.220 --> 00:15:22.200 country music picks for the week of January 26th. 00:15:22.200 --> 00:15:24.879 In their review of that song, they stated that 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:28.840 the song, quote, is as crisp and clean as she 00:15:28.840 --> 00:15:31.379 pleads with a paramour for a one night love affair, 00:15:31.519 --> 00:15:34.980 while also stating that there's an unmistakable 00:15:34.980 --> 00:15:39.129 80s vibe to the song as well. I would love. to 00:15:39.129 --> 00:15:42.350 hear the story behind Wilder Days and ask you 00:15:42.350 --> 00:15:44.649 if that 80s vibe that they're mentioning was 00:15:44.649 --> 00:15:46.549 intentional or not, because it's a merging of 00:15:46.549 --> 00:15:49.250 two sounds that normally somebody wouldn't put 00:15:49.250 --> 00:15:51.529 together. And I just thought this was such an 00:15:51.529 --> 00:15:54.929 intriguing way to kick off the album. Yeah. So 00:15:54.929 --> 00:15:57.269 Wilder Days was a song that that's literally 00:15:57.269 --> 00:15:59.509 like the first song Sadler and I were gone together 00:15:59.509 --> 00:16:02.250 writing. And Wilder Days has been through so 00:16:02.250 --> 00:16:05.049 many processes, like just trying to figure out 00:16:05.049 --> 00:16:09.240 what's the right vibe for it. And it's always 00:16:09.240 --> 00:16:12.340 been, you know, a similar line. I remember the 00:16:12.340 --> 00:16:14.919 first night that we like really got the demo 00:16:14.919 --> 00:16:20.899 finished. It was like 1030. And I'm an early 00:16:20.899 --> 00:16:23.620 bird, man. If I'm not touring, I'm like in the 00:16:23.620 --> 00:16:27.500 bed early. And this dude was so excited that 00:16:27.500 --> 00:16:30.519 he's like, we've got to go get ice cream and 00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:33.000 listen to this in the car. And he like burns 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:36.940 a copy of it onto a CD and we get in Sadler's 00:16:36.940 --> 00:16:39.899 Honda Element. And we ride to Jenny's to get 00:16:39.899 --> 00:16:43.120 ice cream at almost 11 p .m. And this guy is 00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:47.460 like so excited. This song is he's like blasting 00:16:47.460 --> 00:16:49.860 the song as loud as he can as we're riding through 00:16:49.860 --> 00:16:53.120 Nashville. So that was like the first that's 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:55.440 the biggest memory I have of this song, because 00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:59.720 just the the joy that Sadler had from doing that. 00:16:59.779 --> 00:17:01.279 And I remember waking up the next morning and 00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:03.919 he's sitting down there in his robe and his pajamas. 00:17:04.019 --> 00:17:06.240 And he's like, I had this other idea for it. 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:10.059 And so it's great. It went from that to, you 00:17:10.059 --> 00:17:13.539 know, where we're at now. And it just, it was 00:17:13.539 --> 00:17:16.180 like real organic, but we wanted it to kind of 00:17:16.180 --> 00:17:19.220 punch you in the face a little bit, but be one 00:17:19.220 --> 00:17:23.519 of those jam songs that also has meaning to it. 00:17:23.980 --> 00:17:27.200 And I mean, he definitely did that. That was 00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:29.180 all Sadler, you know, being able to really come 00:17:29.180 --> 00:17:31.740 up with the beat for that and really make all 00:17:31.740 --> 00:17:34.380 that groove. But it's exactly what I pictured 00:17:34.380 --> 00:17:36.680 in my head. And it's sometimes it's really hard. 00:17:37.259 --> 00:17:39.799 to write something and you have this image in 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:41.880 your head of like okay i want it to sound like 00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:44.619 this i want it to look like this but to actually 00:17:44.619 --> 00:17:47.619 do it is another thing and we we actually really 00:17:47.619 --> 00:17:49.960 did it for this song and so this is a song that 00:17:49.960 --> 00:17:52.619 you know i was playing at shows and people were 00:17:52.619 --> 00:17:55.140 just freaking out you know wanting this song 00:17:55.140 --> 00:17:57.019 where can i get this song and so we were like 00:17:57.019 --> 00:18:00.119 we definitely have to put wilder days out you 00:18:00.119 --> 00:18:02.240 know it's the first standalone single off the 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:05.670 record so Now, you guys spent two weeks in the 00:18:05.670 --> 00:18:08.269 recording studio crafting the debut album, pulling 00:18:08.269 --> 00:18:11.369 songs like Mend from Morgan Wade and the Stepbrothers, 00:18:11.450 --> 00:18:13.210 which we'll talk a little bit more about that 00:18:13.210 --> 00:18:15.490 in a minute, as well as newly written materials 00:18:15.490 --> 00:18:18.750 such as the album's lead track. What went into 00:18:18.750 --> 00:18:20.930 choosing which songs would make the album's final 00:18:20.930 --> 00:18:24.650 cut? Well, there wasn't anything that we left 00:18:24.650 --> 00:18:28.869 off, which is funny because I look back and all 00:18:28.869 --> 00:18:31.210 the songs that we wrote and that we wanted to 00:18:31.210 --> 00:18:33.390 put on there, we put on there. which was good. 00:18:34.009 --> 00:18:37.950 I think we added Last Cigarette. And it was Last 00:18:37.950 --> 00:18:41.509 Cigarette that was kind of like one that we did 00:18:41.509 --> 00:18:45.529 that was written last. That was the last song 00:18:45.529 --> 00:18:47.670 that we wrote and put on the record. And that's 00:18:47.670 --> 00:18:50.529 one of my favorites. But yeah, I mean, it wasn't 00:18:50.529 --> 00:18:54.730 a big process to pick the songs because we knew 00:18:54.730 --> 00:18:57.470 the strongest songs and we really just focused 00:18:57.470 --> 00:18:59.930 on those. And those were the ones that we went 00:18:59.930 --> 00:19:02.420 with. So it was... That was good. It wasn't like 00:19:02.420 --> 00:19:04.819 we got down to the recording and we were like, 00:19:04.819 --> 00:19:07.460 oh, shit, you know, we need three more. Yeah, 00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:10.059 we don't have enough songs on here. We need more 00:19:10.059 --> 00:19:13.500 songs. And it wasn't like that, which is good. 00:19:13.559 --> 00:19:15.700 And that's what you want, you know. Now, one 00:19:15.700 --> 00:19:18.299 of the songs, Mend, was from what Jay had mentioned, 00:19:18.440 --> 00:19:20.039 Morgan Wade and the Step Brothers, your band 00:19:20.039 --> 00:19:23.619 prior to this solo outing. What made you decide 00:19:23.619 --> 00:19:29.119 to revisit that one with Sadler? Sadler really 00:19:29.119 --> 00:19:31.839 liked that song. that was like the song that 00:19:31.839 --> 00:19:33.859 he heard of mine that like got his attention. 00:19:34.019 --> 00:19:37.960 He said, and we felt that it, I've never had 00:19:37.960 --> 00:19:41.059 a producer, you know, I mean the, the, the stepbrother 00:19:41.059 --> 00:19:44.440 stuff was just, you went in there and we, we 00:19:44.440 --> 00:19:46.619 did some stuff and it was, you know, not organized 00:19:46.619 --> 00:19:50.500 or anything like that. And, uh, so Saturn was 00:19:50.500 --> 00:19:52.720 like, we got to give this song what it deserves. 00:19:53.380 --> 00:19:57.140 And, uh, he loves that song. So we went in there 00:19:57.140 --> 00:19:59.420 and we put that one on the record too. At first 00:19:59.420 --> 00:20:02.279 I was just like, why like I'm so sick of that 00:20:02.279 --> 00:20:05.400 song like why do you want to do this Sadler and 00:20:05.400 --> 00:20:08.039 he just kept like and then so now I'm glad we 00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:09.160 put it on there because a lot of people were 00:20:09.160 --> 00:20:11.700 like oh okay that's great you know to revisit 00:20:11.700 --> 00:20:14.980 that song and it does obviously sound much different 00:20:14.980 --> 00:20:18.880 than it used to sound um which is great so it 00:20:18.880 --> 00:20:21.440 was Paul and Sadler both really pushed for that 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:24.039 one and I was like okay you know you guys I think 00:20:24.039 --> 00:20:26.680 y 'all might know what you're talking about Maybe 00:20:26.680 --> 00:20:28.579 a little bit. I was going to say in the story 00:20:28.579 --> 00:20:31.420 of the album as a whole, which Jay and I talk 00:20:31.420 --> 00:20:33.980 about this on the show a lot. A lot of albums 00:20:33.980 --> 00:20:36.579 tend to lean towards a collection of singles, 00:20:36.700 --> 00:20:40.819 not a thought as an album. And this one is the 00:20:40.819 --> 00:20:44.619 antithesis to that. It's really, really an amazing 00:20:44.619 --> 00:20:49.920 album. In 2020, leading up to. the album's single 00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:52.599 dropping, you did some performances for Our Vinyl 00:20:52.599 --> 00:20:54.720 Sessions. Can you tell us what that experience 00:20:54.720 --> 00:20:56.940 was like and what you took away from those sessions? 00:20:57.859 --> 00:21:01.259 Yeah, that was really cool. The folks over at 00:21:01.259 --> 00:21:05.059 Our Vinyl are super nice people. I was in the 00:21:05.059 --> 00:21:07.940 studio recording the record when I did that. 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:10.400 And so I remember leaving and going over there 00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:12.619 and working with them. And they were just, they 00:21:12.619 --> 00:21:16.039 were so funny and awesome to work with. And my... 00:21:16.490 --> 00:21:20.049 thing for that was like okay let's just do some 00:21:20.049 --> 00:21:22.890 songs that you know aren't gonna make the you're 00:21:22.890 --> 00:21:25.529 not gonna put on the record but that you know 00:21:25.529 --> 00:21:29.630 people would like to hear as well just some songs 00:21:29.630 --> 00:21:32.049 that kind of live in the dark a little bit but 00:21:32.049 --> 00:21:34.490 that you like to play and roll with those and 00:21:34.490 --> 00:21:36.210 so that's what i did i picked those songs and 00:21:36.210 --> 00:21:37.569 i was like yeah well these aren't going on the 00:21:37.569 --> 00:21:40.549 record i wrote them all myself let's throw them 00:21:40.549 --> 00:21:43.250 out there and uh i'm glad i did that you know 00:21:43.250 --> 00:21:45.400 because people And that's, you know, what I'm 00:21:45.400 --> 00:21:47.960 going to come to find is a lot of people see 00:21:47.960 --> 00:21:50.859 me as, you know, just the acoustic guitar, the 00:21:50.859 --> 00:21:52.920 girl sitting there playing the acoustic guitar 00:21:52.920 --> 00:21:56.200 and singing. And that's fine. So they can have 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:59.119 that hour vinyl stuff. But this album was for 00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:02.000 me, man. You know, I wanted to, I'm more than 00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:03.740 just the girl sitting there with the guitar. 00:22:03.880 --> 00:22:07.000 Like I can do a lot of other stuff. And so that's 00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:08.900 what's really good about being able to have the 00:22:08.900 --> 00:22:11.680 hour vinyl stuff so folks can get their acoustic 00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:15.000 feel. But then I've got this record where I'm 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:17.880 jamming out and we've got a bunch of stuff going 00:22:17.880 --> 00:22:21.240 on. So I'm really glad that both of those things 00:22:21.240 --> 00:22:27.000 worked out and coincided with one another. Now, 00:22:27.019 --> 00:22:29.940 we're going to touch here on the Step Brothers. 00:22:30.059 --> 00:22:32.619 Let's go back in time. You're 19 years old, started 00:22:32.619 --> 00:22:34.259 and fronted the group Morgan Wade and the Step 00:22:34.259 --> 00:22:36.099 Brothers. Let's talk a little bit about that 00:22:36.099 --> 00:22:39.980 experience and how it helped you shape your solo 00:22:39.980 --> 00:22:43.190 career path. Yeah, you know, and I've gone through 00:22:43.190 --> 00:22:45.210 different, you know, since then, obviously different 00:22:45.210 --> 00:22:49.670 bandmates and moving on, you know, from certain 00:22:49.670 --> 00:22:52.910 groups. But I look back and it really did shape 00:22:52.910 --> 00:22:54.890 me. I mean, I had some great times with these 00:22:54.890 --> 00:22:58.869 guys, you know, and it was funny. I was I was 00:22:58.869 --> 00:23:01.890 writing today and I was talking with my friend 00:23:01.890 --> 00:23:03.950 and I was like, you know, it's it's funny. You 00:23:03.950 --> 00:23:07.789 look back at like some of these shows you played. 00:23:08.299 --> 00:23:10.819 And I was just so excited back then to be able 00:23:10.819 --> 00:23:13.400 to play anything, you know, to have anybody that 00:23:13.400 --> 00:23:14.940 would be like, all right, sure. Yeah, you can 00:23:14.940 --> 00:23:18.859 play. And back then, you know, those playing 00:23:18.859 --> 00:23:20.339 with the STEM brothers and playing with those 00:23:20.339 --> 00:23:22.619 guys. I mean, they were my close friends and 00:23:22.619 --> 00:23:26.140 we worked really hard back then. And we drank 00:23:26.140 --> 00:23:29.440 really hard back then. You know, we did a bunch 00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:33.660 of stuff. But we, you know, I look back on those 00:23:33.660 --> 00:23:37.099 times like fondly because I'm like. I hope I 00:23:37.099 --> 00:23:40.680 never lose that drive and that that excitement 00:23:40.680 --> 00:23:43.460 to play and that that was a big thing you know 00:23:43.460 --> 00:23:45.759 back then because I look back I'm like good grief 00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:48.420 that I can't believe you were excited to do that 00:23:48.420 --> 00:23:50.220 because I look back and I'm like you could there's 00:23:50.220 --> 00:23:51.819 not enough money in the world to make me do some 00:23:51.819 --> 00:23:54.319 of the shows I did back then and you know and 00:23:54.319 --> 00:23:57.779 I wasn't making any money then so it that really 00:23:57.779 --> 00:24:01.000 I needed that and you all you know everybody 00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:03.819 needs that starting out you know people will 00:24:03.819 --> 00:24:05.819 be like oh man you just got real lucky I'm like 00:24:05.819 --> 00:24:09.599 no man I worked I worked hard you look bad and 00:24:09.599 --> 00:24:12.420 you're like nope nope I didn't play those three 00:24:12.420 --> 00:24:15.279 hours for nobody you know for nothing all the 00:24:15.279 --> 00:24:20.500 marathon gigs yeah it's like I'm like damn I 00:24:20.500 --> 00:24:23.619 made it and so yeah I mean like playing with 00:24:23.619 --> 00:24:28.099 those and I graduated not from them but from 00:24:28.099 --> 00:24:30.799 like who I was I started changing I started growing 00:24:30.799 --> 00:24:33.809 up you know I got sober and I I needed to move 00:24:33.809 --> 00:24:36.130 and I needed to get out of town from where I, 00:24:36.150 --> 00:24:39.509 you know, where I was living back. And all of 00:24:39.509 --> 00:24:42.470 that has made me who I am. And I look back on 00:24:42.470 --> 00:24:46.349 all that, you know, fondly and with some laughs. 00:24:47.170 --> 00:24:50.630 But the solo career now, I've just, I've hit 00:24:50.630 --> 00:24:52.789 this spot in my life. And I hit it about a year 00:24:52.789 --> 00:24:55.009 ago that I was like, I'm just going to do what 00:24:55.009 --> 00:24:57.589 I want to do and what makes me happy because 00:24:57.589 --> 00:24:59.650 this is my career. And at the end of the day. 00:25:00.410 --> 00:25:02.529 I'm the one that has to lay my head down at night 00:25:02.529 --> 00:25:04.150 and be like, are you proud of what you're doing? 00:25:04.529 --> 00:25:07.430 You know, it comes down to me. And so, you know, 00:25:07.430 --> 00:25:09.309 that's honestly, that's where I'm at with my 00:25:09.309 --> 00:25:11.730 solo career. I'm the happiest with my career 00:25:11.730 --> 00:25:15.230 I've ever been, obviously. But, you know, just 00:25:15.230 --> 00:25:18.349 still working for it. You very well should be. 00:25:18.410 --> 00:25:22.230 I said this at the top of the show. This is one 00:25:22.230 --> 00:25:25.000 of those albums that... I can already say without 00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:27.660 a shadow of a doubt will be one of my top albums 00:25:27.660 --> 00:25:31.160 of 2021. It is such a fantastic listen. And I 00:25:31.160 --> 00:25:33.240 did want to ask you something a little more all 00:25:33.240 --> 00:25:35.299 encompassing because over the last two decades, 00:25:35.539 --> 00:25:38.440 country music, and I'm using quote marks when 00:25:38.440 --> 00:25:41.559 I say that in the air, has truly spidered out 00:25:41.559 --> 00:25:44.799 into all these various sub genres like country 00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:48.019 pop and. Dare I use the word bro country for 00:25:48.019 --> 00:25:50.319 lack of a better term. But then there's also 00:25:50.319 --> 00:25:53.240 this Americana flavored rock that's become more 00:25:53.240 --> 00:25:56.220 mainstream. I'd love to know what your thoughts 00:25:56.220 --> 00:26:00.799 are on the state of country music in 2021. You 00:26:00.799 --> 00:26:04.759 know, I used to sit back and be like, oh, my 00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:09.000 gosh, this genre sucks. And then it hit me one 00:26:09.000 --> 00:26:12.940 day. I was like, if we all, you know, I look 00:26:12.940 --> 00:26:17.509 at my friends. And I can see, you know, we all 00:26:17.509 --> 00:26:22.430 have a different taste in music. And if they 00:26:22.430 --> 00:26:26.549 can put on a song and it makes them really happy 00:26:26.549 --> 00:26:29.230 to hear it, even if I think it's the dumbest 00:26:29.230 --> 00:26:32.250 thing I've ever heard, I'm like, what's wrong 00:26:32.250 --> 00:26:34.910 with that? You know, and so that's how I'm kind 00:26:34.910 --> 00:26:37.109 of like looking at music now, if this makes any 00:26:37.109 --> 00:26:39.049 sense. It's like, I'm glad we're not all doing 00:26:39.049 --> 00:26:41.369 the same thing. Because if everybody was doing 00:26:41.369 --> 00:26:44.519 the same thing, there would be no market. you 00:26:44.519 --> 00:26:47.140 know and so that's what i'm looking at for 2021 00:26:47.140 --> 00:26:48.900 i think everybody's changing we're going through 00:26:48.900 --> 00:26:50.599 all this stuff and people are looking for real 00:26:50.599 --> 00:26:53.339 stuff again and you know that's kind of i talked 00:26:53.339 --> 00:26:55.259 to someone in the industry and he was like you 00:26:55.259 --> 00:26:58.319 know you look at the music back in the the 60s 00:26:58.319 --> 00:27:00.440 and the 70s and then you got into the 80s and 00:27:00.440 --> 00:27:03.200 you got you know kind of cheesier with some of 00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:05.380 our music and then you go back into the 90s and 00:27:05.380 --> 00:27:07.319 it's kind of like that and then you know you 00:27:07.319 --> 00:27:10.220 get into the 2000s and then you had 9 -11 and 00:27:10.220 --> 00:27:12.500 people get real serious and the world comes together 00:27:12.500 --> 00:27:15.829 and so We just went through this pandemic. I 00:27:15.829 --> 00:27:19.029 see 2021 for the music. I see it getting a lot 00:27:19.029 --> 00:27:21.769 better. But what is better? I think we should 00:27:21.769 --> 00:27:24.650 always be improving on stuff. So what I think 00:27:24.650 --> 00:27:26.069 about music, somebody else thinks it's going 00:27:26.069 --> 00:27:28.269 to be two different things. But I've got a lot 00:27:28.269 --> 00:27:30.609 of faith that there's going to be a lot more 00:27:30.609 --> 00:27:34.410 women coming up in country music this year. I've 00:27:34.410 --> 00:27:38.450 seen a hell of a lot of women's names being announced 00:27:38.450 --> 00:27:40.930 on some of these playlists and stuff. And that, 00:27:40.990 --> 00:27:44.119 for me, is really cool. Obviously, you know, 00:27:44.119 --> 00:27:47.400 being a woman and all in the industry is not 00:27:47.400 --> 00:27:51.420 as easy. And I kind of rambled there a little 00:27:51.420 --> 00:27:53.220 bit because I could go on and on about all that 00:27:53.220 --> 00:27:56.680 stuff all day. But I have high hopes. You know, 00:27:56.740 --> 00:27:58.940 everybody's shut up and they've been at home. 00:27:59.259 --> 00:28:02.519 So I think that's, you know, when you're kind 00:28:02.519 --> 00:28:05.319 of locked up can be some of the best riding moments. 00:28:05.400 --> 00:28:08.559 So I'm hoping to see a lot of stuff. Hopefully, 00:28:08.619 --> 00:28:12.779 I'm going to be a lot of 2021. music world so 00:28:12.779 --> 00:28:15.799 it's going to be like a musical baby boom so 00:28:15.799 --> 00:28:18.900 to speak yeah yeah I mean that's really how I 00:28:18.900 --> 00:28:21.900 see things because you know people they're sitting 00:28:21.900 --> 00:28:23.779 back and they're working on stuff and that's 00:28:23.779 --> 00:28:25.720 what I've been doing I've been the busiest I've 00:28:25.720 --> 00:28:29.039 been during this pandemic you know working on 00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:31.339 stuff and I think that's when you get your most 00:28:31.339 --> 00:28:33.960 creative is when you don't have a lot going on 00:28:33.960 --> 00:28:35.980 you know you got to sit there and really focus 00:28:35.980 --> 00:28:38.839 on things so I'm excited to see what happens 00:28:38.839 --> 00:28:42.559 this year Brian and I have done the radio thing. 00:28:42.660 --> 00:28:45.279 We've worked in radio. I did almost a year of 00:28:45.279 --> 00:28:47.660 country in the nineties. I came into country 00:28:47.660 --> 00:28:51.000 radio when feet Hill was getting big and Garth 00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:54.160 Brooks was big. And I think that you're right. 00:28:54.220 --> 00:28:56.680 You know, we've said this a few times. The radio 00:28:56.680 --> 00:29:00.799 has gotten so weird from, from when we started, 00:29:00.920 --> 00:29:04.500 there has to be a way for Luke Combs and Luke 00:29:04.500 --> 00:29:06.960 Bryan and, and the guy who's married to Gwen 00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:11.240 Stefani. There's got to be a way for them to 00:29:11.240 --> 00:29:14.039 live comfortably in a world with a BlackBerry 00:29:14.039 --> 00:29:17.140 Smoke, with a Morgan Wade, with these kinds of 00:29:17.140 --> 00:29:19.519 artists to open up the genre a little bit and 00:29:19.519 --> 00:29:22.079 bring it back to keep those roots planted firmly 00:29:22.079 --> 00:29:25.279 in the ground while they're branching out into 00:29:25.279 --> 00:29:27.000 all these different things. There's got to be 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:30.680 a way. Let's find that way. Oh, for sure. So, 00:29:30.700 --> 00:29:33.160 Morgan, I would love to know, what do you want 00:29:33.160 --> 00:29:36.420 people to take away from? reckless and your music 00:29:36.420 --> 00:29:38.279 in general, because I've heard a lot of stories 00:29:38.279 --> 00:29:41.740 about the stuff you've went through and just 00:29:41.740 --> 00:29:45.259 hearing it inspires me. And at the end of the 00:29:45.259 --> 00:29:47.420 day, it really hits home. It's just something 00:29:47.420 --> 00:29:50.079 that I feel and I feel it in these songs. And 00:29:50.079 --> 00:29:53.059 I'd like to know what you would like people to 00:29:53.059 --> 00:29:56.640 take away when they listen to this. Yeah. You 00:29:56.640 --> 00:30:01.380 know, just my biggest thing is just being honest 00:30:01.380 --> 00:30:07.279 and being real. and uh you know with this record 00:30:07.279 --> 00:30:12.579 we didn't sacrifice lyrics you know i think the 00:30:12.579 --> 00:30:15.940 lyrics are still very strong here even though 00:30:15.940 --> 00:30:18.759 the beats are very strong too you know sometimes 00:30:18.759 --> 00:30:20.579 people will be like all right well we got a stronger 00:30:20.579 --> 00:30:22.940 beat and we we lacked with the lyrics i think 00:30:22.940 --> 00:30:25.799 both here are really strong you know we work 00:30:25.799 --> 00:30:29.609 really hard on this you know i put everything 00:30:29.609 --> 00:30:32.289 that I had into this and took a lot of chances 00:30:32.289 --> 00:30:35.190 and people took a lot of chances on me. And so 00:30:35.190 --> 00:30:38.869 this is all about growth. And, you know, I've 00:30:38.869 --> 00:30:41.230 grown a lot during this time and I just want 00:30:41.230 --> 00:30:44.930 people to just enjoy the damn record. It's really, 00:30:44.970 --> 00:30:47.890 really what I want them to do. And that's exactly 00:30:47.890 --> 00:30:51.049 what everyone is going to do. I promise you that. 00:30:51.309 --> 00:30:53.869 Morgan Wade, thank you so much for joining us. 00:30:54.089 --> 00:30:58.009 All right. Thank you guys so much. And we're 00:30:58.009 --> 00:31:01.589 back here in 2024. And like every episode of 00:31:01.589 --> 00:31:04.170 My Weekly Mixtape, if you head over to the episode 00:31:04.170 --> 00:31:07.009 page at myweeklymixtape .com, I've put together 00:31:07.009 --> 00:31:10.490 a playlist of Morgan's tunes based on the interview 00:31:10.490 --> 00:31:12.890 that you just heard. However, a lot's happened 00:31:12.890 --> 00:31:16.049 with her career since 2021. So I've added some 00:31:16.049 --> 00:31:18.910 newer tunes to the playlist, including her cover 00:31:18.910 --> 00:31:22.109 of Elvis Presley's Suspicious Minds. As in the 00:31:22.109 --> 00:31:24.069 interview, you heard her talking about Elvis 00:31:24.069 --> 00:31:26.390 being one of her favorite artists of all time. 00:31:26.990 --> 00:31:29.150 And I got to couple that with the fact that her 00:31:29.150 --> 00:31:32.069 cover absolutely rips. So I've included that 00:31:32.069 --> 00:31:35.289 on the playlist, along with tracks from her latest 00:31:35.289 --> 00:31:39.430 album, 2023's Psychopath, that includes the title 00:31:39.430 --> 00:31:41.410 track, which was the album's lead -off single, 00:31:41.569 --> 00:31:44.569 along with a couple songs that I feel best highlight 00:31:44.569 --> 00:31:48.609 that album's overall evolution in sound. Those 00:31:48.609 --> 00:31:52.849 tracks being 80s Movie, Guns N' Roses, Alanis, 00:31:52.950 --> 00:31:56.339 and the sultry ballad Want. Now, hopefully sometime 00:31:56.339 --> 00:31:58.480 down the line, Morgan will come back on the show 00:31:58.480 --> 00:32:00.740 and catch us up on all the stuff she's been doing. 00:32:00.759 --> 00:32:03.680 But for now, I hope you enjoyed that compelling 00:32:03.680 --> 00:32:06.720 interview with her. And be sure to check out 00:32:06.720 --> 00:32:08.619 her music if you're not familiar with it. She's 00:32:08.619 --> 00:32:12.500 definitely a unique voice in the country music 00:32:12.500 --> 00:32:15.380 scene. And I think I speak for both Jay and I 00:32:15.380 --> 00:32:17.579 when I say it was an honor talking music with 00:32:17.579 --> 00:32:20.130 her. With that, I also want to thank Jay for 00:32:20.130 --> 00:32:22.730 letting me unearth this interview. And who knows, 00:32:22.849 --> 00:32:25.490 since Toon Styles pretty much has disappeared 00:32:25.490 --> 00:32:28.549 from the pod sphere, maybe I'll unearth a few 00:32:28.549 --> 00:32:30.849 of our other interviews as bonus episodes down 00:32:30.849 --> 00:32:32.670 the road if they're fitting with whatever topic 00:32:32.670 --> 00:32:36.390 we have going on at my weekly mixtape. Now, we're 00:32:36.390 --> 00:32:38.490 going to keep this country -esque vibe going 00:32:38.490 --> 00:32:41.250 for one more episode as coming up next Monday, 00:32:41.390 --> 00:32:44.109 I have Drew Copeland of Sister Hazel joining 00:32:44.109 --> 00:32:47.309 me to create the ultimate Sister Hazel mixtape. 00:32:47.529 --> 00:32:49.309 And we're going to dive into the band's biggest 00:32:49.309 --> 00:32:51.490 hits, you know the ones I'm talking about, fan 00:32:51.490 --> 00:32:54.170 favorites, and deeper cuts, because I go a little 00:32:54.170 --> 00:32:56.970 nerd on this like I usually do. There's something 00:32:56.970 --> 00:32:59.829 here to please Hazelnut fans of every level, 00:32:59.890 --> 00:33:02.480 even if you're a newbie to the band. I also want 00:33:02.480 --> 00:33:05.000 to thank all of you for your continued support 00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:07.700 of the podcast. It truly means the world to me. 00:33:07.779 --> 00:33:10.299 I thank each and every one of you for taking 00:33:10.299 --> 00:33:14.099 the time out of your lives to tune in to my weekly 00:33:14.099 --> 00:33:16.920 musical escape and I hope you guys are enjoying 00:33:16.920 --> 00:33:19.950 listening as much as I am enjoying putting these 00:33:19.950 --> 00:33:23.089 episodes out for you week in and week out. If 00:33:23.089 --> 00:33:25.569 there are any topics you guys want to hear on 00:33:25.569 --> 00:33:28.190 future episodes of the show, please send them 00:33:28.190 --> 00:33:32.250 to me, myweeklymixtape at gmail .com. I am all 00:33:32.250 --> 00:33:35.450 ears when it comes to new topic ideas. And if 00:33:35.450 --> 00:33:37.349 I use yours, I'll be sure to give you a shout 00:33:37.349 --> 00:33:40.380 out in the episode. Remember, you can find My 00:33:40.380 --> 00:33:42.640 Weekly Mixtape on almost all the social media 00:33:42.640 --> 00:33:46.140 haunts at My Weekly Mixtape. You can also head 00:33:46.140 --> 00:33:48.559 to MyWeeklyMixtape .com to check out the full 00:33:48.559 --> 00:33:51.880 catalog of My Weekly Mixtape episodes. And if 00:33:51.880 --> 00:33:53.259 you like what you're hearing on the show, you 00:33:53.259 --> 00:33:55.480 can help me out by either telling a friend, leaving 00:33:55.480 --> 00:33:57.400 the show a five -star review wherever you're 00:33:57.400 --> 00:34:00.720 tuning in, or becoming a Patreon mixtaper at 00:34:00.720 --> 00:34:04.559 Patreon .com forward slash My Weekly Mixtape. 00:34:04.910 --> 00:34:07.089 There you can enjoy ad -free episodes of the 00:34:07.089 --> 00:34:10.550 show, become a future guest, and so much more. 00:34:10.829 --> 00:34:13.050 That's all for this week. Thanks again for listening. 00:34:13.170 --> 00:34:15.449 And until next time, enjoy the tunes.