Speaker 1 00:00:13 What's going on everybody? Welcome back to the In Round podcast at Your Boy Map. LL gotta tell y'all real quick about our friends from big friendly productions. Now big friendly productions, B f P, they specialize in creating merchandise for bands, artists, and even lifestyle brands. With their in-house equipment. They can produce shirts, branded hats, and more, as well as offer graphic design services. Very important stuff here. You know, they offer order fulfillment to handle your online orders and ship merge directly to your fans. They handle all that stuff for you. And whether you're getting your first shirt or you're going on a 40 show run out on the road, hit them up for all your merchandising needs. Uh, check them out big friendly productions.com or email them
[email protected]. Shout out to bfp Alex Page and the crew down there. Um, we support 'em and love them here at In the Round. And, uh, we appreciate their support. They'll be sure to check them out. Also rate, like, subscribe to the pod. Now let's get into today's episode, dude. Well, how the fuck are you doing buddy?
Speaker 2 00:01:25 Man, I'm
Speaker 1 00:01:26 Great. Hey
Speaker 2 00:01:26 Buddy. I'm great man. Glad to be here.
Speaker 1 00:01:29 It's, uh, it's cool we're doing this. Um, because you've been, you and I go back to the days of Clubhouse being, um, king of thing. It was only a thing for maybe about two weeks during here in Nashville because there was a big snow storm and everybody got onto it. Cause none of us could go to the bars. So we all had the network over Clubhouse cuz we couldn't go to Red Door. And you, at that point, you were still in Mississippi? I was. I was like, man, this kid, this kid talks really slow. His name's Paxton. I don't know many Paxton's <laugh>, his last name. P like the letter. But p e a y I was like, this kid's cool. Then you said you were from Starkville and I was like, dude, I fuck with Rick. So
Speaker 2 00:02:07 I was, I was the one oddball out. I felt like I got on there pretty much every night. I started Follow, wasn't there like groups and like times where people would start stuff? Yep. Yeah. And uh, I would get on there because I was trying to like, kinda learn the gist of like moving here. Yeah. And I started getting on every night and I started recognize your name and then like Gary and Charlie would get on and then Mitch, and then I knew who Justin and Clay were. So like, I kind of figured out who everybody was. And then that's when like, I started kind of getting in and chatting, asking questions. And then ultimately, ultimately that led to me like moving here,
Speaker 1 00:02:38 Which is just
Speaker 2 00:02:39 Somehow crazy <laugh>
Speaker 1 00:02:40 Such a wild story. Um, and how that happened. And then you moved up here and we got you playing on rounds.
Speaker 2 00:02:47 I actually played year-round. The first time I played it. I didn't even live here. I drove from Mississippi to my grandparents who live like in Athens, Alabama. I drove from there up here, made the trip down to Red Door after, and then left there about two o'clock. Went back and I was like, yeah, I think I'm, I'm definitely moving up here. Yeah, I mean I loved it. First trip up here. I loved it.
Speaker 1 00:03:10 That was your first trip up
Speaker 2 00:03:11 Here? That was my first trip like ever doing like, besides like going to Broadway and doing like the
Speaker 1 00:03:15 Tour playing, playing my playing in the round. Was your first trip,
Speaker 2 00:03:18 Like my first trip, like coming up here doing the whole midtown, the, the music side of Nashville? Yeah. Not the tourist side. You know, that's a different story down there on Broadway, man. <laugh>,
Speaker 1 00:03:30 When did you come up and start going out on Broadway? When was, what was your
Speaker 2 00:03:33 First trip? Uh, so I came up here new year of 2020 maybe. Uh, Mississippi State played up here in the music city ball. So he came up here for that. Did New Year's up here. And really the only thing I knew about Nashville was Broadway and Broadway on New Year's, which I'm, I'm not the type of person, I don't wanna be in the big crowd. Yeah. I'll, I'll play for one, but I don't wanna
Speaker 1 00:03:56 Be in it. You're from, you're from Starkville, you're not, you don't. I'm
Speaker 2 00:03:58 From middle nowhere, man. Yeah, you don't, you, you're big. I'm actually, so I actually grew up 30 minutes north of Starkville, um, in a small town called Phoebe, Phoebe. And it's my whole family that lives there. I'm not joking. Like I
Speaker 1 00:04:10 Probably have How many, how many stoplights?
Speaker 2 00:04:12 One we have one caution light, two gas stations and a diner and that's
Speaker 1 00:04:16 It. Not even a Dollar General.
Speaker 2 00:04:17 No way too small for that. <laugh>. I, when I tell you my whole family lives there, I said my grandmother had 14 brothers and sisters.
Speaker 1 00:04:24 No shit.
Speaker 2 00:04:25 Yeah. Oh yeah. So all of us pretty much stayed in this one community and it's, I probably have 72 second cousins. Like we grew up like within a mile apart. We'd ride four-wheelers to the next one's house. And like I'd have the yard where we played football and baseball. That's where we grew up barefoot, running around the backyard. And then my cousin's house, we had like bike ramps and dirt bike track over there. So we'd ride to his house and fish and do all that whatnot. I mean, I, I grew up the perfect country, simple living life
Speaker 1 00:04:53 Because like people, people, um, send their kids off to these, these, um, highly expensive summer camps. But I lived
Speaker 2 00:04:59 In the summer camp.
Speaker 1 00:05:00 You lived in the summer camp? Every down,
Speaker 2 00:05:02 Every day. I got home from school and I did what any country kid would do.
Speaker 1 00:05:06 How far, how, so you're in a town that's small. Is the school like a regional kind of high school? So, cause there's so many small towns,
Speaker 2 00:05:13 I actually ended up going to Starkville Academy, which is a private school in Starkville. So it was about 30 minutes for me every day. So when I started driving, it was 30 minutes for me to school every day, 30 minutes back, which I mean, I didn't mind it. I really didn't have a choice either. Like the public school that was, I mean, it was still 30 minutes down the road, it was six A and they were really good at football and not very good at baseball, which is what I played. You're a baseball guy. So I was just really not interested at all in it. So we ended up going to Starkville Academy and that's where I,
Speaker 1 00:05:43 And taking, taking those 30 minute drives, that's where you fall in love, probably start probably grow your love of country music grows because you're just listening on the, you're just listening to the radio or, or
Speaker 2 00:05:55 The radio every morning. I can remember like before I started driving, what
Speaker 1 00:05:59 Was the local morning show out there? Uh, remember, do you remember the guys' names?
Speaker 2 00:06:02 Can't remember. I can't remember their names. But it was 94.9. Me and my mom listened to it every single morning on the way to school. And it was always like the newer country stuff. But my mom really influenced me. Like she was big in any like early nineties stuff. I've heard it all, but where my influences really started when Jason Alde started popping off, like that's when I really fell in love with like the, I guess the new era of Yeah. Of the genre and just watching him do it. I've probably seen him live like six times.
Speaker 1 00:06:30 He's put on my first time seeing Alde. It was right. It might have actually been on fucking St. Patrick's Day. I think it was St. Patrick's Day. It was 2013. It was the year I graduated high school. And um, it was at Madison Square Garden. Oh wow. It was the night train tour. It was him. That's my favorite record. Yep. Aldean Alde headlining and then direct support was Long Hair. Jake Owen, barefoot Blue Jean Knight had just come out. And then Baby, baby Thomas Rt.
Speaker 2 00:06:57 That was like prime time. Like Thomas, that was my junior year of high
Speaker 1 00:07:00 School. Yeah. Thomas RT singing beer with Jesus. That's Yeah, that's something too. I didn't realize how close you and I are in age because you get lumped in because since you're new, since you're newer to town, you get lumped in with
Speaker 2 00:07:10 All class
Speaker 1 00:07:10 Kids. Yeah. Or or baby DJs. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:07:13 I'm in there with, uh, like, you know, the anywhere from 19 to <laugh>
Speaker 1 00:07:17 <laugh>
Speaker 2 00:07:19 To me. Yeah. I mean we've got, we've got our
Speaker 1 00:07:22 Whole group of who, who else was at the, at the, at the further end of that spectrum. So,
Speaker 2 00:07:26 Uh,
Speaker 1 00:07:26 Like how old's Sam Johnson? Sam
Speaker 2 00:07:28 Johnson's 30, I think. Okay. Or either 29. He's 29 or 30. And then there's Christian Christian's a year younger than me and a amen's a year younger than me. And Drew my roommate Am
Speaker 1 00:07:38 Amen's that old. Yeah. I would've thought am Amen. Was one on the younger side. Oh,
Speaker 2 00:07:41 We're, we're all in the kind of older top tier of the, you know, getting grandpa's of our group
Speaker 1 00:07:45 And then you got the babies
Speaker 2 00:07:46 And then we've got the babies who are just kind of, they're, they're learning.
Speaker 1 00:07:51 You know what's funny, we've got, I've got some, some friends in town. I'm not gonna say their names, but have you, have you heard the nickname that some of the females give your, your whole crew?
Speaker 2 00:08:01 No more
Speaker 1 00:08:01 Refers more to the ba the younger guys call you guys the daycare.
Speaker 2 00:08:05 Oh, us
Speaker 1 00:08:06 The daycare.
Speaker 2 00:08:07 Not as much. You I'm not in that category. <laugh>. You're
Speaker 1 00:08:09 Not, you're not. You're you're on the older end. You got, you got, you got held back a couple grades.
Speaker 2 00:08:13 I will say there have been times that I feel like even when I'm out with like the young ones that I'm probably the, the wild one out of the group.
Speaker 1 00:08:20 Yeah. Which is what's the, what is what's funny.
Speaker 2 00:08:23 I mean it is, but I I they either need to step it up or I need to slow it down. Yeah. We're gonna have to figure that part out.
Speaker 1 00:08:29 Yeah. Well they'll get, they'll they're, they're getting there. And, uh, you do have such a cool crew of, of guys and girls that Yeah. Are that you've gotten to know from being here. And I, um, I, one of the things that I kind of pride, pride, um, one of my proudest moments of doing the Round, cause there's been some cool shit that's happened there over the last few years. Um, I started, and you guys were probably my experiment with this, where I started putting together new PE people that were newer to town and I started sticking pe I forget if I did it. That
Speaker 2 00:09:02 Was the, the Round with me. Uh, Connor and Presley.
Speaker 1 00:09:07 Connor Presley. And was Jono on that too?
Speaker 2 00:09:09 It may have been Jono. I played with Jono one time on there. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:09:13 But what I did was all, all four of you I had seen or gotten dms from like, I had heard about Connor through Wales. Okay. Yeah. The South Carolina connection. I'd heard about Presley through Ethan Willis. Shout out another Mississippi boy. Oh yeah. Um, obviously had met you through like the club through, through Clubhouse and we'd been DM-ing and you had said how you'd love the play and I was like, fuck it, let's give this kid a shot. And then, um, Johno I had met like, I, it was just everybody had kind of all come to me like saying, Hey, we want a play. I'm like, why not stick these four
Speaker 2 00:09:42 Together? Just stick them all together and see what happens. And
Speaker 1 00:09:43 Now those are some of your best friends.
Speaker 2 00:09:44 Yeah, man. Like, and it kind, that's kind of crazy. That's where it started. Um, actually me and Connor the next day wrote, uh, our first song together. Connor ended up putting that song out, but that's how our whole group chat started. I met Connor that night. Me and Connor kind of stayed in touch and then I think it was the next round that you put on. We, like, we got to where we were going every Tuesday, y'all putting it on and we were just meeting people, we were networking and it, the group chat started and we kind of, kind of just had our crew. It felt like, you know, we found our class as y'all call it up here. Yeah. And uh, man, it's been awesome. Shout out to the boys. They're, they're a fun group.
Speaker 1 00:10:21 They are fun and, and everybody's kind of a little bit different too. Yeah. And what I love about, about your, your crew especially, not everybody in the crew is an artist or even a writer. Oh no. You've got some, you've got a guy like Brennan who's similar, similar to me where he's a crew guy, he doesn't have any musical ability, but he's a good enough hang and enjoys the chaos of working with up and crew.
Speaker 2 00:10:42 Yeah. Shout out, shout out to Brennan for Kid.
Speaker 1 00:10:44 Works his ass off
Speaker 2 00:10:45 For, for some of the stuff he deals with on the weekends.
Speaker 1 00:10:48 But, but he's, but he's awesome. And then you've got guys like Jay Gantt. You've got guys like, like Wade Davis, like you've got the young Oh yeah. That are players.
Speaker 2 00:10:58 Yeah. They're, and they're out there getting it. And what's
Speaker 1 00:11:00 Great is then you have, you guys are looking for people to play in your bands. Oh yeah. And then there's these kids that move up here that are, we wanna be in a band with someone and it just all lined up perfectly.
Speaker 2 00:11:10 And that's what's nice. Like if you get in a bind or something and you, you know, somebody that you regularly play with can't play, you've got several options in our group. And like everybody in the crew, I would say is, you know, top tier. They're good at what they do.
Speaker 1 00:11:24 Solid dude. And you, you have a fun group of guys that you've had out on the road. I know you've, you've borrowed the Heathens Man for some runs. I know McIlwain was a reg has been, was a
Speaker 2 00:11:36 Pretty macwas been with me a few times. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:11:39 A few times in town and outta town. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:11:41 We took, uh, we're, we got, uh, Kansas City. I think that's where it was. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:11:46 Kansas City. You guys went to what
Speaker 2 00:11:48 A trip that
Speaker 1 00:11:48 Was. And then, um, and then obviously Mitch and Terry.
Speaker 2 00:11:52 Oh yeah. We've, we've done, we've done a bunch with 'em and uh, me and Terry actually got along way better than expected on the, uh, on the Kansas City trip. We were trying to make Terry hang and I think I, I beat him the first night, but night too wasn't no shot. Well
Speaker 1 00:12:08 Well then you had lo Yeah. Had poor Logan.
Speaker 2 00:12:10 Oh yeah. Logan. Logan will get in there and get rowdy. Logan was, so the funny part about that whole trip is I think we, what we bus called out at like six that morning. Logan was still not there at six 30. So the whole plan was like, play a joke on Logan when he got there and be super serious. Act really mad. So Logan pulls up and starts like trying to say, Hey guys, I'm sorry. And Terry's just like, shut your mouth and get in the van. And we get in the van and he was like, you know what happens when you're unprofessional? You get punished And Terry walks out of the gas station with a, like a 40 malt liquor. I don't even remember what it was. And we made Logan drink the whole way to Kansas City. Cause I mean we got there and he had plenty of time to like rest up. But yeah, I mean he had a miserable trip. No doubt. That's
Speaker 1 00:12:56 Why you're not late for not late for don't
Speaker 2 00:12:58 Be late. Hey, don't be late for bus call guys.
Speaker 1 00:13:00 Don't be late for bus call. Van call.
Speaker 2 00:13:02 Yeah. Don't do that. Sequoya
Speaker 1 00:13:03 Call Tahoe call whatever.
Speaker 2 00:13:05 Especially if you've got Michael Wayne or Terry or Mitch with you. Don't be late. Yeah,
Speaker 1 00:13:09 Don't be don't be late. The heathens pride, I've always prided the pr I've always taken pride in being on time. They always time. I
Speaker 2 00:13:16 Will. I don't think Mac's ever been late.
Speaker 1 00:13:19 No, he's not late. And what, what, what their trick was, was to um, they would go out, they'd get fucked up, but what they would do is they'd stay out wherever they were at. They'd pop in the hotel room, grab their shit, and then they'd be waiting outside the van or Matt usually had a key and they'd be sitting in the van and it's like, well if we're at the van by, but if we're rolling out at seven, we can't be late. If we're at the van at six 15 and they'll just sit in the van and drink and, and whatever and, and props. It was a good system. They were props. Props to
Speaker 2 00:13:49 You. Yes.
Speaker 1 00:13:49 They were the first ones in the van. Always, always. There was never a time they were late.
Speaker 2 00:13:54 Props too. Oh man. Good.
Speaker 1 00:13:56 So, so for, so for you, um, we've talked about, um, I've, it's funny cuz I, we just did a, um, our last episode was with Lauren Watkins. Okay. And we had Wade on the episode as well.
Speaker 2 00:14:06 Oh yeah. I'll watch part of that. Wade did on the way
Speaker 1 00:14:08 Here yesterday. You need a motherfucker. He's awesome. Um, and Lauren, Lauren's a real sweetheart and um, got a lot of, lot of bright things coming in the future and we talked and it was cool cuz she's, she's an ole miss girl. Howdy, tody Oxford. And, but what was fun was she, what was funny was when I asked her like, what's the, what's your favorite place you've played so far? She was like, I really love Rick's.
Speaker 2 00:14:29 Uh,
Speaker 1 00:14:30 Which to me is I'll agree with that. Just such a cool thing to me. Rick's Rick's is, and we gotta give a shout out to Rick, uh, the owner and absolutely Rick, I know watches this podcast. I get texts from him about this podcast. Um, depending on who the guest is, he'll he'll watch all the episodes. We have a lot, lot of friends from the road that watch watch these things. And I'm sure he'll be tuning into this one because you're coming. Having a, having a good support system in your local scene I think is so important. Especially in country music and being from the southeast, it is such a big deal and you have such a good system down there. And the story of how, how you and Rick star the story of how you and Rick got linked up and how Rick and the gang down there at Rick's cafe gave you a chance is such a cool story,
Speaker 2 00:15:21 Man.
Speaker 1 00:15:22 Like tell that, tell that story. Like, so
Speaker 2 00:15:24 I started playing there. I, I've been doing, I think I've been doing like the live show thing for, I don't know, going on four or five years now. I think four years. And, uh, I'd always wanted to play at Rick's. I remember when I turned 18, I was still in high school. Cory Smith played. So me and two of my other buddies went and stayed at his sister's house who was out of town. So we went pre-gamed, went out, we went to Rick's, watched Corey Smith's show. It was awesome. And still at that point in my life, I really wasn't interested in music. Uh, I had been at an earlier point, but then it really wasn't my main focus. I kind of just kind of figured everything out and, uh, learned to play guitar at 21 and got linked up with a couple of my cousins.
Speaker 2 00:16:10 They were in a band playing and they needed somebody to sing. So we started a country band and my uncle, my grandfather had done music their whole life. So it just kind of fit it felt right. Yeah. But it was never really anything serious at that point. And uh, I reached out to Rick and was like, Hey man, I would love to play here sometime. And he shoots me an email and he is like, meet me at the bar. And he is like, do you wanna open for Jason Miller? Who's another guy from back home? Um, I think it was like two weeks from then I was like, yeah, I'll be here. So we go up there and play and, you know, probably wasn't the best show we've ever done. But, uh, he liked it and he gave me a chance at headlining there and for probably a year and a half.
Speaker 2 00:16:50 Didn't put maybe 25 or 50 people in there. And, uh, he just kinda kept giving me a chance, letting me come back. And we went to College World Series in 2021. Uh, I had a bunch of te uh, friends on that team. We went and won Omaha great time. If you've never been, you need to go. Um, came back and it was like the third game. We were partying that night and Rick text me and he is like, Hey, do you wanna play the after party after the parade? And I was like, when is it? He is like two days. I'm like, well I don't have a voice right now, but I'll figure it out. Yeah, let's do it. I get all the guys together. Uh, we get it figured out. So we get there to play this show and we're not really expecting, you know, to be as big as it was.
Speaker 2 00:17:32 I think we put 1100 people in there that night and man, it was wild. And from that point on, I think we sold three or four out in a row. And just like seeing that place kind of rally behind me and rally behind that team that night really gave me a boost and gave me a chance to perform in front of all these people. You know, kind of show 'em what it was about. And going back home, there's, there's really nothing like it. Like the support that I get from that town and the people in that town and, and Rick himself. I mean, Rick's done so much for me just by letting me play there. Rick
Speaker 1 00:18:02 Has done a lot for just country music. Absolutely. And for acts that cut their teeth. I mean the, the history of that place.
Speaker 2 00:18:11 And he gets it too. Like he knows like, you, you gotta start somewhere.
Speaker 1 00:18:14 Yeah. And the fact that he takes chances on guys and girls out of the Mississippi scene is it speaks violent because there are a lot of club. I mean, McElroy can tell you being from Alabama, there's, there's o there's guys that, that believe in you and, and will give you that opportunity even when you may not, you may not deserve it. Nothing's, nothing's no. Nobody, nobody really, really, really deserves shit. You gotta work for work for what you can get. But then there's other, other guys that won't give a chance.
Speaker 2 00:18:41 And I mean, and that's the thing. Like, that's
Speaker 1 00:18:44 What makes Rick so special.
Speaker 2 00:18:45 I think I got lucky and, and and finding Rick and kind of getting in with him. I mean there were times that I was just like, look man, if you don't wanna bring me back, I get it cuz you know, we're not putting anybody in here. I think you're paying more an electricity building. I probably brought in here tonight, but I mean we just kind of hung onto it and kept plugging with it and man, like see where we're at now when we go home and play a show or really anywhere in Mississippi at this point. It's just, it's been kind of crazy to watch it. I mean it's changed so much over the past two years
Speaker 1 00:19:16 And it's, and it's continuing to grow outside of Mississippi.
Speaker 2 00:19:19 It is man. And like getting to travel and play shows. Like I tell everybody, like getting to do what I do for my job is awesome. Like, I love it. There's nothing better Yeah. Than getting to go do something you love every day.
Speaker 1 00:19:31 Yeah. How much do you miss playing baseball?
Speaker 2 00:19:34 Oh man, I miss it. Every
Speaker 1 00:19:35 Day I feel this, I feel like this time of year is when it really hits. So
Speaker 2 00:19:37 It really does. Uh, I love baseball. Like, I mean I love football. I'm from the south obviously, but baseball is like the one sport I fell in love with. So when I quit playing after high school, I started coaching a travel ball team and like, it just re re lit that flame for me man. Like I've always loved the game and, and getting to go out and coach. I coached a couple kids. One is actually committed to Mississippi State right now and a couple are committed to Jucos. He committed in ninth grade to Mississippi State, which is kind of crazy <laugh>. But just getting to watch kids that love the game of baseball, go out there and play it. Just be a part of
Speaker 1 00:20:09 It. What's, what's his name? Plug the kids so I can look forward
Speaker 2 00:20:11 When he, he can pull
Speaker 1 00:20:11 When he is hopefully, um, pitching
Speaker 2 00:20:13 He can pull on
Speaker 1 00:20:14 Hopefully playing in pin stripes for the Yankees.
Speaker 2 00:20:16 Well hopefully not the Yankees go play.
Speaker 1 00:20:17 If he's with the Yankees, he'll be making a lot of money.
Speaker 2 00:20:19 Hey, I'll be happy for wherever the kid goes. I'm super proud of him. Ethan pulls his name. What
Speaker 1 00:20:23 Is he, where does he play in the field? Uh,
Speaker 2 00:20:25 I think they've got him playing middle infield now. He played outfield for us. Just cuz the kid is wicked fast. But I mean, he's an athlete. You could put him anywhere on the field. Do you
Speaker 1 00:20:34 Like the new, uh, the new baseball rules and the mlb or has it been kind of weird for you
Speaker 2 00:20:37 Man? Uh, I understand them. I do get 'em, but I think the ums need to slack back a little bit.
Speaker 1 00:20:44 Just the umps need a little bit. Just slack back a little bit. I personally like them because it's making the game faster. I mean, I
Speaker 2 00:20:50 Do like the clock. Love the clock.
Speaker 1 00:20:52 The clock is, the clock is cool. And I'm interested to see if somebody steals a hundred bases this year with the bases being the size of a, of a Domino's pizza box.
Speaker 2 00:21:01 I feel like it, I feel like it'll give them a chance to, but
Speaker 1 00:21:05 And then and only, only the two throws over.
Speaker 2 00:21:08 Yeah, that too. I mean they're really, I understand what they're doing. They're trying to speed the game up, but I feel like baseball is just a game that you just have to play and there's no time limit. It shouldn't be.
Speaker 1 00:21:18 Yeah. It's a traditional traditionalist kind of. It's
Speaker 2 00:21:21 Baseball, it's America's pass time.
Speaker 1 00:21:22 When did you start playing?
Speaker 2 00:21:24 Oh T-ball? I mean I played my whole life.
Speaker 1 00:21:26 And your big ass was a pitcher, right? That was your thing? Uh,
Speaker 2 00:21:29 I was like, when I got into like nine, 10 years old and I really didn't pitch much. I pitched a little bit in high school, but I played outfield. I liked to make the long throw. That's what I wanted to do. Or either, you know, running after a fly ball, slow down a little bit so you can make the diving catch every time. That was, that was my thing. <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:21:51 Yeah. Was that decision hard for you then to stop playing after high school? Like uh, or was it just kind of a realization?
Speaker 2 00:21:57 It was honestly kind of a realization. I, and I knew like, and I, when I graduated high school I was five 11. I wasn't this tall. What? No, that's where I grew. Like by my sophomore year of college I'd finally reach about my full growth and I was just kinda always like the small lanky guy kind of like I am now. I mean I'm six four and just lanky. But I was like that in high school and just really didn't have much control of my body. And I was just like, well baseball's obviously probably not gonna work out. So what do I do now? So I just kind of hung around Starkville. I went to school, I enrolled at uh, EMCC, uh, which is a community college where last chance u was filmed and I did, I guess you could call me doing a year there. I mean I didn't really go to class, but I enrolled in school. But I spent more time working and just kind of trying to figure out what I was gonna do until
Speaker 1 00:22:46 What, what, what jobs was 18 year old Paxton p doing?
Speaker 2 00:22:49 So I started working at Mississippi State at this place called Forest Operations. Just doing the just like odd job stuff for the forestry department out there. Cuz Mississippi State's a big forestry major school. Like huge. That and agriculture,
Speaker 1 00:23:03 Well agriculture obviously
Speaker 2 00:23:04 Mean you guys, I mean it's, it's a big deal there.
Speaker 1 00:23:06 They, they give you a cowbell on you when you commit there. Well,
Speaker 2 00:23:09 See the thing is when you, you can't buy your own cowbell. Somebody has to give you Yeah. That
Speaker 1 00:23:12 Has to be given you.
Speaker 2 00:23:13 Its, it's just tradition. I mean that's how it works. But
Speaker 1 00:23:16 You know, Trey's got a cowbell, right? Does he really? Yeah, I think, I don't think it was given, I think it was taken well at a frat party years ago, but that, that's all been resolved from what
Speaker 2 00:23:24 I understand. Don't blame you for that one. I would, I would do that too.
Speaker 1 00:23:27 What is, what is forestry?
Speaker 2 00:23:29 Uh, like I really couldn't tell you the exact definition of it, but there's like a bunch of different like national parks people they have to go through like forestry school and it's like kind of the study of wildlife is what it
Speaker 1 00:23:44 Is. It's the study of the woods
Speaker 2 00:23:45 Pretty much. Yeah. That
Speaker 1 00:23:46 Makes so much sense. Driving through, driving, going to Star from Mississippi.
Speaker 2 00:23:50 Well I did, I did that for a few years and then
Speaker 1 00:23:53 Farms in the woods. It
Speaker 2 00:23:54 Makes sense. Well then I actually went and worked for a farmer up in north of West Point Mississippi for two years. What,
Speaker 1 00:24:00 What were you doing for him? Just like building fences. We
Speaker 2 00:24:02 Ran about 2200 head of cows and farmed probably around 5,000 acres of row crop. We did cotton, corn and soybeans. How
Speaker 1 00:24:11 Hot does that shit get out there? Pretty, pretty rough. Mississippi. That's brutal. Pretty,
Speaker 2 00:24:15 I mean you're in a tractor most of the day. Okay. I spend 15 hours in a tractor six days a week. And it drives itself. I mean you get to the end of the row, you turn it around, you press a button, throw the steering wheel up and it goes, I mean you just, it's rough. Like people, people sit there and laugh and wonder how, I say that's a hard job, but you go spend 15 hours in a tractor cab listening to only the radio six days a week listening to the same songs on rotation. I mean, it gets, it gets rough.
Speaker 1 00:24:43 Is that when you like kinda started writing songs when you had that free time? Really
Speaker 2 00:24:48 When I moved from that time? Well,
Speaker 1 00:24:49 When I say, when I say free time, I mean like that, that alone time, that's where,
Speaker 2 00:24:53 Where I, I mean I'm, if there was a camera in there I sang all day long and it, I mean it was no telling what kind of music I was listening to cuz I was just kind of shuffling through at some points. But when I moved jobs is when I'd started playing, uh, in that band with my cousins and
Speaker 1 00:25:09 What was the name of the band?
Speaker 2 00:25:10 Third Generation. Cuz we were the third generation of musicians for our family. So we thought, we thought it was fitting. Yeah. And uh, I really moved jobs just because I knew I could go work for this contractor, work seven to three every day and kind of put time into figuring out if I wanted to do the music thing. And then, uh, we kind of split off from our group and I started doing the artist thing and really started hitting it hard. And that's kind of when I started looking at up here. That's when that became an option.
Speaker 1 00:25:39 Yeah, dude, it's, it's awesome. And I'm, you've put out now how many songs since you've been,
Speaker 2 00:25:44 Since I've been in town. I put out two.
Speaker 1 00:25:46 And you've got the third coming out.
Speaker 2 00:25:48 The third one is
Speaker 1 00:25:48 Coming out. It's actually out right now, uh, with this podcast airing. Um, Hey buddy. And it's, uh, originally you had planned on dropping another song I
Speaker 2 00:25:58 Did. Um,
Speaker 1 00:25:59 But this one has a, a certain connection to you based on just some stuff that's been going on back home.
Speaker 2 00:26:06 Yeah, man. Uh, I had the song I did when I moved to town and uh, really could never find the right time to write it. And I tried, tried it by myself a few times and it just didn't work out. And I walked in to a right with McCoy Moore and James Mason, I think I'd already pitched this idea to McCoy one time and I threw it out there again. And he looks at me and he is like, are you sure you wanna write this today? And I was just like, yeah, gimme a second. And I walk outside and it's just like the most picture perfect Nashville Day, one of those 72, 75 just sunny skies. And I walked in, I was like, all right man, let's do it. Like I'm ready to put this song out and what that song means to so many people back home. And just kind of the story of where it came from. I'm, I'm ready for everybody to hear this thing. I've been holding on it for way too long.
Speaker 1 00:26:57 What's, what's the story? So, Hey buddy, it's so, it's a sentimental,
Speaker 2 00:27:01 It's uh,
Speaker 1 00:27:01 Kind of thing, right?
Speaker 2 00:27:02 I really had this idea. I was riding, uh, around one night just riding backwards. Well we call it the Loop and it's just a big loop around the refuge if people from Starkville know know what I'm talking about, if they're watching this. And, uh, me and my friends would go ride it, you know, skipping school or you know, just after class when we were in college. And, uh, one of our buddies ended up passing away. And I kept this idea, you know, wanting to write it if there was, you know, I just wanna have a conversation just like, Hey buddy, how you doing? Like, and I never saw it unfolding like it did and being able to touch people like it did. We do a golf tournament every year down there and I got to go play it, uh, at the golf tournament last year. And just to see his family and the way they react to it and how much they love it, it means the world to them. And that means the world to me.
Speaker 1 00:27:55 And what's gonna be really cool about this is that there's folks all over the world that have that same story within Absolutely. Within, within a community or with a family member
Speaker 2 00:28:05 Or, and I've said it since day one, every time I play this song and around like, I wrote this song for people that had the same feeling that I felt that my friends felt, that his family felt. And anybody that goes through something like that, cuz it's hard and you still, you ask yourself questions all the time, really don't know the answers why. But I wanted that to be a song for people, not just for me. It obviously felt good to, you know, finally get it out and get it on paper. But for everybody, not just me, I want the song to be for everybody.
Speaker 1 00:28:33 Yeah man. It's important to have music that connects with people.
Speaker 2 00:28:36 Absolutely.
Speaker 1 00:28:36 And that, that to me is the growth of you as an, as an artist because you've, you've got the, the playing thing down. You've been to every, every shit hole that you can cut your teeth in, in the southeast. And you've, you've gotten the headline, you've gotten, you've gotten the headline and, and sell out. Um, the, the hometown Mecca, one of the, one of like, it's a goal for, for me, any act that is in the southeast or any act in country music when you're at that club level, like to get where you're at. And of course there's, there's some exceptions. There's some artists, especially now with the way the internet works that have that pop without having to do the shows and whatever and to get different paths. Oh, for sure. But if you're coming up from the, the organic way, the grassroots way that, that you are, the, the way that, the way that Trey and the guys came up the way that Musk and I came up, Riley, Luke Combs, Morgan, anybody hardy, anybody outta the southeast Riley Greene, selling out a place like Rick's is, is a huge deal.
Speaker 1 00:29:32 And Rick, everybody has a Rick's in their town. Oh yeah. For Morgan Wallen, it was fucking Cotton Joe Co. Joe Cona Joe in Knoxville for Luke Combs. It's Coyote Joe's in, um, in Charlotte for Riley. It's, it's Iron City in Birmingham for Musk Island. It was Soul Kitchen and Mobile for Trey. It's Iron City in Birmingham. For you it's Rick's. Like you're, you've got that part down of, of doing the shows and, and you're, you're cutting your teeth in places like the Blue Room, which we'll get into Statesboro, Georgia cuz it is God's country. And I can, I hope to, I'm trying to plan a trip with Nikki t to go down there. Can I
Speaker 2 00:30:04 Go? Which would be awesome.
Speaker 1 00:30:04 Well, we'll we'll try to line it up when you're down there. Honestly.
Speaker 2 00:30:07 Let's, that,
Speaker 1 00:30:07 It'd be great to do that. Sweet boy's. Not on the road. Maybe we can bring him too.
Speaker 2 00:30:10 Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 00:30:11 He's got a lot of friends in Statesboro, Georgia. Um, but, um, the, the fact, what I'm getting to with this is now you're at the now part cuz the shows obviously matter mm-hmm. <affirmative> and playing shows and doing, doing the live music thing, that's great. But having the music that you believe in that connects with people, you've grown so much as a writer and an artist to where you can put out a song like, Hey buddy, that's gonna resonate with so many
Speaker 2 00:30:36 People. It's, it's been crazy to see like how my writing style and just my music style's changed since I got up here. And I'm not that person. Like I know people are, hell been on like, having that certain sound and I get like staying in that, you know, kinda range. But if I put out a song that's, you know, a little more rockier than, you know, it is, you know, old nineties style. It's just because I believe in it and I like it and I feel like everybody else will too. I don't, I don't feel like you should have to put out just a certain sound of music. And that's kind of what I'm trying to do. I've got four songs ready to rock and roll that'll be coming out this year and all of 'em are different and I'm excited about
Speaker 1 00:31:21 It. Are they recorded up here now or are you still going down to Luxurious Boaz, Alabama.
Speaker 2 00:31:25 So, uh, Josh is actually coming up here now. Really? Yeah. Josh has been coming up here. Shout to my producer Josh Bright. He's awesome. Uh, friend,
Speaker 1 00:31:31 Friend of the program. Josh Bright, we haven't met him person, but I've communicated with him quite a bit.
Speaker 2 00:31:36 Man, I need to get Josh
Speaker 1 00:31:37 Up here. He, cause he's integral. And again, I, I feel I'm a, I'm like an honorary alabamian because of you
Speaker 2 00:31:42 Might as well be, you've been with him all
Speaker 1 00:31:44 Now. I might as well be, I've been to Heflin and Boaz and Aniston and Gadsden. I mean, if you go to those places, you've
Speaker 2 00:31:49 Been to the Iron Bowl, you're
Speaker 1 00:31:50 I've been to the Iron, I've been to the
Speaker 2 00:31:51 You're official Alabamian now
Speaker 1 00:31:53 I've shaken the hand of Alexander Shenora and Roll Tide Willie on the same day.
Speaker 2 00:31:58 Oh, roll Tide Willie from TikTok. Yeah, me and Trey. Oh, I follow. Oh
Speaker 1 00:32:01 Yeah. Me and Trey hung out with him that whole day. We walked around the, the, um, the quad. Was he barefoot?
Speaker 1 00:32:09 No, he had shoes on. It was cold. Oh, okay. It was raining. Um, but yeah, we were with him and Chad, his, uh, his handler. Yeah, it was me, Trey, Trey's, um, Trey's childhood friend, Frankie, and then, um, Willie and Chad. And we were between, I was like, I was, I didn't, we had talked about meeting up with Willie, like Trey and Willie and Chad had been going back in the dms and it was like, possibly we're gonna meet up with this guy. And at the time, at that point, I mean, it's still big and he's still very much viral and a huge thing in, in the south. Oh yeah. But at the Iron Bowl, like it was a huge deal. And that, that time was when it was really growing. So I'm walking around with Trey and I'm thinking, man, we're gonna get, we're in Tuscaloosa. I'm with Trey, everybody's gonna know who he is and we're gonna get pulled over and I'm gonna have to, we're gonna get pulled aside and we're gonna be taking pictures. Which did happen a little bit. Then we linked up with Willie at the clock tower. Oh yeah. And I tell you, we couldn't walk five steps. Willie, come here, get you a swallower. I watched that man drink until his skin turned green.
Speaker 2 00:33:13 He probably drank all day. I mean, because I would give him a beer.
Speaker 1 00:33:16 Cause the thing is, you don't say no to, you gotta have the interaction with the fans and his Auburn fans, Alabama fans. We, everybody
Speaker 2 00:33:25 Loves
Speaker 1 00:33:26 It. We, it was you, it took like an hour and a half to get back to the, the 10th that we were like partying at. Because everybody was like Willie, Willie will young hot sorority girls, older dudes, grandparents, trashy guys with mullets, everything Auburn, the, the well put together,
Speaker 2 00:33:47 Let him run for governor.
Speaker 1 00:33:48 Honestly. Yeah. Will Willie was just, it was a wild experience hanging out with roll Bowl and then we're up in Trey Bald out for the Iron Bowl, which I get why he did because he grew up going to going to Alabama Games
Speaker 2 00:34:01 Games. Was that your first like s c game? Yeah. Oh man. Like, like
Speaker 1 00:34:04 How do I, like how do I top that? I can't,
Speaker 2 00:34:06 Uh, I wanna go
Speaker 1 00:34:07 Not egg bowl. I want go to an egg bowl. I,
Speaker 2 00:34:09 Okay. So I would say the thing about the Egg Bowl is, is our rivalry's a little more rough?
Speaker 1 00:34:14 What do you mean a little bit more rough?
Speaker 2 00:34:16 We're we're an hour. They made a damn, we're an hour and a half apart.
Speaker 1 00:34:19 Yeah. They made, they made a damn documentary and that crazy guy killed the trees at
Speaker 2 00:34:22 Auburn. I mean, yeah. That has happened. Yeah. I would just say like, think the inside our rivalry, our rivalry's more than just football, not just the iron ball. Well, yeah, every sport
Speaker 1 00:34:31 That, yeah, I feel like Auburn and Alabama's like that too,
Speaker 2 00:34:34 For the most part.
Speaker 1 00:34:35 But I also feel like the reason that the Alabama Auburn rivalry and the reason that the Egg Bowl rivalry is so big is because you guys don't have professional sports teams. No.
Speaker 2 00:34:44 And it's, that's that's your only option. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:34:46 You either
Speaker 2 00:34:46 And you got two D one SCC schools in your state.
Speaker 1 00:34:49 You're, and that are very successful in most of the athletic programs.
Speaker 2 00:34:53 Yeah. I mean y yeah.
Speaker 1 00:34:55 Yeah. And I'm a big baseball fan. Yeah,
Speaker 2 00:34:58 Me too.
Speaker 1 00:34:58 So I want to go to a, I want to go to a baseball game at State, like that's on my list and I have, I have a little bit more free time now. So maybe we can make that happen. We,
Speaker 2 00:35:06 We definitely need to do that. I'm
Speaker 1 00:35:08 A heckler. I'm a New Yorker. I'm a Hecker
Speaker 2 00:35:10 Free Saturday.
Speaker 1 00:35:12 Saturday I'll be, I gotta this week's crazy dude. I'm, I'm, it's
Speaker 2 00:35:16 Gonna be
Speaker 1 00:35:17 Wild. Well this week is just nuts of just stuff going on because we've got McIlwain Monday tonight, which we'll get more into McIlwain Monday as we get further along with this podcast. But, um, which we're very excited about the luxurious Rusty now, um, we've got that tonight. Then tomorrow I've, so I did a pod with, I did a pod recording before you got here. I'm recording with you now tomorrow. Nikki t's got a pod with Kurt and then we're doing our round full force. We have in the round at Live Oak. It's a WME takeover and we're doing a live podcast with Brian Martin and Laney Gardner on stage to kick that night off. Then Wednesday is a little bit more chill. Thursday we've got what I call, we, we have our meeting, it's called Northern Aggression is our meeting. And it's like guys from the north and we just get together, smoke, cigars, smoke.
Speaker 2 00:36:01 I was about say do y'all got a cigar shop? Is that where y'all go hang
Speaker 1 00:36:03 Out? We go to Nicky Tees now. Okay. But we go to headquarters and then Friday I'm going to Luke Combs concert, which I'm super jealous, stoked about. Jealous ma'am. Last time I saw Luke Combs, it was on the beach in Wildwood New J or Atlantic City opening up for Brantley Gilbert in 2017. And I was backstage with him cause I had interviewed him on my college radio show around then. That was when I was still, I was still drinking.
Speaker 2 00:36:25 That was like small Luke days.
Speaker 1 00:36:26 Well, I mean it was right at the come of Luke days. It was happening. It was happening. Was that like
Speaker 2 00:36:30 Right after hurricane?
Speaker 1 00:36:31 That was like hurricane when it rains and pours. Yeah, it was right around when Brantley put out the, uh, the devil don't Sleep cause Okay. His, that record and that tour was, cause I saw that. I saw it in the arena and then I saw it that summer and it was BG Tucker Beard, uh, Luke and Brian Davis. What
Speaker 2 00:36:47 A lineup. It was,
Speaker 1 00:36:48 It was sick. It was awesome. But this will be my first time seeing Luke in six, seven years. And it's at a stadium and we're in the pit and it's Luke Riley Mitchell and I think Brent Cobb. I think Brent's on that one. Brent Cobbs on that one, which is sick.
Speaker 2 00:37:01 Is that at Bridgetown?
Speaker 1 00:37:02 No, it's at Nissan. It's at the stadium.
Speaker 2 00:37:04 Oh, it's at the stadium. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:37:05 We're, and we're in the pit. Oh wow. Wow.
Speaker 2 00:37:06 Y'all have y'all have an experience in Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:37:08 Cause being, being, being, being, um, being in, in the raised, rowdy crew, it's front row. Don't go. So you guys, so you, you get the pit tickets. So we bought our pit tickets on the other day and then Saturday I'm going Nikki's going to the, going to BOFU Comb shows. Um, and I'm going Saturday. I'm going to the, um, going, um, I don't know if you're a big comedy guy or not really. Do you watch comedians? Uh, probably watch Theo vn just cause I
Speaker 2 00:37:31 Mean I watch Theo's podcast all
Speaker 1 00:37:33 The time. Yeah. So there's a guy named Nate Ghazi who's a, uh, big time comedian. He's actually from here in Old Hickory. But, so this week is actually Nashville Comedy Week. Okay. This is the week of the Nashville Comedy Festival. So like every comedian around the world is in Nashville this week, which is sick.
Speaker 2 00:37:48 Yeah. I think I'm gonna go to Red Door tonight.
Speaker 1 00:37:49 Yeah. Oh yeah. Red Door's gonna be chaos. Great week for Red Door. Absolutely. I didn't even think about that. Absolutely. Um, but um, fucking Nate Azi is headlining at Bridgestone Sold Out show. Okay.
Speaker 2 00:38:01 Sold out. That's kind of a big deal this week in town. It's a big
Speaker 1 00:38:04 Week. Yeah. So for sure I've got, I've got a full week, so unfortunately I can't make the game Saturday. I'll take you sometime. Yes. I would absolutely love to go. Cause I grew up McElroy's been to baseball games with me. I, um, even if I don't like care, like we went to, it actually popped up my memories last year. We were on the, we had all those Kid rock shows and we were in Minneapolis and we had time to kill. So we went to a Minnesota twins game. It was a twins. Do
Speaker 2 00:38:29 You wear a
Speaker 1 00:38:29 Twins jersey? I didn't wear a twin. I, I've actually wore, actually wore a Yankee hat.
Speaker 2 00:38:33 Who would've guessed that. But so brand.
Speaker 1 00:38:37 But it was funny. So Terry, Terry's one of the most eccentric sports fans I've ever met. I mean, obviously he's role Tide. He's Oh, absolutely. He's Birmingham born and raised. Um, lives in the Tus lives in the Tuscaloosa area too, which is cool. So, but for his football and baseball teams, he loves the 49ers and he loves the Mariners. Which is
Speaker 2 00:38:56 Odd. That's very odd.
Speaker 1 00:38:57 But again, you look at Terry, I mean he looks like he's in his fifties, but he's really in his mid thirties. Um, he grew up in that time of when it was like to and Steve Young with the 49ers and then he got to watch like Griffey Jr. And Arod and
Speaker 2 00:39:10 Randy Johnson. He's seen some good players come through.
Speaker 1 00:39:12 Yeah. But so that game, the Stars aligned where we're in Minneapolis, like second or third game of the season and it's the Mariners happen to be playing the twins. Terry never seen the Mariners play live. So we go to this game and the, um, twins have Carlos Correa, I fucking hate being a Yankees fan. Cheating scum. And then, um, the Yankees had just traded Gary Sanchez and Gio Rochelle over. So I'm like, all right Terry, I'm a Mariners fan today. Let's go Julio Rodriguez. Let's, let's, let's, let's go ems. So I am heckling the twins at a twins home game. Oh no. And those fans don't know how to react. I was yelling shit. I was yelling at Correa. We were on the third base. We were on. Yeah, we were on the, we were in the upper deck and then we worked down, I mean, mid-market baseball, you can, you can get right up.
Speaker 2 00:40:03 You don't stub up and see what tickets haven't sold. Well
Speaker 1 00:40:05 Not even that. You just look down, you just migrate down. And you've met Wild Greg.
Speaker 2 00:40:10 Oh yeah. I've met Wild Greg a few times.
Speaker 1 00:40:12 So that was a kid rock show with a, we were, we used to do the, we used to do after parties, so it'd be Trey would do the stuff with Bob and then we'd do a full band Trey Lewis show after party at certain venues and certain markets. So in Minneapolis we did the Kid Rock after party was at Wild Greg's Minneapolis, Greg's hometown.
Speaker 2 00:40:29 Geez.
Speaker 1 00:40:30 So Greg came to the baseball game with us. So we're at a baseball game. It's me, McIlwain actually, I don't think came to this. I think Mwa was too hungover from Omaha. Cause we were in,
Speaker 2 00:40:39 Imagine that
Speaker 1 00:40:39 We were in Omaha, we were in Omaha the night before. So he was resting up, um, being a good, being a good old sweet boy, you know. Um, but we had, um, it was me, Terry, Mitch, Nick Gorman, Ben Miller and, um, wild Greg. And I was just yelling at Crea, we get down, we're we're like right field, like the right fielder can see me like I'm yelling,
Speaker 2 00:41:02 Knows who you are.
Speaker 1 00:41:03 Yeah. Like we're lower level, like a foul ball comes, it, it could hit me in the head. Like we're right there. We're we're lefty lefty at the plates going forward.
Speaker 2 00:41:10 They're like, who's this Yankees fan yelling at me in all stadium? And
Speaker 1 00:41:13 When they finally started like telling me kind of to shut the fuck up, at that point the Mariners were up by like seven runs. Sounds
Speaker 2 00:41:18 Like. Yeah. It didn't matter at that point. Yeah. But
Speaker 1 00:41:20 I, I, I say that to say like, even if I don't have a horse in the race, as long as it's not like in baseball, if it's, as long as it's not a Mets Red Sox or Astros game, like I'm gonna root for the home. Or if they're playing the Yankees obvious sense we're for the Yankees. That makes sense. But I go to a state game, I will, I'll I'll ring a damn cow bell. I'll, you would have I'll paint myself maroon. I don't, I will get, do that. It's like
Speaker 2 00:41:45 The best place in my opinion to watch a college baseball game. I mean, we hold the top 10 attendance records and this weekend, uh, they've already sold 20,000 tickets to the game, which will shatter our previous attendance record by like 4,500 people.
Speaker 1 00:41:59 Who are you guys playing this
Speaker 2 00:42:00 Weekend? Ole Miss Super Bulldog Weekends.
Speaker 1 00:42:02 Okay. That,
Speaker 2 00:42:03 Yep.
Speaker 1 00:42:03 What do you guys call it?
Speaker 2 00:42:04 Super Bulldog Weekend. Biggest weekend in Starkville. Super
Speaker 1 00:42:07 Bulldog.
Speaker 2 00:42:08 Yep. That's, uh, when they do the spring game football, spring game softball plays at home. And then there's always a big series and we rotate years. Like Ole Miss will play home once, like one year. That'll be Super Bulldog weekend. And then we'll play there. So we'll find another, you know, team to Yeah. Big series.
Speaker 1 00:42:25 So this is just the stars aligning for you to have
Speaker 2 00:42:29 Absolutely.
Speaker 1 00:42:30 The the best release week you've ever
Speaker 2 00:42:32 Had. I'm, I'm, I'm putting out probably one of my favorite songs that I've ever even been a part of.
Speaker 1 00:42:38 That's abouts that that that directly resonates with the people of Starkville. Yeah. And, and your homies and
Speaker 2 00:42:44 Being able to play on a big weekend like that. Um, excited man.
Speaker 1 00:42:49 Has the show sold out yet?
Speaker 2 00:42:51 I really haven't asked yet. I don't wanna know
Speaker 1 00:42:54 <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:42:55 I'm just kinda, I feel like see
Speaker 1 00:42:57 What happens. That built in. There's, there's that there's enough of that crowd that's just gonna go there. And and it is, is is such a walkup market. Starkville is a very much a up market.
Speaker 2 00:43:06 It, I mean, it should be, it should be close. Um, if it doesn't, I've got, uh, Walker Wilson and Hunter Chastain coming out with me. Oh
Speaker 1 00:43:15 Dude. Yeah, you'll be fine. Yeah,
Speaker 2 00:43:16 We're gonna have a good time. I'm bringing all the bros out for the weekend. I mean, we're gonna have a good time's Good. We're going down early. Gonna go catch the game Friday and uh, cook crawfish and just hang out, man. Just try to enjoy the weekend.
Speaker 1 00:43:29 What do you miss most about Mississippi?
Speaker 2 00:43:32 Honestly, just kind of the freedom of being in the middle of nowhere. I've always found peace at like, just turning my radio on and turning down a gravel road and rolling my windows down. And you can't do that here. I mean there's, I've tried, I have gone as far in each direction as you can possibly think and I've found, you know, some back roads here, but it's just not like home. Just like finding the peace in the middle of nowhere is what I miss about it. Yeah. I, well I wasn't big on the city life.
Speaker 1 00:44:00 Well also until I had to make a choice to be also Where, have you lived in the same spot since you've moved here?
Speaker 2 00:44:05 Uh, yeah. I have. We're down right off of Bell Road in Antioch.
Speaker 1 00:44:09 Yeah, you're in la The other, other other LA Yeah. Lower Antioch. Lower Antioch. So yeah, coming from middle of nowhere Mississippi on a family commune basically to, pretty much to to lower Antioch. You see some stuff, it's
Speaker 2 00:44:22 Different. Um,
Speaker 1 00:44:25 Just
Speaker 2 00:44:26 People up here are are different man. It's just like, I feel like you don't have your just good old country folk up here, like everywhere. Like you do, you do in a sense. But like, there
Speaker 1 00:44:38 Are, there are quite a few of you guys and girls here there, like I'm definitely in the minority being from up north, there's more Southerners down here. It's
Speaker 2 00:44:44 Just like, it's hard to adjust. Like I was so used to being able to go throw up a 10 foot tall bonfire in my backyard. Yeah, you can't do that here. It is highly frowned upon. But we, we tried
Speaker 1 00:44:55 To You could in Antioch. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:44:57 Well,
Speaker 1 00:44:58 Didn't you come to one of those, did I bring you to Brian Nelson's house or
Speaker 2 00:45:01 No? No. Brian Nelson has told me about his bonfire parties.
Speaker 1 00:45:03 I thought I brought, you know, one who did I, I might have been Justin Holt. I brought one of, one of like, it was someone that when they had first moved to town and I brought 'em over to Ryan Nelson's,
Speaker 2 00:45:14 They, they have a good spot. I like where they're
Speaker 1 00:45:17 At. Yeah. It's the, it's the redneck frat house and the rotation of guys. They
Speaker 2 00:45:20 Got the creek in the back. I mean, it's perfect.
Speaker 1 00:45:23 Yeah. And it's, I've, I've been over there for some very interesting things because of the location of where it's at is not the best area.
Speaker 2 00:45:30 Well, no,
Speaker 1 00:45:31 Like I've, I've been over there midday and I've, you just said pop, pop, pop and it's like, oh.
Speaker 2 00:45:36 I mean, that's it. That's everywhere in Antioch, you just kind of get used to it, I guess. <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:45:40 Yeah, it is. Where do you um, so your local Mexican place is Hacienda.
Speaker 2 00:45:46 Uh,
Speaker 1 00:45:47 If you're over there, or actually you're in Antioch, you can go to any of 'em. Taco trucks,
Speaker 2 00:45:50 We got the taco trucks, but we have one that's right by where that Nashville State Mall is. Yeah. The one that never opened, uh, called Maria Bonita.
Speaker 1 00:45:58 Oh, I've been to that one. Yeah. Yeah. Oh yeah. So I used to live right over there. I lived off of, uh, una Antioch Pike, like right over there off, uh, so
Speaker 2 00:46:05 You know where that Thornton's is? Yep. Oh yeah, I've at that apartment, like right past it on. Oh really? Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:46:09 You're in an apartment. Yeah. So you went from Starkville to apartment? Yeah. Yeah. That's, that's, it's tough. I get why it's a different vibe for you up here. Yeah,
Speaker 2 00:46:17 It's, it's
Speaker 1 00:46:17 Who different. And then who are you living with?
Speaker 2 00:46:19 Uh, my roommate Drew Henry.
Speaker 1 00:46:21 Oh, okay. Yeah, drew
Speaker 2 00:46:21 Drew's played guitar for me for about three years
Speaker 1 00:46:23 Now. Is Drew from Mississippi as
Speaker 2 00:46:25 Well? Yep. He's from, uh, Belmont, which is about an hour and a half north of me. Me and Drew met off the funniest bass back when I just changed over to the artist thing. A couple of my other guys didn't really like it and left and I had to find a guitar player in three days. And my drummer at the time, Blake was like, Hey, I know this dude. He goes to Northeast, they have this thing called Campus Country, which is what Jamie Davis and uh, couple of those guys, uh, Jonathan Singleton were all in this thing. And I was like, all right, cool man. Send him to set. They can learn it, you know? Cool. We'll just kind wing it. He's got two days and he learned 40 songs in two days and his like been my right hand guy ever since. I mean,
Speaker 1 00:47:06 Drew's one of my favorite dudes. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:47:08 Drew Drew is is good at what he does man. And uh, he's been with me ever since that day. As soon as he came out and played that show, I was like, yes, I'm going Keep this guy, keep
Speaker 1 00:47:18 Him around. Well it's important to have guys that are invested in you as an artist. Yeah, for sure. It's very important to have that. And like you, you see that with, with Old, with old Sweet Boy and Trey, you know, like someone that's
Speaker 2 00:47:30 Sweet boy
Speaker 1 00:47:30 Like you do. No, honestly, like guys that that stick with an artist for a while and for sure for and are and are invested. And by doing that you keep them involved as part of the brand. I
Speaker 2 00:47:41 Think that's what turns it into a family thing. Yeah. What's
Speaker 1 00:47:43 Part of, part of the Paxton Peace show is seeing Drew Henry up there. Yeah. It is seeing Logan Millwood,
Speaker 2 00:47:50 His antic, those two
Speaker 1 00:47:51 Like you, you involve the band in the live show. And that's important with the cover thing because then it takes, you guys spread out the load amongst all of you. Yeah. With the, with the workload during the cover show, it makes it a lot more manageable,
Speaker 2 00:48:02 Especially when you're doing those four hour shows. You've gotta find a way, um, to
Speaker 1 00:48:08 What's, what was, what was your, um, your first four hour cover gig?
Speaker 2 00:48:12 Uh, tin Roof, Memphis. And we did it for two nights and the first night really wasn't that bad. You know, I, I held on pretty good the second night. I'm on hour three, like man, I am ready to be outta here. And time changes. So they want us to play another hour cuz it was during time change. I'm like,
Speaker 1 00:48:33 Oh no,
Speaker 2 00:48:34 I can't do it man, I really can't. There's no way I can do this for five hours. I really appreciate it. But after that, I mean, you kinda get used to it and we do some shows now to where they're like the 90 minute set where they're my originals, you know, like opener slot stuff and then a couple covers and I love those. But at the same point, like if it's a 30 minute or if it's a 90 minute, I'm still like ready to go. I just feed off the adrenaline from the crowd. It's hard for me to get off. Yeah. I just, I don't want to get off the stage sometimes. Yeah. I love it.
Speaker 1 00:49:06 Yeah. How is, um, aside from Starkville, cause obviously that's number one, where would you rank some of your college towns that are like in your regular circuit? Cuz you've done a lot in Tuscaloosa. I feel like you've been through Auburn. I'd imagine you've I
Speaker 2 00:49:18 Haven't been to Auburn actually, which
Speaker 1 00:49:19 To me is, that's kind of weird to hear that you haven't been at Skybar yet? I
Speaker 2 00:49:23 Haven't been at Skybar.
Speaker 1 00:49:24 Um, Christian and Kenny been taking all those gigs. That's
Speaker 2 00:49:26 Why they've been, they've been playing those,
Speaker 1 00:49:27 Um, they've been doing very well with those.
Speaker 2 00:49:29 I don't, I don't really do the best with like the acoustic shows, so I try to make sure I can, whatever I book, I can book full band so I can take the guys out with me and do our thing. Cuz if we do just like a trio or something, that's not my show in a sense. Yeah. Just cuz we've done it so long together. If I had, if I had to pick somewhere other than start Formula, I'm going with Statesboro
Speaker 1 00:49:48 Statesboro, yeah.
Speaker 2 00:49:49 Blue Room Man at a time. What
Speaker 1 00:49:51 Was your first show there? How'd you get in? Because everybody has a different way of getting into
Speaker 2 00:49:57 The Blue room. My first Blue Room show was probably six months after I moved up here and William hits me up, he's like, Hey man, I had a cancellation next weekend. Are you open? Well, I wasn't, but I, I was at that point, as soon as he said, are you open? I was like, yeah, I'll take it. So I canceled my other gig, get it Rebooked and we go down to Statesboro and I think it was Syllabus week. Yeah, it was syllabus week in January. So for the second semester it was Saturday of syllabus week. And I've heard all the stories of this place and we go in and it's just undescribable that town loves live music and it's cool to see, I mean, they show up and they, they get down. Have
Speaker 1 00:50:42 They started picking up on your originals yet? Yeah,
Speaker 2 00:50:44 I've had people actually like request 'em there, which is, is kind of cool cuz you know, you try to limit 'em at some places and people, you know, hold, hold the did the whole hold the phone trick up and like even some of my older stuff like that, we really don't play anymore. People ask for and it's awesome that town loves country music.
Speaker 1 00:51:02 Yeah. Where do you guys stay when you go down there?
Speaker 2 00:51:05 Uh, do guys the Airbnbs, do you luxurious Eagles Nest?
Speaker 1 00:51:08 Is that the one behind,
Speaker 2 00:51:10 So like you turn out of Blue Room, you go right, that gas station on your left, you take another right and it takes you back out to the four lane. It's that, uh, hotel right on the corner
Speaker 1 00:51:19 Unless you do hotel. Yeah. Okay.
Speaker 2 00:51:20 Good old Eagles Nest man. Yeah,
Speaker 1 00:51:22 The guys the guys, and I think Macklin can confirm this for back in the day. Cause my, my first run with Trey, which I've talked about on here plenty, um, was through states, was, uh, it was a William William Bridwell run through state. It was booked as a covered gig, but obviously the dick down in Dallas, Stu Chain, was
Speaker 2 00:51:38 It Savannah Statesboro?
Speaker 1 00:51:39 Yeah, it was, uh, it was Blue Room and, uh, barrel House. Yeah, yeah. Back to back. Um, which was, which was a lot of fun. But the guys had it in their, their their way of doing it was doing the Airbnb thing.
Speaker 2 00:51:50 We've done it a couple times. Do you
Speaker 1 00:51:52 Like doing that or do you prefer the hotel?
Speaker 2 00:51:55 I like the hotel just for the simple fact of, it's not that much to tear up in a hotel room, I feel like, and Airbnb sometimes. I mean they have like nice stuff and sometimes we don't have the, the best crews to, to put in a nice room. Who's
Speaker 1 00:52:14 The biggest wild card?
Speaker 2 00:52:16 Logan
Speaker 1 00:52:16 Millwood?
Speaker 2 00:52:17 Yourself? Logan Millwood or me? It's, it's a tossup between me and Logan.
Speaker 1 00:52:20 Matt, would you confirm that Matt? Yeah. <laugh>. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:52:25 That's if,
Speaker 3 00:52:26 Uh, oh, nevermind.
Speaker 2 00:52:28 Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:52:29 <laugh>,
Speaker 2 00:52:30 It's, it's, it's probably me or Logan Millwood. I mean, it just, it just depends on the night. So who's
Speaker 1 00:52:34 The responsible one who's, like your pseudo kind of TM amongst your crew? Mean? Obviously you have Brennan when he's available, when hes a,
Speaker 2 00:52:40 When's
Speaker 1 00:52:41 About the holy one? He, when he's available? Well, I feel like Drew could
Speaker 2 00:52:43 Handle it. Drew can, drew can handle it sometimes, but there's nights that Drew lets lose too. And I tr I've been doing a lot better, um, like here recently. Like if we, we have a three day run. If it's Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Thursday, Friday, I'm gonna kind of take easy, you know, after the show I'll probably try to get in bed at a decent time. But Saturday's when we'll cut loose,
Speaker 1 00:53:02 But it just makes the ride home on Sunday
Speaker 2 00:53:04 Miserable. It makes the ride home awful. And it's, it's always that ride back from Statesboro that just seems like you're never gonna get there because
Speaker 1 00:53:11 You gotta go through Atlanta. You
Speaker 2 00:53:12 Go through Atlanta and then you gotta stop at Bucky's and Bucky's takes 45 minutes when you stop there because everybody just wonders and gets random shit from the clothes section or drinks or Beaver nuggets. I mean, Bucky's is not the ideal stop for me, but that's,
Speaker 1 00:53:29 That's become, that's story that's become a trend on this podcast when I've talked to people about Bucky's. I love
Speaker 2 00:53:35 It. I do love Bucky's. I'm not saying I don't, but it takes,
Speaker 1 00:53:38 It just takes too long, long too
Speaker 2 00:53:39 Much time.
Speaker 1 00:53:40 And the and the prices of everything have gone up. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:53:42 You paid what, $10 for a brisket sandwich? Yeah,
Speaker 1 00:53:46 I remember when that shit was four
Speaker 2 00:53:47 50. Yeah. I mean they're, they know what they're doing. I mean they're, they do, they're
Speaker 1 00:53:50 Getting people. I mean it's inflation man. It's
Speaker 2 00:53:51 Crazy. Yeah, they, they're working. I I would rather stop it just somewhere quick. Me, like I'm gonna go in, usually the first stop we make, I get like three or four or whatever I snack on and just leave it. That's, that's kind of how I roll. That way I don't have to go back in
Speaker 1 00:54:05 Again. So what are, what are some goals for you this year? Because this year's, so you moved up here, you said it was, it was like January
Speaker 2 00:54:13 Of 21? No, August of 20. August of 21.
Speaker 1 00:54:16 August of 21 was when you moved up here. So yes, you'll be coming up on, on the, on the two year mark this summer, which has, has to be crazy to think about. Right.
Speaker 2 00:54:24 It doesn't even feel like it's been that long. It's, me and Drew talk about it all the time. I don't feel like I've been here that long. It
Speaker 1 00:54:31 Well, part of it too is the fact that you aren't here on the weekends usually. And ideally you're not here any weekends because you're out there making money with you guys.
Speaker 2 00:54:39 Yeah. That's, that's, that's, that's the main goal. And uh, yeah, I, most of the time I couldn't tell you what day it is. Uh, I really couldn't. It's
Speaker 1 00:54:47 Just like I, I can, I'm starting to be able to, now that I'm off the road,
Speaker 2 00:54:50 Going on the road on the weekend will ruin your whole next week if you don't get it started on Monday. And
Speaker 1 00:54:55 Then you, you have to write, and I know you've been trying and because you and I have talked Yeah. We're, we're homies. I look at you like a little brother. Yeah, we're about the same age, but still in terms of Nashville, I've been here a little bit longer than you have. And one of the things I remember I remember saying, I remember asking you is how often do you write? And you're like, man, I gotta be writing more. And I've been, I've, it's tough when you're on the road and yeah, people wanna write on a Monday, but I, I just want to have that day back in town and then I gotta play these rounds, I gotta do this and I gotta, I gotta book my own shows. And there's a lot of pieces going on right now, but do you find yourself like you are writing more now than you were?
Speaker 2 00:55:26 Uh, I have been and I've been trying to, you know, kind of get my, my group down in a sense just because if I'm not gonna be able to write as much, I would rather be able to write as much as possible with kind of the people I'm most comfortable with writing wise and really trying to focus this year mainly on getting songs that I believe in and, you know, getting 'em out. Uh, obviously still gonna do some cover shows here and there, but you
Speaker 1 00:55:52 Gotta pay the bills, bro.
Speaker 2 00:55:53 Yeah, I gotta pay the bills and, but my main focus is, you know, building my music up and building up, you know, that 90 minute or that 30 minute opener opener set so I can go out and, you know, do what I moved up here to
Speaker 1 00:56:04 Do. Yeah. What does the calendar look like as far as shows? Obviously Rick's this weekend I've got,
Speaker 2 00:56:08 Uh, that Rick show. Um, wow, what do I have? I really couldn't even tell you.
Speaker 1 00:56:14 Well, do you have like your rotation of the cover of the cover gigs or is
Speaker 2 00:56:17 This I haven't really been doing those
Speaker 1 00:56:18 As much or is this time of year kind of weird too because school's slowing
Speaker 2 00:56:22 Down. That's when school slows down a lot. And uh, kind of what I'm wanting to focus more on is, is finding those venues that are okay with, you know, I'm not somebody huge right now, but you know, let me come in and play that 90 minute or let me do a two hour set as close as I can get to do it, my show. And, uh, trying to find those venues and just kind of beat those places down and keep my music rolling out. That's my goal right now is soon as I put this song out every six weeks I'm gonna put something else. Absolutely. Really?
Speaker 1 00:56:52 Yep. That's big
Speaker 2 00:56:53 Man. I'm excited. Uh, I'm so excited for people to hear these songs. Josh killed 'em and we have worked really hard for about the past four months. I've kind of gotten to where I felt like everybody gets to that point, like where you feel like you're just stuck and there's not a whole lot going on cuz I've been, you know, recording these songs, haven't been playing as many shows cuz we've been putting all of our focus really on these next five songs and, um, when they start coming out we'll be able to get back out there and roll with it. And I'm excited.
Speaker 1 00:57:21 Where do you guys recording? You guys are recording over at Grady's, right? Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:57:24 Yep.
Speaker 1 00:57:25 How does, is does it feel different? I mean, Josh has placed down at not in Boaz is is a spot that is has produced a lot of great music. Absolutely. And it's man's if you're in the southeastern circuit, it it, it's a great way to get an incredible product at a, at a solid price that's convenient for not having in naco
Speaker 2 00:57:43 And get connected with other people. Yeah. Like just other people, like even up here.
Speaker 1 00:57:47 Uh, I mean that's, that's who did a whole lot of nothing. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:57:49 For Trey and Josh has just been like, since day one I sent him missing Mississippi just the work tape, uh, from the day that me and Jordan wrote that song and he, he loved it and he was just like, I could, I can try to squeeze you in next week and let's see what you think. And he crushed it on that project and I just, I got all the faith in him. Anytime I, I find one that I'm ready to work on, Josh is ready to go. But,
Speaker 1 00:58:12 But having the convenience now of just having to drive out to Mount Juliet,
Speaker 2 00:58:16 It's nice. And, uh, we did it with like, the live players and all the guys that played on these songs absolutely crushed it. I mean, getting to sit there and watch 'em do it firsthand and being able to sit there. Cuz when we were doing it down in Boaz, it was hard for me to, you know, kind of have my input. But when we worked, went and worked on these songs, I was in the room and kind of able to express my opinion on what I wanted and how I wanted some certain parts of things to be and they turned out awesome. I'm so excited,
Speaker 1 00:58:45 Dude. Well I'm, I'm super, I'm super stoked for the music to be out. I got, I got a few, few questions cause I knew this would be, would be kind of rowdy. Um, someone says, hey, um, some, you're playing a, you're playing down on Broadway, you're playing a cover gig and someone wants to bring you a shot. What are you asking 'em to bring you a shot of?
Speaker 2 00:59:02 Oh wow. Uh, my first reaction here originally is gonna be Fireball. Just because when I'm playing shows, fireball,
Speaker 1 00:59:09 We've, we've molded you. Well Fire
Speaker 2 00:59:11 Well m actually I will give McElroy props to this. I was, I was so against Fireball when I
Speaker 1 00:59:18 First got back up here. I know used to bring those shots at
Speaker 2 00:59:20 Live Oak. And for some reason, I think it was after I went to Kansas City with McIlwain, I started drinking it again. Wasn't
Speaker 1 00:59:26 Just with McElroy, it was McIlwain Terry and yeah, I think pre sobriety Mitch.
Speaker 2 00:59:30 Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was, they were all out with us and I got back to where I drink it. So now if I'm gonna take a shot, usually I want that. But
Speaker 1 00:59:38 If you're drinking, I get drunk, it'll get you
Speaker 2 00:59:40 There. Now, if I'm drinking a drink, I'm drinking Crown and Sprite with a splash of lime juice in it. Okay. That's my drink.
Speaker 1 00:59:46 Um, cowboy Boots or Jordan's.
Speaker 2 00:59:50 Ooh, man, that's kinda the world
Speaker 1 00:59:51 Man. That's, that's the world that I'm in right now. So I'm rocking, I'm rocking the threes
Speaker 2 00:59:55 Right now. You got, you got, you got yours on and almost wore mine today. Uh, it kind of depends on the day for me. I really need to do better about keeping my Jordan's clean cuz I just wore 'em out. Where do you when I first got
Speaker 1 01:00:06 Em. Do you, where do, do you go on like StockX and shit together? Oh, I
Speaker 2 01:00:09 Go to Antioch Red Rose Height, man. Best Shoe store. Really? Yeah. You've got to go. It's off of Harding Place. I've
Speaker 1 01:00:15 Place been left. We'll have to go sometime. It's
Speaker 2 01:00:17 Off a Harding Place. Uh, me and Jake Gantt, that's where we find all our shoes at.
Speaker 1 01:00:21 Okay.
Speaker 2 01:00:21 It's a good little secret squad.
Speaker 1 01:00:22 I'll have to go with Nikki t Last time we went to Antioch, we ended up with Premium Glass and Nikki bought a pistol. That was our last Antioch. Oh,
Speaker 2 01:00:30 Y'all, y'all went to, y'all had a uh, uh, what a it smoke token Smoke smoked
Speaker 1 01:00:33 To no free ads. But if you're in Nashville, four 20 is right around the corner. Smoke Token in Antioch, probably the, the best head shop in middle Tennessee.
Speaker 2 01:00:42 Oh, no doubt.
Speaker 1 01:00:42 They've got a phenomenal selection and uh, they're good people in
Speaker 2 01:00:45 That. And it's huge.
Speaker 1 01:00:46 It's massive. It's like one of the biggest brick and mortar stores in Antioch.
Speaker 2 01:00:51 <laugh>,
Speaker 1 01:00:52 Which is awesome. Yeah, we, that day Nikki and I drove around. We had a, um, we had a, uh, a business meeting, um, with, uh, with, uh, with someone. And then we went to, we went to like two or three different head shops. We went and got tacos at, um, green gusts. The green gusts that are on, it's off of, um, what the fuck is it? Nolansville Pike. There's that late night taco truck that's open and then it's like a trailer. See,
Speaker 2 01:01:16 I've never been to the, one of the taco trucks in Antioch. Okay.
Speaker 1 01:01:18 The taco trucks are great. I mean, Nikki used to live in Antioch. I used to live in Antioch. Like when ni when Nikki first moved to town, we were both living there. So we used to get these late night tacos all the time. And it's like, they're, they're great. And then we went to the, the Nashville, what is it, Nashville Armor. It's not Nashville Armory. Some gun shop that's in Antioch. And it's these two Turkish dudes that are identical twins. And
Speaker 2 01:01:40 Y'all did the most Antioch thing possible that day.
Speaker 1 01:01:42 Yeah, we had a great fucking day.
Speaker 2 01:01:43 Got a pistol and a and then we,
Speaker 1 01:01:44 And then we went, then we went over to Trey's house, enjoyed our, enjoyed our, um, enjoyed our, uh, our new pieces and watched, um, watched, uh, Kenny Powers eastbound and down. Oh,
Speaker 2 01:01:55 Y'all had it on. Y'all had on on Full day. On on
Speaker 1 01:01:58 Trey. Trey Lewis's new 90 inch television that Matt McElroy hung up for him. Um, <laugh>
Speaker 2 01:02:03 It's still hanging. It's still
Speaker 1 01:02:04 Hanging. No. McElroy knows how to hang up a TV man.
Speaker 2 01:02:08 Hung every TV in the house. <laugh>,
Speaker 1 01:02:11 Barbecue or Mexican food?
Speaker 2 01:02:17 Man? Probably Mexican food. Okay. I love a good Mexican restaurant. Me too. Me too. Like that's
Speaker 1 01:02:22 Cheese dip. Like
Speaker 2 01:02:23 I can eat it every day
Speaker 1 01:02:23 Like, like a fucking cheese dip. The perfect kind of chip. Oh yeah. Like fuck me up.
Speaker 2 01:02:28 Probably Mexican. No doubt. That's great. No
Speaker 1 01:02:30 Doubt about it. That's great. Um, boy, there was another one. Um, um, fuck. I had another one too. Um, we already talked about the liquor. Um, oh, if you had, uh, I can do this with you. So we're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna send it. Kill one Mary one. Fuck one. Oh
Speaker 2 01:02:55 My God.
Speaker 1 01:02:56 Logan Millwood. Drew Henry, Matt McElwain.
Speaker 2 01:03:01 <laugh>. My God.
Speaker 1 01:03:03 They were females.
Speaker 2 01:03:05 If they were females. I
Speaker 1 01:03:06 Mean, Logan's already. Logan already looks like a girl.
Speaker 2 01:03:08 Logan's already got the long hair. He does.
Speaker 1 01:03:10 He's got that slender figure.
Speaker 2 01:03:12 All right. So this is a tough one. I might would, um, I'd probably marry Drew. Drew's got it going. I feel
Speaker 1 01:03:23 Like Drew is
Speaker 2 01:03:24 The most, I've been with Drew long enough. I mean, we've been, we've lived together. So, um, I don't know. It's a toss up between Kill on McIlwain and Millwood <laugh>. It depends on who's had the less amount to drink. Um, I'm probably gonna go with, uh, I'd, I'd probably, I'd probably kill McIlwain and I'd fuck Millwood. It'd have to be that one. It'd have to be that. It'd have, if I had to choose if I had to. I thought you were gonna hit me with another one.
Speaker 1 01:03:53 Another one.
Speaker 2 01:03:54 Yeah. Like you, not not three of my band members' names, but <laugh>.
Speaker 1 01:03:59 Well, that's what you gotta do. You don't wanna, you don't wanna, I can't ask you about I can't, I can't, can't ask you about it. Like random. I mean, celeb, celeb, celebrity crush.
Speaker 2 01:04:09 Ooh.
Speaker 1 01:04:09 Make it a little bit easier for you. A little less awkward.
Speaker 2 01:04:12 Can I just go basic Jennifer Aniston with it. I mean that's gotta
Speaker 1 01:04:15 Be what, what, what era of Jennifer Aniston
Speaker 2 01:04:16 Friends like season six of
Speaker 1 01:04:20 Friends. Season six. Yeah. Specific.
Speaker 2 01:04:23 Yeah. Like late, late Jennifer Aniston of friends. Like
Speaker 1 01:04:26 In that, in that, in that, in that white t-shirt when there was that
Speaker 2 01:04:28 Hell yeah. Wonder was that garbage shortage for him? I mean it is not. I mean come on.
Speaker 1 01:04:33 See in that era, um, I liked cuz we're around the same, we've said we're around the same age. Yeah. For me it was like back in the fucking Carmen Electra.
Speaker 2 01:04:41 Okay. Okay. I mean that's valid. That's
Speaker 1 01:04:43 Like, well on the trashier side, that's valid.
Speaker 2 01:04:45 That's valid. I'll let you smile with that one.
Speaker 1 01:04:49 Um, favorite, uh, favorite bar in Nashville?
Speaker 2 01:04:56 Probably Red Door Man or Live Oak. I love Live Oak. I mean Live Oak's just kinda been homebased for me since I moved here. Yeah.
Speaker 1 01:05:02 Well you're welcome, <laugh>.
Speaker 2 01:05:04 Yeah. Well yeah. Thank you. Thank you for that. But I mean, it's just kind of, you go to live and you're gonna see, you're gonna hear music, which is what obviously most of us up here wanna do and find people. You know, if not walk down the red door, you'll see somebody that you know down there or have bumped into down there before and you'll be friends.
Speaker 1 01:05:22 Yeah. Um, your dream, um, your dream, um, your dream, your dream show to go to as a fan and then your dream tour to be first of three on. And it could be any genre
Speaker 2 01:05:38 To go to go see one probably would be Luke Combs. Again. I haven't seen Luke Combs as probably as long as you have. I think I saw him in Memphis on Bill Street when it was him and Walker McGuire. Wow. Yeah. That was the last time. Stood in the Rain all day to watch that.
Speaker 1 01:05:54 And when it rains it pours.
Speaker 2 01:05:56 That was, that song was number one. Actually
Speaker 1 01:05:58 Jordan. Jordan probably got up and sang it with him.
Speaker 2 01:06:00 <laugh> and uh, probably with Hardy Man, just Hardy would be my He's
Speaker 1 01:06:06 Taking you under his wing a little bit, right?
Speaker 2 01:06:07 Yes. Uh, I actually met him in Omaha when we were at the World Series, kind of chit chatted for a minute and we were walking outta this bar called Lefties and he stopped me again. He was like, Hey, I'm gonna tell you one thing and I'll always remember this. And I was just like, okay. Like, no, we've obviously both been drinking so didn't know it was about to come outta his mouth. And he was just like, when you move to town, work your ass off and never have a plan B cuz Plan B will or plan A will never work out. And I've stuck with that since I, since I've been here, uh, tried to make music my main focus in the most ways possible. And try not to have a backup plan cuz I don't want to have a backup plan. This is, this is what I moved here for and this is what I'm the most passionate about in anything in my life right now is, uh, getting these new songs out. And I'm, I'm pumped for it, man.
Speaker 1 01:06:54 That's awesome man. Well, I'm, I'm pumped for you and you've, it's, I know we, we give each other a lot of shit, but, um
Speaker 2 01:07:00 Oh, no doubt. No
Speaker 1 01:07:01 Doubt. I'm, I'm grateful and thankful for you man. And uh, absolutely.
Speaker 2 01:07:04 Thank you for, for you know, you're one of the sole reasons I ended up moving up here. Let's go. I appreciate
Speaker 1 01:07:09 It. I love that man. Who would've thought, uh,
Speaker 2 01:07:11 Clubhouse. Covid Man
Speaker 1 01:07:13 Clubhouse baby. Shout out. Shout out to Clubhouse Terry. Is
Speaker 2 01:07:16 That even still a thing?
Speaker 1 01:07:17 I'm sure it is just not in our community. And the whole reason it blew up here was because there was a snowstorm that produced like six inches of snow. Yeah,
Speaker 2 01:07:25 That's what I remember sitting on my front steps with my earbuds in. Cuz my girlfriend at the time was like a nurse and working, I was outside trying to like get the scoop, like trying to figure out what's going on in town.
Speaker 1 01:07:36 The whole reason it blew and it got people jobs. It got you to fucking move here. It got fucking Mitch, our boy Mitch Wallace. It got him, it got him, his first big industry job was through Clubhouse like, and it was big for like 10 days because there was a snowstorm and we couldn't go to the bars.
Speaker 2 01:07:53 There was nothing to do.
Speaker 1 01:07:54 It was literally the, the, the industry that goes to bars every night. Just the network. Not even get fucked up, just the network. It was that and it
Speaker 2 01:08:02 Was cool. Just like I learned so much. Believe it or
Speaker 1 01:08:05 Not, I a lot, I learned a lot too and I met a lot of people that are, that I'm glad are in my life now.
Speaker 2 01:08:09 And it made me comfortable when I got here. Cuz I, I didn't know y'all, but I felt like I knew who you were. So shout out to shout to. That's,
Speaker 1 01:08:15 That's been a weird thing about this podcast now is and, and being out with Gary and Charlie and being out with Trey. Like we were down in, uh, Rome, Georgia a few weeks ago. Oh. Which I love Rome, Georgia Peaches. We were at Peaches, went down with the Ray rowdy crew for um, Cory Kent and Noah Hicks. Okay. Great show. Cory packed the place out. Gotta see Bradley and Megan, all of our Peachtree friends. And uh, but was funny, I had four people come up to me throughout the night either wanting to get a picture with me or they, one kid, I forget his name. I have the kid's number in my, the kid's name and number in my phone, I have to look it up. But he came up to me and was like, Hey, this, this is my buddy so-and-so he's gonna be on your podcast and play your writers round one day. I'm in Rome, Georgia at a show. How you
Speaker 2 01:09:02 Gonna a trail
Speaker 1 01:09:03 Lewis show? Like nothing I'm affiliated with. And like, it's cool to see the, the the southeastern like country community Follow what what I'm doing with this. What
Speaker 2 01:09:14 I was listening to your stuff like before I moved up here. Like it's, it's, I probably have heard every episode
Speaker 1 01:09:19 It's, I'm just starting to notice it now. Yeah. It's, it's, it's exciting man. It's fun. It makes me, makes me, makes me think about what I say on here a little bit more.
Speaker 2 01:09:27 That was a big impact on, I would say most of my crew, like coming up here or how we all met was some, some way through in the round. Like that
Speaker 1 01:09:35 Makes me super.
Speaker 2 01:09:36 Yeah, man. Super
Speaker 1 01:09:37 Proud to hear
Speaker 2 01:09:37 Man. Yeah, I mean you're doing, you're doing big things and and we, we like watching it. We're
Speaker 1 01:09:41 Doing it. Um, okay. It's a McElroy Monday questions. This episode will be out on Friday release day. Make sure you guys check out, Hey buddy. But tonight we are recording this on Monday, the first ever McIlwain Monday. The whole town's talking about it. It's big hype. M's been talking about it for months such to the point where we were like, me and Nikki t were like, we have to do this. Som will shut the fuck up about it.
Speaker 2 01:10:04 So it actually finally happened.
Speaker 1 01:10:06 It's finally happening. How many drinks do you think Mac Wayne has tonight bef at the bar because he is pre-gaming with us before
Speaker 2 01:10:13 Fireball or
Speaker 1 01:10:14 Just drink beer alcoholic beverages.
Speaker 2 01:10:16 Oh man, I'm gonna give him at least 10 beers and probably over five Fireball shots. Over
Speaker 1 01:10:23 Five. Okay. Yeah. I'm gonna keep track of that tonight. Um,
Speaker 2 01:10:26 You're gonna take three with me?
Speaker 1 01:10:28 Yeah, well I think he's gonna take one, try to take one with each round that's up there. So that might
Speaker 2 01:10:33 Are you gonna, is he gonna host he
Speaker 1 01:10:35 Hosting? He's hosting. Oh yeah, he's hosting. It's McElroy.
Speaker 2 01:10:37 I'll get him on the mic. Get this on my mic.
Speaker 1 01:10:39 Yeah, he's so he's come over, we're going over to, um, he's gotta go take, he's gotta go, um, get a couple things done and then we're going over to Nikki t's and we're gonna kind of coach him up on how to host the writer's round, like what to say, where he'll do all that. And
Speaker 2 01:10:53 I'll coach you up on how to shoot that Fireball shot. <laugh>, uh, I think I'll be coaching you on that.
Speaker 1 01:10:58 Did, um, did you, did you like did you like the, the logo too?
Speaker 2 01:11:02 Oh, I loved it. As soon as I got tagged in that I was like, this is the most on brand thing I think I've ever seen in my life.
Speaker 1 01:11:08 It's, it's, I've, I've been telling people this is the most ridiculous event I've been involved in and it's gonna be be big. Oh, it's gonna be massive over there. Um, I'm excited. I don't think Rusty and Neil knows what's coming, uh, which I'm very excited about.
Speaker 2 01:11:20 We're coming in full force.
Speaker 1 01:11:21 We're coming in full force. Like we have a lot of degenerate people that like to drink. Matt McIlwain has a lot of friends in town and the fact that it's an I T R raise rowdy collab, it's, it's gonna be a lot of fun big night. Um, but the, um, I said this is the, the most like, like ridiculous thing I've done since my four 20 takeover <laugh> in 2021 when I had Colby Cooper, Pakis and Dylan Wheeler passing a joint on stage at Live Oak. I, I confiscated and then gave the Ryan Nelson, well,
Speaker 2 01:11:50 Of all people who more accepting than Ron Nelson.
Speaker 1 01:11:53 But, um, but no dude, it's, uh, I'm, I'm excited for you and, um, excited to see where the rest of this year goes because you're, you're, it's gonna, it's gonna start clicking what you're putting all, all the work and everything into it, man. And, and people are are taking notice of, of who you are and, and when it's the right time shit's gonna happen and
Speaker 2 01:12:13 You'll be, and it's all in timing, man. Like yeah, I get anxious. I'm a very anxious person.
Speaker 1 01:12:17 I am too, very anxious. That's why, that's why we've, that's why we've got these in, right?
Speaker 2 01:12:20 Yeah. For real. Uh, but I'm, I'm, I'm trying to just remind myself that it's, you know, it's, it's not my timing and it's God's timing and just trying to focus on that. And it's hard every day cuz I mean, you wanna be out there doing it, but you just kind of gotta put yourself in the positions to, to be successful. And that's what I've been trying to take a step back and focus on what areas I want to improve in. And I think we're going make a run at it here in
Speaker 1 01:12:44 The next couple years. Like, um, like old Hardy said, don't have a plan B or else Plan A will never work
Speaker 2 01:12:50 Out. Yep. And I will stick by that and, and until I die,
Speaker 1 01:12:53 Hell yeah. Where can people go to go to find you on all the socials and
Speaker 2 01:12:56 Stuff? All the socials are, they're all the same at Paxton p My last name is spelled p e a y music that's on Instagram, Twitter. I'm not as active on which I should be. I post sports stuff on Twitter. Me too. So if you, if you want to see me post and talk about sports, go to my Twitter. But Instagram and TikTok where I'm the most active at
Speaker 1 01:13:14 Sweet. And then the music is on all streaming platforms. Uh, look up Paxton p The new single is out right now. Hey buddy. Um, a song that'll tug at your heartstrings and make you feel something. So be sure to check out our boy Paxton p um, be on the lookout too, if you're in the southeast, um, or really anywhere in the country. Him and his, him and his, um, his band of heathens. Uh, we'll be rolling up to a town near you if you're in Starkville, Mississippi, uh, and you're watching this, um, make sure you guys pop out and, um, as part of your superD dog,
Speaker 2 01:13:46 Super Bulldog,
Speaker 1 01:13:47 Super Bowl dog weekend. Um, go see our boy Paxton at the mecca, the, the, the most famous thing in Starkville, Mississippi Rick's Cafe. Shout out to Rick too. We love you Rick. Shout out Rick,
Speaker 2 01:14:00 Man,
Speaker 1 01:14:00 Thank
Speaker 2 01:14:01 You
Speaker 1 01:14:01 For everything. Hope, I hope you watched this episode. I'm, I'm sure you did. And, um, yeah. But be sure to check out our boy Paxton p new song. Hey buddy, it's out right now. Appreciate you guys checking out the podcast. Um, check out our friends from Saxon Studios, whale Tale Media, our boy Mitch Wallace with the Digital Marketing Agency. If you're looking for merch to get made up, hit up our friends at big friendly productions and of course our new friends at Bud Light. Well, that's all for this episode. Appreciate y'all watching. For Sweet Boy Behind the Camera. My name is Matt Brill. This has been the In The Round Podcast.
