Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:12] Speaker B: Come on.
[00:00:15] Speaker C: This is Outside the Round with Matt Burrill for Rage Rowdy podcast.
What's going on, guys? Welcome back to Outside the Round with me, Matt Burrell. Today, a very special guest. She comes from the great state of Texas. She's been doing this thing a long time. She's got some new music dropping, brand new record. We got a girl, Sunny Sweeney. Sonny, it's great to meet you. Thank you for coming out here and hanging out with us.
[00:00:36] Speaker D: Yeah, nice to meet you, too.
[00:00:37] Speaker C: In Old Hickory, Tennessee, behind the tractor.
[00:00:40] Speaker D: Supply, which, by the way, is only one mile from my house. If I could jump the river.
[00:00:45] Speaker C: Oh, you're in Hendersonville.
[00:00:47] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:00:47] Speaker D: I, like, looked at the map. I was like, oh, my God, if I had a canoe.
[00:00:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:00:50] Speaker C: Like, why don't they just build a dang bridge?
[00:00:53] Speaker D: I don't know.
I don't know. Because, like, all of my friends live in Mount Juliet, so it would make it so much easier.
[00:00:59] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:00:59] Speaker C: Anyway, yeah, I feel like, well, how's. How's life? How have things been going?
[00:01:03] Speaker D: Good, good. Rolling. You know, we've had a couple of incidents in the last couple of months dealing with, like, travel situations.
A drunk driver totaled our van and trailer.
[00:01:15] Speaker C: Oh, no. Jeez.
[00:01:16] Speaker D: While we were on stage, so. So that was fun.
[00:01:20] Speaker C: Where was that?
[00:01:21] Speaker D: In Kentucky.
[00:01:22] Speaker C: Classic. Kentucky.
Classic. Love you, Kentucky. But classic.
[00:01:27] Speaker D: So, yeah, that was fun. And then we got a new van and trailer. And then I've been out on tour with Casey Chambers and also did a run with Trisha Yearwood.
[00:01:36] Speaker C: Oh, nice.
[00:01:37] Speaker D: And then now we're about to go out with my band for our record release.
[00:01:41] Speaker C: Sweet. That's awesome. Yeah. I see you got a bunch of tour dates coming up and you've been doing this thing for a while. Talk about growing up, like, being part of that.
That wave coming out of Texas before there was the bridge of Texas to Nashville. Like, you were around before, it was like, where were two separate things when, like, Ragweed and Casey Donahue and Wade Bowen and those guys. It was a different. It was a different time, you know, it was.
[00:02:05] Speaker D: I. Those guys, all that you mentioned, plus Randy Rogers and Kevin Fowler and Jason Boland, all those guys, they were all very instrumental in my beginning because they all were very cool to me. Randy was one of my first friends in this business. We went to college together.
[00:02:22] Speaker C: Oh, no way.
[00:02:23] Speaker D: And so when I started, they were always like, hey, come open for us. You know, it'll be fun and whatever. And I didn't know my ass from a hole in the ground. And I still really Don't. But I really didn't then. And so I just kind of was, like, following, you know, I knew they were all successful and they were doing their thing and all that. So I was like, okay, this will be fun. So I went and played with them a bunch.
Randy Boland, Fowler, Jack Ingram, all those guys. And then I just had this epiphany that I wanted to get out of Texas. Like, I love Texas. I'm born. I've got Texas tattoo on me. Like, I love Texas. But I wanted to get out of Texas, but more. And I wanted to see what was out there, you know? And I was just kind of, like, playing. I just. People always ask, like, what did. How did you start? And I was like, I don't really know. I just. I played shows. Like, I just. I booked every show that I could book. And anywhere in Austin is where I lived, anywhere that would let me set up a pa, I would play. Like, I played at a grocery store.
[00:03:35] Speaker C: Wow.
[00:03:36] Speaker D: Like, I played in a Walmart. Like, I'm not kidding. I played in the bra section at a Walmart. Like, I'm not even joking you.
So anyway, I guess then I started playing more and more and more. And then I get this random email from this guy that says he owns a record label and he wanted to give me a record deal. So I was like, okay.
Which ended up being Big Machine Records. They sent me a message on MySpace.
It sounds ridiculous, but it's true.
[00:04:02] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:04:02] Speaker D: And so then I did start touring more, and I got on some bigger tours, you know, like Nashville tours or whatever, and started coming to Nashville. And I was broke. And I mean, like, broke broke. But I took out a loan so that I could come here once a month for a week and stay in the Best Western on Demumbrian. And I had enough money. I. I got a loan for enough to do this for a year. I did it 12 months in a row.
Came up here for a week, went out to every riding night that I could find, met a bunch of people. Like, mingled my complete ass off, and met some really good friends, most of which I'm still friends with and still write with.
But I stayed at the Demumbrian, had enough money to rent a hotel and fly up here and rent a car for a week. I did that for 12 months. And then I feel like that really helped me, you know, meet people, which I came by myself. I had never even really been to Nashville, but I thought, like, I'm gonna go do this. I'm gonna go, like, figure it out. You Know, and I, I, I don't know if I figured it out, but I certainly have tried to figure it out, and that's kind of where I'm at with it.
[00:05:17] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:05:17] Speaker C: OG demumbrian, like, back in the day, when the Shoney's was there, it was.
[00:05:21] Speaker D: It was after. I think Shoney's may have been on the tail end, but, like, Dan McGinnis was there, and I spent a lot of nights in Dan McGinnis, a lot of nights in Dan McGinnis, and.
But, yeah, it was just such a different time then. And it's still great, but, man, it was really great then. And you could just go out.
There was writers nights every night, and everything was so cheap and close and easy to park and, you know, all that.
[00:05:52] Speaker C: It was very musician friendly, very songwriter friendly.
[00:05:56] Speaker D: Totally.
[00:05:56] Speaker C: It was the community. Like, tin roof. Everybody hung out there. Like OG days. Because I. I got here 2018, so I was a little bit later than. Than that. But hearing about, like, that era of when it was really, like, a musician's town. And now it's grown and it's. And it's awesome that it's grown in some aspects.
[00:06:14] Speaker D: Right.
[00:06:14] Speaker C: It's a different place.
[00:06:15] Speaker D: That's what Austin is, too, though. And honestly, like, Austin and Nashville always have reminded me of each other, and I lived in Austin. I went to college there, and they've always reminded me of each other. But I feel like the corporate stuff that has come in has run all the musicians out of town.
[00:06:34] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:06:34] Speaker C: It's very expensive now.
[00:06:36] Speaker D: Yeah. Like, my rent in Austin got so expensive that I literally left.
[00:06:39] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:06:40] Speaker D: Like, I left like, I couldn't do it anymore. I was like, oh, my God, y'.
[00:06:43] Speaker A: All.
[00:06:43] Speaker D: This is what your city is based on, and you're running us out of town. I hardly have any friends that live in Austin anymore.
[00:06:49] Speaker C: Yeah. I've heard that there's been, like, a big exodus, and everybody goes back to kind of the little pockets of where they're from in town, Texas, and then goes to Austin as they need to. Like, people come to Nashville as they need to.
[00:06:59] Speaker D: Yeah. And I. I mean, I've always kind of done both.
[00:07:01] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:02] Speaker D: And I really do love Nashville. I do. I've always loved it here. I love that there's a winter.
[00:07:11] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:11] Speaker D: You know, very rarely did it get cold enough for me in Texas. And I like sweat. I. I'm a sweater. Like, I hate sweating. I just want to be cold. I want to live in Antarctica. Like, I want to, like, not have to do the heat anymore. And I Know it's hot as hell right here, right now.
[00:07:26] Speaker A: Y.
[00:07:26] Speaker D: But, like, it's only for, like, a minute.
[00:07:28] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:29] Speaker D: Comparatively, like in. In Texas. I remember sitting on my porch at 1am Literally, with back sweat. I'm like, I cannot do this anymore. I'm out.
[00:07:36] Speaker C: Yeah, you're. Get into the hotel, set that thing to 60. If it can go down, dude, if.
[00:07:40] Speaker D: It'Ll go to 50, I, like, want to sleep in a meatlock.
[00:07:44] Speaker C: Now we're talking. Yeah, now we're talking.
[00:07:46] Speaker D: I want it cold.
[00:07:47] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:47] Speaker C: I feel that. I was always the same way when I was out on the road. Like, as soon as we got in.
[00:07:52] Speaker D: There, just turn it on.
[00:07:53] Speaker C: Me in a damn freezer.
[00:07:55] Speaker D: Hey, we've moved rooms because it's not cold.
[00:07:57] Speaker C: Really?
[00:07:58] Speaker D: Yeah. That's how I found out that my boyfriend and I are actually most compatible as we're thermostatically compatible. That's always a deal.
[00:08:05] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:06] Speaker D: And I'm like, man, if we can share a hotel room and both want it like a freaking meat locker, I'm good.
[00:08:14] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:14] Speaker D: So we're set.
[00:08:16] Speaker C: So how's. How is it now continuing? You've been doing this for a while. Talk about this new project and what. What it's like now fast forward, because you've been doing this. When did you start putting music?
[00:08:26] Speaker D: My first gig was August of 2004.
[00:08:29] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:29] Speaker D: So it's been 21 years.
[00:08:31] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:31] Speaker C: You've. You've been through multiple, like, evolutions of the genre of the format. You've seen country turn into a stadium thing. Of course, George and Garth and those guys were doing it back then, and you had the stuff in the 2010s of, like, the Bro country era and all that. But, like, where things are at now, I feel like your music's evolved with it, like, over time.
[00:08:53] Speaker D: I feel like, you know, I'm. Well, I was gonna say I'm probably not the right person to ask this question because I'm very opinionated about it.
[00:09:02] Speaker C: But that's what we love. We love opinions.
[00:09:03] Speaker D: Okay. So I'm from East Texas, and, like, the way that I talk is the way that I talk.
So naturally, if I sing, that's what it's gonna sound like.
[00:09:15] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:16] Speaker D: So I didn't know what I sounded like when I could or even if I could sing. I didn't know. I just thought, like, I'd love to try to do this. You know, I've always done musical theater and, like, you know, sang in the choir and stuff like that. But then, like, actually doing this, I thought okay, well, I guess I'm a country singer. Like, that's just what happens, like, when I talk or when I sing.
So. My first record.
I never had any intention of making a record. Let me be very clear with you. Look, I wanted to play in Austin for tips. I was fine. I played seven nights a week, set up my pa. I was having a ball. I mean, I got free food every night.
I was having a ball. Okay?
And I just enjoyed it. Like, I enjoyed it, you know?
And I still enjoy it, which is literally half the battle. Cause I know so many people, and it's hard. Don't get me wrong.
It's the hardest business I've ever done, but it is the most validating and important.
It is a very important business. Art is so important. Okay. So anyway, I digress, because then when I made my first record, I was just playing at this place called the Poodle Dog. I had no intentions of doing anything else besides that.
And fans that were coming religiously every Sunday would be like, when are you going to make a record? You got to make a record. I was like, I don't know that that's going to happen. Like, I'm not going to make a. What? Why would you want me to make a record? What do you. Who would I sell it to? Like, I mean, I had so many questions.
So enough people started asking that I started asking around and got together with a couple of my friends, Tom Lewis and Tommy Dudimore and Chris Wall, may he rest in peace.
And I said, you know, these people want me to make a record.
I don't know what to do. What does that even. What.
So they helped me make this record. I took out a loan.
Again, I don't like borrowing money. So, like, I took out from people. So, like, borrowed this money from this bank to make it this record and put this record out. And when I went to press them at the place, they said, how many do you want? And I was like, I don't know, like, a couple hundred.
And the lady that was pressing them started laughing. She's like, well, I mean, you kind of need more than a couple hundred.
Like, you're gonna sell those in a. You know, in a week. And I was like, I don't even know a couple hundred people. Like, so she talked me into a thousand.
And I about died. I was like, oh, my God, that's insane. I'm gonna have these forever. And then I sold them. And then I thought, wait, people are buying these? And then it just. It all kind of clicked for me. And then.
Then I got a record deal with that record.
They licensed that record. And then I had to be on the Artist Protection Program for, like, six years while they held me captive, not doing anything for six solid years. And then I put another record out six years after, you know, my first record.
And then I got dropped consequently, a couple years after that because I was too country. I guess that's what I was told, and. Which I kind of took as a compliment.
And then I just went back full indie and kind of just figured it out, and I'm still figuring it out, and I just.
This record we intentionally went in. I saw this quote the other day that said country. Country isn't a costume. Like, it's not a costume.
It's just not. And just because you have a banjo and you're music, that doesn't make it country. Or just because you have a fiddle, that doesn't make it country. Like, country music, to me, is stories and melodies and a beginning, middle, and an end in a story and, like, resolution in the story and about real life things and things that, like, Loretta Lynn would have sang about or Waylon Jennings would have sang about and, like, hard shit that goes on in your life. And. And so my guitar player and I talking about this, and I was about to need to make a new record, and I said, you know, really, why are we. Why are we gonna hire a producer? Like, why don't we just do this by ourselves? Like, why don't we just me and you try to do it? And he's like, I mean, we totally can, because you never asked me, like, of course. Like, yeah, we can do that. He's so inventive. He's so creative. And I have a lot of really, you know, strong ideas, and he has really strong ideas. And we just decided to go at it ourself.
[00:13:44] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:13:45] Speaker D: Ourselves. And so we made a record that we would want to listen to if we wanted to hear a country record.
[00:13:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:13:53] Speaker D: So that's the only way that I can describe it is that, like, it's something that I would. If I wanted to. If you put this record out, I would be like, damn, that's a country record.
You know, like.
[00:14:06] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:14:06] Speaker C: And it's something where you've built such. Like, you've built a following where, you know, your fans know you and they relate to you. So it's like, you got to be authentic to yourself. That, to me, is one of the best parts about country music is the fans connect with the art.
[00:14:20] Speaker D: Absolutely well.
[00:14:21] Speaker C: And they're gonna sniff if this isn't a sunny record.
[00:14:23] Speaker D: Well, yeah. And, like, there's been, you know, I've made more like, Americana influence or Americana genre or whatever. I don't even know what. What's what anymore. But, like, I've made records that have.
They always have country because I'm. I'm the one singing it. But, like, there's. They lean more a certain way, or this one will lean more a certain way, or this one will lean more a certain way. But this one is, like, intentionally what I think country music should sound like. Yeah, I guess. I mean, I don't know how else to put that, but, like, yeah, country.
[00:14:58] Speaker C: Is a way of life. And it's funny that, like, the stuff that's too country gets labeled as Americana. Like, it gets put into its own damn genre.
[00:15:06] Speaker D: It's so weird.
[00:15:07] Speaker C: But that's more rootsy and more what the guys and girls were doing in the 90s, the 80s, the early 2000s, than anything.
[00:15:14] Speaker D: Yeah. And I mean, on this record, like. Like, when I listen back to records that I love, there's always a Telecaster.
I love Waylon Jennings phaser that he uses on everything or a lot of things.
Merle Buck Owens, like, Don Rich is playing, like.
And then I love the storytelling that Loretta had. Loretta Lynn truly is one of the greatest songwriters of all time. And the reason is because.
And she even told me this, she said, write what? You know, she's like, I'm not pretending to write something I don't know. And I said, okay, well, same. But I mean, it's easier for me to write something I've lived, you know, Like, I've always had.
Had luck with that, like, where I know the people that I write well with. And my circle has gotten very small with co writers and stuff. And I.
I know. I know what I'm going to get at this. You know what I mean? Like, I know at this point, after doing this for this long, I know who my people are as far as, like, writing. Not saying I won't branch out and write with other people, because I will. Like, and I have, and I do, and I just did last week. But, like, for the most part, when I know a specific sound that I want, I know who to call for each part, you know, like, and when it's like, something that I know that I want, something really country, I know who to call. And, like, I don't know.
Haven't mentioned this really, but, like, I got hired to be a musical coordinator for a musical, and it's really cool. I'm very excited about it.
And then also write the songs for it. And so it's me and two of my best friends that I've written with forever and ever and ever, Monty Holmes and Buddy Owens. And so we're. It's a country musical about aliens. It's sounds wacky.
[00:17:08] Speaker C: Sounds so cool.
[00:17:09] Speaker D: It is.
[00:17:09] Speaker C: I'm.
[00:17:10] Speaker D: Interesting. It is so freaking cool. I'm so excited. So. So, like. But they said, like, we want these songs to be really country. We want to be authentic. I was immediately. I picked up the phone, I go, hey, guys. And they're like, yeah, we went in.
[00:17:24] Speaker C: That's awesome. That's really cool. Is that back in Texas? Is that here in Nashville? That's here.
[00:17:28] Speaker D: It's. It's. I mean, it's kind of gonna be everywhere. Yeah.
[00:17:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:17:32] Speaker C: That's really cool.
[00:17:33] Speaker D: I'm pretty excited about it.
[00:17:34] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:17:35] Speaker C: Country music and aliens together.
[00:17:36] Speaker D: Are you kidding?
[00:17:37] Speaker C: And it's like, neo traditional sounding, like they want it to be country music. That's sick.
[00:17:42] Speaker D: There's one of the songs that we wrote that literally, we were like, damn, do we want to turn this in? Because it's so. I want to record it so bad.
I want to record it so bad.
But, yeah, I'm really excited about it.
[00:17:56] Speaker C: That's awesome. You talk about writing, like, the real stuff. Like, the real shit. There's one song on here called Diamonds and Divorce Decrease. That title, to me, is just, like, badass. Like, Texas. Like, talk about that. Talk about that one. Because I got, like, the track list pulled up here, and it's like, you think you're writing about some. Some real. Some real shit.
[00:18:15] Speaker D: Well, diamonds and divorce decrees. I mean, I've been divorced twice, and I'm.
Whatever. It's not something I'm proud of, but it is what it is. So.
So after I got divorced, I realized that I've made this decision.
Oh, shit. Where am I gonna go?
So I called my mom. I said, mom, I have nowhere to go.
Can I move back in with y'? All? And she's like, oh, we've been dying for our daughter to move back in with us. Yes. Please, please hurry. When can you be here? And I'm like, look outside.
I'm in your driveway.
So.
So I moved back in with them. It was just supposed to be, like, a couple weeks, and it ended up being literally two years.
[00:18:57] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:18:59] Speaker D: Thank God they're cool.
Anyway, so when I moved out, I took all my stuff. I got a house over in Hendersonville, and.
And I left my safe there, like, a little Tiny safe. All that's in it is my grandmother's diamonds and my two divorce decrees. And so my mom kept going, like, you need to come get. Get this. It's in my way. I was like, mom, it's so small. Like, put it under a. Put it under a bed or whatever. She's like, no, it's in my way. Come get it. I said, mom, all that's in there is my diamonds and my divorce decrees. And then I thought, what did I. Wait, what? And then I thought, I would be doing myself no justice if I do not go home and write that song right now.
So I called my friends Buddy and Galen. We were about to write that night. Anyway, I said, I've got it. I've got a title for y'.
[00:19:46] Speaker A: All.
[00:19:46] Speaker D: So we wrote that. Just. It's just funny. Like, it seems like something old country, you know, like, yeah, back in the day, that someone that you would have heard from, like, I don't know, fair and young or. I don't know. Like, it just sounds like a funny. Like a. Like a cool, like, old title, I guess.
[00:20:03] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:20:03] Speaker C: And it's something that people relate to. Like, there's. There's. There's women and there's guys that relate to your music, and there's someone else that understands where you're coming from of that moment of getting divorced and having. Having the diet, having diamonds and divorce decrees. You know, like, it's relatable.
[00:20:22] Speaker D: There's been a lot of men, actually, that have come up to me and said, when are you making a T shirt with that on there? I got to get one for my ex wife.
[00:20:29] Speaker C: That's awesome. That's so cool. How has it been, too, like, having your day ones from, like, 20 years ago to now, still having those fans, and it's like they're growing up with you. You know, they've been on this journey with you for so long, and they're. They're your ride or dies. Whether they're in Texas or they're in Chicago or New York or, like, you have them all over. All over the country at this point.
[00:20:50] Speaker D: It's really wild. We were talking about that the other day. One of my favorite things about this business is the fact that anywhere we go in the entire universe, we have friends there. Like, meaning, like, I like going. That's half the reason I like my job is I like going to new places, and I like going to old places, and I like seeing people that I haven't seen in a while. And, like, there was. We played some Shows this past weekend up in somewhere, Michigan. And there's these two fans, the Dilks is their last name, and Mr. And Mrs. Dilks. And they used to fly to Austin back in, like, 2007 to come see me at the Poodle Dog. This place doesn't even have a credit card machine. Okay. Like, I mean, it is. It is a cinder block building. Okay?
And they used to come there, like, once a year and hang out, and they're still with me. And, like, that's the part that I'm always like, I haven't ran y' all off yet, like, after all this time.
But honestly, like, I love. I love that so much. I love being able to go places and see people over and over, and I love when those people bring new.
[00:22:06] Speaker C: People, which they always do.
[00:22:07] Speaker D: It's the biggest compliment ever. And even more of a compliment is when the new person ends up in the merch line at the end of the night. I'm like, yes.
[00:22:15] Speaker C: And then that new person turns into a friend, and then they bring new people. You know, that's how you build that cult following. And that's something, I think that's powerful with the indie side. And you've been doing an indie for a while. I think of, like, my buddies from Muscadine Bloodline, you know, like, they're indie guys, and they built, like, a cult following where they're doing it their way and their fans like it because they know that it's them just right. Your fans know that it's you.
[00:22:39] Speaker D: That's a really good point.
[00:22:40] Speaker C: You're only putting it out if you want to put it out. You're writing it because you want to write it, not because somebody's telling you to.
[00:22:46] Speaker D: I tried it, you know, for a couple years on a label and on a, you know, major label. And I'm grateful for that opportunity. Like, it gave me opportunities I would not have had otherwise.
But I think for me and for my personality and the way that I like doing my business and the way that I am a type A personality and a control freak, but at least I know that I like doing it my own way. I like hiring the people that I want to hire.
My team is wonderful, and I have put them all in place on purpose. Do you know what I mean? And, like, they're all great at their job. They're all respectful of my ideas. If they don't like my ideas, that's fine, but we can have a normal conversation. It's not like, well, no, you're doing it my way, whether you like it or not. Or the other person going, no, you're doing it my way. Like, it's like, okay, let's talk about this and then we'll figure it out.
[00:23:48] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:23:49] Speaker C: You're the CEO of your own business. That's something that artists, I don't think realize is even when you're in a label deal, you're the CEO of whatever, like your artist llc.
[00:23:58] Speaker D: And you know something else people don't realize is that in. In the terms of like a regular job, you have a manager that you work for.
In this business, the manager works for you.
[00:24:12] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:24:14] Speaker D: So that's something that, like, when that got relayed to me and like, beat into my scalp, I was like, oh, my God. It was so eye opening. I was like, wow, okay, these.
These people work for me. Like, you know, like, you.
There. There's been times in my life, in my career where I've been made to do things because I just didn't have the mentality to think.
I can't tell them no, they're my manager.
Yeah, I can.
[00:24:44] Speaker C: They're on a percentage of what you are not.
[00:24:47] Speaker D: Yeah. And like, you can't. You. That was just so eye opening for me to realize that they work for you.
[00:24:55] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:24:56] Speaker D: I don't know why that took me that long to figure that out, but it is facts.
[00:25:00] Speaker C: Yeah. There's young artists that don't know that, man. That are winning and don't know that.
[00:25:04] Speaker D: It was eye opening for me. And that being said, I mean, managers are very important. It's the. One of the most important, you know, crucial parts of your job. But it's not like a. It's not like a.
Whatever it's called. The.
The. They. They can't just control you. You know what I mean?
[00:25:26] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. It's a, It's a huge thing. And they're. They're a part.
[00:25:30] Speaker A: You're. You.
[00:25:31] Speaker C: You agree to have that manager and you have to have the right guy or the right girl in your corner. And it's. It's so important. You've gotten to be around for a while. So I'm sure you've gotten to like, be. Be someone that younger artists, especially females coming out of the red dirt scene, like, look up to. Like, I, I think about like, like the Caitlin butts of the world, like the younger, like, females that are coming out of that red dirt world and stuff. What's it been like to kind of start out as like, coming up with like, Randy and Jason and all those guys that you mentioned to having folks that look up to you or that you've gotten to watch grow over the years.
[00:26:04] Speaker D: I still find it insane because, like, I really, truly feel like I don't know what I'm doing still. I mean, I do, but.
Because that's exactly right. There are quite a few young women who have been, like, where I just have become friends with them over the years, and they ask questions, and I am very honest. I'm very honest about anything they want to ask me. And it may not be the pretty answer that they want, but there's a handful of girls that I just adore. I mean, Taylor Honeycutt, I'm obsessed with.
[00:26:40] Speaker C: Taylor's the shit.
[00:26:41] Speaker D: I'm obsessed with that woman.
[00:26:42] Speaker C: I love that woman, dude. She's awesome. And she's doing it her way, and she's making fire right now, man.
[00:26:48] Speaker D: She's so cool. And she's like. She's really. She's really, really cool, and she's really talented. And then, like, Aaron Biencourt and these. And Kali Fry. Oh, yeah. These girls are just so sweet. And sometimes I just want to be like, God, I want to put y' all in a bubble so bad that you said that you don't have to deal with some of the things. I wish I could just be like, no, and then, like, put, like, a block up and be like, no, you can't do this, because I don't want you to. You know what I mean?
[00:27:16] Speaker A: But.
[00:27:17] Speaker D: But.
But then all you can do honestly is just, like, tell people the truth, because there's so much that isn't told in this business.
And. And it would be a really nice thing if there was, like, a handbook that went along with it, but unfortunately, there's nothing. So you just kind of have to learn your own way in the hard way a lot of times, which is how I've chosen to live my life.
But, yeah, it's. It's. It's really flattering that anyone would ask me any advice, because I still truly feel like I know nothing.
[00:27:49] Speaker C: You've seen it. You've seen pretty much all that there is to see, honestly. Like, you've gone through the journeys of being on the label deal, like being in Nashville, being in Texas, going out on the road, opening for people, headlining. Like, you've done the roller coaster, you know? So there's so much wisdom that you can offer, but everybody's path is different, too.
[00:28:08] Speaker D: That's right. And that's what I've told anyone that's ever asked me anything. I've got a young friend of Mine.
He's in another band. He's like my little brother. And he will call me all the time. He kind of runs the band that he's in. He'll be like. He's like, will you tell me how to deal with this situation? I'm like, I told him just yesterday. I said, here's what I would do. And I texted it out and he called me. He's like, so wait, you're telling me to do this? I'm like, I would. That's what I would do. I mean, if you're asking me, you don't have to do it.
[00:28:36] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:28:37] Speaker D: You know, but it just. It feels really nice that anyone would ask me anything. Cause I really, truly.
There's so many days where I'm just like, you know, bawling my eyes out, going like, damn, this is hard. Like, why does this have to be so hard this far into it, you know? But then I'll pull myself up and be like, I didn't come this far to come this far. Like, you know, like, I haven't busted my ass for 20 years to stop now, you know, So I have to. I have to just figure it out.
[00:29:07] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:29:08] Speaker C: Amen. And you get. You're. What I love about your story too, is that you've gotten to be on the connect with fans on the radio side and you have such a love for country music to where, like doing the radio thing at at Sirius.
It's cool, though, because it's. You're getting to play songs that you love and you're getting to interact with folks that are in that are still have that appreciation for what's on Willie's what's on Outlaw, like, things like that. So what's that journey kind of been like to being in media while also being an artist like you? It's like you're a player coach in a way in the media world.
[00:29:40] Speaker D: That's cool. It's.
It's crazy. And it's so out of left field because I never saw that coming.
But Jeremy Tepper was the program director at Sirius, at Willie's Anna Outlaw.
And he is an old friend of mine. He used to play songs off my first record. So he's been a fan legitimately my entire career.
[00:30:03] Speaker C: That's awesome.
[00:30:03] Speaker D: He passed away last June suddenly, and we were all just like, oh, wait, what? Like, what do you mean? No, what are we gonna do? And so they've replaced his position with different people. But he was so integral in the part of all of SiriusXM, especially those two channels. And he gave me that opportunity. And I was just texting with his wife last night, and I just said, man, sometimes it's so weird. Like, I'm just sitting there thinking what a gift that guy gave me. He just. He didn't. I think he knew he was giving me a gift. It is a gift, and I don't ever, ever take it for granted.
I truly do love talking about country music. And so I think he knew that. And he knew that. You know, he's like, do you want to talk on the radio? I was like, I guess, yeah. Hell, yeah. So.
So it's been really interesting because I intentionally didn't want to put the two together, the artist side and the radio side. I wanted them to, like, naturally happen.
[00:31:14] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:31:14] Speaker D: And.
And it's starting to naturally happen where, like. Like, even I've got this record for pre sale right now, and people are like, wait, wait, wait, what? You're an artist? Wait, what?
[00:31:26] Speaker C: You're like, yeah, I've been doing this.
[00:31:28] Speaker D: A while, but that's what I wanted. I wanted them to find out the complete grassroots way and be like, oh, shit, she. She knows what she's talking about. And she's also making a country record. Like, wait, what?
So it's doing what I wanted it to do from the beginning. It's taken.
I've been on Willy's for four years and on Outlaw for two, and it's just. It's a gift. I don't have any other way to put it than, like, Jeremy Tepper gave me a gift of knowing that if I just trusted the process, that it would start working. And I feel like it's finally starting to work. With meaning. Starting to work, meaning getting people to come to shows from the radio, not pounding them over the head with all of my music.
[00:32:17] Speaker C: Check out my music.
[00:32:18] Speaker D: No.
[00:32:19] Speaker C: God, here's Meryl Haggard. Oh, and then here's my new song. No, God, can't do that.
[00:32:22] Speaker D: No, no, no, no, no. And, you know, it's just. It's crazy. It's a really interesting dichotomy, honestly, because I'm also doing interviews for artists. Like, I interview artists.
[00:32:35] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:32:36] Speaker D: And.
And it's weird because I've never done that before. And Jeremy, when he was still alive, like, I would call him, he wanted me to interview someone. And I was like, dude, you haven't even, like, told me how to do it. He's like. I said, am I gonna get, like, training or something? And all he wrote back was, ha.
It's like, training. No, ha. You're not getting Training, you know, how to talk to people. Just go, bullshit. And I was like, oh, okay.
[00:33:01] Speaker C: Yeah, that's all. That's all it is. And you. That's what I love about country music, too, is it seems like the guys and girls that make it and have been doing it for a while just have such a love for the genre. Like, you're not only just someone that's. That's doing. I've been doing the artist thing for a while, and a songwriter creating it. You're someone who's getting to play it on the radio, but you're also someone who I'm sure listens to it and grew up listening to it. And it's. It's like your first love.
[00:33:23] Speaker D: Yeah. I mean, KykX in my hometown was the station that we would listen to, and it's a country station in Longview, and I think it might have been the only country station. And I remember sitting there with my friend Michelle in my bedroom with my jam box with a tape.
[00:33:43] Speaker C: Wow.
[00:33:43] Speaker D: And I would call the. The radio station. We didn't have speakerphone, so I'd call the radio station, turn the jam box up so that I could hear myself talking to the dj.
And then he started to know it was me. He'd be like, sonny, turn your radio down, or else, you know, you can't. It's like feeding back.
So. But, I mean, I was, what, like third grade or something? So it's just crazy. It's.
It's so stupid, like, thinking back about that. But that was what I loved. I would. He'd probably be like, this is the only third grader calling to ask for Conway Twitty. And, like, in the whole universe.
[00:34:18] Speaker C: That's awesome. That's so cool, though. And it's like, for you to have grown up doing that and then getting to play shows and then getting to have people not even planning to make a record, but people being like, you got to make a record, and then those thousand copies selling quick. And then it's weird, like, thinking back to that little girl, like, that's awesome.
[00:34:37] Speaker D: I do that a lot, actually. I think back and go, God, this is just so weird.
But also, I mean, you know, something else that was brought to my attention some.
I don't remember who said this to me, but someone said, wow, you're really lucky that you get to do this. And I was like, not lucky. I fashioned my life to be able to do this. This was intentional.
I did this on purpose. Like, I did this career so that I could have the lifestyle that I have, you know, and you know, yes, I'm lucky in the sense of this is what I get to do. But also it was very intentional.
[00:35:17] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:35:18] Speaker D: I, I may. I wanted to have a job where. Because it's a job whether you look like it or not, like this is a job, you know, And a lot of people think it's a party. It's not. It's a job. It's a hard job. It's a really tiring job.
But I mean, it was intentional. It was like I wanted to work for myself. I wanted to wear what I want to wear. I didn't want anybody to tell me what to do, you know. I wanted to find a team that I knew would work with me, find like minded people to. To work with. And that's what's happened. It's. It's taken a really long time to get all those pieces in place because there's always one asshole here, one asshole here. But then like, you know, after a while, it, it. You replace the assholes, they're gone, you know, and then you put in a new person, you know, or fill in this spot with this person and then eventually it just becomes this harmonious, lovely.
I enjoy leaving my house. I love being at home, but I love leaving my house. There's been times where I've been like, God, I don't want to go on this run because so and so or because this is going to make it tough. Or one person can be a cancer in a, in an organization so quickly. That's what I've learned.
And the goal in the music business is to not be the cancer.
[00:36:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:36:40] Speaker D: Honestly, it's so easy.
[00:36:42] Speaker C: It's so much of it is the hang.
[00:36:43] Speaker D: It's so easy to just not be a cancer.
[00:36:46] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:36:47] Speaker D: Don't be an.
[00:36:48] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:36:48] Speaker C: Just be a good person.
[00:36:50] Speaker D: Like you're playing music.
[00:36:52] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:36:52] Speaker D: For a living.
Not much of a living, but a living.
[00:36:56] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:36:56] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:36:57] Speaker D: Okay. Right.
[00:36:57] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:36:58] Speaker C: 100. Talk about the title of the record and what kind of inspired that.
[00:37:03] Speaker D: So I wanted something that was okay. So. Well, I went back and forth about this, honestly. But Rhinestone Requiem is the name of the record.
[00:37:14] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:37:15] Speaker D: And I basically just think that it's like attributing, like currently the not attributing but like it's.
It's basically just paying homage to the past.
[00:37:37] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:37:38] Speaker D: Right. Without saying like, because I thought about naming it like just my name or a self titled album or something. I thought I went through everything and then I thought, no, I wanted to have something, you know, country. Because it is a country record.
I have this guitar that I've had for, I don't know, 18 years or so. I bought it at, you know, Guitar Center. It's not nothing special. It's just a J45 Gibson.
It's not old.
And.
But for me, buying that guitar was a big deal because it was expensive, and, like, I don't buy expensive things.
And.
And so I remember going in there and paying cash for this guitar. I think it was like, 2500 bucks, which.
20 years ago or 18 years ago, that's a shit ton of money. So I was like, it's a lot.
[00:38:30] Speaker C: Of money to put on one thing.
[00:38:31] Speaker D: Yeah. And so I was like.
But the reason that I got it was because I had this vision to put these rhinestones around the edge.
Didn't bother to tell anyone else that. So my dad, my stepdad walks in. He's the one that taught me to play guitar. He walks in when I'm gluing these rhinestones by hand around the edge of this guitar. He walks in and goes, what are you doing? He's like, what are you doing? What are you doing? And I was like, dude, chill. Like, I. This isn't yours. This is mine. Like, I want to do this. And so he goes. He goes, no, no, you can't. I was like, you don't understand. I'm opening for Loretta Lynn, and she's gonna tell me that she loves this guitar, and that's gonna be the end of it for me. Like, I'll stick a fork in me.
So I had this gig coming up with Loretta to open for her, and I got her to sign it, and she said, wow, that is the most beautiful guitar I've ever seen.
Which stuck with me still to this day. So after that, I mean, now.
I mean, there's so many signatures on there of people that are gone, but, like, Charley Pride, Merle Haggard, Hank Jr, Jeannie Seeley, Jesse Coulter, Wanda Jackson, Alan Jackson, Marty Stewart, Tanya Tucker. I mean, it's got, like, a ton.
[00:39:51] Speaker C: Of greats, all of them.
[00:39:53] Speaker D: Connie Smith's on there, Rodney Crowell, Billy Gibbons, Bob Seeger, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, like Vince Gill. It goes on and on.
So, Anyway, so in 2023, I get this phone call from the Country Music hall of Fame, and they wanted to put me in the American Currents exhibit.
And they said, you know, would you like to have some artifacts? I was like, duh, yeah, so what do y' all want? And they were like, I don't know.
That guitar that you have, I Was like, okay, so that means I have to go without it for a year, but okay. So I donated that for a year to the American Currents exhibit at the hall of Fame. Wow. It was so probably the highlight of my life, seeing that in a glass case at the hall of Fame with all of those signatures on it.
And it's the only thing in my life that's, like, materially that I'm obsessed with. Anything can be replaced. Everything in my life except for that and my dog can be replaced.
[00:40:57] Speaker C: And it's got those rhinestones that you put on it so many years ago.
[00:41:00] Speaker D: And I put an S on the headstock over where it says Gibson. Like, and it is gorgeous. Like, I mean, it is gorgeous and trashy all in the same. Like, it's hand.
Their hand glued on there from. And they never came off. So it's like, also an advertisement for aliens wood glue. Because it did not budge.
[00:41:21] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:41:22] Speaker D: I mean, nothing. It is not.
[00:41:23] Speaker C: They belonged on there. The universe said that limestones are supposed to be on there.
[00:41:27] Speaker D: Exactly. My dad now, he'll laugh when he sees it. He's like. He's a God. Never forget. When I walked in and saw you gluing those on there, I was like, what are you doing?
[00:41:36] Speaker C: That's so cool. That's awesome. So that. That makes sense then, for the name of the record.
[00:41:42] Speaker D: So. But that's the artwork on the back. So, so cool. So I just thought, like, that would be a nice. I wanted it somehow to say rhinestone, Even though I'm not, like, a rhinestone y girl. I don't wear a lot of sparkly.
[00:41:52] Speaker C: Stuff, but it's a huge part of country music history.
[00:41:54] Speaker D: Exactly.
Exactly. And that is what the guitar is for.
And so I took a photo of my guitar sitting on my couch and then turned it into Bob, who does my artwork. And I said, make this the back cover. I don't care how you do it. And he's like, all right.
So he did. And it looks really cool. And it's a perfect homage to all of the greats that have come before all of us.
And I love it. It's literally the only thing materialistic that I have that I really care about. Everything else in my life can be replaced except for that.
[00:42:31] Speaker C: That's awesome. That's so cool. And what a. What a way to name this collection of songs. And what is it about this project that's different from the other ones? Because you've put out a lot of music in the last 20 years.
[00:42:41] Speaker D: Like, I still can't believe that.
Well, what's different about this one is we produced it. Harley and I produced it.
This is the first time that I've done that.
I've always had opinions and I feel like maybe co produced, but didn't give myself credit for helping co produce. Whatever. Du, duh. But this one we did, and that's what makes it different. And we're just so happy with how it turned out, and it's exactly what we wanted.
[00:43:17] Speaker A: And.
[00:43:18] Speaker D: And honestly, I know everyone says that I'm so excited about my new music, but, like, I really am so excited about this and I'm excited for people to hear this.
[00:43:26] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:43:27] Speaker D: And be.
And be able to see, you know, that it's. It's me, you know, still it's me, obviously, but it's our version of me.
[00:43:37] Speaker C: And the day that it comes out, which this will be out after the record comes out and everything. But you get to play the Opry on release day.
[00:43:45] Speaker D: Yeah, I'm really excited about that.
[00:43:47] Speaker C: Which. How important is being such a country music person, growing up with such a love for this genre and this style of music? What's it been like to play the Opry and just being part of.
You get to have your guitar in the hall of Fame, like, you've gotten to be around for so much. But what is it about the Opry that's still just so special?
[00:44:06] Speaker D: The Opry, to me is.
It is the only thing really, in my life that, like, is a goal.
Like, I want to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Like, that is my goal. That was my goal day one.
[00:44:25] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:44:25] Speaker D: Do you know what I mean? And March 2, 2007, when I stepped onto that stage for the first time, I remember saying, I'm going to belong here. Like, I remember saying that to myself.
Little Jimmy Dickens is who introduced me when I walked on stage. And the second time, Porter Wagner introduced me, which I know, it is.
It's unbelievable. It really is, like, the weirdest.
It is the weirdest.
I don't know how to explain. It's not weird, but it's like. It's surreal.
[00:44:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:44:56] Speaker D: And anyway, I've watched every time I'm there. I mean, I probably annoy them. I call them so much. Can I please play the Opry? Hey, I'm be in town this day. Can I please play the Opry? Like, I love it. It is one of those things where, like, when I can bring someone that's never been backstage to the Opry, backstage, I feel like I'm doing something for humanity because I'M like, you know, like, when my friends come in town or whatever, I'll be like, before the show starts, I'll be like, do you want to go stand in the circle? Like, what do you mean we can stand in the circle? I'm like, yeah, do you want to go stand in the circle?
It. It is the freaking circle at the Grand Ole Opry. Like, it is the pinnacle of what I feel like country music artists should want. Yeah, they should want to be standing in that circle.
And so I don't have words to even say how it makes me feel to be there, because I'm about to do it for my 77th time.
[00:45:58] Speaker C: Wow.
[00:45:59] Speaker D: Not that I'm counting, but I do have a Word document on my computer that tells me every day I've ever played.
[00:46:06] Speaker C: I love it.
[00:46:07] Speaker D: And honestly, I just. I love it. I love being there. It's like an adult Disneyland. It's.
You know, I've met some of my heroes there. I met Jean Shepherd.
Jeannie Seely's like my soul sister. I've been obsessed with her since I was a small child.
And then getting to become friends with her over the years has been incredible. And she brought Jean shepherd to see me one night, and when I walked off stage, Jean shepherd came up and poked me in my shoulder. It was right before she died, maybe like, a year before. And she poked me in my shoulder, and she's like, you.
You sing country music.
It's the greatest compliment, literally, that carried me for, like, a year. I was like, I've got the biggest feather in my hat right now, because Jean shepherd told me that. And then, like, I met Charlie Pride there and Jan Howard, and just all these people that have been significant to me in my life, and you can meet them, and they're. They're tangible. They're not on a stage far away. They're literally there with you. Jim Ed Brown from the Browns, he would walk past my. My dressing room and be like, hey, girl. You know, like, I mean, it's weird. It's crazy. And, like, Vince Gill, that's where I met him for the first time, and he's become a friend over the years.
It's nuts. Yeah, it's really nuts.
[00:47:37] Speaker C: It's special to get to do it when this record comes out, too.
[00:47:40] Speaker D: I could. That. I called him. When we decided a record date, like a release date, I called him, was like, this is a really long time away, but can I please play the Opry August 1st, please?
So, I mean, I. I didn't want to play anywhere Else I can't imagine playing anywhere else than there on the day that this record comes out.
[00:47:57] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:47:57] Speaker C: That's awesome. It's so. It's so wild to think back to like the beginning of you starting out being like, I don't know if I like, put out a record. I just want to play songs for people on Sundays at this. At the Cinder Block Bar at Poodles down in Austin. And now fast forward. You're playing the opera for your 77th time. You've got a new project out. You've gotten to make a difference in people's lives. You've got a guitar that was in the freaking hall of Fame. Like, it's unbelievable.
[00:48:23] Speaker D: It really is pretty weird, like, when you put all of that together in one sentence because, like, you also can't really.
Like, there's so many days that are the hard days.
[00:48:33] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:48:36] Speaker D: And they. The good always outweighs the bad or else we wouldn't continue doing it.
But there are the hard days which you have a pity party.
It's not just me, it's everyone. I'm not just. I'm saying we as artists have pity parties. All of us do. And why isn't this. And why isn't this. And da da. But then also when you put everything together and you think of all the things that you have done.
There was this thing called a joy jar that I saw, which this sounds like crunchy and earthy, but like if you every day, every single day, get a jar put right on there, something that happened great in your day. Cause there's never a day that 100% of things are bad. There's always one good thing. Whether it's a bird chirping or, you know, your mom called you or anything. Like something good is going to happen every day. Even on the shittiest day.
[00:49:27] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:49:27] Speaker D: Write that good thing down, put it in the jar. 365 days later, look in the jar. And then you will have 365 things that happen to you. Good. That you would have forgotten about otherwise.
So I've been trying to do that. I keep forgetting, but I have done it some.
[00:49:42] Speaker C: That's awesome.
[00:49:43] Speaker D: And my jar is starting to fill up, so. It is.
It's a hard business.
[00:49:50] Speaker C: But man, you gotta keep your blinders on too. And know that your path is your path and everybody's gonna be different. And so especially in the social media.
[00:49:58] Speaker D: World, like, oh, don't even get.
[00:50:00] Speaker C: There's, there's, there's kids, but then they don't know how to play A show. And then they get up there and they're. They have notes on their set list saying, I'm going to take my hat off here. I'm going to say this to the crowd here, because they don't know how to do it, you know, like, that's a real thing. So it's just. Everything's just a little bit different. Like, the days of. The days of building organically are just. It's a different time. But you got to keep your blinders on as an artist and just know, this is my path. This is what I'm doing.
[00:50:25] Speaker D: I know.
[00:50:25] Speaker C: It's like a horse. It's like a horse race. That's why the horses.
[00:50:27] Speaker D: And I know my.
And I know my weaknesses, and I think knowing them is also half the battle.
[00:50:35] Speaker C: Oh, yeah.
[00:50:35] Speaker D: And playing at the Poodle Dog, playing at Jenny's Little Longhorn, playing to the. The. There was a halfway house across from my first gig. Like, and there was, like, literally a halfway house at the Carousel Lounge is where I played first. And then there was a halfway house, and this guy would sneak into the bar that was recovering. Not supposed to be in there from the halfway house. Please let me stay. Please let me stay. I know I'm not supposed to be in here, but please, I just want to hear country music. Please. And, like, he'd be the only person at my gig. I was grateful for him being there.
[00:51:07] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:51:08] Speaker D: I wasn't trying to kick him out. I didn't give a shit if he was in a halfway house. I don't care. Just mind your P's and Q's and sit there and, like, listen to the music. But you learn, or. I learned how to deal with the people, like. Or deal with people very early on because there were so few of them. You had to make a show for the two people that were at your show, you know? But I was grateful to have two people there.
[00:51:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:51:32] Speaker D: Better than no people.
[00:51:33] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:51:34] Speaker D: You know, and when you.
[00:51:35] Speaker C: And then as the thing grows and you're playing in front of hundreds and then thousands and getting to do all that you've gotten to do, you learn. You think back to. Think back to those days, but it's. It's. If you can play to no one, it makes it a lot easier to play to people.
[00:51:49] Speaker D: That's right. That's right. And, I mean, there were plenty of nights at the Poodle Dog where it was this one dude that was in the back by himself, and he would be there by himself, and it was us, and it was him, and I Learned how to have a show for Terry, you know, shout out. Terry, Terry. I think Terry's gone now, but Terry was almost gone back then. But I'm pretty sure Terry's no longer with us.
[00:52:19] Speaker C: Oh, man.
But, hey, it's been so awesome having you come on here and hang out because you're somebody. I grew up. I grew up listening to. On the radio and listen to your music, and it's so awesome to get to have you here on the podcast. And I'm so excited for this next chapter that's coming. You got a bunch of tour dates going. You're Colorado, Idaho, back to my. My stomping grounds in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Going all over the damn place.
[00:52:46] Speaker D: I know. We really are.
Time went on this one this time around.
[00:52:50] Speaker C: So it's good, though. And you get to see all those people because, you know, folks in pretty much every market for how long?
[00:52:54] Speaker D: I love it. I love it. And then we're gonna go back to Europe in the spring and then. Nice.
We usually go in the fall, but this coincided with the record release here, so I figured we'll just flip it a couple months and go in, like, March.
[00:53:10] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:53:11] Speaker C: And go tour a new record, which is, like, the best feeling when you have new music to play for people. And now in the age of streaming, they. They're going to know. They're going to be able to listen to it beforehand.
[00:53:21] Speaker D: Right.
[00:53:21] Speaker C: They're going to be singing back to you. It's going to be.
No, they will.
You have Die Hard, Sonny. That's what you built over the years. You have Die Hards and you have a following that is. That is unmatched into the passion that people have been watching. You have evolve and grow for 20 years. Like, there's something special for that. Seriously.
[00:53:38] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:53:38] Speaker C: And thank you for putting out music that you do and. And inspiring so many people because you're.
[00:53:44] Speaker D: Great at what you're doing.
[00:53:45] Speaker C: Thank you. That means a lot from somebody that I grew up listening to do this. So that is. That is a very high compliment. I appreciate the hell out of that.
[00:53:52] Speaker D: You're so welcome.
[00:53:53] Speaker C: Thank you. Well, y' all be sure to check out our girl, Sunny Sweeney new music out right now. Rhinestone Requiem, the new record. It is out. Get on her website, check out the tour dates. Get out there and see her. Tell her that you watched or listen to this podcast, too, and that you've. You've been watching and listening for. For many years to. To her journey and her story. And folks in Europe, get ready in the spring, going out there. And yeah, thank you to Sunny for coming out. For more on us, visit Raise your eye dot com. Shout out to our friends from Surfside. Vodka lemonade, Vodka iced tea, Vodka green tea. These are great. I know it's early so you are not drinking it, but we're gonna send you with an eight pack so you can enjoy. Can't wait, they're solid. Those green teas have a lot of caffeine in them too. So we've got a got a few options over there for you to take. We got a bunch of ball caps over there too if you want to take some of those. So for my girl Sunny, I'm Matt Brill. This has been outside the rack.
[00:54:43] Speaker D: I.
[00:54:43] Speaker B: Ain'T never been the kind for stare one place for too long I ain't never been the best at sin I love you To a girl I love Only got a couple tricks up my sleeve they usually just make them leave so if you know me, if you really know me you know I'm just a two trick pony maybe the drinking and the lack of money for show I'm just a two trick pony.
