The Kruse Brothers: Heartbreak and Honky Tonk

[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. [00:00:20] Speaker B: What's going on, guys? Welcome back to another edition of Outside the Round with me, Matt Brill. Today, some very special guests, some guys that have been out there gigging. They're out in the southwest, new record out Heartbreak and Honky Tonk. And we love these guys right here. We've got Chandler, we've got Miles, the Cruz brothers. Fellas, how we feeling? I know we were in Vegas last night and it is noontime in Nashville, Tennessee. [00:00:46] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [00:00:46] Speaker A: Yeah. Feel good, man. We're stoked to be here. [00:00:50] Speaker C: Got a few hours of sleep on the plane. Got in at 5:30 this morning. Now, rock and roll. [00:00:55] Speaker B: What were you guys doing out in Vegas? [00:00:57] Speaker A: We had a. We, we had like a little private gig. It was. We were just out in Steamboat and somebody heard us there and they hit us up literally last week and they're like, hey, you want to come out to Vegas? We'll pay for your flights. And we're playing for this tactical armor company. [00:01:14] Speaker C: So that's pretty tactical, man. [00:01:16] Speaker A: So FBI, CIA, Navy SEALs, SEALs. [00:01:19] Speaker C: Was badass, man. It was, it, it was crazy. [00:01:22] Speaker A: It was crazy. [00:01:22] Speaker B: Yeah. Cuz you people hear private gig and it's like, it could range from anywhere to like a wedding to some random thing that you have no real connection to. Oh yeah, but that's pretty badass. [00:01:32] Speaker C: Yeah, it was badass. [00:01:33] Speaker A: It was cool. It was cool. [00:01:34] Speaker C: Well, and we were, we were trying to debate whether or not to play Tulsa County Jail because we were around so much law enforcement. [00:01:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:01:41] Speaker C: And so we were like, do we have, do we play the song about going to jail and getting with the sheriff's ex? [00:01:48] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:01:48] Speaker A: So Sheriff Lamb. Yeah, Arizona sheriff is there. [00:01:52] Speaker C: Yeah. So we, I think we, we passed on it. But that's also. [00:01:57] Speaker B: Then how is Steamboat? Because that is like a bucket list event for me being in Nashville. I don't get a lot of time in that. [00:02:03] Speaker C: Have you been to that festival? [00:02:04] Speaker B: I have not, but I've had the FOMO for years of just watching the performances and the scenery looks beautiful and it just seems like a great way to kick off the year in the country music world. [00:02:15] Speaker C: Yeah, it was, it was amazing. It was. So, I mean, we, we kind of have done a few events in this red dirt scene and that was like. It felt like one of the pinnacle events. You know, like we talking to people who had gone to the festival felt like the majority of people had been going for five, 10 years. And then this festival has just Been built up. It was like the 40th anniversary, 40 year anniversary or something. [00:02:40] Speaker A: I think so. Yeah. [00:02:41] Speaker C: So, I mean, that festival has been going on for a long time. And then you see all the names of people that have played at those festivals and played in some of the smaller rooms that we played, and it was like, dang. And this is. This is like a heartbeat of the red dirt scene, which is super cool. So we were honored to be there. It was an awesome. An awesome time. Got to see such great music and dumping snow. And it was. [00:03:02] Speaker B: I was going to say, I'm sure White on the Ground was well received in steamboat. [00:03:06] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. [00:03:06] Speaker A: We're like, this is a song about Steamboat Springs right here. [00:03:10] Speaker C: Yeah, it's. [00:03:11] Speaker A: It was crazy. [00:03:12] Speaker B: That's awesome, man. So I kind of want to back up. I obviously want to get into the record and all of that, but kind of how you guys got your start, obviously your brothers and you grew up together and just how the. How it turned into the family business of going out and writing songs and playing music together around the country. [00:03:28] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, it was something that, like, we've always, obviously grown up. We've always played together, you know, and, you know, there were times growing up where, I mean, we. We would write together too, you know, like, we would try to, like, write a song when we were super young, 11, 12 years old, just like, you know, and so. So it was always something we kind of did, but we. We kind of both had our own lanes and we were doing our own things. Chan was doing classical, like, opera music where he was singing, getting adjudicated. And, you know, it's like very intense. Very intense and very technical. And I was doing more of, like, I was singing Shawn Mendes on my acoustic guitar, you know, so we were doing totally different things and then. And we were both singing in church and stuff. And. Yeah, I mean, then we got. Chan went to college. I was at gcu. I was running track, and so it was kind of just something we were not really doing. And then we got. We played a wedding and we played. We played a couple songs together for this wedding. And the DJ of the wedding was a local talent buyer in Arizona, and he booked a lot of honky tonks. And so he was like, hey, can you guys, like, would you want to play at this venue called Sunbar, which is like a really cool venue, and play three hours of country music? We're like, heck, yeah. And, you know, we grew up listening to country music and. But we didn't have a. So we committed to It. We were three weeks out. We didn't have a band. We didn't really know, like, the country scene. I wasn't. I was like 18, so I'd never even been to a bar before. [00:05:01] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:05:02] Speaker A: You know, so I had no idea. And so I look up on Spotify, just look up country music bar playlist. And we copy the playlist. We. I call up a buddy who plays guitar. Call up a buddy I know who plays drums. And we had three rehearsals. We were like, let's try to pull this off. Chandler learned the bass. He learned 40 something songs on the. [00:05:21] Speaker C: Yeah, I had to learn. I had never played bass before. So I was like, all right. Yeah, we got drummer, guitar, we got acoustic. I guess I'm the bass player. [00:05:28] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:05:28] Speaker B: So. [00:05:29] Speaker A: So we just did it and then we. And we pulled it off. We repeated three songs, which is a cardinal sin in the honky tonks, which we didn't know at that point. And then, yeah, we did it. And. And we got a call the next day from the talent buyer and he's like, he's like, hey, quit your job. You're gonna be a full time honky tonk band if you want it. And we got like, we got booked out the rest of the. The. That was in November. We got. We got booked out the whole rest of that the next year. [00:05:57] Speaker B: What year would that have been? [00:05:58] Speaker A: That would have been 2023. So 2022 was Sunbar. [00:06:02] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:06:02] Speaker A: And then we booked out 2023 the next day. [00:06:05] Speaker B: Oh, wow. So this is fairly, fairly recent, like in the past few years. [00:06:09] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, we're. We're. Yeah, yeah, we're a year into, like, real Cruze Brothers. [00:06:14] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:06:14] Speaker C: Well. And like, what, like thinking about, you know, how we got started, even with, even with songwriting. Like, neither of our parents are musical at all. Yeah, we don't have any musical, you know, ability or industry in the family. And so the idea of being country musicians or songwriters or even in the music industry was just completely foreign to us, you know, so it was something we were always drawn to and something that we always thought was, like, would be cool if it was possible, but it was just like literally the most foreign thing ever to us. So we were. So it's just cool that we, you know, we. We kind of like, we're always drawn to this thing that we didn't even know existed. And then the more we found out, like, there's a songwriting community and, you know, there's a whole scene going on in Nashville and there's a whole red dirt scene and there's a whole live music scene. Then it was like, oh my gosh. Like it feels like we found like a long lost like family, you know, like, it was just. It's. We were always drawn to it and when we finally got it, it was like this is what we were like made to do. [00:07:13] Speaker A: This is awesome. [00:07:14] Speaker B: Yeah. Dude, I've only seen you guys live once and it was down in Gonzalez, down in Boots on the Bayou. [00:07:20] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:07:21] Speaker B: And it blew me away. Now when I hear the classical background and you doing like that 2000s more pop stuff where the vocal range is a little bit different, it makes total sense because that's what I love is it's that throwback honky tonk band like what you're talking about with Sunbar. But the vocal is just such a different level. Like you guys are different than other honky tonk bands because of. I think that comes from your vocal backgrounds of. Of church and opera and. And the covers. Man, that's so cool. [00:07:48] Speaker A: Yeah, totally. Yeah, it definitely. We saw that right away. Like just our flinches, you know. I think are, are. And we're different just because we weren't. We weren't solely surrounded by honky tonk thing and we brought like. And we still do and we try to do this like bring our own influences because our, our influences are so vast, you know, bringing that into, you know, the. The honky tonk scene and making a fresh sound, you know. [00:08:17] Speaker B: Yeah, dude, I love that. That's so cool. So let's talk about this record. So heartbreak and honky tonk. So where. Where do we come with the title for that? [00:08:26] Speaker A: It's just kind of thematic. Like we, we. I think that was a song title idea at one point. [00:08:31] Speaker C: It was. But then I remember we were in. We were in Colorado at the Grizzly Rose. [00:08:37] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:08:37] Speaker B: Which I love that place. One of my favorite venues. Shout out to the team at the Grizzly Rose. That is one of the best. It's very far from Nashville, but whenever it would come up on the. On. On the master tour, the. Or the tour rider of where we were going. Like the calendar. Yeah, it's like hell yeah, we're going to the Grizzly Rose. [00:08:55] Speaker C: Miles wrote Wide on the ground on the way to the Grizzly Rose. [00:08:57] Speaker B: Wow. [00:08:58] Speaker C: That was. Our first out of state gig was at the Grizzly Rose for some great, great. [00:09:03] Speaker B: That's great. So. So you guys were out at the Grizzly Rose when you. [00:09:06] Speaker C: Yeah, we were in the green room and we were just talking about our album which at that Point was a long ways away, but we were just talking about like, okay, let's just start dreaming about the album. And we kind of put together like a list of songs, like a mock list of songs. And we. We decided it was either going to be Roses or Heartbreak and Honky Tonk. Yeah. [00:09:30] Speaker A: And we were gonna do two. We were gonna do Heartbreak and Honky Tonk and West Something in something west. [00:09:36] Speaker C: Country and western or something. Yeah. Yeah. [00:09:39] Speaker A: So. But yeah, we were just dreaming and. Because we looked at it, you know, the stuff that we had been writing was just like heartbreak songs and Honky Tonk songs. Just because, like. And not for any. I mean, one. The heart, the. The Honky Tonk. We were just in the Honky Tonks all the time. And the heartbreak songs were just. We just happened to have a lot of those. [00:09:59] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:10:00] Speaker A: So it was just like. Yeah, this is a makes. This is like a thematic concept album almost, you know. [00:10:06] Speaker B: That's awesome. And this is. Is this record one? [00:10:08] Speaker A: It is, yeah. [00:10:09] Speaker C: This is full record one? [00:10:10] Speaker B: Yeah, this is full record one. [00:10:12] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:10:13] Speaker B: It's a big deal to get your first record out. Yeah, it is like, that is. People obviously have been in the. The stream seem to be going well and people are. Are latching onto it. But now to give a full project and I want to kind of go through this with the track list right here. So there's some songs that have been out obviously, like White on the Ground, Give me some Whiskey, Cry Cowboy Cry, Sagaro, Sunrise. That how I say it, right? [00:10:36] Speaker C: Saguaro. [00:10:37] Speaker B: Saguaro. That's my. That's my Yankee Saguaro song. Those people don't know, but there's songs that have been out and been doing well. But going off some of the stu that was a part of this project. We'll start at the top. So tell me about When a Cowboy Gets the Blues. [00:10:52] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, man. So this is. This is one of my personal favorites. We wrote this with Trent Woolman, who produced the record, and our guitar player, Mike Griffith. So Mike was in town because we were recording and. And we. We had this co write set up with Trent and we kind of go there and Miles and I, you know, we. We kind of have this like, ethos with the Honky Tonk songs that we're like, we're. We're constantly thinking about our live show, right. Like, we're thinking about what we liked playing when we were playing covers from all different eras of country music and the Honky Tonks. We're like, okay, what did we love playing and how do we write some of our own songs? That. [00:11:38] Speaker B: How does. How did the crowd react to these songs? [00:11:41] Speaker C: Exactly. How did the crowd react to these songs? And how do we, like. Like, how do we use that influence to, like, write our own? Have our. That same experience, but with our own songs, like our own show, you know? And so that's how we wrote Good Is Gone. That's how we wrote, you know, a lot of these songs is like, we want these songs to be fun to play live. We want them to connect with people. And so When A Cowboy Gets the Blues. But this was another, I think, potential, like, album title song. And Miles. So going backtracking a little bit, how we write songs a lot of times is we have a running list of song titles in our notes page. So if. If something comes up that's inspiring or we think, oh, this could be a cool song, we throw it in that list of song titles. When a Cowboy Gets the Blues was one of those songs titles, or it. [00:12:33] Speaker A: Was Even Cowboys get the Blues. [00:12:35] Speaker B: Okay. Yeah. [00:12:35] Speaker A: Even Cowboys get the Blue. [00:12:36] Speaker C: So we had this idea. We love Trent's songwriting, and we're a big fan of. We've. [00:12:44] Speaker A: We. [00:12:44] Speaker C: We've been a huge fan of Trent for a long time. And so we were so excited. We had this great idea. So we're like, all right, let's. You know, let's. And we had Mike, who is a crazy. Our guitar player. A crazy blues player. [00:12:55] Speaker B: Yeah, he. He was awesome. Boots on the Bayou. He was. [00:12:58] Speaker C: Yeah, he rips. So we were like, dude, this is, like, the perfect opportunity to like, bust out a freaking awesome blues song. [00:13:05] Speaker B: And for that to be track one. [00:13:07] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. [00:13:07] Speaker B: On the record. That's the. It seems like a great starting point. This is who we are. This is the. The introduction to this project because it. [00:13:15] Speaker A: Kind of fits the theme, too. It's like. It's like heartbreaking. Honky tonk. And that song is a honky tonk heartbreak song. [00:13:22] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:13:22] Speaker A: You know what I mean? So it kind of. It's a. It. It's a cool. It's a cool way to start out the album, for sure. [00:13:28] Speaker B: Yeah. I gotta ask. Is Tulsa County Jail based on a true story? [00:13:33] Speaker C: I wish we used to say it was on. We used to be like, we. Miles and I had to get arrested. And then we got, like, so many actual, like, real jailbirds, like, people that had gone to jail. Like, coming up to the merch table. Like, what you go for, man? Didn't come up. [00:13:48] Speaker A: That had been a Tulsa county jail. [00:13:50] Speaker C: Oh, well, no, we Posted something on our tick tock of that song. And we. [00:13:55] Speaker A: It. [00:13:55] Speaker C: The algorithm pushed it to people who had been to Tulsa County Jail. [00:14:01] Speaker A: You don't. You don't want to go there. But the snacks are really good. [00:14:04] Speaker C: Yeah, they're like. I was in cell. Whatever. Like Tulsa County Jail? [00:14:07] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:14:08] Speaker C: Like this. I went there. Like, it's. I was like, what is going on right now? So. [00:14:13] Speaker A: But we would say. Because we. Because, you know, there's the, there's the David on co. You never even call. [00:14:19] Speaker C: Me by my name. [00:14:20] Speaker A: He's like, you know, the perfect country western. You gotta have a song about Chuck's mama going to prison or whatever. So we would. We would do that bit and be like. You know, they say, like, you gotta have these. You gotta. To be a real country band. Yeah. You gotta have these songs. So you gotta have a song about jail. So we had to get arrested out in Tulsa, Oklahoma. [00:14:37] Speaker B: That's awesome. [00:14:38] Speaker A: Yeah, but. So we don't do that anymore. But, but it was, it was a. I. As a kid, I just thought, like, like the idea of, like, robbing a bank was, like, so cool to me. [00:14:50] Speaker B: So badass. [00:14:51] Speaker C: It was badass. [00:14:53] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:14:53] Speaker A: Because then you got to figure out, like, how so. Because I always thought, like, how would I do that and get away with it? Like, because you, You. I don't know. I, I probably. I liked those movies. And so I, I, I always wanted to, like, write a song about. About doing something like that. Yeah. So I had that song title and. And we just wrote it, but it. [00:15:11] Speaker B: Seems like one that goes over well live. [00:15:13] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [00:15:13] Speaker A: Because it chances. What is your. What is your saying for that? [00:15:18] Speaker C: I always say it feels like chicken with its head cut off that just did meth. Like, how that song feels like it's a county jail. It's just. It's just absolute mayhem. But it's so fun. It's like Southern rock, classic country. It's like. [00:15:32] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:15:32] Speaker C: I mean, it's. And it's. It's very true to, like, our style too, you know, it's like, very. Because a lot like, going back to, like, what we would play in the honky Tonks, like, all these songs we tried to put our own spin on, you know, and tried to. It kind of created this cool sound. It created our sound. And so that. That song, I feel like, is such a true representation of, like, our sound. And so I'm excited for people to hear it. [00:15:59] Speaker B: It's authentic. [00:16:00] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:16:00] Speaker B: That's what, that's what music is supposed to be, particularly country music. Yeah, they say. They always say three chords in the truth. [00:16:06] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:16:06] Speaker B: It's not just the truth. It's your truth, you know, it's what. And your crowd's gonna latch on to knowing because after seeing you guys live, which I can't wait to see you guys live again, we have you at Odies tonight. [00:16:17] Speaker C: But. [00:16:18] Speaker B: But getting out to a full band show is. The crowd is gonna connect with you because they're gonna relate to the songs. And like you said, putting your own spin on. I think guys that come up, like how you guys have with playing in the bars and playing in the honky Tonks have such a leg up because there's guys and girls that'll blow up on social media. Never been on a stage before, and they're like, how do I do this? You guys have done that. So then as the moments continue to happen and the shows get bigger and bigger, you be like, oh, it's just another show. [00:16:46] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah, right? [00:16:48] Speaker A: Another day in the office. [00:16:49] Speaker B: Yeah, another. Another day in the office. We're just. We're just. Instead of it being like a smaller room Honky tonk. We're at a festival stage and wherever. [00:16:57] Speaker A: Right? Yeah. [00:16:58] Speaker C: That's awesome, man. [00:16:59] Speaker A: That's great. [00:17:00] Speaker B: That's awesome. Tell me about making mama cry. [00:17:02] Speaker A: Making mom cry. So that one similar thing just had this. Had this hook idea, and Chan and I were kind of starting to something that we like to do is. Or that at least in the last couple years, what we've tried to do is just try to find new lanes and. And you know, I think part of having so many inspirations, we don't. We don't. We try not to get stuck in a rut of like one sound, you know? And so, like, we're like, yeah. So we were. We were. We were playing a Wednesday night residency at a honky tonk in Phoenix this whole last year, and we started playing. I got Chandler a nylon string for his birthday. And so we started playing a lot of Willie and Whalen stuff. [00:17:46] Speaker B: Oh, that had to be fun. [00:17:47] Speaker C: Oh, yeah, dude. [00:17:48] Speaker A: So we're like, let's try to write a song, like something Willie and Whan would sing, you know, And. And so we're like, you know, you got to have. You got to have a song about mama. And so love it. Yeah, I love. Do you. [00:18:00] Speaker B: I love full commitment to a bit. And you guys have made it a reality. [00:18:05] Speaker A: It's. I mean, because it's fun. It's like. It's like get people for the show aspect, like, because it. Again, it all goes back to the show. The show aspect. It works. It just works. You know what I mean? And so, so. And. And sometimes it doesn't, but most time it works. And so we, we, yeah, we wrote down the song title and we got with David Lee Murphy and we're like, this is a great. This is a great thing to try out with David Lee Murphy, who's just a, you know, hall of fame guy. [00:18:35] Speaker B: What is that room like? You guys are. Are still relatively new and young to this, have gotten some reps out there playing and have been doing this Cruise Brothers thing for a little. For a little while now. But to get in a room with a. A David Lee Murphy, what was that experience like? [00:18:49] Speaker A: It was awesome. I mean, it was humbling for sure. Just like one. Just to be in the room with him being like, this guy's a legend and how are we sitting across, you know, the room from him? But it was, it was awesome. I mean, he was. He's a, he's a, you know, he's a. He's a whole character, you know, like, he's awesome. And so we. It was like equal parts hanging out and, you know, like in. In writing. And it felt like the cool thing. [00:19:19] Speaker C: About him too is like, he's an artist and a songwriter, so he can kind of relate to like, the show aspect and the touring aspect. Like, he was telling us about being in Wickenburg not too long ago and, and hanging out with like, the bikers and the cowboys in Wickenburg. And we're like, yeah, dude, Wickenburg, which is a town in Arizona, roping capital of the world. And he was like, yeah, man, like Wickenburg. And so, I mean, that's how a lot of co writes go, I feel like is. It's. It's a lot of just getting to know each other and kind of, you know, sharing some stories and hanging out. You know, sometimes it's you. You just have to have that connection a lot of times before you can like really get in and write a song. And so David Lee Murphy was like. It felt like we. We had that connection with, with, you know, being artists, being writers, him recently being in Arizona, and then also him just having. Having been around for so long and us wanting to write something that was classic. And he starts telling us stories about hanging out with Waylon Jennings and all this stuff, and we're like, holy cow, dude. [00:20:20] Speaker B: What were those Whalen stories like? Yeah, give me, give me a little bit. A little taste of it. [00:20:25] Speaker A: I mean, they were just like, he was just like. It was just like Waylon Lore. Like, he was like. He was just like the coolest dude ever. And I think. I think David Lee Murphy was a young buck. He was kind of like. It was. It's kind of like, equivalent of, like, us hanging out with him, with him hanging out with Waylon. And I'm trying to remember exactly like, what the stories were. It was just kind of. It was like. It was like Whan. Telling him stories about the. The industry, you know, just like. [00:20:54] Speaker B: He's just like. He's telling you guys. [00:20:56] Speaker A: Yeah, right. Exactly. [00:20:57] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:20:58] Speaker B: Which. That has to be so cool for that era of guys and girls that are now. And you guys are a huge part of why they're more and more involved with where we're at right now because of that traditional sound coming back and guys and girls playing in the honky tonks and they can relate to more to what you guys are doing than what people have been doing for, like, the last decade or so. [00:21:18] Speaker A: Totally. Yeah, absolutely. I think so. Yeah. He was excited, like, I think. And I think a lot of these. These guys that have been around for a while, like, they're excited about what's happening right now in country music, you know, because, like, he. Yeah, he was excited to. To. And inspiring. I think it's inspiring for everyone, you know, so. [00:21:36] Speaker B: Yeah, man, it's. It's that. That ultimate. There's something about mentoring that has to be so cool. And for him to remember when he was in the same spot you guys are in where he's. He's starting to come to town and has played in some honky tonks, and then it just starts going. And then he's making his first record, you know, it's wild, man. Talk about Hummingbird. [00:21:55] Speaker C: Yeah. So Hummingbird is. It's. It's like the. I feel like it's kind of like the sequel to Eleanor a little bit. [00:22:04] Speaker B: Okay. [00:22:05] Speaker C: Which Eleanor was. Is one of my favorite songs I've ever written. Hummingbird is another one of those. It's a western ballad style song, slower song, but it's a song that I kind of. This is another song that I wrote that just fell out of me like Eleanor did. And I remember getting home from a gig late at night, and I pulled out my guitar, which I didn't usually do, because after a gig, I'm like, I just want to go to bed. You don't want to play music? [00:22:35] Speaker B: You don't want to look at that guitar. [00:22:36] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:22:37] Speaker B: For three hours in a bar. [00:22:39] Speaker A: Yeah. Three or four hours. [00:22:40] Speaker C: Yeah. So for some reason, and. And my wife was working that night, and I was just at home. I pulled out my guitar and poured myself a glass of whiskey, and I just kind of started strumming. And again, like, you know, growing up with a classical background, like, I love, like the. I love, like. I love, like, Andrea Bocelli, like, you know, just kind of that classical style of singing. And so there's even songs like classic country songs like Marty Robbins and even. Like. Even, like, Willie Nelson a little bit, that kind of have, like, a very classical influence to them. [00:23:20] Speaker B: You know, Conway Twitty in a way, where it's like that. Where he's. He's. It becomes that belting, you know, some John Denver fits in that. [00:23:27] Speaker C: Yeah, totally. So. So Hummingbird, I feel like, fits kind of in that style of that classic country Marty Robbins harmonies with, like, the oohs and the Oz and. Which. Which. Which was so fun to do that because that was, like, a random idea I had one day where I was driving and I was, like, kind of, like, singing in my head, and I was, like. Kind of heard the, like, oohs and ahs, and I was like, oh, man, I think that could be really cool. We tried it in the studio, and it just was, like. It was perfect. And I think something that we're gonna do more of in the future. But anyway, this. This kind of the story behind Hummingbird is. It's a story of an old man who. Like, the way that I picture it, he's kind of, like, going out every morning with a cup of coffee, and he kind of, like, has this coffee with these hummingbirds kind of buzzing around, you know, and. And he's kind of, like, talking about this hummingbird reminding him of this woman named Ruby, which is revealed at the end of the song. And Ruby is my great grandma's name. And I kind of, like, developed the inspiration because I remember going to my great grandpa's house growing up, and I just remember him always talking about his wife that had passed away. Ruby. Like, every. Like, every single conversation was about Ruby. He was just infatuated with her, and she had recently passed away, and he was just this old man who was just, like, in love with his wife. And I remember being a kid and going out into the backyard morning after morning, and Arizona is the hummingbird capital of the world. [00:25:22] Speaker A: Really? [00:25:22] Speaker C: I didn't know that. Yeah, I didn't know that when I wrote the song. I found that out after. But I remember as a kid, like, having these hummingbirds, and. And, like, every once In a while, a hummingbird would just fly up and kind of fly completely still and just like, lock eyes with you for a few seconds and then buzz off. And like, for some reason, like, those moments just kind of felt like spiritual to me, you know, and it's crazy because we've been playing this song live and just kind of saying that story a little bit, and people are like, well, we'll get somebody. Every show, like, Hummingbird like, reminds me of my grandma or my dad or my mom or whatever. And like, I. I totally feel that with hummingbirds. Like, I feel like it's like, you know, something spiritual, like, you know, and it. And I. I think, like, God speaks to us through nature all the time. [00:26:11] Speaker B: Absolutely. I. Totally, absolutely. [00:26:14] Speaker C: But I don't know, dude. So I, I, Yeah, it's. It's. I love that. I love the song. And I think there's like a message in it that's kind of like spiritual and that I think will resonate with people who, like, feel that connection with, like, you know, family or, you know, somebody that's. That's deceased or whatever. Yeah, that's kind of what that's about, dude. [00:26:35] Speaker B: That's awesome. I love that. And I, I imagine you guys keep in mind, like, when you talk about the live show, because what blew my mind coming from the east coast and then the Southeast, was when you go to concerts, everybody's up in the pit. You know, it's set up like a rock show. I remember my first time going out west and I was like, wait, why is nobody in front of the barricade? And it's like everybody's standing off to the side. There's a dance floor in the middle. And then it's, oh, they like the song. They go out and dance. They don't like the song. They stand on the side and drink beer, and there's no beers on the dance floor. So you guys, it seems like, do a balance of that where people are twirling around and it's that fast paced. But then a song like Hummingbird will be that slower waltz. Either way, they're dancing. [00:27:19] Speaker A: So. [00:27:20] Speaker B: So it's like, I feel like. Is that something you guys keep in mind? [00:27:23] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, we love getting people dancing. And like, there's also, like, when we were playing, you know, in honky Tonks, like, we would take. Because people, you know, they'll be going, and you, you mix in line dances and you mix in, you know, a waltz and then you. But you, you kind of try to keep it to like a two Step type of thing. But, you know, we'd. We'd throw in like a six, eight kind of groove or of like a slow blues to like, you know, get people a breath. You know what I mean? Because, like, people, you know, they'll get tired and then they'll. They'll want to sit and watch you. And so when you kind of. If you give them the opportunity to stand on the side and then. And you keep them out on the dance floor intentionally and then you give them the opportunity to stand on the side, they'll. They'll be on the dance floor more. You know what I mean? So, yeah, we totally, like, think about that, especially when we're building our sets. Like, we. We totally craft our sets in that. In that way from what we learned in the Honk Ton. [00:28:17] Speaker B: So what does that look like? Is it like come out of the gate, guns ablaze and get their attention and then you have the swells. [00:28:23] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:28:24] Speaker B: Throughout. [00:28:24] Speaker A: Yeah, you could like, come out, come out. We come out swinging and we'll. We'll spend probably the first like 25, 30 minutes, like, just ripping your face off. [00:28:33] Speaker B: Barn burner just going. [00:28:36] Speaker A: Because we got all that adrenaline too, so it's kind of a way for us to settle into the show a little bit too, so. And then we'll kind of like bring it back, strip it back, and then build it up. It's kind of. It's kind. It's a dance, you know what I mean? It's like a two step where you. You're kind of. It's a little give and take. And then. And then we like to. We like to take it all the way back at least one point. And if we're. If it's a full headline show, we'll play a couple acoustic songs and like show people, you know, this is how we grew up playing. And, you know, maybe we'll play a brand new song for him or something. But yeah, it's a total. It's a total dance. [00:29:08] Speaker B: That's awesome. Yeah, I love that, man. What do you guys like doing when you're not doing the music thing? Because you guys being in, having the residencies and having those gigs, you don't get a lot of off time. [00:29:18] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:29:19] Speaker B: So what are we doing when we're not doing the music stuff right now? [00:29:22] Speaker A: We're both like. We're reading this. We're reading a lot right now. Okay, so we're reading this like a Red Rising. Dude rising. It's like crazy. [00:29:30] Speaker C: You ever heard of Red Rising? [00:29:31] Speaker B: No, I'm not I'll be honest. I'm not a huge. Not a huge book. I was just on a vacation with my girlfriend, and we were gone for a week, and she read four books on her Kindle. In a week. [00:29:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:29:41] Speaker B: I'm like, how can you do that? But tell me about Red Rising. What's going on? How far in are we of other plots? [00:29:48] Speaker A: We're almost done with book two. [00:29:49] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:29:51] Speaker A: And we. We didn't plan to, like, read it at the same time. Kind of like, Chen was like, I. I'm. I'm not a huge fiction reader. Like, I love reading, but I'm not a huge fiction reader or fantasy or whatever. And so Chandler's like, you got to try this out. So he. He, like, gave me his Kindle on a flight, like, in. In December. So, like, a month ago, and I started this book, and I was like, all right. And then I kind of. I got like, three chapters in, and I bought a Kindle just to read this book. Wow. Read the book. [00:30:20] Speaker B: That good. The device. [00:30:23] Speaker A: I read the book. I bought the device and I read the book in. In, like, two and a half days. And we were in Steamboat, and I was like. We were out of Hot Springs, and I had my Kindle, and like, I'm literally like, at these. In beautiful Steamboat. Like, just reading this book on my Kindle, I felt like such a. I was like, I. I'm. I can't get. I can't get enough of it. And then. Yeah. So now I'm on the second book chance on. [00:30:45] Speaker B: What's the. What's the premise? Like, give me a little super nerdy. Well, give it a. [00:30:49] Speaker C: It's like. It's like. It's like a dystopian sci fi. Sci fi. So basically, like, this guy Darrow is this, like, lowborn, like, bottom class, and he basically gets crafted into, like, the highest class tier. Oh. Like, you know, and then he basically. It's kind of like Hunger Games. Like, he has to, like, battle all these people to, like, get to the highest level. [00:31:13] Speaker A: Trying to, like, take down this, like, this, like, dystopian society. [00:31:17] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:31:18] Speaker A: That is, like. Yeah. And it's, like, futuristic, but it's really good. [00:31:23] Speaker C: That's sick. [00:31:24] Speaker A: If it were. [00:31:25] Speaker B: If it were a movie, would you go watch 100? [00:31:27] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. They're making it into a movie. [00:31:29] Speaker B: Well, they are. [00:31:29] Speaker A: It's gonna be. It's. Once the movie comes out, like, I think it'll be, like, the biggest deal when the movie comes out. It'll be huge. Like, the movie will be. [00:31:38] Speaker C: You're looking to get into reading. Check it out, dude. [00:31:40] Speaker B: Okay, I'm gonna mark, I'm gonna mark that clip that you guys called it, that this will be the new, like, Hungry Twilight without being book to movie the next, like, Harry Potter. Big cultural, big culture things. So we like reading. What else do we like doing? You were talking about having, having a wife. How long you guys been together? [00:31:56] Speaker C: Yeah, I've been with, with Lexi for, it'll be five years in May. [00:32:00] Speaker B: Wow. [00:32:00] Speaker A: Congrats. [00:32:01] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah, man, it's been. And, and she married me before I was pursuing music, so she, she likes me for me. [00:32:08] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. [00:32:09] Speaker B: What is, I mean, that's, it's, it's a tough life to have drag, drag somebody into in a way or have somebody that's a champion. [00:32:18] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:32:18] Speaker B: Especially starting out like you guys have. [00:32:21] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:32:22] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, it, it definitely is. Like, it's, it's a huge sacrifice, you know, and like, she, she's a, she's a nurse, so she works the night shift and works full time and even, like, financially too. Like, you know, getting started, it's, it's not. You don't get, you don't get started in music for the money, for sure. [00:32:42] Speaker B: If you're trying to get started in music, you're not in it for the money right now. [00:32:46] Speaker C: Not at all. [00:32:47] Speaker A: So. [00:32:48] Speaker C: But yeah, I mean, with travel and all that. But, but I, I, I, I was luckier than I thought. Like, I, I, I got married when I was 20, which is super young, and she was 23, and I didn't know how good I, I didn't know how good of a decision I was making, but I, I made the best decision I, I ever could because she's, she's just consistently, like, pushed me and supported me. And when we were first deciding, like, should we do this, should I do this? Like, you know, I don't know. I don't know what this entails. She was really the one that, like, kind of pushed me over the edge of, like, you, like, you need to do this. [00:33:28] Speaker B: Like, you never want to be 20 years in the future, in your 40s. [00:33:32] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:33:32] Speaker B: And say, what if I had done that? [00:33:34] Speaker C: Exactly. [00:33:35] Speaker B: Life's too short to not to be asking yourself the what if? [00:33:38] Speaker C: Exactly. [00:33:39] Speaker B: Learned, you know? [00:33:39] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. [00:33:41] Speaker C: Yeah. So, I mean, and she's like, consistently just pushed me to be better and pushed, like, pushed me to keep pursuing and keep working and, you know, like, something comes up and I need to do it. I know I have her full support all the time. And to feel that, like, to have somebody. I mean, it's awesome having Miles as like a, you know, like, I'm not doing this alone with him. But then also to have somebody like, like Lexi that can just continually support me and love me and knows me better than anybody else is one of the best gifts in the world. So. Yeah, she's the, she's the reason I do it, for sure. [00:34:21] Speaker B: That's awesome, man. It's good to have a rock. Now I gotta ask some, some brother stuff. So you guys traveling around? What are you guys kind of touring in and who does most of the driving? [00:34:33] Speaker A: We were traveling in a, like a sprinter van. [00:34:35] Speaker B: Okay. [00:34:36] Speaker A: And we split the driving pretty. Pretty 50. 50. [00:34:39] Speaker B: Okay. [00:34:39] Speaker A: There was a period where Chandlers was doing the most of the driving because I was, I was in a bad driving. I was having bad luck driving for a little bit, and I had bad luck. Yeah. [00:34:50] Speaker B: Bad luck or bad luck or poor driving on that. [00:34:53] Speaker C: Yeah. What happened? Circle in here? [00:34:56] Speaker B: It happened Miles. [00:34:57] Speaker C: Well, shoot. [00:34:59] Speaker A: It was bad luck, I gotta say. I mean, so it was an equal combination of bad luck and bad driving. But I, I, So I was on my. Obviously in high school, I was on my dad's car insurance. And then he moved to Nevada. And so I got put on my. I had to like, be on my own car insurance. And I mean, at this point I was probably, I was 21 or something. So I was ready to be on my own insurance. And so the day I got on my own car insurance, I. And I have a clean, perfect record. No, no tickets, no accidents, nothing. Perfect record. I. The day I'm on my own car insurance, I'm driving on the highway in Arizona and the stroller rolls across the highway. I'm going 75 miles per hour. The car in front of me slams on their brake, so I slam on my brakes. But 75 miles per hour on the highway and I barely tap this car. But my insurance, I'm at fault because I, It's a. I rear ended the car, you know what I mean? On a highway. And so I'm at fault. They didn't have insurance and so. Or they had this like, sketchy insurance. So they're like coming after me for every penny. So I. And then two weeks later, I'm back in. I'm leaving a gig, I'm backing out of a parking garage, and it's like, you know, the parking garage kind of goes up, it goes around the curve and so I'm backing up and this car whips around the curve and hits me and I'm Backing up again. So I'm at fault. But they whipped around. They're in, like, a Corvette. They whip around the corner, hit me. I'm at fault. So I end up getting dropped by my insurance. [00:36:31] Speaker B: Oh, they dropped? [00:36:31] Speaker A: Yeah, they dropped me because I dropped. I'm a. I'm a, you know, a kid, and I'm. I've been insured for two weeks, and I already have two car accidents, and I got a ticket during that span. And so then I'm like. My insurance just jumped. And then. And then I kept getting tickets, like. [00:36:49] Speaker C: And another accident. [00:36:49] Speaker A: I got another accident. No, it was barely an accident. Barely an accident. [00:36:54] Speaker C: So. [00:36:55] Speaker A: So I. I learned my lesson. I had to cancel my car insurance because it got to $800 a month. I was with, like, Geico, so I was like, I can't afford this crap. [00:37:06] Speaker B: No, no. 15% off. No. [00:37:08] Speaker C: 15 minutes. So it would take six hours to save miles, anything. [00:37:13] Speaker B: Oh, my God. [00:37:14] Speaker A: I canceled my insurance for. For four months. And I didn't drive for four months, which, luckily, we were on the road for most of it, so it didn't matter, but he had to drive because I wasn't sure. And then. And then now I'm chilling and I learned my lesson. I drive like a grandpa now. So, yeah, I'm good. [00:37:28] Speaker B: But slow and slow and steady. Slow and steady, bro. Slow and steady. What do we, like, listen? Are we music guys when we're driving? Are we podcast guys? Like, what are our. What are we listening to when we're behind the wheel? [00:37:39] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm like, constant music guy. I listened. I kind of listen to music all the time. But I love, like. I love lyrics and, like, crafty lyricism and things like that. So, like, I love Jason Isbell. I really love, like, old 70s music. Like Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson. Willie Nelson was my number one artist last year. My age for my raft was 70 years old. [00:38:05] Speaker B: Wow. [00:38:06] Speaker A: Yeah, I love, like, I love, you know, any of that. Any of that type of stuff. So I'm always kind of like. And I also love making playlists. So I have, like. I have, like, 50 playlists for every. [00:38:20] Speaker B: Yeah, the playlists are fun, dude. In high school, it was before the playlist there, so we were still doing the CD mixes. [00:38:27] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:38:27] Speaker B: And I was in charge on my football team for our off season, like, lifting schedule. I would make the mix for the gym, for the. For the. For the weight room, the. The high school. It was. Man in New York, lot of 50 cent, a lot of Jay Z, a lot of. A lot of Limp Bizkit, you gotta break some stuff, you know, but that's cool, man. And what about when you're driving? What's on the thing? Are we. Are we silenced? Are we audiobooked? [00:38:51] Speaker C: I'm mainly silence. Or as of late, it's been the Wilder Blue on repeat. [00:38:55] Speaker B: Oh, nice. Have you heard the Wilder Blue? They're sick. [00:38:58] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:38:58] Speaker C: Oh my gosh, bro. So we did the. We did a run with them. We just did two shows with them in like October. And I had like listened to a couple of songs before that and I was like, oh, these guys are really cool. And then I saw them live and I was like, holy cow. [00:39:12] Speaker B: It's a whole nother thing. [00:39:13] Speaker C: And from October to December, they became my number one artists on Spotify. [00:39:17] Speaker B: Dude, that's awesome. [00:39:18] Speaker C: So I, I don't. I mean, I like, I listen to. I would say I listen to music like 50 50, but a lot of the times it's just silence or it's like 70s music or as of late it's just been Wilder Blue on shuffle. [00:39:33] Speaker B: Nice. [00:39:34] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:39:34] Speaker B: Shout out Wilder Blue. Love those guys. Love those guys. They've been on the Razor Audi podcast with Nikki T. And Kurt. Kurt's good buddies with them because they were. I think they were opening up some Luke shows. So that's how Kurt got to know them. [00:39:46] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:39:47] Speaker B: Back in. Back last year. [00:39:48] Speaker A: So that's fantastic. Yeah. [00:39:51] Speaker B: Who have been some other folks that you've kind of gotten to. You talk about David Lee Murphy, Wilder Blue. Other folks that you've gotten to know just from shows, being on the road or. Or meeting folks and getting to know them here in town. [00:40:02] Speaker A: Well, we did a two week tour with Dylan Gossett this summer. [00:40:05] Speaker B: Nice. [00:40:06] Speaker A: And he was like, he was his. His whole team was just awesome. I mean, they were like, they're so classy and, and just great dudes. So we loved, we loved getting. Hang out with them, getting to know them. And we've done some dates with Tanner Usry and I love Tanner. [00:40:22] Speaker B: Tanner's good people. He was out at Steamboat too, right? [00:40:24] Speaker A: He was in Steamboat. Yeah. So we said what's up to him there? And he's. Yeah. So I'm trying to think. Oh yeah, we did a couple shows with brothers or with brothers. Yeah, brothers. [00:40:34] Speaker B: Brothers and brothers. [00:40:35] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:40:36] Speaker B: I like that. So that had to be cool. [00:40:37] Speaker A: And we got to like, we. We hung out them on their bus afterwards and like just got to talk with them for. [00:40:43] Speaker C: They were so. They were awesome to us. Like. [00:40:45] Speaker A: Yeah, they were really, really great. And just like it cool to cool to meet another brother duo and like, you know, talk about the brother stuff and, you know, trying to think of like, other people that have really made an impression on us. Yeah. [00:41:00] Speaker C: In the songwriting world, I guess, like, Casey Beathard is like one that we've loved. Yeah, dude. Yeah. So he wrote Saguaro Sunrise with us. [00:41:08] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:41:09] Speaker C: And then we've done another right with them. But yeah. I'm trying to think of who else but I, I, dude, Dylan Gossett, like, that tour will probably go down in Cruise brothers history is like one of the best. [00:41:25] Speaker A: It's. Yeah, it's one of the best of all time. It's the best like road experience we've ever had. [00:41:30] Speaker B: You never forget, like, your first time going out and just having a blast and the crowds being there and the, and the act that you're out with as an opener being so cool and so welcoming. [00:41:40] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, seriously, like, leaves an impression because it, you know, I mean, it's our, we're, we're, we're setting our own standards of like, what's good, what's bad. And we've had both sides. We've had great and we've had bad and we've had stuff in the middle. And so to start with, that just really like in. The more we've toured after that, the more we've realized like that was. I mean, it's, they just set a really great standard of like, excellence and, and also just of like being kind to the people that you're, that you're touring with. And like. And so it's really informed how we have, how we're like, you know, when we're in his, in his stage, like, how do we want to be doing things? How do we. And he also, like. I mean, we were nothing at that point. Like, we had nothing. And he sat and talked to me for two hours about. And he, he laid down his whole. This is how my whole business is structured. You know what I mean? And we had never had that before, like, because we were like, figuring it out. We didn't know what we were doing. And so, I mean, it, it was a game changer for us. It really was. It was awesome. Another shout out, Dylan. [00:42:44] Speaker C: Yeah. Another one is Avery. [00:42:46] Speaker A: Avery Anna. [00:42:47] Speaker B: She's also, she's an Arizona girl, right? [00:42:50] Speaker A: Yeah. She has been equally as amazing. [00:42:53] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:42:53] Speaker A: To us. Like. [00:42:54] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. I mean. And she's, she's, she was an early believer too. Like, you know, when, when stuff started, like, just started kind of going. I, I started seeing like, lil Debbie comment on our posts. And I was like, this girl has a ton of followers, but, like, who's Lil Debbie? [00:43:13] Speaker B: Which I love that bit, by the way. It is so great. [00:43:18] Speaker C: And then I started seeing comments like, lil Debbie looks like Abriana. And I was like, no way. This is Abrianna, dude. And then so I was like, oh, my gosh. Like, Avery Anna's commenting on our posts and. And we ended up doing a festival that she was on the bill this last summer. Country summer in Santa Ro. Or in Santa Rosa, I think. [00:43:37] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:43:38] Speaker C: And she reached out to us and was like. Or we. We reached out to her and we were like, hey, like, we're playing the festival. Like, can't wait to see your set. [00:43:45] Speaker A: We got lunch with her before. [00:43:47] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. And so we were like, hey, like, we can't wait to see your set. Like, you know, have a great show, whatever. And she's like, yeah, like, we should, you know, do some film, some content. Or I think we said like, hey, could. Could we maybe do like a video with you or something? And she was like, yeah, like, that sounds great. So we go back there and. And she's like, hey, like, you guys would want to sing light on the ground on my set, like, during my set. And we were like, yeah. What, are you serious? Like, we, like, we were like, this is awesome. [00:44:16] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:44:17] Speaker C: And so she literally had us up. [00:44:19] Speaker A: On stage on her show, 45 minute whatever. [00:44:23] Speaker C: And was like, these are the Cruise brothers. You guys got to hear them. [00:44:26] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:44:26] Speaker C: Take it away, boys. And we were like, no way. [00:44:28] Speaker A: And then we opened for her in Flagstaff. [00:44:30] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:44:30] Speaker A: And she did the same thing. Like, she just gave us. She gave us her, which is like, Yeah. I mean, that's. Yeah, that doesn't happen. And it's the. [00:44:37] Speaker C: Yeah, it's the other end of the spectrum of like, just total support. [00:44:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:44:41] Speaker C: You know, she's like, pushing. [00:44:43] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:44:43] Speaker B: And that had to be so sick to do a show with another Arizona artist who's having the commercial success in Flagstaff. [00:44:49] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:44:49] Speaker A: And it was her. That's her hometown. First time playing her own show in her own. [00:44:53] Speaker B: That that place had to be bonkers. [00:44:55] Speaker A: And her shows are insane. Like, people are like, crying and they're like, screaming the Azie cover. [00:45:02] Speaker C: Oh, my gosh, dude. [00:45:04] Speaker B: Cuz you would think. I mean, she got introduced to at least me and like, the rest of the world as being the. [00:45:08] Speaker A: The. [00:45:09] Speaker B: The young blonde girl crying in the bathtub, you know, with narcissists and all that. So to see her rocking out now is A whole different thing. [00:45:16] Speaker C: Cover is nuts. [00:45:18] Speaker B: And her band is good. [00:45:19] Speaker A: Her band's really good. [00:45:20] Speaker B: And I'm sure they're good. I would imagine they're pretty good dudes. [00:45:22] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:45:23] Speaker A: Great dudes. [00:45:23] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:45:23] Speaker A: Yeah. Her show is really. Is really great. She's. She's one of the best performers I've ever seen. Like, live. It's really cool. It's a great show. [00:45:32] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:45:33] Speaker A: So. Yeah. Yeah, that's. [00:45:35] Speaker C: Yeah, that's awesome. [00:45:37] Speaker B: What led to you. What led to you guys kind of having connections out here in Nashville? Because you. You talk about playing at Sundown and that guy's saying, well, there's a. You guys need to quit your jobs. You're going to be a full time honky tonk band if you want it. What led to the Nashville connection of getting hooked up with Trent and the team that you have out here? [00:45:54] Speaker C: Yeah, we got. So we got connected to a guy named Dan Couch through a connection of somebody in Arizona, knew a publisher out here in Nashville with S and G Publishing who connected us with his buddy Dan Couch. And so it was after this crazy, like the lowest point of our career where we had just gotten incredibly scammed by a horrible manager. We had gotten robbed by our merch person. We drove to Nashville for a show that we thought was a label showcase that ended up being fake because our manager lied to us. So, like, just total crazy, like, bottom of the barrel. Like, we all. We just found out, like, a lot of stuff that we believe to be true based on previous management was a lie. And it was just this local manager guy in Arizona. [00:46:47] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:46:48] Speaker C: And so we ended up. [00:46:50] Speaker A: But all. [00:46:51] Speaker C: We had this trip booked to Nashville and we had. We had this songwrite co Write set up, and we had a meeting with a lawyer, and we had started this drive to Nashville and we were halfway there when we found out everything that we thought was happening in our career was a lie. But we knew that we had these. This song, right? And this. [00:47:13] Speaker B: You gotta go. You've come this far. [00:47:15] Speaker C: So we're like, all right, we're halfway there. Like, we might as well just finish the trip, go to Nashville and do this song. [00:47:21] Speaker A: Right? [00:47:22] Speaker C: And so we get in the room with Dan Couch, which at the point. At this point, you know, we'd looked him up. [00:47:29] Speaker A: We. [00:47:29] Speaker C: We saw. We were like, oh, my gosh, dude. Like, this guy's the real deal. Like, this could be. This could be legit. And we kind of talked about song ideas and we. We ended up loving the idea of Honky Tonk Heaven, which is on the. [00:47:44] Speaker B: Album, the closing track, which means it's a big track. The first track and the last track on a record are a big deal. [00:47:50] Speaker C: Yeah, man. So we end up going into the co write, and Dan's like, hey, like, great to meet you. I'm Dan Couch. You know, and he's like, before we get started, like, I heard your stuff. It's cool. Like, can you. Can you guys just play that Good Is Gone song for me? [00:48:07] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:48:07] Speaker C: And we're like, yeah. So we rip. Good is gone. He's like, all right, just give me one minute, boys. And he steps outside, and he's just, like, on his phone, and we're like, gosh, we freaking blew it, dude. Like, this guy thinks we suck. Like, he didn't even smile. Like, he's just like, yeah, cool. Like, all right. So he comes back in. He's like, what do you guys got going on today? And we're like, nothing. Like, just riding with you, dude. And he's like, all right, well, it's gonna be a busy day. Clear your. Clear your schedules. I'm gonna take you around town and introduce you to everybody I know. Wow. So we were like, oh, shoot. And, I mean, Dan Couch is like, you know, Dear Rodeo with Kojo. Yeah. We found out in that meeting wondering why something about a truck with Kit Moore. Like, this guy knows people. He's like, you know, top dog. And so we're like, this is. This is cool. And Tony Lane and James Slater were in the room right next door at pmg, and he's like, hey, Tony, James, come in here. You got to hear these guys. And we ended up writing a couple songs. James Slater, too. Like, and so Dan's really kind of been like, the, like, connecting piece for us in. In Nashville. So we've come out every couple months since that meeting last March or. No, two years ago. Yeah, two years ago. It'll be two years ago this March. [00:49:29] Speaker A: Yeah. Wow. [00:49:30] Speaker B: March of 24 was when you guys started coming then. [00:49:33] Speaker C: Yeah. So, yeah. So it's. That's been our connecting piece. And, I mean, he's. He's become, like, just our biggest mentor and supporter out here. Like, you know, so it's just that connection after such a low point was. [00:49:51] Speaker B: Like, you were talking about being a believer and the way that the Lord works and the way that life works, and it's. You hit that bottom point, and you guys are like, man, what's going to happen? We're halfway out here. All this stuff that we thought we were excited for and hopeful for isn't Real. And then you get here, and then that happens. [00:50:11] Speaker C: Yeah. Can't make it up, dude. [00:50:12] Speaker A: You cannot make it up. [00:50:13] Speaker B: There's no such thing as coincidence. [00:50:15] Speaker A: Right? Well, and it was, like, looking back, like, that low point was absolutely necessary for, like, that. I credit that as one of the most important things that has happened to us, and probably in our whole lot, at least in me, for, like, my whole life, because that. What had been the trajectory that we were on before that, and. And what the other guy. And just people that were in our circle at that point were feeding us was like, you're the biggest deal. You guys are so good. You're good. Like, it's all, like, just feeding the ego kind of thing, like, where we just thought we were the next Chris Stapleton, like, in the next week. You know what I mean? Where it. Which is. I mean, we were so young. We had no idea what we were doing. We were just like, oh, this is awesome. Like, everyone's telling us we're amazing. Like, we must be amazing. And that was the first time where we're like, oh, shoot. Like, we're gonna really have to work for this if we want it. Like, this isn't just gonna come easy. Like, we're. There's a lot of people out here that are working really hard. You know what I mean? And so if we want any ounce of success, we're gonna have to work as hard or harder than the person who's working the hardest. You know what I mean? And so. So it was really humbling. And it also, like, forced us to be, like, also, we don't have any control over this. Like. Like, you know what I mean? Anything that's gonna happen, like, we can work really hard and do our. Our side of the job to, like, you know, to do with the gift that we've been given, to, like, do with it the best that we can. But really, at the end of the day, it's like, we're not the ones that are gonna be, you know, making anything happen, opening the doors, getting any, you know, whatever. So. [00:51:56] Speaker C: So it. [00:51:57] Speaker A: We were like, all right, we either we quit or we drive to Nashville and we. We, you know, work our ass off and try to, you know, try to do something. And so it totally. It changed our mindset in a moment. And then when we met Dan, we were like. It was like. We saw the provision of the Lord, like, differently than we would have ever seen it, you know, because we were, like, holy. You know, we gave it up, and we're kind of like, all Right. Like, it's. It's not. It's not in our hands anymore. And then that happens with Dan, like. [00:52:25] Speaker C: And we're like, that. You can't make it up. [00:52:27] Speaker B: And now, less than two years later, you're dropping a record. [00:52:30] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:52:31] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:52:31] Speaker B: With Trent, which. [00:52:34] Speaker A: Which at that time, too, we were like, if we could have anybody record our record, like, if we could. If we. Let's just dream. We're not even close to. We don't even have enough songs to have a record. But if we could have anybody record a record, who. Who would it be? And we had two names, and Trent. Trent Woman was one of those names. And. And so now our first record with Trent, it's just like. [00:52:52] Speaker B: It's a movie, guys. [00:52:53] Speaker C: Movie. [00:52:53] Speaker A: It is. [00:52:53] Speaker C: It's like, it. [00:52:54] Speaker A: You can't make it up. [00:52:55] Speaker B: It's just. And it's just being. Be a good person. [00:52:58] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:52:58] Speaker B: And be good to the people around you. Yeah. And work. And work your tail off, you know? That's really what it comes down to, man. That's awesome, man. [00:53:06] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:53:06] Speaker B: That's so freaking cool. [00:53:08] Speaker A: So it's. We're. We're having time of our lives, really. [00:53:11] Speaker B: And it's just getting started, boys. It's just getting started. So what do you hope people take away when they're listening from top to bottom of heartbreak and honky talk? [00:53:20] Speaker A: Man, I just. Just, like, it's. We put a lot of time and. And effort into this album, and we're really proud of it, but it's just the start of. It's just the start of a lot of things that. That we already, you know, we're working on, and it's just a start that, you know, so we're. We're. We think it's really great, and we. We're really excited about it, and we've got. Yeah. I mean, come see us live. [00:53:48] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:53:48] Speaker A: Listen to it and come buy a ticket and come see us. [00:53:51] Speaker B: So I'm looking at the live shows right here. You boys are going overseas? [00:53:54] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:53:54] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [00:53:55] Speaker B: Have you been overseas before? [00:53:57] Speaker A: Yeah, we were out in Manchester last year. [00:53:59] Speaker B: Oh, so you guys have already done that. You guys have already gone from playing at Sundown in Arizona, playing honky tonk gigs, busting your ass, to going overseas and playing bringing country music to the world. [00:54:11] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:54:12] Speaker B: What is that experience like? What is it like going to a whole foreign place where country music isn't the thing and showing people it is, in fact, the thing? [00:54:20] Speaker C: Oh, man. It was. That show is still one of the craziest shows we've ever played in Manchester. This festival called Buckle and Boots in Manchester. It's an annual festival and one of the coolest festivals we've ever played, in my opinion. And so obviously we've never played overseas before. But this festival, like Music Fest has been around for a long time and has kind of built up this tradition and these people that come every year and you go to this festival and it's. You camp there for three or four days. Everybody's camping and everybody's decked out. Cowboy hats, cowboy boots, wrangler, pearl snaps. Like all these Brits, dude, just freaking locked in country music. [00:55:11] Speaker A: It's so good. [00:55:12] Speaker C: And, and so we're walking around, first couple days we haven't played yet and people start stopping us. Oh my gosh, are you the Cruise brothers? [00:55:21] Speaker A: We're so excited for you. [00:55:22] Speaker B: It has to be the coolest feeling. [00:55:24] Speaker C: Like, no way, man. Like these people are recognizing us. And so we end up playing on what's called the paddock stage, which is like this outdoors outdoor stage. And we start playing and people just start like screaming our songs. And we're like, oh my gosh, like we've never played here before. And we played like, I think we played either a 45 or an hour set. I think we played an hour. [00:55:49] Speaker A: We ended up playing a little longer than an hour. [00:55:52] Speaker C: Yeah, so we ended up playing an hour set and it was like so loud. Like the cheers, the screaming, the like probably 2,000 people there just going nuts. [00:56:05] Speaker A: Because we were playing on an outdoor tent stage and it wasn't even the main stage, it was the side stage and. But we, we had been walking around for two days and so the whole festival had come to this stage and they were like, this is the big. This is the busiest the stage ever been. And it was like crazy rowdy. It was so freaking fun. And we, we had to like, we had this big like six foot six Scottish security guy that he was like. [00:56:34] Speaker B: The stage man got brave heart running security. [00:56:36] Speaker A: He had to like escort us off the stage to the merch. Cuz the merch was like in a different area of the grounds and he had to like escort us. And like it was like I felt like I was the Beatles. It was like not nearly as crazy as, as that, but. But it was, it was the first time we'd ever experienced like kind of like people. [00:56:57] Speaker C: But they had all lit, they had all listened to our music before, learned our songs. Like they were like so excited that we were there, you know, and so to never have played there before and to show up and just have people like, like fans of your music, like singing your songs and just like so excited to see. It was crazy. [00:57:15] Speaker B: In a whole other part of. Not the country, but the world. [00:57:17] Speaker C: Yeah, right. Exactly. [00:57:18] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:57:19] Speaker B: Yeah, sick. So you guys are going to be in Berlin and Stockholm and London. [00:57:24] Speaker C: Yep, it's going to be a visit. [00:57:26] Speaker B: Oh, and what's crazy, that's in March. So that's, that's coming up. That's like the two year anniversary of you guys coming to Nashville. Two years after coming out to Nashville, meeting Dan and now you're, you're playing, you're doing a run in Europe. [00:57:40] Speaker C: Yeah, man, it's crazy. [00:57:42] Speaker B: It happens, man. You boys are blessed. [00:57:44] Speaker C: Yes, yes, sir. [00:57:44] Speaker B: Boys are blessed, man. It's awesome. And you guys are gonna be down at the Mile Zero festival too. [00:57:48] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:57:49] Speaker B: So Nikki T. And Kurt will be down there from our team, so raise Rowdy will be down there, so we'll have to do some. Have to do some content. And our video guy, Ike, who is an Arizona state grad, he was with me at down in Louisiana. You guys will have to link up down there, man. I appreciate you boys coming on and hey, thanks, man. Thanks for having me. I can't wait. I'm. I'm so excited to see what the responses to this project and can't wait for even what's next after this record because I'm sure you guys have been writing and thinking about what's coming. [00:58:19] Speaker A: We already got stuff cooking, so let's go. [00:58:21] Speaker B: I can't wait to hear more about it. Well, Channon Miles appreciate you boys so much. Y' all be sure to go look up heartbreak and a honky tonk. The record, it is out right now. And if you're not following our boys at the Cruz brothers, look them up. CRU @CRUZE BROTHERS on all the socials. Check them out on Spotify. Be on the lookout. They're going to, they're over the west coast. You guys are going to be down in Alabama, it looks like Texas, Minnesota, Bristol, Tennessee, you guys are bouncing over. I'm sure there's gonna be more dates added as the year goes on and stuff. So get on the train. Now's a great time to hop on and become a part of the Cruz brothers family. Join the family. Shout out to our friends from Surfside. No bubbles, no troubles. It ain't a seltzer, it's a Surfside. Go and check them out wherever you get your booze. And for more on us visit raised rowdy.com for my boys from the Cruz brothers I'm at brilliance, been outside the round I ain't never been the kind for st in one place for too. [00:59:16] Speaker C: Long I ain't never been the best AT s I love you to a. [00:59:22] Speaker B: Girl I love Only got a couple tricks up my sleeve they usually just make them leave so if you know. [00:59:31] Speaker C: Me, if you really know me you. [00:59:33] Speaker B: Know I'm just a two trick pony but maybe the drinking and the lack of money for show I'm just a. [00:59:41] Speaker A: Two trick on it.