9-1: Bobby Cast Ep. 5 (Caitlyn Smith)

What do you say, um, songwriter? You say a songwriter? First, I don't know, So you're a song yeah, because I feel like artist is like I'm an artist, I don't know, But a songwriter it's easier. Do you ever say singer? Songwriter? But sometimes? Yeah, I brought you in because I heard you sing and I was like, I was blown away

and I was like, wow, she is so good. And for those that I didn't hear Caitlin on the show, she came in and this is live on our show, and she played a song called Tacoma, which is on Starfire, which I guess I just kind of fell in love with the whole ep that you put hot and we didn't. We didn't know each other, like this isn't something where we met. And I was like, hey, buddy, coming in, Like I was really just so moved by the music, which my job and my company allowed me to do.

Just go, hey, come in, let's do this. And so here is from our show. This is some of Tacoma Caitlin playing in the studio mouth and on the floor. I am needed back up my bags and walk around out of the door. This is goodbye. I rolled the windows down on my Green show. I don't know I'm good. I'll just know it can't stay my maid get to Momphis. What is that? Ain't favingen ah sweed on the hall. It's sosa Zula so fast that the who can catch Like I was like I had chilled bumps on my arms.

And I'm lucky enough and I don't understand pomish you. I don't just say this. I'm lucky enough that I get to bring people in all the time, Like if I find something that I like, I get to bring it in and kind of show it off to We have about five million listeners all over the country and so for me. I was like, man, this is so good, and a little bit I was nervous because when I bring in someone that's not known, the bosses are like

all right. And our biggest boss was sitting in the studio when you were playing, like the head of the format, and when you left, he was like, holy crap. And so I do want to talk about this song first speed on the zula so fast that the hood can catch up. Because the first time I heard it, because I'm such a big Garth Brooks fan. Yeah, the first time I heard it was on Garth Brooks last album, right yeah, against totally, and so I heard the song and I was like, man, that's a really good song.

And then I heard you do it and I thought, is she taking a Garth Brooks song or was that a Garth Brooks song. I didn't know what had happened. So he wrote the song, yeah totally. Me and Bob Dapiro wrote it a few years ago, and and then my publisher pitched it to Garth um He when he was looking for songs for that record. He actually like set up an email account was like g B pitch at yahoo dot com and then gave it to all

the publishers, and so they got a direct line. He listened to like all of the songs that he got pitched to him. Um, so yeah, and then he so tell me how it works. So you send Garth Brooks this song called Tacoma, and did you ever find on keeping it for yourself? I did. It was hard to go here's here it is somebody else, not not because because my publisher called me was like, hey, I know that you this is your song, but Garth Brooks really

wants to sing it. You're not gonna say no. I mean it's like to me that that was like, it's the highest honor as a songwriter when somebody else wants to record your song. And I grew up on Garth and Tricia and like you know, nineties country, and so it was like, yeah, he can sink. So he puts it on hold. I'm assuming yeah, okay. And so when when a song goes on hold, We've had this conversation before with artists, it means maybe maybe maybe it's like I like this, let me just hold it just in case.

So was there a long period of him holding it, You're not knowing if he was going to cut it, or was he like this. It was pretty quickly after, like he said he wanted to do it, and then he went into the studio. I mean maybe a month or so, so it wasn't very long. When you hear Garth sing a song that you wrote the first time, it's crazy, right, it's crazy. I can't even there's like I do words for my job, and there aren't words

to explain what that feels like. It's unreal. So the record again is called Starfire, her latest I'll tell you my quick Garth Brooks story. So he's my favorite too. Ever, like he's my favorite, like watching him live, I just weep. When you watch him live, you understand why he's the greatest of all time. Like it's not just the amazing songs and the his ability to pick the right songs, but when he performs, you're just like, if you watch this and you don't get it, then you're just not

going to get anything ever, because it's that good. And so we did a comedy record um our band, the Raging Gidiots, and we're not that good, but we wrote a comedy record and I wrote this song and it was called Fishing with my Dad. And so I wrote this and it was never I was never ever gonna. I don't consider myself a songwriter. I'm a comedy writer. There's so many good songwriters in this town that if I consider myself a songwriter, then I'm doing the songwriters

and injustice and that's how I feel. So I'm a comedy writer. So I wrote this song and it wasn't funny, and it was called Fishing with my Dad and it was about me not having a dad growing up and my stepdad coming into my life later and I finally got to go fishing with my dad and that was the whole story. And so the head of my label says, I would like for you to record this song. I say,

it's a comedy record. I don't want to put the song on Like you can have it, you can throw it away, you can pitch it whatever, but I don't want it. And so he says, well, what would it take to cut? I said, well, if Garth Brooks would sing it, I would do it. I mean, Garth Brooks is never gonna sing a song with me. Well, like a month later I come in and it was Garth. He's like, I'm gonna sing this song, so on the record,

on the record, it's Garth Brooks. We're singing in this song together and it's it was so insane to hear it once it was recording our voices together. I was just like, this isn't even the real world. What is going on? Yeah? He was singing words that I wrote and I'm not I'm not even you like I'm far from you. So it's just a real whenever our e rose do something and just involve us period like So

that's that's Tacoma, do you know? And here is the thing of all of your songs and I kind of want to go through um a lot of the songs that you've written before we talk about your your record. Now there's one song of yours that I didn't know you wrote until recently, and it's like one of the best songs that I and I went on the air and was yelling and like I normally do at the c m AE years ago to open the c m as with this song, I was like, you have to

play this song at the beginning. It would be such a great open. I had no idea you wrote this song and it was the Dolly and Kenny Roger song you Can't Make Old Friends. This song is so good your care Free. That song makes me feel so like emotional, and I still cried when I hear Dolly Parton, Like, are you kidding me? You've ever written songs for Garth to sing, and you have Kenny and Dolly singing a

song together. I love this song so much, Free and would you lend me since way back your care again? I get like the little hair standing up? That's so good? What st Peter the game? Eddy you come, I'll be just ringing for you cool. You can't make cold like a little bit. I'm geaking out that you're sitting here with me right now. This is this is so crazy, okay, so tell me about this. You can't make all friends. Who'd you write this with? I wrote this with Don Schlitz,

who is one of my songwriting heroes. When I moved to town. Um, my publisher set us up and then Don kind of took me under his wing and taught me a ton about songwriting. We've written dozens of songs together. Um, and so this song. Um. He had just been inducted into a songwriter Hall of Fame like the week before, and Kenny was there, and so Kenny approached him and said Hey, Don, I have a title for you. I'd like you to write. Um, it's you Can't make Old

Friends and um. And so I happened to be the lucky Lady on the books with Don that next week, and so Don comes to me and was like, hey, I've got this title. Would you like to write a few you know, ideas for Kenny Rogers today? And it's like, okay, so good. Crazy, and so we just, I mean, we really did our best. And um, and Don is such a I call him my Yoda. He's just like he's

a lyrical genius. Um. So Don just you know, sat behind his desk and and worked the genius lyrics and and you know, I did melody stuff and and uh we sent it to Kenny like that day. We emailed it to him. We didn't hear anything for like six months or something. Six months months. It was crazy and we were like, oops, I guess he didn't like that. Oh well, and then you know I heard I heard that Kenny had cut it, um, you know about that time.

And then but I didn't really hear much. And then I remember I was sitting with my publisher at breakfast on April Fool's Day and he told me, hey, April, no, but she told me that Kenny did a duet and it's with Dolly Parton and I just freaked out, and um I called him like multiple times that day. I'm like, this is an apile fools joke. I'm going to kill you. And it ended up not being a joke. And they saying the duet to celebrate their thirty years of duetting together,

which is beyond me. I can't believe it. It's so so crazy. So have you met them. I've gotten to meet Kenny, but not Dolly yet. You can't make on that. And I was playing that on our show and I was just playing it over and over. I was like, guys, this is like next level songwriting stuff. When when it came out to Year two two years ago, years ago, Yeah, And when I read again, because I know a lot of the newer stuff and I know your stuff, I didn't know you wrote that song until and I was

just blown away. I was like, whoa, I can't believe kind of wrote that song. So you've had Kenny and Dolly sing a song you wrote. You've had Garth Brooks sing a song on your wrote. Let's go back to the beginning. So you moved to town when I went to town about seven years ago. Um, and yeah, I got married and my husband is a writer as well, and we both packed up our bags from Minnesota and moved down here. Um and I uh um to do? What did you move down to? Sing? Or did? So?

I had a publishing deal and that's what that's what moved us down here. So a publishing deal is for those listening, it means they give you X amount of dollars and you turn an X amount of songs, right exactly. And the weird thing about a publishing deal is, let's say they want ten songs a year. If you write a song with a co writer and you turn a song, and that's only half a song. If you write it with two people, that's only one third of a song.

So really ten songs, it was like twenty five songs totally. But if you're if you're a staff songwriter, you're really writing three to five days a week, and so you can get to a hundred songs pretty easily. I would say. So you were a staff songwriter, meaning when you went to work quote unquote work makeup stuff. You go in every day to write songs yeah, totally amazing. So you moved from Minnesota, your your husband and yourself. Of the two of you, who's a better songwriter? So you're both

song right? Is there ever that competitive? No? I don't think. You don't think. So now it's up. We're just tearing each other on and it's exciting, like same team, same dream. I mean, I guess if you share a bank account and kind of a yeah, it really is awesome. So you moved to town. Was your aspiration to be an artist? Who like a singer? Yeah? And so I actually started, you know, singing when I was a little girl, and

you know, I always wanted to be the performer. Um, but when I started coming to Nashville, you know, I was about sixteen years old, and I kind of got to see that writing good songs is the real, really only way that you're going to have like a long career as an artist. Like and so you know, my trips back and forth, like I kind of worked on writing, and um, I don't know. It's also the Ben Affleck

Matt Damon way of making it. You can create your own success if you write great songs, whereas if you're not a writer, you really have to rely on having a great ear and hoping you get to the great songs first, right where if you can create them yourself. I mean, that's the longevity of it. Yeah, totally. There aren't a lot of Garth Brooks As a matter of fact, there are no other Garth brooks Is or George Straits. It's rare that people can just pick great songs over

and over again. So you moved to down and you start writing. How long from when you moved and said, okay, I'm committing to this until you got like a real artist to cut a song of yours. Yeah, I mean I had. I had done the trip back and forth from Minnesota to Nashville from sixteen to twenty three. So that was a lot of years of just you know, trying seven years, flying back and forth, Yeah, flying back and forth. But then once I got my publishing deal, Um,

I got my first cut within a year. Okay, is that quick? I would say, it is quick? Yeah. Yeah, So what if you think about the seven years before I build it? I mean, really that's seven kind though, that's kind of school. Yeah, totally, that's the Yeah. So your first cut, which means someone puts it on their record and who is that Jason alde and what was

the song? It ain't easy? So al Deane at this point probably wasn't Al Dean that we know now, right, I think this record really so you didn't even know, not really because I wasn't because he wasn't. He was just this new artist. Yeah, totally. So you get a call and this guy named Jason Aldan funny name, it looks a little different than everybody else, wants to cut your song, and you think what I was like, yay, I gotta cut. That's what you're supposed to do the job. So,

I mean I was stoked. I didn't care who it was. I wanted to sing my song. That rules. Okay, So you hear it for the first time, and it's gotta be weird to hear somebody else sing your song because you wrote it with your voice and how you feel it should sound, because you don't sound like Jason Aldean, right, And this demo actually was a guy. It was like one of the one songs that the dude in the

room saying the demo. So, so what that means is so you you wrote this with someone else and he sang and that's the song that Jason heard, Yeah totally. So when you heard this back, what did you think? I mean, I thought it sounded awesome. I don't know, you're just like this, this is awesome. So the first song you had was it Ain't Easy from Jason Aldana. So that's cool. Then Jason blows up, now it is

that wasn't a single that was on the record. So when you're on the record and it's not a single, do you make much money off of just having an album cut? No? You make like it's nine cents per units old, and if you you've just split that up with half of half ghost your publisher, and then split up with the writer. So that's like a penny but at least but now you have a Jason al Dean song though, yeah like that as far as currency goes, Okay, maybe you didn't make a lot of money, but your

currency is now I have a Jason Aldine cut. I can work with better writers. Now, would you say that's fair? That's absolutely what happens. Yeah, So you get that song, continue writing, what's the what's the second song you wrote that was picked up by another artist? So because of that Aldane song getting cut, you know, you get in the room with better people, and so I was able to get in the room with one of the Rascal Flats, which one with Jada Marcus is those guys are so

fun amazing. Yeah, yeah, I still so um. Gary and I lived very close to each other and different part of I don't even say where Gary list, but Gary I lived very close to each other. So we would see each other all the time. We would hit golf balls together, we'd work out together, and Gary the box the late sing of the Rascal Flats would work out in full camouflage, in full camouflage like he was in a tree stand and I'd walk up to him, like, Gary, this is all you have to work out in and

he was like that's what I was wearing. Yeah, exactly. And so you write a song and Rascal Flats they put it on hold, they cut it and what was it called called let it hurt, Let it hurt, let it, let it take it, let it degree may not be about that's what you need sometimes turn the world and let it. So look at these stars that are that

are singing your song. It's like for about two years, really Rascal Flats were one of not just country, one of like the top three biggest acts in music period, Like we forget because in our society we move on from thing to things, like we don't even care about Ryan Locktey anymore. That's how fast we move, like we don't we don't care about Ryan Do that just happen? That was cool for a minute, But Rascal Flats was

the biggest thing for a long time. So they sing your song, and here's a question for you as they put it on their record, are you in your heart hoping please be a single? Please please go on the radio? Yes, every time. And this one also did not go on the radio exactly. Okay, so you've got two cuts, which is you've got us on the outing cuts and the Flats. You're still waiting on that radio song. Are you making enough money though writing between your husband to get by

writing just right? Yeah? Totally. I mean it was my husband. We decided I was going to have a writer deal. He's going to own his publishing, and so you know, we made it work on like it's like a teacher's salary. But you loved what you were doing, and that's I mean, really, that's all that matters, because if you love what you do, you work harder at it. And when you work really hard at something you love, you're going to be successful

because you're not going to give up. And it just sounds and just listening to your story, Okay, you have to Okay, you got out and you have the flats. What the next song you wrote? So the next song the artist picks up. Yeah. So and at this point, um, in being a town, I've been in town for a couple of years now, and I was kind of ready to like, okay, is this cool? People are recording my songs? But I really want to sing something my songs. So I ended up making going in and making a record

and started pitching my music around town. Um, I made like a ten song record, so I have a record. How So I didn't get a record deal. I met with all of these labels and and instead of getting a record deal, I end up getting two top tens off of that record that other artists. So the record that you went in with had songs on it that I'm going to play in a second that ended up being top ten songs for other artists. Yeah, totally. The weird thing to me is and it's weird how the

world works itself out. And now the universe falls into place? Is that as you sing and I hear you sing, I think I don't know many people that can do that, they can say that that songwriting aside, because when I brought you in, it was because I heard your record and was just moved by your record, like simply that was it. Didn't know any history, didn't really want to know because I like to discover it myself. I like

to like pull the question I'd like to learn. It's crazy to think that these labels, but here are you sing, have these great songs and say no, we're gonna pass. Why do you think that was? I don't know. Part of me thinks now being where I'm at now with the record that I've made now, like part of me thinks I was kind of almost trying to fit inside of something like I was like, I'm going to try to write country music for radio, and I think a

lot of people get into that ship. And people come to me yesterday and I won't mention who, but yesterday I hadn't a list artist call me on the phone. And I try to stay away from telling people what's good and what's not and what will work, because I think if you chase radio, you will never catch it totally. And I think that's what I was doing and trying, especially as a new artist. If you chase radio, you

will never catch it. As a someone that has a name like an Aldine or a Luke, you're fine because the format is always gonna come back to you. But as a new art. But this was an A list artist and he called it was a and he said, hey, listen, I gotta pick a single. I don't know what I'm gonna do, like would you please listen to? And I'm like, oh, I hate doing that because one I don't want any investment in it. I don't make any money. I don't

want to tell you the wrong thing to do. I can give you an opinion of what I think will work. But with anything creative, there is not a right answer. There's never a right answer, even when some and the people that irritate me the most are people that like, this is for sure the answer, because in creative there is never If anyone's ever telling you this is right or this is wrong, they're just wrong. They're just wrong

because there's no such thing. And so you put this, you have this record, you make, get you spend your own money. I took some more publishing draw for it, yeah, which which ends up being your money at the end of this day. But yeah, so everybody says, no, we don't want you to make a record, So you tell between your legs, you start pitching these songs that you

put on a record totally. Which what's the first song that you wrote that you put on your record that someone said I like that it was wasting all these tears, Cassidy Pope, So you that was on your record? Wow, and wasted the second And I know Cassidy well, and she's open for us at shows and I've just been able to be our friend. She's played with us in places there aren't a lot of people that can sing

like you sing, and she's one of them that can't. Like, that's one of those that's like, Okay, I get how Cassidy would cut a Caitlin Semith song. So she cuts it. Now you don't know what's gonna be a single yet, right, Um. Yeah, they had talked about like, yeah, we'll cut it and we'll make it the single, you know that kind of thing, which is always a curse. By the way, I know, I have so many songwriter friends that are like when they tell you it's a single before it's a single,

it's rarely this single exactly. And we I had written with it my with my husband, and I kind of wanted to keep that from myself. That was one we wrote that together. Yeah, and which is awesome because it was both of our first big cut, first top ten we had it together, which is which was like, that's pretty. It was really cool. So Cassidy poke cuts wasting all these tears. Do you know where it finished on the chart? You know, I think it was nine something like that

and that Smith. That's so crazy that you wrote that for you and then Cassidy makes it a hit. That's all okay. So Cassie puts it out, you get the call that it's the single, and you have to flip a little bit, right, is it's your first thingle She just had finished the voice like she's a big deal. We had no idea, like what's going to happen with new artists. You kind of just don't know, um, And it was a great surprise. At least she kind of

had a following absolutely because she was on the TV show. Yeah, totally. So it's on the radio and I'm assuming you get paid a lot more for that song. Yeah, and that's the that's a real check that bought us a house. That's excited, like say thank you for buying as a house you have that that was on your record? Is that old record still out there with like this? No? I mean I I just pressed some copies and I did put end up putting on an EP later just because I like to play it live and I wanted

to give people, you know, copy of it. But yeah, that that one record that I pitched the labels, that ten song. I don't know, do you get a closets somewhere? And and for me, you know, I'm I get like I want to prove people. I have a chip on my shoulder, a terrible chip on my shoulder that I've been in therapy for a long time for that. I always want to prove people wrong, like more than succeed for me, I want to prove people wrong for doubting me. And it's an awful thing. And I wish I could

get better at switching my priorities in life. But for everybody that tells me no, I'd rather prove them wrong than everybody that's like, hey, you can do this. Prove them. I'm so messed up in the head for those guys that said, hey, you're not really what we want? Were you kind of like okay, yeah, I mean it definitely like it was a little bit overblow to like artist. I think it was sad because I was like, I want to do this. I think I can do this. Why don't they want me to sing this? Like? It

was definitely like this, Could you doubt yourself after it? Yes, big time, big time um as an artist, but you know, as a songwriter, was like, well, I'll always have that to fall back on and I can just so there was a time yourself as an artist like you were like, I don't know if I can do this. Yeah, definitely, because I just didn't understand because I was the writing thing was coming easy, so easy, and the cuts and stuff like that that I was like, well, why isn't

this artist's piece coming easy? And I think this is a good time for advice from Caitlin Smith here because you were told this isn't for you and you continued down the path of yeah, I think it is for me. Yeah, totally, even when you felt like, oh man, maybe this isn't

you kind of dug yourself out of that hole. What was the key for you to dig yourself out of that hole of self doubt because we've all been there, right, Well, it was I had a very amazing group, like a support group around me of like, you know, my husband and my family and people that were saying, you know, yes, you can do it, and that I mean that really helped me keep going. When I'm like crying on the couch going I don't know. My husband's like, yes you can.

You know how having a cheerleader I think did help um. But you know, I would continue to play shows, and you know, at the end of those shows, like that feeling of like, no, this is what I'm supposed to do, like kind of kept me going and kept me pushing forward because every time I would go out there and sing my songs myself, I was like, this is what I need to be doing. It felt like that's what you're meant to do. Yes, absolutely, So, I don't know. So, Okay,

Cassidy cuts that song, It's a top ten song. What's the next song? It was hard of Dixie Daniel Bradberry Okay, yeah, So and then to another song from the Voice, Yeah, which is crazy. So Daniel Bradberry sings that song and okay, so now you're writing songs for all the reality singers, which is kind of cool. They're built as new artists, they're built in fan bases. Absolutely. Yeah, so then you have to be feeling pretty good because you're making your comfortable. Yeah,

as you know, making a living. Are you starting to write with people? Then you never thought me like, wow, I'm in a room with certain people. This is crazy. Yeah, that I mean, I started to get more artist co writes, you know. So I got to write with Carrie Underwood, who you know is one of my here rows and that was like super special. So what was that like, You're sitting around with Cary Underwood. It was crazy. And she's really awesome. She is awesome, and she's a real human.

She's a real human, which is amazing because you see her and she looks so perfect and she sings so perfect. Yes, but and all of that. Yeah, she's still like a real just just a normal person. Yeah, totally, but she's not for a minute, even to me. She went because I was like, wow, freak Garry Underwood, I know, it's crazy. I know about the fourth time I was like man, that's definitely. So you're in room with Carrie, tell me about what that's like writing with Carrie. She's a great writer.

A lot of times, you know, you'll you'll get set up with artists and it'll be okay. You know, some some artists you write with and they're they're not really writers, And some artists just want to be on the ride so it looks like they're a writer and it gives them more credit totally. But with Carrie, she's actually a great songwriter. And so it was just you know, that whole like, I don't know, dynamic was great. I don't know.

I guess I want to know what it feels like the night before you're about to write with Carry Underwood, don't sleep. I'm like thinking of ideas, looking through all of the books and all of the internets and all of the everything that's just try and find that gem that I can bring bring to the right. Yeah. I mean, that's about the biggest artists you can write with. Yeah, and I've yet to get a cut with her. What We've written a bunch of really great songs, So we'll

just keep writing songs. Hopefully we Here's my Carry Underwood story. Because again I put carry up on a pedestal and I love her as a person, and she liked me at first. Kind of hard to get to know because I'm very guarded and she's guarded and rightfully so. And I think after about our third or fourth time where we spent a lot of time together, it was kind of like, Okay, we're cool. So she agreed to come out and we did a show at the Rhyme and

my stupid band. We did a big charity show at the Rhyme and it's sold out, and Carrie came out and we sang a duet together. Now again, I'm not a good singer. I sing just well enough to be funny. And someone debate that, but but I've got to perform with a lot of great people and and big artists

and fun artists. But when Carrie opened her mouth to start singing, dude, it's and I've said these exactly, it was like I was singing with an alien because I've never heard anything as strong and powerful come from something so small, and it was imperfect. It was just awesome, and it scared me, like it scared me. And I'm not a singer, and I don't try to be a singer. But even then I was like, I don't know if I can do this, Like I don't even know if I can be me right now because it was that good.

So you're right with Carrie, You guys, you know right together, you become friends. Who else do you get to right with? Like what are the artists to get the popping room with? Um? Well one I've gotten right one time with Blake shouting that was like random and interesting. Blake is very interesting. Yeah, it was not even for him. It was like for one of his voice artists, but he was there and it was strange. I don't know Blake, you just never know. He's awesome and he was a great hang for awesome.

Right was like what are we writing? It was Even conversations with him are like that, like if we're because again And there are a lot of times on the show people just don't care about some of this stuff. But I've been able to hang out with Blake a bit more than I think a lot of people in natally doesn't live here anymore, but I traveled so much. We see each other in places, so hang out, and

I've been able to hang with him and Gwen. I've been able to do some cool stuff, but he's always he's so friendly that the first two or three times you think, Okay, this is a game. The ninth time you're like, no, he's just a nice person. Sometimes he's drunk, but he's just a nice person. And there are a lot of those a little big talent. To me, I thought, is this a game? Like are they so awesome just

to be you know, it's just like it. But again after about the ninth time with a little big town and Keith Urbans in that category, they're just genuinely awesome people. So you being a songwriter, who would you put in

that category of they're just fantastic people? Yeah, I mean a little big down definitely, all of those humans and there are four of them in there, and they're usually there's a third in a group of four, Like usually if you have four people, one of them not so gold or one of them a little bit different, but they're so nicely it's a little big down. Who else would you put on that list? I mean I put guards on that list. He's it's like hanging out with

your dad or something. He's like so normal and so like he's so kind and like cares about you in front of his face, like he was Taylor Swift before Taylor was Taylor and connecting with people, Yes, he really connected with you and remembers people's names, is whatever, Like, it's amazing at the ability he has to make you feel like you're the only one in the room, yift man,

It's incredible. He played our show and he came And I'm never nervous when artists come in because people are people like people are people, and some people have great gifts here some people everybody has some gift. But when Garth came in, I was I was nuts and I was like, what am I gonna do? What am I gonna say? And he came in. I knew it was a James Taylor fan, and I I was just like, hey, you know what, what's a great picture in your house

that you like? Because I like to find out little things about people, like what's a picture in your house that you love? And so he's telling this story about his daughter and James Taylor together, and I'm like, I know you're a James Taylor fan, so do you ever just hanging out? And he plays fire and rain, he pulls he just becaus the guitar and he plays fire and ring on the show, and I'm thinking to myself, Okay,

this is crazy. The greatest of all time is singing a James Taylor song, who I also love and admire his music. And so we're talking and I'm like, you know, for me, like my favorite song is if Tomorrow Never comes, you know, And so he's like, oh, I mean I have a guitar. Then he played is It, and I'm just like, okay, this is not real life, Like real humans don't get to experience this kind of thing. And then as the show we played friends on the Places

and we all sang it. I refuse to listen back to it because I don't want to go back and Nitpiket, I just's like enjoying that memory. It's so so special to me. I will never go back and listen to it. Then there are only like three moments of my life where that's happened. Garth probably the biggest. Ben Folds played a full hour for me any song I wanted. And I am such a bent Folds fan, like I'm die hard.

He's playing in town in a few weeks and I'm not here because I'm on the road and I'm it's it's been Folds and a piano, and I'm just like, you gotta be kidding me, Like and he he walked in and he said, I'm a little under the weather, and again I'm they're about five artists that I'm die Hard, Garth, John Mayer, Ben Folds, Like, John, my favorite album of all time is Continued. That's that's my favorite. And at the end of a book, I thank temp for righting

continue my credits. Like, seriously, that record is everything. It's my favorite record of all time. It has everything from perfect. It even has a perfect Jimmy Hendrix cover on it. Oh my god, the cover, Yeah, I got it on vinyl. Everything, I mean, it's amazing. So Ben ben Folds, who's one of my favorites, comes in and says, I'm low into the weather and I have this grand piano and I'm so excited. It was like when you talk about care you're nervous the night before and he's like, I'll tell

you what, Why don't we just call out songs? Do you know any of my songs? And inside, I'm I know every song, I know everything. I know every song I know. But I'm like, I'm like, yeah, I think I know a few songs. I'm calling out cuts I've got. It was the most selfish. It was the most selfish interview I've ever done in my life because I'm calling out things that and for an hour he played everything and I just would not go back and listen to

it because it was so perfect. Yes, you just want to keep that, and I just don't want to because I was I'm sure I was an It said some stupid things, but it was so perfect to me, like those are I love the Count of Crows too, like that, and they're playing it as send here in town, and I took off because I'm like, I gotta go to the joke, like I saw him lest time there. Here's the problem with Counting Crows though, Adam Dirts is nuts, which most creative people are. I'm nuts. I'm sure you're nuts.

You have to be nuts to be creative, Like there is an element of creativity where you can't be fully functional in every normal way to be creative. And sometimes I wish I was fully functional, but I'm not good relationships.

I'm I'm a hide in a whole life. But that nuts makes me allows me to do other things So Adam Dirts is nuts right crazy crazy right there, and not just crazy in a go to the doctor nuts because you know, I have friends that have suffered from clinical depression and and I know he's struggled with that too, But I'm about he goes nothwhere he won't even play songs the same way that I can sing along too, Like they'll play a long December and it'll sound nothing like a long December on the sing it so I

can sing it back. I've been waiting for the show for three months, like he'll do a whole and I've seen him do a whole show before and not play one single he does, and I'm like, just and I listen. I admire that as someone who creates, but as a fan of like, come, I give me Mr Jones, Give me Mr Jones, Please give me r everybody's in the audience thing. So who to you like? Artist wise? Do you look and go in? Also to me, Zack Brown Band. I think they're the greatest country band of all time,

like Zach to me. And Alabama has more hits and people will go Alabama because they've been around longer. But nobody's doing creatively in my opinion what Zack's doing now. And it's hard to look at something in the middle of greatness and recognize it. And I think we're able to see that with Zack Brown right now. To me, I'm seeing greatness here. It's the Lebron, it's the Brown, it's the we're in the middle of seeing something great and it's hard to appreciate greatness as it happens exactly.

So for you, who do you look at and you're like, man, that's it, Like right now, this is this phenomenal. That's hard. I have no no sleep brain right now because the baby who who's your favorite question? Who's your favorite artist? There's too many. You have to have somebody I know the first one that comes to my that's a reaction. Patty Griffin. Amazing, unreal. I live in Austin for for a long time, just here walking around, just here, walking

all time, all time, just chilling walking around. She to me like like when I first found her living with Ghost record, it was so pivotal to me as a human of like, whoa, this is art and that record to you shifted for it. Yeah, I think so big time. That's cool. Mom's Busty Boys license deal. I mean totally. I was like, these white dudes, g rag, that's amaze. That's cool that you like Patty because I love Patty. That's us here all the time, and she's so cool.

She's so cool. I mean, I like stalked her down to Nashville, was like when's she playing here? And like, I like I saw she was playing a folk festival festival down here, and I like emailed the folk festival and like, do you guys have any more spaces for me? Like this is when I'm like seventeen, so I could just go creep on Patty. But I totally it was amazing, So love I love her. Let's talk about Lady A

for a second, because I have a song here. You wrote seven seven Yeah, okay, seven seven bat So who'd you write that with? With Gordy Sampson and Carrie Barlow and so you write this song and was it for them? Yeah? It was actually the one song that we're like, hey, let's try and write for this person and then it actually worked. That never ever happened. I kind of I didn't know that, but I kind of felt that with that song. Yeah, Like I felt like that was a

song written for them. Yeah, totally. We I mean, I don't. We definitely put on our lady a hat thinking hats

when we wrote it. So and so you came on the show and you played like I'm Gonna Lose You acoustically, and before I knew that's my favorite Megan Trainer song because when I heard it, I was like, that song is so good like that and then when I again, I've just been kind of like a couple of times like reading about you and learning about you as I have the last few months, because it just started with me hearing Starifire that's again I just heard the record,

was like, she's amazing. I gotta bring her in. But then just hearing the rest of your story, so you're right like I'm gonna Lose you with Megan. Yeah, with Megan before she had a record deal, so before she was Megan Trainer. Totally. You were just writing with Megan in with her because she had been writing a bunch with Justin Weaver, who we also wrote the song with. So good. I mean John Legend sings on that song like what the world this is not? Bizar? I don't

understand have you met John? Oh? Not yet? Okay, Damn I don't want to turn this into the Bobby name dropping, but I I have a good story that I don't want to share them all the time. On the so we went and stayed. Um one of my best friends is Andy Roddy the tennis player, been my best one of my best friends for ten years or so. And so Meham and John went and stayed in the house and

went to the Masters. And when John would By the way, John is so smart, like it's a different level of not even just music, but like life, Like he's reading the Wall Street Journal and you know, I'm over here playing Pokemon. You know, before I'm just playing Pokemon or Tetris. There's something and he's a and so he's a We would shut up in the house when he would even go like we just we just shut up, like you just stopping and he's making a noise. You just let

John make the noise. But such a nice guy and such a gentle guy. But and he plays Andy's charity event every other year too, So it's just one of those special people that are on earth that that's what they do. Chris is awesome too, like she's his wife, Christy taken like as normal without being normal as you can possibly be that I'm dying to meet there. They're cool, Yeah, you would like them. I don't want this is in the I just have I have a good story to tell.

I'm glad you come in, like we get to share good stories. Good Okay. So now, so when you came in, you were way pregnant, and I was worried because it's like a couple of days from my dude, I don't know you're way pregnant. So I was like, hey can and I don't even know how we got in touch with each other. Okay, no, I do it now that I think about it. I played a song of yours on the air and I didn't tell anybody was going to do. I just played it and you email me

and I was like, how did you get my email addressed? Yeah, someone gave me. I want thank you. It was my plist. How did they email? I have no idea people, I have my personal but I was like, I need to thank Bobby for talking about that song. And I saw this email and I was like, is this spam because nobody has this address? And it was you, and I was like, okay, now that you have my address. Somehow through some dark web. I don't know where do they go. I was like, you have to come up, So you

come up. You played Tacoma, which we played earlier, and you play like I'm gonna lose you. I'm gonna tell you this song because I've on my Spotify and I used Spotify an Apple and I'm kind of back and forth on them. Um that record You're You're, It's one of the most played in mine in the last three or four months, like over and over, like I just I just love it. I do love it. But you know,

do you think about me? Like? That is the yamn how they love day, make a job and mound and the same A baby heavy, how make love the time of the time, all the time? Do you think from me? Man? I nailed that part too. Do you think about I know that. I know you think I'm a total geek because I'm like such a fan here of of your stuff. It's so great, man, like before you call me baby like this is the first song on Star Far Starbarre and it is so good man, I mean, listen to

the just listen to this for a second. Nobody talks. Stop stop talking. Right now we're talking to your friend to stop talking. Just listen to this for a night. Sure it's hot to remember laughing for you work in the picture, I was a sad monthly with the cookie

friend standing on my platform waiting for marching. I was missed up, wounding, broke down something run and from my heart who's heartbroke heart up from long strength of bad dog surch and know and sorry this dog is called me bad so good before you can you see that I'm genuinely like, I'm like, this is the most fun for me. This is the most fun for me. So, um Starfire is I hope people buy it and don't stream it. By the way, she won't say I will

be buying because you don't make any money I'm streaming. Um. So the record is there now, I'm assuming it's going to be completed. Yeah, totally. So the goal is we just I wanted to release songs. I was ready, you know. I want to release some songs and a baby and do you know, do something before the baby, and then we'll finish the record probably the beginning of next year. We're kind of working it out because I've known this all myself right now with no label and I'm just

trying to figure out how to get my music. Are people like like throwing the line out there a bit now, As far as label wise, it's still tough for girls. It's very tough kind of you know what I'm doing. It is a little bit genre lists. If you think about this record, it's not totally it's not country radio, but it's not like and so I don't know. I love that you're not chasing it though, that that's that's how you make it. But how you make it, you

don't chase it. I mean, it's the same thing with Marin. She didn't chase crap. She just did what Marion was like, screw man. I'm going yes. And I was talking and I don't even mind saying his name. But I am a big Ryan Herd fan, Oh my god, because Ryan writes like crazy, like Ryan writes like I love his writing. And so Ryan and I have become buds and oddly their boyfriend and girlfriend, but it really has nothing to

do with each other. And when I tell their story, Ryan is such a nice guy and he's like, you know, he's like, I'm a part of the universe kind of guy. And so we had the same talk and it was like dude, just do you don't Chase And he's like, I'm not. He said, I'm just and he has a song that we do us. It is such the jam, dude, it's the jam. It's and I play it and it's not a single and I played everyone. I'm just like, man, it's not even available to download yet, but it's still

such the jam. It's like I'm Vibo and there's but like I root for people like that that don't put themselves in a position to where they think they're supposed to be and those people that either make it hit home runs or strike out much other strike out. Be it myself then getting a double knot absolutely, I mean that was like the lesson that I learned, like living

here the last seven years. Like you know, when I made that record and all the labels said no, you know, because I was trying to do this thing, and I kind of sat back after I had a few of those rounds with the labels and a few of those nose and I was like, what am I doing wrong here? Well, I'm trying to be something. I'm trying to be something maybe like trying to conjure up something, and maybe I just need to do what I love and just make that be what I put out. And so that's what

this this ended up being, this record. It's just what the songs that I loved. I didn't think about radio and think about any like even production wise. We're like, let's just make music that we want to listen to. And it's my favorite stuff that I've ever been a part of. I'm just so excited about it. So, Mike, how long we into this? With a few minutes left? So I would encourage a body to buy Starfire and then get the worst even stream and I guess just

go to shows if she comes around. So let's let's talk about a few other things. So you had the baby, yeah, seventh, seventh, yep. And I mean he's like three and a half weeks now. It's been amazing, really, you know. I think I think I overprepared for it to just be awful and never sleep ever again and this just to be this monster and that, but it's really been quite heavenly. He sleeps great, and I just love it. Do you just specially do you stare at him and just go I didn't know

that I could love something like this. It's unbelievable. Yes, like most of the day is spent or just staring and like, oh maybe I should our kind of smell pad. So it sounds like priorities changed if showering is one of those things you think about. Thirdly, yeah, absolutely, that's awesome. It's crazy. Has it changed, like do you want do you want to write songs now about your baby? Yeah?

Well I think that it definitely has kind of opened up this whole new world of flag feeling in my heart, Like this whole it's a whole another like pile of experience and things to draw from. Um, so I've never known I'm asking you for advice? Then should I just get someone pregnant? Probably? Okay, cool, but you might make that babies are the best, man. So have you been able to go out and have like a dinner with it?

So you've done that? You? Yeah, I left the baby with Grandma like a couple of times, and my husband and a dig each other and we're like, we like this baby, but we like to be us too. So it's great. I mean, it's been good so far. Is it hard to get a right with you? Since I'm listening to and and be as honest is you can or want to be. But I would assume after all this success that it's hard for someone to go, hey, Kaylen,

would you write a song with me? Well? If I I love to hear, like if there's a new writer that comes to town and like, you know, would want to get together. I love to hear what they're doing because for me, like when I get in the riding room, it's so much about vibe on who they are and what they're doing, and if it's like if they're making music that I'm crushing on done, like I want to I want to be there and jam out with them, like that's awesome. Um, but I don't know, You're kind

of hard to get it right with, aren't you. You're kind of hard to get it right. That's that's kind of hard to get it right with. That's word on the street is just kind of hard to get it right with. Uh. Well, thank you, Mike. Cast three questions. We usually start with it, but I got so into it. You can't make all friends because I'm just so blown away by that song. Like I love that song so much. Mike, you have three odd questions to go ahead? What number one?

What's your favorite Starbucks drink? Oh, Okay, So when it's hot and sweaty, a rock a latte with coconut milk. When it's winter, just the biggest Americano in the land. You don't get into the pumpkin spice. No, dude, that's just like extra cows. I don't really want to do alright. Question number two, what's the picture on your lock screen on your phone? I just changed it actually today. It's a picture of my husband holding our baby, and it's the gudest I can't even do. That's a good question.

Question three, what's your favorite thing to cook? Oh? My favorite thing to cook. I love the bake and so if you know, I bake banana bread, cookies, all of the real naughty stuff that I love that. So I don't know. But if I'm gonna bake you dinner, probably chicken. I'll do chicken. Do you cook? Yeah? Yeah, we both do. We kind of get it to it together. Yeah, but yeah, I love cooking. Come over, seriously, so much fun. Thank you for coming by. I really appreciate you coming to

the house. Sorry, but it looks it's like a bombs blown up in here, right, No, it's not. Nobody lives in this building with me right now. And that's always embarrassed because when you get off the elevator to come to my floor, it's it's nothing but ripped up concrete and tort walls. Yeah, totally, and you're like, Okay, I don't know what part of time right now, but why am I walking into It's just it's just scary. So

it is. Hopefully I were getting that fixed soon. But thanks for coming to the house totally, thanks for having me, and I want to have you back up on the show and play. Here is an indicator. It's just just a data, an indicator that you can tell how you're doing with people, because the biggest piece of research for me that I find is what people spend their money on, so you can do whatever you can do. And everybody's

research on all kinds of stuff. You know, they're pulling for presidential elections, they do research on radio songs, do all these things. To me, what I like at is what people spend their money on. You came in on our show and you played Tacoma, and frankly speaking, it's not like you've had a lot of radio play, right, not not at all. Really. We saw I saw the record go from you know front of the to number one on the singer song just like that from one

play I'm not and that's zero percent me. That's our listeners going. I love it. It took them one here and they all went and bought it. So I hope for you that you take away from that that what you're doing, it's just it's just right. And if it's right for a country radio, who knows if it's right for what, But it's just right. And people speak with their money because we don't have a lot of it. It's not like we can walk around just going cash

out everywhere exactly. So what you're what you're doing is it's just right. And I hope you I know you're gonna keep doing it just so true. I love it. I'm such a nerd on this intera. It's like I'm in the Caitlin fan club and I finally got to get talk Oh my God by Starfire. Listen to it. If you comes to Talent, you us far you. Caleb brought me a really nice gift and I haven't had time to really spend. Yeah, I'll probably hug it all

night tonight. But it's a picture of us together in the studio right, and then you handwrote the lyrics to Yeah, man, that's cool. I'm probably just gonna put on the pillar time all right? By Starfire. Listen to Starfire and even aside from Caitlin, support the artist that you really like. Let's getting harder and harder for since it gets harder and harder and harder and harder for you know, artists, to make it means less artists, It means so support

what you love. And Caitlin, thanks for coming to the house. Really appreciate it. I hope it is fun for you. Oh, I love it. It was awesome. This isn't weird. We're in a bedroom in the studio. All right, we're gonna wrap it up there. It is all right. Thank you guys for being part of the Bobby Cast episode number five. Right stuff I Mike our guest. It's been Caitlin Smith. Thanks again to our sponsor well no one quiet, thank you, thank you, Thank you. Until next time, everybody, have a

great day or midday or night. Whenever you're listening to this. Go by