We're rolling. Thank you, Mitch. All right, we have an emergency podcast, so K, if you don't mind, I'm gonna lay the groundwork for what happened yesterday, if that's okay. Yeah, absolutely, So yesterday our Tyler Hubbard podcast came out and uh, your wife reached out to my wife and asked for her phone number for my phone number. Yeah, you within I don't know ninety seconds of that phone number being received by your wife. I had my phone was ringing.
BK gets on the phone, He's like, listen, well, my hertsepound right now. Kind of like re saying it all because when you we as want to say, hey, man, how's it going, with a lot of compliments like hey, love your show, love you guys, and I know something's coming, like the way you're kind of building me up. I knew something was was headed my way. Shit sandwich, this shit sandwich, right, something positive positive, negative positive, and you kind of get lost in the meat. So you called.
Obviously there were things about that podcast that you didn't believe to be the truth, and that you said You've been quiet for a long time and you love the opportunity to say your side of the which is that's what Bustling with the Boys is all about. Yeah, you also said on that podcast that I said some things about you that were disrespectful to me. I immediately once we hung up the phone, first say it was called Well,
second thing I did. He'll get on the YouTube and start watching that clip and the clip that you refer to, and Mitch, I hope you play that back.
What happened beyond the way with you and BK? That's like to where Florida Georgia line can't be forever?
Yeah, a good question. I mean, for me, it was really unexpected. But BK came to me and said, man, I'm really feeling like I want to do a solo thing. And I'm like really, I'm like, we were just getting out of our first deal. We were kind of in a sweet spot that we had worked for ten years to get to, and I'm like, bro, like, why don't we just ride this thing out for like five more years, ten more years and then we can do the solo thing or whatever. But again, like I wanted to support him,
he was adamant like now now's my time. I really need to do this for myself. And I'm like, well, hey, whatever you need to do, Bro, Like, what do you want from me? He's like, I just want support. So I'm like, all right, you got it, Bro, Like we've had an incredible ride. This is where it's going to go. Like, let's do it, and you prush it and you never know, maybe it'll bring us back together and we can have
a reunion tour or whatever. But it was he definitely initiated the whole thing from the beginning, and it kind of when I say, caught me off guard. It wasn't that we had never mentioned it before. It's just one of those things where I didn't think then. I didn't think it was gonna happen then. You know what I mean is we're.
Talking about the breakup and if I see what you see when you're looking at through the lens of what your main storyline here is with you and Tyler. But when I'm talking to Will about if Will did this, if I did this to Will, Will would probably be like you piece of shit. I was I'm the burger guy, You're just a toppings guy, which from the storyline, because I'm putting myself in a headspace of Will andized relationship,
not yours. In Tyler's I'm putting myself in a headspace of how much Will does for the bus in the back end as opposed to how much I do, and all of that kind of the ins and outs of how willanized relationship works. And I'm kind of just trying to make a humor out of a situation that's uncomfortable for everybody to see on a bus. So with that, I want you to know that Busting with the Boys is not here to ever attack you or attack anybody
my opinions. Will's opinion is never going to be made by what other people say about People's gonna be out the interactions that we have with people. That's going to dictate how we feel about them. So as long as you feel good about that, brother, we can get right into it.
No, I appreciate it. And thanks for thanks for answering the call and getting me on here. Man, I've been wanting to get on here for years. And uh, you know, great to be able to clarify some things, and and also you know, I got an album coming out in two days, so great timing.
Forget the Kendrick Lamar and Drake Beef.
Some f g L and we had to get these some Southern beef going off country beef. Man, Uh, where do you want to start?
I mean, how do y'all want to start it? Like, I'm open minded to be I didn't really come with an agenda, you know, I just I wanted to be able to have an open conversation, and you know, I guess I could start it off, but you know I had multiple you know, friends and family and fans kind of reach out and pass you know, some clips over and then the episode and you know, really at the end of the day, you know, for the fans sake, the ones that have paid money to you know, see
Tyler and I and support us over the years, hard earned money for concert tickets, CDs, vinyl records, merch you know, my family, my mom and dad are family friends. You know. I think it's important to you know, shed some light on you know, my experience and what it was like going through that for me and not just one side of the story. And so I appreciate the outlet to be able to come here in a place where I'm fans of y'all. Like again, I watch y'all some of
the jelly roll earnest things or something. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time man, like I really enjoyed the show. So I was a little taken back yesterday just on some of the things. And I hear after talking to you, what you're saying. But you know, I would love to give some light on just kind of the scenario, on kind of how some of that went down. And I wouldn't even call it a beef thing. I don't think this is really a beef situation, but
I do. I do think it's important to speak my truth and to you know, at the same time, stand up for myself, you know, because it's not just him that was FGL. You know, there's two of us, and that's that's what made it so special. So to kind of start, you guys are.
On the top too, and so when this is all unfolding and you're kind of just hearing through the grapevine that oh there's something going on, like there's not. I don't think FGL they're gonna they're gonna be a band or a crew anymore. And then you guys go to the solo route. I do feel like everybody's curious on what happens. So when we have Tyler on, like me,
I only know I know Tyler through Taylor. So when we're sitting here listening to Tyler and referring to that clip and everything else, like I'm just taking whatever is being said. It's like he's the only one that I'm hearing from.
No, I totally get it. I totally get that. I'm I'm understanding of that, you know, to kind of start, uh, you know, when we kind of referencing, you know, how we got to you know, I heard b K and my name kind of thrown out quite a bit, and just to give some clarity, you know, back to you know, b K wanted a solo career to clarify that. You know, I'm a songwriter. You know, I moved to Nashville to write songs. We ended up in a duo and I'm
forever grateful for what we were able to do. Man, we had magic, amazing fans, We went on a hell of a ride. I'm forever grateful for that, and just what a time.
You know.
So we've had that, We've had the conversation of having extra outlets since twenty sixteen and then every every two years after that, meaning you know I had voice that
you know, I want to obviously keep doing FGL. But for me, you know, in my off time, when songwriters creatives are alone, you find even more of yourself and there's gonna be songs over the years that just being a songwriter, you know, I'm gonna write that aren't gonna fit the brand of FGL right, And so it was important for me to you know, continue to honor my craft, my my artistry, my songwriting, and so you know, I
had voice that for a long time. And you know, we kind of made a deal, you know where once our fifth record is done, our terms up. You know, we're gonna create more freedom for ourselves. We're gonna keep FGL going, We're gonna you know, put out some solo stuff. So it wasn't a surprise because the marker was was in place of once our deal came up. And I want you guys to know, and I want the fans to know. You know, we were trailblazers and I was
a part of that. You know, I had an idea that when our deal came up, you know, we could Tyler would get a solo deal under the same label. I would get a record deal, and then we would renegotiate a new record deal and something you know, I've talked to many industry you know, record label heads, and they talk about this ten year transformation. And we had, you know, a solid ten years of commercial success. And you know, how do you go from where we were
the next ten years? What does that look like? And honoring not only myself, you know, my songwriting, but his songwriting. He's a great songwriter. He's had songs cut by other artists that I have nothing to do with, and vice versa. And you know that fueled the group, and that fueled both of us. Was waking up every day hunting down songs and ideas, and you know, for to have another
trailblazing idea. My idea was, hey, let's keep everything going and let's do a three hour set, no openers, let's do solo songs, Let's do FGL songs and be under the same umbrella and nothing changes. And so watching the episode yesterday, you know, just so casual that you know, he just he wanted to do FGL two. I wanted to do it all. You know, I didn't think that was out of bounds. You look at Lady A. You know, Hillary does some solo records in the Christian space. Charles
Kelly has done some solo stuff. He does some shows, and I love how that operates. I think that's pretty special that you can you can honor yourself and you can honor what you've built and you can continue forward. So that's the mindset that I had. It wasn't just I have to have a solo career. I would word it as I wanted a solo outlet as a creative, as a songwriter. So that's just I wanted to reshape. You know that that part of the story for you guys, because you know, I put a lot of thought into
what that could look like. You know, I had a lot of conversations. I wrote out a pretty detailed plan, and I don't think it's emotional. You know, it doesn't have to be emotional. I was listening to things that you know, it gets sticky about what songs go where. I think it's easy to figure out it's it's it's
not emotional thing for me. When we're talking about business and creativity and going forward and also, man, what we had and what we built in a short amount of time, people would give their entire lives for and some people never get to that place. So I don't ever want to downplay the success and everything that we built. It means a lot to me. It still does. It's very important and you know, like made a lot of history,
made a lot of memories. There's a great brotherhood there and you know, so it's not some casual you know, I wanted just to go off on my own. It was very intentional about a new plan. How do we genre bend, how do we trailblaze for another ten years?
Right right, because you're right thinking you were getting to the end of this was it the fifth record or.
The fifth record?
You're coming up on a deal and you're thinking the way we've exploded something that you've been intentional about since was the twenty sixteen and kind of put pen the
paper and everything else. In your mind, you're thinking, do we just do the same thing and we think it's going to carry or in your brain, how do we kind of branch off for platform and leverage that we've created to also you know, benefit ourselves and put it all together, not benefit ourselves separately, but benefit ourselves and like put everything together to make it seem like what can we do different to add to our shadows our concerts?
For sure? How do we show our talents and our brand and ourselves in a different way that nobody's seen before. So I thought that was a really good idea. And obviously we couldn't, you know, really, at the end of the day, agree on what that looked like. But I just think it's important for people to know that I didn't leave FGL. I didn't want to just do solo and half ass FGL and y'all talked about, well, you know, what would happen if a solo show came up for
me and an FGL show. It's the same thing with y'all's podcast when y'all were still playing. It's like, my main job is my main job. What I do with my off time is my time, right, just like y'all, And so you know, I was also curious about what the conversation looked like with Rabes. You know, when you guys wanted to do a podcast, and I know you guys can relate to what you know, probably I was. I was feeling, and I felt of wanting wanting to do more and wanting to create more. Man, you know,
I'm an entrepreneur, I'm a songwriter, I'm an artist. Me and my wife have multiple businesses together. Tyler and I had multiple things running, you know, a great publishing company, giving songwriters a voice and helping shape their creative talents. And so we had a lot of irons in the fire and having a lot of fun at it. So it was really nothing new in a sense, but that's kind of where I wanted to start.
Yeah, you know, well let's let's so just for clarity, when was that fifth album done? When was that the end?
What year was that we turned it? In May of We turned that album in May of twenty twenty, so it didn't come out till February. And I also, I also would love to hit on this too. I think it's important because I've read a lot of articles that have some facts in there and some truth, and then some are just not not on the timeline, you know. For what it's worth, I just want to be factual here. You know, Tyler had solo music out before I even did, you know, before we even got our fifth album out.
You know, he had released a couple of songs. He had played Biden's inauguration, which was a huge look to be a solo act with Tim McGraw. He had released another song and you know, my I didn't start releasing music till April. So I just think that's that's I'd love for fans and anybody listening to know that's the truth. He was rocking at radio immediately, you know, top of January of twenty twenty one, and I didn't get music
out till April, and then the album in June. And you know, I created Sunshine State of Mind with a sonic respect of what we had built. And also I created Sunshine State of Mind in a time it's all good, in a time where the world was shut down, you know. Like I've always dove into songwriting and the highs and lows of life. When life is good, I want to write when life is bad or in between, I'm going
to write. And so it helped me get through a hard time, you know, of being able to dive into songs that aren't going to fit on the FGL record, but songs that I can you know, that are authentic to me and just get my voice out there. And it was, you know, a passion project. Now now it's a career, you know what I'm saying. It wasn't supposed to be a career, but I have I through a
chain of events of some of what you heard. You know, I wasn't able to do both right, and but your goal was you wanted to do both?
Yeah, absolutely want to have your outlet.
And it was It wasn't casual. It was very thought out. It was very intentional, very methodical, just like every every move that I make.
And so in that realm, when you talk about Lady A and the people you're referring to who's kind of done the thing that you were trying to be intentional in creating, how do you give us some game on how something like that works and stays together? Like did you have conversations with any of these groups? Because then there are also groups with ultimately where stuff gets sticky and gets in the way you break up depending on
how the friction goes. But when you're creating this and being intentional and pen to paper and everything else, what does success look like with all that that you were trying to present to both of you guys?
Do you know what I mean? Yeah? I remember I remember talking to Big Kenny back a couple of years ago, and he was like, you know, all that matters is if you guys are on the same page, that's all that matters. And you know clearly we one hundred percent weren't. But man, I mean we were at a point where we were only playing twenty five at the high end,
maybe forty shows a year. We had just signed the biggest Live nation deal probably a duo had ever signed, and I was really looking forward to touring those dates they ended up getting canceled, but was really looking forward to connecting with fans, getting out there and doing what we do. And to me, you know, nothing would have changed. It's like, it's just like what when I have free time because we're not burning up the road like we used to. You know, it's a very select amount of shows.
You know, a couple of things, and it's a lot of free time. Like they can go on vacation, they have kids, you know, they have different priorities and things that they love to do, just like you know me and my family, and you know, a lot of my off time, I like to work on songs. I like to get creative and work on other things.
And so.
To me, I worded it that nothing would change. It's like we can we can figure out what that looks like specifically on you know, figuring out a week to block out writing some songs or recording like I'll never not be there. I just I just thought it was a great look for both of us. Like I encouraged, like I said, you know him to do some solo. I want to do some solo, and then we'll continue
to do what we've always done and in Trailblaze. Right to me, nothing has changed, Like you didn't miss football practice to come to a pod. No, no, you know what I'm saying, And here's that. And I just want you to know it's like starting over as a solo artist for both of us. It's like, well, do I go do a BK show and make and lose money or do I go make what we make for FGL. It's a no brainer, right, And so I just I think it's important to hear my experience and my heart.
Oh absolutely, from kind of how how we conceptualize this idea and how I thought of it. But really, yeah, I didn't. I didn't want anything to change. It's like, you do what you want to do on your free time. That's great. I want to do what I want to do on my free time, and you know, we'll schedule dates out to record crush some shows continue to make money for our families on something that we've given thirteen fourteen years of our life too, that that not many
people have the opportunity to even do. You know, So.
When did it start? When did it start to go sideways? Because you had mentioned earlier about what was it February of twenty twenty.
Twenty one the first album or first songs?
Yeah, yeah, so Tyler Solos come out.
Solos came out in February of twenty one. Tyler on the when he sat on the bus so that BK came to him and wanted to go solo. That's what we were saying is incorrect. That's partially the truth, not fully the truth is what you're saying, right.
Yeah, was he already starting to do solo stuff? I got a call in while you were trying to figure out, like.
Yeah, I wasn't ready to make an announcement on having solo outlets and and do that. He really thought it was necessary to do that in January January third or fourth, you can go back and look on fgl Instagram of twenty one. It was his idea to go on and say, hey, we're gonna be doing some different things. We're going to tour, And that was only because he had a song with McGraw coming out Undivided, and he was gonna be playing, like I said to Biden inauguration and starting to get
out there and get visible as a solo artist. So I wasn't even ready to make that announcement because I'm like, yo, our album. So his song came out in January, Our record was coming out in February, and I was ready to like ride that out, go do press, you know, and focus on that, and not in a place where I wanted to rush out this announcement and not even ready for that.
So when that announcement happened, you weren't wanting that to go, no, to go live.
When you were. You brought the Biden inauguration a couple of times. That obviously is a big deal because of how polarizing the political political stuff has been for that the last ten years. Was that a conversation that both of you had whether that was appropriate or not for FGL a representative of FGL to go do that or did that kind of.
Because a lot of people do thing think a lot of the breakup was political.
That's where that's what I was getting at it is because you know he does abide an inauguration shortly after that. You guys are now solo careers, and there's not a whole lot of communication. Did you guys speak about that before Tyler did it? Or it's kind of I was down.
I was down in uh, South Florida looking at boats, and he called me and he said, hey, I've already recorded it. You know, I'm putting a song with Tim out. So I was told what was happening, right, and he said, we're gonna play the inauguration. How are you gonna be a moment? To be honest with you, I was just a little caught off guard because you know, I was told that and I was on board with this that. You know, no solo music comes out before the FGL record, right,
So I was all on board. And then to get a call saying, you know, he's going to make a very visible statement and performance before the record and then go go right to radio. Uh, you know, definitely a little caught off guard. But you know, at the end of the day, where were.
You January sixth? Just get that. Sorry, we just watched the Tom Brady that question that well, and I just asked you tread those waters.
You did, because that's a tough time. You're like Biden Trump, You're just like.
Man, you know, going on concerts. It's like concerts were getting canceled. Some some artists still toured, like maybe maybe Tyler didn't want to, maybe you do. I'm so curious how everything was unfolding. That's what I'm asking you.
Now. You know, I've read a lot and people have said, you know, it was political and all that, but you know, really the public the public issues started. I believe it was right after right after the election in twenty twenty. You know, he he and his wife had unfollowed us, and you know he I'm not I'm not exaggerating. You know, he got on It's you can go look up the videos. But he said, you know, BK was posting some stuff, some political stuff, and I didn't want to see it.
And he you know, told me that he liked me better in person, not online. That caught me off guard as well, for my brother to have those thoughts and feelings. But so that was the first kind of thing that happened where, you know, publicly people I could see how they started framing that.
For sure, but because very heightened at that time, extremely heightened at that time.
Yeah, for everybody. But you know, I grew up in a world where you know, my dad was in politics for twenty years city commissioner, mayor, county chair, and I watched him move and progress city counties along with different minded people. And that's what makes America great is people that see things differently but can still get it done at the end of the day. Yeah, right, that's my mindset. That's how I approached it. So you know, for me
and my family, it wasn't political. We didn't unfollow anybody. I was ready to go to work.
And so now it's a lot of this stuff being just unlike, there's not a lot of communication going on, and then you're both kind of finding out just things on the internet or are you guys kind of in tune with each other the whole time, knowing that there's some instability happening. It's just more of a ticking time.
Yeah, we were talking. You know, we got on a podcast. You know, a day or two after that, there's like a Rolling Stones article that came out about the unfollowing.
Yeah, we got on.
I got on. I didn't want to get on and do that, but got on to try to do some damage control. I don't think that did any good.
Well, okay, you go on a podcast to do some damage control. You guys have each other's phone numbers. Did you guys try to call each other about it? Or was it like we'll settle this in the public eye.
Uh, I mean, it wasn't really uh too much of a heated thing at that time, like right after the election. It mean, it wasn't It wasn't terrible. We were chatting and you know he did call me and tell me, I like you better in person not online. Yeah, and he told me that it's.
Tough words to hear, so that one person that we know that hits us up on and to be honest, oh yeah yeah.
And so I think one of the things that triggered him was, you know, I had an American flag and another flag flying on a close friends post to about twelve people and in my driveway gated nobody could see it. And you know, I think that was the one that was to my close friends who he was on that list, and if it was anything public I posted, I posted a couple of things, but I'm I'm proud that I posted it. I said, you know, I'm not sure why
we're still locked down. If there's going to be you know, big you know, protests in the streets and big celebrations, but we can't go do concerts. Yeah, I don't really understand that. And I was backing the blue collar hard workers, the people that don't have a voice, people that need that kind of backup support, people like my dad, the way that I grew up. You know what I'm saying, people that were out of business, out of work, in a tough spot, losing their everything that they've worked for.
You know, I watched your boss Dave raise a ton of money during that time, very inspiring, and you know I was I was ready to get out there and play concerts man.
You know.
And again back where.
You guys are having concerts, if if both of you say yes, we want to do concerts, or was it more of like a label thing where it's like, hey, we're not going to go do No.
It wasn't a label thing in terms of live shows. You know, I think it was up to us, Yeah, for sure.
And there was a disagreement between the two of you whether you should have life concerts or not.
I think at the time, you know, I think there was there was you know, I know we canceled our ore twenty twenty one fall to her, which I was really excited about. But you know, navigating through that was not easy, right, being ready to being ready to go. But you know, kind of that that kind of is what it is.
Yeah, yeah, Yeah, that's a that's a tough world. If you guys both have different views on what's going on, and you're wanting to play concerts and I'm assuming by you saying you wanted to, I'm only going to have to assuming that Tyler didn't want to and there's a big disagreement.
I mean, think about all this stuff in the NFL that was happening, like in our locker rooms, like when we're having to do all the tedious things and some guys are like, hey, dude.
The Tits got put under an investigation where the NFL looked at all of our tapes to see if guys were wearing you were bad guys. These were one of the guys that were trying to get serious swear.
I posted something after the game like we were celebrating to win.
Yeah, after the Bills game.
Yeah, and stretchers like, hey, you need to take this down because the NFL will hammered down on us. Like I know we're celebrating a win, but you need to have your mask on. I'm just thinking that this is so gay it dude, it really.
It was crazy because there was a time where we're supposed to play the Steelers, right, yeah, canceled, supposed to play Steelers. That game gets canceled. Then like four days they're like, hey, you guys are playing the Bills on Tuesday. We gotta get ready, but we can't come in the facility because they were doing an investigation on the Titans. So you guys go practice, So the Office of Lineman
Receiver stuff like that. We all dispersed and dispersed. We kind of went and did our thing, and that was Yeah. Well they started looking at cameras of all the NFL teams and they're like, well, we can't punish all of them.
Right, Yeah, I didn't know it was dude.
It was a I think it was kind of underreccause somebody took a photo of the DB's practicing in a park or yeah. Yeah, basically like told on us. Yeah snitched, yeah, snitch, like we're trying to get ready for the bills. We gotta do something.
We we actually won that game too. We were literally like, we don't ever have to practice.
Brought to you by Zoom, Sponsored by Zoom. We don't have to practice anymore. Never.
We were fresh. That was amazing. Yeah, we had we had a big outbreak. Bunch of you guys got the Vida the boys lost a lot of good boys out there.
Man.
It was tough, dude.
Yeah.
I my question in your opinion, obviously there's a lot of there's a multitude of things, but in your opinion, what was the breaking point for you guys? And also second question, when you think back on some of the way you navigated it, what are some things you look back on about. Okay, I could have approached it differently.
You know, I fought the good fight to keep FGL going and to continue to kind of put together a plan on what that would look like. You know, we we were doing our last you know, festival shows in twenty twenty two. We did probably twelve or fourteen of them, and we were killing it. It was great, and I was you know, we were talking in person and even you know, via email and saying hey, the demand is there,
you know, like, okay, we're kind of nice. This it's I don't think us having solo outlets as effect thing our main business and our main brand and what we've spent, you know, our entire adult lives doing clearly not affecting that. But breaking point. I don't know if there's that. I don't know if there's a breaking point per se. But you know, he this is this is this part is true. I mean he said, you know, that was his boundary.
And if he thought it was best to support me by cutting off something that I put my life into as well, that's one way to support somebody. I didn't agree with it. I was very protective of our brand, very protective about every move that we made about you know, are we going to go on and announce we're done on CBS Sunday Mornings. No, I'm not. I'm not done. I'm not going on it. I don't want to do that. I don't want to be done. So it's just you know,
seeing things in a different light. And I think he was very concerned about what a solo outlet for me specifically would do to the brand. And you know, he voiced that many times to me and.
What did he think it would do to the brand?
Water it down?
And at this point he has solo stuff out, okay, because.
I'm also yeff, let's put more clarity on that. So you and Tyler are having conversations. He's saying, if you do a solo act, it's going to water down fgl But at the same time he had a solo act going on, or he was in the middle of cutting solo stuff. It was, it was.
These are the initial conversations, probably September October of twenty twenty.
Now for those of us who don't know, how long does it take to write a song like Undivided? Cause I think that when I listened to you talk and I heard Tyler talk because I went back and listened to it, I texted you today too. You should probably listen to it because we're touch a lot on it is there is such a big miscommunication between the two of you because Tyler feels like he was blindsided. You feel like you were blindsided in a way too that
you're like, how does this not all work? So obviously it's a lack of communication. But now we're talking about timelines because that's what's really important because if Tyler is saying that's where I draw the line as we're not doing solo acts, but at the same time he's cutting solo acts, well, then we can see where there's a problem there. But if it's like, I want to just know chronologically how this all worked out, so we can all kind of figure out a way to.
Get fall of twenty twenty. When I went to him, I had written a pile of songs after taking some months off.
We like I said, when you guys canceled the tour and everything, this.
Is this is call Yeah, you're you're all fall out.
By then all of twenty twenty.
Undivided came out January.
Okay, okay, all right, I'm called it.
And so you know, the initial conversations probably September that was when you know, he was very concerned about you know it watering, you know down. But again I went to him with the idea of, look, it's not just me, like you can spread your wings, I can spread my wings, and we can continue to spread the wings of fgl right, and the label we don't have to have different man like it could all be under one thing and be
supportive in that way and growing right. It was a couple of months after that, you know where I was, you know, he's you know, no music out till the FGL records out. And then December probably third or fourth of twenty twenty, is when I got a call when I was looking at a boat, like I said of you know, hey, I'm we got to make an announcement soon. You know, I'm putting out a song with McGraw, going to radio doing this.
So so December he calls you says, I got a song come out in McGrath, but there was a deal made that we're not going to have any solo stuff released until February when the new FGL album comes out. How did you receive that information when he when he told you that, no other than the political thing I'm talking about from you your partners reaching out to.
You about the song, about the song, and that when there's.
A when in what you were saying is there was an agreement already.
Yeah, I'm just surprised, I mean shocked for sure, Just like Okay, I thought we had a deal, you know, about what the plan was, so I just didn't I didn't think it was going back to my main my main thing is protecting FGL. I didn't think that was a good look. Yeah, if I'd have done it or he did it right. You know, again, FGL was my top priority, and you know too, I remember y'all were talking about, you know, giving fifty percent to a solo
career and fifty percent to FGL. I wasn't wanting to put one hundred percent and start all the way over and play clubs and do all that. I don't mind it now because I have to and I'm building and I'm excited about it now. But for people to know how the origin of this all happened, you know, a lot of people think I just left and wanted to do solo stuff because that's what he's saying. But to give context, you know, I was, like I said, very methodical about how we grow and I want to keep
this together. It's important to me. This is a once in a lifetime thing. And again, you know, we talked about it for years. We went to you know, on site in twenty eighteen and chatted about this this plan of you know, once our record contract's done, we're going to renegotiate and have freedom. You know, there was a time, you know, when we didn't even write separate, and you know we kind of I kind of pushed for It's okay if we write things separate. Man, I'm a fan
of you, you're a brother. I support that. I'm not going to get jealous If So and so cut your song and it goes number one, I'm happy for you. That only helps me and that's how it should be. Vice. Everybody winning is good for everybody, right right?
So okay, trying to break all this down in my head, break it down. So you guys had a conversation in twenty eighteen about having possibly doing your own solo thing. When that conversation happened, was the plan the idea fully formulated in your head of Hey, we should do solo acts as our opening acts and do a three hour show of FGL. Or were you still working through an idea? How is the communication between you and Tyler in twenty eighteen twenty first idea came up?
Yeah, not not probably that then, but keeping FGL together was top priority.
Right and you both agreed on that. Yeah, you both were like FGL is the number one thing. Yeah. So now we fast forward. He's released that song with Tim McGraw, the album comes out in February. At what point is are you guys like we're done? And who sent the divorce letter in?
You know, here's here's here's what happened. The boundary was, the boundary changed over time. The boundary was, if you want to do that, we're not gonna make fgl music for the foreseeable future. That well, that's not what I want. But that's what I told him. I said, I hear what you're saying, but that's not what I'm asking for. That's not what I want. So I was like, all right, well, I'm gonna make some music and we're gonna we had a touring deal, we're gonna looking for We're still going
to tour. We're all excited about that. Uh, the songs came out his song January, he had another song come out. My songs come out, you know, right after my album came out in June. Was kind of when you know, it was kind of a made known to me that we were, you know, kind of kind of done.
Made known from somebody on on your team for nineteen.
Now Tyler from Tyler.
Yeah, so Tyler reached out to you personally or did you reach out to you through people oh, personally and he said, hey, FGL is done.
Yeah. It went from you know, no music in the foreseeable future to you know, now now we're not even going to tour. You know, he was, you know, I'm just I'm just here to tell the truth. I'm not here to try to burn down anything whatever. I'm here to stand up for myself and my family and like
I said, the fans. So you know, he was trying to get out of the twenty twenty two festival dates that we had already committed to because he didn't want to be seen with me really and be seen as a duo, because he was already ready to you know, push his solo career and overdrive.
So obviously I can see where you're coming from now when I received that phone call yesterday, when because you guys are saying exactly you us are saying the same things, but yourself, like you're saying that you want to do FGL. He's saying he wanted to do FGL. But both of you think that the others broke up FGL. How does that communication like get so lost in translation when you guys are together for twelve years before that doing the bar barbecues, pop it an addy, and headed to the
next spot. Two. Now we're megastars, Like, how does the communication be between the two of you just evaporate?
Because when they're therapy involved as well.
You know, I don'tn't think the communication evaporated. I think you know, I put in a lot of work, uh, individually and together to help lead the way to to chat with you know, uh, business coaches, mental health coaches, multiple different options. So I don't think it was a lack of communication. Maybe it maybe it wasn't just you know, me having an extra outlet. I'm not one hundred percent sure, but to lay it down that you know, BK wanted to go solo and just wanted your support and just
it's just not it's just not the whole truth. There's no context around these sound bites and these clickbait things that he's saying that y'all are putting out. You know what I'm saying, It's like it's important for me to have my voice heard, just like I wanted to have my voice heard outside of FGL.
Right, So is UH talk to us about when you guys are you guys, when you guys are meeting with mentors, business coaches, therapists, whatever it is. Are you guys all in the same room talking through this same stuff.
We've done in the room and then at a time, you know, in the heigh of COVID, I think there's a lot of zoom too, So we've done both.
Did it ever feel like it was progressing the right way? Or did it just feel like, you know, things are just going to be dividing even further when you're getting off those calls and sit with your wife, or you feel like, I feel like we're making some progress, or man, we might be farther away than I thought we were, or how I take us through those.
Man, it was just a little bit of a grind to try to to try to find a place that we could meet in the middle and understand each other. But it just it just never got to that place.
Yeah, is there any any way in your mind that FGL gets back together one day?
Yeah? I mean, you never know, man, I mean, look at the Eagles, look at I mean, there's there's lots of groups that have that have you know, gone through way worse things than we have. You know, at the height of everything, it just never was really terrible it's just seeing things different.
And would you would you get the band back together? They could bust with the boys, potentially potentially fixed.
Yeah, I mean all we're asking for is like, you know, would.
You get you down to five a conversation? Same same, but there is like.
All messed up.
But it is good, So would you that's fine? Just keep playing with it? Would you want to get the band back together?
Man? I think time will tell you know, I'm I'm really focused on what I'm doing now. I know he's really focused. He just dropped an album, and I know he's putting a lot of hard work into what he's doing, just just as I am.
And so.
We'll have to see. Man. You know, I'm sure the fans would like it. I'm sure the fans would would love that. Man. I'm I'm I feel like I'm pretty in tune with with the fans. And you know, even on country radio they're jam in FGL song still a ton, So I'll just have to see.
Yeah, yeah, it's bangs the one.
What's your favorite song, Mitch?
You know it's Cruise.
You know it's Cruise when you when you go to her solo act, did you play FGL songs as well.
No, I haven't.
Yeah, I feel like that be odd if you're like singing Tyler's poets or Tyler's doing it and he's singing your parts, it's kind of like, yeah, well you're like kind of singing it. I'm sure like you guys both. The thing that I'm trying to figure out and I don't know how to get there because I don't have the degree for it is there's obvious hurt on both sides, and both of you feel hurt for different reasons. Well, it kind of seems like the same reasons.
Both both males just trying to be stoic, trying to be reserved, right, but knowing that there's some depth, Like both.
Of you have the same exact energy coming on this bus now. When you call me yesterday, I could see I could hear the hurt in your voice. Very understandable, all that you come on here, calm, Yeah, it's passionate you and you need to have that absolutely.
I did say like, oh ma, BK's not that the way Taylor's explained it. I was like getting a haircut of time. I was like, oh shit, for real, man, juicy BK. On the bus, I think could be sold.
It'll be crazy, but it is. It's so it's I just wish we could figure out, like the core of where you both were hurt, how it'll like, and how you essentially fix it. If nothing else, then just to have a relationship again, because but you spend twelve years of your life with somebody, traveling all over the world having the success you did, Like, there's got to be a piece of you that misses him a little bit. It's got to be tough, well.
Miss it all. Yeah, I mean, it's it's a big part of our life. Man. It was very very special, you know. It's it's dreams and dreams and dreams came true, you know, doing what we did together. Yeah, like I said, very special. I was gonna hit another point something you just said a second ago, but I forgot what I.
Was talking about. Well, the beginning part was me talking about how you guys both seem hurt by the situation, but I can't figure out what the exact point of hurt was. It to me, the way I am viewing both of your stories, I'm trying to play Tyler's story back in my head while also listening to you. Is
you guys, there was there was a conversation. I don't know where that conversation was, but somebody spoke about and I feel like we can say that you brought songs to the table first, being like I wrote these, kind of being like excited, kind of like I do with Will, Like sometimes I'll hear an opportunity, I'll get real excited for Will, and Will doesn't know how to react to me because he's like, I don't know, like do you
what do you want from me? And then after that it kind of just seems like it was just a slow bleed until you guys died, and I don't like there was you know, the inauguration. We talked about that, We talked about him releasing songs before, Like when you say.
I think getting back to my love of FGL and the brand and all the hard work and the fans. That's one of the reasons that you know, I haven't played FGL songs. I'm really proud of those and I miss playing those together. Right, that's to me where they
should live. I think with with some of these half truths with no context quotes coming out and maybe him playing FGL songs, one would assume that he's carrying on fg L without me, right, it appeared it can appear that way, So out of out of respect of what we've built together, that's that's why I don't, you know,
and maybe I will one day, you never know. They're great songs, and I had a hand in writing a lot of our hits, so you know it, it really comes down to, you know, I love our brand, I love what we built, and I was very very protective and not wanting to announce that we were done because I wasn't done.
So yeah, when you when you go back to the call when you were in South Florida and he talks to you about writing the song with McGraw that's gonna come out, YadA YadA, and you say, and I don't know how you responded, but you said, you know, I thought that we had something going on. We had we were figuring something out. Like what is his response when you were saying something like that, because I'm assuming it'side, So I thought we had something going on here. And
then you're just like, well that's sick, bro. And then you guys hang up and it just you go your ways about it, like how is that conversation unfolding when you're under the assumption of something else and you were trying to Hey, bro, I thought we I thought we you know, we're going to do X, Y and Z.
I mean to be honest with you, I just let it happen. When the song's already recorded and you've got a record label that's ready to push it and have this moment, not much you can do.
Yeah, so yeah, damn well Tyler during the interview, so we asked Tyler about like the breakup and the fans are kind of clamoring wondering what was going on, and Tyler said in our podcast that he didn't feel like it was his place to say what was going on. He felt it was for you to say what was going on, kind of putting that situation, saying that it came from you, that you wanted to go solo. That's how this kind of all originated. Where was the conversation.
Was there ever a conversation about, like, you guys, how you're going to announce a breakup, why you should be the one to do it, why Tyler should be the one to do it or do it together? Was there anything like that?
Yeah, we went back and forth multiple times and I just I really wasn't willing to do it.
Yet you weren't willing to do it because you didn't want the breakup to happen.
No, I mean, it's it's not just yeah, it's two people right right, It's like one wants it over and one doesn't.
Yeah.
But the thing that's crazy is both you guys are saying you're the ones that got broken up with. You know, you guys are both the ones that seem the most like you're like we Tyler, we use the analogy of like getting divorced, Like someone comes to you and they have sense to give you an ultimatum and they essentially choose sleeping with the neighbors. However, Tyler said it, and now you're saying, like you didn't want it, you didn't
want to release this stuff. So you guys are both saying the same thing that you didn't want to leave Florida, Georgia line. That's what I'm trying to figure out.
I think too, Like it's like he says it's important for him to like kind of speak his truth and give context around the whole thing, And there's probably the ultimately it's like you're not just gonna be like, well he said this, you know what I mean. Yeah, it's like you're trying to like speak, I wish you would.
You're trying to tell your side of everything while trying not to be like like I'm not I'm not coming on here to just be like, oh he said this whole time I said this, he said that, right, you know what I mean. I feel like that's kind of hard to be like, I see what you're saying. It's like both of them feel like they were caught off guard. They're both not not necessarily wanting it to happen, and it's like, well then how could you guys not figure it out?
Like this is this is the this is the actual breakup that happens where you know they're going to see each other at a bar one night and go home together because there's just so much they don't know. They both have a couple of dreams to see each other, like why did we break up? And they kind of just go home and do the thing and they wake up and they remember exactly why.
Yeah, like Samuel Jackson shows up and trying to get the Avengers together.
Yes, yeah, I don't understand that reference, but yes, yes, well, I'm gonna agree with you on that. I'll tell what we need to do. Let's get the boys back together. Not together in a band, but get them in a room together and hash it out.
Would you guys come on the bus together?
No?
You know what?
What's where? Where's the Hey?
Maybe we start, let's talk about the good time. Let's talk about the beginning.
Yeah, what's the record?
Yeah? Record?
Bro?
Oh?
Hey, was Kiss My Boots about Tyler?
It's about a lot of people. Y'all aren't careful. It's gonna be about I want to write. No, man, it's uh that song. That song special to me and my co writers. You know it. Really, I could tell you right now. Being in the music industry, and I'm sure being a professional athlete and being in the entertainment industry, y'all probably have a growing list of people that are on your kiss my Boots list, right. It's not directed
at one person. It's not you know, the day we wrote that song, I didn't show up having that tie. I didn't show up thinking we're gonna write that song. That song came through. Man. I had a guy on zoom and then two buddies in the room and we spent hours going over starting songs, starting songs, had a chorus here, and finally we were like, man, I go, hey, let's take a break. I need a bite to eat, and I'm not really loving anything that we're doing. Let's
come back in fifteen minutes. Come back fast lunch, my buddy, Yeah, fast lunch. My buddy had to get off zoom get ready for a show. He was out of state. So I said, hey, two co writers in the room, are y'all down to stay later? It's a Friday night. And just through being patient man and looking for no pun intended, looking for the truth in every session in every writer's room, every day, right, And so we just started talking about things and my buddy Dylan was like, throughout a line
that sparked that song. And then we're all pulling from personal, you know, experiences and just collaborating on the idea. But he started with the line you know comes that with the whiskey, and so that that that started the song and we landed. I remember landing on the hook with kiss my Boots, and I just I love the song man,
It's just it. Songwriting to me is magic. I have so much respect for songwriters songwriting game, because there's days that happened like that, where you sit and you're patient and you're waiting for that spark of authenticity and truth, and then there's days like, you know, I have a song called Trucks, Ducks, Bucks and Beer. Like I had that title, I saved it for the right group. I knew I was gonna write that song that day.
Yeah.
So it's just it's such a it's such a funny thing, but that song for real, I mean, it's it at the end of the day, I want people to make it their own. I want people to hear it and go, damn. I I felt that way, and I've lived it and I've got I've got a couple of people on my my kiss my Boots list, and you know, some of the best comments I've seen on that are like, yo, BK, thanks for the new workout jam, thanks for thanks for
channeling and putting to a song what I've been dealing with. Right, So that's that's been the greatest thing about the song. You know, it's just uh, you know, the whole album is is definitely like a party. It's positive, or's love songs. There's songs about being on you know, a bunch of acres, riding around an old blazer, hanging with Brittany and my wife,
you know. And I put that song last just because it's it's enough, uh seriousness in one song to make up for the for the brightness of the rest of the record. But you know, life is life is life, and I know we've all been through, you know, points in our life where we all get thrown curveballs, no matter who you are. And so I put that song out just to let people know that, you know, I'm a real human. I'm not just a you know, a face on the screen or just some just some guy
up on stage. Like you know, I I go through things. I've been through things all through my life that are highs and lows, and I song right through them. I always have and I always will.
How is it being that vulnerable over your own lyrics when you're essentially giving it to an audience for them to evaluate whether it's good or not.
Yeah, you know, I think you just have to let go at some point, you know, I think you just have to be just work hard on it. Man. You get it to a point where you're like, Okay, I'm proud of myself I sing as good as I could. The musicians kicked ass on this. It sounds amazing, NIX sounds great, it's thumping, you know, depending on the song, whatever it may be. But there's a point where you're you have no control about how people are going to react good, bad in between. They hate it whatever, they
love it if it explodes, you know. So you have to as an artist because dude, I could still be working on this record and fine tuning it and drive yourself, you know, and like, oh I wrote another song, let's add to it like I can. You could do that for days, you know what I'm saying. So there comes a point where you have to really just like, Okay, this thing's done. Whatever happens happens. I hope it's positive. I hope. I hope it's great. I hope it helps
my career. I hope it continues to build my fan base. I hope they can relate to it.
Yeah, But being this your second solo album, what is the feeling of going into the second one as opposed to going into the front like the first solo album after FGL, like playing stadiums all that. Yeah, now you're in a solo act and you're putting out the first album, but the same nerves still they are putting this one out that comes out Friday.
Yeah, I guess a little bit.
You know.
I just think of these the two projects that I have so differently, you know, like it was all fun in Games and it was it was such a passion project and such a release for me to put time and time into songwriting and making that first record Sunshine State of Mind. Obviously COVID weird times is like, yeah,
I'm writing songs, man like that that helps me. And so uh, this time this go around, you know, we don't have any FGL dates on the books, Like there's no foreseeable future for for the group, and so I consider Tennessee Truth, you know, my debut record. There's you know, it's the first. It's the first project where I'm standing as a as a solo artist with a career, not just trying to have an extra outlet that doesn't compete
with f g L if that makes sense. So, like I said, man, everything along along the way from me has been methodical and very intentional and trying to be as respectful to the fans and the brand that we built as as as much as I could.
What first off, Tennessee truth is a dope name.
That's a minute you said almost named it Tennessee tone.
Tennessee tone, truth made.
Wanes, It's truth.
You're right sweety stairs at a paper for three hours, just walks that one keeps walking over writing songs. When did you find that passion as a kid as you got older? Like what made you know that? Oh shit, I can I got like doing this? Only do I like doing this? This can be something for me?
Yeah, it would be. I mean I started writing poems like in high school, freehand, like trying to figure out if I could turn it into a song. You know, it's like right before I started playing guitar. But I remember like writing out like lyrics or words, and I
always like poems growing up. And my dad loves like little sayings and poems and he'll make things rhyme, and like, you know, I was always the guy looking up songwriters and the you know, CD covers and like oh snap, that's Craig Wismer, that's Jeffrey Steele, or that's you know, Tony Ratta. All you know, I was very in the know of what a songwriter was, and you know, got a guitar when I was about sixteen years old at a flea market with my dad. And uh, it didn't
start hitting heavy till freshman year at Florida State. You know, I was writing songs during class, like I didn't need to party.
What's that between party Florida State?
You know, you know, surprising shock her. I really didn't party at Florida State.
But you have a gold chain on that has a bass on it, you party number one?
It's a tarpin.
Disrespect. You know.
I did more worship leading at Florida State than partying.
Really, Oh yeah, no ship, Yeah, all right, that's nothing but the Tennessee truth right there.
No, I really, I really didn't. I really didn't partake and uh at Florida State for my two years there.
That is wild. So Florida State is when you found like, okay, this is what I want.
Yeah, I couldn't. I couldn't stop thinking about songs and I'd get a title that pop in my head and class and like at that point, I didn't even need a guitar. I could write out the lyrics, I could hear how it could go. I'd get home, get my guitar, put it on my little you know, I had a little, uh little shitty recording program my roommate had given me so I could get it down, so I like could have it forever and remember that, you know, you.
Still have it.
No, it was on my old Dell computer. I have no freaking idea where it was a block, man, I mean it was it was, it was a block. I have no idea. I mean it may be in a storage unit. I've looked for it.
That's mine. Give it back.
But obviously you're you're a natural writer. But get like you were saying earlier, this you feel like this is your debut solo album. What what is this album you know mean to you? And also like what have been the learning curves with kind of getting back to the basics even though you naturally are a writer, Like being solo on your own.
This record means a lot to me. You know, it's it's a songwriter's album. I'm so grateful for all the collaborators and songwriters and being able to you know, mend our worlds together and find something that we all love. That that means a lot to me too, and that hopefully you know, people that listen to it, they're like Yo, that's my life too. It's a simple record, man, like I love. You know, I have a song called bare Feet or Boots, and that's the lifestyle I live. Man.
You know, like I love. I love being on the farm. I love being in the woods. I love being at the beach. I love being in the backwaters the lake.
You know.
I you know my morals and the way that I operate or you know, God, family, country, and I love working hard. I love having something to look forward to, you know what I'm saying. Just like the people that are going to be listening to this man, you know, my world revolves around you know, working hard, my wife, creating time for us to make new memories. And you know, like what's what's biting? All right? Well, we're actually in Florida. I'm checking my bass, you know, app I'm hitting some
of the locals. What are you know, snapper biting yet? Snapper season? How many? How many can we get? Now? You know what's you know on my little trail cam? You know, oh damn, there's a turkey, there's a deer. You know, that's it's a It's a pretty simple life that you know, I know we've come from, you know, stadiums and arenas and all these things. But when you strip it down, you know, me and Brittany are really simple, man,
Like our favorite nights are. You know, I've had quite a few Friday nights at the house, you know, since starting his solo career and writing for the record. You know, I really wasn't on the road. I was home a lot writing and so we had a lot of free you know, weekends and Friday nights. It's like, yo, dogs are hanging out, We're cooking some meals and I'm watching freaking twenty twenty. You know what I'm saying, Like, I love that.
Well, there's a vacancy out there. I don't know if you heard, but the great Toby Keith just passed. And when you hit me with a god Family Country thought he could be the next to Keith. You should be the next guy red solo Cup.
You tell you just one to get into some twenty twenty. I've never watched. I've never binged that shit.
I'm gonna help solve a crime one day. Oh you, Oh yeah, that guy, it's happening.
Those shows are incredible.
It may be a cold case, it may be a current you know, new one I'm.
Freaking the murder mystery stuff. Dude.
I had to sit in a deposition the last two days, no way, and uh, just hearing these lawyers talk, I found out there's no way I could help you a lawyer. We we would go in and they would just be talking back and forth, and then we'd go into a room and I'm like, Okay, tell me everything that just happened. Because you're literally like a six year old watching like cloud out lists or something like that, not even able
to register how smart these individuals are. So all that to be said, I would never be able to solve a case. It ain't happening for me. Brother, I'm not putting anybody in jail.
Important question for you. Are you a beach or a lake guy? Oh?
Yeah, he did because you heard your name the Yeah, this is.
A big one on the bus.
You know our place in Florida. We don't live on the beach. We live like right off the beach. We live on a coastal dune leg so pretty special little spot kind of surrounded by the state park. So honestly, really both because the stand and pick one, you have to well, look, we all enjoy you know what I'm saying, so what do.
You enjoy more?
If you had to pick on activity, you got one more day at the beach house, you your kids are sitting there. It's split fifty fifty down the middle. You can either go sand ocean waves life, sea life, or you can go over here, woods, boat, wakeboarding, those types of things. Which one are you picking?
Man, If it's going as what we call down in Greaton beach. If it's going off in Greaton, which means the golf is laid down, freaking teal blues. Look, it looks like a lake. It's flat, weather's freaking popping. We're going to beach day. We're getting the truck out there, we can drive on the beach. I'm getting all my coolers, I'm getting my umbrellas, I'm getting my chairs. We're having a beach freaking safari. That's how that's I've had some of my best days doing that with Brittany and some
of our friends. We have a lot of local friends. And I mean just watching the day go by. I mean, and and once you get out there, I mean like some days you can get out there and it's just like a vibe day. But some days, you know, you can fish right off the beach. Stick your pole in. You may not catch anything if they're not biting. But just lots of activities.
You know, there's ane.
Put the stand up paddle boards on the top of the truck, get them out to the beach, go out in the gulf. I mean, I knew we get there, bro, I got you. I can take you on.
I think the beach guy, he's becoming more of the beach guy.
I did say the better day is a perfect beach day based on this where we're at in the Bahamas, I mean, it was fucking where we name a couple of spots? Is it?
Where is it like a discovery property?
I don't even know what that means. It was nice, it was it was in a nice spot. Nice Was it a zooma? I think at zooma? Damn it a nice spot. And they're like I was telling JP, we went out there on the boat one day and you you like pulled up on a sand dune and the water is like this high on your shin and you're just out like in the middle of the water on a sand dune and it was yours running around like it was. It was one of the things where he says,
teal blue flat. Nothing going on here, I said, I said, the best beach day and vibe has beats best the best lake day vibe. But as far as average, what I like to do the majority of my time, I think a lake. I'm a lake boy.
That's how will works. You gotta it's a slow It's been like a three year conversation, this lake versus beach saying, it's been like a three and slowly. I'm a beach guy. I think the culture of a beach. You walk around literally, you could be as stress as you possibly could be in your entire life. The minute you step put your toes in the sand and you're looking at the water and you just see people just relaxing and knowing that I might have problems but not today. That is what a beach brings.
That sounds like sowriter.
You're welcome, so you can have that.
You can know what I'm thinking at point.
That's mine.
We should do a little beach trip. Okay, y'all come down. We could do one more pod, have some fun right on the beach and then just kind.
Of that could are we going to be on a boat? We could?
Oh?
Bro, Yeah, I'm just saying, you know, a big boat guy, big boat guy.
Yeah, yeah, we like to walk around it and press the buttons.
A superhero like flying at the tip.
I got you great and beach. You can launch the captain's launch to go fishing right off the beach. They backed their boats up, PLoP them out, and you don't got to go far to catch fish.
Then we come back to get your tarping down.
We can all have chance at the end. I know that thing does go hard, though. I know I chirped it a little bit, but I kind of I kind of mess with it, you know, dude.
I got this from I've made some really good friends in Grand Junction, Colorado. It's a it's a family jeweler, three generations, and the son, the younger son, does a lot of cool free form gold work. I was there in person years ago on a tour stop. I wandered in there, found a really cool ring and we kept
a relationship every since. They've sent me some free things that they've made for me and Brittany, and then I bought some stuff from them and I just was like, man, can you make a tarpin with like a little diamond eye and yeah, you know, just something something cool. And he's like, hell, yeah, can I bring it to you at your at your All show in Vegas. I'm like yeah. He's like, man like, I'm not gonna mail it, but can I come to the show and drop it off.
I'm like, buddy, yeah, that's a good trade off.
Yeah. So I'm good buddies with them. They're great people. They're living the American dream, working hard, making some really cool pieces. Man's and their family tradition.
That when it's all said and done, you decide to hang up the guitar.
Where do you?
Where do you see your life? Even be at that beach house? Twenty four to seven? You head West Coast?
What you gonna do?
Uh? Not the West Coast. I do love. I do love the West Coast. I think there's some great spots, but for you full not full time, not like not full time. I mean I definitely love That's that's nice.
Yeah, Arizona.
You know, I could see. I love where we're at in Florida. I mean I don't I don't ever imagine us really leaving there. I could see I have a vision of like a you know, kind of an old Florida farm maybe maybe more like Central Florida, you know, like ranch style. I have an idea to h you know, open this thing where it's like it's called Good Shepherd Ranch. So we have German shepherds. We have four love shepherds.
But basically it'd be like, you know, try to find a good deal on a bunch of acreage, have a little house there, and be able to you know, rehabilitate shepherds, take shepherds in that need a home, maybe foster some raise some up. And then I think it'd be really
cool too. Man. There's kind of another element that I've really been kind of thinking about lately to where you know, maybe maybe some kids that don't have a family system that something like I grew up and I'm very grateful for my mom and dad and and you know, maybe that's something they could come to Good Shepherd Ranch and we can work with dogs, kind of some dog therapy and that you know, maybe I can rub off on them a little bit in terms of like whatever they're
going through and how to deal with things and how to you know, maybe maybe some life advice or some if they want to get into music, maybe there's a little studio on the property, but something that's something that's kind of, you know, giving back, and also that has a lot of dogs on it.
You love inside dogs.
Yeah, they are.
It's shutters.
It's their house shutters.
Big time.
You let them on the couch, you let them look your face.
Oh yeah, man, only two of them, the sisters. Man, if they've been outside, you better watch it. You'll smell it before it comes. But they they they like to eat the poop poo.
You got two boy dogs, two girl dogs, one.
Boy, three girls. But we have sisters, littermates smoking sage and for some reason.
Smoke Smoke can't stand her.
Yeah, she's the worst kind of dog husky wife, good shepherd ranch. Man, Yes, she could go and I'll.
Just forget to Tail would love good shepherd ranch.
Oh yeah. The whole time you're talking, I'm thinking of myself. Tailing is going to hear this.
Taylor was into it and then you started mentioning fostering and he just started to have like PTSD.
Dude, I'm looking after bunnies right now.
I would I wouldn't know what to do with bunnies.
Dude.
My wife, she's trying to be a wildlife rehabilitationist. Or whatever it is. She's like getting certified for it sounds cool on paper. And then we get four bunnies because he tells me that, I'm like, bro, if we can get a raccoon or like a baby skunk, that would be hype.
A baby skunk.
Yes, dude, they don't get their they don't get their smell thing until like two years old, so they kind of just chill and hang out. And I'm thinking, we're gonna get some dope animals. I think they'll bunnies over at us. We got bunnies. I got two of them that just sit outside, hang out. They bite or they know they're like they're literally, dude, they're this bag. They're this bag, and I have to bottle feed them every night,
every night and every morning. And it just pissed right because it's some time with my wife being like, honey, I want to do something, Yeah, you go ahead and do that. I love that and I support you whatever you want to deal. But then one night, kids have a hard night. I come downstairs. I'm ready for bed. If I'm a guy, like the minute the kids go to sleep, I'm trying to get to sleep by nine thirty. If I get to sleep by nine thirty. My life's gonna be great the next day. And that's really all
I'm thinking about. Same and she's it's like nine to fifteen. She's like, I gotta feed the monies. That's an hour. Okay, that's an hour of my life that I got to now. Luckily they're getting older.
So she says that, what do you say. You're like, damn, that sucks.
No, No, you know me, dude, I fucking bend the knee quick quick.
Oh.
I mean I have an attitude. I have like a teenage attitude, and that I go and do what I'm supposed to be doing. I have a bad attitude and then I do it.
Just kind of stop around, go to bed, kind of man.
Good Shepherd Ranch sounds like it could be what we talked about the ranch, or it could be like it's like total Hallmark movie. Yeah, good Shepherd Ranch.
I could see the sunset.
Oh yeah, it's like this crazy He meets a city girl exactly, they don't belong together, exactly, maybe steal something from her, steals her purse, runs over to the guy. That's how they meet. Dog's cute, he's cuter. What's gonna happen.
Damn, the boy will just get going now, like to create an entire movie.
I do enjoy living in my own head. What my wife wants to do. She wants to get a farm and then have a grocery store attached to the farm and everything comes from there. It's like her next dream that she wants to do.
Which I is that what it is?
Oh?
Yeah, but that's a slaughterhouse.
Slaughterhouse?
Yah.
Yeah.
Ours is kind of like a like we would have to like ninja smoke them, like go to the cat slaughterhouse and then just you know, get them down.
Yeah, probably do that, not that.
Yeah.
Yeah, we're trying to precureus a couple of things. Yeah yeah. She Uh Bar three Studios, she's a franchise operation. She's manager for Bar three. It's like a boutique fitness nice. It's like Taylor toward women. It's like Pilates group fitness type of vibe. And uh, she's been in that industry. She's been with that company for a while now and a couple there's an opportunity that popped up in Nashville.
That's right now. We are in the in the middle of trying to Oh she would like to be a business owner.
Hell yeah, it's awesome.
Yeah yeah, get that. What's up?
Let me get it on it, Taylor.
I got a question for you.
Go ahead.
So when you see when you do these ice baths, So say you're you're in Vegas. I've seen you do ice baths in Vegas when you're out there, you know, playing blackjack and stuff. For some reason, I can't wrap my head around because it's in the hotel room, the ice bath, right where does how do you how do they get the water out in the hotel room.
That's the best part about Red Rock. I don't know, dude. Red Rock is the greatest like hospitality place I've ever been in my entire life. I've been to BlackBerry farms, I've been to really nice places. The hospitality of Red Rock is second to none. I told them one time, hey be cool to have a cold tub in my room. The next time I came there, there's a cold tub. They refeel the ice. I spill everywhere. I don't claim it right myself. I'm a dirty boy. And then I
come in. Everything's cleaned up, car, car, everywhere. It's it's unreal. So I don't have it's.
Nuts too an answer, I'm curious.
You get into black jack when you're out there in Vegas.
I love that's that's really all I play. Really, Yeah, I love black jack chaos due. I really enjoy it. Yeah, I've had some good nights in Vegas. Nothing crazy. I know there's like some other country artists that go freaking ham and that that they'll bet like a ton ton. I'm pretty conservative when it comes to you.
Know, hy vibe.
I made some pretty good money, but like I kind of I kind of start slow and then you know, I kind of I'm a I'm a feel guy, so like if I can kind of I get that from my dad too. You kind of feel what you're gonna get, you know. It's like if I feel like I'm about to get hot, like I'm a double down, double down. You figure out, figure out what you're gonna do.
But what's been your best trip? How much? Yeah? How much you leave with?
Probably fourteen k not like I know, y'all, y'all y'all go with Dana.
And you know, yeah, but that's a cheap, like fourteen. Going home with fourteen is amazing.
Yeah, when you're when I started.
With like shoot, I started with like five or six hundred.
That's just hit bro, just that, and.
Then I'm like, all right, I can tell this ship's getting cold. I'm rolling.
Really that's my problem.
I feel like Jackal hits some looks like that. I think a few hundred and turn it into a few thousand.
Yep there, Yeah, jack Will go crazy something.
Man. It's a fun game when you got people you know, you know, and you have a have a drink whatever. Yeah, and it's like, I just I love that game. I really do.
We would do on line trips and Will came on one one year and it was like five of us sitting at the table, two or three guys standing behind, just drinking drinks, all kind of like talking each other into betting a little bit more while so fe scared. Yeah, run the balls one hundred dollars, like, oh hey, we're throwing a hail Mary five hundred here on this one. And the boys just win or lose together. It's awesome.
Yeah.
The world Will that I have gotten into has kind of been. It's a little it's much more scarier, there's a lot more room for error. It's often you all go there. I try to go every month, No, I try to go every single month, like truly have a I have like I have such an addictive personality and the minute I saw that this was possible, and then when I start to lose, how Danna kind of just saves me, like I'm a kid. It's no, there's no reason to never go there. It's it's ridiculous.
Well, hopefully we end up in Vegas together, because I'd love to play with y'all.
Well, I'll tell you you go to you take us to Florida. We hit that beach day. We have no choice but to get you to Vegas. Man, that sounds like a good deal.
I don't know what you're doing. June twenty sixth, but you could come watch the Beer Games Championships of the World.
That's the problem. Well, June twenty fifth, June twenty fifth, that's what Big Cat was talking about.
June twenty fifth. It's on a Tuesday.
You should actually come June twenty Yeah, June twenty.
Fourth, June twenty fourth, some more game one.
Yeah, So we're doing the Tunnel of Chaos. We have a big party in the high Roller Room of Red Rock, and then it's gonna be like food, drinks, people gambling whatever, a little tunnel where there's gonna be one table with just one betting platform, where that's a tunnel of chaos. You it'll be. It's gonna be a nuts time.
Geld you the info.
Yeah, it's a Monday. Yeah, it's a Monday because we it's all tailored around people that are kind of in your category, who are like travel Thursday to Sunday.
Yeah.
Yeah, and so we want everybody to kind of come and have their schedule be as open as possible.
Cool. Yeah, what uh? What can we look forward to this year after the album drops tomorrow? Oh?
Man, I got some I got some festivals this summer. I'm really excited about that. I already played Tortuga a couple of weeks back. That was like an awesome festival right on the beach. Very fitting, uh for for what I do, and I think I'm gonna bring back. I did this in twenty twenty two. I did like a mini residency. I did probably twenty six twenty seven shows.
But we have a little surf shop we own down in Grayton where we live, and we kind of converted the backyard space into a little concert venue and so real, real intimate maybe two hundred people max a night, So I'm gonna do probably, I think right now we've got it at twelve shows, you know, a couple in June, couple in July. So really looking forward to that, man.
I know, I know the fans that came the first time had a great time, and it's kind of a power acoustic set but really casual, really intimate, really stripped down, and it's you know, I really loved it, man, because you know, it was an experience that I was able to create that didn't exist. You know, I think that was that was that was really enjoyable too. You know, I love playing all sorts of venues. I love you know, it's fun to play go back and play small clubs.
It's great to do that. Fun obviously to play big, big you know arenas, amphitheaters all that, but to really connect and you know, a two hundred person uh space, man, is like, I don't know, I feel like I got my chops up even more when I did that, man, because you kind of put yourself in a position to where it's so personable and personal that you've got people
there like, hey, play play this song. You're like sick, all right, yeah, calling out something from the record that maybe wasn't on the set list, but you're really able to connect. And you know, that's what Brittany and I love about, you know, being entrepreneurs and creating things is like trying to figure out it's all about the experience, you know what I'm saying, and to offer something different that doesn't exist really really gets us excited. And yeah,
so I'm excited about that. And then this fall probably some more touring, trying to get the logistics locked down for that. But that's awesome, man, I'm excited about I know, I got obviously a record coming out, but I'm really looking forward to getting back in the studio and writing and seeing what what else we can come up with.
Is that A number one passion is the writing part.
Uh, it is. I mean, it's one of my main things. But I don't think I could have have it without the other part, you know, Like I love writing and grinding and thinking and brainstorming and figuring out the freaking details of the song and the message of the song and all that, even the production and love recording it, but the whole, the whole thing of getting it out on the road and playing playing live and doing that. I mean, I don't think I could have one without the other.
That's awesome, man. Yeah, we appreciate you coming on.
I appreciate you.
And open, being honest and having a little fun too.
Yeah, damn good time.
Yeah.
I appreciate the platform, and I thank y'all for answering the call and getting me on here, and I really appreciate it. Yeah, man, thanks for thanks for being open, being being willing to hear you know, my side and my experience, and hopefully for everybody listening. You know, I hope that has given some clarity.
Yeah.
Absolutely, man, before we get out of here, going, I know you already talks about it. I plugged that new album real quick.
Yeah.
Truth.
Check out Tennessee Truth. It's a good time, and uh it's all about up a living, working hard, playing harder, and uh loving who you love. I hope you, uh hope y'all can make it the soundtrack to your summer and maybe your fall too. And I hope it. Hope these songs mean something to you, that mean a lot to me, and I hope you can figure out a way to put them in your everyday life, whether that's headed to work, or on the lake, on the beach, whatever.
Yeah, Tennessee truth is dropping tomorrow, which.
Is what's the deal on?
Thank you? May tenth, May night eighth, what's Friday?
Oh yeah, the tent May tenth appreciate, thank you,