Ep. 70: The Moment That Changed Stephen Wilson Jr.'s Life

Yo, what's up? You're off in God's Country with your boy and.

Also known as the Brothers Hunt when we take a weekly drive to the intersection of country music and a great outdoors.

Two things that go together like what's his name?

Olick ole alex olex Sander you sick and being the heavyweight boxing baddest man champion on the world.

Yeah, or a light blue member's only jacket and uh Steve Wilson Jr. He looked good at that brought to you Bye meat Eater.

And two things that go together like the COVID and this pie show Albabe co sponser man the shown Albab got the brand new lizens skin dinner on.

My feet walking into Coves.

Baby, you know you ain't be because the comes.

Spontsman the show Bab. Yeah. Can we get a round of applause right there? Ray for that to Coba sponsorship. Stephen Wilson Jr.

Wow he's cool.

Oh my goodness, smartest guy I've ever seen, the smartest guy I've ever talked to ever seen.

Man.

Just uh what a story.

Uh incredible background boxer could knock anybody out at any given time. Inspiring writer, Inspiring songwriters, inspiring artists now too.

Man.

Yeah, he's very human. I mean, he's got a great story. He worked hard, he's been through many rounds in his life, and it's nice to see him. See him up here swinging, swinging in the in the finals.

Nice. Nice, not there, you know that's right?

We have it.

Are we getting roasted?

Yeah? We are.

We got a good one to today coming from fourteen Jay Hudson, Brothers Hunt question Mark.

Again, they keep doing that. Is this the same one?

No, it's different, it's different. So he says, five stars, shout out. Thanks, that's why you got shout out out. Brothers Hunt, question Mark. So, Brothers Hunt. The only thing these guys hunt are high fits deer and Huck's pizza rolls.

The two hundred inch deer paid for.

I heard it only measured one sixty six, but they paid the deer farm for some spike shifts to glue on it. And after the shot, Dan looked like Luke Bryan's video asking if it was down?

Where does he has he seen the video? I guess this guy's probably. I guess not because I did not ask if it was down?

Is it Dale?

I had no reason. I saw the deer go down? Is it now now? Look, I lost my mind after I walked up on it.

I wonder if he's I wonder this guy Jay hudd has seen the the face.

Look, could that be j Hudson. No, it's probably that's probably a fake fourteen J Hudson sounds pretty legit. Probably what he wants you to think, Joshua Hudson, Wrap it up. Thanks for following us, Thanks for subscribing. Yep, go follow our five stars. I'll give that a pretty good night. Don't put a question mark anymore. Why are we putting question marks at the Brothers hunt. It's like four times.

In a row. Let's played out.

Hey, we love y'all. Thank you. Stephen Wilson Junior. You're gonna love it.

He's so cool.

Thanks hanging up.

God's Country checking next sense, Hey we got currently on this. Twenty twenty five sold out US, sold out in all caps US tour. A two time Indiana State Golden Gloves boxing champ, his album Son of Dad was named the best album of twenty twenty three by Holler and All Country News, as one of the best albums of the year by Rolling Stone, Whiskey, Rift Wide, Open Country, Grand Grandy Smith.

And more. I think it should have won a Grammy, just between me and you, a.

Food scientist with dual degrees in micro biology and chemistry from Empty Issue, my old stomping grounds as well, by far the smartest person we've ever.

Had in God's country.

We got Steven Wilson Junior out in God's country.

That's weak.

Thank you, Thank you, gentlemen, thank you for having.

Men looking sharp with the blues, and thank you bar.

I don't know who's painting what happy little truth? Who is that is that?

Oh?

It's the Golden Girls, the Golden Girls boys?

Damn yeah what did you pick that up?

I don't remember somewhere a long time ago. What I really love about it, though, is that it's actually not Barb Barross. It's actually almost because they didn't want to get sued, and it's not the Golden Girl's almost the Golden Girls. It's like incredible when I saw that as a guy, Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, that's a good shirt had in here.

Thank you.

We've had some doozies too.

Yeah, you're making you're breaking off that jack. It goes hard, though. I don't remember you being this hot last time I saw it. What did you get hotter? You're hot?

No, been working on What do you do to be so hot? Steven?

I box a lot.

I do.

I do that. That's the only thing, and that don't make you. Our shows are pretty gnarly. Uh they're they're pretty high energy, so they keep me in shape, I guess, but I wouldn't. I would never consider myself hot. But thank you, congratulations, you made it. I'm I'm very flattered.

By you've been.

You've been grinding on the road, Like you were saying, how many shows a week?

You'll play about four and then we kind of come home for a couple of days and then get back after it phil that. Yeah, it's been. It's been a fun new reality kind of pivoting from the songwriting life to the touring life. It's quite different. You know, I have a new sympathy slash empathy for artists. You know when I used to roll in to rights and an

Like sounds like you're talking about you and us.

Yeah, no, I'm talking about me and me and you just because I've been in both seats. And yeah, it's a really cool new perspective to have on it.

Is this your first time really, like really touring like here.

Lately, yes, sir, Well as a country artist for sure, and within this realm of of how we do things. And I was in indie bands for uh quite some time through college, and so I did a good amount of touring, like the van and trailer touring basically you know, playing for nobody and yeah, just really a road grind.

That's a great way to put it.

Yeah, I know exactly what you're saying.

Well, we'll get into all that. Oh, we gotta we gotta start with uh. We like to do a theme called uh don't. That's my brand new guitar. Dude, don't be banging it around. Don't be banging it around.

Bro, what you mad? What you're mad? Just tell us what it is. What you're mad at? Is it your in lost kids might be your boss? Man, Well, your neighbors can just tell us what you mad. It's gorgeous, thanks man. I loved it. Boys, that'll be out next Friday. Go stream it. We on the Masters.

Say, yeah, you guys need to release that asad.

Who's mad? Who's mad?

I mean, I feel like it's, if anything, a good in bed like just yeah I'm with us? Or small short?

Yeah, yeah for sure, but you know it sufficient efficient, short, sweet to the point. You know, that's what they say. The new radio song is thirty seconds.

That's what I word.

Keep it between thirty one and thirty three seconds.

Yeah, they're really looking for that that mirrors the attention span of the listeners. Start with twenty five start with the hook. I don't know if you know this, but it's all science. Yeah, it's a chorus outro and that's it pre chorus.

I'll stop talking about. What are you mad at?

Bro?

I'm mad at people at gas stations that pull into the gas spot and then get out and go inside and don't get gas and just park there. You know what I'm saying, I do. I'm mad at that. That happened to me the other day. Yeah, at huffs and I was like, fumes, Bro, I'm one that I will. I'll run out of gas probably twice a month.

Twice a month, seems weight.

That's probably stretching it. That's probably for the that was probably to get a shock effect. Probably probably twice every year, twice a year. Yeah, I'll run out of gas.

I'm so sorry. I've done many many times. Yeah, have you ever thought about the next time that happens? If they have like just the push, you know, you can get to their gas easily, and if they're on the gas side, I guess you just go fill up their tank. Oh and just blow their minds.

Sorry, I was trying to help you get out. I need so I thought you need some Obviously you need a gas. That's That's what I'm gonna doing next time.

I mean it's an expensive bit, right, it's a bit worth it. Yeah, we might teach them a lesson.

Definitely be worth for sure.

I don't know you met anything. Am I mad at shying for I can't really. I talk about her every week.

It feels like.

Either traffic or his wife. I'd say this, I gotta do. I got a new puppy, and I'm I'm not mad at her because she's too sweet to be my But she's a giant.

She's like a giant puppy.

So she's probably mid forties parents, and she's eighteen weeks at this point, so she's gonna be a giant bulldog, American bulldog. I love them. I'll never go back. I love them so much. I love them. We're pit people, so uh but man, she's nippy, right, she's nippy.

And then like it's fine for me.

I have like a seven month old and whenever she comes, real excited to see the seven month.

Old, I have to just.

Hm, you know. Yeah, so I'm mad when I'm mad at her. Teeth are so.

Sharp, especially than puppy teeth, my two year old says.

My two year old says, Iris likes to play rough, but she's not trying to bite me. I just have to pop on the nose and say no. Because she's so huge.

Everything is double right, Like when she jumps on you, it's double or triple what a normal puppy.

So she's puppy.

She's figuring it out. She's like if.

I was a four year old man, be on your nerves, bro, you know what I'm saying, your last let's jump into your lap and pull your hair and bite you on the sheet.

You'd be like, get this giant. Yeah yeah, you beat me exactly. So I'm not really mad at her. I'm just kind of like, how much long it was this last?

You know, it's frustrating.

I gotta we gotta bite her. She'll buy the ship.

Really, just just walk up and buy the ship.

Probably if you walked up to her, she wouldn't like, probably run up to you to try to bite you. What she's well, we got the DNA thing doing on her, so she's half German shepherd, quarter pit pull quarter Siberian husky.

Nice.

Man.

I found her near the river and she's like, why, she's a wild Faraoh animal.

And how old was she?

We estimated maybe four to six months based off her teeth, but she was super mountainourished and really mistreated, super scared of humans, Like it took them hours to get her in my car, but she was so like desperate.

The fact somebody can drop a puppy off on the side of the road by the river.

Blows my mind. Yeah, yeah, yeah, people, Yeah, it was. She had bad life before me, so like we we have a lot of grace for her aggression towards just she's an incredible guard dog, yeah yeah, but and she loves us and she's honestly one of the best dogs I've ever had outside of like, you know, you just got to be careful with who she's around.

True, And there's just some dogs that are like that, you know, I think we.

All grew up with people that had dogs like that. Like, yeah, the product Yard, it's a great joke about that. Don't go out there, don't go out back. There's a wolf out there. And I man, I got bit by all my friends as dogs. I don't know you did his kids?

Yeah?

By dogs?

Yeah, like there they just how you want to go out back and play? You go play, you get bit by the dogs. That's right, it's part of it. You bet a flash. Oh yeah, freaking dog baby one time.

So we used to have a neighbor had a giant giant it was just a basket hound.

You got bit by a basket houn. Yeah.

Interesting.

I fell on its ear and it was like, oh it would fall on its ears. That's how. That's how long it was.

Like what do I do with this? I guess I just but it wasn't like a bad bite. I was just kind of like, get off the dog. Yeah, I feel them.

Well. I love dogs. Are you mad anything? Oh?

Man?

Uh?

Pick anything.

Man. What frustrates me is, uh, when you're at a gas station or something and someone's paying for something and uh and they take for they the purchase is complete, the goods are in hand, and then they just start putting all their stuff away.

Like and in purse.

It's all got to be back in before they get out of line. They can't just move over plenty.

Just slide, just get out. Oh I need a receipt. They got to get the receipt. It put away.

I wish it was okay a little pocket. I wish it was okay to nudge somebody.

It was just like really, yeah, that that really irks.

We're at a gas station. That means we're in a hurry to get somewhere.

We don't want to put Even if I not in a hurry, it's like like three or I mean ten seconds of my life, I'll never get back.

You know what I'm saying, You got to get keep keep moving.

I don't know, I just feel like it's inconsiderate.

Yeah it is.

There's a lot of in consideration going around out there, guys.

Five man.

Sometimes when people back into parking lots when they don't need to.

Sometimes of the truck you have to.

There are moments when you need to back into a parking lot, for sure, But when you obstruct the flow of traffic to back in.

For three minutes and considerate like it's sick.

Of six and one half is why are you doing that? There's there's no reason for this.

Yeah, you're gonna have to back out eventually, you know.

Yeah, there's you're going to reverse.

And sometimes that's even harder to get out of a parking space when you do that than just pulling up in the bit.

Yeah, yeah and easy. What happens is like, you know, you're coming behind them and they're like, no, I'm backing in.

Wait wait so I need.

To somebody behind you? Run over somebody?

Yeah, buddies, lawsuit people are grabbing.

Somebody's going to jail. It's not good for anybody.

Unnecessary.

That's a great segment.

I love.

That's a great Watching mad at what.

You're bad at would be a good one to just throwing that in there. What's you're bad at?

I'm bad at. Let's do that. What's your bad what's you bad at? Uh?

You know what I'm bad at. I'm bad at bowling.

I'm bad at basketball.

I'm pretty good at like most things like.

Sports, straight up bowling.

I'm like my five year old could probably like contest my score bowling. It's rare that I get over one hundred.

I'm not great at bowling. What happened like a random great day though, I say, like, I don't know how. I just like throwing like seven strikes in a row.

I've never done that.

Oh I've done that before, but then I'm like, have the worst game ever basketball. I just am like and I grew up in southern Indiana where everybody, everybody at least decent at basketball, and I was so bad. I hated and I hate. I hate basketball. It's the squeaking of the shoes. There's so much. If you just sit around and listen to all the squeaks, it's millions.

It is that. It is that.

I mean, it's just as good.

That was good.

Oh my god, millions of squeaks.

Maybe we should all squeak and then it'll sound about squeaky support.

Yeah, it's just brutal.

I could see how that the balls here and the bulls there.

The ball.

Do you like other sports at all? Do you like any other sports? Desids boxing?

Uh?

I like baseball.

I think baseball is kind of timeless, and I like just the kind of the chess game behind it, all the all the potential possibilities of plays, and I get that that's with a lot of team sports. But and baseball is just kind of chill. But I'm kind of into boxing and combat sports.

Did you did you did you grow up playing?

We know you started boxing when you were five from good Uh did you play any other sports or were you?

Was it combat sports? Just from the from the yeah, I played baseball and basketball. I hated it.

I played football, was too small, but I actually liked football, but I just wasn't any.

Good at it.

But I liked baseball and I was decent at it as far as team sports go. But in southern Indiana we didn't have soccer. That wasn't really the thing, so I didn't really get to try that in any other sports. But I just grew up in a boxing family, so it was just really that made a lot more sense to me because the loss was on me. I hated with team sports. I didn't really care that much about winning or losing as much as a lot of other people did. Like you know, kids would like cry after losing.

Yeah?

And uh and uh. But you know what I really hated is like letting the team down, Like if like I did something wrong is the reason why we lost, like or you know whatever, that whole dynamic of being responsible or every for someone else's someone else's emotions or someone else's when or Yeah, I liked being responsible for it solely for that with boxing, like it's your loss, Like yes, I'm I only have to manage my emotions, nobody else totally.

I think that's why I love golf so much at my age now is because of that same that same point is is that it's it's out of every I can't I can't blame anybody else.

I can't blame it.

I got I control everything, and the score of the at the end of the round is on me and on me solely, And if I want to get better at it, I work on it individually, and there's nobody that can make me better, make me worse.

It's only it's only me.

I think golf and boxing are very good compare it is because it's kind of a you get what you you get what you put into it. Really, I don't think a lot of people are just born like incredible golfers or born incredible boxers. It's like, really, like, how hard are you willing to work at this really to get good at it?

I mean, I'm asking because I don't know.

I think some people have more natural like athleticism than that. But at the end of the day, like boxing is, you know, there's some people that can throw a punch right, take it wrong. But when you get into boxing and the technique, it takes so Much's the lifetime of training all the same with golf. From I understanding, it takes like how how many competitors are you willing to put an end of this? It's really going to determine how

And I had.

I had no idea possible?

Was that?

I think?

So?

I mean, I mean there's some people that may argue with that, but I think.

You know me Indiana gold Gloves State champ.

Well, let me correct that that my dad was because my dad and I have the same name, Like he was a champion. I did fight in the Golden Gloves. Oh I wasn't like a two time champion. Oh gosh, like all my me and my brother we were all. I was a runner up. I almost won the championship, but I got to the championship and that was That was gnarly. But my dad, actually he wanted a couple of times. He was in at like four or five times in a row. Because my dad was like a

So yeah, I was.

Watching him do this the crazy shit like year after year after year after year, and because he really couldn't do it professionally anymore because of obligation to parenthood and whatnot. That's really what he wanted.

To do is go be a pro bot. Yeah so your brother. I didn't know you had a brother. How was he older?

Younger than you?

He's a year and like four months younger. We're like Irish twins, so perfect sparring partners. Our first fight was each other, like first sanctioned, like, oh for real fight, because you know they need we would like they'd have kid fights open up for the adult fights, so we would open up for my dad's fights.

Paint me a picture of what this looks like. So you've got I mean, is it are we talking like?

Small?

Are people in the audience are that like? Is it huge deal?

Is it little deal? I mean, what are we talking about?

These are at these Powell clubs police athletically, so they were actually ran by the the police of Indianapolis and Louisville and Cincinnati all that, and usually that's where they would they would sanction these fights. They were usually kind of dinner tables around them, cigar smoking.

They were always packed, wow ticket ticket of advance ticket av.

Yeah, psych, a lot of probably cops and commissioners and whatnot. And yeah, then there would be like twelve fights. I think of it like a bill, like a festival bill. But of the twelve, like the first three would be kids. And we would be in that first three.

Or whatever what age we talk about six.

Years old and so my yeah, my brother was probably six and I was seven when we first did our proper fight, and we like we couldn't find another kid of our same weight class. So they were like, hey, you guys just want to fight each other. Oh, we beat the hell up. They lived like rocking soccing robots. It's just like NonStop punching. It's hilarious because there's no technique at that age. You just learn how to kind of like duck and and just learn how to like

But it was fun. You know.

We you know, people will go crazy. That's kind of where I first got in front of a crowd, you know, because they're like you know, boxing crowds are they're kind of like wrap yeah and the like, and they're again it's red and blue.

It's color coordinated.

So you'd have like red head gear, red gloves, and this red band around your gloves. They'll signify your corner. Red corner, blue corner. Under I think there was a lot under the table gambling going on based on the enthusiasm of which they were yelling these colors.

Uh, they would be.

Like red, red, come on, please God red, like you know, like my kids kids, red, knock him out. Red, And you know they just be screaming in your color and you just hear these colors being screamed interest, like knowing that you're red, like, well, I better start swinging and uh uh. But yeah, that was a lot of it, and I remember cigar smoke and the smell of rubbing alcohol and yeah, it was just uh it was kind of feral event, but really like well organized. And then

That's why I beat the ship out of the dude.

As you know, I've seen him like have to like peel his eyes open in the morning just to see us.

So how does that?

I mean, I've I've never watched my dad in a fight, Like, how how do you as a child process? I would assume you would be like, like you would get mad about somebody punching your dad in the fat.

Yeah, I remember like getting mad about it, but you know, you get you know, it's a part of it.

So what would he say after losing a fight? What would how would how would?

I mean, he would always be bummed out about it, just as a competitor, but he was always good with it, Like it wasn't like super devasting.

That's what's so crazy to me about about that, because I could see how if you're playing like if me and Reid were playing golf and I beat him which would never happen. But if it did, if it did, like he would be pissed off about it. But like, coming from like a fighting standpoint, I would assume there would be such so much more emotion involved.

Yeah, well, there's so much preparation. You get ready for like six months for that whole fighting for one fight or like one set of fights, a series of fights. So you spent half the year getting ready to like kind of fight for a few months like tuesday, about a month and a half or so, like you know, depending on how many people are in your weight division two. Like that's really how it all happens too.

But is there any.

Fight you look back on, either you were in or your dad were in, that just resonates you can remember exactly how it went down, either winning or losing.

Yeah. I remember all my fights very well.

Yeah.

There, I remember getting hit really hard. Yeah, I mean I remember the crowd looking like a kaleidoscope. I thought, this dude in Kentucky once getting like it was like a warm up fight for the Golden Gloves because I needed I needed actually a couple more fights to get ready for that one. But so we drove down to Kentucky, and and I weight in and everything, and my opponent

Some christy, I can't imagine.

But but anyway, this this was this situation. We drove two and a half hours or whatever, and then this other dude he was like a good, like twenty pounds heavier than me. His opponent didn't show up.

Well, what do you know?

Perfect, It's like and he you know, he was from Kentucky. He didn't really drive far, but he wanted to fight. It's like, do you want to fight? Like this is kind of gonna be like a catchweight fight. But I needed to fight somebody.

You're ready, you're prepared.

To ye, I'm ready, you know that way. And I really just needed like, you know, experience in the ring. And I had to fight this dude that was way bigger than me. And uh, and and I beat him, you know, I beat him in the fight. And uh, but the first first couple of rounds. The first round especially, I was like I really put it on him, like he was just not a really good boxer. He's just big puncher, really big punchery. Like he was really he was trying to kill.

Me and if he had connected, probably might might have. Yeah, But I was.

Had really good defense. My dad taught me out to duck before he taught me out to punch, so and I really enjoyed making people miss. That was like my game. I loved it, like, you know, more so than even countering. But I would counter and I was doing a great job doing I cut his eye really bad, and it was he was really upset about it. He was he's getting really emotional. You could tell he's really frustrated and

So it was wow.

That was a that was a fun I very much remember that fight like every and I remember like driving home, you know, talking to my dad about it, you know, probably mildly concussed and yeah, but I just remember like how excited my dad was and how like, I don't know, he just he could talk about boxing forever, and you know, like when you come back from like a baseball game you won, and it was kind of like that same.

Yeah, but there's probably a little more.

There's probably I mean, like our dad, we won you know, big games and had big hits and all that kind of stuff, and our dad got pump because he was a baseball player, right, like almost played in the league

I would be Yeah, he was pumped about it. I remember that that was kind of the yeah, basically the theme. And you know he was my corner man too, so you know it's probably you know, it's not just random kid. It's like his son, you know, no doubt man, Like he's like, you know, it probably sucked, yeah for him to watch me get hit like that. Oh sure and be like damn it, like I could throw the talent any minute and in this right now.

Sure.

Yeah, It's just it's you know, it's a dynamic I never really understood as a kid until I got older, and uh, yeah, it's that's that's pretty intense.

Oh, I can't imagine.

All right, we got to get a little game for you. We're gonna. I'm gonna.

I'm just gonna say two names, and you say who would win in a boxing match?

Okay, okay, and.

We're not gonna no talk, no discussion about it. You just say this guy would win, this guy would Okay, Trump for Biden boxing match. I'm not talking about a president.

We're not trying to right now, not like ding ding right here, man, My money's on Biden, Okay. I think he might like come out and just I don't know the old man. I don't think Trump can fight.

Yeah, yeah, he looks a little.

People that talk about how good they can fight are the ones that almost always can't.

List take that to heart.

I've never heard a dude, I've never heard of politician ever talk about how much they can fight. Besides, is he.

Talking about how you can fight?

He does, yeah, yeah, he talks about how he's a great fighter and.

You can't fight. Yeah, okay, here we go. Don't know okay right now, right now, Tyson holy Field.

Oh shoot right now, Tyson?

Yeah, bi yeah, Al Dean, Luke Bryan.

Mm hmm, My money's on al Dean.

All right, Hardy or Morgan.

Ship that'd be a drawl, okay, scrappers, crappers, all right, Luke Combs jelly roll uh oh, Jelly a jelly boxer talked a lot about rocks and yeah, jeep him.

All right, Mega Maroney, Laney, Wilson.

Laney.

What that? Miranda or Ella Langley?

Mm oh, I saim Miranda. I'm sorry, I would too. I don't know Ella enough.

She's scrappy dog, she scraped.

I'm sure she is too, She's Alabama scrappy.

Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg.

I think Musk, Yeah, I would do. He gotta be ches, yeah, chess Zuckerberg. Yeah, he might throw him at an arm bar or something. But I feel like Elon might just body slam him or something.

Okay, weird one. Mickey Mouse Donald Duck.

Donald Donald Wait wait, I wanted I want to know psyche behind why you got you went Donald so fast?

Everything else was so I just I just don't think Mickey has that dog in him.

He's got that mouse in him.

Bro, Yeah, he ain't got that duck in him.

Uh yeah, Like ducks are tough. What are we talking about?

You know what?

Man?

I just.

Shut Yeah, I just think he got that duck. Donald got that dog in him he's gonna. It's just more of an attitude.

I mean he gets mad.

He gets mad a little bit. A grizzly or a gorilla. We're boxing here, a grizzly.

I got to Yeah those claws, man, you can't with that.

Okay, last one?

Me or Dan? Don't say draw? Don't say draw.

Dan?

God, dang it. Wow, look at I'll put it right now that.

Look at that that he's got it that he fixed his hair this morning, Steven.

I had to look how good he looks.

Jeez, just because you didn't somebody else.

Tough one.

I have a brother to me, that's why.

Because we win. I mean we just went that.

He probably whooped my ass, but he's he's probably he was actually a better boxer than me. He's an incredible boxer.

How much would it take for me to knock you out in this room right now? How much money for.

My asked boxing questions?

Okay, I'm just asking for me that this gotta take a clean shot.

Yeah, wait, I would rather pay to watch you knock down now.

Yeah, millions. You couldn knock him. He would take millions for just man, you could kill me?

Well, no, I couldn't. I'm just saying, you're.

Looking to see those arms. Dudes, Okay, I kill you sixteens. It doesn't take a lot about it.

Back on now listen, I'm just saying, I like, that's what I'm wondering. Like everybody has a number, right, Like if somebody walked and said, okay, I'm gonna knock you out, will you take five hundred thousand dollars?

I would? Yeah, I take that.

Yeah, I just wondering what the number is.

What's yours?

Are you going to land on like a mattress?

You put a mattress behind me?

Yeah, you understand the conditions. I'm not going to hit my head on a heart.

No, No, we're putting everything.

It's just like you get a knockout. I mean, I'm talking about west ankle.

Like boom, Yeah, I mean, do you break my jaw? Amount of work for true.

I go, I go the same I go a tractor so thirty jeez.

Yeah, if you gave me a John Dear bucket with a bucket, and and you gave me you like Steve.

Bush Hog and a dish we're tailor, Yeah, let.

I let I'd let him knock me out, all right? Soybody tractor from mocking me.

Outne's probably a little over than that.

I'd probably take forty.

Stephen's like, oh man, hey you talked about earlier. Thanks for just obviously just vomiting a lot of boxing information that we probably of.

Course, and I asked way too much. Just uh an enthusiast. I am no expert. There are boxing coaches that know just like volumes. Yeah, but it's awesome.

It's it's also to talk to It's also to talk to somebody that knows that though knows anything about it, because we don't talk to people that know anything about boxing. I love watching fights and and uh and and my dad was a huge boxing fan. No one's a huge, but like we watched all the big fights and and and all that. So it's fun to hear somebody talk about it like you do.

I mean, it's very cerebral. A lot of people think it's it is brutal, but it is brilliant too, Like when you see the the real technicians out there, it's like playing chess with your fists, and you really want to so much more.

I want to ask so much. I don't know.

That's so interesting when you see all the setups and you see the traps, and you see what they're willing to take to set up a trap. You see, can or take a he'll take a left hook just so he can set it. Yeah, to think that he's going to take it again, but this time he won't be there, yea. To be willing to take a punch, to give a punch to get somewhere. Yeah, and to see that whole pretty beautiful.

It's kind of beautiful.

It's a great, great little dance.

I could talk about it. Yeah, I could too.

Hey, you talked about like being in a deer stand earlier and that whole thing.

Where.

How did the outdoors play into your childhood or did it was your dad?

I mean that's always I still want to be in the woods. I always wanted to be in the woods. I love it, loved it, and you know.

I would.

I started hunting very young, squirrel hunting, a rabbit hunting, and yeah, it just how we started squirrels. We had a lot of squirrels growing on. Come on, and my dad could cook him really well.

Frown biscuits and gravy or how'd he do them?

He would usually uh, when we'd skin him, cut him in half. And then put him in a baking dish, like a glass baking dish, and then he'd put him in the oven kind of like two like two twenty

That's made right there, dude.

Yea, yeah, I would eat there right now.

Yeah, it was really good. That's we'd eat that on Sunday. Just try to pick the buckshot out of them.

Yeah, literally, damn, that'll hurt you.

It'll hurt your Yeah, it's probably not good for you either, good for but yeah, I mean that's you know where I started hunting, and we always like processed everything, like and white tails. You know, I didn't you know, start hunting white tail until I got old enough to we get to go sit out in the woods by myself, you know, Like my dad wanted to teach me hunting, but he also didn't want to be bothered with all.

We could just come walk in through.

That valley and boom pop them about thirty forty yards and he'd be dragging a deer out of there almost every time. And then he would go park me I got one hundred yards plus leaning up against a tree on another ridge, hoping that we would kind of scare

And uh, I'm on a ridge right now in Wayne County listening to you say this, Like I know the tree I'm sitting on in my childhood, watching the watching all.

Yeah, So there were no deer stands really at that time, but then we eventually got into deer stands because it just became easier to have like a spot that was consistent and uh, and that's what I've hunted white tail out of, mostly because.

I got into our tree and stuff.

And it's just when you get into that aspect though, it's very hard to shoot him on the ground, but you can.

Yeah, you still try to. You still try to get out there, still try to hot when you got to.

When I have time, it's his time is becoming rare and rare.

Yeah, especially if you're playing, if you're playing four shows a week, you ain't got time.

Yeah, like to go out and proper scout and get your places set. There's just so much preparation and deer hunting for sure, and yeah, if you're going to do it right, and you know, if you're gonna shoot archery. You need to be out there and shooting your arrows.

You got.

There's all kinds of reasons.

You take your bowt with you on the road.

Uh no, I should. But is this hard to find a place to safely?

Yeah, people get weird.

That's a that's a quick arrow.

I think we found I found bow hunting later in life too. My dad did a little bit, but but he was more, you know, rifle hunter, rifle season. And I found bow later in life. Archery and and and honestly, to me, man, it's I don't I don't think I knew it at the time, but it was it was more of a therapy than anything else for me, just to clear my mind and and and get out there and something else right, like like boxing or golf. Like nobody is doing it for you. You're you're doing it

I love archery season, I love bow hunting. Yeah, all of it.

I like muzzleloader hunting. That's my favorite season of the guns season. We grew up hunting muzzleloaders later, but my dad always twenty gage shot.

That was a single shot no matter what season.

Yeah right, you know, just rifled, slug matter, never anything else hardcore about it. Had like electrical tape to kind of keep it together. It is the yankiest gun.

Still have it.

Oh yeah, that's awesome.

Yeah, things, I'll never get rid of that thing.

Is it a like a.

Bolt, you know, break action? A single shot?

That's awesome. That's got gauge.

He's got a twelve that he that partner that New England or that he's got same as.

I mean, that's all he turkeys break. Actually we caught the mule kids.

Oh dude, they're brutal. I have a twelve gauge single shot. That's my home production. Can't go wrong with that. But uh but yeah, but muscle orders, man, as far as hunting, those are like my favorite rifles as far as you know you got one shot usually totally. I love that at to get closer a little bit and like being with them, just go rambo on that.

Feel that man.

Yeah, it feels a little uh, it makes it a little sporting, yea, rather than just he's eight hundred yards. Yeah, you know it's so ridiculous at this point. Yeah, a little more intimate like that, you know.

Yeah, all right, moving on to music, Uh, you you reference don't take the Girl as being a huge song for you and and an impactful song and and how it just kind of, you know, messed you up a little bit and kind of got your mind on songwriting and that whole thing.

Can you just walk us through that that that.

Process from there to I mean honestly, from there to the to the standby me moment you had on stage.

Yeah, well it's a hell of a path, by the way, years on the room. Yeah, no, it's it started on a school bus. We were the first kids on, the last kids off, so that it was like a long school bus ride too, because we were like those rural route yeah, like farm kids.

Yeah.

And so then again get you early, get out, we.

Get Yeah, school started at eight thirty, We get picked up at seven and and then same ninety minute right home because we were the last kids off. So I spent like three hours a day on a school bus. Wow, five days a week times, over many weeks a year. A lot of times I went to school and and it was just straight up eighties and nineties country and like sometimes classic country the whole time. There's no way you're going to anything else. Yeah, bus radio driven by

School bus drivers are kind of I mean, they're probably not in real life. They might be, but like as a kid, I would ride the school bus from middle school to my buddy's house or actually elementary school. Then we'd run in my buddy's house and that's where we get picked up. But I was always afraid of them. There was always like this mystical like you don't even you're just like, you know, do the thing, don't say thanks, just dap run over.

My dad was a school bus driver, so I had like a lot of respect him because he drive the bus as well, the morning and afternoon route to kind of it was his side hustle working at the shop. But anyway, So I had like a revered bus drivers. My dad made sure I was always respectful for the bus driver, like and uh so, yeah, I always had that kind of fear. And this dude was like tough.

You know my mom.

You know, I had a lot of concerns about my mom as a kid. She was in some like dangerous relationships with other men, and she lived in Tennessee, and so I was always just like terrified that something bad was going to happen to her. And when that song came on, I was able to like copy and paste. For whatever reason, that song had nothing to do with my situation.

I was able to copy and paste.

The characters of it for like four minutes. It was like a little miniature movie, you know, disclosure and everything like that whole thing, and I was like, what the hell just happened to me? And that was like my song just happened. That's when I realized, oh, like this music isn't just sounds and beats and notes and rhymes. It's like their experiences. There's like something bigger to it.

And different moments of time. I can still see the music video in my head right now. Yeah, I mean that was thirty oh mom' forty ones as thirty years ago basically.

Yeah, see it's interesting.

It's interesting that you can you can see the actual video right yeah. See I can't, I don't, I couldn't. I couldn't tell you what them, but I know what the music video to me looks like, Like I know my scenarios of that song in my brain, and it's probably not even close to the video, but yeah they're there, you know, And yeah that's crazy.

Yeah it's I'm in that same boat. I think like it was almost like my own movie somehow, like you know, I was the star of it, you know, And I don't know how that all happened. It was like a crazy alchemy, a science that I didn't understand, and uh, but was kind of determined to or at least try to.

I don't still the same same with everything you just said. I mean, even as a kid, I wanted to figure out why it meant so much to me? Why why it? I mean even I mean, I'm I'm singing Garth Brooks songs, you know, about some old lady and him having sexual relations. And I'm eight years old, you know what I'm saying, I mean, and singing it as hard as I possibly can.

Why is something like that relate?

I hadn't been through anything like like you were just saying about, don't take the girl? What is any It wasn't even had nothing to do with your certain situation. But like those songs are relevant, you know, and and and as a kid, you're you're able to just like put, you know, place yourself in those tunes, man. And I mean that's why they're so those kind of tunes are so cornerstone moments in your life.

You know.

Yeah, And then you know, then I found out, you know, they were written by these Nashville songwriters, Larry Johnson and Craig Martin. And I found out, you know much later actually that like, wow, people are getting rooms in Nashville and write these songs that kind of changed my life. That's how does that all go down? And so the mystery of Nashville was kind of that's when it presented itself to me. And I used to drive through Nashville. My mama lived in Smyrna, and we used to drive

Was the food was the was the uh the food plant you worked at? Was that the one off of eight forty down in spring Hill? Yes, yes, sir, that's the one that is the Mars food plant.

Yeah.

It wasn't fully developed when I was working there, but I was. I was working there while it was being built.

Okay, got you.

I never actually got to step foot in it functionally, but older I remember when we were building it. I had my own lab on the outskirts of in Williamson County.

It was I liked my lab.

Can you drop like one little quick gross food fact for us that liked something we should not eat ever in this life?

Uh? Like it just a product? Sure, man?

You see like hot dogs being made like it's rough.

I just smoked like yeah, we just went to Chattanooga and cooked them over a fire all week.

Yeah. I mean when you see the ball dog extruded meats, when you smell it in a meat like it really ruins it for you. Yeah, like it's really tough for me.

No more hot dogs.

No, I'm not saying no more hot dogs. I mean, I'm just saying that's That's one of the more eye opening experiences I had in the in the food business.

I can't get the video of watching chicken nuggets being made.

Yeah, those are pretty gnarly too. And also as a p s A one thing I learned, hot dogs kill a lot of humans every year from choking. Like they're one of the highest choking hazards. And if you want to eliminate that hazard almost entirely, when you after you cook your hot dog, you cut it diagonally. Oh yeah, long waist a ways and you won't ever choke on it again. So if you have kids, just the cylindric,

This is what I wanted to Yeah, for sure.

That's crazy.

So cut them, cut them. Everybody cut hot dogs. It's easy. Yeah, it's like, don't take your thumb now whatever, cut your hot dogs.

Yeah, hot dog They're not that good.

He looked at the camera and say that, Okay, can you tell us can you talk about so that that's your songwroute experience a little bit? Can you talk about the STANDBYO meme moment you had? And uh and kind of how would all the switch happened?

Yeah, but that that song always like scared the hell out of me. Excuse me, I don't know why. Sorry, I've been singing all weekend. My voice is kind of thrashed. Yeah, for ever since I was a kid, that that song had this haunting ability behind it.

I don't I don't fully know why.

And I would just be playing it in my living room occasionally I would play it and these like little bluegrass jams. I used to just kind of go sit in on in blue grass circles and just pick and but you know, sometimes you know, you need a standard to play, and they'd be like, you got something to play? And I'd like, I do, I got this weird stand by me thing? I do so i'd throw it out. We don't jam on it. That's the only time I

One of my god, it was.

A great guy and he's like, if you feel like playing songs, play songs, yea. If you don't bring your guitar anyway, you never know something like that, and that's I brought my guitar, and but I was like a shell, hardly slept in a week, and you know, I was in bad shape. And I did end up playing like around there and just kind of kind of got back used to singing in front of people again, and it

Everybody did a cover.

And I was like, man, I don't I don't really have. I don't know a lot of covers. I've never been in cover bands. I really just didn't have much outside of this stand by me thing I've been playing in my living room. So I did a quick work tape of it in the hotel room and sent it to the band. I was like, it's a little bit different, but you know, this is it and this is how it goes to me, and they were like they charted it.

Great clarity.

Of what I was supposed to be doing with my life from that point on, because I never thought of myself as an as a performer, an artist, a singer or whatever, like just I just wanted to be a songwriter. And you know, my dad, he would listen to my work tapes and be like, why don't you just go sing him? What are you doing, you know, waiting for somebody else to sing this? You sound fine? And I'd like, yeah,

Now, wow, man.

And you know, in the wildest way. And this is what blows my mind about it. He felt like a little kid on my shoulders.

Yeah.

It gives like a reverse, a reversal. Yeah, it was. He felt very, very close, and it was like, honestly, like a drug, you know, like they say, like heroin addicts are like always chasing that first Yeah, thang, So I think that's you doing. Now I'm doing now, That's what I'm doing. It's just chasing that moment.

I mean, how could not? How could you not?

I mean, you you lose the most important thing to you and then all of a sudden you feel it again. He's there again, and you're not supposed to chase that again.

I don't. I don't think there's anything wrong with chasing that honestly.

Yeah. So that's where that song came from. That's why I keep playing it, and that's why I'm really doing everything.

It's beautiful, Yeah, it's beautiful.

It's well done too, man, I mean it's it's the thank you what do they call it interpolation or something now is the technical term for it.

Whatever you when you make another song your own.

Man, it's.

I never really connected that to that song until I heard you do it, truthfully. I mean I know the song, you know forever, but man, it's it's uh, you can tell it comes from a different spot than just you play a cover, you know, But.

I feel like that, yeah, and I feel like you made that song your own, but even the whole Son of a Dad record, man.

It is that way. I feel like every you were.

Talking about songs being experiences and songs songs being more than just words and lyrics, and I feel like every song on that record is that for me, you know, Like I mean all all like all the all the wars falling out. It's so good, man, such such a cool cool idea and kid and and a year.

To be young.

They're just it's just a great product. Man, it's a great It's a great representation. I feel like I don't even know you that well of you and and where you come from and what you believe in and what you stand for and what you love. Man, And uh, that's a that's a great record.

Thank you.

Read I appreciate. It's a great record.

We put a lot of work into it, and if anything like back to that, don't take the girl. Like I just wanted to try and.

Pay that forward. Whatever that was.

It felt like, you know, that's that's our our duty as songwriters to maybe carry that on because I think, you know, that generation was really profound, you know, from a songwriting standpoint. Yeah, And I think what we do here in this town is really special and and I hope you know this is just, if anything, just one brick in the wall of where country music goes. If if I can be just that, I would be grateful.

Yeah, I think they are. Are you having that kind of an impact?

Man?

People?

People love what you're doing. We love what you're doing, and uh, I wish we could do this for another two hours.

You're currently on the Good Time the sold Out tour, the Son of a Dad Tour.

Do you have anybody who's Does anybody go out with you right now? Yeah?

We've had Anna Voss, she's great. Stephanie Lambering was out with us just this weekend. Zandy Hollop and Kaylee Hammock. Oh yeah, we have some of these are all my friends and some of my favorite artists, and they're really incredible songwriters, and so I like to really give them their acoustic openers too. So they just want my audience to see that. And that's a big part of our show too, is like it's you know, my model as an artist is like, you know.

Bluebird to Bridge Stone kind of thing. You know. I love that I can figure.

Out how to get that there and and make sure that's a big part of it. The storytelling.

That's awesome.

Uh.

Featured on the new Dirk S. Bentley song colber Can. The Great Tune is fun.

Thank you. Yeah, man, it's fun to make it.

That I really liked about that too, was that you see a title like that and you think you as a songwriter, I feel like I already I knew what that song was going to be, and then I listened to the song and it was completely different.

And that was that was what I.

Loved about it, that that it wasn't it wasn't just a run bill too.

Man, It's got some meat. Thank you, so well done.

I appreciate that little little Nashville wordplay. Yeah, I mean, I'm a sucker for it. I mean, that's that's really the white Buffalo. For me, I mean, having played in indie bands, written indies songs, and been admirers of abstract songwriting and many other kinds of songwriting, I feel like just a great country song with perhaps a twist and be one of the you know, the hardest ones to write.

Yea.

To me, it's like the the white Buffalo out there that you just times is really hard to come across, and so I always always revere those songs. Even though sometimes they can come across simplistic, they are far more complex in their creation.

To tell you, guys for sure, No, I know exactly what you're saying. All right, pick up, Man's a great a great point. Yeah, that song is such it feels so fun and so easy, but when you dive into what that song.

Does, it took a genius to write that.

Yeah, you know, Harry Kurt Phillips, Yes, sir.

All right, last question and we'll get to graverite. By the way, thanks for coming, dude, this has been.

Especially a hard week.

Yeah, absolutely, no, I'm happy to do it. Man, appreciate you all.

You said, I don't know if this interview or something, but you said it's hard to match the intensity of fighting another human being in front of a bunch of people. I've got to be super grateful to my father for giving me that gift, because he didn't really know what to do with a weirdo kid like me. I was good at school as a nerdy scientist and I love me music. But its contribution was for me to develop that boxing acumen, which comes in handy for all the

Well, I mean I think I kind of look at the whole thing as a as a big fight, like com in maybe round two at best, uh in a one hundred round fight or whatever. But you know, I think you're gonna win rounds, lose rounds. But let's see, I mean, my biggest fight was when I quit my job as a scientist. Like there was like a three year period of uh, you know, I was waiting tables and bartending and like nobody gave a damn about any

On them, and you know, how's the music thing going? Yeah, yeah, exactly.

And I was working like fine dining or whatever.

You like, some more sweet teeth.

You weren't living with that Rascal Flats put a song on hold, yeah, and they didn't at that time, not even that like like I didn't even have like a publishing prospect.

I had nothing, like it was just like hoping somebody would write with me at that point. And then I really just kind of jumped off a cliff and didn't really have any prospects lined up. But I knew like if I, if I did that, like just out of sheer desperation, I would maybe connect something together. Because it wasn't I wasn't able to do it like parallel path to my science job because it was just that job

And that's one cool thing.

And then you gotta go to like you know, writers' rounds to meet writers. You gotta go to everything. You just it was just kind of like NonStop for three years. It's hard for me to even like recognize that guy. Sometimes, I'm like, who that dude was crazy at that time.

But you gotta do what you gotta do in the ring, man, Yeah, it's like some kind of like taking that fight in Kentucky it's like sometimes you just gotta go right show up.

Yeah exactly.

I mean I don't recognize that guy that was fighting Kentuckians, Like I don't you know, that guy is like crazy and but you know then I look back at that guy that quit that job and and did all that for three years until like this guy, Na Chris Oglesby at BMG heard one of my weird songs and literally signed me on the spot, and it pretty much changed my life from that point on.

Yeah.

Yeah, i'd say that's a that's around you one for sure, Yes, ten, eight Your Way.

Yeah and full Circle.

My first cut it ended up not getting released was it was by Tim mcgirl pretty poetic, yeah, and it was thanks to mister Oglesby. I'll never forget the day I had this work tape. I'd just written it and and he he he got to the first chorus and he was like his eyes were like got real big.

You know, he's like a man.

A few words so he just grabbed it and just took off running and like and they were pitching it for a g for what it's worth.

It was for what It's worth and yeah.

And then you miss he was up there and he played it, He's like, you got to hear this right now, and you know, I just like signed my deal. It was really wild and she's like, oh, I love this, I'll play it for Tim. And then you know, a week later she was like, hey, you just ordered it. And you know, it was just a really cool, like full circle like if anything, like a God nod that maybe you're doing, maybe you're where you're supposed to be. If anything at that job, you know, is as great

Yeah, sure, yeah, Well my nod is not anywhere the affirmation that God's is. But I can tell you I believe you're You're right where you're supposed to be.

Man.

And I think and I think the I think the world. I think the world of music period, not country music, but just the world. The listeners of good music are finding out about you now and and finding outbout finding out about your songs, and and I think you're touching lives across across the world, man, across the planet, and I appreciate you, know what you're doing and the songs you're writing and the truth you're telling.

I think you reed.

I never appreciate it.

We do a favorite thing at the end, just a cornerstone song for you, which it might be Don't Take the Girl, or.

It's obviously don't Take the Girl, but I mean there's another one understand by me. Those man, it's a song.

You love, oh man, A favorite song that's like just had a profound effect on.

HM.

My Name is Jonas by Weezer.

Yeah, yeah, Like that's.

The Blue album, isn't it.

Yeah, I'll tell you a weird story.

I think.

I think the Statute of Limitations is okay on this for sure the only time, Like I'm I've never stolen anything in my life and I never will. Like it's just not part of my My dad just hated thieves and like it was just not something you could ever do. But I heard this song my Name is Jonas on the radio one day and it stopped me in my tracks. I was like, what the hell is this? I have to hear this again? And I found out it was on the Weezer blue album, and I went to a

I was ready to go to jail.

To have it.

I was remember walking out that door that slid open. I was just waiting for that buzzer to me what you need to do.

I'm ready, I'm ready for it. I'm willing to take it. I walked right out, nothing went off, and.

You know what I bet over? So I've stolen? Did you take the city out of the cassette? Like? Did you open the mean the plastic? You do open the plastic? They get that.

Little like bar code of some shady ship. Get that out of there. It's shady. But I was like, that's how much that song profoundly affecting.

I was willing to.

Jail get my ass beat by my dad repeatedly like he would have. It would have been bad, but it had been bad, but worth it. That's how much that song.

That's a great story. That's a great story.

Man.

Thanks for coming on hanging out here with absolutely.

Come back.

Hey, we got a gift for you to Covis uh sponsorship. Give a pair of Covis for you.

You know how they call him to COVID.

I don't.

We probably should because they took over your feet.

Songwriter, look at him.

You're welcome to COVID. Hey cut that because we got to have that credit. Yeah for that little nugget.

Get in there, dog, Get in there dog ten and a half d.

Does that work for you if you If you need another one, we'll slip baby there you get absolutely.

Thanks for coming on.

You're awesome. Come back, pay y'all. Check Stephen Wilson Junior out. He's on the road all year doing his thing. Sold out to our son of a dad.

Bro. You're you're awesome. Thanks for hanging out with us. Thank you. The town loves your music. Please keep maybe, please keep making it for us. The world love your music.

Yeah, thank you, gentlemen, thanks for hanging out God's country with us.

We'll check out next time. See