And it's so great to be with you, especially when not only do we get to hear a fantastic bumper like that, a great country tune, but we have the artist behind it here in studio to yeah, have a Jimmy jam session, and to talk about a new organization founded last year that's really catching steam, the Mountain West
Country Music Association. To dive into this. The guy who you just heard playing guitar singing the tune there, Michael Sweat, joins me here in studio, a US Army veteran of the Special Forces turned country artist extraordin are welcome, brother, Good to have you.
Yeah, thanks Jamine, thanks for having me. I appreciate it being on the air with you.
Before we get into your association, we'll play a couple of tunes.
We'll have a good time, of course, but.
Let's talk a little bit about yourself.
How did you get to this point of performing country music and with the association that we're going to talk about founding that as well? Is the life journey in a nutshell of course of Michael Sweat?
Yeah, sure, So.
I've been playing music on and off for a couple of decades, but during a career in the military, it's pretty tough to sustain success. And I generally specialized in more of like the rock and metal genres when I was younger, but I always wanted to do a country project.
And it reminds me of, you know, being a kid in my.
Dad's shop, stealing cheer wines and listening to country music. And I grew up near the great Randy Travis, and so he was always very influential to me, and I just wanted to.
Do a country project for myself.
So talk to us a little bit about what music was like for you in your military service, because you spent over two decades in the US Army and doing Special Forces. Retired last September as of last year as a sergeant major. And to me, if you're in multiple combat tours and all the stressors that come with that, music almost has to be a therapeutic outlet for you.
Yeah, it absolutely was, and I think it was kind of a constant throughout my career. A lot of my coworkers would be upset if they didn't see the guitar because they got so used to me dragging it around the world and a lot of campfires and a lot of countries we decompressed over over some you know, songs around the fire and just playing some music and trying to, you know, get some Catharsis out of it, if you will.
Now, when it comes to country music, especially going back to some of those roots and you know the musical stylings that influenced you as a performer of country music, what is that like for you? What is it that you most enjoy about it as a genre?
Man?
I think country is probably the most fun genre to play, if I'm being honest. And my favorite part is just the experiences that you can facilitate from the stage. And it gives us such a thrill when we see the eighty something year old couples out there that they brave the elements until nine to thirty pm or so just to dance and spend some time together. And you can watch that happen and realize they've been doing that for fifty years and just being a to be a part of it's pretty special.
Today in the Denver Gazette, in addition to my normal column that I have on Fridays, I also have a featured story in the Arts section about everything we're going to be discussing today army that builds Nashville alternative Mountain West Country artists. This is a story in the Denver Gazette today and the big reason why we've got Mike here in studio. Tell us a bit about the genesis of the Mountain West Country Music Association.
Absolutely, so, I.
Just, you know, as I was going on my own musical journey and you know, forming a band and trying to grow it and actually get somebody to let us play on their stage for dollars, I begin to realize how difficult that was, in fact, and how tough it was to build those relationships and to make reasonable pay and to advance in a career out here. And a lot of people feel like they have to leave the Mountain West to do that, and we see a lot of talent go to Nashville or Austin or places like that.
And I just realized over a couple of years that my band, Red Mountain Highways, had a lot of success and we've come from those you know, three or four hundred dollars bar gigs and made our way into the multi thousand dollars shows. And I just felt like if I could do it as a hobby player, as a full time you know, military guy. Then then everyone else can probably do it too, and there's probably some lessons that we could share to to sort of help the entire scene improve.
So, Michael sweat from those lessons, what is your association built around in terms of the ways that you're trying to empower and help other artists in this genre succeed?
Yeah.
Sure, So you know when we talk about our three main lines of effort, you know, it's to support and develop up and coming artists, to cultivate passion for country music, and then to bring regional and national talent to the towns and cities that we serve. Right So within that, there's a lot of things that we do. We try to improve marketing campaigns for our artists and venues help them do a better job of getting people to those rooms.
We focus a lot on the professionalization of the actual artists in the scene, So education is a big piece of this, and then it's just really sharing those relationships and that professional credibility to where you know, we have a pro artist pipeline where people can start out as an artist and then they have to go through an application process through our board of directors and if approved, they get pro artist status, which gives us a lot
of confidence to vouch for those folks. So if I have a great rep you know, relationship with a venue that maybe's paying more like three or four thousand dollars for gigs, I can recommend these guys without hesitation and connect them with the relationships that the rest of us have already built.
And that aspect of the venues is really important too, because a lot of times they want the best acts that they can get and they would like to have
a way to figure that out more easily. And so from what I take away from the Association that one of the big things is to sort of provide a little bit of vetting for some of these bands that then they can a venue can look at them and say, Okay, here's a ban I would like, let me reach out and maybe the Mount West Country Music Association can put me in touch.
Yeah, one hundred percent.
And we view that as kind of one of the valuable services that we can provide to venue owners as industry members. You know, whether you're a small room that's looking for a four hundred dollars act or whether you're looking to fill up a giant ballroom and pay a few thousand. You know, if an artist is a member of the Mountain West Country Music Association, it at least
shows you that they're invested in their professional career. They spent a little money, they're spending some time, they're working on networking, they're working on self improvement, and I think that's going to make most of them, you know, a notch above the other options that are out there.
Michael Sweat here in studio.
He has his own band, Red Mountain Highway, and as we're talking about, is the founder executive director of the Mountain West Country Music Association. In a moment, we'll pick up the converse and get to talking a little bit more about the association and some of the things that are happening. But first we got to have a little bit of music. You've got that guitar there, You've got that tremendous voice.
I want to hear that hart.
I've got my briefcase full of blues that always loves to play some country music.
What are we going to do first?
So this is a song that I wrote for Miss Christian Overstreet, A beautiful lady sitting.
Over there in the corner. I wrote it for her for her birthday.
So I've only played it a couple of times, so if I mess it up, it's probably your fault.
Jimmy.
I'm going to take full responsibility if something happens, but I don't think it will. Let's play some music. Mike sweat here in the studio.
Wal along the room, weird heavy boots.
I'm tracking my projects, kind us and Noitchius.
You stand strong from your every load. We you wild like you read it.
Soft is the gone, with eyes like the sky, the clouds roun gone.
I broke in my shop, good things before built in my walls.
You can be skiing with.
The mood, the firing, my flalls, the cold night.
You get stars in the sky. If I run a light, got noise easy and into more standing the rain.
I'll er the storm because your card we're starting food.
To talk of the time, sun, rain and might not be perfect, it's perfect.
Westix, guys, river and cast.
But when I look at and you risk loud and flown, that leads to the line swear a be.
Taller side, fire in the fast, the cold night, falls in the sky, the run out of line, noise.
Easy looks, boom and the too long standing away.
The storm to fure the cad. We're fucking food.
Fun of Bop Colne, you.
Get stars in the sky line, easy.
To stand in the.
Leader. You're the cat fighting food. You the cab, We're fighting food. Beautiful.
Nice job, dude, Nice job to you.
It sounds like you've been playing that for a while. Good job once again. Michael Sweat joining us here in studio. Got a name for that tune, brother, Well, I'm waiting on Kristen to tell me what the name is right now. We're calling it Kristen Song until she comes up with something else. There you go. By the way, I should mention that Kristen over Street is also marketing director for the Mountain West Country Music Association.
Yeah, that's right.
Now. Let me ask you about the name Mountain West because you're not just talking about Colorado. It implies something broader in scope. Tell us about the vision that you and the folks you're working with across the state of Colorado right now have for growth.
Yeah, for sure.
So it's a five year, seven state plan and at the end of the day, we kind of just feel like the Mountain West has historically been a tough place to succeed in music, and there hasn't been much continuity between those states and those cities, so we anticipate Right now we're mostly focused in Colorado. We've got three chapters here in Colorado Springs, Denver, and Northern Colorado.
We're looking to grow two more chapters.
In Southern Colorado and Wyoming just after the New year in January. But we do anticipate that the entire organization will be comprised of members from Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico and maybe the Black Hills region of South Dakota. We've had a few of those guys reach out and say, hey, scoop us up too, so we'll see what happens then.
The vision and I talk about this in my article for the Denver Gazette under Arts and Entertainment today, also in the Colorado Springs Gazette. And you're based in Colorado Springs, so I'm happy to see that. It seems like you really are trying to create a sort of alternative, especially for more localized artists, to the Nashville scene.
Yeah, one hundred percent.
I mean it's no secret that you know Nashville has a type that's preferred, if you will.
And you know, I grew up in the South.
I've been in Colorado for twenty one years, so this is home and I consider myself a Western country artist now. And you know, historically we've struggled to break into that market and Austin. You could say the same for Austin in some ways. And there's just a really mature Texas scene and a mature red dirt scene through Oklahoma.
And Texas and Nashville.
But I think most of the artists in the Mountain West have kind of been on their own through the years, and when we look around, we go, well, why is that there's outstanding music? You got great cities between Colorado Springs and Denver and Cheyenne and Salt Lake City, there's plenty of opportunity. I just feel like no one really has made the effort to curate the scene and unite the clans the way that we're trying to do it.
Talk to us a little bit about the expansion in terms of the chapter. So in my story, I talked with Brian Brooks of Brian Brooks Sundown Rising, which has just been that's just over a year in and they're crushing it. And he is the head of the brand new Northern Colorado Chapter. I also talked with Rachelle Patino Heineke, who's the president of the Denver chapter, her vice president being Ryan Chris of Ryan Chris rough Cuts, a tremendous
advocate for Colorado's country music scene. So talk to us a little bit about some of the acts that are involved in things that are happening in Northern Colorado on Denver.
And Colorado Springs. Absolutely.
Absolutely, what you know, what it really comes down to is that we were really looking to connect with people that are serious about country music, that are respected in the community, and that buy in this vision that we're propagating, you know, saying, hey, all the ships rise on the swelling tide.
At the end of the day, if we work together, we are better. Yeah.
And you know, you talk about guys like Ryan Chris. He's been out here doing this a long time. Everybody loves him, super well respected, great band, and he knows a lot of people and has a lot of relationships.
And connections and he can certainly serve as a mentor or to, you know, artists that are.
Up and coming, developing, and Brian Brooks, my dear friend up with Sundown Rising. They're fantastic and Brian's the same way. He's been around the community a long time. He's got a lot of respect, and so we just feel real fortunate to just have such powerhouses on board with us. And you know, Rachelle, for what it's worth, we're thrilled
to get her. She played a huge role in the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame for another organization, fantastic organization, and the work that she did there was outstanding, and so you know when she ended up coming on board to head up our Denver chapter, we were just thrilled.
We shouldn't be happier.
Now, tell us real quick because we're just about out a time. We got to get another song in. Tell us real quick about the awards event that you have coming up on the twenty fifth the Antler's Hotel in Colorida Springs.
We're super excited.
Yeah, it's the first annual Mountain West Country Music Association Awards. We've got roughly thirty eight nominees and nine different categories and we are doing a full educational symposium, cocktail hour, and a three course plated meal at the Antlers that correlates with a three hour awards show, and the aforementioned Brian Brooks that you brought up is going to serve
as the house band for that. So we'll do about a ninety minute program of events where we announce all the nominees and the winners, and there'll be a few performances throughout that from nominees and winners, and then at the end of the show, we're just gonna have some refreshments and do some dancing and listen to Brian Brooks Sundown Rising play for about ninety minutes.
Beautiful.
On the website for the mount West Country Music Association.
Yeah, Mountain WESTCMA dot org, and you can grab your tickets to the awards show. There, you can learn more about the organization, you can become a member. It's all right.
There, beautiful. Michael Sweat of the.
Mount West Country Music Association and Red Mountain Highway, thanks so much for joining us here on Kawa today.
What a blast, love it man, Thank you so much for having us haw.
We got one more two we're gonna go out to and jam as we head into the weekend. Have a great West of rest of weekend and make God bless America.
I am I ever gonna leave you.
When the sound lose it treat it's wrong. If I can't even see, I won't to.
Have a who do I move on? Even John Warning ain't got a sun set. He quickly got a song. If the stud buys all my god left, I ain't gonna dude wrong.
For Haggin was a cattle.
Let out of Tennessee.
And ripped the lyrics. Move in the band and never found there finding next.
You wish you happy?
It always ride.
For Hank.
It lose a catalog.
I'll bow out before I'm guilty.
Living in the past, It's considered me a memory.
That last.
Every turn to see your you old sign eating on the group on side. You just like to leave him song you remember my good.
Bye hag It was tattling out.
Let out to sea.
We it's over in the bad, but I finding it out next you wish you happy?
Let his ride. It was a cattleg I sois you of the game? Mandk It was cattle. It was srank.
It was a cattle