This is the most dramatic podcast ever and iHeartRadio podcast. Chris Harrison coming to you from the home office in Austin, Texas. I could not be more excited for my guest today on the show. He is a friend but also one of the most talented human beings I know. He was part of maybe my favorite country band ever, Rascal Flats, And I think that's fair to say. You know, I'm a George straight guy, so George stra would be my favorite artist ever, but for Rascal Flats easily one of
my favorite bands ever. And Jada Marcus was a huge part of that, along with Jodahn and Gary. And when I started getting ready for this podcast, and I started going back over the numbers, and obviously I know these guys, and I knew Rascal Flats was successful. But when I look back and they had seventeen number one hits, thirty three million albums, sold, more than forty trophies from Grammys
to cmas Amas, you name it, People's Choice Awards. They accomplished it all over a two decade run, and then right around the pandemic, right around the time that they had just announced that they were going to do kind of a farewell tour and take a break for some personal reasons that I also want to ask Jay about. It was over and they were gone. Obviously, everything was swept up by the pandemic and touring and life on the road. All that came to an end for all musicians.
But for Rascal Flats it happened at such an inopportune time because they were already in turmoil, They were having trouble and as they of course, they were kind of doing a farewell tour, so that means things were coming to an end in their mind. What has happened since then and what happened in that moment been shrouded in mystery, and no one has really ever talked about it. I haven't heard Jodns speak about it. I haven't heard Jada
Marcus speak about it, or Gary. So I am very curious what happened to one of the most famous bands in the history of not just country music but music in general, that they just disappeared and haven't been seen from again. So I am so grateful for my friend Jada Marcus to come on the show today. Jada Marcus joins me from what appears to be his sound studio office in Nashville, and where are you.
This is my office at Red Street Records.
Red Street Records. Well, I guess that's where we have to jump off right there. What is Red Street Records? You started a label of your own?
I did so, you know, when Rascal Flats was stored. Winding down our touring career, I always knew that I wanted to be on the business side of the music business at some point, so I started out with a little Christian label in twenty eighteen called Reread Street Records.
Signed a couple of buddies of mine.
That I knew were already in the industry, and I first of all wanted to see if it was something that I enjoyed doing and whether I had a knack for it or not. And found out very quickly that it was very rewarding to kind of pass on whatever I'd learned in the music business to younger artists and
kind of passed the baton that way. And then as we started to grow and we had more and more success, the Pandemic hit sort of canceled our Rascal Flats farewell to that we had on the books, and I found a business partner that has been amazing.
He came alongside me and.
Sort of bankrolled the whole thing, and we started a country label. Now we have four country artists for Christian artists. So it's been a really fun thing to watch grow and to build it. It's been really, really, very rewarding.
My favorite business partners are those that'll come in at bank roll the whole thing. Yeah, those are the good ones.
Always better to use someone else's money.
I've heard you mentioned kind of pre Pandemic and Rascal Flats and you guys were about to go out on tour and I was going to come see you guys, and we had plans to meet up. Last time I saw you it was twenty nineteen, again in person the last time. We've texted several times, but last time I think we were at the on that trip with Rob Wriggle. Yeah, up in what month? Were we in Montana? What we were on like a dude ranch?
Yeah, I wasn't or Wyoming, Wyoming.
I think I think you're right. I think we're in Wyom.
Yeah.
Rob Wriggle had some deal with some ranch. We stayed at some hotel. We went fly fishing and horseback riding and played golf and we had a hell of a time. It was a great crew and you, me and Rob, you know, stayed up and had a few cocktails and shared stories.
For a while, we've been known to do that at the time with you. Sure, No, that was great.
That was such a great time. I think he's going to bring that back this year, so I hope to see you there too. The wild West Shootout, you know, Uh, that was it was an absolute blast.
We had a good crew. And uh, I'll be playing in Tahoe this year too, so I'll see him at Oh.
I love that.
It's American Century Classic, you guys. You know, it's funny, full circle moment. The first time I saw you guys in concert is Rascal Flats would always play the week of the American Century Classic there in Tahoe. It usually is, I think in July, early July is and that's where I first saw you guys. I think it was before I even met you.
It probably was, I remember that. And that's before I even played in the tournament.
Because we used to do Friday and Saturday night out there, and it was I would watch jod On and he would just be exhausted, drag him through the weekend so I didn't actually start playing in the tournament until after week had didn't play there anymore.
So it's fun now to just kind of go.
And we do something really fun on Thursday Night now too, as we host Celebrity Karaoke Night, which is really fun.
You got to get up and sing a song with us.
So this is obviously a huge NBC event, and I'm excited. I'm very honored that I got invited this year, and I one hundred percent will be there because I have heard it is the best event, best celebrity golf event. And I played in the AT and T Peble Beach program ironically with Jodn Rooney. Joe Don and I were in the same group with Wyndam Clark and Jason Day and so Joe Don and I would always play together. But coming to Tahoe, come to the America's Century, and
I've heard about Thursday Night Celebrity Karaoke. I will not be a part of this, but I can't wait to see it.
But maybe we can make you a celebrity judge, your guest celebrity judge.
How about that. Here's the thing. You got a guy like Alfonso Roberto, right, and I think it's bullsh that he's a part of it because he's good. He's I know, he's not technically a singer, but the dude can sing. So he's gonna put everybody to shame.
Well, you know, we've we've made a rule to where he can't win it anymore because yeah, so he's kind of just up there for fun.
Now there should be a category of too talented. That's Alfonso. He can dance, he can sing, so you can't compete with that.
No, no, obviously a professional and yeah, and be in the contest.
He knows that though. That's why we do a couple of songs with him.
So here my relation ship with with Rascal Flats is very interesting. First and foremost the biggest fan of the world as most people are, and it is I'll say Rascal Flats is one of those bands when you know those bands where you're like, I think I know some of their songs, Like I think I know a few for sure, and then you go to a concert and you realize there's thirty Rascal Flat songs you know by heart. I'm gonna put you guys, and I don't know if this is fair. I'm gonna also throw out the Goo
Goo Dolls. That's another one of those bands where I'm like, yeah, I probably know some Goo Goo Doll songs. I'm like, holy crap, I just sang every song at your concert, are you know? Word by word from my heart? And so that fandom really misses you guys. And we missed the the final tour, the farewell tour.
Yeah, I appreciate that. Man, first of all, such kind words, Thank you so much. I appreciate that. You know, nobody misses it more than we do. We feel like we were robbed. I was telling somebody the other day. One of the things that's been the hardest to get over was in twenty twenty, we had this farewell tour lined out to do. We were all kind of burned out because we've been together twenty two years and we'd never
had a real break. So we were at that point to where we loved each other, but we looked at each other we were like, at some point we got to take a little time for ourselves and do some things that we hadn't had a chance to do individually
up to that point. So when we were I never will forget this, we were playing a casino in New Jersey and the pandemic had just started to really get legs and it was spreading across America, and we were rushing to get back home, so we canceled our meet and greet because we were afraid of infection spreading and one of us getting COVID. So we did the show. We packed up as quickly as we could, we got
on the buses and headed back home. That was the last time we were all together on the stage and it makes me emotional when I think about it, because we didn't know the last time was the last time, and not to be able to say goodbye to it and give it its proper do has been one of the most painful things in the world.
So, first of all, for the fans.
They've been the most amazing support system ever and they've allowed us to have these incredible lives and careers. Without them, obviously we wouldn't have anything. So, you know, a lot of love and respect and honor should be given to them, and we didn't give we didn't give any of them a chance to come say goodbye to us. That is always something that's really sucked, and I've always hated and regretted, you.
Know, It's funny. I just realized in listening to you talk, I went through something very similar, And I say, you and I am in Rascal Flats and me with the Bachelor of Lauren and I my beautiful wife, and I just did a podcast about this, of not knowing when it's over, of not knowing the last time you're walking off the field, not being cognizant of the fact of this is it, and that that show in New Jersey you didn't have the wherewithal to go, this is the
last time we're all going to be together on the stage. And you and I, you know, obviously when I walked off the Bachelor Show for the last time, I didn't know that. And I didn't have the pageantry and the ceremony of getting to say goodbye on your own terms. And you guys, unfortunately, after two decks over two decades, didn't have that chance to say goodbye.
Yeah, it is. It is something that I live with every day. I mean, I really do. Rascal Flats.
When you when you're part of something and you build it from the ground up and watch it grow and watch people respond to it and people love it, and people identify with your music and your songs, and you've helped them through certain seasons of our lives, and it becomes something more than just a song to other people. That has value to me, That means something, and I
don't take that lightly. So to not be able to give it its proper goodbye or say thank you to those fans that we would have met in twenty twenty and be able to hug them one last time and tell them thank you for an incredible career, it truly is. You know, it's been heartbreaking and it's not something easy to live with every day because I poured so much into it myself that I've not been able to resolve it internally myself either.
So I deal with that every day.
I'm one of those people that hopes we have a chance to stand on stage again together someday so that we're able to at least put some kind of resolution to it.
And I hold out hope every day that we'll get to that point eventually. You know, yeah, I know that.
You know, Joe Don Rudy God bless them, is working on himself and trying to get healthy, and I wish him the very best, and I hope he does kind of conquer those demons that he's been fighting you, And so it's you and Gary right now right that are kind of along with jodon And I guess that you kind of answered a little bit of surely there's room that someday this could happen, you know, even if it's just one of those crazy Grammy moments or whatever where you just all of a sudden, maybe even for one
night only, Rascal Flats is back together. I just maybe it's just being a huge fan. I just I hope, I hope that's a possibility.
Well, I think it's a you know, we we needed to give Jodahn the space and the time to go through some of the things that he needed to go through. You know, he was going through a very painful divorce. There were things here he was dealing with towards the last few years that Gary and I really didn't know the depth of. You know, it's it's easy to go out and sing for a bunch of fans and and have a few cocktails afterward and sort of go to bed.
But it's harder when you're dealing with personal issues, and you're dealing with some personal demons and a rough home life, and that starts to compound and you start to self medicate more than you realize.
And I think that was sneaking up on him. I know it was.
Because we've remained We've remained very, very close through his whole process. I stayed in touch with him, you know, as often as I could while he was in rehab. And I can't tell you how proud I am of
this guy and how he is bounced back. And I haven't seen jodin this healthy and this happy in a long long time, and I'm so proud of him, and he is his sobriety means so much to him right now, and he's working his way through that, and I think he's finally at a place to where he's able to start coming back into the world and be creative again and feeling good about the future and where that may
lead to. So it's been it's been an amazing thing to stand back on the side lines and sort of watch him come through so much and conquer so much, and I just I could not be more proud of.
The man he is and what he's been able to do. Well.
I know, you guys, things got contentious, We'll just say that towards the end, But now that we all have understanding, and like you said, it's it's such a good lesson no matter how successful, and you guys couldn't have been more successful in the industry. You don't know what somebody is going through on the data, and you know, we all judge each other on social media, you know, judge our neighbors, and you see people all the time and you just think, you know, you don't. You don't know
what someone's going through. You don't know their pain, you don't know the depth of it. And so you know, Joe Don I think is a shining example of that. And thank god, I think he's coming through this on the other side. So you know, maybe I think what you just said though, was hopeful. I think, you know, if everybody gets healthy and happy and we come back and maybe we do have the resurrection tour that you know, you guys be the Stones, maybe just go on forever.
Man.
My hope is that it won't be a farewell to her. Maybe we'll be able to come back story we'll appreciate it more than we ever have.
Or you know, I think that's one of the things we took for granted, is that it was just going to go on and on forever, and then you know, COVID taught us otherwise, you know, just when you think you're in control, you're not. And something you said is so true. You never know the shit that people deal with on the inside. And one thing I've learned is to try to be, especially if you care about somebody, to try to be more in tune and more and
not so apprehensive about asking people if they're okay. Sometimes just asking someone if they're okay means the world to someone more than you might ever imagine, just to let somebody know that somebody cares enough to even ask about them. And that's that's something I think that I've walked away with from this is going you know, it's okay to have even if you're bros and your dudes and you hang out and you play golf, it's okay to have a heart to heart with somebody and go, are you
doing okay? Man?
Tell me about what's going on.
And guys notoriously are bad at that. Yeah, we're mad. It's like, man, take two seconds and actually ask, especially if someone kind of opens the door. Oftentimes we all just gloss over. It's like, oh, I'm you know, having a tough time at home and like, oh man, yeah, that's tough. Instead like if someone actually takes the second to open that door, walk through it and you know, ask a follow up a question and see how they're really doing. It's funny when you're you're telling that story.
It kind of reminded me of the movie almost Famous of you know, the trials and tribulations of a band and then when they kind of you know, got back together in the end, it was a thousand times better. And I feel like that could be y'all's story. It truly could be where you just go back out for the love of the game and actually enjoy every minute of it. Maybe who knows, this is the pipe dream you guys are all on one bus instead of three separate buses.
You never know. It could be the case.
Although one of us snores really loudly, and I'm not gonna divult through that is, but I hope that's the case.
I really do, because I miss it.
I know that being in a band is like, you know, it's a marriage on steroids. You know, in the longer year together, the more buttons you know, to push to irritate each other.
So I think the time away has done us some good.
I don't think we'll ever stop loving each other, but we definitely got to the point to where, you know, everybody needs a little time away.
A little Chicago. You know, it's well years. What's funny, I was thinking about you guys in Chicago one of my favorite bands as well ever, and they, you know, they've made it work through different band members or whatever, they've always kept that name and that that sound alive. And so hopefully you guys will too. You've worked with you worked with Chicago.
Well, I'm in a band with Jason Chef called Generation Radio.
Is he still in southern California? He lived out by me? I think Thousand Oaks. Yeah, yeah, he's still out there. And so we got this band called Generation Radio that's kind of a supergroup. We started out with Dean Castronovo, who's Journey Jason of course Chicago, and now we have Steve Feroni, who spent twenty five years as the drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreacords. It's a fun little band and we released a we released a record a couple of years ago. So we're out doing some corporates
and things. I'll just say Where can we find you, guys, because talk about a great night to go out and see those guys jam You know, are you all on social media? Where can we find you?
Generation Radio dot com And you can stream the music.
On all platforms Pandora, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon.
I know that this is a tough thing to claim, since you know, we say we're the live music capital of the world here in Austin. You're sitting in Nashville, which probably could really make the claim. But you guys ever come over to Austin. Man, you got to let us know because we do live music pretty well here too.
Oh, you do it great. As a matter of fact, our guitar player lives down there.
Oh does it really?
Yeah, Tommy Yankton, you.
Know something else that you and I have in common. And when we were together in twenty nineteen, I had just started dating my then girlfriend Laurence Eaman, now my wife. But I realized later, Oh, we had kind of similar ways of meeting our wives because you met on shooting your music video for Rascal Flats. That's where you met your wife. So basically at the office is where you met, and so did Lauren and I.
That's so great.
And I always tell people don't shy away from, you know, meeting somebody at work. You know.
The thing about Allison was she was engaged when she did the video, but they made her take her ring off so that she appeared to be single in the video. And I just kept hitting on her all day long, and she kept blowing me off, and I was like, man, I've got my egg game on here.
What's going right?
What's going on? I got the power of the band, this is my music video.
And she wasn't having any of it.
And finally, I think we were on launch break or something, she was like, I'm engaged. I've been dating the same guy for five years, so you know, five down there. And then I kept running into her around town and I finally wore down.
She went on a day with.
Me, and the rest of the history. Y'all still have a one daughter.
I've got a daughter and a son. Okay, yeah, I've got My son is eleven. My daughter's thirteen years.
Old, Okay, as I say, yeah, it was about ten thirteen years ago. Wow, that's so you're in the middle of it. How as someone who is kind of coming out on the other side. My daughter's twenty and a sophomore in college. I feel like, and I don't mean to scare you, I feel like you're just now getting into that dangerous territory of full teenage girl.
Yeah, you know, I'm starting to hear horror stories from friends of mine. And we waited a little longer to have kids. So I was thirty nine when we had Madeline. So I as I get older, my patients is thenner. So I'm really praying for patients and a little long suffering because i know the teenage years can be really rough.
I definitely saw with my daughter, and I'm sure you're seeing it.
You know.
People talk about high school, it's really middle school. That was a tough time to get through.
I'm grateful because I've seen Maddie make some really good decisions even early on, and choose the right kinds of people and choose to be kind in some difficult situations where you know, other girls may have not been so kind to some other girls that are on the outside of the cliquish circles or whatever.
And a mother shared.
A story with me last summer that Madeline went over to some girl that was being mildly bullied and the girls were excluding her, and Madeline said, hey, why don't you come over and hang out with my friends and you don't have to worry about them. And you know, as a father, you can't wish for anything more than that that your kids are compassionate and they make good decisions. And you know, so far, I couldn't be more proud of the young ladies she's turning into.
But I see glimpses of it. You we talked about at the top of this interview. You know, you've started on your own label, and you got a little country, you got Christian artists. What I find interesting and people have asked me about this. I want to give your perspective. When I left The Bachelor after nineteen very successful years and you had that incredible run with Rascal Flats. It's easy when it's all kind of taken away between Covid
and Jodahn and everything happening. You lost something big. Hopefully it'll come back, but at the time you lost something big, and it's easy for Jada Marcus to be like, woe is me? Do you remember who I was? And nothing will be the same anymore, and just kind of fold up and die, you know, But instead You're like, great, this is an opportunity to go start a label, to go get back, and to go do some incredible things
in music. What is that tipping point that instead of going and lamenting and being sad and whatever happened to that guy, to this guy I'm seeing now that is incredibly successful and still blazing a tray.
Well, I tell you, that's a wonderful question and one I've thought about a lot, because the truth is is, no one really knows about the.
Dark moments I had after the Flats were short stripped away.
I had so much of my identity wrapped up in the success of that.
Band, and being a part of that band was very natural.
To me, and when the rug was sort of yanked out from under our feet, I went through many long nights of doubting everything, like what obviously I've never been you know, for the better part of two decades, a little over two decades, I hadn't wanted for anything. I knew my career path was laid out before me. I had no idea all of a sudden who I was, or what I was going to do, or what the future would look like. The financial stability of Rascal Flats
was really consistent. So all of a sudden, I'm going, well, now I don't have a gig. Now I'm not making money, so I've got to reassess everything. And I went through some really, really hard, sleepless nights of trying to figure out the next season of my life. But I'll tell you what it allowed me to do. And I don't preach a lot, but my faith is important to me,
and I happened. I would be remiss if I didn't say that gave me an opportunity to trust more in God's plan than I ever had before, to trust more that I wasn't into control to begin with, and everything I had had been given to.
Me because of his sovereignty and his love for me.
So it really gave me a time and a chance to refocus and rechannel my faith and sort of rediscover it because I had to become completely reliant on him and trust that he had my future in his hands. And I have to say this, He's never let me down. I never wanted for anything. I never went through a time to where I woke up and I was scared that my needs weren't going to be met. The next month, the next year, the next six months. So it really
was a time of spiritual growth for me. And you know, that may not be the answer a lot of people want to hear, but that's that's the truth. My faith carried me through a lot of those dark times and it gave me the strengths to go. You know what, this is the time to challenge myself and to try something new and to jump into something, you know, with
both feet that I really don't know anything about. I've been in the music business, but I've been an artist, So the administrative sign and the business sign was something very very new for me, and I loved the challenge of learning this side of the business so that I could help give other young artists an opportunity in a platform to realize their dreams too. Well.
That message may not be welcome elsewhere, it's welcome here, thank you. I take that for sure. You know I felt the same way. And the funny thing is I also believe in that in God's plan, and my wife Lauren off and says, you know, we make plans God laughs. It's like it's not always always one and the same, right, Like you're playing your idea, you're cruising, and then God's like, oh no, no, no, no, this is what's happening here, so you never know, and it's it is an amazing journey.
And you guys that have definitely had one, and I'm so grateful for your friendship and I appreciate the time. And now I'm excited me and I'm I'm gonna see you in Tahoe here in just a few months.
Man, We're gonna have a blast.
Wriggle and I and we get out there and you know, it's gosh, it's my favorite week.
Of the entire summer. I have to tell you.
There's so many old friends that you don't get to see throughout the rest of the year. And it's just like a big homecoming, man. So I cannot wait to see It's been far too long. And thank you also for connecting me with Rogers Heely. What a great guy he is.
Man.
Yeah, and uh what people what he's referring to. We could just tell everybody you and I are involved in this amazing company. I'm wearing one of the shirts right now, you know what.
I left the house this morning and I was like, what am I doing? Why am I not wearing the shirt? Agreed?
J and I are involved in this company. Snaps a great, great young company. These guys are trying to make it and they make these amazing shirts and people see me in them all the time in social media and I swear by them. And I called you, I said, hey, you got to get involved in this. These guys are phenomenal.
You're fantastic, great product. Recommend it.
Well, brother, is damn good to see you again. It's been really good to see you. I will talk to you soon.
Thank you, Jay, good to see you man.
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