This week, the guys recall their early Nashville music careers and how it led them to have enough confidence to challenge professional NFL players to a pickleball match. Thanks for listening and be sure to follow, like, subscribe, rate, etc. Every little bit helps!
Ever wondered what it's like to live on the road with Jason Aldean and his band? Join us as we reveal the secret sauce behind their unbreakable bond and the creative freedom that keeps their music fresh since 1999. Get ready to hear stories straight from the band about the brotherhood that defines their performances, both on and off the stage. We'll also give you a peek into how they stay musically engaged during downtime and why their on-stage chemistry is a cornerstone of Jason's electrifying shows.
What does it really take to write a hit song? Brace yourself for an emotional rollercoaster as we recount the highs and lows of the songwriting journey. From early struggles and first hits with Diamond Rio and Reba McEntire, to the perseverance needed to stay afloat in the industry, we share it all. Plus, find out how the songwriting process has adapted to modern challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, including the ongoing trend of Zoom writing sessions. And, of course, we sprinkle in some personal anecdotes, revealing hobbies and passions that keep us creative when we're not penning the next big hit.
Ever thought about challenging NFL stars to a game of pickleball? We did it! Dive into our fun-filled adventures, from Kelley and Neil’s memorable golf trip in Gulf Shores, Alabama, to Kurt and Tully throwing down a playful gauntlet to Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. We even share a surprising story of field goal kicking that doubles as a lesson in unexpected talents. As we wrap up, you'll hear about our big dreams to take this podcast on the road, connecting with small towns across America in an RV. Get ready for lots of laughs, insights, and a celebration of shared passions in this can't-miss episode!
This week, the guys recall their early Nashville music careers and how it led them to have enough confidence to challenge professional NFL players to a pickleball match. Thanks for listening and be sure to follow, like, subscribe, rate, etc. Every little bit helps!
Ever wondered what it's like to live on the road with Jason Aldean and his band? Join us as we reveal the secret sauce behind their unbreakable bond and the creative freedom that keeps their music fresh since 1999. Get ready to hear stories straight from the band about the brotherhood that defines their performances, both on and off the stage. We'll also give you a peek into how they stay musically engaged during downtime and why their on-stage chemistry is a cornerstone of Jason's electrifying shows.
What does it really take to write a hit song? Brace yourself for an emotional rollercoaster as we recount the highs and lows of the songwriting journey. From early struggles and first hits with Diamond Rio and Reba McEntire, to the perseverance needed to stay afloat in the industry, we share it all. Plus, find out how the songwriting process has adapted to modern challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, including the ongoing trend of Zoom writing sessions. And, of course, we sprinkle in some personal anecdotes, revealing hobbies and passions that keep us creative when we're not penning the next big hit.
Ever thought about challenging NFL stars to a game of pickleball? We did it! Dive into our fun-filled adventures, from Kelley and Neil’s memorable golf trip in Gulf Shores, Alabama, to Kurt and Tully throwing down a playful gauntlet to Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. We even share a surprising story of field goal kicking that doubles as a lesson in unexpected talents. As we wrap up, you'll hear about our big dreams to take this podcast on the road, connecting with small towns across America in an RV. Get ready for lots of laughs, insights, and a celebration of shared passions in this can't-miss episode!
You saying stop doing that. It's like telling the guy who stutters hey, stop stuttering. I said I can't.
Speaker 2:Me and Kurt challenged Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelsey to the pickleball match. Are you serious?
Speaker 3:You stand on stage and play a bass. Those guys are always in shape. You will get destroyed. What's it like working for Jason Aldean? It?
Speaker 4:it's amazing and I'm sure we touched on this when he was here he is uh. One of the great things about jason is that he has not changed since we met him. He is who he is. It's not like he's one of these guys that got famous and turned into something else and it's like we can't even hang with him anymore. He is the exact same guy and he doesn't come off like he's a superstar or a celebrity. That's that's one of the best things about him.
Speaker 2:He's been the same guy since we started the band in 1999. Same guy. And I think what we really appreciate about him is that he lets he lets us be us in our playing. He lets us write. He lets us write how you feel it play how we feel it. He knows that's how the sounds behind him and it he's. He's smart like that, you know it's been, it's been great like I mean it's. We've talked about it before. Um, just kind of a a magical combination of things.
Speaker 3:I look at pictures of y'all. You know, 15 years ago, Y'all haven't changed that much. Oh, I thought you were going to say something else. No, no, you still look fantastic.
Speaker 4:Neil, I love you.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:Well, I thought I got to get in touring shape.
Speaker 1:I forget which and I don't know if it's on that or not, but I remember one of the questions that somebody was asking about because even if people aren't songwriters or aspiring songwriters, they're interested in that and what we do and what our days look like and stuff like that, because it is so incredibly different than most ever job and I kind of know what Neil and and I do, but it seems like you guys, but do y'all write every when you're not on the road? Do y'all go in town? Do you write or do something toward the song?
Speaker 2:yeah tracks lyrics, whatever we're working. I've always, I've always said this like we, we never and any young musician or out there I think me and kurt and rich, we've always talked about this like never be the guy that comes home off the road and gets off the bus and goes home and then waits for the bus to leave. So since we've been touring, like it's always been, come home off the road, go to the studio and play or produce, write work. You know we're always working for the next thing, but, like with Jason, it's so great because it's like all feeds itself, like we get to write songs and take them on the road and play songs that Neil's written and we've got this great song together, kalo Now, and it really means a lot to us because I think we're such band guys that we always wanted to be in a band and even though it's not the Jason Aldean band, he treats it like that. He treats it like a petty, like a John Mellon no, but you guys you guys, visually from the very beginning, were a huge part.
Speaker 4:You can credit Jason for that, because you guys know this right when you play with an artist, hey, you get on your black shirt and you step 20 feet behind him because, yeah, it's, you don't get to be part of the show y'all are part of the show let's always have a sure yeah, but that's credit to jason because he grew up watching well I'm trying to think what song it was.
Speaker 3:It was, uh, uh. What song was it first video I saw of jason um, the thick time video? No, no, it was the ballad why, why, and I, y'all were featured a lot in it and, and from that point on, you were still featured a lot, and it was a huge visual part and think about it.
Speaker 4:What artist is cool with that? Almost none of them. Why are you showing other guys? I'm the artist Because you guys were like hip and good looking, come on.
Speaker 4:But Jason did that because he comes. You know and Tully alluded to this he comes from a band mentality. All of his favorite, uh, people growing up were bands, whether it was alabama or guns and roses. I mean, he got the concept of that, that's right, and he gave us the freedom to be able to do that with him and that's that's rare for an artist and jason really is.
Speaker 2:And jason is the kind of guy that he's smart, he's like look, it's a band vibe. He always wanted to be like an Alabama, like an Aerosmith, like having the energy around him where he doesn't have to go out there and feel like he's got to carry every moment of the show, like he wants to have fun with us as well and be part of the band. Jason is part of the band. It's not an artisan band. It's that way. It's not an artisan band. It's that way. It's Jason Aldean, but when we're on stage it's a brotherhood. Up there you could tell he's led, but he likes that too.
Speaker 3:But he knew what looked good, he knew what was going to capture the audience. He knew, and that's why you guys were on the forefront. I'm still shocked, after all these years, as much camera time as Kurt got, and he doesn't have a tattoo. It's amazing.
Speaker 1:But he looks really cool.
Speaker 4:Yeah, people still mix Tony and me up.
Speaker 2:They still what, oh my God. Just the other day, someone who's known as Tony, Nobody stands like you do on stage.
Speaker 3:He doesn't.
Speaker 2:Let me tell you something. I know Peter Coleman, who records all the Aldine records, and I'm talking, we've been in the studio with Pete since 99, doing demos and albums Over 20 years. Over 20 years. When we're tracking, he calls us Catulli Catulli Because he doesn't know who's who. He doesn't know if it's Kurt or Tully he's talking to. After 20-something years, I'm like Pete Tully plays bass, I play guitar. We sit in the same place. Yeah, it's like we've been in the same chairs for 20 years. Yeah, you know that's hilarious.
Speaker 3:Yeah, well, k-lo still calls you Allison. He can't get that straight.
Speaker 4:You know, I think with the songwriting aspect of it and listen, we're all incredibly blessed right to have success, but I think sometimes people think that, uh, every song you write is a hit or is successful and especially if you're a new songwriter, it's really a failure business, like 99 of the songs you write are not successful, right, and it's an interesting thing to go through right, and it's like, especially, I don't know how it was when you came to town, like did you pop right away or was it failure, failure, failure, failure, no it was.
Speaker 3:I came to town to be an artist right thrasher shiver. Yeah, yeah, you got the. You got shiver's name right.
Speaker 1:That's great, and what it says, shriver yeah, yeah that's impressive, you paid attention.
Speaker 3:But wait, I came here to you know to be a star and do the record deal and do the artist thing and that the songwriting thing just kind of evolved. Yeah, that was in 95. So I was on radio tour promoting two records for five years and was getting cuts because my first hit happened in 96 with Diamond Rio.
Speaker 4:So you were getting cuts while you were doing your artist thing. Oh yeah, I see that's great.
Speaker 3:And then Ariba thing happened in 99, and that was my second hit. And that's when I said I wonder what would happen if I devoted all my time to writing songs and came off the road. So I did, it was the best decision I ever made.
Speaker 1:And that way you get to. You know, go to bed around 8, 30 to go nine, yeah, instead of staying up all night you're right, that's exactly right.
Speaker 3:But I still get to perform. I mean, you know we can do writers rounds and stuff. I still get to sing you know songwriting?
Speaker 2:I wanted to ask you guys and we never really talk about this, but in my opinion I don't think you're, or at least for myself. I don't think we became really good songwriters until we realized you know when you can tell yourself you didn't write a great song. You know when the song you wrote that day. I know when we wrote something good and I know when we didn't. Totally all my songs are good. That might be true for you.
Speaker 3:But I tell you right now.
Speaker 2:They're like my kids a lot of young writers I can look on social media wrote a smash today. Wrote a smash today. Do you ever write anything? That's not a smash? I know when we write, though we'll stop. We will stop. We've done that before. What's the sense? You got a bar right some days. It's just not happening.
Speaker 3:No, we've done that before. Just stop, because you know what's the sense. I mean, you've got a bar right, yeah? Some days it's just not happening. Some days it's just not happening. You have to show up, are you guys? The same way, though, caleb are you the same way?
Speaker 2:If you get on one and you know it's not working, do you suffer through it?
Speaker 1:It depends, no-transcript.
Speaker 2:But it's hard because you're starting to think, especially on a pretty day, you know like how we could be hitting some balls or something. You know you'd be doing something something different. Um so, and I guess that's the luxury we have writing for jason is like, if we're not on one form, yeah, let's nail start over. Yeah, no, it's true.
Speaker 1:Well, and I was gonna ask you guys because, kurt, it was interesting that you're saying that, uh, what you started with, like, like, if it's been a minute, you know, since you've had, you've had a song on the radio because, like you said, we have been blessed and we're stubborn and we refuse to leave, and so we've stayed a long time and, over the course of time, some good things have happened, but there's a lot of not so good days in between there and there's droughts, you know. And so I was going to ask you guys, I know how I feel If it's been a drought and you hadn't been on the radio for a minute, and when I say a minute, like a year, you know, or two, or or you hadn't got anything recorded in a while do you get in the funk, you know, and do you feel like, well, I've lost it. I guess that's you know, even if it's temporarily, or do y'all stay, even killed?
Speaker 2:I tell you this right now. This is dead honest. You know, like Kurt said, years ago I got really fortunate with Tibbett on back um me and Kurt had seen red uh and then Kurt wrote one for, for Jason uh called they don't know um, and we hit a pretty good drought and we had some album cuts, you know um, and it was we'd go into work and it was like and again, this this is jason's credit. Like you know, we're better songwriters because of jason um, just because we knew we had to raise the bar, but it was. It was a lonely drought. Yeah, we've had some. I mean the shed, the shack that was. We've had a few of those situations.
Speaker 4:Well, and that's kind of to my point, is that, again, we've been blessed, right, but it's an interesting job where you every day pour your creativity and heart and everything into something to have it shot down like every day right, right, right, every day right, nope, not good enough, nope, not good enough, nope, not good enough. Now that's well. You mean, like I said, we've been blessed to get the, the hit, so that's great, but it can't help but affect the way you think, right, at least that that's what I one of our places, our offices was in a cubicle, literally in an upstairs, in like an office building with accountants around.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, like trying to make music and make track with that going on. I know, right, they hated us. We'd walk to the getting coffee and and they just hated us up there.
Speaker 1:Morning Vivian.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, that's what it was like. I'm going to tell you right now. Covid was a blessing to me. Okay, it was a blessing because we started Zoom writing, didn't have to go in, and ever since, that's really basically all I want to do. Were you afraid of the virus? No, I hate people.
Speaker 2:No he does not I was not.
Speaker 3:I was like everybody else was afraid of the virus and I didn't give a shit. I was like if I could be at home in my golf clothes and I can write a song, and I can get up and walk around and go get a cup of coffee, and there's nobody sitting right there, I can think I and there's nobody sitting right there, I can think I think so much better with somebody else not in the room.
Speaker 4:It was the same, but opposite for us, covid, that time period was a blessing for us as well, because, while a lot of people were taking time off, we hunkered down and that's when we wrote the most, and we had a team of people that felt the same way there were a lot of great songs written during kobe yeah, and that's kind of what happened to us is that we were like, hey, there's not a lot of people writing.
Speaker 2:Let's take advantage of the situation and I think people ask us all the time how'd you get on such a hot streak? And I tell them, like you know, for 20, some odd years, almost 30 years point, we've been on the road. Come on the road, come, come home for two days, leave again. Covid gave us a chance to just write and we got better and better and better and kind of really honed in on what is it that we do. Well, and that's when we wrote Trouble with the Heartbreak, yeah and I Don't Love you, and all these songs, and it was that for me, was a big thing, like just being able to write and get in that headspace of not having to do five different things but just write.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we've never had that, we've always been doing. You know, come off the road, go to the studio, track, produce, write on a Wednesday and then leave again. It's like being able to write really, and you know how that goes. We got a little role in the confidence bills and you feel like you can't miss. So, covid, I think we made that situation the best week. We talk about it all the time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I still write like there's a pandemic going on. I mean my Zoom writing. I freaking love it, and most of the guys that I write with love it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's easy if you have a relationship, friendships and all that stuff. All that works really good. It's hard sometimes with brand new people and you're all on laptops, you know, but if've got something going, it's so easy. And at the end of the day you don't have to go through all the small talk and stuff hey, what are you doing? Tonight? I said, hey, see you guys, and you just close it. So it's pretty clean.
Speaker 4:I got a couple more questions that were just handed to me that we should answer. Andrea, what do y'all do when you're not writing songs? Pretty good question, neil, you got something, yeah, yeah I mean, I do a lot.
Speaker 1:Now let's be honest, what are you talking?
Speaker 4:about. Yeah, what is it that you would do, maybe in your free time, do you have?
Speaker 3:free time. Oh, I do so many things. I mean, look at my trophy wall. I mean there's dead. There's dead animals on the wall. So I do that when hunting season's in big. What do you like hunting white-tailed deer and eastern turkeys.
Speaker 4:Okay, when's the season? Because I'm not sure when that is well, the deer hunts in the fall.
Speaker 3:Okay, you know I check out november, so don call me. I want to go hunting with you. I know In April, most of April, I'm turkey hunting and then everything around that, and during that I'm playing golf.
Speaker 4:All right, I like that. Kalo what you got. What do you do when you're not writing songs?
Speaker 1:Well, I kind of stress about not writing songs Because I have a new baby, you know, baby Lucy, and I'm 13 weeks old, so thinking about college and all the stuff and how hard it is to get songs recorded. So when I'm not writing songs, I kind of you know panic. You kind of walk around and a lot of people say, well, how do you come up with ideas and stuff like that? It's pure desperation. You know, you just walk around and look at lot of people say, well, how do you come up with ideas and stuff like that? It's pure desperation. You know, you just walk around and look at your house and say, and tweet my other guy.
Speaker 4:I got to make some money. That's actually the truth. Fear and desperation.
Speaker 1:But outside of that, golf winning, you know when I'm not incredibly slammed golf, that'd be my go-to.
Speaker 3:But I got to say that you ask what we do when we're not writing. Yeah, we're always writing. Well, this is true, we're not actually constructing a song, but we're always thinking of ideas, lines and things. When we do actually sit down to write, we have ammunition.
Speaker 4:That's a good point, yes, because you never really turn it off. My cell phone is full of song ideas and titles.
Speaker 3:That's a good point.
Speaker 4:Yes, because you never really turn it off. My cell phone is full, yeah, of song ideas and titles. That's a good point. That's a good point. You're always on Tully, do you do anything? I know you're kind of like K-Lo, right?
Speaker 2:You're always wondering about the next song. Yeah, I run off of anxiety and panic. Yeah, my gasoline. No, you know, you know this. I love to ski wintertime, you know, from December as soon as I can get there, yeah, and that's when I. That's like the only time I really think like I unplug for a second is when I'm skiing, and you know, a couple weeks out of the year. But, yeah, I mean other than my addiction to DraftKings, NFL football.
Speaker 2:Well that's true. I have a clinical addiction to Boston sports and DraftKings. Is there money to be made in that? No, but there's bragging rights to be made and there, no, but there's um ragging rights to be made and there's a little bit of money, but not money.
Speaker 4:That, uh, you know it's just fun, it is You're right, and anything about that.
Speaker 3:You think DraftKings would want to sponsor this show.
Speaker 2:I don't know If we get to a million followers by December 24th on their radar.
Speaker 1:It happened, kurt. What about you, buddy, when you're not right, what are?
Speaker 4:you. What are you? Well, again, like you guys said, you never really turn it off, but when I'm able to turn it off it's usually, I guess you know my son is at the age where he's doing a lot of baseball or basketball or whatever. So doing that somehow I've coached. You know, when I'm in town I help coach the team, so that's kind of a nice release, just to kind of try to get away.
Speaker 3:Are you a nice coach? Are you a? Oh, he is a nice coach, I'm an uplifting coach.
Speaker 1:I try to be positive.
Speaker 4:He has the gift of encouragement. I mean, believe me, they already got the negative coming. You wouldn't believe these games. I mean the parents at these games. They get intense, it's intense. I mean he's 11. They feel like it's you know, I have to ask.
Speaker 3:Tully. What's Kurt like when he gets mad? I've never seen him lose his temper or get mad. I can see you doing it, but I can't see him doing it. I can totally see Tully doing it. Oh, absolutely, yeah, well, I'm Look at his hair Hot. Look at his hair Hot water. What kind of name is Telly? I know he looks like Heatmiser. Look at his hair. He's pissed all the time. Don't be jealous, I love the Heatmiser.
Speaker 4:I wish I had that hair.
Speaker 3:Your hairline's not receding like mine. That's why I got a hat on.
Speaker 4:Maybe we could get a sponsorship from Rogaine or Minox out.
Speaker 1:Up yours, Kurt.
Speaker 4:I'd take the hat on. You know kurt. Have you ever seen him get mad? Oh yeah, of course he had. Kurt actually threw me to the ground. Oh stop, what really?
Speaker 3:stop it, katie texas, how long ago was this you want to?
Speaker 2:see 2003. Y'all got in a fight we did not know I. I didn't get a fight. He threw me to the ground. The fight was over. What was it over?
Speaker 4:oh, I don't know it was over. Some whiskey is what it was over yeah okay we were. We probably had too much to drink, and I think what happened was we stumbled.
Speaker 2:Well, no, that's the story. What happened was we got in an argument about something, but what were we doing?
Speaker 4:We were loading the bus. We were loading the bus Because you guys know that it's like you're just first starting. You're loading your own gear.
Speaker 3:We don't know about the bus deal, but yeah, I know about loading gear.
Speaker 2:Well, this is the early days when we, you know, you tear down your stuff, you bring it to the bus and all that stuff, and we're we had way too much crown Royal one evening and and Tully and I are loading the bus, we're loading the bus and something happened. I don't remember the story, but I guess, well, I remember it very well because something happened and then I grabbed Kurt or I touched Kurt and then Kurt threw me to the ground. What would we possibly argue about?
Speaker 2:I don't know, but then I remember what I remember is being on the ground looking up and Kurt standing over me in a very intervening fashion.
Speaker 4:That's not true. That's exactly what happened. Let's go to the next question.
Speaker 2:Next question. That's exactly what happened. Let's go to the next question. Kurt, throw me to the ground. This is not true, Katie Texas.
Speaker 1:We're going to get some counseling. Pete's a little want to know.
Speaker 2:Kurt, why are you teaching this? Well, anyway, let me answer the question, though. Kurt has a superpower, and one of it is to, when he's mad, he'll say something, and it almost sounds nice. We call him the silent sword in the band, because he'll say something. You're like damn, was that nice? I'm like shit. I mean, this burned me and you don't even know it. So, uh, he has a way. I think it's passive aggressive. I have seen him.
Speaker 2:I have seen him angry. It's a, it's a sight to behold. It's very scary, very, very intimidating. No boy there. I don't, I don't want to be around it. I do not want to be around it.
Speaker 3:I'm glad I defer to kurt. No, I gotta find out this stuff. Kurt's the boss. I just signed a publishing deal with you guys and I need to know this stuff.
Speaker 1:Well, we'll find out eventually if the rv deal comes through at some point. But we'll get in some fights, hey.
Speaker 4:David from Chicago. We love Chicago, right? He wants to know do you all have any favorite sports teams and would you ever have an athlete on as a guest? That's actually a great question. Hey, if you could have an athlete on, who would it be? Are you a sports fan Seriously?
Speaker 3:I'm setting this up for the past from alabama.
Speaker 4:we only have two teams down there we don't have pro, so what about nick savin, pro sports? I mean, you know, obviously not an athlete, but yeah, you know what my team is yes, I do yeah yeah, so savin. Would you like to have savin on? Who wouldn't? I agree we should get savin on. It'd be really amazing. Well, let's get saban, okay okay there we go, kayla. What about you? Do you have any sports teams that you like? That's all. That's a reach, by the way, but no, we can try no, we get to 1 million followers well
Speaker 1:by december 24th I bet, if you bought one of his bmws at at his dealership, it's's a Mercedes, mercedes. Yeah Boy, you missed that.
Speaker 3:Those would be two good sponsors We'll get out of here, we'll push a couple buttons, maybe we'll get Kirby instead. I mean Saban's retired. He's got time to come on, that's right. So if you're listening, coach, we want you on here so bad. We want to talk music with him because he loves country music Well we should do that.
Speaker 4:Okay, let's go.
Speaker 3:Nick. Saban Just call him Nick.
Speaker 2:He loves Nick Does he have an Instagram, nicholas Saban.
Speaker 4:Nicholas Saban. Okay, Lowe, do you follow sports?
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, I'm a huge Tennessee Vols fan. I love watching college football.
Speaker 3:How does that go with you guys on that game day it's fine, he'll never come over and watch a football game. I've asked him to come over. Hey, let's watch a game together.
Speaker 4:Let's watch the Alabama-Tennessee game. That's probably because Alabama Third weekend in October.
Speaker 3:He never wants to come over.
Speaker 4:It'd be fun for you Win or lose, I'm okay.
Speaker 3:No, it's okay. Y'all beat us. Fine, we would eat nachos together after we lost, I know. But who would have known we were going to win?
Speaker 1:in such a fashion that we did, I mean we killed you guys.
Speaker 4:Oh, so you're a Balls fan?
Speaker 1:Yeah, Balls fan, but obviously I'd love to have Peyton Manning. I haven't met him before at a nationwide shoot.
Speaker 4:We've met Peyton as well, he's a great guy. Really cool guy. Is he a conservative? I don't want to speak for him, but I bet he has some similar points of view.
Speaker 3:He seems like he would lean right.
Speaker 4:All right, let's have.
Speaker 2:Peyton on Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning, nick Saban, peyton Manning, you're coming on.
Speaker 1:Peyton and Aaron Rodgers Go tell him Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 4:Well, he probably would come on, actually. Well, you know my answer. Oh well, I know, probably I don't. What is it?
Speaker 2:Tom Brady, the Go Huge Pats fan, so obviously you know when Tom comes on it's going to be a great episode.
Speaker 4:We might get to a million followers.
Speaker 2:We will get to one million followers, but it's December 24th. Tom will come on, I feel it. I hope so.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah. I mean, we're all huge sports fans. Any athlete that would come on would be awesome, kurt, Kurt. So what about you? I'm up for anybody. I mean my all-time favorite's Stan Marino. He didn't win a Super Bowl.
Speaker 2:You do know his cousin. What's that? You do know his cousin, I do know his's got something about it Distantly, but I do know it's got something.
Speaker 3:I would like to get Aaron Rodgers on here. I bet it could happen Because I know he would say something controversial and it'd be awesome, but it isn't controversial to him, right?
Speaker 4:No, I mean, you know he's fantastic. I think it'd be a good ask. He's a great guy.
Speaker 2:Sometimes just speaking your mind becomes controversial, as we know.
Speaker 3:That's right. So you don't y'all take out everything I say, and I don't appreciate it. We, everything I say gets edited. I don't appreciate it, that's not true.
Speaker 1:That's not true. That's not true. We even kept your breathing in the other one.
Speaker 4:That's all I got. You guys got any other questions?
Speaker 1:I don't have questions, but this is a little bit off topic. But we were talking about the podcast earlier and you keep saying the million followers and stuff like that no-transcript text from from a buddy at the grove today and he was, and he was, he was at the at the gym and uh, and he and this guy he just sends neil said, said I think you'll chuckle at this, he goes. I'm at the gym watching episode two, put my phone down and a hot young lady comes up to me, said she saw my phone playing and she gets. She goes. Man, I I'm, I'm loving that trident Small Town podcast and he goes. Tricia was her name, he goes, it was cool stuff. And then he goes on to say yeah after that. So we just kind of she sat down on the bench press with me and we talked for a couple hours and then we went back in the oh no, okay.
Speaker 4:But anyway, but we're making you know.
Speaker 1:I mean, people are falling in love, even like over this podcast. That's a God thing right there. Honestly, I think people are relating seriously.
Speaker 3:I'm kidding they don't even know each other. No, it really did happen.
Speaker 4:It did or it didn't? No, it did happen. That's a true story.
Speaker 1:Yeah, except for her sitting down on the bed. But she did pass by and said I love that podcast. I've got.
Speaker 2:A lot of people are watching back like positive feedback. Like you know, we felt on tour with this thing like I think people are due, there's gonna be some haters and that's fine, um, but I mean it's I think it resonates with people because, um, well, well, of a lot of reasons, a lot of reasons.
Speaker 4:You know, the message, like we said before, is is meant to be a positive message and it's not to be divisive, and we're trying to be positive. But also, you know, I think people enjoy like, hopefully they'll enjoy tonight getting to know a little bit of us, a little bit of the background from each of us and, um, you know, I just hope that that shines through, and I think it will, because, listen, I'm not going to get sentimental I love you guys and you guys all have great hearts, right, and it's in the right place, and I just love that we're able to share this with people and I think that's why it resonates. They see that we're just, you know, we're just trying to be average people, but we're just trying to spread a good message and we are one of my favorite things, neil.
Speaker 2:Tell them I didn't know this about you, neil, until like a month ago. Oh no, no, seriously, which is because I've I've tried to kick field goals. Oh my gosh, thank you for bringing this up Because, let me tell you, I've gone out there with a football and I've tried to kick field goals and it is about as bad as my golf shot. You can actually kick field goals and were a kicker Well used to, but you legit kicked Used to. I know, but Were you on a college?
Speaker 4:team Mm-hmm.
Speaker 3:As the place. Kicker Wade and I played together at Middle Tennessee. And you were the field goal kicker yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, until I got sick, my mind's still rapid.
Speaker 3:That's legitimately impressive it is. We pulled out clippings the other night.
Speaker 2:So what's the farthest one? You kicked In college.
Speaker 3:Just yeah, whatever. 47. It wasn't that long Bro.
Speaker 2:It was long enough, that's amazing, it was long enough.
Speaker 4:I mean, you know when they do, they get the normal man out there and they try to kick it 20 yards.
Speaker 2:Bro, exactly yeah, Skids off to the right and bounces twice and then it's really sad.
Speaker 3:The main thing hey, the main thing I got out of kicking is it helped my golf game more than anything. Wow, I'm blown and I hope I'm playing golf until I'm 90.
Speaker 4:Okay, how did you get into the play school Real quick? Give us a quick story why you became a kicker, how you became a kicker.
Speaker 3:Well, that all started in junior high school in soccer, okay, and I got injured in soccer but I could kick and I knew I could kick and I started kicking in junior high and then I kicked in high school.
Speaker 4:That was your gig. You were a kicker. Yeah, I was smart.
Speaker 3:You are smart. It's the same thing as, like you know, I quit being an artist, I want to be a songwriter, came off the road, it was easy on me and being a kicker is safe. I love it. So I got good at it and I just kept doing it and I went to kicking camps all over the country. Did you have a scholarship to go to? Yeah, I just went to middle. Yeah, could have gone to Auburn.
Speaker 3:I went down to Auburn. They sent me a letter to come down there, but back in that day nobody was. I mean, everybody was walking on. Yeah, right, you know, they didn't sign kickers to scholarships back then. No, nils, no, no, I mean kickers had to earn their scholarships. Yeah, but I wanted to be in Nashville. I wanted to be close to Nashville because I knew music was what I wanted to do. My dad wanted me to kick and he wanted me to do that. He didn't want me to follow my music in the beginning, he just wanted me because I was good at it and he wanted me to do that. And so I did. I went to kicking camps, went to kicking schools and I went everywhere. I went down to Fort Lauderdale and trained and did all this stuff, but music never left my heart ever, and so I chose to come up to Middle. They didn't offer me a scholarship at Middle. I just came up to be there so I could be close to Nashville.
Speaker 4:That's really amazing.
Speaker 3:Is there video?
Speaker 4:footage of you kicking somewhere.
Speaker 3:Lord, I don't know where it would be. I think that was before phones there's got to be some old teen footage somewhere there's gotta be somewhere.
Speaker 2:There's some Polaroids We'll have to get you guys involved In me and Kurt's latest passion the last couple years, which is the very intense game of pickleball.
Speaker 1:I've never played.
Speaker 2:Everybody loves it.
Speaker 3:Everybody loves it Me and Lana played my wife played on not too long ago, about a month ago. We, we it is so fun it's unbelievable.
Speaker 2:As a matter of fact, me and kurt challenged uh, patrick mahomes and travis kelsey to pick.
Speaker 4:We did the proceeds will go to charity.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and our bodies will go to science after we die?
Speaker 4:No, so those guys have come out to a couple shows. They've been great guys. So we may have had a whiskey, oh God, and you were there. I don't know if it was before the show or after the show, but we found out that they were playing some pickleball. So we're talking smack to professional athletes Right About how we can take them down and pickleball.
Speaker 2:Aldine comes up to us the next day and he goes let me get this right. You two idiots challenged two professional athletes to pickleball. I said, yeah, that's kind of how we are though, but yeah, I like our chances. What could go wrong? No, I got to tell you something. Let me tell you something. We will win that pickleball. We will do it because that's not a game of power. How much do you want to bet? We've already done this. It's already in the bets. The bet's there. Pickleball is not a game of power. You guys are already looking at it wrong. Pickleball is a delicate dance.
Speaker 3:It's a delicate dance.
Speaker 2:Are you serious?
Speaker 3:It's a delicate dance, you stand on stage and play a bass. Those guys are always in shape. You will get destroyed.
Speaker 4:Well, now listen, let me tell you, kurt, tell them. Okay. So when we first, this is probably boring, but when we first picked up pickleball, tony and I are all in, we go boring. But when we first picked up pickleball, toly and I are all in. We go to this uh rec center that has pickleball. Every day. Everybody goes there, toly, and I walk in like we're, you know, like federer and nadal, yeah, like we're the shit right. We walk into this place and we're like all right, we're gonna take a bunch of people that are older than us. First game we have is against. I'm telling you, this guy was 86 years old, war vet, and another guy and this I'm not making fun of it he's in stage four cancer. They skunked us.
Speaker 3:Well, yeah.
Speaker 4:They skunked us. Believe it, pick a football is a.
Speaker 2:It's an amazing game, but it's it's not about power at all, no, which is why we're going to beat Mahomes and Kelsey. We're coming for you guys, we're coming hard, it's out there and they have forgotten about it, but we're issuing the challenge here.
Speaker 3:Guys like that don't forget challenges. No, they're scared.
Speaker 2:Patrick's scared Because they know they don't want to get Get beat by us. But it's going to happen.
Speaker 1:Well, this needs to be In one of the teaser clips Before this episode comes out, so they can be Watching it To officially get that.
Speaker 3:We'll tag them.
Speaker 1:Mahomes.
Speaker 2:Kelsey Versus Allison Kennedy. I like it and we'll travel.
Speaker 1:It's got a good ring to it.
Speaker 4:There's a place up there Called Chicken and Pickle, I think.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:That's right, we'll take them down. They know where we are. There you go, tag them. They're going to find us Allie. Tag them Good God.
Speaker 2:I just want in on the bet, I guarantee you guys. It sounds crazy, but this will be, we will win Maybe easily Maybe.
Speaker 1:We'll just be crazy enough to work.
Speaker 3:We'll find out.
Speaker 1:I just want to see it, I want to see the video of you stretching.
Speaker 3:That's all I want to see. You don't have to stretch.
Speaker 1:Do you wear a headband and wristbands and stuff we might? We might have uniforms that could throw them off. I could.
Speaker 2:It's all right. Anybody who plays pickleball knows what I'm talking about. The game is won inside the kitchen. The game is won inside the kitchen. I didn't know we'd go there, but you're right, it's on. It's on Just waiting, waiting for the acceptance of the challenge.
Speaker 3:Oh, they're going to hear this.
Speaker 1:It's going to get to them I promise you that you that well, I mean speaking of amazing athletes, um neil and I we do enjoy occasional around the golf and uh, we're in kiva dunes and uh, where kiva dunes it's not. Uh, what is that is?
Speaker 3:it for organ. Technically it's, it is actually it's down.
Speaker 1:It's down near gulf shores alabama it's right on the coast and for organ alabama yeah, so we'd went, and every now and then we'll go down there, right, you know, we went down there's. Randy hauser one time played some golf with him right in the morning and then go out in the afternoon, or sometimes you just golf in the morning and then golf in the afternoon. Uh, that works out good too, but uh anyway. So neil is a uh one. He's a great golfer, you you know, and he is scratch, you know, or better, and at the time I was struggling, you know a little bit.
Speaker 3:And I tell you you mentioned struggling with your golf game. You were at one time though a four handicap. You got on a roll and you could play. Yeah, that's pretty good. So I'm just going to say that.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you, that's very, very kind. It was a long time so, but on that particular trip I was struggling and even though we're having brews and everything, it just didn't really help. You know, when the ball is going everywhere, it's just not fun. And then Neil's hitting it. You know, right down the middle, all the time he's laying on the green, and every time he hit a good shot he said see, Kalo, all I'm doing, you know, is I'm just kind of I got a good tempo, I, I got a good tempo. I'm letting it drop there in the slot. I just stay in there and I hold my finish and I just watch that ball. Is that easy? And then I would say, yeah, that's good, that looked good. And then I would spray one or put one in the woods or whatever, and then he'd say that's all right, You're going to get it. You just kind of keep your head down, You're getting a little quick.
Speaker 3:I never said keep your head down.
Speaker 1:I never tell anybody to keep their head down. Hang on, hang on, you'll get your turn, anyway. So I said and I didn't say anything, but inside I was getting mad because I wasn't having fun and he had hit his next one, and he said he'd get in the car and he's all happy and driving and everything. And he said see, on that one, you know, I just kind of felt that and I don't even know how to explain it, I just felt good about it Anyway. So each time I was hitting something wrong, he would say well, here's what you did on that one. He's being nice, I'm just trying to help, he's trying to help, right.
Speaker 1:But on hole 14, I held it as long as I could, so I finally was in the fairway and then I hit my approach, shot, I just yanked it just so far and into the woods. I mean, it just went directly, directly that way. And uh, and I got. I got as I was walking back and back to the cart and he goes, he goes. Hey, see, kayla, all you did on that one said said you, just, you kind of closed the face. You know, at the at the bottom, you just kind of closed the face. And that that's what made it, did it Neil? Oh no, Is that what? No, no, no, no. Kalo lost his shit. Oh, so Kalo got mad Does.
Speaker 3:Kalo have a temper.
Speaker 2:Yes, this is it right here I said, oh, is it that I closed the faces? He got real sarcastic with his anger too.
Speaker 1:Is that why I went to the left? I it did.
Speaker 3:I know I closed the face and I'm like this, I'm like I said and he goes he goes, he goes.
Speaker 1:Well, just stop doing that. And I said I'm trying to stop you, you saying, you saying stop doing that.
Speaker 3:It's like telling the guy who stutters hey, stop stuttering I said I I can't well, I gotta tell y'all in that in there was a lot of tension and a lot of anger because he was walking back to the golf cart he's going. I would love to stop doing that. It's like you know, like he said, it's like telling somebody to quit stuttering. And when he did that I fell out of the golf cart laughing.
Speaker 1:I fell out in the fairway and I'm laughing so hard then I started singing a Mark Will song Don't laugh at me, don't call me names.
Speaker 2:Kalo, I tell you what you come golf with me and you'll feel so great about yourself, about your golf game, because it's really sad my game.
Speaker 1:I've heard it. I wouldn't think it's that sad.
Speaker 2:See, it's pretty sad. It's a sad We'll do it at something We'll have a, I'll do it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we'll have a try at that. I don't know. You know what I love, though, yeah.
Speaker 2:Everybody I ever talk about golf with, I'm like, oh, I'll take you out. Yeah, we'll have fun. And by the here.
Speaker 3:No, that's not true. That is, that's not true. You deal with me because you have to, and now dean deals with me because it's like having your little brother out there to kick around and hey, but tell me, do you want to get better? I want to be good, here we go. Do you want to get better? Here we go. It takes time. It takes time. You have to make time for golf back to the question.
Speaker 2:It's just hard being for me being bad at something on that level.
Speaker 4:It is it's like that's why golf's hard in general, because you can never master it.
Speaker 2:It's, it's I don't want to be sure, I just want to hit the damn ball in the air. I want well, I want the ball to go off the tee, but in the air you're know what your problem is.
Speaker 3:You're a control freak. That's your problem. Well, I mean, aren't we all? No, but to get better at golf, you have to give it up. You have to give up. Give what up? Control.
Speaker 2:Is that a riddle Control? What is a sorcery you have?
Speaker 4:to give up control.
Speaker 3:You want to dominate the ball and that ball owns you Right now. It's so bad in your brain, it just owns you, yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, and two, when you're playing bad, because I've had my share of bad rounds. I have learned that we're thinking that people are worried about our game and they're thinking, ah, it sucks, and we feel bad about it. In golf to me, everybody's just thinking about their ball. Am I playing well? Where's my ball?
Speaker 3:Oh, let me tell you about Caleb. It's a very selfish game Let me tell you about him. This is how bad his brain can get. On the tee box he's thinking about he's not thinking about his swing or his shot that he has to hit. He's wondering if everybody's staring at his calves.
Speaker 1:No, Does he have nice calves? He does.
Speaker 3:He's got nice calves. They look like hot-butter turkey legs.
Speaker 1:I got this from my father. It's genetic.
Speaker 3:But he thinks about what other people are thinking about him and nobody's thinking about that.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I would think that that's where your brain is. I don't take a practice swing because I'm thinking to myself. Well, everybody's thinking why is he taking a practice?
Speaker 3:swing. He sucks, so I just don't take one again.
Speaker 4:But you have a great golf swing this I've seen you, I've seen, I've seen be a good force.
Speaker 2:I'm always great, but it wouldn't. It wouldn't because I'd lose my shit after six holes, wrap my club around a tree and be mad and angry. And that's why I stopped playing on the road, because I go out with you know, kurt? No, okay, kurt, stop. Kurt is pretty good and when he plays a lot, it gets really really good. And Jason can get pretty good. And when he plays a lot, it gets really really good. Yeah, and Jason can get pretty good. And our photographer, justin, pretty good.
Speaker 4:What did you use the air quotes for photographer?
Speaker 2:Justin. I mean he is, he is, he is our photographer. It's frustrating to me that he can go out there and play well, and so I'm not going out there because it's a fucking shit show and I'm just wanting to get the ball in the air off the tee Everybody's hanging out for Jared, I know, but no one else does.
Speaker 4:I'm out there, not Neil, no, he's just showboating.
Speaker 2:Well, I grab an iron I know I need a seven, I know I need a seven iron. And I walk up there after even if I get a good drive and I'm feeling like, okay, this finally got this game happening grab my seven iron, walk up there and just hit the ball three inches before the ball and bend my wrist into the ground and the divot flies out and the ball moves three feet. I'm like, okay, this is over for me.
Speaker 1:Well, I tell you what we ought to do. I'm ruining my day. This is what's making me. I'm trying to. I'm ruining my show.
Speaker 3:That's why I just stopped doing it. Have you ever wrapped your bass around a tree?
Speaker 2:Hmm, see again, you gave me some good advice. You said to me one time you don't hold your bass.
Speaker 3:God, it's pretty cool. You squeeze the shit out of your bass when you're playing it. No, you just freaking choke it when you're playing Well, no, no, you caress it.
Speaker 1:What are we talking about?
Speaker 3:It's the same thing with golf. It is good advice. You can't freaking, choke a club. You can't freaking, just I'm choking the club You're mad at it, you're already mad at it, I am mad guitar.
Speaker 1:Well, what we should do, I think, wizard, is take the negative mindset here of the golf game and we ought to have a try that in small town golf tournament and raise money Pickleball tournament or pickleball. That's fine too, or pickleball Mahomes Kelsey.
Speaker 4:Allison Kennedy. That'll be the feature match.
Speaker 1:Okay, try that in a small court the late match.
Speaker 4:On ESPN 8.
Speaker 3:The, the ojo, I don't know, I mean kurt, does aldine get, get, get mad when you beat him. At what?
Speaker 4:golf. Now we're actually very similar, like does he get mad when you beat? No, no, no, and it doesn't happen much. You don't know that he probably does. No, no, it. We're, we are pretty even. So it's like, hey, we both suck today. Yep, no, it's not like you don't keep score, we keep score, but I mean it's, I, I totally is, uh, embellishing a little. We're, we're not that good not that good.
Speaker 2:I'm just saying when I go, I mean I'm yeah, I mean I'm not saying you guys go out and play in the pga, I'm just saying I mean when I go out it's so I mean it's hard for me to go out and enjoy it because you guys, when you guys hit okay, I hear you can tell you, okay, well, give me that eight, I need an eight, yeah, I need a strong, and you go up to and you go up to an eight and you got your. You adjust the ball correctly and you hit the ball with the eight and it goes really high and you're like damn it, I hit it six feet to the left too far. And I'm, when I grab my, I'm just hoping I hit the ball and there's because it is a good feeling when you hit a iron high just very rare. So you know they're mad that they hit. Oh, I hit it 10 feet too far.
Speaker 2:I flew the green. I'd love to fly a green. Get it, I'd love to fly. It's my dream. Let me fly a green. I want to fly a green. Hey, no shit, I used to use my driver on a par three, so Like 150.
Speaker 4:Driver on a par three, so like 150 yards.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, par three, just okay, I could get.
Speaker 4:I knew I could get that in the air yeah, all right so, whatever it takes, yeah, he put it on the green. So what's that?
Speaker 3:tell you, yeah I don't care I was jealous.
Speaker 4:If I roll up, roll roll, all right. I wish we had more questions, guys, but we don't. So what we need you to do if you're watching on youtube, right, we need you to like, we need you to subscribe and leave us a comment, leave us a question, leave us a review. We need that interaction. Follow us on instagram, follow us on what facebook, tiktok x, x. Follow us on all of it, leave reviews, leave comments, like and subscribe. That means a lot to us and the questions are big. We want to get to these on the air, so please do that. Right, it's been fun tonight it's been fun.
Speaker 3:I learned a lot about you guys tonight. I did not know.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I really did. I hope you forget most of it. Oh, were we supposed to ask the listeners out?
Speaker 3:there if anybody had a RV that they were willing to let us borrow for a while we have to wrap it too no no, no, any RV, no, not any RV, preferably.
Speaker 2:No any RV.
Speaker 3:I'm not doing a Breaking Bad Winnebago.
Speaker 4:Because what's the?
Speaker 3:objective here.
Speaker 2:The objective is to take the Try that in a Small Town podcast on the road. We want to come to the small towns. Our luck will. The objective is to take the Try that in a Small Town podcast on the road.
Speaker 1:On the road.
Speaker 3:We want to come to the small towns, our luck will get a meth lab. I'm telling you no.
Speaker 1:That's what I have to say. No, we can't.
Speaker 3:No, we'll get a meth lab. We can sell the equipment. It'll be bad.
Speaker 1:You can't just, but somebody may actually have one sitting there, not getting use and we could use it.
Speaker 2:We'd wrap it, you know, and try that in a small town podcast. I want to take it on the tour this year, be fun, and so we can do the podcast live from the.
Speaker 4:So we're going to the jason out the dates and we'll just kind of oh, it'd be awesome if we could go, if anybody has an rv that we can borrow yeah, or that kayla can lease.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, let no, let's For us.
Speaker 1:Let's borrow, or just a donation, if you will, so that we can go raise money For other people. That would be amazing.
Speaker 4:It'd be fun, though right On a serious Take us on the road.
Speaker 2:If anyone knows of an RV, yeah, cause we're, he's dead set.
Speaker 4:We are.
Speaker 1:It would be fun.
Speaker 4:No, he's dead set. I don't know who's going to drive.
Speaker 1:I just feel like Actually my father-in-law said he would drive.
Speaker 3:I don't have a CDL? I have no idea.
Speaker 2:He'd do it Seriously for our small town. Try that in a small town, the whole thing. If we can get to the small towns and come do the podcast from there, it'd be amazing. It would be amazing.
Speaker 3:We'll do that Play some music To raise money for local farmers, local vets.
Speaker 2:For suspenders hey, 100% 100%. No.
Speaker 4:Anyway.
Speaker 3:I think it'd be great, it'd be awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because, like we've talked about before, we just want to continue this movement and just help people. Preferably during hunting season season when we can take your clubs also. Take your clubs and play a good place. And our paddles? Yeah, the pickleball.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I thank all you guys like her saying to uh, uh, everybody listening, you know, so far, it's very exciting for us that people are listening and and, uh, we can't wait to meet you guys, hopefully one day absolutely all right, it's been fun.
Speaker 4:Guys, it's been great see you, thank y'all.