Surviving The Music Industry

Vapes, teeth falling out, and music with songwriter Jessie Jo Dillon and The Ballroom Thieves' Martin Earley. Martin shares some political views and new music, "Love Is Easy". Jessie is the writer behind Dan+Shay's, "10,000 Hours", Cole Swindell's, "Break Up In The End", and Maren Morris', "Rich".   The Ballroom Thieves are Callie Peters (vocals, cello), Martin Earley (guitar, vocals), and Devin Mauch (percussion, vocals). Mixed with lush reverbs, strings and melodic harmonies you can easily go down the rabbit hole and forget that there are bigger themes in their music. In our conversation, we tap into the transition from Paper Crown to their latest music, "Tenebrist" and "Love Is Easy". But tap most importantly why it's important to point out the obvious and some times the not so obvious light vs. the dark of humanity. For tour dates and updates visit and follow them @ballroomthieves.    Jessie Jo Dillon is a songwriter from Nashville that writes e

Van living, relationships, podcasting, and the lives of producer/songwriter Seth Mosley and frontman Clinton Clegg. Clinton talks The Commonheart's songs and sound. Then Seth, host of Made It In Music Podcast and owner of Full Circle Music, shares his path to award-winning music and some industry insight from his experiences in podcasting.    Clinton Clegg, frontman with dynamically expressive pipes that effortlessly traverse bluesy pleading, and honeyed balladeering. Jumps in to share the uniqueness of The Commonheart and their sound. As well as the turning point of Clinton's life and where music was his salvation. Discovering his identity and what path to take knowing that either road is full of fear and trepidation. We also touch on living in chaos or a state of normalacy when creating art. The Commonheart’s latest album, PRESSURE; is both rugged and refined. Check it out on all platforms and follow them @the_commonheart and visit  for tour dates.    Seth Mosley is an entrepreneur, host, songwriter, produc

Songwriter for Gary Allen, Chris Stapleton, Blake Shelton; Kendell Marvel releases his second studio album Solid Gold Sounds. Produced by David Ferguson and The Black Keys' own Dan Auerbach. We talk about "Shameless" moments and ageism becoming all too real for today's legends.   Kendell Marvel is a native of Southern Illinois. He moved to Nashville at 28, shifting his goal of being an artist to raising his family while working as a songwriter (sounds way to familiar). Marvel’s writing credits include Gary Allan’s “Right Where I Need to Be” and Chris Stapleton’s Grammy-winning single, “Either Way.” Brothers Osborne, Jamey Johnson, Jake Owen, Blake Shelton, George Strait, and Lee Ann Womack have also cut his songs. In 2017, Marvel released his first solo album Lowdown and Lonesome, a 10-track concept album that tells stories of heartbreak and vice, produced by Keith Gattis, featuring songs co-written by Chris Stapleton and Randy Houser.   In conversation, we talk about Kendell's childhood to becoming

Producing and writing some of the biggest tracks and records of 2018-19, listening to the universe, and breaking down the music of Ian Fitchuk. Starting in Illinois, we work on the life and ideas of Ian all the way up to Kacey Musgraves', Golden Hour's success and beyond.    Ian Fitchuk's credits range from co-writing hits with Kacey Musgraves' to playing any instrument in the studio with major and indie acts. Presently his studio work ranges from singer-songwriter and Americana, to pop, rock, country music and the occasional gospel track. He has written and produced with Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Andrew Combs, Lucie Silvas, Jacob Whitesides, Mindy Smith, and Drew Holcomb among others. In recent years, he has also collaborated with artists as diverse as James Bay, Cam, Kesha, Brothers Osborne, Shania Twain, Shawn Mendes, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Amy Grant, Jake Bugg, and Buddy Miller. He recently began composing for TV, including a track featured in ad for Google and several songs in the p

ACM Guitarist of the Year and Americana Musician of the Year, a new album called West, and becoming an American citizen with Jedd Hughes.  We finally meet up with Jedd after a reschedule because he had to take his Citizenship Test. We sit down to talk sobriety, beating the music school system, and rediscovering your identity after life's turbulent twist and turns.   The story of Jedd is one of redemption, tests, and second chances. Originally from Quorn, Australia, Jedd made the move to America to study music at Levelland Texas' South Plains College. As fate would have it, there he met Terry McBride (of Terry McBride and The Ride) that took an interest in Jedd's talent. A talent of songwriting and musicianship based from artists like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings––and his older brother loved Led Zeppelin and 90s grunge. Terry encouraged Jedd to move to Nashville and soon Jedd went with the sole goal to keep working so he could stay in America. Through connections and persistence, he landed an au

Billy Strings shares his idea of home and journey so far in our conversation. All before the launch of his latest album, Home. Pre-order and stream the record on September 27th.   Billy Strings has already put a lot of his life in his songs. His music touches from substance abuse, poverty, and the characters that intertwine in life. Billy spent most of his time bouncing in-between Michigan and Kentucky, but he really found his community in Traverse City Michigan. There he was introduced to Don Julin, the writer of Mandolin For Dummies. Don really helped Billy cut his chops on performing daily and understanding how to make a career as a career musician. Since then, Billy is recognized as one of the premier guitarists in Bluegrass. Rubbing elbows and cutting records with the likes of Bela Fleck, Bryan Sutton, Sam Bush, and Del McCoury. Turmoil & Tinfoil, Billy's first record charted at No.3 on the Billboard Bluegrass and he's the rising star of the acoustic guitar.    In our conversation, we talk about boun

A look at Country-Rap in the early days, scaling a record company when the industry was heading toward a tailspin, and forward-thinking with Average Joes Entertainment and Hideout Pictures CEO, Shannon Houchins.    An early entrepreneur, Shannon was hustling movies and music at an early age. How'd he do it? Selling contraband (bubble gum) at school funding his first camera. Then what does every film need? Music- which started Shannon's career in the music industry. His first big break was a role as a staff producer for Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Productions. He produced remixes for T.L.C., Usher, Jagged Edge, and Kut Klose. His time with So So Def gave Shannon the street credit and client base to form his own company, 11th Hour Entertainment with partner Doug Kaye. 11th Hour's first exclusive artist/production project was Bubba Sparxxx. In 2006, Houchins started his own label Average Joe's Entertainment Group with longtime friend and flagship artist, Colt Ford. Houchins has been an Artist, Producer, Label Pre

Making it happen when an entire world is telling you it's not going to happen with Crowd Surf co-founder and co-host of the podcast "How I Got Backstage", Jade Driver. We talk about digital strategy and what's really popping in 2019. Social media marketing, crisis management, finding yourself as an artist, but most importantly we talk about mental health in the landscape of working in the industry.    The history of Jade has a pattern of making it happen and passion. I also found that Jade has been pretty true to herself. A true fan, passionate about her work, and no stopping her. Early in her career, working in radio promotions, she met what would be her future clients. From there Warner Bros. came calling because of a revolutionary idea that Jade was already doing. Using social media as a tool for the music industry. In the time of Myspace's zenith, Jade and her team focused on capitalizing the platform to push their clients further in their careers. Soon Crowd Surf was born. Crowd Surf is a fan-c

Outlaws, renegades, peyote trips, and new music with one of the fathers of Outlaw Country, Chris Gantry. Chris takes us through his life with Kris Kristofferson, Shel Silverstein, hit songs, and peyote trips. Chris' latest project, Nashlantis is out now and available to stream everywhere.    Chris Gantry is noted as being one of the founders of Outlaw Country. In a time where rhinestones and "flowers" were happening in country music. There was a crew of artists and writers that simply wanted to write about who they were. Hence the birth of Outlaw Country with notable writers like Chris; Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Shel Silverstein, etc. Originally from New York City and also working in the Brill Building, Chris made the journey to Nashville in the early 60's. A time of war, culture shifts, and even music shifts. In conversation, he mentions his first stop, who he met, and what the vibe of Nashville was like for the "outlaw" crew. We also tap into the ac

Car crashes, talking hits, and learning life lessons with the songwriter of "Wild Thing", "Angel of the Morning", Chip Taylor and London based artist Belle Mt.. Chip is the creator of timeless hits spanning 5 decades and Belle Mt. shares the origin or his latest release "Origins".    Belle Mt. (bell-mont) is songwriter Matt Belmont that just released the video for "Origins" but also it's the first single of 2019 (produced by Grammy award-winning producer Femke Weidema). This London-based artist uses life-altering moments to create a new story and "Origins" is no different.  We get into the nuances of the new track and video; pride, a crash, and relationships. We also figure out the faults of keeping scores in life's relationships. Visit www.bellemt.com to check out the video and see tour dates, and follow him @bellemtmusic.   Chip Taylor (James Wesley Voight) will probably always be known as the songwriter who wrote "Wild Thing" and "Angel of th

Sam Bush takes us deeper into his side of the history of bluegrass, the state of the genre, and as we reflect on past projects. Sam came in to promote his latest music, "Stop The Violence", as well as setting the record straight on some of the details of his story.    If you've seen the documentary Revival: The Sam Bush Story. You've gotten a taste and understand the life of Sam. In this episode, we actually go beyond the movie and tap into what happened in some of the pivotal moments of Sam's life. His relationship with Lonnie Wilson, life after The Bluegrass Alliance, the conception of The New Grass Revival in the Capitol Record years, and willing to walk away from what could have been great opportunities to embrace who Sam has become.    Sam is what most people have dubbed the Father of New Grass, a progressive style of bluegrass. Armed with numerous awards and accolades to justify his status in music, Sam is a champion of art while most have discredited the genre. We take time to discuss his rol

Life in a box, sobriety, and reflecting on being famous and if that is success with Smithfield and Griffin House. Jenn and Trey of Smithfield come to talk about their newest EP, We Make Our Own and the past year of their radio tour life. Then Griffin talks about his music, movie, and his latest record Rising Star.   SmithField was founded in 2011 of Trey Smith and Jennifer Fielder. Spending most of their journey as an independent duo, they began hitting their stride after releasing, "Hey Whiskey". A highly regarded single from the duo that was released after their stint with a major label. Armed with time and lessons learned on their own, SmithField is now an indie duo learning the country radio game and developing their sound. We take the time to talk about the game of radio at their level, discovering and developing their sound, and breaking all expectations from fans and the business. Visit  and follow them @smithfieldmusic.   Griffin House is an artist veteran having releasing his 13th studio re

Sliding in DM's, the fast track to becoming an artist, and new music with Jordan Davis and Tyler Dial. Jordan Davis takes us back to his home state of Louisiana and reflects on the past year on the release of his highly acclaimed breakout record, Home State. But first, Tyler Dial jumps in to talk about his latest single release, "About Last Night" and social media etiquette.    Jordan Davis is a Shreveport-born, Nashville songwriter. Armed with two back-to-back #1 songs (“Singles You Up” and “Take It From Me”) from his debut album Home State. Jordan is following up with his latest release, “Slow Dance In A Parking Lot”. With over 330 million streams, holding the record for the most weeks on Pandora’s New Country Top 10 chart for a debut single, and wrapping up opening for Rascal Flatts and Old Dominion in 2019. Jordan may be most excited about becoming a father. We tap into that but we also start at the beginning in our conversation. Coming from a rich musical family (his uncle penning Tracy Lawrenc

The creative headspace, bro's ruining dates, and new music with Clare Bowen (ABC's and CMT's Nashville) and Caroline Spence.  Caroline and I tap into her latest release, Mint Condition. Then Clare shares thoughts on cancer, living in Australia, the LGBTQ community, her TV experience, and releasing her self titled debut album.    Having won numerous songwriting awards, it's safe to say Caroline Spence is a songwriting wizard. Caroline and I share a fellow songwriting acquaintance and then soon we're off diving into her latest release, Mint Condition. As we're taping into the specifics of words and the power a pronoun we begin to understand the landscape of the project. Having gone through some of our favorite instances in the album, we get on the topic of living inside your head as a creative. Is this the catalyst of anxiety? If we didn't work in our heads would we feel may be more "normal"? What most people might see as a personal flaw, we should embrace though. By sharing the heart of your self and

Birds, mustaches, loneliness, and vulnerability versus ambiguity in songs with Ivory Layne and Matt Lorenz of The Suitcase Junket. Matt was rounding up his promotional tour for his latest record Mean Dog, Trampoline and we talked exhaustion and avoiding awkward interactions. Then Ivory Layne sits down to share the ideas of her songwriting and her journey.    Matt Lorenz's follow-up to 2017’s Pile Driver, Mean Dog, Trampoline takes its title from a lyric in “Scattered Notes From A First Time Home Buyers Workshop,” a brightly tumbling folk romp built on ramshackle rhythms and jeweled guitar tones. I caught Matt before his Nashville set and midway through his tour. It seemed like Matt was living through one of the themes of his record of exhaustion, so we touched on it. Then what does that mean for an artist to overcome it or sit and stew on it for artist development? You can follow The Suitcase Junket @suitcasejunket and .   Layne started songwriting at age six but didn't take serious interest until turning fou

Weird highway moments, rescheduling, and producing with Justin Osborne of Susto and writer/producer Casey Brown. Justin popped in after releasing Ever Since I Lost My Mind to talk about the record and current life. Then writer/producer Casey Brown talks life after school producing for Russel Dickerson, Laura Story, Megan & Liz, Secret Nation, and more.   Justin Osborne is the frontman of Susto. The name Susto describes an intense fear understood as a condition of the soul––an ongoing, spiritual panic attack. As Justin and I dive into his latest project, Ever Since I Lost I Mind, it's apparent susto is not just a name but an identity to the music. We talk highway finds, songwriting and his uniqueness in songwriting, and talk through some of our favorite tracks. Follow everything about Susto at  and follow him @sustoisreal.   Casey Brown is one of the newest signees to Nashville based publishing company Creative Nation. Rightly so especially after the massive success of Russell Dickerson's no. 1 "Yours

Humanity and America, new music, and a movie with multi-award winning fiddle player Michael Cleveland and folk artist Gabe Lee. Gabe shares some insight into his latest release, Farmland. Then Michael shares his thoughts on music, his life, and bluegrass.    Songwriter and picker Gabe Lee is a Nashville native and first-generation American. Drawing inspirations from John Prine, Wilco, Old Crow Medicine Show, Americana, and Bluegrass it was only a matter of time this classical pianist changed his musical destiny. Farmland is a look into America in its current state and makes you evaluate your thoughts its current state. Follow Gabe @gabeleetn for everything and updates.    Michael Cleveland is one of the premier bluegrass fiddlers of his generation.  A major player in the world of bluegrass, Michael has won the IBMA fiddle player of the year 11 times. His list of guest apperances over the years is a who’s who of bluegrass legends including Bill Monroe, Jim and Jesse, Ralph Stanley, Mac Wiseman, Doc Watson, Lar

New music, a preview, and getting to know Ivory Layne and Kassi Ashton. Ivory Layne, one of Justin Timberlake's artist's under Villa 40 just released "Cookie Cutter" and Kassi Ashton takes us back to California...Missouri. Look out for the full episode of Ivory Layne in a couple of weeks and stream all their music where ever it's the coolest.    Layne started songwriting at age six but didn't take serious interest until turning fourteen. She taught herself music production, working from her bedroom and posting demos online. In 2011, her work caught the attention of Grammy award-winning producer, Ed Cash. The two wrote, produced, and released her first EP, Volume One, in 2013. Shortly after, Layne moved from her hometown of Denver, NC, to Nashville, TN, to further her artist career. "Cookie Cutter" is Ivory's latest release but in the conversation, we get a spoon full of her quick whit and personality. Download "Cookie Cutter" and all her past releases anywhere and visit  for ever

A life beyond just music, an ALS warrior, father, and husband Bryan Wayne shares some of his biggest cuts and biggest moments from his life. Recorded from Big Kenny's (Big & Rich) private studio, Bryan also shares the story behind his latest record While You Wait and how you can really help those that are diagnosed with ALS at .   Bryan Wayne's "What If She's An Angel", recorded by Tommy Shane Steiner was a #2 hit in 2002 and hit it big as BMI's Millon Air award hitting 1 million spins. Bryan has also had top 25 single success with Chris Cagle's "Country By The Grace of God" and Big and Rich's "Kick My Ass". The MuzikMafia was a collection of country artists and songwriters that changed and shaped the sounds of the early 2000's that we still hear today. Bryan, being a part of that transition of country music also shared cuts with Clay Walker, Emerson Drive, Rodney Carrington, Jason Blaine, and others during his 20 plus year career as a songwriter.    In 2017, Bryan was diagno

Breaking down the hits, talking about home, and holding hands on the struggle bus with Natalie Hemby and Hailey Whitters. Both songwriters, but one is a member of the Highway Women and the other is living in a 10 year town with The Dream.   Behind a great song is a songwriter with crazy abilities to be able to pen those songs. Most of these tracks you've heard might have been penned by Natalie Hemby. Songs and projects include Kacey Musgraves' Golden Hour, Miranda Lambert's "White Liar", "Automatic", "Highway Vagabond", Little Big Town's "Pontoon" and "Tornado", Republican Hair's "Fuck A Bomb", songs for the motion picture A Star Is Born, and way more than what can fit here. Always being connected to the industry doesn't give you a free pass. We go through Natalie's personal, family history and connections that even though it sounds like you get a pass. Natalie has proven time and time again that she is a staple in the songwriter community. We talk a