John Paycheck Country Artist

Y'all tune in as we have a conversation with John and catch up with how he has been, his new song with Struggle Jennings! farming and life of touring!

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Yeah, I j I just I find it fascinating everything that you're doing, John, because it it's just with everything going on, the handling the booking and doing all this other stuff, I mean, it just for an independent, it's a lot of freaking work. People don't understand that.

SPEAKER_02 0:23

Oh yeah, no, it's a ton of work. I mean, we so uh what I don't think people understand is you know, with a label, when you've got that and you've got a management team and all this stuff, you've got the artist basically just being able to do mainly make calls on things and then uh perform, right? And create and do art, which is great. I'd love to get there, but uh what what an independent does is everything else, you know. So I manage the I manage the company, I manage the publishing company as well. Um, we have our own label as well that we manage. And then uh and and those are all they're almost ancillary duties, they're not really full-time things. The full-time stuff is the management and the booking, which we've we have used uh booking agencies and things before, and we were linked up with T, we're still linked up with TKO, but we're uh they're using we're using them basically for uh like fairs and bigger things sometimes. Yeah. Um, but the every day-to-day booking stuff that we do, that's all me and uh my wife helps out with that, and uh yeah, we we we run it all, and then like a release. We just got we just released a new song with Struggle Jennings, uh Sons of the Spark, and it's doing real well, but we're doing all that too, the promotion work and everything else. So yeah, and some venues are not as good about promotion, so we're but we're promoting for them too. So it's just it's constant. Every day you're doing something, even when I'm on the road. I've got my laptop out, um, sitting back there in my bunk and working on, you know, what are we gonna what are we gonna get next? What are we gonna work on next?

SPEAKER_00 2:04

So oh yeah, you know, and then well, I mean I don't sleep much anymore. What is that exactly? I haven't figured that out, but uh yeah, exactly. It's uh because I mean with all of the internet stuff and everything, they're even telling people to do like Facebook lives or or Instagram lives and and show people stuff and do this and do that. And I'm just like, y'all ain't got time, they don't understand this.

SPEAKER_02 2:41

Yeah, the content creation is huge because that is the majority of where all your marketing is coming from now, yeah um, uh, and is directed to. So, I mean, it used to be, you know, um, like dad, he would get on a a TV show. Uh, that would that was a good marketing piece, or he'd he'd have the radio programs. Well, and you know, guys used to do guys and gals used to do radio tours. Um you still see a lot of this stuff happening, but honestly, it's kind of a it's it's a it's a dying industry that's taking its last breaths. A lot of that stuff. Um, you know, I've done some TV spots, I've done some radio stuff as well, but I don't see as much of a uh a return on investment from it. I don't see as it getting out to as many folks. And a lot of the stuff now is like this podcasts. Uh if it's connected to the internet, that's majority where people are getting all their information now. So yeah, the social media is a huge part, and it it's it's finicky because it's not just, you know, well, I I post things, it is you have to post the right content at the right times, as many a certain amount of times, you know. Anybody who's gotten into this starts to see it's it's it's a big task to manage it every day. And in fact, I just hired um a uh social media manager and marketer, uh, who a marketing person who is uh actually she's she's quite a big deal, and she's being very kind to me uh to help me out. And um, so yeah, uh we're we're uh working with uh her to I'll just say her name, uh Kim Kim Sliman. Um sorry, Liz Liz uh Slime. We're we're we're working with her um to uh get this thing rolling better because I don't have enough time in the day to to make all the content and and and do everything that you need to do to be able to build these websites and are not websites, but uh uh social media sites. And yeah, it's a big deal. I know you know.

SPEAKER_00 4:40

Oh, yeah. I mean that's uh well that's the weird part about it is because grassroots promotion, they actually added me on their radio tour for these artists because of the different type of content I can do with these artists, you know, and get them out there better.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

That's what I have it it really is still radio tours, but it's yeah, it's just the the the platform is different, right? Because we're not really dealing with terrestrial as much. We're dealing with internet and well and internet radio.

SPEAKER_00 5:15

Internet radio is a big one too, and it's a hard one, it's a hard one to get on to, but uh uh I mean you've got a you've got a lot of radio stations out there, you know, like the old timey radio stations. Yep, they're actually doing podcasts and they're actually doing all kinds of stuff, you know.

SPEAKER_02 5:31

Well, they they they know they've you got to now, so and we actually um there's uh a thing called play MPE, um, which throws out all of the uh uh your your your releases and things like that to all of the the industry, um a radio. And uh yeah, we we're running we run a campaign with that for songs and stuff too. So yeah, we don't get we're not gotten rid of it yet. We're still using it, but yeah, it's definitely it's a different world, different world for sure. And it's a lot of time, and you've got to have a team now. Um there's just there's just no way. And we're building our we're we've been building a team for a while now, and it's just finding the right people.

SPEAKER_00 6:10

Yeah, it and and that's what it takes. I mean, it's that's something I tell a lot of these younger artists coming out, you know, get you a really good team, yep, of good friends that can actually help do certain things. Oh yeah, certainly.

SPEAKER_02 6:26

Uh the friend team is the best thing to start with. Oh, yeah. Um, but because they're gonna they're gonna they're gonna charge you less and they're gonna believe, but the biggest thing, it's not even the charging you how much, uh, it's it's do they believe in you?

SPEAKER_00 6:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:43

You gotta have people that believe in what you're doing.

SPEAKER_00 6:46

Yeah, because I'm sorry, you can pay anybody, but that don't mean they're gonna believe in what you're doing, you know. I mean they just want that money. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 6:57

Yeah, and that, and and a lot of people in this business will take advantage of you. Um, it's that's I mean, I learned that from dad. Um, just watching everything in the business that he had to deal with and and and working as his road manager and and all that. I yeah, it was it was uh it wasn't eye-opening really because it was just what I grew up with. But I mean it's just yeah, it's just what it is. It's like it's like, well, it's the same thing. Like if I if my dad was a farmer, you know, I I'd have learned everything about farming then, and you're not really you're not really uh exposed to much there when you take on the farm yourself, you kind of know what to expect. Right. The difference in this case is I went from 1990 in that era of the business, got out, went to the army and everything. Well, I actually did a couple other things. I went to computer engineering and then went out of the army. Yeah. And uh came back and everything had changed. And it was it was all this, and this is this is evolving now. AI is changing things. Um, you know, the industry is always in flux because you know, there's somebody sues, you know, BMI or somebody sues Sony or whatever, and so all of a sudden the the the tables turn and things change, and now you've got to figure out how to adapt to it. And that's that's pretty much you know what we're in right now. The economy. Economy's changing the way things are happening. Um yeah, yeah. For a touring back, for a touring band, um, like me, we're touring nationally. I gotta deal with these fuel prices now, and that was unexpected. So we've already booked for what we booked for, so we get, but now we gotta we gotta figure out what we're gonna do. And it just something you gotta weather. Oh, yeah, you know, and just it's not different from farming. And I always tell my guys this, I was like, so I always tell them, I was like, so you know how I always say, Man, I think next year is gonna be good. Next year's gonna be good. We got this lining up and that lining up, and it's always because just like with a farmer, farmer every year is like, well, we had a few hard hits this year, but uh next year will be better. You always have this hope that next year's gonna be better no matter what. That's that's just like farming doing this.

SPEAKER_00 9:09

Yeah, that that encompasses a lot. Just next year will be better, trust me. Oh, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:16

And you gotta have the hope, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 9:19

You got to. I mean, you know, it's uh it's one of those things.

SPEAKER_02 9:24

It sounds all grim, but it's not grim. I you know, these are just the things that are going on. Like we've we've got like on my side, I got a lot of good things happening. We've I got a great band. Um, you know, I've got uh and we're we're we just brought on a new drummer and we're real excited about him. Uh we've got uh uh let's see, the new single that came out. A whole I've got 15 songs that are coming out this year that we recorded, and they're all uh usually like with an album, I've got like one or two or three, maybe. I'm like, eh, these are okay.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

This one, man, I really like most all the songs on here, and it's it's it's a little bit of a different, more updated sound. Um, I'm excited because people people are I think are gonna like it real well. So yeah, it's uh you know, I get it's always fun to have new music coming out. And man, we're we're lining up for some good uh you know publicity and things like that. And it's yeah, it's a it there's lots of good things. Going out to California, having a big show with Geth and Jenkins. I mean, it yeah, it's there's all kinds of neat stuff going on.

SPEAKER_00 10:22

Yeah, well, I mean, yeah, I think we're in uh aren't the the fairs and all this other stuff just they're starting to kick off now, so yep, you got all that going on too, and yeah, and we uh we've got I can't remember, we got a couple fairs that we're working this year too.

SPEAKER_02 10:37

And yeah, I do more honky tonks than I do fairs, but yeah. Not that it's not a child safe show, it's just uh yeah, there's a lot of lot of a lot of drink and talk and stuff.

SPEAKER_00 10:49

So well, you know, it's uh yeah, yeah. Sometimes those uh particular songs are more apt in a honky tonk. Yes, sir. That is not my phone ringing, I'm telling you. Okay, she's picking on me telling me I gotta turn my phone off, and I'm like, my phone is not oh, it's not mine. It's been on silent ever since we've been sitting here. Yeah, my silent.

SPEAKER_01 11:20

I hear a little tweety bird.

SPEAKER_00 11:23

There's a tweety bird around here somewhere, okay.

SPEAKER_02 11:28

My dog was shaking his head over there. Maybe, maybe, maybe her collar. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 11:32

There ain't no telling. How many acres you got out there?

SPEAKER_02 11:38

We have I'm only on uh about 11 acres. Um and for lavender, which I grow, uh, it it only we only have about an acre of that. Now we're getting ready to move to Texas, and we're gonna take the entire operation, which moving a farm is an insane measure anyway, but yeah, he's got all equipment, everything else you gotta move. And we're going from Virginia to Texas, and we are probably gonna expand another to two acres of lavender, about an acre or no, probably about another two acres of uh pumpkins. And then um, yeah, uh and then we we are debating garlic. So these are all crops that are except for the pumpkins. Both those two crops are pretty easy to maintain and deal with.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:26

And and with me doing music and everything else too, and then my wife, my wife is still uh in the military, so um, which you know, I'm I am uh an active ready reserve guy. So yeah, she's still in doing her thing. So there's just not a lot of again, time time's time is the big crunch for everything, isn't it? Oh yeah. Yeah, so uh, but anyway, we we got those crops um that we're gonna expand into and yeah, do that down in down in Texas.

SPEAKER_00 12:57

And yeah, the move is gonna be interesting, but yeah, 2028, we should be there, and it'll be an interesting uh place to grow and uh as far as the music's concerned, and also uh it's a nice jump-off point for the rest of the United States with tour and that's what I was thinking about because you'll be literally at a point where you can go pretty much anywhere out of Texas because from Virginia, it's either north, south, or east.

SPEAKER_02 13:28

All the way wet, all the way all the way west, yep. All the way west, yep.

SPEAKER_00 13:31

And the whole east east part of it would be like what maybe a hundred miles or something to the beach. I mean oh yeah, that's about it.

SPEAKER_02 13:39

Hit the hit the ocean.

SPEAKER_00 13:41

Yeah. What do you say? It's nice to go to the beach every now and then, but oh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:50

Virginia Beach is is interesting and fun. But uh, yeah, it's uh it's definitely not um the Northeast is is harder for uh an independent country act to tour as much. Um there they they like country music up there too, but it's just not as popular. Um and and yeah, it just doesn't work out as well. Plus, uh logistics stuff too, lots of toll roads and all that fun stuff. I took the van and the trailer into New York City a couple times, and uh what a pain. What a pain. I don't like driving through New York.

SPEAKER_00 14:28

Well, I mean, you know, I drove big truck through it every now and then, and it was like, you gotta pay for this bridge, you gotta pay for that bridge, you gotta do this, do that, and it was just it was insane.

SPEAKER_02 14:40

And we're tall too, so we have to we take all the truck routes because the last thing I want is to rip the air conditioners off of the vehicles. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 14:50

You gotta stay in that lemon, man. I mean, it's uh that's like some of the bridges in New York and Chicago, man. They're they're 10 foot, nine foot. You know, oh yeah. You gotta be careful about all that.

SPEAKER_02 15:02

We ran into that in Chicago as well. And uh we played a place called uh Broken Hearts uh Club, and yeah, we we got we we were underneath the subway and everything sitting there, and then when we left, we uh ended up stuck. We we were trying to go that one way and couldn't go, and the bridge was too small, and it was like, oh boy, this will be fun to figure out. And uh that's when we decided right then we were gonna go ahead and get a big truck GPS.

SPEAKER_00 15:30

Yeah, you definitely gotta have one. That's that's what I used out of that one.

SPEAKER_02 15:34

That thing's great too, man. It tells you all kinds of stuff, tells you where the next love's truck stop is, and everything.

SPEAKER_00 15:39

Oh, yeah. It's that's one of the things about uh technology I did like. Oh, yeah. It helped out so much. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 15:52

Yeah. No, that's that's you know, that's it. We got the touring coming up uh and all that. We're got that we got a big show, like I said, coming up uh there in Pomona, California with Gethin Jenkins and Victoria Bailey. Gethin's like an amazing if you haven't heard his stuff, he's an amazing songwriter. Um, it was funny because he he grew up in Huntington, West Virginia, and uh we're close to the same age. And I I went to part of my middle school and um uh elementary school and stuff there in Huntington, Chesapeake, Virginia, uh or Chesapeake, I'm sorry, uh Ohio. Um Huntington, West Virginia is right across the river. But uh yeah, I grew up kind of the same area and stuff. And yeah, we we've been we've been getting along ever since. Me and him, he's pretty good, pretty good guy. And uh he's gonna be playing there, and we uh Victoria, she Victoria Bailey, she is uh just this really good up-and-coming rising star, man. Um great country music, she's a good writer, good singer. Yeah, so it's gonna be fun. I'm looking forward to that one, obviously. Yeah, so yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

Well, I mean, it sounds like it. I mean, it's uh are y'all gonna be anywhere close to Nashville on one of these?

SPEAKER_02 17:00

We are um I'm trying to set up a few shows with uh well one looking at possibly it's not set yet, but possibly in July we're gonna be third and Lindsay. And then I'm trying to get another act to to join in with me on that one. And then uh basement, basement east. We're probably gonna probably gonna hit hit that a couple times this year.

SPEAKER_00 17:21

Yeah. That'll be good.

SPEAKER_02 17:23

So yeah. I I've debated also, um, because I really like well, one of my favorite places is uh Music City Bar and Grill out there. Yeah. Yeah, Music Valley. Yeah. Because well, every time I go in there, it's always people that I either knew dad or I knew coming up and things like that. And it's just uh it's a very homecoming type place. Uh especially if you like the older style and like what we kind of call traditional now, I guess, country music. But uh and they've got a lot of, you know, they get Music City Playboys and stuff are playing there, but uh yeah, either there or because they own Troubadour as well. Play one of those.

SPEAKER_00 18:05

And the palace do Nashville Palace every now and then.

SPEAKER_02 18:08

Yeah, I haven't got um I haven't got a good contact with them. Uh uh, I mean, I know how to reach out to them, but I haven't got a good contact with them yet. So we'll see what happens, maybe.

SPEAKER_00 18:19

Yeah, because I mean it's uh well y'all mean you got the Troubadour, then you got the Nashville Palace, then you got uh what's the other one called? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:30

So I'm real familiar. Yeah. That is pretty much my area when when I come into town, if if I'm gonna go out and listen to music.

SPEAKER_00 18:41

Yeah, because uh uh ever since you got on, I've been sitting there thinking, I've seen you somewhere before, I've run into you somewhere, but we didn't talk. Okay, but it might have been around there.

SPEAKER_02 18:52

I have seen you somewhere in Nashville, so I mean I'm well and I've played as well if it was I playing music or was I just hanging out?

SPEAKER_00 19:00

No, you were just hanging out.

SPEAKER_02 19:01

Oh, okay. Yeah, it it's most likely probably around there. Uh every once in a while I might go see what's happening down on Broadway, but yeah, it's too K, it's just too much chaos down there. And yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:15

Dude, I was born and raised in this town, and I know you were born and raised here. Yep, yep. Yeah, I'm good with some real man.

SPEAKER_02 19:26

Well, like legends, legends used to be a cool place. Ajs used to be a cool place. The wagon wheel before. Um, and you know, I mean, and then but broken spokes uh the the the spoke is gone, you know, and that used to be out there, Goodlitzville area and all that kind of stuff. And used to have used to have a bunch of places that were really good for you know live music, and it's kind of withered, it's withered down. I mean, and down downtown is you know, they're all playing, you know. I mean, we we can gripe about that all all day, but you know what I mean. It's it's all you know cover band rock stuff for the most part. It's they're they're trying to keep people drinking and excited, and I got it. But man, it's just not you know, not what it used to be. And and I hate to say it that way, but it's also just not what it could be to represent Nashville in a more uh appropriate way for what Nashville really should be or is, you know. Um, but yeah, you know, I don't know. It's a it's a circus down there now, and it's not really, you know, I'll go down there and play. Um, and uh and when I go down there, I'm not gonna play, I'm gonna play what I want to play. So it's either Chiefs, because Chiefs is you can go in and set up a ticketed show and play what type of music you're going to play. Um, but that's about it down there now. Um I don't I can't I can't really think of any other place. Can you? Not right off the top of my head. I mean, there's yeah, me either. There's I think Chiefs is about about the only one that's still where where you can get a you know a show that isn't you know programmed like you know the rest of the bar band type stuff.

SPEAKER_00 21:02

Well, I mean it's there's so many corporations now that they want things to be a certain way, you know. And I've just I'm not big on that. I mean, I because you know, being born and raised in and being downtown all the daggum time, you know, is just uh you probably remember there used to be a little candy shop down there called Candyland. Yep. And I used to love to go down there and get a banana split, you know, and you would always hear music coming from these bars, and it wasn't cover songs, it was these artists playing their actual songs that they wrote. And that's what I missed the most.

SPEAKER_02 21:44

And I mean, I guess you got a you got a little bit of that. Um, but they gotta be like special nights now, like songwriter nights and things like that. And there's only a few venues that'll do that stuff, you know. One of them that's still upholding it is it, but it's off, but it's not on broad. Way is, you know, like Third and Lindsay. Yeah. You know, uh, Ron does a great job with that place, you know. And you've got you do you've got a few, you know, and then I mean you get the like it's a basement. We were just talking about basement east and all that kind of stuff. Yeah, they're not down there though, you know. And heck, they got rid of uh oh, what is it? It's uh I can't remember the name of it, but uh it's the same area where like it's over on West End, you know, like Gold Rush used to be over there, or it's gone now, but you know, that that area right there where you have uh the end is still there and the exit end is still there, but they were more of that's bluegrass.

SPEAKER_00 22:39

More well, the end and uh exit end went into rock and they went into all these other things. But there was another place over there that that was primarily country, and it wasn't that big of a bar either. I mean, it was just a nice little place. And I think is it was it gold rush? No, gold rush was a restaurant, and it and a big bar.

SPEAKER_02 23:05

I know I've I've been there quite a few times. Drank there quite a few times, I should say.

SPEAKER_00 23:12

But yeah, no, no, no. Um I've been there, but I can't remember when I was there.

SPEAKER_02 23:17

So yeah, yeah, it's gone now. But yeah. Yeah, and and yeah, I was thinking of uh when I said bluegrass, I was thinking of Station End, and they're still around. I love that place. That place is so cool. But uh yeah, no, it's uh it's it's interesting to see the evolution of it all. Um most of the most of the stuff like what we're talking about, what we're talking about, it's out there all on Music Valley Drive and all that kind of stuff out by the uh Opri Land. Well, what Opri, the Opry. Yeah. And that's anymore.

SPEAKER_00 23:48

I don't know what it is anymore.

SPEAKER_02 23:51

It's a mall. It's a mall and uh and in in the grand old Opry right next to a mall. Well, there that doesn't say corporate don't say corporate at all, does it?

SPEAKER_00 24:00

No, and uh well supposedly there's a comedian that is actually talking about opening up a new little place for people to uh uh like uh like an old Opriand, but he's he's kind of thinking more like a Dollywood kind of thing, and and just putting it all together. So well we can see the answer for that. So I'm just curious how that is actually gonna work.

SPEAKER_01 24:28

Yeah, which comedian?

SPEAKER_00 24:30

Hold a Nate guy. I don't know. I can't remember his name. It was like Nateland is what he's wanting to have. Nat yeah, Nateland. It's like Opri Land, but Nateland.

SPEAKER_01 24:44

Boo.

SPEAKER_00 24:45

It's weird. I'm wondering if this is a joke too, of his.

SPEAKER_01 24:49

Right?

SPEAKER_00 24:50

There is no telling. But that's funny. But he was actually uh I've I've seen him on a thing, and he was actually talking about that is one thing that is Nashville is missing, is actually having a good park like they used to.

SPEAKER_02 25:08

Yeah. Yeah, Hopperland did pretty good from what I understood. I know they had their you know, like with any theme park, they got problems as far as you know keeping keeping their finances where they need to be. But yeah, I don't know. I felt I felt felt like they did okay. And then well, I mean, it was kind of an abrupt closing, too.

SPEAKER_00 25:28

You remember back in the day, I mean, hell fanfare was going on, and you could do fanfare, and you had to uh you got to go to Opera Land and all the whole big huge thing went on. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:43

That was if you could if you if an investor could afford afford it, you know, it would be amazing just across the river to to put like a a smaller theme park together, um, that has a country theme to it. Man, that would be I can't imagine how well that would do, you know what I mean.

SPEAKER_00 26:03

So I think it'd do better than a football field.

SPEAKER_02 26:06

Yeah, that's fair. That's fair.

SPEAKER_00 26:12

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 26:13

I guess you know, this is they need to leave this to us. We need to just be the city planners. What do you say?

SPEAKER_00 26:17

Yeah, we can just uh we can just sit down and look at it and and take a look.

SPEAKER_02 26:23

We're board board both of us are Nashville boys. I mean, come on.

SPEAKER_00 26:27

Well, yeah, because uh I actually was raised up right there off of uh Jones Avenue in Trinity Lane.

SPEAKER_02 26:35

Okay, yeah, fair enough. Yeah, I I was born down there at Baptist Hospital. Well, it's not Baptist now, but uh yeah, I was born in the Baptist, and then uh yeah, we we lived out oh the west part of town there for a little bit, and then we were down there in the fancy part a little bit, which I won't say names, and then uh and then we you know ended up moving, and then it then it was just constant in and out of Nashville and hell, lived in uh uh over there on uh music row at Spence Manor for a little while. Yeah. Yeah, we were we we were living in there for just a just a short while, but still, yeah. I mean, yeah, constantly in and out of Nashville. It still feels like I'm uh I'm I'm there more there than I am at home. But yeah, it is what it is.

SPEAKER_00 27:25

It's a nice place to visit, I can say that.

SPEAKER_02 27:28

Yeah, yeah, I actually lived out. I lived out at Mount Juliet for a couple years. Um I liked it out there. It wasn't it was you know just just far enough to be separate from uh from from all the chaos of downtown, but close enough to get into town and do work and do things.

SPEAKER_00 27:43

And they also had a lot of amazing musicians that actually lived in Mount Juliet. Oh yeah. I mean that's one thing I loved when uh you know Charlie and everything going on with him and all the things that if I could go back.

SPEAKER_02 28:04

There's a guy to miss, I'll tell you.

SPEAKER_00 28:07

Yeah, he was great. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:09

Uh but yeah, and like well, and Franklin too. Franklin's not a bad place. A little expensive, but it's not a bad place. Hey.

SPEAKER_00 28:20

Yeah, Franklin's nice.

SPEAKER_02 28:25

That's fair. That's a good answer right there. You just leave that, leave that where it goes.

SPEAKER_00 28:29

I love that they actually took the old Franklin Theater and redone it, and you can play there. You can play there now.

SPEAKER_02 28:36

I am gonna be playing there. I'm gonna be playing there next year. We were we were set up for this year and we changed it, and uh yeah, we're we're we're gonna be there next year. And uh yeah, I'm playing playing a lot of theaters next year too, which is interesting. But yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:50

I love how they've been actually refurbishing a lot of these old theaters and turning them into venues, man.

SPEAKER_02 29:00

Yeah, they're cool too. They're really neat. I love playing theaters. It's just it's a neat feeling, and plus this it's a historical feel, and uh, you know, it's I don't know. It just it's it feels a little bit better than a bar sometimes or uh a honky tonk, but I like honky tonks too, you know. Because you you're right. Some of these honky tonks, man. I'm like, you know, a foot away from the the the the the fan, you know, and it's like you're right there and you get real good energy, but it's the same, it's a different type of vibe with uh with a theater, and I like it too.

SPEAKER_00 29:33

Well, I mean, you remember back in the day, I mean, it was a lot of these icons started out playing school gymnasiums, man. Yep, all over the country. And yep, it was just amazing what all they were able to do.

SPEAKER_02 29:50

Yeah, I know, I know probably a lot of artists would young artists would find it weird now. But uh yeah, it used to be the thing. And it was just because there were, I mean, it was what they don't understand, especially with country music, is you know, in independent country artists at that time um were gonna play anywhere they possibly could and set up a show anywhere that you could seat as many people as you could, and then charge as little as you could to get as many people in. Yeah, so the system's kind of flipped a little bit now. Yeah, it's like I don't understand. It's like now we want to charge you know three thousand dollars for a ticket and put them in the biggest stadium we got, and it's like, oh man, I this yeah, I and I and I got it. That's a whole different that's a super stardom thing. But even with me, you know, uh I'll get a venue that has let's say they see 500 people and they want to charge you know 40 to 50 bucks a ticket, and it's like uh you can't do that, it's just gonna bleed people dry, and I'll drive them down on the price and try to get it where it's more reasonable.

SPEAKER_00 30:55

And yeah, it's yeah, people give me heck because you know I I'll rattle off about going to municipal auditorium and getting these tickets, you know, 1250, 15 15 bucks, something like that, you know. And we were we were seeing Ozzy and Van Halen and going to the the the jam that uh Charlie had, you know, the volunteer jam and uh all these great things that we were seeing back in the day, you know, and we didn't pay over 30 bucks for a ticket. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:32

Yeah, and even if you do like look at inflation and stuff too, that's still significantly cheaper than what what they're charging for these major shows now. You know, and that's I try to I try to keep mine around 10 to 20 bucks somewhere in there. Um I figured that you know that's easy enough. But then, you know, and and it's not all venues, by the way, not all venues are um trying to you just bleed everyone dry. Some of them are run very well, they understand the you know, the the their their their client and customers, and uh, you know, they they do great with this. But uh yeah, it it try to keep that price down and and make it to where it's like, okay, we're all gonna be able to survive on this. This is good, and we'll we'll get people in and people have a good time, and yeah, it'll work out well. But uh it now, right now, it's it's hard because with the economy the way it is, you know, people are uh afraid to spend their money and and they don't have the money, and it just it's it's it's rough. But yeah, we'll we'll get out there and I'm trying to do more free shows, see if we can get more things like that where you know what I mean, like where the the venue doesn't charge a ticket price or anything, and oh yeah, you know, people come in, have a few drinks and eat and enjoy some music. Yeah, and then uh you know forget about their problems for you know an hour and a half or so.

SPEAKER_00 32:57

Yeah, and everybody has a little bit of good fun, you know.

SPEAKER_02 33:02

Exactly. You know, uh that that's another interesting thing. The uh it's a generational difference, it feels like, too, because a lot of the uh we see a lot of younger people that aren't wanting to go out to shows and they don't want to go to you know bars and honky tonks and stuff like that as much. It's it's I I don't know. I I think they're they're missing out on some stuff.

SPEAKER_00 33:27

I think when somebody says that uh you know they're going to a honky tonk or or going to hear a honky tonk band, I think a lot of them get like some kind of ick or something about them, you know, because they've never been, they've never experienced it, you know.

SPEAKER_02 33:41

Yeah, but um the whole honky talk, the honky tonk thing is uh I don't know if it's got a stigma or whatever with the with the the term, but it all it is is just a it's just a a a bar or venue, you know, with uh a country music band. Uh that that's really all it is. And you know, now yes, are there some venues that are a little sketch, maybe a little uh warsome. Well, for some people that's their thing, and they like that, you know, and I like them too. You know, if if if you know we used to call them dive bars, right? So um and I like that kind of venue too. I'll I also like the real polished ones too, they're nice, you know. But uh yeah, you don't have to go to a you don't gotta go to a dive bar. You can go you can go to a polished one or you can go to a dance hall. I like dance halls too. I work those. Um and it's yeah, I don't know. I think uh I don't know. It's just it's just a different different uh generational curve thing that's happening, and yeah, maybe it'll come around.

SPEAKER_00 34:45

I hope it does, man, because I'm telling you, a lot of these people they're missing out on a lot of really, really good music.

SPEAKER_02 34:52

Good music, good times too, and you make friends when you when you go out if you're if you're doing it right, you know. Um that's the thing too. It's like socializing. Go out and socialize, have fun, you know. Invite the next table over to your table and and and you know, and just socialize with people, talk with people, have a good time.

SPEAKER_00 35:12

Yeah, and if you get into a fight, shake hands afterwards, buy that person a beer and have fun. Well, we I know you remember that.

SPEAKER_02 35:22

Hey, you just scared them all off. You shouldn't have done that. I had them rooked in and you went to the fight route. Well, nowadays I used to like to do that, but yeah, I got yeah, I grew up and changed a little bit. I think we all do, but uh yeah, that's the bad part. Army guys fighting with you know, uh Air Force guys and things like that, or or Marines usually, but yeah. Yeah, anyway.

SPEAKER_00 35:51

Yeah, there's there's a lot of differences. Okay, so I blow this all to help.

SPEAKER_02 35:56

So anyway, but yeah, that's true too. A lot of times you'd shake hands with whoever and just like, all right, buy you a beer and let's let's let's have a good time now.

SPEAKER_00 36:06

Yeah, just have a good time because I've got uh I've got some friends for life after that.

SPEAKER_02 36:11

Oh yeah, oh yeah, one of my best friends. It started out with a ruckus, and uh me and him are now you know great friends, an Indiana farmer and uh Steve Kohlstorff. I'll drop his name. Yeah, and I'd I'd have whooped his butt if he would have all right. He's big, he's a big boy, big corn, corn fed boy. Oh, damn.

SPEAKER_00 36:33

I don't know. That scared me right off the bat. Uh nope. I ain't doing it. Uh yeah. When you're doing shows out on the road and stuff, are are are you gonna um be able to hook up and maybe struggle be in the area and get him to come in on that song?

SPEAKER_02 36:54

We're actually working on a show in Houston right now that we we might be hook linking up on. Uh, I think that's on the 12th of yeah, it's on the 12th of June. Uh so coming up. Um Scouts, I think the Scouts bar. But yeah, we haven't got it finalized yet. We might be doing that, we might not. I'm not sure. Uh, but yeah, we're trying to link up and do do a couple shows together, and uh we'll probably do the song together. And yeah, and uh yeah, we'll work it out. Yeah, I like and struggle, struggle's cool, man. He is uh, you know, uh, I I'm not I'm not you know the hip hop uh type of music and all that kind of stuff, but uh I can appreciate what he does and you know some of those guys and what what they do and he he struggles he's just a he's part of that Jennings family, man. And the Jennings guys, they're they're they're pretty cool. I like most of them. Uh I like all of them actually. But uh yeah, it's uh good song, um, good recording, and and working with him has been a pleasure and it's been fun. Um, and it's fun to see him come over, and he's he is doing more country style music, which is uh it was surprising to hear and see. And yeah, he's he's got some good stuff, man. And he's he's a funny guy, too. Fun, he's funny and fun. So yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll see what happens. But we I think we're we're we're trying to line all that up, but you know how that goes. It's it's it's uh it's dealing with a lot of the management and things. Oh yeah, that's I love those people in management. Yeah, they've always got their hand and a say in it and just gotta have it.

SPEAKER_00 38:30

Oh yes, it drives me nuts.

SPEAKER_02 38:32

But yeah, we're doing that. Um, like I said, working with Gethon this year too, Gethin Jenkins. Um we who else were we were gonna we were linking up with? We're linking up with a couple others, and I can't remember off the top of my head, but yeah, and yeah, that's the only um uh other act I'm working with as far as recording this year. But yeah, might be some stuff for next year. We'll we'll we'll uh we'll let that come out when it comes out.

SPEAKER_00 38:58

Oh yeah. Well, I mean, shoot hook up with Way and see what he's got going on. I mean, it's uh Way's a good one too.

SPEAKER_02 39:05

Yeah, I was in uh I was in one of his videos um last year. Last year or year before I was in one of his videos. But uh yeah, Way's a good good cat. I like him too.

SPEAKER_00 39:14

Way's nice uh I mean uh I remember when I first started my podcast, uh he actually agreed to be on and and kind of helped me reach on out there a little bit more, you know. Sure. He's a great guy. He's uh I think he's got uh album release coming up at uh Troubadour.

SPEAKER_02 39:35

I think that's right. Matter of fact, I was invited to that, but I'm not I don't think I can make it. I'm gonna be on tour.

SPEAKER_00 39:45

I'll be there, but if you stop by, we'll we won't tell nobody. Just come on in.

SPEAKER_02 39:51

Fair enough. Or just say I was there, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 39:56

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 39:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:58

Well, John, thank you.

SPEAKER_02 39:59

Yeah, like all them. Um who else am I? I've been there's a couple guys in Texas I've been looking at working with some. Um I'm I'm doing more and more work with a lot of the Texas artists. I got got into the CMA of Texas, and yeah, there it's uh Texas has been real real kind to me and kind of welcomed me with open arms. But I'm doing a lot of the same style of music that that resonates there, right? Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 40:26

Yeah, and that's yeah, I I love what Texas is actually doing with keeping the heritage of country music.

SPEAKER_02 40:37

Yep, it just it fits and it feels better uh there and people like it and they come out. You still got dance halls and dance clubs. Um, you know, when you walk into you know a venue and they don't have a dance floor, it's a little disappointing. Um it really is, because yeah, especially for us up on uh us up on the stage, because I'm like, man, it getting people out on that dance floor and watching them go is it's just a good feeling when when you when you're when you're playing. So um, you know, and I'm always trying to encourage people to come out and dance and things like that. I pick I'll pick people that are sitting by themselves out in the crowd and and be like, hey, this this this young young lady over here needs a dance partner. Why don't you go? There you go. Always always trying to rile rile them up and get them get them out there.

SPEAKER_00 41:26

But uh you're single, you're single. Y'all need to dance.

SPEAKER_02 41:30

Come on, y'all need to dance, make some friends here. It's one song, it's only a couple minutes. Calm down.

SPEAKER_00 41:36

Just have some fun, man. That's all you do.

SPEAKER_02 41:39

Yeah, so but yeah, no, we uh uh we resonate real well there. Um, and I and I do a lot of uh, you know, I do some Texas swing songs. I've always liked Texas Swing and uh always record a couple uh on uh every album. Um and yeah, it it just we we go over well there. It feels like home to me. That's that's that's why we're well, one of the reasons why we're uh moving there. The other one is because my daughters are all getting ready to go to college and they all want to go to I think they're all gonna become Aggies. I don't know. We'll see. Yeah, that's where they they're they're pretty sold on Texas AM right now, and we'll see what happens.

SPEAKER_00 42:19

Right. You know, yeah, I couldn't think of a better reason to go.

SPEAKER_02 42:25

Yeah, no, yeah. Being close to the close to the girls and uh being able to uh uh start up another another farm and and possibly possibly some ranch. I don't know. And then perfect place for the rest of the the music career until I ride off into the sunset.

SPEAKER_00 42:45

Yeah, and uh yeah, build build a studio while you're at it.

SPEAKER_02 42:49

Yeah, maybe uh that's funny. You mentioned that because somebody else told me to do that, that there's not enough studios in uh in in the Texas Triangle. And I was like, really? I would have thought there would have been more in Austin, but no, evidently there's not a lot of high-dollar studios that that are have but good professional recording and everything else.

SPEAKER_00 43:11

So I yeah with the technology today, you don't really need a whole lot like we used to do in the studios back in the day. Yeah, yeah. Everything's more centralized, and you know, you can have a 42-channel board and do some phenomenal things.

SPEAKER_02 43:28

Oh, yeah, you can. And it really comes down honestly to the producer. Um, a good producer can just work miracles. My producer, Bill McDermott, man, he's he's he's great. He he knocks my socks off every time. So he's he is Nashville based, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:48

Well, I mean, I'm sure he could take a trip to Texas.

SPEAKER_02 43:51

Yes, true. Have airline ticket, we'll travel, right?

SPEAKER_00 43:56

Exactly. That's all you need to do.

SPEAKER_01 44:00

Sir, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:01

Thank you. Thank you so much for being on, bud. I've I just have been so hey, I love it. And uh, you know, anytime you get through Nashville, you just want to come and stop and hang out, you're more than welcome to.

SPEAKER_02 44:13

Oh, I appreciate it. Oh, let me throw one thing out there. If I I tell you what I need, I need from anybody watching your show. I need to be followed on Facebook and Instagram. We're on all those, and got a mail, I got a mailing list that lets you know about all my shows and merchandise and all that kind of stuff out on the website. And it everything's easy. It's John Paycheck, not the Johnny. That's that's the older guy. We're much I'm much prettier than the older one than Dad. Uh yeah. I got blonde hair, he had black hair.

SPEAKER_00 44:42

So there you go. Dark brown.

SPEAKER_02 44:44

But yeah, so yeah, I need people to follow me in. Play my new single, Sons of the Spark, me and Struggle Jennings.

SPEAKER_00 44:50

Yeah, it's uh it's actually a really, really good song, and I was amazed at you know, I struggle actually came in right where he needed to be. Uh-huh. And I was like, wait a minute, is that that's struggle?

SPEAKER_01 45:14

Yep, yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02 45:17

Yeah. Yeah, he uh when he in the studio, man, when uh we were doing it, you know, it was and that was the right on the first take, man. He knew he could hear it. Wow, and uh yeah, it was uh, you know, we of course we you know we ran some other takes and stuff too, but yeah, he he knew he knew what to do, man. And I I jumped up because funny enough, and you know, uh I'll just mention this real quick. I was a little nervous because he he raps mainly, and I'm like, Oh man, I I hope I hope he I I think he can, but you know, I hope so. And boy, he got in there, and I was just like, Oh man, this guy's awesome! I love him. Oh yeah, he did awesome, he did a great job.

SPEAKER_00 45:59

I know. So uh we're gonna put your link and everything down below, and everybody can go check it out and everybody can go listen to the song. I'm telling you, Sons of the Spark. I just I loved it. Thank you so much. Yeah, it's what's fun making. Yep. All right, John, be careful out there, buddy, and we'll talk to you soon. We'll do. Thank you for having me. All right, we'll see you, buddy. Y'all, all right, everybody. Remember, just like John said, like, share, follow, and subscribe. All of his stuff is under John Paycheck. Go check him out. Hit the subscribe button, go follow him on Instagram, go look at all of the things that he's got going on with his touring where he's going to be playing at. This guy is hitting it, and he's hitting it in an old school way. He loves seeing y'all. He loves meeting you, shaking your hand, taking a picture with you, doing some autographs. Y'all go see him. And uh you heard exclusively he might actually have a struggle, and him might play close enough to where they could help each other out on Sons of the Spark on stage. So that would be cool as I'll get out. So, anyway, we're gonna get off here. Remember, love you, mean it. Bye.