Adam Hood – On Writing for Miranda Lambert & Whiskey Myers
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There's a moment early in any conversation with Adam Hood when you realise you're speaking to someone who understands something fundamental about American music that can't be taught in a songwriting workshop. It's in the way he talks about his Alabama roots, about his dad waking up at half six every morning as a forester, about making cardboard cutouts of guitars as a kid until his parents finally relented and bought him the real thing. It's the blue-collar southern music he makes—that particular alchemy of country, soul, and roots that only emerges when you've actually lived the stories you're singing about.
Hood's trajectory from that small Alabama town, where he quit the football team at sixteen after earning $150 playing Friday and Saturday nights at The Breezeway, reads like something out of a country song. But unlike the polished narratives that often get packaged for radio, his rise feels genuinely earned. When you've spent thousands of miles behind the steering wheel chasing gigs from one town to the next, when you've learned your craft in honky-tonks and fraternity parties before anyone knew your name, something real settles into your songwriting. Something that can't be faked.
I used to make cardboard cutouts of guitars when I was a kid, and I did that until my parents finally broke down and bought me a guitar.
— Adam Hood
What makes Hood remarkable isn't just his own music, though his recordings are compelling studies in lyrical precision and emotional honesty. It's his gift for writing songs that resonate with other artists—the kind of songwriter whose work finds its way onto records by Miranda Lambert, Whiskey Myers, Riley Green, and Cody Jinks. These aren't coincidences. These are the songs that stuck, that felt true, that captured something these artists needed to say. There's a generosity in that kind of songwriting, a willingness to serve the song rather than just serve yourself.
In his conversation with the Rugged Revival, Hood speaks about his upbringing with the kind of detail that explains everything about his later work. He wasn't the prodigy who sat down and instinctively found chords; he was the kid who learned fundamentals, who took lessons, who played church youth groups through junior high and high school. The traditional apprenticeship. When he finally got to play paying gigs, it wasn't because someone discovered him on social media—it was because college kids in his college town heard him and invited him to fraternity parties, which led to bars, which led to other towns, which led to other opportunities. That organic growth, that earning of every step, has clearly shaped how he approaches his craft.
We lived in a pretty small house and just about as normal an upbringing as you can be, but guitar was really my first love.
— Adam Hood
The southeastern musical tradition that shaped Hood is one of the most honest strains in American music. It's not trying to be anything other than what it is: people from small towns making music about their lives, with guitars and stories and a deep understanding that the best country songs are actually just good literature set to melodies. Hood fits squarely in that lineage, whether he's performing his own material or writing songs that capture the voice of artists like Lambert or the Whiskey Myers crew.
What's striking is his humility about the whole thing. He doesn't position himself as the architect of other people's successes; he's simply a craftsman who understands what makes a song work. In a musical landscape increasingly dominated by algorithms and marketing, there's something beautifully stubborn about an artist who still operates according to the old logic: write the best song you can, play the best show you can, and let the work speak for itself.
The Rugged Revival's episode with Hood deserves your full attention—both for the conversations about his songwriting process and his background, and for the special performance he gives. This is the kind of artist worth following closely, whether you're discovering him for the first time or you've been listening to his songs without realising they came from the same pen. He represents something vital in contemporary roots music: the idea that authenticity still matters, that craft still counts, and that a song written honestly will find its audience, even if it takes a few thousand miles to get there.
[Music] [Applause] L Crash and Burn Hearts get broke TBL turn you lose your love welcome back to the rugged Revival podcast uh it's a very special episode uh firstly because we've got rugged Ronnie uh in his first podcast episode after a bout of illness so welcome to show rugged Ronnie uh and we've got a real special guest with us today that we've been really excited about for the last week or two uh someone that we're huge fans of uh I'm really grateful to have on a podcast we've got Adam Hood with us today um I struggled to believe there's anyone out there who isn't familiar with Adam's music um but for anyone that's been living under a rock for a while Adam uh is a singer songwriter from Alabama uh his music is an incredible blend of Country Soul American Roots Music and Adam I think you've described it yourself as blue colar southern music which I really love um Adam has written songs for or perform with the likes of cletto Cordo of flatland Calvary Brent Cobb Miranda Lambert Little Big Town muscadine bloodline Riley green Cody Jinx Travis Tri you know just to name a few that's uh a real mouthful already um so we'll be speaking to Adam about everything going on in his world and he's really kindly agreed to to give us special performance at the end of the show so U just over to Adam you know how are you doing mate you okay I'm doing well thank you for asking thanks I'm glad glad to be a special guest it's nice to feel special you really are and you know um I suppose for our podcast Adam you know we we go out to invite people um especially that we listen to you know it's not just random kind of guess that we have on it's people that we're actually listening to it's people that we love we love your music and we're so grateful that you're coming on the show and you know we've got so many questions that we we would love to ask you and um yeah it we'll go from there so cool great so well thank you so Adam just just to start off from me um it's uh as as TJ has already said you know it's the the first podcast with me uh so thanks for joining and and what a first podcast to join uh with yourself so uh I really really appreciate it but I I just wanted to start off about um little Adam Hood where did little Adam Hood come from where you growing up what happened what what got you to where you are now oh good question uh um I grew up in Alabama I'm I'm from I'm from the east side of the state I'm from about 30 minutes uh west of Columbus Georgia which you know I don't know what that means to you guys but but um so I I you know grew up in Alabama you know and and we're a we're pretty predominantly a um football state um like the American version of football so uh you know it's it's either an Auburn or an Alabama thing and and so I grew up like that my I'm an only child my mom and my dad was a Forester my mother uh she sold real estate when I was in school then on the flower shop now she's retired and so um I lived a pretty I mean when you say blue collar like it was you know my dad was 6:30 up in the morning uh worked till 5: Mom was kind of the same thing we lived in a pretty small house and just about as normal an upbringing as as as we can be and I just you know I was always kind of into music you know I I tell you this I used to I used to take cardboard used to make cardboard cutouts of guitars when I was a kid and so I did that until my parents finally broke down and bought me a guitar and and so I started taking lessons pretty young um and but you know I I took lessons really young but I don't necessarily know that that it wasn't like you know I J Lewis's book you know it was talking you know they talked about how he sat down at the piano when he was young and just started picking out songs it wasn't like that me I you know I did it normal I took lessons and and kind of had to you know learn you know hand coordination and fundamentals and things like that but guitar was really my first love and and I didn't start I I started just like anyone else from the southeast does uh I started in church played for my youth group and uh I I did that all through Junior High in high school and um and about my 11th grade year of high school uh I started playing in a place called The Breezeway in a in my hometown and I did Friday one Friday and Saturday night a month and they paid me $150 and I quit the football team man I thought that was what I wanted to do you know I thought I I thought I was goth Brooks man you know so and that's kind of that's kind of where it all started I mean honestly you know and so you know the the the Breezeway you know the being living in a college town the you know college students would kind of come and and they would say Hey you know we enjoyed listening to you w you play our fraternity party and the fraternity parties would lead to you know you know gigs and bars and and the bars would lead to the you know bars in other towns and and other opportunities and just kind of Grew From There wow that's incredible and and to be in you know to be involved with such a rich history uh in in music from where you growing up you know is is incredible and listening to that uh I mean is there any is there any specific memories you've got of of certain nights that you played any anything that's that really sticks out in your mind man it's funny you say that about the about the rich history in the Southeast you know and I I'll go ahead and say this I I think that I think that we're so spoiled to it that that it's not as celebrated as it should be you know I mean there's because you know when you go to Mississippi like I'm I'm headed to Mississippi this weekend and um you know people like Marty Stewart Morgan Freeman have really taken time and money and and and kind of for lack of a better term political influence and and have taken it and really invested it back into the creative culture of the state of Mississippi where it's like you know where Marty Stewart has had a lot to do with with you know the country music thing and there's a Jimmy Rogers Museum in Meridian and then you know Clarksdale Mississippi that's Ground Zero man and you know that's where Muddy Waters was from that's where John le hooker was from and so so they've they've invested that you know and and you go to muscle schs and thanks to the the the documentary I think that was a that was a big stimulation for for the for the economy there but at the end of the day man I mean you know mus shs is a small place it's you know it's there's not a whole lot going on and so so it's you know and because it's such a blue collar place and such a such a working man State you know it's really kind of hard for people to to go out and spend their hard own money on Friday and Saturday night you know and so but but and you know not to say that I don't play um in in the state of Alabama I do I mean I'm like I said I'm in Mississippi this weekend I'm playing in Alabama in two weeks and so so I do it but I spend a lot of my time in Texas and which is kind of the opposite Texas is one of those things to where where the culture there uh is is is based around music where you know where if people kind of stay home in the Southeast uh people go out on the weekends and they go out to dance halls and they go out to listen to bands they're not listening to DJs and I mean if you want to go listen to a DJ there's plenty of places you could go do it but but uh it's a I kind of found my way into Texas pretty quickly and so um as far as far as like I mean memories growing up um you know it's so funny because I feel like I have so many more memories of like what I learn not to do you know what I mean the best memories and the best stories are like from the worst experience just center block buildings in a South Carolina and just you know playing six o'clock at a bar that doesn't open till 10: in Athens Georgia and places like that you know what I mean it's just it was just one thing after another and man I we just I mean it was it was a good two decades of just just grinding man so that's interesting I got I do have a lot of stories but there're a lot of a lot of good stories from a lot of a lot of rough experiences well I funny enough sort of cutting down but um you know I I actually come across a lot of your music um from the Texas scene and um I've shouted them out a few times and it's the the ranch um radio station that they they love a bit of Adam hood and that's what really put me on to you a number of years ago and I thought this is good I just assumed you over from Texas until I did my research and no you w um oh man I mean I I spend the vast majority of my month there I still do I mean you know and I mean I kind of I I go over there I was there this weekend and I I always jokingly make the comment that you know I mean I live in Alabama but Texas has been paying my mortgage for decades and they that really that really is the truth I mean that's kind of where I make my living and you know we'd move if if my but I have I have a grown child and then I have two two smaller kids and you know the the only way that I can travel every weekend and my wife and I can maintain Parenthood at a at a decent rate as for for us to be as close as possible to family and so you know if we lived we lived completely self-sufficiently you know nine hours 10 hours away from from her parents and my mom uh it would it would be a lot more difficult and I don't know how much I'd be able to travel so you know I always kind of always say that it's a little that it makes makes it a little bit harder on me to make it easier on my family and I think that's I'd rather it be that way you know it's interesting when you were saying you know before I think one of our bonus bonus specials or bonus uh episodes that we done uh when I first joined CJ um is around you know what we wanted to keep alive what we wanted to when I was growing up you know coming up from from my my dad who was singing in in country bands in in in Irish country bands um but you know we wanted to keep that alive you know that going out Saturday night people don't have a lot of money they wanted to go out and watch people as a proper band instead of just going out and listening to the music on a jukebox or whatever you you know and trying to keep that alive in the UK you know it's great we' we'd love to do that so it's great to hear that you're still doing it so when when you're yeah when you were growing up what was your what's your favorite artist or band or what was the music that you were listening to a man I got started okay so so getting started in church uh it was there was Stephen Curtis Chapman was a was a big influence because because I grew up in like and this was kind of to my benefit and I think it's I think really kind of in that area so it went from like it went from you know the contemporary Christian music of stevenh Curtis Chapman and Jeff Moore to the to this what you know what they call secular music but that was country music and that country music was at that time that was gar Brooks that was Clint Black that was Allan jacks and Travis trip was my guy and and and that was the thing like you know I say all that to say that like those guys are are singer songwriters at the end of the day they were guys that like they stood Center Stage it was it was you know yes they were members of of bands you know but they were uh you know solitary acts they played their own guitars they sang their own songs they wrote their own songs and so uh it was it was really well except for G Brooks and you know and I guess a lot of them you know May may or may not have but the cool thing is about G Brooks was he was always really vocal about who did write the song you know what I mean he was quick to say I mean you know if the dance was was his biggest hit initially I mean he's I mean he even said in the music video that like that Tony AR and Kent blaz wrote that song you know what I mean and I can I can remember that when I was what I was ninth grade something like that so so you it was it was that simple that that thing that created an appreciation of a songwriter and and so you know that kind of started it for me and then when I was 17 maybe uh my mom uh had this tape this cassette tape of John Hyatts bring the family and that changed my life that that record did because he had had a hit with um Bonnie r with the thing called love and so I I knew I was familiar with that with Bonnie R's version and then I heard Hyatt's version on uh on the the the cassette and I didn't realize that that was how it worked I thought okay well here's a guy that that makes his own records but yet is beloved by I mean Bonnie R's a pretty big deal and and to be a big deal and to record his songs um that's what I wanted to do you know and so so that was really kind of what started the whole thing and and you know I always say that Hyatt was the Hyatt was was the guy that showed me what I wanted to do in Delbert McClinton was the guy that showed me how I wanted it to sound you know and so and I I kind of got into Delbert um I got into Delbert it was you know a roundabout way there's a guy named Bruce Chanel who who you know Delbert uh played harmonica on Bruce Chanel's song which you know that was the one where he taught John lenon how to play harmonica and stuff and so Bruce had some mutual friends close to where I grew up and so like there was all this legend about Delbert and Bruce Chanel around the opaca Auburn area where I grew up and so I kind of you know and then the whole Texas thing you know he was from Texas and and you know kind of kind of pioneered the Fort Worth sound and and all that stuff and so you know I just really I I really became a student of of that style and and I went through I went through my stages of everything towns vanzan Grand Parsons Ryan Adams uh Bob Seager uh all those things you know I I studied I studied the greats and just kind of always landed I landed on Delbert you know that's brilliant I I remember you know listening to some of the greats like Ry Travis um mention them again but George Jones you know Charlie Pride always aspired to to be able to record anything and then realized I had no Talent so um uh so I couldn't so there we go and there we and that's the end of my career oh it's a rude awakening it man I'm I hate [Laughter] it well it's a blessing and a curse you know what I mean there you know once you once you realize you have an ability you then you got to figure out what to do with it and boy that is that's that's when the work starts you know because there's a there's a there's a Grace you have to have and there's a humility that you have to have and you have to learn how to do it and not kill yourself or end up in prison and I hate not meaning like die you know what I mean there's just you know there's a there's a responsibility you know that you have to have and and it's a now there are days when I wish when I wish I had a normal job you know more like my dad but at the same time I'm you know I'm also I know better than to let myself myself think that way we we were talking the opposite earlier down weren't we where we said um you know Wonder it's like to have a a different type of job you know we we are you know a different job right The Grass Is Always Greener isn't it it really is exactly it's just such a unique thing to do I mean um yeah no it's interesting you mentioned the Bonnie rap thing and the John Hyatt because I I saw your Tik Tok um the other day where it was like you know that was that was your Awakening was it about the the songwriting aspect of it and just not assuming that the person singing it had created that music and you know there's another another sight of things really isn't it yeah and and that and the the the thing about the thing about the high at Bonnie rate thing that was so unique about that was the fact that like like I said you know it was you know with with G Brooks and stuff like that like you know he's he told you who wrote the song but like those guys had never really recorded and released these songs on on an album with Hiatt that was that was the bring the family album which was an example of and man you know you go back and you listen to HS version of that of Thing Called Love and just kind of the whole record and you know it was it was it was Hyatt and ra cter play guitar and Jim Kelner and Nick low and so they were four-piece band they were called Little Village and uh and they were just it was monstrous and and like they're such incredible musicians that like even with that song that's such a common Blues kind of vibe there's all these little details like you know there's a like the the drum beats like the the snare doesn't hit where snares hit you know what I mean it's not like a one two three four thing like there's these little intricate syncopated things that happened that like even I mean it been 30 years and and I I still go back to that song and I go golly how did they do that you know and they made that record in like two weeks time you know and so so there's all these things like like I said it just kind of it just opened up this this whole world to me of of just how how involved music can be and how how much effort and how great A song can be in its Simplicity that that simple is not stupid you know simple is is really hard you know I mean it's you know it's it's it's hard to write songs for children you know I mean like I've got children and I don't write children songs because I can't because you know like I'm almost it's like it's like I have an insecurity about it you know because if my kids if I don't sing something that my kids can sing then what good does it do you know what I mean so you know they're the harshest critics yeah 100% yeah and they'll let you know too you know they say I don't like I don't care much for that song dad you know so no I always um ask my I've got two children one's six and one's 10 and I say you know listen to to Adam song whoever got on on the podcast at the time and say you know let's what you think and they like I said they're the harshest critics and uh you've got the best reception so far so uh yeah thank you thank you that yeah I'm very familiar with that age so so I know I know how how how things can be and I know how their minds thinking there yeah they everything is pretty pretty factual and fundamental and and the world's huge to them yeah that's right yeah it's either good or it's bad I dig it you're winning you're winning on that front mate already that makes my day that's the best news I've heard all day awesome I mean your your career so interesting you know we mean uh Ronnie have spent a lot of time kind of going through all of your bad catalog and going through your socials because I I think you know anyone that we have on deserve the respect of of us actually researching what you do and that's why I tend to kind of give it a week or two before we have anyone on just so I can we we can get that and have a really interesting conversation and you know it's great to see you know the social um aspect going on Instagram and other mediums and you know you're such a respected artist from other artists and it seems to me that you're known as the artists artist if if that makes sense so it seems that you g a lot of respect online and I think it's completely deserved um with the songwriting the Performing you know it's um for me you could have a greatest hits album already um for for our perspective um so it'll be interesting it probably hasn't always been that so when you've started gigging in the early years um what did that look like what sort of places were you playing and and how did that feel at s were you really nervous kind of get on the stage the first time and and Performing to people yeah yeah I'm I'm still nervous like just you know nervous energy is just I mean it's really man it's really one of those things that that I that has been I don't want to say difficult to live with but it's been the thing that I've had to learn to accept uh more than anything else in my career and you know and like that was It was kind of the reason why you know I spent I mean man there was at least a decade of my life where I just I drank through it you know and so and you know and that got old and and then you kind of have to learn to live with that stuff and and uh yeah the nerves are are they're they're still there very much you know and it's just it's just you know a strange thing even if you don't care even if you even if you tell yourself I don't care what anybody thinks you still care what people think and you still want to go out there and put a good show on and so I mean getting start and we played God I'm telling you when I say we played anywhere and everywhere I mean I mean anywhere and everywhere I would be on the back of truck beds in December and and you know I mean just I mean I weddings funerals I mean just you know your tailgate parties just any goly man anywhere anywhere anywhere and and we did it we did it all the damn time I you know and and that's just kind of what we had to do you know and that's it's still it's you know it's not no I mean you know especially and that's kind of the beauty in social media now and that's kind of why I've learned to embrace social media instead of instead of rejecting the whole attitude of it because now you don't have to do that you know like in in the 90s and and in the early 2000s before you know I mean you know the the modernization of the iPhone and and you know social media you had to go out and play these places and and now you just don't have to and and so um you can just really accomplish a lot in a in a small period of time and you can do that in in your home you know and you still there's still a lot to be said for for going out and playing for people like I there's I don't think that there's I don't think that social media is ever going to become an Al is going to become like like the the the alternate to live music I don't I mean everybody would rather have the live experience but at the same time like like you said and finding music and you know if if you're one of those people like yourself that digs um this these are good places to dig you know and I mean we were and my father-in-law was here this past couple of days and was he was listening to like my Pandora page and man it's really cool to hear like even my page like there's there's just a lot of Acts and a lot of people that yeah they're friends of mine but you know I don't really have I mean I guess I could have control over it but it's all that's kind of all algorithmic you know and so so it's really neat to hear the the styles of music that that are played throughout that stuff and you can discover that stuff through through those kind of things through streaming platforms through social media through through that kind of stuff and so so that's the beauty in it like you don't have like it's still a grind it's still a daily effort and it's still doing it on Sunday night and doing it on Mondays when you don't want to but but it's really like it's better to to you know kind of put 40 seconds of a song that you play in your bedroom on on on your phone and then answer comments for a half hour than it is to try to go out on a Monday night and play The Little Rock Arkansas when you live in Alabama you know what I mean there's a big difference you know and and I I can say that but from you know from doing I've I've done both uh extensively and I would I would much rather do it on social media than I would try to go back and play Little Rock on Monday oh don't blame you it's I mean it's a it's an interesting aspect of social media things and obviously you know we I mean me and Dan are approaching 40 now so we we've kind of seen it back in the '90s how things went and now you know with with the Advent of social media and is is there's two aspects you I think you've got the first part where like like yourself and and many artists you know you you've kind of earned your stripes you've done the grind and everything that kind of came with that and then you see some of the the newer artists that have come out and perhaps one of their their videos or the music had has gone viral through Instagram or one of these other kind of social aspects and I suppose there must be some frustration around that if um you know you've been playing bars for such a long time and somebody puts out a a viral video and all of a sudden they are you know uh and and I I did listen to some other uh podcasts you were on and someone mentioned something interesting almost saying it was it felt like cutting in line and I thought that's interesting to kind of perceive it from that aspect and that was I think that was two years ago is that still a thing where it feels like you know some artists are cutting in line and they're getting big followings social media and they probably only got one or two songs out I mean it's always going to be that way you know and if it wasn't that way on social media it would be that way on the radio and if it wasn't that way on the radio it would be that way in live performances you know I mean that's the thing you know we I was talking to uh I don't remember who it was I was talking to it was a friend of mine who was kind of well is a a guy that manages some he manages some acts that are a whole lot bigger than me and I've known him for a long time and that's kind of what he said he said he said you know it was one of those things to where you know it used to be the Nashville method was was to find an artist to to release it to put him in the studio record a song put it out on the radio and make it a single and if the single hits then they go out on the road you know what I mean like there's no there's no seasoning and and it's it's it's more I think it's more so that now just because the fact that like that that the establishment sort of um Waits For The Wait waits for the viral aspect to happen and that's kind of the that's the modern version of of a hit single and and so instead of them kind of putting funding you know putting out the initial money to make it happen they just let social media do it which is kind of I don't blame them for that because you know like it's better to make money than it is to lose it and so but it's always been that way I say I say that to say it's always been that way and sure yes I mean it's you know you you don't want to see somebody you know but at the same time I've lived it long enough to kind of see those people I've seen people SE succeed and fail and you never want I don't I don't wish it on my worst enemy man I I don't I don't wish I don't wish rejection in in Mass uh on my worst enemy and that's it's a it's a sad thing to watch you know and it's really more it comes from it comes from just the ignorance of not being ready and uh and so I hate that I really do and I wish I wish there was development and and time and things like that and also man music is subjective you know the things that I even with my songs the songs that I hate of mine are the ones that everybody wants to hear you know and so so I mean you know I you get to the point where you just kind of go oh I give up man so so you know I just do the best I can and uh and just you know just I think I'm the good thing is if that we have we have a balance and and life is manageable for me and so and and you know when we grow we grow slowly but we grow manageably and and it's it's one of these things where you know when when when things move forward my wife and I can say together okay are we moving forward yes we're moving forward all right how do we balance moving forward with our with our lives with our income with our family with with you know my my touring schedule so so you know I mean I'm kind of glad things don't just pop up and take off you know what I mean it's it's always been a slow burn and and that's sort of I mean you know I don't want to say it's by Design you know I just kind of get up in the morning I I I thank my thank the Lord for the day and sort of you know trust his guidance through the rest of it and and uh you know it it may not it may not always be how I want it to be but it's it's you know looking back I mean there's a Steven G Chapman song he says he said I can't see the road in front of me but I Can See For Miles when I look over my shoulder and I think that's a pretty pretty profound way to look at life you know absolutely it's um it's really interesting I'm always interesting to see how you guys kind of manage your your time because you're a family man you got a young children older children and you know you're touring uh the country you are in the studio you're songwriting I mean how how do you balance your time do you get any help um do you have a team behind you was it literally just you Adam uh yeah I do I have some and you know and to be honest with you you know I mean I I don't know how well I balance my my time you know what I mean like it's all still you know I my my buddy Drew Drew Kennedy told me a long time ago he said you know he said there's never been a time there's never going to be a time when you leave home and they don't miss you and you you know what I'm saying like and and if you you know you don't you never want to leave them I never want to leave my kids sad but like is it better to leave them like at least they at least they love me enough to where like they don't want me to leave you know and so but it's also kind of the thing you know I mean I always you know my the things I always say is I always come home you know I mean like you know I'm going to leave it's only going to be for the weekend and I always come home and and so if if there's any kind of peace and Solace they can have in that and honestly dude once I once I'm out the door they're doing something else they're on an iPad they're watching TV they're they don't even like it's like by dad and they're on to something else you know what I mean like it's real it's real poor mouth for a little while you know oh I'm gonna miss you and like tears and everything but I hit the door and they they don't they don't think twice about my ass man they don't think instantly forget yeah to makes the hot gross GR yeah so you know but but there is there's a balance and yeah I've got um I've got a good manager I've got a good booking agent um my wife I mean man she kind of does everything she she she's really she's really kind of the backbone of of of my my being she really she's uh she's a sounding board I can I can bounce all kinds of songs off her there's not an idea I don't have that I don't I don't run through her she's really been this the the driving force with social media and just kind of helping me she comes from a PR background and so and and we're kind of you know there's six years between us and so like it's interesting like we're were talking about you know our generation I'm I'm almost 50 so so you know I know what you're talking about with you know pre- internet but you you realize now that like where it's more of an intentional thing for us it's it's a it's a second nature for younger groups and and so uh I think she's almost at that place to where like you know she just remembers life differently from from me even with the the small age differences so so she just kind of instinctively knows how to do things that that I just don't know and she's a lot more inquisitive than I am and can kind of you know she she's a blood hound she can really kind of hunt down and answer and and and really has helped me with a lot of that stuff and so yeah and my band is spectacular man I you know the guy that plays bass for me and I've known him for 25 years and and uh you know he's he helps his my tour man manager and owns the van and and I got a great drummer and a great guitar player and so yeah we I mean we're a small outfit it's definitely mom and pop but but yeah we we do we have we I can't no man is an island you can't do this by yourself you gotta have people with you no that's good it's um it's such a unique era I think speaking to to particular artists like yourself and you know I I think you you've got to be the songwriter the performer but also the social media influencer almost these days and maybe that's the kind of newer aspect but I suppose a different aspect to you were kind of doing it back in the day but just in a different format so you know it's just interesting that you know people like me have direct access to Adam Hood's inbox you know and I can just go and message you um good or bad I suppose you have some odd people messaging you perhaps and uh I you can block it at anytime you know corre one I can always turn off comments yeah yeah you can always do that however I'm you know not honestly not really you know I mean I kind of everything that I get I've kind of asked for you know when I you know when I tell people I'm an open book you know I'm kind of an open book and so I get people sending me songs all the time and they go hey what do you think of this song and mean hell I can I can tell you what I think of this song and I you know I'm somebody that I'm I'm blessed enough to say that I haven't had a lot of harsh criticism um you know and I don't know why I don't know why that's happened for me like just you know nobody's really been rough on me um as far as like criticism and well a lot of that's probably because I can criticize myself plenty thank you very much you know what I mean but but um I've seen a lot of harsh criticism and I I've seen a lot of harsh criticism come from people that that that have no right to to criticize towards people that have they don't deserve it and so um I've seen that enough to where I feel like that I've kind of learned how to be a good critic and just just sort of um encourage the positives and and just point out the things that that aren't they're not negatives they're just the areas where they need work you know what I mean like you know and and I don't you don't have to criticize a person in order to critique a song you know what I mean like you don't have to tell somebody they're stupid because their their choruses don't rhyme you know what I mean they're not it's just a song you know and so so like I said everything that I get is kind of what I've asked for and uh and that's the beauty in doing it this way you know it's a it's a like I said you know it kind of goes back to making it manageable like I am I because I'm manageable because this is manageable I can I can manage audience I can manage followers I can manage you know the people that I see commenting on my on my comments are people like yourself and then you know I have a friend that they live in Tupelo and I see them at shows comments on my stuff all the time I know these people half of the people that comment on my social media they have my phone number you know and so and but still I still have you know there's almost 30,000 people that are paying attention to me at the same time you know so so uh I don't know how I don't know how it works that way but it does and and I I kind of like it this way you know and that's the thing it's but you know social media is such a game of comparisons and that's the that's the trick the trick is to sort of it's hard to run your own race man but if if you can if you can Wrangle your brain and your your will to run your own race you can really make it manageable and and that's that's hard but I'm that's that's the struggle you know what I mean like that's where I'm at I'm at that place to where it's like okay I kind of have to learn to and especially with being a songwriter and lending my abilities to other people's careers you know you kind of you you almost have to put yourself in their shoes and and I'm putting myself in the shoes of people who were younger and prettier and more famous and stuff like that you know what I mean and so and and to be able to do that it's kind of like being an actor you know like you you want to put yourself in these roles you know and like you know you want to put yourself in the roles of the sad guy without being a sad guy you know I want to put myself in the role of a beautiful female and not be and be an ugly ass old man you know and so but still you know just write these songs and so it's hard to do you know but I but it's it's I understand that that's the intention the intention is to still maintain who I am and have enough self-awareness to run my own race and and be able to participate in somebody else's career that's good mate and for pushing you're gorgeous Adam you know I I'll I'll give you that compliment listen it's not easy I mean there's a lot of moisturizer involved a lot of makeup I really lot filters on this listen Adam let me tell you when he when he said that we're we're both approaching 40 he's been Towing it for the last 15 years uh approaching 40 so you know yourself and again back from what you were saying about the social media aspect I mean you you said 30,000 followers that makes a mockery of my 25 um but I I you know it's getting used to that social media piece and putting it out there and saying look you know we're here we're this is what we're doing and it's and it's great you've got so many followers and absolutely welld deserved you know that it's there's there's a reason for that and you're absolute Talent so yeah you you can get sucks easily I think into the numbers game and you know I I look at you know what we're doing we've not been going for too long and you know and I look at other accounts and I think how how are you doing it you know I just don't I don't understand it maybe it's my age I'm like I don't get it I don't know what I need to do to kind of um you know get more listeners more followers and and that must be you know quite difficult as well for artists that uh comparing each other um from from that landscape too yeah 100% I mean truly it's I mean it's it's it's a it's a daily conversation and and that's what that's why I say you know it's just you kind of have to get to that point to where you know and and and man the there's there's something to be said for the Organics of things there's something to be said nobody wants to do it one at a time anymore you know and but dude one at a time is how you develop relationships one at a time is how you is how you learn to meet people and how you get to know people and how you how you develop your style around your audience because at the end of the day you know I mean I had a buddy that told me one time he said man he said the guys that that really kind of hung in there the longest and have made the best careers the Willies and the wh and people like that they all they did was service Their audience man you know and so you in order to service your audience you got to get to know your audience and that's how you do it you get you you get to do it one at a time you know and and and put those you have to put those people first and and there and at the end of the day they're not numbers you know I mean if you if you want numbers to increase you have to treat people like numbers and and and they're not numbers they're people and and they matter to you and they pay your bills and and it's a and that's that's the that's the the struggle with it you know what I mean when it becomes a numbers game is is when I usually it's it becomes frustrating and I don't want to live like that you know I mean people matter to me no I I completely agree and you know I was thinking about it the other day and I thought I'd rather have 300 people that are interested genuinely and engaging with what we're doing yeah then a million people that never engage with you it's it's almost like collecting people at that point and it's it becomes a bit weird doesn't it so you know yeah absolutely well and 300 people in a room that sits 200 that's called a sellout you know if you if if you see 300 people in a thousand seat venue then yeah you I mean it's going to look a third full but if you if you go play a 200 seat venue and the same 300 people show up you got yourself a line out the door you know it's all perspective it it is man and um but as a as a genuine fan of you know yourself and the artists that we speak to you know what what can we do to support your career whether it's um online or just turning up to shows what what kind of impacts you your your life in general from from that perspective what what could we do to support you I think I think what you're doing is it man I mean it's just it's just the it's just the continuation of just when when people ask tell them you know and when when people because you know I'm sure you get it all the time I I get the questions all the time you know who you're listening to and I I I hate that question because of the fact that I know that there are people that I that I need to be saying that that could use my endorsement that that I may forget a lot you know what I mean and and I I almost almost make a point to write those people down when I when I can you know and so so that's but and because it works like that for me I mean you know when I that's like when I put out an album it it makes all the difference in the world for my album release or my single release to show up on your stories you know what I mean like that's that's how it works that's how it works and so what you're doing the sharing it you know that's it that's that's how you do it so so and and like I said you're doing that you're taking the time to to not only you know share and collaborate this on social media you know we're you know we're having this conversation and and and it gives me a platform to kind of explain what I do and why I do it and then you know then share the music and that that's it man I mean like I said you know you guys are you guys are in a whole another country and and I mean you know again look at that from a different perspective and that's that's pretty big you know I I can't I can't get over there myself I can't I certainly can't be there right now but but I am you know we'll bring you over like I said on Tik Tok at him I said I'm going to petition I'm going to wind up all these local Festival to get you over cuz I think demanding yeah I mean we need some you know from a selfish perspective I mean it's time it's time for us to come over there we've been talking about it for a long time and I've never done it I've never played I've never played in in England I've never played in Europe I mean just anywhere like I've never done it and it seems so contradictory you know like it seems like I hear people say it all the time they're like Adam you would you would kill it over there and you know and don't I haven't pushed the issue just because of the fact that like I just you know I there's there's all kinds of changes you know what I mean like there's changes to like power sources and transportation and all that kind of stuff and so like you know you kind of can't really you need to wait and take your opportunities and so that's kind of what I've been wanting to do is just sort of wait on the right opportunity and and uh but yeah it's time I mean it enough already let's I mean let's we I want to come over there and play some man I got buddies I got buddies all that do it I mean half of their year and and I'm I'm starting to get jealous so we'll go into that later so hold that for Adam because um we've got Grand plans you know in the making whether they'll come true or not you know but uh you know okay love it we've got some awesome people like yourself that would love to come over I'm just shocked that you haven't you know um because you such a great back catalog you're great performers and I'm just annoyed with the fact that the UK have kind of ignored it you know I'm I'm frustrated with myself as a as a fan and I want to see I want to see Adam Hood in the UK I want to I want to see those type of guys and and girls we will yeah and we will yeah I'm ready to do it awesome so Adam I just wanted to do a a bit of a a onew s step into something that's very very close to my heart and I'm obsessed with it I've got to be honest so so um I watched some of your YouTube videos um and one is named dreams do come true uh and I know that um you made your ground o opery debut in 2022 um now that for me is just wow just incredible um tell us you know how much of an incredible experience it was what what was it like um tell us about it that's my that's when when someone asks like what what what was the moment that everything changed That's it man I mean it really is like that's the that's and you know my buddy Jason Edy and I were talking about it because we kind of like it happened for us around the same time like like I saw Jason was gonna play in November of 2022 and then like two days later I got the offer to play in October you know and so it's was like wow this is really interesting you know and and so he and I have discussed it a lot and number one I never saw it coming it's not really it wasn't even in my scope you know like I didn't even it wasn't I mean not to say it it's an understate it's a given that it's a dream every everybody that picks up a guitar wants to wants to stand in the circle you know and but you just don't ever like the reality of it not it just kind of beyond your your thought process you know and so um so when it becomes a reality man everything changes and uh and it it's really it's kind of the welcoming into country music you know and I mean it's it's a it's now I feel like I'm in the gate you know like now you've kind of the door has been opened I've been able to walk through I'm part of this now you know and I mean it's not you know there's no fraternity with it you know but at the same time it's kind of an understated just you know that's the way in the the spiritual grand scheme of things that's the way it felt you know and and man it was really great and I've done it twice and my wife and and my daughters were there and and my her parents and her sister and brother-in-law and kids and my aunts and uncles and just and man I mean like the people that I that came to those shows to support it it was overwhelming like a lot of folks that I just haven't seen in a long time and and folks that you know I thought had forgotten about me uh they you know they came to say that they were proud and so yeah it was it was really man that's a it's a finding moment I you know like I said that's when when the question comes up what's what's the the moment that everything changed yeah that's it's h yeah October 2020 yeah Grand Aubrey for sure that's that's incredible and like you said you know you went and play was it 2023 you went back again I saw the I saw video po February 2023 yeah they wanted you back again I went back as quickly as possible incredible and I I mean I was reading some facts on the on the grand o opery as well just just you know but I know that when you when you've done your debut uh there's 74 members uh the last time I checked 50 of them Silo artists um I mean what's it like I know that you get your name up Backstage on a on a wall what's it like seeing your name there what's it like you know I mean the the membership you know there's there's man it's it's really kind of a um they there's a responsibility there for sure well and the big thing is like you have to be a Nashville native which I'm not a Nashville native and so that's that's kind of a strong you know like I I you know but I mean not to say that we' never be in I wouldn't never be an Ashville native but uh you know that's just but we can I've got a you know my friend Sunny Sweeney I mean she's played it like 65 times you know what I mean so so you know just being a part of it is really it's it's really cool man and everybody's really nice I mean they're really nice I I played a private party in Studio A like two weeks ago and and that was it was it wasn't even anything that was affiliated with the opery it was just they you know we had a private party and I did a song Swap there and and uh and I saw people that that I haven't seen in a long time and you know it's kind of the same thing like we weren't even participating in the oery but we were in the building and everybody was super cool you know it's just and I I also noticed like the the the stars that are there like you know I can't remember well Bill Anderson was there and then like the O Boys and Lauren Elena was there and she was you know it was funny the first time we played Lauren was was standing there where I was and my my daughter drew my oldest one she was standing next to her and Lauren had this flowery outfit on it and Drew said well I like your outfit and like this whole conversation started between the two of them and so like that's the beauty in the backstage at the opery like I've noticed like Crystal gaale and people like that these legendary people who have every right to sort of be uh reserved and and kind of guarded that's where they really I mean you see them eating popcorn in The Green Room you know what I mean and and you can tell that like they're doing that because they feel at home there they want they they feel as welcome at the opery as the guy that's in the you know this is my first time at the opery and I'm in I'm in this green room and like they'll come by and speak to you and stuff like that so it's it's it's special man like it's there's there's nothing like it there's nothing like it that's it sounds absolutely incredible and I know you know Terry was Terry TJ was asking me you know what is there any secrets is there any is there any special things about it is it is it like a fraternity is it like a Freemason you know it's just I mean is there any secrets that around oppr you know is there any thing that you can tell us they won't let you drink uh like you can't have alcohol back there that's kind what what I thought was really interesting I don't drink but like you know that's I got plenty of my my wife will and so you know it's it's funny that like I don't know you would that's the you know the one place that you would need to kind of have a drink to take the edge off like no bar back there so yeah but that's the only one I got only popcorn yeah yeah you have coffee you want that's brilliant um is there any is there any other um any other special moments or interactions that you've I know you've discussed some of them already but is there any real special moments of of the two times you've been there you know and playing is there anything that that really sticks out in your mind at all I mean it was really cool to shake Bill Anderson's hand you know I mean and for Bill Anderson to kind of stick his hand out to shake mine and and sort of you know say I listen to your songs you sound good man you know what I mean like that's that's Bill Anderson and it's funny that Bill Anderson so you know I I live in Tuscaloosa Alabama and that's where the University of Alabama is and uh and he had an Alabama like his head like a hood like a like a pullover vest and it had an Alabama I thought huh what are you an Alabama fan and so I thought that was really interesting so yeah but I mean that was that was really special I mean like I said you know that guy has he's really made a lot of great country music and for you know that to have that kind of vot of confidence and Nod and to have somebody like that stick their hand out and and give you the little praise that's really appreciated it it's memorable I mean um I I had to look on YouTube as well just to see if I can um watch it and I could see that you perform two songs namely uh way too long and the harder stuff um so what why did you kind of choose those particular songs for for the grand old opery well those are the two most popular pretty much I mean so you know those were the ones that that kind of everybody knew um and yeah that's why she chose those no other reason than that a deep meaning no that's fine it it it's uh I mean the hardest stuff particularly for me uh the kind of lyrics resonate for me as a you know a family man I'm getting older and you know it's it's a hard thing I suppose in in your Liv being exposed to to alcohol being out on the roads being in bars constantly and I suppose just getting fed up with that that Lifey is that is that the reason that you stopped um drinking Adam yeah I mean it just it just became unmanageable you know I mean my I have a friend that we got to talking about it he said you know that just when the negatives start outweighing the positive you just kind of got there's you got to realize where your losses are and and what's what's creating it and kind of cut that cut that out of your life and and that was really what it was you know just you kind of you know you just whether and the the thing that was the the the change for me was like it's it's one thing you know you you drink I always drank to get through the bad stuff but but when good stuff happens you drink through that too and uh and that was the problem you know I kind of I I worked so hard like we were just talking about I worked so hard drowning through all these all these rough times and and that was kind of you know the the booze kind of served its purpose there you know I mean it kind of helped me escape places I didn't want to be in the first place and kind of give me some confidence in the places where I was honestly scared to death you know and so but then when things started changing and I started kind of coming into my own and playing places I wanted to play and being around people I wanted to be around and and doing things I wanted to do and in places where I really needed to be myself the person that I really am the booze got in the way and and so that was that just kind of just kind it was a decision that needed to be made you know I just I I couldn't I couldn't enjoy the good times because I couldn't remember them you know and and that's that that sucks you know that's that that takes the fun out of that you know no no absolutely and um I I listened to it and I thought I I need to stop drinking so much because I was doing exactly the same thing in know situ and it just resonated with me so much that over the last you know several months after properly listening to the song I've stopped drinking the way I did so thank you congratulations thank you for that well and it's you know and that's the thing like it's never been like that was the intention was never the that was never a platform like it was never really to sort of it was never to to change anyone else's mind it was just kind of well I mean we wrote the song because it was a good idea you know Davis Nicks kind of brought the idea to me and I was like hell that's a great idea so we wrote the song because it's a good idea but um but at the same time I hear that a lot you know I I sorry I hear a lot of people say that they say man you know I I heard that song and it it kind of brought to light some things that that I didn't realize about myself and so that just kind of lets you know that you're not it's not there's some things that just aren't in my control you know the Lord's kind of handling a lot of things and and I I can't I can't be in charge of that kind of stuff but I'm I'm glad that it happens and I'm if it if if something I do makes somebody's life better than yeah that's good I'm glad I'm glad I did that no absolutely man it's really has and you know sometimes you you go about it without realizing but uh moving on to more positive things Adam anyway um so collaborations and influences I I love the fact you're working with so many of my favorite artists and you know we're talking about Brent Cobb um someone that you work really closely with that I can see uh the the most recent um release that I can see that you've done it was with I can never pronounce his name right cetto was it cetto Cordo yeahoo Cordo yeah I love that guy flatland Calvary uh my my yeah my favorite band uh for many years now um and Cody Jinx um obviously as well so how did these collaborations come about and particularly like the the most recent one with cletto sorry ceto uh for beat that train how did that come about and what what happened I'm going to walk and answer this question and get a charger while I'm um it it it basically came about because um just through just conversation with him um Kaitlyn his uh wife I I knew Caitlyn just through some friends and so I guess I met cletto well okay I take that back so I met him they opened a show for us back in uh in gosh it was years and years ago and so uh Hey and and so uh you know we just kind of stayed in t and and just had the opportunity to write um a friend of mine got flatland to play um his son's birthday party and so we opened the show for them and Jeff was like why don't you guys take the next day keep the hotel room and write a song and so that's what we did and uh it worked so mission accomplished there so but you know that was but like I said you know I've kind of known of those guys for a long time and you know that's the thing like the Texas Music Scene is is one of those places like a lot you know you just kind of uh it's small circles you know once you're once you're kind of involved there you you realize that you know it's you you get to know people pretty quick definitely mate definitely do you need to plug in any uh earphones or you you okay now mate I'm good can you hear me yeah yeah we can hear you mate we got say we got a good view of your house but uh it was all in darkness so sorry about that no you're all good mate it's fine no I'm I'm really interested in how these collaborations come about and I don't know if you're bored with people asking about the BR cob stuff because I love Brent stuff um personally and I think it's really interesting the the stuff that you're both producing I'm never bored talking about Brent be he is a he is a wealth of of just interesting stimulating conversation uh so he and I are from he's from uh Richland Georgia area which is from about my hometown and his hometown are about an hour and a half from each other and so Brent's Brent's 10 years younger than I am his dad Patrick is 10 years older than I am and Patrick was in the music business or you know played in like Patrick played all the bars that I played in and so like you know the Supper Club in Auburn you know these places in Columbus Georgia like it was really an interesting you know time that that you you know when I getting to meet Brent and so basically I met Brent I got a publishing deal in like 2009 I was at a place called carnival music and i' had been there for a year and I was the first guy that Brent wrote with like before he signed his deal um so you know he came in he was working at the Walgreens you know and so uh came in and we wrote a song together and and it was Eli Young Band cut it so I mean like the first song that he and I ever wrote together got cut you know and and and we just you know because of growing up where we did we just kind of became just really good friends and uh and you know like I remember my wife I had I had to play but my wife and my mother like went to his wedding you know when they got married I want to say like he and Lane have been married like a year longer than we have our kids are kind of his his his oldest daughter is is a year older than my than Drew and then his son is like a year younger than Ed so like they kind of bookmark our kids and just got a lot in common and and because of the whole Carnival thing because you know we started writing together um we just kind of became friends that way and you kind of learn to lean on folks like that you know when you when you meet somebody initially and you hit it off uh musically you kind of go back to that well you know I mean I've got a few guys like that Pat mcgoffin is another one that I try to I mean it's been a while since I've written with Pat just because you know it's it's it's difficult when I don't live in Nashville and he doesn't he well they live in leapers Fork so anyway whatever but you know you you kind of have to prioritize your time but but when I'm making a record when it's like record time Pat's one of the guys that I call because I mean man I wrote everything I wrote the Tennessee will with Pat I wrote way too long with Pat I wrote G take a woman with Pat I wrote a trying toite love song I mean like like my somewhere in between album I think I wrote six songs on that record with Pat like and and and he actually sang and play guitar you know and Brent had a lot to do with that record too and then you know Brent produced bad days better and Brent has been producing these singles that we've been releasing too like the the you know uh the last four songs that but they I did with Brent in Capricorn in making and so yeah he and I I mean I talked to him today you know so weome we pretty close yeah so is it Brent's cousin or relative that is Dave K's a very famous producer isn't he yes Dave is Brent's cousin yeah and so I worked the second publishing deal I got I was at low country sound which was which was Dave's publish house I was there for five years and Brent got me that job too so um yeah that was that was a neat neat kind neat kind of thing to it was neat to kind of work for somebody who was you know kind of the biggest producer in town for a little while you know but at the same you know the the tough part about that was the fact that like you know a guy that a guy that makes records for Chris Stapleton like Stapleton doesn't need songs you know I mean he cuts a lot more covers than anybody realizes but like you know you gotta I don't know I gotta you gotta really you gotta really have a good day to write a song that Chris stapleton's gonna is gonna cut you know oh he's absolutely huge at the moment he played recently in the UK didn't he Ronnie it's um no it's fantastic it's um I mean I'm going to put your right on the spot now Adam who who's been your favorite person to collaborate is it is it Brent or is it someone kind of off the wall who who who would you say yeah I mean Brent and I still we still get a lot done um there's a guy Reed Halton that's from Alabama that uh his his I think he's doing pretty good right now and Reed and I have written a lot of stuff together and are kind of continuing to write more um and so I I you know I think that's good I got a I got a guy in here in town his name's Jackson Chase and and uh my manager has just kind of picked him up and Jackson's Jackson's you know young but at the same time he also writes great songs and and we've been doing a lot of stuff together Ella langu is doing great you know and I still talked to her a lot but and then you know I still have the relationship with Miranda you know she's she's kind of in a different place in her career you know where she's more of a you know kind of handling a a record label in a publishing house and and and is is is because they're developing artist she's looking for songs a lot more and so that kind of that's you know an opportunity to where I kind of make myself a little bit more available to the things that that people like her need so Miranda is huge in the UK particularly and uh I I always judge you know Fame on that aspect if you've got a tribute act and there's a plenty of UK Miranda really Lambert tribute we need a Adam Hood tribute act over here I think I know don't let them put me out of a job though I don't want tribute be better than I am you know well in the absence of you not being here I think we should have a tribute act at least that's right until then that's right I'll accept that until then we we'll see you surely but um no I I like the fact you know there's so much music you put out you know not just from yourself but the fact that um you've written so much music and probably people don't realize the songs that you've been on with uh Southern Star with Bren carb and things like that and um on your actual Instagram I believe there's links to your Spotify playlist where it will show you exactly the songs that you've been involved in and I think it's a good Deep dive for people you know uh who want to get to know your music to to go on to and explore thanks yeah and you know it's it's it's the most instantly gratifying aspect of what I do like you know if if you were to ask me and and plenty of people do like what do you enjoy the most the writing is what I enjoy the most it's the most gratifying uh it's the most it's the place where I feel like I serve you know what I mean like I can I can lend myself to someone else's it's not so self-involved you know what I mean like we're not always you know with with everything else like I'm staring at myself you know what I mean like in having to kind of criticize myself but with with writing I can yes I write for myself you know but I also can write with and for other people and and and so you know I feel like that that's that that that's really important so I like that and man there's just a satisfaction there's a there there's a a burden that's lifted when you're finished with a song that this just it's uncomparable and I happens every time you know I mean just once even even if I don't really care much for the song and even if I and there's honestly to tell you the truth there's never a song I don't care much for you know what I mean there's there's songs that I finish to where I can go well I probably this one needs another pass or two you know but but sometimes it's really just important to get the just get the thought out and complete the thought and then go back and start the revision process you know but um at the end of the day like that's the most satisfying I like it it's different from like walking off stage at the end of the night like that's nice but but man it's just it ain't like finishing a song that's the best this the best I think you know that that leads us nicely into something I wanted to ask you as well is about the fact that you've released a lot of music um o over the years um but which one of your songs holds the most personal meaning to you and why uh right now is probably that's a good question um downturn is is the is one of the ones that I that I kind of say I'm the most proud of you know what I mean because there's just a yeah I wrote that song with Jason Edy and uh and and he and I uh there's just lines in that song I'm real proud of you know what I mean like you know that that you know running in circles beats the hell out of sinking in sand I I'm pretty proud of that you know what I mean it it kind of represents uh it represents a an interesting attitude and but that was a 40y old's perspective you know what I mean like we wrote that song a while back you know I mean right now I mean bills in Alabama is the one that I really love the most because that song is that song is a really good I mean lyrically it's it's it's spot on you know I mean it it really it is where I'm at but like musically it's a it's a different kind of vibe and a different kind of feel and it's a little bit greasier than a lot of the stuff that I've released and so like you know I just I'm pretty proud of that one right now like that's one of the ones that's more that's the more current kind of I dig playing that song what's your favorite M I've got some personal favorites of mine it goes back to it goes back to sort of 2011 um and one one that had a a specific meaning to me when I when I first listened to it um I think I was going for a bit of an emotional time bit of a difficult time in in a family and what have you but um it was a song called once they're gone um yeah and uh you know that that hit me hard that was that was a gut punch um but you know at the same time I have blared it out of my out of my car driving down the road which is the new deep LM bloze there you go love it absolutely love it so um yeah but just just on that around around the songw writing piece is there any is there any sort of process or routine you go through or how do you approach it you know is it it's it's got to be a hard process yeah it is and what I'm realizing now is the the process that's the most difficult is just trying trying to always keep your ears up you know like I mean it's it's one thing and I I realized this more recently which is really it's really interesting you know because you think to yourself you know as the way my resume reads like that I've got this down but like I'm kind of in a rebuilding time you know what I mean I you know I've done all this I've written I've written just volumes of of introspection and and you know it's kind of I'm almost ready to change my perspective and and and you know really kind of reach out a little bit more than reaching Inward and doing that and still keeping my Integrity in it you know what I mean like there's there's a you know like you can't really you can't approach a song with like I want to write a song that everybody's gonna love but you kind of have but that's the point you know what I mean like the at the end of the day like you're just all you're trying to do is write a song Everybody's gonna love but you also want to write a song that everybody can connect to but you you can't intend on doing that you know what I mean like it's weird man it's a whole it's it's lightning in a bottle and but at the same time it's not lightning in a bottle when you keep your antenna up when you're kind of always in and I you know that's the other challenge is like to be in songwriter mode and to be listening for those moments when your kids say something and you go that's a song without being that guy that's always like that's a song that's a song that's a I mean be that dude you know I got enough of those people in my life you know so so you know I mean there's a there's a balancing act between it and so yeah I mean that's that's really kind of where the process starts um and and so it all kind of starts with the idea and and you know the idea is either usually the idea is like the line you know what I mean like that's you know you start with the hook you know but I don't start with the hook you know I and that's kind of been to my detriment for a long time like I start with I want to start with like okay here's the here's the plan like this is the storyline and the storyline is built around this and eventually like the the the song like that the hook will kind of reveal itself um but you it's it's nice to kind of allow that to happen instead of trying to force it to happen you know I mean you you want to kind of build around something like that and so so once you kind of have the idea you sort of want to be able to say okay well like what does that feel like what what kind of what kind of song is that is that a rock and roll song is it is it the deep elen blues is it downturn is it once they're gone like like how like is it you know and that's the thing like you know each of those three songs there's a different kind of style in all three of those you know where deep B and blues I mean that's obviously that's that's the old 12 Bar Blues you know and and downturn that's you know I mean that's Willie Nelson Walts and and once they're gone you know that kind of moves into the uh let's see that would be sort of like the blue-eyed Soul kind of thing you know what I mean like that's so there's there's these different aspects of these songs and so you want I want to build my musical context around the the lyrical context because it's it's weird to hear a happy song it's I'm sorry it's weird to hear sad lyrics on top of happy Melodies you know what I mean and it happens and I mean I have songs that I'm sure I've written that way and and we all have songs that we love that are like that but like you sort of it's that that's a more that's more of an exception than it is a rule and and you know your your ear Wants What It won't you know and so I kind of learned to trust my ears and and just to go where go where the Melodies take me and and and then and then there's meter to the words you know I mean you can't you can't stretch out a word that has like four syllables to it you know what I mean like but at the same time you want to be able to have you have Rhymes that are fresh you know and and you know you don't want to overthink it put put three precour in there and make it a 9 minute song you know I mean you just so there's there's all these things that you kind of take into consideration that are part of the the process but they're just different variables you know what I mean like once you got the idea once you can come up with the the lyrical content and and what the what the quote unquote idea is and you got the musical aspect then it's just it's making it rhyme after that yeah and and I hope if there's any aspiring songwriters that are listening to this best you listen up um so I think well rocket science you know what I mean like it is it's special and it's a it's a mysterious thing and it's a spiritual thing and and you you have to understand that you are a vessel and that there's a higher power that's creating these kind of things I mean I've read that and every book that I've ever read that's like okay so you want to be a songwriter here's the first thing you got to understand you are not in charge you know and so uh and so you understand that but at the same time like you know that's the beauty in it the beauty like you kind of take a lot of the weight off your shoulders when you say you're not in charge that's the freedom of it just don't just if you're not in charge don't try to be in charge man you know I mean absolutely right TJ yeah listen um yeah what was the what would you say is the most or was the most difficult song to write um and if you come up to any blockers how did you get past that did you go and speak to anybody did you just go oh you know what I'll leave it I'll come back to it in a year two years whatever uh he did was probably the most difficult that was one I wrote about my dad um okay and my dad had like like you know it's weird because like you know my dad's been gone for like 15 years and I I I don't mean to belittle it you know but at the same time like you know there's a process you know grieving it takes is a process and and so but it was strange because when I felt this I felt this kind of expectation to like well okay your dad died where's your song for your dad you know and like I was like well and I nobody told me that but then like you know like I said I kind of felt this expectation to write a song for my dad and I'd never done that before like I and my dad was a he was a wonderful man but at the same time um very supportive of my music but not someone I learned music from you know what I mean like I didn't really he wasn't he wasn't my my Wellspring you know and so um but again like I said not to belittle his support he was very supportive but but you know and so because of that like you know it's just not easy to write a song like that and it took it took a long time it took a long time to get into the to find a place and to let that happen you know I mean it just it took three years but once but once I got I wrote it with Jason misel and and he and I kind of got in the room together and and you would think that that song would have been something that I should have written all by myself but I'm glad I wrote it with Jason because of the fact that like I had somebody to take a little bit of the weight off you know what I mean and I had somebody to kind of bounce ideas off and it didn't have to all be about my day you know like I mean some of you know it was part you know partially tribute to his dad who was still alive and kicking and doing well you know so so you know and and that that was a difficult song to write it was it's still a difficult song to play you know I mean I have my moments where I kind of have to back off you know before I sing the third verse you know and and and I mean like I said that song's been almost 15 years old the album well in fact the welcome to the big Ro album's 10 years old today so I mean thatas of that album is 10 years old so so uh you know but and it's still it's still a difficult song so so there's that yeah thank you Adam thanks for thanks for sharing that yeah um I mean if you could what what's been the best bit of advice that you've had throughout your career that's got you to where you are now I mean it really is this is such a cliche it is such a cliche but um Frank Liddell the guy that that uh owned the publishing house he he owned carnival music where I Brent still writes Frank said one time he just said it in P he said you know the guys that that I look up to are guys that just never quit you know and so uh that's it I mean like the best advice that I can get give is like just don't don't beat yourself up don't don't let your don't let your negative criticism get the best of you just don't quit you know just keep writing in spite of and and that's the thing like you know I I reposted something the other day just about you know like how how ways to know you're killing it as a as a as an artist and like if you're criticized you're killing it as an artist because you're putting stuff out there so you know and that's the beauty in it like it like it's it's this it's the self that really will be the one that determines whether you pass or fail or whether you keep going or whether you quit so you're you're you're not fighting anybody else you know you're fighting yourself because that's the thing you know other people are going to say what they say it's it's up to you to whether you internalize it or whether you don't whether it whether it um creates you and whether you let negative stay negative or whether you turn negative into positive so you know it's I mean it really is you know and but that's the thing like it's cliche to say don't give up but like in the not giving up there's like Point number one A B C D E FG you know what I mean like there's a whole lot of there's a lot of depth to the not giving up because you kind of have to learn how to pers when you're 50 you know what I mean like I you know I would yeah I didn't really know that it would I would still be I'm thankful that I am climbing at at 50 because I don't I don't feel like I would I would be sad if I was on the back side of it you know what I mean and but there are days when I feel like am I on the back side of and I hope not because I I'm on the back side of something that I haven't really crossed the mountain yet you know and and so and just to you know kind of be an older man and a young man's game and and and not let those things affect my brain and not let them affect you know my my attit attitude and affect my uh just yeah just you know the the foot that I put forward and and putting my feet on the ground in the morning you know so there's there's a whole lot involved in not giving up but yeah I mean that's the best advice just find some find a reason to pick your guitar up and try to write a song every day that you can yeah there's always going to be that moment but no I I I like that because um I I recently listened to Josh Mitchum podcast who Josh was on the last one of these and he was talking to Sunny Sweeney who you said you know and um yeah it was interesting because they were talking about writing songs and you know being of a certain age and you know you're not writing songs for 19 year olds you you're writing songs for the likes of me and Dan which is interesting you know and it's like you know I I don't think there's ever a a person's game in my in my kind of humble opinion it's um you're writing songs for for people of all ages and it's like you're going to find your audience and you know I think that I think that's a fantastic thing you're never going to going to run out fans you're never going to run out people that are going to listen to your music it's just you know music for the ages almost isn't it exactly yeah and that's the thing like you know you it I I like I like that I can sort of appeal to a certain demographic but at the end of the day like you know um I I have that in my pocket but I want to be able to I want to appeal to anybody that'll listen you know I mean I want I want you know if anybody can relate to my stuff I want to make it relatable so that they can but at the same time I also you know it I mean nowadays like you know I'm at the age now where I have I have to I have no choice but to keep my Integrity like you can't you can't start you can't start you know phoning it in now like like I don't have enough hair to color you know what I mean like it's too late it's too late for eyeliner it's too late for it's never too late you know what I mean like I can't my Integrity is all I've got I would love to see right I mean we we can always listen every everybody's owned a pair of leather pants i' never own leather pants why not you know why not yeah I've never owned a pair even it's mly because I can't fit in them to be fair so well let's me and you go shopping when I get over there to the UK pants I'll leave you two I'll leave you two shoes it all right suit yourself that's um is is there anything that you're doing now Adam I mean um I'd love to know what kind of projects you've got going on at the minute um is there anything kind of songwriting or performing or or anything like completely different um that that's going on for you at the moment what what are you up to man it's it's funny you ask that because we're kind of in like a I don't want to say a downtime right now because I mean there's always plans but we're kind of trying like now is the time we're sort of like well what do we do next you know um and because you I've been putting out singles uh like I said the the band we've been recording like we kind of have opportunity to sort of like just kind of record the songs record the shows and um they've been turning out really well and so I mean you know and I live albums are hard man and and honestly like the the thought of a live album like kind of makes my stomach hurt because you know I mean you I you there are some live albums that are great and they're defining for artists but then there's also live albums that are wretched and and like they're really kind of also defining for some artists and so uh you know that's that's a possibility um that would be something just to kind of you know do something different I've still got songs that I'm writing and you know we've just been talking about some some more collaborative stuff and just to kind of see what I don't know you know it's the good news is uh I got songs and uh and and so whenever we decide what we're going to do and I'm still doing stuff with Brent I mean I'm gonna see him next weekend we're going down to do some writing and and get some stuff done and so so uh yeah it's that time of year too like you know this like pretty much after Halloween from Halloween to Christmas like everything starts slowing down and uh you can kind of uh just kind of take a it's not really taking a break but like that's the kind of time where where you sort of sit back and spend some time with your family and then then you figure out what your next step is going to be and so like that's kind of you know that's kind of where I am right now we're sort of in the we we've been in the pruning phase and now we're fixing to sort of put some water on it and see what could grow no that's cool mate and um well your next step perhaps you can speak to Brent about is coming to the UK because uh speaking to Josh on the last episode it was interesting because it was like you know we were talking about building your own table as a a metaphor to say well you know we always scratching around hoping someone else will do it um and for for me and Ronnie we're talking about our plans next year in terms of growing what we're doing with the podcast and and and things like that and we're always interested in doing a UK event Festival music kind of thing where we invite people that we love um to our table and I would love for you to come over and to Josh and to other people that that we're involved in and you know create our own thing if if people aren't going to kind of do it for us we do our own thing um you know it's uh it might be a pipe dream but um we we would love to do it and um you know maybe that's something you're interested in getting involved in Adam then absolutely well and I you know I understand how it how you build it you know what I mean like I've been a part of enough festivals and and and events and things like that to where you know you kind of have to there's a there's a like a three to five year process you know you kind of do it first and you lose your ass and then you do it and you say well we lost our ass but it was fun and then you know and if if everyone involved kind of says well yeah that was fun let's do it again you know what I mean and so and if you can just you know if you that's that's how that's how you grow it just be able to do it you know just sort of do it and and not lose your mind and then at the end that when you can still keep your mind enough to look at your buddies and go that was fun let's do that again you know what I mean like that's that's the name of the game and so I'm all about it man I mean that like I said I've done that enough to where I would I would love to I mean you know please by all means Don't Give Me A Reason like I said we we can come over we can buy leather pants together we can plan a festival we'll do whatever you want mate we just need to make it happen oh man just the social media event that that could be with our Le pants I just or it might turn off a lot of people and we will end up with no followers after you never know man you never know what people are into these days absolutely mate but we're going to call it the Grand Old survival but we said we might get sued for that so we might need a a different name perhaps listen Pam if you don't do it you're never going to know we so Adam said he won't sue us so uh there you go I'll take that we'll record it cool man well the next question I had and I remember you saying earlier in the interview to say don't ask me who I I'm currently listening to so I'll scratch that question right our list and I'll I'll hand over to Dan for some kind of closing remarks and uh you know it's been absolutely fantastic having you on I've loved it and I've been I've been looking forward to this for a long time so again I I appreciate you coming on Adam yeah me too thank you I mean I've been looking forward to it too I I again I appreciate what you guys are doing and and you know I you're you're you're you're sharing my stuff and then you're sharing the stuff of other artists that you appreciate and and you're you're doing what how it should be done it means a lot man and I like I said I I just I enjoy these conversations and I'm I'm glad we got to do this today it was fun thank you man thank you you know from from from us from me uh it's been an absolute privilege to have you on uh the rugged Revival um and uh TJ described you as the artists artist I have to be careful what I say there but uh you you really are you're incredible uh thank you so much for um keeping me company on my very first podcast uh with with a guest um and it's much appreciated uh so before I hand over to Adam for his much anticipated performance um I'm going to say we raise a host to the grit the grind and the Revival cheers everyone thanks for [Music] listening well the wife and the kids and the dogs and the neighbors all looking up at me I've been putting my faith in another day B getting it all on a Melody I don't have a high education I don't have a 5e plan it took a whole lot of doing the hard way just to figure out where I stand and it ain't easy cut teeth paying bills and [Music] Alabama but here I am again going on and on my back a sore from swinging a NB hammer but carrying the weight of the world and the country song well there's a whole lot of things I can [ __ ] about most folks wouldn't understand and there's a couple of things that I might do different if I had to do it all again like maybe start looking on the bright side start looking at a half full glass cuz today pretty good tomorrow's getting better and the yesterday's and p and it ain't easy cutting teeth paying bills and [Music] Alabama but here I am again going on and on while my back a s from swinging a ound [Music] Hammer just carrying the weight of the world in the country song [Music] well it ain't easy cutting tee paying bills in Alabama yes but here I am again going on and on well my back a so from swinging a ound Hammer just carrying the weight of the world in the country song Yes carrying the weight of the world in the country song [Music] I was each bound out of Dallas on Valentine's Day after five weeks on the road I'm going home and I realiz today I wished all those weeks away and can't get them back once they're gone cuz once they're gone they're gone forever and if you're lucky enough you can bring them back in a song but moving on it's hard as ever you can't get them back once they gone well an empty house and a letter is a sad thing to find after you been driving all night long and it's hard to rest your head on the and empty bed and can't get them back once they're gone cuz once they're gone they're gone forever and if you're lucky enough you can bring I'm back in a song move it on as hard as ever [Music] because you can't get them back once they [Music] gone there gone they're gone forever and if you're lucky enough you can bring them back in a song move it on as hard as ever you can't get them back once they're gone you know that you can't get them back once they're gone oh [Music]
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