Beer, Booze & B.S. Podcast

Troy sits down with the crew to play a raw demo alongside an AI generated music version. It is an uncomfortable look at where the music industry is heading, especially when tech can turn a simple work tape into a polished, commercial record in seconds. We discuss if labels are becoming obsolete and whether fans will eventually embrace avatar concerts over human performers.

The conversation gets deeply personal when Troy plays a song about his mother. Hearing an AI voice convey genuine emotion brings up the most unsettling question of the day: if a fake singer makes you cry, does it matter that they aren't human? It is a raw, honest look at the future of songwriting and what it means to be an artist in the age of artificial intelligence.

Subscribe for more unfiltered conversations and tell us in the comments if you could spot the AI song.

#TroyCastellano #AIMusic #ArtificialIntelligence #MusicIndustry #Nashville #BluebirdCafe #TommyLee #CheapTrick #TheVoice #KISS #Songwriting #BeerBoozeAndBS

What is Beer, Booze & B.S. Podcast ?

Beer Booze and BS is a bold new podcast filmed inside Frontier Liquor in Zimmerman Minnesota where craft spirits cocktail culture and unfiltered fun collide. Hosted by Chrissy Bohnhoff this show delivers liquor tastings off the cuff conversations giveaways and a real behind the register experience. We spotlight local legends badass women small town rebels and anyone who loves a strong drink with a side of real talk. Whether you are into whiskey vodka tequila or craft cocktails you will feel right at home. New episodes drop weekly featuring liquor reviews cocktail tutorials biker vibes exclusive merch drops and raw stories you will not hear anywhere else. Support local drink local and do not take life too seriously. Subscribe and sip with us. BeerBoozeBS LiquorPodcast DrinkLocalMN CocktailCulture MinnesotaPodcast WhiskeyTasting

Troy:

I I I just I really despise the record industry on that side of it now.

Paul:

Well, sounds like it's just dirty. It does. Yeah.

Troy:

I tell younger artists, like, go find an investor. Go find a millionaire who's willing to put in some money.

Paul:

Yeah. Like,

Troy:

don't let them be the decision makers. Just say, hey. If you borrow me this money, this is kinda what we'll get back for you.

Paul:

Here's your estimated ROI or Exactly.

Chrissy:

So are record labels a dying breed?

Troy:

Yeah. Yeah. They're they're not keeping up with the the Good. You know? Good.

Paul:

Like, I mean, it gives you a Well,

Troy:

they're always making moves, you know? So, you know, record companies were all against Spotify, you know Sure. And streaming.

Paul:

Yeah. Of course they are.

Troy:

They go, tell you what. Well, buy

Chrissy:

But they got their hands in on it.

Paul:

Oh, yeah. They're they're gonna get their dirty little dick beaters on everything. Yeah.

Troy:

UMG. Yeah. They all they own 51

Paul:

Just buy it, yeah.

Troy:

They own 51%

Paul:

Just of enough so they can control it. Yep. Yep.

Troy:

And they did, they're doing that with AI. We thought the record companies are gonna go, here's AI works by the way, is like, it's just a robot that that crawls the Internet Mhmm. And it scrapes all of the All this information. Yep. And it knows the it from country to operate, well, you name it.

Paul:

It's it's

Troy:

crawled it all, and it's analyzed it.

Paul:

Yep.

Troy:

And it knows the the the popular sounds, and

Paul:

it knows

Troy:

why is it popular. Yep. Because it has this thing that's going on.

Paul:

It knows the fucking biometrics to fucking make it pop.

Troy:

To make it. Yeah. I'm telling you, like, it's blowing you want I'll get into that later, but Yep.

Paul:

Send it. Fuck it.

Troy:

It's almost to a point where, for me, I'm just content doing what I'm doing. I'm not I'm not looking for record deals or Yeah. Here's something that I

Chrissy:

feel like in your industry is there's no AI that's gonna perform.

Troy:

Oh, yeah. No. It's coming. Kiss is gonna be the cutting edge of that.

Paul:

What do you mean?

Troy:

The avatars. They're they're holograms.

Paul:

Come on.

Troy:

Yeah. Would you both

Chrissy:

see an avatar for

Troy:

I'm more

Chrissy:

than glad hear you. Would just say I

Troy:

see it. I I won't,

Paul:

but I can guarantee you this younger generation kid

Troy:

who's watching AI cartoon

Paul:

Who had never seen Kiss, you know, your life. At

Chrissy:

a live concert.

Troy:

Kiss is gonna break up That's what it's gonna that AI performance. You know that. If you're a Kiss fan, you've seen the end of their last show, they said, stay tuned for the next chapter and they showed you the Abbott too old to play.

Paul:

Yeah. Yeah. Yep.

Troy:

So you know what?

Paul:

It is fucking ridiculous.

Troy:

I don't know. These conversations can can get pretty long, but I Yeah.

Chrissy:

I feel like what fascinating, though.

Paul:

It is.

Troy:

Peers in my group right now, like, like, I I totally against it, and they're they're like well, lot of them, AI will never take over. Never take over. And I go, not You're fucking today. Generations, but these three coming up. They won't care.

Paul:

Well, right. Well, they won't know the difference.

Troy:

That's the sad And

Paul:

not only that, like, think about it. Like, these kids have never gotten to see KISS perform live. Right?

Chrissy:

That's what I'm seeing. KISS will be long gone because Jesus Christ, they're 80 years old.

Paul:

Right. Right.

Chrissy:

But their music forever. And now Exactly. They

Troy:

can live forever

Paul:

And now because of avatars. Younger generation can go to a concert and see these avatars and be like, oh, that was sick as fuck. Like, kinda like what you guys got to see, but it's like the newer version, you know? Like, I would love to

Chrissy:

see Jimi Hendrix in concert. Yeah. Never got the chance.

Paul:

Right. Right. See, even that's it's cut

Chrissy:

even Prince. I never got to

Troy:

see Prince in concert.

Paul:

The same version. Like, you know what I mean? Listen.

Troy:

Let me let me this is AI. Like Yep. Alright. I so I'm gonna play you a work tape. This is like we wrote the songs the day we wrote it.

Troy:

I'm playing guitar. You wrote them. Yeah. It's a Christmas song, but K. Just recently, wrote this song, so you hear me playing guitar, and my my is singing.

Troy:

He's kinda like a Chris has a kind of a Chris Stapleton vibe.

Paul:

So Nice.

Troy:

But I'm gonna play you the work tape, and then and then he ran it through Suno AI? On AI, and it's it's a

Paul:

fucking to the difference?

Troy:

Shut up. Listen. I mean, this is the song.

Paul:

K. Turn. I had

Troy:

this cool r and b vibe going.

Chrissy:

Like a kid rock song.

Paul:

All summer long kind of vibe. I'll just play a verse here.

Troy:

He's got mouth cancer, so he's missing a bit of a his cleft right here.

Chrissy:

Really? Yeah. Sound like

Paul:

it. I

Troy:

like it.

Chrissy:

Alright. This is

Troy:

really That's the tape. Then he sends me this.

Chrissy:

No. No. You write the song

Troy:

and the music? We wrote the music, the melody.

Chrissy:

Everything. So this is AI version. Wait.

Troy:

Let's see.

Paul:

Here we go.

Troy:

I don't need to produce music anymore.

Paul:

Crazy. No. Fucking ridiculous.

Troy:

This is a hit song, man. Tell me.

Paul:

Oh, yeah. I guarantee it would be. Oh my god. Yeah. Don, right there.

Troy:

All fake. I know. Singer's fake instruments.

Chrissy:

It's almost like hot, though. No?

Troy:

Yeah. Like,

Paul:

k d w v

Troy:

Well, that's what we wanted more mainstream for the TV or movie placement. It'll probably probably get in a hall it's in a Hallmark placeholder right now.

Paul:

It's in a movie.

Chrissy:

It really? It is?

Troy:

Like like, they put it in there. They don't know if they'll keep it.

Speaker 4:

But but that's the thing. I said, they're using the

Paul:

AI sound? He's like, yep. I like the words better. Three months ago, he said they won't use AI. Well, they are now.

Paul:

Yeah. But I mean

Chrissy:

See, and I love the original better. Like, I love his voice. Yeah. Like, I love the Yeah.

Troy:

Like, the voice better than original. All the stuff you've heard of mine, I produce that music. Many of those songs, I'm playing everything on. Like, I have That's amazing. Creating at home.

Troy:

You know? And then there's something I do go get a session on,

Paul:

and we'll

Troy:

get the real players, and I bring that home. Then I have my voice and guitars and whatever I wanna put on it. But I don't need to do that anymore. I could throw my work tape

Paul:

in there. Yeah. Just fucking wham bam. It takes you a

Troy:

fucking, like,

Paul:

thirty seconds and a fucking play that

Chrissy:

live somewhere. It's not gonna sound anything like that.

Troy:

No. And I don't I don't know. I you know what?

Paul:

Unless he fucking puts it over the MP and then limpsings I

Troy:

I won a song we wrote that that same day. A song we wrote that day. I I entered it in the USA Christmas song contest, and and it won.

Chrissy:

It did. So yeah.

Troy:

Like Christ. Let let me show you something.

Chrissy:

Find all these contests?

Troy:

Well, I just enter them. It's like $30.35 bucks to

Chrissy:

put in. Still.

Troy:

Check this out.

Paul:

Cool.

Troy:

So I was talking about slow goodbye. I'm gonna just run you another AI. Yeah. So I'm not running AI. My co writers will run it through AI.

Troy:

Sure. Let's see.

Paul:

They're like, here. Listen to the song that we made of your song.

Troy:

Yeah. Maybe I can find out. Yeah. So it's a bit disheartening, you know, too because I don't want kids to think music is all made by computers.

Paul:

No. I guess yeah.

Chrissy:

Well, especially as hard as you've worked your entire life.

Paul:

That's just Yeah.

Chrissy:

That's what I feel like, yeah, kinda rips people off.

Paul:

Oh, yeah. It does. 100%.

Troy:

This is about sitting by your mom as she's going out.

Chrissy:

As she's going out?

Troy:

As she's going out on the end. Okay. The slow goodbye.

Paul:

Oh. This is the song?

Troy:

This AI, though. Sounds like another friend of mine, Craig Campbell. He's a big country artist.

Paul:

I'm staring at the photographs of us smiling back in better times. So

Troy:

you're sitting next to your mom

Paul:

like Yeah.

Troy:

Yeah. Listen now, man.

Paul:

Yeah. But

Chrissy:

I like your voice.

Troy:

Yeah. That's what I'm a I'm I'm a redo it. Listen to this chorus, man.

Paul:

Oh, no.

Chrissy:

Oh my god.

Paul:

Yeah. I was just gonna say there's gonna be tears.

Troy:

Oh. I just love this chorus.

Paul:

It can pull you into a happy space.

Chrissy:

Can make you feel. And I like your voice. I feel like that needs to be your voice.

Troy:

Get emotional there too, man.

Chrissy:

Like, somebody that doesn't even exist, you know?

Paul:

Yeah. Yo, but it's still gonna make you fucking cry. I know.

Troy:

We've all lived something, you know, like that.

Chrissy:

So let's talk about Nashville. How, like, how you ended up there. Well, let's first okay. Let's go to the Bluebird Cafe because that's I watched the show Nashville. Did you ever watch that show?

Troy:

No. Yeah.

Chrissy:

They We loved that show Nashville.

Troy:

You did?

Chrissy:

Oh, yeah.

Troy:

Oh, yeah.

Paul:

But I didn't know. I've had never been

Chrissy:

to Nashville at that time, but that's where I learned

Troy:

Yeah. The Bluebird Cafe. Watching it when our house was for sale trying to get there.

Paul:

Trying to get there.

Troy:

And and I had been in the Bluebird for that workshop, like I was telling you. And then and it was funny the one night when I did go there the first time, Erica Nichols is the lady who manages the place, but I go in there one night and watching the round. And I go

Paul:

I go, Erica, you just on the TV show? Because she had a

Troy:

little cameo bit in

Chrissy:

the show. She did? Okay.

Troy:

Yeah. Yeah. But so after taking that workshop and I was in the Bluebird, I'm like, wow. This is magical. This is where some stars rise.

Chrissy:

Yeah. Well, I've got a list here. Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Tricia Yearwood, Dierks Bentley, Faith Hill, Vince Gill, they have all had their major career moments there.

Troy:

And and I just so happened that it happened so cool for me to get into that room was

Chrissy:

It's badass.

Troy:

I had just been there maybe maybe a year, And a friend of mine, his name is Brian Devoe. He plays in a band called Nine Days. Actually, my daughter Kalia watches their kid a lot, but Brian plays in a band called Nine Days. They had that big hit song called Absolutely. It's this is a story of a girl.

Troy:

Yes.

Paul:

Yes. Drown the whole world. Yep.

Troy:

Yes. So Brian says, hey. Do you wanna play the bluebird with me? I had ends to the listening room. I was booking the listening room where I could book rounds.

Troy:

Yeah. Listening room's a big 250. Heavy, but did you go in there?

Chrissy:

I did not go in there, but I've heard Yeah. Of

Troy:

Okay. So so he says, hey. We've kinda we're trading off. Like, you you get me in here, I'll get you in there. So I played that.

Troy:

You know, it was cool. It's like CBS Sports came in there while we're setting up, and they go, hey. We're gonna do some bumpers for the titans game. You know, like, how they do Oh,

Paul:

yeah. Yeah.

Troy:

Go like, hey. This is Nashville, Tennessee.

Paul:

Yeah. Yeah.

Troy:

Yeah. And they were like they go,

Paul:

can we shoot you guys while

Troy:

you're playing? I'm like, yeah. You know? That Sunday Fucker. Played the Bluebird.

Troy:

I'm watching the game, they go, here we are at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee, there's me and Brian Nice.

Paul:

Two other guys we badass.

Chrissy:

Yeah. That was really cool. Is it a small little bit? Very small?

Troy:

It is it is this bit this square what you

Chrissy:

Really? So it's tiny. Yeah. It's really

Troy:

small. And any

Chrissy:

Is it an actual cafe?

Troy:

It fits in there?

Chrissy:

Yeah. Okay.

Troy:

You can you yeah. They serve, you know, just This normal stuff. Yeah. Chicken strips and salads and things. But so I got in there then, and then I went and did this radio show.

Troy:

Another friend of mine, Scott Seltzer, he's a he's a buddy of mine. He had a radio show on w w s m six fifty AM is the original longest running country or longest running radio station in America. It's where they operate broadcast

Paul:

What is it called?

Troy:

Television, WSM six fifty AM. Okay.

Paul:

Never heard of it.

Troy:

It's worthy. Who listens to AM? Yeah. And it was the original 1925 broadcast, the Wow. The Saturday at barn dance, which became Opry and Hank Williams and everybody that came up afterwards.

Troy:

So, anyway, he invites

Chrissy:

Go heehaw days.

Troy:

Yeah. He invites me to on the show, and then after the show, Scott goes like, hey. You wanna play the blooper? And then I got asked.

Paul:

So the Another I made it moment.

Troy:

Blooper. Get into. You have to audition, and most people don't pass the audition. Wow.

Paul:

And and you've played there so many times.

Troy:

Well, yeah.

Paul:

And then You're like, I don't even got an audition, bitch. Check my pants. Young friends and

Troy:

I are really good. Well, the way you do it, once you pass the audition, you gotta do four Sundays, like and it takes about two years to do your four Sundays. Then they will let you host your own round and bring your friends in. What?

Chrissy:

So a big deal.

Paul:

Well, I

Troy:

did four Right. Yeah. I did four in a row in about about four months, so maybe once a month. And and I I had to contact for the lady, and I go, hey. What does it take for me to book my own round in here?

Troy:

I said, I'm booking the listening room, and we always sell it out. And it's like, we we how do I get in? And she says, well, you you gotta play, like, in four rounds, or you gotta do the four Sunday nights? I said, well, I just I just did four rounds, and she's like well, I think I flattered her too because the lady I go, hey. Were you were you just I'd seen a documentary on on PBS, and and her name was Anne.

Troy:

I go, were you Anne, were you in this documentary that was on? She goes, oh, no. Are they still

Paul:

are they still playing that?

Troy:

I go, yeah.

Paul:

That

Troy:

that was great, though. I mean, I loved hearing you talking about it.

Chrissy:

That's gotta

Troy:

be she's like, well, I'll give you a

Paul:

name. Yes.

Chrissy:

You your way out.

Troy:

Yep. Like, I got really lucky. I'm really blessed for them to even, like, do that. You know?

Chrissy:

And you've played there several times. I

Troy:

was Yeah. Probably 15 times.

Chrissy:

I gonna say I

Troy:

Like, it's really

Chrissy:

That's pretty cool.

Troy:

But I feel I feel like I probably didn't deserve it because there's a lot of lot of talent there, and now there are people asking me how to get in there, it's tough. You know?

Chrissy:

Let's talk about the talent in Nashville. Like, there's so many I've been there twice. You know? Yeah. But just the the street singers.

Chrissy:

You know, the guys on the side of

Paul:

the street with their hats. You know, people are throwing dollars in.

Chrissy:

Have you done that?

Troy:

No. No busking. Me me do mean busking, like, playing I

Chrissy:

know what that is.

Troy:

Yeah. That's me. That's playing for money.

Paul:

Like Well, I don't know. Called. I've never heard

Chrissy:

that. Or whatever. Yeah. And you never had to do that? No.

Chrissy:

Never wanted to do

Troy:

Never have done that. Okay. Really.

Chrissy:

No. So I watched America's Got Talent and that

Paul:

Jordan Jordan Booze or have you seen

Chrissy:

America's Got Talent? He's from Nashville.

Troy:

No. I mean, I

Chrissy:

quit Super good

Troy:

stuff. I kinda nothing against him shows, but I quit really watch No. Okay. I should. Title of Voice, all of that, like

Paul:

Never tried out for anybody?

Troy:

I did. I did. I tried out for The Voice. When that came out in two thousand ten or '11

Chrissy:

You did try

Paul:

out.

Troy:

I went down to the cattle call.

Chrissy:

I Here in Minnesota?

Troy:

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And I played Wanted Dead or Alive. Okay.

Troy:

You know?

Paul:

I like that song.

Chrissy:

Yeah. They're only good song.

Troy:

I thought it was great. And she goes, it's a little dated. Next. I'm like, fuck. Why are you judging me on the age of the song?

Troy:

Yeah.

Paul:

No shit. Right? Well, it's because it's not new pop fucking era. Fuck you.

Troy:

You know,

Chrissy:

they Who has said that though? Like, just the

Troy:

Whoever the people that are running the audition. The or the next Well, they a short interview with you and, like, I guess I didn't have enough tragedy or sadness, you know? Yeah. That's true. It's true.

Troy:

Right? Right. The

Chrissy:

Oh, you see that

Paul:

all the time. That's comes along with it.

Troy:

But anyway, I really I I remember I told Jeannie, I said, I don't really wanna get on this show, but I wanna go see what these little Yeah. Yeah.

Chrissy:

Interesting. Do you remember watching way back in the day Star Search? Remember that show? Yeah.

Troy:

Yep.

Chrissy:

Because I think I think was it Britney Spears was on there or one of them? Or Justin Timberlake, one of them.

Troy:

I girl know was on there. She was, like, seven or eight. I mean, she's old. Now she's in her forties when it That met she turned into a tragic story too. Like, she

Chrissy:

Well, sometimes those when they get Sheena. Fame at that young age

Troy:

I know. I could see

Chrissy:

A lot of tragic stories.

Troy:

I could see her just losing herself in the liquor. And then just recently, she killed somebody in the car wreck and

Chrissy:

From drinking

Troy:

and driving. Took off, and now she's in prison I mean, it was one too, like

Paul:

I just watched that documentary or something like that

Chrissy:

too. Trash?

Paul:

Yep. Oh. That was bad. I didn't Just watched it last night.

Chrissy:

You did?

Troy:

Yep. Yeah. Anyway, she's

Paul:

What's like the fucking most memorable? Like, it doesn't have to be a big deal, but like the what sticks out in your like, over all the years have you been singing, performing, doing anything? What's like the the one thing that, like, just sticks on your head? It's like, this is a fucking

Troy:

A pinnacle?

Paul:

Yeah. It's like the best. It's like, fuck. This is it doesn't get better than this.

Troy:

Those two things, like the being immortalized with Tommy Lee

Paul:

Mhmm.

Troy:

On a record.

Paul:

Yeah.

Troy:

He he I mean, I was saying that

Chrissy:

And your name I'm assuming your name's on the record.

Troy:

Yeah. If you go to Wiki, you'll see my name on there, and it's in the credit, the line notes. Yeah. Yeah. Like, I said that earlier, like, I thought it was kind

Chrissy:

of a

Troy:

douche, know, but I as still think.

Paul:

I know the algorithm thinks that.

Troy:

I always

Paul:

like Until you actually meet I

Troy:

always like

Paul:

Until you meet somebody, you just don't know how you're gonna fucking

Troy:

I always liked Motley Crue's music. I didn't like Vince Neil. Hey, kickflammers.

Chrissy:

Oh my

Troy:

god. It's just baby talk. I cannot like his voice, man. But I love the guitars,

Chrissy:

and Tommy Drummer. Yeah.

Troy:

Tommy is my favorite drummer next to Bonham. You know? Yep. And being immortalized with him for the rest of my life Yeah. Like, the funky beyond my life, actually.

Paul:

Right. Right.

Chrissy:

Forever. Yeah.

Troy:

Yep. So people listen to those songs, they won't know, but

Paul:

No. But you know what's gonna be sweet is, they're gonna be like, they're gonna be looking at that record. Right? And they're gonna see your name, and they're gonna be like, who the fuck is this guy? And then they're gonna fucking YouTube it.

Paul:

Yeah. Then you're gonna find that shit and that's dude, I feel like that's bigger than fucking playing Yeah. With Tommy

Troy:

I mean

Paul:

It's crazy like the like fucking it's like your name's not gonna die. Like you're

Troy:

You know what? Kids are gonna see

Paul:

that shit and be like, who the fuck is this guy? I've never heard of this fucking

Troy:

I feel like no one cares now, but then when I die of a you know how it's

Paul:

like, right?

Chrissy:

I think a lot of people care, obviously.

Troy:

I I know and I I don't I always you know what? Because I don't see it I'm so working so hard for goals, and there's a you know, it's just like anything. You work a 100%.

Paul:

It's all the grind.

Troy:

You know, you're only you feel like you're getting 2%

Paul:

return. Yeah.

Troy:

But you know, you

Paul:

wouldn't you wouldn't I feel that every day.

Troy:

Get 2% if you didn't grind that, hun. Uh-huh. And then everybody goes like, how do we do it? Well, I've

Paul:

been keeping Right.

Troy:

Yeah. Feel that every any success because I didn't give up. I I quit

Paul:

grinding. I

Troy:

feel that every day. And then another special memory is when that when Robin Xander, singer of Cheap Tricks said, I know who you are.

Paul:

That's fast. That would be sick as fuck. Especially like you said, you were like basically nobody yet. Just kinda fucking like basically won your first competition. Right?

Paul:

And then all of a sudden this fucking rock star comes up and he's like Right. Boy, don't who you are. Yeah. I would be like

Troy:

I don't know.

Chrissy:

And I feel like I'm doing shit when I'm way up north or even in another state. I'm like, I've heard of your sort, you

Paul:

know? Yeah. Right? That is awesome.

Troy:

If people I've

Paul:

been at that store. Yeah. You got all

Chrissy:

the hot chicks and the cool bikes. Yeah.

Paul:

Yeah. Yeah. People are yeah. That's me.

Troy:

And that's the truth of anybody's success. How do you do it? Not quitting, man. Yep. You know?

Paul:

Just the grind. If you live long enough even understand

Chrissy:

that word, though, because I just don't.

Troy:

If you live long enough, you're gonna achieve shit Yeah. Because you purse if you just go if you throw up your hands and go, I'm gonna just drive trucks.

Paul:

Yeah. You know? Right.

Troy:

As I do. Does it? I mean Son of

Paul:

a bitch. You know?

Chrissy:

You loser.

Paul:

That's typical me picking that.

Chrissy:

Say something. I'd I did

Paul:

do that. I fucking love it though.

Troy:

You're young.

Chrissy:

He loves his job.

Troy:

Yeah. You're young though. You'll maybe you'll find something

Chrissy:

What do you call yourself? Glorified steering wheel.

Troy:

Steering wheel. How are doing? OTR.

Paul:

Does everything.

Troy:

Over the road?

Paul:

No. I I just go back and forth I to used to do I used to go all state to state and I love that shit even more, but

Troy:

yeah. Leave it to me to pick the The one vacation that the guy

Paul:

sitting in is doing. Yeah. Whatever dude, I don't care. Honestly, don't give a fuck. Like He

Chrissy:

really loves his job though.

Paul:

I kind of feel like I did kind of give up because it's like I paid everything off.

Troy:

Wait, did you aspire for big things?

Paul:

No, I don't have big dreams.

Chrissy:

As soon as like what were you planning on doing?

Paul:

Like, the biggest fucking dream I ever had was to be like a zoologist.

Troy:

Because I

Paul:

love animals and shit like that. Yeah. But you

Chrissy:

don't even have an animal.

Paul:

Because I'm over the fucking road I can't.

Troy:

Can't feed one and keep

Chrissy:

wanna be a porn star?

Paul:

Well, would be awesome.

Troy:

Yeah. I did when

Paul:

I was I just wanna make money. I don't really care about anything. I just wanna make a fucking ton of money doing nothing like everyone else.

Chrissy:

Mailbox money.

Troy:

That's what I want. Yeah. That was that was the

Paul:

Basically, a bunch of houses, rent them all out, get them all paid for, and then that mailbox money. I can go on,

Troy:

do the That was my Nashville dream. It's like, I I call it lazy dream, it is a lot of work. I like, I went I just wanted to write songs. But you followed your dream, honestly. You go make them famous, I'll cash the checks.

Paul:

Yep. Yeah. Exactly. How?

Troy:

I'll stay home. I'm not I don't want a tour. Don't wanna be a

Paul:

road I'm

Chrissy:

like Do you ever think about like, like, I mean, you're in Nashville or near Nashville. I don't know how often you go into the city, but like, there's talent everywhere and you're in these clubs and stuff. Do you ever feel like

Paul:

Being a promoter or something?

Chrissy:

Manager of something or ever think that you

Paul:

Nah. Would wanna, like, Or would it be tons

Troy:

of sales?

Chrissy:

Okay. Nah.

Paul:

We don't wanna fucking push the fucking

Troy:

Nah. You gotta have people that really know how to get people connected. I don't have, like

Chrissy:

Those connections.

Troy:

I did do that, like, with that friend of mine. Like, when I was at Tommy's house, I introduced her to so she played in a band, like, it was kinda like Evan Evanescence.

Chrissy:

Yeah.

Troy:

And I introduced her to Scott Humphrey, and and I, like, I was kinda, like, rooting for her to Yeah. To, like, Scott be interested in her thing. You know? But then the typical shit, he just wanted to hit all over.

Paul:

You know? Like, so's that.

Troy:

Yep. That's the dude.

Chrissy:

There's that.

Paul:

There is always that shit.

Troy:

I don't really want

Chrissy:

that shit. In your industry, in the music industry, and it is particularly Nashville, is there a lot of, like, people, like, you know, other artists

Troy:

Oh, Who make introductions and

Chrissy:

see that a lot on the YouTube world too where a lot of the YouTubers will like Co. Yeah. They like help push their content,

Paul:

you know? Like a smaller one will hook up with a bigger

Troy:

one Oh, and the collaboration.

Paul:

Yeah. There you go. That's the word I was looking for, collaboration.

Troy:

I don't do so much of that, but, mean, personal introductions. I I like I'll bring there's a a really a friend of mine has had three number ones. One, Keith Urban, Toby Keith. He wrote American Ride. He wrote Without You.

Troy:

He wrote this Jimmy Wayne hit. Well, anyway, he's got a really awesome studio, and I would bring talent over there every

Chrissy:

once in

Troy:

while and say, hey. You gotta listen to this contest?

Chrissy:

Yeah. Like, you see like, you're out somewhere and you hear

Paul:

someone and you're like, oh god. They're so good. They've got, like, they've got it Yeah.

Chrissy:

Or whatever whatever it is.

Troy:

Know what's happened, though, like, with Nashville's? Like, there's so many so much talent there. I mean, that's way better than it's on the radio and out.

Paul:

Oh, yeah.

Troy:

Performance killing

Paul:

it. I feel like that's part of the fucking privateers versus the record label shit. You know what I mean?

Troy:

The record labels are like this. They're just it's

Paul:

just They wanna push them, but they don't.

Troy:

Like they so the the ANR, the people who find people for record Yep. Labels, they are in competition with each other too. Aw. So they go like it's like a perfect example. Guy works at BMG, big, big publisher or record company.

Troy:

I mean, I think they own Capital, Atlantic, a bunch of labels underneath it. But, hey. His name's Chris. And I'm like, hey, Chris. Where do find talent now?

Troy:

He's like, I'm watching this kid on YouTube or TikTok or whatever. Yeah. And I and I I'm just like,

Paul:

Justin Bieber. Why are

Troy:

you looking there? All these people are here. Yeah. Well, they wanna do this to their peers. Like, look what I got.

Troy:

You don't know about this kid. This is what I'm saying.

Paul:

Human nature

Troy:

up there is, like, between their big label friends, their Yep. You don't know about this kid. I do. And then and then when

Paul:

it comes to people

Troy:

that are in Nashville, and you go like, hey. Do you know so and so? And they'll go, yeah. I know who that is. And they and all the people do.

Troy:

They go, that guy's awesome. And I go, why don't you sign him? Why don't you do

Paul:

it? Right.

Troy:

Well, they're like, well because everyone knows about turn their chairs, so I'm

Paul:

not Exactly. Gonna so if they don't make a move, but one one does, then they all Then they all. Right. Right. Yeah.

Troy:

Then to to avoid that whole thing, they just go, well, look, I found this over here.

Paul:

Shifty motherfuckers.

Troy:

So it's it's that's why I'm like, I mean, some of the best people

Paul:

Is in fucking Nashville and they're not even gonna get a record deal or something because You're

Chrissy:

not gonna so much talent out

Paul:

there. Like,

Chrissy:

they'll never make a dime, you know, which is sad.

Troy:

It is.

Chrissy:

It is sad. And then I'm sorry.

Troy:

That's what I'm saying.

Paul:

I feel like

Chrissy:

Britney Spears has no judgment.

Troy:

Oh, god. No way.

Chrissy:

Yeah. She has that girl can't fucking sing. I mean, obviously, her mental health issues is a whole another story, even from the beginning it's like It was Somehow she got on that stupid Mickey Mouse Club

Paul:

It's all it takes.

Chrissy:

And got a break and someone

Troy:

Sex promoted appeal,

Paul:

you know? Yeah. Kinda like Christina Aguilera.

Chrissy:

Yeah. She's talent.

Troy:

She's super

Chrissy:

talented. Britney Spears never could sing.

Troy:

No. It was all about dancing and

Paul:

Shaking your Yeah.

Troy:

TNA for real. But I should have

Paul:

a thing.

Chrissy:

That's all. Sex and all.

Troy:

It's unfortunate. Thank you. It's unfortunate, but it's like the you know, it's fucking humans again.

Chrissy:

It's men.

Troy:

Yeah.

Chrissy:

You guys are pigs.

Troy:

Yeah. We're meant to be. Otherwise, we don't procreate. Be like, we weren't interested. There'd be no human.

Chrissy:

This is true. This is true.

Paul:

Yep.

Chrissy:

Let's go Nashville. Myth or fact? Alright. Everybody knows somebody famous in Nashville. Yeah?

Chrissy:

Yeah. True? Yeah. Record deals happen overnight.

Troy:

No. No? They are always negotiated for months. Yeah.

Chrissy:

Well, pretty much know they answer this.

Troy:

Everybody has famous friends.

Chrissy:

The best singer always wins. No. No. No. A hit song can start with one stupid line.

Troy:

So I have opinions about hit songs. I don't think that they're they're they're written. They like, that's we say that that's a hit, but hits are are made by the Yeah. They're made by the listener.

Chrissy:

Well, that's how do we

Troy:

listen to them unless someone's

Chrissy:

pushing them.

Troy:

Yeah. But it's a hit because everybody liked it. Like, but

Chrissy:

you But I feel like, honestly, as a listener that, you know, I can hear a song on the radio. I'm like, that sounds kind of stupid. You know? But then

Troy:

Ten

Paul:

three months now or six months from now because I've heard it so many times, I'm like, yeah. I kinda like

Chrissy:

this stuff.

Troy:

Yep. Because it gets gross on

Chrissy:

you. That.

Paul:

Is that what it is?

Troy:

Repetition. You know? Repetition. Yeah. And it's marketing, like, in the way where, you know, you what do they say?

Troy:

You gotta see an ad seven to 10 times before you pull the trigger? Yeah. That's true. It's true.

Chrissy:

Like, okay. Do you listen to Glenn Glenn Beck at all or watch his show?

Troy:

Yeah. I'm aware of him. I don't listen to him.

Chrissy:

I love his show.

Troy:

But I'm aware. Yeah.

Chrissy:

Glenn Beck, he's a used he to be on CNN and like Fox and all that. He's he's a political guy but Yep. He has his own show on the Blaze. And fuck. Every year, I feel like he comes out with something new as far as like his introductory song.

Chrissy:

Well, this year he came out with this new one and I honest to God, I'm like, oh, this sucks. Is he gonna

Troy:

Back came out with this song?

Chrissy:

Yeah. Well, he didn't. Like his show.

Troy:

Okay.

Chrissy:

There's a new song that opens up his show. Yeah. Starting just this year. And so I was like, God, this is stupid. Like, I hope this is gonna play this whole fucking thing every goddamn morning

Troy:

Yeah.

Chrissy:

That he opens. Now I'm like tapping my face.

Paul:

What is it?

Chrissy:

It's just his it's his song. Like, you know, a show has a song that it opens up to

Paul:

Oh, just like some riff

Troy:

The theme? Yeah. Oh, okay. Yeah. Opening song.

Paul:

Yeah. It's an opening song.

Chrissy:

And I'm like, it's so long. Jesus. I don't wanna have to listen to this every fucking morning now. And now I like it.

Troy:

Yeah.

Chrissy:

Like, how did that happen?

Paul:

Because it's fucking annoying.

Troy:

It is. Just repetition. It's like you do.

Chrissy:

It's nobody it could be the best song in the world, but if nobody hears it, and it's not being shoved in your face day in and day

Paul:

out Well, and seeing that's how I feel

Troy:

like It won't be familiar.

Chrissy:

Yeah. Popular and

Paul:

it won't be That's how I feel like with independent verse record label. Right? Record label is gonna fucking get it out of all the radio stations. They're gonna force it. Yeah.

Paul:

You're gonna hear And

Troy:

they'll pay you to play it.

Paul:

It's gonna be repetition, and then that's how that person makes money. So like, if you go yeah. You're kinda like, say, a sellout, but that's, I feel like, how the only way you can fucking make it in the music industry if you wanna be, like, a big mainstay.

Chrissy:

Feel like a lot of it is just luck.

Troy:

I have a song that I wrote that went to radio. I wrote it with Oh, you? I wanna. And so this was last week. It was, like, 43 spins week one, one sixty four spins week two.

Troy:

I don't know where they're at now. But

Chrissy:

Yeah. Yeah. This has been getting radio play.

Paul:

What's it called?

Chrissy:

I wanna.

Troy:

I wanna play it.

Chrissy:

Play a portion of it.

Troy:

Let's see. Oh, here's something kinda cool too. This is ads running now for a company.

Chrissy:

What? Oh.

Troy:

So it's for a song protecting your songs, but they said, hey. Can we use your song? Use you. I'm like that. It's about protecting your you know, so someone doesn't steal your song and you just do it to court.

Troy:

You're protected.

Chrissy:

That's cool. Think and drive.

Troy:

Yeah. But that was kinda cool. That is cool. You wanna hear Iwana, the duet?

Chrissy:

Yeah. Well, this is the one the big one that's out right now.

Troy:

Right? Yeah. You know, so Justin came to my house. Justin's the

Chrissy:

And I met him.

Troy:

Oh, you did. That's right. You were at his

Chrissy:

lovely pet. Yes.

Troy:

Let's see.

Chrissy:

So Justin Love.

Troy:

Justin Love. Let's see. Do I do I have the oh, yeah. I have it here. Okay.

Troy:

So so he comes with he had that idea of the high I wanted the hook, and he had part of the chorus. And I'm like he's like, had he had nowhere to go with the the lyric, like, the verses and stuff. And I started thinking about the old Rum River, and there used to be an iron bridge down there. Yeah. And we used to go fishing and make out down there.

Paul:

Jump off it and shit.

Troy:

Yeah. And then there also was like the water tower in Nisanny. We would climb that all the time. Know? So I used to do the I just started spitting out the whole Okay.

Troy:

Top lyric.

Paul:

What's that? The water tower in

Chrissy:

This is the one that's getting radio quiet.

Paul:

Yeah.

Troy:

So listen to the lyrics. This is I saying.

Speaker 4:

Take you to the top of the old town water tower. I ride on there.

Troy:

I texted ahead of me. Remember, was spray paint. You know? Maybe when you edit this, you can drop in the length of the song.

Paul:

Oh, 100%. Yeah.

Troy:

Or any of the songs. If you drop down.

Paul:

Well, was gonna say like that other what's that other one?

Troy:

Babe? Which one? Here We Are Babe?

Paul:

Here We Are Babe.

Chrissy:

Yeah. That's a good one.

Troy:

There's something cool in this like two got in there.

Paul:

Same with your mom song?

Chrissy:

Probably the first song that I already mentioned that. The first song that I really like, listened to of yours was the sober or something or other, and I think I wrote I wrote to you

Troy:

Oh, man. In the video. Fresh. Was it was it Something about being being sober. Mean whiskey in the house or quitter?

Troy:

Quitter. Quitter.

Chrissy:

Quitter. That's what I asked. As they say sober. Quitter. Yeah.

Chrissy:

That was a really good one.

Troy:

Thank you. Yeah. Like, that one

Chrissy:

That one, like, moved me because my son is a alcoholic addict. Yeah. So that one really, like

Troy:

oh my god. That was so piano vocal one. Yeah. Yeah. That that song that that's one too when I I first wrote it, buddy, year maybe two years into Nashville.

Troy:

One of the big shots at the Nashville Songwriting Association called me and said, Troy, I just heard your song Quitter.

Chrissy:

This is a

Troy:

really good song. Get your big britches on because it's about to open up for you.

Chrissy:

That's kinda what I would think. You know? You know who I imagine singing is, like, Blake Shelton

Troy:

or somebody like that. Jelly Roll. Perfect for him

Paul:

right now. That would be. Yeah. Dude, that's fucking

Troy:

Jason Aldine when he was, like, splitting with his wife a few years back. I'm like, here here the here's what's with that song, there's a couple things. Number one is, like, when I do have them when I did have them back then eight, nine years ago and had meetings with the a and r people playing songs

Paul:

Mhmm.

Troy:

Showing my wares. They go, I know that song. That's a great song. And I'm like, you know, why won't nobody cut it? Right.

Troy:

And then then I had a

Paul:

I was Can you just fucking send that? Like, if you have that, right, can you just fucking send it to Jason Aldine?

Troy:

If I I don't have his contacts. So I do have a lot of emails, and I can, you know Find someone who knows someone who can fucking talk to to even even if they got it and received it for them to listen to it because a lot of times, record people won't listen to unless you have an appointment because they don't want to, like, get in trouble for, like, stealing because this has happened too. Believe I believe Kane Brown heard I forget his song, but it's, like, almost the same kind it's like a quitter thing. What Similar to yours?

Chrissy:

What

Troy:

happens in Nashville if you play a song for somebody Absolutely. Then then big shot, a and r guy heard it, he goes to his team who are he's already working

Paul:

with. Right. And he's like, listen to this.

Troy:

Go beat that.

Paul:

You need to beat

Troy:

that, you know.

Chrissy:

So And now with AI, make me something similar to this. Yeah. Yeah. And then all of a sudden, you have a whole another song.

Troy:

Yeah. Yeah. So that song, though, in It's particular

Chrissy:

a really good song.

Troy:

I had I got to write with Matt McClure is his name. He's the him and and another guy, Eric Burgett, he he's a producer for Lee Brice, so he produced that Drabula truck.

Paul:

Oh, I love that song.

Troy:

The songs.

Paul:

Do you know what's fucking weird?

Troy:

But he told me that they know he said he said, you're not gonna get any Nashville star to cut that because they gotta stand up and say they were because it's like

Chrissy:

They gotta stand up and say what?

Troy:

That they were like a, you know, weren't a great person.

Chrissy:

Yeah. Oh, this the song?

Troy:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because it's

Chrissy:

Well, I mean, not everyone fucking lived in a trailer and ate onion rings for lunch either, but there's songs about that.

Troy:

You know? If you if you got Thomas Rhett, Luke Bryan, anything, now see Jelly Roll's changing a little bit because he's being vulnerable. He's singing. Yeah.

Chrissy:

He's singing about his life.

Troy:

Yeah. Yeah. And then I did have I did play it for somebody in his camp once. He said, it's a great song, but you know what? He's gonna Jelly Roll is gonna write his own story based on that kind of thing.

Chrissy:

And I understand someone like him, yes, he's gonna write based off his own

Paul:

Well, he's had

Troy:

And he's got 10 friends around him writing all the time. Hey. Check this out. Check Yeah. They it it's really this bag is cinched up where it's

Paul:

just groups tight knit groups. Yeah.

Troy:

There's not as much money in music because of streaming, so they keep it all in family and

Chrissy:

What was Jelly Roll's lucky break?

Paul:

I don't know. I'd I, you know,

Chrissy:

I knew it. Because you know, my son, he was a rap singer. Jelly Roll is a rap singer. He played in East Bethel.

Troy:

Oh, yeah?

Chrissy:

And my son went to see him there, like

Troy:

Jelly Roll.

Chrissy:

Before he was famous, obviously.

Troy:

Really? He goes,

Chrissy:

I met him, mom. He

Troy:

because there was another Jelly Roll musician that used to be around with Prince and the time and It all of

Chrissy:

was this one because he rapped and he played years and years ago. I mean, when Colton was probably in his early twenties. Yeah. And he said, yeah. I met him and he played at some bar in East Bethel.

Chrissy:

I'm like, what? He goes, yeah.

Troy:

I went with

Chrissy:

Brad Brooks who was this aspiring, you know, musician back in the day. But yeah.

Troy:

Yeah. Probably before he went to prison for a bit.

Chrissy:

Maybe. Yeah.

Troy:

I don't know what his big break was. I just started hearing his name around the the mean, did

Chrissy:

he get a his break on, like, YouTube as well or some sort of I guess I don't even know how

Troy:

to know guess that. I don't know his story. I I know I like that sinner song, and I'm like like Yeah. Somebody starts saying singing some truth. Because there's, you know, Morgan Wall and shit, you know, it's like, oh, hey, girl.

Troy:

Hey. You know, like, drinking. I have a song called cowboys cool. I haven't put it out yet, but it's it's comes from an angle. Like, this isn't your hey, girl jacked up truck truck song.

Troy:

That ain't that ain't what makes cowboys cool. You

Paul:

know? Right.

Troy:

Out at the bar all night. What makes cowboys cool are the the, you know, busting your ass out in the field, bringing home the bacon and, like, you know, believing in God and, like, being a Yeah. It's a rock country song, but it's like, this is what makes cowboys cool. Cool. Just a wholesome, good person.

Troy:

You know, it ain't all about partying.

Paul:

Right.

Troy:

That was my rebuttal to

Paul:

the Nashville watered down version.

Troy:

Yeah. Yeah.