Troy Vollhoffer
Appearances
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Welcome Back to On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Plus, you'll hear insights from the music industry experts.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Welcome Back to On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
In those loud bars when people are sitting there smoking and drinking and trying to wheel their girlfriend, not listening, you have to earn their interest and listenership, right? That's a trait that can only be learned by playing live and being in them in amongst the moment, right? Tune in to Get Your Fix between festivals and ride shotgun on the bus with us.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Welcome Back to On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Listen to On the Bus with Troy Volhoffer wherever you get your podcasts.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Welcome Back to On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
I'm Troy Wolhoffer, the founder and executive producer of Country Thunder Music Festivals, and I'm giving you an all-access pass to my behind-the-scenes chats with artists, industry insiders, and you, the fans, and everything you love about the festival experience and more. Join me to hear today's hottest and up-and-coming music artists as they share their stories.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Welcome Back to On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
The inspirations of life experiences behind their songs and their shows, who would you say influenced you? It was Garth Brooks. Yeah.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
I'm going to go into a theater on Wednesday. I'm going to play amphitheaters on Thursday and Friday and Saturday. And he had it all figured out and mapped out. And I said, do you think you can do it? And he said, Troy, I did it all my life. I did it from, I dug ditches in the day and played music at night. And I played every night. And that was for about 15 years. So I did it every day.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
So I know I can do it. And, you know, that man was strong enough and willed enough that if he had the opportunity, he was going to do it. He just got cut short.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
30 years. And Kurt has other rosters. Jamie Johnson, who is a other artist who are on his roster. Oliver Anthony. Oliver Anthony. Never could get that right. See, he's too much money. That's why I always keep forgetting his name. Sawyer Brown in America. And Sawyer Brown. So you have a very interesting story. Early in the 90s, you were a maintenance guy. Among others.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
in today's world so all of a sudden before you know it you're you're going out and you got seven or eight number one records to play you know now he's got 48. right i mean so it's just i mean toby had the same thing so rod i you know we've had a relationship with tim mcgraw for a very long time and i i remember uh it was tim mcgraw's the opening act blackhawk and little texas as the headliner
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
And by the time that tour hit Seattle, it was Tim McGraw as a headliner, Little Texas, and Blackhawk as the opening act. I mean, I think that's where the fire and where the rubber hit the road for Tim McGraw.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
So was Tim McGraw always a businessman? Was he always thinking?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
You know, I go like, I'll let you know tomorrow. He's a pretty intense guy. Yeah. I can see that.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
One of the biggest, that's incredible.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
i i just appreciate the fact you know just talking about toby and tim the the level of class that both of those gentlemen have uh outweighs the artistry if that makes any sense um i think that they carry themselves uh they're i think they make country music look really good and i think we're losing a little bit of that right now because i don't think uh
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
The young, the new generation has really bought into the history of what this thing was. I mean, those guys looked at guys like George Jones and Waylon and Willie and Haggard and they held them at the highest level. Right. And, and we don't, I don't think we have that today and we're missing that. We're missing it with agents also.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
It's, it's like, you know, the three of you sitting here today is an honor for me as a producer of festivals because. I know that when I call either one of you, you work to make routing happen.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
If it's a one-off and you're looking for routing, the new kids, they need to learn that you just don't make it easy and pick up the phone and say, we can't do that for a million dollars because it doesn't route. Well, make it route. And that's what you guys do. Nick, it's really funny because he brings up the Tim McGraw thing.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
64 years old. 64 years old and loves the road still. What's Joanie like?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
She's a legend.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
You're getting paid this year. I'm in the money this year. You're in the money. Thanks to Billy Bob. Cause he was like, it's coming out of his guarantee.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
Turning it around, yeah. But the best thing about being out there, so if we're going to talk about it, let's talk about it. So it's my golf, and it's my time to relax, and I have a blast doing it, and my band is really, really good. And the afternoon at 3 o'clock, We roll into a town in the middle of the night and all three buses are parked, you know. Three buses. We're now three buses.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
No, it's Billy Bob's. Billy's on one bus.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
Yeah, exactly. So we're there and he goes, oh man, I love it. They think that I'm on your bus and I have people outside my bus. So they have these collectors who bring 15, 30 posters and hats and memorabilia and all this stuff. And they're there at like seven o'clock in the morning and they're not coming to the show. They're only there for Billy Bob to actually sign and do whatever he does.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
So about one o'clock in the afternoon, Billy Bob Thornton comes off his bus with a Bud Light and a ciggy in his hand. And he signs until everything is done. And then he comes to my bus. And he goes, oh. And he goes, all right, story time. And he starts telling us Hollywood stories. And he's told my wife and I some of the best stories I've ever heard. I'm a fan of old Hollywood. Right.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
And he came in right when old Hollywood was kind of at the end of old Hollywood. He told me some stories about Hollywood. Being at these dinners on Sunday night and with Liz Taylor, who became a good friend of his. Great Hollywood stories. But he's just a great guy and he's a great guy to hang out with. But one thing he truly is, he's a great artist. He's a great artist musically.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
And it was so funny because he came on the bus last year at 3 o'clock, his usual time when he shows up. And he said, yeah, man, I spent all night last night talking to Tyler Sheridan. And he goes, I think I'm going to do this thing. It's called Oil Man. The title of the picture has changed. It's a series on Netflix, I believe. And it is called, what is it called now, Nick?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
So now it is reality. And he's the bad guy. It's a period piece that's set in the 50s. And I think everyone's going to really enjoy it. But it was so funny to be part of the of how a movie or a film or a picture comes to life, and he's sharing it with me. I felt very blessed about that. Let's talk about Kevin Costner for a second, because, I mean, that's a pretty big deal. Yeah.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
How does Kevin Costner approach music versus his film career?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
So one other artist we haven't talked about is Dennis Quaid. Now, Kurt, he's one of your clients, I believe. He is. Right?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
It'd be interesting, that's for sure. I think Quader has a pretty good deal going on. Did you ever represent Dennis Quaid? Nope. I saw him at the honors last year and I was absolutely shocked how awesome that performance was. And that's the only time I've ever seen him play live. I've seen golf many times because I played a ton of golf with him, but I've never seen him play live.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
He was that. Yeah, second season. They were great.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
Kevin has. Kevin has. Kevin Costner has played. Kevin Costner. I'd agree. Kevin Costner.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
I love that. I kind of like it, too. But you take Dennis Quaid, who has such a passion for music. I mean, I didn't really realize how actually good he was because – Actors don't necessarily get the respect they should deserve. We did this thing with Kevin Costner and Kevin Costner, I'll be honest with you, I never heard a lick of music. I booked him for a celebrity.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
And I was in Morton's one night, and he's in Morton's, and he was going to cancel my date because he was doing a movie in Russia. So he called me over and he said, Troy, I'm not sure I can fulfill my obligations to you this summer. And I had him on three dates or two dates, I believe. Three. And he's like, I got this project in Russia. I just want to be brutally honest with you.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
And I'm like, well, okay, but we've already announced. We need permission to announce. So we're selling tickets to Kevin Costner. So I'm like, hmm, I just met this guy, so I don't really know how to treat this. So I went and sat down, called Nick, said, Nick, what the fuck's going on, dude? Like, fuck. He goes, no, no, no, everything's going to be fine.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
In true agent manner, and which doesn't always make me feel good. I mean, if he said it to me now, I would definitely have that comfort. But back then, it was quite a few years ago. I'm kind of freaking out. I mean, the guy himself told me, the artist told me, I may not play your gigs. And anyways, everything got worked out and we had a really successful thing.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
And we brought Hollywood to Regina, Saskatchewan, Craven, Saskatchewan. We brought Hollywood to Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. Pretty exciting stuff, you know? I mean, and he does have, all those cats have this charisma and They're storytellers, Troy.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
I'm not committing to anything. I'm with three of the greatest sharks in the world right now. I am going to get bit.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
So I have a funny Dennis Quaid story. So I'm out on the road and I was very fortunate to be an honored to get this award from the ACM. And, uh, I'm on my bus. It's like Saturday morning. I think we're in Calgary doing Country Thunder Calgary. And my phone lights up and it's Dennis Quaid. I'm like, why is Quaid calling me? Like, I have no idea. So I answer. Why is he in your phone book?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
Because he's my friend. And he's like, hey, Troy, the ECM guys called me. Is this thing real or is it bullshit? I'm like, what? He goes, well, you're getting an award. I go, what? He goes, you're getting an award. And I'm like, I'm getting an award for what? And he told me what award I was getting. And he goes, they want me to present it. And he goes, I'm going to do it if you're cool with it.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
And I went, oh, I'm totally cool. I didn't know I was getting it. And he goes, all right, buddy, click. And there it was. And he was there. It was supposed to be a surprise. It was supposed to be a surprise. My wife was in horror just looking at me like, ah, it was supposed to be a secret. But anyways. But gentlemen, I just want to thank you very much for the greatest stories. What?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
This is the best. Is this it? Yeah, this is the best. Well, we can't go on for hours because we would be here for hours. But I just want to thank you very much, Rod, Nick. Kurt the Motley. You guys are awesome. And, you know, you have so much more to give to this business. And guys like you keep this business a great place to be doing business. And I thank you for that. And I truly mean that.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
Thank you very much. On the bus at Country Thunder with the greatest agents in show business. Thank you very much.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
Well, that's awesome. Rod, obviously, we're going to do age first. And Nick, since you're the youngest one, you go last. But, Rod, I want to ask you how you got your start in show business. I know you're from Minneapolis. And how did that start?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
Ladies and gentlemen, this is a very special edition of On the Bus. Today, we are going off the topic of artists, and we're going behind the scenes. It's a real special place to go. I have three of the most high-profile agents in show business who are... I'm very honored to have them here today.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
That's amazing. We're going to come around and talk more intimately about some of the artists that you all represent. Nick, you are new to the game in regards to being a proprietor and entrepreneur. And I got to give you a great big congratulations on that because that takes a lot of balls. You were head of UTA in Nashville and you went on your own. And how is it to be an entrepreneur?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
And they're old friends, and we have some discussions that I think are going to be pretty interesting to see how the process works and how artists get booked on shows and the trials and tribulations of putting on an event. And these are the guys who make it happen. So I'd like to introduce Rod Essek from CAA.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
You have a pretty interesting roster. You have music acts, artists, and you also have actors. And give me a little background on some of the artists that you represent.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
Well, I want to congratulate you on picking up on my friends, Phil Vassar, who was kind of left in the middle of nowhere, you know, from representation and, uh, It's kind of cool when you put together a plan for somebody and realize that the earnings that that individual artist can make so much money with proper routing, thinking it out, and just explain your philosophy on that.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
Well, yeah, it's an artist who may not have had a hit in 10 years and still has an agent who's working the rooms, working promoters to get them the dates, which is very important.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
The name is Larry Gallen.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
I have a problem that Styx has not been nominated. I don't understand how Styx was not nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, like never nominated. I mean, they're America's band. I mean, they truly are. And they can do great business. I mean, this will be sold out to her this summer.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
He is the godfather, and there is no doubt about that. Nick Ninema from Action Entertainment, and Kurt Motley from UTA. I'm going to start with Kurt. So, Kurt, you have a very interesting story, how you got into show business. So, Kurt's roster was, unfortunately, we lost Toby Keith, and Kurt had been Toby Keith's agent for how many years, Kurt?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
Let's talk a little about relationships. So I was very fortunate to be able to share a relationship with Kurt, with Toby Keith. And let's talk about his time. I know it's a tough, maybe it's too soon, but it's never too soon to talk about what a great guy he was and how he loved to go out and play live. The great times.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
Kind of like a Willie Nelson resurgence. Yeah, we just... He recreated himself a few times.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Backstage Pass with Legendary Music Agents Rod Essig, Curt Motley, and Nick Meinema
I sat with him. Kurt and I and Toby and our wives went out and had dinner in Mexico one night. We were staying at Toby's house and everyone went to bed except for Kurt and I and Toby. And Toby's like, Troy, I can do this. And I'm like, okay, explain how you're going to do it. He had it all figured out. He was like, I'm going to play a club on Monday, Tuesday.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
And so many different styles of country music. What's Dustin Lynch going to do?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
Your streams are 2.2 billion with a beat, right?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
That's very exciting. Congratulations on that. I think you've seen country music go in so many different ways and I've been fortunate enough to see it where where everybody was country and everybody was a fan of everybody's. And now we kind of have segregation in that. I mean, I'm a Dustin Lynch fan or I'm a Wallen fan or I'm whoever else. And it seems like that's changing.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
So you gotta fight for that piece of territory or real estate in the marketplace, right?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
Oh, I agree. I think it's more exciting now than it's ever been. For sure. And I think it offers more from an artist standpoint to have the ability to take their career and move in different directions. Let's talk about the songwriting process. When you're writing a song with whoever you're writing, with whoever's in the room,
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
Do you know you have a hit the day you write that hit that becomes a hit?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
So you're influenced by melody, not you're a melody guy.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
So what is your process after you cut it or the demo of it? Then you drive around in your truck and spin it?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
And I pay attention to what I come back to. Do you play it on different speaker systems just to make sure that the vibe is the same?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
Whose song is that?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
So in the process, um, the songs that you don't write on the, on the record, who picks, who picks the songs, the producer, or are you fully involved in that Dustin?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
So speaking of closing with that song, touring. So how many months a year are you touring?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
You're gonna hit it again this year, playing Red Rocks. That's right. From an artist standpoint, standing on that stage, playing to a sold out house, what's the vibe like? Explain it to our audience because- That's the dream.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
Did you bring your high school band out there?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
Yeah, just go do them. Old Dustin Lynch songs.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
Well, I think there's absolutely a future in that, playing those old tunes and coming back. So heading into the touring season, when you create your show, when you say, all right, this song's what we're gonna open with, and this is what we're gonna close with, and these are our two encores.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
I wish I was there. Let's go back to like the beginning. I mean, very few artists are actually from Tennessee who, you know, you're from Tullahoma. Tell me about the beginning. Tell me about... When you started, you started playing guitar, then you gave it up for a bit and then came back around 16, I believe, and started playing guitar again.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
There's something to be said for that. I mean, there's some great show creators by all means, but I mean, personally, I'm a fan of the artists that the artist stamps it 100% because that's who you're buying the ticket to see is the artist. You know, Dustin Lynch, it's a Dustin Lynch show. And it's not, no outsiders are coming in trying to influence your way of thinking. I think it's brilliant.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
I love what you're doing right now.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
That's how you learn to entertain.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
That's fantastic. So where do you see Dustin Lynch in five years?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
So was that the electronic thing that you did?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
And just elaborate on the beginnings of Dustin Lynch as an artist.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
My last question for you would be, what do you think Dustin Lynch's goals are? You just stated your touring goals, your career goals, but your personal goals. What do you want to improve on? What do you want to get more of? Do you want to golf more? Do you want to be more on the water a little bit more? Because I mean, touring is... Hard on the body. It is. We all know that.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
And, you know, people think that, you know, being on a beautiful tour bus and going down the road and stopping at truck stops is great. It is great in its own way. It sure is. But it does tax you.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
I laughed talking about your big brothers in the business. You take Tim McGraw, for instance, I remember having a conversation with Tim McGraw probably 15 years ago. And he's like, man, when I hit 50, I'm done. Well, now you're 50 in late fifties and he's still rocking. And as good, better than ever, at least in my opinion, I think he's absolutely brilliant and still rocking out there.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
Well, I would like to thank you very much for coming over today and having this conversation. It was great. And I wish you the best in 25. And here's some fun on the road this year. Absolutely. It's great to see you. Thanks so much. Thanks, Dustin. Before we wrap up the show today, I wanted to introduce you to a new segment called Thunderstrike.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
In this segment, it's where we're going to share a song with one of the artists that's playing the festival this year. This week, it's Riley Greene, Damn Good Day to Leave. Released in March of 24, this single was one of the most added singles to radio with 84 in its first week of ads. This song's about a man who breaks up with his girlfriend. And instead of the gray sky above, it's blue.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
And he continues to experience the opposite of every love song. The song was the second single released off the album, Ain't My Last Rodeo. Rally V8 Country Thunder, Thursday, April 10th in Arizona, May 2nd in Florida, and August 17th in Calgary, Alberta. Make sure you check out countrythunder.com for tickets. Until next time. We're on the bus. This is Troy Wallhoffer. Take it away, Riley.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
We'd like to thank Dustin Lynch for coming over today and having this great interview. We got to know a lot about Dustin Lynch today. One of my favorite things about Dustin is he actually came from the bar scene where you actually have to entertain to get that one person who's talking to his girlfriend to actually pay attention to you as an artist.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
Fabulous interview, great guy, great career, and I wish him the best going forward. Be sure to follow Country Thunder on all our social platforms at Country Thunder. We have new episodes dropping bi-monthly. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you know when the new episodes hit the feed.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
Well, I hope everybody's in party mode because we have a great show today. This artist has been working hard over the past decade, cranking out 10 number one hits on country radio, including Good Girl, Seeing Red, Stars Like Confetti, and Chevrolet, featuring none other than Jelly Roll. It is quoted that he has built one of the most consistent recording careers in modern country music.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
So when you came to Nashville at Lipscomb, is that when you made your entree into the Bluebird?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
Just for our listeners, the Bluebird Cafe is an iconic room in Nashville that is primarily utilized for songwriters and it has been, it's historic. I mean, it's like the cathedral for songwriters, I would say.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
So let's talk about when you got your record deal. The very first record, I mean, it went to number one. It was a great success. How did that come about?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
He's logged up with 4.4 billion global streams. There's no stopping him. Please welcome gold, platinum, and multi-platinum recording artist, Dustin Lynch. It's great to meet you, Dustin, again. Yeah, good to be with you. Absolutely. So let's talk about what you've been doing lately. I saw that you were down in Mexico, and I think I came in the same plane, like the plane behind you. Yeah.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
Let's talk about playing that song live right now. What's that, 10 years after? That was 2012, wasn't it?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
12 years ago. Still resonates, doesn't it?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
So the second record, you got an amazing success. It went double platinum, I believe. Let's talk about that record.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
Being in the studio is one thing, playing live is a whole other aspect of show business. Who would you say was your, who you modeled yourself after live, who you would watch the videos and watch them live and, you know, who was that for you?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
And you guys are loading your gear out, and you and your tour manager, I believe, the other day. And let's talk about that. Talk about Mexico.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
Oh, that's fantastic.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
I mean, I saw your show live. I was totally blown away.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
I think it's a great live show. It's got all the components in that show. So moving on to today. So let's talk about Dustin Lynch in 2025. Mm-hmm. Here we are getting ready for a big year, I'm assuming. We're ramping up. Tour starts in April.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
Let's talk about that for a sec.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
We did, yeah. Let's go back to New Year's Eve. Let's start on New Year's Eve. How did that go? And tell me how you got involved in New Year's Eve because that's a big impact. I mean, that's a-
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Backroom Bars to Broadway with Dustin Lynch
Yeah, I agree. It's an interesting time right now. And it seems like every decade, there seems to be this time period where we have kind of a shift. And I guess my question to you would be, Dustin Lynch, from a music standpoint, where do you see you fitting into the next five years of music in your career? What path are you going down? Because there's so many different paths right now.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
Well, we're glad you did that and made that choice because, you know, sure, enjoying your music. And so a lot of our listeners, this podcast is throughout North America. And so there's some Canadian listeners. And as we know, the whole Texas scene is a whole scene to itself. I don't think a lot of people understand that there's like two different worlds. There's Nashville and then there's Texas.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
And so you started out in the Texas scene where there's a lot of artists who make a living never leaving Texas.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
Yeah, it seems like that has kind of diminished a little bit.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
So you signed your big deal with Columbia in 2020. What was it like to get your first record deal?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
So like your tunes are fused with a bunch of different genres. And what were your influences? Like what made the creative edge that you have now?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
Hey everybody, it's Troy Volhoffer on the bus at Country Thunder. Today we're having a very unique artist, Coetzee, on. We're going to talk a lot about what's going on in your life and what's going on on the road. And let's talk about where you were last night.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
Yeah, because I really dig how you just smash stuff together. It's killer. It's so unique and it's so refreshing. Thank you. It's awesome. I really enjoy your tunes. Let's talk about this single, Damn Near Normal.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
That's killer. How did Love come up with that, Parker McClellan?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
He is. And I, I've had him around country thunder since he was, you know, from an opening act to actually, you know, a headliner at one point. And, uh, he's just, he's an excellent, excellent kid. And, uh, so tell me about your touring schedule. How many dates a year are you doing now? What's it, what's it consist of?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
Where are you living now? Where do you live?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
Oh, wow. So you stayed in Texas.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
Yeah, it just seems like over the last, since COVID has ended, the whole scene has changed considerably from where everything was put into a box, it seemed like. And now it's kind of like, it's all over the place.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
And I think that's the best thing for music.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
So what do you think about the TikTok artists who get discovered on TikTok and have never played a live gig? What's your thoughts on that?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
Yeah. I think it's just a trend of, of a way that now you're getting discovered. We used to go, you know, uh, agents and talent scouts who would scour the bars looking for bar bands with talent and,
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
Get right back on that horse.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
So you're from Pittsburgh, Texas. Yeah. So what was it like growing up in Pittsburgh, Texas?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
Yeah, I don't believe that radio now has any indicative part of success in music anymore, where it used to be the pinnacle. I mean, you didn't have radio, man. You didn't have nothing going on. Now you've got Spotify. You can produce your own records. You can do whatever you want to do. I'm label-less, but there's a lot of kids out there who are doing great.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
The only thing that concerns me about the TikTok thing, and as I've seen you before, you earned the audience, but you learned that because in those loud bars when people were sitting there smoking and drinking and trying to wheel their girlfriend. not listening to you to earn their, to earn their interest and listenership. Right.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
And I, I think that that's a trait that can only be learned by playing live and being in the amongst the moment. Right. So I wish those kids the best of luck. I mean, we're going to see a ton of those kids coming upon us, you know, all the time. So.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
I love it, man. I can't wait to see it. It's great to meet you. Thanks. And best of luck in your career. I'm a huge fan. I appreciate that. Keep rocking.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
Pleasure, man. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, Coe Wetzel. Have a great day and thank you very much. Hey, Country Thunder music fans. So we just finished up this interview with Ko Wetzel. And I just want to have a little sidebar with you. You weren't sitting here with me looking him in the eyes. And I'm telling you, he's one of the new absolute outlaws of country music.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
And I think he pushes the genres of different types and styles of music that is so refreshing to country music in a whole. And his spirit is something that reminds me of Waylon Jennings and the Johnny Cash era and the Highwaymen and Willie Nelson. He just has the spirit of fun and going out and playing music, rolling down the road, having some cocktails. Really interesting gentleman.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
If Sh*t is Good, It’s Good with Koe Wetzel
I have a lot of respect for him and his art and I wish him the best of luck. I wish you were all here sitting here talking with them like I was, but I enjoyed this interview immensely. And thank you for listening. This is On the Bus at Country Thunder with Troy Volhoffer.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
Yeah, but like we keep it real. I think it's the coolest thing ever.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
You seem like you really get along. We do.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
So you named the band or the group immediately?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
Let's take care of our skincare.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
That's fantastic. I'm so happy because there's a lot of stories about duos that, you know, aren't so happy. I've been through a couple of breakups with different bands that I have been a part of around. And, you know, the irony is that everyone tries to go out and do it on their own. And then they always come back to their partner. Better together. Better together. A hundred percent.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
And you can go through the list of duos. who've done that and they're back together and doing better than they've ever done. So there's something to be said about getting along.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
So let's talk about... The writing. I assume you write.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
I mean, you've been doing it a long time. So where do you pop your ideas from? And are you lyrically driven or are you melody driven? And what comes first in your process? Because everyone has a process, right? Right.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
So I've always wondered what it was like, and I've never been in a writer's room before. So y'all go into a room and you have friends in there, other writers, maybe some that are more accomplished than you, or maybe some that are less accomplished than you. What's that vibe like when you have three other people in the room with y'all?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
But sometimes, yeah, with some of these writers... I love that you have each other's back. Oh, we always have side notes. Mostly supportive. I love that.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
Well, that's very special. So how is it to play, you know, when you play a big festival and you have an early slot and there's not a lot of people out there. So how do you inspire yourselves to go out there and kick ass and...
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
be who you are be tiger lily gold and just like we're going to make an impact and be inspired like yeah because that's got to be self-inspiring it is the audience you have to they're walking in and they're kind of getting you know not everybody wakes up for the 3 p.m or Or you do whatever you want.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
I love that. Yeah. Because I've spoken to a lot of artists throughout the course of my career of having these late night discussions of, you know, different topics and about performing and I'm, I'm totally intrigued by it because I come from an era where, where you came from, where, where artists work their way through the bars and, and learning really how to entertain.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
And then we got thrown into this, you know, era right now where some of these kids, um, I've never played in front of a live audience before and they're having success and all of a sudden, voila. And a lot of great, you know, some of them naturals, you know, and I, and, and, but some aren't.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
And it's interesting to see how that works and, and having great fame and not being able to perform or they, that's like oil and vinegar. It's hard. It doesn't work. Right.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
I've got a hundred million followers on TikTok or whatever, and I got to go play a gig tomorrow. It's interesting to watch that, you know, and sometimes, you know, because there's a lot of, a lot of artists never played live. We can actually pull it off. I don't know if they're thinking about it in their sleep or whatever, but I've seen it. It's cool.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
And some not so great, but I love what you guys are doing with your career. I think you guys are going to have a lot of longevity in your career. Thank you. So let's talk about what 26 is. It sounds like you're gearing up with this record later in the year. 26 sounds like it's going to be your year. What are your plans?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
I know it's a little premature to ask that question, but what are your goals in 26?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
I was going to say that. I was going to say that. I was talking to my staff. They're like, no, maybe don't go there. And I was like, but that's how it's spelled. And I think it's really cool. So it's kind of like a girl empowerment thing, right?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
we're in i mean i'll be there for the next 20 years no i totally agree with that yeah it's interesting because they they're they're one of the acts that i was alluding to earlier right when they broke up and they both had their you know uh solo careers and they put the band back together and here they are and they're doing a better business than they probably did you know the reboots man so good neon circus or whatever it was called back in i don't know before i was born but
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
They are legends. They absolutely are. And they deserve every bit of success that they get. But it's interesting. So from a duo standpoint, who were your duos other than Sugarland? Who were the duos that inspired you? Because obviously, it's like anything you look at. a duo and go, we are a duo and let's try to follow that path.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
We were at home in North Dakota and I was like...
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
And seeing them just... So you were still in North Dakota at that particular point.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
I love it. Very much so. That's fantastic. So working North Dakota and doing all the local stuff and that. So when did you feel you got your break? How did it happen? I mean, you're in the highest level of, I mean, Shane McAnally, I can't even speak how awesome an artist and guy and talented individual. How did you run into Shane McAnally? How did he find you guys? I mean, it's pretty magical.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
I think Heart were the original duo.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
I mean, they're running this year with Cheap Trick, and I mean, they're selling out everywhere they're playing, which is totally...
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
Because, yeah, I mean, my personal opinion of what I'm looking at in country music is it isn't where it used to be. I think there's a lot of genders, music that is amalgamating with each other. Yeah. And it's not like we are country and we don't do this. No. And that's what it used to be. Yeah. And the fan base is so much broader than it was ever. I mean, I think that... It was post-war.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
Yeah, it's massive, right? A lot of crossovers everywhere, you know? It happened, I think, a little bit in the 70s with Dolly and Kenny Rogers. But I think right now we're living in a time where... It's a special place. So it's a great place for you guys.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
Yeah. I kind of faced the same thing personally too, when I was like, ah, I don't know anything other than this. So yeah, you figure it out, you figure it out and you just put your head down and go for it. And that's, I think that creates that hunger, not only survival comes into play, but also the hunger for success. And I think you ladies both have that. And I'm I'm so excited.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
I'm so glad to meet you. It's a real honor. And man, I wish you the greatest success. And I think you're going to have it. I truly believe that.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
It's quick, man. But I have one last question for y'all. So here we are. It's a big week in Nashville, Tennessee. CRS is a big deal for radio. Now I have a question for you. Radio or streaming? As we've seen, radio has kind of lost a lot of power in regards to how music's presented today. They don't have that ability to cross over. They either are country or they're rock stations or whatever.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
And streaming has changed the business immensely. What are your thoughts on that?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
Welcome to On the Bus with Country Thunder. We have a great show planned for you. This week's guest is sister duo named Tiger Lily Gold, Kendra and Krista. Debut album Blonde came out in July of 24, worked their way through the bar scene in Nashville. Now they're getting the big stages in North America.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
That's Shania Twain for a while.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
So let's regress a little bit. So a lot of artists, I mean, I believe music has changed over the course of that year and a half or whatever we were down during COVID. I think the business has changed considerably. So you've done it the way that most artists that have long, stable careers, they went out and earned their applause.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
They had to get the guy at the back of the bar to pay attention to their music. So over the course of time and learning how to entertain and perform and making sure that everyone's being attentive to your performance, what do you think that has changed? I'm sure your life, I've never seen you and I apologize for that because I'm going to see you. Hey, come on out.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
Because I love the fact of the road that you took where you actually did it the tougher way. But I think that gives longevity. But explain to me the trials and tribulations of working those clubs and trying to get that person in the back row to listen to your music.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
Sisters grew up in Hazen, North Dakota, which is unbelievable to have this kind of success coming from North Dakota, a little small town. They won new duo of the year at the ACMs last year in 2024. This makes them the only second female duo to ever win the award, which is unbelievable. Please welcome to our show, Tiger Lily Gold. And see, we gotta talk about this, because this is amazing.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
That's super cool. I think there's something to be said about playing live and getting your chops before, you know, hitting the big stage, as we'll call it. Like we said before, that era of a lot of artists were spawned during that 2020 pandemic. And a lot of TikTok kids came out of that. And a lot have done extremely well in that era.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
era um it's kind of an interesting thing because i mean it's a catch-22 scenario you know you got zach bryant he's selling out stadiums right now and he came out of that whole vibe right yeah a concrete so um so what are your goals like what do you guys like i know what your goals are that's that's a silly question but where's tiger lily gold going after you leave here like what's going on what's the future you got a record coming out in august
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
Come on. So you start putting out some singles, I'm assuming.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
And Kendra and Krista, it's such a pleasure to meet you.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
Yeah. So who was your biggest influences? The Czechs?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
And thanks for coming over today. I mean, we usually do this on the bus, but it's off season, so.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
Yeah, I just heard the other day, which is kind of interesting, that the band Perry's coming back out again. Oh, I love that. And they're going to do the country thing again. And I was like, it's interesting because I think it could really work, I think. I mean, they were killing it.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
That's fantastic. So what's up this year? So tell us about what 2025 is for you. of the band.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
Well, thank you. Thank you. We usually have the fire rolling, but I mean, they don't let us do that here today, you know, so, but. Don't want to be sweating. So, North Dakota. Yes. How did you get your start?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
So since this is your passion, my question to you is, do you think you've ever worked a day? I don't mean working a day in the sense of not working hard, but working a day where it's like, I don't want to do this anymore.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Better Together with Tigirlily Gold
But it is work because when you have to go and do meet and greets when you're not, you may have the stomach flu or whatever and not feeling your best, you got to put your best on every day. I mean, you have this persona that you're carrying and I mean, it's very important to your career. That is work.