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
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
Man, it's crazy. I feel like time has flown. It was like yesterday a little bit. Isn't it crazy? Like, I remember buying you for $5,000. Yeah. No shit. That's awesome, dude. It's pretty cool, right? Yeah. It was cool for me, too. That was awesome. Check this one out. Talk about a missed bill of being hailed out and not really thinking about it, right?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
So let me ask you a question. So Joey Maui, Nickelback comes to Nashville. Changes music. Yeah. I think he did it twice. I think he did do it twice. Yeah. And my question to you is, I heard he's very demanding as a producer. Yeah, he is. And hammers you down to try to get the best out of you. Yeah. So what's that experience like?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
I heard the same thing. That's why I asked you the question, because I've never been there with him. But he has definitely made a name for himself in the music business at the top level of all top level.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
Neil McCoy as a headliner on a B stage on an opening. We used to only do Thursdays was a soft opening and then Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Neil McCoy, direct support, Eric Church. No way. What year? Early 2000s? Oh, early 2000s. Way early 2000s. Right after he got his deal. That's crazy.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
That's fantastic. So let's move off of music for a second. Okay. We'll go wrap this thing up. But thank you for your time.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
Oh, it's awesome. See you, my friend. So you have an interest in archaeology. Yes. Yeah, of course, dude. So I'm going to just share this with our listeners and viewers. So I'm out on the road and I got a call from my, I think the lady takes care of my house and she's like, Hey man, there's some guy here who's out in a basketball Jersey and it's raining out and he's got a camouflage truck.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
Do you know him? And he's digging up the yard. I'm like, Oh, yeah, that's Michael Hardy. We're all good. We're all good. It's all good, man. So I'm so intrigued by your interest in that aspect of life. And tell me more about that. How did you get into archaeology and your interest in it?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
You're welcome there anytime, you know? Yeah. Thank you, man. Um, so to wrap it up, you know, I just, uh, want to thank you for coming out and, um, doing our shows and we're gonna have fun tonight.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
I'm a little nervous, man. It's like, you know, Michael and his dear wife were at our wedding. Yeah, man. About five years ago, six years ago. And, uh, we had a, we had one of the greatest bands ever. I think I love it. It was amazing. I love cheap trick. But yeah, Thank you for coming out today and doing our show. And we got a couple more together. And man, it's always a pleasure to see you.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
Let's have fun tonight. It's great to see you, my friend. Thank you, brother. I love you guys. I appreciate you. Love you, man. Hey, we just finished off with a great interview with Hardy. a great songwriter who will probably be in the Songwriters Hall of Fame within a short time, and a great artist live.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
His live show is off the charts and has taken so many chances in his career where a lot of artists don't take those chances. He's done the country thing, he's done the rock thing, back to the country thing, and then has written a ton of songs for other artists, which are all hits on the radio. He's a special guy. He's a special talent.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
And we just really want to thank him for coming out today and joining us on On the Bus with Troy Volhoffer. As we record this, I'm currently on the road here, just southwest of Phoenix in Florence, Arizona for Country Thunder, and this is a fun one. We always put together the biggest names in country, but this lineup is unreal.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
We've got folks like Keith Urban, Justin Moore, Sarah Evans, Hardy, Jake Owen, Bailey Zimmerman, just to name a few. One of the things that the fans I've talked to really enjoy about Country Thunder is the chance to see some of the rising stars in country music. I saw Baker Blankenship on stage this weekend. It totally blew my mind. What a show. Originality. It was fantastic.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
Let's check out some of his music. Big thanks again to Hardy for joining me on the bus. He's got a huge year ahead of him, and we wish him all the best. Wherever you're watching or listening right now, there's a very good chance that Hardy is coming your way this summer. Head to hardyofficial.com to see all of the dates of his Jim Bob World Tour.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
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
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
I did this NHL thing in St. Louis. I did it this year and I did it last year. And it's like a puck cancer thing event, right? A fundraiser with all the NHL guys. And Dierks plays in it. Okay. And Trevor from Old Dominion. We're having this, we're just bullshitting, having a beer together. And Dierks goes, yeah, man, I started talking about Axe. And he's like,
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
Man, now we're going to start opening for these guys. Going from headliner to direct support situation. I don't think you're there yet, man.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
Welcome back to On the Bus with Troy Volhopper. I'm very excited for today's show. We're joined by a man who goes by just one name, but has 60 number one hits to that name, Hardy. You know his hits like One Beer and Truck Bed.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
But you know, the cool part about it is like, Watching an artist grow, like, I watched you grow. I saw you change direction and musically change direction that I thought was so freaking cool. I mean, that's a big chance. Let's talk about that for a second, right?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
I mean, you go from, like, writing great country songs to having this moment where, all right, I'm going to do my thing that, you know, really empowers me. Tell me how that went down. Tell me what your thoughts were. How did that come to be?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
The lines that are no longer there anymore. I mean, you do a rock and roll record that was verging on the... a metal record and then you come back into a country tune. I mean, and you can do that live and just make that transition like that. And the crowd eats it up. It never used to be like that.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
In 2023, his incredible duet with Lanny Wilson on Wait in the Truck earned Hardy some hardware at the CMAs where he won, or they won, Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year. He's a very busy man this year with an international tour that runs through September. And his first tour date is right here at Country Thunder today.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
You know, the beautiful thing about it is it only helps...
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
country music in a whole right sure i mean from what i understand it's the fastest growing format of any genre of music which is obviously because it's now the lines are gone and yeah i'm just curious to see what country music radio looks like you know in another three years or does it even exist in three years oh i gotta be careful commenting on that you don't have to comment i'm commenting i mean uh because the streaming is so strong right it's crazy it that's where it's at
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
Yeah, probably would. And I mean, that's why touring was, it would take them a year to make a record. Yeah. And the label paid for it, because there was so much excess of money in the business.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
Oh, they're doing great business. So maybe there's a reshuffle there in negotiation. There has to be because, I mean, the artist has to have the lion's share. I mean, I get it that the label needs to be solid and be able to make a profit. But so does the artist.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
So does that kid who's in the songwriting tent right now who's going to write your next single with you or whoever he's going to work with. They need to be rewarded properly. I agree. You should be able to make a living being a songwriter with two hits. I agree. And I don't think you can right now.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
I don't know if you know this, but we haven't caught up in a while, but so we implemented the songwriters tent. And we've been expanding it. It's one of the most visited attractions we have on the grounds, right? Awesome. And we've got some great songwriters, and they change every day. I don't know who's here today. I'm not sure. But Landers is the guy, the master behind it, right? Jimmy the Jet.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
Join me in welcoming multi-platinum artist and recent dad, Hardy. Hey, thanks for doing this. It was so funny. First time Michael and I ever did a podcast, it was over COVID and Hardy's career was just starting off and Hardy and I sit down and we have this conversation and it was like, we didn't have so much to talk about because his career was very early in his career and
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
steamy the jets project that's awesome dude i have known him since before i literally had a pot to piss in dude i have known jim for a really long time and he's he's a uh so who we're talking about is we both share the same stockbroker money manager guy he's a great guy but he's also an ex-musician yeah he's an old drummer dude i don't know drummers are even musicians but i mean he was
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
He's that guy, man. I watch him work with these songwriters. I mean, we got some heavy hitters, and they're great. But I guess what I'm trying to make a point of, Michael, is that... The writer thing is starting to really catch on with the public. That's very cool. Which I don't think was the case previous in the last 10 years.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
Yeah. Everyone thought Tim McGraw wrote the song. Well, Tim McGraw never wrote a song.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
The last season I played professional hockey was in Nashville with the Knights, pre-Predators. And they used to bring in celebrities to drop the puck, you know, or whatever. I mean, there was this guy named Harlan Howard. Yeah. I didn't know who the fuck Harlan Howard was. Yeah, that's a great example. Yeah. So, you know where Skulls is on Printer's Alley? Yeah.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
So, there was a real gentleman named Skull Sherman who was a big hockey fan. So, we had a bar. We had that bar. And... We used to go there after practice and after the games. So I went and had beers with Harlan Howard, not knowing who the hell he was, right? Not knowing that he was the most famous songwriter in Nashville. I'm a rock kid, right?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
So I mean, Paul Stanley wrote the song, you know, or Gene Simmons or Rick Nielsen from Chief Trick, you know, whatever, right? I didn't understand the whole songwriter thing in country music, which was way before you and I were even thought of as kids, right? I mean, pretty neat thing. But he was a trip, man. He was so cool. And I was totally blown away.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
And I just started doing podcasts, so I didn't even know how to really carry the tune at that time. So Michael's leaving my house, and my daughter knows Michael, and it's like, hey, that was really quick, dude. Like, what went on there? And that's when we got the, and this is our, we're revisiting it right now. Yeah, dude. This is our second go, which with a lot more to talk about now.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
So how did the little congregation that created of friends, writers, business partners, and the big loud side with Morgan and Earn...
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
That's, that's, that's amazing, man. Was that your first time on a tour bus with those guys?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
And then you went on to open for them, didn't you? Yeah.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
That’s Hardy Looking for Arrowheads
Yeah, yeah, yeah. When FGL was hitting their peak, right?
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
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
This from what I would have been told anyway. So let's talk about the beer stuff. What's going on with that? I see. How did how did that get started?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
Well, that's the best thing about music though. I mean, you know, you can, if you can work a crowd to that frenzy and these guys will leave their, all of their, you know, women and men leave all of their thoughts of their bad week that they had, their boss sucks, their job sucks, working for the weekend kind of thing. I mean, that's the power of music, man. It's such a cool thing, isn't it?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
Yeah, rodeoing is a whole different deal, isn't it? Yeah. It's a whole different business. Those guys, they live an interesting life. Probably the same life that we're living right now in show business.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
It's like a drug. Yeah, it gets them jocked, right? Yeah. The adrenaline junkie. Yeah, it's... That's why I do crazy this year, the shows. I'm looking forward to seeing a country thunder in Wisconsin. It'll be a good time. And yeah, I got to get you on some shows next year. I'm just starting to put that together now. But I'm really looking forward to it.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
But man, I'm so proud of how your career has gone from, you know, whispers in your ear about an artist. And you were one of those artists two years ago. You know, you got to check this kid out. You got to check this kid out. And then all of a sudden, here you are.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
When you write your songs, where are you pulling from?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
So maybe without the injury, you might not be sitting here today, huh?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
Like a weird space, right?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
that's it's that's pretty interesting style of writing i think that's super cool that you get that involved in it it's almost like an actor who goes so far deep into the story line of whatever they're acting and we kind of take part of that part in that whole process who are some of the dudes you're writing with nowadays what's going on main guy right with i met him at the university of georgia
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
That's the exciting part about the writing process in Nashville. It's different than any, I mean, country music is so special in that way that the songwriter is actually respected and the songwriter is not always the band who wrote the song. It's kind of a different vibe than rock and roll, but
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
But having all those different influences of different writers and being creative and all of a sudden you got a two-way or three-way right. Are you a melody guy or are you a words guy?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
That's a great story. So growing up in Georgia, what were your musical influences? What turned you on? Who are your idols?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
That's exciting stuff. You know, I love that you're putting out a song, you know, a week or keeping everything fresh. Something's always in the listener's ears. I think that's a really important aspect of being an artist in today's environment.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
What a great philosophy. I just want to thank you very much for coming over and having this great chat with you. A real pleasure to meet you for the first time. I hope many more times I'll have a couple of beers together. you know, and hang out because it's a real honor to have you on our show. And I'm so impressed with you. You're a great young man and I wish you the best success.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
Absolutely. Be safe going down that road. All right. Before we wrap up the show today, I wanted to hit you with one of our segments we like to call Thunderstrike. In this segment is where we go to share a song of one of our festival artists and share some information about the artists. We're so excited to have Blake Shelton out at our festival with us this year.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
He'll be with us in Florida a few days ahead of his first album release in four years on May the 9th. The record's called For Recreational Use Only. Cannot wait to see what he's going to be performing from that record. Shelton released a second single from it called Let Him In Anyways. It was co-written by fellow country thunder performer Hardy. He's going to be in Arizona.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
The song is a ballad about a man hoping for divine forgiveness for a lost friend who is just shy of redemption. Let's take a listen. Until next time, we are on the bus. This is Troy Volhoffer. Take it away, Blake. Take it away, Blake.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
Great interview. Great guy. And really look forward to seeing him live. I wish him the best of luck on his tours this year and beyond. And be sure to follow Country Thunder on all social platforms at countrythunder.com. We have new episodes dropping bi-monthly. And do make sure to like and subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen. So don't miss an episode. On the Bus with Troy Wallhopper.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
Produced by Country Thunder in partnership with Pod People.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
Good stuff, isn't it? Yes, sir. So kind of come from a traditional background then musically. So when did you learn how to play guitar? When did that all come about?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
wow that's that's fantastic and you write too right so yes i write nearly every song let out so how do you feel about what's the experience like in a writer's room when you're in there with a couple couple a couple other artists and trying to get that trying to all get along to write that perfect song yeah usually it's just
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
It's a pretty cool environment here, isn't it? A lot of creative... juices flowing around. In your writing, on the first record, any of those songs come out of your earlier days?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
Who produced that record?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
That's super exciting. So let's talk about the live performance, being on the road, as we just talked about earlier before we were on camera, that you have 70 shows left this year, so you have a big schedule. You have a real big schedule.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
Welcome to On The Bus. I'm your host, Troy Volhopper. As we're gearing up for our first Country Thunder Music Festival of 2025, I could not be more excited to have one of our Wisconsin artists with us today. He is one of the fastest rising stars in country music, being named one of Music Row's next big things in 2025.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
Big summer coming up. So what are your goals this year? What do you want to achieve at the end of the year when you look back at Christmas time and go, all right, 100 shows this year. What's your goals this year?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
It shows high energy, which is... Yes, sir. That's really cool. It seems like the response you're getting, that must be pretty surprising, because it's an overwhelming response you're getting.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
Yeah, it's pretty neat right now when you can actually look at all your stats on Spotify. It's right in front of your eyes, right? Checking your streams every day. Mm-hmm. Hourly, I'm sure, right?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
If a knee injury from football had not kept him out of football, we would not be meeting him today because he wouldn't be an artist. He would be a football player. He's shaking up Nashville. I'm so excited to get to know him. So if you must, grab a cigarette and welcome the very talented Gavin Adcock. Appreciate you having me on, Joe. Oh, man, it's great to come over and hang out.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
That is really amazing. So who broke you? Who was the person who believed in Gavin Adcock from the beginning? Because, I mean, your success has been quick, fast, and furious, and you're somewhere that is in a great place career-wise, and it didn't take a long time to do it. It takes some artists months, years, to get to where you are today.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
Bradley Jordan's responsible for Luke Combs in the beginning, I believe. Yes, sir. Yeah, he knows what he's doing. He obviously has a great ear.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
On your live show, what's your favorite part about touring? Every day is a new day. It's a new city. What's your favorite part about it?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
We usually do this on a bus, as I was saying earlier, you know, so we're just getting started in our tour season. So from Watkinsville, Georgia, let's talk about your upbringing. Let's go through the whole scene and how you got to where you are today.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
Yeah, it's only in this business, it seems like. I mean, this and sports are kind of the only two places you can have that experience where you're actually playing with your heroes. It's a different vibe playing a club or a theater or an arena or a festival. Which one of those venues do you prefer playing at?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
So you're heading out on a headline tour. Let's talk about that for a bit. So who's all with you?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
Sounds like an awesome show. Sounds like a great show. So have you done any international stuff yet? Have you been overseas yet or up to Canada?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
From Football to Flying Beers with Gavin Adcock
It's a long ways over there. Yeah. Like 13 hours, I think, from LA or something like that. Yeah, I went over there with Metallica and ran around with them. They're going back this fall, so that's pretty cool. The CMC Rocks thing, CMC Rocks, right? Yeah, it is a very cool festival. I mean, I think once you have your American following, automatically have an Australian following.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
I love T.L. I've known him a long time.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
Foreman, I see his homecoming show there.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
Yeah, we used to do that show. That's how I met you.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
I remember when Joe used to wear it. a white shirt, black pants, and a black tie every night. Really? Oh, yeah. I still love that. It was a great look, though. And it was so, like, you would have thought he was, like, more of a contemporary artist. And he came out and played some great music. And the voice is amazing.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
He's underrated. I don't know what to say.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
Does the family come out on the road with you much?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
They got their own lives, right?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
I feel very confident with them. Yeah. You're the safety of your group. Yeah.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
I love the comic fairs.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
I think that the history of country music is, I mean, that's where they played, you know, before country music was touring, they played the fairs. And then when I was a kid growing up, The country music wasn't an arena act. Right. It didn't happen until Alabama. When Alabama hit, it was like, well, Kenny Rogers, but he was kind of a crossover. Right, yeah.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
But then Alabama hit, and Randy Travis hit, George hit. Garth hit. Garth hit. And everything. Well, a lot, right? But it's an exciting place to be, isn't it? Country music has a really good vibe right now.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
I don't know. I just remember calling it George Eli.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
It's definitely swinging in a different direction.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
And it's great.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
That's a beautiful thing, right? If you're a country fan, in most cases, you're a country fan for everything. Yeah. And that's different than a pop fan where you're isolated on certain things that you dig or you don't dig or whatever. But country music seems to have this united fan base that is so special. And I don't think we've lost that. I agree. I think that still exists today. I agree.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
You can mix up these lineups on these festivals and
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
It doesn't matter. No. Man, I had some experiences with George Strait that were so amazing. We played them up in Canada in like 2010. And it was a perfect night. There was no wind. It was about 75 degrees up. And it just was a magical moment. And such a nice guy. He came and asked me. They played the Calgary Stampede the night before. They came into our show, Country Thunder, on a Sunday.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
He tracks me down and asks me if it's all right if he stays overnight on the site on his bus. I'm like, yes, sir. It was the first million-dollar tracker ever signed to an artist. Wow.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
yeah so i got him to autograph the back of it wow it's amazing it's pretty cool right yeah he's he's just he's it's like he's not even real you know what i mean like i don't get starstruck or he's different though man he's different yeah justin thank you so much for coming what a great conversation yeah man i really enjoyed it i could too drink some beers and hang out We can do that next time.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
Absolutely. But thank you for being on the show. Thank you. I want to thank Justin Moore for being on the bus with Country Thunder. I'm Troy Volhoffer. And please come visit one of our festivals. Thank you very much. Thank you, Justin. Thank you. Such a blessing to get a chance to talk to these incredible artists backstage. But my favorite moments are always with the fans.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
So this summer we decided to honor Country Thunder's one millionth fan. So this is a reward to have a lifetime pass to Country Thunder if you are the millionth fan. They get platinum tickets for life, camping for life, and to their loyalty to Country Thunder and to country music, it's an awesome gift. So we're looking forward to seeing our millionth fan. Stay tuned.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
Big thanks again to Justin for joining me on the bus today. If you wanna catch Justin on tour, head to justinmoore.com for tour dates. And if you're able to check out those dates in June, when he's joined by Joe Nichols, it should be an amazing duo. Be sure to follow Country Thunder on all our social platforms at Country Thunder. We have new episodes dropping bi-monthly.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
Make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you know when the new episodes hit the feed.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
We're out here at Country Thunder, Arizona, and are so thrilled to be joined by multi-platinum artist Justin Moore. Some of his biggest chart-topping hits have been songs like Small Town USA, If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away, and Beta Hook. Ever since he broke out in Country Scene in 2009, he had one goal, to stay true to himself.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
That's great. At Country Thunder here, we have a songwriter's tent that we just celebrate the songwriter. Because I think in this format especially, the songwriter is such an important element to the greatest songwriter.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
Well, let's talk about your hits, because you've had some big ones.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
The first hit? Really lucky. What was your first hit?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
Yes. Was it about 2009?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
After nearly two decades, Justin continues to make deep personal music that stays true to his roots and to his fans. His latest album, This Is My Dirt, is out now, and you can catch him on tour all summer long. Please join me in welcoming Justin Moore to the bus. Welcome.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
He likes to drink beer. Singing beer songs.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
Everybody wants a pound of flesh, right?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
Great writer.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
Well, we're looking forward to a great show tonight.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
Big song for Lee.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
Let's go back to the beginnings, your childhood, where you came from. So you grew up in Arkansas. Tell me a little bit about how that was.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
Let's talk about your relationship with your grandfather. Yeah. Because you lost your grandfather. I did. And that song obviously was picked because of the inspiration, right?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
So that's playing, right?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
There's a gas station. Where is it close to?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
That's amazing. And to get your perspective on that is a really cool thing. I met one of the legendary songwriters of all time, Harlan Howard. Oh, wow. When I was playing hockey. Legend of legends. Got sent to Nashville, pre-Predators. They had a team there with San Jose's firearm team called the Nashville Knights. And he dropped the puck at one of our games. I'm like, who's Harlan Howard?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
So after the game, we went to Skull Sherman's place, which is Skull's steakhouse now, and Skull was still alive then. Right. Down there, had a few drinks with him, and he was like,
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Grandparents, Grit, and Going Big: Justin Moore’s Rise
T.L. 's a great guy.
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.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
That's awesome. That's awesome. So let's go back to your childhood. So what were some of the favorite things that you did in Shreveport? What did you do?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
After high school, you went to university.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
Well, a straight job, huh? How about that? What year did you move to Nashville?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
And your first hit was what? Record deal came about 2016, something like that?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
That was a big hit. It's a big, it was a big one.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
I mean, that's amazing because once you get your first hit, it's kind of like, uh, the followup to it. It's like your second record. You got your lifetime to put your first record together, whether you write it or not, or co-write it or whatever. And then you, you have like less than a year to put the next record up. Yeah.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
Right, right. Where do you find your inspiration for writing?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
Welcome back to On the Bus with Country Thunder. We have a great show planned for you. Today's guest is Jordan Davis, whose career continues to skyrocket. Since he moved from Shreveport, Louisiana to Nashville, he's made a name for himself. Jordan is known for platinum-selling number one hits, Single You Up, Take It From Me, and Slow Dancing in the Parking Lot.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
That's fantastic. You know, I always stress this to our listeners. Country music's an amazing format for the songwriter. I think more so than any other format. Who are some of the guys who you just click with who are go-to writers that you like to write with that you have that chemistry with?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
That's awesome. So let's talk about on the road. Uh, I know you spend a lot of time on the road, the extensive tour that you're on right now, which takes you to the end of the year. How is it out there? You're carrying your own production.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
I had no idea that. Yeah. Yeah.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
You're actually selling the ticket. Yeah.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
You of course know and love his collaborative hit with Luke Bryan, By Dirt. Jordan is currently on a North American tour and will be releasing his third full-length album later this year. Please welcome Jordan Davis to the show. How are you doing, Jordan? I'm doing great, Troy. Thanks for having me on, man. Oh, you're welcome.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
Well, congratulations on that status. And, I mean, I saw the show last year. I thought the show looked great. Great production value. You guys kicked ass. It was a great live performance. And, Congratulations on that. Let's finish up. We're talking about the new record.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
Oh, that's fantastic. I can't wait to hear it. Can you tell our fans and our listeners where we can see Jordan Davis this year?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
Well, hey, I'd love to thank you for your time. I know your busy schedule and to carve this out, we really appreciate it. We'll put some offers in on Jordan Davis. There we go. Business together. Yes, sir. It'd be fantastic. So I hope to see you.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
I know you're busy, and it's great that you carved out some time for us here. Let's start with where are you from?
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
You're welcome, Jordan. Pleasure to meet you. Yes, sir. You too. I'm very excited for Country Thunder Florida, which is taking place this weekend, May 2nd to 4th, at Raymond James Stadium in good old Tampa, Florida. One of the performers at our festival this weekend is Ella Langley. Langley is just 25 years old and is up for eight ACM Awards next week.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
Six of those nominations are for her work with Riley Green on their duet, You Look Like You Love Me. I can't imagine you're a country fan listening to this podcast and haven't heard their hit single at least 100 times by now. Just an incredible duet. Riley Green will be headlining tomorrow night at Country Thunder, Florida.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
And I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Riley and Ella on stage together at some point to perform that amazing song. Big thanks again to Jordan Davis for joining me on the bus today. Check out Jordan's tour dates on jordandavisofficial.com and check out where he's gonna hit you. I'm sure he's coming close to you because he's gonna play all over North America. It's a great live act.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
I really believe that he's one of the best upcomers that we have in the business today. And he's already hit headlining status, which is really exciting. You know, I learned some interesting things about Jordan today. He has a great passion for songwriting, which is really, really super cool. And, you know, you have artists who don't write, like Tim McGraw, and then you have artists that do write.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
It's an interesting dynamic. And no disrespect to Tim McGraw whatsoever. Tim McGraw could pick the best country song ever. I mean, just look at the hits that he's had. Two different styles, but fantastic live. Jordan Davis is amazing. Got to go check him out. And thank you for listening. I'm Troy Volhoffer. Have a great day.
On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
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On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer
Every Night’s the Super Bowl with Jordan Davis
I read something that you'd come from a musical family, country musical family, that brother was an artist and you wrote songs together. And can you explain to us exactly that relationship?