SPEAKER_14 0:00

It's Sunday night and Froggy Valley 100.1 is spotlighting the best local, regional, and national up-and-coming recording artists. This is Soundcheck with Chase and Minnie Hopper on WFBY11 in Hershey, Harrisburg, Froggy Valley 100.1.

SPEAKER_15 0:19

Back here on a Sunday night on Soundcheck. We can't thank you enough for tuning in. I am Chase.

SPEAKER_11 0:24

Hey y'all, I'm Minnie, excited to serve up another Sunday evening where we bring you our local, regional, and national up-and-coming musicians.

SPEAKER_15 0:33

Tonight we have quite the show for you. We have a central Pennsylvania musician that just, there's no other way to put it. He shreds it. His voice is really something special as well.

SPEAKER_11 0:42

He is a blues rock artist, and there is none better here in Central PA music scene. We will have Tate Lehman in studio. We cannot wait to dive into his story and his music. Tate is going to play some acoustic songs as well coming up. But let's get right into his music. Here is Tate Lehman with Who's She on Soundcheck with Jace and me on Froggy Valley 100.1 and the My Froggy Valley app powered by Radio Novo.

SPEAKER_06 1:12

Lady Just gotta know clicking those heels. Walk him down the street. She could never want me, you'll know. Not even if I tried. Oh no, not another lonely dream And I got to gotta know a name before she walks away.

unknown 4:10

Who's she?

SPEAKER_15 4:33

What a song there from our guest here on Soundcheck with Chase and Mini on Froggy Valley 100.1 and of course the Buy Froggy Valley app. You can listen to this show anywhere in the world. Just download at either of those app stores. That is the amazing Tate Lehman with Who's She? We're joined in studio, of course, by Tate. We also have alongside Tate here tonight a special guest. His dad, Daryl, is alongside us here in the studio. First off, thanks guys for joining us here on a Sunday night. So excited to have you aboard here. Thank you for having us. This is so exciting to have you guys in studio. You are the finest in your craft here in Central PA. Just talk about how you got your start in doing what you're doing here in Central PA. Sure, yeah.

SPEAKER_17 5:12

As far as guitar, I mean music just in general, it's always just been in the household. My mom was a flute player. Both my siblings played instruments. We just grew up around music. Um I started playing guitar when I was uh eight years old, um, and then just growing up, just did more vocal stuff like through school, played in choir and stuff, and then high school was kind of when I really got passion for guitar and for the blues more specifically. Um so then coming out of high school, like it started just with doing open mics with some friends and then eventually putting together a band and been a wild ride, and now I'm here.

SPEAKER_15 5:44

So And it is such a unique genre here in Central PA. It is. Uh, with all the folks that are out there in the music world here in Central PA alone, you are one of the few here and comes to the blues rock genre.

SPEAKER_17 5:55

For sure. Yeah, I would say it's funny because like there's a lot. I didn't know going into like the scene, I didn't know how many blues musicians there were, but like the further further I go into it, there's a lot of really talented musicians in the central Pennsylvania music area. But um, yeah, it's super cool.

SPEAKER_15 6:10

Now, now, Daryl, we're gonna bring your dad in here because we gotta talk to him about his musical background. He's got about the same musical background that I got, right? Daryl?

SPEAKER_13 6:17

Yeah, absolutely not. I think I know enough to know that I'm out of tune, and then I'll just stop singing.

SPEAKER_15 6:22

You and me both.

SPEAKER_17 6:23

You have a great singing voice, you just don't use it. I will give him credit. He's got he's got it in there.

SPEAKER_13 6:28

He's just maybe I'll never practice it.

SPEAKER_15 6:30

Might have to put the uh spotlight on his dad here tonight, uh give us a little some sum here tonight on this Sunday night, huh? I got a guitar sing some campfire tunes.

SPEAKER_11 6:41

Your genre of music is blues rock. For folks that are not familiar with that style of music, explain what blues rock is.

SPEAKER_17 6:48

I would say blues rock, it takes the root of the blues and then puts rock to it. It's pretty self-explanatory, I would say. But like, as far as personally, like I take influences like Freddie King, BB King, Albert King, and then take a more like heavy approach to it with louder amps, louder drums, and just rock and roll. It's funny, I think with the blues and blues rock category for the uh CPMAs, I would say the only difference with us is we don't listen to the sound guys when they tell us to turn our amps down. So I would say that's the difference between blues and blues rock.

SPEAKER_15 7:20

Uh we like it loud and we like it proud for sure. When you started first picking up the guitar team, what were some of the challenges that you faced when you picked up that guitar? My fingers hurt a lot. Yeah.

SPEAKER_17 7:29

Yeah, that was kind of the main thing. I think everybody kind of struggles with that. It's just it was nice because like early on, just with like playing guitar, like growing up in church, like I played in a lot of like church bands and stuff. And it's funny I'd thank you, Dad, for making me play guitar and worship band and not just sing, because I wouldn't be here today doing this. But uh that kind of stretched me too, I think, just with playing other musicians and like forcing myself to learn stuff instead of just doing it for fun. It really challenged me with that.

SPEAKER_15 7:56

Now, when you picked up your guitar, was most of it self-taught? No, I did take guitar lessons.

SPEAKER_17 8:00

Um it was a family friend that I actually learned from just for a couple months, and then I went and saw a private instructor, and I took from him for years um Automenti's music. His name is Marlon Warner. Um, he's a local guy that still plays around, plays jazz. And then around high school, like as much as I appreciate jazz now, I didn't as much then. I was like, I kind of want like a different teacher just to show me like a different side of guitar, and that's why I my current teacher, Trey Alexander at the guitar spot in Red Lion, is who who I still take from, and uh he's an absolute shredder, uh, for sure, and uh learned so much from him and still learning a lot from him. Alright, this song, uh this is kind of a new one that I've been playing out with the band um that I wrote. It's called Cheap Cigars, is what it is. And uh growing up in Red Line, uh they have a very rich history of cigar manufacturing and cigar production. But with being like a history buff and being into all that stuff, I kind of wanted to write a song about my hometown. Specifically, this song is about an event that actually happened around, I believe it was the 1920s, there was a cigar strike uh that happened in the middle of town. Like cigar rolling machines were starting to replace workers and like they couldn't pay everybody, so then there was a whole riot and everything, and the police got involved. It was a whole big ordeal that happened right in Red Lion. So uh, this is cheap cigars.

SPEAKER_15 9:22

So this is like real life stuff. This is some real life stuff.

SPEAKER_17 9:25

I try to keep it as accurate as possible. If I'm wrong, somebody will call me out.

SPEAKER_15 9:30

Maybe I'll just change the lyrics then, but in this day and age they will.

SPEAKER_06 9:39

Roll cheap cigars for 20 years Nobin a working for the foo roll cigars for twenty years Lord where we make them cheap two for five cents, it's almost free. Well look good, Lord knows I make a steady living. Ten dollars and eighty cents a week. Now they won't pay for my steady living. My ten dollars and eighty cents a week. We got some rumors going around some red and roses for the town. They'll fool those cheap cigars I said three trucks are leaving this morning They're making verify Couple my bros and me Start causing trouble out in the streets J Saint has got himself a roller Brooks has got one too. Let you got me crying now. I was sprayed by the man in blue knob and rollin' rolling cheap cigars for twenty years But I can't say I'm overjoyed Consider me unemployed that's a favorite one to play.

SPEAKER_14 13:18

Country music from local, regional, and national up and comers. If it's Sunday night, it's soundcheck with Chase and Minnie on Froggy Valley 100.1.

SPEAKER_06 13:44

She was crafty with hazelized, she was sent from the bottom by wearing open shoes in that floral dress. Don't make me take off my Sunday vest, alright? Now a late church Cause God made me a woman, made me to love her. Can turn five to four without having eight. Got my hair all straight. Hold my Bible, baby, squeeze my hand on a wee. I'm more than just a one-up stand, alright. Now we leave the church. Cause God made me a woman, made me a lover. While the preacher's asking us to bow and pray. Lord have mercy, come and save my soul, cause my baby's got me chirping like an Oreo. Alright. Now we're leading to church. Cause God made me a woman, made me to love her.

SPEAKER_15 16:02

Alright, Tate, we gotta discuss that song there, Late for Church. I mean, uh this was going around our house for about a week now. Have you actually been late for church? Is that where this song came from?

SPEAKER_17 16:10

I have, but not for this reason. Um But uh this is kind of one of my favorite. It was actually one of the first songs I ever wrote and kind of put out there. Um yeah, it's kind of just a uh it's about being faithful to somebody, and uh sometimes you just might be late for stuff because you got stuff to take care of, is kind of what the gist of the song is. Whatever that may be, that's up to the listener's interpretation for sure. But it's just about being faithful to one person and really loving them.

SPEAKER_11 16:38

How do you blend traditional blues storytelling with that rock energy?

SPEAKER_15 16:43

That's kind of fun. She's good at stumping our music.

SPEAKER_17 16:46

Yeah, I know, yeah, very good, yeah.

SPEAKER_15 16:48

Right off the bat. She doesn't waste any time.

SPEAKER_17 16:51

You come up with some good questions. I would say it's more of just listening to all the old traditional blues artists, and just keeping that registered in my head as far as when I'm playing, to adding that to the rock element. Because I think like again, the blues is the root of all music, and it's just staying informed and staying well-versed as far as like what the bass actually is, to what I'm applying it to, whether it's rock or whether it's country or hip-hop or whatever, just keep focusing on the blues.

SPEAKER_15 17:19

Uh now talk about every person that picks up that guitar, they have their brand. I know you have your brand too as well. You got you got a close relationship with Twin Dix guitars. You just celebrated their 10th anniversary and you played at a show for them too. Just talk about that relationship that you have with them too. And also, what is your go-to guitar?

SPEAKER_17 17:36

Yes, it is an awesome show at um Phantom Power. Super cool, like seeing all the really talented guitarists and bands um play that. Yeah, a couple years ago, Twin Dix reached out to me and they're like, hey, we want to build you this guitar. So I went into the shop and got to pick out all the specs with it and everything and kind of made it my own. It was something that I never really thought I would ever run into as far as like building like a Tate Lehman guitar, but it's super cool. Both Rich and Rich like down there, they're just super cool dudes. Like, really appreciate what they do, and the craftsmanship that they put into their instruments is insane. As far as a go-to guitar for a gig, I kind of like having options. Like, I don't I wouldn't say I really have like a main number one. I would say the twin dicks, yes, like given it's uh a Tate Layman only guitar, but sometimes I might be in a mood for like a Stratocaster or like a telly or like I like let's mix it up. I like the I like the variety because it sparks different creativity for certain things. And for certain songs, you might want to play a certain instrument over another one. So yeah, that's that's what I would say is my favorite is none of them or all of them.

SPEAKER_15 18:35

Yeah. You like to have variety. I like to have a lot of guitars. Yeah, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_17 18:39

Yeah, I like owning a lot of guitars for sure.

SPEAKER_15 18:41

Yeah. And the guys down at Twin Dicks guitars, they do an awesome job with building guitars. It's all hand wooden pieces that they put together down there at their shop in Langster, right?

SPEAKER_17 18:51

Yep, and they keep getting better and better too. Like I played another like friend's guitar like the other day, and it was just like, oh my gosh, like it's really good guitars for sure.

SPEAKER_15 19:00

So look for the Tate Lehman custom guitars in your shops here in the next couple of weeks so we can purchase them and play at home, right?

SPEAKER_18 19:07

Yeah. We will be back with Sound Check with Chase and Minnie on Froggy Valley 100.1 And the Mike Froggy Valley.

SPEAKER_14 19:35

There's only one place where you can hear this.

SPEAKER_12 19:39

Somehow you can make a pot of this pot of stomach. And this. The only thing is the cowboy tone. And this. But only just take it from me. The world is hard on beautiful things.

SPEAKER_14 20:01

On one radio station, Froggy Valley 100.1, and the brand new My Froggy Valley app powered by Radio Novo.

SPEAKER_07 20:10

Stop requested.

SPEAKER_00 20:11

Ride on Lebanon Transit, and you can approach new possibilities. Hit the books or hit the gym. Grab a bite or grab a break. Open the doors to all the bus can offer. With hundreds of destinations along 13 bus routes, Lebanon Transit connects you to opportunities across the heart of the Lebanon Valley. Now approaching. What will you approach when you ride on Lebanon Transit?

SPEAKER_14 20:42

Come on. Never pay a cover to hear the best up and comers. It's Froggy Valley 100. On Froggy Valley One Hundred.

SPEAKER_06 21:27

Gotta be falling over like 100 fruit. Wrap my arms all around your waist. And you start biting like buffalo trays before me. The most taking my time, don't wanna fix it too fast. Baby, slow down. We wanna make this last. The way you sway like a willow tree. Telling you better make a wood. Loving you is like nothing else. Let's have another round. Here we go again.

SPEAKER_05 22:21

Happy day.

SPEAKER_06 23:14

Let's have another round. Here we go again. Hey, now we open the falcon just to go for a ride. Getting us trouble like Bonnie and Clyde. Orange peanut cherry. So tart and sweet. Girl, you making me jump out of my seat. Support me. Some mode.

SPEAKER_05 23:44

Support me. Some mode.

SPEAKER_15 23:59

If you're just joining us here tonight on this Sunday night, soundcheck with Chase and Minnie. Very special guest in our studio, Tate Lehman. He's a blues rock artist right here from Central PA. Also joining us is his dad, Daryl. He's in studio here on this Sunday night as well, hanging out with us. What would you say is the most important lesson that you've learned from some of the old school blues masters?

SPEAKER_17 24:18

I would say patience. Patience and persistence. Just keep chomping at it. Like and the thing about blues, too, it's not perfection. It's excellence. Seek excellence and not perfection. Um, I would say is the biggest thing that I've learned just from all the blues artists for sure.

SPEAKER_15 24:34

When you write that original music Tate, every musician pretty much has their own style. How do you turn a personal experience into an actual song?

SPEAKER_17 24:40

That's tough because I think I'm still like fleshing it out and trying to find what is like my niche and my like rhythm as far as like writing a song and it's all different and it's all like different ideas. I wouldn't say most of my songs, at least as of now, aren't like a personal experience. It's more of like an idea and a okay, let's create this character, create this scene and build around it. I think I'm starting to find more, and you'll hear with some of the acoustic songs like later in the night, as far as like taking like historical context like late cigars and like turning that into a song. I would say is kind of what my niche is turning into is real stuff and then turning it into music.

SPEAKER_15 25:17

Yeah, that's probably one of the main differences too with the blues rock genre. A lot of people would think that it's more storytelling than anything, but sometimes it's it's not really about the storytelling, like country music is. Right.

SPEAKER_17 25:28

Yeah, and sometimes it's just more of like finding something that's catchy, filling up a couple of verses, and then just shredding it between them. Um I try to do that as far as the musical aspect of writing something that you can get your head bopping to, like get something grooving of like get their head moving, and then just fill it with music and trust the process.

SPEAKER_15 25:46

Let's bring your dad back in here, Darren. We're gonna bring you into the mic here. Now, when Tate was a young little whipper snapper playing at home and and getting that guitar out and playing, how would you describe his sound when he first started to play?

SPEAKER_13 25:58

Well, at home when he when he first started, it was a lot of acoustic. So, you know, there's not it's not too overwhelming. But as he got into high school and started really exploring what he could do with the electric guitar, and he kind of took over the uh we we we finished the attic, refinished the attic as a family room, and then it took it.

SPEAKER_15 26:16

Came as far away as possible.

SPEAKER_13 26:18

The the problem was is is our our bedroom is right below where Tate was playing. So we kind of had there's there's plenty of times where we would be like, hey, come 10 o'clock, we need to dial it back, but then we would get into those conversations about like, well, I have to play it loud because that's how I get the tone, and I didn't always understand that. But uh but yeah, we we sorted it out.

SPEAKER_17 26:38

You're getting better with it though, too. Like you're you're coming around to it of like I think you're starting to notice as far as like when you hear the amp starting to break when it's turned up to a certain volume. Like yeah, just I think hanging around with it, like you're starting to notice like the difference.

SPEAKER_13 26:53

But whenever I was ready to go to sleep, I I wasn't so concerned. Yeah, it's just like it's all I don't care how it sounds, I'm just ready to go to bed. But I mean, yeah, it was it never got too bad. It was you know, always always happy to see him pursuing his passion. And uh so sometimes that takes a little sacrifice on our part.

SPEAKER_15 27:11

How awesome is it for you, Daryl, too, to watch where Tate started from to where he's at now, basically.

SPEAKER_13 27:17

Yeah, yeah, it's it's a joy for sure. Uh it's it's funny um when you think about whenever he first started playing, and we got you know, you you re as a parent, you record a video and you're like, oh, he's doing so awesome, and now we look back and you look back and it's like wow, he was it it's uh such a uh elementary you know process, but like each step of the way you're you you see the progression and always proud, you know. But there's a lot of satisfaction in seeing him pursue what what I think he was he he was made to do.

SPEAKER_15 27:47

It seems to be the the the trend with parents because when I had my drum set when I was a kid, I had a Mubbitch drum set. They put me in the basement, they put you in the attic. Yeah. As far away as you can possibly go, it seems like that's where that's where they put you.

SPEAKER_17 27:59

Well, initially it was in the basement, but it got a little it's like it's an unfinished basement, it's cold, it's stamped. So like once the attic was finished, it was like, yeah, I'm moving everything up there. Like, for sure. And there was more space to like bring friends over to jam with and practice, and that I think that really did help with as far as like giving me a space to like practice and pursue the craft a lot more. Um and I honestly I I don't think I would have been as serious about it as if I didn't have an environment to like and jam to and jam to.

SPEAKER_15 28:30

Yeah. That's pretty awesome. Uh there's always a balance, especially in your case, covering the blues and also that rock side. Uh, what is the balance for you between a clean blues tune and also a distorted rock sound?

SPEAKER_17 28:42

I would say it's just being an intentional um and serving the song as far as like knowing when to dial it back and when to like really push it. And as far as like with the trio, Tate Layman and the Blue Chilies, we try to do we try to be as diverse as we can and read the crowd of like, okay, this might be more of a bluesy night, or it might be more of like a rock night. And I think it takes take pride in that versatility as far as adapting to that. It's just more of listening and then seeing what the audience wants as far as balancing that between lighter and heavier guitar tones.

SPEAKER_14 29:16

This is Soundcheck with Chase and Minnie Hopper on Froggy Valley 100.1 and on the My Froggy Valley app, powered by Radio Novo, and I'm gonna go ahead and do it.

SPEAKER_06 30:19

The red house over yonder Lord that's where my own baby stays The Red House over yonder Lord that's where my own baby stays and all this gym Nothing on that day wrong, you baby all on the lock the door, you baby lacking on the lock the door, I think, and I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_07 35:46

I'm gonna win back over yonder over there, I'm so uh wherever you're listening to us tonight, we do appreciate it.

SPEAKER_15 37:24

Such an honor to have Tate Lehman here in the studio here on this Sunday night. So, how would you explain getting your music out there, getting it exposed to the folks that are out there versus like a country musician that really is trying to get their music out to the masses when there's just so many artists that are out there?

SPEAKER_17 37:40

Yeah, I'm kinda I'd say I'm fortunate, or I think I'd prefer that the blues isn't as mainstream as what it is. Buddy Guy always says, if you're not making mistakes, you're not playing the blues. Um I obviously I try not to live by those standards, but uh and be the best that I can be. But as far as like a country musician, I'm torn with Clifton Bryan country here in uh next week, actually. Yeah, I would say it's hard, and I have not ventured personally like into that as far as wanting to be perfected, as far as comparing that to like AI or very well-produced music. Um, just from the outside looking in, I would say it's very difficult to do that.

SPEAKER_03 38:16

Yeehaw! Get ready for it! Sound check with Chase and Minnie. It's Minnie's hopping good time.

SPEAKER_14 38:26

We're asking your favorite stars three questions totally random every time.

SPEAKER_02 38:30

So get ready to jump on in for minis hopping good time on Froggy Valley 100.1. Froggy Valley. Woo!

SPEAKER_11 38:45

We have reached that point of the show where we take a breather, well, except for the musician, and we fire three totally random questions to our musicians. Tate looks like he is ready to go.

SPEAKER_15 38:57

That's not nice to put it there. I mean, you can't set the musician up like that. I'm definitely not ready. Tate looks ready. He looks ready. He may not say he's ready, he looks like he's ready, though.

SPEAKER_11 39:08

He looks like he's ready. Fire away. Here's question number one. With the warmer weather coming, an awesome summer treat for me is ice cream. So, what is your favorite ice cream flavor?

SPEAKER_17 39:19

I'm gonna be weird, I'm gonna say pistachio. I do like some pistachio, yeah. Either that or like something like chocolatey. Chocolate cookie dough, chocolate fudge. But like, I do kind of have like a hangering for pistachio ice cream.

SPEAKER_11 39:32

I gotta say, that was not expected from me.

SPEAKER_17 39:35

No. Yeah, who's throwing? Who's throwing the curveballs now?

SPEAKER_11 39:41

Let's go right to question number two. I am soon to be three years away from driving. Sorry, Dad. I know you don't really want to hear that. But let's hear about the very first car that you had.

SPEAKER_17 39:51

Well, so actually I'm visually impaired, so I can't drive a vehicle, but if I would pick a car, it would be some sort of older classic car. I have a friend that owns a 1963 Ford Falcon as a convertible. So it wouldn't be my first car, but it's a cool car that I've had a lot of adventures in, for sure.

SPEAKER_11 40:09

Here's the last question on Minnie's hopping good time. When you were in school, what was your favorite subject?

SPEAKER_17 40:16

History, history, history, and I guess music. That's kind of the cop-out, but I I was a big fan of history for sure.

SPEAKER_14 40:24

Fronti Valley 100.1 is bringing you the best local, regional, and national up-and-comers right to your radio every week. This is Soundcheck with Chase and Minnie Hopper. Start your day the Nancy Newman way. Well, that sounds very good to me on Froggy Valley 100.1.

SPEAKER_09 40:44

Hope you're enjoying the weekend. Next time we get together, it's gonna be June, so we have more themed days and fun ways to celebrate.

SPEAKER_01 40:51

A lot of Americans value this over their social lives. Discuss that Monday morning after 7 o'clock. Take us along for the ride wherever you're headed this weekend, and we'll see you Monday morning on Froggy Valley 100.1.

SPEAKER_10 41:03

If the world were like a sleep number mattress, everything would adapt for your comfort. Because as your life changes and your body changes, sleep number mattresses adapt and shift to give you personalized comfort night after night. And now it's the final days of our everything's on sale event. Save up to $1,200 on mattresses. Our Memorial Day event ends Monday. To experience a whole new world of comfort, visit a Sleep Number store or go to sleepnumber.com. Sleep number to a good life sleep.

SPEAKER_08 41:34

This feeling is brought to you by Aleve for Arthritis Pain Relief. What feeling is that? Well, it's the feeling you feel when you have relief from arthritis pain. It's that my hands don't hurt just holding things feeling. That wow, I can actually move while feeling. You know, that go about your day without worrying about every little movement or ache feeling. Oh yeah. Because a leave targets arthritis pain at the source of inflammation for long-lasting relief. So you can keep moving through it. Feel up to 12 hours of arthritis pain relief with one dose. Feel a leave. Use is directed for minor arthritis pain.

SPEAKER_18 42:04

Sound check with Chase and Minnie on Froggy Valley 100.1 and the my Froggy Valley.

SPEAKER_03 42:22

Sound check with Chase and Minnie on Froggy Valley.

SPEAKER_15 44:00

And I waited so long for this day to come Now that it's here, my life has just begun and I'm so tired of being who's using others just to hear my blues Well I'm searching Lord I'm searching for something real something real We of course are joined by Tate Lehman in the studio here on this Sunday night on Soundcheck with Chase and Minnie on Froggy Valley 100.1 and you can also stream us anywhere in the world on the My Froggy Valley app. It is all powered by Radio Novo. What does the blues genre of music mean to you personally?

SPEAKER_17 45:07

I would say to me it's just a feeling. I think people from the outside looking in always perceive the blues as like, oh, it's always sad. You're always down. But I play the blues when I'm happy, I play when I'm mad, I play it when I'm sad. I play when I'm excited. I play it when I feel impatient. I think it's just all the emotions you can put into the blues, and that's what makes the blues the blues. It's just emotion.

SPEAKER_11 45:28

Talk about your music and what the writing process looks like for you when sitting down and writing a blues rock song.

SPEAKER_17 45:35

For sure. I would say the writing process for me is very new. I would say the past couple years is when I like really started doing it, and it's just kind of finding what what my niche is as far as like the writing process. Like for one song, it might be the music aspect of it first, and then the lyrics later, and then another song it might be, oh, that's a really cool lyric idea, and then the music comes later on top of that. Um, but what I strive to do is to structure a song that I think of myself as a guitarist first and a songwriter and singer second. Developing a song that is very guitar heavy, of course, all the guitar solos that you can crank up for sure. Um, and I'm not trying, I would say, to reinvent the wheel. I think it's just more of it's the blues, and I'm just playing it. I'm not trying to be a genius songwriter or somebody special. I just love this style of music, and I want to do as much as I can to preserve the blues and add a little rock element to it as well.

SPEAKER_14 46:29

Before they were superstars, they were hometown stars. It's Soundcheck with Chase and Minnie on Froggy Valley 100.1 such a big house, feel so empty without you, living in such a big house, feel so empty without you now.

SPEAKER_06 47:23

You live in a bigger house with another man at you, new from school I just might move myself to the city, give myself a little condo. That sweet home, Chicago Sleep in a twin size bed, since you don't want to go. Let me fall a bigger home.

SPEAKER_17 50:04

Thank you. I guess you haven't heard that one either. No, that's a first for me. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_15 50:09

I gotta say that that is always the best part of the interview when somebody comes in here and busts it out acoustically like you just did. Just the brawlness of it. Thank you. And you can just see the passion in your eyes too, man, while you were singing that too.

SPEAKER_16 50:22

Yeah, my eyes were probably closed most of the time, too. Like just lost in the sauce.

SPEAKER_15 50:26

Yeah, it is pretty awesome, man. It is pretty awesome.

SPEAKER_16 50:29

Cool, thank you.

SPEAKER_15 50:30

A couple years back, three years to be exact, you formed the blues trio, the blue chilies. Talk about how that came to be and the folks that you recruited for that trio, too.

SPEAKER_17 50:39

It's a pretty interesting story of how the uh band came together. Um, around that time, I wasn't as confident as far as like a front man as what I was. I did like an occasional solo gig. I played with like another band like here and there, but I wasn't as I didn't have as busy of a schedule as what I have now for sure. Um, I would say my feet were pretty cold like going into it um for the music scene. But I was just kind of thrown around the idea of like, yeah, I would want to start like a blues trio and like wanna like perform at bars and like I didn't even think about like getting to this level this soon. But I was helping a friend move a piano actually, and it was a pain in the butt because uh we were moving out of some music shop in York City. The U-Haul that he rented, we did not realize that it didn't have a ramp, so we had to lift this.

SPEAKER_15 51:26

It was two Those aren't light either.

SPEAKER_17 51:28

No, it was a very uh heavy piano. We had a dolly, we had to like take it across the street, but then lift it up onto the curve and then lift it up onto the truck. It was a uh and then move it to the people we're doing this?

SPEAKER_15 51:40

Two. Oh, geez.

SPEAKER_17 51:42

It was me and my drummer at the time driving back. I was just kind of like bouncing ideas off of him, and I was like, Yeah, like think about doing this. He is uh music teacher is what he primarily does. Um, but he'll play with like other projects and stuff. Uh Max Hallerman, shout out to Max. Yeah, loving man. Um, but just bouncing off ideas, and I was like, Yeah, it'd be cool to do like a blues trio. And he's like, dude, let's do it. I know a guy that can play bass, done. Easiest like formation of a band. Yeah. Maybe not the easiest at the same time because it was a heavy piano, but uh yeah, it was that was it. Then we just had a couple of practices and then say it was about two months worth of practice, and then we played our first gig. Um, my aunt owns a a couple of different restaurants in the Langster area or manages a bar called the Floating Squirrel, and that was our first late night gig, biker bar, like chilly new. Like, I was bringing the moves to the biker bar. I was freshly 2021 at the time, so like I wasn't out at bars much. So it's like, oh, this is uh this is one to start with, and uh and the rest is history.

SPEAKER_15 52:41

Yeah, and you guys have made quite the following in the three years that you guys have been together, and having that right mix is is half the battle, just like any other band, having that right mix is you gotta have it.

SPEAKER_17 52:51

For sure. And I think the design of the chilies too, as far as why the longevity has been so good and why it's so setty, is it pretty much is a solo project, and uh all I ask for the people that play in the band, um, whether it's a trio or we add in like more people to the band, it's still the blue chilies, um, is like I'll take care of everything. Just show up and be you, but be the best musician you can be. And I think that system, at least so far at this point, um has worked really well as far as letting them be some really good musicians, and then like I don't sound as good without them. Like they're they are the blue chilies, man. It's it's really special to work with such amazing musicians.

SPEAKER_15 53:35

And I gotta tell you, too, half the battle of being in a band is when you have good merch. You see that hat that that tape wrote? You see that logo? That thing is probably the hottest hat out of any musician that I've seen.

SPEAKER_11 53:47

And I gotta say, I've never seen a blue chili before.

SPEAKER_15 53:49

I haven't either.

SPEAKER_11 53:50

I've only seen the red one.

SPEAKER_15 53:51

So it looks pretty cool.

SPEAKER_11 53:52

It does look cool. When you are on stage performing, what would you like the audience and fans to take from one of your shows?

SPEAKER_17 53:59

I would say just having a good time. If if you're having a good time and you enjoy it, that's great. Like, and I understand my music like isn't isn't for everybody. Not everybody's a blues rock fan, but uh like hey, if you enjoy it, that's awesome. If it's not your thing, that's okay too. Um I'm just gonna be up there and do my thing. Um obviously I want to do it for the band too, and do it for the the crowd out there and for the listeners, the people that want it. I want to yeah, just have a good time. Have a good time.

SPEAKER_11 54:31

Alright, Tate, we are up to your top three mainstream country songs. We always like to start at the end and work our way back. What does your playlist look like?

SPEAKER_17 54:40

So the three I have picked, and it was hard to pick like favorites as far as like being primary a blues musician. I tried to pick as far as like the more the more bluesy ones. Throw them in. For sure. Um, my top three I picked as far as artists are Chris Stapleton, Marcus King, and the Red Clay Strays. Those are kind of the three mainstream country artists that I'm listening to. Song I like from Stapleton is South Dakota from his album, Elite's Higher, a very bluesy element. Same with uh No Room for Blue from Marcus King's album. Incredible Sly guitar in that song. And then the Red Clay Strays, uh, wondering why. I think it's just a beautiful song, uh, lyrically, and just I love that group too. And as far as the persona that they put on, um, it's something that I look up to as far as carrying myself as a musician, um, as far as humility.

SPEAKER_11 55:24

Tate Lehman, what a pleasure having you on Soundcheck with Chase and Mini tonight. First, welcome to the soundcheck with Chase and Mini fam. You are so welcome back to our home to play that beautiful blues rock anytime. Thank you so much for stopping by.

SPEAKER_17 55:39

Thank you so much for having me, guys. Really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_15 55:41

Thank you. It's an awesome time. Not only having Tate Layman in the house, also his dad, Daryl. Appreciate you guys all stopping by here for this Sunday night. It's been awesome. Thank you. And an extra thank you goes out, of course, to the gals and jazzy down at Worst Candies in Lebanon. Worst Candies, your number one destination for all those sweets. Right across from Hack, they are the best. Check them out at WorstCandies.com. Thanks to them and our musicians. They will not go home hungry tonight. Tate and Daryl. You guys can snack on that on the way home because a lot of times it doesn't make it the way home anyway. So if you're saving that for somebody, they probably ain't gonna make it there. But we do appreciate all the all the effort by, of course, Jazzy and the ladies down there at Worts Candies. Go check them out in downtown Lebanon.

SPEAKER_11 56:20

That is just about going to do it here on a Sunday night of Soundcheck with Chase and Minnie.

SPEAKER_15 56:25

You are correct. Minnie, next week we will introduce you to a musician that has shared the stage with the likes of Lee Bryce, also Josh Turner. He always brings a high-energy show. He has quite the following here in Central PA. We will have Rocky Allen on the show next Sunday night, starting at 8 o'clock. Just remember as you take on the rest of this coming weekend and next week, it ain't country music.

SPEAKER_11 56:46

Unless it's homegrown country music. Have a great week, y'all, and we will see you back here, same place and same time on Sunday night, right here on Froggy Valley 100.1 and the My Frog.