A Coconut Isn't Actually a Nut?! + Henry Thompson Talks "All My Fault" | The Morning Brew

Who knew a coconut isn't actually a nut? We kick off Fun Fact Friday with some surprising trivia before catching up with Jineane Ford for Nerd News, what's happening around the White Mountains, and plenty of Friday fun.

Then, our Country Climb Star of the Week is Henry Thompson! Originally from Arizona and now based in Nashville, Henry shares his journey from talent shows and American Idol to performing at the Grand Ole Opry. We also talk about his brand-new song, "All My Fault," coming later this July.

In this episode:
• White Mountains update with Jineane Ford
• Nerd News Friday
• Fun Fact or Fake Fact Friday
• Country Climb Star of the Week: Henry Thompson
• Henry's journey from Arizona to Nashville
• American Idol and Grand Ole Opry stories
• A preview of his upcoming song, "All My Fault"

Thanks to Austin Burke and the Playlisted Podcast for introducing us to another great rising country artist.

If you enjoy The Morning Brew with Chris Bennett and Best Friends, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with another best friend!

Be nice to yourself, be nice to others... and don't be a jerk!

Transcript

Cold Open And Quick Laugh

SPEAKER_00 0:00

But it looks like a big nut.

SPEAKER_03 0:03

That was Janine Ford's granddaughter Addy helping us out during fun fact or fake fact Friday. Who knew? A coconut is actually a nut. And one thing is for sure, I am nuts.

Welcome To Fun Friday

SPEAKER_03 0:14

Hello, best friend. It is Chris Bennett, and welcome to another episode of The Morning Brew with Chris Bennett and best friends. We got a fun Friday show for you. Janine Ford joins us to talk about what's happening in the White Mountains. We've got nerd news, fun fact or fake fact Friday, and it's our country climb star of the week. Today's featured artist is Henry Thompson, another great artist sent our way by Austin Burke in the playlist podcast. We'll get to know Henry, hear about his journey from Arizona to Nashville, and talk about his brand new song, All My Fault, coming out in July. Thanks for listening. Let's get the show started. Chris Bennett and the morning brew.

White Mountains Weekend Update

SPEAKER_03 0:55

What's happening? Hot stuff. Janine, you there?

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Yes, I am. Good morning, good morning with my granddaughter Addie. Addie, good morning, best friend. Hi.

SPEAKER_03 1:04

Hi. I uh wanted to check in with you guys to see what's uh happening.

Stage Two Fire Restrictions

SPEAKER_01 1:09

Well, the biggest thing today, okay, is we need to all remember that we're in stage two fire restrictions as of yesterday. We have red flag warnings galore it through this weekend. Guys, we need to hold our breath, be really careful this weekend. This is like where things can all go awry. Okay, so remember stage two fire restrictions. Make sure you tell everybody, talk about it. You know, no fires, no smoking, no vehicles off the road, right? Okay, and no explosives, Chris. And no welding, chainsaws, or firearms, none of that stuff. Anything that causes a spark. Don't do it. Just don't go there.

SPEAKER_03 1:44

Nope. Let's keep our mountain safe.

SPEAKER_01 1:46

Yeah, stage two fire restrictions. All right.

SPEAKER_03 1:48

Yeah. Good. All right.

Comedy Shows And Ticket Info

SPEAKER_03 1:50

And uh I got a bunch of comedy shows this weekend, too. Yeah, actually, uh, so I'm producing one at Torreon uh for their members uh tonight and then tomorrow at the Elks Lodge. I still have a few tickets available for our comedy show at the Elks Lodge at 6 30 with headliner Nancy Norton, who's been on Dry Bar Comedy and A E's Evening at the Improv, and Bob Kubota from NBC's Last Comic Standing. It's gonna be a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

So yeah, that's what we all need is to laugh and laugh and laugh some more.

SPEAKER_03 2:21

Yes, it's good for you.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

It's very good for us.

SPEAKER_03 2:23

Awesome. Uh so yeah, you could get those tickets at Chris Bennett Comedy.com or uh get more information

Nerd News Science Headlines

SPEAKER_03 2:29

there. Oh, it's time for Janine's nerd news.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

Yeah, I'm I'm a closet nerd for sure. Okay, a new study suggests that humans may already have the ability to regenerate body parts. Ooh. Yes, but it's blocked by our scar tissue. Researchers were able to trigger partial regeneration in mice by redirecting cells away from scarring, and scientists say this could lead to future treatments that helps us, you know, regenerate our own body parts. And then another one, this is this is creepy. Scientists have mapped an enormous underground fungi, a fungal network. It stretches an estimated 68 quadrillion miles all beneath the earth's surface. It forms in hidden systems that support life on land. Fungi.

SPEAKER_03 3:20

Fungi, that's what's my nickname.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

Yes, these fungi form partnerships with most plants, helping them absorb nutrients and water while moving about four billion tons of carbon into the soil each year. So they're very healthy for all of us and stuff. So underground fungus, uh generating body parts. And then the scientists also say a mysterious pink planet located about 57 light years away, has finally been studying in detail using the James Webb Space Telescope. Yeah, so it's a pink, a pink planet. I know Addy likes that, huh, Addie? A pink planet?

SPEAKER_03 3:55

Yeah. There you go. Nice.

Fun Fact Or Fake Fact

SPEAKER_03 3:57

It is now time for fun fact Friday. Fun fact or fake fact with Janine and her granddaughter Addy. You two ready? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:06

All right. Fun fact or fake fact. It is take your dog to work day. So can I uh dogs can recognize hundreds of words and gestures. Fun fact or fake fact?

SPEAKER_00 4:17

Um, I think that's a fun fact.

SPEAKER_03 4:21

There you go, Addy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

I agree.

SPEAKER_03 4:23

Yes, some dogs have vocabularies exceeding 200 words. That's more than me.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

They're very smart, very smart.

SPEAKER_03 4:32

Yes. All right, it's also National Coconut Day. Uh, coconuts are actually considered a nut by botanis. Fun fact or fake fact?

SPEAKER_00 4:42

Um, fun fact. No, that's they are not a nut.

SPEAKER_03 4:45

No, no, they're technically a droop, a fiber stone fruit, but not a true nut.

SPEAKER_00 4:51

Oh, well, they're called coconut.

SPEAKER_03 4:53

I know.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

What the heck? But it looks like a big nut. We know our nuts.

SPEAKER_03 4:59

All right. Uh what here's another uh coconut, a fun fact or fake fact. A coconut can float across the ocean and still grow into a tree.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

Yes. How did you know that? Because that's how a lot of them moved around. I read about it. Yeah. Oh, there you go. And moved to other islands and things. Yes. Nice. And then some things came on canoes. There were canoe trees that were transported little nuts, little fibers, and then birds carried a lot of stuff. But I doubt they carried a lot of big old coconuts, but they carried a lot of seeds from island to island and place to place.

SPEAKER_03 5:28

Oh, there you go. We got a little nerd news thrown into uh our fun fact or fake fact. Yeah. And last one, it's also barcode day. Uh so fun fact or fake fact, the first product ever scanned with the barcode was a pack of Wrigley's juicy fruit gum.

SPEAKER_01 5:46

Hmm. Wanna guess, Addy? Uh no. I uh let's say fun fact. Let's try it.

SPEAKER_03 5:51

There you go. Fun fact juicy fruit. Juicy fruit, yum, yum.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

It tasted great for three seconds. Yeah. And then it was gone.

SPEAKER_03 6:01

And then all good. Awesome. Actually, let me throw in one more. It is National Food Truck Day. So uh there are more than 35,000 food trucks operating across the United States. Fun fact or fake fact?

SPEAKER_00 6:15

I think that's a fun fact.

SPEAKER_03 6:17

Yep, that is. There's a lot of food trucks and a lot of delicious food trucks.

SPEAKER_01 6:22

And right here in the White Mountain, some great ones. We love our food trucks.

SPEAKER_03 6:25

Absolutely, I do too. Sweet, that was fun fact or fake fact on this fun fact Friday, and I hope you two have a great weekend, best friends.

SPEAKER_01 6:32

You too, Chris. Love ya. Love ya, bye.

Country Climb Star Intro

SPEAKER_03 6:35

Chris Bennett's Country Climb, Star of the Week. Today's Country Climb Star of the Week is a singer-songwriter, Henry Thompson, originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, and now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Henry's been performing since he was a kid, appeared on American Idol, and even performed at the Grand Old Opry. Today, we're getting to know his story and checking out his new song, All My Fault. Please welcome Henry Thompson. What's going on? Hey, uh, before we get started in your country climb, we like to have a little fun with some icebreaker

Henry Thompson Icebreakers

SPEAKER_03 7:11

questions. You ready? Yep. All right. You grew up in Arizona, now live in Nashville. What's the biggest difference that you've noticed between the two? Hmm.

SPEAKER_02 7:23

Well, the community is uh much different in uh in Arizona. I mean, there's not that many artists and not that many producers. I mean, you can, if you look really hard, you can find them, but here it's like every corner you take, there's at least 50 people on the street that can make music better than you and work harder than you. It's it's much, much crazier here. The community here also is it's uh it's a lot more uplifting and everybody wants to help you out. It's very nice here.

SPEAKER_03 7:48

And what's one artist people would be surprised to find on your personal playlist? Hmm, Kid LaRoy, maybe. Are you still a big Justin Bieber fan? Oh, yeah, big time. Love the Beeves. And if you could perform with any artist, living or dead, who would it be?

SPEAKER_02 8:06

John Mayer.

SPEAKER_03 8:07

All right, and last question for this segment the hardest question I'll ask all day. If you could only request one country song the rest of your life at parties, weddings, events, what country song are you requesting and why?

SPEAKER_02 8:20

I would say dirt on my boots. Yeah. Um, that song kind of got me into country a little bit. And I would always listen to it on my uh way to school with my dad in the car, probably two or three times a day. And uh I have a lot of brave memories and love for that song.

SPEAKER_03 8:37

We had some fun with some icebreaker questions.

From Talent Shows To Idol

SPEAKER_03 8:40

Now it's time to find out about your country climb. Uh, you've been doing music for a while now. When did uh you first start doing music? And when did you uh decide that this was something you wanted to pursue with your life?

SPEAKER_02 8:54

Yeah, so um, I guess my the start of my career was when I was really, really young and I was doing talent shows and all that in school. I actually I grew up uh for 10 years in Belgium, and I was singing down there for a really long time. And then when I moved back to the States, my mom was really supportive and she really believed in me that I could do something with this, and she started booking me gigs in like DC ranch area and all this and like uh the malls in Arizona, and then I had my first paid gig when I was 14 years old, and then I kept building my clientele there, and then when I was around 17, I uh went on American Idol. It was a great experience, loved the cast, loved the crew, met some great people there. Uh, didn't go as far as I wanted to, but it was a great experience. I'm very uh very glad for it. And um, yeah, from then on I just kept on doing gigs, doing shows, meeting people, building up friendships and all that. And then I uh met a group called Songhouse, and they're pretty popular on TikTok. And what you do is you go into a room with them and you write a hook in 30 minutes and then you post it online. And luckily, um my song did really well, and through this competition, I was chosen to sing at the Grand Ole Opry uh in 23 uh for Christmas. And yeah, that was a big highlight. I mean, I've always wanted to sing at the Opry and got to do it at such a young age, and it was absolutely

What Big Stages Teach You

SPEAKER_02 10:23

amazing.

SPEAKER_03 10:23

What did you learn from your experience uh performing at the Grand Ole Opry and uh being on American Idol?

SPEAKER_02 10:29

Yeah, so American Idol was interesting. It's uh like you like you're singing in front of all these stars and you have all these people behind you, and it's it's nerve-wracking, but when you finally get on the stage and it's like very competitive, everything kind of blows away. I feel like, in my opinion, like you don't see anything, everything goes blank, and you just have to trust yourself and have fully confident and just do what you were there to do and do what you love, and then you're gonna you're gonna be great. And with the Granville Opera, it was the same thing. I mean, it was a sold-out show, a few thousand people there, everything went blank, but you know, I was just doing what I love, and I just did what I was there to do, and it was an amazing time, and it's just never give up and just do what you're there for, you know, just just keep going. It's awesome. And how long ago did you move to Nashville? So I moved back in or moved over here in 21. I started at Belmont University. I went to uh four years there, and I just graduated last May. And um, yeah, plan on staying here for a long time.

SPEAKER_03 11:33

Nice. And what made you decide to choose Nashville as opposed to some of the other cities around the country, like New York, LA, Austin, you know. What made Austin uh Nashville so special?

SPEAKER_02 11:46

Well, I was uh I was applying to a bunch of schools and I visited all these campuses. And I I know there was like massive stuff in LA and New York and all these places, but when I visited Nashville, I already had a couple contacts here in the music industry and all this, and I just kept thinking that this place, the community, everyone here just seems so welcoming, and it's such a beautiful place. I don't think I would have uh enjoyed it in any other city.

SPEAKER_03 12:14

And last question for this segment what is your biggest pinch me moment that you've had so far in your musical career? Pinch me moment.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

It's definitely still gotta be playing at the Opry. I mean, it was it was absolutely incredible. And being backstage with all the celebrities that are, you know, headlining those shows and doing all that, it was absolutely amazing.

SPEAKER_03 12:35

And it is now time for my favorite part where we get to play one of your originals.

The Story Behind All My Fault

SPEAKER_03 12:40

All my fault, the song has yet to be released. Tell us a little bit about this song and and what inspired it and how it came to be.

SPEAKER_02 12:47

Yeah, well, I was um, I was sitting with my producer in Arizona. We were writing, we had a couple drinks, and it's this melody came up. It's like, you're the taste of alcohol. You know, it's but like not in a good way. It was more like how you can keep on giving people an inch and an inch and an inch, and they're gonna keep on taking more and rip down all your walls. And no matter what happened, everything is gonna just end up being your fault. And I think I've I've lived through that experience a few times, and a lot of other people have as well. And it's just like a realization like, you know, it's my fault for allowing you to just keep on dragging me and putting me down. I tried my best to put that into the words, and me and Austin did as well. And it's like, I think I did a pretty good job, and yeah, that's that's pretty much the story of All My Fault.

SPEAKER_03 13:36

Heck yeah. Well, we're gonna play it right now on Q Country 925. It is the world premiere right here on Q Country 925 of Henry Thompson. This is his latest song, All My Fault on Q Country 925.

SPEAKER_02 13:54

I guess it's my fault, my fault, my fault bay.

SPEAKER_03 14:07

That was Henry Thompson with his new song, All My Fault, on Q Country 92.5.

Release Date And Where To Follow

SPEAKER_03 14:14

That song's not even out yet. And uh when does that song get released? Should be around July 25th this year, yeah. And so if people want to pre-save that or listen to your other music, they just follow Henry Thompson music? Exactly, yeah. Awesome.

SPEAKER_02 14:32

Henry Thompson music on uh Instagram and on TikTok, it should be Henry Thompson Music underscore, something like that.

SPEAKER_03 14:39

Yeah. And if people want to hear more Henry Thompson music, what are two other songs of yours that are currently out that they should give a listen to to get to know the whole Henry Thompson experience?

SPEAKER_02 14:49

Yeah, I had a song come out uh a few months ago called How to Get By. Love that song absolutely. Um, give that a listen. Another one is Let Go. Uh that came out six months ago or so, I say or so. But yeah, give those a listen. Very proud of those songs. And uh, yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_03 15:09

Awesome. And if 10-year-old Henry could see you now living in Nashville, making music, he's performed on American Idol, he's performed at Grand Old Opry. What do you think he would say to you?

SPEAKER_02 15:22

I think he he he always knew I'd be here and uh knew that I'd keep going. So I think you would just say, good job, keep going, got more to do.

SPEAKER_03 15:31

So that's it. Well, we're excited to continue to watch your journey. Everyone, go ahead, give Henry Thompson a follow on all social media platforms, download his music, and as you have more music coming out, we'd love to be one of the first to play it here on Q Country925. Thanks so much for being today's Country Climb star of the week. Thanks for having me.

Closing Thanks And Weekend Plans

SPEAKER_03 15:58

Well, best friends, that's gonna do it for today's episode of the Morning Brew with Chris Bennett and best friends. If you enjoyed the show, we'd really appreciate it if you'd follow the podcast, leave us a review, and share it with another best friend who you think might enjoy our morning show shenanigans. A big thank you to Austin Burke and the playlist podcast for sending us another great country climb star of the week. And thank you to Henry Thompson for joining us today. Be sure to give Henry a follow on social media and keep an eye out for his brand new song, All My Fault, coming out later this July. And don't forget, tomorrow night is our summer comedy series, Chris Bennett Comedy and Alabertos presents headliner Nancy Norton, featuring Bob Kubota, Saturday, June 27th at the Solo Elks Lodge. Doors open at 5 p.m., bar uh food truck open up at the same time, and the show starts at 6 30 p.m. And you can get your tickets now at Chris Bennett Comedy.com. Thank you so much for listening. And for the morning brew, I've been Chris Bennett reminding you to be nice to yourself, be nice to others, and don't be a jerk. Bye.