The Y'allternative Episode #2 - Sean Fuller

The Y'allternative Episode #2 - Sean Fuller: Longtime Florida Georgia Line and Tyler Hubbard drummer Sean "Pawpaw" Fuller talks networking Nashville, 80s hair bands, standing out, his time with Luke Bryan, how he got the gig with FGL, unheard stories from the road, the potential Florida Georgia Line reunion, and more! Only on The Y'allternative, hosted by Nick Singer.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Yo, what's up, you alternative fam? It's your boy, Nick Singer, hollering at you live from the New York studio for episode number two of the Alternative Podcast. And uh I gotta tell you, we have a really, really special guest on today's episode. We got longtime Florida Georgia line slash Tyler Hubbard drummer Sean Fuller. That's right, we got Sean Pop Hop Fuller on the podcast. I'm very, very excited. Uh I spoke to Sean for over an hour. We spoke about 80s hairy metal bands, Van Halen. We spoke about his time coming to Nashville, uh his first band. He played for Luke Bryant a little bit and uh his time with that, how he got involved with the FGL boys, his whole rise to success with that. And uh I also, for all my FGL fans out there, I got some insider information on the potential reunion that may be happening in the future. So stay tuned for that. Got some insider information on that FGL stuff. Got Sean's origin story. It was really, really cool getting to talk to him and just hear like some stories that you know I haven't heard anywhere else. Got it directly from the source. So without any further ado, please give a warm welcome to Sean Fuller on the Alternative Podcast. I'll see you guys out there.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

You know, interestingly enough, um I've I come, I I was born, I was born in a little town called Evansville, Indiana. Yeah. And and uh sharing my age, I was born in 72, but I was born in I was born in Evansville, Indiana, and um the very first bands that I can even remember being in were my dad's band, you know what I'm saying? Like my dad's a musician uh and uh played guitar, bass, uh, sometimes was just the you know, the the front of house engineer, sometimes was the monitor, you know. But we played all the all the clubs and bars and stuff like that. I I to this day I think that that he hired me as his drummer because they couldn't keep a drummer, so he kind of forced me into playing drums, but I ended up loving what I was doing, so it's not a big deal. But uh, but I played in all the bars and clubs, um, whether it's uh you know, pretty much all over Indiana, Kentucky. That was just kind that was just kind of where I started gritting my teeth and stuff like that. But um, you know, my dad brought me up on anything. Gosh dang, I mean you can go from anything from country to rock. Um, but it was it was, you know, it was obviously the some of the norms like Zeppelin and Queen, uh Kiss, um Sticks, Doobie Brothers, um, gosh dang, um Nazareth, heady. Oh, hair of the dog, hair of the dog, yeah. Hair of the dog, baby. Album, yeah, yeah, blue oyster cult, stuff like that. Um, so my dad, my dad brought me up on a lot of that kind of stuff. And then, you know, obviously uh ZZ Top was a bit, he was a big fan of Z Z Top, and so was I, uh still am, uh, which leads me to a story later down the road. But uh, but but there was a there was a complete uh 360 moment there, I guess I uh you know, from that from that perspective with Z Z Top. But uh uh grew up on all that. Then obviously, you know, as I as I grew, uh I I heard of bands like Rush, you know, uh I heard of uh gosh dang it, uh Metallica, and you know, just like you start throwing, I mean, even country stuff in there, you know. My dad listened, uh he would listen to a lot of Alabama, uh Oak Ridge Boys, things of that nature. And so like I would go back and forth listening from country to rock and you know, classic rock, bad uh bad company, you know, bands like that, just anything that 38 special, whatever you you you name all those bands that kind of was in that area, and that was me, man, just listening to all that classic rock and whatnot was was which wasn't classic back then, but it is now.

SPEAKER_00 3:39

It is now, yeah. Yeah, but that's cool. And like you kind of grew up in that like when it was coming out, when it was fresh, too, right? Pretty, pretty, pretty much.

SPEAKER_01 3:46

I mean, some of it still was considered, I guess, classic, I guess, if you will, but like, you know, in 72 when I was born, I guess when I was starting to hear of bands like Nazareth and you know, Zeppelin and stuff like that, I was probably it was probably around the uh late, late 70s, very early 80s, but then at the very early 80s stage also came all the hair bands, and so I was a big Motley Crue and Poison and all the you know, all the Def Leopard, whatever you name it, Cinderella, throw Skidrow, throw all the Tesla, like big Tesla fan, huge Tesla fan. And and and a story wrapped around that later too. So, but uh my point is that like I I feel like I had a really good, a really good rounded ear of not just rock and roll, but country. I listened to a lot of pop, dude. I there was a moment in life in history that people can tell you that like I I I got into rap and I got into you know dance music and pop and things of that nature. So I I you know I'd I'd listen to anything and everything then that just struck a chord with me, you know. Uh and I think that was that was something that kind of molded me in a really good way was being able to, you know, lay down rock grooves and then and then maybe you know lay back on some country grooves, but also play some good pop stuff, you know. Um so you know, later in life I look back and I look at all those those different moments and those different things that that influenced me uh over time. And man, it's it's invaluable. You know, it's just invaluable. I mean, that there's literally, you know, at the at the old age, the ripe old age of 54 that I am, like there's this massive library, if you will, in my brain of music that I've learned over the years. Uh and it's and it's it's it's invaluable.

SPEAKER_00 5:27

I think that's good to and that keeps like the sound fresh. Like I was gonna bring up hair bands later, but like I also grew up on like a lot of those hairbands and like like ACDC was like my first love and music. Like Van Halen, like Eddie's like my my idol for for guitar. I even built Frankenstratz, and even like when I was growing up too, like all my friends would listen to rap music, and I kind of just do my own thing, listen to like Zeppelin and Van Halen 1, GNR, like all those hairbands and 70s stuff. I love too.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

Oh yeah, okay. And I consider you you and me both could see your name hair bands, yes. At the wazoo that influenced us, and and you know, and I I didn't mention GNR ACDC or something like that, but those are definitely bands that influenced, you know, yeah, in just in just different random ways, you know what I'm saying? Like every Alex Van Halen to me, I I probably got into around the 1984 album for Van Halen. Okay. Um and then you know, listening to Hot for Teacher in Panama and Jump and all those songs really, I mean, that was I I wore that album out ten times, you know. I'm saying, like, I'm sure I bought that album. You know, some people buy the Beatles White album several times. I bought the Van Halen 1984 album several times, whether it was album vinyl or cassette or CD or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 6:38

So those those first like six Dave albums are like the soundtrack to like my middle school and early high school experience. Like that's like such an influential um time for me. Are you more of a Dave guy or a Sammy guy?

SPEAKER_01 6:50

Uh, that is all as they're good question. Man, you know, okay, so okay. I'm gonna try to respond to this um democratically. I'm gonna say, look, I I absolutely adore like all of their albums. Like, I I I think that the only person that that successfully I don't even want to say took the place, but maybe held the role of David Lee Ross was Sammy Hagar. Um I think Sammy came in, took that band in a completely different direction to a certain extent, and brought them to the forefront. Now, that's not to say that the albums prior, like the 1984 album. That 1984 album is what to me personally what set them uh apart and set them on the map. Mainstream, like true mainstream, true mainstream map right there. Um, and then you know, here comes whatever happened, happened, and then David leaves, you know, and and he was an intricate part of that band. And how do you how do you replace Diamond Dave? You know what I'm saying? Like I know what there's there's there's a level there that you have to reach, you know what I'm saying? And and I think they nailed it out of the park with Sammy Agar, because that to me would have been the only person that could have filled that role and done as just as dynamic a job, not just not just with the actual showmanship side of things, which I don't know that you could ever compete with Dave on the showmanship side of things. Back in the day, back in the day. Back in the yeah, back in the day. But but like lyrically, songwriting, um, production, like all of that stuff, recording. I mean, they're impeccable, all of those albums. OU812, uh, it's it's just a crushing album. And and you know, everything since then for unlawful carnal knowledge or whatever, you throw whatever album in there, and it's just insanely good. I can listen to all of those albums. In fact, there's a playlist that I have at strictly Van Halen that I that's my run list when I go for runs, man. It's just literally strictly Van Halen stuff.

SPEAKER_00 8:51

So that's cool. It's cool. And just all those songs are like in my eyes, they're just they're hits. Like there's no, there's no skips on any of those albums.

SPEAKER_01 8:57

No, there's not.

SPEAKER_00 8:58

And that's hard to find these days, man.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

That's hard to find.

SPEAKER_00 9:01

That's such a rare thing. That's that's cool. I could talk forever about Van Halen, but um I have some questions too. Like, so when you moved to Nashville, like in '97, like what was what were you initially looking to like get out of it as opposed, like obviously you're a foreign drummer now, but what was your main ambition, or is that your main ambition?

SPEAKER_01 9:18

Coming out of Evansville, like I had a I was in a pretty when I say successful, like a it was a successful three-piece band called the Toadstones, and we were just a cover band um that had just really good players. We had a really good guitar player, a really good bass player that who could they could both harmonize really well. It was like we were you were just a three-piece band, but we played all the clubs, all the circuit of that area, and we were successful, making good money, things of that nature. I I would consider making good money and making a living playing music a success. Doesn't mean you're playing in front of 30,000 people, but you're succeeding in music. Um, and so I came from that to Nashville. Um, I I I got to the point where after doing that circuit so much, I was like, man, there's got to be more to this. There's got to be more to what I'm doing. I mean, I I either got I've got to, I've either got to uh go somewhere where I'm the little fish in a big pond and try to try to make it work, or I can just stay here and this this is going to eventually fizzle out. Uh, and so I decided to make the move to Nashville. It was either Nashville or LA. And to be perfectly honest with you, I was a little chicken. I was like, man, if I move out to LA, I'm probably gonna get lost. And as much as I loved all the hairbands from LA and things of that nature, I also saw a lot of the debauchery and things of that nature that happened. And that to me was just like, you know, I don't want to fall into that trap. I think Nashville is probably a good start for me. Um, and I ended up moving to Nashville on the recommendation of a fella that was moving from Owensboro, Kentucky, uh, to pursue being an artist as well. And uh, so I was like, well, shoot, this will be a good move. I'll I'll move to Nashville. I'll already know somebody who's trying to do the same thing, and we could kind of work on this together. So I did that. Uh shortly thereafter, you know, a couple of years later or so, he moved back to his hometown. And I stayed, I stayed in Nashville. But uh there was a lot of eye-opening things when I moved to Nashville. Um, coming from making good money in my hometown of Indiana and then moving to Nashville and playing down on Broadway at the time. Like there were times I played four hours and come home with 20 bucks, you know. Uh I actually spent money to play, you know. And so it was a different time back then. Um, luckily it's changed since then. There's guarantees down there now. Things are a little bit different. Um and I and I actually I actually suggest people go down there and play some, regardless, regardless of if it's good or bad, you're gonna learn something down there. You know what I'm saying? Um and I think that that's invaluable, invaluable stuff, uh education, if you will, uh playing down there. You you learn a lot more about yourself, you learn a lot more about your craft, uh, you learn a lot more about what you can do to improve your craft and what's gonna get you to that next level. Um But not just live down there. I mean, obviously, like some folks can they can make their career down there, and that's what they that's all they want to do, and that's perfectly fine. But if you're if your choice is to try to play on the big stages and things like that, you have to expand on just not just playing down on Broadway, but maybe go go down the other side, you know, where where uh music grow is and like winners and losers and go to go to those places and listen to songwriters and try to get yourself honed in on that. Uh I've no I've known drummers that have done that and and have picked up artist gigs just like that, just by doing that back and forth kind of thing. Yes. Uh it doesn't mean it's gonna work for everybody. It you know, things were different when I moved there versus where it is now. But uh, but no, no, I I I highly suggest if you're gonna if you're trying to make the move here, if you're trying to be doing what I'm doing, um uh you have to be present to win. You have to be here, man. Like you just can't, it's it's so much harder to do from sorry, New York or Hell. That's why I moved here. Yeah. Exactly. So it's uh it's a wonderful thing to be here and just immerse yourself in the culture and in everything that's around you. And again, learn about yourself, learn about what what you can take from what you're seeing, what you're learning. Um, but always always understand that uh that you have to walk a certain line to get to where it is that you want to go. And I'll also say this. I'll also say this there's too many people that come here and they put a time limit uh on on their dream. And I and I tell everybody, it's like you can't do that, man. If you move here, don't put a time limit on it because things could take longer than you think. Uh, and you might be very close to that that that line of making it, and then you move away because you just think it's not there, but it actually probably was. Plus, you don't want that kind of pressure on yourself as soon as you move to town going, oh, I got three years to do this, or I'm out of here, kind of thing. It's that's too much pressure, you know.

SPEAKER_00 13:40

Yeah, like I've definitely I've never had the approach of like I'll give this like two years and after that I'll drop it. Just kind of like you, I feel it, and just when it happens, it happens.

SPEAKER_02 13:48

Yes, that's funny.

SPEAKER_00 13:49

Ty Tyler was telling me the same thing. I was like, Do you have any advice for like, you know, I didn't even live in Nashville at the time. So do you have any advice for an up and coming artist? He's like, pack a suitcase and move to Nashville. So that was cool. All right. So I know like you toured with Luke Bryan and you toured with FGL, obviously, but I want you to tell me about your van Volpine and like oh gosh, yeah. I was doing a little digging. I had to be prepared.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

So Volpine. Okay, so uh during my during my early portion of my career, um, quick quick story of how this whole thing happened with Luke Bryan in the first place. I I had a buddy of mine named Brian Kolb that um was working at a uh studio called Bedrock Studio on Music Row. And he was just an intern. He was going to MTSU uh and he was an intern in the studio. And um essentially, like he was like the go-getter guy, gopher, I guess if you will, but they would give him, because he was an intern for engineering, uh, they would give him access to utilize the studio at night for whatever he wanted to do to kind of hone his craft and things of that nature. Yeah. Um during that course of that time, that was like again, 97, 98, 99 era. Um, I was moving there and I we just kind of stumbled upon each other. We're both from the same hometown. And we both kind of stumbled upon each other. We were both in bands in Indiana and we just we just became really good friends. Um, and he would hire me to come into that studio late at night and record for some of the songwriters and some of their some of the demos that they were doing, um, basically because they couldn't afford the day rate of a studio. And so he would come in there, charge them way less, and they would come in at night and they would record their demos. So I got to actually record with some major hit songwriters like a Dallas Davidson uh or Hillary Lindsay, uh, somebody that, you know, those those those are two right off the bat that I got to to do some of their early demos with, uh, who became unbelievably massive songwriters. Um, and I was doing that for basically beer and pizza just to get my feet wet, you know, at the time. And uh I remember recording, I remember recording one night, and Brian had me come in the next morning to remove my drums out of the studio. I came in and he's uh uh Brian's in there engineering, and I'm tearing my drums down, and in walks a gentleman named Luke Bryan, and uh at the time who was just a singer-songwriter from Murrah Publishing, and uh he uh I guess was on the phone upset because his drummer had bailed on him again for for a weekend worth of gigs in Georgia. And so uh my buddy Brian, uh, who at the time I never knew this, Luke Bryan was my buddy's roommate. I mean, a small world, right? Wow. Uh so they were they were roommates. And so uh my buddy Brian introduced me to Luke. Uh Luke hired me to do like some some weekend warrior shows with him, that kind of thing. And then I ended up being with him for like three or four years, you know, after that. Um during which, of that extent, to get to the Vulpine situation, um, I didn't know what was gonna. I mean, again, young, dumb, whatever, not knowing what's gonna happen with with Luke Bryan and he was gonna be who he is now. Um, you know, I was basically just playing all over Georgia with him at that point. And I had uh somebody hit me up about they they knew my background in rock, and so they hit me up from Jackson, Tennessee and said, Hey, I got this band called Ballpine, and we need a drummer. We're we're doing this, that, and the other, blah, blah, blah. We've got some opening slots uh coming up for like Powerman 5000, Hinder, Non-Point, Saliva, bands like that. And uh, and said, We'd love for you to come audition for the band. And of course, the you know, my my heart leans into heart into rock and roll bigger than it does anything else. Uh and so I jumped at that opportunity, um, ended up getting the gig with that band, left Luke Bryan for a while, um, did that band for a little while. They were being sought at at the time by a uh a label called Wind Up Records, if which, if you know anything about Wind Up Records, was the was the company that signed Creed. Um years and yeah, Wind Up Records was a Creed was Creed's label. And uh turns out during the course of all this stuff, man, some things just kind of fell apart. Uh some people let some some rocks drop and you know, you know, drop the ball on a couple of things. And um, and I started seeing the writing on the wall with the rock thing. But there was the the one album that came out with Ball Pine that definitely has kind of a uh kind of a seven dust-ish kind of sound, I guess if you will, a little a little easier going on the ears, not as Morgan Rose ish, you know, uh, but definitely has kind of like that sound, if you will. Um yeah, but like with good hard with good harmonies. It was definitely radio ready, you know what I'm saying? That kind of thing. Um but uh but it never came to fruition, man. It was just a really good album, and uh, we got to do a lot of really cool opening slots for those bands like Saliva, Nonpoint, Dark New Day, um Hender. We got the you know opening slot for Hinder. I mean Lips of an Angel, yeah. When Lips of an Angel was the song, that's where we had that opening slot. You know what I'm saying? That's cool.

SPEAKER_00 18:50

Like bucket, like bucketless stuff. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 18:52

Yeah, you know what I'm saying? But at the at the time, at that time, you know, I didn't know those were going to be bucketless things, but like they are, you know, in my head, being a little bit older of than mo most of the guys that were in that band at the time, like, you know, bucketless, one of the bucketless things happened later, which was the Z Z Top thing, which, you know, I don't know if you know that story, but that that happened at an award show here in Bridgestone in Nashville, Tennessee, where I uh basically became Frank Baird for a night and uh and played the you know, uh, I guess it was the the only live portion uh during the uh uh award show. It was a it was a mashup of Jason DeRulo, FGL, Luke Bryan, and Z Z Pop of all bands. What a list. It was a it was a mashup at the at the intro of the show, of the ceremony of the award show, that was the mashup. And uh I got a phone call when I was on a plane from the manager of FGL saying, Hey, uh we're doing this mashup thing at the award show. And he told me all the bands that were involved. He goes, by the way, there's a band that's gonna be a part of that called Z Z Top. Do you know them? And I'm like going, duh. Yeah, who doesn't? And he said, and he said, Um he goes, Well, their drummer Frank Baird couldn't make the awards, and we and there's a live portion of this that we need you to play live on drums. Do you know the song Lagrange? And I was like, only in my sleep, you know, I've played I've played that song a million times in my life, and they're like, Great, you'll be perfect. So I I was actually the third top uh for about 90 seconds for about 90 seconds that night and got pictures with the guys and that's cool. Oh, yeah, yeah. Got to do got to do the fill. I mean, they called me out on television and everything. It was really cool.

SPEAKER_00 20:32

That's sick. That's actually really cool. And I know your style is definitely more like hairband influenced, like you got like the Alex Van Halen style kit with the gong and the the double bass and everything. Like when you kind of first like got into that country scene, like were people like because you're very like a rock drummer, did you have to like tone it back a little bit, or were you just kind of going full rock mode with I guess the Brian and obviously FGL, but well, what how this how this all started was back in broad was was back on Broadway in Nashville.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

Um what I started noticing early on, again, this was so many years ago. I mean, things have definitely changed. Now it's kind of the norm.

SPEAKER_02 21:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:09

Um back then, I mean, everybody kind of looked the same, you know, everybody was doing the same things and whatnot. And in my head, I'm going, how do I set myself apart? How do I set myself apart from this? You know, I'm saying, like, this guy's just as good as me, this guy's just as good as me, this guy's better than me, this guy blends in. Yeah. I'm noticing. It all blends in. So I I, you know, me, like at the time, I'm, you know, I was leaning into the rock thing more anyway. So I was getting tattoos. Uh, I was, and it wasn't on purpose, it was just something I was wanting to do because I was into rock and roll. So I was getting tattoos, and um, most of the time when I was on Broadway, I had a mohawk uh instead of this ball pit. I had a mohawk, it was painted a different color every night that I was playing down there. Uh there were times where I were wearing basketball jersey pants down or shorts down there, or there were times where I was wearing a kilt. You know what I'm saying? So I was kind of that I I I literally un unknowingly set myself apart by how I looked down on Broadway because everybody else was wearing tight jeans and the button-up shirt and the cowboy hat and the boots and the everywhere.

SPEAKER_00 22:15

Yeah, that's how you make it too. Even at Belmont, all my I have really talented friends, but everybody dresses with like the press shirt, tucked in, cowboy hat. Like it's cool, but you're you're not gonna stand out. You know, you gotta be different, you know. I was the alternative.

SPEAKER_01 22:28

I was definitely, you know, not not to use a bass term, but I was definitely the flea of Nashville for a moment of time. And but it worked out like every it got around to where you know everybody, you know, when it came to like a sub drummer, uh, or hey, or or they wanted somebody that had more energy in their thing, everybody's like, oh, call that call that Sean Kidd up, man. That dude's like, cool, and he, you know, wears it has a mohawk and wears the kilt sometimes and create, and they're like, What? You know, so I got a lot of gigs just just by how I dressed or how I looked, but I also had to show up prepared. Like it wasn't it wasn't just oh yeah, I'm gonna be that crazy guy, whatever. Like you had to know what you were doing.

SPEAKER_00 23:05

Yeah, yeah, for sure. Because if you can't play, like even my my friend like Jake Summers, like I think we talked about this off the record, but like he said like he learned like 300 charted songs so he could like kind of pick up anywhere if people needed him and just be prepared too.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Jake is a prime example of what I was talking about when I said there were drummers that would literally show up to winners or losers with a songwriter and just go, I'm gonna be your drummer. He did that. He literally did that. That was his yeah, he was he was telling me that that's how we got with Luke, and he's been with him since like day one. He's been with Luke Combs since day one, you know, and so good for him. Kudos to him, man. Like that that takes some brass balls, you know, saying to say, I'm just gonna I'm gonna be your drummer number, you know. And he ended up doing it. Like, I mean, he set his whole career in motion instantaneously. What a great job, you know. Saying Jake's a wonderful person too. I I don't get to talk to him at that much, but when we do, in fact, I think we just texted uh uh not too long ago and we're supposed to get together at some point, but we hadn't set a date. So, but it's gonna happen. I love Jake. Uh he's he's a great dude, and and there's just so many great drummers playing with so many great artists down here. And uh a lot of the drummers that I had to grind my teeth with, um gosh like the Greg Lomans and the Kevin Murphys, and um, you know, just all the dudes, all the dudes that you know are are playing with massive artists right now were were the same guys that you know I was running around on Broadway with trying to figure out life and figure out how we were going to get to the next level, you know, that kind of thing. And so it's it, Keo Stroud and you know, all those guys, they're all doing wonderful things or have done wonderful things in their careers, respectively, but we all we all were grinding our teeth at the same time down there on Lower Broadway, playing all the clubs and the you know, just rent baronet, you know what I'm saying? So it's like it's a good thing to look back on.

SPEAKER_00 24:54

It's all about like the hang. Like you could be the best drummer, but if you're you have an ego, no one's gonna want to be with you. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 24:59

It's all very true, man. Like it's it's very true. I, you know, there there were there were moments in my career where I wasn't the best person, you know what I'm saying? There's moments in my career where I can honestly say I lost jobs, you know what I'm saying? But you but again, it's it's it's it's looking in the mirror and figuring out, is it is it them or is it me? And then for the most part, man, it was just me. I just needed to change my attitude. I needed to change things, or there were life things that were happening that I was going through that turned me into something that I wasn't. You know what I'm saying? Like those things happen in life. That's just a natural part of life. But you learn from it and you grow from it. And I think that's that's what finally got me into a group like the FGL thing that actually like gave me that opportunity to explore that, you know. Luckily for me, um, you know, FGL wanted someone like me with that bombastic energy, but also just like to take an album of their stuff and play it to 85, 90%, but also give it your 10 to 15 percent of what you do and make it, you know what I'm saying? Like that's a pretty that's a pretty awesome thing to have because there's a lot of artists out there that won't allow that. They want things like the album, you know. Uh and so, you know, I got very fortunate with them, and it's an interesting thing because many years ago, uh Pat McDonald, I don't know if you know who Pat McDonald is. Pat's uh Pat was the drummer for Charlie Daniels band for the longest time. And then an incredible drummer, incredible. Like he he's the guy that like to me, he was like the Dave Weckle or the or the Vinny Calliuda of country music. Like he was insanely good. Um and I would go watch him play with Wig, play with the Charlie Daniels band. And he told me the exact same thing because I I had talked to him and I was like, man, you've got to teach me all this stuff. He goes, He goes, All I can teach you is how to get fired. And I was like, what do you mean by that? He goes, well, he goes, you have to think about it. It's what your artists want, not what you want. He goes, my artist, Charlie Daniels, gives gives him a high percentage of free reign to do what he does behind the kit with his songs. Not every artist will do that. Luckily, FGL did that with me as well. They let me they allowed me a certain reign, if you will, to do what I do, to bring a certain kind of live energy to what they bring to stadiums or or wherever. Um not every artist uh allows that, you know. Um, so you know, there it's a it's a give and take, you know, basically, it's just what I'm coming with here.

SPEAKER_00 27:19

That's cool. That's a great segue too. I was gonna ask, well, I mean, before I even ask like how you met the FGL guys, I was always curious. Like, on like the first two albums, Here's the Good Times and Anything Goes, was there like a drummer in the studio playing that, or was it all programmed?

SPEAKER_01 27:31

So that that's that's the I never figured that one out. I think I I never did the research terribly too much on it, but I think a lot of it was programmed, okay? Um, which which is probably the reason why right off the cuff I was given such a high percentage of rain to be that live drummer that brought that live feel to it, you know what I'm saying? Both incredible albums, okay? Both are incredible albums. And and to to be able to listen to those albums, go, man, that's a really good, that's a really well-produced album. That's credit to whatever is done there, you know what I'm saying? And then to be able to be the person that gets to go emulate that live, you know what I'm saying? And then, oh, by the way, we're gonna give you some rain to do whatever you want to with it. I'm like, oh, I don't threaten me with a good time, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. So, you know, that that's essentially where that went to. And I'm so happy it did because, you know, I there, there, there were a lot, there's a lot of times where you can listen to an album as a musician and go, man, I'd have done that different, or I'd have done that different, or I'd have played that different. And and so, you know, you do those kind of things, but you have to be what the artist who's hiring you needs you to be, you know what I'm saying? And so that that that in itself is a question to the artist when you get hired, you know, to do something, or even when you're auditioning for something, is to be like, you know, like I know I'm here for the audition. I thank you for the audition, but what is it exactly that you're looking for as an artist? Do you want somebody that's giving you energy back there, that's putting on a show back there? Do you want somebody that just lays in the pocket and just lay down and plays everything like the album? You know, there's a there's a there's there's gray area all along that right there. And so you want to make sure that the artist is happy with what you're doing, you know. And I'm and I do that every year with with Tyler. I did that with FGL. It is at the end of the year, I'm just like going, Do you still enjoy what I do? And they're like, Yes, keep doing it. Great. Yeah, you've been there a while.

SPEAKER_00 29:19

I mean, you're in the uh the get your shot on video and like everything after that, right?

SPEAKER_01 29:23

Yeah, got got got beat up and wrestled by it by a uh uh the midget uh dag I saw yeah, I'll just be folding laundry. It was planned that way. It was planned that way. I promise it was not, I wasn't intentionally doing that.

SPEAKER_00 29:37

Oh, it was hilarious. I'm sure. Yeah, I'll just be folding laundry sometimes. I'll have like YouTube autoplay videos and FGL will come on like, oh that's Sean. That's that was a funny video though. But uh oh man, I gotta I got some questions, but like uh yeah, I mean, how'd you like meet Tyler and BK? Because I remember like when we were backstage, you were saying you were with Justin Moore, right? Yes, they just scoped you out, but how'd that kind of go down?

SPEAKER_01 29:58

So it you know, again, during during a moment of life where I was where I was learning a bit more about myself or where I needed to be. I was I was I was with Justin Moore at the time. And and Justin's a great person, he's he's a great artist. But at the time, at the time that we were touring together, like I I I could honestly say that I'm sure he was going through some growing pains, I was going through growing pains. Um, you know, we we didn't necessarily see eye to eye on some things, and and that, you know, that came about in certain areas, but you know, uh I I guess in the in the grand scheme of things, the the final shows that I did with Justin, or some of the final shows that I did with Justin, was on a tour called the CMT Throwdown Tour. And the CMT Throwdown Tour, uh, Gary, at the time, Gary Allen was the headliner. Uh, and there were several acts on the main stage. And then there was a B stage off to the side that had a few acts as well, um, that played during the daytime. So you had daytime acts, and then you had like, you know, the the main stage acts at night, kind of like a normal festival, I guess, if you if you will. Yeah. Um and so it was called the CMT Throwdown Tour. And Justin, while I was playing drums with them, uh, we got to do a handful of shows, not many, but just a handful as the as the I guess the main support to Gary, which is means it's right on before him. And um during those, during those shows, I I mean, during the daytime, while everybody else was doing their things, I mean, I'd I'd go for jogs or something like that. And I remember going by the B stage and hearing this bombastic rock band playing. And I it sounded good, but I didn't know who it was, but I just kept on going or whatever. And um turns out that there was a band called Florida Georgia Line on that stage, uh, along with another band called Parmelay, great guys there, too. Oh, yeah, Parmalley, yeah, yeah. Love the guys.

SPEAKER_00 31:44

They just opened for uh for Tyler, like in my hometown show.

SPEAKER_01 31:48

Yes, and there was like Maggie Rose and I think a couple other different ones that were on that stage. Yeah. Uh and I can't, I'm again, my my mind is so old now, I can't remember everything, but I can tell you that I believe those were some of the acts that were on that B stage. Uh but anyway, uh after the whole Justin Moore gig went away, um I got a phone call about an audition for the band Florida Georgia Line. But I didn't know who they were. I had never heard their name before. I knew nothing about them, zero, zilps, nada. And uh at the time we're living in Madison, Tennessee, me and my wife, and we had um this person who was a friend of my wife's who had just moved to town, uh, staying at our house. And uh I remember getting the phone call for an audition for Florida Georgia Line. And at that time, I didn't have a gig. I wasn't with Justin, I wasn't with anybody. I was just actually still back downtown playing a bit and that kind of thing, trying to discover if I still wanted to do what I'm doing. And uh lo and behold, it was a it was a phone call from a guy named Seth England, who was the representative manager, if you will, of a band called Florida Georgia Line. Okay and and we would love for you to audition for this band. Uh, needless to say, that initial phone call, I in my head, I'm still a little jaded, to be perfectly honest with you. Still a little jaded from from just the music stuff and whatnot. And so I actually initially turned the audition down. Now, now phone call ends. Uh, my wife and the person who's staying with us is in the kitchen. Who was that? Well, I was this guy named Steph England. Uh, wanted me to audition for this this band. What was the name of the band? Uh I think it was called Florida Georgia line or something like that. And the girl that was staying with us was like, and I was like, what? And she goes, You just turned down an audition for them? They're about to explode. And I was like, Yeah. And I so she knew a lot more about this band than I did. I I didn't know much about the band. I just so when I when I heard that, I immediately called called that number back that had called me. And I was like, you know what? Do me a favor, just send me some demos or or what you're putting out, you know, let me listen to it and I'll give and and I'll see what we can do from there. Maybe maybe go ahead and do an audition. Okay. That's like their first EP, right? Yeah. So I I basically played it off because I felt like I had made a mistake, and I had at that point. So it worked out for the best. It worked out for the best. So interestingly enough, interestingly enough, so Seth sets me up with an audition and he sends me three songs to learn for this audition. It's just normal, you know, you go to an audition, they usually give you two or three songs to audition to, and you're and you're doing that. So I was like, okay, cool. Well, then like a day or two later, I get a phone call from the band leader, and and I was like, Yeah, I think we're set up for the audition. I'm I'm looking forward to the audition. He goes, Well, let me send you three songs. And I was like, Okay, well, I have I think I have the three songs. He goes, Let me send you to you. So he sends me three songs, and they're three different songs than the three songs that Seth England sent me. So now I have six songs to learn. Wow. Um, needless to say, I I I went ahead, learned all six of those songs, came to the audition. I got about two songs in um into the audition. Now, when we did the audition, it was at uh SIR in Nashville. And um it was basically me with the band and some tracks, things of that nature, just to kind of get through the audition. And when I did the audition, we're set up on the stage and there's a couch out front. Uh, no pressure here, but Joey Moy, who is the producer, uh founder, pretty much. Yeah, Seth Englund, who's the manager, uh, BK, Tyler, and a couple other dudes all come in. They're all sitting on this couch watching as I audition. Okay. We just playing through a track and just playing along with it. We playing with the band and some tracks just to, you know, I'm saying, like to make how see how things felt.

SPEAKER_03 35:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:49

Um, so it was like me, the guitar player, the bass player, and I think some tracks, and I think that was it. So it was like literally, you know, three guys and some tracks to get through the songs. Okay, cool. So I did the three songs that they had suggested. We got done with the three songs. Well, I got a song and a half or two songs in. They and they're like they they had pretty much called it at that point. And I was like, Well, I have five, five other songs that I can play for you that you guys sent me. So we put it's like, oh, really? So I just went ahead and I played all of the songs that they sent me. They got done. They stood up and they're like going, you want to go get some breakfast? And I was like, Yeah. Because I was hungry at that point. So I was like, Aren't there, aren't there any other other auditioners? Like you, I mean, is it was I the last guy? And I'm like, Oh no, you're the only guy. And I was like, What? Yeah. We're done. Yeah, he was like, we just we he goes, we already knew we wanted you, we just wanted to hear you play. That's it. And I was like, that's unbelievable. That's awesome. Uh so I I got the gig on the spot, and uh, it was like maybe a couple of days later or so that we were in a shuttle van and a trailer heading off to go do to do shows. And I was uh I I asked him, you know, about rehearsals for other songs, and they're like, well, no, you can you can listen to those and chart those on the way to the gigs. So I literally in the shuttle van and a trailer, and I'm I'm sitting there listening to the rest of their songs, some of the you know, demo stuff and things of that nature, and I'm just charting away, charting songs and getting it. So I had this chart for the first several shows, I had a chart book down beside me, just kind of playing playing the songs to what what I thought was supposed to be, you know. Yeah, uh, but it it all it all worked out, man.

SPEAKER_00 37:30

It all worked out it always works out, you know. It always works out. That's cool. So was that tour like your first tour? Were you with like the Jake Owen tour they were on? Because I know you were with like Luke Bryan, Dirt Road Diaries, but yeah. So how long, how many dates was the Jake Owen tour? Like, was it a long months?

SPEAKER_01 37:45

You know what's I it I don't know that it didn't feel like terribly long, but it could have been. But I can tell you that being the 25-minute slot, which is the very opener, it was us, then Colt Ford, and then Jake. And it wasn't it didn't feel like more than two or three months later that all of a sudden that shifted. And we and we were literally being immersed into our first uh headline tour. Like, you know, and and I know it was it probably went on for a little bit longer than I thought, but but it definitely didn't feel like long of being the 25-minute slot, and then all of a sudden this thing just blew open with crews, and and the next thing you know, guys, you have one album and you're headlining, you know, and it's just like holy cow! Like, and so we had to develop a whole show, 90-minute show, wrapped around one album. That's that's difficult to do. So we're doing, we're doing, we're throwing out all the stops, man. We're doing covers, we're doing all kinds of fun stuff and throwing in licks and things. We're creating this, this, this energy that just literally was like you we we couldn't find it again after that. Like, I mean, the anything goes tour was probably the next coming of that. But that first show, that that first tour where we had to really hone in and develop a 90-minute set, like a 75 to 90 minute show wrapped around one album. That's that was that's the thing, man.

SPEAKER_00 39:10

Is that where like the hip-hop medley came in with like the old like those old 90s hip-hop songs? Which by the way is the best error of hip-hop. Like, I don't like new rap, but I love like that old 90s, like Dr. Dre 2000 stuff. I love that stuff. But I didn't get into that until later.

SPEAKER_01 39:24

That's uh well, that's that's BK and Tyler. You know, those two guys have they have a lot of influence from that stuff, you know. I'm saying a lot of influence. And and I had a little bit, which I guess parlayed a little bit into it, you know what I'm saying? I mean, I but the stuff that I grew up on was not the stuff that they grew up on. I mean, they're they're listening to that that era of stuff. The stuff that I grew up on that was rap was vanilla ice and run DMC and Digital Underground and you know, that kind of quest and all that, all of that kind of stuff. So it was a completely different era, but they really worked together, you know, saying like all of our influences really came together and became this really cool thing.

SPEAKER_00 40:01

And now you have like trap beats in every other country song. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 40:04

It yeah, I mean, but but you know, it at the end of the day, at the end of the day, you know, FTL did blaze a trail for a lot of artists that are out there currently. They really, really did. It's very reminiscent of a Garth Brooks and Shania Twain blazing a trail for what came after them, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, um, and so you know, I I think Garth Garth Brooks definitely um you know brought that rock influence, that bombastic show kind of thing influence into the into the realm of country music. Uh and Shania Twain brought that Death Leopard, you know, bloodline. We need winning now, it's fading away. You know, like that was such a cool thing. And I love Shania Twain's stuff, and I love her stuff, and I loved her shows. Um, they were those are really cool, and obviously the Garth shows are incredible, they've always been incredible, and he's just full of energy, even at his age, you know. So um, I love it, man. It's such a good time.

SPEAKER_00 40:54

That's cool. That's I don't know how much more time you have, but I have a couple more questions I'd love to ask you.

unknown 40:58

Go for it, go for it.

SPEAKER_00 40:59

Awesome. Um, I don't know where do I start. I got like a bunch, but I guess also like when you were on the road with like Luke Bryan, like was that how was that like? Just oh, it's me again, what's up? Like, how was that? You know?

SPEAKER_01 41:10

You know, Luke, Luke is uh Luke is a is a funny character, man. He's yeah, great personality. He's got a great personality, man. And you know, I learned a lot of invaluable lessons in that camp too. Uh and and and some not some some again, like you know, as you look back on career things that may have gone wrong or may have gone right, you you try to learn from everything. And I and I learned a lot from you know that that situation. I was so green. I was so green during that time. And and and just thought, you know, when you when you've when you've got a gig or this, and you, you know, you think you own the world and things of that nature. And the the fact is is we're all replaceable, you know what I'm saying? Um, but at the end of the day, you know, I owe that man a lot of respect. I I owe you know Justin Moore a lot of respect. Uh I I owe I owe all the FGL stuff. I mean, every artist that I've played for or done something from or been on a stage with, um, whether that be the artists or the musicians from those bands, I have learned a ton from just by watching. Sometimes you don't even have to communicate with them. You can watch and learn something, you can hear something and learn something, you know?

SPEAKER_00 42:15

Yeah, they make it look like so effortless, like just being tight like night after night and being consistent too. It's consistency is like a it's it's hard to do, you know? Yeah, get it done.

SPEAKER_03 42:24

Just keep getting wrapped in.

SPEAKER_00 42:26

Have any like crazy road stories with like I guess prime FGL, just anything you want to share on the podcast that's family friendly for the viewers?

SPEAKER_01 42:33

Uh I'll I will say that there was one gig that actually two things that happened. Okay. I'm not gonna go. This goes into tracks world. Okay, when you're running tracks, like as a drummer, like we're running, we're running what's called Ableton. Um and it's uh it's so it's it's essentially what we call supplemental tracks that help things sound huge, like a snare drum or a yeah, whatever it is. It could be extra guitar parts, it could be extra vocals, it could be whatever, it doesn't matter. Synth parts, it doesn't matter. Anyways, point is is this that's also what we use for like our click track, it's keeping the tempo and for count-offs for songs, segues, things of that nature. We utilize all that stuff to help us build this show to where it's flawless for the viewer, okay? And so I remember early on with Epchio when we when we went from using um a split left and right track on an iPod, you know, uh to run our tracks to a computer, you know. I remember I remember using uh a computer that I I had never run Ableton before in my life. I don't I knew nothing about Ableton. I was just kind of thrown into it at the early portion of FGL. And it was like it was on the Luke Bryan tour where it just seemed like night after night something would go wrong. Something had to misfire or whatever. Um anyway, one night uh I had I guess it was a rolling SPD 30. So back then it wasn't the SPD SX so much as it was the SPD30. It was like an octopad. They called it the octopad. And essentially it's a trigger pad that you MIDI uh like um verses in or choruses in or click tracks in, and when you hit that, it takes you to certain places. Well, uh, I remember playing one night in a song, middle of a song, stick breaks, flies up in the air, hits the pad, and completely triggers a different song. Dude, while we're playing this song, it triggers a different song. So needless to say, that was kind of screwy. But the the absolute worst thing that happened one night is uh I had my in-ears in, and and we're getting ready to start the show. The lights come down. I'm out there on the drum kit and I'm getting ready to hit that first bum, like this, right? In ears are in, have a fan behind me blowing really high, which means the cable, the cable to my in-ears back here, my in-ear headphones. Oh, yeah, yeah, is blowing around in the wind a little bit like this, right? Oh no, I can see where this is going. I took my sticks when I went back to hit that big hit, it grabbed my in-ears. I went down for that big hit and it ripped my in-ears out of my ears and threw them out into the audience. $1,500 pair of in-ears that just got tossed out into a sea of audience that now owns those, and I have no idea where those were. I I still to this day wish somebody would have commented or sent me a friend request to go, hey, by the way, I was that guy that collected your in-ears that many years ago. From all right, you should play on Instagram. It depends on the one. Needless to say, nobody in the band knew that happened except for me. And so when you're playing in an arena, you get what's called slapback. So when you're playing, the sound is coming back at you from the from the far wall, which tends to make you feel like things are slowing down. Well, when you don't have in ears in, yeah, all of a sudden everything starts slowing down super slow.

SPEAKER_00 46:00

And it's hard to get one on track, you know?

SPEAKER_01 46:02

It's hard to get on track. And so, needless to say, that that show, the first song was a complete crapshoot. So it literally sucked, and I felt so bad for that. But luckily, somebody finally from Side Stage caught on, brought me a pair of in-ears. I tossed them in real quick, and we got into the second song without a hitch. But that first song was was a nightmare.

SPEAKER_00 46:22

That's crazy. Yeah, I've played, I think I told you this, but I played on stage with the killers like drums one time, and I had like no in-ears, nothing. Yeah, it was like an outdoor amphitheater, so it wasn't as bad. But like I've even been to shows too where like you can barely even like figure out which beat you're on, like where's the beat? Because it's just it's weird, like the the way the sound reflects.

SPEAKER_01 46:40

That's it does, exactly. And those are things, those are things that the general audience doesn't know. Like they don't, you know, the things that the general audience does does not know is like how good of or bad of a day you had that day. You know what I'm saying? Like they don't gotta put on a front. Yeah, they're you know, they all they all they know is I paid X amount of dollars for a ticket to come see something, and I want to see something. And so like as a musician, like no matter what your day was like, no matter what issues you had or whatever, you've got to be able to drop that at the at the door and walk on stage and put on the performance of your life and then come back to it later. It's just it's just a light switch, is all it is, an on and off switch, you know?

SPEAKER_00 47:14

Here's something I'm like really curious about because you've obviously seen like the whole bro country movement from like kind of its infancy to where it is now. Like, yeah, what are some like huge differences you've seen from like when it started, like say 2014, like a Luke Bryan, FGL, Colton Bell kind of show to now? Like, are there any main differences you've noticed in the audience or just the energy in the room? Because back then it was like so fresh.

SPEAKER_01 47:35

And now I think, I think honestly, where where music is going in general, whether you want to call it country, rock, pop, this, that, it doesn't matter. I think the lines are so blurred nowadays that it's just do you like it or do you not? You know what I'm saying? Um, and I think I think ultimately um there's some really good stuff out there. There's some stuff that you're just like, eh, you know, that kind of thing. But when it came to that that particular time, you know, you're you're always gonna have your diehard Alabama, you know, toys. The country purist that, you know, Chris Stapleton, which I love Chris Stapleton, get me wrong. Just because I play what I play and who I play with doesn't mean I I don't I can't enjoy a Chris Stapleton album. I love Chris Stapleton. Um, but that that said, you know, saying, like I've I I I hate that we have to I hate that we have to feel like it's like um your your team against my team. You know what I'm saying? Uh you know, I'm a Titans fan. Well, I'm a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Well, we hate each other. You know, that it doesn't have to be that way. You know what I'm saying? Like, I think music is music, and if it's good, it's good. And if you love it, you'll listen to it. If you don't, you won't, you know? Yeah. Uh I think that's ultimately you know, you get you get too many couch potato quarter packs out there, you know, talking about, oh, this band sucks and blah, blah. Well, you you don't have to listen to it, man. There's a dial on your station. You can turn it anytime you want to, you know?

SPEAKER_00 48:58

Yeah, for sure. For sure.

SPEAKER_01 49:00

So I I think that I think that there's a, you know, every I can say this honestly now, and I say this partially because obviously I played for them for so many years, but I can listen to every FGL album, and I can't find a bad track. You know what I'm saying? And that's hard to come by. So, you know, you you it's kind of like a Van Halen where you can listen to those albums front to back and not find, you know, or whatever. And I and I'm not trying to compare FGL to Van Halen. I'm just saying, like you can in the grand scheme of things, when when you listen to an album that you're you're going, my God, they only pulled three number ones off of this album, but there's 10 of them on this album, you know? Yeah, there's something to be said about that. Every every song meant something. I go back now, like there's there's because I'm I'm you know, uh quite possibly some things happening next year, like I'm going back and listening to those albums to recollect, you know, uh memories of what I used to think or what I used to do playing wise. Um, and and so I go back and I find old YouTube videos or whatever, or I'll go to the album itself and I'll pull up some of the B-side stuff that I never listened to. And I'm like going, gosh, that's such a hit. Like what what happened there, you know?

SPEAKER_00 50:07

Yeah, like tip it back, or I don't even know. Yeah, even that extended edition, there's like some hidden bangers on there.

SPEAKER_01 50:12

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 50:13

What's your favorite FGL song to play live?

SPEAKER_01 50:16

Oh gosh. It's not even it's it's not even a hit. It's not a hit.

SPEAKER_00 50:20

I probably know it if it's off the first two. I love those albums.

SPEAKER_01 50:23

It's it's off the first album.

SPEAKER_00 50:26

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 50:27

First album. Am I supposed to get it? Yeah, you gotta get it.

SPEAKER_00 50:31

Oh, okay. Um is it off the extended edition or just regular?

SPEAKER_01 50:36

It's regular edition.

SPEAKER_00 50:37

Ooh.

SPEAKER_01 50:38

We we opened our shows with it so many times.

SPEAKER_00 50:40

Oh. I'm gonna I'm gonna say it's just what we do.

SPEAKER_01 50:44

Got it.

SPEAKER_00 50:44

Oh, I got it. Let's go. And that's like rappy too. That's like a great mix of genres that all the purists are hating on. But I think it's so good. It was so groundbreaking at the time as well.

SPEAKER_01 50:53

Absolutely. And that's what that's what blazed that trail that people are forgetting. They think that they're like ruining country, but no, they're just they're just creating something that creates a different audience. That's it. They're they're they're they're trying to show you that music can be this and this and this and this. And that's what all artists were doing. That's why you're seeing so much cross-genre. You know, this artist working with this artist or this pop artist working with, you know, we did stuff with freaking backstreet boys and like Nelly, for God's sake. Yeah, Nelly.

SPEAKER_00 51:20

Yeah, even next to Fetty Wap, it's all over now.

SPEAKER_01 51:23

Yeah, absolutely. You know, it's but it's like that was such good stuff. And I, and and as a kid, if you'd have told me back in my early rock metal years that I'd have been on stage with the Backstreet Boys later in life, I'd be like, no way, man. Ain't no way I'm gonna ever be on stage with those guys. I'm gonna get caught dead with them. Yeah, I got, you know what I'm saying? And here I am later years in life. I'm going, yep, I'm on stage with those guys, and I'm performing not only our songs, but I'm playing, you know, playing in the band for their songs live too. Like we did that whole thing. So I had to, I had to learn Backstreet Boys songs and play those live, you know? And that was so fun. It was so fun. And I will tell you this those guys were so genuine and so cool and so kind. Like I it again, like dating it back to when I was younger and you don't know anything, you find out later in life, man, that these people are just people, they're just just like you and me. They're just have they're they're living life, they're just living it differently, they're just doing it differently, or they're writing differently, or they're performing differently.

SPEAKER_00 52:16

Yeah. That was like crazy because it's Nelly Backshit Boys and FGL, and it worked, it seemed to work so well. Oh, dude, it was a banger, man. It was a banger. I was in like middle school when that tour was around, but that just seemed like a good time. And I feel like now too, all the stuff on the radio is like like no shame to it, but it's all just like Americana, soft acoustic. Like we're missing like the like the crews and the deaf leopards, and I really miss that stuff. So even the alternative mixing that with like modern country, I think I would love to see that come back. I think right now we're in like that 70s period with all these like these like soft acoustic hippie songs, and then EDs are gonna come around and it's gonna be hair metal and glam, that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_01 52:52

I think it's you know, I think there's a time for everything. Um it's kind of it's kind of actually refreshing too, you know, because you know when that stuff comes back around, you know, you you learn to appreciate it even more. You know what I'm saying? Like I think, I think that there, you know, I'm kind of like kind of like you in an area where like later, later in life, I'm going, uh man, I really miss some of that stuff. But you know, again, like I grew up in a completely different era than you. Um and and I and I I I look back on that stuff now, like, gosh dang it. I didn't know I was gonna be such a Pink Floyd fan, to be honest with you. I'm a huge Pink Floyd fan now. Love Pink Floyd, gosh dang it. I grew up on that, yeah. Yeah, I you know, I such a big thing. Like, uh, but you know, I I can I can go to stuff like that, or I can go listen to off, you know, several Peter Gabriel albums or s or or whatever, Phil Collins albums, and you know, all of those things that come about later, you two albums doesn't matter, and then go to a coplay album or go to this album or whatever, and it all just works, man. It's just all good stuff. But you you you see where people basically it we're all stealing from each other, you know what I'm saying? Drummers steal grooves and and licks all the time, guitar players the same thing, writers do the same thing, producers do the same thing. We're all con cats, we're all copycats, you know what I'm saying? Like for somebody to go, oh man, that's fresh and new. Well, it might be it might sound that way, but it came from this, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_00 54:18

So that's the beauty of it too. It's just evolution. Yeah, exactly, exactly. What are your top five albums like of all time of any genre? Like just what's on your playlist? I know it's I don't even know mine, but well, I know a lot of them, but I will tell you that when I when I lay in my bunk at night, I'll tell you this one.

SPEAKER_01 54:37

When I lay in my bunk at night after shows or whatever, the album that I put on the most is Pulse by Pink Floyd. It's a live album. Uh and it's what it's one of my favorite albums to listen to because it's so smooth and it's so relaxing and it's so fun to listen to. Just the musicianship of it. And then if you ever get a chance to go actually, if you YouTube that concert live and you watch it, they were so ahead of their time. It's insane. Insane. Um next album, I would say um gosh, dang, man. Um gosh, I mean which one? Oh I know. I guess it's like there's a good album.

SPEAKER_00 55:22

There's a good live album. I forgot what it's called, but it's kind of a mix of everything.

SPEAKER_01 55:25

Yeah, I dude, like I I love that one. I don't uh to me, it's like any of their albums. Like, I just whatever I'll I'll put on like I put on more playlists than I do albums. You know what I'm saying? Like I'll put on a playlist of this band or a playlist of that band. Yeah, you go with the album kind of thing. Now there are there are there are certain albums. Like I will say that like you know, Van Halen, 1984 album, um Fair Warning. Um love Fair Warning, you know. Um but then I'll go to I'll go to OU812 or Balance or you know, for Unlawful Carnival Knowledge, and I'll listen to that just as much as I will those early albums. Um Rush, I mean Exit Stage Left, um Moving Pictures, um Guys 2112, I mean um Counterparts, um what's the one with Roll of the Bones on it? It might be actually the title of the album, um but uh um Rush albums for sure. Um man anything queen. Um I'm just trying to think. I'm trying to think out loud. Um as far as like you know, hair band albums. Now here's here's I'm gonna I'm gonna give you something new today. I'm gonna give you something new to go check out because this was a band, this was a hair band that well first of all I'll say I'll say Tesla because any Tesla album is a great album, okay? Any Tesla album is a great album. Um there was a band, uh I want to say they were Texas-based, was not as big, um, but their albums were so good. I loved their albums. And they it was just that pinnacle of that era right there. Um, but I I would go listen to bands that people didn't mention. I was a I loved Bullet Boys. Um Blue, you know, Blue Murder. I loved uh this this particular band was called Torah Torah. You ever heard of Torah Torah? I know the Van Halen song. I don't know like the band. Okay. Well go go check out go check out the band, Torah Torah. Get get they uh I would say listen to Surprise Attack. Okay, and then listen to Surprise Attack was a really good, it's just got it's got a good southern, southern rockish feel to it. It's why I enjoyed it so much. Um, and then uh after that, the album that they put out called Wild America. Two really, really good albums. I love both those albums, but uh you know Cinderella albums. I mean, good God.

SPEAKER_00 57:57

Oh, those are great. My dad loves Cinderella.

SPEAKER_01 57:59

Oh, yeah. Night songs. Oh my god, what a great album.

SPEAKER_00 58:03

Um scenes from blues or whatever, whatever.

SPEAKER_01 58:06

Yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 58:08

I love a good I love a good niche 80s band like Saxon, like Princess of the Night, yes, or uh autograph with turn up the radio.

SPEAKER_01 58:16

Yeah, absolutely. And then you got the Motley Cruise and Def Leopards and Oh, yeah, but that and to me, that was so I was so like to me, like you always knew about the big bands, like the Motley Cruise and the Vanhales and the Poisons and the whatever, but like you you never heard of these bands like what you're mentioning right here. So when you go back and you listen to those albums, you're like, oh my god, there was some really good stuff out there that didn't really quite make it as big. A band called Kicks, go check them out. KR. Yeah, you know, like bands like that. I love them.

SPEAKER_00 58:46

It makes me wonder too how many albums got lost to like the digital revolution, like how much stuff isn't on Spotify, and you can only get on vinyl or cassette or whatever, you know. I agree, I agree. That's crazy. I'll give I'll give you a couple more minutes. We're almost at an hour, so yeah. Thank you so much for your time. I got I got a couple more. Um I knew you kind of said Z Z Top before, but what's like your like your dream collab, like on stage? You can play with anybody, artists or bands, who's who's that gonna be?

SPEAKER_01 59:14

Oh my god. Um if I was ever invited to be the drummer of of a band.

SPEAKER_00 59:22

Yeah. Or like, hey, our poor this drummer can't make it, you gotta fill in.

SPEAKER_01 59:26

Oh gosh. Jeez. Sting. Um really I'd do a sting thing. Like I'd do um holy cow. I don't know that I even I don't know that I have the energy to do a foo fighter. Say I love foo fighters, but I don't know if I have the energy to do that. Um I I got good energy, but at 54 it's getting harder to it's getting harder to find that kind of energy. And that guy's crushing, man. That dude is crushing it.

SPEAKER_00 59:51

Um are they still with Josh Freeze or they got someone new? Because I think they just got it.

SPEAKER_01 59:55

No, no, no, no. They got they got somebody new. Josh Freeze is actually back with nine-inch nails. Really? Uh yes, and but you and he's crushing it there too. Josh Freeze is just Yeah, he's great. He's amazing. Um, and Danny Carey, same thing, like Tool, you know, like those two guys, oh I love it.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:11

Just musicianship, you know.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:13

Yeah, incredible. Um, but like if I I don't know, if I was to I I don't know, man. There's so many bands that I could that I could name that I could that I would be like so excited for. Z Z Top would be one of them. Like, quite honestly, like if they ever said, man, like Frank's sick, dude, like could you come up here and play that? I'd be like, yes, let's go right now. You know what I'm saying? Like, and I can I and I would know a lot of those songs from anything from Fandango back in the 70s all the way up to uh Afterburner and After That, you know, Triple X and all that good stuff. So um again, that library that I've developed over so many years of just not only listening to albums, but like you know, as a musician, when you've done it for so long, there's a lot of times where you haven't sat at a drum set and learned that song, but you've heard it so many times that you could sit in with a band and play it almost note for note, unrehearsed, unrehearsed, you know?

SPEAKER_00 1:01:03

Yeah, yeah. I've had drummers who have just listened to my song and then they've they've hopped on. I wish they've played it, but it it worked, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:10

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:11

For sure. That's cool, man. That's so cool. Well, then I'll let you go with this one. The question on everybody's minds what's the deal with the FGL reunion? Is Brian getting back together with all this media coverage we're seeing ever since the CMA awards? What can you say about that?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:30

I'll just say this. If and or when it happens, I will be super excited. Okay I'll be super excited. And and it's to me playing replaying those songs from years ago, uh, it was such a iconic time at that time. Playing playing those songs live for that many people live was insane. Insane. I'm I'm so thankful. Like, yeah, I could turn this camera around right now, and I've got one, two, three, four big plaques up here on the walls from you know, from those tours, from the anything goes tour to the this is how we roll tour. Um all of the all of the things that these guys have let me be a part of is insane. It's it through them. I was I was in the Modern Drummer Magazine because of what I was doing with them. Um, you know, I don't know, man. Like I there's there's I can I can honestly say that I owe a lot, if not most of um any of my success or every bit of my success. There were lessons learned in other artists' camps, don't get me wrong, but everything that I've that I really expanded on and was a major part of was with the FGL camp. And so uh you know, first time playing stadiums and everything, right? All of that, all of that stuff, uh as a headliner anyway. And uh I'm I'm just super thankful, dude. Like I I you know, I there's a lot of there's a lot of ways my career could have gone had I had I turned down that audition and then not called back. You know what I'm saying? I would have been thinking to this day, we wouldn't be doing this, and I'd still be kicking myself in the butt for not taking that audition.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:16

Yeah, it's one of those meant-to-be things, you know, shout out that one girl from your living room or whatever. That's all you just called out.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:22

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:23

Like just hypothetically, if you guys did like a reunion, like would the set list be a lot of like those earlier songs, or would they be more like the later albums? Because I think I feel like the fans would want to hear like all the here's to the good times and anything goes.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:35

And I think that I think with when you have 19 number one songs, I mean, do the math. I know you're gonna be able to do that. I mean that's there's uh you know, we're if if I want to say I will say this there was a point sitting on a bus across from Tyler and we're just chatting, and I had made in my notes, and I still have it in my phone, um in my notes section, I went through every FTL album because I I like you or anybody else out there heard of hey, there might be this thing happening with Brian and Tyler, right? So Oh, this is recent you're talking about. Yeah, so I so now when I say recent, like for me, I probably knew a little bit more about it than everybody maybe a month ago. Okay. Um, or maybe a little longer, but like not terribly too long ago. But uh my point is is that I was so excited what just to hear a little bit of knowledge about that, that I went through every album and I made a set list of the songs that I would want to play. Nice. And so I mean, this the this I I could actually go through it with you real quick. Hang on, damn it. It's on here. I'm pretty sure it's on here.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:57

Let me see if I can't find it for you. That's cool. Yeah, because I'm I'm like, I feel like even these past three years, Tyler and Brian have changed so much, but I'd love to hear them just rip out like, here's the good times, get your shine on.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:08

It's this everything. I went album to album. And this is what I pulled from them. It's just what we do. Let's go. Party people around here stay on the cruise, of course. Of course. Anything goes, Sundays, dirt, sipping on fire, confession. I actually really enjoyed that song. It's a good one, huh? Smooth, holy, may we all, God, your mama, and me. Music is healing. That was a really that was an underrated song. Go listen to that. If you haven't listened to that song, oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:50

Love is the answer, music, something like that.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:53

Music is healing is a great song. Um, can't say I ain't country, simple, y'all boys, blessings, which was a Another underrated song, Blessings. Another one, yeah. Long live, always gonna love you. I love my country, and life rolls on.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:08

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:09

That's a pretty it's a pretty lengthy list.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:11

That's a lengthy list. I think you missed though, Here's to the good times and get your shot on. You've got to get here to the good times. That's like I love that song so much. Top five of GL.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:22

So that's a that's a great song. And and you know, I I will give though I will give those two specifically very, very much honorable mention for sure. Um, and and that's a uh, you know, again, like I'm not the one that puts the set list together. I'm just the one that gets the gets to be the fortunate guy behind the drum kit playing the songs. There for the right, yeah. And and watching and watching 30, 40, 50,000 people go nuts over it. You know what I'm saying? So I I that's that's what drives me, that's what gives me the energy to do what I do. People are like, man, you're so energetic behind the drum kit. Like, well, it's it's not because of me, it's because of you. You know, saying it's because I look out there and I see you guys having a great time. And I want I want the audience to leave going, my God, that was a great show. You know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, I I don't I no matter what my my day ever looks like, no matter what is going on in that day, like I never want I've I've said this since day one is I never want an audience member uh leaving a show feeling like I called it in. You know what I'm saying? Like I I want them to leave knowing that I gave them everything I had, you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:25

I think you're doing a good job. I've seen live videos and I've seen you live too a couple times. It's just very like in the pocket, you're shredding up there. It's good. Thank you, sir. I appreciate that. Very kind of you. Of course, dude. Yeah. And I'm looking forward to seeing you guys at uh the Sky Deck in like what two weeks or something.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:39

Yeah, that's gonna be an interesting, uh it's gonna be an interesting setup, I guess. Uh, you know, I I don't uh those things always are whenever they're kind of throw and go kind of deal. So, you know, when you don't have time to really do a whole lot and and you're struggling to hear the clicker, you're struggling to hear the band or whatever, like you just gotta go with what you know. Uh and so like it it definitely separates the the men from the boys, if you will. Yeah, when you're on a when you're on a throw and go. So that's what that situation is gonna be. So we'll see how it turns out, but it should be good.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:07

That's cool. Yeah, I'm excited. I'm really excited. And uh I think that's all my questions. I know I don't want to keep you forever, you know what I mean? Oh, you're fine. You're fine. See what else I got. This is so cool. Yeah, man. I don't know. I guess that's it. But yeah, it's just it's just crazy. I'm seeing like all these like AI artists, and it's like it's scary because they're taken from all these bro country things, and it's just harder to to like separate yourself, like everything.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:34

Hopefully, people look back on this and and you know, seeing what's coming out now versus what was then, hopefully we maybe we bring a little bit of that that back with with maybe we'll see. You know, if there's a reunion that happens and something pulls out of it and and and we go crush it, you know what I'm saying? Like it's that's that's awesome, man. That's proof that you know things do come back around. And um, you know, we're I I I always called ourselves, we're like the and I love these guys, by the way. I know them all, they're super great guys. So I can say this. Um, I feel like we're kind of the nickelback of country. You know, you you either have you either have you either love us or you hate us. There, there's no in between. And um, and thank God above for for the amount of people that love us, you know. There's just so there's so many that do. And and there's always going to be the haters or the ones that are jealous or whatever because of what you do or what you have or where you've been and that kind of thing. That's always gonna happen. But you know, at the end of the day, the the you know, the sold-out crowds, the sold-out arenas, and and the sold-out merchandise proves something, you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:39

Yeah, that and that's even like a testament too to like kind of Joey Moy, too, because he was with Nickelback and kind of everything he touches, FGL, even Morgan, like it's so polarizing, but the fans are just crazy numbers. And I think the whole bro country thing like exceeded like ticket sales and volumes of concerts that uh you know what I mean. I it just like it was a movement. I feel like it brought like party back in the country, which hasn't been there for a while. Yeah, and I feel like now we're kind of seeing again like that low point with a lot of acoustic stuff, you know what I mean? With the maybe the rise of TikTok, people just play acoustic songs. But I'm really looking forward to like that resurgence of like upbeat party bangers. I was even I was talking to Nate Smith and he said just keep writing party bangers and they're gonna catch on, you know.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:18

Absolutely. That's it. That's it. But yeah, that's the thing, man. People want to go to shows and they want to have a good time, you know what I'm saying? And if you can if you sing a song that brings uh that brings a memory to them of a party they went to or a good time that they had, it's a hit, man.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:32

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and you got the you got the tour of Dan and Shea coming up too.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:36

That's gonna be great. We're doing that with Tyler in the fall. Uh looking forward to that. We love those guys. We we uh we became Dan and Shay's band for a little one-off PGA thing here about a month ago, and and uh it was fun to see those guys. They're they are super intelligent, super songwriters, and uh Shay is probably the funniest artist I've ever met in my entire life. I dude's got he's just he's just incredibly funny. He's just incredibly funny and witty and just on top of things.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:04

I haven't met Shay yet, but I met we met Dan backstage. You were with me. Yeah, but even uh yeah, like like uh Kurt Ozon, but like he filled in for them on like a TV performance, whatever.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:14

Yeah, yeah, man.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:14

That's gonna be cool. That's gonna be cool, dude.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:16

Come see it. Everybody come see that show, it's gonna be a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:19

I know. Well, you guys are hitting Jones Beach in Long Island, like that's like my hometown venue, but I mean I'm gonna be back in Belmont, Nashville for then.

unknown 1:11:27

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:28

But uh yeah, I'll see you guys around. But dude, Sean, thank you so much. Well, actually, one more thing. If you could leave any aspiring musician, drummer with one piece of advice to bring home with them, what would it be? Finish off strong.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:42

I I'd say what I said earlier. Don't don't give up. Don't give up on yourself, man. When it is your dream and it is your passion to do something, you can't set a time limit to it.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:54

You can't, you can't, don't add pressure to yourself. You know, um the wheels move slow here in Nashville a lot of times. And so you you have to be able to move the pace of things that are happening around you. You can't speed them up. It's it's being patient, um, and but being consistent, like you said, be on top of things. Um, don't get too down on yourself when things don't go your way because round the corner might be the next best thing, man. I've I've I've I've gotten big gigs, I've lost big gigs. Okay. Uh I'm a prime example uh of the reason why you should stay around is because you know, I've seen the good things, I've seen the bad things, I've been through the good things, I've been through the bad things, and I've learned things along the way. And if you if you allow yourself to grow in that median, you're gonna do well.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:41

Yeah, for sure. And nothing's like an overnight success, really, you know. That's right. That's right. FGL. You guys were grinding for a long time before crews like popped off.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:49

And yep. People think people think it was an overnight thing, but it really wasn't.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:52

Yeah, even like the the throwdown tour like you were mentioning, it weren't like FGL, they were like the barbecue band or something.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:58

They were the barbecue band, man. They had to make everybody's food for them during that tour. Uh they they pulled a barbecue, a barbecue uh uh grill behind them and were cooking food for everybody uh during that time. So they are their stripes a lot.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:11

Yeah, that's cool. That's I don't know. It makes for a great story. That makes for a cool story, dude. All right, I think I'm gonna leave it off on that. Sean, thank you so much. God bless. God bless you, brother. We'll see you then, okay? I will. I'll see you, man. Take care. Hey, what's up, guys? I hope you enjoyed hearing that conversation between me and Sean, and uh, I hope you learned a thing or two. If you want to hear more interviews just like this one, visit www.nixampmedia.com. I'll see you there.