Ever struggled to balance your day job with your true passion? Clayton Smalley knows that feeling all too well. The construction inspector from California turned Utah resident has forged a path in the music industry while juggling the demands of his day job and personal life. Tune in to our exceptionally insightful conversation as Clayton shares about his journey in music, his inspirations, and how he pours his life experiences into his songs. Listen to his compelling rendition of Merle Haggard's "Working Man Blues," now aptly titled "Always Barely Getting By," a testament to his everyday reality.
Brace yourself for a heart-rending conversation as we delve into Clayton's family life. Clayton's resilience and tenacity shine through as he shares about his family's emotional journey when his son needed a heart transplant. We discuss the significance of organ donation, the importance of family support during such trying times, and the profound influence these experiences have had on Clayton's music. Listen to Clayton's heartfelt narrative and gain inspiration from his ability to navigate life's adversities while staying true to his musical aspirations.
Finally, in an exciting turn of events, Clayton opens up about his eclectic musical influences, from Guns N’ Roses to Maroon 5, and his anticipation about performing alongside music giants like George Strait, Chris Stapleton, and Little Big Town. Skip offers an amusing anecdote about his encounter with Reba McIntyre at the New York State Fair. This episode is a delightful blend of music, personal experiences, and inspiring conversations. Prepare to be moved, entertained, and enlightened!
Thanks for listening! Follow us at youtube.com/c/skiphappens
Ever struggled to balance your day job with your true passion? Clayton Smalley knows that feeling all too well. The construction inspector from California turned Utah resident has forged a path in the music industry while juggling the demands of his day job and personal life. Tune in to our exceptionally insightful conversation as Clayton shares about his journey in music, his inspirations, and how he pours his life experiences into his songs. Listen to his compelling rendition of Merle Haggard's "Working Man Blues," now aptly titled "Always Barely Getting By," a testament to his everyday reality.
Brace yourself for a heart-rending conversation as we delve into Clayton's family life. Clayton's resilience and tenacity shine through as he shares about his family's emotional journey when his son needed a heart transplant. We discuss the significance of organ donation, the importance of family support during such trying times, and the profound influence these experiences have had on Clayton's music. Listen to Clayton's heartfelt narrative and gain inspiration from his ability to navigate life's adversities while staying true to his musical aspirations.
Finally, in an exciting turn of events, Clayton opens up about his eclectic musical influences, from Guns N’ Roses to Maroon 5, and his anticipation about performing alongside music giants like George Strait, Chris Stapleton, and Little Big Town. Skip offers an amusing anecdote about his encounter with Reba McIntyre at the New York State Fair. This episode is a delightful blend of music, personal experiences, and inspiring conversations. Prepare to be moved, entertained, and enlightened!
Thanks for listening! Follow us at youtube.com/c/skiphappens
The Fables, please return Bubbles your flight attendant to her fully upright and locked position.
Speaker 2:Oh wait a minute, uh ladies and gentlemen, please take your seat and buckle up.
Speaker 3:Seatbags and tray tables in their full upright position.
Speaker 1:It's another episode of Skip Happens your weekly view from 30,000 feet, from the first music lesson to the first pay gig to signing the deal. It's the journey that is the life of an artist.
Speaker 3:Now here's your captain and co-captain, aka your hosts Skip, clark and Deb.
Speaker 1:Lamphere. Hey, Yo, hello everybody Hi how are you? How are we tonight, Deb Lamphere? How are you?
Speaker 2:I'm awesome. I'm awesome because we are like back in full-fledged with podcast season. Yeah, I know Fantastic guests to kick our week off.
Speaker 1:Night after night after night, and tonight, no exception to Clayton Smalley, no stranger to the Skip Happens podcast. Uh, clayton, dude, it's so good to see you.
Speaker 3:It's great to see you too.
Speaker 1:Thanks for helping me out Now we were just talking about John Griffin in the very first comment. We've been on five seconds and there he is. There he is. Let's all say he's my John.
Speaker 2:His ears were ringing. His ears were ringing.
Speaker 1:Exactly Um. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you are in Utah, right.
Speaker 3:It's Spanish for Utah.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:I'm in the South Salt Lake.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow, what's it describe what your hometown is like, what I've never been to Utah.
Speaker 3:Uh, spanish for is a lot like my original hometowns, california, san Jacinto, california. Spanish for is a lot like that was when I was growing up. It's like a mix of agriculture and houses, obviously, you see, the market, walmart, costco, like you know, all that stuff too. That's kind of all blown up lately, like over the last few years, but when we first moved here it was a pretty good mix of agriculture and just houses, just a little little town, but it's blown up now. I'm just like a lot of places across the country. Why the move.
Speaker 1:Why did you move from California to Utah?
Speaker 3:Well, I went from California to North Carolina, to Utah, holy cow.
Speaker 1:You went coast to coast and went back to the middle.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we, we left California when our kids were ready to go to school. It was getting like really packed, building a lot of houses. We were getting a lot of the LA gang activity in the schools down there. I took my first inspection job I could get and it was in Wilmington, North Carolina. We were out there for 10 years before everything kind of crashed yeah and crashed out. West Coast 2008 took to like 2013 to crash back east. Once it did like construction was dead. So yeah.
Speaker 1:And that's yeah, your construction, guy right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm a construction inspector.
Speaker 1:Inspector. All right, I don't know, for some reason I was thinking that you were an electrician, but all the same.
Speaker 3:I'm a welder by trade. That's what I grew up doing, so the first thing I got was welding inspector.
Speaker 1:Well, don't burn those hands, because you're a damn good guitar player. But like I said in the beginning, deb and I have had you on before. We've talked about your music. You've come a long ways, you got. You got a great team behind you. Where are we now? You're coming out with a brand new single to radio, and can you tell us about that a little bit?
Speaker 3:Always barely getting by. I wrote this with John Griffin and my producer, david Flint. We wrote it back summer last year and I for like a while wanted to write a modern day version of working man blues. I love Murrow Hagger and it's it's kind of outdated. It's still great tune, but, you know, a little outdated.
Speaker 1:So I don't know, I don't think it's ever outdated.
Speaker 3:It's getting old songs.
Speaker 1:Clayton, that's one of those songs, that's just no it's for sure, never going anywhere.
Speaker 3:It's still a great tune, but yeah, I just yeah, I don't know. I just wanted to do a modern version of it? Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly. So all right, Tell us about the writing of that. You said you wrote it with John, who was already commented, and and all that, but the thoughts, the whole thing behind it, can you get into that a little bit?
Speaker 3:It's just kind of like my day. I did I started out there well in inspection I did a lot of the concrete and Masonry and stuff like that and like out here a lot of the concrete inspections at like two AM. So that's like first verse, get into the job site before four AM Like yeah it's just just kind of you could.
Speaker 1:You could do morning radio If you got to be somewhere. At four AM. I mean, I did a morning show for years and I got my butt out of bed at about three o'clock every morning and by the time you shower and get out of the house it's four, 35 o'clock and you got to be happy. So and the sun is coming up and you know, to me it's a beautiful time of the day. But I don't know One sheet. I just couldn't get accustomed to it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's hard, it's like especially to AM, like if you get just a couple of those during the week, that ruins your sleep pattern for sure.
Speaker 2:Well, we just weren't built to function all through the night like that. You know, we're not really nocturnal.
Speaker 1:So, with all that being said, Clayton, when do you get time to play music? And obviously you want to play out a little bit too to get yourself known. But when do you find time to do that If you've got to be up at three in the morning and doing a cement inspection at four and what have you?
Speaker 3:It's mostly on the weekends out here anyway, If you do play out at night. So you're a little tired, like you're saying, trying to be all happy. Well you gotta suck it up on the weekend, man.
Speaker 1:Smile and wave. Any other time it all looks good. Absolutely, I'll go ahead.
Speaker 2:I was just wondering are you traveling with your music? Are you playing there on the weekends right now?
Speaker 3:This year. I canceled everything this year with everything that happened with my son. Yeah, no, I had a full summer book and when everything went down, I just canceled it all. Yeah, Not knowing what was the time.
Speaker 2:Family first, no matter where we are in life. I always say that because we can always circle back to where we left off.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you're doing that now. But if we may, I mean you said your 18 year old had a heart transplant. Young age of 18, you know it's the first that's the youngest I think I've ever heard but individual having a heart transplant. Can you tell us a little bit about that? And you said you had to shut down what you were doing music, wise and rightfully so. I mean I mean all that and more, but can you get into it a little bit?
Speaker 3:Yeah for sure. So January he was senior in high school last year. So in January they started doing indoor workouts, for he plays baseball or played baseball for his high school team. So in January they were starting to do practices, indoor practices. So he was running sprints and passed out. So the head coach called my wife first and she was I think she was out of town. She was like down at another office and asked me if I could go pick him up. So I went down there and they said they were running sprints and he just passed out and they needed me to take him to urgent care to have him check for concussion before he'd come back to practice. So I took him to urgent care. They kind of ran him through and decided, for whatever reason, to do an AKG and they came in and said you guys got really ER right now. Something's wrong with his heart. So it started in January. We took him in.
Speaker 3:The backstory is my wife's family has congestive heart failure, like it runs in their runs in their family and, for whatever reason, he had just a different, different type of gene on top of the one that causes that Usually in her family. It just affects one side of the heart. Well, what he had going on? It was attacking both sides of his heart. So we found out about it in January. They tried like managing it with medicine for a little while, but he just started tanking. Oh, by June there or yeah, it was like the beginning of June they told us he's got to have heart transplant.
Speaker 2:It's going. So when was most of this like a constant athens situation?
Speaker 3:Is that what happens in this type of it just affects how well it pumps and it just, it, just the muscle just doesn't work like it's supposed to. And like Shannon has it, she just has it on one side. They're managing it with heart meds and like she just had a defibrillator put in two weeks ago just as a safety net, but yeah, it just starts, the heart just starts failing.
Speaker 2:Wow, yeah, he's doing great.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he's the. It was a little rocky there at the beginning, but he's. He's just started work at my wife's dermatology office this week and kind of getting back out and getting back into the world.
Speaker 1:How hard was it to find a heart? I mean, is it? I don't even know what the process is, but I'd be like, okay, we only have so much time. We need a heart.
Speaker 3:It depends. That's that's from what I understood it. It depends on all that like how critical is the case? The heart's got to be the right size. Obviously it's got to be the right blood type. His saving grace was AB positive, so he's one of the universal blood types. So that didn't matter and obviously I think his age helped him out. But yeah, it was quick. I want to say it was from when they put him on the list. So we got the call. They found a heart was like less than a week.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3:And like I did. That's why I canceled everything. I'm like this could take all year, I don't know, because we were beating people that were in that wing of the hospital that had been there waiting for a heart for months, you know. Or I think there was one guy that had been in there over a year waiting. Wow, yeah, it's yeah. At that point I'm just like I can't juggle both.
Speaker 1:No, no, no. And you got your priorities, obviously, and you got to do what you got to do. What was that? I can't even fathom being in that position. You know, I have a son and I can't even imagine that happening. And then, knowing that he's going into surgery and you don't know what's going to happen, that was the scariest thing I've ever been in my life.
Speaker 3:Exactly, exactly.
Speaker 1:I'm just thinking about I don't even being in your shoes, dude. Just the Lord was on your side and you know, thank God he's doing good. Is he going to get back to playing ball at all or slowly work back into it?
Speaker 3:I mean, he'll be able to get back to like exercising again Like his grandpa. I don't remember if I said that, Like his, my wife's dad had a heart transplant 13 years ago.
Speaker 1:Oh, I didn't know that, okay.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so he was a huge help through this whole thing. Like he came out I think two or three times and was with us and like that. I know one thing for sure that was huge for Austin because like he was basically giving him a play by play of what was going to happen. You know what I mean. Like I couldn't imagine being 18 and like hearing what the doctor's saying and trying to like figure that out and be like it might. Like it would have been a lot more scary if he hadn't had his grandpa there and being like right right.
Speaker 3:This sounds kind of bad. It's really not that big of a deal.
Speaker 1:This, this sucks At least you got the reality of what was good or not so good, what was really good, that was a huge help, but now that you've been through all that You're a strong, strong man and you've been through all that Do you think it's good You're getting back into doing the music again? You, like I mentioned in the beginning, you've dropped a single to radio. You got grassroots working that for you and John. Do you think that's going to make you a better songwriter? Or it's kind of kind of give you that spiritual I don't know how to explain it but when you sit there and you're right, you kind of get really deep sometimes. Do you think this is going to help you out this whole experience?
Speaker 3:I think so I think I just need to kind of unravel it a little bit first. I think that's kind of where I'm at right now. But yeah, I think, for sure down the road it's once I kind of wrap my head around it all and figure out how to unwind it and find the right ideas. You know, and yeah.
Speaker 2:Are you one of these people that will wake up in the middle of the night and you have an idea and you have to get right down and start writing, or yeah?
Speaker 1:these are people.
Speaker 3:That's happened a couple of times. It usually happens to me first thing in the morning, like when I'm driving to work. That's kind of when my brain's like really cranking. But it has happened a couple of times where I had an idea in the middle of the night and got up and typed it out. Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:Well, I just don't know. I forget things as soon as if I don't write them down, and I try to oh yeah, I've got to write them down right now, Even the grocery list now at this point, it's not on that list. Now it's not getting further.
Speaker 1:The grocery list is easy. You just say, Alexa, add eggs to my grocery list, and it says I've added eggs to your grocery list.
Speaker 2:I should really take advantage. I haven't a life. I don't even use it.
Speaker 1:And you have the app on your phone and when you get to where we're going to do your shopping, you just bring up the app and your list is right there. My wife uses it all the time.
Speaker 2:Oh, I am so far behind in technology.
Speaker 1:She has more of a conversation with her, alexa, than she does with me. Ha ha, ha ha. It's a big sterile pancake mix, whatever.
Speaker 2:That is funny. I remember that Exactly.
Speaker 1:You know, I remember the song these Boots Were Made to Dance. I think that was the first one that I started playing of yours when John, way back a few years ago, he sent that to us. What a great song that was. It did really well, I know, on iTunes. Of course he had Whiskey Sunrise. That was your debut release, if I'm not mistaken. Yep, that kicked ass on iTunes. What did he get? Number 10, number 11, or something like that.
Speaker 3:I think he got up to 10, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And that was just. That was crazy because, like that was my first thing out it's like this is working.
Speaker 1:You know I got to tell you, being an independent artist and where you are in your career. You've got a hell of a fan base, because I'm looking at all these comments over here on my right hand side and you know let's take John out of the mix for a minute. He'll be mad. I said that, but you know.
Speaker 2:I mean, we still love you, john. Yeah, we still love you, John.
Speaker 1:But just reading some of the comments and that's pretty cool, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 3:Yeah it's. I've been blessed with the fan base for sure. A lot of them like there's quite a few out there that'll just have shown up for a show. Like Teresa is like one of my best friends now, like she just met me, came up to meet me after I'd opened for Ned Ladoo out here one time. Yeah, it's just, it's a cool. It's just a cool community. It's cool to meet the people that connect with your music. You know, like I don't know.
Speaker 3:I know the fan things of normal descriptor for it. But it's people that connect with what you like, just kind of pulled out of nowhere, and the words of Brooks and Dunn you're a hard-working man.
Speaker 1:Because you're doing this, you're doing your other thing all week long. You're going out on the weekend and killing it playing these shows. It's just. That is remarkable. That is so hard to do. Do you get up to Nashville at all? Have you had a chance to go and play Nashville or anything like that? Has John brought you in?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I've been. That's where I record all my stuff. So every time I go out I'll usually make it out there a couple times a year. That's where I record. And then while we're out there, we're usually playing some you know playing shows like Nashville Palace and just kind of go right around here and there.
Speaker 1:You like, inspect the concrete wherever you're going, when you're out there, I can't help it, do you really?
Speaker 3:It's mostly welding for me, like if I'm in a building that's got an open ceiling. Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's like ah, ooh, that's not a good one.
Speaker 3:Yeah, how many welds are missing? How many bolts?
Speaker 1:Maybe I should be standing on that building much longer. Maybe I shouldn't be standing here.
Speaker 2:Honey, let's move.
Speaker 1:You know it's funny. It doesn't matter what profession we're in. It's like me being a radio guy yeah, I'm checking things out on that, you know, no matter where I am you being. You know a welder by trade. I'm sure you're going, oh, look at those. Yeah, those welds aren't too good. And Deb doing you know her shows, whether you know her filming in Nashville or wherever it may be, I'm sure she's checking things out too, like, ooh, I'm always there.
Speaker 2:You know you can't help when you know something. Well, when you go somewhere else you have to see if things are up to par.
Speaker 1:It is. Do you remember the very first song you ever wrote?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:That's the expression we get from every artist when I ask them. Or they would be like yeah, I do, but I'm not going to tell you because it's sad.
Speaker 3:I actually don't remember, but I guarantee you didn't want to hear it.
Speaker 1:And when you put out a song or you got something you think is really good, let's say you haven't put it out yet who do you put it in front of? Is it John? Or do you go home and talk to your wife and say, hey, you know what? This is what I wrote today. Listen to it, let me know what you think.
Speaker 3:It's usually John and Dave. So, getting into this, I wrote by myself a long time ago before I kind of quit. I took a hiatus when we were out our kids, I wasn't doing anything and just got back into it like 2018. And I wasn't writing then. My goal back in 2018 was I was going to just get a bunch of songs down, cover songs down, and get a band together and just go play for fun. And that's how I met John and Dave was through my YouTube and social media Just started posting videos of John's. The one that asked me are you interested in writing? I was like you used to do it a long time ago. Literally, with John was the first time I'd ever covered it with anybody, but I haven't. That's the only way I've done it, since I have some things in my head I've been kicking around like I'm working on. I just haven't finished them yet. Yeah, I would run them by John and Dave.
Speaker 1:That's cool.
Speaker 3:But usually it's stuff that we've written and we're just kind of trying to pick through them and figure out which ones we think are going to be better than the others.
Speaker 1:Has John ever made you a pizza? Because? I see it online making pizzas, or I think you said he doesn't do that anymore, but he was.
Speaker 3:I don't think so. I think he's made me a pizza. He's made me an omelet. I don't think a pizza.
Speaker 1:You know I will. John commented on here and something I should mention is that he put the link for the organ donor, organ donor job.
Speaker 3:I forgot to say that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, forward slash sign up. Please, if you just joined us afterwards, go back and listen to this from the beginning, because Clayton's 18 year old son had a heart transplant and that's what that's all about. So if you want to go back and give it a listen afterwards, that's fine, of course, anytime.
Speaker 3:That was something I did not put a lot of thought in. For this I had to actually check my license to see if I was and I wasn't.
Speaker 1:I don't think anybody, even really.
Speaker 3:March or April. I was like well, I'm doing that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, absolutely.
Speaker 3:But I don't think you didn't think about that until a lot of people don't think about it until something happens and then it's like God you know absolute just being on that floor and seeing all them people waiting and like if you don't have an aversion to that for whatever other reason, like Obviously it's, you know, unfortunate and it's like heartbreaking for your family, but your demise can be like a blessing for multiple people, like it's just, it's crazy, like the person that we don't know, the person that Austin got his heart from, but there was. I can't, I don't even remember how many family, how many patients were waiting on organs from that one person.
Speaker 1:They won't tell you. Am I correct?
Speaker 3:No, they won't unless, unless the the family of the donor volunteers.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I don't know if I'd want to know or not. You know what I mean.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I spent some time thinking about that. I don't know what I. I don't know if I would want to eat it.
Speaker 1:Deb.
Speaker 2:So a little question is you said you met other people on the floor that were waiting and your sons came up rather quickly and other people were waiting longer. Did they question that process at all, or people very understanding of where?
Speaker 3:I don't think so, because everything they ran through for us was it's got to be the right part, like that team. Like that team is amazing. Like it's Intermountain Hospital and Murray, like they're that team. It was just it's. We are not taking this heart unless it's perfect for you. So and I I'm sure they were saying the same things to all the other people you know, I think I think the biggest thing that helped Austin out was the blood type. Like it's got to be the right blood type, it's got to be the right size, it's got to be just everything's got to fit.
Speaker 1:I just there's.
Speaker 3:I can't explain it.
Speaker 1:I'm just going to make a quick comment on here. From Emma it says in the UK you are an organ donor, unless you state otherwise.
Speaker 3:I remember her telling me, I remember her message to me about that. Yeah, Wow. Maybe that, maybe she's right.
Speaker 1:Maybe it should be that way, I don't know. It's you know. Yep and everybody, please change your licenses to be a donor and don't wait until something like this happens. I mean, that's exactly what we're saying. Thanks, Roger, and thanks thanks for watching. So that's cool. Let's go back to the music. So did you pick up the guitar and take it to the hospital and play for the nurses and everybody that was working on that floor? No, it was too hard, probably Right, no I know it was just.
Speaker 3:it was a scary time.
Speaker 1:No, no, exactly, Exactly. Like I said earlier, I wouldn't. I can't even fathom what was going through your mind. It had to be just unbelievable. So what about? Do we have an EP coming out, an album coming out in the future? What's going on with Clayton?
Speaker 3:Actually we haven't really talked about how I got so. I was in Nashville in February and recorded seven new songs. But like we've been talking about lately, just like dropping singles, like we got always barely getting by going to radio or you know, out now and then I'm dropping a digital cover of the House that Built Me by Miranda Lambert, actually tonight.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:I love that. I love that, like that's one of my favorite songs.
Speaker 1:It tells a great story, man.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it does Right on the camera, and that one came out real good, so it'll be dropping like on Spotify and Apple and everything tonight. And so I've got five others that we wrote and we haven't really talked about whether we were going to do an EP or not. I think that right now it might just be singles.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but maybe that's the way to do it and you do so. I love people do yeah. And being an independent, I mean you're making all these decisions, maybe you, and with the help of John, who's great I mean all getting aside, he is great, Knows his stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I am that whole crew, that whole team at Grassroots is just you know, I praise them every time I come on with an artist, anybody that's got them, because I know what they do. I know them personally and I know they've got the knowledge to make it work for you and they're not going to point you in a bad direction. They're going to take whatever is good for you, whatever is good for you, and they listen to you. No, they're awesome, absolutely. You said you don't have the lottery in Utah, the power ball. No lottery, huh.
Speaker 3:Well, everybody says they're running up to Evanston when they want to get their lottery to.
Speaker 1:Because the power ball. I know maybe somebody would have won by the time somebody else watches this, but right now, currently, the power ball is like at 1.40 billion.
Speaker 2:Now, when does that get drawn again?
Speaker 1:Tomorrow or Saturday, I don't know. Let me look, I get the power ball and the mega million on Saturday, you know.
Speaker 2:I always say I don't have to win the whole thing. I'll take a few million, I'll share. I'll be a couple of mil. No problem sharing with a few people. I'm not having a turn-off, I don't care, it's a little more than I have now.
Speaker 3:You know what I mean it's just hey.
Speaker 2:But. I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know I don't know, I don't know, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Hey, but what would you do with $1.40 billion If you were the sole winner? Let me look here the cash value. I did rate this down 643.7 million is the cash value.
Speaker 2:That's after you pay your taxes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what would you do with it? Oh, it's like okay, okay.
Speaker 3:First thing I do is buy a big boat.
Speaker 2:I'm buying a new boat. Buy me a boat. Hey, that should be a song, Never mind.
Speaker 1:Rhonda says give it to my kids. But you know what? You could set up some, you know, make sure they're taken care of college and whatever, and just put some aside. But really that's so much money You'd never be able to spend it all.
Speaker 3:I'm so good. Yeah, that's a lot of money man, that's crazy.
Speaker 2:That's what I said. We could share with a few people, no problem.
Speaker 3:For sure I'd have a lot of people wanting to get into my circle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that is the one thing they say.
Speaker 1:Keep your circle there, don't expand it. It's not good. Clayton Smalley circle is here. It's Clark circles here. The Deblan Fear circles up here and when we do the podcast we bring them together. After that they go there.
Speaker 2:So you should go to Utah. My daughter and my son went to Utah two years ago, I think and did some hiking and went through some mountain. I can't remember where the heck they went, but they were amazed, absolutely loved it.
Speaker 3:It's a beautiful state, it's a beautiful state yeah. Right now is my favorite time of the year, like the colors and so you have a good change this season with the fall, oh yeah. Yeah, good chance. I'm friends with you both on Facebook. I posted up I think a couple of days ago's pictures. We were up in the mountains. It's beautiful. Right now it's like my favorite time of the year. They gather more person.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you would absolutely love it here. Then, because we have the Adirondack region and it's like North of Albany, northeast of Syracuse. It's the mountains in upstate New York and right now they're at peak and with the lakes, and the colors and it's just absolutely gorgeous. Like Placid is up there, it's just amazing. So can you see snow on the mountains from your place?
Speaker 3:I could this morning, but I think it's starting to melt. It was pretty warm today.
Speaker 1:But there was snow OK.
Speaker 3:It was just kind of a dusting, like it wasn't real.
Speaker 1:Doesn't matter, it was snow.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, it was snow, it's coming. For sure, it was warm in everybody, it's not?
Speaker 2:far away, so I'm a little intrigued. You can look out your window and see mountains.
Speaker 3:I can.
Speaker 2:Oh my god, that's going to be amazing. No I think that's beautiful.
Speaker 1:Absolutely gorgeous. It's probably still light there. It's not light here. They're way back there.
Speaker 3:Oh, look oh look at that. Oh there is snow. Look, here we go.
Speaker 1:I'm impressed You've got to look a long ways, long ways back there, but they're swimming, OK OK.
Speaker 2:Wow, that is gorgeous. You know, nature just is amazing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's crazy.
Speaker 2:Just is amazing. Love it, love it 100%.
Speaker 1:I can't do that. I'd be showing you a wall, nothing.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And he doesn't have windows. You know, I got a couple of guitars hanging on the wall and they're like oh, you played a guitar, I go no it, just I'll shout. You know it's just crazy. It's my pod zone, man, and if you were to come through on a radio tour, for whatever reason, you know, as you put a song out, maybe you get some time off and you're going to want a tour. This is where we would bring you in and we'd actually do a live podcast, which we used to do before the world shut down. So you know, I have a beautiful studio and I love it, and Deb would come over and we'd sit here with the artist and have a lot of fun, and I get some beer and I get some pizza and wings, and all is good.
Speaker 2:So that's awesome, absolutely, and I can't talk with my hands when I'm there, because oh my gosh and I could put any equipment all over the place.
Speaker 1:It would be like so I was doing it, and then there was going to be like Deb.
Speaker 2:The first time I came in the studio I was like, oh my God, I'm like Deb, you're right. I was like, I was like just fine.
Speaker 1:It's all good, but yeah, your music. What do you like in five years down the road? Where do you hope to be now at this point?
Speaker 3:Well, I'm not sure. My main goal right now is just to get better at songwriting, like, keep working that craft. I'm going to be 45 in November, so as the kid Well yep, I will never quit playing for people. But yeah, at this point I think I'm trying to write the best songs I can write and hopefully one of these days getting outside cut or something you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm going to give you a little example here. Age doesn't make a bit of difference. We told an artist this the other night there. He was talking about all. Now I'm going to give away my age and we're like it doesn't make a bit of difference. If you're good at your craft, you're good at your at your craft. Yeah, an example of that is we're going to interview Pap Boone again next week because he's coming out with a country song. Pap Boone is has got to be close to 90. Yeah, and he's a great interview, he's a lot of fun, and you know we're going to have him on next week, just like we had him on earlier, just like we've talked to you before. But now we're going to catch up with him again.
Speaker 2:So that's so inspiring to just know that, no matter what age we are in our life, you just got to follow your heart, follow your dreams, and it could be something where you could be selling out stadiums or you could be playing all over Utah and still love every minute of it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'll still be doing it. I'll still be doing it, and I mean, whatever doors open, I'm going to walk around the room.
Speaker 1:But yeah, just keep on in the craft and you know I'm throwing some of these comments out there. Sean Brooks, Let me see if I can hang on. I'm going to try something here. I haven't done this in a while. Here we go, here I like this here we go, there we go. So there you go Because of everything you've been through. That is pretty cool. Sean Brooks, how about a big hug for this man? I don't know how he's doing this. I love you, brother. I love your songs.
Speaker 3:I appreciate, Sean. I love you man.
Speaker 1:See, that's so cool. And then, oh, wait a minute. So Rhonda is your mom.
Speaker 3:Rhonda is my mom. Hi, mom.
Speaker 1:Well then there's no way you're 45, because she doesn't look a day over 45. That's how I score points. I'm just saying.
Speaker 3:We all had kids young.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Well, yeah Well, I actually it's 21.
Speaker 3:She's a nurse up with primary children's hospital.
Speaker 1:Wow, well, god bless you. That is awesome, dude. You've got to be so proud as a dad when you look at your kids and what they're doing, and what you're doing, just that's awesome. I don't even know what more to say. That is awesome. That says it all, dude, absolutely. And what do they think about dad and his music career?
Speaker 3:It used to be a little weird, but now I've been here over here and my daughter, like it used to be. It was kind of embarrassing, but I heard her talking to her mom the other day from the other room and she was telling my wife how she's been talking like steering people to my Spotify.
Speaker 1:Well, here again, age doesn't make a bit of difference, it doesn't matter who you are, it's the quality of the music and you're doing it right. It sounds great. And she could. You know she's telling her friend she could go. Hey, I got this new artist. I'm listening to. You know it's Clayton Smalley and this isn't that your name. Well, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's funny. It just takes our kids sometimes a while to come around. I mean, really they're embarrassed by their parents for a very long time.
Speaker 1:I think my kids might still be embarrassed at times, but you know, I see your mom on here and some friends and some fans and like holiday time. You all get together. Maybe it's Thanksgiving or maybe it's even Christmas or whatever you celebrate. When you celebrate it, Do you pull out the guitar and play for the fam.
Speaker 3:I have on occasion, not like Thanksgiving or Christmas, but like if we're just hanging around.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'll have said out back around I can't like.
Speaker 3:Teresa is like one of my well now one of my best friends, but has been one of my number one fans, Absolutely. I can't come to her place without a guitar.
Speaker 1:Wow, she's born and raised on that too. That's the thing, yeah, if we're talking about the same Teresa here. Yeah, yeah, absolutely so. Once a musician, always a musician.
Speaker 3:Yep.
Speaker 1:Wow. So so you just put out the single now, A couple of weeks, we're going to have another one.
Speaker 3:Gonna have another one tonight. Yeah, miranda, tonight, but yeah, we don't. Dave's working on we got the next one more than likely coming out is a song called you Make Leave and Look so Easy that one's going to be a banger. It's going to be like a more of a country rock song and Dave's working on that one right now. So now that was ready.
Speaker 1:If I was jumping your truck and go for a ride with you, what would we be listening to?
Speaker 3:In my truck. Yeah, it would be a mix anywhere from George Strait to Morgan Wall. Yeah, I'm kind of all over the place that's cool. I love the old school country but even though I don't like the poppiness of a lot of the new stuff, there's still a lot of good writing in there there is when I'm listening to a song.
Speaker 3:that's what I'm listening to. So, like a lot of his, I'm fan a lot of the writing and that stuff. But, like my favorite current guys right now are like the ones that are still keeping a country, like John Party, cody Johnson, luton those are my go-to's for new stuff now.
Speaker 1:Cody Johnson. I mean everything he's done, coming from Texas and then to Nashville and the music. Just pipes yeah.
Speaker 3:Just pipes. That guy can sing anything.
Speaker 1:Well, you can too. Well, thanks, you know you put your heart into it, you can definitely do that. But, yeah, absolutely, you don't you never kind of drift away and go to the pop side a little bit, or you know, yeah, I do.
Speaker 3:I'm like well. I didn't cover a Nile Horn, slow hands. Yeah, when I'm working out I'm listening to Maroon 5 and my old school rock Guns N', roses, metallica. I was listening to a bunch of stuff.
Speaker 1:I was going to go there with the old school rock because Deb can tell you this as well is that we talked to so many different artists and then we go back and talk about, like early on, what were you listening to? And it was Guns N' Roses and it was ACDC or it was.
Speaker 2:There was always something in there, you know it's like really.
Speaker 1:So that's amazing, amazing, a lot of great stuff, a lot of great stuff.
Speaker 3:Yeah, there's a lot of great. Yeah, I got a pretty wide palette, but usually just during the week, it's like on John Party Radio or I love you. Combs Right right Right. They'll throw other stuff in there and you'll be like, hey, what's that?
Speaker 1:I need to check it out, you know do you get a chance to take in any shows at all? I mean, have you been to a Luke Holmes show or Cody Johnson or anybody like that?
Speaker 3:Not the not either. One of those we just went to, ingrid Andrus, was out here a couple months ago. Before that I went saw Brothers Osborne. I love Brothers.
Speaker 2:Osborne.
Speaker 3:Brothers Osborne yeah we play a lot like in the summer. We play a lot of Brothers Osborne. But I just got tickets to George Strait, chris Stapleton and Little Big Town. Oh that'll be a great show.
Speaker 1:George Strait. We saw him in Nashville at the country radio seminar a few years ago, I think it was, but I've never seen a full pledged George Strait show and I would love to do that. I would absolutely love that.
Speaker 3:The last time I saw was when he was touring with Reba McIntyre and I want to say that was that's a long time ago in the 90s, yeah that was a long, long, long, long time ago.
Speaker 1:Could be, are you?
Speaker 3:really that old. That was one of my first concerts. I think my first one was Guns N' Roses in the Town, oh my God.
Speaker 2:Then you go to George Strait. Totally apples and oranges there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but nowadays does it matter no.
Speaker 3:And there's a lot of roots.
Speaker 1:In that stuff there's that, just man. It carries over. I get it.
Speaker 3:Those are two of my big ones, though, man. I love everything Chris Stapleton puts out, so I'm looking forward to that one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's one show. I haven't seen full pledge yet, as Chris Stapleton.
Speaker 1:Every time he comes here.
Speaker 2:I'm in Nashville, believe it or not.
Speaker 1:His new album drops here in November. Okay, and I'd rather keep it alive.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm burnt and I believe.
Speaker 3:I can't wait for that.
Speaker 1:What's the?
Speaker 3:day before my birthday.
Speaker 1:Wow, you're birthday, Thanks I got mine coming up in two weeks, but we won't talk about that. And I got eight grandkids, so I'm very young at heart. I had him when I was like 12. All right, so anyways. No, somebody might tell you that, but it's not sure. Oh man, I lost my train of thought here a little bit, so I don't know where can. So Clayton smally online. If somebody wanted to go get your music, give it a listen, download it by it, where can they go?
Speaker 3:everywhere iTunes, apple music, spotify, amazon, all that stuff. Clayton smally I think we got a jump in the off point at my website, which is Clayton smally music, tom cool, and then I for sure got all the links on social media, which Facebook and Instagram's. Clayton smaller country.
Speaker 1:So is this true, read? Oh yeah. So your mom is saying is a young boy yet a crush on Reba? I did too, was Reba? I just instilled to this very day. It's just there's something about Reba and they. I have a story, a quick story, to tell you about Reba and Deb's probably gonna go oh no, his stories are never quick, but yeah, reba was playing at the New York State Fair. We used to have a big grandstand. It's long gone now, but she was playing the grandstand and I was at another country station in town and they all knew that I loved Reba. There was something about Reba. So what they did? They surprised me with meet and greets, which is cool. So, okay, I can go back. Dude, I was scared to death. I was taking to go backstage and then Reba comes out. Well, hi, how are you? You know how she has that really like. Oh, I'm good and I. We have yellow labs and the yellow lab I had at that time was named Reba because I said I named my dog after you.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, of all the things he could say yes, so it was like.
Speaker 1:It was like, don't bother opening the door, I'll go under it. I'll never, ever, ever forget that moment. We've like that where, you know, I was totally starstruck, just didn't know what to say, didn't know what to do. Now I, you know, I've been doing this so long. It's like hey, how are you good to see it, you know. But back then it was like oh my god, that was crazy, you got a yellow lab.
Speaker 3:I do. I've always been a lab guy. Minds name Waylon.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know everybody's telling on you here, oh, and oh yeah oh my god, she's your biggest fan, I can tell you right now. That's pretty awesome. Yeah, aunt Lee, is that Aunt Lila?
Speaker 3:Yep.
Speaker 1:All right, she's on here. Oh, john Griffin, over here, are you see? He comments as much as everybody else. Yeah, let it get down to the nitty gritty.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm not one of those. I don't like sitting wait.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we have a local guy on that, though, and His name's Tom nitty and he's a New York State trooper, but he was on last week and I'm sitting on the couch I you're normally I don't watch it, I'm like you, but it happened to be on and then he's talking about being from New Hartford, new York, which is right up the road here. It's really not all that far. This is like what I go. My god, that's Tom nitty. I mean, we're friends on Facebook, you know, oh, and I know that you know he does country music and yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna holy shit, skip happen. See if I swear. Yeah, let me but that claim so they can go to the website, they can get your music, they can download it, they can find out about you. If they need their floor inspected the concrete you would gladly come over and do that. And what is it that you look for when you inspect? Like, what is it? They lay a concrete floor and you and I know you say you're a welder by trade, but let's yeah the concrete thing.
Speaker 3:It's a lot of difference. It's like footings, foundation slabs, walls, like it. I'm mostly commercial construction, so yeah it's like big buildings and I like. The main thing I do is inspect the rebar and then make sure they're placed in the concrete.
Speaker 1:Now, that's the metal. The rebar is the metal that's inside the concrete, so it doesn't ship or fall apart.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yep, and then I'm making sure they're placing it right, vibrating it and all that stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah the vibrating part of it. It kind of shifts it down right. I don't know.
Speaker 3:Consolidates it. So there's no boys in there and stuff yeah thanks, the bubbles out. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Clayton, you're awesome man. It's so good to talk to you again. Your story is remarkable. I cannot say this enough. Anybody that watches this, or if we all share it, please Mention in there to. You know, to donate your organs, and if you watch the video, you will know why. Just and also support Clayton by the music. Get out there. If we hear that you're coming to town for whatever reason, let's get out and support them. Just definitely good stuff. We love you, man. We love you and it just.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and I believe you already follow the official country music fan club. Are you already on it, Deb? Is you know?
Speaker 2:I'm not sure I actually was on there looking for him, so I'm gonna. I'll just mention if you follow us at the official I think it's the official CMFC. I went through this last night. I can't ever remember my tag cuz then I'll follow you back so that we have a whole another Fan base there that we could expose your music to. We're on our personal pages, but I can't seem to. Facebook's got all these changes and I have such a hard time getting People that I have to follow. Like I could do it on my phone, I can't do it on my laptop. That's kind of weird. It is the weirdest thing. So We'll um see. We want to see what it says here. What was it skip last night?
Speaker 1:the official the official CMFC.
Speaker 2:We'll get that new music you have going out there. We'll definitely close absolutely.
Speaker 1:Are you watching any of the baseball playoffs? Yes so you know there.
Speaker 3:Dodgers fan, so I've been watching the Arizona series. Yeah, I didn't know who I wanted to face there. I know we've done pretty good. Yeah, I'm following you guys. Okay, there you go.
Speaker 1:You got the twins in the Astros, got the Rangers in the Oreos. That's with the ALCS and the NLCS. You got the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers. That's gonna be a good game. Dude, that's gonna be a good. Division rivals yeah you got the killing stuff right.
Speaker 3:Cuz we like whoop, we whooped up on the brewers.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, exactly what's this. Oh, your mom, while you welcome Rhonda. Sorry, nice of you. All right, goodbye, sean Clayton. We're met fans so, but our meds sucked, so maybe next year they're kind of reorganizing, so hopefully everything's gonna be better, you know. And oh, john Griff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, john, that's how we knew you were making pizzas. So next time we see you, maybe CRS or something, even though you're not really in that business. Maybe you can squeeze a few people.
Speaker 1:We want to find out about that. Clayton, you've been awesome, thank you. Thank you for joining us. I know you probably got an early morning coming, so Actually I do.
Speaker 3:I got a 4 am Ford more. You know, I love the morning myself.
Speaker 2:I drove the other day. You know I had to leave New York to come back upstate and left it like 5, 30 quarter six, the hardest parts getting out of that. But once you're yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I love watching the word like out of the sack it up, you get moving, you take shower, and then you know good.
Speaker 2:Absent drive is just. It's just so peaceful, like it's just so peaceful, and of course it's fall. So the weeds are changing, the sun's coming up, the water's glistening, and You're passing through New York City and there's got to go on the. Oh my god, enjoy your mornings, because I only do it a couple times a year. I do take.
Speaker 3:I do take a second to look at the sunrise, for sure.
Speaker 1:And a hot cup of coffee in your hand and watch that come up. It's beautiful I.
Speaker 2:I did it for a long time, I know.
Speaker 1:Clayton, you're awesome. God bless you. Strong man, through a lot, you got great music coming out and you know we're following you as well. And, as Deb mentioned the new, she'll make sure the new music gets posted and it gets shared and Hopefully uh, you know we'll see you soon somewhere down the road here.
Speaker 3:Well, thank you guys, so much for having me on, and I appreciate the support.
Speaker 2:CRS this year. Are you thinking about coming to CRS?
Speaker 3:Is it same time as usual?
Speaker 2:No, when is it skip? End of February, right? I think it's last week of February, like the 28th or something.
Speaker 3:I was there. I was there this year.
Speaker 2:You were. Why didn't we see you? I don't. Well, I was in the studio the whole time.
Speaker 3:I had seven songs to do and like. I think I was there for five days.
Speaker 2:All right. So if you're gonna record again record either before or after CRS that we can all get together and have a beverage, Just keep it in mind.
Speaker 3:No, for sure I did miss getting out and enjoying the night life.
Speaker 1:Well, we'll keep you updated on that. I'm sure John will as well and, uh, you know, we hope to see and be able to shake your hand in person and maybe have a cold one. So so good All right Clayton you're awesome Thanks for joining us here tonight.
Speaker 3:I appreciate you guys.
Speaker 2:Thanks, Good night everyone have a good week here you too.