Get ready for an exciting journey into the life and career of Orlando Mendez, our guest for this episode, who is fondly known as the Cuban Cowboy in the music industry. We have an interesting and inspiring conversation in store for you as we navigate the complexities of the music industry and uncover Orlando’s journey from a thriving theatre scene in Miami, Florida, to the competitive landscape of Nashville’s music scene.
With Orlando, we explore his transition from acting to songwriting, his experience on the popular reality show The Voice, and his upcoming performances at Blake Shelton's bar, Old Red. We dig into his songwriting process, the importance of creating a brand, and his take on staying true to your unique style in a competitive industry. Plus, Orlando shares the best advice he's received, his ambitions, and his insights on the power of social media in reaching a larger audience.
Finally, we cover the challenges of launching a music career, from building a loyal fan base to managing the high-pressure environment of Nashville. Orlando shares the importance of getting your songs on the radio, the role of marketing and networking, and the impact of face-to-face fan interactions. And of course, we sneak in a look at Orlando's fitness routine and how he stays motivated. So, don't miss this opportunity to learn from the Cuban Cowboy himself about mastering the music industry!
Thanks for listening! Follow us at youtube.com/c/skiphappens
Get ready for an exciting journey into the life and career of Orlando Mendez, our guest for this episode, who is fondly known as the Cuban Cowboy in the music industry. We have an interesting and inspiring conversation in store for you as we navigate the complexities of the music industry and uncover Orlando’s journey from a thriving theatre scene in Miami, Florida, to the competitive landscape of Nashville’s music scene.
With Orlando, we explore his transition from acting to songwriting, his experience on the popular reality show The Voice, and his upcoming performances at Blake Shelton's bar, Old Red. We dig into his songwriting process, the importance of creating a brand, and his take on staying true to your unique style in a competitive industry. Plus, Orlando shares the best advice he's received, his ambitions, and his insights on the power of social media in reaching a larger audience.
Finally, we cover the challenges of launching a music career, from building a loyal fan base to managing the high-pressure environment of Nashville. Orlando shares the importance of getting your songs on the radio, the role of marketing and networking, and the impact of face-to-face fan interactions. And of course, we sneak in a look at Orlando's fitness routine and how he stays motivated. So, don't miss this opportunity to learn from the Cuban Cowboy himself about mastering the music industry!
Thanks for listening! Follow us at youtube.com/c/skiphappens
We are live.
Speaker 2:Now more Skip Havocs. Please return Bubbles, your flight attendant to her fully upright and locked position. Oh, wait a minute. Uh, ladies and gentlemen, please take your seat and buckle up, seat back and tray tables in their full upright position. It's another episode of Skip Havocs, your weekly view from 30,000 feet, from the first music lesson to the first paid gig to signing the deal. It's the journey that is the life of an artist. Wow, here's your captain and co-captain, aka your host, skip Clark, at Deadland Fear.
Speaker 3:Hello.
Speaker 1:Maybe that was a little bit too over the top.
Speaker 3:I don't know.
Speaker 1:Hi everybody. It's Skip Havocs. I know I'm very excited about this tonight. I was excited about the other night when Pat Boone joined us for an hour and a half. That was great, I know, and Orlando is thinking right now there's no way I'm going to talk for an hour and a half.
Speaker 1:So you don't have to, don't get nervous Challenge accepted. Yeah, there you go, deadland Fear, the president and founder of the official country music fan club right there and from Odco, and of course I guest tonight. And if you watch the voice, definitely no stranger Orlando Mendes. They call him the Cuban cowboy. That's great, that's great, cool. How are you, my friend?
Speaker 4:I'm good guys. How are we doing? I'm feeling great, Beautiful night here in Nashville, Tennessee. I'm excited to see your faces for the first time and get to get to kick it here for a little bit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, I'll be in your neck of the woods tomorrow night. Yeah, deb will be out there tomorrow. Where in Nashville are you Approximately? You don't have to give us an exact East Nashville East.
Speaker 4:Nashville.
Speaker 3:We'll talk after.
Speaker 1:You might see Deb tomorrow night cruise by in a rental. I don't know. Let's do it. No, my daughter.
Speaker 3:I'm hanging out with my daughter tomorrow night and she's in East Nashville. I'll explain later.
Speaker 1:Before we get into this, I'm going to do a little.
Speaker 2:Get ready.
Speaker 1:I remember that, like it was the back of my hand Number one when you came out singing that on season 22 of the voice, I went damn. If I had closed my eyes you could have been a serious law.
Speaker 4:Thank you, that means a lot to me. Newcombe is one of my biggest inspiration, so I saw you know we were able to pick up from a list of almost 500 songs. And that song I have played for the last three years that I've been digging. I've played it every show religiously, and so I knew it had to be that song.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, and the thing that got me I didn't continue on with that. You know playing that, but it was still. The first two went down, and it wasn't Blake Shelton, neither one of them. Blake waited till like the last 30 seconds that he finally turned around. Yeah, I think it was busting their balls or something just like you know.
Speaker 4:He was playing hard. He was playing hard to get a little bit. He's playing hard to get his wife turned around, yeah you know you're all in the two right.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, tell us, tell us, what did you do? There's something about something happened or did you mess with Blake and his wife and and all that one?
Speaker 4:So Kim and Him and Camila during the blind, during the blind audition, him and Camila were going at it and you know on the show they kind of make sure I'm into a five to 10 minute cut of your whole audition. But that went on seriously in real time for about 30 or 45 minutes.
Speaker 4:And I'm standing there on that stage and it felt like three years that I'm standing there on that stage and I have these four coaches turn around looking at me and Camila and Blake are going at it, and then John Legend starts to get in and they go at him and it was. It was crazy.
Speaker 3:That hand. They had it backfield to have all these people just after you. I mean, it's like that's every girl's dream, I guess, to have all these guys after them. And here you are, having all these kids after you.
Speaker 4:It was. It was unreal. You know, I always say I went into that and this is honest. I went into that audition just praying for one chair. I never in a million years thought I would get four. Because I don't know, I'm hearing all these other people singing. I'm like these are incredible talents, incredible voices, and just never imagined I'd get four. I just wanted one, and for that to happen where it was, four chairs, it was beyond my wildest dreams. So it was. It was an out of body spirit. You know, that's all. That's the only way I can describe it.
Speaker 1:Now being on the voice, I would assume has opened up a lot of doors for you.
Speaker 4:No doubt, yeah, no doubt. It was great. Coming right out after the show, I made a ton of friends on the show which was oh, I bet you did, I mean, which was awesome. It was crucial for me in terms of guidance. It's actually the reason the last push that it that it took to get me to move to Nashville, tennessee, and so I moved here. I made a ton of friends from the, from the voice, who I still hang out with here in Nashville, and then now I play it Blake Shelton's bar old red A couple of times a month. I'm actually playing there tonight. Oh, very cool.
Speaker 1:Well, we'll make sure we get off. Yeah, we'll get. What time do you start there?
Speaker 4:10, 10 central, so we play the late night yeah.
Speaker 1:So we got. We got a little bit of time, but still yeah how cool.
Speaker 3:So, do you play the?
Speaker 1:full band.
Speaker 4:Full band yeah, okay, cool.
Speaker 3:I have my guys, it's okay.
Speaker 4:I have my guys from my band that I've been playing with since my South Florida days and moved up here, up here with me and we're still, we're still rocking together, wow.
Speaker 3:That's pretty amazing that you can get that whole group of people to move with you and work hard with you and pursue that dream with you. That's, I think that's kind of rare, don't you think, skip? I mean, I don't think I've heard of a whole group movement.
Speaker 1:Cause it's people that we've talked to we find out that it's somewhat difficult to get everybody to go with you. I mean, they may have families, they have other things going although at home they probably played together in the band but when it comes to actually uprooting and having to move, it's going to make it a little bit difficult, but that's cool. So these guys are really dedicated to you.
Speaker 4:I love that. My boys are like my brothers. You know it's become very close over these, over these few years.
Speaker 1:So how long have you been doing music Orlando?
Speaker 4:So I mean I've sang my whole life. I feel like I even remember as a kid entertaining my family, you know, at my house. But I was actually an actor before I was a singer. I studied theater at the university of Florida, very Finished school, had a short acting career between New York and Miami, kind of doing theater, and then the pandemic obviously shut that industry down. I had a whole lot of time to sit at home during the lockdown and I picked up the guitar and started playing, taught myself how to play guitar, started songwriting a whole bunch and as things started to ease back into normalcy I began to gig. So that was about two and a half three years ago, wow.
Speaker 1:So you've done a lot in a short time when you think about it. If you learned how to play guitar, maybe through YouTube which I go to YouTube to find out how to do things, to tell them, you know, in the window, whatever. But, pretty cool. So I mean they call you the Cuban cowboy, but have you been here all your life?
Speaker 4:I have. Yeah, I was born and raised in Miami, florida. My parents are born in Miami, but I do come from Cuban heritage. My grandparents emigrated from Cuba, very cool.
Speaker 1:Very cool. Talk about your acting career a little bit. Were you in any big performances? Were you on Broadway? You said between New York and Florida and all that. Talk to us about that.
Speaker 4:Yes, I mean I was having some great opportunities. I was in the biggest play in Miami. It was the largest. It was a show called Amparo, which is about kind of the you know, cuba and what happened when the Fidel regime took over, and it was a huge, successful hit in Miami that we're thinking about and we're still thinking about maybe taking it to New York and LA. But I was doing really well, I was making a name for myself in the theater scene, I was starting to do more TV commercials and then it all came to a halt. But I think I think I'm better for it, I'm happier now.
Speaker 1:I can see that you got a great smile. I love that. I love that.
Speaker 4:Absolutely it's a nice long dream of mine to be a musician honestly.
Speaker 3:Cool, I was going to say. Did you have any thoughts that, even though you learned to play the guitar and had developed a deeper talent in the music during COVID, did you think that? Well, COVID's over, I'm going to head back to acting now.
Speaker 4:I actually didn't. I never had that thought. After I kind of lost myself in songwriting and singing and started gigging. I really, really love this. I always loved being on stage, but to be able to bring my passion of country music and bring that to the stage, I was like this is where I'm supposed to be, this is what I'm supposed to be doing. It didn't hurt that it started taking off. South Florida was thirsty for it Thirsty for a band to bring in country music.
Speaker 4:It kind of took off and I was like this is right yeah.
Speaker 1:You said you were born and raised in Miami. Yeah, now, was there a country station there at the time? Was it Kiss FM? Yeah, 999 Kiss FM. Yes, that's it. 999 Kiss FM. Sorry, how do you?
Speaker 3:remember these things. There's so many collins.
Speaker 1:It's the radio thing. You always, you know, we're always watching each other, listening to each other in a different radio station and stations, and especially in the country, that it's very unique and anybody that listens to country they're very passionate for the format, for the music, and it's just when you hear a country station in Miami it's like wow, they have a station here in Miami. That's country. You would think it would be Hispanic, or you think, just because you know the heritage and that whole area being where it is and the number of you know, Hispanic people that live there, Absolutely yeah.
Speaker 4:But yeah, you'd be surprised. I mean what you know as a child and growing up. I don't remember many people listening to country music in South Florida, but the audience that comes to country music has absolutely exploded in South Florida. It is like they're bringing a country-based music festival down there. A bunch of artists are touring through there now because the need for country music is there.
Speaker 1:Right, right. So how was that move for you to Nashville? I mean, was it like was it a no-brainer, or were you kind of maybe just a little bit nervous about making the move?
Speaker 4:I was a bit nervous. I mean I thought it was a no-brainer professionally. I had seen all my friends. They were thriving. You know they're here in the heart of country music making great connections and making waves and I was like it's a no-brainer professionally. But there was always a bit of fear. Like you know, I've had success down in South Florida. Is that going to translate to a different part of the country where we're going to see? And it's been great.
Speaker 1:Well, how important is it to? It's a lot to do with who you know and who you network with, and all that whether or not you succeed 100%.
Speaker 4:Yeah, they're not lying when I say it's about who you know. So every day I try to make. I try to make it a point to get out there network meet people. I'm, you know, I'm going to go to this place where I know there's a bunch of musicians, or you know music people or this place, or send this email and try to try to connect.
Speaker 3:Well you have to. It's your business, so you have to. You have to grow it Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:So you're creating a brand?
Speaker 1:Well, I would assume you've got a great team behind you, because obviously they've reached out to me to get you on the podcast, which is pretty cool and I'm very excited that they did. You say you play at Blake Shelton's all red a couple couple nights a week, but do you just kind of? Do you ever just go out and hang out on Broadway, or is that too crazy?
Speaker 4:It's a little crazy I didn't do when I first got here about a year ago. We did the hanging out of Broadway. It's just a little too nuts now, so I've become a little more of a local, I guess.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Hanging out at local spots and staying away from Broadway.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Are you. If you just want to go out and have a cold one or have a beverage, where do you go?
Speaker 4:Here in East Nashville there's a bunch of great dive bars. I'm a dive bar guy.
Speaker 1:I love it.
Speaker 4:So you know Mickey's Tavern Red Door. There's a bunch of cool places here in East Nashville to hang out with the locals.
Speaker 1:Yeah, station in was one of mine, so.
Speaker 4:I love the station.
Speaker 1:Yeah, very cool, very cool, and Deb's been known to hop in and out a few of those places too. Yeah, I've got you there this weekend, chances are, you might.
Speaker 3:Are you performing anywhere Friday night?
Speaker 4:So I actually have a private event I'm doing Friday night, but Okay.
Speaker 1:Tell us about the single Hard on the Line.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so it's my fourth single release. It's a song that's really near and dear to my heart. It's a vulnerable song. It was written at a time probably one of the lowest points in my life was coming off the voice and trying to figure out what was next. Figure out what in terms of career, but also relationships, and like who was still there for me and what my life was going to look like going forward. I feel like the voice was a. It was kind of a big fork in the road after that. So that song stems from those emotions.
Speaker 1:Well, that makes the best music, the best song when you can write about real life and maybe it's a real life experience, and I'm sure it may be. It's your real life experience, but there's others out there that'll hear it and go. That's about me. Yeah, I say that a lot, but it's so very true.
Speaker 4:And I think we've all been at points in life where your heart's on the line. One thing, one decision can really make or break your future, and that's the way I felt.
Speaker 1:When you came off the voice. What happens at that point? I mean, you did so well really, when you get right down to it, you come off the voice and then all of a sudden you just like dropped around your own. Yeah, that sucks.
Speaker 4:It does, and so you understand where I was when I wrote that song. It really sucks. You get built up to this place of like. You're on national television, right, we're talking about you. It's buzzing.
Speaker 3:It's going.
Speaker 4:And then all of a sudden it's like well, that was a chapter, not good luck, you know.
Speaker 1:But you would think, you know, I mean, all of America saw you, and then some, you did a kick-ass job. You had all four chairs turn. There had to be somebody there saying I want to talk to that guy, I need him. We could, you know, let's get him on our label, or let's do this or let's do that. Instead, now you're doing everything independently.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you would think so. I mean, it's a different world we live in now. You know, it's all about Instagram followers and stream numbers and TikTok followers, and so people don't really want to develop a lot. You know, take a a upcoming talent and develop a whole bunch. They want you to bring a proven product which is, it's fair. Time will live.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I get it. What about your numbers, though? Tiktok, I mean, you mentioned social media in general. I mean, do you do all that yourself?
Speaker 4:I have a few team members who helped me have a social media manager and a few marketing team members, it's gotta be difficult to do it yourself.
Speaker 1:If you had to do that, I just you know.
Speaker 3:We talked to people at both ways, it's just yeah, I'm consuming. It's very time-consuming.
Speaker 4:Absolutely. And the thing is, guys, I'm not very, I'm not incredible at it, I'm not very good at it, I'm not something that comes natural to me. I just kind of live my life in my social media manager say why don't you take a story of that? Hey, why didn't you? Why didn't you film it? I'm like I was just, I was just living life, you know.
Speaker 1:Well, I'll tell you this much we had Pat Boone on the other night and he was. He does all that and it's just like, seriously, you're 89 years old what?
Speaker 3:I know A lot more than you and I put together, and yes, and God bless him and still doing.
Speaker 1:He's doing 90-minute concerts, yeah, and he works out twice, twice a week. He swims, he plays tennis, he rides his bike. Yeah, I mean, it's just like dude. So let's talk about your songwriting a little bit. Yeah, do you get together right with others? Do you do it by yourself or you do it over zoom, or how does that work for you?
Speaker 4:So I've done. Historically, I've done a lot of self writing just all by myself in my room with a guitar. That's how three of the four songs that I've released I've just written them by myself. I'm starting starting now to get into more co-writes, more writers rooms which are awesome. You know you can do a lot by yourself, but it's a different ballgame and get two or three great minds, great songwriters, in room together right, how do you Get people to write with you?
Speaker 1:just go, you just show up at a songwriting session, or how does that work?
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's a lot about Networking, reaching out. I've been to a few writers rounds. Great way to network with writers Get, get, exchange contacts, hit them up. If there's a writer on a publisher then it's a little more difficult. You have to go through the publisher but they're usually pretty good about getting you into some of these rooms if they, if they, enjoy your music.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they say, hey, orlando's out front. Should we bring them in? Lock the door, lock the door. Guy from the voice again, I'm sure that does not happen. It's all good. Yeah, so you moved in, actually get your own place. You're playing at the bar a couple times a week. You've got a new song, another, another single. You say it's your fourth heart on the line. That's, you know, starting to be pushed towards radio. And they wrote me a. I tell you you're publishing, is it Juliana, with a risk. She was great, gave me the history of it and all that and said you know, we think we have something here and I would have to agree. I think so and thank you, thank you. No, it doesn't happen overnight either, but no, it's, it's.
Speaker 4:You know the lifespan of a song. It's like watching it, like watching a baby girl. You know you got to put it out there. You got a great, get a lot of love. Hope the world likes it in there.
Speaker 1:You know, kind of right. The lifespan could be 20 weeks, it could be a whole year and Sometimes that's way too long. But those are the big levels trying to get every, every thing they can out of that song. But then again I like it better when, especially on my end of things, when I have a song come out, maybe we play it for 30 weeks and then there's a new song that comes out. You know same artists, but they release a new single and it keeps it.
Speaker 4:Keeps that artist fresh and everybody's, mine absolutely trying to get you know song or two on on radio. It's tough to compete with the big labels and they're pool, but it'll happen.
Speaker 1:Well, orlando, I think Deb and I could tell you this that and we've talked to enough artists, that a lot of independent artists. We've also talked to a lot of artists that have been on the major labels and there's more more going independent, and they don't want to be told what to do, what to release, how to write they. They want to do things on their own and being creative in your own way. I think it'd be unique. That's nothing but a plus. So that's my belief.
Speaker 1:I don't mean I know I have a lot of label friends that'll probably go, but no, that's how I feel, because your talent needs to shine and sometimes they don't give you that Opportunity to have your talent shine.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean.
Speaker 4:I have a lot of friends who are independent, don't want to sign record deals and yep, that's it.
Speaker 1:Hey, you know you could be a songwriter. Look what you know. You smile every time you go to the mailbox Because of the road to check. Yeah, Check and about you know it's like yeah, it's do smile when you walk down. So that's right. Yeah, how cool is that. So have you had the opportunity to play like it at the rhyming or anywhere like that?
Speaker 4:No, I'm not yet, but that's hopefully in the works. I am Already starting to try and get in the good graces and see if I can grace that stage at some point. Well, here's what debba and I.
Speaker 1:We need to go on a mission because here's a. Here's an artist that's been on the voice did really well kick some ass. All four chairs turned and he's sitting in his apartment right now. You know what?
Speaker 3:I mean, I'm just saying this guy, he's.
Speaker 1:You know you should be somewhere. When you get people like Blake Shelton and, you know, camilla and and all that, they just I don't get it Sometimes. They just don't understand you and I both.
Speaker 4:But, it's okay, we're working, we're working hard and we'll be there soon. Yeah, what was that? What's the best advice?
Speaker 1:Anybody has ever given you.
Speaker 4:Yeah, wow that's a great question on the voice. They did a great job of pushing us to, pushing us to embrace our star power, right, embrace what you have, embrace who you are as an artist. Right, a lot of people start to form, you know, morph into what's popular or what. What did this Artist do? But you just got to do you. You know and hope that the world Loves that you know and the more genuine you can be. I feel like people can tell you know I feel like they'll gravitate toward genuine, genuine artists doing their thing and they love that.
Speaker 1:They do yeah, but then the show's over and you're done. I'm not saying you're done.
Speaker 3:I mean you're, you're like okay, I'm on my own.
Speaker 1:now. What yeah?
Speaker 3:so well. It's so funny because so many artists, there's so many different paths you can take and you know chose to leave your hometown and come pursue a career here Now.
Speaker 2:Do you?
Speaker 3:find it more challenging in Nashville being that there is so much kind of competition versus. You had All of this freedom in Miami because there wasn't Any country down there and you get to go back there and fly. That was the other question.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's an incredible question. I think it is a lot more challenging here in Nashville. You can throw a rock and hit three, three artists. You know Everyone's doing it, so it's just about as cliche as it sounds you know, who's gonna work hardest?
Speaker 4:who's gonna work harder? Who's gonna make more connections? Who's gonna release, be most, most consistent with their release and their marketing, who's gonna get out there and do the legwork and tour? Next year, for me, is all about touring. It's all about building fans the old-fashioned way on the road, face-to-face. You know, next year for me is going to be full of touring and getting out of Nashville and building fans the grassroots way. So you just got to kind of stay in your lane and I will be back in South Florida in November and in December and back next year at play, back in Florida a whole lot.
Speaker 1:I'd like to be in South Florida in November and December, maybe January and February as well, but we're in the Northeast, so it's nothing for us to get a foot of snow overnight.
Speaker 4:Yeah, well, this will be my first true, true country winter. So we'll be true Tennessee winter.
Speaker 3:Nothing, they'll close down, if they even predict snow. So don't worry, you guys are like that's a cakewalk.
Speaker 3:It is For us, yeah, but Skip, and I have said so many times that you know basically building your fan base one fan at a time, but when you get out there, and even if you're playing smaller audiences, they build on the fact that you are giving them a personal touch and that's, I think, how you really gain those true fans, because they, of course, are going to spread the word and bring more people on and you're giving them something that you just you can't really get too much anymore these days.
Speaker 4:Absolutely. And Nashville, you know it's tough to build fans around this area just because it is so. It is so full of artists, you know, constantly trying to get the attention of Nashville but when you? Go out. When you go out of here, it's like a novelty right at some places, like there's a country acts from Nashville coming to play music for us, absolutely.
Speaker 3:We say that all the time. It's a great marketing tool.
Speaker 4:Absolutely so. That'll be what makes yours for me.
Speaker 1:You know, from my perspective on that, being an artist coming to town from Nashville is bigger than somebody saying, hey, he's a Nashville recording artist because anybody can go to Nashville go in the studio record a song and then come back and somebody says oh, he's a Nashville recording artist. No, dude, you don't. You're not from Nashville. You know what I mean? It's like you're actually walking out of your house in Nashville going to a bus call if you're on a bus and then you're coming from Nashville.
Speaker 1:So see that's the way I look at that, because I that nothing pisses me off more oh god, I'm going. Nothing pisses me off more than when I say Nashville. I'll see a poster. It'll say Nashville recording artists nose picker John, and he's gonna be blah, blah, you know, but really he went to Nashville recorded one song or recorded something, and now he's a Nashville recording artists. No, really, no, no, you're a Nashville artist, you know. I mean, this is what you're doing, this is your living. You're in Nashville, you're writing, you're singing, you're doing it all. And for you to make that trip to go out of your area and go perform somebody, that means a lot.
Speaker 3:And you do too. You've been there.
Speaker 4:What two years now or a little little more than a little more than a year.
Speaker 3:Yeah, nine years to go. Yeah, don't say that, deb, but he's young, so it's okay. I mean you'll gain a lot during those times. It might be nine years before you're playing a stadium, that's all but yeah, okay, that's better.
Speaker 1:I mean, we like that you do the little ones just build up to it. That's all have you had the opportunity, oh, go ahead Deb.
Speaker 3:No, I was just gonna say, like you know, don't ever get discouraged. Because you said you have to work hard. Who's gonna work hardest to get to the? You know the cream of the clap. And you just can't give up Absolutely Nothing. You don't know already For sure.
Speaker 4:I had the opportunity to meet one of my biggest country inspirations the other day, which is Eric Pazley. Oh yeah, he told me I saw him at a small Razzuzan. He told me, man, keep doing what you're doing. You're doing great. He's like and remember this whole age. We're in a social media and everything. It's no longer a ten year town. Right, it can be, but it's no longer, because you can get out there with Instagram and TikTok and it's so much easier to get your music out there. Now those ten years can become five or three, depending on what kind of work kind of work you do.
Speaker 1:There's some good examples out there. There's Bailey Zimmerman, there's Zach Brian, there's, you know, let's go back to Kane Brown, way back in the beginning the YouTube videos.
Speaker 3:Somebody noticed him?
Speaker 1:Bam Now look at him.
Speaker 3:He's doing stadiums Absolutely.
Speaker 1:What do you do for fun? When you don't want to write, you don't want to sing, you get out of the house at all.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I do. I mean, like I said, I do, I do love me a dive bar. I love watching. Love watching football, that's my kind of my thing. I love CrossFit, I do that. Oh nice, I have a little hobby here.
Speaker 1:Are you a Titans fan?
Speaker 4:I'm a Dolphins fan. Oh, my, I mean. Oh, it took a lot of years.
Speaker 1:Dude, dolphins sucked up until just recently. Now it's. You know, my brother-in-law is big in to the Dolphins. Even at their worst time he was still wearing the Dolphins jersey and all that. And now they're starting to. They're making some.
Speaker 4:They have sucked mine. They have sucked my entire life. I have lived by that, by that hoody. In the blowfish lyric, the Dolphins make me cry for 20 years of life.
Speaker 3:And we're finally decent.
Speaker 4:Now I can finally wrap my Dolphins gear without feeling like an absolute loser.
Speaker 1:And I'm enjoying it. Well, we're girls and giants up here. We kind of leave the jets alone.
Speaker 4:But you know, those are great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly what are you? Because Deb's being in the football, she does her Monday night football and and all that. What was your team?
Speaker 3:Well, I'm a Titans fan. I have Raiders fans and my family and they're doing awful right now and they do some chargers yeah.
Speaker 4:Chargers.
Speaker 3:They're decent. But I've gotten into Monday night. We go up the street and watch Monday night football up at one of the restaurants. But I do this fantasy thing now, sort of like a fantasy league. But you pick them and I have to pick who's going to win with the spread. Well, I think that, but I like doing it I love that.
Speaker 1:I'm learning. Do you do the fantasy football thing?
Speaker 4:Yeah, 100 percent I've been doing it for years and years, and now I have about three leagues.
Speaker 3:The men in my life live Freakin football. I mean like starting on Saturday morning and then Sundays Forget it. There's no talking to any of them. Well, fantasy football.
Speaker 4:I don't ask me to do anything.
Speaker 3:Yeah, hours and hours.
Speaker 1:He's playing a gig watching the television, yeah, so what do you see yourself in five years? Orlando?
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's an incredible question. I see myself with a bunch of music release. I want to in the next few years. Next year my focus is on dropping my debut EP and then an album Later in the year, so I want to have a whole bunch of music released. There are so many songs that I've written and I've yet to write that I think need to be out there. I See myself playing some pretty good stages. Man, I want to get to that arena level. You know bigger, bigger amphitheater in arena level. I want to have checked off the rhyming and the opera for sure, and touring. That's that's where I love, that's what I love to do. I love to be around the country and get on a New yeah, make new fans.
Speaker 1:Like that Deb said before, it's always one fan at a time, but in reality is it can be a lot more at the same time. So it's kind of cool and if somebody wanted to Like, look you up, get a hold of your music, you have a website. I.
Speaker 4:Do Orlando Mendes music? Calm, it's actually. It's up there. It's been rebuilt at the moment.
Speaker 1:Okay. So functional yeah, but then if they wanted to get the new single hard on the line, can they just go to like iTunes and download it, or yeah, it's everywhere you listen music, spotify, apple music, itunes, all that good stuff. Have you? Have you ever done a podcast before?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I like them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're a lot of fun and Deb and I love doing this. And we really got I have a full studio. That that's where I'm sitting. This is like in my, my private area of the house. That's cool. Well, I guess, knock on the door. She wants to come down. Yeah, skip, only in the skip happens Pazzo, but normally what it's Orlando. It's been that way for a couple of years, so I know. I know she loves to bust my balls about that. It's been a couple. Anyways, what we used to do. And then, before the pandemic, when the artists would come out on the radio to where we'd have them actually come over here. They would spend that the night in Syracuse, where we are, and we'd have them come over the house and get pizza, wings, beer you know we do a podcast, yeah. And then then the pandemic hit bam, now here we are, but you know what? This is the best thing we ever did.
Speaker 1:This is just like with you. You had to pivot. You you changed, going from being an actor to doing music. You're very happy. That's what good came out of it for you. This is what is good for us, and it's just and because if it wasn't for that, I doubt very much we'd be talking to you.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, and you know it's now your, your possibilities of how many artists you can get. I'm sure you have a lot more. Oh yeah, no, no, we go strong.
Speaker 1:We do two or three a week and if you check out skip happens on YouTube or the Facebook or the country music, you'll see we've had everybody from Martina McBride to Lainey Wilson to wow. You know it's crazy and you know even you're right up there with them. They're all here, they're all on skip happens. That's what matters, that's right, I'm an eighty-nine old and doing fine.
Speaker 4:Great company man. I'm a great company. Now I can put that on my resume.
Speaker 1:I do that? They probably, but no, that's pretty cool. I wish you a lot of luck in your career, dude. Do you think you'll ever go back to acting? Would you use that as backup?
Speaker 4:You know I would. I think I want to. I want to achieve this dream of being a legitimate Mm-hmm country music artist. I want to have a great music career. But, I do at some point one that want to jump and do a little acting, and maybe those two paths will kind of kind of converge one day.
Speaker 1:I bet you know they go together and I keep going back on this. But look at Pat Boone. He sang he was in 13 movies. He's got credits and 61 other movies. He put out what? What do you tell us? 2700 singles? Oh, yeah, wow, yeah, no shit, wow, you're like going what you know. It's crazy.
Speaker 4:Yeah, twenty-seven hundred, that is an insane catalog.
Speaker 3:Oh the guy is more than Frank Sinatra.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:I got it, that no can.
Speaker 1:An Elvis you know, you for him.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you could be like Tim McGraw get your music career going, flip over and do a little acting. Still, do your tours and hit up a few movies. There you go.
Speaker 4:My, I don't want it when people, when people say what kind of career do you want to have, my, I want to have, since career. I mean the longevity, how many great songs these release and been able to do it over over a few decades.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this guy you know, tim, keeps going and going and there's no reason why you can do the same thing. But I had a chance to chat with him just a few months ago, not on the podcast, but he was at a venue really close to us and I stood next to him and this guy is so fit, this guy, dude, really I mean I had to suck my gut in. I'm like I'm going, dude, how do you do? Do you ever do you eat hamburgers? Right, and he does. He just he told me his whole routine and I'm like then how do you look that? Good, you know, I didn't want to be weird about it, I'm just saying but look at you. You're yeah, is it just if you just work out regimen?
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I guess he works out almost every day and you know, even when he's at a doing a show, he's out between his buses doing all sorts of stuff and it's just, it's just crazy.
Speaker 3:I don't know and I'll never look like that.
Speaker 1:It's. I'm too far. There's still time, skip. No, or you don't understand. There's not much time left. No, there's a lot of time for my life. I'm just saying I've got to work out and all that. I don't work it out. Yeah, yeah, maybe I could do the CrossFit like you do. Yeah, that's a word. How many times a week do you do that? Four or five? Wow, hmm, I Don't think I'd be here then I Don't know what's your. Do you have a diet you follow as well?
Speaker 4:No see, I'm not great with the diet portion. That's the part. I'm trying to get it checked now. You know, cross the does great, but at some point it's all about what you eat and what you drink, you know, and so that's the part I'm trying to get lost in now, but we're still working progress.
Speaker 1:Good, good deal. Man, I'm proud of you. Just keep going. And you know what, if you, hopefully they have a radio tour or you guys put one together and you come to the Northeast, because we'd love to actually say hello in person and you know we'll have you in the studio, possible.
Speaker 4:So which would be really I'd love that. Like I said, I'm planning stuff for next year, planning tours, so there will be Radio, radio push and PR and all that stuff you gotta go see, skip I will.
Speaker 1:I might even invite that, so I don't. You know it's been great chatting with you, finding out about you. We hope our viewers and our listeners go check out the new single heart on the line. You've hit three other ones up until that and you can go to Orlando, mendes, mendes, orlando.
Speaker 4:Mendes music.
Speaker 1:Music comms right. And if you want to look up some fun stuff, go to the voice season 22 and just watch him. And I love, love watching your mom and dad on the side of the stage.
Speaker 4:They, they were right, they kind of. You know, after that episode aired, half of the text were like oh my god, great job. Look, dude, your parents, your parents were awesome. They were. It ain't sure about you being on stage.
Speaker 1:It was the reaction from your mom and dad. Yeah, I'm just kidding that was, I would have been. Oh my god, just a moment like that and the crowd going nuts, did that you get out there? You must have been nervous in the beginning.
Speaker 4:Yeah, no doubt hand sweating yeah.
Speaker 1:Do you kind of shake all that off. Once you sing like the first note or the first verse and then it's like just let it out, well, what was?
Speaker 4:There is. You know, you walk on this, you walk out these doors, you walk on the stage. So there's like 10, 15 seconds before you actually start singing. And I kept saying to myself over and over we're not gonna let nerves ruin this right. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I might only get to do this once in my life. I am not gonna let nerves be the reason or why I don't succeed today. So just breathing and continue to tell myself that and then.
Speaker 3:I sang that first line and it was like Like a switch, like yeah, nerves kind of kind of Fated it's totally, totally, totally mind over matter, no matter what you're in in life, because I mean, if I'm somewhere and I have to psych myself out not to be nervous or be upset or, you know, react a certain way, it's like okay. Even working out, it's like all right. You know like five more of whatever I could do this and you just have to psych yourself out.
Speaker 4:So, and that's what it was, that's what it was for me. And then that first, you know, the moment was when that first chair turned. I saw it, you know. You see the light flash and everything like well, we're in the game. Now. All the names are gone, because it's like I can't screw it up now.
Speaker 1:That is crazy, and for Blake the way to late as he did the turn. It's pretty awesome. Were they all good to you to get a chance to at least talk to them offstage and yeah. Do a little bit.
Speaker 4:Yes, I did, and they were all amazing. I can genuinely say they were all such good people, so open, caring with the contestants, which they don't have to be. They see a bunch of contestants every year, but they're so giving of their time and so good with us.
Speaker 1:What is or what was the best that I? I already asked you about advice, but let's talk about the, the actual Judges themselves. What was the best advice they? They gave you? To mention that earlier, I think yeah.
Speaker 4:So Camila, camila, actually one of our Second round, we were singing rocket man, but doing like a country version of it, and there was like a high note and so I kind of flipped into like a falsetto to my head voice, but to my head voice, which I really do, I mean before the voice I would never sing in my falsetto my head voice, because I just wasn't comfortable, right, hadn't done, done it much, and she, she looked at me, she said you need to do that more.
Speaker 4:She's like it's cool, you have these deep, gravelly grit and then you flip into this nice sweet falsetto and come back and that's fascinating, that's dynamic. She's like you need to do more of that, and so I've kept that even in my song, harder than a line. I have a problem. Yeah, exactly, long gone, lullaby. I have a falsetto note, so I've utilized it afterwards.
Speaker 1:You know, another thing I love about the voice is the duets. Yeah and that it's just phenomenal.
Speaker 3:I Absolutely love the duets and it makes me so sad that somebody has to depart at that point. Yeah, I mean it, it's the toughest.
Speaker 4:It's the toughest round because you know, if you do it right, you're supposed to be a team. You know you're not. You're not going against each other, you're trying to make a beautiful duet, so you kind of get close to this person and then all of a sudden it's a competition Goes home and then you feel like crap. You know you picked your friend off the show. Like it's pretty shitty sometimes, you know.
Speaker 3:The weird dynamic with that show it really we talked about this a long time ago. We had another voice contestant on and to to get on there, knowing that you have all these friends and but you're all competing against each other, but you're singing with each other and I don't know if I could emotionally. Yeah, it's like I got a thing against you yet. I know I want you to kind of be kicked off because I want to win, but look where all of all of you are.
Speaker 1:You're on national television. I know you're already Already on that big stage. So yes, it's a competition, but look, look where you are. How do you do before we let you go tonight real quick. How did you get involved with the voice? Did you have to sign up? Did you do that yourself? Did somebody else do it? For? We had somebody tell us their mom signed them up once.
Speaker 4:I have a similar story. So I so, as I would mention, I was an actor before I was a singer, so I used to get all the casting notices. I still do. I get all the casting notices and I saw it pop up a few times of my email the voice casting, season 22 and I was like I'm not doing that, not doing that. I had actually auditioned for American Idol years prior. All virtual didn't go great, but so I was like I'm not doing that. Then I had a friend of mine who saw I came across his email and he was like, hey, you should do this. I was like I've seen it, not gonna do it. He's like, well, if you don't do it, I'm signing you up so you don't really have to do it. I don't think I'm gonna screw it, whatever.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and five virtual rounds later and or four, whatever, and then Wow, that's amazing.
Speaker 1:You've done well.
Speaker 3:So I didn't know that you have to do virtual rounds before you head out there.
Speaker 4:Yeah, there's a few virtual rounds, just like this over zoom. You have to send in some cover videos and have an interview. There's a few different.
Speaker 1:Who's your band afraid of losing you? They were.
Speaker 4:You know, they all, they all wish me well and they were all supporting, but they're like You're never coming back, huh.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you have the Orlando Mendez band, right? Is that what you call it?
Speaker 4:Yeah. Yeah well, it's under. Yeah, orlando Mendez, we Going back and forth.
Speaker 1:That's cool and you always do. The Luke combs too, right.
Speaker 4:Always, always. It's a staple. We'll sing it tonight. It's gotta be all right.
Speaker 1:Oh, I know you got to get down to a Blake Shelton's place. Do you ever see him there? Does he pop in?
Speaker 4:Apparently he does. I haven't seen him yet, but he films his new show barma get, and he all. So they're shut it down sometimes and he'll be in the building.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I haven't gotten an invite yet, but maybe soon he sneaks in the back door, goes to the kitchen, grabs the sound and he leaves out the back door.
Speaker 1:That's right, I never see him Exactly you know what. This has been a pleasure chatting with you, my friend, and we wish you a lot of luck in your career. I know you got a good opportunity here to get a song on a radio, another one hard on the line. Anybody watching this, or you listen to it down the road make sure you check it out. It's Orlando Mendez music comm, and he can find out everything about Orlando. He says the website's kind of under construction right now, but if you just do a search you're gonna see it, and I did a good not to mention it. I did do a Google search on you and it was like I don't, there's a whole lot of stuff they came up and I have you ever.
Speaker 1:And appreciate you coming out with us on skip happens here tonight. We wish you a lot of luck. Hopefully our viewers will go and give us a little a thumbs up. Subscribe to skip happens on YouTube and our Facebook and Ted Deb, you want to tell them about your.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So, orlando, when you get a chance, follow us at Country Music Band Club on Facebook and Instagram, and when we log off the air I'll give you a little more information. But we'll promote your music when you put out your music and and we'll come visit you when we can in the area. Love to see you.
Speaker 1:She'll be there tomorrow, just saying the northeast in the cold.
Speaker 3:My daughter said she goes. Yeah, it's like 80 there today or 70.
Speaker 1:Orlando, you're awesome. Peace out, brother. Thank you for joining us. Let's spread the word about skip happens, and you know, not only you, but we have a lot of the independence and we have a lot of the the major labels, artists on yours.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I definitely will. This is amazing. Thank you, skate, thank you, dad, for being great.
Speaker 1:Oh you're amazing, you're amazing, we love you. All right, man, stay right there and goodbye everybody. Thanks for watching. It's been another episode of skip happens.