Elvie Shane: Unveiling Heartfelt Stories and the Making of 'Damascus'

Elvie Shane steps into the spotlight, sharing a journey tinged with raw emotion and striking honesty that's as captivating as his chart-topping hit "My Boy." My conversation with this country phenom swings from the exhilarating rush of success to the daunting valleys that followed. Listeners will be privy to Elvie's heartfelt contemplation on the bittersweet moments post-fame and how his life, woven into his melodies, resonates with fans across the globe. We wade through the complexities of an artist's spirit, the struggle to maintain a creative edge, and his unyielding determination to keep his music as authentic as the stories they tell.

Taking the reins of his sophomore album "Damascus," Elvie Shane peels back the layers of his musical influences, from the Man in Black to modern rap icons, revealing the diverse soundscape that informs his work. His narrative this time around is a tapestry rich with tales of redemption, personal demons, and the simple yet profound moments captured in his new hobby of film photography. It's all about connection—how a single song can touch a stranger's life profoundly, just as his track "Outside Dog" did, and how these moments fuel his passion for storytelling through song.

As we gear up for the release of "Damascus," Elvie Shane teases the excitement brewing for the album drop and the intimate tales enshrined in its grooves. Embark on a sonic adventure with us, from the heartfelt story behind his song "215634" that echoes with childhood memories, to the anticipation of sharing his dynamic live shows with fans overseas. Shane's indie spirit shines through as we talk about navigating the modern music industry, the thrill of radio success, and his eagerness to hit the road for the summer tour season. This episode is a must-listen for anyone intrigued by the heartbeat of country music and the stories that make us who we are.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

I guess we are. Hello everybody and welcome back. It is another exciting episode of the Skip Happens podcast, uh, you know, diving deep into the world of music culture and the stories behind the artists that we love. Of course, y'all know me. My name is Skip Clark, I'm the host of Skip Happens and tonight I'm already loving this. We've been chatting a little bit uh off the air about life and just everything in general, but tonight I am joined by the incredibly talented singer, songwriter Yalia, who's making waves in the country music scene as well. You know what? He's a great inspiration to so many people. I want y'all to say hi to my new friend, elvie Shane. You may remember Elvie was actually here, uh, because I this is from central New York. He played the New York state fair and that's when I first met Elvie. But to Elvie, how are you, buddy?

Speaker 2: 0:50

I'm good brother. Thank you for having me on tonight.

Speaker 1: 0:52

Absolutely. How's life, how you doing.

Speaker 2: 0:55

It's good man. I uh it was. It's been a little rough for a little while, but I'm I climbed out of the rut and I'm feeling pretty good about things right now.

Speaker 1: 1:03

Cool when you, when you say it's been a little bit rough as an artist and we all know, you know Elvie's, you've had your ups and downs, I get that. But you know you've been doing music for a little bit. You had my boy out just a couple of years back and you know I want to read to the top of the charts, uh, but then you took a little bit of a break.

Speaker 2: 1:23

I had to, man, I uh, I had the post hit blues I didn't know that was a thing, um of the post first record blues too. It all kind of came all at once. I didn't know that was a thing until, uh, I went to the country music songwriter's hall of fame when Toby was inducted and he talked about after he wrote his first record RIP, by the way Um, but he, uh, he talked about after he finished his first record. You know he felt like he had his whole life to write that record. And then he was like what the hell do I do now? And I definitely felt that, you know. So, yeah, I had to. I had to take a little time off.

Speaker 2: 1:56

There was a. There was a lot of really great things that happened with my boy and that first record and with radio and other parts of the industry. But as much as I loved and enjoyed all those great things there were, there were some things that that I was pissed off about. You know that kind of, for whatever reason, I let them outweigh all the great stuff for a while. So I had to. I had to hide out for a little while and just get my head in my heart back, right.

Speaker 1: 2:20

You know it's like I mean being an artist, a singer, songwriter. I mean it's. It happens a lot in your profession. It happens a lot in what I do with the radio and all that in the podcast. There comes a time where you just need to say what the hell? I need to step back, I need to get my my crap together again, I need to just think about things a little bit. But and you talk, you talk about post hit, stress, though, so you're not a huge hit. You mean. After that it was like, okay, now what?

Speaker 2: 2:50

Yeah, I mean, I guess the there was always a little bit of a conflict with my boy for me because I felt like that was an impactful song and it needed to be shared with the world. But there was always a struggle with whether I was going to be the one to put it out in the world or not. And you know, we even thought about, we thought about pitching that song at one point in time and we were going to pitch it to Luke Bryan. And the day that I decided that I was cool with that, I remember I was on my way to the house and I walked up and grabbed the door handle to walk in the house the storm door handle and God was like so you mean, I'm going to give you this song that you've shared with so many people and you've seen what it does for people and you're just going to give it away. And I was like, well, I guess not now.

Speaker 2: 3:35

You know, it wasn't long after that that happened. The record deal just kind of popped up. I mean, within a couple of weeks I ended up going to meet record companies for the first time and I was like, okay, well, I guess this is what it's supposed to be, and so we put that song out. But you know, the biggest thing with that song that I struggled with for a while I don't struggle with it anymore, but it's so different from a lot of the other stuff and stylistically and everything that it was just like, okay, I've seen this happen before. You know, am I going to be the one hit wonder or whatever. And then, after we did that, and then the second you know we obviously there's some great things coming to that and then the second, the second single was a bong, you know. So after that I was like, oh God, here we go. You know.

Speaker 1: 4:25

So, yeah, it was just there's always that chance of that happening, though you put on another single and it just doesn't compare to the first one that you had out, but doesn't mean the third one, wouldn't? You know what I mean? So you got to keep going back, but maybe that's hard, to hard to understand sometimes, when you get your hopes up and man, you're kicking ass and then all of a sudden, bam, you get knocked down.

Speaker 2: 4:50

Yeah, there was a lot of times spent working on, like on that second one that you know the first, that first year of my daughter's life was when I was out working the second single and there was so much time that I spent trying to work that single that I was home, I think, 40 days that year you know, between playing shows and doing all the promo and everything.

Speaker 2: 5:10

So it just kind of took a toll on me and I had to step back and really think about you know what am I doing this for? And you know what's my, what am I doing, how am I doing it and why am I doing it, you know. So it took a little while to figure that out. I believe I've got to figure it out now.

Speaker 1: 5:28

Yeah, you know it's got to be hard. I have three daughters, I know, and now they're, they're growing up, they've given me like eight grandkids, but still it's just something about when you're you're not with them. We went through their, their mother and I split up when they were young and just not being there was just driving me nuts for the kids. And you know, I can't even imagine what it would be like to be in your shoes and maybe be home only 40 days out of the whole year. I mean, that's I just I don't know what I would do. I get where you're coming from.

Speaker 2: 6:00

Yeah, but it's for people like myself. You know, small town Kentucky it's. I mean, sometimes that's your only option, regardless whether you're a Songwriter, a singer traveling the country or you're a guy that lives in Monticello or Caneyville, kentucky and the only good job you can find is out on road doing pipeline you know, construction or road construction or something.

Speaker 2: 6:23

So being gone is just yeah. I'm, I'm familiar with him. My dad was a truck driver all my life, all right. So it's just like. But it was just the realization of that. It's like cuz I've done so many of those jobs since maybe I've been married, but I'd never had an infant you know right my boy was five when I came in his life.

Speaker 2: 6:42

He already had such a great support system around him, and here I am like trying to build this family with with a new daughter, from this whole new perspective and and so, yeah, it was just, it was crazy man Just trying to Trying to juggle everything and balance everything became well, you look heavy.

Speaker 1: 7:01

Yeah, you looked at real life. You said you came into the life of a five-year-old and now your dad to him. I mean that, hence, there you go, we have the single. So I mean absolutely. But then they were starting to push my girl because, all right, well, for doing my boy. I guess we got to do my girl and I Remember all that.

Speaker 2: 7:23

But you know, I tried and tried. I told, I told everybody we got to put this version out. We got to put this version out and we were, like you know, dragging our feet on it. And then this guy posted a video of his cover on on YouTube and it was getting like hundreds of thousands, millions of views and then, all of a sudden, everybody was like, hey, we got to get our own. Yeah, well, where are you from originally LV a little town called Caneyville, kentucky, just a couple hours north of Nashville.

Speaker 1: 7:56

Okay, so you're pretty close. Is that where you are now, or are you actually in Nashville?

Speaker 2: 8:01

I'm back in Nashville so I left here for. So I left here after my boy went, number one. I lived a couple months after that and then I was in what? Eastern Kentucky and Monticello Kentucky, for about two years and we just sold our house last summer, lived in a camper for about six months and you know I was still like Distancing myself and figuring some stuff out. I've made friends with some old demons again and was trying to figure all that out and Mm-hmm, and then you know, I got, I got my head in my heart straighter and and we got back down to Nashville.

Speaker 2: 8:38

So right now I'm sitting over in West Nashville in our house. We're over here.

Speaker 1: 8:42

I love it. I love the guitar in the background, the flag as well. That's pretty cool, dude.

Speaker 2: 8:45

That's from my buddy, cameron Marlowe man he really. Has a tour gift yeah.

Speaker 1: 8:51

Yeah, I just saw you know, we were just in Nashville. It was the country radio seminar myself and 600 of Other people that do what I do. Did you make it into the country radio seminar at all?

Speaker 2: 9:04

Yeah. So that was kind of my, that was my first step like back in the letter by no, I'm here. And then it was so awesome. You know, I was going for so long and I felt like I kind of I kind of felt like my song forgotten man a little bit, because I I, you know like said I distance myself, but just to see so many people that I met during the my boy and County roads process and and to see the smile on her face when they see me walking the room and stuff, it was super encouraging and it was just great, a great way to let everybody know that I'm back in black. Baby, let's go, you know let's go, let's go all in up her case.

Speaker 1: 9:41

It's like, let's go.

Speaker 2: 9:42

Yeah, yeah, man, I mean that's, that's how I feel now it's, and and good timing too, because I'm about to come out with a new record. So I Just I'm just glad to be when I'm at now versus where I have been.

Speaker 1: 9:55

It has been a road to Damascus, and that's what the yeah, I want to talk about that too, and that's one of the reasons we have you on here tonight on skip happens. And, by the way, you could look at your laughing life and go skip happens.

Speaker 2: 10:07

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 10:11

But Damascus is your sophomore album, and Tell us a little bit about that.

Speaker 2: 10:18

Man, I think to tell you about that, I got to start with the last record. Okay backslider was definitely. I'm definitely proud of backslider.

Speaker 1: 10:27

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2: 10:27

It was a collection of the best songs I felt like I had that were honest to me, from the. I mean, like you know, toby Keith said in his country music songwriters hall of fame induction I have my whole right to first my whole life to write my first record, and it's that second record that you're like damn, what do I do now? I'd say very proud of that record, but it was a. It was a much softer version. I didn't. I didn't Know that, I don't know. It wasn't quite comfortable Just coming out of the gate swinging and telling everybody all the nitty gritty details of my life. But this second record, the only way that I could Figure out how to go on was to just dive a little deeper, and so I dove deeper with the stories, the, the history and and also with my influences. You know, damascus is Partially called that because it was kind of a road to Damascus trying to figure out what I was going to do next and and where I was gonna come from, what, how I was gonna end.

Speaker 2: 11:30

I like to approach my records as a, as a concept, and Also named them something completely different, because that's a different body of work as well.

Speaker 2: 11:39

I believe Mm-hmm Keith I think Keith Urban is a guy that has always done that as well, but I got into, you know, just looking at some of my struggle.

Speaker 2: 11:52

I've seen a lot of struggle in in the world the last few years since since all of that went down with my boy and backslider and, and I felt like that's how I related to people and what I really have paid a lot of attention to is is struggle such as addiction and rural areas Like the ones I grew up in, and prison reform and a working class struggle, and that's all stuff that I I know fairly well. So I wanted to dip into that and I wanted to reach out. I never want to make the same record twice, so I figured the only way to make this record completely different was to dive deeper into my influences, from everywhere, from Johnny cash to Mac Miller, you know, and everything in between food fighters, nirvana, everything. So we took a sonic approach that was just kind of no, no fences, no barriers, no rules, and and also melodically and lyrically and and it ended up producing a record that I'm probably more proud of and then more excited about than it was my original record.

Speaker 1: 12:56

I love it. I can't wait to hear the whole, the whole project. I mean this is this is gonna be really cool because we need LV Shane, we need you, we need you on country radio, we just. Your music is like you say. It's telling a story and it's a lot that you've experienced and it's a lot that you know you're able to help others Because of what you've been through, and I think it's all gonna come out on that album. Am I correct?

Speaker 2: 13:23

That was yeah, that was a guiding compass for this, for this project as well, like helping others, even if it's just one person, like I had one song. It's called outside dog. It's the first song on the record and it's very, it's very first record and it's a very ego driven song. I was frustrated when I wrote it and I, you know, I felt like that dude in college who was a, was a pledge and ended up getting in fight with the dude because he wouldn't let me ride in the band, you know. So I got kicked out of the, out of the pledge in the fraternity.

Speaker 2: 13:53

But I kind of had that same feeling. So one day, on an airplane back from the uk, I just I let, I just let that voice have its day, and I got out of my phone and and just wrote these lyrics and ended up in the studio. But you know, I was playing that for the first time at a motorcycle rally and this girl came up to me after my show and she said, hey, my dad's black, my mom's Jewish, and I grew up in Central Alabama and I've never felt like I had a song in my life until I heard Outside Dog tonight and I was like, well, that solidifies it. That's going on the record, you know. So it's if it reaches one person, that song or pill I don't know if you heard pill when we put it out here a while back, but I heard that as well.

Speaker 2: 14:40

Yes, yes, so that song was written with the hopes of one person riding down the road hearing it one day on a playlist or on the radio or wherever it ended up and it making them just just hearing it from somebody, hearing the rhetoric and the verbiage, to know that whoever wrote this song has been there and they and now they're coming through the speakers. You know it was in hopes that it would give them a little hope and maybe make them go home where the porch lights on and you know everybody's waiting for them to come back.

Speaker 1: 15:12

There we go, Great story, tell her and I mean, that's you as well. What, what do you? What is something about LV Shane that a lot of people don't know about?

Speaker 2: 15:23

Well, let me grab this for a quick.

Speaker 1: 15:26

Cool, I see an empty chair. I love it.

Speaker 2: 15:29

I just got this today. Let's see Something I've been into for a while that I don't really share with people because I mean, I like, I just love art of all forms man and I love to create. But something I've gotten into a lot here lately is old film photography. So this is a 88 film camera and I've got a page on Instagram. I've never told anybody this before, but I've got a page on Instagram. It's called yesterday's wind and I just, you know, I just posted pictures and throw them up on there and it's just kind of how I see the world. And I'm working on a project right now called backstage and it's about I worked, I worked production before I started all this, so I built a stage and ran lights and you know, and ran monitors for artists and stuff, and I want to highlight those guys because there's some really cool characters that do production work.

Speaker 2: 16:21

So my plan with this camera in particular is to get portraits of guys out on the road and guys in girls who work in production and one of these days put together just a coffee table book, you know, and just a picture of somebody and maybe a little bit of their story and their stuff. So film photography.

Speaker 1: 16:38

Where did you find that camera? Do they still sell those? Or did you have to go to eBay or something like that? I mean.

Speaker 2: 16:46

So this is my newest one. I literally just got it today.

Speaker 1: 16:49

Dude, it's cool. I love this.

Speaker 2: 16:52

But originally I got into it here while back and, yeah, you could still. You could still find these things they're. I don't think they're really making cameras like this anymore. This is a 88 model. It just it's a mint condition. It's such awesome, beautiful piece. But I got that one off eBay. I ordered it less than 40 hours ago from Japan and the dude had it on my porch this afternoon. It's crazy.

Speaker 1: 17:16

It was that quick yeah.

Speaker 2: 17:19

Cool thing, man. Everything today is so immediate. You post something and you wait. Oh, I hope people look at this and we're always looking for instant gratification. But with this thing it takes a while. You take the picture, you don't get to see what it looked like, for you know, it might be a week before you're able to make it to the film lab, turn it in, and then it's another two to five days before you get the files back and you actually get to see your pictures. So it's the only thing I can find in life right now that has delayed gratification, other than going for a run or a walk or a workout.

Speaker 1: 17:51

Right, right, right, do you? I know we're supposed to be talking music here, but this is really interesting to me because every once in a while I go off on a tangent and just do something that I just different, but yet it can relate to what everything else is about. But do you develop your own film? Do you do all that?

Speaker 2: 18:11

No, I haven't got into that yet, but I'm definitely looking into it because that process is very expensive.

Speaker 2: 18:18

So I'm not able to do it as much as I would like, but it's a to develop and scan your own photos. You know, to have the stuff to do that, you're looking at a good few thousand dollars at the minimum, so it'll be a little while before I make that kind of investment in it. For now, I'm just I've got the cameras that I feel like I would love to have that do what I want them to do, and right now I'm just focused on capturing the stuff I want to capture.

Speaker 1: 18:43

I can't wait to see, like this book that you're talking about, or maybe we get back to doing vinyl which is all coming back. I could see you doing something like that and the actual you know the case for the record would be a picture that you took or a combination of a lot of different things that you've been, you know, like your life and you're documenting different things and that's LV chain.

Speaker 2: 19:07

That's cool that you say that I, literally just earlier I got the idea to take a bunch of these pictures for my. I'm always trying to figure out what the next record is and like there's always some kind of religious connotation to it. So I thought about like calling the next record like in his image or something, and having a bunch of different pictures of different people and putting them together in a way that kind of looks like my. Have you ever seen where, like you take a bunch of different pictures and make it look like one image?

Speaker 1: 19:32

Yes, yes.

Speaker 2: 19:33

But it's like everybody from all different walks of life, all different colors and cultures, and it comes together and just makes a picture of my face for the next record cover. So I would definitely like to involve my work in the visual side of things later on 100%, 100%.

Speaker 1: 19:50

And I like the fact that you, elvie, that you're talking about the people. Well, you've worked behind the scenes before you became an artist on the main stage. But that you kind of put the spotlight on these guys that are running sound, making sure the monitors sound good, making sure your inner ears are working, makes you know from everybody that runs out with the guitar, gives you the other, you know, whatever all that. You put the spotlight on these people that actually make those shows run and make you sound really good, and you do.

Speaker 2: 20:19

I'm just saying you better be good to those guys because, like I, can screw up your show real fast when I'm on the monitors, you know or lights or, whatever, and they get overlooked so often. And I see it nowadays Honestly, man, I feel so much more comfortable hanging out with the production guys and those guys when we're doing shows than I do other artists, steven, you know, I don't know, it's just, I'm not that far removed from that world. So to me, like those are just, those are my people, you know.

Speaker 1: 20:51

I love it. Do you have a? Do you have a name? I'm sure you have a fan club. Do you have the LB Shane fan club? Do you have a name for your fan club or?

Speaker 2: 21:01

Not really, man. You know, we've called it the congregation I used to be a preacher back in the day. So we've toyed around with some ideas for fan club names. But you know I'm still growing the fan base, so maybe, maybe in the near future we'll see some kind of name pop up.

Speaker 1: 21:20

I see it happening. I see it happening. I can't wait. Like I said, I can't wait for a project with Damascus, but, man, that, that, um, how many tracks are going to be on that?

Speaker 2: 21:30

There's 13, which John Lowe with the head of my label. He's not a fan of that number.

Speaker 1: 21:34

Love John, love John. He's not a fan of the 13.

Speaker 2: 21:38

He don't like that number man. Last time we were going to work he asked me for two more. He was like it's two. I don't like that number. It's bad luck.

Speaker 1: 21:46

Well, he might have a point. What do you feel about that, though? You think it's just going to keep it at 13? I mean, it's probably, at this point it's too late.

Speaker 2: 21:53

So it's 13 this time. I feel like it's good luck. So, uh, you know, I don't know, man, I I'm so excited for the world to hear this project. I'm proud of the songs that are already out there off of the project. You know, we you were talking about this. Heaven, have a creek before the creek yes.

Speaker 2: 22:11

And as much as that. The record starts with ego. You know it was important to me to make that song first, to get the ego out of the way, focus on the stuff I feel like is important. But then we end the record with this heaven have a creek which is just solely based on humility and faith and trying to, you know, just explore your faith and and wondering what heaven might be like one day. And so it starts at the roughest. It goes through some of the rough times that it ends up growing into this. You know, be who you are and be humble. And you know, just live your life.

Speaker 1: 22:45

When you want to break free from everything besides photography, what else do you do? Do you get out and hunt at all? I figured if you're from Kentucky you might be a you know that type of countryside, the rural feel. Get out and hunt, maybe fish. Do you do any of that?

Speaker 2: 23:02

I hate fishing. I'm not.

Speaker 1: 23:05

No patience.

Speaker 2: 23:06

But I love to hunt. Most of my hunting takes place in Texas. I've made friends with a big, great group of guys down in Texas. I go down there every year do a little deer hunting, do duck hunting. This year we went to San Joaquin hunting. We didn't see anything but or we seen plenty, we didn't get a shot on anything but also just love. You know, I get deer and freezer and it's like it's, you know, I would say it's a deer that I just down, but it's a deer that I missed and my buddy grabbed the gun and took it down for me. So but, but we're providing food for the family that way. You know, I love, I love to be outside, I love to work on. I got a old 74 galaxy. I love that car. Just get out and ride around in it and my dog Dude.

Speaker 2: 23:49

It's so cool, it is a that was my, that was my, my boy, my, my number one gift to myself. So it's such a great car, man, I just. It's actually in Wisconsin right now, a buddy of mine that owns a shop up there. He's going to put a lower kit on it for me. But I met him in Eastern Kentucky and we drove it all the way to Wisconsin. Three day trip gas out of the carburetor, showing wire on the front tires, and she never missed a beat.

Speaker 1: 24:18

Baby, she made it all the way to the car. You're lucky it didn't catch fire. If it was leaking gas out of that car, because that drips down on the heads, man, that's pretty hot.

Speaker 2: 24:28

Well, we took the fire extinguisher, just you know so. But we knew that was a, that was a chance. But it was.

Speaker 2: 24:35

It was worth the story. It's such a it's such a great trip. As soon as we pulled into Chicago, the first blizzard of the year hit man. We ended up pulling over at this really cool spot uh West of Chicago called Geneva, and having dinner that night and just it was the snow was coming down. My old car was sitting out on the side street. It looks so cool. I wish I had that camera then, but oh well.

Speaker 1: 24:56

well, you know you'll get it back soon enough and with that camera that you have there and whatever else is right there with you, you're going to get some pretty cool shots, maybe some nice black and white and kind of fade them into each other. That's pretty cool. That's pretty cool. Yeah, I'm loving them and I'm glad you told me about that. That I'm going to be looking for some of the LB. Shane photography is what I'm going to be looking for.

Speaker 2: 25:17

Some of the. Yeah, you can check it out on Instagram. It's a. I think. I can't remember if I told you or not, but it's yesterday's wind.

Speaker 1: 25:24

Yesterday's wind. Okay, yeah, I will definitely check that out. What do you see is happening in the near future for you? You're coming down with the album, but I imagine you know Loba probably can't wait to get some stuff out to radio. Do you know when radio will be seeing some of this? Do you have any idea or is it all? Well, now it's out of your hands and they've got to decide what they're going to do.

Speaker 2: 25:48

Yeah, I feel like it's kind of out of it's out of a lot of people's hands these days. Things have changed to where To be some kind of a story going on. So right now I'm just like trying to do the hard work. I'm out here touring, I'm doing club dates, I'm trying to play as much as possible. The record comes out in April. We got one song what do I know that came out in January, january 5th, and it's doing better and it's first, like month and a half, than any song is done since my boy. It's really putting up some good numbers. So it's kind of on the fans.

Speaker 2: 26:17

At this point, like now, if you, if you love me and and what I'm about, then the Best thing you could do is just play my music to tell people about it, because the more that grows, the more it entices folks like yourself and and John to say, hey, this, we got something here. And Then you got radio with it and and if you're lucky enough to, you know, win the lottery there, that can Obviously be a huge boost and and it is like winning the lottery man and I don't take that for granted it's such an amazing thing to be able to say you have number one Hit it country radio. That's. I mean, that's the epitome of the dream, right so? But yeah, I think it's a lot on the fans these days and and how they communicate with other people about the artists that they're excited about Right now.

Speaker 2: 27:02

Great place trains. I've been watching these guys grind for.

Speaker 1: 27:05

I've heard of them, yes.

Speaker 2: 27:07

And they're, they're just kicking ass right now. Stephen Wilson Jr Is a songwriter. I've been pitched a million of his songs and every time I heard one of his songs I was like why isn't this guy doing this himself? He's got such an amazing voice and now he's popping off and so it's just Do you have the talent and putting it out into the world, you know?

Speaker 1: 27:26

do you feel and I love John Loba, I love what he's doing the labels a good label I really thoroughly enjoy, you know, the product, the music he, you know, sends the radio on this and that and working with them. But Do you feel You're very happy doing it this way? Or because I know now there's certain artists out there let's take Drew Baldridge for, for an example, he's out there doing it all on his own dime. He says you know what I'm done with all that, I'm gonna do this.

Speaker 2: 27:55

He got a gold record out of she's somebody's daughter and it's just I'm like wow, he did this on his own, he, without the help of the label you know, what I love about what we're doing is we have a very indie approach To what we're doing, but we also have the support of the label to be able to create the music the way that we see fit, that's, to be able to offer us up some, some coin when we need it for opportunities.

Speaker 2: 28:21

So you know, as as of right now, I'm super happy with with where I'm at in the team that I have. I can't say that I have been over the last two years and all the time there's definitely been times where I've been frustrated, but I think that's just part of any relationship. At the end of the day, everybody on your team wants the same thing. They want to see success. Your success is everyone else's success, but everybody always has their own idea of what that success should look like or how it should be approached, and you know there's there's been a little bit of button of heads here and there, as I feel like there should be in any creative Environment well, I think that makes a creativity come out even a little bit more.

Speaker 1: 28:58

When you have the budding of heads, you usually come out with some Pretty good ideas.

Speaker 2: 29:03

So yeah, I mean honestly, dude. I just think it's important for artists to keep a little bit of pissing vinegar in them. You know, and, and and be willing to butt heads. But but button heads should do nothing other than make you want to strive to be who you are, even 100%. Yep, like, put a fence up and I'll tear that some of the bits down. Just give me a. Give me an axe, baby. You know exactly the axe is the, the money sometimes, and you know sometimes it's something else. But but, yeah, man, I'm right now, I feel really good, my team is super supportive and uh-oh.

Speaker 1: 29:35

I guess. Well, we've been talking to LV Shane and hopefully pops back in here in a moment or two and I'm sure he will. But thank you for giving us, you know, a listen tonight and watching this LV Shane. You know he had my boy, which was a big hit just a couple of years ago, coming out with the new album Damascus. It's gonna drop in the middle of April and we're so looking forward to that and, being a radio person, more or less looking for this new music to come in our direction as well and be able to To play it for you and to be able to, you know, get it in your ear and hopefully you would Support LV Shane. We'll just see if he he pops up here in a minute, but it's good to have him back. Like I said, he took a little bit of a break. He kind of you know, kind of was rethinking things just a little bit. So we're just kind of waiting to see if he pops back on here.

Speaker 1: 30:26

But in the meantime, you know, after this or On YouTube, if you subscribe to skip happens. You know we do these quite often, not only here but with the radio station and I'm at the Wolf and Syracuse we also have the inter harbor cast, so Make sure you give it a subs. You know, subscribe, hit that button and you know, and help us out here a little bit. I'm waiting to see if he's gonna pop back on. I Don't know. But and you're welcome to put a comment in the side here if you're watching, you can comment on this as well. If you got a question for LV, if he comes back on, we'll make sure that that he gives it a Look at and answers the question. So that'd be kind of cool and I'm just watching Intently. That's what we do. But it's skip happens. That's why we call it skip happens and well, and I mean this might, let's see. Is this Elvie?

Speaker 2: 31:27

Yeah, man I've had just like With black on me. I don't know what to do is it's got a line across it. Right now I'm on my cell phone, though. Is there any way you can let me back in?

Speaker 1: 31:40

Well, actually we are on right now because I answered the phone through the system here as we do the podcast, everybody can see me, they can hear you, but I've got my camera enabled on the app, but I don't know what.

Speaker 2: 31:54

I don't know what happened. This thing's a little old, so maybe it's trying to me.

Speaker 1: 31:57

Maybe it went dead. Did you plug it in?

Speaker 2: 32:02

But for me and you started talking, it was that 47%.

Speaker 1: 32:05

So but you know what I mean. We've had a great conversation and you know we talked about Damascus and that's the album that's gonna drop in April. I've been telling everybody in the meantime, while I was waiting and see if you're gonna pop back in or give me a call which you did that you know viewers need to go and check that out when it comes out. Let me ask you a question Do you get back home in your hometown very often.

Speaker 2: 32:30

I just went back this past weekend in Cable, where I'm from, and Took my wife, my daughter, up there. So my, my mom and dad see my daughter in the same before we head off for Australia this this weekend. We're headed there, so Australia.

Speaker 1: 32:46

Yes, sir dude, that's like a 17-hour flight.

Speaker 2: 32:51

Man, it's a. It's actually from Nashville. It's gonna be four and a half to San Francisco and then fifteen and a half from San Francisco to Sydney. So Damn, as much as I'm looking forward to go to Australia for the first time, I am not looking forward to the flight.

Speaker 1: 33:09

Can I ask why are you going to Australia? Is it for shows, or is it just like we need to get away?

Speaker 2: 33:16

No, so we're. Evidently they had this thing similar to the UK, like CCC, um, and they just got a bunch of artists coming out there and they were nice enough to invite me this year.

Speaker 1: 33:27

Very cool, dude. Well, I wish you a lot of luck on that. Um not take the camera, because we do want to see some photos.

Speaker 2: 33:34

Um definitely going to take the camera.

Speaker 1: 33:38

And uh, when you, um, when you perform, what's, what's your show? A Navi Shane show, can you describe one of those for us?

Speaker 2: 33:47

It's pretty high energy, man. I mean, I think some people show up expecting my boy and then, you know, they get there and we always do my boy, of course, but the rest of the show, we literally were at rehearsals last week and our problem was we had too many tempo songs and I was like I I've never in my life had this issue before. So there's, you know, there's a lot of energy, but there's also a lot of segments in the show where I really hope you'll just listen to what I have to say. You know I've got a song I'm really excited about coming out on record called 215634. It's a friend of mine, my oldest childhood friend. He's serving a life sentence right now for reckless homicide, but a guy he threatened to kill my buddy and he kicked in the door and with a gun to kill my friend and my friend. You know he was a felon, but he knew this guy was after him. So he acquired a gun and when that guy kicked in the door on him he shot and killed this man.

Speaker 2: 34:43

But since he was a, since he was a felon in possession of firearm, he couldn't claim self defense, you know, and that something about that just don't sit right with me. So you know, that's that's part of the record of me like feeling like there's other people's stories besides my own that need to be told and you know, I just I just hope they're during those segments of the show that people are.

Speaker 2: 35:01

I know everybody's there to have a good time and get away, but also it's a good opportunity for us to unite and think about things that really need to be thought about and remember and think about people that we need to remember and think about as well, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 35:14

Absolutely. Are you on any major concert tours coming up this summer? Do you know of as of yet?

Speaker 2: 35:23

Not as of right now. Travis Stryck's been really good to us this year. He's thrown us a few shows, got some shows with Blackberry Smoke playing the Rhyman with Blackberry Smoke June 21st really excited for that. That'll be my first like full concert at the Rhyman. I went and played a couple shows during Darius and France a couple years back but this will be the first like full set we've played. You know I'm I've kind of thrown all pride out of the window. I've reached out to a few people that I've made friends with over the last few years and just said hey, if you got any opportunities for us on tour this year, you know, call me Johnny on the spot, I'll be there, but as of right now we haven't got any offers just yet, I think those offers that come in.

Speaker 1: 36:04

Don't worry, when Damascus comes out and people start hearing what you're all about and I think a lot of people already know what you're about I think you know my opinion is, yeah, we'll probably see on the road somewhere.

Speaker 2: 36:18

Yeah, man, I think they'll really get it. I think they'll know what I'm about after this record. I didn't really even know what I was about a hundred percent until this record was, you know, about three quarters away. Put together, I really found my, my wife during this record and for the most part, man, it's just blue collar working class people and the struggles and perseverance you know that they endure on their in their day to day lives. And that's where it comes from and what I know and that's what I want to talk about.

Speaker 1: 36:46

Absolutely here in Skip Happens. Tonight we've been chatting with LV Shane, as I mentioned a few minutes ago as well as when we started. You know LV from my boy a couple of years back. I mean, the song that went right to the top, touched the hearts of millions and that's all about his relationship. Now, you know, coming into a life and being called dad to already a five year old, it's just to me that's, that's just so awesome. And just now, your stories and everything you've been through and and now bringing it all to the forefront on Damascus, and I can't wait for you know, I can't wait to hear this thing. I know Loba could be watching this right now and going, all right, get it to skip right now, let's get it out. But, and you know, and I wouldn't say no, so I love it.

Speaker 1: 37:33

Absolutely. You know what, my friend, I'm going to let you go and I do appreciate you coming on. Skip Happens tonight Some great information and it's just your back. Not that you ever left, but you're back.

Speaker 2: 37:45

And yeah, I'm back, man, my hand in my heart, to the good place.

Speaker 1: 37:48

So yeah, and it sounds it in a very excited for you and I pray for your success and I want to see those pictures. Dude, I am just I'm, I love that stuff. I love it Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 38:00

So if you get well, I'm trying to pump them out for you.

Speaker 1: 38:03

Do it? Do it All right. Elvie Shane here on Skip Happens tonight. Elvie, stay right there, but I'm going to say goodbye to our viewers and thank you so much for watching. Don't forget, give us a subscribe on YouTube Skip Happens. Don't forget, you got to pick up the album when it drops. The actual date is what? April 16th, was it?

Speaker 2: 38:23

No, april 19th, 19th. It was the only day before 4.20, so everybody can pass it around.

Speaker 1: 38:31

Oh man, I never thought of that, but you're right I love it. Hey, I'll join you All right. Well, in this case, we're going to say good night and, Elvie, hang on. Good night everybody. Thank you for watching Skip Happens.

Speaker 2: 38:43

Pick it up.

Speaker 1: 38:44

It's on the 19th of April. It's called Damascus. Good night everybody. Good night All right, we're off.