Skip Happens Podcast - Every Boot Has a Story!

From Space Shuttles To Honky-Tonks: Ansel Brown’s Return With Purpose

• Skip Clark

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SPEAKER_00:

Hello, everybody, and welcome back to Skip Happens. My name is Skip Clark, of course, your host of Skip Happens, and tonight Ansel Brown is back on the podcast, yo! And this time it feels a little bit different. Last time he was here, he was figuring things out. Now the music's moving as you can hear. And the fans are responding, the numbers are real, it's not hype. And from the whiskey mixer miss me, I remember that. Looking for the man and looking for the second chapter, I want to say, built with purpose. Let's get into it. And it's my friend, uh, you know, we actually became pretty good friends. Um, he actually invited I made a trip to Charlotte uh in the middle of August for a wedding, and of course, he's in Charlotte. And I come to find out that it's not the time you want to go to Charlotte because it's like uh 95 degrees in the shade and humid, but it was beautiful. Ansel, how are you?

SPEAKER_03:

It's good, man. It's good to be back. So good to see you. You I mean, like I said, I think you were the first podcast interview that I did um when I first relaunched this past summer, right?

SPEAKER_00:

So I'm excited to be back and give you an update. I always wanted you back, and you know, we pretty much kept in touch, and then Tracy reached out and I said, Yeah, absolutely. And I think you did. I think we were texting even before then. So yeah, and by the way, kudos right to that young lady, Tracy, because she's on top of everything that you're doing. I mean, she just a few minutes ago even emailed me with some information about Amazon and and all that. So she is right on top of it.

SPEAKER_03:

She's been a godsend, you know, there's a couple people like Mike Euretta, and but Tracy is is just like every day, she's like on me say saying, Hey, we gotta get this done, we gotta get this done, we gotta get this done. I'm like, Okay, okay. Oh, yeah, I forgot.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it just keeps me completely straight. Yeah, you know, and so for people who may be uh finding you for the very first time, all right, or re-finding you, I guess. Uh, where are you in life right now compared to the last time uh you were on with us?

SPEAKER_03:

I'm an exciting point because you know, we we we started back and we, you know, the whiskey took off. I mean, it had over or close to 300,000 uh streams on Spotify alone. Um, it's been amazing. And uh the last time that I was um doing this, I was kind of doing the space shuttle stuff, so that was amazing too. That's right. Yeah, so I was doing all the NASA space shuttle events for the farewell to the space shuttle program. And really, I mean, that's just been amazing um to go through leaving, coming back, and then this time it's been more, I would say last time it was more about big events and connecting my music with big events, like the the final, you know, space shuttle stuff.

SPEAKER_05:

Totally.

SPEAKER_03:

This time I'm really focused on Ansel the artist. And the not that I wasn't an artist back then, but now my my vision is to really just be as good of a singer as I can be, connect at the deepest level with people with my music. Um, and and and it's been working. It's been it's been incredible. Um, everything that's happened, you know, right after we launched, I had the city of Pittsburgh call me and they were like, We heard We Make America Run. They heard that song that you were playing, and they said, Of course, it mentions the Pittsburgh Steelers, of course, but they were like, Hey, we've we've been booked for a long time for the Fourth of July, but we would be privileged if you would headline our Fourth of July for us. And that was like a month before the fourth. So that was really my first big concert um opportunity uh in the comeback. And I took it, I jumped on it, I got my band ready. We we went up there, we had a great time. The people of Pittsburgh were amazing. I really connect with working class communities. So if you're in a blue-collar city, I I feel really natural in those situations, and that's what that song is about as well. It's about blue-collar, it's about what makes this country run. But so, really, that connection point is really what I'm looking for this time, and I really want to savor it because you know, when you're gone for as long as I was gone, it you know, you you just you forget what it's like to really connect, and that's what I'm doing this time.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm so you're you're like in a different headspace now. Oh, big big time, you know, big time, big time. So that's kind of cool. I you said now, is it true that you stepped away for health, family, and life priorities? And then uh what did that time away teach you that you could not have learned by staying in the grind? You know, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, that's a great question because it did. It taught me that one, you're given an opportunity, and if you don't take it, you do miss it. And and in my case, yes, I was healing. Uh, I was going through some, you know, some some serious stuff in terms of what you know you go through in life. A lot of us go through that. Um, and then I had a heart issue, and then, you know, I had a family member go through a traumatic time in the justice system. And um, and it was very earth-shattering to me. Um, but it it taught me resolve and it also taught me that, you know what, you if I'm gonna, if I'm ever gonna get back into music, I have a window to do it. And I knew that I knew in the back of my mind I would always be back. I just didn't know when. And then after the heart issue kind of got sorted out, just the light came on. It was around COVID. And I just, I just really I knew this is what I needed to be doing. And it, I appreciate it more now. I'm not really out there trying to become, you know, Joe Schmo from Atlantic Records. I'm I'm right, I'm trying to do what I know my passion is, and my passion is to connect. And it's it's always been to connect, and it's just like I said, I used to do big events and connect through the music to those events. I'm not saying I won't do that again, but now it's truly about me connecting with the country music lover and really trying to to make sure that I don't miss what I gave up again. So I'm like I'm I'm all the way in. Um, I'm working night and day, you know, I'm um, I'm running a business, I'm doing all that stuff, but I this is me night and day. And it's it's because I feel like I have so much to share that I didn't get to during that time off.

SPEAKER_00:

So this is not really a comeback tour, it's a comeback mission. Yes. Big time. Exactly. I love that.

SPEAKER_03:

And uh what does that actually mean to you? Oh boy, it means it means that no matter what, I stand up, I you know, it doesn't if if it's hard to get noticed because the world has changed in 10 years, it's still a challenge that I want to face. And you know, being in a in a mission mindset, you really got to put one foot in front of the other, regardless of the pushback. I have felt this time that it's the it feels like the waves are with me. And I felt like in the first time I was in music, I felt like it was it was almost the same way, but toward the middle of it, it got it kind of felt like there was pressure against me, um, not in a negative way, but just in a just a general way that you feel when you're trying to do something and you're not sure that you're doing it the right way. And I felt that a lot the first time through. This time, I because I don't have expectations of, you know, I'll just say stardom. I don't, I don't really have those expectations. I have expectations for myself to put a product out that people will connect with. And then when they meet me or they see me in person or they meet me on social media, they're gonna know me. And that vulnerability is really what I'm focused on. And this mission is putting that one foot in front of the other no matter what you face, no matter how hard it is, and just keep going because you know you're doing the right thing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Wow, dude. What um was there a specific moment when the fear of not doing music again became bigger than the fear of uh let's say falling or failing?

SPEAKER_05:

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, when my daughter was born.

SPEAKER_03:

God, I she's how old now? Five. She's five. And so she was born, she's a COVID baby. And I just remember thinking to myself, you know, I'd see her smile. I, you know, I had this little thing that I did with her every day, every day from the day she was born, every time that I looked at her, I'm not joking, there was not a single time that I didn't do this. Every time that I looked at my daughter, I smiled. I'm getting goosebumps right now.

SPEAKER_00:

I know. Well, yeah, I got the hoodie on and I just can't see them, but I have them.

SPEAKER_03:

And after about 70 days, she did not stop smiling.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, dude.

SPEAKER_03:

And and as I was watching her, and literally she's that way today, till today, she's she's one of the most, you know, just unique personalities, but she smile, she has that energy in her that just makes you, you know, feel her smile, right? And I remember looking at her going, she's not gonna know who I really am. She's not gonna know about my music. You know, she'll see it on a CD, sitting in the house. She's not gonna know me as an artist. And I that really started to eat away. Like I was like, I I really I gotta get back into this. And then just at that moment, my good friend Brent Harrison came to me and he said, Ansel, the let's write. Because I had an idea for a song called Middle of the Madness, and it kind of percolated, right? And then we wrote, and then I was going through the same thing with my daughter, where I'm like, I gotta get back into this, or she's never gonna know. And then boom, it was like he was there, and we started writing together, and then we started recording together, and then we started, and it was just one thing after another just kept happening. It took four years, but we got there over time, and my daughter started to learn, oh, my dad's a singer. I don't know if she's totally she'll get it.

SPEAKER_00:

No, she she probably does get it, it's just the way she doesn't really show you all of it as of yet. But believe me, I mean, from day one, when you you smile at her, she knows you're number one, you're daddy. Number two, you're gonna be that artist too.

SPEAKER_03:

I think I'm gonna write a book about that experience with my daughter because you really should. I I it was really, it wasn't that I was experimenting, but I was like, I remember my other I have you know, we have four boys on top, you know, in in addition to her. And I and I I'm a smiley person anyway. I like to smile, I just have a that's my energy. And but I I just remember being like, I I want to see if this really impacts her. And I I swear to God, it it was amazing to watch her just suddenly she started smile at a very young age. She was smiling, and then she started just smiling all the time. And my wife would laugh at me because I, you know, every literally every time I saw her, I was like, you know, I kept that on my face, you know, even if I was not having a good day.

SPEAKER_00:

Can't stop talking about it. Yeah, it's so good, so good. Man, that is so good. Let's uh talk a little bit about uh, you know, you're doing this on your own, uh, you're doing it without the machine, so to speak. And uh the whiskey makes her miss me. I mean, that had real numbers. Uh and what I read was nearly 300,000 Spotify streams. Uh, when did you realize that uh, you know, this is not just noise, but real momentum?

SPEAKER_03:

I think I think when the CMA um I well, I'm gonna go back. I think really as soon as we knew whiskey was the launch single, we started the re the feedback we were getting was really good. Um, but as the music row numbers started to pick up, and then right before the EP came out in October that it's on, you know, it was the release single, um, the CMA, you know, pumped out their their Friday New Music um email blast to the industry. And Ansel Brown was right there, you know, next to next to uh Keith Urban and and you know, and it's like, okay, so they know they know that I'm back, they know that I'm doing this again. Um, and yeah, that's harder without the engine, you know, behind you. But I tell you what, you know, we we ended up um you know charting on music row. We're we're charting right now on the breakout chart. And you know, that to me is just that's exactly what I wanted to have happen because I haven't been here for so long. Right. And they have my first single, you know, I was right there with Luke Combs. He didn't chart on like his newest song. It he landed on the on deck list, and that same week I landed on the on deck list.

SPEAKER_00:

Now, what is that? You you look at this list and you see your name among those that you know, your Luke Combs and your Keith Urbans and everybody else. I mean, what is that feeling like?

SPEAKER_03:

And it I it's like you, it's it's you know that you're doing something that is working, even though it's not as fast as I want it to be. It's gonna take time. You know, I kept having to tell people that are supporting me, I'm like, this is uh this is a marathon. This is not like we're not gonna just be a flash in the pan. People are gonna systematically see that Ansel Brown is putting out really good music, really, you know, well-critiqued music, you know, in a in a good way, and and he's really doing this, and it's not like just one big push, it's it's gonna be several, several pushes, and we're doing that. And we the more fans that we get behind this, the more help we get from the listening public, right? The bigger it can be.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, what um so how different does success feel now that it's coming from the listeners, as opposed to uh, you know, the label push.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, it's gotta be different. It feels amazing and way better than I think somebody was talking to somebody else today about a uh with a PR person in in Atlanta, and he's like, She's like, Well, is he on a major label? And and the the guy that that was talking to that lady was like, you know, I don't think Ansel wants a label. I think I think he wants to do this himself.

SPEAKER_00:

He doesn't want it's not uncommon, you know. Yeah, it's happening more and more.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, because of the way that you get, yeah, you know, everything is like advanced, and then you're paying back the label forever.

SPEAKER_00:

CT each their own, but I'm you know, I'm not gonna diss the labels either. Everybody's got a job to do, but the uh the the artists that I speak to, and a lot of those are independents, such as yourself, yeah. They're cut, you know, this is what they're doing. They want to have hands-on, they want to they want to make the decision. I want to decide what my what my exactly, yep, exactly. And if it fails, you got nobody to blame but yourself. And I don't think you can like no, I don't think I think you're absolutely right. I know what you're gonna say.

SPEAKER_03:

You want to get rich and famous, and that's your goal, then yes, you might fail. But if your goal is to create something that people may remember, yeah, and may get may get inspired or touched by, that's real success. Like, I don't that kind of sounds like something uh, you know, a uh motivational speaker would say, but it's it's it is true that if you're doing what you love doing, then at any measure it's success. And I love doing this.

SPEAKER_00:

I I can tell, I can absolutely tell, and that just makes me feel so good. Uh, when you put together the rise, um was the goal a hit or was it a statement?

SPEAKER_03:

The goal was a statement. I kind of figured, and no hesitation. And it was a statement because I'm like, Ansel is a serious artist. I'm talking third person, sorry. Um you know, I'm a I'm a serious artist that really has a serious desire to put out high quality work. And that that makes me feel good because I'm kind of a perfectionist with creativity. I mean, I'm in a you know, I'm a creative, yeah, creative person regardless of the music. Yeah, yeah, and and so I have high standards for myself, but to put it out there, it's just like, you know, I want to make the statement is Ansel is for real.

SPEAKER_00:

Real deal, baby.

SPEAKER_03:

Whether I'm on Billboard Top 100 or not.

SPEAKER_00:

It's the real deal. That's what matters. That's what matters. Uh, you know, you've got multiple tracks showing engagement. I I saw that, I hear it. Uh, not just one song. Why do you think listeners are sticking around this time?

SPEAKER_03:

I think um crazy questions, I know.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_03:

No, no, no. I think they I think they um they're they're learning about me and they're not they're like my number one statement that I get from people like you skip, um, is like, how did I not know about you? If I hear that from people, it's like I know, like, I know that I'm doing the right thing, and I know that I'm doing high quality work because they're not going, man, you used to be a lot better. This this time they're really saying, like, how how did I not how did I not hear about you before?

SPEAKER_00:

I've said that since day one. I think the first time when you and I first talked, and it's like, how did I not know about you?

SPEAKER_03:

And yeah, you did say that. That's right. And it's like, um, if you I think if you get that reaction, and I would say it's happened on like, I'm not joking, 97% of my interviews that were people have listened to my music before the interview, and then they they're like talking off camera, you know, or offline. Yep, and they're like, like, what, why? Why haven't I why didn't I know about you? So I love that that surprise. Like, even though that's kind of like a cut on myself, because it's like you're surprised that I can sing, or you're surprised that I have good music. It's to me, it's like, man, it's telling that is amazing to get that kind of response. It's feel good, it's feel good.

SPEAKER_00:

Inside, you just go, Yeah, that's what I want. Exactly. This is the real me. Then whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute.

unknown:

Wait a minute.

SPEAKER_00:

Then there's this more cowbell. Yeah, just kind of reminds me of being at one of our baseball games, and there's a guy that comes around with a cowbell, and it's always a more cowbell. But this is bad voice.

SPEAKER_05:

Hang on. You hear deadlands way behind. Do you hear me, son? I tell him, yeah, yeah, yeah. He owns my son from nine till five. Well, I've got a line. Goes to eleven. You hear the bang, bang, bang. Wow, do you hear the dance?

SPEAKER_03:

We're doing a line dance for this one right now.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, I bet you yeah, exactly. I I I can vision that happening with this. That is great. Uh, more cowbell. What I'm reading is uh that has quietly become like the Dark Horse fan favorite. Um, did that uh catch you off guard when that happened? Well just came out October 17th.

SPEAKER_03:

But it's from that little it's kind of started to to separate itself a little bit. And um just the reaction that I get from people, whether there are other creators on TikTok or whatever, they're like, hey, so more cowbell is one of your songs. Can can we use it? So we're getting a lot of that just organically, you know, with creators wanting to use it. And um it just like it's always been one of my favorite songs. I did not write that song either. So just so you know, Skip Black and um Joe Leathers wrote that song. Cool. And I've I used to sing it back in the day. And I'm like I'm like I never got to record it. And then so I I I called them up when I was putting this first EP together and I was like hey guys can I do more cowbell? And there's one other called Gravity Hill that they wrote. I'm like can I do more cowbell in Gravity Hill and they were like yeah yeah do it. And I of course you know but because those songs have like sat with me for so long they feel a part of my tapestry and to have it on an actual album now feels amazing. So that is so cool. It's always been one of my favorite songs that is that is so cool. So um and then you're officially launching we make America run uh which is the radio single now uh why was this the song uh uh the right song to follow whiskey you know because I I love my country and and it is a blue collar anthem it's it's not an it's not like a oh say you can't it's not one of those anthems right but it's a blue collar gritty anthem and uh we got some great reviews on it um I I just think it's the it's a great you know I feel like the first single is to dip your not dip your toes but to splash so that people are like oh wake up who's Ansel where did Ansel why did we not know about Ansel and then the second follow-up single needs to be something that can gain national traction in a way that maybe the first one can't because the first one has to surprise people the second one has to to go and and take off and I believe that's the one that is ready and waiting to just take off once radio gets a hold of it. Yeah and it look it sounds like it's built for radio oh yeah uh live shows the big moments um oh yeah I mean what were you hoping people would feel the first time they heard it um just a uh a level of um of pride in what they do to make this country run exactly because they're you know whether you're a uh a farmer whether you're a uh you know a uh trucker army army army yeah military yep whether you're a first responder whether you're a trucker these are the people that make this country run everybody should feel pride in that that works hard you know whether you're an entrepreneur even I even count that in this because you know even though you're a businessman you're still part of that real blue collar because I don't know if you've ever owned a business which you have um and I'm the same way when I you know having a business is not easy not at all it takes a lot of sweat and hard work to make something stick around or you know you got to get another job and um so yeah I I I throw entrepreneurs into that but it is a true working man and woman song.

SPEAKER_00:

How important uh Ansel, how important is country radio it uh you know in this chapter of your career compared to the first one country radio is is difficult.

SPEAKER_03:

Um it I think a lot of people are are you know find it challenging to try to get a song to chart on on any level um I think it's but to me it was like the barometer right it was like I I want to be on radio to see how the program directors react to see what I can get out of a song on radio because then that feeds into everything else to me but today you know digital music is where it's at um DSPs you know Spotify and Apple Musics um but radio can really transcend and if you are able to catch on you know catch something on fire for radio it can it can do a lot of other things to help you kind of develop that audience that you want to have and you want to be connected to so while I don't necessarily need radio I I do want to be on radio because it's something that I've I from the beginning that's that's been my goal to be on radio.

SPEAKER_00:

Wow I'm the radio guy and you are a radio guy. So you need radio yes because I mean the way I and I tell a lot of artists this Ansel is um we are who we are because of the artists like you.

SPEAKER_03:

I mean it's a two-way street so in in a way you do need radio and you gotta make that work now I understand we have all you know the DSPs and all that but still it radio still you know do you realize radio is where they're getting a lot of their new music from first yes I do and and I do love but personally I love radio I love being listening to radio I I'm I'm not like I'm usually not just like driving listening to my you know to C D music or or my MP3 whatever you call them iPhone they don't have CDs in the cars anymore mine does my truck has it oh really oh all right well you know for the most part they don't yeah so um but to you know my goal has from the beginning has been to be on radio and I don't maybe I started I have had moments of doubt where I'm like maybe I'm not doing this the right way but if you're just patient and you you allow a song to kind of um get in front of people enough times where they're like okay I'm gonna give it a shot we we've had some amazing program directors you know come out and say look we're playing this we're gonna play it 30 times a week or whatever and it's been really great to see that and you know I I I think a lot of people like I said even though I think it's I think there are other things that you know you can go viral on. Oh absolutely still absolutely like to me country music is a little different than everything else and I feel like the radio part of country music is really what you think of when you reflect on somebody's career or somebody's um legacy it's true. You you remember hearing them on on the radio on the radio. Who who doesn't want to have a a moment where a family member is sitting in Charleston South Carolina and then all of a sudden they're driving and they're listening to 92.7 or or whatever. Right right and they hear their their grandson or their wow you know their daughter or whoever in their car on the radio out of the blue I don't think there's anything that surpasses that. That's way better than just having it show up on your feed. Exactly exactly I totally agree with you there.

SPEAKER_00:

I just I just sometimes I have I don't I get it yeah yeah you know it's amazing though we talk about uh you and I are like over here but then there's a lot of younger people over here and if you were to ask somebody from the from a younger generation what radio is you know what they would tell you what's like that radio no they would go oh yeah I listen to the radio it's Spotify it's Pandora you know they they they think that's radio yep yep so that's a whole different generation but yes you know I just I think that's interesting. So I think there are still I I don't know there I think there are a lot of audiophiles that like love radio love the you know oh yeah oh yeah morning drive and absolutely evening oh my god and oh I could tell you stories about radio in my days and there's still going on but uh I wouldn't change it for anything in the world just like you doing what you're doing you know what I mean yeah and I would say on importance level and it the level of importance just like when I hit the breakout chart after so many weeks of trying that was to me that was the most exciting moment. That's cool.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah I mean just being on the on deck with being on like okay I'm really doing this. I'd be running around going look at my name's on there I still think I sent out like a hundred texts and people I'm I kept thinking people can go like like Ansel's all about him and I was like but I was so excited or Ansel shares too much or whatever but I was so excited I was just like I was trying to send it out to people that have known me and maybe even forgotten me that's awesome like okay we're doing this.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely so yeah send it to somebody that didn't like you and go look at this dude see it now I'm here okay so no just kidding but yeah let's talk about perspective and purpose a little bit if you could talk to the version of yourself who stepped away uh what would you tell him now?

SPEAKER_03:

Look at me now exactly see look right here I'm like blue combs no I I think um I would I would I could reflect and say look at what you missed you know if I want to be honest I did I missed I miss but I also would say man Ansel if you didn't wait you wouldn't have the the perspective that you do have now right right you wouldn't enjoy it as much as you are right now because you took the time to miss it.

SPEAKER_00:

You know I hope uh Ansel I hope um people watch this that are ready to give up but now they know they can have you know everything that you're saying is I guess more or less don't give up just you know if you got to step back you step back take care of the things you need to take care of. But when you come back you're gonna be bigger and better than ever. Yep. And uh hopefully you know we have a lot of uh locals that want to do what you're doing we have a lot of uh very talented people but it's again it's such a a crowded market but you're the only you but you're uh thank you exactly you're the only you so I think you're a good example and an inspiration to a lot of people that uh maybe they don't know where to go or what to do. Now they can look at you or they can watch this and you know say you know what yes I can do this. I can I can do this.

SPEAKER_03:

And don't ever feel desperate because the moment you feel desperate is when the trouble begins. So I'm gonna ask you um well finish this sentence I might know what's in front of me I didn't know uh okay this chapter feels different because because it I I have no I have no ability to imagine anything different I I really don't I like this chapter will be different that's the question right because of is that is that the question yeah it's just like you know this chapter feels different because of yeah I mean yeah it's just you got your because you got it all together yeah because I'm I'm like I'm like more seasoned than I've ever been there you go that's that's the right word yeah so it's not saying you're old it's just that you've been doing this for a little bit yeah and I'll tell you when I was standing in Pittsburgh singing I I like I used to get really uptight about shows but now it's like no this and take take a breath and enjoy what you're doing right now because the people that would dream of doing this in the millions they would love to experience this and I'm getting to do it and like it's just an amazing it's an amazing feeling I feel like I'm way more prepared to face anything. So why were you getting uptight? I I think I just always had the the I think I had I had well first I had um what's it called when you when you're like I don't play guitar so I feel like I have imposter syndrome. Okay. So I used to and I used to have this level of perfection in my mind that I don't think I could ever really attain and you have to let go of that because really what matters is the person that you're looking at as you do a show the people that you're looking at they're the only thing that matters right then. It's like you are communicating with them. Don't let it be so tight. Let it be enjoyable let it be free and and exciting and exhilarating and and you know even just goosebump moments right it's like you got to take the time to to breathe in and feel that as you're doing it otherwise it's just gone and you didn't get to enjoy it.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. Gotcha what um what's one thing that maybe uh fans might not realize about how much work goes into you being an independent artist.

SPEAKER_03:

How much work is that oh my goodness you know I wish I had five or six or ten people just you know helping me with daily tasks but it's very um it is easy to get really like buried under the amount of work that you have to do just to make sure you're not not doing something that you should be doing and it can become a like a fatal flaw because you're like, oh man, I should have done that. So you're constantly pressured with having to get certain things done in a certain order um and then there's trial and error on top of that. But you have to do things every day you have to pay for things you have to you need to think of publicity and you know as we call it you know PR you need to think of those things as you're going through this because you got to treat yourself like it is a business even though you know you want those moments where it feels like it's just magical and it's just like the it's like cutting through butter you know with a hot knife. But the the honest truth is every day you're gonna face challenges you're gonna face doubt you're gonna face criticism you're gonna face the the unknown you're gonna face people that have never heard of you and don't care. And so you you have to deal with all that stuff every day on top of just getting the work done and it it takes a practicing you know rehearsing having everything that you need to be as successful as you can it takes a lot of work.

SPEAKER_00:

Now how do you balance that you've got the business you're doing this you got a wonderful family. How do you balance all that?

SPEAKER_03:

Man it's hard like my family I think gets tired of me talking about you know what music and everything but it's like they know that you know this is this is a this is a lot and I put everything that I have just you know spiritually speaking I've put all yeah I put a lot of money behind what I have in terms of me just putting my own savings through you know what I need to do to make sure I'm doing this right. Um it just takes a lot of you know maybe getting some extra income somewhere trying to like you know do getting some sponsors things like that. And when you're doing that they know that you're in so you can't just go I used to tell my sons okay you started this you started football you're you're gonna play till the end of the season no matter how you feel about football because you started it. People are counting on you. It's the same thing with this I'm in I'm not gonna quit no matter what I face I'm not just I there are days that I get I get down because I'm facing a level of criticism for something um maybe it's just people not knowing me on social as much as I you know want them to know that I'm yeah but you just like you can't stop you gotta it's the same thing on my side of things.

SPEAKER_00:

You know I mean we kind of do the same thing but different you know and that you're a creator. Yeah exactly you too and um there's just those moments so when you feel like you're overwhelmed and all that's going on and uh how do you keep yourself grounded and keep you know a good head on your shoulders things start moving really fast. How do you handle all that?

SPEAKER_03:

So I'll give you a great example so you know um something negative will happen and whatever that is. Yeah. And then three days later you you have to know that every time you face an an obstacle or something that is causing you stress or disappointment or whatever it might be, you have to think to yourself in two days, three days something good is going to happen. You know, I might face five bad things but I know that if I keep moving forward something good is going to happen that next week and it always does. It always does always something good to no matter what my traction level is with people or the industry I know that this week might be slow but next week something is going to happen that makes it suddenly exhilarating and that you just got to look for those great moments that happen every week.

SPEAKER_00:

They do they happen every week and when you want to get away from it all what do you do I mean that's only normal I mean there's times I I just want to get away from the radio side of things just for a day just I want to do something different. What do you do when you want to walk away for just you know a few hours or a day usually it's it's doing stuff with my family.

SPEAKER_03:

Typically that's what it will be or helping like we went and helped um the homeless in Charlotte a couple weeks ago for Thanksgiving um and you know I just took the whole day with the family and we walked around Charlotte and and gave out food to the homeless. It was amazing you know people were homeless people were praying for us. It was it was it was really cool. So we're doing that again this weekend because we it was just such an an awesome experience. But doing things for the community or doing things with veterans you know veteran friends which has been you know I've been kind of slack the last six months because I've got so much distracting me. So sometimes I sit back and I go okay I need to do this and this with you know with Richard's coffee shop or whoever and um but mostly it's the daughter and and the wife you know and doing something with them. They would probably my wife would probably say it's not enough but I do I do try to step back and you just got to let like if you're feeling overwhelmed and you're feeling like you can't get a break, you got to just make yourself not worry about okay if I if next five days I'm gonna you know go do something with my family. You just got to let it happen and not worry because it's like a being a YouTuber right it's if you're a YouTuber you know people get scared oh my if I stop my schedule YouTube's algorithm is going to forget about me. And the same thing with me if I stop my schedule you know I'm not gonna be able to book any shows next year or I'm not gonna be able to do this or that. It's kind of the same thing but you got to know that the world keeps turning when people see you they see you and when they don't they don't worry about it. So you shouldn't worry about it either because you're gonna come back when you're ready in the next few days.

SPEAKER_00:

Is there ever a moment where you don't want to be Ansel Baron?

SPEAKER_03:

No No, I don't think so. I I think I I feel like my life has been about just taking taking hold and doing what I'm dreaming of doing and just doing it, like regardless of what it takes. Um like I can give you a whole like another show of all the different things. Maybe I used to tell people I live a different life every five years. Yeah, that's how I feel. Like I I live different lives every five years because I'm constantly, I'm constantly wanting to do what my passion is. And the one thing that's lasted the longest is the music.

SPEAKER_00:

I love it. You know what I want to do? I want to take this podcast on the road and go to your boat and do it live from your boat. Oh, that would be fun. I don't know. I don't know. You you said, come on, we're gonna take you out on the boat. Remember, that would be fun.

SPEAKER_03:

That would be actually let's do that. Let's make sure we do that because it's a pontoon boat, so we can set up perfect.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's I've got my own power, I've got my own internet, we're good to go. Yep, exactly. I would definitely do that. Awesome.

SPEAKER_03:

It would be awesome, but uh you know, I just if you just buy if you just and uh put a little money into the um into the sky Starlink um portable version.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh you can just use that anywhere and then I have my own internet, I can up, which is it's very similar. Okay, so I can go anywhere and plug in and do my thing. That's awesome. There, you're there then. I just think about see. I think outside the box sometimes it's like wow, yeah, that's out of the hot zone. I mean, I've done it from the ballpark, I've been so many different places with different artists, and uh, I think that'd be cool. It's something different, man. I like that. Yeah, and so for somebody hearing your name today for the first time, uh, where should they start? And what do you hope they hear beyond the music?

SPEAKER_03:

Go to Spotify, check out, check out my history of music, not just not just like what's out today, um, and get a sense of who I am musically speaking, and then you know, meet me on my website or meet me on social media to kind of like interact with me because it to me, like when people are interacting and they're genuinely trying to learn more about me, it's it's awesome to be able to communicate with people. You know, that's the one great thing about social media is that it's it's gonna be, you know, the artist that really communicates with people that are trying to understand them or or learn more about their music and their history. You know, if you're genuinely doing that, which I think most artists are when it's like that, you know, I wanna be open to everybody and I wanna, I wanna, I wanna get to know people. And you can ask the people that are that are that are that have known me for a long time in terms of fans of my music, I don't really forget people when I interact with them. I I kind of remember just about everybody.

SPEAKER_00:

That is so cool, and I love the fact that you do interact with them, I think that is so very important.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, yeah, and if I get a show in their town, I they better be there.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm sure they would be too. Uh yeah, Ansel, this has been uh great, man. It's cool to hear how different this chapter feels. I love that, and I loved you from the very beginning, dude. Just something about it, you know, when you talk to people, you there's that connection, and just they hear about what you do, what you're doing, and where you're going. Uh, not rushed, not forced, uh, just real. Uh, if you're listening, go support an independent artist doing it uh the right way. It's this guy, Ansel Brown. Uh, search them, uh Ansel Brown. Uh, you can start with Whiskey Makes or Miss Me. Check out the Rise EP and don't sleep on more Cowbell. I think it's right here. There's something about more Cowbell. I don't know. It's all good though. Uh, absolutely, and uh and listen for We Make America Run. Wait a minute, that was this, right? There you go. There it is. I'm just over here pushing buttons.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, running them roads.

SPEAKER_00:

I know. There you go. Good stuff, Ansel Brown. Uh, we make America Run, Country Radio. Ansel, we appreciate you. Let's listen to this first second.

SPEAKER_05:

Yellow that's right. Yellow we're the East, Kentucky coal miners, the detour, City Assembly liners, we're the flash and lights that get there first.

SPEAKER_04:

Working for the man and working for a dollar, dirt on our hands of blue, on our collars, waiting for me out in that red hot sun. Trying that sea to swing and that hammerhead of the three and the John Deere tried to run with the sun out there getting it done. Yeah, we make America run.

SPEAKER_00:

That's it. We make America run. That's the guy right there, Ansel Brown. Yeah, dude, you're the best. Again, I want to say thank you for coming out and Skip Happens tonight. You know what? We gotta we gotta do this right along, and uh just really appreciate you. I appreciate the music and uh I just you know, I appreciate you as a person, everything you've been through. So, you know, thank you, man.

SPEAKER_03:

This is like yeah, love talking to you, love getting on the show with you, and this is you're doing what you need to be doing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I'm all over the place.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, but I have a lot, I have a lot of fun with it though. And I like they do have a radio background, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

A little bit, a little bit. Uh, but Ansel, again, thank you for being on Skip Happens. If you've been watching this, make sure you subscribe. But uh, you know, all you gotta do is go to youtube.com uh forward slash at skip happens podcast. Click subscribe, make sure you check him out online too. Subscribe exactly. Ansel Brown, you see her right there. Yeah, that's the name. That's him. Ansel, thanks for joining us tonight. Hey, thank you, Skip. It's been amazing again.

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Skip Clark

Host