Transcription
Okay, everyone. We're on day two of our Mee Eater live Christmas tour. Uh, we're in Nashville. What does anybody think of when they think of Nashville? They think of music. We're on Music Row. I'm here with the host of God's Country Podcast, Dan Reed, Isabel, The Brothers Hunt. What up? What up?
>> And we're in a place where you guys make music.
>> Yeah, literally. We've made we've made music in this room.
>> And we're on a street known for music making.
>> I mean, arguably the most legendary music street in the country.
>> Music Row.
>> Music.
>> We're kind of in between them. 16th and 17th is is the legendary Music Row in Nashville and they just run parallel to each other. One way this way on 16th, one way that way on 17th.
>> So fair to say hundreds of the songs, you know, have been touched.
>> Thousands have been touched on this. Absolutely.
>> And not only that, let's get down to brass tax. The building, it's a music building.
>> Indeed. A lot of history with it.
>> The room is a music room.
>> I'm just trying to establish our credentials.
>> Allegedly, this is a legit studio. I mean, this was a vocal booth. If you if you were to pull this down, you'd see a big glass window where artists converse with producers on what to play, what to say.
>> They have all those levers.
>> We call them knob jockeyies, but
>> Knob jockeyies. I wouldn't use that loosely.
>> Dolly Parton's [clears throat] been in this building.
>> Tammy Wette's been in this building. George Jones been in this building allegedly. Allegedly.
>> Together. Maybe.
>> Maybe in this room. I'm not one to say.
>> Um.
>> Hiding. So, I'm just establishing our credentials that we're in a music room.
>> Oh, baby. You're I would venture to say you're in the you're in the heart.
>> Of the country music creation.
>> Yep.
>> Steve.
>> This is this is why I've brought you here.
>> No, I brought you here.
>> No, I brought you here because.
>> I mean, arguably, we brought [laughter] here.
>> Because this is I brought you here.
>> This is the American South and this is where music is made. Yeah.
>> Steve has a Steve has a beef with me because one time I said.
>> Music is important to people in the south. That's all I said.
>> Like it's not in the north was the [laughter] implication. He's like, "Well, you don't understand. Music's very important to people in the south."
>> It's kind of like [laughter] fried fish.
>> Well, fried fish is very important to people in the south.
>> What I was trying to say was.
>> Is it as important to people in the north?
>> More important.
>> Fried fish.
>> More important.
>> No chance. Yeah. Questionable.
>> It's more important. And I I just brought up. I'm like, tell go tell the people in Mottown about how special music is in the South.
>> Well, so I'm not saying I don't want to burn our time up. These guys got a hard out. We have a song to write.
>> My kids Christmas play. That's the only reason. Otherwise, I'd stay all day.
>> Okay, that is important. I thought you had like big time country music stuff to attend to the Christmas.
>> Absolutely not. I wouldn't be wearing a college shirt if it wasn't for my kids Christmas play.
>> Uh, here's what I want to do. I want to I want to give people a glimpse but uh into what you do for a living and what happens on this street. But I want can you guys touch on.
>> Your sort of your day job, right? Like your your career and what you do in music writing, what what services you provide and how that world works very quickly.
>> Yeah, we're uh lunch bell songwriters what we like to call them. Um, and we we write three four days a week right here on Music Row. Sometimes we write in this room. Now we write three or four days a week. There was was a time we were writing five days a week, sometimes doubles.
>> Okay.
>> Yeah. But we've got we've got publishers or plugers that we write for or sign to. I'm signed to 50 Egg, Dan signed to Sony.
>> And uh they schedule out our rights way in advance. And so.
>> They schedule it.
>> Yeah, we do too. We do a lot of that too now. Um, but most of the time they do. And we'll look at on Sunday you'll look at your calendar for Monday and see that you're riding with X this X rider and this X rider at Sony at 11:00 and you roll up at 10:45 do a little chat and say what's up catch up with everybody head into the room at 11 and do a chatting for about 30 minutes again and then you start scrolling through ideas and and seeing what what artist if if you got buddies that's cutting a record. I don't think it's any secret. We're friends with Luke Combmes. So, a lot of times people will come in and sit down with us and go.
>> "Hey, man. When's Luke cutting?" We'll be like, "Oh, man. He's two years out." That's off the table, right? There's no sense in even trying.
>> So, that's how you move beyond that.
>> So, if you're 6 months out and you go, "Oh, man. He's looking for a song uh about hunting." Then this guy might go, "It's crazy. I have this hook, Praying in a Deer Stand or whatever it is."
>> Title idea. Praying in a deer stand. Dude, that's way better than what I got for you. Okay, we'll see.
>> We can write that if you want to. That'd [laughter] be pray praying in a mule saddle.
>> So why Okay. Why? So I brought Clay down.
>> Yeah. Oh, you brought him.
>> I brought Clay down.
>> It's debatable.
>> To workshop cuz I wanted to see you guys and work. So the best I could come up with, I'm not a songwriter.
>> Sure.
>> I was going to pitch you guys. I was going to be the guy that comes in and I'm going to pitch you on an idea of a song that you could develop about how mules are better than horses.
>> Okay. Now look, I'm got to be honest. I don't know a whole lot about mules. That's why we're here. I can give I can give you the bullet points.
>> Okay.
>> And to be honest, we don't know a lot about horses either. [laughter]
>> Well, this is his lifetime. He needs a song to go with this cuz this is his lifetime battle anyways.
>> Okay. So, why?
>> Maybe you're the artist and we are the song helping.
>> Which is what we do.
>> And I'm the producer.
>> Well.
>> I need more like more like produce bag. You play the part.
>> Producer. You're the producer.
>> Yeah. [clears throat] This is this is like really high stakes for me. I need a song that carries.
>> Okay, now I want to do it.
>> Need that carries the data, the facts, but also the culture, the attitude. Okay.
>> The fire and the bones of the overlooked.
>> Meal people passionate about this.
>> Yeah.
>> So, you know about Columbia, Tennessee, right?
>> Yeah. Yeah. Me cell mess.
>> We got everything down there. Meal town coffee. You should come down.
>> Yeah. Oh, yeah.
>> It's pretty slick down. Never I haven't.
>> You can probably grand marshall it someday, dude.
>> Well, easy. We can put you in for that.
>> I mean.
>> You can you can put your mules in. There's a meal getting their guitars out.
>> I mean, they already lunch pot their lunch kale song by be home by dinner time. They'll [laughter] get back to lunch.
>> You can get back by two, man.
>> The song The song needs some like real specific data that a mule or horse person would be like, "Dang, he's right." But it also needs like.
>> Catchy hook that. Okay. So.
>> So here here's here's the scoop.
>> For every hundred horses, there's probably two mules in the country. Number one. That's a great starting line. [laughter]
>> Okay.
>> Yeah. Can I have that?
>> You're just going to put that line in there?
>> Well, well, it get it'll get way better than that. You know what I mean?
>> Well.
>> But it's got to it's got to bring the Say for everyund horse. Let me give you the I know I was going to say anything. There ain't but two every 100 horses there ain't but two mules.
>> He's already horses. There ain't but two mules.
>> Well that now they're thinking we're dumb though. I mean we got it's like it's like it's got it's got to specify like special but but a mule is a four-wheel drive horse.
>> Okay.
>> Like that's kind of a thing. Mules are surefooted, like way more sure-footed than a horse. They have more stamina than a horse. They live longer than a horse. They have a longer working life.
>> I think what I need from you that would make for a great commercial country mule song is maybe maybe this is a story tune. So, I'm sure.
>> We need a specific mule. I'm sure in your lifetime you've had or maybe even a specific instance with a specific mule like you're on a mountain and a cat jumps and swipes it but it doesn't kill it and the horse falls off the side of the mountain but your mule stays and his name is.
>> Izzy's my good right now.
>> Works that's what.
>> Bay slow. What was the other one?
>> Slow trap. I said so what we're going to do now in lunch bell songwriting world is take the three options he just gave us and decide on which one is the hook of your name now one of them Bay meant more to you than the other.
>> But it doesn't matter.
>> But Izzy.
>> Betty Bay.
>> I mean, that one's Betty Bay is great.
>> Betty Bay is hot and.
>> Betty Bay. So, there's even like a you ba.
>> Betty Bayer color.
>> That's a little songwriting thing, too, is like the.
>> Betty Bay is also for sale.
>> The two B's the Craigslist, dude. [laughter]
>> Jeez, I don't think anybody You might have somebody that's what this is really all about. [laughter]
>> Sell a mule like Columbia. You are getting your paycheck. Don't [laughter] worry about this. Just write me a really great song about Betty Bay. Okay. I like Betty Bay. What was the other one?
>> Uh, Slow Trap, Izzy. Betty Bay. Um.
>> And you said May is her color.
>> No, Bay. B A Y. She's.
>> Bayorn. It's a Yeah, she's ba colored. But I mean like the biggest thing that a mule would have would be it surefootedness and safety and rough country. Like if you meet somebody with a mule, you're like, "This dude's going in some rough country."
>> Yeah. This This is a This is a gritty American. But mules are stubborn. They're harder to deal with than a horse. They're harder to train than a horse. But if you get one trained, it's better than a horse.
>> Payoffs, man. Okay.
>> So, the next.
>> I think I love that for a chorus. Like.
>> Hold on, hold on. We don't even know what.
>> No, no. I know. I'm just working in my brain like they might be that.
>> What do you want this song to sound like?
>> Well.
>> I mean, should it be uptempo? Should it be.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like.
>> Should it be like.
>> Like like like old Slooh Foot like kind of kind of fun.
>> Fulky. [music]
>> We could start out with a chorus.
>> That's what I'm thinking. Like they might they would you just say they might be what? They might be this. They might be that.
>> Well, they're they're they're surefooted. They're made for rough country. No, you're saying they're a pain in the ass to raise up, but it's worth it in the end.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah. What what are the what are the downfalls of them? They might be.
>> Well, they're they're harder to train. They might be hard to train. They're they're a bad mule is way worse than a bad horse. But a good mule here is better than a good horse.
>> We got to save our horse.
>> You understand what I'm saying? Like they're outlaw. If you get an outlaw, you're in trouble.
>> Nobody's going to listen to this. Should we.
>> Should we save our horse references like for Cuz see, here's the thing. We could on horses through this entire song, right?
>> No doubt. But I think the move I think the move [laughter] is to pick one poignant moment to on horse and then just keep it honoring.
>> Clay's trying to go low and negative.
>> Well, you guys are trying to go positive.
>> Well, [laughter] positive up tempo supposed to make money.
>> Yeah, we're trying to make money here.
>> Uh, okay. Uh.
>> It could it could like [singing].
>> Start with like a trip to the mountains in rough country.
>> Uh, Now I mean like a personal story where a meal would have come through would have been carrying a bear hide.
>> Love it. Give me two seconds. Betty B.
>> For chorus.
>> Finest meal was ever made. Finest got ever ever made. [music] [singing] Betty finest [singing] [music] ever.
>> Hey, can we put a state in there? Sure. Yeah. [laughter]
>> Yeah. In a minute.
>> I've got one.
>> What uh what's the reference for the state?
>> Well, just I don't know. Just like Tennessee stud is really cool. I would love a Arkansas reference.
>> Okay. What's Arkansas? Arkansas Arkansas. What?
>> Just just Arkansas.
>> Arkansas ass.
>> Oh yeah. That derogatory has swear words.
>> Well, but a don but it's not a donkey. Like if somebody's trying to insult me, they'll go, "Hey, get your donkey out of the trailer." And I'm like.
>> "Oh, for them spotting words."
>> Yeah. Don't call my mule a donkey. My baby. [laughter]
>> So now you're the session's over. I'm done [laughter] with this guy.
>> Yeah. This is where we text our publisher and be like, "Hey, send us a text that we got studio time at 2:30."
>> Oh, [laughter] man. Sorry, publisher. Just we got I got to go home.
>> I think we're just going to have enough time for chorus. Betty Betty Ba [singing] [music] finest me God ever made that [singing] bett [music] just write a different line for this [singing] day.
>> Of clay. I mean, we could Do you want to be in the song?
>> Arkansas clay Arkansas.
>> I love that. [laughter] from that are being for sale too in [laughter].
>> Finest finest donkey god ever. Oh my bad god ever.
>> And you could do and then do a story.
>> All right. Which one goes first?
>> Clay then God bett. [singing] [music]
>> What's Okay. Help us. Help us. Help us here. Something Arkansas clay like the something to the mountain.
>> Only dedicated to you.
>> What's another word for vehicle? Blank to the mountains of Arkansas clay.
>> I call them a like they're a ride like a mountain Cadillac.
>> Oh Cadillac for Arkansas [singing] baby. [music] Mountain Cadillac 400 song play baby [singing] God ever made. [music]
>> All right, there you go.
>> There's your course.
>> Dude, they got How tall is.
>> It's all over now. But the.
>> She's boring parts.
>> She's the course.
>> She's She's actually 143 is what they call it.
>> How old is she?
>> She's seven going on eight. Seven years old.
>> Going on eight. She's eight. We're going on eight. All I hear going on [singing and music] another day. [music] [singing]
>> How do you do? How do you do it? First verse. How do you She's going on eight at at 143 or she's.
>> Going on 143 something to.
>> That Spanish to somebody who don't.
>> Yeah. I like how technical it sounds, Duke, cuz it makes it sound like you guys know a lot about.
>> I think we're leaving the I think it's got to be Clay cool. I don't think it's commercial cool. Like I think we just got to stay cool.
>> She's going on eight 143.
>> Are you saying that would be a concern cuz you're just losing people?
>> Well, yeah.
>> In a commercial sense, nobody who's going to know what she's going on eight at 143. Nobody's going to know what that mean.
>> None of our listeners know that. Yours guys do.
>> Yeah. Yeah. No, I got you. But like just a but a commercial audience is too obscure.
>> Or you do or you do 8 years old, stands 143. So everybody that's a little Yeah, that's a little bit.
>> But I don't think we help out. I think we make it cooler than.
>> Clay cool.
>> Well, she she she weighs 1,000 lbs.
>> Weighs 1,000.
>> She's uh she's you know just a ball of energy.
>> A ball of energy. First wrote the first verse. Ready? [laughter]
>> Yeah.
>> [music]
>> She.
>> She's going [singing] to sleep. 143,000B,000 lb of energy.
>> Yeah, dude. Got it. I'm getting shivers like I'm getting shivers.
>> They like Okay, so we could do this and that second stanza like stands. You guys did both versions. You left the stands off last time, but I think throw that in. Even for.
>> She's going on eight stands for 14,000 lb,000 lb of energy.
>> Okay. They call it horsepower.
>> Have her 15g.
>> They they [laughter] have her 17g.
>> They call it horsepower, but they should call it mule power. You know what I'm saying? Like 17.
>> Yeah, horsepower has got all the hype, but mule power is really what we want. You know, something like that. The energy horsepower horsepowers for.
>> They say horsepower makes Hollywood mule power.
>> Horsepowers for Ford.
>> Horsepowers for Hollywood. Mules for the mountains. Mules for the for real life.
>> Horsepower.
>> Horsepower for Hollywood.
>> Doesn't really. [singing] [music]
>> Yeah, I love that. Okay. Yeah, she she's going on eight stands 143,000 [singing] [music] lb of energy.
>> Uh, we got it right here. Horse horse Horse. I know. I know. I got it. I still try. Horse powers for Hollywood. That's not.
>> You know, I mean, I'm no song writer. Horse powers for grease monkeys.
>> Grease monkeys.
>> See, we just gave you the national no. The Nashville no is when somebody says a line that we don't like, you just look back and start playing again. Start [laughter] go start ripping again. Yeah. Oh, okay. Yeah.
>> But I liked it because I felt let down easy.
>> Yeah. That's exact that's what it's supposed to.
>> Like it leaves this idea that you're still mulling it.
>> And here's the thing. This is one of my favorite quotes I've ever heard in Nashville about that about the Nashville no. A guy said something one time and we kind of Nashville know it. He prefaced it by saying, "Look, I don't I don't know that this is the line, but it I don't know that this is the crop, but it might be the fertilizer for it." So, like smelling them stepping in there.
>> Yep.
>> All right. Yeah, I do I do appreciate that. Then just get shut down.
>> Yeah. Instead of going that shit's terrible.
>> Yeah.
>> So, are we trying to keep Are we trying to keep the the.
>> Keep it cool, man.
>> Like, no. No, I know. The same like same cadence like or [music].
>> You do or you do like horsepowers for something a I'll take every day 143,000 lb of energy horsepowers for Hollywood something day where Betty Bower.
>> For me power feels a little weird to me man I think we maybe hang like punt mule power and just try another direction of time Clay.
>> Yeah man she's b just you know.
>> It's going on Eight stands 143,000 lb energy.
>> Uh, she'll now she'll she'll carry a hog.
>> She'll carry a white tail deer. Love it. She'll carry a hog or a dead.
>> Something. No, no, no. Something to clear.
>> Now, I think this is it. I think this is the last line of the course.
>> Yeah, absolutely. Don't bore us. Don't That's another Here's another trick. Don't bore us. Get to the chorus.
>> All right.
>> Also, [laughter] we What we just did, what we're doing right now is we're talking out a line. So, like.
>> Yeah. Yeah. You want you want songs to be conversational. And so that's what a lot of songwriting is is we sit there and go she's she's going [singing].
>> I love that something times a year.
>> There you go.
>> How about we throw it to a nature reference like when the leaves turn orange in the.
>> That time of year to fall.
>> Well, it's got to be ear rhyme.
>> It's got we've already set up ear.
>> We're missing one line. We're missing one line earring over a log. Did they step over logs or some Well, they do, but that's a little.
>> A little antilimatic to impress. Oh, sorry. Sorry. Sorry.
>> I like she'll carry [laughter] a hog more about the information than I do. It's great. It's a weak. It's a weak detail. What about uh she'll carry a hog or a white tail something time of year. So many times of year.
>> Any day of the year.
>> That sounds cheap. Any day of the year. I love it. She's She'll carry a hog or a white tail deer. She's ready to go any day of the year. [singing] Betty baby. [music] Mountain. Forget Cadillac for an Arkansas play. Here you go. She's got it right here. Oo, this guitar.
>> We need to lay down. Why don't you just handle this and I'll handle this?
>> This is how it always goes. Yeah.
>> Now it not to [music] put my fingerprint on the verse with my name, but and Arkansas clay. Would it be like old Arkansas clay?
>> Sure. Oh, there you go.
>> Sure. See, now we're just tightening the strands of this song. Shoot.
>> Are you going to pick up your guitar and do it, too?
>> I mean, what is I would like to see you get in there. I mean, it's about you.
>> I don't even know how to do this. Dan.
>> Do what? You don't do anything. She's doing it. Oh, okay. Okay. Okay. So, one, two, starts with a chorus. Oh, ready. Start with [singing].
>> Mountain Cadillac rollett [music] [singing] [music] ever. [singing] Watch it. She's going on eight stands 143,000 [music and singing] lb of energy. She'll carry a hog or a white tail deer. She's ready to [singing and music] go any day of the year. Betty B. Betty B. [singing and music] She's a cat play. [music] Betty [singing] B. Betty B. M. [music] [singing] Finest music I've ever made.
>> There you go, ladies and gentlemen. That's how hits are made. Coming to you live from Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. Stay tuned for that one on the FM dial. Boom. Boo. Turn it off. Reva. [laughter] That's it.
>> Turn it off.
>> [music]