#222 - Lainey Wilson on writing with Luke Combs + Performing as ‘Hannah Montana’ + Living in a Camper for 3 Years + Biggest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Snubs

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Speaker 1: All right, welcome to to two. In a few minutes, we'll talk to Laney Wilson, one of my favorite new artists. Really interesting story about how she moves down and I just talk about the camper and driving back home to tour all the time, So we'll get into that in a minute. I do want to talk because this was a big story of music with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of so which by the way, as you know, and Eddie's gonna join me for this part of the show. So you don't have to be rock and roll to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They should at this point. It's called the Music Hall of Fame or the American Music Hall of Fame or the North American Music Hall of Fame. It is the biggest hall of fame in music. And like I think Ello cole ja'son, there are rappers in it. There are people that aren't rock, so it's a bit confusing whenever it's not a rock not a rock person. Um. So, they did announce their class of the Dave matthews Man won the Rock Halls fan vote, but apparently that doesn't mean anything because they did not get in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Yeah, I think they will be though eventually, which I felt was a disaster. I know, and they are. I would bet the farm that they're going to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame eventually, maybe next year, because they get everybody's pissed and everybody the fan vote. It's always a bunch of snobs that vote for the award shows for the most part, but they and so there are a thousand industry professionals to vote. And if you win the fan vote, councils one vote. Oh that's makes sense, it should count as like votes. But they didn't win. Um, so here we go. Oh, here are the people in this year. It's the Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Depeche Mode that the Depeche Model was like, Dave Matthew should be over them, older older band nine inch Nails, not older, not older. Probably at the same time t Rex, which was interesting. Do you know more than this song? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know either. I bet this is are you going to like an app? Because that's what I always doing, Like what are the top Yeah, that's exactly what I was gonna do because I don't Cosmic Dancer, I don't know hold on to the second I was never heard it, so so it's interesting that, like, you know, they know where they went to their super popular Maybe maybe in their time they were like just killing it. I missed the t Rex vote. No toys, b I g got Any's rapper, so don't be rock and All. Pat Benatar also didn't make it, and she was number two in the fan vote. She didn't so Dave and Pat ben Hardy to make it. Artists become eligible twenty five years after the release of their first record. So here are the people that have been snubbed. The biggest snubs. Tina Turner. I can't believe she's not in Yeah crazy, that's that's crazy. She's been snup for twenty two years. You should definitely be in it right now. Here's one they say, Outcast. They've been snub for two years. They'll get there. What's this list from, Mike? I'd like to credit whomever I'm pulling this list from unless you made the list. I made it, Okay, I'm gonna credit my d then in the list. Sound Garden they've been snub nine years. They'll get it. I don't feel like they should be in over Day Matthews though, I think Dave Matthews jumps into them. The Smith's listen big part of music. Dude. Never never been a Smith's guy, me either, Me either. I don't know what I missed about the Smiths, but I mean I do acknowledge them and Morrissey and all that. Morrissey. Don't get the smith But you know what's crazy about Morrissey with Mexican culture, he's huge. You're absolutely right, I love I don't know why we love him what we do. It's a weird thing Mexican And I was like, who is that? I was like, oh, I love that. Did you love it? Without knowing everybody else loved it? Yeah? I just started listening to it, and then I realized that the thing devo has been snubbed for eighteen years whatever. This is more like a novelty to me. Sure they'll get in you really yeah, yeah, yeah, you must whip it. The Pixies. Yeah, that's a run. But I don't think it's rock and roll Hall of Fame. Yeah, I know, dude, there's a lot of Yeah, you're I think you're right about that, Like that's like a solid two eight hitter in baseball, like really good. I bet you, Michael disagree. I like the Pixies a lot. I like the Pixies too. I watched them play a show like six months ago here I like the Pixie Man. When I first of all the Pixies, the girl whoever the basis is, she came up with a cigarette and she sucked it down for like thirty seconds and then blew it out and they started playing and it was like, whoa, all of it, the whole cigarette. She's sucked it down in thirty seconds. And that's how they started their showing, Like Wow, this is She's gonna make it for a long time. Here's one that has been jobbed by not getting in. And I'll give you some hints, but mostly for their because they were more than just music, very political. You didn't have to agree with them. And it wasn't political like Republican or democratic at first. It was mostly like because like ideas, okay, go ahead too, is you two in? Though I believe they are? Yeah, okay, um, lots of lots of politics. Music was great, massive hits. They've been platinum their first album with three times platinum. Um. They probably don't care that much. At least the lead singer probably doesn't anything. They're gonna get back together real soon. They're gonna get back together real soon. Right, aren't they doing a reunion? I believe you said? Yeah, smashing Pumpkins even more more political and idea based. When I work out, I still listen, I still hit some of this. I don't have it. Oh yeah, yeah, this was big for music, right you get some machine could not get enough when it came out, Zach del Roic, I was like, this, you don't even know what's happening right now. Based pissed at something, and I'm into it. Yeah, they're pissed. It's something. Yeah, I don't know what happened, but what the songs are about. But yeah, they mean something. Those are the people who got in. Those are the snubs and you two guy in two thousand and five, they've been in a while. I had a friend of mine tweet that I guess it's gonna take oh a woman to die to get to Only dead women can get into the rock and roll of fame. Interesting because they're just really aren't You don't get into your life? Well, one time I made a dumb tweet like that about myself. When I didn't win the c m A Awards early on in my career, I was like, I guess somebody on the board's gotta die for someone who's different than every bales to get in. Nobody died, and eventually we won many times. Yeah, so I don't know. All right, Um there you welcome to episode to twenty two with Laney Wilson who last night and my voice is still a little scratchy from last night. Um, you played the Rheman with my band and h from a definitely three hours last night, so don't know how you did it. So my boy and I had to a radio show this morning, so my night went into I was at uneil about one, had to get up a four to do the radio show. But it's cool because you were also there last night. It was my first time playing the Raman, and man, it was crazy. Literally the first thing I said when I got to the microphone was I feel the Holy Spirit opening here and it was crazy. I mean, I've had friends play and they tell me, you know how it feels, and it was just it was no. It's knowing that some of my heroes have stood in the same exact spot even side stage, knowing that they were nervous on the side stage. It's just crazy. It's crazy. Yeah, it's definitely crazy. And what's cool for me is now that I gets to play a decent amount from doing shows that every year too. You know, I'll do the opery at the Rhyme and a few times a year, And what's cool is to see people again do it the first time. I don't have any kids, but I imagine that's what it's like to get to bring your kids and let them do something like with you and Heath not the one of you guys standers now do you want? You guys got to plan at stage, and so it was cool to actually see both of you guys up there. It was Heath is awesome too. I think he was just as nervous as I was. Um, this is your first podcast rule number one podcasts lean and talked right to the microphone. There we go, like that's good. Before in your chair before we went on, She's like, I've never done a podcast. Well, we'll get through. Let me in. There we were talking and I don't know if this is what happened. I'll tell what happened. I got a message earlier from your label and they were like, Laney doesn't know this, but she's planned the operay on February fourteen, and I said, oh, Laney knows it because we talked about it one on the Rhyme and stage yesterday. They were like, you can tell her on the podcast and I was like, whoa, we talked about it yesterday day. So first of all, let me say this, you haven't played the Grand Old Opery, but congratulations, you'll be making your opery debut February four teen. Oh my gosh, what a Valentine's Day. So to play the Opery for the first time, it's another one of those humongous like things that growing up listening to country music you probably never thought you'd get to do. You dreamed you would get to do it. But how does that make you feel that you have an opery debut coming up? So I remember I was probably nine and a half years old. My parents took me to the Opery and I remember exactly where I was sitting. I was sitting on one of those back pews all the way to stage right, and we saw Crystal gil Um, Bill Anderson Man. The line up was stacked little Jimmy Dickens, and I remember just sitting there thinking like I want to be up there. I want to be up there. I don't. I wouldn't even I don't know what I mean. I wrote my first song, and you know, I thought like it was just a little dream of mine or whatever. But yeah, it was a real far fetch. But I can't believe that I'm actually gonna be able to stand up there and saying it's it's nuts. I'm telling you so like a lot of girls, young young girls dream about, you know, their wedding day and dresses and all they had, And to be honest with you, mine has always been playing the grand O Aubry. How did you find out? Early? They weren't puposed to tell me what They kind of let it sleep up. Who is it? They do you have to call anyone? I was just abother label of the opry. No, it wasn't anybody at the offering. It was somebody on my team. So well, the big surprise was not because when I was reaching out through today, they're like, hey, you can tell her, you can tell her. And I didn't want to come on here and lie and tell you, hey, fake it and I was like, well, I was like, we already had that conversation. We talked about it last night at the rhyme. And but it's a big deal. Congratulations, Um with you. You're from a real small town Louisiana. What's the name of your town? And Baskin has how many people? A town of three h people? Because I grew up in your town of seven hundred people, we didn't have Walmart. We would say go to town to get something like that's the way to go to town. No traffic, I have any traffic lights. We we only got a cell phone tower about two years ago at this point. So a town of three tell me about that, So you get it. You understand, Well I don't know. I don't you tell me, but I understand small town. Okay, Well, I mean all small towns are are pretty similar, but mine we have a caution light and a bunch of corn fields. Um pretty much everybody knows everybody, half of them in my family. And um man, it's yeah. We have a convenient store called keep its Corner. You have a store. We have a store. Good for you, guys. We just got on the outside of Mountain Pine a dollar general. Alright, just stepping it up. Yeah, and that's in the last year or so. But what's in the store. Do they also cook food? Because and our little like the one little like gas station grocery store, they also cook food. And that's where we'd go and we take our food stands and we'd go buy food down there. Well, it's like, you know that that nasty good gas station food, you know, like those deep fried hot pockets, corn dogs, stuff like that crespidoes, man, the good stuff. So in a town of three, what's your school like? So I actually had to go over to the town next to me to go to school because I mean, there's not a high school in our town. But I still, even though I had to go next door to a town called Winsborough, I only graduated with four kids. Really, yeah, okay, even all of small. I mean I got with forty two or so. So my school is big compared to yours kids kids. And that was a big class really, and mine was my mom was a big class through. Um with twenty four kids, where did you kind of fall into that mix? Oh my gosh, Well, I'm I'm very different from all twenty four of those people. Um, I think every single one of them might be married now with babies, probably probably pretty quickly too. Oh my gosh. Because in a small town, if you don't run out as fast as you can, you stay in forever. And the first thing you start doing is having a family in a little bit it and a little bit of me is envious of that because I ran so hard and I feel like I'm still running, not from it, but towards a goal. Yep, I get it. And so I do look back at some of my friends that have families and kids, and I'm a bit envious of that. And you know, it's weird because I think we're envious of them, but they're also envious of us. They're like, dang, like they get to do some cool stuff, and it's just Yeah, my sister, Um, we're nineteen months apart. She is an accountant, older, younger. Yeah. I mean, I mean that's a stable of a job as you can possibly have. She she knows numbers, She has a skill that she can use and always go forward. You are an artist. You don't know if you're getting paid next week, you're right about that. What does she think about your career? Oh, she's excited, I think for the longest time because we're so close. I think she was a little upset that I was in Nashville and UM missed me a whole lot. But I think she's she's just always also known that, like I was gonna figure out how to do this one way or another. And UM, she's told me the other night, she said, I'm just so glad that people are finally starting to um, you know, pay attention to that annoying voice that she had to listen to in the kitchen growing off. So was this always the dream for you to move to Nashville and be a singer? Did you ever know a time when it wasn't? Never? It's it's so weird. Like honestly, as hard as it's been and everything, I've kind of had like a sense of piece about knowing that this is what I'm supposed to do. And UM, yeah, I've from a very young age I knew I wanted to move here. Um. I think I told you the story one time, but I'll tell you again. Um. My parents took us on a family vacation to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and UM, on our way home to Louisiana, we drove through Nashville and that was when I had went to um the Grand O Opry my first time in Nashville, and I remember being in the back seat and I think I was staring at the Batman Building and I said, this is home and I just knew it for some weird I was like a weird kid. And my mama turned around the back seat and she was like, Laney, don't say that. You know you're my baby, But um, I've always known them. So I went to college. Uh, I think I did, like in class a year and a half, and then I started taking online classes and where you go to college, U E. Li Liam in Monroe and UM got that general studies degree, you know, and they feel like as you're in school and you weren't going to use that, you just wanted to get out of school and start doing what you meant to do. Yes. Um, Well, finally after a year and a half have been in class and I just knew I was supposed to be in Nashville. I was like, I can't wait like another three years and then move up there, Like I gotta do this now, out of sight, out of mind kind of thing, like you know, I gotta chase this down. So I finally started taking online classes, moved up here and um, I've been here nine years, really good nine years. Wow, and into most including myself. You're a brand new artist. Not crazy, it's crazy, except for that's every one story. You know. I have friends that are here that have been here five or six years and they are just exhausted. They haven't got their big break. They're like, I don't know if it's ever going to come. And there are a couple of artists that that I kind of point toward and go and you'll be another one and go. Oh, these brand new artists like Laney um Ingrid is another one. Yeah, she's awesome, been here for been here for a while, a long time, grinding it out, and she's brand new. But you have to work a long time to be brand new. It is nuts. Yeah. I moved up here in a camper, So tell me about that. Did you move from Monroe here straight from un now? Did you? Is it a camper that you drivers you put one of you put on the ball of the truck and drive it out. Yeah. It was a bumper pool. Yeah, So I hooked it up to the truck, brought it up here. There was actually a guy from my hometown on. His name was Jerry Cupitt, and um he owned cup It Records. It was like Ken Melon's Kevin Shart back in the day. And long story short, my grandfather gave him, I think it was in the late seventies. He gave him just a few hundred dollars to help me move up to Nashville and get started. So as a favor in return, years later, he let me live in his studio parking lot for free. Wow, so I didn't have back around? Isn't that crazy? So yeah, um, upon water, WiFi, electricity. I was going to college online, so how WiFi? I would pick up? How long did you live in that place for free? Three years? And he and he was cool with it. He was absolutely cool with it. And so because you were able to do that, that allowed you to actually go out of pursuit being creative, which, by the way, there's no money in intro to creative. Oh my goodness. There's no money for rent, there's no money for WiFi, no money for and you know too, this is crazy, but to park a camper at a k o A around here, it's like eight nine bucks a month, So you might as well have an apartment, So it was on one of those I was just paying my you know, my note on my trailer and that was all and gas. So I was still traveling back to Louisiana at that time, playing shows and that's how I was making my money to eat and stay alive. So you're here, and what are you doing all week? As you're you're not playing shows yet, but would you would playing shows? Uh later in the week Thursday, Friday, Saturday. So what do you do on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday in Nashville. Well, so for the longest time, um so, Jerry Cupid, the guy that let me live in his yard. Basically he kind of took me under his wing and we would write together every single day. And I wrote with him literally like a couple of times a day for like three years. And he's really the one that taught me how to write a song. And um, I don't know if you remember that um Ken Mellon song I'm just an old jukebox junk. Yeah, yeah, he wrote that, and um yeah, he taught me. He taught me how to do it. And when you write three D plus songs with somebody, I mean you really get to know him and um, but so say story. But he ended up getting sick and passing away suddenly. And at that point that's when I was like, all right, I gotta switch gears. I gotta figure out what first of all want to do in my camper because I don't you know, I don't want to leave it here. So that's when I sold it, and um, I kind of had to start over. Did you have it paid off? Before he sold it? And I sold it for more than what I got, so, uh, but I sold it and then I kind of I was finally old enough to actually go out and be able to like meet people, because I was not. I moved here when I was nineteen, and uh went out and basically just tried to run for mayor just be friends with everybody. And um, I finally met a group of people and we started writing. And um but before that, you know, during the week, I was always writing with other people. Luke Holmbs was, um, you know, coming over my camper writing and so he knows me and my my trailer trash days and you and Luke I started writing how long ago dang as soon as he got here. Actually it was before he even moved here. So I guess that was about five six years ago. Now has it been crazy to see Luke's ascent into superstardom. It is a nuts, so nuts because I'm like, I mean, he's just he's just a good old boy, just a redneck boy, you know, who just works hard and and uh knows what he wants and I'm just so proud of him. Five years ago, when you're writing with Luke Holmbs, did you feel like there was something about him? You did? I did? And actually, I'll tell you I had not heard of Luke Holmbs. He was playing ten Roof Revival down onto Mombreing and he was sitting on the pew playing and he had just got finished playing. And I'm not the kind of person to like to walk up to people, especially back then, and be like, Hey, I want to write with you. Normally it'd have to be kind of like, you know, somebody introduced us or whatever. And but I had this weird feeling, and um, I walked straight up to him, tapped him. He was sitting on the pew and I said, I want to write with you, and um he was like you want to write with me? And he was like, I mean, I can come back and you know, schedule some rites and whatever. So I don't even think he had written in Nashville just yet. And he came back, so I was one of his first co rites in town. So I remind him of that all the time. And how many times do you think you guys wrote over the years, um, ten or twelve? And as you guys are writing, we are writing for yourselves each other, like a lot of a lot of it was writing for him. He cut a song of mine called Sheriff you want to and um, yeah. At that point, his artistry was you know, he was starting to do really well and people were starting to find out who Luke Colms was. And me, I was just trying to get my foot in the door. You know. I was like, well, maybe the way for me to get my foot in the door is through my writing. So and that's kind of really you know what helped. I got put in that GPS program and ask up where basically they choose like ten writers and they put you in you know, rooms with publishers and stuff. And that's kind of how it happened for me. So it did start off with the whole writing thing is for you. It was a publishing deal. How many years being here until you got a publishing deal? Seven and a half. I have not had my publishing deal long at all. So you're writing all this time, and that would mean in the last year and a half you get your publishing deal. So okay, then how did that finally come about seven and a half years later? Seven and a half years later. Yeah, So let's back up a little bit. So while I was writing for the first five years, I was here like, oh, I guess about like year four, I started going on the road with a guy named Frank Foster, who is UM. He's from Louisiana too, and he kind of has like that old Field fan base, so like Louisianna, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, like just some hardcore fans down there. And him and his wife took me under their wing. I've had There's been a lot of good people who have just done stuff out of goodness of their heart for me, and I don't really know why, but Um took me on the road, and I went on the road with him for a couple of years and just kind of learned the ropes of you know, what the road was like. And I just still felt like though I didn't have I didn't have a team of people around me. In Nashville, I knew a lot of people. I have a lot of like songwriter friends, and like Luke, you know, he's killing it and everything, and but I still didn't feel like I had my foot in the door. So I was like, all right, time to switch gears. So there's been a lot of you know, gear shifting, and finally got put in that GPS program and met with several publishers, probably about five and then finally, um Sony a TV came to the table and offered me a publishing deal. And I was like, you can get paid to write a song? What in the world? And how crazy is that? After seven and a half years, are getting paid to write It's nuts? Because I love it so much. I mean literally, when I moved to Nashville, I did not know what a publishing deal was. I did not know that you could get paid have a salary to write music. I mean, I would do it for free for the rest of my don't tell Sony a TV that, but I would do it for free for the rest of my life because that's how much I love it. I mean, I have to do it Were you just grinding on the road all those years? Is that how you're making your money to pay brandom mortgage your bills? It was just all ye, and high school taught guitar lessons and I impersonated Hannah Montana. Well let's go. Both of these are something we got to dive into. So first of all, let's start with the easy. When you taught guitar lessons, are you a profession guitar player? I mean, like I know enough to get by. I mean they weren't playing me the big bucks. Um, I know enough to like teach somebody the basics. Yeah, and you're making money doing that? Yeah, I mean I was. Yeah, you're grabbing a electric can play any of year leads on one string, okay with the hand of Montana thinks crazy comm Yes, so you were. And you do look a little bit like Hannah Montana in Best of Both Worlds. Yeah, yeah, she does. Like uh huh. So you were performing in high school as a Handah Montana impersonator. And did you do the thing where you had Laney open up for hand in Montana? Yes? Oh you did. I did. It's funny, he really did. I was like, we're not leaving here without them knowing my name too, Bobby, come on, so you would open yes, and then you would put on Hannah Montana as costume. Okay. So I had a little portable sound system and a little piece of junk karaoke machine style thing, and I had the wig, I had the outfits. I would go to a lot of these birthdays. It was like birthday parties, fairs, festivals. The last one I did was at St. Jude and a lot of the time they didn't want Laney Wilson there if they just wanted Hannah Montana to come to the party or whatever. So but I wouldn't be sure to ask him. I'd be like, ken, can Laney make an appearance too? So yeah, I would I get up there and sing a few songs, play my guitar and uh and I'd be like end up next and you would know the songs. Oh yeah, did you ever do the climbing that you know? And it's a funny story. Um, this is probably one of my most like defining moments of like you gotta do this, you gotta move to Nashville. I was at St. Jude and this little girl had had brain surgery like two days prior to the Hanna Montana concert. And they had told me before. They were like, you know, you can't touch the kids unless they come up to you, and you know, then you can touch them, you know, if they make the first move first. And UM, yeah, I get it, trust me, don't make the first move. But anyway, I was just about to sing the climb and her dad he wheeled her up to the front and she was singing every word to the climb and I mean, I'm handam Montana's crime. My wig is on sideways. I'm like everybody in the in the whole entire building is just squalling. And anyway, I turned around and then she's like, looks at me again, and I handed the microphone and she sings the entire song like by herself, just kills it. Everybody's crying, and she hands me the microphone back and she meant to say, Hannah Montana, um, your mus star, but she said, Hannah Montana, I'm your star. And I was like, you know what you are and I have got to do this the rest of my life. And how long did you do handa Montana impersonating five years? Wow? Is that is that your best paying gig. Absolutely, I made way more money then then I'll do now, I'm will tell you right now. I think there's often a misconception too with how much artists make until they're really making it, we ain't make. It's almost like, uh, you know, lower class and then there's no middle class, very rarely class. It's low and then boom and not just music but anything creative. Even in my industry, I was broke, broke, broke, broke, not broke anymore, and it it went because as soon as someone sees value in you, they started investing in you because they know that if they invest in you're gonna make them way more money. And it's always within the amount of money that you make. It's how much money are you making the person paying you? And that's why artists who it may not seem like they're doing a lot of actual work. Especially where I come from, it's it was a saw mill town. That's real work, that was like hard labor work. But it's how much money can someone make off of you? Like, what is your skill that we can I'll use the word exploit, what's the skill that we can exploit and we can make money? And then you make no no, no, no, no money. That someone goes, oh, you're actually really valuable and now we're gonna pay you. It's crazy. It's like a whole crazy world that we live in. So we met with Blancos the get up video he was He had posted the video and I reached out to you because I didn't know who you were. I just saw you dancing with them and I looked at I was like, oh, she's an artist, she lives here in town. And so I hit you up and I was like, hey, we come teach me to do this dance. And you were so nice enough to go. I mean, I can, but don't know. I call Blanco and just have him and I was like, oh wow, she's she's like foregoing any sort of shot to be in a video, to actually do the noble thing, to get the real guy. So you'r how I knew Blanco, and then you came over. You came over anyway, which I thought was great, and you you worked with Kaylee Hammick and Blanco worked with me. And I remember telling you because I didn't I never heard your music, and I was like, if you're any good, I'm going to make this up to you. But only if you're any good. I'm not gonna I'm I appreciate your honestly, yeah, and I'm not gonna do it if you if I don't love it, and I'm you know. And I didn't even get your music from you. I got your music from one of my guys because we have the same management. Are you were you read and you I think you were deciding at that point who your management was, and so um I was like, hey, so I heard your whole record and I was like, oh you did. And I was like and I chased it down and I rarely listen to people's music, but I was just so grateful that you were so giving of your time. And then you didn't even want anything. You were like, no, not to be in the video, and I was glad to be here. You're like nothing, I don't need anything. And I was like, wow, if she's any good, like I like who she is. And then you were like you definitely have a style about you. Um. I started following on Instage. I don't even follow many people on Instagram. Follow you on Instagram. Your music is great. Um. When we get to pick the show this year at the Rheman, I pick like you know, like two new artists every year that I really think there are big things happening. For By the way, Luke Holmbs was that guy two years ago, you know. I mean it's it's been a really cool thing to be able to to do those shows, and so it was you. And I've just been real, real happy to see your sport, how how fresh your voices, how different it is while still being who you really are. It's so hard to be authentic and be different and keep at it when people are going like I don't know, But the people that hit the hardest are the people that you would go I don't know, because if you don't people are like I don't know, then it means you're like everybody else. And honestly, I can't beat anything but myself. If anybody was trying to change me, it just wouldn't work. You know. What I also find really cool about you is I don't know your friend. Who's your best friend? I only know it from your Instagram, But you guys are together and best I can tell you guys are like like best friends best friends and yeah, and I like I I can appreciate that, Like that's real stuff. Um, you're a picture hard time well and I don't again. She's an artist too. Yes, she's a good she's awesome. She is I'm telling you right now all like I don't know, I'm not friends with sucky people. Here's your from the picture of the Ryman last night You're caption five year old Laney, who was terrified to seeing butterfly kisses out her kindergarten graduation, would really be freaking out tonight. Sound check at the Ryeman was just magical. I thought it would be soaking it up tonight. I mean every word pretty cool, hum every word. I play a little bit of your music. I think some of our our folks would like to hear your music. They haven't yet. Mike, Let's do Let's do Dirty Looks, which is the current single, getting Dirty Shop getting Dirty, don't know, Getting Dirty Looks like get Everybody's get Some of them tells but they ain't nothing. The German's Baby, somebody a hard man. I just want to get all over you, like the Dirty Show, Jeans and bos. If you ask me dirty good, you get you good. And here's a song that I've put into our my heart country show that women are by her country. And this is l A. Except it's not Los Angeles, it's the other And yeah, here you go. You say, started you ever did the cover band thing I did? How'd that go it went? Did you ever play covers in Nashville on like Broadway? Did you ever have that life? No? Uh? Like I said earlier, like I would just travel back to like Louisianna, Mississippi. You didn't want to not drive all that way. You don't want to find a bar gig. I was making such good money in Louisiana, Like I literally could do this acoustic show at this place called Pickle Barrel. I could do a four hour set and the guy would give me everything at the door, and he was charging like five or ten dollars a person. And I mean I could go and I can make dollars, and then I'd have to be down on Broadway killing my voice for you know, to make fifty So what about the drive? How long was that drive? Eight hours? Would you drive it all yourself? Yep? What did you mean when you said you wanted to be the female Jason Aldan man? Just unapologetically badass, just like get up there and just do your thing, you know, like I've always looked up to him. I just think he uh. I can't believe I'm on the same roster as him either with label, but I just think he's He just puts on a great show. He's high energy, and I love that and I can tell that he loves it and he enjoys it. And I want to kind of do the same thing, you know. I want people to know, like, I love what I do and we'll put everything I got into it. And I think he does that. Who'd you listen to growing up? Dolly Parton, LeAnn Wimant Everything, Ninety's Country. Um. Tim McGraw is actually from about five miles up the road from where I'm from. So was everybody super proud of timgrawl? Yeah, he's like you know, I was like, oh, if Tim can do it, maybe I can do it. And hopefully, you know, there's a little girl or a boy who maybe will feel the same way about me. Because that it gave me hope. I'm like, golly, he's from Start Louisiana. You know, I'm from Basking, Like, I can do this thing too. So I got to meet him yet, but oh you haven't nice A lot of muscles, um smaller now than you think, because he's so ripped. When I met him, you wouldn't meet Tim and go, oh a small guy, but now you meet him, you go always Really this works out four hours a day. He last night was the National Championship game. Recording this the day after he played New Orleans, which had to be great for him because one he's playing New Orleans to L s U was in the game, and then L s U won the National Championship. It was like Tim McCawl. The greatest night last night was um, your your mount Rushmore of country artists? Now you will do five of them? We always do four plus one. I know you mentioned who you like, but if you had to put amount Rushmore, we'll just do a favorite artist period. So so mine I would put John Mayer in mind, also with with Garth Brooks, and who would you put in your mount Rushmore favorite artists? Dolly's gotta be up there for sure, this one. And you don't only give my reasons why. I also have not met Dolly Parton, but I had this song called, um, what would Dolly Do? And I think Dolly Parton is just when I think of just all around, just incredible everything from her look to her music, to her song right, and how she's an incredible businesswoman, like Dolly's just got it to how she tells it, how he is with a little bow wrapped on top, like that's why I love her. So there's one. Here's the thing about Dolly. And I know you think that you see her in TV interviews and readiovews and she's great. But she's even better than that. I know she is. I also was, and I've got dispense of time with Dolly a bunch of times, actually enough now to where it's not at one hit and you go, oh, I wonder if she's really that nice. She really isn't nice. She it's not a it's not a nice thing. It's a it's a pure genuine thing where she's sometimes she's not acting a nice or not nice way, she's just being herself. But it is a magnet in the room. There are only about four people I've met that have the magnet where it's just like she walks in the room and it's just she sucks up the room and everyone is just in awe. And not because she's Dolly pardon, but because she's just demanding your presence with her attitude and actions. Funny. I have not heard one bad thing about everything here. Here's the people that are like that. Dolly, Reba, same thing. Reba is a little, i would say, a little less warm, but also way funnier. It's just a different kind that you like her would probably be another one of mine. Reba's awesome, all right, So Doli and Reba. Garth is on and not on the Mount Rush. But Garth is another one of those guys. And Garth is so loving and he's my neighbor. It's like a ted Garth's like a teddy bear. You live next to Garth? Now? Where are you living now? Mike? How quiet? How fast it to change? You got a mansion now? Or what? You know? What's it? Off? My hand? One time of money and the other one is um is for a whole different way because he comes in a room with so much personality and I see it now a lot because we work together. Is Luke Brian. He's just like it's all lout and he's also a really good guy. But those are the four um Okay, So you have Dolly on your Mount rushmore you have so um Also. I think she's just an all around like I think she's a hard worker. I think, Um, I'm not gonna say like she's never satisfied, because like I'm sure she's she's you know, proud of herself and satisfied. But I think she just kind of got the mentality of like, all right, what's next. And I love that. I hope I'm the same way. Like I just I think that's how she's been. Um, and I mean grew up listening to all her stuff and looking up to her too. That golly, that's too so so far we got we have three to go because we do a mount rushmore plus one, but the plus one is not an addition. We just do five. Okay, So you have Dolly, do you have Reba? Okay, go ahead, and you put a band up there. Whatever you want? Um, she maybe Vince Gale um lovely guy met Vince briefly lovely guy. See, I love hearing those kind of stories. I hate when I hear I want stuff about people that I love and I would say nothing. I'll just be like, okay, cool if I don't build people up, okay with false foundation love. Vince is just that's he talks so soft, he's so kind. Whatever you need, he'll come by, lovely guy. This might be a different one, but um my daddy played guitar and he would sit in the living room and he'd play a lot of buck Owens, and so buck Owens would probably be up there for me. What what was the buck I wants connection with your dad, California guy at all? He's not, no, he just knew a few little buck Owens, little licks on the guitar, and he'd play them over and over again. And so that's probably my third one. The buck Owens I can't count. The buck Owens thing too is interesting because I just watch Heahaw a lot and there was a lot of like older buck Owens and so that for me because my grandma I would watch he on the Grand Old Operation. That's why it's so important to me. And that's why that I love playing the operation so much, is that it was made important. Like you said, your dad would play buck Owens my my grandma we watched he Hall all the time, and we watched the watch listen to the operation depending on when it was on TNA or wherever it was. And buck buck Owens was familiar to me because of Hee Haw And then I kind of learned his music after that, Buck, Vince Gill, Reba Dolly, anyone out of country music. I love me some liz I. Okay going really what about Lizzodi? Like she is herself, like completely herself. I mean she's a little crazy, but I love her. Um, yeah, I think she is sassy. I love sassy. Lizz I was killing it. You put out this this EP that it was just called Lanny Wilson right last year. Okay, see you when you put that out? Would you make any money off that? Heck? No, not much enough to where your Did you ever get any check for it at all? Like probably a couple hundred dollars? I mean not not a whole lot. Um. The most money I've made off of that is one of the songs um working overtime actually got put into Yellowstone, the show Yellowstone on Paramount. So yeah, it was the second season, first episode. And so what do they pay you for that? Oh my god? I sing the song in a show. But how often do they play that? You? Are you trying to write every episode? It's not literally, it's like that's period done. No, great, I'll take it. That's it done. I'm there with that. But where did they use that song? They used it. It was literally a bar fight scene. A bull was busting into the bar and um I sat there on my couch and collected a check. I'm blown away that it was that. I have friends that have done sinc work. They're killing it and they're not telling you, but like killing it. Wow, I'm telling you, like good for you, Like Sink is where it's at. I've been here lately trying to write, specifically like for myself but also for st I've got some friends that do a lot of that and they make bank. My friend Brandon Ray rights sink. He just sets days and I'm telling you, for that's it, that's it. And he was writing and still does, and he has a band called bad Lands Sons. But he is a great writer. But he's like, you know, I can sit and grind at a hundred country songs and maybe one of them gets a hold. Or I can write Sink and get one out of nine, maybe use somewhere and actually pay my mortgage. That's crazy for a bar fight scene on with the Kid that Kevin Costner show. And the good thing is I'm hoping to get some more of them because uh, I played the show in Vegas and the guy who put on the show was one of the producers, Taylor Sheridan of the show of the show, and um, he told me it was like, text me some more songs, like it's so crazy, Like I don't know why all these nice people are wanting to help me. I mean, it's incredible, but it's it's just Okay, I'm gonna use an analogy that I have with you for why all these nice people want to help you? Okay, Okay. I would go, why would Laney come over to my house and just volunteer time to teach something? And then also be, yeah, you see what I'm going here, and also be so unselfish to go, oh, I don't need any payment or I don't need to be in the video. I'm just here to help out. And I would go, why in the world would you do that? Why? Because you just like to help people, the same reason people do that to you, and the same reason you're gonna continue doing that and hopefully those people can. You do that to people, And that's what we do, that's what we were taught to do, look out for each other. So that's why you gotta stop saying that because you do the same thing for people, and I bet they wonder. I know they wonder because I wonder. I was like, why would Landy do that? Why would you just show up? And like, what's the There was no play except for you were just helping out. I'm just nice, yeah, and and they were just nice to you. I'm not used to people nice. So we're gonna stop that whole are You're done? Second? You're doing it back already you don't even know you're doing it, and you're doing it. Okay, I'm done. I did see that You're gonna go out with Justin More and Tracy Lawrence. That's pretty cool. Justin that's my dus market saw dude, that's my dude. And one of the first shows that the Raging Idiots did as a band, we opened for Tracy Lawrence like four years ago in Florida, and it was freaking cool because it's Tracy Lawrence. Like you go up listening to the radio, then you know who Tracy Lawrence. Yeah, And then I mean, now I listen to Kissing ninety six all the time and I know every Tracy Lawrence song. How about the tape? And so that's pretty cool. Late late nights and long necks. When when did they tell you be on By the way, you're perfect for this tour. Your country to the ball, You're perfect for this tour. When did you get that call that that was that was your tour about a month ago? And I knew I was, I was on the list, but they had not chosen, and uh, they called me and I freaked out. I mean, I've been a big fan of both of them for years, years and years and years. I've seen their shows. I've actually opened up for Tracy when I was like eighteen years old at some bar in Monro's and uh, he did you meet him? I didn't. And that's the thing to a lot of people, thank you for somebody spend a much time with them. My friends have done full tours and only met their opening act once or twice. And so but it's still pretty cool that you're opening for Tracy Lines. I can't believe I'm actually getting going like a real tour with them. Yeah, so are let's see, you're gonna go January all the way to April. That's a long one. So are you vanning it? We are, We're sprinter vanning. Good for you. That's the grinds it. Yeah, I have a truck and trailer that we take to most of our shows. But I'm getting a tour manager. I mean like I'm starting to kind of stuff it up. I've never had a tour manager, so we don't have enough room with the truck anymore. So we're we're gonna van it and I'm gonna do that as long as I possibly can. The great thing about a tour manager is that they manage everything. You know, food, everything is taking. The bad thing about tour managers it's another bill to pay. So hopefully you get a like a you're a guitar player that can double and do both. I don't know, are you just beginning a tour manager by himself? Wow? Okay, Baller lives next to Garth. You got her own tour manager. Well, I'm like guard little town people. I'm like Foothill. Garth passes by one day, I'm like, I'm passing out or having a heart attack or something. Did you get the Hi? Are your band? Do you have a band? What do you have? It's uh me electric bass and drums. It's gonna be a twenty minute say so. I mean it's like quick throw and go. Yeah, first the first one up, Yeah, and two because it's like a co headline and for them too, so I'm sure they'll be playing. Yeah. Well, if you want to go check the tour. It starts January sixteenth and Dodge City, Kansas, rolls all the way to April eleven, the Green Bay, Wisconsin. Are you guys doing Nashville at all? I don't think I don't think so. But you're playing Baton Rouge. That'd be a fun show for you. It's gonna be fun. And you're playing Alexandria. Will your family come out to those shows? Oh? My red kneck family. They're all saying, how we're gonna get ticket? I'm like, oh, you're gonna play like this is this is how I make my living. You're gonna play for them tickets. Do you know how many free tickets you get for a show? Have you then hit the talk yet? Yeah? Yeah, that's cool. And Justin's a good dude. Justin's got a good crew around him too. Yeah. So that I have played a couple of shows with him. I played Baltimore with him and then somewhere in upstate New York, and I have not met him. I have not met Justine. He's like you, Yeah, you guys have a lot of like we're both again, we're both from really small towns in Arkansas. We played ball against each other clowns were so close, and we went to both super small schools. I don't know, probably because he went to poem Um I went to Mountain Pine. Probably US, but I'm not sure. He's oddly a really good athlete because he's, you know, it's a pretty small guy. But he's a really good athlete. And that's also got you did not want to get a fight with, Like when it comes, I believe it a gritty dude. All right, cool, So that's cool. So what's what's happened when when you get to do it? Do it the full record? What's that coming out? I believe we're shooting for May. So basically the EP Redneck Hollywood is going to roll into you know, the rest of the record. I can't wait for everybody to hear it. But yeah, we uh did a full record with j Joyce. I can't believe I got to get in there and do a whole record with him. But everybody told me they were like, he's kind of scary, you know, like he's in timid Daton and he wears this black trench coat and whatever. But by the time I was finished recording the entire record, I mean, he's just he's one of my greatest friends. Now, Kindred Spirits, Redneck Hollywood four songs out. Now you may be hearing this after the whole album comes out, because these things kind of exist and do well for a long time. Especially after you blow up. People are gonna be come and check out the first time that you were on the podcast, your first podcast. They're right, They're like, she didn't know how to use the microphone back then. I'm just all blowing up. Listen, I'm proud of you. And it's only the beginning for you. I'm glad I got to uh you listen, you just moved it down nine years ago. I just got here nine years ago. But now it's like, but isn't it crazy? Like people are stepping into pay for some of your stuff. You've got a management team which is wild looking out for your stuff, you know, and they're investing right now. They're investing in you because I'm sure, I'm sure you, I'm not sure what it's usually the standard, right, and they're probably putting more into you than you're putting back into them right now, which is weird. And eventually they'll get it back because once you blow up, then they really then we're gonna be all right. Y're all right eventually. But to have someone invest in you is a great feeling. It is a great failure because it's money. Money ain't free one. For the longest time, I was like, I ain't nobody trying to work with me. I mean, looking back on it now, I'm glad nothing happened for seven and a half years. I mean I say nothing happened, but it was. It was happening in the way it was supposed to. But yeah, I was I was not ready. I thought I was ready and I was sixteen years old. I was like, I'm gonna being the next Taylor as well, but didn't happen. Nine years later publishing Dell Record deal management, you gonna get a tour manager. Look at you. I don't go up to hand Montana wig no more hand. You should bring that out. We should. We should come on the show and do uh handah Montana might go. That be fun, have a bring it back come on at Laney Wilson Music l a I anyway at Laney Wilson Music and uh, yeah you're on TikTok. I am. I just got a TikTok. It's fine. So I hadn't I hadn't done anything cool on They are just yet it's my favorite. I don't do a lot on there, but I'll watch a lot of stuff. Yeah, it's good content, good music, discovery. You can go down a rabbit hole real fast, quickly. I got a lot of rabbitues, a lot of places. All right, Uh, Laney, gonna talk to you, Episode two twenty two, Laney Wilson, be sure to check out Redneck Hollywood. And then if it's after me or I don't know, recording this in I don't know, check out maybe your third record maybe out by that time. Yeah, there you go, thank you. We'll see you next time. M h m hmmmm