Little Big Town Week - #186 - Phillip Sweet of Little Big Town on What it’s Like To Play Jimmy Fallon, the Importance of Meditation, and His Ex-Career as a Radio DJ

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Speaker 1: It's Little Big Town on the Boy Cast all right from We're gonna talk with Philip here, he's the final member of a Little Big Town. All this week we've been individually letting them share their stories about how a little big town came together, but also their individual stories about how they got to a point even being a little big town. So this Philip, sweet Philip. He's blonde, but he's a dude. Obviously a Philip blonde woman would be kind of weird. Uh. You know, he's got a super soulful voice. Is actually the lead singer in their new single, which is pretty cool. And so Philip talks about growing up a food stamp kid in northern Arkansas, going to college on a vocal scholarship, how he's running with Conan O'Brien. Didn't go so well. I don't remember that, is it? Yeah? I mean this is This has been a great week because and I think at this point we have so many episodes with so many people, even before they got famous. This is basically a museum. This feed is a museum of country music and a museum of all the studios we've had throughout the years. That's true. I moved to live I was talking to my wife about that. She's like, you moved a lot. I said, well, as a kid, we got kicked out of places all the time, so I think it's just well, it feels like it's time to move again. She's like, well, we're not gonna do that anymore. And I was like, that's good, but I really think that's it. I would just move. I just moved because I'm like, oh, it doesn't feel comfortable be in here this long. Gotta go weird. Hu's naturally inside of me, like I'm itching right now to go, like move somewhere else. Uh like right now as I'm recording this, Okay, here we go. Here is Philip Sweet. I hope you guys check out all four episodes. Learn the whole story A Little Big Town. We love them. They're so nice. They're also so good and that's all. And enjoy a little big Town week on the Bobby Cast. There's no breath there. There's episode one eight six The Bobby Cast its Philip Sweet A Little Big Town, which I think I'm trying to think back, but we all a lot of It's funny how you if you live here long enough, which I think now I've been here. I've been here enough againstider myself part of this community. Yeah, and I'm Timmins light No, No, you're good, You're good. It's the traffic terrible. We schedule these things at the word possible time. Well, it was a weird time because because with the radio show being all day, I mean, then I'm up there until whatever, and then I try to get a workout in and then we try to put this so it's not too it's it's terrible to get over here and then come down that road out there, like the it's traffics When I drive down this road outside down my Arkansas homie, I'm like, we didn't expect this that. We didn't know what to anticipate when it was happening and it was growing as it is now, it's incredible. We have a lot of mutual friends. I as I was sitting here about to Um, I said, hey, did you have Philips coming over? And so tofor hit me up. It was like one. So Tofur is one of my friends. And I don't have a lot of like I would say, peers in Nashville that I hang out with outside of work things, but Tofer is one of my dudes. He's pretty genius. And so he's actually working with you guys and written stuff with the new for the new record. Huh piece and blessings? Yes? And is he is he producing you guys that we worked on a couple of things together that we wrote, co wrote together, still under lock and key right now, you know, you know, listen, I just know what I see online yet. So he said to say, what up? And then you know he's coming over later as Adam Bobo. What there's a friend of mine and but it's like we we have the same kind of stuff. I was so impressed when Toober said I wrote some things with the guys, you know, and and they're gonna come out in the next record. I was like, what, Like I should get him in on that. Like with Arkansas Crazy, we gotta get a little and you are from Arkansas, you know, which has always been Yeah, but like Jones so I think Arkansas stay, I think of Jones Borrow, where'd you grow up? Yeah? I will a little bit more west of that, I guess if you would call Jonesboro, you know, Arkansas State. And they used to be called the Indians, now they're the Red Wolves. They changed their name the controversial. So for me, they've always been the Indians. What was your town called Jonesboro? Well, but for me, like I grew up in Hardy Cherokee Village, Cherokee Village. Yeah, so that's just I should say the Spring River, you know, because the Spring River kind of feeds into everything else and then you go from there. When I was young, we used to drive up to Jonesboro, and I had other playball up in Northeast Arkansas, like baseball. Um, I thought about going to Arkansas stay, so I went up in tour. But I remember we'd always dropped a Weener, and I thought that was the funniest town because there's literally a town of Wiener, Arkansas. Mike's felling like a penis. It's don't we you Yeah, don't w E I n e R Right, fellow, It's true. It's a real town Instagram pictures. We have to take it on. How can anybody take Arkansas seriously when you haven't now in the Indians so they won't change Winer, I mean, yeah, thank you, thank you, high five for that. Dude, Like we got to change the name of Winer. You brought a coke with It's like Vienna well I brought you did You brought a real sugar, Bobby, but you didn't bring a bottle opener. And that's an old school kind of we have no bottle opener here. Well, I was kind of hoping that Mike might have one real bottle opener. He does, because I'm not classy enough to have a wait, what is that shape of Texas? Of course, Well he's a Texan. Okay, that's all right, Texas and Arkansas. Sorry, thank god if you pulled us off without spilling it with this weird bottle opener. Hey, my class act, go ahead here we watch this is gonna open this. There's no way, there's no way. It is a little slippery. That's not good. That's not gonna work, is it? Mike? You want to help him out? But watch this? You the Texas way? What's the what's the okay? Yeah, I need I need some help here, obviously. Yeah, it's a tough by the way, this in a riveting podcast. Second, Oh my gosh. And then Bobby like he let the look at the bottle. He's like, I don't drink these things. Well, I used to drink a lot Cooke. I drank a three lead on mountain to a day. Like growing up, that's what I had was blowny sandwiches and mountain dew. That me too. When I listen to your show, that's what I think about. I'm like a bologny sandwiches, all that everything, and real coke, real coke blogne with a lot of mustard. And sometimes we were we were so broke sometimes that we wouldn't even have bologney. We just do mustard on white bread, Like if it was a bad When you say white bread, I know what you mean. It's wonder bread and you could actually take it and eat. White bread was so good to me as a kid. It's still so good. I would think, why would you want every wheat bread? Wheat breads a lot healthier if you eat Now, I don't even need bread. You know. It's funny how times have changed. Now I'm all fruit fruit, I I just don't do any carbs. But back in the day, it was all white bread, and you know, I just don't buy into it anymore. I'm like, I'm all about the white bread. Like if you're gonna eat it, if you're gonna do it, do it. You grew up a bit like me, Do you go up, I'm a food stamp kid, welfare kid time, big time food stamp kid. Yes, what was what was like going on? For you? It was all about the For me, it was about the grill cheese, because you had your government cheese, government cheese, and you had to get the bread, and then you had to get obviously the oatmeal which fed you every morning. And then as another thing, you had to get the hot cocoa from the government cocoa. We never got government we got government pudding, we never got government cocoa. It's called it came from boxed milk. Like have you ever had boxed? My grandma wad get boxed? I mean I shivered just thinking about it, Mike, did you ever have government coco? No? See, they were teaching people things. Okay, So they had like this box and it had milk in it, powdered milk. And my mom was a genius at making taking running the powdered milk into hot cocoa and that would go with the grilled cheese. I don't know it worked, but God, that sounds grass right now. Well, you come a long way, I mean here, you guys. You know it's funny to to look and people will see a little big town and go, man, those guys are on top of the world right now. But what you see is one we'll call it the Instagram lens of it like that, because you only see the things that really are meant for you to be seen, and most people aren't putting out the things that And I've kind of been off of it in a little while. I haven't been posting, and that doesn't mean anything really, I just you know, being here with you guys today. It's like I've just been I've been traveling, We've been on the road, we've been working, I've been at my uncle's funeral. I kind of have just been off of it, you know. I just didn't post. I haven't thought about it. And something about that is okay with me. I I think it breaks good. I have about a couple of year. I just kind of scrub myself and I found too, they don't even miss it that much. Well, I get off and I'm like, yeah, good, you know, And I like to connect. You can. I like to connect, And that's the thing, like I feel connected to you and I can check on people and I can follow along. But for me, like it's just one of those things where sometimes I just need a break and it gives me that space. Our on Instagram stories of such a cool thing to actually have a different way to communicate, Like you have your entire community of people that you talk with on Instagram stories that you really don't even text with, and you really don't ever see in real life, but you have this, Like I would say, Matt Carney is a guy, yeah, that I talk with all the time Instagram stories an example, and then I don't. We don't text, we don't ever see each other. But it's one of my favorite artists and he did this. We've just we talk all the time on Instagram stories. I feel the same way about Dave Barnes. Yeah, he's so funny, so funny. Yeah, and I'll watch him and I'll check him out. But like you know, I mean, don't be upset with me out there. I just haven't been posting. I have lots of things to post actually because we've we've been to South France, we've been to New York, We've been you know, doing all these things, Jimmy Fallon, We've had a lot going on, and sometimes I feel kind of guilty, like, oh, I don't I don't post enough about what's going on in my life. And then I also feel that that's okay. How was Jimmy fallon? What's so good? What's what's What's he like a person? He's like you. I'm like Bobby or like Jimmy. It's the same kind of thing. I feel good. I feel like I want to just hug his neck. And he's great and he's real. He's down to earth. He makes that space feel really interconnected. He doesn't make you feel off like. He makes you feel good. He makes you feel like he was waiting for you. Walk me through what it's like on the day of doing a late night talk show as a musical artist, because you gotta go. You go it sound check every time. Yeah, you gotta go sound check, So you have to go before the show starts. What time would you go up before a foulon? Because if Falon tapes at what time, it's like you get there like eleven am, you know, and you're spending your whole day there and you'll kind of camp out at the studios. This particular time, they were actually doing it live, so so we were there from eleven am two. We didn't start like shooting it till eleven p m. So we had all this time. Two kills. You gotta sustain your energy while you're there, you know, you gotta stay up. And it was great. We but he's just really funny. We take some segments and stuff. One thing we did didn't even get used, you know. So it's like you tape a funny segment, you think, oh, I can't wait to see this on TV, and it doesn't get used at all. You know, they didn't have time for it because it's live and they gotta do. You get a wait on the debates to finish out and all that. So that's kind of what they're doing there. They're doing the debates and they're like, we're gonna be relevant. You follow it, yeah, because I watched it back on YouTube, but I didn't obviously didn't stay away because I don't stay await that late. And well, obviously why would you. It's funny you mentioned a live thing, because we would do stuff on this last season on American Idol and they'd be live shows and there we go, Okay, we're gonna come to you in block two and you're gonna talk to this person and do this because you're really funny about this, So do that whole bit where you and I'm like, cool, no problem, and then do it all and they never use it. Well, they'll go, all right, we gotta cut that. We're running a little lionel just went a little too long, so we gotta cut your segment. But can we move on funny segment back? Why? And they're like, we gotta cut it. And I would have been so good, right you think, oh, that's a little bit of that. You're like, I wish they could use that. They could have seen that funny little but yeah, so you're up. You you sound check, you go, okay, we sound good, and the routes play with you. Guys. We didn't use them this time. Okay. We played with our piano player and we had a boat bass and I played guitar and we were hive, so me and Jimmy played acoustic. We had piano and boat bass and it was scary as And you, guys, can you say that on the air. You can say whatever you want on this Cursed to your little heart's content. I do curse a lot everything you've ever wanted to santo a microphone, I curse, and I drink coca Cola, Bobby and I'm and and let her rip. I went to the I want to watch the Dacks playing the College World Series. It was good. We lost it sucked well Vanderbilt so damn good. Well we lost Floras, I know, but you know that's going. I um. It was fun to go though, and like, I'm proud to be from Arkansas. Me too. I thought that's why you had me on today because I feel like that's why we have like a connection, because it's like we come from, you know, the same place. I'm getting some red headphones now now that you have them. I've read it, get it. I have read everything for two reasons. One because I'm super color blind and I can actually see the differences in most red. And the other reason is because of Arkansas. But I've read everything red shoes. I've named entire tours after red. Have a red headphones. But that's why Arkansas and then my severe color blindness. You have any physical elements like I gotta have a bad bag, Bobby, I gotta butth hole that I've torn from right about bike, I think all the doctor today, I have stenosis of the lower back. It's great, what is that from that means just compacted spinal stuff and you have to like do a lot of yoga and stretched stretch. I meditate yoga out. Are you a meditator? Are you getting good at it? Are you getting better? I've been. I've been owning. Do you own? And something about that just seems to like take you to in that new level cleanser of the inside. It works. I never do it in yoga because I feel ridiculous. I feel ridiculous too, but I'll just do it anyway because it feels good. When do you meditate in the morning, Yeah, mornings are better for me. You wake up, Yeah, walk me through. It's kind of my routine. You know what time? Traditionally you wake up at what time? You know, I'm rock and roll time. So it's like nine am. That's oh, that's that's not roll, that's that's that's solid human time. We roll time. I mean some people like five am. I can't if I would do that. If I could to, I mean I do in New York. So you wake up at like nine and I stretched a little bit. I'll do a little twisty twisty of the spine. I you know, when I get to it, I own and I drink some water and that's about it. How much time do you spend meditating in the morning, Like an hour you do? Wow, good for you? I mean that's that's good for me. An hour to meditate. Yeah, I mean I say maybe thirty of that is meditating. The other thirty is like getting ready to meditate. That's like me when I do my bike rides, which, by the ways, what tore my bole is like a lot of that time I'm spending like getting ready. Give him a socks on, just right, shoes, just right. Um, that's good for you that meditating friends want to change their life completely. I mean it helps me age better. You know. I'm I'm not getting any younger. And I have a lot of physical work when I perform, and I of it and it makes me feel alive. So when I can meditate, something about that? Um, something about that. Just I'll take a drink of coca cola as I say that, you can take all the seat. This is the podcast. There's no what I'm saying. Like something about coca cola just gives you that boost you need. You whenever you went to college on a vocal scholarship, Yeah, you were that good huh, I don't know where. Where were you saying? It was at church most of the time in the South, people get really good in church, mostly in church. And I had to go in audition for my high school thing and to get a scholarship, you had to audition, and to get that scholarship, which paid for my school, I had to compete against many others. So that was very challenging. So I had to go. So what kind of sound were you like? We were the the base. It was a bear to base situation. Yeah, and I got a full scholarship. I couldn't believe it. I mean, it's weird. I was just talking about this. One of my bus drivers, which I'm not trying to sound pretentious, he um, do you drive as My friend Jonathan Martin is in a group called the Martins and there is Southern gospel harmony band. Well, he was one of the co drivers on our bus this past weekend and he I filled in for him as a singer in the Martins, the gospel group in Martins. This was like maybe okay, long time ago, and he is a great singer and they're great singers, and I was so I couldn't even like I could barely keep up because they're so talented. But it's so funny because like now he's you know, he's driving by bus, and I'm like feeling crazy about that, Like, how do I even deal with that? He's he's probably a better singer than me, and he's dry in my best probably making more money than me at the same time. You know, I think that's something too. I think people think that just because you're on TV, and I know this happens a lot of artists, that you just if you're on the radio or you get on TV at all, that you're automatically multi millionaires. Yeah. That's kind of funny, isn't it. Like if you're seen, people think that you're only seen because you are so successful that you're making millions and millions of dollars. I kind of had to deal with a lot of that this weekend with my family, and I was at my uncle's funeral and they all think, of course, you know, hey, you're successful. Here comes big successful Philip. Yeah. I'm like, man, you have no idea, and you know you've experienced some things like this and and it's not what you think it is, you know, I mean, honestly, what I've found out about these kind of situations is that when you think you're going to be in a moment where you're where famous or whatever, it actually is the opposite. You're actually more humbled by what your experience. For me, and that's a bigger conversation. No, I think it's a good conversation. I think for me, though, what has kept me grounded has been I've been able to as my platform is lifted, I can see more that I can actually help because I was helped. And the more that you can see that needs help. And if you were given to like I just want to be here, if I wasn't given to church groups or pta groups like feeding me your Christmas gifts, and then it actually kind of, you know, in a good way, waits you down. But I do. There is a time though, and I was a victim of it too. And I say this about a lot of recording artists that whenever you first hit, you lose yourself and it's can you give yourself back? Because when I'm I lost myself for a bit, I was like, oh my goodness, this is years ago. I was like, oh wow, I can't believe it. I'm not I'm not poor anymore. I can go and like I like going to the gas station and buying whatever I want, Like buy whatever I want, but I can like I have a nice car and like everything was like wow, But you have to even with the newartists, like they get a hit and the big head syndrome happens, and it's usually it's like when is it going to be brought back? Is it because you you failed to or three times in a row, or is it because you put good people around you? Um, And sometimes it's a mixture of both. Yeah, is it because you? It just for me? It was so hard for so long that I think that's where I like, I'll always remember the burn. I'll never forget it. I'll never not be the poor kid who grew up mountain. Yeah, you know, you'll never let go of that part of yourself. And I will never do the same thing, you know. I think about the Queen versus Oprah, like who would you rather be? Because they're both massively successful, But the Queen doesn't know what it's like to be broke. She doesn't understand or appreciate what she acts or she has, where Oprah she's a billionaire and probably at this points a bit out of touch, but Oprah knows. Oprah has been through some real crap, and I would much rather have gone through crap and be able to appreciate it. Then I feel the same and be the queen. I'm very grateful, and I always say now that I'm very grateful for the struggles that I had and the struggles that I can now help. Well, you can understand it. And instead of sympathy, empathy, it's empathy because you for me like I. You know, as much as I love my Coca Cola, it's almost like Dan, He's been a commercial like, but it's kind of the thing I hold onto. It's like, you know, I love my little weird things that I like. I'll still wander into the drudge shop and get my comfort Coca cola, and you know, it's just that thing that keeps you who you are. You know, we just I just went back and visited my old hometown, so you know, it's really fresh with me, but you know it's not. We're never ever that far away from the people that are we're connected with and the stories we tell. And that's what I love about it, because you know, as we make music and as we grow and as we learn about ourselves and as I meditate in the morning, you know what I'm thinking about is those beautiful people that raise me up. You know, Little Big Town Week on the Bobby Cast. It's Little Big Town Week on the Bobby Cast. What would I be without that government cheese and that government peanut butter? You may still be Phil Stevens. I would still Phil Stephen, phil Us out of the ground on the table, Philter. What's your radio name? Hey, I have a good radio voice. You were a DJ back in the day. Tell me about that man. That was good. That was good times. You know, that was for me a chance to as a young kid, be able to work a job and also be around music all the time. I mean, I learned so much about music. That's what I can take from that job. What kind of station were you working at? It? Good Time, Good Times? Great Holy? What was the It's pil Steve was here, Good Times, Great Elies Net. Coming up next, it's Bobby Blin. He's gonna play you with Stevie Wonder. Yeah, I was that. I had that voice to mine was come on continue with sitting music one or five point nine klaz It's Bobby bones here, gonna play you the new one here from who It's Love Shock from the B fifty Dudes, and then throw it back a few years. And I tried so hard to do that. I know, I've worked on my non regional addiction. As they said, yeah I didn't. I told the speech pathology too good. I me too. That's why we have someone to come and I think good Times, Great Elies, and one of four point seven cool left him it's Phil State, that's and here's your good Times a great oldies. But I would try to do that, like yours is actually pretty good. I was really good at it. And how old were you when you were doing that? I was like eighteen, okay, so you were eighteen nineteen. And then I, you know, I was playing music on the weekends with my mom and trying to make some money here and there. So you go, did you graduate from Markus State? You finish school? No? You did one year. I had a full skyl of ship, Bobby, and I went one year and said, and then because I didn't want to be a music teacher, I wanted to write songs. So I said, I gotta get out of here, and you moved to I moved to a Little Rock for a little bit, and then I moved to Nashville pretty quickly. And ninety seven I moved to Nashville. So why the Little Rock for a minute? Big because for me that was they had an international airport so I could travel and book myself playing gigs, and that was really the reason. And I had a buddy, his name is Doug, and we we had we shared an apartment and we booked ourselves out of that same apartment doing gigs, planning for different things, and um, you know, until I moved to Nashville, was like, I gotta, I gotta get out of here. It's funny you talked about Little Rog like that because in my first book, I talked about how Little Rock was a big city to me. It was big. It was home in ned Permy and in tall buildings, and I was like, my goal was I just need to get to Little Rock And that was such a big step for me. Still when I look back, that was probably when I reached like, in my mind, the biggest goal. I was like, I just want to be on the radio in the capitol. That's just the place where I'm gonna probably live. Dude, I thought i'd made it so big when I made it a little little awesome, And I'll eventually go back and live there again. It is a cool place, and you know what I remember, Like the river there in the middle of town and we go climb up the old train track bridge and like sit up there and like dream and I would dream about, Oh, man, if I could just write songs in Nashville and be, you know, one of those people. And so it's pretty cool that I'm here, and there's no way I could have made it. I don't I don't even know how I got here. So I'm really thankful. And you know, I'm in a little big town and I get to play music every day and it's pretty cool. So I never take it for granted. But man, it's so weird. Do a lot of people. I think that you and Kimberly are married because Karen and Jimmy are married and you have two blondes. The people, because I can definitely see where of two of them a marry, they might as soon as the other two are married to They do that a lot. Is that a thing where they're like, oh, we're like we're married, but to other people? But I mean, what can you do about that? You know, you just say hey, yeah, but no not to each other and move on quickly. But man, I love it. I love getting to create with those beautiful people because the push and pull between the four of us is what has driven me creatively. And we get rewarded with that gift. It's so cool, like, you know, we get to make music together every day. I was reading this story recently about a soccer player who ensured his leg because you can go to like the the Lords of London or Lloyd's of London. I'm not even sure what it is, and you can ensure your body parts and so we should do that. What are you going to ensure? Well? I did have some of My business manager was like, hey, I'm not paying for that. Do you want to ensure your vocal acords? And it was like that's a good one. She was like, it's not even about your vowcords being that good. It's like that's the only thing have to work with, Like I've developed no other skill that made you feel great. By the way, First of all, I think about that because that you broke your hand at one point, didn't you. I did, I broke this bone, right, here on my right hand. But I was able. How did you do that? By the way, um it was? Was it a a such an accident. It was like one of those things where I was laughing and he hit it on something and I was like, how that kind of hurt and broke it? So did did it stop your guitar? Because darks broke his hand RAI, it didn't stop anything. I actually played with the other three fingers and it was like I had this weird cast that I had to wear. But the hardest part, and you know this because you do meet and greets and stuff like that, I had this guy come up and meet and greet, and before I realized it was broken, he shook my hand and literally it almost sent me to my knees. I was so much in pain and my face got so red. My bands bandmates were like, oh my god, are you okay. I'm like that sucks. And he didn't know, he had no idea and he was like one of those I'm gonna yeah. In the South, they have a really really strong handshake to show that and sometimes it's like it's a contest. I don't know what that is about. One that I quickly go you win. You don't get the strongest hand. You're so many. I want to play a game here. I want to play a clip one of your songs. It just yeah, it sealed now, so it's doing good. Give me a memory, okay, just I'll play you a song of yours and you just give me a memory that comes with that song. I like this um so a Boondocks. I wanna play a little Boondocks for you, And let's play for a second corn when you hear that song. I remember this club, this little club in Kentucky, and we've been touring, We've been on radio tour, struggling. It's it was sucking. We were you know, you know that feels were just like damn. And then all of a sudden, we pull up to this place in Kentucky and there's all these people here and we're we're there to perform at this club and the parking lot is full. We're like, who are you opening for? Like this is incredible, and it comes to be that they're there for us, and we were blown away and we performed and we did all know what we thought was a pretty good job, and they were so just into it. They wanted an encore We've never done an encore before, so they were like boot Ducts, boot Ducts, boot Ducks. We sing boot Ducks again. Yeah, that was our encore, it said, dude, they hit again and they loved it. They were like freaking out. I love the end of that song. As far as the endings of songs, all time, endings of songs, I get a pull, We'll go fishing in the girlfish, I've got poker on Saturday night, Church on Sunday morning, get line, I get a poll. I like Jimmy's part on that. I always want to sing Jimmy's part when there you go. That's the endings of songs Top three of all time? Thank you? Is that still fun? To dude? That in part? Are you kidding? Is the crowd to the in part like crazy? Because I'm not. It's not just fun. It's like I feel like a three year old. I'm so happy when that happens. And I'll go, you get line, I'll get a poll on it. Put the mine got to the crowd. It blows my mind. You know, It's like what that never gets old? It only makes it more beautiful. All right, I'm gonna play another one here tell me the memory that comes to mind when I play Girl Crush. Here's a little bit of the song. Here's a girl crushing a little big town. Just think about it, Philip, like I press, you think about what memory comes on and great Sheldon and a girl crush hat. He's looking over his left shoulder. Posted it on Twitter. He is the sexiest girl crush hat wearing mother I've ever seen. That's what I'm like. I remember Blake Sheldon, I remember Stapleton, did it like they like they made that song? If it wasn't for them pushing and you playing it. We talked about that with Dan Rather the other day. We were like, man, you know, if it wasn't for Bobby and all of our friends making this song something, fighting for it, saying no, hey, you can't just like push this away. This is a song that needs to be heard. Who would have heard it. You made it happen, And I was just part of the group that made it happened. But I didn't get a lot of trouble for it, which I'm so proud of at this point of my life. Oh yeah, here's an interesting story. As we do are a cold guy handshake. It's one of the only bits that my company has ever because at the time this song was so controversial and I was playing it before it was a single. I think you still had um punt, I think no drinking day Drinking was it was the song, the first song off the record, and so I was playing this and my company was like, whoa, whoa, whoa. We need to play this for a focus group and see if they think this is bad. And I was like, do all you want? Well, mom's across the country, we're saying I don't want my daughter to hear say I don't want my daughter to hear I want to kiss your lips, and then things like that, you're only hearing that from reporters who were taking individual comments because what we learned through the research when I was like playing the song they're talking about it, was that people were going, no, we love the song. And so my company goes, you know what, there were two things in my career that and I have a great company that have it took a second for them to tap, but there were two things that I got lucky doing. One was Girl Crushed before it was a single and I was playing it where they were like, no, no, okay, we trust you. The second one was putting on a songwriter who didn't have any songs and I was like, hey can play, and he played all the time. They would like, don't put them on and it was Stapleton. And then once those two things happened and they were like, all right, you just do then I got find a million dollars. That was a whole later thing. Oh my god. I don't know. We kind of went back to zero at that point, but but you still got the best still here. Yeah, you're still they're still rocking here. How about let's do a pontoon. Thank you for that, tell me to Then we think about this villap video. I was like, finally on this song, finally they're playing our music and there this is getting to the masses. Finally it was, and we finally got a big splash. Oh you know, just an awareness of music and everyone's like, we're playing this song. And it changed our lives because we got booked in places we were never booked before, we got paid more, all those things. You now, you don't want to be pretentious, but it was really nice. But I mean, I remember watching when this song came out. It was such a big deal. I was still do in Austin, Texas. But I would watch Crook and Chase. I loved watch Crook and Chase and them. Yeah, me too. Still love love Charlie, love them. I just love them because I'm big fans of theirs as a kid and so. But I was watching Cook and Chase and you guys were on Cook and Chase the TV show talking about this song, and I was still on pop and hip hop, but I was like, I love though I don't know why I love those guys. They seem like people i'd like to hang out with, if you know. Fast forward eight years later, we're hanging out and here you are and here we are. But that's like at that okay, dude, that changed our lives. Song good, Thank you Pontoon, Thank you for the fans. I still don't have a pontoon. My favorite story is Natalie Himby, one of the writers of that song. She she went to a dealership where they sell pontoons and she was like, yeah, we kinda want to buy one of these and get going on it. And in the I was like, yeah, you know that song. I hate that song. I've heard it so much. I hate that song. And she couldn't tell she was a writer on it, but he hated it. And I'm sure because I used to work in a marina and I used to drive pon tunes and fixed pon tunes, I probably would hate that song too. About here all day every day. It had some lot of hate factor on it. That just means the exposure is large. That's a great That's what I tell a lot of my friends who who start to get hate on Instagram because they're getting bigger. I'm like, the reason you're getting more hated because you're getting bigger, and the more people that see you, You're playing a numbers game. The more people that see you, the more people that aren't gonna like you. Yeah, it's not that you're so much more unlikable, just more more people are seeing you. And that's the nature of it. Hey, if you can take that and go with it. When you get your feelings shirt, I was like, well, you know what, I hate that happen to you, But congratulations on your song. Yeah right, um when that song, because we were talking to her about that, it wasn't hitch if first, was it? But when you got the work tape was it hitch back? This bitch the water girl, because I love that. That's what I loved about it. I love that it said back this bitch. And then when we said hitch, We're like, Okay, we gotta make it like, you know, cool for the peeps. But yeah, and hitch also makes sense as someone again who all right, little Big Town Week on the Bobby Cast. It's little Big Town Week on the Bobby Cast. I'm gonna play a little White Church because I love this one. Here, let's let's be on his favorite. Let's do what memory comes to mind when I play a little white Church from a little big town here you go, which, by the way, this is the song I still mix up in the name party. I don't know what this is, think about it there down what comes to mind. I had a nineteen thirty two Gibson guitar guitar and that was right around the time of Nashville floods, and that guitar I had to shoot it. I used it for the video shoot and then I left it in storage and we went to sing the anthem at the race in Kentucky, the Derby, and that was when the flood happened, and so I lost my guitar. It floated on the top in the river. And I moved to right after that, so I didn't experience the flood. What was that like here? It was bizarre. You know. You had people like Keith Urban and Vince Gille who lost like a hundred guitars. I just remember. One of the best stories is that Vince Gill lost his guitar that his father gave him and it was just like hundred year old Martin. And so for me when I lost in nineteen thirty two Gibson that I just bought, you know, somewhere, I played it in a video a little white church. But I thought that's nothing compared to what Vince lost. He lost the guitarist dad gave him. But there was a lot of that going on. Peter Frampton, Keith Urban, they all lost like a hundred guitars each. It was like it was unreal. And then you would even see people and go, oh, guitars are nothing when it comes to like homes, you know, even with like yeah and that, yeah, guitars are nothing. You're right, yeah, And it's like I do that sometimes say no, no, no. Everybody gets it in context because it's the music podcast. We're talking about that, but that happens to me too. I'm like, oh, man, I gotta wake up three thirty on the morning. But I'm like, yeah, you know what though, it's all right, like you get to do something pretty cool, pretty cool. You know, I'm gonna play. Let me play a little bit of we Have. You have so many songs that I love. Let's do Tornado. But think this was the jam. You're playing keys right now in front of me on that guitar on the song Okay, I actually play a guitarists strung with really low strings, so it's like really almost like a bass, almost like a bass, And I played this little layer of a guitar and we performed this because this song on David Letterman before he retired. And what I remember is that he came over and he was like, what's that little guitar you got there? Serve like, like, you know, I felt ridiculous of like, man, I'm not impressing David Letterman at all. I'm like trying to rock it out with this guitar all strong, low, and he's like, what's that little guitar you got there? Sonny Da? That's my that's my hero. It's always my dream to meet David Letterman really yeah, and I haven't. I'm also scared too, because you know, they're like, you know, and we get we are in the world now when we get to meet a lot of people that we think and thought were super cool. Sometimes they're cooler than we thought. Sometimes they're not. I agree with you so much on that. Yeah, and David, I say, Conan O'Brien is one of those that I thought I would. You know, I had met him and performed on the show a few times. And then I run into the guy, you know, on a vacation, you just running it coming to the Park City, Utah, and I was like, hey, man, I know I played on your show a few times. He's like, yeah, I don't remember. And then it was like, I don't I don't want to call him out, but I'm kind of calling him out. But he was like, yeah, I don't remember you. At least he was honest, he was cool. He didn't remember at all. I've been We've been un there like three times, and I was like, yeah, man, I'm just such a fan. I was. I loved your you know documentary, you know, can't stop. And he was like, oh yeah, Well, Wow, Yeah, that was great, But I don't remember you man, And I was like, okay, well enjoy your rest of vacation. That's funny. And he went on his way and didn't remember anything. But I thought he remember me. He like he you know, I remember being in New York taping the show and seeing him after the show. I'm like, oh my god, thanks man, thanks for having us my daughter, your daughter. He talked, no, no, no memory. So many people go through that. You know, what can you do? And what are you gonna do? Some country folk? Anyway? What after a third time playing this show? I thought he would remember, but I would maybe I would remember, But he didn't. And I don't judge him for that. But who was the last person that you asked to take a picture with? Like? Think about that, not like family, but like someone and all as you're thinking about it. I saw Ben Folds at the National Airport and I was too scared to ask him to take a picture because I'm such a huge fan. But I wonder, like someone like you, you're a big time musician. Really yeah, Like, who who is the last person that you went up to one like, hey man, you get a picture? I always feel so like, I still always feel like that little kid from Arkansas who never really is that you know what you say? What you just said? I always feel so humble and so and asking McBride who is my friend? We grew up in the same little town. We always talk about, Oh man, we can connect because we remember our teachers are out of a teacher, Miss Bassham. We had the same algebra teacher, which she failed us both by the way. That um but you know the last person I remember really wanting to take a picture with question It is a tough question. It was it was? It was Daisy Ridley, the actress for you know, Ray the New Jedi. I don't know. Oh yeah, I don't know. I've never seen Star Wars, but is that she was? She was recently on Jimmy Fallon and we were all backstage and we're like, can we get a picture with you? And she was like, oh yeah, who are you? And I kind of dig that that she has no clue, but she's amazing. My my daughter was fascinated. I did Blanco Brown, who does go to do the too Ben Cowboy book? Give you heard that song that in a little nonz X. The last two guys that I was like, let's get a picture. Thankfully I was there for the little nonz X kind of situation and we were all they were hanging out after party, so it wasn't too awkward. You know what. I always feel awkward asking like, hey, can would you mind taking the picture? You know what the move is. What I've now kind of got mastered with who members with me. I'll be like, hey, do the move, and they know what the movie is. They'll get their phone out, be like, you know what, we should get a picture, Bobby, get a little NODSX. You guys dike a picture together. You didn't ask yeah, and then someone else and it's not like little gonna go like, nah, he canna go all right because I didn't. Yeah, what's he gonna say? That's my move? Now? It's good when I'm like, all right, do the thing, then you don't have to ask. Then I don't have to ask because I'm always kind of embarrassed me too. I'm like, I don't want to be the guy who's like, look at me. I know, okay, how about this one? I love this song. Um it's sadly did not do as well as I hoped it would do, but I loved it so much, and I think Karen and I have talked about how frustrating it was for me when when someone stops loving you. Wasn't a huge hits, such a good song. Careful, tell me about what member is this? Okay? This song was beautiful and we loved it. The shooting of this video might have been the hottest day in California. Sexy. No, it wasn't sexy. I might have almost passed out. I almost had a heat stroke, Like it was like a hundred and eight degrees. And there's this picture of me like wandering off in the distance with this you know, this land that had kind of been scorched by the fire basically, so it looked really good. It looked like you were on Mars and we're shooting this video. And I had a moment there where well, you get so hot that you're cold. It's like water sometimes. Is that where you touching? Is that hotter? Like I literally thought I was going to pass out, And that's what I remember from this song. But it's a beautiful thing. You know. Another one. I love that you guys have so many songs I love like I love your side of the bed and I remember watching you guys do that at the Awards show. Thank You Such a changing souse. Jimmy and Karen's parents both thought that they had something there, like because there's something you gotta tell, you know, like there's something going on between you guys. You know, there's your breakup song, there's your divorce. There's Laurie McKenna there for you. She's like, she knows how to write this lyric and she has the most beautiful marriage with her husband Jean. And we always go, how do you write these songs? And you have the happiest life ever, you know. But because she's probably so well balanced, she can go there. I wonder what a gift, right? Yeah? And you know she lives in Boston and people go to her, which is because she's so good. Yeah, and the fact that she that's a cool thing. But people will travel to you. She comes to Nashville song and I love Lorie. I know Lorie. She comes a little bit. Have you written with Loria? I've not written with her. I won't even ask her to write, like, come on now, I only write funny songs. And she can write the hits and do love junkies and make the millions. I'm not going to try to take her time up. You know, I did this one that's got the funny side to her. Yeah, yeah, yeah, listen, you're a humbling ky. I need some more anymore any more? So down. Um, I'm gonna let me play a little bit of them. I've been going too fast of the new the new one, her daughters, son and God the father balance in the tuxedoes, which, by the way, were those tuxedo super expensive or those like Gucci or something? They were pretty prexy. You don't buy those right, well, thank god? Okay, I borrowed them. Okay, we borrowed him. Tell me about this song. This song Karen read it with Sean McConnell and Ashley Ray if you know, I know whose writers are. But she said it was literally a gift. It just fell out of this guy. And they were talking about that book, you know, girl Washed your Face Rachel Hollis, Yeah, and Karen was like, who wash your face? When do you come to the table? And then Sean picks up a guitar and says, and they keep going and they this song just kind of fell out of the sky, and she came to us the other day not that long ago, and the studio was like, this song, I feel like this might be the best song I've ever written. Listen to it. And we listened and it was beautiful. It moved. It's all so much. Thank you, the kids clean up. What's the dynamic when all four of you can really sing? Because you can really sing? Don't you ever want to go? Let me have all the leads tonight? This is Tuesday, guys, listen, let me just sing all the leads? You know, because we I work in a group dynamic, which when you're this close with people, there's also a lot of family tension. Yeah. If you don't think Amy and I fight sometimes you're nuts. Like I mean, I will fight because we were together every day for hours from arms length, and we talked about it openly. It's like, but if we didn't fight, what of your real relationship? Right? The pushing pool is what mabsolutely and I feel the same way about the band. The push in the pool. You know, if you had one person who told everybody what to do, it'd be boring, it'd be lame. With the four of us in the connection we have and the push in the pool, it makes creativity beautiful. It gives us the gift. It gives us that reward. I feel so rewarded artistically like a solo project, though here it is so you know, it probably sucks. Who knows, right, I don't know. I have so much fun. I feel rewarded because we let each other shine so much in this band in a way that in different ways I get to do so many different things more so than I probably would in a solo situation, and that I really enjoy and I think we all really enjoy that weight. Well that's what sucks about it. But you know that's when you let you go. We all check her. You go out the door and be like, you know what, we split that money, but we get to share this creative gift that rewards us in ways that we would have never understood until we can sing together. When we hit that chord together and we we it's something that's something special happens when that chord happens and we hit that triad, which your favorite song to do right now, right now, and in the live show, it's your favorite song. When you see a pop up you like, oh, this one's kind of refreshing, it's fun. Or I was bornais still the Boondogs. That's cool because a lot of artists go, I'm gonna keep doing it because the fans want to do it, but I'm just going through the motions. That's That's a lot of artists that I've hits that are, you know, five, six, eight years, ten years old. I think that's the best gift to me is that I've never had a moment where I felt like I've had to go through any emotions like I can say that, I can look you in the eye and say that with a heart full of pride, that we live it, we love it, we live it, we love it, and it's every moment is so exciting. I feel like I'm in nineteen year old every day because I get to live my dreams, my friends. How's Rebecca. She's more beautiful than ever. That's part of what makes me feeling night. But yeah, it's amazing and I'm really thankful every day I get to wake up and live my dream and create with my friends. And I know it sounds so cliche, but it's pretty damn awesome. Look at you, Little Big Town week on the Bobby Cast. It's Little Big Town Week on the Bobby Cast, making it are we let's make some more. You know what, I don't know. I don't know if you ever feel like you I don't. I don't think I've ever made it. That's why i'd ever say that to myself. I don't either. I never go you know what, Maybe we should Maybe that's I don't know. Maybe we shouldn't because I feel like I'm always striving and that keeps me motivated. Do you feel like you're Do you have issues with the feeling like you're good enough? Imposter syndrome is probably yeah, But that's okay. I kinda maybe I need that, you know, maybe it helps me stay humble and true and keep pursuing the pure passion of love of music, because man, it's so cool, it's so fun, Like I get to we Jimmy and I were just having this conversation. We just played Jimmy Fallon and we looked at each other walking out of there and like two small town kids look at us. Did you ever think you'd get to do these kind of things? Yeah, we didn't, And it's pretty awesome something that we do. Here, we're into the Mount rushmore of your favorite musical artists of all time. All right, now, Mount More normally has four people, but we do five because everybody always wants to ask you just get five, Okay, So this is this is the Mount Rushmore of musical artists. I like this. Now I'm putting you you know, you gotta pick five and just to roll you through mine. Garth's on mine, John Mayer's on mine. Ben Folds is on mine. Um, I feel stressed. I made a new one recently. I put Casey on there, okay, and I kind of it's kind of a mixing my current favorites in my all times. But your Mount Rushmore music can be anybody you want. And then as my bonus was all dominion because they're just crushing it and everything they do I love. Now, Okay, they're pretty good awesome. So that's my Amount Rushmore. As I've talked, I've vamped to give you a second to think about it. Who's first on your Mount Rushmore music film? Ray Charles, Ray Charles? And then it goes Michael McDonald. Uh, you know you definitely got the Michael McDonald vibe. You don't know me, but I'm your brother, Mike. Do you know, Michael? You didn't need you did not need to hear that, but now you did. He's Doobie Brothers, and then Michael Donald, Michael McDonald, and then you have Stevie Wonder. Okay, so so far we got Ray. Oh it's heavy keys. Now that's my first instruments, keys, drums, guitar. That's how my instruments go. Ray, Charles, Michael McDonald, Steve Wonder, You're going keys. So do you go? Next? Up? Do you go? Man? This is tough. I know, this is a really tough one, Okay, I said Michael McDonald. Wait, Ray, Charles, Michael McDonald's Stevie Wonder, and then I like a little John Bere Okay, he's my guitar hero right now. Okay, that's four. So then you get one more when you go, where do you go? That's a tough one. It really is hard. I like Bruce Hornsby a lot. He's back to the keys. Interesting choice because he's he's one of those guys that he you know, he felt he kind of rode the line between songwriter musician and there's I've never heard a bass solo before before Bruce Hornsby. So your favorite Bruce horns I'm sorry you missed. I'm sorry. Get the same category. Rick, No, I'm sorry. That's why we can get you only get four plus one because everybody always wants to go, what about the James Taylor? Oh, next one? I can all three fit in the same all share the same head. Got out that was really bad, wasn't it? No, it's it is what it is. Next time you come in, you can change it up. Charles is my favorite? You have favorite charl song? Oh what makes you think of Ray Charles? Not your favorite? What song is it that makes you? It's his it's his soul. Uh, it's the it's the sound of his voice. I can't even explain it. I can't even try to emulate it. But I think when you said it's a soul, you do explain it. You kind of feel it. Of all the American songs because I love Ray Charles too, and I think Kaylee Hammick and I maybe Mike, we're talking about Ray Charles a bit and um modern sounds, country music and so, but we were we were kind of diving into that a little bit. But when he sings you do oh my mom version or even America America got chit is grace sold that voice and it's like, oh, I never felt that verse that version. Oh it's so good. Godship is grice only and crown not good. He brother from see shine it and you're like, I'm gonna put your hand on your heart right there, Frozy to shine see. Oh I'm in the wrong key. Put us in the right key, Bobby, I live in the wrong key. Film me too. Mostly most of the filt I don't even live in a key, just bouncing all around. It's the jam. He's way higher than we. We don't. I don't even try. It's like singing McGrath songs like McGrath sings so high that I don't even try to sing McGraw song like eiven to kid around with the grass song and people here America take a home. I don't even want to try to good. I love it. I love that you pulled that up. Thank you, Mikey. Did you watch Ray the movie? Yeah, Jamie Foxx like glued his eyelid shot for that movie. I didn't know that. Yeah, so we could like feel as close to being because you know, you never can replicate what someone who has no vision is actually going through. Um, but he was like I wanted to feel as close as I could to it, so he glued his eyelid show. I didn't know that crazy. I was just so blown away with his musical performance about just portraying that character, Like how can anyone try to be Ray Charles? But Jamie Foxx did a great job. Do you see the James Brown movie? Do you see that one? I haven't seen that one? Pretty good? Now you're inspiringent. It's pretty good. I love music documentary. Yeah, they're like biopics more than documentaries, you know, because we trust them messing around with us a little bit. I love my George Harris and four Hour Francis Ford Coppola a documentary, Oh my god. You know Tom Petty's got one that's about four hours one to the Eagles have a series that's about it's a documentary. I live for those about four hours and the Eagles one is so good. Yeah, I mean I questioned myself as a musician like that inspires me so much to see that heart and love and music, And I think to myself, Wow, what have I done in my life to create a legacy like that? And they probably thought while they were doing it, what have I done to create a legacy? The same thing I don't know until they finished. They're like, I don't know, Well they did they do that? I don't know. Maybe they did. You're doing it now, and I hope we do the same because I think when you're humble and you still believe that you can do something fresh and new every day and you can create, you're still living, You're still experiencing what it is or whatever that thing is that drove us here in the first place. That's what I love about it. Well, here's what I hope for you, Philip. You might get blame a little bit of that America, please, That's what I hope for you as we finish up this hour long podcast. I hope that one day you're somewhere like a ski village and it's a big red head of felt. It comes up to you and it's a big red head of felt. It goes, excuse me, sir. I don't want to bother you, but I think you were on my show one time, and you know what you say back to them, you go, I've been on a lot of shows. I'm quite I don't remember you. I don't remember. That's my goal for you, Philip, you know, I want to remember that guy though I want to know. I want to remember. That's my goal, because I hate not remembering. Maybe we can remember how beautiful these days all are because it's so damn good. Well you said it all my friends. I love you, buddy, and amen, I give you one. I give you one. Right there, there is episode one eighties six Phillips Sweets of a Little Big Time. Follow him at Phillips Sweet on Instagram. But if he's not posting right now, just wait a minute. You'll be back. I'll be no need to cry. I'm just living my life for no reason. I'm just busy living my life, living his life and new music from a little bit time. Check out the Daughters. And I'm sure by the time you heard this, which we're gonna put this up almost immediately, but people listen to things for years. I'm sure your latest project is even better. Everything that you've done since Daughters have been the greatest ever heard. I have to say this, this is an right studio album and I can't tell you how special this music is. It's so beautiful and after that record does so well, and right now maybe you're on your eleventh when people are hearing this and it's even better. Maybe you're in your thirteenth let me tell you you thought that eleventhon was good. This thirteenth one, can we just hang out all day? Part of my life? Yeah, alright, so one of these six. Thanks guys, we'll see you next. Loved Little Big Town Week on the Bobby Cast.