001: Evan Felker & RC Edwards of Turnpike Troubadours
On Episode 001 of New Slang, I'm joined by Evan Felker and RC Edwards of Turnpike Troubadours. I picked up the two Oklahoma songwriters one afternoon before a gig in Lubbock. In the interview, we discuss the origins of the band’s latest album, The Turnpike Troubadours, the songwriting on the album, cutting the out-of-print Bossier City, and where the band turns next.
Interview Transcript
Note: Transcripts aren’t always accurate since they are computer automated and haven’t been edited for spelling, grammar, etc.
Thomas Mooney 0:00
Hey guys, welcome to the New Slang podcast. I'm Thomas Mooney, I'm a journalist and the editor in chief of new slang here in Lubbock. I'll go on to warn you from the offset that I really don't have like a great radio voice or anything. So you're just gonna have to bear with me with all the awkward pausing of this very first intro. I promise that we will get better at it though. It's just that it's just kind of weird talking to yourself in a room in front of a microphone in front of nobody else. Anyways, like I said, this is the very first episode. And in my opinion, it's a it's really a hell of a way to kick things off. This first interview is with Evan Felker, and RC Edwards of Turnpike troubadours. It was about this time last week that we spent about I don't know about an hour and a half or so at my buddy Parker's house recording this conversation. They had a show that night here in Lubbock. And it was a while the show was pretty phenomenal. I think that our conversation was a pretty damn good too. I promise that I won't keep you too long on this little little intro here. I'm not going to go full Marc Maron or anything. Just a handful of things. I should probably get out of the way. Before we, I guess I play the the conversation. One, please go ahead and subscribe to the podcast channel that we that we've set up here on iTunes. If you can write a little review of some sort, I mean, I don't. I don't necessarily know if, if that helps us out or anything. But I've heard other people say this on on podcasts. It'll help you out too. Because you know, we do have a handful of really great interviews coming up. That will that we will be releasing on a weekly basis from here on out. Or I guess like the last month or so we've interviewed John Baumann, Shane Smith, Drew Kennedy, Jamie Lin Wilson, Kelley Mickwee. We do have a few others lined up. So yeah, they'll all be coming out just like once a week from here on out. Maybe we'll be able to get a few other people coming through town like William Clark Green, Jonathan Tyler. Who knows, too, I guess if you'd like you're unfamiliar with new slang, new slang is just a music publication here in Lubbock that I started a, I guess, I don't know, four or five years back. If you can go and follow us on any and all the social media that you that your heart desires. Our Twitter handle is at newslink underscore lbk. From there, you should be able to just you know find us on Instagram and Facebook and I guess like Periscope, we probably even have like a LinkedIn account. If that's what you you're into. Yeah, anyways, this very first episode, you know, I'm really happy to say is sponsored, represented by the great folks over at the blue light live here in Lubbock. In my opinion, like right now, you know, they're they're the epicenter of what you would call loving music. Hell, they're the probably even you know that they're probably the epicenter of what we would consider panhandle music maybe. And maybe, even just like Texas music in general. You know, the very first Turnpike troubadours show in Texas, the very first real one really was at the blue light. And, you know, here's some trivia for you, john fullbright played guitar for them that night. Anyways, so the blue light, that's always been like one, you know, just one really, really great place for for live music. It's been a place that the Lubbock songwriter, if you will, has been able to hone their craft, find what their sound is, what their voice as a songwriter is. So, anyways, one of those guys who, who really started up at the blue light is this dude named William Clark green. You know, last year, he released his fourth album, Ringling road at this big old street show outside blue light. And I guess you know, it was such a awesome massive, cool event that uh, even though he doesn't have a new studio record coming out this April, he decided that, that you know, that he has to have a street show outside of blue light. Once once a year in April. So, this coming Friday, April 15. That's like a month from now or so.
There'll be once again closing the Buddy Holly Avenue. Right in front of the blue eye and and having this big ass street show. Joining him this year will be American aquarium. Those guys are badass, you know, the Raleigh, North Carolina band Just probably probably right now, like, top five Americana bands going, I don't know. And then a couple of Lubbock bands that you're probably familiar with, read che Han and flatland Calvary, you know, flatland cavalry, they sent me over their new record humble folks, that's gonna be coming out pretty soon. So it's really, it's really good, you'll probably be able to check out check that out in a few weeks or so. Anyways, I know like everyone wants to attend this bigger street show, the easiest way to get a presale ticket is just to go to the blue light website. It's at WWW dot the blue light live.com. Just scroll on the side calendar until you see the April 15 date and hit buy a ticket. It's that simple. You know, I think that like tickets are like $20 if you're over 2125 if you're 18 to 20 I'm not going to go in and like rattle off the entire calendar. That of you know, people playing blue light over the next few weeks or anything like that. So you should just probably just check out that while you're on the website. Again. That's blue light. live.com I just messed that up. It's the blue light live.com they have live music Monday through Saturday. One more thing before we get to Evan and RC if you'd like to be involved in the new slang podcast either through you know sponsoring or presenting the podcast advertising if you will. Just shoot us an email over at New slang dot editors@gmail.com Yeah, Anyways, thanks for for listening. And here's the conversation with them in an RC
so this last album that you guys, did you guys re introduced characters, we talked a little bit before about how I guess you're kind of like filling in the holes of the turnpike world. Like
Evan Felker 7:10
Yeah, absolutely. Um, then you look at, like, say, like Terry Allen Juarez. And there's the there's the these characters these loose stories that they've been through. And and you look at the big one for me was the Nick Adams stories, the Hemingway stuff, because the characters are sort of the same, but not necessarily the same person. Loose representations of what's sometimes the same name sometimes not. And I thought that was really interesting. RCW talking about Stephen King doing the same thing, like a lot of the same characters live in the same universe. And it's the sort of comic book style canon of all these people doing living in the same sort of world.
RC Edwards 8:02
I really like the idea of songs lived in the universe the same way that comic books or movies or novels can where'd that not even be in the same song, but you live in the same world and you might meet later in another song. Pretty neat.
Thomas Mooney 8:16
I do. Yeah, there's not really a whole lot of people in I guess what we would consider Americana doing that. I mean, I think like you can kind of think of maybe like Jason is more like the drive by truckers have in the same world. They've never really talked about it, though. But But yeah, this right here, you guys are gonna start? I'm assuming we're gonna start, you know, going back and tell him more stuff that happens to these?
Evan Felker 8:44
Yeah, it's, it's great. And, you know, it started with a simple story with like, a, like the character from a funeral, you know, being based on someone real, being loosely based on this, this kind of nerdy will character and then you think, oh, what if he was around in this spot? What if he was around in that, that spot as well. And so it's, to me, it's interesting to sort of let him breathe a little bit more, because the characters are in a song, especially these little short story songs, they don't get to, they live and die pretty quickly, you know, and so, but you've kind of put thought in to the depth of what what that particular character would do and how much money he has and where he lives and how he sort of hangs out with his family. So why would you waste all that just on that when you have to, instead of you know, maybe it's just kind of lazy, but, you know, maybe you're invested in little guy, you know, maybe you want to get another breath of air and, you know,
RC Edwards 9:42
see the world again, you know, I like the way the mercury plays out as a prequel essentially. Yeah, you can look at it like it's, it's filling in gaps, like before that story.
Thomas Mooney 9:52
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Well, part of that though, is like you know, you fall in Love and fall in love with the character. How do you decide not to overdo it with with set character?
Evan Felker 10:06
I think that it's really easy to overdo. And I don't know that I haven't already, you know, I mean, I worry about that. But also, there's there's so much more stuff to do, right? And then they haven't even done it. Like the characters and the songs literally do nothing like they they're exactly in the same spot they were in to start out with every song.
Thomas Mooney 10:29
Well, I mean, like there are with you guys right now with with these characters, you know, they're everyone's maybe two songs in Yeah, that's right. Yeah, there's not word you you've talked an entire album worth or something like that. But like, at some point, you think like, you know, I've even thought about that.
Evan Felker 10:51
It would get tiresome, so I just kind of want to keep it to minimalistic stuff. And if people like the songs and kind of think the the characters are worth revisiting, or you know, that they want to see what they're up to the next time then? I don't know. I'm interested in doing that. But I haven't I haven't pursued it.
RC Edwards 11:13
We've always kind of talked about the songs got to be able to stand on their own for Oh, yeah. Outside of the story lands were a concept.
Evan Felker 11:22
Yeah, absolutely. They're all an after thought. This whole you know, all these people exist in the same world that matter. Song by itself. That was the only song that we had, I think even the mercury or any of those songs will be fine on their own. So that's the cool part. Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 11:37
What about like, I guess songs where you're the narrator NARRATOR But you've not necessarily said this is a character This is or this is you are whatever the case may be. Are you Those were, you know, we'll find out later that Oh, that was
Evan Felker 11:55
Jimmy. Yeah, no, I mean, absolutely. That's kind of, that's where it is now. Like I said, it started with, you know, it started out with funeral and, and so I'm the narrator and something like, you know, Laurie, and most of those actually, the other than the funeral are already from first person. So, so yeah, I'm more or less a character in there.
Thomas Mooney 12:23
Remember, one time when, before we were talking about Terry Allen Juarez, you kind of said that you thought he even though it's this grand idea, and it was really awesome, that he kind of like failed at it, saying,
Evan Felker 12:37
I yeah, I'm crucified. Now I, I didn't I couldn't gather all of the entire story. And maybe that's me being a bad listener. But I tried really hard and I'm talking about listen to in every state of mind possible, like listen to it over and over again. I'm still obsessed with the record, but I don't have this sort of complete concrete narrative of what what everybody's up to, I know that some I know that, like seven seconds in to the main characters are dead already. You know. And so like, that's a lot. Let me get you in. I
Thomas Mooney 13:13
guess it gets you stuck there. And there's, it's such a bare bones story in a way because, you know, the music aspect is just him and piano. Oh, absolutely. I think that's it, there may be a little bit of acoustic guitar, acoustic guitar and maybe accordion but yeah, like there's really, it's not a full record by any means. So I think that kind of talk talking with Terry, like, he's kind of said that, you know, he wishes he could re record that record. You know, he's not finished with with the idea of the state of mind of what
Evan Felker 13:48
while I get I think I lose track at some point in time at the same spot every time and it gets farther along. Every 10th time I listen to it. So. So I did say that anybody failed is probably a little bit presumptuous, because obviously, I haven't ever done anything like that, but that it's still draws you back. So it's a great record, right? I mean, and I'm still mildly obsessed with it.
Thomas Mooney 14:13
Yeah. One of the things that always draws me to you, your songs are the idioms that you guys use. I think like, you know, just the how they describe life. thoughts, like, as far as what you think you can sum up so much in an idiom that you don't have to tell the entire story. You can just do it with just this one line. So well, I guess like, how did you get into even
Evan Felker 14:49
conversational allegory, like, that's, I grew up around people that just talk like that, or or makeup. stupid shit, that doesn't. That isn't nearly as you know. Cool. As one does wonder from the songs, but just trying to make each other laugh or whatever it is, that's just kind of how you talk. Yeah, that's what conversations are fun. They're not just transferring information. Yeah,
RC Edwards 15:13
we sit around just discussing the origins of idioms or phrases are sure even single words mean Hamill said and be googling the origin of this word and why? why it's spelled this way or pronounced this way? We don't, it's not the most exciting pastime in the world, but it's one of my like,
Thomas Mooney 15:35
I think it's pretty fun. Well, okay. etymologists I guess. The first time I heard the like, cultural linguist. Everybody wants to be Hank Williams, they don't want to have to die. That was a friend of mine. Really sad that that was the first time I heard that I went straight to Google to see if that was something that had been said 100 times and obviously,
Evan Felker 16:04
yeah, Stevie. Stevie Morgan there. So those guys, I grew up in southeast Oklahoma and they go on these big trail rides like everybody's got, inexplicably still have wagons, you know, and so they're messing with this stuff, get it and it's a ton of work, getting all these animals ready and getting everything hooked up and takes five or six guys. Well, you know, you get everybody getting everything ready, when they start drinking beer, wake up late, whatever. And they haven't been one of those mornings, where Stevie Don's out there like harness and mules by himself is where are some of the sons of bitches, you
Thomas Mooney 16:34
know, everybody wants to be worth it sums up so many great thoughts. Like you know, my first thing I thought was, you know, it sums up like the the music scene. Like we're sure you know, a lot of people want to,
Evan Felker 16:54
yeah, it's one of the one greatness Yeah, nothing in some some manner to So yeah, I look at it in that way. in the, in the world that we live in. Yeah. And I see that. It's sort of parallel to what he was talking. He
Thomas Mooney 17:07
definitely applied to anything going on on mute. Sure. Sure. Yeah. Okay, so that song I think long drive home, I think that that song, he was one of the best you guys have written Sure. In into me, it goes into all these just different things about, about music about life, where, you know, it kind of starts off with about, I guess, family relationships, or like any kind of romantic relationships that aspect that in my opinion, it goes into even what you guys are as a band. Like the the relationship between you guys in the band, like, you know, that we were in it for, for actually the music and not for the the praise and the ensure, I guess, like, Can you talk a little bit about right and it's like, I hate that question.
Evan Felker 18:01
But I had a I was in Stillwater at the time. And I had this really cool musician girlfriend at the time. And this was way back when I started like on the first verse And anyway, she had this awesome apartment with like hardwood floors on it anyway since you travel and I was just playing like around Stillwater at the time and sort of sad sad about you know, getting getting left and we didn't we didn't travel much at that point in time. And anyway, I'd gone to Kansas to see are we broke up because I was being as bad as in shoes, you know, cool traveling lady on the road. And so I wrote it initially about her coming back from coming back from Lawrence from that they played with, they played with dogs and delta spirit. Sorry, I see those bands. It was just a weird turn of events. And I was coming back from coming back from Lawrence going to California and I wrote the first part of it, and then I kind of put her tucked it away and let it sit around. And then we I'd written I had four verses to it, maybe. And I didn't really love them. And so that threw it at Johnny when we kind of got to hang out. And he wrote the second verse of the song and and I thought well, that, you know, we had other verses to it that it seemed like it was going to be too long to play live. So I like this person. I like what it sounds sort of seemed like sort of the same. Throughout. You know, there's continuity in what in the material. We get that but yeah, Johnny is a great songwriter Johnny Bard. Yeah,
Thomas Mooney 19:47
I kind of, I guess a better way of phrasing it to me is like it with each verse it gets bigger. So like it starts out with a one on one and then it goes into more of like a group. You could say it's a band or a family or something, and then it goes more into addressing like the audience or like, giving people advice. Yeah. I should really do. Yeah. Start small.
RC Edwards 20:15
I love Johnny's verse. Because to me, it sums up a lot about him. Yeah, I mean, that's john. living and dying for a song. That's Oh, yeah, Johnny burn Absolutely. is the essence. And I really liked that. That was that he wrote.
Thomas Mooney 20:34
Well, okay, so once I mean, Shane Smith, we're talking about hashtag named drop? Well, yeah, we're talking about what would be the modern day version of the band. If the band was going around right now, who would be that band would be the band. I said, You know, I don't think that the band's really going around. There's not a real version of it. But what I would say, would be like if Turnpike and john fullbright. And Johnny Burke did like a show together? Yeah, it would be like the version of the band. Yeah.
Evan Felker 21:10
There's real organic relationships going on with all those those guys?
Thomas Mooney 21:15
How do you relate to them as different writers that like you kind of morph into a certain style with different people, or you kind of say the same depends on what's called for.
Evan Felker 21:26
If I'm just going to write a verse, and there was already something that's existing, then I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb. I want to more or less, keep the tone of what what the, the original writer had together and, and, you know, just make it look like it was written by one hand and one man, that's the best co writes in the world always look like they don't look like five individual dudes, I'll just sort of threw some stuff at something that's egotistical, and it's not a complete work to me. You know, it's so you do what you're either your job, whatever you Whatever it is, and
Thomas Mooney 22:05
you guys in Oklahoma have developed this culture. I think right now, as far as I mean, like a lot of these songwriters come from Oklahoma. In my opinion, done a better job of describing small time, small town life. Describing like, I get real shit in life, real world problems. Like Fulbright. millsaps Yeah. Parker's awesome. I guess I've listened to a couple of songs off that new record that he's had. And I don't know like, what is it about Oklahoma right now that is developing these, these rich songwriters.
RC Edwards 22:47
I think it's really appreciated right now in Oklahoma. songwriting is and striving to make the bank original music that's the thing that you don't find everywhere you go. And I don't know that you always can find it in Oklahoma. But right now, it seems like you really can. And there's a lot we were talking about Tulsa earlier. Today, Ed was just that amount of dude, just playing music every night in Tulsa. It's just mind blowing really fun, like really good musicians. And these weekend gigs all over tell
Evan Felker 23:19
us without pretense without anything. You're just walking in and seeing the angle that are great musicians play cool songs. Yeah, like
RC Edwards 23:25
man, no attitudes and egos just really cool people who care about making music and I think that kind of fosters the growth of Banton and songwriting in an absolutely it's out out of Scotland
Evan Felker 23:39
there. It was, like going on with one of those places like the colony and it's like, I have the worst attitude in the room. I'm probably gonna lighten up and we're gonna have some fun you know, like
RC Edwards 23:52
it's really neat when somebody like a you know, a musician's musician comes to Tulsa you'll go and watch him in the crowd we'll have all your friends will be there I went out shining rooms was in Tulsa the Saturday we were off I went over I was there total I was there. Bo Bob Benjamin just up everybody who could get there Jared Taylor and all those guys get up if they had a gig as soon as they were done everyone just kind of flocked there. Because it's just a great scene and community they have gone in Tulsa especially. We never really got into the normal one too much, or I didn't you you were probably around a little bit. I played some gigs, but I didn't never. I wasn't around. I didn't know everybody and they have their own one too. That's kind of more where Parker and then probably came from but the we're not as familiar with it, but I think it's kind of from what I can tell it's a similar situation. Well,
Thomas Mooney 24:49
I think like just you know, being from here from Lubbock, from Texas, I think we always do this thing where, you know, in, in Texas, we have these little things, you know, Austin down But then we just kind of like, for whatever reason, some of Oklahoma is just Oklahoma. Everyone knows. But it is. Well, there's more people in Dallas than it is the whole state. But But I think like, what you're kind of saying though, is like, there's these little scenes. And that's what honestly, what makes all these great songwriters, because they're a little Yeah, in a way they're in their, their own world. Absolutely. They're describing what and playing in what is I guess unique to them? You know? It's kind of like, like the Galapagos Galapagos Islands. Yeah. We're like, you know, these, everyone kind of develops their own. Go back into natural, sharp rocks. Well, you know, I was gonna say, I know, like, Okay, so, you know, how do you you've grown as a songwriter as far as knowing that you've gotten better. But how do you know when a song like, okay, like that long drive home? You had that first verse? And you had verses of it for a long time? But then you, you still you just put it away? Yeah, I don't know. Like, when when it brings up a lot,
Evan Felker 26:21
I'm terrible. I'm a terrible person to ask, because I'll keep stuff laying around for years. I have to, I have to actually quit doing that. Sometimes, just because I want to not, like brooding over material for so long that I don't have a lot of material when it comes record time or whatever. That's one, you know, one of many reasons. But so I have to quit doing that. I have to just look at it and get one finished in it's finished in loop forward, you know. But once it feels good play in it, and I think everything lands, right, and then I calm down. What about you like,
RC Edwards 27:01
it's pretty similar? I'm, I'm pretty bad about you know, like, now that I don't know what else it needs. It's not done yet. And then let it sit around. And you might revisit it later and come up with something, you might think it's done. And then yeah, you're, you'll be playing it. Now. It's just saying that's not good enough for we're our own worst critics by far and just think we're very picky about what we put out. And I think that's kind of another reason. Maybe not as
prolific as we could be.
Thomas Mooney 27:38
Are you mindful of how a song is going to be sang by him? Like, what? What word? You know, we're like, what words? He seems best?
RC Edwards 27:51
By the syllable. He's not gonna want to sing. But do you ever probably know, it's not nothing like that. It's just more Monte thinking songs, right? And then
kind of for the band, right? I mean, it's not something that we have to sing as much just for the band and like,
Evan Felker 28:19
something that would be cool every night, or part of the time or says something or,
RC Edwards 28:23
because I definitely have songs that I like, and they quirky, weird little songs or something, but like, it's not even take to the band. Like, that's not what we do. That's too weird.
Thomas Mooney 28:34
Yeah, stuff like that. You guys also one of the one of the, in my opinion, one of the big things, what makes you guys great is anytime you go to show, you know, you guys are only doing maybe like one or two covers all original stuff. And I know like that's because you guys have developed a lot of music, like you have three albums, four albums worth of songs now. But you know, was that was that always just kind of like a priority? Like we're gonna play originals?
Evan Felker 29:01
Yeah, despite we've been fighting, you know, fighting to get to a point where we could play and this has been years ago, we've been we've been sitting pretty on that stuff. We got that. Got that fight one pretty early on. Yeah, that was that was the idea. You know, we played sort of beer joints and dance halls and in pretty crappy bars in Oklahoma. That was and it was really fun people, you know, to staff and all that we had and we learned how to sort of keep people to stepping and keep them from being unhappy. And then also we kind of slip into some of our own music, you know, and sometimes we'd set it to be that would be the songwriter songs to this beat that makes people that they're able to to step to or make some move around.
RC Edwards 29:50
First of all is definitely felt like you know, we're sneaking one by one we play Coronavirus, and they all danced and had a good time to do something then you realize we wrote them
Thomas Mooney 30:01
Well now I think like it's it's kind of turned the other way where you guys done like, Doreen, we're like long hot summer day. It's kind of like people think those are your songs now. Yeah, that's kind of fine. You know, which obviously the cut you guys made covers y'all y'all zone. Yeah.
Evan Felker 30:21
I talked to I got I feel pretty good about those two sounds like I've talked to Byron Berlin is a fiddle player he played for the Flying Burrito Brothers like, on let it bleed. Yeah, he played on country Hall and collect the, the version of Honky Tonk woman that recorded outside.
RC Edwards 30:40
Yeah, he was saying that in the street. Yeah. Well, Phil Kaufman drives by and honking the horn, back and forth during the tape. That's that honking.
Evan Felker 30:48
So, anyway, he was also buddies with a lot of people in the bluegrass state. And he actually new Hartford, john Hartford, and he came in, he comes in plays with us, he played on our last record, happens to be a really good friend of the band, mentor, and in a big way, and he said that he's now in Hartford would have loved you guys. He said, He loves you doing that song and all that. So that's pretty cool. And I mean, makes you feel good. And don't make it feel like you're not doing it. Well. Now. Yeah. For the legacy.
Thomas Mooney 31:20
Yeah. This, uh, this new record, obviously, you guys recorded it out in California. You guys had a good? How long did you guys record? How long did you work like a month? Or something like that? Where we, I mean, like, that's a big difference from the the first albums, as far as
Evan Felker 31:38
Oh, it was torture. But getting those first albums done. A lot of people don't know that. But you know, the first record, I guess we just finished working day jobs and or I had, and I was, I mean, scraping by playing for five, six nights a week. And then just getting in the studio anytime we could. And it took takes for every man in studio get booked up, or Yeah, days there. So yeah, I mean, that record probably took a year to record and so did normal street maybe took longer. It's not forever
RC Edwards 32:15
on that. It's that's why we kept having trouble getting studio time. And then just because our schedule
Evan Felker 32:22
was so erratic, we were playing that time, right. And so it was just, it was messy. We were playing Five, four or five band gigs a week at that point in time and just getting home going to bed, have one day in the studio and then hit the road again and drive to Lubbock or to whatever eight hour away city usually about eight or nine hours the first day
RC Edwards 32:42
corpus or Lubbock, wherever, you know, very little continuity, because you're starting from scratch every time Yeah, studio setting up everything again.
Evan Felker 32:51
Yeah, it just it. It's a nightmare. I don't like recording that way. And that sounds like I'm blaming someone else. That's just the way we had to do it. Then one time is not max or less fault. We just, you know, we had money when we had money and we had time when we had time. And we some used it most of the time correctly. Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 33:11
Yeah. Well, you know, this this last record, though, you know, I guess? Did it feel for you guys more organic experience? versus cool actually just didn't feel like making a record. Versus you know, recording songs. Completely. It was awesome. You know, it was just crazy. Well describe the day like what how did you How was it so different liquids.
RC Edwards 33:37
chicken farm in Northern California that's been converted into a really cool studio. I'll have old farmhouse there will stay in the house. Get up every day, like, easily, we had some kind of schedule where what part we're going to work on first day. And we knew that when we you know, got up in the morning. So you go do that. If that was if that was your part to play, you'd hang out at the house and work on other stuff. If I really liked not being like stuck in the studio or in the movies. Yeah, you walk around the farm, you can
Evan Felker 34:09
go to the half best weather in the like in the country at that point in time. Just beautiful view. jacket weather not perfect weather during the day.
RC Edwards 34:19
ate our meals together. And there's pretty much we lived together that record that's,
Evan Felker 34:24
that's the first time his fans ever lived together. Like we've all been even in the same city for that, for that matter. And so it was it was something else man, you know, just cooked and ate and worked. Time was never
RC Edwards 34:37
a factor. You know, just you got to try. Try different arrangements, try different, like even just the whole approaches to songs until we found found because then won the way that we wanted it.
Evan Felker 34:51
Yeah, I gotta say. It's a very sad recording in cotati, California. And it's sort of man it's a really reasonable Like a mid, mid upper level studio, and great engineer guy, man, he was Matt rot was our engineer and he's exceptional and then run and, you know, we kind of went in with the idea of sort of no producer and, and you know, to say, you know, we'll just do it ourselves or whatever. And Brian kind of took over the helm and and and produced the thing really i mean when at the end of the day and and so I thought it came out really cool and really cool gear like Pete Townsend's old Neve consoles, they're like we recorded on the Tom like, there's the room that Tom White's did, Captain
RC Edwards 35:45
because females Yeah, that was that was I liked it too much. I use it for the whole thing.
Thomas Mooney 36:00
Okay, on the new record, you know, like "Bossier City" and "Easton & Main," back in, I guess like, how did you guys come to decide that those would be See,
Evan Felker 36:08
I got flack about this from some people like fans and stuff. Because they in their mind, if it came across as lazy or Indian, they're mad because we had no record. And man, we you can't get in the studio if you're torn. Like we talked for the first year and a half or two years after normal street because we went from getting that record out and being in a van. And we were still touring a ton then to like starting to tour the whole us live from, you know, sort of four or five state areas to the entire US and other countries. And there's no, yeah, there's not that much time to write. There's not that much time. And then you figure in that we do have actual families and lives and you know, some of us have wives and kids, you know, so anyway, that aside, that was a rant. We played those songs live in Bowser city was as much as I love that was our scene are the only people in in the band that were even on that record. And we've had a steady lineup now for like five years. So it seemed like you know, we should because we play them live every night.
RC Edwards 37:25
Yeah. And we wanted to do staples of the live show all along. We that record is is not the best quality in the world and garage man. And I love it. It's charming. And yeah, and we were out of work. He was out of print for quite a while too. There might be something coming now. But yeah. So it's out of print people we play those songs every night people ask, Where can I buy lambos your city or Easton the main? It just felt like a pretty logical is willing
Evan Felker 37:54
to do and in the big scheme of things too. I mean, you look at a lot of new people checking out your stuff. Yeah, you don't want you want good representations of that. So like the dark man's sort of that we're lucky enough to have that you know, either they like the original version, because that's what you like, but it's gonna be hard to get harder to listen to for, you know, this entire country that
RC Edwards 38:23
very first record that Boise city was recorded in, like a home studio in the back of this like, oh folks dancehall which was kind of a guy live it was living in a tea. Yeah. Last bedroom, whether then that's for what $500 or something like that just a day or two. That's worth coming out full. Brad had buddied up with those people. Yeah, and that was and that's how we ended up there. And the guy had some awesome loving ties.
Evan Felker 38:53
Yeah. Larry. Larry welborn was kind of helped co produce that record play
RC Edwards 38:59
with play with Waylon and Buddy Holly and the crickets. Like we went to the museum have pictures in there. Yeah, well, yeah.
Evan Felker 39:06
Yeah. I got one of his guitars actually ended up with his brother having music store their need upon it. At some point in time, we're not finding himself. And actually, while stiff RC for a while I have it back now. It's an old SJ looks like a 78.
Thomas Mooney 39:24
My thoughts on you know, easily mean I'm Bowser city being added on where that old old fans and go, Oh, well, we already have this recording and just obviously just love the old version. But at the same time, you know, you this new record was going to be presented to a lot of new people who had never heard of that. That was the idea. And you know, I think that me listening through, whenever I guess Bowser said begins on first or does it? I don't know which one comes on. First. We've listened to the album, but burners No, no. But I mean, you go, Oh, well, he kind of hits you like as far as like, well, this is an old song, not a new song. But, you know, in 10 years,
Evan Felker 40:11
you're not ever gonna think about that. I think that that's probably like the long, long, long game of it. I think it was the right move images. Well, there's
RC Edwards 40:20
like, kind of touched on earlier. Like, I like it. He said, he came to one of our shows dependencies before, your favorite song that you heard was both receding recent and main oil. So you before you buy the whole album, you're just gonna download one song. But what if all you could look up was the old original crappy recording? You're gonna think our whole album is that quality? Sure. And then maybe, maybe not listen to the rest of it. Now you'll, you know, you'll have a
Evan Felker 40:48
modern version if that record was barely mixed, never mastered nothing. I mean, it was, it was us goofing around more or less than. And so it's like, let's get 10 songs together that we can, you know, sell it. Yeah, it shows. So we'll have something that people remembers by a little bit.
Thomas Mooney 41:05
Yeah. How do you relate to the old songs now? That like some of them are? Good, like all of them still? You know? I like them. Yeah. Do you look at things differently on anything specifically? Like any song or any? Not necessarily that you wouldn't think that or you wouldn't write that now but like, you go, oh. Now I think this about a certain amount and I don't know Yeah.
Evan Felker 41:33
Like that Three Rivers song I think about it like that was my like socio political want to be john prine? You know, and it sounds it sounds a ton, like, like paradise. And you know, and that was just learn how to wrap those kinds of songs at that point in time. I like it. It's it's a confused young man who doesn't really know who would be mad at the world's changing around a little bit. I wouldn't write it now. Anyway. That's a, what we're talking about earlier about that. Oh, advanced theory. Yeah, there's this little part in there about REM, but how reason REM relates to like everyone between the ages like 15 and 20 is because they're their songs aren't really about anything, but any 15 year old will think, oh, that's about what I like. It just gonna morph into anything. But you know what, you're gonna rock and roll. And while you're just mad, you don't even know why it isn't just mad.
RC Edwards 42:45
I like to just appreciate what they are, what we were and like, not really dwell on like, what we should have done differently. I think they're cool. They are. That was us back then. I sloppy is ill just trying to figure out how to do anything. And and we did some stuff, making a lot of shots in
Thomas Mooney 43:05
the dark. And I think that's commendable. You know, just roll the dice. And you know, what happens happens? Yeah. What's, uh, I've been asking everyone this question here. Like, what's that album that, like, your parents took away? Because you shouldn't be listening to Oh, God, whatever. The one I think that like, that. I remember.
Evan Felker 43:32
Either I had it, or my parents had it or something was that was that record that Django? Like, I had pretty explicit stuff in it not like I was, like, 11 or 12, or something like that. And it's like that when people cursed in songs, you know, like, like, any little game, right? And anyway, that's why that, should we should we Listen, kid sit and listen to stuff like that. So it should have been taken away? Probably. But yeah,
RC Edwards 44:00
man. I don't think men are ever being in a sensory shift too much. But I do remember. For some reason, when I was a kid Guns and Roses is on TV. And if they were like an award show, or what, and just the way they looked and acted like, Mom for you, hey, you're not listening to the Guns and Roses. The headline is, whatever your parents say. They'll listen to you. And most of the times I think they knew better than doing that. They just let you like they might laugh at it or make fun of you for it. Like No, that's not
Evan Felker 44:37
anybody's talking about their. Yeah, but my folks Yeah, like, it wasn't really. I got to listen to pretty much anything I wanted to within reason. You know, I remember listening to a lot of a lot of country, but a lot of George Strait, which was I mean, all that stuff was still, he's still just, you know, kicking out number one hits all the time and him Garth and all the people in that era of the 90s that were just on the radio. That's what we listen to the radio and we watch the h1 or whatever, in your culture. Yeah. But that's what you, that's all you got. And then you got old records. And that's kind of, you know, for a while you lack them when you're a kid and then it's fine for all the animals and dogs for old people and and, yeah, that's, I remember. I don't know, the world got pretty broad once you know, started introducing Steve Earle and all that stuff. This is cool. You know that sitting just some guy, heartland rock, and you know, it's
RC Edwards 45:44
really good. Yeah, I can remember. Like, when I made Garth or new George Strait record came out like man was like, bad that they have to learn, like, come on with tape and like the whole family would sit around. Listen to the new to the new guard. We talked about that. Straight down. Yes. It was like, you know, family, we were all excited to hear it. And like, you know, you heard maybe the same goes and stuff like that on the radio. That's I don't know that people do that enough anymore. That's Well, you don't people just buy singles? Oh, yeah. Were they downloaded to their phone and listen to it?
Thomas Mooney 46:18
Yeah, that is there's a little bit of loss and loss in translation when it's, we don't have to go out and buy it at a store. Yeah, you're not getting an actual physical copy of whatever it is, you know. I think like Garth Brooks is severely underrated. Like absolutely like a ton
Evan Felker 46:40
of those songs. Whether he which he wrote or at least co wrote most of young post and all that is a killer song. One of the coolest songs like one of my favorite of all time and there were all those cool like concrete areas back then that was country music was still that even. And those things are like number one hits I don't know about much too young but some of them later on. We're definitely that. Yeah. It's interesting
Thomas Mooney 47:08
to me, nice country, other than like, I guess George Garth and Alan Jackson. There's just like pockets of people. Like Tracy Byrd's gonna play Charlie bees in a couple of hours, something like that. But they only had you know, they really only had the the limelight or the spotlight for a four year period or something like that. I don't know.
Evan Felker 47:36
I don't know who wrote Time marches on. That's a cool, yeah, cool. That song. I remember I got that CD. Like I wanted it. The first concert I ever went to was was Tracy Lawrence and foreman, Arkansas. It's right down and like, just across the border from McCracken county where I grew up. So we went out there and it was the first real concert I ever got to go to hell. Oh, probably. 14 maybe. Yeah. 13. Something like that. Yeah, hanging out with older kids sneaking wine coolers and shit. Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 48:14
I think the first movie was to the first concert I went to, I was like eight, but it was the Mavericks and maybe Jason carpenter and pretty cool concert man. To me, like, okay, it's still hope I still think of that is like a memory you know? So it obviously had an impact you know? But like, what was a Did you have any? Anybody record those from the 90s that just was the
RC Edwards 48:47
first concert is the California raisins. Create you did not create California did not create the California raisins. Little kid behind the Hardys. But the first like as far as like really watching a live band and my dad had some friends who were really cool like there weren't even local they like to regional country bands and and they would played some shows and like some parties and stuff that I got to go to was pretty little and I thought it was the coolest thing ever just seeing a live band and hear hearing everything. like seeing people play the drums and guitars and stuff like that live and people dance and have fun too. That definitely had a big influence on me. Getting to meet them all. So they're just my dad's like, friends, but that's what they did. They played in the band like that. That that's probably one of my favorite, like real context other than the raisins. Yeah. Well, I think that would
Thomas Mooney 49:52
probably have a big impact on on how you thought about music as far as to being around because Negro One of my parents didn't play music I didn't. So for the longest time, I just thought of if you're a musician, either failed or you were George Strait. Yeah, there is no middle ground. But yeah, definitely like once you know that there's,
Evan Felker 50:13
you're like a burnout. You're like a loser or you're the richest person in your top tier. And there's nothing in between man.
Thomas Mooney 50:21
But obviously, there's there's all these different levels. Yeah. musician, like when you have a moment where you realize that, that like, being a musician, being a songwriter was a real thing that you could do.
Evan Felker 50:37
Oh, yeah. I mean, it was when I saw guys like Jason Bourne, and what level and radical even sort of what? And from the time, I discovered their music for myself, or had shown to me to over those next four or five years, those fans grew, you know, in a really cool, sustainable way and just kept on getting bigger. I realized that, yeah, there. I mean, there is this other way to work toward that. But yeah, that was, I didn't know that that was possible that up until this day, watermain. They're still playing stuff like, you know, St. Davids and Andrews, Oklahoma, like bowling would be at that. And then he wouldn't have have a lot of Billy Bob's record or that, you know, all this stuff was coming out. And I don't know, they were on TV, or their names were on TV or being mentioned. And so it was just all around the map. And makes you realize, yeah, you know, it's not about just make it big, make it big, and that kind of shows
RC Edwards 51:43
that there is definitely an attainable middle ground that you can sustain yourself and have a good life and a good living. And never be on MTV. Top. 40 you grew up watching VHS one and you think oh, either you make it or you don't. Even the people who made it briefly they're still broke. Yeah, well, that's it doesn't have to be like that, but plenty room in the middle tongues. We're gonna make a pop up video for you guys. Oh, God, we have to have some video. We've been playing Behind the Music for years. And we've been thinking about the dude behind Behind the Music Where are we? What's the Mystery Science Theater style? So yeah, like we just talk over the rise and fall I was picturing like, just when you thought there behind the music episode was from commercial. just literally about the episode with a dramatic narrator I can't remember who it was.
Thomas Mooney 52:58
It was a Oh, I know. I always heard that like they were gonna do Behind the Music for Kansas the band and they worked on interviews and everything like that and I guess like halfway through all these interviews they just had to ditch it because they're like this band is just a little D boring there's no there's nothing behind it. regular people but Kansas at surface level can just like gave you saying the Behind the Music fifth name. Yeah, not that exciting and the band name is what uh what were they what what throwaway names Did you guys have what names were turned by two boys? Did you guys get RCN more bands? Yeah, me awesome. possum man was
Evan Felker 54:00
this is really the only band I've ever Yeah, and you know, yeah, but were there any Oh, yeah. Like any other. Like whiskey trio present. Yeah, like the first thing you come up with? I can't remember. Well, let's see if we can get a sponsorship out of our name.
RC Edwards 54:15
Waiting on the tank back. Never Never did their own road, Nathan toes.
Thomas Mooney 54:24
But, uh, yeah, um, I guess like, this would be a good time to not wrap up. But yeah. You know, I'll go ahead and give you the floor on this. I want to just put this as an open question. You know, you came under a lot of criticism. Oh, yeah. Meaning or the year? Yeah. Yeah, man, I
Evan Felker 54:47
literally get started. I drank too much beer. I got a situation where I was at home a lot and, you know, kind of off in the middle of nowhere and out. I grew up around, a lot of people drink beer all day, do stuff, whatever. And I started drinking too early, and just got away with it for too long and it's drank everyday for too long. And suddenly, you get to eventually get to a point where like, booze starts to affect you really weirdly, like, especially once, you know, once you drink that, that will throw your Bindra went on kind of started catching up with me. And so I had to have done some things back. And yeah, it's really, really embarrassing. And really enlightening to the, you know, having had that happen, especially at those two particular shows, hadn't been, you know, some, some show in Kansas or some show, wherever, where it wasn't quite such a fanfare, it probably wouldn't have gotten as much heat, but I'm glad that it did. Because, you know, it's eye opening and in your head can get so far up your ass so quickly when you're drunk that you don't really realize how effectual you're being and, and, you know, get sorted to thinking that doesn't matter. It's a bar show, whatever this or that. Well, it does matter. And, and yeah, it's like, Sam, I'm glad for it and doing doing good. You know, we've been playing Halo after that. I think we played some of the first sober shows that we've ever played.
RC Edwards 56:24
Now he took a took out the heat for it, but that mean, it wasn't just him. We were sloppy. And then for the same reason, we just get on a bus. And they're heroes all the time. Right. And yeah, you think you can handle it? And you actually can, you know, it's, it's a good wake up call. And then we all kind of dried out and got our act together. The and it's reflected through the shows.
Evan Felker 56:52
Oh, absolutely. And musics really fun. And it's not really just about, you know, yeah, getting interest. And it was, but it's Yes, it's just funny to me that it just progressed very slowly, you know. And as we started out, in the bars, drinking on raising Hill, there's whole this whole idea of like, kind of rock and roll to that sort of romanticize. Right? And it's just kind of stupid.
Thomas Mooney 57:25
Yeah. Well, it's one of the things I thought about, whenever, you know, I wasn't eating sugar or anything like that. So I wasn't gonna comment on like, what was happening on stage, but one of the things I thought I was, you know, we, as far as like Texas, Oklahoma, what you would consider Texas rendered stuff. The, the culture has revolved around so much about drinking and partying and fans have, you know, they've rewarded bands who sing about drinking, so it becomes a entire culture based off of the party atmosphere and a whole lot of ways. And I'm not saying that's like an out or anything like that, but it's
Evan Felker 58:12
you gotta have, you gotta take responsibility for yourself, you know, but at the end of the day, it's easy to, it becomes very strange when like, somebody like, beer drinkers show whiskey, you know, or whatever, it doesn't matter. You know, they're honestly like, a little bit mad or sort of embarrassed and you don't drink with them.
Thomas Mooney 58:29
And yeah, I'm not making excuses. Excuses, is understandable. In my way, in my way, I think it was, you know, we don't know how many people go to a show and going no, tonight, I'm gonna buy RC Edwards and Evan bokor A Chateau whiskey. We had a drink with him or whatever, you know, whatever the case is, you know, there's, there's, you know, you guys have a show. There's 30 of those guys out there, whatever. And, you know, it's not their fault or anything like that. But it is I can see how easy it would be to slip into. And we've created that
RC Edwards 59:06
culture to it's Yeah, hell yeah. I mean, it's far from an excuse. I mean, it's just it is what it is. bought into it or whatever. Yeah, fostered it. We've created that and it's easy for it to get out of hand. What is focused on what you're really there for? What
Evan Felker 59:27
are you kind of, you know, I want to be wild and I want to be this and I wanted to do that, you know, what about if I wanted to be straight and go back to paper mill, you know, or whatever. And it's not, it's just, it's an obtuse way to look at a pretty simple situation. Yeah, in a bar. Make sure it's your job, but your job is to, to play songs that you love and to do a good representation of them. You know, create an environment people enjoy themselves.
RC Edwards 1:00:03
Yeah, we got to take them away from that and that's the moment for me is that we lose them focus on doing doing what you love. Yeah. And you realize it could it can all get taken away dude. Yeah, absolutely. We're lucky to get to do this and don't want to be the sob screws. Yeah, yeah. Well, we're coming out in about an hour now you want to play a song core? Yeah man.
Thomas Mooney 1:00:37
Just a little note here on the song that Evan ends up playing here. It's a brand new song that Evan RC and Johnny Burke wrote Evan said that they they spent about a week together just at Evans house just doing some like farming country work kind of stuff. was just a little bit of songwriting mixed in. This was back in January. The song is called Mockingbird. And Evan said uh, you know is the first time that he that he's played it for anybody outside of the band or or Johnny and ended up having to like write down the lyrics and a little notebook that I had just to get it all right. I think he played it like three or four times getting further along in the song each time. It's honestly kind of a cool little interesting thing to see the process that up close. You know, like, Who knows if, if this version of the song goes on, we ends up on a Turnpike or Johnny Burke record, but at least for a moment, this is the the version of the song. Again, it's called Mockingbird and it's brand new Here it is.
Evan Felker 1:01:48
Like a mockingbird I sing my song still louder I played all wrong in the doc style. And they made the mess now he knows when I can get alone alone all right. And I know I'm going to catch you in the corner of my hand. I know you're going to know when I get that old time feeling they still am passing by. I got that old town feel. city lights and pretty close silver linings wrapped up bozar leaves and fall and winter snow still where you do move stops because you are the most famous girl Arnhem Land sale old mean mess in stat trouble all the way up to my neck and I can keep it fresh catch me half past two just about that time and I know I'm going to catch you and corner my I know you're going to darkness when I got there all time feeling Bay it's doing fast. We've got that whole time for spin again, laymen like violin nacala when my chairs playing me just keep it in major key. Now you awaken and I get some rest. And I know I'm going to catch you in the corner of my eye I know you're going door to door. Well get that old time feeling babies and steering fascinated by I got that old time feeling
Transcribed by https://otter.ai