012: Paul Cauthen
On Episode 12, I'm joined by singer-songwriter Paul Cauthen. On this one, we talk about the highs and lows of Sons of Fathers, laying low for the past year, songwriting, and readying his new album, due out this summer, My Gospel.
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 everyone, welcome to Episode 12, the new slang podcast. I'm Thomas Mooney, the editor of New Slang. And this week's podcast episode, we get back to normal interviews. So we have Paul Cauthen. On this week, he's a Texas singer songwriter who A lot of you guys probably know who Paul is. But a lot of you probably don't just because you're not familiar with the name, Paul Cauthen. He's the former co frontman of this incredible band that was making huge strides these last few years called sons of fathers. So in this interview, we talk about sons of fathers, the the highs and lows of that band. We're talking about a lot of songwriting. And we're Paul is now as a songwriter, where he's pushing what directions and he has this new record that he has been recording. And it's going to be coming out in the late summer. And it's just a it's it's very interesting to see where Paul has gone from that very last sons of fathers album two. Now, you can see that obviously, there's hints of the same stuff in there. But it's it's very interesting to see where he's been driven and where he's pushed his talent into, or towards what sounds and, you know, he recorded some of that record in Muscle Shoals, and he recorded some in California and Dallas and not in Dallas. I don't think Dallas in Austin, you'll hear it all in the interview, I promise. But before we get into the interview, there's a few things I should probably go over. One. Dalton Domino, he has this new day festival called dust bowl. And it's gonna be I guess it's going to be at the blue light on October 12. That's obviously in the fall, you have a little time. He's not announced any kind of lineup yet. The only one I can really confirm for you is that Yeah, you guessed it, Dalton Domino will be playing that music festival. He's shown me some of the confirmations, the names are going to blow your mind in that pre verbal pre verbal way. Obviously, we can't, he can't really announce anything just yet until he gets everything confirmed down the line. But one thing that we are doing is that now he called me the other day saying that there's, I guess, three opening spots for this music festival. And that we're just kind of bouncing ideas off of how we can fill those three spots. So we decided that he would take injuries, like just any band who wanted to play could submit by email, some songs, and just that vital information about the band, you know, their Facebook, their Twitter, email, phone number, all that kind of good stuff. And that we would take those bands, see who's all I guess, like take the top 16 of those that we felt we could play and then we would put them in a a some kind of little tournament, a bracket a sweet 16 and have fans vote on. And so that's what we're going to do on new slang. So if you're in a band, we'll be taking submissions to till until June 30 you can email all of your songs and information to Dustbowl lbk@gmail.com. Again, that's dusko lbk@gmail.com. You have until June 30. So you have you know, just a few weeks until the deadline for more information you know, just look up Dalton dominos Facebook or Twitter or look on new slang. All the information will be there. And yeah, so that's going to be coming up. Like I said in October. Before we get on to this conversation with Paul you know this this episode of the new slang podcast is brought to you by the blue light. Which you know they're essentially the best place to play in hear music in town this Wednesday, which is going to be tonight if you're listening to right when it comes out. It's gonna be roadie Morrow and friends roadies, the lead singer of the hog Mollies which is if you look at these last 15 years or so, roadies, just up there with that though that pioneering class of of Texas singer songwriter here in Lubbock Thursday is going to Ben Nichols and Oliver Peck, Ben Nichols, you're probably familiar with his work in the sorrow as the lead singer. He'll be playing here on Thursday. Those tickets right there will probably be going pretty fast. So
you do have a chance to buy presale tickets, which you can go and find those tickets at the blue light. live.com scroll on the side and find the little buy tickets under neath Ben Nichols name. From there, obviously, you know, you just click links and you're done. Friday is going to be midnight river choir. And Saturday is gonna be Wade parks. He's another loving another love of Pioneer pioneering voice. First time I heard Wade, I believe was reading Chris oglesby's Lubbock music book. And, you know, he, I guess he kind of came up at around the same time here in Lubbock as Pat green. Obviously, he didn't make it as big. Wade stayed here in Lubbock and became a Spanish teacher, Spanish high school teacher, but his songwriting is phenomenal. If you get a chance, go and see him. If you're, you know, living across the state, go find Wade's record, it's called tillers. And then Sunday is going to be Courtney Patton. And Caitlin butts. On Sundays at blue light, it's free. It's going to be on the patio. It's going to be real nice outside, fair weather, good music,
Unknown Speaker 6:32
cheap beer,
Thomas Mooney 6:33
all that kind of good stuff. So anyways, yeah, we'll go out. Go ahead and get on to this interview with Paul coffin.
Unknown Speaker 6:41
Thanks. All right.
Thomas Mooney 6:53
Yeah, I really don't do intros or anything. So. Yeah, well, yeah, this new record coming out. You say in a late, late, late summer.
Paul Cauthen 7:04
Yeah, we're thinking, hopefully, for October. So September, October is what we're shooting for. Just got a new team together. been, you know, ever since son's a father's it's been a two and a half year build, you know, new management, new booking, new PR, new record label. It's just a whole different ball of wax now, so it was good to be put right back on, on your ass, you know, in order to write some more tunes and get hungry again. So it was all good. But I'm telling you, there were some moments there were of pulling my hair out.
Thomas Mooney 7:45
Yeah, I had man that's I was gonna ask is like, if you because it felt like he just came out of nowhere, you know, and I'm assuming, you know, even if you guys had planned it out as far as like, Hey, we're going to break up after this. I must, I'm assuming even if everything had gone to plan, it would have still been very difficult to not necessarily rebrand yourself, but like, as a solo artist, but as yourself.
Paul Cauthen 8:13
Yeah, to find yourself, you know, the way that I've made a living in the music business with singing with another guy. And, you know, we did our we wrote great songs we sang sang the hell out of them. But now, I'm 30 years old. And it's first time that it's, it's my voice. And, you know, here it is, let's put it out on the line. You know what I mean? So it's been a, it's a lot different, you know, there for a while it was different at first show. I mean, my first show back was that Luke and Bob, and went back up there and had a band around me, it was just me. And, man, it was just different, you know, button. I love it, you know, and I can really, actually focus in on my voice, you know?
Thomas Mooney 8:54
Yeah. Did you all these new songs, or do any of them have traces from sons of father's days? Or did you just kind of like, start started from scratch?
Paul Cauthen 9:05
There's one that's going to be put on it, called my friends. That's actually a co write with Hayes, Carl. And Dave, and I started that song. And I showed it to Hayes and Dave and I never finished it after the band had broken up. And I showed it to Hayes and Hayes is like, Fuck, man, let's put this on there, you know? And I was like, Alright, well, let's finish writing it. So me and Hayes got together and finished the song but David still gets to co write on as we wrote, we wrote the whole melody and everything to the beginning that kind of caught the ear of Hey, so yeah, that's the only thing that's kind of touching base with sons of fathers. I sing some songs live still, for sure. You know, the ones that were saying I love to sing roots and vine and I love to sing, tumbleweed and sing big diamond waltz every once in a while, and I'll sing wind turbine Yeah, but uh, you know, there's some songs that just are left for sons of fathers, you know what I mean? So,
Thomas Mooney 10:07
yeah, the this new record, you know, you send it over to me and like, I text you back. I said, you know, it's kind of like this mix of like some Roy Orbison and send Marty Robbins and some, like,
Paul Cauthen 10:21
that was my favorite text back out of anybody because we, you know, we're trying to I've really loved Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley, and I grew up just loving it, you know, and that's how it kind of learned how to sing. You know, it was really big, boisterous vibrato kind of thing, you know, and I finally, I've kind of harnessed a little bit of that, and I'm thankful for it. Because, you know, being raised in the Church of Christ, you don't have any microphones or anything, you're just kind of singing real loud. And I believe that those you know, it's crazy Orbison saying real quiet, but just had a huge voice. Yeah, you know, they might as micro hot. I mean, he's saying quiet, and his band was quiet, but Elvis opposite. So it's kind of cool to take from both, you know, try to know that your, you know, your low key moments in music or your real dynamic moments, think about Orbison. And then when you're trying to bring it, think about Elvis, you know, yeah, so it's kind of like that in the studio. The guys were telling me man get more than that Elvis owner, kind of do a little thing here, you know, so I was thinking about it, you know?
Thomas Mooney 11:24
Yeah. When even we were sitting out there, and you I don't know what song it was, but Brandon was like, man, it has some, even some, like throwback, like Conway vibes, you know? Yeah. And there are moments on this new record that feel very much like you. You could be like in a Conway suit. Just like with a microphone, you know, not like long as
Paul Cauthen 11:45
Dolly Parton is next to me. Just fine, but, dude, it's crazy man. Thinking about Conway Twitty. He was a big influence in my life. Because when, when he passed away, I was going to my family reunion in Augusta, Georgia. And my dad threw that tape on he bought the best to Conway 20s boom, boom, boom. You know, hello darlin gets banned a long time. You know that thing? If I fell in love with that? Not nicely, but so. So commercial for the time, you know what I mean? Like he was equivalent to a Tim McGraw. Like, but a little bit cooler. Yeah, to me, you know what I mean, but it was that mainstream. He had more hits than anybody in Nashville.
Thomas Mooney 12:35
Yeah. That's just cool. Yeah. And obviously vacate with the ladies. Oh, yeah, man.
Paul Cauthen 12:41
I don't know. Like, you know, Dolly said she never hooked up with it. And they wanted the public to think that they were. Yeah, but that was the whole it was the whole the whole thing whole thing. Do I was back in the day, man. Yeah, like Porter Wagner and what was Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton. Just wild dude.
Thomas Mooney 12:59
I feel like the What's up man? Hey, all the keyboards and yeah.
Unknown Speaker 13:10
It's good to see you, brother.
Paul Cauthen 13:12
Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Kramer. Thank you. I'm back and back on task is what my old seventh grade history teacher would say. Back on task kids.
Thomas Mooney 13:24
Yeah, the I guess what I'm saying is uh i want more of those. Those those a collab records like that the the duets, there's not really any like power couple of duet
Paul Cauthen 13:39
No, in country anymore. No, it's like, it's like frickin Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, you know? And it's like, no, yeah, it's not the duo. I think that. Man, there needs to be. I mean, the coolest thing that I've heard that's kind of touching base with that is the Nikki lane and Jonathan Tyler song to love is to fly. And that's just an Americana. Great, great song, man. Yeah. And they touched base with some of that.
Thomas Mooney 14:10
There's that and like the Chris Stapleton and Morgan Stapleton. Yeah, that's a beautiful thing, too. That's going on. Yeah, but I just want like a full on. Like, let's, we're gonna do a record. Now and then like, in three years, we're gonna do another
Paul Cauthen 14:24
just any ladies out there. I would do that. If anybody wants to sing, you know and write a record and you want to sing your ass off because I'll try to sing my ass off and we could we could do something like Dolly Parton. Conway Twitty?
Thomas Mooney 14:42
Yeah. You got this new record like in what like three places
Paul Cauthen 14:46
three places man. Started in Dallas, Texas with Bo Bedford. Those guys over modern electric. Jeff signs studio. He's a California cat that came down just Really great gentleman. And he got us. We got set up there. And I brought about 35 demos 35 voice memos of different songs. And we cut them down to about 15. And we went, recorded four tracks there in Dallas that we went out to the knee was like, Man, this next section of your, of the music that we're about to record and your album is so gospel driven. Like it's got this gospel background, the first bit was like saddles, still driving our burners once you're gone, the the ones that are really kind of truck and we're like, okay, we're gonna get these sons of bitches out of the way because they're hard, you know? Yeah, the burners, the tempo songs are the ones that, you know, you can really vibe on a slow song, you know what I mean? So you can have a minute to think, you know, I mean, it's just like, you got to be faster when it's going faster. You got to think on your toes quicker, you know, no matter what, when it's quick. Well, we got those out of the way. And we're like, okay, now this is the guts of the album and manbo we went back to there in Dallas and we children the studio, we're like, Alright, we know it's going to be be there soon. My gospel. Let it burn in the songs. And he's like, we got to do it in Muscle Shoals. I've got an end with fame studios and Rick Hall and that whole crew over there. And I was just like a kid in the candy store, man. When he told me that I was like, What? We're going to record Muscle Shoals. Yeah, I just watched the documentary. And I was such a nerd at that moment about it. And when he told me that I was just like, Holy Moly call and everybody that I knew and telling him that I am about to record in Muscle Shoals at fame studios.
Yeah. So
we went up there. And we started the whole process with the full band with the song as young as you'll ever be, because it was such a spiritual, such a song that me and my, my late buddy, who was the sound engineer in front of house for Cheatham street warehouse, and say I'm Marcus. We named Victor Hulk wrote it with him. And we wanted to start the whole process at fame studios with that, and just to get our minds, right, and so we we started with that one and was the only track on the whole album. That was a one take thing. And I believe Victor was there in His hands were there in that moment. And it was an overwhelming moment, very humbling spiritual experience and music and to think about that, you know, the river that sings and all that stuff. They talked about Muscle Shoals, he became a believer after that track. So we're after that we're like, okay, we're already in this vibe. Let's get my gospel and we called a couple of background singers from Muscle Shoals. And these background singers sang on Aretha Franklin tracks. Yeah, saying I mean they were 50 year old women. I was
Thomas Mooney 18:10
gonna ask like, Who was that I don't know if you that was up in Dallas or that was in my
Paul Cauthen 18:15
shows and the all the background vocals were done in Muscle Shoals and it just really tugged at the heartstrings you know when they were doing you felt like you're in church and when I was going down and they started talking about you know, when they're recording with you know, when they recorded with Ray Charles or when they recorded with this person they're just saying all this stuff and I was just like Mind blown by it you know, and I started doing my gospel when I was done the engineer comes up to me said man you really gave it gave you're on that team and good work good work. He's like, you know you're singing into Edit James his microphone. Just them Yeah, and I was like, I'm sure as hell glad you didn't tell me that before my day. Because I'd have been totally looking into that thing and totally Yeah, mess my mind up and been kind of stage fright probably do you
Thomas Mooney 19:09
have to just when you're in a place like that where it's just history Do you just have to go and take like five minutes and just oh man fan out right after that you kind of have to and I cried and I
Paul Cauthen 19:20
asked off I don't cry much. I mean, I don't and I was so overwhelmed when I walked in there and with all the people Spooner Oldham Hey, I mean, you know, tell mama that song, you know, at a j or Aretha. I mean, he wrote that with her, you know, in this room, and I was finishing my gospel with Nick Lee, my guitar player, and Bo Bedford, my producer. And I'd already written most of the tune with Owen temple, good Texas songwriter. And so it's a four way split on that song. See, I've got a lot of CO writes on this. Yeah. And being back there, man, you just had to take a moment and just Be like, Thank you God, I am blessed to be able to do what I do. Um, thank you that I can have a comeback here. Because I'm feeling I feel the spirit and the situation, whatever it is call it God call it the water spirit from the from the river, whatever recall talks about but there is something there. And anybody that you talk to that's recorded there will say the exact same thing. It's not just, oh, it's a myth. It's like when you're there, you get the chills lot. You get the you get the hair raising up in the back of your neck a lot. And I can't explain that. But it happened in Arlen studios as well working in Willie Nelson's place when I was in Austin. It's just like you said those when you need to take a moment because of all the history that's happened in a certain place. You've got to just I mean, you feel it, you know, and it's a beautiful thing.
Thomas Mooney 20:54
Yeah. Going with bow the bow produced this entire record as he did.
Paul Cauthen 21:00
Bo Bedford. I called him I met a good friend of mine, Jason Burt. He played played bass for me in a gig out in man, Mansfield, Texas. And he kind of introduced me to the the underground rock and roll scene of deep ellum in Dallas. Yeah. And there is a scene happening over there. That is some of the dirtiest players I've ever heard in my life. Like, like, it reminds me of some of the stories I heard from like Austin in the 70s. It's kind of the vibe that's happening over there. I mean, on a Wednesday night, you go somewhere, and you'll see like a band called Rise and shine. Yeah, or somebody that just blows your mind. These guys are all studio musicians. They've all been Seidman like Jonathan Tyler and people and it's like, it's totally, you know, it's like inbred almost. Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 21:50
Well, a couple years back, I don't know, maybe three or four years back whenever Jordan and Brandon were playing with Jonathan. Rise and shine now. You know, they'd come over here and you know, we'd go to the castles house and you go you've been to the castle. Oh, yeah. You just go there and drink and talk about music and shit. And they kind of gave me the, I guess over I don't know, maybe four or five times. They gave me the the spark Nokes sparknotes version of, of what Bo Bedford had been doing in Dallas as far as all the bands like, you know, Larry dude,
Paul Cauthen 22:24
he is the most selfless human being I call him the crane wizard sensei. Not Grand Wizard as in like racial Grand Wizard. We're talking music. Yeah. I was in Nashville. And they say you can't even say the word Grand Wizard because there's like, that's the home of all the bad, bad things. Yeah. But this guy is the sensei. He's the Master Splinter. And he has been putting all of you know, he works at an ad agency during the day. His father's old business, and he works his ass off day in day out. He has a son. And at night. He's like a hoot owl man. Late night, he will get in that studio. And he just cooks it up. He has ties with Leon bridges. And I mean, he just really had a vision. He He studies producers. Yeah. Like we, like a racecar driver would study Dale Earnhardt. He's studying like t bone Burnett. He's studying like what Dan OtterBox doing with jack White's doing what's I mean, he is a nerd on it. And because of that, he's, he has his palette is a 180 degrees, you know, and it's just bright there. It's whatever, you know, and he can take an artist and find what their true genuine attributes are that people want to hear and pull it out of them. Yeah, no, it's like we pull orange juice out of an orange. I mean, he just pulls it, you know, and he totally took me to another level. I've worked with great producers have worked with Lloyd Maines. Yeah. And this guy has just got the talent. And he's got the heart for it. He's a selfless human being that has done he hasn't been paid a damn dollar to do any of these records. Yeah, yeah. Just got percentages in him. Because he has faith in these musicians that he's they're going to be worth something.
Thomas Mooney 24:21
Yeah. Well, if you go and, you know, look at what he's done. A lot of it is you know, it's Jonathan Tyler to rise and shine. I guess he did. Did that room sounds record?
Paul Cauthen 24:32
Yeah. And this Quaker city nighthorse like just got did Scott, you know, picked up by label. And you know, he's Wesley Geiger. Yeah. Holy moly. He's like our generation Neil Young man. And he's been he is an artist that has kind of slipped through the cracks for a little bit. And it's because I mean, I don't know why it is but this guy, he he's the writer of all writers in the Dallas area. My good Noah Jackson, who I wrote some of these tracks with is just, he is a insane writer out of Dallas and he just moved to Austin. So he's going to be down there rubbing elbows with every can to try to make some happen. But there's just a lot of great talent in Texas man. Yeah, from sea to shining sea. It's just like, Everywhere I go, you know, these people are coming out of the woodwork. I've been working in Nashville a lot too. And I'm in that East Nashville scene and working with a lot of cool people from there and just blessed to be able to be on my feet. You know, I got I had a little bit of money in the bank and I am barely paying for gasoline. But, man, it's been worth it. The things that I've accomplished the things that I've done, things that I did was sons of fathers, you know, people ask me Ben, are you alright? Are you okay? After sons and fathers Everything okay? Dude, it just made me a more callous stronger man.
Unknown Speaker 25:54
Yeah, you know,
Paul Cauthen 25:55
I've just got more work under my belt was all I had to do after that. Yeah, okay, well here we go again. Yeah, I don't know anything else.
Thomas Mooney 26:03
Yeah, the Well, I guess I was gonna ask you to about Bo is so much of what he's done has been guys in the what you would call I guess like their roots being more in rock and roll but your roots being a little bit more in country. It was interesting this whenever I first saw the first posts about you're going to be working with him. I was like, well, I wonder what what's going to happen and what we're going to cook and I don't know like whatever you guys what would you guys did on this record is it makes sense what as far as you know, this being this throwback to rock and roll but not in the same sense is like you know, the Rolling Stones rock and roll war in that we're we're talking about like the early rock and roll overs and kind of Buddy call he kind of rock Yeah. Like, I guess like, what, whenever you first decided that Bo was going to be the guy for you on this. Was there any like? any worries, it's like that man, maybe be something else that you didn't. I knew.
Paul Cauthen 27:13
We went hung out. Basically, I was about to do a record with Vance pal. And third man records up in Nashville, check whites group. Okay, they pitched me a price. And it was just astronomical compared to what I had in budget. Yeah. I talked to and then I just sent Bo a cold email. And I said, Man, this is what's going on. I don't think I can do this record of Nashville. I'm going to be in so foreign debt that she's not going to be worth it for me. But all this you know, yeah, probably get some publicity. Yes, I might get signed a third man records like in being a Margo price situation. Yeah, you know, or something like that. That'd be great. But he here he, he called me in five minutes after the He's like, Dude, come up to the studio, come hang out. So I went up to the studio there in Dallas. And first minute we saw each other, we just hopped man is like, Hey, how you doing, man? Thanks for having me over, you know, showed me this studio. And that's when I unlaid all the songs. And I knew when he was so passionate about which songs and which ones have a good flavor and which ones could work. The passion that he had, and I saw right there in that studio that first night. I knew then that this guy is just as passionate as I am. And it's you know, my songs. Yeah. And we caught each other at the right time. He's he needed me just as much as I needed him. And we both I mean, we bitched each other out, we cussed each other up during this thing, but it all made this product. And we put in the work man, and I've been working with him since September.
Thomas Mooney 29:09
Yeah. It's it's always great whenever you that relationship is built on friendship first. It's like mutual respect where you can we don't have to like tiptoe around, like, hurting anyone's feelings, you know, that kind of thing where actually like read, you know, read jehanne Oh, yeah, read was saying whenever he was cutting that record, they they're all so familiar with each other. They could just say, Well, no, that I think that fucking sucks. No, let's not do that. And it'd be so much easier than, you know, tiptoeing around egos and whatnot. Just makes a simpler
Paul Cauthen 29:49
when you figure out that y'all both have the same vision. Then all that ego shit just goes away. You forget about that when somebody has a comment to make or somebody adds is situation, it's always adding to the situation whether it's constructive, and you take it in a negative way is your decision. But the constructive criticism is what makes records better. And if there's no construction in that, and nobody saying, hey, this sounds like shit, then honestly, you got a bunch of liars in a room that want to just get a record finished. Yeah, because last time I checked, nothing just flows like butter in the studio. Sometimes it does. You set up mics, you have a certain tone you like and you just roll with it. But 90% of the time, there's a lot of conversations to be had about what's being, you know, record it.
Thomas Mooney 30:38
Yeah. Yeah. What what? How was it recording with Lloyd mainzer? Like, what was
Paul Cauthen 30:43
what was like Lloyd's approach, Lloyds? A Yes, man. If it sounds good, is good. Lloyd doesn't want you know, Lloyd. So sold and solid on his, you know, ladder. Yeah. I think they'll let me smoke one here in the non smoking area. I always do. But um, he's one of those guys that just, you know, he gets a good tone. And he runs with it. Like all of our records with sons of fathers. I mean, Pete, listen, that first record, every kick drum is the same tone. But Dude, that's what made sons of fathers and it just made, the canvas is painted correctly. And it's thorough, and it's cohesive with Lloyd, just real quick, you know, and I mean, fuck, we recorded, you know, 12 songs in four days at first album, and that's what we got more talked about on that record than we did anything else. And it was just because it was so pure, you know, and he allowed it to be pure. He didn't want to overproduce or you know, make it something that it wasn't. Yeah, he just allowed it to be pure. And that's Lloyd Lloyd. He gets it to a warm spot. Then he doesn't touch it. He does not touch it. He lets it evolve. You know, me and Lloyd got head to head because I couldn't get a vocal take and I got pissed and I started cussing. Lloyd loads. Oh, you're gonna act like Jerry Jeff Walker. Why don't you just walk outside and pal? You know, outside about it. I came back inside. And I was like, Alright, Lloyd, you asshole. Let's go cut this thing again. He's like, That's more like it. Yeah. He's like the cool. You know, he's like, oh, ball up. in the morning. When you come up here to the studio. We stopped by that. That taco cabana and get some old bean and cheese. Those. Those are so good. So if you can't be comfortable with a man, love some tacos. I don't know where you can be comfortable. Yeah. We would say Lloyd likes to take it to tighter town. That's where he takes you straight to tighter town boy. Yeah, a tighter town sells. Well, I mean,
Thomas Mooney 32:59
if you think about just Texas music of the last didn't go back to that first Terry Allen. But like loving on everything. Yeah. But you know, from that point you're on to now? Is it has there been a more influential individual in Texas music other than lawyers.
Paul Cauthen 33:19
Other than Lloyd, I think, man, what, uh, Gary Clark, Jr. is doing really enjoyed the stuff he's doing at Austin and his crew. You know, it's that arland crew. And it's not like he's been an influence. But that I mean, Leon bridges is like, blowing my mind. You know, he's, you know, he's just a showman. Yeah. You know, when you see him, whether you like, the way he sings, or the sound of his voice, just to watch him on stage is, you know, it'll do something for anybody. Yeah. So, you know, he hopped up on stage with me there doublewide, two weeks ago, and the crowd just erupted. You know? And there's something to be said, this, the star and somebody that star thing is still real. Yeah. And when it happens, it happens. And you're lucky if you're one of them, but you've worked your ass off to be that. But man, Lloyd, bow all these guys are history book kind of guys. You know, that? I'm tell Bo, you know, we were coming back from playing in Fort Worth, and we were riding in his car and we're coming back to Dallas. We just totally ripped into each other about what I mean. What we have to do to even tilt ourselves further and be more passionate and even work harder than we are never being satisfied. You know what I mean? Yeah, that as artists, we're called to do that. You know? And bow bows A guy that just really is next level when it comes to just pulling you to the level you need to be, or the level that you can do. You know what I mean? So, all these guys, I'm just lucky to work with man and I happen to fall into a record. And usually the good ones happened like that. You know, it wasn't pre thought out. Muscle Shoals was not a twinkle in my eye. When I started recording with Bo. Then we talked about it afterward. And we were like, dude, these songs call for Muscle Shoals. It's the songs that need Muscle Shoals. It's not us. It's not Bo. It's the songs. And that's why we chose everything. And then we were like, man, we got these other four tracks. And I was like, Man, I've got a good friend out in California that I've been talking to in five years ago, as was sons of fathers. And we were out in California. We just played this Activision private party, you know, the whole video game thing? Yeah. He's like in an astroturf courtyard. just crazy. Just like you think a video game place would be exactly what it was. Like, we're playing there. And this buddy of mine comes up to me and he's like, dude, let's go have a drink. I was like, Alright, so me and this guy that I'd met named Gus cipher plays. He is played bass and produced with the black keys. And he's on the road with back. He's these multi instrumentalist for Beck Hansen, and their band. And just an amazing, the most incredible Yoda, like, engineer in mind I've ever met music. So we go out to California. And I introduce bow and this guy, and that is the coolest thing that I've done this whole time. Because I just connected Dallas in the West Coast. Yeah, in the deep, deep, deep under underground of badass music, you know what I mean? That stuff's going on. So we go out there, and I bring some tracks to him. And the first day, we just go over there, I want him to introduce them and show him the studio and stuff. He's got this whole studio and silver like, it's just a Awesome, cool California vibe, you know? And we go out there and
we're like manual, just record something for the hell of it. He had everything set up and I was like, Yeah, let's do it. So I recorded a track. And he like basically said, Hey, guys come down from upstairs because we only had me and Bo. When m drums we didn't have anybody else. So the drummer from the killers comes down. And then another drummer from Jenny Lewis, his band, yeah comes and then the, the bass player from the killers comes down. And Gus is done in like, freakin Mellotron, and doing all this weird stuff with percussion and then plays drums as well and then plays bass on an on a song. So we got all these badass touring California musicians that are just top notch. Yeah. So we get in there in this organic juices start flowing. He gets so good that we have to call. We fly out our guitar player. We're like, Okay, this is getting real. We need we need the sauce that we've been putting all over all these other songs. We can't just step away from marondera because this is a Mariner project. Until we brought the Marin era from Dallas, he flies out on the red eye that night. He's just gets done with shows like what am I doing? Like at midnight, you are flying, get to DFW now tomorrow and record. So he gets out there and his hair's like everywhere. When he gets there. He's like, holy shit. I'm in California, you know? So we start recording. We record let it burn and all these other tracks. And man, it's just got this California vibe. It's the third element to our record the third prong. Yeah, we call this album like a three prong attack. Got your rock, you got your gospel and then you got your surfer Cali psychedelic thing going on? And that's what this album is.
Thomas Mooney 38:59
Yeah. But song Grand Central? Yeah, to hell, but those first two lines are fucking killer.
Paul Cauthen 39:08
Did I tell you about? I haven't. That's one of the ones I wrote by myself. And that was the first song I wrote after sons of fathers. If I get to heaven, I better roll me some sevens because right now, my tickets punched for hell. Yeah. And because I felt like shit, you know? I mean, I was the one that quit sons of fathers. Yeah. You know, I backed away from and I was down man. And I was regretting my decision there for a minute. I was like, What in the hell of it done? Dude, it just made David find himself with his band and his project in his soul. And I found my soul and who I was, and without each other, we would not be where we are today. Yeah. And with all the disgruntled bullshit aside, we would both agree on that. If you asked us in separate rooms, you know, we're in the same rooms. You know, what are some business stuff and lots of stuff that's behind breakup in a band. But there's purity in the whole uprise of it, too. And that first song Grand Central, when I wrote it, David and I were actually still living in the same house together in San Marcus. And he was writing, I could hear him the other side of the room writing on this piano, and then I was like, Oh, my God, that sumbitch is about to be writing some stuff. You know, we are still like sons of fathers created a where we were totally in competition. Yeah, that's why our songs God, just better and better. In the same thing happened that first one to go away, you know. And he, he wrote that only, it only tastes like diamonds and all those songs there. Those four months that we had left on lease. We were still kosher and talking to each other and stuff. And I showed him some mixes and he showed me some stuff. And we were still in that mode. Yeah, but then we just totally now we don't even speak right now. Because he's in his mode. And honestly, he doesn't need me in his ear. And I don't need him in mind.
Thomas Mooney 41:10
Yeah. That song like how long did it take to even like, to me those those first two, those first two lines are so perfect. That it feels like it would either
Paul Cauthen 41:21
take it took five minutes, 10 minutes. That's what I was gonna say. I wrote it on. I wrote it on a napkin there in San Marcus right behind sellics. That bar in San Marcos. It's a shit show of a bar. It's fun as hell, but it was 236 steps away from our front door and we counted it Williams. And it was about 280. When you've been drinking on it takes longer. But that's where that song came out.
Thomas Mooney 41:47
Well. We're recording. Yes.
Paul Cauthen 41:50
Yeah, we're recording. You want to come say hi to the public. This is a random woman that's in the blue light and Lubbock, Texas. Say your name. My name is Patty. How's everybody doing out there? deny doing good. Tell us something about you, Patti. I'm just a wonderful person that I just love people. All right. Well, you're in the right place. Welcome to blue light. Y'all sticking around tonight. All right. All right. Well, Patty's happy, we're happy.
Thomas Mooney 42:16
Yeah, we're blue. In the pool room. I'm sure you've seen a lot of crazy spaceships. What's Uh, what's something like, when you first think of blue light? What's the like the first memory
Paul Cauthen 42:31
my, my woman, my lady, I met my love of my life here. And she was in the blue light. And it was shoot for five years, four years ago. And it's the only time that I've ever stepped on stage. And everything goes blurry. And it's just me and this one girl in the room was packed. And that's what happened to me. I mean, I've written a lot of songs about falling in love under the blue light, you know, and, and, like the first song about Marfa lights, you know, that blue light in master dress with her eyes. She said, Hello. You know, that was about the first time we saw each other. And then the second time, I mean, the first time we really made sweet sweet love under the stars was in Marfa. So, like a lot of these songs, man. She's my she's kind of my muse. my muse man. So found my lady out here. Alexis, love you. And also, you know when we were first first time I ever had a song on the radio. I was in a songwriter competition here a long time ago. Casey berry one I got second place. And Neely Yates over there. True country played me on the radio for the first time Lubbock. Blue Light Texas Tech. This whole region, Buddy Holly, all of it is just like, you know, my heart. Man. I love it out here. I spent a lot of time and a lot of couches. A lot of songs staying up too late. You know, Brandon Adams, William Clark green from my hometown. You know those cats and just a lot of good folks.
Thomas Mooney 44:19
Yeah. The, I don't know, maybe about six months ago, I wrote this. This article about Lubbock anthems and like, what are the songs that you can go into the blue light, and that band is going to be playing that you just expect that one song for them to play and like everyone knows the words, all that kind of stuff. And for the most part, it's all like my list was all luck bands, except for flatland. By Sunday fall is that song, it just captures
Paul Cauthen 44:52
so much right now on 84 coming out here, you can't if you can't throw that song on That's why I wrote it, you know, and that was the first song I ever wrote those on the radio. And I wrote that before sons of fathers then we put it on the sons of fathers record. Yeah. Just like David wrote the country. And with Halle Anna family, the daughter of Kent Finley, the lake Kent Finley out at Cheatham Street. And, man, flatland we will be playing it tonight. I promise you that I've never skipped that song here. Yeah, ever since because I mean, it's still today. It's what they're coming for here and loving. They want to hear that song.
Thomas Mooney 45:32
Yeah. You also have like a solo record before all this?
Paul Cauthen 45:37
Yeah, man. Sound of water. Yeah. Yeah, that was me and my buddy, Mike Mormon, a guy out in East Texas and Tyler, Texas. We wrote all those songs. And it was my first kind of who wrote this. And some of it is real. You know, as you can tell, I'm green. Yeah, but there's a couple songs that you can actually enjoy and sung and sound a water hit the hit the radio. And you know, is that was the song that really got me deep in that songwriting competition. Yeah. So what did you leave out here? Like anytime, man, I was just more just I was out here living on couches. Yeah, for a long time enjoying myself. Oh, god. I'm about to get attacked by freakin guitar players, man. They're just a nuisance. Yeah, I like them. But good lord, they pester you.
Thomas Mooney 46:35
So you're out here? Like, just were you out here for like, an extended period of time? Or was it just here in there kind of stuff. Man.
Paul Cauthen 46:42
I'd come out here for a month or two. My buddies were out here going to school. So there was couches to be crashed. And being a songwriter, the saint a bad place to be so yeah, you know, I, I just spent as much time as I could up at the blue light. And, you know, I met you know, red Shan and the whole crew when they were hosting those songwriter nights. Yeah, just that whole, you know, Charlie stout and the whole team, you know, and Brandon Adams, just, there was just a scene that all these guys were hunting and addicted to the song. And I like to be around those types of folks. And I'd stay out here longer. You know, I'd wear out my welcome, love.
Thomas Mooney 47:33
Would you ever, like take those first songs that first record and recut them? Do you ever think about anything like that? Yeah,
Paul Cauthen 47:38
I think about cutting a lot of sons of father's tunes and re cutting them to my style and what I'm doing, because, you know, me and David, when we were recording, we would be pulling each other in into a certain sound and that sound was sons of fathers. And, you know, if David wouldn't have been there, I'd have pulled it this far this way. Yeah. And vice versa. He pulled it on the pop side or out of probably pulled it on the countryside. Yeah. So yeah, there's a lot of tunes there. And that first record, man, there's that song Jim was the first song I really wrote about my granddad when he passed away. And the first time I ever wrote was just to get some pain off my chest. So you know, first line is a sweet spirit iron heart. Can you hear it? You know, it was one of those things that I'm always thinking about my granddad during that so. Yeah, man, I might record rerecord those, but I'm what when I fought when I want to stop writing songs, you know, then I'm gonna have to go back to those and re record them. But right now, I'm just, yeah, I'm out. I'm not stopping.
Thomas Mooney 48:42
Yeah. You said, you know, how many songs Did you bring for this record? Like 3030? Something 37. Just and we whittled through them?
Paul Cauthen 48:49
And we're like, oh, that'd be good. This, you know, this is all right. This is great. This is great. For sure. This one? This one's Yeah, maybe on this one. This one needs some work. If we did this to this one, this one could go you know, do you?
Thomas Mooney 49:04
Like what happens to your songs that are never finished? Do you do you like
Paul Cauthen 49:08
go back in there in a database? You know, and when I'm writing, if I feel like oh, there was man, this part from that song, maybe work here and I go and I thumb down on all these voice memos. I send all the voice memos straight to an email that I have. Yeah. And the emails just strictly for pieces. And sometimes it'll just be mean you hear the wind, like La da da da, Laura. Home, like, oh, let's go home. Like I mean, they'll just be like, Yeah, let's go home. You know, on it. Yeah, dude, you never anything. Now I was talking to Ray Wylie Hubbard, and I was like, man, how what's your approach in songwriting? He's like, anything in any moment. And anytime is can be a song. Yeah, your ears should Always be just on a sonar for that. And that's what I've learned to do. And, you know, I love hanging out with drunks and, and, you know, people that have had it rough, you know. Yeah. And hearing stories, um, I love to listen to stories. Yeah. So I love saying stories, you know?
Thomas Mooney 50:19
Yeah. Drew Kennedy always kind of says the whole, you know that. Not necessarily, that he's, you know, he says something to do, like the fact that he believes that as a songwriter, the universe puts certain things in front of him to write about, and it's his job to go. Oh, and you write about this? Yeah. Whatever the case that
Paul Cauthen 50:41
Exactly, exactly. We're always it's, you know, like, I mean, song can hit you at any time. And you've always got to be ready for it. You know, I write down in my notes on my phone all the time. You know, just little lines. Yeah, you know, and then those little lines turn into melodies. And then those melodies turn into songs. Yeah. Just or, you know, a little song or, or a, just a melody, um, hum. And something. You know, it could just, that can land into a song as well. So, you know, I've heard couples bitching each other out before and Whoa, what she said to him sure is the song.
Thomas Mooney 51:27
Yeah. Yeah. So what, like, on this new record, what was the most difficult song to finish up? Like, what was the hobby? The one?
Paul Cauthen 51:35
I'll be the one we cut it about five different ways. Yeah. Yeah, we cut it
Thomas Mooney 51:40
stuck with the the most Elvis of ways. Yeah,
Paul Cauthen 51:42
right. Yeah, we did. And we cut it so many times. And that song, we It was like beating a dead cat under a minute. I mean, it's just like, wow, I hate this song now. recorded so many times. Yeah. So it's like, you know, every time you're in the studio is a different canvas. And however you want to paint it, you know, and sometimes you paint it real sloppy. And sometimes you paint it too slow. Sometimes you paint it too fast. Yeah, you know. And finally, we, that was the deal with that song is that we kind of surfed it out, we cut it out in California when we smoking and drinking and enjoying ourselves and we cut it real lackadaisical, you know? Yeah. And then we're like, Man, it's not how we bring it live. So we had to go back. I mean, we spent probably three to five days in the studio on that particular song. And then, you know, some songs you just cut? Yeah, it was just wild. I mean, it's, like, I would hate to cut songs to be honest, just because it feels like it's a mine. It's a mind battle with yourself,
Thomas Mooney 52:51
in a lot of ways. It's like, I'm assuming it would be like, the, the learning to hate a song that you wrote, because you're just having a, and obviously, whenever you're learning to
Paul Cauthen 53:05
hate it, and then continuing to sing it. Yeah, fighting through that. It's like scratching a scab. After a minute, you know, you're just like, opening up an old wound, you know, but yeah, the people that can persevere, it'll heal up some nice, you know?
Thomas Mooney 53:21
Yeah. Did you? Was there any, like worries that? I don't know. Like, you took too long between the last ones of father's record. And now like that, should I need to,
Paul Cauthen 53:36
you know, like, 2015 was just nothing for me, you know, it was just running off the old steam, you know, getting as many pickup gigs to get by. And, you know, there for a while, man, I had a lot of doubts the whole time. You know, I was just like, wow, and let's see if I can pull this off. You know, I was so stressed and my relationship was suffering from it. I mean, I was just a basket case, I'd go get real drunk and just be you know, I felt like Howard Hughes or something, you know, like, locked up in a basement and pulling my hair out and PA and mason jars and not going to the restroom and naked and fingernails growing long and just beard growing long and not taking showers. That's kind of how I felt there for a while. Yeah. That's me be like, the, like, the scariest thing that an artist can go through is the the fear the fear of not being able to cut it again, to not be able to get on the level that you once were. That's the biggest fear. Yeah, you know, like, this has got to be better than what I've done. And I'm not gonna put anything out unless it is. Yeah. Or as good. You know what I mean?
Thomas Mooney 54:55
Yeah. So Well, I mean, like so much of sons of father stuff was I remember whenever you guys broke up, like it was like a Monday or Tuesday, and like you guys were playing here, like on a Wednesday or Thursday or something like that. My first thought was like man, like, have all the damn times to do it. But then also, like, when you guys were playing was two lone stars. Sorry, we're getting some beers.
I thought you guys
could have changed the way music like country music was going to be done. I sincerely thought thought like, Man, these first two records are they're so different from each other. And I don't ever on to some I don't know if like anyone. I think like people love the first one a whole lot more than the second one. For sure. Like, I love that second one, because there was so much more of the so not necessarily like, Oh, I don't get it. But like, it's one of those like, I've got to listen to it and listen to it and listen to it to understand everything about this record.
Paul Cauthen 56:02
Man, it was, I'm telling you talk about doubt, David, and I would sit there in that studio and just redo and rework and redo and re massage and love it for a week. Hate it the next week, like pulling in our hair strings, man. Yeah. And that doubt is what makes an artist better. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah, it's that that fear of you knowing that you've got to produce, this is your moment. Thanks. Thank you. Josh blue ladies and gentlemen. Best drummer around. Okay, brings you Lone Star while you're in, in or in, in an in an interview. It's hard in an interview. Yeah, but like, cheers. Thomas Mooney, then I love how you write. Well, thank you, you remind me. You're a wordsmith kinda like I'm like mercury, man. You know what I mean? And, and, really the way like, even like I was reading online the other day, those Dalton Domino liner notes that you did, like, just so profound, and that we really appreciate that your words are turning to the public's opinion.
Thomas Mooney 57:19
Well, hopefully, that's, that's, like, I feel as a that's gonna sound real pretentious, and everything. Like I think that that's what you're gonna want to do to be a journalist you want to like, talk about what what's happening, but also at the same time, there's at least a part of you that wants whatever you're saying to be taken as the gospel, if you will. Yeah. And I'm mean, that's very egotistical and pretentious. But like, No, you want it to be taken, every kind of writer wants that.
Paul Cauthen 57:48
You don't want it to be taken with a grain of salt. You want people to go out of their way to hear what you have to say. Yeah, and use a journalist. If you do that. You got nothing but more people tuned in.
Thomas Mooney 58:00
Yeah, every day, I wrote those liner notes up here, like on a Tuesday. Like, I didn't really write it to be Dalton's liner notes. I wrote it for like, nobody was up here. sitting in the front, or on the bar. Had my phone out and wrote that down real quick. And then
Paul Cauthen 58:18
to it. It's it's like poetry. I mean, it's it's a beautiful thing. Well, thank you.
Thomas Mooney 58:24
Okay, there for a while. That second record. I know you guys mentioned that. You know, it's gonna be called Big diamond. waltz wood. Yeah, that's obviously a song that ended up being on that third.
Paul Cauthen 58:33
Yeah, that was gonna we put it on the final record. It was kind of a last. Our Last Waltz, you know. And
Thomas Mooney 58:41
man, was that just like part of the, I guess the evolution, the change of that the second record of
Paul Cauthen 58:47
Dude, that's exactly how our minds was. You know, you're we're overthinking the situation. We're doubting ourselves. We wanted to be this turned into that, you know, that said sons of fathers and me and David Byrne nutcases. And by the third record, by the last one we've already broken up, we're like, Well, we've got a catalogue of this many 20 some songs that we've recorded. Yeah, we're like, we got to do our justice and give it all out there. Yeah, so we did that.
Thomas Mooney 59:21
Yeah. I think like big diamond waltz is a tour of my favorite songs that you've written. It just is a first time I heard it, like it just like, really fit. Like the course fit. What I was going through in life at the same time, like I didn't know what the hell I were like, if I was making the right decision decisions and
Paul Cauthen 59:43
all in all, we're just chasing the very same things. All we want is a mansion and big diamond ring for the girl. You know, like just following suit to what's already out there. You know what I mean? Yeah, and that's kind of what that song portrayed man. We're just still haven't found my reason for living style and found my way. Yeah and follow the signs I've been given. But that doesn't mean I'm lost. Yeah. Yeah, that's just that sounds a father's to me. That's what we were just grabbing it. Yeah, whatever could be thrown our way we'd play whatever game. Oh, they're loading us up with beer over here, Thomas. Well, it's about time to listen
Thomas Mooney 1:00:30
and say I think that's like a really great ending point.
Paul Cauthen 1:00:33
Man I am blessed to have played with the people have played with and I am blessed to be a coffin. My family who grew up in the church, I just went to our family reunion the cotton family union in Franklin, Tennessee, this past weekend. And there was 40 something coffins there. And my Uncle Steve gave us a booklet, heavily highway hymns, print outs and 16 different songs were sitting there. And that started raining on this old 1805 cabin that my aunt Carol owns, that we all tin roof. We all got in this small little place. And we started singing those songs and then I realized this is why I do it. Yeah, they say I I was given a talent. And I'm lucky enough to be one of those that found what it was. And that's why I can't turn my back to it. Yeah, you know, and you just like you and your words, you know, and as artists, we have to just, it's almost a selfless thing. We it's a selfless act we have to do because of the heartache and the ups and downs and all the shit we go through of not getting paid for the things we do and everything else. You know what I mean? Yeah, the sleeping on the couches, the, you know, cell phone being turned to hot on the water reinterred, that kind of stuff. is what makes us who we are. And without that we wouldn't be you know? Yeah, so well, hell yeah. Cheers, Thomas.
Thomas Mooney 1:02:04
Too many more interviews my friend. Yeah, of course. Like next time you come through. We'll have to
Paul Cauthen 1:02:08
every time we'll follow up on the record we'll be out. It'll be a different different ballgame, different stroke of life. But thank you my friend. Yeah. Well, thank you.
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