035: Evan Felker of Turnpike Troubadours

On Episode 035, Evan Felker of Turnpike Troubadours returns. During this one, we talk the ins and outs of their fifth studio efforts, A Long Way From Your Heart, writing with folks like Jonny Burke, further developing the Lorrie saga, and pushing their storytelling boundaries.

Interview Transcript

Note: Transcripts aren’t always accurate since they are computer automated and haven’t been edited for spelling, grammar, etc.

Thomas Mooney 0:04

Everyone, welcome to episode number 35 of the new slang podcast. I'm Thomas Mooney, the editor in chief of new slang here in Lubbock, Texas. And yeah, we're back after a, I guess a brief hiatus from the podcast world. Like I said before, this is episode number 35. And it is with Evan Felker of Turnpike troubadours. They just released a new record today, called a long way from your heart. And as you can imagine, this podcast is a conversation about that said record. I also just recently released a piece about the record on wide open country, it's a track by track listeners guide kind of like helping me connect the dots on on how songs are maybe connected or like where they fit in turnpikes world. It's been shared a whole lot online, and I really appreciate that already. But I just feel like Turnpike's world of like their version of Oklahoma is. Well, first, I guess for starters, it's really based in reality, but also like, they, their canon of characters and their world that they've created is so real and rich with detail, and I find it just amazing, you know? So yeah, anyways, that's what that article is about, go and find it. I'm not going to take too much time, right here on this little intro. But if you don't follow us on, or follow me on Twitter, or Instagram or social media, you can do so just look for underscore new slang. We do also have T shirts in there, the panhandle shirt. You can find those on or you can find photos, I guess, on Instagram and on just social media stuff. If you want to order one of those get a hold of us. It's fairly easy to do just I don't know, replied to us. There these red or black panhandle shirts. So yeah, um, I don't know if there's anything else I can really add to this little intro other than go by. It's from Mike's new record a long way from your heart to get it on vinyl or on CD or digital download, whatever your preference. And yeah, here's this conversation that me and Evan had about a week ago.

Need to get a beer? Listen up. I'm fine. Good. Nikolas. All right. Well, you got a new record coming out in one week now? I do. I do.

Evan Felker 3:08

It's been a long time coming. We I guess we finished it up in April. So we've been sitting around on it, you know, waiting. It's going through various stages of mixing and mastering and artwork and so on and so forth. And then just sitting around, so we're ready for it to be out. It's just it's nerve wracking.

Thomas Mooney 3:31

Yeah. In between records. This is like yours. quickest turnaround.

Evan Felker 3:35

Yeah, we've done it pretty well. Every other year. The only one we waited three years on, which I caught a lot of flack for is kind of funny. The only one we actually waited, went three years was in between normal Street. And and the last record. Yeah, everything else has been every other year.

Thomas Mooney 3:55

Yeah. Yeah, I've I remember actually seeing some people. Yeah, about, I guess, like, since y'all added to old songs on there. Yeah. Like, that's cheating, basically, which is kind of,

Evan Felker 4:08

yeah, those songs needed to be recorded, though. Yeah. And I mean, that first attempt at a record was just not really indicative of what our band is now. So

Thomas Mooney 4:21

yeah, so last time, we did a podcast he was like, like, maybe one or two weeks after y'all had written all time feeling

Evan Felker 4:31

Yeah, and well, I think yeah, maybe um, maybe a few months but yeah, it was it was just now getting to where it was playable. Yeah,

Thomas Mooney 4:37

yeah. So I take it like everything else on the record has been written was written since Yeah, like Well, yeah. What was the writing process

Evan Felker 4:46

like where did these it was frantic. And, and and nerve racking in its way. We got up to you know, route around record time and we had I had put together Three or four songs, including old time feeling, which actually I didn't you know what wasn't even sure we were going to record at the time, and it wound up. they wound up making the cut. But, uh, but yeah, I wouldn't even plan on recording that one and just, it just came out nice.

Thomas Mooney 5:20

Yeah. Well, you know, obviously Johnny had put it on his record. That's Yeah,

Evan Felker 5:25

that's kind of always a deterrent. Right. If someone's recorded it before you.

Thomas Mooney 5:29

Yeah. Yeah, he

Evan Felker 5:30

kind of he. Yeah, I think it's cool, too. Yeah, he snuck it in there. On the very, very end. He got in like another day and went and recorded an acoustic version of it. Yeah.

Thomas Mooney 5:42

Now like, let's, what's what's the breakdown on the record? As far as like, Where did the songs come from as far as you are like, RC what's the kind of the

Evan Felker 5:54

crew had a hand and all of them RC had a hand in to Johnny Burke also had a hand in those two. And then Jamie Wilson, co wrote one and Fulbright co wrote one none of the rest of myself. Yeah. Yeah.

What's the one with Jamie, what's Oklahoma stars? Okay. Yeah. Are stars in Oklahoma. I can't remember the how we titled if not have to look at the record. Yeah. Yeah. And then what did Fulbright do? What did he and I wrote pay? No rent, pay? No rent? Yeah. Okay. And that one right there is filled with the idioms. Yeah. Yeah. Good ones in there.

Yeah. It's a funny thing. a mutual friend of ours, actually. My, you know, grew up with or been my Aunt Lou Johnson, who owns the rocky road Tavern in okema. Had a had had passed away. And she was my buddy, that, you know, just a really neat character who done a lot of lot of stuff and we drink together and, and visit and fish together and stuff she was she was, she was probably 72. And could could out drink most grown man. And anyway, like, so we got to be buddies, once I moved okema and, and we hung out a lot. We played dominoes, she's a she's a Nazi about Domino table, like she was serious about, you know, you better you better know what the hell you're doing, or else you're gonna, you're gonna get in trouble. And, you know, that's mainly a lot of that songs about being her moon partner. But, uh, back to the story. She'd always said that she'd known that she was, you know, sick for about a year, year and a half there she on and off, had cancer in and gone into remission, and this and that get to feeling better. And so she had it on her mind. And she always said, you know, you if I, if I die, you know, you got to play blue crying in the rain at my funeral. And yeah, you know, you know how it is, you know, just like, not talk well, we got the news. And she'd been you know, bad health for for a while there and was was pretty down. So anyway, we got in the news when I got back off the road. And Fulbright came over to my house. And we just went and goofed around and went, actually went squirrel on hilariously and just kind of when goof around my mom dad's place visited, and then we got together that that not and worked up blue, crying in the rain. Yeah. And, and I had to go out on a run that day, and then that next day, and I got back and got the news that, uh, everybody was doing well, that's kind of annoying, because she's gotten drunk with everybody that was told him to do it. And so like I said, Well, you know, I don't want to break any eggs right now. Just, you know, let everybody do whatever. And I said, you know, what, I was kind of perturbed, because we had a very special relationship. And, and it was an honest request, you know? Yes, well, I'll do one better. We'll write one. And so I started on one kind of out of spot. And we finished I had to actually run sound at the funeral for I got volunteered for that somehow, small town living. So we had to set up sound. Johnny met me down there. It took us hours to get all this stuff, right. I'm not a sound guy. I hadn't done this stuff in forever. And if you don't want it to sound like shit, it's at a funeral for some of you love, you know. And anyway, we get it set up so everybody can play, get all the inputs and all that. And, and we have, it winds up being one or two in the morning before we even get to actually work on a song that we'd started that day at noon. Yeah. And we hadn't sat down together. And so we just got in there and fleshed it out and had it playable by the next day at noon. Yeah. And we stayed up almost all night working on it. Yeah. And, yeah, I'm really proud of that one. came out. Yeah, no, fulbright's, just a great, great writer and a great, great writing partner and a great melody man seemed like a great guy to just

Thomas Mooney 10:08

bounce off the ideas.

Evan Felker 10:10

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I try not to too much. I get stingy with them, you know? Because I don't have that many good ideas ever, you know, you know, only so many year. Right. So, I figure if you're doing everything right, you get a certain amount of year. And, but yeah, I like walking into a room and looking, you know, starting something from scratch there.

Thomas Mooney 10:33

Yeah. I think you got a few songs where you mentioned dominoes, and I always think yeah, that's the scene. Yeah, kinda. It's very, sort of. It's a very Turnpike. Yeah. bucolic Oklahoma, you know, thing. Yeah. I know like down thing. My grandma always talked about playing dominoes with her family. And one of my uncle's one of my great uncles is just always that.

Evan Felker 10:58

Yeah, that was kind of their party's like, the older generation of my family. They didn't you know, they didn't drink and none of them did. And anyway, they get together and smoke cigarettes and drink coffee on that and yeah, play that or like rook or Yeah, some kind of like pitch or something like that. And then the next generation all drank so they carried on the the games and then added booze to it.

Thomas Mooney 11:22

Yeah. buddies and dominance. It's pretty fun. Yeah, fun stuff. Y'all play dominoes there.

Evan Felker 11:30

We do sometimes. Rc is really good at straight dominoes. He'll, he'll hurt your feelings. And then and then yeah, I'll play with my like my bird hunting buddies and my family back home and that kind of stuff. Yeah, but if everybody didn't know how to play, you know, play like moon or 42. if everybody's not really pretty quick on it's not very, not very fun. It takes a while for everybody to catch on.

Thomas Mooney 11:54

Yeah, well, what sucks is whenever there's that one person you're trying to teach him? And they're just, like, blocking the board.

Evan Felker 12:02

Oh, yeah. And it's, you know, that's okay. I mean, you got to teach people at some point in time, but it's, it's best to not do it in a high pressure environment. Don't ever want to learn in public?

Thomas Mooney 12:13

Yeah. Now, Sunday morning paper. Yeah, I was reading actually. I think it was like the Odessa paper or the Midland paper or something like that. You were talking about that song? About your uncle, right?

Evan Felker 12:26

Yeah, my uncle Irv Felker, Irvin, Felker, who he played in a bunch of rock bands he's still playing around isn't worth looking at. And anyway, he was a Marine, that retired. He's the guy. He was who I wrote bluestar about, and, and we're pals. And he had this that line Sunday morning paper said rock and roll surely dead, that he'd written back in the 90s. about, like, maybe Cobain, or one of those guys, you know, and I always thought it was pretty nice. I thought about trying to make a country song out of that line. And I wrote the rest of the lyrics and the melody. The he contributed that that line. Is that a lot about like, kind of about Leon and and Merle and yeah, you know, not too specifically, but But yeah, kind of an homage to that. That generation of, of country. Yeah. Music in and out. You know, how great and influential those folks were that we lost this past year?

Thomas Mooney 13:27

Yeah. They're all catching up. Yeah. Yeah. I think that's what what I've told people is that if they made it out of their their heyday, it passes obviously, they're getting up there. And it's just

Evan Felker 13:44

old age now. Yeah, yeah. It's you know, you just got to take the good with the bad, I guess.

Thomas Mooney 13:52

Yeah. Like that's a by Tom Petty died the other day, and that one, I felt like, that came out of nowhere. I mean, obviously, I'm not Yeah, he was. He wasn't that old. I think it was like 6066 I believe something like that. Yeah. Yeah, that's, uh, I don't know when just came out of left field, right, though.

Evan Felker 14:12

Yeah, that was bad. It was bad one. You never wanna hear that about anybody but someone that young and that influential. Just got so much. I'd have so much more time you know?

Thomas Mooney 14:23

Yeah. Did you did you watch that documentary? The Defiant Ones? I did not. There's the one with like Dr. Dre. He was like Petey was the coolest dude. Yeah. Because like, I felt like that entire documentary was just about like, you know, just the the egos of IVF and Dr. Dre building them up into these. Yeah, right. And which is fun. But then like Petey just was like, not playing that game now. Yeah. So Matter of fact about stuff. And it's just hilarious during that entire, I guess he's in there for probably like 15 minutes over. Yeah, but His his interviews were just damn good. And though

Evan Felker 15:03

I have to check that one out, I've heard good things about it.

Thomas Mooney 15:05

Yeah, it's it's really good

Evan Felker 15:06

what we're doing we have having me on as a guest on a podcast to talk about something that I haven't seen. That's sounds right. Sounds just feels natural to me, you know?

Thomas Mooney 15:20

Yeah. Well, one of the things about yalls band that the fan base is really taken hold. Oh, yeah. ran with is the cannon?

Evan Felker 15:30

Yeah, yeah, it's, uh, it's funny, it's a funny thing. I wasn't sure if that was, that was going to be a flop or a really neat thing, it's turned out to be something. Yeah, something very interesting. And something that I can kind of go back on and, and add to and, you know, all those characters are based in, in real life in some manner or another, you don't want to write, you know, too close about someone's real life, that, that you know, or that you're friends with, because you don't want to put all that work into something that they Hey, you know, I mean, you want to portray them in a nice light. So it's easier to use composite characters to do that. And, you know, and it's sort of distances, these characters from real people, but also, you know, alludes to them and alludes to characteristic sort of events or

Thomas Mooney 16:20

Yeah, yeah, what I like though, is like, getting on Twitter every once a while, and you'll see some theory about some Oh, Lord. Yeah. And it's so yeah, that's good. I mean, that's a compliment, right? I think it's really kind of it's Did you ever watch Always Sunny in Philadelphia, like Charlie, and he's got the board. scenario. Yeah. But like, just, but it's really cool. I don't like there's no one else sees you're able to do that with. Yeah, I bet they will. I mean, anybody could do it. I mean, like, you're not, no one's doing this about anyone else's. Oh, yeah. Sure. You know what I mean? I think it breeds a a, the fan base, there's like a lot more interaction in this base than

Evan Felker 17:13

some Yeah, it gives him some other levels to just sort of mess around with and yeah, that's good. That's always nice.

Thomas Mooney 17:19

What are what? Have you read any of this stuff? Have you? Yeah, I

Evan Felker 17:23

try not to, you know, I try not to look at any of it. But yeah, it's just flattering to me. That anybody gives a damn about it.

Thomas Mooney 17:34

Yeah. Well, that that brings us to the house fire though. Yeah. Like, I think that's a hell of a way to start the album. Number one. Rc sent me the record. Yeah, I was in my truck driving around. I plugged it in, it was just like, here we are.

Evan Felker 17:49

Yeah. It was an interesting, it was interesting to be able to put those characters in a spot, you know, in a different place in time, and see how they developed and, and, you know, give them some responsibility. And, and then, you know, watch him sort of shine through through tragedy.

Thomas Mooney 18:10

Yeah. Well, that's the thing, too, is like, like you said, you've been able to take these characters, and you don't, you just catch up with them here and there. And that's maybe the way it is, it's like, maybe Laurie's mature just because she had

Evan Felker 18:26

some respect, and maybe in a few years always helps everybody. Right.

Thomas Mooney 18:30

That's a, an interesting thing. Because like, I think everyone thinks of Laurie being this, just sort of hipster chicken like wild crazy. Well, yeah, wild and crazy. But yeah, like, How old was she then? You know, give her some, some time. And she's probably turning just like anyone else. But like, I

Evan Felker 18:51

imagine this, like, hipster chick moving back to like a town of 1000 people and like, you know, just going back to, you know, that sort of life again. And, and settling into, you know, adulthood. Yeah. Which is usually very boring. Unless there's a, you know, catastrophic event.

Thomas Mooney 19:12

Yeah, well, you kind of I guess you want it to be boring. But, uh, now in that song, you mentioned the browning right? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Is that what?

Evan Felker 19:21

Yeah, sure. That's exactly what you think same. Sort of alluding to okay. To the bird hunter character.

Thomas Mooney 19:28

Yeah. So is it? Is it the the narrator of the bird hunters, or is it

Evan Felker 19:34

Yeah, the narrator is making Yeah, sure. Yeah. He's noticed like the the bird hunters narrator was the one carrying a browning Yeah. When it's his grandpa's you know, or it's Belgian made when I guess it's not his grandpa's in the in the song specifically, but yeah, that's kind of about me. Yeah. I've got a got a few heirlooms. Yeah. Now it's too many and too many bird dogs.

Thomas Mooney 19:59

Yeah, that's what you get from the fire right there.

Evan Felker 20:02

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's always kind of this thing. It's It's funny, my friend Marty, why, or let's say my friend, he was, you know, our neighbor and about my dad's age, their house had burned a couple of times. Like the lightning strikes, and yeah, they just built it up on this hill. And, you know, when they just built the home, and it just kept on getting whacked. And so then, after the second fire, they moved it, but he was just kind of recalling one day, I was probably only 18 or 19. And it was just very poignant to me like, he wanted, you know, he came, came back, you know, got everybody out. And then he goes back in, and all he's able to do is just grab a couple of things that are next to the door in that country usually have a shotgun, you know, a loaded gun next to the door. It's just common, yeah, for whether it be for coyotes or, you know, home protection or whatever it may be. But that's where it would be sitting. And I've lived in a lot of houses where that my particular a five was, was there, you know, in that spot. And, and that's just what you get, you know, what you can grab and then everything, but he talked about how everything went so fast, you know, that saying goes like a house on fire. And then you're just standing there and you're like, your underwear. barefoot, you know, and you realize that you don't have a toothbrush? Or have you know, he might have something out in your work truck or whatever. Yeah, but you got to make do and then even variably wind up living in a camper somewhere for a while and regrouping you know,

Thomas Mooney 21:38

I remember my my aunt she was moving one time, and they moved into this apartment and I don't know if it was I don't know who did it. But like it's set down a box on top of the stove. And you know, they go get they go to get more stuff at their other place. And somehow they had knocked on a burner or something like that. And so Oh, wow. time they got back. Oh, you didn't burn down the place. But yeah, it's like it's smoked everything out. Yeah.

Evan Felker 22:09

And sometimes that's almost as bad. Yeah, right. It was that was just as bad as that just keep you keep some more stuff. But you can't The house is probably not livable.

Thomas Mooney 22:17

Yeah, anymore. Yeah, they obviously couldn't live there. And then all their stuff was just ashy and burnt up. And but that was just the bad situation. But

Evan Felker 22:29

yeah, I'd wanted to write that song. I've been sitting on a lot of these ideas for years. And you get to kind of precious about them. And he kind of worried you know, I worry personally that once you use these things up, like you might not, you might not come up with another scenario. That's so real. And, and visceral is that again, so I get kind of guardian. broody about him I guess. And so it was tough really just having to put my nose down and and get them finished. Yeah. And I didn't want anybody touching them, either. You know, I wanted to write them myself. Just because I have been years messing with them. And I want you know, yeah, I want to do it. Right. And I don't want to do it my own way.

Thomas Mooney 23:11

Yeah. Do you ever think that like some of these ideas that? Are you ever worried that you may get like time may take them and make them to dated or something like that? Or that you

Evan Felker 23:20

don't know, I don't know. Like the same all my stuff that I'm writing, especially in this sort of little universe is this sort of nostalgic, you know, pre cellphone era of, of my life, that always is gonna, you know, it's always going to be classic. And I don't think that it's going to date itself. I think it's going to always feel a bit nostalgic. If you wrap it within this sort of, yeah, you know, ambiguous era that I'm writing.

Thomas Mooney 23:51

Yeah. I've never really thought about like, when, when this is all taken. Yeah.

Evan Felker 23:55

But you note me you notice what people have. They don't. Yeah, they don't. You know, they don't really talk about technology in any manner. Yeah. Yeah. No, no, no, no, I don't talk about they don't talk about you know, bare bones exists. Vehicles exist. It's post 1938 because browning shotguns exist and that's really all we know.

Thomas Mooney 24:22

Yeah. The whining stare that's like southeast Oklahoma. That's

Evan Felker 24:32

I don't know if the West Arkansas in eastern Oklahoma had the wind stare mountains which are the foothills of the Ozarks?

Thomas Mooney 24:39

Yeah, that's uh, I'm trying to think like, I don't know if that you all have done like a song that driving that much of a force. Oh, yeah. Yeah, maybe it's that was that was great. Yeah, he kind of remind me of a before the devil knows you're dead. Yeah, as far as I'm sure how. It's a blazing Yeah, that song right there, though. Look, where is that just has to be another one of those ideas that you had.

Evan Felker 25:06

That one came on really quickly about, you know, it started out kind of being these two, these two kind of have our top guys and then you know, it's always the classic You know, one guy's sort of this reformed you know, nerdy well character and the other one never reformed and and so they have a bit of a rift it was common theme and you know, movies and literature for I mean, forever, right? Yeah. And then I took into account just a setting in an area in a character a buddy of mine who got into some into some trouble and, and I just wrote about the scenario not really about him but what happened, you know? And just yeah, just kind of made up this little story about them.

Thomas Mooney 25:55

Yeah, it to me it feels like real Appalachian.

Evan Felker 25:57

Yeah. Yeah, it's got a little clawhammer banjo in there, too. That gives it a bit of bluegrass here. old timey feel.

Thomas Mooney 26:04

Yeah, we're just like, just also like in the the way you're telling the story to Sure. You're gonna listen to it. You're not just

Evan Felker 26:12

yeah. Yeah. Because it's one. You know, it's not. It's not an omnipotent narrator it's one guy. And, and he's really telling most of the story with dialogue. Yeah. Or inner dialogue, you know? Yeah. inner monologue rather. So, yeah, it clips along pretty fast. Yeah, it's trying to sum up a lot. Pretty fast. And it was it was dicey. I was wondering if it would actually land. Yeah. Story was, and I hope it does. I don't know. I haven't gotten a lot of it's not out yet. So I don't know if anybody that's what

Thomas Mooney 26:45

y'all y'all released? Like, the 15 second clip with that song? Oh, yeah. At the very beginning and then never came out? Yeah. Well, okay. Let me ask you about that. What are your thoughts on the way records are being released now? Because like, it's, it works out, you

Evan Felker 27:02

know, it seems odd or something, but you know, I wish it could just be Wait, you know, build up? Yeah, build up hop and then let it out there. But they really, they really, I mean, milk, the hop out out of it. Really? Sorry, for bad. A bad analogy. But um, I mean, it's just like it's grueling for even for me, and I can't imagine like the anticipation. Yeah, it was a record. You know, one of my favorite bands that I was really crazy about and saying, you know, and 21 years old and just eaten up with it? Yeah. Like it would be, it would kill me. I think it's, I think it's a little warm of torture it you know, and I had for the record, I had nothing to do with any of it.

Thomas Mooney 27:47

No, I mean, it's kind of the way records are all done. Although, you know, it's a standard

Evan Felker 27:51

and it works. You know, it works and people are, you know, always just saturated with content that it's nice to, to let them actually anticipate something. Yeah. Because it's a sort of, I want it now kind of culture these days. And yeah, and so it's good. To be able to do a little bit. We almost got it leaked, and got that shut down. So thanks to whoever for not not really completely leaking it, man. That's like a

Thomas Mooney 28:22

what? I guess like with the witch with each single that y'all release? The you guys get a bump in the presale? Yeah. And it probably has to be like, one of the reasons why it's done this way. I'm sure there's somebody that has an algorithm out there. Who

Evan Felker 28:38

knows? there. There's some really skilled hands behind this whole release. And I'm happy to get to work with him. But I just wish it was. I wish it was done. Yeah, I want it to be out yet. Like one more one more week, then that's the that's the rough one, right? Yeah. This is when you ever watched jaws. And he's talking about uh, the wreck of the Indianapolis and like, like, they're dealing with all the sharks eat and all their buddies and then like, when the only time he was really scared was when like, the helicopters were almost there to pick them up. And he realized that, you know, yeah, something bad was gonna happen in that. That tiny window of time. Yeah, that's how I feel. I feel like Kevin Quinn.

Thomas Mooney 29:18

Yeah, it's talking about a dated reference. That's really how many people are gonna get that one? Yeah. I can't imagine releasing a record and having a wait, you know, because like, the only thing I can even compare is like, when I write an article, and I can share this right, then send it to somebody and they can put it out within a couple hours. It's such a weird thing.

Evan Felker 29:43

Well, you know, there was a time in my career and you know, in our, our level of success that you could just play new songs at bars. You know, if you got 100 people in there, you can play them a new song and I can, I can get it, you know, yeah, I can understand it. And you just can't do that anymore. Like because people want to hear what Want to hear? So it's not like a show seems like a bad place to play too much new material. Yeah, you lose. The crowd seems to lose energy and interest.

Thomas Mooney 30:08

Well, how much? Are you able to do like a song to just get like two to three? Maybe, you know, how about like, in that time, whenever you will play some acoustic stuff in there.

Evan Felker 30:18

Yeah, you can do that that's about the best time to introduce a song because it gives it sort of a spotlight. Yeah. And I will do that on occasion. Yeah, if I've just written something, and I want to kind of test it out.

Thomas Mooney 30:31

So what do you test your songs out with just the band? Or do you just kind of like, as like, as far as the audience goes,

Evan Felker 30:39

you just see if it's too long winded or if it's just something that they're going to lose interest in or, you know, if you can sing at once, and you know that it has depth? And you can sing at once for a crown and they seem to respond then you can pretty well bet it's it's gonna be okay, you know? And then you got to trust your gut and, and I got enough guys around. that'll tell me if I'm doing something that's stupid.

Thomas Mooney 31:04

Yeah. You got a bunch of songwriting, buddy. Yeah.

Evan Felker 31:08

Yeah, so I'm no, I'm pretty well, I'm pretty well set. I'm confident.

Thomas Mooney 31:12

Yeah. Y'all recorded this down in El Paso.

Evan Felker 31:15

Yeah, we did. So yeah, we did. It's in Torneo, Texas. And then we did a the the remainder of the record that we didn't get finished in Asheville, North Carolina. And yeah, we kind of came in with very little I wrote a lot of this stuff in the recording process. And, and we recorded eight out, I mean, we do a song every day. So we play it all all day long every day. And then my three or four hours that I wasn't in the studio, I was like chugging Red Bulls and holing up somewhere and, and trying to scribble something out that was worth a damn. Yeah. And, and we caught a lot of songs from this record that we, you know, had considered putting on that just didn't, didn't go with the kind of narrative that we wanted, or didn't fit in the sort of same scene, because it all feels it feels like it has continuity to me. And this is the first time that a record of ours has felt that way.

Thomas Mooney 32:11

Yeah. There's a couple songs that really remind me of like, old school 70s countries. Yeah. Cool. Like, like something to hold on to. And like even like Oklahoma stars, they all kind of how

Evan Felker 32:24

Kevin Russell and I wrote that song. So yeah, and so I guess I only wrote three or four of myself. But I had a lot of a lot of CO writes.

Thomas Mooney 32:32

Yeah, that there's like, to me it feels very like a record that you just put on on vinyl. You know what I mean? Like that you just have it your house and you just do it on? Yeah, it was whatever. Yeah,

Evan Felker 32:45

that's the idea. You know, right that that it's a real record. Like it's like throwing on you know, moondance not to say it's as good as that but it's but it's, it feels like a record in the what in the same way that Yeah, like one of those types of records would or like, always go back to Robin. Hi, Jerry. Jeff. You know, that's my that's my favorite. Like, if if I get one record, I'm going with that one. Yeah. Because it feels it feels like a record. And that's all a lot of other people's songs. They just all kind of Yeah. fit together. Yeah.

Thomas Mooney 33:19

I think like Jerry Jeff's really interesting. Just because one I yeah, he did do a whole lot of other people's songs. And I think though, there's something about like, maybe being

Evan Felker 33:32

I don't necessarily know if I would say humble, but it's like, the the lack of a big ego, the songwriter and a big he's a big character, too. And he's this wild entertainer and in great router, endzone, in his own right. And, and then he looks at these guys and says, Hey, man, I want to do you know, and he's Yeah, this biggest Willie Nelson at this point in time. Yeah. And he's so he wants to take all the songwriting buddies with him. You know, anybody that's good. That's got something that will fit within the narrative of the record. He's he's doing it.

Thomas Mooney 34:01

Yeah, that's, I guess, like, maybe like a little bit of a not lack of an ego. But like, sure, just being where he's not the end all be all. Yeah. And then also, he had that weird. Not necessarily weird, but he started doing like, the more jazz now. Yeah, stuff. Yeah, at one point, that's something that's always fun and interesting to see these guys who started out in the 60s or 70s. And how they try to keep it fresh for them and trying to stay relevant.

Evan Felker 34:32

Yeah, they, I mean, they evolved all those guys did with long careers. They did different things. It's an evolution. You're supposed to do that. Right. Yeah. And that's the point. Yeah. You don't be playing unless you're my band, then we should stay the same. Let's get comfortable to stay right where you're not I think it happens without you know, and it's just a slower process, right?

Thomas Mooney 34:53

Yeah. I that's what it is. Yeah,

Evan Felker 34:56

I think like you're not supposed to notice it. 15 years, you would You'd probably be playing jazz playing all the wrong notes.

Thomas Mooney 35:06

Jazz records, so would like right in high be like a record that. Hypothetically if you were just gonna record a record any record Oh,

Evan Felker 35:15

yeah. First one first one record all the way through. That's the that'd be it. Yeah, that'd be the first one. And those guys that played in that band were just killers too. You know? It was. It was great.

Thomas Mooney 35:28

What, what, what is the magic for that record for you?

Evan Felker 35:31

I just think you know, that was a real band. That was Livingston and Gary P. Nunn. Fellow Oklahoman. And I can't remember the whole last guns of man, but they were just a load of really talented. fellas.

Thomas Mooney 35:48

Yeah. Livingston, he's from here. Yeah. And none. When he moved over, like they moved here. When he was young. Or like teenage age. He played in this band called the sparkles. Oh, yeah. And it's like this psych rock band. put out a few different singles single worth of, there's probably like three or four singles. I

Evan Felker 36:09

think those guys were the backing band for Michael Martin Murphy. Yeah, at one point in time. And then Jerry, Jeff went on an open forum. And then he they would that would be his backing band as well. Yeah. And eventually, I think Michael Martin Murphy went a different direction musically. And in those guys. Uh,

Thomas Mooney 36:24

yeah. Just kind of wound up sticking together. And for a lot of years, Michael Martin Murphy started getting more into the the cowboy poetry aspects stuff, you know, which is an entirely different kind of,

Evan Felker 36:37

yeah, when that stuff's good, it's really, really good. I was talking to corb, Lund, he and I went on an adventure up in Idaho, and went and packed in on mules and chased elk around. And anyway, he was talking about the cowboy poetry stuff, because he's, you know, way, way deep into that that scene. And his, his thing was, you know, it's good. It'll blow your mind. But when it's not, it's not good.

Thomas Mooney 37:05

Well, I was wondering, like, if that's the like, that's the the group of people who are maybe, like, more pretentious than other groups? I don't know. Because I don't know. I don't know. I can't comment. Yeah,

Evan Felker 37:21

I know that. Yeah. It's a lot of cool people who are skilled in a lot of different ways.

Thomas Mooney 37:28

Yeah, that's like, they all follow ramblin. JACK Elliott. Yeah, you know, it's the he's playing here, actually, really? Next door and a couple, like next month or something like that.

Evan Felker 37:39

Yeah, he's on the court was just on tour with Ian Tyson. Who is exceptionally good.

Thomas Mooney 37:46

Yeah. Yeah. The Did you did you watch that? ramblin jack Elliott documentary? I did not. No, no, let's talk about it. Can you give me a synopsis? Yeah, well, we'll skip that. Watch it though. I will, I will. I need a rainy day to watch all these documentaries. But, uh, so like, what was what was different in when y'all went in the studio this time? Like, what? What were you guys trying to do this on? That was maybe you guys try to expand on as far as

Evan Felker 38:27

sound wise, we touched on. We touched on actually being able to just sort of have things feel like alive, alive experience, so that the songs feel alive, you know, it's not too stale, calculated, you know, cut and, you know, snap to a grid thing. Yeah, that a lot of records are, you know, that's the kind of industry standard. And you can make a great sounding record doing that, but I just I don't like it. It doesn't sound like the stones are like the, you know, or like these records we're talking about, like, they they breathe, they move, you know, the tempos move, and things. Things had organic. Yeah. Yeah, what's something what's some, you know, like to save some life to it. And so we wanted to, you know, obviously pursue that. And, and we did last record, we really tried to do it to the best of our abilities and Ryan's just, Brian, he just, he's great at it. He takes a lot of work and, and, I mean, I'm not saying we did everything. You know, 100% I wouldn't just us playing in room like, we did overdubs and yeah, and overdubs on top, you know, and, but I mean, it was, it was fairly organic, but it's about as organic as you can get in sort of the day and age we live in now.

Thomas Mooney 39:48

Yeah. Yeah. You mentioned I guess, like cutting songs off this record. Yeah, I'd like the first time I had done this, like or done that.

Evan Felker 39:57

You know, like we didn't we didn't record them. Yeah. So I mean, They got cut before they before they hit the, you know, hit hit tape.

Thomas Mooney 40:04

Yeah. See, that's a real bootleg right there. Yeah, I'll

record this.

Evan Felker 40:08

Oh, yeah, that's Yeah, you know, that's neat. And I thought about going back in and doing another studio day and doing some acoustic versions of this stuff and we just got busy and do you know Yeah, I don't know how much that helps or doesn't help. I mean, I don't know. Yeah, I don't know. People gonna be that jazzed about that or not. Yeah, I guess I would be but might be their favorite version of it. Yeah, well, that's the

Thomas Mooney 40:35

thing like that's what makes Dylan relevant still is like he's had 16 bootlegs Oh, yeah. material and I don't know if people would have bought them then when he was doing them but way down the road. How long? The studio were y'all here for?

Evan Felker 40:53

It felt like no majority of my life, but I think right around 40 days, which is a long time. Shoot, yeah, we got it. Yeah, people don't want to listen to a soundcheck. Nobody wants to listen to soundcheck the guys out there soundcheck and don't want to listen to soundcheck. Yeah.

Thomas Mooney 41:11

It soundcheck like the boring part of other than like, Yeah,

Evan Felker 41:15

it's great. It's a great time to work up songs. And when you have new gear, it's nice to check it all out. But once everything's set it's a it's an exercise in futility. Yeah, to me. But a lot of people would probably argue vehemently that vehemently that I'm lazy.

Thomas Mooney 41:36

I don't know I've obviously never done either. Yeah, so it just to me like anytime I've ever been worse already sound checking you just feels like I don't know. Just a I don't know. Just a bunch of nibbling around. Yeah, that's what you're hearing idling what I don't what i what i would say would probably be the worst is like whenever, because obviously they he goes around kind of you know? And when this dude's trying to do something, oh, yeah. And now that some other dude is like over here, like,

Evan Felker 42:11

yeah, it's a circus circus up there. Those guys aren't we, you get a bunch of, you know, hung over 30 somethings or 20, you know, 20 somethings on the stage, who want to be musicians that you know and play in honky tonks and stuff? Like they don't pay attention to a lot of like, they're not. They're not exactly like Marines, you know, like, the kind of this goober and around out there. Yeah. So you have a lot of confusion and a lot of just playing over each other. But yeah, but not really. I mean, once you get once you get over the hump and start paying attention, and it's okay. I mean, yeah, it's necessary in some places when it is it's fine to do it. Just not necessary today.

Thomas Mooney 42:50

Yeah. Well, look what you guys are playing on these big shows now, where it feels like it's so much of a well oiled machine driving in playing driving out. Yeah. Do you miss playing like these like, like, playing like, it's

Evan Felker 43:05

just that, you know, I know that we can't really play them anymore. And you know what, here's another thing, like, I get to go play the UK. And it's like, starting all over again, you know, and are good to go, you know, play the most places in the US. We're doing pretty good now, but there are a lot of places in the southeast that we're playing. You know, blue lot size venues. Yeah. And not well, all over like California and stuff, too. So you get you get enough of it to keep you going. Yeah, I mean, it's not not everything's just like a stadium show, you know?

Thomas Mooney 43:38

Yeah. But it feels like y'all have really invested the time outside of the Oklahoma, Texas scene. Yeah, we never make you want to

Evan Felker 43:49

play all over the US or all over the world if we want, you know, yeah. But yeah, we never really got too hung up on. Yeah. Because you, you'll run into this thing, where, as soon as the band starts to make a little bit of money, or you know, has some success in an area. They don't want to leave. Yeah, because it works, you know, and all you're doing is kind of crippling yourself, because just because you got that one place going. Doesn't mean every play should be like that. You're just gonna have to keep plugging away. Yeah, and eventually things will start working your way but it's, it takes years and years. And it's still a roller coaster, you know? Yeah, that's I'm 1011 years in this band. And I still get some curveballs that I did not expect you know,

Thomas Mooney 44:30

yeah. Cuz I always think that like, as good of the, of an incubator, Texas, Oklahoma. Oh, sure. is it's great. It's there's so many bands who end up just getting stagnant in it and never really going out. And then, you know, they're, I guess like, they just plateau in a way or like,

Evan Felker 44:54

yeah, like they can, you know, and a lot of bands do. They do really well. And Making a really great living and are just sometimes not as well received in other places. And yeah, I just see it as, you know, an exercise in futility. Yeah. Or like, you know, or they try it forever. You just don't hear about it.

Thomas Mooney 45:14

Yeah, you know what I mean? Like, I think like y'all have, if I was like doing a band or something like that, and that's, I feel like y'all is y'all getting out into California? Really, like getting into, like, American aquarium really plays? Yeah, they play all over the US, you know, and that's I think that's what you have to kind of do. You have to, to, yeah, have to at least attempt to go out in these places multiple times. You can't just go the first time and say, well, we all these shows sucked. Yeah. But yeah, and you get that you get kicked in the gut every once in a while. But part of it Yeah. Kind of the tone of the record right. kicked in the gut. Suck it up. Yeah. Well, you want to play a song.

Evan Felker 46:11

Oh, yeah, sure. All right. Shake it up again. It would make that go. better sit here in my chair.

Got a mental Ram. When it comes back around? That's heaven. No, no. To the brand what you love Really? Are you cracking jokes with the common folk? Are you 70 the world

laugh travel. Buddy gua laggy man's in the head is the campus Canva you had to go it's called last call. Movie getting ready. Have you found anything that you wanted in the place? cracking jokes with the common folk. Now you're serving to the live chat mad to me shaking up and down No. Need neither neon. Known anybody is that bad damsel? Yeah, it's all gone. pick up the pieces and we try to carry out cracking jokes with common folk. No, you certainly will. And night man nobody quite lucky you. Me meant to be no cost in nursing. You live in a no limit.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai