074: Adam Hood
Episode 074, I'm joined by Adam Hood. We talk about his latest album, Somewhere in Between, bridging the gap between his native Alabama and Texas, co-writing, and songwriting.
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
Everyone, Welcome to New slang. I'm your host Thomas Mooney. This is episode number 74. And this week I'm joined by Alabama singer songwriter Adam hood. He was in town a few weeks back, playing a show here in Lubbock and graciously took a little time to come and do this interview with me. We set in the back patio at blue light, and for about an hour, I guess and just kind of had a conversation about music, which, since we did sit outside in the back patio, there was a little bit of a buzz of a transformer that's kind of out in the alleyway. Hope that doesn't bother you too much. I've always dug at him songwriting style, I've often characterize it characterized it as being down home country, you know, just kind of like a back porch or front porch picking style, just really loose and organic. His latest album somewhere in between is really no different. It's really earthy and rootsy and they recorded it in just a few days. So that really added so much to the to the album's mood and tone. his songwriting his lyricism really goes hand in hand with those Sonic tones to there's a relaxed and calming effect to it all. You kind of just like fall into the, the groove of the song and just go along with it. In a lot of ways, you know, I can't compare Adam to like an old school pickup truck. You know, the kind of have like bench seats in it and stuff. You know, like my first truck was a two toned Dodge Dakota, it was like a 1989. And it was an old shop pickup truck that my dad had. It was, I guess it was like dark blue and gray. It was just really, really loud. There's like no sneaking comb in that thing. Anyways, I don't know where like, where I'm really going with that. But I guess like it really had a real comfort level to it. And Adam songwriting really falls in line in the same kind of comfort. Yeah, I guess like, you know, there's a little bit of nostalgia to it. I guess like Adams nostalgia is always for like, you know, small towns and earnest relationships and, and just easy living, you know. So he was Yeah, I mean, Adam, we mainly talk about somewhere in between. Nick came out last year. I don't know if I mentioned that, too. Really, really excellent album. We talked about the making of the album and the songwriting of it and writing with contemporaries like Brent Cobb and Jason Ed, and when Clark green and we talk a little bit about Adam coming out of Alabama, his first shows in Texas and breaking into this market, if you will. Willis Allen Ramsey, who is obviously one of the most underrated but cherished singer songwriters to ever come out of Alabama and in Texas. Yeah, you know, working with Dave Cobb some. And yeah, anyways, it was a lot of fun. Also, this is probably a little bit more for Lubbock listeners. As I mentioned in the first few minutes. Adam hadn't played here in Lubbock for probably about 18 months or something like that. But he's playing like twice and have just in a short amount of time. Obviously the first time was when we did this interview, but he'll be back in town Saturday, June 29. That's next Saturday. He's playing the blue light. Yeah, so be ready for that. Saturday, June 29. Blue Light, you will want to go see Adam hood. So yeah, if this is your first time coming across New slang, I'd encourage you to hit the subscribe button. Give the podcast a five star review on iTunes. Write a little review. recommend it to your friends and family and co workers and anyone who likes music conversations. Also, one more thing before I go here, I caught up with Bruce Robison the other day for Texas Monthly. Bruce and Kelly have a new album out tomorrow called beautiful lie. Me and Bruce we spoke at length about the making of beautiful lie, and the next waltz and wrapped since wrapped was reissued earlier this year.
Yeah, there's also a incredible music video that premiered on Texas Monthly for the song Astrodome. If you haven't watched that, go watch it. It's really really awesome. Go follow me on social media. Especially if you want to, you know catch up or keep up with any of these articles or interviews that I do. On Twitter. It's at underscore new slang. That's the same thing on Instagram On Facebook. Just search for new slang and it'll be really the first one there. Give it a like a follow whatever the case is. Yeah. Okay, enough of all this intro stuff. Let's get on to the conversation with Adam.
So no, it's been like since I feel like it's been a minute since you've been up here.
Adam Hood 5:28
I want to say, well, we that I was talking about this with the band. I know it's been a while since we've played the blue light. We played the office a couple of times. And in fact, we opened for the motorcars at the office a couple of years ago. And then the last show that we did, we actually open for even more, which was really cool. You know, and Ian, so you live in an Alabama it took a while to kind of get get Texas music over here. But I saw Ian open up for like, scanners in Birmingham. This was 93. So I was a I was an even more fan. Before I was a you know a ragweed fan or a pet jacking or fan and stuff like that. Well, that's not true, jack, I guess jack was kind of coming over to Alabama. Anyway, so. But um, so it was really cool to open for Ian here, you know. And so. So yeah, but it's been a while. I know. It's been a while since we've been over here. So yeah,
Thomas Mooney 6:27
I noticed that you're playing here like in about a month or two? Yeah. Getting big round coming up in June. Yeah. So it's one of those at least you're making them up at least. That's right. Coming through fast now. Right. You released that record last year. And it was one of my favorite records of the year. Thank you. Thank you. What I love so much about it was, I guess like, reading about it, you guys were just in the studio for just a short amount of time. And he kind of you guys captured that. Not necessarily looseness like in a bad way. But like kind of a looseness in a good way just kept that downhome kind of feel to
Adam Hood 7:09
Yeah, just keeping it organic. You know, and I you know, I think that was that was the plan. And I knew I could make that with Oren Oren Thornton is the guy that produced it. And so I'm I'm sure you read it. I've said this a bunch of Oren and I. So I was I was I had a publishing deal with Carnival music for about seven years. And so, you know, one of my obligations in the publishing deal is I have to have a certain amount of songs demoed. And so every three months, we would go in and we would we would demo a half a dozen songs. And so in doing that, Oren was the guy that always engineered it. And so he would engineer the band sessions. And then the next day, he and I would go in and do the vocals and I would play guitar just be the two of us and stuff like that. And so, so we made a lot of records together. I mean, if you think about if we, you know, if I demoed, you know, if I demoed probably what 20 songs a year, we, you know, we made a number of records together. And so it took a while to get the timing right for order not to be able to work together. But once we were able to, we were off to the races, you know what I mean? We just, we've been friends long enough to where, you know, we could communicate really easily without having to ask a lot of questions. And we really didn't need a whole lot of communication anyway. I mean, I sit in the songs, he said, the sound great, here's, here's what I want to do. Perfect. That's what I want to do, too. And we knocked it out in two days, you know, and so I mean, but that's the thing. I mean, the the plan was also just because of the fact that we're, you know, I'm a three piece, I just have a hard time going in and reproducing the full production studio stuff, right? Live, and I knew it was missing. And, you know, nobody ever said anything to me about it. You know what I mean? Nobody ever said, Oh, well, you know, there's no pedals to part when you play, you know. So, it, it wasn't a problem for me, you know, it wasn't a problem for anybody else. But it was just stuff that I knew, I knew we were kind of dropping the ball when it came to that. And so I just, instead of hiring three more people all the time, I just decided to scale back the record. And, and I like it that way. You know, I think it like you said, I feel like it was a lot more organic, and certainly a lot more true to form. I think this record represents me as good as anything has.
Thomas Mooney 9:25
Yeah. I always love asking this question about whenever you're making a record, because a lot of guys from Texas, especially coming up, you know, you get 10 songs, you're like, oh, time to make a record. But like, usually, you know, the more songs The more you do this kind of thing, where if you're over natural, and you're in that kind of where you're writing more songs, yeah. How many songs Did you have that you just started dwindling down into? We're doing this as the record.
Adam Hood 9:57
We'll see what they I've always got back catalog. I mean, so, you know, I've got, I've still got a pile of songs to choose from, from back then. And in fact, you know, that's kind of it's strange how it works that way, but like, you know, heart of a queen, which was really, that's the first song on this record. I wrote that song with bandana her a long time ago, you know. And so, it usually for me, like with this with these records, I write a song or two, and go, Oh, these are really good time to make a record. And so it'll only take two, okay, then I start kind of working around it. So instead of having 10 songs, let's make a record. I go, Well, I've got two songs, just piecing it together, and say, Okay, well, you know, here's, here's what we need. Let's write for it. And, you know, if we, if we need it, and we can't write for an hour, I'll start digging around for other stuff. So you know, it's it. That's kind of how it works.
Thomas Mooney 10:48
Is that is the is that like, the oldest song? on the record?
Adam Hood 10:52
I think so. I think so. Which is a pretty good mix of older stuff and new stuff. So and the Welcome to the big world was kind of like that to add, that were in fact, I just was just out of my Carnival deal. And so there were there were deals there were it was like kind of split in half. There were half the songs were under that publishing house, half of them were, were just do my own publishing. This is kind of like that, too. Yeah. Yeah. So I kind of like said, You know, I see, I see where the holes are, and try to write to fill fill those in if I don't have those songs already.
Thomas Mooney 11:27
Yeah. Yeah. Been. He's been really killing it lately. I'm so glad to hear it. And you know,
Unknown Speaker 11:33
how long have you known been?
Adam Hood 11:35
I've known him a long time. But we, we met when he before he moved to Nashville, and we were friends before we moved to Nashville, but we wrote a lot. When, and, you know, it's one of those things where, you know, you sort of he, you see each other kind of sick quickly, really, you know, and so we would go for about a year or two and not not get to write, and then you know, write one day and get two or three songs done. So, but yeah, I've known him for a long time. He's a good friend. In fact, I'll see him. I think we're right next week. Yeah. And he's doing great, man. I mean, I've just always thought he was such a talented guy. And I'm really glad to see that. That people are starting to catch on to that too, you know,
Thomas Mooney 12:18
yeah. I had met him through my buddy Ross Cooper. Yeah. Who Ross had moved up to Nashville and went up there. And that's how I met Ben. Yeah, I guess they were roommates. Right. I'm not sure if they were at one point. But that's a how I met him was through him. And Ross is always telling me, Ben Ben's like, best songwriter? I know. Yeah. And, you know, you'd try and look for why is it? What is it? What is the new record out? I guess, the year before that new one came out. We were talking me and Ben. And he had said, You know, I think we're gonna get out in September. And I felt like it was so far away or something. And I was just like I said, I think it was I think it came out in September. But so it was like gets and then all of a sudden, you know, turn to the page. And it's, it's out and yeah, like, yeah, it's off to the races. Yeah. I'm so glad that he's starting to get some notoriety other than just, you know, songwriters and journalists.
Adam Hood 13:19
Right. Right. I know. Well, and that's, I mean, he just, you know, just like you said, He's just a really uniquely talented person, you know, and I mean, everybody that I know that's ever heard him is just in love with his stuff, you know, so,
Thomas Mooney 13:31
yeah, that, uh, probably my favorite song on that record of yours is downturn. Thank you. Yeah. You wrote that with Jason Right. Yeah. Yeah. What's, what's a little bit the story about that song? Um,
Adam Hood 13:43
I mean, as far as like, you know, I think the context of the story is probably self explanatory. Really, you know, it's kind of just the rigors of being a husband and a father and a touring musician and stuff like that. And that's from from both of our perspectives. But we, we started the song, we played that that state line barbecue and El Paso. And so after the show, we just kind of sat around and started working on the tune. Jason said, Hey, man, I got this idea for the song. And so we got like, about the first half of it down. And then about three weeks went by, and I was just looking through my phone, and I realized, oh, man, we didn't finish writing the song. So I finished some stuff up, and I sent it back to him. And we just kind of went back and forth with the, with the editing on it. And that's, that's really it, but that's kind of how it works with Jason that a lot. I mean, we really for the for the songs we've written, we haven't really spent a lot of time in a room together, coming up with stuff, which is good. I like it that way. You know, I like I like the fact that you can send me something on Wednesday, or I can do so do the same and a week can go by and you know, gives you kind of time to chew on things instead of, let's get here at 10. We got to be done about two right now. It's just that's that's not how creative If it really works, you know,
Thomas Mooney 15:01
yeah, you got it. It's always I think, like, it's one of those things where it's always in the back of your head, you can totally doing the dishes and doing yard work and it be working on that song in that downtime, yeah. or driving or whatever. And
Adam Hood 15:18
that's always the times when you don't have the time to sit down and write it. Absolutely. I mean, I agree, that's, I feel the same way, I've kind of written a lot of songs like that, where I'll be in the middle of doing something, and I'll have to stop what I'm doing to go ahead and get, you know, write this down or sing this in my phone. You know, it's cool like that. That's kind of when you realize that you're a vessel, you know, that this, somebody else is handling this stuff,
Thomas Mooney 15:43
you know, that line? Running in circles is better than thinking and saying, Yes, such a good line. It's one of my, that's it's one of those lines where, you know, that's, that's one of the songs are the lines that I remember from last year? And I'll probably like, think of like, that was one. That's a great line that's just fixed out so much. I don't know, it's, it's really good.
Adam Hood 16:09
I feel the same way to be honest with you. I'm kind of proud of that one. Yeah. And so that's, that's a 40 year olds wisdom.
Thomas Mooney 16:15
Do you have the, how many of those moments do you have? Have the, you know, written down something and you go like, Oh, that's
Adam Hood 16:26
man, not many. I'd love to say I had more, but I don't I don't have many. And that's that's kind of why they're so special to me. In fact, there's, I remember that was, I keep talking about carnival. But when I was there's, there's a wall that Carnival and they were they were quotes from your songs. And so they were like, you know, ironically, they gave us the responsibility picking out our own wisdom, which is, which is really ironic. And so, so they will like pick out a song and I said, Well, how about this line? Nah, Nah, I don't like that. Well, how about this language? Nah, Nah, that's not any good. And so, you know, the whole time I was there, I never wrote anything on that wall. Because I kind of never had anything that was prophetic enough. To me, it was more pathetic enough to get go on the wall. And so you know, it's really rare. But that's one of those lines where I would say, okay, I'd put that on any wall.
Thomas Mooney 17:17
Yeah. Well, I was because I think sometimes, you know, you can write something, and be really excited about it and be brutal. This is, this is something really cool. Like that next day, wake up and go, just like, just not be as excited about it. So I don't know if that's, I don't know, if you had a whole bunch. If you had a little bit of that.
Adam Hood 17:40
You know, I wonder if I feel like that that's almost a common occurrence for every rider, that you that you get equally as uninterested in a song, the day after, as you are interested in it. I mean, because it happens to everybody. I mean, I don't know one person that doesn't wake up in the morning and go, Ah, this sucks, you know, and then, but at the same time, a month later, you know, I'll go back to it and go, Oh, well, it's way better than I thought it was. And so, it just goes to show you, I mean, you know, the, in the whole, you know, when I was trying to get comfortable with being creative, and the books that I read, everybody would always just the biggest advice they would always give is just, you know, finish the project, just go ahead. And, you know, don't don't criticize yourself too early, just finish it, and then still don't criticize it just, you know, take the emotion out of it. And, and sort of say, Okay, what do I like about this? What don't I like about this instead of, you know, because everything sucks for a little while, you know what I mean? So you can kind of remove yourself from it, and then then you can get a little bit more objective opinion on it. And then you can start to revise things, you know, so, I mean, yeah, it seems to happen it to everybody. And I'm glad it does, because that way it sort of, it gives you that's how you kind of, you know, chisel away at your efforts. And you know, right work. So
Thomas Mooney 19:04
I've had a couple of chances to be in the room, his songs have been that kind of cool. And one of the things I guess I've noticed is that you have to like, a lot of these people there, they give the themselves a chance to say something dumb, just because like you sometimes have to get, you know what I mean? Like, especially if you're in a co right? You can be afraid or intimidated by that other person and not any fault to their own the other person, you know what I'm saying? Just but sometimes you can you just have to allow yourself to say something dumb, just because maybe it's actually
Adam Hood 19:41
leveling the playing field. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And the stupid stuffs not so stupid sometimes. Yeah, there's way stupid or things that people say, oh, but you're right. You're right. I mean, and that's the cool thing. You know, it. It's sort of that's how your that's how your writing relationships are built, like the people that you're comfortable. enough to just throw anything out there are really the people that I mean, for me, those are the guys that I ride with the most the guys that that I'm okay with saying, I don't like that, and I'm okay with them saying to me, Nah, that's not good. And you know what I mean? Because like, I've written with people a few times that you just, you're not going to talk them out of any lines, whatever comes out of my mouth is going to go in the song. And, you know, that's, that's a, that's a pretty aggressive attack. But it but there's, there's guys that are like that, you know, and granted, I mean, you know, some of them are locked up for good reason. Some some, you know, there are guys that just have men that just got a knack for it. You know, I mean, I wrote, I wrote once with a guy named Jeffrey Steele. And Jeffrey was just, I mean, chart topping hits for a long time. And I wrote with him once, and I thought, Man, you know, there's, there's a real reason why somebody like him, has the career that he has, just because of the fact that like, there were just places that he could, he would put adjectives and just, you know, the two three letter words in places that I'd have never thought to put them. And it's, it's, it's just brilliant subtlety, you know, and just the simplicity with the language. And so, you know, there's some people that have a knack for that, and those guys kind of deserve to just write it down. But yeah, yeah, I know what you're saying. That's what I'm playing a lot to say a little.
Thomas Mooney 21:26
Yeah. Well, you know, you do write with a bunch of people. And you're talking about these relationships, and how often do you have the, you know, you come up with an idea and you go, like, Oh, this is something I want to write with? Whoever? Or do you not even really think about it like that. You just can't. Yeah,
Adam Hood 21:42
I have my guys. Yeah. So Pat McLaughlin's, probably my number one guy Pat is. Man, I've written with him for a long time. And he's just kind of a mentor and a hero of mine. And I mean, the last I mean, we wrote, he wrote, we wrote the Tennessee will, together, we wrote way too long together, trying to write a love song. On this record, we wrote, we wrote, shoot, I can't remember we wrote a bunch of, we wrote the easy way. And Confederate rows, and like four or five, at least four or five, like half my record, half of the last three or four records out made are written with Pat. And so I try to save a lot for Pat. Yeah, and you know it. But the good thing is, I don't have to really spend a lot of time saving things. For him. It's almost like, you know, the times when we're together. Those are the times when I'm almost the most creative, like that day is the day when it really comes to me the quickest. And so I have, I have Pat and, and Ed is one of them. And then hers one, and, and will hug and I have a pretty good relationship. We don't really write up all that much together. But it's one of those things where the few times that he and I have written together, we've gotten something that but you know, he's recorded a couple of them, and I've done the same so. So yeah, I mean, I've got those guys for sure. Yeah, excuse
Thomas Mooney 23:05
me, one of my favorite songs on that new record, too. Is that real small town? Yeah, I really love just the I don't know, it feels like, I'm from a small town. And you can, it's weird, because it's one of those things where, on some side of it, it can be just like, in a little bit of a way, like a cliche of like every small town, but also at the same time, those cliches ring true because it's a try it. That's the reason it's kind of a concern. Yeah. normalcy of, of, of small town law.
Adam Hood 23:41
That's right. And I you know, it's funny that we were talking about that, just because I wrote that with we will grain. And so he said, You know, I think the whole time that he and I were writing, I think he was kind of second guessing it because he was he cute? He would kind of go back he was this good? Is this good? Not say yeah, man, this is great. Don't you know, let's not even worry about it. But because I just I knew it was I knew it was a great song. And so the you know, it was nice to sort of, you know, we wrote it, we finished up our day, we had a good day, and we just kind of both went on about our business. And I was in the studio recording it. And I sent him a little video and he said, Man, he said, Will you send me this track? And so as soon as we were done, I sent it to him. And I could tell it really, that the song came to life in the recording of it in a way that he didn't really hear it when we were writing it and I know how that is, you know, and but it was, it was nice that I caught that because that way I'm glad it made it on my record. Right, you know, but but it's the same kind of thing. It's just, you know, it just goes to show you that it's it's easy to second guess yourself. But, you know, stuff like that. It's timeless, you know? Yeah, and I'm glad I'm glad you like that song. I like it too. We're actually we're working on a video for it right now. So
Thomas Mooney 24:53
yeah, yeah, I think it's just like it's it's kind of has the In a little bit of a way, I know like maybe not sonically, but it kind of kind of kind of reminds me of Mellencamp and a little bit that just heartland rock kind of totally just
Adam Hood 25:12
well, Mellencamp was a voice for those people, you know what I mean? It's an acid, those people I mean, you know, it's like you said, everybody that comes from a small town, it's kind of like Springsteen was, you know, he was a voice for the, you know, the jersey community and stuff. And every, every, every community and kind of demographic needs a voice, you know, and so, and that's kind of, you know, that demographics kind of where I come from, you know, right, mid 40, small town, Alabama guy, I mean, this is, this is the stuff that I know, and this is the stuff that I can write about.
Thomas Mooney 25:43
Yeah, a lot of people they talked about the whole, you know, Springsteen and the New Jersey, and the obviously, he romanticize that area so much. Yeah, that, you know, I've heard a bunch of people say, like, you know, I've gone up there expecting it to be Springsteen's New Jersey, and it's, you know, it's far from it. Yeah, kind of thing. But that's what's kind of incredible about somebody's career like that, yeah, they can just kind of take an area and create it into something. I don't know, it's weird, because he does romanticize it, but also, at the same time, can break it down into like, an even grime year photograph of
Adam Hood 26:27
what it is. Well, and not only that, I mean, people from the other side of the country can can they love it as well, you know, what I mean, his, his, his picture that he paints of it is, is is, is painted so well that the world loves it, you know, and that's, that's even cooler, you know, because usually, you can sing about stuff. That's, that's, that's, you know, the things that are important to you. And really, the only people that you're going to appeal to are people that that's important too, as well. And so that alienates other people, and in a case like that, it's nice, it kind of gives me hope, you know, because I mean, I sing about my kids and stuff like that, you know, and I try not to fall I try to be clever about it, you know what I mean? But it's, I mean, most of all, my songs are either about my wife or my kids really, to be honest. So, but, you know, oh, that may last about 20 minutes. Oh, yeah. So, so, but I understand that there's a lot of people that don't have kids, you know, and so how do I make it especially in a bar, you know, what I mean, especially when, like, we're talking about 20 to 25 year old, that's the last thing these people are want to think about as children, you know, so how do I take my music and the songs about my kids and make it appealing to them? And, and, you know, so I understand the challenge and the struggle, and it's cool, and it gives me hope to see that payoff. Right people, you know, so
Thomas Mooney 27:58
have you heard the new Springsteen, I have not got a I guess he announced a new record. He released the song, I'm blanking on the song name, but it's, it's up there with some of his best work nice. So check it out. When you I will? Yeah, yeah, I've got a lot of driving to do at home. So I've been, I've been kind of, I think, like most people, probably last couple of Springsteen records are kind of so so but I feel like this is kind of a return to at Springsteen. That's cool. I'm excited. We'll see what happens. Yeah. You know, one of the things on this new record, too, is you do that cut of Willis, Allen Ramsey. You've been playing that song for a long,
Adam Hood 28:39
long time. What what made it What made you decide like, this is the time to do it cut of it. I've been trying to put it on a record for a long time, too, you know, and honestly, it's one of those things where it took me a number of years to work up the nerve. And then after I finally got the nerve, and sort of understood how to go about asking for permission. I finally did. And once I did, it took it took a number of years after that, I mean, because I felt like I started asking around the shape of things. And so, but um, it was, I don't think I actually talked to Willis until after Welcome to the big world was out. And so yeah, and I was still, you know, I was still pretty, pretty apprehensive about, about putting it on the record. Because, you know, I know, I know that he hadn't recorded this song. And in talking to his wife and his manager, and you know, before he and I had had the conversation, I knew that he was interested, you know, that he was going to record it, you know what I mean? And so and they were, I think his manager was was pretty inquisitive about about, you know, why did you find this? You know what I mean? And so, so, you know, I tried to handle it as as graciously and humbly as I possibly could, you know, and so I mean, really, you know, it was it was a phone call and a voicemail was really the only permission that I have. And I said, well, hell with it, man, I'm just doing this. And so and so we did. And yeah, it's so far so good. I think you know, I mean, he's the conversations that we've had I know he likes the song and, and approves and that's this, you know, this is the first time I've ever recorded a song that I didn't write ever, you know, and a lot of people do that. And it's I mean, it's really not a stance that I take. I just there are plenty of people songs that I would record, but none of them are songs that I would do better than them. You understand what I'm saying? And then I have you know, what, why would I do this on that I'm really probably not going to pull off all that. Well, when I have this song of mine that nobody's recorded that I know, I can pull this one out. Yeah. And so by you grow has really been the only one that I mean, I've had years to sort of, maybe really nail this one down. Yeah. And so, so yeah. And so I wanted, I wanted to handle it, like I said, with just as much humility as I possibly can. And I mean, I mean, I love the recording of it. I think we, I think we did it. We did it way different. Not way different. But but it was separate enough from how I heard it, to make it mine, but still really let the song shine. And that's that's what it you know, it's it should be that.
Thomas Mooney 31:22
Yeah. How did you first hear it? What was your
Adam Hood 31:24
I had a so when I started coming up, we started coming over Texas in 2004. And I had a Justin Johnson, the guy that that was traveling with me at the time, his buddy Greg Staggs had given him a cassette tape. I'm sorry, it was Yeah, was it was it was a CD by this time we were in the CDs. So it was a CD of Wilson's record. And then a couple extra songs that were recorded at the cactus cafe. And that was pulled off alarm wire. So this was back in those days, this was the Napster days, so and so like it had that song, and it had, you know, it just a few different tunes. Like probably, like I said, it was the record, and then three or four extras from the cactus cafe show. And that's where I heard it. And it was Jeff pike at horn and Roscoe Beck played on it. And so it was just the three of them, you know, and it was really cool, man. I mean, like I said, I heard it, and I just thought this is the best song I've ever heard in my life. And still kind of feel that way. You know,
Thomas Mooney 32:21
yeah. That, uh, that record of is, is such a, it feels like, if you're talking with somebody who knows about music, it's, you know, it's an iconic red unicorn or something. Yeah. But it also feels like something that's not seen by the public. It's largely unknown. Yeah. And I'm waiting to see if, if we'll get like a resurgence, you know, out of that record, cuz like Terry Allen, he, I guess, like, he's from here. Yeah. And he put out lovick on everything back in 79. And it was reissued a couple years ago. And yeah, so now it's just he got a couple of records reissued. And it just kind of, he's playing a whole lot more shows now. And he's cutting the record in, I guess, this month, a new one. And it just feels like he's got a resurgence. And yeah, put some wind in his sails. And I wonder if like, that's, I know, we're supposed to have something coming out.
Adam Hood 33:18
But yeah, and the cool thing is, you know, it's funny you say that, because when, when when I heard that song, and you know, and first started coming over here, I noticed it Willis wasn't playing at all, I mean, at all. And I guess a lot of it had to do with the fact that I guess they were living in Colorado or something like that. But now I feel like that. Yes, kind of the same thing. Like, you know, we've seen him more, and he's played shows more. And, you know, you'd like to think that that's going to be leading up to you know, putting out more material. Yeah, you know, because, I mean, I think yeah, I think he an interior are good examples of the fact that like, he just, you know, they're so creative, that I know, they're misunderstood by a lot of people, but they're so beloved. And so you know what I mean? That just is just the kind of stuff that like the world needs versus guys, you know, yeah, just for the sake of being, you know, music is really, really commercialized these days. Yeah. And we don't, there's no there's no balance on that, you know, what I mean? Like, it's, it's either really commercialized or you just don't hear it at all right. And so, I'd like to see the creative stuff. Yeah, a little bit more out there too, to kind of keep a little bow
Thomas Mooney 34:31
that's, that's a great, I'm just thinking about the, the unicorn thing because that's what it is like a unicorn you know, it's considered like a Texas record, but then it does have a very southern swampy ness to it. That does not feel like there's it's very rare that you hear something like that in Texas
Adam Hood 34:51
with Terry stuff, you know, like it's all piano driven. You know what I mean? And it's really funny how like some like just just a simple different Like that just, you know, someone that's a piano player as opposed to a guitar player. Same thing with like, you know, when I mean it's no mistake that Delbert and glance records were are the things that kind of drive my style, you know. And that was the thing that made those those records so cool is because, you know, one of the, you know, there's a harmonica player and a piano player at the helm of this stuff. And so it just, it creates this feel that's just totally unique. You know what I mean? And so it's, it's a breath of fresh air, really, you know, because I mean, I'm a guitar player, man, I love guitar playing stuff I love. I mean, my records are guitar driven records. But I also really appreciate records like that, that are piano driven record. You know what I mean? So it's, it's nice to have that difference there.
Thomas Mooney 35:46
Yeah. A couple years back, Terry. I guess it was, I think it was on the 35 year anniversary. Terry played Lubbock on everything. All together at Tech. Yeah, that's like all the all like Lord man's in the man's brothers. Like anyone who's played on the record was basically there. Yeah. And Delbert was there to him and Robert row Kane. And I guess like, I had heard a story from Terry that Delbert had, I guess it heard luck on everything and was wanting to do like, I guess, like he had heard the songs. I don't know. The story necessarily. I'm probably messing this up. But he's talking about how I guess he had heard Terry's, like, the demos before the record came out or maybe like, right before, when it came out, and it wasn't obviously doing that. Well. Yeah. It wasn't like a major hit or anything, obviously, when it came out, and was like, wanting to cut the record himself. Oh, wow. This record I love this record. Yes. So nobody's heard this. Yeah, yeah. And I don't know. It's a Dilbert he fucking loves love and everything. But yeah,
Adam Hood 36:58
it's it's it was talking about suiting somebody's style. You know, that's that. I could I could really see that. Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 37:06
I've also liked the maybe listen to a Robert osis. New Texas piano man. Oh,
Adam Hood 37:11
I haven't. You need to check that out. See, I don't know that much about Robert. I mean, I've heard his name just you know, through like, just the stuff he's done with I guess what he and Johnny Fritz have a band or they did like a thing or Yeah,
Thomas Mooney 37:22
but that's that's really it. I need to listen to that record is just as the title eludes Texas piano man. Yeah. So it's all piano driven. And it's it's cool. It's it's something different. Yeah. So back on Willis, though, I feel like it feels like there's there should be like a tribute record already of that record. Or like, you know, something? I don't know. Because like, cuz, yeah. And I've heard like, he's supposed to have a, you know, an EP or out or a record coming out. But of course he would. They've been saying that for a long, long time. Yeah. But I've also heard No, No, I'm serious like this this coming year. kind of deal. Yeah. So I don't know like
Adam Hood 38:09
we were probably hearing from from probably the same circles of these are reliable sources. You know what I mean? Like these guys are, you know, the people that were are saying this or not? I didn't they're not
Thomas Mooney 38:18
idiots. You know what I mean? He didn't see it like scribbled on the bathroom wall or so.
Adam Hood 38:20
These are guys that hang out with these people? Yeah, they're reliable sources. But I don't know I'd like to. And maybe that's why the tribute stuff hadn't been done. Because there's only one record to pay tribute to. Boy, you better not screw that up. You know? I mean, if you're gonna do it, you better do that when
Thomas Mooney 38:37
you get like five people to play each song. And then pick from there. I don't know. Yeah. That's funny. That's a great record, though. Yeah, it is. I have a buddy who, anytime you'd see a copy of it on vinyl, he would buy it no matter the price, no matter because if he was just like, I can always just give it away to a buddy who needs it.
Adam Hood 38:57
Yeah. You know, it's almost like a Texas country wide album. You know what I mean? Like, you know, if you're, if you're around here, and you're musician, and you don't have that in your record collection, you better go by it. You know what I mean? It's kind of that's where your sweat your your salt is, you know,
Thomas Mooney 39:11
yeah. It's such a great record. Yeah.
Unknown Speaker 39:13
I'm
Thomas Mooney 39:16
over and I guess like, What? You're, you're signed on with the Dave Cobb thing, right? Yes. Correct. Willow countryside. Yeah. I couldn't think of the name of it. No, that's like, what's the, I guess? Like, how'd you get involved with with that, like, What?
Adam Hood 39:30
My relationship with Dave is kind of, it's interesting. You know, I've known him. I've known him for a while. And you know, we had, Well, okay, let's see. I'll go back. It's two different things. One of them was his whiskey Myers. So I've got a song on like the last three whiskey Myers records just because of Dave really well, with the exception of this record that's coming out. Well, and so even with this one coming out with the song that I have on there that we wrote, is one that I wrote it dates when they were making records at Dave's house. And so, you know, it was basically he just he called said, Hey man, he said, he said, we're, we're in this time instead of whiskey Myers. And the cool thing was about what they would do was they would go in, and they would track a song with no lyrics to it. And so in so I could, they would, they would make the whole track, and then they call me. And you know, guys like me, and I've never written like that before. And it was really fun. You know, it's really fun to say, Okay, now you got to put lyrics to something that's completely finished. And so I had a blast. And so that was kind of how I met. You know how I met Dave before we talked, but that was kind of the beginning of our working relationship. And so when he started Lowcountry Brent Cobb, so Brent and I were on Carnival together. And just man, Brent's, from an hour and a half east of where I grew up, we just got a lot in common. We've been writing together for a long time. And just, I think we have, I think we have a real mutual respect for each other's craft. And so when when Dave said, I'm gonna start signing some guys, I was one of the guys that Brent told him to sign. And, and I'm thankful for that, you know. And so yeah, that's, you know, between between whiskey Myers, and between him and Cody and him, and Brent is really kind of how I got that deal.
Thomas Mooney 41:21
Yeah. Did have his whiskey Myers always done the records like that. Like, I don't know, because I had a, I hadn't I don't can't remember who I was talking with. It was like an interview with whiskey Myers, but it wasn't a it wasn't either the Cody's or Yeah. What's the bass players? Oh, Lord, I can't remember. He was talking about how like, they were going in. And this was like, right after early morning shakes. So he was saying how they had a couple of rough ideas for songs. And so that's really, it was something like I hadn't really heard anyone doing a record like that. Unless, you know, you're like Fleetwood Mac. Right, exactly. Yeah. The studio time where the, you know, the Beatles, or somebody, you know, but like, that's, it's an interesting way to approach their image. So
Adam Hood 42:13
yeah, and, you know, knowing that, and I don't know what they did the whole record like that. But I know, there were more tracks than that they had that were, all the music was written than they had, you know, what I'm saying? But at least the two records that I was in their own. Yeah. So. So there was, yeah, it's, it's really, it's really neat. In it, it sort of explains kind of, you can tell like is it as a group, they're real tied, you know, and like, there's even even when there's guitar improvisations, there's, everything's really, the, there are parts there. And it sort of explains why there's parts there. Because it's obvious that they've written these riffs. And they've written these parts and these movements in the songs before they really wrote the lyrics, you know, they really read the lyrics. I mean, you know, so that's neat, man, you know, if you don't really, especially with bands that kind of, well, they're not jam bands, but more like Southern rock ish bands, you know, you really see kind of, it's a free for all in a lot of ways. And, and that's cool. But that gets boring after a while, you know what I mean? It still has to, there needs to be music in all of it even I mean, I heard Greg Allman say that too. He said, he said, you know, the thing that keeps us different from from bands, that jam, he said, you know, is we have landmarks. He said, you know, we there are movements in the songs where, you know, we all we all go there together, from A to B to C to D, you know, yeah, so I think that's a pretty cool method.
Thomas Mooney 43:45
Yeah, I saw them. I guess, like, you know, most people when they see whiskey Myers it's the full band. What honestly, one of the best performances I've seen of them was Stapleton was playing here, like two years ago, and the Quaker city nighthawks, we're going to open and they like, their van broke down or something on the way over and Oh, wow. And whiskey Mars was playing, like wild west, I think. And they came in and played that opening set. And it was a broke down set of just like acoustic guitar and like, you know, just like a snare drum and like maybe like a tambourine or something. And like, I think like they had like a mandolin or something or like maybe like a dobro or some shit. And it was just like, in some that you had not really seen ever Yeah, they're playing these their their songs in that capacity. And it was just really, really cool. Really awesome. Yeah, bad. Yeah. And I'm just like, y'all need to do a little bit more of that.
Adam Hood 44:52
Yes. Which is rare for him. But yeah, it really brings a whole new light. I mean, you know, that's, that's, you know, you always hear people say that, that's Probably the test of not just talent, but it's a test of musicianship when you can really strip down all the smoke and the lights and the theatrical and say, I sit down and entertain me. You know what I mean? And when you can when people can do that, you've made a fan, you know?
Thomas Mooney 45:19
Yeah. For sure. Yeah, I think that's about all that's we're not that's I could probably talk your ear off for another hour, but you're good. I'm good.
Adam Hood 45:31
I'm good. Yeah. Well, man, I appreciate you reaching out to me about this. I'm a fan of what you do. I know. Thank you. These are like these informal things. You know.
Thomas Mooney 45:40
It's fun just to do this.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai