138: Bo Armstrong
We're kicking off the week being joined by singer-songwriter Bo Armstrong, who next week, Tuesday, November 24, will be releasing his full-length debut album, Chasing Ballads. The Nashville via Dallas songwriter collaborated with producer Brian Douglas Phillips (David Ramirez, Thomas Csorba, Rob Baird) on the effort and created a hearty soundscape that pulls from the Heartland rock meets Americana well. Combined with Armstrong's gift for narrative, the pair often create driving storytellers that embrace their anthemic choruses and melodies. Songs like "Wildfire" and "Here's Looking at You Kid" feel as though they're cut from early '80s Springsteen as they lean in on their open road rhythms. Often, Armstrong taps into the rambling worries and thoughts that keep you from falling asleep on hot summer nights. There's a comfort in talking about restlessness or, in the case of "Used to You" or the closing "You Know What I Look Like in the Dark," raw and intimate vulnerability.
During this interview, we talk about moving to Nashville after living in New York, songwriters such as Jamie Lin Wilson, pursing songwriting, deep storytelling narratives, the creative process, and the ins and outs of Chasing Ballads.
This episode's presenting partner is Desert Door Texas Sotol. In addition, this episode is sponsored by WYLD Gallery, The Blue Light Live, and Hot Damn Coffee.
Interview Transcript
Note: Transcripts aren’t always accurate since they are computer automated and haven’t been edited for spelling, grammar, etc.
Thomas Mooney 0:03
Hey everyone, welcome back to New slang on music journalist Thomas Mooney. And this is Episode 138, where I am joined by singer songwriter Bo Armstrong. I've been a fan of Bose since I first heard him earlier this year, we were talking about that actually, after this recording how I ended up finding them. I believe the first song that I heard from him was, here's looking at you, kid, I'd come across it on Spotify, you know, whenever you're making a playlist, and then it will have like some song suggestions down at the very bottom. I think it was one of those songs. And right from the get go, like I was just like, Oh my God, who is this guy, he had already had a few other songs out like wildfire and built to last and I think a few others. And so you know, I obviously go and listen to all those. And then of course, like shortly thereafter me and both are talking and he sent me over the record and I was just kind of blown away by a lot of the songwriting on it, which Yeah, all the songs I'm talking about. They're all in this album of His coming out called chasing ballads. It's officially out Tuesday, November 24. Like I said, he's been releasing songs from it over this past year to sing ballads, very much feels at home in that version of heartland rock that that consists of like wil Hogue and Sean McConnell Ryan Beaver. As we talked about during this interview, an important album for this album was Jamie Lynn Wilson's jumping over rocks. I just love that record from Jamie. And I'm not surprised by that. But I do find it amazing that it's already informing other songwriters and albums. I think we often think about how older records inform new records, but sometimes it can be something that's just really, really fresh from just a year or two ago. Specifically, we talked about the song death in life from Jamie and how that tightly woven silo songwriting that's both super specific and universal. How that really inspired a lot of the storytelling on chasing ballads. Again, this album, it's one of my criminally underrated records of 2020. I think all of y'all will be a fan of it. If you give it a listen. Today's presenting sponsor is desert door, Texas SoTL. If you know anything about me, it's probably that I'm from the heart of West Texas and absolutely love everything about West Texas. And that's really why love desert door so much. You may be asking yourself what exactly SoTL is, well, it's a premium spirit that similar to a tequila or a Moscow, but for my money. It's a little bit more refined and smooth. There's a sweetness and faint hints of vanilla and citrus and it's also as versatile as your garden variety vodka. At its core desert door is authentically West Texas, they go out and harvest Soto plants from the wild and bring them back to their distillery over in driftwood, Texas. So next time you're at your local liquor store, get a bottle of desert door. For more info check this episode's show notes.
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Bo Armstrong 4:44
Yeah, two weeks, two weeks from tomorrow, I believe. Yeah. Well, I
Thomas Mooney 4:48
mean, like it's, it's one of those things where, you know, you've you've been sharing singles off of it, or songs, not necessarily singles but songs off of it for a while now. And How has that been for you, I guess as far as getting feedback where you've been consistently kind of putting out another song from the record every, every few weeks.
Bo Armstrong 5:11
Yeah, it's been kind of an interesting process. Because as a listener, I kind of hate when that happens. I kind of hate when, like, you know, someone puts out like a song. And then a month later, another song. And then, you know, 10 months later, the album is released, and there's no new songs. So like, as a listener, I get it. Sometimes that's kind of anticlimactic. But as someone who's trying to kind of get a foot in the door and establish a bit of an audience and a base, it just seemed like there was no other way to go, then to kind of slowly leak them out. One at a time over the course of a few months. So it's been it's really been kind of like, an experiment to see, you know, what songs, you know, gain a little traction, which ones don't, and then, you know, I'm just kind of learning as I go with trying to time the releases and everything. But, um, yeah, I decided at one point that I was just going to do the whole album as, as, you know, singles or tracks from the record, but then at the last minute, I decided to withhold the last three. So on release day, there will be three new ones. To share. So I'm excited about that.
Thomas Mooney 6:27
Yeah, it's it's always just a, like that double edged sword of
Unknown Speaker 6:32
totally, how
Thomas Mooney 6:32
do I how do I get people to be excited about this, but then also, you know, you don't necessarily know what kind of songs I'm writing or like, who I am. And as exactly trying to be a
Bo Armstrong 6:45
part of the eye. You know, it's a little ironic, too. It's like, I'm trying to, like build an audience through, you know, through this, but at the same time, I'm constantly wondering, like, Am I annoying these people? Like, should I just give it to them now? Like, I don't know. But there's so much information now with like, you know, things that you can track through Spotify and stuff like that, but I'm just trying to do it in as like, educated as a way as possible, so as to not just burn through this stuff. But hopefully, it'll it'll play it out or pan out. All right.
Thomas Mooney 7:21
Yeah. It's so weird. Like, the the analytical age of all this.
Sometimes I totally bizarre.
What I've seen where that's helped a lot of artists out is the ones who have been like, paying attention to where their plays are. Yeah, totally, especially like back in whenever you could play live shows, like being able to, like, kind of go to those target cities, if you will, where it's like, oh, yeah, we never really played insert city here. But, you know, we actually have a pretty good listening base here. So let's try and get some shows out this way. You know, that kind of thing.
Bo Armstrong 7:56
Yeah. And that kind of data you'd think is just, I mean, shouldn't be invaluable. And, I mean, it is crazy. Like, I don't know if you've ever seen like the inside of like an artist dashboard. But like, you can get down to like the real nitty gritty of like, small towns you've never heard of, it'll show that it's been streaming there. It's pretty cool. And like, the nerd side of my brain kind of fires off with like, how can I use this?
Thomas Mooney 8:23
Right?
Bo Armstrong 8:24
It's pretty interesting. Yeah,
Thomas Mooney 8:25
the the podcast side is very, very similar as far as like,
Bo Armstrong 8:29
Oh, that's right. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 8:31
I mean, especially like on Spotify. They they have just everything. And yeah. On one side of it, it's like, kind of depressing. As far as
Bo Armstrong 8:44
I totally agree with that.
Thomas Mooney 8:46
Yeah, it's just, it's just really interesting on on view, and all that and trying to see where everyone's listening or, you know, you kind of think of like, at least for me for new slang. Sometimes I'm like, Oh, yeah, we I've got a pretty, pretty wide base as far as like, where people are listening. And then you look at the numbers. It's like, now I still got just like a bunch in Texas and Tennessee. And like Oklahoma. Yeah, that's where everyone is. Okay. I guess so. Not that I'm taking new slang on the road or anything but
Bo Armstrong 9:15
Right. Right.
Thomas Mooney 9:16
Yeah. Well, you know, this this record here, you know, you you sent it over a while back, a link to it and everything and, you know, I just really loved the the writing of it. And like the the song, I guess, the sonic quality of it all the sonic palette that you were working with? And yeah. I think like early on, one of the things you had mentioned was how big of a fan you were of, of like Jamie Lynn Wilson's last record and how that was even an influential piece of the of what this record came to be. Can you expand a little bit more on that? Like, what was it about like
Bo Armstrong 9:57
that? Yeah, for sure. I Particular, there was, um, so her jumping over rocks came out, around the same time that I released my first little EP. And I actually, I mean, to be completely honest, like, I wasn't even, I wasn't super familiar with her prior to that album that that album was my gateway to the rest of your stuff. But there was just something in, you know, in the writing and in, like, the simplicity of the production that, you know, I was really drawn to, and I thought it was sort of in line with what I was kind of chasing on, on with what I was trying to do. So, but once I heard that record and listen to it as a record, it was pretty inspiring for me to want to make a full record, instead of just, you know, a couple of tracks. You know, I think there's an art to that album that's special. And I think it kind of reminded me why I like full albums. In an age where, you know, we spend a couple minutes talking about Spotify, where, you know, you kind of have to throw things into the, into the pool, just to maintain momentum, it's so easy to lose, sight and lose track of, you know, enjoying, you know, the full movie, and not just watching little scenes from it. So that kind of inspired me to want to, like really dig in and try to write something, start to start to finish. So I think it was all just kind of the right timing of it all. Yeah,
Thomas Mooney 11:36
you know, like that. I guess like, my first, quote, unquote, like first show, in months was his house show that Jamie was playing here in Lubbock?
Unknown Speaker 11:46
And oh, cool.
Thomas Mooney 11:48
Yeah, like after, I guess, like, it was probably about a month ago now. Maybe a little bit more. But basically, you know, from March to, to then I hadn't really even been out of the house. Like most people. Oh, yeah, this little house show that she was playing here about, you know, 25 people or so. And, man, it was one of those things where age is great for listening to new to just music in general, for the first time, right forever. But also like, you, for me, like the one of her best songs that I've ever heard. Is that song death in life. And Yep, just I was the one having that song within the mix of what she was playing that night, that first night back out was like, just a, you know, like a ton of bricks just kind of hitting you because that song right there in specifically is such a powerful song of, of like these different little vignette vignettes that just come together. And I don't know, I felt like that song is so it's one of like, the, I think in like 20 years, people are gonna, like, be talking about that song, still, they're gonna rediscover it, or whatever the case is.
Bo Armstrong 13:06
I totally agree with that. And I think that's kind of what I was trying to get at before is like, there's in good songs like that, that are a part of something bigger, right? Like, I guess that song is kind of like the staple from that album. Or, you know, I guess it's the namesake at least. But that's, those are the songs people come back two years later, I think. And I feel like the first time I heard it, I was like, this is a sorry, I'm gonna want to listen two years from now, or I'll keep coming back to. Yeah, well,
Thomas Mooney 13:36
you know, I
Bo Armstrong 13:37
totally agree with that.
Thomas Mooney 13:38
I want to know, like, at what point did you in this process? Did you write the, the title track of this record chasing ballots, because it feels like, what you're talking about is like, kind of being reinvigorated into the, the album, as a as a product and like trying to make this record. And then like, you know, you hear Jamie Lynn Wilson, you hear these other songs, these other records, and then like, you kind of like, go, Oh, I need to be doing this. And then maybe like, that's what you end up doing. Obviously, he's like chasing these ballots. And will point Yeah, come into the play.
Bo Armstrong 14:17
That's so I that song, that song itself was kind of fun. It came together in a bit of a funny way. I had written the chorus to it, just you know, on my own. In my phone without even a guitar. I think it was on a plane or something. And I had written that chorus and I didn't really know what to do with it. But I liked the last line of the chorus. And I like the concept of chasing ballads. I just didn't know what to do with it. And a couple weeks, probably weeks later, I was writing with two friends of mine and we wrote the first what is now the first verse of it. But we had we hadn't connected the dots like we weren't trying to write for that chorus. We weren't trying All right, Jason Dallas, we were just we just showed up to write a song and we got a verse and didn't know what to do with the verse. A couple days later, I was like, oh, man, these, this verse fits with this chorus. And we got back together, we put it in with that chorus, we wrote the second verse and the bridge really quickly. And I walked away from having that I walked away from that song thinking, this is like, this is going to be the linchpin for my first full album. Like, that's the sentiment, that's the, you know, I can imagine what this is all going to sound like. And this is the sentiment that's, that fits where I am in my life right now. And I can definitely write songs around this. So that that song came first, even though it kind of came about in a bit of a funky way. But from there, I was confident that like, I knew what the arc of the story was going to be.
Thomas Mooney 15:58
Yeah, you know, that's, that's interesting, because I think that sometimes, especially like, when you're early on, you just you start amassing all these songs that are just songs that you've been writing, and then you know, you're putting out Yeah, like this proper, full length, and it just becomes like, Oh, that's what it is. That's right songs from the beginning till now, or whatever. And it's interesting that you're talking about kind of just knowing what was, Oh, this is a song I wrote that. I want to go further that direction, where I mean, I guess I'm assuming, what when you do that, you know, there's songs that just don't fit the fit that I guess the parameters of that and so, like, you have to start writing more towards the, I guess, like the themes and the ideas of that, that connect closer to chasing ballots and trying to, you know, I think like the what I was, I guess some of the things I was like, kind of picking up on that I liked as far as imagery was, you know, you're kind of like out there, like in the wilderness trying to, like wrangle in these, like, old like Mustangs and stuff and trying to if a Mustang is a song, and trying to break them, you know, and I don't know, I just like I felt that was kind of a I felt like that's just this episode is, in part brought to you by Austin, Texas's wild gallery, a virtual Art Gallery, featuring traditional and contemporary art by Native American artists. As you're probably aware, I'm not just a avid fan of music, and film and novels. I absolutely love visual art as well. And as you probably also know, if you've been listening to new slang for a while, you'll know just how often songwriters, they also dabble in various other mediums and are largely also inspired by other artists. One of the giant reasons I was drawn to wild gallery is that all the art is produced by Native American artists not only produced by, but inspired and influenced by other Native American artists, history, tradition, nature, stories, music, and just culture in general.
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Bo Armstrong 20:50
I definitely had like a little bit of imposter syndrome when I wrote it when I wrote that particular part, because I'm like, it's not like I'm out on a range anywhere, like, chasing down, you know, and like, and a small part of me was like, Are people going to expect me to be that, if I like put this song out? And especially if I call my album that, but I don't think I really need to be too concerned about people taking it too, literally, I guess. But it certainly fits the vibe. And you know, it's, I thought it was just a perfect metaphor for what I'm trying to do at this point in my life. And, you know, considering how long I've been trying to make the decision to actually commit myself to do it. So yeah,
Thomas Mooney 21:39
yeah, well, I just think like, what's, it's because obviously talking with a lot of different artists, they don't, I don't think they necessarily always have like that. That firm vision, I guess, is what I'm saying. So early on for a project. And
Bo Armstrong 21:55
yeah, I've actually fine, I have found it to be way more inspiring. I don't know. Some of this, like, I guess, I mean, the last six to eight months is kind of hard. It's hard to judge anything on it. But like, I haven't been able to write much of anything in the last six or eight months. You know, home, life's a lot different time I have to invest in all this is not, you know, is at a minimum. But I've also, I also wonder if it's just been having been in Nashville for a few years. And like the Nashville grind of trying to write songs all the time, and comparing yourself to everybody around you, when you go out through writer's rounds, and everything, like, I feel like the first year and a half, two years that I was in Nashville, I was all into that. And that was my motivator. And then everything just kind of slowed down. And I wasn't finishing songs like I would show up at riots. And, you know, we wouldn't really walk away feeling super excited about what we had. And maybe this was just me, but I, I don't want to say I was totally uninspired, I just didn't understand what I was trying to write for. And I think I kind of lost track of what was, you know, exciting about being a songwriter in the first place. And once the whole chasing ballads concept kind of came to me and I was like, Oh, I can write this for this reason. And, you know, all of a sudden, I had this new purpose for doing it, the songs came with a bit more ease, and, you know, I was certainly more excited about them. And, you know, you know, there's more of a sense of pride in it. And the same is true, like, I don't want to knock the national songwriting process at all, because there are other times where I'd go into a write with someone who's, you know, trying to finish a record or, you know, they're writing to record and you, you get so invested in whatever idea they have. And, you know, that's, that's a beautiful thing, too, because you start putting bits and pieces of yourself into that song, and, you know, you're really helping them pull out, you know, parts from within themselves to finish the song. So, it's a really interesting process. But for me, I think I really needed this record is kind of a reset, to get excited about writing songs and like to actually see something come of them. I think that's another thing too, in Nashville, that happens a lot with writers like myself, who are, you know, not totally there yet. And like the big rights and the big rooms and the big conversations, you know, you write, you could write 100 songs in three months, and no one will ever hear any of them. And that kind of takes the wind out of your sails a little bit. So to write 10 songs, and to know, I'm going to go invest myself and record these songs, you know, and then you're going to have an album to show for it at the end of it. You know, it's a lot easier to, you know, really, you know, put your nose to the grindstone and try to Make it work when you know that there's going to be an outcome that is something you can share with other people and something you can be proud of, and, you know, something you want to share with other people. So having that product, but looking to look forward to, I think, was kind of paramount to the process for me.
Thomas Mooney 25:18
Yeah, you know, that's actually what I was gonna ask about was the, you know, obviously, in Nashville, one of the big things is just the consistency, trying to write at a certain clip on a weekly basis, or on a monthly right to get X amount of songs in for a given time. And that makes you sharper as a songwriter. Usually as far as like,
Bo Armstrong 25:45
big time. Yeah,
Thomas Mooney 25:46
what I would say probably is on all the, like, the practice of it all, the practice of writing. And that's obviously a massive part of, of what songwriting is the craft of it all. But I can see like, how it can, like, deplete you as far as like, what you're the storytelling. You know what I mean? Yes, I feel like some people, we use those words to mean the same thing. And they're not necessarily always the same thing. Like, songwriting, and storytelling can be different. And yeah, like, I guess, like, what you're talking about with being in the, you know, like, not being in the top rooms, and not right at this precise moment, you know, not being like, Oh, you know, like, these top our
Bo Armstrong 26:40
church today, so yeah, you know, give, let's give it our best. Yeah,
Thomas Mooney 26:44
so like it, I can see, I can definitely see how like that would be, you know, like trying to, I guess they motivated for the, the trying to stay motivated, just for the practice the, the the dry, of writing a song that can be kind of like, oh, if this is not going anywhere, or if this has very, very, if the grounds, if the stakes aren't that high, you know, like, doesn't really necessarily matter. While at least whenever you're, if you're doing something for yourself. There's a little bit more investment, there's a little bit more, yes, I think, like somebody was telling, saying the other day to me about how, like, especially out of all of this, the quarantine stuff was that people want to be productive. And like, Yes, I think this all ties to that of like, not necessarily where, you know, the songs are about quarantine or anything, but how, at least at the end of the day, you can feel you feel productive.
Bo Armstrong 27:43
Yeah, and I think that that's really spot on. And one of my good friends here in town pointed out to me, you know, he was like, in the grand scheme of 2020, when we talk about how wild and totally off the walls it was. And now there's a pandemic and how things shut down and how everyone's industry, you know, changed overnight, now all this stuff happened. Like, you're still gonna be able to say, that was the year you released your for your first full length album. And that kind of like, totally warped my perspective on like, the greater picture, right? Like, it's so hard to like, see that when all you're experiencing is your day to day, but like, like you're saying, 10 years from now, I'll be like, Oh, 20 20,000 a year, I released my first album then too. So, you know, as it's been a kind of a tough few months, because I haven't been able to write or the same, you know, consistency as I'm used to. But I have been able to release the songs over the last couple of months. And I'm very relieved and grateful to have had that because I definitely feel like I'm being productive based on work that I had put in previously. So that's been a very helpful part to this to this year. For sure.
Thomas Mooney 29:04
Yeah. You mentioned how like, you know, obviously, like the title track. Really, like once that came into place, it was like, you know, that's the, the, the Hearthstone of the of the album's did did the other 10 songs, like, did they come after that? Or for the most part, or were there a few?
Bo Armstrong 29:22
Yeah, we're from there were there were two songs that came that I had. I had actually, I think I had recorded them before chasing ballads that I was just going to put out as singles. Because like, I was like, oh, I've got these two, I need to have these ready to put out because after I put out the EP because you know, you always have to be putting things out you always have to put them out. So I had written wildfire. And here's looking at you kid prior to chasing ballads and I was just going to release them as singles. But then I finished chasing ballads and went back and looked at both of those songs. And it was like These to fit the mold, you know, like they totally fit, you know, the the narrative of what we're chasing here. And then from those three songs were kind of the, the building blocks for the rest of them. Yeah. And from there, it was pretty, pretty organic process like a handful of them. I, I co wrote with my friend who produced it, Brian Phillips, who I met through doing my first project with my first EP, I did with him called, we didn't know each other. But that process was awesome. And from that, you know, we became friends and we started writing together. And then we kind of joked that every time we write together, we end up kind of in the same world of like, domestic dad vulnerability. And, and I was like, that's kind of like the right place for me right now. And that's kind of the, the the right theme for what this record is going to be. So, you know, there's several trucks on the record that are right in that wheelhouse. So yeah, but they all seem to come together in a pretty organic way.
Thomas Mooney 31:19
Yeah, you know, like this, what this record reminded me a lot of was kind of like that same version of what heartland rock is to, to guys like will hug and like, especially like Ryan beavers last record RX. And yeah. Some of those same kind of, I guess Sonic textures. And same kind of, as you say, like the what would you just say, like the dad perspective?
Bo Armstrong 31:48
I wish I could remember exactly the way he put it. But it was like, domestic dad vulnerability. I think it was something like that. But well, that's what we'll use. Yeah. Dad, a vulnerable domestic dad. Yeah, I
Thomas Mooney 32:04
like that. Because, I mean, I can see it all over the record, as far as like, you know, just the, that
Bo Armstrong 32:12
I'm not hiding from it. I think it's there. Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 32:16
Well, you know, I think like that vulnerability, the, what I always like, to go back to is, like the that sense of like, restlessness found in like, Springsteen, especially like the river, I think you can see that in a few of the songs too. Especially, like, kind of like the worry where you go from, like, wildfire, wildfire to, like, here's looking at you, kid, like, a lot of those songs right there. You're, you're talking about like, especially like a wildfire. Like, we're Where are those plans that we had, like, we know, we were full of like, life, and then like life gets in the way, you know what I mean?
Bo Armstrong 32:59
Totally, and but you're not mad about it? Right? Like, I think that's, that's part of it is like accepting it as like, this is the phase of life that you're in, and you chose it. And like, aren't you happy with it? And but at the same time, trying to remember, like, the things that like, you know, not to be weighed down by any by any of it, even though, you know, at times, it's impossible to feel anything other than all that weight. But
Thomas Mooney 33:30
yeah, well, I that's all comes with perspective and like experience, right? Because I know a lot of what you're, you're talking about is when you're like 15 to 18 you can't wait to get out of your hometown. And then like, in that same time, but all the way up till into college, you kind of think, you know, the world is my oyster, you know, or whatever, like, I'm going to go and change the world. And it's like, you know, we're not all going to be senators and, you know, inventors of you know, right. The the iPad or what?
Bo Armstrong 34:13
Exactly, and I think I think there's like, like, I think that's the difference. And we can use Nashville as an example. But like, that's the difference in moving to Nashville when you're 17 or 21. And moving to Nashville when you're almost 31, right? Like, it's, you. you approach it in a very different way. You know, like, I moved here after, you know, I was, I've been writing songs and doing that kind of stuff for forever, but I wasn't really like, all in on it. You know, I had another career over the span of about 10 years that I've left to pursue this and when I got to Nashville, I was like, Man, I'm 30 but I feel Like the oldest guy here half the time. And I was like, so inspired by like, seeing, seeing younger people doing it. But it took me a minute just to accept that that's not me, right? Like, that's not, you know, I'm coming at this with a whole different host of experiences. And I need to use that to the best of my ability, and I don't need to, like, try to deny that or, or ignore that.
Thomas Mooney 35:29
Yeah, you know, that's like, what's what's really interesting, too, I think in, in a lot of different, I guess, aspects of life. I was just talking with someone about this specific thing. But here is like, the difference between like a 20s being 27 and 23. Like, you see the world's difference between if you're hanging out with people around 27. Ron, if you're 27, around that age, and when you hang around someone 23 because it's like, man, they are so young and so naive. And so was that dumb and naive and everything at that age? Okay. But the answer is yes. Yes, absolutely. But I think in like the artistry world, when it comes to songwriters, it's what's what I guess what I'm going to is in is that a lot of times like that age difference, it can mean a lot. But like, it also doesn't mean anything. Exactly, because I think it's almost like a, it turns into like a level playing field. As far as you know, a lot of great songs are written by a 25 and a 45 year old or whatever the case you don't mean like those
Bo Armstrong 36:43
are they're written by a 25 year old and a 45 year old together, right like that. That's a crazy thing that happens. Yeah, that's right. That's like, yeah, that's, I think that's one of the wonderful things about the process. You get both perspectives in there.
Thomas Mooney 37:04
Yeah. That's like, where I really saw a lot of that was here in Lubbock at the blue light during songwriter nights, when you would see just like, all these different walks of life come and play. And as far as like the, the songwriting scene here, you know, a lot like it was like, a lot of guys who were older, in their 40s, or late 30s, being kind of like, at the same, not the same level, but like, obviously, like, they look, they're more established than some of like, these kids coming to Lubbock and trying to write come, you know, the next star something, but like, I guess, like, where there was some mutual, there's mutual respect, you know, what I mean? And right, and that's where, like, if you look at like any, like, the 806 stuff, like the the age gap between, like, the youngest person, and the oldest person is probably about 20 years, but like, it's not like you. And now granted, like, I'm thinking about it now. I'm like, Yeah, actually, like a couple of these guys like, you're going like, man, like, for example, there's this kid here named grant Gilbert. And it would be like, Grant like, you don't know what insert 90s pop culture reference. But like when it comes to songwriting, you know, like him in and I just thought of another guy who is older, coming together and writing a song and like, being able to do something with it. You know, that's, I guess, we're short. Like it is a little bit of a uneven playing field. It is like when it comes to artists. I think just like, sometimes the the age thing doesn't necessarily matter as much.
Bo Armstrong 38:51
Yeah, I totally agree with that, particularly for singer songwriters who didn't know what they want, right and know what they want.
Thomas Mooney 39:06
This episode is in part brought to you by the blue light live here in Lubbock, Texas, there is a way to help a support blue light, and B get a sense of that normalcy by visiting blue light, loving, calm, clicking on the merge tab, and getting some koozies a vast array of T shirts and caps, and yes, even a blue light flag. While it is such a bummer that live music is still on hold right now. I'm telling you by getting some blue light live merge, we're gonna feel better. It just feels better wearing a T shirt and ballcap and helping support your favorite four. Again, that's blue light. lubbock.com click on the merge tab. Get some merge. All right, back to the episode. Yeah, yeah, I guess like that is the the caveat of it. Right is like it's not necessarily that you're also not going out there and you know trying to sing bro country and like, right. So like a like 18 year old even though like I guess like a lot of the bro country guys are in their 40s which is kind of strange.
I digress because
Bo Armstrong 40:14
because it's been around for 20 years now, which we kind of don't really think about as being true. But yeah, that's that we digress. Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 40:25
Well, like, it's it's so strange. Like, you're probably like me where you think of like the 90s as being like 10 years ago and it's not. And yeah,
probably this weekend.
This is like just a side note, like this weekend i i rewatch Lord of the Rings, the, you know, the original trilogy? Yeah. And like, it hit me, I was like Jesus, like, these are like 20 year old 20s. They're, they're like, from like, 2000 to like 2003, like 20 year old movies now. And you're like, how is that the case? Like, how is that possible? But yeah, obviously, you moved, you mentioned moving to Nashville. What was like the, I guess, like, when you move to Nashville, like, it means that you're going to be taking it more serious, it means you're going to, you're investing in, in a place and in relationships with other people in trying to take more, I hate saying take it more serious, but like, you're definitely you're committing yourself
Bo Armstrong 41:25
to it for sure.
Thomas Mooney 41:27
What was that process like as far as like, deciding to, to get out that way, and just jump on?
Bo Armstrong 41:34
Yeah, um, so I, my wife and I were living in New York actually, for we had been there for about six or seven years. And I was working in film production. And I was not enjoying it. And it was, it was a, I mean, I had a job that pride, a lot of people would be really stoked to have, but I was just miserable all the time. And we got to the point where I was just like, what, what is the point in living in a place that's so expensive, if you're doing something that you're not really wanting to do? You know, you can change that, right? Like, I didn't have to be stuck doing that. But I did realize that if I was going to have make a change, I needed to not be in New York anymore. Because the poll to keep doing what I was doing, would not have gone away, like I really needed to physically remove myself from that city. Otherwise, you know, I would have kept getting pulled back into what I was doing, whether I wanted to or not. So I was able to convince my wife that, you know, Nashville was equally as cool. And that I was going to try to like, you know, really dig into this, and, you know, once and for all, and give it a go. So that's what we did. And I mean, we, I mean, we really did it, we were like if we're going to do it, you know, call it, it's a minimum of a 10 year commitment and right, like nothing's going to happen overnight. So we like we bought a house, we were like, we're not going to rent because we don't want to move again, we're just going to do do whatever we need to do to like really try to make it our home. And then we'll build everything else around that. So I, we moved to Nashville, I didn't have much of a plan. Other than I was going to have to make it work because I had made my wife move there. My wife's job didn't change. She's here. She's an actuary. She's super smart. And she's worked for the same company for over 10 years now. And she was able to keep her job. So that definitely made things a little bit easier on us to make the switch. But like I didn't have any plan in place for how I was, you know, going to become, quote, unquote, a songwriter. And, but when we moved here, it was just in some ways, I felt like I was 20 again, because I was doing all the things that 1718 1920 2122 year old was doing in Nashville, because I was there with them doing it. So that was kind of reinvigorating. But then at the same time, I was like, Okay, I gotta figure out how to do this, and like, the smartest way possible. And in the last three years, you know, that has kind of turned into, you know, trying to build myself up as an artist as much as, as as a songwriter. Because I'm able to kind of use my past experiences in like trying to create, you know, a product. And that's kind of where that's how I got to the record. I was like, I need to be doing something. And we were kind of talking about this before, but like, how do I show progress? And I'm like, well, this is how you show progress. You write the songs and then you record those songs and then you put those songs And a package that people can consume. And that has kind of given me the the energy to make it all work. But yeah, it was, it was kind of a dumb thing to do, I guess in hindsight, just kind of moving here without a plan. But when you don't have a plan, you're forced to create one pretty quick. And we've been able to make things work. And I've been able to pay for the music through odd jobs and stuff like that. And, you know, I keep trying to decide, like, you know, what's going to be the mark of success for this, and every once in a while, I just have to take a step back and be like, Well, you've got the record, you made the record that you wanted to make nobody, you know, you didn't have to make any concessions to anybody, and like, you found, you figured out a way to pay for it doing other work. So, you know, obviously, the hope is that this stuff, you know, starts to become self sustainable, and you don't have to take all the other jobs and everything. But at the same time, if I repeated this cycle five more times in the next 567 years, I shouldn't be anything other than happy, because I'm doing the things that I, you know, moved here to do. So sometimes that's hard to see when you're in the thick of it. And like, if a song doesn't do as well as you think it should, or
who knows what will happen when the album releases, but, you know, at the end of the day, I've, you know, figured out a way to make this work, doing multiple things, and I really feel like I should just kind of keep on that path and be happy with it. Rather than trying to constantly look for the, what's bigger and better. I mean, the I don't want that to come across as not having high hopes or anything, because that's certainly not the case. And I feel like I'm a kind of a competitive person. And I have high hopes and high standards and stuff like that, but I just try to remind myself, at the end of the day, you know, you're making the music, you've figured out a way to make it all work. So that's what you need to sustain to, you know, be happy, I think. Yeah,
Thomas Mooney 47:22
yeah, it's, it's one of those things where I think in, I'm sure, like, this applies to a lot of fields, but especially music, and especially in anything that is, or you're blending in art, and just like mass consumption. It you have to, like, at some point, realize that there's a lot of middle ground that is not necessarily like, there's only X amount of spots of for George Strait, so the world right, or like,
right, and
I guess, like, there's a lot of different levels of success. And there's like, a lot of ways to, like, where you realize that, that you're not maybe selling out arenas, but like, you're still successful, you know what I mean? Right? And I think like, it's very, very easy to get down and frustrated by all that. And obviously, that's why a lot of like, people, you know, they started out as wanting to be a songwriter, and then they give it up within a few months or a few years, or whatever. And I think like more than anything else, it's it's important to understand like that, that I guess like, Yeah, you got to give yourself time. You know, yeah, you got to give yourself like the perspective of time that it's going to look better. And you're gonna feel better, like years from now. Because, you know, you're gonna have like that track record, you're gonna have that all the, the the, again, like, it goes back to having like something. So yeah, I 100% see what you're saying. It's, it's such a also, though, you mentioned a plan kind of thing. Sometimes I'm like, I hate because like, I'm very much a let's try and plan this out. Let's let's do like is right on the, at the beginning to do all this before actually just doing it. And I think like most of the time, you realize like, oh, sometimes you just got to jump in. And like, yeah, totally out of not dread. You know,
Bo Armstrong 49:30
I'm the exact same way and I read this. This is random, but I read like a vanity fair article with George Clooney of all people. And he had a quote in it that was like, you know, the whole article was like his background and you know, how he became to be like, you know, such a hot shot actor and everything. And the quote was like, there was some I'm paraphrasing, but he's like, You can't have a plan B, right? Like his dad. In the article, he was like, his dad was always asking him like, well, you need to make sure you know, your, you've got a backup plan for if something doesn't work. And like, you know, his line was just like, if if I have a plan B, then that's what all aspire to, like always know, know that I have this other thing to fall back on. And I was like, that is 100% my problem, I'm always trying to build out plan B, Plan C and plan D, before I even really dive in to plan a. So like, that has kind of stuck with me and like I, I'm I still not that way. Right? Like I still have to be thinking about plan D plan z, I have a family, I have a son, you know, and a wife who has been very generous and gracious with her her time and her patience with me and me trying to pursue these things. So like, I can't totally ignore the plan B I can't go full George Clooney on this. But the move to Nashville, I totally had that line in my ear of like, if you have a fallback plan, you're gonna fall back. If you just dive in, you'll have to figure something out.
Thomas Mooney 51:11
Yeah, yeah. I think like it's, it's a it's a mixture of both. Because at the same time, like, also, I kind of go with Clooney, I'm like, Man, you come from like, hollywood royalty. That was your plan B the whole time. You know? So?
Bo Armstrong 51:27
Yeah, yeah, it's like, yeah.
Thomas Mooney 51:31
Oh, go ahead, go and say what you're saying,
Bo Armstrong 51:33
Oh, no, I was, I was I was done.
Thomas Mooney 51:37
Well, I mean, like, it's, it's you have to be invested in in the moment, at least, you know, to me, yeah,
that's,
I think the key to it all.
Bo Armstrong 51:46
And that's the thing, too, is like, I, you know, I say, I've been writing songs now for like, over almost 20 years, it's just that I haven't been recording them. Right. And I haven't been like, actively trying to pursue them as a quote, unquote, career. But, you know, that doesn't change the fact that I've been practicing it, and that I've been doing it and that I've, you know, had that like, you know, aspiration in the back of, you know, my mind. But at the same time, like it is, and it's so strange now, because like, digital streaming and all that it's, it's such, like, it's the illusion of like the great equalizer, right, because, you know, I can release the song on the same day as all of these major people. And like, in some universes, sometimes it can wind up on a same playlist as some of those people. And it's like, but, you know, those other artists have also been made recording music for and touring for 10 years. So when I end up on a playlist, or something like that, I feel like I need to remind myself like, this is, you know, one of the first things you've ever recorded. So, you know, it's, it's a blessing to, quote unquote, be in that company, but also realize that, like, there's a lot more in the machine for them right now, because they've put in a lot more work, and they've put in a lot more time. And that comes back to sort of that idea of like, wanting everything, so immediately in wanting it right away. And I think these days, part of the reason that happens is because there is this illusion that like, well, I can put out a song, and it'll be on Spotify, like, but there's so much more that goes into it than just being able to have it up on a platform. Right. And I think, and that's where you see, you know, building an audience is something that takes time and, you know, touring and playing for people and meeting people and all that, and that's not lost on me. And that's something that, you know, I was hoping this record would help put me in a position to start that next level. Now.
Thomas Mooney 54:02
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All right,
let's get back to the interview. Yeah, the it's interesting, the the, the internet aspect of all this because, you know, right. What, like 30 years ago, I guess the to get an album out. It was a lot more like, I guess I hate to say work, but it was a lot more work as far as getting everything lined up to get a CD made. Right.
Bo Armstrong 55:30
Right. Right. And
Thomas Mooney 55:31
now so,
Bo Armstrong 55:31
so many fewer points of entry. Right, right.
Thomas Mooney 55:34
Right. Right. Exactly. And, and now like, yeah, you can make a record in your bedroom and put it out and it can be on Spotify or iTunes music or wherever. And yeah. Or I always kind of go to is like, I ended up I ended up canceling Netflix. But like, what I would always and this is one of the main reasons was because I would open Netflix up thinking like, Oh, yeah, let me just watch something. Right. And then like, just kind of being like, overwhelmed by how much shit was on there. You know?
Bo Armstrong 56:10
And none of it you want to watch? Yeah, like or like, one where you knew there was something in there somewhere, but you couldn't find it? Yeah, even though all the algorithms in the world are trying to tell you what you want. Yeah, be like, No, no, no.
Thomas Mooney 56:24
Yeah, one of my big problems, and I understand why they have it. But like the, like, your your list? And what I do is like, Okay, well, yeah, at some point, I want to watch this, you know, and like, you just start adding stuff to it. And then like, at some point, you go through that list, and it's just like, too much stuff. And you're like, at one point, I wanted to watch all this, instead of just watching it at that point, like I added it to a list. And
Bo Armstrong 56:51
I think you added it to a list two years ago, and you still haven't watched it. Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 56:55
And I think there's something, it's the same thing that you can apply to, to music where, you know, at the end of the day, like everyone only has 24 hours a day. And it's very, very difficult to, especially with someone, and this is What's so strange about it is like, I have the luxury of time that a lot of people don't have because they have, you know, demanding for 40 hour weeks and soccer practice and taking the kids to school and all kinds of that where I do have the luxury of listening to music all day if I want to. And yet still, like there's still not enough time. Right? And when you have like 1000 choices of what you want to listen to, at any given moment, that still goes to like, being over overwhelmed by it all. So I don't know, I feel like it's awesome having access to everything. But it's also I don't know if it's really any different at the end of the day. Yeah, 30 years ago, 4050 years ago, so I don't know.
Bo Armstrong 58:03
Yeah, and I think it comes similarly. Similarly, with writing a song, I feel like some of the best advice, you know, I hear time and time again is like, just write honestly, right? Like, if you're being honest, when you're writing, those are going to be the signs that resonate with people. Maybe they're not the songs that like you will end up hearing on the radio, but it is a song that someone somewhere will find and really love. And I think in the same respect, it's just like, I don't even know where I was going with that. Well,
Thomas Mooney 58:46
I do I think like there's something to just like, you're it's it's, you just got to adapt with the times even though like I'm saying like, they're they're kind of similar in a lot of ways as far as like, right. Difficult being heard. I mean, I think everyone wants to be heard, obviously, but like it. It's like the the rules are like the are different, but like the outcomes can be the same thing. I don't know. It's right. It's such a I don't know, I don't know if people even really think about all this stuff as much as I think about it. But yeah, I wanted to go back to the record and ask you a few other questions.
Bo Armstrong 59:27
Suppose Yeah, for sure.
Thomas Mooney 59:30
Obviously, like number five, wearing out these wings. Yeah. You mentioned fort Stockton, which, obviously I'm from Fort Stockton and, and if if you mentioned fort Stockton, we have to talk about that. I guess where did you Yeah, what what what's the, the origin story of that song?
Bo Armstrong 59:49
That song was a fun one to write. It was towards the end. It was one of the last songs that was written for it and My friend, Brian, who produced it, he had the title. And he threw out the title. And I said something that he's like, I wasn't really thinking that. And then I like what did you have in mind and he's like I, you know, I was thinking just kind of like a beaten, like, Road Warrior type of guy, probably like a truck driver or something. And I just like, my brain exploded, because I had just like, a month prior, I had just done like a totally random, deep dive on YouTube of long haul trucking. I don't know how I got there. But like, I got into, like, the deep underbelly of like a social network of truck drivers. And like the YouTube channels, and all this weird subculture. It was totally random. But I was like, so invested in that world. So briefly, that when he threw out a song title, and he had this glimpse of this character, who was a truck driver is like, let's write that. And then that song was kind of, I really enjoyed writing that song, because it was just a pure story, right? So we like, kind of, we invented this character. We even like started this, we actually wrote this over zoom. So we were like, sending each other pictures of like, random people that we like, found on line of like, I think this is the type of guy we're talking about. So we almost have like, a mood board going of like, what the song was gonna, like, look and feel like. And then, you know, we had the first couple lines. And then we, we actually are I actually pulled up Google Maps. And I was like, let's, let's actually, like, think about logistically, how could this journey work? So we actually took him, you know, I got the map out, and we like, looked, and we looked at the stops, and the highways along the way are like, yeah, this all adds up. If somebody were to fact check the song, they'd say, it's accurate. So in that respect, it was kind of a fun, like logistical puzzle, while at the same time, just like a totally, you know, free creative process to like, just completely invent a story around this guy. So it was a really fun one to write. And I know, it's like, a little bit random and a bit. That's like the nerd side of my brain going off to, but it was, it was a fun one to write for sure. Yeah,
Thomas Mooney 1:02:35
I know. I like
Bo Armstrong 1:02:36
I mean, we really, like we even got to the point where like, I like calculate, and this, this is just stupid, but like, I actually did it. I was like, calculating how much or like how big a diesel tank would be on that truck? And would he actually run out of gas around that? around where he runs out of gas? I was like, yeah, that's, that's probably in the ballpark of where he'd have to fill up. Like, totally stupid. totally unnecessary, but like it, it was satisfying for me to, like, have that full experience and to, to fact, check it a little bit. And it just made made the made writing it a bit more fun.
Thomas Mooney 1:03:20
Yeah, no, i what i like i think that's like the I like for lack of a better term, like the, the research on on songs is, is essential to making it feel real. Yeah, I know that, like john Baumann would always make sure, I guess he still does, but like, make sure that like, these can be like factually based things where, you know, look at maps and looking at, like, trying to get like the, well, if he's, if this character is doing this, what's like the chances he would do this, you know what I mean?
Bo Armstrong 1:03:59
Right. And I think you have some responsibility, like, if you're writing something fictional, you know, it needs to be rooted in something, right? Like, we, we can't just start making things up entirely if like, they don't make like, logistical sense. So I think there's like, a responsibility to have like, in the same way, like, when you're right, if someone's writing a screenplay, or something like that, like, you have to do the research. And in some ways, that kind of, oftentimes, that research actually, you know, carries you into a new world for the character, right? Like, you learn more about what what makes this person even more real. So, to me, that's just a really fun part of the process and like looking at a song like that one in particular, which is like, purely fictional story, right like that. That one was fun, because like I was like imagining writing the short film version, and then turning that into the song but then Still, at the same time, like trying to put like a little bit of me in it like our and Brian the same way like trying to put a little bit of like our personality in it or something that we've experienced, even though we've never been or never driven, you know, like a truck before, or, you know, an 18 Wheeler or anything like that, like, I think like great movies, right? It's like you take these fringe characters that you have nothing in common with. But then all of a sudden you have everything in common with them. And that's kind of what I was going for, or what we were going for there was like, No, you have this guy. And he's so far from who I am yet. There's a lot of, you know, there's bits and pieces of the in there, too. And I think that's just a really fun part of the process. Yeah, no, I
Thomas Mooney 1:05:49
mean, it's one of those things where you're molding a character. And by doing that, you may be trying to make someone different from a different walk of life. But like those fingerprints are still like, on that mold. Like exactly trying to, you know, make him lifelike. And I think that, like sometimes, like I think that maybe people don't necessarily do all of that stuff. When it comes to the researching aspect, all the I guess what I would say like, I'm assuming like, there's a lot of stuff written down. That never went into the song because like, Oh, yeah,
Bo Armstrong 1:06:32
for sure. We have like, there's probably a dartboard of all the pictures that were like, No, he's not the right guy. He's not the right guy. He's not. Yeah, well, yeah, that's totally it. What's
Thomas Mooney 1:06:45
what I find so interesting, too, about that is like the the investment on that is, you know, you mentioned screenplays, or like, if you're trying to write like a short story, or like a novel or whatever, you know, there's always a lot extra added. And you think, like, I guess, like what I'm saying is it very, very easy, it's very easy to understand, like, Oh, I like there's a lot of stuff I have to write, if I'm writing, you know, 20,000 words for a writer or something. Right. But then, like,
Bo Armstrong 1:07:19
what's on the cutting room floor at the end of it? Yeah, I
Thomas Mooney 1:07:22
think like people understand, like the, I guess that time investment, but then like dwindling, that down to like a five minute song. I think people would go like, Oh, well, why? Why did that need all that? And but I think like that's looking at it wrong. It's it's very much necessary, even in those, even if you're just trying to make a five minute song.
Bo Armstrong 1:07:45
Right? Yeah, because all of that leads to every word that's left, right. Like you can't you can't have any of those words or you can't have that in first. Unless you drugged the God through the bud. Previously, it knew when you were imagining what his world was or what his previous life was, or something like that.
Thomas Mooney 1:08:05
Yeah, well, you know, also. Now like for listeners, this will be a couple episodes back. When I talked with cam, she talked about mood boards as well. And I think like that
Bo Armstrong 1:08:18
wasn't a very bad episode. Yeah,
Thomas Mooney 1:08:20
yeah. When I was when she we talked about these like mood boards, because on this record of hers, she would like make a mood board for each song. As far as like, what, as far especially like, as far as like, what the the songs would look out look like. After they were written, like the the production and like the, like the art for like, the the single right,
Bo Armstrong 1:08:43
everything that goes with it. Yeah. Especially now because there's so much more content around every song release, right? And visualizers or whatever, and videos. Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 1:08:52
And I think like sometimes, like, what I love about that is like that, that level of investment. And I was selling her was, I felt like that's what I was what I would try and do. Right. And I've asked some songwriters that about like the mood board thing, or like, and they've kind of just gave him given me like the what?
Bo Armstrong 1:09:15
Well, I mean, I think that's fair to read, because not every song happened that way. Right? Like that. mood board. Yeah. Yeah. Like some, like and that was that process, right was like, just like, we were in an entirely different mood when we had that, right. Like, neither of us really had like, a huge idea. Like, Brian had like a line, right, but we didn't know anything more about it. And we were just, you know, I think we wrote that one at night. Pretty much everything I've written the last few months has been like super late at night. And he's in Austin. So like, you know, we were just kind of hanging out and talking and like, literally started like making up stories about a person who didn't This. And then finally get down to like, that was certainly not the same process as when we wrote mom this way, or you know what I look like in the dark, right like that. It wasn't necessary for that. And those but writing both of those songs was equally as, you know, energizing and fun. It just like didn't necessarily call for the same sort of backstory and stuff like that. Yeah, because I was the backstory. Right? Like,
Thomas Mooney 1:10:27
yeah,
Bo Armstrong 1:10:28
we had it all.
Thomas Mooney 1:10:29
Yeah, like those, those mood boards were already intact. Yeah. Like they were, they're already there. And so I always find that interesting about, you know, like, in a lot of ways, even if those songs specifically like came out of like, a short period of time, and you, they're all kind of like organically made in the moment. At the end of the day, like, you were still like drawing like those songs also, at the same time were written over years of experience. Right, even if Yeah, I didn't necessarily think of them that way. So I don't know, it's it's songwriting. There's no right way. There's no wrong way. And
Bo Armstrong 1:11:09
I think it's just it's true that like, you know, I feel like you hear people all the time, say, like, Oh, this one, I wrote this one in 1015 minutes. Like, that absolutely happens. And like, I love when that happens, and I think sometimes they are the best songs that happened that way. And then other songs do not happen that way at all. Like, here's looking at you, kid, I think took like, seven hours to write. And we were because we were obsessing over, like, every internal rhyme. And I mean, it was still an enjoyable process for us. But like, it was, it felt like work. You know, like, it's just every every every song is different. Like it's it's so hard to tell.
Thomas Mooney 1:11:52
Yeah. Yeah, that's, that's one of those things, right? It's, I hate to say it's frustrating, but it is frustrating, in a way, whenever you're sharing with songwriters about this, because like you asked them, and I always try to protect, like, in general, like, I know that they're all different. And they all come different. But like, in general, like how do you because at some point, you do form a style you do for Mike, you get Have you? And what I always hate is the well, they all come different and blah, blah, blah. And it's like, yes, but like, but like, we can't have a podcast or a conversation about how everything's different.
Bo Armstrong 1:12:36
Give me something. Yeah, it's
Thomas Mooney 1:12:37
it's I don't know. It's a I could ramble on about that, too. The the frustrations of being a journalist.
Bo Armstrong 1:12:45
Yeah, I don't know. It's a lot of weight on your shoulders.
Thomas Mooney 1:12:49
I don't know it's it's one of those weird things where I guess like trying to break down barriers with with songwriters, especially ones that you've never met, but like you've I guess, like, what I always try and tell people or try and get across to people is like, we may have not met until, you know, like five minutes ago. Right? Like, I've also been listening to your back catalogue for like the last, you know, either my whole life or we've been doing a deep dive on insert name here. So like,
Bo Armstrong 1:13:24
right, unless you're a complete liar. Like I know a little something about you.
Thomas Mooney 1:13:29
And what, but that's such a weird situation, because it's like one of those things where I know so much about you already, but you don't know anything about me. for them. Right, you know? So it's a it's such a
Bo Armstrong 1:13:42
Yeah, it's a little lopsided, isn't it?
Thomas Mooney 1:13:45
Yeah. But obviously, it can go the other I know why, like, a lot of artists can be like that, because like, sometimes, not sometimes a lot of times you can be interviewed by people who didn't put in like the investment, I guess, or like put in the work. And it's, you know, it's because they're 18 year old kids working in a newspaper for the first time and you're playing their hometown, and you got to get a story about about like, why you should go see them at you know, giant box room on
things, but
I digress again.
Yeah, but
yeah, man. I mean, I've been really enjoying talking with you. I really enjoyed this record. I think like, like I said, like, when you sent it over. I just felt like, Oh, where is this been? It felt like very comfortable and awesome. I just I think a lot of these songs are great. And I think a lot of these songs resonate with people and they're where they should be. So hopefully, hopefully, you'll get a few more listeners. The
Bo Armstrong 1:14:53
yeah helps, obviously. That's the hope. I hope when the album comes out
Thomas Mooney 1:15:00
Okay, that is it. For this one, be sure to check out chasing ballads by Bo Armstrong out November 24. Go over and stop by our partners over at Desert door, wild gallery, Hot damn coffee and the blue light live. And yeah, I'll see y'all later this week for another episode of Newsline
Transcribed by https://otter.ai