174: Summer Dean
On Episode 174, I'm joined by Texas songwriter Summer Dean, who announced her forthcoming album, Bad Romantic, is set for release on August 27. In addition, she shared the first single, a lonesome country aching duet with Colter Wall called "You're Lucky She's Lonely." During this conversation, Dean and I talk about co-writing with Wall, collaborating with contemporaries like Brennen Leigh and Simon Flory, the influences behind Bad Romantic, songwriting, and Dust Bowl inspirations.
This episode's presenting partner is Desert Door Texas Sotol. In addition, this episode is sponsored by WYLD Gallery and The Blue Light Live.
Interview Transcript
Note: Transcripts aren’t always accurate since they are computer automated and haven’t been edited for spelling, grammar, etc.
Thomas Mooney 0:01
everyone welcome back to New slang. I'm music journalist Thomas Mooney. And this is Episode 174, where I'm joined by Texas songwriter summer Dean. This week, she announced that our new album, bad romantic, is slated for an August 27. Release. Now, I'm 100% sure that release date was not picked because that's my birthday. But it certainly coincides with the fact. And I'm gonna just take that as like a birthday gift from summer nonetheless, she also shared the first single from bad romantic this week as well. It's an incredible little country tune called You're lucky she's lonely. And it's a co write and collaborative effort with Coulter wall. If you haven't heard it just yet. I give you permission, hit the pause button and go give it a listen. I'll be right here waiting for you to come back. Which it's early Friday morning as I record this, and I have to note that there's just an overwhelming amount of good music out today. Not only do we have You're lucky she's lonely by summer and culture, albums and singles were announced and shared by my pals red Shea Han flatland Calvary and Kirby Brown. Jonathan Terrell, David Beck's ohana weekend Rodney crowl, Margo price and a bunch of others. They all shared new tunes as well. And of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Episode 173 guests, john R. Miller released the Shenandoah Shakedown and announced that his new record depreciated is out July 16. If you missed that episode, it's the one right before this one. So give it a listen after you finish this. Anyway, this new record was summer gain is ridiculously great. It's like a combo of Tanya Tucker and Merle Haggard. It's that lonesome barroom country blues in Honky Tonk swagger kind of mixed together it's traditional country in that text and grit. And I just cannot wait for y'all to hear the rest of this record because I think it really could be like a breakout for summer. During this one. We talked about recording the album and those influences and some of those collaborative efforts in the songwriting behind the record and a lot more. Today's presenting partner is our pals over at Desert door, Texas SoTL. If you've been listening to new slang for really any amount of time, you'll know that desert door is one of my all time favorite premium, high quality spirits. If you haven't, or aren't sure what exactly a Soto is. I'm going to let you in on a little secret that's going to up the game on your liquor cabinet. For starters,
the best reference point that I can point you to is to think about a tequila or a Moscow. Do you feel that Western desert that text is ruggedness? Okay, Soto is like that, but a little bit more refined, smooth and fragrant. It intrigues the palate and offers these hints of vanilla and citrus, there's an earthiness that often sends me right back to my transpac is some Far West Texas routes. There's plenty to love about desert door. For me, it all starts right there. a close second is just how versatile desert door really is. You can go full highbrow and experiment with concocting a variety of cocktails that call for muddling fresh fruit sprigs of time sticks of cinnamon, it's perfect for that world. If you're a little bit more down home, if you've just rolled up sleeves of your denim Wrangler button up, it's perfect for that as well. If you're just designing something that short and sweet, it hits the mark every time does adore is genuine and authentically West Texan its inherently West Texan. They harvest Soto plants out in the wild in our knowledgeable conservation lists at heart. That's obviously something incredibly important to me. They shine a light on what makes West Texas special and unique and worth preserving and keeping it safe from exploitation. Right now, you can find desert door all over Texas, Colorado, Tennessee, and there's budding numbers in places like New Mexico, Arizona, California and Georgia. Best thing you can do is to check out desert door.com to find where desert door is locally. Again, that's desert door.com. By now you probably know the drill but in case you don't if this is your first time listening to new slang, go ahead and hit that subscribe button. New slang is available on Apple podcast, Google podcasts, Spotify, amazon music and much much more. Leave one of those five star reviews. It does go a long way. Stop over at the merge store. It's new slang podcast dot big cartel.com over there we have T shirts koozies shot glasses, coffee mugs and a lot more. So yeah, be sure to check out the Patreon as well. Great way to support this podcast as well as the neon Eon which that is my 90s country podcast. If you like 90s country go check it out last week's Episode was with BJ bar of American aquarium when we talk about nice country stuff over there. So yeah, if that's your thing, go listen to that as well. We'll make this one super quick. All those links, they are in the show notes. And so yeah, let's get on to it. Here is summer deed
may 14. Yeah, well, let's start right there. Obviously like, yeah, you have that song with Coulter. I know you guys went on like a tour back in like last summer or the summer before or something like that? Um, yeah. My dates here, but it's kind of like that was born out, or what was their roots of the song earlier than that.
Summer Dean 5:45
Now they were releasing a song earlier than that. Yeah, I'm lucky enough that Colter, let me pitch along to his wagon a couple of times. And I don't know how I got that lucky. But he's a really nice guy. So I appreciate those opportunities from him. But yeah, the song. The song came about before. Before that, we'd been friends a couple of years. And I had written the first verse, that song, the song I'm saying, and I had written that already. And I sent it to Coulter, hoping he did be interested in helping me write it. But also, probably thinking, he probably wouldn't, you know, and totally under estimating What a cool guy he is. And, and But no, within a couple of days, he sent me back the second verse, sing it into his phone, I felt real lucky to have a version of him singing into the phone. It's pretty cool. And, and then I wrote the chorus on it with his thinking in mind and his voice and mine as a duet. And then we're both out on tour. Summer of 2019 is when we're recorded this crazy. And we're both out on tour and kind of met up in the middle with both flew in to Fort Worth, to record it. And I'll say the sound they have, that's where the whole album was recorded. They have killer vintage equipment and record to tape. And man, it's a cool place. Really cool place to record. And it's right here in Fort Worth where I live. So that's perfect. So cold for came in. And we took a day or so to get that song down. And then I went out with some shows with him for the first time following that after that. So we got to do the duet on stage a couple of times. So that was really cool to get people's reactions of it. So people that have been to live shows have heard it.
Thomas Mooney 7:40
Yeah, it's it's one of those things were, you know, so much of what Coulter is doing now, he's leaning further more into like the country like cowboy songs in the western trail songs. And you know, a song like this really reminds me of like, oh, he could be a just, you know, meat potatoes country singer, if you wanted to as well.
Summer Dean 8:04
Yeah, and that's one reason I really appreciate him doing it. I know it's not completely in the lane that he's doing. And feeling. So I appreciate him doing it with me. But Gosh, does it sound good on him? Yeah, only old country song. He sounds so good. And he's gonna sound good no matter what he does. But Gosh, I'm grateful for Coulter and I hope that we're not done playing together. He's a good dude.
Thomas Mooney 8:31
Yeah. The the times I've spoke with him, he just been really down to earth. And I think, you know, when you have a voice like that, I think for some reason people can think of you as being a little intimidating because of the voice, you know. But, you know, he's, he's about as down earth as you can have a guy's you can come across, you know, and yeah, you know, just, yeah. can't say enough good things about him. Yeah, what I find really interesting is what you were saying there about, you know, you you guys, you sent him like the first verse, He sent back something, then you were like writing towards his voice in a way. That's really interesting. Well,
Summer Dean 9:12
I really like it. Well, I really like it when kalter breaks into the kind of yodeling falsetto and he has done some he's done some of in some haggard covers, I've heard him do and so I wanted to I just thought he wouldn't sound cool doing that. And I thought, well, how great would it be to harmonize doing it I love it too, and Coltrane are became buddies kind of like knowing and blogging and talking about the same Western things and punchy things and music and stuff. And so I wanted to show some of that in the chorus, but you know, I didn't think about it too hard because I know he's such a good singer was gonna sound good no matter what he does, so I didn't think about it too. too hard. But I did. But I wasn't going to waste the opportunity to record with somebody as great as he is. You know?
Thomas Mooney 10:07
Yeah, yeah. It's that's always fun really interesting. The whole, especially like, with like, natural if you're writing towards someone, if Yeah, no pitch in a song dirt towards someone. I mean, I can see that being like something that you can do to lean into it to get a little bit better. Like if you're just like writing. I don't know. I've heard Terry McBride talk about this with like, Ronnie Dunn for Brooks and Dunn. And then, like, of all places like a waste, it's like, no Gallagher talking about writing for his brother Liam, because he like, really has like a distinct way of pronouncing A's and stuff. I can see it like being something that you could do or want to do. But then if you just go too heavy in that, like, you're just kind of getting lost and not even necessarily going towards like, what what you want in the song?
Summer Dean 10:59
Yeah, totally. Yeah, totally. I think everybody keep your signature on it, but still good for somebody else. I think every songwriter might enjoy a challenge, you know, like a project and assignment, you know, and that's kind of what that feels like to me. There's a couple other songs on the record. Simon Florrie is an amazing songwriter. He lives here in Fort Worth. And he wrote a bad romantic the title track of the album. And he wrote it with me and monda sing it and he wrote, can you hear me knocking, too, which is going to be another single off the album. And, of course, he wrote it a little differently and put the thing down and flipped it reversed it calm and made it feel like I wanted it to feel but he's really great at writing for other people. And, you know, when you when you receive a song from somebody else to saying or they wrote it for you, or you're covering their song, I've covered a Brandon Lee song on the album too. She's one of my favorite songwriters ever. I think it kind of challenges your vocals a little bit too as a singer. So like, I'll rap for myself. And I won't, I'll kind of right in my range rod in my comfortable spot and leave it there whereas other people might put some things in there that challenged my focus a little bit and help me sing in a different way than I normally would or you know, different style not every style necessarily but like just my range and everything and melodies that maybe wouldn't have come up with so I kind of liked the broaden the broaden me a little bit. Other songwriters.
Thomas Mooney 12:31
Yeah, for sure. You know, I guess it was I was reading something or it may have been on that. That little interview did with Matt Hillier of 11 Springs. Yeah. I guess like you were talking about getting ready for this record. And you were talking about having 20 to 30 songs and kind of getting prepped to figure out what you wanted to do with this record. What what's it like as far as collecting those songs and knowing, you know, what you want to do with this this record as far as you know, this is the not necessary parameters, but this is what I want to say with this record. And how do I get Yeah, with these these songs? What what's been like that process like,
Summer Dean 13:13
yeah, like, this is the project. Yeah. Well, I had for this record, and Matt, actually, he and I wrote a song that made the album called 1000 miles away. I really love that song. It's probably one of my personal favorites on the record, but we wrote another one for the record, too, but and we recorded it, but actually took it off of the record last minute. So there were 12 songs, but I've changed it to 11. For this record, how we kind of selected the songs is, um, I had several things in mind, I wanted this project to stand for. So without thinking about it too hard and just doing what feels right. But unintentionally, a lot of the songs are about independence and kind of making this I've made this lifestyle change. I was a school teacher for 10 years and I made the lifestyle change of quitting that job and doing music full time. And through that decision of kind of grabbing Maka honies. And jumping off, I I kind of wrote about that and felt that so a lot of the record is that feeling of independence and strength and who I am and this is what I am, I'm not trying to be anything else. And so not that that's how I feel, but those are kind of like the manifestations and things that I was thinking as we were putting the songs together. And another kind of thing I was thinking about as we were deciding about how the record is going to sound and the the the effects that we were going to use and such and kind of licks we were going to choose and make up is I called it androgynous and that's probably not the word for it. But it was important to me that both men and women could vibe this record. I didn't want it to. I didn't I wanted men to not think like, Oh, um, I hear that hear the word chick singer all the time. And unfortunately, sometimes it has an eye roll attached to that, and that makes me mad. So I just wanted a record that could appeal to both men and women. And, and we took a we took a lot of nods to haggard, like a lot of musicians. He's my hero and my favorite. So you'll hear a lot a lot of haggard just mushed into the whole record so we called it girl haggard. So when we were there were kind of three little umbrellas of things I was thinking about it was the the girl haggard and the appealing to both men and women and then kind of making sure that I'm singing about what I know. And that I didn't put anything in there if it wasn't natural to me. So, yeah,
Thomas Mooney 15:56
yeah. If there's not like a parody account, girl haggard. Yeah. Well, but if someone needs to do that, I know. This episode of new slang is brought to you by the blue light live here in Lubbock, Texas. Blue Light has long been the heart and soul of the Lubbock singer songwriter scene, and has been a home away from home for some a Texas Americana, country and rock and roll's finest over the years. Talk with 99.9% of the Songwriters who have come out of Lubbock and the panhandle at large over the past 20 years. And they'll point to just how integral and necessary the blue light is, with live music and touring slowly but surely coming back spots like the blue light, or getting back to their usual ways as well. That means music every night of the week. Do you want to see that schedule? Well, I've got a few options for you. One, go to their socials and give them a follow up that is at blue light live on Twitter, at the blue light live on Instagram. And of course, by just searching the blue light live on Facebook, they're consistently posting that week's lineup of shows, as well as those heavy hitters that ought to be on your calendar that are coming up on the horizon. To check out blue light lubbock.com as well. There, they have the full schedule, the cover charges, time, any of those specials that may be happening while they're go check out their merch page. They have a wide range of hats, koozies, hoodies, sweaters, beanies, jackets, and so much more. You can of course get all of your merchant age, when you go see your favorite band, take the stage at blue light, just ask the bartender and they will get you all set. Speaking of which, that's another great way of seeing who's playing there. Just go to the blue light. It's at 1806 Buddy Holly Avenue here in Lubbock, Texas. And of course, again, that is blue light, loving, calm. I'll throw a link into the show notes to maybe I'll see you there. Okay, let's get back to the show.
Summer Dean 18:10
It's hard to take someone's you know, I don't want to say that I can't compare myself to Merle Haggard at all good. Gosh. So, you know, I had a hard hard time like, say it cuz I'm like, Who the heck am I to think I can compare me with? That's not what I'm saying. I just mean that. I hope that a chick can come across as cool. As a guy doing it, I guess. I don't know. Who knows. Nobody knows what they're talking about. Who knows?
Thomas Mooney 18:37
For some reason, like, you know, in country music, especially here in Texas, it feels like that women just can't get like the same breaks that a guy can and it's frustrating because, like, you know, you know how many great women songwriters are, and it feels Yeah, all of them have all the all the ones that are like that make it big, they have to go to Nashville, which is you know, you know, there's nothing wrong with that. But it's like, you know, why can't like there be more homegrown talent that that stays around that kind of keeps that Texas identity in the the quote unquote, Texas country or whatever. But you know, like, I think that like, from what I've heard of the new material and songs is I do feel like you you very much hit that lane of what you're talking about in relation to Morocco as far as like those like barroom ballads. A lot of the the feeling vibe of the record, you're seeing like you know now steady sound as far as having like the vintage equipment and everything. You very much feel like a this record. It's weird because like, it feels like a record that has like a vintage feel a very classic vibe, but not where it's forced where you can just tell like oh, we're doing Things in an old way just to be old or as a novelty. You get what I'm saying? Like it feels very much. Like, like a record that is of a of an era of, you know, before as far as like, I feel like there's a lot of like that early 80s, late 70s Tanya Tucker vibe. Yeah, a lot of that a lot of the like, the, the mural stuff, as you're saying, and just, you know, is there a little touch of that Gary Stewart kind of Honky Tonk and stuff, you know?
Summer Dean 20:36
Sure, man. I mean, I hope. Yeah, I hope so these are all one, this is all what I listened to. So I wouldn't be surprised if that's what comes out. You know, of course, we made this album, we also recorded this before the pandemic. And so it's interesting to me when I listened back to the songs, because, you know, we were on the road a lot and playing hard, and, and then it stopped, you know, so the record has this moment of time in it. And so, but it's just now coming out. So it's kind of interesting to revisit when we were writing the songs, and when we're recording them. And I'm glad you got that feel from it, if you can see me, I kind of made like a fist bump. Like, that's what I was. That's what I was going for, you know, I don't know what people are going to call it, and what people are going to call this genre, and that's okay. They call it, whatever they want to call it. That's cool. So, I'm glad that that's the vibe you got, because that's kind of what I was going for. So success. Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 21:38
You know, the whole thing about recording this before the pandemic, and it capturing that moment in time for y'all as far as being out on the road being out in these venues. And, and it's almost like a lot of the there's some songs, I would say that, that capture that 2:30am vibe. I mean, I think it's like even a line kind of, in bad romantic. Yeah. And kind of like, just the, those feelings and then all of a sudden, you know, like, a lot of that stops, like you just kind of is hauled. Yeah. And is it weird? Like is he said like, looking back on the songs now? Like because, you know, they're a couple years old. And then, like, the recorded versions are, you know, year, plus year old. And then now it's like, 2021 all of a sudden.
Summer Dean 22:25
Yeah, it's really weird. It's really weird. I, I'm still excited about it, and still listen to it. And like the album, my, but it's Yeah, that's really, it's weird. It's been a long time coming, you know, and it's been a long time coming. And it has a lot of layers. For me, you know, I like I said, I've taught school for 10 years and quit to do music full time. And so I feel like, when we were heavier on the road, and 2018 2019 I got Gosh, I mean, it felt like I just come out of the chute book. And and I'm 41 years old, you know. So it's like, it came later in life. And it just felt really special. To make the album and they and be on the road and be playing for people after putting it off and thinking that I couldn't do it for 20 years. So I hope that, you know, other people that are sitting there thinking about something they really want to do, and they think they might can do it and just just jump off and start not learn quick that nobody really knows what they're doing. Everybody's just trying and so and sometimes it lands and sometimes it doesn't. So when I when I say, you know, been a long time coming, figuratively and literally.
Thomas Mooney 23:49
That's always interesting there too. As far as, like, for some reason, I think we always think that these great musicians, they, they made it at 1819 years old 20, you know, early 20s. And a lot of them didn't a lot of them. You know, they were doing other stuff. Right. And, and it wasn't until they're, you know, mid 30s, late 30s, before they actually kind of became more recognized, you know, and I think like, that's always like the perspective of that. always makes me kind of go Okay, yeah, there's still time to, you know, yeah, so, yeah, yeah, totally. You know,
Summer Dean 24:30
it is it is, I mean, there's a lot of young guys out there that are really good, too. So, thank goodness, there's not an age issue in this industry to too much. So that's
Thomas Mooney 24:40
Yeah, that's they don't kick you out after.
Summer Dean 24:44
Yeah. And looking at back in the day, what a Jason at say, like the older the older and uglier women were the they were the ones you know. So it's pretty cool. At least they looked older. I don't know if they were older but least I looked at
Thomas Mooney 24:58
Yeah. do that to us. Like, if you see like your parents, like when they were in high school and you're like, all of you guys look like 25 and you're like, I'm like mustaches, but they just got their driver's license. That's really, when I look back at my parents, I'm like, man, like, did you did you fail some grades in here? Like, I know, you. You say you graduated? 18. But why don't I look 12? And like,
Yeah, totally. So, anyways, um, yeah,
I want to go back to the the sound of this record. Because again, like, I think that there's something very much where we're going into a time where everyone is trying to capture those old sounds, those vintage feel, those records that we that we grew up on, that her parents played. And sometimes I think, sometimes it can feel like how do you capture that in modern times? But so so for y'all like, what was it as far as like, ensuring that you know that the sound was right, and that it didn't feel you know, forced or anything like that,
Summer Dean 26:14
man, I gotta put, I mean, that's all. That's all the producers. That's Josh block is the owner of now city sound here in Fort Worth, and man. And then the other producer is Kevin Scarlett, who also Josh played drums on the album, Kevin played guitar, steal a little bit of piano on the album, and also co produced it. So man, that's all men. I mean, they worked. They, they did some really cool things with all this huge reverb stuff and working all these knobs and recording to tape and, and but those those guys know what they're doing. And that's one reason I really wanted to work with them is they they have a really vast knowledge of the kind of stuff that I listen to and that I like, and the kind of stuff that inspires me, but they also are really good producers. And so I thought, Man, what a perfect marriage of being able to build and create what we want to build without just reinventing the wheel. So I that's that's kind of what we tried to do. But if if we accomplished the fresh but Oh, but but vintage sound and touch that's on the producers. They're so good. Yeah, so that's it. Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 27:38
I feel like I never have like the vocabulary to even if I was like having to go and make a record, hypothetically, I don't feel like I'd have like the knowledge or like the language to get what I want across.
Summer Dean 27:54
Yeah, that's hard. And then once you think you get it across my camera, do you understand what I'm saying here? Like, it's hard, because I don't think there's one word for anything, and I certainly don't know it, but I just do my best and try to trust the right people. You know,
Thomas Mooney 28:08
yeah. What do you have? Do you do the whole? I feel like people do this, but some people don't want to admit, did you do the whole like, Hey, I'm looking for and then like, go listen to this song. And I want this feeling on this record. Can you do that? Do you have examples? Like that old timer?
Summer Dean 28:25
Oh, yeah, totally. Uh, there's a song that Britton Lee wrote on the record called distracted and we put this extra tag ending on the end it puts this kind of George Jones one over five on it on the end and man I was like, Kevin actually came up to do it came up with it, the studio's go, let's put the one over five there. And I'm like, Oh, that's a George Jones ending Heck yeah, let's do it. You know, so it's, it happens kind of like that, like, a lot of the vibe. I came in with the songs I wanted to do and then it wasn't just I paid for a couple of days in the studio, and then we banged him out. It was it was a process in the studio. It was cool. We built we built a lot of the vibe in the studio as we go and that's why it was important to me to have the people that I had Josh he's an amazing drummer and did a really good job with exactly these kind of funky beats that I wanted and funky country beats. Kevin is a wizard at the steel and and in the end it gets an electric guitar and did amazing on those with Aiden Buback on bass, who was Miranda Lambert's bass player for a really long time and bandleader and Robert Ellis played piano on the album and sang harmony and then I had Whitney rose and Bonnie Montgomery sing in harmony. And you know, Matt Hillier and Coulter writing so I was really happy with the team that helped me with the record and especially the vibe in the studio. Those guys did awesome. But that's on That's, I don't want to say that was me because that that was definitely the team's coming up with the vibes.
Thomas Mooney 30:05
Yeah, no, I think what, what I always love seeing is when you can tell like an artist has been really intentional with the record, there's something obviously cool about like, hey, let's go cut a record and it's like done in three days. And you're just kind of like trying to squeeze out everything from a budget and trying to these are the, I've got 15 songs, we're gonna cut 10 of them or whatever, how many. And this is our first record. And there's like that. Just the first experience, feeling of a record, you're, you're like writing that energy. There's something really, really cool about that. But there's also something cool about when an artist is a little bit more intentional, where it's, you can just tell like, you know, it took X amount of time to cut the record, but it was even more thinking went into before even going into the studio as far as like knowing, as you were kind of saying before, like this, these are the things that we want to say, or what I want to say this is what I want to feel or want people to feel about the record. Just the intentions, I think that's all important.
Summer Dean 31:18
Yeah, yeah, we had intent with it. Also didn't want to think too hard about it. Like I have a good time playing on stage. And there's a lot of comedy and banter and high energy and, and I wanted that to come across on the record. So we did all this with intent, but also kept it light hearted at the same time. Because you know, these records, they're important. And we put, gosh, we put so much of our everybody put so much of themselves into a record and money and time and just just existence we put into these records. But you also have to realize, man, this is a moment in time. And we're going to make another one one day. So I'm not going to try to tell, you know, tell the entire thing right here. I'm going to make another record. And I'll tell another story with that record. So it's Yeah, we had definite intent, but it's also fun to just do it. Just do it. That was kind of the thing. Like, let's roll with it. Yes.
Thomas Mooney 32:11
Yeah. I think like there's, you know, talking with people on here, it's been the, there's like, every ways a right way to make a record and every way is like a wrong way. It just like depends on the moment and don't think about it too long. Because they are. And this is like the same thing. I think with songs too, is like you can go too far. Like all everything's a snapshot, you know, you can let them especially with songs, you can let them adapt over time. You know, but like the record, just if you want to record it that way, and it makes sense for right, then that's fine. And then like let it grow later. If you end up playing at different layers, that's fine, too. I mean, like, there's, that's the the beauty of art, the end of the recording, is that like, yeah, it's just a snapshot.
Summer Dean 33:03
Yeah. And then you go see it live. And sometimes there's different players and different instruments and you get a different vibe. Or sometimes I might be on tour and I'm playing solo. So it's, it's cool. The songs have different laws, and you kind of have to let that be and not pull the strings too much, you know, but you know, but I'm still a beginner. This is just my second album. My second is my first full length. So I'm still learning to and you know, put a lot of trust in some really smart, talented people around me.
Thomas Mooney 33:34
I want to break one more time to talk about our pals over at Desert door and offer up a quick Thomas Mooney, cocktail minute, as I've said probably 100 times by now, by no means am I a seasoned mixologist or bartender, but these have been some of my desert door go twos. For starters, let's just go with the tried and true range water. pop the top off the topo Chico, take a good swig. Now pour in some desert door and top it off by throwing in a few lime wedges never fails. This one. It's so simple. It probably doesn't even count. But again, pretty foolproof. do the exact same thing. But get you a Mexican Coca Cola. I guess you can go with a regular one. But you're really cutting yourself short if you don't opt for the Mexican import variety. All right, here's the change up you've been waiting for. Desert door sangria. This one is prime for when you have company coming over and you aren't wanting to just be over there making six different drinks at a time. What you'll need is some desert door. Obviously, a bottle of red wine, honey, boiling water, apple cider, apple cider vinegar, some cinnamon sticks, a couple of apples and some time sprigs. I know that may sound intimidating, but trust me it's worth the prep. And honestly, it's pretty easy. For starters, get you a Punchbowl, add that honey, those cinnamon sticks and the boiling water together. Now you're going to want to stir that all up and let it cool down for about an hour. So remember patience is a virtue. Once that's done, add some desert door and stir vigorously. Now add the one the cider and the vinegar and continue stirring until it's equally mixed. Now slice those apples up and toss them in. Put in those time sprigs as well. Now you can pour that over some ice and you have a modified sangria chef's kiss. Anyway, those have been some of my favorite go twos as of late. And remember, desert door is as versatile as vodka and more refined, smooth, complex and intriguing than tequila. It's rich and balanced. And whether you decide to keep it simple or want to experiment. Desert door is that perfect Texas spirit. There's plenty more recipes over at Desert door.com as well. Check out the show notes for a link. All right. Let's get back to the episode.
I want to talk about the song dear Carolina. Man, that song right there. Especially like what's on. There's a little bit of that country politan kind of like Glen Campbell, dollar kind of feel to it. Yeah, cool, man. I really love that song. And then of course, like I've been listening to it, you know? Even today, I've listened to like four or five times just because like, it just there's something that just hits right right there. I
Summer Dean 36:41
want right I want Reba McEntire to sing that song. I know at first that sounds weird. But she you know she's from Oklahoma. And I don't know, I just kind of hear her singing it. I know she would do it a completely different way. And if you know I would change some of the words for maybe. But dear Caroline is an interesting song. I wrote it with a actually like a like a narrative writer, like a writer, writer, not a songwriter, and his pseudonym for writing is Charles wolf. And so it's a combination of three letters, and it's based on the dustbowl. I'm fascinated and just in love with with that generation of people and the hardships that they were going through yet, just the steadfastness, steadfastness, and tenacity of their religion and their heart, just they just kept going and kept going. And so the song is three letters to a girl named Caroline from a girl named Lorena and all these are fiction. So really realistic fiction. And so, and all the dates of the letters are April 17. But the first letter is 1928. The second letter is 1932. In the third letters not been 35. And I did them I did those dates on purpose. So you know, so many people had these fake false promises of, of this land that's just so fruitful. And, and we, as humans got a little greedy, we turned up way too much turret and we cause a gigantic problem, which, which, which came in came in with the Great Depression and this drought. That was years and years long. And so these people tried so came from all over and tried to farm and then just kept getting bad news and bad news and bad news and bad news. And there would be a huge dust storm and the next day there, they just wake up and if they survived, which is not dramatic, like if they survive, they would sweep it out, go to church and pray for rain, sweep it out, go to church pray for rain, they just kept doing it and kept doing it and, and bad things kept happening and no good news. And finally, the reason April 17, is three days after April 14, and April 14 1935. It's called ruination day and it was this huge black storm on a Sunday afternoon that just came through. And they thought it was the end of term. They thought it was Armageddon. They thought it was the Rapture. And and so the last letter is three days after that storm. And the rodders just everything is going wrong except they go to church, and they keep praying for rain. And it's just it's just to me it's tragic and romantic at the same time and I hope it's not the last song that I wrote about the desk but because I really, I really like it back I grew up in that country too. I grew up in North Texas and which is the South tip of the hardest To the dustbowl, so that's really important to me. I hope other people kind of get it, but we'll see. But that's on the record. Yeah.
Thomas Mooney 40:09
Yeah. I just think like the storytelling on that record on that song specifically. So as you said, it was like it's fictional, real, or fictional realism, or whatever. Yeah. realistic, realistic fiction. Yeah, it feels like I don't know, like, if you had, honestly, it feels like, if you had gone out to an antique store, and like, bought a desk or something, and then was going through and found like letters, you know, in a drawer or something like that, or like a family drawer, because it very much feels real. And like I know, you know, clearly it's not real, but like someone that that's real for someone out there, like, Yeah, probably fine. Like, if, if they're there. There's a Carolina out there, like, specifically out there. Um,
Summer Dean 40:56
yeah, I mean, I feel like it was my great grandma. I feel like it was manini manini. And you know, where I'm coming from a lot of us have those needs. And then as a maybe that lived through that. I mean, you're in the 806 you were in the heart of the dustbowl. And so it's a it's a special song. And I think it's cool. You brought that one up? Because I don't know, it may not be for like every country music fan, but it's definitely for the for the songwriters, you know, right.
Thomas Mooney 41:21
Yeah. It's, you know, they talk about I don't know, I guess it was a couple was maybe a couple years ago, whenever there was like a big dust storm, obviously. Like, there's always dust storms and the Sahara Desert, but like, how there was one big enough where like, they were talking about how like, Oh, no, I know what it was it was it like a fire maybe like ash of like a fire or something was going across the Atlantic and buget reached the US. Thank you. Thank you. I think you're right the first time I think it was saying something like that. But yeah, that that. That sounds so crazy. But I remember as a kid, I hearing you know, they were talking about how dust from the Dust Bowl would reach Washington DC, like in the White House. And thing that was ridiculously like, how is that possible? But then, you know, fast forward, years later, and like literally dust from or dirt sand from another continent as made makes its way across? You know,
Summer Dean 42:21
yeah, giant, it's pretty amazing. It it's really an there's a Ken Burns documentary on the dustbowl to that, that I really like and I watch it. I mean, I watch it, almost like almost like I go to sleep to it. So that hopefully I'll dream about it. And you know, in the studio, recording that song, it was important to me to get the vocals, right. And I don't think I'll ever get the vocals how I want them. Because that's why I want somebody else to sing that song one day. I just I the vocals are really important to me because I wanted them to give the feel of the of the people that were living through it and at I tried to do that, but I cried in the studio when we were working on this song because it specially the subject is so special to me. And I feel like these were my this is my great grandma and, and, and her sisters, and this is my family and and so I kind of felt this connection to it. And to see the guys were working so hard to get the feeling right on just the tiniest snare part or the tiniest. I mean, they were working so hard to get the feeling right. It made me cry that other people were putting so much effort and making it special. So I'm glad I think it's cool that you brought that song up, because it's kind of like on there and I know the story behind it, but I don't know if everybody care about it. So I'm glad you brought it up.
Thomas Mooney 43:49
I love like the like you kind of being obsessed with a lot of Dustbowl things because I feel like I'm from West Texas clearly. But I think there's something different about like the spirit of people like especially like a Okay, so like it's easy for me being living in Lubbock in 2021. Because clearly there's air conditioning and there's like infrastructure and there's like you can go places, right? It was probably a lot harder, you know, 100 years ago. Yeah, totally really. You know, like there's but like it's amazing how they're still clearly connections to the past. through the lens of people clearly. Or like I don't know if you if you drive out to like Littlefield, for example. Like Waylon Jennings brother owns like a liquor store out there. And it's called Wayland. And one time I went out there, and we were talking and he took me to like we're waylynn was born at was born and like where his black parents were living at the time and there was like little Literally in the middle of a field kind of thing, and like how when his parents moved out there, they were, they had like a dugout essentially, like they kind of have like a mound where they had like, I guess like wood beams up, and like they were living out there like that. And they they ended up like moving into town and stuff. But like, that's not long ago. And I know, like, so many people have family who are like that as well. And what I find so amazing is like, just that rugged frontier spirit, if you will, because like, people, they could have packed up and left or they could have went back to maybe another home. But a lot of them really couldn't at the same time. I mean, like there's,
Summer Dean 45:43
if they did, they could say dad tried a lot of things I tried. It was I mean, it's, it's magic. It's just it's magic to me. And I think there's so much magic and tragedy in the nothingness that I think when people that can relate to it, I think we can relate to each other because of it really well. Like when I meet people out where you're from, and when I meet people of North and West, up in that part of Texas, it's like, I don't know, there's a magic to it. And I hope I don't ever stop writing about it. Because it's it's pretty cool. And well, it's cool to me. I don't guess I can stop writing about it cuz I love it so much.
Thomas Mooney 46:30
Yeah, it's the the romanticism of nothing. Yes. Yeah. Like, I absolutely love how, sometimes, like, there's something really, really cool about the void. about there being like, just nothing but sky, you know?
Summer Dean 46:46
Yeah. Which is why I think so many artists, like if we're talking about, you know, we're talking about West Texas, I mean, like Terry Allen, Butch, Hancock, and everybody. It's like, I think an artist can survive in that. And so I think that's one reason that the music is so magical. From that part of that part of the world is thing, artists can feel it, and we can, and we can survive there. And so it comes out of us. And same thing with like our way out in California. And when you get out to that type of desert, you know, I think artists just can survive in those places. And so we and almost can thrive in those kinds of places. And so that's, that's what, that's what comes out.
Thomas Mooney 47:38
Yeah, I think like there's I've been trying to figure out like, and put my finger on what figuring out what it is what, what's made Lubbock or like West Texas, special for artists. And sometimes I think it's just like, maybe at least for people around my age, who grew up here during the 80s and 90s. Sometimes it's just like, there was nothing else to do. You know, like you there was no distractions of a big city, like, you know, yeah, like, how many times you're gonna go to the Hastings in Lubbock, or like the mall? Yeah. And walk around. No, like, there's literally nothing else to do. Like, there's no, there's not a beach and there's no like hiking trails and just like working or work on music. Yeah. Yeah, that's how I grew up too. So totally. You but you mentioned Butch Hancock, like that first record of his, I don't know, if you listen to it much. It's that. It's like a long title. I can't even think what it is. It's like dust bloat, windblown dust, something or dust ballads or attractor tunes or something? Yeah, yeah, it's like a long time. I've not listened to it in a minute. All those songs like have that rhythm of the tractor, because he wrote like, almost all of them on while he's like driving a tractor. And I think there's something really, really funny and cool about
Summer Dean 48:57
Yeah, I wish I wish I was that good. But, but no, I just wrote about documentaries and books that I read. But yeah, I wish that it would be cool. You know, that's, that's something interesting about I wonder if Butch even knows that. Like, I wonder if I love I love to talk to people about these kinds of things. And, and, and in the end, people that I meet after shows in the merge booth and stuff, and how they hear certain songs and how they hear certain lyrics. I'm like, Whoa, that's so cool. was coming at it a completely different angle. That's so cool that you hear it that way. Or maybe and you wonder about those geniuses like Butch Hancock. You wonder like, were you a genius? Or did that just ooze out of you? And we think it's genius. Like, was that on purpose? Or did you just not know what you were doing? And that's how it came out. You know? Who knows?
Thomas Mooney 49:49
Like, how self aware Are you of your?
Summer Dean 49:53
Yeah, exactly. Or did it just happen to be that way? And we're reading way too much into it. Who knows?
Thomas Mooney 49:58
Yeah, I think it's a little Both it has like a, as you've mentioned earlier, you kind of realize no one knows what they're doing. Or like they're all everyone's like struggling at the same time at the same, like, just different levels. Yeah, like as far as trying to figure it out. I think it's a little bit of both, like, I know that, like, there's there probably is a little bit of confidence and knowing like, Hey, this is something I want to do, and I can do. And then also just, you know, Stumbling on magic at some time. At some point. Yeah.
Summer Dean 50:29
Yeah, it does make me feel good when I run into people that, in my mind, are much further down, much more established than me and doing great doing things that are in my goals. They're already there, you know, and I hear them, you know, complain about something or not know how to do something, and it makes me feel so much better. Like, oh, I mean, it kind of makes you feel worse, like, Oh, this never gets better. But at the same time, it's like, oh, well, then it's, this is just the way it is. I think I tweeted the other day, I'm in a constant state of man, if I can ever figure this out, I'm going to be unstoppable. But that's how I feel all the time. Like, all the time, like, now, how do I do that? So it's pretty funny.
Thomas Mooney 51:10
is I think, like, that's what, it's just human nature to always think, like, once I get this done, or once, like, people, especially use it with when they're moving somewhere, like you hear all these people think like, Oh, I'm gonna move to Austin, and things are gonna get better for me personally, or I'm gonna move to LA or New York, and things are gonna get better, because there's gonna be more people like me, and then they kind of realize, like, you know, I still have like, the same problems there. I still have to, like, go to work every day. And I still have to do this. But now I have like, different kinds of problems. But they're all kind of the same.
Summer Dean 51:45
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, you're right. You're totally right. It's inspiring. That doesn't get better. But it's also motivating. Are they you know, terrible that it doesn't get better, but you learn what you do. And I hope that people, you know, hope that there's somebody listening, if you think you can't do something, because you don't know how to do it. Like, yeah, you can. I mean, you didn't know how to do whatever you're doing now, at one point, you know, everything's hard for Cz. So I hope that, you know, if there's something that you want to do, just try, just start. Yeah, that's just start doing it.
Thomas Mooney 52:18
Yeah, every once in a while, or, you know, some someone from an up and coming kid from Texas Tech will email me who's want to be a journalist. And they'll be like, what do you what is it that I need to do? And I was just like, you need to start writing. Because even if it doesn't get published, even if you're put it on a blog, even if you don't publish that bog, just try and write every day, or at least a couple times a week, because like, you want to be ready, when you have that opportunity that like comes across. And I feel like with anything, if Yeah, if people make it look easy. Just you have to know that like, and trust that, like there's been a million hours put into making it look effortless.
Summer Dean 53:04
Oh, man. Totally. Yes. Yeah, you're you're exactly right. And that's the same with that's not just writers and songwriters. And musicians, that's any job. So it can be that easy for you, you know, one day, and then it won't be because you'll be doing something else. That's challenging.
Thomas Mooney 53:22
Yeah. And then also like, yeah, like, I think like, there's obviously like, what I do as far as writing is different than songwriting. But I always feel like there's that. There's sometimes a bittersweet feeling after finishing something, because it's like, oh, I'm done. There's like that relief. And then also, it's like, Oh, am I gonna be able to do this again, even though I know I'm gonna be able to do it again, at some point, like, I'm not. So like, I don't know. It's
Summer Dean 53:51
like, Am I am I proud of Am I Is this good? Or am I just proud of myself? Am I is this actually good? But it didn't matter? Because it didn't matter. Because if you did it and you put it out, you're successful. You know, I follow Rick Rubin on Instagram. And if you feel don't follow recruitment, it's for me, it's a great follow. He's an interesting follow, because he'll, he'll, he'll put one thing up there, and then he'll take it off. There's always he's always got one thing up there. But he puts the most inspiring quotes. And he put one up one time about, you know, if, if you've done it, and you put it out, and it's successful. So don't don't think it's not successful, and you don't ever know when it's going to be successful. You may, it may be successful, 20 years from now, like, Who knows? So, you know, I'm preaching to the choir here, because I'm talking to myself, these are things that I tell myself when I go on walks, too. But but it's, there's a lot. There's a lot of that, in this record, you know, we just I just had to trust my gut, and trust the people that were around me and away we went, you know, and there's this funny story about the I like the you know, records are expensive. So I appreciate everyone that buys albums and buys tickets to shows because you're helping us get down the road with everything and I you I'm using a part of my wedding fund that my favorite we put back for a wedding I'm using my wedding money to help finance my record. So that's definitely a choice I've made as far as my lifestyle.
Thomas Mooney 55:27
I mean, that's wherever you can get it right. It's
Summer Dean 55:31
I mean, yeah, yeah, I don't eat I don't eat I mean, I use the way money. So let's let's so let's get down the road, right.
Thomas Mooney 55:43
This episode is brought to you by wild gallery, based in Austin, Texas wild gallery is Austin's only Art Gallery featuring Native American art, head on over to WY ld dot gallery to see their vast array of traditional and contemporary art by Native American artists. Currently, they are a virtual gallery. You can still make appointments on their website if you're wanting to purchase a specific painting in person. But of course, the beauty of them being virtual is that you're able to see and buy from your home without tracking all the way to Austin. While Newsline definitely focuses on music. I always love speaking with songwriters about those other mediums that they explore. Often that's through painting and drawing the visual arts. And since I'm a West Texas native, I've long been drawn to the history, the stories, traditions and heritage of Native Americans, especially those that were out here in the western frontier. And that is what's so great about Wilde gallery. All the artists featured are Native American, and they are telling stories about Native Americans. These scroll through their collection, you'll see a wide range of styles as well. There's definitely some American west and some bold pop art, there's more of that traditional Fine Art like oil on canvas, as well as those that are influenced by Native American traditions. My parents, they always had paintings hanging around the house or their offices that were inspired by West Texas and Native Americans. And now I do as well, especially here in my office, which I'll let you guess where the latest print is from. As a journalist, I do feel like the most intimidating part is staring at a blank white page. And of course, you don't have to be a journalist to be staring at a white blank plate. I know a lot of y'all do that. What I'm saying though, is Don't let your walls suffer from that same white bland this, go visit wild gallery, I guarantee you will find something that moves you and that you'll want hanging in your home. Again, that's wild with a Y go visit WYLD dot gallery. links will be in the show notes as well. Okay, let's get back to the episode. I was gonna ask a little bit more about some of the songwriting as far as like, songwriting in this year goes. How have you, I guess, like adjusted to obviously, this past year, of there being just kind of like everyone being in limbo, with a quarantine in the pandemic, how has that affected or changed or in good ways and bad? Like your routine of songwriting?
Summer Dean 58:34
It's been weird. It's been both some days, some weeks, I'm just like, super down about it and confused and weirded out. And then there's some weeks I have just for some reason, I feel motivated and inspired by the times. So it's a little bit of both, you know, we don't we never knew when it was going to end. So I feel like I spent a lot of the pandemic in a waiting feeling like I was watching the gate the whole time. And and not knowing Okay, well, should I wrap my whole next album now? Or should I work on fat? Should I go ahead and put this album out? Or should I wait to put this album out and there was a lot of just wondering and waiting on what to do, and and that really eclipsed a lot of my artistic brain during this last year. So there's been that but I have written I guess I've written about half of the next album. And I can already kind of feel where I want it to go. Which you know, we're inspired by different things. I was inspired by quitting. I was inspired by quitting the nine to five and getting out on the road and playing music. I was inspired by the honky tonks and the people. I was meeting there and wrote the last album and now I'm just inspired by My own thoughts. So it's gonna be a different album next time. But yeah, I would have liked I heard Brennan say their day that she wrote like 30 Western swing songs during the pandemic and I was, like, immediately slump like, Oh my god, I think I wrote five. But, but no more than five but you know, still not 30. So, but she's got she's prolific. But I think everybody's kind of treated it differently. But yeah, I spent a lot of the pandemic, one watching the game. Like I said, just like wondering, what is the best move to make? No, so fondly? I just quit thinking about it. Did it?
Thomas Mooney 1:00:42
Yeah, that's so here comes an album, y'all. I think a lot of people were in that kind of same feeling. Yeah, as far as it would have been better just had, at the very beginning said, everyone like, it's gonna be a year. Yeah, it's gonna be like nine months. It's gonna be Yeah. Because it felt like we were like always living in like four week increments where like, like the goalposts just kept on getting pushed nudged back.
Summer Dean 1:01:11
Yeah, like, do a book a tour, or is it gonna get canceled? Or? So I do, yeah.
Thomas Mooney 1:01:16
Where people just weren't feeling like you could get into a routine. And that's, that's also weird, too. Because, you know, like, there's clearly some songwriters who can, are not just songwriters, but artists in general, who can do the thing where they wake up every day, and start working on a song in the morning. And they may not finish it or anything like that. But they can do that, where eight o'clock, they can just start it and work on something for a few hours, and then do that the next day. Other people they can't necessarily have like, it's not that time thing. You can't just be given, you know, 1000 hours, and say, here, do it all at once, you know. And yeah, it takes that inspiration, it takes that, you know, as far as you know, like, a lot of times stories come from being out on the road, or seeing just people out in life and doing things being able to just drive, you know, just like downtime, quote, unquote, downtime of driving. And just being able to have like that free mind. You know, so like, it's, I know that some people probably felt like they they wasted this year, or they didn't do as much as they should have. But you know, it I think like it, it's all these different little things that maybe hopefully, people got better at or they felt like they were able to work on.
Summer Dean 1:02:44
Yeah, and I think not unlike not, unlike other artists sometimes are as a songwriter, it's a little bit for me, it's a little bit project based. So I just had my brain and this bad romantic project. And so my brain kind of stayed in that project. And so it is the fact that it's just now coming out. I feel like okay, well, now my brain is ready to leave my heart and everything is ready to let this baby out. And then let's make another one kind of a deal, you know, so, whoa, sexual reference there. So, so that's a little, that's a little bit of it, you know, you kind of want to when once an album is out, you feel a little more freed to start the next one. So there's a little bit of that too, but not too much. But I've written some over the panel that really like and I cannot wait to record. I hope I start the next album soon. Because I really like the songs I've written during the pandemic. I wrote one with my buddy Austin Jenkins in Nashville, and I wrote another one about getting ghosted by guy that in a George Jones cover band and it's called playing pot. It's called the song's called playing possum. And I wrote that one with Bonnie Montgomery and I've done that live a couple of times, and it's been fun to do so I'm excited to record these new songs. Get those out?
Thomas Mooney 1:04:09
Yeah, well, you got the little baby blossom. Come visit you this morning. Yeah, I know. It's a sign. It's a sign. It's a sign. I love us. I knew where that was going when you said George. I know exactly.
Summer Dean 1:04:28
It's fine. I I like comedy and I like you and lightheartedness and not getting me wrong. I like I like a good sad bastard song for sure. But when when it's when there's some funny and liberty and some comedy involved and then I'm usually try to get on board.
Thomas Mooney 1:04:47
Yeah, that's fun. I always love love whenever there's like that little bit of that wink. You know, where maybe Yeah, laughing out loud chuckling but like you're like, Oh, that's a that's a nice little nod to Yes, picking up on all What that is, yeah, a
Summer Dean 1:05:01
little bit of heat haul a little bit of heat. Whoa, and your CMT, you know?
Thomas Mooney 1:05:05
They need to bring her back.
Summer Dean 1:05:07
Do you think I would? I've said that so many times I would audition for that show until they dadgum hard me, I would keep auditioning. I wish they do. I wish they'd redo he, of course, if you wash it now, there's no way some of those jokes would fly in today's times. But yeah, you know, the, you know, the thing can still be there. Oh, I love it. somebody out there. If somebody's listening, and you're into production, and you let's get that done. I will be very involved.
Thomas Mooney 1:05:33
Yeah, I think it would be even just like as like a YouTube show or something. I don't know. There's, there's that's what the thing. There's like 1000 different TV networks, and there's 1000 different streaming services. Someone has the budget for something like that.
Summer Dean 1:05:50
I mean, I grow corn in my backyard every year just to try to get a good joke video. But the corn always dies before it looks good in a film. I'm trying. Wouldn't it be fun to pop out some corn person jokes? But I can't. Can't get the corn to grow?
Thomas Mooney 1:06:10
Yeah, maybe we'll I don't know. I don't know if I know anyone. I don't know. We'll have to just I guess is what people call manifesting this idea. Yes, existence. Yes. Yeah, maybe we'll just keep talking about it. Yeah, I'll tweet about it later. And then we'll get the ball rolling. I think it would be really, really cool. I don't know. There were some things like that that are necessary to bring back so yeah,
Summer Dean 1:06:40
there's a song on the album called picket fence that I wrote. And I envisioned the video I envisioned the video for that out with animation on it. Do you remember and he Hall when like the big dance and pigs would like dance across the front of his cards and cartoon pigs would dance across the front? I really want those cartoon pigs in my picket fence video. But I don't know if it's saying I love Hee Ha. I love it.
Thomas Mooney 1:07:07
That picket picket fence song when I first heard it was on that Texas cotton. Yeah. soundtrack. Yeah, we did it. We redid it for this album. I was gonna ask how did you how did you how did you get involved with like the the Texas cotton Soundtrack The beginning which is I think people it's not like it's kind of criminally underrated. There's a lot of really great artists on there.
Summer Dean 1:07:32
Right? Well, that's all because of everybody's good buddy. Both Smith. And both Smith is a cattle raiser and rancher and and down near bass drop in Elgin. And he's a really good puncher and good gal around. And he was the I don't know, music Wrangler. I don't know what you'd call it for the music on the album. Some songs made it into the film and some songs didn't pick it fans didn't. But um, but yeah, Bo just called in and asked if I had anything that kind of available for the movie. And first, we talked about certain scenes, but I don't think it made it in, you know, I don't think it made that cut, or whatever. But yeah, that's all because of our friend Bo Smith. Oh, his good buddies, and Coulter and Charlie and Matt and Carson, everybody that's on that album. So he's the one that put us all together. And then individually, we were down and recorded it at Yellow Dog with Adam odor down there at your Wimberley. And at that studio, so yeah, that all got put together because bow bow is a great, a great guy. good buddy.
Thomas Mooney 1:08:57
Yeah, I knew it had been done that down in Wimberley with Adam. Yeah. And I think like that's the the entry point for Colter doing that last record down there.
Summer Dean 1:09:07
Yeah, I think so it might have been like it's kind of test test run to see how he locked it down there. But that studio is so beautiful. There's the river runs just right there. You can jump in and the river runs right there by the studio. And that can be pretty good ingredients firing when you're recording. You just kind of go out there and camp your whole time through and stay really focused or not focused. You know, there's a lot to it, you can disappear out there. Whichever way you want to disappear into it, or you can disappear out of it. So that's a beautiful thing about recording it. Yellow Dog. And Adam is such a great producer. So he did a good job on that record. And yeah, I think that records kind of underrated too. It's a cool soundtrack. There's so many so many cool people on it.
Thomas Mooney 1:09:50
Yeah, like that's the What is it? Like there's like some moon pies on there. Cool. Yeah,
Summer Dean 1:09:55
Mike's on there. Yeah, my plate and Maxine harmony on that version of it. events. Yeah, yeah, yeah mics on there. I think there was a moon pie song and my car like kind of did his own his own deal but yeah, it's a cool it's a really cool soundtrack. Yeah proud, proud to
Thomas Mooney 1:10:14
have been included you and you and Mike need to do a song. That's that's like a record that you need to do is like
Summer Dean 1:10:19
I love to He's my buddy. He's my friend Oh, do x record would be awesome. I have a low voice though sometimes singing with a god, it's hard because I sing in their same range. So sometimes, you know, that's why like one of the reason I really liked singing with Coulter is he's so much he's so low. Of course, His voice is kind of evolving and you're really mature, beautiful Western voice, but I can sing on I can sing on top of Coulter's voice easily. Because he thinks so low, you know? But yeah, I do it. Mike actually helped me pick the singles for this album. I I asked a lot of people which one we should kind of push or what you want, we should choose. And Mike, Mike was the kind of final cherry on top opinion that was like that one. So he did. He helped me I trusted him a lot.
Thomas Mooney 1:11:12
Yeah, I love my keys. We've done a couple of podcasts. And I guess like the first podcast we did, or maybe the first time we met. We were just talking about music. And then they played the show. And after the show, I don't know how we started talking about TV. But like, that's all we were talking about was like, cuz he's a big TV guy. I think it's like one of those things that maybe people don't know about. But like he's, like, knows so much about like all these HBO shows and stuff. We're just like, I know, it's like not HBO, but Friday Night Lights. Oh, yeah, that show as far as that's, uh, that's, that's another show that if they wanted to bring back or like, do a deep dive style. Yeah. You know? Oh, man, Coach Taylor. You bet. That's a crash right there, buddy Jackson.
Summer Dean 1:12:02
Yeah, buddy Jackson. Yeah. You let buddy Jackson sing my song. Yeah, I binge to Friday night, lights during the pandemic event. It was good. I liked it. But you know, moon pies, moon pies are I feel like, gosh, I feel like a lot of us are so proud of moon pies in the way that like, you are one of you. I am one of you. You are one of me like and you're doing so good. And, and they just stuck to what they do. And it's and it's paying off. They're a big deal. And they're filling out bigger places. And they're they just had the sound. I'm just so happy for the moon pass. And I think they're so damn good. And their guitar minis and they just have their own wave that they're just rotting. And we're all just so proud of them. I love them in cars are one of my favorite bands for sure.
Thomas Mooney 1:13:01
Yeah, what I love so much. It's everything that you just said, like as far as like having a distinct sound and like just hard working ethic, all that kind of stuff. what's what's I find really kind of amazing as they keep on doing things that feel like it's coming out of left field, but are like just as good as anything they've ever done. And I'm talking about like, clearly like the the stuff they did over in England with the strings and the horns, and it's like, West or Southwest Texas. It's like Texas, James Bond, you know, but it was still the moon pod. Yeah. And they're so cool. That last record, they did have just like the Gary, Gary Stewart covers. Yeah. Or it's just it's stuff like that, that like maybe, you know, none of us ever really thought about Oh, that would be cool to do. And they've just done it. And it's like, oh, yeah, amazing. Okay, well, I can't wait to hear what what y'all have planned next, because it feels like they always have something. Like they're all like, oh, there's something else coming. That's cool. And you're not gonna believe what it is.
Summer Dean 1:14:06
Yeah, I didn't know what those guys are. So they've been themselves the whole way. Like, they will still come out and talk to everybody at the merch booth and hang out after a show and, and, and I'm so happy. I hope they go all all the way whatever all the way is who knows anymore, but I hope that they keep being as successful and creative as they are because they're great. I'd love to do some songs with Mike tags. I might text him today and say let's let's get on FaceTime and let's write something or cover something even Yeah, that'd be fun.
Thomas Mooney 1:14:40
How is how is that the FaceTime or zoom? Call co writing Have you done much of that?
Summer Dean 1:14:45
It's weird because you know when you're on face, you can't you can't hear each other at the same time. So you know, like when you're on speakerphone if they're talking like you can't so if you're playing at the same time and trying to sing and Think about sending at the same time, then it's, you kind of cut each other. And you kind of cut each other out a little bit. So it's a little weird, but I mean, I've gotten it done. Yeah, it's just you kind of work around your parameters a little bit. No big deal.
Thomas Mooney 1:15:14
Yeah, I've heard some people say like, Oh, this is the way I'm probably going to do it now. Because now I don't have to. Especially like people who are if they're like, they live somewhere else, like an exam. Not that I've talked with Lori McKenna about this, but like, you know, she, she doesn't live in Nashville. But you know, she'll go down to Nashville and write, it's probably made it so much easier on her to be able to, like, just stay at home and write. But also, obviously, as you're kind of saying, they're like the, the technology aspects of just kind of getting in the way, like if we were co writing right now. And I was playing guitar, you couldn't like necessarily seeing as I was playing, because there's like that little bit of lag and all the stuff that gets Yeah.
Summer Dean 1:15:56
But you just adjust. You know, it's all right. You still get it done. It's okay. I mean, it's Yeah, I definitely prefer, you know, in person, but it's not. But either way, but yeah, you're right. It does, like whenever thought about, oh, I could just write with you on FaceTime, you'd think I'd have to go to you and write with you. When you don't. So yeah, it probably does widen our brain about what we can get done songwriting wise.
Thomas Mooney 1:16:24
Yeah, I think like, it's, it's something that I've talked with, about because people thought like, I would just do zoom calls, as far as zoom conference calls, whatever, for the podcast. And what I've realized is when I say like, let's just talk on the phone instead. I think that like, zoom works best if you already kind of have that relationship with that person. If you already, like, have hung out, and you've probably written before, it probably works much better. And in the podcast setting, it works better if I already kind of know you, or if we have like multiple people on the phone call, though, is a little bit easier. If it's someone just kind of know. Because, you know, we're just talking on the phone versus like having to be like in front of like, you're you're being able to walk around, you're able to like Nah, man, you don't even know if I have on pants. I mean, I may not have them but you don't know. Right? Yeah. Ready and like get
stuck in front of the
computer and all that kind of stuff, you know, so my opinion. That's what makes it easy. So yeah, I'm rambling on here. But yeah, well, it's been really really great talking with you about this upcoming record and I absolutely love it. I think a lot of people are gonna enjoy it as well. So yeah, thanks so much for for coming on.
Summer Dean 1:17:45
Well, thank you for having me. I really mean it. This has been a long time coming and I can't wait for people to hear it and I can't wait to see you. And see all the people after they hear the record and let's I mean, let's do it. Let's go it's gonna be cool. I am excited about it. Bad Roman coming out later this summer.
Thomas Mooney 1:18:07
All right, that is it for this one. Be sure to go pre order bad romantic by summer Dean out August 27. Go stop on over at our presenting partners desert door, the blue light live and wild Galerie hit up that new slang merch store and hit that subscribe button while you're at it. Alright, I'll see y'all next week for a couple more new slang conversations.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai