2018 Voice Finalist Pryor Baird - Songs about Truths

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Welcome to beyond your why podcast, where we go beyond just talking about your why and actually helping you discover and then live your why. And so, if you're a regular listener to the show, you know that every week I talk about a particular why, and then I bring on somebody that has that why so we can see how it's played out in their life. And so if you have not yet discovered your why, go to why institute.com Take the why app, discover your why and and then come back and listen to the podcast. And so today we are going to be talking about the why of trust, right? To create relationships based upon trust. So if this is your why, then trust means everything to you. You believe that trust is the driving characteristic behind all that you stand for, and you will work hard to create it. When the relationship is based on trust, the sky is the limit. There's nothing you can't do. But if people break your trust, that's a very big deal, right? You'll go to great lengths to demonstrate that you're trustworthy and do such things as become an expert in a given field or with respect to a particular subject, that you can demonstrate your expertise and thereby establish that you can be trusted. You will look to do things properly and correctly because that is what a trusted person would do. You want others to know that you can be counted on and will go the extra mile to demonstrate that with your actions, your words, and your deeds. Many people with a why of trust enjoy numbers, because numbers don't lie. While other people with wise may get annoyed by a violation of their trust, for you, it's like a knife in the gut. And so you build loyal and lasting friendships and relationships with other people. So today I brought a really special guest on for you. A few weeks ago, I was in Nashville, I was at my mastermind group, and one of the guys in the group has a mansion there in Nashville, and he knows a lot of the local country artists. And so every time we have a meeting at his place, he brings in different country artists that perform for us and do a real short concert for us. And so for today, I'm bringing in a guy. His name is Prior Baird. Now, Prior, he's from California, but he lives in Nashville. Right now, Prior's A blues and country artist, and his sound continues to attract thousands of fans and excitement from around the country. He's born and raised on the Central coast, spends most of his time playing guitar and listening to a variety of music genres. He found success touring the blues world. However, Pryor wanted to do more, so he moved to Nashville. He was most recently a fan favorite and a finalist on the Voice. He made it all the way to the semifinals. Prior plans on using his national platform to share his fuse country blues music and have some fun doing it. Prior, welcome to the show.

Whoa.

That get you? Did I lose you?

No, I'm here.

Hey, well, I'm glad you're here. You know, it was really. For those of you that are listening, I was at this event and Prior just comes out with a buddy and they sit down and they start playing their guitar. And I was like, wow, man, that is awesome. And then he sings this one song. And actually, Prior, I don't even know the name of that song. But after you sang it, you remember, I came up to you and I said, hey, how can I get that song? What is the name of the song?

Yeah, well, there's two of them. We're not sure yet. It's either going to be the older I get or the more I see the light. How about both of you? It's going to be the more I. I know, man. It's just.

You got to think that there's so much room on the back of a piece of paper. Paper. And each one of those letters cost money short of the name left. Money I gotta pay. Yeah, it's gotta be one of those.

You know, it's all about the older I get, the more I see the light. And when you sang that song, everybody that was standing around me was like, wow, that is an amazing song. So I remember I. Well, I walked up to. To Pryor and I said, hey, how can I get that song? And you told me it wasn't yet recorded. And I said, well, will you play it again so that I can record it on my iPhone? And surprisingly, you said, yes. I thought you were going to say, no way. But I am so glad you did because I listened to that song almost every morning.

Do you really?

I really do. And I have shared that with people. What in your mind is the message of that song?

Oh, man, it's just like, you know, the older you get, you know, every day that goes by, I'm 37, you know, and it's like, I remember when I moved to Nashville and I was 28. I was like, man, I got lots of time. And then all of a sudden, like, that Kenny Chesney song, you know, you close your eyes, take a nap, then you wake up, you're 25. It's like, whoa, where did all that time go? Like, what happened? And that's pretty much what the song was about. It's like, you know, you never know how soon it could be over and make the best of what you got. My parents are my heroes, man. They're always. My dad is very old school, so when it comes to that kind of stuff, he's just like, hey, you know, half the fun is getting there. You know, it's not fun if you just show up and all of a sudden you're the winner. Yeah. You know, you get to be the first place podium or second place or third place or whatever it is because you have to go through all the steps to get there. And that's what makes it fun. Just like doing anything else, you know, it's like paving a parking lot. This sucks. I know it sucks, but when it's done and you do it properly, it's going to look great.

You know, I've had a lot of people listen to your song. Surprise. And I don't know if I'm supposed to share it, but I have been.

And, yeah, that's my thing, man. It's like, I remember when I was on the TV show before anything happened, people are like, well, how much money are we going to make it? What about this? Finally, after, like, the 30th stupid question I said, I just stood up in the quest. I was like, guys, 100% of zero is zero. None of you are making any money right now, so just shut up and whatever happens, happens. Be thankful that you're this far. Like, don't be an idiot. 100% of zero. Zero. It's not doing anything for. Is it making you any money right now? Well, no. Okay. Why ask how much money you're going to make if you're not making any, you're going to be making more. So just shut up.

Questions.

Let's go there. What was that like being on the Voice?

It was awesome, man. I'll be honest with you. It was one of the easiest things I've ever done. Really? Because it was like, yeah, it's. I mean, it's a lot of things. To me, the competition and those two words I really don't like together. Any sort of art and competition I don't think should be associated with each other. I'm not A, you know, just because, you know, Gary likes, you know, Carl's Jr. Cheeseburgers and I like Burger King cheeseburgers. Well, mine's better. Why is yours better? Because you like it. Okay? You like it. I like it. Art, you know, I like. I don't know anything about art. I really don't. But I know that I really like a beautiful painting of like an outside nature scenario. I love that. But then you go and you see some stuff and it's like, it looked like a three year old took a water balloon and just threw into the thing. People were like, that's amazing. Okay, I don't get it. Like, apparently you see something I don't, I don't understand. But so that being said, I don't like competition in music, but it was fun. It was really fun. And it was extremely easy for me because I've been doing this my entire life. I started playing guitar when I was 3 years old and I don't know anything else. I'm not made for anything else. I'm not put here. I was not pretty for any other reason than that. And so when this opportunity came about, I kept getting further and further along. I was like, there's gotta be a time where this is going to be a lot harder because everybody else is like, you know, you get your song on, I think you get your. I forget, I think you get your songs on Tuesdays. And you'd have, you know, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Yeah, you'd have a week. You have a week to learn your song. And I'm like, I got a week to learn a song that I already know. Okay, what am I going to do? And then everybody else is like, oh, they locked themselves in their room. You can hear them, you know, 20 hours a day. Everybody's rehearsing their song and this and that. And I'm like, guys, it shouldn't take you this long to learn 90 seconds worth of something.

Like, well, and then you ask about sometimes this is my very first time on stage. What. How did you get this far? How did you even. How, like, how are you here right now and you've never been on stage? I just, I gotta get it right. I'm like, yeah, you gotta get it right. That's what. Yeah, you do. So, I mean, it's wild, dude. It's. It's a crazy thing. I mean, that's not a joke. There was a guy there and I remember, he was like. I said, man, are you ready to go? How you feel? He's like, he was White at snow that I'm looking at right now. He said, I'm terrified. I said, why, man? What's going on? I've never been on stage before, and I couldn't say anything because I was just like, what do you mean? What do you mean you've never been on stage? This is my very first time. Good luck, baby. Take a deep breath. Don't mess up.

What was it like the very first time you walk out on the stage and all those four chairs have their backs turned to you? What was that like?

To be honest with you, that stage is a lot bigger than you think, and they're a good 30, 40ft in front of you. It's dark and you can't see it. But I wasn't nervous at all because the music was the easiest part for me. I'm like, this is so much fun. And not to mention, they have the greatest band I have ever played with in my life. I mean, Paul is the musical director for the show, and it's the same exact band for every artist for every show, every season, every year. They are so good. When you're a musician at, you know, when you're building up, building up, building up, you're always looking for a great band. You're always like, I hope nobody screws up, man. That's just. We just make it all night without anybody screwing up. And then you get on stage with these guys, it's like, well, I better not screw up, because I know these guys ain't going to screw up. So you don't have to worry about it. You know that these guys have have your back every note, no matter what. And it's like, this is the easiest thing in the world. This is live karaoke on national television. Songs that I love to sing. Let's go. I'm in. So it was. It was so much fun.

See, you're saying things right now that don't seem possible for those of us that are not musicians. Because for me, you know, being on stage singing, you know, you probably just standing there with a guitar, that would be petrifying that I'm going to screw something up. And for you, you're like, oh, I'm not even nervous at all about that. But for the rest of us that are not musicians and are watching you, it seems like it would be extremely scary.

Okay, so the other way around for that is, Gary, just like you said, I don't think prayer is very tech savvy. I'm not. It's just like today for this podcast, I'm Like, I hope I don't push any button on my phone that screws this up. I hope that I don't piss Gary off and I say something wrong and screw it up, because I don't want to do that. I'm more nervous about this than going on stage 100%. It's just all in what you're comfortable with, man. And it's all about the why of trust. Yeah, I trust my band. You trust your knowledge. You trust what you have built up in your life. It's the caveman thing, you know, it's like, I trust myself. This is what I know. This is what I know that I can do. I can go over there, I can shoot that, whatever it is, from here and get food. I trust myself and the rest of my family and the rest of my pack and the rest of my clan trust me to go out and do it. So I must therefore get it done.

You know, I. Like I said, I've had people listen to your song, and I asked them, people that know about the whys. And I asked them, I say, what do you think his why is after I haven't listened to you? And then I said, what do you think his why is? And every one of them have said, I think his why is trust because of the way you sing. How would you describe. Or how do people describe the way that you sing?

So it's funny that you ask that. So I told you earlier that I met with a guide that's a senior vice president of a company and it's a music company. And I played for him, and it was a really. It was so random how the whole thing came about. But at the end, after I played, I think, six or seven songs, he was sitting there and he said, okay, I don't say this ever, because I've only seen this one other time. He said, usually when somebody sings a song, it's that person singing that song, not like an actor who gets into their character. It's like Johnny Depp gets into Captain Jack Sparrow, and he is Captain Jack Sparrow. He said, when you sing a song, you transform yourself into that song, whatever it may be. It's a sad song. I mean, usually if it's a sad song, I mean, nine times out of 10, I will. You'll hear my voice crack, and you'll see, you know, my eye, I will tear up. And sometimes I do cry when I sing. And then when. If I'm singing a happy song, man, I'm into it. My feet won't stay still. And I'm bouncing around. And he said, you play a song like one other person I've ever seen. His name is Garth Brooks. He said, you transform into a song and you give it to people as the way it's supposed to be given. You know, it's kind of like it would be like you and me, or you and I giving a State of the Union. Nobody gives a shit about us giving a State of the Union. Who the hell is that? Yahoo. Who's this guy?

You know, they want to hear a president give a State of the Union because that's your dress. It's like, okay. I mean, I'm not going to get political right now because it's not a great time.

But.

It was definitely real when. For the people that were listening. So when you sang at the event that I was at, everyone stopped. Nobody moved. Everybody listened intently to the words that you sang. There was no talking. And it was fascinating because that particular song just hit me. And that's when I said, how can I get that? And everybody else was feeling the same thing. So when I walked up to film you, then all the other people came up and started walking up to film you as well. Because it's just a song. I can't imagine that that particular song is not going to be a big hit. If people get to hear it, they're going to love it. Nobody that I've shared your song with doesn't say, oh, my gosh, that's an amazing song. How can I get that?

So, yeah, I don't know if it's okay with you, but I would love to be able to play that song on this podcast or after the podcast or during its. You know, after. Is that okay?

Yeah, absolutely.

And you know what? I recorded that with my iPhone, and I am blown away by the quality of the sound from my iPhone. I can't even. I played it on my car, on my Apple.

That's awesome. They, Man, I'm telling you, those. Those things are crazy now. You know, when we were, you know, we used to. 10, 15 years ago, everybody had a camera. You know, you'd go on vacation, your mom would have a camera, your dad have a camera. You'd have a camera strapped around your neck. And you get 35 millimeter cameras that were. And this one wasn't focused. Now all the pictures are focused all the time. It's like, yeah, that's a great picture.

But the sound of it. I'm going to send it back to you. I haven't sent what I filmed you back to You. But I think you'll enjoy it because it's almost like as good a quality as anything else I hear from my radio or from my phone when I play it through my stereo in the car.

Wow.

It's bizarre how good it is. And so I worry about that sometimes.

Sing really loud.

But that song. So you sang that song, and then you sang a song about your dad?

Bo. Yeah.

You try to make me cry, I think, man.

But I said a minute ago, you know, when I sing sad song. That's the one, I think, that one. I mean, I. I cry. I'm a pretty sensitive guy, man. I'll be honest with you. Then when I hear. You know, when I. I remember when I wrote that song, I was on an airplane and I woke up and I wrote it in three minutes. I had my headphones on and my glasses, and I was sound asleep. And I remember I woke up and I wrote it. And the lady sitting next to me, she's like, are you okay? Like, yeah, I'm just writing song. It's kind of personal, but I'll be all right.

Is that typically how it is for you? Is that, you know, like. No, no. What's it typical Alphabet typically like writing.

A song, you mean? Yeah, there's no typical for me. There's not. I mean. I mean, it's just like anybody else, how somebody else does something. There's no typical for me. That was the easiest song I've ever written in my life. Pretty much written for me by a preacher at a funeral. And what he was saying, I was like, oh, my God. And he just kind of. It was kind of just like bullet points and then kind of putting them all together. And I was like, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, I got it. And that. The funeral that we were there for was for my fiance, one of her best friends. It was his or her dad. He was in the Air Force. And, you know, everybody in my family is all military people. And so when I. I don't know how many people have been to a military funeral, but it's very moving when it's done properly, you know, with the 21 gun salute. You see him come out and everything. I mean, I'm getting. I've got, you know, crackly throat already just thinking about it. It's an emotional thing, you know? And then they. They play, you know, all the music, and then it hits you, and it's like, God dang it. Like, it can be over so fast. And I think about that every single day. I Was driving. I'm in upstate New York and I was driving, and there was. Just on the side of the road, there was an accident that happened, like, two minutes before I got there. And the police and everybody were there. And, you know, they've got the black bags, like, three of them everywhere. And I was like, somebody somewhere is getting, like, the worst. I mean, what do you do? Like, your wife and your kid were just going to the grocery store to get some eggs to make you a birthday cake or something, and then you get a phone call being your wife and daughter are gone. Yeah. You know. Yep. And you never. I shouldn't say you never think about it, because I think about that kind of stuff all the time, But I don't think a lot of people do, and they just take life for granted. And then when it comes to it is like, oh, my God, I didn't do this. I didn't have. And they get so angry. It's like if you just take a step back every day. Because I realized that there was a. Remember when I sang that song for you? And I was like, there's a verse of that song that I forgot to sing. Yeah. It says, I play this old guitar to make ends meet. I thought fame and fortune would be my destiny. But in the big picture, it's the small things in life, like being alive, being free, and making love to your wife.

Awesome.

Yeah.

And it's tiny. It's the small things in life that people don't realize, you know? And those little tiny things. Sure, the big things are cool, you know, the big things are great. You know, you have a child, you get married, you know, whatever. But it's like, what about this morning on a Wednesday when you woke up in a hotel room by yourself, but you were able to get up, walk yourself to the bathroom, get dressed, and complete all your motor functions by yourself without any help from anybody else? And you can do that every day on a daily basis. That is the smallest thing in the world until you can't do it.

And then it's like. And then your trust then comes up, well, who am I going to trust to help me do this? Because I can't do it by myself. Oh, sorry. I get deep sometimes. I think about that kind of stuff all the time.

And that comes out in your songs as well. Prior, how did you get into being a musician? When did you start playing? Why did you start playing? When did you pick up a guitar? Take us back there.

I started playing the guitar when I was booty. I remember my uncle Michael Gilly coming to our house, making Christmas time. Because that's when he always came. I was in the kitchen, and I must have been. This is like my. This is literally no joke. This. The very first memory that I can go back to. To remembering. And I was little, like, single digits, like two. And I remember. This is. I don't remember anything else. I don't remember till I'm, you know, older. But I remember this day as it was yesterday. I heard something, and I was in the kitchen, and I remember going from the kitchen to the. We had, like a. We call it the sun room where my mom's piano is. And I remember I turned the corner and my uncle was sitting in a chair. And it was a green. We had it forever. It was like this old green rocking chair, recliner thing. And I remember seeing the back of his head. I could see his left arm, like, his left hand, and the neck of the guitar, just the back of it and going to the front and, like. I don't remember seeing him after that, but I remember seeing the guitar. And I remember hearing it. And I was something in my conscious mind, and it wasn't me. I know that because I was 2 years old. Like, you don't have. You can't put shit together when you're two. But I remember it's like that sound. Whatever that thing. Whatever that sound is, is what I'm supposed to do. Wow. And when I was. I must have been two and a half. Yeah. Because. Okay, so I'm two. And then I got a guitar when I was three. So, yeah, two and a half the next year. I mean, I remember Doug and my mom was like, mom, I want a guitar. Guitar, guitar, guitar, guitar, guitar. That was like, my first word. Guitar, guitar, guitar. That's all I want. And I guess they took me to. I don't remember this at all. I guess they took me to, you know, some mall or something as a kid. You know, they would have Santa Claus at the mall. What do you want for Christmas? And I don't remember this at all. And this was only. I don't know how much later, but my mom tells. She's like, yeah, you went to Santa Claus. You sat on his knees like, I want a guitar, but I want a real guitar. She's like, okay. So she got me a real guitar. They got me one for Christmas. I will never forget. It was in the back of the. I was so. I was, like, devastated and crushed because a guitar would stand out, you know, when it's underneath the tree and I didn't see it. I didn't see it. And we went through all the presents, and I was like, life as I knew it was over.

And my dad was like, what's this? And I ran into the sunroom, and he was kind of standing behind the, you know, kind of pulling the Christmas tree back. It's like, what's this back here? And I ran back there, and I still have. I still have the guitar. I still have the case. And it was like this little faux leather black guitars bag with a real guitar in it that had nylon strings. And that was it. I took that thing. And then as soon as I got it, I said, okay, I need lessons. I gotta take guitar lessons. And I was so little, and my mom was. You know, my mom took me everywhere to go. Guitar, guitar lessons. And I'm from a small town, so we had to go to, like, the next town over. And everybody was like, man, we can't teach this kiddies to, like. You got to be at least like, five. And my mom was like, I don't care what you have, like five minutes. Give him 10 minutes. Whatever you got to do just to shut this kid up about this damn guitar. And nobody would do it. Then finally, she went to this guy named Jerry Coelho, and he's like, look, ma', am, I'm sorry. I don't take kids on till they're six years old. She's like, jerry, you don't know me from Adam and I don't know you, but I have been to every single place in this town. You're my last hope. Please, just 30 minutes. And he's like, okay, all right, I'll do that. And as soon as he did, as soon as it was over, I remember he stood up and he went to shake my hand. And I just ran over to him, and I was only up to his leg, you know, I wasn't any taller than his waist. And I ran and I just grabbed him around the leg and I just gave him the biggest hug. And he's like, bring him back every Tuesday. And I went to him every Tuesday for like, 15 years at 2:30 right after school. And that was it, man. That's how I got started. And that's. That's the story behind it.

And that's awesome.

It's weird because I don't remember, like, I don't remember my first bicycle. I don't remember. I don't remember Christmases after that. I don't remember birthdays after that. I don't remember. There's a Lot of stuff I don't remember, but I mean, those musical moments that. Like the very first musical moments to me, totally remember. I remember the first time I wanted to play blues. I remember I listened to a Jimmy Reed record live at Carnegie Hall. And my mom was a big blues fan. Still is a huge blues fan. Blues, jazz, and my dad was big time country and bluegrass. And so that music was around all the time. And I remember listening to Jimmy Reed. It was Live at Carnegie Hall. I still have the record, the lp. And I remember, God dang, I haven't thought about this and I. I don't know how long, but I remember listening to it and I was like, that's exactly what I want to sound like. That's how I want to sound.

That's interesting that you say that, because when you were playing at. Between songs, I turned to one of the guys that was with me and I asked him this exact question. I said, I wonder how he. I didn't know your name at the time. I said, I wonder how he decided what voice he's gonna sing with.

Because your voice is so unique. It's not. Well, who are you singing with? He was really funny. That guy was hilarious. What was his name?

John Wesley Satterfield.

John Wesley Satterfield. He kept introducing you as John Wesley Satterfield as well. Yeah, he was fun, but.

But his voice is so, you know, it's more traditional, I guess, than. Than what your voice is. And I wondered, I said, how did he get that voice? How did you get your voice? Or how did that. How did that happen?

That's a really funny story, actually. And this is. I sound like my dad. Everybody tells, you know, the difference between a C story and a true story or a fairy tale and a C story. I said, no, dad, what's that C story starts out. And once upon a time, a C story starts out. This ain't no shit. This really happened, like, all right, that's pretty funny. This is. No shit. This didn't really happen. I was. I think I was 16 or 17 and we had a gig. I was in a band called the freaking Deacons. No, I was older than that. I must have been 18 because I dropped out of college and we had a gig. We were a blues band and we had a left handed. God, we had a left handed drummer who was crippled. His name was Franco. And then we have my bass player and then our harmonica player, and his name was Kirk, but we called him Pork Chop. And I was. I think I was 18 and I didn't have a car at the time, I think. Oh, my truck was in the shop, and I was. My mom had to take me. I was like, mom, can you take me up gig? Drop me off? She said, yeah, sure, no problem. So she took me uptown, dropped me off. We were playing the part at an old freaking dive bar called O. Sullivan's. It's rough, and I loved it. And I'm not old enough to be in the bar, but, I mean, I grew up in the bars, you know, have to go outside. Anyways, we're there. We're all set up. We're waiting, waiting, waiting. Pork chops out there. Pork chop. I was like, where the hell is this? Where is he? And then the bar. The bar phone rang. The bartender came over. She's like, hey, Kirk's in jail. Like, oh.

And they're like, all right, gigs canceled. I was like, hell, no. The gigs not canceled. My mom drop me off. She can't drive all the way back up here. I'll sing. They're like, what the hell are you talking about? You'll say you don't sing. I was like, well, I know all the words. It can't be that hard. That was it. That started until there, and that was it, man. I remember there was a guy there, and I'd known him for years, man. Every time I'd see him or I see something that he posted, I'm like. I go back to that moment. I'm like, I remember that day. It was weird. I didn't know how it was going to sound because I never sang. I didn't know. And then when I sang, I was like, oh, okay, that's cool.

Thank you know.

But I didn't like. I still don't like the way I sound, but that's just me.

I wonder if you can sing part of that song so people can hear your voice and understand what I'm talking about. Is that possible?

Of course it's possible. Absolutely. You want me to get my guitar out, too? Because it's right here with me. It's in the bed, actually.

Let's do it.

I sleep with it. All right.

You sleep with it?

Yeah. Whenever I'm on the road, the first thing I do is I put off my guitar. I usually travel with two guitars. I put them on the bed. I think if I'm like, kids, man, because they're the kids I got, you wouldn't want to sleep in a, you know, dark little cave. So I put them on the bed.

That's great.

You haven't seen the whole thing.

No, just sing us a little bit of it so they get the sound of your voice. So, you know, because I'm talking about it, but it's hard to really get unless you hear it.

Okay, I'm gonna set the phone down for a second.

Okay.

So I'm not screaming into it. So hang on to.

All deep Fall into the bath and fall out.

Into the pocket.

Well, I woke up.

This morning I was feeling all right.

Thankful for looking me like.

And.

Another cup of coffee Another sor eyes.

Yeah the older I get, the more.

I see the lighter.

I appreciate you. You doing that because it's just a unique sound that you have. It's not. It makes people stop every. You know, every time I. Like I said, every time I've played that for somebody, they stop and they're like, whoa, What? What was that? And it's.

Yeah, it's. Yeah.

How do you describe your voice?

I have no idea. There's an old interview that Dean Martin did, and I think Johnny Carson was interviewing. He said, dean, everybody wants to know how you sing like that. He's like, I don't know. I just open my mouth and that's the way it comes out. And that's. That's exactly what I could say. I have no idea how it comes out or why it comes out like that. I don't know why it's raspy. I don't know why I can get up high and sing high. I don't know. I don't know. Other than it was a talent that I was given by somebody else, and I am thankful for it every day.

What does music represent to you? Why. Why are you doing the music? Why? Because you could pick other things if you. You know, I can't imagine that the life of a musician is easy. Maybe it is, but I can't imagine that it is. Why did you pick this? And what keeps you going?

The sun comes up every day in the same place, roughly. Sets in the same place every day, roughly. You know it's going to happen. You know it's going to be there. Consistency, it's the same thing. You can count on that going to happen.

I know nothing else. I know that the sun's going to come up and the sun's going to go down. As much as I know that my music is here for me and that's it. And that's all I have, and that's all I know. I don't know anything else. Like, there is no other. I've done so many other jobs. I'VE been a bartender, I'm a general contractor, I've built million dollar homes, I've washed dishes, I've been a bartender. And all of that is just to move music needle further. I don't know of anything else. And music, true musicians don't choose music. Music chooses them. Because nobody in their right mind would ever get into a business that has a business plan that goes as follows. Okay, I'm an employer. You can't see me, but I'm going to give you a job. I'm not going to give you any tools, I'm not going to pay you a single dime. I'm not going to give you a car, I'm not going to give you health insurance. I'm not going to give you anything other than a ticking clock and quite a few other people that are out there that are really good and you're all competing against each other. So have fun.

Go do your thing.

Yeah, go try and make it be like, what? No, my fiance, we were out the other night and my fiance and my neighbor, my fiance's in the healthcare business and he's in the insurance business. And they were like, there is no way in hell anybody in their right mind would do this.

They were like, you know, you got to be extremely crazy, number one. But you have to have passion. But the number one thing that you have to have is trust in yourself. And I can do this, and I will do this because I've gotten it this far and I've made it this far. And I'm going to continue to do so because I know that I can do it and I trust in myself.

That's interesting you say that, because when I talk about the why of trust, one of the things that I always talk about is that the most important relationship that you have, if your why is trust, is your relationship with yourself. Because if you can trust you, then there's nothing you can't do. But if you ever reach a point in your life where you can't trust you or you're doing things that make you lose trust in yourself, that's when things go haywire for you. That's when you. Things go sideways.

They do go sideways. I agree with you. But sometimes I think it's a growth. You know, it's just like any sort of relationship. I always say this like you can't be in a relationship with another human being. You're unhappy with yourself to begin with, like, that's not going to work. But I do think that you must trust yourself completely and totally without doubt, all the time.

What does the music represent to you? What is your attraction to creating and writing music?

It's every single aspect of it. I mean, it's hard to put it. I mean, it's hard to put into words, but it's like. I mean, like anybody else, you know, what are you passionate about? You know, you look at a professional baseball pitcher, how many years he must sit as a kid in his backyard throwing a baseball, watching baseball games, traveling to baseball games, sleeping with a baseball in his hand, learning the patterns, never putting the baseball down, knowing every single thing about what he can and cannot do with a baseball, what he can't do with a baseball. I will find out how to do it. I will spend the time, I will put in the 10,000 hours to find out how do I do that? How do I make that ball go from here to there? Because one of these days, who hasn't been a little kid and played baseball? You're standing out there like, bottom of the night, two outs, Rickley field counts full. It's up to me. It's World Series. Someday that's going to happen. It happens every year. And I think about it. Every time it gets to that count, I always stop and I pause. I'd be like, there was a time, like right now, that guy could take a break and he could step out of the batter's box and be like, holy shit. Remember when I was a little kid? I remember going back and I remember standing there at this little field, playing with my buddies, playing stickball in the street. Bottom of the night, two outs, full count, World Series. It's up to me. And now you open your eyes and it's like, there's 50,000 people, and everybody's cheering, I've made it. Yeah. And that's the great part. But then the trust part in yourself comes in. It's like, okay, don't screw this up, because everybody will crucify you, because this is your team. You represent their talent now. So you must trust in yourself. What is he going to throw in, the baseball or the pitcher? I must trust myself now because he's the number one batter in the league. I need to trust myself and go back to all these years. You can do this. You've done this a million times. This scenario, do the best you know how. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. But when you lose, just like in any relationship or whatever it may be, you take from that and learn from it. What did I learn from that? And how do I not have this happen again? In a relationship. Okay. How do I recognize these things called red flags that I didn't see the previous time, that I will see this time and not let that happen again. And you must trust yourself, but you must have that breaking you trust every now and then, not from yourself, but from somebody else. So you. Every time that happens, you're trusting yourself gets a little bit bigger, a little bit deeper, a little bit more solid.

Yeah, I think so. What is it that you believe about your music? What do you believe it brings? What do you believe it represents? And start what you tell me by saying, I believe.

I believe that my music is a extension of the feelings that I have inside. Feelings and thoughts. Yeah. I believe that my music is all my feelings, all of my thoughts, all of my concerns, all of my passion. I love. It's a way for me to give it to somebody else and hopefully what I believe will click with somebody else that doesn't happen to know what their why is or they don't know what they are or why they are or what they're doing or where they're at. And it's amazing what. You know, what. Three minutes in a song with just some vibrations that vibrate inside your ear and. And some words that go into a brain. That's all it is, just vibrations and words. Those vibrations and those words can come out of someone, go into somebody else invisibly and change their life. I love that. That's what I believe my music does.

And that's how I would like you to start. Every single time you play your guitar, Every time you sit in front of an executive and you say, let me play something for you and say, let me tell you what I believe. And if you tell them what you believe, they will hear your music like we talked about that night. They will hear your music from a different perspective, and it will rock their world even more. Because you sang about truths and you told stories about truths and about reality and about things that moved you, and they translated into me and to everybody that was around us, and we felt it, and it took us a while to feel it versus the initial, hey, this is why I do what I do, and this is what I believe. And then your songs become a reflection of what you believe, and they're even that much more powerful. Does that make sense?

I mean, it couldn't be any more crystal clear. And I love that. And that's a problem that I have with the music today. It has such an. And I'm so thankful that I got to play for people and like Kind people as of yourself. Because if I, you know, I go and play those songs, like, I played them last night at a bar, and I played that song.

And nobody even turns around, you know, nobody. Everybody's at the bar, and everybody's, you know, having a great time, which is great. And I'm just kind of there to add, you know, just to add a little bit of ambiance. But when I got to play that song for you guys, I was so thankful that people actually listened and felt what it was. Like. I said, you heard the words, you felt the vibration, and it literally passed out of me and into you people. Yeah. And when it did, you guys were able to. Because, I mean, it's just. I feel like it's. It's an almost an archaic thing, is people's receptors of feelings and they're turned off. People are like, oh, I really like that. But should I clap? I don't know if I should do. Am I supposed to like that? Nobody else is clapping? Does nobody else like that? Am I the only weird one? Yeah. And they start thinking. It's like, no, actually, you're the only person in here that's actually doing it. Right. Because you feel, you understand, and you hear and you listen and you observe, and that is. That doesn't happen anymore. And so when you guys actually came up and said something, it's like, man, that's the first time I've been doing this, Gary, for 33 years. Yeah, 33 years. And never, ever has anybody come up to me and said what you said that night ever in my life. Wow. And I've always played the same way. And the reason I play the same way is because the relationship that I have with my guitar and my sound of my music, it's a love affair. I can. I love makes me so happy. That's my love affair. That's. I in love with music. And I love playing because, I mean, where else do you get to make, you know, ugly faces like that? You know, it's like John Mayer. People be like, oh, God, look at his face. But people still love it. And because that is so much pain, anger, and happiness and fear and every single field that you could think of as a human being. That's every single feeling that every single human being has on the planet. But only a select few people figure out a way to where all. All those fields that we all have and we all share inside. I feel like, as an artist, like, I feel like we are the lucky ones in a way, because we can take it and Put it out there. And it's almost like, okay. Almost like telling somebody something they don't want to hear. It's like, okay, I got that off my chest. But that's not really what it is. It's just like, you know, I get to express my feelings and go to therapy every day because I get to play my music and give it to somebody else. And very rarely, like, very rarely, somebody else take it in like that and perceive it the way that I play it or the way that other people play it. But when they do, it is incredible. For instance, right now, yes, you felt you got it, you understood it, and you were like, I want to talk to you about this. And when you told me. I will never forget when you told me, I want you to start out, this is what I believe. Okay? But I was just like, you know, this is. Holy shit. That's like the absolute truth. This is what I believe. Not like saying, this is what you must believe. This is what it is, and this is how it is. No, man, this is just what I believe. I believe this is the best cheeseburger on the planet. Well, I disagree. Cool, man. Well, let's go taste yours, because I like cheeseburgers anyway, so let's go have one of yours.

Exactly. And if they believe what you believe, then they will resonate and connect with you in a completely different way. It'll be a much. They'll see you from a different perspective when you at least tell us what it is you believe. Because when you. You just sat down and started playing and you were pretty quiet, as a matter of fact, for the first few songs, I didn't even know who either of you were, really, until you got introduced as the wrong name. And that was so funny, you know, because he was introducing you both as his name. But your sound was so much different, and it had so much more truth and feeling. And, you know, for those of you that are listening, you don't get. You couldn't really hear when he played there in the little section that he played. So I'm going to put it on here for you. But it's. Everyone stops and listens to that song when I tell them, when I show it to them and I say his why is trust? Listen to this.

Yeah.

Holy cow. That is awesome.

And usually pretty quiet when I get on stage. Especially when I'm on stage with other people, and especially if it's their gig, they got it. It's like. It's just a respect thing, you know?

Could you ask them, would it be okay if I say a few things before I play?

Yeah, I mean. I mean, it's totally okay. I just. I just. You got to remember, like I just said, it's. This is the first time in 30 something years where somebody's actually come up to me afterwards and be like, hey, that's unbelievable, because not very often do we get to play for people that have a mindset that are open. You play for people that have a mindset. It's open. All right. It's open to like, damn, she's hot, or, oh, he's cute, or whatever. Because they're out drinking, they're at a bar, and they just want to get hammered and get up and go out and party. Yep. You know, and that's the lifestyle that. That you become accustomed to. It's like nobody. And it's hard to get a song where people actually, like, listen to it. But I think things are changing. I think people actually. I don't want to say that the songs are still the same. There's still amazing songwriters out there, but it's like people want people like what they're familiar with. They want familiarity, you know, they don't want anything different because it's scary and it's uncomfortable. It's like, well, I don't know, but I guarantee you, sure. Shit, if they were by theirself, they'd be like, God, fucking shit, man. That was awesome. But their friends are around. Like, that was weird. Oh, my God, like, what are they doing? My.

Can I give you a thought?

Hey, you can. And I'm writing them down on my Holiday Inn Express notepad. I saved the Holiday Inn Express last night.

That sounds like fun. Well, structure influences behavior, and behavior influences result. So what I mean by that is the structure that you create for people when you sing influences the behavior that you get from them. And then the behavior that they elicit, it influences the results that you get. So if you create a structure for me to enjoy you, if the structure of the bar is anything goes all hell, you know, do whatever the hell you want. Don't even bother listening to this guy, well, then that's the result you're going to get. But if you're able to create the structure for me where I can become engaged with. With you, then the behavior that I elicit will be different and the results absolutely can be different. So if. But you have the opportunity to create that structure for me, and if you don't create, I'm going to make up my own.

Yep.

So if you're able to tell Me what you believe. I believe this. And I believe my songs, if you listen, can have an impact in your evening tonight and tell us, dude, I'm.

Going to say that. I swear to God, I'm going to say that from now on. I'll never forget that night when you told me that you're like, start out with this is what I believe. And when you said that, this is what I believe in the way that you said it. I don't know if it's just me, and I'm just. You know, I always. I try to listen to what people say, but even the way that you said it and the way that it came across, it was like. Like the hand of God came down, hit me in the head, and I was like, wow.

I mean, I don't know if you remember exactly what I said, but I think what I said was, if you started your performance by saying, this is what I believe, yes. And it was, yes.

It was five words. This is what I believe.

And then tell. I was like, yeah, it allows me. So when you say those words, and for everybody that's on this, listening to this podcast, when you articulate what it is you. You believe, it gives me the opportunity to say, yes, I believe the same thing. I'm in. Or, no, I don't believe the same thing, and I'm out. Which is okay as well, but it draws the right people to you. I believe that songs are about truths. I believe that songs tell the stories of our lives, and when we listen carefully, it can change our world. And so my song tonight is going to be about my father and what happened in our lives and how it impacted me. And I wanted to share this with you. And now I'm listening to your song completely differently. And now I'm waiting for that truth to come out, and I'm waiting for it to be part of my life. Now I'm waiting to transfer you. To transfer that from you to me through the vibration of your song and your voice. And now my evening became something special. It wasn't just a night getting drunk. It was a night I connected with this guy, and he rocked my world.

Yeah.

And now we have different conversations to have perfectly said.

And because like you said, you know, if this is what I believe, then I'm in, but if I don't believe, then I'm out.

Yes.

But it gives me, me being the artist and you being the person saying, no, I don't believe that, but it gives me and you, if the you has the angst inside of them to Be like, you know what? Open up a little bit. Why do I not believe this? You know, let me take the opportunity to sit down and look, and then if I can get that person to sit back and after three minutes of vibrations and words, then they're like, yeah, I get it. Okay. Yeah, I believe that, too.

Your song, it's even better. Thanks, Headbutt.

Then you've connected with somebody else that didn't want to connect it. You know, they were like, oh, what about. No, I don't believe it that way. I don't believe it that way. Which I think would be a great thing if they could get this in politics. Be like, look, guys, like, just get this shit together. It's really not that difficult.

Yes.

More than one way to skin a cat.

Yeah. I felt your song. I want to see you. I want other people to get to experience prior. I want other people to get to see the stories that you tell. I want you to have that impact on. Impact on other people because of the impact I saw it having. Just our group. I mean, everyone in our group wanted to come up to talk to you. And they're all successful people. They're all people that are doing amazing things in the world, and. And they connected deeply with you, every one of them. And so your audience is also critical. You know, maybe you have a different audience. Once you are clear on what you believe, then your audience may change. The places that you're willing to sing, the places that you want to be, where you want to perform may change because of the people that will connect with you. Does that make sense?

100%.

It clarifies you and your gift when you talk about what it is you believe. So if you were talking with the executive of the recording studio, if you had started it, next time you meet that guy or sit down with or get to perform again for one of them, start by telling him what you believe.

I'm not going to start anything else without saying that first.

Well, I'm so excited to see how that works for you, and I definitely want to stay in contact with you and hear how that's working for you. And I'm sure the audience here will as well. I know we're going a little bit long here, longer than usual, but I have one last thing to ask you before.

Oh, man. I was hoping it wasn't over yet. I'd do this all day.

Hey, tell us, what is it? So who was your coach when you were on the. On the Voice?

Blake Shelton.

And what was it like working with him exactly?

How you think it would be? I mean, if you think about. He's the most. He's down to earth. That's what people don't understand, man. You know, people make these people into icons and it's like, just remember they put their pants on the same way every morning, one foot at a time. Like, they're just normal people and it's. They're no different than you and I. Like, if you took all his fame away and you took everything away from us, we would be the same exact. We would look different and sound different, but other than that, we're the same. Yeah, he's awesome. He's a good dude. He's down to earth. He's fun.

Has he been able to help you since the show?

Yeah, we actually just went out and did he let me open up for him in California at the California Mid State Fair, which is huge fair in California where I'm from. It's fun.

That's awesome.

He's a good man.

Could just, you feel it in him when, you know, I watch the show with my wife all the time and it's. It's fun to hear his banter and he just seems like a regular guy, you know, guy that sit down, have a beer with you and just shoot the shit.

He's a dude that would sit down, have 30 beers with you.

And that's pretty good.

That's hilarious. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day and being on the call here with me and being on the podcast with me. And I'm going to connect your video that I took, if it's okay, to this podcast so everybody could hear absolutely your voice and how you play and how you sing and the truth and the trust that comes out of every performance that you do. Every song has your heart in it, has your soul in it, and it was just awesome to see. And hopefully now you have the words to start it with so that people connect even more with you.

Gary, thank you so much. I've only met you once and I feel like it's been a life changing experience and I think that's extremely important. If you can meet somebody one time and they could change your life, that's. That's the way it's supposed to be. Shouldn't take numerous times for somebody to change your life. And you did it one time. So I thank you very, very.