Billy Strings | This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #483

today's guest is that blue-eyed. Bluegrass bad boy you know it uh he's a. Grammy award winner um he has a new. album renewal that is out now wherever. you stream music uh he's the pride of. Michigan he just got back from the. Grammys so I'm looking forward to uh. just to getting it know him today's. guest is Mr Billy string shine that. light on. [Music]. me I'll sit and tell you my.

stories. shine on. me and I will find a song I will. [Applause]. sing yeah thanks for coming in bro I. appreciate it man thanks for all the. wild music. dude no problem man that's my pleasure.

um how was the Grammys you went to the. Grammys yeah no it was great um I. brought my mom and dad out there no and. did you get to take them last time I. know you've been before yeah um no the. last time I didn't bring my parents but. this time the record that I was. nominated for was actually well I was. nominated for three things but the main. one for me was this record that I made. called me and Dad which is exactly what. it sounds like it's record that I made. with my dad mhm and he's the one that. taught me how to play and taught me all.

about Bluegrass and stuff and taught me. how to wipe my ass and tie my shoes and. everything so to kind of grow up and. make a record with him was just a a big. deal man it was it was something that. I've was like a bucket list thing for me. for a long time you know um like it had. been weighting on you a little bit even. exactly yeah cuz I've been on tour like. when I was 19 I hit the road and haven't. stopped and you know I'm like 31 now and. um you know was like man time just is.

slipping by and my dad's getting older. and I need to make this record and then. gigs just keep getting booked and it's. like well when am I even going to make. it and So eventually I just went to my. manager and said yo let's block off time. I need to make a record with my dad like. he's getting older I'm getting old you. know it's time like we got to do this so. we did it and it was awesome you know we. got nominated for a Grammy brought my. folks out there and you know had them. posted up at the sunset Marquee and just. like showed them a great time you know.

yeah and um that had to feel pretty. amazing just cuz I think a lot of people. want to have that moment where they kind. of pay homage to the to the a family. member some somebody who's gotten them. emotionally there sometimes you know. it's everything to me my dad is just I. wouldn't you know I wouldn't know. anything about bluegrass music and Doc. Watson and all the stuff that I cut my. teeth on and is the reason why I have a. good life today and you know a care. career and everything it's all because.

of when I was a little kid he was so. inspiring you know he's just sitting. around picking and he was like. everybody's kind of like we'd have. parties and stuff and everybody would. just be sitting around vibing and. smoking a couple joints having a few. beers and my dad will be playing until. he's like red in the face and. everybody's singing along and just I was. a little kid being like damn my dad's. cool as hell you know what I. mean and I want to be like that when I. grow up and so it was I was little.

already wanting to be a Bluegrass. musician so it's like what I've always. wanted to do so it's you know it's all. because of him and bringing him out. there and like walking on the red carpet. with him and you know he's he's. small town Old Country folk like you. know it was it was hilarious we were. doing this interview for like billboard. or some and and the guy's like oh. my God you guys look fabulous who are. you wearing and and my dad's like well. these are uh Levis.

and uh my son bought me this shirt and I. got my jacket at a western store and I. was just like this is the best. thing. ever what are you wearing uh hand me up. like who are you wearing like uh Levis. and you know and this this is my cousins. you know yeah the guy asked us too is. asked my dad like who if you could meet. anybody here at the you know Grammys who. would you want to meet and he said Tommy. Emanuel which is so awesome he's just.

like a amazing guitar player and Tommy. Emanuel was yeah well he is you know oh. sorry bring him up yeah and then he. um you know he ended up meeting Tommy. that day so it was just yeah it's crazy. and who does Tommy play for wow he's. just the man himself man he he plays. solo and oh I'm not even familiar with. him oh man he's a killer yeah he's a. monster and he's an Australian yeah I'm. going to Australia in just a week or so. yeah wow yeah Tommy Emanuel he's like.

you know grew up kind of he's sort of. from like that chat Atkin School real he. knows a lot of I mean he can flatpick he. can play finger style he can do. everything but he's a on. the guitar man there's a lot of good. guitar players I think I don't know if. Tommy lives around here but there's this. other guy Jack Pearson that lives here. in town too. that's like sort. of I don't know I feel like a lot of. people don't really know about him. uh-huh but he's like the best guitar.

player I've ever seen in my life I think. Jack Pearson Jack Pearson let's get a. look at him man oh yeah he's literally. the guitar player's guitar player. he's he's the man Jack Pearson yeah man. he looks like an adventurous guy what. makes you say that what makes you like. admire somebody so much on the. guitar well I feel like when Jack. Pearson touches the guitar it's kind of. like effortless you know for me it's.

hard it takes a lot of work and you know. I think people that are when you see a. true Master sit down at their instrument. like at the piano or on their guitar or. whatever it. is it's just like breathing for them you. know I mean watching Jack Pearson's. fingers go over the fretboard is just. like water you know it's just so smooth. it's and I'm just like how's that even. possible um wow for you to say how is. that even possible it's just it's it's.

interesting to hear like somebody who a. lot of people would consider amazing at. something how they then see somebody. that's amazing at something you know I'm. like I'm a player and I've always been a. player but I'm not a master you know I'm. not a Jedi yet you know there are people. that are. Jedi on their instruments bro wow that's. czy for real and then I they stick me in. the room with them and say go play and. I'm like oh I don't belong here I. recently just did this thing with Chris.

thy and Corey Henry MH who are Chris thy. is. a like literally MacArthur grant. awardwinning genius. like the best in the world at his. instrument and. um yeah what does he play mandolin oh. the mandolin y man there's a famous song. Mandolin Rain right. mandoline rain.

uh my friend Josh Kelly plays the. mandolin. he yeah it was originally by Hornsby and. range Bruce Hornsby and then I think he. re what is it called when you re like a. remix or re redo it remastered a or. redid a song yeah covered yeah covered. it Mandolin Rain yeah so were you s so. you're sitting there at the Grammys with. your parents yeah and you're Nomine. mhm wow bro so that energy when you're.

sitting there cuz I never been there. right so like when you're sitting there. is it like and you know like how long do. you know that your award is coming up. next or something like how much yeah I. mean to be honest we were kind of. sitting there and and like waiting for. ours to come and I would kind of go out. and you know get a little I got some. nachos and and I would chill and. I'd come back and are we up yet you know. kind of thing and um but it was great.

then the performances were great and and. we were having a good time uh just like. I have a hard time sometimes being in. loud environments because. I like my ears ring. constantly and I'm super sensitive to. like like if I'm in a restaurant and. somebody scratches their Fork on their. plate or something like dude I'll snap. dude I will I will literally call the. police on somebody who bangs. their s war against their plate too. loudly like I don't know what it is I.

know what it is it's unbelievable. somebody would do. that if there's a business that has. chairs that when people pull them out. they make the most insane screeching. sound and ruin the experience in I will. never go back to there I will Google. review there um but I will never return. there's a coffee place nearby somebody. pulled a chair out the other day I used. to love that place. I will not even drive by there.

in the daytime anymore it's OV I will go. around cuz I don't even want to bring my. energy over there where people are. scraping stuff on the. floor but yeah yeah Wonder so I so do. you guys get like burnt like like you. said your ears ring is that a common. thing amongst um like I guess musicians. I never even thought about that yeah I. mean some people get it it's called like. tenius or tenus uh oh yeah heard tenus.

um wait how does it say that it's. pronounced because this is the actual. audiologist lady when I went there and. they the doctor lady she calls it tenius. but I'm like I don't get. arthritis yeah I yeah I don't get it's. called ttis right yeah yeah I'm not in. like a. um yeah I don't get like uh shingus or. whatever are like in a wheelchair tenus. no way tenus tenus. that's what it says ten oh ten I think.

is something you get in Memphis probably. it's a little bit more tenus yeah but. that lady's the same lady in my C that. lady is not I don't trust that lady yeah. she can't even tell like when I play a. song she can't even recognize it on the. phone so she can't recognize a. my sister's name okay I can't call my. sister anymore cuz that lady won't let. me and um and she can't even get me to. Murphy's buror so yeah I'm out um do you.

know in advance at the grams if you're. going to win or not or you don't know no. we have no idea wow um. and you know it was. just to me it was like all about. bringing my folks there and having. having that experience you know we went. the last time it's just an honor to be. nominated and to be even spoken in the. same sentence as the other nominees like. Molly Tuttle and Sam Bush and um Willie. Nelson was in that category and you know.

it's just for me it's like to even be in. the a classmate of of these people is. like cool I'm in the same class at least. I'm good that's enough honor for me like. all I've ever wanted in my life is just. to be like a respected musician and. that's you know I guess like what it. really is the Grammys and stuff is just. being recognized by. peers you know and and it so it's it's a.

great honor you know but it it's really. nice to win like I I won one and it's. it's cool but um it's not why we do it. you know oh yeah I would have loved to. get gotten my dad one yeah but Molly. tuttle's record and her band and what. she's been doing um she's been working. her ass off I got to tune in to her D. I'm so glad you're here to say some of. these names because I it's I I start. thinking how I got to get into more new. music and I'm just not getting enough of.

it man there's a lot of great Bluegrass. happening and and I think there's like. something happening right now where. people are like getting back into. Bluegrass again or like you know banjo. music and kind of hillbilly music well I. think people are generally I think. there's a general feeling in the. universe for me anyway I know it is that. I want to get back to something that. feels like uh less industrialized I want. to get something back to something that. feels a little bit more connected to. something human inside of me man I think.

that it like goes in circles almost. um if you think. about I mean back in the day like let's. say in the 50s and early 60s and stuff. there was a time where Blue Moon of. Kentucky was like the biggest song out. wow it was like uh you. know one of Morgan wallen's songs or. something it was like the biggest it was. like Miley Cyrus flowers Blue Moon of.

Kentucky keep on Shining there was a. time where Bill Monroe song was like the. biggest song out you know Elvis covered. it that was on the bside to one of. Elvis's first you know I didn't know. that releases yeah but and. then it's kind of like rock and roll. came out you know and and and and stuff. started getting really electric drums. you know all this stuff started. happening and then in the 60s there was.

like this sort of whole Barefoot sort of. hippie movement where people wanted to. get organic and back to the Earth again. and play acoustic instruments and feel. their feet on the grass and you know and. then the 70s happened which was just. in my opinion just one of the. best eras of music like in in everything. man I feel like people were just making. kickass records then I feel like the. records sounded good the way they were. recorded was just like the gear at that. time was just killer I don't know. there's something about all when I go.

through my collection the records from. the 70s like stand out as like for one. thing people. were you know when they were in the. studio they were like working hard maybe. they just had really good cocaine or. something yeah oh they probably did I. mean we can't even it's sad our kids. can't even get good cocaine in this. country anymore but it's kind of. I mean oh it's unbelievable it was a. decent upper I mean you'd have a trucker. would get there yeah he could get his. load done and get home to see his family. and now he can't even do it cuz he's on.

you know he's he's overdosed somewhere. shame man yeah he's on those gas station. uppers which don't do anything yeah or's. stopping every five minutes to do a bump. cuz the ain't anything and he can't. even make his haul you know it's like. that that disco used to make the. whole trip man you'd feel like a dentist. you just got back from the. dentist after that. you know your whole body felt like. you got a Muller pulled out of like they. pulled a Muller out of your brain man. yes that stuff was probably so good I.

bet one little line would get you like. guaranteed to get you to Atlanta i'. write an entire album I'd write an album. I'd yeah man I'd be like well. let's triple this guitar part let's have. three drummers I need more dig Rus you. know and let's record it all to tape and. it's going to sound incredible I need a. tambade yeah but now dude I'll do a yeah. I mean or I'm sober now but I would do a. couple of grams or whatever and it's the. shit's got so much Sherwin Williams back.

end on it it's like it's just drywall. next thing I'm applying to do drywall. it's like it's just not worth it anymore. and yeah I mean I think I like held out. for like the last couple years I was. like okay someday I'm going to come. across something good yeah but it just. never happened and I was like okay it's. actually over like just it's not worth. it anymore especially with all the. Fentanyl and like people are dying. from just you know I I know people that. have just.

gone out to just you know have a like. harmless little party yeah you know and. ended up dead because they did like a. line or something it's really it's. horrible yeah oh that that's. unbelievable and the fact that that. family never got prosecuted that started. that opioid epidemic that didn't help. anything either sorry the sackers like. oh man that dude I wake up I think. half of America wakes up Furious about. that every day that that family got off. the hook I mean I I grew up in a small. town um a lot of my homies were at that.

time like it was you had people stealing. from their grandmas and stealing. their you. know TVs and to sell to get money. to buy oxies and you know wow and I. remember doing that a little bit i'. do it like cuz it was just around I mean. like I said I grew up in a small town I. just never really had any rules just. where were you at well I grew up in the. this little town called m m population.

666 last time I checked which is yeah. hilarious yeah one is it John mer no I. don't know just Mir and it's right. outside of this town called Ionia in. Michigan Ionia maybe I've heard of it. yeah will you look up the population of. Meer Michigan and Ionia was probably a. slave town I'm guessing just by the name. of it it's a prison Town it is there's. like I mean when I was living there. there was like a. there's like seven prisons there wow.

like most people either work at the. prisons or like or in them probably yeah. are are getting hauled off to them there. we go I told you dude. 666 people it's a small ass town and and. Ionia was like you know the town like. where I went to school and all that why. are we talking about Ionia again we're. to saying what was it like. like people getting oxies man when I was. in school and I was a terrible. student.

I you know I had a handful of teachers. like my home life was like kind of. colorful at the time it was and this you. had your dad was the music guy you spoke. about yeah my parents you know are both. just like really awesome uh they they're. kind of old hippies and. and but they're like hippies and red. half hippies and half redneck in a way. and it's like it's. they're just kickass they taught me.

about so much good music you know my mom. and taught me about like everything. from Hendrick to The Beatles and. Zeppelin and my dad taught me about Bill. Monroe and and Doc Watson and flatten. scrubs and about fishing and you know. uh it's just like they're they were. different parents you know and during. the time I mean like when I was in. middle school and high school and stuff. like I said it was stuff was kind of. crazy you know at at home you mean at.

the house yeah and you know we're all. like you know my parents. are recovering addicts you know aren't. we all you know I am yeah I was at a. meeting two hours ago so yeah well good. that's awesome man um so yeah no no. judgment at all half our audience is. there and man they're doing so great. these days and and we all are too it's. like we've all sort of made it through. some crazy and we made it out the. other side and we went holy how the. hell H did we do that but that is all.

that is to say that I'm super proud of. my parents you know these days they're. and and I'm proud of myself you know we. all made it out of that it was. crazy I mean or did you struggle too. sometimes I I don't want to say like. that I never struggled because I. mean I I was never like an like a. hardcore addict to anything I mean I I. haven't drank in seven years but I don't. even then I it's not like I I guess I'm.

an alcoholic I would just I don't know. when to stop like every once in a while. it's like it's not like I even drank all. the time or anything but every once in a. while it's like man we had a good gig I. remember the last night I drank was like. June 16th. 2016 and we had this killer gig and it. was crowd was ape and we sold a. bunch of merch and was like yes man like. let's go to the bar like drinks on me. you know and we had we were all drinking. I mean I I did Coke that night I was.

drinking wine beer and liquor and oh. yeah it was just a I didn't eat anything. like for a day and a half and it was. just crazy so I woke up the next morning. and I had the worst hangover ever and I. was like oh and we got in the van we had. to drive like 5 hours to make it to the. next gig to get there by three so we. could load in soundcheck and play our. gig but I thought I was good to go and. then when I got in the van I go oh hold. up and I went and puked by the bushes or.

whatever got back in the van um 10. minutes later I'm going oh pull. over you know and then every 10 minutes. for you know it took us 7 hours to drive. the 5H hour drive because I had to stop. and puke we were late for load in and. sound check we had to set up our gear in. front of the audience all just hung over. it was like embarrassing it was all cuz. I was so drunk the night before and I. was like I'm never doing this again and. I haven't drank since well the probably. wait on something yeah sometimes when. there's a moment I feel like for me.

anyway I know and it just sounds like it. like if there's a moment where you can. get enough reflection where like it. costs you something that means something. to you like in a moment my career was. just I could see it was like man if I. don't this up this I could actually. turn this into something maybe it was. like at the point where it was like I. shouldn't blow this you know dude that's. crazy cuz that kind of moment doesn't. happen to a lot of people you know where. you just have that perfect thing where. you're on stage you're loading in you're. like we're late it's because of me.

and it started as like okay I'm not. drinking at least for the rest of the. weekend yeah and then and then yeah you. shout out to everybody that's ever said. that you know what I. mean it's like I'm not okay at least. till next weekend or whatever like till. this Baby's two yeah yeah and then so. that turned into well I'm not drinking. for the rest of the week and that turned. into into into two weeks months 2.

years 7even years yeah wow it's like now. I you know what a big moment for me was. when I realized how many times I had. slept in the hotel room with them little. mini bottles in my fridge and I never. even thought about it yeah one. one day I was in there and I reach reach. in there to grab a Coke or something and. I realized that I was reaching right. past a bottle of Jack Daniels and then I. realized how many other times I had done. that before and that I never even. thought about well I'm all alone.

in my hotel room right now I could just. nobody would know you know and. and I've never even like thought about. it it's like wow it's. really kind of out of the back of my. mind that's so good you know yeah and I. think. um I think people people have started to. evolve I was looking at a chart the. other day that drinking has gone it's. not as big on college campuses. um that it's just that drinking is kind.

of it started to like dissipate or. whatever the desire for did you go to. college yeah I went to LSU and we were. drinking over there I think I was kind. of like you I didn't I didn't love. getting all wasted but oh I. loved it I mean did oh yeah I mean. that's the thing is. like when it was going down right and it. was like wait a minute man like it was. the celebration thing it's like man you. get a couple inions like all of a sudden. it's tasting good even the more I drink.

the better it tasting and that's the. other thing too is like I never drank. for you know people drink wine and they. drink these headyy beers these hoppy. beers and and everything and all and. it's like whisper and hooker man I grew. up drinking fifths of mcms and Captain. Morgan and we didn't I never gave a. about what it tastes like it's like. I just want to get blacked out that's. the goal pirate syrup baby that. will get you. bro yeah young adults in US drink Dr in. less than in Prior decades I feel that.

man let me see what it says here it says. 62% of adults underage 35 say they drink. down from 72% two decades ago how does. that correlate to teen. pregnancy that's a great question I. don't know but they I think they should. put um birth control in in some of this. uh White claws yeah I'll do that yeah. dude. I was gonna say probably I wish meth had.

like a birth control aspect to it man. but I would go white claw I think it. does I think when you smoke meth just. everything dries up yeah you know yeah. maybe that's true I never smoked I. always wanted to smoke crack I never got. to smoke crack damn um it's um did you. ever smoke it oh yeah really oh. yeah no way dude damn bro ever tried to. break a bad habit and felt like you were. uh climbing in Mount Everest and. flipflops well I've been there yeah I've.

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Theo terms apply current is a financial. technology company not a bank banking. services provided by choice financial. group member FDIC and cross river bank. member FDIC for full terms and. conditions visit current.com or call. I mean oh I didn't know that you smoked. crap I didn't I wasn't like on it all I.

grew up in the town where there was. nothing to do man I skateboarded. a little bit I play guitar but it was. like a dead end it felt like there was. nothing to do so everybody did drugs I. mean and it was like it was just I mean. I was six time 16 the first time I. ripped a crack rock and it right. God I want that and you want to know. what else is I like it was I've always. considered myself to have pretty strong. will like I said I've been around meth. and heroin and and and growing up.

all my you know crack and lots of Coke. and whatever growing. up and I never got addicted to any of it. I've been around a lot of tweakers and. I've seen some crazy bro I'm. saying I used to live in a house where. they were sleeping on my couch and. toothless sores on their face. cigarette butts on the floor. twe tweakerville man. tweakerville and just taking apart stuff. oh yeah motorcycles in the house no I'm.

saying bikes yeah there used to be this. guy named speve bro he he lived in this. old uh Farmhouse out on Charles Road. and uh You' walk in was an old farmhouse. there's like a barn that's was just. falling down in the backyard you walk in. and there's like TVs like stacked on top. of each other and there's like you can. see one's like a camera on the front. porch one's just like static you know. and homie's got a motorcycle ripped. apart in his living room with like.

folder coffee cans with nuts and bolts. everywhere and he's like ripping out of. a light bulb we used to get him a box. it's called getting a box what we used. to do is you get a box of suda fed and. you bring it to him or something he's. the cook he'd give you a quarter gram or. something wow so because they were. running out of people that could get. Sudafed cuz all them Tweakers were on. the list at R Aid and and and. Walgreens and and and don't you. know this this guy's been in here he. bought 13 boxes of psea fed last week.

you know so don't sell any more psea fed. to this guy so the cooks got to the. point where they would give you a. quarter gram or so for a box you know. yeah and is a quarter gam a lot of. that's enough for a good weekend right. there it is oh yeah I mean to me it's. like whenever I hit that I was up. for 2 days straight there was a time. where I played guitar for 48 hours. straight and I didn't put it down nuh-uh. I swear to God and I played pretty much.

the same riff the entire time oh my it. was like I was just play holding my. guitar and my fingers were just going. and I was just like wow and it was like. an orchestra was coming out it was like. I was writing that I never could. have imagined it was like BR uh A. Beautiful Mind type. situation oh my gosh bro and so is that. just so that that like and you feel like. that was drug fueled or did oh yeah. absolutely I mean so much so so that I. can't even sit here and say that I'll. Never Smoke meth again because I might.

want to do it in a controlled. environment as a creative experiment. yeah you know what I mean oh yeah I cuz. dude I swear to God I think I could. write an album in three days that's like. the craziest ever I don't you know. obviously I'm not like condoning it you. know like it's terrible don't do. it but I I am saying that that those 48. hours when I was playing guitar straight. it was like I I worked some cob webs out. in my brain that was kind of crazy and. dude this was crazy so I'm sitting up.

stairs and this was the first time I. ever smoked meth and I was 16 and um I. was upstairs I lived on Main Street I. was in the band my drummer Carl shout. out. Carl but um and Jordan oh man these are. my homies from these are my homies from. back home you know but. like uh and they passed away no no this. still around okay yeah my bad.

then I mean Jordan almost passed. away he needs to keep his nose. clean God damn yeah amen and so does. everybody yeah but no I lived in this. house bro on Main on Main Street in. Ionia which is it's like tiny little. town and and there was this um we were. renting this place right but there was. Renovations happening and I'm like man. why is this guy coming over at. 7:00 in the morning and start banging on. it's 7 sun's not even. barely up yet yet so you.

know one of my buddies comes over who's. tweaker and figures out that this guy. the handyman who's working on this house. that we're renting is holding oh and is. like you know and I'm like well if you. guys are going to smoke here at my house. like I want in so cuz I was just curious. about what was you know yeah what is it. well it was like my parents were into it. at the time and I was like I want to. know like what the hell's going on oh. yeah do some yeah that makes sense if. somebody I mean that's why I had to my. my biological father died from a heroin.

overdose when I was two years old that's. why I had to do heroin was like I had to. I was like what was so good that took my. dad from me oh man so I had to figure it. out and I met the Green Reaper and. he tapped me on the shoulder and was. like dude it was like man we're jumping. stories I got so many of them but I. didn't know this man hey I'm sorry to. hear that dude well makes me it kind of. breaks my heart but all good but it's. interesting that you uh. I I'm curious about wanting to try yeah.

let me just finish the tweaking for 48. hours yeah let's start there dude finish. that I was upstairs yeah a lot. of people here are are do home. renovations. yeah so this dude was he was working at. all hours of the night and I'm like. what the so you know my buddy. figured I was tweaking and like you know. and and and they showed me how to. they're like you got a light bulb and. I'm like yeah and so they showed me how. to take the little silver thing off the. bulb and you can take it out and then. you put some warm salt water in there. and swish it around you get all that.

white off the bul then you got a. nice clear bulb so then you kind of just. tap some down in there and you can. burn it and smoke it so whatever I I hit. the woo all of a sudden where's my. guitar I want to play guitar so bad so. for two days I sat there and playing two. days I don't I didn't eat I. don't even think I pissed yeah it was. insane and then so two days later. somebody finally snaps me out of it by. knocking on my door it was my friend. Brandon brandan laow and um I hear the.

knock on the slider door and I'm like a. I put my guitar down I'm like. I'll be right back like don't like I I. hate to leave you like oh you know I. wanted that guitar so bad still after. two days straight of playing it and I go. open the door and my friend bren's there. he's like what the all over your. face and I'm like what and I go in the. bathroom and I look in the mirror and my. face is all green and I'm like oh. like I thought it was like from the meth. or something it was like oh no my Skin's. turning green and it was from like the I.

was playing my guitar for so long that. the bronze on my strings had like gone. to my fingers and I had touched my face. wow and so I had green on my face. from my guitar strings and I was I was. so twacked out you know I didn't know. what the was going on but and. I wonder if that gets like and do have. you heard any other stories if people. are like that do they do are they doing. sex are they doing like uh man I think. when you're tweaking you just like what. do you like to do like with your hands. or anything do you like to string beads. do you like to paint do you like to I.

mean besides just like crank one out you. know yeah and that's over quickly and. you're just sitting there well maybe on. speed I don't know it might take a while. oh yeah huh and you have to work for it. and then it's like even better yeah well. that's probably like Co yeah I think. like if I was all sped up I would just. look out the windows make a lot of. promises to myself look out the windows. make sure those silhou aren't real. organize things whatever that the. vaguest term ever I'm going to organize.

things that was always a term that I. would use dude that's that's one thing. people do too I was at this crack house. one time that was spotless it. was insane and and and me and my friend. uh went over there just to you know we. were going to smoke or whatever and I. had this homie that knew all the man he. was just like connected somehow with. like he would just go into a new city. and all sudden he would be like oh. there's our guy like just how do you. know that that random man on the bicycle.

is the guy his olding yeah his guy yeah. some people are just they get they got. that uh that drug dog in they're. Street Smart yeah they're German. Shepherds yeah man and so I had a buddy. that was like that and so I ended up you. know like there was one night I smoked. crack with a fully pregnant lady oo and. it was like that's how shitty that stuff. is is like really I mean dude crack is. the worst thing in the world to. me it's like it's instantly addictive.

like that first night I did it like I. was telling you when I was 16 yeah I've. always considered myself to have a. pretty strong will and like I was saying. I've been around forever and and. but when I hit I was like when I hit. crack I was like all right I know this. shit's pretty crazy I'm GNA take one hit. and that's it and then so I took a hit. and then it was like boom I was like oh. holy it was like Inc crazy what. does it feel like does it feel like a. feel like I hit in the head with a.

frying pan body life. orgasm wow it was like bam and it was. like just euphoric like all of a sudden. I just I don't. know it was man I I shouldn't be on here. describing it because it's going to seem. like I'm like a you know but tell us the. downside of it then the downside of it. was so that people know that so if. anybody right now is trying to u-turn go. get some crack or whatever no no no no. don't do it because it's oh man it's.

like I I was like I'm just going to take. one hit and that's it and I'm like I. said I got a strong will I can do this I. take one hit that pipe didn't make it. around the circle before I was like man. I hope there's enough you know till I. can get another one yeah and it I was. really nervous I was like it it was like. man I hope there's enough and so then it. was like how do I have any more money I. was like how much money do I got could. we get some more. right immediately without you even. thinking 50 seconds right so it hijacks.

your thoughts even immediately I was. ready to sell you know just. whatever I you know it takes everything. and and and then the next day I go to. school right and I got this little rock. left over sitting on my on my desk and I. go to school the next morning and I. didn't make it 40 minutes into. first hour before I I'm sick Miss Julie. I got to go home I signed myself out. went home and smoked that rock cuz I. couldn't can stand the thought of. it sitting there on my nightstand at. home and I'm sitting in school and I'm.

going I know right at home there's. that rock and I sitting there yeah it's. it's just just looking for you wearing a. probably see-through bra dude. yeah it was it was terrible and you know. God so I just I you know I couldn't. handle it I. mean I couldn't handle it man I and I'll. tell you why Billy because I remember I. would get even if I got some cocaine. right I would get some cocaine and then. I would go home just me and my cocaine. that is this is the relationship I'm in.

at the moment that's not good it was bad. and I would do a little bit of cocaine. and then I would be like all right my. some of my friends would hit me up like. let's go do something like all right and. then I would do some more and then I. would start walking out the door and i'. like let me go back in and just make. sure I did. some I like what is that even like that. was a real thought in my head like. that's not even a legitimate. let me make sure I did something I'm. still pulling it out of my nose from the.

and I'm like hey bro you should go make. sure you did some what the dude. that's not so it's interesting just to. even think about how it hijacks our. thoughts man and if you can't even if. you because your thoughts come out of. nowhere so it's like if it gets above. those it's a that's just it just. shows the power of it so oh man I just. want to yeah I think I think to say that. kind of stuff is important but it's how'. you get out of it then well like I said. it was like it was never a I would do it.

for a night and I'll be like okay never. again for at least 6 months or something. whether it was math or crack or heroin. or whatever I would do it and then I. would be like okay it's like I know that. I can't do it more than one day in a row. where speed if you do it you know I. would smoke one little bit and I'm good. for the weekend it's like I'd be up for. two days off a couple hits or whatever. wow um dude that shit's really crazy too. like what you were talking about looking.

out the window and seeing Silhouettes. and there was one time where I went. over to Meer to to hang and me and my. buddy Jake were like we tweaked. from Thursday to Monday wow and by like. the third or fourth day of like being. awake and getting no. sleep it's like my friend Jake who I. know well and and and I'm sitting right. there next to him but I'm looking at him. and it's like it's not his face on his. face it's like somebody like some guy.

named Brandon or something he looks like. a different guy and I'm like Jake and. he's like yeah and I'm like the you're. not Jake though like the I'm. looking right at you and you start to. really get after being awake for a. couple days like I remember looking out. my window and seeing silhouettes of like. people standing by the tree and like. behind the car and like stuff and you. think people are watching you and. like. paranoia has got to be one of the worst. things that can happen yeah. there's a comedian uh Shane moss and.

he he was wanted to do a documentary I. think and I'm paraphrasing uh an amazing. comedian great guy uh go see him if you. get a chance and he um he was on here. once and he was talking about he was. trying to make a documentary about. doing I want to say it was mushrooms. right but he got so like deep into it he. started getting uh Paran. and he started thinking the documentary. crew that he had.

hired to shoot the documentary of. him um. were that they were uh like Ops like. they were like government like like he. started to go down a real rabbit hole. really no that's and then he started to. give Clues to the camera so that when. they he watched whoever watched it would. know know that he knew like he was. getting deep Bro I think there's a level.

to it because psychedelics is another. thing that I've dabbled in and I. think um I think psychedelics is a very. positive thing yeah I am an advocate for. psychedelics I'm not an advocate for. meth crack uh. oxycotton uh cocaine any any of those. things little mushrooms I think it's you. know take a hit of acid and and if. you're brave like a hit of DMT or.

something um but it's not for everybody. I don't think psychedelics are for. everyone but I think it can help a a lot. of people I think a lot of people would. benefit from eating a mushroom stem and. going and sitting down by the riverbank. uh pitching a tent you know making a. fire and hanging out with some friends. and looking up at the trees and you know. staring at a bug and realizing what you. know it's like I've hung out with like. um like whenever you're around like the. Grateful Dead Camp you know MH um Bob.

Weir and Bill cman and some of those. cats. like like for instance when I was out in. Hawaii hanging out with Bill kitzman and. those guys a lot of like the people that. are just around the friend group they're. all like and I noticed this while I was. there CU these people are doctors and. you know intellects and and and you know. there's there there're all adults who. are still children but they're not.

immature and it's like you see this. 45-year-old woman who has many degrees. sitting there staring at an aunt and. being like wow you know almost like a. child. and I think it's just a a great thing to. not lose that maybe some people get it. without drugs I know uh my banjo player. Billy failing he might take a hit of. weed like every once in a while while. but he he's pretty doesn't do anything. and I'm like talking to him about that.

like man when I take some mushrooms or. whatever I just feel like you know I. feel like psychedelics can make me feel. like one with nature and and and stuff. like that and and he's like man well I. get the same thing when I go on a a. three-day long hike and sleep on the. ground um cuz him and his wife go on. these outdoor you know um long hikes and. stuff for like weeks at a time and they. sleep on the ground and they you know. Grand Canyon or where you know out. national parks and yeah and being.

lost but it's like organized you know go. and in a hole for a week you get. one with nature pretty quick oh yeah. without drugs yeah but taking some. shrooms or acid or something can really. get you there a lot quicker it's like um. well shrooms are a connector I think and. even fungus itself is like a expansor. type of thing you know it's like a it's. that thing that fills in the space you. you know like so um it's like a caulk. almost in a way so I yeah I definitely I.

I think that mushrooms are great I I've. always thought that yeah you can get a. little crazy and then your buddy's. somebody's doing the heck. maneuver on them at a damn Waffle House. or something and the guy's hitting on. your friend or something and he's a kid. or whatever but the problem the biggest. problem I think is uh is you just run. the risk of people not being able to do. it in um mod in some sort of control or. moderation I was just going to say the. moderation that's the key with.

everything but we're getting more to the. point now you're seeing like I have. people that hit me up that I say hey man. you should work with this therapist they. do uh like mushroom guided therapy right. like and you see a lot more like. ketamine guided therapy right and um. iasa Adventures like you're seeing. things where I think people are getting. away from the idea of like just I just. want to poison myself like with alcohol. which is a fun poison I'm not saying. it's bad I'm not condemning anybody that. drinks like I would be drinking if I. didn't go buy cocaine and end up trying.

to you know if I was a responsible adult. I would drink too but I'm not right. i'm you know um yeah I'm not responsible. so anyway but yeah I think I just think. we're seeing like kind of a a a stray. from that a little bit um this is yours. man yeah me lat man yes sir I brought. you a couple cases of it no oh really. yeah but this can is great man it's made. by shorts Brewing Company which is a.

place where I celebrated my 21st. birthday party actually and and I used. to play gigs there all the time and. they're just my homies from back home. and since I don't drink you know we. wanted to do a collab anyways but we. made this sparkling it's like a hop. water bro it's good it is good I love it. and is just that this is the name of. thirst mutilator mhm. wow you want to hear a d a DMT story or. two yeah I'll and then I'll trade you. one and then um and then we'll get back.

into your music okay wait you yeah we. don't have to get back in anything but I. don't want people to forget that you're. a musician the only psychonaut Billy. strings psychonaut that's what Shane. Moss was a psych but yeah let's get on a. DMT story man well because I feel like. you know since I'm talking about all the. other bad that I've done I need. to kind of uh clear my name here and and. and and tell you about some of the. better stuff that has happened to me.

because of my. experiments amen yeah it's important um. like when I was living in Traver City. there's this man my buddy Seth he's gone. now too it sucks cuz he you know them. opiates man got his ass but he. was my buddy who always had whatever he. was like into the EDM M scene and. yeah and he would like just have a. backpack which oh yeah I got whatever.

bro so he would come over and whatever. one time he had this. DMT like let me get a little bit you. know so you know get a you. know let me get a little bit I'll buy. some off you right so he hooks me up. with a little bag and that bag sat on. top of my dresser for I don't. even know six months yeah because that's. other thing about psychedelics that I'll. say is like it's not something to play. around with if you're not in the head.

space for it don't do it you know it's. like it's kind of and I've learned that. lesson from psychedelics it's almost. like dipping your toe in the pool or. something and and and it's like don't do. that just you know if you want to go. swimming or not do you or don't you. right do you want to stay dry or do you. want to get wet right okay yeah and if. you're wearing something that can't get. wet then don't. yeah then just chill yeah like if your. attitude is an attitude that can't get. wet right now yeah then just stay on the.

bank exactly but so I was you know it. took me six months to gain up the. courage to to hit this DMT and one day I. came home from work and there was nobody. home my roommates were gone I knew they. weren't going to be back cuz they were. downstate and I had the house to myself. the Sun was shining oh yeah I was like. you know what I'm feeling pretty good. today it's like I'm happy the sun's out. it nobody's home like I'm just.

going to rip this DMT let's try it so. and I was also ignorant at the time. about what it even really was and I. didn't know what to expect so I wasn't. really scared of it now I haven't done. it in years even though it's been so. enlightening and helpful I'm I haven't. done it in years because of how intense. it is um but this at this time I was. like 21 or something just like man I'm. just going to rip this DMT yeah. and so I sat on the couch and like took.

a big hit of. this and I was listening to this um it. was actually the old brother were art th. soundtrack I'll Fly Away with Gillian. Welch and Emy Lou and Alison Krauss and. Mike Compton and you know all these. instruments and stuff and I hit this and. all of a sudden I'm kind of floating and. the instruments are surrounding me and. it's all this beautiful kind of. happening and I start to see this blue. light and I'm like wao what's that it's. like this blue light way up ahead in the. distance and it's getting closer and. closer to me and all of a sudden it's.

like wo it's a chick and I'm like I can. see this lady and she's swirling and. dancing and she starts murmuring this. ancient language that is brand new. something that this language has only. been used right now for this particular. occasion but it's ancient and I. understood every word somehow some you. know she's telling me this. information as she's spinning and. twirling and dancing for me and she's. wearing this skirt and every time she.

Twirls her skirt kind of Twirls like. that and and it's made of like eyeballs. and then she does a 360 and it's made of. ears and then teeth and then hair noses. and pupils and just all these different. facial features her skirt was like made. up of like thousands of them as every. time she turned it would change and she. get she's getting closer and closer to. me and then she got closer enough to me. and she kind of like caressed me in a. way like put her arms around me and was.

like are you good I'm like I'm good and. then we went like shot me out of the. atmosphere out of you know outer space. like through this placenta MH where we. kind of broke through and then it was. like we were on this beautiful pink. Mountaintop over looking this vast. everything damn and and she was kind of. standing me on top of the mountain. pointing and looking and showing me. everything these are all the universes. notice how they're spinning and working.

together like a gear like a watch like a. clock like a movement and then she. Zapped Us Down super Zillow or something. it was like all the universes spinning. and then she took me down to our. universe and showed me all the galaxies. doing that same thing and then she took. me to our galaxy showed me all of the. planets doing it then to our planet and. showed me the wind and water and. currents and and then to a grain of sand. it was like a fractal out from. everything and everything is spinning.

and working together dance yeah doing. the dance yeah what you do affects your. neighbor you know and and and. basically she told me it was like you. need to be strong in yourself you need. to work on yourself work on your mental. health work on you know she didn't say. all this but you caught it from. that's what I got is like you need to. work on yourself we're all a link we're. all links in a chain we're all together. together me and you are the same bud and. we need to be the strongest links that.

we can be for everything for not just. not just Humanity but all of everything. you know and what that is to be a strong. link you got to work on yourself and. basically just not be a dick you know. and deep dive down inside of yourself. and figure out what it is why are you an. yeah you know or why how can you. change to be better how could you be a. Kinder better person to your neighbor to. Mother Nature to yourself to yourself. especially that's how you do it right. that's how you find the strength yeah.

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modify. Theo for 50% off the last. website you'll ever need that's modify. oy.com. Theo for 50% off the last website you'll. ever need yeah man it's I mean it's. fascinating yeah thanks for sharing that. that experience man. um yeah it well it's it's just. interesting the relation that we have. with ourselves it's. like like we've outsourced our own.

responsibility a lot of times it feels. like like it's like I need it's almost. like I look entirely at medicine or at. other people for my responsibility to. for me to be okay right which I'm not. saying that we don't need other people. we do and we do need help we do need. like therapy we need. communication and sometimes we need. medicine yeah but I think that we can. fall into a trap or I know that I have. that's what I should just say I've. fallen into a trap at times where I've.

completely. outsourced if I'm going to be okay onto. other people and things like I I I. haven't that the relationship that I. have with myself is. so it's not even there A lot of times or. it hasn't been that I'm relying. completely on if other things are going. to make me okay MH as opposed to like I. think there was a time probably a long. time ago maybe and I may romanticize the. past sometimes but where I felt like. people had a bit more like agency or.

something it's called with themselves. where they had more of a relationship. with themselves you know and they. reflected on themselves more and. reflected on experiences and behaviors. and and just. like uh just had a little bit more. probably um say in how they were doing. you know or how they were feeling or. what was going on with them and I don't. even think we've done it on purpose I. just think a lot of it's the way our. society is kind of shaped things well. nowadays you just look down at your uh. Fitbit or whatever it's my heart's. beating everything's good yeah my buddy.

has a fat bit my buddy Bert Cher it just. he looks at it and it just tells him. he's fat oh man God bro you gota we need. to get him we need to get him like a. mechanical watch yeah we need well we. need to get him a meetic to take that. thing apart first of all yeah put it. back together yeah so when people were. on methenam if they take that stuff. apart what are they then looking to do. with the is it uh why do people take. that kind of stuff apart is. it I don't know I think maybe to put it.

back together better but what I was. saying is like whatever you do if you. did speed I feel like that's what you do. it's like people I knew they would. string beads oh yeah oh I'm making. necklaces making jewelry or they would. you know draw pictures or write lyrics. or poetry or you know it's just you know. it's kind of like whatever you do if you. have like a little thing that you like. to do right I feel like that's a great. activity oh dude okay check check this. out so there was this place barcus Park. where I grew up and um barcas it's for.

dogs bar well b a r k s barcus Park. barcus Park in Lions Michigan and um so. it was a campground my buddy Brad Brad. Lasco owned it uh he was like my uncle. Brad he was my dad's best friend he. played the banjo oh wow and he was like. our yeah barcus Campground so this place. when I was growing up dude yeah there we. are right there there's little Bradley. picking man nuh-uh that's where I grew. up man that's the vi that's my dad right. there above him no way bro that's the.

damn Google image that's on this park. yeah so um I think this is y a yard. bro dude that's that's how I grew up. right there bro sitting around that. Campground pick in just like that that's. my childhood and dude that's so cool it. was epic man there Stony Creeks right. there the salmon run every year in the. fall we were like spearing salmon back. then yeah I won't tell anybody it was. crazy but um this dude Brad Lasco on. there we go that's what I was just going. to say they found out.

so my childhood there was great but as I. got a little older 10 12 years old all. that meth moved in and everything. up and everybody up including barcus. Park and they while everybody was. tweaking on meth found out that there. was gold in the creek no way oh my God. can you imagine a better activity for. methhead than panning for gold no I. can't at all dude I mean it's like at. all literally sifting through every. grain of sand in the Creek to.

find specks of gold like that's how. could you do that and not be a meth head. dude why every meth Recovery Center. isn't currently located along a. river or stream in this country I will. never understand we have got to organize. meth users and get this gold yeah see. seriously cuz we could get some big. bucks dude um I that's unbelievable bro. I do have you written a song about that.

not about paying for gold I wrote one. called DUS in the baggie for yes that's. about Brad Lasco man that's he yeah he. just passed away a couple years ago too. man that me and Dad record you know we. dedicated it to Brad oh that's him no. that's a that's this is the video for it. well Dustin a baggy that's a video for. it okay I wouldn't play it but no that's. a famous video uh now because of that. guy in the background Barefoot Ben we. were all on mushrooms that night we were.

sitting in uh my buddy uh one my friend. Gina's uh basement and we're all picking. songs and there was a big party upstairs. and everybody was drunk but we were all. tripping so we wanted to go downstairs. and be quiet and get away from all the. drunks so we were sitting down there in. that basement and um picking tunes and. then yeah Barefoot Ben there man he he. was like the only hippie like in Ionia. that you know what I mean it was like I. mean I guess there was a couple like. skater kids or whatever but he was like. Barefoot at every party he was like. wearing tie dye he like people call him.

Barefoot Ben or hippie and yeah like. like I said he was like the only hippie. around but he was at every party he. lived it he was at every party and he. was like how'd you get here like who do. you know here like he was just every. party he was there and in in this video. he's literally like we're tripping and. I'm just playing these songs and he's. smoking an unlit cigarette and he keeps. hitting it like it's lit and like I. don't think he does it but if you look. at the comments on that is. hilarious like they're talking about Ben.

like this dude looks like he's standing. there giving out side quests and. yeah no shout out Ben hope you're doing. good buddy Barefoot Ben Amen brother. yeah um they just found a huge gold. nugget do you can you look that up for. me where there we go biggest gold nugget. ever found that weighed as much as a. person. would be worth an insane amount today. the biggest nugget gold in the world. weigh as much as an adult.

man Millions John de and Richard o TI. the jackbot oh this is in. 1869 wow when they sew a little bit out. Australia when they found they. discovered the monster nugget while. digging in Australia yeah weighing in at. 11. Stones uh 72 kgr still no idea how much. that is I think it's 220 lbs 11 Stone it. was waited a London Charter Bank and. they were paid just under $10,000 for.

the massive Chunk in. 1869 yeah what do you think you'd do if. you got that thing brother if you're on. meth and let's say this let's go down a. road all right that doesn't exist but um. but we have zoning rights in this space. Oh yeah if we we find a we find a we. find a chunk of gold the size of a man. and people are on math do you tell other. people you have it or do you. like are meth people keep can they keep. a secret or is it not a secret.

area that's a good question I don't know. I feel like some people can some people. can't yeah you know I. feel what would I yeah we would just. Pawn that it would just go to the. pawn shop yeah I mean it would go to the. closest pawn shop I would probably give. it away for two racks bro yeah dude I. mean two racks how many boxes. can I get with that right we just got to. drive all over Michigan to get it fed. Central I remember when they started. locking up the psea FED man oh yeah yeah. you got to show your ID and for it.

I was like I have a runny nose. that used to be your ID to get psea fed. and now everything had changed yeah um. and yeah not condoning drugs but just. sharing experiences people get that it's. kind of like the that I've been. through and the stuff that I've seen and. all that. is the reason that I can do what I do. today I kind of got it out of my system. in a way wow uh but but it's I don't. want to go back right that's the thing I. don't want to go back to why because it.

sucks it's a miserable life it you know. I mean who wants to be sitting in a. tweaker pad with no food and uh star I. mean it it might feel good for a couple. hours but it real quick it gets real bad. and man it ruins people's lives it ruins. families it's it you know yeah it's um. yeah look that's look that's just what I. want you said it better than could have. thought a way to say it that's that's. the truth um there's a message you did. this was almost a decade ago I think we.

were looking online obviously we were. looking up things about you online and. we found this post that you put up this. is like almost 11 years ago now yep I. remember that day it was cuz man I was. working at this uh you in acne Michigan. I'm just going to read it is that okay. Billy yeah it says uh I put in my two. weeks notice today at work I decided to. pursue music as a career maybe I'm going. out on a limb by doing this but I don't. care I am ambition am I am ambitious and. passionate enough to try it working.

eight hours and then gigging all the. time is physically and mentally. stressful and leaves me no time at all. for Creative output I'm going to work. very hard practice and write music every. day besides there has been nights that. I've made more money in one hour playing. music than I makeing two weeks at work I. want to thank all of you for the support. without you I would not be able to make. this decision cheers that's cool man. it's just a cool thing to put into the. universe. um what was that feeling like so at that. point I guess you're you decided what. you wanted to do that was at a point.

where I was I was working at this hotel. uh the Grand Travers Resort and I just. you know I would I was partying and I. was working and I was playing lots of. gigs and the gigs were starting to you. know I was like saving up money for. guitars and stuff and I had this little. pile of money in my top dresser drawer. yeah so I could finally get this guitar. that was worth like 2500 bucks that I. always wanted and yes you know and I was. realizing as I'm saving up money I was. going well I used to just live off the.

hotel check I used to not have the gigs. which what I made from the hotel was. like I don't know like 800 bucks every. two weeks or something MH you. know but it was enough to like pay my. rent. and get gas back and forth to work and. stay alive yeah but then I started. playing gigs too and um I would be out. playing a gig until. you know I'd play a gig until 11 or so. but then there'd be a party afterwards. so afterwards I'd go to the party and.

I'd be up till 5: in the morning and. then I'd get an hour and a half of sleep. and then I'd go into work hung over and. then uh work all day and hate it and. then go back at and then six o'clock. would come around and I'd be back on. stage somewhere yeah and I was burning. the candle at both ends and I could just. feel it closing in on me it's like well. you got to choose one or the other and. it was like what like I said I used to. make only like 800 bucks at work now I'm. making 1,200 bucks from. music I don't need Bo I mean it was nice.

to have both the check and the music but. I used to just live off this and was. fine yeah so okay the job I'm just. going to live off the music yeah you. know and basically have the same amount. of bread or whatever so I just started. putting all my energy into it and um and. what did that look like when you say. putting all your energy into it cuz I. think that's kind of interesting to. think about you know like is it just. well for you made it your focus point. you kind of told the universe hey this. is going to be what I'm going to do you. know you put that out there so that's.

interesting because I think the universe. does listen to us you know I don't think. we talk to it enough but I think it. listens to us yeah but then so then what. what started happening to there. musically well I was already playing. gigs um like we had like a weekly gig at. this place called Little Bohemia in. Traver City and we were playing like. shorts and you know like all these. different PL like we play breweries. coffee houses stuff like that for tips. and for whatever you know and I was like. a a weekend warrior and just just a.

working musician I'd play at the. steakhouse I'd play at the. Brewery you know whatever but it just. you know once I kind of got the job out. of there then it was like okay and what. I meant in that post is like I'm not. around like I'm going to. practice I'm going to write songs I'm. going to take this very seriously. because of the folks that were out there. coming to my little weekly gigs and. stuff and making it to where I could pay. my rent just with music I I felt like I.

had a duty to basically give back to. those folks that supported me and say. look if you continue to support me I'm. not going to I'm not. around like I'm really I will really. work hard if you guys will still support. me you know yeah and um so I just that's. what I decided to do man and that was. like around the time I was like 18 well. let's see I'm 31 that was. 2010 anybody good at math it's 11 years.

AG so I think it I don't know I'm. guessing I might go to math no yeah it's. 11 years oh it is good so what's that I. was was I 21 20 20 or 21 yeah so at that. point I had already been on tour and. I had like you know when I was 19 I. had been on tour by the time I was 19 I. was playing 200 gigs a year oh my God. and I did that up until just a couple. years years ago do you think what do you. think are the things I know that you had. like some viral moments online what do. you think are the things that really.

like cement cemented you in with people. um like do you think it's a way that you. play do you think it's um because I. think artists start to see there some. artists are great performers some. artists are there's captivating um they. can make a unique sound or do something. new or novel. um some you go for the songs and you. don't even know anything about the. artist or care about the artist at all.

right do you does that make any sense to. you no that's a really um interesting. thing that I've I kind of learned that. the first time that I went to the. Grammys cuz I'm a guitar player I'm a. Bluegrass musician I grew up singing. around the campfire there's no computers. there's no autotune there's no backup. dancers you know and I I went I went to. the Grammys and I saw all this and. I was like whoa you know like the K-Pop. group like BTS and and I was just. they're like I was like okay well none.

of them are singing they're all this is. all pre-recorded tracks but they're. dancing their asses off I was. like oh they're dancers they're not. musici they're like they're not a. musician like me like I stand there in. blue jeans on stage and strum the guitar. and sing songs that's what I do Lady. Gaga can direct a entire or. Orchestra to you know she can sing Act. Dance she's a comedi you know like. there's just some people have the whole.

umbrella over them MH you know I'm just. like a musician and and so going to the. Grammys and seeing like you know. somebody with like all the backup. dancers doing all the moves and stuff. and I was like I like like I said I grew. up going to Bluegrass festivals I never. seen that yeah I was like whoa this. is they're not actually singing but. still cool cuz I guess they're dancers. but you know I've always been sort of. like a like a grasshole you know that's. what you're calling it's like oh you.

know autotune or anything like that it's. like oh I you're saying more the it's. like you know I work my ass off my whole. life to learn how to sing and play and. then there's folks out there that are. just pressing a butt on a computer and. and they're and and singing through. autotune and and they're selling. millions of Records it's like that's not. Fair yeah you know but you know. at this but it's a different style it's. a different you know okay this person's. not a Bluegrass musician they're a. dancer or they're a you know a rapper or. whatever that autotune sound is a. stylistic it's a part of the sound you.

know it's like a a banjo is to Bluegrass. you know right they're almost like new. new Orchestra yeah it's like it used to. have be this guy was the guy who was. like the DJ you know nobody ever gives. that guy any credit you know for being. the first Zed or whatever. conductor yeah yeah the conductor. nobody's like oh look at that there's. Cascade you know they're just like oh. look at this penguin guy with. the two you know this guy. obvious but truly that guy was the. that guy was the Cascade that guy was he.

was the G man he was um The Chain. Smokers you know it was just a different. time um and then now people use more. autotune they just had an article the. other day it was about like T Pain did. you I remember like hearing him talk. about I don't remember what show it was. on or something but he was talking about. how Usher or somebody told him that he. like ruin music by introducing all that. autotune and he he said he got like. really depressed about it oh wow like. that I'm on a boat well I don't I don't.

know I'm on a boat wasn't he didn't he. make that song down I think so but. either way like I feel like that was his. sound was the real Auto stuff and um and. I think somebody who he really looked up. to told him that he was like Yeah Usher. told him that he ruined music that Usher. telling him he ruined music led to a. four-year depression W I guess then you. see T coming out singing These Chris. Stapleton songs and and it's like. this can sing yeah it's.

like if anybody us he was the last. person that should have been pressing. the button right but I mean that's what. I'm saying is like it's a stylistic. choice it's like it's not like the guy. can't sing oh I see what you're. saying so you're saying that yes. sometimes in in in the instance it's an. instance of somebody just trying. something new trying a different style. seeing what else is going on as opposed. to somebody just not having a a certain. skill set check this out man like post. Malone for instance like that's my dog. and. he you know uses a lot of autotune on.

his like rap music and what I mean. whatever music I can't how do you even. classify his music It's Just Like posty. Music well he's a concierge of Joy I. think is honestly How would how I would. I've only hung out with him once but he. is a con best dude ever just Joy. the first time I really Met's a. care bear I love him yeah but the first. time I met. him. um he invited me over to his place or. whatever and we sat there and.

saying Johnny Cash Hank Williams. he knows more old country songs than I. do I think and he can play them on. guitar and sing him like a angel. and it's like I'm sitting in a room with. him watching this like okay like dude's. talented like I'm impressed he. knows the the words to more Hank. Williams songs than me I'm like holy. I mean it's like the same thing. with like Luke Holmes when I was in a. room with him for the first time and he. opened his mouth and started singing I'm. just like wow okay great voice man yeah.

you know like can sing. write and I'm just like honored to be. around any of these these guys I mean. and especially more than even those cats. who are big celebrities I'm the Jack. Pearson and and more of the guys who are. in my scene the the Baya Flex the Brian. Sutton the you know steuart Duncan the. Douglas's the when I like go to the. Grammys or something like that those are. the cats that I'm really I love seeing.

the big celebrity and stuff but I'm. looking past them and seeing who's in. the band yeah like oh that bass player. who's backing up Justin Bieber right now. Justin Bieber's drummer holy who's. that guy yeah you know that's what I'm. looking at is like the cats yeah the. cats yeah dude what a Phenom that would. be so neat if they had Billy strings in. the cats and it was just a tour that you. did sorry I know I hate when people give. me ideas for but I'm G to be that. guy all brother and you just featured.

like yeah because it's so it's so the. spinning wheel of luck and Fortune. sometimes that some voices get heard. louder than others you know um and then. some people don't want to be the center. of attention also as well you know I had. a I still have a hard time with. success I grew. up the opposite poor I grew up you know. going to stay the night at friends. houses just so I could have some dinner. you know like I I grew up.

sleeping in my winter coat yeah you know. with a pitbull that had fleas cuz she. was warm you know and yeah waking up in. the middle of the night and you. can see your breath in your bedroom and. so I have a hard time with success. because all my people are still living. that you know back home I have people. that are still going to prison still. addicted still dying from ODS you know. it and I'm sitting over here on. a heated toilet at the sunset Marquee. and it's like well why me I have a.

survivors guilt oh interesting you know. what I mean and wow yeah that's. interesting man it's like so I've talked. to my therapist about this a bunch you. know and I'm going okay well I go stand. on stage and play guitar now granted. I've worked I've played guitar since I. was four years old and I've worked very. hard at it you know I mean this is 25. years of playing every day you. know trying to get better and really. wanting to be a musician since I was in. kindergarten you know like since I was a.

baby and but still when I'm at my. house and we like are doing some. Renovations or something and I see some. like Mexican dude out in the working on. laying the asphalt or something and I'm. going he's out in the hot. sun and I'm going this is cockeyed as. he's out there doing actual hard. work in the. Sun and I play guitar and like he's the.

one making my driveway this is. yeah and I'm I like I really feel like. sometimes about like this is what. the happened you know like why how. why is the guy who is doing harder. work being paid yeah you know and. it's like there's I told this to my. therapist and she she's like I. understand you you know but she also. said she told me about this pyramid of. competence mhm it's like as a musician.

goes well how many guitar players do you. know how many do you know that can play. and sing at the same. time how many do you know that play sing. at the same time and write their own. songs how many do you know that play. sing at the same time write their own. songs and have good business sense how. many do you know that play Sing write. their own songs have good business sense. and are willing to tour or 200 days or. more a year it it's it starts getting. narrowed down and I'm just the crazy. that will die for this.

I'll never go back to where I was I play. for my life like I'm not it's not a job. it's not a this is my survival. you know and this is it's literally. everything to me so what I think even. going back to the fact that when you. were high on a drug you reached for your. guitar. I've always reached for my guitar I know. that but I'm just saying it's a surviv. like it just I'm just thinking of that. I'm not trying to like link the. just my guitar's always been my best.

friend in my my coping mechanism through. everything right and here's what's crazy. though Billy is people are going to do. all have to do jobs I remember working. at a pizza place and I would listen to. uh the second the boss would leave I. would turn up guns and roses and. I would hell right oh dude I. would cry in there listen to. November Rain and threaten other. people that worked to the place and I. would I would drink beer back there I. would open up the deep fryers dude and I. would put pudding in there I put pepper.

I put anything you could I would. fry it and eat it and drink beer and uh. and but what I'm saying. is sometimes that person is listening to. your music and it's what's making the. shift a little bit shorter it's what's. keeping there so it's like we all I. think are part of some process where. it's like you know I remember working on. a farm for a couple Summers and having. to do 14-hour days and oh my God but I. would listen to things hay or what were. you doing no I was running fertilizer.

running uh just help cleaning like the. frogs on the Planters like they let me. plant after a while I broke some I. probably still need to hard work man got. to resent or get to ask for an men's but. um yeah but it was I just did whatever. needed to be done but I would park I. remember this I would park that tractor. sometimes um I would just park cuz I'd. be in like 300 acres there' be nobody. around I'd Park that tractor I'd stand. out on the hood of that thing. and I would play like.

um I would play the just the top 10. country it didn't get that they they. even had an old radio and they didn't. even you could even see but you knew. when you hit the channel and I would. just sing the songs as it was. like the one moment I had during the day. that made me feel good or not that made. me feel good but that just let. it all out and somebody who had probably. played those songs. maybe done a job that I'd done I. remember I worked as a pipe at a pipe. fitters place over there in New Orleans. over in destan or something and we would.

play uh that song uh I just W to fly. remember that song put you on and it was. just kind of a Groove It was one of. those songs that hung around for so long. in The Ether they kind of overplayed it. and for sure and they started. playing it at CVS and people wanted to. kill themselves and but um but for. the first the younger guys who were like. the guys who would just go sit out in. the sun and we would paint the the the. uh the glue onto the pipes so they could. fit the rubber in there so that the the.

hold wouldn't like crack the pipe and. stuff um whenever that song came on we. had to go in and dance for the the guys. who've been working there for a long. time these welders dude and they. hated it but we go in and it was this. one fun moment we had during the day. that was just ours nobody knew about it. in the universe and these it the. first day none of them even look up from. their uh like welding but by the. third day they were like these. and it would kind of like. it was almost like us like uh hazing. ourselves in order to be accepted by the.

other group oh that's great but I think. it's just because of Music um we. wouldn't if that song never comes on and. it's just we never would have done it. you know it's just like um there's. certain things that it that it does help. so I see what you're saying man there's. times I like get off stage and I'm. walking past like the people um the. employees that are help cleaning up the. stands yeah I feel bad for everybody. dude always is it that you and I want to. think about this with you right now man. is do you think it's that you that you.

feel bad or do you. feel well I just feel like why do why. should I have it better than anybody. else ever for anything right why should. there be anybody out there who's. struggling who's sad who doesn't have a. roof over their heads and I do you know. it's just like we're all the same you. know I'm not better than anybody else. right I think it's that you got chosen. to be a some semblance of and we all get. chosen at certain moments I think to be. some semblance of hope that's what I. think because that's a thing I hear your.

story man I think about like it reminds. me of certain things in my own life it. reminds me of people that I know um and. then when I hear your music I'm like man. this makes me believe that something. could be different from me that. something could be different for my son. for my daughter for uh a and and in-law. it gives me hope and so but I think it. is hard to hard to accept that that that. you're going to be a Beacon of Hope in.

some way but I think we're all beacons. of Hope in a different at different. moments for each other you know like. I'll have some people calling to the. podcast sometime and tell me a guy. called in the other day and he said that. he's like hey man a few years ago I. called in and I was going through a. divorce and I was heartbroken he goes. and I just want to call today it's three. years later and uh my new wife and I are. expecting our. firstborn child and it just like turned. around for him and in that moment dude. that guy was my hero that guy.

was my Tom Brady when I listened to that. totally man it was like so I think. there's all like I don't know am I sound. too preachy man no yeah I just think. that yeah I think that like you just. never we're all just taking turns I. think we're all just taking turns um and. you work so hard at the music. you know you worked hard at it yeah and. it's the best reward that I could ever. receive is somebody saying hey man your. song helped me through a tough time or. something and I've got that a bunch and. it's just the best thing ever better.

better than any Accolade better than any. you know anything like that it's just. the fact that you know and my songs have. some of them have helped me I've written. songs. that like I wrote the song and I thought. I was writing it for other people to. hear and that I feel like what they need. then I sang it for a couple months on. stage and one night on stage I'm singing. the words and I'm going oh my God I. wrote this for me like I'm the one that. needs to hear this message wow you know.

it's just like holy that's crazy. yeah I think we're all like instruments. of a higher power you know and I do I. just yeah we just don't know how we're. being used it's funny man I'll get home. and I'll be tired or whatever I mean. everybody's tired and and. but I'll go to the airport now and. sometimes at the airport you still see. somebody waiting for their kid to come. home from the military or waiting for a. boyfriend or girlfriend or you'll still. you'll see a guy out there with flowers. waiting to see his wife and that guy or.

person or family is my like they are my. damn Frederick Douglas you know like. they that's the like they're my. he whatever they you know I don't even. know their name and they are like my. Mozart for the month MH just seeing that. there's like pieces of excitement and. hope you know um anyway uh but what what. do you think do you think there's. something do you think there's like a. illness in America or in our culture.

that because we go through a lot of. cities and towns and it's like they you. start to feel like there's a energy. missing from the culture do you feel. that at all or do you think that's. just I don't know what it is man I mean. I don't know I just yeah me neither. I none of us do we can just sit here and. about it but I don't I don't. know I feel like. people are just cruel to each other you. know and I but it's also not in real. light like online they are oh yeah.

online is crazy man but but I'm just. saying like at the height of. the you know political tensions and. stuff like that like a couple years ago. with Trump and everything it's like you. just go online and you see everybody. just you know talking to each other. but then you look up from your phone and. you're in the airport and nobody's doing. that it's like well wait a minute like. are you guys actually enemies or are you. guys just doing this online because. you're all here in the same airport and. nobody's saying yeah so what the.

you know it's like I feel like the. internet just spews and and breeds like. hatred like that you know the okay not. the internet maybe like social media or. whatever but um I just feel like. it's just some it's great for some. things and it's not so good for other. things you know I wouldn't say. something maybe to your face that I. would say online or whatever you know. yeah oh def yeah I think there's things. you can comment like um that easier but.

is it different to hear you know it. let's say I wouldn't stare you in the. eyes and say you're a piece of. you know but if I said that online. and you receive it is it any different. than me actually saying it to you wow. it's. interesting because when you read it. you're still okay this person thinks I'm. a piece of. what the yeah yeah that's. interesting I think it's definitely not. good I'm amazed that we allow it to.

happen to our culture like or that we. allow like you would think there would. be a governing entity and maybe I don't. understand government sometimes or. something that would say hey this isn't. good for us will'll allow it during you. know maybe you allow it during certain. hours of the day you know what I'm. saying or I would it's the same like. with the opiates it's like hey uh. company that is killing people. that has people selling their. grandmother's in like third generation. egg beater to cop a pill uh Hey you're.

not good for us you know like it would. just think like they're good for the. economy man right but it's like at what. point does that even have any cuz people. are sick I don't even think we're sick. on the outside I feel like our souls are. sick and we're out here having to like. take care of them that's why people need. to listen to more Bluegrass there we go. you know that's probably the truth too. it really is man well look the power of. Music Man the power of M dude if I had. to work all day and listen to No music I.

mean when when in slave times they sang. they made beautiful music to get. them through um yeah on the prison lines. too them guys out there hammering away. and them songs man um oh yeah I saw. this here's this is this is pretty. captivating uh a dying mom blown away. after she creates final song for son and. it makes the Billboard charts this is. really cool this is cat Janice I think. yeah 31-year-old cat Janice noticed a. lump on her neck in 2021 that doctors.

diagnosed as. saroma a rare type of tumor that. collects within the bone and tissue and. is also no joke I went to school with a. girl named saroma Jackson growing up at. William pitcher Junior High. School um move on though what else did. it say about her on that. article uh cat was declared cancer-free. after ongoing treatment but the cancer. sadly returned in June 2023 this time in. her lungs uh one of the ways in which. cat coped with diagnosis is through.

music uh in a video she valant shared to. social media after finding about her. most recent diagnosis she said I'm going. to go back in treatment I'm going to be. really strong about it um the mother. posted an update to her health back in. January to her followers January 10th. 2024 the tumors basically tripled. overnight. oh she's in hospice now um oh she said. she going to make she told the. publication that she signed her entire. discography over to her son and added.

she wanted to release one final track. and this is the track I guess that's. been blowing up wow it's cool man I have. to check it out um actually you can. probably play play like a play a little. bit of it you might be able to put these. on throw these on for a. second just want to hear this cat. Janice.

[Laughter]. a.

let's go cat Janice. baby I like it bro I do that's exciting. man that's a and what a neat thing just. to be able to have it I can't it's. interesting you know I think that shows. you people want to like support things. that make them feel something you know. people know she's making that song she. has a. son they think about her you know I. can't imagine you're in hospice and that. happens it's got to just keep you up.

well it's like what I was talking about. earlier. um you know how the music was. like rock and roll and then hippies. wanted acoustic music and then it got. back into like some heavy stuff in the. 70s and then disco happened yeah and. then eventually people were like okay. enough of disco like let's and then. grunge and then you know like9 yesterday. you know and then uh and then now it's.

been kind of like electronic music and. Hip-Hop has been sort of like reigning. Supreme and I think people are. just they like to hear a guy struming a. guitar again or playing drums you know. or sitting there playing an instrument. and singing I don't know we want. something real yeah I want something. real I think that's I just I want to see. I want to and see something that. means something to somebody I don't want. something that feels like it's you know. I don't know contrived for M yes you.

know I'm just I think part of me is. tired of feeling. tricked yeah I mean it's kind of like. and and addicted to the tricks well you. know when you take away all the stuff. that I mean I I I want to use all of the. technology I can to make music at least. that my peers are it seems like every. time we get into a studio. with a producer or something because. we're a bluegrass band they go oh man. we're going to record you straight to. tape and it's going to you know super.

old school like it's the 50s or. something I'm going well man all my. peers are using autotune and this. ain't Fair like right so it's like we. kind of want one thing but then we also. want to we want to use the things that. can help us yeah for sure so I'm just. like you know what do you do. but when. you kind of take all that stuff away and. just hear a song that's just like a guy. strumming a guitar and singing something. that means something I think it's just I. don't know it's more Pure or something.

yeah pull up that one where you and uh. posty were doing. that yeah and why he's not our in our. ambassador United Nations or. whatever I know he's literally the. kindest guy I've ever he unbelievable. the Vietnamese love him everybody loves. this guy he like even. he was he had a Sig and he was like can. I put it out. like I don't he's just the nicest guy. ever let's yeah can we listen a little.

bit can you just play it for us if we. put these back on yeah I want to hear a. little bit of this. man dude that's cool man it just looks. fun yeah he just hit me up and was like. man come out and then when we were just. hanging I was like you want to come sing. one he's like yeah wow that's cool. like let's do that Johnny Cash song we. did at your house how fun is it when a a. like a special guest gets on a concert. is it really just it can be fun it can. it just depends you know yeah this was. really fun see he asked me if he could.

drop his cigarette on my stage what a. gentleman I'll respect. that it's like when you're at comedy and. somebody puts their feet up on the stage. in the front dude where the did. that shirt. go God yeah I lost that shirt I don't. know where the it went. [Music]. gra that.

gun there you go Billy boy that's so. cool. [Music]. man. [Music]. mexic that's awesome man that's good. dude I think it's just I think well. that's the saying it's like I think one. reason people love musicians it's just. you can make something that. makes people feel good pretty quick. you're like a drug you know you're a.

drug it's a damn drug dude you know when. I was uh getting my wisdom tooth pulled. out mhm I was. all I don't know if no I wasn't nitrous. either I think they knocked me out and. when I came back to I was all kind of. loopy or something but either way I was. like getting super sentimental and like. emotional about there was this This. Woman This endodontist or whatever she. you know and I was like oh my God you.

have literally for one thing I. hated school you went to more school. yeah so that you could help. people that is so Noble yeah you. literally went to more school which is. like the worst in the world. just so that you could help people in. their light and help people with their. face and their teeth like oh my God. thank. you you.

know yeah no look that's true dude yeah. some our perspective I just got to have. a good perspective it's like thank you. for I mean you put in the work a doctor. or something like that I mean a musician. too a chef this spent. all this time learning how to brew this. this beer that tastes so good now or. whatever it's like thank you yeah I. wouldn't think of a chef as somebody. making beer immediately but I respect it. well no a brewer a brewer a chef an.

artist a you know like if you or. if you're going to if you're going to. like a festar restaurant man you made. this beer and and the steak's good too. man God damn yeah I like a medium pale. ale Yeah medium rare for me keep mine a. little bloody um but no it's like no. you're right man respecting the Artistry. that people put into things and even as. a thing like a chef I think there you. know cuz some chefs they love being.

chefs man I talked to my buddy Brad last. night he's a chef in uh Nashville he. loves being a chef he's talking about it. he's just excited about it and yeah you. find that thing you love man respecting. the Artistry of things respect for the. craft yeah my buddy Cory Wong was. telling me that he was on tour somewhere. over in I don't know but they met this. cheese maker this guy who was. all about cheese oh yeah and so they. were trying all these different cheeses. and and at the end of it they were.

like okay well we want to take something. to go and they were like trying to. figure out where to how to package it. and Cory's like well we can just all put. it in one bag and the cheese maker was. like nah like respect for the craft dog. we ain't putting mixing up the cheeses. yeah they all go in their own container. yeah gorgona first of all has been in. solitary confinement for a couple weeks. yeah we're not yeah I mean he's not. allowed to be around the other inmates. already yeah so yeah no it's a good. point respecting the craft of things.

well and I think that goes back to some. things in a in our in our society bro. and I I talk about this kind of stuff a. lot because I think it's been I'm. wondering why there's so much addiction. and stuff in the world and why people. are sick or what is sick inside of us. and I think one thing that people need. to have is purpose and I think people. used to feel more purpose when they had. like you knew who the guy in your town. was that was like owned the wood shop. and was the woodworker or you know or. you knew who um was the cheese maker who.

made the best pastries when life was. like Mayberry when it was just a little. bit more like un indust like un uh. [Applause]. Mass where just where everything wasn't. a Crispy Cream yeah and yeah it's not a. exactly because then it was like I got. to go I oh the baker dude I can learn. from the Baker and the baker felt Val in. the town because he can share. information and it came from his. grandparents and so then your. grandparents had value and there was. lineage and like I think that things. like that were important and now you go.

through a lot of cities and and towns in. America and there's there's not a lot of. that I think that's you know not to just. tie everything to bluegrass music but I. think that's part of the reason why. people love bluegrass music is it's. almost a a tap back into that world. before all of the industrialization like. when people were sitting on their porch. picking and you knew the neighbor and. they came down for dinner and you know. Floyd cut everybody's hair and Andy.

Griffith was the sheriff and you know. it's was like a simpler times really. yeah dude our bus driver gave everybody. same cut dude rip Ray uh I don't know. what his name was deceased Ray I guess. they call him now or whatever but he was. our bus driver and also had the barber. shop town and it was like the red and. white barber pole and everybody went in. there yeah and you'd wait you have to go. if you knew if you didn't get there. early it was like 3 325 or something but.

on the bus days once a month he would. cut on the bus and so he would cut. everybody's hair it was like $2 bro. everybody got same haircut man woman. down Center whatever you had everybody. got the same exact cut on that you. roll dude we all had the same cut in. town bro you knew yeah so it's kind of. those are the echelons if you went and. got it cut actually at the shop or if. you got one of those bus Cuts dude Ray. would just rattle people off bro yeah. got the old bus cut yeah it was a.

different. time dude you've gotten to do so much. with music man yeah I think what I was. asking about was sitting there with uh. with your parents was just that energy. when you're sitting there waiting to get. called that's almost the most exciting. thing whether you win or not it's just. that that's really that's the coolest. it's just being in that moment where. there's possibility well there is. possibility I mean today the day you can. wake up and decide that today is the day. that I'm going to just you know it's not.

all going to happen overnight but it's. like we can start chipping away at it we. can start doing whatever it is to uh be. better or work harder or whatever it is. that you feel like you need to do I like. to set goals for myself write them down. you know like yeah just like what do I. want to do you know like I have this. little Journal where it's just like what. do I what do I want what do I want in. life like I want happiness I guess or. also like goals for myself like what you.

know I want to like I smoke like mad. amounts of weed mhm like to the point. where it's like okay I should probably. at least cut back like I mean just for. the you know oh just you smoking we. that's a big old joint that's a real. joint yeah that's oh my God bro that is. a damn that's just like Tuesday morning. bro that's a prosthetic limb yeah oh my.

God bro you're smoking out of somebody's. damn that's like a four-year-old's. tibia thing is fck bro that thing should. have an ankle on the end of it hell yeah. bro hold it up like. Simba but um no it's like you know I'm. trying to like just eat little Edibles. and and and just Vape more and stuff cuz. one of my doctors told me he just gave. me this list of things like to survive. and it was just like you know just don't. eat sugar like don't smoke anything ever.

like you know have a lot of sex like get. exercise go fishing that's all good. stuff for you to you know I don't know. it almost it almost seems like it would. be like self-explanatory or something. just like okay like do things that make. me happy and don't eat and ingest things. that are bad for me it's like but how. hard is that to do to like go out like I. eat a lot of sugar like candy and it's. good I love Coca-Cola dude on. Ice oh my God so good and then.

you're drinking it and you're just. thinking man I'm just drinking like. sugar right now yeah I'm just drinking. pure misery for my body but the doctor. told me any white powders are bad pretty. much oh. yeah yeah even flour they say is not. that good for you yeah that's one of. them that he. said I like flour I guess I don't even. you don't even see it anymore. feel like you used to always see flower. when I was a kid fck Martha White. self-rising flower God my mother would. get that flower out and then she. would beat us yes and then the way it.

just clouds everywhere when oh yeah. during a beaten mm H it's great. nothing like it like baby powder doesn't. do the same doesn't have the same effect. yeah it can't it just yeah you can't. hide a child beating behind some yeah. you need that real Martha White self. rising flower. yeah. my grandma used to try to beat me with. these um she used to try to it was funny. because it didn't hurt but it was like. those little thin little balsawood.

things you stir paint with oh yeah and. me and my brother we used to pretend. like it really hurt just to not hurt. Grandma's feelings she'd be like all. right I'm GNA give you a beat and she'd. hit us and we'd be all and then we'd. walk around the corner and he'd be like. did that hurt I be like no yeah it. didn't hurt we literally pretended like. it hurt just to not hurt her feelings. yeah that's interesting man that's just. empathy at a young level yeah we used to. do that my dad my dad was so old and he. would my mom would make him go beat us. spank us or whatever but and we would.

just be like screaming even though it. didn't hurt he was like 80 years old. hitting us with his belt. um what. uh they can't do that anymore can you I. don't I mean I think if you don't I. don't have kids but like I feel like if. your kid doesn't have social media you. can I feel like yeah. yeah well I mean there's a difference. between reprimanding your. child but it just C it's. like I don't know we just I don't know I.

got spanking when I was younger I mean. but it wasn't long after that that I. just kind of had no rules you know but. when I was young young yeah I got a. couple licking it wasn't anything. terrible it was I think it made me a. better person you know I mean it was. like I don't know I guess there's a line. that's drawn I was never abused. physically like you know but I had a. good couple good licking yeah and them. old the time Old-Timers I heard stories. from I was like oh man they used to do.

that in school I had it happened to me. in school did you they' whip you Bill. Brady I think was his name or and he. might have changed his name because he. whooped a lot of kids in our town but he. uh but I'll say this man I saw him not. too long ago a friend of mine pass now. yeah. a friend of mine passed away no no no. and honestly he was the coolest. me now bro he was the coolest dude bro. and I totally was like this dude I bro I.

give the dude $111 to freaking beat me. now for no reason just for fun yeah just. have yeah bro he was the coolest guy bro. a friend of mine yeah passed my friend. will passed from addiction man and um. and that's where I saw him at was at his. funeral oh damn and uh he whooped you. and will probably huh he probably he. probably yeah I mean we buff I'm sure we. I I deserved it I know I I should still. roll over and just let him beat me for a. half hour I still sounds like you kind. of want him to do that yeah I mean look.

it's kind of like some deep-seated. yeah look dude after you get older it's. hard to find things that really make you. feel something know so um you got to go. back to that childhood that really. it's like really gasses you up yeah yeah. but then you're like well this is kind. of up like why why would I like. this yeah huh start thinking about. yourself yeah thinking about yourself. and it's sometimes it's a trap thinking. about yourself too much um just let it. happen. right what else do we want to talk about.

anything else uh we got your water I. know we I wanted to say that this is. good man yeah and this is a are they all. Selter or not yeah yeah they're all. there's none of them have like booze in. them or anything this is the only flavor. we're actually doing a grape one next. like grape drink mhm it's good and then. um oh that reminds me Mattress Mack just. came out he was sipping lean you know. who that is he bet on the Houston Astros. to win the World Series and if every if. they won then like every like mixed.

couple got a mattress or whatever in. Houston that's him that's him right. there damn he looks hard as he's G. out dude he's sipping no way. yeah with the Jolly Ranchers not B did. you get chopped and screwed by a. competitor who said they were going to. hook it up then went ghost when it was. time for your delivery here at Gallery F. you know we stay knocking on doors like.

P and little Kiki and you know when you. from G in. [Laughter]. fours dude Gallery Furniture we are all. about we can't leave you riding dirty on. that hand me down s we need you to shine. so gang bro dude that's my boy that's. where it's at now I think it's like hey. you want to pull up cop this.

ottoman you know you want to pull up you. know and uh and we'll serve you you know. we'll break you off with this lazy boy. yeah that's where we're at yeah it's. just hey uh speaking of gang gang what's. the Rat King thing. the Rat King do you know what a rat king. is I've heard about this before it's a. group of rats it's like a group of rats. that are all their tails are all tangled. up it's the most up thing ever.

this guy my friend said I look like this. guy from teenage newon inja turtles a. rat and so it's just a dude who's not. doing. well who has who has a couple of rats. with him okay so the all right I get it. now so you kind of are like the ring. leader of the rats and I'm just a. guy who's just trying to get get. a little bit of cheese man and make it. through that Monteray Jack oh yeah I'm. trying to not monate jack off anymore.

either dude I'm trying to lay off the. old hand uh the old body uh spout you. know are you doing the uh retention. thing no I'm not doing that and just. saving it up for somebody unless they're. going to pay for it or something you. know I know yeah what the hell any like. uh artist collabs you've done you've. done some amazing ones so far bar man um. you're a Grammy winner you got to sit. there with your parents and go to the. red carpet and go to the Grammys take. them from Michigan over there that's so. fascinating yeah they came from Ionia.

down there to the they just fascinated. yeah I mean they're just proud of me and. I'm proud of them and and we're all just. like really happy you know and and uh my. brother's got two young kids my niece. and nephew Jimmy and Bill and they're. just like really awesome and I don't. know my family is just doing so good. these days and it's that's all I've ever. wanted you know it's like we've had some. rough patches as every family does and. stuff but um man we've kind of I don't.

know everybody's just doing pretty good. these days and it just makes me so happy. because that's what I've always really. wanted is just for everybody to be okay. you know yeah and um I think a lot of. people can relate to that man you know I. think a lot of people can relate to that. yeah it was it was cool bringing them. out there and my dad's that's as far. west as he's ever gone he's only been on. airplane twice wow he's a. 55 he's yeah born in. 1955 only been on an airplane two times. and this was in the last like year Wow.

first time to La yeah oh that's crazy. experience what a that's such a such a. ride yeah and to get to be at the graes. and see all those other musicians and. stuff and for my mom too like I remember. growing up she would watch like the E. channel and stuff and she's like into. the fashion she's into all that. like she used to to watch like the red. carpet so it was cool to be able to. bring her and for her to see all them. crazy outfits and like that you. know she's all into that so it was. It was kind of neat but I just love my.

dad's like that one guy was like who are. you wearing and he's like I got Levis. he's like my son bought me this shirt. and this came from I got it at a western. store just like it's so you know it's. not no uh Gucci or nothing it's just no. it's perfect dude got it at a western. store. yeah um what music are you listening to. right now Billy I'm people ask you all. the time anybody popping your see if I. pull up my Spotify what what yeah what. pops up let's see I'll go on on. repeat okay I'm just going to read them.

down yeah on repeat number one The. Grudge tool that's only on there because. I had to learn that cuz I put I sat in. with tul and I had to listen to that. song about 300 times that day. Paris suicide Boys number two suicide. boys yep no way bro they're going to. come on in uh in April are they yeah. yeah bro I just texted Ruby and scrim. last night that's crazy dude that's. crazy you said them dude oh my God I. with them hard bro now check this. out we got tul we got suicide boys.

directly to James King the old swing and. [Music]. Bridge oh yeah. God and then we. got Pike County breakdown. [Music]. earol. scrubs uh low down Hank.

3 yeah with Hank 3 at all um I. don't listen to it that much I should. though uh I got riding the Danville Pike. Blue Highway Donna Lee Charlie Parker. concerning Hobbits Howard Shore this is. on my on. repeat. [Applause]. so I love that man oh yeah you guys. probably can't play that on there. my bad that's okay we can still on the.

audio version we can the flower and the. corpse Flesh and Blood robot the game. Blue Highway Harbor of Love Stanley. Brothers Stratosphere Boogie Jimmy. Bryant um cold Virginia Knight Ronnie. Bowman SOS West Montgomery scapegoat. Blues Jimmy Herring uh. whale Bud Powell something in the way. Nirvana uh more Ronnie Bowman uh more. suicide boys Hank 3 gang uh Long Tall.

Sally. Lil y dude I used to love uh Chuck Barry. bro oh yeah man I used to listen to. so much Chuck Barry he's the what. have I been listen to Steph Wilson. Jr. um is there anything else that you want. to share Billy or anything else you were. thinking about well do you want to play. anything are you cool you don't have I'm. not saying you have to at all and I just. saw you I could I could play something.

you brought an instrument yeah let me. rock a piss or something I could pick a. little bit yeah um yeah I'd love to. dude oh one question I had when you're. was there something on your mind well no. I was just saying uh you know I've just. been working on a record like the. last couple weeks we started um out now. La working at this studio and it's just. like I'm kind of at the point in my. career right now where. I I just don't feel like I need to go.

into like a big studio and and and have. all that like so the last year and a. half I've been sort of building a studio. at my house. and we just started cutting there um. we've done two sessions so far like we. we were there for like a week and then. we were there for like 5 days so so I. got like 21 song new songs in the can. wow that I recorded at. home and it's so awesome because like. you know the vibe is so killer there we.

have the whole house and then the studio. is just like one little section so. whenever you're not in the studio you. have a whole house plus I sort of live. out in the country and like we can like. ride bikes and stuff while we're at the. studio and like go outside and just you. know it's just like such a killer Vibe. so that's what I've been doing the last. couple weeks is working at home and um. making a record and it's pretty badass. man I'm loving like having my own Studio. to work at yeah oh yeah I mean.

that's yeah I it's one reason why I like. having my job here at home you know it's. nice to be able to just have your job at. home um oh yeah do you have a uh do you. have a family at home or no I have a. wife oh you do and I have a cat okay. that's a family yep oh In some cultures. yeah. Japan in Japan that's considered I think. a large family. right. um cool man uh.

yeah well let me rock a piss and I'll. pick a tune for you or something yeah. will you yeah that'd be sweet of you man. thank you so much wow this guitar right. here is like it's my pride and joy this. is a. 1940 Martin. D28 praise God baby dang yeah man wow. who gave it to you uh I. [Music]. did let's see you recording in there.

well since we were talking about all. [Music]. that all them powders and. such got to give you guys this little. cautionary tale okay okay man. brother got to get her in tune first oh. [Music].

yeah all right here goes the old Cocaine. Blues or wait some people call it tell. it to me. [Music]. [Applause].

[Music]. well sniffing that cocaine all over town. honey don't let my deal go down hey hey. budy let the cocaine. be it was meant for horses not for men. doctor said he kill you but he didn't. know when hey hey hey budy let the. cocaine. be yeah tell it to me tell it to me. during corn liquor let the cocaine be. hey hey buy let the cocaine. be yeah tell it to me tell it to me dur.

corn liquor let the cocaine be hey hey. buddy let the cocaine. [Music]. be. [Music]. wow. [Music]. I'm walking up the fields going down man. trying to find a nickel for to buy. cocaine hey hey but let the cocaine be. it'll burn out your nails turn R the.

goddamn cocaine will kill you dead hey. hey but let cocaine. be yeah tell it to me tell it to mein. corn liquor let the cocaine be hey hey. buy let the cocaine. be yeah tell it to me tell it to me drin. corn liquor let the cocaine be hey hey. hey but let cocaine. [Music].

be come. on well I don't know what I'm going to. do it's killed my friends it's going to. kill me too hey hey but let cocaine. be some of you people you think you're. tough sniffing that cocaine just like. snuff hey hey buty let the cocaine be. well tell it to me tell it to me drink. corn liquor let the cocaine be hey hey. buy let the cocaine. be yeah tell it to me tell it to me.

drink corn liquor let the cocaine be hey. hey budy let the cocaine. be. wow hell yeah man bro that's so. cool. wow. man got one more for you all right this. one's from uh the late great Blaze.

[Music]. Foley I want to go home with an. armadilla spread her little legs and. really try to Thrill to her very. soul with my cowboy Pole. oh scaryy skin around my face Lord I'll. be her saveing grace I want to go home.

with an. armadilla my cowboy. po wake up in the morning with my head. on my pillow my finger in her ass you. know I Thriller I want to go home with. an armadilla on my cowboy. P amen I want to go home with an. armadilla sleeping on my pillow next to. me my rough old hands in my.

Vaseline oh she made fool of. me no more songs about. [Music]. armad I want to go home with an. armadilla on my cowboy. [Music]. po want to go home with an armadilla on. my cowboy.

pole let's. go bro that's so cool. arill bro look everybody wants to catch. a stray man that's for damn sure God. yeah cuz sometimes just lay in there. after you hit them and you're like now. what do we do. um Billy shring dude uh thank you so. much man what is that feeling you have. whenever you're whenever you lock in on.

a you know there's there's videos that. you go just in there is it a video to. keep going or you just are you still. knowing where you're placing stuff or is. it just like a second language what is. it like I just get inside of there and. try to you know trying to pay attention. I don't know like I almost feels like. stuff goes everything else goes away. sometimes like when I'm on stage and I'm. really getting focused it's kind of like. playing basketball I imagine it's like. you got to pay attention if somebody. passes you the ball and you're not ready. to catch it you know what I mean with me.

and my band it's like we're just in. there we're super focused we're playing. and it's like we're passing the ball. around it's like I imagine it's kind of. like playing ball you know it's like you. got to be in the Focus you know. yeah wow it's fascinating man dude. thanks so much bro you made me dude you. just thank you brother I think I was. just kind of having a day too and just. like it just this was just like about. like it just made me like feel like. what's important just talking about. stuff with people it's important yeah. you know um yeah man thank you so much.

Billy strings check him out wherever he. is uh where will people be a I mean. you'll just be touring again sometime. it's so funny I was just saying because. I've been going to places where you had. played and everybody's like that. is crazy that's what they. say everywhere bro that's awesome it's. awesome well man if you ever want to. come out to a show just let me know I'll. put you on the list and and stuff you're. always welcome I appreciate it man same. bro thank you so much Billy strings. thank you I'm just floating on the. breeze and I feel I'm falling like these.

leaves I must be. Cornerstone oh but when I reach that. ground I'll share this piece of my life. found I can feel it in my. bones but it's going to take. little.