Musician reflects on fatherhood, creativity, and life lessons

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We've had mel so many melted Oreo shakes. You would not believe. Like I'd be fine if I never eat another Oreo again. >> Why don't you call your brother anymore? >> I mean that's uh Yeah, that's quintessential me, man. It's just I was so sorry. >> Your duet with Kane Brown uh song for my son. Um are you guys cool? Have you guys like Do you guys hang out a lot? >> No. No, we don't hang out a lot, but I um appreciate Kane. He's always been someone in my corner. And I've always I' I I genuinely like Kane Brown's music, but I just love Kane, man. He's um you know, he's somebody I've been on a stage before feeling out of place and seeing him stand up. I don't know if y'all caught the show last night, the CMT artist of the year awards, but I'm still jacked about it. I look out and uh Kane Brown is uh it stands up during Fantasy Light and and dude just big grin on his face and was just enjoying it uh from the bottom of his heart. And it was that moment I was like, I got this. You know, I love the way he's a dad. Uh he's an inspiring father. I think Kane just does his own thing. We've we've always kind of related from a distance with that. Like just trying to do us, you know, and not really chase something and >> it >> don't hear a lot of um you know, massive artists sing my lyrics. You know, that was the goal when we moved to Nashville was to get like these outside cuts. But when I turned that song on and heard Kane's voice, you know, of such a recognizable sound, that's a special. I mean, there's something different, you know, and uh you're used to hearing yourself, you know, you're like whatever, that's me. But when Kane comes in and just got nothing against my dad, you're like whoa. it just hits different, you know, when somebody else uh sings it. And I've always felt that way on on any outside cuts or anything I've had. But and actually there's a cool story he said in that in his in his verse. He says, "Lord, let this cross on my neck not just be a bunch of bling." And it's a prayer. You know, the song's a prayer. When I texted Kane and said, "Hey, man, what do you think?" You know, he and I had always texted about possibly doing something together. And I was like, "Is this the one?" And he texted me a picture of the cross he he had on. And uh he didn't say anything. He just said, "I'd be honored." >> And said the cross. So I was like, "Single artwork." I was like, honestly, I was like, >> "Lord, thanks." You know, this is this just seems natural. And I hate I hate asking people, you know, to do collabs because I kind of feel like a mooch. like, hey, can I borrow your fans and we can do this together and maybe it will be be even bigger. Um cuz you know, you think you know that that is something that crosses your mind. But Kane was very humble and um and just kind and man, he killed it. I mean, he's he sounds so good. >> Jesus, please come on back. I need you. >> Fatherhood consumes me. I it is it's all I think about and I want to be you know I want to be a great example for my kids. I say sorry a lot and I do feel this pressure you know my kids are my my boys are teenagers now there's this sense of like well there's I can't undo like I already messed them up you know I'm like it went by too fast like I I was going to try to get it I was going to get it right before you could really mess them up and now I'm like no I did it you know they're they're they're messed up you know and uh and and um I don't think there's any way around that. We had an incident actually this week that it's wild you're asking this question, but my son, one of my sons, his name is Chapel, and I'm coaching all three of them in basketball. And it's so hard for me to not co. I'm just a coach. I just love I I just want to coach all the time. I love it. And uh I'm sure part of that is probably the whole fight to not live vicariously through your kids and just and just be like, "Hey, y'all do you. I'm going to do me." But the coach hat rarely comes off and I'm and I'm working on it. But the other night we were playing 21 and my son, he's huge. He's a great he's a great athlete. He's a good basketball player and I'm I'm trying to get him to be big in the post, use his body, always look for contact and keep it keep it at the rim, but he wants to shoot threes. And so we were playing 21 and he I handed him the ball and and he shot a three and I just gave it back to him. I said, "Don't shoot threes. Come come come inside and be big, you know, with me and my other son." And it was a loose ball and it was like between his legs and we were both getting down on it and my head hit his nose and and it cracked his nose. like we we go at it at the house. And man, I got to tell you, it it was just that's quintessential me, man. It's just I was so sorry. And and I even now am now my wife is like, "Hey, get over it. It's all right." Like he he's he's resilient. It's okay. You know, and uh and I'm just like, "Ah, I was going too hard, you know. I I I was hard on him, you know. I I just I should have been, you know, kinder, more patient. Who cares if he shoot? You know, I'm like retracing my steps that night going, "How do I not get to a broken nose and just my son knowing that I love him? That's all I care. I don't care. >> I don't, you know, I don't care." But I did care, you know, in the moment for whatever reason. And uh >> and yeah, I just felt, dude, I felt so bad. And that's that's me in a nutshell. It's just constantly trying to be a good dad, sucking at it, and then going, "Man, I'm so sorry." >> I want to get back to earlier you were talking about where you are songwriting that day >> where you write about. Take me to the day of 17-year-old problems. >> Dude, Friday afternoon, it was a Friday and life was heavy. Um, man, I'm 46. I feel like I must look, I'm not a therapist or anything, but I'm I guess I'm prime time for Actually, I'm 45. I can't remember how old I am. >> Wow. >> I think I'm 45. >> It's funny. You get older and you're like, "What am I?" >> Actually, Laney's 46 and I'm 45 cuz I I just made fun of her for that the other day. But we um >> man, yeah, 17 problems literally spilled out just just life was heavy. Um, and I honestly was sitting on a Friday thinking just kind of looking around at life and uh kind of assessing my to-dos, my to work ons, you know, things like that. And I just thought I just honestly I thought, man, I've got to be the stupidest adult. Like, how did I how did I get here? Like, how am I 45? And there are a lot of basic things that I don't know how to do, you know? And um I mean there's things I do know how to do, but there's there's a lot of things where I'm like, man, I thought I would be way smarter by this age. And uh and I, you know, it's heavy stuff. You know, it's like my sister takes care of my mom in Mobile. And my sister's an angel. I mean, I I don't know. I I mean, I look at my sister Waya and I don't the way she takes care of my mom, I'm I'm I'm There's no way. There's no way. And no matter how much God works on me, I'm not going to be as good at taking care of my mom. You know, I I'm blown away. And uh but I'm supposed to know how to do that. I'm supposed to know how to be a good son now, you know. And then there's, you know, I've got some some relationship stuff with some brow got a brother that like the song says that I haven't talked to in 10 years. And I'm like, I mean, we only get like say I live to be 90. You you only get nine of those. So, what am I doing? You know, so anyway, that song spilled out. The first line just flopped out and and I was noodling on the guitar and I just said, "Man, how in the world were we supposed to memorize our fake IDs?" And I started smiling and I was like, "Man, I remember Lany's dad. I mean, he couldn't stand me." And it it was like this balance of like, "I like your daughter, but we don't get along. Like, what what how are we going to do this, you you know, and and then I just assess. I remember tripping running through the sign uh in 10th grade playing football and you know, you're so jacked and like you probably just drank a Red Bull and you know the cheerleader and you're like ah, you know, going crazy and you run through the sign and you just bust and um I remember I remember that happening a couple times and just rolling and being like, "No, I'm good." you know, and and thank goodness, you know, there weren't a thousand phones. >> Yeah. >> You know, with cameras, but yeah, man, I just I didn't really know where that song was going. It It really happened like you hear it. And I listed these problems and then and then I was like, "Dude, I want those back." Like, those were great. Those were the best. Those problems make me smile now. Um and so that's where 17-year-old problems came from. Why don't you call your brother anymore? >> I mean, that's uh Yeah, I mean, he, you know, we're uh we're equally messed up and um that's just not that's uh Yeah. It's not It's not good that we talk. It's okay. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> All right. Well, all right. And finally, man, it's been a long time since uh Fancy like in in dog years. >> Yeah. >> Uh are you still using the gold card? >> You know, uh man, Applebee's was was so good to us and they they all always are. But you know, you you fatigue of a restaurant, you know what I mean? And I think everybody can relate. Uh, >> so they like gave you a whole pack of cigarettes and told you smoke it all at one time. >> Yeah. I uh I used to work at Macaroni Grill and I can't walk. I mean, just I love I mean the food is solid. The service is amazing. Their whole brand's amazing, but the smell like I just smell Macaroni Grill and I need to drive to another town. And I think we're we're there on Applebee's. Like it's just it's just a thing now, you know? We crushed it so hard, you know. It was We did We did meet and greets there. We We We've We've had to-go boxes with steaks. We've had mel so many melted Oreo shakes. You would not believe like I'd be fine if I never eat another Oreo again. And it's funny how something great and just awesome one day you wake up and it's just like I can't I can't do it again. So, we're taking a break right now. We're taking an Applebee's break, but we >> we happily >> um you know, sing that song every single night. And I and I never retire. >> Where's Where's the card at? The physical card. >> Uh I think it's in Lany's wallet. She She's She's kind of the boss of that, but man, it's um I would lose it. >> Can you bring it in next time? >> I will. Yeah, I'll bring you I'll bring you a go. I'll actually bring they they kind of >> they charge them up, you know, and send us fresh ones and so we have stacks. >> They're sick, too. You can throw them and they'll stick in a tree like a like a throwing star, you know. My kids figured that out. But I'll bring I will bring you an Applebee's card and sign it for you. >> Oh man, epic. Well, dude, love the album and thank you so much for coming by. >> Thanks, man.