Happy New Year from The What Podcast! We're just a few days away from Bonnaroo revealing their 2023 lineup, but before we officially dive into the new festival season, Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco are catching up with one of their favorite bands: *repeat repeat.
The Nashville band's Jared Corder and Kristyn Corder join The What crew to discuss their terrific new album, Everyone Stop. They talk about creating the record's whopping 27 tracks, which happens to include this shows' theme song, "Aquarius."
Listen to the interview with *repeat repeat above or watch the conversation below, then be sure to like, review, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Stay tuned next week for a special Tuesday episode coinciding with the Bonnaroo '23 lineup announcement!
Topic: *repeat repeat
Guests: Jared Corder, Kristyn Corder
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Just a few short days away from one of the most eagerly anticipated Bonnaroo lineups ever.
So, while we wait, we'll check in on some friends from their farm in Nashville,
Repeat, Repeat has a brand new album, 27 tracks deep,
which includes this song. We dive into the album, their new studio space,
and Jared's love for TikTok. Today on the What Podcast, which pans this year that matter,
it starts with Repeat, Repeat right now.
The What Podcast, which bands this year that matter, we are just days away from learning
the lineup for 2023.
Barry, Taco, very excited to see you guys.
The Anticipation mounting.
Are you starting to shiver with anticipation?
Are you quivering?
Happy New Year.
Happy New Year.
Oh yeah, how was the holiday?
What'd you guys do?
It was good.
Yeah.
We had a bunch of family events and had a toddler stay with us for a week.
Taco, you went to Barry's house.
Yeah.
Yeah.
He destroyed everything.
Yeah.
I got everything.
Drank all his PBR.
Yeah.
Yeah, we're still recovering.
Pete everywhere.
Yeah.
Pete everywhere.
That's right.
Yeah.
We're, we're finding things in places we didn't know they could be put.
Including your butt.
Hey.
Hey.
Hey.
Fair enough.
What a fair enough.
So what did you do, Taco?
What was the holiday like?
Took the nephew down to the lake where my aunt lives and got on the boat.
Got to ride the boat around.
Boats and buses.
This man has a, he's right in the pocket, isn't he?
He never really changes.
He never really wavers.
Boats and hoes.
When I think of you, that's the first few words that come to mind.
Absolutely.
That's right.
How was everything?
How was everything up there?
You know, it's weird.
I was just talking about this.
I made a list.
I just scribbled this morning when I woke up all the shows that I've seen since moving
to New York and I'm sure I'm going to miss some of them, but I'm, it's somewhere like
48.
And you know, I'm not trying to say that, Oh, look at me, but there's this thing of,
I know that it's difficult for some people and that's why, you know, they love Bonnaroo
and go to Bonnaroo every year or Coachella, et cetera.
But man, when you have access to all of these shows up here, it really does, you know, change
your perspective on, you know, going to these festivals.
I can't imagine if I went to these shows, how much this would cost me.
I have no idea how much this would cost me.
It's a lineup, right?
It is a festival lineup that, you know, you look around and if you asked me to spend $300
on this, it's a steal.
It's an absolute steal.
Yeah, I know.
I know.
It's nuts.
I've thought about that.
It sounds like you said, it sounds like you're bragging or whatever, but it's like, Oh, I've
seen them.
I've seen them, you know, saw that show, saw that show.
It's incredible.
You get the number of bands and acts that you get to see at a festival.
Speaking of, you know, he brought Coachella, did you say that there was a Coachella rumor?
I feel like we should have had the Coachella lineup by now.
I thought there, I mean, I'm looking at a story that-
Oh, this was the thing that came out this morning about Drake and the-
Yeah.
Yeah, okay.
I remember, I saw this.
Bad Bunny, yeah.
I feel like Coachella lineup is quite late.
I always feel like we get it sometime around, you know, the first of December.
Am I wrong about that?
It seems like, you know, around this time we get, they start coming as we know, as we're
going to probably talk about Bonnaroo.
Well, it's always before Bonnaroo.
It's always before Bonnaroo.
And based on our chat with Corey and Brad, they basically told us when the lineup's coming
out and we've got what, 10, 12 days?
Is it going to be the 12th?
Thursday's the 12th.
Or is the 10th.
It's always the Tuesday the 10th.
It's going to be a Tuesday.
Yeah, it's Tuesday the 10th.
Yeah.
Best idea is just go back and listen to the episode with Brad and Corey.
They tell us when it's coming out.
So we could just do that.
It'd be a lot easier.
Actually, if I remember right, you told us and they didn't deny.
Okay.
Okay.
So we can take that however you want.
I also asked them about Taylor Swift and they did deny.
They did.
Okay.
Just making it short.
They did.
They did.
They did.
They did.
They did.
They did.
They did.
They did.
They did.
They did.
They did.
They did.
They did.
They did.
They did.
So if we were to go through the lineup of guests that we've had on the show, they would be
probably our three night headliner.
They'd play three shows because they not only are our house band, but also very good friends
and I think still hold the record and it's just going to add it to the overall count
today.
The overall record of most podcast appearances.
Aren't they top of our list?
They're up there.
Yeah.
Yeah, the band name is Repeat Repeat because they're repeat guests.
Rinse and repeat.
Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat.
Yeah.
The kids of Repeat Repeat, Jared and Kristen Repeat are our guests today for a lot of reasons,
mostly because yeah, they have a new album out, but we haven't talked to them all season,
all last year.
We didn't have them on the show once.
I was going to say mostly because we like them.
Yeah.
And they're fun.
Yeah.
They're a lot of fun.
And well, we'll talk about it when they come on, but yeah, they are as much a part of our
show as anybody really.
Yeah.
In their own way.
They're the fourth and fifth hosts.
Pretty much.
Yeah.
They hear their music every time we come on.
Yeah.
And they did our theme song.
I love these guys.
Yeah.
And I'll talk about the theme song here in a second.
Let's step away for a second.
When we come back, Repeat Repeat, our guests on the What Podcast.
And there's Jared's crotch.
How exciting.
Look at these beautiful faces.
You are coming in really hot.
How are you guys?
We are good.
Just dialing in everything.
Wait a second.
Are you in the studio?
Is this the the Fame studio on the hill?
Yeah.
Oh, wow.
Wow.
Look at that tree.
Look at that.
I first off, take us around the studio.
Explain the new space because it's fully outfitted now, right?
It's fully outfitted.
Yes.
I'm worried that if I unplug my laptop that no, you don't have to do that.
It's OK.
You don't do that.
You just tell me about it.
Tell me about the room.
It's so pretty.
It's so well done.
It's like a 600 square foot cabin in the woods that also sleeps like eight.
So you can come from out of town and make a record and stay for a week or more.
And it's awesome.
It's like our little getaway for us to make music and for other artists to come and make
music.
And we have this amazing view that's like hundreds and hundreds of acres faces sunset.
And it's up here in the Tennessee foothills.
It's great.
I saw the drone thing that you put out.
Oh, my God.
How dreamy is that space?
How dreamy is that view?
Yeah, we lived here for two and a half years before we ever saw the view.
So once we saw the view, we knew we had to do something with it.
And then the pandemic sort of helped guide us into what we would be doing with it.
And that is making music from home.
So, yeah, now we just come up here every day and see what we can.
All right.
So the walk from the house to the hill, you know, how many like barnyard animals do you
have to dodge?
Well, approximately four.
Well, on our property.
And then we have neighbors that have a rooster and chickens and cows and everything like
that.
There's crows up here and deer.
We have a family of deer that live up here.
At any given moment, it's like a Disney movie.
It's like Bambi walking by or something.
Yeah, it's really good.
Seriously, there was like a baby deer that grew up here.
And so I'd have artists up here.
And at any given moment, be like, oh, my God, there's like a baby.
Yeah, it's wild.
I've got artists that have made records over the last like six months that have watched
this baby deer grow up because every time they come out, he's like a little bit bigger.
Do you feel like you're constantly entertaining, though, when you have people on the property
at all times?
It feels like you got to constantly just it's like you're running an Airbnb.
It's less like entertaining because we built the studios.
It used to feel a little bit more like that when we were when my studio was out of our
house.
Now it's nice because there's like separation.
So at any point I can be like, I'm going to go make lunch and I can just leave and go
do my own thing for a minute.
So it's nice.
And then when artists come from out of town and stay for a while, like they get to have
their own little place to stay.
So it's it feels a lot less less like entertaining and more like I'm coming in on their.
OK, it's good.
How much how much is it used by you versus other artists?
Well, I mean, I'm up here every day.
I spend about half the week mixing and then the other half producing.
And but I I mean, this last year I had artists here almost six days a week.
Wow.
Yeah.
And then just mixing in my off time.
So are they mostly Nashville artists or are they coming from all over?
It's about all over.
The first band that stayed overnight was here from Omaha.
So yeah.
And then West Virginia and some people come and stay from Nashville.
You know, it's only an hour drive from Nashville.
So there's artists that, you know, there's not a lot of studios, I feel like, where you
get to come and record, but also kind of just like clear your mind.
And you know, it's shorter drive than going to like Gatlinburg or something.
So it's it's nice.
You feel far enough away from the city, but you're close enough that you could, you know,
get home in time for dinner.
Well, what is it?
And you might be able to say it as somebody who's recorded there, but I wonder how it
changes somebody from out of town's writing perspective and how they start hearing things
a little bit differently.
I you know, Phoenix, they they wrote their last album in the Louvre.
So and they recorded it inside.
And you know, I can't imagine that didn't change the way that they, you know, wrote,
listen back, you know, produced, et cetera.
We've had a lot of people say that coming out here has sort of reawakened something
creative in them, I think just because there there aren't a lot of places outside of Nashville
that you can unless your friend owns a place, there's not like really any other kind of
built in like artist kind of retreat sort of thing.
So we've had a lot of people come out and just the fact that they can't see neighbors
and there's no light pollution and no noise, you know, they're just sort of forced to.
We do have like a projector and Roku in here, but nobody really watches it because that's
not really what they're here to do.
So people kind of like Zen out, I feel like.
And it makes them feel more creative.
At least like there have been a few people that have been recurring artists that have
recorded out here several times over the last year.
And they've just sort of been like, wow, I feel completely renewed.
I tried to base the studio and the work I do off of all the experiences I've had in
studios since I was a teenager, the good ones and the bad ones.
And I tried to think about like, what were the things that I didn't like so much about
recording in other studios?
And while there are plenty of studios in Nashville that have really amazing gear, I have found
that, you know, so much of it doesn't really matter about the gear.
So much of it matters about the vibe is the most important thing.
And all my favorite producers are the same way.
So I think that a big element of it is that, you know, I was trying to think when we built
it, like what can we offer that maybe other studios in Nashville can't offer?
And so many studios I've recorded and have either been in somebody's basement or have
been in like a strip mall.
You know, and so doesn't really give you a lot to look at and take in.
And so I think like that is a huge thing that at least we can bring.
Yeah, but you can get your nails done.
Exactly.
Do a little shopping.
Exactly.
Can get lunch.
And one of the things we do out here since it is so isolated is we have a stocked snack
kitchen.
That's something that we've never had in other studios.
And we would find ourselves sitting, you know, in other studios for 12 and 14 hour days wishing
we had brought food.
So out here we sort of eliminate that and have a stacked snack cabinet.
Yeah.
OK, let's family feud this.
Number one snack on the board is what?
Oh, Belvedes.
Dark chocolate Belvedes.
That's the weirdest answer.
But yeah, I yeah, if you gave me a thousand, that is not what it's going to say.
We're like we're like we're like being on a flight.
It's like they get those out on like airplanes.
Tell me there's a cookie that you're supposed to eat for breakfast and I'm.
Nice.
Nice.
It's so interesting this because I've you know, so many different bands and interviews
and artists that changes.
You know, I think I can't remember who I was talking to some artists not that long ago.
And they said we recorded it in a house because I didn't want to be in a studio because I
didn't want it to feel like we were going to work every day and clocking in.
And then I've had others who say I wanted to go into a studio because I wanted that
professional feeling and sound and all that.
So I mean, even on the record, it's unlikely that we'll never record anything else in a
fancy studio just because there's a time and place for all of that.
Yeah.
I mean, also, this is now my work.
So I was telling Kristen like the next our next record, I want to kind of go into a different
studio and work with some other producers because we just put out a twenty seven song.
Yeah, I was about to say your next record, you put out a record that's good enough for
five years.
Right.
Well, and I made it all here.
And so it's like now this is work.
So it's like after like eight, ten hours in the studio with another artist, the last thing
I want to do is come back up here and do it for myself.
I'd rather go in another environment or like with some other people.
So I think it's just time and place.
You know, there's there's times where I feel most creative just in my element here and
there's times where I feel most creative kind of getting out of my comfort zone.
Yeah.
Well, let's talk about the album here in a second.
But first, how was the holiday?
How have you guys been doing?
We're still very clearly in holiday mode.
I don't think we had to remind ourselves what day of the week it was today.
My mom is here from Texas.
Yeah, we were watching a movie in bed until like 10 minutes ago.
So we're very much relaxing.
Yeah, we're still holidaying.
Nice.
What?
What?
Oh, God, it's called Triangle of Sadness.
And it is that's lovely morning.
It's not that.
Brad, you would like it a lot.
It's kind of like a twisted Wes Anderson movie.
Yeah, it's really good.
That's you, me and Barry, the Triangle of Sadness.
Yeah, exactly.
It's good.
It's got Woody Harrelson.
It's so it's so weird because I'm watching the Triangle of Sadness in my rectangle of
sadness.
Yeah, it's really good.
You would like it.
It's really what's the word?
Like, like quirky.
Yeah.
Well, you know, you guys you guys made pandemic and quarantine cool before like pandemic and
quarantine living out there in the woods with the animals.
Did you get into any like the glass onion stuff?
Have you like how much are you binging?
What are you are you watching like every television show that ever existed?
Well, no, we were really late to White Lotus, but we did finally join that party over this
break.
Yeah.
We're a little bit mainstream now that we've done that.
Yeah.
But like we've never seen Game of Thrones and stuff like that.
For example.
Neither.
Not one second.
What's the one that everybody really likes with the guy from Saturday Night Live that
that's on Apple?
Yeah, where he's a coach.
Oh, Ted Lasso.
Yeah.
So like I have to remind myself, sorry if you all like Ted Lasso, but we watched like
two episodes.
I was like and the other Jared.
I know.
Jared.
It's incredible.
Yeah.
Sweet.
I'm too bitter, I think.
He can't get into the drugs.
That's why you would like Triangle of Sadness, Brad.
He can't get into like shit.
Need some angst.
You don't even do a Shits Creek?
No.
I think we're only partial bingers.
Oh my God.
Yeah.
So when so when Kristen was like, I think we should like watch this show.
Everybody's been talking about it.
And I'm like, everybody's been talking about Ted Lasso.
So, you know, that's not a basis that I can go off of.
It's not for lack of wanting.
We've tried to get into that and Game of Thrones and all of it.
But I don't know.
We just have a weird taste.
We like really dystopian things, really like really super quirky things.
And we like documentaries.
We're, you know, we're.
I'm not.
Well, Brad mentioned it.
I highly recommend The Glass Onion.
Just for no other reason because of Janelle.
I do not.
This movie is stupid.
OK.
So stupid.
It is so dumb.
I don't disagree.
But she is terrific.
We really like Knives Out.
But.
Yeah, Knives Out was great.
I like.
I like that a lot better.
But this this one is just goofball bullshit.
It is so dumb.
But so I had this hard and fast rule that I don't suggest things to people.
Right. I don't like giving people the oh, you've got to watch it because not only am I putting like at risk your time, but also if you don't like it, how does that reflect back on me?
It all comes back to me.
But I will say I will say I have been out of control and love with this show called Fleishman is in Trouble.
I've heard I'm out of my mind about this show.
I've never seen it.
It's the best show I've seen since Breaking Bad.
And it like it doesn't there's nothing that has perfectly described a midlife crisis or written, you know, tragic divorce better than better than the show.
It's out of control.
Incredible. Out of control.
We're really into secession.
It's really really we really like that one.
And I don't know if I've ever told you this, but like TV is the only medium where you can be like you got to get into the series.
And it's like you just have to give it a few episodes.
And it's like each episode is like an hour fucking long.
And it's like no other medium works like that.
It's not like this Metallica album is terrible.
No, you got to listen to it for like four hours and then you'll love it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's like it doesn't work in any other art media.
Wait, you're telling me I have to read The Great Gatsby seven times before I really get it.
OK, I'll do it.
Right. Listen to it again.
That's a good point.
The holiday was good.
You have family in town now.
We haven't talked to you in a year.
So I guess this whole year has been, you know, writing two hundred and fifty songs and then putting them all out at once.
Yeah.
Yeah.
What did you what did you leave out?
Yeah, we did leave out a few. It's usually my songs we leave out because I'm like not into them by the time it's time for them to come out.
I like them when we record them and then I'm not into them by the time by the time they come out.
Yeah.
We realize that's how I dated.
Yeah.
We realized pretty quickly just kind of wrapping up the year that between our music and the music that I've worked on in the studio,
we had a song that either we recorded or that we had a hand in producing come out at least one, if not two a week every week for the whole year.
So that was kind of a Jesus crazy.
That is a lot.
Oh, oh, oh, oh.
Literally today.
And a video.
Yeah. One of the artists I work with, she was like, I'm surprised everybody with the release today.
I had thought all the songs had come out for the year.
I was like, cool.
I don't have to do any more promotion for a few more days.
And then I'm like, oh, shit, like I got to make a post about that.
Like she just released a song that I recorded and whatever came out today.
So it's like, yeah, it's it's it's fun.
Are you going to are you going to easy I sound this is are you going to turn this into like a Dan Arbok easy I sound thing?
I mean, I can start pressing your own vinyl on the farm.
That would be cool.
I mean, sometimes people ask if I wanted to like start a label, but that's the last thing I want to do.
But I just want to help I I want to make records and whatever that looks like.
So it's funny when when this record came out, Brad sent us sent taco and I attacks and said repeat, repeat releasing an album.
I said, are they going to do it on vinyl?
He said, no, it's like 27.
Yeah, I don't think this is going to be on vinyl record set.
Yeah, we really just needed a place to put all this.
You know, it's like 2020 through 2022 if you sort of just sort of consider that the pandemic years collectively, like we just needed kind of a place for all of that stuff to funnel towards so that we can shift creatively.
You know, I mean, even just the aesthetic of like the single artwork that I was doing that I started doing in 2020.
Not having any idea we would have so many by the end, you know, I told Jared, like, I got to do something different. All of this stuff.
I didn't know we were going to have, you know, almost 30 songs in the same, you know, style, same palette.
Yeah, exactly. So we both just kind of feel ready to like shift.
This record had very specific like purposes for us in that each song is sort of some exercise and something we wanted to try.
So it's either each song is either inspired by, you know, one of our favorite songs from other bands or it's something we wanted to try production wise, you know, or I use the record as my basically like my portfolio to learn how to produce records.
So every song there's like a technique that I wanted to try.
So it's like there's a song on the record that was like my I'm going to try wall of sound here.
And there's a technique that's like, you know, there's a song on the record that's like I'm going to try using like analog reverb or whatever.
So every song was a way for me to experiment on myself so that I could learn how to do that for other artists.
And so it was really fun to get because there was a lot less pressure, I think, because it was just like, oh, if I fuck this up, it's just our music.
You know, I don't know. It's like it's fun to just like mess with things.
And then that way now when bands come in, like I want to have the wall of sound thing or whatever, like I have a little bit more knowledge on it.
I'm so glad to hear you say that. It's hard to interrupt you, right?
Because when I was listening to it, that's the phrase that kept kind of coming through my own head was y'all had some shit to work out.
And whether it was musically or lyrically or whatever, it just feels like you were working a lot of stuff out.
Well, in the beginning, a lot of it was Jared working out a career change via lyrics.
You know, I mean, your sort of life change between touring all the time and making music from home and just kind of that transition as an artist.
I think a lot of the songs were sort of. Well, our last tour before the pandemic was playing a month of arenas with the Modest Mouse and the Black Keys.
So we played that and then the year ended and then the pandemic hit and everything shut down for two years.
So rather quickly, I had to realize, you know, what do I want the next chapter of my life to look like?
And, you know, I felt like I could use this time to really hone in some other skills and see what else I could bring to the table.
Well, you know, you just mentioned the Black Keys and Modest Mouse tour coming off of that and then into COVID that could breed a lot of insecurity.
And to think that you were so confident to say, you know what, let's just do a bunch of stuff that I don't know how to do and see what happens.
And then on top of it, put it out into the world, not just once, but twice.
You know, you get two versions of all these things, too.
So, you know, the lack of insecurity in a lot of this is what I it's just an audacious project.
And I give you a lot of credit for it. It's and plus, you know me.
And I've told you this since the moment we this is the best you guys have sounded.
I mean, since the beginning, I think this album is fantastic.
You know, every song that you've ever sent me, every song that I've listened to, it just feels like it's getting better and better and better and better.
Thank you. I will say there was and still is always a lot of insecurity.
But I think what helped a lot for us was the most terrifying moment, I think, for us was putting out the first song posts, our last record, Glazed, because our last record, we worked with, you know, the Black Keys on and, you know, Michelle Branch sing on it.
And it well, we, you know, it brought us a lot of accolades and got debuted and Billboard and everything like that.
And so to have all of these things and then over the pandemic, record a song basically in my living room.
And we had Kristen sing lead on it. And it was song was it, by the way, for leaving you for leaving you as like the first big single we released that we had sort of like a push behind and like real intention.
But in 2020, just as a like, we're still a band kind of little touch point, we released Wind and My Sail, which was really, you know, always we were just in always.
I mean, we're really always in the band.
But at that particular time, you know, we were like, let's make a song like that, like kind of that.
So that was a big change for us because Kristen was singing lead and it was the first song I had ever produced for us.
And I was pretty nervous about it because I was like, what if we put this out here like this sounds terrible.
The production is terrible. And like, you know, coming off of the hills of working with a famous producer and in a big studio or whatever, like I just felt really inadequate.
But I was like, I just got to put it out there and we'll see what happens.
And, you know, as the pandemic hit to just everything shut down, you know, we had changed management and agents and labels. And so we were fresh on the heels of like a new team.
And I remember we put it out, didn't really hear anything.
So I was like, no bad news is good news. And then a few days later, I was like mowing my lawn and someone was like, oh, you guys are your song is playing on like Sirius XM on like All Nation.
And I was like, oh, what song? And I looked and it was the song that I had recorded like in our living room.
And and then it got added to playlists on Spotify and all this stuff.
And we that was a really reaffirming moment. And honestly, that has been kind of the overarching theme is that it never mattered like who we worked with or what gear we used.
What mattered was we just started really writing from the heart and just we got to this point where we realized if we don't feel something about the music, then then we can't expect other people to.
So we only try to put out music that made us feel something.
And, you know, you kind of just answered what I was going to ask. What have you learned to not to have as few besides as humanly possible?
One thing we learned is when you have a whole team and a label like you don't always get to choose what your singles are.
And so for previous music, we didn't agree on those choices quite often.
So we learned that if that's the way that we have to do professional music, then we better just not have any besides and be comfortable with any any song sort of being pushed up.
And so that is one thing that we you know, we spent more time on these songs than we had in the past.
We came back to them sometimes and we didn't used to do that.
You know, I'm glazed. We did just on the spot, you know, right then and there.
And it really made us wonder, well, what would we make if we didn't have to do it in this 12 hour day between 10 a.m.
and there's also something powerful that I have learned about like leaving stuff on the chopping, you know, on the chopping block or on the cutting room floor or whatever,
because there are a handful of songs that I can think of off the top of my head where we had recorded.
We had our drummer come out from Nashville and we recorded it, mixed it, wrote the lyrics, got all the way to the finish line and then realized like, is this song doing anything for you?
And Kristen be like, not really. And I'd be like, not really either. And we would just be like, let's just put it in a folder and let it sit.
And we'll come back to it maybe later. But there's something powerful about that because I think oftentimes you're trying to hit some quota of life.
You're trying to hit an every two year album cycle or something. Yeah.
And so it's it's lovely to hear you describe it that way, considering what could have been left on the cutting room floor is a little song called Aquarius that
I gotta be honest with you, I was stunned, stunned that that made it blown away.
The the fact that you put in horns just for me.
We got to kick out of that. Yeah.
That's a good example of what this record was. You know, we didn't take ourselves too seriously.
We wanted to try things we wanted to like, you know, we love Caged the Elephant. Let's make a record like Repeat Repeat or let's make a song that like Repeat Repeat kind of Caged the Elephant style or whatever.
You know, we just got to try things and not take ourselves too seriously, which is and we took ourselves very seriously. I think before that.
Yeah. Well, we're tremendously on that. We're tremendously on.
We are beyond. I mean, I think I'm speaking for Taco and Brad. I mean, for you guys to have done that for us, first of all, was is amazing.
It's such a great song and I love every time I hear it and about every fourth or fifth episode, you know, I'll be like, I can't believe that's our theme song.
And then for it to be on this record is that's actually the only part of the podcast I ever listened back to.
That's fair. Once Brad starts talking, I'm done.
That's fair.
We really tried to think on that song of like the feeling you get, you know, we're obviously huge Bonnaroo fans.
We attended Bonnaroo many years before we got to play Bonnaroo, which will forever be and hopefully it's not our last time to play Bonnaroo, but, you know, it will forever be a huge beloved memory for us.
But we really when you guys gave us that challenge, we were honored to accept it and felt like we could really kind of dig deep and figure out what the like real feel of Bonnaroo and you guys and just hanging out there in that community was and not unlike our other stuff.
It turned out very lush and I think kind of psychedelic 60s ish.
You nailed it. It is absolutely nailed it. Absolutely nailed it. The other song that I think gets a lot of attention, at least right now on the album is Adult Friend Finder.
I don't think you probably anticipated that part, did you? Did you anticipate that this would be the one that became like the one, I don't know, the standout track in the early days of the album release?
No, absolutely not. The story behind that was we were really into Peach Pit's song Shampoo Bottles and we were like and then we went to a wedding of one of my very close friends.
But, you know, I feel like as you get older, your friends group, as everyone moves away, it's like I remember we went to the wedding and I was like half of my best friends growing up in college.
Like I don't even know what they do for work anymore or, you know, like one of them is expecting a kid and I didn't really know that until we went.
It's just like the fact that you know these people so well over the course of a handful of years and then as you get older and life changes and everything, it's just how you kind of grow apart.
But still, you know, I could call any one of them at any moment and they would be there for me. Just that weird kind of dynamic.
So I wrote that song about that and one of the producers we worked with is a guy named Gregory Latimer and he worked on Albraham and Junior Records and Aaron Lee Tashen and a bunch of other people.
And he did our first two records, Bad Latitude and Floral Canyon, and he had just done something with this guy named John Congleton, who's this like big producer, worked with like Always and Angel Olsen, St. Vincent.
And so he had also worked with Peach Pit.
So we were like, by way of John Congleton, like Gregory probably would have some insight on that, like Peach Pit sound.
So it would be fun to work with Gregory again because we hadn't worked with him in a few years.
So I hit him up and I was like, hey, I've got this song, very Peach Pit-y, and I thought maybe you'd have some good insight on it.
So we went to his studio and recorded it.
It was the last song.
Oh wow.
It was the last song that we did and we had already had all the singles planned out.
So this one was not tagged as a single.
It truly was just the focus track for us to release.
You know, I mean, you have to say something is a focus track.
So then in the chance that, you know, something gets playlisted, they know what song to go for.
So it wasn't even really like a single in our minds.
It was just sort of like, let's, we're about to wrap up the record.
Let's do this fun thing with Gregory and kind of throw it in there.
And since it was one of the ones we hadn't released as a single, it just became the natural focus track.
But then I don't think, you know, once we sort of clicked, that's the focus track.
I don't think we thought anything else about like anyone even picking up on the fact that it was sort of isolated.
But then what tends to happen or what has happened a few times in the last year is the ones that kind of go on their own path often are because they're premiered by Regan.
Yeah.
At All Nation.
Yeah, at All Nation.
And every now and then he'll just kind of go, oh, I love this song.
And next thing we know, it's become a bigger song than we knew.
I had dinner with him the other night.
He's a big fan.
He's a very big fan.
We don't really know what we did to deserve that.
But every time he sort of is picking up what we're putting down, we feel just completely full of gratitude.
So I feel like in this industry, I mean, you just never know what is going to click with people and why.
So, you know, it's like that song, like Chris was saying a minute ago, like we just don't put out anything that we that we wouldn't be that we would be bummed if it didn't do well.
So when it started picking up traction, we were just like, oh, what a pleasant surprise.
It certainly wasn't the one we would have put our bets on.
But the expression from the music inspired me so much to take risks and it inspired damn near the whole rap game.
Well, I mean, but now with the album and, you know, the studio and now post quarantine, are you guys trying to get back on the road and do shows again?
Is that part of, you know, the plan for next year or are you pretty content to sort of hang out the house?
No, I'm going to let Jeremy. I had a feeling I had a feeling.
Some there are some bands that that really bring their audience through playing shows and there are some bands that really bring their audience through releasing music.
And I think we're just one of those that that I think we're in our Brian Wilson phase where everyone else is touring.
Well, you got a sandbox in there and gaining three fans at a time.
And we have done that. I mean, for many years, like I am not one of those people that that like I feel like touring hard is a rite of passage for a band.
I feel like when you skip that stage or when you just get like a radio hit and get to skip all of the grueling touring years.
Not for every genre, of course, like Pops, a little different and stuff like that. But for rock and indie rock and stuff, I feel like you really have to kind of go through that.
And we we toured hard. I mean, in twenty eighteen, we spent more days gone than we did here.
So I think, you know, then twenty nineteen was a busy year with the Black Keys and Modest Mouse tour.
And then well, not well, not to mention we have a lot of friends that got back on the road pretty quickly and have canceled shows because, you know, people can't afford to go out to see them or have canceled shows because of mental health, because they weren't prepared to go back out or because of the cost to keep a band on the road.
Not to mention, I think I realized over the last year that touring is pretty much the least creative time you get to have as an artist because you're just every day you're just you're doing interviews and then you're regurgitating the songs that you you're promoting what you had already put out.
But you're not getting to be creative in the sense of like, you know, you have a show that you've practiced for months and it's just you're kind of like regurgitating that.
And I think there's important moments for that. But I get to spend every single day with a new person sitting in the studio getting to just make art.
And if they're not in here, I'm in here making art for myself. So I never gotten to be this creative in my life.
I love that. I mean, shit, even if you're working at a fucking coffee shop while you're a struggling artist, half the time you're daydreaming about, you know, whatever you're doing and writing lyrics on napkins or whatever.
But when you're driving from Denver to Kansas City, right. When you're driving, when you're sitting in a van with a bunch of guys and you're getting no sleep and eating shitty food, it's like you really don't get to be your creative self.
And I feel like I'm spoiled now. I get to just. Yeah. But but but also but there's a time and place in somebody's life for that kind of stuff.
And you guys have just said you've done it. And now you just there's you want to be at home.
We want to do it again. I think I have this I don't know, just this underlying fear that like, you know, I the band is going to keep going.
It's not like we're going to stop making music and stop being repeat, repeat or whatever. But I think we just have kind of earned for ourselves the right to do it a little bit differently for a second.
Yeah, I mean, you put you put in a world of singles, you put out an album with twenty seven tracks, you know. Yeah, you're doing it your way. That's for sure. Yeah.
And I think it will make our one of my purposeful like I think, you know, we used to tour for different reasons like we should or this is or like, you know, we were just released an album and we should immediately be touring.
But should we like how do we know that? How do we know how to quantify that? Like there's going to be people there. So we kind of what's my return on investment?
Exactly. So we kind of feel more like I'll tell you what, when our return is like blaring us and, you know, like knocking on the door, then it'll be easy for us to see and we'll get back out there.
But I think well, and the studio is booked until the spring anyway. So if we go unless we get unless we get off some amazing show or gig, I would have to cancel making records.
I mean, I'm booked solid until April. So, you know, I just we couldn't even our booking agent doesn't love that. But but, you know, it's like if I get I get paid for people to come here to my property and make music all day.
So I'm like, why would I want to guess and guess how and guess how many percentages other people take from that? Yeah. Right.
I guess on the road. One of my favorite interview answers, and I don't remember who it was, but we were talking about they had had a hit record and we're getting ready to do their second album.
And, you know, there's the sophomore jinx where we were talking about that whole creative thing, you know, you just now spent 14 months on the road.
And and how do you write a song? And he said, Yeah, nobody cares that your bus drivers having a bad day. That's not a good song. But when you are the bus driver, the song might be okay.
Yeah. You know what? The other thing that I was going to ask you guys, because you're such a major part of the national music scene. What were your thoughts on the exit in closing and and subsequent destruction?
Yeah. Now going going away forever. I hate to say that my initial reaction is that at this point, I feel pretty used to it. I mean, yeah. I mean, not that exit in.
I mean, exit in is a huge deal. It's legendary venue. We played. We we we played a sold out show opening for Glass Animals there.
Many years ago, we played several shows there. So did they not announce a new owner? They did announce a new. Did they? I think they did the other day. You would know better than I am not plugged into it.
But it was like 48 hours ago. They did announce a new. Oh, really? Yeah. That is taking over.
Very interesting. OK. Wait, I thought that would do. Am I wrong about this? Wasn't your your your Halloween show at exit in every year?
Didn't you do it there or is it somewhere else? We at the crying wolf in East Nashville. Oh, that's right. That's right. That's right.
That's sort of to your point is that we're at this point now and we've been in Nashville for 14, 13 years maybe. So crying wolf is the place that we used to do our Halloween show for seven years straight and they closed last year.
So not that accident is just another one on the chopping block at all. But I will say as far as like how we sort of take the news these days, I think we expect it to be honest. So much has changed.
It's sad to hear. Yeah. I mean, it's just like it's all. But that's but that's the story of every city in the country, though.
Yeah. You know, I mean, I came here from Austin, so I feel like I'm just watching the same thing happen. And that happened. I didn't Chris, I didn't know you were from Austin.
Why did I not know that? Yeah, I'm from like Katie and then my home to Austin. So I spent most of my like college years coming back to Austin.
Well, I will say that that is the one the two things about this. It went to things to those two cities are so incredibly alike because they've become just a big J.Crew.
Everybody looks the same wearing the same dumb hat. They're all just living the same sort of existence. And it feels odd to be in last time.
I used to love Austin and I love ACL fast and a city was so fantastic, especially being so close to New Orleans there for a while. But last time I went first off, the homelessness is completely out of control.
And that's coming from a guy who lived in New Orleans. The homelessness is out of control.
But secondly, it just feels paralyzing and suffocating the fact that everyone looks exactly the same and they're all just sort of doing the same thing and national sort of getting there.
When you're in it city, right? The thing that everybody loves about it, then they sort of embrace and become and then it just becomes this giant mass of sameness.
I mean, there was a scene. I mean, it's funny. You said the Nashville music scene and there was part of me that thought like, is there even really like much of a scene anymore?
And I know that sounds so like well, you would be the one to ask is there. But it's it's just, you know,
no, I don't really think that there is much of one. I think that there's just so much newness and so many people coming from different places trying to figure out what to do that.
It's just it's created a lot of disconnect. And then, of course, the increase in housing costs, you know, like East Nashville used to be all artists and musicians.
And, you know, we we moved an hour away. So what does that tell you?
You know, we were right in the thick of it for many years and and had to move an hour away to like create the life that we wanted.
I have become I don't know what happened, but since moving here, I have never been more disconnected from literally everything.
Yeah, I moved to this. I moved to the center of the world and I'm disconnected from everything. I have no earthly idea what's going on on the flip end.
Move to the middle of nowhere and the same thing happens because that's I mean, I don't I work here and I live here.
And so I don't ever I mean, I mean, I felt legitimately like upset with myself last night.
So a friend of ours said, man, I cannot believe this Idaho murder thing.
And I'm like, I have no idea what you're talking about. And I look at this morning and I'm like, oh, my God, what have I been doing?
And if it doesn't like come across the for the five seconds that I'm on Instagram or the five seconds I'm on Twitter, I just don't know what happens.
Or like the Andrew T thing or what is I think that's his name.
And there was some meme that was like, I have no idea who this guy is, but let's get him.
You know, that was nice to me. I was like, yeah, that dude sucks.
But I don't I don't know. You couldn't. I don't know if he's an auto mechanic or a podcaster or an influencer.
I don't know what he does. I don't know who he is.
But I'm like, cool, get him. I don't know.
Whatever. I swear to God and to God, I have no idea what you're talking about.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
I know what I mean. Let's get him. Yeah, let's get him.
Now I can't. Yeah, I know.
Yeah, I want him going. I don't know.
We deleted our Twitter because it just it was partially just when Twitter got crazy,
but partially because we were on there for seven years and couldn't get more than.
Twitter was not good to us. Yeah.
So the day it got like really weird, the first day it got weird, Jared was like, let's just get rid of it.
And I was like, I mean, it hasn't done us any favors. And we just deleted it.
And honestly, getting rid of one of the between that and what is it?
Instagram and TikTok and Facebook.
But getting rid of one of them was like so free, not having that one less thing to check.
But Twitter was my news source, which is sort of it is.
Yeah. Back to to Brad is like, I now feel like I have no idea what's going on
because we took that one media that was my one news source, which I don't know what that says about me.
But I'm having to find news elsewhere.
I tell you, I tell you, they once like the daily freak out of Trump left our lives.
I don't really engage in this anymore.
And the other thing, too, is about Twitter is the only reason I'm on it.
I love Twitter, to be totally frank, but I like it mostly because I am streaming sports like I'm a Washington,
then Redskins, now Commander's fan.
So I have to watch the stream back where like I'm I'm behind 10, 15, 20 seconds.
I use Twitter mostly just on Sundays to get the play that happens.
So I don't like that's about to be shown to me.
That's really the only reason I'm on this, this social media app.
And I say this to everybody and taco knows this better than anyone.
I love Snapchat. Snapchat is the best social media on the planet.
It's the best app that you can have because it's completely controllable by you.
You control all of your intake and all of what you put out.
And what you put out is only to the people that you want.
It's fantastic.
Yeah. What 175 is our step streak right now, Brad.
My man, 175.
I was into really embracing TikTok.
And in the beginning, he was like, I'm going to just make an idiot out of myself on TikTok like everybody else.
Because why not? But then you swung hard the other way.
Well, because what happened was, is I feel like any of these any of the social medias are like you set your mind out to do one thing.
And then it like sucks you in a whole nother world.
So it's like I I learned a lot about production on TikTok.
Like really? Yeah.
I learned so many things.
And that's one thing I really miss about it, frankly, is like I would learn so much about like, you know,
monitors and micing and techniques and stuff like that.
It was really fascinating.
But then you just you do this in the scroll.
And then soon enough, you're like, you're like, oh, my gosh, so and so did the TikTok dance.
And I'm just like, why do I care about this?
Like, I find yourself like sitting on the edge of the bed like at two in the morning or just like, oh, oh, oh.
And so I I just was like, I only had one fleeting moment with TikTok.
And that was when everything was a cake.
Oh, yeah. I loved when everything was a cake.
Is this live baby a cake? I don't know. Let's cut it.
Yeah. Yeah.
Well, it's honestly I think it's really nice now to just like because I just am on Instagram for the studio and the band.
And then it links to our Facebook, which I don't even check Facebook anymore.
Never, never, ever, ever.
Yeah. Yeah. Facebook is having our mother-in-law visiting.
We realize Facebook is for like your parents to check in on your friends from high school.
Yeah. You know what I mean?
Yeah. It'll be like. Yeah.
So I see my my my social thing and I don't know why I do this.
I talk about it all the time.
I can't stop watching like how to camp in Sub-Zero weather on YouTube.
I will I will never in my life do that, but I know how to camp in a tent, you know, in 30 below zero.
Because you know, again, we might be watching some.
Yeah. But yeah, that stuff you find yourself like all of a sudden in this brain fog because I had YouTube on for the our dogs were watching YouTube in their in their dog room.
And and all of a sudden I found myself like I was it was on and I walked in and it was like it was like rural cities in Missouri.
And I sat there and I watched for like 25 minutes and I was like, why do I give a fuck about rural cities in Missouri?
Why am I exactly I got exactly I think you should ask your dogs the same question.
I mean, they're the ones watching it.
Yeah. Yeah.
I'm watching a guy cut vegetables in the back of his truck when it's 20 below zero.
And I'm like, why am I watching?
So, you know, it's kind of freeing to like, you know, I'll get like some pop singer here and they'll be like, did you hear about so and so?
They said this and they got the her and Bob I got split up and it's really nice to just be like, I have no clue.
You know, I was talking to a fellow Bonnarooian friend the other day.
We get beers on occasion. He's like, do you do you what do you think about the latest rumor?
I'm like, I have no idea.
I know why you would do it in the middle of nowhere, but it just feels weird in the biggest city in the world to be so disconnected.
And I realize it's because we didn't buy one Christmas present for anyone this year, not one, not even for each other, because why?
Wait a minute. What about all the money we raised?
Well, I'm still working on yours. I'm still working on yours.
Yeah, you made some promises.
I'm working on it.
But we didn't do it because essentially you can order things online.
But if I don't walk directly past a store that is something I'm going to walk into and shop and I'm not going.
It's too far. It's too hard.
Do you ever leave your block? I feel like people in New York never leave their block. They got everything.
Oh, yeah, we go. We go.
Look, I just I just put out this morning.
This is the list of shows since being in New York.
This is the list of shows I've gone to since being here.
I mean, I'm in like the fifties at this point.
We go somewhere every day.
We're doing something every day.
But it's such like a point A to point B.
I'm not I'm not like stopping my train so I can get out and go shopping for anybody.
It just feels like a weird existence and not exactly what I was anticipating.
Being so disconnected from everything.
That is interesting and makes sense.
And it's not something that that would probably occur to most people.
But that makes sense.
Yeah, I operate TV a lot like your dogs do.
You know, I'll turn on something that makes no sense and watch it for four hours.
And, you know, it's gotten me nowhere in life.
Yeah, watch the weird Al movie twice.
They love it. Oh, wow.
I haven't gotten to the weird Al movie.
Well, there was there was a moment during the pandemic like I would put on like I would.
They were watching the classics.
So I'd be like, Kristen, I'm going to put the I'm going to put Forrest Gump on for the dogs.
You know, they watched like the Sandlot.
We put a movie on for them every night for them to go to sleep.
This is absurd, guys. Guys, the dogs don't know this.
One thing about it. You don't know.
For us, though, to go, what movie are they watching? Oh, I forgot about that one.
Is it just like a random wheel that you could spin?
Like if you walked in, another movie has started on a whim that you didn't set up for them.
No, there's a sleep timer. So they get one hour of a movie.
Oh, they only get an hour of screen time.
We're not trying to rot their brain.
Do they get iPad time as well or is it just.
We keep it on a tight ship.
I will say there is a market for a live stream of dogs just watching TV.
You could you could start it. Sure.
And then other dogs could watch that.
Yeah, I did actually have one question back to the album real quick.
I hate that we just jumped around everywhere.
But if you put out something like 27 songs and you've done this over the course of, you know, two years,
is there one song in particular that you're like, I really, really, really want people to like this one?
Yeah. And we feel the same.
Which one?
There's so many songs I have to remember.
OK. Anytime somebody asks what's our favorite song, do you all of a sudden not know?
But was it already a single? Was it a single? Oh, OK.
What's the dog's favorite?
Yeah. Was it Doodly the Party?
No. Never mind, guys. I've been married to this person for 11 years.
Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.
We've been living separate lives.
Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know which one.
Yeah, it's Trippin. Yeah.
Sorry. I can't remember all the titles.
There's so many.
There's a lot of songs, man. I mean, just be honest, there's a lot of songs.
I wrote that song like three years ago.
What do you think?
The guy who wrote and produced the album.
I can't remember the title.
There's definitely a song from the album that was sort of said from the get go
that we wanted to make regardless of, you know, whether or not it was like the right song for us to make stylistically or
but just this was a type of song that we wanted to have in our repertoire.
And it's a type of song similar to songs that we would listen to and gravitate toward.
So that song is Trippin. And what we love about that song is I feel like it is like a roller skating song.
And I learned through making that song that I like songs that have kind of this like you can roller skate to.
But there's something about that song that kind of hit a lot of marks for us in terms of what we like, but isn't necessarily what's commercially viable.
So we sort of knew that it was probably only going to be our favorite song.
But anytime someone else goes, I really love Trippin.
I think that's the song that we really feel like.
Well, if you get the right if you get the right influencer roller skating and put that song on TikTok at the same time, the sink is happening.
The sink is happening.
Guys, I love I love I love you guys so much.
I'm so happy to see your faces.
I'm so excited to see the the the space for the first time for the first time, I mean, as close to real life as it's going to get.
There's the French doors with the view. Oh, God. And the couches.
And behind behind the thing is the kitchen.
But I can't put the and it and it sounds pretty good, huh?
I see the soundproofing on the walls. It sounds pretty good.
Then we had it built custom.
So it's a fully like we paid for this fancy installation and insulated from the roof all the way to the floor.
And we've got all the from the windows to the walls.
Right. Double windows. It's all there's enough electricity in these 600 square feet for like a five bedroom house.
So there's a lot of insulation and a lot of power.
Well, the biggest the biggest question, of course, are we going to see you in June?
Are you guys going to come down? That's a great question.
We have accumulated a camper since our last Bonnaroo.
So it does become very tempting to bring our camper. I see the camera.
We may. This would be kind of the first year that we actually would be able to because every other year we've been, you know, one year we played it and pretty much every other year since we've been on the road during that time.
Well, will you will you guys want to be a part of Camp Nut Butter?
Do you want to come camp with us? You want to bring the camper?
I'll make it happen. We'll make it happen.
It's just a little guy. Yeah, it's just a little pop up.
Yeah. I mean, Taco brings a bus.
It's the same. It's the same thing. Yeah, I think we can do it.
OK, well, let's do it. All right. Are you are you going to be there?
We'll save you a spot. Yes. Yeah, I will say I actually did talk to Evan Bonnaroo about this the other night because he drives down from from New York.
I'm not doing that. I just can't. But I will fly maybe into like Chattanooga and then rent a car, I guess, or get somebody to let me borrow a car.
I don't really know. I haven't really worked it out. But yes, we are absolutely planning on being there this year.
I got extra cars. Yeah, you got a lot of cars.
What is our what is our tour manager always put on our guest list? What's the name? Spaghetti Joe, Spaghetti Dan. Spaghetti Dan.
So if we end up playing it, we always every show, we always put one person on the guest list named Spaghetti Dan. So that if somebody knows that they can get into our show for free.
So if we end up playing Bonnaroo, you could get a free pass in and just say you're Spaghetti Dan.
Are you guys actively talking about it between the two of us? Maybe. But that's about it.
Okay. All right. Has Joe not made that call? Have we not made the call yet? I don't know that this is our year for our next comeback to it.
Okay. All right. Well, either way, I want you to please come down. And I mean, you know, you have tickets. So so come down and camp at least a day.
Come down for at least a night. You're too close. You're too close not to. We'll do it. We'll come and see you guys.
If that's the only way we get to see you in person, Brad. I know.
You don't come visit us. You never come visit us. You're starting to sound like Hurricane Linda.
You're starting to sound like a mob. He'll text me. He'll be like, I'm in Tennessee. I'm like, don't tease me, bitch.
He's like, embrace him in a visit. I'll be like, are you coming to visit? And he's like, no, no, no. I'm just letting you know I'm in the same area.
I'm in the same zip code. I'm like, cool. Great. Thanks. I've got a good family. Guys, I love you so much.
Thanks for this. And thanks for the and really thanks for the album. And for anybody that's listening or watching, if you haven't spent some time with this, listen to about for six, six, seven hours, then you'll love it.
Yes. Yeah. It only takes six or seven hours. Yeah. Yeah. I really know. I couldn't say better things about this album.
It is so, so, so good. And, you know, yeah, there's twenty seven songs on it, but I really legit think there are five, six, seven incredible, maybe the best stuff you guys have ever put out on this record.
So I mean, Arrangements in and of itself is so, so good. It's a great album. It's a really, really well done album.
And the artworks are always sort of understanding what we're trying to do and put out into the world. And there'll be there'll be more. We're already working on new stuff. So, yeah. Oh, my gosh. Machine.
Oh, really? Wow. Look at you. Very wet leg of you. Yeah. I or it was very dead of me. I'm wearing a dead shirt right now. Oh, love the dead. Yeah.
I picked up bass over I guess it was like a couple months ago, but I don't know. I went I got really into it and then I married to a music teacher basically.
So he he has fostered that quite a bit. And then I got some Christmas presents to go along with it. So we're working on the next time you see us play live. You might see Kristen.
All right, guys. Thanks so much. We'll talk to you soon. Tell mom I said hi. Tell mom I said hi. Love you guys. Bye.
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