Ep. 47: Kassi Ashton - Tunes and Taxidermy

Published Oct 29, 2024, 9:00 AM

This week, Reid and Dan Isbell bring singer-songwriter and nature enthusiast Kassi Ashton out to God's Country. Kassi unearths the deep importance of native grasses and the surprising history of America's manicured lawns. The conversation winds through the highs and lows of Nashville’s Music Row, with Reid revealing the unusual place he first met Kassi. They discuss her powerful new album, "Made From Dirt," and share hearty laughs over a memorable “One That Got Away.” Kassi brings Reid and Dan to the brink of tears with her Gravorite with one of the best performances yet!

God's Country on Instagram

MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Youtube Clips

Subscribe to The MeatEater Podcast Network on YouTube

Shop God's Country Merch

Shop MeatEater Merch

More from MeatEater

What's up. You're off in God's Country with Red and Damnsbell, also known as The Brothers Hunt, where we take a weekly drive to the intersection of country music and the great outdoors, those things that go together, like an intern and a closets. Closet that'll make sense to you in a little bit.

Or California, Missouri brought to you by Meat Eater and a Heart Podcast.

We are sitting down with somebody. It kind of blew me away.

To some kind of nervous tick that you touched the mic.

No, I think it's just like a like a I just like to move the mic like I move it with my you know, yeah, you shouldn't do that. We're sitting down with somebody that I did not know there was an out door level realm in her life and especially as prevalent as it actually is.

Man, And you know you don't see that coming, you know, right, because she's like a soul singer and.

Like flash ye a little bit with their with their costumes on.

Shop boys just kind of I mean, honestly, like probably riding the line of what like a pop act would look like, right, yeah, and then just like strip it all the way.

Clay redneck.

Yeah, like red Cassie Ashton's gonna be out in God's Country. She's from California, Missouri. They do this. They got a deer shed where they do like a ten day deer camp. She was talking about deer steak and gravy and it.

Means something to her. I mean you can tell it's not that that ain't no put on right there?

Man.

Oh no, She's passionate about it, very passionate.

Yeah. Yeah.

And it's rooted in tradition, and it's rooted in family and her upbringing, which is really great to and it's almost refreshing to watch and hear about because most of the time we're chasing giant deer, you know, and talking to people who are chasing giant She could care less about hunting anywhere but her farm, their farm in Missouri. Man. Probably one of my favorite, honestly, one of my favorite episodes that we've done. Uh so great. Such a such a good uh a good person, an incredible talent, the favorites nasties. She can sing, Oh my gosh, you can sing really cool journey through town. You're gonna love it. Uh So listen to it. Hey, thanks for supporting we're gonna be for real again. Go go follow the podcast on Instagram and on Facebook and TikTok and I don't do we have a snapchat. I don't think we have snatch snap snap you uh YouTube, leave a comment, you know, write your favorite thing about the podcast, right, your not favorite thing about the podcast. See where we can uh.

Or holler at us. We like to interact as well.

Yeah, absolutely, don't call me, don't ask for code, right, but you can shoot us a dmly That's right. We love y'all. Thanks for hanging out with us, and we'll catch you next time.

Yeah, was it just me and you?

I feel like there was a third but I don't remember. You know, it's not that we don't like that person, but we just don't remember. We wrote a song, well, we were trying to write a song called Daddy Issues about how like we I have reverse daddy issues, Like I love my dad so much and my dad and I are so tight that like if a guy doesn't treat me the way my dad does, I'm like whatever, we got done halfway through the song. We got like halfway through song, and there's about to be a turkey gobble sound. You go I'm sorry, this is a sound god laughing, and we're like yeah, we go.

Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, and then we're just.

No, you were right, because we you know, sometimes you get so into a song and like the nitty gritty of it, and then you listen back three days later and you're like, that kind of sound like white vany to you.

Yeah, absolutely, it happens. Like it doesn't happen a lot. But there is that thing with like with bright and when where you're so into it even like the day of kind of like you're talking about, you get there and you kind of see the train going off a little bit, but you're trying to pull it.

Or like there's nothing worse than like when a song comes out and nobody, none of the writers, none of the publishers, the artist heard that a line was kind of suss and then all of the you know, general public goes, hey, did you all not realize that line was real? Real sketches?

And now the internet just will.

Not rip you apart.

They won't you get away with it even with stuff.

Dude, They're going back and find the lines and songs that that are, like he was trying to warn us, are he.

You're like, have you ever seen get him to the Greek where he's literally chasing Yeah, it was a little for like R Kelly, there's my band loves to pull up this YouTube clip of R Kelly was like overseas doing a concert and he was like, do you have your past port? Do you want to you have your past?

Do you want to come back with cass to America?

Do you have your shots you have?

It's like a real thing.

The singers are literally going.

Mar Kelly because he's singing it like to the melody of one of his songs, but he's trying to like pull girls backstay, do you have your passport?

Do you.

Do you want to come back to rob That's what he said to America And they're going.

Are they supposed to be like, yes, I'm talking thousands.

It's not like a.

Sound check. This is like the show.

This is the show you want to come with.

Serious, serious anyway. Believe people when they speak to you, that's the bottom line. Believe people when they speak.

For the only time we rode, I ruined it and that's the only thing you.

Did not ruin it. You saved me because what if you know, we would have finished it, and everyone around us somehow was blind, devi and stupid, and then we put it out and everybody's like hey, and then suddenly they're looking back at like every Father's Day post and they're like, wait a moment.

If you don't recognize those sultry tones from across the way, this is a clothing making, sanging, deer hunting, motorcycle riding, deer steak loving Missouri Gal on the podcast most recently released her debut record, Made from Dirt. We got Cassie with maybe one of the greatest hats I've ever seen on music.

Real, thank you, thank you. I'm petty.

We were speaking of petty. It'd be great to just get into some peniness.

I need to get into it.

Let's get into it. Thank you for having me by.

Oh absolutely, woa you're mad at? Just tell us what it is. What you're mad at?

Is it? You're in the lost kids, might be your boss man, your.

Neigh bust cat. Just tell us what you're mad that's a little different.

I thought it was great.

Thanks. You're such a good singer, did you no?

I loved it?

Yeah, I can tell right, Thank you.

I think, just like any kind of music, that my mom was raised in Nashville, like in the like in the hood, right. She when I moved here, she was like, you cannot live off Dickerson Park because that's where I lived. And anything with like story and grit and soul. So it was R and B A It soul, it was blues, it was country, anything that had some Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, face, it's a little inside ball for you because I may have learned a few things about you. I'm mad at h o A's because here's the deal. I was listening to a podcast about the pollinator problem, and I live on three acres okay in my house. My house is on the front, like.

Neighbors listening to this podcast.

Sure, I hope the president of Yeah, I hope it does.

So, yeah, we do. We live so I know my one neighbor does. Who's on the board, but he's he's legit. Uh So. My my house is on the front quarter acre, so I have a huge back yard like to two and a half acres almost. I was listening this podcast and it's like, hey, we're we're in a pollinator problem. If you're a conservationist, do your part, and if you have any if you have any land that you just mow for no reason. Grow it out, Let it grow, let bees come, Let let butterflies come.

Ye shout the podcast what was it?

It was, Uh, it was massi Oak Gamekeeper podcast.

Good good stuff.

And there's a guy in there that knows he's like, I don't know the word for that, but like he knows all about plants and all that kind of stuff. So anyway, I was like, you know what bos there it is that a tree is boughtan us, A tree.

Barbarus is a tree.

Okay, so you better Dudley's his name. I think he's great. So anyway, so this was like one of the first times I was moming that, you know. I was like, you know what, I'm gonna stop right here.

Yeah.

So I let the back almost acre of our place go, and like, if you're really wanting to do native grasses and all that kind of stuff, you've got to kill everything, the seat, the root, everything, let it burn it, let it come back. So I didn't have all time to do that, but I just let it grow, and you know what, wild flowers popped up, native grasses popped up, butterflies came, bees came. It was freaking awesome. It like stood up tall, but the wind would blow, it would like blow it. It was beautiful.

Had it around the out.

Yeah, I kept it clean.

Yeah, it's not like creeping into your neighbors. Yeah.

Bro, you would have thought I was burying bodies back there.

Dude, they were mad, still are still are.

I've mowed just to appease them, which I probably even should have done this. I mowed half of it and left half of it standing in with the burn pile back there. They sent me a letter two weeks ago. I thought I.

Send letters back of like the benefits of native grasses and plants. I would.

I'd be like, here you go, what's your Why do you Why are you passionate about it?

I so wait, you're passionate about okay?

So are Remember I don't know, six or seven years ago, we as artists travel all over the country. I'm in a van or I'm in a sprinter, we're in real cars, and I remember thinking medians on highways are so ugly. Why is it grass like? And who mows this? And why?

And why?

Right?

And so I started looking into that and I'm like, why do they not let it just grow up with wildflowers and like provide habitat for any sort of animals or insects, butterflies or whatever. So then I start looking into the history of lawns because I'm like, why is it a standard to have like green lawns? What's the obsession with this? It seems weird to me because it so it actually comes from English hierarchy, because it was considered a wealthy thing to have a green, manicured lawn, because it was a status symbol of how wealthy you were English courtyards, if you could pay workers or servants or get whatever to keep it tight and keep it deweeded. It was literally like a trophy on your lawn. So when we came over to America, we started doing that. America, we started doing that. So then you know, as it does my TikTok algorithm hears me talking, and a bunch of botanists come up. There's like a guy in Alabama that will go to farmers' properties that just have pastures that don't necessarily they aren't growing crops or anything, and go, hey, for free, can I come in and learn this and get rid of the species that aren't supposed to be here? And fill it with things. Not only will it be gorgeous and help the habitat, it'll help with irrigations, it'll help your soil, it'll help like all the things. And like, hey, this native plant is almost on the verge of extinction in Alabama because everybody just cuts their grass all the time, and the native plant and the bush and the native plants die out and the invasive ones the crap takes over. And so I just got so into it. And there's even a guy fall on TikTok that dresses up in a bee costume on a skateboard and goes through cities and medians and just he has like a little like wildflowers season shaker with wildflowers and just and then it'll he'll go back and be like, oh, a year later, look that entire median is full of wildflowers. And so then I was learning about cities that are kind of adopting this policy, like in Milwaukee. If you drive around Milwaukee, all their medians are wildflowers, and it looks beautiful, and you've got to think about the mental health impact that has on people on a day to day basis. Sorry they're seeing color and and and delicacy and life like they're they're seeing real things and not just dried up ugly short crab grass. And also I live also in a neighborhood with hoa first time ever in my life, my last time ever in my life. My fiance owns the house when I met him, So I didn't have a say me and shout out Travis, Me and that hoa board go round and round in circles. I just can't because I would we have We live in a suburbs, so like we don't have a lot of land to mind disdain. And the front half of the lawn is the small area. The back is big, and like if I had my way, that entire front lawn would be wildflowers, I would not have grass.

And the why why.

Would I have that? My dogs go pee in the bat They don't need to like tread through right. Yeah, And but I try my best in flower beds and whatnot in my backyard. That appeases their bylaws to plant native flowers. And the amount of birds and bees and butterflies I have in my backyard is crazy. You would think I had like a butterfly house in my backyard.

Yeah, when we moved there. That was one thing. We moved there three or four years ago, and that was one thing. I never saw birds. Yeah, I never saw like butterflies, never had bees or anything. And did that, and then we started actually doing like Planet a garden and then we started doing like big strips of Jordan loves doing wildflower like platches, and Dude, it's like, not not only it's it's what you're saying. It's not only like great for the habitat, and it is what it is was meant to be, it's supposed to be for them. But like seeing my little girl run out there and her hands through those flower patches and hit them and pigy butterfly them and throw them down and grab another one and run through them laughing. Bro that you can't put a price on that. That does for my soul. Yeah, exactly from a bean.

Yeah. So, and also pretty impressively, if you google pictures I'm from the Midwest. I'm from Missouri. If you google pictures of what Midwest or any region I suppose, but I've only done Midwest. If you google what Midwest pastures are supposed to look like, your mind will be like, You're like, where did all that color come from. Wow, I thought it was just green. No, it's supposed to be filled and they would grow naturally in completely low maintenance if the you know, foreign species didn't take over.

Wow.

Such cool, like like plants you've never seen and don't even.

Like you don't even know that it's native.

Purple coming out of it, and the weird shapes and gorgeous.

Man.

Really cool.

Yeah, we've on my place.

I had a guy come through and kind of give me some advice on what to grow, what not to grow, and what to kill, why not to kill and all that.

And there's a lot of lot.

Of invasive but we've been on a four year program of just letting it grow up and then cutting it and then letting it grow up four years because it's it's best, most beneficial for the wildlife. Yeah, from ages one to four and then But honestly, I have people come over and they're like some of these briers man, And I'm like, yeah, but you should.

You should see the deer in Turkey I have walking around and I don't have a.

Big plate, but it's like, you think about it in that thick mat of grass, if we were just cut, cut, cut it just gets thicker and thicker reads hair.

Dude, this is it's pretty wild.

Well okay, can you see a baby quill like running through that habitat is my stuff though he's got a little air and it's so like a little baby beary can move through it. If he tries to run through that, he caught up so hawks can eat his ass. Right, Well, that's what that's basically what they're saying, if you can allow the we and believe it or not, man weeds are very beneficial to to deer in Turkey as well because they grow thin stalks. That's what you're looking for for habitat. You want thin stalks and big spreads. So what happens is think about it. It's like a big open corridor with a couple of poles. You can move in and around. As you know, if you're running from a fox or a coyote or whatever, you could move in and through that. Well, if it's super Matty's hair.

Thick, you can't get through.

Nowhere to go, so the same wow, and there's no top.

Cover yeah yeah, yeah, to help hide you from avian geez.

And I always say, I always say weeds are only flowers that weren't paying, that weren't planting on purpose. Like I feel like Weeds need a new publicist because it's just kind of like whatever.

I want to get a publicist.

Weeds and liver Mush because remember they remember was saying liver mush has the worst posts.

Of all time. Have you ever tried liver mush?

No, it's like a North Carolina thing that that comes as real passionate about.

It's pretty much skillet sausage. It's disgusting.

It's called mush livers mush No, not for me.

And what he always says is that liver mush needs a new posts because it sounds gross.

It's actually it's actually but it's actually good. I mean it's like it's like spam, It's like.

What is it made from?

It is like.

And what and like her.

Dark gross?

Not for me North Carolina.

It ain't no connected anyway enough, But I don't.

I don't live anyway like for anybody.

Yeah, I'll get into it, but I don't, like I don't cut it out of a deer and need it.

Yeah, I'm not like going after it.

Yeah. Yeah what y'all met at? Oh yeah your turned We're glad.

What you glad, and I'm glad. And here's what I'm glad at all right, this morning.

I have a strange relationship with music, as well as all of us probably do at this point, right after being in the game for a while, and I don't I love hearing music all the time anymore.

And uh, my little girl.

Woke up this morning and she was in a good mood and she, I swear to you, hummed this melody.

She went there, she did a hummed. She just went Mama, yeah, yeah, mama. And I was like, hey, that's a it for something. Yeah what she.

Did it again, Mama, yeah, yeah, mama, yeah yeah.

And I was like, oh, what's that fuzz? Everybody moved to a little back of a little bit. You do you remember that back back, back back.

We the type of people make the club cool.

So it was that it was that what's his name? Big boy? Uh? I can see him right now? What is it? What are they call?

Uh?

What are they called?

Outcast?

Outcast?

There it is?

So then I popped the two and I was I was like brushing my teeth in my hair with it with my phone in my back pocket, and she was going, she was like.

You brush your teeth in your hair at the same time. Yeah, efficiency, that's a thing Like it's like.

This when at school at freaking seven twenty because they closed the door even though they say they do that at seven fifty five, you got the multitas.

Yeah, I feel that in the morning, as long as you don't actually only stick your tooth brush in your hair and you brush on your mouth. You pull up a song from like your childhood that you think of randomly for the first time in years, and you're like, oh, yeah, I did that yesterday because I saw a TikTok video of Evan Bogart, who wrote every pop song ever like Halo, Beyonce, I mean, everything, and he wrote SOS by Rihanna, and he was talking about how they named it Rescue Me, and the A and R person came in and said, no, it's called SOS And he's like, well, that's the pre chorus. That's not the chorus, and he goes, it's the chorus now. So I pulled it up because I was like, what's the structure of this song? Then? Does it sound like a pre chorus? And so they do two verses and then they do the pre chorus twice and then they do the chorus, which I thought was a post chorus twice and I just remember I just in my head was like, yeah, a hit song can be. It doesn't have to follow the like conveyor belt template. It can be whatever it is as long as it's catchy and somebody can relate to it.

In't that crazy what a melody can do?

Yeah?

Like like that, like you think of these these like that like just that, Uh, I mean, like that's.

Just that's just it's also locked into when she was doing it.

I want to go back and back and back and back and back and back and back.

Well, good on you for hearing what song that was, instead of hitting voice record on voice memos and going in today and writing the song and later being like, damn, that's that outcast song.

You mad?

You glad? What you this for?

You know?

I'm all the things multiple times on a daily basis a girl and love. You know, I'll do one of each. I'm gonna be sure. Okay, I'm mad at the fact that the world is run by social media right now, but like you know, as a not only an artist, but as a songwriter or as a book author, like I have a friend who's like trying to write a book and like she can't get a publishing deal unless the book blows up on TikTok. And I'm like, books, even before the book is even released, you have to have so much hype about the story that like to even get a publishing deal. Yes, what well? Same as in music, no doubt. And so I asked somebody the other day, the Grammys are coming up, and I asked, you know, I just had a debut album, which is my glad part of the story. My debut album, Made from the Dirt just came out. I've waited years and years and years and jumped over obstacles and punched people in the face and did whatever I had to do to get through. And I'm asking, I'm like, hey, what what's the cut off date for the Grammy submissions? Okay, I learned I'll be up for twenty twenty six. So I asked somebody, I go, hey, Casey Musgrave is back in the day one Country Grammy Album of the Year with no radio support. What did she do? What you know, does she go talk to the museum? Did she do a Q and A, Like, what's the thing? What do you gotta do like, well, Unfortunately, it used to be a publicity world where if you got a Rolling Stone feature and you got an NPR thing and you did this, and then you did one late night show, then you got the buzz. Now it's a social media world. How big is it? On TikTok? And I'm like, what, So we're letting children or whoever during the doom scroll pick what the Grammy should look at.

That's all wild to me.

Yeah, that's what it is.

And like, I understand that Grammys have the rooms of people that are actually in the industry, Like listening to the you know, it's half and half, but I was like, and an algorithm is just something that you can't control. And I know everybody's bitching about it, and I know it's like the same sad story, but like I get over it and then something happens that makes it even worse and you're like oh, and you fight your way through and you get over it, and you're like, okay, successful people pivot. Successful people pivot, and then and then bay im something you learn something else that's even deeper about the algorithm or social media, and you're like, okay, cool, I want to throw my phone in a pond. Yes, and go outside and quit. Yeah, and touch grass, touch native species.

No, that's a great So what are you glad at?

I'm glad that all that to say, I finally got to release my debut album and like, the response so far has been insane, and people who would know and people who wouldn't know are coming to me and going, hey, you made art, like you didn't make just like a bunch of radio down the middle whatever to appease anybody, you like, really gave yourself and like we're honest about it, and it seems very authentic, which is my whole thing. Like if it cannot empower and it cannot preach authenticity, I'm just not interested. Yeah why why? And so I am glad of that of like, yeah, the weight was worth it, the struggling with, you know, being in the box, being out of the box. Are you country enough? Are you this? La la la la la? Like getting having someone cut through the noise of all the negativity that you hear in your head or outside of your head on a daily basis that I'll be glad for that every day.

Can I tell you which one got me?

Which one? Thank you? Thank you?

That's name, it is like that.

So that's my grandma.

I could tell which which side.

My dad's mom. Only grandma I ever had. She passed away in October, if you don't mind me telling this story. She passed away in October, and we knew that she was passing away, but not as quickly as it came on. And she pulled me aside one day because basically she was getting she was getting Alzheimer's and she had to watch her mom die from Alzheimer's, and she like was miserable. I've never seen my grandma be scared of anything, and when she got Alzheimer's, you could tell that she was fearful because she's like, you know, break the chickens, tell me to pick a chicken when we were little, and like make me to feather it on the porch, like she's salt of the earth. And so she got cancer and didn't tell anybody because she wanted the cancer to take her over the Alzheimer's. So she pulls me in and you could tell she like felt good about that decision. She's like, no, I'm picking how I'm going. So she pulls me into the other room. She goes, hey, I'm playing in my funeral. And I was like, wait, wait a minute, wait a minute. She goes, I need you to play or record three songs, and she goes in the garden, how great thou are? And you picked the third one? And I'm like, Grandma, can we not?

Like?

Can we not? She's like, and I want this picture and I want you to say this, and like you know. And so I for two weeks listen to every funeral song ever, which I do not advise knowing that someone's about to die trying to like pick a song, especially as musicians jaded musicians, like trying to pick something in Desert Justice. And I could not find anything, and so I was like, well, I guess I'll just try to write it, because if anybody knows, it's me. So I had just bought this silver toned rubber bridge, a little tiny So I started trying to write it, and the goal was to finish it before she passed. I did not hit the goal. I got it halfway done. I found out that she passed, and then I find out I have two days and then I have to go to Missouri. So I'm like sitting in my living room with my little rubber bridge. The day after she passed, just bawling, trying to finish. I'm asking the air around me, like, Grandma, if you're in here, can you please like tell me what to say? What would you want? Whatever? I finish it. I go into the studio the next day to cut guitar vocals because I want to do it right, and Luke put down the guitar. Luke Lair, my producer, put down the guitar. I went into the booth and I'm singing Jannita and I'm like, start crying tears of joy because I was like, when did this song get so joyous sounding? I thought I wrote a sad song, true, and then I started laughing, looks like what he stops it. I'm like, this must have been my grandma's part. I asked her for help, and I thought I wrote like a sad song. And so I thought, I'll play this at the funeral. It'll never be heard again. It's for my grandma. It's not for anything else. And I turned it into my publisher, just as like record of heir. I wrote the song by myself. Whatever, keep it in the vault, and they're like, hey, you know, you know you gotta cut that right. I was like, no, I'm good, it's just for my grandma, my grandpa. They're like, no, your grandma would want other people she deserves to be like put down an ink, and I was like, whoa, okay, okay, all right. So I went back in and wrote that bridge, that big, like holy moment, like big like screaming thing, and I went into the studio with my little rubber bridge, and I told the studio musicians, who I've been playing with for seven years, what I wanted and what you hear on the record first take, like not my vocal because I was crying, but like what they did was so magical. And it's weird because I've gotten to play at full band a couple of times, and it's like the one song I've ever played where I don't feel like the artist who's like entertaining and shaking it and flipping my hair. I just feel like my grandma's granddaughter. Like I just watch other people like for that whole song, and I just like kind of just try to like taste the words in my mouth and feel my grandma. And it's something that I've never experienced ever before. So for so many people coming to me and going, hey, one need is my favorite. I just you know, as a songwriter too, writing a song by yourself, it's hard.

Yeah, it is, absolutely, But something like that, I mean, nobody could write. Nobody could write. I've never read of damn some plums on the other side of the pearly gates. I mean, that's the only thing that's so often it to her and to you, like you're the only one that is supposed to write that, yeah thing, you know, so that's beautiful to me. Yeah, I was driving into town and it was like, I know, you're up there hugging your mom and dad and I was.

On the way over this one.

You're like, maybe I should go lay on some railroad tracks.

I ain't just smoked cigarettes. That's a jam, thank you. Yeah, that's a jam. They all are. That's a great record. And it really is like whoever said to you that you made like art, I feel that same way about that thing, like thank you, Like it's a it's a journey through through that record, and you can kind of you know, you do both, right, you you give us like crazy and like a great like jam. And then I ain't just smoked cigarettes or one eater or something like that and it's it's a great project.

Thank you that really it sounds like you thank you. That means a lot. That was like the most important thing to me is like they're like, what do you want people to take away from blah blah blah? And I was like, if they listen all the way through in the intended order, I want them to be like I could be friends with that girl. I feel like I know her and also I feel like I know myself a little bit better.

Yeah, are those songs like you said, it's been a seven year journey, yeah, for you through your record dealing and all that, Like, are those songs through that whole seven year span? Are they the last two years? Like it's a double question. Are those songs like that? And then what was what was that weight? Like like the and you ain't got to get a hard because I know but like.

You're talking about W A I T or W E G H.

Probably and down. Yeah.

So the oldest song on the album is the Straw. That song seven years old, but I knew that I wanted to hold it for the debut album, Like even when people around me are going, you should put it out or you should let this big pop star who wants it cut it and I'm like, no, that's my missile. If we're going to war, that's mine.

You call us, oh man.

I was like no, and thank god I didn't because she ain't put it out. Like thank god, something in my gut was right that day. But I didn't know the debut would take seven years to come out. I didn't know I'd be holding it for that long. Angel Smoked Cigarettes is like four or five, and then the rest of them are like the past year, you know. I remember when we wrote called Crazy, I was like, if this is not my commercial lane me Jared Kime and Emily Wiseman. I'm like, if this is not my commercial lane, I don't know what is like. I'm like, this is a smash smash, I'll sing this the rest of my life. And then we wrote Made from the Dirt, which was my title that I came in with, and I was like, oh, if we write this, this is what I want the album to be called. Because I just so attached to it and felt it personally. So I wrote that with literally Luc Laired, my co producer, and Oscar Charles, who mixes it and produces the vocals. And co produce some of the songs. And that's when it was like, all right, I have the pillars of the album, like I've got called Crazy, which is like the smash hit I've got Made from the Dirt, which is like an autobiographical you know, if I get one chance to have an album title, I want to be this, And I've got angel smoke cigarettes that no one can argue if I'm country enough, like suck it if you think I'm not, and the straw that is that it's like kind of genre lists in a way. Like it was like, these are my pillars, and then I just kind of filled in from there.

Yeah, that's so cool, man.

And you said how was the waight?

Yeah, like like you're that journey through that whole thing, and like in this up to you you. I mean, when you're an artist and you move to town, all you think about it is cutting records right on your mind, and I can't imagine having to having to just be like obviously you didn't know that from the beginning, but like if somebody told you, hey, it's me seven years before you.

I would have been like, well I'll go I'll go be on a farm. Yeah, make close high, throw my phone away, flip phone. Yeah, yeah, exactly.

In a culture where it's like fast, immediate, new song, put it out, put it out, put it out, and you're sitting there for seven years, I'm sure roll.

Some heads, Yeah, in the healthiest way. I think the thing that got me through was my ego of like, I'm meant to do this, I am meant to do this, and I am better than a lot of people. Yeah, And I had to watch people get put in front of me in line, but then I watched people get signed after me, have their moment and get dropped just as fast. And so I thought, as long as I'm always taking upward steps, even if it's two inches from where I was, I'm cool, right, Because I just feel like, especially in Nashville, which this is a good thing, if you blow up too fast and you don't get to know the town and you don't earn the support and kind of earn your stripes and like make people know that there's grease on your elbows, they just don't respect you and it doesn't matter, and they'll respect you for a little bit because you're a money maker. But as soon as that money ain't coming in by yeah, and I just don't want to be that way. I want to do this until I'm in diapers and they have to pull me off the stage with a hook.

Yeah, and a testament to you because like, I mean, how much is the town change in seven years? Ool? I mean like from I mean seven years ago? What that's twenty sixteen, twenty seventeen, Like TikTok's not even really around and now it's the only thing that this man is judge by, you know, artist for sure. Almost like it's a testament I think to your willpower of like the stick around power that you have. And yeah, like you said, like just you know, this is who I am, this is what I'm going to do, and I'm gonna do it for the rest of my life.

Yeah, yeah, so it doesn't matter.

I feel like it's the same way for riders though, like you know when young writers come to town and you know, and that was the same way.

It's like how do we get a hit?

How do we get If I could just get a cut, then I could get old a record, And if I could just get on a record, then I could get a hit. And I could just get a hit, then the town will respect me and man, I was right with Tom Douglas when Tom and I told him I had been in my Sony deal probably four or five years at that point, and I said, I feel we were literally eating the subway sandwich and said I said that he bought because he knew I couldn't afford it. And I said, man, I feel like I have a body of work that I'm proud of. But I know there's some suit sitting in the top floor of Sony looking at the numbers, going, this guy ain't made us nothing, and eventually, over time, like dead, wait's got to go, you know what I'm saying. And I just kept and he said to me, he said, honestly, Dan, I think what you're saying.

Your body of work is actually heavier.

Than making money. And he's like, eventually that'll that'll roll around. Anybody can just make money, you know, they can get hot and make money for a second. But if you have the body of work to back up you know what you're trying to do, then it helps so much. And it's like you said, you kind of got to earn your stripes. You kind of gotta go through the tough ones to get to the easy ones, and then you wake up one day and you're surrounded by these people who are arguably the most talented people in the planet Earth. I think Luke laired is one of the most talents of people on Earth.

Yeah, he's the baddest, you know.

And and and you get to a place where you're creating with those people, and then you look back and you're like, oh, man, I became one of those people because because I worked my way.

To this point.

Yeah, and how much how much easier is that because now you know the game and you know the people, and you know who to miss and who to dodge, and who to stay with and who just you know, And in turn, I think it eventually produces a higher quality products.

Yeah. And I also feel like if you come artists or songwriter, if you come and get lucky, you're in the right room or the algorithms in your favor, and you get a hit off the jump without some sort of respect or reputation, it's all great. But then as soon as it starts to decline, they're looking at you like, where's the next one. Whereas if you're known for like earning your stripes and your songs are getting better and people are rooting for you because you haven't had it yet. As soon as you get a hit, they're not gonna look at you and go, where's the next one, because they're like, Oh, he's gonna get a next one, or she's gonna get a next one because the songs are so good. Yeah, and he's put his thing in and everybody loves him or or her and and he's gonna keep writing good ones because that wasn't luck, that was skill, and that was time.

Yeah, it got better over time.

Yeah, is this and I probably know the answer to this, but like its put is made from the dirt? Is that the pinnacle for you so far in town? Like like your highest high that you've had.

Yeah, because I just feel like my other highs I don't want to say they were luck, because luck is the combination of like talent and perseverance and skill, right, but like this is the thing I have fist fought for the most and like had to hear no or had to get paused or or whatever so many times that this is a high for like my bones of like no, I did this yeah, like on my like mentally on my own, like and no one is going to take it away. From me, and I'm so proud of it that if it's the only album I ever get to make, I'm cool.

Wow.

All right, I'm gonna tell a story, yes that I've told a lot, Okay, And it's one of those things where like it's to the point now where I've told it so many times that I'm not sure what's true and what's not.

I get that, ye bro.

You got to stop touching your microphone. They're gonna tell you sorry.

So when like when a new writer or even like somebody that's talking about moving to town, when somebody comes to me and is like, you know, what advice do you have, I usually tell this story. So I was at Carnival, my first my first pub deal in town, and I've been there for about a year, and they had the mail room back there. Then there was a room attached to the mail room where I sat. I knew this was I knew. I knew it had to do with you. I walked in there one day. I had never been back there, never knew anybody was back there. I just thought that was like the storage closet yep. And so I walked back there one day to get mail out of the mail room, and there was a girl sitting in that room and I was getting mail because I had some mail that I didn't that that that I didn't get like, I just got mail it at I don't know if it's a check or something that they put there that I hadn't gotten yet.

I don't why you were getting mailed there because we didn't have a mailbox on the boat.

Yeah, that's true, that's what it was.

Anyway, go ahead.

We lived on a boat in Percy Priest before.

That's right.

Yeah, I remember that, so I would go I would go back. So I walked in there one day and I've been there for like a year, never been back there. I walked back there one day and there's this girl sitting in this room and I was like hey, and she was like, hey, how are you? And I was like I'm good. Are you good? Like are you okay? And she was like yeah, yeah, She's like I'm good.

I was like okay.

So then I saw another deer and I know in the door and I was like, what's in here? And I opened the door and there was another girl.

Room and I was like, hey, are you okay? Like some water or some bread?

And when I tell that story, I say. It turns out that one of those girls was em Leelandis and the other was Cassie Ash and they were interning at a publishing company, just trying to get in the door anyway they could. Ends up, they start writing together. Cassie gets a record deal, Emily grinds it out. She's got a hit. Now both of you are on the climb. Yet you were working.

You were interning at a dark room, and we had to run an extension cord get a light.

Them.

One of the worst experiences I've ever had in my life. We wrote a letter to Belmont to be like, don't let people intern there for real. They yeah, like, just some people that worked there, not all of them. Some of the people that worked there couldn't have given a ship who called us? In turn, I would get yelled at by one of the plug for not making his CD on time, and then he would ask for a song. He'd give me a song list that he'd need for his pitching meetings, and he called half the songs by the wrong titles. How am I supposed to know? I'd be like, it's not in the system, and then another plugger would have to come in and go, hey, it's actually called this, and then he'd yelled me and call me intern. Refused to know my name, no nothing. They didn't know I could sing, they didn't know I was a scholarship baby at Belmont Nothing. Well, while I was interning there, I won Country Showcase and got eight publishing deal offers. Then they realized one day their intern in the extension Cord clauses.

That Dobby Harry Potter. It was awful.

There was everything they didn't want to remember. They realized that the girl has been shoved in this Harry Potter. It's the girl that's got eight publishing deal offers around town. And they were like, hey, we should go to lunch. And I was like, I'm good. I'm so good. I'm cool. Had a great time here. I didn't and me and Emily were like, it's fine, Like we'll like and so we got our publishing deals at the same time and we kissed them.

By piece. Okay, good, I knew.

I wasn't like that's a crazy story.

Yeah I know, yeah, I know.

Had a record deal with A year later.

I was like, you need some bread or something.

You want to my phone, maybe a couple of bucks to get.

It so bad, so bad. And I remember going in there and being like, hey, uh there's not a light.

Were there any window? No, I'm telling you it was like, no, it was sketchy.

Bro.

I'm not gonna lie.

We're not being dramatic.

This is when I walked out of there, I was like, the door, it's a bit.

Of doune, like I had to run in a closet. It's a closet in a closet. In the closet that that it's ah, you don't have windows, we got nothing. I mean, it might as well be padded.

Yeah, so I can bring that up. I already know.

I am honestly, that means a lot to me that you tell that we've.

Never worked together like anything, but like we have once. And that's another thing about like your seven years journey, Like I've always been a fan of what you do, and because I knew who you were back in the days, a closet girl, and so the closet close, the closets, closet girl. But I was I was just I've been floored. I'm not gonna lie. I've I've been floored because the same same as what you're saying, like you see people get their shot, that it's not a talent contest. It's not a talent contest, and and I feel like sometimes it should be, you know, and and so I feel like the ones that that at or actually have a god given talent to do it and feel led and called to do what we're trying to do should get their chance.

In the spotlight.

And you're one of those there ain't about it, and and and so I that that has been my thing. When when they said that we're podcasting with I was pumped because like, I'm just glad that you're getting your shot because you are an incredible talent and your voice in sane it's nuts, it's so insane.

I was. I told you all when we got here, I was so excited to do this because like I never get to talk about this side of me.

Yeah you know, I didn't know about you.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's talk about And I knew she was like a killer across the board vocally.

Literally literally, I mean, dude, where does you're from?

Missouri? Was it Nashville, Missouri?

California? Missouri?

I knew it was something where.

I mean, that's so that's where it comes from. Like your love of the outdoors and your love of nature comes from your you're raisin.

Yeah, yeah, So my my grandma has nine brothers and sisters and we still own their childhood farm. My great grandma's house. It's like a you know, two bedroom wood stove falling apart. We take shots of whiskey out of measuring cups because there ain't no shotglasses in the house. And on that property we have a deer shed and nothing, nothing fancy. This is not high it's not a big amish built. No no, no, this is like a shack. This is like a metal building with like a foam ad on and the foam add on part is the kitchen. So it's got three or four stoves and like a grill, and and the racks and the kid hype markers are everywhere. It's like a family covered in photos.

That's awesome.

And then the other half are where the racks.

Have you ever take any pictures of it?

Oh yeah, I got, I got lots of pictures I can show you. Then the other half are like the freezers, the sinks, the racks, the tables, all the stuff.

So in my skin and shit should.

Be yeah, like it's my family are Hillbillies. Like people are like, oh country, I'm like yeah country, but like he'll Billies like, don't chouse the government, throw your own food, like rade your beard and your hair. Yeah yes, yes, so hates Christopher Columbus or like Billy. And so my my family that those nine brothers and sisters. My grandma's like the second oldest of them. And then it's funny, they're he'll Billy's because my grandma's youngest brother is younger than my dad.

Like that like your grandma's youngest brother is younger than.

Okay, yeah, so my dad has an uncle who's younger than him. Yeah he'll be so yeah, he'll Billy. So the women in that sibling group get together and make a menu for the ten days of rifle season and send it out to the family. And so every all week long, people are showing up at the deer shed, our family, but also like friends that hunt on our land or we process their meat or whatever. And but the Friday and Saturday of both sides of rifle season, there'll be like one hundred people at the deer shed and a big dinner and we're bringing in whatever we got that day. And it's like bigger than Christmas or anything in my family, Like it is a huge and it's something that I'll move dates around like work, they know, like, don't book me during deer season because I'm going home at least one of the weekends.

That's beautiful, I say the same thing.

Yeah, I'm like, hey, you know what it is. But also like it's kind of the culture though, because back home in high school, like during deer season, half of us aren't showing up to class until noon. Yeah, like and they just know, like, hey, I gotta yeah, they kind of know, yeah, yeah, yeah, Yeah, we're feeling our freezer. Like yes, whatever, some people want racks for mounts or whatever like trophy, but no, we're feeling our freezer. They my grandparents and her family they had to do that as kids because they were so poor. They had to hunt and fish for food.

Yeah.

It wasn't like some expensive hobby. It was no, this is survival yea. And my family kind of treats it like that, right, Like I shot muzzle orders competitively my whole life with my grandpa sick, and it's a very gun owning and hunting is a very very serious thing in my family, where like Let's say you have a really bad shot. This happened to my little brother. You have a horrible shot, you took a shot that was not great because the adrenaline got to you or whatever. Guess what, you don't get to hunt next year until you learn not to waste. Like they're like, they're they're like serious about it.

I've been shooting.

I've been shooting since I was seven, and my grandpa still hands me a gun like I've never held one in my life. Like it's it's serious. My grandpa and I we were I know, there's a section of the the show called like the One That Got Away. My grandpa and I have this thing all through target shooting, but also through hunting. I walk into the deer shed, he goes, where'd you shoot it? And I go where I'm supposed to. Like it's just like a you know, a thing that we have.

Yeah, that's beautiful, and that's that makes me want to have like a family.

Yeah, like a family time to go to camp and do the Yeah.

And it's nice because most of the time when you hear about deer camp, no offense. It's all boys. It's men go away and whatever, and the girls stay home and go to target or whatever. And in my family, it's everybody. The women hunt just as much as the men. The women skin their own deer what like, oh yeah, yeah, we cross this our own meat. We have a big, huge jerky dehydrator like real like hell like he'll billy like. The women in my family are not pearl clutching like dainty. None of them are that way. They're they're you know, teasing their husbands because they got more tags filled than their husbands did. So that was just I mean from birth you were in that, yeah, just because it's such like heavy culture in my family.

Beautiful. So when did you when did you take your first deer? Do you remember?

I think I was like eight maybe, Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, I used to. So when you start muzzleloading when you're younger, you shoot on cross sticks until you're thirteen. So even when I would deer hunt when I was younger, i'd use cross sticks because that's what I was used to.

Yeah, it's extremely more efficient, easier.

I mean my dad still carries Yeah.

Still, we'll cut we'll cut branches that got wise and keep them.

Eventually, I mean it becomes like, what's the most efficient and effective way of killed this year instead of.

Trying to prove it exactly, this is not yeah exactly. We travel west to hunt, We travel to Maine to hunt, We traveled to Florida hunt. We like, we love hunting period. Across the board. It almost sounds like you you love it in a way that is that is particular to how you were raised in your in your area. It's more of it's more of a tradition than a sport. I guess you could.

Like like I would say, I would go on a hunting trip to another state if I was invited, but I'd rather go home and be with my uncles. Yeah, you know in the deer shits same.

And I'm gonna say something.

It honestly took a full circle thing, I think for us to realize that, because at one point in time, all we had was hunting at home, right, hunting west and see.

And then friends and music and connections and.

Before you know, opportunities in Montana and we're hunting the Midwest and we're doing this and all we can think about is going somewhere else and hunting something different, right, And I mean that I've shot that in New ZealandI. Yeah, thanks, and it was an unbelievable experience and I'll never forget those moments. But at the same time, like the more I do that, the more passionate I get about being at home. And even though deer are smaller, even though it's not as like click worthy and and it's it's honestly more to me about the camp and the people that are around and in it and the entire experience and less about the rack.

Yeah, it's always been that way for me. I mean, I want to stand in my dad's kitchen that overlooks like the land with coffee and watch the sun come up. Yeah every time, like I don't you know, yeah, and then go, okay, we got ten minutes to get in the spot before sons, sons where it can be.

Because here's the reality of it, man, Like when you're at the end of your road, life being your road, when you're at the end of that, that's what you're gonna think about. You're not gonna be think about killing me deer like you can. You can look at that and yeah, it's great, but like those are the times you're gonna think. You're gonna think about the fires around the camp. You don't think about deer steak on a flat top on an open fire like that is. Those moments are what you're going to to fall back on.

The camaraderie for sure, and like I don't We'll get into it later, but like I don't go for bucks, yeah, because I'm I'm hunting because fried deer steak is literally my.

Favorite with Samuel gravy she posted on Instagram. Dad helped her make some gravy and she's fried of deer thing ate it.

I'm going after Dose because they taste better. They definitely like I don't like that's fine. My uncles can go like, oh we do hell bigs, I don't care, and then they'll just give me their mouths sometimes anyway, because I want the mounts for my house because they look cool, but like I want Dose, and we always say we want My aunt Tammy, she always says can you get me? She doesn't hunt, but she she cooks at the deer shed and you know, and she always says to my uncles, can you get me a Walmart deer And that means just enough to fit a Walmart sack. It's like I just want to take one Walmart sacond deer.

O I like, that's real, man, that's what it is.

It tastes good, though, man, big fat Midwestern tastes good. Yeah, we took a couple of dough I took a couple of dose from Kentucky two years ago.

It's a different thing.

I don't know what it is, but I guess just the the corn of the beans.

That they eat. It's a totally different deal, man.

And I ran it through the grinder and put some beef fat in there with it, and man, it was it.

Was real good.

We never want to eat meat from the grocery store ever.

Again, true, no doubt. We were.

Actually I was going to bring some deer stake this morning, but a few weeks ago before.

I'm glad I didn't because Mom was going to be that buck from Mississippi.

And it was a couple of couple a couple of weeks ago from what we were about to leave for Florida. My both my deep freezers got them plugged.

I promise you if you want some dear steak, I'll bring you a tender guy this year.

He's got you.

What's your favorite way to cook it?

I was supposed to ask you that question, But that's great look at you.

I will go first, yea it bro we cook it the same way about are we cooking tender loins or are we.

Cooking all right?

If I'm cooking.

Number all right?

If I'm doing yeah, I personally I would prefer a minute steak ham over a slice of teneroin.

Tenerlin is great, it is absolutely great.

But if I had my choice, I would take a ham and cut it probably I'm about to with my thumb, and then I would run it through that slicer cuber whatever it's called, and cube it probably twice, not bush, but like get it cubed up nice.

And then I'm I'm buttermilk, buttermilk and egg. I'm but I'm straight butter. You don't give me straight butter.

That's me me mom, straight butter milk, my meme, you told me this straight buttermilk.

And then I go.

Probably seventy five twenty five flour Tony's Tony Satris has got like a creole kind of thing, mixed it up just to have a little salt with it. Boom boom, flash fry sea. Like you don't double dip it, do you go?

I don't double dip it.

Dip I won't crunch man, I know, but if you cook it fast, which I think. I think you have to cook it fast because if you slow cook.

It, all right, That's that's my thing about Like I want, I want to talk about it. I know I'm gonna do something. I need something room, but like I want that chicken fried steak look and taste like like I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go buttermilk, egg flour, seasoning back into buttermilk, egg back in the seasoning. I'm gonna double like double double.

See, you're my people, because when people say that they eat it like beef steak, I'm like, get out, I don't want no. No, my family like they don't batter it like chicken. They like cook it like a beef steak. Yeah no, I'm like, what's wrong with you?

Chicken fry can?

So my family has like a special soaking process that they do because we process all all our own special soaking processes that they do and tenderrizing processes that they do. And then you know my favorite flour, salt, pepper and cavender. Yeah, and same hot flash fry in a pan, the best, the best, the best. I eat it for breakfast. Launch didn't everything so much.

So yeah that my dad is he's an overcoat, you know what I mean, Like if he's cooking, it's not if he's cooking breakfast for me and reading him, there'll be a plate of eggs and I swear the stagger.

Yeah, well why not it's good warmed up. Yeah. Yeah, that's like one of the biggest things about the culture of my family's deer shed is like nothing is better than meeting everybody, my uncles or somebody else, my cousins back at the shed after you know, it's too late in the day, we got somewhere we didn't get so and everybody makes breakfast and we sit around and talk about whatever we saw or didn't see or whatever everything. Yeah, And I'm like in my bibs and eggs and biscuits and deer stuff, and You're just like, this is the best.

You can't get it.

You can't get it better anywhere else.

That's the best.

And then you think about your h O a while you're sitting there and you're.

Like doing this, Uh yeah, my grandmother makes or she made a like a sawmeal dark gravy, and so that like if.

That's reads passion right like when.

We when we take bath and nothing when we brother breakfast.

Dude, Like if we're on a hunting trip or we're doing something like that, I'm usually running like the meat.

He's usually running.

Because he's he's really like perfected the gravy making process.

Man.

I mean he he like literally learned from my dad and and learned from my grandmother. Even it's like kind of a young kid.

No measurements, there's no.

Because I was flipping sausage and eggs and bacon and do it. That was always my thing. And Reed was like, Okay, well yeah, I'll make the biscuits and crazy and he's he's.

Killer my last like my death row meal. And that's all I want. I don't want. I don't want bacon, I don't want sausage, don't wanted that. I want a pile of fried deer steak, a batch of dark sawmel gravy, and homemade biscuits flatter than my hand laying sitting right there beside it.

I think I'd picked fried deer steak, mashed potatoes, peas my grandma's homemade bread dinner.

Yeah yeah, momnd be breakfast, but it would be uh it would be my memos homemade biscuits, if I could just have my dream min right, my memos homemade biscuits be my dad's deer steak now that he puts Tony's in it for a while, he would just go straight flower. I need a little something, yes, And then I would do my eggs because my dad's eggs are too running. And then I would do uh, probably some mayhaul jelly on my biscuits. Yeah, talk dirty to.

Me, son, I tear, and I've done this. I don't know when I'm hungry.

I'm telling yeah, I.

Kind of want to cancel my coat, but I yeah, my And what I'll do is like I'll take those biscuits and I'll rip them up and like little squares on there. First gravy on top, break the deer steak up, put it on. If I got eggs, I'll put the eggs in there. Mayhow jelly just a scoop, just a what do they call it? A dollop of jel up on the top. Mix that stuff together. That's breakfast salad, breakfast salad.

I remember, remember we made it with antelope, and that that antelope.

That's right, we made it with antelope and there was this guy there. I won't say who it was.

It still just grimes my gears when I think about it, But there was just we cooked for the whole crew, right, and uh it a big crew was probably yeah, it was giunt and uh there was this one guy there and he was like, I can't eat it. I can't eat antelope. I've never had an antelope to taste good. And I was like, bro, I promise you, this taste good.

I promise you. And it was. It was tenantoin, wasn't it.

Yeah, we did tan and ham, honestly, and all of it got eaten, every every piece of it. And the guy had it and he cut it and he like put it in his mouth. He was like and he spit it out right, but then some bits came back and ate the whole plate. When nobody was looking.

He just had out like he had to diewn the.

Hill that it was bad.

And then I watched him like pickets played uphile. He was gonna throw it away over there to the bus and put it on, as.

I think, and wolf it down and be like.

That's all right.

But most of the time, if I encountered somebody and they're like, oh, deer's grosses too.

Gave me.

I don't argue with him. I'm like, yeah, whatever, more for me, no doubt, because I ain't gonna like waste my deer trying to tell y'all that.

It's just I'm gonna give you, yeah exactly.

Travis always laughs at me because I'm like real stingy about who I cooked my deer for, and like he's like, you're gonna make my sister some deer. I was like, no, no, no, got so many bags, Cassie.

I liked you before this, but I really like you that.

I like you too.

I didn't know. I didn't know this side of you, but but I'm glad that we got to hang out. I know, it's crazy real thanks for hanging out with us.

Oh my gosh, you're welcome.

All right.

What's the what's the one we're doing now?

I have perfect pitch?

It was.

Sure that was more than perfect pitch that thing. But it's that time of show for the.

One that guy.

We have little ditty, good little diddy. Uh, Jack and Dane. Uh, Let's do the one that got away? Do the one that got away? It could be deer fish song, not a not a human being, because Travis is your guy. What what comes to mind when we say the one that got away for you?

Okay, I have two in the same season on the same weekend last year.

I'm scarred.

I gotta be honest. I got a bit of PTSC still sleepover. I'm a little mad. So I show up last year for the second weekend.

When is this is this November?

Yeah, this is that rifle season.

I know, but I could remember it was early.

Yeah, It's like right, it's like yeah, second and third, yeah, yeah. So I go up on second weekend. My little brother is six years younger than me. We're twins basically, me, my little brother, my dad all the same person. And I'm like and Dad's like, yeah, I already got two. I got thirty long I'm like, well stop and let me get him. So we go down to this tree line. So my dad has like fifty acres, but my grandparents have like four hundred and my great grandma has like two fifty. And then like our neighbors behind us, let us hunt there forty like we got plenty of space. Sure, So we're at the tree line at the end of ours are fifty and looking out at the back neighbors forty and my little brother's going around this side and I'm on the bottom. He's on the right. And we got walkie talkies, right, and uh.

God, I love and yes, yes, my dad would, Yes, they would love, as long as you're into answering whatever questions.

My uncle Sony has so so my little brother. We got walkie talkies. And I'm like, hey, if one comes down this hill, pause off, bitch, like you you've gotten already, Like I got three days up here and I got to go back to work. I'm on tour yea. And he knows, in his defense, he knows that I'm a doe. I'm a doe person. I'm not a buck person. But I was like, hey, if a buck comes into side, I got three days. I like European mounts personally. I have American, but I like European.

If you need, I've got something you can thank you.

Literally, I have a lot of my but I would take more. Officuse I cover wall. I'm like, I'll cover a whole on.

Oh, so I'll tell my wife that.

Because they like him, but I like him and like I like European mountain like a golf castle. Way, if that makes sense.

I mean, we got plenty of room.

Okay. So here comes this buck. It's like a big hill. So we're down in the box. Here comes this big buck that I know my dad's been watching for like three ooh. And my dad goes, I he nudged me. He goes, it is yours, it's mine. Aren't talk and Alex goes. Alex like just beeps it like because he knows he's not gonna talk. Whatever. I again, because my grandpa has I mean for years, over twenty years in my head, do not take a shot. Tell it's perfect. Do not take a shot. It's just rude to not.

To be sure.

So I propped up on a tree limb and I'm waiting for this for him to turn a little bit. It's too skinny, and he's.

He's a way yeah, quarter too much.

I'm waiting. I'm waiting. He's not spooked, he's not looking up, looking around, he's it's cool. I got time. Right as I'm about to pull here was so mad. I was so mad. I literally turned around. My das said, what up? I was so mad. My dad's like, you know, because he don't have a favorite kid. My Dad's like my dad's stuttern. I yell across the field. Alex. It's like, I'm so mad. I'm like, oh the thing? What? Yes? And he's like he's like, you took too long. And I was like it wasn't right yet. So I'm pissed. I'm not talking to my little brother the rest of the day. I'm like, you can go get the car and get yourself helping you drag it back with your own hands, bitch, I'm mad. I'm like, good luck, I'm not helping you. Got it nothing. But this year, fourth year you practice.

This year, I'm helping you.

Yes. Yes, He's like, I'll give you He's like, I'll give you the mount. He's like yeah, he's like, I'll give you the mouth. I was like no, like don't. So then I'm like, okay, well I got two days left, and and my Grandpa's like, well she couldn't take the shot. My Grandpa's sticking up for me. He's like she knows well, blah blah blah. So then we're we're out there the next morning.

Your grandpa.

Eighty something. But my grandpa literally holds records in the state of Missouri for target shooting like this man is serious, and so we're out there. The next morning, we're in a tree line halfway down Dad's property. We're out there. We're out there. Dad's like, hey, if we don't see anything in the next thirty minutes, we got to go in. I'm like, here comes a dough. I'm like, yes, okay, my brain. I'm like, I wasn't meant to have the buck because I want the dough. So dough again. Not spook heads, not up. He's just you know, having this morning thing. I shoot right where I'm supposed to. Thing runs off. I'm like, uh uh, ain't no way, ain't no way. I'm like, okay, it'll run a little bit, it'll fall over, we'll get it. Dad's like, I don't know. I don't know if you got it. He puts his scope up. He was looking through his scope when I shot.

He's like, it.

Ran and it was running, like it wasn't stumbling, it was running. I'm like, no, I hit it. There's no way. I didn't hear. So we walked down there. We see a little piece of fur, a little tough and I'm like I hit it. He's like yes, and he's like you hit it, maybe you Maybe you scuffed it right, maybe you grace. So we're looking, we're looking for blood spots. We walk around my dad's property, in the neighbor's property, in this neighbor's property for probably two hours trying to can't find it. So it's like, hey, maybe you you missed, And I'm like, no, I didn't. I don't miss, like in the kindest way. I only take shots when I'm like one thousand percent, I target shot like I do.

Like, no, how far was the shot?

You think?

Not very maybe yeah he is seventy five, like I did not need rest too, Yes, on a tree branch. I'm like, I didn't miss. I'm sorry. So we go the deer shed like I said earlier. My grandpa goes, where'd you hit it? And I said, well, right, while I was supposed to, but apparently not because we just were late. We missed breakfast because we can't find it. Grandpa's like, well you miss. My uncles are having a hey day. They're like, oh, miss, don't miss the shot. Miss one only took thirty years, like miss blah blah, Okay, it happens everybody, But you missed the first missed. Maybe the second. But again, I only shoot one weekend a year, and I only I'm picking yeah, right, And so they're giving me hell, give me hell. My grandpa's giving me hell. He's like, you're out of practice, move big city, you're out of fragic, you know whatever. Oh, they're telling everybody. We're at dinner that night at the shed and a family friend comes in and goes, heard, Cassie. Miss. I'm like, oh, you shut up. You are so mean. So I'm like, yeah, well I wouldn't miss that buck if Alex would have just waited like he was supposed to. And I'm like, okay, I got one more day. Whatever. We're walking down as the sun is coming up the next morning, and I look over across the tree line and there's this thing of white and I looked at my dad. I said, you gotta be kidding me. We walk over there. He goes, no, ain't no way there. It is almost right where I shot it. Little ways up hit it right in the front upper chest area, right where I am supposed to. And it must have been like a cat, and I like it ran forever wow and came back and but then it's wasted. Yeah, And I felt horrible. Like the rest of the day, I was just sick to my stomach because I again, I'm picky about hunting. It's very serious. I only kill one for meat. I'm not a trophy hunter. And when I kill a deer after we slid it, I put my hands on it. I have since I was little and been like and I do a like whole like thank you, right, like you've given it. Yeah, You've given me your life. This is of life. I will not waste this. You know, my family, we sought the hides, We do everything, we use as much as we can, and and I'm like, thank you for this, blah blah blah. And I went over there and did it to the dead deer because I just I felt horrible.

Yeah, it's a tough thing, man.

I've been in that spot myself and we have we've had codes get ours, like have to leave them overnight.

And yeah, you go up.

The cod.

Line was bloated.

Yeah, it was hot probably on it. Yeah, it's a it's a it's a tough thing. And that's why I understand. Just like you said, you understand when people don't want to eat dear meat. I understand when people don't want to hunt, like when they're yes, if they didn't grow up doing it and they didn't see because because it's not always.

Uh, it's a weird feel great right like that, that right there is my favorite literally my favorite that and and dogs are my favorite animal in the world. But yet I hunt them and I kill them and I eat them like it's a it's a weird it's a weird dichotomy between you know, those two. I tell people all the time, like hunting would be hunting. It's so close to perfect, and it would be perfect if you could shoot the chase the animal, shoot find the animal, shoot the animal, go out there, cut the meat off of it, breathe life back into it and it gets up and the other way. It would be perfect. But obviously it doesn't happen like that. And I think the worst part of it to me is the the shooting and the and the killer of the animal. But at the same time, it's you know, you have to do it.

It's the circle of life. And like in Missouri, if we don't hit the quota, they extend season because it hurts crops or they get blue tone or like whatever, and so it's kind of like, hey, we're feeding ourselves, we're filling our bodies, we're nourishing our bodies. We're doing the thing, and we're also helping farmers with crops or we're helping whatever it may be. And so it is. It's a double edged sword. And we were talking about this earlier. I think a lot of people know I hunt, but they don't. They would have to dig deep to know that because I don't post myself with my kills on my social media, because I have followers who are both sides of the road. I have friends that are vegetarians. Yeah, and I'm just like, hey, I know you don't want to see a dead animal. I get that, and so I post you know, of me at the deer shed or me and my uncle's and camo. But I just try to ride that line all the time because I know that it's sensitive subject and I even feel that way said as a hunter, of like, there's a second where you go, God, I feel not great about doing this, but I know why I do it.

I'm gonna be honest with you.

I feel like if you didn't have that feeling wrong, then you're you're you're jacked.

Up, You're missing, you're missing if you're.

Honestly excited and just you know, you see people just go nuts or killing it.

You know, killing the deer.

And look, I'm not saying I I mean there's been some big deer. I'm not saying you can't get excited about it. But with that feeling, there is also that feeling of responsibility for taking a life, taking a lot. And do I think it is on the same plane as like taking off human life. Absolutely, I think it's this food. I think I think God put it here for us to do that. But you know what, it's also like, we live in an age that is disassociated from.

Where their food comes from. And that's where that hamburger comes from. Dude, like that hamburger. You're into McDonald's.

Bro cow died so you can eat that, you know, And and for me, it's the it's it's the same thing as what you were saying. It's like to be able to go legally harvest something and know that you're helping the community by taking the deer, know that you're feeding your family by taking the deer. You're also just enjoying you know, the uh, the camaraderie that you have with the people, their family I mean yet pretty beat.

Yeah.

I was having a discussion once with a girl I went to college to who is a she's vegan, she's as far left as you can possibly.

Like.

We were having an open discussion about hunting, and she actually said to me, she goes, if I was ever going to eat meat, I would want to eat something that's someone I know killed for sure. She's like, because it just seems more natural and more right than like some kind of factory farm shoved into a pin process filled up with juice or color or whatever.

Yeah.

Your hands are literally the only thing that has ever touched that animal literally ever. Yeah, and so created by God. And then it's you're the next You're the next thing that that touches it. Yeah. It doesn't get no more organic than that.

Yeah, and you like have the responsibility and the love for it in your heart, and that's what matters. It's not a domination thing. It's not I am man.

With bullet the earth conquered.

Yeah, it's not that way. It's just like, hey, I'm trying to feed my family and keep the circle of life going.

As man, dude, I'm telling you, got it, got it. Yeah.

One of my favorite podcasts. Thanks so much fun.

Yeah, this has been my favorite podcast I've ever been on. Not to butt of your business, but the gravy not the gravy buscuits.

Yeah.

I think as soon as I get home, I'm pulling a package consider going out.

Thanks for being a steward of the woods and uh and for representing it in a positive and uh and a light that uh that people can you know, like as a fellow Hunter I can be proud of. I'm proud to know you. I'm proud to know the way that you feel about it. And thanks for coming coming and hanging out with us.

Thank you for having me.

Okay, we do a greatest slash favorite. We call it gravorite gravy man, I'm telling.

Gravy face, it's happened in the night.

Dam I'm sorry. Uh, greatest slash favorite country song. It doesn't have to be old, it could be new, it could be whatever whatever. Like a cornerstone song that you just love passionate about speaks to you what comes to mind?

I think if we're going like cornerstone, angle right, like something as a songwriter or an artist, if if you've got too many voices being told, what you should do or what you're laying is or try this, or the markets here or the algorithm wants this. This is I have one in mind that I go back to of like if I can write and sing songs like this will be cool. And that is What are you listening to? By Chris Stableton?

Word? Is that right?

Yeah?

All right, we'll make it through.

If it's not.

Opples that records.

Boy, you know what song and I'll let it play again and again. You're in every line takes me back in time yet a night? What are you listening to?

Is it a cover band song college down all it's not on the nights.

And their guitars. Or isn't it something that gets you through?

Just a sad song playing on the radio station till still far in Hot, still break and hang it all?

Is it a low.

Song about someone? What are you listening to? A man?

You're awesome, thanks for hanging out.

Man, Oh my god, yeah, man, killer, that killer she got the new record, Yeah made made from the dirt, from the dirt.

Check it out.

Hey, proud of you, thank you, proud of your journey, proud of that's the record for you and come.

Man, Yeah, anytime guys, anytime you are invited to the Deer Show, boleheartedly. Yeah, my uncle will love it.

We we.

By the way, we watched your episode of Meat Eater together. Okay yeah me and my dad is yeah yeah yeah.

Luke, that's where that's where that came. That's that Cassie asked everybody, thanks for having God's country. Uh, we'll get y'all next time, please,

In 1 playlist(s)

  1. God's Country

    62 clip(s)

God's Country

“God’s Country” with brothers Dan and Reid Isbell is a rollicking weekly podcast that sits at the in 
Social links
Follow podcast
Recent clips
Browse 62 clip(s)