In this episode of the Biscuits and Jam Podcast, Southern Living's Sid Evans talks to Florida Georgia Line's newly solo Brian Kelley about his journey to country music stardom. Get an inside look at the life of the singer-songwriter as he delves into his Southern roots, the inspiration behind his new album, ‘Tennessee Truth,’ and his latest venture as a restaurant owner.
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00:00Well, Brian Kelly, welcome to Biscuits and Jam.
00:03Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.
00:05Where am I reaching you right now?
00:08Down in Florida. I'm in our little pool house that I've coined. It's got two names.
00:14During songwriting season, when I'm going at it, it's the song saloon. And then fishing season, it turns into the tackle box.
00:22I like it. So this is your hideout. This is really your place, your designated place.
00:30Yep. Yep, it is. It's small, but I've got some beer on tap. I've got some vibes. I've got some records. I've got a couch, a TV.
00:39I've written a bunch of songs in here, tied a bunch of lures in here.
00:43And it's just a cool little spot to just kind of like, you feel like you could be in a Montana hunting spot or, you know, down in the Keys.
00:54You could be either or, but we're just right outside the house. So it's like, it's kind of a getaway, but not too far.
01:00Well, it looks great. So are y'all in Grayton Beach? Is that right?
01:05Yes.
01:05Okay.
01:06Okay.
01:07Yes, sir.
01:07So kind of near 30A, that area.
01:11That's right.
01:12Well, congrats on the new album. I know you must be really excited. It's called Tennessee Truth.
01:18Yeah.
01:18And as a Memphis guy, I like that name a lot.
01:22There you go. I appreciate that.
01:24Yeah, congrats. You must be really thrilled to get it out there and share it with folks.
01:29You know, I am, man. It's been a long time coming and worked on this project for, started writing on this project, shoot, the fall of 2022.
01:39So, you know, worked on it all last year, wrote and recorded it. And man, really just had a blast. Now it's like, you know, my sign off is done. It's been done. I'm just starting to do press for it.
01:53And, you know, we're right around the corner from it coming out. So, like, it's the best feeling in the world. All the work is just about, is basically done, you know.
02:02And so now it's like, all right, what does everybody think? I hope you like it. And, you know, now the fans that are already following what I do can enjoy it and try to get out there and make some new fans.
02:12But no, it's just a great season of life, man. I had a lot went into this record. You know, I really took my time songwriting wise, like, just didn't really have a cutoff date until it felt like I was kind of just had exhausted all songwriting sessions and all ideas that were in my phone and just felt basically kind of done.
02:34So that went on for a while and getting to record, you know, Dan Huff produced this record. I've been such a fan of his work for such a long time.
02:42And then obviously he's an incredible legendary guitar player. So he has a couple solos on this record. And I just love what we created, man.
02:52I just love my unique brand of country that we created on this record. I think it's very special. And I think it's it's so me that it's just I hope, you know,
03:03I hope everybody gets to know me even better. And I hope really, you know, this record becomes the soundtrack to their lives.
03:10You know, I hope it takes over and it's something that they're playing, you know, and they're utilizing in their in their daily routine,
03:16whether that's going to the gym, going to work, you know, going out on the river, maybe a beach day, you know, cooking out just, you know,
03:25on the way to the woods, out in the woods, whatever it may be. You know, that's what this record is.
03:30You know, maybe it maybe it's a date night, a couple songs on there you can play for date night.
03:34And I really believe, you know, maybe maybe I'm biased because I wrote it or it's my project.
03:39But, you know, I think this record has something for everybody. I think it covers it just covers this life that I know a lot of us are living.
03:47You know, I'm not the only one living this life. And so I hope it resonates with, you know, with people that are hearing it.
03:53And one of my Tennessee truths is, you know, is that I'm no different than those that are going to be listening to this record.
04:00You know, there's we're really like minded in the way that we operate, the core values that we believe in and that we wrap our lives around God, family, country.
04:10You know, Brittany and I, we love working hard. We love playing hard. We love having something to look forward to.
04:15We love getting getting our feet wet in terms of getting in the business side, working hard, trying to build something that can live longer than us and enjoying the process and enjoying the way.
04:27So we're very simple. You know, we love cooking at the house with the dogs and turn on some vinyl and being outdoors, fishing, hunting.
04:37You know, it's just we find ourselves wanting to be in these rural areas more and more.
04:44That's how I grew up. And that's how I've always been. You know, I like taking the long way to go somewhere.
04:49I like going the back ways. I like finding the local mom and pops bait store like a good old bowl of peanut stop out in the country, you know.
04:58And it's those people, it's those conversations and it's those places that these songs are built, built on.
05:08I want to talk about the album a little more in a minute.
05:11But, you know, let's go back to where you where you grew up, where you came from.
05:15And really, I guess the source of a lot of these songs and a lot of this music, you grew up in Ormond Beach, Florida, which is just north of Daytona, right?
05:27That's right.
05:27Tell me a little bit about your hometown.
05:29I love Ormond. My parents still live there. It's a special, special place to me.
05:34I was baptized in the Atlantic Ocean, grew up on the Tomoka River, you know, grew up playing a ton of baseball.
05:41And, you know, when I wasn't playing baseball, I was fishing.
05:44That was that was like my outdoor ritual. That was like my getaway, whether that was the Tomoka River, whether that was the you know,
05:52we had a retention pond behind one of the neighborhoods close to us.
05:56We would tear bass up in there.
05:58But spent so many days, you know, when I wasn't playing baseball, hitting a golf course pond, hitting a neighborhood lake, you know,
06:09doing all those things just for the for the hunt of largemouth bass.
06:13And I've done a lot of fishing since then. And I love all sorts of fishing. I really do.
06:18But, you know, I find myself always coming back to those largemouth. That's something that just still brings me joy.
06:25Still still something that I'm hunting down. And Ormond was great, man.
06:29Great people. I really love my childhood. I love my my middle and high school experience.
06:35Had some great friends, learned a lot. And, you know, Ormond was great.
06:40You know, we could go out, you know, I had buddies that lived, you know, 15, 20 minutes from from our house, you know,
06:47out in the woods and we'd go mudding and we'd go hit the trails.
06:50And it was like kind of the best of both worlds where you could go be out in the country, be out in the woods, get in the mud.
06:56And then we could go to the beach later that day if we wanted to, you know, and get that experience.
07:02And so I found myself over the years just constantly wanting to be in the woods or by, you know, in the woods or by the water.
07:11That's kind of like how me and Brittany have lived our lives.
07:14And it's just kind of kind of, you know, very, very grateful for that.
07:18And that's that's, you know, that's that's a big part of this record is being out in the woods or, you know, being by the water.
07:23And something very calming about both and something very necessary for me to have both of those things in my life.
07:32You know, I think I've always been very in tune with nature.
07:35And I love even if I'm not hunting, just going on a walk in nature and looking for snakes or looking for birds or looking for, you know, any kind of wildlife.
07:46There's something very therapeutic about it.
07:50Yeah.
07:50You know, I don't really know Ormond.
07:52I would have been to that town or that part of Florida.
07:54But is it feel real southern to you?
07:58I would say.
07:59Yeah, I would say in the way that that people operate, you know, it's definitely, you know, I think it's I think it's best of both worlds.
08:08You know, I mean, you get close to the beach and, you know, things look more beachy, you know.
08:15So I would say in a sense that you can still be southern and still be beachy because I think it's the attitude and, you know, the character of people and how people act and how people treat you and how welcome you feel, whether it's a restaurant or somebody sitting next to you on a beach chair.
08:32But then, you know, again, you go up State Road 40 and it feels more more southern as you would think, you know, you have a lot more land out there, you're, you're, you know, more rural areas.
08:44But I never, I never thought about it being having to be one or one or the other, you know, I thought it was cool that I just kind of made it my own, you know, I've always kind of been that, you know, like love, like I said, love getting out in the woods, love going to the beach.
09:01And I think both of those go hand in hand.
09:03And I think you have a lot of southern, we have a lot of southern people from, you know, from Georgia that live, you know, on the outskirts of Atlanta, you know, that come to 30A, that, that, that plan there once, once a year, once a quarter vacation, they go to the beach, you know.
09:20And so just a special, I think it's, it was special, you know, I would say just the way that people treat you is how I felt that it was southern, you know.
09:29And then obviously fishing, hunting, I mean, there's lots of that going on down there.
09:33No, no doubt about it.
09:34Yeah.
09:35Well, it sounds like a pretty idyllic place to grow up.
09:38And, you know, I read somewhere that your dad worked for Hawaiian Tropic, which also sounds pretty idyllic, especially for a kid.
09:49How did, what did that look like?
09:51And there had to be some, you know, fringe benefits for you.
09:54Oh, 100%.
09:55So he had his own distribution company back in the day.
09:58It was HT Marketing of Florida.
10:00And so one of my favorite things was getting to go to work with him some days, like maybe it was on the tail end after school or something or on a weekend, you know, doing some deliveries or going to his warehouse and literally boxing these suntan lotion boxes up with tape.
10:17And, you know, learning how to like work a little bit and, you know, carry boxes, stack them properly and, you know, learning how to do that and just watching him hustle, you know, even on weekends and even staying late.
10:28And, oh, we're going to have to go out to, you know, the big Hawaiian Tropic, the tanning research lab to go get more product or whatever it may be.
10:35That was really cool to see that.
10:36And those are, those are some great memories still to this day of just being in the warehouse working, you know, I could still smell what it smells like.
10:45I can still hear like the tape rolls, you know, all those things.
10:49But, yeah, the parties were great growing up as a kid, the Hawaiian Tropic Christmas parties and Halloween parties at Ron's house on the beach.
10:57Yeah.
10:58Amazing memories.
10:59I mean, that that was like a scene out of damn Entourage or some movie, you know, I mean, it was it was, you know, there were celebrities there.
11:07There's the models there.
11:09You know, it was just it was a blast.
11:11His house still to this day is one of my favorite houses.
11:14Beautiful, beautiful house built in the 80s.
11:16But just the materials, you know, like beautiful stone, wood, the architecture, just beautiful, beautiful setting.
11:24And so that was that was really special getting to go over there, even to have a couple of pool days, you know, just on when nothing was going on.
11:30We would go there and hang out at the house.
11:33And he always had a bunch of dachshunds and dogs.
11:35And maybe that's why I have a love of architecture.
11:36And we have four dogs.
11:37I'm not sure.
11:40Well, I'm picturing lots of swag, lots of T-shirts and hats.
11:44Oh, all kinds of stuff.
11:46Oh, yeah.
11:46We were, you know, my dad was called the suntan man.
11:51So that's great.
11:53And those Hawaiian Tropic shirts were great, man.
11:55I've got a couple of leftover, like vintage ones.
11:57I mean, those are those are those are keepers right there, man.
12:00You find any good old school Hawaiian Tropic, you got some gold.
12:03Those would probably work out pretty well on eBay, I'm guessing.
12:05Yeah.
12:06Yeah.
12:06Well, so, Brian, what about what about cooking in your house?
12:10Who was the cook in your family?
12:12And what did that what did that look like?
12:14What was on the table?
12:15Growing up, man, we cook out chicken, fish and steak.
12:19I mean, that was that was a lot.
12:21You know, dad, dad would be grilling.
12:24Mom, mom, mom would crush some sides.
12:27Green bean casseroles, mac and cheese, you know.
12:31But some of my favorite meals, this is in middle school, we would do a fish and dad's like put it in tinfoil, put some lemons in there, a little bit of salt, pepper, maybe maybe some old bay in there, a little bit of old bay.
12:46And then at the end, I throw some Louisiana hot sauce on there and kind of kind of douse it in that.
12:51But those were those were really cool.
12:54I thought steak was great growing up.
12:55But once we started really getting into fish, I think it was when dad was trying to eat a little healthier.
13:00Yeah.
13:00We were doing some fish.
13:02And I just you could see like the the care and the intention of of prepping that, you know, it's got its tinfoil.
13:11And he was real, real on it, on how to cook it.
13:15And like the the payoff was always great.
13:19It just tasted freaking amazing.
13:21Yeah.
13:22So that's, you know, those were some of my favorite meals.
13:25Dad's steaks.
13:26He cooked a bunch of burgers.
13:28You know, we when we lived on the river, we'd have friends over and he'd cook burgers and he'd do his famous put the cheese ball in the meat.
13:36So when you eat it, that cheese would come out everywhere.
13:39Those were fantastic.
13:40Might have to bring those back at some point.
13:42Yeah.
13:43Sounds like something you ought to pick up at home.
13:45Yeah.
13:46Yeah.
13:46But these days, me and Brittany, we love cooking at the house.
13:50She is an incredible cook.
13:52I love grilling.
13:53I love doing it.
13:54And I can and I will.
13:55And I do here and there.
13:56But I honestly love when when I'm like the sous chef because she is working with some flavors, man.
14:02I'm telling you, she's got some things going on.
14:05She's got one of my favorite steaks.
14:07Uh, she'll do it on a cast iron skillet for the first part of it and then stick it in the oven for like the last bit.
14:13Um, kind of a restaurant style.
14:16Yeah.
14:17You know, we'll do a filet that way.
14:19And it, it really doesn't need much more, you know, little salt and pepper.
14:22And it's, she, you get the right cut, the right brand.
14:26And, you know, you don't even really need steak sauce.
14:29It's that good.
14:30Yeah.
14:30And, um, man, we'll do, you know, broccolini.
14:33We'll do, you know, a bunch of different greens.
14:35Sometimes we'll do a salad, um, fresh salad, purse steaks.
14:39And then, you know, we'll do, we'll have some mushrooms on the side, whatever.
14:43But I love, I love being a part of it, but I like when she leads the way cooking, man, because she does something with her flavors.
14:50Like she made me some cheesy eggs earlier, like I was saying, and dude, just different.
14:56I can do it and I can get by, but it's elevated when, when she takes control.
15:03That's great.
15:03Well, Brian, I want to ask you about the, the church and, you know, I, I talked to your old bandmate, uh, Tyler Hubbard a while ago and, you know, he was talking about how, you know, he grew up in the church and that was a big part of, of him kind of, uh, you know, really getting into music and performing.
15:22Yeah.
15:23And, you know, the two of you really connected over that, um, when you got to college.
15:30And so I'm curious what that looked like for you as a kid, what kind of environment were you in and, you know, what did, what did like a Sunday look like for you?
15:38From kind of as early as I can remember, remember, you know, like we were, we were going to church.
15:43We went to first United Methodist, you know, 10, 12 minutes from the house over, uh, over across the bridge.
15:50And, um, you know, we were there, I was there all the, all through, I guess, high school.
15:55I started going to first Baptist downtown Daytona and, um, that's when I started really getting into probably even a deeper walk in my faith was, was in middle halfway through high school.
16:09Um, I went to this Wednesday night, you know, uh, middle high school service they had called fire by night.
16:17And it was just next level. The music was awesome. People were just like, it was like, they're having a party, but it was like worship, you know, it was like, you're just feeling all sorts of things.
16:27Like the music's amazing. You're, you're just, you're, you're in it, right. You're with all these people that are, you know, worshiping.
16:33And it was incredible. And I was really drawn to right around that time, uh, learning how to play guitar and got kind of plugged in with, with a couple of buddies at the church and a couple of friends from high school.
16:47And so, uh, played in the, the youth band like a couple of times, just on acoustic guitar, just simple chords.
16:55And that's kind of how I got my start ever playing live, ever doing anything.
16:59Um, and then once I got to college, I went to first Baptist, uh, Tallahassee and started playing in the college band there.
17:07And really that was just playing acoustic as well. Um, it wasn't until maybe around maybe second year of at Florida state started leading, you know, started helping out leading, leading some worship and, um, kept it going, moved back to Daytona, kept leading worship there, moved to Nashville, did it there.
17:26And, um, no, I mean, it just, uh, just a part of, you know, something I loved, you know, it was, it was great to be a part of something bigger than yourself.
17:38It was great to, to challenge yourself, uh, learning, learning these songs and being able to play in church, you know, and to help lead worship and help be a part of something.
17:49That's helping people get in a, get in a moment of peace or prayer and, uh, just get outside of, of this whole world of everybody's week of going so hard and being caught up with everything.
18:02Right. And to, to be a part of a moment, 45, 30, 30 minutes of a congregation, that's, that's special.
18:11You know, I just, I've always felt, um, moved by, you know, contemporary Christian music or worship music, however you want to call it.
18:20There's a little bit of difference in both to me, but, um, you know, for, for a moment there, uh, you know, I wanted to kind of be the, you know, casting crowns.
18:29Like I, I love that stuff and that, that helped shape, you know, a lot of my life and a lot of who I am was, was leading worship in church and, and getting those,
18:39those opportunities to, to help lead and to, to help be part of a team, you know, it was really important.
18:45I grew a lot of my faith in those years and, um, you know, definitely thankful for, for those moments.
18:52And, um, you know, maybe down the road when things slow down, I'll probably, probably do it again.
18:58Was there a song, um, or a hymn or something that stands out for you that you were kind of latched on to,
19:05or that you maybe became known for that, that you really like connected with as a performer?
19:11And you're like, okay, something's happening here.
19:13People are really feeling something in the, in the audience.
19:17What do you go back to here?
19:20I mean, Holy is the Lord, the Chris Tomlin one.
19:22When that, I mean that, when that came out, everybody knew that song.
19:25So it didn't even matter that I was singing it.
19:27It could have been anybody singing it and it was just connecting because it was amazing.
19:31So that song, I mean, play that song a million times, but one song, um,
19:35I never, I don't think I ever played it live.
19:38It was more for like personal, like ingestion of helping get through a tough time.
19:44But I remember, you know, I got red shirted at Florida state on the baseball team, my freshman year
19:49and praise you in the storm had come out right around that time or so by casting crowns.
19:55And, you know, that was a, that was a small storm in my life.
19:59You know, that was a pause on life.
20:02You don't get to play.
20:03You're not traveling.
20:03You're on the team, but you're not going anywhere.
20:06You're not playing.
20:08And so that, you know, and I found out like the week before the season started.
20:11So I had, I had no idea that that was going to happen.
20:13And so that hit me pretty hard.
20:15You know, I was, I was a freshman.
20:16I was looking to come in and play.
20:18So, you know, when my, my team was gone to Clemson or wherever for the weekend, you know,
20:22I was in my room learning how to freaking write songs, working on this recording program, sharpening
20:28my, my tools and just, just getting in the music and getting my feelings out with songs
20:34and just trying to explore, you know, a capo on the guitar and different tunings and just
20:41really trying to figure it out, you know?
20:44And so I turned to music, writing it and listening to it to help me through a, through a difficult
20:49time, you know, of just like a waiting period, you know, a season of like, no, you know,
20:56and praise you in the storm.
20:58I was like, man, I feel that I'm, you know, I'm going to, I'm going to choose to be positive
21:02and I'm going to choose to trust and know that God's got me and that I can get through
21:07this.
21:08And music was, music was everything.
21:10I mean, that's one of the reasons I only probably got by, you know, was having, having
21:13the outlet to write it and then having some music that was connecting with me by other
21:18artists to like help give me some strength, you know, and some, some courage and some peace
21:22of mind, you know?
21:24Yeah.
21:24And so you really thought you might have a baseball career ahead of you?
21:29Man, I thought at one point, yeah, you know.
21:31Um, you know, I came in highly recruited out of high school and then, you know, my sophomore
21:35year at Florida state didn't play much really at all.
21:38And, uh, I just, I wanted to go home and I wanted to play for Tim Tuma, who was at Daytona
21:43state.
21:43I knew he had a really tough program when it came to training and just the way that they
21:47ran their program.
21:48And I thought, you know what, I'm going to do something really unexpected and I'm going
21:52to go backwards and I'm going to go get my butt kicked.
21:56And it was the best thing I ever did.
21:58It really was.
21:59It was, it was really challenging physically and mentally, um, everything that we trained
22:05through and for, you know, treading water with cinder blocks over our head until somebody
22:10says, pass it.
22:11Then you pass it to the next guy, 6am swimming, uh, 5am, three or four days a week, workouts,
22:17hard workouts.
22:18You know, you have hell week in January, but you know, those moments of, of, you know,
22:24when you think you can't get through something and you do, you know, it gives you strength,
22:28it gives you confidence.
22:29And so I've taken that mindset, a warrioristic mindset approach and lifestyle to everything
22:35I've done musically on the road.
22:37You know, when you're just not feeling it, you're sick or you have to get through something,
22:40whatever it may be.
22:41You're just a little off.
22:43You, you know, I go back to those moments of, well, I can get through this because I've,
22:48I went through hell week.
22:50I've treaded water.
22:51I've treaded water with cinder blocks over my head.
22:54You know, I've, I've done this, I've done that.
22:56And you can always do more than you think you can.
22:58And so I, I channel those days a lot.
23:00I go back to those.
23:01I'm eternally grateful for, for, for doing that.
23:04And that ended up getting me somehow to Nashville, um, Belmont.
23:09And, you know, my college career was a journey and I'm so grateful for it, man.
23:14Like I knew, I knew I was supposed to leave Florida state.
23:17I knew by way of Daytona state, I was supposed to go to Belmont deep down in my gut.
23:23And, you know, Florida state was my dream school.
23:25Like I, there's nowhere else I wanted to go and play.
23:27We grew up going to football games since I could walk and talk and, um, you know, it
23:33hurt, you know, to leave and it hurt, you know, to not, to not play my freshman year.
23:38But, you know, life is a, life is a journey and, uh, you just got to go with your gut.
23:44And, you know, there's always an open door somewhere if you keep moving along and you
23:47keep treading forward, you know?
23:48So speaking of the journey, you're at a really interesting juncture in your career right now.
23:53I mean, you know, you've had this incredible run with Florida Georgia Line.
24:00Yes, sir.
24:01I mean, incredible.
24:02Um, just like a rocket ship and, you know, y'all are one of the biggest bands in country
24:07music.
24:07And then you make this decision that you're going to part ways and you're going to go,
24:11go your own way and do your own thing and, and do the solo thing.
24:15How did y'all explain that to your fans?
24:17That had to be a, you know, challenging thing.
24:20I think we just said we were going to, you know, focus on doing a bunch of everything,
24:24you know, at, at that time.
24:25It was also a weird, it was a weird year, you know, it was a super weird year, right?
24:29Yeah, it's still kind of COVID, COVID-y times, but, um, you know, really at the end of the
24:33day, I'm forever grateful for what we created and, and those memories and just, man, the fans
24:38that we were able to make and connect with, you know, um, I still, I often think about
24:42that, you know, and just very, very grateful.
24:45A lot of gratitude on my end for, for what we, what we accomplished and, you know, what
24:50we kind of did the impossible, you know, I'm, I'm not naive to that.
24:54So I, I'm just very, very thankful.
24:56I still hear a lot of our songs on radio a lot.
24:59Yeah.
24:59I really do.
25:01Yeah.
25:02So does everybody.
25:03Yeah.
25:03Well, Brian, so, you know, you, uh, you know, you had this period before you met Tyler and,
25:11you know, you were writing music and, and, you know, performing and kind of doing your
25:16own thing.
25:17And then you go into, you know, Florida, Georgia line for, for a long time.
25:23And now you've kind of come back, uh, to doing your own thing.
25:27And I'm wondering when you kind of look at the, you know, the Brian before and the Brian
25:32now, how has your kind of perspective changed as a songwriter and an artist?
25:38Um, you know, do you feel like you kind of picked up where you left off or are you just
25:43a completely, you know, completely different person now?
25:46You know, I'm the same guy, you know, in terms of like at the end of the day, core values
25:50and who I am and what I love, what I believe in, but man, I've, I've learned so much over
25:56the years, man.
25:58I mean, it's, it's, I mean, to be able to kind of start over as a solo artist, but have
26:02the, the background and the history that I have in a duo.
26:06I mean, it, it kind of gives me in a sense of, I guess, a headstart because, you know,
26:10we've done, we've done a lot of things over the years.
26:13It's so different writing just for yourself, you know, when you're writing for a group or
26:17duo, however you want to look at it, or somebody's in a trio.
26:20You know, you're looking, you know, kind of a, maybe a majority wins or it's, it's easy
26:24to collaborate and say, you know, that's dope.
26:27If you like it, then I like it.
26:28And that works for both of us.
26:29And that's, that's awesome.
26:30And I love that.
26:31I love being a part of a team.
26:32I love collaborating.
26:34And on the other end of it, kind of being, you know, your own captain, it's also easier
26:38to, to say, no, I don't, I don't like that.
26:42I wouldn't say that per se.
26:44I think it's a little easier to make it your own.
26:47And so I'm having fun with that, you know, had fun.
26:49You know, being in a duo, being, you know, collaborative that way.
26:55And now, you know, in this season of life, I'm really enjoying just kind of sharing with
26:59the world who I am.
27:01You know, I think it's, it's been really fun to, to share my voice and share who I am and
27:06what I'm about, you know, as, as the story goes on.
27:09And so, but as a songwriter, you know, really, man, I'm, I'm always learning.
27:15I don't, I don't ever want to think I have it figured out because there's days where you
27:19just get your butt kicked in the songwriting room, you know, or, or even starting something
27:23by yourself and not feeling inspired and not feeling like you're good anymore.
27:27Like, damn, wrote my, wrote my last good song yesterday, whatever it may be.
27:31But, you know, I've learned that you just keep showing up and it's, it's really not about,
27:38I think most songwriters, professional songwriters know, we know what to do with a good idea for
27:44the most part, it's just, how do we get to those good ideas and those good titles and
27:48those good hooks.
27:49Right.
27:49So it's just being patient.
27:51And I really, I know this sounds simple, but songwriting and fishing, I compare the two.
27:57I really do, man.
27:58I see so many similarities because I do a lot of both, you know, it's like, you don't always
28:05catch a fish when you go, that's not always a given.
28:08They're not always biting.
28:09Some days they're fricking going off and you can't catch enough.
28:13You can't stop it, you know?
28:15And then there's, you know, and there's a songwriting where, you know, you could show
28:18up and get a song and, you know, I wrote that song.
28:21I liked that song.
28:21I put my best into it, but am I going to personally record it?
28:24No, I might get, you know, hopefully somebody else does, but it's not, it's not something
28:29that I want for me, but that can't, you just have to keep going.
28:34You know, the more you fish, the more you're going to catch and the more you songwrite and
28:37songwriting, you know, the days that you leave with those songs that you're like, man,
28:42we wrote the crap out of that song, but I don't think I'm going to record it.
28:47Those songs will have a life, hopefully, and then those songs, I believe, get you to the
28:52songs that you love.
28:54If you don't write those songs, you're not going to get to the songs that you love, right?
28:58It's all about getting in there, putting the work in and being available to sit around
29:04and wait like you would fishing and throw your, throw your bobber in there and wait till it
29:09just wait till somebody says the right title or, or you're digging through your phone for
29:14ideas or, Hey, let me go get my old notebook out up in my closet.
29:18I haven't looked through, let me see if there's anything that pops through, you know?
29:21Well, there's that saying in fishing, you know, it's all about time on the water.
29:24So yeah, you got to, you got to put in the time.
29:27Yeah, that's right.
29:28So putting in the time, man, but just being respectful to the game, you know, like just,
29:33I don't, I've never thought I've had it figured out songwriting.
29:36I've gotten very lucky.
29:37I put a lot of work in over the years and I spent a lot of time by myself, you know,
29:42sussing out songs and ideas and journaling and writing poems and writing prayers out,
29:48you know, um, that some, some are just for personal reasons and some I, I'm like, Oh,
29:54that's a song and I'll write it down, you know?
29:56Um, but I work really hard at it and I have a really big respect for songwriting for songwriters.
30:02Uh, because man, it's just, you just never know some, some, you'd be walking around and
30:06inspiration hits and you got to get your phone out and you got to put, get your voice memo
30:10or you got to type something out because some thoughts are very, can be fleeting and you have
30:15to capture it.
30:15Yeah. Yeah. Well, I, I want to talk about the new album and where some of these songs
30:21are, are coming from, um, it's called Tennessee Truth and the title, uh, for the album comes
30:28from this song, Kiss My Boots. It's, it's a line in, in Kiss My Boots. That's a song that's
30:34about, you know, somebody who's kind of, that you've, you've gotten crossways with somebody
30:40who's really, you know, done you wrong. Um, tell me a little bit about that one and where
30:47that came from.
30:48Yeah. You know, that's funny. You ask about that, um, right after songwriting, because,
30:53you know, that's a prime example of being patient with the session of the day. You know, if,
30:59if I hadn't, you know, stuck around that day, we wouldn't have written that song. You know,
31:03there's things that happened that specific day. Um, I didn't show up with that title. Nobody
31:08showed up with that title. It came out of thin air. I said it right when we got to the
31:12end of the hook, we kind of wrote to the hook and then landed on that. I had a guy on zoom
31:16and then two buddies in the room and we went through ideas for hours, you know, um, piddling
31:21around and I wanted to leave with something I loved. And my buddy on zoom had to get off
31:27and go get ready for a gig. And so we just started talking and going through ideas, going
31:33through riffs. And, uh, one of my buddies said, you know, what about something, you know,
31:36just this little line. And this was the spark that we needed was, you know, what about something
31:40like, you know, comes out with the whiskey comes out in the whiskey. I was like, that's
31:44interesting. Not long after that, we were off to the races, you know, and realized quickly
31:49that this was a song about standing up for yourself. And, um, you know, I know me and all
31:54the writers in the room, definitely, you know, and probably you yourself, like in everybody
31:58in life, cause it's a universal message of being done wrong. We all, you know, probably have
32:04two or three people on our kiss my boots list. You know, that's, that's a given that's, that's
32:09life. And so, you know, this song for me, you know, I put it out cause I wanted people
32:13to know that I'm a real person that I have real feelings. I've gone through real scenarios
32:17and real situations and different relationships. And so it was important for me to continue
32:22the authenticity on this record, just like everything else. This song is no different.
32:27It's real. And it comes from a real place for me and me and my songwriting buddies.
32:31And, you know, I put it out because I know the power of, of music. Music is healing. You
32:38know, I've got that tattoo right here. It's helped me, like I said, along my, my journey
32:43in life, music as a writer, as an artist, and then as a fan, man, is, is just so powerful
32:48to me. And so for, you know, I love that people can make this song their own. You know, I've
32:53gotten tagged by fans that are like, thanks for my new workout jam. They're working out to
32:57this song. I've got people, you know, hitting me up saying, Hey, I, how did you know what
33:01I was going through? And that's the best compliment, you know, that somebody could give an artist
33:06and a songwriter is being able to channel, you know, what's real to me and my collaborators
33:11is real to so many people, right? Because a lot of people have been done wrong and a lot
33:16of people, you know, have, have these feelings and have had these thoughts. And so to give them
33:21an anthem they can relate to and listen to and using their life in the way that they
33:26want is special to me. And it means a lot that it's out in the world. And, um, you
33:31know, I just, it's, it's magic to me because I can't imagine if we would have called it
33:35quits that day and just, you know, we're not feeling it. We tried for a couple hours, this
33:40song wouldn't be around, you know? And so, um, I'm just thankful, you know, to, to
33:46have, you know, great collaborators. I'm, I'm thankful to have this drive inside of
33:51me when I wake up every day, I'm just grateful for life. I'm grateful to see, you know, what
33:58we can come up with and what, how every day, every session, how can we put our truth into
34:05a song, whether that's acres, whether that's 10 o'clock on the dock or whether that's kiss
34:10my boots, it's all about putting truth and realness into these songs. And so, yeah, I'm
34:16just glad it's out.
34:17You know, there's another one on there that, that, uh, I liked called Dirt Cheap. And I
34:22don't, I don't know if you were a writer on that one. Um, but it's, uh, it feels very
34:28much, you know, at home on this record. Um, what did that song mean to you?
34:33You know, that song I didn't write, but just for, you know, just like you said, man, that
34:37song, uh, I listened to it for the first time. My label sent it to me over a year ago,
34:42probably at this point. And, uh, I was in my truck listening to this little link and
34:46that was just based off the title. I go, I'm gonna listen to this one first. I'm probably
34:52going to love this. And I was curious on how the title was going to fall into the hook and
34:57how that was going to play. And right immediately, you know, first couple of lines, you grew up
35:01in a small town, kind of like mine and think about all those lines. I was like, okay, turning
35:05up a little louder. I'm in, I like this. And it gets to the chorus. Then it gets to the
35:09end. And I'm like, oh my gosh. Like, so I called my label. I was like, are you sure
35:13this is available? Like nobody's, nobody's got this on hold. They're like, no, it's all
35:16you. If you want it. I go, yeah, I want it. You know, this song is, this song is, is
35:21literally, you know, me. And I know this song is, is a lot of other people in the way that
35:27they think and what they're wanting in their life. And so, uh, it was a no brainer. Like
35:31I, I, I had to record it immediately and I'm, I'm grateful that I, you know, I got to call
35:36that song mine and they wrote the heck out of that song. You know, it's special. It,
35:40that song puts me in a mindset and it puts me in a place. Uh, it keep, that song keeps
35:47me dreaming. I love that song. And that's what good country music does. You know, it's,
35:51it's an escape. It's, uh, it's so many different things. And that song is, is, you know, makes
35:56me, uh, makes me really happy that it's mine.
35:59Yeah. You got a lot of great music on there and I know you're excited to get out on the
36:03road, um, and share it with folks, but it's also got to be a little bit hard to leave
36:08Greaton Beach. You got a pretty good life down there and you got a lot going on. Um, you've
36:13got a restaurant, right? You got a burger place that you've opened up.
36:16Yes, sir. Yeah. Papa surf burger bar is, uh, up and running. We're about to hit our first
36:22summer season. So, uh, we're, we're hoping and expecting some big crowds and some smiling
36:27faces. Um, but we've created a, a, a memory maker, you know, it's more than a burger joint.
36:33We've created a space where families, locals and tourists can come in and create a bunch
36:38of memories. You know, we've got a setting that is unlike any other. It's a renovated
36:42old house. That was a cafe. And we've transformed this place into something really, really special
36:48and unique. And the backyard is a sight to see, you know, it's got massive magnolias in the
36:54back. So you've got lots of shade and then a bar built around it, lots of seating. And, um,
36:59you know, we've got great drinks, got our liquor license, got some great beer and the
37:03burgers are slamming. I promise you, you will not be let down. You will leave full and happy.
37:09We're just grateful that we could, um, team up with the Glavin family and, uh, Jason and
37:15Brittany Aldean and, and give 30A, um, a really cool spot to, you know, go and have some drink
37:22drinks after work, have some burgers and, you know, for everybody that's coming here
37:27down the summer, that's going to be on the beach, you're going to get hungry. You know
37:31what I'm saying? You're going to get thirsty and you're going to need some shade. So, you
37:35know, in those moments, come see us. We'll take care of you over at Papa surf. Um, but
37:40you know, really being able to combine Brittany and I's love for multiple things on this project
37:46is what's made it really fulfilling. You know, you get, you know, we get our architecture design
37:51fix. We get our burger fix. We get our entrepreneur fix. And then like our, you know, we love hosting,
37:57we love projects and building things and we love collaboration. And that's what, that's
38:02what this is all about. And we've got great partners with the Aldeans and Glavins. We've
38:06got great staff, great crew, great team. And so, you know, it really feels like we're building
38:12something special. I'm really proud of it. And, uh, you know, the long-term goal, uh, is
38:18to have multiple locations in, in specific coastal areas. So maybe, maybe one day when
38:24the time is right, we'll have, uh, get back to Ormond, maybe get back, man, put one up
38:29in Ormond. That's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. Well, it sounds like Brittany's
38:34a pretty great cook. So she's got, she's got that end of it covered. That's right. That's
38:39right. Well, Brian, I just have one more question for you. What does it mean to you
38:45to be Southern? It means a lot to me, you know, and I think it, it's important to me.
38:51And I think it's, it's a way of life. It's a mindset. It's how you treat people. It's,
38:56it's, it's how you're raised as much as who you are today, you know, and I think you could
39:01be Southern and not be from a Southern state. And that's what I think makes it so special,
39:06you know, so it doesn't necessarily to me because people could say you're from a, you
39:12know, different place and I'm a cowboy, I'm country. And who's to say that, that you're
39:16not, it's how you act and how you represent yourself. And it's who you are that makes you
39:21Southern, not necessarily where you come from. I think people probably know that. So it means
39:27a lot to me. I'm grateful, uh, for my childhood. I'm grateful for my parents setting a great example
39:33for me of love and, you know, my, my grandmommy and, and, you know, the, the Southern traditions
39:41that, that we've had over the years and, and things that I look back now that she's gone
39:47and trying to keep some of those traditions alive and how she grew up even, you know, and
39:54what her interests were. And I think being Southern is carrying those traditions on, you know, and
39:59that's why, you know, Brittany and I just bought a little farm. We had one years ago and then
40:03we sold it and knew we were going to get another one at some point, but we just bought a little
40:07piece of land, um, outside of, outside of Nashville, about 30 minutes or so. And, you know,
40:12just, just, uh, these things, things that are important, you make time for, and you make
40:18part of your life and that's just who you are. And I think that's being Southern. So it means
40:22a lot to me. Um, I'm proud of it and it's, uh, you don't have to be from just a Southern
40:27state. So if anybody's out there listening, you can be Southern too. It's just, it's just
40:31all how you are. Well, I hope you got a bass pond on that little farm. We do. There's
40:36a Creek that runs through it. It's dammed up in the nice little pond. And, uh, I've
40:41already caught some bass on it. We hadn't had it, but a couple of weeks and I've already
40:45slayed some bass. That's, that's, that's good. That's a good sign. Yes, sir. Well,
40:50Brian Kelly, um, good luck with the tour and the restaurant and congrats on the new album.
40:57And, uh, thanks so much for being on Biscuits and Jam. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.