Country Fried Rock 1213: Patrick Sweany Talks Nashville's Blues Scene
Summary
From 2012: Patrick Sweany gets real about the Nashville music scene, diving deep into his journey from coffee shop gigs in Ohio to making waves in the heart of Music City. He spills the beans on how the Basement became his home base and his Nashville family, crediting them for his leap into this vibrant community where creativity flows like sweet tea on a hot day. Patrick reminisces about the electric nights at showcases, where he learned that every performance is a chance to connect with an audience, even if they’re more interested in the game on TV. The convo rolls into his evolution as an artist, revealing how he honed his craft through countless late-night sets, proving that hard work and passion can make dreams come true. Tune in to hear how he navigates the ups and downs of the music biz, all while keeping it real and relatable in a town that can be as tough as a two-dollar steak.
Show Notes
Diving into the vibrant world of music with Patrick Sweany
Sloane Spencer and Patrick Sweeney kick off a laid-back yet insightful conversation about his artistic journey, starting with a pivotal night in 2011 at a Nashville showcase. Here's how the chat unfolds:
Nashville Roots:
- Patrick shares how his music career began at The Basement, a venue that’s close to his heart. The Nashville community, full of creative energy, gave him the support he needed to find his footing in the city.
From Ohio to Music City:
- He paints a picture of a young musician fresh from Ohio, navigating the highs and lows of live performances, all while trying to figure out his sound. It's a story of the hustle and heart of breaking into the Nashville music scene.
Creative Integrity in a Commercial World:
- The conversation takes a deeper turn as Patrick talks about the struggle to stay true to his artistic voice while the music industry often pushes for commercial success. It’s about balancing creativity and maintaining authenticity.
Formative Years in Kent, Ohio:
- Patrick reflects on how his love for music first blossomed in his teenage years, especially when he discovered blues and rock. A key moment in his journey, he recalls how these raw, soulful sounds ignited his passion for music.
Witty Banter on Musicianship:
- With a lighthearted tone, Patrick contrasts the serious musicianship he admired with the more laid-back vibe of some live performances. It’s a reminder that sometimes the best music comes from unexpected, casual moments.
The Evolution of Genre:
- The discussion cleverly touches on how genres evolve and the importance of staying authentic. Patrick talks about the challenges of finding your voice amid the pressures of fitting into predefined categories in the industry.
What’s Next for Patrick:
- The episode wraps up with Patrick teasing some exciting upcoming projects and collaborations. He leaves listeners eagerly anticipating the next chapter in his musical journey.
In the end, this episode of Country Fried Rock is more than just a look at Patrick Sweany’s path; it's a celebration of the community, creativity, and serendipity that shape an artist’s journey.
Chapters
- 00:09 - Introducing Patrick Sweany
- 04:51 - The Influence of Live Music on Musical Growth
- 10:55 - From Coffee Shops to Country Music: The Journey Begins
- 11:47 - The Journey of a Musician
- 21:40 - The Journey of a Musician: From Gigs to Records
- 25:06 - The Nashville Music Scene
Takeaways
- The podcast dives deep into the creative inspirations of musicians, showcasing how personal experiences, like moving to Nashville, shape their artistic journey.
- Patrick Sweany shares a heartfelt story about the Basement, describing it as his Nashville family and a pivotal point in his musical career.
- In the episode, they discuss the importance of live performances, emphasizing how a showcase can be a unique opportunity for musicians to connect with new audiences.
- Both speakers highlight the unpredictability of live music, noting that sometimes performances hit the mark and other times they don't, but consistency is key.
- The conversation touches on the significance of honing one's craft, with Sweeney explaining that singing is like building a muscle that requires consistent practice and dedication.
- Listeners learn about the nuances of Nashville's music scene, with Sweany revealing how the community supports artists and fosters collaboration among musicians.
Links
- REMINDER: IGNORE ALL LINKS OR EVENTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE FROM 2012
- Patrick Sweany
- You may also enjoy this conversation from 2015 with The Bones of JR Jones
- Toss a few in our Tip Jar!
Mentioned in this Episode
- Americana
- The Basement
- Dave Brown
- Chelsea's
- Nine Mile Records
- Kevin Gordon
- Magna Hand
- Steve Soto
Recommended If You Like
Country Fried Rock, Americana music, Nashville music scene, Patrick Sweeney interview, music creativity, independent musicians, music showcases, blues music, songwriter interviews, live music performance, Nashville musicians, Americana charts, music inspiration, touring musicians, music career journey, music venues in Nashville, folk music, songwriting process, music industry insights, Country Fried Rock podcast
Transcript
Speaker A
Welcome to Country Fried Rock, where we talk with musicians to find out what inspires their creativity. Country Fried Rock music uncovered. Patrick Sweeney, who I first heard at Americana in 2011 of an amazing showcase at the Basement.
Welcome to Country Fried Rock.
Speaker B
Glad to be here.
Speaker A
This is a treat for me. I'm always seeking a band that just kind of blows my mind when I go to their showcase in this year.
That night of the Basement was amazing and that your show was part of it.
Speaker B
Thanks. Yeah, you know, the Basement, actually, you know Mike Grimes and, you know, the folks at the Basement are like. They're like my Nashville family.
I mean, they're really. They're the reason I live in Nashville. You know, they were the only. Only club that would book us as a touring band and coming through.
And actually I've. Dave Brown, one of the owners, hooked me up with my landlord. Like, I'd driven down there was the only.
When I decided to move to Nashville, I drove there because it was the only place anywhere to go and to use their WI Fi and, you know, hang out and chase down my Craigslist dads for apartments and houses and stuff like that. And Every. I had 15 of them, and none of them worked out. Dave Brown was setting up the bar and he's like, hey, man, I think my old house is open.
Why don't you call my landlord? And, you know, a couple weeks later, we moved in.
Speaker A
That's fantastic.
Speaker B
Yeah, yeah, it's really cool. They're great there. And, you know, that was. They're awesome people. I think it's one of the best rooms in Nashville. We just walked out.
We got that showcase at that spot. You know, it was right.
You know what, Right after the Deep Dark woods and there was, you know, it was a huge buzz about them, so we were able to keep some more people in. And, you know, that's cool things about Nashville, man.
You know, I was able to, you know, get really, really good guys that were playing in the band that night. And yeah, it was just, you know, it was a really great night.
Speaker A
It was a great night. And I'm going to differ with you on that. I don't think it had to do with who came before after you. The performance itself was stunning, stellar.
Some people, when it. Some people, when it comes to a showcase, I think they're like, eh, five songs, whatever.
But sometimes for people like me, that's the only time I'm gonna hear a band.
Speaker B
Yeah. And that's, you know, doing these showcase things. I don't know. I guess I've got a perpetually a support act, you know, on. On a lot of tours. And I.
And so I feel really good about. I mean, not to, you know, oh, this is. Well, I'm great at this or, you know, anything like that.
I don't mean to be, you know, be egotism or not, but I really felt like we had it. We really had an on night that night. And it really. It was. It was great. And plus, you know, being able to.
Because I see that way, you know, like, opening slots and showcase spots. You know, it's the only time that you really get to reach, you know, the people that really sort of, you know, move and shake our little microcosm.
Case in point, this interview, it's something that. It's definitely a skill I tried to develop, but, you know, you just, you know, with performance, it's such a shot in the dark. Really true.
You know, sometimes, you know, you just. Things hit, sometimes they don't. You know, you just try to be consistent.
But, you know, I think John Radford was on drums that night, and Joe, you know, with Joe Manahan on second guitar. And that's, you know, anytime I get to play with Joe, it always. It always raises the bar. You know, he's just such a great musician and great friend.
Because my. My friend Josh Buskirk from West Virginia is recording at Joe's house right now. So they drove in last night and I had to get him.
Get him in the right direction and just did that. Or would get together, you know, dad would go to, you know, to Dad's practice and play after that until I was about 14 or 15.
I remember being into, like, all this stuff. And after football practice, I was in ninth grade and I played.
I had this Buddy Holly tape, and it had some bonus track or something like that on this little cassette tape that had a live thing of the surviving crickets. And they were played Little Richard's Keep A Knockin. It was just so awesome. It's like, oh, it's so cool, man.
You know, And I played it for a friend of mine, you know, in the locker room after football. Guys, he's like, you know, what's like country? Put that back away. And then just sort of back to my secret rhythm and blues life.
So I'm like, okay, you know, I just thought this was just to hit this thing, you know, this rockabilly kind of thing. What's wrong with that, right? So, you know, I was hanging out with my friends and listening to, like, you know, the first couple Metallica albums.
Stuff. And, you know, Poison was huge. Oh, yeah. Oh, my God. So that direct was happening. And, you know, it was cool, you know, if you're hanging out.
But, you know, I remember that was about the same time. I think that right around that time, for sure there, I feel like. And justice for all came out. That, like, changed.
Suddenly you could listen to heavy metal. It was obtainable, which was cool. I was really into that. But. But I was always just kind of doing my little folky blues thing.
And while that was going on, and dad was taking me to, like, to concerts and things like that then in Wadsworth, Ohio. I grew up in Mass, Ohio, but in Wadsworth, Ohio, there's a high school auditorium there, the O.J. work Auditorium. They would have bluegrass shows at.
I got to see Bill Monroe when I was about 11 or 12.
Speaker A
Wow.
Speaker B
And I didn't know who he was.
His dad had taken me to a couple of them, and you'd see some bands, and some bands were good and some bands weren't as good, but I really dug was all these guys that would pay their admission to get into the concerts and never watch it. They'd come in and they'd go down in the high school cafeteria and pick. Oh, yeah. And I was like, man, this is crazy. No one's watching.
These guys aren't watching the show. And then some of those guys were better than the bands that would, you know, be on.
I mean, I didn't understand a lot about, you know, like, how that sort of works. And that's just the de Rigger bluegrass. Yeah. But I noticed that at Bill.
And the Bill Monroe show was way more crowded, and those guys watched Bill Monroe. I was like, okay, this is different. And then, you know, later on, I realized who had seen, you know, the inventor of the music.
Speaker A
I love how you talk about learning to sing the way you sing, because I'm not sure I've had anyone who could be clear about that in that way.
Speaker B
I think anybody can sing, obviously. It's just. I really do. Some singers are better than others, you know, I mean, it's more what people think is pleasing.
I mean, it really is just a muscle, you know, like anything else, you can work it out. It'll perform different. People are wired differently. Like my mother, you know, I. You know, I say a lot about my dad.
You know, my mother's family's a lot of musical people. My mom was born in Liverpool, England. She came over to America when she was 20. Her sister married American service guy and moved to.
Moved to Ohio, you know, you're out of school at 15.
You know, at that time in England, you know, she lived with her mother going to work and her mom here move, she's like, you know, there's no opportunity for you here.
Speaker A
Wow.
Speaker B
To America. And she didn't want to go. You know, she was just a kid. Just terrifying to think what, you know, going to a different country when you're 20.
You know, mom jokes, she's like, if I still playing with golf. I never met her dad. He was gone by the time I was around. But he, he apparently was a really, really talented mandolin player.
And, you know, Liverpool, England, and you know, the post war, so it's a pretty rough city, you know, especially at that time, you know, as a shipping port. So he was, he was a docker drinking in the fight and, you know, just part of a lifestyle.
When I've been over to England, you know, people ask me, where you from? And I said, well, you know, my mom's from, from Liverpool. And, you know, I said, you know, was your granddad a musician?
So I never knew, but I knew he played mandolin and mom said that he could listen to a song and play it, but I don't really, so it's in there. So. Also made my mom a little bit wary, I'm sure, as a career choice, but mostly because she's worried about her boy drinking and whatever.
Speaker A
So how did you then get from gigging in coffee shops in Kent, Ohio, to ultimately what led you to Nashville, but there's some time in between?
Speaker B
Oh, a little bit, yeah. Well, by the time I graduated from college, I. I was working five nights a week. I had five gigs a week.
So it was killer, you know, I mean, I was working a regular job, you know, I was only going to school a couple days a week at that point. It took me like six years to get a bachelor's degree. It was terrible, really. And I'm not really joking.
I mean, it was definitely five and a half poor parents. So I. But, so, I mean, I was just mad for it and it was so I always had a gig and it was a great time, you know, that say we would have been.
That would have been, you know, early to mid-90s, you know, so the economy was great.
You know, the post Stevie Ray Vaughan thing had really opened up, you know, everyone with a little extra dough that, like music opened up a blues bar.
It was great for me because again, because, you know, they're like, oh, man, I can, you know, you know, I can't get a Band in here for 150 bucks, but I can give this guy 100 bucks. Yeah. And I think I'm rich. $25 increase and play a long time. And I just.
I always just learned to, you know, play long sets and then started to play some rhythm guitar with the local blues band. And I poached some of the guys out of that playing in my band. And we'd had a little trio, but I was probably 20. That's a little head.
I was well into my mid-20s before I put a band together, probably 26 or so. But I would also do that, you know, I would also sub with this band and I'd play some Muddy Water stuff. So that's it.
Just always, just always working, you know. And there was. There was plenty of gigs to be had and, you know, they weren't glamorous or anything like that.
Speaker A
Right.
Speaker B
May have been a little detriment to, you know, me career wise, because I'm thinking, well, I can go.
Instead of me saving up money, going, playing some rock club and playing 40 minutes and doing that, you know, I would just go some bar from 10 to 2, but I'd have money in pocket. You know, I liked it. My favorite thing to do. So I didn't really think about it that way.
Speaker A
Right.
Speaker B
And have any sort of exposure to that. Probably long term. Wasn't a great choice. It's only now I realized what. But. But it really taught me to.
And something I really cherish is also to sort of entertain an audience. You're not just a musician, you know, you, you know, you want people to pay attention to you. You've got to give them.
You can't give them a lot of options.
Speaker A
Right.
Speaker B
Not listen to you.
Speaker A
You do that very well live.
Speaker B
That's my shtick. You know, I try to make sure that there's always something going on. Make it look like you're having a good time. Because usually I...
Transcript
Welcome to Country Fried Rock, where we talk with musicians to find out what inspires their creativity.
Speaker A:Country Fried Rock music uncovered.
Speaker A: I first heard at Americana in: Speaker A:Welcome to Country Fried Rock.
Speaker B:Glad to be here.
Speaker A:This is a treat for me.
Speaker A:I'm always seeking a band that just kind of blows my mind when I go to their showcase in this year.
Speaker A:That night of the Basement was amazing and that your show was part of it.
Speaker B:Thanks.
Speaker B:Yeah, you know, the Basement, actually, you know Mike Grimes and, you know, the folks at the Basement are like.
Speaker B:They're like my Nashville family.
Speaker B:I mean, they're really.
Speaker B:They're the reason I live in Nashville.
Speaker B:You know, they were the only.
Speaker B:Only club that would book us as a touring band and coming through.
Speaker B:And actually I've.
Speaker B:Dave Brown, one of the owners, hooked me up with my landlord.
Speaker B:Like, I'd driven down there was the only.
Speaker B:When I decided to move to Nashville, I drove there because it was the only place anywhere to go and to use their WI Fi and, you know, hang out and chase down my Craigslist dads for apartments and houses and stuff like that.
Speaker B:And Every.
Speaker B:I had 15 of them, and none of them worked out.
Speaker B:Dave Brown was setting up the bar and he's like, hey, man, I think my old house is open.
Speaker B:Why don't you call my landlord?
Speaker B:And, you know, a couple weeks later, we moved in.
Speaker A:That's fantastic.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, it's really cool.
Speaker B:They're great there.
Speaker B:And, you know, that was.
Speaker B:They're awesome people.
Speaker B:I think it's one of the best rooms in Nashville.
Speaker B:We just walked out.
Speaker B:We got that showcase at that spot.
Speaker B:You know, it was right.
Speaker B:You know what, Right after the Deep Dark woods and there was, you know, it was a huge buzz about them, so we were able to keep some more people in.
Speaker B:And, you know, that's cool things about Nashville, man.
Speaker B:You know, I was able to, you know, get really, really good guys that were playing in the band that night.
Speaker B:And yeah, it was just, you know, it was a really great night.
Speaker A:It was a great night.
Speaker A:And I'm going to differ with you on that.
Speaker A:I don't think it had to do with who came before after you.
Speaker A:The performance itself was stunning, stellar.
Speaker A:Some people, when it.
Speaker A:Some people, when it comes to a showcase, I think they're like, eh, five songs, whatever.
Speaker A:But sometimes for people like me, that's the only time I'm gonna hear a band.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And that's, you know, doing these showcase things.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:I guess I've got a perpetually a support act, you know, on.
Speaker B:On a lot of tours.
Speaker B:And I.
Speaker B:And so I feel really good about.
Speaker B:I mean, not to, you know, oh, this is.
Speaker B:Well, I'm great at this or, you know, anything like that.
Speaker B:I don't mean to be, you know, be egotism or not, but I really felt like we had it.
Speaker B:We really had an on night that night.
Speaker B:And it really.
Speaker B:It was.
Speaker B:It was great.
Speaker B:And plus, you know, being able to.
Speaker B:Because I see that way, you know, like, opening slots and showcase spots.
Speaker B:You know, it's the only time that you really get to reach, you know, the people that really sort of, you know, move and shake our little microcosm.
Speaker B:Case in point, this interview, it's something that.
Speaker B:It's definitely a skill I tried to develop, but, you know, you just, you know, with performance, it's such a shot in the dark.
Speaker B:Really true.
Speaker B:You know, sometimes, you know, you just.
Speaker B:Things hit, sometimes they don't.
Speaker B:You know, you just try to be consistent.
Speaker B:But, you know, I think John Radford was on drums that night, and Joe, you know, with Joe Manahan on second guitar.
Speaker B:And that's, you know, anytime I get to play with Joe, it always.
Speaker B:It always raises the bar.
Speaker B:You know, he's just such a great musician and great friend.
Speaker B:Because my.
Speaker B:My friend Josh Buskirk from West Virginia is recording at Joe's house right now.
Speaker B:So they drove in last night and I had to get him.
Speaker B:Get him in the right direction and just did that.
Speaker B:Or would get together, you know, dad would go to, you know, to Dad's practice and play after that until I was about 14 or 15.
Speaker B:I remember being into, like, all this stuff.
Speaker B:And after football practice, I was in ninth grade and I played.
Speaker B:I had this Buddy Holly tape, and it had some bonus track or something like that on this little cassette tape that had a live thing of the surviving crickets.
Speaker B:And they were played Little Richard's Keep A Knockin.
Speaker B:It was just so awesome.
Speaker B:It's like, oh, it's so cool, man.
Speaker B:You know, And I played it for a friend of mine, you know, in the locker room after football.
Speaker B:Guys, he's like, you know, what's like country?
Speaker B:Put that back away.
Speaker B:And then just sort of back to my secret rhythm and blues life.
Speaker B:So I'm like, okay, you know, I just thought this was just to hit this thing, you know, this rockabilly kind of thing.
Speaker B:What's wrong with that, right?
Speaker B:So, you know, I was hanging out with my friends and listening to, like, you know, the first couple Metallica albums.
Speaker B:Stuff.
Speaker B:And, you know, Poison was huge.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:Oh, my God.
Speaker B:So that direct was happening.
Speaker B:And, you know, it was cool, you know, if you're hanging out.
Speaker B:But, you know, I remember that was about the same time.
Speaker B:I think that right around that time, for sure there, I feel like.
Speaker B:And justice for all came out.
Speaker B:That, like, changed.
Speaker B:Suddenly you could listen to heavy metal.
Speaker B:It was obtainable, which was cool.
Speaker B:I was really into that.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:But I was always just kind of doing my little folky blues thing.
Speaker B:And while that was going on, and dad was taking me to, like, to concerts and things like that then in Wadsworth, Ohio.
Speaker B:I grew up in Mass, Ohio, but in Wadsworth, Ohio, there's a high school auditorium there, the O.J.
Speaker B:work Auditorium.
Speaker B:They would have bluegrass shows at.
Speaker B:I got to see Bill Monroe when I was about 11 or 12.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:And I didn't know who he was.
Speaker B:His dad had taken me to a couple of them, and you'd see some bands, and some bands were good and some bands weren't as good, but I really dug was all these guys that would pay their admission to get into the concerts and never watch it.
Speaker B:They'd come in and they'd go down in the high school cafeteria and pick.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:And I was like, man, this is crazy.
Speaker B:No one's watching.
Speaker B:These guys aren't watching the show.
Speaker B:And then some of those guys were better than the bands that would, you know, be on.
Speaker B:I mean, I didn't understand a lot about, you know, like, how that sort of works.
Speaker B:And that's just the de Rigger bluegrass.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:But I noticed that at Bill.
Speaker B:And the Bill Monroe show was way more crowded, and those guys watched Bill Monroe.
Speaker B:I was like, okay, this is different.
Speaker B:And then, you know, later on, I realized who had seen, you know, the inventor of the music.
Speaker A:I love how you talk about learning to sing the way you sing, because I'm not sure I've had anyone who could be clear about that in that way.
Speaker B:I think anybody can sing, obviously.
Speaker B:It's just.
Speaker B:I really do.
Speaker B:Some singers are better than others, you know, I mean, it's more what people think is pleasing.
Speaker B:I mean, it really is just a muscle, you know, like anything else, you can work it out.
Speaker B:It'll perform different.
Speaker B:People are wired differently.
Speaker B:Like my mother, you know, I.
Speaker B:You know, I say a lot about my dad.
Speaker B:You know, my mother's family's a lot of musical people.
Speaker B:My mom was born in Liverpool, England.
Speaker B:She came over to America when she was 20.
Speaker B:Her sister married American service guy and moved to.
Speaker B:Moved to Ohio, you know, you're out of school at 15.
Speaker B:You know, at that time in England, you know, she lived with her mother going to work and her mom here move, she's like, you know, there's no opportunity for you here.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:To America.
Speaker B:And she didn't want to go.
Speaker B:You know, she was just a kid.
Speaker B:Just terrifying to think what, you know, going to a different country when you're 20.
Speaker B:You know, mom jokes, she's like, if I still playing with golf.
Speaker B:I never met her dad.
Speaker B:He was gone by the time I was around.
Speaker B:But he, he apparently was a really, really talented mandolin player.
Speaker B:And, you know, Liverpool, England, and you know, the post war, so it's a pretty rough city, you know, especially at that time, you know, as a shipping port.
Speaker B:So he was, he was a docker drinking in the fight and, you know, just part of a lifestyle.
Speaker B:When I've been over to England, you know, people ask me, where you from?
Speaker B:And I said, well, you know, my mom's from, from Liverpool.
Speaker B:And, you know, I said, you know, was your granddad a musician?
Speaker B:So I never knew, but I knew he played mandolin and mom said that he could listen to a song and play it, but I don't really, so it's in there.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:Also made my mom a little bit wary, I'm sure, as a career choice, but mostly because she's worried about her boy drinking and whatever.
Speaker A:So how did you then get from gigging in coffee shops in Kent, Ohio, to ultimately what led you to Nashville, but there's some time in between?
Speaker B:Oh, a little bit, yeah.
Speaker B:Well, by the time I graduated from college, I. I was working five nights a week.
Speaker B:I had five gigs a week.
Speaker B:So it was killer, you know, I mean, I was working a regular job, you know, I was only going to school a couple days a week at that point.
Speaker B:It took me like six years to get a bachelor's degree.
Speaker B:It was terrible, really.
Speaker B:And I'm not really joking.
Speaker B:I mean, it was definitely five and a half poor parents.
Speaker B:So I.
Speaker B:But, so, I mean, I was just mad for it and it was so I always had a gig and it was a great time, you know, that say we would have been.
Speaker B:That would have been, you know, early to mid-90s, you know, so the economy was great.
Speaker B:You know, the post Stevie Ray Vaughan thing had really opened up, you know, everyone with a little extra dough that, like music opened up a blues bar.
Speaker B:It was great for me because again, because, you know, they're like, oh, man, I can, you know, you know, I can't get a Band in here for 150 bucks, but I can give this guy 100 bucks.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I think I'm rich.
Speaker B:$25 increase and play a long time.
Speaker B:And I just.
Speaker B:I always just learned to, you know, play long sets and then started to play some rhythm guitar with the local blues band.
Speaker B:And I poached some of the guys out of that playing in my band.
Speaker B:And we'd had a little trio, but I was probably 20.
Speaker B:That's a little head.
Speaker B:I was well into my mid-20s before I put a band together, probably 26 or so.
Speaker B:But I would also do that, you know, I would also sub with this band and I'd play some Muddy Water stuff.
Speaker B:So that's it.
Speaker B:Just always, just always working, you know.
Speaker B:And there was.
Speaker B:There was plenty of gigs to be had and, you know, they weren't glamorous or anything like that.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:May have been a little detriment to, you know, me career wise, because I'm thinking, well, I can go.
Speaker B:Instead of me saving up money, going, playing some rock club and playing 40 minutes and doing that, you know, I would just go some bar from 10 to 2, but I'd have money in pocket.
Speaker B:You know, I liked it.
Speaker B:My favorite thing to do.
Speaker B:So I didn't really think about it that way.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And have any sort of exposure to that.
Speaker B:Probably long term.
Speaker B:Wasn't a great choice.
Speaker B:It's only now I realized what.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:But it really taught me to.
Speaker B:And something I really cherish is also to sort of entertain an audience.
Speaker B:You're not just a musician, you know, you, you know, you want people to pay attention to you.
Speaker B:You've got to give them.
Speaker B:You can't give them a lot of options.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Not listen to you.
Speaker A:You do that very well live.
Speaker B:That's my shtick.
Speaker B:You know, I try to make sure that there's always something going on.
Speaker B:Make it look like you're having a good time.
Speaker B:Because usually I am.
Speaker B:You know, once you get, you know, get tar in your hands, front of the amps, you know, anything's working mildly well, you know, it's a pretty good time.
Speaker B:Playing guitar is really, really fun.
Speaker B:Millions of them.
Speaker B:It really is.
Speaker B:You should try it.
Speaker A:I hear you about the ability to entertain a crowd, particularly if you're doing all night sets and bars where people can be watching the football game while they're.
Speaker B:It was a great school.
Speaker A:But then what led you to the point of saying, all right, this career move involves a physical move?
Speaker B:Well, also very late, actually.
Speaker B:I was just getting out of college.
Speaker B:I actually had A gig playing the Kent State Film Festival.
Speaker B:You know, instead of just hanging out at it or volunteering at it, you know, I got one of the sets and it was cool.
Speaker B:And that following week after that, I moved to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, a remote place in northwest Arkansas.
Speaker B:Beautiful place.
Speaker B:There's a friend of mine, a friend of a friend, his father had a house there.
Speaker B:And he was the guy being the guy driving back and forth once a month, you know, 16 hour drive, take care of this house and check on things.
Speaker B:And it was sort of.
Speaker B:He said, man, I really need somebody to kind of wants the house sit.
Speaker B:You know, you can't really pay him anything.
Speaker B:And said, but you know, it's free rent.
Speaker B:And my guitar teacher at the time said, hey, you want to watch George's dad?
Speaker B:You want a house Sit for George's dad's house.
Speaker B:And I said, free rent.
Speaker B:I said, all right, yeah, awesome.
Speaker B:Where is it in Arkansas?
Speaker B:Is there a college nearby?
Speaker B:An hour.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:I was working all the time.
Speaker B:You know, we're just doing gigs and just bargains.
Speaker B:And I thought, well, you know, this time I guess you go on a little, little adventure.
Speaker B:So, you know, I worked all summer.
Speaker B:You know, I was gigging a lot.
Speaker B:Saved up some money to sort of float me for a while and, you know, I'd free rent.
Speaker B:So I packed up.
Speaker B:Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Speaker B:It just happened.
Speaker B:When I arrived in town, their folk festival was going on and they had a.
Speaker B:And a guy named Jason Eklund, I think, just broken up with a girlfriend or something like that and was about to leave town.
Speaker B:I went to a couple open mic nights that week and met some people.
Speaker B:I didn't really know anybody, and I was living about 10 miles outside of town, sort of out in the country.
Speaker B:I'd drive in, I'd hang out all day and then drive out just for something to do.
Speaker B:It's this beautiful little Victorian kind of a resort town.
Speaker B:You know, restaurants and hotels, lots of artists and stuff like that live there.
Speaker B:Just a beautiful place.
Speaker B:And Eureka Springs figures in a lot to the story.
Speaker B:It's actually where I met my wife.
Speaker B:Oh, cool.
Speaker B:She's from there and when we met, started dating.
Speaker B:Her mom was the mayor.
Speaker A:Oh my gosh.
Speaker B:But that is 15, 16 years down the road.
Speaker B:When I was living there, she was in high school and we didn't know each other.
Speaker B:And I would like to state that for the record.
Speaker B:This is Patrick Sweeney on Country Fried Rock.
Speaker B:So that happened.
Speaker B:So I'm house sitting this place until it sells.
Speaker B:All of a sudden I'm on this national tour playing little blues bars.
Speaker B:This is the coolest man.
Speaker B:I get a call to the household.
Speaker B:Oh boy, I'm a week out and I'm going to be out for three more weeks.
Speaker B:Like, what do I do?
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:I had one friend that started checking on the place and, you know, I told the guys, you know, I was house sitting for him, hey, this has happened.
Speaker B:I've got to do this.
Speaker B:He said, oh, that's fine.
Speaker B:So we might have a buyer.
Speaker B:Okay, cool.
Speaker B:Well, it sold.
Speaker B:I was staying in a little apartment that's a big house.
Speaker B:And I was sort of a little apartment in an outbuilding here with this guy where the, the owner's library was on the house was a writer for the Chicago Tribune.
Speaker B:Yeah, it was really, really neat place out in the country.
Speaker B:So they said, okay, well we'll work with the deal.
Speaker B:We'll give you another, you know, six weeks or something like that so we can get home and you'll have a week to get settled and find a place like, well, it's cool.
Speaker B:If I had been living in the actual house, I'd have been.
Speaker B:Someone would just have to come and box up money.
Speaker B:So Jimmy's wife found me an apartment and said it's really cheap.
Speaker B:225amonth, utilities included, right behind the stage at Chelsea's, which is where I hung out anyway and played all the time.
Speaker B:So I'm like, well, yeah, I know that apartment.
Speaker B:Cool.
Speaker B:So I moved in there and got off the road and I paid my rent for six months, utilities included.
Speaker B:And then Jimmy's foot hadn't healed right, so he.
Speaker B:The next I had to do another tour with him, which was another four weeks.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:And that was, you know, it kept me gone the entire winter.
Speaker B:What I didn't realize is Eureka Springs is a resort town, you know, a tourist town.
Speaker B:So in the wintertime, nothing's going on.
Speaker B:Following year, when I'm not on the road, I'm broke.
Speaker B:So I had, you know, eventually just had to.
Speaker B:Just couldn't afford to live there.
Speaker B:I went with some friends down to Key west for a couple weeks.
Speaker B:Thought I could gig, you know, down there, do whatever.
Speaker B:We got there a little bit late, so all the gigs were taking all those, those people playing, they get installed or whatever.
Speaker B:The hogs got the stuff and I didn't have a tape or any sort of recording or anything like that that I could give people.
Speaker B:Like, I didn't know how to do that.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:The famous three song tape for a bar, that sort of thing.
Speaker B:Yeah, right, right.
Speaker B:So I just, you know, hung out there for a couple weeks and friends, I'm like, man, I, you know, I think I'm gonna hit it.
Speaker B:And they're like, well, man, you know, just plenty of jobs, you know.
Speaker B:I said, yeah, man, I really want a job.
Speaker B:I want to play music.
Speaker B:I'm gonna go back to Ohio and put a band together and make a record because I've been writing some stuff and a friend of mine, I actually recorded basically my first record, I want to tell you.
Speaker B:I recorded versions of those songs about a year prior, but that would have been 97.
Speaker B:So I had been writing songs at that point in that apartment behind Chelsea's really instrumental in that because, you know, I'd be there late hanging out, you know, and there was no getting to bed before closing time, right?
Speaker B:Forget it, it's right there.
Speaker B:And I had a lot of friends sort of my age that would come over and it was just a hangout spot, little rat hole apart.
Speaker B:But I could load my gear through the window.
Speaker B:Window, that's awesome.
Speaker B:I could also order drinks if I didn't want to go all the way down, you know, I'm in my robe and slippers, end up a Bloody Mary, the window, you know, so that was, that was kind of cool.
Speaker B:But it's a two edged sword.
Speaker B:That means even when you want some privacy, everyone's knocking on you, Forget what are you doing?
Speaker B:Hanging out.
Speaker B:Yeah, but I mean, it also just gave me so living in that town and living in that little apartment, you know, without a lot of financial squeeze on me.
Speaker B:So all the gigs were Thursday, Friday, Saturday maybe, sometimes Sunday.
Speaker B:You know, there's just 50 bucks here, 50 bucks there, but I could stack a bunch of those up in a weekend.
Speaker B:All the money I needed, right.
Speaker B:I wasn't getting rich, but I mean, I was 23 years old and so that left me a lot of time.
Speaker B:I just, you know, know, you know, every day I would just practice and practice, practice, but just nothing else to do, you know, or any girls, you know, it's like at that, you know, at least at that time, you know.
Speaker B:And I wasn't, you know, I was a young man.
Speaker B:I wasn't really into having a steady girlfriend or anything like that, you know.
Speaker B:So I'm just chilling out, playing guitar, doing some gigs.
Speaker B:Early 20s, Waystoid basically.
Speaker B:But I was gigging and then I realized, oh, you can travel, you can make money and do this.
Speaker B:So I just.
Speaker B:But you can't do that without a cd.
Speaker B:I went back home, I was broke pretty down, you know, moved back to Ohio in the middle of February.
Speaker B:And I just sort of felt like, you know, I wasn't going to come home to Ohio without really doing something.
Speaker B:And I was pretty disappointed that, you know, sort of ride that touring and playing clubs kind of thing.
Speaker B:I thought that just would, you know, that would happen.
Speaker B:And it didn't.
Speaker B:So I went back home and was way still Brothers Floor while he was in college for a little bit.
Speaker B:And then he got me a job at the bike shop that he was working at.
Speaker B:So, I mean, a little job.
Speaker B:And then I was digging, you know, all the time.
Speaker B:So I really got in the mountain bikes.
Speaker B:Great.
Speaker B:But just back to it, you know, gigging, gigging, gigging was doing hobbies, doing all that.
Speaker B:Put a little band together, had a regular Monday night in Kent, Ohio was the only thing to do in town.
Speaker B:So I was really able to build a following and really refine the band, you know, to really do this.
Speaker B:So I did that for about a year.
Speaker A:Cool.
Speaker B:Yeah, it was fun a little bit.
Speaker B:And lots of Hound Dog Taylor and Elmo, Chicago style.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Pretty high energy.
Speaker B:So I started, you know, you know, doing little dives out in the crowd like that.
Speaker B:Just, you know, all the.
Speaker B:All the tricks working that young wound up Guy Land Blues about that time, Dan, Dan Arbox dad probably come see us.
Speaker B:And then, then Dan, when he.
Speaker B:I don't know if he was quite 21 yet, you know, he starts really doing.
Speaker B:A friend of mine, a guy named Michael Anders, was giving him some guitar lessons and playing a little bit of music with him.
Speaker B:Cool.
Speaker B:And he said, man, you got here, man.
Speaker B:He knew all this old Taylor stuff and Fred McDowell, all this weird Mississippi stuff that I like.
Speaker B:So I, yeah, I was like, man, you want being the bass player?
Speaker B:So we got rid of the bass player and we did two guitars and drums and for a couple years.
Speaker B:And then Dan had his little band, the Barn Burners.
Speaker B:And that was his, you know, his main.
Speaker B:His main gig and working with me.
Speaker B:And then I'd have some subs cover for Dan.
Speaker B:And we did that and did that for a couple of years and then started listening to the first mixes of the first Black Keys record.
Speaker B:Dan's van, outside of a little bar in Dover, New Philly, Ohio, somewhere.
Speaker B:And somewhere near there and.
Speaker B:And like, whoa, that's cool.
Speaker B:And then, then a year later, there you go crazy.
Speaker B:It was cool.
Speaker B:I was just gigging, gigging, gigging and playing and then writing more tunes.
Speaker B:I put out.
Speaker B:My first record that I recorded was a solo acoustic Record.
Speaker B:And I recorded the very first pressing of it.
Speaker B:I did a little live recording at.
Speaker B:On my Monday night gig of the band playing and played like an Elmore James tune and stuff, like Philly of somewhere.
Speaker B:Understand, like, you know, you gotta pay those guys.
Speaker B:The guys are upset.
Speaker B:So, you know, that was really bad.
Speaker B:But there were only about three or four hundred CDs that I sold.
Speaker B:So hopefully Elmore James stuff aren't too upset, I guess.
Speaker B:But subsequent pressings of it do not include those.
Speaker B:And it really works better as an album.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker B:I just sort of kept.
Speaker B:You know, I travel a little bit, you know, as much as I am at this festival in Arkansas, the Blues festival.
Speaker B:I had a nice thing.
Speaker B:So I kept going back there every year, play their blues festival.
Speaker B:I was building the way to it.
Speaker B:And on the way back, I'd expand out of there, you know, we started doing a club gig here and a club gig there.
Speaker B:It's just me.
Speaker B:I mean, I didn't really know how to.
Speaker B:How that worked.
Speaker B:So it's another record that had more band stuff on it a couple years later and some solo stuff.
Speaker B:And it went out and started to get some reviews and things like that and travel a little bit more.
Speaker B:And then it came time to do another record.
Speaker B:I sort of recorded Paper Friends that would record some stuff.
Speaker B:Yeah, I'd burn off a couple copies of some live shows, something like that, sell for five bucks just to kind of keep gas in the tank, you know.
Speaker B:And then when it came time to do another record I'd known about this guy, Jimbo Mathis, he had his studio popping down in Arkansas.
Speaker B:I was playing the King Biscuit Festival when it was spilled Biscuit or did a set.
Speaker B:And the sound guy was like, hey, I work at the studio.
Speaker B:You gotta get to check it out.
Speaker B:And I'd been hearing about it, you know, I made a record, I'm just like, man, it doesn't really sound the way I want.
Speaker B:It doesn't sound as gritty as those old things.
Speaker B:But I didn't know why.
Speaker B:So I started checking it out.
Speaker B:Like, oh, man, old ribbon mics, old tube, pretty.
Speaker B:Getting the recordings out of it.
Speaker B:So, you know, saved up some money.
Speaker B:We had a.
Speaker B: istmas, New Year's Eve, maybe: Speaker B:We booked a little run of shows in Memphis and then recorded in Clarksdale.
Speaker B:And I did one Data, did the record in one day and then drove to our New Year's Eve gig in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Speaker A:Holy moly.
Speaker B:Then I found Playing some shows and doing some things.
Speaker B:Met this guy named Josh Lederman, a band called Los Diablos, Boston.
Speaker B:And their drummer had just sort of formed their own little label called Nine Mile Records.
Speaker B:Yeah, and he was starting to get going and I was sending my stuff out to labels and stuff and, you know, and I was, you know, I just sort of pigeonholed into the kind of the blues label.
Speaker B:I wasn't getting much positive feedback.
Speaker B:They're like, well, you know, we like the song, but everything's kind of different because I got a lot of different influences and I like doing lots of different stuff.
Speaker B:I got kind of a short attention span.
Speaker B:And, you know, those guys seem like they were more into just some guy, you know, sort of more generic kind of blues, you know, just, you know, some guys singing over 12 bar blues, which I, you know, I love the real thing.
Speaker B:But most of the modern stuff is just complete, utter.
Speaker B:You know, a song isn't a vehicle for a guitar solo.
Speaker B:So I just wasn't having any luck.
Speaker B:But Rick was like, hey, man, you should send me some stuff, you know, maybe.
Speaker B:And I talked to Josh, he's like, yeah, it's a cool label, man.
Speaker B:You should check it out.
Speaker B:He works hard.
Speaker B:So we put our first put, Come On, Come Here out on Nine Mile Records.
Speaker B:That really, really, really helped, you know, again.
Speaker B:So you get, you know, Rick was able to get, you know, get some press for us.
Speaker B:And then I start touring some more and I'm actually kind of.
Speaker B:I'm legit, you know, third record now.
Speaker B:I'm legit.
Speaker B:So touring a little more.
Speaker B:Got a booking agent, so we're able to tour a little farther.
Speaker B:Next record came out that Dan and Auerbach produced an engineer.
Speaker B:Just by that association.
Speaker B:They really started to blow up at about the time that maybe just after their Rubber Factory album or right around that time, maybe Sick Freak.
Speaker B:But either way, right around that time period, they really started to blow up.
Speaker B:And that really generated a lot of interest.
Speaker B:You know, we had at bookies, we were starting to get some festivals and things like that.
Speaker B:Hey, this is Patrick Sweeney.
Speaker B:If you want to hear more of me or find out where I'm going to be, check out ww.patricksweeny.com that's P A T R I C K S W E A N Y.
Speaker B:Everyone moving here moved here 10 years before I did.
Speaker B:You know, I'm a guy in my mid-30s.
Speaker B:Moving here while all the kids are up and coming and really making it, are moving here when they're 20.
Speaker B:So that was really, really intimidating.
Speaker B:You know, I couldn't get gigs, man.
Speaker B:You know, there's no money to be made in town, but.
Speaker B:And it was a little tougher to get quality guy.
Speaker B:Like the first tour we, you know, out there you had some guys who were okay, you know, but it took a while for people to trust you.
Speaker B:All right, this guy's legit.
Speaker B:I like playing this music and get to know people.
Speaker B:A guy who was instrumental in that is Joe McMahan, a guy who engineered and produced my last record.
Speaker B:Was also probably my best friend here in town.
Speaker B:And we also have a little band together called the Tiger Beats, which is my little alter ego.
Speaker B:And it's all Jimmy Reed, Howlin Wolf, Bobby Bland, Nothing that wasn't on a 45.
Speaker B:We cut it off.
Speaker B:Like the most modern thing we'll play in that band is Tramp.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker B:That's really fun.
Speaker B:Joe is a fantastic guitar player and he's a great engineer, great producer.
Speaker B:He was the first guy I played a set at Stan solo opening set at the Family Washer.
Speaker B:And he was really the first musician.
Speaker B:Guy was like, hey man, that was really cool, man.
Speaker B:Let's go get lunch.
Speaker B:You ever been to Bailey and Kato's, which is a little soul food joint down the street from his house.
Speaker B:Like no, I love soul food.
Speaker B:You know, show me.
Speaker B:You know, now we hang out about every day.
Speaker B:And he was instrumental and really getting to know through him great musicians.
Speaker B:And that's the reason I moved here was to have, you know, nice thing too.
Speaker B:I don't have to keep a band alive their full time job like because there's guys who can do the job here.
Speaker B:It really is.
Speaker B:They're the best musicians in the world.
Speaker B:Nashville.
Speaker B:Guys who show up and know the stuff, you get a cd, they learn it, you know, and they play and rehearsal is just stops and starts and getting the show straightened out from taking a few jobs as a side guy, you know, back in the day, you know, you know how tough that is.
Speaker B:He a side guy.
Speaker B:It's a special skill.
Speaker B:I really try to be as generous as possible as understanding and making sure that they want to do the gig.
Speaker B:That's been a great, great help to be able to like, hey, you know, I want you guys to enjoy yourself first and foremost, you know, entertaining these people.
Speaker B:You know, we can get them play songs, that's fine.
Speaker B:But what I want to do is this.
Speaker B:I really want to sell this stuff.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:And they get it.
Speaker B:So I've been real lucky, man.
Speaker B:There's just lots of good guys.
Speaker B:And I think I'm doing a little.
Speaker B:There's not a lot of people doing what I'm doing here in Nashville.
Speaker B:So it seems to be my little sort of.
Speaker B:I've sort of made my little niche of what I do, you know, my two trip pony show here, you know.
Speaker A:So creatively then where are you headed now?
Speaker B:Right now?
Speaker B:Not.
Speaker B:Not a whole lot.
Speaker B:It's looking to be a business getting gearing up for south by Southwest and run shows.
Speaker B:Got a new, new booking agent.
Speaker B:Hello.
Speaker B:Booking her.
Speaker B:Great.
Speaker B:Matthew.
Speaker B:He's great.
Speaker B:Guys like that got some dates with going out April with Tim Easton.
Speaker B:Do some co bills together.
Speaker B:So that's cool.
Speaker B:I've got a gig with at the five Spot, which is two blocks from my house.
Speaker B:Tim Easton is actually on that bill, so I can get to meet him.
Speaker B:It's another guy hanging out at the five Spot, you know, musician hanging out here on the east side.
Speaker B:Derek, you know, give me a $2 Tuesday gig.
Speaker B:He does this awesome gig.
Speaker B:Yeah, two bucks.
Speaker B:Two bucks is the COVID He gets like five or six acts.
Speaker B:Everybody plays like five songs.
Speaker B:Really great hang.
Speaker B:Super nice guy.
Speaker B:So, yeah.
Speaker B:So guys like that, you know, Nashville's just full of awesome dudes.
Speaker B:Like, you know, if there's something different and real and you're not wearing whatever those weird jeans with embroidery on, you know, you know, you can really thank God those are there because now you can avoid it.
Speaker B:We really love Nashville.
Speaker B:It was tough first year and a half, you know, since then we've, you know, got the.
Speaker B:A lot of friends and it seems like everybody from Ohio is moving here anyway.
Speaker B:So, you know, I said, what?
Speaker B:Dan and Patrick from the Keys moved down just the other night.
Speaker B:I ran into a friend of mine from Akron at the little cocktail bar at the top of the street.
Speaker B:My buddy Austin, he just moved here and lives down the street.
Speaker B:We figured out when we moved here that a friend of my wife's from high school lives down the street and my friend I ran into lives across the street from them.
Speaker B:It's really strange synchronicity.
Speaker A:It quickly becomes a really small town.
Speaker B:It really is.
Speaker B:You know, if you stay off the highway, you can be anywhere in Nashville in 15 minutes.
Speaker B:Kevin Gordon is a songwriter.
Speaker B:Keith Richards has cut one of his songs, Holy moly.
Speaker B:He is.
Speaker B:He's sort of part of like they extended through my buddy Joe.
Speaker B:Joe's been playing with him.
Speaker B:Magna Hand, that is playing with Kevin for 15, 20 years.
Speaker B:Kevin just released an album called Gloryland is absolutely unbelievable.
Speaker B:He's a great guy.
Speaker B:Really, really, really literate guy.
Speaker B:Definitely right up your parking lot.
Speaker B:When you check him out, you see all this thing.
Speaker B:You know, he does some really great.
Speaker B:He grew up in.
Speaker B:In rural Louisiana, but also, you know, masters in creative writing.
Speaker B:I think he's one of the best.
Speaker A:Like, thank you.
Speaker B:And his new record is af.
Speaker B:Amazing.
Speaker A:That is fabulous.
Speaker A:Thank you so much for that.
Speaker A:Heads up.
Speaker B:No problem.
Speaker B:He is awesome.
Speaker A:Fantastic.
Speaker A:Patrick, I really appreciate your time.
Speaker A:Have a great day.
Speaker A:Thanks a ton.
Speaker B:Hey, thanks a lot.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Bye.
Speaker B:Bye.
Speaker A:Next week on Country Fried Rock, we're chatting with South Carolina native Angela Easterling, whose recent record beguiler, burned up the Americana charts and has recently released an entire album in French.
Speaker A:Find out why on Country Fried Rock.
Speaker A:Country Fried Rock.
Speaker A:Our theme music is from the full Tones.
Speaker A:Our Country Fried Rock stinger is from Steve Soto in the twisted hearts.
Speaker A:Country fried rock.
Speaker A: Copyright: Speaker A:All rights reserved.
