• Ameripolitan Music Awards: Dale Watson Website

Transcript:

Rusty Puttfark
Welcome to another episode of the Free Thinkers Podcast. Today we have a very special guest with us. Country Music legend DALE WATSON. Dale is a singer, songwriter and guitarist who has been at the forefront of the Ameripolitan country music movement. For the last three decades, he’s released countless albums on numerous awards and founded the Ameripolitan awards to promote independent country artists. Dale, how’re you doing? Welcome to the podcast.

Dale Watson
Great. Thanks for having me.

Rusty Puttfark
Well, we want to we want to start today. Like I said, we’re exactly we’re excited to have you here, we want to talk about your story, your music, and the future of Ameripolitan. So, let’s dive right in with starting to tell us about your background, how you got into music.

Dale Watson
Well, I kind of was born into it. My My dad’s a singer and songwriter, and my brothers have band. And, and I always knew how to get into music, because it came pretty easy to me. But the chance came, whenever they my brother’s band, their lead singer, quit. So they needed a lead singer. So I started with him. So I kind of just fell into it naturally. But it was always in around the family and around us.

Rusty Puttfark
And how do you progress as far as you know, filling in for the band to you know, moving your way up within the industry?

Dale Watson
Yo, just the old adage, you know, just keep on keep trying, keep persevere. And that’s what you know, the you only go as far as your, your strive will take you you know, and if you quit trying, you know, you’re not going to keep moving, you know, so I just kept kept better, kept better get better. I got a recording contract in California on curb records. And I didn’t do didn’t do much at all just to single deal. And then just kept playing and got another record contract with another company, it would get a lot better, you know, number one albums in, in England and Europe and stuff like that.

Rusty Puttfark
me growing up, like Who were your who are your influences? Your main musical influence,

Dale Watson
emulate a woman but a dad was my first influence. Yeah. And he’s a really good writer, a good singer. And he played guitar. But uh, after him, it had to be everybody that my dad listened to, because I wasn’t like, I was a rebellious teenager, but not in that regard. You know, I like what my dad listened to you. I like the like the Merle Haggard, and Hank Williams. By fact his nickname was Hank, you know, in the Marines as well, my mom called. And so all that stuff they listen to is what I enjoy plectrum Rozelle Bob Wills George Jones. Merle Haggard sounds kind of trite to say it now but

Rusty Puttfark
yeah, it’s funny you mentioned George Jones 10 minutes from here is is George George and Tammy has lived here and this is where he got caught right in his lawn mower to the bar and Lakeland.

Dale Watson
That’s amazing you know that these houses still are out there these people know they just sold Patrick loans house in Nashville. And I think it nails Airbnb.

Rusty Puttfark
Yeah, yeah, I think I think their house was actually for sale it’s rumored to be haunted but no and I don’t know if he’s anybody’s pulled the trigger was a beautiful house, big horse stables and everything like that out there too.

Dale Watson
But wouldn’t surprise me at all.

Rusty Puttfark
And you did a duo with his daughter Georgette or their daughter Georgette cigarettes. And you and that was an amazing song. She has an incredible voice just absolutely.

Dale Watson
She got she got the talent you know from from her folks. You know, she definitely did. Yeah.

Rusty Puttfark
So talk about this the split because when you were growing up and the artists that you mentioned and then you’ve been you’ve been a critic of kind of the direction that Nashville I don’t want to say it’s taken because they’re off the reservation but when they took it all you know you’ve you’ve you wrote Nashville rash country, my ask that kind of thing. So talk about a little bit of that you were you were in Nashville. I think you were a songwriter there. I think there’s a story that I’ve heard about you trying to write a song so talk about the industry where it took the split and kind of your passion to keep the the roots strong.

Dale Watson
While I’ve traced it back is really right about 1975 is when it started going off the rails and Are Yeah, right around there. And, of course, you know, when, when Charlie rich burned the, at the famous award show where he burned the John Denver’s male country, Male Vocalist of the Year, you know, it’s got it kind of made a statement and it also was right, you know, what’s, what’s the roots started slipping away from, from the importance of, of the music, you know, and then it got just got worse and worse. And I always say that that country music integrity of it should always be you can let it it can grow as much as it wants, but, but the problem is, once it starts going into the other genre, then it stops. You know, it’s, I mean, it just it goes into that genre, you know, as much as I’m not a fan of Taylor Swift at all in any degree, but I appreciate her saying at some point she goes, I’m not country music, so I’m going into pop music. Right she did say that. I don’t know whether she did or not. But that’s what she said. You know, but and that’s what you got to do. I mean, you’re Why pretend to be something you’re not you know, that’s what always surprises me. Whenever these artists nowadays like the Florida Georgia Line and all boyband I can’t remember. But they they say their influences are Merle Haggard and George Jones but they sound more like Backstreet Boys, right.

Rusty Puttfark
I was gonna say the exact same thing groat. I mean, we always say that literally today’s country music I don’t even I don’t even listen to the radio. I can’t tell you the last time I listen to it. But when you go to certain places it’s playing and you hear it and it’s like that’s New Kids on the Block or Backstreet Boys with an accent that’s that’s the only literally the only difference differences of what is the right

Dale Watson
that’s correct. For the federal no as Tom Petty said it best. He said, uh, today’s country music is like bad rock and roll with a fiddle

Rusty Puttfark
I would I would definitely agree with that. And that. I mean, I remember you know, sitting on the back porch with my grandparents and listening to you know, the country gold Saturday night with all the you know, the legends, you know, Johnny Cash and, and Merle and Waylon and that’s, that’s what I grew up listening to. And then it kind of, you know, it, it took that crazy turn. And, and when I, when I first was introduced to you, I was I like all kinds of music. But I was watching Austin City Limits. That’s I love to discover the artists there and you were on there. And you sang the song, my baby makes me gravy. And I thought this is the greatest song I’ve ever heard. And then after that, you were coming to Macon. So we went up there and saw you we met and we hit it off and we become buddies ever since then. I think that was back in. I think it was 2014. And, I mean, talk about what it took to get to the place to play in like Austin City Limits and and what that took to make that happen.

Dale Watson
Oh, it took a lot of years just playing hockey dogs but uh, you know, in Austin, I was lucky. When when I when I did move to Austin. It afforded me the ability to do my own thing and have house gigs is the same gig every week. And play places like bulk and spoken and maybe you’re a little bit more when you’re when you when you do something in Austin, like a house show House gig every week. You got to a pretty the audience is a pretty hip, and they also know what to expect of us know what to expect of didn’t I don’t know what I’m gonna go there and hear pop music. You’re not going to hear pop country and Austin, Texas. It’s just not gonna happen. No, it just doesn’t exist. And so I was I was very much home there and it helped me to reach the next level. I’ve already had my record gig over a record contract that’s already touring. But it really helped. When you also said well, this is right there. South by Southwest is right there. So that’s that being in that city did help me have a career and to go to the next level of getting on all cylinders and David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel does is the letter.

Rusty Puttfark
So, it’s so different because it’s it’s participatory, rather than just sitting back and observing it. I mean, you’re, when you go to any of these, you know, the honky tonk, Western swing, rockabilly outlaw, people can’t sit still. I mean, it’s, I mean, they’re dancing. It’s just, you know, they’re involved in the music rather than just sitting back in chairs and watching. I love that.

Dale Watson
Oh, yeah, it’s, yeah, especially, I mean, Texas is a dance, state, you know, they have dance floors, when they build. You got to have a dance floor.

Rusty Puttfark
That’s exactly right. So any interesting stories when you were in Nashville for a little bit, your brief stint?

Dale Watson
Yeah, yes. Where I learned that. I wasn’t cut out for that writing type of style. Because I was waiting for Gary Morris music. And Yuri was a nice guy, very, very wonderful guy. And I met a lot of great people, but but they had this thing called the pitch sheet. They still got it. I’m sure. They give it goes out every week. And what it does is it tells you who is looking for material and what kind of material and so one of the things that happened that really did happen. A when one Monday and they said, Well, I was confronted by two other guys in the room, right? That I didn’t know y’all, you got an appointment. Here’s here’s this guy and this guy. And I’ve never met him before the riders from somewhere else. And here’s your pitch sheet. And they already had it. So we went in the room and they seem that was Wynonna Judd, she was doing I guess a solo. At that point. We’re gonna Judd was looking for a up beat emotionally upbeat power ballad and it says Allah and then they tell you how that how, what kind of power boat emotionally upbeat power ballad, Allah, Melissa and REG, Etheridge. And Mani right. That’s really what it said. And then one of the guys took that and said, Hey, why don’t we run about? About a 16 year old girl gets pregnant? And then I go like, gosh, guys. Really, we’re gonna write you’re gonna write about a 16 year old girl. And I don’t even know what this means. I don’t I’m not a fan of Bonnie. Right. Or Melissa as Bridgette. I don’t know. I mean, I like my right. But I don’t I don’t have a buddy right now. I respect her. She’s a great singer, guitar player. But I don’t know one song about was Etheridge. So not. And I definitely don’t know anything about being a 16 year old girl. pregnant girl. So I’m out. Y’all right. I walked out. That was the last session writing session I had, because I don’t enjoy that type of writing. Where? One you’re in a room with people you don’t know. And because writing is a very intimate thing. You know? I can’t it’s just to me it it was so much of a business there that it made it kind of feel dirty. Really?

Rusty Puttfark
Yeah, I mean, is there a structure to just churn in that kind of thing out in Nashville, I

Dale Watson
do it all the time. I do all the time. You but me and trust wall right, used to write together got arrested. And every now and then say I think a psycho right with a roll with writing false fear. But you know, when you write with friends, it’s a lot different. It’s just it’s just very it’s like I said, it’s something you’re sharing with somebody. So it’s better that you know, you know, and for me, but there that doesn’t matter. They will do it with strangers all the time. And they probably got hits, you know, I probably got two hits.

Rusty Puttfark
So from that point, you you left there and kind of went on your own. Is that where you were independent? Were you independent before then?

Dale Watson
Oh, no, I was. Yeah, I was in it for them. But Gary didn’t mind that and I wouldn’t make a lot of money but I had my first child was coming along and she was getting so I needed to be stable, you know. So, Gary helped me out in that regard. gave me a steady paycheck writing for the publishing house. And when I left though, which is very unusual, they gave me all my songs back that I wrote at that time, because there were two countries they couldn’t use it because they were waiting country.

Rusty Puttfark
That’s insane. That really is so moving moving to the future let’s talk about Ameripolitan because I want to cover that because that’s, that’s, that’s your passion. I know it is. And so in 2014, you created Ameripolitan, so what, what was the what was the catalyst to create that?

Dale Watson
Well, oddly enough, it was just a one way incident that happened. I was in Europe at the time. And apparently this is night that there was some interview done with Blake Shelton. And, and in the interview, they said that because he was his stuff he was doing I guess it had a lot of rap. music in it, rap and whatever we call it. And it was getting a little bit of backlash from country radio, but not much. So they said, Are you concerned that that uh, that uh, some people think that you’re, you’re tossing out of country music and not doing country music, he says, All them old farts says a bunch of old farts. I don’t care what that them. They say they’re just a bunch of jackasses. So I said, as nobody wants to listen to the granddad’s music, you know. And so when he said that, right, Bryce actually made a comment on his Facebook page and said, Have you been doing music? At that point? 65 years. Think of something like that. He said, he’s always tried to advance in country music as far as getting people to like it and listen to it. He says, I don’t think there’s a hat made big enough to fit that guy’s head. So I thought myself, you know, when it offended, right price that offends me, you know, does, you know, here’s, here’s my, my dad’s music and my music and, and so, I wrote the song, I’d rather be an old fart than a new country turd. And that I said, You know what, I’m going to do an award show. And, and just for, for people to keep the roots going. And, and let them know that they do matter. They’re not, you know, it’s not that guy’s opinion, they are a bunch of Jackass and old farts. And what’s funny is they’re all of them are young. You know, start up want us and that’s what I wanted to do. I want to I wanted to get a hold of young people and tell them please keep doing this music please keep doing this kind of thing. And it has it’s been going 10 years now. Well, you know, you were involved. I think you’re one one

Rusty Puttfark
not the first year

Dale Watson
sector. Okay. Well, it’s a it’s a really I think helped encourage young people to dig into the roots and expand from there because the whole thing about Ameripolitan now I was still the definition of Ameripolitan music is original music with prominent roots influence. And, and I also steal a quote from John Lennon, that originality comes in, in your inability to imitate your influences. You know, and that’s a great quote. Because Because like he said, When John Lennon, they were like, the band they had first came out, they wanted to sound just like Carl Perkins and Buddy Holic and, but they but your inability to sound like your, your heroes is your originality. And that’s what I I tell the young folks coming up that want to get into whether it’s honkytonk, rockabilly outlaw or Western swing right, take that and run with it keep because nobody is going to be able to be just like Bob Wills nobody’s going to be able to just like Waylon nobody, you know, and but but it’s but it’s nice they try you know, right so I say their writing takes them to a new place. This this year was our probably best year so much great talent and in their past Ameripolitan winters went on to really knock it out of the park. Charley Crockett as a car Farrell, Margo price, you know, so, so we’re doing something with you At least it’s making a negative difference.

Rusty Puttfark
What describe for people that don’t know what Ameripolitan is, is, as far as the award show, the awards week, and kind of what’s involved, and who come who, where they come from, they come from all over the world to be, you know, to celebrate and to be celebrated.

Dale Watson
Yeah, it’s, it’s a definitely a, it’s a weekend or you know, it starts on it usually starts on Friday. And then we have concerts on Saturday and Sundays, and then the award show on Monday, but so it’s a four day thing. But people do come from all over the world we got we have winners from England winners from Sweden, the countryside, from countryside, or from Monica, Sam, is a great band from Sweden, that one it’s war wide thing, and they and they come here, they, they realize they meet kindred spirits that feel the same way they do, you know, and, and do the same music and it’s it makes you makes you stronger as an artist be able to have that. So it’s, it’s not just one day, it’s not just an award show, either. It’s a it culminates in the award show. But by the time you get to the whole award show, everybody already knows everybody, and everybody’s pulling from each other. It’s not like a competition. You know, even it is 1% Fan driven. I mean, it does count as kind of like a popularity contest a little bit. But, but it is, everybody’s pulling for each other to win. And when, and nobody looks at each other. Like, they don’t want to help. Everybody wants to help each other. So that community of Ameripolitan is what I think is endured and spread and made. Everybody want to be a part of it. You know, because it’s roots artists, pulling for roots artists, and, and a whole weekend, just, it’s just a fun weekend. It’s not like it’s not like a not like a regular weekend or festival. Because this one really means something to all involved. You meeting promoters, because it’s not just job guest artists, even though most of the crowd coming as artists, but as the fans of the artists and as promoters, because we give way award for venue of the year, festival the year and a DJ of the year. So all these people are it’s kind of like a network that you’re leading, that will help your career move forward.

Rusty Puttfark
Every year I discover new new talent, I’d love to go out there because it’s yeah, I’ll take some videos and Senate system friends and like, where do you? Where do you even look to find these people? If it wasn’t a show like this? And then they start listening to him? Absolutely. Just their jaw drops. They’re like, why isn’t this on the radio? Why are we listening to this nonsense out there. And that that’s one of the things too is like to create a discovery tool for these artists that you know people can go to? What’s the best way for people to discover that? Besides, like, if they’re not able to come out to Memphis for that? What’s what’s the what’s the greatest way to discover the new talent and the upcoming artists in the existing American poets and artists?

Dale Watson
Well, that’s what we’re actually working on Ameripolitan chart, you know, and we also want to wear are in talks with the Sirius XM by doing it, a channel if not a channel, a show on weather channels. And because I think that’s, it’s, it has grown to that level. And so that’s what we’re hoping to do. And to do a chart, you have to have stations and DJs that are playing these Ameripolitann artists, and then say, which one is getting the best response, you know, so we wanted to move to that point, where we’re at its worst, it’s really kind of evolved to the original point, we went so far away from roots, music, country music, that now we’re actually going back to terrestrial radio. And the good thing is, we got internet radio too, because we we do DJ of the year. We’re not just including the regular terrestrial radio that year. Am FM, we’re talking about podcast and internet radio. There’s a lot of internet radio people were able to go to now. So we got our Spotify channel, Amir Pollock’s Spotify, you know, so there’s that too, which is auto generated a little bit but We’re, we’re we’re reaching out. But that’s that’s how that’s how you have to do it nowadays is on Spotify. So

Rusty Puttfark
how, how is technology and you’ve, you’ve seen the curb where, where you have probably a record label or something, and that’s your only way to get out and promote other than self promotion. But now you’re able to do websites, right? Like I said, you’re able to just do on demand at any point. How is that helps? How does that help these smaller independent artists? And how has that helped you in your career too, rather than having to go through a gatekeeper or, or gateway,

Speaker 2
it’s, I thought you were just talking to him regarding Ameripolitan only, but no, as an artist, that’s a, that’s a huge, huge as, again, it’s a double edged sword, you know, because now we can’t really sell our music like we used to. Because now they just go on the internet. And it just downloaded this, just take it, you know, to take it off of somebody went to the concert, and did put her on YouTube, and now like that was gone. So they don’t need to buy it. So selling music is harder, in the way that make money on it. But the exposure is way easier than it used to be. You know, it’s, it’s thanks to the internet and Instagram, Facebook, you’re able to tell people immediately where you’re going to be that night or, or where you’re, where you’re going to be, you know, on tour. So it’s helped, for live shows, definitely. For getting the music out, I don’t know if that’s it’s helped to get the music out. But it’s not helped in the regard of getting paid for it. That’s it, that’s it made, I made a lot more money back in the day before the internet, you know, on music. Because people had to actually buy a physical copy, you know, and now they don’t.

Rusty Puttfark
Speaking of technology and in venues you just bought, not just bought but you bought a couple of years ago, Hernandos Hideaway there in Memphis, as it was kind of a rundown relic and you fix that up talk about a little bit of that and what you’re trying to do what your goal is, with that talk about who’s played in there. I mean, the history of that place is incredible Hernando’s,

Speaker 2
you know, it was it was when I got it did turn into a rehab center, and it was pretty much falling apart. But the history of Hernando’s was, you know, back in the 40s, I guess it was a maybe even earlier than that, that’s kind of hard to track it because they didn’t really have Memphis have a, all the records burn up in a fire. So that’s all they had. So they don’t know when it first became a juke joint, but the building the nurses at 91 as a as a feed store. So as we think about what happened, right, so around right after Prohibition became a, it was already a speakeasy happening that then it turned into a bar after Prohibition. But as it went along, it became a proper a bar and everybody from Elvis played there. 1954 He didn’t do it with his band he played there are a lot of folks I know that, that uh, the Burnett brothers who was the rockabilly trio, they would play there all the time. They had a housekeeper there, and, and Elvis and the Burnett brothers actually had a band together. Elvis was in their band for just a minute. And one of the brothers said he’s, he’s too pretty, and the girls were liking him more we need to get him out of here. You know, their friends though. There were still friends, but they just said, you know, we’re gonna do our thing. You do your thing. Then he had it. So he came and sat in with them at our Nando’s and he was wearing up, I think a green shirt and pink pants. And at you know, it had his hair long hair. And so it was singing some hit in the day, but people didn’t like it. They actually threw bottles at it, you know, just goes away. You look real. And then he came back later a few months later, after that’s all right. Mama started hitting. And of course I loved him. Because because he’s on the radio now. He’s I didn’t know. So that’s that’s got that history, Johnny Cash. Charlie rich play there regularly. And Doug done from where he was a bandleader there for with Booker T and the MGs. So it’s got it’s got all kinds of everything from blues BB King. played there Well, Jerry Lewis called it his office he played there so often he’s going to do so. So it’s got a lot a lot of history of the roots and, and so I’m glad I’m glad we we got to just some time where it was too late to rehabilitate it and like honkytonk again.

Rusty Puttfark
Yeah and so you have that that’s part of the Ameripolitan weekend to where you have some some concerts that are going back to back over at the guesthouse at Graceland and over Hernando so it’s just it’s just an explosion of Ameripolitan music throughout that we can discover he’s just absolutely phenomenal out there and it’s just it’s a great place to hear artists you haven’t heard to get introduced to people you haven’t seen and it’s just like I said, Yeah.

Speaker 2
Become a part of Ameripolitan as much as the award show. Right? So he’s over here this is the other half this is actually Mr. Paulson

Rusty Puttfark
how are you? Good to see ya. How are you doing great. Doing great.

Speaker 3
What are you guys talking about Ameripolitan, Ameripolitan, Ameripolitan,

Dale Watson
and everything actually been stolen by the all the artists that used to play around those. Those are two very cool.

Rusty Puttfark
Yes. So with that, I think it’s pretty neat that you preserve her Nando’s and then at your house downstairs, you pretty much preserved some records.

Dale Watson
Some studios and it’s even even got the birthplace rock and roll. It’s even got the the original its original replacement. It’s got a little coffee shop built by. So let’s go on it’s alive and well. But yeah, right here I’m in. It’s actually the jungle room behind me of our Airbnb. And then downstairs is the recording studio.

Celine Lee
He’s got the board from Sun he’s got all the vintage you know, tubes, equipment, speakers,

Dale Watson
microphones. So it’s a it’s a I call it what Sun Studios

Rusty Puttfark
that you record your your albums down there. Yeah, he did his latest ones.

Speaker 2
I did the Memphians down there in Reverend Horton Heat did four songs off their new album down there. And I’ve got a lot of stuff that I did a Juke Box Fury vocals I did all them down there.

Speaker 3
We did a lot of a Ameripolitan artists down there during 2020s Ameripolitan. Yeah. And we actually did a lot of music videos down there. This this in 2023. That came out in a really cool. Yeah, we did. Yeah, I

Rusty Puttfark
remember when I was when I was down there. You show me around. It’s kind of neat. How you kind of mixed the analog with the digital one just kind of combined technology a little bit. But you’re still preserving, you know, the original equipment and the original sound that was that was that was pretty brilliant.

Speaker 2
Well, I think that’s, I think that’s the best it can it represents Ameripolitan that way. You know, you got the you got the old stuff, which is important to have that sound and that old stuff. But it’s also important to add something new. And so the digital comes in.

Rusty Puttfark
Absolutely. Who were some of the Who were some of now the salines were this Who were some of the standout and upcoming Ameripolitan artists that we need to let people know to discover because a lot of people that are watching, this is a great way for them to be discovered.

Speaker 3
Oh, man. Well, one of my favorites was the television airs from Rochester, New York. Yeah, they brought in Les Green, who is like he’d actually did all the vocal. He did the vocals for Little Richard on the Elvis movie. And he’s just a star. Like, stars born. Yeah, that’s definitely

Unknown Speaker
a store too. That’s great.

Speaker 3
I mean, he bonds from Tokyo. It’s no they’re from Toronto. Yeah, okay. Yeah, they’re from Toronto, but they’re actually Japanese. And they’re just killer. Amazing instruments.

Speaker 2
You guys. Yeah, yeah. So but yeah, but yeah, I guess yeah, they live in Toronto, Canada. But yeah, it’s your bonds.

Speaker 3
Wild herb. He won for Western swing male he from out of Chicago. He blew blew the roof off of his gig. He got his showcase. I mean, everyone it was women

Speaker 2
really? Anyway, this this year goes Sierra Ferrell Rachel Brooks, Summer Dean.

Celine Lee
Brennan Lee Carper. I mean Katie shore. Yes, all of them.

Dale Watson
Is all goes on Monster talent. It was

Rusty Puttfark
those three when those three joined together with their incredible Yeah,

Dale Watson
that was that was a because one of the upland acts couldn’t make it. So he needed to be there. And she thought Yeah, I

Celine Lee
just wanted to be able to put as many of these nominees together because that’s what a metropolitan is all about. It’s not a competition, it’s not anything, it’s everybody coming together to support each other. And, you know, that’s what always happens is they all end up performing together. So I thought, those three women are one of our my favorites. And I thought, let me see if I can get them on a showcase together. And I was Saturday afternoon and I was so busy running around and I just said no, I’m stopping, sitting down and I’m gonna watch this this set because I just knew it was going to be so magical.

Dale Watson
It was great. And I just stopped writing.

Rusty Puttfark
And so what’s the best way for people to support artists like that? Like you said, just you’re it’s not about the buying the music anymore? Because it’s out there for everybody so what’s the best way to help these these people move up and get get better and be able to do this longer?

Celine Lee
Yeah, I mean by their by their merch, go to their shows, get tickets to their shows, you know, support share on their on social media, you know, that’s, that’s really important. That’s what we do with, with the Ameripolitan with our, all of our social media, we try to just keep, keep sharing all of their all of their stuff, as much as possible,

Speaker 2
their new record releases and where they’re going to be at on tour and stuff like that. We tried to share it on our social media, from letters and we also

Speaker 3
connect them with like the venue owners and the festival. You know, the festival nominees that were part of Ameripolitan, and then they you know, they connect it from all all there to you know, they all it’s like a big, you know, everybody sharing, like out in California, they just, yeah,

Rusty Puttfark
I know, we talked about this, but still, this would be a great discovery tool to just, you know, to have you guys do a podcast about a matter of policy in an interview the artists and do 30 minute interviews, let them tell their story, let them share how you can connect with them find their tour schedule, and just really just promote them because there’s so many incredible artists out there truly, that I mean, I just I love that, that that weekend, and I always come away with four or five, six people I don’t think I’ve ever heard before, or maybe just a little bit, but now it’s like, oh my gosh, I gotta share these with everybody else.

Speaker 3
Yep, I know. That’s one thing that I wanted to do through Hernando’s because that’s where I’ve discovered a lot of people was, but I was like, that’s how I discovered wild herb he played at Hernando’s. And I would I would, my idea was to do these little mini interviews and collaborations through Hernando’s social media and through Dale’s social media and having dale like, do a little one on one interview or just like before their show and like get clips of them and, you know, connect it all connect all the dots.

Dale Watson
Yeah. Yeah, it’s because the community is huge. I mean, it’s worldwide and it’s great that they help each other in a way that they tell you about venues oh, you should come to this town, you know what to play this place. All of this guy here is the guy that promotes this festival or, you know, things like that. And it’s so that’s, that’s a really important and an artist, to keep going to be able to do those

Celine Lee
radio stations, especially like all of the DJs you know, that we connect to them with the artists so that they can interview and, and they can you know, spread the word that way as well.

Rusty Puttfark
So what’s your what’s your tour look like? What? What are you doing right now?

Celine Lee
Non stop tour this man, you don’t stop? Yeah, we’re

Dale Watson
going to Europe. He’s going to Norway, to play Viva Las Vegas not to

Celine Lee
fly to Vegas to play this big heat the biggest rockabilly Fest in the world. And he’s doing the car show that he’s headlining the car show which is like 10,000 people, something like that.

Dale Watson
So it’s always Yeah, always something moving. Gotta keep moving. How many days and September 16 and 17. We started up a very first annual boogie woogie festival in Marshall, Texas, where we stayed most of times warehouses. And it’s

Speaker 3
actually the birthplace of boogie woogie music. And so Dale is starting a little it’s gonna start small because we have a lot on our plate as it is, but it was going to be a very cool festival with some a lot of the Ameripolitan artists like Scott Byram. Linda Gail Lewis, Jason Dee Williams. Who else could you Sure sure. And then it’s going to fall under the Ameripolitan umbrella as well because it’s a route like you know, our

Dale Watson
Right Yeah, I think I think it will probably do it as a mirror polished presents and but it’s gonna be annual because it’s the birthplace of the Boogie Woogie. So again doing this doing that saying it’s kind of like Johnny Appleseed, you know, kind of trying to plant these seeds of roots music everywhere we go.

Rusty Puttfark
Yeah, absolutely. Are you got a new album’s coming out? Are you working on any?

Dale Watson
Yeah, I got a just did an acoustic album. It was produced by David Ferguson. And the starvation box is inspired by lead bellies. Career lead Billy’s dad called his guitar, a starvation bugs. I thought it was just amazing to me. And his whole story. So I did a whole she bought me this 12 string like he played Stella and I think that he’s just a beautiful guitar and inspired me to write songs and and so sort of doing tours and so it’s come off pretty well that’s just sort of that that’s a next album is coming out on Cleopatra records.

Celine Lee
And you’re doing also a solo tour with junior Brown and res Yeah, I’m in

Dale Watson
January no no it’s gonna happen out in March next March Junior Brown and Reverend Horton heat

Celine Lee
but it’s also low too so it’s gonna be them solo should be different and really unique.

Dale Watson
Yeah, just just me opening soul but but it’s uh he’s anyhow regular album coming out, which I don’t know what even the name of that yet we’ve been working on that. And, and I got, I gotta get into studio below us and, and start putting up right recording some stuff. there because I got I’m always writing I always got all these different songs so that and you don’t really put out it don’t really promote albums anymore, as I’m finding out that people put out singles. So. So I got some new stuff, I don’t want to go down there. And just put that out, I

Celine Lee
would like to see him producing more albums, and maybe some of these metropolitan artists and him being more in the studio, because he’s such an amazing producer. And he’s got such a great year that I feel like so many of these young artists would just die to have Dale produce them. That would be that’s one of my my dreams.

Dale Watson
I would love for him to do that more and more producing come off the road. There’ll be on the road so much just be in the studio.

Rusty Puttfark
So what’s the what’s the what’s the ultimate vision that you would just love to see Ameripolitan turn into I mean, you’re talking about an area there where where you can help artists come and create music and their albums and potentially help promote them and be discovered, you know, through through through technology and through tools, but kind of just what’s the ultimate vision that you’d see if there was no obstacles or hindrances in the way?

Speaker 2
Well, again, we’re working on through a friend of mine, we’re trying to find like Ameripolitan, whether it’s a station or if it’s a just a show on Sirius XM, I think we like to have a chart Ameripolitan chart like to have a Ameripolitan radio show. And

Speaker 3
I would like to be able to host like songwriters retreats here at our Airbnb and have artists come here and you know, come together, write songs, record them downstairs, perform that at Hernando’s and have like, a whole like retreat for artists to be able to come here to record, right and make this like a beautiful, creative space, you know, and then those are things that I would like to envision in the future for Ameripolitan

Speaker 2
It’s funny is just that’s what country music used to be. You know, we’re just trying to make it country again.

Rusty Puttfark
What’s so here’s the thing I don’t think most people understand or know what’s what’s the life like as an independent artist.

Speaker 2
Alright, yeah, you’ve got to go in your own way and you got to do your own thing. So it’s, it’s, you have to you got to wake up and do things It can’t just when you’re when you got a record label, pushing you and you got everybody doing it for you. All you got to do is wake up and and tour but when you’re an independent artist,

Speaker 3
like Summer Dean, for instance, yeah, sucks. She writes, she sells her merch. You know, she does everything

Dale Watson
and you gotta be just, you just got to wake up and get it done. Don’t Don’t be a crybaby about it. Just just just moving on. Keep going.

Rusty Puttfark
Yeah, well, we got to get you to Georgia. The oldest train depot is about a three minute walk from my house and it’s just the most incredible place. I would love to shoot a video and therefore, every time I go in there we go down there. We sneak in that place at night and just watch trains go by and take a beverage of choice and it’s it’s awesome. But But yeah, we go in there

Celine Lee
a minute walk to the train to the historic train station and Marshall, he jumps on the Amtrak and goes to Austin, with his suitcase. He just jumps on the train shows is

Rusty Puttfark
still operating depot. Oh, no, oh, no, no, it’s been it’s been closed down for years and years and years. But they actually, instead of tearing it down, this is, gosh, I don’t even know when it was maybe in the 40s or something. They actually put it on logs and took mules to roll it on the other side of the street, because they were building the big highway through, but they wanted to preserve it. So it’s still it’s still there. And it still has a lot of historic, you know, signs on the wall and everything like that. It has a big open room to that you can open the doors and there goes the trains. Right, right on. It’s pretty incredible. Oh, yeah. Real close, like real picture.

Dale Watson
Is that Amtrak? Or is it just really,

Rusty Puttfark
I don’t know. It’s CSX. It’s, it goes from Waycross to Manchester. That’s kind of the main route there. And a lot of times they have the they have guys, they have the conductors, or they switch train crews right there. So a lot of times I’ll take my golf cart, and just sit out there and watch trains and when they’re when they’re changing the guys that come and just sit in the seat the golf cart with me, which we’ll talk about trains or whatever. It’s just, it’s fun. I love to get here, all that stuff. It’s pretty cool.

Dale Watson
Yeah, we love it. Love it. But in fact, that’s the main part of the birthplace of booger with good reason to happen. The marshals calls a train because of the Texas Pacific rail. And so, so we’re doing a lot of training zones and,

Rusty Puttfark
and, and believe it or not, I am located on exit 109 Are you really? I promise I am. If you get off I 75 and exit 109 10 miles west that you hit it. Kind of crazy.

Speaker 3
reshoot a video for exit 109? Oh, yeah.

Rusty Puttfark
And there’s a Pilot on exit 109 is a really? Yeah. Exit 109 right off that thing. There’s a pilot. So it’s like you wrote I thought you wrote the song when you wrote when you went through there, but no coincidence? Yes. Actually,

Dale Watson
the exit was originally exit 129. But it’s hard to sing 29

Rusty Puttfark
Yeah, no, it’s, it’s there. It definitely is. Well, man, I certainly appreciate you being on this again. It’s, it’s great to be able to celebrate, you know, the artists like that, and what you’re doing, and we’re gonna do everything we can to help support that. There’s so much independent talent that people don’t know about. And it’s in, it’s crazy. In the day and age that we live in where we’re so connected, we’re disconnected from what’s true talent, and we’re still kind of, you know, we only get the faucet of what they want us to get. So I think, you know, whatever we can do whatever I can help, like helping with the podcast, you know, of the Ameripolitan artists, whatever like that. I’m totally on board with that. Because, man, there’s some good stuff.

Speaker 2
Well, I appreciate it. Thanks for your help on every year, every year, you always it’s been. They couldn’t do it without you and wouldn’t want to do it without you. And it could you get it and and you got a big heart. And I think you’re right. It’s we’re being forced fed stuff. And we’re not being given a choice. I think that’s I think I started about modern radio, country radio said, you know, I don’t I’m not against them playing what they’re playing. But they don’t, why don’t include, why don’t you include this other stuff, too? Right. So you give people a choice. Instead of just people would like, yeah, because they would choose? I think Ameripolitan music artists are what old country artists used to be, you know, yeah. The, you know, the you could you could you could hear the Hank Williams and some of these people you can hear the Loretta Lynn and Sierra Ferro. You can see here the the Earnest Tub and Charley Crockett. Yeah, so you can hear it you can hear the the the roots connected into it, and I think people will gravitate more toward that than whatever else was out there. Got no roots whatsoever. Got the country? Yeah.

Rusty Puttfark
Ya know, without a doubt, without a doubt. I think if they hear if they hear the authentic, I think that the the manufactured becomes less valuable to them to be honest

Dale Watson
with you. Right. Right. I agree. Yeah. Awesome. Well, thanks for thanks for having me on.

Rusty Puttfark
Well, I hope everybody enjoyed that. And like I said, Dale is doing a great thing, helping promote these artists and promote the true talent within country music and I just appreciate what he’s doing. Like I said, I like to celebrate the independent people, the people that are out there work and doing the hard work. And, you know, just really lift them up and help help them be celebrated. So appreciate you listen to this, and go out there and discover go to Ameripolitan.org go to DaleWatson.com discover them and we’re going to help get that podcast up for them. And we’re going to help them with that discovery tool because I believe that that’s going to be a key to helping people discover music. I know you will love so until next time, I’ll talk to you later. Love y’all.

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