Dennis
Hi there. Welcome to Uncommon Convos. I’m your host, Dennis VanDerGinst.

Dennis
And before I introduce our guest for today, I’d like to ask you to please subscribe and like Uncommon Convos on your favorite podcast platform. Additionally, you can find links to the video recordings for this and all of our episodes at UncommonConvos.com. And from there, you can comment and make suggestions as to who you’d like to see as upcoming guests on future episodes. So I’ve known Brad Nye for over 40 years, which is extraordinary given the fact that we’re both only thirty five years old.

Dennis
That’s the type of guy that you might not talk to for ages. And then you pick right up where you left off and feel like you just spoke to each other yesterday, which of course in this instance we did just speak yesterday.

Dennis
But what usually that’s a thank you man. Usually that’s not the case. You know, like with most friends, we’ve we’ve had our lives diverge and converge over the years. And, you know, we’ve both gone in different directions. But believe me when I say that Brad’s journey has been much more interesting than mine and more interesting than most people, for that matter. Ever since I’ve known, known him Brad has been creating musical media content as a producer, composer, musician and singer.

Dennis
He studied at the Musicians Institute of Technology in Hollywood and then accepted a position as an assistant tour manager for Van Halen’s 1984 tour and then for Hall and Oates Big Bam tour. As I said, you know, much more interesting than than my journey.

Dennis
Many people will know him as the lead vocalist and co-writer for the popular band Dick Holliday and the Bamboo Gang, which was signed to A&M Records and toured nationally doing 200 shows a year while sponsored by Genuine–Miller Genuine Draft. He also co-wrote, produced and performed lead vocals for the first super sized commercial for McDonald’s and has co-written and produced national radio commercials for Brown’s Chicken and Miller Genuine Draft. He’s co-written a full length feature screenplay, Cheyenne, and that movies in development.

Dennis
I’m going to want to talk to him about that. He co-produced the soundtrack for that movie as well. Last year, Brad co-founded Old Bank Media Group with his partners, David Allen and David’s Future Country Hall of Fame songwriter wife, Leslie Satcher. That group, along with a number of other talented musicians and writers, created PodPlays, the family friendly podcast embedded with the epic songs written from hit Nashville Songwriters, which debuted at number 13 on the Apple podcast charts.

Dennis
And if as if that weren’t enough, 2020 also gave birth to a new R & B band Hubcap Moses, for which Brad and Nashville keyboardist Tim Akers lead a group of extremely talented session players. That band was immediately signed to AHP records. Brother. It’s good to see you, man. Thanks for being here. So that’s good, that’s that’s good long intro.

Brad
See you talk again.

Dennis
Yeah, you know, you’ve obviously had–

Brad
Is it done?

Dennis
Yeah, we’re done. That’s it. Thank you! We’ve obviously had a crazy and blessed life. Yeah. And, you know, we’re going to play a little bit of this is–this is your life, because I want the audience–I want the audience to really get to understand who you are. So even though I might have known iat at the time I was I was doing my my research in preparation for the day, and I found out that you were actually born in Seattle and then you moved to the Quad Cities.

Dennis
Is that right?

Brad
That’s right. Yeah. Well, a little town outside of Seattle called Pasco, Washington, where I lived there about a year, moved into Seattle, a little suburb called Magnolia, but right off the Fisherman’s Wharf and lived there till I was almost seven.

Dennis
Yeah. And then what prompted you guys–

Dennis
What prompted you guys to move then to the Midwest?

Brad
Well, my father being a minister, we moved every, you know, eight, nine years. So, yes, Seattle to Northfield, Illinois. Just north of Chicago, and I was there until 6th grade and then so in 1973, moved to the Quad Cities, moved to Moline.

Dennis
OK, and you know, I didn’t know you during those early years, but I suspect that the beginnings of your passion for music and the creative arts probably started at an early age.

Dennis
Is that accurate?

Brad
Yeah. You know, my dad bought me Ringo Starr’s identical drum set when I was 10. And you know, my dad’s a minister, my grandfather was a minister, my great grandfather was a minister, three of my father’s uncles were ministers and I just wanted to be a rock star. I just want to be a Beatle.

Dennis
Nice. Yeah, you know, in preparing for this interview, I also came across an article that said that your mom had been Miss Idaho in like 1954 or something like that, right?

Brad
Yeah. It’s a really it’s such a neat story. My dad–they met at the College of Idaho. They’re from both families from Idaho. And I still have cousins there and we just love it out there. But so my dad was a collegiate golf star. He was. On there, my mom and dad’s honeymoon, he went to defend his Idaho state championship, kind of a regional thing. But, my mom, if if I win this tournament, I’m going to turn pro.

Brad
And if I lose them, we’re going to go to Massachusetts, where I’m going to go to seminary, where his father went and he lost this tournament in a playoff.

Brad
And my mom–

Dennis
So, God’s–

Brad
Yeah! My mom, who had just been in the Miss America pageant and her roommate was Lee Merriweather, who was Miss California, who won Miss America.

Dennis
Right.

Brad
My mom was just this great singer and wanted to be an actress. And, you know, and all of a sudden she became a little minister’s wife, you know, country minister.

Brad
And interesting, you know, very interesting.

Dennis
That is interesting. And it’s funny because you mentioned Lee Meriwether, who, by the way, is was one of my favorite actors to portray Catwoman. So so I I think I read that, that she and your mom, or she in the family anyway, remained friends after that Miss America pageant.

Brad
It’s true. Yeah. For many years we’d visit Hollywood and her. And like Art Carney, there’s a picture of Art Carney holding me as a young lad, which I love. And that’s great.

Dennis
So how’d that come–I’m a huge Art Carney fan. How’d that come about?

Brad
We just went to some party with Lee Meriwether.

Dennis
It’s who you know, right?

Brad
It’s who you know.

Dennis
that’s crazy.

Dennis
Right. So, so we fast forward, as you mentioned, you move to the Quad Cities and your dad was a minister at the First Congregational. Is that right?

Brad
Exactly.

Dennis
OK. How’s he doing, by the way?

Brad
He’s good. You know, he shot his age in golf about five years ago.

Dennis
Really?

Brad
78. And then that next winter he just had terrible back pain and sciatica. And they talked him into a surgery that that didn’t work and it had severe nerve damage. And so he hasn’t played golf since and he hobbles to get around, but his spirit is great.

Dennis
Well, it’s been a lot–yeah, it’s been a lot of years since I’ve seen him. But I always remember him as a great guy. By the way, you know, if I I would have to be 150 or so to shoot my age. So.

Dennis
So having having grown up with with a minister as a father, what was that like? You mentioned that it was obviously something that was in the family for generations. And of course, I know you as as a wild child, too. And like you said, wanting to be the rock star. What was that like for you growing up?

Brad
Yeah, it’s a great question. And it’s it’s it’s very deep. I think, you know, for all of us. I think the greatest question we can ask ourselves is, is there a God? You know, what is that relationship to you? You know, and it’s so personal and, you know, it was never forced on me or my parents were just so loving and supportive and. You know, all my life, people told me how much they loved my father and they little old ladies would pinch my cheek and say, are you going to be a minister like your father?

Brad
And I was like, oh, no, I mean it just wasn’t on the radar at all.

Dennis
Yeah, yeah.

Brad
I think it’s kind of strange, but I had my–I’ve just always known what I wanted to do, you know, I just always have my record collection. I was just so immersed into music and just wanted to learn everything I could about. You know, how do you write a song? I mean, that was–my dad tells the story when I was, you know, I don’t know, eight or nine.

Brad
You know, that was before, you know, before I was 10 that that I’d started I’d wanted to write songs.

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Brad
That’s and was pretty supportive. And and he gets that, you know, you’re given your free will and you can do whatever you want with it.

Dennis
Well, and, you know, there are there’s a whole litany of musicians and performers out there who have come from that kind of background where they’ve they’ve had parents who were in the ministry and are involved. And I know that you also also have a background with, you know, the church choir, which also seems to be something you hear a lot. So I think there there might be some kind of correlation between that background in music. Not that I’ve ever heard you do.

Dennis
And I know you’ve been involved in a lot of different genres of music. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard you do gospel, but I know you did do some Christian rock for a while. What how do you think you know, that that background has had impacted you as far as your your musical inclinations or tastes?

Brad
Yet another really good question, because I used to think they were two separate things, or you kind of had to be in one world or the other. Now, I just believe all music is worship. It’s such a. It’s such a. It’s such a gift, you know, this gift of music, I mean, music is just what emotions sound like and and you can be I don’t care. And my dad didn’t care. I mean, he when he came backstage at Van Halen and, you know, Alex Van Halen came over to him with the Jack Daniels bottle.

Brad
My dad hit, you know, and he was like, oh, my gosh, this is awesome. You guys you guys are really good.

Brad
Yeah, so at this point, it’s all it’s just all good, you know.

Dennis
Yeah, and I can definitely see your dad doing that. That’s that’s great to hear. So besides, your your your church roots, like the church choir, for instance, what’s the first time that you started performing seriously? And I’m not talking about the writing or because I do want to get in there and talk about that process. But but actually performing.

Brad
Yeah, well, so in Moline, Junior High, my first band was called Mazo, which. In Spanish is crazy, so–

Dennis
Appropriate.

Brad
–[inaudible] and Tony DiLeo and Tony’s dad was the our band director at Coolidge Junior High and and Tom Hunter on trumpet. And I’ll never forget, we played some backyard party in Moline and he’s got paid seventy five bucks. You know, we were playing like When the Saints Go Marching In and Pinball Wizard and. And, you know, I was drumming and singing and Matt Hunter was on keyboards and we sang and that was it.

Brad
I was just hooked. Yeah. And I don’t know how long that lasted, but soon after that, you know, I met Greg Hayes. Right. He’s the bass player from Dick Holliday and the Bamboo Gang. And we started Nightfall with, you know, Kathy Kaparua and Jim Van Winkle and. And Steve Hayes.

Dennis
Right. And Jim Kaparua?

Brad
And Jim, yeah, yeah, you know, that was for me, I was just incredible, that was just awesome. And we were we were in high school making a great living.

Dennis
Yeah, for sure.

Brad
You know, the Arsenal, we play the Arsenal once or twice a month, you know, the officers headquarters, their bar. But that was awesome. I mean, playing Kathy was Linda Ronstadt, you know, for sure.

Dennis
For sure.

Brad
And serious. That was serious.

Dennis
And of course, a lot of listeners will recognize some of those names. Kathy, who was Hollenbeck at the time, and Kaparua now has been a longtime fixture in the Quad Cities music scene. I think Jim Van Winkle as well. And of course, as you mentioned, Greg, also known as Klem, has continued on professionally. So obviously there was a lot of talent in that in that band back then. And it carried on. And you guys played into college for a while.

Dennis
I remember I don’t know if you’ll remember this, but you and I well, you roomed with me and Cap and Scott Cochite and Dan Anderson and Pat Hays and a bunch of us for a while. And I think the only ones that were on the lease were Jim and I. I think we had like six, six or seven people living in a three bedroom or two bedroom apartment for a while, which was just nuts. And I only mentioned that because I thought we had some pretty wild times back then.

Dennis
But I’m sure that those those episodes are pretty tame compared to what you probably went through with Van Halen and beyond. So so I definitely–

Brad
There’s [inaudible]. Good, you know–

Dennis
Yeah, exactly.

Dennis
You know, I also remember a stint you did with a jazz band called Birdland. Was that before or after you went to Hollywood?

Brad
Just before.

Dennis
Just before. And that was pretty brief.

Brad
Yeah, ’80, ’81. Yeah, with Dwayne Isaacson and Steel Helier.

Dennis
That’s right.

Brad
On bass and yeah, that was fun, yeah, yeah.

Dennis
Again, some great musicians, some great music and always, you know, fun to watch it. But then you went you went to Hollywood to the Musicians Institute of Technology.

Brad
Yeah. So I told my dad, I’m going, you know, you can take me or I’m going and he took me. And and then Clem said, well, I’m going too you know. And so we moved out there together. It was great.

Dennis
Tell us about that. I mean, what was that experience like? I remember either hearing or reading that you guys had access to some great teachers like Frank Zappa, the band Toto, and others. Yeah.

Dennis
Yeah.

Dennis
Do they actually run courses or how that work.

Brad
Yeah. So it was a year long school and so it’s called Musicians Institute, M-I. And there’s GIT, Guitar Institute of Technology; BIT…Bass; and PIT…Percussion. So I went to PIT, Clem went to the Bass Institute, and then there we met Grant Tai, who’s the guitar player for Dick Holliday and the Bamboo Gang. And so it’s just like a crash course, a one year study taught by Hollywood session musicians. You know, just just–

Dennis
The best of the best.

Brad
The best of the best.

Brad
And it was awesome. It was–

Dennis
Yeah. And now, in addition to, you know, learning your craft and fine tuning, you know, with the help of of these kinds of great teachers, did did it help you as far as making connections within the industry at all or at all or even teach you about the industry at all? Or where were you kind of left flailing in the wind as far as that portion of you know…?

Brad
Yes, a good question, because the school is so focused on, you know, teaching, you just just super accelerated drums and and so every day. Different, you know, like the drummer from Weather Report, you know, Alex [inaudible] and percussionist and you know, Ed Thigpen, this old black jazz drummer that just fileted me open. This guy changed my life, you know, the way he approached, you know, drums and music and feel and man, you know.

Brad
Well, you know, where where is it? Just talk about where you’re hitting the snare drum, where you at, you know, are you on top? Are you wet? Are you fat? Are you you know what–you’re driving. You’re driving. And he’s looking at me like, don’t hit me. But I loved this guy, you know, just little things like that, that just really changed my life, you know, my approach, not to mention the guys from Toto and Jeff Porcaro, their drummer, you know, it was at the time was just an absolute hero.

Brad
And I I auditioned for his dad who wrote the curriculum for the PIT school, and along with Ralph Humphries, the drummer from Frank Zappa.

Dennis
You know, by the way, for those of us who are not percussionists or very musically inclined, that description of what he was telling you sounded more like somebody having sex than anything else.

Dennis
So it was just orgasmic in a sense, right?

Brad
Oh, well, and that’s my point.

Brad
This guy was like nothing I’d ever heard before, you know?

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Dennis
Sure. Yeah. You know, and then I guess it was shortly after that that you started with Van Halen, right?

Brad
Well, right. So the first semester of that school was great. And I came home from Christmas and by and I brought one of our neighbors at our little apartment complex in Hollywood was this guy, Frank Gamboli, who’s gone on to be world class guitarist. He played for Chick Corea, you know, for 30 years. And this guy was from Australia and he didn’t have any family really to go home to or he so he came back to Moline with me for Christmas and sat in with the Birdland band.

Brad
We did a gig, I’ll never forget that. And Frank was just blowing everybody away. So then I go back to the next semester and my first day of the new class, there’s this new drummer in our class, this big old boy. And he’s got this red Van Halen diver down tour jacket on, and it says Ron. And I go, “Hey, Ron, nice jacket.” And he goes, “Hey, F-U man. You want to go to a party?” And I go, “Yeah, I’ll go to a party.”

Brad
And I was all about the party those days.

Dennis
Sure.

Brad
Well, it was Alex Van Halen’s bachelor party on a 60 foot yacht off of Santa Monica, complete with midgets and strippers. So the 50…50 guys on the crew on this huge yacht, you know, just cruising out into the night. And it was just incredible. So the management team and the band was up in the front. There was a glass room before you stepped out onto the bow with tables in a bar, just catered to the nines and everything.

Brad
And I’m just pouring drinks for the management and got introduced and everything and and like, you know, halfway through the night, the tour manager, Harvey Shappes, goes, “Hey, Brad, what are you doing the next couple of years?”

Brad
I said, “Why?”

Dennis
“We’re getting married, or?”

Brad
“That’s a little forward, but…I’m open.”

Brad
So, yeah, I got hired as his assistant, so.

Dennis
So, what did–

Brad
Yeah, well, my first gig with them was the US festival.

Dennis
Oh, wow.

Brad
So 300,000 people out of the San Fernando Valley, you know, four days of unbelievable concerts.

Dennis
Did you even finish up the semester then or did you just start right away with them?

Brad
So I kind of did. But I think I phased out, I think. You know, all of a sudden I’m making a grand a week. Thirty three bucks a day per diem, you know, right at 21 years old. Twenty two.

Dennis
Sure.

Brad
So I was off, I was done. That was it.

Dennis
So what was your actual job as assistant tour manager? What were your responsibilities?

Brad
Yes. So reconfirming hotel rooms down, you know, the next town or, you know, limos and airplanes or. But then the biggest thing was the dressing room. I was in charge of the catering. So there, you know, six, seven page Rider, a list of everything they needed backstage.

Dennis
Well, you hear about some of those lists from other celebrities. What were some of the oddities that they had on their list?

Brad
72 lint free towels.

Dennis
Oh, wow.

Brad
And then, of course, the five pounds of M&M’s, no brown ones.

Dennis
Of course.

Brad
And you know the reason–and that’s all Dave Roth, you know, and like when Rolling Stone or Time magazine or look would come out, you know, he would quadruple everything backstage. I mean Dave was just all about the show, you know.

Dennis
Right. Right.

Brad
And and when a big publication would come out, he’d have his Danny and Jimmy is two midget actors from Hollywood dress as karate, you know, and follow him.

Dennis
It’s crazy.

Dennis
Yeah, yeah, and we’re talking just so people are clear, we’re talking about David Lee Roth, who was the lead singer back then, and probably for the duration of your work with them.

Brad
I saw them have an argument at the end of that tour and they kind of broke up.

Dennis
Yeah. And so who was in charge of getting the groupies?

Brad
Everybody. The roadies.

Dennis
Yeah. Yeah, I had the–that had to have been a crazy time. What’s what’s some of the more. Well, as as an attorney, I’ll tell you, the statute of limitations has expired, so you won’t get in any trouble. So what’s some of the craziest stuff that happens here?

Dennis
Yeah, absolutely.

Brad
Yeah. Well, it was just always, you know, Alex Van Halen was such a prankster. You know, he’s just one of those guys that was constantly, you know, playing tricks, you know, just. But then he would just he would grab a bellhop. And just whip out a roll of duct tape and duct tape him to his luggage rack, pull out a can of lighter fluid, light his shoes on fire, stick a couple hundred dollar bills in his mouth and roll him into a fountain.

Dennis
My God.

Dennis
And then and then he was off to the next and Alex, you know, he just he partied so hard, you know, I mean, no drugs. Alex was just like Schlitz malt liquor and, you know, [inaudible], you know, just Winston’s. And he was just such a blast, you know? I mean, he was such a party. He was either up or he was asleep, you know.

Dennis
So. So.

Brad
Yeah.

Dennis
And that went on for how long were you with Van Halen?

Brad
That was like a year and a half year and a half.

Dennis
Did you go directly from from Van Halen then on to Hall and Oates?

Brad
Yeah. So the head of security for Van Halen, Eddie Anderson, who was basically Dave Roth’s bodyguard after that ’84 tour, they do a quick stint in Europe and then back and then Dave went to Nepal. He wanted to climb Mount Everest.

Dennis
Of course he did.

Brad
Eddie Eddie was already writing the next album, you know, and they had had a bump, a riff. And there’s just like, OK, everybody is going to take some time here. So Eddie Anderson said, hey, Brad, I just got a call from Tommy Mottola, who manages Hall and Oates and Billy Joel. You know, John Mellencamp, he’s a cool, dude, in New York. Would you care to fly out there? And we just we’ll go have a meeting with him and see what’s up.

Brad
So fly into New York and into this coolest office on Central Park West, Champion Entertainment and Tommy Mottola, who went on to be president of Sony US, he’s this cool Italian dude, you know, hey you know? And he’s got these, you know, beautiful secretaries, two floors, a spiral staircase up between the floors on this high rise in New York City. And he wants us to be. You know, to. HelP their own job with their year and a half tour, you know, it’s kind of like.

Brad
Kind of the norm.

Dennis
Yeah, so so so was that the same type of role then when you took that on?

Brad
Yeah, although that was so mellow, you know, it was just so cool. That was just really. Music, you know, and and [Inaudible] Smith on guitar and T Bone [Inaudible] on bass, who went on to Saturday Night Live to run that band.

Dennis
Sure.

Brad
And thaen Micky Currie on drums. And Mickey now plays with Bryan Adams, has for the last 20 years, but we call them “the lads.” And I got to just hang with those guys.

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Brad
Not that John Oates and I didn’t play tennis on nights off, so it went from truly, you know, throwing the TV out the window, staying in Holiday Inns.

Brad
And there were just so many people around, you know, constantly wanting to get to Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth. And it was just it was chaos, you know, all of a sudden I’m just, you know, in. White Rolls-Royce limousines with red plush carpet and I got a raise and you know what I mean? It was New York City. I mean, you went out at midnight.

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Brad
And to these clubs where I mean, this one was called The Toilet. I think it was Upper East Side and would roll up into kind of an industrial. I was like, really? This is are we getting out here? You know? And we went up to this factory door, you know, and boom, boom, boom, knock. And we went in this freight elevator, those freight elevators that open, you know, horizontally.

Dennis
Sure.

Brad
We get and we go down about five floors and it opens up to this white leather booth nightclub that’s packed with a full, you know, 18 piece jazz band just wailing.

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Brad
And you know what I mean, it was just–every night was crazy. And then Tommy Mottola had the penthouse at the Mayflower Hotel on Central Park West. And in that penthouse was a piano. And then that was. That was the hang, and Brian Doyle was the tour manager. We called that penthouse, Chez Doyle. Let’s do Chez Doyle tonight, you know, on a night off or even after a gig. And you just never knew who was going to come to that party.

Brad
I mean, Jack Nicholson, Joan Rivers, Gene Hackman, Julian Lennon, Tom Waits, who I loved at the time. So, yeah, that took it up a notch. You know, that was like serious Manhattan I love.

Dennis
Yeah.

Dennis
So so it seems as though Hall and Oates had like a higher class of fandom or an audience than than Van Halen. Is that is that about does that sum it up?

Brad
Yeah. It was the you know, it was instead of teens and 20s and 30s, you know, it was–

Dennis
Right.

Brad
Listening to anybody, we need those 40 and 50 year olds. It was just really laid back and fun and and you could just relax a little bit.

Dennis
Yeah. Did you have a preference as to which environment you could–because, you know, you’re still a 20 year old back at that point. So I could imagine you’re having a good time with the Van Halen crowd as well. Did you have a preference?

Brad
It’s a really good question. I you know, I look at them equally, truly, you know, I think I think it was a bit of a relief because I’ll never forget the first Van Halen show. We all flew to Jacksonville, Florida, and the first little arena show, which was general admission, you know, when that curtain dropped and 16 spotlights on Eddie playing the intro to Unchained–[guitar noises].

Brad
And, you know, and Dave do in the splits off the drum riser. And when he landed in, the three of them came to the front, you know, with their arms raised and the crush of people. I mean, I thought somebody was going to die. I know. I’ll never forget, like, oh, my gosh. And the stage was shaking. And, you know, we’ve been in rehearsals that in Hollywood at Zoetrope Studios, you know, Francis Ford Coppola movie lot, you know, having martinis at 5:00 o’clock, you know, talking about what songs are going to go next and when that that really.

Brad
That shook me and that was like, oh, my gosh, it’s on, you know.

Dennis
You know, I was going to ask you with that. I mean, as a performer yourself and a musician, when you saw that happening and then later on when you were touring with Hall and Oates, did that give you more of a bug or did that bug you more than anything, the fact that, hey, what do they got that I don’t have?

Dennis
Why is that not me out there? I mean, what was your mindset during all that?

Brad
That is a great observation, because I truly. I watched David Lee Roth every night and, you know, he pretty much did the same–it was the same show every night. But I learned, you know, what a showman is. I learned that. Do you just you pause and you stick out your hand and put one hand on the other hand to your ear.

Brad
You’re like and you’re looking back at Alex, like, “can you believe this crowd? You know? Oh, my gosh. You know, I think Raleigh, North Carolina, is an excellent place to take your clothes off!”

Brad
And and so you’re right. I mean, Denny, I was like, “wait a minute, I could do that.”

Dennis
Right and you did. You absolutely did. I mean–

Brad
–what. Yeah. Yeah.

Dennis
And of course and I want to get into that in a second here, because, you know, again, I’ve mentioned this in other podcasts before, but it’s fun. It’s both fun and intimidating to interview a friend that you know and you share a history with because you’re trying to ask questions that, you know, I don’t know the answers to. But of course, a lot of the folks that are listening may not know any of the answers to any of these questions.

Dennis
So, yeah, I you went from from this environment and, you know, the highest rungs of of you know, that that entertainment mecca then decided to do go it alone. Now, was this because, hey, it had run its course in your mind? Did you have other opportunities to continue on tour with anybody else or go back to Van Halen or stick with with Hall and Oates to go elsewhere? Or did you just decide after watching all that, I can do this, I’m going to do this?

Brad
Yeah, another great question, because halfway through that Hall and Oates tour, I can remember calling Clem from the Mayflower Hotel and saying. “Let’s get Grant, you know, I’m flying you guys”–because by this time I had the cash and the connections–“and we’re going to make it.” Because we we we’d already started to write and and goof around with, you know, different ideas and Hollywood grant clem and I. So, yeah, really good question, because it was all all planned.

Brad
Let me finish this tour. Let’s meet in Chicago. Let’s get it going. And then one night we’re like and then so Greg Marsh, the drummer who I went to first grade with in Northfield, Illinois, you know, one of my best friends, his first grade, we went to drum lessons together in third grade.

Brad
Mm hmm.

Dennis
So we we got the four of us together and we need a keyboard player. What do we need? You know, and what are we going to call it?

Dennis
Right.

Brad
So, you know, my my dad’s name is Dick, he’s a minister and my middle name is Richard–Dick–and my dad, after the second time he picked me up from jail, he’s like, “hey, you know, life’s not a holiday buddy.” And I’m like, “oh, I beg to differ, your Excellency.”

Brad
And so it’s almost like a half drunken joke, this dick holliday. And then Clem said, “oh, the bamboo gang, that’s a mafia hit squad.” And I’m like, “Ah that’s brilliant, done.” You know, so that’s we just came up with that and went for it.

Dennis
You know, and I of course, maybe it gets twisted in the telling, because I recall hearing that the name Dick Holliday came from naming it sort of after your dad, “Dick holy day,” being a minister.

Dennis
But, you know, now that you mention that, I kind of remember that story that you just that you said about him getting hauled out of jail for the second time, we’ll leave that alone. We won’t we won’t get into that.

Dennis
But yeah, but uh–.

Dennis
So then you get started. That was about 1985? That Dick Holliday gets started?

Brad
Yeah. Late ’85 into ’86. Yeah.

Dennis
OK, and for those folks who haven’t heard Dick Holliday, I’d like you to describe what the what the music was. What, what was the style and where did it come from.

Brad
Yeah. So we loved rhythm and blues, you know, we loved Stevie Ray Vaughn. We loved, you know, Texas Roadhouse Rock and roll meets, you know, Jimmy Buffett and. We weren’t sure we were like, man, let’s just and I and we consciously like, let’s just plug in, you know, let’s just get together and plug in and see what comes. And Clem is very rhythmical as a bass player. You know, his thumbs, his hands are just huge and.

Brad
So we would just try and hop on a groove, I think we were kind of groove oriented and we loved reggae, you know, Bob Marley in Third World.

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Brad
You remember that song Tragi Love, right?

Brad
[Singing].

Brad
So we love that stuff. And Marvin Gaye. And so, you know, we loved where we were going. And then we started shopping into record companies and they’re like, what the heck are you guys, you know.

Dennis
Right.

Brad
Became an issue.

Dennis
Yeah, well, and I you know, when people ask me what kind of music it is and I probably oversimplified it, but I always refer to it as Caribbean rock, which wasn’t simply the genre or the the sound necessarily of the music from some of the music, but the style of the show. I mean, you wearing a Panama hat and, you know, shorts and whatever. It just had that island feel and flair and and made I think the audience feel that way as well, like, hey, we’re on we’re on a vacation.

Dennis
On a dreadlock holiday. Right. I mean, which, you know, again, you had a great mix, two of originals and covers that you that you performed. So as far as the original music, who who was responsible for that? Was it a collaboration? Did some guys write some of the music? Some guys write lyrics? Did you collaborate on music and lyrics? How did that go down?

Brad
Yeah, big collaboration with Dick Holliday. Big time. And again, I think we love to just let’s just get together, you know, because somebody will jump on something, you know, and it’s just so fun when when good players just plug in, you know, that that’s where Eagles, you know, and Joe Walsh plug it in for a rehearsal one night and playing that [guitar noises], you know?

Brad
What’s that? That’s how it’s done.

Dennis
Yeah.

Brad
That’s it, somebody brings a spark.

Dennis
So what would you consider your favorite dark holiday collaborations or songs altogether? And let me tell you before you answer that question, the reason I’m asking it is, with your permission, I’m going to ask Justin, our producer, to insert a little bit of some of the music into the podcast here. What would you like folks to hear?

Brad
You know, I just I think initially we wrote, Dive Right In. I think that’s very.

Dennis
Appropriate.

Brad
A telling of the time, how that was one of our first, you know, I was like to I’m about to dive right in, you know, see what it takes to sink or swim. It was like that was kind of us, you know.

Brad
[singing Dive Right In]

Brad
[singing Dive Right In]

Brad
[singing Dive Right In]

Brad
[singing Dive Right In]

Dennis
And you guys did put out four albums and before you broke up in ’94. During that time, as I mentioned in the intro, you had, you know, frankly, you were one of the hottest bands in the Midwest. You had been selected as best local performer by the Chicago Tribune in 1990. You’d had the contract with A&M Records, that sponsorship with Miller. You were touring and doing all those shows. So so what happened? What what prompted the breakup?

Dennis
And by the way, I know I know the answers to these questions, but again, some of the folks may not yet, so.

Brad
It was interesting because, you know, you mentioned A&M Records, we got signed to a development deal, and so they, you know, they give you money to go back in the studio and they own the masters, you know, of what you create. And they get first right of refusal and and to take, you know, to take it to the next level.

Brad
And at the same time, like I mentioned, they’re saying, well, what are you guys you know? And even with Miller Genuine Draft, when they’re coming up with our promotional posters and everything and they’re like, well, what are you guys like? Well, we’re pumped up funk rock. So they went with that, you know.

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Brad
So when you’re writing for a big machine like A&M Records and there’s pressure, you know, there’s like you get a little window here, you get a shot, right.

Brad
So the initial spark of three or four buds getting together and plugging in in high school or college, you know, and everybody can play and you can you can you want to write and everybody’s on the same page. OK, let’s go. What happens when you get a big A&R guy, an artist and relation guy from A&M Records. Right? Whose butt’s on the line for you guys, he’s going back to the boardroom and you know, he’s either going to champion you,

Brad
Hoping that this makes his career or he’s going to…You know what I mean? So sure, all of a sudden he’s telling us you need to be this. You need to be that. You need to be there. So all of a sudden. The you know, the initial creativity changed, you know, that whole dynamic change and, you know, it’s hats off, it’s kudos to those bands that have made it because, man, you’ve got to just you’ve really got to get serious about songwriting.

Dennis
Right right. Well, and I’m going to I want to explore some other aspects of that. But before I do, I do want to bring up, you know, the fact that, you know, and I understand the pressure that an A&R guy is going to have and and that you guys would have under the circumstances. But you were crushing it as far as bringing in the crowds to the venues you were playing and you were sharing the bill with a crazy variety of performers, Alice Cooper, Tammy Wynette, Mel Tormé.

Dennis
What I mean, what the hell is that?

Dennis
Mel Torme. How does that come around? Yeah, how does that come around? When, you know, you talk about heavy metal and country and then, you know, this old style crooner, how does that happen?

Brad
I don’t know. I don’t know. It just, you know, we would just we would play anywhere, any place, any time for anybody. It’s just it’s just when, you know, doing 200 shows a year for Miller was that was a lot. And I think when you say what happened, you know, it a combination of years, right?

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Brad
And then you get dropped by A&M and then Genuine Draft that–that band network, because they signed five bands a year to that,

Brad
And I think you did three or four years with them, probably three, I think, and then that one away, and then we were kind of just dangling, you know, we’re like… And in the meantime, I got to I got to tell you, you know, my biggest influence is growing up besides the Beatles, you know, in high school where Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Crosby, Stills, Nash and I loved Linda Ronstadt. I love that stuff.

Brad
Still to this day, that’s kind of my. You know, that you go to with some R & B set in there, you know, some group. So I wanted to kind of. And when I wasn’t with the Dick Holliday guys, I’d write, it was a different style, you know.

Dennis
Mm hmm. Mm hmm.

Brad
So was a natural thing, you know.

Dennis
Yeah. And, you know, and I obviously being on the road as much as you were in, like I mentioned, you know, just from my experience, you guys had tons of fans, including a large number of groupies. You might not remember. This to me was was pretty funny. I happened I was living in Chicago at the time that you guys were playing a lot in Chicago. And I just happened to be in the neighborhood of the Cubby Bear and saw that you guys were playing.

Dennis
So I came in and and it was packed and you were on the stage and, you know, caught my eye and, you know, whatever, and you motioned me at the at the break to go to whatever green room or whatever it was that you had. And I remember there being like some huge bouncer there waving me in. And and I think I might have had a lanyard or something, too. And I go back to where you guys were taking a break.

Dennis
And I know it wasn’t this, but it appeared as though you were sitting on a throne with these, like, women draped over you and I just go, wow. Yeah, right, exactly. No, man, these guys have made it.

Dennis
Well, obviously, you know, that stuff comes with a price. As far you know, we talked a little bit about the party and then I know that the party has got to be a bit much as well. How did you deal with those types of struggles, you know, and did that did those things contribute to any of the problems that led to you guys disbanding?

Brad
Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, it’s on me and I’ve made amends to the guys. But, you know, I took that Van Halen blueprint.

Dennis
Gotcha. Yeah.

Brad
And, you know, and ran with that for for many years. And you get married and have two little boys. And, you know, that just doesn’t work. It’s just–

Dennis
Sure.

Brad
I wasn’t a healthy person, you know.

Dennis
Right. Right.

Brad
I just wasn’t. And. You know, June 7th, 2003, Dennis, it took me until 2003, you know, now to have that–

Dennis
–that clarity?

Brad
Yeah…I had a moment, you know, it was very personal and very spiritual for me and, you know.

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Brad
Next week, you know, I’ll have 18 years of sobriety.

Dennis
And that’s amazing. And God bless you for it, I, I, you know, as I mentioned, obviously in the intro, you are in the middle of a lot of amazing projects right now and you’ve got great things going on. So you got past those struggles. Now, obviously, as you as you mentioned, it took a while. But what was it that got you to that point in 2003 where you had that sense of clarity and that spiritual connection, knowing that this is this is where you had to be and what you needed to do to get, you know, to the to the pearly gates, so to speak?

Brad
Yeah, well, it’s a great question. And it’s all on a journey. You know, I think for many years, you know, I knew, you know, I just loved alcohol and drugs. I just I love em. I’d still be doing them if it if I wasn’t going to kill me, you know.

Dennis
Sure, sure.

Brad
So I just knew I wasn’t healthy. I knew I knew I could be better, you know. But I you know, I tried numerous times to just go to a wedding and have a couple of drinks or a glass of wine or. But I’ve learned that I have a physical reaction, you know, combined with a mental compulsion.

Dennis
Right.

Brad
It’s alcoholism. That’s my story. You know, and I went to AA for, you know, I went to my first AA meeting probably about 28 years ago.

Brad
And then I’m OK, you know, this it just it just it just took a while to slow down from all that, you know. But I think–I went through a divorce and my family gathered around me. You know, my father laid his hand on my shoulder one time. And it’s just he’s just really worried about me. You know, and you can keep going. But I don’t think you want to, do you? You know, you just have those those real personal moments. And so I wanted to get healthy. I really did, and it just took me awhile.

Dennis
Yeah, well, and I and I appreciate you sharing that and I’m sure other people will appreciate that, too, because so many people struggle and go through that that similar struggle. And in fact, you know, within the business, there’s so many performers that have the same problems, the exposure to that lifestyle and the fun and frolic and all that. And so many of them don’t get past those demons. So, you know, for people to hear that there can be light at the end of the tunnel is is inspirational.

Dennis
So, you know, thanks for sharing that, because I know it’s not something, you know, people like talking about, but it’s it’s very valuable to a lot of folks.

Brad
Thanks for talking about it today.

Dennis
Yeah, sure. Yeah. Looking back and knowing it’s it’s in the rearview mirror, it’s got to feel pretty good. Yeah. You know, before I leave talking about a Dick Holliday, I know people would kick me in the…Whatever…If I didn’t ask if you guys are going to be reuniting for any performances in the Midwest or in the Quad Cities any time soon.

Brad
The only thing we have on the books is July 3rd. Up in Door County, Wisconsin. We’re playing a. A resort up there for the July 4th weekend, but, well, I had to tell the guys at the beginning of the year, like you said, I just have all these things going on in Nashville. And meantime, my wife and I are buying a house in Naples, Florida. We’re moving from Chicago to be near her mother, who’s all alone now.

Brad
And, you know, COVID’s just hard on her.

Dennis
Right. For sure.

Brad
She needs–we need to be near her, and then I’ll commute to Nashville. So I said, guys, I just need this summer, you know, it’ll be hard for me to commit to numerous dates. But, you know, let’s try let’s try it. It will.

Dennis
Yeah, and I guess to clarify, because here we’re talking about the breakup of Dick Holliday in ’94, but for those folks who aren’t familiar, you guys do occasionally reunite and play occasional gigs, notwithstanding what you just said about your projects taking up so much time this year. And covid obviously kind of backing a lot of people up in a lot of ways. So the hope is I know you still have a lot of fans of Dick Holliday that would like to catch you guys sometime in the future, but not, I will personally say, not at the risk of any of your current projects, which I want to talk about, because that that’s some really exciting stuff.

Dennis
And obviously, you know, music performance, your faith, which we’ve touched a little bit on, those aren’t your only passions and you started to allude to it. So I want to go here a little bit. After that break up that you had with Dick Holliday in ’94, you became a country club golf pro for a while. So–which I know you’re a great golfer and and and obviously your dad as well. But how did that come about?

Dennis
And I understand, too, that used to play with Michael Jordan? So did did you ever have to get caught up in a bet with him, you know? A thousand dollars a hole or whatever?

Brad
Oh, my gosh. So I’m newly married and have a young son, and I’m playing golf with my father in law in Florida. And I just, you know, I don’t know, shoot 75 in the wind. And he’s like, I’m calling the PGA for you. You’re going to be a golf pro, OK? And, you know, we joined when we moved to Northfield, Illinois, this country club right next to the church, Sunset Ridge Country Club, which is just awesome, had a really sweet deal for clergy in the in the town.

Brad
And he joined this country club. And so. When it was time to say, OK, OK, I’ll try it, I’ll try the PGA, you know, let’s see what happens.

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Brad
And so past the playing test, you know, the PAT, the playing aptitude test, or you have to for 36 holes, I think you have to be four or five over, you know, under. You know, that’s your maximum. So pass that and then call my buddy Tom Wilcox, the head pro at this Sunset Ridge Country Club.

Brad
And I said, hey, I just passed the PAT. Do you need anybody–because you have to go–you have to then work for a PGA head professional, you know, and do that the different years–it’s of kind of like college, you know.

Dennis
Sure.

Brad
And he was like, yeah, awesome. Bring it on. So.

Brad
Went to work as a golf pro. You know, it’s pretty funny.

Dennis
Well, in fact, I saw you were golfing with Henry Cho, the comedian, and not that long ago. Was it last week?

Brad
Last week.

Dennis
So obviously, you had some some great networking opportunities on the on the golf course as well. You know, besides someone like like him or Michael Jordan, which. Yeah. You got to tell me about that. When and how did that ever happen?

Brad
And so a couple of times, Jordan lived not too far from Sunset Ridge Country Club. And on Mondays, you know, he occasionally he would just call and, you know, he’d call it like 10:30 because the course was closed and he can play anywhere he wants, you know. But this is a really sweet old school track. So he would call and he’d bring over. He has an entourage, you know, when he shows up and and he loved to play with the pros and gamble and really have another force behind them, you know, and carts.

Brad
And so I got in a couple of those because he would play all day and then you kind of rotate players. I got in a couple of those games for nine or 18 holes and it was just always so fun to be around him. The last time I played with him was the morning after his last championship. So he hits the winning shot in Utah.

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Brad
They get home at like 4:30 in the morning. He sleeps until about 10:30.

Brad
And we’re just hanging out in the pro shop, maybe, you know, who knows, he calls. And everybody answers the phones. Yeah. MJ. Balls in the air at noon. Bring your wallet and your A game. He arrives with the entourage like, Quinn Buckner, Imad Rashad, Eric Dickerson, who has three girls in his car, two carts for Eric. Just a–Richard Dent. I don’t know, three or four other people and it’s just on. Game on. And we play 54 holes.

Brad
So here he goes. He plays the whole NBA season. And the playoffs and do you remember those playoff games, how brutal?

Dennis
Yeah, for sure.

Brad
Unbelievable. And he he’s playing 54 holes and I’m still drinking at the time and I’m matching him Bud Light for Bud Light and must have been a 12 pack, easy. Cigars and gambling and trash talk. You’ve never heard. I’ve never heard. Better trash talk from anybody, nobody comes close.

Dennis
That’s what I’ve heard.

Brad
And what was so cool was like the second or third green he’s putting for Birdie and his phone rings. And this is, you know, nobody has cell phones then.

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Brad
And he he puts and he lips out. He taps in and answers his phone. Better be good. And hey, what up, dog? And he walks off the green and we put out and we meet him over on the next tee.

Brad
He’s like, all right man.

Brad
All right, I’ll see you there.

Brad
Bring your wallet and your A game. He hangs up and he goes, Hey, Tiger Woods says, Hi, everybody.

Brad
And that’s how the day started.

Brad
You know, it’s just like, oh, my gosh. And then we started a busting his chops. We’re like, you can’t just call Janet Jackson. You can’t just call. And he goes, [typing], yeah, JJ what up baby.

Brad
And it was unbelievable. And he’s like, he wouldn’t sign anything all day. He’s like, nuh uh, this is my day. But he’s taking pictures. So I called my wife at the time and had had her dress our little boy’s up, you know, who are five and two in their bulls uniforms and meet us at the turn. We’ve got a great picture with him.

Dennis
Wow. Yeah. Like I said, like I said to to the audience, you know, I think that I’ve had a pretty interesting journey in my lifetime. But this guy, he’s he’s been with them all.

Dennis
You mentioned your boys. And so I know in between, you know where you’re at now and you know the time that we’re talking about you had you had the two boys and now you’re married to Jane. Tell me a little bit about, you know, what the what family means to you. I mean, obviously, you grew up in a close family setting. How is that translated in your family?

Brad
Yeah, it’s everything now. You know, I think when you’re young and laser focused on things and I had you know, my spirituality was Bob Marley. It’s kind of a joint and a red stripe, the [inaudible], and everything irie, and party up. But I didn’t have any I couldn’t quiet myself, you know, I could never be still and just hang out with family and and just enjoy family, you know? And my sister would she’d be like.

Brad
You just come in for Thanksgiving and then you’d be off.

Dennis
Off you go.

Brad
Off you go. Got to go. And now, I don’t know, I don’t go, you know, so family to me means so much because I see now how I you know, I was I was hurtful back then, you know, because I wasn’t there for anybody. I wasn’t I don’t know, not that I didn’t care. I loved my family, but I wasn’t there, you know?

Dennis
Sure. Sure.

Brad
So, you know, and my wife now, Jane and I, we dated in our 20s. I loved her, but I was just a ping pong ball. I was all over the world, you know, just and I’ve always been a serial monogamist. I was grateful I learned that about myself. Is that. My issue was just kind of self. You know, I think any life focused on self today can hardly be, you know, a success.

Dennis
Sure. Now, you know, as I mentioned, I do I’m kind of going through this chronologically, and I don’t really mean that by–intentionally, but it just kind of is unfolding that way. I know that you also had a couple stints, the Brad Nye band, which I think was kind of a Christian rock band. Is that accurate?

Brad
Mm hmm.

Dennis
And then also Brad Nye and the Western Philosophers, which I remember that name, but I didn’t really it didn’t really click until I actually I talked to our friend Scott, who went down to visit you recently, and he had mentioned Cheyenne, the movie I want to talk about. And so I was listening to the song Cheyenne that that you wrote and I believe performed with the Western philosophers. Is that accurate?

Brad
Well, it’s actually the Bamboo Gang.

Dennis
Oh, it was?

Brad
Yeah.

Dennis
OK.

Brad
So, yeah, I just I started, you know, right after June 7th, 2003, I had a spiritual awakening, you know, truly. So June, July. And I’m just everything’s different. And I knew it. And people who knew me knew it. And there was a–it was gone, I was just kind of delivered, you know, from my personal darkness, you know. So August, that summer, 2003, I said–and I’m writing, I’ve got a new song on my heart.

Brad
You know, it’s new. And for me, Denny, you know, it was it was Jesus. It was Jesus the Christ. Because when you’re the son of a minister and you don’t believe, then then you don’t believe. Right. And my dad was just like, well, it’s it’s you’ve got to come to your truth. Right? And so just having that freedom and having having it took what it took. So, you know, to be very personal, you know, I woke up on June 7th, 2003, extremely hung over.

Brad
You know, this Pinki was sideways, was broken. I didn’t know where my car was. I was going through a divorce, living alone in a little apartment in the north north of Chicago.

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Brad
And and I prayed and I said, if you are who you say you are, you know, reveal yourself to me. And shortly after that, there was a knock at the door and it was my mother dressed to the nines because–

Dennis
I thought you were gonna say dressed as Jesus.

Dennis
That would’ve blown me away.

Brad
She was dressed to take me to this wedding that I was performing at that night. That was it was going to be, you know, anything you wanted there, right? Sure. And she took me to that. I got through that night. Just I can’t believe I got through that night, you know, without a drink and especially being hung over, you know, because normally the old Brad would be, you know–

Dennis
Hair of the dog.

Brad
You know you gotta take two to cure ya. You know, just to get her back to equal anyway and just started this whole new life.

Brad
So August of 2003, I decided, OK, I’m going out to Colorado because I loved Colorado. I just always go to Colorado. I’m going to go sit up on a mountain and sit up on the Continental Divide. And I’m going to write 50 songs. And, you know, this is just going to be awesome. So I go out for a week and I sit up, I’m going to go I’m going to drink water and eat grubs right from under a rock.

Brad
So I’ll go out and sit on top of the continental divide for a week under the stars. Just unbelievable. Just alone. I highly recommend that. We go camping in Colorado under the stars, you know, and just let the let your batteries and your flashlight run out, you know, and you’re scared to death of a twig over in the dark. Yeah.

Dennis
Yeah.

Brad
[Inaudible]. It’s unbelievable. So I sit up on on a mountain for a week and I don’t write one song, but I come down and instead of going down into Denver and then up 76 to hit 80, I just said I’m going to take 25 and go up to Cheyenne and cut east on 80 and head home. It’s time to be a sober single dad for the first time. Divorce was done, right. Everything was like. It was like. It’s weird how the timing worked, this is a whole new chapter, so I drive north up into Cheyenne as this beautiful sunny summer day.

Brad
I hit 80 and turn right. Turn east back to Chicago and drive into a tornado. I mean, tornadic. Everybody’s pulled off to the side of the road and all of a sudden the song chorus comes, you know, “do we have to go through Cheyenne? Can’t we take the long way around? She’ll probably find out where I am.” And all of a sudden, Cheyenne became a metaphor for me. And so I get home and. I had a session with the guys planned and I said, hey, can we try this, you know, and it went down real quick.

Brad
We just recorded it quickly and just kind of had it. So then a couple of years go by and I’m just single. I’m just like, yeah, start the Brad Nye band. I get hired as a director of contemporary worship at a church. I got this whole new life and I’m kind of help–I’m enjoying helping other men with this issue. It’s like, you know, when you come into an AA meeting on a Friday night, it’s it’s not because there’s nothing good on TV.

Brad
Right? It’s like you’re you’re cert–you’re seeking, you need some help. And so I love being that. But then, I mean, Jane, I reconnect with Jane and was just playing her some some songs, and she was asking to hear some music and this song, Cheyenne came out and she’s like, Oh my gosh, that is a movie. And I said, well, let’s write it. And she had just loaded screenwriting software on her laptop and she was trying to obtain the rights to this book

Brad
she loved to write a screenplay. She’s just always wanted to do it. And I was thinking about that at all. It was on the radar.

Dennis
Right.

Brad
Whatsoever. Love movies. But I just I was like, I’m not that’s not me.

Brad
So we wrote we took a couple of years, three or four years probably, and wrote the script. And in the meantime, I’d been going down to Nashville because, you know, those Idaho roots, you know, and my mom loved–my dad too–love country music. I’ve always loved, you know, George Jones, Patsy Cline and, you know, Johnny Cash, that old school teacher, all that stuff. Because I had a cousin, Delbert out in Idaho, who was a DJ out at the cinder block, you know, an AM radio station out in the country, you know. And my other three cousins, Johnny, Bobby and David, they all played guitars, you know, and they were cowboys, you know, and they were just my heroes.

Brad
So I love that. So started, you know, writing some more and, you know, approached a couple of guys to start a production company with me, you know, or I’d go to Nashville and seek out some talent and write and produce. So I’ve been doing that, you know, for for many years. But Jim Halene, who’s a dear friend from the Quad Cities, I don’t know if you know Jim, his family?

Dennis
I know the name.

Brad
Yeah, they own [inaudible] elevator?

Dennis
OK, mhm.

Brad
And Jim and I went to high school, Moline high school together, and he was involved with this guy in Nashville. And by the way, Jim had been praying for me for 20 years. He came backstage, Van Halen. And, you know, you’d say good night. He was like, hang on, hang on tight, you know?

Dennis
Yeah.

Brad
But, you know, there was there wasn’t anything in the closet about me, you know, except my, you know, cocaine use. I was lying to everybody about that.

Dennis
Right.

Brad
That’s a big beast. Was for me. Anyway, after my, you know, awakening, I talked to Jim. He’s just thrilled. And he says, hey, you got to get down to Nashville and meet this guy Chris Thompson. Awesome dude. So Chris is um, he’s been in the music publishing for 30 years now, but there were these WOW worship CDs in the Christian market that were compilations of different Christian artists.

Brad
And he that was his idea. And he brought this to Integrity, the label he worked for. And they sold 40 million of those. You know, the Christian market is healthy.

Brad
It’s a real–

Dennis
Yeah, it’s for sure.

Brad
It’s serious. So anyway, I had this relationship with Chris and we would just talk a couple, three or four times a year to say what’s up? What’s going on is that. Finally I present this Cheyenne idea to him and. He loves it, he’s just like, wow, you know, and then had some songs and then a couple of others anyway he goes. Hey, my nephew just got hired as director of marketing for

Brad
Original content at Netflix, and we need to put this together and pitch it so we raised some quality capital and really did it right, a pitch deck, you know.

Dennis
Mhm.

Brad
So we’ve had–we had verbals right before covid. You know, it’s it’s been interesting, but even cooler. We had Warner Brothers Nashville pick up the soundtrack. So, you know, it’s kind of like we’re ready when we are, you know.

Dennis
Right.

Brad
Understand right now it’s just like shut down. So–

Dennis
Sure.

Brad
I [inaudible] all this stuff, it’s not namedropping it for me. It’s just like it’s networking. You know, I think we’re created to help each other, you know? And it’s like and like you said, right up front, like it’s not what you know it’s who you know? You know.

Dennis
Yeah.

Brad
It’s all about the hang. It’s like–

Dennis
Right.

Brad
It’s why the golf course is such a great place to do business. I mean, you can tell a lot about a guy on the golf course.

Dennis
Sure.

Brad
Seriously, you know.

Dennis
Right. And I don’t I don’t think most people would would accuse you of namedropping in any kind of pretentious way. I think it’s helpful to understand how these things get accomplished. I mean, you had a series of connections that have led you down this path to now where there’s some serious consideration to produce, you know, a dream of yours. You know, and as you said, it was not even something that you were really looking for, to write a movie.

Dennis
And by the way, and I’m not sure of this, but I I don’t know if maybe our friend Scott mentioned this to me or you said something, but isn’t the movie at least loosely based on your life?

Brad
It is. Yeah. It’s it’s semiautobiographical. It’s it’s more you know, we so Chris Thompson, you know, we had a meeting and I was like, Chris, what do you need for this? You know, to sell it, to pitch it. And so he said, well, I need Chris Harris producing the soundtrack, who’s been in Nashville 35 years and produced everybody. And I need Carl Hortzman directing. And Carl owns Triple Horse film studios out of Atlanta.

Brad
So we met we all went to Atlanta and Carl said, well, you know, we really need to fine tune this script. You know, we need to–and in fact, and we’re all men of faith and we’re all, we changed the script. We’re like, let’s just kind of go soft serve. You know? I mean, the guy has is his bottom and then. You know, through a song medley, we see him talking with an older man who’s mentoring him maybe or you know what I mean?

Brad
We kind of…

Dennis
Sure.

Brad
We went easy with it. So, I mean, it is, but all of a sudden we just wanted to make it A Star is Born, you know, country Americana and really just a vehicle for good songs. Great song, you know?

Dennis
Right.

Brad
Because and that’s why when we went to Warner Brothers. They told us, well, you know, we played them the sizzle reel, you know, and have their involvement and they said, well, we really dig this because.

Brad
We’re seeing artists music being bought, you know, directly from Netflix, right? Any any streaming content people are Shazam-ing songs and buying them. Yeah, and it’s unbelievable how this music business is fording this new stream.

Dennis
For sure.

Dennis
It’s funny you say that because one of our prior podcasts, we spoke with Bill Davidson, who’s a Nashville singer and actor. And one of the things that we were talking about with him was the fact that we’re seeing a lot you know, you mentioned Netflix, but a lot of streaming movies that, you know, need music. They’re there, you know, employing great writers. And specifically he was referring to, oh, what’s that? The Kevin Costner vehicle on Paramount.

Dennis
What was it–

Brad
Yellowstone?

Dennis
Yellowstone!

Dennis
Yes. Yes. So he’s talking about Yellowstone in the guy who’s writing the music for Yellowstone and how that’s propelled him in that music being picked up outside of, you know, the movie industry. And it’s being followed by so many people. And by the way, this is a good segue into what you’re doing with with PodPlays. Before I get to that, though, you so who do you see who do you envision as the main character that plays the loosely based Brad Nye?

Dennis
Is that going to be like Brad Pitt or who’s that going to be?

Brad
I want to talk to you.

Dennis
OK, good, good. I’m glad we’re on the same page. So like I mentioned, we were talking about PodPlays. And what I love about PodPlays is the fact that you are introducing so much great music through these these family friendly plays that are being performed via podcast. And I may be really doing an injustice to a description. So I want you to tell us how that came about, you know, what your hopes are for that,

Dennis
And, you know, as we mentioned, you guys skyrocketed to the top of the charts, charts essentially overnight with with PodPlays.

Brad
Yeah. Thanks. So and and you know, and I want to circle back to this, but kudos to you for doing this. And there’s such power in creating content, you know, podcasts, you know, writing, putting pen to paper, writing a script, you know, writing a song. It’s just it’s time. Content is king right now.

Dennis
Yeah.

Brad
Podcasts are going through the roof. So when we were recording the the Cheyenne soundtrack in Nashville and which was just unbelievable because all of a sudden now I’ve got this budget to hire, you know, and we’re hiring, you know, Tim Acres, this guy who in his home studio, you know, he has letters and platinum records from, you know, Faith Hill and Kid Rock and Keith Urban.

Brad
And he’s he toured with Rascal Flatts for six years, Vince Gill for eight years. LeAnn Rimes he’s been–you know, it’s just when you’re in Nashville, when you’re successful in Nashville for 40 years, you got to be the best of the best. So I’m sitting there hanging with these guys, you know, the bass player from Michael McDonald or. You know, Tim McGraw’s lead guitar player, and they’re just dudes, you know, obviously they’re just but they’re cats, you know, the cats that do it day in and day out and nothing impresses them, you know, except maybe, you know, the new Tim McGraw.

Brad
Number one hit. They might get–that’s pretty cool.

Dennis
Sure.

Brad
So, anyway, I ask our music producer, Chris Harris. I said, hey, can you give me a right with Leslie Satcher? Because this woman is royalty in Nashville and she wrote Troubadour for George Strait. She’s written 15 songs with Vince Gill and she’s written for Reba and Martina and just Willie Nelson. She’s from East Texas. And I’ve I heard. That she is a [inaudible] lyrically. Anointed. Right. So when you hear when these legends, you know, this folklore, right?

Brad
I love this stuff. So Chris said, yeah man, let me call her. Let’s get it right. That’d be awesome, you know, so. He sets it up and we get together, come into this little studio room, and nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. And talk a little bit and say, oh, I hear, I heard your movie is just gonna be great. and this and that and hung up. You’re from Texas. You know how long you’ve been here?

Brad
Just talking bit. All right.

Brad
You start getting some guitars out. She goes anybody got any titles?

Brad
And I said, well, I got this Last Chance Texaco, you know, I always loved it. That kind of on the road and she just perked up, she goes, oh, you mean like, oh, they’re changing about a side of the road again, he’s betting on her and she’s betting on him and the bathroom key has her hubcap chained to it?

Brad
And she just, Denny, she just starts. She just lays this song out like–

Dennis
Crazy.

Brad
–like, 20 minutes, it was done, you know, and I’m like I played a chord and provided a title, you know, a little like, you know what I mean.

Dennis
Yeah, right.

Brad
Here she’s like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. And she’s like, well, we got little time left. Anything else? And I said, well, I got this sad cowboy, you know, and I played this little sad cowboy rides, alone, you know, just kind of it’s just like, you know, and she did it again, like a tumbleweed tumbling with no home. And he’s out–oh, he’s out.

Brad
And then she she went out like five lines. We’ve got to get the sad cowboy choir. And then she wrote back from that and. And I just saw how it’s done, you know, how the greats, why this woman, why Vince Gill says when you get with Leslie Satcher, you better buckle up because it’s on, you know, and then the greats and they have the respect of the greats.

Dennis
Right.

Brad
Right. So I go back to the hotel and I’m just freaking. I’m like, “Jane, I just wrote with the greatest songwriter I’ve ever written with hands down, and I invited them for dinner, hope that’s okay.”

Brad
We were going to have Chris, the music producer, and his wife, Jan, who we just made fast dear friends with. And Leslie Satcher and her husband, David Alan, so the six of us were having a lovely dinner, I’m sitting next to David Alan and he’s a he looks like. General George Armstrong Custer, handlebar mustache, ponytail, cowboy hat and as beautiful like lambskin cowboy shirt, blond, you know, shirt. He’s just a man of few words and but we’re just having a great time.

Brad
We’re sitting next to each other and just kind of a lull, and he turns me, he says, “Now, what are you doing again?”

Brad
And I kind of explain. I said, “well, we’re working on this movie, but I’m I’m down here. You know, I’ve been working with some artists, writing with. Younger artists want to start a publishing company. This and that,” and I said, “what do you think about that?” And he goes, “I think that’s a terrible idea.” And I said, “sweet come on, tell me, what are you thinking?”

Brad
And, well, he didn’t say another word for, you know, the conversation shifted over here. And then we have–so we finished dinner. We go up, we’re saying good night in the foyer of this hotel. And he goes. “Hey, man, you got time for breakfast in the morning?”

Brad
I said, “yeah, come on down.”

Brad
So he comes down, so he goes home that night, Denny and he’s out at his pool man cave, you know, Leapers Fork, Tennessee, over all the ranches are, you know, these sprawling, gorgeous…Justin Timberlake and, you know, Kid Rock and Kenny Chesney and Tim and Faith and these just beautiful out there. It’s like the Beverly Hills of Nashville. Sure. He’s out sitting in his pool, sitting by his pool. And he said the the Lord downloaded this business plan to him because he’s seen he’s been his wife’s business manager for 25 years in Nashville and he’s seen her career, her songwriting, everything changing.

Brad
And he’s seeing podcasts go through the roof. Right?

Dennis
Right, right.

Brad
Last five years, about 100 million dollars has been spent on advertising for podcasts, and in the next two years, it’s going to be over a billion dollars. So he like I said, he said it was just downloaded to him and he started writing. So he came back the next morning for breakfast and he laid out this business plan. He said, “this is, this is Three L.L.C..

Brad
It’s a podcast. It’s a record label and it’s a publishing company. And we’re going to turn this town on its head because we’re going to put. We’re going to create family friendly stories and pack them with great songs written by Nashville songwriters. What do you think of that?” And I said, “I think that’s a wonderful idea.” And. We had less than a 60 minute phone call with one investor friend of mine, and we’re off and running.

Dennis
Yeah, and you’re off and running is a good description. Now, you got a shout out that helped you spiral to the top. What was that?

Brad
Well, as Dana Perino on The Five. Yeah, so, she’s a huge Leslie Satcher fan. You know, she’s a country music. She’s a country girl. And when you’re immersed in that country scene you know that Leslie is you know, I mean, you know, Vince and Amy, Vince Gill and Amy Grant were at Leslie and David’s wedding. You know, they hang with Garth and you know what I mean? Tricia… And that’s like.

Dennis
Right.

Brad
They shared recipes. So Dana Perino…So Leslie contacts Dana and just ask Dana, hey, would you mind tagging me, you know, Instagram or Facebook and tag me and and she’s like. [makes face] And she–because Leslie just sent her a text.

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Brad
And Dana called her and she said like, “wow, tell me the what is this again?” And she said, “well, have David, you know, here, here’s my producers. Have David call my producer and.”

Brad
The producer said, “move out, this is awesome, we’re going to go live tomorrow with it”

Dennis
Crazy.

Brad
So overnight. Yeah, we got 100,000. You know, when you get when you get new impressions like that and downloads, you know, that’s that’s how, you know, your podcast will go. It’s not having 25 million over. It’s like just get ten thousand right here.

Dennis
Right. Right. Right. And and by the way, for the folks listening, you got to check it out.

Dennis
I, I don’t have a lot of opportunity to to listen to podcast myself, ironically, but I but I did make the time to listen to several and they’re a lot of fun. And so I want to everybody to make sure they take the time to check that out. I also mentioned, you know, your newest venture, Hubcap Moses, which I also checked out a little bit what I could find online. And I mean, you guys sound amazing.

Dennis
Talk to us a little bit a little bit about that venture and how that came about.

Brad
Yeah, thanks, so. That’s Tim Akers, so in Nashville, Tim has this 18 piece funk band called Tim Akers and the Smoking Section, and it’s just all top Nashville session cats, and they do you know, everything from Chaka Khan to. Michael Jackson, Earth, Wind and Fire, and they just sell out everywhere they play. Well, it’s hard for Tim to get 18 players. You know, he’s constantly having to sub out four or five just to get a gig.

Brad
And it’s a lot of work. And he’s like, “man, I’d love to have just a streamlined, little funky R&B breezy thing.” And I said, “well, me too. You know, I’ve got all kinds of new ideas.” And so we just got together for a ride. And just real quick, you know, it came together just and so, yeah, we’ve been having a ball. We played our first gig. May 7th out in the Leaper’s Fork, Tennessee. It a little general store.

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Dennis
And that was that was that that’s the one that is online that–catching some of the some of the performances?

Brad
Yeah.

Dennis
Yeah. No, it’s amazing. I’m looking forward to seeing what you guys do. You guys got signed right away, I mean, before you even performed. Right. So so we’re going to–

Brad
Yeah. So that’s Steve Embling, who was a manager with Fitzgerald Hartley in Nashville. And they handle, you know, Vince Gill and Michael McDonald and LeAnn Rimes and just all these acts. And Steve has managed throughout his 25 year career. And tour managed and, you know, he’s just he’s just a player respected in Nashville, and Tim and I were actually at a nightclub one night to see this great guitar player, Scott Bernhard, who plays with Kenny Loggins to ask him maybe he wanted to join Hubcap Moses.

Brad
And we’re just sitting there watching because Scott’s playing in this Toto cover band. That’s just killer, you know, it’s unbelievable.

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Brad
We were like, man, they sound better than Toto, you know, because you go see Toto now and it’s like, you know, the songs are good. But, you know, just fresh crack musicians playing those songs. Anyway, we’re sitting there and all of a sudden this guy, Steve [inaudible] and his wife Joanna, come walking in and they’re all big hugs on Tim.

Brad
And it’s just, you know, that’s how that’s how it’s done in Nashville. And you’re –my advice to anybody listening. You know, if you want to be in this business, you want to be in the music business–and yeah, you can have your YouTube channels and your, you know, do your thing, your videos–

Brad
But there are 100,000 singer songwriters in a 30 mile circumference in Nashville and there’s a hundred people moving there a day.

Dennis
Right.

Brad
So to get in and you can go play down on Broadway, on those clubs, you know, and you might be you are great. You know, if you’re playing there, you’re great, man, and love music. You want to, but you have to get into those inner offices, you know, you have to–

Dennis
Right.

Brad
And it can’t just all be about you.

Dennis
Right.

Brad
In fact, you know, do very little talking is my advice. Just go hang, you know.

Dennis
Yeah, yeah. Bring something to the table. I mean–

Brad
–and you do. And that’s my point is–you are. You’re great. If you’re going to Nashville to make a living, and you know–you’re great. So it’s almost like music. You know, it’s not the music just gets done because… It was interesting. I was saying to Steve [Inaudible], because he’s like, I’m– he’s starting this new label, he’s like, this is great, I want to sign you guys.

Brad
And he’d heard like two songs. And I said, “well, we don’t have a band yet.” And he goes, “hey, if Tim Akers is involved, I don’t have to worry about the music, you know? I mean.” That’s what he said to me. So it’s like the music is… that’ll just take care of itself. And, you know–

Dennis
Yeah.

Brad
We have to kind of–we have to worry about some business over here.

Dennis
Right. You know, I and I know, you know, we talked before and you’re like, hey, this is going to be about an hour. Yeah. And I know we’re going way over and I could go on all day. I do have a few things, though, because I know we both have to get back to some really making some money or whatever. But a couple of other things I wanted to go over, and I’m glad you touched on that advice, because that was one of the questions I was going to ask you about, you know, what advice you would give.

Dennis
One of the things I’ve loved about you over the years is that not only are you a great showman and singer and musician, but you really respect the process. You really respect other musicians and performers. And you you shout do the shouting out for them, as you’ve done during the course of this discussion, and you do it on your Facebook page. And and so I would certainly encourage anybody who is interested in learning how to be successful, to do what you’re doing and recognize greatness and recognize, you know, who has been successful and emulate that.

Dennis
One of the you know, I talk about all these projects and you’ve got so much on your plate already. But what what what do you have on the horizon? What are you anticipating as far as the rest of the year? Because we’ve obviously been through a hell of a time with with covered a lot of people are anxious to get, you know, the wheels turning. You know, besides the things we’ve already mentioned. What do you have as far as goals coming down the road?

Brad
Yeah, thanks. We’re already starting a second podcast. It’s going to be. It’s a whole different thing it has to do with H.R.. With expertize on helping businesses.

Brad
With–

Dennis
Nice!

Brad
–With their HR. Because consultant–it’s just it it needs some need some help, you know, that that area of business, so and again, this is I just met a guy from Boston who, you know, been in consulting. I ask him, “do you like podcasts?””Oh yeah, we’re starting to get into that a little bit.” And then. I tell them what we’re doing and he’s like, “Hey, man. I’ve got–I know a thousand experts in the field,” and it’s just so all of a sudden I’m like this, I don’t know, I don’t know why, but it’s but it’s all on the journey, Denny.

Dennis
Yeah.

Brad
There’s there’s no destination, you know, it’s just being open to it. Just like my wife saying, hey, that’s a movie. Well, that’s right. I want to do a podcast about, you know, HR development and really streamlining the consultant employee experience. And so, I mean, I’m looking at my phone here as we’re talking and. It’s blowing up, you know.

Dennis
Yeah, I hear you.

Brad
And we’ve been contacted by Spotify when when you go to number 13 on the Apple iPod charts, podcast charts. You know, Spotify, Amazon and Apple are buying up everything, so that’s been the goal. So the goal is this year is to just kind of ride this out.

Dennis
Sure.

Brad
And do it again.

Dennis
Well, I am I’m definitely going to have to check out that our podcast, because my employees, you know, even though I’m an attorney, my employees tell me I’m an H.R. nightmare. So I don’t know how that works. Anyway, I want before we we part company for today, I want to play this little would you rather game, OK? And as a as a music guy, this might be interesting. So would you rather be forced the rest of your life to listen only to Broadway music or only to Christmas music Christmas.

Brad
Christmas.

Dennis
And I think I’m with you. And would you rather be the front man for a band that only had a few hundred fans or a band member that’s way in the background, but has millions of fans.

Brad
Frontmen or or like a distant…?

Dennis
You, you…Nobody knows who you are. You’re in the band in the far, you know, who knows what you’re doing. Nobody knows what you are. But you got a million fans versus the front man.

Brad
That guy.

Dennis
Yeah?

Brad
In the back.

Dennis
OK, would you rather..this is similar. Would you rather be a one hit wonder with the song everyone knows or have tons of son–songs that you have a small but dedicated fan base for?

Brad
One hit wonder without a doubt. And my advice is do whatever it takes to get a hit.

Dennis
Yeah.

Brad
Compromise all your–not your soul but your you know, I mean.

Dennis
Right.

Brad
There’s nothing like having a hit. Sync licensing. Because then you’ll be able to relax and do, you’ll be able to afford to do your–

Dennis
Do the rest of it. Gotcha. All right. Would you rather be a talented songwriter who can’t sing or a great singer who can’t write?

Brad
A talented songwriter who can’t sing.

Dennis
I know the answer to this already. Beatles or Stones?

Brad
I’m a Beatle.

Dennis
Me too.

Brad
Although Keith Richards, five string tuning.

Dennis
Mm hmm.

Brad
It’s unbelievable. I’ve just been writing on that recently and I just I’m such a fan of the Stones.

Dennis
Yeah. Yeah, I am too. But yeah, it’s still the Beatles all the way. OK, now we get away from music a little bit, but would you rather have a mullet all the time or a pony tail?

Brad
Pony tail.

Dennis
OK, would you rather be able to control animals or see the future?

Brad
I’m a dog whisperer.

Dennis
All right. All right. Would you rather be tissue paper or toilet paper?

Brad
This interview is heading to the toilet. Toilet paper.

Dennis
All right. Last one, would you rather have universal respect or unlimited power?

Brad
Oh, my gosh, I think, you know, respect is. It’s a powerful thing, I think you have to earn respect, I would.

Dennis
All right.

Brad
I would enjoy that respect.

Dennis
I thought you’re going to say respect is an overrated thing. Give me the power and I’ll buy the respect. But anyway, man, this is so much fun. As I said, we could go on for a long time, and I definitely want to get you back here and report back on these projects and how everything’s been developing and and explore a few other things in the future. But thanks so much for being here. I…it was great. Great talking as always.

Brad
You too, pal. Thanks so much. And you know, I want to talk about you creating this podcast. Like I said, I mean, that’s hopefully, you know, we can do some business down the road.

Dennis
Absolutely. So, again, I want to thank you all for joining us. Don’t forget to subscribe and like Uncommon Convos on your favorite podcast platform. Also, please check out our other podcasts. Speaking of podcast, Legal Squeaks, where you can learn more about legal issues and consumer issues that might impact your daily life. Again, check out UncommonConvos.Com so you can watch this video and the video of this episode and other episodes. I hope that you’ll tune in with us next week for another Uncommon Convo.

Dennis
And in the meantime, be sure to have a great day. Stay safe. And I love you all. Thank you.