Guitar Builder to the Stars, with Stephan McSwain

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This week Bart talks with his wife Amy Allmand about the top country songwriters throughout each decade.

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On this week's episode of Thinkin And Drinkin, Bart talks with Stephan McSwain about the foundation of his career building guitars and his journey across the country to grow his brand. Stephan talks about fun challenges that clients bring him, the first band he joined, and the difference of writing and performing compared to building guitars.

Meet Stephan McSwain of McSwain Guitars: From our humble beginnings in an L.A. garage over 20 years ago, I have strived for McSwain Guitars to make its mark on the guitar world one build at a time.  My early days were focused on custom-only designs for my own use.  But then I started to think I might be onto something when our first guitar went to Steve Vai!  

Over the years, I have been very lucky to grow the business and expand our models beyond our custom-only work.  Inspired by the timeless beauty of classic brands like GIbson, Fender and PRS, we have seen the emergence of a number of extraordinary high-end, boutique guitar builders.  And today, I am proud for McSwain Guitars to play a role in this growing custom electric guitar market.   

We hope you'll love some of our designs as much as we do!  We invite you to check in often, follow our new models and spread the McSwain Guitars word!

 Our most valuable resource is you, our community of clients, collectors and fellow musicians that support our designs and allow us to do what we love most.  Build Great Guitars!


What Bart has to say: Stephan is friends with Doug Rappoport, so I knew he’d be a great interview. We’ve never had a guitar builder on the show before and I’m fascinated with that process so it made perfect sense!

In this episode, you’ll hear

  • Stephan started building things in a steel mill in North Carolina

  • Stephan loves finding wood that has a story, be it a storm or home that’s been torn down, but the wood really speaks to him. 

  • Stephan talks about getting his first guitar (around 5:20 into the interview)

Links to Connect:

Top Country Songwriters by the decade, With Amy Allmand.

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This week Bart talks with his wife Amy Allmand about the top country songwriters throughout each decade.

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Blog Description: This week Bart talks with his wife Amy Allmand about the top country songwriters throughout each decade. 

In this episode, you’ll hear

  • Bart and Amy discuss their top country songwriters by the decade

Links to Connect:

Sirius XM’s The Highway’s Storme Warren

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On this week’s episode Bart talks with Storme Warren about getting into radio at the young age of 13, breaking into the television industry in college, and making the move to Nashville and getting back into radio. Storme touches on some influences that shaped the way he prepared for interviews and the opportunity to interview some of his biggest idols.

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Meet Storme Warren:

 Storme Warren is an American television and radio broadcaster best known as the host of The Storme Warren morning show on SiriusXM's channel The Highway.

Warren has joined WhereverTV as a brand ambassador. He will host his own Over The Top (OTT) platform based channel called "StormeTV." The first show, called "Storme's Corner," will feature unedited and unscripted interviews with top country musicians.

Storme also created Stone Beaver productions where he produced the popular entertainment news magazine show Headline Country which aired on the GAC Television network for 12 years. His television career began as a segment producer on CNN's Showbiz Today, and then on to TNN Country News and This Week in Country Music as an entertainment reporter. He currently hosts Nashville House Concerts with Joe Denim on the first Thursday of each month from September 2017 going until June 2018. The concerts are hosted at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.

In December 2009, The Tennessean wrote that Warren was the "Dick Clark of Nashville." He hosted the inaugural "Music City New Year's Eve Bash on Broadway" in 2009/2010. He is also a host for selected events at the CMA Music Festival and at Nashville's 4 July "Let Freedom Ring" celebration.

In February, 2020, Warren was given the "BMI Ambassador Award" to recognize his support and promotion of Nashville's vibrant songwriting community.

What Bart has to say: Storme went from working at radio station at 13, then to CNN, TNN, Headline Country on GAC and now Sirius XM’s The Highway. It’s just fun to see one of the good guys to do so much good and do good in the community not only with country artists, but with songwriters. I’m so glad we’re buds. 

In this episode, you’ll hear

  • Storme was on the radio for the first time at age 13, answering the request line

  • When Storme lived in LA, he worked for Pirate Radio, one of the first real stations who played whatever they wanted. 

Links to Connect:

The Illinois Elvis, with Adam James

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On this week’s episode of Thinkin and Drinkin, Bart talks with guest Adam James about his path to where he is today in this business. Adam shares stories about where his inspiration came from, books he likes to read, and the alter ego that he uses to express a different side of his music!

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Meet Adam James: Adam James is a Country music songwriter hailing from a tiny 800 person town in central Illinois. Raised by equal parts CMT and SNL, his songwriting found its own lane once he began mixing his rural perspective with sharp observational humor. He is currently published by Universal Music Publishing Group and his songs have been recorded by Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley, Zac Brown Band, The Cadillac Three, Charlie Worsham, Filmore, and Wheeler Walker Jr.

What Bart has to say: It’s been years since I wrote with Adam, and in a recent Clubhouse room I was hosting, we reconnected.  I had forgotten how much fun we had and what great stories he told and his love for classic country music (Roger Miller, Randy Travis, George Jones, etc), like me.  He’s got the current Kenny Chesney single, so I knew we’d have a lot to talk about.

In this episode, you’ll hear

  • Adam started his love of country music while riding his father’s tractor, growing  up on a small farm, coming from many generations of farming (around 8:30 min mark)

  • Adam talks about his alt ego, Ft. Worth Ferguson, which is a nod to another successful writer in town.  

Links to Connect:

ACM Award Large Market personality of the year, Double L. With Lois Lewis

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On this week’s episode of Thinkin and Drinkin Bart talks with Lois Lewis about the early days of her career and her transition into record promotion. Lois made her way back into entertainment and was only the 4th solo woman to win the ACM Personality of the Year Award! 

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Meet Lois Lewis: 

Hi! I'm Lois Lewis, AKA, Double-L! I'm here to keep you company each day while you're working’! Let's just jump right in, shall we? Things I Love: PURPLE EVERYTHING, cinnamon gum, (even though I'm allergic) Miller Lite, (ice cold, preferably in aluminum) to laugh (loudly and often), MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC! I have a tattoo (no, that's not my only one) of a lightning bolt on my right forearm reminding me to LIVE ELECTRIC (so I guess that's my hashtag) every day. My favorite quote (and I LOVE quotes) is "Make Everybody Feel Like A Somebody”. I try to stick to that each day, finding the BEST in every situation (even when encountering a grumpy pants) because being negative just requires too much energy! It's easier to smile! I've wanted to be on the radio since I was a little girl. I would listen to my favorite stations and record music and deejays on my cassette player and then carry my tapes around with me everywhere. Remember those little yellow Walkmans? Yep! Still have mine! In 2009, I was given the opportunity to work for the Big Machine Label Group. That's the home of some of your favorites like Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Brantley Gilbert, Jennifer Nettles, Justin Moore and more. The first (and only) time I got to fly on a private jet was also the same day I got to hear Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Getting Back Together” (before it was even released)! I worked for Republic Nashville, one of the imprints at the BMLG for seven years and had a hand in launching the careers of The Band Perry, Florida-Georgia Line, A Thousand Horses, Eli Young Band, Cassadee Pope and more! It was my job to take their songs to radio stations all across the West and convince them to play their music on the air … first just a little … and then more often. If I did my job well, and everything worked the way we hoped, we climbed the charts, scored #1 records and our artists got to go on tour all across the World! Some of the songs I worked on were The Band Perry’s “If I Die Young”, “All Your Life”, “Better Dig Two”, “Done” … Florida-Georgia Line's Cruise”, “Round Here”, “Sippin’ On Fire”, “Sun Daze”, “Dirt” and more. Eli Young Band’s “Drunk Last Night”, “Crazy Girl”, and “Even If It Breaks Your Heart”. We had a Top 10 with Cassadee Pope’s debut single “Wasting All These Tears” after coming off of a big season three of THE VOICE! A Thousand Horses debut single “Smoke” was a favorite of mine too; those guys ROCK. Working so closely with such incredible and talented artists was a dream I didn't even know I had. And I really LOVED it.But. I missed radio. Every day. So, I came back! And I love hanging out with you every single day! I never ever EVER dread coming into work; totally geek out when we get new songs from your (and my!) favorite artists and absolutely OBSESS over going to live shows. My very favorite part of my job is getting to interview artists … trying to catch them off-guard with unexpected questions & making them laugh. If that happens, you can bet I'm grinning from ear to ear. Couple more fun facts about me? Well, sure. I graduated from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Broadcast Journalism. I never skipped class & definitely didn't party enough, but I did graduate with honors, so it paid off! I have two dogs; an English Springer Spaniel named Clarence Worley & a Cockapoo named Sasha Banks. Bonus points if you know who their namesakes are. If not, that's okay. It's insider stuff. My husband Mike is about as opposite from me as you can imagine, but we’are a perfect Match, which is where we met! Match.com! I set all my alarms with 3s. Like, 7:03. 7:33. Everything 3s. It’is my lucky number & I'm SUPER superstitious about it. Weird, I know. I'm not a very good cook, unless I'm making Grammy’s recipe Stuffed Peppers. I replace the ground beef with turkey & YUM. I used to have blue eyes but now they're green and if I don’t wear my glasses, I squint. I LOVE movies mainly because I WAY WAY love popcorn. I don't sing karaoke; I rap. My song of choice is usually Young MC's Bust A Move” which I realize is weird coming from a country music radio girl. I'm an only child, but I know how to share. I grew up in a retirement community because my Dad is a golf pro. My Mom was a Principal, but thankfully not mine. I played volleyball and softball in high school. I was a power hitter, but super slow around the bases, so my nickname was IceBox (as in, unhitch the Icebox from your back, Lois!). Sad. But also funny because it's true. I believe different M&Ms have different tastes due to the color of their shell. I prefer red or green. I love shooting stars. I’am a freakishly fast typist. I cannot stand bad grammar. My two favorite movies (yep; it's a tie) are Top Gun and Pretty Woman. My favorite artists are Eric Church, Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, everyone I used to work with … and, well, heck. Just EVERYONE. Music is my greatest passion & I try to make sure you feel that in my voice every single time I crack the mic.I hope when you hang out with me on the radio I always leave you with a smile … because you do the same for me.XO,-LL

What Bart has to say: I worked with Lois when she was working in record promotion for Republic (Florida Georgia Line’s label) and was working with them through their management at the time.  Lois always made going to the West Coast so much fun.  She’s one of the happiest people I’ve met in my life.  In fact her dog ‘Goose’ was the inspiration for us to give our oldest Mille a mohawk.  I just hate it took us this long to reconnect!

In this episode, you’ll hear

  • Lois’ first job in radio was at the current large market radio station of the year, KNIX, so she’s come full circle.  

  • She talks about how she worked in record promotion (7 years with Republic), which made her effective from day one and she was surprised that she stayed in promotions for that long

  • She’s only the 4th solo woman to win the ACM Personality of the Year Award, which is a really big deal!

Links to Connect:

5 Tips to Buying Your First Guitar

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On this week’s episode Bart talks about some tips on buying your first guitar as well as setting up lessons to get started.

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In this episode, you’ll hear

  • Bart shares his 5 tips to buying your first guitar

Links to Connect:

The Cornhusker Cowboy With Luke Mills

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On this week's episode Bart talks with Luke Mills about his early years in music, from sneaking in to play his Dad’s guitar to going to see Chris Ledoux at the County Fair. Luke brings us through his transition from Christian music into the Country music scene with his first and biggest record, “Heartbeat”, that is about his now wife. Luke covers various aspects of this day to day operations being an independent artist and how COVID affected his schedules.

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Meet Luke Mills: 

Luke Mills is a singer/songwriter, performer, and recording artist from Holdrege Nebraska.  He will be inducted into the Nebraska Country Music Hall of Fame in October 2020.  Luke has been writing and performing music professionally since 1999 and has seen regional and national radio success with multiple songs over the last 20 years.  He has toured across the United States and has become a staple in the independent artist scene with his unique and professional performances and songwriting. 


While performing some of the biggest festivals in the country, Mills has shared the stage with a number of A List acts including Grammy Award Winners such as DAN+SHAY, Lee Brice, Dustin Lynch, Chris Janson, Ashley McBryde, Chase Rice, Phil Vassar, Doug Stone, and many more.  Some of Luke’s biggest influences have been Chris LeDoux, George Srait, Keith Urban, Collective Soul and Def Leppard.  


In 2017 Luke was nominated for Album Of The Year for his independent release of his record titled Reboot at the iHeart Radio Rocky Mountain Country Music Awards in Fort Collins, CO where he performed one of his strongest radio singles “Heartbeat.”  Luke Mills is very passionate about being as authentic as possible in his songwriting and surrounds himself with very talented and professional friends to ensure the best songwriting and stage performances that will keep an audience engaged and even singing along.  

Luke’s passion for music started at a young age as he was performing special songs at churches with his family when he was 5 years old.  The first concert Luke ever saw was a Chris LeDoux concert at the Thomas County Fair in Colby, KS when he was 11 years old.  After seeing that performance Luke was hooked on making music to entertain spectators the way Chris did.  Luke takes pride in presenting clean entertainment that the entire family can enjoy and has even donated performances to help raise money for Nebraska’s 2019 flood victims.  Luke Mills is a true hearted talent that will leave you entertained with his performance and inspired by his songs.

What Bart has to say: Luke is from my hometown of Holdredge, Nebraska.  He’s the epitome of the hard working, self starting, I’m going to play music til I die whether I’m Garth Brooks or not.  

In this episode, you’ll hear

  • Bart talks to Luke about when he decided to get into performing Country music for a living was when he saw Chris Ledoux at a County Fair

  • The biggest song he’s ever wrote and recorded is called “Heartbeat” which was about his wife.  

Links to Connect:

ACM Awards Recap With Amy Allmand

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Amy Allmand joins Bart in this week’s episode. Bart and Amy share their hot takes from the ACM Awards along with a recap of the performances and appearances from the night.

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In this episode, you’ll hear

  • We discuss the ACM Awards

Links to Connect:

Our Clubhouse Room: Nashville’s Music Bizz Then & Now

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Join Bart, Amy and Scott as they introduce their new Clubhouse Series - Nashville’s Music Bizz, Then & Now. If you aren’t sure what Clubhouse is they let you explain what Clubhouse is, how it works and what to expect in this new series. You can catch the Clubhouse Room every Tuesday at 4:00 CST.

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What Bart has to say:

We wanted to bring our Clubhouse conversation to my podcast to give people a taste of what we do in our room.  

In this episode, you’ll hear

  • We talk about our new weekly room on Clubhouse, Nashville’s Music Bizz, Then & Now

  • Talk about what Clubhouse actually is

Links to Connect:

Lee Brice’s Front of House Sound Engineer and Production Manager, Wayne Pauley

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Wayne Pauley joins Bart on the podcast this week. He shares stories of growing up and how music was always a part of who he was. He talks about getting his start into the music scene, his decisions to go to LA and how he ended up in Nashville. He has worked with all different genres of music all over the world and shares the things that he has learned during the different stages of life. He has spent the last almost 10 years working with Lee Brice. He shares what his role is, how they have adjusted during COVID and stories from the road.

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Meet Wayne Pauley: 

Wayne Pauley hails from rural West Virginia and moved to California at age 19 to pursue a career as a musician.  While playing, Wayne found jobs working as a sound engineer in local clubs and for local bands in the area.  In 1995, Wayne moved to Nashville to further his skills and career as a sound engineer and production manager.  Since working in music for over 20 years, Wayne has worked in every genre of the music business.. The range of artists he’s worked with includes Ray Charles, Jars of Clay, Trisha Yearwood, Marty Stuart, Joe Diffie, Sawyer Brown, Celtic Woman, and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra among others. One of the many highlights of his career includes working for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.  He has also worked on several television productions including seven seasons of the USA Network show, Nashville Star that produced Miranda Lambert.  

Since 2011, Wayne has been the front-of-house audio engineer and production manager for Country Star, Lee Brice.  Brice’s tour started with 7 people and little infrastructure to 27 people with full production, multiple trucks for sound, lighting, backline gear, and buses.  Brice’s tour has played in stadiums and festivals all over North America.  


What Bart has to say:

Wayne has packed a lot into his life.  His resume is really a who’s who of music.  And if you ever meet him, ask him about his Evel Knievel suit.  We’ve been all over the country together and had a lot of fun along the way.  

In this episode, you’ll hear

  • One of Wayne’s first gigs in Nashville was as a monitor guy at 12th & Porter for a band called Four Wheel Drive, who’s frontman was Keith Urban.  He was paid $50 for the night

  • Wayne had to mix a 42 piece orchestra with 11 mics for Ray Charles because Ray hated one mic per instrument, so he had to mix sections of the orchestra. 

  • What it was like working with the Celtic Women while on tour across Europe.

Links to Connect:

Sony Music’s Unicorn with Robert Counts

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Bart hosts Robert Counts this week on the Thinkin’ & Drinkin’ podcast. He was born in Tennessee AND is in the country music business, which is extremely rare. He will entertain you with stories of songwriting, entering an amateur songwriting competition which landed him his first publishing deal, how his girlfriend introduced him to Jimmy Ritchey, and much more!

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Meet Robert Counts: When Robert Counts released his self-titled, debut EP in October 2019, he was marking the end of a decade filled with career changes, life adjustments, and personal growth. Experiences like those helped inspire the five-track project and continue to guide Counts’ masterful songwriting into new creative territories.  

With his current radio single, “What Do I Know,” Counts goes deeper than he has before, tapping into his working-class roots to deliver a rock-forward anthem purveying the values of hard work and simple living. A new version of the tune featuring a verse from HARDY, who co-wrote the song alongside Counts and Jake Mitchell, released on March 5. Meanwhile, the original version entered the Top 50 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart during its healthy stay at country radio.  

“I wanted to explore a little different side of what I do,” Counts says of his newer music, which marks a stylistic pivot from the smooth grooves and lighter volumes of his debut EP. “With ‘What Do I Know,’ I also wanted to shine a light on the sort of people I grew up around. They build something for themselves … they find success by working hard and showing up every day.” 

Counts grew up in rural Franklin, Tennessee, just 20 miles south of Nashville. He started playing guitar and singing at his church, where he led worship throughout his teens, but it wasn’t until after he graduated from Lee University with a degree in Biochemistry that he committed to a career in music. After winning a songwriter’s round at Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant in Downtown Franklin, he earned a cash price and the attention of an industry publisher, who offered him his first songwriting agreement. From there, he went on to write professionally on Music Row, eventually inking a management deal with famed writer-producer Jimmy Ritchey, who encouraged him to pursue a career as a performer. 

“He was the one who planted that seed in my head,” Counts says of shifting from songwriting to performing. “I hadn’t even thought about it, but that’s where it happened. Long story short, we wrote some songs together, and he introduced me to people at the label.”  

Through Ritchey, Counts landed a meeting with Sony Music Nashville’s A&R team. After an in-office performance, he received a record deal offer on the spot. Today, the artist continues to prolifically craft new tunes, pulling fresh inspiration from his life experiences in the tradition of true country music storytelling. 

What Bart has to say: It’s not every day you meet somebody who you immediately like hanging out with and respect talent-wise, and Robert was that guy for me.  We recorded the interview after writing a song earlier that day, which was the first time we met. 

In this episode, you’ll hear

  • Robert has a degree in Biochemistry from Lee University (in Cleveland, TN)

  • Robert straddles the divide of classic country music and current country music and is comfortable in either realm 

Links to Connect:

Grammy Recap with Amy Allmand

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In this week’s episode Bart and Amy have an unfiltered discussion on all things Grammy-related. Listen in as they compare notes on topics relating to artists, venues, performances, and of course, Bruno Mars.

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In this episode, you’ll hear

  • Bart & Amy discuss their memories of the Grammy Awards

  • Bart & Amy talk about the performances from the 2021 Grammy Awards

Links to Connect:

A Bass Player that Sings or a Singer that Plays Bass with Jason Scheff

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This week’s episode of Thinkin’ & Drinkin’ features Jason Scheff, an incredible bass player, singer, and songwriter. You don’t want to miss this enlightening conversation where you will hear about Jason’s musical journey through the years, people he met along the way, a surprise personalized letter, and many other stories and what he’s been up to lately.

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Meet Jason Scheff: Jason Scheff is an American bassist, singer, and songwriter. From 1985 to 2016, he was the bassist and singer for the veteran pop-rock band Chicago.  Following his years with Chicago, in 2016, Scheff participated as a judge for American Super Group and has worked with new artists trying to break into the music business by conducting songwriting workshops and music lessons.

Scheff has participated in a number of fundraisers for charities and has been a featured bassist and vocalist with a number of other artists.

Scheff toured in late 2019 with Todd Rundgren, Micky Dolenz, Christopher Cross, and Joey Molland of Badfinger in celebration of the Beatles' White Album on the It Was Fifty Years Ago Today – A Tribute to the Beatles’ White Album. Scheff performed the Chicago songs "25 or 6 to 4" and "Hard to Say I'm Sorry".

Scheff also appeared in a workout video for P90X2 with Tony Horton.

In this episode, you’ll hear

  • Even though his dad played bass for Elvis Presley, Elvis Costello, The Doors, and more, it did not automatically open doors for him.  In fact, his first professional gig was playing for his mom at age 14.  

  • Bart and Jason talked about how he joined the band Chicago at age 23, taking over for Peter Cetera.  He continued with the band for 30 years. 

Links to Connect:

The Calf Whisperer: Catching up with Clare Dunn

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With the many changes that Covid has brought into our lives, not all changes have been bad. Learn how this phenomenal and hard-working artist, Clare Dunn, is filling her life with writing, creating, and producing music in ways she has never before.

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Meet Clare Dunn: Born on a farm in southeast Colorado near the Oklahoma panhandle, Clare's roots run deep in the heart of Dust Bowl country. Working cattle, hauling water, driving combines, tractors and eighteen-wheelers from a young age all were a part of everyday life. When your closest neighbor is six miles away, and many hours are spent behind the wheel of a John Deere Tractor on the family farm, a work ethic becomes ingrained in your soul. During the miles burned up hauling water to cattle, Clare dreamed of creating her own music.

Driving 45 miles to high school each day, Clare achieved All-State basketball and volleyball recognition in high school. After graduating in a class of eight, Clare's chance to fully pursue her dream came with college. After a brief college stint in Texas, and with a very supportive family, she relocated to Nashville to attend Belmont College. She paid her way through Belmont University by driving a silage truck for harvest through Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska during every academic break she could. During this time she also picked up a guitar for the first time determined to master both acoustic and electric guitars.

After graduating from Belmont with honors she signed her first publishing deal as a songwriter and hasn't looked back. Involved with every aspect that goes into the creative process, from writing her debut single ‘Get Out’ with co-writer and producer Ben West, to playing guitars on the track, to singing background vocals, Clare's music is a true representation of all the things that make her who she is. A farm girl with a vision and sound forged from life experiences, combined with the work ethic and passion for her dream of music. She has forged relationships and written with some of the most highly regarded songwriters in Nashville and LA, including Hillary Lindsey, David Hodges, Troy Verges, busbee, Liz Rose, Angelo, Terry McBride, Brice Long, Will Hoge, Chris Lindsey, Dylan Altman, Marshall Altman, and more. Clare signed a world-wide publishing agreement with BMG.

Touring, she has opened for Keith Urban, Florida Georgia Line, Colt Ford, Parmalee, Hank Jr., Jamey Johnson and others as well as played major festivals. The first reaction from promoters and buyers is always the same.....”I didn’t realize that you were that good and actually played guitar”. With the single ‘Get Out’ going to radio, the world will see how unique Clare Dunn, her music and her live performance is in the world of country music.

What Bart has to say: I just wanted to catch up with Clare. She’s just released another EP and she’s got an amazing Covid story that no one else I know has.

In this episode, you’ll hear

  • Bart & Clare talk about how she’s been in Colorado working on her family’s farm, helping calves stay alive in this cold season

  • While she’s been in Colorado (since quarantine) she’s recorded and released 3 EP’s.  She’s become her own engineer, as she’s recorded most of the songs herself in her parent’s basement.  

Links to Connect:

The Rochester Rebel with Ciara Shortridge

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Meet Ciara Shortridge in this week’s episode of Thinkin’ and Drinkin’, Sr. Creative Director at Curb/Word Publishing. She and Bart are long-time friends and even worked together at Disney. Listen in as they share stories of what she’s learned living in Nashville and topics such as the increase in creativity during Covid, what to look for in writers, and the frustration of pitching songs via email.

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Meet Ciara Shortridge: Having Joined Curb/Word as Sr. Creative Director, Country Publishing in January of 2020, Ciara previously held the position of A&R Manager and served as the main creative point of Disney Music Group’s Nashville-based publishing office. In her role, she was responsible for signing and developing songwriters, placing multi genre catalog, and connecting Disney internal and international collaboration opportunities with the Nashville community. Ciara’s career at DMG began in September 2009 after graduating from Belmont University’s Mike Curb College Of Entertainment & Music Business and included previous roles as A&R Coordinator and A&R Representative.

In her newest role, Ciara helps curate writing and catalog placement opportunities for the Curb|Word publishing writer/artist roster and catalog, including hit writers such as Kyle Jacobs, Hannah Ellis, Chris Gelbuda, Billy Montana, Adam Wood, Phillip Lammonds, Bobby Tomberlin, and many more.

A Webster, New York native, Ciara felt the intangible magic of Nashville at the age of 13, ultimately making it her permanent home in 2007. Through various college internships and countless writer rounds, she found her true passions were rooted in the far-reaching impact a well-crafted song can have on someone, and in championing the incredible songwriters that bring them to life every day.

What Bart has to say: As you can tell by this interview, Ciara is a song loving, songwriter-loving, musician-loving, passionate music-loving person that I think is lacking in this business and has been for a long time.  

In this episode, you’ll hear

  • Ciara talks about her story and why she decided to come to Nashville

  • Ciara talks about what it was like to work for Disney Publishing, and how it is totally different to work for a company that is so connected with movies and television versus a publisher who is mainly trying to get cuts on acts.  

Links to Connect:

The Redneck Renaissance Man with Zach Selwyn

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This week’s episode of Thinkin’ and Drinkin’ features Zach Selwyn, a man with a wide range of talents. Listen in to find out how he got started in tv, and specifically what show opened the door for him to get noticed. You’ll also hear about how he is recording music now during the pandemic, his novel and his kids.

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Meet Zach Selwyn:  Zach is best known as the host of History/H2’s hit series “America’s Secret Slang.” He has also hosted and starred on TBS’s digital platforms,  He also plays “Bryan” on the Complex show “Sneakerheads.” He wrote and produced the show “Brainchild” on Netflix, EP’d by Pharrell Williams. Science Channel’s hit shows Catch it Keep it and Punkin Chunkin, the original “American Ninja Warrior” on G4, and an Un-aired NBC Sketch Comedy Pilot from 2014. Zach starred in the Budweiser Clydesdale Fetch Super Bowl commercial – voted top ten of all time. Zach’s sketch comedy group led him to become a traveling comedic correspondent/actor on G4’s #1 hit live show Attack of the Show from 2006-2009. He also hosted “CQC” with Greg Giraldo & Dominic Monoghan. He has released 5 comedy albums including “Hungover at Disneyland” (2014) and “Pluck Yer Twanger” (2010). Zach has also acted in such films and TV shows as “Kickin It,” on Disney XD, “Glory Daze” on TBS, “Greek” on ABC Family Dead and Breakfast, Stargate Atlantis, and That 70’s Show. His first real break came as the runner-up and “most talented contestant” on the 2004 ESPN TV show “Dream Job.” He went on to host “Around the Horn” and a special on ESPN about Jimmy Rollins as well as anchor a pilot for ESPN in 2005.

What Bart has to say: Despite the hurdles recording a show through Zoom, we had a great chat.  I’ve known Zach for over a decade now and it was great to catch up with him.  As a fellow podcaster, he gave me advice before I started Thinkin’ & Drinkin’ and I’m forever grateful to him for that.  

In this episode, you’ll hear

  • Bart & Zach talk about how he’s an actor, musician, host, writer, etc. 

  • Zach researched, wrote and self-published a novel during the quarantine.  Plus he got to hang out with legendary Texan, Kinky Friedman. 

Links to Connect:

Mr. Innovation with Adrian Michaels

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Bart talks to long-time friend Adrian Michaels, Vice President at BMG music, on Thinkin’ and Drinkin’ this week. Adrian speaks about some of the bands he managed and his favorite parts of his job, his inventiveness, and what he believes will happen in the music industry post-pandemic.

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Meet Adrian Michaels:  Adrian Michaels is a 27-year veteran of the Music Row community with stops at RCA, Curb, and Warner Music. Over the course of his career, he has represented country icons such as Alabama, Clint Black, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, LeAnn Rimes, and Kenny Chesney and has played a part in more than 100 No. 1’s. While at Warner, he led the promotion team in launching the careers of Ingrid Andress, Devin Dawson, Michael Ray, and Morgan Evans. He also developed two national television shows for HGTV and GAC and is a member of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center.

In mid-2020, BBR Music Group named Adrian Michaels to Stoney Creek Records staff as Vice President of Innovation, Radio, and Streaming.  Michaels overseas the Stoney Creek Records radio promotion for its roster of artists, including chart-toppers Randy Houser, Parmalee, Jimmie Allen, and Lindsay Ell, as well as multi-national six-man band King Calaway. Additionally, he will be charged with fostering innovation across the label’s three promotion teams to take advantage of the continually evolving technology and processes that help measure and drive music consumption at the local market level, while continually looking for ways to aid radio in creating even deeper connections with their listeners and BBR Music Group artists.

What Bart has to say: Adrian has been an interesting guy who showed that an outsider can come to town and become an insider if you’re just willing to outwork everyone else, which Adrian always does.  

In this episode, you’ll hear

  • Adrian has the best ‘what me & my wife did during Covid’ story

  • How Adrian has taken tried & true record promotion strategies and brought completely new innovative strategies to the table...so new that we couldn’t get into specifics as they are his label’s trade secrets.  So much that his label’s parent company (BMG)  adopted these strategies throughout their many other labels. 

Links to Connect:

Top Five Tax Tips for Musicians With Tom Beaupre

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Tom Beaupre is back on the show in this week’s episode sharing his best tips for tax time. He blends his musical career as the bassist for Florida Georgia Line, and mixes it with his passion of financial planning for musicians. He also gives a brief update on Florida Georgia Line.

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Meet Tom Beaupre:

Beaupre has been the bass player for Florida Georgia Line’s touring band since its inception in 2010. You can almost see him mentally converting tours to years when asked about the number of shows he’s played, that number is well over 1000.

After playing hundreds of shows and talking with lots of touring professionals on the road, Beaupre saw a common theme. Touring musicians and crew need help. They need people that understand the music industry and this ever changing landscape. There is potential to have a long career, live comfortably and even retire. There is opportunity no matter how new the career or gig and Tom is eager to help people who have and want to make music a full time job.

In this episode, you’ll hear

  • Bart and Tom talk about the dreaded tax season 

  • Tom gives his top five tips to help with taxes if you’re in the entertainment industry

Links to Connect: