Magnolia Rising - From Chapel Hart Roots to Fresh Country Horizons

Magnolia Rising: From Chapel Hart Roots to Fresh Country Horizons

 [The Trout]

All right, so let's start where you are now. You've released some stuff and you got some new stuff coming out or whatever. Tell me what the plan is now for you two.

[Trea]

I feel like the plan now, it's been kind of like a reintroduction and an introduction to everyone else because I feel like even with us being in Nashville now, people have known us for years, but I feel like now we're finally getting a chance to kind of stake our claim. And so we're doing that. We have a song that we're about to release at the end of the month.

It'll be releasing right after we kick off for our UK tour. And so kind of like just spreading that magnolia rising fever far and wide and kind of just hitting the ground running, no pun intended.

[The Trout]

Do you have a summer tour? When are you going to the UK?

[Trea]

We will be in the UK most of the month of June. So we are playing for the Celestial Sevens Rugby Tournament. And it's like 50 of UK's top universities.

They come together and they come together for the big Rugby Tournament. And we've apparently been adopted into the rugby scene in the UK. And it's kind of funny that it's happening at the same time that as you know, like country is like blowing up there too.

And so it's like the perfect little crossover.

[The Trout]

Did you guys have any trouble getting visas to get to the country? You said to what? Visas, did you have trouble getting visas?

[Trea]

Oh no, well, we didn't realize that we needed them because any other time we hadn't had to have them. But when we went this time, we went in March and we got to like the ticket counter to check in because it wouldn't let us check in online. So we got to the ticket counter.

She was like, oh, you need to get your ETA visa. And we're like, what the heck is that? And we were just in Europe last year.

And like we did, I think we did like nine countries last year didn't need a single visa. But sometimes they can take up to 24 hours. I'm like, I blame leaves in one hour.

So we just did the application and thankfully we got approved within like five minutes.

[The Trout]

Oh, wow.

[Trea]

And, but I'm like, geez, but yeah, it wasn't really much of an issue getting it though.

[The Trout]

Okay, so let's talk about the difference now than there's a duo versus a trio. So you lost one of the harmonies. So when you go into studio, do you try to make that up?

Because obviously you can't do it so much on stage. Do you try to add a third in there or not?

[Trea]

Whenever we record, we generally do. And I feel like you kind of get even more leeway with a duo as opposed to a trio, because sometimes, you know, the harmonies can weave, you know, add some bottoms and when you need sprinkle the tops, but of course in the studio, you can't do that. We can go back and put tops and bottoms on everything as much as we want, but it's like, it's a little different.

And, but I feel like even, like I say, performing live, it gives you that ability to kind of play around and you don't have to be so regimented or so like stuck because you have three people trying to do the same thing.

[The Trout]

Well, and it's, there's one of the things I think you probably found out too is you're much in control of your own life now. I mean, you're, it's not like you weren't before to a certain degree, but you're, you're part of a band. And every time I've talked to somebody who starts a band, I said, somebody's got to be the leader and nobody wants to be the leader.

Unless they want to be the leader, then nobody likes the leader. So, because the last one I was in, they kept saying, you're in charge, Rick, it's your band. And I've talked to other people to hire, they just hire musicians, which brings me to you guys.

So when you tour, is this your band that you bring that you hired or whatever to go with you on tour?

[Trea]

This won't be our band in the UK. So just for kind of like finances and travel and all the things, we have some guys that we knew over there. And so we're just going to use them, but we will be bringing our guitar player and our MD.

So he'll be able to kind of work with those guys over there. And so, yeah.

[The Trout]

And what kind of set do you do? How long do you get to perform?

[Trea]

We'll do like a hour set, hour 15, not bad at all.

[The Trout]

So you send stuff to them or send the music over to whoever's over there and say, here it is. And if they're any good, they'll say, we'll figure it out.

[Trea]

Yeah, and then whenever, like we'll be taking off on Wednesday. And so whenever we get over there, we've got a weekend of meetings. And then Monday we'll be rehearsing with the guys over there, waiting up until the show.

[The Trout]

Are you guys, I miss the posts that you guys used to put a lot of posts up, I know. You used to do that a lot. But are you having, my one thing I always ask everybody, are you having fun?

[Trea]

Yes, Lord.

[The Trout]

That's all that matters to me.

[Trea]

And I honestly feel like that even may be why there is a difference in like, you know, how much we would post and all of that. Because even that previously, it would, it's literally work, even though, you know, we post all day, every day on Chapel Heart, like we're working to make those posts, like it's all staging and this and that, and not really enjoying it. But I feel like for the first time, like we're actually, you know, having fun and making those memories, the memories that are, that's feeding the new music and everything else.

And, you know, like we've had, even just this past week, Rick, you would not believe, we have had like some incredible, incredible rights, some incredible meetings with some incredible folks. And, you know, I feel like it's the first time in a long time we've been able to just live in real life and not present a certain facade, if that makes sense.

[The Trout]

No, I understand. And I'm sure that you got, and it's been a while yet, but I'm sure you got tired of people asking you, what happened? What happened?

What happened? And you're like, I ain't telling you. I mean, it's not, well, part of it is people break up, you know, and I talk to Danica's husband.

I can't remember what I said, and I can't remember his name right now. I called him like six months ago and I said, how are you doing? How's she doing?

You know, I like you guys a lot. I consider you friends. So I wanna know how you're doing.

You know, I know you can go out and sing. And I said, you know, if she wants to come on the show, well, we're not ready. I said, okay, whatever.

But I said, I'm not calling, just like I told you earlier, I'm not calling to say, come here, what happened? No, it's none of my business. All I care about is everybody does well, and I get tickets to your concert.

That's really all.

[Trea]

As I said, and that's one thing that I appreciate, because like you say, even though a lot of people, they do wanna know what happened, what happened, but even like when you reached out, like you have the wherewithal, and you check on us as people, you know? And I feel like we've been surrounded by enough people who are even just focusing on, you know, how we are like personally and moving forward. And you know, that just kind of makes it that much easier.

[The Trout]

Well, what I wanna see is you guys be successful. That's all I wanna see, and enjoy your music. That's what's important to me, because all the people I meet, and some of them are just starting out, some of them, you know, I have a pretty good eye for talent.

But now, you know, it's funny, because now just like Federico, people call me or email me now. Could you mind interviewing so-and-so? A lot of them are indie artists of different genres, and I listen to them, and I go, okay, yes, they have it, or they don't have it.

You know, sometimes I have to do favors. You know how that goes. And, but the important thing to me is as I watch your career blossom again, it's gonna be fun for me, and it'll be fun for you guys, because you're in more control.

All right, so how's the fame affected you? Do people recognize you now? You know, how's that going?

Here's the thing. I remember you telling me when you were just starting out, I said, four years ago, you had been asked for autographs, and you said, quote, it's weird.

[Devynn]

It still is.

[Trea]

I don't feel like we're any different. Like, I just, I don't know. I can't, I mean, like, I get it when people ask for it, because we've done a lot of things, and I think that's really cool.

But I think at the end of the day, we still just feel like there's intrigue. Like, it's- Well, yeah, that's never gonna change. Like, cool.

I mean, I'm not dressed up or anything, but yeah. And that's usually my thing. I'm like, well, if you want to take a picture over here by the produce aisle, all right, and I'm in my pajamas.

[The Trout]

Well, that's the problem with fame. You know, I was talking to a really famous blues artist once, and I said to her, how bad is it? Well, they're standing outside my RV in the morning before I'm waking up going- Yes, that happens.

[Trea]

Yeah.

[The Trout]

Hey, hey, hey, can I have an autograph?

[Trea]

I mean, there would be times that we would pull up to venues hours, hours, hours, hours before the actual show started. Like, there's no place to get to here. And there would be, like, they know where the band usually parks the bus or whatever.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. People would just be standing there just waiting for you to get off the bus. And God forbid, you know, you look like crap, don't really feel in the mood.

We, like, had a long drive. And you have to go inside the bathroom to, I mean, inside of the venue to go use the bathroom. So now you're gonna have to run into all these people.

But I mean, it's a part of it. And it's like, these are the people that make it possible for us to even be here, for us to have a bus or whatever. So it's like, who am I?

Like, if you want to, this your picture. I look like I just woke up, but if you want to, come on.

[The Trout]

I think the thing about it is it's hard, but it's, you know, it's one of those things that you think, because I know you as regular people. And the one thing I've always talked about, the one thing, if I get to talk to anybody really famous, I gotta, I can't be a fan boy. In other words, I have to say, you're just like everybody else.

You just do this for a living.

[Devynn]

Yes.

[The Trout]

And when I do that, and I know what you do for a living, and I, because I've done it myself, I'm more interested in that. And I try to tell people, or I try to ask them a question they've never been asked before, which sometimes it's not easy, but when somebody goes, oh, that's an interesting question. So that's what I look for, because it's easy.

I could sit here and go, well, what was Simon Cowell like? Or, you know, how was the show? And, you know, and how's, how's, you know, somebody else ask.

And a good friend of mine, one time he was, he got, I said, he's a drummer friend of mine, from Chattanooga. So he went to Nashville to go to Jason Isbell's drummer's training. He paid to go meet him.

And he's sitting there with his wife, who I know very well. And she's asked him all the questions that fans ask. You know?

And he just, he called me and says, all I could think about was, you would never ask him that. I said, well, no, because I don't, you know. But I will tell you, I mean, you gotta think about that.

And I remember you three said a couple of years ago, I said, I don't know if I can talk to you. I'm worthy. Cause you'd been back on American Island.

You said, we're just from the South. What are we? We're just, you know.

[Trea]

Hey, we ain't nobody.

[The Trout]

But I think the hardest thing though is, as you become more and more famous or well-known, that's part of the gig, you know? And you, and you can't, because of, this is my personal opinion about it. You can't diss people because the next thing you know, they're posting a million people are going, that Devin, she was such a, you know, she wouldn't even talk to me or, you know, like that.

[Trea]

And- Yeah, and like, that's why, like she said, like, even though sometimes, you know, it's early or it's late and it's, you're tired or whatever at the end of the day, if it weren't for the fans, you'd just be yelling it to a void, you know?

[The Trout]

You'd be busking in New Orleans still. Hey, yeah. That's what you'd be doing.

People going, who are those girls? So tell me a little bit about your songwriting process now. I mean, I couldn't ever figure it out before.

So before, let's just talk at that and let's start through there. So when you did like the Jolene song or any of your tunes, was that, did somebody come up with it and said, here's what, here, I got that. How did you guys do it?

[Trea]

Well- I said, well, strangely enough, our songwriting process, like we still kind of write all kinds of ways, but it honestly hasn't even changed. It hasn't changed that much because like Dev has always been like a concept person. Like she can take like one phrase or one like title and like come up with an entire, like almost like scene around it.

Or like just coming up with like just cool concepts to like kind of like rattle off of because I'm, I say, I'm more like fox in socks. I love words, very verbose, but I could also say a lot of stuff about nothing at all. But like, you know, she came up with, but she came up with the idea for like Jesus and alcohol, like Bible, bourbon, you know, breakup.

And then like, so it's still kind of the same. Like sometimes like, I feel like she has a cinematic mind even because we wrote a song recently with Brady Seals from Little Texas. And just from the title that he gave, she pretty much illustrated the entire music video, but based around the whole like scenario set up and like the way that she could like cinematically lay out the story, it was so easy to just find, like find the words that just kind of like put it all together.

And yeah, I don't know. I feel like it's just not like here lately. I feel like we've just been like, we all be like, hey, I got an idea.

Let's write it. And we just, we just put it on paper and kind of just letting those ideas just flow out naturally into life.

[The Trout]

You're in a groove. Once you're in a groove, things come to you. And I think Deb, with you, you're like me probably.

Cause when I sit down and start recording or get an idea, okay, I think we need to add some horns here. We need to do this over here, you know, and you kind of, you already hear it up here. And I told many musicians, the hardest thing is when you write a song and God knows where that comes from.

I think that's where it comes from. It's like, you're just out of the ether and all of a sudden I need to write a song about a highway. Oh, okay.

And like you're doing and you're saying a cinematic approach to it. And then you're just writing it and people are like, okay, how did that come about? And you're like, I listened to stuff I recorded and I go, I don't remember why I put that on there.

[Trea]

Right.

[The Trout]

But you hear it all. And what I was gonna say was, it's hard when you think this out here, you hear it. But then trying to tell a producer or an engineer what you're trying to get to them is like, you'd like to do the Vulcan mind meld.

Could you just listen to me right now? Because I know that's gotta be difficult.

[Trea]

It is, especially when like, cause I don't, I'm not a technical person. Like I don't know any notes. What is, I couldn't tell you any of that but I know exactly what I want to hear but just finding the right people to be able to communicate that too.

And they can translate it musically has been a game changer for me.

[The Trout]

It's pretty cool though, when you listen to the mix and you go, you know, a few hours ago this was just an idea in my head.

[Trea]

Right. Yes. Right.

[The Trout]

And then when it all comes together, I always ask people when they have a really popular song did they have any idea it was gonna be that big? You know, I've talked to people that their songs are still being, they're 40 years old and they're still being played on Spotify.

[Devynn]

Right.

[The Trout]

And I always ask the same question. Did you realize 40 years ago you were sitting in the studio and this thing was gonna blow up? Or did you go, I don't know.

[Trea]

No clue. They probably didn't have a clue.

[The Trout]

So Tree, do you still play in guitar?

[Trea]

Yes. And I've been playing a whole lot more. And I don't know, like I say, it's just part of that just kind of like loosening it up.

And also I have big news. This is gonna be a trail show exclusive.

[The Trout]

Okay. Thank you.

[Trea]

But because I've been playing a whole lot more and I feel like we've been like just fully immersed in it now. There, I'm not gonna point any elbows but there is a future world-class bassist on the rise. I have been.

[The Trout]

Oh wow.

[Trea]

And now Rick, now let me tell you, like pause, like even just as a fellow guitar person. Like, you know how like Dev says, she says she don't know like what note or what like key or the changes and all that. But you know how she sings and she knows music.

Although she might not have the vocabulary for it. And I feel like the fact that, you know we grew up in South Mississippi and she like, there is like, she got more old school blues in her bones than people I know have mastered, like literally have a master's in blues music. And so we were just sitting around after a rehearsal and like, I was playing with our guitar player.

And so, and she was like, I wanna learn how to play the bass. And he like brought one over here and she's like, was playing along. And literally all you have to do is show her where it starts.

And like, she naturally, like we showed her one bass line for like one section of the song. And then after a while, like we had moved on to something else and I was about to turn around and she had already figured out the next. It was like, see what I mean?

I'm learning. Like after a week.

[The Trout]

You've got the gift, and then, you know, I used to say like the Beatles, they don't know how to read music. But who cares? It sounds good.

All right, so I wanna get down to the nitty gritty here. Cause all right, so when you write a song, where are you? I'm gonna get a little technical here, but everybody asks the same question.

Do you write it on a piano? Do you write it on a guitar? Or you just sing it and then somebody accompanies you and say, hey, this is in the key of C.

How does that all come about?

[Trea]

Usually guitar, right? With guitar. Kind of just play around with a couple.

Couple grooves. Yeah, a couple grooves. And when something kind of feels like, okay, okay.

And so then, you're like, just kind of loop that for a minute. And so then from there, you kind of start feeling like, okay, so what does this sound like? What does this feel like?

When you hear this, where, you know, so then those kinds of questions start. And then maybe the title, I prefer for the title to come first, like, or maybe- I do that a lot. I feel like I can work better.

I'm like, okay, so this is gonna be at least the topic. So now I can get ideas just based off of that. As I say, and then Steven Spielberg over here can start her screenwriting.

And then I start telling Tri, all right, so I'm singing like this, this, this, and this, and this. So she comes up with those lyrical words instead of me making these long paragraphs. She makes them into lyric form.

And then we just kind of create from there and kind of start flowing.

[The Trout]

Well, and you've got people around you. I had a, it was funny, I interviewed a country artist out of Norway. He comes over every year to usually record, him and his wife, very good.

They're very well known over there. But he said, it's so weird when I trap, when I record in Oslo, I think that's where he's from, or is it from Sweden? No, Oslo.

He said, when I record in Oslo, it takes us a week to do two songs. You walk into Nashville, by noon, you've got three songs done.

[Devynn]

Yes.

[The Trout]

Because he said, well, I said, look at the people you got there. You know, that's all they do. And the groove, they could just find out, well, okay, I need to, oh, I know what you want.

[Trea]

Right. And I feel like that's another thing with us, like being here full-time and being able to like meet and write with and work with so many people who've, you know, been doing this, like doing it on the highest level for a long time. So like he said, even though we might not have all the technical terms, like being able to work with people to just take those and like, you know, form it into dang near fully finished songs after an idea.

[The Trout]

So how's it going with the major people, like the labels and all that? Have anybody, have you been working that deal or do you want to do it? A lot of people just want to go stay independent.

[Trea]

I think right now we're just working, you know, I think we've always been that kind of, we're just like, if the right deal comes along and it works for them, works for everybody wins, it'd be something we would be interested in. But I mean, we did all of the last project independent and, you know, we're just kind of beating down the pathway the same way this time as well.

[The Trout]

Well, 40% of the music released every day is independent music. And I can argue both sides, but I think so many people, because of the record labels not paying as well, and well, you're not selling records anyway. You know, nobody, if you're not, as I tell this to people all the time, if you're not touring, you're not making any money.

Merch, merch touring, touring and merch.

[Trea]

Yes.

[The Trout]

And if you're not doing that, then you're not making, you're going to be making money. You're going to be sitting on Broadway at 3 a.m. doing some one hour set.

[Devynn]

Yeah.

[The Trout]

Going home to the kiddos going, daddy, do you have money for milk this week? No. So stop playing, get a job.

Yeah. Well, I have to ask you a personal question though, Terri. Is your Houston person up in Nashville now?

[Trea]

Is what?

[The Trout]

Is your Houston person up in Nashville?

[Trea]

Well, no, he's still, he's still in New Orleans and he, cause he goes back and forth between New Orleans.

[The Trout]

When you were here a couple of years ago, you said he was in Houston. Yes.

[Trea]

And cause like he will, cause he was still living in New Orleans at the time, but kind of like as much as I was on the road, he was on the road as well. And so he kind of bounced, still bounces between the Woodlands and New Orleans cause they have a plant like outside of New Orleans.

[Devynn]

Oh, the Woodlands. Yeah. Okay.

[Trea]

And so like, and he bounces between those two. And so I bounced between here and New Orleans and you know, we kind of like meet in the middle every now and then.

[The Trout]

I don't know, Dev. I don't, we've never talked about it, but when you're doing, when you're doing what you're doing, you're going and going all the time, a love life's probably tough to have anyway. I mean.

[Trea]

You know, well you, it's probably best if you don't have a love life. Cause I feel like everywhere we go, there are at least five people who are like trying to propose.

[The Trout]

When you're attractive, that's what happens when you're good looking. I mean, come on. Oh, she's a star and a good looking.

Okay. You know what else? You know.

[Trea]

You know Rick, I feel like the good Lord is going to place that man right in my life at the right time. And that's what I tell her. Don't look.

[The Trout]

You're right.

[Trea]

Tell her, whatever you do, don't look. Cause we don't know what the heck you're doing. They don't need to come find me.

Today's fine. So, y'all need some time with the Lord before we come, you know, trying to do this. Cause, this is a.

Is he going to have to send in the right guy? Don't have to be the special kind. So if you see me getting married or dating somebody publicly, you know, the Lord dropped him down in my lap.

[The Trout]

Personally. And I expect a wedding invitation too.

[Trea]

Oh yes.

[The Trout]

Do you ever hear from our buddy Reverend Billy anymore? You ever talked to him?

[Trea]

Oh yes. He sends us messages. Like, the other day, the other day, he sent us a message.

It was like, ooh, something, something, something. It's like, like, I love uncle Billy. He's so, he's so dang random, but he, we keep missing him whenever he's in Nashville.

When he said his house in Nashville, where he used to go.

[The Trout]

Oh, is that where he lives? Okay.

[Trea]

Yeah.

[The Trout]

That's just basically him now. You know, Frank is not doing well. He quit.

Oh, I don't know if he quit, but he's not on tour anymore.

[Trea]

Mm hmm. And he's been, he's been doing his, he's been doing a solo thing.

[The Trout]

Has he?

[Trea]

Mm hmm.

[The Trout]

Yeah. Well, Billy is, I saw him before they were famous, before the beards.

[Trea]

I was gonna say, baby face Billy.

[The Trout]

Yeah. He used to wear, he used to wear John Lennon sunglasses.

[Trea]

Yes.

[The Trout]

No beard, no hat, nothing. And it was Dusty and Frank and him. And before they were big, cause I was living in Texas at the time.

[Trea]

Now when I- I didn't think about the fact that they came up right in your, right in the middle of the woods, so.

[The Trout]

Well, my band was supposed to open for him. And- Yeah. And so, anyway, the funny thing about it is, I followed their career all the way, cause you know, I just, I've always liked their music.

Cause they were popular, really hot. And they were hot in the eighties, when they had all the stuff, with the stuff that going on. But, he's just kind of different.

Let's put it that way.

[Trea]

Oh yes. Uncle Billy is an enigma. I feel like, I don't know.

He feel, he seems like he's like, just as like, mysterious and mystical and cool, as you would imagine he is.

[The Trout]

Yes. Yes. I think that's what he, yeah.

[Trea]

And like, he like texts in riddles, and he's like, you know, the, the, what is it? What did he say? Like he said, the Eagle is landing, by, dawn.

And it was like, by dust. And the smoke rings are in the air, to, and, and literally the, the message meant, I'll, I'm coming into town, tomorrow. I'm gonna, will you give me a call, so we can get together.

But the thing is, is if you text them back, and say like, okay, Uncle Billy, sure thing. Crickets. We have to formulate like, a respond riddle.

Like, to get a response back.

[The Trout]

Oh, now that's funny. Yeah. You have to come up with something as weird as his.

[Trea]

Yes. To respond. We put our brains together big time.

It's like, all right, let's figure out what we're gonna say.

[The Trout]

So instead of just saying, yeah, we're gonna beat you down on whatever, just tell me when you're here. He just goes nothing. But if you said, there's silence in the ocean, and the stars are high.

Yes.

[Trea]

Yeah.

[The Trout]

And there's elephants in the creek, and you're like, he'll probably look at it.

[Trea]

And he'll probably text back, perfect, I was thinking tacos too.

[The Trout]

All right, so the other thing I have to ask, because you've been in Nashville a while. Who have you met that, how many famous people, really big people like Vince Gill and all those. Have you got to meet people, and they've come in and done anything?

I know I see the look on your face. So tell me who you've, who, all right, let's go with this. And I can cut anything out, but who have you met, you were happy you met him, and is there anybody that you met, you wished you'd never met him?

Have you had that happen yet? No? Okay, good.

But most people are just not that way.

[Trea]

I wouldn't say there are many that I would say I wouldn't, I wish I didn't meet. But there are a few that I have, that have stood out to me like, Gretchen Wilson. Yes.

Like, absolute sweetheart. She is golden, and I feel like we've run into her, in the last three months, more than, I don't even know. The last three years.

Oh, my whole life. And we were also in her music video a couple weeks ago. So she's got a new music video coming out, but she's already out.

Oh, it is out. But like, she's the type of person, like, if once you meet her, if you're good people, like, like we met her mama, the original redneck woman, and like, I don't know, it's the kind of people that just feel like family. A little bit.

[The Trout]

Kind of like you two.

[Trea]

Yes. We can find our people. Let's see.

Yesterday, we wrote with Wendy Moten. Oh, my God. And she is just a hoot.

Another one of those people that is just, so full.