SkiP HappEns Podcast
Skip Clark is a dynamic and captivating podcast host and radio personality who has left an indelible mark on the world of broadcasting. With a voice that can command attention and a personality that oozes charm, Skip has become a beloved figure in the world of entertainment. His passion for storytelling and his ability to connect with his audience shine through in every episode of his podcast and every moment on the airwaves.
Skip’s journey in radio began decades ago, and he has since evolved into a seasoned professional who effortlessly navigates the waves of the media industry. His deep knowledge of music, pop culture, and current events keeps his listeners engaged and coming back for more. Skip Clark's enthusiasm and authenticity make him a trusted voice in the world of podcasting and radio. His dedication to his craft and his commitment to providing quality content continue to make him a standout in the world of broadcasting.
SkiP HappEns Podcast
From Metal to Country: Will Morton's Musical Journey
live everybody. Hello and welcome to skip happens. It's a podcast where we're going to dive into the stories that shape the music we all love. And I'm your host, skip clark. Hopefully you know that by now, and tonight we have an incredible journey to share.
Speaker 1:Our guest is will morton. He's a man who's traveled the long road from the sounds of hee hawhaw to the grand old opry in his childhood to the stages of rock and metal, which I think is pretty cool. I listen to metal every once in a while, I just I have to. And finally, uh, back to the country, music where apparently he was always meant to create. So I like that, from overcoming addiction we're going to talk about that to finding redemption and sharing his personal struggles through music. Will's debut album it's called the Long Way. Can't wait to talk about that. It's pretty cool too. It's a testament to his perseverance and the power of storytelling. And there he is. Look at him, look at him. Man, dude, I would never be able to grow a beard like that. It's Will Morton. Everybody, how we doing guys? How are you? Man? It's so good to meet you, so good to see you. Can you hear me? Okay? Likewise, I appreciate it. Oh, okay, okay, I think you kind of froze here, but I'm still with you, okay you're still with me.
Speaker 1:It's freezing a little bit, that's all right. We're going to make it work Whereabouts are you Will?
Speaker 2:I'm in Jacksonville North.
Speaker 1:Carolina, very nice. So what is Jacksonville? What is that near?
Speaker 2:So we're about an hour north of Wilmington and two hours east of Raleigh.
Speaker 1:I got you. Do you go down to the OBX much? Man, I wish I could say I have been and I've lived here my entire life and never been no way you. You have never been to the outer banks, Absolutely beautiful. No, maybe you don't want to. I grew up.
Speaker 2:I'd love to and I I love the, the history of it and I grew up surfing the coast of North Carolina and that's the spot to go and I just I never made it out, but I'm looking. I've got a couple of shows lining up. I've got a friend that's a promoter out there this summer series that he's putting on some big names coming out, so it's not released yet, but hoping to be picked up on some of them.
Speaker 1:So I'll give you a chance to check it out. You know, I said maybe you don't want to because people that are from that area, it's like, all right, I don't want to be with all the tourists. I don't want to be with all the tourists, I don't want to be down there. I see this all the time. But then again me, I'm in upstate New York and for me to go to the Outer Banks, man, that's pretty damn awesome. So, oh, yeah, for sure, yeah. So tell me about some of your earliest memories of country music and how they kind of shaped your passion for the genre.
Speaker 2:So my my earliest memories of country music pretty much stemmed with my grandparents. I was raised by a single mom, so a lot of times I would stay with my grandparents when she was either working or she was once in a while dating who's my stepdad of 37 years now? So I got to listen to country music and he hung Grand Ole Opry. We'd watch it all the time and my pop was a Buck Owens fan. So you know I got immersed in Buck Owens. But just you know the storytelling of country music and what it's about and family and life and love, and that's what kept me into it as a young kid. I've listened to it my whole life. Even as a metal drummer you reference that I still went back to country music. I listened to it all day and go play metal at night.
Speaker 1:I love it. So you're the drummer in the metal band. I was a drummer for 10 years Very cool and you've been out with some of the big ones. You've been on the road we have.
Speaker 2:We played a lot of regional type shows with a lot of the big names. The biggest one was in this moment, um, when they came off oz fest. Uh, we got picked up with them and went on the run with them and that was super cool. Uh, the first kind of bigger run that we took and just getting to experience that and watching them explode. And, the coolest part, they thanked us in their album cover when cds were still a thing. What's that.
Speaker 1:What's that right? Yeah, what uh is there? I mean, you know, I listen to metal every once in a while. Sometimes it's just it's the mood I'm in and I want to hear it, I play it loud, and but how is it for you doing that and then being able to kind of flip a switch and go to country Is that? I mean, isn't that a little difficult, or no?
Speaker 2:No, not really. I've been a songwriter my entire life, always, and everything I write has been in the country genre In the metal world. I couldn't see myself doing anything outside of drums. I was originally a metal guitarist and we couldn't find a drummer, so I filled in and I never looked back. I love it. Uh, metallica is where we all started, so, and you know, everybody wants to be metallica when they grow up and yeah, yeah, yeah, like, and they're still selling out the arenas, that's what we thought yeah, yeah, you know just kind of very cool.
Speaker 1:So how many instruments do you play will?
Speaker 2:I play three. So I played sax on my entire life, all the way to college. That really got me into music, play drums and I play guitar well.
Speaker 1:So you go saxophone, which you don't see in a heavy metal. Then you know the drummer and lead guitarist. Yeah, that's pretty cool. Let's kind of shift gears here a little bit and talk about your songwriting and your creativity in writing music. Now, you were just talking about your kids before you went on the air. How many kids do you have?
Speaker 2:I have two. I have a son that's 11 years old in.
Speaker 1:October, a little girl that's just turned nine years old. Oh God bless you. That's the perfect family. You got one of these, dude. That's it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I got my son first, so it's good he can take care of his little sister.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that must your creativity with songwriting, I mean you must. You know, now that you're a dad you get to experience all that. It's got to help you with your songwriting as well, correct?
Speaker 2:It does 100%. You know, just creating our little family. And what music for me is an emotional outlet. So I love being able to write about, and, and they get excited when they hear the song, like good old boys. My son knows it's a song to him and he cries to this day every time he hears it. Oh my god, I don't think he wants his friends to know that.
Speaker 1:But yeah, I mean I, I've been listening to the single and you know that, uh, just a few minutes ago, and uh, you know, men do cry. I mean it's.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've had a lot of people on social media push back on me about making that statement. I'm like no, we're human beings. I was born in the South, I was raised tough, but I'm still a person at heart, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it doesn't matter how tough you are.
Speaker 2:Exactly, it does not matter, there's those moments.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, exactly, exactly. It does not matter those moments. Yeah, exactly, exactly. And you know I mean we look at you and you know a guy, you got the beard, you got all this. You look a little rough in a good way, please, please, I don't, but I'm just saying it's like, but yet you would cry is just like the next guy I mean, if something happens, so that's basically what I was getting at. So talk to me about the album the Long Way.
Speaker 2:So it's actually taken a long way to get here. We've probably written and recorded 30 tracks over the past two years and drilled it down to the 12 that are going to make this album. It's basically the story of overcoming addiction, um, finding faith again, uh, creating a family and just trying to redefine who I am as a person.
Speaker 1:How long have you been sober?
Speaker 2:Uh, so a little bit over 11 years, I got sober. October of 2013,. Uh, two months after I got married made the decision we wanted to have children, and the person I was could not have children.
Speaker 1:Wow. Well, what, if you don't mind me asking what was it? Drugs, alcohol, what's the deal?
Speaker 2:It was primarily alcohol. But you know what happens when you're in that environment and I was on the road and you start doing party drugs and you take a little bit of this and that's not going to hurt you and eventually it consumes your life. And it became an everyday event for me to the point where I was getting hospitalized. I was getting arrested all the time. I was just in and out of trouble and my health started failing. And again I got married and my wife she must be an angel because she stood by me the whole time God bless her Helped get me through it and by the grace of God and begging for forgiveness, I was able to overcome it.
Speaker 1:You did it Did you. You did it on your own.
Speaker 2:I did. I'd like to say I did it on my own. Again, I begged for help from the Lord, but I actually I moved to my wife's parents' house, I tried to go to a rehab and it just I went and came back the same day. It wasn't what I needed in my life, so I moved to Maryland where my wife's parents lived, and I lived with them for two months and just got away from the people I was surrounding myself with and started, you know, focusing on better things, envisioning what I wanted for my life and regimenting myself to working out eating correctly, you know, trying to meet goals and attain what I wanted in life. And that's kind of how I got there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and I hope you don't mind me asking you know those questions. It's because I want other people to hear it and there's so many people that have been in your shoes are in your shoes, you know, years ago and maybe some are still doing it and you need to. You need to ask the Lord for help. You need to do something to make yourself better for life. If you want to have a family, you want to go on with your career and your passion, your dedication for music, that road wasn't going to get you anywhere, but in a jail cell, Exactly, or maybe God forbid, but six feet under.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 2:And that's kind of the road I was on. It was one or the other and I had to make that decision. Unfortunately, I you know, and that's kind of the road I was on, it was one or the other and I had to make that decision. Unfortunately, I still got a family member. I don't really want to say who it is, but I was struggling with addiction and, um, it's hard to watch it and know that I came from there and and he's still there and he's been on a journey up and down and trying to get it together. He's been clean and he's back on and back and forth and you know I pray for him every day and I love the death and hope the best. I just hate seeing it. I've lost friends. Heroin took over where I live and lost a lot of good buddies Actually, to heroin. It's just a terrible thing.
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah, you know it's good that he's got somebody like you, though, that he can call, or you know, something's not right, where you can say, hey, I need to go over and see who and such and such, because of such and such, he's not, he's not sounding right on the phone, something's up and I need to go talk to him. He's good, he's.
Speaker 2:it's good he's got you exactly, yeah, I try to be there for anybody that that'll listen how um you know, here you and I are chatting about.
Speaker 1:You know your backstory a little bit, but how important is um? Is it to share your personal story through your songs? I mean, that's got to mean a lot it does.
Speaker 2:It's my testimony, you know and again, we kind of talked about this before the show it's it doesn't define me, but I wouldn't be who I am without my past right?
Speaker 1:no, exactly exactly right so me to where I am today, and it made me sure yeah, you know you look back, it wasn't the right thing to do and you've come out of it very well. But maybe, if I don't think it could be entirely different, it's just kind of, you know, everything that has happened has happened for a reason. Look at you now, right, just saying.
Speaker 1:I believe that yeah, yeah, Tell me a little bit about you. Know you have Good Old Boys, Don't Cry. That's the song I was talking about. And tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2:Myself, my producer, mark McKee, and a buddy of ours, chris Sayre is a phenomenal songwriter and the idea came all all of us fathers and just talking about our kids and, you know, raising a family, and all of a sudden, five minutes later, we've got this song and we're all sitting there teary-eyed and it was just the idea of you know, looking at my son and telling him you know, get, stop crying, you're tough, realizing his heart. He's got the purest heart I've ever seen and I don't want to break that in who he is and I want to let him know it's okay, but if you feel like you've got to cry, you've got to let your emotions out.
Speaker 1:Feel free 100%. I think anybody would tell you you don't hold that in Go ahead. If you've got to you've, I think anybody would tell you you don't hold that in Go ahead. If you got it, you got to just get it out. And I think you'd be much more respected if you did that and try to hold it in.
Speaker 1:I mean, you know, don't be somebody you're not, just be real. Be real Exactly. Tell me about some of your live performances and your fan connection. For example, if I was to go see you at a show, how would that be?
Speaker 2:I love being on stage again. I mean, I've been on stage so much. It's just like natural feeling for me and I love the excitement, I love interacting with the crowd, that feeling you get when people are singing your song back at you or you know whatever. In that moment, you know something clicks with the guitar player next to you. You know that we messed up and we look at each other and we just magic happens and we all bring it back together and you know just that, that feeling and it's it's a bond on stage, it's a bond with the crowd, it's an intimate feeling. I played for thousands and I played for 10 people, you know. So I think it's more intimidating playing for 10 people than it is 10,000.
Speaker 1:I bet it is. Especially if you know all 10 of them Exactly, it's like all right. It's like you know, with radio we go and do a lot of presents, a lot of big shows, and you know, yeah, it's one thing in front of 20, 30, 40,000 people, and then it you know it's one thing in front of 20, 30, 40,000 people, and then you know it's like, well, if you're in front of 10 and you know like nine of the 10 people, it's like oh shit, I can't mess up, I can't ever hear the end of it. There's 50,000 people out there. It's like nobody knows me. This is all good. Totally get that, dude. Totally get that. Do you? Is this your only gig? Is this? All you do right now is music, or do you actually have a job during the day?
Speaker 1:I'm actually in construction, yeah, so.
Speaker 2:I've been in construction my entire life. I was I owned a flooring company for the past 10 years and I exited that company and I'm actually a single family home builder, nice, nice Right there in the Carolinas, yeah.
Speaker 2:Uh, born and raised right here, where we build within about an hour and a half radius of our hometown, and how nice my whole family's in it. We all started as painters and worked our way into developers and builders, and there's probably 30 of us that do all. That's so cool. All different trades you know from ground up that's so cool. Different trades from ground up that's so cool. I have to ask yes.
Speaker 1:So it's a family event. Yeah, there you go. So how long have you been growing that beard?
Speaker 2:I started this in 2016. My nephew taught me into a no shave November.
Speaker 1:It's been a no shave decade. It has.
Speaker 2:And my kids have never seen me without it except in pictures, and they hate it. So they're like you're never cutting I think it's cool, it's just they won't let me cut it they no, I get it without it. They saw the pictures. Yeah, that's not, you don't want me to cut it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's me that's cool how? Um, you know, I've talked to jordan davis, we've had him on the podcast and we talked about his beard and then the upkeep of that is I mean, there's a lot of. I know we're supposed to be talking about the music here, but for shits and giggles uh, the beard there's a lot of upkeep to that.
Speaker 2:There is, and I'm probably not going to sound as tough when I tell you about it, but I want to hear it. I mean, keep it straight, or else it's like this you got to trim it every couple days so it stays in shape, or I'd look like Abraham Lincoln out to here. Yeah, there's definitely a lot of cute day does your wife like it?
Speaker 1:she does, surprisingly, keeps her warm at night, exactly. Gotta love that, gotta love that. Um, you know what? What do you do when you're not doing music or construction? Do you get together? Do you like baseball? Do you kind of do different things like that? Do you make a trip to nashville for the heck of it, or maybe you get in the studio there. What do you do?
Speaker 2:yeah, so I really hadn't had a lot of time to enjoy a lot of the things that I actually used to to to enjoy, and if I had my option, I'd probably fish a little bit more. Okay, I love fishing, and just my son's just getting into it. I'd love to be able to fish a little bit more. Okay, I love fishing, I just my son's just getting into it. I love to be able to fish a little bit more. Outside of that, I coach baseball player my whole life. Cool, I was joining a league, but I mean I coach little.
Speaker 1:I love the league. I got a baseball or baseball family, so we got baseballs all over the place.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I played short my entire life.
Speaker 1:Really and I loved it. How cool. I work part-time for the Mets here in town. We have the AAA team for the New York Mets Okay, cool. So one of the two PA announcers and we kind of rotate and do all that. And my son, who's special needs? He works in the press box and baseball's his. That's his thing, all year round. It's his thing. Even though baseball ends in October or whatever it is, he's still, you know, november, december. He's watching who's doing what, where they're going, a winner ball and all that stuff. So baseball's big and short stops. We have some friends that played short.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's my favorite position.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's very cool. So how long have you actually been playing music? Maybe I already asked you, I don't know.
Speaker 2:So I started again. I started saxophone at the age of 12 years old. That's when I really started saxophone. And, uh, at the age of 12 years old, that's when I really started and I really wanted to play, because I wanted to play jazz and in the clapton and some of those guitars, um. So I picked up guitar at 14 years old, uh, learning jazz, and then it kind of evolved into what it is today. So I'm sure I can't tell you how old I am. I'll be 41 this year. Oh, stop.
Speaker 1:You're just a kid. I got you beat by 27 years probably. I got eight grandkids, but this is the stuff that keeps me young and I get to talk to great people like you and talk about music and play your music and all that. It's always a lot of fun, always a lot of fun, always a lot of fun. But, uh, yeah, so, um, I I always ask weird questions. Okay, for example, what do you drive?
Speaker 2:well, I used to drive a um gmc 2500 that was lifted six inches on 37s. I knew it.
Speaker 1:Wow, dude, but I knew it. I knew it. Um was going to say it'd be a dually yeah.
Speaker 2:I was going to get a dually, but I ended up getting just a 2500 Denali.
Speaker 1:Nice, sweet, sweet, very cool.
Speaker 2:I actually switched to an SUV recently and yesterday I went to go trade it in so I could get my truck back.
Speaker 1:I mean, I love it. I love it, yeah, and if you're going to do that, do it now, before all these whatever's going on takes effect and these prices are going to go up for a little bit until we can shake things out. So that's all, yeah, so how often do you do you get to Nashville? For example, did you go to the Country Radio Seminar back in February?
Speaker 2:I did that was my first CRS. Okay, give me a review. What'd you think it was cool? I didn't know what to expect. Did a bunch of interviews Very awkward because I didn't know what to say. I'm like I've never done this before, so I'm just going to wing it. Yeah, that's the best way, dude. Yeah, I've never done this before, so I'm just going to wing it. Yeah, that's the best way, dude. Yeah, and just keep it real. And they seem to appreciate it. They said I did a great job, so I guess that's good.
Speaker 1:Got to meet a lot of cool people made some connections with other artists. Yep, I've been.
Speaker 2:It was a good time I actually got to bring my wife.
Speaker 1:Oh, very nice, Very nice. Yeah, I've been doing that. I know you keep going in and out, so I apologize if I cut you off, but I'm getting it. But I've been going for like 25 years, okay, and I've been doing the radio seminar thing, like I said, for about 25 years, and it's always cool to see the new artists come through, like yourself. And I think it's very important that you do go to something like that because you can network and get to know these people a little bit. And you never know. We all know in this business, whether it's radio or doing what you do, it a lot of it is we. You know the contacts and someone can usually get something for you, you know I?
Speaker 2:um, the coolest thing. I was just looking him up and he's going to hate me if he hears this. I can't remember the gentleman's name. My wife and I were having dinner at the Omni that night and the man that voiced the CMAs I cannot remember his name, john Williard. That's him, john Williard. I'm trying to Google him real quick, john Williard. So he was sitting next to us and slid over and had dinner with us for about two hours and we shot the shit Super cool dude, super cool dude.
Speaker 1:He's the voice of Skip Happens. By the way, he's done all my voiceovers for the podcast. I didn't play it tonight, but he's done all my voiceovers. I've known John for many years. One of the radio stations I worked at he was the voice of the radio station as well, as you know. I mean tv commercials and everything else, and for how many years he was like. And now it's hovering. Next it'll be keith urban when we come back, you know, whatever. Yeah, so john is uh, god bless he's. He's a great guy, he's just. Everything about him is just wonderful, just wonderful.
Speaker 2:It really was super personable. I mean, like I said, we talked for two hours.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Not everything.
Speaker 1:I'm surprised you got away with just two hours. I talked to John before. He's like dude, dude. I got an Uber waiting for me out front. But no, seriously, that's a good guy and he's a good guy to get to know because he's worked with so many country artists, so many organizations, for example the CMAs, radio stations and what have you. So that's pretty cool. What do you see yourself like in about five years?
Speaker 2:you, um, what do you see yourself like in about five years? That's a good question, and I'm still trying to figure that out. Um, you know, balancing where I'm at with work and music uh, I'd love to play more. We're just getting out, uh, the past two years has been all writing and recording. We've got a show coming up next month that's not released yet. Uh, will be the first show into this album and we're starting to line up more.
Speaker 1:So I'd love to be able to play out more.
Speaker 2:Again I mean, I love that aspect. I'd love to be able to hear myself on my local radio station.
Speaker 1:Who doesn't man? Have you had that opportunity at all yet? Not yet, no.
Speaker 2:So I just got the last mixes on the last four songs they're going to master this week and we're water falling into this album, so as soon as these masters come, back good old boys will be tied into the album release for a pre-save option, so the album will fully be finished in hopefully about a week.
Speaker 1:Cool option. So the album will fully be finished in hopefully about a week and, good old boys, that is definitely radio ready. That's pretty cool and I think you know here and you probably already know this, but and correct me if I'm wrong but if you can grab the hearts of your listeners, of your fans or just anybody, and they become a fan, if you can grab them by the heart and that song's going to do it you're going to have a fan for life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I appreciate it. I mean, when I listen to music, I mean I love the artist in general, but there are certain songs that just grab you. Those are the songs that I love and I put them on repeat. I mean, I listened to the same probably 20 songs all day, every day, just cause I love them.
Speaker 1:Give me an example of what you listen to.
Speaker 2:So some of my favorites in color Jamie Johnson oh my God.
Speaker 1:Do you see Jamie on the Opry special the other night?
Speaker 2:I missed it.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God.
Speaker 2:That was good. I'm actually blanking out on you right now, it's okay. Randy Travis, three Wooden Crosses oh my God. Blake Shelton, the Baby Just things that touch certain parts of my life. Those are the ones that I love. Some of the newer ones. I love Riley Green right now, the style that he's doing. It's kind of where I'm trying to lean into a little bit more, but we kind of got a hybrid going on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, ella Langley's got me Something about her voice and seeing her at CRS as well and listening to her talk and just something about her voice. The raspiness in her voice was like it was hot. You know what I mean? It was hot. It would be like, and now I get where it comes from, and although she just got engaged and already called it off, but um, that's what I read anyways, I don't know, but yeah, no, it's okay, it's our internet, it's, you know, kind of mine's pretty good, it's on your end.
Speaker 2:It's got to be mine.
Speaker 1:It's the Carolina internet.
Speaker 2:It's this one gig, oh no.
Speaker 1:That I've got, that they don't give me. You know the thing is, when you do yeah, you're back. So when you do freeze up, it's usually the worst face. It's like, you know, it's crazy, it's crazy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:Just when you don't expect it and look what happens, it's like so anyways, that's what happened. So, um, if you could, um, right now, if you could right now, if you could collaborate with anybody, somebody who, would that be Dead or alive, male or female? Is this thing no, no, that's okay, that's okay.
Speaker 2:Can you hear me? You said if I can hear me now with anybody.
Speaker 1:Right now I feel like a Verizon commercial. Can you hear me now? Okay, let's try, I'll talk. Yeah, I can hear you Collaborating with anybody, dead or alive.
Speaker 2:Tough one. It's a very tough one. I would probably lean is a very tough one. I would probably lean newer age, like I said, riley green, a little bit older, probably be Randy Travis just because I've always loved his voice and again Jamie Johnson's one that I've always. I mean his style, the, his image, the songwriting. You know those guys, I mean that's probably my top three.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you kind of got. You got his look going with the beard and all that, it wasn't intentional. I love it. I love it, but it's cool, it's cool, it's good, it's good, it's good. So you went to CRS, but how often do you get to Nashville now? Very often, you said right.
Speaker 2:About once a month I'll go for about a week.
Speaker 1:What's it? It's a pretty easy drive, though, from where you are.
Speaker 2:The drive, I think, is probably 10, 12 hours.
Speaker 1:Oh, really yeah.
Speaker 2:I think it's probably 10, 12 hours. Oh really, yeah, I can catch a Delta flight Atlanta in about three hours.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that works out. We have a nonstop from Syracuse that goes to Nashville. You get there about two and a half hours with that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it's not terrible.
Speaker 1:No, it's not terrible, not terrible at all. So, okay, you got the song coming out that's going to get played on the radio. Your hometown radio station is going to play it and I have to call them. I will uh that that. I'm reading what jason kranz is on here. He's a radio programmer. I'm reading his, uh his note. He says does it have to be country? I'd say Kurt Cobain. Oh, okay, if not, so I get you.
Speaker 2:So if you could do a collaboration would it be? With Kurt.
Speaker 1:Oh, kurt, I am wearing the shirt right now. Oh, there it is. I didn't see it under the beard. Plus, my camera is kind of in the way. I have to look around it. Yeah that'd be surreal. Are you getting out to visit radio stations at all? Are you going to be able to do a little bit of a radio tour? Have you done any of that, or are you going to?
Speaker 2:I'm hoping to. That's what I've been trying to get With the team. We're actually building on what I've been trying to get with the team. We're actually building on the team currently and trying to get involved. One of the guys his name is Bo. He comes from radio and kind of steering that ship a little bit. I love the opportunity to you know, at least take a couple interviews, tell the story, maybe play a song. We used to have local nights on our radio stations. They don't really do that much anymore.
Speaker 1:What about right there in your hometown? I mean, do you have? You have hometown radio, obviously, but or is it big corporate radio or somebody can go knock on the door and say, hey, you know, I'm doing this, yeah.
Speaker 2:So it's WRNS. You're familiar with WRNS, ok, and we've reached out recently sponsoring a charity tournament with them. It's actually the church that I was raised in that's putting a charity on, so very cool. It's actually the church that I was raised in. That's putting a charity on. Very cool, trying to partner with it, kind of get integrated with the station. I've always been a part of the local community anyways and charities that are involved locally, so it's just another outlet trying to get in with Crystal Legends at WRNS.
Speaker 1:I love it. You need to, and you know what they love you and they'll bring you out, which will be very cool. You said you coach baseball.
Speaker 2:I have for the past couple of years.
Speaker 1:My son was playing baseball and he's decided to be a soccer player now, and how does Dad feel about that?
Speaker 2:I know nothing about soccer so I don't know how to help him. It's like just go kick the ball kid.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, Kick it. What do I change? I don't know. I love baseball, I don't know why. Well, no, teach their own. I guess Teach their own. And what are you?
Speaker 2:going to do. You're not going to stop him from doing something he wants to do Exactly. I've tried to get him into the things that I love and learned that it's got to be something that he wants. I grew up skateboarding. I built a half pipe in the backyard for him because I wanted one as a kid and he never rode it very often. I had him in baseball and he decided I told him as a lefty he could only play first base or he could only play outfield and pitch. And he couldn't pitch, so he had to play first or outfield. He just wasn't having it, so he went to soccer.
Speaker 1:Well, hey, teach their own. You said you built a half pipe out in the backyard.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Actually it's in one of my music videos. It's me and my son skating on it. The video is son skating on it the videos for the only one I've had were you, um, did uh in the extreme sports? Yeah, I mean, skateboarding was pretty much it, skateboarding and surfing. We surfed the morning and skate the afternoon, every day through summers. And one point I thought I was going to go pro for skateboarding and you're not a funny hawk nah, it fizzled out when I went to college.
Speaker 1:Enough of the skateboard. We'll put that away Exactly. The reason I asked is my wife's nephew was I don't know if he's a BMX was a BMX rider. We've lost him now, but it was Dave Mara, I don't know, and, a matter of fact, we've been to his house in Greenville.
Speaker 1:His wife, you know he took his own life many years ago. He had so many concussions. He had that CTE when they did all the tests and everything. He was fine one day and the next day, all of a sudden, we get the news that he did what he did.
Speaker 2:It's like wow, it's just crazy. It is Dave's a legend. He had to park about an hour from where I live. It's just crazy. It is Dave's a legend. He had a park about an hour from where I live.
Speaker 1:It's just there. We went to the park up in Greenville. The park was named after him.
Speaker 2:There was one in Wilmington at one point. We used to skate in those parks all the time.
Speaker 1:We were at the Outer Banks. We said, okay, it's a rainy day, we're going to take a drive, and we took. It was a few hours, but we got there, we enjoyed it and then we drove back. So it was absolutely beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Do you get out? I mean, well, it's kind of a dumb question. You're pounding nails every day and building houses and laying concrete, but do you work out? Is there something you do just to kind of? You know, just get away from it all?
Speaker 2:Unfortunately, it's gambling. I go to casinos a little bit too often.
Speaker 1:It's in the family. What can I tell you?
Speaker 2:But no, I get it. I actually lived and died by the gym. Actually that's what kind of helped me get through the alcohol addiction. Covid kind of put a damper on that. I got to get back in action. But yeah, I mean, I try to stay as busy as I possibly can, whether it's work or with the family or whatever it may be.
Speaker 1:So Will? Where can we log on to get your music? Or, when it is fully available, will we be able to go to the socials and be able to download it and buy it. Buy it and download it.
Speaker 2:Yes, I'm currently on Spotify just under my name, will Morton. Instagram TikTok is Will Morton Official and we are working on other outlets for pre-purchasing the album before release. We'll have all the pre-save links up on all the streaming Cool To coincide with the release of the album, so I'm hoping to roll everything out um, probably 30, 45 days cool, very cool.
Speaker 1:Um, I want you to make sure I get a copy of it. I've got you absolutely. Uh like that. What I do is uh, something I usually give them like a test spin I know if jason's listening he he'll know exactly what I'm talking about is, uh, I take a certain song and put it up against another song and I like doing it with the new independent artists or the new artists. I mean, we know the Morgan Wallens, we know the Luke Combs, we know all that side of things. But it's people like you that need to be heard and be recognized as as an artist. And you're putting out some great music and I appreciate that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know. So that that's that's why I'm asking to make sure I do get a copy of that, and what I'm going to do is actually I know that I was playing a little bit off my phone earlier that I'll put the link underneath this video when we get it all posted, all set and done.
Speaker 1:Awesome, I appreciate that, yeah, no, absolutely Appreciate you. Everything you've been through your backstory is just phenomenal. Much respect, my friend. Through your backstory is just phenomenal. Much respect, my friend, much respect for for what you're doing. I just I just find it like, wow, you go from metal to country and well, I know it's country's kind of got a lot of rock roots, so but yeah, I still find it hard to believe you're banging on the drums, heavy metal going nuts, and then, okay, I'm, I'm going to step down and sing some Garth. Do you do covers with your band when you get out? Do you do country covers?
Speaker 2:We do, and it's not always country. We did the outfield a few times, it's just. You know, whatever fits in the moment, whatever I think the crowd's going to enjoy that I enjoy, enjoy. You know I'm not gonna play something. I don't really enjoy myself or it's not gonna, it's not going to portray correctly, but anything that fits this set.
Speaker 1:I get it. Jason just chimed in. He says he goes. Jason just said we do new music Monday. Play a new independent artist, a new song once an hour, all day. Great idea. Great idea Because these are the artists that need to be heard, need to be seen.
Speaker 2:That would be awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. Well, it's been awesome having you on here tonight. Skip happens. Yeah, man, I appreciate you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, right back at you, and I'm glad that you know things worked out, you know with your press or your team that's behind you and you know, are the kids there? And I mean I just I can see every once in a while hear a noise. It's like somebody's opening and closing that door. It's all good, it's all good. I love. I was waiting for him to come running in, that's all right. That's all right. It's like my yellow lab would come running downstairs and jump up on me or something. That's happened in the past. It's crazy and I just dropped everything, but that's okay. But anyways, it's been a pleasure having you on here tonight and getting to know you a little bit and Jason being a programmer, hopefully he'll look you up as well little bit. And uh, you know jason being a programmer, hopefully he'll look you up as well. Uh, but uh, your sound, jason, if you get a chance, make sure you check out the song. Uh, good old boys, don't cry. It's, it's pretty good, it's really good. It's really good I sincerely appreciate that?
Speaker 1:yes, absolutely. Uh, thanks for coming on. Skip happens tonight again. Look them up. I'll put the link. Uh, everything you need to know will be underneath this video. It'll'll be like these cameras screw me up. It'll be like right down there, I guess, but if it's not, maybe it'll be over on the side, maybe it'll be up above. I don't know. I have my son do the social media, so it's like, zach, I need you to do this, but no, that's all good, it's all good, will. Thanks for coming on tonight. Stay right there and thank you for watching everybody. It's been another edition of Skip Happens. Make sure you go on and subscribe to Skip Happens on YouTube, and if Will Morton's got a YouTube page, you may want to subscribe to that as well and follow him on his socials. Just Google him and he's going to come up. It's pretty cool. Thanks for joining us everybody. Uh, hopefully you and you enjoyed it. So skip clark, skip happens, will morton. Thanks guys, stay right there will. Here we go.
