SkiP HappEns Podcast
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SkiP HappEns Podcast
From 10 Gunshot Wounds to Country Music Stardom
Hey everybody, it is Skip Clark, and welcome back to another episode of Skip Happens. You know it's a place where stories matter, music lives and real people shine. I'm your host, skip Clark, and tonight I've got a truly inspiring guest. He's a combat veteran and wait till you hear the story Purple Heart recipient and now one of the most talked about rising stars in country music. We're going to touch on all of that tonight. Get this, though. After surviving 10 gunshot wounds and an unimaginable battle that he had, he picked up a guitar found healing through song. He's real, he's raw, he's rewriting his story on his own terms. Get ready, because here it is. Tonight Scotty Hastings joins the conversation. Scotty, hey, it's good to see you, man.
Speaker 2:Good to see you too. Thanks for having me. I really love that hat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like that hat too. Funny story. Funny story about the hat. We'll just start off with that. I was in Nashville for meetings. You were hanging out and we were at an event and I walked up to this table and I saw this hat. It looked like, all right, somebody put them on the table. You know that's like promoting their artist or doing whatever.
Speaker 1:So I said all right, well, I'll hang on to the hat. I don't know if it was later that night or the next day In the hotel we went to one of the suites and you happened to be hanging out in one of the suites and I saw the grateful hat. I go oh dude, was this your hat? Something like that and come to find out you had given it to another artist, who apparently left it on the high top in the venue or the restaurant we're in, and I stole it yeah, yeah, I gave it to prior bear originally and then he left it on the table.
Speaker 2:So, hey, I mean finders keepers, you know he left it. That. He left it on the table. So, hey, I mean finders keepers, you know he left it there, it's his loss. His loss absolutely the head is exactly what it says Grateful.
Speaker 1:So, and that's what we're going to talk about tonight, Scotty Hastings, first of all, what led you? Let's go back a little bit and start from scratch. Where are you first of all? Are you in Nashville right now? I when?
Speaker 2:are you? First of all, Are you in Nashville?
Speaker 1:right now I am, yes, cool, cool, but you've been traveling, weren't you? You were just at the Diamondbacks game.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was just in Arizona. We played a show after a Diamondbacks game, which was crazy. First time I've ever played in a place that big I mean it was 49,000 seats, I think, or something like that. It's insane, Absolutely insane.
Speaker 1:Now tank or something like that's insane absolutely insane.
Speaker 2:Now you can say you played in a stadium, so you did a stadium show, so did a lot of, did a lot of people hang out afterwards and yeah, there was a, there was a good amount. You know, unfortunately, the diamondbacks lost. So you know when. When they lose, of course there's going to be people who leave in, like the seventh inning and they're just, you know, fair weather but there was, there was a good. You know, there was quite a thousands of people there it was.
Speaker 1:It was amazing that is cool are? Are you a diamondbacks fan?
Speaker 2:I'm a reds fan, um, but I happened to meet the owners of the diamondbacks at an event one day and they were like man, you need to come play. And I was like, yes, I do absolutely well, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:You must like baseball.
Speaker 2:I love baseball.
Speaker 1:Yeah, did you play baseball as a kid?
Speaker 2:I did, I did. I grew up playing baseball. I even played semi-pro baseball before I joined the Army.
Speaker 1:Really, yeah, at what level would that have been? Would it have been like single A, double A, triple A?
Speaker 2:No, technically it was an independent league.
Speaker 1:Independent league. I got you.
Speaker 2:Independent, professional, semi-professional league called the Frontier League. It was Florence Freedom at that time. It was the Florence Yalls now.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's cool. That's cool, but you had that connection. I'm sure there were scouts checking people out and doing what they do. We're a big baseball family as well. We're all about used to be the Nationals, now it's the Mets and we're in Syracuse and the AAA team here is the Syracuse Mets. So we are one level below the bigs.
Speaker 2:Heck yeah.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. We'll have to get you up here and go to a game together. We'd have a lot of fun, let's go.
Speaker 2:I'm in. I'm always down for going to a baseball game.
Speaker 1:Matter of fact, you know I worked on PA at the ballpark. So it's like, and it's so freaking cool, dude, to be able to announce some of these players that have been in the bigs and they're back down either rehabbing or maybe they're just trying to give it another shot, but it's so cool to be there and be able to do that.
Speaker 2:I can only imagine. I can only imagine, how cool that would be.
Speaker 1:Yeah, let's talk about you. You though a little bit more. Let's tell, tell me a little bit about your early life and what led you to join the military.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I grew up in the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky area and, and you know, I I was at the time when I decided to join the army. I was playing baseball. I wasn't making any money doing it, I had a family that I needed to support and I always had this, this gut feeling, or this, this yearning to be a part of something that meant something. You know, at the time I wasn't really doing anything and and I wanted to be a part of something bigger than just myself. And you know, I one day decided to go and enlist and I enlisted in the army and when I enlisted I wanted to you to.
Speaker 2:You know, to me a soldier was always the, the guy who went and fought, like that's what I saw as a soldier. So when I went into the, to the army recruiting station, like that's what I wanted to do, I wanted to fight, I wanted to be what I thought a soldier was. So I I went and became an 11 bravo, which is the infantryman, and I went to basic training and yeah, so when we say foots on the ground, I mean you guys are usually the first in right, that's.
Speaker 1:that's exactly what you were doing with the arms. Yes, what was your mindset when you got called for deployment? What was? What was your mindset?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know it was crazy. I mean, um, you know, I, I left basic training and three months later we were in Afghanistan, and it was, you know, when I first training, and three months later we were in afghanistan, and it was, you know, when I first got to my first duty station, they were like, hey, you know, we're deploying, right. And I was like, uh, oh, all right, like I guess we're deploying, um, okay, uh, and you know, you don't, it doesn't really hit you, you know, until you get shot at for the first time, and then it's like holy crap, like this is real, like we're, we're actually here, you know, you, you, you get shot at for the first time and then it's like holy crap, like this is real, like we're actually here. You know, you get to Afghanistan, you do a little bit of training and then you go out on missions and stuff, but the first time you get shot at, that's when it's really like it's like oh crap Like we're here Like.
Speaker 2:this is a bad spot.
Speaker 1:Wow, what was it like.
Speaker 2:What was the weather like? What it gets really hot right?
Speaker 1:yeah, it gets really really hot and you've done all that gear on, so how do you stay cool? There was one day that we had.
Speaker 2:It was like 120 ish degrees, I think, and uh, and yeah, I mean you're, you're walking with 80, 100 pounds a year at all times. I mean it's, it's a lot. You know you get your body gets used to it, though. You get your body gets used to it, though you know your body gets used to that being what it is you only sleep when you can oh, absolutely yeah, exactly plus you got.
Speaker 1:I mean you got to have your rifle right by your side probably 100 of the time, whether you're sleeping or not, your hands on it absolutely always yeah, wow, you know.
Speaker 1:First of all, thank you for your service. I mean, we wouldn't be able to do this if it wasn't for the men and women like you, and especially you, that you gave so much. Um, tell us a little bit about you got shot. You're lucky to be alive, we know that, and when I first met you, I was just like totally blown away and just maybe I didn't know what to say, because it's like who survives getting shot 10 times?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I don't know how I did, but I did somehow. You know, April 21st 2011 was the day that we were on patrol and there was a guy hiding behind a wall and he just saw me and just opened fire. He was maybe 15 feet from me and he just sprayed. He just basically sprayed and prayed, you know, pulled the weapon from behind his back and just hit the trigger and just hoped for the best and he ended up hitting me 10 times, from my thigh, to my hip, to my shoulder.
Speaker 1:Well, it's probably good, that's where you got hit. Absolutely, because I wouldn't be talking to you, and how did your recovery shape who you are today as a person and also as an artist?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I think that you know my recovery is still ongoing. You know, I don't think that you ever. You know I still suffer from PTSD depression anxiety. I mean there's, you know I still suffer from ptsd depression anxiety. I mean there's, you know, the recovery doesn't stop.
Speaker 2:It's always, it's always happening and um you know, I think that that shaped me as a person, to understand that you know that life is short, man, and it can end like that, like those 10, those 10 gunshots were, I mean, in the blink of an eye, I mean, and it happened in the blink of an eye, like I, I get to be all over. But in the blink of an eye, like I mean, and it happened in a blink of an eye, like I can be all over in the blink of an eye, like you have to live life to the fullest. And it really gives you perspective on what's important and and finding, you know, just finding the good in every situation, or trying to just enjoy what you have when you have it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know, scotty, do you ever get tired of talking about it? I know I've seen other interviews and everybody will ask you about those 10 gunshots. Does that affect anything by people like me asking you know, does it bring back? It must bring back the memories a little bit and maybe some of the pain.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know it brings back the memories, but you know I'm I'm at the point in my life now and in my career where, um, where I'm good with it. You know I mean it happened and I'm trying to use it to bring good.
Speaker 2:You know I'm trying to use I'm trying to take the bad and make good out of it. And, uh, and, and you know, I it's important for me to share that story, and it's important for me to share that because there could be someone out there who's suffering just like I do, and I'm sure there's something.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we have an organization here, a victory for vets, where they they go out and they get dogs and they train the dogs to be with the veterans from PTSD, to help them. Just, you know, help, comfort them and all that. I don't know, do you have something like that? Do you have a dog? Or?
Speaker 2:anything. Yeah, I used to have a service dog. Ok, I had a service dog for a while. I've seen service dogs absolutely save people's lives. I mean my service dog saved my life.
Speaker 2:I mean there's a reason why I have a song out called Good Old Dogs and God and it's because of that, because I have watched dogs truly save people's lives, and when I heard that song, I was like man, this is for those dogs Like this is for those people who understand that, who get that connection, who who have the ability to connect with someone like that or a dog like that, like that. And yeah, I mean it's, it's incredible. I mean the organizations like that are saving people's lives every day and that's that's so important.
Speaker 1:And so I love um. I I have never served, but I emcee those events and it's just, it's so heartwarming to see the men and women, to see the dogs, people that are in need of something along those lines, so just a great cause. How has music helped you with your healing? Because, wait a minute. First of all, when did you pick up a guitar? It wasn't that long ago.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, no, I mean, music is my healing. You know, I started learning how to play the guitar when COVID hit as a way to get out of my head. You know, I was shooting archery with the US Paralympic program and I was traveling all over the country and that's what I used as therapy. I would for seven seconds, right before that arrow released, nothing in the world mattered. I was able to just live in a moment for seven seconds at a time, and uh, in the world shut down and all that was taken away. My therapy was taken away.
Speaker 2:And when it? You know, when it gets quiet is when the demon's not the loudest. And COVID was very quiet and not the loudest. And COVID was very quiet and uh, and I needed something. I needed something to get out of my head and one day I had a guitar in the corner of my room. I don't know why I had a guitar in the corner of my room. I just I guess I thought, you know, the ladies are gonna love this, they're gonna think I'm you know. Thank god none of them asked me to play it because I don't know, at that time I didn't know.
Speaker 2:I look good though yeah, but you know, and one day I just I was like man, I'm going to jump on YouTube and I'm going to learn how to play this, like there's, I need to jump into something that I know is going to be challenging and hard enough for me to truly focus on and guitar was it? And I started learning how to play the guitar and I started learning how to play songs that I grew up listening to and uh, and then, slowly, from that, you know, I found an escape in that, and then from there I I realized I had all these thoughts and all these feelings and I found out that songwriting was a thing and I was like man, I want to. I want to take these feelings and these thoughts and I want to put them somewhere. So then I jumped on YouTube and I started learning how to, how to write songs and how songs are done.
Speaker 1:Thank you, YouTube.
Speaker 2:YouTube how to write songs and how songs.
Speaker 1:Thank you, youtube, youtube, man, if you're. If you're not using youtube to learn dude, I use it to fix the toilet upstairs, all right I mean, I went on youtube no matter what you want to do. It's crazy, but no, I get it exactly. Exactly. Have you, uh, always loved music? Is that you know why?
Speaker 2:I mean, yeah, it had to be a little you know I grew up singing um as a kid, but it was just kind of like a hobby and something I did in the shower or in the car and it was never in front of anybody ever.
Speaker 2:You know, that was very much a thing you, I was not going to sing in front of you, um, but then you know it, just you know, I I found songwriting and then I found, you know, the world started opening up and I went to an open mic night one day and I decided to get on stage and play the first song I ever learned how to play which should have been a cowboy by Toby Keith, and in that moment, the stage became my sanctuary and it provided that escape and that sense of purpose and that sense of therapy that I have been looking for for so long.
Speaker 2:And, and you know, when I'm on stage, I'm able to live in a moment which is so amazing to find for someone who has PTSD, depression, anxiety, like to be able to to truly live in a moment is incredible. I mean, I live in Afghanistan and I live with my best friends that were killed, like that's what I think about and that's where I live all the time. So, in order, like for me to be able to jump on stage and to completely just be taken over with living in a moment, like that's magic.
Speaker 1:I just, when you talk about Afghanistan and everything, I know we're talking about the music. But when you say, yeah, my friends were killed and this, and that I just I can't even I don't know if I'd ever, well, I guess you don't. I mean, you don't get over that. You don't get over that. No, you don't. Was there a real moment when you realized that music was more than therapy?
Speaker 2:Yeah, 100%. I mean, when I went on, you know when I well, I mean, I don't know if I've ever yeah, there was actually. It was I. The first time I ever played a, I ever played like, really a truly like live show. That meant something, was the first time I'd ever opened for another artist.
Speaker 2:I opened for Dave Grohl and cool yeah yeah, yeah, amazing guy um I opened for dave grohl, but it was a military specific thing, so there were like 200 veterans in this room and for me, up until that point, music was therapy, like that's. That's what I used it for. I used it as a form of therapy for myself. Um, I played how do you choose, which is a song that we released it was the first single that I ever released with black river and, uh, I played that song. It was the first time I'd ever played that song live and I played it there. And, uh, and it was the first time that I realized that my music and my therapy could do something that meant something for somebody. You know, it was the first time that I was ever told by somebody that my song, my words, my survivor's guilt that I put in the words into the song, that it gave them a voice to be able to tell their friends and family how they're feeling, or it let them feel like they're not alone.
Speaker 1:Like that moment was when I realized that music, yeah, so much more than just therapy for me and it can be therapy for so many more people what, um, what message do you hope that, uh, viewers and listeners, um, you know, get from your music?
Speaker 2:what message I just want to you know from my music and from my story I want them to to take that you know it doesn't have to end with the bad. You know, I mean that the bad can happen and you can push forward and you can do things that you never thought possible. I mean, I I just played.
Speaker 2:I just played a stadium show in arizona and I started playing guitar in five years ago, like right right what like if I can do this, anyone can do anything um you know, and and yeah, I think that I I hope that people see me and I hope that they see, hear my story and I hope that they listen to my music and they realize that if I can do it, they can.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100 percent. You know, I think everything that has happened has happened for a reason. And now you're out there helping others In your situation very similar and you get out and you speak to a lot of different organizations, veterans and along those lines. Yeah, yeah, I work with a lot of different organizations, veterans and along those lines.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I work with a lot of nonprofits. You know not veteran nonprofits help save my life and I've watched them save some of my best friends lives, so I mean it's so easy to want to be a part of that. You know, I mean my whole mission with music. My whole mission in life right now is to save people's lives and to try to help them in some way, shape or form. And the best way that I can try to do that along with you know, my music and my story and sharing that is to partner with organizations that are already trying to do that Exactly. So it's so easy to say yes to a veteran organization that I know is truly doing something to help absolutely do you think?
Speaker 1:uh, you know, your experience as a veteran has influenced your songwriting and your performances 100, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Um, you know, I you know, being in the military teaches you work ethic. Uh, and I there's. It's funny like I, like, I have, I have a. I have an amazing team in black river. Um, incredible family.
Speaker 2:They are amazing people, um, but the one thing that I always told them, that I will always tell them, is they will never outwork me and I would never let them outwork me. Um, you know, that is something that definitely the military teaches you is that you, you're going to work your butt off for what you want to do. Um, you know to do. Um, you know, I think you know, honestly, without without the work ethic and without the the you know perseverance and without the you know the the ability to just push forward that the military teaches you, I wouldn't be where I am right now. Um, you know most people are in broadway for 10 plus years before anything happens. You know most people are in nashville and you know spend. Oh yeah, it's trying to get just where I'm at, like it's a 10-year town.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's the old saying, it's a 10-year. You know my air quotes, but it's a 10-year town and that couldn't be more truthful yeah, absolutely you know, and I think the military not only helped me with that but also, you know, helped me with.
Speaker 2:you know, yeah, with writing songs about you know what I struggle with and what I go through and what we as veterans go through. We have amazing people that were veterans in this industry, but I feel like the difference between them and me is that I straight up open my chest and let people see who I am and all the struggles and all the bad that I deal with on a daily basis, and hopefully that helps somebody.
Speaker 1:Mentally. How do you stay grounded Pro?
Speaker 2:beer. I truly hold on to and cling on to music in the idea that I can try to do something good. That means something. And I hold on to my friends and family as well, and that's kind of especially with what I want to do. I mean talking to people, like I have to share my story in order for people to hear it, in order for to help somebody, and every time I share my story it brings up the feelings and the thoughts that I feel every time and and yeah, I mean it's important, but at the same time, like it is, it's still hard a little bit, you know. So it's I have to hold on to the music and I have to hold on to my friends and family very closely.
Speaker 1:Yeah, have you always been a country music fan?
Speaker 2:oh yeah oh yeah.
Speaker 1:So what is it like? You know it's been five years ago. You picked up the guitar, but you've been listening to country music since day one. So this is 100. So now you get that opportunity to play on stage with some pretty big names. I mean, yeah, in just the five years that you've picked up a guitar. I mean you mentioned, you know, the diamondbacks the other night and being in that stadium, and then you know, now you go out and do these other shows and you're there with probably artists that you've been listening to for a little bit. Now you're part of that act. Tell me a little bit about that yeah, man, that is.
Speaker 2:I don't know how I am. This is my life. Honestly, it's crazy, like the other day we were. I was talking to someone and we were talking about a show that is coming up or something, and lee bryce has become a dear friend of mine, which, yes, number one is crazy to say, uh, because I've been listening to lee forever, for literally forever yes, I love his music. He's an incredible person. Um wait, a minute.
Speaker 1:Was he there in the suite that night with you? No, no, no wait, I'm thinking of some other, but lee was in the area. Yeah, okay, yeah, all right, I have a song with lee I have a song with lee and dolly parton, which is crazy. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on, dolly, how the hell did you get. I mean, were you in the studio together, or was it your track and then her track?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so me and I got to watch Lee do his part. I didn't get to watch Dolly do her part. I wish, I wish, I was able to.
Speaker 2:I know Dude, but yeah, I mean dude, but yeah, I mean it's crazy. I was, I was talking, we were talking about something to show that was coming up and I was like you know what, let me just call lee. And then, like, I stopped myself immediately and I was like, did I just say let me call lee price? Like what, what just happened? Like what, like it's just. Yeah, man, I know, you know I I grew up, you know, listening to these guys, these guys that are larger than life. You know the gar Garth Brooks. Garth Brooks knows me. Me and him have talked multiple times and it's like Garth Brooks is the reason I fell in love with country music. Like what, what is going on?
Speaker 1:I know you have to think like that. Yeah, it's crazy I'm.
Speaker 2:I'm a huge country music fan and I'm a huge fan period of. You know, every artist that I've met has been so incredible and so humble and just the. The most amazing part about the country music community is that everyone is there for each other. We're all, I was just gonna say that and it's, it's so amazing man, and it's, you know, it's so much more than you you would ever think truly no, and it's hard to tell somebody.
Speaker 1:It's hard to tell somebody. That's the way it is. But but because I'm on the country radio side, you're absolutely right. Everybody is so humble and so cool and you know I'll get. I get phone calls from you know people I've talked to and yeah, you know, I hear them every day on the radio and it's like crap, is that, holy shit? I pick up, he's calling, calling me. Why is he calling me?
Speaker 2:you know, absolutely like I did a thing at the cma awards yeah and I was like during intermission I was walking around just meeting artists that like I've listened to forever, and I was taking my daughter around like oh hey, good to meet you. Like this is my daughter, you know, like I don't I'm a fan, like I'm gonna walk around and go say hi to these guys.
Speaker 1:Like Luke Combs, that was the first person I walked up to.
Speaker 2:I'm a huge Luke Combs fan and I was like Luke, I'm a huge fan of yours. Like you're amazing, like I was.
Speaker 1:just I was a little kid and he's so humble about it. Yeah.
Speaker 2:He's so incredible, incredible him and his wife.
Speaker 1:both are just incredible people yeah, almost all of them, if not all so that's, pretty cool um, are you uh working on various projects right now? I well, let me back up a little bit. You got pro beer, I do, and uh that that came out. That's a great summertime song it's a fun song, but I'm watching the video and you did that in front of a green screen.
Speaker 2:We did. You know, the song is silly and it's fun and it's basically at the root of it. It's a song about just bringing people together and having a good time and we're like we sat down and we're like, dude, like the video has got to be silly and it's got to be fun, like let's just do it in front of a green screen.
Speaker 1:Let's just do something out there.
Speaker 2:You know, green screen like let's just do something out out there. You know I loved it, so we did it.
Speaker 1:You had the two girls and they brought the grill in and they, oh yeah, oh yeah, absolutely yeah, it was. It was so much fun and it was fun. It was fun to shoot. Awesome, awesome, was that? Um, oh, you've had that out for a little. They came out in march, was it march? You dropped that I don't know it wasn't that all that long ago, but uh yeah, where do you, where do you see your music taking you in the next few years?
Speaker 2:I have no idea, just hope for the best.
Speaker 1:Hold on, you're on a ride.
Speaker 2:I'm on a crazy ride right now, an amazing ride, and I'm holding on for dear life and I'm just trying to enjoy every moment that I get. Honestly, I just want people to hear my music and for it to help them, and everything else is just a bonus.
Speaker 1:Awesome. You know, when we met last February, just a couple of months ago, was that the first time you had been at CRS, the Country Radio Seminar.
Speaker 2:That was the second time, second time. Okay, very cool, that's an event man.
Speaker 1:It's three or four days of no sleep, very little sleep and a whole lot of alcohol.
Speaker 2:It was, it was wild.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's pretty cool. That's pretty cool. Tell me a little bit more about like, uh, if I was to go see you in concert, uh, or at a show. If I was to go to a show, what, what would I see? A lot of energy. I mean, you tell me about your band, tell me about you, yeah, yeah, you know I have a six-piece band, including myself, so we are pretty big.
Speaker 2:But you're going to hear we're moving into a country rock sound.
Speaker 2:Kind of like a country rock, southern rock sound. It's just kind of it works for my voice. It's kind of my comfort zone. You know you're going to get a lot of on tempo. You're going to get a lot of on tempo, you're going to get a lot of energy but at the same time we were going to slow it down and you're going to see my heart and soul and who I am as a person and what I want to do with my music, and you know you're going to get. I'm going to make you laugh, I'm going to make you have a good time.
Speaker 1:And then I'm probably going to make you cry at some point. So it's just, if you can do all of that, you've succeeded. Oh, thank you. You realize I mean it's country music. That's what it's about. You can, if you can, touch the heart of somebody, or absolutely, I, I, I say it all the time.
Speaker 2:I love it when people cry at my songs or at my shows, because that means that I actually did something yes, you know, that means that they were able to connect on a level that you know. I mean, it's easy to to fake happiness and it's easy to fake, you know, having a good time, but when you see tears it's like I like, you feel this, you feel what I feel. You feel what I feel like, yeah, that's amazing do you know today's superhero day? Today's superhero day today's superhero day.
Speaker 1:If you could be a superhero, who would you be and why? Superman he was always my favorite yeah, well, okay, I asked that to tim mcgrath. Yeah, uh, it wasn't today. Actually I have to. I have an interview with him tomorrow, which is pretty cool.
Speaker 1:I just let the kid out but, um, in another phone conversation I asked him. I said if you could be a superhero, who would you be? And he goes, or what would you do? He goes? I love to fly, but I'm already a pilot. So I guess, if I could have any power or be somebody like that he goes, I'd want to be invisible so nobody would know I was there and I could just I'm going. Okay, that's a little creepy maybe, but I don't know, that's so funny.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's also, of course, tim mcgraw's a pilot of course he is well I'm surprised you haven't done that yet that's so funny how come you haven't done that? I mean no, dude, you got dirks, you got. Uh, who else flies? Oh my god, mcgraw flies, dirks, flies.
Speaker 2:Oh my, I know there's a few others I've already had a near-death experience, I don't need another one, oh well, I don't want you to have one.
Speaker 1:I'm just saying, though, it seems like a lot of these country artists are doing something like that, yeah.
Speaker 2:I don't know. For a while I got a buddy that flies helicopters and he was trying to talk me into it. For a while I was like maybe.
Speaker 1:Yeah, then you see the one that went down in the Hudson and you kind of go. I don't know if I want to do that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, see, you want to do it less and less.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what's a fun, unexpected hobby people wouldn't guess that you're into. Oh, I know, I'm just picking out. I have a few questions I wrote down just for the fun of it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, sports for sure is always a hobby, but I don't know if that would be for sure, is always a hobby, but I don't know if that would be. Yeah, but I could see you doing sports. I seriously, I mean, I, you know, I get that. Um man, what is a?
Speaker 1:hobby. Did you watch the nfl draft?
Speaker 2:I did not. No, unfortunately I did not. I you know, are you a football guy invested into the nfl draft and stuff and then, I stopped losing track of time because time because I forget what day it is most of the time. And so by the time they were like oh, the NFL draft is happening. It was like two days later and I was like oh, dang, I missed it. Yeah, pretty much. But no, I'm a gamer, I like video games.
Speaker 1:Do you yeah?
Speaker 2:I like to kind of escape into a world. Absolutely Do you. Yeah, I like to kind of escape into a world, absolutely so with the video games.
Speaker 1:I mean you being in the military, you must have a little bit. I'm just saying I have friends. I had a couple of friends that flew F-16s in Desert Storm, going way back. But you know, they were gamers and they said, man, if you could play this game you could fly an F-16. So it's like, okay, I guess that's crazy, but I can't fly an F-16.
Speaker 2:You know it's funny, in Afghanistan we played a lot of video games. We played a lot of like Madden and stuff. We would have Madden tournaments and stuff throughout the day, just to try to pass time and kind of try to take our minds off of everything. You know you're in a pretty terrible spot, you know, and you're getting shot at every day, so it's kind of nice to kind of get away and escape a little bit.
Speaker 1:Wow, I can't even imagine. I just like I don't know. I don't even know what to say. But hey, you know, I'm going to ask a question that I hate to ask, because everybody in there, everybody and their brother, asked this question. Uh, what are your? Who are your biggest musical influences?
Speaker 2:garth brooks okay, you said that he's the reason I fell in love with country music um and really any 90s country artist, that the 90s I'm gonna say the 90s was the best time for country music. I'm gonna be real, the 90s was the best time. I grew up in the 90s. So, man, that those, those are what shaped what I Wanted to hear is as country music and that's that's what shaped like the sound that I fell in love with. You know, in the 90s it was amazing because all the artists sounded so much different, you know, and if you knew exactly who it was as soon as the, as soon as it came on, you were like Alan Jackson. As soon as it came on, garth Brooks, you know, you knew, you knew who it was and yeah, it was just, the nineties was so amazing for country music and as a radio guy, I'm saying there's times I have to look and see who it is, cause I think it'd be one person and it's another.
Speaker 1:It's like why would an artist want to sound like another artist? I don't, I know. I know, I get it, I get it, I get it, but I don't know something's working. I'm not gonna say names you know, something's working, absolutely, absolutely so what do you do for fun?
Speaker 2:oh, you know, I like to spend time with my kids yeah, how many kids do you have? I have four kids oh my lord yeah, yeah, two boys, two girls, um, and I just love spending time with them, man anytime I get an opportunity. I, I want to be outside, I want to do something with them. Um, yeah, it's just, they grow so fast do they, they, oh, no doubt.
Speaker 1:I have three grown daughters, eight grandkids, and my wife and I now we have a son that's 24, but he's down syndrome and he's the best thing that ever happened to us. That's amazing. So he is amazing. He is amazing. He kind of takes after his dad a little bit. We do a podcast called Zach Attack with Dad and every couple of weeks we do that here. I have the whole. This is like a whole pod zone. I call it the pod zone. It's it's an actual studio and he just loves to come down and sit here and we go on and we just have fun.
Speaker 1:It may not make much sense, but we have fun and you know what the whole thing is is spending time with your kids.
Speaker 2:A hundred percent.
Speaker 1:You know, it doesn't matter what you're doing If you're spending time together and I'm sure you must look back going I am so grateful for what I have.
Speaker 2:For kids.
Speaker 1:And you know, if things didn't turn out the way they were, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:It's crazy dude, it's so crazy the way that the world works, or the way that life works, you know. I mean, if you know those four wouldn't exist if I, you know, ceased to exist, you know, so it's yeah.
Speaker 1:So a couple of years ago you played at the Vineyard, correct?
Speaker 2:I did live in the Vineyard. That was last year.
Speaker 1:But of years ago you played at the vineyard, correct? I did live in the vineyard. That was last year, but that's not you. I'm sorry, that's not you.
Speaker 2:I mean, you put out a song like pro beer and the vineyard's, like wine drinking ladies that are like, oh, I have, you know my. I say it all the time my girlfriend has ruined me because now I like wine.
Speaker 1:I don't know why I don't know why you're looking out of the corner of your eye so you don't see her.
Speaker 2:She has ruined me because now I like wine. I never liked wine before.
Speaker 1:I don't know what it is.
Speaker 2:I'm just getting older, so I'm getting more refined. That could be, but no, it was weird. Wine country isn't really a thing that I ever thought I would be doing.
Speaker 1:I just think it's funny. I know your songs are pretty awesome, but you put out a song like pro beer and then then you're talking about playing at the vineyard. I'm like okay, well he, he's not there with a grill. He doesn't have a red cup and a beer in it. In his hand he's got a wine glass.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, it was. It was so funny because they were like do you want any?
Speaker 1:wine.
Speaker 2:I'm like not really. I'm not really a wine guy, but now, who would guess A year later? Now I drink wine, so I don't know what's going on in my life.
Speaker 1:I don't know. My wife's the same way, and if she's having wine, chances are I'll have a glass of wine.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I hear you and you kind of grow a liking to it, you know yeah, yeah, it is what it is. It is what it is uh so what can we um your music? Where's all your music? It's on all your socials, right?
Speaker 2:yeah you can go and get it yeah, on all the digital, wherever you get your music. Just look up scotty hasting and it's there. Um, yeah, wherever it is. And then all my social media is at scotty hasting music. Um's very easy. But yes, scotty Haston dot com, if you want to like, go see where I'm going to be as far as dates and stuff.
Speaker 1:But yeah, you got any really big shows coming up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm playing the Opry again May 20th. Oh, that's right Again too Again.
Speaker 1:So it's yeah, you've been there.
Speaker 2:It's my second time. It's yeah, You've been there. It's my second time. It's going to be my second. I'm like that's awesome.
Speaker 1:Now do they? Do they come and ask you and say hey Scott, do you want to play the play the Opry? Or do you reach out to them?
Speaker 2:And then you never say no because it's the Opry.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Well, if you were to say no, they're going to say screw you, We'll ask somebody else next time you just don't say no because it's the Opry, because you're like, yeah, like what?
Speaker 2:I will play the Opry anytime you want me to, absolutely. But, yeah, and then I have that, I have. Yeah, I have the PBS Memorial Day special, the concert that they do every year that I used to watch as a kid, which is crazy, but now I get to be a part of it.
Speaker 1:See, that kind of goes back to what I was saying before. I mean, you're at that age where a lot of these people you watched that show, you listened to those artists and now you're part of it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's crazy. I get to be a part of the Memorial Day concert with the National. Symphony and then the next day I get to play the parade, which is crazy Again. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Scotty, do you ever feel that it happened too fast? Um, does that make sense?
Speaker 2:yeah, you know what I mean there's so many stages that I get on and I'm like how am I here? Like what am what am I doing? Like how, how did this work out to that me being here? Like what? It's just, it's crazy, you know. I mean, like I said, I mean there's people spend years, decades, trying to get to where I'm at, like I yeah, I mean that that'll never go unnoticed by me that people like people would kill to be where I am and I am beyond grateful and I am so blessed to be where I'm at yeah, absolutely, absolutely Nice hat, by the way, as we mentioned in the beginning, but I just I love it.
Speaker 1:I couldn't wait to talk to you, to be able to put my hat on. I love it. I love it so much I've worn it in other podcasts too.
Speaker 2:And it's even better that you stole it from Pryor.
Speaker 1:He's going to see this. I mean, I had him on here not all that long ago.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. It means so much more that you took it from him.
Speaker 1:Yeah, now Chris Young's on your label too. Do you get to spend time with him?
Speaker 2:Yeah, Chris is a great guy.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Absolutely amazing Again. I've been listening to his stuff forever, you know. I mean, he's been around for what? 19 plus years?
Speaker 1:Oh my God, yeah, I mean for what?
Speaker 2:19 plus. Oh my god, he's, I mean it's, and his music is amazing and, and you know, it's just again another artist that I've looked up to for so long and now is a friend, which is crazy man you know, would you?
Speaker 1:um, I talked to a lot of independent artists as well, but you're with the label uh and you know Black River. But would you ever? Well, I imagine not, because I know Black River is so cool. They are a good bunch of people and some of the other companies. It's just, I don't know. They seem to want to. I don't know I'm going to get in trouble for saying this, but it seems like they want to control you and it sounds like Black River kind of gives you a little bit of uh room to wiggle, so to speak.
Speaker 2:so yeah, yeah, you know I've been, I've been incredibly blessed with black river, um, that they, you know, they understand what I want to do with music and that I want to help people, that I want to do something that means something and they are right there alongside, they want to be a part of it as well. They want to do something that means something. They, they want to help people as well. And it's amazing to you know, have, you know the label, you know the people who help me make the decisions Like it's amazing to have them also want to be so so much a part of trying to look like I am.
Speaker 1:Yeah, now about your songwriting, your creativity. It comes a lot from your experience, where you've been as a veteran, as you mentioned before. But when you get into these writer rounds, what goes through your mind and how does it all come to life?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I take a lot of it from my experience, um and honestly I'm writing more now Um, not just veteran stuff, um, you know, taking I I mean I've lived a lot of life, a lot of life I've done a lot of different things, um, and you know I'm pulling from experience now of you know all the other lives that I've lived. You know I've you know the military and me getting shot.
Speaker 2:That has that has helped me become who I am um, but there was so much more before that and after that as well, and I'm able to kind of pull from that now, which is incredible.
Speaker 1:Early on, you said you played baseball as a kid or semi-pro, I guess. What position did you play?
Speaker 2:First base. Ah, first baseman yeah.
Speaker 1:Gotcha, I'm just a big target.
Speaker 2:I was like 6'3, six, three at the time.
Speaker 1:That's good. They need a big guy in first 100 it's.
Speaker 2:It's hard to miss the big dudes, you know yeah, so you watch the reds, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:So my wife is a huge cincinnati reds fan. Of course we're a little bit older, but she was a johnny bench fan and, and she was yeah, crazy, and you know, win or lose she was. She backed the Reds.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love the Reds. I will support the Cincinnati. I will support my Red Legs until I die.
Speaker 1:Now do you go to the Sounds?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I love Sounds games, absolutely. There's just nothing like going to a ball game. There's nothing, absolutely. There's just nothing like going to a ball game. There's nothing like it. You know there's just one thing that can never be taken away, you know it just makes you feel good inside.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. When you go to these games, does anybody know who you are?
Speaker 2:No. No, that's a good thing. Yes, thank you.
Speaker 1:No, I know.
Speaker 2:You know it's funny. Every once in a while I'll have someone come up and be like that hat, I know that hat. Are you Scottie Gacy? I'm like, oh, yeah, and I'll take a picture or whatever. A lot more in the veteran community, which is amazing, which makes sense, because that means that my story and my music is reaching the people that I'm trying to help, which is amazing 100%. But yeah, no, I haven't gotten there yet.
Speaker 1:So have you been able to meet up with some of the guys you served, with those that did make it home and those that know what you went through, and maybe have a beer and just kind of talk about things? Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:We stay in contact. I stay in contact with some of them. Um for sure, my buddy john connor is a really good friend of mine. He was at my grand alacrity debut uh I think he's coming to the next one, um, but he's a really close friend of mine and he's also in a song. So there you go, the stories that they tell they're he's in that song. So I put him in the stories that they tell he's in that song.
Speaker 1:How cool when I was listening to Pro Beer, you talk about Joe Rogan in there.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:You've got to change that. It's got to be Clark.
Speaker 2:I mean, if we can get Rogan you know hooking it up?
Speaker 1:No, I know exactly. You know Jacob Smalley. I don't think so. He's an artist. He just commented thank you for your service, but he's an artist. I saw him spend a little time with him at CRS as well, but a lot of the artists watch this, and everybody's so you know. You mentioned it before. However, everybody's kind of connected and they respect each other and just help each other. Nobody's out to screw somebody over. You know what I mean. When you reach this level, everybody wants to help each other and they're so good to us as well, as you know, being on the other side.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. And you know, the craziest part about the industry is like, once you like really get into it, you realize how small Nashville is. You know, everybody, knows everybody, like everyone is completely connected and it's, it's insane, absolutely insane.
Speaker 1:It's crazy. It's crazy, but crazy Good, Crazy good crazy.
Speaker 1:Good, you know you're gonna laugh at me here too, because I asked you about the Nashville sounds. I go on their website all the time and buy their stuff. I just, I just, and I wear it to the Syracuse games and I get, I get people. They come up to me and go is that a sounds hat, is that? You know? It may just have the n on it or nash in the back or something, but I go, yeah, it is, yeah it is. Oh, is that a? Even the shirt? It may not say nashville sounds, but I'll have something else on it. They'll go that's a sound shirt. So everybody's kind of you know, they know it's that league, I guess.
Speaker 1:Everybody's kind of connected as well.
Speaker 2:I love it. That's amazing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what do you drive?
Speaker 2:What do I drive?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:A pickup truck.
Speaker 1:But okay, this is what I'm imagining. What does Scotty Hastings drive? All right, it's going to be a Silverado. It's a Chevy, it could be a 2,500. 1,500. All right, okay, I had the 1,500.
Speaker 2:There you go and a 2021 Harley Street Glide.
Speaker 1:I wanted to get one. My wife said if I brought it home I'd be out.
Speaker 2:See, that's why you just buy a storage unit somewhere and then it never actually comes home. Is that how it works? Your wife's not going to like me. No, she already hates you, I know.
Speaker 1:She's probably watching now on a phone upstairs or she might be out shopping, but I'm sure she's got it on. But no, I've always wanted to do that. That's cool, man. Good for you, brother Get out and enjoy it.
Speaker 2:You know, there's just something about getting lost on a motorcycle.
Speaker 1:Being on the open road and just go Absolutely. I got friends that do that. Like I say I'd be divorced.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, do you ever worry about that though, do you? You know, I have friends that ride and they're like you got to do this, you got to get this, you got to go. You know, there's nothing like the open road, just like what you just said. But then it's like you hear about all these wrecks and I said, you know, I'm going to tell you, I don't think it's the guy riding the bike, it's not the guy in the motorcycle, it's somebody's not watching when they pull out.
Speaker 2:Somebody's not. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Yeah, most of the time it's not the guy on the motorcycle, for sure, no, no, unless it's some, well, the crotch rocket. And then that you know, or?
Speaker 2:someone doing something dumb, which is always the thing, but people do that in cars, you know? Um, yeah, you know, I don't, I don't know. I've never really thought about it. I actually laid down my other hardly I kind of wrecked it a couple years ago. That was fun, um, but yeah, it happens um, that's why skip happens so yeah, skip happens uh but no, I mean it's.
Speaker 2:You know, you just have to be incredibly defensive, um, when you're out there, you know, but or just ride roads where there's not any cars on j's saying that's my ride as well.
Speaker 1:So yeah, he's got it there, you go there, you go. Well, you two got to get together and ride. You're both artists. I mean, go for it. Do you ride with other artists?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I ride all the time Absolutely With anybody. Yeah, Very cool.
Speaker 1:You know, Scotty, it's been great chatting, chatting with you, finding out a little bit more about you, digging into your life a little bit, everything you've been through. You're an inspiration to so many and you know, I'm sure, your life is not easy. I mean, I don't know. I say that because I don't know what I would do if I was in your shoes, Mentally, just everything you've seen and everything you've been through and you got, you never get over it. But you're, you seem to be doing very well and thank you. You're everything you're doing You're doing for a reason, Everything that has happened has happened for a reason. So, as I mentioned a few minutes ago, just getting getting out there, educating others, helping others get through it, I mean, dude, just God bless you. That is just so fricking I shouldn't say awesome.
Speaker 2:But it is awesome. I appreciate that. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. Before I let you go to get your music again, it's on all socials. They can just look up Scotty Hastings. Yeah, do you have these hats for sale on a website?
Speaker 2:I do ScottyHastingscom.
Speaker 1:How much do I need to send you? Do what I said. How much do I need to send you?
Speaker 2:Nothing, nothing. Listen, pryor lost out. Okay, it's funny, because he was like, oh man, you know, I can't believe that I lost the hat. I was like it's okay, I'm just never going to give you another one, so it's all right. Pryor, are you guys like really close friends? Um, he's an incredible person and, uh, to the point, of where he sings harmonies on all of my songs.
Speaker 1:I love it oh my god.
Speaker 2:So when you're, when you're listening to my songs, that's out pro beer, whiskey in the bottle, whatever it is, that song or that, that voice that is behind mine, is prior I did not know that he's. He is one of the these, without a doubt, the single most talented person I've ever met oh my god, that's so cool. I had no idea he never told me unbelievable that son of a bitch, never told me yeah, he is, he is, he is incredible and he's a dear friend, and that's awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, did you guys meet in nashville, did you guys?
Speaker 2:I actually met him, uh, at black river oh okay, very cool yeah and then, uh, it just kind of, we just kind of grew from there yeah, that's cool.
Speaker 1:That's cool. How long ago was that? Oh long time two years ago.
Speaker 2:Okay, all right two years ago.
Speaker 1:All right, a lot of years, yeah enough, okay enough. All right, enough enough, all right, enough, enough, all right, scotty, I want to say thank you for joining me here tonight on Skip Happens. It's great to talk to you. If you're watching this, you're listening to this, whether it's on the replay or we're live right now but check out his music. You can go online, you can buy it off the internet. So do that, support the artist, because you know they're putting out great music and and we're going to be watching for you. We'll watch for you on the opry, we're going to watch for you on these other shows. You're going to be just out there rocking it.
Speaker 2:Man, that's I appreciate you so. Thank you so much for this also. Oh no, this is all good hopefully.
Speaker 1:Uh, you know, I just kind of wing it, like I said, so we did great. Oh, oh, wait a minute. What Jake Jacobs said? Oh hell yeah, baby Street glide all the way. Okay, never mind, there we go. He's in love with his bike, just like you are.
Speaker 2:Same, I get it.
Speaker 1:So do you get quickly? Do you get offended if somebody calls it a bike? No, because I said that once. I said, hey, look at all the bikes. They're not bikes, they're motorcycles. I'm like. I call it a bike all the time.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right. Yeah, no, that's what I thought. I mean, I'm just saying, just saying I got like yelled at, so no way. Anyways, well, oh well, buddy, too bad. Scot Skip Happens, stay right there and let's say goodnight everybody and thanks for watching. And don't forget, oh, before I let you go, you got to subscribe. You got a YouTube channel, I do, all right. So you look up Scotty Hastings on YouTube, give it a subscribe. You look up Skip Happens on YouTube, you subscribe, and I don't want you to miss another one of these great interviews. No-transcript.
