SkiP HappEns Podcast
🎙️ Welcome to the Skip Happens Podcast – Your Backstage Pass to Country Music 🎶
Join veteran radio host Skip Clark as he dives deep into the heart of country music, where every episode tells a story worth hearing. From legendary country artists to rising Nashville stars, Skip Happens brings you raw, real, and revealing conversations you won’t find anywhere else.
🌟 Go beyond the spotlight as Skip connects with the people behind the music — exploring their journeys, their struggles, and the moments that shaped their careers. Whether it's laughter, inspiration, or a behind-the-scenes scoop, this podcast captures the true essence of country life.
🎧 Perfect for fans of authentic storytelling, Nashville culture, and anyone who loves the rhythm of a good conversation. Subscribe now and join us on this unforgettable ride through the world of country music and more.
👉 New episodes weekly! Don’t miss a beat – because when Skip happens, stories unfold.
#countrylife #nashville #musicjourney
www.youtube.com/@skiphappenspodcast
SkiP HappEns Podcast
Maddie & Tae: Harmonies, Motherhood, and Broken Toilets
Check two Rolling. Are we rolling? We are rolling. Maddie and Tay, everybody, woo. Thanks for coming by the 92.1 the Wolf broadcast booth. My name is Skip Clark and of course tonight at 6 pm over there on Chevy Court, these two beautiful and there goes my interview questions, oh no, but my, you know, beautiful and there goes my interview questions. But my, you know, on that stage my interview questions are blown all over the place. Thank you so much, I know, isn't that cool, yes, but anyways, let's talk a little bit about Maddie and Tay. Have you, have you ever been like to central New York? You've done shows here, right?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We've been touring for 12 years now, so we've probably been here a handful of times, at least once or twice a year, so I'm excited that we get to come back. Oh, just like it, right.
Speaker 1:I know I'm going to wing it. Oh, it'll be fun. You guys must know about winging it. Those are the best shows, right?
Speaker 3:That's what we do all day. I feel like every day is like winging it, baking it, so you make it every day, and then, being moms, you wing it even better.
Speaker 2:It's like you get a new skill of how to wing it when you're a mama.
Speaker 1:So you know you've been together for over a decade. What's the biggest thing that's changed about your partnership between you two? Now you're friends, you've always been friends, and now you're married. You both have the kids. Yes, right, yes. Now what has changed over this, like more than a decade of being Maddie and Tay?
Speaker 3:Gosh, I think just the obvious seasons of life. Yeah, Like I mean, our worlds have changed, Our environments have changed and we've only just grown closer and our love for each other has just grown stronger. I mean truly it's like a marriage. Yeah, stronger, I mean truly it's like a marriage. Um, and now between the two of us, we have three beautiful children. I have two kids, Maddie has a son, and we um just have very rich lives back home and I feel like they just continue to get better every year. So that changes the most.
Speaker 1:Where is home Tell everybody.
Speaker 2:Well, nashville, that's where we live now. Yeah, nashville Tennessee, nashville Tennessee yes.
Speaker 1:Exactly Um. So your harmonies. How did all that? It's just like like none other. How did all that come about?
Speaker 3:I mean just I wish I could tell you. I mean I just, Maddie and I are best friends and I think a lot of people say that our harmonies sound like we're DNA related sisters and I think it's just because our chemistry is. I mean, we pretty much are related, so I can kind of read. I can read when Maddie's going to go for a run or a trill, or she's going to end a note earlier, go longer for a note, so it's just, you know each other that well you'll notice on stage, like there's times where I'm looking at her Cause I'm, she catches it, and she catches it every time.
Speaker 2:I cannot stump her Like I try to do something different and it's so fun, we're just like together.
Speaker 1:I mean that's, that's perfect.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I think that's like 15 years of singing together. We actually one of our friends. We were writing a song the other day and he was like you guys have stood the test of time.
Speaker 1:Like most bands and duos, break up after what, what, like you know, five years or something, there's been no breakups. No, nothing, no, nothing, no, no, nothing like that y'all get along great.
Speaker 2:I know everyone thinks we're boring cuz we don't fight. But it's like maybe just have a weird best friend if you're fighting you know, that is awesome.
Speaker 1:Do you like live near each other? Yeah, like maybe 23 minutes yeah, if you want to do like a playdate with the kids, oh, sure for sure.
Speaker 3:We meet up at the park.
Speaker 2:Yeah, when we're like we're about to celebrate my son's second birthday and we're already planning our little thing already.
Speaker 1:I think I was just reading here. I felt like he was just born.
Speaker 2:Oh I know it's so depressing. It's like, oh, my baby started school this week and today was the first day I didn't get to pick him up. So I was like I'm the worst mom ever, but I'm not but mama's, you feel me?
Speaker 1:You know, nashville is full of collaborations. I'm sure you've been asked this many times. But who? If you could collaborate with anybody right now, who would that be If you guys could get together and bring somebody else on board and do a collaboration?
Speaker 2:I would love to do a song with Cody Johnson.
Speaker 3:Cody Johnson is exactly what I was love to do a song with Cody Johnson one day.
Speaker 2:Cody Johnson is exactly who I was going to say too yeah, he's been, we've been a fan of his forever, and he's a good friend of ours too, is he? Yeah, we love him.
Speaker 1:Last night I did the Carly Pierce show over on the other end of the fair and backstage. I asked her the very same question and she said Cody Johnson.
Speaker 2:Oh, I asked her the very same question and she said Cody Johnson. Oh my gosh, yeah, he's, he, cause I'm from Texas and so I've just like listened to his music for so long. Um, so I feel like that would be such a cool one to do.
Speaker 1:How? How are the husbands handling all this?
Speaker 3:Oh, they're just rock troopers. I mean, they're holding down the fort right now. Well, I got the kids right. Yes, yes, your mother will be home soon. Yeah, they're on dad.
Speaker 2:Oh the boys, my boys wild out. They're watching Pirates of the Caribbean and my son's not even two. And I get home and he's like shanking me with a sword, and I'm like, okay, this is weird.
Speaker 1:You know how does your husband feel about like the breakup songs that you do.
Speaker 2:Well, I, they both husbands know where the breakup songs originated from, but then also we get song ideas, you know, because we are married and moms and like in this different phase of life. But we still pull inspiration from other people, other situations, movies, books, and we've been writing a lot of breakup songs lately, which is kind of weird and my husband helps us write a lot of our breakup songs. Yeah, he wrote sad girl summer with us. He wrote bathroom floor with us Like he is down for the sassy girl anthem.
Speaker 3:Who better to write a song about your life than someone who's in it? Oh my God, I love that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's a song tonight that we'll play, called girl in Alabama, and it's like a spicy, like cheating song, and he helped us write that one too. It's yeah, you'll hear it does that worry you?
Speaker 1:no, I'm just kidding.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think when you're like rock solid, you can you can.
Speaker 1:So I mean your husbands, are they songwriters? I mean, because they sit down, yours is yes, he's a songwriter and a producer.
Speaker 3:Yep. He produced half of this record basically.
Speaker 1:Yeah, nice.
Speaker 3:Tell us about Love and Light. Yeah.
Speaker 2:We put out Love and Light in May, so she's still a new, fresh little baby and she's our fourth album and we're just so proud of it. I think we're most just proud of like making it this far this long. In this business We've had a lot of ups and downs and a lot of moments where our career didn't look like we were going to be able to keep going and we did. And I think this album you hear a lot of that relentless just work, ethic and like just refusal to give up and refuse to get defeated in this wild industry.
Speaker 3:And it's a really fun album.
Speaker 2:Like we've got our classic heartbreak songs, like, if you like more of the die from broken heart vibe of ours, like there's that on there, but there's also more of that fun side. Um, and we just this was an album that we just like, didn't we wrote for us and for y'all. Like every time we get in the writing room we think like what are our fans gonna want to hear on their way to work, on their way to this, on their way to this? If they're going through this, you're going through that and we try to write that.
Speaker 1:Do you write about real life experiences?
Speaker 2:Oh, for sure, I mean, you got the kids now.
Speaker 1:You got a lot going on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're going to play a song tonight called Chasing Babies, Raising Dreams, and that oh your reaction just made my day, and that is exactly where we're at in life right now it is like every lyric is perfectly true. Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 1:What is the? You have made it. You have worked hard to get where you are today. What is the most unglamorous part of being on tour and being on the road?
Speaker 2:right now Our toilet on the bus won't flush. Yeah, so everyone's either just having to pray or our toilet on the bus won't flush. Yeah, so everyone's either just having to pray or hold it or go in the port-a-potty and that's like a daily occurrence.
Speaker 3:I mean, if you put one little dilly-dally of toilet paper in there, you're screwed.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can't flush like toilet paper down the toilet on there.
Speaker 1:Well, that's a bus thing. I get that yeah exactly.
Speaker 2:It's not as glamorous as it looks, but when you love what you do, it's like you just kind of you know the bus pulls into a truck stop and you go.
Speaker 1:I know, I don't know, you know what?
Speaker 2:I'll say one of the things like and I don't want to sound like a complainer because I'm so grateful, but I think, like the shower situations you wouldn't believe some not today, but some of the venues that we played like where there's just like bugs and mold and sometimes bodily things in the shower and it's really it's very gross. So gotta bring your shower shoes on board.
Speaker 1:How do you know when a song you've written is truly a Maddie and Tay song?
Speaker 2:It's like a gut feeling. I can't even describe it yeah.
Speaker 3:I feel like we always know when it feels authentic to us, like the moment that we're writing it, but it's hard to know when it feels like a hit, until, I mean, until you're kind of performing it live and you're seeing the way that it's resonating with your audience, because that's what makes it successful when y'all tell us what you like that's what we tell the suits, what we're doing Exactly, y'all determine, I get it and we like it that way.
Speaker 1:On that note, if you don't mind me, I mean, does anybody have a question for these two beautiful ladies? If you do speak up? Yes, one person at a time. I like your teddy bear. Yes, no questions.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Do you have one? What's your name? Anna? Okay, what's your question? Sister, Animal. Okay, I have a new favorite animal, because we just went on vacation and I went to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico and I saw a desert fox. They are the cutest freaking things in the whole wide world. They're so cute. I've never seen one. And then my other one would be a beluga whale.
Speaker 3:Those are my two. I just like kitty cats. I like cats Simple.
Speaker 2:What's yours Bun? Those are my two. I just like kitty cats. I like cats, simple. What's yours, bunnies? Oh, I love bunnies.
Speaker 1:Do you have a bunny at home?
Speaker 2:37. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:And multiplying, by the way.
Speaker 3:Yes, and who's counting? I've got chickens, but maybe I need some bunnies too.
Speaker 1:No chickens, that's a pretty popular thing nowadays. Yes, and I've spoken to other artists that have said they have chickens. They're raising chickens.
Speaker 2:Yeah, my husband. He runs like a whole farm situation at our house with like chickens and a garden. Oh yeah, we just like picked all of our pumpkins and squash for the fall. He's awesome and that's what we do in our free time.
Speaker 1:Wow, I know it's so fun If Maddie and Tay could have their own ice cream. What would it be called? Oh Ooh, I know I bet you've never been asked that one before definitely not.
Speaker 3:I don't know, I have no idea.
Speaker 2:That's a lot of pressure what would we call it? It'd have to be some type of swirl, you know, because it'd be like two, two totally different flavors, rocky road do we have a question? Yes, oh yeah for sure, girl, we break the bedtime rules a lot. Yes, there you go and we're grateful that you're letting her stay up for this. Oh my gosh, yeah, oh yeah. When it's special occasions we're like bedtime, schmed time, whatever, we don't care.
Speaker 1:And speaking of the kids, do you bring them with you at times? Sometimes Are they on the bus.
Speaker 2:Sometimes, yeah, sometimes, they're not with us this weekend, okay, yeah, but sometimes it's easier for us to just like pop in and pop out. Um, especially with my little guy starting school now, which is like oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:But well, hopefully he facetimed you and oh, he did oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh I was there for the first day and all that. It was just today yeah, yeah, oh, wow, what, um real quickly. And there's so many great television shows out there netflix, different like Hulu and Paramount have you binge watched any of those shows on the bus? Well, even on the bus. Well, you're on the road, you're traveling, and you just kind of put them on and yeah, I'm like so sensitive I can't watch like super scary and tea.
Speaker 2:This is why we're opposite. She loves horror. I'm just a sensitive little gal. I have nightmares and I'm grown but binge watched this show called Younger. That was super cute, very light hearted like chick flicky. And then now I'm watching the Summer. I Turn Pretty because all the girls are watching it and I read the book, so I had to watch the show.
Speaker 1:That was in the news today about something I the summer. I turned pretty. Oh really, yeah, there was something going on with it. I'll have to. I'll have to look into that. Anybody else have any questions from eddie and tay?
Speaker 2:uh, yes, young lady conrad, baby, I'm a conrad, what was that? Question yeah, who are you? What are you, conrad? Yeah, I know, and did you?
Speaker 3:know, no one likes jeremiah oh did you read the books too?
Speaker 2:okay, see, I think did you read the books to see? I think if you read the books, your team one guy, and if you watch the show you're see, I'm more like I want to go see the movie Weapons. Yeah, she's like I want to watch people get chopped up, yeah, and I'm like I just want to watch people fall in love yeah.
Speaker 1:Who's the prankster between you two? Both prankster between you, two oh both of us literally all all the time we're due, literally all the time I'm gonna watch your back, girl.
Speaker 2:We'll be watching you tonight. She scares me all the time, like it's like a daily occurrence, isn't it, marissa?
Speaker 3:it's so I mean all the time. Yeah, no, her and my tour manager.
Speaker 2:They got me so bad the other day. Yeah, it was not nice, yeah it's tyler the tm yeah good guy by the way, I was talking to him on the phone.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he's a great guy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, anybody any other questions before we let him go?
Speaker 3:Yes, my dream venue is Red Rocks.
Speaker 1:That's on my bucket list to go there someday.
Speaker 2:We've played a lot of our dream venues this year. We headlined the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. You were there. Oh, I'm so happy. That was my dream. So everything else is just icing on the cake, yeah.
Speaker 1:Anybody else? Yes, what's your favorite?
Speaker 2:football team. Football team Bills, bills, there we go. I'm going to say Bills too. Yeah, I'm going to go Bills, because they love the Bills, yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm going to go Bills because they love the Bills.
Speaker 2:I'm a UFC gal. I don't really keep up with football. That's a weird side of me, like I really like UFC, which is very violent. So I don't really keep up with football, but I can tell you all the UFC fighters.
Speaker 1:You know you can look at the audience here and you know the demographic and all the young ladies that are looking up to you. Maybe some of these young ladies would love to follow in your footsteps. What advice would you give to somebody that's thinking about that?
Speaker 3:Oh goodness, I think I would just say stay true to yourself and if you have that fire inside of you, just like, keep following that fire. And even when you have those doors slam in front of you, you just got to remember why you started and just follow that passion.
Speaker 2:Something I heard today that like really stuck with me, that I kind of wish I knew more when we first started, is not allowing the spirit of fear to control your decisions. I think sometimes I held myself back from doing things because I was scared, but sometimes when you just step out in faith, like God will reward that courage and that bravery. And so, like, just be brave, be bold. Like life's too short, go for it, and if it doesn't work out, it's going to work out in another way.
Speaker 1:There you go.
Speaker 2:But I'm telling myself that because I'm freaked out all the time.
Speaker 1:So this is awesome. I know Maddie and Tay, they need to get back over to the stage. We thank you. This microphone keeps moving, but we thank you for taking the time to come over. You have fans here. We have a look at this.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Maddie and Tay, y'all, and I'm going to be up there on stage to bring you up on stage, myself and Zach.
Speaker 2:And we're pretty excited about doing that he's been.
Speaker 1:You know, when he heard that you were coming, my son's right there when he heard that you were coming to the fair. He has not stopped talking about this since they made that announcement.
Speaker 2:Oh, zach, you're so sweet, I'm so happy, you're happy.
Speaker 1:Aw, well, we love y'all.
Speaker 2:We're so excited we're gonna have some fun.
Speaker 1:Yes, Maddie and Tay, everybody.
