Skip Happens Podcast - Every Boot Has a Story!

Shane Profitt on Faith, Hard Work & Hearing His Song on the Radio | Skip Happens Podcast

• Skip Clark

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SPEAKER_02:

Absolutely, we're gonna have such a good time tonight. Thank you for coming on board. Uh my name is Skip Clark, Skip Happens Podcast. Um the proof that uh sometimes uh all it takes is a guitar, good manners, and not even liking sushi. We're gonna talk about that. He's a Tennessee boy, a blue-collar storyteller, and one of the fastest rising names in country music today. You gotta love this. Hearing his own music on the radio. Ladies and gentlemen, there he is, sitting right there. It's my uh it's my friend Shane Prophet. Shane, how are you?

SPEAKER_00:

I'm great. How are you, man? Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_02:

So good to see you. Welcome back to Skip Happens.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, sir. Excited to excited to be back with you.

SPEAKER_02:

You know, I'm trying to trying to think how long ago that was, but it's just like it's all a blur. I do so many of these, and I talk to a lot of artists like yourself, and everything just eventually it's like, how long ago is that?

SPEAKER_00:

Since I think yesterday, don't yeah, it time flies, man. I don't quote me on this, but I think it was I think it was just over two years ago.

SPEAKER_02:

Probably wow. It had to be when you were like first, very first stepping into the music scene.

SPEAKER_00:

I believe it was, yeah. I I think it was when I if I'm not mistaken, I think it was right when how it ought to be was like at its peak.

SPEAKER_02:

It was that's right, exactly, exactly. So it was a couple of years ago. Wow, it's good to see you though, and uh, I see you're not in a duck blind or a deer stand, so that's good.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm not, but I got them behind me.

SPEAKER_02:

I see that. Is that one that you actually is that something you oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So that's so all three of those. So that's a that's a goose, that's a duck, and then that's a duck, too.

SPEAKER_02:

So yeah, when you're not doing that, of course, deer season rolls around and you're doing that. And when you're not doing that, you're fishing.

SPEAKER_00:

I got plenty too.

SPEAKER_02:

So holy crap.

SPEAKER_00:

I got them all. I got them. Look at that. I got them all over.

SPEAKER_02:

Nah, dude, I love it. Good for you. Good for you. That is so cool. That I know we need to talk music, but how many point, how many pointer was that the first one I saw? What's the big one? Uh like a nine.

SPEAKER_00:

No, the biggest one I have in here, he's a 12-pointer. He's uh holy crap, dude. He's pretty good.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah. What do you remember what that what he weighed?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh probably around 200. Um, but I have a I have a I have a deer at the taxidermist right now that was he he was only eight points, but he was literally uh he was 21 inches wide. So no kidding. He was a big one.

SPEAKER_02:

Cool, cool. And now you got a lot of meat in the freezer.

SPEAKER_00:

Are you yeah, oh yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I get you. You know, uh Shane for um Shane Prophet, of course. So for people that uh just discovering you, how do you usually describe Shane Prophet? Uh somebody should ask. So what do you do?

SPEAKER_00:

Man, so if somebody asks who Shane Prophet is, I think the biggest thing for me that I want people to know is I'm no different than anybody that listens to my music. Um so I mean, like, man, it's just crazy because you know, I I'm no and and when I say that, I'm no different than nobody, I'm no better, I'm no worse than anybody else. I'm literally just like everybody else, man. You know, I'm just I'm super, super fortunate on what I get to call my job. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02:

And you've been called the blue collar blue-collar country artists. Uh, does that label feel accurate to you or do you see yourself differently?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I I think uh I think absolutely it kind of it kind of hits the nail on the head when it comes to me because I was the guy that cut the grass in the medians of the road for some years.

SPEAKER_02:

You know, I had laughed because I remember we talked about that, and yeah, one of my jobs early on before a lot happened for me, I was cutting grass. I was working for a parks department, I was out there cutting the ball fields, I was doing some of the mediums, I was doing all that, you know, and I I had this big ass mower too. I mean, it was like I was proud of that baby. I loved it. Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I mean, even if it's not ideal, you do what you gotta do to to make ends meet. And that's uh that's what a blue-collar, blue-collar worker is to me, anyway.

SPEAKER_02:

So exactly. And right now, yeah, I mean, it feels like the momentum, this moment is for you. I mean, you've got long-lived country out there. Uh, does it feel that way from the inside as well that you got it going? You got some momentum.

SPEAKER_00:

And yeah, it it really does, because you know, this the position that I'm in right now is it's it's what everybody that goes and does country music full time wants. You know, obviously everybody wants millions of fans, everybody wants you know, endless number ones, but I I think for me, the biggest thing is, you know, I'm out there, I'm grinding away, and people are appreciating and and knowing I'm actually doing that. And we have a song, you know, that climbed eight spots literally today, uh eight spots on the on the chart, and we're sitting at 43 already on the country chart. So it's just it's it's a blessing, it really is.

SPEAKER_02:

It definitely is a blessing. And on my side of things to watch people like you grow and go up that chart, it's just such a good feeling because I I got to know you early on, and I just watching your career grow and knowing where you came from, and then how it all went down. I know how it all went down and how you got started, but uh Chris Janssen story, and you don't like shoot sushi. I know that I don't I don't like sushi still, and if I if I remember right, you were out to dinner with some girl.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I was I was on a first date, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

That's what it was, yeah. So it was the first date, and you ended up going to this place. What she liked sushi, and you did not.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so she she said that she wanted to eat sushi, and I'd never even tried it, and so it just I knew what it was, and it freaked me out. But uh, sure enough, Chris Jansen. We ended up going there, and Chris Jansen held the door for me when we went to walk in. I went up to him and told him that I wrote songs, and anyway, we ended up striking up a conversation uh for over an hour, and his wife gave me her email, told me to send some songs to him. I did. Uh, in the email where I sent the songs, I put my phone number and I put if y'all ever need anything, here's my number. And literally, like two weeks later, I was putting my two-week notice in and going on tour with Chris Janssen.

SPEAKER_02:

That's crazy. That's crazy. You know, it's it see it goes to proof it you never know when it's gonna happen, how it's gonna happen. It happens, and somebody put you there for a reason. Somebody put you there for a reason.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely, absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so and you grew up in uh Columbia, Tennessee, which how far is Columbia from Nashville?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh about 45 minutes now, depending on traffic. Yeah, traffic's terrible nowadays, but uh, I'd say on on an average, it's probably 45 minutes.

SPEAKER_02:

So, do you still live in Columbia?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I do, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

You do? Okay, so it's the same old place. I love it. And and and you're in this, is that like your own little private, I guess you would call it your man cave?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so um that's pretty whenever yeah, whenever Hell It Ought to be, you know, did started doing well, I was fortunate enough. I I got my own place. And so this is uh this is part of my part of my my my house, but it's uh it's on my shop. So I have a big shop where that I can work on all my junk and stuff. And so uh it's uh anytime, anytime there's a ball game or something, I'll put it on the big TV and this is where me and all the all the buddies hang out and smoke cigars and drink a couple beers.

SPEAKER_02:

I love that. I love that. When you um uh how long ago did you actually start playing country, playing music? I know you were cutting the grass, you were working for the city of Columbia, but uh were you playing out like like on a part-time basis back then as well? You'd work during the day and then go play gigs at night, or how did all that work for you?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so I would I would play I would mostly because I was working full-time, but I would take all the extra gigs that I could and I would try to play like on Fridays or Saturdays, uh, just to give me something to do and just because I enjoyed it, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

Totally get it, totally, totally get it. Uh, and you picked up your first guitar at the age of what?

SPEAKER_00:

I was 18 years old. I was a senior in high school when I picked up my first guitar.

SPEAKER_02:

Now, did somebody did your granddad give that to you? Am I remembering that? See, that long ago.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So my granddad asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I told him that I wanted to learn how to play guitar because he he's a he's a great guitar player, and so uh I asked him if he would teach me G, C, and D on the guitar because I didn't know anything about music, but I knew enough to know G, C, and D are probably the biggest chords. And so uh I I was always a huge Hank Jr. and Merle Haggard and Keith Whitley fan. And so I wanted to learn all the Hank Jr. songs, and so uh he told me if I wanted to learn how to play Hank Jr., I needed a D D. And so he taught me he taught me those three chords, and I started playing uh Hank Jr. and Merle Haggard and Keith Whitley and Conway and stuff like that. And uh so I just stuck with it. And anytime I would get stumped on a song, I would just look up, I call it YouTube University, and I would just go to yeah, I would just go to YouTube, and to this day I still can't read any music, but uh but you know it.

SPEAKER_02:

You you've got the chords down, that's all you know.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh yeah, yeah. I mean, if I can hear it, I can I can normally play it.

SPEAKER_02:

And uh were you f when you first picked up the the guitar, did you get easily frustrated or was there a lot of excitement and you you just knew that you were gonna take it over, you were gonna do it.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I think it it it did kind of frustrate me sometimes, you know, because like it's just a whole weird concept trying to make your fingers do something that they're not normal, normally doing, you know what I mean? And so uh it would just it it it kind of made it tough a little bit, but at the same time, that much more rewarding when you actually played something and you're like, oh, that's how that's supposed to sound, you know. So that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I gotta ask, did you were you nervous at all from making the move? I mean, working for the city, let's just face it, that's a pretty that's a pretty good gig. Yeah, it is and you get the benefits and you get all that. You made that move to be an artist, and in a way you took a chance, but then again, it's what you love.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I I I think it it definitely was nerve-wracking for me. And I'd been because I mean, it was a really good job, but at the same time, I knew that it was something that I didn't want to do the full rest of my life. And so, you know, in that in that moment, I was content with where I was, but I knew that that's not where I wanted to stay. And so uh at that moment in my life, I was just praying for really whatever whatever my purpose was to come come to light, and it did.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. And you were like uh you had to be what 20 when you were doing that? So it wasn't that long ago.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I was yeah, I was holy crap, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So that was like your first full-time gig, and then now this all fell into place.

SPEAKER_00:

That's yeah, so well, whenever whenever there was a short time in between when I got out of high school and started working for the city, I uh I was working for my dad's heat and cooling company too, and that was short, that was one summer um because I found out how much I hated crawl spaces and added.

SPEAKER_02:

Dude, no offense, but crawl spaces uh crawl spaces are tiny. I mean, yeah, and I'm not a tiny guy. No, I know that. And I didn't, like I said, neither am I. So I I no, no, that's crawl spaces ain't for me. No, no, no. And you know, you feel all closed in and everything. I can cannot do that. I want to talk about your songwriting a little bit. Um, at what point did songwriting become more than just trying it and uh started becoming your outlet?

SPEAKER_00:

Man, so about six months after I first picked up a guitar, um I wrote my first song. And I remember uh so I think for me when I was in high school, I really didn't have I mean this sounds so crazy, but I never really had emotions that that really bothered me, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02:

No, it does.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh you know, I feel like when you're in high school, you're just like, oh, whatever, you know, it that doesn't matter. That that girl doesn't matter, you know, you go through a breakup, oh that, you know, there's plenty of fish in the sea or whatever the circumstance may be. But I think once you get out of high school and you really start adulting, that's when you know your mind is always constantly going, and and you know, there's always seems like something's going wrong. And so I was never even when I was young, I was never one to really talk about my feelings at all. And uh they would just kind of build up.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, these guys don't, you know, yeah, exactly. We keep it all inside, it is what it is, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and so I you know, I I was never one to really talk about my feelings, and then I found that once they built up, once they got to a certain point, I would just be I would just be pissed off at the whole world for a day or two. And so I got to thinking about that, and I was like, let me let me try the songwriting thing. So I went through a breakup and I tried the songwriting the songwriting thing, and the song was terrible, just to be quite honest about it. But it made me feel a certain type of way, and I remember when I wrote my first song and I played it through for the first time. I remember that feeling that it made me feel, and it, you know, while I had gone through a breakup, at the same time, it was like I was instantly kind of hooked on that feeling. Like when you when you sit down with a pen and paper and a guitar, and you you have something to show for how you are feeling in that exact moment, it's unreal.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so it's like you could consider your songwriting was like therapy, absolutely as opposed to chasing a sound. I mean, absolutely I hear that from a lot of songwriters. So and um, so what did uh what did that grind look like for you? Working all day, writing all night, got the gigs on the weekends. I mean, was that like mentally draining as well as uh being exhausted?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it was. Uh, especially because uh I was I went back. So the girl that I wrote my first song about, I went back and started dating her again.

SPEAKER_02:

And so did you go to a sushi place? No, I didn't.

SPEAKER_00:

I didn't, I didn't, I didn't. This was this was before the sushi restaurant. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02:

No, no, I'm kidding.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, this uh yeah, it was it was crazy because I was working and I was I was trying to to help her out as much as I could with bills and stuff, and uh so anytime I would I would play uh a show, so I I would play these shows at a place called Puckets, okay, and I would play on Friday and Saturday, and so they had a Puckets in Nashville, in Franklin, in Columbia, in Chattanooga, and in Pigeon Forge. And so I would try to do, you know, each show. I I would try to do like a Friday, Saturday, and if it was a Friday, Saturday, I would go to Chattanooga and then the next night be in Pigeon Forge. And they would give me like I forget exactly how much it was, I think it was like$80 for a hotel room each night because you know I had to travel. Yeah, good. And so yeah, exactly. And so I would pocket that money and sleep in my truck.

SPEAKER_02:

Smart.

SPEAKER_00:

And yeah, and so I would pocket that money, sleep in my truck, they would feed me for free. And so I uh I would pocket all that money and I would come back and on top of you know working full time, and it was it was absolutely exhausting. It really was. But looking back, I wouldn't I wouldn't trade anything.

SPEAKER_02:

So what did that all that what did that teach you? What did that grind teach you about humility and patience?

SPEAKER_00:

It taught me a lot. Uh I think I think more than anything, it taught me my own work ethic. Because, you know, when when you work 40 to 50 hours a week, plus you drive five hours to wherever your show is. And keep in mind, I I I that wasn't with a band. That that was just me. And so I would drive to I would drive to these shows and I would sleep in my truck and I would just be so exhausted, you know. And um I think more than anything it taught me how how bad I really did want it. Because yeah, you know, sometimes some I mean looking back, sometimes I would be playing in front of two people, sometimes it would be 200. You just never know. But even with that gig, even with that gig, uh all that I was was background music, but I was just so happy to be doing it, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

So does it really matter if you're playing in front of two or if you're playing in front of 200?

SPEAKER_00:

No, it doesn't. Even even even today, I think I think that taught me a lot too, because you know, you may play, depending on you know where you're at and what you're doing, you may you may be playing in front of 20 people one night, you may be opening for somebody, or you may be playing a fair that nobody is at, or you know, it may be raining and everybody has left, or whatever the circumstance may be. But for me, every night I'm gonna give the same performances I would in front of 20,000 as I will in front of 20.

SPEAKER_02:

Gotcha. Exactly, exactly. You know, what is it like, Shane, when you um you're running out to get some stuff done and your song comes on the radio? What it what goes through your mind? That's crazy. Yeah, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00:

It's it's so crazy. So for the first probably few months that it happened, every time, as soon as I would hear it, boom, tears start rolling. And I mean, it's just even to this day to to to tell you the truth, you you just can't help but smile ear to ear, especially when somebody's like, and here's here's one of our favorites, Mr. Shane probably, you know, and and just because especially around here, I grew up listening to the radio, I really did, you know, and and I think for because you know, I was born in 2000, and so yeah, there was CDs and stuff, but the main thing when I was growing up, I feel like I was the last true generation of listening to country radio. Because people born in 2010, they grew up. you know, plugging their plugging their iPods in and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And so being born in 2000, it's like I can remember driving down the road with my mom going to Arby's and getting a roast beef sandwich and hearing, you know, God bless the broken road on the on the on the radio. Or, you know, I remember it was Keith Urban, uh, the what was I thinking? That's a big one. Uh all of the Dagon tote the keys. I mean like just just all of the great great stuff. And you look back and you're like, man, I was the last of that generation.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow. Now you're making me feel old because I was I've been working in the business for a little bit now. And uh you know you say you're born in 2000, but I was working radio in the 90s. So yeah it's like wow and I was playing the Toby Keys and the Garth Brooks and you know all that stuff. It was it was crazy but uh definitely good stuff though. And now look at you you're following in those footsteps. And if it was me if it was me driving down the road I obviously this is about you not about me but if I was at a stop like my song came out on the radio I'd be putting my window down going yo hey that's me listen turn it on whatever radio station you're at so that oh my god that would be me no you know what's crazy is like if it's just me it's okay but if like so uh I was going on the road one of my buddies was giving me a ride to pick up a rental car the other day because we went we drove to Florida.

SPEAKER_00:

But anyway uh one of my buddies was giving me a ride and my song came on the radio and he looked at me and turned it up as loud as it could go. And at that point it's just like it's kind of embarrassing. Uh but you know if it's just me it's it's really not that big a deal. But if there's other people around it's like okay this is kind of weird.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah well no I I get why you would feel that way but still I'd be like okay this is cool. This is cool. Oh yeah yeah and so I'd be going this is cool. Do you remember the the the very first song you ever wrote I mean you mentioned your songwriting a few minutes ago and you wrote a song but do you remember the actual very first song you wrote the very first song that I ever wrote I wrote with uh actually an up and coming artist as well his name's McCoy Moore. Okay.

unknown:

Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

And uh he was on tour with Hardy this year. Anyway we met at Bass Pro Shops in 2019. He was 18 years old thinking about moving to Nashville to become a songwriter. We met at Bass Pro Shops I'd never met this guy before in my life so out of the blue you went and met this guy somehow you guys hooked up and no I was sitting there looking at a gun from the gun counter and he was like man that's a good looking gun and I was like I know I'm thinking about getting it you know because I I just turned 18 or I was 19.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep and so I was I was thinking about getting this I think it was a shotgun and uh anyway I ended up striking up a conversation with him well fast forward a year later uh we uh we wrote my first ever song together so cool see there you go I mean look what happened you met Chris Jansen in this and now you met up with somebody else and uh man just you know I think maybe it's so important you get to meet these people it's networking and you get to know them a little bit and you become friends and next thing you know you're doing something together. So that's cool.

SPEAKER_00:

It's crazy. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_02:

How often do you get into town?

SPEAKER_00:

I mean do you go to the songwriters nights do you do anything like that like in uh Nashville you mean yeah in Nashville yeah uh I'd say I'm in Nashville probably three or four days a week at least yeah all right because I yeah because I'm I'm always I'm always going up to to write songs every week now if you had some downtime though I know the holidays came there you know they've been here and they're gone thank goodness uh but uh are you you're still at home though obviously or you have you been out on the road at all yeah uh so I got like two weeks off uh for Christmas and uh so we did uh we did Christmas down in Florida with my fiance's family and um and we came back and have just really just kind of been uh kind of been keeping it low key but I uh I started writing again this past week and wrote some wrote some good songs and then so tomorrow actually I had I head out to hit the road again so uh where are you heading do you know uh I'm headed to Louisiana there's a reason I I ask because most artists I talk to it's like no I just know I have to be at the bus at a certain time yeah where are they taking me they it takes me I was kind of hesitant uh if I hadn't checked in for my flight earlier I probably wouldn't have known but uh yeah I'm going to Louisiana because I'm already looking forward to tearing up them crawlfish tomorrow so wow wow so are you is this one of your own shows you're gonna be with somebody um I'll be honest I don't know that okay I got you no and I think it's uh I think it's I think it's a guitar pool uh tomorrow oh okay be maybe on a radio station event or something yeah yeah yeah it is yeah yeah cool I know I'm working on I'm working with while you signed with triple tigers love to get you up to the northeast have you ever been in Syracuse uh I have really I feel like I have no I know I have I know I have what what uh what what venues have are are up that way uh I don't know if we well we have a place called kegs uh we have a place called sharkies I know you haven't been there um and you know we have an amphitheater we have a lot of big shows during the during the summer um how uh I don't know I'll I think if you were here if you were here I would have definitely made it a point to catch up with you I swear I if I haven't played there I've played very close I'm pretty sure yeah okay I know um a promoter that we work with uh Ross Catalino at Back to Back Entertainment I don't know how much you know I'm sure I don't know who does the booking for you or the label or your management but um he he was on the when I posted that you were going to be out with me tonight he he went right on there and gave it a thumbs up so I don't know oh that's awesome I don't know if you've done something with him or not but I think you know he he does a great job for us brings in a lot of people like yourself and uh definitely makes it all work.

SPEAKER_02:

So hey anything I can do seriously I'd love to yeah no I've been talking to your label we do what uh with the radio station that I'm on and I program uh 92.1 the wolf we do what we call a what's next private listener showcase so it's very intimate it's in a small venue and you know we put the artist like yourself up on stage we open with a local guy just acoustic just doing whatever and then we have wings of beer afterwards so I'm all about that I am too believe me I the second half of that is what I'm all about it's all good. No I love the music too don't get me wrong what does a uh successful year look like to you shame profit not the charts but personally I think to me a successful year is um I think staying busy is a successful year for me uh because obviously if you're sitting at home chances are things aren't aren't you know things could be better is what I'll say if you're sitting at home in this industry things could probably be better unless you're just taking a break for yourself.

SPEAKER_00:

But I I think I think more than anything I think staying busy and just being happy with where you are as a person and an artist is is successful to me.

SPEAKER_02:

You're happy I am and he also wait a minute you got engaged and we have a wedding coming up right yes sir next October October what's wait what's the date in October 16th no way yeah no my birthday's the 15th that's why I was asking oh well why why did you pick wait a minute it's the 15th is that during the week it's a Friday yeah so our wedding will be on a Friday because my birthday's not oh it's on a Friday oh you get the venues cheaper yeah that's why we did it no no it is it it really is yeah yeah good deal good choice good choice I love it I love it well good luck with that are you involved with a lot of the planning or or do you let um what's her name is it Chloe what did I Chloe Chloe Chloe you let her handle everything well so uh yes and no I I told her I wanted to be as involved as she wanted me to be but at the same time I know that this is this is our day but it's really her day and so it's uh I want it to be everything that she wants it to be so I'm I'm as involved as as I need to be but but uh also I don't want it all to be on her at the same time so uh we're we're working together on it well good luck with that thank you thank you thank you no I think it's gonna be great uh I was kind of joking a little bit because I know I mean you know I've been married a bunch of years now but uh all that planning it was like you give your idea and it's like no we're gonna do it this way okay honey okay yeah exactly as long as you're happy as long as you're happy that's good yeah yeah okay what do we need to do to get that done so uh what advice Shane because you like I mentioned a few minutes ago you made the move I mean getting off a mower pursuing your dream um but what if somebody's listening that you know I we have a I have a lot of local artists here I have a lot of people that listen to the podcast that watch the podcast um they want to do what you're doing I mean if they don't make the move I'm I'm sure they would regret it or at least give it a try but uh what advice could you give somebody in that situation? You did it I did it uh I'll say this if you really really really are dead serious about pursuing being a country music singer andor songwriter as your full time gig the advice that I would have is get to Nashville because here's the thing I was at dinner and this is just an example I was literally at a sushi restaurant and I'd never tried sushi I happened to meet Chris Jensen at a sushi restaurant you never know yeah like it something that I tell my buddies that don't live in Nashville um uh actually he just moved to Nashville um something that I told him he said do you see Nashville to to do this and I said well you can absolutely do it without being in Nashville but it's hard to step in cow poop if you're not in the cow pasture I like that exactly exactly it's well put that's a good way to put it but and and you're fortunate enough to live near Nashville so I mean that's kind of a plus for you yeah absolutely yeah and and uh here's the thing man if I did not live where I do we probably wouldn't be having a conversation see that goes back to your point you're near Nashville but come on out go out to Nashville absolutely a little bit you don't know who you're gonna run I drive I drive an hour Nashville every day yep yep that's just in that traffic no less the traffic the traffic there uh was it 65 and I don't know take it near Dememberon before you hop off to go downtown it's crazy what used to take us 20 minutes to get from the airport downtown now takes us at least an hour yeah so well it depends what time you fly in but if you that's true yeah it's crazy it's crazy I know every time I've been there I mean sometimes we've been pretty lucky I guess but other times it's like well here we are 10 miles an hour we're in the traffic and everybody's cutting each other off what um in Columbia in Columbia Tennessee how big of a city is that that's that's pretty good size right it's grown a lot uh whenever I was whenever I was little and growing up it wasn't all that big but here in the last really in the last like 10 years it's just it's okay it's to the point where we no longer have water uh in Columbia they have said that they're uh they're increasing our water bill by 150 percent because there's so many people moving here that's crazy holy crap holy crap yeah it's that's that's nuts what um so growing up what did you do in Colombia what would did you play sports did you what was there for somebody growing up to do and fishing that's the biggest thing perfect uh hunting and fishing so it was right up my alley i love it i love it is is your freezer full of meat and fish and all that yeah yeah i've actually got uh oh let me think here i've got deer meat in my freezer obviously i've got some boudin i've got some uh crappie and some salmon that i caught salmon that i caught in alaska i got to go to alaska no way dude that's cool we have the salmon river here and oh yeah yeah yeah yeah and when the salmon are running it's pretty cool to watch oh yeah it's crazy and they're big they're big ass fish yeah they're they're massive and uh I've got three yeah three deer at the deer processor right now uh getting chopped up so well it's crazy yeah it's crazy stuff uh so I forgot what I was gonna ask you I just lost my train of thought but uh you know doing what you're doing and being there um are you gonna be heading out on any major tours that you know of or you can't really say I can't say yet but yes we're gonna be on some on some big shows this year. Excellent Shane Prophet you know one thing um it's it's fun to see artists like you opening up for other artists but I can always tell like for example if you were out on that stage we have an amphitheater here let's say you open up for an artist what I do is I look at the crowd if they're in there for the for the opener if that there's a good crowd I said all right you know this is gonna be this is going to be really good I mean I'd love to see how many people actually come out for the openers and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00:

And I know you would you definitely draw yeah and and that's something else that I do every night that I'm on you know like a major tour like that I mean major tour or not I think everybody if I'm an opener at the end of my set I will I will straight up say hey thank y'all so much for coming out for the opening act it means more than you know yeah exactly because it really and that's you know that's why it makes people like you so cool so down to earth.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean you're just real you're doing your job you're doing what you love you still shop at the same grocery stores you still you hunt like everybody else you go do your thing I totally get that totally get that um so when it's all said and done what do you hope people say about you not just your music it's tough it is a toughie uh I hope people say above anything he's a godly man I love it and he's a family man and he gives a hundred and ten percent to everybody that comes to his shows that's that's what I want I want people to know I don't want anybody to leave going he didn't give us a hundred percent you know I want you to tell me about one of your shows and tell me is it how are you on stage how do you interact give me a good example I I need I I need to put a dag on fitbit or something on to keep up with my steps on stage I'm never sitting still on stage which is kind of crazy to think about I'm a big dude but I'm I'm always just back and forth on stage uh and I think for me because me being a songwriter uh I always say I'm a songwriter before I'm an artist.

SPEAKER_00:

Um I think the biggest thing is on my live shows I try to make everybody feel uh how writing the song as uh as they do when I'm performing it if that makes sense so I I want there to be a roller coaster of emotions. I want to take you from the highest high in the beer drinking to balling your eyes out and then just take you back up to the top.

SPEAKER_02:

I love it. Love it tell me a little bit about um or a whole lot about Long Live Country the song is doing really well it's getting um you know stations at it and it gets played during the overnight a lot in a lot of stations but you know what we're now hearing it in the daytime. So that's that's a good indication that your song like you said it went up how many spots already today on the chart?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah it went up eight spots on the chart today which is crazy.

SPEAKER_02:

Do you watch those numbers every day do you like have to go in and check or would you rather step back and then you know give it a little time it's one of those things where I know my team is doing their job and they're doing it 100% just like I am uh I'm gonna let them do their job.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm not gonna nitpick because it will absolutely consume you if you keep up with that chart of your day. So at at the start of every week my team sends me hey this is where we are this week this is why we're here and this is what to be expected. So that's uh that's just kind of what we do and it works for me because my first go around when how it ought to be was radio uh I just I was so consumed with keeping up with the chart it was to the point where it was unhealthy.

SPEAKER_02:

Well it was your first first song out there I mean that was doing get that had any traction you know what I mean and so I I don't blame you for keeping an eye on it the excitement the energy that like wow this is me I I gotta watch this this is unbelievable but then again you're right it can consume you and it didn't it's like what am I doing? Yeah now that was what label were you with then I was on big machine then that's it big machine and then skip happened and then then now you're with triple tigers I remember at CRS last year I think you had just signed with triple tiger yep I had or I was about to actually yes yes I knew it was very close or somebody came up to a friend of mine that works for the label was like you know I we're signing Shane Prophet and I went that's cool you might have been in the suite were you in um beat up suite yes uh no I was in well actually I was in there briefly I think yeah because I was with Diane My rep and I I I'm pretty sure she said either they had just signed you or they were signing you and I said yeah they were about to excellent dude what is that like when an artist signs with a label well a lot of emotions or it's uh yeah it is uh you know because I think for me it's more nervous than anything because like the the attorneys are going back and forth and back and forth and you don't want to

SPEAKER_00:

You know, you're hoping your attorney doesn't say something and shoe them away, or or you know, the smallest thing comes in between you and something that could change your life, you know. So uh yeah, it's it's it's a roller crusher remotion too.

SPEAKER_02:

It's gotta be because this could change your life. Yeah, and whatever you sign or the decisions that you or your attorney make could be life-changing for you.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02:

And it it looks like things are life-changing in a good way for you. So that's good. I'm blessed. Yes, sir. Yeah. Hey, do you have a favorite song to play uh live right now?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, um, yeah, I do. Uh it's an it's a song that I haven't released yet. It's called You Could Do Anything.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow.

SPEAKER_00:

It's uh it's a song. Uh it's very personal. I've been posting it on my socials, and uh I've never had a response to a song like I've had with this. I'm I'm not even I'm not like trying to sound um big headed or or or no no no thing in any kind of way. I I've never had a song where I go, I've written some good songs in my life, but I've never written one where I go, that's that's the one. And don't get me wrong, Long Live Country and How It Ought to Be, you know, have have changed my life, but yeah, the response that I've been getting back from this song, just playing it acoustically, is uh not indicative.

SPEAKER_02:

Is that how you may determine what your next single is going to be for you as an artist? You get out and you play these songs in front of an audience, and you kind of take in the response and go, Yeah, this one's kicking at. Oh, they like this.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm gonna have to yeah, no, absolutely. Yeah, that I'm a firm believer, listen to the people.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, how much but you also got to listen to the label, too.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh at the same time, though, the label, the label, the so whenever I went in and made my record with Triple Tigers, yeah, they told me what songs they would like me to cut. I I went in and cut 12 songs my first go-around. And they knew two of the 12 that I was cutting.

unknown:

Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

They walked in, they walked in when we were done and said, What'd you end up cutting? And I told them. And I was like, Did did management not tell y'all what I was cutting? They were like, No, it's none of our business, it's our job as an artist. Whatever you think is your best, we're gonna trust you.

SPEAKER_02:

You know, that's what I love. I love that it's getting too, it's giving you that control. And all the I, you know, I have friends that work at all the different labels, just some of the late labels aren't like that. They tell you what what we want, what they want to do.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, not an honor up more like that.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that's crazy. It's crazy, but it's not my business, but I feel for people like you that you know, but you're off, you're off to a great start. Um, what is one thing that fans would be surprised to know about you? We already know that you're Anna Mower. We already know you work for the city of Columbia, Tennessee. What is something else that fans would be surprised to know about you?

SPEAKER_00:

I'm super flexible.

SPEAKER_02:

What?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I am.

SPEAKER_02:

You mean you can move on?

SPEAKER_00:

I can like I can high kick above my head, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

No way, I'd fall on my ass.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I can high kick. There's a video on my uh I posted it on my story the other day. I got uh uh I got a little wine tipsy uh a couple nights ago with my fiance, and we were going down an escalator in Nashville, and I did the splits on the escalator and rode the escalator down doing the splits.

SPEAKER_02:

So dude. I well, I'm glad you didn't get hurt. Yeah, I did too. Fishing or songwriting. If you had to choose one right now, fishing or songwriting?

SPEAKER_00:

Fishing, I'm in a fishing mood right now.

SPEAKER_02:

There you go. And uh, what is the best advice that Chris Jansen has given you so far? I mean, this that's kind of an older thing. I know it was a couple of years ago that you got the, you know, you met him, but still you must keep in touch with him. I would assume.

SPEAKER_00:

I would say honestly, back to the cow pasture thing. Uh if you're uh Chris told me a long time ago, he said if you're not out getting it, somebody else is.

SPEAKER_02:

It's true. And how do you handle uh negativity?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh ignore it.

SPEAKER_02:

Good. No, no, exactly. Exactly. It's so true that you hear about the negative, you'll hear from negative people, or you you see and read the negative comments, you'll never hear anything good. It's just those people that are negative, they always seem to want to, you know, it doesn't matter whether you're doing what I do, what you do, or whatever, you know, there's always gonna be some of those people. And I always ask the artist, like, how do you handle that? Because you're gonna get it, you just can't help it. But you know what? You got to smile and wait because look what you're doing, they're not so yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

I mean, there's a re yeah, there's a reason they're commenting on your video.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. That means they watched it, yeah, exactly. And that means they're gonna go back and watch it again.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. Every time somebody comments something negative, it's like ch ching, ch ching, you know. So it's like I'm not commenting on your stuff, you're the one commenting on mine. So I appreciate that, you know. That's what we do in penny or whatever it is.

SPEAKER_02:

That's what we do in radio. You know, somebody makes a negative comment, it's like, hey, you know, thanks for listening. That's all. That's all that's all you can do. What's your favorite? Before I let you go, um, when you're on tour, you're out doing shows, what's your favorite uh snack?

SPEAKER_00:

Man, probably the red sun chips.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, those are good. That's good.

SPEAKER_00:

They're good.

SPEAKER_02:

I love Skittles. I'm a Skittles guy, so if I'm on a butt.

SPEAKER_00:

I like those uh I I started uh eating these things. They're called high cheese.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't know.

SPEAKER_00:

I get candy, they're pretty good though.

SPEAKER_02:

So stock up on those when you hit the road. Right. That's what you do, you know. Shane, um, Shane Prophet. Uh, thank you for taking the time to come and chat with us here tonight. Uh you're a good guy. I've respected you since day one and what you do. I know we had you on Skip Happens once before, as I mentioned earlier, and uh that's how I knew a lot about you, and I've been following you because, like I also said uh just a little bit ago, is uh I feel like we've known each other for a little bit and uh to watch you grow and watch you put these singles out and know that you got signed by another label. And it's just so exciting for me to see the progress that somebody like you is making. I just I can't say that enough. There's a lot of independent artists, there's artists like you, all out there. Man, it's a fight, but you're fighting it, you're fighting a good fight. So thank you.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you so much, man.

SPEAKER_02:

So I I gotta tell you, uh, man, this has uh been one of those stories that reminds you why people still fall in love with country music. Right there is a good example of it. Uh hard work, respect, faith, and saying yes, ma'am, at the right moment, and uh which you did. Uh huge thanks to Shane uh hanging with us tonight. Uh, I want you to go stream the music if you can, catch him alive, and trust me, this is just the beginning. I know he's hitting, you know, we're in the another single on the radio and it's doing really well. And uh, you know, we talked to him a few years ago and uh a couple of years, and I hope to do it again. I hope to see you in in Nashville at the country radio seminar. And uh Shane, best of luck to you, my friend. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you so much, man. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02:

Thanks for watching, everybody. Make sure you log on to or give us a subscribe if you've been watching this, or maybe you're watching the replay of it. Uh, make a comment and uh let us know what you think. And also make sure you subscribe to uh Skip Happens on YouTube. Shane, you got YouTube?

SPEAKER_01:

You do I do.

SPEAKER_02:

So there's subscribe to Shane Prophet and follow him on his socials. And I know Shane is good at uh responding to posts as well.

SPEAKER_00:

So absolutely.

SPEAKER_02:

All right, God bless everybody. Thank you. Have a great night. Shane, thanks again. Stay right there.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you.

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