For those who haven’t heard “Product Of” yet, this song is about how myself and my brother were raised in a small town and how my parents raised my brother and I with a small town love. 

2) With it being such a personal song for you, how important was it to have your brother Lee on it with you? And what dynamic did he bring to the song that brought a different aura to it? 

It was actually Lee’s idea to join the song, which I was super stoked about! I think having him on it really brings the song around full circle with it being about our parents and how we were raised essentially. We had been talking about doing something together at some point and this song just made perfect sense. 

3) Were you expecting something so personal to your own life to resonate with the fans the way that it already has? 

You never really know what’s going to connect with the audience. I’ve found that my most honest songs have made the biggest impact and I would put “Product Of” right up there with “Blessed” and “It’s You.” I believe this one will keep resonating with fans because I feel like people from towns like Sumter, S.C. can relate and are proud of where they’re from and how they’re raised.

4) You co-wrote “Product Of” with Josh Gallagher, Taylor Goyette, and Mark Addison Chandler. What did that writing session look like? What did they bring to the table that helped shape the lyric in ways that might not have otherwise been there? 

Writing “Product Of” with my guy’s Josh Gallaher, Taylor Goyette and Mark Addison Chandler was a great time. Josh has this rock n’ roll gritty thing he does, and Taylor and Mark are just full of ideas. I knew going into it that we’d get something good. We generally do when we get together! I started talking about where I was from and what I did growing up and that’s when one of the other guys brought up the “product of” idea. We all started riffing and next thing you know we had the song done in just a couple of hours.

5) The accompanying music video adds a perfect visual element to the composition. How important was it to you to film the video in your hometown of Sumter, SC? 

It was super important for me to shoot “Product Of” in my hometown for the authenticity. It happened to work out that my videographer Thomas Runion and his crew with Mad Labs Production were based in S.C. The portion of the video with my brother in it was actually shot in Bangor, Maine about 7 months after I had already shot the video because we decided to get Lee on “Product Of” after we had already mixed/mastered and shot the video with just me in it. Thomas did an incredible job of making the extra footage make sense and keeping the integrity of the video together with the added footage that my guy Chase Lauer caught. Overall, having my family in it really brought it home showing the small-town love In a product of. 

6) “Product Of” isn’t just your current single, but it’s also the title track of your first full-length album (due out July 28). What does the album show about your music overall that the singles we’ve heard from it so far don’t? 

I’m so excited to share the rest of this record. The Product Of record showcases 10 of my favorite songs I’ve been a part of. We’ve been able to release two songs so far - “Thanks For The Heartbreak” and the title-track “Product Of.” The other 8 songs really show off my writing and growth since my first EP. These songs have a sound that will keep you listening, and the ideas and lyrics range from where I’ve been, grew up, exes, where I am now in life, songs about my beautiful wife (Denelle Manzer) and how we met and now married, to half true stories that will take you on a ride through all the seasons and feelings from start to finish.

7) Speaking of those singles that we’ve already heard; why did you feel that “Thanks For The Heartbreak” was the perfect first introduction to the album? 

“Thanks For The Heartbreak” actually wasn’t going to be the first single. “Product Of” was going to be, but then we wanted to get my brother, Lee, on the song, so it was either push back release date or stay the course. And honestly, it was a blessing, because I think “Thanks For The Heartbreak” is such an incredible song and I wanted to build a solid ramp to lead up to the “Product Of” release. A few other things also happened that really reassured me that “Thanks For The Heartbreak” was the best decision. 

8) You co-wrote all 10 of the tracks on the album. How important is it to you to have your hand on the songs you perform, but also what elements from an outside pitch do you look for (if any) before you’ll consider recording it? 

I am super stoked that I was able to be a writer on all 10 songs of this record. I’m always looking for outside songs and I just couldn’t find any that hit me like these songs. I’m a huge believer in the best song wins and these were the ones that made my top 10. Also, as an artist, I connect with these songs because there are real parts of me in all these songs. I think the listener/fan can definitely tell if you’re being real with your music. 

9) Besides the two singles, what song on the album are you most excited for your fans to hear and why? 

Outside of what I’ve already released, it’s hard for me to say what song I’m most excited about y’all hearing. Every song has its own cool thing and lane. I’d probably say if I had to pick a favorite it would be track number 10 - I call it the piano ballad song. “Shadow” is my first piano driven song that I’ve ever been able to put out and it’s a well written song. Plus, I get to do a lil’ “sangin” on it, meaning I’ve got to really dig in and get after it to sing it!

10) We always like to end with this one, but what is one piece of advice can you offer to someone who is just starting out and trying to break into the music industry? 

Find out who you are and be the best at what you do. If you’re just getting into the Wild West world of music, nobody can be better at being yourself than you. Make your sound unique and believe in yourself, it can happen! If you get in, be in it to win it because it takes some time and a few bumps along the road or a wrong turn or two. But the reward of doing what you love for a living is priceless. With a lil’ no quit attitude and a lil’ thick skin, you can make it to any stage you want to be on I believe.