Try That in a Small Town Podcast

Sage Steele joins the Try That In A Small Town podcast for an honest, uncensored look at sports media, politics, faith, and standing up when it could cost you everything. She shares the real story behind her controversial Obama comments, the COVID vaccine moment that changed her career at ESPN, suing Disney while still on air, and why she refuses to back down from her convictions. The crew also di...

On this episode of the Try That in a Small Town Podcast, the guys start with listener Q&A and end up deep in the realities of life as working Nashville pros. They break down why most artists use session bands instead of their road bands in the studio, what makes a truly great studio player, and how songs like “Try That in a Small Town,” “All-American Girl,” and other hits actually came togethe...

From bar-hopping at CMA Fest with Jason Aldean’s band to scheduled high school fights at 3 pm sharp, this episode of Try That in a Small Town is all about chaos, consequences, and the crazy ways we somehow survive it all.   The guys kick things off with surgery scars, locked-up backs, and near misses in the garage, then pivot into behind-the-scenes CMA Fest stories, in-ear monitor nightm...

Chairman Jason Smith of the House Ways and Means Committee joins the Try That In A Small Town podcast from CMA Fest in Nashville. He breaks down what the powerful Ways and Means Committee actually does and how it touches every American’s life through taxes, trade, Social Security, Medicare, and more.   Jason opens up about his small-town Missouri roots, being a fourth-generation farmer,...

Country artist and entertainer Chuck Wicks stops by the Try That In A Small Town podcast for a wild, honest, and surprisingly emotional ride. Chuck opens up about his journey from small-town farm kid and college baseball player to Nashville recording artist, radio host, entrepreneur, and autism dad. He shares the real story behind Stealing Cinderella, what it was like to be turned down by RCA the...

From AI-written songs and a controversial commencement speech to trans athletes in girls’ sports, Cody Johnson’s bear hunt backlash, THC drinks, and a powerful small-town funeral story – the guys cover it all in this episode of the Try That In A Small Town Podcast.   They compare Scott Borchetta’s AI-heavy, “deal with it” address to Eric Church’s inspiring guitar analogy, talk about what...

The Try That In A Small Town crew dives into the 2024 ACM Awards – the politics, the snubs, and the few moments that actually delivered. From Morgan Wallen being shut out, to Ella Langley’s historic run, to Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, Zach Top, Kane Brown, Parker McCollum, and more, the guys break down who deserved what and where country music is really headed. They also talk about TikTok-read...

From Toradol shots and “rock docs” on the road, to AI tools like Suno reshaping Nashville, to cruise-ship horror stories and fans yelling requests at charity shows… this episode of Drive That in a Small Town goes all over the map in the best way.   The guys swap stories about playing hurt on tour, getting hooked up by “rock docs,” demolishing Luke Bryan’s band in flag football, near-disa...

The Try That In A Small Town Podcast crew is back with a wild mix of gear talk, surgery updates, politics, and one unforgettable trip to the White House. Kurt and Tully break down their VIP visit to Washington, DC for Jason Aldean’s birthday, including standing in the Oval Office with President Trump, checking out the “Lewinsky room,” seeing historic artifacts up close, and reacting to Trump’s Pre...

The boys are back in the Patriot Mobile Studios powered by E|Spaces, recapping a wild run on the road with Jason Aldean, late-night casino losses, Neil’s killer benefit performance, and plans for an epic golf grudge match. Then they pivot into government/alien conspiracies, the death of “free” sports TV, and a fresh round of Dip Shitty of the Week. From bus hockey and blackjack in Oklahoma to Area...

American Idol Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks joins Try That In A Small Town to unpack how Hurricane Katrina accidentally sent him to the Vegas auditions, what Simon Cowell really thought at first, and the strategy he used to “play the game” and win Idol at its peak. Taylor breaks down crazy behind-the-scenes Idol stories, the early days of 360 deals, going from a 60-cap bar to Southeast Asia arenas...

From the Patriot Mobile studio powered by E|Spaces, the guys dive into a packed episode of Try That In A Small Town.   They kick things off by reacting to the latest ACM Award nominations: who belongs, who doesn’t, and why politics still run the game. Entertainer, Group, Duo, New Artist, Album, Song, Single, and Musical Event of the Year all get the TTIAST treatment, with plenty of opini...

The guys are back in the Patriot Mobile studio and this one goes deep fast. They kick things off with allergies, football withdrawal, and post-season sports, then dive into a raw and candid discussion about Pride Nights in sports, the “Cow Gays” controversy at a Predators game, and what it means to live and let live without having beliefs forced on you. From there, the crew shifts gears into wheth...

We hit stop on what felt like a “can’t miss” recording… and then realized it was gone. No dramatic metaphor, no grand lesson at first, just a missing file and that sinking feeling every creator knows. So we start over, and the redo turns into a rawer, funnier, more revealing conversation about what life looks like behind the curtain of the Nashville music scene and the touring grind.  We talk song...

Thirty number ones sounds like a headline. It feels a lot stranger when you’re sitting in a room full of your friends and heroes, watching them sing your songs while your own band plays behind them and you didn’t even know a party was happening. We’re hanging with Jason Aldean and reliving the night they surprised him with a 30 No. 1 celebration, from the writers who’ve been on every album to the...

A great country song doesn’t start as a “record” it starts as a messy idea, a half-formed hook, and a room full of people willing to grind. We’re fresh off a write and still riding that song high, so we get real about why we keep our circle tight, how we know when something is truly an Aldean pitch, and why we’d rather walk away than finish a song that doesn’t feel like it has a life. Then we go f...

Only a small slice of podcasts ever makes it to 100 episodes, so we wanted this one to feel like a real toast, not a victory lap. We talk honestly about how Try That in a Small Town started, why it mattered to us, and what it still means when the world tries to turn a simple message into something else. The heart of it is still the same: look out for your neighbor, stand up for people who can’t de...

A tour can change your clock, your appetite, and your sense of scale. Ours did all three. We flew across the Pacific in those elusive lie-flat pods, learned how to live inside a tiny sky room, then stepped into cities that start the party early and shut it down by midnight. Auckland turned into a nightly blackjack table with our road crew. Sydney strapped us to the top of the Harbour Bridge where...

The sky doesn’t just turn; it transforms. We bring on pro storm chaser and tour leader Jason Weingart to take us into the heart of severe weather—where precision, patience, and a healthy fear keep you alive while a rotating monster chews across the Plains. Jason traces his path from third‑grade awe to 40,000‑mile spring seasons, explaining how he scouts targets days out, refines them 24–48 hours b...

A housewife, a shovel, and a chorus you can’t stop chanting—meet the story engine behind Mary Kutter’s breakout. We sit down with the Broken Bow recording artist to trace the wild path from a bootlegger’s legacy in “Devil’s Money” to the hard truth of “Lab Coat,” and the darkly funny new single “Bed of Roses.” What emerges is a masterclass in doing the work that most people only talk about: 5 a.m....

A 19-year-old drove three hours to sit at our table and lit the room on fire—in the best way. Meet Caroline Joyous: musician, TPUSA ambassador, and relentless voice who found her calling when churches closed and her mom’s salon went dark. She walks us through how a quiet teenager became a public advocate, why she ties pro-life conviction to civic duty, and how she handles daily hate without losing...

What happens when a night meant for music turns into a tug-of-war for the mic? We unpack the Grammys with a clear eye for craft and a low tolerance for noise. From Hardy’s layered storytelling on “MacArthur” to Bruno’s masterclass in musicianship, we weigh what actually moved us—and what was engineered only to trend. Then the room shifts: Jelly Roll’s acceptance speech lands like a testimony, bold...

A late-night ride near home. A driver fleeing police. A life cut short. We sit down with Haley Kilman to trace the night her partner, competitive cyclist Blaise Schaeffer, was killed in a hit-and-run—and the relentless search for driver Allen Samir Bautista Milla, who ran on foot and hasn’t been seen since. Haley walks us through the frantic morning calls from another state, the agonizing wait for...

A sheet of ice turned Nashville into a maze of downed lines, frozen driveways, and tough choices—stay put, chase a generator, or brave the roads that turn cars into curling stones. We trade real stories from a chaotic week: the house that became a money pit overnight, the water heater that erupted sediment like a geyser, a dog’s hospital dash, and the neighbor with a torch who became a winter supe...

The first week back on the road always feels like a high-wire act: new production, cold weather, and the pressure to sound bulletproof while your voice fights the season. We open with the messy truth of touring in winter, a car accident that derailed a day, and how those surprises ripple through rehearsals, buses, and call times. From there, we shift gears into the craft we love—why chorus-first s...