A Chat with Wyatt Edmondson

Wyatt Edmondson: 00:00:09

/We started playing and right about the time that was getting

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serious I found out about my, eye

condition, my diagnosis, and, I think

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in that moment, I know actually, God

spoke to me, and, it was sort of a

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realization of, You've been met with

this challenge, but here's something that

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you'll never be hindered by your vision

to do, and that's to play and sing.

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And so I just continued to try to find

new ways to make it work, but the art

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inspired that.

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And I wrote my first song

when I was probably 16.

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And, I just remember the high that

I got from that, and then hearing

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my first song played by a band.

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And then hearing my first song recorded,

and then hearing my first song on the

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radio, you know, like all those things.

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It just, it never gets old, you know?

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Jason English (Host): Welcome to

Curious Goldfish, a podcast community

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where music and curiosity come together

through interesting conversations

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with the music makers of our world.

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I'm your host, Jason English.

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You can find Curious Goldfish and all the

major podcasts and social media platforms.

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And of course we have all of our

content on our website, curiousgoldfish.

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com.

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My conversation with singer

songwriter Wyatt Edmondson

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ended up being a two act play.

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And I hope you find each equally

interesting and educational.

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The first 20 minutes or so we go deep

on the business of being an independent

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musician and preparing for the interview.

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And through this conversation, I'm

extremely impressed by why it's approached

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to generating revenue for himself.

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Many artists aren't as

disciplined as he is.

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And I think you'll be surprised

by his creativity and tenacity.

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He knows how to hustle.

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The second part is centered around his

music and how his visual impairment

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fueled his pursuit of a career in music.

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You can't help but admire his intentional

focus on making good art that will

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have a positive impact on our culture.

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Wyatt wraps us up with two live songs,

one called Shelter off of his: 2023

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album, and the other is an unreleased

song he co wrote with Sarah Peacock.

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Here's Alabama fan and current

Nashville resident Wyatt Edmondson.

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Let's dive in.

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Wyatt, thanks for joining.

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Wyatt Edmondson: Yeah, man.

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Thank you, Jason.

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Appreciate it.

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Jason English (Host): We're in Florida.

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It's the middle of January.

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We're here for 30A Songwriters Festival.

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You've been here before, right?

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Wyatt Edmondson: Yes, actually,

this is my 7th year here.

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Yeah, I got in really early when

I was still in college and I mean,

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I've literally grown up with this

festival, It's seen me and I've

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seen it change in so many ways.

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And, uh, I've experienced a lot of growth

as a result of being involved with Russell

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Carter and, and just the 30 a fest and

some of the other things that he's put on.

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And it's just allowed me a lot of

great opportunities very thankful

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ZOOM0047_TrLR: to

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Jason English (Host): mingle Yeah.

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What about it has enabled that growth?

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the other artists.

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And also

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Wyatt Edmondson: getting to

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know, i think mostly it's connections,

getting to mingle with some of the

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other artists and, also getting to

know the people with Russell Carter

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artist management and, some of the other

opportunities that have come out of this

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like other songwriters festivals that you

get to Fest on the resume and then and

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me to get into some other Opportunities

as well some other festivals This past

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year Russell had me be a part of the

30 a songwriters festival showcase at

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Americana Fest in Nashville I've been

writing songs with some of the You know,

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really accomplished songwriters that

frequent this festival, like Jeffrey

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Steele, Adam Hood, and plenty of others.

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Those are all people that I've met at

these types of events, so, you know,

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That's good.

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In terms of, festivals,

you know, question.

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I like folks if you had the responsibility

of putting on an evening at a festival

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and you had acts to in the lineup.

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Who would you it the card?

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what's my budget?

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It's unlimited And it doesn't have

to be the same genre like it's

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your it's it's Wyatt's show Do

they all have to be alive still?

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Jason English (Host): No

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Wyatt Edmondson: let's bring up Bruce

Springsteen and the E Street Band and

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maybe, uh, resurrect Jimi Hendrix from

the dead and then we'll have Bob Marley

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finish it off, you know, those are, those

are of my absolute favorites I would be

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front, front and center the whole time.

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I would not do anything

but enjoy the music.

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So it probably would

be pretty unorganized.

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Just.

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Jason English (Host): Hey man,

would be a hell of a festival

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I wonder how much merch would go for that

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Wyatt Edmondson: I don't know.

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You could put all their

faces on the same shirt.

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I would wear it every day.

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You know,

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Jason English (Host): that's All right.

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Good answer.

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That was good.

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That was good.

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So one thing I'm, I'm curious about

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, I'm not part of the music industry.

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But you're an independent artist.

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Wyatt Edmondson: Yep.

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Jason English (Host): managing

a business day to day, I guess.

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Can you walk us through some of

the details around, how do you

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generate the top line revenue?

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When you wake you wake up every day,

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You have to worry your art.

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It'sbut you've gotta also pay the bills

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can going you walk us through

what that, looks like, from

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a revenue perspective first?

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Wyatt Edmondson: I'll start by saying

that it's it's a constant journey.

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You're constantly revamping

and, rethinking your model.

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That's definitely been the case

for over the past seven years.

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that I've lived in Nashville.

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I always tell people If you're thinking

about doing music professionally, but

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you're on the fence about jumping in full

time because you want the steady support

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and foundation of a day job, I'm not

saying that having a day job is a problem.

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There's a lot of people who are really

successful in music who also still

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have like a, a weekly day job that

they kind of use to be the foundation

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of their financial situation.

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That was never the case for me, I always

was of the mindset that you just have

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to jump in head first and then just

start swimming and see what works, and I

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think for most musicians, whether you're

really trying to be an artist or if

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you're really trying to be more behind

the scenes, if you can play live, I think

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that's the easiest way to get the ball

rolling and to start supporting yourself.

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Um, and I'll just give you

a little background on how my

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model has changed over the years.

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I mean, when I first moved to Nashville,

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I pretty much didn't live there.

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I mean, I paid rent there, but I

was, I was in a van and we were going

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five days a week playing around the

Southeast and sometimes even further

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beyond that and bars, coffee shops,

small venues, things like that.

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And that was before I

really knew much about.

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Like royalties or, any other like

commission based work you could do and,

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and so I was really paying the bills

doing that, but it wasn't near as, it was

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not near as lucrative as I was thinking

it was, because not only was I young and

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not really financially responsible, but,

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I was kind of living above my

means a little bit, and I think a

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lot of artists struggle with that,

because you have to have this,

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I don't want to say image, but you

really just have to be comfortable, you

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know, and sometimes that requires you

to, put a little bit more on a credit

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card than you know you're supposed

to, and I, I found myself to do that.

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When Covid hit, I'd been in Nashville

for I guess, almost four years, but

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I really hadn't been there much,

and I, I found myself suddenly,

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All my tour dates were gone.

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I was locked up in the house

and I came, to two conclusions.

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The, the first conclusion was I don't

have any other streams of income besides

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performing live, and that's a problem.

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And then the second one was, I don't

have enough friends in this town.

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I, I, I feel like.

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I don't really live here, so

I made those big changes.

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One of the big changes I made

was I started touring less

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and I started performing more

regularly around Nashville.

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And a lot of that consisted of playing

like on lower Broadway, I had to start

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playing more cover songs, but I would

also pick the right shifts during the

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day to where it was like, you know,

I typically play in the afternoon.

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And so You can, you can

really do whatever you want.

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I mean, I started out just doing what I

thought people wanted, but then I quickly

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started making it my own experience and,

and marketing myself down there as a

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musician and, or as a songwriter, I should

say, and saw a lot of success with that.

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So now, that's a big

part of my income stream.

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Um, some, you know, regular, what

I would call residency gigs around

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Nashville, like I said, down on

Broadway, in the afternoon hours.

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That's very much a

stream of income for me.

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And then I, I stumbled into, like I

mentioned, sort of commission based work.

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Particularly, writing songs and

getting paid up front for doing it.

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I'm gonna give a shout out to

a company, kinda changed my

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situation, called Songfinch.

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And they reached out to me.

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It was, I guess, in 2021.

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Those years kind of run together for

me, but, I think they reached out

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to me in 2021, and they found me on

Spotify, they'd heard some of my music,

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and basically what they do is they

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Run a company that

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delivers

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Customized songs to the customer

that they can essentially use as

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maybe a gift for a spouse or maybe to

memorialize an experience or even if

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they maybe just have an idea for a song

that they have always wanted to see.

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You know, manifest and into an

actual song and have someone who

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that's their job put it together.

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And so I started to get into that and

at first I was a little bit turned

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off because I was like, I don't know

if I really want to write like, Dave

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and Julie's love love story, but

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Jason English (Host): I ended

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Wyatt Edmondson: up really getting into it

and then, and, and then it ended up paying

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very well, and, and then that was the

part where it was like, okay, this is a

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serious part of my business at this point.

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And so I, I still work with Song Finch.

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I do some stuff outside of them as well.

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In 2022, I think I wrote like

over 600 custom songs, you know?

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Yeah, man.

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Jason English (Host): Yeah.

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And

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Wyatt Edmondson: so those are really,

uh, it's a cool business model

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and a cool like boost to my whole

situation because I mean, first

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off, I can do it from anywhere.

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I'm actually going to go after this.

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Podcast and and work on one so you

know and that'll be a little bit of

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money that I'll make today before I go

and Perform tonight, you know, and so

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Jason English (Host): so many questions.

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Can

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Wyatt Edmondson: yeah jump in.

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Sorry

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Jason English (Host): No, you're good.

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So what's the mindset.

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In the process, because obviously

like, you know, my assumption is

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as a songwriter, you're inspired by

family stories, heartbreak, personal

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experiences, all these things that

you're observing and experiencing.

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Is it the same thing for Jim and

Julie that, do you have any idea what

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their story is and their background,

or do you have to kind of like, In

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your mind, make up, a scenario,

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Wyatt Edmondson: No, so I mean it's

actually really streamlined and it

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gives the customer an opportunity

to Provide me with a lot of helpful

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information and sort of give me a

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Jason English (Host): you're fed nuggets

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Wyatt Edmondson: yeah I mean

they sort of give me a roadmap,

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but I'm free to take whichever

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Whichever way I want to go, you

know, there's there's a finish

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that there's there's an ending

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Point on the map But I can choose how

I want to get there, you know, and it's

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really fun And actually I think it's

really attributed to my ability as a

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songwriter for my own music particularly

Just making me a faster writer because

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it's just more constantly flowing

ideas And and so, you know, I have

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nothing but good things to say about it

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Jason English (Host): Is there a

formula that you've kind of developed?

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Wyatt Edmondson: The more I

study songwriting, the more

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I put emphasis on the chorus.

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Because I think at the end of the day,

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That is the point that it, which

we're trying to have an arrival.

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You know, but if the, if the journey to

get there isn't good, that's a problem.

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And if the arrival is good, or

excuse me, if, if the arrival isn't

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worth the journey, that's a problem.

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And so it's really important to make that.

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Arrival moment worth that journey,

you know, so I put a lot of focus at

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least over the past year I'm still

a growing and developing songwriter

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but over the past year i've put so

much emphasis into making sure that

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that journey

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was worth it by Having a chorus

that is going to be something

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people are going to be like

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Jason English (Host): something

that people are going to be like.

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Well, as a matter of fact,

that's, and I, I took the

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Wyatt Edmondson: well as a matter of fact,

um Yes, and and I I do own the rights

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to the songs So I actually did record

a song on my Most recent album that I

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wrote for someone and it was for this

guy out of Wyoming and it's called the

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code of the West and So it was basically

I talked to him for 40 It wasn't through

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song Finch, but it was through something

called the American song and it's very

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similar But I talked to him on a, uh,

zoom call for about 45 minutes about his

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life and came up with the song and wrote

it and had to give it to him in a day.

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So it was like very, it was

a single session, right?

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Very stream of consciousness, but I

ended up loving it and I was like,

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I'm going to put this on my record.

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And so we did,

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Jason English (Host): did.

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That's amazing.

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Yeah.

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All right.

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Well, I learned something here.

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Okay, cool.

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So I guess back, I have a question back

to like the, the gigs in Nashville.

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Yeah.

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Maybe a dumb question, but if

you go and play at a coffee shop,

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does the coffee shop give you any

kind of fee or is it all tips?

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Wyatt Edmondson: Well,

it's mostly the bars.

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Um, and yes, they do have base pays.

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Um, I'm actually writing

a book on this right now.

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Um, so I'm, I'm writing a little

e book that I'm hoping to put out

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in the next year that's going to

basically be a roadmap for people

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who want to do what I'm doing.

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But, yeah, they offer base pays

that, I would say on the low end are

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around 75 and it goes as high as 300.

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And then, you know, you get

tips down there which can range.

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You know, if you're good at what

you do, I would say a hundred plus

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in tips generally, and also, it's

not uncommon for people to do more

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than one shift in a day down there,

which most vocal coaches would tell

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you is a very bad idea, but if you.

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If you know how to pace yourself, I

mean, it's, it's a good living, and

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it's really inspiring because you get

to be around these just amazing players,

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you know, the guy who gets off the bar

stool and you're up next, he's amazing

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and he's got a publishing deal and,

and, I've seen guys very quickly get

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signed to record labels, you know,

who've been down there for a couple of

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years honing their craft and then when

the timing's right, they just launch,

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so I'm very lucky and I'm not at all

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Uh, ashamed to say that I'm down

there, because sometimes when you

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move to Nashville, some people are

like, Oh, Broadway, that's where

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musicians go to give up their dreams.

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No, that's where you go to

hone your craft, in my opinion.

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Jason English (Host): No, that's

where you go to hone your craft.

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Wyatt Edmondson: Oh yeah, I

sell CDs and vinyl down there.

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Um, I'm always getting people to

sign up for my email list down there.

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I mean, you're, you're basically

touring without having to travel.

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Because tourists come from all over the

world to come see music on Broadway.

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I'll have people from all of the

50 states, people from Europe,

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people from even further than

that, who connect with my music.

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And then if I go out on tour,

I've had them come and buy

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tickets to shows, you know.

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And so, it's a cool way to build

up an audience, kind of in a

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grassroots approach, you know.

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Jason English (Host): They actually

sort of assume that like, Hey,

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you know, I'm up here on stage.

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I'm doing my thing.

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Tips are going to come and the

folks are just going to know

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to Venmo me or buy the t shirt.

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There's not a lot of

active marketing, you know?

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And I, I'm like, you guys are

missing a huge opportunity here,

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Wyatt Edmondson: yeah, I think it,

the best way to do it is to do it

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subtle but intentionally, you know.

304

: 00:16:50

Um, I have plenty of little one liners

that I'll say on stage that are, whether

305

: 00:16:55

or not people realize it, prompts,

306

: 00:16:57

Jason English (Host): There

you're, nudging them.

307

: 00:16:58

Wyatt Edmondson: Yeah, and, and

I've gotten it down to a science.

308

: 00:17:01

And, and it's all genuine, you know.

309

: 00:17:03

I think that's the most important thing.

310

: 00:17:04

You're not, you're not up there like

a angry monkey with a, with a tip

311

: 00:17:08

jar going, give me money, you know.

312

: 00:17:10

I mean, that's, that's

never gonna work, you know.

313

: 00:17:11

It's, it's about the art.

314

: 00:17:12

But people who are connected to you

will always, make it worth your while,

315

: 00:17:17

Jason English (Host): This podcast

is a sort of a passion project.

316

: 00:17:19

I have a full time job.

317

: 00:17:20

I'm in corporate world technology

and sales and, it's pretty common.

318

: 00:17:26

Sort of mindset and framework to

say like the, the cost of acquiring

319

: 00:17:30

a new customer is so much greater

than, you know, an existing customer.

320

: 00:17:35

Right?

321

: 00:17:35

So it's like, you know, once you

get a customer in, you nurture

322

: 00:17:38

them, you retain them, you try to

upsell them because you've got

323

: 00:17:42

the access and the relationship.

324

: 00:17:45

I would assume it's the

same thing for an artist,

325

: 00:17:47

Wyatt Edmondson: it is.

326

: 00:17:48

I think what you just touched on is

most notably demonstrated in an email

327

: 00:17:52

list because social media, we're not in

control anymore because of the algorithm.

328

: 00:17:59

You know, I mean, most of.

329

: 00:18:02

Artists who post on social

media, like let's say you have

330

: 00:18:04

10, 000 Instagram followers.

331

: 00:18:06

Well, if you make a post only about 500

of those followers are actually gonna

332

: 00:18:11

see that post most of the time and

then only about you know 300 of them

333

: 00:18:17

are actually going to actively engage

with that post So I mean 10, 000 people

334

: 00:18:21

who you've met who like your music

only 300 of them are really gonna get

335

: 00:18:25

something out of a content piece in

an email If you got 10, 000 email list

336

: 00:18:30

subscribers, that email is going to go

to every single one of their inboxes.

337

: 00:18:33

Now I'm not saying they're all going

to open it and interact with it,

338

: 00:18:36

but it's a much higher percentage.

339

: 00:18:37

I think it's like social

media is about 5%.

340

: 00:18:40

I think, uh, email in the

music business is around 28%.

341

: 00:18:43

percent

342

: 00:18:44

So it's a much better conversion.

343

: 00:18:46

And, with my email list, I try to

have fun, I try to, I try to give more

344

: 00:18:51

than I ask, um, and I try to make sure

that the people who are on my list are

345

: 00:18:55

really getting something out of it, but

at the same time, you know, if I roll

346

: 00:18:58

out a new merch item and I send out an

email, I get a lot of people who buy it

347

: 00:19:02

because They like what I do, and they

also like the shirt or the hat, you know.

348

: 00:19:07

And it's much easier to get

their attention that way.

349

: 00:19:09

Jason English (Host): Is merch,

is that where you, is that where

350

: 00:19:11

the profit margin is the best

351

: 00:19:13

Wyatt Edmondson: yeah, I mean, if you

want to talk about profit margin, I

352

: 00:19:15

think CDs are actually where it's at.

353

: 00:19:17

Jason English (Host):

people still buying the

354

: 00:19:18

Wyatt Edmondson: yeah, especially,

especially if you sign it.

355

: 00:19:21

I always joke with people.

356

: 00:19:23

I'll tell you this, like one thing I did

for my album that, came out last year

357

: 00:19:26

was the first 200 copies I numbered.

358

: 00:19:29

And signed.

359

: 00:19:30

And so people really latched onto that.

360

: 00:19:33

I mean, that increases

the value right there.

361

: 00:19:34

You know, if you've got number

copy, number five and it's signed,

362

: 00:19:38

that's unique, you know, and so

that increases the value and it

363

: 00:19:41

doesn't cost me anything but my time.

364

: 00:19:43

I sold out of those first 200 copies

in about a month, because of that.

365

: 00:19:47

And then once I stopped numbering

'em, the sales slowed down a little

366

: 00:19:49

bit, but he was still signing them.

367

: 00:19:51

And you know, I always joke

with people at shows, I'm like.

368

: 00:19:55

You know, if you don't have a CD player

anymore, this thing doubles nicely as a

369

: 00:19:58

drink coaster, you know, and they laugh

and, and then they buy it, you know,

370

: 00:20:02

Jason English (Host): Well, I know

the whole vinyl thing is, coming

371

: 00:20:04

back I just bought a record player

this year and I'm all into it.

372

: 00:20:08

I had no idea the CDs were

also making a comeback.

373

: 00:20:11

Wyatt Edmondson: The company I use

in Nashville, I think I get my CDs

374

: 00:20:13

for like a little over 2, and I

turn around and sell them for 10.

375

: 00:20:17

So that's like almost a 5x, you

know, but vinyl is finals about Yeah.

376

: 00:20:21

Yeah.

377

: 00:20:22

Maybe a 2x, maybe a little bit less,

378

: 00:20:24

Jason English (Host): good.

379

: 00:20:25

Yeah.

380

: 00:20:26

Wyatt Edmondson: but still, you know,

it's, it's good to have and, uh,

381

: 00:20:30

you know, my record, I, I personally

believe sounds best on vinyl.

382

: 00:20:33

So I think for the, for the

listener, it's worth it.

383

: 00:20:36

Jason English (Host): For the music

fans out there, your advice to them,

384

: 00:20:38

what's the best way for them to

actually support their favorite artists?

385

: 00:20:42

Is it the Venmo support?

386

: 00:20:45

Is it the merchandise combination?

387

: 00:20:47

Wyatt Edmondson: The best way to support,

and not even just on what's going to

388

: 00:20:50

net me the most profit, but just what's

going to net me the most satisfaction

389

: 00:20:55

is, is something transactional like

buying my album, or, maybe even hiring

390

: 00:21:00

me to come and perform at like a house

concert, you know, those kinds of things.

391

: 00:21:04

I've had people before just give

me a, a big old tip or something

392

: 00:21:08

like that, and that's awesome.

393

: 00:21:09

I love that, but sometimes it almost

feels, like they're doing it because they

394

: 00:21:13

think that you're struggling, and it's

like, well, I'm not, but I do appreciate

395

: 00:21:18

that, you know, and it's, it's always from

a place of love, but buying the, buying

396

: 00:21:22

the music, listening to it, sharing it.

397

: 00:21:25

I had a fan in Massachusetts who bought

30 copies of my CD and just gave it

398

: 00:21:29

away to friends and that was awesome.

399

: 00:21:31

And so.

400

: 00:21:32

Yeah, I mean that kind of

stuff really means a lot to me.

401

: 00:21:36

Jason English (Host): The streaming

platforms, it's great as a fan, right?

402

: 00:21:39

Cause you can, it's all right at

your fingertips, it's just a way for

403

: 00:21:42

you to get your art out there, right?

404

: 00:21:43

Wyatt Edmondson: Yeah, I mean, I

think at this, this stage, especially

405

: 00:21:46

if you're an independent artist, um,

streaming is just a marketing platform.

406

: 00:21:51

Um, and a lot of times you have to spend

money to make money with streaming, you

407

: 00:21:55

know, they, I mean, just like in the old

days of payola and radio and things like

408

: 00:21:59

that, there's Spotify playlist curators

now who, will charge you a fee to place

409

: 00:22:05

their place, your song on their playlist.

410

: 00:22:08

And, you know, it's, it's, it's not

as uncommon as you would think, um.

411

: 00:22:12

They always want to tell you,

Oh, you're going to make it back

412

: 00:22:14

in streams and stuff, but it

doesn't always work out that way.

413

: 00:22:17

But what it does, if you, if you work

with the right curators, you do get on

414

: 00:22:19

lists that have organic listeners and,

and it does end up growing your brand.

415

: 00:22:24

And so I think there's just a

give and take and a balance.

416

: 00:22:27

And then also, you know, paid advertising

on things like Facebook and Instagram

417

: 00:22:32

and Tik Tok is, is a real, is a really

big way people are getting their,

418

: 00:22:37

their, their reach out there these days.

419

: 00:22:43

Jason English (Host): you

know, the music, right.

420

: 00:22:44

And your art.

421

: 00:22:45

I'm still blown away by the way, by

this song, Finch concept, maybe I'm

422

: 00:22:50

like late to the game there, but

that's, yeah, that's really interesting.

423

: 00:22:53

Um, but yeah, your music.

424

: 00:22:54

So did you, you released

an album last year, right?

425

: 00:22:59

Wyatt Edmondson: it's called Made

for the Road and I was releasing a

426

: 00:23:03

slew of singles throughout the year

and then the full album dropped

427

: 00:23:06

on September the 15th last year.

428

: 00:23:09

Jason English (Host): That's awesome.

429

: 00:23:10

What has music meant to you in your life?

430

: 00:23:15

Wyatt Edmondson: Well, it certainly

means more to me than the business

431

: 00:23:17

analytics, you know, I mean Most

musicians aren't really the best

432

: 00:23:21

CEOs, you know, but I think honestly,

433

: 00:23:25

My dad's a musician and He got me

into it early on Just the love of good

434

: 00:23:32

music and and playing the guitar I

started playing the guitar when I was

435

: 00:23:36

a preteen, you know, and I I saw that

he did it sort of semi professionally.

436

: 00:23:43

He was sort of a weekend warrior band guy.

437

: 00:23:46

He was a lawyer by day and would play

in rock bands on the weekends and stuff.

438

: 00:23:49

And I, I saw him do that and I was

like, I, I don't even, I wasn't even

439

: 00:23:53

thinking about the money at first.

440

: 00:23:55

I was like, I just want to do that.

441

: 00:23:56

I just want to play in a band.

442

: 00:23:57

You know, so I, me and some buddies

in high school put a band together.

443

: 00:24:01

We started playing and right about the

time that was getting serious I found out

444

: 00:24:04

about my, eye condition, my diagnosis,

and, I think in that moment, I know

445

: 00:24:09

actually, God spoke to me, and, it was

sort of a realization of, You've been met

446

: 00:24:13

with this challenge, but here's something

that you'll never be hindered by your

447

: 00:24:19

vision to do, and that's to play and sing.

448

: 00:24:21

And so it, it really just catapulted me

into getting real serious about making

449

: 00:24:26

that my living and making that my job.

450

: 00:24:28

And so I started gigging all

the time, and that's what I did

451

: 00:24:30

all the way through college.

452

: 00:24:31

I never had a real job.

453

: 00:24:33

The only real job I ever had was in the

middle of COVID for about six months.

454

: 00:24:37

I got a little remote computer job

because there was nothing to do,

455

: 00:24:41

you know, but that was it, man.

456

: 00:24:42

You know, that's the only

job I've ever had is music.

457

: 00:24:45

And so I just continued to try to find

new ways to make it work, but the art

458

: 00:24:50

Inspired that.

459

: 00:24:51

And I wrote my first song

when I was probably 16.

460

: 00:24:55

And, I just remember the high that

I got from that, and then hearing

461

: 00:24:58

my first song played by a band.

462

: 00:25:02

And then hearing my first song recorded,

and then hearing my first song on the

463

: 00:25:05

radio, you know, like all those things.

464

: 00:25:08

It just, it never gets old, you know?

465

: 00:25:12

Jason English (Host):

You're legally blind, right?

466

: 00:25:14

Yeah.

467

: 00:25:15

How has that changed or affected

your, uh, again, the song writing.

468

: 00:25:20

There's obviously lots of

different sources of material.

469

: 00:25:23

Does it creep in?

470

: 00:25:24

Does it creep into that process?

471

: 00:25:27

Wyatt Edmondson: Well, if it does in its

own way, I mean, I don't, I haven't yet,

472

: 00:25:30

I'm not gonna say that I don't, but I

haven't yet really written, written a song

473

: 00:25:34

about being blind or anything like that.

474

: 00:25:37

But, one of the things I always

tell my co writers that I do,

475

: 00:25:40

and it's really out of necessity.

476

: 00:25:42

Because I'm not able to read,

handwriting on a page or anything.

477

: 00:25:46

I am able to use some accessibility

functions through my Like phone

478

: 00:25:50

and, and computer and stuff.

479

: 00:25:51

But what I typically do when I'm

creating songs is I'll write something

480

: 00:25:55

down and then as quickly as I write

it down, I try to recall it in my own

481

: 00:25:59

mind and because, and it's because I

can't read it, you know, so, and what

482

: 00:26:03

I think it does is it refines my lyrics

to just be more memorable because you

483

: 00:26:08

have to remember it right now, and

so I'll, think a lot of songwriters,

484

: 00:26:12

they write something on the page and

then they're instantly married to it.

485

: 00:26:16

You know, whereas to me, I write

something down, and then I have to

486

: 00:26:19

recall it, and typically when I recall

it, I actually recall something that's

487

: 00:26:23

slightly different, but maybe a better

488

: 00:26:25

Jason English (Host): slightly

different, but maybe a better.

489

: 00:26:27

it puts a little bit finer touch

on the process So it's, it puts

490

: 00:26:31

just forces my brain to work a

little bit more, and it forces it

491

: 00:26:35

to get more and more efficient.

492

: 00:26:37

You know, I want my songs to be

memorable, and if I can't recall it in

493

: 00:26:42

the next second, then maybe it needs

to be rethought a little bit, you know.

494

: 00:26:48

Wyatt Edmondson: Yes, roll tide.

495

: 00:26:52

Jason English (Host): Um, big, yeah.

496

: 00:26:53

Big news on, on Saban this week.

497

: 00:26:55

I've been to a lot of shows

the last couple of years.

498

: 00:26:57

I live in Atlanta so that, there's

a lot, happening in Atlanta.

499

: 00:27:01

Everybody comes through there.

500

: 00:27:02

I think one of the most memorable

performances I've seen in the last two

501

: 00:27:07

years since moving there was at Eddie's

Attic, the blind boys of Alabama.

502

: 00:27:12

And I'll never forget that because

it the group has been around for 70

503

: 00:27:17

years and you know, the, the members

come and go, but they've got the

504

: 00:27:19

band going and then they make their

entrance and they have their hands

505

: 00:27:22

on their shoulders going up on stage.

506

: 00:27:24

And then, obviously they

sing it's, it's beautiful.

507

: 00:27:27

The joy in that whole experience, you

know, I, I've, I thought to myself

508

: 00:27:30

like that's the power of music, you

know, it's like, People, we all have

509

: 00:27:35

challenges, you know, whether they're

self inflicted, whether they're,

510

: 00:27:38

you know, from, from whatever.

511

: 00:27:39

And to see that, to see them do what

they did for two hours, I was like,

512

: 00:27:45

this is what music is all about.

513

: 00:27:46

Wyatt Edmondson: Yeah, I mean, I can

Just speak to my own experience, but

514

: 00:27:50

I bet you it's the same for, for them.

515

: 00:27:52

Like, when you do something well,

particularly if you have a disability,

516

: 00:27:57

but you're able to do something very

well, and people respect you for it, it

517

: 00:28:01

just, it just fulfills you, and it just

makes you feel like you're providing a

518

: 00:28:06

meaningful contribution to the greater

society, the greater culture, you know,

519

: 00:28:11

and I think there's, sadly, there's a

lot of people out there who struggle with

520

: 00:28:14

disabilities that haven't found that out.

521

: 00:28:17

Avenue for themselves yet, and they might

feel like I just I don't have anything

522

: 00:28:21

to offer, you know, and as a musician,

Whenever I play shows, I always talk

523

: 00:28:26

about how like I'm not able to drive a

car but because of music I've traveled

524

: 00:28:30

the world, and that's that is God that

that is the power of fate and and the

525

: 00:28:38

power of a story and the power of just

526

: 00:28:42

Living life to the fullest, you know,

and and finding ways to do the things

527

: 00:28:46

that you really want to do and people

I want to say people are inspired by

528

: 00:28:50

me, but I mean they connect with that

529

: 00:28:53

connect with that idea

530

: 00:28:54

Everybody has a story.

531

: 00:28:55

Everybody has something they've

chased after in their lives.

532

: 00:28:59

And when you get it, when you

find it, it just empowers you.

533

: 00:29:03

It empowers you to keep

534

: 00:29:04

Jason English (Host): Yeah, I mean,

a mission has always been the same.

535

: 00:29:09

A mission is

536

: 00:29:14

Wyatt Edmondson: Yeah, I mean, I think

my mission has always been the same.

537

: 00:29:18

The mission is really just to

have a life that I am proud of.

538

: 00:29:24

One of my late professors, Robert W.

539

: 00:29:27

Smith has been a huge mentor to me.

540

: 00:29:29

He just passed away.

541

: 00:29:30

Um, but he, he always

said, I don't have a job.

542

: 00:29:34

I have a life.

543

: 00:29:35

And that's, that's how

I've always wanted to feel.

544

: 00:29:38

And that's how I do

feel, I wouldn't be me.

545

: 00:29:40

of that mindset if it

weren't for people like him.

546

: 00:29:45

It's very important.

547

: 00:29:46

I've written some faith based songs,

but I just carry my faith around with

548

: 00:29:50

me, and, and I try to be, especially

when I'm in the, the view of the public

549

: 00:29:56

eye or anything, I, I definitely try to

just be the type of person that Other

550

: 00:30:02

people will gain something from, you

know, and I'm not, I'm not an evangelist.

551

: 00:30:08

I don't necessarily think that is the best

methodology of spreading the Word of God.

552

: 00:30:15

Jason English (Host): The, the

podcasts that I'm doing, like

553

: 00:30:17

I said, it's a passion project.

554

: 00:30:18

It was inspired by the

television show, Ted Lasso.

555

: 00:30:22

So I'm not sure how much you

watch that, but curiosity is,

556

: 00:30:25

was a big component of that.

557

: 00:30:26

And then this idea of being a

goldfish, which is all about, you

558

: 00:30:30

know, forgetting what happened a minute

ago, two minutes ago in an effort

559

: 00:30:35

to move forward and be positive.

560

: 00:30:37

Right.

561

: 00:30:37

So when it comes to curiosity, what

are you, what are you curious about?

562

: 00:30:41

A self

563

: 00:30:42

Wyatt Edmondson: That's awesome, um

564

: 00:30:43

Self development, I think is

the best way I can say that.

565

: 00:30:47

I've always

566

: 00:30:48

Enjoyed consuming Literature or videos or

you know listening having conversations

567

: 00:30:55

with others about how we can be the

best versions of ourselves I've never

568

: 00:31:00

been that interested in fiction.

569

: 00:31:01

You know, I've always really been

interested in just becoming a better

570

: 00:31:06

version of myself but In a way, you

already are your best version of yourself.

571

: 00:31:11

You just have to be aware

of that and be present.

572

: 00:31:14

And so, I've gotten a lot out

of, authors like Eckhart Tolle.

573

: 00:31:19

If you've ever heard of The Power

of Now, that book changed my life.

574

: 00:31:22

Books on just How to be a person

who has a life of affluence, to be a

575

: 00:31:28

person who doesn't want for anything

but has what they, what they need.

576

: 00:31:33

I'm always curious for people who

have, Insight or share that passion,

577

: 00:31:38

you know I always want to get inside

someone else's head and just see

578

: 00:31:42

what what what works for them and how

they are their best self You know,

579

: 00:31:46

Jason English (Host): That's great.

580

: 00:31:47

So it's January, 2024,

: 2023

581

: 00:31:51

What are your goals for the

rest of this year and beyond?

582

: 00:31:53

I think I read somewhere where

one day you want to be on stage

583

: 00:31:57

or tour with Drivin' and Crying.

584

: 00:31:59

They're playing here tonight.

585

: 00:32:01

Are you gonna, are you gonna be able to

find, find them and make that happen?

586

: 00:32:04

Wyatt Edmondson: I'd love to Absolutely.

587

: 00:32:06

Those guys are awesome.

588

: 00:32:07

Kevin Kinney and and the rest of

the group is they're they're great

589

: 00:32:10

musicians opening for a A larger act is

always something that's on the docket.

590

: 00:32:17

It's always something, it's always a goal.

591

: 00:32:19

I did a lot of touring last year.

592

: 00:32:21

I actually ended up, running

myself into the ground.

593

: 00:32:23

I struggled with a little bit

of, uh, vocal issues last year.

594

: 00:32:25

I had to cancel about a

month's worth of my tour dates.

595

: 00:32:28

Uh, I had to go to a speech therapist

and figure out what I was doing

596

: 00:32:32

incorrectly and, and fix that.

597

: 00:32:34

And I'm, I'm back to 110

percent now, so that's great.

598

: 00:32:37

But this year, I think my biggest goal

is to sow my seeds around Nashville,

599

: 00:32:44

to co write with, people who are

exactly where I want to be as a

600

: 00:32:49

songwriter, and I do think that That

is the fastest track to getting those

601

: 00:32:54

opportunities like you're talking about.

602

: 00:32:56

You know, if you write a song with

one of the guys in Drivin and Crying

603

: 00:32:59

as an example, and they love it,

604

: 00:33:01

And even if they don't cut it, but still,

they have a, you now have a relationship.

605

: 00:33:05

And they might say, hey Wyatt, I really

like you man, and like we want to

606

: 00:33:09

bring you out on the road, and, and

like let's do some of that, you know.

607

: 00:33:12

And so that is, I think

that's how that stuff happens.

608

: 00:33:15

It's not why I'm doing it, I'm

doing it to make great songs.

609

: 00:33:19

And, but I'm, the relationships

and the, result of, of that

610

: 00:33:23

is, is a great, is a great perk,

611

: 00:33:27

Jason English (Host): awesome.

612

: 00:33:27

Well, thanks for being here.

613

: 00:33:29

Good luck this year.

614

: 00:33:31

And, uh, I would love if you

played a couple of songs.

615

: 00:33:34

Wyatt Edmondson: love to, man.

616

: 00:33:34

Let's do it.

617

: 00:33:35

Thanks for having me, by

618

: 00:33:36

Jason English (Host): Thanks.

619

: 00:33:36

It was a pleasure.

620

: 00:33:37

Appreciate you.

621

: 00:41:54

.

Thanks so much for joining us for another episode of Curious Goldfish.

622

: 00:41:58

Please follow and subscribe to

the podcast and on social media.

623

: 00:42:01

Also, tell your music

loving friends about us too.

624

: 00:42:05

Until next time, stay curious.