I caught up with Caleb Caudle to talk about his new record, among a few other random things. Here’s how our chat went:
Laura: When does "Paint Another Layer On My Heart" come out?
Caleb: It comes out June 24th, unless something crazy happens.
L: Tell me about your inspiration for the writing of this album and how this album differs from your previous works.
C: This was the first album I made since deciding to just tour full time, and since I’d moved from North Carolina to New Orleans. I just think a lot of this record has to do with love and distance and all that comes along with that.
L: What made you decide to tour full time?
C: I just kind of thought it was time to just go all in.
L: What was the biggest milestone in the process of creating this album?
C: Um…hum…I guess just being able to find the right band that I wanted for it and getting everyone’s schedule. It’s hard to get 7 or 8 peoples schedules to work out. So that was pretty awesome that all that happened and then I could make the record I wanted to make
L: Tell me about some of the guest that appears on your album. I know Lydia had mentioned that she’s on it when I talked with her. Who else do you have on there?
C: Um. Whit Wright from American Aquarium plays the pedal steel, then my buddy Greg Herndon played keys and the rest of the band was comprised of a rhythm section and lead guitar from a band called Roseland out of Greensboro NC.
L: Are they friends of yours or did you seek them out because you like their music?
C: Well they’re my friends and it’s kind of both, we toured together last fall and they backed me up on five songs and they just sound really good.
L: What’s your favorite track on this album and why?
C: Hmmm. Um… I don’t know that. I like the last two and I like Come On October a lot and I like Trade All The Lights a whole lot, I don’t know it kind of varies from day to day. They’re all included for a reason so… kind of hard to pick my favorite.
L: That’s fair, it’s probably easier when you’re not objective to choose your favorite song on an album but when they’re yours they’re like your kids. In the past you’ve toured with some really great musicians, who will you be touring with this year?
C: Right now I’m about to…, me and Aaron Lee Tasjan are about to do a 3 week thing up and down the East coast and then after that I’ll be home for a little over a week then me and Matt Woods are starting a tour from Florida to Texas.
L: I’m personally excited about that, just throwing that out there.
C: Yeah, I was just talking to Matt and we were booking some shows in Florida and it should be good.
L: What’s the most interesting or memorable story from a previous tour?
C: Me and John (Moreland) had some pretty good shows, the Austin show we played with Chris Porter and it was really good. I don’t know, that was fun in Austin, and me and John and Todd Farrell played some in Nashville and that went really well too. I don’t know, I like playing with John, he’s like the next, like you know what everyone should be aspiring to write like.
L: I agree. How has touring with the talent that you’ve toured with affected your writing? Like John would be a good example, I’d scrap everything I ever wrote if I compared myself to him, not that you’re that way, but I would be.
C: I think the biggest affect is I showed John two songs that I was trying to decide which one to go on the record and he told me to choose Come On October and that couldn’t have been more right, now listening back, and that was cool to have someone’s ear that I respect as a writer too. Kind of- as that one (the song) works.
L: Who do you listen to the most often, who is your favorite?
C: My favorite singer of all time is Percy Sledge. And I’m a big Gram Parsons fan. And Townes Van Zandt fan. As far as current stuff goes, I mean Lydia, Hurray for the Riff Raff’s, Robert Ellis, the new Sturgill Simpson, you know I feel like I listen to my friends mostly, Andrew Combs I really like Andrew Combs, Joe Fletcher kind of just all my friends.
L: That’s okay, you’ve got a lot of really good friends. I tend to listen to all your friends. So a random question, your new shirt depicts your very unique style tell me about your extra large hat and how that came to be your signature look.
C: Well I started out with a smaller hat and I went full on and I had like four or five 10 gallons that I would kind of rotate and then I started thinking that’s kind of ridiculous so I just found a median ground.
L: I just didn’t know if you were doing it to be ironic or what the story was.
C: Oh no irony is lost on me. If you like it, it doesn’t matter if it’s ironic or not.
L: I think it’s great that you have a very vintage style, I wish more guys would dress that way. When you’re not touring and you’re at home in New Orleans what do you do for your down time?
C: Well I’m constantly planning the next tour since I’m doing all the booking myself you know. There are about 10 or 15 people that I’ll talk to about going out on tour that I think are somewhat similar and try to book tours together. Sorry I was kind of going on, down time...Yeah, downtime I run, I cook, and I watch football when it’s football season, besides music.
L: Cool. If you could have written any song ever what it would have been and why?
C: Um, I guess I’d have to say "Hickory Wind" because I have it tattooed on me. I’ll go with that. It’s just somewhat my life story within a song and that’s pretty sweet.
L: I think everyone should have one song they wish they’d wrote.
So visit Caleb’s spot on the internet here:
https://www.facebook.com/calebcaudlemusic?fref=ts
But you’re missing out if you don’t get out and see him…here’s his list of tour dates:
http://calebcaudle.com/shows
And you can check out one of the songs from the new album here: https://soundcloud.com/this-is-american-music/caleb-caudle-howd-you-learn
Contributed to Empty Bottles And Broken Souls by Laura Allmond.
