Latest / The Scene Projects / Willie Thornton on Music, Authenticity, and the Art of Songwriting

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Willie Thornton on Music, Authenticity, and the Art of Songwriting · The Scene Projects

• 0:02
  Welcome into another exciting episode of the scene.
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  I am your host, Bubba Starts, and with me today is host of the podcast soul impact, how music
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  saved us, my good buddy, Willie Thorne.
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  Welcome to the show, Willie.
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  Thank you.
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  Thank you for having me.
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  Technically, I should say welcome back to the show, but we lost an episode of yours a few
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  weeks back.
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  So
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  It's all good.
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  Things have
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  Especially in the podcasting world.
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  Well and I'm actually kinda glad it did happen because the last time we spoke, the podcast was
• 0:32
  kinda just of an an idea.
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  And, since then, you've been able to kind of, pull yourself up and you got four episodes out
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  already, and and a lot happened in a short amount of time.
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  So before we get into all the things that you're up to now, I know you had a very
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  exciting day today as well.
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  Why don't you give us a little bit of your backstory for our listeners, and we'll jump
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  into the current events?
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  A little bit of my backstory is I run backwards production DJ karaoke business slash sound
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  company.
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  I gotta add that one now.
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  And over the last couple years, and I've really got to be a part of the music industry and
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  seeing young, young, and coming artists really make a name for their self.
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  And it kinda brought me back to my love of music and how the therapeutic qualities of
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  music.
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  You know?
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  And that's what the whole podcast is about.
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  It's talking about that stuff that nobody wants to talk about, that they idolize artists
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  nowadays that you know, people don't mean to, but they do.
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  Like, oh my goodness.
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  Look at this person.
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  He's never struggled a day in his life.
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  Well, the reality is just as we fake it till we make it don't mean we hadn't had that struggle
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  with our mental health, going through divorce or whatever the situation is.
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  So my way, putting a story out there for people to relate to.
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  I love it.
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  I love it.
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  I loved being a guest on your show and getting to share a little bit of my story and how music
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  quite literally has saved me, from starvation, from a lot of other things that could have
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  happened, and it saves me every day.
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  Right?
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  The scene projects in so many ways has become the, you know, my my connection to other
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  creators, my my outlet for my own personal feelings.
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  Right?
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  So I was thrilled when you came to me with the idea of a show.
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  I was, thrilled to have a little hand in naming it and, helping you out with some other stuff
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  too.
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  I mean, really, Willie, you're you're one of our first, you know, students of the Scene
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  Projects podcast school.
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  And much of our curriculum is, well, hit record and see what happens.
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  And then we can kind of walk with you and beside you.
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  I don't necessarily wanna, you know, show you, and for others as well that, you know, I I
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  don't want to just kinda show you the way that I did it and say this is how it's done.
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  Right?
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  It's it's probably not how it's done, but I can show you through my own experience how you may
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  be able to go about doing it.
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  And I think that's what's really cool about, you know, your podcast is not only how it
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  developed, but, I think you're gonna open a lot of people's eyes with your podcast as well that
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  you don't have to be, like, a radio vet and a and a pro at this podcasting thing to be
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  curious about people, to be curious about what motivates an artist, and then to share that
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  with the world.
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  I think it's beautiful what you're doing, brother.
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  No.
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  I appreciate it.
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  I mean, it it takes a love for it.
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  I mean, the love for music on both sides.
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  You know?
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  I I would love to be able to say I'm musically talented, and I can pick your instrument like
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  no other.
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  But in all reality, I can't.
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  That's why I'm a sound guy.
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  I can't play an instrument, so I'm I'm gonna help make the sound.
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  I'm gonna help put it out there for the audience to enjoy.
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  Yeah.
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  And you're doing a great job of it.
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  We were, together at Vibe Fest out there at Captain Jack's Campground, a recent guest on
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  the podcast as well.
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  And, we had a great time.
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  Right?
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  All all things aside, it was hot.
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  It was muggy.
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  You know, we faced some challenges out there.
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  And but a blessing in all of that was definitely getting to meet you, continuing to,
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  you know, water this budding friendship that that we have going and to help you in in every
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  way to achieve the dreams that you have.
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  Right?
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  I I think just having a podcast was a bit of a dream before we started talking.
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  And and now look at you.
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  You're you're already way ahead of the game than most people ever get that have the same
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  dream that you do.
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  Oh, for sure.
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  I mean and it's the values I'm trying to instill on my daughter, you know, that it's
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  never too late to pursue what you want.
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  I'm 35 years old.
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  I mean, I'm not that old, but I'm not that young either.
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  I mean so it's better late than never to pursue.
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  I mean, I've always knew that I've been a people person.
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  You know?
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  And this is just one of many ways that I can whether it's interviewing you or putting you in
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  contact with someone else, like, you know, like, you know, just interacting with people.
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  Hey.
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  You really like this guy's music.
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  You should check him out.
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  Or, hey.
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  Hey.
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  You could relate to his story.
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  I mean and everybody has a story.
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  Every song, every lyric, there there's a reason behind them lyrics.
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  There's a lyric behind a reason behind the rhythm of the song, the beat.
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  It ain't just that, you know, when them artists puts their thoughts in the word, they just
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  gonna jot down the first song's words that come to their head and, alright.
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  That's it, boys.
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  That's a wrap.
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  That's the song.
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  You mean, that ideal may stem from that initial song, but they're gonna go from that initial
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  song, and they're gonna edit it.
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  They're gonna put some heart into it, and they're gonna go as they're on their way.
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  And that song, whether it was a song through a divorce or through losing a childhood best
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  friend or whatever the situation is, that the rawness in that is gonna be refined as they go
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  through their process.
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  And as a songwriter myself, I I think what is really cool about, you know, the storytelling
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  aspect is that and I just had the conversation with another friend who's just you know, I'm
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  tired of telling my story.
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  Right?
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  I'm telling I'm tired of telling the sad story.
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  Right?
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  And what songwriting has allowed us to do is to, you know, to put ourselves and our
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  experience in a story, but maybe we can change the names.
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  Right?
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  And and in some way, we're revealing something about ourselves, but we're able to put
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  something in between us and whatever that feeling was.
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  And I know that my songs personally have definitely been that.
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  It's a way for me to, in some ways, detach from the the intensity of it.
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  Right?
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  And to look at it from a little bit different angle to examine that and then to share that
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  out into the world and to realize that you're not alone.
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  I think that's the dream of the artist, and you're giving now the opportunity for these
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  artists to tell the story behind the stories that you know.
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  The stories as a song that you know and you love, now you get to go in a little bit deeper
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  and to, examine what it is maybe that affected that artist so much to write that song.
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  And something really cool and I know you were on the radio just earlier today before we
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  talked, I got to listen to it.
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  And even something that your that the host of the show you were on today kind of alluded to
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  with his music, right, is that, you know, going through a divorce or something, and he can
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  write about that, but he can change the names and change the story enough that it it's not
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  autobiographical, but it it allowed you to kinda work through those things.
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  Talk about how, you know, you want your podcast to be this vessel for artists and songwriters
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  like me to do just what we're talking about?
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  My vision for this is pretty simple.
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  It's well, for right now, it's pretty simple.
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  My vision for this is I wanna I want to be able to connect artists that are has used, you know,
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  songs to get them through stuff, whether it's writing a song, hearing a song, or being part
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  of collaborating and writing a song, whatever the situation is.
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  You know?
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  I believe that songs are and and I said this on the radio this morning, and I'll say it again,
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  that there are songs that you need in your points in your life that it's gonna affect you
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  differently when you're going through the fire than when you hear it for the first time.
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  And I said this this morning, and I'll stand by this.
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  It's a Rascal Flatts song.
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  What hurts the most is, you know, I like the song.
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  I always like the song.
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  But when I went through my divorce, that song almost brought me healing, and I looked at it
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  different.
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  And that's part of this podcast is I want people to relate not just to the music, but to
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  the artist.
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  You know?
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  Because so much of writing, like you said, is storytelling.
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  It's putting yourself out there, the vulnerability.
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  Just as you write them songs about going through divorce, losing a child, whatever being
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  in prison, whatever the situation is, that there's gonna be people that say, oh, man.
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  I really get the beat.
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  I really like the song.
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  But deep down, there's something to that song, whether it's a story inspired by a buddy or a
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  story you went through yourself.
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  So when someone like you, you know, me and you have talked a whole bunch over the last month
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  and a half or however long it's been, that I don't know every part of your story, but I know
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  enough of your story about, you know, how you got your start, your journey you've had to come
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  through to this.
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  And that's basically what I want my podcast to be about is the fact that just because you're
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  not an artist and you're dealing with depression, anxiety, whatever the label society
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  has put on it, there there's hope for you.
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  You don't have to, oh, I'm going through a divorce.
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  I'm just gonna put my head be head between my legs, and there's no more.
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  You know?
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  This is the end for me.
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  Because if if all reality, if I wouldn't have had music through my divorce, like, I never
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  quit DJing while I was going through my divorce.
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  I stuck with it.
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  Yes.
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  It was hard, and there were songs that triggered something.
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  But through them times, with them songs where they triggered something, it also helped kill
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  me.
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  And I would not be where I am today through my divorce without music and without hearing them
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  songs that I necessarily didn't wanna hear that were requested.
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  So, you know, music has a funny way of working.
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  It really does.
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  Because just when you think you're over something, you're gonna hear a song that says,
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  man, maybe I really haven't dealt with.
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  Maybe I need to deal with forgiving somebody or letting go of my past, getting freedom from my
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  addiction.
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  Whatever the situation is, music allows you to start getting the freedom from whatever
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  struggle you're going.
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  Totally.
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  Totally.
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  And it hasn't even it hasn't even been a month.
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  Really?
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  That feels like a lifetime, buddy, and not in a bad way.
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  No.
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  Not at all.
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  Not at all.
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  I I was just happy to glance at the calendar and be like, yeah.
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  It hasn't been that long at all, but we became such fast friends and truly brothers.
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  I was smiling ear to ear, listening to your radio interview.
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  Big shout out to you for the shout out.
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  Thank you for that.
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  I think it's great, and it's accelerated so quickly for you.
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  Do you feel like it's almost moving too fast?
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  Are you gonna be able to hang on and maintain?
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  Okay.
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  Listen.
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  There's a little worry there.
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  There it is.
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  Because I got a lot on my plate.
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  And right now, it's learning the balance.
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  You know?
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  Whether it's doing a podcast when my daughter's in bed or down for a nap or no.
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  Yesterday, I did a podcast, and she woke up during the afternoon, and she come out.
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  And she did really good staying out of the camera, but Chad from the podcast I did
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  yesterday kept hearing her a little bit on the podcast.
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  I mean, I want this not so much to be professional.
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  Yeah.
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  I wanna be professional, but I want the realization to be there that life happens.
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  You know, whether it's your daughter coming out in the middle of a show and you have to pause
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  it and saying, alright.
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  I need you to be quiet.
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  Daddy's doing something.
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  Or the frustration that comes in something, I want people to you know, them hard, gritty
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  conversations.
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  Like, for me, it was my abuse as a child.
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  Okay?
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  Music saved me.
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  I can't tell you how many times I've tried to take care of myself, if you know where I'm
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  going with that.
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  And music, time and time again, has been that saving grace.
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  Now when I'm at the end of my rope, it was at the end of my rope when my dad died, even
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  though he was abusive and not in the picture, my biological father, to where music has
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  allowed me to give back.
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  You know?
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  We had an incident happened at Vibe Fest, but we were able to play music to lift the spirits
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  back up.
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  That's the thing about music is you know?
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  And I can think of a couple songs just off the top of my head just to keep it shuffle and cha
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  cha slide.
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  When people hear them songs, they're either dancing or they're smiling about the people
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  that dance.
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  So you don't realize it, but there's therapy there.
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  For one, it gets your body moving.
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  You're laughing, smiling.
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  You know?
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  That's part of healing.
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  So, you know, it just takes a small tidbit of love because, you know, you can tell, like and
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  I said this when you come on my podcast, and I will stand by this.
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  The amount of heart you put into you, your stuff, you can see Whether it's doing a cover
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  like you did the Jimmy Buffett cover out there at.
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  Whether it's your own stuff you wrote, you could see the heart you put in everything you
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  perform, everything you see, and it's not just strolling through the motions.
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  You know?
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  You you and that's where people get the most out of the artist.
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  It's like and I think that's the benefit of writing your own music because there are some
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  artists that don't, and I'm not knocking their ability to perform.
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  But you get them artists that But they're all into it.
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  You can tell when someone an artist can relate to a situation versus just having the lyrics
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  there.
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  Well and I think that I think you're kinda touching on something that's pretty important
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  to me because I work with both things.
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  And I think you can kinda put musicians into two categories, really.
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  Like, you have performers, and then you have And I and I think the big difference is is that
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  performers are going out to to merely perform the music that's in front of them.
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  Right?
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  Much in the an orchestra or something.
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  An artist, in the way that I, at least, I look at it, right, because this is the way I look at
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  myself is that I'm trying to communicate a feeling.
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  I'm trying to build a community around myself and in some ways trying to insulate myself from
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  the world, right, by building that community around me.
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  And that's why an artist, will will treat their craft much differently than someone who is
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  merely, performing songs.
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  Right?
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  It's not to say that I don't go out and perform songs, but I I have to lead with my heart
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  because if I'm not, I don't think you're going to believe the performance.
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  And that may be unique to myself.
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  I don't believe it to be, but but it might be.
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  Right?
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  I'm speaking from my own experience, but it is it's fundamental to the to the person that I am
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  and what I'm trying to do when I step on any stage that you know not just the songs that I'm
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  playing, but who I am as a person.
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  That you are leaving however long the show is, you are walking away going, I kinda know him.
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  And I kinda know where he's coming from.
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  And and I'm very good about sharing my story through the songs, but it's only in writing
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  songs that I'm truly able to do that.
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  Someone else's song can only take me so far into expressing myself.
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  I have to have my own words and my own lived experience expressed in that way.
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  And I think that's the major difference between someone who is a can be an incredibly
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  phenomenal musician and a songwriter.
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  Right?
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  And and I think that for you, that you're much more interested in, you know I mean, obviously,
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  you'll talk to anyone whose music has affected you, but when it comes to the musicians that
• 18:43
  you want to have on, that you're really you really want these artists.
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  You wanna get these stories out and to build this reputation of being the place where
• 18:53
  artists come to to kinda share those deeper stories.
• 18:59
  Yeah.
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  Yeah.
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  That's exactly what I want.
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  Not that I'm gonna shoo away anybody.
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  Like, I actually have been talking to, I can't remember her name, excuse me, but Charlotte.
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  Isn't that her name?
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  Yep.
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  About being on the path test to tell about how she's seen music impact the veterans.
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  So I'm not gonna turn anyone away per se, but my main goal is the artist and the people in
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  the music industry, whereas there is producers, festivals coordinators.
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  You know?
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  That stuff take a lot of talent too and a lot of heart.
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  So it's the stuff that I want people to see, hey.
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  Just because I'm out here performing five days a week or whatever, however often you're
• 19:44
  performing, I'm a real guy too.
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  You know?
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  I'm a real person, and I deal with depression, anxiety, whatever your struggle is.
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  And I keep coming back to that, but, I mean, that's so important is, you know, kids
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  nowadays, you know, they idolize these artists.
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  And when when that artist fails, they're like, I can't believe he did that.
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  I'm done with that artist.
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  You know?
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  Reality is people make mistakes.
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  It's how you're gonna pick yourself up whether you test a lot about your integrity.
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  If you're gonna say, oh, I failed here.
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  I'm gonna stay down in the valley for a while.
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  Or whether you're coming out of the valley or, you know, it's how you define yourself.
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  And a lot about music is how these artists has redefined themselves through their music.
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  You know?
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  And I and like I said, I was not knocking a musician.
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  I wish I'd have half the talent some of them have.
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  Okay?
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  But with songwriting and the artist the artistry that comes within that, there's so
• 21:03
  much more real realization to it because, you know, we talked, and so I got to know you
• 21:11
  outside of your music.
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  But you are dead right.
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  The way you performed your original songs, even if we hadn't talked the night before, the day
• 21:22
  before, I would have felt like I've known you.
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  And that you get that with every artist that writes their own stuff that you can say, I
• 21:31
  relate to this.
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  Like, you know, for me, one of my fondest memories is my oldest son, we were going up to
• 21:39
  Booneville, Missouri.
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  They have a big casino up there that they bring artists to.
• 21:44
  And, actually, Garth Brooks was there, and he was at the gas station we have then they
• 21:53
  stopped at.
• 21:53
  And my my son at the time pointed it out and said, hey, Danny.
• 21:57
  It's that one guy that sings that one song.
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  And he starts singing Friends in Low Places, and probably one of my favorite music moments
• 22:05
  of all times is Garth Brooks actually sung a couple of the lines with him.
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  You know, I had videos over the time, but life happens and I've lost it.
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  But, you know, as far as music, that's what I want people to realize is that you as artists
• 22:22
  are not so much different than the people that are struggling.
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  Just because you don't shrug your struggle now doesn't mean you haven't struggled down the
• 22:33
  road or prior down the road.
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  You know?
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  Or, you know and, you know, you put your heart into it.
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  Like, I put my heart into my business.
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  You know?
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  There's two things I can bet my house three things I can bet on my household.
• 22:49
  I love my daughter.
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  There's nobody ever and I love my kids.
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  Nobody's ever gonna change that.
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  At the end of the day, nobody's gonna change that.
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  Secondly, I believe in my business back with production wholeheartedly.
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  I know it's gonna succeed, and I bet my house on that.
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  Third is this podcast.
• 23:08
  Granted, I only have four episodes out, but I believe wholeheartedly that this is a message
• 23:14
  that people needed to hear because there's so much people criticizing people in today's
• 23:20
  society that suck it up and deal with it and sweep it under the rug.
• 23:26
  Nobody needs to know about it.
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  And as a man, we are we are even worse than society because men don't cry.
• 23:35
  You know?
• 23:35
  You gotta bury that emotion because men don't cry.
• 23:40
  You know?
• 23:40
  And so that garbage, and I'm gonna say it like I think it is, that garbage, It's a part of
• 23:50
  society that I want as my podcast to be able to scratch away.
• 23:54
  You know what?
• 23:55
  Forget that men don't cry.
• 23:56
  Forget that men don't ask for help.
• 24:01
  Forget all that.
• 24:03
  It's time to relearn what the definition of a man is.
• 24:09
  And not just a man, but people in general.
• 24:14
  I say men because, you know, you can relate.
• 24:16
  As a man, we get told to suck it up, deal with it a whole lot.
• 24:20
  And that I'm sure you heard men didn't cry growing up too.
• 24:23
  I I heard it.
• 24:24
  It was beating to me.
• 24:25
  Okay?
• 24:26
  I cried.
• 24:27
  I got more.
• 24:28
  You know?
• 24:29
  But that's the stigma that I wanna break.
• 24:34
  And that's where I see my podcast going is I want people to say, alright.
• 24:41
  At the end of the day, I saw ten minutes of real time with Bubba, and I know, without a
• 24:50
  doubt, Bubba is an outstanding guy and that he has dealt with so many stupid situations in his
• 24:57
  life that he's an amazing person for pulling through this.
• 25:01
  And if he can pull through it, I can pull.
• 25:07
  I think that's a great spot to cut it off today, Willie.
• 25:11
  Obviously, we'll be talking a lot more.
• 25:13
  But for everyone listening, can you go ahead and plug the YouTube page and where they can
• 25:19
  find the podcast, and, I'll let you get out of here.
• 25:23
  Alright.
• 25:24
  Well, for right now, I'm on Spotify.
• 25:26
  You can search Soul Impact.
• 25:28
  Music saved us.
• 25:30
  You can search that on Facebook.
• 25:32
  We now have a Facebook page.
• 25:35
  We're on YouTube.
• 25:36
  And, actually, if you search it on Google, it'll pull up the Facebook page.
• 25:42
  And if you scroll far enough down, it'll pull up the YouTube page.
• 25:46
  So just you know?
• 25:49
  And for those of you that on your community, if you're an artist and you're in the music
• 25:53
  community and you want your voice heard, reach out to me.
• 25:59
  You can actually look me up on Facebook too.
• 26:01
  I don't care if you look my personal page up.
• 26:03
  If you need your story told, reach out.
• 26:06
  I mean, you can reach out to my business page, which is backwards production.
• 26:13
  No matter.
• 26:13
  I mean, if you're an artist and you feel that you have a story, which every artist does, I
• 26:18
  would be happy to help you all put your story out.
• 26:22
  I love it, Willie.
• 26:23
  And I wanna thank you so much for coming on my show and for having me on yours.
• 26:28
  I had a great time sharing a little bit more of my story and obviously recommend all of our
• 26:33
  listeners go and check that episode out wherever you are listening to podcasts or
• 26:39
  following along on YouTube.
• 26:41
  Remember to like and follow us as well.
• 26:45
  Make sure you're following Willie.
• 26:47
  We love you guys.
• 26:48
  You are the reason that we continue to do these episodes, to share these stories so that they
• 26:53
  can change other people's lives.
• 26:56
  And I'll speak for Willie here as well that we're not gonna stop doing what we're doing.
• 27:03
  I I would bet my house on on our podcast succeeding.
• 27:07
  It's already been overwhelmingly successful already, and it continues to grow.
• 27:12
  So, Willie, I I thank you for coming on the show today, and thanks for being part of the
• 27:16
  scene.
• 27:17
  Not a problem, Bubba.
• 27:18
  I appreciate you having me on here.