No, this photo isn’t from this year. It’s from a night years ago that ultimately changed the course of my life.
In 2014, I was working in Country music because I had always loved it. I loved the stories and sad songs are my favorite. But, to be honest with you, I saw the writing on the wall of where the genre was headed and had grown so frustrated. I had worked so hard and dreamed as a kid of being a part of Country music, but by the time I made it there I just wasn’t a fan of what I was hearing. I could’ve gotten mad and ranted on the internet every day, but I chose to keep silent and just look for a new place where I might be happy. That’s a huge difference between me and a lot of people I know. And, it’s not my place to define what is good music and what isn’t. I only know what speaks to me.
On October 26, I came home on a Sunday from tour. At the time, I had fallen in love with an Alabama songwriter I’d known of most of my adult life by the name of Jason Isbell. I told my best friend
@jacobstiefel to get on Facebook and see if anyone had tickets. We ended up going to a gas station and picking up two tickets from a stranger for $35. When we got to the Ryman and gave the usher our tickets, he seated us dead center in the first row of pews. As I sat there I was blown away. On stage were 6 incredibly talented individuals. No tricks, tracks or gimmicks and I knew then exactly what direction I wanted to go.
I spent an entire year trying to figure out how to get where I wanted to go. In November of 2015, I was granted a meeting with Jason’s manager and she changed my life by hiring me. I cried on the way home and sometimes when I look back I still wipe tears. Every day I open my eyes I’m nothing more than a farm boy thankful to be standing in his shoes. And now, everywhere we roam is where I call home.
#workhardbenice 
