It was the last of the Country concerts to hit the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto and Cole Swindell just so happened to be playin’ direct support to Mr. Jason Aldean. Before that show we had a chance to hang with Mr. Swindell and let me tell ya this fella is the real deal.
Corey: Cole, Welcome back to Canada and thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us we really appreciate it.
Cole: Thanks man, You know there were lots of Canadian artists that I listened to growing up and just appreciate the chance to play up here and that ya’ll pay attention to whats goin’ on down in Nashville cause ya’ll have some great artists up here.
Corey: Let’s go back February 2014, you released your debut album its almost 2 years later when will we see some new stuff from ya?
Cole: Ya, for sure. My next studio album won’t be out until hopefully early 2016. Since its been awhile since I release the first one. You know I write songs all the time and I feel like its better to put stuff out while its fresh so I am doing an EP called The Down Home Sessions its the 2nd time I’ve done it. I did it last year, and its just where we release some more music that isn’t necessarily a different style and I would want it to be on my album but we only have so much room. If I am going to keep writing all these songs I want the fans to have access to it so we are putting out a new 5 song EP it will be the Down Home Sessions #2 and I am going to go back and play the clubs around where I grew up playin. Takin’ it back to the clubs with some brand new music which should be out sometime soon (Oct-Nov Timeframe).
Corey: Your summer has been jammed packed, playing for lots of new fans touring with Jason Aldean and Kenny Chesney whats this past summer like been for you?
Cole: Wow, ya you know thats the thing I have been very fortunate. Like you said earlier my album dropped back in 2014 and I have had the chance to spend the whole year last year and had a chance to come up to Canada with Luke Bryan and then now being on tour with one of my favourite artists since he’s been out in Jason Aldean. So I am getting a chance to see Canada thanks to the big stars and hopefully be able to headline one of my own tours up here. We really are just tryin’ to build a fan base. It just seems everywhere we played this summer the fan base is just growin’ and growin’. You know there are a lot of country music fans up here so I am just hoping to carry that on up here and earn some fans up here.
Cole Swindell performs in Toronto – Photo Corey Kelly
Corey: Lets talk about that, as you have grown in awareness with the Country music fan base with three #1 songs. The Highway find that John Marks put his stamp on 2.5 years ago has blossomed into a fantastic singer / songwriter. Is this something you could have have ever thought of?
Cole: Ya I don’t know about though of but maybe dreamed about is the better phrase. (Laughing). But, honestly man, I had been in Nashville for 6+ years when it happened for me. I think me growing up around the business like selling merchandise for guys like Luke Bryan. That was a big experience, it’s a lot of pressure. I’m just thankful, I thought I was ready when I moved and I would have screwed it up. Thank God I am just gettin’ my chance. And I think from watchin’ and learnin’ and knowin’ that this is my shot. Some people don’t even get THIS shot and once you get it you kinda gotta make the best of it. I want to do this for a long time and I have learned from the best guys like Luke and Jason and one day hope to be headlining the big shows to.
Corey: Let’s talk about your writing. In today’s country market you have worked with some of the biggest names. You are a fantastic performer but heck man, your writing is unreal and that in its own is a hell of an accomplishment. It really is a different world writing vs. performing can you maybe tell us about your writing process?
Cole: Wow man, Thank you for even noticing things like that. And you are right is is a different world. I was in the song writing world, and I still am but for 3 years thats all I did all day every day was write songs. I still had in the back of my mind and dreaming of being and artist one day but it wasn’t anything I was putting any effort into at the time. It was all writin’ . And now its all artist and I have to make time to write songs, but your right it’s a total different game. The thing is a fell in love with being on stage in collage and I wasn’t really writin’ then so this is before I had ever written songs. So I knew I wanted to be an entertainer. Even singin’ other peoples songs and watchin’ how other people get excited. Then I figured out, I gotta write my own to make them do this. It just gives me chills talkin’ bout that. It’s been a weird path that I took to get here but I think it honestly got me ready and I am more prepared or as good as I can be for when this type of thing happens.
Corey: It’s crazy though the list of artists such as Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhettt,the artists that are on the rise and if not at the top of their game.
Cole: Ya for them, guys like FGL, Thomas Rhett, Luke Bryan and Billy Currington, all these artists that I have had record my songs it’s a huge compliment. Luke Bryan is a song writer, Thomas Rhett and FGL are big song writers. If they think enough of a song that I had written and some of them I had actually written with them but Thomas Rhettt and Luke I didn’t write those songs Get Me Some of That and Rollarcoaster with them. And for them being the artists and the great guys and song writers that they are to think that much of my songs that is the biggest, heck it might be an even bigger compliment then my own song going #1 just because they are so talented and you can’t ever take that away, “Hey I wrote a #1 song for some buddies of mine” That’s pretty cool. I still get to play them and fans get to learn something new about me. I know so many go “Hey, I didn’t know he wrote these songs” or better is when they don’t hear me introduce it and they are sittin’ there goin’ “why is he playin’ a Thomas Rhett song” I just hope somebody around them informs them that I actually wrote it (He says laughing)
Corey: Talking with Canadian artist Dallas Smith not to long ago and we were talking about “best song wins” as in if he gets pitched a song and it’s something he likes or feels is right for him he runs with it. Is that kind of how you see it as well in the song world?
Cole: Ya, I love Dallas, and if he is thinkin’ that way he is on the same path I am on. Because me being a song writer I’m not gonna get my own way and say I didn’t write that, I can’t record it. I mean that’s what the song writers do for a livin’ . Man I was right there tryin’ to make a livin’ at that and it’s hard to get songs recorded. So if I hear one that is better than one of my songs or something I can’t write by all means please let me have it. That’s really what we work so hard for is to not have to write them all and hopefully you end up with the whole town writin’ for us one day (laughing).
Corey: Let’s talk about your rise to fame a bit from being played as a “Highway Find” on Sirus XM The Highway. With word out now that John Marks is leaving his post at the station and maybe without his support and help the road for artists like yourself and Florida Georgia Line would have been a little longer?
Cole: There ain’t no maybe about it for me, I mean everyone has their own path but that was huge for me to get that opportunity and I literally just heard about John Marks leavin’ and to be honest I don’t even know what I think about that yet. I hate that for other new artists that are coming up that he may have believed in like me and FGL. But it’s good luck to John and hopefully he will find something that he loves. I do know we owe him a huge thanks and the Highway Find stuff is big and I think they will keep it goin’ and that they can pick’em like John did.
Cole Swindell performs at The Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto – Photo: Corey Kelly
Corey: John really is an inspiration to guys like myself who love to hear and promote new artists from both the US & Canada and I to hope he lands somewhere else he can reach the masses with his fabulous taste in music. Lets talk about your favorite gig of the summer. What show this summer kinda stuck out as a WOW show for you? I know you played a few big stadium shows and some pretty big festivals.
Cole: Wow, (laughs) You see thats the thing I am going to say a couple of them. Those Kenny (Chesney) shows had to have been pretty cool. The seattle show in particular because the first song I ever played in college, my first gig like I could barely breath much less sing we played Don’t Happen Twice by Kenny Chesney. Just me and another guy all acoustic no band or anything and I can remember sittin’ up there and I couldn’t breath and my buddy said I sound fine and I said “I know but I can’t sing” but it was fine we got through the show. I had told Kenny that story and I didn’t realize the song was so late in his set and I told him the story and he was like well we will have to get ya up to do it sometime. And I was like “oh my god” and weeks later the first song I ever sang in college with THE MAN in a sold out stadium in Seattle, Wow, That just doesn’t happen that was a 14 year memory in the making right there.
Corey: Ya, that’s almost like a story book.
Cole: Exactly, and I feel like a lot of my life the past 2 years could be a movie, it’s just so unbelievable and without the fans I honestly can say I wouldn’t be here without their support. I am just a normal guy from Georgia gettin’ to live his dream out.
Corey: Cole, Thanks so much for spending the time today. Really enjoyed hangin’ with ya before the show.
Cole: No, thanks for doing this really appreciate it and hope you enjoy it.
I want to thank Warner Music Canada for hooking this one up. Really appreciate the support.
Corey Kelly / @CoreyKelly76
Cole Swindell with Sound Check’s Corey Kelly
Cole Swindell – SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Website – www.coleswindell.com
Itunes – itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/cole-swindell
Facebook – facebook.com/coleswindellmusic
Twitter – twitter.com/coleswindell
Instagram – instagram.com/cswinde2
