Andy Frasco's World Saving Podcast - EP 97: Trevor Hall

Episode Date: August 25, 2020

Andy Frasco and The UN are reunited for a livestream after 6 months of isolation. How'd it go? Listen in to find out. On the Interview Hour we welcome Trevor Hall! Trevor took Andy by surprise with SYMPATICO VIBES. They talk life, depression, and what else: music. A history lesson from Jack Brown and word of warning from Shawn & Beats to round us out. This is EP 97. Follow us on Instagram @worldsavingpodcast For more information on Andy Frasco, the band and/or the blog, go to: AndyFrasco.com Check out Andy's new album, "Keep On Keepin' On" on iTunes Spotify  Follow Trevor Hall at www.trevorhallmusic.com Don't miss out on Kamu Labs!  Produced by Andy Frasco Joe Angelhow Chris Lorentz Audio mix by Chris Lorentz Featuring: Ahri Findling Jack Brown Shawn Eckels  Andee Avila Arno Bakker

Yes, this message is for Mr. Andrew Frasco. This is Detective Peter Epstein from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. We've been trying to contact you for three days. I suggest you give us a call back as soon as you get this. We have you on video ingesting Schedule II substances from your live stream last week, marijuana, mushrooms, and MDMA. It is illegal to broadcast the use of Schedule II substances across the internet under Section 37B, Article 9 of U.S. Drug Enforcement Code. It is illegal. Give us a call back. Come turn yourselves in

to our Colorado office. We will find you. All right, and we're back. Andy Frasco's World Saving Podcast. I'm Andy Frasco. How's our hearts doing, guys? You feel good? Are you feeling alive? I am pumped up. We just did an interactive concert, and it was badass. We had so many people show up. The sit-ins were sick. It was basically, we did polling inside every song. If they want to hear teases of different covers, if they got to pick the solosos who got to play a solo in

that song they picked the sit-ins who they wanted to sit in on those songs they got to pick the mushrooms if i'm gonna take y'all were crazy with the mushrooms i was like we put the polling on mushrooms beer bong shots you know water every time we put that poll up fucking 70 of them let's get frasco high so shout out to everyone for making it fun. When you take that many mushrooms, you really got to concentrate because you're conducting a show and you're doing something completely new

with this interactive stuff where people are telling you what to do. So you really had to focus. So I'm really proud. I'm going to give myself a round of applause because I was really proud of myself that I could do that shit. I get, you know, when you're on a loose gin, sometimes it's fucking hard to get, you know, to stay focused. Sometimes you just want to just like look at a wall and stare shit. So shout out to everyone

who came out, who watched the event. It made me feel really good that I could pull something off like that. It's like, we got to test ourselves. We could go back to the normal, what we're comfortable with, or we could test ourselves and try to expand our minds a little bit. And this interactive show, the band was sweet. It was so great to see the band. We hung out with them for a week. And oh man, I miss the fuck. I miss the fuck out of live music. Got to hang out on stage with them.

You realize, oh yeah, I was a musician before quarantine. Before I became a talk show host. And it really made me, it got me energized. I'm ready to go on vacation. I'm literally leaving on vacation in about two hours. I'm going to Lake Powell for a couple of weeks. I'm taking off. Um, the podcast is taking two weeks off. The shit show is taking four weeks off and the dance party is taking another three weeks off. So I'm going to go relax, go take some LSD, go hang out on a houseboat in Lake Powell.

Looks like fucking Mars out there and go find myself, read some books. I don't really take vacations and relax. So while I'm talking about relaxing, I'm going to tell you guys the same thing. When was the last time you relaxed? When was the last time you really took a breath, didn't stress about anything, didn't think that the world was going to be over or didn't think about that bill or that mortgage or your spouse being fucking annoying as shit? When did you just take a moment for yourself? Because it's important. We got to start thinking about ourselves. We got to start thinking about ourselves. We got to start thinking about the power of now.

You know, I used to get anxiety in the morning because fucking, you know, I drink too much or whatnot. But speaking of that, the KAMU Labs, I'm telling you, the CBD is making me feel great. What is it, 10 in the morning right now? Normally, I'm kind of like working my anxiety away, just like staying concentrated. But I've been taking this CBD from KMU Labs

and it is fucking killer, dude. I've been taking the Dream Elixir. I've been smoking, like I'll smoke like a 14er Joint And then I'll eat the dream elixir Just to test it out And I've been dreaming I've been dreaming about happy things I wake up, take the vitality

And the recover And I'm feeling good So whatever you got to do To be in the now Go be in the now So go grab some weed If you're in the now go be in the now so go grab some weed um if you're in the denver area go if you're in the denver area go grab some 14 or weed or um or you could get the cbd from camu labs they'll ship it everywhere really good stuff i'm telling you i wouldn't be pushing it so much

if i didn't believe in it you know i'm that kind of guy, brand whore. I really believe in this stuff and they believe in me. And it's a nice combination between 14 or Cayman Labs. So go grab your THCs and your CBDs, Colorado. And the CBDs, anyone could get it besides, there's like Idaho, North Dakota. There's a few others that don't get the CBDs, but that you can't get shipped to, but it's okay. But yeah, I love you guys. It's been so fun, this quarantine adventure. We got Trevor Hall on the podcast this week.

It's going to be a fun one. He's a good guy. We talk a little bit about, you know, him and his life and his new life and also a little bit about other people as well. And it's been just super sweet to get to know him. So ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to stop talking because we have a big interview. I'm going to go on vacation. I'm going to catch you on the tail end, but all right. Are you ready to go? Because I'm ready to go on vacation. I'm going to catch you on the tail end, but all right, are you ready to go? Because I'm ready to go. Oh, let me leave you with this. I was telling you to

relax, but it's also telling you to explore your mind and don't do things that just make it comfortable. Every now and then, test yourself. I'm really proud that I had this crazy idea of trying to get my fans interactively into the set, and I was nervous, but it worked out. So whatever big idea or big dream you have, fucking do it. Go for it. I mean, it's going to be stressful until you do it. And when

you do it and it fucking works, you're just going to feel so good about yourself. So go follow your dreams, follow those big ideas. Go get that shit right now, baby. All right, guys, that's it. I will catch you on the tail end. Trevor Hall, fucking awesome. Let's go. Catch on the Tail and Trevor Hall. Fucking awesome. Let's go. All right. Next up on the interview hour, we got Trevor Hall.

Great songwriter. He lives in Colorado now. Just really spiritual and really present dude. Hey, Chris, play some Trevor Hall. Maybe off the new new maybe his new excuse me new single but Trevor's a good guy

I thought he was just gonna be like very spiritual I'm like I don't know how I'm gonna talk to this guy about things but he was like going to be like very spiritual. I'm like, I don't know how I'm going to talk to this guy about things. But he was like so down to earth, super cool. We vibe very quickly.

And I really think you're going to get off on this interview. It's really good. He's a good guy. He opens up a lot. We talk about depression. We talk about his life. And we talk about a little bit of other things that'll want to uh ruin the surprise but it's awesome all right guys enjoy trevor hall

i tried to help you make you understand this fire on your house fire on your house i'll stand by you, march and burn You brought this on yourself, you brought this on yourself I'll stand by you, march and burn There's fire on your house, fire on your house As they fire what you burn You brought this on yourself, you brought this on yourself As they fire what you burn Your darkness on yourself I'll stand by you, watch it burn All of that karma coming back around Do what you do, I cannot help you now You made your bed and now you sleep in pain

Down on your knees, you better pray for rain Fire upon your house, there's fire on your house I'll stand by you much and burn You brought this on yourself, you brought this on yourself I'll stand by you much and burn Hey! Trevor, how we doing, buddy? I'm good. How are you?

I'm doing good. Very nice to meet you, man. Sorry. Sometimes I'm afraid to answer FaceTimes from people just in case I get some bad news. No, no, it's all G. It was funny because yesterday I was having an interview, or I was supposed to have an interview, and they never showed up. So I thought, man, it's going to be 0 for 2. No, we're good. Yeah, that's how I feel. How are you rocking this quarantine? You're so used to running around, too.

Is this a weird transition for you? Talk to me about it. Yeah. I mean, I guess in some senses it's weird, obviously because of that, just being so used to moving. But I mean, for me, it's just, honestly, it's been a little bit of a relief. You know, I don't think I've ever been able to stay this long in one place since I started being a musician. So I've been trying to use it in a positive way and do things that I wouldn't normally be able to do or just kind of rest, recoup, all those things. Just kind of, you know, rest, recoup, you know, all those things. But, you know, it's hard because on the other end, there's so many people that are struggling and suffering, you know. So you kind of feel guilty to feel. Feel good.

Yeah, it's kind of weird, you know. But, no, but I'm, you know, I'm just trying to surrender to it all. There's not much we can do, you know. Yeah, what have you been doing what do you do you give any advice to people trying to like if people have anxiety or how do you how do you work through that yeah i mean for me it's just i try to just you know engage myself in things that bring me joy you know i mean so i've been like making so much music, even though right before the quarantine, we finished our record in North Carolina. And I flew back. I remember I flew back home to Colorado. And two days later, it was the lockdown type of thing.

And I was like, oh, shit. Thank God I was able to finish. type of like thing and i was like oh shit like thank god i was able to like finish something finish you know but then like dude i got home and i was like well i guess just keep on you know doing things that make me happy so i've even though we recorded a whole album i've just been you know creating and um i've been trying to like you know work on my practice a lot you know my meditation and now that i'm home you know like i, you know, I don't have that luxury all the time. So just, like, yeah, just doing the things that, you know, bring me that goodness is important, you know. Let's talk about that.

You say you practice meditation. What was, like, the turning point that made you want to meditate? I don't know. I mean mean that's a good question i mean i i remember since a kid i was always interested in like or always drawn to like uh i don't know like different cultures and and philosophies and kind of that discipline like i remember as a kid i was like really into karate i was like you know and i was like a huge jean-claude van damme fan like yeah i like as a kid i like saw like every like movie like and i would just but there was one in particular i think it was kickboxer one i think it was one not two where he goes he goes to thailand and he like

goes into the jungle and like finds this like you know teacher guru figure you know and like trains and that part of the movie was like my favorite thing just because I I don't know I had this attraction to that kind of discipline and thing I don't know you know so as time went on um as I got older and got into high school, you know, I started, you know, trying to read a few books and eventually, you know, met a few people and that were, you know, practicing meditation. It just kind of stemmed from that. But now it's now it's kind of like, you know, it's like such a pillar of my life, you know. Yeah. I'm not so I'm not so good at it.

But, you know, you just got to keep on practicing. What are you not so good at? Meditating. Yeah, bud. Cause we're always fucking running. I mean, oh my God, man. It's just, you know, but it's even if I, you know, sit and have just all types of craziness, which is usually the case, still, there's an effect that you feel, you know? Yeah. So it's good. It's good.

Well, it's great. I mean, didn't you live in a monastery? I lived in an ashram for like six, seven years. Tell me about that. What made you want to do that? Were you forced into it or is it? No. It was like kidnapping.

Like some Rosh Hanushis, you know? No, no, no. not in the least like that no it was kind of an accident in a way because i was living uh i i became really um close with this ashram and in southern california and um just it was just such a beautiful place and and um i was i i moved near the the ashram um and would just go all the time you know i just loved it i just loved the community and i loved learning and all this stuff uh but then at that point of i was quite young. At that point in my career, I totally ran out of money. I was dropped from the label. I couldn't even pay my next rent. It was so bad.

How old were you here? Oh, God. I must have been 21. Okay. All right, keep going with this. This is crazy. Yeah. And then anyway, I had no money left.

I couldn't pay my next check. I was all freaking out. I went to the temple one day and just told them, yeah, I'm just going through it. I don't know if I can, you know, pay my rent. And they were like, well, you know, why don't you just stay here until you get back on your feet? You know, like, no pressure, like, if it's a week, a month, you know, they're like, you're here every day anyway. So just, you know, and it was just the thing to like, yeah, like, stay here until you can, like, you you know it can hold you over and you can get back you know so i like moved in and i didn't leave for like you know six years where did you

sleep like what was your sleeping situation like at first there there was a um kind of like a camper in the garden they had a big garden and um i was sleeping in a room there um and then they built uh as time went on they built these kind of like small cabins in the garden and i had my own like little kind of cabin very small though i mean i had to roll up my bed. Holy shit. Yeah, it was pretty serious. I'd go out on tour for a month or two and then come back and live pretty austere. But I loved it. It was some of the golden years of my life. It was a really beautiful time.

Yeah, explain why they were the golden years. What were you learning during this process? Well, it was just like, I became so in love with India and Indian culture and was traveling there a lot. And this place, I think when you go to a different country like that and you feel really really at home you know it's it's almost more so than like your own culture like of your upbringing yeah it's kind of weird you know you're like oh should i be feeling this way or like this is weird i don't know you know and then um the culture shock is more coming back you know when come back to America, it's like, whoa, this is, oh, I don't. And so I think it's really beautiful to find a place or environment that creates that environment of that culture so authentically. And so to stay in that atmosphere, it was so inspiring for me.

And it really influenced my art a lot and my music. And I just thought it was an amazing opportunity to be in such a loving community that was so supportive and beautiful. And it just, yeah, it was, it was also like such a good place to come back to after being on the road, you know? Yeah. I mean, did you ever get into any addictions on the road? No, I was, I mean, knock on wood.

That's a mirror. I don't know if that's good or bad. I'll knock on wood for you, buddy. Yeah, okay. No, I kind of, I was, you know, in high school, I went to an art school, a boarding school, and I definitely experimented with all types of stuff in high school. But then, again, you know, then I, I, again, I got really into meditation and this and that, and kind of like, I don't know, I just wasn't into it. So even when I was out on the road or anything, wasn't drinking, wasn't smoking,

wasn't, you know, so it was kind of, I was, I was quite boring. Were you fucking? No, no, no. Nothing. No, no. No addictions at all. That's crazy to me. I mean, I mean that, I mean, no addictions. That's kind of a big statement. I mean, I was addicted to different things, you know, like TV or like, I don't know. What do you, what's your, so you're addicted to like stimulation maybe? So you're addicted to stimulation, maybe?

Yeah, maybe. I was definitely addicted to being alone. It was interesting going to play these shows and being in this lifestyle where you're so out. When you're on the road, there's so many people, people, people. But I was so addicted know getting back into the hotel and just kind of going into a hole and like you know i mean sometimes not so much to a good degree you know i just wouldn't engage um with with anybody or anything but that's how i kind of, I guess, recuperated. And, yeah. How does your wife feel about that? Well, now, you know, it's different, you know,

after marrying her. And she's quite an introvert herself. So we definitely are able to understand each other, I think, when we need that kind of uh rejuvenation and silence um but uh no it's all g it's no problem that's fucking tight yeah because i'm like that too like right when i get off the road i don't want to talk to anyone this is why i've never had a relationship other than myself you know so it's like yeah i i live on the road 10 and a half months a year then when i'm home i just like don't want to see anybody.

I mean, some people think it's depression. I think it's recharging, you know? How important is recharging to you? It's so important. I mean, I think some people have, you know, greater stamina than others. You know, I have friends that are musicians that are crazier than me, you know, just love to be out and boom, boom, boom. And I'm like, how the hell do you do that? Like, it's almost like it's opposite, you know just love to be out and boom boom boom and i'm like how the hell do you do that like like they it's almost like it's opposite you know they don't like i think being alone or being like this kind of it's not good for them it kind of sucks you know i don't know sucks it out of

them or something but um yeah it's just interesting i think like for me it's just i know that that's what i need to continue you know to to gain that uh that energy back or whatever it may be but yeah it's just trippy everybody's different you know yeah it's crazy it's cool it's cool like in my i've been so blessed to tour with so many people over the years. And it's cool to like, you know, see how everybody does it, you know, and there's not one way, you know, everybody is unique. And I think once you kind of respect that and not compare yourself and, you know, all this stuff and find your own way, it's really beautiful. Isn't that kind of Eastern philosophy is individualism, you know,

Western eyes, everyone's like kind of sheep following the path of someone else yeah will you explain to me the diff or explain to our listeners what the difference between eastern western medicine or philosophies are so we could maybe try to figure that out as we go through this quarantine i don't know if i'm the most qualified person, but... Didn't you live in India for a while? Well, I lived there for months at a time, you know? You met your wife there too, right?

I met my wife there. Yeah, wow, you know a lot of shit, bro. Hey, bro. World saving network over here, buddy. So what made you... Yeah, tell me about that. I think... I mean, for myself, there's a lot of differences,

but I think the main kind of difference is the, you know, in the West, we're in this kind of um competition you know yeah everybody's kind of i feel like created this competition competing and comparing and i gotta be bigger and better than the other person and uh as a result you know that creates i think the consumerism and the just materialism, um, are, are addiction to that, you know,

not that those things are, are bad. I, you know, but I think uncontrolled desire is bad, you know, it can, because it can never be satisfied,

you know? Um, and there's always going to be a bigger and better person or more like this but i think when i went to a there's and i think there's no acknowledgement of um in the west i mean here and there there you know but there's not so much focus i think on a greater entity than ourselves you know of course there are pockets and this and that i'm not saying that but it's not a main focus you know uh and uh in the east you know it's a little bit opposite you know the the the main focus is on the greater entity

and whatever you want to call that and that comes I think that's highlighted you know and there's kind of this flow or energy that because of that I think where it's like you know we're all existing and dancing and have our own relationship with this you know greater, uh, greater force, you know? Um, and that has, that has consequences as well, you know, that on society and like this, you know, type of thing. So, um, it's just what we place our attention on really. Yeah. I think that's the most important thing, you know? Yeah. I think that's important too. I mean, what do you feel about existentialism?

I'm not so much into that. Yeah, I think I'm more interested in the here and now and what we're doing in our own human, I guess journey you know cultivating good qualities you know realizing what's inside us you know um realizing our true nature i'm more interested in that rather than searching outside for something else so what have you learned about yourself inside that you haven't ever thought you think about during this the great quarantine of 2020 during the quarantine specifically yeah like what have you learned about yourself through this thing yeah that's good that's a good question um oh man i think um because so many things have been taken away you know um so many distractions and this and that

i think i've learned uh a little bit more about just simplicity and what is necessary for myself to be you know happy i think um and what, without all these other things playing in, you know, what, again, what we were talking about earlier just brings me joy, you know, and that's mainly just creating, you know, and, um, music and, and sharing music. And, um, that's always been obviously the root of my life and love but you know when we're going around this and that boom boom boom we got all these oh we kind of lose our focus a little bit you know and i think just being in quarantine and kind of getting slowing down a little bit having these things kind of taken out of the picture for a bit, you realize what is essential for your

own happiness and what is not. It's a good reevaluation period to cut things off and water what works. Did you realize anything you didn't like about yourself through this thing? Oh, God. Yeah, I mean, something I don't like about myself. There's like a list I'm trying to go through. No, I mean, we all look different. I think just engaging with people that I, that don't, um,

bring me like, or that are just harmful or something like engaging in conversations and, uh, gossip and, uh, you know, kind of judge judgment and stuff like that. When I think, because I'm not able to see as many people in this and that, and you're kind of like

cut out, I think before I'm like, Oh man, like, you know, why, why was I, why, why, why was I putting myself in that environment or why was I doing this and that? And I, and I think the thing that I don't like about myself in that degree is just kind of saying yes because I don't want to hurt anybody. Oh, shit. Yeah, I feel that, definitely. And as a result, I get whatever it may be affected negatively, and then I keep doing it. Yeah, that's how I feel too, man.

It's like, why do we have to keep the routine of being with toxic people if we're not even allowed to hang out with them? This is our time to get rid of toxicity, right? Yeah, I think that's that's the main thing just having just kind of eliminating the things that are toxic and focusing on the things that yeah you know bring bring me joy and um and but just what i feel like i'm essentially supposed to be doing yeah you know You know, that's, that's like, that's been important for me, but yeah. You think suppression is distraction?

Suppression? Yeah. Like when you suppress your feelings or suppress how, like, I don't want to hang out with this fucking guy anymore, but I'm here and I have to like hold my feelings. And I mean, isn't it important to express how you actually feel instead of worrying about, you know, maybe offending someone? Yeah, I mean, that's kind of like a life lesson for me, you know, because I've always been kind of this, I think I was raised, you know,

the way I was raised, which is very, you know yes ma'am you know yes sir no sir yeah that's being polite you know is is is valued you know and uh which is good i think it's good but i think when it's turned into an unhealthy pattern it's where you're suppressing everything yeah and then you think you're like creating harmony but in the long run it's where you're suppressing everything yeah and then you think you're like creating harmony but in the long run it's actually very you know disharmonious and uh a good friend once said to me you know you have to walk through the door of disharmony to get to harmony and i always try to remember that because i have found when i speak up you know and when you speak up it doesn't have to be this like,

you know, type of thing, this big disagreement, you can say what you need to say, in a loving, you know, way, but I have found when I have lovingly disagreed or whatever, with someone or something or a plan that I didn't want to do. I've always found that in the long run, it's always, you know, much more successful than suppressing something and then thinking that it's good for the moment, but then in the end, it kind of bites in the butt, you know? Yeah, totally. I mean, you went pretty public on some things online as well, Mike. And like, it's pretty heavy things to be, to open up about, you know, and, uh, how hard was it to know that, you know, you're opening up to someone you thought was a friend

and yada, yada, but people really wanted to hear from you. Like even maybe you didn't want to say anything or how hard is that to go back and forth between what's right in your heart and what people want you to do. It's really tough. I think I know what you're referring to. Yeah, we don't have to go into it. But that's just an example. It's hard because the thing that I think is troublesome in our modern culture,

especially in, I think, our young culture, especially, is that with social media, I mean, it's becoming a – I mean, it has been for a while, but I feel like now it's just like, whoa, you know, it's like, it's becoming our, our, uh, our, like, what's the word I want to use? Like our, uh, our compass on what's happened and what's not happened. Right. Yeah. And I think, I think today it's like, if it's not up on, on Instagram or Facebook or Twitter or social media, well, then it never happened. Yeah, it's like that tree analogy.

How do we know it's tall if we didn't see it? Yeah, and it's just quite interesting. so quick to uh give an opinion without fully understanding uh the situation you know i myself have done that you know just looking at social media oh fuck i i believe this you know yeah and then like later on i'm like whoa like you know uh but as an artist you know or uh, but as an artist, you know, or just a person, like, like you said, like I'm trying to share, I guess my art or my feelings with things, whatever it may be.

Um, I'm always constantly blown away by how people take things. I know me too, bro. Where and where people take things like, like, holy, like, you like, holy shit. The other day, I remember I posted for fun.

It was late at night. I was like, should I cut my hair? Yes or no. Whatever. You do those little whatever, fucking boat things or whatever. And dude, the shit that I got man was like unreal like mean stuff just like you know you know um stuff just like well should is a very complicated word and you shouldn't put yourself in the position of the public and you need to listen to your inner soul and heart.

And I'm like, yo, this is just like a fun little thing. Like, we don't need to go there, you know? And even with what I said about the situation that you brought up, that was really intense for me to see where people took that. It was... What were people taking it as? I didn't go deep into it i just saw it yeah well it's just you know i mean all sorts of things i can't i can't begin to describe it i mean obviously when you're talking about something very serious it's very very touchy and complicated and um people, again, right away think that they know everything about the situation. So to be accused of things that you had absolutely no part of or awareness of,

that stings, you know, it's hard's hard you know and you want to the problem is is like you want to jump in and say no that's not but the more it's like the more you touch it the more it expands yeah it gets infected yeah and the hard part i think is to i won't it's a good lesson the hard part is to be unaffected you know on the spirit on the spiritual path you know thank god for the teachers and lessons you know that i've been taught but you know one thing is is uh you know to be unaffected by blame and praise right that's the highest path right to to walk down the road, take your praise and put it in one pocket, take your blame, put it in another pocket, you just keep walking, you know?

And so I think for me, it's like a big lesson to not be swayed by this or that. Stay true to yourself. But it's a wild world out there on the old old interwebs you know i think the other thing that's quite interesting is that when we comment on something we don't see the reaction of that person yeah you know like so if i look at you and i say man you're whatever fucked up yeah you know if i type that you know like something mean like you look whatever fat or whatever yeah we don't see the the response the human response of that person so like if i said that to you in person and i see your face kind of oh you know like some then i'm gonna my body's gonna be like oh god maybe i shouldn't have said that right but because we don't see that anymore it's like it's free range it's like

let's call this person whatever you know god knows what because we don't have to deal with the consequences so in that sense i don't know we're getting further down a rabbit hole, but it's just that part I think is a big factor into how people deal with social media today. And I think it needs to, you know, people need to, all of us, including myself, need to really be conscious and aware of not taking this as reality. It's a platform where things are shared. But yeah, it's pretty intense. as reality. It's a platform where things are shared. But yeah, it's pretty intense. It is halftime at the Andy Fresco

interview hour. Hey, what's up, podcast universe? This is Jack Brown from Sophistafunk, and you're listening to What's Really Going Down with Jack Brown from Sophistafunk and you're listening to What's Really Going Down with Jack Brown. What's really going down is that back in the day in 1921, there was something known as the Tulsa Race Riot. And it was one of the worst crimes in the history of the United States.

And nobody talks about it. That's because the government of Oklahoma didn't even admit that it happened until 1996. So let's take a look back at this horrific act so we can learn from it and move forward. First of all, in 1921, there was a district known as Greenwood in Tulsa that was actually the wealthiest homegrown African-American community in the entire country. And it was known as Black Wall Street. in the entire country, and it was known as Black Wall Street. This is due to intense oil profits and very successful banking and doctors and lawyers that were all in this area. It also was increasingly becoming the subject of jealousy and animosity

from the rest of Tulsa. As a result, there was a young 17-year-old man who was arrested for a charge of attacking a woman in an elevator. Many former World War I veterans protected the prison to make sure that no lynching occurred. What ended up happening was a large mob amassed and shots were fired. And what began was the worst riot in American history. Over 35 blocks were burned to the ground, 6,000 African American residents were detained, blocks were burned to the ground. 6,000 African-American residents were detained.

And witnesses' accounts show that police planes were dropping fireballs on the city and burned the entire city to the ground. This is one of the worst incidents in American history, and it's never talked about in class and never talked about in your textbooks. Now you know what's really going down. Do you think social media ruins intimacy? I think it can. I think it can. And I think it's up to the person that is sharing whatever the aspects of their life that they're aware of that. I don't really like to post a lot about my family you know i don't like to mention my dad or my mom or my their handles or like whatever you know obviously my wife is different we create together but like even with my wife you know i'm

not trying to share like you're saying intimate moments because I am well aware of it ruining, you know, our relationship or our relationship with the public. I think it's up to the person, you know, to be aware of that. You know, I think it's important. Yeah, because it's kind of bullshit. Yeah, because it's kind of bullshit. We have to, as artists, we get chastised if we say something and we get chastised if we don't say anything. So what are we supposed to do in this situation where we're getting half the people saying, fucking say something and you get the other half the people who, if you don't say anything, they're fucking pissed. Yeah. It's like... Yeah. It's the end if you do, the end if you don't.

I mean, I was really struggling with that in this recent instance. Yeah. Because part of my, I guess, rebelliousness or the way I rebel against what we're talking about is to not engage. Because if you don't give it any life or honor, it goes nowhere. But the problem with on the other side of that, if we're talking about both sides, in today there's this whole thing that silence is violence. in today is there's this whole thing that silence is violence, right?

And while I agree to that to an extent, I don't believe that silence is violence in a lot of other ways. So it's just a hard thing to traverse, I guess. And going back to when you comment on something like saying, cutting your hair, like some bullshit, that's just, you're trying to get a vibe out. And like, they're overthinking it. Do you think you have anything to do with that? Because you're such an overthinker

and you're such like, you built this like fan base of like overthinking. That's a good question. I mean, I don't know. I know i think you know my music is like obviously spiritual talks about like whatever you know other things like um i don't know if that affects i'm sure it does actually i'm sure it does affect how people you know respond to me and treat me as a person you know i mean one of the things that i've had you know i've had a lot of funny instances you know but my um my uh the way i deal

with that is to throw it on the other side that's what i i like to say right so if somebody comes up to me and they're just like you know treat me like I'm some type of fucking angel or God, you know, I try to throw it on the complete other side. I'm like, yo, what's up? You know, talking like really bringing it down, down, down, down, down, you know? So, um, that is a, I think like if I was making different types of music, like, like you're saying, you know, if you're putting out a different type of energy that definitely, I think if I was making different types of music, like you're saying, if you're putting out a different type of energy, that definitely, I think, creates a response.

If I'm going to see the Dalai Lama, I'm going to talk to him differently than I am my homie from... You know what I'm saying? Yeah, exactly. It's what you put out. But it's interesting. It's just like, it's what you put out, you know, and, uh, but it's interesting. It's interesting. I, um, I definitely, I definitely would, you know, yeah, put that on myself, you know, because of what I put out affects the response. I never thought of it like that, but that's very true.

That's, that's good. So what about, so what made you want to do that type of music? What, what made you want to talk about that kind of stuff? So what made you want to do that type of music? What made you want to talk about that kind of stuff? Well, it wasn't so much like I want to do this type of music. It's just like music has always been this beautiful, spiritual kind of entity, body.

And I sing about what I love. And it's simple as that you know i love you know these things and that's what's in my heart and that's what's coming out you know if you eat radish you're gonna belch radish you know so it's like that's just what i love it's not like i want to be this like spiritually conscious artist. Like a lot of that stuff drives me crazy. I'm like, Oh my God. Like, you know, just, just like, you know so it's, it's interesting, but these are the things that are in my heart and these music is the way of exploring my connection with the beloved or, or whatever spirit, you know, that's just how it's been you know

and that's it's always been that way it's just how it's come through I mean even growing up you know the music that I was attracted to was music that had that thing behind it you know I was very much into reggae music and bob marley as a kid because that was one of the only kind of musical genres that was was had this spiritual kind of thing behind it you know um so that's just how it's always been you know it's just funny were you always looking for love and light i mean how was your childhood always a searcher man yeah yeah always an intense thinker always like a searcher yeah for sure did you have a good childhood did you were you had a loving amazing really amazing childhood yeah i mean my family is like the most supportive family

like ever like they you know supported my music from day one you know for my like 16th birthday my dad surprised me and like took me to a recording studio you know that type of shit you know yeah because wasn't your dad a musician yeah he's a drummer he's a drummer yeah yeah so um yeah my childhood was amazing i think the the and I grew up in a beautiful place, you know, in South Carolina. What, Hilton Head? Yeah, yeah. Where is that? What is that?

It's like a big – it's right next to Savannah. It's all the way at the bottom of South Carolina. And it's a big tourist place. It's an island, lots of golf, lots of tennis and stuff. But I think what my childhood did was it was very much, you know, I went to a prep school when I was there. Like, you know, everybody played sports and everybody went to college, usually in the South. American dream. Yeah, it was kind of like that and i

as a kid you know it's like if this is the american dream why are all my friends like parents like unhappy getting divorced yeah and unhappy and like i was like there's got to be something more there's got to be something more and There's got to be something more. And I'm appreciative of that because that's what kind of gave me this like, like fuel, like I'm going to dig in and I want to find what's up, you know? So it's really beneficial in a lot of ways. Fuck, I bet. I mean, I grew up in Los Angeles and, uh, you know, that idea of always chasing the rabbit's tail of like, you're going to be the only way you're going to make it.

If you're a fucking pop star or a fucking lawyer or a blah, blah, blah, you got to make money, money, money. And I was like, everyone who makes money is fucking so unhappy. Yeah. Oh, I mean, that's a great lesson though. You know, that's like, if you're able to see that and like realize that um it's I think it's like the first step you know yeah I mean

yeah I mean being let's talk about your record you got a new record coming out right I do man I'm so excited dude I heard you raised 130k on kickstarter oh no well that was for the last album oh really yeah no no you're good that was um we did we which was so that's insane bro one of the most wild experiences it

almost felt it almost felt weird to me at that point i was like this is a lot of money like i didn't need like this much money to like actually the album. But it was great because we used all the rest of the money to promotion and art. But it really showed the support of the fan base. Because up to that point, I was always on a label. I know. What made you want to do it independently? We'll talk about this album before this. What made you want to do it independently?

And is this new record independent? This new record's independent. Let's fucking go, dawg. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Well, that's great. I mean, what made you pull the trigger to do it independently? Were you over the record labels? I had a really great path, I guess. When I first moved out to LA and got signed and all that stuff, I got signed to Geffen Records right out of high school. Yeah, big label, big money, big people.

But like you're saying, telling you what to do, telling you what to sing, all this stuff. I was kind of in this limbo for like three years there. I recorded a couple albums. Both of them got shelved. It's heartbreaking. It was such a just crazy period of my life. But again, so rewarding.

I learned so much. And when I got dropped from the label, it was, it was a relief, you know, cause I could, you know, kind of do what I want, you know? And then from there I got picked up by like a boutique label, a really good like indie label called Vanguard. Oh, they're great. Yeah. Yeah. And they were wonderful. You know, it was like so different from geth and you know it was this kind of real family like nurturing yeah and like really supportive and they they put out you know four of my records i signed a four record deal with them and it was great it was a it was wonderful experience um

very very amazing um but then you know the music the industry and everything has changed so drastically you know we didn't have they didn't have we don't have spotify then we didn't have streaming nothing like this you know i mean it was just that wasn't around you know and i think as the industry's changed you know like all artists you got to adapt to yeah what's going on You got to adapt to what's going on. And it was just better. It was a huge risk, but it was better for us to try to do it on our own at that point. And it was amazing.

It was an amazing experience. A lot more work, you know. More fulfilling because of the work? You're doing everything. So much more fulfilling because of the work it's out you're doing everything so much so much more fulfilling yeah um because i learned so you know you just have your hand in everything and um i i realized how much work you know like vanguard did behind the scenes without me knowing you know just all the little nitty-gritty details which was you know i'm really thankful for but just to have that freedom i I think, as an artist, artists are so rebellious anyway, just to have that freedom was really special.

Just to make all your own calls and shots and everything, it was really special. So yeah, we're just riding that train. This next album that's coming out is, is, uh, again, independent. And what's it called? Oh man. You know, this is the first interview I'm saying the name.

Oh shit. World. Oh shit. World exclusive over here at the world saving podcast. Let's go Trevor. Uh, it's called in and through the body. Wow.

And, uh, it's, um, an album that I recorded with Brad Cook, who's a producer for Bon Iver. He's one of my favorite all-time bands. So I did some stuff with him, and then I recorded a few songs with my band in Ohio,

and we kind of just merged everything. But yeah, man, I'm just over the moon about it. I can't wait for people to hear it. What are you talking about in this record? Yeah, it's interesting because like we were talking about earlier, a lot of my music has always been this kind of where I can create my own world you know and i would and explore my own consciousness and all this stuff and as a result you know i was always talking about almost like dreamlike spaces you know imaginative spaces but were very real to me and

uh but i i tended to always kind of shy away from like my own human experiences, you know, like I, my human emotions, love, heartbreak, despair, depression, whatever it is, you know, because I kind of felt like they were like lower feelings. I wanted to talk about like higher. So I kind of like would push those away and uh it's just interesting you know i i i was been looking you know looking back on whatever my life and i've been so lucky to meet so many divine people you know in india and yogis and In India and yogis and sadhus and people not even just in India, here, wherever.

And the people that I hold in such high esteem and such high respect and I feel like are the most spiritual people are so incredibly human. And that's been a really beautiful thing to realize and i was on a call with a teacher and a group of folks and she was explaining an aspect of the path i guess the spiritual path and one one of the things she said at one point in the talk was like you know our path is in and through the body and that just really stuck with me and i i was just like wow you know like yeah in and through the body. That just really stuck with me and I was just like, wow, in and through the body, this is our temple, this is our vehicle, I shouldn't suppress, like we were talking about before, I shouldn't suppress anything.

So this album is quite different in that regard because I get to really dive into a lot of my own human emotions and as a result, it feels much more at home and grounded. And it's quite celebratory too because of that fact. So it's an optimistic record. Yeah, it definitely is because the album before was, it was called The Fruitful Darkness. Oh, Jesus Christ. But it was like, it was all G, you know, but it was definitely a period I was getting really into astrology at that time in my life and was learning a lot about myself.

And I was going through what they call the Saturn return. the saturn return and it's it's a it's much more kind of like really searching and um you know just going whatever i'm going through just uh getting in it whereas this one is is definitely more like joyful and and celebratory of the human expression and experience so and just working with somebody like you know one of my idols uh with brad cook was just like that was it was unreal unreal what was the recording process like did it feel like uh different than any other record different than it was it was definitely different than any other like they get weird ass sounds on those records man yeah he's really good at that. Yeah. I mean, part of it was because of Brad. I mean, when I met Brad, such a huge presence and spirit.

And he taught me so much, man. He was just in love with sound and creativity. And he would spend hours on one little part. And he would exhaust the idea. Wow. Whereas with me, I was- Did that frustrate you? At first, it was a little frustrating because I didn't understand it.

And then, um, because I was, I was kind of opposite. I was like very much like, oh, let's, yeah, that sounds good. Let's go. Let's, you know, boom, boom, boom. I was almost like, I realized a lot about myself. I was like, man, I, I think I really like rush a lot of my creative process, you know, but with him, it was just the joy of exploration. That's sick. It was so, man, I can't even say it. It was so healing and beautiful for me. And I changed.

I changed in that process with him. And he just taught me so much. And I think on this album, that's why I'm just so happy with it. And I just know that we exhausted and explored, you know, to the ends of our imagination. So because of that, the process was really just different. It wasn't, Brad was, in a way, we're similar in this way where we never had a goal. We never had an objective. We want to finish whatever, 12 songs.

And we want the record to be like this. That's not how I work and that's not how he works. So it was really beautiful. It was just like, let's see what happens. Did you write it in the studio with him or did you bring skeletons and then bring it to him? I brought a lot of demos and then we also together created a lot of stuff from scratch. So it's a really cool like mix of, of stuff. But even the demos that I brought, even the ones that I thought were, you know, 90% done, you know, we dissected, we took it apart, dissected it,

put it back together again. And yeah, together again and yeah it's just it's just we're so inspiring to be around somebody like that um that just makes you want to create it's just beautiful what did you learn about yourself oh say that first no i was gonna say and it was at his house the majority of it was at his house which is oh i'm, which is always a plus for me. So yeah, it was awesome. What did you learn about yourself through this process? You kind of talked about it outside of musically, like internally. Yeah, I think what I learned about myself is that creating is just my true joy. Fuck yeah.

And it's fucking so weird how we as humans don't do the things that bring us joy. I know. We distract ourselves. It's weird. It's just so weird. And it's just like we try to, oh, I got to have a reason and I got to explain this and I got to like logically.

It's like, fuck, no, like throw all that shit out. Like it makes you happy like that, that joy, like do that because that is going to resonate in your life and it's going to resonate to everybody around you. You know, that vibration, you know, so I just realized like during this album, you know that vibration. So I just realized during this album just how much I love to create music. I don't need a reason for it. And Brad really helped with that. Brad was just like, this is a blessing. Just do you. So that was really just healing and awesome for me.

Why do you think we like to torture ourselves with other shit? You're asking the wrong person. I'm like that too, man. My manager has to like walk me off a cliff every Monday. Like, you know, it's just like, what the hell, man? I don't know. Is it because we have free minds and we have the ability to overthink?

I mean, I don't know. I think it's that Western philosophy. Yeah, it's different. Depression, anxiety, these things are definitely global things, obviously. It's like a human condition but you know you find it more i think in in our modern you know um society you know

it's funny because i was talking about like with our grandparents the other day and you're like yeah like growing up nobody ever hurt anxiety like and they were in the fucking you know great depression i know you know and i think my my interpretation my opinion uh is why it's so much more prevalent today and all this stuff is just the um the over flooding of of information yeah um it's It's just, it's way too much. When I go to these countries that I love and these cultures that I try to live, like India and Nepal, you walk down the street, people just sit.

People just sit and watch. And it's like, who does that here? Nobody. Nobody. You'll sit down and have lunch and you'll be on your phone. Bro, I'm all the time. I just think that constant

flood of information and images and opinions and it's just, after a while i think our minds just start to um they start to get used to moving that fast yeah and and and then what happens is slowing down is almost gives us more anxiety it's like We have to stay in this fight or flight. Yes. Because that's what we're used to.

So, yeah, it's just intense. I know, bro. I feel for people who are always, like some of these musicians who's been always on the go or always suppressing with whatever drugs or whatever and then forced to go back to their girlfriends for five months straight or by themselves in an empty room and can't write because they're so scared of

tomorrow. I mean, I think mostly people were worried, more worried about what happens tomorrow than what happens right now. Yeah. Yeah. And I love that you're talking about presence throughout your whole, you know, throughout your whole discography and careers. It's important to be present like if we can't be present then we're not living right we're just yeah we're just in our heads yeah it's it's just that um we've just created this nor what's normal in our culture and it's

uh it's just hard yeah it's fucking tough yeah tough. Yeah. Well, I'm going to let you, this has been a great conversation. Thank you, Trev. You're the man, dude. I always knew you'd be the man and I'm glad we finally got to meet because we got mutual friends. You know, I have Franti and whatnot.

Yeah, I interviewed Franti. Like he's talking about the same shit, dude. And we won't have to go into the situation, the public's thing, but it's like him, you know, dealing the he's stuck in bali right now he's yeah i mean he's been stuck there forever bro but yo hey i do not feel bad for him at all because yo last christmas we did a he asked me to do a retreat there yeah at, at the yoga place? At his place, at Soul Shine Bali. And it's like a utopia.

Yeah. So I do not feel bad for them being stuck there at all. I know. I mostly feel like this is his moment because he's such an activist. And he can't even say anything because he's 14 hours away. And people are giving him shit. Like they're giving you shit. I know.

It's just wild. It's fucked up, dude. Yeah. It's just so fucked up. But, you know, like, like everything, I mean, this will be gone and something else will come and nothing will be gone. And, you know, we invest so much and, and we think we know so much into one thing and then that'll be gone and another thing will be gone and you know we invest so much and and we think we know so much into one thing and then that'll be gone and another thing will come and that's that flood of information right that's that flood and right now when we're so used to doing shit and we can't we're gonna like

make something we're gonna make something even more crazy you know So what's the moral of the story? Moral of the story, man, is listen to Andy's podcast. Let's go. Let's go. There we go, Trev. But I mean, yeah, I mean, we're all trying to figure out how to maintain presenceness. And through a world of social media where everyone is just, you know, just run away or fear everything or overthink everything, it's hard to stay present.

And for you to write present music is really inspiring. And I appreciate you, bro, for finding the good fight. Good thanks. I try. I can't wait to hear the new record. Send it over, dude. I won't tell anybody, I swear. I'll have management send it over.

One last question. I'll let you go with your lovely wife wherever you are. I just think of you as walking in the fields picking sunflowers and shit and just looking at the sun for five hours.

That's what we were doing today. That was on our schedule. From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., stare at sun. What a life. One last question, buddy. What do you want to be remembered by? Oh, man. That's so weird you ask that.

Today I was just thinking about that thing of everything passes, you know, and the greatest. It's funny that you're wearing a Lakers shirt. I mean, I was thinking about Kobe because something popped up on my Instagram, but it was a picture of him and his daughter, you know, and I forgot. Yeah. Almost.

It hit me. I was like, man, such a monumental figure in our world and such a tragic event. And because, again, the same conversation, because they're being flooded with information, you know, it was almost like it never happened. And I saw the picture and I just went, oh, my God, I can't believe, you know, I went through the whole thing again. I have everything just moves so fast, but I just, I hope that, you know,

I, I will be remembered for, you know, trying to be an authentic, just person. Yeah. Just being, you know, nothing,

nothing more, nothing less, you know, just, just to be in that authenticity of self, I think is just so important, you know? Yeah.

It doesn't have to be, I want to create a, you know, doesn't have to be i want to create a you know big fucking whatever monument or building or have the number one album you know that's not just like man he was just really like authentic guy and do you feel you're authentic i try that's all we could do buddy i try but i mean there's you know yeah we have to just try. And when we mess up, that's okay. We just get up again and keep going. But I would have to say that.

That's what I value in other people, for sure. I'm like, wow, man, that affected me. Like Brad, for example. Just so authentic in his self and creative energy that that's what made me so inspired. Well, keep walking the path, bro. And fuck the haters, dude.

It's all good. We're going to make it through it, buddy. We're going to make it through social media. One day they'll just turn off social media and we'll be back. When that day happens, me and you, I'll be staring in the sun too, buddy. Thanks for being on the show, Trav. Really appreciate it. Good to see you, I'll be staring in the sun too, buddy. So thanks for being on the show, Trevor. I really appreciate it.

Yeah, man. Good to see you, man. Good to meet you. I'm looking forward to everything with you, buddy. So have a great one. Thanks, Buzz. Yeah, stay healthy. You too, buddy.

Later, bud. Trevor Hall, everyone. Wow, that was great. Did not expect that. And I loved it. So yeah, hope you enjoyed it. And I will catch you with the tail end. Now, a message from the UN. This blow wasn't real, not that I can feel Gave me the wrong kind, yeah, sure, fuckin' mine

That wasn't cool, as I sit here and drool They look just the same, they're not the same Come in small plastic bags, this work looks like a hang One gets you up, but now I'm just stuck This isn't fun It just fucking sucks Don't let the woods get you high It's probably ketamine

Before you snort that line It could be ketamine. I can't feel my legs. Ketamine. I'm on the floor super high. Fuck ketamine. Fuck ketamine. Fuck Ketamine Don't do it man Fuck Ketamine And there you have it

Trevor motherfucking Hall Good guy right You think like Oh man I always judge a book by it's cover A lot of the times I'm like oh I don't know If I'm going to get anything out of these guys. And it was perfect.

And, you know, it's like we got to realize not to judge people before we talk to them. You know, and he was a good guy and he was sweet. And he was all in all just telling me the truth about life. And I learned a lot from the interview. So shout out to Trevor. Thank you, buddy, for being on the show. But that's it, guys telling me the truth about life. And I learned a lot from the interview. So shout out to Trevor. Thank you, buddy, for being on the show. But that's it, guys. I'm taking a break.

I'm going out into the world, turning off my phone for a couple weeks. I know you guys are going to do some fucking great things out there. Kick ass out there while I'm gone because you deserve happiness. We all deserve happiness. So if you need to take a break, get out. Turn off your phones. Get off social media. Be the people you were born to be.

And if you're becoming not that person, figure out how you could do that. And sometimes all it takes is a holiday. So take a fucking holiday. Chill the fuck out. Be present. Read a fucking book. Go watch some porn if you want to.

Fuck it. It's your world. Live it up. Because life is too short not to live it up. Yeah, seriously. I'm so pumped up that we accomplished that live stream. Interactiveness. I'm jazz pumped up that we accomplished that live stream interactiveness. I'm jazzed up.

So I hope you watch it. By tomorrow, I don't know if it's going to be still posted. But if you can, 48 hours, go buy it. If it's still around, you'll get to watch it for 48 hours. It was worth it. It was so fun. And the sit-ins were amazing. We had Vince Herman, Andy Hall, Andy Thorne, Eddie Robert. I mean, the list goes on.

So go watch it if you can. But we're going to probably try to do another thing in a couple months. But I'm out, guys. I love you. Thank you, World Saving Podcast fans. Thank you, new fans as well. We keep on getting more and more ads. We're at a half a million downloads on the podcast. Isn't that great? I love you guys.

Thank you so much for supporting me, believing in me. I'm going on vacation. I got my sunglasses on. I'm literally walking out the door right now. I'll leave you with this. Be safe. Love, love, love. Love yourself, love the earth, and love being in the present because this is all we got. Look around you right now. This is what we have. Maybe your boyfriend or your girlfriend's right next to you. He smells or she smells or whatever. Just enjoy the smell or enjoy the now because we never know when it's going to be taken away from us. So love your neighbor, love your lovers, love yourself and love the now. All right, guys, have a great day and I'll catch you in a month. All right. Love you. You tuned in to the third season of Blissful Blah at Andy Fresco's world-saving podcast

produced by Andy Fresco, Joe Angel, I want Chris Lawrence. Please subscribe, rate the show on iTunes and Spotify so we can make this a worldwide phenomenon. For a different show, please head to Instagram at World Saving Podcast. For more info and blog or tour dates, head to andyfresco.com. Check out the new album

Keep On Keepin' On or let Andy entertain you at the Thursday night online shit show Or at this crazy Saturday night wanna dance with somebody dance parties. Oh, right. Summer season is here. No festivals, no music. So instead of trying to keep the lip

going and hoping to find some shitty paid trombone at JubaGigs this summer, I decided to reroute. Building closets and wardrobes, build a tiny summer house and do some painting. It will be October in no time. And yes, I sort of hate it compared to the wonderful life I live. But I'm also thankful that people trust my skills or my good looks or whatever.

They have my back and I managed to make some money. The big danger in this line of work actually, it pays a lot better than being a musician. Alright, how are you doing? Making ends meet? Worried? No work? Putting on a virtual dance party every week? Let's make sure to carry each other, get one another's backs, keep each other safe, keep each other sane, keep each other healthy. Let's unite, for it will be a long road ahead.

See you next week.