The Bobby Bones Show - GET REAL WITH CAROLINE HOBBY - Ian Munsick: The Man Behind the Mountain Goat

Episode Date: August 22, 2026

Ian Munsick is building far more than a country music career, he’s creating an entire world rooted in family, faith, the American West, cowboy culture, and staying true to who you are. In this episode of Getting Real, Ian opens up about his fourth studio album, The Mountain Goat, the meaning behind his music, and the fiercely loyal audience he’s built by carving out a lane all his own. We go behind the scenes of Ian’s life with his wife and manager, Caroline, raising two kids, finding inspiration in Wyoming and the West, and building an ever-expanding brand that includes his clothing line, documentary, and upcoming Ian Munsick Cowboy Bar. Ian also gets real about his friendship with Cody Johnson, touring, the values of cowboy culture, selling out arenas, and what it means to build a life and career on your own terms.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to pro society on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the new podcast, Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinero, and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first.

I'm on a mission to reclaim the word Solita, trading the pity for possibility. Listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I am excited to be here with Ian Munsick. Thank you for having me. I'm so thrilled to be here with you. We were talking right before you came in here

about your beautiful wife, Caroline, which you automatically have to like me because I do, Caroline. I do, yeah. And you wrote a song about, her, which I was like, man. That's a good love song. Yeah. Well, thank you. There's a, there's a lot of tunes that have the title Caroline in it. I know. It's a good name. Yes. So I was like, there's got to be other carolines that can relate to this song too, you know, like it's not just about her, even though

it is about her in my eyes, but there's going to be other eyes. It's like, oh, they have a caroline in their life that, you know what I mean? So I got to interview her. Yeah. And I was telling you, you really married well for yourself. I did. You really married well, because she's like a powerhouse. She's your manager, too. She is, yeah, she is. Okay, she's your manager and wife.

Wife and baby mama? Baby mama, yeah. She, um, I've never met another girl like her. She is like so artistic, um, so smart, way too smart. Like I, I don't get away with anything. Really? No. She knows, she knows it all.

Yeah, she sniffs it out very quickly. Are you trying to get away with stuff? I mean, like, occasionally, like, I'll try and go play golf. Oh. You're going to go sneak off and play golf? And, well, no. Because a week in advance, she's like, so who are you golfing with next week? I'm like, how do you know that I was planning on golfing in a week?

Like, she's very, very smart. Very smart. Yeah. I love that about her. So where did y'all meet, though? Because y'all been together a long time. You met in Nashville. You had a big friend group.

Like, you're in the Lainty Wilson friend group before. everyone became Ian Munsick and Lainey Wilson and all that. We met in at school at... You went to Belmont? Belmont, we did. Yeah. And really? Yeah.

What year did you, were you there? Okay, so I graduated in 2007. I'm turning 40 to 30 this year. Nice, nice. So we, I graduated 20, gosh, 2015. And she did not graduate. She bailed early. She didn't need it.

I know, she didn't. She didn't. It's supposed to be the other way around. The artist is supposed to not go to college. Right. The manager is supposed to go to college and we totally flip-flopped it. But y'all met it. Yeah, yep.

I was playing in some bands and she saw me play and she was working for kind of a smaller artist. And she hired me to play in his. band and then right as she hired me she left so like we never still really got to meet only through like through the DMs just for playing music you know and then a few years later she wanted to start her own company and I was pretty over playing for other people I really wanted to pursue my own artistry and and we just reconnected and the rest is history Was it love at first sight? I was always attracted to her, yes.

She will lie to you and say that she was not attracted to me at first, even though she definitely was. Don't be fooled. Yeah. But yeah, I just got to know her and see how smart and how kind and just how she's a very, very special girl. So I just knew. Is that the secret to marriage?

It's just like loving your wife so much I think she's the greatest? I think so. I think it's just like, yeah, oh yeah, 100%. I definitely did. Yeah, I think it's just about like figuring out how special your partner is, you know, because she's like very, very special. I think that she thinks I'm special.

And as long as you can like always have that, I think that you're in a good spot in your marriage. Man. Yeah. So you're so cool. for so many reasons, Ian. But I love that you are from Wyoming. Because Wyoming and Montana in that area, that's beautiful.

It's its own thing. It is. It is. It's its own world out there. It's its own world. Yeah, it is. It's tough to live anywhere else after that just because it kind of pales in comparison to the beauty and the landscape and the people out there that are just so independent and respectful of each other. and so low-key and hard-working.

It's kind of like a little utopia out there, in my opinion. So your new album is coming out. It's not out yet. It's coming out. When is it coming out? August 21st, I think. The mountain goat. And you're the mountain goat first of when I need to know what the mountain goat is

because I love that. It's such a great song, and I love that you are the mountain goat. But you have a song in your previous album called The Gate, talking about your dad. Yeah. So did you grow up on the land? Did you grow up working the land? Yeah.

Because being connected to the land and being, like, in tune with nature and animals, I feel like is a huge part of who you are. Yeah, absolutely. My dad is a rancher. My two older brothers are both ranchers. My mom's a rancher. Oh, wait. Yeah. So, I mean, it was just, I was born on a ranch.

Is your three boys? Three boys. I'm the youngest. Okay. So my parents really taught us how to work the land, how to ride horses, how to, how to live with the land instead of on the land. And I think that that's a big piece of what being a cowboy is all about and being a rancher is all about and being just connected to the earth. And that's probably the biggest thing that I took away from a group.

growing up there is just having respect for the land and respect for your neighbors, you know. So what would you say the difference of being with the land, not on the land is? I think that when you live on the land, it's pretty easy to take it for granted. Like here in Nashville, it's like you go to work every day, you're in traffic every day, like you go home, you're indoors quite a bit just because that's the way that, this industry is, right? There's not a lot of music industry happening outdoors. So I think that you just kind of take it for granted.

That's probably the biggest thing. The land is always there. Yeah. It's yours for the taking kind of. Yes, yes. Yeah. Yeah. Whereas in Wyoming,

you have to really take care of the land because that's how you get your crops. That's how you feed your horses and your cows. So like it all revolves around you taking care of it. And that's really how you live with it, you know. So can you feel like the heartbeat of the land? Oh, yeah. So. Can you speak to the land?

I mean, I'm being serious. Like how do you communicate? I can hear the land. Yes. I don't know if it hears me back. I don't know if I'm at that level. Oh, how do you get to that level? I don't know.

I don't know. I think that you have to like, I think that you have to be a rancher or be a, be an agriculturist to really be able to speak to the land. But I can hear it. And especially like out in, out in the Rockies, I think that it's a lot easier to hear the land because you're humbled by the land. And you can really hear God speaking through the land. And it's just, it's, it's magical out there. Like proof of God is pretty certain. Pretty easy out there.

It's pretty easy. You don't have to necessarily go hunt for it. It's like right there. Everything is God. Yeah, yeah. You just look at the mountains and it's like, Hi, God. Yeah, I am a very small piece of this earth.

And then there's a whole other, there's outer space. There's the, there's the galaxies, the universe like that. We are a small piece of that. And to think that there is no God is like, pretty crazy in my opinion i agree yeah i totally agree so is that kind of like your relationship with god is it just started from being i think so your upbringing with yeah nature yeah my parents weren't very aren't um very religious i think that they got turned off at just out of young age because they grew up

like i mean they're they're 74 73 so they grew up like having it kind of like in their face like you're going to church no matter what which for better or for worse right but um they're very spiritual so for them to to to have their their ranch still and to raise us three boys out there, they really taught us how to be spiritual and how to live off the land and to hear it, you know? Like you were talking about.

When did you discover music? At a young age, my dad is a really good player. Yep, and he writes his own music. He can play any instrument. He's... As can you. He's kind of a genius, yeah, but not to his level. He's like...

Do you play like seven or eight instruments on your album? Yeah, but playing in the studio, you have unlimited amount of time to get it right. Like I spend so much time trying to get the harmonica and then hear the banjo right, get the bass right. Whereas my dad like he'll just just play and it's like where did you like he's just insane. Did he just pick it up naturally? He did. So he's a genius.

Kind of. Yeah. He's very smart guy. But he taught my two older brothers and I how to play at a young age and me as the youngest. I had like three of my heroes all playing music. Like your two older brothers and your dad? Yes. So it was just always like how to get closer to them was through music.

So that's just what we did. Okay. Are they good singers as well? They are. Yep. They all have their own music and they do their own thing. So they all for professional? They are.

Well. And y'all didn't want to be like a family man? We were for for a long time. but it was pretty clear to me that my brothers and my dad, like, they love being ranchers. Like, that's their number one thing. Two is music. And you're maybe reverse? And I'm probably reverse.

Yeah. Like, I love country music, but I also love so much other kind of music where they're, like, pretty country, country. You know, they do like other kinds of music, obviously. but I really wanted to see the world and see how far I could take my own music, whereas I kind of knew that, like, they were cool just being in Wyoming. And that's great. And the older I get, you're maybe wanting to go back. I'm like, yeah, maybe these guys had it figured out from the beginning, which they still do.

I mean, it's not wrong because seeing the world and traveling is amazing, but it'll wear you down. Yeah, yeah. And it's also like you don't know how good you have it until you see the rest of the world. So being able to play music around the world and around the country, there's still no place like going back to Wyoming. It's like this is the best out here. I used to have a dream. Like I used to after Legends of the Fall came up. Oh, dude.

Now we're talking. Okay, we're going to go on this whole rant about Legends of the Fall. I mean, that probably really, I'm sure that was a peak Montana, Wyoming moment for the world too. But after that movie came out, I was probably like early teens. And I was like, my dream is to move to Montana, live on a farm, and ride horses. And that's your life. I mean, that's your reality. Do you know what's crazy?

You fought a bear. No, that would be awesome. I have two older brothers. Tris and Sam. Tris Sam. Like Tristan. They're the same. Yes.

Those are the two brothers' names in Legend of the Falls. The other one's name is Alfred. I'm Ian. And so not the same. No. No. But it was Tristan was Brad Pitt, right? Tristan was Brad Pitt.

Samuel was the younger brother that died in World War I. So, but I have two brothers named Tristan Sam. We grew up on a ranch in Wyoming, three brothers, like kind of crazy. They really were modeling the movie after you. They knew you guys existed and they're like, this is what we need to make a movie. Yeah. About we're going to get Brad Pitt in there. It's going to be epic.

Anthony Hopkins is my dad. Oh my, is he kind of, does he play the role? No, my dad's not quite as good as English. Well, I mean, he's, they're both very, very smart, so actually kind of, yeah. And also, a river runs through it. Oh, that's awesome in Wyoming? Yeah, those are my top two movies. Those are, too.

They're so good. Those are always my favorite. And also Brad Pitt. He must have that common thread, too. So good, yeah. So good. Yeah. But I remember River runs through it, too.

That was my dad's favorite movie. Amazing movie. Yeah. It was so good. So good. Yeah. And it makes you, it makes you want to live like that.

I know. I know. Yeah. I, you know, having two older brothers, like I was exposed to a lot of things probably earlier than I should have been. You know,

like all kinds of music. Drinking a little bit, probably to all kinds of movies and stuff that they were watching that I was just there. You know, so I got to watch those two movies when I was, you know, Like five years older. Right.

Right. There's a lot going on. Yeah. But I think that... Oh, yeah, because in River and Strip, Brad Pitt, he dies off the ricochet, right? Yeah. Oh, God. And he was an alcoholic.

Yeah. And he had a gambling problem. So many problems. Like all of these things. Yeah. I know. I know. And yeah, yeah.

Yeah. But there's just like those movies and that culture was just like everything. and that's what I thought that the rest of the country was like. Oh. And then like I left and it's like, oh, that's not what it's like. It's like that is a unique special thing that we have at home that is hard to find everywhere else. But people everywhere else still view that as like a very cool special thing in culture. So that was kind of like, I knew that I had a unique angle in country music because of people's love for the West and that culture that like was not really getting played on to too much in country music.

It's all about, you know, Texas and Georgia and Tennessee and the Carolinas. But there's not a lot of Rocky Mountain country that's in the mainstream. dream, you know. And I like that your songs, like, you're not talking about getting drunk and tailgating. No. Yours are so deep. Your songs are so, like, you can feel a spiritual element too, too. Yeah, yeah.

Tell me how you would describe your music, because you also made a documentary on this last album, right, Buffalo. Yeah. So tell me about the culture that you infuse into this, because you're all about representation of your culture. Yeah. Indigenous culture is huge for me. I grew up just a few miles away from the.

Crow Reservation and their culture is all about horses and spirituality tied to the land. And that's kind of the same thing that cowboys are tied to. It's the same thing that the West is tied to. But for whatever reason, their culture doesn't get a lot of praise or of a recal um gosh what's the word i'm looking for like um representation yeah yeah sure but also the respect that that yeah yeah oh my gosh respect each other in the land yes yes it's it's incredible and take care of it

like you're saying like you guys sit in cowboys yeah yeah it's it's the same thing and um that's really what we tried to do you are a cowboy to portray i mean yeah i mean you grew up cowboy I think that I have too much respect for what cowboys actually have to go through to call myself one. But you grew up in cowboy culture. I grew up in cowboy culture 100%. And I think that I have a unique viewpoint about who cowboys are because I grew up with them. But I also, yeah. It's kind of like.

Yes, yes. Both ends. Yeah. And I was also able to get out of it at, at a. pivotal age to pursue music because after, you know, like you're 18 or 19 and you're in Wyoming, odds are you're going to stay there the rest of your life, right? And that's probably true for every small town. But being able to have that outlet through music was really awesome. but yeah just trying to

to educate the country music world about the real aspects of Western life and how like it's not just the old West like it's not outlaws running around that's not what the West is like that's the history of the West

and that's really cool but there is a current West that is going on and that's really what I want to educate the country music world on through entertaining them through my music

you know behind every night spent making the kids lunches there's a lot of suspense will they finally eat the veggies will the pesto survive the first bite will the lunchbox come home empty half full or come home at all and will you finish episode eight before you're done slicing the cucumbers

get bell pure fiber internet with craved Netflix and Disney Plus From $94 a month, price guaranteed for two years on internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.ca for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months. I survived, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the Survivor Files.

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So what do you want people to take away about that culture when they listen to your music? I really want people to learn from it and to have them incorporate it into their own world. And I think the main thing is just having respect for the land and having respect for your neighbor. Like that's the main thing because there's a lot of people in this world. There's more and more every single day. So the more people that we have, the more we're going to have to respect the world. Because if we don't, then we're not going to have a world to live in. So I think about the future of my kids too.

Like I have two kids and it's pretty terrifying to like think about the world that they are going to be living in when they're going. off to college and we're not able to protect them like it's it's kind of scary yeah yeah yeah yeah and and not like they don't have to go to college but right when they're at the point in their life where they leave home like I want to make sure that the world is okay for them to go out into you know so you're really trying to do your part with educating through music yeah 100% and and that's what my dad um you know he's he he he's a really great writer and um and um All of his his tunes have just so much education in them.

And that was kind of what he always did. So I think that there's a piece of him that just lives on through my music of like being able to educate people in hopefully a commercial way so that it reaches more people, you know? When did it start to take off? And was radio a big part of your success

or has it all been grassroots? and the fans. It's been grassroots. That's incredible. Yeah. That's the best. I would not trade it. You know, there's times where I'm like, man, like I wish that we had a hit on the radio. But I also, there's a lot of artists that have hits on radio that don't have a fan base.

So it's like, I would rather have it our way. You know? And then hopefully. It all catches up. It's able to catch up and just amplify. it, you know, and I think that that's what's going to happen. When did it start taking off? I, um, when I was about 19 years old, I wrote the song called Horses are

faster. Faster. Yeah, that was great. I was just looking down the way in. Yeah. And, um, I had not moved to Nashville yet. I was still on the ranch and, and my dad, um, did you write it by yourself?

Yeah. Cool. And my dad has a studio in our house that's like half of this room. It's tiny. And he just has like a couple of microphones. He has like, he had an old 16 track rolling board, which is kind of like that just kind of bigger.

Had this tiny little screen on it that like I had to like do all the editing on it. Had to play it like all of the instruments perfectly one time through. And there's no. people to hire to play on my records out there. So that's really how I learned how to record all these instruments was just that I was the only one. If you wanted it, you had to do it. I'd get the banjo, play the banjo, get the guitar, play the bass, play the bass, get the mandolin. So we recorded that one and I put it up on YouTube just because Spotify and Apple Music and all the DSPs, they weren't a thing yet, you know.

So I threw it up there and then I moved to Nashville about a month later. And about a year or two after living here, I started to see the YouTube just go up and up. And then it was at like 1 million views and 2 million views. And then Spotify and Apple Music, they came out. I was like, oh, well, I'm going to upload this on there. And then I started to see 1 million streams, 2 million streams, 3 million streams. It was refining it? Yeah, just very organically.

Like They just loved it Yeah did not I didn't even have an Instagram Then like it was just so organic This is your destiny Yeah yeah and that's kind of what I think I think that it was a God thing

Like Him Him proving to me It's like hey this is what you should be doing And that's just what I've always done ever since You know Man

That's amazing Yeah And that's how my wife She found it And I was like, oh, like, I know this guy. This is a great song. And, you know, blah, blah, blah. 13 years later, here we are, yeah.

Is it just slowly just been ticking up the whole time? Yeah. You know, there's been peaks and valleys the whole way, too. You had some valleys? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Let's knock you on your butt the hardest. I mean, we, we, um, I mean, honestly, the last, um, probably 2020.

to 2023, we really wanted our label to go to radio with Longhall. That was the first try. And Long Live Cowgirls was try number two. And they both were doing really, really well. Yeah, yeah. One of them is a gold record. The other one is a platinum record. And we were only able to get those at like number 52 or something like that.

insane, which isn't even charting. Like, that's not even on the chart. So have you had any radio? No. No. You are just straight organic, but that's so cool. I'm sorry, that's cooler. Yeah.

I mean, that is so much cooler because it's real. Yeah. You know, it's not smoking mirrors. It's not fabricated. You have, I mean, you're doing aren't you? Yeah, yeah. Just because you put out music that people love. Yeah, yeah.

You've got to feel so proud. I do. And that's. And proud of what you're speaking about and singing. Yeah, that's probably what I'm the most proud of is that I'll go back every now and then and just play my albums, just top to bottom and just be like, is this still good? Yeah. Five years later. And there's like, there's just not a lot of superficialness in my records.

It's like pretty real life stuff that I'm still passionate about five years later and that I haven't outgrown like. getting hammered on a Friday night. I outgrew that pretty quick. Like, you know what I mean? And I know that there's still people out there. It's still, it's still good to have those, you know, because you're going to play clubs

and they want to get rowdy. But even if you're drinking songs for you, I feel like, are like smart, you know? Yeah, yeah. There's a cleverness in the lyrics that you can still be like, oh, that's good writing at least.

Yeah. You know. And you're not just promoting that, I don't know, I can't even describe what that lifestyle is, you know, so much of that, just like I said,

I said sitting on the tail, getting drunk, checking out girls in short shorts. It's like, I know people like that, but it's like a little, sometimes it's going to be a little tedious. Yeah, yeah. I have a tune called Horses and Weed, and that was my play on trucks and beer was horses and weed. There's two things that are way cooler, and it's horses and weed. I like that. Yeah. Yeah, I love that so much.

man okay so you and so you're kind of like in that's maybe why you and cody johnson are so connected too because i feel like he grassroots his whole yeah he was done out the dallas cowboys he's kind of he's kind of the poster child for that and and you all connected how did you guys connect because leather that's a big story for you yeah um yeah let's see um Cody asked us to go on tour did he just find you too back in 2021 um i i played a show in Green Hall Roger Crager he did his

birthday party there every year and Caroline knew Roger and he was kind enough to just be like hey like he can come open you know what I mean so like I just went down there with my guitar opened up for him at Green Hall and that's like one of the most

I mean that's like legendary yes so legendary and so Cody's manager, Howie is also Rogers. Okay, so Cody's manager and Roger have the same, like Cody and Roger have the same manager. Yes, Howie. Yeah.

And so Howie saw you. Yes, yes. And he was there. He's like, oh, man, like love your music, blah, blah, blah, blah, we got to kind of connect a little bit. And I think that when it came time for Cody to go on tour, like maybe a year or two later, my name got thrown in the hat. And I think that Howie was like, oh, yeah, his kid's good.

Like I saw him play. And we connected through tour. And we went quite a few shows out west, which really helped me out because there was a lot of people there that already knew my music. and Cody kind of thought that I was a newer artist, which I was a newer artist. In theory. But I had been releasing songs for a long time. So there was quite a few people there that knew my tunes.

And we played in Salt Lake. And I remember I played Longhall and the arena, they just started to light it up. Like, I didn't ask them to. They just started to just kind of do it. and then the whole arena was lit up and we were the first of three uh that's a big deal yeah yeah like just a dude who has like 20 minutes on stage just boom boom boom boom um but cody he would he would watch me every night which is a pretty cool thing um but he he saw that and um and he went up to my wife after that and was like what is going on here like who is this guy

how like what's your story blah blah blah and Caroline she was like well he loves you he's been a fan of you for years and years and he has this tune that I think that you might like so Caroline that's called long live cowgirls he's like oh that's a cool title and he he went on the bus right then and there he he came back out and i was like where's he in at and he's like she's all right and then like he just marches in my room's like hey dude i love what you do i'm going to be on that song because we need a lot more of that in-country music and i mean that's just kind of how it happened and do you play him leather that same night no that was a couple weeks later um i played him leather on the bus and

we had had a couple of beers. It was late and and I was just kind of playing him the bunch of tunes and Caroline she was like well you gotta play a mother you gotta play a mother I was like I don't really want to play him leather because I want it because it's about my brother very personal what about how does it relate to your brother

um so he's he's a pretty scrawny dude five foot eight weighs like a hundred and 30 pounds, like very scrawny, not the kind of guy that you would see and be like, oh, like he's a tough guy, but he's been stepped on by Bronx. He's, I mean, he is a cowboy through and through and through. And he wears sneakers around, but it's like those are the guys that you know are actually cowboys.

the ones that that aren't trying to come off as a cowboy, they are the ones that are like real deal. You can do it all. Yeah. And so that's kind of where

that idea was born is that man, like he's tough as leather. And I was like, oh, that'll be a good title. Rubber, but yeah, I did not want to give that away.

But Cody was staring at me the whole time. I remember this. And his, I mean, he was just like this the whole time. Like,

it was hitting. him right in their core. Yes, yes. And he was looking at me like he was pissed at me. And I was like, I was like, oh, like, I don't really want to make eye contact right now. But the song ended. And he was like, man, if you give me that song, I will name my album after that song. I will do this whole thing with him.

And I was like, oh, like, oh, let me. I was like, man, let me think about it. Oh, my gosh. That's got to be crazy to not just be like, yes. But that was like your golden... I know, so I was like, ah. But then he calls me back. You wanted it so bad.

Yes. And he called me back a month later. And I put it on speakerphone. And he's just like, hey man, what are you doing right now? I was like, man, like I'm just driving to the airport right now. And he's like, all right, well, let me play you something. And he plays me leather, him on his back porch. Wait, how did he, had you sent it to him?

So he had it. I think he had it. You just quickly memorize it on the bus. I think that he had it. Okay. Even though I don't remember giving it to him. So maybe he sneakily got it from from Caroline probably. Okay.

So he was like, listen, I really need it. Yeah. And then he just played it. And I was like, oh, dude, like after Kojo puts his stamp on a song, it's like, I'm never going to top that. You know what I mean? I mean, so it's. I mean, not like he does, though. I mean, he has like.

he has like the best voice. I mean, it is just so money. And it's like, dude, that's your song. And if there's anybody in country music that could do that song, it's him. You know, so very, very blessed that he cut that song because it, uh, I think that it, that it gave me a lot of street cred as a writer. Oh my gosh.

Cody Johnson. Yeah. Put it as his title, the title of his album. Was it the first single of that album? Uh, no, it, It was never one, but... It was never single.

No. But it won album of the year, and it was the title track, you know, so it... How did that change your life? Really, I just think as a writer, like, people were like, okay. Did you write that by yourself, too? No, I wrote that with Jeremy Spillman. I love Jeremy Spillman. Oh, yeah, he's the man.

He co-produced with you, your new album. He's my number one guy. He is. Okay. He really, he's not, he doesn't want to write stuff that's just like, that doesn't have the soul. And he's written for tons of artists, obviously, but they're always like such great, like, that's not going to be on the radio, but it's the best one on the album. Yeah. You know what I mean?

That's his thing. So, yeah. Okay. Man, that's so cool. Yeah. You have such a cool story. Oh, thank you. I mean.

I mean, it's kind of like it's so, I feel like it's always you can look back and put the pieces together and always feel divine. Yeah. But like piecing your story together, like you can feel the divine interventions throughout the whole journey. Yeah. But the number one was meeting my wife. That was like. Did she change everything? Because without her, oh, yeah.

I would be playing base for an artist. Like, I would be in nowhere, you know. So she's really taken your talent and who you are. and molded it into like a brand? Turn it into a brand, yeah. She is a branding genius. Like, there is nobody in town that, I mean, I'm friends with a lot of big artists. And, like, I know their teams.

There's nobody that is a branding like she does. She is the best in town, hands down. Behind every night spent making the kids' lunches, there's a lot of suspense. Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pasto survive the first bite? Will the lunchbox come home empty, half full? or come home at all. And will you finish episode 8 before you're done slicing the cucumbers?

Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with Craved Netflix and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.ca for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months. I survived, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the Survivor Files. I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying, shut up, don't say anything. Every week, I'm with survivors

who lived through the unthinkable. I knew if he woke up, without a doubt, he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed, and I just started screaming. They are abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. But these aren't stories about what's taken from them. They're stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your For You page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. This is Prose Society, the weekly podcast that's part bookbookbookbook.

Club, part group chat for thought daughters, pop culture obsessives, and anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. I'm Eli Rallo and every week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and the conversations everyone can't stop having. I'm going to have to look up this story. I'm obsessed. So I'm obsessed. From bestselling authors and your favorite book talk creators to the latest pop culture moments, nothing is off the table. It's like if you can hide some real messages inside compelling characters, then that is a Trojan horse. Whether you're looking for literary deep dives, smart pop culture conversations,

or a community of readers who love to think a little too much, you're in the right place. Listen to Pro Society on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. See you between the pages. On the new podcast Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone. as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinero and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word solita, trading the pity for possibility. Every time I tried to be alone, I kept meeting people and they

were like, you smiled at us. Not a lot of people smile around here. It's when you're a alone that you're most receptive to the world as it is and not the lies you're sold about it. It can be a time where you push your limits, change your mind, or wake up to a new version of yourself. So whether you're a solo travel veteran or you're too nervous to book your first trip, I hope you listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Did you know who you were artistically before her? Or had you thought about it? I knew musically who I was, but I did not, I didn't think of it as a brand.

I'm just like, I'm just ears, man. Like, I just want to make music. And she really, she really took my music and made it into an image that, like, now, like, I have artists, friends and, um, songwriter pals in town where, like, they will see a t-shirt and be like oh that's an e-n shirt even though it's not an e-n shirt you have a clothing brand too we do yeah coming out in august and that's all her too yeah with the release it you have a bar coming out bar coming out clothing line coming out album coming out yeah so tell me about the clothing line and the bar yeah and then let's get back to the uh the mountain goat cool yeah um the bar is in in south dakota ean month's

Six Cowboy Bar in Deadwood, South Dakota. I mean, that just sounds cool the whole thing. Yeah. Deadwood, South Dakota. Is that close to where you live in Wyoming? Yeah, it's about three hours away from my ranch. It's right on the state line. Okay.

Right in the heart of the Black Hills, beautiful country, old, old historic outlaw coal mining town, but still has just a lot of extremely rich culture there that people still from around the world will travel to just to experience it. Cowboy bar. It's great from a tourism aspect and then having a cowboy bar in that town that has an artist tied to it. I think we'll do really, really well there and being able to build it from the ground up with obviously Carolina has done 99% of the work. She got all the partnerships.

She got all the partnerships. She made all the connections. I know. She's so smart. But that's going to be awesome. September 18th is the grand opening. There's going to be live music there too. And it'll be super, super cool.

Okay. And then the Mountain goat comes out. Mountain goat comes out August 21st. Okay. So. You've already been releasing some songs. Yep. I love World War III.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. That's like getting a big response. Yeah. That's one that we play live and everyone's like, hell yeah. I can feel it. Hell yeah, I die for this country.

I die for my family. I die for that. Hell yeah. Yeah, you can feel that. Yeah, that's one that has like a little bit more of a bra that's not like just Wyoming. It's like people in Alabama are like, hell, yeah, better, you know. Yeah. So which ones have you released so far?

War War III? I've released Love is Blind, Geronimo. Is that a playoff of the show? No. It's not. I was like, because you do pop culture. I know. I know.

Sabrina Carpenter dancing. I'm like, oh my God, and hilarious. Yeah, yeah. I like to stay tapped in too. When you did the Puerto Rico one on the beach, that was shared almost like, I feel like thousands of times. Yeah, yeah, that's the biggest moment that I've had was for that song. I literally watched it myself 10 times because I was laughing so hard and I wanted to go back

and watch your band. Each person did. I wanted to go back and watch the moves again because I'm like, this is so funny. You're funny. You're witty. Thank you. And you got some funny dance moves. I do, yeah.

Like you do some little... I like to entertain people. You do a little twist and turns. Oh, yeah. Like when the Sabrina Expresso... Yeah. Oh, yeah. You go back and you're like line dancing and turn it into your band.

Yeah. You're a funny guy. I feel like you have to keep people entertained. You know, because there's a lot of country artists and it's not wrong, but they'll just go up there and just drum, you know. And that's totally cool. That's one way of doing it. But for me, I've always been so, like, I want to, I want to engage with the fans. because it helps me perform even at a higher level.

Because you're getting their response. Yeah. You're like talking to you. Yes. Yeah. Because you're witty though. Yeah. When you do that, do they?

Oh yeah, they love it. They freak out every time. It's like. Does it just feel you up? Yeah. And it's literally three spin moves. But it's all you need. It's so unexpected.

It's so unexpected. Three hours to do that, which is kind of. To learn it. Embarrassing. No, but it's so cute because y'all are like three cowboy dudes out there doing it. Yes. You're not prepared. Yeah, that's exactly right.

Yeah. I like to keep my audience on their toes, you know. Are there any other surprise move? We play Ozzy, we play Brittany, we play. Are these songs that you like? Avici, yeah. They're all songs that I like. Like, I don't want to play tunes that I don't.

Do you like Pop-Colte? Oh, yeah. I mean, there's absolute bangers out there. And then you put your own Rocky Mountain seat on it. Put some fiddle. Fiddle on it and all of a sudden it slowly starts to turn into a country song, which is pretty cool. Yeah. That's a blast.

Yeah, it is. It is. Okay. And then the clothing line drops soon too. I don't know the exact date on that. And you're partnering with someone, right? Schaefer Outfters? Schaefer Outfitters.

Yes. And that's a regular, Shaper Outfitter. And they're, yeah, yeah. And you're doing like a line with them. They're based out of Texas and then we're going to do a line with them. And their whole thing is, is quality clothing.

And that was a challenge because we've wanted to do a clothing line for a long time. But there's not a lot of brands out there that prioritize quality over style. Right. But we always knew it's like, hey, we can bring our style into it. That's the easy part. Where's the quality at? And that's exactly, these guys have been,

I think they started in the 1950s. And they have been, I mean, it's ranch gear. Okay. So ranch. They're sold to ranch, yes. To people that need the quality

to hold up for years and years and years and years, which is hard to come by this. day and age, you know. So it's a great, great team. What is the, what is the style? It's going to be all the, all of the clothes that I would wear on stage. Like, that's what we're doing. Yep, yep.

And then. How many different shirt styles, do we know? I want to say like five or six. Okay. Is it jeans as well? Nope, just shirts and then, um, hats. Okay. And I want to say, there's a jacket too.

There's a jean jacket. Oh, yeah. That's cool. I think that's it. That's going to be awesome. Yeah. Will you sell that at when you're on tour as well? Yes, I think so. Yeah.

Yeah. Oh, man. Yeah. Oh, you had it going on. I know, but that's all my wife. Like, she's just able to bring these opportunities and just the way that we were able to make a world around my music has really allowed me to make all of these opportunities like early on. because, you know, there's a lot of artists out there that are huge that don't have these kind of branding opportunities. So I feel like I owe a lot of that to my wife for being smart from the very, very start of it, you know.

But there was a long time where, like, people did not want to do the Western thing in country music. And it was not hot. And I was kind of the only one, you know. But now that it's starting to catch up, I think that people are like, okay, well, he was doing it before it was cool, and he's going to do it after it's cool. Yep.

So he's our guy, you know? Oh, I love it so much. How has becoming a girl dad changed you? Because I know you were like, diehard boy. Yeah. Oh, yeah. He's your buddy. He's on your album cover.

Yeah. One of them. Yeah. So he's your little bestie, little dude. He's the man. But having a girl, how is that cracked you open? It's really unlocked. a protectiveness that I've never had in like a in like I'll kill you kind of way that that's with my daughter

that I've never had because I'm I'm a very very very very kind person not like in a braggy way but like an overly kind like very trusting person but now that I have my my girl I'm like do not mess with her and it's It's really helped me be less trusting, which... You think that was a good thing? I do, yeah. Okay, tell me why. Because I will blindly trust anybody. Okay.

And my wife, she does not trust anybody. So, like, we kind of have a good partnership there. But, and just having experienced the music industry for the last 15 years has educated me on when to trust people and, you know, so. And it's one thing for someone to do you wrong, but it's another thing for someone to do your daughter wrong. Yeah, there's no way. Yeah. And to take innocence and, you know, all that.

I feel you. I have a daughter who's almost seven. Oh, wow. I feel like I was pretty trusting too. Yeah. Now I literally, I feel awful, but I like literally almost assume the worse than everyone. Yeah. Especially men, I'm like, until you prove to me that you are like, and even when you prove to me,

I still don't know. I think that's a good quality. I still don't know. Yeah. I think it's a good quality because I've been burned a lot of times. And I probably, I would have allowed those people to keep on burning me afterwards, which is like, my wife has done a great job of being like, nope, one time you're done. You can forgive them. Oh, yeah.

But that doesn't mean that we keep on going back. You know, it's like, boom, it's done. Yeah. You know, and it's helped a lot. That's awesome. Yeah. Okay. So the mountain goat.

You are the mountain goat. Tell me about the mountain goat. What does that mean to you? What does that mean, like, in your, like, essence, in your morals and, like, your character? Yeah. I think, uh, I think being a mountain goat, you know, like, they are, they are these beautiful animals that live in places that you would not

think that they would live. Like, they dwell on cliffs that are as wide as this microphone. The fact that they can stand on them. It's insane. It's unbelievable. And they're like 200 to 300 pound animals. High up. Like if they tell, they'd be dead.

Yeah, yeah. And I don't know. I don't know. But I think just the way that I'm a tenor in country music, which there's not a lot of us. I love that you have that. I go up high. They live up high. So there's one thing.

And they're native to the Rocky Mountains, which I am too. And it might be arrogant. for me to say that I'm the goat of the mountains. I think that's not arrogant. But I'm also kind of the only one in the Rockies. So it's pretty easy to be the goat when you're the only one. But I mean, claim it. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. And it's just kind of like a hilarious image to be the mountain goat. Like that's a very random animal to be compared to. So that's why I like it, though. It's because it's unique, you know? And they're kind of unsuspecting, but they're like super, like they got a lot of skills. Yeah.

Yeah. They're powerful. Yep. They can sustain themselves. Yeah. And, you know, they live off the land really well. Yeah. Yeah.

You know, go just sneak up in there. You don't even see it coming. I know. Yeah. Yeah. And all of my albums have had animal ties. So I was like having, having the first three, I was like, okay, well, this could be a good spot now to go. elsewhere just because three is like a trilogy like it's a cool thing but just the branding of having

that animal thing is I love it very very cool so I was like let's keep on rolling with it and I think it's great and the mountain goat is kind of like a lighthearted chapter and also a pretty like a pretty big claim so I knew that if I was going to to call it that, then it needs to be my best album. And it definitely is. Oh, for sure. For sure. How do you know it is?

Because your other ones are amazing. Thank you. I mean, I just know it because even after thousands of hours of working on it, I still want to hear it. And that has not always been the case. Just because, man, I mean, thousands of hours. Like you're like editing stuff. You're playing on stuff. You're going back forward like, no, is this better?

this better, is this better, blah, blah, blah. It's like all for one song. And then you've got to do that 12 more times, 18 more times. You're like 20 songs on your album. Yeah, I know. So. You're not cutting corners. It can get old. Yeah.

But this one, I'm still like, oh, like, I got to play that song. And it's just because I just, it puts me into a world that I don't want to leave. And that's why it's my best album. Yeah. Well, I'm so excited for you, Ian. Thank you. You've built such a legacy. You've so much on the horizon.

You're such a cool human being. Thank you. And your values, your family, your music. It's like you said, Caroline, I feel who you are. Like, it does feel you enter a world when you enter into the Ian Muncic vortex. And that's really magical. That's really cool. Congratulations on everything.

Thank you very much. And thank you for having me. Thank you for being a champion of my wife, too, because she's bad to the bone. Amen to that. the real ones know and you're clearly a real one. So thank you. Oh, I appreciate that. Ian, I always wrap up with leave your light and it's just super open-ended. Drop some inspiration. What do you want people to know? Man, inspiration. Um, go touch some grass. That's the main thing. Feel connected to the earth because that is how God intended us to live with the land, not on the land.

Amen. And where can everyone find you and tour dates and all that? Ian Muncic, I mean, I'm on the road all the time. You're going out with Cody Johnson again, right? Going out with Cody Johnson. We're playing Red Rocks later this year. New music coming August 21st. Come see us at Ian Munsick's Cabboy Bar in Deadwood, South Dakota. Go buy some clothes from our clothing line.

You know where to find me. I'll be there. Amazing. Thank you so much for joining me, Ian. This is awesome. Thanks for having me. Bye. I survived nine months in captivity

and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart and these are the Survivor Files. Every week I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable, abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. These are stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your for-you page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. Pro Society is a weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for anyone who thinks pride and prejudice and love island deserve the same level of discourse. Each week, we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and pop culture with your favorite writers,

book talk creators, and plenty of overthought opinions. Yeah, I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. Listen to pro society on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the new podcast, Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B.

I'm Julie Pinero, and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word Solita, trading the pity for possibility. Listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Hoda Kotbby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotbby. You know, I'm always searching for inspiration and useful tools to maximize joy. Like when my friend Henry Winkler offered advice to aspiring actors and really anybody hoping to stand out. You're not hired just to fill time and space.

You're hired to fill the space with you. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.