Matt Warren: Singer / Songwriter with multiple hits had to go through rehab to find his greatness.
Everybody's Mark Pattison, I'm back again with another great episode of finding your summit, all about people overcoming adversity and finding their way. Can't wait to jump into today's guest, who certainly fits that bill. But before we do, I want to direct your attention to my website, www dot mark pattison nfl dot com, and I've got my film Emmy Award Winning Best Picture searching for the summit. You can check it out there. It directs you over to NFL three sixty. So fortunate that they film my amazing journey up and down Mount Everest and back Um and and what a beautiful story at the end of the day. And if you haven't seen it, check it out again. Best Picture Emmy. I've got the hardware comments, so I'm excited about that. Number two is I've done over two and fifty episodes, uh, going on out two or three years, and I've got so many amazing people doing incredible things and it always inspires me to talk to these people, like we're gonna talk to today, just what they're doing, how they've gone about life and their success and we all need that. I'm not the or you're not the only one I need it to to Jack me up and keep me going up and down these mountains. And finally, we continue to raise money for a millions everest all proceeds go to higher ground. It's all about empowering others and that's what we aim to do. Um, we we show the film, we've done these campaigns with Amelia, so on, so forth. Uh. And I think we have something coming either to the south down of Mississippi, which I hope Matt would be included with. That's coming on just a minute. Uh, and in southern California with Um, some pretty cool people. So tune into that, um all, if you do go on to that length. Philanthropy, millions Everest of all proceeds go directly to higher ground. It doesn't come to me in anyway. So on that note, let's get into today's awesome guest. His Name Matt Warren. Matt, I've met you two years ago down in the Great State of Mississippi, the little town of Greenville, at a wonderful common mutual friends, Steve Azar. He's another Delta Blues Singer, in your case singer Songwriter. I hope I got that right, Matt. Welcome to the show. Thank you so much for having me. Brother. I'm I'm excited to be on here and it's a real honor. Thanks for asking. Well, listen, you know, let's let's just rewind this, because we're gonna talk about your life. We're gonna talk about dreams, we're gonna talk about failures. You know, we talked about the name of the show is finding your summit. There's peaks, the valleys. Um, you've been in valleys. You've been in peaks. I've been in a whole probably more valleys than you've been, and I've been on a couple of peaks and it's fun when you're standing on the top. But you know, to develop that character over time you have to go through some stuff. Right. That builds that character, that broils that grit, that builds those other things that you ultimately are made up. But I want to go back just two years now and and I want to tell you my experience, Um, for the audience. So there's a there's a common friend of of Matt and mind. His name is Steve Azar. He's a Delta Country Blues he's had a number of hits. He's a singer, he's a songwriter, just like our guest today. Um. But he he throws a a Gulf event, a fundraiser, and then we're fortunate, the people that come down to be able to listen to these these amazing voices that Steve. He calls friends up on stage on a Friday night and I was sitting back with my girl dares, and I was I was this Guy, man Warren, was introduced. He came up and belt it up and we're looking each other like, oh my God, this guy sings like a flippant angel, I mean so talented. And afterwards I said something, you know, and we didn't really talk too much after that. And this last year, a couple of months ago, we got to talk a lot more. And again you got up and you sang a beautiful song and and so, I mean again, where did this love? When did you figure out that when you opened your mouth, you have this magic that could actually come out and it's I mean, I'd sounded pretty sweet. Gosh, that's an interesting question. Um, I've kind of got a funny story, uh, about that because, Um, I wasn't really sure, Um, that I had a beautiful voice, and the reason being, Um, you know, as a kid I was a product of what my parents listened to. I can remember being, you know, sitting in front of a record player, flipping records, you know, from one side to the next, while my mom was in the kitchen or doing whatever she was doing. And that was kind of my babysitter, was the record player. Um. And so from a very young age I loved music and I would lock myself in my room as I got older, and I had a whiffleball bat and I'd stand in there and, you know, Air Guitar and I'd sing it. I always thought that I had, well, I don't know if I thought I had a good voice, but I enjoyed singing. I thought that I could sing pretty much to anything. And Uh, and then in the what not? Okay, glad you're gonna say that. The seventh in the seventh grade, I tried out for the church choir and I was the only kid that didn't make it. So I was devastated, you know, because well, a you know, everybody should make the church choir. I mean, you know, we're all just, you know, praise in Jesus. But when they you know, I was I thought to myself, maybe maybe I'm not a good singer. You know, if I'm the only kid that didn't make the choir. So, Um, I was a little confused because I knew that I enjoyed singing and I thought that I was a pretty good singer. Um. And then it wasn't until the tenth grade that I had the courage to try out again for a for chorus in high school, and it was basically because my but these all my buddies I played football with. You had to have an elective and the reasoning for uh doing chorus was on my on. My budd said, they're all the cute girls were in there and it was a lot of fun. So I got the courage I have to to try out and I think I tried out with George all in my mind, by Ray Charles and my chorus teacher, Mr James Story. He uh, he just he said, where have you been? And so that was at that point that I thought, okay, well, maybe I was right, maybe I can't sing, and then he gave me a solo. Um, that Christmas we had a Christmas show at my high school, at Gallas in high school, and he let me Sing Jingle Bell Rock and that was the first time I'd ever sing in front of a group of people and I actually didn't even tell my mom and dad that I was going to be singing until the night before and I remember telling my dad I said, I think you guys should come to the Christmas program tomorrow and I I've got a solo and uh, my dad just looked at me and solo at what, you know, and I'm single Bell Rock. And so that was the first time that was it wasn't until then really that that I thought that I had a decent voice and I guess the approval of the crowd after the cheers. You know, that that kind of was what hooked me. You know, I was like you. I was, um, an athlete, a four spoor athlete my whole life, you know, a team, team player, and it went until I stood up on that stage by myself and sang a song that I was I was hooked. Yeah, I can tell you that really quickly that in high school, my senior year, after football season, UM, myself and some other football guys tried out for as a cast for the musical Ballyga doone and I was going to be in the village and I just singing, just dish. I had to sing in front of a hundred people and I was terrified. I knew that was not my place, but that was that was my story. So I want to mix this in. So now now, you you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you get up on stage, you're singing jingle bow rock, you know, you know, you finally like Hey, maybe I can do this. You know, as you're you've got a little confidence boost, you know, going and and then and then. I know we're kind of fast foreign forwarding at the clock a bit, but over the arc of time, you know, you find your place and you start writing songs. So where does the connection come from? You're, you're okay, I got a voice. Now I actually, rather than singing jingle bow rock and all these other, you know, songs that that you get up it's like Karaoke night, but you're actually you're gonna screate your own like, where the where did that inspiration come from? Um, so, I knew that I wanted to be my ultimate dream is to be the lead singer in a band. I mean that. That has never changed. Um. And so I had a band. I had a cover band, and we were basically signed to play like frat houses and bars in the SEC at Alabama or L S U or Tennessee. and Um, the band broke up and a couple of the guys wanted to go do a thing where they were playing original music. And I realized pretty fast that if I wanted to continue chasing my dream of being a lead singer in a band, I was gonna have to have some songs of my own, because I think my thought process back then was, and it's still this way. Um, no great musician is wanna gonna want to just play covers, so you're gonna have to have your own songs, Um, and that I started writing songs out of necessity because I needed a band, Um, and that's really what put me on the path to writing songs. And and at the time, you know, I still don't know how to read or write music. I just I know what chords I'm playing and I can hear them. I was just imitating Van Morrison and and and Willie Nelson, you know, generally speaking, because I would listen to some of their records and I how I started writing songs was I would just copy the chord structure from like Willie Nelson Song or a van Morrison Song, something pretty simple. You know, Tom Petty Song. I would copy those chords and the structure and the rhythm and then I would learn how to put my own words and my own Melly over top of those chords and that chord structure and that rhythm, and then I would change the rhythm up a little bit. And so I would, you know, create my own my own my own songs, and I realized that it was okay to do that because they had copied, you know, petty and and Willie Nelson and and you know, Van Morrison. They were just copying people that they loved. I mean there's only x amount of chords so and there's only, you know, x amount of subjects to to sing about and to to write about, and so I thought, well, if they can do it, so can i. and that's really how I started writing songs. Was Just Um, copying Um, the artist that I was I was into. Yeah, it's really interesting. Just sidebar to them and we're gonna give jump right back onto it. Um, I was. I was been been intrigued about some of these lawsuits are going out of saying trying to there's a lawyer that's out there in particular trying to I can't remember who the artist is, but saying that the so and so stole songs right, and if you listen to it, I guess you could like draw some comparisons in there by the end of the day. I don't know how you exactly do that, just because you said there's an infinite which is x amount of chords and those chords have to follow some structure and and there's eighty million trillion songs that are out there and so trying to create a new songs. So I mean you could potentially make an argument every single time somebody writes a song that they're infringing on somebody. Absolutely. I mean it's it's like it's not exactly like this, but to compare it to something that you are very familiar with, you know, each receiver has his own way of running a route, but it's still rout at the end of the day. You know what I mean? Like I mean we're still you're still talking about three chords. In the truth, you're still Um, there's only so many instruments you can use, there's only so many you know, Um, like I said before, only so many subjects. So it is getting strange and I think that the reason we're seeing more lawsuits, or one of the reasons, Um, is because the money streams and the revenue is drying up because of streaming. Um. It's not like it was in the nineties or or even the early two thousand's or previous to when, if you you know, when you and I were growing up, if you wanted to listen to music, you either had to turn on the radio or the only way you could get it was to purchase, you know, a single or a tape or a cassette or or an LP or a eight track. Eight track for you guys, Hey, I'm lone enough to I had an eight track tape player in my nineteen eight Grand Marquis. That was my own. But I think that. I think that because the money revenues are starting to dry up, people are starting to get suit happy and I actually heard the other day that, you know, a lot of songwriters and artists are selling their catalog I know that Bob Dylan just sold his for three plus million Um. But I heard that some of these companies that are buying catalogs are actually hiring lawyers to go through the catalogs and see which songs sound like other songs and find out who wrote them first and go get those guys. Get those guys and that that's pretty scary, I know well. And listen, I don't want to go down that path. I want to jump back onto you, but it's just like when you said that. Okay, so, okay. So you're in high school jingle bow rock. You're young here. Now you start a band, you realize that the PA of going forward is write your own songs. So you can figure that out. You start to put a few things down and now you go on and you've had a number of hits. Now I don't think you've had hits in terms of you seeing those songs. One of the models which I've I've been told, is like, like, you want to be the writer of the song. It doesn't matter really who's singing. If you sing it, it's great. Um, it'd be great for your career, but you just want to, you know, write songs and have Tim mcgrawan and these other guys pick them up and that's where you can make some serious down. And that has happened to you. Now, how many times? Um, I have only had three singles. Um, I had one single that was by a guy named Robert Randolph in the family band and Darius Rutgers sang it. That record was up for Um for a grammy Um in the Blues Category. We did not win. Still in honor to have a song that was the nomination Um. The other two singles that I've had have been with Gary Allen. The first one was called learning how to bend. It went to number ten and then the second one was called every storm runs out of rain and that went to number one and it was up for a C M for Song of the year. It was. It's it's by far my biggest song I've ever had. Um definitely the one that paid the most. I've had a couple other you know, now the format is Um. People are releasing songs Um and not even making records. So I actually have a song that just came out last week by a guy named Jake who who won the voice. He was the season seventeen winner, and the song is called had it to lose, and I wrote that with Jake and my friend Matt Nolan. But those you know. I've the the other three really the Gary Allen stuff is the biggest payouts that I've had because he's a major label, within the within the country, within the Yes, yeah, well, you're a tendency boy, right. Oh, yeah, yeah, so you know. Look, you know how many hits I've had. Zero Um and so do you know? You have to be at the plate to be in the game, right. We always say this, and that's what so much when you start talking about fear of jumping into that of like my fear of getting over the stated scene in front of people to mean massive. And so that was not my path. You know, that has been your path, and I think at the end of the day, you have to be committed to the end goal, because your next great song could be tomorrow, it could be today. Yes, right, you just don't know when that thing is gonna come. But if you don't get up the bad the plate, you keep swinging, you'll never know unless you try absolutely and I mean, dude, I'm scared every day. I mean I you know, I get nervous every time I perform. I figured that if I the day and I'm not nervous, that I don't care anymore. Uh, I get you know, if I if I wanted to succumb to the worries of of what ifs in life, I mean sometimes I think I'm never gonna write another song. You know. Sometimes I think that, Um, that I might have already written my greatest song and it may never get cut. I mean, who knows, but you have to show up and actually I'm in this phase right now. Um. I A big part of my path that that you know about is I went to Rehab three and a half years ago and got sober. And so this is my twentieth year, Um, in the business writing on a publishing you know, writing professionally. And so for seventeen or sixteen and a half of those years, Um, I was, you know, I was a user, you know, pot, alcohol, prescription drugs, recreational drugs, and there were many writing appointments. Are Many Times that I sat down to write in the past in those sixteen and a half years where I wasn't on some substance. So does that? Can I can? I can I ask you this question. Does that? Because you know, you go back to like Jimi Hendrix and you know when he's lighting his guitar on fire, when he's on LSD and does it? Does it make you, or the Beatles, when they're in their creative did you feel like like where you're at now, with full clarity, versus where you were in some altered state? I don't know what what it was, but do you feel like that in some way gives you more creativity when you're like your your mind is altered like that? or or what's your opinion? Um, you know, I I think for each person it's going to be different. I do think that there is Um, you know, you are in some altered state of mind, there is a window. You know, for me, I think the reason I liked to smoke pot when I would write was there is like this window, a ten minute window of what I thought was brilliance or whatever. But you had, I had to have a a recorder with me because I'd forget it, you know. But Um, I also think that that potentially is just a big lie. I mean, you know, for years I was addicted um two different substances and I I used to think that, well, these helped me to create, these helped me to focus and help me to write. And you know, my my, the drug that that I had the biggest issue with was adderall, and it's a it's doctor prescribed and they do give it to patients, you know, for Um, attention attention deficit disorder and Um, you know, that drug does help you to concentrate on whatever it is you're doing, but if what you're doing is folding socks, then you'll be concentrating on that. So you know, for me, I started to do other things and I I wasn't focused on writing music. But back to answer your question, I I think that for some people there is this fairytale world or this super creative place that they are able to go when they get high. But you can go there sober and you can go um too, other new places, other places that you can't go to when you are high. Now, if I'm being honest, I'm still figuring out who this guy is as a sober artist and a sober writer, because when I was is an addiction, I was such a mess that I wrote from that place and so I was always struggling, I was always emotionally, uh m, just broken, and it was very easy for me to write from that perspective. Now that I'm healthy and I'm leaning into my higher power and leaning on God and Jesus, you know that I can't really talk about my path without mentioning my spirituality in my relationship with the Lord. So now that I'm healthy and I have that that I'm that I'm leaning into and that I'm I'm following, I'm happy and I'm healthy, and so I'm still learning how to write from that perspective. Um, I think you know. You know, you know. The whole thing with that matter is us. My opinion is that and this is, you know, like I wanted to start off by let's talk about your peaks. Right, we'll get back to your peak, but I wanted to start about your peaks. You know, you start to find success and singing and people like teams, you know what was coming out of your mouth and started to saying. So you get a bunch of peak and then you fell into this common path, I wouldn't say of just artists, but certainly you're kind of in that space. You're playing laden bars and everybody's drinking, having a good time, and so you're in you're doing all that and then, like many Um you know, you fall into a valley. So now you're coming back and and to me, when I've been, I've even been in my valleys have not been related to drugs or alcohol or anything. But just you know, we all go through and struggle, whatever that might be. And like if you're focused on what your intention is going to be, if you're focused on you know, there's blue sky ahead, even though you don't even know what that blue sky ahead, if you're if you're if you're focused on whatever you do. I've had a couple of wins Um in my life doing different things, but that's just that's over, right. What's ahead? What? What? What? What am I gonna do next? You know, how can I like propel myself in that direction? And that gives me hope about other things. And I would like to think, like what I'm hearing from you is kind of the same thing, where you finally found peace within yourself. You know, you don't have to, you know, be self combustible to be great, right, and and and that's your blue sky, you know, whatever that might be, of trying to find the next best song. You know, I think you and I should write a song called the summit song, right, but it's, you know, like the people that you meet and the influences that you have. But again we goes back to that first thing about, you know, stepping up the plate and swine in the Bat. You gotta be at the plate. Yes, that's so. That's what I was I was saying all that to get to this. Even though, even though I don't feel as creative as I it was and it doesn't have anything to do with the drugs and alcohol. It also has a lot to do with I've been doing this for twenty years and you know, you're only as good as the subject that you have to sing about or right about. And so if you are a paid professional songwriter and you go Monday through Friday and you write, you know, for a publishing company, I mean you can get I mean, burnout is a real thing. I mean, you know, and so you know that. And so I also think that I'm just going through this this period right now where, Um, I'm just living, I'm enjoying who I am today in my sobriety and even though here, here's here's the point, even though I don't feel like showing up some days because I just I want to do something else, I'm still showing up and I'm still working and I'm very fortunate that I have friends and Co writers I've been working with for a long time who know what I'm going through and they're more than happy to still get together and and a lot of times I'm getting songs that I would have never guessed that I you know, that we'd beginning because they weren't my you know, the title or the the idea wasn't mine, but I'm showing up. That's that's that's the point I wanted to make. And you're right. You can't be in the game without stepping up to the plate, and that's what I had this conversation, I think it was yesterday, with my my buddy Jim Moore, who is now the head coach at the University of Connecticut. Has Been a long time in the NFL head coach, and you know, what we were talking about is, and this is related only in to my own situation, but you know that. And there's no cameras, there's no film crew, there's no you know, people with money wait now like every single day, every single morning. You know the difference, I'm just telling you, between some of the things I've done others. It is consistency with daily discipline, consistency with daily discipline, consistency with and it does seem anonymous, but I know that puts me in the best position to win. Yes, I sold lately, since March I have gotten back into the gym and I started running and you know, like I said, I was a fourth sport athlete in high school. I also used to teach health and wellness and K through twelve P um and I love sports. I'm an athlete and that that part of my life has been gone for years. And so in March I started working out and running and there were days I did not want to do it and I just started showing up. I ran my first five K on Memorial Day. I never thought I would ever be the kind of guy that could, that could run five K and I end up finishing eight in my age group and I finished one eleven out of four hundred and eighty three runners and was really I I was really proud of myself because I could have quit working out or I could have stopped running. When I thought that, Hey, I feel I'm looking in the mirror, I see improvement. I'm just gonna take today off. It's the mundane. It's the consistency, like you just spoke of, Um and the discipline that has helped me to get to where I'm at now with my exercise skulls, and that will also bleed over into other aspects of my life. The discipline, Um, in the consistency. Yeah, one of the things you're gonna find too, is is, uh, you know, not only is the mental health, because you're out doing something positive right, it's activating all the endorphins in your body, but there's also a lot of creativity that go through. So when you're one of those those that we that five kids that you're talking about, that's going to three miles and as you're running those miles, you're not just thinking about Oh my feeedom floor, you know you're you're you're also other things come in relationships and maybe music ideas or I should have called this guy, or what's going on with DVS are you know? There's there's a million and one things that go on in your brand that helped activate that, that retap into that creativity. Absolutely so. So, listen, Um, what I love to do and you pick it, Um, but you you've got a beautiful song that went to number one. Every storm runs out of rain. By the way, I'm from Seattle, so I know all about rain, or or this this new song that you just cranked out recently that you're really proud of. You pick, just give us a little sampler. Well, I uh, I'll play you a song that. Um, it's not that new song, but it's it's on my new record that's coming out and it's also on the Gary Allen record that just came out. We're not sure if it's going to be a single or not. We'll see, but it's called the hard way. Well, I was looking for my actually on the interstate Si I'm but the wind winning. We Dance. I took a wrong right turn about a half of my back. My directions all spun around through the sideways. Ray and the love and the shame. I watched the sunlight disappeared in the sun so black. He said you're never gonna make it back. Do you do some hard time? I'm out here. Well, God gave me the ring. Do you watch anyway, my pain and to learn from bad mistakes. Love me the horrid way. I love that man. That's beautiful. That was beauty. What what is that song about? Uh, that song. It's about sometimes in life, Um, the best lessons are learned through hardship and adversity, the hard way. Um, at least. You know, at least for me, that's been when I've learned the most just when I didn't want to. Um, you know I have. I've had a lot of people on the show again finding your summing. Everybody find it's going through adversity and finally way out right and and Um. And this one lady I had about a hundred episode. It's said this correctly, and this is after her son had been who twenty, was like three at the time. I've been stoned to death down in Somalia. Okay, so I think of the pain of a mother going through something like that. And she said there's no way around it. You have to go through it and in it. And I've been in the same spot. I've been in the spot many times and and you want that to go and you like doing everything Canada like shove that rock out of the way and get it. But sometimes it takes ten years, sometimes it takes five years. You know there was no but you look back on those times and you're saying that was the best thing that I could have ever happened to me, even though it sucked. Right, but I learned so many great lessons and I was humbled and people, you know, this person and that person came to my rescue and we're there and maybe that, like like the Beautiful Song You just sang, gave me inspiration to put me in a place for him today. Absolutely. I mean, my it a really long story, but the things that led me to the point to where I knew I needed to go to Rehab, that whole process was just completely life shattering to me and my and my and my view and my eyes. Um, and had I not gone, you know, gone through that, Um, I'd still probably be out using, you know, and just as lost as I could possibly be. But Um, I really had to go through the fire to get to where I'm at now and I would not ever take that back. I mean I would. I would never go back to my old self and I'm so grateful for the hardships that I had to endure and overcome. Well, you become a stand up guy, you become a man of integrity. You see what you do, when you do what you say, and and you know other people around you. They noticed that and then they noticed that shift and that's a big deal. It's a to me, it's a big deal and and and hopefully to you it's a big deal. I think it is a big deal. And you know your your life's journey. You know, every single day it's just a new thing. I mean, you know, I mean I we talked about the very, very beginning. I talked about, you know, this emmy that I just went for the best picture. You know, I've never started off climbing mountain. I climbed a mountain because I was in pain and suffering and I just had to go through my journey and it's just like that's that's what, that's. That was my Rehab Center, right to get up. And then these big gas mountains and you know, like ten years later I'm standing on the stage in front of pop costs and all these other people winning. You know, like where would that? I mean, it's so impossible that, like, I mean I don't know to say about it's so impositive, like there was no intention for that ever to happen. I didn't do it, you know, I just was there. You know the reasons for it. And so again, I think if you're authentic to your off on what you're trying to get through and where you're trying to go in the hill, and we're all on that path, we're constantly all healing in some different way. There can be magical things on the other side, and I think you're experiencing that right now and I'm just grateful and thankful that that you're willing to accept my friendship and and to beat on this podcast and and any time. What you should do right now is after you can need to strap on those tennis shoes and we're only four and a half hours awhile you're down in Salt Lake City, four and a half hours by car. But I think you start running, you could be here by like next Thursday. Oh Man, I'd have to hide right for that. Well, you can bring a couple of camelbacks. But listen, where can people find your your you and your beautiful music. So, uh, I've got a record. Um. It's under Matt Warren. The name of the record is self titled Um. But you if you wherever you listen to your music, whether it's on itunes or spotify or apple or however you listen to it, you can find my record on their at Warren, self titled. And also I have a band, my new band called good foot, and that record Um is about to come out. It's called the park city sessions and I'm really proud of this record Um, and it's it's me and four of my best buddies in the world. We came up here to park city, actually, to where I'm staying at right now and my friend Ben Anderson and Paige Anderson's house, and they have a studio here. We made a record and that record is all about, Um, my process from where I was in addiction to to where I am now and Um, and that record is gonna be available for people to download and to stream and listen, Um, hopefully by the end of the summer. That that it's it's done being mixed and the artwork is done. We're just in the process of getting it out there. So, Matt Warren Self titled and Um, Good Foot the Ark city sessions and also, uh, my very, very first record that I ever made. Um, they got me signed to my first publishing deal. Um, and muscle shows is uh, that band is called Papa Joe and the name of the record is called storybook ending and it's also on all your streaming platforms and download platforms. There he is, man, he's on his way, he's been on his way and he's got great things ahead of him. So listen, Matt. Totally appreciate you coming on. Look forward to seeing you next year in in Mississippi and getting caught up and seeing where you know your career has gone to in this record and I look forward to hearing these songs and uh again. It's very grateful for you accepting to come on and being very authentic who you are. Dude. Thank you so much, Mark. I appreciate you. Brother. You're you're a real blessing to me and to all who know you. God bless you, my friend. All right, buddy, there he is the one, the only Matt warrant. Thank you so much.
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