Episode 26: Brit Taylor, Miles Miller at Bourbon & Beyond

Summary

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Andy Beshear Podcast

Episode 26: Brit Taylor, Miles Miller at Bourbon & Beyond
Date: October 2, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

This special on-location episode captures unscripted, heartfelt conversations with Kentucky-born country artists Britt Taylor and Miles Miller, set amidst the vibrant backdrop of the Bourbon & Beyond music festival in Louisville. Host Andy Beshear delves into their journeys, creative inspirations, struggles, and Kentucky pride, creating a snapshot of the human stories at the heart of modern country music—and the community festivals that bring them together. Festival producers and tourism leaders also reflect on music’s power to uplift a city and state.

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Section 1: Britt Taylor – Kentucky Roots and Country Soul

[00:30–17:14]

Kentucky Pride & The Thrill of Home-State Stages

• [01:48] Andy welcomes Britt Taylor, highlighting her origins in Hindman, Kentucky.
• [02:01] Britt describes her excitement at playing Bourbon & Beyond:

  “Oh my gosh. When they told me I was offered a spot...I freaked out. It was immediate. I don’t even think I looked at the date or anything. That is my home state ... and I will be there with bells on.” — Britt Taylor [02:01]

• [02:25] Discusses the unique, overt pride Kentuckians have in their state, whether at home or traveling.
• [02:45] Andy notes this pride in “our DNA.”

Journey to Music: Perseverance & Full Circle

• [03:11] Britt recounts her 17-year-old move to Nashville, inspired by Kentucky legends:

  “I moved to Nashville... because of Kentucky country artists like Patti Loveless and Loretta Lynn and the whole US 23 Country Music Highway.” — Britt Taylor [03:11]

• Faced early letdowns—bands breaking up, publishing deals falling through—nearly left Nashville.
• Turning point: A mentor linked her to producer David Ferguson, then to Dan Auerbach and Sturgill Simpson; her career revived.
• Britt expresses gratitude for hardships shaping her and instilling empathy and resolve.

Early Musical Discovery

• [04:38] Her mother (“Bug”), a special ed teacher, first heard Britt sing as a shy preschooler at a school festival.
• Britt’s first stage was at age 4 or 5, singing the ABCs.

Eastern Kentucky’s Talent Pipeline

• [05:25] On Kentucky’s musical legacy:

  “US 23 is just loaded with country music artists...the list just goes...Loretta Lynn, Patti Lovelace, Billy Ray Cyrus, Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Chris Stapleton...none of them sound alike. Everybody has their own unique identity.” — Britt Taylor [05:25]

• The region’s rich culture and music “gave me courage to chase my dreams.”

Authentic Sound & Musical Values

• [07:03] Andy praises Britt’s throwback sound; she reflects on late ’80s influences and bluegrass roots.

  “What I want to do is bring in those acoustic instruments, bring in what sounds like home to me, and that’s what sounds like home.” — Britt Taylor [07:58]

• Song recommendations:

  • “Kentucky Blues”—especially the Sturgill Simpson-produced or bluegrass version [08:04]
  • New single “All For Sale”, a bluegrass-tinged song about Kentucky characters [08:22]

The Nashville Dilemma: Commercial vs. Artistic

• Britt discusses pressure to conform to pop-country, regrets not holding firmer to her roots, but is now making music “her way.” [08:51–09:37]

Grand Ole Opry Dream

• [09:50] Playing the Opry “definitely the Super Bowl” for Britt, fulfillment of a lifelong dream from her early days at the Kentucky Opry.

Community, Giving Back, & Resilience

• [10:38] Reflects on 2022 flooding in Hindman, Kentucky; Britt participated in fundraising for relief.

  “They don’t want a mansion on a hill...They just want what they worked hard for...and it was wiped away. It was important to support however I could.” — Britt Taylor [10:59]

Down-to-Earth Life

• [11:49] Britt relaxes by gardening, hanging with animals—including two miniature donkeys and four pygmy goats—finding “the most Kentucky spot I could find” in Tennessee.

Musical Influences

• [12:28] Patti Loveless’ albums are a frequent listen, especially when returning home to Eastern Kentucky.

Musical Purpose & Aspiration

• [13:09] Britt’s “why”:

  “I’ve always envisioned myself as being a Dolly [Parton] for my hometown...she did so much for Sevierville...if I can ever do that for Knott County, that's my goal, above music.” — Britt Taylor [13:09]

Personal News and Fun Facts

• [13:55] Expecting a baby girl named after her grandmother, Beulah.
• [14:34] Secret superpower: Second degree black belt.

Entrepreneurship and Community Support

• [15:07] Started a cleaning business to fund her first record; recently launched Ridgetone Records in Prestonsburg to lift Appalachian artists:

  “It’s a record label in support of Appalachian talent...the best talent comes from Appalachia.” — Britt Taylor [15:25]

Underrated Song

• [16:21] Suggests “The Best We Can Do is Love”—a song written post-pandemic with Pat McLaughlin, about keeping hope through hardship.

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Section 2: Miles Miller – Rhythms of Kentucky & Beyond

[18:29–35:03]

Kentucky Heritage & Viral Beginnings

• [18:54] Andy introduces Miles Miller, highlighting how Miles’ YouTube drum videos led to performances with major artists and a new solo album, Mr. Runaway.
• [19:04] On Kentucky mentality:

  “People from Kentucky have such a unique mindset and view of the world...there’s no place like it.” — Miles Miller [19:04]

• [19:22] Details viral start: posting drum covers for self-assessment; discovered by producer Dave Cobb via MySpace.

Growth from Band Member to Solo Artist

• [20:21] Miles contrasts band drumming with solo artist experiences:

  “With my stuff...you’ve got to find musicians...rehearse all the time...because you’re starting from scratch...but it’s the journey, not the destination.” — Miles Miller [20:36]

The Funkier “Mr. Runaway”

• [21:09] Sought a “funkier, groovier, more drum-based” feel for the sophomore album.
• [21:39] Lead single “Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor” is a “sad song you can dance to.”

Signature Career Moments

• [22:27] Most awe-inspiring show: Grateful Dead’s 60th in San Francisco (70,000+ attendees).

  “Grateful Dead’s music transcends space and time. That was a shock...a bunch of beautiful people, super positive.” — Miles Miller [22:27]

• [23:05] Raised with gospel and strong family-musical ties in Central Kentucky, where “community and music are one.”

Festival Life & Double-Duty

• [24:19] Only artist to perform at Bourbon & Beyond twice in one weekend—solo and with Sturgill Simpson.

Celebrity Peers & Artistic Influence

• Notes mentorship from artists like Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers, describing them as “masters of their craft, but also buddies.” [24:34]

Embracing the Craft

• [25:26] Reflects on his path: college didn’t fit, leaped into music, and everything “lined up.”
• [26:07] On evolving as an artist: likens releasing albums to “sending a kid off to college.”

Battling Nerves and Finding Community

• [26:59] Stage fright (80,000 sets of eyes) becomes familiar with repetition, and crowds become a support system.

Offstage Life

• [27:35] Loves mowing his acre-plus of land (“zero turn, couple hours, greatest way to relax”).

Social Media & Authenticity

• [28:31] Balances the need for “numbers and content” with a commitment to “be yourself and talk about your truth.”

Artistic vs. Commercial Pull

• [29:16] On the balance:

  “We want to be successful...pay the bills...but you want to be true to yourself. You gotta go to sleep in your own head at night.” — Miles Miller [29:16]

Looking Ahead

• [29:45] Future ambitions: “More acreage, more mowing...but just playing music until I'm gone...maybe a Grammy or two.”

Musical Tastes

• [30:29] Current playlist: jam bands like Dave Matthews Band, Fish, Grateful Dead.

Favorite Things & Fun Facts

• [31:13] Favorite sport: Basketball. Team: Kentucky Wildcats.
• [31:40] Food: Thai (“the spicier, the better!”).
• [32:01] No-no fashion trend: “swoopy haircut thing.”
• [32:29] Secret superpower: “Really good at mowing...I do the stripes, I double cut, I weed.”

What Makes a True Friend

• Stays close to childhood friends; values people who are real, supportive, “but tell it to you straight.” [33:12]

Final Pitch

• [34:08] Encourages listeners to try the new album, Mr. Runaway:

  “It’s got everything…you can laugh, you can cry, you can get mad at it, you know, you can love it, you can dance to it. It’s got everything.” — Miles Miller [34:08]

• Performs a live snippet of “Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor”.

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Section 3: Behind the Scenes at Bourbon & Beyond

Danny Wimmer & Jamie McQueary – Festival Organizers
[35:03–46:03]

Building a Kentucky Festival

• [35:22] Danny Wimmer (founder, Danny Wimmer Presents) and GM Jamie McQueary join to discuss festival origins, why Louisville was chosen (“something rising here”), and focus on community involvement.
• [36:42] Jamie:

  “It's really about falling in love with the people and wanting to showcase the culture to the world…instead of making a product that leaves Kentucky, it's bringing...people into Kentucky.” — Jamie McQueary [36:42]

• [38:26] Attendance: Over 400,000 people over eight days—the second-largest Louisville event after the Kentucky Derby.

Logistics & Impact

• Building a “city” each year for attendees; festival employs thousands and supports local businesses.
• DWP Foundation gives back to local institutions (UofL, Kroger, Dare to Care, and more).
• Commitment to “making this Kentucky’s festival,” not just an out-of-town production.

Diversity, Recognition, & Looking Ahead

• Proud of steps to support diversity/local causes; festival won Festival of the Year, beating out established events like Lollapalooza/Coachella in 2024 [43:33].

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Section 4: Louisville Impact & Tourism (Cleo Battle, Louisville Tourism CEO)

[47:01–51:32]

• [47:21] Cleo Battle explains the large-scale impact of tourism in Louisville:

  “$4.2 billion economic impact here in Jefferson County, 70,000 folks employed in hospitality.” — Cleo Battle [48:13]

• Tourism is the “first step for economic development”; festivals are talent and business magnets.
• [49:23] Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life combine to become the city’s biggest events after the Derby, drawing 400,000 annual visitors—70% from out of state.
• [50:42] Why visit Louisville? The bourbon experience, Churchill Downs, Muhammad Ali Center, Slugger Museum—“experiences you can’t get anywhere else.”

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Memorable Quotes

• “Kentucky loves Kentucky...there’s just a different kind of pride in Kentucky than anywhere else.” — Britt Taylor [02:25]
• “Hard times really create some empathy. And I think that you're given in life what you need to become who you're supposed to be. So I wouldn’t change a thing.” — Britt Taylor [03:11]
• “The best talent comes from Appalachia.” — Britt Taylor [15:25]
• “It’s the journey, not the destination.” — Miles Miller [20:36]
• “Who doesn’t like a sad song you can dance to?” — Miles Miller [21:46]
• “People out there are there with you, they’re not there against you...it literally is a community.” — Miles Miller [26:59]
• “I want this festival to feel like Kentucky’s festival. And the ways you do that...it’s not a one-way thing.” — Danny Wimmer [41:01]
• “19 million visitors a year come to Louisville every year.” — Cleo Battle [51:31]

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Key Segments & Timestamps

• [00:30] — Opening and Britt Taylor intro
• [02:01] — Britt Taylor on KY festival pride
• [03:11] — Britt on Nashville struggles/mentor breakthrough
• [05:25] — On U.S. 23’s musical legacy
• [07:03] — Throwback sound/musical identity
• [08:22] — New single: All For Sale
• [10:38] — Hindman flood relief
• [13:09] — Musical “why”/Dolly Parton model
• [15:25] — New Appalachian record label
• [16:21] — Underrated song recommendation
• [18:54] — Miles Miller intro
• [20:36] — Solo vs. band gig comparison
• [22:27] — Grateful Dead concert memory
• [28:31] — Social media’s impact
• [29:16] — Commercial vs. authenticity in music
• [34:08] — Mr. Runaway album plug
• [35:22] — Festival founders on vision & impact
• [38:26] — Festival attendance/logistics
• [41:01] — Foundation work/community impact
• [47:21] — Louisville tourism’s economic role
• [49:23] — Festival as a city-defining event
• [50:42] — Reasons to visit Louisville

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Tone & Style

Friendly, genuine, and down-to-earth. The conversations stay “real,” mixing local pride, honest reflection on challenges, and humor—from “hollers” and miniature donkeys to zero-turn mowers and the art of mowing stripes.

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This recap gives new listeners a vivid sense of the episode’s themes, guests’ journeys, and the cultural spirit of Bourbon & Beyond—and Kentucky itself.

Transcript

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[Andy Beshear]

Welcome to a special edition of the Andy Beshear Podcast, a proud part of the Sirius XM Podcast network. Today we're on location. We are filming at Bourbon and Beyond, one of the largest music festivals in America. So today's episode is special and a little different. No politics, no news of the day, just two amazing country music artists telling their story. Each of these has a unique sound. Britt Taylor, a daughter of Hindman in eastern Kentucky and Miles Miller from central Kentucky and Woodford County. They're going to talk about their journey. They're going to talk about their inspiration. So today we get to go on their journey with them. We get to enjoy the moment. And for everybody out there with all the craziness in the world, just breathe out, listen to these two artists and enjoy today's episode. Today on the Andy Beshear Podcast, on location at Bourbon and Beyond, we have country music artist Britt Taylor. Britt has three albums she's put out. She has made a Grand Ole Opry appearance and she is the daughter from Hindman, Kentucky. Welcome to the podcast.

[Britt Taylor]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Andy Beshear]

Oh, I'm thrilled. So you being from Kentucky, have come to this, one of the largest music festivals in the country. What was it like to play in your home state in front of this big crowd?

[Britt Taylor]

Oh, my gosh. When they told me that I was offered a spot at Bourbon and Beyond, I freaked out. It was an immediate. I don't even think I looked at the date or anything. It was an immediate. Yes, that is my home state. That is the state of the bluegrass and I will be there with bells on.

[Andy Beshear]

Tell me what it was like when they announced you being a Kentucky artist and that crowd just popped.

[Britt Taylor]

Yeah. It's so awesome to have the support. I always say Kentucky loves Kentucky. Like, even if you're at the airport in any state in America, if they're from Kentucky, you know it because it's somewhere on them. So there's just a different kind of pride in Kentucky than anywhere else. So playing here today was just awesome.

[Andy Beshear]

That is in our DNA, believe it or not. There is a governor from the 1800s that on his grave talks about people and their pride in Kentucky and coming home to Kentucky. So what I love about your story is you're very vulnerable about your journey. Maybe that's been helpful in songwriting. But where you are today, you've done on your own terms. Talk about that.

[Britt Taylor]

Yeah, it's kind of gone a complete 360. I moved to Nashville when I was 17 to try and pursue country music because of Kentucky country artists like Patti Lovelace and Loretta Lynn and the whole US 23 Country Music Highway. That's why I wanted to move. And it hasn't been the easiest journey. At year, everything kind of had fallen apart. I was in a band and it fell apart. And I had my first publishing deal and it fell apart. And everybody's like, it's a ten year town. And I'm like, if it's a ten year town, I need to go home.

[Interviewer 1]

You've heard that from other things.

[Britt Taylor]

Yeah. So I actually called a mentor that day that everything fell apart and told him I was moving to Kentucky, I was moving back home. I quit. And he was like, don't quit just yet. And he introduced me that day to David Ferguson, who introduced me to Dan Auerbach. And then later, Sturgill Simpson made my record, also a Ken headline on the show tonight. So it's just been like this complete 360. But I wouldn't have it any other way because it's really shaped who I am as a person. And, you know, hard times really create some empathy. And I think that you're given in life what you need to become who you're supposed to be. So I wouldn't change a thing.

[Interviewer 2]

Starting that path out early in life. I think I've read that your mother was an educator. She was a teacher. And the first recommendation you had for singing, I believe, was coming down the hallway in high school. Is that right?

[Britt Taylor]

Kindergarten, I think.

[Interviewer 2]

Kindergarten, okay.

[Britt Taylor]

Yeah. Really? My mom's. They were both special education teachers at Hyman elementary. And she just said, bug. Cause that's what they call. My mama is Bug. And nobody knows her real name. She's just Bug.

[Miles Miller]

Bug.

[Britt Taylor]

Your daughter can sing. She can carry a tune. Did you know that? Mom's like, well, I don't know. She just likes to hum around. She's like, well, you need to, you know, let her sing at the fall festival. And I think I got up and sang my ABCs. I was 4 or 5 years old and. And I was so shy. I was so sh. Timid I didn't want to talk or anything, but I loved to sing. So that's how all that started.

[Interviewer 2]

That's how you got started.

[Interviewer 1]

I want to know what is in the water in eastern Kentucky with all this great talent. And then what did you learn in Hindman that you translate to your music today?

[Britt Taylor]

Oh, my gosh. Something in the water or something in the bourbon. I mean, like, maybe a little moonshine. Maybe a little moonshine, Too, you know, US 23 is just loaded with country music artists. You're Loretta Lynn, you're Patti Lovel, Billy Ray Cyrus, Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Chris Stapleton. Oh, my gosh. The list just goes Britt Taylor, and it just goes on and on. And all those artists are such inspirations to me. And I don't know if there's any other place in the world where this small stretch of highway has that many insanely talented artists and none of them sound alike. Everybody has their own unique identity. And I think that being from eastern Kentucky and so close the highway and looking up to those artists so much really gave me courage to chase my dreams, to be like, well, if it can happen for them. They were just over here in this holler, and I'm in this one. Like this. This might. Maybe I can do it.

[Interviewer 1]

Do you guys connect in Nashville? Like, do you run into one another?

[Britt Taylor]

We can't help it. I met my husband in 2016, and he was like, I'm from Louisa. And I'm like, no, you're not. No, you're not. And he's like, he always says he's got a song. He said, I had to travel, you know, all around the. Just a funny Kentucky girl.

[Interviewer 1]

Oh, that's great.

[Andy Beshear]

If you're listening to the Andy Beshear podcast, we have country music artist Britt Taylor, who just used the phrase holler. And if you're not from Kentucky, that is the valley in between the mountains and the hills. I want to talk about your music.

[Britt Taylor]

Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

So to me, you've got a throwback country sound that's very much like your idols. Ricky Skaggs, Patti Loveless. It's more what I remember being the mid to late 80s type of country sounds.

[Britt Taylor]

Yes. You hit the nail on the head. I love that late 80s, that Judds, Patti Lovelace. Ricky Skaggs and Patti Loveless. And it kind of came from bluegrass, too. They were. They were putting a lot of bluegrass influence into their country music. You had your drums, and it was groovy and it was country, but you also had mandolin and fiddle. Playing those lead parts and a lot of acoustic guitar. The Judds didn't even have an electric guitar on their first record. They just said no electrics, all acoustics. And it really created that Judd sound. And I'm trying. That's what I want to do is bring in those acoustic instruments, bring in what sounds like home to me, and that's what sounds like home. So that's what we're doing.

[Andy Beshear]

For our listeners that haven't heard your music, what is the first song they should download?

[Britt Taylor]

Oh, gosh, probably Kentucky Blues.

[Andy Beshear]

That's a good song.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah, that's what we said earlier. That's our favorite.

[Britt Taylor]

That's one of my favorites. And I love the version that Sturgill Simpson produced. And I also have a bluegrass version. It's hard to pick which one's my favorite, but I'd say go to both of those or either of them.

[Interviewer 2]

And you've got a new single this year, all for Sale.

[Britt Taylor]

Yes, I released it last week. It's another one of those very bluegrass tinged country songs about characters that I've seen in eastern Kentucky over my life. This woman gets fed up with her man and sells all his stuff while he's gone.

[Interviewer 1]

Which town is this? Sounds like most.

[Britt Taylor]

We'll keep quiet on who this one's about.

[Andy Beshear]

Is there a poll? Because I think you've had to address it in your career between kind of the commercial and the artistic.

[Britt Taylor]

Yeah. Yes, definitely there has been for me, because I felt like when I got to Nashville, all of the reasons that I moved to Nashville were kind of gone by the time that I got there. It was a time when they were chasing the very pop sound. Fiddle was out. Fiddle wasn't cool anymore. You couldn't have mandolin, you couldn't have steel guitar. And it was like, pretty heartbreaking when I got to town, actually. And I spent years trying to fit what I thought I was supposed to fit in. I'm not super confrontational. And so I was just like, sure, I'll do that, you know, later. I'll do what I want to do. And I wish that my younger self would have been more. Would have stood my ground a little more and done what I really, really wanted to do. But now I'm getting to do it, and it's fun.

[Andy Beshear]

And I think about you playing the Grand Ole Opry, which for any country music artist is a big deal. But for you with the type of music you love, with the people that you've looked up to, that had to be like the super bowl for you.

[Britt Taylor]

Oh, it's definitely the Super Bowl. Like most little girls dream of wedding dresses and I dreame of an Opry dress. And I also grew up singing on the stage in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, in the Kentucky Opry. So I did that from the time I was 7 years old to 17 every weekend. Like it was my job. It was so much fun. And to make that transition from the Kentucky Opry to the Grand Ole Opry was pretty special. Was incredible.

[Interviewer 1]

During that time, as a child growing up in eastern Kentucky, was there a moment where you knew this is what I'm destined to do?

[Britt Taylor]

I don't know if there was a moment, but there was never a moment that I remember not knowing that that's what I wanted to do. I just. From the minute that I started singing, there was never a question of wanting to do anything else.

[Andy Beshear]

So your hometown Hindman was hit really hard in the 2022 flooding. I was there the day after. It's sadly the one area we lost kids but lost a number of folks. I know you and a number of other Kentucky based artists came together to raise money for flood relief. Why was that important to you?

[Britt Taylor]

I. It's so important to me because that's still home. And so many of those folks, they don't want a mansion on a hill. They don't want all the things that so many of us want to keep up with Jones is they just want what they worked hard for and what they had. And it was wiped away. And it was just really important to me to get back home and support however. However I could.

[Andy Beshear]

When we build that high ground community called Chestnut Ridge right there by the sports Alexis and Hyman, you'll have to come back and see it all.

[Britt Taylor]

Oh, yeah, I would love to. I love that.

[Interviewer 2]

Got a question real quick. Whenever you're trying to break yourself away from this.

[Andy Beshear]

Yes.

[Interviewer 2]

And you're trying to relax and just kind of find your own peace, what do you typically do or where?

[Britt Taylor]

Oh, my gosh. I garden.

[Miles Miller]

Okay.

[Britt Taylor]

And I have animals. I have my little dog, Blue, and two miniature donkeys and four pygmy goats. I moved to Tennessee and found the most Kentucky spot I could find.

[Andy Beshear]

Are those your donkeys?

[Britt Taylor]

Those are my donkeys, yeah. Sis and Molly.

[Andy Beshear]

Yes.

[Britt Taylor]

They came from MacDowell, Kentucky. My papa hauled one from Tennessee for me. But I just get out in the nature with my animals or garden or wash some windows, you know. Very, very mama style of relaxing.

[Interviewer 1]

Following up on that note, what's on your playlist? What music do you like to listen to?

[Britt Taylor]

Oh, my Gosh, just like I said, all those Kentucky artists, Patti Loveless. If I'm coming back home to eastern Kentucky, I'm listening to Mat Mountain Soul or her. I think a 2003 record. On your way home. I love that Patty record.

[Interviewer 1]

I don't know if you know this, but Andy's actually referenced in a Jack Harlow song here. True or false?

[Andy Beshear]

True. Somehow I'm only in one rap.

[Britt Taylor]

I'll have to put that on my playlist.

[Andy Beshear]

So we always like to get to people's why. Not just the what, that you're a country music singer, but the why, you know, what is inside you that makes you want to share these songs and these stories with the world.

[Britt Taylor]

Yeah. We were talking about Dolly Parton a little bit earlier, and I've always envisioned myself as being a Dolly for my hometown and for my community. She did so many great things for Sevierville by putting in Dollywood and bringing commerce to the area and bringing hope to an area that didn't have much hope before. And if. If I can ever do that for my. For the place that I'm from, go back home to Knott county and do that. That. That is. That would be. I think that that is my. Above the music, above the stories, above everything. Just figuring out a way to give back to my community.

[Andy Beshear]

That's really special and we look forward to that in the future. But you've just had some recent news that you shared with the world.

[Britt Taylor]

Yes. Expecting a little baby girl.

[Andy Beshear]

That's exciting.

[Britt Taylor]

She is named after my grandma, Beulah.

[Andy Beshear]

That's pretty special.

[Britt Taylor]

Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

And we offered before we started for any advice. Between us, we have five daughters.

[Britt Taylor]

Oh, yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Very different. I will tell you, appreciate every moment. Because in a blink of an eye, they're in college, they're driving, and they're bringing boys home, which is totally unacceptable. We just can't handle it.

[Andy Beshear]

She's got a little. We always like to ask people what is their secret superpower? What's that thing that you do really well that no one knows about?

[Britt Taylor]

Oh, my goodness. And secret power that I do well. Well, I have a hidden. Nobody would think this, but I actually am a second degree black belts.

[Andy Beshear]

Oh, my goodness. That is a.

[Interviewer 1]

This is why John City does if.

[Britt Taylor]

You need some security.

[Andy Beshear]

Good.

[Interviewer 1]

That's great.

[Andy Beshear]

Well, this world right now, we all do. Now, when you were in Nashville, one thing I love about your story is you weren't just playing, you were also getting your college degree.

[Miles Miller]

That's correct.

[Andy Beshear]

And that you've put that to work and you've put some business sense to work to ultimately fund your dream.

[Britt Taylor]

Yeah, I started when everything kind of fell apart. I actually started a cleaning business to fund my first and now I'm using that degree to start. Like I said, I wanted to give back to my community. We actually just started a record label in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, really, called Ridgetone Records.

[Andy Beshear]

Okay.

[Britt Taylor]

Yeah, my next record's coming out. We've signed another artist, but it's a record label in support of Appalachian talent. So I'm really, really excited to get that off the ground. It's very new, but I'm so hopeful. I mean, the best talent comes from Appalachia.

[Andy Beshear]

So are we gonna see a launch at the Mountain Arts center or.

[Britt Taylor]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, for sure. And there' a new theater coming in Prestonsburg and we. We can't wait.

[Andy Beshear]

Well, tell our. Our listening audience the name of your album and all the different ways they can download it.

[Britt Taylor]

Yeah, you can listen to Kentucky Blue or Kentucky Bluegrass on Spotify, Apple, all the things you can find everything on britttaylor music.com and.

[Andy Beshear]

And before we let you go, what is one song that might not be the most popular if you looked at downloads or charts that you think people ought to listen to, that one that maybe connected with you?

[Britt Taylor]

Yeah, I recorded a song that I wrote with Pat McLaughlin, who wrote a lot with Jon Prawn. And we wrote a song shortly after the pandemic called the Best We can do. And it's the best we can do is love. And it's just a song about having hope and really hard times and that no matter what's going on or how bad things are, the best that you can do and give to the world.

[Andy Beshear]

Is some love that's special. I remember when we lost John Bryan in the pandemic, how all Kentucky was lit up and green at that time, but especially for him.

[Britt Taylor]

Yes. Yep.

[Andy Beshear]

We're grateful to have you on the Andy Beshear podcast. We wish you the best of luck in this country music career, but also as a soon to be mom.

[Britt Taylor]

Thank you. Thank you. Kentucky Blue. That's where I've been since I lost.

[Danny Wimmer]

You.

[Britt Taylor]

And as far as I can see Till you come back to me how big Kentucky Blue.

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[Andy Beshear]

And now on the Andy Beshear podcast, we have country music artist Miles Miller. Miles was discovered through YouTube playing drums and has now played across the country and the world with artists like Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers. But he's with us today because he's released his second solo album, Mr. Runaway, with a number of great singles. Miles, welcome to the podcast.

[Miles Miller]

Thanks for having me. Thank you. Thank you.

[Andy Beshear]

So you grew up in central Kentucky? Yes, in Woodford County.

[Miles Miller]

Woodford County.

[Andy Beshear]

What's it feel like to represent Kentucky all over the country?

[Miles Miller]

Oh, my gosh. You know, I always say that people from Kentucky have such a unique mindset and view of the world, and it just continues, continues to be true with all the music and art that comes out of there, you know, there's. There's no place like it. It's great. It's the best.

[Andy Beshear]

And to think this all started with a video on YouTube. Tell us about that.

[Miles Miller]

Well, I would just put up Drum covers on YouTube to sort of learn how I would play the drums. I could see it. And you know, this was pre Instagram days, pre anything. So I would just throw it up on YouTube and it would get some views. And you know, Dave Cobb saw it and here we are 13 years later, you know.

[Interviewer 1]

So, Andy, speaking of Instagram, our Gen Z crowd would be very proud of how we got Miles here today.

[Miles Miller]

Yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

I was asked, I was told, sorry, that to get Nicole Miles, we need to DM him in his Insta. And I said, what? DM in his Insta? I did it and he's here, I'm here. So happen it works.

[Miles Miller]

It works. Well, oddly enough. I got a message on MySpace at the time from Dave.

[Andy Beshear]

Yes.

[Miles Miller]

So I was. If that ages even me, even me.

[Andy Beshear]

I'm like in a future Gen Z lingo section, I think we ought to ask our kids what MySpace is.

[Miles Miller]

Yeah, that's a good one. Yeah. MySpace. Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

So you've really gotten to see the industry from two different perspectives, both as a member of the band drumming, and now with your own albums. Two of them. Tell me the Difference.

[Miles Miller]

Well, one of them, you know, has been a long time in the works with Sturgil. So that's kind of a well oiled machine at this point. So we don't, we don't really rehearse too much. We don't really think about what we do. We just get on stage and go, you know, and with my stuff, you know, it's. You got to find musicians that are available, that are, are down to do it and rehearse all the time and kind of get it going. Because you're starting from scratch, you're starting from nothing again. You can't really just rely on anybody else's reputation. But it's the journey, it's not the destination.

[Andy Beshear]

So describe this new album for us. What you were thinking of when you put it together and what you think people will get out of it.

[Miles Miller]

Well, I wanted this one. The first record was very singer songwriter, so this second one, I wanted it to be a little funkier, a little groovier and maybe more drum based, knowing that I would probably get out front and sing and play the drums a little bit more. So I just wanted it to be, you know, dancier, you know, more fun, a little groovier, funky, nasty. So, yeah, I tried to just do that.

[Andy Beshear]

You have a single called Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor that I think falls right into, into that.

[Miles Miller]

Yeah, yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

Tell people why they ought to take a listen.

[Miles Miller]

Oh, man, it's, it's, it's. That's a play on words. You know, everything's. I'm talking to a doctor that I'm just kind of lying to about a heartbreak or whatever. Like, no, I'm fine, I'm good. You know, the voices are only whispers now. They're fine. I don't. It's not a tear in my eye. It's, you know, all that kind of stuff. But, but it's got a good beat, you know, and, and who doesn't like a sad song that you can dance to at the same time?

[Interviewer 1]

Listen. Weightless. Yeah, Spaceman. Like, it's, it's great. Song after song, the whole album.

[Miles Miller]

Thank you. Awesome. I'm proud of it. I'm proud of it.

[Interviewer 2]

So when you look at like a stage or concert you walked on, you looked out at the crowd and then just kind of, oh, oh man, here I am. Which one would you say? Well, how'd that make you feel?

[Miles Miller]

Well, it was this past. A couple weeks ago at Grateful Dead 60th anniversary concert in San Francisco, Golden Gate Park. I mean, you know, 60, 70,000 people and everybody there just as one big community. It was just a bunch of beautiful people. And the Grateful Dead's music, you know, just transcends space and time. So it was, that was, that was a shock. I mean, that was a lot of people, a lot of big vibes, but just super positive.

[Interviewer 1]

So you talked about the journey earlier. 2011 graduate, Woodford County High School. Go yellow jackets.

[Miles Miller]

Go yellow jackets. Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

So what did you learn in Central Kentucky that influences music today?

[Miles Miller]

Well, you know, my family was very musically involved. I mean, through church, gospel stuff. Like my grandparents, they sang and traveled and did all that stuff. So I think it's just, there's such a sense of community and music together that it just, it's sort of one being. And I think that's kind of what Kentucky represents is like it's the Commonwealth. Right. It's everything in. Involved with the art, the culture, the food, the music and the people. It's. It's just. That's the, that's just the greatest definition of community.

[Interviewer 1]

And did you and Sturgill graduate the same time or around the same time?

[Miles Miller]

He's much older than me. He's much older than me. He's like 15 years older than me.

[Interviewer 1]

But same, same. Woodford County.

[Miles Miller]

Woodford county graduate. Yes, that's right. That's right.

[Andy Beshear]

You're listening to the Andy Beshear Podcast, a proud member of the Sirius XM Podcast network. We've got Miles Miller, country music artist, solo artist, about to drum tonight. When we are filming this with Sturgill Simpson, we're at Bourbon and Beyond, one of the largest music festivals in the country. Yesterday you played on your own, tonight you're playing with Sturgill. You might be the only person at this entire festival to play twice.

[Miles Miller]

That's a full time job. I know I said I needed to an award. I need some sort of plaque.

[Andy Beshear]

I think we need to figure that out.

[Miles Miller]

Yeah, yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

Assigned guitar probably wouldn't work the same for you.

[Miles Miller]

Maybe. Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

As it does with some others.

[Miles Miller]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I need some. Something on the wall, you know.

[Andy Beshear]

And some of the artists you've played with, like, like Tyler Childers or Sturgill, are there things that, that you take from that experience that you think have influenced you as a solo artist?

[Miles Miller]

Absolutely. Those guys are the, you know, the top, the top guys with. When it comes to songwriting, performing and putting on a show, I mean they really are masters of their craft. So. But they're also buddies too. So it's. You tee to the line of kind of being amazed and like, just hanging out, you know, so. But of course, everything. I mean, I got to tour with Tyler a lot as well and just hang with all those guys, and it's. It's. It's. It's a. Yeah. You're around Max, and you just. You're gonna pick up everything from them.

[Andy Beshear]

Was there a moment maybe after the. The YouTube video, where you said, I can do this? Like, this is something that I am good at. I'm gonna have a career.

[Miles Miller]

Yeah, well, you know, I took some chances. I went to college for a couple semesters, but that didn't really work out. And so I took a chance of not doing that, but wanting to get, you know, thrown to the wolves, get on the road a little bit. And so I started getting some gigs, and that's when I got the Sturgel call. So it kind of lined up, and I was like, okay, the universe is connecting me here for. For what I'm supposed to do. So it was definitely The Dave Cobb YouTube Sturgil thing that. That was like, I'm in. I'm in the right place.

[Interviewer 1]

You know, Miles, we talked earlier a little bit about Solid Gold, and I told you I felt like when I'm listening to that album, it reminded me a little bit of James Taylor.

[Miles Miller]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

How have you grown as an artist to the album you just released yesterday?

[Miles Miller]

Yeah. Well, I mean, the first record, like I said, was. Was in a specific time in life with, you know, with. You're with different people in your life, and you. You grow apart. You grow closer. This and that. And then when you put out a record, you kind of. I put the analogy. You sort of send a kid off to college. You're like, okay, bye. Have fun out there. You know, not that I would know.

[Andy Beshear]

They both just did that.

[Miles Miller]

Well, there you go. You're basically songwriters as well. You're basically songwriters.

[Interviewer 1]

We have to prepare. I won't call me now.

[Andy Beshear]

And the income works the other way.

[Miles Miller]

Yeah, right. Yeah. No, it's. So you sort of release it, and then you move on, and you check in with yourself of where you are at that point in your time point in life and just go from there, you know, Write about what's around you.

[Interviewer 2]

When you start to look back at a challenge you've had right before you walk on stage, what's something you've seen that you've had to overcome that suddenly fell on you before, you have to go entertain.

[Miles Miller]

I mean, and, you know, 80,000 people staring at you will scare you pretty easily if you let it. But you do that enough times, the anxiety sort of just becomes a friend. You're like, okay, I see you, but you're not going to get me, you know. But then you also realize that people out there are there with you, they're not there against you. And so it literally is a community. And if you just act like you're hanging out with your boys on stage, which we are, you know, you can't do any, you can't do no wrong.

[Andy Beshear]

You know, it's great when you want to relax, when you want to kind of, kind of push, work out. What do you do?

[Interviewer 1]

Mow?

[Miles Miller]

I love to mow. Yeah, I've got a great riding or push. Oh, a riding mow. I got zero turn. I get out there, takes. It's like a couple hour job, but it's just the greatest.

[Andy Beshear]

So you got a couple acres though?

[Miles Miller]

I got, I got a little over an acre.

[Andy Beshear]

Yeah.

[Miles Miller]

So it's, and it's just, it's beautiful. I'm actually in Tennessee, but I'm real close to Kentucky, so it's kind of counts.

[Andy Beshear]

You can still pay taxes if you want.

[Miles Miller]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Listen, Andy, just put the ball on the tee for me.

[Miles Miller]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

The next time you have time off and you come visit for sales, I'm going to take you to the Amston Bourbon Bar and then Amster Station. I do free rounds. Bourbon.

[Miles Miller]

Of course I'm there.

[Interviewer 1]

Open invite.

[Andy Beshear]

Everybody else has to advertise on the channel except for anything.

[Miles Miller]

That's right. That's it.

[Interviewer 1]

You got to appreciate the hat.

[Andy Beshear]

You ever thought about one of your, one of your country music videos filming you mowing?

[Miles Miller]

Oh, you know, I did a little. What does Miles do when he's off tour? Sort of video on my Instagram. And it's, it got a good reaction because it was just silly, just silly.

[Andy Beshear]

Talk about social media and the importance even as a singer songwriter about, about connecting with people and building an audience.

[Miles Miller]

Yeah, that seems to be like the main thing that everyone focuses on, you know, it's numbers and content stuff. And while that is very important, you know, it's important to still be yourself when you put stuff out. You know, you don't, I don't think you want to get in the trap of just putting stuff out just to do it, you know, you still need, you still need wholesome content. You still need to be yourself and talk about, you know, your truth, whatever your life is, you know, you can't just throw it out there.

[Andy Beshear]

So I asked Britt Taylor this question too, about the pull between the commercial and The. The artistic. Having something that, you know, might hit on a country music station right now versus sounding like you and saying what you want to say.

[Miles Miller]

Right, right. I mean, that's. That's. That's the battle we all face because we want to be successful. We want to pay the bills with what we do. But you also want to be true to yourself. You got to go to sleep in your own head at night. So, you know, you want to be authentic. But I think there's a way to do that because, you know, you can realize that everybody around you, you is kind of on your team, you know, so it's a collective. It's a collective idea. Sort of put yourself and brand yourself out there. If you really want.

[Andy Beshear]

Where do you want to be 10 years from now?

[Miles Miller]

Oh, man. I want to have a little more acreage.

[Andy Beshear]

Okay.

[Miles Miller]

A little more mowing to do, but you get enough.

[Andy Beshear]

You gotta have the bat wing in the tractor.

[Miles Miller]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. I want it all. I want it all. But just, you know, I want to be playing music until I'm gone. It's just. That's what keeps me alive. That's what makes me excited for. For life, you know, It's.

[Andy Beshear]

It's maybe a Grammy or two.

[Miles Miller]

Maybe a Grammy or two. I've put. You know, I don't have one, but I played on a Grammy album, so that kind of counts.

[Andy Beshear]

They won't even give you, you know, like, a knockoff one.

[Miles Miller]

Musicians don't apparently get one, but, yeah, I could get a plaque if I paid 50 bucks, but that's a whole other story, so it still counts.

[Interviewer 1]

Out of curiosity, we've asked other. Other artists this as well. What's on your playlist? What music do you like to listen to?

[Miles Miller]

I'm in heavy jam band mode right now, so, I mean, I've kind of dove back into Dave Matthews Band a whole lot as well. I was big into them. I actually saw James K. Shout out at a Dave show recently, so that was fun. You know, saw Fish last night. You know, we're at Grateful Dead 60, so it's just all the Giants right now. I'm just listening to all that stuff. Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

All right. Do you get excited? I know you're playing here, but to come to festivals like this and see other artists?

[Miles Miller]

Oh, yeah, I stayed. I was here all day yesterday, if you can't tell by my red face and just sitting in the sun and, yeah, I saw everybody here. It was great. I'm still. Still inspired by all kinds of acts.

[Andy Beshear]

So we like to ask some personal questions, too. We want our audience to get to know you. What's your favorite sport?

[Miles Miller]

Oh, it's basketball.

[Andy Beshear]

Okay. Favorite team?

[Miles Miller]

The Kentucky Wildcats. I mean, I'm, I'm revving hard today.

[Andy Beshear]

Of course, we were, we were in New York for the launch of the podcast on Sirius xm. We went to a Yankees game and accidentally made the national broadcast, but we had our swag on.

[Miles Miller]

Nice.

[Andy Beshear]

And we were sitting next to Karl Anthony Towne's agent.

[Miles Miller]

Oh, man.

[Andy Beshear]

So he looked at us when he found out we were from Kentucky and of course it came back to the Wildcats.

[Miles Miller]

Amazing.

[Andy Beshear]

What's your, what's your favorite type of food?

[Miles Miller]

Oh, man, it might be Thai food. That's all. Always a go to on the road. It's like it'll kind of reset you, you know, you just. How spicy you gotta get it? Pretty spicy. That's, that's the reset. You know, you sweat all your, all your sins out, you know, it's really good. It's really good.

[Andy Beshear]

If you could go back in time and tell yourself to not follow one fashion trend.

[Miles Miller]

Clothes. Fashion trend. Oh, gosh. Probably like the swoopy haircut thing like that. Oh, like it's always hair.

[Andy Beshear]

That's right.

[Interviewer 1]

A lot.

[Miles Miller]

That's, that's the main look. You can tell when somebody's had a haircut.

[Andy Beshear]

It could be worse. I had a bowl cut.

[Miles Miller]

Well, you know, I had, I had the, yeah, the same thing back in the, back in the day. Yeah. So, yeah, definitely.

[Interviewer 2]

I'm just jealous of people with hair.

[Miles Miller]

Well, listen, I'm, I'm not too far behind. I'm not too far behind.

[Andy Beshear]

What is your secret superpower? That thing you're good at that no one knows about?

[Miles Miller]

Oh, gosh. I mean, I really am pretty good at mowing, I gotta say. I do the stripes. It all comes back.

[Andy Beshear]

It, it looks like when you, when you come and.

[Miles Miller]

Oh, I do the stripes. I double cut. I weed.

[Interviewer 1]

Describe this lawnmower for us. What kind of mower we talking about?

[Miles Miller]

It's just a zero turn, you know, husk ofarno. Shout out. You send me all the free mowers you want, but yeah, it's, it's, you know, just double cut. It's great.

[Andy Beshear]

New spokesperson for this lawnmower.

[Miles Miller]

I'm telling you, I'd be happy to be. Yeah, no, I love it. I, I, I, I kind of get obsessive about it and I'll try different things, but I end up just kind of going back to the regular old stripes. You know. Yeah.

[Andy Beshear]

So what do you look for in friends? You've got a very outward facing job. You're gone on the road a lot.

[Miles Miller]

I mean, you know, I've been lucky to have kind of a handful of friends from the beginning. My oldest friend in the world, John Whitehead, is still my buddy. We met when we were seven. He's actually. He flew in for this to come see me play. He's that kind of friend. He's the best. But, you know, they've just got to be real. You know, anybody that's just real, you know, trustworthy, just kind of supportive of what you're doing. Well, but also, you know, tell it to you straight as well. You know, you don't want anybody just to just tell you anything. So people like that.

[Andy Beshear]

I look for friends that'll podcast with me and people named John.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah, it's a really select group.

[Miles Miller]

Yeah, exactly.

[Andy Beshear]

That's great. Thankfully, it's a common name, so I have a few choices and I found these guys.

[Miles Miller]

That's good, man.

[Andy Beshear]

Well, Miles, thanks for being on the Andy Beshear Podcast. We wish you nothing but the best to our audience out there. Make sure you download his two new singles. Make sure you check out the new album. Tell him one more time about the album.

[Miles Miller]

Yeah, Mr. Runaway. It's. It's a collection of songs that's been, you know, my life for the past few years. And you can laugh, you can cry, you can get mad at it, you know, you can love it, you can dance to it. You know, it's got everything. And now on the Andy Beshear Podcast, my single, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, Doctor Nothing's wrong I've been getting on just fine without her. She said, tell me, tell me something true. I said the sky's green, the grass is blue I ain't drinking all night.

[Andy Beshear]

You're listening to the Andy Beshear Podcast. Like we've mentioned, we are on location at Bourbon and Beyond, one of the largest music festivals in the entire country. It's put on by Danny Wimmer Presents. And here with us is the founder, the man himself, Danny Wimmer.

[Danny Wimmer]

Appreciate it, Governor. So I'm so proud to be here.

[Andy Beshear]

Next to you and you've got your general manager who helps make all this happen.

[Miles Miller]

Yep, yep.

[Danny Wimmer]

Yeah, she is. You know, like, I got these crazy ideas and she kind of makes it happen.

[Interviewer 1]

Probably She's a problem solver.

[Andy Beshear]

Jamie McQueary, thank you for joining us on the podcast.

[Jamie McQueary]

Thank you for having us.

[Andy Beshear]

So this festival could be anywhere, but it's at Louisville, Kentucky. Over this set of days. Tell us why Louisville?

[Danny Wimmer]

I spent a year here, and what happened was I was meeting the mayors, I was meeting the council people, I was meeting the hotels. I was. I was meeting the people. And I'm originally from the south and something connected to me. I called up Jamie, I said, jamie, you know what? Before we start a bourbon, there's something special going on here. There's something rising. Let's start a festival first before we start the bourbon. And then we started this festival called louder than Life.

[Andy Beshear]

So, Jamie, you get this call from a guy you think is going to start a bourbon.

[Danny Wimmer]

By the way, by the way, we have a festival that's two hours away from here. What we're going to compete with ourselves. Let's say there's something happening in Louisville and Kentucky.

[Andy Beshear]

Tell us what you thought getting that call.

[Jamie McQueary]

I think it's really about falling in love with the people and wanting to showcase the culture to the world. And instead of making a product that leaves Kentucky, it's bringing. Creating a product that brings people into Kentucky. And you know, the people here are. Are the biggest part of why we are so passionate. And being able to showcase that now with an international audience is really special. So, yeah, I mean, I think it was the right call. Here we are, you know, 12 years later.

[Danny Wimmer]

Yeah.

[Jamie McQueary]

With two bigger every year.

[Danny Wimmer]

Our boss is the fans.

[Andy Beshear]

You got a lot of bosses.

[Danny Wimmer]

We have a lot of bosses. Because every night we get a scorecard, right?

[Andy Beshear]

That's right.

[Danny Wimmer]

We do. And we listen and we try to give more value for the dollar. You know, we're competing with so much stuff. There's so much great things you can do just at your house. And we're. We're in this. We're in crazy times. And what we try to do is we try to create things outside of music that you can't get maybe at your local concert. So we'll add special things. So when you get here that if we can get the food and the drinks and the secondary experience and we can get the sights right, it gets. It gets to be artists is always going to be number one. But if we can get our. Locate our site to match an artist's performance, that's how it all kind of rises. And that's why we're always trying to find new things. We'll have people coming here year after year. We want them to seek change.

[Andy Beshear]

So, Jamie, when you look at putting something on of this scale, it's enormous, multi day. What will be the height of the attendance?

[Jamie McQueary]

So between the eight Biggest days of music in the United states. Between the two weekends, we're going to have almost 400, over 400,000 people.

[Andy Beshear]

So from a logistics standpoint, how do you put it together?

[Jamie McQueary]

We employ thousands of people, but really we have an unbelievable operations and site team that engineers and mapping have been working around the clock in producing this and then they've been on the ground for a month building it. We build cities in weeks and provide all the services that a city provides inside of our festival grounds. It's really impressive. We have a wonderful team. It's very dedicated. They care a lot about what they do. They are passionate about our fans and, and they work really hard to produce these experiences for them.

[Interviewer 1]

So when this wraps on Sunday, do you immediately start planning for next year? On Monday.

[Danny Wimmer]

We have Louder next weekend.

[Interviewer 1]

Oh yeah, there we go.

[Danny Wimmer]

Louder is going to be. We're going to set all time records for the biggest rock show to ever happen.

[Miles Miller]

North America.

[Jamie McQueary]

North America.

[Andy Beshear]

So tell the audience about Louder than Life.

[Danny Wimmer]

Louder Than Life is a rock, hard rock and has some metal in it. And listen, you know, when you walk out there, you might not like hard rock or metal, but I think we've done this before. He'll walk out in the audience and he'll be like, I didn't know you. Like, he'll see friends out there. It'll be like, what do you mean I didn't know you like Metallica.

[Interviewer 1]

We're in the T shirt.

[Andy Beshear]

I didn't know they had the Kiss makeup, much less.

[Danny Wimmer]

Yeah, like, you know, like ladder life is 30%, 40% of the voters, you know, and, and, and listen, what, what we're trying to do is we're trying to take care of the whole community. We're going to do a lot more. We book venues here. That's great. What we're, you know, it's all about community and you know, we try to get hometown Rises off, which is it. Which is a country show. And it. I can't, I'm not going to say it's not going to come back. But what you're seeing is we're mixing a little bit more country into Bourbon and Beyond. But there's things that you and I can come together and go, here's an initiative I think we need to do. And I want you to look at us as a partner. You know, we want to make sure we're taking care of the community, the whole state.

[Andy Beshear]

One of the ways that you take care of the areas that you have your festivals in is your foundation and the Great work. That it does. Talk to us a little bit about how that foundation gives back what we.

[Danny Wimmer]

What what you're seeing from us. Besides, we opened an office here and we've hired a lot of Louisville people. We want you to feel us year round. We want to, we don't want to be, we don't want any of the locals to go, oh, here's this LA company coming in. They make this money and they take it out. No, no, that's not how we think. I got local restaurants. Here we are. You'll see me in the art museums here. You'll see me with speed museums raising money for them. It is so important. I need Kentucky and Louis to feel like this festival is bigger than us. I want this festival to feel like Kentucky's festival. And the ways you do that is, it's not a one way thing. Isn't he just gonna make some money and take it to la? No, I think about the valet guys at the Omni or the Marriotts because when I walk in there, they make me feel so good. They go, thank you. This is the best weekend. I'm gonna have an incredible Christmas because I just made. And then the restaurants are happy and it's just, that's how money trickles. It turns over. Three times.

[Jamie McQueary]

I think for the foundation, we, we just did a 10 year commitment to UofL.

[Britt Taylor]

Yeah.

[Jamie McQueary]

Which is really exciting. And then we also work with Kroger, Dare to Care. And then every year we select a handful of additional local charities to give back to that really can change the trajectory of those.

[Miles Miller]

Local, local.

[Andy Beshear]

I was looking at that list and I'm proud of you all standing up for diversity, trying to do the right thing, supporting the whole community. So when this episode comes out, Bourbon and Beyond this year will be complete. But people I think are going to be thinking about next year and what are you looking forward to? What are maybe some of the early plans and previews that somebody listening saying I want to consider coming on a note.

[Danny Wimmer]

Well, I hope, I hope what they see this year is that Bourbon beyond has stepped up and louder stepped up that they, they saw. You know, it was, it was a, it was a very expensive move to go from one site to the other. What I'm hoping is they leave here and go, wow. You know, because last year we had a hurricane that sat on us and the site turned ahad. If you're out here, we turf the whole place. We want, we want this to compete. You know, last year, you know, we beat out Lollapalooza And Coachella. Those are the darlings of festival.

[Britt Taylor]

Yeah, we were Festival of the Year.

[Miles Miller]

We won.

[Danny Wimmer]

We won Festival of the Year, which we're super proud of in Kentucky, you know, And Rising Tides raises all ships. And. And to go back to the Cardinal, the commitment to the Cardinals is. Well, first off, I'm a huge Dan McDonald fan. He's an inspiration guy. I listen to him, we talk. He's a motivation guy. He inspires me. And it's easy to pay attention to football and basketball, but, man, I want to be in Omaha with him next year. I'm here to help him win a championship. And so if you look at what.

[Andy Beshear]

Josh heard has done, we're a baseball family.

[Danny Wimmer]

Yeah. So if you look at what Josh Hurd has done, who to put it all out there, he's probably one of my best friends now.

[Interviewer 1]

Oh, he's a good friend to us.

[Danny Wimmer]

But he is the real deal. If you look at everything his sports program is doing this. That means we're all doing this. And I'm a big believer. Rising Tides raises all ships. So when we were. When I need help, Josh has been there for me, and Josh is dealing with. With the Nil. And what I'm trying to do is say, hey, here's a company that's not here full time. We're committed, and we're going to try to figure out ways that we can do things easily, that anybody that lives here can find an entry point. I just don't think people know how they can help. So I'm trying to help Josh figure out how to talk to the community. Every dollar matters. Josh is. His passion is cross country. Obviously, he's got to win football games and basketball games and volleyball games.

[Andy Beshear]

He does like to run.

[Danny Wimmer]

Yeah, but, you know, the track and. And then Arthur, who's a dear friend of mine also, he's a swim coach. You know, we're going to be helping them try to build some money for their NIL program. And listen, when you're. When you're in Kentucky and you and I live in la, what I love about it, this man, I.

[Miles Miller]

Change.

[Danny Wimmer]

And you know what?

[Miles Miller]

It's.

[Danny Wimmer]

And. And I'm a big believer if you drop the bowling ball and it hits here in Kentucky, it can ripple to the coast. And that's what I love about you. We have.

[Miles Miller]

We have.

[Danny Wimmer]

We. You know, I'm here for you anytime you need me.

[Andy Beshear]

I appreciate that.

[Miles Miller]

And.

[Andy Beshear]

And to the founder and the GM of Danny Wimmer presents. Thanks for having Bourbon and Beyond and Louder Than Life in Kentucky. And thanks for joining the Andy Beshear Podcast.

[Danny Wimmer]

Thank you so much.

[Interviewer 1]

Thank you guys.

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[Miles Miller]

Foreign.

[Andy Beshear]

Now on the Andy Beshear Podcast, a proud member of the Sirius XM Podcast Network, we have a friend of mine, the president and CEO of Louisville Tourism, Cleo Battle. Cleo, welcome to the podcast, Governor.

[Cleo Battle]

Thank you. It's good to be here with you.

[Andy Beshear]

So tell our listeners what it's like to lead tourism for a state's largest city.

[Cleo Battle]

Yeah, it is fantastic. We have the opportunity to bring hundreds of thousands of people to town every year, whether they're in a hotel, whether they're in the convention center, or they're out here at the festival grounds for this big festival we have today.

[Andy Beshear]

I think some people view tourism as fun, but it also is a huge economic driver. That's right. And it's one of the ways that you can recruit people to move somewhere, introduce new potential business to a state. Talk a little bit about how tourism is is used ultimately to better the lives of the American people.

[Cleo Battle]

Sure. So, you know, we look at ourselves as the first state for economic development. You got to come here first. $4.2 billion economic impact, but not as.

[Andy Beshear]

Awkward as the first state.

[Cleo Battle]

It's not as awkward, no. It's a lot more fun.

[Andy Beshear]

Yes.

[Cleo Battle]

But a $4.2 billion economic impact here in Jefferson County, 70,000 folks employed in hospitality and tourism in this community has a huge impact in this community. We continuously build hotels, build distilleries in this community. Great jobs, great jobs. They are growing jobs for tourism.

[Andy Beshear]

And I think you've mentioned the three things that are all records right now. More new jobs than ever before, more exports out of the state than ever before. And you have broken Louisville's tourism record three straight years.

[Cleo Battle]

Three years in a Row. And we appreciate your leadership and the legislators leadership in supporting us supporting tourism here in the state as well as Jefferson County. But yes, three straight years of record tourism, tourism growth in Jefferson County.

[Andy Beshear]

Louisville. We are on location at Bourbon and Beyond, one of the largest music festivals in the country. Won an award as the best music festival. What does a event like this mean to. To a city and to tourism?

[Cleo Battle]

Well, in putting it in perspective, the Bourbon and Beyond Louder Than Life together are the second largest events we have in Louisville behind the Kentucky Derby.

[Andy Beshear]

That's a pretty big event that gives.

[Cleo Battle]

You of plenty perspective. Last year they had nearly 400,000 people over the eight days. And to tell you about growth in Kentucky and what we've been able to do for DWP in 2014, their first year here, louder than life, two weeks, two, two days, 36,000 people. Last year, nearly 400,000 people between the eight days. So we have done a phenomenal job of being partners with dwp.

[Andy Beshear]

I think I knew that the. It was a big deal when I was out of state and I was coming back. Got to the gate to get on the plane to come back to Kentucky, which is normally when I run into a whole bunch of people I know and I didn't know one person on the plane nor did they recognize me, which really meant we were bringing in a lot of people.

[Cleo Battle]

70% of the people that come for the festival don't live. Don't live in Kentucky. 70%.

[Andy Beshear]

So to listeners out there that have never been to Louisville, why should they come and what should they see?

[Cleo Battle]

Well, first and foremost, we are certainly about bourbon. And it's, it's, it's about the experience of Bourbon. I tell folks all the time, you know, we're not a beach, so no one's really coming Saturday to Saturday, but Thursday through Sunday, the experience here with our Bourbon. Coming out to see the Durban Museum in Churchill Downs, coming to see Ali at the Ali Center Slugger Museum. And there are experiences that you can't just go and do anywhere else. Sure. Can you go buy a bottle of bourbon somewhere in another city. You can't get the experience, the culture and the character of what it means to our community. And that's what makes us special. And that's why people continue to come come back. 19 million visitors a year come to Louisville every year.

[Andy Beshear]

That's a pretty good pitch.

[Cleo Battle]

Yes.

[Andy Beshear]

Cleo, thanks for being on the podcast.

[Miles Miller]

Thank you, governor. Appreciate you.

[Andy Beshear]

Remember, you can download us on all major platforms or subscribe to our YouTube channel at. Andy, beshear Podcast. Your downloads and your subscriptions are what keep us going and keeps this conversation going. So make sure you're a part of it, and let's do this together.