Bussin' With The Boys: Zac Brown Doesn’t Regret His Past + New 'Love & Fear' Album w/ Dolly Parton & Snoop Dogg

Episode Date: September 30, 2025
Hosts: Will Compton & Taylor Lewan
Guest: Zac Brown (Zac Brown Band)
Theme: Exploring Zac Brown's adventurous lifestyle, music career, new album 'Love & Fear', and collaborations with Dolly Parton & Snoop Dogg, plus discussions on artistic independence, risk-taking, and personal growth.

Episode Overview

This episode spotlights Grammy-winning country star Zac Brown, best known as frontman and creative force of the Zac Brown Band. The Boys dive deep into Zac’s unique personal passions (spearfishing, blacksmithing), his philosophy on artistic independence, lessons from a hard-earned career in music, and the inside scoop on collaborations with icons like Dolly Parton, Snoop Dogg, and others on the new album “Love & Fear.” Listeners are also treated to candid discussions about balancing success, family, adventure, and staying true to one’s values.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Zac’s Hobbies & Adventurous Lifestyle

• Spearfishing & Free Diving
  • Zac is an avid spearfisher and free diver; holds his breath for up to 4 minutes, 37 seconds (49:41).
  • Explains his favorite places (Bahamas, Alaska), brushes with danger (sharks, currents, gear failures), and philosophy of mental and physical toughness underwater.
  • “Spearfishing is the most fun anything I've ever done...You sleep like a baby after you dive for a whole day.” – Zac Brown (52:52)
  • He offers to take the boys to the Bahamas for a spearfishing trip (61:01).
• Blacksmithing & Knife Making
  • Discusses making his own knives and gear and the challenges of marketing in a social media environment increasingly wary of “weapons” (103:32).

Philosophy & Approach to Life

• Outdoor Spirituality, Hunting & Conservation
  • Talks at length about his experience with hunting, its spirituality, and the paradox of conservation-through-hunting (65:01–69:44).
  • Advocates not discussing politics or polarizing topics publicly, so music brings people together instead of dividing (69:14).
• Balance: Family, Creativity, & Independence
  • As a father of five, he emphasizes being present with kids and compartmentalizing creativity, family, adventure (71:07).
  • Shares the importance of building and leading his own team, keeping control of his masters, and being business-savvy.

Zac’s Path in the Music Industry

• The “Hustle” and Early Days
  • Started music professionally at 14, played 4–6 hours a night, six nights a week for six years (75:15–83:13).
  • Built his fanbase independently, hustling shows in sports bars, refusing to let labels or managers define his image.
  • “One thing that I've always had…is hustle. I was slinging candy out of my backpack when I was in elementary school.” – Zac Brown (80:59)
• Owning His Masters & Going Independent
  • Hard-won journey to own his own music and build his own business ecosystem. Only after significant leverage did he reclaim his masters.
  • Draws parallels with Taylor Swift’s public fight for her masters (85:04).
• Collaborations & Creative Freedom
  • Details working with legends like Dolly Parton (“Butterfly”), Snoop Dogg, Dave Grohl, and dreams of collaborating with Adele (85:44–88:17).
  • “Dolly is such an incredible...there’ll never be another Dolly...She’s a ninja, dude.” – Zac Brown (86:52)

New Album “Love & Fear”: Behind the Scenes

• Meaning and Themes
  • Album conceived during a reflective pandemic break. Explores trust, loyalty, resilience, and reckoning with pain and joy (The Sum, Butterfly, Snoop Dogg feature) (118:34–124:07).
  • “Being a good person is doing the right thing, even if someone doesn't deserve it...You’re the sum of all the hard shit you've learned.” – Zac Brown (122:15)
• Sphere Las Vegas Residency
  • Discusses the upcoming spectacle at The Sphere in Las Vegas—his “biggest project ever” (109:03–109:48).

Life Lessons & Advice

• For Young Artists:
  • Don’t put energy into a Plan B; success comes from grit and never giving up (96:08–98:03).
  • "If I'm putting energy into plan B, I'm not putting it into plan A. The people that succeed are the ones that never give up.” – Zac Brown (96:08)
• Personal Growth & Regret
  • Would be less quick to make public judgments on others; more focused now, less spread thin (100:49–105:45).
  • Quit drinking for health and to be more present for family; advocates therapy, coaching, self-improvement (92:58–93:43).
  • "Nobody's life gets worse because they quit." – Zac Brown (93:43)
• Giving Back
  • Deep passion for camp initiatives for kids and veterans. Encourages young people to attach their purpose to service (125:31).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On facing ocean dangers:
  “I hit him low. I'm 65 ft down. He takes off one way…I'm trying to swim up... ten feet from the surface...He snatched me back down 20 ft. As soon as I get a breath, he pulls me back down again…that one was wild.” – Zac Brown (56:25)
• On the modern music biz:
  _"You don't get a number one song because you have a good song. You get one because you serviced every major company out there ...and then you have a good song too." – Zac Brown (105:45)
• On creative risk-taking:
  “There's nobody telling me I can’t do that or I can’t record this or I can’t do that. We make the music we want to make.” – Zac Brown (99:41)
• On “Butterfly” and collaborating with Dolly:
  “Having Dolly...absolutely murder it...you wouldn’t know she was 25 or 80...She’s about to be 80 years old and she’s hot, and she’s still as talented as any human on earth.” – Zac Brown (127:07)
• On favorite holiday:
  “I love Halloween. It’s my favorite holiday... That whole Día de los Muertos...Halloween world is my jam.” – Zac Brown (132:30–132:46)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Zac’s Outdoor Passions & Spearfishing Tips – 48:15–62:00
• Philosophy on Conservation, Hunting, and Artistic Unity – 65:01–69:44
• Career Hustle, Early Days, & Rejecting Labels – 75:06–83:13
• Owning Masters, Collaborating with Legends – 83:13–88:17
• Living the Grind: Lessons from the Road & Sobriety – 89:18–93:43
• Advice to Young Artists & Purposeful Living – 96:08–99:20
• Regrets, Focus, and Saying No – 100:49–105:45
• New Album & Sphere Las Vegas Preview – 109:03–110:16
• Writing Songs That Matter (“The Sum”, “Butterfly”) – 120:16–124:07
• Halloween, traditions, and the joy of spooky season – 132:20–133:38

Closing Thoughts

This episode is a masterclass in creative resilience and self-direction. Zac is candid about industry pitfalls, the trade-offs of fame, and why he pours himself into adventure, family, and giving back. The new album “Love & Fear” emerges not just as a set of songs but as the next legacy chapter for an artist unafraid to evolve and inspire.

Essential Listening For: Fans of country, music industry hopefuls, outdoor lovers, and anyone interested in the cross-section of art, adventure, and authenticity.

Subscribe:

• [Bussin' With The Boys on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts]
• Follow Zac Brown Band & check out “Love & Fear” out October 17th.

Big hugs, tiny kisses. (43:16)