BOBBYCAST - Flatland Cavalry Lead Singer Cleto Cordero on Overcoming Stage Fright and Forming the Band

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Bobbycast – Flatland Cavalry Lead Singer Cleto Cordero on Overcoming Stage Fright and Forming the Band

Date: May 14, 2026
Host: Bobby Bones
Guest: Cleto Cordero, Lead Singer of Flatland Cavalry

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Episode Overview

This episode features a candid, wide-ranging conversation between Bobby Bones and Cleto Cordero, lead vocalist and songwriter for the Texas-bred country band Flatland Cavalry. They cover Cleto's journey from a West Texas childhood through his college years in Lubbock, the organic formation of his band, Flatland Cavalry’s steady rise (from playing empty rooms to selling out major arenas), and the personal and psychological growth it took to overcome stage fright and lead a creative collective.

Cleto dives deep into the value of persistence, the humility required to get through tough times, and the unconventional routes to success in independent music. The pair also discuss the specifics of Texas and “Red Dirt” country music, managing the business side of an artistic career, the influence of family and literature, and Cleto’s favorite music.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Identity, Family, and Early Influences

• Name Origins and Family Ties: Cleto shares how he was named after his grandfather, highlighting the significance of generational family bonds.
  • Quote: “My grandfather Martinez. He was a farmer, and I never got to meet him. He passed before I was born.” (03:15)
• Both Bobby and Cleto reflect on being named after family members, connecting this to their sense of heritage and identity.

2. The Role of Reading & Influential Books

• Cleto’s love for reading, especially metaphysical literature (like Florence Scovel Shinn’s The Game of Life and How to Play It), has shaped his philosophy on creativity and risk-taking.
  • Quote: “Leap and the Net Will Appear… in this endeavor that we're on that's journeying through time and space, and you don't really know… I've found it very useful.” (05:13)
• Bobby and Cleto swap book recommendations, blending discussions of quantum physics, metaphysics, and pragmatic life advice.

3. Musical Roots and the Texas Scene

• West Texas Upbringing: Growing up in Midland, Cleto describes the vivid, hard-working community culture and the social divide between oil wealth and working-class backgrounds.
• The Texas and Red Dirt Music Ecosystem:
  • Local scenes (Lubbock, Amarillo, Austin) serve as launching pads for ambitious songwriters.
  • Football versus Music: In West Texas, Friday night high school football rivals live music for community attention.
    • Quote: “If you book a show on a Friday night… your show might not do that great because people are at the game. So that's a real thing.” (14:11)

4. The Spark to Start Playing & Songwriting

• The desire to perform emerged almost accidentally—writing a song for a high school event led to unexpected emotional responses from listeners.
  • Quote: “Playing music and writing songs was… an accident that I stumbled into that seemed to garner empathetic reaction that I felt like. Felt meaningful and purposeful.” (16:41)
• Seeing Randy Rogers in concert at 17 was the eureka moment where Cleto realized he wanted to pursue music.

5. Building Flatland Cavalry

• The band’s beginnings in college were organic, focused on fun and camaraderie, and with little expectation beyond seeing what could happen.
  • Expansion grew from local backyard shows outwards: “It was Lubbock. Then we ventured down to Big Spring, Amarillo, Midland, and the spiral got bigger…” (11:02)
• The transition from hobbyist to professional was marked by small victories, local radio play, and the gradual addition of committed members and business structures (like having a manager, business manager, etc.).

6. Overcoming Stage Fright & Performing Vulnerability

• Stage Fright: From his first nervous performances for classmates to high-pressure gigs opening for Luke Combs, Cleto shares openly about nerves and the need for endurance and self-compassion.
  • Quote: “I would get so terrified with stage fright... I would literally just… pretend that I wasn't going to play a show. Just literally disassociate with having to think about playing…” (53:03)
• Memorable Nerve-Racking Shows:
  • Opening for Luke Combs before 16,000 people (54:55)
  • Playing the O2 Arena in London with no soundcheck and borrowed equipment (55:59)
• Lessons from Adversity:
  • “When you play shows where things have gone completely wrong… it worked out just fine. So when it goes wrong now, you're like, oh, I've done this before. It's gonna be fine.” (56:32–57:23)

7. The Business Side of Music

• Both discuss the shock and necessity of hiring managers, agents, and business managers—learning to pay substantial percentages out of their earnings in exchange for professionalization and peace of mind.
  • Quote: “Did you have that experience? … I remember having 11 bucks in my bank account with an accounting degree, building road cases, trying to make my quota of 300 bucks a month...” (42:35)
  • Taxes, especially multi-state taxes, are a reality check for touring musicians.

8. Artistry, Band Dynamics, and Leadership

• Cleto leads by example rather than by fiat, and describes taking responsibility during rough patches, including addressing band performance issues when things weren’t going well.
  • Quote: “If we're gonna play that bad, like, we just need to stay at home. We don't need to be doing this…” (51:09)
• Band member transitions and “recommitment moments” happened naturally with graduation and geographic moves, but the core stayed together as long as the shows kept coming and everyone remained committed to the journey.

9. Creative Integrity & Album Process

• Cleto details the multi-stage, collaborative artwork process for their album Work of Heart, emphasizing intuition and staying true to his vision despite outside opinions.
  • Quote: "Just learning to trust your gut and your hunch, you know… Not everyone was in favor of it… But when I saw your album artwork, it was the same heart I saw in my dream." (61:18)
• Bobby shares his appreciation for the album art and his favorite song, “On and On.”

10. Musical Influences & Legacy

• Willie Nelson’s Stardust Album: Cleto donates his personal copy of Stardust to the in-studio collection, describing the comfort and inspiration he finds in genre-defying classics.

  • Quote: “I still do [listen to Stardust]… it’s fantastic… this, like, syncs up to my life, man. So good.” (67:56)

• On Texas and Nashville:

  • Texas artists moving to (or collaborating with) Nashville can still be authentic, and the “Nashville vs. Texas” debate is evolving. The roads to success were paved by prior generations (Pat Green, Jerry Jeff Walker, etc.)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Metaphysical Advice:
  • "Leap and the net will appear." (05:13, Cleto)
• Stage Fright and Grit:
  • “There’s a real beauty in being naive... I was touched. And so I pursued it, I jumped, and the net appeared.” (19:17, Bobby)
• Band Leadership:
  • “I try to lead by example. I made the calls in the beginning. I wrangled the Cavalrymen, so to that degree…” (51:48, Cleto)
• Adversity as a Learning Tool:
  • “When you’re going through it again, you’re like, oh, this is just a moment of endurance... You just grin and bear it and go get through it.” (57:23, Cleto)
• On Paying the Team and Business Realities:
  • "When it's all done, I'm paying 15 for a manager, 10 for an agent, 5 for a financial. I'm 30% in. We all got the same uncle, too. Uncle Sam takes…40." (47:35–47:49, Bobby & Cleto)

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Key Timestamps

• [05:13] Metaphysical wisdom: “Leap and the Net Will Appear”
• [11:02] Organic expansion from Lubbock to the wider country
• [14:11] How high school football affects live music in Texas
• [16:41] Cleto’s first original song and the emotional impact on listeners
• [19:17] Bobby and Cleto on being naive and leaping in creative careers
• [41:00] Transitioning from college-life band to pursuing music professionally
• [53:03] Cleto’s approach to overcoming stage fright
• [54:55] Most nervous show: Arena opening for Luke Combs
• [57:23] Learning from adversity in performance
• [61:18] Album artwork—trusting your gut and creative hunches
• [67:54] Willie Nelson's Stardust as a formative and comfort record

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a masterclass in creative perseverance and grounded ambition. Cleto Cordero’s path shines a light on the slow-burn routes to fulfillment in music, the non-linear realities of band-building, and the importance of authenticity in both songwriting and personal conduct. With warmth and humor, Bobby and Cleto remind creators of all stripes that meaning, connection, and integrity are as important as metrics.

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For listeners seeking life lessons, industry insights, or a blueprint for growing an audience while staying true to oneself, this conversation delivers an engaging, reflective, and relatable narrative from two self-made music professionals.

Transcript

[Cleto Cordero]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Cheryl Strayed]

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[Robert Smigel]

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you friends. Funnier. This week, my guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter.

[Cleto Cordero]

Where does your group perform?

[Bobby Bones]

We do some retirement homes.

[Robert Smigel]

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Timbo]

Last night a blown call changed the game. This morning the Internet lost its mind and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source. The athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice Life 12 and the TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

[Cheryl Strayed]

Hi everyone. I'm Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things. I'm excited to share that I have a new podcast called Mind Over Mountain. In each episod I interview athletes, adventurers and adrenaline seekers to discuss the inner landscapes that informed and inspired their extraordinary feats. So we too can better understand how to face our own seemingly insurmountable challenges. Listen to Mind Over Mountain every Thursday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Cleto Cordero]

Strange twist of fate he's opened up for us. When we played Red Rocks, he brought out a joint on stage. That was the first time my parents have seen me do illicit activities in public.

[Bobby Bones]

Hey, everybody. On this episode of the Bobbycast, it's Claydo Cordero from Flatland Cavalry. These guys went from grinding it out in a van to building a cult like fan base, and now racking up over a billion streams and landing songs in shows like Yellowstone. Like all my friends love them. They're such a cool band. They've got a new album called Work of Heart. It's their fit studio album. They're all over the place. Love the band, love the lead singer. That's who we're gonna talk to. Kaitlyn Butts is his wife. She's been a guest on a previous Bobby cast. Big fan of her. So here we go. My conversation with Cleto Cordero of Flatland Cavalry. Kloto, good to see you, man.

[Cleto Cordero]

You too. Good to be here.

[Bobby Bones]

So your name. I gotta start there because it's Kledo. But do people call you Cleto? Yeah, if they haven't heard it.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah. First time in kindergarten is when I heard that. And I didn't even know that was who they were talking about, was me, but it was pronounced Kleppo. My whole life growing up until I entered the world.

[Bobby Bones]

So what, are you named after somebody?

[Cleto Cordero]

My grandfather Martinez. He was a farmer, and I never got to meet him. He passed before I was born.

[Bobby Bones]

So Mom's dad or dad's dad?

[Cleto Cordero]

My mom's dad.

[Bobby Bones]

So she was pretty close to him.

[Cleto Cordero]

Very much. That's cool.

[Bobby Bones]

We named our baby after we just had a baby. And. Thanks. We named her after her grandpa. So that's my wife's dad.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, that's what it is.

[Cleto Cordero]

Did that pick that beforehand or as a girl? Okay.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. So my wife's dad, his name is Betsy. No, I'm kidding. So my wife's dad, which is the baby's grandpa, his name's Billy. And we were thinking about names. I really fought for Bobby with an I. If I'm being honest, I was fighting for it hard. And my wife's like, we're not naming our daughter after you. And then there was also the. You don't want a kid. This is her. Her. You don't want a kid to be named after you, because then there's always gonna be the pressure of being your kid. But I have a fake name. Like, Bobby's my real name, but Bones is not my real last name, so nobody's gonna know that. And so I said, okay, if we can't do Bobby, let's do Billy, after your dad, but with an ie. And she was like, that's it. Nailed it. And so our baby's named after her grandfather. I'm actually named after my grandpa.

[Cleto Cordero]

Okay.

[Bobby Bones]

Ba. I didn't get. I met him very briefly, but we're all grandpa named here.

[Cleto Cordero]

That's very synchronous, I'd say.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, good word.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah. I felt like the right one.

[Bobby Bones]

Do you read?

[Cleto Cordero]

I do. I do, but. Yeah. I'm always looking for something to read.

[Bobby Bones]

That's what somebody says. That reads I never met a single person that used the word synchronous that doesn't read books.

[Cleto Cordero]

Once I learned the word synchronicity, it's like, oh, that's what's going on in my life. Like, okay, there's a word for it.

[Bobby Bones]

What kind of books you like to read?

[Cleto Cordero]

I really. I like. Like metaphysical stuff. I stumbled into a book called the Game of Life and how to Play it. On the weekend that I married Caitlin. It was in the groom suite, and it was just like. Like wisdom and stuff like that. And, like, your thoughts influence your actions and your words and all that stuff.

[Bobby Bones]

And so you were in a room and there was just books laying in there, and you found it.

[Cleto Cordero]

I was writing her a letter that would be given to her later, and there was a book right in front of me, and it said, the Wisdom of Florence Scoville Shinn, who was a woman from the 1920s, and I had never heard of metaphysics. I picked it up and started reading it. It was really wise and had a bunch of quotes in there that were very helpful, such as leap and the Net Will Appear, like things that I've lived in my life before that, you know, in this endeavor that we're on that's journeying through time and space, and you don't really know the end from the beginning or what's going to happen or. So, yeah, I found it very useful.

[Bobby Bones]

I've read a decent amount on quantum physics.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Never on metaphysics. So that's just. That's massive ideas then, right? Am I right?

[Cleto Cordero]

Meta is the mind. Physics is like. Yeah, the physics of the mind, perhaps. And all that quantum stuff. They're there. It's all connected. Yeah. I'll send you that book, though. It's fascinating.

[Bobby Bones]

I would love to read it. I like to read. I also like to be on TikTok and those two fight against each other.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah, I could see that.

[Bobby Bones]

You gotta be in two different places because I do love to read. However, I also. If I start the night on TikTok, I'm never going to the book.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah, those two things are. It's like trying to do your taxes at the bar or something. That just seems like good luck. And sometimes the bar is just right there in your. In your, you know, bedroom fridge or whatever it's got going on there. So, yeah, you gotta. I think you gotta put two and two.

[Bobby Bones]

Did you ever read fiction?

[Cleto Cordero]

I do. I love John Steinbeck. I love Ernest Hemingway. One of my favorite songwriters growing up was Evan Felker from the Troubadours and befriended him. And I texted him, asking him where should I start? And he said, hemingway, old man in the sea. And it was like, you know, that thick. And so it's fascinating. I love how simple it was. Steinbeck as well, the way he describes like characters, but all like. It's like the narrative, the narrator's voice describing what's going on in the world at large. I found myself like writing some fiction during COVID and it was kind of in that voice and that tone. Just real simple. Like I love one syllable words. Just stringing them along.

[Bobby Bones]

That's how I talk. One syllable word, just stringing them along.

[Cleto Cordero]

Come on.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, that's my entire vernacular, man.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah, I understand you.

[Bobby Bones]

I. I enjoy reading and I was reading all nonfiction and I just took myself way too serious and I thought, why do I want to read fiction? Like fiction? I can watch a movie. I don't like fiction until I started reading fiction. It's like candy to me. Whenever it comes to what I'm consuming, I really enjoy it. I think my warm up into fiction, it's different than your Steinbeck. Mine was Hunger Games, which is different than where you got in. But I read the Hunger Games way back in the day because again, I was all in. I love biographies. I love like thought books, right? But I read Hunger Games and I was like, man, this written for a 12 year old girl and it's perfect for me. So that got me in and like I just read Project Hail Mary before the movie came out. Any chance you read that?

[Cleto Cordero]

No.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, you're probably reading like War and Peace or something, huh?

[Cleto Cordero]

No, but I'll check it out.

[Bobby Bones]

Nah, I don't want to rush you to it. But it's like I love fictional books now at this point, but I'll do a thing where I have to do two nonfiction before I can read one fiction.

[Cleto Cordero]

Okay.

[Bobby Bones]

It's kind of like dessert. Yeah.

[Cleto Cordero]

Well, what's your nonfiction style like? What are you checking out there?

[Bobby Bones]

My favorite book ever is Steve Martin and I have one of his records back here, Born Standing up. And it's like his life story because everything he did. And this is a bit like how your band Journey too. The way he got to where he is was very unconventional. The way I got to where I am is wildly unconventional. How you guys got to where you are, especially where we're sitting right now in Nashville in a big fancy studio on Netflix. That's really not where I think people pictured Flatland Cavalry to be whenever you guys started. Would you agree with that I would.

[Cleto Cordero]

Because I don't. I do watch Netflix occasionally. My wife almost every night. But yeah, it's kind of ironic that here I am. Here I am. I'm in your bedroom. What's up?

[Bobby Bones]

So that book is my. Like, I love biographies of people that I admire and people who did it. I won't say difficult ly. Which is. I don't know if that's a word, but people whose rise was very unconventional. So I like those. I've written a couple books and I feel like that's kind of what I like. Pragmatic approaches to things. Like when I wrote my second book, which is called Fail until youl don't, and I'd had success writing a biography and the book did pretty good. It was number one for four weeks. So minor flex. And so I never want to write another book because I thought I'm going to be a one hit wonder and I'm happy with that. Like Liu Bega Mambo number five, Chumbawamba. Me with the book, I was good. And so I did a TED talk and I liked the TED talk and it was called Winning by Losing. And this is like two, three years after my first book. And I thought, I can write this. And so I wrote it. But I wanted it to be a super pragmatic approach to life. Meaning there were no. This is for sure how you win. No grandiose ideas that sound populist. That happens a lot.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

And so I wrote this really practical book about just showing up over and over again on time.

[Cleto Cordero]

Sure.

[Bobby Bones]

With a good attitude. Making sure the people that make decisions know they can trust you. And booked pretty good. But I feel like that's kind of you guys approach.

[Cleto Cordero]

Sure.

[Bobby Bones]

Like you guys have toured relentlessly.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah, right. Yes.

[Bobby Bones]

When you guys started as a group, when you. Was that the idea? Like, was it to build in Texas and then spread out or was it not even? Were you not worried about building was like, let's just see if this works.

[Cleto Cordero]

The honest, like adventure wanderlust of going on a road trip. When I was a kid, we had maybe two family vacations that were like way out of bounds. Like going to South Padre island or something or Galveston, where you're taking a 12 hour journey looking out the window. Oh, there's hills here, there's trees. Like what's going on? The ocean, you know, feeling all these. It's visceral. And because we only did that so much growing up, when I had this opportunity to go see the whole country, like it did start with Their backyard. It was Lubbock. Then we ventured down to Big Spring, Amarillo, Midland, and the Spiral got bigger. And Fort Worth, Austin. And next thing you know, we're playing in Missouri. I was so excited to play Missouri the first time we were in a van. Was so stoked to just see what that even looks like. And next thing you know, we're on the west coast playing Seattle, and kids are singing, missing you back to you. And the whole thing felt like it was. You're turning the page one at a time, and each day is a new thing, and it's so exciting. And because you're building it, it's. There's always work to be done. There's always something to hope in. There's something to look forward to. And I found, too, like, when you do reach milestones that are like. I don't even know what exactly, but by the time you get to them, you've been tempered by the road and matured enough to, like, be able to appreciate it. And it wasn't this extravagant thing, like you just explained, like, balloons and confetti pop. Right. And stuff. It's really a lot more chill. But, yeah, that. I haven't gotten tired of that feeling as much as we've traveled around, and I've seen all different kinds of people, all different backgrounds. They look differently. But all I know is they're singing these lyrics back with a lot of spirit and passion, and I've seen the good side of all the whole country.

[Bobby Bones]

Where'd you grow up?

[Cleto Cordero]

Midland, Texas. The show Landman.

[Bobby Bones]

Landman. That's what I think of when I think of that part of the country.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Because I've toured, doing standup all over, and I've been to Lubbock and Amarillo, and I love that area. And we have a really strong base over there. I like the people there. But now I think a landman.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Have you watched that show at all?

[Cleto Cordero]

I have.

[Bobby Bones]

Is it accurate or no?

[Cleto Cordero]

It's a bit of an exaggeration. A little more. They puffed a little more hot air into the characters, but, yeah, people are. They can be that way out there.

[Bobby Bones]

Are there really rich oil people out there and you know them when you see them?

[Cleto Cordero]

Yes. Yeah, there's for sure. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Like helicopters.

[Cleto Cordero]

Someone's flown me to play a Christmas party in their private jet. So, yeah, there's those kind of things for sure. There. That's awesome. On the other side of town. I grew up on the other side of the tracks, but that's all right. We got to play for all kinds.

[Bobby Bones]

So you grew up in Midland. I know the area is Midland. Dash Odessa.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

And so. But those two towns aren't exactly right beside each other.

[Cleto Cordero]

They're 15 miles apart. And there's a saying that you raise a family in Midland and you raise hell in Odessa. Sorry, Odessa's, but you know what I'm talking about.

[Bobby Bones]

And I think Odessa Permian. When I think of, like, great high school football, I'm not crazy, right?

[Cleto Cordero]

No. Yeah. That's a. That is like. Like if you book a show on a Friday night when people are there to really watch their kids grow up and they only get so many Friday nights to play football, like, your show might not do that great because people are at the game. So that's a real thing.

[Bobby Bones]

So Friday nights, possibly in that part of Texas, you're not going to get as much of a crowd because of high school football?

[Cleto Cordero]

I would say so. Yes.

[Bobby Bones]

Wow.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah. That's gonna happen.

[Bobby Bones]

Why'd you go to Texas Tech?

[Cleto Cordero]

I applied to other schools. Ut, that was another one. I heard it was the live music capital of the world of Texas and beyond. And so my older brother was a. Had similar aspirations as me as pursuing a different path. He wanted to be a chef. He went to a culinary school down there. I feel like I know someone down there. It's beautiful. The land of milk and honey. But it felt like I'd be a small fish in a huge pond. Ocean. And I heard about this place called Lubbock, just an hour north, relatively, you know, start doing my homework or. I remember sitting. I don't know where I was, but the Midland Reporter Telegram, the paper came to me and said, william Clark Green playing at Rockin Rodeo Midland. And I look up William Clark Green and start realizing this place called the Blue Light Live has put. He's came out of there. Josh Abbott Band. Wade Bowen, Pat Green. Corey Morrow. You start going back. There's Buddy Holly. I was like, what is going on in this place? So it made more sense for me to go up to Lubbock than to just get lost out there in all the noise of 6th street and such.

[Bobby Bones]

Were you playing music in high school? Yes.

[Cleto Cordero]

Our drummer and I have been jamming since, like, sophomore year of high school. We played an event called Rebel Palooza at the. It's like, where the homecoming, like, parade would end there in the parking lot. And him and I and my. My buddy Alex, we were Jack Trio, Jason Alex Coleto Trio. Played six songs for peers and, like, rocked out. And so we got a taste of It. But before then, I wrote a song. It was the first one I ever wrote. I was 17. I had got a guitar when I was 14, so I'd just been playing other people's songs. But I was approached because I was the kid with the guitar at school. And one of my friends comes up to me and says, we'd like to book you to play this event where they announce all the superlatives, Mr. Athletic, which wasn't me or any of these other things. And so I remember, stupidly, I get two songs. I said, can I write a song for the event? She's like, sure. And I have you ever written one? I'm like, no. So I remember I used to clean pools with my friend Roy Johnson, who's now our day to day manager. We go back real deep. But I said, man, I can't go clean pools with you today. I gotta go finish this song. Amber's asking about it. And this is a Friday, the event's on a Sunday. I go home and I realized all the things that are needed to make a song, I figured out in that moment. You need space, you need a quiet place. I sat there in the living room, my guitar, my little notepad, and finished this lyric that I started in English class. When I'm old, when I'm gray Will you still love me like you do today? Now that we're young having so much fun don't give a damn about anything or anyone Life. Will you slow down? That was the chorus. And I played that for my peers and their moms and dads and grandpas at that event. And afterwards in the cafeteria, while we're eating sugar cookies and fruit punch, the grandmas are coming up to me. Oh my goodness. You brought me back to being 17 again. And so that was kind of how it started for me is playing music and writing songs was. It was an accident that I stumbled into that seemed to garner empathetic reaction that I felt like. Felt meaningful and purposeful. So I just kept trying my hand at it.

[Bobby Bones]

If I were to have asked you at 12, would you have said you wanted to be a musician or. I don't.

[Cleto Cordero]

I didn't know what I wanted to be. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

When did you. When did that click that not only did you like writing music, but you wanted to do that for your life?

[Cleto Cordero]

Truthfully, I saw my first concert. I was 17 years old. My friend Roy again bought me a ticket. He said, hey, you want to come to see Randy Rogers Band this weekend at Graham Central Station, Odessa. And I'm. Oh, man, I'm trying to make up excuses. I don't know. I didn't want to have to ask my parents and then them shoot me down. So I made up a bunch of excuses. He goes, well, I already bought your ticket. And my folks had heard of Roy and knew he was a good kid. Then, you know, we weren't going to get into trouble. So they let me go to the concert. I go, and I don't remember what song it was, but it was like it was A Whole New World by Pocahontas. Just like, I'm enamored. I'm in this concert, everyone's vibing out, singing, dancing, spinning each other around. And then at some point, one of the songs just strikes me in the soul and I feel like I'm, like, awakened. And I'm just like, that's exactly what I want to do. I just figured it out. And so every day after that, I just work towards that, like, trying to write songs, though. I didn't know what I was doing, but I just knew that that's what I feel like it was a calling or whatever. Have you.

[Bobby Bones]

I feel like you were jumping and you let the net appear thereafter for sure. Yeah.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Because again, you didn't know you were doing.

[Cleto Cordero]

Nope.

[Bobby Bones]

I think there's a real beauty in being naive. I was the same. I'm from small town in Arkansas. Like, there's no way that I should be doing what I'm doing and the different things that I do based on where I come from. But I was just like, this is what I want to do. Let me just go attack it. Because I didn't know what you needed. I didn't know how hard it was going to be or how crazy it was going to be or the sacrifices I'd make or the things I would gain. I didn't know any of that. It was just like, I was touched. And so I pursued it, I jumped, and the net appeared. It's one of my favorite books. It's about metaphysics. I'll recommend it to you.

[Cleto Cordero]

I will swap you books. I care about the same things. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Did you ever tell Randy that story?

[Cleto Cordero]

I did. I've got to write with him, perform. He's strange Twist of fate. He's opened up for us. When we played Red Rocks, he brought out a joint on stage. That was the first time my parents have seen me do illicit activities in public.

[Bobby Bones]

Did you think about that while it was happening?

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Cleto Cordero]

I was like, my mom's here, Randy. But, you know, it's like I was Told a story many years ago at a festival in Steamboat Springs called Music Fest that, like, there was, you know, there's circles going around, it's legal. There's some guy. When Guy Clark was still alive, I wish. I wish I could have met him, but, you know, he was smoking a Dubes out there, and they passed it around. He said, I've never smoked weed in my life. And when Guy Clark hands you a joint, you're like, okay, I guess we're doing this today. And it was. I was in that situation. So it was. It was fun and awesome. And after the show, I was like, mom, I just, you know, she's like, you're a grown ass man. Like, you've been paying your bills for like 10 years. That's good. Like, you're cool. Just stay out of trouble. But yeah, to answer your question, I've got to write with him and play and make a music video. And he's a lovely person and super helpful in me telling that story to him is affirming that he heeded the call as well.

[Bobby Bones]

You know, what does your mom think about the success that you guys have?

[Cleto Cordero]

She always says, I'm happy that you're doing what you want to be doing. And she loved me if I wasn't successful in the world. All the same, they. They're so supportive, but they were my first true supporters, and they bought me my first PA system the day I turned 18 and graduated from high school so that I could go play for people. And they just. They would go. When our band would play at a place called Lone Star Bar in Midland, they would show up after soundcheck with enchiladas and rice and beans and feed us and just. And then host us afterwards. Let us stay there. And we couldn't afford a hotel. So they're. They're beautiful people and imagine they're proud, but they're happy that we're happy.

[Bobby Bones]

Simply when you say that your mom and dad.

[Cleto Cordero]

Correct.

[Bobby Bones]

Still together.

[Cleto Cordero]

Still together 44 years in August.

[Bobby Bones]

That's really cool. That's a really cool model to have as well.

[Cleto Cordero]

Feel thankful and blessed. Like when I go back home to stay at their place, like, it's like a time capsule. And, you know, at risk of being mushy, I just. I mean, it'll move me to tears thinking, like, man, you were really lucky that you had. That you got to grow up this way and that you had this example. And, yeah, they're awesome people. Now they get to live vicariously through us. They're retired now, so they come see us. They get to see the country and us at the same time. It's great.

[Bobby Bones]

Is your room still the same?

[Cleto Cordero]

Pretty much, yeah. There's a guitar tree with all these old shitty guitars on it. Not fancy, but still out of tune, you know.

[Bobby Bones]

But what did you have on your walls in that room at peak clo? What was on the. On your walls?

[Cleto Cordero]

I had a guitar chords poster which probably I knew like five of the chords on there and the rest were totally nonsense. I didn't know what they meant. I'm pretty sure I had a poster of Jimi Hendrix at one point on there. Maybe some art that I painted in senior year of high school of the Joker, the Heath Ledger Joker, Bob Marley as well. And then a bunch of like DVDs. Crossroads Festival, Eric Clapton 2007, Stevie Ray Vaughan Live at Austin City Limits. John Mayer, where the Light is that

[Bobby Bones]

live album, one of my favorite.

[Cleto Cordero]

So great.

[Bobby Bones]

That's my favorite artist of all time is John Mayer.

[Cleto Cordero]

Let's take a quick pause for a

[Bobby Bones]

message from our sponsor. Book a loved by guest property with

[Cleto Cordero]

VRBO and you get a top rated vacation rental that's loved for all the right reasons.

[Cheryl Strayed]

I love my VRBO for the location.

[Cleto Cordero]

Good reason. Oh, and for the pool. Cause pools are cool. I feel the love book of verbo

[Bobby Bones]

that's loved by guests.

[Robert Smigel]

If you know you verbo another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter. The worst singer in the group.

[Bobby Bones]

The worst.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah, me.

[Robert Smigel]

Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, you only got in because your parents made a huge

[Bobby Bones]

donation to the group?

[Timbo]

To the group, the Yardbirds.

[Cleto Cordero]

Right.

[Timbo]

That's the name.

[Robert Smigel]

The Harvard Yard. But they're open.

[Bobby Bones]

Do you have a name suggestion? We're open.

[Robert Smigel]

Since you guys are middle aged. One erection. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the iHeartRadio Apple Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Bobby Bones]

Humor me. I need some jokes to make me seem funny.

[Timbo]

Last night a blown call changed a game. This morning the Internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode we're Cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines, we go straight to the source. The athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions. The stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight reel. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice Life 12 TikTok Podcast Network.

[Cheryl Strayed]

On TikTok, you can have opinions, you can have, like, a strong stance, and then there's your body having its own program. I'm Dr. Maya Shankar, a cognitive scientist and host of the podcast A Slight Change of Plans, a show about who we are and who we become when life makes other plans. We share stories and scientific insights to help us all better navigate these periods of turbulence and transformation. There is one finding that is consistent and that is that our resilience rests on our relationships.

[Bobby Bones]

I wish that I hadn't resisted for so long the need to change.

[Cheryl Strayed]

We have to be willing to live

[Bobby Bones]

with a kind of uncertainty that none of us likes.

[Cheryl Strayed]

Listen to A Slight Change of plans on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bobby Bones]

And we're back on the Bobbycast. When you talk about you being in that environment with where Randy Rogers was playing, what triggered in me was the first song that I ever heard where I thought that song was speaking for me.

[Cleto Cordero]

Which one?

[Bobby Bones]

The song from John Mayer was Stop this Train. Yep. And so that's the first time that I've ever had a songwriter say something that I didn't know I felt. It's like if a good comedian, you're like, oh, my God, I was thinking the same thing. But like, you didn't think it exactly. Like, you didn't have the articulation to express it in the way that they did. But I remember hearing stop this train and going, oh, my God, that's how I feel. And I didn't know how to say that. And he's speaking for me. Not to me, not at me. He's speaking for me. Like, that's the first songwriter that I ever loved. And, you know, there's a lyric in that song. It's like, I'm so scared of getting older. I'm only good at being young.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

My whole career I've always been the youngest to do what I was doing right forever. I was either 17 or 22, doing a national show or. But like, everything started to catch up and I remember thinking, oh my God, like, am I even good or was I just young? Like, that's. That's how I felt. Like, am I. Am I really good at what I was doing or was I just young? And people thought I was. Was good because I was doing it so young. And, you know, that song hit me. So when you talked about that Randy Rogers, just that experience, that's what triggered to me. But that's like a songwriter that writes for me now. He's a little older than me, so, you know, I was able to kind of chase his lyrics and his understanding. And it fell into me. Who writes songs that you feel the same way about?

[Cleto Cordero]

Ironically, him. He was one of those ones that was out of the country realm. That my grandmother passed away around the time the Continuum album happened. And my sister lived right across the hallway from me. She'd play a CD every night. It was that one. And I remember like listening to Heart of Life and stuff that was just like lyrics. It was something that. It was another. It wasn't the radio, which, you know, it has a certain. If it's tuned to a country station, it's only gonna play this. But she played that one. He was one of them for me that I just like. Every word that he sang and expressed about was. I could relate to as well. Willie Nelson's another one. I feel like I really. As I started to learn songwriting, you could read his lyrics. And they're so simple and the rhymes are so simple, but yet how he, like, delivers them. And they're still profound and emotional. I like Isabel's work too. Like when Southeast, that Southeastern record and the one thereafter was a. If it's not if it takes a lifetime, it's something more than free. Just stuff that you're like, wow, how did he like? He said he expressed something that we felt, but I don't know how many lifetimes I'd have to live to be able to string it out that way. Those are some that come to mind.

[Bobby Bones]

Did you feel the need to listen to a lot of Texas music or were you just in the middle of a lot of Texas music? So that's what you listened to?

[Cleto Cordero]

I was exposed to it for sure. They had a two hour block every Saturday that was like Texas country. Guys like Kevin Fowler, Pat Green, Randy Rogers, Josh Abbott Band, Stoney LaRue and the Red Dirt. Scene Jason Boland and the stragglers, Turnpike troubadours. So it was definitely in my orbit once I started. But before that, it was just whatever country stations. My mom kept the radio on and Brooks and Dunn, George Strait, Alan Jackson, just all that era of country, 2000s, 90s. But yeah, the whole. When I saw Randy playing in my backyard, essentially, I realized that, okay, you can, like, write your own songs and tour and sing them and play them from people. So if he's doing. And I started going and catching all these Texas Red Dirt dudes doing their thing and just gave me more hope and faith that we could do it too, hopefully, you know, if we got to write songs. So it spurred all these other things that I had to, like, buckle down and learn singing. Goodness gracious. People compliment my voice now. But it took this whole time since I met you to figure out what I'm doing. And even then, I still know there's a lot more to learn. But, yeah, being graceful to yourself along the way and not quitting because am I good enough, you know, or am I just young like you're saying?

[Bobby Bones]

Right?

[Cleto Cordero]

People give me a slack for. But, yeah, I'm just trying to learn and still learn from those guys. When I hang out with Randy, I'm not. I understand that we're peers, but I also hold reverence to those that came before us and feel like we can learn from each other. Because before I was a songwriter or singer, a guitar player, and I think about things, I was a son and then I was a brother, a little brother first. So I still know how to be a little brother and learn from people. At least I want to stay that way to some degree.

[Bobby Bones]

I wasn't exposed to Texas country growing up in Arkansas, but when I moved to Texas, because I lived there for 12 years, lived in Austin, I was dunked in, because you get to Austin, it's Kevin Fowler, Pat Green, it's every night of the week. And the most passionate musical people I've ever met in my life are people that live in Texas when it comes to Texas artists. And so I got to know that world really well. Now I'm gonna ask you a question, and then based on your answer, I'm gonna tell you a story. But what's the difference? And I know the answer, I think. But you being a Texas artist, what's the difference in Texas and Red Dirt,

[Cleto Cordero]

the name that you prescribe to it, and geographically where you're from, like, the Red river is the line that separates the two. Yeah, they're just Homegrown. It's homegrown. Homespun music. And you write about the characters and the people that you're around. There's different dialects where you go, okies are different. Texans are a little different. They got their own, you know, way of boasting and their own sayings that are kind of quirky and. And stuff like that. So I just think, yeah, it's pretty much you're riding whatever you're spawned in, you know, whatever seed in the soil you're from, you're going to sprout and be like, those flowers that are from there or whatever. Have you.

[Bobby Bones]

Can you be Texas country and red dirt at the same time? That's my first question. Yes or no.

[Cleto Cordero]

Cannot. Can you be Texas?

[Bobby Bones]

Can you be considered both Texas country and red dirt?

[Cleto Cordero]

Like, as an artist? Yes.

[Bobby Bones]

Yes. Because I would say, yes, that I have friends that are Texas country. They're also red dirt, but I have friends that are red dirt Oklahoma, that aren't Texas country.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah, sure, that. Well, and I grew up with the phrase Texas country. Like, now I just call it Texas music. There's so many different guys that have came into the scene, like CO Wetzel's and Parker Collins. Like, some of it's rocky or some of it's grungy. But if you go back to, like, guys like Willie that were here in Nashville and they went back to Texas to just be what they are, sound like what they want to sound like, I think it has that is still the same, like, DNA that's within all of it is this, like, express yourself how you see fit. And Texas has a lot of history with fiddles and all that kind of stuff. So, like, it does have a sound. But, yeah, there definitely was an era of, like, singing about Texas, and if you're not from there, you're probably not gonna write a song about Texas. But I stand corrected myself because Jason Boland and the Stragglers has one called Somewhere down in Texas.

[Bobby Bones]

But, yeah, my watch from Oklahoma, massive turnpike van. Now, you called them troubadour, so that may be the real thing to call them, but she calls them turnpike, and they're from a town that she lived right next to. And so she brought them into my life because she would listen to them nonstop. And from there, obviously, Cross Canadian ragweed Oklahoma guys. You mentioned Evan Felker earlier. And I was lucky enough they came and played a charity show with me. And especially for my wife, it was the coolest thing ever, because I think she thought I was cool because they came and Played a show with me at the Ryman, so that was awesome. And I asked the question about Red Dirt in Texas country, because if you're from Oklahoma and you're making Red Dirt, can you be considered a Texas artist?

[Cleto Cordero]

See, that's where I think it gets like, you're putting the label on something that's just like. Yeah. I mean, if you're from Oklahoma, we're probably gonna call you Red Dirt, you know? And then there's Texas. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Cause anybody I know from Oklahoma hates Texas. But they really love it. Like, they have to be like, I hate Texas, but they really love it. And they're the same. It's like people from Oklahoma and Arkansas.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

I call my wife, like, a hillbilly, and she's like, dude, we grew up 40 minutes from each other. Like, there's really no. The trailers are the same. There's a different line in the middle of the two.

[Cleto Cordero]

Totally.

[Bobby Bones]

To move to Nashville. What was behind that thought?

[Cleto Cordero]

Well, I. I was living during 2020. We. Caitlyn was living here in Nashville.

[Bobby Bones]

Let's just say who your wife is real quick. Your wife is Kaitlyn Butts.

[Cleto Cordero]

Kaitlyn Butts, Yes. Singer, songwriter, who I met through this whole thing, and which is why I have faith in, like, doing what you love will lead you to people that you love and a lot of good things. And she was living in Nashville in, like, 20, the top of 2020, and things were starting to shut down, and she was like, hey, let's go stay at my mom's house in Ardmore for a week. So I was living in Fort Worth. I meet her there. We end up staying there for a whole year, and that's a whole other story. But at the end of this year, circumstances, you know, presented themselves, where we had an opportunity to be managed by Chris Cappy, who manages Luke Combs. And so I was, like, faced with the whole, like, move to Nashville.

[Bobby Bones]

Did that feel dirty? A little bit.

[Cleto Cordero]

I'll tell you, honestly, I was a little fearful, which fear doesn't do us any good, I've learned. It just gets in the way of stuff. But I was like, I don't know, Caitlin. Like, people are gonna call me a traitor and this and that. And she's like, listen to what you're saying. She's like, it'd be like me opening up for Casey Musgraves. And then her manager going, wow, she was really good. I want to manage you now. Like, look at what you could be passing up on if you don't do this. So she really, with her blessing, we leaped, you know, and the net did appear. We moved here into East Nash in 2021 of February. So I went from living with my mother in law to now I'm living in Nashville, of all places. And that, to me was like the proverbial dream. Like, I think of the scene from the movie the Iron Giant. Have you heard of that movie?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, yeah.

[Cleto Cordero]

So, like, you know, at the very end, the. The Iron Giant sends out the little beacon again, and all the stuff goes back to go find it. And I felt like the radio that I listened to on the windowsill as a kid, like, called me to this place. And now here I am, 30 years later, getting to work with great creatives and managers and people that help us, that have helped us take our music to the whole country. So, yeah, I was genuinely concerned that people would think I was a trader or something. But some people that I run into here lately, they're like, wait, you've been in Nashville? They have no idea. Because we live all over the place. We live on the road half the time.

[Bobby Bones]

So when you go to tech, how quickly do you start to find your people?

[Cleto Cordero]

In the beginning? Yeah, pretty soon. Within the first week, we found our first bass player. I moved to tech, to Lubbock on a Saturday. Sunday, Jason and I go to an open mic night. No luck there. The very next, you know, Wednesday or something, we find ourselves at an open mic in Broadway, which is right across the street. Little bar called Bar Pm was the only kid that showed up. And this guy named Ryan De La Garza just let me keep playing until I ran out of songs to sing and saw a lot of promise. So he was our first bass player, got us connected to the college scene, and then started to add band members as we came across them at parties or like our guitar player. Reed, for example, his older brother was my. We were in a business fraternity together, and we're eating Taco Tuesday at Rosa's Cafe. If you never had it, God bless you. But he said, man, my little brother plays guitar. And I was like, man, everyone's little brother plays guitar. And he said, well, he's pretty good. So I took his advice and Reed came over and we jammed, and Reed got added to the group. And so, yeah, it was always. It was always within reach. That's something I've learned too, is like, whatever it is you're looking for is probably within your wheelhouse or someone knows someone that. But within. By the time June 2014 happened, we had Johnny on bass, Reed on guitar, Jason on The drums. We had another violinist at the time, Laura. And so we were a little five piece. We played all of our. These songs I'd collected for the first two years of Living in Love. It Going to Songwriter Night.

[Bobby Bones]

In your mind, was the band a way to do life or was it just something to do while you were in school?

[Cleto Cordero]

It felt. No, I feel like going to school was something to do while I was in Lubbock. I feel like once it was. It's like once that expiration date approached, I felt my first panic attack when I was about to graduate and I was sitting at a coffee table. I'm like, oh my God, like, what am I going to do? Do I have to get an accounting job? Like, and then I was like, something told me, pick up the phone and call Scott Ferris and record a single. And then it turned into the ep. Then that got picked up on the local radio station, that turned into a sold out show. Then that led to a booking agent and manager and so started to pick

[Bobby Bones]

up speed within the group. Was it, we're gonna try to do this as long as the wheels stay on the car?

[Cleto Cordero]

Pretty much, yeah. I think everyone was starting a band in college and all the fun that that entails was just. It was just fun. You know, initially I had sites to, like, take it and be like, Randy. You know, get a bus and travel around and do it and do it well. But initially it was just playing frat parties and cover songs and having fun doing it too. Not that we don't anymore. It's just. It definitely turned into a lot more.

[Bobby Bones]

Was there a recommitment time within everybody in the band? Meaning everybody's done with school, so you have to like, are we gonna do this? Like, are you gonna do this? Because I'm gonna do this. I feel like that's the time when it's, okay, school's over. Are we committed? Was there ever a period of that?

[Cleto Cordero]

There was never any, like, stern chats of, like, are we gonna do this, guys? It was like, no one flew the coop or said, man, I'm gonna go be a doctor or do something else. Like, there were challenging times when, like, I waited for two years in Lubbock for the guys to graduate, and then people start graduating. Our drummer moved to Florida and our bass player moved to Fort Worth. And I was kind of like, I didn't know what we were gonna do or where we're gonna be located out of. Cause once again, going to college in this garage was like our hearth. And now we. We passed we turned the page, but I was tempted with a lot of dismay. But we had dates on the calendar. We had a bus call location. So as long as you made it to bus call and made it to the gig, like, I don't. Doesn't matter to me where you live. So we made it through.

[Bobby Bones]

Was there ever a weird time where you had to start hiring? For me, it was a business manager because I never had money growing up. And I said, I'm gonna pay somebody to, like, do my money. That's crazy.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

But I had so many percentages I was having to pay at this point.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

So it was, you know, I was having to pay an agent and pay a manager, and I was touring a lot, and I was having to pay for buses and pay, you know, people that were with me, like a road manager. And it was just so overwhelming. But I was blown away that I had to pay a businessman. They were getting a percentage of my money. Crazy to me. Now it's invaluable, right? Did you have that experience?

[Cleto Cordero]

Well, yeah. I remember having 11 bucks in my bank account with an accounting degree, building road cases, trying to make my quota of 300 bucks a month to make rent. So that was all I had to make. And it was still stressful. And like. So all that to say I had no money before. And so the bank account grew from $11 to more anything after that. Like, all the help that business manager and manager brought to the table was, like you said, invaluable. I don't even think about it. Like, it's always been better than that 11 bucks.

[Bobby Bones]

So, man, I thought about. It's 5% of everything I make as a business manager. That's. That was crazy. I was like, I'm going to pay you to. I don't even want you in my money, and I'm going to pay you to do stuff with it.

[Cleto Cordero]

It's wild.

[Bobby Bones]

It's crazy that people even had access to my money because I had no money. And then when I had money, I was like, I just want to hold on to it. Like, I don't want anybody to have. But then I. What's something else that you learn and had to learn the hard way is when you play shows in different states, you got to pay different state taxes.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Like, you end up getting. If you have to do taxes in California because you did shows in California. That's wild.

[Cleto Cordero]

Can you try calculating all that stuff?

[Bobby Bones]

No. That's why I got a business manager. I ended up in jail like Wesley Snipes, like, that was the whole. Yeah, it was crazy. The Bobby cast. We'll be right back

[Cheryl Strayed]

with VRBoCare. Help is always ready before, during and after your stay.

[Cleto Cordero]

We've planned for the plot twists, so support is always available because a great trip starts with peace of Mind.

[Robert Smigel]

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy. Not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter. The worst singer in the group.

[Bobby Bones]

The worst.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah, me.

[Robert Smigel]

Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, you only got in because your parents made a huge

[Bobby Bones]

donation

[Cleto Cordero]

to the group?

[Timbo]

The Yardbirds?

[Cleto Cordero]

Right.

[Timbo]

That's the name.

[Robert Smigel]

The Harvard Yard. But they're open.

[Bobby Bones]

Do you have a name suggestion? We're open.

[Robert Smigel]

Since you guys are middle aged. One erection. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I Heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Bobby Bones]

Humor me. I need some jokes to make me seem funny.

[Timbo]

Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning, the Internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source. The athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight reel. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo slice life, the TikTok podcast network.

[Cheryl Strayed]

On TikTok, you can have opinions, you can have, like a strong stance, and then there's your body having its own program. I'm Dr. Maya Shankar, a cognitive scientist and host of the podcast A Slight Change of Plans. A show about who we are and who we become. When life makes other plans, we share stories and scientific insights to help us all better navigate these periods of turbulence and transformation. There is one finding that is consistent, and that is that our resilience rests on our relationships.

[Bobby Bones]

I wish that I hadn't resisted for so long the need to change.

[Cheryl Strayed]

We have to be willing to live

[Bobby Bones]

with a kind of uncertainty that none of us likes.

[Cheryl Strayed]

Listen to a slight change of plans on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bobby Bones]

This is the Bobbycast. That was a weird thing for me in this business, but even, you know, getting a manager and my manager's 15%, and that's pretty standard. But even paying a manager 15% of your money, my money, that was weird. But then I just. I had to live with it and understand that they're bringing in, let's say, 27%. So for me to pay them 15%, I'm actually still making 12% of what I'd be making anyway. Like, I had to have those conversations with myself, but it was really hard to do that.

[Cleto Cordero]

Sure.

[Bobby Bones]

An agent, 10%. Oh, my God. When it's all done, I'm paying 15 for a manager, 10 for an agent, 5 for a financial. I'm 30% in.

[Cleto Cordero]

We all got the same uncle, too. Uncle Sam takes.

[Bobby Bones]

And uncle Sam's taking 40. Crazy.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

So. Because. But again, you have an accounting background a bit. So I think you were probably, you know, you got to wade in. You got to learn the rules before they were actually affecting you. I know any of the rules. Like, I was broke as a joke, didn't know anything, and all of a sudden, the money I'm making, I'm paying out.

[Cleto Cordero]

I had a.

[Bobby Bones]

It was an existential crisis, I'll be honest with you. Yeah, I struggle with paying people money that ironed.

[Cleto Cordero]

It's. I mean, it makes sense. One thing that brings me comfort is knowing that when I am dead and gone, I mean, sure, my family will get whatever is was allotted to me, but, like, I can't. I'm not going to be clinging to those coins or whatever it is now. It's all ones and zeros, you know what I'm saying? Like, so I don't know, I focus on the work. Is it bringing me joy? And do I enjoy doing it? Do I enjoy the people I'm working with? And is it helping provide provision for many? To me, that gives me, like, a sense of duty, purposefulness. But, yeah, definitely, you don't want to

[Bobby Bones]

pay

[Cleto Cordero]

overpay for something that's not, you know, having any value. So there is. That makes sense.

[Bobby Bones]

That's crazy to me. Sometimes I still can't believe it, but I've been doing it long enough, and I do see the value in those jobs.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

But I would always see people on award shows, and they would think, like, their lawyer or they think their agent. I'd be like, you're not a person of the people.

[Cleto Cordero]

Why?

[Bobby Bones]

Now I'm like, thank you to my lawyer. Thank you to my agent. Like, thank you, everybody. Like, I get it now. In the creative space, you have to have people that are looking out for you. Because I didn't know how to do everything. So I'm trusting people to do things for me and look out for me in ways. Because I have no idea.

[Cleto Cordero]

Sure.

[Bobby Bones]

Like, I took media law in college, but, like, I can do, like, elementary contract work.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Did you ever do the Rooms where

[Cleto Cordero]

nobody was there, like, playing for a room? Oh, yeah, yeah. Our first. That show I Described to you June 4, 2014, I built it up in my mind as this, like, packed house. Gonna go see Flatland Cavalry. The people that showed up are the same ones that showed up for you from the beginning. Your family. Mine drove in from Midlands, some drove in from Dallas. And I think we made 63 bucks at the door. And it was so slim. It was so thin and empty in there. And I was a little discouraged, but it was all learning curve because I remember, you know, fast forward a year, we had a song on the radio and local station, and that brought in, like, we played our CD release party at the Blue Light. It was sold out. Packed house. My mom and dad that were in the audience, I remember, look, making eye contact with them. Kids are screaming the words and they're looking around like, totally enamored and just shocked. And like, that was. It looked up. But yes, we played the Empty Rooms and stuff too. And I wrote with the one of my. Someone I look up to a bunch. Will Hogue. Him and I were writing a song one time, and he said, man, yeah, I used to show up to rooms where, like, if there weren't enough people there, I would be in a bad attitude and kind of be crummy to who was there. And he's like, that's not right. You know, like, I had to have a chat with myself of, like, that's not cool. So, like, people that are there, give them the best show that you can, and then it'll turn into. If everyone in there tells someone and they bring someone, that's twice as many people.

[Bobby Bones]

Were there periods where maybe the band wasn't moving in a direction that you wanted to positively, and you thought about, I don't know if this is it.

[Cleto Cordero]

Definitely, like, you know, we were kids in college that were experimenting with the bottle and, you know, the sauce and everything and kind of can get sloppy at times. And I remember sometimes we'd have some sloppy shows and. And granted, maybe I was being dramatic or whatever, but at the time. But our guitar player Reed, reminded me, he goes, man, one time you said something that was. He's like, one night you had your head against the window, against the glass, and you just look so, like, depressed and dismayed. And you were like. You said, guys, if we're gonna play that bad, like, we just need to stay at home. We don't need to be doing this. Like, you're. And it was. But it was kind of. To them, it's like, okay, well, let's get our crap together. So I think you gotta go through those moments to figure out if you. That's what you really want to do.

[Bobby Bones]

Are you the leader?

[Cleto Cordero]

I try to lead by example. And I made some. I made the calls in the beginning. I wrangled the Cavalrymen, so to that degree. But yeah, I don't ever call myself the leader or anything.

[Bobby Bones]

Do you manage the group dynamic if it's not positive? Always.

[Cleto Cordero]

I try to initially now just grown to understand people's. If someone's having an off day, it's not my job to fix anyone's attitude or anything of that nature. I know in business you gotta show up with a good attitude, like you said, and good expectancy. And on a personal note, I can have personal conversations and see what's going on in someone's world. But yeah, I just try to lead by example and show up. And some days, dude, I'm like, so tired from the road and don't sleep great on the bus that I'm not. I don't have a lot to give to people. Saving it for the stage, really. And so if I don't have anything to say, I won't. Or to like, chime in on the front lounge chats and stuff. If I don't have the spirit to. At the moment, in a moment. But I try not to be a bad vibe, I guess the best I can.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm gonna make an assumption here that you're a pretty introverted guy when you're not performing.

[Cleto Cordero]

I do appreciate solitude. Yeah,

[Bobby Bones]

that's a great answer to that. Where does the extroversion come from?

[Cleto Cordero]

Well, I grew up in a family, as I was telling you, and I was a little brother and I was raised Catholic, so there was a portion of my life where my parents would turn off the TVs for the Lent season, which is how I learned how to play guitar. And we would play charades and entertain each other and make each other laugh. There was something about performing and being big and just being silly, really. It wasn't to like, look at me. So I think it comes from that I used to, when I started to play for people, like when I was 18, I would literally just have to tell. I would get so terrified with stage fright. So it's not like a need to like, hey, look at me, look at me. It was more like you wanted to connect with people and maybe a song finds them well. But I couldn't think about it so much so that I would just like pretend that I wasn't going to play a show. Just literally disassociate with having to think about playing was like nerve wracking. And to this day I'm like, I'm confident and so I'm not nervous. But drink and substances and all those things never made me a better performer. So I'm thankful I've learned that the hard way. I don't have to learn it again.

[Bobby Bones]

What's the most nervous you've been for a show?

[Cleto Cordero]

Hmm.

[Bobby Bones]

Or anxious?

[Cleto Cordero]

When we used to play in Nashville back in the day, like being a band from Texas, like, it's such a town of incredible guitar players, songwriters, singers, performers, bands that I would get self conscious, like, they would just be like, that's the people in the back of the room. Just like, you know what I mean? So Nashville was a little nervous playing here first time. One that just jumped right out to me is when we opened up for Luke Combs in December of 19. I remember almost because it was in a stadium or not stadium, where the spurs play, Forgive me.

[Bobby Bones]

Like an arena in San Antonio.

[Cleto Cordero]

Correct. Yeah, yeah. 16,000 people sold out and we had a 40 minute time slot. And I remember like having another, like existential, like terrifying conversation with myself. I was taking a shower and I was like, because I had to get away. It's the only place you can get away from people is the bathroom. And I remember like thinking like, okay, God, if I was supposed to be selling bibles in, you know, Africa or someplace, like, I would be there. But I'm here, so I guess my. I'm supposed to be here, you know, so like, just sing through me, speak through me, play through me. Let me just enjoy this moment that is about to happen. And I went out there and just tried to go about it lovingly and it led to a lot of good things. But I definitely was Terrified to be real. Another one that comes to mind is the O2 arena with Luke Combs. Again, all of the production elements were left in Dublin the night before because apparently it was St. Patty's weekend and no one was there at customs when they showed up. So that's kind of wild. That's a whole nother story. You can fact check that, but they had to pull a rabbit out of a hat and drums, guitar. They had to make the whole show happen with nothing in London. What's that?

[Bobby Bones]

You're in London.

[Cleto Cordero]

London at the O2 arena, maybe 22 and Flatland. You know, we're the. We're the low guys in the total poll. We don't get a sound check or nothing. I'm about to go walk out in the O2 arena, no sound check, no line check, playing on wedges. And I remember just literally, like, please, God, don't let me embarrass myself. Like, let me. Let this. Let this go as good as it can go, and you can't. There's no time to be scared when you're doing it. But to play in a cave, a giant cave, when there's no way to really hear each other was truly made some cowboys of us, for sure.

[Bobby Bones]

I used to really get upset when technically, something would mess up. And if we were doing, like, comedy music, I wouldn't have ears or I'd freak out because I would think it was going really. It was a really poor show because something wasn't working. But then I got through it a few times, or if I was doing standup and I didn't feel like I was killing, I would get through it and I would go, man, if something bad happens, you still get through it just fine. And sometimes, most times, the audience doesn't even know. And so I think I can handle adversity technically or within myself, because I've done it poorly in my mind so many times and gotten through it.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

That when it happens now, I've been through it. I've done the worst and got through it just fine. Do you ever feel that way with all the shows that you've done, where things have gone completely wrong? And you know what? It worked out just fine. So when it goes wrong now, you're like, oh, I've done this before. It's gonna be fine.

[Cleto Cordero]

110%, yes. Yeah. In going through it and walking through those fires, you're like, oh, I survived, you know? And when you're going through it again, you're like, oh, this is just a moment of Endurance. I've played shows where you can't hear anything going on in those in your monitors, and you don't throw a tantrum on stage. You just grin and bear it and go get through it. But, yeah, like you said, anyone that's in the audience will be like. It's like people that are watching football on the couch going, oh, man, the quarterback sucks. And they, you know, eating Cheetos or whatever. It's like, you can't. Most people can't do that anyways, inherently. So, yeah, just get through it. Really?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, just keep going, Keep going. That's what I would tell people. Just keep going. Regardless of what you're performing, just keep going. Because most people don't even know what's happening. They don't know that something's wrong. And if you keep going, they're gonna keep going with you.

[Cleto Cordero]

Right.

[Bobby Bones]

It's kind of like life. I mean, that's a bit of a metaphor for life. Like, just keep going.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yes.

[Bobby Bones]

And if you don't stop, like, you can still achieve. So, yeah. You ever have a show where you think, man, that show sucked. But then people come up to you like, dude, that was awesome.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yes. And I used to pine for folks's affirmation after a show. Like, did it go well? Like, because sometimes you don't know. You know, you're trying your best. But here lately, like, we played some markets. I'll leave them nameless. Not here to make enemies or anything, but you're giving it everything. And simply, they just don't know who you are. And maybe they don't care to, or they don't. They don't believe in what you're doing, and so you'll give it your best. And after the show, I'll be thinking, man, I wonder if we had played that one cover during, you know, part of the show, like, if we had played this cover relative to this region where they might have. Our producer goes, bro, that's real noble and admiral of you. But sometimes, you know, they're just. Audiences just don't like you, and that's okay. And I'm just like, I know, but it's our job to entertain and to love the audience. And so I want to get my best foot forward, or try as much as you may, to not for them to like you, but to do the job that you were hired to do.

[Bobby Bones]

It was Minneapolis, wasn't it?

[Cleto Cordero]

No, it wasn't. We've had good luck in the.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't want to say I like the album artwork on this record.

[Cleto Cordero]

Thank you.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, I like the heart and the color, and obviously it makes sense. It's Work of Heart is the album. But I like the album artwork.

[Cleto Cordero]

It's cool.

[Bobby Bones]

Who designed that?

[Cleto Cordero]

Scott and Rachel Ferris, who did all the album artwork for our whole discography.

[Bobby Bones]

Did they give you multiple and you picked or how did that come together?

[Cleto Cordero]

That album art went through, like, 12 rounds and, you know, different adaptations. At one point, it's probably gonna make Caitlin pull her hair out, bringing this up. But, like, I even, like, was like, what if there's, like, robot hands holding the heart? And it's like an allegory between the digital world and. So we tried that. It looks terrible and stupid, and so. But, yeah, they. They had his mom hold the hands. Eventually, I realized that I wanted to get my hands on it, so I flew to Lubbock and got my hands on it myself and wanted it to look particular and. But, yeah, they designed all those fabrics by hand.

[Bobby Bones]

That's cool. Yeah, that's really great. And it's so hard to, like, get to appreciate album art now, because we. We're not getting anything hard anymore, so it's not guaranteed we'll ever see it.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

You know, if you're just listening back in the day, you have a CD right now, vinyl is more than it probably was ever in my life. I think now vinyl is more popular than it was ever, because before me, vinyl was actually popular. But, yeah, I'm not drawn to a lot of album artwork. I was to you guys.

[Cleto Cordero]

I'm thankful that you see it that way now that we work with, you know, label and a lot of people, and everyone's sharing their opinions, you know, not everyone was in favor of it. I don't say that, you know, detrimented my team. Just.

[Bobby Bones]

Minneapolis, right?

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah. Yeah. Just. Just learning to trust your gut and your hunch, you know, And. And I had the songwriter, whom I wrote Work of Heart with texted me the day that it came out, and she said she had a vision that like. Like, God gave her a dream. And she was like, this is totally. It's amazing. Supernatural, if you will. You're talking about quantum stuff. You know, it's like she had a dream that there was this heart made of stone, and God was pulling these pins out of it that were represented pain and suffering and stuff. And then the heart softened into this, like, fabric, fabric, quilt, work, heart. And she goes, when I saw your album artwork, it was the same heart that I saw in my dream. So totally wild. So I'm glad that I stuck with that because it was like we could have just balked and done something different. But yeah, that's one thing that word jumped out to me is different is like if someone else gets their hands on something and does it, they might not do it just like you. Doesn't mean it's bad. It's just different. And so I'm okay with different because I've written a lot of good songs with people that, oh, I wanted to say it just this way, you know, and it's like, if that's the case, then make it yourself. But if you're hiring other artists to work alongside, then I've learned to be okay with different.

[Bobby Bones]

My favorite song is on and on on this record.

[Cleto Cordero]

Thank you.

[Bobby Bones]

Usually I'm not drawn to tempo ish type songs. I like really slow, sad songs like I want to be cut.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

When I listen to music, I want to hurt.

[Cleto Cordero]

Okay.

[Bobby Bones]

That's all that makes me feel is music on and on. Not really that oddly. It's. It's definitely. That's my favorite. I just want to say that because I've been listening to it for a while. That's my favorite song.

[Cleto Cordero]

Well, first, thank you. That one was. I wrote that one and I thought it was like a piece of bubble gum, just real simple, chew it a little bit of flavor. When everyone added their magic to it, it really added that hop and skip, like feel good vibe. So, yeah, I'm not a feel good guy.

[Bobby Bones]

Like, hurt me. Let's take a quick pause for a

[Cleto Cordero]

message from our sponsor, Early Birds.

[Bobby Bones]

Always rise to the occasion for summer

[Cleto Cordero]

vacation planning because early gets you closer to the action.

[Cheryl Strayed]

So don't be late. Book your next vacation early on VRBO and save over $120. Rise and shine. Average savings $141.

[Bobby Bones]

Select homes only.

[Robert Smigel]

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Who's the worst singer in the group?

[Bobby Bones]

The worst?

[Robert Smigel]

Yeah.

[Cleto Cordero]

Me.

[Robert Smigel]

Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, you only got in because your parents made a huge

[Bobby Bones]

donation

[Timbo]

to the group the Yard Birds.

[Cleto Cordero]

Right.

[Timbo]

That's the name.

[Robert Smigel]

The Harvard Yard. They're open.

[Bobby Bones]

Do you have a name suggestion? We're open.

[Robert Smigel]

Since you guys are middle aged One erection. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Bobby Bones]

Humor me.

[Robert Smigel]

I need some jokes to make me seem funny.

[Timbo]

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the Internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source. The athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight reel. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls. We break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice, Life12 and the TikTok Podcast Network.

[Cheryl Strayed]

On TikTok, you can have opinions, you can have, like, a strong stance, and then there's your body having its own program. I'm Dr. Maya Shankar, a cognitive scientist and host of the podcast A Slight Change of Plans, a show about who we are and who we become when life makes other plans. We share stories and scientific insights to help us all better navigate these periods of turbulence and transformation. There is one finding that is consistent, and that is that our resilience rests on our relationships.

[Bobby Bones]

I wish that I hadn't resisted for so long. The need to change.

[Cheryl Strayed]

We have to be willing to live

[Bobby Bones]

with a kind of uncertainty that none of us likes.

[Cheryl Strayed]

Listen to A Slight Change of plans on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bobby Bones]

And we're back on the Bobby cast. We have artists come in and they bring music that has meant a lot to them.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yes.

[Bobby Bones]

It can be the perfect album. It could be the album that meant the most to them, and we end up donating this worthwhile music. What did you bring here? I don't know what it is, because you got it wrapped up. So. Yeah, if you don't mind grabbing it and wrapping it for us. Yeah. Unwrap it.

[Cleto Cordero]

Okay.

[Bobby Bones]

And tell me the story behind it. Hold it up.

[Cleto Cordero]

Story behind this album is I stumbled into it. Our old merch guy, he was really a music connoisseur by the alias.

[Bobby Bones]

I haven't seen his D. Yeah, that's what I thought it was. Yep.

[Cleto Cordero]

He told us about William, man. Okay, you've heard on the Road Again, but have you heard his jazz stuff? And, like, I love the album artwork. Unless I'm.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Cleto Cordero]

Guy Clark's wife Susanna actually painted this. Apparently. Pretty amazing, that Willie Nelson, that Stardust album.

[Bobby Bones]

For those that are just listening and aren't watching, that album was met very oddly. People did not love it because it wasn't what he was known for doing.

[Cleto Cordero]

Sure. Yeah. If you were used to, like, drinking some Lone Stars and turning up at the bar. I mean, this is not that album. But, my goodness. Stardust, George, On My Mind, Blue Skies Now.

[Bobby Bones]

It's one of the most beloved Willie albums of all time.

[Cleto Cordero]

It's fantastic. I mean, dude, you can clean the. Put the sucker on, clean the house, or go for a cruise. I. I would go out to far West Texas, where my folks are from, that way. So, like, when I'm driving through Alpine Marfa, like, this is, like, syncs up to my life, man. So good.

[Bobby Bones]

But you still listen to Stardust?

[Cleto Cordero]

I still do, yeah. I go back to it. It's fantastic.

[Bobby Bones]

I feel like that record. There's a couple that stick out of my mind records that were underappreciated at the time, that then got their just due years later. Not sure if you're a Weezer fan.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

But Pinkerton is that album where everybody's like, what the crap is. This sucks? And now people are like, pinkerton rocks, man.

[Cleto Cordero]

Which songs are on there? I'm not familiar with that record, per

[Bobby Bones]

se, but I like El Scorcho is on Pinkerton Mike. And it was just done different. It wasn't like the blue. And I have the blue record. All the guys signed it for me. I'm a massive Weezer fan. That's why I wear my glasses. Buddy Holly and Rivers Cuomo are why I wear these glasses. Because there was two nerdy dudes who I thought were awesome, and I was a nerdy dude, and I wanted to be awesome, and I couldn't see, so I want to look like other nerdy dudes that can't see. And so. But that album, not loved at the time, but now people love it. And I'm not comparing Weezer to Willie, although I should. They're both amazing. Two of my favorites. I keep all the vinyl that is important to me, and I have a couple Willie albums out there. I'm glad you picked that. Nobody's picked that yet.

[Cleto Cordero]

So you don't have this in the collection?

[Bobby Bones]

I do not have it in the collection. No. So I'm very appreciative of that.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah. And you have listened to it.

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, take 10,000 times. Yeah. My grandma was a massive Willie Nelson fan, and so I know Willie from not being an adult and chasing it because it's cool or historic or it means a lot to country music, because my grandma played it all the time. And so Willie. And like, Ray Charles. Johnny Cash was from Arkansas, so there are only, like, four people from Arkansas, but we loved all four of them that made music. And then it was a lot of, like, gospel stuff. So that's what I grew up listening to because my grandma raised me.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

I thought that was current contemporary country music for the youngest part of my life.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah. Well, those are great influences or great musical bedrock to start from, like, Ray

[Bobby Bones]

Charles, Modern sounds of country music 10,000 times. Wow. What a great record.

[Cleto Cordero]

I got a woman on that one, or.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't think I. I need to look. I'm. I have a bunch of Rachel's at the house. I don't. I don't. Mike. We see if I got a woman's on that. I would bet. No. Let's see if I'd lose the money

[Cleto Cordero]

also, in the meantime, if I don't, I'm blind, too, without corrective vision. So really, for two blind nerds.

[Bobby Bones]

Thank God. I didn't want to miss that. So I was nervous, and I. Oh, good. I still have my cred. The one ounce that I have cloud. I've really enjoyed this, man.

[Cleto Cordero]

Likewise. Thank you for your time.

[Bobby Bones]

We've done a good chunk here. I'm a fan of you guys music.

[Cleto Cordero]

Thank you so much.

[Bobby Bones]

I always appreciate artists from Texas who moved to Nashville and don't hate Nashville.

[Cleto Cordero]

Nah, man.

[Bobby Bones]

Because. Because I lived in Texas for a long time, and they. And everybody had to say they hated Nashville because that was part of what you had to say when you're a Texas country artist. Yeah, but, like, I'm close with Parker, and he moved back to Texas. But even, like, you know, Josh Abbott, I used to have all those guys on my show in Austin when I was doing, like, pop radio.

[Cleto Cordero]

Cool.

[Bobby Bones]

And so I became a fan of all that music. Like when Pat Green did Wave on Wave, like, I loved it. I still love that song.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

That was weird to me that people were mad at Pat Green for doing Wave on Wave because it was a Nashville type song. I was like, dude, this is a great song.

[Cleto Cordero]

Sure.

[Bobby Bones]

I think today, if he did, it wouldn't be the same. I think People would just embrace it.

[Cleto Cordero]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, it would still be a massive hit, but it just wouldn't have any of the flack or whatever.

[Bobby Bones]

No division with it. I think it would still be a massive. So. But I think he was one of the first of like my consuming days to be a artist from Texas.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Who went up to Nashville to cut a song. And it just wasn't. I think. But I think he walked so others could run.

[Cleto Cordero]

For sure. Randy told me something. He said the roads that we drive down were paved by guys like Pat and Jerry, Jeff Walker. And he's like, I said we shouldn't. So like I mentioned earlier about holding reverence for those that came before. Pat's called me out of the blue before. And before we played the Dickies arena and our band played it and sold it out. And he called and was, hey, man, can I won just congratulations. And that's huge. Like, you don't. Like. I hope that you're taking the time to soak this in because it's so rare. And also, can I get a few tickets for my daughter?

[Bobby Bones]

Hell yeah, dude. That's awesome.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Congratulations on you guys success, but mostly congratulations on doing something that's fulfilling you. And it just so happens to be done at a high level now.

[Cleto Cordero]

Thank you much. Yes.

[Bobby Bones]

I think that's it. You're doing it. You would have been doing it anyway, regardless of where you were sitting on the totem pole. And you'll go up and down the totem pole through the years, but that you're doing something that fulfills you, like, that's real success.

[Cleto Cordero]

I do feel successful in those regards. I wake up and I get to do what I love to do. Have chats with cool people, meet people from all different kinds. And it doesn't. No day is the same. So it's exciting. And I look forward to the next one and seeing what the next song is gonna be too, you know, seeing what's gonna come through you.

[Bobby Bones]

What time do you wake up in

[Cleto Cordero]

the morning here lately? About 8am, which is early for me.

[Bobby Bones]

Too early.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

You're a rock star now. 11. Let's do better.

[Cleto Cordero]

No, yeah, that's usually. That's more like it. On the road.

[Bobby Bones]

11. Yeah. Yeah. Road's tough.

[Cleto Cordero]

Have you slept on a tour bus before?

[Bobby Bones]

Many times. Night one, difficult. Night two, a little better. Night three, I'm good, but then I'm off the bus right after that and I go through the same cycle again.

[Cleto Cordero]

It's wild.

[Bobby Bones]

Night one, I'm like this. And when he goes over. Oh, God. As soon as they hit those sides of the. I'm up.

[Cleto Cordero]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm also a bit of a Beyonce, like, star bunk. I got to star bunk with the

[Cleto Cordero]

bed in the back lounge. Good for you.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. And everybody else has a little bonk. I'm back there sprawled up. Yeah. Yeah. Tour bus sleeping is a little bit annoying early, but then I get used to it. And then when I get used to it, it's time to come home. You don't do very well.

[Cleto Cordero]

It's a challenge. Yeah. I got this oura ring to try to help with that same. Yeah. To be like, keep me accountable because I want to be a superman. Oh, I'll good. I'm good at three, four hours these days. I'm like. I took a nap. For example. It said I got four hours of sleep the other night before our first show and I took a nap. I'd found a moment. It was. I literally had an hour and like, dude, I was conked out, knocked out for like 26 minutes. But whenever you come to, you're like, oh, dang, I feel a lot better. Like your body needs sleep. I'm gonna quit pretending it doesn't. I'm not Tesla or Edison or whoever it is. And I just. Yeah. So I'm trying to prioritize my sleep and rest so that I can put on a good show and be energetic and give the crowd your best. So, yeah, I'm glad that I figured. It took me 12 years to figure that out though.

[Bobby Bones]

I think we. I was just about to go into some Tesla stuff, but you got. You need to go. We're over an hour in. I was going to talk about time machines, but we'll move. Thank you for coming in.

[Cleto Cordero]

Thank you.

[Bobby Bones]

Congratulations on the record.

[Cleto Cordero]

Thank you.

[Bobby Bones]

And yeah, I'm looking forward to see what you guys continue to do. There he is. Thanks, Cloto.

[Cleto Cordero]

Thank you, Bobby. Thanks for listening to a Bobbycast production.

[Robert Smigel]

Now with McDonald's.

[Cleto Cordero]

A McDouble is only 250. So you can get your gym games on or just get lunch for only 250.

[Robert Smigel]

Get more value on the under three dollar menu. Limited time only. Prices and participation may vary.

[Bobby Bones]

Prices may be higher for delivery.

[Robert Smigel]

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy not quite on Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guests, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Sidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter.

[Cleto Cordero]

Where does your group perform?

[Bobby Bones]

We do some retirement homes.

[Robert Smigel]

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Timbo]

Last night, a blown call changed the game. This morning the Internet lost its mind and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source. The athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports slice on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice Life 12 and the TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

[Cheryl Strayed]

Hi everyone. I'm Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things. I'm excited to share that I have a new podcast called Mind Over Mountain. In each episode, I interview athletes, adventurers, and adrenaline seekers to discuss the inner landscapes that informed and inspired their extraordinary feats so we too can better understand how to face our own seemingly insurmountable challenges. Listen to Mind Over Mountain every Thursday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.