Yes, 2020 has been shitty through and through.... First Kobe, then a tornado ripped through Nashville and why not throw Corona into the mix... and god damn the year isn't even over. The last 6 months have been interesting to say the least. It’s been a whirlwind of emotions. From living life in isolation and going through some shit, to appreciating the little things and being thankful for everything I have in my life - instead of focusing on the things I don't. "Live It Up" by Joey Hyde is a song about just that; living in the moment, enjoying life with those closest to you and making memories you can tell for years to come.
Get To Know Joey
"Yeah dude, I moved to Nashville in 2006, so I'm at 14 years exactly now. I went to Belmont University for a couple years. I did 3 years then dropped out. I was playing guitar in a cover band on Lower Broadway at 18. Within 6 months of moving to town, I was on the cover band circuit, playing guitar and singing harmonies, because I sing like a lady. I was doing random road gigs for a while. I played bass for a Disney artist out of LA for a year and played guitar for some country acts. I was playing these gigs and saving the pocket change for demos. Over time I began to take writing more seriously and eventually landed a publishing deal with Sony/ ATV. That was in 2011, I think. Now I'm over at Downtown Music Publishing. During all that I had a record deal with Universal - I lost that quicker than we can finish this interview. I had one single go to radio and it didn't do well. I've had other songs that I wrote make it to radio. Some have done really well, some have absolutely fuckin' flopped. Mine is a fun story, because I can say I played guitar for Florida Georgia Line and HARDY, I've toured with everyone under the sun and I played bass on a cruise gig for Maren (Morris) back in the day. I have a bunch of cool stories. It's the typical move to Nashville, get your teeth kicked in, pick them up, put your teeth back in your face and go to work kind of thing."
For All You Party Animals, Good Timers & Reckless Drunks
If there's a song that represents the famous lines "I'm not here for a long time, I'm here for a good time", this would be the one. Joey Hyde is bringing all the good vibes. Like he says in the song, "don't ask for permission, maybe just forgiveness"... if that ain't the greatest advice I've ever heard, then I don't know what is. Sorry mom. Already proving himself as a songwriter in Nashville, Joey has cuts on Ryan Hurd's "Love in a Bar", Jake Owen's "Made for You" and Lindsay Ell's brand new song "ReadY To Love", amongst others. With his recent batch of songs, Joey Hyde is quickly making waves as an artist. This dude HAS PIPES! Like c'mon, this man has a voice that will make babies cry tears of joy. Big things ahead for Joey Hyde!
Inspiration Behind "Live It Up"
Written By: Aaron Eshuis & Joe Clemmons, Produced By: D2- "I called my friends to all come co-produce it by committee, and I named the crew D2, because that's the best of the Mighty Ducks movies"
"So this is actually the only song I’ve put out so far that I haven't written. My good friends Aaron Eshuis and Joe Clemmons wrote this one. They both used to play in my live band when I had the record deal. We are all staff songwriters now, but when they wrote this song like a year and a half ago, Aaron showed me the demo he made. I remember that when I listened to it, I was like "oh yeah dude, this is going to be a massive hit, someone is going to cut this". Fast forward a year or so. Nobody had cut this and I had the artist bug again. I called them up and was like, "I'm going in to record, do y'all mind if I take this?” They were like "fuck yeah dude, go for it". So they were super cool to let me put my stamp on this one. They both played on this and helped produce it. We did this like a band of friends. Kind of imagine, like your high school garage band is now full of some of the most talented motherfuckers around. And, you're cutting it in Blackbird Studios, with some of the best gear and all that shit. We treated this like we were hooligans, but high-class hooligans.”
Q & A With Joey Hyde
Q: Who have been the biggest influences in your life and have helped make your dreams a reality?
A: "Yeah, the first people that come to mind are obviously my folks. Neither of my parents play or sing anything, but my dad is really musical. He just kind of gets it. I'm a pastor's kid, but my dad was also an ex-metalhead. I came out of the womb listening to Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and all that stuff. Both my parents were always so supportive, whether it was getting me gear that I needed or to practice and gigs on time. I would say my parents and my two youth pastors. My first chance to really get to play live was at church. When I was in like 5th or 6th grade, the high school youth pastor started to give me guitar lessons so that I could play in the middle school band. Then in high school, I ran the worship band at my church. That was my first real chance to be able to lead a group of people musically through band practice. I had to be sure that charts were made and make sure everyone was all set and ready to go. After, I would say to my band directors that I was the total king of the band nerds. I was in choir, band, jazz band, marching band, I did musicals... you name it, I did it. My two directors, Mr. Ross and Dr. Sawyer, were so influential and showed me a blend of so many different types of music. Neither were afraid to tell me how it was. They knew I had potential and never let me off the hook, while at the same time giving me so many opportunities to play, step up and be a leader. Both pushed me to learn new instruments and new types of music."
Q: What's your favorite part of songwriting?
A: "Man, the thing with songwriting is there are so many upsides and fun, challenging parts, but there are equal parts that make you want to jump out the fucking window. It's just a mental game of ping pong. I would say my favorite part is... so in the room, I'm usually the big picture guy. So, you have people, everyone can put on different hats, but you'll have your traditional lyricist who might not play anything or sing a lick, but are poets who think in song lyrics. And then you have the people who sing, or play guitar or harmonies and then those who play track in the room. I'm kind of a chameleon who wears a lot of different hats depending on the room. For the most part I love seeing something to completion. I also enjoy the work after the song is done. I like to go back and edit, touch up lines and harmonies, and poke holes in it. Then I get to the tracking side and see how to bring it all together for a finished product."
Q: Favorite food spot in Nashville and your go to meal?
A: "Off the top of my head, I would say this Indian place called Chauhan Ale & Masala House. It's off of 12th avenue. Their Curry with the moilee sauce is un-FUCKIN-believable. It will rattle your chest for sure. I love Indian food!"
Q: What's been a full circle moment that you will always remember and look back on?
A: "For me, it's smaller moments. Like, obviously hearing one of my songs on radio for the first time is super fuckin' cool. Playing the bigger hometown venue that I grew up going to is really cool. For me, I was always so fascinated by the musicians in town. I remember one of my first sessions, Chad Cromwell was playing drums. He used to play on some of my favorite records. I'm such a geek that the first time I heard him play in the studio I was like "holy shit, this is fucking awesome”. I just got a cut on my friend Lindsay Ell's new record. It was one that I made the tracks on for the demos. I hear these big names, people I look up to, with Dan Huff producing - who is one of the greatest to ever do it. And they are playing some of the stuff that I did in the demo and that's so cool to me. So all in all, being able to work and interact with the musicians I grew up admiring is pretty special to me.”
If you haven't already, head over to Apple Music/ Spotify and check out some other heaters from Joey