Try That in a Small Town Podcast

In this episode of the Try That In A Small Town podcast, the guys sit down with hitmaker George Birge to unpack his long road to “overnight success” in Nashville. George talks about grinding for a decade before his first number one, the moment Luke Bryan said “Play that motherfucker” about his song, and how TikTok flipped his career with Beer Beer Truck Truck.
He shares how Clay Walker pushed him back into being an artist, how a Bobby Bones performance turned Mind On You into a life-changing hit, and why Jason Aldean giving that song back was a defining act of class. Along the way you’ll hear wild road stories with SEAL Team Six and Post Malone, getting wrecked by Gary Allan’s weed, the art of building a live set, and how country music’s community creates careers that last decades. They close it out with golf at Augusta, Idiots of the Week, HVAC disasters, fan etiquette and plenty of laughs.

Timed Highlights:
0:03:12 – Four number ones in a row, why Nashville is a “10-year town” and how hard it really is to break
0:04:35 – Building relationships with radio and listeners, and the pressure of chasing every hit
0:05:04 – Luke Bryan mentor story, Chesney’s jet and the “Play that motherfucker” cowboy song moment
0:07:40 – Why country music is a “big happy family” and how fan relationships create 20–40 year careers
0:08:53 – Shouting out Kurt and Tully on a surprise Jason Aldean number one and how labels plan chart runs
0:10:00 – Original Glory beer spot and investing in America’s small towns
0:11:14 – The magic and misery of the grind: why it’s good that success doesn’t come easy
0:12:20 – First number one, confidence, and how belief changes the way you write and perform
0:13:20 – Mike Eli’s tough-love advice: “You just need to go get your ass kicked”
0:15:30 – Sprinter van nightmare in Kentucky, the meth’d-out “mechanic” and character-building on the road
0:17:49 – Moving from one recognizable song to multiple hits and the freedom of building a real setlist
0:18:38 – Covers as a “cheat code,” winning crowds in clubs and finding the sweet spot with 90s country medleys
0:20:19 – Club days: Dwight Yoakam medleys, Sweet Child O’ Mine into Paradise City, and stretching 90 minutes
0:22:40 – Teaching an audience how to listen to your ballad and earning the right to play the slow songs
0:25:26 – Lessons from touring with Toby Keith: zero ego, human jukebox and knowing when to turn it into a honky-tonk cover set
0:28:19 – Tailgating with Toby Keith, SEAL Team Six and Post Malone on the bus in Virginia Beach
0:29:48 – Post Malone’s country roots, respect for the genre and doing it the right way
0:30:09 – Pivoting to “just” being a songwriter, asking out of the duo deal and heading to Clay Walker’s beach house
0:33:33 – Writing Clay Walker’s We All Need A Bar Sometimes and Catching Up With An Old Memory and hearing the band’s take from the studio side
0:36:35 – Refusing to quit, irrational optimism and how things fall into place when you keep showing up
0:37:38 – Clay Walker says “Get on TikTok” and the birth of Beer Beer Truck Truck from a country-music hater’s video
0:39:41 – Going viral overnight, crediting the original TikTok creator and landing on The Bobby Bones Show
0:39:47 – Playing Mind On You live on Bobby Bones, getting a record deal and watching it go number one
0:41:03 – Jason Aldean had Mind On You on hold – and gave it back so George could release it as his debut single
0:45:08 – George’s Mount Rushmore: Aldean, Gary Allan, George Strait and Tracy Lawrence, and how that shaped his sound
0:46:47 – First-hand weed disasters: Gary Allan’s tackle box, the volcano, numb legs and the best pineapple ever
0:52:23 – Willie’s Remedy, tequila pairings and trying to “just sleep” through a THC drink gone wrong
0:54:08 – Tequila on the road, giving up whiskey in the summer and survival strategies under 100-degree stage lights
0:55:16 – Golf talk: college golf background, shooting 75 at Augusta and winning the BMW Celebrity Pro-Am
0:57:31 – John Daly, a 27-minute Knocking on Heaven’s Door and golf-country crossovers
0:58:08 – Weekly segment: Idiots of the Week – ducks on dashboards and Jeep duck culture
0:59:35 – People touching injured shoulders, hugging the sling side and unintentional pain
1:01:16 – HVAC conspiracy: the AC “just happens” to die right after the service check and buying a new unit
1:06:42 – Language rant: the word “literally,” dictionaries caving and when words stop meaning what they mean
1:08:37 – Fan behavior: phones in faces, reading the screen mid-song and completely losing the lyrics
1:10:19 – Fist bumps, picks, Sharpies mid-solo and why some fans think they’re on stage with you
1:12:00 – World Cup tangent, flops, drama and sports rants
1:13:40 – Peacemaker Coffee plug and sending George beans for the bus
1:14:23 – The hosts on why George is great for country music, closing thanks and merch reminders

______________________________________________________________________________________________
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Go to PATRIOTMOBILE.COM/SMALLTOWN or call 972-PATRIOT
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Original Brands - Our original sponsor since the beginning!!
Original brands is starting a new era and American domestic premium beer, American made, American owned, Original glory.
Join the movement at www.drinkoriginalbrands.com

Peacemaker Coffee Company
Founded by retired police officer/chief Chris Morris, Peacemaker delivers clean, low-acidity coffee while supporting police, firefighters, EMS, military, veterans, teachers, dispatchers, and medical personnel through donations and programs.

www.trythatinasmalltowncoffee.com
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Follow/Rate/Share at www.trythatinasmalltown.com -
For advertising inquiries, email info@trythatinasmalltown.com
Produced by Jim McCarthy and www.ItsYourShow.co

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Brad Lea joins the Try That in a Small Town podcast and absolutely unloads. From building Lightspeed and the Dropping Bombs brand to calling out weak mindsets, traditional gender roles, AI-written songs, government lies, moon landings, flat earth rabbit holes, COVID vaccines, and “dipshitty of the week” — nothing is off limits.
Hear how a high school dropout built a training empire, why mindset, skill set, and habits are the real cheat codes, why most people quietly choose to stay broke, and how social media, politics, and conspiracies all tie back to belief and personal responsibility. This one is part masterclass, part bar fight.

3:34 “I’m not an influencer” – building real businesses vs being a personality
4:12 Inventing Lightspeed: from broke sales trainer to training software pioneer
7:00 Eight years to “overnight success” and almost missing payroll
9:01 Mission: getting knowledge from people who have it to people who need it
10:01 Aladoxophobia – fear of other people’s opinions
13:40 From high school dropout to employing PhDs and MBAs
15:10 Commission, mindset, skills, habits: Brad’s simple formula for getting rich
18:24 Content machine: cameras, social media, and “you are the content”
21:10 Helping broke people vs rich people and why most never change
23:33 Tough love: self-worth, appearance, and being judged in real life
28:16 Choices, free will, and why most people pick misery without realizing it
31:06 College, AI, and why relationships matter more than degrees
37:19 “The right woman wants a king” – Brad’s take on marriage and money
41:17 Would he let his wife work for another man? Lines, loyalty, and control
44:32 Ambition, freeloaders, and “who raised your ass?”
52:01 Perseverance in music: staying in line until the song finally gets cut
57:27 Transgender sports, common sense, and cultural insanity
1:04:08 AI music, Suno, fake artists, and how writers are really using AI
1:10:03 Borders, wasteful spending, and why “we the people” have no eject button
1:18:04 Aliens, disclosure, and weird Florida mall footage
1:21:18 Did we land on the moon? Brad’s problems with the footage and story
1:29:03 Scripture, luminaries, and why some people flirt with flat earth
1:34:34 God, intelligent design, and what we actually know
1:35:34 Dipshitty of the Week: waiters, nose pickers, left‑lane campers, and mashed potatoes guys
1:43:48 Willie’s weed drink, alcohol, and getting older
1:47:01 COVID, vaccines, pressure in entertainment, and not trusting the government
1:53:36 Wrap‑up: bombs dropped, minds blown, and thanks to Brad Lea

Follow Brad:
www.bradlea.com
www.droppingbombs.com
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SPONSORS:
The Try That in a Small Town Podcast is powered by e|spaces!
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From the Patriot Mobile studios:
Don’t get fooled by other cellular providers pretending to share your values or have the same coverage. They don’t and they can’t!
Go to PATRIOTMOBILE.COM/SMALLTOWN or call 972-PATRIOT
Right now, get a FREE MONTH when you use the offer code SMALLTOWN.

Original Brands - Our original sponsor since the beginning!!
Original brands is starting a new era and American domestic premium beer, American made, American owned, Original glory.
Join the movement at www.drinkoriginalbrands.com

Peacemaker Coffee Company
Founded by retired police officer/chief Chris Morris, Peacemaker delivers clean, low-acidity coffee while supporting police, firefighters, EMS, military, veterans, teachers, dispatchers, and medical personnel through donations and programs.

www.trythatinasmalltowncoffee.com
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Follow/Rate/Share at www.trythatinasmalltown.com -
For advertising inquiries, email info@trythatinasmalltown.com
Produced by Jim McCarthy and www.ItsYourShow.co
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sage Steele joins the Try That In A Small Town podcast for an honest, uncensored look at sports media, politics, faith, and standing up when it could cost you everything. She shares the real story behind her controversial Obama comments, the COVID vaccine moment that changed her career at ESPN, suing Disney while still on air, and why she refuses to back down from her convictions.
The crew also dives into the “Try That In A Small Town” backlash, country music, Jason Aldean’s TV bans, social media burnout, raising kids with values, and how Sage found love and a second chance at marriage in Nashville.
If you care about free speech, faith, sports, country music, and common sense, this one’s for you.
TIMED HIGHLIGHTS / CHAPTERS:

00:17:08 – Is “Sage Steele” a real name? Childhood, identity and keeping her name after marriage
00:19:02 – Growing up a military kid: Earth, Wind & Fire, Lionel Richie, James Taylor and first concerts
00:22:34 – First reaction to “Try That In A Small Town” and why Sage never saw it as racist
00:24:22 – Sponsor break: Original Glory beer and Patriot Mobile
00:25:40 – Sage vs The View: Barbara Walters, race, Obama and getting elbowed backstage
00:33:00 – “No going back”: politics, division since 2016 and losing common sense
00:36:33 – COVID, mandates, Fauci, Tulsi Gabbard and accountability in leadership
00:48:10 – The Jay Cutler podcast: Disney’s vaccine deadline and Sage’s fateful comments
00:50:36 – Suspended, forced apology and living in fear inside ESPN
00:54:24 – Double standard: political rants allowed on ESPN air… unless they’re from Sage
00:56:20 – Suing Disney/ESPN while still on the air and the moment her son told her to stand up
01:00:09 – Her relationship with Stephen A. Smith and why he still stands next to her
01:03:50 – How ESPN lost its way with politics, personalities and cord‑cutting
01:07:05 – Missing the old SportsCenter era: Stuart Scott, Berman, Linda Cohn and big TV moments
01:17:01 – Launching The Sage Steele Show and learning to be an independent creator
01:20:45 – Being labeled “conservative” and how that shuts doors in media and entertainment
01:21:34 – Jason Aldean, banned TV appearances and corporate fear around “Try That In A Small Town”
01:23:27 – When controversy makes a song bigger: backlash, business and blessing in disguise
01:30:15 – Meeting Dave: military‑brat connection, charity event, and a whirlwind Nashville love story
01:37:36 – Daily devotionals on camera: praying out loud, public faith and the fear of “send”
01:39:24 – First ever public prayer: doing the invocation at a NASCAR race on live TV
01:42:30 – Why praying out loud feels scarier than live TV and why we’re never “worthy”
01:49:41 – Pet peeves, movie etiquette and “read the room” moments in public
01:55:36 – Airplane chaos: overhead bin wars, service animals and entitlement culture
01:59:31 – Sage’s patriotic merch and the line “raised right, seasoned well”
02:01:02 – Why Sage came on the show and what standing up has really cost—and given—her

______________________________________________________________________________________________
SPONSORS:
The Try That in a Small Town Podcast is powered by e|spaces!
Redefining Coworking - Exceptional Office Space for Every Business
Book a tour today at espaces.com
From the Patriot Mobile studios:
Don’t get fooled by other cellular providers pretending to share your values or have the same coverage. They don’t and they can’t!
Go to PATRIOTMOBILE.COM/SMALLTOWN or call 972-PATRIOT
Right now, get a FREE MONTH when you use the offer code SMALLTOWN.
Original Brands - Our original sponsor since the beginning!!
Original brands is starting a new era and American domestic premium beer, American made, American owned, Original glory.
Join the movement at www.drinkoriginalbrands.com
Peacemaker Coffee Company
Founded by retired police officer/chief Chris Morris, Peacemaker delivers clean, low-acidity coffee while supporting police, firefighters, EMS, military, veterans, teachers, dispatchers, and medical personnel through donations and programs.
https://www.peacemakercoffeecompany.com/
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Follow/Rate/Share at www.trythatinasmalltown.com -
For advertising inquiries, email info@trythatinasmalltown.com
Produced by Jim McCarthy and www.ItsYourShow.co

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of the Try That in a Small Town Podcast, the guys start with listener Q&A and end up deep in the realities of life as working Nashville pros. They break down why most artists use session bands instead of their road bands in the studio, what makes a truly great studio player, and how songs like “Try That in a Small Town,” “All-American Girl,” and other hits actually came together.

You’ll hear stories about mentoring young musicians in Nashville, navigating confidence and doubt in the early Aldean days, and how a raw, slightly “on the edge” sound helped define a new lane in country. The crew also vents about crosswalk etiquette, insane roundabouts on Demonbreun, messy public bathrooms, and a wild “dipshit of the week” segment that includes a pharmacist trading meds for sex and Neil’s unapologetically spicy take on women joining Augusta National.

Along the way, they celebrate “Try That in a Small Town” going platinum, shout out John Edwards finally getting some long-overdue recognition, and brag on Neil’s wife and her company for co-designing the new “Welcome to Tennessee” signs across the state.

Top moments:

05:24 Q&A: Favorite venues and why arenas win
14:44 Why artists use session players over road bands
21:15 Hicktown, early Aldean years, and betting on their sound
34:30 Writing “Try That in a Small Town” and how the track changed the melody
39:27 Worst writes ever: salad guy and Rich Robinson falls asleep
43:29 Neil’s wife helps design the new “Welcome to Tennessee” signs
45:27 “Try That in a Small Town” goes platinum and missing No. 1 parties
59:44 World Cup, offsides confusion, and “soccer in the South” rant
1:02:29 Dipshidiot of the Week: bathrooms, crosswalk zombies, roundabouts, Augusta & more
_____________________________________________________________________
SPONSORS:
The Try That in a Small Town Podcast is powered by e|spaces!
Redefining Coworking - Exceptional Office Space for Every Business
Book a tour today at espaces.com

From the Patriot Mobile studios:
Don’t get fooled by other cellular providers pretending to share your values or have the same coverage. They don’t and they can’t!
Go to PATRIOTMOBILE.COM/SMALLTOWN or call 972-PATRIOT
Right now, get a FREE MONTH when you use the offer code SMALLTOWN.

Original Brands - Our original sponsor since the beginning!!
Original brands is starting a new era and American domestic premium beer, American made, American owned, Original glory.
Join the movement at www.drinkoriginalbrands.com

Peacemaker Coffee Company
Founded by retired police officer/chief Chris Morris, Peacemaker delivers clean, low-acidity coffee while supporting police, firefighters, EMS, military, veterans, teachers, dispatchers, and medical personnel through donations and programs.
https://www.peacemakercoffeecompany.com/
_____________________________________________________________________
Follow/Rate/Share at www.trythatinasmalltown.com -

For advertising inquiries, email info@trythatinasmalltown.com

Produced by Jim McCarthy and www.ItsYourShow.co
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From bar-hopping at CMA Fest with Jason Aldean’s band to scheduled high school fights at 3 pm sharp, this episode of Try That in a Small Town is all about chaos, consequences, and the crazy ways we somehow survive it all.

The guys kick things off with surgery scars, locked-up backs, and near misses in the garage, then pivot into behind-the-scenes CMA Fest stories, in-ear monitor nightmares, and why late-night stadium sets grind down even veteran players. They talk Morgan Wallen flipping pianos and throwing phones, Taylor Swift’s historic new country single tied to Toy Story 5, and how modern country production has become so “perfect” it’s almost personality-free.

Things get heavier when they unpack the Carmelo Anthony/Austin Metcalf stabbing at a track meet, race narratives in the media, and what real self-defense is—and isn’t—when someone pulls a knife. They contrast that with a powerful small-town hero story: a Gwinnett County officer who saves a 7-year-old launched through a windshield.

In classic TTIAST fashion, the crew rounds it out with songwriting pet peeves, delusional DMs from strangers wanting co-writes and video calls, bullying stories that still haunt them, and how golf, TV binges, and pizza reviews are getting them through recovery.

01:30 Surgeries, brutal bruises, allergic reactions to bandages and upcoming product bans in Tennessee
04:40 Locked-up back on the toilet, crawling across the house and day-three recovery status
06:30 Surviving CMA Fest: bar crawl sets, in-ear monitor disasters and playing blind on stage
09:45 Bar energy vs stadium distance and podcast fans popping up at shows
11:15 Late-night stadium headlining slot, fried fans, and what TV does to show times
14:00 Original Glory and Patriot Mobile sponsor segments
15:10 Learning piano one-handed after surgery, Jingle Bells, and mining TV shows for song ideas
17:50 TV recs: Life After Lockup, The Invisible Pilot, and Cape Fear reboot
20:20 NBA and Stanley Cup talk: Knicks’ huge comeback, Wembanyama, and why some tuned out the NBA
22:45 Trump at the Garden, celebrity courtside culture, and politics vs respect for the office
24:40 Taylor Swift’s Toy Story 5 country single and the business behind her return to the format
29:00 Why modern country records all sound the same and the few acts still using their own bands
31:40 Morgan Wallen: “I Ain’t Coming Back” lyric love, phone toss, piano flip and Billy Joel’s defense
36:30 Wild private plane trip with Morgan Wallen, crass “rich buddies” and what stuck with Kalo
38:20 Post-surgery meds, apologizing to Neil, and the nurse/dong/stripper one-liner
41:10 Group shave before a heart cath and hospital humor
42:00 CMA Fest nights with Luke Bryan at his bar, tequila overload and four-day hangovers
44:10 Dipshits of the week: insane video chat requests, song pitches, and social media entitlement
47:00 Fans demanding co-writes and “brain picking” vs actually earning a seat at the table
50:40 The worst song “idea” ever: Cats in the Cradle… but backwards
55:00 Young writers sliding into DMs, asking for writes and coffees, and basic industry etiquette
58:40 Nearly gassing yourself in a closed garage while checking mixes: calling dipshit on yourself
1:01:40 Drone-rescue story: Apache down, surviving in the water and next-level military tech
1:05:30 Golf injuries, steroids on the road, and fighting to stay in playing shape
1:07:10 The Carmelo Anthony–Austin Metcalf stabbing: facts, sentencing and race narratives
1:12:10 Media framing, self-defense vs murder, and how race gets injected into every case
1:16:00 Scheduled school fights at the park, bus brawls and why nobody brought knives back then
1:19:40 Getting drilled in the face for knocking a kid’s basketball away: lesson learned
1:20:30 One cold jab to the nose and understanding when you’ve gone too far
1:22:10 The bully who made you fast: getting wrecked in pickup football and later asking for tickets
1:24:20 Small Town Big Story: Officer Ariana James saves a 7-year-old thrown from a truck in Gwinnett County
1:26:10 Closing: Peacemaker Coffee, shoutout to listener Ed, scheduled fights and listener call-to-action

______________________________________________________________________________________________
SPONSORS:
The Try That in a Small Town Podcast is powered by e|spaces!
Redefining Coworking - Exceptional Office Space for Every Business
Book a tour today at espaces.com
From the Patriot Mobile studios:
Don’t get fooled by other cellular providers pretending to share your values or have the same coverage. They don’t and they can’t!
Go to PATRIOTMOBILE.COM/SMALLTOWN or call 972-PATRIOT
Right now, get a FREE MONTH when you use the offer code SMALLTOWN.
Original Brands - Our original sponsor since the beginning!!
Original brands is starting a new era and American domestic premium beer, American made, American owned, Original glory.
Join the movement at www.drinkoriginalbrands.com
Peacemaker Coffee Company
Founded by retired police officer/chief Chris Morris, Peacemaker delivers clean, low-acidity coffee while supporting police, firefighters, EMS, military, veterans, teachers, dispatchers, and medical personnel through donations and programs.
https://www.peacemakercoffeecompany.com/
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Follow/Rate/Share at www.trythatinasmalltown.com -
For advertising inquiries, email info@trythatinasmalltown.com
Produced by Jim McCarthy and www.ItsYourShow.co
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.