Welcome Back my fellow chaos gremlin. Today is one most have been asking for since we didn’t post pictures this weekend from Nashville. Some good stories and a great time was had by all and it was definitely a Rockin good time.

So this weekend Bobby was MC-ing and Bones from 4HP Studios was doing the interviews with the bands for The Southern Outlaws and Kentucky Music Mafia bringing down the house with Joe KXng as their opener. And let me tell you it was a damn good night. Finally getting to hear those guys live reaffirmed what we already knew about how good they were but watching them work the stage was something else entirely. That being said, I’m not gonna start there because there was a little bit that led up to that.

So, we ended up making it down to the hotel in Nashville about 20 mins before we were supposed to leave for the venue so there went the carefully curated plan to have time to film some B-roll but it definitely was good we got there when we did.

As we found out once we got there, there were two other podcasts there that night including Another Shot Podcast, which is always great to see another group but was unexpected and I’m not sure the venue had been notified because getting everyone set up took a little bit. But once we got everything set up and had a second to breathe, all the guys showed up and it was a proverbial show time.

Part of the reason we were so excited for this event was finally putting a face to these guys that we listen to all the time on the show and to see them in their element. Bobby did what he always does and rolls with the punches when new things and put in our lap and he adapted and did an incredible job bringing the energy level up to where it needed to be for the show and the transition period in between sets.

We started the night with Joe KXng. He is one of those under-the-radar Nashville acts that doesn’t fit neatly into the polished, radio-country box—and that’s exactly the appeal.

He leans more into a gritty, independent lane: think country roots with a rougher edge, a little outlaw attitude, and a willingness to blur lines with rock or Americana influences. Vocally, he’s not trying to be overly pristine—there’s usually some texture there, which gives the songs a more lived-in, authentic feel instead of that factory-produced shine.

As a smaller artist, his strength is in that rawness and relatability. The songwriting tends to feel personal rather than formulaic—less “written for the charts,” more “written because it needed to be said.” That makes him a better fit for listeners who like artists that feel real and a little unpolished rather than perfectly package.

Listening to him perform was a really good lead in for arlis as his tone pulled the audio down to a level that would give The Southern Outlaws a place to shine from and take full advantage of their sound.

You know our guys wouldn’t be caught slacking, this was Nashville for crying out loud.
These guys came out with an amazing sound and some of their classics and Bobby’s favorite was the Ring of Fire while I was more partial to the End of Watch Tribute that was done.
Watching these guys on stage, you can see how hard they work and how much passion and love of this music and this life is there. And it only further solidifies why we have them on the show as much as we do.

Now this was a group that I will say blew my socks off for being a relatively new to us group. One thing I will say is their manager did an amazing job and had their butts covered when the sound was all messed up. Apparently, there had been some issues during sound-check but everything was supposedly good to go. It wasn’t
BUT
They got things ironed out and were able to get back on the road to knocking the roof off that building without too much stress. They say the music industry has its bumps but those boys handled it like a champ.

My personal favorite from their group was watching Toby Ray work the stage, he and Shannon Joe decided to match which made the whole thing look pretty cohesive. But I will say they have an astonishing blend that lead to a reaaaally good sounding set. We’ll be introducing them and Joe KXng to you later this week.

This absolute beauty from Southern Outlaws Band was on stage all night and I had to show yall.

Watching Bobby take the stage and own that MC role was something else. There’s a real sense of pride there; not just for the moment, but for the journey it took to get there. The growth over the past two years has been undeniable, and it showed in every second he was up there. Confident, controlled, and completely in command of the room.

Seeing him in that environment proved something important: he’s not just built for one lane. He can step onto any stage, in any setting, and make it his. That presence, that authority—that’s not luck, and it’s not temporary. That’s someone who’s earned the right to be there.

Bottom line, he didn’t just MC a show—he proved he can be The King on any stage he walks onto. Incredibly well done Sir and saddle up cause we’ve got a few more planned for this year.

-Laura