The Hook Podcast

With the ACM nominations out, Kevin Kissner and Brailey Jones gave their thoughts on the nominees and who they think will/should win. What's the drama in the "New Male Artist" category? Will Lainey Wilson clean house? The fellas also gave their opinion on the newest songwriter category and how surprised are they that Hardy has so many nominations this year?

Brailey Jones and Kevin Kissner chatted with songwriter Andy Albert as he talked about his hit song "Thinking 'Bout You." Andy also talked about his country influences that got him into country music. The fellas discussed what's it like writing with Dan + Shay and Hardy?

With CMA Fest coming up, Kevin Kissner and Brailey Jones came up with their perfect lineups that they would love to see in June. The fellas drafted one artist or group from each stage to make their dream lineup.

Brailey Jones and Kevin Kissner talked with Josh Phillips about his journey from North Carolina to become a hit songwriter. Phillips talked about his friendship with Luke Combs and Brantley Gilbert. Phillips also explained the crazy journey of his first single.

Kevin Kissner and Brailey Jones went through and broke down all 36 songs off of Morgan Wallen's newest album that is making headlines and breaking records everywhere.

Brailey Jones and Kevin Kissner sat down with Shantaia and talked about her journey from Canada to Nashville. Is there going to be a wave of female artists taking over country music? Shantaia also talked about her new album "Exes and Friends" and what went into writing her favorite songs.

Brailey Jones and Kevin Kissner reacted to Kelsea Ballerini's latest EP. The fellas gave their thoughts on artists like Morgan Wallen dropping so many songs on their double albums lately. The guys discussed who would be the perfect half time show during the Super Bowl if it was to take place in Nashville.

Kevin Kissner and Brailey Jones are joined by Troy Cartwright as he talked about his journey from Texas to Nashville. Troy broke down his latest hit "Unlove You." Troy explained what it was like getting a song on a Nickelback album.

Kevin Kissner and Brailey Jones broke down and reacted to Hardy's new album that has everyone talking. The fellas finally break silence on which song they had heard before the album came out. The guys also point out multiple secret messages that are in this record.

Brailey Jones and Kevin Kissner break down the top artists that you need to follow in 2023. What's the going to be the new trend in country music moving forward? The fellas also discussed how there is going to be a new wave of female artists coming in to take over country music!

Kevin Kissner and Brailey Jones are joined by songwriter James McNair. James talked about how he got into music and how he made it to Nashville. James told two hilarious stories about Sam Hunt and Hardy that you don't want to miss. After talking about his cuts from Morgan Wallen, Keith Urban, and Dylan Scott, James talked about what it was like writing with Luke Combs early on in their careers.

Brailey Jones and Kevin Kissner kicked off 2023 with one of the top songwriters in country music with Hunter Phelps. Hunter talked about where he got the idea for "Thinking 'Bout You" that was then cut by Dustin Lynch. Hunter also broke down the rest of his No. 1s he had in 2022 and tells us what Russell Dickerson and Hardy songs he's most excited about this year.

Brailey Jones and Kevin Kissner close out 2022 with a countdown of their favorite clips of the year. The fellas also reflected back on their trips to Nashville for the CMAs along with the Wild West Songwriters Festival up in Deadwood, SD with stories you don't want to miss. Brailey and Kevin also preview what's in store for 2023!

Adam Ernst and Michael Rotundo of After Midtown joined the show to talk about where country music stands today. How powerful is Tik Tok in the music world. The fellas also talk about what it's like being around Bailey Zimmerman and seeing his success. The guys also talk about what's upcoming for them in 2023.

On this episode, Matt Roy joined the show to talk about his journey into the country music scene. Matt talked about how his #1 song, "Done" was written with Chris Janson. Matt also talked about what it's like working with up and coming star Ashley Cooke.

On this episode of "The Hook Podcast," Brailey Jones and Kevin Kissner recapped the 2022 CMA Awards. The fellas talked about their eventful trip to Nashville and who they got to meet and talk to. Kevin tells a story involving Peyton Manning, Cole Swindell, and Dustin Lynch that you don't want to miss!

On this special episode, Kevin Kissner and Brailey Jones previewed the CMA Awards. The fellas gave their predictions on who they think will win. The guys also talked about what to expect as when they're in Nashville!

Jordan Rager joined the show to talk about his journey into country music. Jordan talked about how he has a cut with Jason Aldean and how he even ended up on a song with the country star. Jordan also told a legendary story of his Grand Ole Opry debut.

On this episode, Brailey Jones and Kevin Kissner sat down to recap the great week from the Wild West Songwriter Festival from up in Deadwood, South Dakota. The fellas take you behind the scenes of how the trip went. The guys also told their favorite stories of the artists they talked with up north.

Brent James joined Kevin Kissner and Brailey Jones LIVE from the Wild West Songwriter Festival in Deadwood, South Dakota. Brent talked about how he got into music and some of the artists he's performed with over the years. Brent also tells a story you won't hear anywhere else. Brent also talked about his band, "The Vintage Youth."

On this episode of "The Hook Podcast,"up and coming star Payton Smith joined Kevin Kissner and Brailey Jones LIVE from the Wild West Songwriter Festival in Deadwood, South Dakota. Payton talked about how he made his way to Nashville to pursue his music career. Payton also explained how Keith Urban has been a huge musical inspiration to him in his musical career.

Kevin Kadish joined Kevin Kissner and Brailey Jones LIVE from the Wild West Songwriter Festival in Deadwood, South Dakota. Kadish talked about how his #1 hit song "Whiskey Glasses" made it all the way to the top of the charts. Kadish also told the story about how "All About that Bass" was written and became one of the biggest songs of the last decade.

South Dakota's own Tiffany Johnson joined The Hook Podcast LIVE from the Wild West Songwriter Festival in Deadwood, South Dakota. Tiffany talked about her favorite memories from attending the festival for most of her life. Tiffany mentioned who here musical influences are and who she would love to write songs with.

Stephen Wilson Jr. joined Brailey Jones and Kevin Kissner LIVE from the Wild West Songwriter Festival in Deadwood, South Dakota. Stephen talked about his passion for music and his boxing backround. Stephen also talked about his song that was cut from Tim McGraw and more.

Dean Alexander joined Brailey Jones and Kevin Kissner LIVE from the Wild West Songwriter Festival in Deadwood, South Dakota. Dean talked about how he got into music at such a young age along with his musical influences. Dean also talked about his latest album "Devil Man's Blues."

Randy Brown, owner of "His and Hers," joined Brailey Jones and Kevin Kissner LIVE from the Wild West Songwriter Festival in Deadwood, South Dakota. Randy talked about his favorite memories from the festival and what the festival means for the city of Deadwood.

During this release special, Pennington joined Kevin and Brailey once again to talk about the release of his new song “Stay in School.” Pennington talked about what the meaning of the song is and what it was like writing this song with Walker Hayes!

On this episode, Kevin and Brailey are joined by Pennington. The songwriter and producer talked about his journey getting into the music world. Pennington also told the story on how he grew up with Tyler Hubbard from “Florida Georgia Line” and what it was like writing with them as well. Pennington has also written with Walker Hayes.

On our 20th episode of The Hook Podcast, Brailey and Kevin reflected back on some of their favorite stories that were told about their favorite songs. Kevin also gives a little background on himself and what got him into loving country music. The fellas also talked about their favorite songs of the year and what big events they have coming up!

The boys are back! After a few weeks off Kevin and Brailey are back with a special guest and new friend of the podcast, Michael Whitworth. Michael has written songs for everyone! including Kyle Clark, Mitchell Tenpenny, FGL, and more! He tells incredible stories of what its like working with Jelly Roll, and how he blends his rock background with his current county style! The Hook Podcast is presented exclusively by MoonShine Golf!

This week Brailey and Kevin are joined by Brad Rempel of High Valley. The guys talk to Brad about his upbringing in Northern Canada, their time as a family band, what brought them to Nashville, and the challenges and success along the way. They also dive deep into a few of the High Valley's biggest songs along with stories about songs on their brand new album "Way Back". The Hook Podcast is Brought to you by Moonshine Golf.

Brailey and Kevin welcome Kyle Clark back to the podcast to dive into his new single "Hope It's Hot Out". Kyle talks about everything that went into reconstructing a 3-year-old song after a 17-second clip took off on TikTok. They also chatted about his recent engagement and why it was essential to make sure everyone on the song got credit for the original idea. Presented by Moonshine Golf

This week Brailey and Kevin sit down with Singer, Songwriter, and Producer Ben Johnson. Ben currently has 5 singles on the charts and has written songs for Lee Brice, Hardy, Morgan Evans, Dierks Bentley, and Weezer just to name a few. The guys talk about everything from Ben growing up in Mississippi, his cello scholarship, moving to Nashville with his sisters, and dive deep into his connection to some of the biggest hits on country radio today.

This week Brailey and Kevin sit down with Songwriter and owner of Mixtape Music Publishing Bobby McLamb. Bobby takes us behind the scenes on what a publisher does for songwriters, what it's like to pitch songs to major label artists, and navigating social media and TikTok as a songwriter and publisher.

This week Brailey and new Co-Host Kevin sit down with independent singer-songwriter Hayden Coffman. Hayden tells us about his upbringing in Tennesee, playing college baseball, and how a Luke Combs concert turned into him diving into music full time.

The Hook is back! Brailey sits down this week with Singer-Songwriter Kyle Clark. Kyle tells some great stories about his time as an independent artist in Georgia, his connection to multi-platinum Songwriter and Producer Jordan Schmidt. They also dive deep into some of Kyle's biggest releases, what it's like to have a song go viral on TikTok and pull back the curtain on the writing process of some of Kyle's cuts with Lily Rose, Andrew Jannakos, and Restless Road.

We are finally back for Season 2 of The Hook Podcast! This week we quickly dive into where we have been, and sit down with the crazy talented multi-platinum songwriter Justin Wilson. He tells some amazing stories about coming up as a child star, his choice to be a songwriter over an artist as well, and a deep dive into some of his biggest cuts with Michael Ray and Mitchell Tenpenny. This is an episode you do not want to miss.

It's the After Midtown "Dont Give Away The Ending" EP Special. Join The Hook as KJ and Brailey catch up with Michael and Adam from After Midtown. They tell great stories about what's new, some of their recent writes, and as we deep dive into each song on their first EP!

This week on The Hook Podcast, we sit down with Alysa Vanderheym. She tells us some great stories about her time at Belmont, how she got into writing and producing records for some of the biggest names in Nashville. And we deep dive into Denver International Airport conspiracy theories. All this week on The Hook Podcast brought to you by Hillrose Company Clothing.

The week on The Hook Podcast we hang out with Austin Burke! He tells some great stories about hitting 60k streams on Spotify without a record label, signing his publishing deal with Thomas Rhett's Home Team Publishing, and his relationship with TR. We also dive deep into how TikTok has changed the way he puts out music.

This week on The Hook Podcast we sit down with a friend of the podcast, Singer-Songwriter Johnny McGuire! We chat with Johnny about playing shows at a young age, making the move to Nashville, his time in duo Walker McGuire and his current solo career!

This week on The Hook Podcast we sit down with Producer, Songwriter, and Dustin Lynch's Touring Guitar Player Chris LaCorte. Chris tells some awesome stories about growing up in Dallas Texas, some of his favorite guitars, his session work, touring with Dustin Lynch, and takes us behind the curtain on writing Sam Hunts latest single "Breaking Up Was Easy In the 90s"

This week on The Hook Podcast we sit down with Nashville Singer-Songwriter and frontman of rock band New Medicine Jake Rose! Jake tells stories about being signed to Photo Finish Records, what brought him to Country music, writing with some of the biggest names in Nashville and we pull back the curtain on some of Jakes's biggest solo cuts and songs he has written for artists like Florida Georgia Line and Colt Ford.

This week on The Hook Podcast we chat with Nashville Singer-Songwriter Hunter Phelps. The writer of Florida Georgia Lines "Talk You Out Of It", and "Colorado" and Chris Lanes #1 "I Don't Know About You" and many more. He tells us about moving to Nashville before ever visiting, his time playing on Broadway, and his solo music. We also pull back the curtain on some of the stories of writing a few of his biggest cuts including his first #1.

On this episode of The Hook Podcast, we sat down with singer-songwriter Carlton Anderson to discuss his journey to Nashville, writing songs for Cody Johnson & Tim McGraw and much more!

This week we catch up with Nashville's hottest newest duo After Midtown! These guys have burst onto the scene with their smash “Boys Like Us”. We chat with Michael and Adam about each of their time in Nashville as solo artists, how they met, and what makes their music different than anything else out right now.

This week on The Hook Podcast we with down with singer-songwriter Raleigh Keegan and chat about what it took to make the move to Nashville, his upbringing, his influences and more!

Episode 1 of The Hook Podcast. Get to know us a little better in the first episode of The Hook Podcast. We dive into our backgrounds in music, radio, and touring. Along with a little more backstory of what the podcast is going to be. We also tell you about some of the new releases this week. We talk a look at this week's country airplay charts and top songwriters.