SEGMENT 1
Tonight’s episode of Gateway to the Smokies starts off with host Joseph McElroy listing off a few notable upcoming events for the audience and for the local area to keep an eye out for. Next, comes the introduction of today’s guest, Darren Nicholson. Darren talks about who he is, what he has accomplished as a singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, and the journey to becoming who he is today.
SEGMENT 2
Coming back from the break, Darren talks more about his music career. He tells the story of how his friends and bandmates formed into the band he has now. They started jamming out in his kitchen and how it felt meant to be. They’re releasing music now and a new album is coming out. They’re looking forward to playing more live performances with their passion for music.
SEGMENT 3
Coming back from the break, Darren keeps the conversation going by talking about what he did in his spare time as a child. His Friday and Saturdays nights were often occupied with music and jamming out. Darren also begins to talk about bluegrass music. He mentions how it has a large population of fans in unexpected places, such as Japan. Darren explains how his own performing group had begun to push to grow for a larger audience, playing for festivals and bigger venues.
SEGMENT 4
The final segment starts off with the introduction of Darren Nicholson All-Star Band Camp, an event at a music festival. Darren explains how a lot of people, fans, and local musicians gather out of fascination and curiosity. They want to know more about the music and the artists, regardless of their musical background. Darren gives hints about who to expect to play at the event, including some big bluegrass stars. The episode finishes off with how to follow up with Darren Nicholson on social media, website, and other upcoming events.
TRANSCRIPT
0:00:37.980 –> 00:00:50.490 Joseph McElroy: Thanks for joining us on this week’s episode of gateway to the smokies this podcast is about America’s most visited National Park, the great smoky mountains National Park in the surrounding towns.
00:00:50.970 –> 00:01:00.030 Joseph McElroy: This area is filled with great natural beauty deep storied history and rich mountain cultures that we explore with weekly episodes.
00:01:00.480 –> 00:01:12.120 Joseph McElroy: I’m Joseph Franklyn McElroy a man of the world, but also with deep roots in these mountains my family’s lived in the great smoky for over 200 years my business is in travel, but my heart is in culture.
00:01:12.720 –> 00:01:22.620 Joseph McElroy: today’s podcast is about bluegrass band camps in the smoky mountains first time or give me a got a few upcoming events, the deal with bluegrass.
00:01:23.580 –> 00:01:32.040 Joseph McElroy: Coming up in two weeks on July 17 is Darren Nicholson, our guests today as bluegrass band camp and concert.
00:01:32.430 –> 00:01:40.980 Joseph McElroy: it’s an exclusive event for aspiring musicians to learn to interact with some of the best artists in the business, culminating in all-star content.
00:01:41.490 –> 00:01:55.950 Joseph McElroy: People who stay at the venue, which is the Meadowlark motel Maggie valley can attend the concert for free in the camp for half price but anybody can attend and you go to Meadowlarkmotel.com to buy tickets.
00:01:57.270 –> 00:02:07.500 Joseph McElroy: A big event Maggie valley also July 23 and 20 23rd and 24th and it’s the famous hillbilly jam over the public it’s 10 am to 10 pm both days.
00:02:07.860 –> 00:02:20.460 Joseph McElroy: it’s a music festival with crafts and food vendors moonshiners of the discovery channel card bike show and more it’s only $10 per day you’re going to visit www.Ihaveajam.com.
00:02:21.180 –> 00:02:32.940 Joseph McElroy: And then we have an October the smoky mountain bluegrass festival October 23 from 1130 to 7 pm it’s for all the bluegrass lovers out there.
00:02:33.180 –> 00:02:51.000 Joseph McElroy: The smoky mountains bluegrass festival is a one-day outdoor festival, where you can enjoy live entertainment unique food, and juried arts and crafts boots award-winning bluegrass man balsam range crew your brother’s an unspoken tradition are all part of the talented and popular line.
00:02:52.110 –> 00:02:59.460 Joseph McElroy: go join that outdoor may go to many value festival grounds.com to find out more about this event.
00:03:00.840 –> 00:03:10.800 Joseph McElroy: Our sponsors as meadowlarkmotel.com imagine a place evocative of motorsports of the past, it modern and vibrant with a chic Appalachian field.
00:03:11.280 –> 00:03:22.890 Joseph McElroy: a place for adventure and for relaxation imagine a place where you can fish in a mountain heritage trout stream grill or catch on fire and eat the company by a fine line or craft beer.
00:03:23.430 –> 00:03:31.410 Joseph McElroy: Imagine in place with old-time music and world cultural sounds, there is no place like the Meadowlark motel mag in Maggie Valley.
00:03:32.070 –> 00:03:46.860 Joseph McElroy: it’s your smoky mountain adventure that starts with where you stay also a sponsor smokies adventure.com information and listings about the smokies hiking wedding venues books trail maps or resources.
00:03:47.880 –> 00:03:56.280 Joseph McElroy: The emphasis is on smokies adventure is outdoor recreation outdoor life away events like rustic weddings and adventures, along with.
00:03:56.580 –> 00:04:07.080 Joseph McElroy: providing information lodging family entertainment events conventions honeymoons and more it is going to become the leading information portal of the smoky mountains.
00:04:08.280 –> 00:04:15.570 Joseph McElroy: So our guest today is Darren Nicholson, an award-winning charter member of the legendary bluegrass band America group.
00:04:15.870 –> 00:04:28.860 Joseph McElroy: balsam range and he also front his own Darren Nicholson band and had was also on side projects were also doing solo good and do a concert with his wife Jennifer. Hello Darren!
00:04:29.430 –> 00:04:31.890 Darren Nicholson: hey Joseph thanks for having me glad to be on today.
00:04:32.340 –> 00:04:42.240 Joseph McElroy: I’m really glad to have you it’s nice that we had to insert on this podcast a few a couple of months ago, so it’s good to have a member of the world-famous balsam range on here.
00:04:42.570 –> 00:04:45.720 Darren Nicholson: Great, I’m surprised, you have another one on if you had to.
00:04:47.580 –> 00:04:48.480 Darren Nicholson: record for you.
00:04:56.130 –> 00:05:01.470 Joseph McElroy: So I want to find out a little bit more about your native Jackson county right.
00:05:02.370 –> 00:05:12.300 Darren Nicholson: From Jackson county, I was raised in a little Community called tech a CG North Carolina tells people to take a CG as a chair keyword that means no cell service.
00:05:14.400 –> 00:05:14.670 Joseph McElroy: But.
00:05:15.660 –> 00:05:23.130 Darren Nicholson: My mother was from deals brother my dad was from a little Community called Kenny fork so it’s about rural as it gets.
00:05:23.550 –> 00:05:27.600 Joseph McElroy: cool What did you, what do you remember about Jackson county growing up.
00:05:28.230 –> 00:05:29.940 Darren Nicholson: i’m just.
00:05:31.200 –> 00:05:37.140 Darren Nicholson: The landscape over there, I live in Haywood county and, of course, all of Western North Carolina is beautiful but there’s.
00:05:38.310 –> 00:05:42.690 Darren Nicholson: Something magical about the mountain streams and.
00:05:43.710 –> 00:05:50.250 Darren Nicholson: there’s a lot of forest service land there’s a lot of lands that haven’t been developed in Jackson county which I really love.
00:05:50.730 –> 00:06:01.680 Darren Nicholson: And because of those you know Western North Carolina people as the great smoky mountain National Park is obviously we get a lot of visitors things like that, and people are moving here.
00:06:02.160 –> 00:06:22.500 Darren Nicholson: But there’s still a lot of places in Jackson County that are kind of you know, off the beaten path and I grew up hunting and fishing and hiking over there, my dad was an outdoorsman and so a lot of camping things like that and also remember my whole family played music and a lot of.
00:06:23.580 –> 00:06:32.790 Darren Nicholson: Our Saturday nights Fridays and Saturdays were spent on either the porch making music or inside the house with a big group of people.
00:06:33.210 –> 00:06:39.450 Darren Nicholson: or doing benefits cakewalks and dances and Friday and Saturday not dances and
00:06:40.320 –> 00:06:54.090 Darren Nicholson: you know people didn’t get out and travel and go to theaters and go out of town to see music, you know you basically in those rural areas growing up, you made your own entertainment and that’s kind of been the lifeblood of this culture, you know.
00:06:54.270 –> 00:07:05.130 Joseph McElroy: yeah I grew up in a word, count in you know, that was a way of life, you know every event somebody showed up with music yeah.
00:07:06.090 –> 00:07:16.380 Joseph McElroy: You know, we had, and we also had a Maggie valley play out that we’d all go through every Saturday night and do a little plugin and drink a little moonshine back when we got a little older.
00:07:17.910 –> 00:07:20.190 Darren Nicholson: out to the car and have a drink and then come back in.
00:07:21.510 –> 00:07:29.520 Joseph McElroy: exactly right, so you said you were from a musical family, I heard the rumors that you were on stage on here when you’re only 18 months old yeah.
00:07:30.240 –> 00:07:33.750 Darren Nicholson: yeah that’s right my mom has a bunch of pictures and everything have.
00:07:35.430 –> 00:07:41.370 Darren Nicholson: You know, but all just about everybody my family played music, and so my parents were both in the band and.
00:07:41.820 –> 00:07:57.270 Darren Nicholson: Instead of having a babysitter they just put me up there, you know I’d be on stage and I had a little plastic guitar obviously at 18 months old I wasn’t playing but I had a little cowboy hat and a cowboy shirt and I’d sit there and a little plastic guitar and make tip money.
00:07:58.800 –> 00:08:05.850 Joseph McElroy: Well, you don’t really like my two-and-a-half-year-old son and daughter got twins you thought you were making music.
00:08:08.340 –> 00:08:11.400 Darren Nicholson: People love me you can’t follow a kid or a dog act.
00:08:11.700 –> 00:08:11.910 Joseph McElroy: They.
00:08:12.630 –> 00:08:14.820 Darren Nicholson: don’t care how terrible they are people living.
00:08:15.870 –> 00:08:26.100 Joseph McElroy: They just think that the cutest thing that ever happened, they have babies little plastic guitars and drums and everything else, and we tell them oh you’re great.
00:08:28.050 –> 00:08:29.640 Joseph McElroy: So cool so.
00:08:30.780 –> 00:08:40.500 Joseph McElroy: When you started actually first paying attention to music, you know as more than just plastic guitar type thing, who were you some who your first musical influences beside fair.
00:08:41.250 –> 00:08:46.290 Darren Nicholson: Well, besides family I’m the ones I really started getting into early on.
00:08:48.060 –> 00:09:05.310 Darren Nicholson: They capture me there I like I really got into the old stuff that really old music Flatt and Scruggs the Leuven brothers I love that harmony of the Leuven brothers the Osborne brothers were a huge influence on me and that’s actually what brought me back to bluegrass but.
00:09:07.140 –> 00:09:10.800 Darren Nicholson: I loved Merle Haggard and George Jones even as a kid.
00:09:11.700 –> 00:09:12.600 Darren Nicholson: Even as an
00:09:12.690 –> 00:09:24.540 Darren Nicholson: eight/ nine-year-old kid I love that really sad country music and they were singing about very adult things and that I had no clue about.
00:09:24.930 –> 00:09:35.520 Darren Nicholson: But just the sound of the steel guitars and the fiddles and I knew I didn’t really understand the words and what you know the context.
00:09:36.000 –> 00:09:46.800 Darren Nicholson: of everything, but I knew it was emotional and I knew that it was powerful and I knew it was sad the sad or the better and I don’t know why I was drawn to that.
00:09:48.180 –> 00:09:55.950 Darren Nicholson: But a lot of people that I’ve talked to who really got into country and bluegrass music had that same experience and they like sad songs and.
00:09:57.390 –> 00:09:59.550 Joseph McElroy: What they call that high lonesome sound.
00:10:00.180 –> 00:10:01.410 Darren Nicholson: songs make me happy.
00:10:01.590 –> 00:10:02.640 yeah.
00:10:03.660 –> 00:10:21.240 Darren Nicholson: And there’s just something about this, you know songs about life and songs about hardship, even just songs about joy songs of hope and inspiration that’s The great thing about country music is, and when I say country music to me that encompasses bluegrass.
00:10:21.570 –> 00:10:37.080 Darren Nicholson: yeah call it Americana now when they can’t figure out which genre, to put it in the kind of call it Americana but really it’s country music and that’s basically you know talking about life songs about living in
00:10:39.450 –> 00:10:40.290 Joseph McElroy: Music yeah.
00:10:40.350 –> 00:10:54.960 Joseph McElroy: yeah yeah I mean that was country music yeah we had a show on the Scottish Irish to influence song yeah well the immigrants coming in here yeah they’re a fun song,
00:10:55.470 –> 00:11:06.540 Joseph McElroy: Music and it was that highlands of sound and it was the balance and which are really exemplified by dulcimers what you play right?
00:11:06.870 –> 00:11:09.750 Darren Nicholson: I don’t play the dulcimer but I play mandolin and.
00:11:09.750 –> 00:11:11.100 Joseph McElroy: guitar yeah.
00:11:11.340 –> 00:11:12.270 Joseph McElroy: Similar yeah.
00:11:12.480 –> 00:11:12.660 Very.
00:11:13.950 –> 00:11:24.240 Joseph McElroy: Similar so, I can see that now the US there’s a musician named Steve Sutton that was a huge influence on you right.
00:11:25.860 –> 00:11:26.160 Joseph McElroy: yeah.
00:11:26.190 –> 00:11:35.190 Darren Nicholson: yeah Steve was from Haywood county here, he was another guy who had that same musical upbringing, he started to Maggie valley playhouse what you’re talking about.
00:11:36.480 –> 00:11:43.050 Darren Nicholson: And he’s another young man that started in his teens on the grand Ole opry and basically took this mountain style.
00:11:43.680 –> 00:11:55.950 Darren Nicholson: Music that we did it dances and barn raisings and every time there was an event cakewalk or church or whatever he took that music and travel the world with it and.
00:11:56.940 –> 00:12:10.140 Darren Nicholson: And that’s something a lot of these Western North Carolina musicians have done, and he got me my first job on the Grand Ole Opry when I was 18 my first real professional job I mean I made money playing music and local bands.
00:12:10.290 –> 00:12:23.070 Darren Nicholson: don’t get me wrong, but as far as having a professional gig in a national touring band he got me hired with a young lady named Alicia Nugent in 2004 and I was 18 maybe not teen just turned 19 and.
00:12:24.000 –> 00:12:32.430 Darren Nicholson: And we started playing the grand Ole opry and I was doing at least a couple of times a month, and we did the grand Ole opry we toured with merle haggard and went all over the.
00:12:33.090 –> 00:12:42.030 Darren Nicholson: the United States and we played in that band for the next three years, but until his death in 2017 we never stopped playing music together and he was kind of like my mentor.
00:12:43.230 –> 00:12:54.210 Darren Nicholson: Not only in the music, as far as learning to play music, but in the music business my mentors well and in life, he’s just a great friend.
00:12:54.900 –> 00:12:58.650 Joseph McElroy: we’ll see was it was he the reason you came to Erie county or is he.
00:12:59.790 –> 00:13:02.040 Joseph McElroy: Did you find him because of coming to Haywood county for
00:13:02.520 –> 00:13:11.100 Darren Nicholson: him because of coming to Haywood county yeah we moved to debunk them county my parents divorced when I was probably I was probably in fifth grade.
00:13:11.580 –> 00:13:21.120 Darren Nicholson: And we move my mom and I made the bunkum county which was big in my musical story because that’s where I got in the strings program I’ve played classical music.
00:13:22.770 –> 00:13:27.690 Darren Nicholson: And and went for people who I say bucks county that’s Asheville a lot of people know the Biltmore estate.
00:13:28.710 –> 00:13:37.290 Darren Nicholson: And Asheville has a huge music scene shindig on the green mountain dance and folk festival, which is the oldest running folk festival in the nation.
00:13:37.620 –> 00:13:55.020 Darren Nicholson: So, all of a sudden, I started playing with all these amazing musicians and that was just that opened a lot of doors for me and then, once I graduated high school I moved to Hayward county which is between where I was born and then were you know basically finishing school.
00:13:56.250 –> 00:14:05.010 Joseph McElroy: So did you move your favorite character reason, or is it just that was just what was their destination or just happenstance in life.
00:14:05.070 –> 00:14:22.110 Darren Nicholson: I think it was just happenstance it was just kind of in between the two places that I’m that I knew and it just kind of made sense I could be in Asheville in 20 minutes or I could be in Jackson county and 20 minutes so and I was close to my son, I had a son and.
00:14:23.310 –> 00:14:31.440 Darren Nicholson: I fell in love with Haywood county and, more importantly, the people I love the people of Haywood county there’s just a different spirit here.
00:14:31.770 –> 00:14:32.280 yeah.
00:14:33.780 –> 00:14:37.530 Joseph McElroy: So you’re welcome you started the stream programs that were using the mandolin.
00:14:38.850 –> 00:14:56.340 Darren Nicholson: That came later I was playing violin filled and classical music I dabbled in electric music rock and roll all that stuff and I still love that music I’m working on an electric record right now that’ll be out this fall but.
00:14:57.660 –> 00:14:58.920 Darren Nicholson: In that journey.
00:15:01.260 –> 00:15:15.900 Darren Nicholson: Insurance I’ve got back to my blue grassroots there’s something about you can go around all way around the world, but it’s hard to get away from the roots and ended up back in bluegrass and I got rid of the violin and got a mandolin.
00:15:18.270 –> 00:15:23.880 Joseph McElroy: Come back we’ll talk about your journey into balsam range.
00:15:24.450 –> 00:15:25.710 Darren Nicholson: awesome thanks for having me.
00:15:25.950 –> 00:15:26.550 hey.
00:17:44.610 –> 00:17:52.140 Joseph McElroy: howdy this is Joseph Franklin McElroy back with the gateway to the smokies podcast and I guess there and Nicholson.
00:17:53.400 –> 00:18:04.110 Joseph McElroy: balsam range, so there, and you are a charter member and one of the most iconic bluegrass America and country man’s in the world today.
00:18:04.830 –> 00:18:16.230 Joseph McElroy: The grammy-nominated balsam range, so I want to stir up a little controversy because I have it on tape of what TIM said so, how did the band come about and how did you come up with your day.
00:18:18.540 –> 00:18:28.560 Darren Nicholson: The band started in 2007 and buddy Melton and Mark Pruitt had been playing some shows in a local band.
00:18:29.220 –> 00:18:43.800 Darren Nicholson: A hot water bluegrass company some really good friends of ours I’ve been playing shows around here for years the band is still going you’re still doing a lot of great shows mark and buddy had been playing a lot of these local events around here and.
00:18:45.420 –> 00:19:02.250 Darren Nicholson: TIM and mark had both played in 2006 played on a solo record that buddy melton did, and that, and then I did want about the same time and mark and TIM both played on those records and.
00:19:03.690 –> 00:19:10.500 Darren Nicholson: So there was that kind of connection we’d had this we were kind of all in the circles we’re starting to cross.
00:19:10.950 –> 00:19:22.530 Darren Nicholson: I’ve been traveling on the road for three years, with Alicia Nugent and I hadn’t really played a lot around Haywood county or home, I did this record, but he did one and in early 2007.
00:19:23.580 –> 00:19:26.250 Darren Nicholson: buddy and mark kind of got the idea
00:19:27.390 –> 00:19:28.230 Darren Nicholson: to maybe.
00:19:29.370 –> 00:19:42.270 Darren Nicholson: put me in TIM, and in all of us in the same room to jam a little bit and I don’t know how I’m not sure how Caleb was called into it, I guess buddy had known him from doing some.
00:19:43.830 –> 00:20:02.700 Darren Nicholson: Some work with a Gospel band that Caleb had for a while and we ended up picking in my kitchen and we did two or three just kinds of jam sessions and a buddy came over one day and said, you know mark and I’ve been playing with water for a while, but.
00:20:04.080 –> 00:20:18.030 Darren Nicholson: Mark said that you know he’s getting in probably the last, this is probably the last stage of his career because marks getting older and he would like to have one more really good shot at playing bluegrass at.
00:20:19.200 –> 00:20:23.160 Darren Nicholson: Not just a regional level, but you know, a professional level.
00:20:23.700 –> 00:20:24.150 and
00:20:25.590 –> 00:20:39.120 Darren Nicholson: Without I be interested in doing some shows with them, and I said I don’t know I just came off the road you know I don’t and I didn’t want to travel and when the band started the idea was to do a lot of these things around home.
00:20:40.860 –> 00:20:50.790 Darren Nicholson: But just do it, you know with the band that that caliber band, you know and just kind of play shows around here and next thing you know.
00:20:51.510 –> 00:21:01.050 Darren Nicholson: We, we had a record deal before we had a name for the band, and we had all these shows on the books and then people were wanting us to come.
00:21:01.650 –> 00:21:15.300 Darren Nicholson: play in California and play in Seattle play in New York play in Florida, and with the goal was to kind of just keep it around here and play in western North Carolina but he got out of the bank’s pretty quick on us.
00:21:16.410 –> 00:21:18.600 Darren Nicholson: And that’s a good thing you.
00:21:18.600 –> 00:21:19.920 Joseph McElroy: know, a good problem to have.
00:21:20.100 –> 00:21:24.780 Darren Nicholson: We weren’t it’s was nothing that we designed it wasn’t my plan.
00:21:26.010 –> 00:21:36.780 Darren Nicholson: It was just meant to be and we didn’t really have a name for a band we kicked out around for a while and we’ve all finally decided we were going to give this a shot and.
00:21:38.130 –> 00:21:42.150 Darren Nicholson: And balsam range is that the range of mountains between.
00:21:42.660 –> 00:21:54.780 Darren Nicholson: Jackson county but he’s got roots in Jackson County and I’m from there and then all the rest of guys are Haywood county and so that ranger mountain is called the great balsam range and without that would be a little pretentious so we dropped the great.
00:21:56.010 –> 00:21:57.990 Darren Nicholson: And just went with mediocre balsam range.
00:22:00.180 –> 00:22:02.070 Joseph McElroy: Oh let’s go well, you gave great.
00:22:02.700 –> 00:22:07.020 Joseph McElroy: Fantastic so you’ve you know you’ve had some wonderful albums.
00:22:08.160 –> 00:22:12.720 Joseph McElroy: I think, though, that your latest one is rivers rains and runaway train all right.
00:22:12.930 –> 00:22:19.620 Darren Nicholson: Ladies single let’s go to be on an album which we’re trying to tablet right now we during the pandemic.
00:22:20.460 –> 00:22:25.380 Darren Nicholson: We couldn’t really play live shows, but, we did go in the studio and start working on a record.
00:22:25.830 –> 00:22:40.170 Darren Nicholson: And it’ll be out in the next month or two you know it’ll be out by early fall and late summer early fall and but that’s the second to the latest release that the newest release is called Santa Barbara and.
00:22:40.770 –> 00:22:43.170 Darren Nicholson: Number one it was number one for the month of June.
00:22:43.410 –> 00:22:48.870 Joseph McElroy: And I saw that on Facebook I forgot to put I forgot to mention I just saw that on Facebook I love this.
00:22:50.700 –> 00:22:53.130 Joseph McElroy: nice little video with it a sort of a cartoon video.
00:22:54.780 –> 00:22:55.890 Joseph McElroy: Yet it’s kind of cool.
00:22:57.570 –> 00:22:59.970 Joseph McElroy: I like that that was really good so.
00:23:00.810 –> 00:23:02.970 Darren Nicholson: For singles but the rest of the album’s coming out.
00:23:03.390 –> 00:23:14.670 Joseph McElroy: cool well, I think, in January, Tim predicted that there would be live performances and be like 2020 you know, we had three, then, are you looking better now you have a lot more performances.
00:23:15.030 –> 00:23:26.670 Darren Nicholson: Playing really, six, seven days a week, you know cuz I’m balsam range those guys want to do between 40 and 50 rope dates like really big the bigger dates.
00:23:27.060 –> 00:23:37.110 Darren Nicholson: And that’s about all they’re interested in doing and that’s fine you know that’s what they want to do, but I’m the youngest guy in the band I’m 37.
00:23:37.530 –> 00:23:41.880 Darren Nicholson: And so you know mark is 70 and I’m 37 and.
00:23:42.720 –> 00:23:48.420 Darren Nicholson: You know I still have this fire in my belly and I still have this interest to play music and play a lot.
00:23:48.840 –> 00:23:52.350 Darren Nicholson: yeah I love performing and when I’m not performing.
00:23:54.090 –> 00:23:57.390 Darren Nicholson: Oh no I just there’s it’s just Denton I.
00:23:57.840 –> 00:24:03.330 Joseph McElroy: Oh, this is the time for you to really get that whole musician experience, I mean that.
00:24:05.010 –> 00:24:08.160 Joseph McElroy: You chose, and I could understand that you got it.
00:24:08.250 –> 00:24:09.240 Darren Nicholson: This is my colleague.
00:24:09.480 –> 00:24:11.880 Joseph McElroy: You want it, you want to have that moment of.
00:24:11.970 –> 00:24:14.190 Joseph McElroy: Being this semester I get it.
00:24:14.670 –> 00:24:15.150 Darren Nicholson: I love it.
00:24:15.240 –> 00:24:16.470 Joseph McElroy: You know and I’ve missed it in.
00:24:16.470 –> 00:24:22.830 Darren Nicholson: The last year, of course, I’ve enjoyed being off Cup, because I have traveled since I was 1819 years old, there were some.
00:24:23.340 –> 00:24:36.360 Darren Nicholson: Some positives you know to you know being offered last year, we got to record more and do things that we wouldn’t normally take the time to do we were forced you know to do things differently, but.
00:24:37.560 –> 00:24:47.190 Darren Nicholson: that’s okay, sometimes that’s a good thing um you know I wish you know the other people hadn’t have struggled like they had you know, for us to do that, but.
00:24:47.670 –> 00:25:01.560 Darren Nicholson: This is the this the last year has been one of those situations where look this or there’s a lot of stuff that’s out of our hands, I can either focus on all the negative or I can look at the positives of this and make the best of this yeah and.
00:25:02.160 –> 00:25:02.910 Joseph McElroy: I guess.
00:25:04.020 –> 00:25:12.330 Joseph McElroy: I always wanted to do podcasts and I would have never done it without last year, I mean all I regret what the circumstances were I’m doing it and I’m loving it especially this one.
00:25:13.920 –> 00:25:25.140 Joseph McElroy: So you know we hear about the band, but you know I know I understand that you’re gifted songwriter what somewhat has you what have you written songs for balsam range and what are some of the favorite songs you’ve written.
00:25:27.030 –> 00:25:29.010 Darren Nicholson: Some of the favorite teams I’ve written.
00:25:30.660 –> 00:25:39.600 Darren Nicholson: Charles Humphrey and I write more songs with him than anybody else I’ve written with several other people, but Charles and I recently had one.
00:25:40.530 –> 00:25:51.450 Darren Nicholson: called lonesome is the price, I pay that went number one on an all-star bluegrass section that came out of the record label over there it’s called bluegrass at the crossroads lonesome is the price, I pay.
00:25:52.320 –> 00:26:00.600 Darren Nicholson: Number one in bluegrass is the first number one I had as a writer I think the balsam range has had about 43 or 44 number one songs.
00:26:01.500 –> 00:26:10.170 Darren Nicholson: 2007 and but I didn’t write any of them I recently I really haven’t got into songwriting until the last year.
00:26:10.770 –> 00:26:17.040 Darren Nicholson: I started about three years ago dabbling and last year really started pumping them out and.
00:26:17.910 –> 00:26:31.920 Darren Nicholson: there’s a song called all night long that’s on the new electric record that I’m really proud of I’m in the process of recording a Gospel song that Eric Gibson and I wrote together call them alive, when I die and.
00:26:32.910 –> 00:26:37.230 Darren Nicholson: there’s just depends on what mood I’m in there kind of like your children, you know.
00:26:39.510 –> 00:26:53.040 Joseph McElroy: Somebody asked me once I actually I do little art and somebody asked me what is my favorite painting and I’ll say the last one, and then they’ll say and once you look at you think you need to work on the most again I said, the last one.
00:26:55.680 –> 00:26:58.020 Darren Nicholson: Taking your kids had somebody asked me like
00:26:59.430 –> 00:27:17.640 Darren Nicholson: If you had a favorite child, would you let them know, would you tell them and I was like no I was like first of all, you know you if you have you you can’t have a favorite child but me because me I treat my main son and my other kids exactly the same.
00:27:20.640 –> 00:27:30.150 Joseph McElroy: So the balsam range has not been you’re only history right so you’ve done what with stuff a bunker turnpike and hazel creek and.
00:27:30.420 –> 00:27:31.260 Darren Nicholson: Local bands.
00:27:31.320 –> 00:27:32.400 Joseph McElroy: yeah and then.
00:27:32.910 –> 00:27:33.600 Darren Nicholson: All those guys.
00:27:34.110 –> 00:27:39.540 Joseph McElroy: And then you toured with Elysia Nugent and you played the grand Ole opry and the iconic right.
00:27:40.830 –> 00:27:42.900 Joseph McElroy: auditorium how was all bad for you.
00:27:43.770 –> 00:27:48.390 Darren Nicholson: That was great Alicia’s from Louisiana she’s from the great state of Louisiana and.
00:27:51.060 –> 00:27:52.110 Darren Nicholson: She was.
00:27:53.160 –> 00:27:58.920 Darren Nicholson: She was produced I learned a lot during that stretch because her record producer was a guy named Carl Jackson.
00:27:59.880 –> 00:28:11.550 Darren Nicholson: And Carl Jackson was the bandleader in Glen Campbell’s band for years he started with Jim and Jesse when he was 14 but he also produced and recorded Dolly Parton Emmylou Harris Linda Ronstadt.
00:28:13.410 –> 00:28:20.700 Darren Nicholson: a lot of heavy hitters Alison Krauss James Taylor he’s recorded and produced everybody in the business and so when.
00:28:22.170 –> 00:28:32.910 Darren Nicholson: I found out that he was producing delicious records I knew this was an opportunity for a young 19-year-old kid to learn a lot about music-making records singing.
00:28:33.480 –> 00:28:44.550 Darren Nicholson: And so I was just kind of like a sponge I was just kind of soaked it all up and so those three years are super important to me, you know playing around and altering the first time I did it.
00:28:44.970 –> 00:28:54.510 Darren Nicholson: Not 10 years old, we opened for Sam Bush the Ryman auditorium with Alicia new Japan went to Europe with that band toured with merle haggard with that band um.
00:28:55.650 –> 00:29:02.370 Darren Nicholson: gosh the crazy all the crazy things I’m one of those guys who peaked early in their career.
00:29:04.950 –> 00:29:11.760 Joseph McElroy: Well, I think, when we come back, I want to talk, I want to find out what you think is your proudest accomplishment so far alright.
00:29:12.210 –> 00:29:12.840 Darren Nicholson: sounds good.
00:31:46.050 –> 00:31:56.130 Joseph McElroy: howdy this is Joseph Franklin McElroy back with the gateway to the smokies podcasts and my gear my guests there Nicholson of balsam range so.
00:31:56.610 –> 00:32:05.520 Joseph McElroy: There you have toured with merle haggard zac brown George Jones and another holiday in calories musicians to build balsam range and been nominated.
00:32:05.820 –> 00:32:19.710 Joseph McElroy: For Grammys with them you’ve won some international bluegrass association award yourself and you’ve also done things like getting the order of the long lead pine award, which is the highest North Carolina civilian award and you were in a prestigious.
00:32:20.910 –> 00:32:37.650 Joseph McElroy: Traditional artist director of the Blue Ridge our heritage scandal and you been inducted in North Carolina folklife Institute in 2008 what is that’s a pretty big resume was already nearly 37, what do you, what is the hardest one so far.
00:32:39.840 –> 00:32:42.300 Darren Nicholson: Oh gosh um.
00:32:44.100 –> 00:32:49.680 Darren Nicholson: Man it’d be hard, I mean I guess the grand Ole opry is really all those things are very important to me.
00:32:50.700 –> 00:32:56.550 Darren Nicholson: The grand Ole opry kind of sticks out it’s probably not as important to people now as it used to be.
00:32:58.950 –> 00:33:10.020 Darren Nicholson: But you know I just grew up listening, the Grand Ole Opry as a kid you know that was we didn’t the area that we were in you know my parents.
00:33:11.370 –> 00:33:16.740 Darren Nicholson: They weren’t wealthy we didn’t have a lot, and so we didn’t have cable TV we didn’t have.
00:33:18.330 –> 00:33:32.880 Darren Nicholson: I didn’t have video games, you know, I was, I was born in 83 this the technology started coming out a lot of the kids I went to school with had video games they’re watching cable and my family didn’t have that but, but we had.
00:33:34.050 –> 00:33:35.550 Darren Nicholson: Experiences like.
00:33:36.660 –> 00:33:48.840 Darren Nicholson: You know, we camped the law we went we were out in nature, a lot, but we played music a lot, but the radio was Cadillac TV and theater of the mind.
00:33:49.470 –> 00:34:01.230 Darren Nicholson: And so you know when late on Friday and Saturday nights after we’d have a jam session at our house, you know I would sit up with my parents and they tune in the Grand Ole opry.
00:34:03.210 –> 00:34:12.900 Darren Nicholson: And took a CG North Carolina it would come in clear as a bell and I would hear all the great artists George Jones the Osborne brothers Jim and Jesse.
00:34:14.460 –> 00:34:21.210 Darren Nicholson: You know Tammy Wynette Dolly Parton merle haggard all those you know the greats and.
00:34:22.260 –> 00:34:33.780 Darren Nicholson: That impacted my life, probably as much and kind of shaped you know who, I am as much as anything but I’ll be honest with you the last year and a half being shut down.
00:34:34.530 –> 00:34:52.080 Darren Nicholson: um it’s changed my perspective on all those things and kinda getting older and kind of learning like who and what you really are every show is that important to me, every show is as important as the grand Ole opry to me because.
00:34:53.730 –> 00:35:01.350 Darren Nicholson: Even shows that for years I took for granted, and if you do enough performances, whether you’re in theater or music or whatever.
00:35:01.710 –> 00:35:08.940 Darren Nicholson: You know if you just do it for a hobby it’s always fun when you start doing something for living it can take the fun out of.
00:35:09.420 –> 00:35:14.400 Darren Nicholson: It can be like clocking in at the meal and you start playing five or six nights a week and all of a sudden.
00:35:14.970 –> 00:35:24.120 Darren Nicholson: Sometimes you dread going to play music, the thing that you love, more than anything, you’re like man I gotta I’m we’re out and I’ve got to pour all my energy into this again.
00:35:24.630 –> 00:35:33.300 Darren Nicholson: You know it’s not like being a clerk at a store where you can just kind of shut it off, or whatever you got to give all of yourself all your energy and so.
00:35:34.500 –> 00:35:43.590 Darren Nicholson: I would get burnout at times, and you know, then those things go away and you realize, you know I will I’m here to play music.
00:35:44.190 –> 00:35:56.280 Darren Nicholson: And I don’t care if it’s for five people in a bar in backstreet Haywood county if it’s for 100 people in Maggie Valley for a ticketed event or if it’s for 2000.
00:35:56.700 –> 00:36:18.570 Darren Nicholson: or 5000 on the grand Ole opry or if it’s an in an auditorium they’re all important to me, and there are stages that are nice and that make you feel good but I’ll just be honest with you the older I get every single performance is the performance of my life, you know.
00:36:18.630 –> 00:36:25.260 Joseph McElroy: that’s fantastic you know you’ve done you mentioned Europe but you’ve also taken bluegrass music to places.
00:36:25.710 –> 00:36:37.290 Joseph McElroy: That people wouldn’t normally think of it right you’ve got in the Bahamas in Jamaica and Haiti and Australia with Mexico, what, how is it how’s the reception for bluegrass Sarah yeah what, what do you feel about that.
00:36:37.920 –> 00:36:48.360 Darren Nicholson: it’s crazy and in 2006 I went to Australia, with the great already by lock who’s coming to the meadowlark lodge and July 17.
00:36:49.230 –> 00:36:59.850 Darren Nicholson: Already as a professional national touring bluegrass musician I got to do some shows, with him, and one of them was a trip to Australia.
00:37:00.270 –> 00:37:16.170 Darren Nicholson: And we went to Harriet Ville Australia, we flew into Sydney and then went to Harry Ville so I had a basically a six-hour flight to get to La a 16-hour flight to get to Sydney then a five-hour car ride to get to the festival.
00:37:18.420 –> 00:37:20.790 Darren Nicholson: that’s what you call passionate for bluegrass.
00:37:20.850 –> 00:37:21.840 Joseph McElroy: yeah I.
00:37:21.930 –> 00:37:27.630 Darren Nicholson: got there and man, they were hardcore traditional bluegrass.
00:37:27.810 –> 00:37:41.880 Darren Nicholson: Well, they weren’t into Alison Krauss in the new bluegrass bands they liked everything from the 1930s and 40s and 50s when you got into the 1960s, it was almost too progressive for them.
00:37:43.350 –> 00:37:46.380 Darren Nicholson: They love the older mute the older, the better.
00:37:46.770 –> 00:37:48.780 Darren Nicholson: And it just goes to show you.
00:37:49.080 –> 00:37:56.670 Darren Nicholson: How deep these roots the roots of this music run and they are just fanatical about it over there, the.
00:37:56.760 –> 00:38:00.180 Darren Nicholson: the moment I consider I consider bluegrass world music.
00:38:00.630 –> 00:38:01.590 Darren Nicholson: Right yeah.
00:38:02.400 –> 00:38:11.910 Joseph McElroy: Like you know you got things coming folk music coming from overseas and they talk about world music, but I think bluegrass fits well into that tradition of what is World music.
00:38:12.450 –> 00:38:17.400 Darren Nicholson: yeah for sure, a lot of the great a lot of the bluegrass.
00:38:18.930 –> 00:38:27.510 Darren Nicholson: Historical pieces, like the instruments, the big money instruments and the historical pieces that belonged to the stars of bluegrass are the.
00:38:27.930 –> 00:38:40.830 Darren Nicholson: founding fathers of bluegrass are in Japan there’s this huge Japanese bluegrass interest in it and they come here when we have the international bluegrass music association in Raleigh there’s the great.
00:38:42.270 –> 00:38:51.750 Darren Nicholson: bluegrass band from Italy called find one when we say it’s international bluegrass music association that’s it’s, not just for Kentucky and North Carolina.
00:38:53.040 –> 00:39:03.360 Darren Nicholson: And they’re so New York has all these crazy bluegrass festivals, the Gibson brothers who want entertainer of the year they’re from upstate New York, you know and.
00:39:04.890 –> 00:39:07.230 Joseph McElroy: More New York, and I have in North Carolina.
00:39:10.950 –> 00:39:22.020 Darren Nicholson: People all over the country love it, you know my dad and my mom met and got married out in Seattle and there’s a huge Western North Carolina.
00:39:24.180 –> 00:39:28.800 Darren Nicholson: population and around Seattle see Willie Denton.
00:39:30.000 –> 00:39:37.680 Darren Nicholson: Lyman concrete and there are so many tar heels that went out there in the 50s and 60s too long, they were part of the login.
00:39:38.370 –> 00:39:48.060 Darren Nicholson: Say Okay, then so when they went out there to work they took the music in the same way that’s how I got into Detroit and that’s how I got into Michigan when they went to work in the auto.
00:39:48.330 –> 00:39:49.140 Darren Nicholson: factories of.
00:39:49.470 –> 00:39:53.010 Darren Nicholson: Ford and General Motors took bluegrass with them.
00:39:53.280 –> 00:39:53.700 You know.
00:39:54.960 –> 00:40:00.360 Joseph McElroy: That was the manufacturing time of the United States and all these people from the Appalachian when all over the place yeah.
00:40:02.130 –> 00:40:14.910 Joseph McElroy: hillbilly Elegy they told you all about that that was cool so let’s bring it back to closer to home, so you guys have participated in our traditional religion or less how did that come about.
00:40:15.960 –> 00:40:28.710 Darren Nicholson: Well we’ve been doing a concert series at home for years, a winner concert series and we started, because we want to do something for a charity local charity and we play a lot of charitable events throughout the year.
00:40:30.000 –> 00:40:38.130 Darren Nicholson: We just wanted to do something to give back to the community it’s been so good, to us, we want to provide music in the winter that was during a slow time but also creates
00:40:39.720 –> 00:40:50.010 Darren Nicholson: to stimulate the economy, bring people into you know buy meals hotel rooms in the wintertime when it’s generally slow and we did that for years and years.
00:40:50.520 –> 00:41:07.380 Darren Nicholson: And it just got to a point where those shows were selling out in the same 300 people where they would buy tickets in advance, and we were just playing to the same 300 people every time you know and that’s fine, but you know if something’s not growing then it’s dying.
00:41:07.800 –> 00:41:14.430 Darren Nicholson: And so let’s grow this thing let’s do it in a bigger venue like Juneau Alaska was the perfect place for it.
00:41:14.850 –> 00:41:23.370 Darren Nicholson: Like for people who don’t know like journalists, because the world Methodist headquarters, but they’ve got this amazing venue that sits right on the lake in the heart of Western North Carolina.
00:41:24.990 –> 00:41:45.210 Darren Nicholson: And they have lodged there they do you know they’ve got all kinds of meals shuttles they’ve got it’s the perfect setup for a festival and it’s indoors so the weather can’t wreck it, you know festivals in the summer any other time yeah it could be rain, it could be.
00:41:45.600 –> 00:41:59.280 Darren Nicholson: yeah angry, you know, unless it just comes a major blizzard the weather can’t record and I’d like to Alaska and it stimulates the economy and it does something good for Western North Carolina and.
00:41:59.280 –> 00:42:01.890 Joseph McElroy: What was that, like what is it in December every year.
00:42:02.100 –> 00:42:03.690 Darren Nicholson: The first weekend of December we.
00:42:04.200 –> 00:42:12.480 Darren Nicholson: yeah we got with the tourism Board and the slowest economic weekend for tourism every year was the weekend after thanksgiving.
00:42:12.540 –> 00:42:13.080 Yes.
00:42:14.910 –> 00:42:22.500 Darren Nicholson: After thanksgiving before Christmas, and so we’re like hey let’s do it then and now it’s one of the biggest ones for the whole year for the hey we can.
00:42:22.860 –> 00:42:39.060 Joseph McElroy: cool so you do a lot of things like you said, besides balsam range you got your own band there and nickel so band, do you do solo shows, but you also perform with your wife janitor, who is a super talented musician, can you tell us what to do with her.
00:42:39.510 –> 00:42:44.460 Darren Nicholson: The audio blocks first cousin I can’t tell you everything I do with her.
00:42:47.790 –> 00:42:48.240 Joseph McElroy: for that.
00:42:49.590 –> 00:42:51.270 Darren Nicholson: hey you put it on a TEE I’m swinging.
00:42:53.430 –> 00:43:03.300 Darren Nicholson: yeah she’s an incredible musician she’s the vocal music director and director of choirs at Asheville high school and so she’s actually an educated musician
00:43:04.260 –> 00:43:15.060 Darren Nicholson: She teaches music theory piano incredible singer, and so we do shows like that something fun, for us, we don’t know why we haven’t done it in years past but.
00:43:15.660 –> 00:43:21.360 Darren Nicholson: We just kind of start doing it for fun and it’s taken off and people are wanting to see that do it, we do.
00:43:22.110 –> 00:43:36.840 Darren Nicholson: it’s totally different will do sitting on the dock of the bay, will do a wreath of Franklin tunes and so for someone who’s known for playing bluegrass and mostly original music people can come see me in a whole different you know, so I get to let my hair down.
00:43:37.170 –> 00:43:39.060 Joseph McElroy: And where’s the next picture good play with her.
00:43:39.990 –> 00:43:40.710 Darren Nicholson: Oh gosh.
00:43:42.150 –> 00:43:46.680 Darren Nicholson: I’d have to look on the calendar five or six nights a week go to dare nicholson.net.
00:43:47.910 –> 00:43:56.280 Joseph McElroy: Go to the website very good, so we come back let’s talk about the band camp, but who’s gonna be involved in that and that’s worth a.
00:43:57.000 –> 00:43:57.390 awesome.
00:46:31.980 –> 00:46:38.730 Joseph McElroy: Joseph Franklin McElroy back with a gateway to the smokies podcasts and my guest Darren Nicholson, so there.
00:46:39.690 –> 00:46:55.260 Joseph McElroy: You are I guess you and I got together with Bob plot we cooked up and really fantastic event that there where there is sort of almost the inaugural event of the new metal or smoky mountain hairdo Center makers commit the middle or motel.
00:46:56.580 –> 00:47:05.340 Joseph McElroy: And it’s called the dare Nicholson all-star bluegrass can’t band camp is kind of an all-star concert, can you tell us how you came up with that event, I think that was you to come up with it right.
00:47:06.000 –> 00:47:19.980 Darren Nicholson: Well, you know Bob is another guy who supports a lot of great events in western North Carolina and knows the culture here and the people and I play a lot of shows around here play with a damn Nicholson band play with balsam range people can see me.
00:47:21.690 –> 00:47:30.060 Darren Nicholson: Whenever about whenever they want to you know, so the idea for going to do something at this new place is to.
00:47:30.570 –> 00:47:39.480 Darren Nicholson: How can we do something that’s completely different and one of the things that we’ve done at the balsam range art of music festival that’s been wildly popular.
00:47:39.960 –> 00:47:53.880 Darren Nicholson: Are these workshops and even for people who don’t play they like to come to them, just to watch just to find out, I think more about the artist and be with the artist and an intimate setting so they can ask questions.
00:47:54.420 –> 00:48:10.440 Darren Nicholson: I think a lot of people as fans are just curious about the music sometimes or the musicians and whether they’re actually in there, wanting to study and learn an instrument, I think they’re just fascinated and curious you know.
00:48:11.640 –> 00:48:17.430 Darren Nicholson: Because when you buy a concert ticket, you know there’s kind of a wall there that’s it that’s as far as you’re going to get.
00:48:17.460 –> 00:48:22.680 Darren Nicholson: you’re going to enjoy the show, but you don’t really get to know the artist.
00:48:23.700 –> 00:48:29.280 Darren Nicholson: Personally, or ask questions or this and that even about the music or how it got started or.
00:48:29.880 –> 00:48:43.860 Darren Nicholson: Like you know what your influences are this or that or why do you play this certain style or why do you choose this answer homeowner you know or this PIC or whatever, and so it’s just this is a way to get behind the curtain a little bit you know.
00:48:44.400 –> 00:48:48.780 Joseph McElroy: and tell me about the all-star people that you’ve got involved with here.
00:48:48.900 –> 00:48:57.960 Darren Nicholson: Well we’ve got the great audible a lot who’s coming to a lot of people know his bluegrass history from playing with Jimmy Martin and Rhonda Vincent but he’s and Michael Cleveland he.
00:48:58.740 –> 00:49:12.720 Darren Nicholson: he’s just been a part of some of the most legendary bluegrass lineups of the last 40 years and incredible singer and guitar player and he doesn’t play in this area very much which is.
00:49:13.290 –> 00:49:23.250 Darren Nicholson: Really cool trick, for if you’re going to get a ticket or see an event, this is going to be a chance to see a rare bird right here in Western North Carolina.
00:49:24.210 –> 00:49:31.530 Darren Nicholson: Eric Ellis is going to be playing the five-string banjo and Eric is one of the greatest traditional bluegrass banjo players.
00:49:32.190 –> 00:49:43.470 Darren Nicholson: Ever he’s like a mark Pruitt or Steve Sutton at that level, you know and he’s a guy who he’s another one of these Western North Carolina he’s from around the Wilkes Barre area.
00:49:44.070 –> 00:50:00.210 Darren Nicholson: And he’s gonna be traveling down I don’t get to pick with him very much just because of our schedules, but what an honor to get to play with that man and then read Jones is gonna be playing bass great singer-songwriter he plays an oldies band.
00:50:01.620 –> 00:50:05.910 Darren Nicholson: If you like serious no.
00:50:07.050 –> 00:50:14.940 Darren Nicholson: No frills like take the gloves off serious bluegrass music, this will be the show to come to.
00:50:15.870 –> 00:50:17.550 Joseph McElroy: I mean chuck you haven’t.
00:50:18.480 –> 00:50:24.030 Darren Nicholson: yeah they’re doing the workshops if you want to do a base workshop banjo or band workshop.
00:50:25.740 –> 00:50:41.490 Darren Nicholson: I like the band workshops, you know how the all the parts work together, you know it’s just like if you go see a rock and roll band, why do the bass and the drums, why did they do this together, why did that you know how does this work like a machine, you know.
00:50:41.820 –> 00:50:47.700 Joseph McElroy: How to how to put a take the raw song and putting together as a band song is that.
00:50:48.060 –> 00:51:02.970 Darren Nicholson: Like a baseball team, you can take nine amazing talented players and they’re not a very good team, because they don’t know how to play together and you could take nine mediocre guys who know how to play together and they’ll be the best.
00:51:04.170 –> 00:51:07.710 Darren Nicholson: You can that they know how to make a band, you know.
00:51:09.360 –> 00:51:10.920 Darren Nicholson: totally different mindset yeah.
00:51:11.370 –> 00:51:18.720 Joseph McElroy: And there and the concert you guys are sort of going to be ad-libbing as you go right or do you ever did you put together some ideas.
00:51:18.780 –> 00:51:19.500 Darren Nicholson: gosh no.
00:51:21.300 –> 00:51:30.870 Darren Nicholson: I want you to know people who buy a ticket when you buy a ticket, this is your experience, if you want a song, if you want to hear if we know it we’re gonna do it.
00:51:31.020 –> 00:51:32.550 Joseph McElroy: You know, take requests.
00:51:33.510 –> 00:51:36.720 Darren Nicholson: I mean if we know them we do better on the ones we know, obviously we.
00:51:37.770 –> 00:51:40.380 Darren Nicholson: Probably won’t do heaven my baby by Paul Anka.
00:51:43.560 –> 00:51:44.220 Darren Nicholson: rocky top.
00:51:44.520 –> 00:51:48.330 Joseph McElroy: You can’t do that as a blue dress.
00:51:50.070 –> 00:51:51.270 Darren Nicholson: I wouldn’t do that period.
00:51:54.150 –> 00:51:58.800 Joseph McElroy: covers you know they got snoop dogg’s gin and juice as a.
00:52:02.280 –> 00:52:05.250 Darren Nicholson: a lot of crazy bluegrass lacking Egyptians were.
00:52:07.770 –> 00:52:11.490 Joseph McElroy: So, so how do people find out more about you and how they follow you.
00:52:12.900 –> 00:52:25.620 Darren Nicholson: I’ve got a Facebook page then Nicholson, music and Darren Nicholson band, of course, balsam range has a Twitter Instagram if you look up Darren Nicholson or balsam range.
00:52:26.070 –> 00:52:36.240 Darren Nicholson: And same way balsamrange.com is the band website there nicholson.net and .com was already taken I’m not a Nascar driver.
00:52:41.100 –> 00:52:42.630 Darren Nicholson: a hell of a lot of speeding tickets.
00:52:43.710 –> 00:52:44.910 Darren Nicholson: i’m almost qualified.
00:52:45.210 –> 00:52:48.270 Joseph McElroy: NASCAR came out of bounds in North Carolina did.
00:52:48.600 –> 00:52:50.970 Darren Nicholson: john in baby yeah running.
00:52:53.760 –> 00:52:54.690 Joseph McElroy: A couple paths.
00:52:55.020 –> 00:52:56.970 Darren Nicholson: Exactly illegal.
00:52:57.420 –> 00:52:58.410 Joseph McElroy: There so.
00:52:59.820 –> 00:53:03.630 Joseph McElroy: I know you’re good to fly fishermen where’s the best place to go fly fishing.
00:53:05.850 –> 00:53:10.560 Darren Nicholson: In Haywood county, I grew up in Jackson that’s where I grew up fishing I go over there.
00:53:10.710 –> 00:53:12.720 Joseph McElroy: Okay where’s the best place there that.
00:53:12.840 –> 00:53:27.090 Darren Nicholson: I love candy for can I love tech a CG tech-savvy river and I gotta brag on Jackson county I’m playing there this Friday for my buddy Kelly, who does the concert on the creek, but they also in their big tourism thing Jackson county is now the
00:53:29.160 –> 00:53:38.130 Darren Nicholson: trap capital of North Carolina so when you come to Haywood county and staff to meadowlark you’re only about 20 minutes away from the trout capital if you choose not to fish.
00:53:38.130 –> 00:53:38.760 Joseph McElroy: I actually.
00:53:40.050 –> 00:53:46.290 Joseph McElroy: mentioned that Jackson hey we’ve got to get together and I believe that they’ve made themselves together with the trout capital.
00:53:48.660 –> 00:53:49.560 Darren Nicholson: Joint custody.
00:53:49.770 –> 00:53:51.210 Joseph McElroy: is doing custody yeah I.
00:53:51.210 –> 00:53:52.320 Darren Nicholson: got joint custody.
00:53:53.610 –> 00:54:02.010 Joseph McElroy: ELISE I’ll say so, because we have a travel blog we’re going to the back of in the middle, like when you there we got to travel far we have I’m out here just traps true.
00:54:03.390 –> 00:54:03.840 Joseph McElroy: yeah.
00:54:04.440 –> 00:54:08.640 Darren Nicholson: Everywhere in western North Carolina but I mean come on this is this is.
00:54:08.670 –> 00:54:12.480 Joseph McElroy: it’s trapped country this chapter well, thank you for being on our show.
00:54:13.500 –> 00:54:14.430 Joseph McElroy: I love your shirt.
00:54:14.970 –> 00:54:16.140 Darren Nicholson: Oh, let me share it, dude.
00:54:16.140 –> 00:54:20.520 Joseph McElroy: live it up is technically called planets it’s camouflage plan.
00:54:21.240 –> 00:54:24.300 Darren Nicholson: You look like you’re about to invade Sherwin Williams.
00:54:26.580 –> 00:54:28.230 Joseph McElroy: Where can I be camouflage.
00:54:29.670 –> 00:54:31.380 Darren Nicholson: I really do like the shirt man, I like.
00:54:31.680 –> 00:54:33.000 Joseph McElroy: Maybe i’ll send you a.
00:54:34.860 –> 00:54:50.400 Joseph McElroy: So I got I want to mention that we’re on the top radio dot NYC network where there’s a lot of interesting shows, and I recommend you listen to a lot of podcasts every day and ranging in content from you know.
00:54:51.150 –> 00:54:59.160 Joseph McElroy: The self-help to travel shows so it’s got a lot of dynamic content everybody here is very serious about what they’re doing after.
00:54:59.700 –> 00:55:12.630 Joseph McElroy: After this shows is one on New York, so you can go from the mountains of North Carolina to New York City and find out places to go, maybe in that, but a skyscraper or the top of the mountain just by listening one evening.
00:55:14.430 –> 00:55:30.870 Joseph McElroy: yeah you can find out more about this podcast at the gateway to the smokies dot fun all right, or you can go to facebook.com slash faith a gateway to the smokies podcast.
00:55:31.980 –> 00:55:40.620 Joseph McElroy: and find out more about what’s happening next week we’re going to have Neil Hutchinson here, which should be very interesting.
00:55:42.000 –> 00:55:42.870 Joseph McElroy: podcast.
00:55:43.920 –> 00:55:59.130 Joseph McElroy: And I look forward to seeing you it’s every the same week every day, every time from one I mean from six until seven on Tuesdays and thank you for listening to the gateway to the smokies by there’s.
00:55:59.190 –> 00:56:00.990 Darren Nicholson: so much for having me really appreciate it.
