Billy Yates – Hit Songwriter – Music & Conversation – Ep026

08/02/18 • -1 min

Energy Tools for the Artist, Leader, Entrepreneur: The Naked Vibes Show

Hit Songwriter, Producer & Performing Artist, Billy Yates “does his rockin’ on the stage”! The healing power of music is Billy Yates' ministry & with songs recorded by George Jones, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Sara Evans & more, plus two concurrent shows in Branson, he stays busy evangelizin’. I had the privilege of connecting with Billy for a conversation & impromptu guerrilla style video shoot between his shows - the powerhouse Raiding the Country Vault concert & the more intimate Hit Songwriters in the Round. It was awesome to sit with him while he performed some of his hit songs in the theater setting before the crowd arrived. He shares his insights regarding our human vulnerabilities & how songs provide a vehicle to alleviate loneliness & suffering as well as lifting us into joy. Be sure to catch the moment when, during the Raiding the Country Vault concert, I knew I had to have him on The Naked Vibes Show! Enjoy the show on NAKED VIBES TV: SHOW NOTES (times are for audio): 4:33 - Billy Yates talks about moving to Nashville to pursue his dream of being a singer, finding great songwriters to mentor him, & recording his first song that was eventually recorded by George Jones. 5:03 - LIVE ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE: Billy Yates plays the intro to “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair”, recorded by George Jones. The song won a CMA Event of the Year. 5:57 - “I do my rockin’ on the stage” is one of my favorite lines from this song. The song became an anthem, not only for Jones, but for many of his older fans who intended to keep livin’ large! George Foreman was a huge fan & appeared in a video for the song. 6:38 - Julia Cameron talks about, in The Artist’s Way, the importance of starting anything you desire to do at any age. It’s never too late! 7:18 - Billy Yates’ show is about to start at his theater, where we’re recording, so there’s a lot of activity in the room. He talks about the evolution of becoming a songwriter in Nashville by singing on song demoes for other writers. They encouraged him on the value of his gift for phrasing. He had to learn the craft to tap into his skill for writing lyrics & melodies. 9:04 - Frank Dycus & Dean Dillon were instrumental in Billy’s development as a songwriter. He’s written & recorded many songs with them & says he most enjoys the friendships & feels like it’s therapeutic to collaborate, putting a puzzle together with others & having fun in the process. 10:09 - Billy talks about the inception of the creative process as a gift from God. He’s dreamed complete songs - when he wakes up & records them, he knows it’s coming from something beyond him. 11:11 - Music is healing. We don’t think about how important it is to our lives. Songs help us to feel less alone, uplift us when we’re down, & often teach us to see ourselves. 11:45 - Billy Yates likes writing from a first person perspective because it helps the listener connect with the artist. He knew his song “Choices” had to be recorded by someone who could really own it & allow themselves to be very vulnerable in performing it. George Jones made it a hit. 12:34 - All human beings have the same experiences - pain, joy, hardship, love - even though they may come in different shades. This is how even the solo writing experience becomes collaborative with the recording artist, making it their own by bringing their personal experiences & emotions to it. 13:23 - “Choices” was written Billy Yates with Mike Curtis, a great piano player & melody writer. He was coming to Billy’s house to write & Billy didn’t have a piano. Billy told him, “We’ve got three chords & the truth; that’s all we’ve got today!” Though they didn’t have George Jones in mind when writing the song, they eventually approached him with it because Billy felt like it was a song that offered healing. 14:00 - Billy knew the song would eventually find its way to the right artist. It took some time before it was recorded. When he was touring with Alan Jackson,

Previous Episode

Dale Baker – Drummer, Singer/Songwriter – Music & Conversation – Ep025

Drummer Dale Baker shares insights from recording & performing with platinum artists Sixpence None The Richer to his new solo venture as singer/songwriter with The Maudlin Fee. Dale performed with my sister, Kelly Brown, & me in Frankly Scarlet prior to his time with Sixpence. So we've got some good stories & laughs for you in this episode! We cover a range from secret crushes - to falling short as human beings - to Dale's dealings with church pastors rockin' six-pack abs. Yeah. Dale goes deep & shares much about his spiritual journey, his questions & reckoning with ideas around sexual "sin", & the benefits of being a masculine man with soft edges. Dale is an artist, a dedicated musician, & an all-around beautiful guy. I can't wait for you to hear his new music as The Maudlin Fee in this episode. You're gonna dig it. SHOW NOTES: 2:52 - Dale talks about songwriting as a new creative venue & realizing the difficulty of being the “front person” in a band. Stretching his creative muscles to learn to play guitar, write, & sing has brought the joy back into music for him. 5:27 - I’ve realized how physical it is to be the drummer in a band as I learn to play them myself! Successful entertainers work hard to make it look easy. 7:30 - Dale talks about what made him finally get the nerve to do his own project. He shares the urgency brought on by the loss of loved ones, realizing the brevity of time & life. 10:25 - Julia Cameron & The Artist’s Way - discussion of the ways all creative people get shut down by others. It’s never too late to start learning new ways of expressing yourself. 11:47 - Dale talks about the challenge of starting The Maudlin Fee to push through his shyness. He’s getting more & more comfortable with failing in order to get better. 13:02 - I’m always experimenting - combining rock music with meditation because it’s my background, even though it’s not the norm. If I’m feeling it, other people probably are, too. 15:23 - Affirmation is nice, but Dale’s goal is more about joy & the excitement of being alive. 16:31 - Songs that didn’t exist prior to writing. We’re making a difference as we create. From his work with Frankly Scarlet, Sixpence None The Richer, & now The Maudlin Fee, Dale is adding to the creative history of our world. As artists, we all create this rich landscape. 17:41 - Experiencing a friend doing new things, you get to know them in a new way. 18:18 - SONG: Lily of Valley 22:42 - Dale shares the story behind the song & how he can tie the percussion directly to his time playing in Frankly Scarlet with my sister, Kelly, & me. He describes the influence of Jonatha Brooke & talks about his perception of the 16th note pattern “train beat”. 25:06 - Energy of collaboration. Other artists & friends have also had a direct impact on his solo project. The drummer who recorded "Lily of the Valley" with him was a big influence, pulling him into the world of percussion when he was at the University of North Texas. Dale taught me a lot about playing percussion as well. We’re all more tied to one another than we even realize. 27:54 - Importance of having a great drummer behind you as a front person. Dale has had the experience now, so we laugh about the fact that even he doesn’t always know what to say to another drummer to make it work when it’s not jiving! 30:40 - Dale brought Richard Rohr to my attention & a video on his website about the healing power of rhythm. It turned out that Rohr was highlighting Christine Stevens, my trainer as a Remo Drums HealthRhythms facilitator. Christine said, “Music is the language of diplomacy of the future.” Remo has researched the effects of drumming on the body, as well as its ability to dissipate tension between people. 32:56 - Rohr & men’s initiation rights. Dale talks about Rohr’s series on sexuality & gender. For those who don’t fit the ideals, where do they fit in? Dale has become comfortable with his masculinity,

Next Episode

Resurrection – Love Is – Ep027

The Naked Vibes Show has been on hiatus for a little while & I’m ready for resurrection. How about you? This feels like the right time – as this week is special for many people. In the Christian and Jewish faith traditions, it’s Holy Week – the time of Good Friday, Passover, and Easter. There are traditions celebrated by other faiths this month as well. Also, in most of the Northern Hemisphere, it’s Spring – a time of rebirth, rejuvenation, and renewal – no matter what your faith orientation. It’s fall in most of the Southern Hemisphere, by the way. I don’t want to leave you out – that’s another time of transition. So, the reason for my hiatus... I was the primary caretaker for my father for a couple of years, during which he was challenged by cancer. I needed to, and chose to, put my whole focus on him. He was a vibrant person. So full of life, despite the circumstances. He passed on last year and I’ve needed time to recuperate and grieve the loss. But here’s why this is a perfect time to bring on a new season of The Naked Vibes Show. My dad was my champion. He was my friend and mentor. He believed in me, loved me unconditionally, and continued to tell me so until he passed. He cherished the creative spirit he saw and, along with my mother, cultivated in me and my sister. He fully expected me to rise up and continue inspiring others through their challenges and celebrating in their joys, just as he always did. Kelly's Cross - watercolor by KB Cain This is a time of resurrection, both in faith traditions and in nature. I did a podcast episode in March 2018 on the Life-Renewing Energy of Easter. You can take a listen to that episode here if you’d like to dive a little deeper into the energy of resurrection and renewal – what I call the Christ energy - and how it’s different from a lot of religious thinking. This is also a strange time in the world right now. We’re in the middle of a global pandemic due to a Coronavirus. A lot of people are afraid – afraid of job loss, loss of loved ones, of their own health & well-being, of the daily working of life as we know it, and mostly, I think, loss of control. Though we never truly have control over most things outside of our own thoughts and actions, we often perceive that we do. A situation like this puts it right in our faces. We don’t. So, I’d like to give you a few things to hold onto, to ponder, or to lift you up. Think of the worst things you’ve gone through to date. Not to bring you down. Not to dwell on. But, as a reminder that you made it through. You survived. Think on the ways you’re better for what you went through. Granted, it may have been a hell that you don’t want to repeat. But, I believe we can always find seeds of good in our experiences, seeds that grow us into stronger individuals.Understand the difference between inconvenience, or discomfort, and real pain. You can weather the inconveniences. You’ll adapt and come around with different methods to get things done. In some cases, you’ll come up with better ways of doing things. If you experience real pain, it’s the time to reach out – to get help. This kind of vulnerability is human and it’s also a window into the knowledge that you’re loved. You will find strength in pain and hardship because you’re vulnerable. Others will rise to the occasion to bring the help you need – just as you would for them. And, if you should find yourself alone in your pain, reach UP – to the Love that is higher than any of us, as humans, can fathom. I’m talking about the Love that is part of your DNA. The love that created you. If you’ve never reached for it before, take the chance. I promise you will find Love waiting for you – in the most beautiful and unexpected ways.If you’re afraid of death – for yourself or someone you love – know this. It is inevitable that we will all reach that place – the place where we leave and transcend this physical body. Because it is part of the cycle of life,