Sara x Jelly Roll
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😹
FunTranscript
00:00It's WMMR in Philadelphia. I am Sarah. And joining us today is a rapper, a rock star, and a country boy all rolled into one. We welcome Jelly Roll. How you doing, man?
00:11That is awesome. Somebody clip that and send that to me. I need that intro. That's the best intro I've gotten yet. He's a rapper, a rock star, and a country boy. Sounds like something my wife would say. That's incredible.
00:21But it's true, right? I mean, you started in hip-hop. That's where your roots are. And then sort of moved into the rock realm. When I saw you live, it was on tour with Shinedown. And then you just released this country album, Witsit Chapel. So you're all over the place. Multifaceted, if you will.
00:37Love music. Love all music. I grew up in a household where I was the youngest sibling. And I don't know. Do you have siblings?
00:44I have a younger brother, yes.
00:45Okay. So you fall on the upside of that hierarchy. I don't know if you ever let your little brother control the radio, but my older sister did not. So I listened to whatever whoever I was riding with listened to. And somehow all those years of consuming all that different music came out as a big old crock pot.
01:07I love it. Now, speaking of your family, is it true that your mom is the one who gave you the name Jelly Roll?
01:13It is, dude. I was a tubby little kid that loved Jelly Donuts. So she'd go, oh, my little Jelly Roll. And to this day, she calls me Jelly. My government name is Jason.
01:22But if somebody walked in this room right now and said, Jason, my instinct would never be to look.
01:29Do people try to pull that on you? Like, hey, Jason, as if they know something about you that no one could know by Googling the Wikipedia article?
01:38Yeah, for sure. It's like Jason. And I'm just like, oh, man. But normally it doesn't work in their favor because it takes a couple of times for me to realize who they're talking to.
01:47Because I don't I just don't you know, if I'm at a family function and unless it's one of my biological brothers and I hear their voice, Jason, I would just assume they're talking to somebody else.
01:57Your Jelly Roll. And with a name like Jelly Roll, you're joining this esteemed list of artists named after food.
02:03I was thinking about like the red hot chili peppers and meatloaf and cream and cake and all of that.
02:09It's delicious. You know what's crazy? I've never thought about that in my life.
02:13Really? Until right now. I'm not making corn.
02:17Corn. Oh, my God. The cranberries. Yeah, there's a lot of them.
02:22Yeah. Well, yeah. When you start bringing them off, there's a ton of I'd never thought about because I guess growing up in Nashville, it was such a rare bird because I'm like the only country artist ever to use a nickname.
02:32So it's like in town, in town that went against me where in rock and roll music, it went for me.
02:39Right. It was like it was easy. I never thought about that.
02:41Jelly Roll than it was Jason D Ford. And it was harder to come into country music as Jelly Roll than it would have been being Jason D Ford.
02:48I don't know. Maybe D Ford was too French anyway, so they might not ever let that slide in country music.
02:53Right. But I never thought about that. Most country artists perform as their name, whether or not their legal name, you know, is up for debate.
03:02First and middle. A formal name. Yes. Yes. But we've got Jelly Roll and Jelly Roll has a new album out, a country album called Wits at Chapel.
03:11It's just a few weeks old. And I was surprised to hear that this was the way you put it is it was your first album where you understood how to sing in key.
03:22And that surprised me because, you know, I hear Son of a Sinner and you're singing on that and you sound great.
03:30So what was different for Wits at Chapel?
03:32Well, so I didn't know I'm learning how to sing. Right.
03:37So I never learned music or the theory of music. I was always a music is a feeling kind of guy.
03:44So I was always the like, which is also ironic because when it comes to produce, all my songs are written the same.
03:51They're all written from a guitar and acoustic guitar. And then we build production around.
03:56So normally when a song becomes a country song or a rock song, I don't have a vote in that anyways.
04:00You know? Yeah. Because if you think about the lyrical content, I'm always right.
04:05I've been writing the same kind of lyrics my whole career. That's just what I write a certain style.
04:09But it's the production because I don't know anything about music.
04:11So I started learning music in the last year as I've become a singer.
04:14Before I went out with Shinedown, I knew I was going to sing every night for 45 minutes.
04:18And I knew that I was going to sing in front of who I think is one of the best front men in rock and roll.
04:23Our pal Brent Smith. Amazing.
04:25I think he's one of the best front men in rock and roll.
04:27So I then took a voice lesson for the first time and got a vocal warm.
04:32Right? I'd never done one in my career.
04:34But I was like, look, I'm not going to, like, I'm going on in front of, like, one of the best singers in rock and roll.
04:40Like, I need to make sure that my shit's together, you know?
04:42You mean your vocal warm-up for that tour wasn't a shot of Jack and a bong hit?
04:46That's what it was before. It was a shot of Jack and a bong hit and some Lay's potato chips because they got a little grease on them.
04:51They're kind of lubed up.
04:54Yeah, just a little lubricant.
04:55So I was like, I started taking it serious.
04:58So going into this album, I had sang enough for the first time in my career, I started understanding how my voice sits in certain songs.
05:05So, like, somebody could come in and be like, hey, would you rather do this in G or E?
05:08And I would have an opinion for once.
05:10You know what I mean?
05:11And that was the first time that ever happened, which means, like, God, I've never said this in an interview.
05:16But because I'm embarrassed, like, Son of a Sinner and Save Me are so hard for me to sing.
05:27Really?
05:27Because I didn't know how to sing when I was singing them.
05:31So now that I know, it's hard to describe.
05:34It's a weird thing.
05:34Like, when I first sang Save Me, the somebody say that somebody was the highest note of the song.
05:42Right?
05:42And at that time, that was as high as I could sing, period.
05:47So now I've warmed my voice up and I've learned how to sing.
05:49And I can sing, like, a whole, I can sing higher.
05:52So I had to learn how to re-sing Save Me.
05:55Because muscle memory was like, you just sing as high as you can sing.
05:58And then I was going out of key.
06:00Because muscle memory was like, yeah, you don't have to think about this, Jason.
06:02Just sing exactly the highest notes you can sing.
06:07And I can sing, you know, full head voice now like a high C.
06:10So I was blowing it.
06:11And I was completely, but I didn't know.
06:13So I had to go in and learn how to re-sing my own songs the right way.
06:17Yeah.
06:18Super embarrassing.
06:19That's, yeah.
06:19No, I think it's great that you are really working on progress.
06:26Like, you set that goal for yourself and you did it.
06:29Because, you know, your fans already knew those songs.
06:31So you probably could have just gotten away with singing whatever the highest note you could reach that night was.
06:36But you did the damn thing.
06:38And that's pretty cool.
06:39On this album, What's It Chapel?
06:41I really love this thread of the fire and brimstone preacher that you hear throughout.
06:46It gives it almost a cinematic feel.
06:50It really sets the tone for the album.
06:53It's, it's, it's, that's what I wanted.
06:55I wanted an old school album.
06:58I might have been like romanticizing our past here, but I loved the album era.
07:03Like, I missed going to buy a vinyl, reading the credits, the artwork, listening to it from song one to song 13 with no skip at first.
07:13Just, and then the only time we'd skip, the only time we'd hit a button on there is if we liked the song so much, we'd have to listen to it one more time before it went to the next one.
07:20So, so number four was so good, but I hope play that one one more time before we go to number five, but, and picking favorite songs from the album, looking for deep cuts, albums that had intros, outros, and told stories.
07:34And you could tell they thought about the tempo of the album.
07:37I just missed all that.
07:38And I wanted to get back into that space.
07:42That's what I wanted.
07:43I wanted to write music from that perspective.
07:46And it gave me a whole new world because then you're writing from a different perspective.
07:50You're telling an overarching story.
07:52And you know, when you go into writer's rooms now, you're not just fishing for a hot song.
07:56You're in there like, Hey y'all, this is the theme of this record.
07:59It's a lot of fire and brimstone, a lot of in and out, a lot of up and down.
08:02But this is how I want the album to end.
08:04This is where the album started.
08:06I knew my first two songs and I knew my last two songs.
08:08And then I had to fill in the rest of the album.
08:10It was a really cool way to write an album.
08:11Well, you are quite the storyteller.
08:12So that makes absolute sense.
08:14And I agree with you.
08:15I like albums because if I find a song that I like, chances are, I want to listen to another song that's similar that I like.
08:23So you get the full package when an album comes out from an artist that I like, I can listen to a full hour of music that I know I'm invested in.
08:31And I'm probably going to like, if I've liked this artist stuff in the past, as opposed to a playlist, which nothing wrong with a well curated playlist of multiple artists.
08:39And it can expose you to a lot of new music, but sometimes it's just too all over the place for me.
08:44So I definitely, I feel you on that and experiencing music that way.
08:48I spend more time skipping, looking for the vibe I'm looking for.
08:52Totally.
08:53You have been so busy promoting this awesome new album.
08:57You've been going to award shows and performing on American Idol and things like that.
09:02And in the process, I've seen on Instagram that you are rubbing elbows with some pretty cool people like Slash and Dolly Parton.
09:11That must be so exciting for you.
09:13Oh, man.
09:15This is like that CMT award, dude.
09:18I mean, hanging out with the Black Crows and getting to see Slash and Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks.
09:25And just Gary Clark Jr. and me went out and partied that night.
09:29I mean, it was just awesome, dude.
09:31It was a night of just, dude, it was a night of rock and roll, really.
09:35I hear you were so excited to meet Garth Brooks that you literally scooped him up.
09:40Is this true?
09:41I didn't realize I picked him up until the clip went viral.
09:44I was just so excited.
09:46The big kid in me was just like, this is Garth Brooks.
09:48And I didn't realize that I picked him up.
09:50And then, of course, I get on TikTok and it's like my wife's like, there's a video of like four million views of you picking up Garth Brooks.
09:58And I was like, oh, no.
09:59How did Garth Brooks feel about that?
10:01Oh, he loved it, dude.
10:02The second time I met him, I walk in, he calls me over to see him.
10:05I went to his one night in Vegas residency.
10:08And Garth calls me.
10:09And first of all, greatest entertainer in country music history by a country mile.
10:12It's not comparable.
10:13It's not fair.
10:14First stadium act in country music.
10:17Broke the mold.
10:17I mean, biggest international artist, sold more records than Elvis.
10:20I mean, we're talking about Garth Brooks here, right?
10:23And he's coming.
10:23He's going, come on in, big guy.
10:25And as soon as I get up to him, he goes, take it easy this time, big fella, when I give him a hug.
10:32I was a little concerned that the story would go the other way and he was going to try to pick you up.
10:36And after some drinks, maybe that would go so well.
10:40And throw his back out.
10:41Exactly.
10:42Oh, my goodness.
10:42Then I injured Garth Brooks and he had to cancel a tour and his fans hate me forever.
10:46You end his stadium career.
10:49Oh, boy.
10:49But it didn't go that way.
10:50So everything's fine.
10:51Everything's great.
10:52We're speaking with Jelly Roll on 93.3 WMMR.
10:56In the past couple of years, you have graced some pretty incredible stages.
11:00We're talking Grand Ole Opry.
11:02And you were just about to perform at Red Rocks the last time that we spoke.
11:07And I can tell that it is not lost on you the significance of performing in spaces like this.
11:13So I was wondering if any particular one was particularly meaningful to you.
11:20Red Rocks is always special, man.
11:21It was a big night.
11:22The Bridgestone here in Nashville, because it's my hometown arena, I'm also a Predators fan.
11:27So I've been coming to watch my hockey team play for 20 years.
11:31And it's just local.
11:32You know, it don't get no bigger.
11:33But, yeah, they were all, you know, I get to play the Gorge this year.
11:37I haven't played it yet, but it's the first time playing.
11:39And I get to play it with Eric Church later.
11:41It's one of the iconic venues.
11:43But you know what I'm dreaming of?
11:45I'm dreaming of Madison Square Garden.
11:47Yeah.
11:48That's what I'm dreaming of.
11:49That's the goal.
11:50That's like, I have a bucket list of venues that I feel like every artist probably does that they want to play.
11:56And MSG is the next big one that's just screaming at me.
12:00Jelly Roll Residency.
12:02It's coming.
12:03You'll break Billy Joel's record.
12:05Stop it.
12:06How many times has he played there?
12:07Like several hundred, I think.
12:09Oh, God.
12:09He just played there again the other night.
12:11We was out there and they tried to get us to go.
12:12We were in town.
12:13He had a show and I didn't have time to go.
12:14Oh, man.
12:15I'm curious what other venues are on your wish list.
12:18Oh, like the.
12:21So I never got to play.
12:24And I'm embarrassed about this, by the way.
12:26I never got to play Whiskey Yoga.
12:28And it bothers me that I haven't got to play it, to be honest.
12:31In L.A., right?
12:32Yep.
12:33Yep.
12:33There's a little spot right there on Sunset.
12:35I played the Roxy.
12:36I played the Troubadour.
12:39Obviously, I want to play like the Hollywood Bowl or the Greek theater, but I really want
12:42to play Whiskey Go-Go.
12:43It's like one of them small, 200 capacity, intimate, famous rock venues.
12:49You know what I mean?
12:49Like I'm already sick that I miss CBGB.
12:52I'm already sick that I miss like some of these iconic spots that existed.
12:55Like, I think that there is such a culture in the low ceiling rock clubs in America, right?
13:02That is like so special that places like Whiskey Go-Go, like I just, I really want to go play.
13:08You know what I mean?
13:09Dives are a vibe.
13:11Dives are an absolute vibe.
13:12Yeah.
13:13Have you played the 930 Club in D.C.?
13:16Mm-mm.
13:17See?
13:17That's what I'm talking about.
13:19The, what's it called?
13:20The Commodore Club in Austin?
13:22Mm.
13:22Yeah, like these spots you just hear about, your whole, you know what I mean?
13:27You just hear about, you're just like, man, I just, I want to play some of those, you know?
13:31Yeah, legendary.
13:32Well, you've accomplished quite a lot that you've said you never thought you would.
13:37So I think these are achievable goals for you.
13:39Absolutely.
13:39You keep going on this trajectory.
13:41I told somebody the other day, my manager, that things that seemed impossible for me now
13:45seem inevitable.
13:46And that's the craziest life change you could ever experience in life where things that literally
13:51seem impossible now seem inevitable.
13:53So there's this documentary that is streaming on Hulu right now about you, your life, your
13:58career, the story of like a rags to riches redemption, which is really amazing.
14:03It's called Save Me.
14:05And it's on my watch list.
14:06I haven't seen it in its entirety yet.
14:08But in the trailer alone, it is so apparent that you have this amazing, beautiful, intense
14:15connection with your fan base.
14:17And even just popping on like Instagram and TikTok saying, hey, guys, like this song's
14:22about to go in the top 10 or here's a dose of optimism for the day.
14:27You are always keeping in touch with them and having this ongoing conversation with them.
14:32And I was wondering what that was like for you to be in touch with all of these people
14:38who draw inspiration from what you do, because that fan base has grown exponentially in the past
14:43couple of years alone.
14:44Yeah, no, it's been incredible, man.
14:46And we still treat it like we did back then.
14:48It's nothing is more important than the relationship that exists between the artist and the person
14:57that cares about the art.
14:59Right.
15:00Nothing like that's always the most important.
15:04Like I feel like they should never hear news from anybody but me.
15:07You know what I mean?
15:08Like good or bad, new album coming.
15:10They shouldn't be promoted to.
15:12They shouldn't be sold to.
15:13They should hear from me.
15:15You know, and I think it's also an honesty thing that I'm not afraid when we were like
15:18a few thousand records behind being in the top three albums on the Billboard 200.
15:22I'm not too prideful to get on Instagram and Facebook and TikTok and go, hey, y'all,
15:27listen, I love y'all.
15:27I need help.
15:28We're like 3,000 records away from beating Taylor Swift this week.
15:30And I kind of want to beat her.
15:31You know what I'm saying?
15:32And it's like, you know, like, please, man, it's about, you know, and I think that's also
15:37kind of a part of the genuineness.
15:38Sometimes music is oversold and overpackaged and overproduced to the point that it takes
15:45away from the integrity of the message.
15:47And our music is just so honest anyways.
15:49I feel like the best way for me to deal with people is just that honest to just turn the
15:53phone on and tell them what's going on.
15:55Does that ever get overwhelming?
15:57I would say it never gets overwhelming because this success is every problem I ever prayed for.
16:03But I am an empath.
16:06I'm an empath by nature.
16:08So I don't just hear you.
16:10I feel you.
16:12You know what I mean?
16:13It's so when I hear some stories, sometimes I don't just hear them.
16:16I feel them.
16:16You know, I have a nobody cries alone policy.
16:19You know what I mean?
16:19It's my rule.
16:20You can't cry around me.
16:21I'll cry with you.
16:22I won't let you cry alone.
16:23I also have a nobody drinks alone policy, which kicks me in the ass all the time.
16:27But I love both of those.
16:30That's fantastic.
16:31They're great.
16:31No matter what, you're in good company.
16:33Yeah.
16:33So I would lie.
16:34If I said, sometimes it doesn't weigh on you a little bit.
16:37You know what I mean?
16:37I have to be more strategic about when I give the time to receive some of that stuff.
16:42You know what I mean?
16:43To make sure that my space is because I'm still fragile.
16:46Sure.
16:46Absolutely.
16:48I know you're busy.
16:49I know you got to go.
16:50I've got just one more question for you.
16:52Thinking about the documentary that's about your life.
16:54If you were to have a feature film about your life, who would you pick to star as you?
17:03And who would you pick to star as Bunny?
17:05Ooh, me and Bunny talked about this the other night.
17:07So I got answers.
17:09You ready?
17:09Oh, perfect.
17:10Yes.
17:11Obviously, Jelly Roll's got to be Jonah Hill.
17:15Nice.
17:15Right?
17:16He does such a good job at being funny.
17:18He's a lively, jovial dude in real life.
17:20But he can also put on the serious stuff.
17:22And I think I need somebody that can do both of them.
17:24And he also has struggled with the obesity.
17:31Right?
17:31He struggled with his weight, too.
17:33So I think he could relate in a lot of ways.
17:35Nobody but Margot Robbie could do Bunny.
17:37Right?
17:38Who else is more fit?
17:40You know what I mean?
17:41Mm-hmm.
17:42So it's like me and Bunny talked about that the other night because I was like, God, who
17:45would play you?
17:45It had to be somebody to knock it out the park.
17:46I don't know why I didn't think about it.
17:48But I mean, obviously, dude, that's Bunny for sure.
17:50Well, she's about to come out with the Barbie movie.
17:53And that definitely fits in that, like, aesthetic of Bunny in that label.
17:56Yeah.
17:56Yeah.
17:56Except for if Barbie was a gangster.
17:59Bunny's gangster Barbie.
18:00Yeah.
18:00Exactly.
18:00Yeah.
18:02The gangster Barbie.
18:03Amazing.
18:05Well, thank you so much for joining us today.
18:07The new album, Whits It Chapel, out now.
18:09Go get it.
18:10Go stream it.
18:11And we'll see you in Philly, hopefully, very soon.
18:13Thank you for joining us today, Jelly Roll.
18:15Thank you, Sarah.
18:16Thank you, Sarah.