- 4 years ago
Josiah Siska performs in the 92.5 XTU Bush Auto Group X Lounge
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00:00Welcome to the Busch Auto Group X Lounge for Nissan, Infinity, and more. You'll do better at Busch.
00:07I'm Andy, this is Jeff, and we are so excited to present Josiah Siska here with us today.
00:16Welcome.
00:18Thank you. It's good to be here. This is awesome. This is an awesome room.
00:21I think one thing that everybody who heard your air check and now you talking is your voice is just fantastically deep.
00:29I wouldn't know much about that, but for you, who were some maybe classic country artists that you have grown up and inspired you to sound like that?
00:39Because I grew up listening to Gilbert Gottfried. That's why I sound like this.
00:43For you, what were your inspirations in country music?
00:45It was a lot of cash. It was a lot of cash. I loved Don Williams. He was one of my favorites.
00:50Keith Whitley and stuff, but the lower singers, it came from a lot of Johnny Cash and Don Williams.
00:54And Waylon, too. Waylon was a bass. He had a nice low tone, I think.
01:00But I also understand that Mark Miller from Sawyer Brown is a big influence and kind of responsible for where you are today.
01:08Talk to us about that.
01:09Yeah, no, it was, meeting Mark was awesome.
01:12He found me when I was a short-haired little 17-year-old kid coming fresh off of Idol.
01:17And he just, you know, believed in me, was my first champion that I had in town, took me under his wing.
01:23You know, I had to do a lot of the cutting your teeth.
01:26You know, he ain't going to hold your hand. That's not how Mark works.
01:30But, you know, he'll set a bar for you and try and get you to reach that.
01:34And, you know, I just kept going and going higher, as high as I could go.
01:37And then came into Black River and met my record label and did a couple of presentations for them at some dive bars.
01:45And we had a lot of fun packing that thing out and rocking and rolling.
01:47You were there for that, right, Brandon?
01:49Yeah.
01:49At Belcourt Taps in Nashville.
01:51And then I got a record deal.
01:52So it just kind of worked out really cool.
01:55And Mark is one of my best friends.
01:57He's a dear mentor of mine.
01:59I have him produce, actually, a lot of the stuff I record.
02:03And, yeah, I'll call him about opinion about a song or anything.
02:06It's awesome to have a guy like that in your corner.
02:08A little self-serving here, but you're on the radio tour right now where you stop by and sing your beautiful music for people.
02:15But you said something about our room here, right?
02:17Oh, this sounds incredible, yeah.
02:19No, this is, like, the best sounding.
02:22It sounds amazing.
02:22Don't tell the other folks that.
02:26So it's too late.
02:27We've got this on video.
02:29So they all know.
02:31Oh, they all sounded just as good.
02:33So I was doing a deep dive into some of your videos and just a little of your history and stuff.
02:39And you are hilarious and clearly having so much fun doing what you do.
02:45So how about if we let you do it?
02:47Sure, yeah.
02:47Sound good?
02:48Oh, yeah.
02:48We're going to rock this thing.
02:49Go for it.
02:50Josiah Siska, everybody.
02:51Oh, thank you.
02:54Oh, man, this is awesome to have a little crowd.
02:56I love that.
02:57Thanks for coming in.
02:58Thanks for giving us some time of your morning.
03:00I know it's probably a busy week for y'all.
03:03You've got the Eagles going in the Super Bowl, so that's exciting.
03:05Yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:07It's going to be good.
03:09I'm pulling for the birds.
03:10I am.
03:10I'm pulling for the birds.
03:13This first song I want to play is track number seven on my record that we released.
03:18It's a seven-song EP that's out.
03:20I grew up, a little bit about myself, I grew up in the churches.
03:24So I grew up learning music on the piano, playing in church.
03:26I would play piano and sing, and then my mother would sing, and my oldest brother, Bobby, would
03:32play guitar and sing, and my daddy would go and preach.
03:34I was a preacher's kid.
03:36So, like, down in Dahlonega, Georgia, we would go up.
03:40It was a little horse ranch we would have that we would go to, and it had a chapel at the
03:44top of the horse ranch in Dahlonega, maybe a little white chapel, six pews on each side,
03:48smaller than this room.
03:50And that's kind of where I started playing music and performing.
03:53We would play for the ranchers on the ranch, the horse folks that couldn't leave the ranch.
03:57So we kind of had, like, a traveling ministry, and we'd go up there and sing some southern
04:01gospel for them.
04:02So I really wanted to include this song on my EP, and I wanted to write a gospel song,
04:08which was a challenge.
04:09I'd never written a gospel song before, or a Christian song.
04:12So I took this song idea I had called Better Man, and I took it into Mr. Doug Johnson over
04:17at Black River, and he wrote Three Wooden Crosses.
04:19So I felt like he would kind of have, you know, an angle of where to go with a gospel song
04:24and make it country, but make it fun.
04:26And it just, you know, the Johnny Cash guys, the George Joneses and stuff, they would include
04:32that gospel song on their records, and I wanted to kind of continue that tradition in country
04:36music of what they used to do and kind of bring it back.
04:38So the song's called Better Man.
04:41A lot of the influences, like I said, come from what I listened to growing up, but one
04:45of my favorite movies of all time is Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, Soggy Bottom Boys, Man of
04:50Constant Sorrow.
04:51So it has a little bit of that in it, too.
04:53But yeah, this is a song's called Better Man, and it's a little gospel song I wrote about
04:58redemption, and it goes something like this.
05:01You ready, House?
05:02Yeah.
05:08Sometimes I feel like I'm always on my knees Begging for God to set me free
05:26And sometimes my faith gets all blinded by the doubt And though I can't, I know that
05:37he can see That I'm a better man than I used to be
05:48In a world full of darkness Lord, let me be a light In a time so cold and heartless
06:14Heaven help me make it through the night I wanna wake up in the morning Tell the children
06:23spread the news Look what he's done for this old sinner
06:26Think of all he'll do for you Lord knows that I ain't perfect, but because he died for
06:33me I'm a better man than I used to be
06:43Tell the devil I ain't coming He can take my name off his list
06:59Cause I have been forgiven And my soul is no longer his
07:09Why Jesus hung up on that cross Why Jesus hung up on that cross
07:12I'll never understand But I can see the light through the walls in
07:18His hands Lord, he knows that I ain't perfect, but because he died for me
07:25I'm a better man than I used to be I wanna wake up in the morning Tell the children spread the news Look what he's done for this old sinner Think of all he's done for this old sinner
07:27I'm a better man than I used to be I wanna wake up in the morning Tell the children spread the news Look what he's done for this old sinner Think of all he'll do for you
07:29I'm a better man than I used to be I wanna wake up in the morning Tell the children spread the news Look what he's done for this old sinner Think of all he'll do for you
07:35I wanna wake up in the morning Tell the children spread the news Look what he's done for this old sinner Think of all he'll do for you
07:57Amazing grace has set me free Amazing grace has set me free
08:07And I'm a better man I'm a better man Than I used to be
08:22I'm a better man I'm a better man I'm a better man
08:42That was a better man
08:54Thank you very much But I just, you know, when we wrote that I really wanted to have that tradition thing going on with country music and I wanted to include that on the EP It was just kind of on my heart to do so
09:10It's also kind of a tribute to where I came from, you know, my upbringing with my parents
09:14You know, I may be singing secular songs, but I'll always be my father's son
09:18I wasn't always like that though, growing up I was a very, very stereotypical preacher's kid
09:25So I was really rebellious, I wouldn't listen to a daggum thing my dad said
09:29You know, not because my dad was wrong or anything bad It was because my dad was right
09:34So, you know, he would tell me what I needed to do and I would just not do the opposite
09:40And that was just kind of even getting into music as country music was almost like a little bit of a rebellious act of, you know, always playing the hymnals all the time
09:49Now I end up coming full circle, I call my dad, he's the wisest man I know, I call him for wisdom all the time
09:54And I ask him pray for me and stuff like that, I love my dad
09:57But yeah, kind of growing up, I was very rebellious, I wouldn't listen, but I would turn on the radio
10:03And I would hear a country song, I would hear one of my favorite classic country songs
10:08Whether it be a Charlie Daniels song or a Hank song
10:11And it would kind of have the same moral, the same message, the same kind of lesson my dad was trying to teach me in the song
10:19And I would listen if I heard it through the radio, but I wouldn't listen if I heard it from my dad
10:23So I wrote a song about that called Three Chords at a Time
10:27And that's what I named the EP after, that's the title track on the EP is Three Chords at a Time
10:33And it's just really about growing up through the radio, three chords at a time
10:37And it goes something like this
10:39Grandpa left me that old Chevrolet
10:59Didn't run but the radio still played
11:04And I sang along
11:08While Johnny taught me how to walk that line
11:12And Hank Williams told me it's alright
11:18To cry
11:20Guess the world just makes more sense with a country song
11:26Where the right is always right
11:30Where the right is always right
11:32And the wrong is wrong
11:34Where the right is always right
11:36And the wrong is wrong
11:38I learned to live
11:40And I learned to love
11:42Right there in that old truck
11:46Yeah, I grew up
11:48Three chords at a time
11:52Once at a time
11:58I met a girl like Conway sang about
12:02Fix the engine
12:04Cause I had to take her out
12:08On the town
12:12And we'd pull over across that county line
12:16Tailgate lovers
12:18Tailgate lovers
12:19Six strings
12:20And some wine
12:22All night
12:24Guess the world just makes more sense
12:28With a country song
12:30Where the right is always right
12:36And the wrong is wrong
12:38And the wrong is wrong
12:42I learned to live
12:44And I learned to love
12:46Right there in that old truck
12:50Yeah, I grew up
12:52Three chords at a time
12:56Once at a time
13:02Grandpa never knew
13:04The gift he gave me
13:06Grandpa never knew
13:08The gift he gave me
13:10But how that A.M. dial
13:12Was gonna save me
13:14Was gonna save me
13:16Guess the world just makes more sense
13:22With a country song
13:24Where the right is always right
13:30And the wrong is wrong
13:32And the wrong is wrong
13:34And the wrong is wrong
13:36I learned to love
13:38I learned to love
13:40I learned to love
13:42Right there in that old truck
13:46Yeah, I grew up
13:48Three chords at a time
13:52Yeah, I grew up
13:56Three chords at a time
13:58Three chords at a time
14:06Grandpa left me
14:08That old Chevrolet
14:10Didn't run
14:12But the radio still played
14:20Well, thank you very much.
14:24Well, thank you so much.
14:26It was really special to me
14:28Because it's you know
14:29It's my story
14:30And a country song
14:31You know, it really was
14:32I turn on the radio
14:33And I'd hear that message
14:34I'd be like, yeah, alright
14:35I'll listen to Charlie
14:36And my dad said the same thing
14:37And I'd be like, nah, not really
14:38But you know, growing up
14:39Through the radio
14:40Three chords at a time
14:41You know, I'm glad
14:42I'm thankful for country radio
14:43Because that, you know
14:44Kind of made me who I am
14:46This next song I want to play though
14:48Is definitely on a different note
14:50We did all the wholesome stuff
14:51Now we're going to the party
14:53This is going to be the radio single
14:56Which I am super excited
14:58Super, super excited for
15:00I had a lot of fun recording this song
15:03We recently had the music video premiere on CMT
15:05Which was really cool
15:06And a surreal moment for me as an artist
15:08To get to see that
15:09Kind of just something that I've worked on
15:11Be out there in a music video for him on TV
15:13That was crazy
15:14That was crazy
15:15The director of the video of this song though
15:17He describes it
15:18The music video as
15:20The Star Wars Cantina scene
15:23Meets the Hangover movie
15:25Which is definitely kind of wacky and out there
15:28But I had so much fun making that video
15:31And the song is called
15:32Three Tequila Floor
15:33Because we don't really make it to four that often
15:36And it kind of starts with a snap
15:39It goes a little something like this
15:41In a little cantina out in Caboaba
15:57I poured a shot of miscal in a glass
16:00I started talking to the worm at the bottom of the bottle
16:04We cried and we laughed
16:07About then I started losing all the feeling
16:10For every shot I had
16:11I must have had one more
16:13Next thing I know
16:14I was staring at the ceiling
16:16One Tequila
16:17Two Tequila
16:18Three Tequila Floor
16:25Well they got a little wild at the bachelorette party
16:28Little Katie Shepard
16:30Way to book 05
16:31She went for quiet and shy
16:33Wanting to fight everybody
16:35White dress and a black eye
16:37Teardrops fallin'
16:39Teardrops fallin'
16:40Makeup runnin'
16:41Like Tammy Faye
16:42Baker
16:43Prayin' to the Lord
16:44Started out fun
16:45But now she's done
16:47One Tequila
16:48Two Tequila
16:49Three Tequila Floor
16:50For a good time
16:52Oh
16:53Add some salt and lime
16:55Makes you feel so fine
16:56Oh
16:57Makes you feel so fine
16:58Oh
16:59You'll keep warm
17:01More
17:02A few shots of agave
17:05Makes your knees get wobbly
17:08Then it wrecks your body
17:11One Tequila
17:12Two Tequila
17:13Three Tequila Floor
17:14To the Floor
17:20Tommy turned twenty-one
17:21Like a rockstar
17:23Buyin'
17:24Cuervo Gold
17:25Round after round
17:26Thought he was bull-proof
17:28Till the shots started flyin'
17:30Bottoms up
17:31And a man down
17:33Liein' on the barroom floor
17:35Head spinnin'
17:36Down for the count
17:37Lookin' for the door
17:39Last thing he said
17:40All blurry-eyed grinnin'
17:42One Tequila
17:43Two Tequila
17:44Three Tequila Floor
17:45For a good time
17:47Oh
17:48Add some salt and lime
17:50Oh
17:51Makes you feel so fine
17:53Oh
17:54You'll keep warm
17:56More
17:57A few shots of agave
18:00Makes your knees get wobbly
18:03Then it wrecks your body
18:06One Tequila
18:07Two Tequila
18:08Three Tequila Floor
18:09Mouth trumpet
18:10Well a spaceship crashed in the Roswell Desert
18:24A little green man stumbled into a bar
18:27Tried to blend in with all the other feathers
18:31So good, so far
18:33A few drinks and he was havin' fun
18:36Until some military men walked through the door
18:39They tracked him off to Area 51
18:42Singin' one Tequila
18:43Two Tequila
18:44Three Tequila Floor
18:45For a good time
18:47Oh
18:48Add some salt and lime
18:50Oh
18:51Makes you feel so fine
18:53Oh
18:54You'll keep warm more
18:57A few shots of agave
18:59Makes your knees get wobbly
19:03Then it wrecks your body
19:06One Tequila
19:07Two Tequila
19:08Three Tequila Floor
19:09Floor
19:10Thank you
19:12And, that's a fun song, I like that
19:14just you know, when I sing it I kinda see the music video so I start laughing because I mean
19:22when you see the video you understand but you've got like a little green man standing on a bar top
19:31But those are the three songs we planned.
19:35I would love to play one extra if we have time.
19:37Do we have time for one more song?
19:39Can I do a little ballad or something?
19:41I'd like to play a love song personally.
19:44Let's see if this guitar is in tune enough to do so.
19:55That's pretty good.
19:56Can I get just a little more acoustic?
19:59I'm finger-picking on this one.
20:01This song is called Cold Heart on Fire.
20:04I hadn't written it in time to include it on this project.
20:07But it will be coming out on the next one.
20:10I wrote that with this guy right here.
20:11Me and Brandon like to write a lot of songs together.
20:13I wrote this with Brandon and my buddy Andrew.
20:17And, yeah, it's just, you know, it's a love song.
20:20You know, I've been through the ringer with some tough relationships.
20:23But I always am like, well, I hope to find someone that can set a cold heart on fire.
20:27So that's kind of where it came from.
20:29And it goes like this.
20:31I hope you'll like it.
20:31My heart was frozen like a stone
20:48Out in a crowd I'd feel long
20:54Like a calm blazing bright
20:59You came crashing in my life
21:02You came crashing in my life
21:02Gave me love I'd never known
21:05You light me up with just one touch
21:12You're like a flame that's running wild
21:18And I'll keep burning for your love
21:24You set this cold, cold, cold heart on fire
21:30Like a spark to gasoline
21:35When your eyes are locked on me
21:38When your eyes are locked on me
21:42I'm like a candle melting down
21:44I'm like a candle melting down
21:47Whenever you're around
21:50Just a kiss is all I need
21:53You light me up with just one touch
21:56You light me up with just one touch
21:59You light me up with just one touch
22:00You're like a flame that's running wild
22:05I'll keep burning for your love
22:11You set this cold, cold heart on fire
22:17You light me up with just one touch
22:47You're like a flame that's running wild, and I'll keep burning for your love.
22:59You set this cold, cold heart on fire.
23:05I'll keep burning for your love.
23:09You set this cold, cold heart on fire.
23:39Yeah, give it up one more time, Josiah Siska.
23:44I know, and I'm glad you gave us that little last one, too, because it's, you know, just warmed us all up a little bit.
23:50Good stuff.
23:51We're looking forward to good stuff from you in the future, Josiah.
23:54No, thank you all so much.
23:55It's been a pleasure being here and playing.
23:57I think we brought some pictures, so I'd love to sign something for everybody and take some pictures as well.
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