CURB RECORDS’ MO PITNEY TALKS EXPECTATIONS FOR NEW RECORD, BREAKING BOXES, AND LIFE IN QUARANTINE.
NEW SINGLE “MATTRESS ON THE FLOOR” AVAIL MAY 15 .
Q+A
YOU’RE SET TO RELEASE YOUR NEW RECORD “AIN’T LOOKIN’ BACK” THIS SUMMER. TELL US ABOUT THAT.
I’M EXCITED ABOUT THIS NEW RECORD BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT IS A MELTING POT OF ALL MY MUSICAL INFLUENCES IN ONE PLACE… I LIKE A LOT OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF MUSIC, NOT ONLY COUNTRY/TRADITIONAL COUNTRY MUSIC (THOUGH THAT IS MY FAVORITE). I WANTED TO BREAK OUTSIDE MY OWN BOX AND WANTED THE OTHER MUSICAL INFLUENCES IN MY LIFE TO MAKE A NEW SOUND WHEN MIXED WITH THE REST. LYRICALLY, THERE ARE SONGS ABOUT LOVE, LOSS AND REDEMPTION… BUT I MOSTLY HOPE FANS GET LOVE AND REDEMPTION OUT OF IT.
YOU MENTION IN A RECENT POST THAT “STORMS NEVER LAST” IS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS. HOW HAVE ARTISTS LIKE WAYLON JENNINGS AND JESSI COLTER INSPIRED AND CRAFTED YOUR SOUND?
WAYLON AND JESSE, ALONG WITH JOHNNY CASH, WILLIE NELSON, MERLE HAGGARD AND MANY MORE, WERE INSPIRING TO ME BECAUSE IT SEEMED LIKE THEY MADE IT TO A POINT IN THEIR CAREERS WHERE THEY STOPPED PLAYING ANY GAMES ON THE MUSIC BUSINESS SIDE AND REALIZED THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD MAKE THEM HAPPY MUSICALLY WAS TO FOLLOW THEIR HEART. THEY MADE MUSIC BECAUSE THEIR MUSIC NEEDED TO BE MADE... THERE WERE THINGS THEY NEEDED TO SAY. THEN LITTLE 14-YEAR-OLD BOYS LIKE ME (BACK THEN) WOULD HEAR IT AND COUDN’T DENY THAT IT WAS THE “REAL THING” — I OWE A LOT OF MY STRIVING FOR THE REAL THING TO ARTISTS LIKE THAT.
SPEAKING OF SONGS, YOU’VE WRITTEN SONGS WITH ESTABLISHED NASHVILLE WRITERS LIKE TRENT WILMON AND WENDELL MOBLEY. WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE PEOPLE TO WRITE WITH AND WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT THE PROCESS?
THEY ARE GREAT! I ALSO LOVE, WILL NANCE, BOBBY TOMBERLIN, DEAN DILLON, AND PAUL OVERSTREET, JUST TO NAME A FEW MORE.
THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT CO-WRITING IS, EVERY SINGLE PERSON APPROACHES WRITING A SONG A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY — IN THE SAME WAY THAT I GATHER INSPIRATION FROM DIFFERENT ARTISTS' SOUNDS THAT I LIKE, FOR RECORDING. I HAVE TAKEN BITS AND PIECES OF EACH WRITER THAT I’VE WRITTEN WITH TO CREATE MY OWN STYLE OF WRITING. AND THE WAY I WRITE NOW COULD’VE NEVER HAPPENED WITHOUT CO-WRITING.
MY ADVICE FOR NEW WRITERS IS TO CO-WRITE A LOT, BUT TO ALSO WRITE A LOT OF SONGS BY YOURSELF! THE SONGS THAT SEEM LIKE THEY START TO SPILL OUT OF MY HEART ARE THE SONGS THAT I WRITE BY MYSELF. THE SONGS THAT FEEL LIKE WILL TAKE A LITTLE MORE WORK AND HAMMERING ON - I NORMALLY BRING THOSE IDEAS TO OTHERS IN CO-WRITES.
YOU’VE STARTED A VIDEO SERIES CALLED ‘MO MONDAY’ ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA - HOW HAS IT HELPED YOU CONNECT WITH YOUR FANS DURING THIS TIME?
MO MONDAYS HAVE BEEN A HUGE HELP IN CONNECTING DURING THE QUARANTINE! IT’S BEEN A GREAT WAY TO SHARE OUR LIFE AND WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON, BUT ALSO REVEALING SOME PERFORMANCES IN CREATIVE PLACES!
ANYTHING YOU’RE BINGING IN QUARANTINE?
MY WIFE AND I WERE BINGING BOY MEETS WORLD, BUT WE JUST MOVED ON TO EVEN STEVENS.
WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU ENJOYED IN QUARANTINE?
QUARANTINE HAS BEEN GOOD FOR FAMILY TIME! I THINK EVERYONE GETS WORRIED THAT TOO MUCH TIME TOGETHER IS A BAD THING, AND FOR US, THAT HAS NOT BEEN THE CASE. HAVING THE EXTRA TIME GIVES MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CERTAIN MOMENTS OF MEANINGFUL CONNECTION — WHETHER IT’S HAVING BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER TOGETHER, OR PRAYERS BEFORE BED TIME WITH MY LITTLE GIRL… THOSE LITTLE MOMENTS HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON THE FLOW OF OUR WHOLE DAY HERE. MOMENTS LIKE THOSE ARE THINGS THAT I AM HOPING TO HOLD ON TO WHEN THINGS RETURN TO NORMAL. AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE ARE DOING TOGETHER AS A FAMILY IS BUILDING AND GROWING A GARDEN — PICS TO COME!
CHECK OUT MO’S MOST RECENT RELEASE “RIGHT NOW WITH YOU”
