Country Minute Podcast

James Shotwell
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The Country Minute Podcast brings you closer to the artists, songs, and moments defining today’s country music scene. Hosted by husband-and-wife team James and Laura Shotwell, each episode is an immersive, fan-centered journey through the world of country music. From exclusive artist interviews and deep dives into emerging trends to unforgettable stories from behind the scenes, we deliver the latest in a way that only true fans can. Built on the success of our social media content, Country Minute Podcast captures the vibrant, diverse, and ever-evolving nature of country music. It’s a space wh

  1. 2d ago

    Braxton Keith On Moe Bandy, Elton John, And Opening For Wiz Khalifa

    Braxton Keith walked off stage at XRoads41 in Oshkosh and we followed him onto the bus. First time at this festival for us, first time for him too, and the first time he has ever opened for Wiz Khalifa, who was still landing on a PJ while Braxton was playing. He was supposed to be a dentist. His mom is a hygienist, his dad is a dentist, and both of them told him to stay out of the medical field because school probably was not his thing. He took that as a challenge, went in as a biochem major, and got wrecked by the labs. Then they told him the music thing probably would not work out either. Real Damn Deal has been out three months. We get into the album cover, which came from an old Moe Bandy record where Bandy is miniaturized inside a beer glass. James bought someone's entire Moe Bandy collection off Marketplace a few weeks back and cannot stop talking about how every title makes you flinch. Braxton explains why that kind of honesty is what he is chasing, what Hank Williams and Merle Haggard did that he is trying to do a little more modern, and why he wants every person in the crowd running their own movie of the song in their head. Plus: his first concert was Elton John in Lubbock at age eight, where his mom covered his eyes during a song she did not want him hearing. His Elton top three. Why fans are asking for the slow songs at a festival. And what happens when the Gavin Adcock run starts at the end of August. We also brought him a gift, because what do you get a guy who loves Crocodile Rock and did not become a dentist. Real Damn Deal is out now. Presented by Country Minute. Follow Country Minute for artist interviews, festival coverage, and the stories behind the songs.Instagram: @country_minuteTikTok: @countryminute

  2. Aug 4

    Graham Barham Swears He Didn't Know About The FGL Reunion

    We caught Graham Barham backstage at Country Jam USA in his trailer, hooked up to an IV, on a day he flew in that morning and was flying out that night. He is a three shirt guy: the one he shows up in, the show shirt, and the one that goes on after. There is no going back to the first one. This is our second sit down with Graham, and it might be our most honest one. He talks about missing his best man speech tonight to play this show, for a friend he has had for twenty years, and the sacrifices in this job that nobody sees. He talks about Club Country a month out, why Shoot You Straight is his favorite because of what his band did with it, and his ongoing campaign to manifest Matthew McConaughey into one of his music videos. We also make him answer for the Florida Georgia Line reunion. We had asked him about it at CMA Fest. We had handed him a tiny vinyl in March. He said he had no idea. We are still not entirely convinced. Either way, he was upstairs at Spotify House when it happened, and he says he cried at least twice. Plus: forty odd shows in the first two and a half months of 2027, what Tyler Hubbard told him about keeping his head on straight, the outside cut he wrote for someone he has looked up to for a long time, his mom's favorite songs and exactly why, and the reason his dad Barry has been irrigating crops in a mullet, shorts, and boat shoes since 1985. Club Country is out now. The Club Country tour is coming. Presented by Country Minute. Follow Country Minute for artist interviews, festival coverage, and the stories behind the songs.Instagram: @country_minuteTikTok: @countryminuteNewsletter: countryminute.net #GrahamBarham #ClubCountry #CountryJam #countrymusic #CountryMinute

  3. Jul 31

    Blake Whiten On Meeting Morgan Wallen In Front Of 90,000 People

    Blake Whiten was posting covers from his bedroom in Six Mile, South Carolina twenty five months ago. Last week he played Michigan Stadium with Morgan Wallen and sang a verse of "Up Down" in front of 90,000 people, which was also the first time he and Morgan had ever shaken hands. We sat down with him the next morning in Ann Arbor. He talks about dodging pyro, asking Hudson Westbrook for backstage advice, keeping his mom in the dark so she would not miss the moment, and the hometown release show where he bought free gas for the entire town and played off three truck beds in a gas station parking lot. His debut album is out now, and the headline tour is coming at the end of the year. Presented by Country Minute.

  4. Jul 21

    Why Frankie Ballard Walked Away From Country Music, and What Pulled Him Back

    Frankie Ballard is back, and this one meant a lot to me. We caught up at CMA Fest to talk about the last stretch of his career, the quiet years where he stepped away from country radio to start a family, and what it took to walk back through the door. Frankie and I have a lot in common. We are both Michigan boys, both dads to little ones, and both figuring out how to grow up in real time while chasing something we love. That shared ground made this a special conversation for me. We get into "The Messenger," the album he made with his best friend and producer Tyler Bryant of Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown, and how looking into his daughter's eyes gave him a whole new reason for being in music. We dig into "Dirty Church Clothes," the song about walking into a church that felt more like a fashion show than a sanctuary, and his search for a place that would simply preach the word. Frankie opens up about faith, about the responsibility of feeding little souls when you are still being shaped yourself, and about the truth that dads are allowed to make mistakes in front of their kids. Then we get to "Nitty Gritty Grind," his new single, and the story behind it is one of my favorites. His daughter handed him the title on his way out the door to the studio, and the song became his way of putting a hand on the shoulder of every parent grinding through a chaotic, expensive, exhausting season and saying, you are not in this alone. We close it out Michigan style with a little this or that, some Bob Seger worship, the "Live Bullet" record that changed both our lives, and the story of Frankie touring with Seger back in 2012. Stick around to the end for a promise Frankie makes that I fully intend to hold him to. What we cover: Taking a hiatus to start a family, and finding his way back"The Messenger" and building it with Tyler BryantThe story behind "Dirty Church Clothes"Faith, fatherhood, and suffering well"Nitty Gritty Grind" and the daughter who named itGrowing up Michigan, Bob Seger, and "Live Bullet"Why he will never root for a Tennessee teamSubscribe to Country Minute for more artist storytelling, festival coverage, and the conversations that go deeper than the single. #countrymusic

  5. Jun 29

    Ashley Cooke Breaks Down Her New Album, the Exes Hotline, and the World Tour

    Ashley Cooke stopped by Country Minute at CMA Fest right in the middle of what she calls a shift, a stretch where the momentum just keeps building and she cannot quite explain why. In this conversation she opens up about leaning all the way into the personal on her new self-titled album, the idea that getting more specific somehow makes a song more universal, and the breakthrough that led to the emotional closer The Girl Who Cried Wolf. We talk through the singles already out, the full 15-track range from sassy to pissed off to heartbroken, the Exes Hotline moment she created to keep every live show different, and the World Tour lineup she is bringing along for the ride. The self-titled record Ashley Cooke is out August 14th. Listen, follow, and tell us which track you are most looking forward to.

  6. Jun 15

    Shane McAnally: Writing the Songs You Shouldn't Hear | Country Minute

    James sat down with Shane McAnally at CMA Fest, and somehow captured lightning in a bottle. We chased this interview for nearly a full year, and Shane did not disappoint. This is, by far, one of the most personal conversations we've had on this show. Shane was just named the second greatest living country songwriter by Rolling Stone. But we start where it all began that week: his brand new one-man show, Hits & Giggles, which we caught at Zanies in Nashville. Shane talks about how the show came together, the nerves of hitting the road without a padded crowd, and why he insists on that piano being on stage. From there it's pure songwriting. Learning to navigate Sam Hunt's train of thought writing style. How Kacey Musgraves showed him it was okay not to give a damn. The quiet sadness inside "American Kids" that most people miss until someone points it out. And what song he'd play for his 2008 self if he could. Shane also gets honest about losing the joy in his career chasing commercial success, and why he's fighting to get it back. That part, honestly, might be my personal favorite. Follow us on Instagram @country_minute and subscribe wherever you listen for new episodes.

  7. Apr 28

    Why Colby Acuff Is Doing Everything Opposite in Country Music

    Colby Acuff is the country outsider leading a revolution that is anything but quiet. We sat down with the Idahoan singer-songwriter in the basement of The Intersection in Grand Rapids, Michigan to talk about his headlining tour, his upcoming record, and why he is doing everything opposite this year. Colby just wrapped up a Whiskey Riff March Madness run where he beat Chris Stapleton and Turnpike Troubadours to take the whole thing. He is playing a ton of unreleased music on this tour, leaning into a Southern rock and country rock sound that pulls from CCR, Waylon, Willie, and Bob Seger. The new record was solo written, recorded raw with no vocal tuning, and Colby calls the next single his favorite song on the entire project. We also got into the art direction behind the new era, why he packages serious messages in comedy, the iPhone he passes into the crowd every night so fans can shoot the show, and what it means to find your own measurements of success when you are not chasing the mainstream. New music drops at the end of April. Presented by Country Minute.

    Why Colby Acuff Is Doing Everything Opposite in Country Music

  8. Apr 21

    Zach John King: New Music, Big Tours, and the One Thing He Still Hasn't Figured Out

    James sits down with 2025 Country Minute Rookie of the Year Zach John King backstage at the Blue Gate in Shipshewana, Indiana. Zach opens up about joining Thomas Rhett on the road this fall, the headlining run he's been low-key teasing, and why ticket sales are the only metric that really matters to him. He also breaks news on back-to-back releases coming in just a few weeks, including a Harry Styles cover that was previously Amazon-exclusive. Plus, his honest take on TikTok, balancing the grind with keeping his band's morale intact, and what it looks like to build a catalog that doesn't put fans in a box.Subscribe for more country music interviews, festival coverage, and artist stories every week.#ZachJohnKing #countrymusic #CountryMinute

    Zach John King: New Music, Big Tours, and the One Thing He Still Hasn't Figured Out
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About

The Country Minute Podcast brings you closer to the artists, songs, and moments defining today’s country music scene. Hosted by husband-and-wife team James and Laura Shotwell, each episode is an immersive, fan-centered journey through the world of country music. From exclusive artist interviews and deep dives into emerging trends to unforgettable stories from behind the scenes, we deliver the latest in a way that only true fans can. Built on the success of our social media content, Country Minute Podcast captures the vibrant, diverse, and ever-evolving nature of country music. It’s a space wh

Information

  • Creator
    James Shotwell
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    34
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © James Shotwell
  • Show Website
    Country Minute Podcast