John Crump interviews country star, Brodie Stewart on the making of his brand new record album Born American.
U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)-At first glance, Brodie Stewart background wouldn’t lend itself to turning him into a country music star.
Brodie grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a cowboy at heart. With a love of rodeo and music, he embraced country music, but country music wasn’t his first foray into the music business.
Brodie was initially the lead singer of a Southern Rock band. Through this music experience, he got a taste of life on the road while touring. He was able to play his music in front of the sold-out stadiums. His band even charted on Billboard. He was hooked.
With this experience under his belt, Brodie decided to go back to his first love of country music. With hits such as “Born American” and “Mississippi Mud,” Brodie has been “keepin’ it country” while touring the nation.
I had a chance to sit down and speak with Brodie about music, life, and freedom.
John: Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to talk to the AmmoLand News readers.
Brodie: Absolutely!
John: One thing I can’t figure out is how do you go from growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area Bay to being a country music star?
Brodie: It started when I was a young boy. My dad was born and raised in a little town way up north just past Redding California. It was called Red Bluff California, and if anybody knows by driving through California that has been a hick town for years and years.
I used to go to the roundups and the rodeos up there as a kid, so I was around it. That was distilled in me as a kid by being around it, being young, and just by being able to see some of that stuff by being a part of it.
Then by seeing different styles of music and writing pretty much anything and everything. Back then I was doing that whole Southern Rock thing for a long time. It just made it natural. I still have a little bit of the Southern Rock feel, but I keep it in the country radio market. That would be the best answer for that one, man.
A lot of people see California and think the Bay Area. You can go to the Bay Area and drive outside the city towards Mt. Diablo and believe it or not a lot of that area is the country. You wouldn’t think so, but it is.
John: Why did you transition from Southern Rock to Country?
Brodie: I think it was a little bit natural for me because I always loved doing ballets. A lot of heartfelt stuff. It was just there with artists like Brandon Gilbert and Dustin Lynch. Dustin’s show has a big rock feel to it. I just like those big guitars and those big drums.
It seems like there’s that room for a little bit of that rock while also keeping the traditional instruments involved to keep it still in that country vein.
John: I hear you have a love for the rodeo. Tell us a little about how you discovered rodeo? Did you ride, or were you a fan?
Brodie: I was more of a fan. I was more of an athlete growing up. I didn’t really have time. I spent most of my summers up there in Red Bluff and didn’t have time to ride; it was more of me being a really good Athlete.
Football, baseball, and basketball were my things. I would say football and baseball were my mains and basketball was my third. I played pretty well in high school. My distant cousins were the Lafevers, and they all were in the Major Leagues.
I was definitely a big sports guy.
John: How do you keep grounded?
Brodie: You know man, I have gone out on the road, and been around, so many folks that I can tell you biggest part of helping to stay ground is that I am a big believer in faith. Having that religion in my life and knowing no one is bigger than God as far as I am concerned. That really helps me a lot.
I learned that there is a difference in having self-esteem and having an ego, and a lot of times it can be misplaced.
There has been a lot of times in my life when people have said, “Oh man, Brodie is egotistical!”
It is not that at all. It is the opposite. It is me trying to keep that self-confidence because it takes a hell of a lot of it to be able to stand on a stage whether you are in front of 50 people or 20,000. I have done all the above for several years.
It is just one of those things where it is just that, and my wife helps a lot too. At the same time just knowing to stay humble. Those type of people are my favorite type of people over the years. Those that have a dream and they remain humble and stay real at the same time.
John: “Born American” is an awesome song about soldiers. Me, being married to an active duty military member that song means a lot to me. Why did you decide to record it?
Brodie: Not only did I record it. I co-wrote it.
It was a no brainer. The story goes; my album was almost done. I felt I had done my best job with what was there then a friend of mine came into my manager’s office that he has known for years, and I have known for a long time.
He said, “Man, I got to play you something.”
He had started the idea and finished up the first verse and started on the chorus. Then I came in, and we got together and finished the whole thing together. By that time as soon as I heard it, I didn’t need to think twice about recording it. It was just one of those songs that in my opinion needed to be heard and to be out there.
It is kind of funny with songs and music that you never know what is going to resonate. I am hoping and praying that this one does. So far so good, but it is still a long process. It is a tough process, but it is one of those things that with our veterans and our military’s feedback that we are getting have been so positive.
That is who we did it for. It was for them. It was to give thanks to them for the sacrifices that they have made. In my opinion, it is the biggest sacrifice that they can make as a human being. With my grandfather being in and my dad serving, my bass player’s son is a Marine it is just around us all the time, especially in country music.
It is just an easy thing to say, “Hey! We want to put a shout out to them every night we possibly can.”
I wanted to write something that had an anthem feel to it, and hopefully, this is it. I didn’t want to get too political, but I defiantly wanted to make it known how proud we are of our military, our veterans, and their family members.
John: You filmed the video for the song on the USS Midway. How on earth did you pull that off?
Brodie: You know that was pretty crazy. It wasn’t easy we had to jump through a bunch of hoops. I call it “being on your own ten-yard line with a minute and 49 seconds to go and you need a touch down to win the game.”
It wasn’t going to happen up until the very end. Then we had a venue owner named Mark who knew the right people. He actually served on the Midway. It was a no, no, no all the way up until the very end. They pushed it through for us.
They said, “You can have from 6 AM to 9 AM.” We had roll call at 5:30 in the morning and was able to get it done.
It also was on the Miramar base. That had to go all the way up to the Pentagon for permission. It was a process, but it was meant to be. We got really lucky, man!
John: You obviously have a great affinity for the US. Where does that patriotism come from in your life?
Brodie: I think a lot of it comes from the fact that my dad has always been a proud American.
I have always been proud of our military. I remember being ball games and having the jets fly over the stadiums, and just knowing that they are here to protect us and our borders. That is another issue that we are going through now.
It is just something I have been proud of and have been passionate about since I was little. Just learning history as an elementary kid. It gets my heart pumping from as far back as I can remember.
John: What is your experience with guns?
Brodie: I am a recreational shooter. I really don’t do a lot of hunting. I wouldn’t mind getting out and doing a little hunting, but for me, it has always been about recreation and protecting my home and family.
John: What are your favorite firearms?
Brodie: I love Rugers that are chambered .357 magnum. Nothing beats a great big wheel gun in your hands. They are classics.
I also love the Glock 19. It is great for multiple situations. It isn’t too big and isn’t too small. Plus, it is reliable. It is something that just works, and when it comes to defending your family and your home you want something that will not fail you.
I also really like the HK VP9. It is a great gun. Easy and fun to shoot. Just an excellent striker fire gun.
John: Why is the Second Amendment important to you?
Brodie: I want to be able to protect my family. I have kids and a wife at home. I am on the road a lot, and I want my wife to have the ability to protect herself.
We can also get into debates about the things that are going on in public. It is our right, and it has been our right for a long time. It is an absolute.
John: Anything the AmmoLand readers should be on the lookout for, or you want them to know?
Brodie: I just want them to push our video out like a wildfire. It is out there to give back to our men and women in the military. It is about giving thanks to them and letting them how we appreciate their sacrifice.
Readers and can find out more about Brodie Stewart at www.brodiestewartband.com.
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on leftist deplatforming methods and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, on Facebook at realjohncrump, or at www.crumpy.com.