Prolific Southern lyricist and songwriter Jelly Roll took the hot seat for a session on the Talk Toomey Podcast. In the very candid conversation, the creative detailed the kind of significant progress he is making on a personal level, sharing that he has trimmed down some 20 pounds with a goal of shedding 100 in total before he heads back out on tour.
He got into some of his most recent performances including an especially memorable appearance at Louder Than Life Festival that including knocking back a few shots in the press tent - always a party. He also revisited his guest spot at Blue Ridge Rock Festival just this last year, when Shinedown invited him onstage for a rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" that brought the house down.
When it comes to memorable performances however, nothing tops playing The Grand Ole Opry. The Nashville native gushed about stepping on the legendary stage and talked about the surreal experience on sharing his craft on such sacred grounds. He emphasizes his gratitude in being so universally accepted by talking about the variety of his plays - from The Ryman to the Opry, from Tennessee institution Tootsie's for the Birthday Bash to his spot at Welcome to Rockville, Jelly Roll gets nothing but love everywhere he goes.
The common denominator would arguably be the sincerity of his music. He spoke to that, particularly a song like "Save Me" in which Jelly Roll shared that evoking emotion, real emotion on the track is always important for him to convey. In sharing the details of his life, his music, and his history, Jelly Roll reiterated the kind of love he has for his fans, likening them to the Spartans and readily admitting that he may not be for everyone, but for those that are invested, they remain ride or die.
The duo dissected Jelly Roll's route to his current role, in which the artist recalled how downloading music, introduced him to a limitless well of influence in terms of styles and genres. He also shared that he would often buy CDs that had the extra DVD or elaborate packaging and artwork - fascinated with the details.
He broke down major influences and formative moments in his personal life, particularly when he shared a story about modeling himself after Tech N9ne and seeing a story about the Kansas City hero being in jail at one time. Jelly says he knew then, he was on the right path.
As for the forecast for the specially prolific musician, Jelly Roll has ambitious plans to drop not one but three different albums in the same year. Exploring his roots in hip hop, rock and country, Jelly Roll is aiming to conquer all three with a full length effort dedicated to each in 2022 - given his work ethic, that vision will almost certainly become a reality. He would go onto show some love to Corey Taylor of Slipknot and referenced his ability to pursue various creative avenues and musical styles as an inspiration.
To close out the conversation, Jelly Roll paid homage to the foundation-setters, the trailblazers of outlier, independent hip hop with his own Mount Rushmore. Jelly included Insane Clown Posse, Twiztid, the mighty Tech N9ne and Upchurch as his figureheads of the genre and offered the highest praise to the OGs that have paved the way.
Stream the complete conversation with Jelly Roll on the Talk Toomey Podcast below.
