Grafton's Phil Tittle travels to the Madcity to play in the Lair on Max Ink Radio

Welcome to Wisconsin's Local Music C. This is Max Inc. Radio. We are Local Music.

Alright, I'm Rocker here with Sam Davison and you are listening to Max Inc. Radio on the Civic Media Radio Network.

Make sure to go to civicmedia.us and download the app. Listen to the podcast. All kinds of good information there.

Max Inc. Radio has all of our podcasts, including The Live and the Layers.

And it's time right now for Live and the Layers presented by the Aaron Weber Group.

Find them at movetomanison.com.

Phil Tittle is singer, songwriter, based out of central Wisconsin.

His decades-long journey, taking him to the shores of Lake Michigan,

is every bit evocative and compelling as the blues, southern rock, and country music you listen to growing up in rural Georgia.

His music is reflective of artists who shaped his own sound and playing artists like Tom Petty, Greg Almond, Wail and Jennings, or Jackson Brown,

who seamlessly wave a great story through the firmly embedded pocket of low rumbling guitar groove.

In the studio with us right now, Phil Tittle and percussionist, Terry Franklin.

Phil, Terry, welcome to Max Inc. Radio.

Thank you, Rob. I appreciate it. Glad to be here.

And you know, you came here from grafting a little early.

Did you get around the man city?

I did.

Hang out right here in the square and walked around and did the taste of medicine.

And I found my new favorite soul food restaurant.

What is it? What is it? We got to know.

I think it was Marie's soul food.

Marie's soul food. Wow.

I got to try them out. What'd you have?

I have a lot of greens and sweet potatoes.

And I guess I should ask, is it okay that I plugged her?

That's fine. We love it. We love our community.

Yeah, I'm going back. I'm going to go find where her restaurant isn't going back.

Now Phil, let's get to know you a little bit.

Tell us about how you got started music.

What's your backstory?

Yeah, we're to start.

I think like most people, I had a natural sort of affinity for music.

In fact, my aunt who lives down in poor Washington,

I remember her sitting on the edge of the bed right before she went to college,

playing Puff the Magic Dragon.

I'm dating myself here.

Puff the Magic Dragon on acoustic guitar.

And she let me hold that and kind of bang around on it.

So just always had a thing for music.

And I wanted to play.

I couldn't really afford it when I was growing up.

So as soon as I joined the military,

that was one of the first things I did.

When I was old, where were you when you started?

In my early 20s.

I didn't stick with it very long.

Life in the military kind of gotten away.

So I got out of it a little bit.

And I kind of jumped back into it probably in my early 30s.

So I've been doing it for about 25 years.

Okay.

Well, often I'm talking to people who are like,

oh, I started when I was a little kid.

I know people tell me that all the time.

Yeah, I started playing guitar when I was four.

And I go, wow, I couldn't eat.

I was eating dirt when I was four.

Yeah, right?

So what about your parents' role in music?

Did they listen to music?

Did they have a record collection?

Yeah, absolutely.

My mom, in particular, I would credit,

she had probably the most diverse taste.

So I can remember being very young,

listening to Pink Floyd and, you know,

Led Zeppelin stuff.

She ended up actually, like,

fronting her own country band.

Oh, really?

I think it was down in Florida, mostly.

Oh, really?

Yeah.

And then I found some lyrics from songs

that she was writing after she passed away.

And I was kind of like, wow.

Yeah, that was really cool.

Did you put them into music?

I haven't yet, but I hung on to them.

So that may come one day.

My dad, I joked because he,

I say he owned three albums,

one of which was CCR.

I love that.

Every single Neil Diamond song, by heart.

Because that was all he ever played,

was those three songs.

Oh, those three albums.

Wow, that's awesome, man.

Phil, you joined the Air Force

right after high school,

and spent 20 years traveling the globe

with an acoustic guitar.

What was your favorite country to play in?

I,

I think the favorite,

you know, and this wasn't me playing a show

by any stretch,

but I think the favorite memory I really have was,

I went to Afghanistan shortly after 9-11.

So we were,

we were still very,

it was very rudimentary there.

And so a lot of guys brought guitars there

just to kind of past time.

And I can remember,

we weren't allowed to turn the lights on or anything.

It had to be completely pitched dark at night.

But I can remember sitting there with a couple guys

with our acoustic guitars,

just kind of banging away outside of tent.

You could literally see the Milky Way,

an incredible view.

And I just remember that experience.

So I'd say that was my,

my favorite playing in another country.

Well, tell us about your military career,

just kind of, you know,

where'd you go and you took your guitar?

I mean, did they,

did they make you pay extra baggage for taking a guitar?

I think like they charge us musicians

in the commercial airlines.

Most of the time,

we always either, you know,

or a transport,

and it was on a pallet somewhere,

or if I was flying,

it was a charter commercial airliner,

but it was all military guys.

So yeah, I didn't have to pay for it.

And then I think in one,

like when I went to Afghanistan,

I actually left my guitar there.

I left it for the chaplain,

because he was trying to start some kind of,

yeah, music ministry sort of thing.

And I felt that was a good cause.

So I left it there with him.

You know, talk about breaking down culture

and communication barriers in music,

cause, you know,

being in the military,

cruising all over the world,

you run into a lot of different people.

Talk about that.

Yeah, the military definitely informed me,

both songwriting,

just how I see the world,

I kind of learned really early on that,

you know, culture,

and some of that stuff aside,

it doesn't matter if you're,

if you're from Saudi Arabia

or Korea,

and Germany, Panama,

I mean, I think of all the places I've been,

everybody I met,

when you kind of cut through some of that cultural doctrine,

I guess, or customs and curses,

you can get to know people,

they're just like us, you know,

we're all trying to find our way

and be happy and provide for our families

and that really resonated with me.

And of course, I met, you know,

a lot of really cool people

that did a lot of really cool things.

I always joke,

I met the, he introduced himself as

the Korean Elvis.

And I kind of called him on that.

I was like, Elvis, really?

That's, he's pretty big.

And he's like, okay, maybe the Korean John Denver.

And so I laughed about that.

And I turned out he really was.

He was very, very famous.

Yeah, we couldn't go anywhere without

middle-aged women just rushing

to get one of his autographs

and to get a hug or something from him.

He was very famous. So, this is cool.

Well, let's get, excuse me,

let's get to some of my music

in the layer with Phil Tittle,

presented by the Aaron Weber group.

This song is called, I wish I knew.

And it sounds frustrating,

but tell us about this song before you play.

Yeah, I wish I knew was hatched out of just,

I think anybody who

creates art, you know, music in particular.

But for me, you get to a point where you're just like,

does nobody, it seems like nobody cares.

They don't want to hear it, whatever, you know,

you start feeling sorry for yourself.

And so, yeah, that's where this song kind of came from.

It was just that frustration of what is,

what is this all doing?

And I wish I knew.

What am I doing this?

All right, let's hear it.

This Phil Tittle, I wish I knew

live in the layer on Maxing Radio.

I like it, I like it, I like it.

I feel it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Fine.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I've got it left in and parked in my,

no other one for broken dreams.

I want to buy the promised land.

I wanna take a smile of him.

It's just another baby switch.

Chasing castles in the sky.

Success is just contact lights.

Just another party for a rainy costume.

Never known what to say.

Someone always has a battle wave.

And I'm still the biggest critic in the room.

Where's it all leading to?

Is it tangled up in blue?

That ends all the burned out bridges

And walls I'm breaking through.

Do you know my name at home?

When I hear their baking call?

Don't know what you thinkin'

But I never had a chance.

Feels like all I'm gettin'

Is a single song in bands I wish I knew.

Your point of view.

I wonder where I'll go

From here the answers

Have a scene real clean exposure

Still hasn't paid my rent.

Maybe I'll just put it down

A different dream, a different town

I'm just another carnie lookin'

For a circus tent.

A circus tent.

Where's it all leading to?

Is it tangled up in blue?

That ends all the burned out bridges

And walls I'm breaking through.

Do you know my name at home?

When I hear their baking call?

Don't know what you thinkin'

But I never had a chance.

Feels like all I'm gettin'

Is a single song in bands I wish I knew.

Your point of view.

Hey, takin' everything

I've got left it in a parking lot

Know the one for broken dreams.

Alright, Phil Tittle right here

On Maxine Caridio live in the Lair.

I'm Rocker here with Sam Davidson.

And Phil, after 20 years in the military,

You retire.

And this is really where the next part

Of your musical journey starts.

Tell us a little bit about that.

Yeah, I think that was for me

Where it kind of quit becoming a hobby so much.

I had more time on my hands.

I wasn't traveling around.

It started with just one.

Like I said, I had more time.

So I was investing a lot more energy into my practice.

And I decided to cash in my GI bill

At a Berkeley School of Music

And just kind of really learn how to write a song.

Like the craft and the art of writing a song.

So I did some programs through there.

At the same time, I wanted to kind of get back to the community.

So I stood up a chapter of guitars for Vets

And how fortuitous, because I was actually started right here

And right now Milwaukee.

So I started a chapter in Pensacola.

I got that off the ground for a couple of years.

Handed that over.

And then kind of as a side gig, side hustle.

If I'm being honest, probably more just to kind of place the store

All my guitars.

I started a music school.

How many do you have?

I don't know, man.

Too many.

I don't know.

I really don't know.

And that's sad.

I should know.

Maybe 12 right now or something.

But yeah.

So I started teaching music guitar mostly in some song writing

And a little bit of vocals.

And I kind of became a side hustle for.

And it was a pretty good one.

I was making a lot of extra income within.

So I opened a store.

Yeah, I opened a storefront studio.

And actually a couple different locations that are really good friend

Who I considered a musical mentor.

And I kind of partnered up with him.

He had a very successful business down in Pensacola.

And I kind of ran it like a franchise for a while with him.

Sort of modeled after that school of rock where we bring kids and adults

And let them go down to the local bar of venue, whatever, and play live.

Music for their families and stuff.

That was a lot of fun.

Wow.

Now you spoke of guitars for vets.

That was a patented sign.

We had him on the show actually just a few months ago.

Yeah.

I was talking about that.

And he was talking about how important it was for helping PTSD.

And how has PTSD affected you?

And can you talk about how musicals said?

Yeah.

I think that was what drew me to the program was because I didn't really suffer from PTSD.

I was fortunate in that I wasn't out in the battle front.

But I had plenty of people that I worked with and around and four who did.

So I saw the effects of it.

And yeah.

So I got involved with this program.

And when I started down there in Pensacola, most of the folks I was working with were Vietnam vets.

We were kind of still really in the middle of Iraq.

But yeah, even at that age, those guys were really, really grateful for what we were doing for them.

And now you are a certified life and career coach.

That's true.

So tell me about what you do and what people you kind of guide.

Like what does a career coach do?

Yeah.

I mean, I could probably get a question or life coach.

Yeah, life coach.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So it's almost, I almost feel like I have to apologize sometimes when I go out there.

Only because it seems like everybody on TikTok is a life coach now.

And you know, I mean, I'm being honest, right?

And like, in the truth and the reality is, I think it takes a lot of training and a lot of time.

And there's some skill involved in that.

And I made sure to invest in all those things because I really, you know, you're dealing with people's lives.

And so what I really do is, unlike a therapist, I don't go, you know, or a counselor.

I don't go and try and fix what's wrong with you.

I try to help you focus on the future and set goals and hold you accountable and figure out what's getting in your way.

Most of the time, it's, you know, our limiting beliefs that we accumulate for ourselves.

But right now I'm working for an accounting firm out in California.

And I'm coaching kind of half coaching, half mentoring, you know, teaching people

and helping coach them through to become leaders and managers and, you know, effective at their job.

And it's the best job in the entire world.

I love it.

No, do you think that your military background had a lot to do with that?

Absolutely.

Yeah, I wish I would have had some of the skills that I've developed and continue to develop as a career coach and a life coach in the military.

I see where I would have been a more effective leader, but for sure, you know, just meeting people where they're at in their life and being able to, and to be able to help them achieve whatever it is they want.

And more importantly, showing up and not trying to tell them what they should be doing.

But really getting them to open up and discover things about themselves.

They maybe didn't even know, you know, that's really cool.

Tell about what you ought to be doing.

Well, I mean, I tell people all the time, you know, and when you think about it comes from a place of love, of course, right?

But people when you ask somebody or you tell somebody something, the first thing they want to do is go, well, this is what you should do or this is what I would do.

And that's well intended and well meaning, but what you should do and what, you know, is not the same maybe is what I should do.

So I really get in there and talk and ask questions and pay attention to what people are saying.

And I help them figure out what they should do and that takes a little time sometimes.

So yeah, a lot of fun.

Let's get back to live music in the layer with Phil Tittle presented by the Aaron Weber group.

The next song you have for us tonight, it's called Cardboard Cowboy, is, did I miss this movie?

Yeah, me too. I missed it as well.

I wish the song would find a movie somewhere. That would be awesome.

I think, I think part of when I wrote it, I did have Yellowstone in my head because I was kind of watching that series and, you know, watching Kevin Cosner age out.

This is about a middle-aged cowboy and that probably started to serve as some of the baseline for where this song came from.

Nice. This is Cardboard Cowboy Phil Tittle.

You are live in the layer on Maxing Gradio.

His hair is black, his the text is night, his eyes is blue, his Montana skies.

Looking down those lucky strides, he blows upon with a blank disguise.

The stubble's wide on his chisel chin, like the mountain air, his hair is thin.

But she loves this man for what's within, not what she sees, but who he's been.

He's just an old discarded cowboy, one you see to run down, five and nine.

Weathered by the midday sun, too far gone is a higher gun, scarlet like a worn out story line.

But you should have seen him in his prime, this Cardboard Cowboy's mind.

His body's not what it used to be, but what's inside, least the man you see,

ain't it funny how we might disagree, but through it all, come around for me.

He's just an old discarded cowboy, one you see to run down, five and nine.

Weathered by the midday sun, too far gone is a higher gun, scarlet like a worn out story line.

But you should have seen him in his prime, this Cardboard Cowboy's mind.

He's just an old discarded cowboy, one you see to run down, five and nine.

Weathered by the midday sun, too far gone is a higher gun, scarlet like a worn out story line.

But you should have seen him in his prime, this Cardboard Cowboy's mind.

Yeah, he's mine.

Cardboard Cowboy.

Yeah, he's mine.

Cardboard Cowboy.

Cardboard Cowboy.

Cardboard Cowboy. That's Phil Tittle, live in the layer right here.

I'm Maxine Gradio. I'm rocker here with Sam Davison.

Phil, tell us about your songwriting. You seem more like a brewer than an instant coffee guy.

Yeah, definitely.

I'm a lyric guy.

I pay attention to lyrics, I pay attention to things people say.

I love to write from a title, so often I'll come up with a title and I'll just kind of write the story around that.

But yeah, I mean for the most part is exactly what you said.

I develop lyrics, I have ideas, and then sometimes I just sit down with my guitar and kind of noodle on a riff or some kind of groove.

And then I sort of try to marry the two up.

I started going with a producer and I found just about time I sort of figured out exactly what I want to do.

I'm wrong.

He brings a whole new dynamic to that process.

But yeah, I think that's a very accurate way of describing it, rocker.

Do you keep like a notebook to write down these things that people say?

How do you remember in conversation?

Because I hear so many great things from people, but I can remember them all.

Yeah, no, I'm a note memo guy or whatever.

The minute I hear something, if it's important, I immediately put it in the iPhone as a note.

So it's there.

Wake up in the middle of the line, you're like, that's the only thing I have not taught myself to do.

It makes me so mad because I wake up in the middle of the night and I have great ideas.

And I'm like, that is such a good idea.

I know you're going to remember it in the morning.

So I need to get in that habit, man.

Well, you know, you often participate in singer, songwriter, contest.

And tell about these because you've done pretty good at some of them.

I have not done as well as I would like to have done in them.

But yeah, I think I placed in one down in Louisiana.

I placed somewhere in the top five, perhaps as a songwriter.

I did a, I think one, I entered some lyrics into a American songwriter magazine.

Anybody write songs is probably familiar with.

And entered lyrics and I didn't win it.

But I did place in that one.

Top three, I think.

And yeah, I mean, I don't know.

I think I don't know why I enter those contests.

Now you have to life coach me now because it just sets you up for, you know, massive disappointment.

And comparison to the people.

Is that how you ended up with your, your first song here tonight?

Yeah, right. Exactly.

Well, now you recently recorded a few songs at the world famous sound kitchen in Nashville

with Grammy, not Grammy nominee to producer.

I first tell us about the sound kitchen Clyde Stubbelfield.

He always told us the parties in the kitchen.

Yeah. What's the sound kitchen?

Sound kitchen is really, really cool.

That was my first foray into like a Nashville recording studio where, you know, you see the pictures of them.

On the wall of all the people who've been in there.

Walk through those doors in Dolly Parton and Clint Black and Hank Williams Jr.

I mean, Wayland Jennings, I think maybe even a really honest thing has been around for a long time.

But it was, it was really, really cool to be in there.

There's several studios in there.

I was in one of the, the smaller ones.

And we would, you know, track vocals and stuff.

And then we went like a cross town where all the session musicians kind of joined in.

But yeah, what a just an amazing experience, you know.

It was, it was great.

Now who is Billy Smiley?

Like what is he done?

I mean, he was your producer, right?

He is. He continues to produce songs for me and co-rides with me.

Billy is best known for any of your listeners who listen to contemporary Christian music.

And they're old enough.

He was really big in the mid 80s.

Christian contemporary rock band.

I mean, kind of heavy rock.

White heart, I believe it was called.

And yeah, he was a guitar player and a singer in that band.

They did really, really well.

He still has several side projects that he does.

Most of it kind of along the, not the hard rock anymore.

But the Christian type music.

And the phenomenal guy and just absolutely stellar songwriter and producer.

And he brings things out of me that I did not know I was capable of doing.

So.

Well, it sounds like he's a life coach.

Yeah, he is.

I mean, sometimes he's, I won't say dad.

He's older than me.

But I'll call my big brother.

But he gets frustrated with me sometimes.

Like, why can't you hit that note?

Like, I don't understand why you can't hit that note.

And I'm like, I don't know either.

And then I feel bad.

So he's like, go home and practice.

But he is.

He's wonderful for pushing me out of my comfort zone.

Well, let's get back to live music in the layer with Phil Taylor presented by the Aaron Weber group.

The next song you have for us tonight.

It's called cigarettes and TV.

And it's an unreleased song that you wrote with Billy Smiley.

Tell us about this song before you play.

Yeah, Billy.

So I'm kind of half tuning it all the time.

But Billy walked into the studio.

We had gone down there for a recording and writing session.

He walked in one morning. He's like, hey, I got this really cool guitar sort of groove.

I got the idea from listening to a song.

And so he started playing through it.

And I went to my iPhone.

And I pulled out some lyrics that I had been kind of working on.

And they sort of fit the vibe.

And we sat there.

And like four or five hours later, we had a song.

And yeah, it's about, it seems to be a theme with me.

It's a song about being middle aged and frustrated with your life.

Yeah.

I need a life coach, man.

Oh, man.

Hey, I think I'm starting a new career here.

I agree.

A cigarette's in TV.

This is Phil Tittle. You are live in the Lair on Maxing Radio.

I'll speak hers.

Can't find a chorus for life's second verse.

A cute little waitress comes and calls him, sir.

He's got to get better.

He can't get any worse.

Mama's little angel told her to reach for the sky.

But Daddy's little devil.

He'll never learn how to fly.

Takes another drag, gleams back in his chair.

He's got to get better.

It's only up from here.

Did you notice all the lines that were crossed?

Tabs as he credit.

Just tally the cause.

All our lives were swimming upstream.

Coming ladders built in the dream.

All our time keeps slipping away.

Did you think that you'd ever be?

Crush and figure it's watching TV.

Seasons change in the wake of the night.

He just quit living before he could die.

He never stops to listen to that little voice.

Gotta get better.

There ain't no other choice.

Did you notice all the lines that were crossed?

Tabs as he credit.

Just tally the cause.

All our lives were swimming upstream.

Coming ladders built in the dream.

Credit card castles that we can repay.

And Tom is a dragon that we try to slay.

Did you think that you'd ever be?

Crush and figure it's watching TV.

All our lives were swimming upstream.

Coming ladders built in the dream.

Credit card castles that we can repay.

And Tom is a dragon that we try to slay.

Did you think that you'd ever be?

Your name up in lights on that marquee.

Crush and figure it's watching TV.

You found Wisconsin's Local Music Authority.

This is MagSync Radio.

We are Local Music.

All right.

We are back in live in the Lair here on MagSync Radio.

I'm Rocker here with Sam Davison.

And we have Phil Tittle in the Lair tonight.

Presented by the Aaron Weber Group.

Find them and move to Madison.com.

Phil, you traveled around the world with the military.

You spent a good part of your life in the South.

But what brought you back to Wisconsin?

My mom was living up here.

My aunt and uncle had moved here.

I got 30 plus years ago.

And my mom was kind of done with Florida just for health reasons.

So she moved up here about 15 years ago.

She wasn't doing very well.

And it just time in my life when it made sense to kind of come up here.

And I'm really glad I did.

I got to spend about a year with her before she passed away.

And just really, really got to know my mom.

And spend a lot of time growing up around her.

So yeah, that was what brought me back.

And I liked it.

I like Wisconsin.

It's got a lot to offer.

I was going to say what kept me here.

What kept you here.

My family's asking the same thing.

My aunt and uncle, why are you can go anywhere you want?

And I'm like, I like it.

The cost of living is relatively inexpensive compared to many places.

And I like four seasons.

And I like the people.

All music scene.

Wow.

Yeah, that's pretty cool.

Now, where did I go here about Grafton?

Tell us about Grafton.

Because that's where you're from.

Grafton is right just north of Milwaukee along the Lake Michigan.

12,000 population.

Founded in 1896.

What's the music scene like in Grafton?

I don't know that it really has a quote-unquote music scene.

I mean, Milwaukee is so close.

I think a lot of people sort of gravitate there.

And I think Ableton, and of course, Madison.

I think it's just easy enough to get to those two places.

That's where most people kind of focus on.

But you have your cafes and your breweries and stuff like that.

I'll play the occasional gig at those.

As do many others.

And you'll be performing at the Port Washington Farmers Market

on September 14th.

And then again, on October 19th,

do you find some of your songwriting inspiration at the market?

There's a lot of interesting people cruising around the markets.

Yeah, there it is.

I don't know that I really find a whole lot of songwriting inspiration.

But I do find the motivation oddly enough there sometimes

to get back out and play and share what gifts you've been given.

Because people there probably more so than in restaurants and bars.

They actually stop. They listen.

They come up. They tell you that they really like a particular song.

Kids are phenomenal. Kids will come up and start dancing.

And I had one leave me a note in my tip jar or something.

You do really good. You should do this or something like that.

And I just thought stuff like that. It's just cool.

So I go back.

Wow, from the Miles of Babes.

Will you be performing around Wisconsin this fall?

Where can we see you at?

Are you going to be booking a tour?

Well, there's a handsome gentleman sitting right behind me here.

Him and I have just started this project.

So I don't know. I'm going to turn it over to him and let him kind of figure that one out.

I would love to. This is the first year I've put any effort into this.

But I would definitely like to start getting more and more out there.

The originals start coming together and I put out an album or something.

So listen up Terry, you're going to be put to work, buddy.

Well, now you say you're kind of saying a lot of your theme songs are about a guy who is too old

and trying to make it in music.

But really, aren't you kind of an inspiration in the example to people who always like gosh,

maybe I could have played music but now I'm too old.

Man, I hope so. I don't know.

I don't know that I would call myself an inspiration to many but to your point rocker.

Yeah, you know what?

I figured out somewhere along the way that we get to define success on our own terms.

And I look at you and I go, there's a successful man in the music business

because I can tell you enjoy doing what you do and you're very good at it.

And I think sometimes as much as I maybe inspire people my age to get out and do this,

I think sometimes just my approach and my attitude might inspire some of the younger folks to quit worrying about

how many likes or whatever you got on Instagram and just go out and do what you love doing.

That sounds overly.

You got to love what you're doing.

Sounds very life coach-like but yeah, it's teeth.

Well, let's get back to live music in the layer presented by the Aaron Weber group.

The next song you have for us tonight is called Hammer Down.

Is this a song about the state of vehicles accelerator pedal?

It is.

Yeah, this song, I think I might have been taking some lyric writing classes or something at Berkeley.

I was practicing with shorter phrases and just really just kind of practicing song structure.

I wasn't terribly concerned about writing a deep meaning song.

And I wanted something that sounded really cool on a Les Paul.

So that was really my approach.

What's going to sound good going through a two band with the gain cranked up a little bit?

So that was my approach.

It's just a fun song to play.

I'm going to try rocker and do not break your board here, but yeah.

Okay, I have a little bit of gain on this thing.

Oh yeah, turn it up.

This is Phil Tittle.

This is Hammer Down.

You're listening to Max and Kradio.

We are live in the layer.

Here we go.

One, two.

Engine winds, exit signs.

I can't keep up with these endless white lines.

Third road, area coast.

400 horses about to explode.

When did everything go wrong?

Don't know where I belong.

Should I turn this part round?

I keep the hammer down.

Radio waves, roadside waves.

Too many towns a time couldn't say.

Beyond lies, only lies.

If this car had wings, I bet she'd take five.

When did everything go wrong?

Don't know where I belong.

Should I turn this part round?

I keep the hammer down.

Tired of this burden pain.

Don't care who's to blame.

Tell me if I'm wrong or right.

I just don't want to fight.

Sweet enough.

Slowing down.

Homeward bound.

Not turning around.

Everything.

Don't know where I belong.

Should I turn this part round?

I keep the hammer down.

I keep the hammer down.

All right, hammer down.

That is Phil Tittle, live and lair here on Maxing Radio.

I'm Rocker here with Sam Davidson.

And let's give the drummer some.

Terry Franklin came out from Walkershot tonight to the Man City.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what's your backstory?

Thanks for having me, Rocker.

Appreciate it.

Well, I've been playing drums on and off since the 90s.

Since the big grunge scene really got me into playing live.

Playing drums.

I grew up on basically 80s country.

Yeah, my mom just cranked that stuff in the morning in the house.

You know, Kenny Rogers and Dolly and all that stuff.

Oh, the classic.

The classic 80s stuff.

Yeah, and then I don't know throughout my journey of playing in different bands in Milwaukee area.

Play a little rock ability.

And then I kind of discovered like this old country sound.

It was a bit, you know, not commercial stuff.

And yeah, that's kind of what I wanted to play.

And I put a add out there and Phil was looking to start his band and back his project that he's on.

And that's how we met through the internet.

And then how old were you when you started playing?

It was probably 20.

20.

Yeah, I wasn't old enough to get in a bar yet legally.

Wow, about 20 years old.

So both of you guys really started about 20 years old.

And, you know, I've always been in music and school and everything.

But I never really bought a drum set till I was in my 20s.

But it all started with your mom and the country music in the morning.

It did. That's exactly how it started.

All right.

And now I notice that you brought a really interesting drum set here tonight.

It's not really even a drum set, right?

It's a, well, it's luggage.

It is luggage. It's a suitcase.

You might have seen the past few years busking got real kind of popular.

Yeah.

And Milwaukee and probably Madison as well.

Oh, yeah.

The whole purpose is so you can take down your kit, throw it in your suitcase and walk away

before you get a ticket.

Yeah.

But I took it a step further.

I found that drum.

The actual suitcase is, if you notice, there's a name on there.

And I type that name and number up.

And it's an actual World War II soldier on that really luggage.

Wow.

I kind of desecrated it a little bit too.

Well, it's got some stickers now.

It's got bonafide drum legs on the side of it.

Yeah.

I mean, for real, they're like it's a drum hardware.

It's a, it's a kick drum.

And the story behind it's cool.

And it gets a lot of looks.

It doesn't sound as great.

There's, you know, a normal kick drum would.

But the original handle.

Yeah.

You can carry it around.

And then you've, you've, you put a hole in the side of it.

So you can get a microphone in there.

I did because it doesn't sound deep enough for a kick sound.

So I ported it.

And we can mic it and, you know, through the, through the soundboard.

And you can get decent tone out of it at least.

But for playing acoustically and, you know, with,

guys with acoustic guitars or acoustic electric, it works.

It works real good.

It's awesome.

Well, thanks so much, Terry, for coming out here from Watch.

So we really appreciate you.

Thanks for having me.

Well, Phil, you know, let's get back to some war stories here

of your military guy.

We all love war stories.

Every touring artist has some.

And you've been around the world.

Tell us a story.

I mean, who is ghetto demon?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So this was after I retired and I was, you know,

putting a lot more time and effort into going around playing

different states.

And so I went out to New Orleans.

I had a couple of gigs lined up for a weekend.

And I was at that place where I was pretty much taking any gig anywhere.

You know, just to kind of get the experience.

But I found one and I knew driving in.

I was definitely on the wrong side of the tracks.

There was a sign at the door that was talking about, you know,

leaving your weapons in your car.

I mean, I was just like, I'm not in the right place.

And the door man, as I was kind of setting up,

the door man was basically telling me like if you,

if you are not any good, I will forcibly remove you quick.

You know, I mean, it was just like, like you suck.

It was exactly like if you suck, you're out of here quick.

And he made it sound like violent.

Like it was going to include violence.

I was like, wow.

But I mean, he, you know, he was about half my height,

but he looked like maybe he could pull it off.

So I was like, okay, I'm going to do my best here.

As it turned out though, we became really good friends.

He dug my music and invited me out to hear to his truck

and he handed me a tape that he was working on with his band,

Ghetto Demon.

And Ghetto Demon sounds like what you think Ghetto Demon

would sound like.

It's, yeah.

Maybe he'll send us an MP3.

You can play that now.

Maybe they're on, maybe they're on Stuppartify.

I don't know.

Well, let's get back to live music and the layer with Phil Tittle

presented by the Aaron Weber group.

The next song you have for us tonight.

It's called Better Man.

But this isn't a Pearl Jam cover.

No.

Tell us about this song.

Although I get the Eddie Vetter thing once more.

Yeah, Better Man is, I wrote this song,

probably gosh, 10 years ago now, but it's, I don't know.

It's, you know, again, that, that theme that comes up

if I'm halfway through my, halfway through my life

and I'm looking back going, man, you could do a little better, you know?

And, yeah, so this is kind of my, my song to God

and the universe of, hey, let's, let's try this again

and see if I can't get it right this second half.

I think you should have, you should have started playing

guitar at a younger age, right?

Yeah, absolutely.

I should have.

Yeah, so this is Better Man and we'll see where it goes.

What?

What?

My, where the pain is, but I won't be a better man.

Can you take me?

Take me as I am.

I'm running down the highway, looking for a sign.

Thinking I should change my ways with things I'm leaning on.

But nothing ever seems to last.

On that dirty road leading down the battle line.

Whoa!

I've taken all my problems, simply moved them down the line.

I'm in a place with useless relics, for myself and adults are trying.

Never knowing where I was going.

Always first to get somewhere, but you don't know where you're going.

All roads lead you there.

Help me make these changes.

Show me where I need to go.

Help me make these changes.

I shouldn't make so long ago.

Yeah, the road I'm traveling on has led me where the pain is.

But all I want to be a better man.

Can you take me?

Take me as I am.

Can you make me a better man?

Better man, we're here with Phil to the live in the air.

We just have a couple of minutes left.

Phil, Terry, thank you so much for coming in to Madison tonight to play for us live in the air.

We really appreciate it.

Yeah, thank you so much for having us.

This has been an absolute awesome experience, and I do appreciate it.

Now, we have one more song tonight, and it's called Waiting Here Forever.

Why don't you tell about us about that and play out till the end?

Yeah, since we are really wrapped on time, this is a little bit of a departure for me.

It's just a really cool little love song in a different vibe, and we'll just play it out and see how it sounds.

Let's go Phil Tittle right here, live in the air, in Maxing Radio.

I know you're tired of all the questions,

you're getting answers, adjusting true, and you wonder if they saw it coming,

and if deep down you did too.

I'd rather talk about this song, and ask you for a dance,

probably cause I never learned, but for you I took that chance.

So I'll be gone, just take hold of this opportunity.

I've been waiting here forever, hoping you might talk to me.

Talk to me.

I've been waiting here forever, I've rehearsed in my mind.

Waiting here forever to be the one you hoped to find.

If forever's what you're looking for, I'm the forever kind.

I've been waiting here forever until the end of time.

Rocker has been an absolute pleasure, my friend.

I am so glad you had us on the show cause we made a lifelong fan out of me.

Hey, can I put a real quick plug and just tell everybody if they want to hear my music?

Go check out my website, PhilTillMusic.com.