S E114: CMA Fest Disaster Stories, Morgan Wallen Drama & Schoolyard Fights :: Ep 114 Try That in a Small Town Podcast
S E114: CMA Fest Disaster Stories, Morgan Wallen Drama & Schoolyard Fights :: Ep 114 Try That in a Small Town Podcast  
Podcast: Try That in a Small Town Podcast
Published On: Mon Jun 22 2026
Description: From bar-hopping at CMA Fest with Jason Aldean’s band to scheduled high school fights at 3 pm sharp, this episode of Try That in a Small Town is all about chaos, consequences, and the crazy ways we somehow survive it all.  The guys kick things off with surgery scars, locked-up backs, and near misses in the garage, then pivot into behind-the-scenes CMA Fest stories, in-ear monitor nightmares, and why late-night stadium sets grind down even veteran players. They talk Morgan Wallen flipping pianos and throwing phones, Taylor Swift’s historic new country single tied to Toy Story 5, and how modern country production has become so “perfect” it’s almost personality-free.  Things get heavier when they unpack the Carmelo Anthony/Austin Metcalf stabbing at a track meet, race narratives in the media, and what real self-defense is—and isn’t—when someone pulls a knife. They contrast that with a powerful small-town hero story: a Gwinnett County officer who saves a 7-year-old launched through a windshield.  In classic TTIAST fashion, the crew rounds it out with songwriting pet peeves, delusional DMs from strangers wanting co-writes and video calls, bullying stories that still haunt them, and how golf, TV binges, and pizza reviews are getting them through recovery.  01:30 Surgeries, brutal bruises, allergic reactions to bandages and upcoming product bans in Tennessee  04:40 Locked-up back on the toilet, crawling across the house and day-three recovery status  06:30 Surviving CMA Fest: bar crawl sets, in-ear monitor disasters and playing blind on stage  09:45 Bar energy vs stadium distance and podcast fans popping up at shows  11:15 Late-night stadium headlining slot, fried fans, and what TV does to show times  14:00 Original Glory and Patriot Mobile sponsor segments  15:10 Learning piano one-handed after surgery, Jingle Bells, and mining TV shows for song ideas  17:50 TV recs: Life After Lockup, The Invisible Pilot, and Cape Fear reboot  20:20 NBA and Stanley Cup talk: Knicks’ huge comeback, Wembanyama, and why some tuned out the NBA  22:45 Trump at the Garden, celebrity courtside culture, and politics vs respect for the office  24:40 Taylor Swift’s Toy Story 5 country single and the business behind her return to the format  29:00 Why modern country records all sound the same and the few acts still using their own bands  31:40 Morgan Wallen: “I Ain’t Coming Back” lyric love, phone toss, piano flip and Billy Joel’s defense  36:30 Wild private plane trip with Morgan Wallen, crass “rich buddies” and what stuck with Kalo  38:20 Post-surgery meds, apologizing to Neil, and the nurse/dong/stripper one-liner  41:10 Group shave before a heart cath and hospital humor  42:00 CMA Fest nights with Luke Bryan at his bar, tequila overload and four-day hangovers  44:10 Dipshits of the week: insane video chat requests, song pitches, and social media entitlement  47:00 Fans demanding co-writes and “brain picking” vs actually earning a seat at the table  50:40 The worst song “idea” ever: Cats in the Cradle… but backwards  55:00 Young writers sliding into DMs, asking for writes and coffees, and basic industry etiquette  58:40 Nearly gassing yourself in a closed garage while checking mixes: calling dipshit on yourself  1:01:40 Drone-rescue story: Apache down, surviving in the water and next-level military tech  1:05:30 Golf injuries, steroids on the road, and fighting to stay in playing shape  1:07:10 The Carmelo Anthony–Austin Metcalf stabbing: facts, sentencing and race narratives  1:12:10 Media framing, self-defense vs murder, and how race gets injected into every case  1:16:00 Scheduled school fights at the park, bus brawls and why nobody brought knives back then  1:19:40 Getting drilled in the face for knocking a kid’s basketball away: lesson learned  1:20:30 One cold jab to the nose and understanding when you’ve gone too far  1:22:10 The bully who made you fast: getting wrecked in pickup football and later asking for tickets  1:24:20 Small Town Big Story: Officer Ariana James saves a 7-year-old thrown from a truck in Gwinnett County  1:26:10 Closing: Peacemaker Coffee, shoutout to listener Ed, scheduled fights and listener call-to-action  ______________________________________________________________________________________________SPONSORS: The Try That in a Small Town Podcast is powered by e|spaces!Redefining Coworking - Exceptional Office Space for Every BusinessBook a tour today at espaces.comFrom the Patriot Mobile studios:Don’t get fooled by other cellular providers pretending to share your values or have the same coverage. They don’t and they can’t!Go to PATRIOTMOBILE.COM/SMALLTOWN or call 972-PATRIOTRight now, get a FREE MONTH when you use the offer code SMALLTOWN.Original Brands - Our original sponsor since the beginning!!Original brands is starting a new era and American domestic premium beer, American made, American owned, Original glory.Join the movement at www.drinkoriginalbrands.comPeacemaker Coffee CompanyFounded by retired police officer/chief Chris Morris, Peacemaker delivers clean, low-acidity coffee while supporting police, firefighters, EMS, military, veterans, teachers, dispatchers, and medical personnel through donations and programs.https://www.peacemakercoffeecompany.com/________________________________________________________________________________________________Follow/Rate/Share at www.trythatinasmalltown.com -For advertising inquiries, email info@trythatinasmalltown.comProduced by Jim McCarthy and www.ItsYourShow.coSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.