by admin | Jul 12, 2026 | Stephen Wilson Jr., Toolkits
Question: How does it feel to be on country radio?
Stephen Wilson Jr.:”Oh, it’s an honor. I’ve been listening to country radio my whole life. So hearing a song that came from the way in which it did and hearing that story kind of live on country radio. Because country radio, to me, that really affected me. There were story songs, and those stories really grabbed me early on. So this song, Gary, is a story. It’s a story about a. A guy named Gary, or mini Gary, he’s metaphorically. And so to have any contribution to the fabric that is country radio and to be part of the soundtrack of lives, going to work, going home, it’s a real honor to be a part of the fabric of our society because I feel like country music is the mini threads that you know, and hold us all together and and kind of unite us as well. And yeah, it’s something I’ve, I guess, you know, never really thought would happen. My dreams outdreamed me a long time ago. And some of my favorite artists, like John Mellencamp, he was on the radio all the time and he wrote these incredible story songs. But, you know I always thought if he could do it, maybe I could too.
by admin | Jun 14, 2026 | Stephen Wilson Jr., Toolkits
Question: Tell me about your friendship with HARDY
Stephen Wilson Jr: “Oh, well, Michael’s has been a godsend. I met him in this building at Big Loud in 2016. I was walking up a stairwell, and it was one of my first big rides with this gentleman here named Craig Wiseman. I’d never met Craig, and I was nervous as hell. And I met Michael on the stairwell up. And I just, for some reason, I was really new to this whole game. Like I said, I was a scientist. Before, I really wasn’t. I was just a bit of an outsider here. And he was just so nice and welcoming. And something told me, hey, you’re going to work with that dude more or something. There’s something about that guy. And then sure enough, we ended up in writing rooms, just writing together. He was not an artist. I was not and artist. We were just trying to get cuts on other people’s records. And then we were cutting demos and all that stuff. I still have some of them demos. And yeah, so we were just songwriters at the start. That’s what he was. And that’s what I was. I never really wanted or was trying to be an artist ever. And at that time, I don’t think he was either. And he was just trying to write the best song he could that day. And so that’s really where it started, I think, our mutual obsession with the craft of songwriting. And I could kind of see that obsession in his eyes. Maybe he could see it in mine. And I’ll never forget when I first started putting songs out, like nobody gave. And that’s fine, nobody was supposed to. And I put out this song called The Devil. And to me, it was the first song I ever released. And it’s very much, it’s one of the. You know, the songs I’m the proudest of to this day. But it was not met with much response at all. Like it got like 10,000 plays in its first year. Pretty impressive. Needless to say, nobody was interested in SWJ. And that’s fine. Like I said, I did not put out this music for any of this to happen. I just put it out because I had to. And yeah, I was just sitting around. And I remember I got this text from Michael. And he was really starting to blow up as an artist. He was opening for Morgan. His career was really taken off as an artist and really doing well. And he really was an inspiration to me. Because I saw him have this mutual obsession with song writing, but starting the transition into an artist’s career and doing very well at doing it and kind of Bending genres and doing all that stuff and but still writing country songs. Like I was and And so there was a lot of inspiration that even though I wasn’t really setting out to do that that it could that it Could be done. Like he was proving it. He’s like kind of like macheting out a path for me Whether I wanted to walk down it or not is my choice, but he was at least showing me. Hey, you can It’s here now. We can make hey and we can So that was a big inspiration. But one day, he just texted me in the beginning of all this. After that song came out, nobody seemed to really give a damn. Didn’t get on any playlists at all, ever, it seemed like. But he texted me and said, hey, man, I just heard this song, The Devil. I just want you to know it’s one of the best songs I’ve heard in a long time. Please keep going. And that’s all he said. Please keep go. Don’t stop. And he had no reason to know. There was no reason for him to text me that, and he did, and I just listened to him. And sure enough, we ended up on tour together, you know, probably two years after that text. And he had me come up in the middle, like on our last show of the tour, you know, we’re both named after our dads. And you know I think it, you know, it was an emotional, we didn’t want the tour to end. So we were just like, let’s get super emo. And he’s like, come up and sing Father Son in the middle of my show. And I was like, what? And he was like no, I want you to come up and sing it. Like I don’t wanna sing on it. I want to you to just sing that song. And I’m like, but it’s your show. And he is like, yeah, I know, just do it. Or if you want to. And I am like, okay. And it was up, it was in Darien Lake, New York. And we went out and did it for the first time. And then he came in and chimed in in the middle of it and. Hit the harmony, and it was just like a crazy special moment the very first time we did it. And then we did at Faster Horses a couple weeks after that. And it was this like, we needed maybe put this on tape or something. You know, it was quite evident that, and we just went to my buddy’s living room and sang it. We sang the song three times. And they were actually rehearsals, like each three of them where it’s like, oh, let’s figure it out, you know, make sure. Cause he was playing guitar parts he had never played before and maybe hitting some new harmonies he’d never hit before. And, you now, so it was, it was you know we just rehearsed it three times. And I think, you no, I think rehearsal three was the take and we just sort of like, I think we got it. I don’t think we need to actually do it. I think just did it. Yeah, so we were done. And that’s it. That’s how the song it’s very live. It’s just me and him looking at each other and singing a song about our dad. So yeah, I’ll be eternally grateful for him and the opportunity and the stage he’s given me and the hospitality that he shared and and his whole crew from top to bottom that he’s curated has been just so good to me and he’s like Just a one-of-a-kind artist that is a one of a kind songwriter, but doing things that no one in this town has ever done. There’ll never be anyone like him. [00:00:02][0.0]
by admin | Jun 7, 2026 | Stephen Wilson Jr., Toolkits
Question: Tell me about being a food scientist!
Stephen Wilson Jr: Yeah, well, I worked in pet food for Mars, the food company. They’re one of the biggest food manufacturers in the world. And they also are one of biggest pet food manufacturers. And their North American R&D headquarters is here in the Nashville area, Nashville adjacent. And so I got a, that was my first very serious job. And I was very, very proud to work for that company. In. And yeah, I did a lot of things for them. I can’t tell you because I signed an NDA and I don’t want them coming after me if I get into too much detail. But yeah, I did lot of formulations and I had my own lab and I was a proper science nerd and I would go into all these meetings and I’d get to be the nerd that I always have been and finally got paid for it, so. But it was a good job. It just wasn’t where I was supposed to be. And there’s where you can be and there’s where you’re supposed to and that’s what that job taught me. And I totally could be there and I totally could be happy, but it wasn’t what I was suppose to be, so.
by admin | May 10, 2026 | Stephen Wilson Jr., Toolkits
Question: Tell me about your friendship with Eric Church
Stephen Wilson Jr.: “Well, me and Eric met at Red Rocks for the first time, really. He was so kind and thoughtful and just awesome to have us open three nights at his residency at Red Rocks, so we got to do all three nights. And so that’s where we met and kind of hit it off. And yeah, he seemed to like us enough to have his come do it again. And I was like, say when? Anytime. And yeah, so we’re really proud and honored to be. On that stage again with him.”
