Interviewee: Laura Sawosko
Interviewer: Jason Tonioli
Jason Tonioli: Welcome to the podcast. My name is Jason Tonioli, and I’m here with special guest Laura Sowasco. She is in Nashville, but she also has an amazing spot up in Wisconsin. She runs a restaurant that’s been going for 49 years, right?
Laura Sawosko: Yeah, it’s our 49th season coming up. Thank you so much for having me on. I appreciate it.
Jason Tonioli: Laura, what I’m most excited about is just as I was finding out more about your story, you have been a singer-songwriter for many, many years. You’ve been in the Nashville scene. As I was looking at a lot of your music, there was one album or song in particular that stood out to me. It’s called the Songwriters, and it grabbed me. As I was listening to the words on that song, it really just highlighted the life of the people that write a lot of the songs that we all love in society. It’s one of those. It just really made me step back and be like, I knew singer songwriters don’t get to be the frontline Garth Brooks, these people that sing all these songs. But there’s this amazing group of people that have just really added so much to the music, and they stay in the background, and nobody knows who they are. But my guess is, those individuals, as you’ve been around them for all these years, have some of the coolest stories out there that really ought to be shared. I’m We’re just excited to hear your story and listen to some of your insights as you’ve been in that world and some of the successes you’ve had as well. So maybe let’s just start out. Tell us a little bit about yourself so people can know who you are and then what you’ve been doing for the last several decades now.
Laura Sawosko: Well, there, I moved to Nashville in 2010, and I’ve watched the city change so much. But it was a small town where everyone was famous. It was like college with famous friends. It was pretty cool. Now it’s become more well known, and we have a lot of tourists. I went to Arizona State University, and after that, I stayed in Arizona for a while. There was a real tight-knit music community, and I still have a lot of friends there that I miss. But I go back sometimes, and then I’m like, but they want me to play cover songs. You get paid, which is huge. I want people to know that if you get paid to play out, that doesn’t always happen in Nashville. So I got tired of singing cover songs, and I just thought, where do I go for my songwriting? Because that’s my favorite aspect of being a musician. I mean, there’s playing out, there’s recording, but I’d have to say songwriting is my favorite. So, I moved to Nashville, and I would have to say I wrote “The Songwriters” a few years after moving here, and it was just so difficult being such a little fish in such a big pond. And I thought, I wanted to quit. And I thought, before I quit, I want everyone to know what it’s like to be a songwriter. As we’re standing outside the Blue Bird holding our guitar case with the snow, and you get a little number, and maybe you’ll get picked to play. And there’s just so many people here. But the talent, I have to say here, makes you better. It made me better as a musician and as a songwriter. So that’s why I wrote, we’re the server at your local diner, we’re the ballet for your car, we’re the ones pouring your favorite drinks down at the local bar. And that’s what it’s like to be a songwriter. But I always say you can’t lose unless you quit. So as long as you’re staying in the game, you’re doing pretty good.
Jason Tonioli: I think in today’s society; everybody thinks there’s these overnight successes. I mean, there’s a handful of those individuals that do hit it lucky. But you look at the music industry in general, and the people who typically made it in the industry, they’ve been at it for a lot of years, and maybe they did have their big break, but oftentimes it probably comes 20 years into working at it, right?
Laura Sawosko: It’s so funny because they’ll be like, best new artist. And I’m like, Laney Wilson, you can listen to her story. It’s really interesting. I mean, she’s been at it for how many years? 15 years here. And then they say it’s like an overnight success. But even Jolly Roll and all these histories. I mean, it’s been a long time coming. Chris Stapleton, same thing.
Jason Tonioli: Yeah. I’ve been out to Nashville several times. I had the opportunity one night to do dinner. It was a banking conference of all things in the Country Music Hall of Fame in the Rotunda there. It was very cool, but the group had brought in several singer-songwriters that had been really well known. Well, done really well-known songs, but nobody knew that they’d written them. It was one of those Garth Brooks songs. A whole list of just songs and what was so cool is you had these individuals. This is really my first moment where I realized there’s this secret singer-songwriter group that makes all the great songs. But I still remember this individual, he was singing several songs. You’re like, oh, my gosh, I can’t believe he wrote that song. Then he was talking about how Garth, when he hit it big, they’ve been friends for a long time. Basically, Garth told him, he says, When I make it big, I’m going sing your song as that’s going to be the first one I’m going to do.
Laura Sawosko: Was it The Dance?
Jason Tonioli: I can’t remember. I just remember the story. I don’t even remember which song it was now, but I just thought it was so cool that there were these individuals. I think what impressed me most was the stories he told about the singers that ended up making it big, how several of them were just so complementary, and they really did appreciate what went into these good songs. And they’d had these bonds and friendships that they built over time, even though this guy was… He was never going to be on stage and be front and center. But it was because of him that Garth had these big hits over and over again.
Laura Sawosko: Right. I didn’t know that Garth Brooks wrote his songs, and I learned that he does write a lot last week. So, I’m still learning about how it all works. But when I first moved to town, I was like, Oh, my God. I had a drink with Larry Henley, who wrote “Wind beneath my Wings”, And I was just like, oh, my gosh. So, I get star struck with the songwriters more so than I do for the actual singers. People don’t understand that there’s such a huge team behind these big artists. Take Taylor Swift, Laney Wilson. There’re so many people behind them. Not to say they’re not talented or deserving, but the songwriter, just the thought of them just sitting in their room with their guitar or piano, it’s amazing to me. So that’s when I get a little crazy.
Jason Tonioli: The whole podcast is called The Successful Musicians. And one of the things I’ve really wanted to dive into is to show all of the different areas of the music industry where people have found success, whether it be in a career or just in fulfillment and joy and happiness in doing music. I’m curious, as you’ve been around so many of these singer-songwriters and also other artists that are very well known, probably. Have you noticed, are there any specific crates or things that help lead to success. We just talked about longevity, and you got to stick it out for the 20 plus years for your overnight success. Are there any common themes that you see from people that have been at it for a long time?
Laura Sawosko: I think people treat it like a business, which it is. A lot of people treat it like a hobby, or they like it, but the people that treat it like a business write so many songs, make those contacts with people, and of course not give up. But I would have to say, yeah, you have to make those connections. It’s all about who you know. But there is a fine line between who you see playing songs at a coffee shop with no hits and the people that do have hits. It is hard to decipher because everyone’s so talented. So why do some people rise to the top and some don’t? I don’t know. It’s timing, it’s connections. But in terms of talent, you could go anywhere here right now. Just go to downtown Lower Broadway, and they’re all so talented. For me, it’s just, like I said, not giving up and also finding happiness doing it. There was a time where I’m like, you don’t like it anymore because there’s so much rejection. So, you have to have crocodile skin. You’re going to have a lot of No’s. And more than that, you’re going to have a lot of silence.
So, before they even hear my music, you can’t even get through the door. So, some of my prayers are, please, God, just open a window, just something. So, a lot of times you’ll reach out and hear nothing. So, it’s like loving somebody and getting ghosted all the time. That’s how it feels. So, I guess those people that can have crocodile skin but also have a big open heart to share their story. So, it’s a combination. I don’t know if a lot of people understand that.
Jason Tonioli: Well, you talked about all of these teams of people that surround or have to be around to be able to make it successful. If you were sitting in front of a group of younger kids, like the university, and trying to give them some life advice, I guess, for a music career, what words of wisdom, I guess, would you give to that person sitting in the room?
Laura Sawosko: I guess 09:57 I would say you do have to find a team behind you, but not necessarily people that are in larger corporations because you might get lost in the shuffle. Sometimes I find that working with a smaller company, they’re going to try harder and represent you. So, I’m finally starting to do that now. I mean, this is my sixth album, my second album released in Nashville. And this is the first time I have a team behind me because my goal was, I just want to be heard. So, my advice would be, 10:24 don’t think you’re going to get rich from music. That was my pipe dream as a teenager. It’s like, oh, yeah, I’m going to be the next Debbie Gibson. That’s who I liked as a kid. And then in your 20s, it’s like, yeah, I’m going to be famous. I’m going on a tour. And then you realize that’s less than 1%. So just have realistic goals. Don’t do it for the money but do it just because you love it. And you’ll find a way. You’ll find a way to make money, whatever that is. So I’m blessed to have a team behind me. Actually, Pam Lewis, who was Garth Brooke’s manager during the peak of his career, is now one of my PR out of her. She’s the owner of the company, PlayMedia. She’s been so instrumental in introducing me to people. I think just getting out there and shaking hands and doing as many shows as possible, making yourself known.
Jason Tonioli: You’re talking about getting out and shaking hands. I think almost everybody has this. Actually, I think everybody feels this way. They call it imposter syndrome, at least what I’ve heard people call it. But you feel like you’re not worthy to be out there. Who am I to be going out and meeting this person or talking to this person? There’s a lot of people that I feel like sitting back and they think, well, when I’m ready or when I’ve accomplished this thing, then all of a sudden, I’ll be able to rub shoulders with or shake hands with or be accepted by this group. I see so many people, it seems like these days, they just hold back, and they don’t believe that they’re valuable or they’re capable or ready to do it. And so, a lot of people, just out of fear, they sit back, and they don’t move forward. What do you feel like? How do you overcome that posture syndrome feeling, especially as a younger musician or if you’re just getting at it. I’ve been at this, and you probably feel the same way. I don’t feel like I’m a great musician. I do okay. I’ve had millions of streams and all that, but I still, at this point, don’t feel 100 % confident that I’m good enough. There’re so many people I’m like, oh, well, this person could just play the piano better than I can. So how do you overcome it? What do you do to overcome that?
Laura Sawosko: That’s always It’s funny to me because I always say, wait a second. If I was studying, I’ve been studying music since I was six years old, and if you had a doctor that said, I’ve been studying medicine since I was six, and I still can’t get paid for what I love to do, they’d be like, That’s absurd. Here we are, musicians, and it’s just amazing how we get lost in the shuffle and how we’re not appreciated because this is Music City. I would say most of the time in Nashville, the people making the money are not the people making the music. It could be a publisher that never wrote a song in their life. So the way that I stay on track is I really have to build myself up. I mean, I’m a humble person. I don’t think, yeah, I’m the greatest, or I don’t think a lot of songwriters feel that way. It’s just in our genetics, I guess. But I’ll listen to my songs almost every night. I’ll blast them on my bow’s earplugs, and I’ll listen, that’s a great song, or I’ll really make myself appreciate what I do. I make sure I dance every day.
I’ll listen to music because I’m like, the last thing they’re going to take from me is my love for music. So, I just make sure that I love music. I also teach piano in Nashville and also virtually. So just the excitement in my students’ eyes when they learn a new chord or a new song, and they just that excitement, I think is contagious. So that is rejuvenating me to stay in the game as well. So just stay positive and find ways to do that. I also pray a lot, and I always tell Jesus it’s in His time. And if he wants to help me more, thank God, I think I’m more mentally ready for it and emotionally, because Lord knows, if He gave me fame in my 20s, I probably would have self-imploded. I don’t even know what would have happened. But you can see what happens when people have any sort of fame. I mean, nobody should be celebrated that much. No human being It should be. So, people that can keep their head on straight, like Dolly Parton, it’s amazing, amazing to me. But it doesn’t happen often. And I want people to know that even people that are famous, part of my education is watching YouTube videos, podcasts, guests like yours and just learning their stories. A lot of the people up top are not happy. They’re just not. And you’ll always hear about drugs, and you’ll always hear about losing out on their relationship for whatever reason. So, I remind myself of that when I’m at this level, too.
Jason Tonioli: Yeah. Well, it’s interesting you talk about the people that are making the money, and you talked about the importance of the business side of music. And when you think about the business side of music, what exactly does that mean? Again, if I’m sitting in that college classroom and debating, okay, I’m a musician. I play guitar, I play piano, whatever it is. I don’t want to do business. I just want to make music. How do you come to terms with the business side that some people are going to say take the love or the joy out of music?
Laura Sawosko: 16:01 I’m not really good at the business side, and I don’t think most artists are. We just want to create. I never asked to be a website designer, which I had to learn. I didn’t ask to be a roadie or a sound engineer. You have to learn all of these aspects of being a musician. You have to wear many hats. If you’re going to be successful, you can’t just show up with your guitar. I know people that don’t even know how to restring their guitar. So, it’s like I’ve had to learn how to do that, how to do all of these things and treat them like a business. So when you show up and someone’s like, oh, I need this, then you can do that. And also, I think it prepares you for meeting publishers or people in the industry if you’re knowledgeable, so learn about the industry. I don’t care if it’s watching YouTube videos. That’s how I educate myself or go out and talk to people such as yourself. Just keep learning. There’s so much to learn. And never think that you’ve learned at all, because I sure haven’t. I don’t think anyone has. There’s so many little niches to the music industry and different ways to make money. Like I said, teaching piano. Who would have thought I make twice as much teaching piano as I did waitressing all those years? It fulfills me in such a way that serving at various restaurants in Nashville did not.
Jason Tonioli: Yeah. As I’ve talked to a lot of artists who are really hesitant to get out and share their… It’s almost like artists will create this song, and they just expect, oh, it’s a great song, so everybody’s going to magically think it’s wonderful. And I’ve seen, I think one of the biggest mistakes is they will have a great song, but then all of a sudden, they put it out in the world and they’re like, hey, I got this new song, and nobody even knew it was coming. There was no story behind it. And as much as those individuals wanted to support you, if Facebook or Instagram or whatever the social media platform of the day is, if they don’t decide to show it to everybody, nobody’s even going to know about it at all.
Laura Sawosko: I’m glad you brought that up because it’s all about numbers. Another hat I have to wear is handling all of my social media platforms, and there’s always a new one. I’m like, oh, my God, I just mastered Facebook. Now I got to learn Instagram. So, it’s like, and then I have to do all of these. So, it’s like, when I just wake up, I do all of my social media info or new videos, always keep posting. Again, like I said, I’m humbled talking about myself all the time. It’s like, it’s not fulfilling, but you have to look at yourself as a product. So, I’m selling my songs. I’m selling myself as an artist. So, you have to. Like, look what I did today. And it’s all about numbers. And I’m like, oh, my God, it can be. Yeah, I feel like I’m in eighth grade again, and it’s like, who’s popular? Who’s not? And trust me, I wasn’t popular in eighth grade. So, I’m like, I don’t want to do this again. But every day I set my nets like I’m fishing, and I put everything out into the and then at night I’ll be like, okay, have a glass of wine. Look at how many fish we caught. And you can’t take too much stock into that. I know a lot of people. I can’t imagine being a young teenager with social media and how that would just get to you. So, I try not to take things personally. I put thousands of dollars into a music video. Like today, I released Take My Hand, and that’s on YouTube. And if it gets 50 hits, it’s like, really? It could be frustrating.
Jason Tonioli: I think the hardest part is, musicians typically are really good to do, especially when we’re beginning or you’re trying to get started. You’ve got all these platforms that are becoming more and more pay to play. You want to get your video seen on YouTube? Well, you got to pay to have people see it. You got to Instagram, Facebook. You’re spending sometimes thousands of dollars. And then I think the thing that makes things even more challenging sometimes for the artist is Facebook is happy to take your money, but if you don’t know how to do conversions and track whether it actually worked, it’s like throwing a shotgun out there, and you might have hit one Bibi on one of the right people. But I think it’s one of those where it’s really intimidating for the creator mentality that doesn’t want to do the business. It is. And it’s easy to get discouraged.
Laura Sawosko: I had to reach out to my management consultant and say, okay, I want to do an ad campaign for my new video, and how do we do that? So, she knows marketing techniques that I don’t. I’m always asking questions, and I think you can’t learn or advance if you’re not asking.
Jason Tonioli: Yeah. Well, speaking, Normally, we don’t go into a lot of tactics. About two and a half weeks ago, I collaborated with somebody. It was my first time doing a children’s choir song. I’ve done a lot of advertising, but there’s a tool that I found for any artist that is getting ready to release a song, it’s called Hyped It. If you’ve never heard of it, you should absolutely go look at it. We did an interview. I’ll make a note. John Gold, we did a couple of episodes ago. I interviewed him, and he literally created this platform to help artists when they’re launching their songs. But maybe even after we get off this call, it takes like three to five minutes, and you can do an ad campaign. So, I’ve been testing it for several months now, and the only reason I’m talking now is because it worked better than anything I’ve seen. I literally spent, it was about $210, and we generated- So better than? We generated 100-so-better than Google? Well, for different things. So, I did YouTube Again, I’ve got a case study. I’ll probably go in and I’ll eventually do this.
But for about $200, we generated 130,000 views of a video in seven days. Oh, my gosh. On our YouTube video. And so, it was one of those jaw-dropping things where I thought, normally you’d have to pay a whole bunch of money. And then I feel like, especially in those situations, it’s really, hey, look at me type of thing. And if you’re doing, I think for artists, if you’re doing these advertisements on a, whether it’s Facebook or YouTube platform, you can’t monetize those because you’ve already paid an ad to get to your video. So, they’re not going to let you show another ad before your video since you were the ad to get to the video. But one thing that has been shocking to me is the watch time on those YouTube ads that we did just recently was higher than our direct clicks that we’d get from the email list that we sent out to tens of thousands of people. So, it’s something that if you’re an artist out there listening and you’re thinking, okay, I’m going to launch a new song, that was something that I’m still… We’re going to do some more tests, but I’ve done it three times now, and it has been… HypedIt has been incredibly Really effective and super budget friendly. We’re talking like $3 to $5 a day. That’s it. Like your cup of coffee, go without your coffee for the day, and you can have a meaningful move of the needle without having to know everything about ads.
Laura Sawosko: I think I paid for a month on YouTube, Google Ads, and I had 3,000. I was happy with that.
Jason Tonioli: I’ll have to share a little bit of behind-the-scenes secrets with you, but yeah. That was a game changer. So, any songwriter out there, there’s ways to do it that can cost a whole lot of money. People are always happy to take money, but there’s some really effective, awesome things for songwriters out there that are worth checking out.
Laura Sawosko: I agree. I’m glad you said that because there’s a lot of people in it that aren’t really legit. So really look into it before they take your money, like you said.
Jason Tonioli: And I think from a business standpoint, putting that business hat on, I think the most important part is to just ask yourself, okay, if I put $100 in, what’s the expected return on that investment? And don’t just be like, some guy on a podcast said I need to spend money on something. That’s a terrible idea. You need to have an outcome that you want to have happen, and then you need to measure it and keep score. There are times where I think you just got to be honest with, have a timeline, and is it working? Is it not? And if it’s not, then take it as a lesson learned. Oftentimes, I feel like when we’re younger, people will invest all this money into an education, and spend tens of thousands of dollars going to school. And then somehow, when they graduate after three or four or five or whatever many. So, if we’re longer than others at school, we think we’ve learned everything, and people quit investing in themselves. And yes, you can get a lot of good info. I mean, there’s amazing stuff on YouTube and on podcasts, but if you could go to the most influential person out there to learn from them, wouldn’t that be as valuable as a college course? I just ask people all the time, why would you not be willing to invest in yourself if you really want to learn and dive into something, right?
Laura Sawosko: I agree. And I think you have to spend money to make money in any business. And that includes being a musician. So, I always say, don’t quit your day job. You have to make money. You can’t just play at coffee shops or whatever you’re doing. You have to make money.
Jason Tonioli: That advice right there, don’t quit your day job, I think is… That was probably some of the best advice I received as I was thinking, I want to do this or debating on doing the music. But literally, because of my day job working in a corporate stuffy banker type of situation, wearing a tie every day, I was able to earn enough money that it funded my recording sessions. It funded the printing of a book, and it was a hobby. I think your comment about, gosh, I don’t care whether people like my music and just do it because you love it. Had I probably quit my real job and tried to do music, I’m not sure I would have made it in the music world because I would have gotten frustrated. And my spouse would have said, hey, you gotta grow up and be an adult, and we got kids to feed here.
Laura Sawosko: I know. I felt so bad for some artists when I went to this guy’s house and there was just one bottle of Southern comfort. I’m like, Where’s your food? And he’s got a sleeping bag on the floor. And then I thought there was a time when I first moved to Nashville. I’m like, does this mean he’s more of a serious artist because he struggles more? Am I not? And I really came to terms with that actually this year when another mentor of mine, a successful touring artist, said, Laura, the fact that you have a day job or the fact that you go to Wisconsin in the summertime time to make money and get to come back and do that. She said, No, that’s smart. You have to do that. You have to. And if you really delve into how people make money, even touring artists, they have these jobs that you don’t know about.
Jason Tonioli: Exactly. I think some of the best stories and songs come from those experiences as well.
Laura Sawosko: She said that, too. She said, If you didn’t have your time in the Midwest, where I go in Wisconsin, she’s like, I don’t think you’d have the same songs and the same experiences. I think Lorri McKenna, who I love, is a songwriter based out of Boston. She said, If I wasn’t in Boston and had my family life here, I don’t think I would be the same songwriter. So, I think that’s important.
Jason Tonioli: I’m curious, as you look at your career and just as you’ve matured as an artist, how would you describe success now versus maybe what you would have said, okay, this is a success… I was a successful musician, how has that evolved and what would you tell somebody success is today?
Laura Sawosko: It evolved so much, like I said, from being that famous person on stage and touring and signing autographs. That was my idea. Then when I moved to Nashville, it was getting a publishing deal, getting a song on the radio. That was my idea of success. Now I’ve really had to change that and ebb and flow with the times. 28:30 I would say success is staying in the game and being happy, liking what you do and not liking, loving what you do. And that’s why the title of my new album that’s out April 18th is called “Not What I Do”, because I realized music, it’s not just something I do. No, it’s not what I do. It’s everything. It’s everything. It goes into my personality, just how I see the world. So, it was a conversation I had with another artist, and she’s like, well, music, it’s something I do. And I’m like, I beg to differ. I said, I politely disagree with you. And so that’s how this whole album came about. So, this whole album has been about finding success through happiness and liking what I do. And I thought, you know what? If I don’t love the songs that I’m writing, who else will?
So instead of trying to chase the trend and what’s on the radio, just do what I do best. And if they like it, great. I can’t control that. Once I write it, I love the first conception of a song, and it’s just mine, and nobody He said anything bad about it, and nobody’s ignored me about it. And that’s my favorite time. But now we’re getting close to releasing it to the world, and I’m like, I’m going to continue to remind myself to just be happy no matter what the outcome and just stay in the game. I’m very happy to have a good team of people around me for this album because I said, my goal is not even to make money from this, not even one penny. My goal is to be heard. So, if my songs can be heard and appreciated by people, and if I can touch people’s lives through my songs, then that’s success for me.
Jason Tonioli: I think what you just said, so it’s important to be heard. It is. But what you said at the very end, though, is that you wanted to have impact or help other people. I think as I’ve progressed in my career, a lot of us start out as, I want people to hear my music. I want to share it. I decided to do this. But as I look at some of those most impactful things that have happened in my career, it all comes back to, did it help somebody? Did it impact them? Was somebody better now or changed because of that song? I find it very interesting that what you said there is probably how a lot of artists are, but now you immediately finished that statement with, I wanted to help people. I think that’s very cool. I think it’s important as a musician for us to recognize that music really has a way to touch people in a way we don’t… I still don’t understand how it works, but I know it’s there. That’s a real thing.
Laura Sawosko: It is. I think you’re right. At first, that was all, what can I get from being a musician? Give me money. I want to feel famous. And now it’s, what can I give back? And when my father passed away a couple of years ago, I remember writing a song the day after. And I’m listening to my mom talk to him. He wasn’t there. And it was horrible. And so, I thought, but if I can write a song about this and grief, because we all lose somebody, Unfortunately, we’ll all experience losing a parent. And if I can write about that, maybe it can help somebody. So as hard as it was, I put it on this album, and it’s called “I Want to Do This Right.” And it’s all about grief. And how can I do this right? So, a lot of this album, it’s just channeling all of that. I just think as musicians, we have to feel everything in order to share. I think most people are like, I don’t want to feel. I don’t want to grieve. I don’t want to talk about it. And it’s so funny what we put ourselves through in order to share.
Jason Tonioli: I think one of the common things that I find with musicians is that we’ve taken the time to sit down and write it out. I think a lot of I think there’s a lot of people that have music that’s going through their head or they’re capable of doing it. But I think there’s that moment that a real musician has where they’re like, you know what? I feel like I need to sit down and write it out. I need to write the lyrics down. I need to write this little melody out. And at least for me, I’ve found as I’ve done just that little stuff, it might just be three notes, four notes that were going through my head. But taking the step somehow unlocks the next step. It’s almost like you start down the trail with a flashlight, and there’s not enough… You can’t see what’s down at the end of the trail, but if you’ll just take a step with that flashlight, the next little part gets revealed to you at the right time. I think for me, one of the coolest things about just making music in general is the unknown but being willing to take those steps. I think the same is true for just musicians trying to create a career if you don’t know where you’re going to end up. I mean, the relationships we have, the amount of people that we run across, you have no idea what’s going to come down that trail in front of you. But if you’re willing to take the step and do the thing, pretty cool things happen.
Laura Sawosko: 33:53 Don’t burn bridges. You don’t know if you’ll see them again. It’s a small, big town, so I just make sure. I always leave a good impression with people. And I think people want to work with you. And also, like I said, like a business. I show up to appointments early, and respect people’s time. Also, Nashville has taught me how to songwrite where you begin in the center of the song. I don’t know what you do, but I used to start in the beginning and then go to the end. But now start with the hook. My songs never had a hook. There was no point. It was like this. But now it’s like you have to have that book that grabs you. So National has taught me a lot, and I’m glad I moved here, and I’m excited about this new album. And I would love it if anyone would just go to my website. I promise all the links are there. It’s one-stop shopping. You can watch videos, photos, all that good stuff, bio.
Jason Tonioli: So, if somebody wants to go check, we’re going to put the website in the show notes, but just so they can go find you if they’re listening, put a note in. Where should they go to find your website and info?
Laura Sawosko: Yeah. Just laurasawosco.com. I understand it’s a difficult name to say and spell, but you can go there, and I promise everything’s there. I designed it myself, so it’s very easy. You can go to my YouTube links from there. You can go to my social media platforms, and I would just love it if you’d follow me on Instagram or Facebook or anything. Subscribe to my YouTube channel. You know what it’s like. It’s all about numbers.
Jason Tonioli: People should absolutely go listen to your stuff. There’s lots of good music out there, but I think you’ve got a real talent for telling stories. The songs that I’ve listened to, I’m like, this is just fun. I think the Nashville flavor seems to have more of that song. There are more storytelling elements than most, but you’ve definitely mastered that. I applaud you for your talent, and It’s been really fun to get to know you a little bit.
Laura Sawosko: Well, thank you. I appreciate it. Very kind words. And yes, my writing is my favorite. So, I appreciate your time. I’ll definitely spread the word about your podcast.
Jason Tonioli: Well, thank you, Laura. It’s been fun. So definitely go check out her music on Spotify, on YouTube, on Apple, all the places. But it’s worth listening to. So, thanks so much, guys, for listening.
Laura Sawosko: Thank you.