Our guests this episode are The Doohickeys, a comedic country music duo who are on the rise in the Americana and country music worlds. Haley and Jack join The Dads to talk about their journey from house parties and open mic nights in LA to playing the Ryman Auditorium and releasing their debut album, All Hat No Cattle. We talk about their creative process, the current state of independent country music, and about how Jack was once starstruck by Jon Pardi.

We also talk about Dad Jokes: the definition, their proper use, and their pun-filled overlap with country music. This pair is hilarious and we hope you enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at their unique brand of comedy and music.

03:31: Creative Process for a Comedic Country Duo: Haley and Jack like to start with a clever premise. And even if they don't think Too Ugly to Hitchhike is the smartest song they've written, plenty of fans thinks so.

05:29: The Doohickeys Origin Story: The Doohickeys were born at an LA Halloween party and raised on a shared love of "good" country music and an original plan to make sketch comedy YouTube videos.

10:13: More Background on Creating Comedy Songs and Their Comedy Influences: Haley and Jack share the story behind Rein it in Cowboy. And they cover their main influences like Minnie Pearl, the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, and their very funny parents and grandparents.

14:54: The Doohickeys Play The Ryman: The duo share their thoughts on playing The Mother Church of Country Music and pooping in the same toilet as Hank Williams.

16:58: Making a Point vs Making It Funny: Jack shares some wisdom from Phil Rosenthal (showrunner for Everybody Loves Raymond) about the power of clarity in comedy to get laughs and to get your point across. They also comment on the balance that serious artists walk when trying to be funny, and that funny artists walk when trying to be serious.

21:33: The Doohickeys Get Serious: Jack and Haley give their commentary on the state of popular country music and the entertainment industry at-large, the uphill battle independent artists face, and their love/hate relationship with Spotify.

27:54: Please Tell Me You're Sleepin' is Not Safe for the Family: Dave shares how he accidentally played one of The Doohickeys' more risque songs on a family road trip, and Haley shares how they were banned from a radio station for that same song.

30:38: The Definition of a Dad Joke: The Doohickeys weigh in on Dave and Donnie's favorite comedy genre. Jack uses the poor pun in Tequila Little Time to share his true feelings about Jon Pardi.

38:20: The Dad Joke Laugh Off: The Dads and The Doohickeys go head to head with their best dad jokes in an effort to get a laugh (or at least a cringe).

• Saving Country Music review
• American Songwriter interview
• The Tiny Desk contest
• Minnie Pearl
• Ray Stevens
• Phil Rosenthal's

Tony Kamel, a Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter, clawhammer banjo and guitar player, and father to a four-year-old girl, joins the show to talk about his latest album, We’re All Gonna Live, and to give us a behind-the-scenes look at the stories and real people that inspired many of his songs. Tony shares how his new-ish role as a father and his relationship with his own late father influences his music in an honest, vulnerable and inspiring interview. Listen along as the Dads commiserate with this stalwart of the bluegrass world about shared family calendars, the challenges of being a working parent, and finding hope in the stories of real people in roots and folk music.

02:05: The Story Behind We’re All Gonna Live: Tony describes the creation of his latest album, how fatherhood affected the creative process, and where the theme of death and loss on the album came from.

07:18: “Fight With a Smile:” Tony tells the story of how his grandmother helped him find strength and hope during difficult times and how her wisdom influenced the album’s theme (and cover art).

10:52: Authenticity and Tradition in Storytelling and Fatherhood: Tony shares that many of the stories in his songs are about real people and real experiences. He comments on the importance of telling authentic stories in roots and folk music and of bringing authenticity to your parenting.

15:28: 90’s Alt-Rock Cover Songs: Tony talks about his viral banjo cover of “Santa Monica” by Everclear and the songwriting quality of many alt-rock songs we remember from our childhoods.

18:49: "We’re All Gonna Live:" Tony tells the true story that inspired the title track of We’re All Gonna Live.

22:24: "A Father and a Daughter:" Tony shares the inspiration behind his song "A Father and a Daughter" and how he considers it to be a gift to his daughter as she grows up.

26:08: The Dad Life Sound Check: Tony shares one of his dad’s favorite songs, George Strait’s "Love Without End, Amen." Dave talks about how Summer Dean’s “Lonely Girl’s Lament” reminds him to consider the single people in the “village” helping to raise his kids. And Donnie can’t help but choose Tony Kamel’s “The Surfer” (and he swears he’s not just sucking up to the songwriter in the room).

• Tony Kamel
• Wood and Wire
• "We're All Gonna Live" album cover art
• Country Cutler’s article in Saddle Mountain Post about 90's country
• Dr. Becky

• Theme Music: “Dark Country Rock” by Moodmode
• "We're All Gonna Live" by Tony Kamel
• "Makin' It Work" by Tony Kamel
• "

Blue jeans are ubiquitous in country music. Yet dads (and kids) often choose the comfort and flexibility of "soft pants" over the rich history and unforgiving fit of denim. In this episode, the dads explore how blue jeans fit in our kids' active lives, on dads' expanding waistlines and in country music tropes. They're joined by author James Sullivan (who literally wrote the book on blue jeans) to dive deep into the history of blue jeans in America, culture and music. If you've ever wondered where our blue jeans obsession comes from, or whether you'll ever fit into your suddenly "tight-fitting jeans" again, this is the episode for you.

To wrap things up, Dave spends the "Change My Mind" segment trying to convince Donnie that even aging dads should embrace the discomfort (read: suffering) of country music festivals in pursuit of growth and, perhaps, the fountain of youth.

3:32: Should Our Kids Wear Jeans? In a Scary Mommy article, a pediatric occupational therapist suggested that kids should not wear jeans. The dads discuss the merits of blue jeans in the lives of active, knee-skinning children.

7:17: Should Dads Wear Jeans? When the size of your pants is a moving target, pants selection gets tricky. The dads weigh the requirements for “dad pants” from ruggedness and cool-factor to flexibility and comfort.

9:44: The History Of Blue Jeans: Donnie kicks off an initial history lesson by reading the Levi’s website with the voice of an old-timey movie narrator.

13:46: Blue Jeans in Western Wear: A western wear aficionado, Donnie, weighs in on denim’s role in “the scene” and encourages Dave to check out the rancher pant (or maybe a nudie suit).

16:37: Do Stretchy Jeans Still Count? The dads discuss the current trend toward stretchy (but less rugged) jeans-like materials and whether that matters in the world of blue jeans.

20:05: Blue Jeans in Country Music: Of the many mentions of blue jeans in country music, the dads hone in on two common tropes: the funny yet often cringey sexual innuendo of “tight fittin’ jeans” and the more family-friendly images of nostalgic Americana and simpler times.

28:02: Author James Sullivan on Blue Jeans and American Culture: James Sullivan joins the podcast to share a more in-depth look at the history of blue jeans, based on his work writing Jeans: A Cultural History of an American Icon.

38:41: How the Hatred of Laundry Led to a Resurgence in Blue Jeans’ Popularity: James Sullivan tells the story of how the Denim Council reversed blue jeans’ “juvenile delinquent” reputation with a clever marketing campaign.

46:25: The Dad Life Sound Check: Donnie discovers a sad country song about laundry: Rebecca Porter’s “The Laundry Pile.” Dave looks forward to finding his “Chattahoochee” this summer, though he’d prefer not to wear jeans in the lake like Alan Jackson does in the music video.

49:06: Change My Mind: Dave changes gears and encourages Donnie to “choose discomfort” in an effort to change his mind about whether aging dads still belong at multi-day country music festivals.

Thank you for listening. The best way to support us is to subscribe to the show on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or whatever podcast platform you use. If you want to see new episodes and more content delivered straight to your email inbox, please subscribe to our newsletter: countrymusicdads.substack.com. You can find everything we do on our website: countrymusicdads.com. And we’d love...