CJ Hooper: One Year, Two Records, No Shortcuts

Episode 107 of the The Bandwich Tapes podcast, hosted by Brad Williams, titled "CJ Hooper: One Year, Two Records, No Shortcuts" was published on February 12, 2026 and runs 41 minutes.

February 12, 2026 ·41m · The Bandwich Tapes

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Summary

In this episode, I sit down with singer-songwriter CJ Hooper to talk about building songs—and confidence—as an independent artist without rushing the process. We dig into how moving from Texas to Washington shaped his musical perspective, and why honest, story-driven country music seems to resonate no matter where you live.CJ and I talk about releasing Over Yonder, his second album just a year after his debut, and the surprisingly self-confronting experience of hearing your own voice back in the studio. We also get into early cassette-tape influences, playing in a band with musicians decades older than him, cutting his teeth at open mics, and slowly figuring out how his original songs want to live in the world. It’s a conversation about patience, craft, and letting the work grow naturally—one song at a time.Music from the Episode:Burn it Down (CJ Hooper)Lookie Over Yonder (CJ Hooper)Rain Song (CJ Hooper)Thank you for listening. If you have questions, feedback, or ideas for the show, please email me at [email protected] theme song, "Playcation", was written by Mark Mundy.

Episode Description

In this episode, I sit down with singer-songwriter CJ Hooper to talk about building songs—and confidence—as an independent artist without rushing the process. We dig into how moving from Texas to Washington shaped his musical perspective, and why honest, story-driven country music seems to resonate no matter where you live.

CJ and I talk about releasing Over Yonder, his second album just a year after his debut, and the surprisingly self-confronting experience of hearing your own voice back in the studio. We also get into early cassette-tape influences, playing in a band with musicians decades older than him, cutting his teeth at open mics, and slowly figuring out how his original songs want to live in the world. It’s a conversation about patience, craft, and letting the work grow naturally—one song at a time.

Music from the Episode:
Burn it Down (CJ Hooper)
Lookie Over Yonder (CJ Hooper)
Rain Song (CJ Hooper)

Thank you for listening. If you have questions, feedback, or ideas for the show, please email me at [email protected].

The theme song, "Playcation", was written by Mark Mundy.