John Haywood on Nashville Songwriting, Outlaw Country, Stage Fright + Chasing Something Real - EP 35

John Haywood on Nashville Songwriting, Outlaw Country, Stage Fright + Chasing Something Real - EP 35 In Episode 35 of The Shift with Mike & Joe, we sit down with Maryland-born country artist and songwriter John Haywood to talk about his path from writing novels and short stories to chasing songs in Nashville. John shares how a trip through Music City sparked the idea for a book about Nashville’s songwriting scene, only for that project to eventually turn into a much bigger shift toward writing and performing music himself. We get into his early days playing open mics at places like Cult Classic, the confidence he found through learning guitar, his battle with stage fright, and what it was like moving to Nashville as a shy person trying to break into one of the most competitive songwriter communities in the country. John also breaks down the reality of Nashville writers rounds, bar gigs, networking, recording music on a budget, touring after losing his day job, and building a career around original songs without chasing the more polished, radio-friendly version of country music. We talk about his outlaw and gothic country influences, his Maryland roots, his time performing overseas in Scotland and England, his appearance as lead singer of Gamblers in the Neon on AXS TV’s Banded: The Musician Competition, and the mindset behind wanting to become one of the best writers of his time. It’s a conversation about music, confidence, discomfort, old-school country, creative ambition, and the strange but necessary process of becoming the person you always hoped you could be. Question for you: What shift have you experienced in your life? In this episode, we talk about John’s Maryland roots, moving to Nashville, writers rounds, stage fright, outlaw country, recording music independently, touring overseas, appearing on Banded: The Musician Competition, and what it means to chase something real instead of settling. Support The Shift with Mike & Joe Website: https://www.theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com Donate: https://www.theshiftwithmikeandjoe.com/giving-page-2-1 Email: [email protected] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheShiftwithMikeandJoe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshiftwithmikeandjoe/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/61574975860350 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-shift-with-mike-joe/id1813198065 Podbean: https://joer7.podbean.com Connect with John Haywood Website: https://johnhaywood.info Tour Dates: https://johnhaywood.info/tour EPK / One Sheet: https://johnhaywood.info/epk-onesheet Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Heyhaywood Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyhaywood/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heyhaywood/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg1gXUaZjNSBU_lL5sy2E9A Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5yQUEBrCLsgRvH8ceG7TTM Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/john-haywood/1694806429 Connect with Mike & Joe Image & Sound Media: https://imagesoundmedia.com Joe Bryan Music: https://www.joebryanmusic.com Kent Island Academy of Music: https://kentislandacademyofmusic.com Michael Waskey Music: https://www.michaelwaskey.com The Shift with Mike & Joe is fully produced by Image & Sound Media.