Tx2Tn Podcast Ep239 Braxton Hamblen

Braxton Hamblen joins the Texas to Tennessee Podcast to talk about growing up in small-town Colorado, finding his voice as a performer, and the way rodeo and music overlap in his life. He also shares the story behind his upcoming single, Cactus Flower, plus how he connected with producer Ben Walagoski and fiddler Wes Barlow.We discuss Braxton’s writing process, stage comfort, early musical influences, and why he still gets nervous before bigger shows even though performance feels like home.Key topicsBraxton shares how Alt, Colorado shaped him, from growing up around rodeo to sneaking into music scenes as a kid.He explains that he started music young, but really doubled down during COVID by locking himself in his room and relearning guitar and songwriting.In the episode, he says performance is his favorite part of music, even though he is naturally introverted offstage.He talks about writing in bursts, sometimes turning out 15 songs in a week after getting blocked for months.Braxton describes his writing process as something that has to happen with a guitar in hand and in a quiet space, not on the fly.He and the hosts dig into the similarities between rodeo life and music life, especially the travel, the drift, and the responsibility of taking care of a team.He opens up about self-worth struggles early in his career and how comparing himself to other artists made him question his progress.Braxton previews Cactus Flower, an acoustic duet with fiddle and backing vocals that started as a personal song about a girl he met in Estes Park.He explains how sneaking backstage at Greeley Stampede led to meeting Wes Barlow and eventually connecting with producer Ben Walagoski.He gives a rundown of upcoming shows across Wyoming, Colorado, and beyond, plus mentions his family hat shop, Hamblin Hats.