Episode 26, the Talking South Carolina Podcast Check-In with Country Music Artist Elliot Poston Interview

Episode transcript:

Angela Berret – “Hey, Elliot. How are you?”

Elliot Poston – I’m good. Good good good good good.

Angela Berret – “So, things have really been rocking and rolling since the last time you and I talked. It was August 14th, 24. And now we’re in January of 25. And, as I predicted, and I’m saying this again, patting myself on the back here, you’ve gone beyond, I think, what you thought you were ever going to be at this point because you’ve been doing this this long, very long, right?”

Elliot Poston – “No, I’ve only been chasing this, chasing the dream, so to speak. Series, I guess. Really pursuing it. Probably since the beginning of last year. Yeah. End of the 2023. Because, I had my first gig in July of 23. But probably really didn’t, myself really start pursuing it until, In the 23 beginning of 24.”

Elliot Poston – “So it’s been good. It’s been, Yeah, it’s been fun.”

Angela Berret – “Yeah, absolutely. So again, the last time we talked in August, you released, you can’t spell Bush without USA. And, that went over like a rocket, didn’t it?”

Elliot Poston – “Yeah. It, I ended up reaching out to 94.3, the dude in Columbia, and, shared the song with him, and it ended up, being a part of their, tailgate pregame show for every, every game day. So.”

Angela Berret – “Yeah. Yes. I figured I figured that pleasant surprise. Yeah. So tell you from then to now, tell me what else happened, and then I’ve got some questions I want to ask you to.”

Elliot Poston – “Well, not to be too anticlimactic. But honestly, it’s just, it’s just the grind. It’s, I ended up releasing four total songs, this past year to after. You can’t publish that at USC. I say a lot hasn’t happened, but I got nominated for, Columbia’s best solo artist. Nominated for that. Right. I got nominated for for, Metro Music.”

Elliot Poston – “Yeah. Metro Music Awards, Country Artist of the year. And I am neck the weekend. January the 18th, this coming weekend. I will find out if I’ve won Carolina Country Music’s male Artist of the year.”

Angela Berret – “Yes. I, for the Carolina Country Music Awards. Right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Excited about that one. A friend of mine, I think it was last year as a young one, female artist of the year in one of these, things that you guys are on. So I do follow it. But, Well, that is fantastic. Congratulations on the nominations.”

Angela Berret – And crossing my fingers for the 18th. Tell me about your new song. If only.

Elliot Poston – “Yeah. So I lost to close friends my last year. So, as in 23, I keep thinking we’re in 24. Holidays are in 2023. I lost two hush friends of mine. One of them, passed away due to, self-inflicted gunshot wound. You know, he he’d been unknowingly to me, he’d been battling with some mental health issues and, had gotten into, just to where he wasn’t sleeping well at night.”

Elliot Poston – “And, locked himself in his bathroom and took his own life. And, you know, it’s, one of those things that, you know, you never know. What someone may be dealing with and, you know, he, he lived in Indiana, is a good friend of mine. We lived down here, South Carolina. And, you know, we touch base and talk pretty regularly and, you know, I just remember being in the car around Thanksgiving 2023 and, my wife saying, hey, did you hear about such and such?”

Elliot Poston – “And I was like, no. She’s like, yeah. He, he chanserv.”

Angela Berret – Well.

Elliot Poston – “And, so that happened right around Thanksgiving. And then, another close friend of mine, ended up going into the hospital on Christmas Eve morning, the morning of Christmas Eve, or may have been Christmas Day morning, but went to the hospital healthy, otherwise healthy. 3637 year old. They’d done a couple Spartan races or was planning on going first try again this year.”

Elliot Poston – “And, when it never came out.”

Angela Berret – Wow. And do you know what was the calls or.

Elliot Poston – “No. No. They said he died of pneumonia. They said pneumonia had already started attacking his heart. From my understanding, because he was so healthy. Because of how healthy was and not. And being able to kind of face some of the symptoms that he was dealing with, that was worse than, he probably realized, rather than likely the violence inside to get to the E.R..”

Elliot Poston – “It was kind of too late, like.”

Angela Berret – That’s terrible. And so I guess those two people inspired if only.

Elliot Poston – “Yeah. So on September 3rd was, my buddy who committed suicide. Who committed suicide? It was his birthday. And I woke up that morning just really struggling. Just as far as feeling like, really, it’s a heavy day.”

Angela Berret – Sure.

Elliot Poston – “And, you know, just kind of let my wife know. Hey. Struggling your day just to give you a heads up, to fire. So I,”

Elliot Poston – “In in in that. Really? Then started,”

Elliot Poston – “Thinking about Pastor Travis, who had passed away a month after him because all three of us shared the same birthday month. The and past Travis was a day apart, and the mother body was said to a third, and, so I started thinking like, man, what if I would a what if I were to call or man, if only I’d known that they were going to be here anymore.”

Elliot Poston – “Sure. And, that’s all I came out of it.”

Angela Berret – And so did you kind of sit down that day or the.

Elliot Poston – “Yeah, I sat down that day and I wrote the lyrics. The majority of the worship. Right. I think I started in September of 20th September third and I finished it for the month. For the month was up.”

Angela Berret – Yeah. And so the music followed after the lyrics for that one.

Elliot Poston – “No, I wrote everything at once.”

Angela Berret – “Oh, wow. Oh, okay.”

Elliot Poston – Yeah.

Angela Berret – “Well, most often.”

Elliot Poston – “I don’t write words and then put a tune to it. Whatever I’m writing, I have a tune to it when I’m writing it.”

Angela Berret – “Gotcha, gotcha. You know, everybody does it so differently. And, but that’s, an interesting story, and I’m sorry for your loss. That’s tragic. And, I’m glad that something good came out of it. As in your next song, which is, the if only, which is, a really good song. So, you know, the there was, let’s see, we’ve got can’t spell Bush without us.”

Angela Berret – “See, we’ve got. If only there’s one I’m missing.”

Elliot Poston – Better than I deserve.

Angela Berret – “Yeah, better than I deserve. Yeah. So tell us about that one.”

Elliot Poston – “Yeah. I mean, that’s just a song. Counting your blessings. You know, it’s, My daughter and son designed a cover up for, I wrote the song, and I was like, hey, I’m trying to decide what kind of what kind of, cover art. I wanted, so to speak, and I felt like, the greatest blessing I have is my family.”

Elliot Poston – “Yeah. And so, you know, I wanted to legacy above everything else. So I, spoke to my wife and my wife. I spoke to my kids and just, asked them if they would, create a. Draw something for me. Cool. And my son, drew the bottom. Or did the write out the better than I deserved part at the bottom of the page and had my, my daughter drew drew the picture.”

Angela Berret – “So that’s cool. That’s cool. And, so speaking of family, tell me, what are their thoughts? I mean, what are their reactions to all the publicity and fame and and things that you’re getting now? Cause that’s got to be a little bit different for them as well.”

Elliot Poston – “You know, is we just every day is just this the same. Same thing. Same old, same old, you know? Yeah.”

Elliot Poston – “You know, publicity and all that. It doesn’t really. I guess maybe it just hasn’t hit us enough yet. Maybe, You know, they love it.”

Angela Berret – They’re my friend.

Elliot Poston – “They love telling somebody that, Hey. Yeah, my dad wrote this song, or, you know, they’re my biggest fans. And my family is my biggest support. So, they’re all they’re always sharing, sharing my stuff or singing it, and so it’s fun. But we haven’t, quote unquote experienced the, I guess, stardom, so to speak.”

Angela Berret – “Right. Well, and I know I sent you a text or message or, you know, private message, the other day where I’m. Yeah.”

Elliot Poston – So I was like.

Angela Berret – “Well, and that was the first song that came up on the country music, so I guess it remembers what you listen to or whatever. I was like, where would you look at that? How cool was that?”

Elliot Poston – “Right. So it’s funny because, had another buddy of mine who sent me a, a message saying, his Spotify wrapped. You showed me a Spotify wrap and his most listened to artist was me. Bruce, it that day.”

Angela Berret – “Oh, yeah. And that was the fun thing. I’m usually riding in the car, so I have to sort of let the Spotify pick for me. I mean, I think look down to pick a song or an artist or things like that. So it was kind of really unique when you, you were the first one that popped up. I was like, well, goodness.”

Angela Berret – “And we had not even talked yet. So yeah, I mean, it’s.”

Elliot Poston – “I, I appreciate it. I’m grateful.”

Angela Berret – “Yeah, absolutely. So I got a question. What is with the hat?”

Elliot Poston – “Dang, dang.”

Angela Berret – Yeah. Your hat.

Elliot Poston – It was a Christmas gift.

Angela Berret – Yeah.

Elliot Poston – “Yeah. Why not? So mount my. What? My wife and kids, got me that hat for Christmas. So this is dang. My son’s got one that says golly, and it’s a it’s a brand. It’s a brand called Dirt Pile creative. No. It’s their. I’m not sponsored by them or anything. It’s just, one of us. We sell the hats.”

Elliot Poston – “We like them, man. My son got a got one that says golly and and he says, golly a lot.”

Angela Berret – Is that where the dang comes from? Because you say that all the time.

Elliot Poston – “I do, but it’s a lot of times a man. Dang.”

Angela Berret – Yeah.

Elliot Poston – “You know, I had a joke with my wife and some friends of ours and tell them I said I need to. I need to, find one that says if if because, like me, myself and, my business partners, kids in case for those who aren’t aware, I’m part of the largest wrestling company in the state of South Carolina also.”

Elliot Poston – “Right. And I don’t cuss, but we’ll say like f f, which is f. What’s the f? Right? Wrong. The ha a jerk has said I need to find the. Give them the make me a hat says f right?”

Angela Berret – “Right, right. But what?”

Elliot Poston – “But, Yeah. So I said, dang, I got a day, right? They got me the hat now.”

Angela Berret – “Well, I just saw a couple of things, post about it or, you know, comments and got quite the laughter. So I said I had to ask about that. And speaking of wrestling, said so tell us how how’s the how is the wrestling world going?”

Elliot Poston – “It’s amazing. You know, we, we we just signed a new deal with, Kershaw County rec department. Into the year to extend our contract with them through 2025. So it will be, there again in 2025 at Kershaw County, Old Army Gymnasium in Cannon, South Carolina. Every fourth Saturday of every month. So it’s been it’s been a wild ride.”

Elliot Poston – “We’re looking to hopefully, have more, expand our reach more this year with, different, sports shows, so to speak, which is where it’s, it’s, where you’ll go to a different town than you normally used to. And you, the main goal is, I mean, the goal is the goal is always the same to entertain, entertain, get new fans and retain old fans.”

Elliot Poston – “It’s it’s always the, the goal. But it’s, we’re hoping just to be able to expand our market some this year, expand our footprint and you see where it leads us. We’ve, we’ve grown exponentially over the past couple of years, with the way Netflix and everything with, has happened. It’s really kind of one of those things that we wonder if, if this might be a, a year that wrestling kind of burns,”

Elliot Poston –

Angela Berret – “Now, this is, where kids can go and. Learn or perfect wrestling techniques privately. Or how? Tell us about the company.”

Elliot Poston – Have you heard of WB?

Angela Berret – Yes.

Elliot Poston – That’s what this is.

Angela Berret – Okay.

Elliot Poston – Yeah.

Angela Berret – “Gotcha, gotcha.”

Elliot Poston – Yeah. This this isn’t the high school wrestling. Middle school wrestling. It’s not.

Angela Berret – This is real.

Elliot Poston – “There is professional wrestling, right? It’s. Storylines are written. It’s not fake. It’s. Yes, people. We know the outcomes. But someone fallen on their back on a, in a ring that doesn’t have springs. There’s no springs in a ring. It’s literally a metal frame. Two by sixes and a 1 to 2 inch foam.”

Angela Berret – That the. So let’s back up. Let me understand this. So you sponsor or you put on wrestling.

Elliot Poston – Myself into Yoder to two others. Palmetto championship wrestling. We are the largest professional wrestling company in the state of South Carolina. We have a monthly show just like you would see Monday Night Raw tonight. We have one of those monthly is the fourth Saturday of every month.

Angela Berret – And so different wrestlers sign up to be part of that show.

Elliot Poston – Well we booked in but.

Angela Berret –

Elliot Poston – “Yeah. So wrestlers are there. For now, they’re not they’re not under contract. They’re contract workers. Those like, the majority of times because we because of how we run our shows and when our business, we try to keep a lot of the same people the same.”

Elliot Poston – “Yeah. Because because our goal is to tell a story. Our goal is and have a match, and then it not makes sense. Sure. Because it’s it’s I tell people look at wrestling as a live action movie, okay. You’re going to come and sit for 2 to 3 hours and you’re going to get the prequel in the beginning, they’ll let you know everything that’s led up to this because of the because of, the video and set that we share in the, in the beginning of our, of our, shows.”

Elliot Poston – “And we do that intentionally so that people who may not have been there when they come, they then have the back story because not because we don’t want anyone to be lost. Sure.”

Angela Berret – “Well, now I think I have a better understanding of what what what that entails now. Because I was way off base for sure. Yeah, that. Just said just getting the logistics down would be a lot, for something like that and keeping the storyline going and things of that nature. That would be a lot.”

Elliot Poston – “We’ve got, we’ve we’ve got a great team. Like I said, me and my two business partners. We’re the owners, but we we have a guy who’s been in the industry for 20 plus years. He’s the producer of our show. He’s the one who writes. He writes everything. And again, it’s it’s he’s somebody who has 20 plus years of experience in the industry.”

Elliot Poston – “So for us, it’s important to, really invest in him and trust him to, to bring our vision to, to life. And he does an amazing job with it.”

Angela Berret – “Mogul I got to check it out. And and watch some. Now that now that I have a full understanding of what goes on, it, and you said Palmetto.”

Elliot Poston – Palmetto Championship Wrestling.

Angela Berret – Championship Wrestling. And I’ll have to write that down. Let me switch topics just one second. How fun was football season? Because you are the you were there most of the games.

Elliot Poston – “No, I wasn’t really.”

Angela Berret – I thought I thought I saw where you were at JSU out there.

Elliot Poston – “I went to, So I went to one game. Went to tech. Same game, because I played at a benefit concert before for Saint Jude’s. It was a tailgate concert. Myself and, two other music artists played. Played there, and then, we ended up going to the. We decided to take a trip after the new year and go to the Cheez-It Bowl.”

Elliot Poston – “I couldn’t go to the majority games, mainly because my son plays football.”

Angela Berret – “Sure. But now you play it more than one place before game, right? But I thought I saw Jake’s on there, and I know I saw,”

Elliot Poston – “The I put up for J’s corners, but that was before game. Oh, okay. That was just, I play there, and they, they market my song.”

Angela Berret – Gotcha. Gotcha. Gotcha.

Elliot Poston – “But, Yeah. Jake’s corner. I love Jake’s corner. I’m actually there Thursday night.”

Angela Berret – “Yeah. Speaking of your schedule, I was looking at it, I think the next three months, you’re you’re you’re pretty booked.”

Elliot Poston – “Yeah, I went in. What? I was like, you know what? Normally what I do is I put, I put a monthly, schedule at the beginning of each month, and I was like, you know what? I can still do that. And accent and tag people. But I’m going to put it up there so that. Yeah, I had the first quarter out.”

Elliot Poston – “People got questions that can look find out. Right. It’s about being availability, especially during during the week and Thursdays and Sundays. But Fridays and Saturdays are pretty much taken up.”

Angela Berret – “Yeah. Yeah, I saw that. So what’s next? You working on a new song?”

Elliot Poston – “Yeah, I got a I got, a new song already written that I was originally going to record and in place of If Only. But after I wrote If only, I just something I feel like I really need to get out there and, even if, even if it’s just for me. Sure. So I found this other song that I’ve had it for a little while that I, I’ll be recording hopefully in the first quarter.”

Elliot Poston – “The guy who does my recording, he’s, in the process of building a new studio. So, he hasn’t taken in recording since the end of November, and I’m supposed to check back with him in the January mid-February. So.”

Angela Berret – “Well, good. But, any any hints about the song? I know you can’t tell us the name, but.”

Elliot Poston – I can tell you name out here. It’s called backwards.

Angela Berret – The back roads. Yeah. So now where did that come from?

Elliot Poston – “Well, I grew up in the country. There’s back roads to get everywhere, right? So, like, we had to take bad roads to get anywhere we wanted to go. And so it’s one of those things that, I don’t know, I feel like, people can relate to learning lessons on the back roads and. They’re also a name of that.”

Elliot Poston – “Seven because I’m talking about, driving backwards.”

Angela Berret – Right? Yeah. People who did not grow up in the country have no idea what they miss.

Elliot Poston – “Yeah. They don’t. It’s interesting, like, you talked to people and even, like, even something as simple as, like, food way. Right? Right. It’s like what you eat that it’s like. Yeah. Why not?”

Angela Berret – That’s right.

Elliot Poston – “Oh, I would, What? Would I not eat it? You know.”

Angela Berret – “I know that’s exactly right. Or just some of the things that we say, like where I’m from. I say this all the time. No one in this world knows what a K score is. Do you know the k score is.”

Elliot Poston – “A case quarter? No, I’ve heard it, but I don’t open up my head. I can’t place it.”

Angela Berret – “So. Okay, score is a whole quarter. Like you, I say I need a K for I want a whole quarter. I don’t want to round and a nickel, but, most people don’t. Because if you remember, though, and you had to have that for the vending machines or certain machines, they wouldn’t take too long. You had to have a case quarter.”

Elliot Poston – And I had the core. Yeah.

Angela Berret – That’s right.

Elliot Poston – “The my grandma on the old convenience store. And I remember, I remember like at her old convenience store, she had all Pacman machine that we play and, you know, she’d give us the, a quarter out, the, the old, register, or is old, old gray one that you had? It wasn’t digital, right?”

Angela Berret – “Yeah, yeah, but the numbers were.”

Angela Berret – “Yeah. My grandfather, he owned one do. And I remember, coke calls in the glass bottle and sitting on the counter, and there’s a jar of pig’s feet. Yep. And, now that I couldn’t do.”

Elliot Poston – “The my my grandma had a jar, pickled pig feet up on her counter. She sold, cow tails. And next to the cow tails was, red man chewing tobacco and chewing tobacco to send a brown packet I forget the name of.”

Angela Berret – “Yeah, just,”

Elliot Poston – “But she also saw Big League Chew Bell, and,”

Angela Berret – That was the best she had.

Elliot Poston – “But she had the, the coolers that you did that she reached down into and pulled the bottle bottles out. Right. And then she, And then she she started selling the says. A lot of people think sodas have always been 20 ounce bottles. But I remember when they were 16 ounce.”

Angela Berret – “Yeah, well, I remember the baby.”

Elliot Poston – The glass bottles were 8 ounce or 10 ounce.

Angela Berret – Right? They were baby like an eight ounce. And then.

Elliot Poston – Then you had the 12 ounce.

Angela Berret – Cans out. You.

Elliot Poston – So I remember the ten ounce glass bottles. I remember the 6 or 8 ounce glass bottles. I remember the 12 ounce cans. I remember the 16 ounce plastic bottles. Right. The the Big Gulps or whatever it was 20oz then.

Angela Berret – “Now I don’t even we wouldn’t have had any of that back in the day that no granddaddy had the store. But,”

Elliot Poston – “You know, when I was, you know, a neighbor’s.”

Angela Berret – “Yes. A pack, an ad and a Coca-Cola. That’s what we’re having for lunch.”

Elliot Poston – “A lot of people don’t know what nabs are. Well, sometimes we y’all listen.”

Angela Berret – “It’s the the square, orange looking cracker with peanut butter in the middle.”

Elliot Poston – “Yeah. Well, I’ll. I’ll tell you. Nabs or any type of crab cracker with something in the middle.”

Angela Berret – “Right, right right, right.”

Elliot Poston – “But if it was, I.”

Angela Berret – Have Nabs or Coca-Cola for the for lunch or what? Snack or whatever.

Elliot Poston – “It it’s not a brand, but more than likely you’re either eating Lance or Toms.”

Angela Berret – “That’s right, that’s right. That’s, I agree, but it’s just something about growing up in the country for sure. So, we talked about, you know, kind of you got your new song coming and hopefully it’ll come out this quarter. Any.”

Elliot Poston – Quarter?

Angela Berret – “Yeah. Where where are you heading from now? I know we got to get through the 18th with the awards, but we’re. Have you got any idea about where you’re headed next?”

Elliot Poston – “I’m. I’ve got a couple of, couple things that I don’t want to speak on too much right now. Sure. For the summer, I’ll talk to you about it. All fair. Sounds good. I don’t want to necessarily release too much information right now, because it’s just a lot of a lot of open ended us. Sure. But if everything works out the way I’m hoping, then a lot of big things.”

Angela Berret – “Good. Well, I am excited. And I have been from the very beginning, from the first time I heard you and, And, and, a big cheerleader here, for you. And I am excited to see where all this goes, for sure. And I thank you for coming back and checking in with me. We’ll do it again, because I think there’s going to be a lot to keep up with you for sure.”

Elliot Poston – “Oh, yeah. You just let me know. It’s too easy. The lately, you know, check. People make things more difficult than they need to be. You know, hopping on, hopping on a 30 minute car phone calling or zoom or whatever. Interview.”

Angela Berret – That’s right.

Elliot Poston – Yeah. Too easy.

Angela Berret – “Well, I appreciate it so much. Thanks.”

Elliot Poston – Absolutely.