Success for Ernest doesn’t come in the form of a trophy or a chart-topping hit. The Nashville-based artist and songwriter recently returned to the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast, and he story and anecdote for just about everything. He spoke to us about how rewarding it is to give joy to others through music, what it’s like working with artists like Jelly Roll (and non-artists like Pat McAfee), and the responsibility he felt producing a Toby Keith demo after the country legend’s death. Ernest also has a new album on the way titled Deep Blue. He described it as a “grown up version” of his very first album, Locals Only. Its beach themes and tropical feel should be the perfect soundtrack for the summer… and Ernest even tried to get Willie Nelson to sing on one track for the project, but you’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear how that turned out (how about that for a teaser?). If you take a bird-eye view of everything that Ernest actively has his hands in… it’s a little bit overwhelming. Much of the conversation we shared with the respected artist and songwriter always came back to this question: How does he do it all? And furthermore, what’s that driving force within Ernest that keeps him churning through his busy schedule? Just as often as we came back to that underlying question, Ernest’s passion and love for what he does revealed itself as the overarching answer: “It’s really addicting (to hear) people singing your songs. Spreading joy with music and getting to see growth in a fanbase in realtime is awesome. It helps me as a songwriter. Through playing shows, I really feed off moments. I can go back and write to try and recreate those moments… Whether I’m the one up there singing it or I’m standing in the pit at a stadium and they’re singing a song that I wrote… those are head-trip moments. A lot of times, I’m a fan in that stadium singing the artist’s songs and I know them by heart. It’s wild when some of them are your words.” @whiskeyriff Check out the new Whiskey Riff Raff podcast with @Ernest out now. #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff ♬ Slow Dancing In A Burning Room (Studio Version) – ERNEST Ernest is often helping other artists, which takes away time from things he might be interested in doing on his own. He knows that his time is very important, especially as he’s entered into the “raising a family” phase of life. Though he’s busy both personally and professionally, and it can seem like he’s being stretched every which way, Ernest never passes up the opportunity to help others. He sees it as payback for all of the people that helped him (like the Warren Brothers) get to where he is today: “There were just so many people that were so crucial to me being here now by taking chances and giving me their time. It’s obviously cliche as f*** to say, ‘I’m just wanting to give back.’ But it’s cool to be that person for somebody… being the connector so that (special) moments can happen is gratifying for me. Being able to cast a shadow from a tree that I’ll never be able to enjoy the shade of, I think is sick.” @whiskeyriff Check out the new Whiskey Riff Raff with @Ernest out now. #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff #nashville ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff Well said by Ernest right there. To hear more from the artist that seems to be plugged in with just about everything that’s going on in Nashville right now, download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or click here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Cheers, y’all. Audio Video The post Ernest Says His Most Gratifying Moments Come From Helping Other Artists & Giving Joy To Others Through Music first appeared on Whiskey Riff.