BiB: Gannon Fremin & CCREV – From Oklahoma Family Jam Sessions to Major Label Stardom

0:00 What is going on? It is Adam. Welcome back to Bringing It Backwards, a podcast where both legendary and rising artists tell their own personal stories of how they achieve stardom. On this episode, we had a chance to chat with Gannon Freeman of Gannon Freeman and Cece Rev over Zoom Video. Gannon talks about where he was born and raised, born in South Oklahoma. And talks about how he got into music. Actually comes from a very, very musical family. He said at 10 years old, he didn't realize that everyone doesn't know how to play guitar. So he just grew up with music surrounding him. Guitars, people singing and. And bands and all of that. So around 16 years old, he started writing his own music. He talked about the first band that they were in, which was actually called CC Rev or Cross County Revenue. We hear about how they formed as Cross County Revenue and then became Gannon Freeman and CC Rev. He talks about that story. We hear about them signing with Warner Records. All about the brand new ep. Hello. Hate to see you. We also hear about the huge success of Love Me Too and With or Without Me. You can watch the interview with Gannon and myself on our Facebook page and YouTube channel at bringing It Backwards. It'd be amazing if you subscribe to our channel, like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Tick Tock at Bringing Back Pod. And if you're listening to this on Spotify, Apple Music, Google Podcasts, please rate and review the podcast. It helps us out tremendously.

1:28 We'd appreciate your support if you follow and subscribe to our podcasts. Wherever you listen to podcasts, we're Bringing. It Backwards with Gannon Freeman and Cece Rev. Bringing it backwards. Bringing it backwards. Bringing it backwards. Bringing it backwards. Bringing it backwards. Bringing it backwards. How's it going? Hey, what's up again? How are you? Good, dude. Thanks so much for doing this. I'm Adam, by the way. Absolutely. Nice to meet you, man. Cool, man. Well, this is about you and your.

2:11 Your journey in music, and we'll talk about, you know, the band and. And everything you guys have going on. Okay, cool. Sweet. Awesome. Well, I always kind of just start off with your origin story a bit like where you're born and raised. Here. From Oklahoma? Yeah. Yeah. From South Oklahoma. Yeah, just right around South Oklahoma. My whole family's from here, so we're all in one big pile down here. Oh, wow, that's cool. Do you come from, like, a creative household or musical family at all? Are you the only one doing music? Yeah, on my mom's side. My whole family over There plays music and stuff. They got. You know, my family's had different bands forever, so I grew up getting to listen to all them and things like that. So. Yeah, there's quite a few on my mom's side. That's pretty creative, for sure. Oh, cool. So you'd go see what uncles, aunts, cousins, people play playing, like. Yeah. Oh, that's awesome. Yeah, like, our family reunion's like eight different bands playing, like, different family bands and stuff that go on and. Yeah, yeah. There's been music around for me pretty much my whole life, so.

3:14 Okay. Was that something that you were put into, like, as a kid? Did you put. We're putting piano lessons or guitar lessons or anything like that? No, no. I always say I didn't know until I was about 10 years old that people didn't play guitar. Oh, really? Yeah, it was just one of them things where it's everywhere, you know, we went normally, you know, to do anything as a family or anything like that. Everybody just kind of played and sang and, you know, filled in, kind of got in where they fit in and kind of rolled from there. Oh, wow. So everyone gets. Would you just do a bunch of COVID songs? No, my family has a lot of original, like, family old music and stuff like that. There is. There is definitely some cover songs and stuff that we'd mess around with, especially, like, you know, when we're starting out. Like when I was starting out and things like that. Just sit down and learn, you know, whatever else was going on. But there was a lot of original music too, that was in there, so. Wow, that's really awesome.

4:10 Yeah. So when do you, like. So you started playing guitar at a very early age. You said at 10. You didn't realize that everyone that doesn't play. Yeah, I didn't start playing at 10, but I. I quickly realized that everybody around me did. Okay. So I was just kind of like, you know, one day I was like, I'm gonna play guitar one day. I think I started playing when I was probably 15 or 16, you know, sat down and actually was like, okay, I'm gonna learn how to play guitar, and kind of started from there. What about singing? Was it singing something that you just did with the family, too, like when, you know, family reunions or whatever? Yeah, I was pretty bad.

4:50 I'm still not the best, but I was a pretty. Pretty bad singer for a long time. I just kept. I just kept singing every day, I guess, and just worked it out like a muscle until it. Until everybody was like, okay, maybe we can Stand to hear you play a song. So from there, I just kept working it out as good as I knew how to, I guess. Okay, so when you said 15, 16 is when you started to play guitar yourself, were you. Did you try to start a band? And that's like high school. Were you trying a band in high school or something like that? Yeah, like I said, you know, my family played, so I had a lot of cousins and stuff like that who lived in the area, and they all played and sang, and we. We started our band just right out of high school that we have now. But yeah, we kind of jammed together and Wade, my bass player, me and him for sure went around playing. You know, he'd play a little bit of guitar and I'd play and sing or just go around trying to. Just playing wherever anybody would let us with as many people as we could, really was our goal.

5:51 You know, we could find a drummer, he come play or whatever we could find, you know, just jam around and hang out. So when did this band kind of solidify and you guys start working on, you know, doing this as a career? Yeah, so it was like the year after we graduated high school. So me, a bass player's name is. Was Wade, like I said. And then Tyler. Tyler McCartney's my drummer, and we all went to high school together. Oh, you did? Okay. Yeah, so we all went to high school together. And about a year after high school, me and Wade had kind of had a little thing started and we, you know, we knew Tyler from school and brought him over, and us three really hit it off and. And started playing about a year, like I said, about a year after high school, we got kind of. Kind of toy. We were like, okay, we kind of want to make a band out of it instead of just. Instead of just like jam around. Well, Tyler and Wade had met Travis.

6:44 He played in another band that they played in too, and that's my guitar player. And they brought Travis over and we just been all together ever since, so. Wow. Okay, so you start writing songs together and you. The first was the first song that you guys had put out, Can't Help Myself. No. So we actually have another band that was before this called Cross County Revenue. Okay. So that's what the CC Rev stands for @ the end of our name. Yeah, yeah. So we went to play a show and they said, what. What's Yalls name? And we. We didn't have a name. We were just like, we don't know. You know, we've just been. We've just been jamming and hanging out. So they. They gave us the name Cross County Revenue.

7:25 They had like three choices for us to pick from the venue did. Yeah, it was. It was like a festival. Yeah. So we just. Were the other two names, you remember? I can't remember one of them. I know one of them was the Topless Bandits. And I was like, I don't think that one's us. That's so funny. But anyway, so they kind of picked that name for us and. And we kind of took off with it. And the more we played, we were like, well, we might want to really do this, you know, for a living one day. And we were like, we can't be Cross County Revenue. It's so close to Ragweed, you know, and everything else.

8:06 So we. We just put my name in front of it and then shortened to CC Rev. So everybody that had been listening to our music, it kind of put it together what we had going at the time. So that was. That's the whole reason for the name and all the stuff there. That's funny. Were you, like, once you decided that you. You thought you guys wanted to really get this going, was there like a song or. I mean, even with Cross County, Cross County Revenue, were you guys, you know, building a fan base in Oklahoma or how did that start? Like, how did you start getting kind of like, you know, validation for what you all were doing? Yeah, Reed Southall, he had some. It was right after Six String Sorrow for him, and we had knew him and so he took us out with him some. We were getting to play rooms that were, you know, pretty big rooms for. For starting out, you know, 8 or 900 cap, which, I mean, that's still. Still a huge room. But yeah, Reed was, you know, Reed was going. Reed was moving real good with it, and he was taking us with this. What. He went places. And I think just us seeing Reed and being like, man, we want to play. You know, we want to be the one playing for the 800 cap room and stuff like that. So we found whoever Reed had recorded with at the time was who we were looking for. Because we were thinking, man, if we can go find a producer who can really take our music, you know, to the next level, then maybe we can take ourselves to the next level. So we talked to, reading them about who they had recorded with, and they mentioned Taylor Kimball, who we record with now.

9:39 And anyway, so we gave him a call and went down there. And once we got to him, he was like our first person in music. Like that was on the kind of the next level of, you know, where we thought we needed to be at. And he was cool. He wanted to, you know, give advice and things like that. So I think it really lit a fire under us, you know, after meeting him and getting in with Reed and those guys, just seeing all those other guys work on another level made us all want to work on another level, so we just kind of went with it. And then from there, like, obviously you get signed with Warner Records, which must have been a big day, big moment for you all. Absolutely. Can you tell me about that?

10:19 Yeah. I mean, that take. You had been a band for a minute, right, at that point? Yeah, yeah, we've been. We just signed with Warner probably maybe. Maybe a year ago. Yeah. Because did they put out the most recent ep? Yes, they did. Yeah. Okay. And then before that, though, you were just independent? Yes. Wow. Okay. So, yeah, because you put a record out in 2020, right? Shelter sessions. Yeah. Okay. We had a. We were together, you know. You know, we've been together for eight, nine, ten years. I don't know how long now, but we've been together a long time. And it's always kind of. It was always kind of scary to us, just being around that long and seeing how other bands and stuff move through stuff of bringing somebody else on into our little circle that we had. Because, you know, we had been together for 10 years, so it's like, we don't really want to bring outside people and outside sources in and things like that. But whatever Warner called, that was definitely a cool day to just be like, you know, guys, like, we've been. We've been working on this stuff for 10 years. It's like, I guess people been listening. Yeah. You know, Warner found us, so it was. It was just a cool moment of. Of being like, okay, maybe the stuff we're doing isn't. Isn't just, you know, local regional stuff.

11:33 Like, maybe there is a chance for it to. To do what we think it can do. And ever since we signed with them, you know, they've been hard at it, trying to make it happen for us, and we've been hard at it, trying to make it happen for them. So, yeah, awesome. Been an awesome relationship and a. A really, really, really cool thing to say. You got to sign with them, you know. Yeah. Did you have that record done when you signed with them or did. Were you able, like, was the process different with this newest EP that you put out because you have, you know, a major label behind you versus before you're doing it by yourself? I Would say the process is different on the back end of things as far as like, you know, used to. We may go the studio on Monday, record a song and Taylor have it back to us Wednesday and us put it out Friday. Just because that's what we wanted to do, you know. Right. And we could still do some stuff like that. But they have a different structured game plan, you know, for things that makes a whole lot more sense than the stuff that we had. You're just doing whatever you want. Yeah, yeah. They. They make sense of a lot of things.

12:39 It makes sure the back end makes the back end of stuff a little bit easier as far as the recording goes and things like that. I would say that it didn't really influence the record at all in that way other than it opened up some doors for some different rights and things like that. So I got to go try to write with some. With some different people who I'd never met and getting some rooms and things like that. And it, it opened up maybe my taste buds for some stuff a little bit. Okay. In some areas where I didn't really think that I didn't really know if I wanted to go or didn't really know if I felt this way, but got with some guys who could kind of, who could kind of make all that to a point and, and put it where I wanted it. So maybe in that way a little bit it did. But the actually record another record and stuff, I think it was pretty much all the same. Nothing really. Yeah, nothing really too different there at all. We went to our. We went back to Taylor. We know. Yeah. So we've been going to Taylor forever and we know, you know, Taylor knows how we work and we know how he works. So we just, we just show up with a case of beer and get it recorded. You know.

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16:19 New subscribers only. Varies by plan. That's helsh.com bib tv10fm to get 10 free meals and a free item for life. Was it nerve wracking being sent to into different writing sessions with maybe people that you've, you know, if, if they're like, oh, we want you to go right with so and so and that person may have wrote a bunch of hits that you had heard or, you know, been a part of working with someone. Was that nerve wracking at all or no? I think it was at first because I didn't realize like, you know, some of these songs that you go, that you go right with these people and go sit down and do, you don't have to record, you know. And it took me a while to figure out like, like, hey, you're just waking up and writing a song today. It's not like once you guys write it, it's not just in stone. This isn't just your last, you know, this isn't the last final copy of it that comes out today. You know, you still.

17:17 There's still a lot more steps to it. And I think that going into that thing I thought, you know, because the riders were. Some of the writers are pretty big riders and things like that. But I felt like if I sat down with this guy and he comes up with the idea that I don't like, I'm not gonna be able to tell him that because he's the big time songwriter, not me. And then I'm gonna have to. Then I'm gonna have to record that because I wrote the song with the big time songwriter, you know. So I think that part of it was kind of nerve wracking a little bit. But once I kind of got over the deal where it's like, if I don't like it, I don't have to record it, you know, I think it got a lot easier. Now I really enjoy going to write with anybody that wants to sit down and write because I'm like, maybe, maybe something cool will come, but maybe it don't. If it don't, no big deal, you know, just kind of whatever. So yeah, I could see how that would be. You'd think that, okay, well, they've set up this time with this person that has these songs like, I have to. Something has to happen out of this. I guess you would think that like. Or they want something here and you could be like, well, we just. It just didn't work out today or wasn't something you wanted to write or release or whatever.

18:24 But that's cool that you have that still, that option. Absolutely. With, with, with, with or without me, like with that song was that one that you had done. Like, tell me about the success of that. I mean, obviously that One has a 6 billion plays. It's crazy. Like, how did that thing take off? Was it on Spotify or is it a tick tock thing or. Yeah, so we kind of had. We kind of had a little bit of a plan on our end. We had kind of finally started realizing that putting out music the way that we had been previously putting out music wasn't working because nobody was hearing about it, weren't getting our name like in front of people. So we decided that we would try to hire a marketing team from outside somewhere and put together visuals and things like that for some songs. And then we didn't have it wrote yet. Whenever we decided this. We just decided, like, the next song that we do. Oh, this is the plan. This is the plan for it. So we kind of built a plan for it. We started. We started building, you know, starting to try kind of like building blocks with some. With some videos and some stuff like that to where it wasn't just a shock whenever we started releasing videos, started kind of testing the waters and seeing what works. And then me and the guys and one of our good buddies, Chance Anderson, we sat down one night and in that song, just. We wrote it sitting on the couch there at our shop and took it down to Taylor. And

19:57 Taylor was like, oh. He was like, I love this. He was like, let's. Let's start on this one today. And it wasn't two or three weeks later, we had it kicked out and ready to go and then started doing content and all that kind of stuff and then put it out, and it just hit some playlists, and everybody's been listening to it, and it's just. It's been awesome. That's amazing. Yes. It wasn't like you put a piece of it up or anything like that. It was like you had an idea beforehand, you pushed that idea after you wrote the song, and then it worked out. That's huge. Yeah. Yeah, it was. It was really fun to see it all. See it all kind of come together, and we learned a lot there, which we had. Love Me Too. You know, I wrote that with Sam from Trudioke Revival, I think. Yeah. It came out before with or Without Me. Oh, that one. Yeah, that one was big, too. That was probably the. Yeah, that one kind of started the ball rolling. Okay. Yeah. And then.

20:48 But we didn't do a ton. Like, we did some, you know, marketing and stuff for Love Me Too. Kind of did some videos and things. Like I was saying, just kind of testing the water. But our big plan, you know, was in between Love Me Too and With Or Without Me was where we were like, okay, we're gonna. We're gonna make sure that we push this next one hard. And. And we did. And it just. It just. It. It worked out in. You know, in the beginning and stuff like that. Like, it gave it a little bit of a pop, but, I mean, it just kind of rolled organically. I. I mean, I think people just heard it and we're like, oh, I can relate to this. And so it made it. It made it like, you know, we didn't have to be marketing geniuses, I guess, to. To do it or anything. We just happened to release A great song. Yeah. You released a great song. Yeah. Just happened to release something at the right time, I guess, was all it was. So with that, did you see your shows? More and more people, like, did. Did the streams and, you know, views and stuff relate to, like, ticket sales or seeing people in the crowd knowing the words to your songs and stuff? Was that a moment you had a chance to see?

21:51 Absolutely. That. You know, when we're out headlining and things, there's certain places where we haven't been to a lot of times, and. And we'll go into those rooms and it's. You can definitely tell there's some more people in there. But it's not like, drastic on the amount of stuff, but where it really plays a big part is, you know, if we're going to go play a show and we're opening for a bigger band, you know, like Treaty or somebody like that, everybody goes and listens to our stuff whenever they see us on the bill and they'll go back and listen, you know, to the song. So then whenever we play it, live with them, instead of it being like, oh, our whole show, nobody, you know, it's like everybody's like, oh, good job. I didn't know who they were. You know, whenever we kick off with or without me, it's like, oh, everybody, Everybody they know. Yeah. So that was a big. That. That was a big turning point for us, was actually being able to get with some. Some bands, you know, have conversations with bands that are. That are bigger and things. Because it's like now whenever we go play with them, we're actually bringing a song, you know, bringing some fans and stuff out instead of it being just where they. They sit and watch you all night and clap when you're done. Right.

22:59 Yeah. So that really, even as the other year. Yeah, you're definitely. You have a song that people know, which is huge, right? Absolutely. I love it. And then you have a bunch of shows coming up. You're doing a tour at the end of this month, right into November, through November, into December. All the South. Yeah. A bunch of southern states here. Yep. Sec. We're fixing to get back on the road and excited to go see the last one we ended on because we've been on a little bit of a break here. We took about four weeks off here. The last time we played, we had like 400 more people than we thought were going to be there. So I'm excited to go back out and see. See what. See what comes of these new. These new places in the sec. And stuff and see if people are showing up down there and if they've heard about it, I'm excited to go see them. So I love it, man. Well, I appreciate your time today. Thank you so much for doing this. Absolutely. Yeah. Are you. Well, that. That EP isn't been on long. Do you.

24:05 Are you guys always working on new music? Yeah, we're actually going down the studio tomorrow. I went in about a week and a half ago and wrote one, and we're going intomorrow Route 1, and we're trying to. We're trying to get an album put together, hopefully start Nickel and Diamond dropping some stuff here in the next few weeks or few months or whenever it all gets. It all gets set up. Right. But we got some. We got some tricks up our sleeve coming up. We're ready to put out music and ready to go tour, so I love it. Awesome, man. Well, I do have one more question for you, and I appreciate your time today. I want to know if you have. Any advice for aspiring artists. Advice for aspiring artists? Yeah, I'd say just.

24:49 Just stay at it. The only way to lose is to quit. So, I mean, it may not work out in one year, two years, three years, but I mean, it's. It's. You know, like I said, I've been out here for 10 years, and we just never looked back. Never thought anything else about it. Just thought this is what we were going to do. And then eventually the ball just keeps rolling your way and it's what you get to do. So, I mean, that's. Just. Don't give up on it. Just stay after it. Bring it backward, bring it backward, bring it backward, bring it backward, bring it backward, bring it backwards.