C.J. Shaman

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome back, listeners, to the Tron Podcast. This is your host, Rashad Woods. The randomness of nothing. The reason this show got created, so we could talk to people from walks of life that carved out their own beaten path and got success from it. And this person embodies that. And my special guest today, talented musician DJ Shaman. Thank you very much. [00:00:17] Speaker B: Greetings, everybody. [00:00:18] Speaker A: Just. I'm pumped, man. You know, you bring a lot of energy to your performances, and you're straight from the great state of Arizona, and I got a chance to look at some of your social media feeds, listen to some of your songs, tell us about yourself, please. [00:00:29] Speaker B: All right, man. Well, thank you for having me on. I really appreciate it. So I am C.J. shaman, and, yeah, I'm a singer, songwriter, performer, artist out of little town called Chino Valley, Arizona, in between Flagstaff and Phoenix. And biggest town near us was a cool town called Prescott, which has a very rich and vast, like, kind of historic Old west, like, kind of vibe and history to it. You know, when you think of, like, the Old west, that was the Old West. So I grew up as a little bo, you know, really intrigued by that. You know, really intrigued by cowboys and Indians and the Old west and Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Jesse James and Billy the Kid. Like, that's what I grew up playing, you know what I mean? And then, you know, football and basketball, Michael Jordan, John Elway, like, those guys inspired me, like, you know, people that. It seems like when we're born, there's already, like, in our DNA embedded, like, this knowledge of certain people. It's like I felt like from the moment I had my first, like, all right, I kind of know what's going on. You know what I mean? You knew who Michael Jackson was. You knew who Madonna was, You knew who Michael Jordan was, Magic Johnson, like, all these characters, like these mythological characters. And that always fascinated me, and I always wanted to embody that and be that. You know, I never wanted to play small. I always had a very competitive spirit in nature to want to be in the thick of things, you know what I mean? And put my 2 cents into the conversation, if you know what I'm saying. [00:01:58] Speaker A: Every time I went on your social media feed, I saw activity, I saw smiles, I saw you being around your bandmates. And to your point, it embodied that personality. And I think there's something to be said about music. And I like how when I was reading one of the articles about you, you know, you're in the west, but you're like, hey, this isn't a gun and knife show. This is all about music and a lifestyle and a choice. And this is my way of getting my voice heard in the most positive manner possible. [00:02:24] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. I'd agree with that for sure. [00:02:26] Speaker A: Yeah. And so what I thought is, I can't sing a note or play an instrument to save my life. So how are you self taught? Did you take lessons or how did your musical journey start? [00:02:35] Speaker B: So as a child, I grew up in a family that went to church every Sunday, and we had a piano in the living room and my mom would play piano. And we'd have, like, you know, when I was a real little kid, we'd have, like, family night, you know, where we'd kind of all get together and my dad would read, like, you know, some verses of scripture and things like that, and then my mom would play piano and we'd sing songs, and then church, we'd sing songs. But so as a little kid, like, I, you know, had a lot of brother, older brother and older sisters. And so I would kind of like my first introduction into music and being into music was just like stealing. One of my sisters, like, you know, she got a new boombox. So I took her old boombox and it still worked, you know, and I took it and I'd go in my mom's, like, junk closet and look around, and I found this old, like, Elvis box set with all these cassette tapes of Elvis. And I'd stick them in that thing and walk around and listen. I was like, all right, this is pretty cool. Like, I love me some Elvis. You know what I mean? So I think when I was a young child, even I'm talking like kindergarten, first grade, I'd be trying to, like, sing like Elvis and, like, do my hair like Elvis and try to grow some sideburns and. You know what I mean? So, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then. And then Johnny Cash, like, why be going to bed at night? And I try to find some kind of radio station to fall asleep to, and it'd be some random weird, like, old country radio station or something playing like, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. And there's kind. Kind of like a spookiness, kind of, you know, old west, like, dark. There's a storm rolling in. There's like gunfighters about. About to meet at high noon in the middle of the road. And that kind of feeling really resonated with me. So I definitely grew up with Elvis and Johnny Cash as my first, like, musical influences. But as far as, like, yeah, I've never taken singing lessons I've. Okay, never. Everything is just from the heart and organic. And then now, of course, taking myself super serious in this day and age, I do all the voice warm ups and exercises and things like that to try to go in there and see what I can do, you know what I mean? Singing can be related to sports in a way. The more you practice, the more you put into it, the more you're going to get out of yourself and the higher your range is going to go. So always trying to change it up and find new things that my voice can do so that I can really have. The more you can do, the more fun it is, you know? [00:04:58] Speaker A: Well, I thought it was funny because when you said you're listening to the radio at night and for anybody who's, you know, under the age of 21, that's. That's what people did when they actually wanted to hear music, right? It wasn't instantaneously accessible where you could just play exactly what you wanted. You had to go seek out that specific station, you know, on FM radio at night and actually get a chance to listen. You know, we live in an era where unfortunately, you know, fortunately, you can get music, you know, easily accessible. But in a way it, sometimes it doesn't make it as special. When you were in your bed at night and you're waiting for that one artist to come on and you're up at night and you have to put the thoughts in your head and you don't just go to your TV and play YouTube and play this video, play that video. There was something organic, almost like a blockbuster where you had to go and make an effort to seek those things out from those special artists that you listen to. As kids we had to stay up late to hear them because it was a moment in time that was. If you missed it, you missed it, right? And so, and now you're sitting back and saying, man, that's what I've been waiting for. That's what I've been hearing. They're saying exactly who I am the entire time. And you relate to that. [00:06:03] Speaker B: Absolutely. And the thing is, too, is back in that day that you just spoke of too, you're not. You may not hear the song you want to hear, you know, so you had to hear whatever they were going to play. And sometimes that was really cool because now you're going to get exposed to something that you didn't know you liked and you didn't even know existed. And that was like a pretty magical thing to hear a song for the first time. And Go. What's this? Who's that? That's really cool. I like that. You know what I mean? [00:06:25] Speaker A: 100. Yeah, it's, it and it's, it's, you know, I could talk about that for, for, for so much time. Even like a movie, you know, I'm a big movie guy. And if you didn't get the movie at Blockbuster that you wanted, but you had to get something, so then you got the one that maybe that wasn't at the top of your list, you're like, dang, man, I would have never rented that if my favorite choice wasn't in. So there's something to be said, a little nostalgia, so to speak, of when it comes to the era when you talked about laying in your bed as a kid, hearing that song, hoping you hear it again, but then hearing other people that said, you know what? I can dig this one too. And let's, let's dive deeper into that as well. [00:06:56] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Like, it's funny. Like, you talk about Blockbuster. Like, remember that, dude? Like, like in your town, you had like, you know, we didn't even have a blockbuster in our town. We had just like the little mom and pop movie place. So, like, if a new release came out, they maybe got at most like four copies, but usually just like two. Yeah. So if someone beat you to it, you had to sit there and wait. Sometimes you had to wait a couple weeks before there was any copies available because the whole town had to, like, rely on those two copies to pass around. But there's something, like, kind of cool about that, I think. [00:07:28] Speaker A: It really is. And so, you know, when I was watching your video, I really love the El Diablo video, right? And it had that school. Dude, it's brutal, bro. [00:07:35] Speaker B: It was awesome. [00:07:36] Speaker A: And I had a, it had a really old school feel to it. So when you go to get these video shoots and you're scouting these locations like you're a country, how do you describe your musical genre? So I don't want to describe it. [00:07:47] Speaker B: For you because that's it. [00:07:48] Speaker A: You know, I, I, I would love to hear what you describe yourself in your musician, in your music. [00:07:52] Speaker B: Excuse me? Yeah, honestly, I don't even like to really put myself in a box, but obviously, like, honestly, I'm capable of making any genre of music. Like, something that people may not know about me right off the bat is I'm super into hip hop too. You know, when I was a young kid, like, seventh and eighth grade, that's when Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre hit with the Chronic and all that like, dude, I used to vibe with that so much. So like, I got it all inside of me. And I grew up a young kid in the 80s, so I'm all that 80s too. Like, I love nice 80s music. I love Billy Idol, I love, you know, even like Paula Abdul and Lionel Richie. Like, I listen to all that. [00:08:28] Speaker A: I think it's fascinating, right? Like people, when you talk again, movies just as reference. Nobody says about what movies you're supposed to like because you're all, you know, I watched this country, I watched, you know, I watched Unforgiven or then you watch, you know, Mission Impossible. Then you watch Terminator 2 and everybody can agree those are good movies. People get very selective when it comes to music, right? So like, oh, well, you know, I kind of like this. And then people kind of like, they don't know the reaction people are going to take if, you know, hey, I, I love Alice in Chains. [00:08:55] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:08:55] Speaker A: And Pearl Jam and, and, and Metallica. Like, I love that stuff. I love grunge and heavy metal. But like people said, tend to have a different look at you when it comes to your musical taste as opposed to the music. As if I'm supposed to put a wall up because I like what I hear. Yeah, I like what I like. And it's weird when that happens. So like you're like, yeah, I like hip hop. Well. And I don't want to over talk you. Dave Grohl said his drumming influence came from the Gap band, right? So like, it's all about how the vibe feels and where you can get your inspiration from. Not about the genre. [00:09:29] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. So I definitely, you know, rock and roll all the way. But like I said, I have like a huge influence of country music. Like, you know, but like 70s, like early 80s into the 90s, like country music and then like rockabilly, like Elvis, Johnny Cash. Then like, obviously when I was in high school, I was really into like the band Social Distanc, Distortion, Sublime hit right when I was in high school. And Sublime dude was so cool because like, as a kid in high school, who was a part of like a group of kind of like these punk rocker dudes and we were like the dudes. Like, we dropped out of school and got our own party pad. So there was a lot of our friends that were still in school and so on the weekends they would come party at our place. And then so a lot of the subgroups of people who wouldn't really hang out in our group, but we're like, oh, those punker dudes. Got their own house and no parents around, so let's go party with them. And they maybe like the more urban, like, hip hop kind of crowd or whatever. So the one band that we could put on at the party that everyone would vibe to would be sublime. And so that inspired me so much to be like, dude, when I hit into this music scene, my goal is to create music that, like, everyone at the party will want to listen to. So I've tried to do that throughout my career. But when you align yourself, like, being in, like, a band situation was always hard for me because you have to, like, conform kind of to, like, this band. And, like, we're going to be a punk rock band or we're going to be a hard rock band, well, then for sure I'm not going to really be able to express myself fully in that way because it's too confined. So in these past years, I've decided to really take the road as a solo artist so that I can literally just express and do whatever the kind of. Whatever kind of music I want to do, you know, without putting any type of limitations on it. And I'm not trying to please a certain crowd of people or have, like, a group of fans are like, oh, we're really big fans of CJ Sharma. But then he put out that one album, and it doesn't sound like him at all. It's like, I don't really care. Like, I'm here to just make music that I think is fun and that comes right from my heart. And I don't try to think about it too much. And I don't even set out to do anything specific. I just, like, open myself up to the spirits and whatever they want to give me. That's how it comes out and makes me happy. [00:11:37] Speaker A: Well, it's funny, right? So, like, you're a huge Johnny Cash fan. Think about when he covered Rusty Chase. Rusty Cage by Soundgarden. Right? [00:11:43] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:11:44] Speaker A: Like, that is not a country song inherently, like, to my ears. And this is coming from a guy who cannot get in specifics of music, but, like, from what I know of country music, that's not a Johnny Cash song. But then you hear Rusty Cage by Johnny Cash and you're just like, whoa. [00:11:59] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [00:12:00] Speaker A: It's a brilliant take on Rusty on a phenomenal Soundgarden song. [00:12:04] Speaker B: Right, right. [00:12:05] Speaker A: And so to your point, if you pigeonhole yourself, if you put walls up, it starts to really negate the music that's out there, and it starts to put walls up with your fans. Like, producers look for Great music. Movies look for great music. [00:12:22] Speaker B: Right. [00:12:22] Speaker A: A commercial looks for great music. Obviously, sometimes it has to fit the theme of what they're presenting, selling, or inspiring for. But listen, your ears have to be more opened to be able to formulate the success that you've had so far. [00:12:38] Speaker B: Definitely. You know, and I'm an older cat. Like, I'm 45 years old, but I've been doing this since I was, like, 20. And there was a time where I pigeonholed myself and, you know, so now my success and everything that has always been meant for me is sort of happening now. And there's been times on my journey where it's been really disappointing to not have the action and the activity and the accolades come your way. But now, looking back, I'm so glad that it's coming now because I've been able to mature as a person and really fall into myself as an artist to realize I'm for everybody. I want to create music for everybody. I don't want to be like, just like a hard rock artist or a country artist or a metal artist or a punk artist. I want to be, like a songwriter, you know? And I have songs that I would like other artists to perform, too, and they would have a completely different take on it than I would have. And I think that is, like, so awesome. And, like, it, like, erupts this curiosity in me to be a dude. What would that guy do with my song? I want to hear it. That'd be so cool. You know what I mean? Like, right? Like, I love that kind of shit. [00:13:40] Speaker A: Yeah, dude, it's like. It's like soft sell, you know, they do Tainted Love, right? You hear Tainted Love, you know, it's a great song. Well, that was a Gloria Jones song that came out 20 years before that, right? Yeah, it was kind of like a Motown kind of Supremes kind of song, right? But then we hear this pop hit and all of a sudden you hear the older version and you're like, snap. This was like kind of like a doo wop song before, in a way, and then it evolved into this pop different level because people didn't have their ears closed just to pivot a bit. When people go to one of your shows, you're in Vegas, Arizona born. What do people get from your performances when they go to see a show? Because I see you bring a lot of energy. [00:14:17] Speaker B: What they get from my show is definitely like. And I don't want to toot my own horn and make myself out like I'm some, like, fucking messianic. Figure or anything, but it's definitely like a religious experience, man. Like, I. People who grew up with me would probably consider me like quiet and shy. But then when I step on a stage, it's. Something just comes over me that's just like the greatest feeling in the world. And it's supernatural. It really is. It's a divine experience. Like I allow something to come over me and express something in a way that is just like, words can't describe it from my point of view. And it's just like pure energy and, you know, to be, to be a good front man, to be a rock star, I feel like you got to be like, you know, part host, part stand up comedian and part rock star, you know what I mean? Because like, I love just like the in between banter between songs and having good chemistry with your band mates and being able to see the crowd. And the crowd always sort of wants to like, there's always people in the crowd who have a lot of confidence to just get up and rock out and do whatever. But then you always have a group of people who are kind of shy and you know, they want to get up and like rock out, but they're kind of afraid to. I always try to like, encourage those people to like, come on, get out here, be weird. No one's going to judge you. Let's like, look at me, I'm up here all by myself, like, being this guy. Like, if I can do it, you can get up and do it with me. You know what I mean? And it tends to always work to get everybody up and having a good time. And that's what it's all about, man. Like the energy that comes over people when they're in. In the mood of just of joy is all. I want to bring people. I just want to bring you joy. You. [00:15:56] Speaker A: It's funny you mentioned that, right? So, like, you know, I saw Nas and Wu Tang a couple years ago up in Michigan. You know, they toured not too far from Detroit about two summers ago. And to your point, you know the song, you're hearing the song and you're still just kind of like. And you're like, here I am with these legends on stage. Why don't I sing like an idiot and rap to their songs and just get caught up in the moment? What is, what's holding you back when you're seeing these guys live, but in your head you're still metering yourself that you're having a good time because you're scared to have that childlike feeling. When you're seeing a great performance, it's weird how it's so weird. You get self conscious about it because you're like. But at the same time, like, what? Who cares? Who cares? [00:16:38] Speaker B: And usually the guy next to you that you're worried about, like judging you isn't at all like, it most likely you're probably going to inspire them big. Oh, I wanted to do that too. So now he is. So now I will. You know what I mean? Yeah, definitely. I don't think you can be or I personally don't. I'm not a fan of musicians who take themselves too seriously or take their work too seriously because even if the song is like, wow, what a profound song, like, that's deep, that's whatever, but like, it should still just be. Bring that childlike essence to your life. Music is supposed to make you dance. It's supposed to make you feel joy. Like, I'm a firm believer for myself. I never want to make like sad music. I never want to make like super introspective music. And if I do, I still want it to make you go like, yeah. Give you goosebumps and want to like be like, hell yeah, man. I don't, I don't, like, I personally don't listen to music that makes me sad or that like is depressing. Like if I'm in a bad mood or whatever. I don't want to listen to depressing music, you know what I mean? I want to listen to something that'll like uplift me and get rid of the bad mood, you know what I mean? [00:17:41] Speaker A: I think that there's a, there's a. And this is a, this is. Obviously there's different multiples of different musics out there, different types of movies and things. But I do agree to a degree that sometimes people tend to worship complexity, right? The more complex that I've made something, it must be great because, you know, it's complex, right? So, right, instead of, you know, if I, if I make it hard enough to understand, then maybe subconsciously people that won't get it just aren't smart enough to understand what I was talking about, so to speak. And you're like, no, it's not the case, dude. You know, sometimes somebody just wants to basically have a good two hour show, have a great time. And believe me, I love when people can, can put things together that make you think and be like, play it four and five and six times. But it is something to be said when somebody puts on a great performance and the lyrics are easily discernible and understandable, too. [00:18:30] Speaker B: Yeah. There is beauty in simplicity. Like, absolutely. [00:18:34] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:18:35] Speaker B: Like, I'm a big sports fan, so. And I grew up in the these where, you know, we had the Dallas Cowboy legacy, we had the Chicago Bulls legacy. Those guys mastered the art of simplicity. They didn't make things too overly complicated. They're like, you know, the Bulls ran that triangle offense, and they just mastered that. And they just did it over and over and made it into Ballet man, where no one could compete with them because they mastered simplicity. And it's one reason why I'm a big fan of Sublime. Like, every one of their songs just, like, sticks in your head and is, like, entertaining and, like, dude, like, I don't even, like, listen to Sublime that much anymore. But because I listen to them so much in my younger years, I remember every single lyric. You know what I mean? Because it's simple and it's fun and it's groovy and, like. Right. You know, I'm not trying to say that my music is, like, oversimplified or doesn't have, like, a depth to it or something, or somewhat of a. Like, oh, I need to listen to that. That again to really get to the point. But as an artist and someone who wants to be successful, I want every song to be, like, a hit single. So I definitely, like, write. I don't try to make a song like this songs for me. I'm gonna make it, like, weird and, like, make it 10 minutes long and have all these intricate, like, changes and mathematics in it. Like, that's my style, you know, My style is like, I want people to, like, jam this in their car while they're driving to work or driving on vacation or going out with their homies. And I wanted to, like, set the mood for the night, you know what I mean? That's my goal, is to set the mood for your fun time and. [00:20:08] Speaker A: Yeah, and for people who don't know who Sublime was, that was obviously a Scott Pocket, sca punk band back in the 90s there. The lead singer was Brad Newell, God rest his soul. But he was very, very ahead of his time, too, because to your point, and I had some friends that were really big into it, you know, that was when no Doubt came out. That was that punk scene that was. Had that Jamaican influence, but was. You know, it's almost weird because it was almost like a weird time where they weren't heavy, but they were very repetitive when it came to their rhythmic drums. They had great singers and it was just a really good time. About vibing. [00:20:44] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:20:45] Speaker A: And it was. It was. But it. I don't want to dismiss it that it was just car music, but it was like you could see yourself just at the beach. And then just one after the other song, another song comes on. You know, I remember when I had Tragic Kingdom as a kid and every single song on that album was like, holy smokes, this album is incredible album. Incredible album. [00:21:05] Speaker B: Yeah. How can you pick the song you're gonna lead with to be the single if. If you're the manager, the record company or whatever? Because every song is just like really good. [00:21:15] Speaker A: 13 songs were all like. I think it was a 13, 12 track album. Every single song was incredible. Incredible. It was lightning in a bottle. [00:21:22] Speaker B: Yeah. And I missed that. About that time where you got the whole album, when you got it, you busted it open, you pulled out the insert and you read all the lyrics and you looked at all the cool pictures to try to find the. What do I need to know about these guys? Like, that was so fun, dude. It was like being a little kid and opening up action figures. [00:21:40] Speaker A: And on a hip hop side of this, there was nothing harder than when they had the lyrics inside of it and you had like a Bone Thugs album and you're like trying. And you're like, how in God's name did they manage to rap that that fast? And I can't even talk that. That. [00:21:53] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [00:21:54] Speaker A: And you're like, there's just no way. It's. It's so special, man. It's beautiful thing. [00:21:57] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. And it's. And it's just practice. Like all those guys just like, you know, they didn't like, start off that way, you know what I mean? They had to put a lot into it. If you take any major artist who is just like legendary, if you were able to go back and check them out when they first started out, they're awful at it. Just like everyone is at everything when they first try it. Like, when I first started at this, I was awful, man. Like, I was just a kid was like, God, I could do it. And like, when you're doing it, you're like, dude, we did it. And then if you were to go back and look at it now, you're like, oh my God, what were we thinking? But like, that you got to start somewhere, you know what I mean? If you want to get anywhere. [00:22:33] Speaker A: Dude, I get embarrassed looking at some of my older interviews and like, the. The guest was like, hey, you did a great job. I'm like, dude, this right? Like, I didn't know how to structure sentences. I'm kind of like, okay, is it your turn to talk? Is it my turn to talk? And there's that awkward gap, right? And so now you. I'm never gonna say I'm great at this, but I've at least kind of known when to pause when somebody needs to say more information, how not to cut people off. But, like, like, broadcasting school is great. I'm not dismissing musical school in any way, shape, or form, but sometimes you just have to jump in the water, man. [00:23:03] Speaker B: It just. [00:23:04] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, there's. You know, you could have people who could just say, you know, they teach it, they project, manage it, they put something up on a board. They talk about it, they talk about it, they talk about it. And they just like, dude, can I just try this and see how. What happens? [00:23:16] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. I'm a big believer in that philosophy. Like, obviously there's certain things that require heavy instruction and intricate detail, but I'm a guy that just wants to dive in and do it myself. I don't want to go to school to learn it. I want to learn on the fly. Like, I hated school. I hated church. I hated anything that confined me in a chair in a desk and made me have to, like, sit there and be still. Like, I need to be free to, like, live my life and do whatever I want to do. And, like, I love learning things and I love doing things, and I love working. But it has to be on my terms or else I feel like, like. Like the man's trying to hold me down just, like, naturally, all the time. [00:23:54] Speaker A: Much respect. So I do. I always equate what I do to what the. What the guest does. So I do martial arts, right? So I have a. I have a black belt in Tung Soo, do a brown belt taekwondo, and take Brazilian jiu jitsu and Muay Thai. That being said, you're a musician, and music has been around since the beginning of time, just like fighting and martial arts has been around. So I always find it fascinating that even if my name never ends up in. In any book, I'm connected to something historical. You're connected to something historical. And even though people consume music, very few people can play music. Very few people can do what you do. So you have a specialized skill set that the average person walking down the street simply does not have. [00:24:34] Speaker B: Right? [00:24:35] Speaker A: They just don't have it right. And that has to be something when you look at, like, I'm CJ Shaman, with all due respect, you can't do what I can do more Than likely. And that's got to be a good feeling when you walk around. [00:24:46] Speaker B: Yeah, it is a good feeling, and it's something that I worked really long and hard to have that feeling. So, yeah, like, I definitely feel really blessed by God to have this skill, but he didn't make it easy for me, and I think it is definitely comes easier for other people. And I've questioned that in my life. Like, why couldn't I be this good, like, right off the bat? And why couldn't I have success 10 years ago or 15 years ago or whatever? Like, some of these cats come out of the gates, and they're in their early 20s, and they're so talented, and they know exactly how to look and how to do, and their voice is so amazing, and their skills are so amazing. And, dude, when I was that age, I was just fumbling through it, trying to figure it out and struggling. But, like, God put me on a path, on a special path where he really wanted me to gain a lot of, like, heavy armor and have a lot of, like, tricks up my sleeve and have, like, a lot of depth to my soul and go through a lot of struggle so that when my time comes and it hits, like, I'll appreciate it so much and be so humble and be wise enough to stay away from the snakes and the sharks and things like that. And, you know, I asked for that. You know, I'm a spiritual person, and I like being close to God, and He's rescued me from turmoil many times in my life, so I try to stay close to him and do his bidding. And in that, he has asked me to struggle a lot to get to where I'm at. And it's been hard, but being here and where I stand right now, I'm so thankful that he made me struggle like that so I could be this strong. And it's like, something that no one can take from me. You know what I mean? [00:26:21] Speaker A: Well, it's the same thing I have, you know, when it comes to this podcast, I'm like, man, you know, I should have did this, you know, five, six years ago. But I said, dude, I wasn't ready. I probably wouldn't have appreciated. You know, you have to come to that term of, like, this is the time that I need to embrace. [00:26:34] Speaker B: Yeah, right. [00:26:35] Speaker A: And, you know, you can't, and you appreciate it while you're doing it. I've said to multiple guests, I would never have likely crossed paths with you had this not been created. So it's an inflection point where both of us met at really a good time. I don't want to say the peak, because you're always going up. But somewhere at that point, we met, right? Because it was the right time for both of us, you know? And that's really what it's all about. You can dwell, you can sit at home and be like, oh, man, you know, seven years ago, you know, I should have asked Sally out on a date and that. It's like, okay, dude, pooh in your pillow and get over it, bro. So, you know, you know, it's all about now. What you gonna do right now. [00:27:11] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. You only have this present moment, the past you can never get back. And the future isn't promised. You just gotta live in this moment. And like. [00:27:20] Speaker A: Right. [00:27:20] Speaker B: The journey is a part of it. So there's gonna come a point for me where that journey of like, I'm searching for something will be over and I'll have it. And I'll never get to go back to that kind of carefree feeling of I'm not there yet, I'm searching, but. But, you know, there's no really pressure on me because I'm just out here, like, searching for something. And then when the pressure comes, I'm sure there'll be moments where I'm looking back being like, oh, man, I kind of wish I was just like normal guy sitting on my couch watching TV again, because I'll never get that back. You know what I mean? But it's beautiful thing. [00:27:52] Speaker A: I think it's something to be said to be curious, weird, and. And more importantly, it's funny though, because being an oddball is now the in thing to do. It used to be, you know, when you said you were throwing those parties, when you said you were the guys listening to the music, I'm pretty sure that people who are jamming to your music or jamming to music that you were listening to at those parties were probably, like. Probably telling you privately, yeah, man, I really like this song, but I just couldn't. I can't listen to it around my friends, man. So. But I really, really, really. I mean, how many times have people said that to you? You know, I really like it. You know, when I played around my friends, you know, they. I kind of get laughed at a little bit. You know what I mean? Like what you like, like what you like. [00:28:29] Speaker B: I think that's like the biggest kind of obstacle that people face in life, Especially growing up and going to school in those structured environments and then the kind of like groups and subgroups get Created, like, for instance, I, up until I was, like, in high school, was kind of like a jock kid. You know what I mean? Like, freaking baseball caps, like, teen jersey shirts all the time. Like, obsessed with sports. Like, obsessed with sports stats. Like, always watching ESPN and stuff like that. That. And then when I express myself more as an artist and more as, like, a rebellious kind of, like, you know, counterculture kid, I still love sports, but around my friends, like, they didn't vibe with that, so I kind of had to pretend, like, yeah, I don't like sports anymore. They're dumb, and that's for the job. And I had to, like, do it on the down low. [00:29:15] Speaker A: Like, what are you doing over there, cj? Oh, nothing. [00:29:17] Speaker B: I'm not watching any football, I swear. [00:29:19] Speaker A: I was looking for mtv. [00:29:20] Speaker B: You know what I mean? [00:29:21] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. [00:29:22] Speaker B: So it's like, I definitely encourage everyone all the time to just be yourself and, like, be yourself. Just be yourself no matter what, man. And, like, life will. Will work out for you if you just follow your own heart. [00:29:33] Speaker A: It's okay to go to a CJ Shaman concert on a Saturday night, watch the NFL on Sunday, and watch the Discovery Channel on Monday. [00:29:42] Speaker B: There's nothing. [00:29:43] Speaker A: It's the. There's at. There's nothing wrong with you. You can. You are free to do what you want. You. It's best to live your life on your terms. And so I ask all of this of my guests. Where can people find you? Because they don't need me. [00:29:56] Speaker B: All right, well, the best place to find me would be on Instagram @cj_shan. And I try to be as lively on there as possible. Like, you know, Instagram, I think a few years ago used to be more of a. Like, a free thing where you could go on there and everyone could connect. And there didn't seem to be any rules. It seemed to be very organic. May the best man win. And now I know they got a lot of algorithms and shadow banning and things like that. And as an artist who's independent and speaks my mind, it doesn't really follow along with trends or narratives. Like, definitely kind of probably would describe myself as kind of being shadow banned on there in this one way. But I kind of wear it as a badge of honor, because if you're an artist and people aren't trying to stop you, then you're not. You don't really have anything to say. Yeah, definitely. Find me on. On Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, Pandora, like, all the major streaming sites. If you just look up Cj Shaman. You'll find me. And my current newest album out, El Diablo de Ocho, the Devil of Eight, is my current trending album. It's like every song's a banger. Like, I encourage everyone to go and check it out. There's a little something for. For everyone on there. And then wait till you see what happens next, because it won't be anything like the last thing you saw. I mean, that's for sure. [00:31:17] Speaker A: That's the most important thing. Evolution, man. And, you know, I'll tell you one thing, you know, people will always remember the people who tried and dared, not the people that followed the crowd, you know, and so you stand out, and I appreciate your time. I'm looking forward to listening to your music, and I hope to connect with you more in the future. And I'm glad you took time out to be on the show. [00:31:36] Speaker B: Oh, it was absolutely my pleasure, man. And this was one of the better interviews I've ever done, so you're doing a great job, man. I appreciate it. Like, felt like we already were bros who knew each other. [00:31:47] Speaker A: That's what, you know, that's what this system is all about, man. You know, opening your mind, broadening your thought process, and taking calculated risks. Because sometimes there's nothing more worse in life than regret. And if you don't take risks, you're going to look back and ask yourself a lot of painful questions if you didn't do it. [00:32:04] Speaker B: Absolutely, man. Wise words right there. [00:32:06] Speaker A: Appreciate you, brother. [00:32:07] Speaker B: I appreciate you, too, man. Take care. Thank you so much. I'm honored. [00:32:09] Speaker A: Bye.