Ten Year Town

Today’s guest is songwriter and artist Ben Chapman. Originally from Lafayette, Georgia, Ben is now based in Nashville and has written songs for artists including Muscadine Bloodline, Brent Cobb, Hayes Carll, and Flatland Cavalry, among others. He is also the founder of Peach Jam, a quarterly live series at The Basement East that features his band and a rotating lineup of guest artists.
He has a new record, Feet On Fire, set for release in May, with the title track dropping Tuesday, March 24th.
In this episode, Ben talks about his path from Lafayette to Nashville, Peach Jam, his new-found fatherhood, and how “Everything’s Different”… but ain’t nothing changed.
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This episode is also sponsored by The Graphic Guitar Guys. They create eye-catching custom guitar wraps for some of the biggest artists and festivals in the music industry. Their work is perfect for adding a unique touch to album pre-sale bundles or VIP package items—check them out and discover how they can transform a guitar into a show-stopping work of art.
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Troy Cartwright is a Nashville-based artist and songwriter originally from Dallas, Texas. His songs have collectively garnered hundreds of millions of streams, and he is currently signed to Big Machine Music for publishing. Cartwright has written songs recorded by Cody Johnson, Nickelback, Ryan Hurd, Josh Abbott Band, and has upcoming cuts with several A-list artists.

#BenChapman #TenYearTown #Songwriting #Nashville #PeachJam #CountryMusic #Americana #Songwriter #MusicPodcast #BrentCobb #FlatlandCavalry #HayesCarll #MuscadineBloodline #IndependentArtist #NewMusic
New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram.

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura.

Artwork design by Brad Vetter.

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

Chase McGill is a songwriter originally from Columbus, Mississippi. He has written multiple No. 1 songs, including “Break Up in the End” recorded by Cole Swindell and “Lose It” recorded by Kane Brown. His songs have also been recorded by artists including Luke Combs, Sam Hunt, and Morgan Wallen. McGill is a multiple-time CMA Triple Play Award winner, including in 2026 for the songs “Happen To Me” (Russell Dickerson), “I Got Better” (Morgan Wallen), and “20 Cigarettes” (Morgan Wallen). He is currently published by Universal Music Publishing Group.
In this episode, we discuss Chase’s journey from Mississippi to Nashville, the stories behind some of his biggest hits, his approach to writing in the room, and many other stops along the way.
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This episode is also sponsored by The Graphic Guitar Guys. They create eye-catching custom guitar wraps for some of the biggest artists and festivals in the music industry. Their work is perfect for adding a unique touch to album pre-sale bundles or VIP package items—check them out and discover how they can transform a guitar into a show-stopping work of art.
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Troy Cartwright is a Nashville-based artist and songwriter originally from Dallas, Texas. His songs have collectively garnered hundreds of millions of streams, and he is currently signed to Big Machine Music for publishing. Cartwright has written songs recorded by Cody Johnson, Nickelback, Ryan Hurd, Josh Abbott Band, and has upcoming cuts with several A-list artists.

#ChaseMcGill
 #Songwriting
 #MorganWallen
 #RussellDickerson
 #KaneBrown
 #ColeSwindell
 #NashvilleSongwriters
 #CountryMusic
 #CMAawards
 #TriplePlay
 #TenYearTown
 #TroyCartwright
New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram.

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura.

Artwork design by Brad Vetter.

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

Lee Thomas Miller is a GRAMMY-nominated songwriter born in Nicholasville, Kentucky. He has written multiple No. 1 songs, including “The Impossible” (Joe Nichols), “You’re Gonna Miss This” (Trace Adkins), and “In Color” (Jamey Johnson). “In Color” earned both the CMA and ACM Song of the Year awards. Miller currently serves as President of the Board of Directors for the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). He has cuts with artists including Brad Paisley, Terri Clark, George Strait, Randy Travis, and many others.
In this episode, we discuss Lee’s path into songwriting, the stories behind some of his biggest hits, his role with NSAI, and many other stops along the way.
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This episode is also sponsored by The Graphic Guitar Guys. They create eye-catching custom guitar wraps for some of the biggest artists and festivals in the music industry. Their work is perfect for adding a unique touch to album pre-sale bundles or VIP package items—check them out and discover how they can transform a guitar into a show-stopping work of art.
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Troy Cartwright is a Nashville-based artist and songwriter originally from Dallas, Texas. His songs have collectively garnered hundreds of millions of streams, and he is currently signed to Big Machine Music for publishing. Cartwright has written songs recorded by Cody Johnson, Nickelback, Ryan Hurd, Josh Abbott Band, and has upcoming cuts with several A-list artists.
#LeeThomasMiller
 #InColor
 #CountrySongwriter
 #NSAI
 #Nashville
 #Songwriting
 #CMAawards
 #ACMawards
 #JameyJohnson
 #TraceAdkins
 #TenYearTown
 #TroyCartwright
New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram.

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura.

Artwork design by Brad Vetter.

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

Chris Blair is the founder and owner of The Listening Room Cafe, one of Nashville’s premier songwriter venues. Since opening its doors in 2006, The Listening Room has become a cornerstone of the city’s songwriting community, hosting hit writers, rising artists, and industry showcases while giving audiences an up-close experience with the stories behind the songs.
In this episode, we discuss Chris’s path to opening The Listening Room, the role songwriter venues play in Nashville’s ecosystem, building a sustainable live music business, and many other stops along the way.
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This episode is also sponsored by The Graphic Guitar Guys. They create eye-catching custom guitar wraps for some of the biggest artists and festivals in the music industry. Their work is perfect for adding a unique touch to album pre-sale bundles or VIP package items—check them out and discover how they can transform a guitar into a show-stopping work of art.
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Troy Cartwright is a Nashville-based artist and songwriter originally from Dallas, Texas. His songs have collectively garnered hundreds of millions of streams, and he is currently signed to Big Machine Music for publishing. Cartwright has written songs recorded by Cody Johnson, Nickelback, Ryan Hurd, Josh Abbott Band, and has upcoming cuts with several A-list artists.
#ChrisBlair
 #TheListeningRoom
 #Nashville
 #Songwriters
 #LiveMusic
 #MusicBusiness
 #WritersRounds
 #CountryMusic
 #TenYearTown
 #TroyCartwright
New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram.

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura.

Artwork design by Brad Vetter.

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

Why I Listened to 2,000 Minutes of Tchaikovsky Last Year

We are living in the age of "frictionless" music. The algorithms know what we want before we do, the dopamine is cheap, and the content is served to us on a silver platter. But as Charles Bukowski once said of classical music: "It washes the crap right out of me."

Lately, it feels like there’s a lot of crap to wash out.

In this episode, I’m stepping away from the "business" of music to talk about the Aura and the Sublime. I’m breaking down why I spent more time with a 19th-century Russian composer than anyone in the Top 40, and why I believe the "smoothness" of modern digital life is actually making us bored, exhausted, and artistically numb.

In this episode, we explore:

The "Loss of Aura": Why music feels less valuable when it stops being a "hunt" and starts hunting you.

The Sublime vs. The User-Friendly: Lessons from Walter Benjamin and Theodore Adorno on why great art should be a little bit terrifying.

The Tchaikovsky Antidote: How complex, uncomfortable, and "loud" art reminds us that we aren’t the center of the universe.

Breaking the Algorithm: Why the most successful artists of the future will be the ones who refuse to be "mathematically certain."

If you’ve been feeling a specific kind of creative exhaustion lately, this one is for you. It’s time to stop trying to conquer the mountain and let the mountain conquer us.

RESOURCES & LINKS

📧 Get in touch: [email protected]
📝 Read the full essay on Substack: Letters to Myself 
📸 Follow on Instagram: @troycartwright

#Songwriting #MusicIndustry #Tchaikovsky #ClassicalMusic #MusicPhilosophy #Algorithm #CreativeProcess #NashvilleSongwriters #WalterBenjamin #TheSublime #ArtVsContent #MusicPodcast #TroyCartwright #LettersToMyself #Authenticity #IndieArtist
New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram.

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura.

Artwork design by Brad Vetter.

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.