Nashville guitarist/singer-songwriter, Rich Mahan, will release HOT CHICKEN WISDOM on June 21. His sophomore solo release celebrates life in Music City while paying homage to his mentor. The album’s eleven tracks features eight new original compositions paired with three new arrangements of favorites that Mahan performs in his live sets. Check out our interview with Rich below about the new record and all things Hot Chicken!!
Thank you for chatting with us Rich! We are a lover of all things food here, so tell us the story with your new album, Hot Chicken Wisdom, that drops June 21st. Thanks very much for having me! Hot Chicken Wisdom is a tribute to Brian 'Brain' Harrison who was the co-producer and engineer on my 2012 release, Blame Bobby Bare. As we were starting pre-production in 2014 for its follow up he left this earthly plane, and it took me a long time to feel like I could come back to the album and do the work. Most of the songs on HCW are either one's he loved, or were inspired by him or the things he'd say, and there's a couple ballads in there for the ladies. (Thanks Dave Roe!) Brain was as off kilter as I am, and I felt I met a kindred spirit right away when we were introduced. He taught me a lot in a short period of time, and the songs on HCW reflect a lot of his teachings.
What sets this album apart from your other albums? This is the first album I recorded & engineered myself. I'm extremely proud of the way it came out, and it is definitely all about life and love. It's upbeat, fun, and celebratory, and anyone who liked Blame Bobby Bare is going to love this record. It came out great.
Favorite lyric/song from this album. It's one word actually. At the end of 'Tick On My Taint', I sang 'Motherfuckin' on the original demo, but radio has a problem with that word, so I changed it on the album version to 'Mothersuckin', which is far more clever IMO. Proud of that one!
At the end of the day, what do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people take away from your songs? I hope people feel lifted after they listen to this record. Music can be a lot of things to a lot of people, but to me a lot of the time it seems to either be a way to share feelings so people don't feel like they are going through something alone, or can be celebratory and jubilant. Hot Chicken Wisdom definitely lands in the celebratory camp.
If you designed your own walking food tour of Nashville, which restaurants/food sellers would be on your list of places to visit? Yum. Nashville has so many great restaurants, it's hard to make a list for fear that I'll leave something off! In no particular order, I dig all of these places: The Southern, Husk, Hermitage Cafe, Sky Blue Cafe, Martin's BBQ, Edley's BBQ, Arnold's, Nadeen's Hermitage Haven, 5 Points Pizza, Taj Indian... the list goes on and on!
Best places for Hot Chicken in Nashville? Prince's Hot Chicken Shack still is #1 in my book. It's the 1st place Brain took me, and it's still the best. Runners up include 400 Degrees, Bolton's (Chicken on a sticken!), & Hurt's Hot Chicken (Shout out to Lamont!)
How do you order your hot chicken? Breast Quarter Hot please...
What are the best sides and beverage to have with hot chicken? Not every place has great sides, but the fries are usually a good bet, and the ones from Prince's and Hurt's are always a perfect pairing with the chicken. Prince's sprinkles some of their hot seasoning on theirs, and Hurt's has a special lemon tinged seasoning which may sound unusual, but it pairs amazingly well with the chicken. The thing I love about the chicken at both Prince's and Hurt's is, even when you get a really hot batch, they both still deliver amazing flavor along with the heat. Other places can't claim that. Beverage: An Ice Cold 40. The 1st time Brain took me to Prince's, we ordered and then walked to the gas station on the corner and he bought 2 40 oz bottles of Budweiser, and got 2 large coffee cups. He taught me how you pour it under the table at the restaurant into the coffee cup so no one sees you're drinking a beer. And it is delicious that way.
Dare I ask your thoughts about KFC’s take on Nashville hot chicken? Ha! I may have had KFC once when I was a kid, but I don't eat there. From what I hear, it's a joke. Not even close.
If you could get on a plane tomorrow and travel to any destination just for its food, where would it be? Arizona. The Mexican food in Nashville leaves something to be desired. There are some decent taco trucks, but if you're looking for a great sit down Sonoran Style Mexican restaurant, I haven't found it here, and I don't think it exists. Texas is in between the southwest and Tennessee, and I think that accounts for the introduction of queso to Mexican food out here. Gringo queso es no bueno in comida Mexicana.
Aside from your passion for food and music, what's the one thing that really keeps you ticking? Love. Really that's it. But surfing falls into that category for me, and I miss surfing like crazy. Kelly Slater, if you are reading this, build one of your wavepools here in Nashville bro. There are a ton of Golden State Refugees out here, not to mention tourists, and it would go off.
Finally, if you could be sponsored by one food/drink brand who would it be and why? Oh man, that's the hardest question to answer yet! I'm sure I'd give you a different answer next time you ask me, but today its Modelo Especial!!!!! It's a solid Mexican beer, easy to find just about everywhere these days, and it reminds me of the best fiestas con mis amigos!
Website: www.RichMahan.com Facebook: www.Facebook.com/RichMahanBand YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmcLA6sU_mD_E5SRx6cJA6A
HOT CHICKEN WISDOM Track Listing
Disc One – Original Album Remastered
1. “Boots Off”
2. “Daydrinking”
3. “Tick On My Taint”
4. “I Smoke Pot”
5. “Hot Chicken & An Ice Cold 40”
6. “Stoned As A Roman Slave”
7. “Hippie In The City”
8. “Loose Lucy”
9. “To Love Somebody”
10. “Coffee In The Morning”
11. “Open Up Your Heart”
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