
The Spotlight: New Single: GOAT “Lead”
GOAT (Grades Of Absolute Truth) encapsulates the definition of diversity in music. You might see him perform an intimate acoustic set at a coffee house one night, only to light up a stage with multiple features and a supporting DJ at a packed house at Trees the following night. At the basic level, one can describe his sound as southern, hovering somewhere in middle of a clash of rock, blues, and hip hop. We asked GOAT for some insight into the production process and some underlying themes behind his newest single, “Lead”.
Can you describe the inspiration for writing this song?
Oddly enough, I wrote the chorus lyrics & melody a few years ago. I was living near Greenville Ave & Ross in Dallas. Since I’d been there, several break-ins, robberies, and even a sexual assault had been committed on my street. JackRabbit James was living with me, at the time, and we always used to joke about how stupid it would be for someone to break into our place since we both have guns under our pillows. So those jokes inspired the hook. The verses and bridge were written around it.
It sounds like there’s a heavy helping of live instruments, who are the musicians behind the music and what was the production process like?
There are two musicians behind it – Justin “Double J” Jones & Mike Warren. I’m lucky to have these guys in my corner, both are amazing. Double J constructed everything except the guitars. My cousin Mike did the guitar cuts when we were close to finished with the track. The production process went quickly. I came to Double J with the chorus melody, then he began playing various chord progressions over it. Once we decided on that, I let Double J do his thing with it. What he composed was an absolute perfect fit for the message.
It’s pretty obvious you are an advocate of the 2nd Amendment. How do you feel about our current gun control laws?
Oh yeah, I’m an advocate, but don’t take me as some trigger-happy lunatic. At its core, this song’s about protecting your family from harm – that’s it. Guns have been a positive force in my life and no one can change my opinion about that. When I think about the banning of assault rifles or magazines, I don’t see the point. Making something illegal doesn’t stop access to it. If criminals obeyed laws, we wouldn’t have criminals. With that being said, I don’t think the rights of people that obey laws should be stripped.
As a teacher, do you feel that teachers should be allowed to carry guns in the classroom?
With the proper training & evaluation, I don’t have a problem with it. Do I think every teacher should have a pistol on them? No. But I don’t see much of a difference between your child being in a public place with strangers holding CHLs and your child being in a classroom with an armed teacher you’ve trusted to educate your kid.
Download “Lead” Now – iTunes | Bandcamp | Amazon | Google Play
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