John Baumann is no stranger to releasing music. Since releasing his debut EP, West Texas Vernacular, in 2012, the Texas native has offered a steady stream of music, including four albums, to much acclaim.
On album number five, though, Baumann is changing his process. He spent a whole year making the album, Guy on a Rock, and instead of releasing single after single prior to releasing the entire album, he unveiled the whole project at once; allowing the 11 tracks to stand together in one cohesive through line. In doing so, he’s promoting the album himself. Altogether, Guy on a Rock is a labor of love for Baumann and an ode to storytelling, songwriting and optimism.
We chatted with Baumann all about it, as well as growth, hitting the road and more!
Pro Country: Your new album, Guy on a Rock, comes nearly two years to the day after your last album, Border Radio, which received a great response on streaming, including “South Texas Tradition” and “Gold El Camino.” With those two years having passed since Border Radio, how do you look back on the album and the response it received?
John Baumann: You’re spot on: two years to the day between records. Border Radio allowed me to get more confident on stage. I had significant band turnover a year before the pandemic, and then there were no band shows during the pandemic, so the Border Radio record got me back into the flow of using a band, honing my stage banter, and just being more confident stepping out of my comfort zone.
I feel like with each new album, there is more material to chip away at making the live show better. “Camino” and “South Texas Tradition” were and continue to be staples of the live show. Even at Panhandlers shows, we (Panhandlers) were playing “Gold El Camino.” It’s been great to have those songs added to the catalogue. I feel confident that I will enjoy playing them 20 years from now. I’m grateful for the experience with Border Radio. A lot of uncharted territory for me as an artist and businessman, and a lot of growth has occurred professionally and personally since its release.
PC: Over the past year since Border Radio, you have released four largely acoustic, sparse singles in quick succession, two of which were covers of “1979” by The Smashing Pumpkins and “Hows It Going to Be” by Third Eye Blind. What was it about each of those songs that spoke to you and drew you to put an Americana spin on them?
JB: To be honest, I felt directionless during this period of time and wasn’t sure what I wanted or needed to do. Confused might be a better word for it. My wife and I had been adjusting to our new life with three small children under the age of five and trying to balance my performance schedule with domestic life, and I didn’t want to spend money on a record. It felt like taking chances on some single releases might yield something exciting. I’ve always had such an emotional connection to 90s alternative because those songs were popular when I was first discovering music, and sometimes I am great at just going for things, not overthinking them, and the two covers were a result. But ultimately, it led me back to the realization that I am a songwriter and I need to create IP and make records.
PC: Guy on a Rock opens with an epic-sounding instrumental, “The Overture.” How did you feel “The Overture” set the tone for Guy on a Rock”?
JB: It was one of the last things we did on the record, but it felt like a great way to kick it off, especially since it was being released all at once. My producer came to me and said “what if we did this?” in reference to “The Overture.” I had flirted with the idea of it on past records, but it never came to fruition. I’ve been in a period of “sending it,” too; just go for it, damn the torpedoes. And with this producer (Brian Douglas Phillips), I was allowed to exert myself creatively, and he was on board. Once we had “The Overture” in the can, it just felt great. Different for a prose heavy songwriter, but also a signal to the listener the importance of taking the whole album in at once.
PC: Many of the songs on Guy on a Rock were solo writes, though the title track was co-written with Owen Temple. Can you take us in the room with Owen and talk about how the song came together, and when you realized, thematically, that “Guy on a Rock” was an idea you wanted the album to revolve around?
JB: We wrote it on my back porch one day after a tragedy that took over the news cycle, and we were both completely down in the dumps for lack of a better phrase, and we figured writing a song was the best way out of that headspace. I’d had that title in my song ideas list for years, but it felt like it was time to chase that idea down, and that’s what we did. It was a beautiful spring day, and we worked it over and over. It even had a few re-writes after that day; but it felt special from the get go. Owen is very funny and super disarming. I’ve enjoyed being his friend for a decade. And yes, it just felt like a perfect through line for the whole record: We’re all here on this ‘pale blue dot’ (Sagan), together, and these are my tales, trials, tribulations from my 37 years on the rock. We’re all just guys (and gals) on a rock in space. When you distill it down and simplify it, it shows how connected we all truly are.
PC: “Long Shots” is one of our favorite songs on Guy on a Rock, and is one of many songs that taps into the theme of hope against odds and seeing the good in things. As an artist releasing music independently and working so hard to promote a new album, how much can a song like “Long Shots” be autobiographical?
JB: Thank you. The overall message is autobiographical, but the specifics are not. I don’t have a derby horse, play minor league ball, or fancy a lawyer across town; but, I do find great joy in when odds are overcome for myself or anyone I know. It’s remarkable how the universe can reward bravery. I have always loved the phrase: “bet on yourself.” And that’s what this song is about. And yes, for the first time in a long while, I am totally a solo operator on this release: PR person, manager, radio promoter, social media person (always a struggle) and artist all at once, which I don’t think is all that uncommon, but still a mountain of work. A long shot, indeed.
PC: On social media, you mentioned that, along with your producer, Brian Douglas Phillips, you were hard at work to make Guy on a Rock what became for over a year, which is the longest you’ve ever taken to make an album. After the time put into the project, how fulfilling was it to capture the sound you heard in your head and to craft the album the way you did?
JB: When we started Guy On A Rock, we didn’t have any idea of making a record, or even an EP. Really, it was just: “Let’s just record a song here, a song there”. Within six months, we had five songs done, and I thought we’ve come this far, let’s just go all the way. We worked 2-3 days a month from August 2024 to June 2025. A lot of that was financial. I didn’t want to drop gobs of money all at once, so we spaced it out. I am impulsive and impatient as they come, so this was a real test for me, to record it slowly and steadily. But I think we did it right. It allowed me to write as we went and fill the voids for what the record felt like it might be missing, or pull songs that I’d forgotten about from years ago. “I Still Believe in America” was written in 2018, and I thought now might be as good a time as ever to put it out. It also allowed us to texturize and overdub in a way that never felt rushed. Definitely was not the most fun way to make a record, but the formula worked.
PC: You also mentioned on social media that releasing your fifth album feels significant to you. How do you feel that milestone is significant?
JB: I can’t tell if being in the music business is becoming easier or harder for me, the longer I chase it. But I am still here after 13 years of mixed results, and I still love it (most of the time), and I felt like making this record deserved some small self congratulations. Like, hey, we’re closing in on 40 years of age, we’ve survived the pandemic, band turnover, managers and agents coming and going, financial windfalls and pitfalls, stolen vans, three children and all that comes with it, and we’re still writing songs with joy, integrity and passion. And this is the fifth full-length adult record I’ve made.
There’s the old joke about a roman soldier who walks into a bar and orders five beers by holding up two fingers (making the peace sign). I’ve always loved that joke, and the V, meaning 5, felt important for its numerical significance, but also V is a letter that for me stands for Victory Formation, and virtue, which is why it is tucked in the bottom right corner of the album’s cover.
PC: What do you hope listeners take away from Guy on a Rock after listening all the way through?
JB: Optimism is a word I keep coming back to. I hope they find that and joy in listening to it. Whether it’s the simple feeling you get from falling in love with a song, or feeling good about the future of the world, those would be my foremost hopes. And selfishly, I also hope it encourages listeners to come see us out on the road. I’ve got a great band with great musicians, and we’re really honing in on our live sound, and I couldn’t be happier with how the live show is trending.
PC: You released your debut EP, West Texas Vernacular, 13 years ago. In the 13 years since, what do you think has been the biggest thing you’ve learned about yourself as a singer/songwriter?
JB: Great question, and there’s a fair amount to unpack.
If I can say so, I feel very much that I am doing what I was meant to do. I’ve also developed this showman side that’s a little bit stand-up or sometimes a rascally lounge singer, and it’s been great to develop other tools for the live show, and I’ve learned it’s a lot of fun to be doing this.
I think ultimately I come back to the feeling that I am fulfilled. There’s a lot still on my goal sheet and bucket list, but it’s been an awesome adventure the past 13 years, for sure.
PC: You have a good handful of dates in Texas laid out for the rest of the year. How much are you looking forward to staying busy on stage and bringing Guy on a Rock to a live setting?
JB: I always say “I’m better when I am busy.” That rings true here. But also a healthy balance of home + road time so I can be an attentive dad and husband, too. I like to keep a healthy mix of band and solo shows so that I don’t lose any of the chops. Playing these new songs is wildly refreshing. The band had a rehearsal recently, and it was the first rehearsal in ages where it didn’t feel like a grueling task. Some of these songs are a blast to play: “Surfing,” “Friends,” and “America” to name just a few. It is invigorating. We’ve really injected most of the album into the current live show.
PC: With Guy on a Rock now released, what do you have planned for the rest of 2025 and going into 2026?
JB: The rest of 2025 will have a handful of band and acoustic shows, and I’ll be monitoring how the record is doing. We’ve got some cool stuff lining up for 2026, but so much of my career is flying by the seat of my pants, for lack of a better term. I imagine at some point the muse will come back and I’ll start writing songs again; but for the foreseeable, it’s some combination of performing the record as much as possible, and continuing to grow as an artist and writer.
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