Long Way Up

From School Bus Riders to Song Writers...

My new song ‘long way up’ with Gatlin Dean Williams, just dropped and it’s got me thinking back to something that happened in elementary school that was pretty formative for me.

So I actually rode the bus with Gatlin (Garrett) in elementary school. He was a few years younger than me. He was a nice kid but let’s just say.. he could be pretty quick to get angry or upset. There was one day when my friend and I were messing with him on the way to school and he was getting pretty worked up. I don’t even remember what we were saying but we were going back and forth basically taunting him and when we got off the bus we kept it up while we were walking into the school.

Eventually, he got fed up and ran at us and hit us with his backpack. To my memory it was a pretty minor altercation and I didn’t really think much of it. Well, to my surprise, when we walked into the school the principal was waiting for us and brought us into her office. She proceeded to scold us for bullying Garrett and we responded by pointing out that he was the one who hit us. To which she replied, “I watched the whole thing from the window and you guys were provoking him.” At this moment I had a literal epiphany that she was totally right and I was actually being an asshole and harassing this kid.. just for fun?

Don’t get me wrong, I was a pretty nice and thoughtful kid for the most part but I definitely had my moments. For whatever reason, I gained a new level of self-awareness in that specific moment. It was maybe the first time in my life that I actually had to face the fact that I could be the bad guy in a situation and I could be a bully. I’m not sure what age this usually happens for people but for me, this was it.

I think realizing that there is a part of me that is cruel or mildly sadistic was important. Accepting that hard fact seems like part of the process that keeps it under control and from manifesting itself more in my life and relationships. There are parts of human nature that just aren’t pretty and sometimes we need to be forced to look at them if we want to change or improve. “Know thyself” as they say…

Now, fast forward like 10+ years.. I haven’t seen or talked to Garrett this whole time and all of a sudden, I see on instagram that he is making country music. I thought his voice was sick and I love country music so I hit him up to collab. He came through and we wrote ‘long way up’ in basically one session. Best of all, I had the chance to apologize for the times I was an asshole to him and he admitted that he was no angel either and that was that. Water under the bridge.

The song stayed in the vault for a year until we re-recorded the vocals with my dude Brian McCaslin. After that it sat for another year until for whatever reason, I decided it was time and we got it sauced and mixed by my brother Benn and put it out.

I’m super proud of this one. I love the subject matter and I love the message behind it. Garrett has an awesome voice and a ton of potential. I’m stoked to be part of his journey and I can’t wait to see where he goes!

Check out the song here.

And show Gatlin some love on IG, tiktok, or spotify!

As always, I’m happy to receive feedback, advice or to just have a conversation about any of the topics on this blog! Don’t hesitate to comment or reach out via social media

(@danny_suede on all platforms)

I’m glad you’re here and thanks for reading <3