Charley Crockett 'can't be neutral on a moving train'; mentee Noeline Hofmann seems of the same mindset

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Charley Crockett has been around the country music scene for a while, but he's arguably built up more steam in recent years than in his first decade or so of pursuing a life as a full-time musician. The self-proclaimed drifter knows a thing or two about starting from the ground up and taking his trajectory into his own hands, even when the steam forces the train full speed ahead. Crockett seems to be imparting that wisdom onto up-and-coming country artist Noeline Hofmann, whose rural, ranch-life, "pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps" beginnings are reminiscent of Crockett's.

Crockett and Hofmann sat down Monday night in a ballroom at the Stephen F. Austin Royal Sonesta Hotel for the first installment of Rolling Stone's first multi-city tour of its "Musicians on Musicians" series. They joined Rolling Stone's senior music editor Joseph Hudak for a conversation about their musical common ground and how geography and upbringing can influence their songwriting.

Crockett told stories of growing up in Texas and busking the streets of Austin and Dallas before he struck success. Hofmann talked about her rural upbringing in southern Canada and Crockett's monumental impact on her career thus far.

Rolling Stone partnered with Sonesta to put on the tour, expanding on the momentum and success the series saw last year. The tour of Musicians on Musicians -- which pairs established and emerging artists together to discuss their creative journeys, life and more -- kicked off in Austin Monday and will make stops in New Orleans, Washington, D.C., New York City, and Portland, Oregon over the next eight months, featuring different artist matchups.

Rolling Stone said in a release that each city's event will feature artists "deeply connected to each city's unique culture and sound," and that the lineup "ensures each event is profoundly personal and reflective of each locale’s vibrant musical heritage."

Crockett himself is a native Texan originally from San Benito, currently living in Austin, though he spent several years at the start of his career wandering the U.S. and France, Morocco, and Spain, playing music where he could and taking odd jobs, like farming gigs in northern California, until he returned home to Texas and dug into music full time -- that's according to a lengthy Texas Monthly cover feature of Crockett from late 2022.

Crockett talked about what Austin means to him and how the city has influenced his songwriting. Several times, he mentioned busking the streets of downtown, trying to get a gig at the Driskill Hotel (and never getting it, he noted), and even playing guitar while sitting on a milk crate outside of the Continental Club.

He also talked about the inspiration behind his song "Hey Mr. Nashville," which was based on an interaction he had with the Nashville manager of a record label. Crockett said the man told him, "Yeah, these Austin boys, they get to playing on Sixth Street and touring around Texas, and they think, you know, they think that's the world circuit."

"And he said that in front of this record executive, you know, and a deal that I was trying to do," Crockett recounted. "And I looked at him, I said, 'OK, yeah, you're right. These boys tour Texas, and they think they're special.' I said, 'all they do in Nashville is they walk down Broadway one time they think they're a pop star.'"

Those lyrics:
"You made a funny comment
About the players on 6th Street
When you talk bad about Austin
You're talking down to me"

A common theme that threaded Crockett's stories, though, was that things always change, and you have to just roll with the changes.

At one point, Hudak brought up the fact that both Crockett and Hofmann have covered songs by two prominent figures in country music. On Hofmann's debut album, she covered Luke Bell's "The Bullfighter." Crockett covered George Strait's "Amarillo By Morning" on his most recent album, though he has a history of rendering his own versions of older classics.

Crockett's new album, "Lonesome Drifter," was released earlier this month. It marks new territory for the historically independent artist, as the album is his first released through a major record label, Island Records.

The record that preceded "Lonesome Drifter," however, might have spurred Crockett to take that next big step. Crockett talked a little about the process of recording "$10 Cowboy," the record that earned him his first Grammy nomination.

"$10 Cowboy" was recorded in Austin at Arlyn Studios off South Congress, per Crockett and Country Standard Time. Crockett said he "could have never worked in a big studio like that, even a year or two before," but he wound up really proud of it, then started thinking about what was next.

"I made the record, and I was proud of it. I'm like, well, what do you do... what do you do now?" He said. "It's like, 'OK, I've recorded all these old time Honky Tonk songs, you know. What... What am I going to do now?'" Crockett recounted.

"You know, you can't be neutral on a moving train. Things are always changing," Crockett said.

"I'm glad people want to hear what I'm doing a little bit these days, but one day I will be the old man," he said, explaining that he's glad he took the chance on himself.

That mindset has seemingly been reflected in Hofmann's thus far short career, which she heavily credits Crockett in helping jumpstart, though she did note that it took about 10 years of work, playing "hole-in-the-wall" gigs, sending cold emails, and "playing anywhere they'd let me on stage."

Charley Crockett's impact on Noeline Hofmann

Hofmann, who sat down with KXAN's Abigail Jones for a one-on-one conversation before Monday's event, came from origins similar to Crockett's. The young country singer grew up in Alberta, a province in western Canada often referred to as the "Texas of Canada," Hofmann said.

Like Crockett, she moved away from home at a young age and worked an agriculture job before returning home and committing full-time to music. Her single, "Purple Gas," which drew attention and a collaboration invite from Zach Bryan, chronicles a little bit of what her rural lifestyle was like.

Hofmann's roots are somewhat reminiscent of Crockett's, both having come from towns tied to agriculture and farming, leaving home at a young age to work farm/ranch jobs, then returning home to chase their music dreams, and finding success mostly of their own accord. The young country star's roots also ended up being directly tied to Crockett.

Hofmann wound up opening for Charley Crockett on his "$10 Cowboy" tour, which was pivotal for her career. It was her first tour and the first time she ever played in the United States.

"I was thinking, 'the first step I take on this stage is the first step of the rest of my life now, life of touring,'" she said, recounting the first night she performed on that tour. That rang true, too, Hofmann said, noting that her life has been a "complete 180" since then.

The offer to open Crockett's tour came just seven months after the first time Hofmann saw him perform, at the Railbird Music Festival in Kentucky in 2023. And that was after years of being a fan of his.

"That was, that was just huge," Hofmann said, "to have had the opportunity to go on the road with an artist I had already admired for so long, and an artist like Charley, who's so steadfast in his vision and who he is, you know. He's, he's who he is, plain and simple, and I just really respect that. He's also a guy that hasn't skipped any steps along the way in his build. You know, his foundation is unshakable, and I think that was so it was such a pivotal, pivotal, pivotal time in my career."

Hofmann said she experienced a lot of "firsts" on that tour and got her "road legs."

"It's hard to really measure just how much weight that -- and impact -- that they had on me and my live development as an artist, emerging artist," she said.

Having the chance to talk to Crockett in the "Musicians on Musicians" format was special to Hofmann, who'd been "grinning like a fool" since she got the call.

"I'm just so thankful that, you know," Hofmann said. "You know, Charley took a chance on me on that first tour they took me on. At that point, I had no released - I had no released music, nothing really, like to show for, and, you know, he took a chance on me."

"I'm always honored to get the call, and it's always, you know, being around Charley, he's a workhorse, and he strives for greatness... I'm just always grateful when I get to be around him and his camp, because I'm so inspired around that energy. I think it inspires greatness."

When asked which songs of Crockett's are Hofmann's favorites, she said that was "a very difficult question" and gave a few answers.

Those were: "the whole $10 Cowboy album," the song "Midnight Cowboy" on that record, his cover of "Loretta" by Townes Van Zandt, and "Odessa," which reminds her of songwriting circles back home.

Hofmann will be back in Central Texas next weekend to take the stage at Two Step Inn in Georgetown. After that, she'll spend the spring and summer touring with artists like Kade Hoffman, Turnpike Troubadours, and Zach Bryan -- with whom she'll play her first international shows in Ireland, England and the UK. One of their shows at London's Hyde Park is already sold out.

In the late summer, she'll join Crockett again while he's touring with Leon Bridges.

As for Crockett himself, his next Austin performance is on April 1, taping an episode of the Austin City Limits television show.

Crockett and Bridges recently announced a co-headlining tour, "The Crooner & the Cowboy," kicking off in early June. The tour's finale concert will be at the Moody Center in Austin on Sept. 23. Crockett also hinted at making new music (maybe an album) with Bridges.