Pattycakes (Patty Carasquillo) with her pink guitar, ready to keep chasing her dreams. Pattycakes’ first original song that won a finalist spot in the Tennessee Songwriters Competition in March 2025, “Never Need You,” is set to release in June 2025. Photo by Heather Lemonis.

This is a transcript of the conversation between myself, Brandi Fleck, Host of the Human Amplified podcast, and up and coming singer-songwriter, Pattycakes and her writing partner, Boomer Roe. They tell all about turning personal poetry into music and then landing a finalist spot in the Tennessee Songwriters’ Competition.

If you’d rather listen than read, you can do that here, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts.

Meet the Voices Behind the Music: Patty Carasquillo and Boomer Roe

Brandi Fleck:

What does being human mean to you?

Pattycakes:

to me, being human is based on my emotions, my morals, and my conscience. I'm very much an emotional person and very empathetic. And so my mood is based on my emotions and the emotions of people around me. So, that is what I would constitute as my humanity. So, yeah.

Boomer Roe:

Man, that's a deep one. I think what makes a human a human is our conscience. And that's not just the difference between right and wrong, although that has something to do with it. It also plays into our ability to grow and learn, to evolve emotionally, and to become better than we are.

My dogs can feel and they can learn better behavior, but whether or not they can become better dogs on the inside, way deep down in there, is a question. So I think, to summarize, the difference between humans and animals and really the defining characteristic of a human is our conscience and our ability to live moral life more than just behavioral, but something deeper than that.

Brandi Fleck:

Everybody today, we are welcoming to the show, and for the first time live in person, isn't this exciting, but we're welcoming Patti Karasquillo and her friend Boomer Rowe. These guys have teamed up to form a band, songwriter together, and they are making waves in Nashville, and they're new on the scene, really. So, Patty goes by Patty Cakes, and we're going to talk a little bit about that today. So, before we jump in, what else do you want people to know about you?

Pattycakes:

Um, I don't know. I'm a single mom. I've got two babies, two boys, and I've wanted to do music my entire life. So, I finally bit the bullet, and then I'm doing it. So, yeah.

Brandi Fleck:

When did you start? Like, do you mind sharing how old you were when you started?

Pattycakes:

What, recently?

Brandi Fleck:

Mm-hmm.

Pattycakes:

41. 41.

Brandi Fleck:

Well, and of course, I mean, you've been doing music your whole life, really. Yes. But when you started chasing the dream.

Pattycakes:

June, I had a country singer basically kind of give me a kick in the butt. So, Billy Lord, he heard me singing, and he was like, what are you doing? Why aren't you on stage? Like you need to get on stage. You need to get your stuff together and start writing and, you know, do co-writes and, and see what you can do. And then you need to get on stage. And so…

Brandi Fleck:

And you did.

Pattycakes:

And yeah, that was June of this past year. So pretty much directly I got to work.

Brandi Fleck:

So, okay, tell me a little bit about how you guys teamed up. I know we were talking about it before we got on here, but how did this partnership form?

Pattycakes [To Boomer]:

So I think I may have seen something you posted and I reached out to you and said, you know, I'm writing poetry, but I don't know how to really put it into a song. We kind of talked about it for…

Boomer Roe:

A while!

Pattycakes:

A while. We kept saying, we're going to get together. We're going to get together and we didn't and and so we finally did.

Boomer Roe:

Yeah that was that was probably on me you know working full-time and trying to do the music thing and personal stuff. And well what ended up happening with me is busting the curse I guess—I ended up having surgery on one of my knees so I was out of work for like three months so I had nothing but time so I decided to finally—you know we finally managed to to make it happen and uh she sent me some of her poetry and uh you know just kind of went from there from there.

Brandi Fleck:

Fantastic.

From Poetry to Powerful Lyrics: The Songwriting Process

Pattycakes:

“Never Need You,” I wrote it—I wrote the poem for it during the summertime. I sent it to him and I was like look, you know, this is what I got and yeah and so we went from there.

Boomer Roe:

Yeah it leaned itself really nice—she actually sent me three poems and said you know, “See what you can do with these.” And, you know, a lot of times poetry doesn't translate great into lyrics. They're two very, you know, they're cousins, but they're not the same. But, you know, I kind of just started, I guess, jamming on the guitar with the lyrics and the rhythm of the flow of the lyrics just lent itself very well to a verse and then it led to a melody.

Pattycakes:

And I didn't—so I taught myself to play guitar in like, what, five months?

Boomer Roe:

She’s come a long way in a short time.

Pattycakes:

Initially it wasn't so that I could play on stage it was so that I could—because I couldn't write any music, like I couldn't do anything with what I had and I didn't, you know—I've always been the one that was like if I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna do this. I'm gonna do it all; I want to do all of it, like I don't want to just be like oh here write me a song and then sing it, you know what I mean. I wanted to be involved in it so yeah so I taught myself to play guitar and you know I'm not not too shabby, but I'm still learning.

Boomer Roe:

You've gotten a lot better than you were that's that's for sure.

Brandi Fleck:

Yeah, that's really impressive and it's inspiring! And guys, just so you know, “Never Need You,” is the single that these two are about to put out…it's being produced.

Boomer Roe:

It's in the factory.

Brandi Fleck:

It's in the factory. Gotcha. So if you haven't seen them live, then the first place you'll be able to hear this song before it's out and available for streaming and download is here. Because at the end of this interview, they're going to play it. It's really exciting.

And so you guys wrote that together. Tell us a little bit about I guess the process of the storytelling and what went into that, but then also, the musical storytelling, how did that all marry together?

Boomer Roe:

Yeah, sure. I mean, you know, once again, poetry and lyrics, they're cousins, but they don't always, you know, translate.

And if I could give any advice to poets out there who want to see their poetry become lyrics and turned into music is you have to have kind of a loose creative grip on those words.

Pattycakes:

Yeah.

Boomer Roe:

And that gives credit to Patty, because I'm always afraid when someone brings me poetry and says, can we turn this into a song? I'm like, I don't want to hurt your baby.

It's like handle with care.

Pattycakes:

I think I was really like, you know, I want it to be the best that it can be. And so it's it's a sometimes and, you know, we've written another one that is amazing.

Boomer Roe:

And there'll be the next one coming out.

Pattycakes:

And he took my poem, but we took the idea and ran with it and then just wrote a whole new song.

Boomer Roe:

Maybe a few sentences here and there stuck in the actual song, but the concept, you know, is really what we used more. So, yeah, when it comes to translating poetry to lyrics and even lyrics to music, you know, sometimes you got to have that willingness to do what's in the best interest of the song as opposed to, you know—that's an important thing to remember.

Because I'm always afraid, you know, I was afraid when I did this, I'm like, she's going to hate it because I've, you know, taken it apart.

Pattycakes:

Well, and we worked together to put it back together. Yeah. Like, he had the music, and then, you know, he kind of had a beginning, and then we worked together and got it, you know, to where it is.

Boomer Roe:

Yeah. Right. Yeah. And really, the job of the songwriter is to remove yourself from the equation and to tell the story of the artist, right?

Pattycakes:

Right.

Boomer Roe:

So the art and the real challenge is how to tell that story, make it something that's, you know, something that people want to listen to while also staying true to…

Pattycakes:

Feeling the emotion of the song.

Boomer Roe:

It's a very personal story for us.

Pattycakes:

It is. It's, you know.

Brandi Fleck:

I was going to ask.

The Birth of “Never Need You:” A Song Inspired by Strength

Pattycakes:

I mean, so, you know, my marriage wasn't great. And I was looking at I have to get out of it. And, you know, I had two kids, I had no finances, no nothing to, you know, be okay with. And I still had to make that decision to walk out and be done. And so that's where it came from.

And, you know, I was, I was, when I wrote it, the poem, I was, you know, sitting on the beach and I was looking at my kids and they were playing. And, you know, I was kind of happy with where I was. And, you know, I knew that I was going to be working towards this. And so I was like, okay.

That's where I was then, you know, and that's how I felt in that moment when I was leaving and, you know, and looking at where I am now and it just was like, yeah, this is, you know, it was right. You know what I mean?

Brandi Fleck:

Yeah.

Boomer Roe:

And the song is really a testament to how your story can speak to—one of the best pieces of advice I've ever heard about songwriting is people don't hear your story in your song. People hear their stories in your song.

And in the times that we've played this out, and I'm sure we'll talk about this in a minute (Tennessee Songwriters week), The reason we moved forward and the reason people enjoyed the song as much as they did…

But we had one woman come up to us after the second round and she was like you know I don't know about this or that but I was down there, I was…

Pattycakes:

Yeah yeah, one of the judges told me in the first round was you know he was like, “I'm recently going through a divorce and that spoke to me.” It was like I understood those feelings you know so and I mean it all comes back to emotion and for me that's always been the big deal about songwriting and why I wanted to do it because, you know, you want to put your, yeah, it's what you went through, but so many other people go through the same thing.

Brandi Fleck:

Yeah, you're not alone in those experiences. And the music can sort of be healing, too. Like, it helps you get through those times. Honestly.

Boomer Roe:

Absolutely.

Tennessee Songwriters Competition: From Local Gigs to Big Stages

Brandi Fleck:

As Boomer just alluded to, they were finalists in the Tennessee Songwriters Competition. So can you guys tell us a little bit about what that process was like and and just what you did to get to where you were?

Pattycakes:

So I have a lot of really great contacts um through Hop Springs out in Murfreesboro—it's a it's a bar, it's a venue, it's a beer park is what they call it, but it's a great place, family friendly, like you know they do all sorts of things there. I've played the, what's it called, the Oreo Festival for 6,000 people.

Brandi Fleck:

Nice. With rock and country out there. So, like, you know, they do a lot of different things.

Boomer Roe:

You had me at Oreos.

Brandi Fleck:

Me too!

Pattycakes:

And so, yeah, Miranda, which is the GM there, she was like, hey. Because she'd heard me sing a ton of times there with Rockin’ Country.

And she was like, Tennessee Songwriters Week—you're going to do it, and I was like—because she had heard a little snippet of “Never Need You,” and she was like, you're going to do it, sign up. She's like, sign up and, you know, we'll get the paperwork done and everything. So I mentioned it to Boomer, and so we decided to do it.

And I did not think that we were going to win.

Oh, no. I was like, I mean, the amount of talent in that room was insane.

Robert Abernathy. Robert Abernathy is a country singer, and he's also my boys’ gym coach. He's fantastic, has albums out. Like, he's amazing. And he got up there and sang his song, and I was just like, I'm not going to win this. There's no way. You know, and so at the end, when they went to call us, we got it on video.

I told Mama, which is Cindy Gannon from Rockin' Country. I was like, Mama, go record the, you know, to see who wins. And so I just stood in the back, and I was just like, you know, drumroll, you know, calm, no big deal.

And when they said Pattycakes, I was like, what?

Like there's.. it blew my… I was like there's no way… like me?

Boomer Roe:

I was pretty shocked as well. It's a testimony I think, because so many people got up there and you know I'm an okay guitar player like I don't ever claim to be the best in the world. Some of these guys are riffing like crazy and like technically some of these songs are way out of my league and you know way above “Never Need You,” but once again just a testimony with how much more important it is that the song speaks to people.

Pattycakes:

Right.

Boomer Roe:

And people feel the music rather than just hear it. And, you know, because we spoke to one of the judges later and he was like, yeah, you know, I think everybody just really—it was really uplifting and people really related to it.

Pattycakes:

It is strong.

Boomer Roe:

You know, it's just, I guess that's what it comes down to because, yeah, I mean, I didn't..I mean, it's a good song. It's a fun song. I'm telling you. I didn't expect us to beat out that one.

Pattycakes:

No, you know, that was our first the first thing we wrote together.

Boomer Roe:

And the first time we ever played it live.

Pattycakes:

Yeah and the first time we ever played it live like it was it was just it was insane.

Boomer Roe:

I mean for me it was it was kind of wake-up call because you know as a writer you're always your own worst critic and you know I look at this song and I'm like oh you know iIdon't know about this and that and you know this isn't that great and um yeah I always tell people uh I write like a hundred songs for every one that I like. And, you know, that one usually ends up getting pushed to the back burner because I've already written a hundred more, you know, but it just goes to show like:

Believe in yourself and you know you are better than you think you are.

And if you reach a point where you think you're great then you should probably reconsider that but, you know it was just it was very surprising for me. Icalled my parents later and I was like I can't believe this happened like I didn't think this song was all that great you know it was a good song but I didn't think it was that good.

Pattycakes:

I mean Tennessee songwriters week is a big deal. It's Bluebird and uh Taylor Guitars and NSAI, which is National Songwriters Association, which is where we we write at. You know I go—he's got he's got his membership. I haven't gotten mine yet. I just tag along. I'm like Boomer let's go right.

Boomer Roe:

Just Mootch. Just kidding. [Laughs]

Pattycakes:

What was that? Hey, single mom. [Laughs]

Boomer Roe:

But anyways, it was great. It was a real encouragement, I think, to both of us. And we went on to the finals, which were at…

Pattycakes:

In Portland. Yeah, at the Temple.

Boomer Roe:

The Temple Theater. Super cool. You know, we didn't make it through the finals to go play the Bluebird. But, you know, I was okay with it because the song that won...

Pattycakes:

But we sang in front of some major…

Boomer Roe:

And the song that won deserved to win.

Pattycakes:

Yeah, it was great.

Boomer Roe:

You know, no shame in being beaten by the best.

Pattycakes:

Well, I was just happy to be there. I was like, we're just going to go. We're going to do it. And if we don't get it, we'll get to The Bluebird eventually.

Boomer Roe:

Most important part, I think, for us was the exposure and the confidence boost.

Pattycakes:

My name was on a poster!

Brandi Fleck:

It was. That's awesome. Was that the first time?

Pattycakes:

Yeah.

Boomer Roe:

It'll always be the remember when.

Pattycakes:

Yeah. It was a good time.

Chasing Dreams at Any Age: Pattycakes' Musical Journey at 41

Brandi Fleck:

Well, it sounds like you guys are headed in a great direction. You're having fun. You're writing things that are like authentic to who you are. And I don't know. It's just great. It's great. So tell me a little bit before we, you know, let these guys hear the song.

What would you say to somebody who thinks it's too late for them to chase a dream like this?

Pattycakes:

Okay, well, you know, I was that person. I was very much that person. I was like, I'm not gonna do anything with my voice. I'm not gonna sing. I'm not gonna, you know, it is what it is.

And like I said, I met Billy Lord and he was like, look, he was like, I was 41 when I started. And his story is kind of similar. And I mean he was three-time Grammy nominated and this coming after he had just started at 41, so he looked at me and he was just like I was 41 when I started you're 41 now and I'm telling you right now somebody's trying to tell you something, and that moment was just like, okay.

Like you can't not listen to that. You know what I mean?

Somebody telling you that. And because I kept asking, I was like, are you sure you think I'm good enough? And he was like, I'm telling you to do it. So do it. And I'm like, and so, you know, it really is a, I mean, in a short period of time, I've done a lot.

I keep getting things thrown at me and I'm like, okay, let's do it. You know what I mean?

And, and, and that was, it was a learning experience for me to have to to understand that I had to put myself out there, because I've always been very shy about what I can do and so like that moment of get your get yourself out there is what has gotten me to—because you know I met right after that I met um Cindy Gannon from Rockin' Country and she kind of took me into her world and you know Mr. Mickey and all them like, I literally started meeting—I would go every every Sunday to the Hop Springs jam and it's literally just a room full of musicians and so you know I started talking to everybody and networking and like people started bringing me on and and saying hey come sing. Come sing “Crazy” [by Patsy Cline] at my show or like you know what I mean?

So yeah and it really just was a matter of doing the work and getting out there.

And you know if you believe that you can do it, then you're gonna. You'll do it, you know what I mean.

So it doesn't matter how old—I mean I'm gonna be 42 this month.

But like I said, in a in a six-month period I went from singing in my car in the MAPCO in Smyrna to singing on stages all over Rutherford County and that so.

Brandi Fleck:

Yeah, okay, so it sounds like there was a pivotal moment for you where sort of like this mentor figure came into your life, encouraged you, and it was something you wanted to do, so then you just started putting yourself out there. And then the doors just started opening because it was the path.

Pattycakes:

Right.

Brandi Fleck:

Okay. Yeah. Okay.

Boomer Roe:

If I can add into that, I mean... What I've learned, because I'm no spring chicken either. I mean, I'm, you know, I'm not…[looking at Pattycakes].

Pattycakes:

Shut up! [Laughs]

Boomer Roe:

I'm just messing with you. I'm like three years younger than you.

But no, no, seriously, because there seems to be this misconception in show business in general. But, you know, here in Nashville, no less, you know, that you have to start when you're like 13 or something like that. You know, which is great. You get a head start. That's awesome.

And, you know, we've all heard Nashville is a 10-year town. Um, but I think the reason they say Nashville is a 10 year town, because it takes 10 years to form the relationships that open the doors that lead to success. What you've done [talking to Pattycakes] is kind of open those doors before starting the process, because you are such a social butterfly and you're so great at networking. Um, and you know, because of that, you stepped into fertile soil and things just kind of started happening almost immediately.

Pattycakes:

Well, you know, and it's like the situation from yesterday with Ricky, like I've always had contacts, but I also never said, “look, I'm a singer. I want to like, can we work together? I want to do something I need to learn.” Like I never said it before.

And after that, that whole conversation with Billy, I was like, okay. So the first time that I talked to Cindy, I told her. She said, “Are you a singer?” And I said, “Yes, ma'am.” You know, and that was the first time that I had ever really said anything.

Like, I'm a singer. Like, that's what I do, you know? And I think that realization to myself was what made me able to then be like, okay, yeah, so I'm a singer.

Like, you know what I mean?

Brandi Fleck:

You don't wait for somebody else to tell you you're a singer.

Pattycakes:

Right, right.

Brandi Fleck:

You owned it.

Pattycakes:

Right.

Brandi Fleck:

You claimed it.

Boomer Roe:

She's fearless, too. Like, she'll be singing at the top of her lungs.

Pattycakes:

Anywhere.

Boomer Roe:

You know, Shell gas station parking lot and people walk up to her and be like, was that you? I shut my doors and close my windows so.

Pattycakes:

Yes yeah I used to do that or if somebody was coming by I'd roll the window up or something. No not now. I don't care, like I literally will sit and sing anywhere.

Brandi Fleck:

Yeah that's great.

Boomer Roe:

So that that confidence uh you know plus the relationships and you know adding a little talent and some work ethic and that's where success comes from.

Brandi Fleck:

Yeah well and an interesting difference too between you [to Pattycakes] and a lot of people who are trying to make it in the business is that a lot of people come from other places right so they don't have that fertile soil.

Boomer Roe:

That is true. Good point.

Brandi Fleck:

But you're from here. You are from here!

Pattycakes:

I'm a smyrna girl.

Brandi Fleck:

Yes!

Pattycakes:

Yeah well you know when I was—and what's funny is, so I always talk about this movie; you know you already know what's coming—so when I was a kid, one of my favorite movies of all time, still is one of my favorite movies of all time, but River Phoenix, Thing Called Love. You ever seen it?

Brandi Fleck:

I'm sure I have.

Pattycakes:

Okay.

Brandi Fleck:

River Phoenix, though, was the man.

Pattycakes:

So when he was here at The Bluebird, like filming the movie, I was like, Dad, please take me. I want to go see River Phoenix.

Never happened. But I watched the movie, and it's about singer-songwriters in Nashville, young singer-songwriters in Nashville trying to make it. And when I was, like, 10 years old, I was like, that's what I want to do. Like, I'm going to do that. I want to play at The Bluebird. Like, that was from then on. You know, so then it was like, once I started writing, and then I was like, oh, we can do, like, I can do this. I didn't think I could do this, but I can do this, so we're going to do this. You know what I mean?

Brandi Fleck:

Yeah, yeah.

Boomer Roe:

Yeah, I mean, obviously she's made great strides in a very short period of time. I'm just kind of along for the ride. Riding the coattails, as they say, you know.

Brandi Fleck:

Yeah. Well, and it sounds like you have a really supportive support system, too.

Boomer Roe:

Most definitely. I was going to say, was there any moment where other people's doubt crept in for you, or was it just—

Pattycakes:

Not now. Okay. I think that's what kept me from doing it for so long.

Brandi Fleck:

Gotcha.

Pattycakes:

Was other people telling me, you can't do that, or, you know, you need to find a real job, or, you know. Right out of high school, that was the first thing that I wanted to do. I went to MTSU for vocal performance, but then I got sick with my lupus and everything.

And so that kind of—dead in the tracks. And then I went back to school and wanted to try again and ended up doing vocal lessons and everything. But like I said, with my health, it was just too much. I couldn't give what I was, you know, they have expectations and I was in and out of the hospital and things. And it just didn't work at the time. So I did five years of vocal lessons and then did nothing with it. I did vocal lessons in Smyrna with Janine Smith and like, she was amazing. Took me on scholarship for five years because she believed in me.

You know, so I've always had, you know, there's always been people, my music teacher I was telling you about. First grade music teacher, choir director from fourth grade on, like fourth grade to eighth grade, still very much in my corner. You know, still giving me tips, Miss Payne.

You know, there were people that, like, fostered it, but then there were other people that, like, kind of dashed as much as they could. There always will be. So, you know, that was a big thing, not having that support, not having somebody say, hey, you're talented, we can, you know, you want to do this, let's do this.

That's a big part of what stopped me. Once I kind of got the chance again, then it was like, yeah, no, I'm not going to let anybody stop me from doing what I need to be doing.

Brandi Fleck:

What shifted for you that made it to where you were like, that doesn't matter anymore?

Pattycakes:

You know, I think part of it came from, you know, with Roach. Roach was my fiancé for several years, and he's dying of end-stage MS. So, you know, seeing him, being his caretaker and, you know, seeing him not be able to do the things anymore that he used to be able to do and and all of that, it was like that life's too short thing.

Brandi Fleck:

Gotcha.

Pattycakes:

I'm literally, you know, I'm at this stage and I don't have forever. So, you know, it was very much a let's just do this. I know that this is what I should be doing. I've known my whole life. I mean, I was two years old sitting. at the piano with my uncle, you know, and memorizing Madonna's “True Blue” at like four years old and knowing every single word, you know what I mean? So like, I've always known that this is what I was supposed to do. I just didn't have the confidence and I didn't have the, you know, support that I needed. So, yeah.

Quitting Vaping for the Love of Music: A Vocalist's Transformation

Boomer Roe:

I would also chime in the sacrifices and changes you've had to make in your own life, including vaping, things you've had to give up.

Pattycakes:

Yeah. Oh. You stopped vaping.

Brandi Fleck:

Okay, so when Roach got sick, like... Like I said, I was at that point where I was like, I'm not going to sing anymore. Like, there's no way I'm going to be able to do anything, you know. So I just don't care. Like, it was a stress thing. It was, you know, I was a full-time caretaker for him, and I had two children. And I was dealing with my own disability. So, like, there was a lot on my plate.

Brandi Fleck:

And I imagine the grief had to be...

Pattycakes:

That, too.

Brandi Fleck:

Like, really heavy.

Pattycakes:

That, too. So, you know, I started vaping. I was just like, it was a release, you know. And we looked at my vocal cords a couple weeks ago and I was like, ooh, about two months ago. So I strapped like two months ago.

You Might Also Like to Read: Feel Controlled by Smoking? Discover a Smarter Way to Quit with Hynotherapist Piper Niemann

Brandi Fleck:

Congratulations!

Pattycakes:

Thank you.

Brandi Fleck:

That's huge.

Pattycakes:

Well, and this one [pointing at Boomer Roe], he sent me a picture of The Bluebird like looking from the microphone. So like you see The Bluebird and he's like, every time you want to vape, look at this picture.

Boomer Roe:

Make it the background on your freaking phone.

Brandi Fleck:

Wow. That's a good friend right there. That's a good friend.

Pattycakes:

And he's like, Patty, it's either music or your vape. What's your decision?

Boomer Roe:

It's really a simple question. Do you want to do music or do you want to vape?

Pattycakes:

Right.

Boomer Roe:

Fortunately, she made the right choice.

Pattycakes:

Yeah. Yeah, so I had to. And I've noticed, too, the difference. It's a huge difference. Because I deal with allergies. I get allergy shots. I'm allergic to everything. And so that already is an issue that I have to deal with with my vocal cords. And then to add the vaping to it, like it was destroying my vocal—my voice period um and so, like after I quit I noticed I got sick with my allergies but I could still sing, you know what I mean. Whereas I had been really having trouble the last the past couple years. Anytime I got sick like my voice was just completely gone yeah and so yeah I was like yeah. It's done. I'm done.

Brandi Fleck:

That's amazing.

Boomer Roe:

And she pulled it off on the first try, which is awesome.

Pattycakes:

Yeah, I had too.

Boomer Roe:

Super proud of her.

Pattycakes:

Thanks.

Boomer Roe:

Well, you know, we had The Bluebird coming up, and it was..

Pattycakes:

Yeah, I know!

Boomer Roe:

It was then or never.

Pattycakes:

I know.

Boomer Roe:

Yeah, and then, of course, she got sick right before we hit The Bluebird. I don't think we've talked about that.

Pattycakes:

I was sick for like a month before we got to the Tennessee Songwriters Competition.

Brandi Fleck:

Oh, my gosh. I bet that was stressful to have to... Like, are we going to be able to go?

Pattycakes:

I'm telling you. He was like, Patty, he was like, “Are you going to be able to do this?” And I was like, “Boomer, I will die on that stage, but I'm going to sing. I don't care.” I was like, we're doing it. There's no backing... Like, no, we're not backing out. And he was like, okay. He was like, are you sure? And I'm like, and even like the day of, we had to lower it.

Boomer Roe:

We had to drop it a key, a single step, which is, you know, not a problem.

Pattycakes:

Right.

Boomer Roe:

And, you know, she did great. So it worked out. But, you know, just, I mean, really, it's all a story of the things you have to overcome. Every place you look, you're going to find another roadblock to success and another roadblock to reaching your goals. But you find a way. And that's what she's done so far.

Pattycakes:

I've always kind of been one of those people that just figures it out.

My life has been kind of crazy. What did you say to me that day in the studio? We were at John Salloway's.

Boomer Roe:

I don't remember. What did I say?

Pattycakes:

And he said, I was talking about, you know, my first love and how, like, I ran away with him. And I was talking about Roach and, you know, Roach…dealing with Roach dying. And I was talking about my abusive ex. And I was telling him, and he goes, you know, Patty, you know what that sounds like? And I said, what? He said, that sounds like a full album.

And I said, yeah, my life's kind of that way. [Laughs]

Boomer Roe:

I was only half kidding. And I'm like, you know, we could write a 20-song album with all the different stages of your life.

Pattycakes:

All the stuff that I've gone through, yeah.

Brandi Fleck:

Yeah, for sure.

Pattycakes:

But, you know, like, I've always been one of those people that, like, even with all the stuff that I've gone through, I'm going through all of it, like, I still put a smile on my face and I still have, you know, I'm bubbly.

Boomer Roe:

Yes, she is.

Pattycakes:

I'm very bubbly. Like, I try very hard not to let that, you know, get me down or stop me from anything.

Musical Influences that Shaped the Sound

Brandi Fleck:

For sure. Well, okay, I've got two more questions for you guys. And the first one is, what are your musical influences?

Pattycakes:

Patsy Cline.

Okay, so country's always been probably my favorite genre. So Patsy Cline, The Judds. I like a lot of people now. Ella Langley and Lainey and, you know, those kind of people. Dolly. Yeah.

I was very much a boy bander. You know that. You know that from experience.

Brandi Fleck:

We've known each other since high school.

Pattycakes:

Yeah. I was the kid that brought my folder. Remember my binder? Do you remember that?

Brandi Fleck:

I don't remember.

Pattycakes:

Okay. I had this massive binder of the Backstreet Boys posters because I used to carry it around with me. They were like posters that I had on my wall. But I was like, if my house burns down, I still have my posters. [Laughs]

Boomer Roe:

That's amazing.

Pattycakes:

I was that kid.

Boomer Roe:

The first thing she would grab if the house was on.

Pattycakes:

My boy band folder. Yes. Yes, very much so.

Boomer Roe:

Those were the days.

Pattycakes:

Uh-huh. But, you know, like, I grew up listening to a lot of 70s singer-songwriters.

My dad, you know, my mom loved, like, Jim Croce and, like, Gordon Lightfoot. And my dad liked a lot of, like, doo-wop kind of stuff.

My dad has a hell of a falsetto.

Brandi Fleck:

Nice.

Pattycakes:

So, like, you know, and my brother, Michael, he's a musician as well. He would listen to, like, you know, a lot of 80s rock. A lot of like, you know, like he'd listen to rap. So I had, and you know, I was kind of the pop one and pop and country were my two major go-tos. I've been listening to music. I've been around music my entire life.

Brandi Fleck:

Yeah. Like a very eclectic…

Pattycakes:

Yeah. Like I have the weirdest—and I have a friend that told me one time he was, and he's a DJ and he was like you know the most obscure country artists. He's like, it's the weirdest thing. He's like, I've never heard.

I asked him about Paul Brandt and certain people from the 90s that nobody really remembers.

Boomer Roe:

We're doing a cover right now. What's the artist's name?

Pattycakes:

Oh, yeah. M.C. Potts. So M.C. Potts, she came out in 96. Or I don't know if she came out in 96, but the album came out in 96. And “Put Me Out of My Misery” was one of those songs that I would listen to on repeat and just sit in my room and sing it over and over and over. And so I told Boomer, I was like, well, if we're talking about covers, I would really like to do “Put Me Out of My Misery.”

Dean Dillon wrote it, which he's a massive country songwriter, like a celebrated country songwriter. And so, yeah, that's one of the ones that we're going to...

Boomer Roe:

Yeah, working on that one. popping it up on Spotify in the next short time sometime, I don't know when.

Pattycakes:

Soon, soon.

Brandi Fleck:

And when those are all available they will be linked in the show notes so y'all know what to do. Make sure you go get those links check out all of their cool stuff.

Pattycakes, Boomer Roe, what have we not covered that is important to share?

Pattycakes:

We've talked about um you know when I need a full band, Boomer's gonna be a part of that whether it's drums or guitar. Also, I sing um pretty regularly with uh Alex Pierce so we Alex and I have a show on the 24th at Seasons Two. We've been booking shows left and right. It's like an acoustic thing. So I've been working with him as far as, like, doing acoustic shows. And then when we need a full band, it's going to be Boomer and Alex switching kind of, like, because they both play drums and they both play guitar. So, however we do that.

Where to Follow Patty and Boomer's Journey

Boomer Roe:

Yeah, I would say, you know, when you come to Nashville as a songwriter or whatever, because I do the artist thing, too. But, you know, the kind of the mindset, I think, in a lot of people's heads and in mine when I first came here was I want to get into the best rooms with the best writers, write for the big names, you know, write for Luke Combs or Morgan and Wallen or whoever.

But I'm discovering the most exciting and fun, adventurous way is to start from the ground up, find someone, you know, who's got all the talent and the potential and do everything you can to help them grow. So, you know, obviously, you know, Patty is new on the scene, and I think we would both love it if you join us on this journey because the sky's the limit here. Obviously, we've come a long way in a very short time.

So, you know, of course, follow Luke, follow Morgan. They're great. But if you really want to be part of the adventure, give us a like and a follow and we'll keep you posted the whole way.

Brandi Fleck:

Yeah. Well, and on that note, no pun intended, where can people find you, follow your work, all of those things?

Pattycakes:

I have an Instagram. It's pattycakesmusic.

I'm working on my Facebook. I think I figured out how to change it to just make it pattycakes.

Boomer Roe:

Cool. Yeah, that's all we got so far. You have a TikTok as well.

Pattycakes:

I do have a TikTok.

Boomer Roe:

We're all kind of in the process of making these things uh as before her first release so uh again it's it's a project it's an adventure so um check us out. I think Instagram is our primary.

Pattycakes:

Yeah that's probably the best one.

Boomer Roe:

You know we'll we'll be all over the interwebs soon.

Pattycakes:

We're working on it. I did work up a YouTube so we’re getting all the links going.

Brandi Fleck:

All right, guys. Well, let's jump in to the song. And thank you guys so much for coming on the show.

Boomer Roe:

Thanks for having us.

Brandi Fleck:

It's been awesome.

Boomer Roe:

It's an honor. It's been a pleasure. And thank you guys for listening.

Pattycakes:

Most definitely. Thank you guys.

"Never Need You" Release Details

For now, you can hear “Never Need You” in the video and audio version of this interview on Human Amplified.

Release Date!

On June 25, 2025, go stream this song on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and everywhere else!

Release Party Details!!

On June 25, 2025, Pattycakes goes on stage at 8 pm CDT at High Society in Murfreesboro, TN. This is not a ticketed event, so show up early to grab seats and enjoy!