ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Four musicians who play stadiums with Jelly Roll, sitting in a bar in Kansas City the day before Kauffman. They tour as the 36 Hour Band on the Big Ass Stadium Tour Part 2 with Post Malone. None of them are in a band together in the way you would think. They are independent players with their own careers who happen to share the biggest stage in country music right now.One of them co-wrote a Billboard number one for BTS. One came up through metalcore. One dropped a Vegas residency with three days notice to take the gig. We caught up with Alex, Matt, Cody, and Rufio at Nighthawk the night before the show.Recorded at Nighthawk (@nighthawk_kc), the cocktail lounge and performance room downstairs at Hotel Kansas City. Red curtain stage, a gallery wall of everyone who has played this town, and a bar that let us take it over for an afternoon. Thank you to the Nighthawk and Hotel Kansas City teams.🎥 Recorded & filmed by CDF Music GroupTHE 36 HOUR BANDAlex Howard — BassInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/alexmarkhowardNashville by way of Richmond, Virginia and Manteo, North Carolina. Alex spent eight years writing and recording with his own band Conditions, who played Warped Tour and Bamboozle and landed on the Billboard Heatseekers chart with their 2010 debut Fluorescent Youth. After Conditions ended he went out as a hired gun, first for Sleeping With Sirens, then Hoodie Allen, and has been holding down the low end for Jelly Roll since 2021. A rock and punk player who found his way into the biggest country act working.Matt Ferranti — KeysInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/mattferrantimusicBay City, Michigan born, Nashville based. Matt grew up playing contemporary Christian music at his dad's church before developing a sound that blends country with Detroit R&B. He moved to Nashville in 2013 and a chance meeting at a writers round led to Brett Young asking him to play guitar that weekend, which turned into most of a decade in Young's band. When Jelly Roll called with three days notice, Matt walked away from 23 booked shows and 15 flights to take it. Since joining the 36 Hour Band he has played Madison Square Garden, Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show, and Global Citizen in Central Park, several of them in the same week. He also writes and releases his own music.Cody Ash — DrumsInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/codyashdrumsMount Washington, Kentucky. Cody started as a percussionist in fifth grade and played through concert band, symphonic band, marching band, and steel band before a year at the University of Louisville School of Music, where he chose touring over finishing the degree. He came up through metalcore with Sylar and O'Kingdom, then moved to Nashville managing bands and doing sessions until the Jelly Roll gig found him. He has been nominated for Drumeo Country Drummer of the Year and the Modern Drummer Reader's Poll, and endorses Mapex and Remo. Off the road he is still cutting sessions for metal and rap artists.Rufio Hooks — Songwriter and ProducerInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/rufiohooksNew Jersey born, Nashville based. Rufio co-wrote "Butter" for BTS. It debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there seven weeks, set the all time record for first day streams on Spotify, and the video pulled 113 million views in its first 24 hours. It was his first cut ever. He signed a worldwide publishing deal with Reservoir on the strength of it, and has written and produced across pop, R&B, folk, and country with Jimmie Allen, Filmore, Zach Crowell, Seaforth, and others.CDF MUSIC GROUPYouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@CDFmusicgroupInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/cdfmusicgroupFacebook → https://www.facebook.com/cdfmusicgroupWebsite → https://www.cdfmusicgroup.com#JellyRoll #36HourBand #PostMalone #KauffmanStadium #KansasCity #Nighthawk #RufioHooks #BTS © 2026 CDF Music Group. All rights reserved.
