Mitchell Tenpenny Calls in Ahead of His Central New York Show

You probably know Mitchell Tenpenny from his hits "Drunk Me" and "Alcohol You Later." Now, he's releasing new music and using his experiences with grief to better the lives of families through his foundation.

"Anything She Says" is Mitchell's latest collaboration with Australian duo Seaforth, and it's also the name of their tour that's bringing them to Turning Stone in Verona on Saturday, November 2. The song is upbeat and cheerful, and my boyfriend and I listen to it all the time in the car.

“The reaction at the shows has been so much fun and everyone’s just kind of having fun with the song; that was the whole point," Mitchell said. "I mean, we want it to feel kind of bouncy and fun.”

But not all of Mitchell's songs are as light and flowy as his latest. "Walk Like Him" is a personal favorite of mine. I heard it for the first time at his debut at the Grand Ole Opry in February, and not even halfway through his performance, there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

“I wrote this song because it took like two years after my dad passed and sometimes it takes a minute for that to hit you," Mitchell said. "We were still in the van at the time and I was driving by myself and the band was asleep in the back. Something about that night—it just finally hit me.”

Mitchell's happy that the song has not only transformed into a way for him to cope when he misses his dad, but it has also become a song that anyone can relate to and put their own story into.

"Everyone's dealt with loss, essentially," Mitchell said.

He remembers playing it that night at the Opry too, and with his whole family in the crowd and his brother playing bass on-stage with him, it meant a lot to be able to dedicate a song to his dad.

“It was just tough, but I wanted to do it because that stage is so amazing and it’s such a spiritual stage and I figured the only way, when we got the chance, is we got to play this song, especially for our dad, who never turned us away from wanting to be musicians,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell also honored his dad's fight against cancer by helping create the 10Penny Fund, a foundation to provide resources to patients and families affected by cancer. Mitchell and the 10Penny Fund, alongside Sarah Cannon, recently raised $25,000 to renovate a family room at the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge Nashville. The photos and videos of this room are truly stunning, and it's all been made a reality by donations to the 10Penny Fund.

“What we got to do is design a room, make it beautiful, make it look like it’s a living room in my house—beautiful furniture, wood furnishings, painted walls, you know, just awesome stuff, a nice view of the city, a room that you can go to when you’re dealing with this where you can, maybe for a minute, forget about why you’re there,” Mitchell said.

You can catch Mitchell Tenpenny and Seaforth in central New York this Saturday, November 2 in Verona on the Anything She Says tour. Listen to the full interview with Mitchell here.