Southern Songs and Stories

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“My mom went to Juilliard, graduated from Juilliard. She taught us all of our instruments. We performed very high-level classical music, but we never felt a connection with the audience. And that's what we really yearned for.” — Dan Fedoryka

You might not guess that the Fedoryka brothers, the core of the four-piece band Scythian, would have started their musical journey in such a formal setting, judging from their freewheeling, sweat-soaked and jet-engine-loud performances. As spontaneous and loose as you may think they are, however, Scythian is actually leaning hard into that foundational experience with their approach. It is the second part of Dan’s quote that is obvious from the first notes they play on stage, as Scythian is well known for getting their audiences fully engaged in their show — wide swaths of spontaneous dancing, pockets of shoulder surfing, and much of the audience singing along at full volume.

You might not expect that such a scene would be commonplace at a music festival founded on the music of the decidedly non-raucous flat-picking guitar legend Doc Watson and the festival’s namesake, his son and frequent musical partner Merle. But they are a staple at the festival over their now 17-year tenure there, and Doc gave them their first opportunity to play the festival himself.

In April 2026, I caught up with Scythian for a conversation that touched on everything from their first time playing at MerleFest, to their nomadic warrior ancestors from Ukraine and much more. We also dive into brand new music from the band as we salute the memory of Doc and Merle with a hearty toast from their homeland, “Nostrovia!”.

Happy Warriors of Folk - Scythian Joe Kendrick Download Songs heard in this episode:

“Get There” by Scythian

“Bulgarian Suite” by Scythian, from Paste Studio’s “On The Road” session at the 7th Annual Suwannee Spring Reunion

“Life To Live” by Scythian

Thank you for dropping by! We encourage you to follow this series wherever you listen to podcasts, and to share it with a friend. We are especially grateful for top ratings and your reviews. You can follow this series on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and you can view these episodes and a lot more on my YouTube channel, at the handle JoeKendrickNC. We can also send you newsletters via Substack, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed.

This is Southern Songs and Stories, where our quest is to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed.

Joe Kendrick

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One of the greatest things about roots music in general, and bluegrass specifically, is that it continually brings in new generations of players to the fold. These young artists cut their teeth on the classics of the genre and then, very often, branch out into new directions, pushing the boundaries of the form, and inventing new styles while reinvigorating the overall framework of the music they love.

Ettore Buzzini only recently graduated from high school, but you might never guess that from listening to his new album Blue Blue Blue. I chanced upon his performance in my new hometown of Charlotte, NC, which is adjacent to Ettore’s home in Mooresville. At the show, I was intrigued with his faithful renditions of traditional bluegrass numbers contrasted with his classical music-leaning originals, coupled with grassy versions of hits by artists like Pharrell Williams and The Beatles. While working on an upcoming episode on the band Scythian this week, I noticed that Ettore was opening for them in Galax, VA this weekend, so I thought, why not have an opening podcast for the opening band, so to speak? Here is the result, a conversation with the banjo phenomenon who is on the Patuxent Records label, which helped bring in established stars like Danny Paisley, Mark Schatz and Michael Cleveland alongside him to play on his forthcoming album Blue Blue Blue.

Ettore Buzzini (center) and his band performing at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Charlotte, NC, June 20, 2026. Photo: Daniel Coston

From Traditional To Transcendant All At Once - Ettore Buzzini Joe Kendrick Download Songs heard in this episode:

“Flowers” by Ettore Buzzini, from Blue Blue Blue

“The Birth of Eros” by Ettore Buzzini, performed live at Bela Fleck's Banjo Concert at the Blue Ridge Banjo Camp at Brevard Music Center, Brevard, NC in 2025, excerpt

“Dear Old Dixie” by Ettore Buzzini, from Blue Blue Blue

Thank you for being here! We encourage you to follow this series wherever you listen to podcasts, and to share it with a friend. We are especially grateful for top ratings and your reviews. You can follow this series on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and you can view these episodes and a lot more on my YouTube channel, at the handle JoeKendrickNC. We can also send you newsletters via Substack, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed.

Joe Kendrick

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Ask anyone who has has been there, is getting there, or maybe just realizing that it is around the bend, and they will tell you: getting older is not for the faint of heart. Not counting all the challenges with getting physically older, there are the many curveballs that life throws our way with work, family, and friendships, not to mention just maintaining mental balance in a world full of upheaval. Amidst all of these challenges and pitfalls which accumulate and perhaps even accelerate over time, who among us has not abandoned a dream, or retreated back home, or found themselves at an untenable place in life? How did that make you feel? Defeated? Upset? Depressed? Take heart, because it takes a lot of courage to say, “I quit”, and it could be one of the wisest choices you could have made.

Tift Merritt knows this firsthand, having returned to her native North Carolina feeling like she “had failed a little bit when I came home to my mama” after many years of pursuing her music career, to settle down and raise her daughter in a place where she felt people could lead “a good, simple life where the important things are right”. Her days making music her sole focus were over, as she took on other work, but as you will hear in our conversation, she never lost her desire to put love out into the world through her songs. After a long hiatus, she returned to Gold Pacific Studios in Nashville, and recorded her collection titled Sugar, an album that distills much of the wisdom that she accumulated over those years that at first felt like failure.

Tift Merritt (photo: Ebru Yildiz)

Be Comfortable With Yourself and Live Loud: Tift Merritt Joe Kendrick Download Songs heard in this episode:

“Everyday Singing” by Tift Merritt, from Sugar

“Sugar” by Tift Merritt, from Sugar, excerpt

“Fate Of Man Is Sarah’s Eyes” by Tift Merritt, from Sugar, excerpt

“Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues” by Ida Cox, from Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues, excerpt

“Library of Dust”by Tift Merritt, from Sugar, excerpt

“Finest Feelings” by Tift Merritt, from Sugar

Thank you for dropping by! We encourage you to follow this series wherever you listen to podcasts, and are especially grateful for top ratings and your reviews. You can follow this series on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and you can view these episodes and a lot more on my YouTube channel, at the handle JoeKendrickNC. We can also send you newsletters via Substack, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed.

Joe Kendrick

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The George Hatcher Band 08/16/81 at Main Street Music Hall, Morganton NC

P.B. Scott’s documentary

Central Piedmont Community College online collection of WTVI archives

Rick Bowles episode on WTVI’s After Dark, recorded at O’Neills, date unknown

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Charlotte has been on my mind a lot lately. Recently, I profiled the Queen City’s Emanuel Wynter in the episode “Violin’s Architect of Joyous Sound: Emanuel Wynter”, which followed a recent episode on Charlotte artist Sam Tayloe of the band Time Sawyer titled “New Stages for Time Sawyer and Their Hometown Festival”. Around the time I interviewed Emanuel Wynter, I was in Charlotte on two occasions for interviews that are coming to light here, in the first of a two part series on the public TV program After Dark, the brain child of the late Bill Barnes, who launched the series on WTVI in the late 1970s, continuing through 1984. Charlotte photographer, writer and music producer Daniel Coston came into possession of the audio of performances which were the foundation for After Dark episodes, and Daniel gave me the idea for this podcast and joined in as a co-producer.

This episode features interviews with former WTVI staff, members of Charlotte bands The Spongetones and Sugarcreek, as well as Daniel Coston, along with audio excerpts of performances from both aforementioned bands as well as The Fabulous Knobs and New Grass Revival, whose performance was the debut for banjo player Bela Fleck and guitarist Pat Flynn. Along the way is a good bit of history of the scene in Charlotte and the region, focusing on the late 1970s to mid 1980s, but also going back to the days of the Crazy Water Crystals Saturday Night Jamboree, a “barn dance” program on AM radio station WBT beginning in 1933.

Featured artists from Charlotte’s Finest concert series at Charlotte, NC public TV WTVI in 1984

Bringing After Dark and Charlotte’s Music Past Back to Light, Part One Joe Kendrick Download Songs heard in this episode:

“Encourage Me” by The Fabulous Knobs, live at P.B. Scott’s, Charlotte NC 09/21/83

“Every Night Is A Holiday” by The Spongetones, performed live at P.B. Scott’s in Blowing Rock, NC, 07/15/81, excerpt

“Miss Mystic” by Sugarcreek, performed live at Yesterday’s, Hickory, NC, 07/28/81, excerpt

“In the Middle of the Night” by New Grass Revival, performed live at Fast Company, Hickory, NC 06/18/82

Daniel Coston has been a previous guest on this podcast in our series titled “The Music and Culture Episode” parts one and two, and New Grass Revival members Bela Fleck, Sam Bush and John Cowan have their own episodes on this series, as well as being guests on the three part series on Green Acres Music Hall.

Joe Kendrick

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Acclaimed Alabama songwriter Abe Partridge and podcaster Ferrill Gibbs return to the podcast world with their new series titled Alabama Astronaut Radio Transmission, continuing their earlier work in the podcast series Alabama Astronaut to chronicle the religious practice of snake handling in the American South, and to document the movement’s unique and largely unknown songs and often raucous musical styles.

Abe’s quest brought him face-to-face with the deadly practices of a largely ridiculed subculture, first amidst a backdrop of American crises occurring in 2020–2021. As they captured audio on a little Sony handheld recorder, Abe and Ferrill cobbled together the foundations of a bizarre and wonderful story, as mistrust gave way to genuine friendships. In their quest, the two collaborators bring us insights into a widely misunderstood and stigmatized tradition which also contains a wealth of great music. Their stories come from a place of openness and curiosity rather than from a mindset of superiority or conceit. The results reveal and interpret a rich and fantastical world seldom explored and even more rarely understood.

I spoke with Abe and Ferrill about coming back together for their latest work as introduction to episode two of Alabama Astronaut Radio Transmission, which follows our conversation here.

Alabama Astronaut Radio Transmission

Snake Handling While Singing to the Ceiling With Alabama Astronaut Joe Kendrick Thank you for stopping by, and we hope you can spread the word about this series and help us reach more music fans just like yourself. Please take a moment and give us a top rating on your podcast platform of choice, and where you can, a review. Doing either, and especially both, boosts the ranking and therefore the visibility of this series to all the other music fans who also follow podcasts.

Joe Kendrick

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When you think of the violin, or in country and roots music circles its kissing cousin the fiddle, what comes to mind? The Suzuki method, or Antonio Vivaldi perhaps? Maybe a song like “Ashokan Farewell” or “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”? But have you heard of Stuff Smith, Regina Carter, Papa John Creach, or Stéphane Grappelli? Charlotte artist Emanuel Wynter certainly has, and having grown up learning the Suzuki method, he would go on to take inspiration from violinists in a variety of genres to interpret his own love for blues, rock, soul and jazz. The result is a fresh take on the instrument in an electric and eclectic setting that also showcases his band’s lock-tight grooves and his own clear and confident vocals.

I spoke with Emanuel Wynter in his hometown of Charlotte about how he plays violin in a variety of music settings, from his own style over to session work and a praise band, and how his early love of blues and rock music translates to the instrument, which is far more versatile and expressive than you might expect. We touch on the three boxes that he needs to check before taking on a gig, and what he wants to get across with his lyrics as well. From vintage tube amps, double stops and a love for astronomy, architecture, and spontaneity, our conversation covers a lot of ground, and along the way, we feature a number of songs from Emanuel Wynter’s live album From Orbit.

Emanuel Wynter performs in Elkin, NC on October 11, 2025 (photo: Daniel Coston)

Violin’s Architect of Joyous Sound: Emanuel Wynter Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

“From Orbit” by Emanuel Wynter, from From Orbit

“Stranger” by Emanuel Wynter, from From Orbit, excerpt

“Barefoot Fiddler” by Johnny Gimble, from The Texas Fiddle Collection, excerpt

“Bonaparte’s Retreat” by Fidllin’ Arthur Smith & His Dixieliners, from Fidllin’ Arthur Smith & His Dixieliners, excerpt

“Pastel Skies” by Emanuel Wynter, from From Orbit

Thanks to Charlotte photographer, writer and music producer Daniel Coston for letting me use his photo of Emanuel Wynter from his band’s set in Elkin, NC at the Milltown Get Down in fall 2025. Daniel also shot the cover for the album From Orbit.

Joe Kendrick

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Many times the way and artist finds their way onto this podcast is from their publicist or someone else on their team reaching out to me, or vice versa. Sometimes I might bump into an artist at a show or festival and hit them up for an impromptu interview then and there, but that is rare. Rarer still is the scenario where I came in contact with western Kentucky artist Kelsey Waldon, which was through writer and editor Garret Woodward, who acted as go-between to ask about an interview. Kelsey was on tour in our region and hoped to get some coverage for the WNCW audience, and I immediately jumped on the opportunity. After speaking her on a video call from her hotel room in Chattanooga TN, I took the first part of her interview and aired that on my show on radio; the bulk of that conversation comes to light here in this episode.

Kelsey Waldon (photo: ©Alysse Gafkjen 2025)

There is a deep well of emotion and a complex tapestry of experience that Kelsey Waldon draws from in her singular style of country music. Rooted firmly in her native western Kentucky, she calls the Nashville area home now, and in our conversation we talk about how her rural upbringing in an unusual setting shaped her, her longtime friendship with fellow Kentuckian S.G. Goodman, her often overlooked college degree in songwriting, and we go into detail about some of her latest songs, sampling many from her latest album Every Ghost.

Country That Contains Multitudes: Kelsey Waldon Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

“Ghost Of Myself” by Kesley Waldon, from Every Ghost

“Ramblin’ Woman” by Kelsey Waldon, from Every Ghost, excerpt

“Nursery Rhyme” by Kelsey Waldon, from Every Ghost, excerpt

“A Robin Built A Nest On Daddy’s Grave” by Ralph Stanley, from While the Ages Roll On, excerpt

“Hello Stranger” by Kelsey Waldon featuring S.G. Goodman, from There’s Always A Song, excerpt

“Comanche” by Kelsey Waldon, from Every Ghost

Thank you for stopping by, and we hope you can spread the word about this series and help us reach more music fans just like yourself. Please take a moment and give us a top rating on your podcast platform of choice, and where you can, a review. Doing either, and especially both, boosts the ranking and therefore the visibility of this series to all the other music fans who also follow podcasts. This is Southern Songs and Stories, where our quest is to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed. - Joe Kendrick

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Did you know that almost three thousand years ago, before there were athletic competitions at the first Olympics, there were music competitions at Delphi in Greece, with contestants singing hymns to Apollo? Or that, in the late 19th century in America, John Philip Sousa protégé Bohumir Kryl's Bohemian Band was frequently seen on the Chautauqua circuit, and featured four husky timpanists in leather aprons hammering on anvils shooting sparks across the darkened stage? These early festivals set the stage for music festivals today, which are doing quite well overall, having recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, and surpassing the level of success before the worldwide shutdown on the whole.

In this episode, we trace the origins of music festivals like the Pythian Games to modern day festivals like the Monterey International Pop Music Festival, where Jimi Hendrix famously lit his guitar on fire, and small roots music festivals like the Albino Skunk Music Festival. We welcome music artists Shelby Means, Joel Timmons, Liam Purcell, Mac Leaphart and Ian George, as well as Albino Skunk staffers Peter Eisenbrown, Kristen Grissom and Thieme Hall, who give us their insights into festival culture, their best and worst moments on stage and at festivals, as well as the first music festivals they attended.

Site of the Pythian Games in Greece (photo: greeka.com)

  Cover art for The Jimi Hendrix Experience *Live at Monterey*

Are You Experienced? Taking Stock of Music Festival Culture and History From Ancient Greece to Albin Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

“Wild Thing” by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, from Live at Monterey

“Calamity Jane” by Shelby Means Trio, performed live at the Albino Skunk Music Festival 10/03/25

“Soldier’s Heart” by Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10/03/25, excerpt

Peter Eisenbrown introduction of Fellow Pynins into Fellow Pynins performance at The Albino Skunk Music Festival, 10/03/25, excerpt

Thank you for listening, and we hope you can spread awareness of this endeavor and help us reach more music fans just like yourself. Please take a moment and give us a top rating on your podcast platform of choice, and where you can, a review. It makes a big impact on the ranking and therefore the visibility of this series to all the other music fans who also follow podcasts. This is Southern Songs and Stories, where our quest is to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed. - Joe Kendrick

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It is interesting to compare and contrast the genres of rock and roll with old time and string band music. In some ways, string bands can be more raw and intense than rock bands. No bridges. Odd tunings. Dancing to exhaustion. Music made for intimate social gatherings versus music made for the wide world. The stereotypes of old time musicians being country bumpkins have not been entirely erased, however our guests in this episode are making music that reveals how deep and refreshing that wellspring of what was the first original music export of America can be in a new context. Taking the intricacy and edge of old time, string band music and marrying that with the punch and strut of indie rock, we arrive at a hybrid, a musical animal that sings a song seldom heard in the roots music world.

As Justin Osborne pointed out, “It's just been so fun and really educational for me too, because I think coming from the indie rock world, I underestimated what it was going to require of me to be able to hang. And I just, it's one of those things you don't realize how much you don't know. But it's been really enjoyable lessons in humility for me and really fun to learn, and to continue to realize how much I don't know.” Justin, of the Austin-based indie rock band SUSTO may never sound the same again after teaming up with Appalachian acoustic troubadours Clint Robinson and Jackson Grimm of Holler Choir, and they are soon to return with Volume 2 from their project SUSTO Stringband. In this episode, we get to hear from Justin, Jackson and Clint about their rock and string band amalgamation, the importance of strong songwriting, the joys of live performance, the advantages of playing festival shows and more, with music from both SUSTO Stringband and Holler Choir along the way.

SUSTO Stringband

Rock and Roots Collide to Make A Joyful Noise: SUSTO Stringband and Holler Choir Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

“Rooster” by SUSTO Stringband, from SUSTO Stringband Volume 1

“Friends, Lovers, Ex-lovers: Whatever” by SUSTO Stringband, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10/02/25, excerpt

“Tell My Blues” by SUSTO Stringband, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10/02/25, excerpt

“Hamlet Blues” by Holler Choir, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10/02/25

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Chalk this one up to making myself do something when I was not sure I had it in me. Have you accomplished something even though you were not feeling it that day? I bet you have. And I bet that you, too, benefited from having willed yourself into action. This episode is one of those examples for me. After a full day of interviewing artists and staff at the fall 2025 Albino Skunk Music Festival, I was ready for bed, but I gathered up just enough resolve to wait past midnight to interview The Ruen Brothers. It was the first interview I have conducted that late — the time stamp on the audio file of our conversation reads 1:37AM — but it was well worth it. I hope you agree upon hearing this episode.

The Ruen Brothers perform at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 11/03/25

Photo: Flash Thompson

A Long Winter’s Night with The Ruen Brothers Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

“Cabin on the Hill” by The Ruen Brothers, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10/03/25

“Desert Showers” by The Ruen Brothers, from Awooo, excerpt

“Bonfire” by The Ruen Brothers, from Awooo, excerpt

“Unknown” by The Ruen Brothers, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10/03/25, excerpt

“Secret Agent Man” by The Ruen Brothers, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10/03/25

Thank you for listening, and we hope you can spread awareness of this endeavor and help us grow. Please take a moment and give us a top rating on your podcast platform of choice, and where you can, a review. It makes a big impact on the ranking and therefore the visibility of this series to all the other music fans who also follow podcasts. This is Southern Songs and Stories, where our quest is to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed. - Joe Kendrick

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Back in 2018, when this podcast was in its first year, I traveled to Burlington, NC, to interview the Charlotte by way of Elkin, NC band Time Sawyer. Since then, my path has intersected with Sam Tayloe and his band Time Sawyer many times, ranging from seeing them perform more shows and festivals, to emceeing for the Reevestock Festival in Sam’s hometown of Elkin.

Time never stands still, even for (especially?) the band Time Sawyer. Reevestock took a final bow in 2024; the band changed out guitarists and said goodbye to their banjo player and founding member; the city of Elkin went forward with Sam’s help to expand the concept and footprint of Reevestock with this year’s inaugural Milltown Get Down festival. There was a lot of ground to cover since I last spoke with him, so I took a sojourn to Charlotte to catch up with Sam Tayloe at his home. We had an in-depth conversation about producing festivals, his passion for community and building bridges, the evolution of Time Sawyer, and more, including music from the band’s new live album.

This episode stands out for all that and for the fact that it is hosted and produced by Molly Mattox, a student at Isothermal Community College in Spindale, NC. Molly took my class on media performance, which includes a podcast assignment. She chose this interview for her podcast, and did a great job. It is not easy to produce an episode of this podcast, even for me, but she grasped the concept, spirit, and tone of the series in — pardon the pun — no time.

Photos by Daniel Coston Photography

New Stages for Time Sawyer and Their Hometown Festival Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

"Julie” by Time Sawyer, from Plumb Live at the Cock and Bull

“The Boxer” by Time Sawyer, from Plumb Live at the Cock and Bull, excerpt

“210 (It’s Over)” by Time Sawyer, from Plumb Live at the Cock and Bull, excerpt

“Noah Got Nothing” by Time Sawyer, from Plumb Live at the Cock and Bull, excerpt

“Oak and Pine” by Time Sawyer, from Plumb Live at the Cock and Bull

We are glad you are here! Could you can help spread awareness of what we are doing? It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify hereand YouTube here— hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

You can follow us on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and now on Substack here, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed. - Joe Kendrick

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Regular listeners of this series will know that there is a certain festival that is near and dear to my heart, the Albino Skunk Music Festival. It is an event that insiders love passionately, and outsiders often puzzle over. What an unusual name! What an unlikely and often under-the-radar roster of artists! As I have said many times before in introducing the festival to a newcomer, I had long been a skeptic before setting foot on the property, at which point it took only minutes to realize that not only would I return to that festival; I would always return to it.

As we enter the winter season, we are about as far away from festival season as one can get. But festivals are a year round endeavor -- practically all the spring and early summer festivals next year are already booked, and are rolling out their artist lineups in stages as they promote their events. Usually that means a headliner or a first volley of artists and bands announced in fall and winter, followed by one or two more updates which fill in the rest of the blanks. There is a ton of work going on right now for festivals happening next fall, and onwards to the following year. The teams that plan and staff these events never really have down periods. Even immediately after a festival ends, they go over what went right, what went wrong, what could be improved for next time, and then fill their calendar with meeting dates, dates when ticket prices go from early bird to full price, dates when they make marketing pushes, dates when they have to have new logos and merchandise, you name it.

We will focus a lot on festivals here on Southern Songs and Stories over the coming months, beginning with this episode on the California band Wolf Jett. Soon, we will bring you a conversation from Time Sawyer front man and Milltown Get Down festival’s Sam Tayloe. Also in our cue is a band that I got to sit with at Milltown Get Down in Elkin, NC, which was one that I got to enjoy at both Albino Skunk Music Festival and the Earl Scruggs Music Festival beforehand -- western NC’s Holler Choir.

Chris Jones of Wolf Jett performs at the Albino Skunk Music Festival 10/03/25

Discovering a New Setting for the Third Place With Wolf Jett Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

“Straight Back To You” by Wolf Jett, from Letting Go

“Nothin’ But Trouble” by Wolf Jett, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 10/03/25, excerpt

“Feel the Way I Feel” by Wolf Jett, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 10/03/25, excerpt

“Letting Go” by Wolf Jett, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 10/03/25

Please take a moment and give us a top rating on your podcast platform of choice, and where you can, a review. It makes a big impact on the ranking and therefore the visibility of this series to all the other music fans who also follow podcasts. This is Southern Songs and Stories, where our quest is to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed. - Joe Kendrick

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Ryan Bingham never knew until he was an adult that his path would take him into music full time, much less that he would become an international star, nor did he dream of eventually reaching millions more people in film and television. He did not play guitar with much skill until his early twenties. However, he wrote one of his most enduring hits while woodshedding on guitar and harmonica, “Southside of Heaven”. His musical foundation goes back to early exposure to a great record collection and the influence of his father and uncle, especially: as a boy, he was gifted a trove of LPs from the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Joey Lee, Terry Allen, and The Flatlanders, and you can hear bits and pieces of all those artists’ sensibilities and approaches in his music from the jump. As Bingham said in our interview,

“I still got vinyl. My family had a bar back in the 60s and 70s in New Mexico called the Halfway Bar. And my uncle saved all the vinyl records out of there from those days. And he ended up giving them to me. And that was really the music I grew up on.

I remember living with him at a time and, you know, him showing me how to clean the records with the brush and on the turntable. And I was really, you know, 10, 11 years old and just fascinated with the artwork on that. I remember he had like, Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen was live at the Armadillo World Headquarters — and all that Jim Franklin art, you know, and all those albums. It was just, I loved all that stuff. So I still got those records and play them all the time.”

Ryan Bingham

Currently working on a new album scheduled for release in 2026, Ryan Bingham is testing out a number of his new songs on the road, which is where he spoke with my friend Jeff Williams and myself when he played Charlotte recently, in October. In our conversation, we talked about everything from those early days where he was striving to simply have a better job than manual labor, key figures in his career like Marc Ford and Charlie Sexton, pivotal moments like joining My Morning Jacket, Wilco and Bob Dylan on stage, to playing with his current band The Texas Gentlemen, and a whole lot more, including his new song “The Lucky Ones” and excerpts from his latest live album, Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen Live at Red Rocks as well.

When the Party Meets Poetry: Ryan Bingham Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

“Southside Of Heaven” by Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen, from Live at Red Rocks

“Jingle and Go” by Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen, from Live at Red Rocks

“The Lucky Ones” by Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen, excerpt

“Bread & Water” by Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen, from Live at Red Rocks

Thanks to my friend Jeff Williams for inspiring me to pursue interviewing Ryan Bingham, and for joining us in our conversation. Thanks also to the team at Sacks & Co. in Nashville for helping to coordinate with Ryan Bingham’s team and pave the way for this episode.

Thanks to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng who wrote and performed our theme songs. Please take a moment and give us a top rating and where you can, a review. It makes a big impact on the ranking and therefore the visibility of this series to all the other music fans who also follow podcasts. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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The fountain of youth could very well be located in a mandolin, or a fiddle. At least for Sam Bush, playing the mandolin, along with the occasional fiddle, seems to give him an energy level that many people several decades his junior would envy. There is a lot to be said for playing music, whatever the instrument, and its benefits for well being. Cognitively and psychologically, there is a lot of data that affirms we can benefit greatly from playing music, even from simply actively listening to music. A lot of this boils down to a fundamental truth that learning is the catalyst for positive change and growth, and we can all continue learning and picking up new skills throughout our lives. Sam Bush, like so many career music artists, embodies that spirit, and serves as a great example of the heights we can achieve when we devote our lives to reaching towards our full capabilities.

Musically, Sam Bush draws from a wide spectrum of styles, ranging from bluegrass to newgrass (which he helped establish and define as a sub-genre with his former group New Grass Revival), to rock and blues with his former project Duck Butter, to having been in both Leon Russell and Emmylou Harris’ bands, among many other projects. His stories are just as lively. From recounting his times with Earl Scruggs and Bill Monroe to his observations about young stars like Sierra Hull and Billy Strings, to his many performances at Green Acres Music Hall, Sam Bush has many a tale to tell. We get to all of that, and get a glimpse at what he has in store in the near future as well, in a spirited conversation from backstage at the 2025 Earl Scruggs Music Festival. Of course, there is much music to highlight in this episode too, including excerpts from Sam’s solo catalog, as well as the festival’s namesake.

Sam Bush performs at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival, August 29, 2025 (photo: Eli Johnson)

Six Decades of Legacy and Love for an Ever Evolving Sound With Sam Bush Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

“Stingray” by Sam Bush, from Glamour & Grits

“Brown’s Ferry Blues” by Tony Trischka, from Earl Jam, excerpt

“Big Mon” by Sam Bush, from Late As Usual, excerpt

“Foggy Mountain Special” by Flatt & Scruggs, excerpt

“Circles Around Me” by Sam Bush, from Circles Around Me

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Easing up, letting things come to you, and practicing being present is a recurring theme in recent episodes of this series, and that mindset is on full display once again in this episode on The Wood Brothers.

I sat with Oliver Wood, Chris Wood and Jano Rix backstage at the 2025 Earl Scruggs Music Festival, ahead of their Friday night headlining set at the award-winning event. It was one of the most jovial and insightful conversations I have had in quite a while, and we covered a lot of ground, ranging from the band’s sonic evolution and their penchant for improvisation and letting their subconscious steer the way in the studio and on stage, to their perspective on bluegrass and banjo icon Earl Scruggs, to Chris Wood’s British Columbia farmstead and Jano Rix’ salsa dancing.

All that and more, including excerpts of songs from their ninth album, Puff Of Smoke, awaits you here.

The Wood Brothers performing at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival in Tryon, NC 08-29-25 (photo: Scotty Robertson)

Pay Attention, Stop Listening To Yourself: The Wood Brothers Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

“Puff Of Smoke” by The Wood Brothers, from Puff Of Smoke

“Slow Rise (to the middle)” by The Wood Brothers, from Puff Of Smoke, excerpt

“The Trick” by The Wood Brothers, from Puff Of Smoke, excerpt

“Witness” by The Wood Brothers, from Puff Of Smoke

Thanks for visiting! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify hereand YouTube here— hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

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Welcome to the latest episode of the series Southern Songs and Stories, which recentlymade it into the top 10 best Americana podcasts on this list. Yay! It reminds me to ask you to give the podcast a top rating and where you can submit one, a review. That’s a huge part of making this series visible on platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere you follow podcasts. Really, it makes a huge difference, and only takes a minute or two. Thanks!

Another update: this week I will attend the fall Albino Skunk Music Festival, where I will record my first ever live podcast, in front of an audience. On stage Wednesday afternoon October 1, we will be recounting the history of the event, now in its fourth decade, with founder Glynn “Zig” Zeigler, along with other special guests. I would love to see you there!

Our time with Jeff Tweedy continues here, with an in depth conversation about his new triple solo album, Twilight Override. Not an overtly political songwriter, Tweedy nonetheless points to broad social issues in the overall themes of the album, and in one song in particular that he details in the interview, “Enough”. Jeff also talks about the makeup of The Tweedy Band, which features his sons and other, younger artists from his home town of Chicago, and how the group is especially well suited for multi part harmonies. We do not leave Wilco out of the conversation, either, and feature several new songs from his solo record along the way.

The Tweedy Band (photo: Rachel Bartz)

The Greatest Thing Is To Wake Up and Have a New Song To Sing: Jeff Tweedy Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

“Betrayed” by Jeff Tweedy, from Twilight Override

“Stray Cats in Spain” by Jeff Tweedy, from Twilight Override, excerpt

“Twilight Override” by Jeff Tweedy, from Twilight Override, excerpt

“Jesus, Etc.” by Wilco, from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Thank you for stopping by! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify hereand YouTube here— hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

Joe Kendrick

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In mid May, 2025, I spoke with Jeff Tweedy ahead of his show with Wilco in Charlotte, NC, and have been waiting for his forthcoming solo album to publish his interview here on Southern Songs and Stories. I was fortunate to get to listen to several songs from Twilight Override ahead of my conversation with Jeff Tweedy, and was one of, if not the first person to talk with him about the album, and especially about the song “Enough”. That conversation is coming in our next episode, once the full album is available in late September 2025, but here we bring you a bonus episode, with the part of our conversation that was broadcast on public radio WNCW the same afternoon, ahead of Wilco’s show at the Amp Ballantyne in Charlotte.

The Jeff Tweedy Band (photo: Rachel Bartz)

Feeling Like the Same Person on Stage and Off: The Jeff Tweedy Bonus Episode Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

“Out In The Dark” by Jeff Tweedy, from Twilight Override

“How Hard Is It For Desert To Die” by Jeff Tweedy, featuring Karly Hatzman, from Cardinals at the Window: A Benefit For Flood Relief In Western North Carolina, excerpt

“Enough” by Jeff Tweedy, from Twilight Override

Thank you for visiting! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify hereand YouTube here— hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. You can follow us on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and now on Substack here, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed.

Joe Kendrick

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Is there such a thing as coincidence? Recently I read an essay by Henrik Karllson, in his Substack page Escaping Flatland, titled “Almost Anything You Give Sustained Attention to Will Begin To Loop on Itself and Bloom”, and I was especially struck by his comment that "Art is guided meditation". This was, to me, a new way of thinking about paying attention and slowing down, of being in the moment. It rang true.

This coincided with working on this episode, and listening to Andrew Duhon’s song “Slow Down”, which features the lyrics “We’ve got to slow down/ All we’ll ever have is right here right now/ Right here right now/ I think we need to slow down/ Our eyes on the horizon line/ All these years/ It’s the things we keep our eyes on/ Seem to be the things that disappear when we get there”. Coincidence? I say that has to be a long shot.

Slowing down can be helpful in a lot of situations, creative endeavors especially. Do you ever find yourself in a spot where you wish you could simply jump to the finish line, like in a project, or even with cooking dinner? I feel that way a lot when starting work on the scripts for Southern Songs and Stories episodes. The blank page is always the hardest part — just those first paragraphs can take up the better part of a day sometimes. You have heard the phrase “like pulling teeth”, I bet. The creative process can feel that way, at times: a painful slog, with no guarantees of any gain, that makes you question why you put yourself through it.

Slowing down is key to making something worthwhile, whether that brings material gain or simply self satisfaction with a job well done. With patience, with letting things come to you, with sitting still and actively listening for the muse, good things can happen. There is no way to reap the rewards without paying the cost, and part of the bargain is giving something of yourself, something that might be as hard as pulling teeth.

I hope you can slow down with us, and enjoy this episode on Andrew Duhon. Here, he expounds on his music and his band, while he also touches on religion, politics, and a lot more, including the hardest song that he has ever written, why he does not have a place to call home in New Orleans currently, and his own eye-catching chapeau, a vintage baseball cap that says “Cuban Boatlift 1980”. All that and more, including more of Andrew’s music, especially from his recent appearance at The Albino Skunk Music Festival in Greer, SC, awaits you in this episode.

Andrew Duhon gives the thumbs up to this podcast, and to you, too

Not Jazz, nor Funk, nor Brass Band: Andrew Duhon Explores the Living Edges of New Orleans Music Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

“Bayou La Batre” by Andrew Duhon, from The Parish Record

“Girl From Plaquemine” by Andrew Duhon, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/08/25, excerpt

“Waco Kool-Aid” by Andrew Duhon, performed live at the Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/08-25, excerpt

“Just Another Beautiful Girl” by Andrew Duhon, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/08/25, excerpt

“Just In Case” by Andrew Duhon, performed live at the Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/08/25

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What do the following styles of music have in common: Ragtime, New Wave, Dubstep, and Doo-wop? This group may seem quite divergent, but they all share a common characteristic: they are mostly types of music that no one plays much anymore. Then again, you could easily argue that these are simply sub-genres of larger categories like Jazz, Rock, Reggae and R&B, and live on in some form or another in the echoes of their sound within the broader contexts, such as they are, and here and there in all manner of newer sub-genres.

And those broader contexts, those foundational genres, how are they holding up these days? Jazz has gone from ruling the airwaves, dance floors and record stores to being a mostly boutique, albeit diverse, corner of the American music map. Rock has long been declared dead, but soldiers on in bands both old and new. Reggae rose to international acclaim with Bob Marley but has not approached those heights following his untimely death. R&B may be the most robust of this small sample, with artists like The Weeknd and SZA amongst its current stars.

Blues music has gone through sea changes of its own over the decades, and today, it is facing headwinds with younger audiences. As our guest Brooks Mason (known by his stage name Eddie 9V) puts it, younger music fans especially often think they will not like the blues because of its perceived predictability and reliance on old formulas. And while he is not wrong, he is also a prime example of how Blues music can garner new audiences with a new approach to the genre. Part of Eddie 9V’s approach is to, as he put it, lead a band that is not really a Blues band anymore.

Brooks Mason, better known as Eddie 9V

Where Are We at With the Blues? Dirt and Funk at Albino Skunk With Eddie 9V Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

“Saratoga“ by Eddie 9V, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival, 05/10/25

“Check It Out” by Sean Costello, from At His Best - Live, excerpt

“Love Moves Slow” by Eddie 9V, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25, excerpt

“Yella Alligator” by Eddie 9V, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25, excerpt

“Driving Wheel” by Eddie 9V, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival, 05/10/25

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Jerry Douglas is never not entertaining. On stage, on record, or in conversation, Flux, as Bela Fleck famously dubbed him, is full of wit, joy and inventiveness. His talents have garnered him 16 Grammy Awards, 28 IBMA Awards, 3 Country Music Association Awards, 3 Americana Music Association Awards, an NEA National Heritage Fellowship, and an artist residency at the Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum. I heard once that his style playing Dobro was so popular that practically every other player emulated it, to the point that he had to reinvent his own style to distinguish himself from the rest of the pack. This story could very well be apocryphal, but it points to the fact that his influence is everywhere in bluegrass and bluegrass-adjacent acoustic music. And Jerry Douglas has stories. Ask him about anyone in bluegrass, or even a ton of artists outside the genre, and chances are that he knows them and can spin a yarn or two about playing with them or being in their orbit. Get him going, and he may even tell you about his ancestor David Douglas, of Douglas fir fame, and the spectacular and mysterious way he met his end in Hawaii.

Here, we bring Jerry Douglas back to Southern Songs and Stories for a second time, following his 2021 episode “It’s Always Roots Music 12 O’Clock With Jerry Douglas”. Since then, Jerry has been inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Hall of Fame; he has served as festival host and solo performer as well as in his tribute band The Earls Of Leicester for the Earl Scruggs Music Festival, with frequent guest appearances for a number of other artists and bands there; he also fell right back in with Alison Krauss & Union Station for their first album since 2011, Arcadia.

Jerry Douglas will be the host once again at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival in late August 2025, where he will perform with the Earls of Leicester as well as Alison Krauss & Union Station, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and who knows how many artists as their on stage guest. Recently, he spoke with me on a video call while on tour with AKUS, where he gives us a preview of Scruggs Fest, plus he details a lot of what went into Arcadia. We also find out what he believes is the best key for playing bluegrass music, and learn how he approaches his instrument in Union Station differently than on his own.

Jerry Douglas plays at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival 09-01-24 (photo: Jess Maples)

Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key: The Return of Alison Krauss & Union Station With Jerry Douglas Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

“When You Say Nothing At All” by Alison Krauss & Union Station, from Alison Krauss & Union Station Live

“Nashville Blues” by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, from Will the Circle Be Unbroken, excerpt

“The Hangman” by Alison Krauss & Union Station, from Arcadia, excerpt

“One Ray Of Shine” by Alison Krauss & Union Station, from Arcadia

Thanks to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. - Joe Kendrick

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What do Paul McCartney, up-and-coming singer songwriter Ken Pomeroy, and a guy I passed on the street tugging along a French bulldog have in common? They all support my theory that pets inevitably resemble their owners–sometimes in looks, sometimes in spirit, but always in energy. When Ken Pomeroy introduced her song “Wrango” opening for I’m with Her and Iron & Wine at Asheville Yards on July 12, 2025, she described how the song was inspired by the liability her new dog had become from its quick temper. After WNCW’s Joe Kendrick and I spent some time with her, we slowly got to see where the pup’s feistiness came from. We talked about what it means to carry songs from childhood into adulthood, the tension between writing for yourself and performing for others, and the unexpected ways public commentary can rattle even the most grounded artists. As Ken says, “I never thought I’d care about online comments. But wow. I didn’t know how sensitive I’d be.”

And then there’s “Flannel Cowboy”, Ken Pomeroy’s closing track at her show, that isn’t a love song, despite what you might assume. It's a quietly devastating reflection on friendship, ego, and the confusing wreckage of emotional fallout. It’s a song about looking in the mirror and realizing that, sometimes, the thing biting at you isn’t your dog, or your critics—it’s you.

Her vulnerability isn’t just evident in the lyrics of her 2025 album, Cruel Joke, but in the way she speaks about songwriting as a spiritual act—one that gives form to feelings too big to hold alone. As a writer, I can relate to the need to shed some weight onto the page. Sometimes things get a little too loud and the only way to bring back the quiet is to release.

Ken also told us about her connection to Cherokee heritage, her experience contributing to the language revitalization album ᎠᏅᏛᏁᎵᏍᎩ (Anvdvnelisgi), and what it meant to contribute to a project to empower young people to connect with their heritage.

Whether she's reflecting on faith, feeling everything too deeply, or setting boundaries on what parts of her soul she's willing to hand over to strangers, Ken Pomeroy is an artist in full bloom. She's a songwriter first, a performer reluctantly, and a truth-teller always. — Elena Dickson

Ken Pomeroy (photo: Kali Spitzer)

Wrango Bites, Ken Writes: Ken Pomeroy on Vulnerability, Faith, and Folk Elena Dickson/Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

John Denver “Leaving On A Jet Plane”

“Wrango” by Ken Pomeroy, from Cruel Joke, excerpt

“Grey Skies” by Ken Pomeroy, from Cruel Joke, excerpt

“Flannel Cowboy” by Ken Pomeroy, from Cruel Joke, excerpt

“Galvladi” by Ken Pomeroy, from Anvdvnelisgi

Thank you for being here! We hope you enjoy this episode, and can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify hereand YouTube here— hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

The radio adaptation of this episode is part of the programming lineup during Morning Edition on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This episode was written and hosted by WNCW intern Elena Dickson, with myself as editor and Ken Pomeroy’s co-interviewer.

Joe Kendrick

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If you can make it as a professional musician in Austin, that is saying something. And if you can make it in Nashville, New Orleans, and also New York, that is saying something in all caps. Seth Walker has made it in all of the above locales. Making it as a professional musician in all of those iconic music scenes is not only impressive, but it also requires playing a variety of styles that sync with each city’s musical tastes. With his 12th album, Why the Worry, Seth Walker shows off what he has learned (and unlearned) from all of those years gigging and recording with a who’s who of roots music luminaries.

In recent years, he has called western North Carolina home, which is not terribly far from his childhood home in a Quaker commune, a couple hundred miles to the east in Burlington. That is where his music journey began, and is the place which serves as the backdrop to his forthcoming novella, about a young girl on a tobacco farm. I imagine Seth Walker may even make some paintings to go along with that story, as he is also an accomplished visual artist.

Seth is as laid back as he is intriguing, and we enjoyed a relaxed conversation at his home in Fairview, NC, nestled in the Appalachian mountains. Joining us was WNCW intern Elena Dickson, who hosted our recent episode on fellow western NC artist Sally Anne Morgan. We spoke about Seth’s musical past and present, ranging from his love of jump blues to how an inspired take of Al Green’s “Take Me to the River” set the wheels in motion for his latest album, to how Hurricane Helene very nearly left it in a ditch. All that and more, including music from Why the Worry, awaits you in this podcast.

Seth Walker with his Waterloo acoustic guitar

The Muse Never Worries: Making It Mellow With Seth Walker Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

“Why the Worry” by Seth Walker, from Why the Worry

“Magnolia” by Seth Walker, from Why the Worry, excerpt

“Take Me to the River” by Seth Walker, from Why the Worry, excerpt

“Strollin’ With Bones” by T-Bone Walker, excerpt

“Up on the Mountain” by Seth Walker, from Why the Worry

Thank you for dropping by! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify hereand YouTube here— hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

Thanks to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This episode features WNCW intern Elena Dickson, who co-produced the episode, and took part in Seth’s interview.

Joe Kendrick

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In this episode, we welcome WNCW intern Elena Dickson to the podcast. Elena is a student at the University of Michigan, and here, she takes a turn at the helm for our episode on western North Carolina artist Sally Anne Morgan:

My favorite Ralph Waldo Emerson quote reads, “Cause and effect, means and ends, seed and fruit, cannot be severed; for the effect already blooms in the cause, the end preexists in the means, the fruit in the seed.” It makes me think of the interconnectedness that lies beneath all our actions and that everything we do–from deciding what to eat for breakfast to moving across the country–has a deep impact on our lives in areas we don’t even realize.

Sally Anne Morgan embodies Emerson’s coda. Even as a visual artist, musician, mother, and brewery owner, she emphasized how circular life feels: we are nothing without where we came from and where we came from wouldn’t have been possible without what we have become. She embodies this through her music through her traditional techniques to create innovative elements. Rooting herself in tradition while employing new age elements, she resists the conformity and neatness that recording software, and certain genres, often demands. While she views old time and other music traditions as a living artform rather than something that belongs in the archives. Her stories have a background and history but they have nothing close to an end.

When I decided to apply to WNCW to enhance my senior thesis on Appalachian storytelling, I had to explain why I was doing what I was doing to a few more people than I would have liked. Next time someone asks, I will send them this podcast so they can see the fluidity of storytelling and how deeply enmeshed it is with all other aspects of our lives. Telling a story does not require a defined beginning, middle, and end. Instead, it requires a conversation and a dedication to honoring what the story was and what it is going to become. Sally Anne Morgan creates in a way that makes you want to participate in the conversation and keep the story alive.

Sally Anne Morgan (Photo: Charlie Boss, published by KLOF mag)

Old but Not Dead: Sally Anne Morgan and the Living Tradition of Old Time Music Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:

“Eye Is The First” by Sally Anne Morgan, from Second Circle the Horizon, excerpt

“Flowers Of Shandihar” by Sally Anne Morgan, from Second Circle the Horizon, excerpt

“I Saw A Heron” by Sally Anne Morgan, from Second Circle the Eye, excerpt

“Blind Man’s Lament” by Black Twig Pickers, from Rough Carpenters, excerpt

“Dog’s Dream” by Sally Anne Morgan, from Second Circle the Eye, excerpt

“Callahan” by Sally Anne Morgan, from Second Circle the Eye, excerpt

“Night Mint” by Sally Anne Morgan, from Second Circle the Eye

So glad you visited! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify hereand YouTube here— hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This episode was written and produced by WNCW intern Elena Dickson, with editorial assistance from myself. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms make their home in the San Juan Islands, in Washington State, and their latest spring tour saw them make a stop at the Albino Skunk Music Festival in May 2025. This was two weeks ahead of their own festival, the inaugural East Sound Music Ramble, and part of an eastern swing that preceded other engagements including Telluride Bluegrass Festival. The duo has been very much on the go lately, which is in keeping with their recent past: sojourns to Louisiana, to celebrate the music of Cajun and country legend Jimmy C Newman; to The Last Frontier state for the Alaska Folk Festival; and to Vermont, where Caleb connected with Noam Pikelny, which led to becoming a guest member of bluegrass supergroup Mighty Poplar, to name a few.

I spoke with Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms on a picture perfect spring afternoon in Greer, SC, in between their two sets at Skunk Fest, where we touched on all of these travels, both physical and musical; their own region’s musical “rogue-ness”; the raw simplicity and danceability of their take on country music; and the importance of slowing down and being present. That and more awaits you, including their music, both live and on record, in this episode.

(L to R) Caleb Klauder, Mike Bub and Reeb Willms perform at the Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25

Photo: John Gillespie Photography & Design

This is the second time Caleb Klauder has been on the series: the first was from 2019, when he spoke about producing feature guest Town Mountain’s album New Freedom Blues in the episode Town Mountain: There’s Never a Last Ride in the Van.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Gold In Your Pocket” by Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25

“You Gotta Roll the Dice To Win” by Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25, excerpt

“Sing Me A Sad Song To Make Me Happy” by Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25, excerpt

“Alligator Man“ by Joel Savoy, Kelli Jones, Reeb Willms and Caleb Klauder, from Farewell Alligator Man, excerpt

“Key To Life” by Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25, excerpt

“Church With No Walls” by Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25, excerpt

“He’s Gone” by Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25

Thanks for dropping by! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify hereand YouTube here— hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This June, we welcomed WNCW intern Elena Dickson to this series as a producer as well, and she will be with us through July. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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In 2024, I had the idea to produce podcasts based on interviews from MerleFest, with the theme being a focus on both first-time performers and veterans. Combining two artists who made their debuts resulted in the episode “Rural Roots That Run Deep With Nick Shoulders and Adeem The Artist”, we followed that with two of the festival’s mainstays in the episode “Jim Lauderdale, Donna the Buffalo and the Many Collaborations Of MerleFest”. It was great fun to compare and contrast artist experiences at the venerated event between newcomers and returning veterans, as well as dive into their stories and music along the way.

This year, I picked up on the approach once again, interviewing bluegrass heroes Woody Platt and Buddy Melton in the episode that immediately precedes this one, titled “A New Team For Two Heavy Hitters Of Bluegrass: Woody Platt and Buddy Melton”. Now, we celebrate another MerleFest newcomer, Tami Neilson. Although she just made her first stop at the festival, she is no novice in the roots music scene, having grown up in a family band and having made records since 2008; I was all smiles when I saw her on the MerleFest lineup for 2025. Fun fact: when I sent in the request to feature Tami on this podcast, her publicist replied, “So just to be clear here — Tami is for Southern Songs & Stories? She is originally Canadian and lives in New Zealand so just checking!” I chuckled and replied, “Yes, that’s correct. I break my own rules every so often. I’ve featured Ruen Brothers, Colin Hay and others over the years. New Zealand is south too right? ;-)”

I spoke with Tami Neilson late at night, after her rousing Dance Tent performance, where she talked about her love of wide ranging musical journeys, her own journey to her adopted country of New Zealand, growing up in a family band and now bringing her sons on stage from time to time, playing the Grand Ole Opry and making music with greats like Willie Nelson, and a whole lot more.

Tami Neilson playing her first of two sets at MerleFest on April 25, 2025. Photo: Willa Stein

Songs heard in this episode:

“Baby, You’re A Gun” by Tami Neilson, from Kingmaker

“Learn To Try Again” by The Chills, from Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs, excerpt

“Borrow My Boots” by Tami Neilson, from Neon Cowgirl, excerpt

“Beyond The Stars” by Tami Neilson, featuring Willie Nelson, from Kingmaker, excerpt

“You’re Gonna Fall” by Tami Neilson, featuring JD McPherson, from Neon Cowgirl

Thanks for reading and listening! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify hereand YouTube here— hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. WNCW intern Elena Dickson deserves a big thanks for jumping in on production work for this episode in her very first week! Thanks as well to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed. - Joe Kendrick

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It was Friday at MerleFest and I had already taken in an afternoon and evening of music the day before, which threatened more rain than it delivered. The one downpour that hit the festival grounds coincided with my campsite assembly, though, which made for an especially challenging time with raising my tent. Pouring rain makes tents heavy and unwieldy, but luckily for me, not impossible to put together — just fairly comical to passersby. The inside of it was a mess after that, but it was the only weather incident I experienced all weekend. It would not be MerleFest without at least a little rain, after all.

As it would be an outlier for MerleFest to be without rain, it would be similarly unlikely for MerleFest to go without at least one of two contemporary bluegrass stars from western NC: Woody Platt and Buddy Melton. Fans have enjoyed Woody Platt’s former band Steep Canyon Rangers thirteen times at the festival since 2006, while Buddy Melton’s former group Balsam Range has made five appearances there since 2010. This year, they appeared in a new lineup: Woody Platt and the Bluegrass Gentlemen.

I had the pleasure of catching up with Woody Platt and Buddy Melton in one of the few quiet spots available on the festival grounds, in the band’s motor coach, where we talked about how this project began; how their region is recovering from Hurricane Helene and more recently, widespread wildfires; a certain Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cover they played live at the festival, as well as how they love to hear other players cover their songs. That and a lot more, including excerpts of music from Woody Platt’s 2024 album Far Away With You awaits you in this episode.

Woody Platt and the Bluegrass Gentlemen perform on Creekside Stage at MerleFest in Wilkesboro NC 04-25-25

Songs heard in this episode:

“Long Time Coming” by Woody Platt, from Far Away With You

“Like The Rain Does” by Woody Platt, from Far Away With You, excerpt

“Find the Cost of Freedom” by Crosby, Stills Nash & Young, from Live At Fillmore East, 1969, excerpt

“Walk Along With Me” by Woody Platt, from Far Away With You, excerpt

“One Last Goodbye” by Woody Platt, from Far Away With You

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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The town of Elkin, NC, boasts only 4000 residents, but its downtown seems to resemble a town much larger than that. What looks to me like a downtown about half the size of my home town of Shelby, NC, turns out to be a good bit less populated than its footprint suggests. But making a bigger impression than expected is in keeping with everything I have experienced in this foothills town in the northwest part of the state — Elkin likes to punch above its weight.

My first trip to Elkin was for the Reevestock Music Festival, created by the band Time Sawyer, whose members largely grew up there. It is a festival that garners national artists as well as regional favorites, and every time I returned, it came up a winner: well balanced, with enough star power but also plenty of pleasant surprises and new discoveries, plus it was almost intimate with its crowd of hundreds rather than thousands in attendance. Elkin remains a favorite destination for that festival alone, and now I can add to that list, with The Martha Bassett Show producing live events at the Reeves Theater for eight years running.

Martha Bassett celebrates with guests and house band at the finale of *The Martha Bassett Show* 04/03/25

Photo: Steel String Photography

The Martha Bassett Show put on its 100th episode in April of this year, which seemed like the perfect time to trek up and take it all in. The show featured guests Liz Longley from Nashville, Hank Pattie & the Current from the Triangle region of NC, and a VA music artist who is best known for building guitars for stars like Eric Clapton, Gillian Welch, Vince Gill, Peter Rowan (and hundreds of others, famous or not), Wayne Henderson.

I spoke with both Martha Bassett and Wayne Henderson while there, where we talked with Martha about the extraordinary nature of the show with collaboration amongst its guests a built-in feature, the ever-changing and now perhaps especially challenging landscape for the arts, and with Wayne about his world famous instruments as well as memories of Doc Watson, and current Grand Ole Opry member and client Marty Stuart. All of that and a lot more is here, including musical excerpts from The Martha Bassett Show on this episode of Southern Songs and Stories.

Songs heard in this episode:

Wayne Henderson and Friends “Sweet Georgia Brown” from The Martha Bassett Show 04/03/25

Wayne Henderson and Friends intro from Martha Bassett into “Panhandle Rag” from The Martha Bassett Show 04/03/25, excerpt

“I’ll Fly Away” Martha Bassett with Liz Longley, Hank Pattie & the Current, Wayne Henderson and Friends and house band from The Martha Bassett Show 04/03/25

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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The 19th century Swedish philosopher and poet Henri Frederic Amiel wrote one of the most eloquent observations about music, saying “Music is harmony, harmony is perfection, perfection is our dream, and our dream is heaven.” If Amiel is right, and I have a feeling he is, then pairing Andrea Zonn and John Cowan in a setting where they can sing some of their favorite songs both old and new, is bound to take you at least a good part of the way to heaven. With their debut collaboration, the album Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeons, the Nashville legends make the harmony part sound effortless, and with a cast of all stars behind them, have set their sights skyward.

John Cowan and Andrea Zonn already had a harmonious relationship and had worked together in the decades leading up to now, but it was a quirk of having some more studio time together during the pandemic that set the stage for their first full length collaboration as band leaders. Here, Andrea and John detail that story behind their collaboration, as well as stories of their heroes like Leon Russell and Bill Monroe, and contemporaries like Tom Britt, their perspective on their own musical legacies, tales of their time in the shangri-la of western North Carolina’s musical past, Green Acres Music Hall, and more, including music excerpts of songs from their new album.

Andrea Zonn and John Cowan performing live

Songs heard in this episode:

“Face Of Appalachia“ by The HercuLeons, from Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeons

“Straight Up” by The HercuLeons, from Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeons, excerpt

“Resurrection Road” by The HercuLeons, from Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeons, excerpt

“Barbed Wire Boys” by The HercuLeons, from Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeons, excerpt

“Long Way From Home” by The HercuLeons, from Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeons

Noteworthy but not mentioned in our interview is John Cowan’s recent book Hold To A Dream: A Newgrass Odyssey, which features a foreword by HercuLeons’ producer Wendy Waldman, and is built on a series of John’s interviews with heroes like Kris Kristofferson, Rodney Crowell and Loretta Lynn as well as contemporaries like John Carter Cash.

Thanks for being here! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify hereand YouTube here— hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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It took a long time after I first read David Menconi’s work to finally meet him, and longer still to sit with him for an extended conversation, but fortunately, the time has finally come. And if the saying “good things come to those who wait” applies here, if I was indeed waiting years for that Tuesday afternoon interview in late September 2024, then it is doubly appropriate now that our conversation sees the light of day in this podcast nearly another half a year afterwards. Decades after first reading his work, more than a year after first meeting him, and another stretch of months after interviewing him, now is the moment for all of this to come together. It all feels a bit fortuitous, a feeling which is echoed in our conversation, especially regarding the subject of David Menconi’s latest book.

David Menconi was a staff writer at the Raleigh News & Observer for 28 years, beginning in 1991, when the music scene in the region was exploding nationwide. He has also written for Rolling Stone, Billboard, Spin and New York Times. His latest book is titled Oh, Didn't They Ramble: Rounder Records and the Transformation of American Roots Music. David Menconi spoke with me at the IBMA conference in his adopted hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, in a conversation which touches on the remarkable story of Rounder Records, a music label whose story, as David put it, is the kismet story. A label formed by three idealistic folkies fresh out of college, it went on to champion the music of artists ranging from Alice Gerard to Alison Krauss, from the Blake Babies to Billy Strings, and from Ted Hawkins to Tony Rice.

David talks about the Rounder Records story, the current state of the music industry, the challenges faced by writers and musicians alike, as well as the significant history of bluegrass music in the city of Raleigh and the state of North Carolina and more, including music excerpts from Rounder Records artists like Norman Blake and George Thorogood in this episode Southern Songs and Stories.

David Menconi

Songs heard in this episode:

Tony Rice “Monroe’s Hornpipe”, from The Bluegrass Album Band, Volume 6

“Tango Cool“ by Ted Gioia & Mark Lewis, from Tango Cool, excerpt

“Ginseng Sullivan” by Norman Blake, from Back Home In Sulphur Springs, excerpt

“Move It On Over” by George Thorogood & the Destroyers, from Move It On Over, excerpt

“Away From the Mire” by Billy Strings, from Home

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to everyone at the International Bluegrass Music Association for helping to make this interview possible, and to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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It is great fun to witness lines reconverge in unexpected ways on this series. When I spoke with Andrew VanNorstrand and Chris Miller of The Faux Paws back at the end of summer, I learned that they had just received the masters for their next album. Fast forward to late winter the following year, and we happen to circle back to the band directly ahead of the release of their new record with this podcast. The trio, which is often a quartet on tour, is also set to come through southern Appalachia once again this spring, on the heels of their second full length album titled No Bad Ideas.

The Faux Paws perform at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival 08/31/24

Photo: Jess Maples

It is easy to glance at The Faux Paws and mistake them for an old time string band or maybe a Celtic band, at least when they are playing banjo. But then, out comes the saxophone, and we are not in Kansas anymore.

So, what are they, exactly? We answer that question in this conversation with banjo and saxophone player Chris Miller, and guitarist Andrew VanNorstrand, as well as musical specimens from their expansive, hypnotic and melodic new record. It is a lighthearted yet revealing conversation ranging from their experience playing contra dances, how being unmarketable is part of their DNA, to their relationship with the music of Earl Scruggs and more.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Bubwa - No Bad Ideas” by The Faux Paws, from No Bad Ideas

“Rockingham” by The Faux Paws, from No Bad Ideas, excerpt

“Night” by The Faux Paws, from No Bad Ideas, excerpt

“15 Below” by The Faux Paws, from No Bad Ideas

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to everyone at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival for helping to make this interview possible, and to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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It was a great week for roots music in Raleigh NC at the 2024 IBMAs in late September, with music showcases galore, practically every artist and label in bluegrass especially meeting and greeting and doing business, late night jams, and plenty of engaging and informative music panels during the day. The highlight of the business conference side of things, for me, was a two-day series of seminars titled “Roots Revival: A Black Stringband Symposium”. Much of what those panel events put forward was not only new; some of it was quite revelatory.

In recent years, roots music fans have been turning over stone after stone when it comes to the importance of Black artists in traditional music, ranging from the very dawn of string bands up to the current era of bluegrass and beyond. Knowledge of key figures like Arnold Shultz and DeFord Bailey is much more widespread now, thanks in large part to the music of Generation X stars like the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Old Crow Medicine Show, who are succeeded by younger generations of artists like Jake Blount and Kaia Kater in making their predecessors’ stories, along with the broader history and culture, much better known.

Tray Wellington took part in the Black Stringband Symposium series, and we caught up after he spoke and played at the seminar titled “Black Music In Appalachia”, which was one of the six hosted by IBMA in partnership with The Banjo Gathering and Elderly Instruments. Tray makes his second appearance on this podcast, and brings us new music as well from his 2024 collection Detour To The Moon.

Tray Wellington speaks at the “Black Music In Appalachia” seminar at IBMA 09/27/24

Photo: The Banjo Gathering

Songs heard in this episode:

“Moon In Motion 1” by Tray Wellington, from Detour To The Moon

“Till Summer Was Gone” by Tray Wellington, from Detour to the Moon, excerpt

“Lift Up Every Stone” by Tray Wellington, from Detour to the Moon, excerpt

“Spiral Staircase” by Tray Wellington, from Detour to the Moon

Thanks for dropping by! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, and YouTube here— hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to everyone at IBMA for helping to make this interview possible, and to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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In the music business, the words “influence” and “inspiration” get thrown around a lot. Artist Y is “influenced” by artists A, B and C, or “inspired” by their love of genres D and E, often with no elaboration of what that really might mean. Influence and inspiration are often overused to the point of meaninglessness in these contexts, or perhaps misunderstood as something akin to emulation. It is an easy shortcut for folks reading or hearing those words to insert the phrase “sounds like” into the sentence when given no more substantial footing than those hackneyed terms. But in spending time with Lindsay Lou and hearing her perspective on bluegrass as a primary influence, this opened up another way to approach this, which was to think of “influence” and “inspiration” as something akin to a key opening a door, of being a catalyst for change and growth.

The musical world heard in Lindsay Lou’s fourth album Queen Of Time begins at a door which she unlocked over the years since first experiencing bluegrass jams as a kid. On this record, it is a world which welcomes bluegrass legends like Jerry Douglas, who makes a guest appearance, as well as first-call songwriter Jon Weisberger, plus maverick superstar Billy Strings. It is full of electric guitar and drums, adding synthesizers, organ and even djembe into the mix. Its lyrics and melodies flow from both a psychedelic experience with the sacred feminine, as well as her enduring bond with her extraordinary grandmother. It is a world where self-discovery incorporates but also supersedes tradition; it is a world where bluegrass is both there and is not there, all at once.

Lindsay Lou performs at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival 08/31/24

Songs heard in this episode:

“Queen Of Time” by Lindsay Lou, from Queen Of Time

“I Can Help” by Lindsay Lou, from Queen Of Time, excerpt

“Nothing’s Working” by Lindsay Lou, from Queen Of Time, excerpt

“On Your Side (Starman)” by Lindsay Lou, from Queen Of Time

Thanks for dropping by! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, YouTube here and Spotify here— hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to everyone at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival for helping to make this interview possible, and to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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A couple of weeks ago, I could not have predicted that I would come upon another way of crafting a Southern Songs and Stories podcast in this fashion. Regular or even casual listeners will be familiar with the go-to format of documentary style profiles of and interviews with music artists in this series; those of you who listen a lot will probably be familiar with some of the less traveled paths we have taken here as well, which include a remembrance for a friend and colleague who passed away unexpectedly, a survey of how western NC folks in the music business were coping in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene, as well as an old school, comedic Christmas radio drama, among others. Add to that list this episode, which is a live podcast, at least for part of it. And we are talking about a subject that is incredibly deep and wide, a subject which could easily fill a year’s worth of episodes. It is a subject that I will revisit again in more depth in coming months — perhaps not here, but at least in person. More on that in the podcast itself, which I hope you enjoy hearing as much as I did in making it.

Album art for the compilation *Gastonia Gallop* on Old Hat Records

Here, we excerpt two parts of a presentation I gave at Queens University in Charlotte as part of their Senior Scholars series on January 17th, 2025. This episode adds to that original talk with additional commentary, music, and new avenues of exploration for the topic, which is essentially the impact from music born of social movements, especially as it relates to radio. At Queens, I gave an overview of 13 songs associated with four social movements: Labor, Civil Rights, Feminism and Environmentalism. Here, we focus on the portions of my talk on Labor and Civil Rights, with example songs ranging from hillbilly music from a 1930s cotton mill man (“Cotton Mill Colic”) to the most controversial and simultaneously most successful song in Billie Holiday’s career (“Strange Fruit”), and more.

Host Joe Kendrick on stage during his presentation to the Queens University Senior Scholars series 1/17/25. Photo: Daniel Coston

Songs heard in this episode:

“Gastonia Gallop” by David McCarn, from Gastonia Gallop: Cotton Mill Songs and Hillbilly Blues

“Which Side Are You On?” by Pete Seeger, from If I Had A Hammer, excerpt

“Which Side Are You On?” by Ani Difranco, from Which Side Are You On?, excerpt

“Cotton Mill Colic” by David McCarn, from Gastonia Gallop, excerpt

“Cotton Mill Colic” by Mike Seeger, from Classic Labor Songs, excerpt

“Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday, excerpt

“Blowin’ In the Wind” by Bob Dylan, from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, excerpt

“Blowin’ In the Wind” by Tangled Up In Bluegrass, from A Tribute To Bob Dylan

Thanks for joining us! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, and Spotify here— hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know and love already, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Tom Hanchett and to everyone at Queens University, especially Steve Lauer, for their help in making this episode possible. Thanks also to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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The new year arrived and “Auld Lang Syne” bubbled up to the top of playlists all over the land. There are so many versions of this classic, which speaks to the importance of remembering friends and happy times from years past, and it reminded me to pause and reflect on this series, which has featured a great many musical acquaintances and friends (and acquaintances who became friends) over a fairly wide span of time; Southern Songs and Stories began as a video documentary with Aaron Burdett (now in the band Steep Canyon Rangers) in 2015, and transitioned to a podcast in spring of 2017. So much has changed over this time, with both the artists profiled here as well as the podcast itself. In 2018, we partnered with the Osiris Media folks to share the series on their platform, as well as on the internet station Bluegrass Planet Radio, and later with public radio WNCW, where you can hear capsule versions of episodes on air.

Thinking back to those early episodes, it is impossible not to feel the tug of nostalgia for that time -- it was an exciting beginning, full of hope for putting some of the music I loved onto the world stage of an emerging format, and a deep and rich period to experience and take part in the music scene in and around western North Carolina. I thought about David Childers after learning about his new collaboration with Abe Partridge, in a group called The Satan, You're a Liars, on the album Build This House Together. And so, to kick off 2025, here is a listen back to one of our first episodes on a musical hero to Abe Partridge, the Avett Brothers, and many, many more.

(L to R) Joe Kendrick, David Childers and Dolph Ramseur at David’s home after taping their interview 10-17-17

David Childers is a western North Carolina singer songwriter who has been a lawyer, a poet, a man who has always made music, and is also now a visual artist. We’ll get to conversations from legendary producer Don Dixon, who worked with David again on his 2017 record Run Skeleton Run, and talk with his son, longtime band member and collaborator Robert Childers, as well as the head of Ramseur Records and Avett Brothers manager, Dolph Ramseur, plus Avett Brothers member Bob Crawford, and writer, musician and WNCW radio host Carol Rifkin. We’ll also highlight David’s music and the music that inspired him, and delve into many insights into Southern culture along the way.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Jesus Said” by Abe Partridge, from The Satan, You’re a Liars

“Johnny Got A Mohawk” by David Childers & The Mount Holly Hellcats, excerpt

“Radio Moscow” by David Childers, from Run Skeleton Run, excerpt

“Jesus Set Me Free” by David Childers, from Serpents Of Reformation, excerpt

“It’s Bad You Know” by R.L. Burnside, from Come On In, excerpt

“Femme Fatale” by The Velvet Underground, from The Velvet Underground & Nico, excerpt

“Brown Eyed Handsome Man” by Chuck Berry, from After School Session, excerpt

“Belmont Ford” by David Childers, from Run Skeleton Run, excerpt

“Collar and Bell” by David Childers, from Run Skeleton Run, excerpt

“Price I Had To Pay” by David Childers, from Room 23, excerpt

“Little Cindy” by David Childers & The Modern Don Juans , from Burning In Hell, excerpt

Thank you for listening! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice, so easy! You can find us on Apple here, and Spotify here— hundreds more episodes await you.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks also to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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After surveying all of the available new Christmas and holiday themed music that I could find, I came up with a tidy playlist of nine noteworthy songs to share here in an episode that departs from our usual artist interview format. Here, we play full songs in several sets, with some back stories on each artist and song. Ranging from the elegant, folky take on “Coventry Carol” by The Milk Carton Kids to country leaning Americana in “Layaway Momma” from Adam Chaffins, to previous Southern Songs and Stories guest The Get Right Band and other fellow western NC artists, this episode celebrates an array of styles and perspectives on the season.

With list in hand, little Joey Kendrick sits happily on Santa’s lap across from sister Leigh, who ponders the validity of the this oddly formal and forced tradition. Circa 1976.

Included here is a special from Christmas past, from my days producing the radio show What It Is on public radio WNCW, with founding panelists Jeff Eason and Fred Mills. We celebrated Jeff’s life and many contributions to music and journalism after his passing in 2018 on this podcast, in the episode “Remembering Jeff Eason”. Following the music portion of this episode, we take you back fifteen years, to a time when What It Is was just two years old. You will hear a younger version of me (with a cold) talking by phone with Jeff and Fred in two short episodes, detailing some of our favorite holiday music as well as the Christmas and holiday music we would love to do without.

Songs heard in this episode:

Dulci Ellenberger “Colorful Christmas”

Ana Egge “Silver Bells Ring”

John Doyle and Mick McAuley “Gleann na-Ean”

The Get Right Band “Christmas As A Kid”

The Pinkerton Raid, “Happy XMas (War Is Over)”, from Winter Songs By Other People

Adam Chaffins “Layaway Momma”

JD Clayton “Your Favorite Christmas Song”

The Milk Carton Kids “Coventry Carol”, from Christmas In A Minor Key

Jenn Grant “Bells Are Ringing”

Thanks for listening! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice, so easy! You can find us on Apple here, and Spotify here— hundreds more episodes and many hundreds more artists await you.

From there it takes just a moment to give us a top rating, and where it is an option, a review! It makes a great difference because the more top reviews and ratings we get, the more visible we become to everyone on those platforms, which means that more people just like you connect with artists like The Get Right Band, Dulci Ellenberger, John Doyle, and literally hundreds more we have profiled that are at your fingertips. Speaking of Silas Durocher and The Get Right Band, their episode from 2023 stands the test of time, and you can find that by looking up “Psychedelia in the Carolinas Then and Now With The Get Right Band and Ken Friedman” on southernsongsandstories.com, as well as the search feature on your podcast platform of choice.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks also to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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On their third album, the Boston quartet pushes the roots music envelope with sass and wit, displaying harmony, hooks and chops for days. Hear about their unique approach, being at home in a liminal space, collaborating with fellow acoustic innovator Casey Driessen, and much more in this conversation from their appearance at the 2024 Earl Scruggs Music Festival.

Twisted Pine performs at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival 08-31-24

Songs heard in this episode:

“Green Flash (feat. Jerry Douglas)” by Twisted Pine, from Love Your Mind

“Peaches en Regalia” by Twisted Pine, from Love Your Mind, excerpt

“Goosebump Feeling” by Twisted Pine, from Love Your Mind, excerpt

“After Midnight (Nothing Good Happens)” by Twisted Pine, from Love Your Mind, excerpt

“Lonestar” by Twisted Pine, from Love Your Mind

Thanks for coming by! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice, so easy! You can find us on Apple here, and Spotify here— hundreds more episodes and many hundreds more artists await you.

From there it takes just a moment to give us a top rating, and where it is an option, a review! It makes a great difference because the more top reviews and ratings we get, the more visible we become to everyone on those platforms, which means that more people just like you connect with artists like Twisted Pine, Casey Driessen, Jerry Douglas and hundreds, literally hundreds more we have profiled that are at your fingertips. Speaking of Jerry Douglas, his episode from 2021 stands the test of time, and you can find that by looking up “It’s Always Roots Music 12 O’Clock With Jerry Douglas” on southernsongsandstories.com, as well as the search feature on your podcast platform of choice. Still to come in the series are artists interviewed at Scruggs Fest and at the last IBMA held in Raleigh, and I know you won’t want to miss those conversations with Lindsay Lou, The Faux Paws, Unspoken Tradition’s Ty Gilpin, author David Menconi and banjo innovator Tray Wellington.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks also to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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At any given time, we have a number of interviews waiting for their moments on an upcoming episode of this podcast series. Late 2024 is no exception, and may be an extreme, as there are several interviews from both the Earl Scruggs Festival as well as IBMA from recent months now in our cue. Hurricane Helene disrupted the tentative schedule for those conversations with the likes of Lindsay Lou, Mountain Home and Unspoken Tradition’s Ty Gilpin and many more being put on hold, as I pivoted to covering the storm’s impact on music in the region. If you did not hear it already, I encourage you to go back one episode to “Songs Of Grief, Songs Of Hope: Helene’s Aftermath For The Western NC Music Scene” for a glimpse into what dominated (and continues to dominate in many ways) our thoughts and our experiences in early fall 2024.

It was a mild surprise, then, to steer back into a “normal” fashion here, picking out a gem of a conversation from earlier in the year only to find that tragic loss was top of mind for my guest, Steve Earle. “There’s that sorrow and loss theme again,” I thought. How weird is that?

It is not all gloom here though, not by a long shot, so please do not let that dissuade you from pressing ‘play’ here. Although Steve lost his friend and colleague Jeremy Tepper just two days before, he was in overall good spirits, as he talks about his rigorous solo tour, his relationship with his music before becoming sober, his favorite cover songs from both artists covering his music and vice versa, aspirations to record Irish music and perhaps even a jazz record, and memories of growing up in the midst of musical greats like Doug Sahm. It is a deep and insightful conversation from the Hall Of Fame songwriter, which even includes mention of his love of North Carolina trout fishing. Along the way, we hear excerpts of music from Steve Earle’s latest album, Alone Again (Live), as well as both his favorite cover songs — an Emmylou Harris cover of one of his songs, and his own version of a Bob Dylan classic.

Steve Earle

Songs heard in this episode:

“CCKMP” by Steve Earle, from Alone Again (Live)

“I Ain’t Ever Satisfied” by Steve Earle, from Alone Again (Live), excerpt

“Goodye” by Emmylou Harris, from Wrecking Ball, excerpt

“My Back Pages” by Steve Earle, from Sidetracks, excerpt

“Copperhead Road” by Steve Earle, from Alone Again (Live)

Thanks for joining us! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice, so easy! You can find us on Apple here, and Spotify here— hundreds more episodes await you.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks also to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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This week marked one month after Hurricane Helene made landfall, hammering a wide swath from Florida straight north into the heart of the southern Appalachians. Soon after the storm hit, it was obvious that doing another “normal” Southern Songs and Stories episode was simply not going to do. Although there are many artists with interviews on hand awaiting their spotlight with a podcast in this series, they will wait one more turn, as we focus now instead on the aftermath of the storm for the music scene in Asheville NC especially. Here are conversations excerpted from over two hours of interviews with The Grey Eagle Music Hall’s Russell Keith and Rachel Shea, along with music artists like Jesse Iaquinto from the band Fireside Collective, as well as Josh Blake, who also is known for the online music resource IamAvl, as well as music professionals like Jessica Tomasin of Echo Mountain Recording Studios, Liz Whalen Tallent of The Orange Peel, and Jason Guadagnino, formerly of The Salvage Station, which was destroyed in the flooding.

We spoke in separate interviews in mid October 2024, with only a few weeks' distance between our conversations and the tragedy of Helene in southern Appalachia. You will hear their accounts of the shock of the immediate aftermath as we look forward to what can be restored in the near future, and imagine some potential outcomes for the region’s music scene in the long haul ahead. All that, and a soundtrack of flood songs both historical and metaphorical in this special episode of Southern Songs and Stories.

Included in this post is a Spotify playlist I made for this episode, with flood songs both literal and metaphorical. Also included is a list of organizations helping people in the region recover from the storm.

Asheville, NC music venue The Salvage Station in the midst of flooding from Helene.

Photo: The Salvage Station

Flood Songs playlist in Spotify

Ways to help and to get help following Helene: the NC Arts Disaster Relief Fund is being run through the North Carolina Arts Foundation to provide funding and assistance to artists and arts organizations

Arts AVL is a well-resourced organization based in Asheville, NC. Most resources on the page linked below have been sourced by Arts AVL as they are at the epicenter of the devastation caused by Helene and are directly connected to local aid efforts as they become available. The Arts AVL Emergency Support Resources page is updated daily.

Preserving a Picturesque America: By purchasing Western North Carolina art, 50% of the proceeds will go directly to the artist, and the other half will go to relief funds to restore the French Broad region. All other purchases, which include PAPA publications, 100% of the proceeds will go to relief.

ReString Appalachia seeks to get as many instruments back into the hands of people who lost them throughout Appalachia due to Hurricane Helene. Supporting this initiative are over 125 of the leading roots musicians, nonprofits, venues, festivals, actors, artists and media outlets. ReString Appalachia is asking for collaborators to lean on their network of musicians, instrument makers, and philanthropic followers in a way that feels authentic.

This effort is threefold: focusing on finding musicians in need, calling for quality instrument donations, and finding philanthropists to cover the costs through tax exempt donations - thanks to our 501(c)3 nonprofit fiscal sponsor Music in Common. ReString Appalachia is aiming to hand deliver instruments in early 2025.

Beloved Asheville. In 2009, Beloved Asheville began its journey to create a transformational way of life rooted in community and working to create Home, Health, Equity, and Opportunity for all. Beloved Asheville recognizes that these focus areas are fundamental to building a just and equitable society, and is committed to working with the community to find innovative and compassionate solutions to the tough challenges that Asheville, the region, and world face today.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Didn’t It Rain” by Jake Blount, from The New Faith

“Waterbound” by Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi, from They’re Calling Me Home, excerpt

“Muddy Water” by The Seldom Scene, from Act 3, excerpt

“Thompson Flood” by Songs From The Road Band, from Traveling Show, excerpt

“Whippoorwill” by Fireside Collective

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks also to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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The last two weeks have turned so much upside down in my world, and everything started with a tropical storm hitting the Appalachians, while I was at the IBMA Conference in Raleigh.

Even going into IBMA, I was almost on fumes, having crammed getting prepared for a big week away, arranging a schedule of interviews and earmarking events and panels, as well as producing the latest episode in this series, our last podcast, on Maya De Vitry and Joel Timmons. I hope you check it out if you haven't already.

Anyhow, it was a frenetic and bittersweet week to begin with -- owing to the fact that this was the last year for IBMA in North Carolina before moving west, to Chattanooga starting in 2025 -- but everything that was good about the conference was quickly shoved aside as the horror of Helene unfolded on the news. Losing contact with my family for a full day leading up to my return, I had the surreal experience of being safe and largely unaffected by the storm in the state capitol, watching footage of devastating floodwaters rise in cities like Asheville, while knowing that my family had no power and no communications in our home in the piedmont, and therefore could not see the extent of the damage two counties to their west.

I got home and endured one whole night and half of the next day without power, so count me very lucky. We had no damage to the house, just a mess with limbs down and debris blown all over the place.

As I say this, the aftermath of the storm is still unfolding. It destroyed so much that it is beyond comprehension -- as my WNCW colleague Scotty Robertson, who lives in Asheville, told me: it is like walking around in a fever dream to see the havoc wreaked practically everywhere, especially anywhere near water.

Many WNCW folks live in the mountains where communications were cut off for days, so it was an immediate challenge to fill in their shows with episodes from our archives. That process started with contacting everyone, which is more than two dozen hosts, to find out how they were immediately after the storm passed. Luckily, everyone was safe and most had little or no damage to their homes.

Even during the storm, but especially following it, WNCW kicked into a news and public information mode, acting as a conduit for information on how to help those in need, as well as how to get help in the wake of Helene. I interviewed a Charlotte public radio reporter in Linville first, then wound up being interviewed by USA Today for an online article, jumped on a press call with FEMA, and later on took an interview with WXPN in Philadelphia (thanks Dan Reed!). Everything became Helene. A torrent of emails giving information on supply distributions, ways to apply for aid, news on closures, you name it -- all of it coming from many directions. Calls, texts and social media, all day long: Helene. Essentially a mode of taking in the disaster from all fronts for purposes of reporting on it, largely engulfing my workday.

It hit me very soon, even before it was over, that this podcast would have to take a beat. All the interviews that I got at IBMA -- great conversations with author David Menconi, musician and label exec Ty Gilpin, and banjo innovator Tray Wellington -- would have to wait. Those were added to a pre existing line of interviews from the likes of Steve Earle, and all the interviews I got at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival, from Lindsay Lou, Twisted Pine and The Faux Paws. Yeah, sorry y’all. It was obvious that doing anything like the usual episode was not going to work in light of the tragedy in my own back yard.

Rob Daves (left) and Joe Kendrick (right) at Bonnaroo, June 2013

But don’t despair, you will get to hear all those artists’ episodes, Lord willing! In the meantime, get set for an episode focusing on the aftermath of Helene in western NC and Asheville specifically, as I interview artists and professionals like Jesse Iaquinto from Fireside Collective, Liz Whalen Tallent from the Orange Peel, Josh Blake of IAMAVL, Russell Keith of The Grey Eagle and others in the music community. It may become more than one episode -- that remains to be known, as I am still conducting interviews and may wind up with enough material that one episode is just not enough.

We will see, and wish me luck, because there is more than the storm that has knocked us on our heels around here. A week after Helene arrived, a dear friend of mine departed the world: Rob Daves. Rob was WNCW’s voice of the overnight music mix, the alternative show ARC Overnight, for the better part of 20 years. He was beloved by staff and listeners alike, and even though he had battled some health issues in recent years, it was still shocking to lose him. Whatever oxygen was left in the room following Helene was quickly sucked up by the void of Rob’s loss, and we miss him greatly.

With ARC Overnight, we are trying to pull that together with the help of Alex Nudd, who is a familiar voice to the wee hours, among other WNCW hosts including longtime volunteer Harry Strider. ARC totals 25 hours each week, spread over six nights, and that’s a lot of music to play. Not to mention a lot of work screening, reviewing, and generally taking care of the scores of singles, albums and events that we field weekly. Rob was also music director and programmer for ARC, so all the albums and singles in what we call the rotation for that show he selected and shepherded. That’s a big job on top of big shoes to fill, impossibly big, for all things overnight on WNCW currently. But we’re working through it.

Next week I start teaching a radio DJ and podcast production class at the community college that WNCW calls home, Isothermal, and that’s going to demand a lot of attention for the next 8 weeks. But that’s a good problem to have!

Let me leave you with one of Rob Daves’ favorite artists, who calls Asheville NC home, Angel Olsen. I hope Angel made it through Helene okay, and I think she must have, because she announced on October 9th that she is part of a new benefit compilation titled Cardinals At The Window - her song “Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow” (live from Echo Mountain) is part of that massive compilation containing a whopping 136 previously unreleased tracks to benefit flood relief efforts in Western North Carolina. All proceeds go to the aid organizations Beloved Asheville, Community Foundation of Western NC, and Rural Organizing and Resilience.

Cardinals At The Window is out now, on bandcamp. Go get you some!

And the song I am going to play is not that new song but one of Rob’s favorites from Angel’s last full album, 2022’s Big Time. I’m Joe Kendrick, saying so long for now with the title track to Angel Olsen’s Big Time to close out this Southern Songs and Stories update.

Songs heard in this episode:

Angel Olsen “Big Time” from Big Time

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to everyone on staff at Albino Skunk for their help in making this episode possible. Thanks also to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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It never ceases to delight me how connected we are in the roots music world. Take Maya De Vitry and Joel Timmons, for example. The two have been making music together for five years, and have worked together with Joel’s wife Shelby Means, the bass player in Molly Tuttle’s Band. Molly Tuttle’s partner is Ketch Secor, who was our guest a couple episodes ago. Maya’s partner and bandmate Ethan Jodziewicz has played on record with former Southern Songs and Stories guest Sierra Hull, and forthcoming guest Lindsay Lou. Joel, also a founding member of the Charleston, SC band Sol Driven Train, has known one of my best friends since he was a child.

These connections color wide swathes of the mural of our lives, fostering creative endeavors as well as giving us an array of common reference points to pick up on whenever we meet people who live in or travel through the universe of acoustic, roots and Americana music. They can be the difference between having a career or not, and are overall far more valuable than any one hit song, podcast episode or viral meme could be.

This episode bears witness to the connections listed above, including one that happened much more recently than I had imagined, as our preceding guest Margo Cilker recruited Maya De Vitry to play with her at the Albino Skunk Music Festival only weeks before they were to arrive. This is one of the stories that Maya tells here, and she is joined by Joel Timmons in his own interview in an episode which highlights how important their connection to home is in their songwriting, how beneficial collaborations can be, the importance of leveraging ever-capricious streaming platforms while remaining independent, and more, including music from Maya De Vitry’s performance at the spring Albino Skunk Music Festival in May 2024.

Maya De Vitry performs at the Albino Skunk Music Festival, Greer, SC 05-10-24

photo: Joe Kendrick

Thanks for joining us! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice, both of which are quick, easy and free! You can find us on Apple here, and Spotify here— hundreds more episodes await, including performers at The Albino Skunk Music Festival like Sierra Ferrell, Shinyribs, Darrell Scott, Lizzie No, and The Ruen Brothers, among many others.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to everyone on staff at Albino Skunk for their help in making this episode possible. Thanks also to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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I have been reading about Plato and Aristotle lately, in Jeffrey Kripal’s fascinating book, The Flip. Early on in the essay, Kripal points to the history of Western intellectual discourse having swung widely back and forth between the visionary philosophy of Plato, and the empirical rationalism of his student, Aristotle. In Plato’s view, our perception of reality involves our brains, but goes beyond our physiology to pull from a kind of exterior consciousness, which is filtered through our senses, bringing us what can become profound discoveries. In contrast, the empirical rationalist view of our consciousness attests that it comes from and ends with our physical selves.

Have you ever tried your hand at art, in one or more of its myriad forms? How did that go for you? Were you wracking your brain to come up with an idea, trying hard to get it all right, or were you letting your mind drift, quietly waiting for inspiration? I have plenty of experience with the former, especially in the early years of Southern Songs and Stories. Those first podcasts were longer, chock full of interviews with not only the subjects of each episode, but also quite often including many guests’ conversations which were excerpted from their own individual interviews, and a kind of encyclopedic approach to the endeavor. Not that I utterly eschewed clearing my mind and letting things come to me, but I came to realize its advantages more over time. That, and I simply improved as a writer and interviewer, and learned firsthand that less can often be more in this medium.

Margo Cilker certainly understands this, and her creative practice echoes a Platonic viewpoint, as she remarked, “My best art comes when I’m not trying too hard, and when I find out what’s on the other side of the song”. Many of her songs involve scenes and characters from small towns, like Santa Rosa, New Mexico, or Tahachapi, California, as well as locales in Upstate South Carolina, where she attended college and where we spoke on the day of her performance at the Albino Skunk Music Festival.

Maya De Vitry (left) and Margo Cilker (right) perform at the Albino Skunk Music Festival in Greer, SC, 05/09/24

photo: John Gillespie

In this episode, we talk about her travels, cultural differences between Appalachia and the American West, working with Maya De Vitry, who performed with her at Margo’s Albino Skunk debut that day and who is slated to appear in her own episode next, Margo’s focus on the lyrics to her songs, and more, including music from her live set as well as her second album, Valley Of Heart’s Delight.

Songs heard in this episode:

“I Remember Carolina” by Margo Cilker, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/09/24

“Keep It On A Burner” by Margo Cilker, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/09/24, excerpt

“Santa Rosa” by Margo Cilker, from Valley Of Heart’s Delight, excerpt

“Tehachapi” by Margo Cilker, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/09/24

untitled new song inspired by Neil Young by Margo Cilker, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/09/24

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to everyone on staff at Albino Skunk for their help in making this episode possible. Thanks also to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show is never at a loss for words, and is never not entertaining, however he is, in equal measure, an ambassador of social conscience, too. Our interview concludes with Ketch saying, “[I]t's been a challenging time, and a lot of room … to be bummed out about this stuff. But I, I just got to keep going head on. I play the fiddle for a living, you know, and I and it draws people together. If you're a pied piper, you might as well lead them to someplace better than this.” It was as spot-on a summation of his now quarter century leading his band as any.

Ketch was on this podcast two years ago in the episode titled “Painting A Portrait of 23 Years With Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show”, which is based on our conversation at MerleFest that year. Old Crow Medicine Show’s famous song “Wagon Wheel” is the subject of an episode in this series from a few years before that, on the podcast titled “Wagon Wheel: Anatomy Of A Hit”, and I am attaching that episode to the end of this new conversation with Ketch Secor for everyone who missed it the first time or who might just want to hear it again. That episode details the long, winding road that began with a blues song by Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, and continues through a scrap of a tune that Bob Dylan left by the wayside, to a young buck longing to make it to North Carolina in the late 1990s, eventually becoming the song we all know and either love or loathe today. There is not a whole lot of middle ground with this one, and we go into detail about it, interviewing five expert guests along the way.

Joe Kendrick (left) and Ketch Secor (right) at the PNC Arena in Charlotte, NC 08/09/24

Photo: Will Prim

Songs heard in this episode:

“One Drop” by Old Crow Medicine Show, with Mavis Staples, from Jubilee, excerpt

Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup “Rock Me Mama”, excerpt

Big Bill Broonzy “Rockin’ Chair Blues”, excerpt

Lil’ Son Jackson “Rockin’ And Rollin’”, excerpt

Old Crow Medicine Show “Wagon Wheel”, excerpt

Old Crow Medicine Show “Wagon Wheel” at the Theater of the Living Arts in Philadelphia in 2006, from The World Cafe Live, excerpt

Van Morrison “Brown Eyed Girl”, excerpt

Darius Rucker “Wagon Wheel”, excerpt

Old Crow Medicine Show “Wagon Wheel”, live from Delfest 2018, excerpt

Millions and millions sold, and still counting

Thanks for visiting, and we hope you will follow this series on your podcast platform of choice, and also give it a top rating and a review. When you take a moment to give great ratings and reviews, Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles become much more visible to more music, history and culture fans just like you. You can find us on Apple here, and Spotify here— hundreds more episodes await, including performers at The Earl Scruggs Music Festival like Rissi Palmer, as well as our collaboration with music journalist Craig Havighurst of WMOT, host of the excellent podcast The String, both from last year’s event, as well as our recent episode on a 2024 headliner, Marty Stuart, and the duo Larry & Joe. Speaking of Earl Scruggs, we also recommend our episode titled “The Humble Genius of Earl Scruggs”.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to the staff at PNC Arena, and MerleFest for their help in making this episode possible. Thanks to WNCW intern Will Prim for taking part in the interview. Thanks also to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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When you think of Venezuelan music, perhaps salsa or merengue come to mind. But have you delved into joropo, or llanera music, from the plains in the country’s east?

When you think of string band music like bluegrass, does anything far outside the region of the southern United States jump out as having a parallel makeup, or a kinship that might lend itself to fusing with that tradition?

I freely admit to never dreaming that combining bluegrass with a Latin style was possible, let alone a good fit. Enter Larry & Joe to put these stylistic puzzle pieces together from a distance of thousands of miles, and across cultural divides that make their partnership jump out that much more. Larry Bellorín grew up in Punta de Mata in the state of Monagas, Venezuela, and is a master of the harp and 4-string cuatro, while Joe Troop is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter from North Carolina. Joe is also known from his work in the GRAMMY-nominated string band Che Apalache. Their story is as remarkable as their music.

I spoke with Larry and Joe at the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, NC, ahead of their performance for the Scruggs’ Center’s Center Stage series in July 2024. They are also part of the lineup at the upcoming Earl Scruggs Music Festival in Tryon, NC over labor day weekend 2024. In our conversation, we talk in depth about the duo’s synthesis of musical styles and cultures, we discover why the harp became so popular in Venezuela, and we get into how their music often has themes of social justice with songs and lyrics about immigration and border issues in particular, and their conviction that cultural differences can be overcome without violence and discrimination. Plus, a tutorial on how to roll your r’s! That, and more music from Larry and Joe is all ahead in this episode.

Larry Bellorin (left) and Joe Troop (right) in WNCW’s Studio B performance January 18, 2024. photo: Brenda Craig

Thanks for visiting, and we hope you will follow this series on your podcast platform of choice, and also give it a top rating and a review. When you take a moment to give great ratings and reviews, Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles become much more visible to more music, history and culture fans just like you. You can find us on Apple here, and Spotify here— hundreds more episodes await, including performers at The Earl Scruggs Music Festival like Rissi Palmer, as well as our collaboration with music journalist Craig Havighurst of WMOT, host of the excellent podcast The String, both from last year’s event, as well as our recent episode on a 2024 headliner, Marty Stuart. Speaking of Earl Scruggs, we are especially fond of our episode titled “The Humble Genius of Earl Scruggs”.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to the staff at MerleFest for their help in making this episode possible. Thanks to everyone on staff at the Earl Scruggs Center for their hospitality, and to WNCW intern Will Prim for helping prepare me for the interview. Thanks also to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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When it comes to Marty Stuart, there simply is not enough time or space available to address the enormity and the lasting impact of his music, let alone his life story, here in this episode. We would need a whole year’s worth of podcasts to come close, and I doubt that he would be quite that generous with his time. Luckily, he was generous enough to give us 25 minutes of his time, in which he touched on everything from his time in Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash’s bands to his current work with his band since 2003, The Fabulous Superlatives. There was more, like mention of his ongoing photography project with the Lakota people, which for sake of time is left out even here (although you can read the full transcript of our conversation on my Substack page here).

What you will hear in this episode, though, is a master of his art holding court, telling rich tales filled with vibrant metaphors, as only he can. Joining in the conversation is music artist and lifelong bluegrass and country music fan and historian, Tom Pittman. We spoke with Marty Stuart ahead of his performance in Lenoir, NC in June 2024, which precedes his appearance as a headliner at the Earl Scruggs Festival in Tryon, NC over Labor Day weekend, beginning in late August. As with every episode in this series, there is music as well, ranging from Marty Stuart’s bluegrass to his more recent work, often referred to nowadays as cosmic country (spoiler alert — Marty says he does not even know what that term means).

Marty Stuart

  Earl Scruggs (L) and Marty Stuart (R)

Songs heard in this episode:

“Lost Byrd Space Train (Scene 1)” by Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, from Altitude

“Shuckin’ the Corn” by Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, from Live At The Ryman, excerpt

“Vegas” by Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, from Altitude, excerpt

“I Need To Know” by Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, from Petty Country, excerpt

“Mojave” by Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, from Way Out West

Thanks for visiting, and we hope you will follow this series on your podcast platform of choice, and also give it a top rating and a review. When you take a moment to give great ratings and reviews, Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles become much more visible to more music, history and culture fans just like you. You can find us on Apple here, and Spotify here— hundreds more episodes await, including performers at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival in recent years like Rissi Palmer, Michael Daves, and Della Mae, as well as a collaborative episode from the festival itself with The String podcast host Craig Havighurst.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to the staff at MerleFest for their help in making this episode possible. Thanks also to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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When it comes to artists like Jim Lauderdale and Donna the Buffalo, I think back to a comment that Jerry Douglas made to me in an interview for this series, when he talked about what he called roots music 12 O'clock. Whereas the mainstream comes back around to roots music only so often in this metaphor, for artists like himself it is always roots music 12 O'clock. Like Jerry Douglas, our guests in this episode have always looked to it as their north star, even while they have wound their way around to some of the more prime time hours on the dial in their storied careers.

Since it debuted in 1988, MerleFest has also shown the world what roots music 12 O'clock means on its now 12 stages over the decades, and is a phenomenon that has become much more than the sum of its parts. It made the blueprint for so many other festivals and events, a format which has gone on to become more and more prevalent as one of, if not the, primary way to experience live music.

I caught up with Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear of Donna the Buffalo and Jim Lauderdale at MerleFest in late April 2024, where we talked about their extensive history which goes back before even coming to the festival, memories of time spent with Doc Watson, key differences between old time music and bluegrass music, and much more, including music excerpts from MerleFest performances from Doc Watson as well as Donna the Buffalo, and music from Jim Lauderdale and Donna the Buffalo’s collaborative album Wait ‘Til Spring.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Wait ‘Til Spring“ by Jim Lauderdale With Donna the Buffalo, from Wait ‘Till Spring

“Blue Moon of Kentucky” by Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Alison Krauss et al, from MerleFest Live!: The 15th Anniversary Jam, excerpt

“Conscious Evolution” by Donna the Buffalo, from MerleFest Live!: The Best of 2003, excerpt

“Holding Back” by Jim Lauderdale With Donna the Buffalo from Wait ‘Til Spring

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to the staff at MerleFest for their help in making this episode possible. Thanks also to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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Back in the day, I discovered the music of Bob Wills when I was a fresh faced college DJ at WXYC Chapel Hill. It was like hearing songs from an alternate universe to me, a kid who grew up listening to FM and AM radio’s menu of pop, rock and rap of the day, sprinkled with music bought from cassette clubs and record stores that ventured as far back as Buddy Holly and what we called beach music (which is its own cultural rabbit hole). Being the future audio producer that I was, our apartment’s answering machine messages were dominated by yours truly, and the soundtracks to these boisterous salutes were often songs that I drew from the ever-expanding roster of gonzo artists I found in the radio station’s album library. It was Will’s trademark, drawn out interjection “Ah ha!” — which so often punctuated his music —that grabbed me, an exclamation which record executives first regarded as something from out of this world. Luckily for all of us, they were quickly proven wrong in their assessment that audiences would be turned off by this refrain. That part of the legendary Bob Will’s story, as part of a compelling overview of his life and music, is detailed in this special collaborative podcast episode, thanks to Nicholas Edward Williams.

Welcome to this episode of American Songcatcher, with the story behind the King of Western Swing, Bob Wills. One of the most influential and iconic bandleaders and musicians of the 1930’s-1950’s, Bob came from a humble life of a poor sharecropping family, and was deeply influenced by old time and breakdown fiddle through his Texas state champion family of fiddlers in his father and uncle. Bob also loved all the turn of the century and 1920’s black music, and this confluence of cultures would help him create the craze that became Western swing, and the details of his journey to get there will surprise you.

Bob Wills publicity photo circa 1946

American Songcatcher is one of my favorite podcasts, and it is also part of the programming lineup at public radio station WNCW. Tracing the roots of American music from its cultured past to artists playing it forward, folk musician, musicologist and host Nicholas Edward Williams takes listeners on a unique documentary-style podcast experience. Dive into the stories of centuries-old Traditional songs and migrants who carried their musical heritage here, and uncover the lives of pioneers and integral musicians who created and shaped styles such as Bluegrass, Ragtime, Jazz and Swing, Country, Gospel, Blues, Old-Time, and the Folk music that's derived from it all. Here's to the songs of old, may they live on forever.

Thank you for visiting us and giving this special episode a listen! This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed out theme songs.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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In the first of two episodes from MerleFest in April 2024, we highlight two artists making their debuts at the festival, Nick Shoulders and Adeem the Artist. Following this episode are two artists who have made MerleFest a regular stop over its history — 24 and 26 times, respectively — Jim Lauderdale and Donna the Buffalo.

Gallery images above: (left to right) Nick Shoulders, Adeem the Artist, Adeem the Artist performing at MerleFest 2024, Nick Shoulders’ comic in his series “Country Music History”

Nick Shoulders is from Arkansas, while Adeem the Artist, who now lives in Tennessee, has lineage from North Carolina going back seven generations. As with so many roots music artists, the place where their roots are found is central to their art, and you will hear more about that from both in our conversations here, including excerpts of their latest music.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Hoarse Whisperer” by Nick Shoulders, from All Bad

“Plot of Land” by Adeem the Artist, from Anniversary, excerpt

“Appreciate’cha” by Nick Shoulders, from All Bad, excerpt

“Arkansas Troubler” by Nick Shoulders, from All Bad, excerpt

“Rotations” by Adeem the Artist, from Anniversary, excerpt

“There We Are” by Adeem the Artist, from Anniversary

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to the staff at MerleFest for their help in making this episode possible. Thanks also to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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Hymns and gospel songs have flowed into, and very often, back out of out of every style of music with roots in the American South. From the music itself to its context in worship through choirs, instruments ranging from piano to organ to praise bands, and communal singing, the gospel tradition is, if not front and center in one’s life experience, then at the very least somewhere along the spectrum of influence for everyone native to the region. We touch on this often in episodes of Southern Songs and Stories, with guest artists who lean heavily on the gospel tradition (like The War & Treatyand Darin and Brooke Aldridge), and others who were brought up in church settings and whose music is often informed by gospel music (like Paul Thorn). Gospel music has tremendous depth and width, and here, we focus on one of its many branches, a little known tradition thriving in places like Washington D.C. and Charlotte, NC: the trombone shout band.

According to historian Tom Hanchett, no one seems to know when the trombone shout band tradition began. In the Pentecostal Holiness churches such as the House of Prayer For All People, which is central to our story here, brass bands go back at least a century, but in the early twentieth century, featured a full range of instruments rather than massed trombones. It was a time when brass band music was big everywhere in America, among blacks and whites alike. The House of Prayer took the praise band template and transformed it, with a new and unique instrumental configuration and style, around the 1940s. The history gets murky as to exactly where this happened and who gets credit, but by 1960, trombone shout bands had become synonymous with the United House of Prayer for All People.

Trombone shout band at the United House of Prayer For All People, Charlotte NC (photo: Daniel Coston)

Fast forward to 2024, when Henry Louis Gates Jr. became the face of the PBS documentary series, Gospel. In a series of events described in this episode, the impact of that series reverberated throughout the public television and radio world, eventually making its way to public radio station WNCW. From there, host and producer Kevin Washington and I produced a radio special on gospel music in this region of North and South Carolina especially; I would then, reluctantly at first, go on to help produce a live event at the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, NC that showcased and delved into even more of the region’s gospel music past and present. That event led to my discovery of trombone shout bands, courtesy of Tom Hanchett. From there, it was only a hop, skip and a jump over to producing this podcast. I think you will enjoy finding out about where we landed.

Songs heard in this episode:

Cunningham Spiritual Return, live at The United House Of Prayer in Charlotte, 04/09/24, excerpt

“He’s Still Alive” by Golden Angels Choir, live at The United House Of Prayer in Charlotte, 04/09/24, excerpt

“Keep Oil In Your Vessels” by Clouds of Heaven, from Saint’s Paradise: Trombone Shout Bands from The United House of Prayer, excerpt

“Spiritual Conversation” by Clouds of Heaven, from Saint’s Paradise: Trombone Shout Bands from The United House of Prayer

I hope you enjoy your time here, and that you will follow this series on your podcast platform of choice, and also give it a rating and a review. When you take a moment to give great ratings and reviews, Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles become much more visible on those platforms to more music, history and culture fans just like you. You can find us on Apple here, and Spotify here. This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks also to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. Thanks for listening! - Joe Kendrick

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It was the last gig of a late winter tour, and Daniel Donato was ready to exhale. His band was, too, having had the rare treat of seeing their wives the night before, as they prepared for one more show, a late night performance in Asheville, NC. As Daniel told me, they were all in high spirits, and I knew this bode well for their performance, which dovetailed with the Billy Strings concert in town earlier that evening. Thanks to my friend Greg Gerald, I got to take in Billy Strings’ show before we scooted from downtown to west Asheville for Donato’s set.

Earlier that evening, I spoke with Daniel in the green room at Salvage Station, named for the site’s former use as a salvage yard, in February 2024, where he spoke in depth about his conviction that his life’s work is a service to listeners, his ever-present muse, playing with Bob Weir, and surprisingly to me at least, being an angry kid who was an avid wrestler not all that long ago. Still in his 20s, Daniel Donato has quickly made a name for himself as a kind of musical mystic, a master of the telecaster and a favorite in the burgeoning cosmic country scene.

Joe Kendrick (L) interviews Daniel Donato (R) at Salvage Station in Asheville NC ahead of his show 02-18-24. Photo: Greg Gerald

Songs heard in this episode:

“Dance In the Desert” by Daniel Donato, from Reflector

“Lose Your Mind” by Daniel Donato, from Reflector, excerpt

“Darlin’ Corey” by Daniel Donato, live at The Grey Eagle 03/12/2022, excerpt

“Sugar Leg Rag” by Daniel Donato, from Reflector

Thank you for stopping by! We are glad that you took time to listen, and hope you can help us by spreading awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. From there it takes just a moment to give us a top rating and a review. It makes a great difference because the more top reviews and ratings we get, the more visible we become to everyone on those platforms, which means that more people just like you find musical kinship with artists like Daniel Donato. I would love to hear your comments about that sort of thing and all things Southern Songs and Stories -- you can drop me a line at southernsongsandstories@gmail.com, or hit me up on our Facebook or Instagram pages, and I will be glad to reply.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here.

Thanks to Jason Guadagnino at The Salvage Station for helping make this interview possible, to Greg Gerald for hosting me after the show and for taking photos of our interview. Thanks also to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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It is natural that a second generation bluegrass banjo player would have soaked up as much of Earl Scruggs’ style on the five string as possible when starting out; it is just as natural that they would push outside of those boundaries of the territory staked out by their pioneering forebears. In Tony Trischka’s case, part of this instinct to turn bluegrass on its head early on in his career involved doing things like adding saxophone to an instrumental version of “Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms”, which began with a cacophonous drum solo. Now, we find the habitual trailblazer discovering and reinterpreting never before heard jams from none other than Earl Scruggs himself. It is a bit of a full circle moment, although that is not to say that Tony Trischka ever left the traditional bluegrass fold, either. He is and always was a banjo renaissance man, respected by fans of the roots music avant-garde and the three finger roll alike.

In the past couple of years in his now nearly sixty year career, Tony Trischka has been excitedly traveling down an even deeper Earl Scruggs rabbit hole than even he could ever have imagined. Already at work on another book of re-transcriptions of Earl Scruggs' music, which had previously been transcribed by guitar players, a friend named Bob Piekel sent Tony over 200 home recordings of Earl made by John Hartford, which included other greats like Tony Rice, Mac Wiseman and Del McCoury playing for fun over many years in the 1980s and 1990s. These tapes revealed a side of Earl’s playing, both in style and repertoire, that no one outside of those small circles of musicians ever heard, including multiple versions of songs like "Gentle on My Mind" and "Here Comes the Bride"; Earl playing blues licks on “Cripple Creek”; syncopations that he used only in those private settings. Brimming with inspiration, Tony Trischka crafted an album based on the John Hartford tapes, bringing in players like Sam Bush, Molly Tuttle, Michael Cleveland, Billy Strings and Mark Schatz, to record his new collection titled Earl Jam: A Tribute To Earl Scruggs.

Tony Trischka plays banjo alongside Darol Anger on fiddle

Just after Earl Scruggs’ 100th birth anniversary, and just ahead of his own 75th trip around the sun, I sat with Tony Trischka at the Earl Scruggs Center following his performance at the Remembering Earl concert, which included the Travelin’ McCourys and Jerry Douglas. This episode contains the bulk of that conversation, which was also partially excerpted in our earlier episode titled “An Update, and Two Quick Takes With Tony Trischka and Travis Book”, which includes a portion of Tony’s interview that does not appear here.

Songs heard in this episode:

“John Henry Medley: John Henry/Bonaparte’s Retreat/Twists and Turns” by Tony Trischka, from Territory

“Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms” by Tony Trischka, from Heartlands, excerpt

“Quite Early Morning” by Pete Seeger, from Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection, excerpt

“Dooley” by Tony Trischka, featuring Molly Tuttle and Sam Bush”, from Earl Jam: A Tribute To Earl Scruggs

Thank you so much for visiting! We are grateful that you took time to listen, and hope you can help us by spreading awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. From there it takes just a moment to give us a top rating and a review. It makes a great difference because the more top reviews and ratings we get, the more visible we become to everyone on those platforms, which means that more people just like you find musical kinship with artists like Tony Trishcka, and legends like Earl Scruggs and Pete Seeger. I would love to hear your comments about that sort of thing and all things Southern Songs and Stories -- you can drop me a line at southernsongsandstories@gmail.com, and I will be glad to reply. Speaking of Earl Scruggs, check out our episode titled The Humble Genius of Earl Scruggs, which is chock full of interviews with bluegrass artists sharing their memories of Earl and how he impacted their lives.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here.

Thanks to Mary Beth Martin and Zach Dressel at the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, North Carolina for all their help in setting up my interview with Tony Trischka, and to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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There is a decidedly darker mood in the United States than ever in our lifetimes, it seems. In just one example poll recently, one in five Americans agreed that violence is necessary to get the country back on track. With that in mind, it seems like a good time to remember what happened the last time the country acted on this, when we fought the Civil War. Between 1861 and 1865, at least 1,030,000 people were killed, including about 620,000 soldier deaths—two-thirds by disease—and 50,000 civilians. No major battles were fought in the North Carolina mountains, although there was one particularly dark Appalachian chapter of the bloody nationwide saga, the Shelton Laurel Massacre, which took place in Madison County NC.

Here, we revisit the first of a two-part series that originally published in 2021. The original article, with much more back story, is on our page here, and you can find these and 150 other episodes of Southern Songs and Stories on your podcast app of choice.

Historical marker in Madison County, NC

Songs heard in this episode:

“Bonaparte’s Retreat” by Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith & His Dixieliners

“Beautiful Dreamer” by Hesperus from A Civil War Scrapbook

“8th of January/Cumberland Gap/8th Day of January” by Sheila Kay Adams, from All The Other Fine Things

Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here . You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Carol Rifkin for pointing me to much of the music here, to Sean Rubin for converting tapes of the show Over Home to digital format, and to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs.

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It was one of the first cold days of the fall in the western NC mountains when I trekked up from Spindale to Brevard to talk with Travis Book ahead of his show in town that night. Spindale is perhaps 60 miles away, where I work at WNCW, and with special shortcut directions from a trusted source who travels that route regularly, I figured it would take about an hour to get there. Only that travel time forecast was wildly optimistic, compounded by the fact that I wound up with most of the directions but did not have the last bit, which I figured I would somehow intuit, but could not. So instead of taking about an hour and a half, which was more like normal, I had to stop, then call Travis and ask for directions, and was pushing up against his practice time once I rolled in to his driveway a good two hours after leaving work.

After a quick hello, we sat at Travis’ kitchen table and dove into conversation. The hectic and anxious lead-up to this could have derailed other interviews, but Travis took it in stride, and I seemed to be able to focus some of that nervous energy into a free flowing series of questions and commentary that became the foundation for this episode, which includes music from his solo debut album Love and Other Strange Emotions.

Travis Book plays upright bass along with Jon Stickley on guitar at his Travis Book Happy Hour show at 185 King St. in Brevard NC 11-28-23

Songs heard in this episode:

“A Little Too Much” by Travis Book, from Love and Other Strange Emotions

“Leavin’” by Travis Book, from Love and Other Strange Emotions, excerpt

“The Truth Is Out There” by Travis Book, from Love and Other Emotions

Southern Songs and Stories is currently ranked #14 in Southern podcasts here on feedspot.com, and recently moved up to a top 2.5% globally ranked podcast by Listen Notes, which makes us smile.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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What connects you to the year 1946? Think of the time immediately following World War II, and perhaps black and white images of men in fedoras and women in long dresses come to mind. Maybe you have parents or grandparents who were born around that time, or maybe you know someone who lived then and has past on. It is an era that now seems quite distant for most of us, a kind of abstraction that can be read about but which remains present only in its dusty tomes and mono records. But like all eras of our past, the time when bluegrass music was born remains with us in tangible, even impactful ways. In 1946, Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys recorded their first songs with new members Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, and a new genre of music was born. Born that same year in New York City was Pete Wernick, who came to know all of the Blue Grass Boys as well as most if not all of the other first-generation stars, and played with many of them eventually as well. He remains one of the few people today who embodies a direct link to this era, making it leap from the pages of history across the decades and get us tapping our feet to bluegrass music that is still being born.

Pete Wernick

Songs heard in this episode:

“Waiting For Daylight” by Pete Wernick & Flexigrass, from What The

“Powwow the Indian Boy” by Hot Rize, from Hot Rize, excerpt

“Untold Stories” by Hot Rize, from Untold Stories, excerpt

“Spring Break” by Pete Wernick, from On A Roll

Thank you for visiting us and giving this podcast a listen! This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to everyone at IBMA for their role in making this episode possible, and you can listen to more episodes on this series on artists interviewed at previous IBMA conferences, like Sierra Hull, Bela Fleck, Stephen Mougin and Ben Wright (Sam Bush Band and Henhouse Prowlers respectively), and C.J. Lewandowski (Po’ Ramblin’ Boys), to name a few. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs.

Southern Songs and Stories is currently ranked #13 in Southern podcasts here on feedspot.com, and moved up to a top 2.5% globally ranked podcast by Listen Notes, which makes us smile.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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Here at Southern Songs and Stories, we take some liberties from time to time with what we put forward as songs and stories that fall under the umbrella of the American South. After all, we have featured a band from England (The Ruen Brothers), an artist from Idaho (Eilen Jewell), and several artists out of the sui generis state of Texas (Shinyribs, Joshua Ray Walker, The Deer), for starters. Add to that list the second group from Colorado profiled here (Yonder Mountain String Band being the first), as we bring Durango trio Stillhouse Junkies to the series.

Although all these artists are not from or living in the South (Texas notwithstanding), they all share a musical heritage that has direct connections to the region and its outsized music culture. Stillhouse Junkies is right in line here, with their members playing a style of music taking directly from forms so closely associated with the South, namely bluegrass, blues and country. With that in mind, and knowing that Southern hospitality is a hallmark of the region, we welcome Alissa Wolf, Fred Kozak and Cody Tinnin with open arms to this episode, which features conversation touching on topics ranging from uncommon trio configuration to how that trio format can sound as full as it does on record and at their live performance at the Albino Skunk Music Festival, where we spoke after their set. The band points out the advantages of being from a relatively small city in Colorado and hints at future collaborations, as well as giving us insight into life on the road, and we feature excerpts of music from their Albino Skunk set, which includes new songs that are slated for release later in 2024.

Stillhouse Junkies perform at the Albino Skunk Music Festival in Greer, SC 10/06/23

Photo: John Gillespie Photography

Songs heard in this episode:

“Up River” by Stillhouse Junkies, from Albino Skunk Music Festival

“Colorado Bound” by Stillhouse Junkies at Albino Skunk Music Festival 10-06-23, excerpt

“Johnny Mac” by Stillhouse Junkies at Albino Skunk Music Festival 10-06-23

“Whiskey Prison” by Stillhouse Junkies at Albino Skunk Festival 10-06-23

Thank you for visiting us and giving this podcast a listen! This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to everyone at the Albino Skunk Music Festival; many of the great people at Albino Skunk made this episode possible, and you can listen to more episodes on this series on artists who played there, like Shinyribs, Darrell Scott, Miko Marks and Eilen Jewell. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs.

Southern Songs and Stories is currently ranked #13 in Southern podcasts here on feedspot.com, and moved up to a top 2.5% globally ranked podcast by Listen Notes, which makes us smile.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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It was day five of the IBMAs and I had been up until four that morning, but Stephen Mougin and Ben Wright might have even seen the sun come up that day after they hosted yet another late night music showcase. Technically their showcases shut down around two or three in the morning, but there was always the chance that artists such as Sierra Ferrell might show up and want to jam after folks like myself called it a night, like she did a couple nights before. Such was the atmosphere in Raleigh, NC for the marathon annual fall event — business conference by day, with shows and jam sessions all night. You can probably hear it in our voices that we lacked sleep, but our level of excitement about all of what we had seen and heard remained undiminished.

Stephen Mougin is probably best known for playing guitar in the Sam Bush Band (he is also a producer, engineer, music instructor and band coach), while Ben Wright is the banjo player and a founding member of Henhouse Prowlers (as well as the nonprofit organization Bluegrass Ambassadors); they are also partners in the music label, Dark Shadow Recording. Our conversation touches on the business of bluegrass as well as its culture and history, their insights on the future of the genre, and their work to spread awareness of that music worldwide. Included in this episode is music from the Henhouse Prowlers’ latest album Lead and Iron as well as Stephen Mougin’s solo album Ordinary Soul.

Henhouse Prowlers with producer Stephen Mougin at Dark Shadow Recording studio. (L-R: Jon Goldfine, Jake Howard, Chris Dollar, Stephen Mougin and Ben Wright.) Photo by Madison Thorn.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Lead and Iron” by Henhouse Prowlers, from Lead and Iron

“New Beginnings” by Stephen Mougin, from Ordinary Soul, excerpt

“It’s Not What You Think” by Sam Bush, from Storyman

Thank you for visiting us and giving us a listen! This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed out theme songs. Thanks also to the staff of IBMA for their help in making our interview possible.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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Here at Southern Songs and Stories, there is never a shortage of stories to draw from a seemingly bottomless well of music artists; we only scratch the surface of what we would love for you to hear on this series. But even with that, we have a parallel problem, a good problem if you will, of having a whole lot of material on hand waiting to make it into a podcast episode. I have been anticipating, waiting for the right time to publish episodes featuring a number of artists going back to fall 2023 (and I have to admit that the urge to scratch that itch is strong), and with this mini, hybrid episode, a little bit of that pressure will be released.

Beginning with our most recent interview first, we bring you an excerpt of the conversation with Tony Trischka, recorded in mid-January 2024, following his performance at the Remembering Earl concert to benefit the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, NC. Previewing his forthcoming full episode, Tony tells us here about how the public perception of the banjo has improved over the decades since he began playing the instrument, as well as his unique approach to playing it, and other players who push the envelope that he admires.

Tony Trischka’s new album Earl Jam: A Tribute To Earl Scruggs is one of the most innovative yet unlikely tribute albums in bluegrass music: it began with Tony receiving recordings of Earl Scruggs jamming at his Nashville home in scores of sessions which saw friends John Hartford and a slew of other greats picking and experimenting with traditional and original songs alike. Note for note, Tony meticulously recreated Earl’s banjo work on songs from these jam sessions and, with a full band, brought them to life in an impactful, new context.

Tony Trischka (photo: John Cohen)

After hearing some of Tony Trischka’s conversation, we preview our episode on Travis Book as he tells us about stepping out on his own for a decidedly rock and soul vibe on his first solo album, Love and Other Strange Emotions. And beyond that, we cannot wait to bring you interviews going back to IBMA week, with another legendary artist and banjo player Peter Wernick as well as both Stephen Mougin and Ben Wright, known first as musicians with the Sam Bush Band and Henhouse Prowlers, respectively, but also for their partnership in Dark Shadow Recording. Speaking of that music label, a band on their roster named Stillhouse Junkies played at last fall’s Albino Skunk Music Festival, where we had the chance to hear from all of its members in a lively late night conversation.

Travis Book looks to stage right in Infamous Stringdusters’ set at Carolina In The Fall in 2016

Songs heard in this episode:

“Brown’s Ferry Blues” by Tony Trischka, with Billy Strings, from Earl Jam: A Tribute To Earl Scruggs

“The Truth Is Out There” by Travis Book, from Love and Other Strange Emotions

Thank you for visiting us and giving us a listen! This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed out theme songs. Thanks also to the staff at the Earl Scruggs Center and for their team that put together their Remembering Earl event for all their help in making our interview with Tony Trischka possible.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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Delta blues found its voice and audience on the airwaves of KFFA’s King Biscuit Time, a daily broadcast out of Helena, Arkansas. Bluesmen like Sonny Boy Williamson and Robert Lockwood Jr., who would go on to become legends, interspersed their own songs with advertising jingles. King Biscuit Time, which launched in 1941, gave unprecedented exposure to African American musicians while selling everyday grocery staples like flour and cornmeal. And it’s still on the air. Reporter-producer Betsy Shepherd travels to Helena to tell the story for Gravy.

Today, we’re sharing a special episode from Gravy, produced by our friends over at Southern Foodways Alliance and distributed by APT Podcast Studios. Gravy showcases a South that is constantly evolving, using food as a means to dig into lesser-known corners of the region, to complicate stereotypes, to document new dynamics, and to give voice to the unsung folk who grow, cook, and serve our daily meals.

Listen to more episodes of Gravy and **follow the podcast here**.

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Imagine getting your dream job and immediately being scrutinized for your appearance; being asked to wear a wig that was nothing like your natural hair; being quizzed on obscure bits of the history of your field; being asked whether you took the job as a stepping stone to another one. Imagine getting lots of hate mail about the fact that you look different than everyone else with that job. What about being stopped by security when they did not believe that you were really supposed to be in front of people at your own event? Would you stay in that job? I would not. And neither did Rissi Palmer, at least for a time. Fortunately, she came back in a few years, and she has a remarkable tale to tell, which is reflected in her latest album, Revival.

Palmer tells us about that comeback, which began in earnest with the 2020 debut of her Apple Music series Color Me Country Radio With Rissi Palmer; the love she has for her adopted hometown of Durham, NC; hints of what is to come in her next album, and much more in this episode which features excerpts of her music both live and on album.

Rissi Palmer performs at Earl Scruggs Music Festival 09-03-23 (photo: Joe Kendrick)

Songs heard in this episode:

“Seeds” by Rissi Palmer, from Revival

“I’m Still Here” by Rissi Palmer feat. Miko Marks, excerpt

“Summerville” by Rissi Palmer, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05-12-23

“Speak On It” by Rissi Palmer, from Revival

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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It is that time of year when the pundits and hoi polloi alike sharpen their pencils to whittle down the previous twelve months’ worth of music into crisp, definitive lists of favorites. The intensity of this navel-gazing exercise varies widely, but the imperative remains the same: one must make a top 10 and publish it, preferably with a lot of pomp and fuss.

For someone like myself, a public radio program director, music blogger and podcaster, it is part of my job, so misgivings notwithstanding, you are going to see my top 10 albums of 2023 here. It is a good list. Maybe not what you would pick, but a solid group of great albums which are deservedly celebrated by music aficionados and casual fans alike. But what the list contains is not my focus here; what the list itself represents, and its context are what gives me most pause. There is an accelerating irony at play here, where every favorites list adds to the declining returns of their overall impact, where these tidy summations of a year’s worth of music are a tool that answers the problem of having too much good music for any one person to take in by nailing it all down into a format that presumes we could actually listen to it all.

The amount of music produced now is astounding: there are something like 11,000 songs released daily. For music lovers, that has to be a great thing, right? Well, yes and no. There are a lot of great songs in that 11,000, sure. But even if it were humanly possible to listen to all of them, who would spend all their time that way? And with this much music at our fingertips, how does that affect our listening, and how we value songs and albums? Music is a medium that is more like wallpaper then ever, with each song and album blurring into the background of our near constant consumption of curated playlists and social media reels. There never really was a time when we shared the same well of music to draw from, but our exposure to music was at least far more uniform — back in the day, you might not have cared for Prince, but you could likely hum one of his tunes. Today, you know who Taylor Swift is, but you can avoid her melodies easily enough because there is so much more to choose from on so many more platforms than there were when Prince’s music was inescapable.

We are all more like the blind men from the parable about the elephant than ever before, feeling around the massive musical beast and concluding that what we found in each part of what we explored was its sum total. Every top ten list, every year-end favorites collection springs from this myopia and lands with what is supposed to be a sharply focused picture of at least a large swath of the musical world. This is no great revelation, granted, but the fact that you already knew this on some level does not help you come to terms with a yearly landslide of lists, each of which invariably, probably immediately make you realize just how much you missed. Each of which serves to show you just how few experiences in common you have with your fellow music lovers with every unfamiliar name you read, with every pick that did not make it onto your own list.

That is the heart of it all — those common experiences with music. In our quest to boil down the year’s offerings into a favorites list, we are all abstracting a big chunk of what it means to be alive, and implicitly, hoping that others affirm that experience as well. With much less common ground but far more ground we could cover, we find ourselves sending out our messages in a bottle only to then find the shore piled with bottles containing messages that reflect a world we never knew. In an exercise that works to make sense of the musical universe, to connect with fellow music lovers, and hopefully receive some affirmation of our lived experience, we are more and more looking at a jigsaw puzzle that is impossible to solve, but are still trying to solve it the same way that we did when it had about a million fewer pieces.

This may seem cynical or pessimistic, but truly, I do believe that making a favorites list is still a worthy endeavor. Many of these lists with their unfamiliar artists are a great way to discover compelling new music. I hope you may find something here that inspires you to discover what made me feel most alive in 2023. Would that I could have fallen in love with many more that might have made it onto this list, but then again, that is a good problem to have.

Pony Bradshaw – North Georgia Rounder
Mapache – Swinging Stars
Mighty Poplar – Mighty Poplar
Viv & Riley – Imaginary People
Wednesday – Rat Saw God
Nick Shoulders – All Bad
Miss Grit – Follow The Cyborg
Get Right Band – iTopia
Bella White – Among Other Things
Justin & the Cosmics – Cool Dead

This is not the first time I have written about year-end favorites and the phenomenon of choosing them. Here is an article I wrote in December of 2010, with a focus on the psychology and rationales of list making. Enjoy, and Happy New Year!

During my preparation for a conversation with NPR's Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton about the year in music, and in sorting through all the hundreds of fantastic records in contention, I thought about the whole process of year-end lists and the personalities of those who make them.

There's the erudite list, with artists you've never heard of. The makers of these lists are the holier/obscurer-than-thou stereotype. Anything celebrated by people outside their niche, especially including their past favorite artists that went on to become popular outside those circles, may be pointed out for ridicule.

The inverse of the erudite list is the reverse psychology list, wherein an uber-hipster picks a massive hit or hits in posturing that they are truly self-actualized. "You've got Horse Feathers as number one?! Obviously you just won't admit to the genius of Jack Johnson."

There's the dilettante list, with flavors of the month and ubiquitous hits. The makers of these lists often go by name recognition and may make them after consulting with their hip friends first, and may or may not have actually listened to the albums in question.

Closely related to the dilettante list is the idolater's list, with records from all-time favorite artists. These lists will gladly inhale any bathtub farts, tout covers records as far better than the originals, and if necessary, sift down to collaborations and guest appearances.

The stepchild of the idolater's list is the campaigner's list. This is created by an artist's band mates, girlfriends, relatives and friends in an effort to gain attention that they never got in the form of actual airplay. It often involves alliances with other artists and bands to vote for each others demos and EPs as many times as humanly possible. The aural results of these year-end favorites can resemble a pot luck dinner with everyone bringing, say, casseroles or desserts.

In the same vein of the campaigner's list but from a smaller segment of the music business is the you-scratch-my-back list. Writers, publicists and broadcasters are the usual authors of these paeans to the hands that fed them, with the (usually) conscious decision to keep their supply chain of clientele, favors and access well-greased.

There's the bonus list and the short list, with either more than 10 albums in a top-10 album format, or fewer than 10 (because this year's crop wasn't up to snuff, ya know).

Don't forget Pazz and Jop lists, weighting the picks. In this list, you divvy up 100 points amongst the ten albums according to how good they were.

Also there is the agonized list, with untold numbers of drafts leading up to a year-end favorites list that has been second, third, and fourth guessed.

A cousin of the agonized list is the desperation list, which is often a last-minute exercise in navel gazing that can lead to picking Wolf People when you really liked Wolf & Cub instead but got confused, or dismissing Black Angels because Black Mountain is already a lock and you just can't have too much of the same sounding bands in your list.

There's the atheist or nihilist list, which will be a protest vote of no favorites or something like all reissues from the time period when the list maker still felt alive.

Does anyone make a bottom 10 list? That's what I would like to see.

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It is easy to think of musical genres as enduring, definitive territories that are discovered as much as they are created. But even continents drift, and when you dig deep into the careers of artists who are said to be from musical land X,Y or Z, you find that they often do not stay in one place for long, and are likely to be pushing their home territories in new directions. Nora Jane Struthers and Joe Overton are such artists, having come from the land of old-time and all things grass, but who are now several steps removed from being thought of as residents of only those two domains.

Despite bearing a title that might seem to point back to the old world, Nora Jane Struthers’ latest collection Back To Cast Iron finds the Nashville-based artist striding confidently into more electric, rock and roll type territory. In this episode, she addresses this evolution in her sound; she describes having gone from telling other women’s stories to telling her own; husband and bandmate Joe Overton talks about his love of rock bands like Wednesday and Slow Pulp; we hear how both Nora and Joe balance work and life now that they have two children, and much more. Recorded in October 2023 at the Albino Skunk Music Festival in Greer, SC, this episode also features music from their set.

Nora Jane Struthers

  Nora Jane Struthers with Joe Overton (right, on pedal steel guitar) and band at their Albino Skunk Music Festival performance 10/06/23

Songs heard in this episode:

“Grass” by Nora Jane Struthers, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 10-06-23

“Barn Dance” by Nora Jane Struthers & the Party Line, from Carnival, excerpt

“Bottom of the Glass” by Vivian Leva, from Time Is Everything, excerpt

“Imaginary People” by Viv & Riley, from Imaginary People, excerpt

“Cornbread and Butterbeans” by Carolina Chocolate Drops, from Genuine Negro Jig, excerpt

“Too Little, Too Late, Too Bad” by Rhiannon Giddens, from You’re The One, excerpt

“Can’t Wait To Get Back on the Road” by Nora Jane Struthers, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 10-06-23, excerpt

“I Can Hear The Birds” by Nora Jane Struthers, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 10-06-23

Thank you for visiting us and giving this podcast a listen! This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to everyone at the Albino Skunk Music Festival; many of the great people at Albino Skunk made this episode possible, and you can listen to more episodes on this series on artists who played there, like Shinyribs, Darrell Scott, Miko Marks and Eilen Jewell. We also have an interview with the band Stillhouse Junkies from last fall’s Albino Skunk Fest coming up, as well as conversations with Pete Wernick among others from this fall’s IBMA conference, and Travis Book of the band Infamous Stringdusters, who has a new solo record out.. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs.

Southern Songs and Stories was recently ranked in the top 20 Southern podcasts here on feedspot.com, and remains a top 5% globally ranked podcast by Listen Notes, which makes us smile.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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At Southern Songs and Stories, we have become fans of the WUNC - North Carolina Public Radio podcast The Broadside, and here we collaborate to give you a special presentation of one their recent episodes. The Broadside explores news, history, and pop culture stories rooted in the American South. Plus, the show was recently named “New & Noteworthy” by NPR!

In today’s episode of The Broadside, co-host and producer Charlie Shelton-Ormond looks at the influential, exploitative and evolving world of music in Southern prisons. You’ll hear from a historian and incarcerated musicians, one of which is rapper Deon Thomas. As a person incarcerated in the state of Virginia, Deon doesn’t have access to a recording studio. Instead, he’s part of a small group of artists who record songs through phone calls and distribute them through a prison-only digital music service. It's a modern twist on a long and complicated tradition.

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When was the last time you picked up a book or a magazine instead of going to your smart phone or computer to read about music? I admit that, like so many of us these days, my first instinct is to scroll through social media or look at websites. The rise of digital media along with the ubiquity of smart phones has been nothing short of dramatic; the subsequent decline of print and other physical media is also impossible to ignore. Roots music journal No Depression, like so many others, went out of print in the midst of that sea change, although it continued online. Eventually it would reemerge, however, with new ownership and a new format as a quarterly publication, while offering a website covering music news as well as articles, columns and reviews. In an era where the expense of printing a magazine is more and more impossible to recoup, No Depression has managed to do just that. It remains as one of only a handful of music publications, and that is remarkable by itself. This is just part of our story here, though, as we welcome Assistant Editor and nodepression.com director Stacy Chandler to this episode of Southern Songs and Stories.

Stacy spoke with me at the end of September, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina during the International Bluegrass Music Association’s yearly event. Comprised of a wide ranging music industry conference as well as a music festival, the IBMAs, as it is often called, feature music panels geared towards music artists and professionals, showcase events where attendees can get introduced to new artists, and even Tai Chi classes courtesy of Jim Lauderdale. I was not up at 8 a.m. to take Jim’s classes, but I did take in as much as I could in the whirlwind week of all things bluegrass, including this conversation with Stacy Chandler as well as bluegrass legend Pete Wernick, and both Steve Mougin and Ben Wright, who will be featured in upcoming episodes here.

Stacy Chandler of *No Depression* interviewed at the IBMA conference 09-30-23

In this episode, we touch on the history of No Depression as well as some of the artists and articles in its current issue, plus we share takeaways from this year’s IBMAs while we examine the bigger picture of bluegrass music in 2023. It is a far ranging conversation which focuses on one of the biggest weeks of the year for the genre, the ways bluegrass has changed over the decades, as well as the parallel story of print journalism in the age of smart phones.

Songs heard in this episode:

“No Depression In Heaven” by The Carter Family

“Thirsty” by Mipso, from Book Of Fools, excerpt

“Slipknot > Casey Jones” by The Waybacks & Friends, from One Way Or Another, excerpt

“Listen To The Radio” by Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle, from More Than A Whisper: Celebrating the Music of Nanci Griffith

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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Shinyribs is an Austin Texas band that began in 2007 as a side project for Kevin Russell, who also goes by Kev, and was then still committed to The Gourds, the band he had co-founded fifteen years earlier. A few years later, The Gourds released their last album, and Kev sauntered over to Shinyribs full time. Known for his showmanship on stage and for a big band approach to both the concept and performances of his music, and drawing from a smorgasbord of funky roots-rock, big band swing, Tex-Mex, screaming soul and burlesque blues, while pumping out infectious rhythms and topping it all with hooky harmony, Shinyribs is a party waiting to happen. At least that is what it sounds like on first listen, and looks like at first glance.

Shinyribs is a shindig, and a large one at that, but it is also a vehicle for Kev’s unique brand of poetry, which can point to deeper, darker issues at times, especially on his latest album Transit Damage. I spoke with Kev in early October 2023 on a crisp, clear autumn afternoon in the rolling foothills of the Upstate of South Carolina countryside before Shinyribs’ performance as a headliner at The Albino Skunk Music Festival, where we talked about the secret sauce that went into his new album, about making good records in the studio and being equally good live, how starting Shinyribs felt like a hail mary to him at first, plus we discuss James Brown and an Albino Skunk Fest memory which parallels one of The Godfather of Soul’s signature parts of his shows. There is a lot more, including live music from Shinyribs’ performance from that night, all simply waiting for you to press play.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Simply Belong To You” by Shinyribs, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10-06-23

“Song of Lime Juice and Despair” by Shinyribs, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10-06-23, excerpt

“Dark Cloud” by Shinyribs, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10-06-23, excerpt

“Poor People’s Store” by Shinyribs, recorded live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10-06-23, excerpt

“If Love Is Earned” by Shinyribs, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10-06-23

Thank you for visiting us and giving this podcast a listen! This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to everyone at the Albino Skunk Music Festival as well as John Gillespie for sharing some of his great photos of the Shinyribs show — many of the great people at Albino Skunk made this episode possible, and you can listen to more episodes on this series on artists who played there, like Miko Marks, Darrell Scott, and Eilen Jewell. We also have interviews with Nora Jane Struthers and the band Stillhouse Junkies from this fall’s Skunkfest coming up, as well as conversations with Pete Wernick among others from this fall’s IBMA conference. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed out theme songs.

Southern Songs and Stories was recently ranked in the top 20 Southern podcasts here on feedspot.com, which is worth a look.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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Credit Halloween coming up for this.

You probably know that this podcast has a direct tie to public radio station WNCW — it is produced in studio there where I am program director — but its origin can be traced all the way back to the 2006 Podcaster Con in Chapel Hill, NC, where I witnessed an event reflecting and directing the medium at its inception point, and gathered ideas for my own eventual foray into long form audio. The idea that first came to life was the music talk show What It Is, which aired weekday mornings on WNCW beginning in September 2007 and running until April 2012. Starting with music writers/editors Jeff Eason and Fred Mills, we added writer, musician and WNCW old-time music host Carol Rifkin to the music roundtable before bringing in many more voices over the series’ nearly five year run. In 2009 I began my first blog site for What It Is and started podcasting in earnest — you can reference those archives here.

On What It Is, we had wide latitude and an almost infinite supply of material to work with — after all, most everyone on the show (and especially the late Jeff Eason, Fred Mills and Carol Rifkin) was a music nerd of the highest order, and could talk about their love of it for hours if you let them. One of the themes we explored more than once was science fiction themes in music, first in May 2009 and then again that July. Carol Rifkin was along for the first conversation, which was longer than when Jeff, Fred and I revisited the topic that summer.

Almost fifteen years later, I am digging around for ideas to round out my Halloween themed radio show, and thought back to my days producing What It Is, wondering if we made any episodes touching on the holiday. While we did not make an explicitly Halloween-centered episode, we got a good bit of the way there with these conversations which will give you plenty of ideas for a space-age playlist as we travel back in time for this special holiday podcast of Southern Songs and Stories.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Forbidden Planet” film score opening theme, by Bebe and Louis Barron

“Creature With The Atom Brain” by Roky Erikson, excerpt

“Rock Steady” by Aretha Franklin, excerpt

“The X Files” by Mark Snow

Southern Songs and Stories was recently ranked in the top 20 Southern podcasts here on feedspot.com, which is worth a look.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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For Jonathan Wilson and Bella White, family figures prominently not only in their lives behind the scenes, but also in the musical paths both chose early on. It should come as no surprise that as a boy in rural North Carolina, celebrated producer and artist Jonathan Wilson played in a family band of sorts (he would fill in for various band members in his father’s band at their practices), or that rising star Bella White’s father played in old time and bluegrass bands in Calgary, Canada when she was growing up. What may seem much more novel is that the common thread between their two experiences, separated by decades of time and thousands of miles, is also roots music like country and bluegrass.

For Bella White, roots music like bluegrass is easily identifiable in her sound; for Jonathan Wilson that foundation is not nearly as obvious. But as you will hear in our conversations, their love of music began with their shared background in acoustic roots music in places far beyond the limelight of Nashville or Los Angeles, where their paths eventually led. Bella White brought on Jonathan Wilson to produce her second and latest album Among Other Things, while Jonathan’s latest album Eat The Worm takes off into decidedly psychedelic territory.

I caught up with Bella White after her debut performance at MerleFest last spring, which followed her debut on the Grand Ole Opry, while Jonathan Wilson spoke with me recently by video call from his studio in Topanga Canyon, California. This episode features music from both artists as well as their conversations which touch on everything from Jonathan’s wife using AI in creating his latest music videos to Bella White’s intentional honesty and vulnerability in her songwriting, and much more.

Songs heard in this episode:

“The Way I Oughta Go” by Bella White, from Among Other Things

“Charlie Parker” by Jonathan Wilson, from Eat the Worm, excerpt

“Break My Heart” by Bella White, from Among Other Things, excerpt

“The Village Is Dead” by Jonathan Wilson, from Eat the Worm, excerpt

Thank you for visiting us and giving this podcast a listen! This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. A big thank you to Ayappa Biddanda at Concord, Jonathan Wilson’s manager Peter Sasala and father Al Wilson for their help in setting up interviews for this episode.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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Over the four days of the 2023 Earl Scruggs Music Festival, held at the Tryon International Equestrian Center over Labor Day weekend, I was alternately emceeing performances, working with WNCW staff, taking in as much music as possible and talking with artists when I had the chance.

Here, I spoke with Michael Daves, the renowned guitarist who has played with folks like Chris Thile, Steve Martin, Aoife O'Donovan, Rosanne Cash and Tony Trischka, in addition to his own recordings; songwriter, author and speaker David Lamotte, who performed with the Fine Tuned showcase; Josh Carter of the old-time renaissance band Pretty Little Goat as well as Dean Jenks, who played extensively with Earl Scruggs’ brother Horace. Each pulled questions from a hat, which resulted in animated conversations that found myself and each artist wandering into a kind of zone of roots music serendipity each time they would dig out one of the twenty questions.

Photo credits: Cora Wagoner (Michael Daves, David Lamotte); Eli Johnson (Pretty Little Goat); Joe Kendrick

Songs heard in this episode:

“Flint Hill Special” by Flatt & Scruggs

“If I Should Wander Back Tonight” by Chris Thile and Michael Daves, from Sleep With One Eye Open, excerpt

“Heavy Traffic Ahead” by Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys, excerpt

“Rock Salt & Nails” by J.D. Crowe and the New South, excerpt

Thank you for visiting us and giving this podcast a listen! This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. A big thank you to everyone at the The Earl Scruggs Music Festival, The Earl Scruggs Center, Tryon International Equestrian Center and WNCW for their roles in making this episode possible.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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Conversation with and music from one of roots and Americana music's rising stars

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Ed Snodderly is a renaissance man -- he is a prolific songwriter with a who’s who of artists performing his compositions; his lyrics to the song "The Diamond Stream" are featured in Nashville’s Country Music Hall Of Fame; he is half of the duo The Brother Boys with musical partner Eugene Wolf going back to their inception in the late 1980s, and this year he gave us his tenth solo album, Chimney Smoke. Ed also teaches songwriting at East Tennessee State University’s Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music program; we bring in commentary from one of many notable program graduates, Amythyst Kiah, to this episode as well.

We talk about the title song specifically, as well as what makes this collection, as Ed Snodderly’s press release says, a “quintessential Southern album”. In our conversation via video call, we also take on the meaning of Americana, what artists get from studying music from previous decades and centuries, how he sees the live music business in the age of COVID-19, and much more, including music from Ed’s new album.

Ed Snodderly

Songs heard in this episode:

“Chimney Smoke” by Ed Snodderly, from Chimney Smoke

“Just Like You River” by Ed Snodderly, from Chimney Smoke, excerpt

“Better Just Ride The Mule” by Ed Snodderly, from Chimney Smoke, excerpt

“Crow’s Fever” by Ed Snodderly, from Chimney Smoke

We appreciate it so much when you tell someone about this series, and it is easy to follow us on your podcast platform of choice, where it will only take a minute to give us a good rating, and where it is an option, a review. When you do that, it makes this series go up in the rankings, which means that more people just like you will find it, and more people will get turned on to the artists and endeavors we profile. This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng who wrote and performed our theme songs.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. — Joe Kendrick

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Conversation with and live music from the country soul artist Miko Marks

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Conversation with the North Carolina by way of Georgia music artist along with commentary and music from his live performance as well as his fourth album and his radio show

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It is that time of year again -- the beginning of summer and in the U.S., Independence Day. The July 4th holiday is celebrated in many ways, including in song, like the one that starts off this podcast, Billy Stewart’s version of the George Gershwin and Edward Dubose Heyward classic “Summertime”. With over 25,000 versions recorded in its now almost 90 year history, it is the most recorded song in the world.

What are your favorite songs for the summer and for the holiday? We talk about the abundance of summertime and July 4th soundtrack possibilities in this episode, as we go back in time to a conversation I had on public radio station WNCW on my old show What It Is, a music talk show that featured a rotating roster of guests -- writers, music artists, DJs from WNCW and elsewhere, and music professionals. What It Is aired from 2007 to 2012, and this episode is from 2010, with the late Jeff Eason, along with then-WNCW host Zak Sitter, and Carol Rifkin, who continues to host the old time music show This Old Porch on WNCW on Sunday afternoons.

Fireworks! (photo: Jill Wellington)

Songs heard in this episode:

“Summertime” by Billy Stewart

“Rock Steady” by Aretha Franklin, excerpt

“The Star Spangled Banner” by Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, from Flight Of The Cosmic Hippo

Thanks for dropping by, and we are even more grateful whenever you share this with someone. Sharing in person is tops, but please also follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a top rating and, where it is an option, a review. It makes a great impact! Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to find a home with more fans. This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng who wrote and performed our theme songs.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. — Joe Kendrick

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This story begins with Citizen Vinyl, a combination vinyl pressing plant, recording studio, bar and restaurant in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, in the old Citizen-Times building. Built in the late 1930s, it was originally the home of two newspapers and the WWNC radio station. Wanting to host more events there, Citizen Vinyl reached out to Greg Cartwright, well known for his work in his band Reigning Sound; Greg then invited Amanda Anne Platt, who has been playing with her band The Honeycutters for more than a decade, and a relatively new artist in the Asheville scene, Wes Pearce.

Postcard from 1939 depicting Asheville, NC’s Pritchard Park and WWNC radio station

The three artists shared the stage on the ground floor of the three story building, in the open space between the bar, record shop and pressing plant, and played from their existing catalog of songs as well as many brand new songs that have not yet had their chance to make it into the adjacent room to be pressed into discs. The audience was quiet and attentive, and while Amanda, Greg and Wes played, the rest of the world receded to the background as everyone focused on the trio, who took turns playing their songs on acoustic guitar.

After their set, Amanda, Greg, Wes and I went upstairs to the old WWNC live performance studio to talk about the romantic atmosphere of their show, the resurgence of vinyl’s popularity and how the collectability of 45s and LPs has flipped since COVID-19 changed so much for all of us, how they navigate their music careers post-COVID, the local Asheville scene and more.

Live performance from 1939 on the radio in the WWNC studio where we taped our interview

Songs heard in this episode:

Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters “The Road” from Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters

“Burden” by Wes Pearce, from Death & Darlins, excerpt

“Alive” by Reigning Sound, from Memphis In June, excerpt

“Girls Like You” by Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters, from The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Thanks for dropping by, and we are even more grateful whenever you share this with someone. Sharing in person is most appreciated, but please also follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a top rating and, where it is an option, a review. It is hugely impactful when you do this! Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to find a home with more fans. This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng who wrote and performed our theme songs. Thanks also to Greg and Amy Gerald for hosting me during my stay in town and to Gar Ragland and everyone at Citizen Vinyl for their hospitality.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. — Joe Kendrick

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It was a warm and picturesque spring day in the South Carolina countryside, just outside of the city of Greer, on the grounds of the Albino Skunk Music Festival, which got its name from some white skunks that were on the property, land which used to be a working farm. Now a largely wooded little valley of twenty plus acres, with one stage and many vintage RVs and campers that have been repurposed as a green room, accommodations, even storage, as well as a 1951 GMC bus that was originally owned and operated by Greyhound, which still runs and occasionally travels to other festivals. I sat with Eilen Jewell at the building dubbed the Nap Shack, on the hillside behind the stage.

(L to R) Jerry Miller, Eilen Jewell, Jason Beek, Matt Murphy perform at the Albino Skunk Music Festival 05-13-23

It has been a tumultuous couple of years or so for Eilen Jewell. Much of the adversity and life lessons she took from this time are chronicled on her new album Get Behind The Wheel, her first involving an outside producer, Will Kimbrough — we touch on that as well as her love of Loretta Lynn, how she took her dad’s record collection as a kid, which transported her to a past filled with artists like Mississippi John Hurt and Bessie Smith that continue to inspire her today, and how her young daughter has picked up playing the guitar without learning, as Eilen says, all her own bad habits on the instrument.

Songs heard in this episode:

Eilen Jewell “Where They Never Say Your Name” live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05-13-23

“The Bitter End” by Eilen Jewell, from Get Behind The Wheel, excerpt

“The Pill” by Eilen Jewell, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05-13-23

“Alive” by Eilen Jewell, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05-13-23

Thank you for being here, and we are even more grateful whenever you share this with someone. Sharing in person is most appreciated, but please also follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a top rating and, where it is an option, a review. Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to find a home with more fans. This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng who wrote and performed our theme songs. Thanks also to Charles Wiggins at the Isothermal Community College library for pointing me to examples where people talked about feeling like they were born too late, as well as Touring Logistics for supplying audio of the live performances at Albino Skunk, to Mark Johnson for recording Eilen Jewell’s performances, and to Zig and everyone at the festival for their generous hospitality.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. — Joe Kendrick

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We talked for an hour and a half and could have easily talked for much longer, although even in this relatively short time, it felt like our conversation was far greater than the time it occupied, almost like seeing the whole world in a grain of sand. Collaboration was the main topic we discussed, and as you will hear, collaboration for Peter Rowan comes naturally, and goes a lot deeper than just the songs themselves. Sixty years ago, he set foot on a path that would lead to one of his most noteworthy collaborations with Bill Monroe, joining the Blue Grass Boys in 1963. It was with Bill that he wrote the song “The Walls Of Time”, and in our conversation he details its genesis in a fateful sunrise experience with an enduring impact on him all those years ago.

Following his years with Monroe, Peter Rowan collaborated with Jerry Garcia, Tony Rice, Flaco Jimenez, David Grisman and more recently, Molly Tuttle, to name just a few. Peter and I talk about those collaborations; about standing close to the fire of the great Bill Monroe; which roots music artists from younger generations have that fire today; we dive into a bit of music theory as well as Buddhist concepts that can also apply to music, and much more in this easy going and far reaching conversation.

Peter Rowan

Songs heard in this episode:

“The Walls Of Time” by Peter Rowan, from Crucial Country

“Doc Watson Morning” by Peter Rowan, from The Old School, excerpt

“Midnight On The Stormy Deep” by Bill Monroe, excerpt

“Midnight Moonlight” by Old & In The Way, from Old & In The Way, excerpt

“Squeeze Box Man” by Peter Rowan, from Texican Badman

Thank you for visiting, and are even more grateful whenever you share this with someone. Please follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a good rating and, where it is an option, a review. Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng who wrote and performed our theme songs. Thanks also to our guests, and we encourage you to check out their work.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. — Joe Kendrick

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Hello and welcome to Southern Songs and Stories, with a favorite episode from 2021 here on this re-podcast of The Country Heart and Jazz Mind of Sierra Ferrell, published in late July of that year. Since then, Sierra Ferrell has enjoyed seeing the ranks of her fans swell on the heels of Long Time Coming, her album released later that summer. Currently, she is working on her next album with a bigger sound, including drums and pedal steel guitar, as well as fiddle tunes.

Sierra Ferrell at the Albino Skunk Music Festival in May 2021

I interviewed Sierra Ferrell at the Albino Skunk Music Festival, which is happening again this week, May 11th through 13th in Greer SC, where I plan on interviewing more artists for future episodes here, so as we say in radio, stay tuned! Hopefully everything will line up for conversations with Miko Marks, Jake Xerxes Fussell and Eilen Jewell. Hope I am not jinxing things by saying that before I have the interviews in hand!

And a big tip of the hat to the Albino Skunk Festival, which is always punching above its weight with getting such great artists. Sierra Ferrell has blown up after playing there, and in its decades long history, internationally known artists like Lake Street Dive, The War and Treaty and Billy Strings have played the festival many times. The War and Treaty talked with me at Albino Skunk in 2019, by the way, and that remains one of my favorite episodes here as well.

Just two weeks ago I was at Merlefest where I interviewed Peter Rowan and Bella White, and you should be seeing episodes with their conversations here before too long. Lots going on as always in podcast land, and I hope to share another bit of positive news here soon, but nothing is set in stone so that will have to wait. What will not have to wait is for you to share Southern Songs and Stories with someone you know who likes music, or history and culture, and follow and give us a top rating on your podcast platform of choice.

Oh, and speaking of history, thanks to one of my favorite podcasts, The Road to Now, for sharing a clip from my podcasts on The Shelton Laurel Massacre on one of their recent episodes. You can find The Road To Now on Osiris Media, and co-host and Avett Brothers bass player Bob Crawford recently published his podcast miniseries Founding Son, on America’s sixth president John Quincy Adams, which is well worth a listen also.

Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy our episode on Sierra Ferrell.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Lonesome Woman Blues” by Sierra Ferrell live at Albino Skunk Festival 05/14/21

“I’d Do It Again” by Sierra Ferrell, live at Albino Skunk Festival 05/14/21, excerpt

“T For Texas” by Sierra Ferrell, live at Albino Skunk Festival 05/14/21, excerpt

“Whispering Waltz” by Sierra Ferrell, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/14/21, excerpt

“Why’d Ya Do It” by Sierra Ferrell, live at Albino Skunk Festival 05/14/21, excerpt

“In Dreams” by Sierra Ferrell, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/14/21

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They call it “Klezgrass”. Taking equal parts bluegrass and klezmer, husband and wife duo Zoe & Cloyd use fusion as their north star to guide their musical direction on their latest collection Songs Of Our Grandfathers. John Cloyd Miller and Natalya Weinstein’s fifth album draws from songs associated with John’s grandfather Jim Shumate, the fiddle player known for his time with Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs, and Natalya’s grandfather David Weinstein, a professional klezmer musician.

In this episode, John Cloyd Miller and Natalya Weinstein talk about the concept of their new collection, the importance of harmony to their sound and more, plus we welcome WNCW’s jazz host Roland Dierauf, as we dive into the world of old-time, bluegrass and klezmer music, featuring new music from Zoe & Cloyd, and sampling a famous jazz fusion record along the way as well.

John Cloyd Miller and Natalya Weinstein (photo By Sarah Johnston Photography**)**

Songs heard in this episode:

“Bei Mir Bistu Sheyn” by Zoe & Cloyd, from Songs From Our Grandfathers

“On the Corner” by Miles Davis, from On the Corner, excerpt

“Up and At ‘Em” by Zoe & Cloyd, from Songs Of Our Grandfathers, excerpt

“We’ll Meet Again Sweetheart” by Zoe & Cloyd, from Songs Of Our Grandfathers

Thank you for visiting, and are even more grateful whenever you share this with someone. Please follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a good rating and, where it is an option, a review. Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng who wrote and performed our theme songs. Thanks also to our guests, and we encourage you to check out their work.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. — Joe Kendrick

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To be honest, I had never considered The Get Right Band to be psychedelic, and before hearing their album iTopia, had thought of them more as a kind of power pop group. But when I started diving in, one of the first things that jumped out was their own description of themselves as a “psychedelic indie rock power trio”, which was a kind of “a-ha” moment, because I was also listening to the new compilation Psychedelic States: The Carolinas in the 60s and thinking of how to include it in an episode here. Although Psychedelic States and iTopia were separated by more than a fifty year span, and by their overall sound -- with The Get Right Band producing a far more crisp, bright and layered collection than what the scores of bands in the Psychedelic States compilation made -- the through line was undeniable: all of these songs are from North and South Carolina artists who are tagged as “psychedelic”. These were simultaneous discoveries that were just begging to be put side by side. First, we have a current band that proclaims to be psychedelic which I had not thought of in that context (iTopia certainly is), and second, we have a massive, three disc compilation of first generation psychedelic bands that were all but forgotten -- with the overall feeling of discovering an extinct species in our backyard, only to find that there is a ‘Psychedelisaurus’ alive and well in the same area.

The Get Right Band

Starting with the dawn of psychedelia in the mid 1960s, there has been a veritable rabbit hole of trippy music coming from both of the Carolinas, which Ken Friedman helped document in the new three volume set Psychedelic States: The Carolinas in the 60s. Carrying the mantle of mind bending music in 2023 is Asheville NC trio The Get Right Band, who have released the concept album iTopia, their sixth and most ambitious collection. In this episode, you will hear from The Get Right Band’s front man Silas Durocher and radio veteran and record hound Ken Friedman about the history of psychedelic music in the Carolinas, how the Psychedelic States compilation came into being against some pretty tall odds, and about The Get Right Band’s new album, its concept and creation, and musical excerpts from both collections.

Bands from Psychedelic States: The Carolinas in the 60s

Songs heard in this episode:

The Electric Prunes “I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night”, excerpt

“iTopia” by The Get Right Band, from iTopia

“If I Had It” by The Wyld, from Psychedelic States: The Carolinas in the 60s, excerpt

“Black Holes of Negativity part 3 (saying no)” by The Get Right Band, from iTopia, excerpt

“I Guess That’s Why” by Teen-Beets, from Psychedelic States: The Carolinas in the 60s, excerpt

“Hell Yes, Refresh” by The Get Right Band, from iTopia

Thank you for visiting, and are even more grateful whenever you share this with someone. Please follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a good rating and, where it is an option, a review. Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng who wrote and performed our theme songs. Thanks also to our guests, and we encourage you to check out their work.

Want to hear more about North Carolina’s often overlooked musical legacy? In this episode Ken Friedman mentioned that Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple were among the kids who picked up on the vibe of local acts like Teen-Beets -- Stamey and Holsapple would form The dB’s, who were hugely influential and popular in the New Wave era. My hunch is that you would probably enjoy our previous episode titled We Thought You Wanted To Know, Too: Peter Holsapple and The dB’s

Also, there is much more conversation with Silas Durocher and Ken Friedman that did not make it into this episode. So if you’re wanting to hear those in full, please let me know, and you can find me on social media and by email at southernsongsandstories.com.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. — Joe Kendrick

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Half a century ago, one of the first all-female bluegrass bands gave us the genre’s first album played exclusively by women; their banjo player’s mother was embarrassed about her daughter’s choice of profession. It was only fifty years or so after the passage of the 19th Amendment, after all.

Today, there are more all-female bluegrass and roots music bands, but they remain an exception. Join us as we talk with two of the best: the newgrass oriented quintet Della Mae, and the more high lonesome minded five piece Sister Sadie. Both groups have a range of generations in their ranks, and plenty of experience with taking on hurdles that female artists of every age still face all these years after Buffalo Gals took those first steps on their shared paths.

Della Mae (standing) and Sister Sadie (sitting)

In this episode, we talk in wide ranging conversations ranging from songwriting, collaborations, covers and solo projects, to keeping both themselves and their audiences fully engaged, and we sample some of their latest music throughout. You will hear what both have in store for the coming year as well, which includes being part of the lineup of the 2nd annual Earl Scruggs Music Festival on Labor Day weekend in Tryon, North Carolina.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Raleigh’s Ride” by Sister Sadie, from Sister Sadie II

“Dry Town” by Della Mae, from Family Reunion, excerpt

“Diane” by Sister Sadie, excerpt

“Something You Didn’t Count On” by Jaelee Roberts, from Something You Didn’t Count On, excerpt

Thank you for visiting, and are even more grateful whenever you share this with someone. Please follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a good rating and, where it is an option, a review. Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng who wrote and performed our theme songs. Thanks also to our guests, and we encourage you to check out their work. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. — Joe Kendrick

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It would be very easy to think that rap and hip hop have little if anything in common with music like bluegrass and old time. After all, we have been led to believe that these styles of music come from cultures on opposite sides of the musical spectrum. How could the two have any common ground? Actually, they have many more connections than you might imagine. This connection is embodied in groups like Gangstagrass and in recent work by Jake Blount, and as members of Gangstagrass point out in our conversation here, rap and folk music both stem from the same instincts. At its heart, this is about a musical path that diverged centuries ago, or at least seemed to.

In this episode we speak with Dolio the Sleuth, Rench the Mastermind and B.E. Farrow of Gangstagrass, as well as Dan Tyminski, who performed with them last fall, and we welcome Dr. Jordan Laney of Virginia Tech and the Virginia Rural Health Association, and author, podcaster and former editor at No Depression and Folk Alley, Kim Ruehl, as we unravel a story that began centuries ago, but has only recently reached a pivotal chapter in its history.

Gangstagrass

Songs heard in this episode:

“Floo-id” by Turbo Pro Project, from Daydream, excerpt

“The Downward Road” featuring Demeanor, by Jake Blount, from The New Faith, excerpt

“Ride With You” by Gangstagrass, from No Time For Enemies, excerpt“Talking Columbia” by Woody Guthrie, from Hard

Travelin’: The Asch Recordings, Vol. 3, excerpt“Nickel and Dime Blues” by Gangstagrass, from No Time For Enemies

We are glad you came by, and are even more grateful whenever you share this with someone. Please follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a good rating and, where it is an option, a review. Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng who wrote and performed our theme songs. Thanks also to our guests, and we encourage you to check out their work. You can find more about Kim Ruehl on her podcast Why We Write, and soon you can hear Jordan Laney’s podcast The Bessie Lee Society. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. — Joe Kendrick

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The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys’ C.J. Lewandowski sat with us at the International Bluegrass Music Association conference and festival in Raleigh, North Carolina in early Fall, 2022, and our conversation touched on everything from the often unflinching nature of their approach to subject matter, how he views his band as “progressively traditional”, their love of George Jones songs, how C.J.’s home state of Missouri factors into their music, and how he came to own Jimmy Martin’s pickup truck, and much more, along with music from the quintet, including new music from their next album, a collection featuring two songs with Jim Lauderdale.

C.J. Lewandowski of The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys at IBMA in Raleigh, NC, fall 2022

Songs heard in this episode:

“Hickory, Walnut & Pine” by The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, from Toil, Tears & Trouble

““For Me, It’s Hello” by The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, from God’s Love Is So Divine, excerpt

“Last Resort” by Jim Lauderdale with The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, excerpt

“Old Time Angels” by The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, from Never Slow Down

We are glad you stopped by for a visit, and are even more grateful whenever you share this with someone. It is super easy to follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a good rating and, where it is an option, a review. Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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Sierra Hull won her fourth award for Mandolin Player Of The Year at the IBMA conference in fall of 2022, a feat that would not have been within her grasp in the not-too-distant past. Now, women like Sierra Hull, Natalya Weinstein of Zoe & Cloyd and the group Della Mae can and do receive the recognition that women before them, like Becky Buller and Claire Lynch, worked so hard to put within their reach. We welcome all these artists to this episode where we tackle the question of what it takes to be a leading lady in bluegrass. Their answers reveal an array of challenges but also a number of positives about being a woman in a scene that has come a long way just in the past decade.

This episode has two parts: first, we hear from Sierra Hull about everything from coming up with a mentor like Alison Krauss to becoming a mentor herself, to how she is never satisfied as a musician and how that has made her push her boundaries, and what she has in store for a very busy year. Then, we hear from our other guests about the question of overcoming hurdles and finding their place in the spotlight.

Sierra Hull at the convention center in Raleigh NC during the IBMAs in October 2022

Songs heard in this episode:

“The Last Minute” by Sierra Hull, from 25 Trips

“Poison” by Sierra Hull, from 25 Trips, excerpt

“Bulgar Sigansky” by Zoe & Cloyd, from Songs Of Our Grandfathers, excerpt

“Didn’t Die” by Becky Buller, from ‘Tween Earth and Sky, excerpt

“The Day That Lester Died” by Claire Lynch, from Crowd Favorites, excerpt

“Peg Monster” by Della Mae, from Headlight

Thanks for listening to this episode, and I hope you might tell someone you know about the series. You can follow us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, you name it. And once you do that, it really helps when you give it a good rating and a review. Top ratings and reviews help greatly to make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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For his 99th birth anniversary, WNCW honored the late great Earl Scruggs by sharing portions of interviews with artists who knew him, broadcasting stories ranging from brief encounters in young adulthood, like Sierra Hull’s memories of Earl, on to years of friendship and collaboration with guests like John McEuen and Pete Wernick (note: Sierra Hull will also be our featured guest in her upcoming episode). These conversations were rich and deep, and helped me understand Earl Scruggs as the man in ways that were at turns surprising, but always inspiring. I asked everyone here essentially the same two questions: tell us your favorite memories or stories about Earl, and talk about his impact as an artist and how that legacy continues since he has been gone. It all adds up to three and a half hours of audio (!), and it should be no surprise that there is a ton of gold to be mined in all those conversations; here is a synopsis, a sampling of everyone’s thoughts, insights and memories. This episode hones in on the stories that reveal Earl Scruggs as a humble genius, a quiet and kind man who was in so many ways the same farm boy and mill worker from the foothills of western North Carolina even after living in a mansion in the heart of Nashville. Plus, there is plenty of talk about the genius and enduring legacy of Earl Scruggs, whose namesake lives on in the form of not only his vast catalog of recordings, his songwriting and revolutionary playing style, but also in the Earl Scruggs Center in his home county, housed in the county courthouse built in 1907 in downtown Shelby NC, as well as the Earl Scruggs Music Festival, which began in 2022 and continues on Labor Day weekend in 2023 in nearby Tryon NC.

Earl Scruggs

In this episode we welcome Kristin Scott Benson, Travis Book, Alison Brown, Sam Bush, Jeff Hanna, Vince Herman, John McEuen, Jim Mills, Earl’s nephew J.T. Scruggs, Pete Wernick, and even my dad, who gives us a glimpse of what a Scruggs family gathering was like in the 1950s.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Earl’s Breakdown” by Flatt & Scruggs

“You Are My Flower” by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, from Will the Circle Be Unbroken, excerpt

“Hot Corn Cold Corn” by Flatt and Scruggs, from Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall, excerpt

“Some Of Shelley’s Blues” by The Earl Scruggs Revue, excerpt

“Foggy Mountain Breakdown” by Flatt & Scruggs

Thanks for stopping by! Would you share this episode with someone too? It takes just a click to follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a good rating, and on platforms with the option, a review. Great ratings and reviews will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you.

Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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2022 was a very good year for Charley Crockett. It was another prolific period for the Texan artist, who is mostly known as a country musician, although the breadth and depth of his music cannot be grasped with just that one handle. His first collection of 2022, Lil' G.L. Presents: Jukebox Charley found Crockett in his covers mode, which he has employed often since he burst on the scene in 2018 with his albums Lonesome As A Shadow and Lil' G.L.’s Blue Bonanza.

The Man From Waco, his 2022 album of originals, is a revelation. Listening to it for the first time on a road trip, I was a bit stunned because even though I loved his music before, I was not prepared for a record this diverse, for songs this good. It was like Charley Crockett found another gear, and it was well before the whole 44 minutes and 50 seconds of it played that I knew it was my likely favorite of the year. It was not just my favorite; it was a lot of people’s favorite, including WNCW listeners and staff, whose votes vaulted it to the overall number one spot in the Top 100 of 2022.

With a holiday break in between our last, Christmas themed episode and our next episode on banjo icon Earl Scruggs, it seemed like an ideal time to revisit our conversation with Charley Crockett from late summer 2020. You can reference the original article accompanying that podcast here. - Joe Kendrick

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2022 has been a year of firsts at Southern Songs and Stories. Beginning with our first guest host, WNCW’s Corrie Askew took stock of her favorite episodes of this series in the previous year. We went even further back in time to revisit Green Acres Music Hall with an episode summing up the first three podcasts on the beloved music venue, and focusing on previously unheard conversations with Green Acres alumni Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, John Cowan and Acoustic Syndicate. Speaking of Bela, we profiled him on his own episode which was based on a conversation we had at the IBMAs, one of many with artists there who will be featured in coming episodes. There was even an episode without a guest, when I asked the question “Why is live music so good?”, which was also made into an NFT. In addition, we collaborated with author and The String podcast host Craig Havighurst on an episode based on our conversation at the inaugural Earl Scruggs Music Festival, titled Southern Strings and Stories.

And now, another first, a collaborative episode with a Christmas theme. Plus ukuleles. And Bigfoot.

Cleveland County, NC is home to ukulele band The Dancing Fleas, and is also reported to be the stomping grounds of Knobby the Bigfoot (while it is definitely home of the Yeti, the mascot of Cleveland Community College) . Collaborating with band leader Jason Lineberger on the concept, script and production of this episode, we dreamed up an old time radio theater setting with his sprawling party band at the center of this tale. Amidst the backdrop of the grand Southern tradition of the Christmas Casserole Cook Off, the Fleas seek to recapture the spirit of the holiday season in a quest which finds them taking on a rival Poison tribute band, disdain for all things New Jersey, even Knobby himself.

The Dancing Fleas performing at the White Horse Black Mountain

Songs heard in this episode:

“The Fleas Are Here!” by the Dancing Fleas

“The Funky Flea” by the Dancing Fleas

Thanks for visiting! Would you share this episode with someone too? It takes just a click to follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a good rating, and on platforms with the option, a review. Great ratings and reviews will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you.

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When you think about the history of the banjo, its modern context seems ironic in that so many people who enjoy banjo music are unaware of its origin story and any other context than bluegrass and old time. The banjo has become closely associated with string bands especially from the American South of the mid 20th century onwards, while its early American, let alone its African and Caribbean origins tend to be ignored or forgotten.

While his spark was lit by players from the dominant narrative like Earl Scruggs, Bela Fleck was destined to take the banjo on a musical journey that is nothing short of epic. Bela played the Scruggs style; he pushed the envelope with that style in New Grass Revival; he invented his own language on the instrument with his band the Flecktones; he went on to put it square in the middle of collaborations with artists from Africa and India, among many other pioneering works.

Joe Kendrick (L) and Bela Fleck (R) at IBMA in Raleigh, NC 09-29-22

In late September 2022, I sat with Bela Fleck in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina at the convention center where the International Bluegrass Music Association was holding its annual conference and festival, an event which saw Bela win “Album of the Year”, “Instrumental Group of the Year”, “Instrumental Recording of the Year” and “Banjo Player of the Year”. My Bluegrass Heart won a Grammy award for best bluegrass album, too. They were his first awards at the event since the dissolution of his former band New Grass Revival more than thirty years ago.

In the hours before those IBMA awards came his way, we spoke about his return to bluegrass, how the form is underestimated among many in other circles, what he thinks roots music needs most right now, which to give you a hint is not more instrumental virtuosos, his dream collaborations and much more.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Vertigo” by Bela Fleck from My Bluegrass Heart

“Wheels Up” by Bela Fleck from My Bluegrass Heart featuring Sierra Hull and Molly Tuttle, excerpt

“Slippery Eel” by Bela Fleck from My Bluegrass Heart featuring Billy Strings and Chris Thile, excerpt

“Hunky Dory” by Bela Fleck from My Bluegrass Heart, excerpt

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Barrett Davis talks about his debut album The Ballad Of Aesop Fin, how he brought Woody Platt of Steep Canyon Rangers' fame into the project, his faith and more. Including music excerpts from Davis' debut and commentary from host Joe Kendrick

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Conversations touching on artists from North Carolina like Aaron Burdett, River Whyless, and Scruggs Fest featured artists Fireside Collective and Chatham Rabbits, plus up and comer Cristina Vane, who calls Nashville home. You will get to hear music excerpts of all of those artists in this episode. Of course, we also talk about the festival’s namesake, Earl Scruggs, who grew up in nearby Cleveland County, North Carolina. It is a lively conversation with one of the best podcasters and music journalists you will ever find.

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As a lifelong Southerner, and a mostly small-town Southerner all these years, I can understand when people want to get out of their small, Southern town in favor of a city with more people of like minds. And as that mostly happy small-town Southerner, I can understand why people want to get out of the city and put themselves in that countryside. Both scenarios play out on the regular here in red dirt country, with results that mirror our current national tendency towards polarization between city and country. Very seldom do you find someone with the depth and talent level of an S.G. Goodman choosing to stay in a small town in a rural setting, with all of its tragedies and shortcomings firmly in mind, over practically any other place of their choosing in the whole U.S. As S.G. Goodman said in another interview, what you find commonly is people in rural places tending not to listen to outsiders, and progressively minded people leaving and taking their ideas with them. She, however, is taking a road few have traveled: she embraces her homeplace as part of her resolve to see change by living it out in front of people.

S.G. Goodman (photo: Meredith Truax)

S.G. Goodman spoke with me following her live performance on public radio WNCW on September 20th, 2022, and we present two songs from that live set here, as well as album tracks from her second collection titled Teeth Marks. Our conversation touches on her love of her Kentucky homeland, where she does not shy away from the manual labor that she first knew growing up on her family farm. She also takes note of the region’s tragedies which, at times, have served as a catalyst to pave the way for the greater good, plus we go in depth about two songs at the center of her new album: “Work Until I Die” and “If You Were Someone I Loved”.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Work Until I Die” by S.G. Goodman, from Teeth Marks, excerpt

“Space and Time” by S.G. Goodman, performed live on WNCW 09-20-22, excerpt

“If You Were Someone I Loved” by S.G. Goodman, live on WNCW 09-20-22

“All My Love Is Coming Back To Me” by S.G. Goodman, from Teeth Marks

Thanks for listening, and we would be even more grateful were you to share this episode with someone. It is super easy to follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a good rating, and on platforms with the option, a review. Great ratings and reviews will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you.

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For a place as remote as Ashe County, NC, you could be forgiven for overlooking it as a wellspring for musical talent. But music seems to flow naturally out of the Appalachian mountains in and around towns like Sparta, NC, where artists like Brian Swenk grew up. Our recent episode on banjo player Tray Wellington gives another example of how the region punches above its weight with its long track record of producing great roots music artists: Frank Blevins and his Tarheel Rattlers, the Carolina Night Hawks, Clarence “Tom” Ashley, and Ola Belle Reed all hail from Ashe County as well.

Even though many artists mentioned above moved away, they never forgot their homeplace. Recently I witnessed both Tray Wellington and Brian Swenk returning to the mountains to make music and give back to the cultural traditions that gave them their start, when both were a key part of the inaugural Boonerang Music & Arts Festival in nearby Boone, NC in June 2022. There, Brian came back to the town where he attended Appalachian State University as a key part of the team that produced the festival, which went swimmingly. Town Mountain and Acoustic Syndicate, both featured on previous episodes of this series, were headliners, and along with many other artists and bands with connections to the region, they helped make the weekend a winner with fans and critics alike. Brian’s work was all behind the scenes there, but he is no stranger to the stage, with years of experience playing banjo in the band Big Daddy Love.

Brian Swenk

Here, Brian talks about the music business, his rock and roll roots and how they find their way into Big Daddy Love’s music, we pick up on a conversation started in our episode on Tray Wellington with the influence of rap and hip hop in roots music, and more, including Brian’s story about how a painting of his band playing live sold for six figures. Plus, we sample several songs by Big Daddy Love, which describes itself as an “Appalachian Rock” band.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Smoke Under The Water” by Big Daddy Love, from This Time Around

“Down From the Mountain” by Big Daddy Love, from Let It Grow, excerpt

“Air Bellows Gap” by Big Daddy Love, from Let It Grow

Thank you for listening to this episode, and we would be even more grateful were you to share this with someone. It is super easy to follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a good rating, and on platforms with the option, a review. Great ratings and reviews will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you.

Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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Interview with award winning banjo player, songwriter and all around nice guy Tray Wellington, featuring excerpts of his original compositions as well as some covers. Includes commentary from host and producer Joe Kendrick, as well as banjo players Jesse Langlais and Brian Swenk.

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Music artists Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Darin Aldridge, and Acoustic Syndicate speak at length about their memories of and love for the little venue that could, Green Acres Music Hall. Also featured is the one person who is most responsible for putting Green Acres on the map, the Little King himself, Steve Metcalf. Plus, comments from a whole host of others who were there back in the day, like John Cowan, Carol Rifkin, Sandy Carlton, the late Ed Stokes, and Mike Lynch, among others.

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One of the finest songwriters of his generation talks about his love of electric guitar, life on his 500+ acre farm, his many collaborations, his favorite cover version of one of his signature songs and much more, including music from his most recent albums and live excerpts of songs from his extensive catalog.

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Joe Kendrick details what his first, most recent, and favorite live music experiences have been, while asking the audience to join in the conversation with their replies.

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Colin Hay talks about his long career, the music and music scenes of his native Scotland and his successive home countries Australia and the US, his admiration for artists like Kasey Musgraves, Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton, about finding his way out of having been, as he puts it, too alternative for commercial labels and too commercial for alternative labels, and a lot more, including excerpts of music from Colin’s latest record.

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A conversation with Dori Freeman as well as songs from her performance the Albino Skunk Music Festival in May of 2022. Sloane Spencer joins in this conversation that touches on Dori’s deep Appalachian roots, recording her family album in Nick’s newly constructed studio in their backyard, how she draws inspiration and ideas from listening to rap artists, and even her love of Topo Chico brand seltzer.

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Ketch talks about the current lineup of Old Crow Medicine Show, his time living off the land in Avery County, North Carolina when the band first formed, his recent fascination with music from Equatorial Africa and Texas border country, how he always wants to be, as he puts it, a mockingbird, and much more, including music from their new album Paint This Town.

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Host Joe Kendrick interviews Justin Golden, including commentary and music excerpts from his debut album Hard Times and a Woman

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Jonathan Chance and Zach Chance talk with host Joe Kendrick about approaching middle age, how they approach the business of making music and more. Also including commentary and music excerpts from their album Young Man.

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Conversation with Sarah Shook about the evolution of sound with the Disarmers' third album Nightroamer, their road to sobriety, learning from Southerners about how to make a point in a gentle and indirect way, and more, including excerpts of their new songs produced by Pete Anderson.

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Dallas, Texas singer songwriter Joshua Ray Walker is finally able to tour again and bring songs from the third album of his trilogy to live settings. He plays live selections from the new collection titled See You Next Time and talks about the importance of family, the rich music scene in his home town, his approach to writing lyrics and much more.

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From Mother Maybelle Carter and Charlie Poole to modern day country and bluegrass artists Tammy Rogers and Thomm Jutz, the circle has been made complete with their collaboration Surely Will Be Singing. Host Joe Kendrick talks with them in a wide ranging conversation that includes live music they performed on public radio WNCW.

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From Peter Holsapple's formative years in Winston Salem, NC to his time in New York in The dB's and beyond.

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Music and conversation from two Texas singer-songwriters, with commentary from host and producer Joe Kendrick

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It might seem like an unusual choice for a show named Southern Songs and Stories to focus on a group with all of its members being from Canada save for one American. But the roots of The Band go back to a roster of musicians from Arkansas, which included their drummer who hailed from the tiny town of Marvell, Levon Helm. The story of how all the Southerners in Levon’s first band Ronnie Hawkins & the Hawks evolved into The Band is a story in itself, and is summarized in this episode.

Beyond the Arkansas connection, The Band’s music was firmly rooted in forms that originated in the South, like blues and country. In a parallel with The British Invasion, The Band held up a mirror to the spirit of music of artists who preceded them from another place, reinvigorating those traditions through their own success.

In this episode, we welcome Armando Bellmas of the music newsletter Eclectico and public radio WNCW, and Rob Turner, a fellow Osiris Media colleague who co-hosts Inside Out with Turner and Seth, both of whom dig deep into The Band and their song “Chest Fever”, an enigmatic song that will come into at least a little bit better focus once your hear their takes on it here on Southern Songs and Stories.

Pictured above (L to R): album artwork for The Band’s album Music From Big Pink, Rob Turner, Armando Bellmas, Joe Kendrick

Songs heard in this episode:

“The Genetic Method” by The Band, Live at Academy of Music 12-31-70, from Rock Of Ages, excerpt

“Da Doo Ron Ron” by The Crystals, excerpt

“Pretty Persuasion” by R.E.M. from Reckoning, excerpt

“Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again” by Bob Dylan, from Blonde On Blonde, excerpt

“The Genetic Method”>”Chest Fever” by The Band, Live at Academy of Music 12-31-70, from Rock Of Ages, excerpt

“Chest Fever” by The Band from Music From Big Pink, excerpt

This is the second Southern Songs and Stories episode focusing on a song, with the first being Wagon Wheel: Anatomy of a Hit. Thanks to our guests Armando and Rob, and even though we did not get to the bottom of all the mystery surrounding this song, we had a great time shedding light on its riddles.

Thank you for listening, and I hope you enjoyed this episode. What did you think? You can contact us on our social media via Instagram, Twitter or Facebook (all linked in the banner here) and you can also drop a line by emailing southernsongsandstories@gmail.com. Please take a moment and follow the series on the podcast platforms you are using; it will help even more when you give us a top rating and even more so with a good review, because the show’s visibility to everyone using those platforms depends largely on followers, ratings and reviews. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. I’m your host and producer Joe Kendrick, and this is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it.

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Much is left on the cutting room floor when making episodes of this series: here are some of those moments brought to light by WNCW's Corrie Askew.

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North Carolina singer-songwriter Kim Ware and fellow Old North State musician Scott Newell pick one of each other's songs to feature here as well as a mutual favorite song from 1990, including music excerpts, and commentary from host and producer Joe Kendrick

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Conversation with Alexa Rose and Joseph Terrell, including music excerpts from their records and a live performance of "Your Long Journey"

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Rick Miller, Mary Huff and Dave Hartman of legendary NC roots rock group Southern Culture on the Skids talk with host Joe Kendrick. Included is an interview with Ed Bumgardner, producer of the benefit compilation featuring Rick and Mary called Be Good To Yourself. Also featured is commentary and musical excerpts from the band.

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Over a dozen artists and music fans answer the same question: what would you gain or what would you eliminate in order to make your musical journey better? Included is commentary from host Joe Kendrick as well as music from artists interviewed.

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Jeremy Pinnell's third album Goodbye L.A. is a mature take on country music that transcends the use of the term "outlaw". Here he talks with host and producer Joe Kendrick about what motivates him, how he embraces family life, the unexpected reverence of audiences overseas, and much more. Included are excerpts of songs from Goodbye L.A. and a recent cover of Concrete Blonde's "Joey".

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Interview with Amanda Anne Platt about her new album The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, how her goals have moved up to headlining Austin City Limits and the Ryman Auditorium, and more, along with commentary, music excerpts and a live performance.

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We missed seeing Willie at Merlefest thanks to COVID-19 derailing his 2020 booking there, but in thinking about his upcoming show in Charlotte, here’s a piece about the Red Headed Stranger to enjoy.

88 years old, still playing shows, still recording music – as recently as March 2021 he's been dropping new material, with original track I'll Be Seeing You (subsequently used by the Ad Council for a COVID-19 vaccination PSA) following on from February's That's Life, a collection of Sinatra covers and his 71st solo studio LP. It seems counterproductive to think about Nelson's legacy while he's still actively building it – he's touring again in October – but maybe his most lasting influence won't be in his shows, or his awards, maybe it'll be in his pioneering impact on music.

Nashville's the home of country and that's as true today as it was when Willie pitched up in Vancouver and made his first record in 1956. In his 12 year spell in Music City, he never made a top 10 single; his biggest success being a cover of Bring Me Sunshine from the unlikely source of British comedians Morecambe & Wise, and in 1972, having had enough of Tennessee, he decided to retire from music altogether. Now we know that didn't last. But that's when he started to do things on his own terms.

He moved to Austin, unretired, and signed to Columbia, who gave him total creative control on 1975's Red Headed Stranger which instantly became his most critically acclaimed and commercially successful album yet. When the country music insiders predicted 1977's Stardust would sink his career, it went platinum the same year. His work on Austin City Limits gave his new home its foundation as a city for music that these days sees industry and fans flocking from around the globe to SXSW.

Willie's always been ahead of the trends; he starts the bandwagons that are still rolling. By taking country out of Nashville he laid the path for the alt-country of today like Jason Isbell and Wilco. By fusing country to blues and creating outlaw country he developed a sound that you can hear in folks as diverse as the Southern rock of Tyler Ramsey and Band Of Horses to the psychobilly of The Reverend Horton Heat (who Willie's also collaborated with).

Famously, he was a huge advocate for equal marriage way before it was on the mainstream radar. We know all about his cannabis advocacy. And a different kind of pot, it should also be noted that Nelson has a long-standing relationship with Texas Hold’em. Long before the game surged in popularity in the early 2000s, the outlaw country star was playing the game with other musician friends. Texas Hold’em is the most popular poker game played by a wide margin, but that wasn't always so before TV got involved in it. Draw and stud were by far the more common games in 1963 when Willie met Merle Haggard, who'd go on to be one of his closest friends, at the card table. Merle's no longer with us these days, so Willie's games are with the likes of Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson at his house in Hawaii. And he still insists nobody leaves the table until all bets are cleared up and all monies settled. Why? Because he's still doing everything on his own terms!

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Conversation with and music from Shay Martin Lovette along with commentary by host and producer Joe Kendrick.

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Conversation, commentary about and music from a bluegrass band at the top of their game

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Watchhouse played live in WNCW's Studio B and stayed for an interview which ranges from talk about their new moniker to working with producer Josh Kaufman, the Venn diagram of their music which includes The Stanley Brothers, Grateful Dead and Pantera (!), and more.

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Conversation with Sierra Ferrell along with commentary and live performance.

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Interview with Jerry Douglas along with live music from The Jerry Douglas Band and an excerpt of his latest album project along with commentary from host Joe Kendrick

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More details on the gruesome chapter of the Civil War in southern Appalachia along with more surprising twists and turns, and music popular in the era and songs about the Civil War.

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Joe Kendrick speaks with historical novelist Vicki Lane, music artist and author Sheila Kay Adams, and Taylor Barnhill about the gruesome events before, during and after the Shelton Laurel Massacre.

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Country artist Olivia Ellen Lloyd talks about her life story and debut album Loose Cannon. Includes music excerpts as well as commentary from host Joe Kendrick.

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Esther play two songs from her new album live, and talks about her being a country music misfit, about taking the tough times she has experienced and encapsulating them in the beauty of a song, her musical influences who are anything but household names, and much more.

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There is a complexity to Tyler Ramsey’s music, and a corresponding simplicity. It makes for an intriguing yin and yang, with an abundance of lyrical and instrumental components matched with his lucid fingerpicking style guitar playing. These stylistic poles are not opposites in Tyler’s musical world, rather they become complimentary, and over his career he has managed to use both to his advantage. From his early solo work to his decade in the group Band Of Horses and back to being solo, he has navigated a path that shows how such seemingly diametrically opposed modes can be harnessed and used to create something unique. Currently we find Tyler Ramsey leaning more in the direction of simplicity, with his stripped-down covers EP Found A Picture Of You. Or is it really all that straightforward? Even with this streamlined approach to songs by artists like Pretenders and The Innocence Mission, the layers are still there and the intricacy remains.

Tyler Ramsey performs in WNCW’s Studio B 11-23-20

In this episode, Tyler tells us about the virtues of simplicity in life and in songwriting, about being an unlikely rock and roll hero, how country blues is foundational to his approach, and he plays us some of his latest music, including an as yet untitled new song from a live session on WNCW late last November.

Thank you for visiting, and I hope you might talk to someone you know, and let them know about this podcast. You can subscribe to the series on most every platform where you can find podcasts. And once you subscribe, it helps even more when you give it a good rating and a review. Spreading awareness by giving this series a top rating, and even more so with a review, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Sean Rubin for engineering my session with Tyler Ramsey, and Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW. Thanks also to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. I’m your host and producer Joe Kendrick, and this is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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Music from and conversation with James "Pony" Bradshaw about his home in north Georgia and his album Calico Jim

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When people talk about artists like Aretha Franklin, St. Vincent, Paul Brady and Sam Cooke, they tend to talk about these artists’ best known work, their music that came after their formative years. For Aretha Franklin and Sam Cooke, her Columbia Records sides and his time in The Soul Stirrers tend to get glossed over. For the casual fan, who remembers that St. Vincent got her start in The Polyphonic Spree, or that Paul Brady once was known as a Celtic artist? In the years to come, look for a similar phenomenon with Amythyst Kiah.

This is not to minimize the work she has already released, which includes two fine records of songs ranging from covers of classics like “Grinnin’ In Your Face” to her own originals like “Fake Plastic Trees”, and of course her award-winning stint in the roots music supergroup Our Native Daughters. Those are all well worth celebrating, but in the long run they just might be considered the prologue to a much larger story. Five or ten years from now, most people that hear the name Amythyst Kiah may likely think of her forthcoming album Wary + Strange as the launching point of her career.

Amythyst Kiah performs at the No Contact Concert Series 08/22/20

Thanks to Amythyst Kiah for sharing her time with us, and for being on the show. Thanks to you for dropping by, and I hope you might reach out to someone you know who is a fan of Amythyst Kiah or Our Native Daughters, or who might be, and let them know about this podcast. You can subscribe to the series on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Pandora, NPR One -- most every platform where you can find podcasts. And once you subscribe, it helps even more when you give it a good rating and a review. Spreading awareness by giving this series a top rating, and even more so with a review, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Songs heard in this episode:

“Darlin’ Corey” by Amythyst Kiah from Dig, excerpt

“Trouble So Hard” by Amythyst Kiah from Amythyst Kiah & Her Chest Of Glass, excerpt

“Black Myself” by Amythyst Kiah from Wary + Strange

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Ben Nichols of Lucero talks about his band’s embrace of synthesizers to working with his brother on film projects, the different kind of melancholy and heartbreak that he knows now from being a family man, and a whole lot more including, of course, a good bit of Lucero’s music which includes a good bit of music from the quintet's tenth studio album, When You Found Me.

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Conversation with Dom Flemons and music from his album Prospect Hill, as well as selections from that record’s reissue disc of bonus material. Plus, you will hear Dom joining up with Reverend Peyton and Steve Cropper on a new cover of “Shake Your Moneymaker”.

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Excerpts of upcoming guests' interviews and music

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Darin and Brooke Aldridge speak with host Joe Kendrick about their latest projects, what their life is like outside of music, and more. Includes music excerpts from their 2019 album Inner Journey as well as a new Christmas song.

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The story of how Kenny Roby's fifth studio album came into being, along with music from the record and commentary from host Joe Kendrick.

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Conversations from members of Steep Canyon Rangers as well as plenty of their latest music, including a live performance from Woody Platt and Graham Sharp of their song “Honey On My Tongue”, on WNCW. Jacob Groopman of the band Front Country joins us along the way, and we get a word from Steve Martin as well.

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Guitarist and singer Tony Kamel and mandolinist Billy Bright talk with host Joe Kendrick about their album No Matter Where It Goes From Here, about their home state of Texas, about working with Peter Rowan and more. Included are excerpts of music from No Matter Where It Goes From Here.

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Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires are amongst the most celebrated couples in music, and their star continues to rise. Theirs is a story that brings to mind iconic husband and wife teams like Johnny and June, and they can boast an ever growing legion of fans and critical acclaim. The past year or so has proved to be one of their most successful in terms of their music, while it has also been a span with times of great difficulty -- both with their art and their relationship. Jason and Amanda spoke in separate interviews from their home, covering everything from Jason’s subconscious character portrait of a departed friend in the song “Only Children” to Amanda’s account of common misconceptions about their lives as artists, and much more. And of course, you will get to hear music from Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s latest album, Reunions, and Amanda’s latest single, plus an unearthed live radio performance of "Relatively Easy" from 2014 along the way.

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Recently, an old friend of mine hit me up to contribute to a storytelling compilation he was making, and after lots of procrastinating, I came up with my own story — or rather, my own account of how I love to tell stories. Brian John Mitchell is the friend in question, and he started his label Silber Records officially back in 1996, and has been making zines and comics for decades as well.

album cover for Remora’s 2011 release Scars Bring Hope

As Brian says on the Silber website, “Good music deserves to be heard & we’re doing our part to make sure it gets from the bedroom to your ears…. Our music is likely mellower, but no less angst-ridden than the music we all grew up on. Punk rock, post rock, metal, sludgecore, freak folk, americana, bedroom pop, drone, shoegaze, aggressive ambient, post apocalyptic pop, noise - it’s all music.”

I hope you can take a few minutes and go to theSilbermedia Bandcamp page and listen to some of the stories that Brian compiled for his series.

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The story of how a long lost archive came back to light, including the one-of-a-kind Doc Watson spoken word performance.

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Link to the video of our conversation here.

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Charley Crockett describes his approach to making his own brand of music, dubbed "Gulf and Western", talks about his native Texas and his time in New Orleans and California, and much more. Song excerpts from his seventh album Welcome To Hard Times are mixed in along with interviews with Charley and producer Mark Neill, and commentary from host and producer Joe Kendrick.

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In the first episode of this series, you got to hear about how BJ Barham turns uncomfortable conversations about the dark parts of Southern history into songs, about racial and class divides, how influential Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen are to his music, and about how things stand for American Aquarium and in the music business more generally during the coronavirus pandemic. But we left a lot on the table, including much of my conversation with Tyler Boone, who has a new single out, and lots more from BJ Barham, including producer Shooter Jennings as the band’s Bigfoot, and more insight into the culture and politics of the South. All that and more on this episode of Southern Songs and Stories.

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This is the first of a two episode series on BJ Barham of American Aquarium, with in depth conversation with BJ Barham as well as guests Ronda Chollock, a music promoter from Charlottesville, Virginia, and music artist Tyler Boone, who grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, but now calls Hollywood home. We get into topics like how Barham articulates the dark history of the South so that people will start having conversations about racial and class divides, however uncomfortable those conversations might be. We touch on how bittersweet it must be to have a hit record with no way to play it in person to fans, about how metal and Southern rock have more in common than you might have thought, and working with yet another Grammy-winning producer, Shooter Jennings.

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Conversation with Tupelo, MS native Paul Thorn, including live music from his March 2020 appearance in Shelby, NC. Commentary and insights into the world of the former boxer and sky diver from host Joe Kendrick as well as music professional Angela Backstrom and longtime Paul Thorn fan Jeff Williams.

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There have been any number of bands that started out in one mode only to wind up in another sooner or later. In one of our film documentaries, Amanda Anne Platt talked about thinking that she was a rock and roller at first, only to have an artist friend tell her that the songs she was writing were country songs instead. The scenario where young musicians bang out power chords early on before growing into an acoustic adulthood is fairly common. And then there are hybrids: pioneering acoustic guitarist Billy Strings said that he learned to play music by playing bluegrass, but he learned how to perform by playing in a metal band. The band Elonzo Wesley is unique in this conversation, not in that its members have largely rock and roll beginnings which evolved into an acoustic present, but in the approach that they use in expanding their sound far beyond just these two points in the musical spectrum. Their lyrics set them apart as well, revealing a keen awareness of the human condition. And their songs are good no matter what the backdrop.

(R to L) Dennis Contreras, Taylor Winchester and Jeremy Davis perform at the Fillmore in Charlotte, NC

In this episode, Elonzo Wesley members Jeremy Davis, Taylor Winchester and Dennis Contreras talk about the concept of their sound, how influences like Radiohead are still present in their music, the inclusive nature of the Charlotte music scene, and an after hours tour story that ended surprisingly better than it began. Along the way, you will hear music from their performances in March 2020 at Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain, NC and at WNCW just ahead of that show, plus their cover of a song by My Morning Jacket. We get commentary from writer and photographer Daniel Coston about the band and his Queen City hometown, too.

Jeremy Davis and Taylor Winchester of Elonzo Wesley in their Southern Songs and Stories interview

Thanks for listening, and stay tuned for episodes on Elizabeth Cook and Paul Thorn soon! - Joe

Songs heard in this episode:

Elonzo Wesley “Them Houses” live at Pisgah Brewing 3-13-20

Elonzo Wesley “Golden” (single)

“Everything In Its Right Place” by Radiohead from Kid A excerpt

“Rule Of 7” from Elonzo Wesley live on WNCW 03-11-20

“Traveling Song” by Elonzo Wesley live at Pisgah Brewing 3-13-20

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Music from Chatham County Line's album Strange Fascination along with commentary and an in depth interview with members of the band.

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Get set for a lively and in-depth conversation with members Buddy Melton, Darren Nicholson, Marc Pruett, Caleb Smith and Tim Surrett, as well as many Balsam Range songs in this episode. Plus, you will hear from musician, writer and radio host Carol Rifkin as we talk about how Balsam Range and many other bluegrass bands employ outside songwriters frequently, and how that phenomenon dovetails with old-time and mountain music traditions.

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In this episode we dive into the world of film soundtracks and the story of Dolly Parton with an interview of two of Dolly’s long time collaborators, Mark Leggett and Velton Ray Bunch. We’ll also feature some of their work from Dolly’s latest project, the series Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings, along with a new guitar piece from Mark, plus you’ll hear from western North Carolina artist Amanda Anne Platt along the way.

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Los Coast makes music that, if you asked ten people, could easily be described ten different ways. Their music combines so many elements of so many styles, that attempts to describe it can quickly become an exercise in making word salad. Soul, jazz, rock, funk, gospel and psychedelia are all at the foundation of Los Coast, and with their debut release Samsara, the band has created something that is hard to describe, but even harder to forget.

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A special retrospective show. It is the end of the year and the end of the decade, which is the perfect opportunity to talk about the recent history of Southern Songs and Stories and to give some context for this endeavor.

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Sometimes it is easy to say what type of music you are listening to, and to pick out what influences go into an artist’s music. But how many times have you heard lazy analogies that, even when they have merit, might only scratch the surface of what informs that artist or band. And on first listen, you will probably quickly recognize some of the ingredients in the music of Marcus King. Blues, rock and soul jump out right away. And when you look at Marcus, it’s easy to sum things up by saying that he’s a young guitar phenomenon with a powerful voice and a super tight band. This is all true, but there is so much more to discover with Marcus King, and the deeper you go, the more you find out about how intricate his music can be. As a person and a musician, Marcus embodies some of the best elements of his Southern heritage, and synthesizes those elements into something both familiar but entirely new.

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Celebrating the holiday with some of the fascinating history of the events surrounding its beginnings and how it evolved, with a focus on all the great food on our tables, especially here in the South, and some music on the side.

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The band Mipso is a group that never anticipated being as successful or as long lived as they became. It is a band that mandolin player Jacob Sharp called unlikely, because none of the members studied music when they met in college at UNC-Chapel Hill, and none of them thought music was going to be a career -- nothing beyond their initial love of other bands, and of playing together. If Mipso is an unlikely band, it is also quite an exceptional one, now set to release their fifth album (sixth if you count their Mipso Trio debut). They were in the middle of recording their new record during the time we got together in the small city of Elkin, NC. In this episode of Southern Songs and Stories, we talk with members Libby Rodenbough, Joseph Terrell and Wood Robinson as well as Bridget Kearney of Lake Street Dive, who is soon to tour with Mipso in her project with Benjamin Lazar Davis. Featured are many live songs from their performance earlier this year at the Reevestock Music Festival.

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MC Taylor and Phil Cook started working together within a day of meeting each other, and while Phil frequently leads his own band, he is also regularly on tour and on records with Hiss Golden Messenger, the band that Taylor founded in 2007. You’ll hear from both of them along with new music from Phil Cook and from Hiss Golden Messenger, including a live version of a track from the new album Terms Of Surrender in this episode of Southern Songs and Stories.

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Conversations with the band The Deer along with commentary, live performances and a new album track

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Host Joe Kendrick interviews the band, and brings in a conversation with Nick Forster of Hot Rize and the radio show eTown to this episode, which also features many live tracks that Yonder Mountain played at the Cold Mountain Music Festival in June of this year. One of those songs features a guest appearance from Mimi Naja of the band Fruition.

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Dan Lotti once said, “For me, the whole artistic process is rooted in a sort of spiritual practice. I’m not outwardly yogic, but every single day I’m involved in a yogic practice of meditation and stretching. I think that practice inevitably breathes and inspires the music. It opens you up to a lot of different perspectives”. For Dan and his band Dangermuffin, the music they make is meant for both fun and for healing. Their songs are both for bringing community together, and for letting loose and enjoying a tight jam. Here, those jams are mostly acoustic. In this episode, host Joe Kendrick talks with the now mainly Appalachian based group about how searching for authenticity can lead to greater rewards, balancing life at home with touring, what elements of Southern culture are reflected in their music, and more. And of course, there is lots of their music, with a sampling of Dangermuffin songs from their recent stop in Greer, SC at the Albino Skunk Music Festival.

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From practical jokes played on band mates to being locked in a kids' bedroom to a stolen instrument, a lost tooth, stinky cheese and more, we went on the road to interview musicians about these alternately hilarious and harrowing tales from being on tour.

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It all began with the desire to give a platform to all the great off-the-cuff conversations about music heard in the hallways at WNCW. A dozen years ago, as then morning music host, I started the feature What It Is, with journalists, artists and other music professionals taking on a wide array of topics ranging from album and concert reviews to debates on overrated icons, and everything in between. My love of producing multimedia projects rooted in music conversation continued with other independent projects that followed What It Is, and now that comes full circle, with Southern Songs and Stories becoming a part of the WNCW lineup, while remaining a proud member of the Osiris podcast network and Bluegrass Planet Radio.

The Ruen Brothers perform at the Albino Skunk Music Festival. Photo: John Gillespie

This episode takes a detour from the very South-centric array of artists and history heard previously on the series with a show on The Ruen Brothers, from England. Their music is inspired by a lot of pioneering Southern artists, however: The Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison, Muddy Waters and Johnny Cash, among others, are all acknowledged as being key to their sound.

I caught up with Henry and Rupert at the spring Albino Skunk Music Festival in Greer, SC. They talk about similarities between the rural area where they grew up and the rolling hill country of Upstate South Carolina, how people often forget that rock and blues greats from the mid 20th century had an air of danger about them, and how the Americana scene is booming in England; woven into these conversations are many live songs from their performance. - Joe Kendrick

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Let’s say you want to be a musician. The music bug bit you, and you just can’t resist the urge to pick up an instrument, maybe keep a notebook handy at all times to write down ideas and lyrics. You start recording pieces of melodies and sing them to your phone before the ideas evaporate. Maybe it was because you saw that performance where the light bulb went off over your head, or you heard a song in a movie soundtrack that moved you, or you got on stage and felt more alive than anywhere else. However it happened, you are soon wood shedding and finding like minds to play with and then finding an audience to play to. The muse serves up a sweet elixir, and you may be forever under its spell.

The Deer, from Austin, Texas, perform in Greer, SC 4-13-19. Photo: John Gillespie

Our guests on this podcast are firmly in that camp, but there are also plenty of musicians who have dropped out. Some came back, too. In our first episode on Side Hustles, there were a lot of examples of why music artists would want to quit making music, at least as a primary means of making a living. Making money by making music is harder than ever, it seems, unless you are at the very top of the heap. The pitfalls for professional musicians seem to have no end. But, there is no shortage of people making music, and plenty who stay with it through thick and thin. I hinted at why that’s the case in our first episode, but never spelled it out. If you haven’t deciphered the clues yet, stick around and it will come together by the end of the episode. Along the way, you’ll hear from Dangermuffin, Joey Burns of Calexico, The Deer, Max Brown and Phil Bronstein from The War and Treaty, and Dan Fedoryka from Scythian, along with a lot of their music, too.

Thanks for visiting! Please support the music of the artists you enjoy hearing here, and I hope you will spread awareness about this independent project and consider helping by subscribing, rating and commenting on the show where you get your podcasts, and by becoming a patron. You can find out about contributing on our Patreon page, linked in the column to the right. To correspond, shoot me an email and I will be glad to get back to you from southernsongsandstories@gmail.com. This series is available on most every podcast platform, as well as on Bluegrass Planet Radio. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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For musicians, the gig economy is nothing new. They are pretty good at it, and on this episode, the first part of a two part series, we hear from bands and music artists about how they keep their heads above water, how they find balance in this upside down equation. And we’ll get at some of the larger questions involved, like why they often aren’t paid the equivalent of minimum wage. And of course, lots of music along the way.

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Interviews with Michael and Tanya Trotter of The War and Treaty, their producer Buddy Miller, audience member Sharon Meeker, and music therapist Gretchen Chardos Benner, along with commentary and live music from their performance on 4/12/19.

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Over nearly two decades since it was first put on record, it has become practically inescapable. You would have almost literally had to live under a rock to miss this tune, and there is also almost zero chance that you do not have an opinion of it. The song has had such a long run, and has had such success in its original version, even more so in one of its covers, that your opinion of it likely has changed over that span of time. Your relationship with it may well have gone from falling in love to honeymoon to separation and divorce. For a lot of people, it went pretty much just like that.

Welcome to Southern Songs and Stories, and this is our episode on the song “Wagon Wheel”.

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Banjo player Jesse Langlais chuckled when he first saw the question about Town Mountain as a bluegrass finishing school. It is true that the band has had a lot of members come and go over their 11+ years, and many have done quite well after their tenure in this five piece from Asheville, NC. It is also true that once you are Town Mountain member, there is a reunion somewhere in your future. There is never a last ride in the van: once you play in the band, you are like family.

Arthur Grimes buck dances with Town Mountain at MerleFest in 2018

As tightly knit and warm as they are, there is also an edge and a swagger to Town Mountain. All five members are well versed in the bluegrass tradition, but they also have some rock and roll in them, and the dexterity to weave these influences together seamlessly. With the addition of drums, and a song co-written by and featuring Tyler Childers on their latest album New Freedom Blues, they show their ability to stay true to the music of icons like Bill Monroe and Jimmy Martin while building something altogether new. I spoke with Jesse, mandolin player Phil Barker and bassist Zach Smith, their producer Caleb Klauder and others in this episode which features album tracks and live tunes from the band. Plus, a wee bit of The Police and R.E.M. It really does make sense once you hear it, we promise.

Thanks to the friendly folks at The Bywater in Asheville for hosting our interview session, to Sarah Bennett at All Eyes Media for helping set up the interview and for being on the show herself, and to Caleb Klauder and Jerry McNeely for taking the time to talk with me also. Thanks to Osiris for carrying us on their network, and to Bluegrass Planet Radio for airing this series too.

We appreciate everyone who listens, and especially those who spread awareness for this series and the artists and music professionals we profile. Giving us a good rating and comment on podcast platforms like Apple Podcast makes us quite grateful, and we would count you as a total rock star if you joined us as a patron or sponsor.

Next up? A bit of a departure, as we take a deep dive into the song “Wagon Wheel” and talk with artists who played it. Drop us a line if you have a story to tell! - Joe Kendrick

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Singer songwriters Marshall Chapman, Lisa Stubbs, Niels Brooks and Peter Cooper talk about their music and their music and the history and culture of Upstate South Carolina. Featured are songs from all of these artists, along with excerpts of The Byrds and Nick Drake, along with commentary and analysis by host and producer Joe Kendrick.

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This episode on Mac Arnold tells his fascinating story and features some fantastic blues music. Mac played with the biggest names in the blues, he was behind the scenes of hit TV shows, he has a crack band and a love for farming the same clay soil he did as a boy. There is a great deal to Mac’s story, and in this episode we feature interviews with the South Carolina artist along with Plate Full O’ Blues band mate Max Hightower, fellow Upstate blues veteran Freddie Vanderford, and writer and musician Peter Cooper, along with a sampling of studio sides and live music from Mac Arnold, John Lee Hooker, Pink Anderson and more.

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In this episode, you will hear an engaging interview with members of The Steel Wheels and several others familiar with the band. We talk about bringing new life to songs close to a century old, the push and pull of wanting to make music but also wanting to address the massive divides between us and help build community, how some Southern stereotypes drive them nuts, how drums and percussion have found their way into their sound and have helped build upon rather than remove their foundations, what podcasts they listen to on their way to playing some 120 shows each year, as well as a lot of their live set from the Carolina In The Fall festival in September 2018. There’s a lot to the music and the lives of The Steel Wheels members that I didn’t know, before diving into this episode, and I bet there’s a lot that you will discover here, too.

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Making it in music is tough. It can be the most wonderful experience you could hope for, but surviving, let alone flourishing, is an elusive bulls-eye for musicians and music professionals everywhere. This theme comes up in every episode here on Southern Songs and Stories, in some way or another. Artists of all kinds are self employed and are walking a hard road to travel, especially financially. But not all artists are walking that same hard road -- some are walking one even steeper, and more dangerous. And when you are talking about making it in music, it becomes clear pretty quickly that being a woman puts you on a journey lined with pitfalls and roadblocks. In this episode of Southern Songs and Stories, we map out what that road can be like, as we hear from Amanda Anne Platt of the Honeycutters, Natalya Weinstein of Zoe & Cloyd, Hannah Kaminer, Alexa Rose and Ygerne Moonie, telling us about their experiences, both good and bad, as we question what makes music so male dominated in the first place, what preconceptions do to hold women back, talk about some of their musical heroines, and much more.

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Why does it seem to be harder for women to make music? What are they dealing with and what hurdles do they overcome in making their art? I sat with Amanda Anne Platt, Natalya Weinstein and Hannah Kaminer at IAMAVL recently to get their perspectives on these kinds of questions.

I will take the audio from this and bring in more voices to continue the conversations we started here. Stay tuned for that podcast later this month!

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This episode features an interivew with band members Anya Hinkle, Stig Stiglets, Aaron Ballance and Jed Willis as well as Ty Gilpin (who helped bring them to their new home, Organic Records), plus Jon Stickley of the Jon Stickley Trio, who produced earlier Tellico recordings, and who has played with Jed as far back as high school. We talk about working with Irish folk artist John Doyle, who produced their new album, how the blues is at the center of so much of Southern music, other artists who have mentored and influenced them, and how important the jam scene is to their music. There is plenty of Tellico’s music here as well, with many new songs excerpted from their performance at this year’s Mountain Song Festival, as well as the studio version of “Courage For The Morning”.

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One lucky afternoon, Jim Lauderdale did not have to go to a gig, and I got to sit down with him for an impromptu conversation. Doing an interview with Jim was always a goal, but it just so happened that it came unexpectedly. What could we talk about? What in music was there not to talk about with Jim Lauderdale?

Jim Lauderdalein Black Mountain, NC for Jam In The Trees 8-25-18

A great problem to have for anyone doing this is to land one of the most highly acclaimed songwriters and performers of their generation, no matter the time or place. But once you bring them to the microphone and pull off a lively conversation (you can be the judge of that in a bit here), what do you do then? It is as if you have just been given a Lamborghini for the afternoon at the track, and have been told to put it through its paces. Like being dropped off at base camp at Mt. Everest. It's all yours -- go for it!

So much has been written about Jim Lauderdale, that I paused and wondered what I could add with this podcast. He has been all over the world, has been interviewed countless times, has been on TV, and he has his own satellite radio show. They made a film documentary about him, for crying out loud. Jim Lauderdale was looking like a mountain that I could not climb, a race that I dare not attempt.

Jim Lauderdale & Roland White, the 1979 album that finally saw release almost 40 years after being made. It would take more than a decade after this recording for Jim's first album to come out.

Thankfully, this line of thinking did not last long. I had in hand almost 45 minutes of Jim Lauderdale talking about songwriting, acting, losing his Southern accent, giving a cringe worthy tour story, and in general being his jovial self. It would be criminal to waste the opportunity. Pretty soon, I got in touch with Glenn Dicker of Yep Roc Records and Red Eye Worldwide distributing, and Craig Havighurst, author, journalist and producer of Music City Roots. Both have known and worked with Jim for years. They are a key part of this episode, which includes a healthy portion of music from Jim, especially his latest releases, Time Flies, and Jim Lauderdale & Roland White, the 1979 collaboration that was lost until finally coming to light this year.

Thanks for visiting Southern Songs and Stories, and thanks to Osiris Podcast Network and Bluegrass Planet Radio for carrying the show. Would you spread the word about this podcast and consider helping us by subscribing and commenting on our show? Maybe even by becoming a patron? You can find out more at our Patreon page here -- and you can keep up with us on our social media, which are linked on our front page banner. Plus, our podcasts are available on practically every platform there is. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it.

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A lot has been going on with Southern Songs and Stories, and I am here to let you know about all I have been up to, and some plans we have in store. Jim Lauderdale is on deck for our next podcast, and I have an extensive conversation with him about songwriting, working with Robert Hunter, losing his Southern accent early on, a cringe worthy tour story and much more.

Also, I’m working on getting podcasts going on artists like Mac Arnold, hall of fame bluesman from South Carolina, acoustic roots band Tellico, who find themselves with a new record deal -- their upcoming John Doyle produced album will be on Organic Records, and I’m working on adding a video element back into the Southern Songs and Stories mix -- wish me luck there as I try to get that going soon.

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To honor Jeff, and to revisit some of those good times that we had on the radio together, I have put together several of his What It Is episodes for you here, and will include some of the behind the scenes chatter that we had surrounding those episodes.

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Our episode on the band Time Sawyer, with live songs from their June 2018 performance in Burlington, NC, interviews and commentary, plus a look at the artist-curated music festival scene along the way.

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The conclusion of our history of Green Acres Music Hall, with a focus on later years in its four decade run, and new interviews with artists like Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush and Mike Lynch, along with performances ranging from the very first bluegrass show played at the Acres on December 30th, 1978, which is playing now, to shows from Bela Fleck and the Flecktones in 1991, Larry Keel with Snake Oil Medicine Show in 97, and Sam Bush’s band Duck Butter also in 1997.

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Do you remember the 1980s? The Cold War, Reagan, big hair, synthesizers, yuppies, AIDS, MTV? It can be easy to point and laugh at times, maybe easier than it is to remember the good things about the era. It did not make national headlines, but one of those good things was Green Acres Music Hall, which came of age in that decade.

In our first episode, we touched on some of the history of the music scene in the region and how rough things could get in the 70s, with biker gangs taking over outdoor festivals and rock clubs, and in this episode we get to some more of the history of the live music business in the 80s and early 90s. You know, the days when you didn’t buy tickets online, but at a window after you waited in line. When being social was always in person rather than often on a network. This was the heyday of Green Acres Music Hall.

Victor Wooten, Steve Metcalf, Roy "Futureman" Wooten, Vicki Dameron and Bela Fleck in the early 1990s

This episode features conversations with artists like Bela Fleck, John Cowan, Darin Aldridge, the band Acoustic Syndicate, Sandy Carlton, Ashley Capps of AC Entertainment, Green Acres regular and frequent emcee Vicki Dameron, Carol Rifkin, former club owner Phil Dennis and Mettie, the “Little King”, Steve Metcalf. We’ll also feature more live music recorded at the Acres, as we have been able to dive into more tapes from Steve Metcalf’s collection, and live shows from archive.org.

Plus, we travel to a place in neighboring Cleveland County called Brackett Cedar Park, which also brought in artists that were fusing bluegrass and country with rock elements, and is still going.

You can subscribe to Southern Songs and Stories podcasts here via the "Blog RSS" button near the top of the right column, as well as iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud and TuneIn. Please take a moment to rate the show, and comment on the podcasts on those platforms -- it is tremendously helpful in our effort to spread awareness of Southern Songs and Stories, and the artists we spotlight. And we hope you will support the music of the artists you enjoy hearing on the show -- even though the performances we’re highlighting are from decades ago, all of these artists are still out touring and making music, and they wouldn’t be able to do it without support from people like you.

Thanks to our supporters, and to Osiris Podcasts and Bluegrass Planet Radio for carrying our series, and to Dynamite Roasting for sharing their coffee with our listeners.

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I'll admit, I got nothing. We all have access to the same words, but very few of us can write a really good song. This is what lifelong musician Sandy Carlton told me in the course of our interview about his experiences at Green Acres Music Hall and beyond, as I captured more voices for our upcoming podcast on the venue. Sandy is from nearby Shelby, NC, and he revealed some interesting history of other venues there that I was not familiar with, like Brackett Cedar Park, the Ponderosa and the Bluegrass Inn. It seems there was more going on back in the day than I had originally thought!

Sandy Carlton at his home in Cleveland County, North Carolina

After our first episode on Green Acres released, I have been fortunate to come across people like Sandy who have revealed more of the history of that venue, the surrounding region, and the era. Sandy will be featured in our next installment later this month, which will draw more from of my interviews with Bela Fleck, John Cowan, Acoustic Syndicate, and Darin Aldridge among many others. There will be plenty of music from shows at the Acres too, and observations about what it was like to be a player and a participant in the live music scene decades ago. In very many ways, the old saying holds true: "the more things change, the more they stay the same". Most artists are still playing music because they love it, not because they can get rich (and very few are getting rich). A good song is still more important than flashy technique. Music still moves people in profound ways. But thirty years ago, a lot about music was very different, sometimes a lot better, and that is some of what we will reveal in this upcoming podcast.

The late great Vassar Clements (L) with Larry Keel (middle) and "Little King" Steve Metcalf (R) at Green Acres Music Hall

You can check out and subscribe to our podcasts here, as well as on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud and TuneIn. Please take a moment to rate the show, and comment on the podcasts on those platforms -- it is tremendously helpful in our effort to spread awareness of Southern Songs and Stories and these artists and histories we showcase. You can also support the show directly on this website via the "Tip Jar" button, or on our Patreon page.

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This is the beginning of the Green Acres story, with interviews of artists like Bela Fleck, John Cowan, the band Acoustic Syndicate, plus the man who was instrumental in bringing them there, Steve Metcalf, among others. There is plenty of music from the venue as well as commentary on the overall music scene in the 1970s and 1980s, where Green Acres fit in the culture, and more.

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Guests Laura Boosinger, Daniel Coston, Ty Gilpin, Jens Kruger, Fred Mills, Kim Ruehl, Stu Vincent and Garret Woodward along with host Joe Kendrick examine the intersections of Southern culture and music.

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We ask the question of how Southern music influences culture, and how Southern culture and history worked to shape its Blues, Jazz, String Band, and Bluegrass music that became ubiquitous. Music professionals Laura Boosinger, Daniel Coston, Ty Gilpin, Fred Mills, Kim Ruehl, Stu Vincent and Garret Woodward give thought provoking answers that reveal a lot of the unique nature of Southern music and culture, and how it evolved and continues to change and expand into the larger world.

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When you get a first look at David Childers, when you first hear him in conversation, you could be forgiven for thinking that he might be someone who likes to sit and talk with the old timers on the bench in front of a small town feed and seed, with his burly speech and stature, his drawl and his demeanor. His movements are straightforward, more deliberate than many, clearly without anxiety. There’s no pretense about him; when he looks at you, it’s clear that he is not plotting any advantage. This is all true, but is just a starting point, as if you had witnessed a work of art and thought, “Heck I could have done that”, without realizing the creative intellect, work, discipline and inspiration necessary to create what is now recognized as a masterpiece. When you first listen to David’s music, you could be forgiven for thinking that it is noteworthy for that same, booming, burly howl that was hinted at in his speech, that the only things that stick out are refrains from song titles like “Johnny Got A Mohawk”, “Burning In Hell” and “Run Skeleton Run”. You’re right, but you’re only getting that first look. The phrase, ‘You can’t judge a book by it’s cover’ comes to mind, except in this case you might not even realize that there’s a book involved. And it’s a great read. We’re cracking open that volume today, in this episode on David Childers on Southern Songs and Stories.

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Our next podcast episode focuses on NC singer songwriter David Childers, and it will feature Ramseur Records founder (and Avett Brothers manager) Dolph Ramseur and famed producer and music artist Don Dixon, among others.

Here's a video filmed at David's house in Mt. Holly, NC, of the song "Greasy Dollar" which is on his new album Run Skeleton Run. David will be playing at the Purple Onion Cafe in Saluda NC on Sunday, November 19th, and has a show at the New Belgium Brewery in Asheville NC on Friday, January 12th. Stay tuned!

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In this episode we dive deep into the conversation and live music of the Jon Stickley Trio that we recorded at the Spring Skunk Music Festival earlier this year, which was excerpted in the video released earlier with Grae Skye Studio. This podcast also features former bandmates of the trio, with Robert Greer of Town Mountain, Brett Johnson, formerly of Atmosphere, Mike Ashworth, now with Steep Canyon Rangers, and Galen Kipar all reflecting on their time playing with Jon, Patrick and Lyndsay. We also highlight some of the music of all of those artists as we go.

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Guitarist Jon Stickley, violin player Lindsay Pruett and drummer Patrick Armitage played two rousing sets at the SpringSkunk Music Festival, and took time to talk with Joe Kendrick and Aaron Morrell about everything from their favorite instrumental bands, the making of their latest record, Maybe Believe, how "Smells Like Teen Spirit" has found its way into their take on "Blackberry Blossom", their memories of Skunk Fests past and much more.

Set list for the afternoon performance

We hope you enjoy the video and will consider supporting the band, Skunk Fest and Southern Songs and Stories by watching, spreading awareness and supporting our endeavors. All of us involved in this project could never have done this without each other, and we hope you will join in too!

The Jon Stickley Trio at SpringSkunk Music Fest

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This is the story of Acoustic Syndicate: Steve McMurry, cousin to brothers Bryon and Fitz McMurry, Jay Sanders and Billy Cardine, plus others who were key to their success, like Steve Metcalf of Little King Records and Green Acres Music Hall.

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We've got a big month coming up, as the Jon Stickley Trio interview and performance video will debut, plus we'll be doing a podcast on Acoustic Syndicate ahead of their appearance at Jam In The Trees!

http://acousticsyndicate.com/

We are planning a monthly series of podcasts in addition to our video documentaries. Also, we're giving away prizes on social media for people who spread the word to help grow the Southern Songs and Stories audience. Stay tuned for our first batch of goodies including some Jon Stickley Trio shirts and CDs plus two passes to Jam In The Trees.

In case you haven't caught our most recent work, you can check out the series of podcasts on the SpringSkunk Fest on iTunes and on the website here: Part One, Part Two and Part Three. Plus, videos of the Jon Stickley Trio and our interview with Alexa Rose.

We appreciate your interest in our endeavor, and hope that you may help us spread awareness of our shows as well as the artists and music professionals you enjoy on the series. We would be most grateful for your help when you become a patron as well -- that page is here.

We're looking forward to a banner month, and hope you can be a part of it!

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Music, interviews and commentary from the SpringSkunk Music Fest 2017 including Mourning Dove, Parsonsfield, The Jon Stickley Trio, T Sisters, Scott Miller and Shinyribs.

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Music, interviews and commentary on the SpringSkunk Music Fest 2017, with Alexa Rose, Pretty Little Goat, Stray Birds, Forlorn Strangers, T Sisters, Western Centuries, I See Hawks In LA and Shinyribs.

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Here is another video of the Jon Stickley Trio playing at Spring Skunk Fest 2017. It starts with "Rice Dream" and folds into "Never Stop" & "Della's Walk", with some neat effects courtesy of filmmaker Aaron Morrell. It's a mesmerizing medley which covers the gamut of influences for the band. Tony Rice, Bela Fleck, Shark Quest, Aaron Copland anyone?

We're working on more footage from the Trio to go along with their extensive, engaging interview, as well as more episodes of Joe's companion podcast. There is a wealth of great material to draw from and we look forward to presenting it to you here.

Thanks very much for everyone who enjoys what we're doing at Southern Songs and Stories, for helping spread awareness, and especially for our patrons . And a big thanks to the Jon Stickley Trio, to Zig and everyone at the Albino Skunk Farm!

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The story of SpringSkunk Music Fest 2017, and how Joe Kendrick and Aaron Morrell partnered to make a documentary series about the festival and artists Alexa Rose and the Jon Stickley Trio.

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A week ago today, I was emceeing at Hillside Stage at the 30th MerleFest in Wilkesboro, NC, wrapping up a packed three days of introducing artists and traipsing all over the festival grounds, taking in a lot of great music and talking to friends old and new. It was a hoot, as usual. This year was notable for having artists like James Taylor with the Transatlantic Orchestra, The Avett Brothers doing both their own sets and a tribute show to Doc Watson, and all-star jams with Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, Jim Lauderdale, Shawn Camp and Donna The Buffalo, for starters.

Hillside stage crowd gathers on Saturday afternoon

So, I went straight from my workaday schedule of early to bed and early to rise to the festival schedule of sleep being optional, and walking miles upon miles in weather that was more like mid-June than late April while wearing button-down shirts and slacks. Plus I'm not 25 anymore, so when Monday rolled around I was back at work, but in a semi-vegetative state. Wooo!

Sarah Jarosz

As usual, the music was tops. I still keep getting a couple of Stray Birds songs stuck in my head. Catching Mary Stuart for the first time was a real treat. Watching Jorma Kaukonen solo was goose bump territory.

Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives

The social scene was better than ever. I got to talk with an old colleague from WNCW, Charlie Purdue, whom I haven't seen in a dozen years or more, and to meet his wife. I just happened to park near Zig from Skunk Fest, who drove up his newly purchased camper van, and hung out there a good bit of the weekend. This lead to lots more interaction with Skunkers and artists alike -- members of bands like Front Country, Stray Birds and Mipso were hanging out almost constantly. I got to talk backstage with artists like Shawn Camp, Jim Lauderdale and Bela Fleck at length, and listen to Doc Watson stories from David Holt and Pete Wernick.

Donna the Buffalo and Friends -- Pete Wernick and Shawn Camp here

Some funny and awkward moments that stick out: overhearing a stage tech say to himself as he walked by, "And on jazz flute, Ron Burgundy!". Hearing a band member hauling off their gear say to a friend, "Hippy band's up next!". Watching James Taylor being cordoned off and escorted out by what seemed like every single security officer available. Finding out that no, your emcee status over there does not mean you get to hang out with the Avett Brothers over here. Getting to emcee an unfamiliar stage and trying to use the wrong mic to address the audience, leading to the burly stage manager (let's call him "Mr. Chuckles") to march over to me and point out the correct one, just a few feet to the right, barking "Come on, get with it!". Having to be the guy who told Donna The Buffalo that, no, the song they just played was supposed to be their last because time was up, and then watching Jeb Puryear start reciting a poem that said something about death and a raven (he came over and gave me a hug on stage afterward, so that made me feel better). Don't you just love being the messenger in situations like this? Yeah, me neither.

If a band goes over this 90 minute set limit, backstage folks be gettin' stressed

Soon we'll unveil more videos and the first part of the podcast in our SpringSkunk and Jon Stickley Trio series. I got another interview last week to add to the podcast, from Country Fried Rock's Sloane Spencer. She and her family are regulars on the Skunk Farm, and her perspective will be a nice addition to the piece.

Vintage organs tend to be heavy

In the meantime, I hope to catch our first episode's star, Aaron Burdett, when he has his album release show at Isis Restaurant and Music Hall next weekend. Good times! I promise to try to get more rest though. - Joe Kendrick

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It was a beautiful Saturday morning with more warmth and an absence of the stiff breeze we witnessed the first day or so of the festival when Aaron Morrell made his way from the mountains down to the rolling foothills of Upstate SC. He jumped into action right away when we saw Alexa Rose and her fiddler Laura Durkin getting ready to go back home.

Luckily we got to sit down and talk with them in the shelter of The Band Done Quit (more on all the colorful names of Skunk Fest later). There were lots of tractors going by, and these distractions actually worked out in our favor. Such was the nature of things that weekend.

Alexa Rose and her band opened up the SpringSkunk Music Festival Thursday

You can see our conversation with Alexa and Laura below.

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They practically just stepped out of the van, and then delivered this inspired rendition of the Tim O'Brien song at SpringSkunk towards the beginning of their afternoon set, the first of two performances that day.

Also, there was a kids parade, which puts a bow on it all. Stay tuned for a lot more!

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Do you have a favorite place that you return to time and again, a happy spot with friends old and new? The Skunk Farm near Greer, SC, is that and a whole lot more for the attendees ("Skunkers") and volunteers every six months when the SpringSkunk Festival and Albino Skunk Music Festival come around. Volunteer chef Matty gave me the title to this post in his interview about his experiences on the farm. He expressed a sentiment shared with almost everyone else that I spoke with there, that they love the festival for more than just the good times. Whenever they can come back, even in between festivals, it is "a little Skunk therapy".

Pictured above is Kev Russell, taken towards the end of Shinyribs' set on Saturday night. We were within feet of the band, which is another unique aspect to add to the long list of unique aspects of everything about the event. No, make that more than an event, since it goes well beyond the three days in the spring and three days in the fall that the festival takes place. It's more of a musical pilgrimage, and a perpetual homecoming.

We'll be wrapping our heads around what this all means in the days and weeks to come as we create a series of concert videos and documentaries about all things Skunk and the Jon Stickley Trio. In addition to our extended interview with the Trio, we interviewed newcomer Alexa Rose, who opened the festival Thursday afternoon. There's a lot to tell. -Joe

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We trekked to the Albino Skunk Farm near Greer, SC last weekend to get going on our documentary on the SpringSkunk Fest and the Jon Stickley Trio when they perform there on April 8th. I got to interview Zig and meet some of the Skunk regulars: "Hack", "Ginseng", "Sea Hunt" and others who were given their nicknames by Glynn "Zig" Zeigler in the course of their years of service. As you may be able to tell, this is no ordinary festival. We're looking forward to bringing you more updates soon. -Joe

Zig and Joe at the Skunk Bus before Zig's interview. We spotted an albino squirrel during the conversation, which was a first! This seemed to bode well for our work there.

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Look for more music documentary videos very soon! To find out more, check out the link to our Patreon page in the right column. Thanks for being here!

An introduction to our new series of documentaries, starting with the Albino Skunk Music Festival and the Jon Stickley Trio.

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Jazz artist Roy Ayers once said, "The true beauty of music is that it connects people. It carries a message, and we, the musicians, are the messengers." I was reminded again of that connection with an extended musical family of members both old and new recently at the second annual Carolina In The Fall Music and Food Festival in Wilkesboro, NC.

The Infamous Stringdusters performed a rousing set on the Carolina Stage

Last year, the monsoon season began with the festival, and it was the rainiest weekend festival I could remember. The people that attended were pretty hard core fans, decked out in rain gear and patiently waiting out some set delays that were largely due to the unrelenting precipitation.

This year the weather did a 180 degree turn, and we had mostly sunny, fairly hot days in store. I was emceeing once again for WNCW, and by mid-afternoon on Friday, decided to ditch my jeans in favor of shorts for the rest of the way.

Josh Vana of Nora Jane Struthers & the Party Line works on his guitar backstage

Some musical takeaways: The Infamous Stringdusters were the most difficult to photograph. They had a fog machine going, which looked great but made the camera lose focus. They also moved around constantly. But they also put on a fantastic set, so no real complaints here. Nora Jane Struthers & the Party Line's sound has evolved from a sound rooted in acoustic traditions to a much more electric, honky-tonk style all their own. I was knocked out by their newest material, which will appear on album sometime around or just before spring of 2017. Canadians really can play authentic bluegrass: see Slocan Ramblers (pronounced "Slow-Can"). Flatt Lonesome is as impeccably dressed as their harmonies are spot on. Volunteers are the best -- I had many conversations with people staffing the event and felt like I was right at home.

Nora Jane Struthers & the Party Line

Guitarist Jay Lapp of The Steel Wheels steps out on the main stage

After the late night jam early Sunday morning, I got a few minutes with Jay Lapp of The Steel Wheels and asked him about the Red Wing Roots Music Festival that they host, about touring by bicycle, and their next record.

It was heartwarming to reconnect with old friends Jeff Eason, Holly and Mike Paul, Tom and Gail Watts, and The Kruger Brothers. New friends like Stu Vincent were a joy, and getting to know festival organizers Dale and Michelle Isom better was another high point for the weekend.

One of the many murals in Wilkesboro, NC

This month I hope to reconnect with both my musical and biological family when I take my cousin Richard to his first LEAF festival in Black Mountain. Hope to see you there! -Joe

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I got the email months ago from artist manager Katie Benson, asking what my interest might be in doing a live broadcast on WNCW with Asheville, NC quartet River Whyless at their album release show at Harvest Records. Immediately I wrote back, "My first thought is, 'Heck yeah!'. My second thought is of twisting anyone's arm necessary to make it a reality."

River Whyless 8-26-16 at Harvest Records (l to r): Ryan O'Keefe, Halli Anderson, Alex McWalters, Daniel Shearin

We set the wheels in motion at WNCW and headed up the mountain on a gorgeous late summer afternoon to capture the performance. Midday host Scotty Robertson worked as engineer for the session and I got to interview the band. They played six of their favorite songs from We All The Light live on air, and I got to interview them as well.

Aaron Morrell manning the camera at Harvest Records for River Whyless

Luckily, WNCW fan and cinematographer Aaron Morrell of Grae Skye Studio was listening and heard about the show, and decided to come over and take video of the event. He crafted an exquisite video, which you can see below. Thank you Aaron, Katie, Matt and Mark at Harvest, everyone in River Whyless, and Scotty Robertson for making all of this possible! Enjoy - Joe Kendrick

The River Whyless's new Album, "We All The Light" is out in the world now.

To celebrate the release of the new work, bandmates Ryan O'Keefe, Halli Anderson, Alex McWalters and Daniel Shearin graced Asheville's landmark record store, Harvest Records for an in-store performance. As a bit of icing on the cake, Joe Kendrick and crew from public radio WNCW was there to stream live as well as do an impromptu interview about the band's new album, their process and upcoming tour with Blind Pilot. What a treat and joy it was to film such a talented group of musicians. If you get a chance to see these folks it's well worth the effort!!

River Whyless- https://riverwhyless.bandcamp.com Harvest Records- http://harvest-records.com WNCW- http://wncw.org

All video production by Aaron Morrell Cams- Pana GH4, Canon 60d Audio- Daniel Shearin

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The Honeycutters performing at Isis Restaurant and Music Hall 5-20-16

I was lucky enough to see our friends The Honeycutters at their album release show in Asheville recently, and it was a great time to reconnect with the band, with Organic Records and friends in the music world. It was also a reminder of just how many punches that Amanda Anne Platt and The Honeycutters have in their arsenal. Their record is called On The Ropes, and it is obvious that they're not the ones tucking in and covering up from a rain of blows: they're the ones dealing out the damage, one lick and one lyric at a time. When you get hit by their music, though, it feels just fine.

This is the second record with The Honeycutters' current lineup, and their fastest turnaround for an album. Just a year ago we were starting to latch on to Oh Me Oh My, and the band wasted no time in getting back into the studio last winter. At this pace, you might be prepared for a slight drop-off in overall quality, but not here. On The Ropes is arguably their best record yet, finding the band building momentum with songs that are instantly memorable.

The Honeycutters with Joe Kendrick before their show. Photo: Erin Scholze

Here's hoping that The Honeycutters keep pulling punches for many years to come. Country music needs hits like these. -Joe Kendrick

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Over the past weeks, our own Tony Preston has been working diligently to forge our first episode with Aaron Burdett into a new creation. We both re-imagined the way that the show should flow, which performances from Aaron and his band to show for how long and where, and the way that this would all serve as a blueprint for future episodes.

What we present to you is an episode with lots of footage yet to be seen, along with a new introduction, narration and graphics. Tony and I believe that it does a much more comprehensive and dynamic job of showcasing Aaron and telling his story, and those around him.

You remember when you were playing as a kid and you could call "Do over!"? We kind of did that here, but it entailed combing through hours and hours of footage and then distilling that into another finished product. Next, we turn our sights on remaking our episode with The Honeycutters, and then jump into our extensive footage of the many scenes we shot with Tellico for episode number three. We hope you enjoy the new version of our documentary on Aaron, and will consider helping us go forward with our endeavor. - Joe Kendrick

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(l to r): Noel McKay, Brennen Leigh, Jed Willis and Aaron Ballance practice before the show

It was an unusually warm March evening when my friend Jason Lineberger and I drove east to take in a show featuring some old friends in both Zoe & Cloyd and Tellico, and a quartet that I had not heard yet from Austin Texas called High Plains Jamboree. Eighty degrees in piedmont North Carolina is usually not seen until around May, and we had been enjoying several days of it already. There was a little extra bounce in my step as we walked up to the historic old courthouse in Dallas, NC that evening, and a budding optimism about the night ahead.

John Cloyd Miller and Natalya Zoe Weinstein opened the show

The show was part of MerleFest On The Road, a tour of artists playing together ahead of the big festival in Wilkesboro, NC late in April. What we witnessed was a blend of styles and influences that showcased several distinct Southern musical dialects, from Texas to Virginia and from old-time to country.

Aaron Ballance, Anya Hinkle and Stig Stiglets of Tellico

Tellico is from Asheville, NC, mainly, with dobro player Aaron Ballance living in the high country of Boone. We were less than two hours away from both those towns, but Anya noted the cultural boundary that they had crossed: "It's really different here, isn't it?" she asked me. Having lived in piedmont North Carolina most of my life, I knew exactly what she meant. This was a county whose largest employers used to be cotton mills, whereas the mountains historically had a lot of small farms. It's a difference in mindset that is subtle but still there to see for those who look closely, even in decades long removed from life surrounded by hogs and hay or spindles of yarn.

Bass player Simon Flory switches to guitar to take the lead for High Plains Jamboree

Texas is its own kind of South, and High Plains Jamboree represented the musical heritage of the Lone Star state well. From playful story songs about breaking down after neglecting to change an old Datsun's oil to harmonic cries for rain, the quartet played a solid set. I will seek them out again when MerleFest rolls around.

Taking a bow after all three groups joined together in the finale

I left with even more bounce in my step than when I came in. Chalk this up as another example of how music and culture can be made new when they blend. The members of Zoe & Cloyd, Tellico and High Plains Jamboree have roots in places ranging from Massachusetts to Mississippi to Alaska, but on a warm late winter night in North Carolina, they reminded us that sharing our traditions and songs can make for the best kind of harmony.

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We're happy to share two new videos of Tellico's performance with producer Jon Stickley guesting on guitar. These will be a part of our upcoming episode on the western NC quartet. Enjoy!

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Ever wish that you could go back in time? Yeah, us too.

In the midst of working on our third episode with the band Tellico, we realized that with documentary film making, you actually can. Why not go back to the first two episodes and give them a more cohesive feel, a new intro, and take what we have learned to make them better while crafting a new template that would strengthen our series?

Aaron Burdett

We are now remaking our first episode with Aaron Burdett, and will follow that with a new take on our show on The Honeycutters. With this new approach plotted out, we go to our many hours of footage of Tellico next and put together their episode. Expect to see new scenes and performances in our first two episodes, along with a more balanced pace and stronger story lines for the series.

The band Faces had a big hit with the tune "Ooh La La", which put to song a refrain that so many of us have identified with from time to time: "I wish that I knew what I know now/When I was younger". We are humming that in the studio as we remix and reimagine Southern Songs and Stories.

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Those two lines stayed with me the long after Anya Hinkle sang them the other night. It had been a joyous evening at our screening of Tellico's upcoming episode, and friends both old and new filled the studio with conversation and laughter. Now, the band had settled in to perform and be filmed for the third episode of Southern Songs and Stories, and all the pressure was off. It was time to relax and not be bound up in plans and checklists. It was time to breath out, and take in the music.

Aaron Ballance, Jed Willis, Anya Hinkle and Stig Stiglets play at Moonlight Mile 1-17-16. Photo: Tom Watts

Those lyrics are from "Ever What They Say", a song from Tellico's debut album, Relics and Roses. It's a song about leaving and loss, about facing grim consequences and pressing on. It's a heart breaker. but beautiful too, and is a fitting gateway to the heart of the quartet's music.

Stig Stiglets on bass and Tellico producer Jon Stickley on guitar. Photo: Tom Watts

We now have performances and interviews of Tellico and many other artists and friends from nine different locations and two states, filmed over the past several months. Our event at Moonlight Mile studio was a celebration of this work, and a chapter in the episode itself. There is much to be done, and in the coming weeks we hope to bring into focus a show that captures the band, those close to them, and their musical traditions and community. It will be a steep hill, but we are encouraged by both the quality of Tellico's artistry and their integrity as people. Plus, now we have witnessed that there is an audience anxious to see the final video!

Barbie Angell introducing the band. Photo: Tom Watts

Many thanks to Tom Watts, who took the photos shown here. David Simchock, a professional photographer who spent all night getting shots, has a photo gallery you can view here. Thanks to everyone who came out and who helped us put the event together! Stay tuned and we look forward to showing you the finished product soon.

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Last month's event to screen our episode with Tellico and film their performance in studio was postponed when lead singer Anya Hinkle became ill the day of the show. Thankfully, she has recovered and we are ready to reschedule the festivities.

Tellico perform "Waterbound" at Cowee School in Franklin, NC on 10-17-15

Join us Sunday, January 17th at 6pm for the screening of our episode with Tellico ahead of their performance in the intimate concert space at Moonlight Mile studio in Arden, NC.

We have been quite busy over the past several months making this episode, which features scenes from Tellico performances in Franklin, NC and Asheville, NC, as well as Anya in a trio setting in Floyd, VA. The episode also features interview footage of all four band members in separate settings, as well as legendary fiddler Arvil Freeman, and musicians Mac Traynham, Jackson Cunningham, and Galen Kipar.

Anya Hinkle with Arvil Freeman at her weekly fiddle lesson on 10-21-15

We hope to see you at the show!

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We're traveling to Floyd VA this week and are filming scenes there as well as in western NC to wrap up the episode on Tellico. You can get a sneak peek at the show at our event November 15th at Moonlight Mile studios where Tellico will also perform and be filmed for their documentary. Join us by purchasing your tickets here. We hope to see you there!

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Filming has begun on our third episode of Southern Songs and Stories. Soon we will be posting updates on our travels across the western NC and southwestern VA mountains as we get at the heart of what makes the band tick, what traditions inspire them, and shoot their performances.

To help us along, visit our Kickstarter page here. We would be grateful for your support, and among the many incentives we offer, you would have the chance to be in the audience at our exclusive screening of the episode along with Tellico's performance at Moonlight Mile studio on November 15th.

Southern Songs and Stories: Recent Episodes

Joe Kendrick