Don't Say No To The Muse: Side Hustles, Part Two

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

Side Hustles, part one: For Musicians, The Gig Economy Is Nothing New

It is a common fantasy to dream about being on stage, playing music in front of adoring fans, making meaningful art, traveling around the world, and getting fat paychecks along the way. People often think that being in a band means you get “money for nothin' and your chicks for free”, like the Dire Straits song says. But talk to musicians and artists and you quickly find out that this is, and never was, the case. Their stories paint a completely different picture than what we likely had in mind. Maybe you are like me, and you know a bit about how hard it is to make it in the arts world. I have been around musicians for decades, and thought I knew a lot about what they deal with on a day to day basis, but after preparing for and talking with artists in this episode, my eyes were opened even wider than before.

Mike Sivilli (left) and Dan Lotti (right) of Dangermuffin interviewed in the Nap Shack at the Albino Skunk Festival, April 11 2019

In this podcast, the first of a two part series, we hear from bands and music artists about how they keep their heads above water, and how they find balance in this upside down equation. And we get at some of the larger questions involved, like why they often are not paid the equivalent of minimum wage. As always, there is lots of music along the way, including songs from our guests Dangermuffin (an acoustic cover of the Phish song “Back On The Train'“), Elizabeth Cook, Brian Swenk, David Ball and Warren Hood.

Elizabeth Cook performs on the Americana Stage at MerleFest 4-26-19. Photo: Ken Banks

I’m pretty sure you love music, so please support the music of the artists you enjoy hearing here. Would you help spread the word about this independent project? The easiest way to help is by subscribing, rating and commenting on the show where you get your podcasts. Becoming a patron is even better. You can find out more on our Patreon page here. -- and you can keep up with us on our Facebook page, on twitter and Instagram, all linked in the banner at the top of the page. Send 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. Stay tuned for part two of this episode, which will feature conversations and music from The Deer, members of the band The War and Treaty, and Dan Fedoryka from Scythian. Thanks for listening! - Joe Kendrick

The War and Treaty: Blowing The Roof Off and Loving Without Limits

Their biographies read like something out of a movie, and probably should be made into one. Maybe those plans are already being made. While being the subject of a film is highly unlikely for 99.9% of all other bands, including themselves less than a year ago, now it seems not only logical but also like it might be just another chapter in their story rather than the high point of their career. Who knows how far that career can go for The War and Treaty, but even without all the acclaim, Michael and Tanya Trotter would be just fine. The couple would be happy as long as they still could make music together, whether that meant being in front of small crowds or in front of full arenas.

The War and Treaty play at the Albino Skunk Music Festival in Greer, SC. Photo: John Gillespie

Michael and Tanya, along with Buddy Miller, who produced their album Healing Tide, speak about the couple’s incredible music and improbable journey, and we have conversations with Albino Skunk audience member Sharon Meeker and music therapist Gretchen Chardos Benner as well. There is plenty of music from The War and Treaty’s set at the Albino Skunk Music Festival too, and some history of how they came to resemble something out of a fairy tale. Their story definitely did not start out that way.

Thanks for being here, and stop by any time! We hope you would spread awareness of this independent project and the artists we profile, and one of the best ways to do that is to subscribe to our podcasts, and rate and especially comment on them wherever you get your podcasts. Check out what The War and Treaty are doing on their website, and the Albino Skunk Festival on their site here.

We have been quite busy lately, and have interviews with The Ruen Brothers, Elizabeth Cook, Dangermuffin, The Deer and David Ball in hand for upcoming episodes. Stay tuned! - Joe Kendrick

Hickory Wind: Marshall Chapman and Mourning Dove

Have you ever gone somewhere and wound up with time on your hands, which led to a longer stay? In a way, that’s what I am doing with this episode. In our last podcast, on Mac Arnold, the takeaway was that there was much more about the artists and history of Upstate South Carolina than I had figured on, so I gave it another go. I sought out artists who were born across a span of forty years — Marshall Chapman, and Niel Brooks and Lisa Stubbs, who make up the duo Mourning Dove — and uncovered more rich history, and a vibrant current scene.

Niel Brooks and Lisa Stubbs are Mourning Dove

“Hickory Wind” is a song that Gram Parsons wrote about the time when he lived in South Carolina, and both Marshall Chapman and Niel Brooks talk about it in their interviews. The music of Marshall Chapman and Mourning Dove would not have been the same, maybe not even possible, without the backdrop of pine trees that Gram sang about in that song. For Lisa, Nick Drake was more influential, and we sample one of his songs as well.

Marshall Chapman

I encourage you to spread the word 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 more about Mourning Dove on their website here and you can find out more about Marshall Chapman at her site here. Also, you can check out Peter Cooper’s music on his website. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick 

Mac Arnold: The Blues That's Got Nothing To Prove

Music so often gives you more than you bargained for. Talk to an artist, talk to a friend, talk to anyone with an interest in music, and it will lead to discovery. You find out about great artists you did not know about; you trace whole branches of the tree of song. Listening to more and more unfamiliar albums along the way is a given, and part of uncovering this joyful essay.

To discover Mac Arnold is to realize that not only does his branch of the song tree have much more substance to it than you might have expected, but also that it directly touches so much more of this mythological and historic giant. He 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 more 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.

(Left to Right): Austin Brashier, Mac Arnold, Max Hightower

While on stage, to be dressed in your best clothes and to look sharp is habit to artists everywhere, a habit that serves to make the player feel good, to know that he looks good. Mac looks almost the same on stage as he does everywhere: cowboy hat, jeans, maybe a flannel shirt. When founding Plate Full O’ Blues member Max Hightower once asked him if he was going to change clothes before their show, he smiled and said “I’ve got nothing to prove!”. It was said with more joy than bravado, and sums up Mac’s outlook on life.

Thanks for being here! We encourage you to spread the word about this podcast and the artists we spotlight, and consider helping us by subscribing and commenting on our show, and by becoming a patron. You can find out more here on our Patreon site -- and you can keep up with us on our Facebook page, on twitter and Instagram. Also, this series is available wherever fine podcasts are found.

There was so much of our many conversations that did not make it into this episode, that I will bring a lot of that to light in a future episode focusing more on Piedmont blues. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it.  - Joe Kendrick

The Steel Wheels: Striking A Balance Between Tradition and Progress

It was the day before fall began, but summer was nowhere close to saying goodbye. When I pulled into Wilkesboro, NC, it was late morning, and temperatures were already in the upper 70s. A full day of music lay ahead, and I would emcee bands from the kickoff of the Carolina In The Fall Music & Food Festival to early evening, when I would switch gears and get this episode started with an interview of Trent Wagler and Brian Dickel of The Steel Wheels.

(L to R) Brian Dickel, Trent Wagler, Eric Brubaker and Jay Lapp perform at Carolina In The Fall on September 21st, 2018

In this podcast episode, you will get to hear Brian, Trent and several others familiar with the band 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 festival. There is a lot to the music and the lives of The Steel Wheels members that I did not know before diving into this episode, and I bet there is a lot that you will discover here, too.

Thanks for being here, and thanks to both the Osiris Podcast Network and to Bluegrass Planet Radio for carrying the show. We encourage you to spread the word about this podcast and the artists we spotlight, and consider helping us by subscribing and commenting on our show, and by becoming a patron. You can find out more here on our Patreon site -- and you can keep up with us on our Facebook page, on twitter and Instagram. 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.  

Women In Music: What They Face And Overcome

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.

(L to R) Natalya Weinstein, Amanda Anne Platt, and Hannah Kaminer on set at IAMAVL for the video which serves as the starting point for our podcast episode.

Thanks for visiting Southern Songs and Stories, and thanks to the Women Of Music Action Network for their Breaking The Bowl article, which was my source for the facts about and recent history of how much country radio is ignoring women artists. I also referenced a New York Times article from January 2018 about gender diversity in the music industry to get a lot of the statistics mentioned in this episode. Thanks to our supporters on Patreon. Thanks to both the Osiris Podcast Network and to Bluegrass Planet Radio for carrying the show, and to everyone at I Am Asheville for producing the video which got the ball rolling for this episode. I encourage you to spread the word about this podcast and the great musicians we profiled, and consider helping us by subscribing and commenting on our show, and by becoming a patron. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it.  

Women In Music: The IAMAVL Video

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!

Tellico: This Is Appalachia

When it comes to hard times, trouble and loss, Appalachian music might as well have the patent. The mountains are often more beautiful than bountiful. There is no second line down in the mines. Poverty and sorrow are ever present, but hardened resolve and hope are there too. The four piece band Tellico captures the spirit of Appalachia again on their second album, Woven Waters, with real life stories of love and loss and of hope and hardship put to song.

Tellico performs at Mountain Song in Brevard, NC 9-8-18

Although they are all not native to the Appalachians, the traditions and world view of the hill country and highlands are foremost in everything this four piece band does, even when they are influenced and informed by music and culture from places as far away as Japan. They are lifelong musicians who have day jobs and families, and all the while they manage to be in top form.

This episode features an interview 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”.

Tellico’s second album, Woven Waters, produced by renowned Celtic artist John Doyle

Thanks for visiting Southern Songs and Stories, and thanks to our supporters on Patreon. Thanks to both the Osiris Podcast Network and to Dawn Mac at Bluegrass Planet Radio for carrying the show, and to Sean Rubin for audio engineering the live music on this episode. Thanks to Tellico for their music and friendship. I encourage you to spread the word about this podcast and consider helping us by subscribing and commenting on our show, and by becoming a patron. - Joe Kendrick

The King Of Broken Hearts: Jim Lauderdale

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 Lauderdale in 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.

Remembering Jeff Eason

Welcome to a special edition of Southern Songs and Stories, where we pay respects to Jeff Eason by sharing some of his work on air at WNCW, where I am program director. Back in 2007, I was the morning music host on WNCW, mixing the tunes from 6 to 10 AM weekdays. I came up with the idea to make a daily music talk segment, with myself as host, joined by guest panelists conversing about everything from record reviews, to moments in history, to editorials and think pieces. If you’re like me, you can talk about music for hours without really even trying, and that sort of spontaneous water cooler talk about artists, songs and such was already a real boost to my workday. So, I gave it a platform, called the show What It Is, and brought in fellow music heads Jeff Eason, who was then a newspaper editor at the Mountain Times in Boone, NC, and Fred Mills, who was then the managing editor for Harp magazine.

(L to R) Jeff Eason and Fred Mills in studio to record What It Is on 2-24-12. This was the last time Jeff, Fred and Joe Kendrick were on the show together.

Here is a wonderful tribute to Jeff from the Watauga Democrat.

We miss you very much, Jeff. You can find more of Jeff's work on What Is Is (244 episodes to be exact, which isn’t all of them, but is still a lot), here: https://www.southernsongsandstories.com/whatitis/

Time Sawyer

Let's say you are not that interested in playing music as a kid, not really into it until early adulthood. However, you decide to partner with your best friend from second grade and form a band, and make it a full time endeavor soon after graduating from college. This coincides with the worst economy in many generations. You not only don't let that stop you, you also decide to start a music festival in the town where you grew up soon after, when people are still pretty wigged out about jobs and money in general. And, you have a banjo in a band that is not a bluegrass act, ensuring that somewhere along the line, folks are going to want to put you in that category. However, the band you’re about to meet, as you might guess, fits all of those criteria, and they have done just fine. 

Time Sawyer plays in Burlington, NC 6-8-18, with Sam Tayloe on acoustic guitar and Houston Norris on banjo

This is our episode on Time Sawyer, the five piece band from Charlotte by way of Elkin, NC. They are lyrically deep, musically rich, and a lot of fun to be around. We get to know all the members of the band, and bring in syndicated radio host Cindy Baucom, photographer and writer Daniel Coston, and sound engineer Jim Georgeson to the conversation as well. Plus, we feature many songs from their live sets along the way.

Luke Mears takes a turn at lead vocals in Time Sawyer's second set

We encourage you to check out and subscribe to our podcasts here, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, TuneIn, and now, Spotify. 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. Thanks to our supporters, to the Osiris Podcast Network and Bluegrass Planet Radio for carrying our series, and to Dynamite Roasting for sponsoring our show.

Green Acres Music Hall, Part Three

We have covered a lot of ground so far, from the origin, to conversations with many key players and participants, and a lot of great music. Along the way, we have run up against biker gangs descending upon clubs and outdoor festival and taking them for their own, to finding a place on the map that no one had bothered to put on that map, to no sink, to snow collapsing a roof, to exploding concert ticket prices, and losses at the door. There’s a whole slew of stories packed into this little spot out in the western NC hill country.

Sam Bush in front of an energetic crowd at Green Acres Music Hall. Sam spoke with us at length about his many times on the indoor and outdoor stage at the Acres with everyone from New Grass Revival to his own band and Duck Butter.

In this episode we conclude 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, 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. composition

A trio of artists who are very familiar with Green Acres. Jerry Douglas spoke with us at Merlefest 2018 about his times there, and that conversation if featured in this episode.

Why not subscribe to Southern Songs and Stories podcasts here via the "Blog RSS" button near the top of the right column? You'll be updated with new episodes as soon as they post. We're elsewhere on the internet as well, and you can find us on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Castbox and TuneIn. Please take a moment to rate the show, and comment on the podcasts on those platforms -- it is one of the easiest ways 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, most 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 sponsoring this show!

P.S. I mentioned Duck Butter's cover of "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" in the podcast as being a Cannonball Adderly cover. It is also a Joe Zawinul composition.

The Music And Culture Episode, Part Two

We wrap up our two part series on Southern music and culture with a focus on notable artists from the last half century, including icons like Doc Watson and more recent bands like Southern Culture On The Skids. Our guests from episode one are all here: Laura Boosinger, Daniel Coston, Ty Gilpin, Kim Ruehl, Stu Vincent and Garret Woodward, with conversations about Southern hospitality, how it can be sheik to be from the South nowadays, as well as the darker side of culture and history in the region. We also welcome writer and editor Fred Mills as well as Kruger Brothers banjo player Jens Kruger to this podcast, which features music from the likes of Pete Fountain, Doc Watson, Tom Petty, Laura Boosinger, R.L. Burnside, and many more.

Doc Watson, photographed in December 2010 by one of our guests on the show, Daniel Coston.

Thanks to our supporters on Patreon, to Dynamite Roasting, and to Bluegrass Planet Radio for carrying our series. Please spread awareness about this independent endeavor and consider helping us by subscribing and commenting on our show, and by becoming a supporter. It's easy to do, either with a one-time donation via the blue "Tip Jar" button on our site's front page, or by chipping in monthly on our Patreon page, which offers a lot of great bonus material. Thanks for listening, and we hope you enjoy the show!

The Music and Culture Episode, part one

It's a question which is at the heart of everything we do on Southern Songs and Stories, and we always pose it to artists and bands: How does your music speak to the South, and how does the South reflect itself in your music? It can go as broadly as a 'who are we and how did we get here?' exercise in philosophy and history, on down to the more anecdotal and local 'what foods do you miss the most when you're touring far away?' variety of queries.

A map of the Southern Section of the United States including Florida from 1816. They didn't want to count Florida all that much it seems.

With our latest podcast, we break from the deep dives into artists and bands that we have been doing for the last several episodes to pose this question to some of our favorite music professionals: Laura Boosinger, Daniel Coston, Ty Gilpin, Kim Ruehl, Stu Vincent and Garret Woodward. Their answers are thought provoking, and reveal a good bit of the unique nature of Southern music and culture, highlighting how it evolved and continues to change and expand into the larger world. 

This is part one of a two part episode, where we focus on origins and feature more of the roots end of the Southern music spectrum. Part two will continue forward in time and touch on the grittier side of the Southland as well as how music acts as a unifying element, and look at where these intersections of culture and music have been in the more recent era as well as where they may be in the near future.

Thanks to our sponsors, Dynamite Roasting, and our supporters on Patreon. Please spread awareness about this podcast and consider helping us by subscribing and commenting on our show, and by becoming a supporter, either with a one-time donation via the blue "Tip Jar" button on our site's front page, or by chipping in monthly on our Patreon page. Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoy the show!

The Jon Stickley Trio Podcast

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.

(L to R) Lyndsay Pruett, Jon Stickley and Patrick Armitage

This episode is sponsored by Dynamite Roasting, organic and fair trade coffee, and we’re sponsored by you when you support Southern Songs and Stories on our Patreon page, or directly on our website, with links to both in the right column on this page. We’re glad you’re with us, and hope you may support the music of the Jon Stickley Trio and other artists you enjoy hearing here, and can spread awareness of their work as well as ours at Southern Songs and Stories.

SpringSkunk Music Fest Podcast part 3

Here's the finale of our series of performances, interviews and commentary on SpringSkunk 2017. In this episode, there's music from Mourning Dove, Parsonsfield, Jon Stickley Trio, T Sisters, Scott Miller and Shinyribs, and we get to talk to Skunk regulars about their experiences and observations on the festival, plus make a few of our own.

Camp Awesome at night. We interviewed the Jon Stickley Trio near here the next day.

SpringSkunk Music Fest Podcast part 2

Here's the second part of our three part series of podcasts on the festival, focusing on the Friday lineup including Stray Birds, Western Centuries, Forlorn Strangers, T Sisters, I See Hawks In LA, and Shinyribs. 

The van that is really a green room and practice space on the Albino Skunk Farm. Photo: Aaron Morrell

There are interviews and observations galore, covering everything from the nature of Southern culture to car camping and festivals as a kind of more appealing version of Thanksgiving. Plus we dive headfirst into the music of every artist on the Friday lineup, thanks to "Taper", our good friend Mark H. Johnson. 

Michael Edwards, "Taper" Mark Johnson and Joe Kendrick at SpringSkunk

Soon we will be unveiling our video interview with the Jon Stickley Trio and their performance footage, and more documentary footage of SkunkFest as well as our interview with Zig. Stay tuned, and thanks for being here!

SpringSkunk Music Fest Podcast part 1

April was a packed month. It began with the conclusion of our spring fund raiser at WNCW, went on with SpringSkunk Fest at the Albino Skunk Farm the next week, followed by a few days off to decompress, and MerleFest a couple of weeks after that. Plus, life -- a week on the air to fill in for vacationing colleagues (a somewhat rare treat these days), baseball games, yard work, and so on. It felt like there was never much time to devote to making the companion audio piece to our video work, which did see a couple of videos released soon after the festival, thanks to Aaron Morrell.

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band closes out Thursday night at SpringSkunk

It was time to buckle down and take a crack at making this podcast a reality. It was daunting. Sure, I have produced a lot of audio for WNCW -- interviews, round table discussions, even a long form series on refugees in North Carolina. But this was new territory, with about a dozen interview subjects, the full compliment of music played at the festival, and a story line that remained nebulous.

Nikki Talley and husband Jason Sharp play Thursday afternoon at SpringSkunk

It wound up being a big project, with more pieces and parts than I had ever managed. But the memories were still with me, the ideas kept coming, and the technical hurdles of dealing with widely varying sets of audio were overcome. I finally began writing, and then stitched together the episode you find here.

Pretty Little Goat, who seem to relish playing music at any hour of the day

I hope you enjoy this, the beginning of a three part documentary podcast series. Please support the artists you like here, as well as the festivals in spring and fall on the Skunk Farm in Greer, SC. We would appreciate your help in continuing our endeavor, too. You can find out how on our Patreon page here. Stay tuned for more video from the Jon Stickley Trio, and a lot more. Fes-taa-vul!!

Southern Songs and Stories with Aaron Burdett

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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