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!

You Don't Have To Say So Much: The David Childers Story

David Childers laid out his approach to songwriting by saying that, for him, less is more: you don't have to say so much. There can be great depth in the straightforward. What seems simple at first reveals, upon reflection, a wealth of meaning. This applies to David the man as well, I believe. He is, as producer Don Dixon said, "deceivingly sophisticated".

(L to R) Dale Shoemaker and David Childers in concert

In this episode, we explore the world of North Carolina singer songwriter, painter and former lawyer David Childers, showcasing his music and some of his influences, along with interviews of David, son Robert, label head Dolph Ramseur, producer Don Dixon, Avett Brother bassist Bob Crawford, and writer, musician and WNCW radio host Carol Rifkin.

This episode is sponsored by Dynamite Roasting, organic and fair trade coffee, by Ramseur Records,  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 David Childers and other artists you enjoy hearing here, and can spread awareness of their work as well as ours at Southern Songs and Stories.

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.

Southern Songs and Stories with Acoustic Syndicate

Did you play music growing up? Were you like me, taking lessons for years only to leave it behind once you got to college? This is the category that most of us who did play some music fall into, I bet. Fewer people play into adulthood, and fewer still have played shows, were paid for gigs, or recorded a record. Acoustic Syndicate's story started out a lot like mine, perhaps like yours -- the core of the group got instruments for Christmas when they were kids, and were put on the impromptu stage of the family living room soon after. But they kept at it, even when they didn't know that there was a bright future for their music. Through many twists and turns, they managed to stay together, bring on new members, and play for a quarter century, making seven records along the way and winning fans all over the country.

Acoustic Syndicate playing at the Back Porch Music Series in Durham, NC, 8-17-17

This is the story of Acoustic Syndicate: Steve McMurry, Bryon McMurry, 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. I got to interview the band after their show in Durham, NC, on a sweltering August evening. This far-reaching conversation includes many musical highlights from the band as well as side projects.

Many thanks to our sponsors: Jam In The Trees, Little King Records and Dynamite Roasting

Playlist: Acoustic Syndicate: "Sailor Suit", "Rainbow Rollercoaster", "Billy The Kid", "Powderfinger (live)" Snake Oil Medicine Show: "Jumpin' Jehosaphat", Acoustic Syndicate: "Vanity", "Long Way Round", E Normus Trio: "Dear Diary", The Billy Sea: "Bil Bhai Rav", Acoustic Syndicate: "Coming In From The Cold",  "North Country Girl (live)"

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!!