Playing Through Pain With Cristina Vane

Sometimes people have a determination and intensity that is not obvious at first. In our conversation after her performance last August at the Reeves Theater in Elkin, NC, Cristina Vane said, “I'm not gonna wait for something, some miracle to happen, right? So I have to get out there and like, just do it. Nike sign style, you know, just do it. And so that's what I I've always done is just get in my car and do it.” She said it without reference to her show, an intense enough environment on a good night, let alone a night where she stood atop a very recent gash on her foot. In Cristina’s case, the cut would have to take a back seat to this tour and this night’s performance, and be relegated to remain there for a half hour more while we spoke. Intensity, indeed.

Hers was not the only example of an artist playing through pain there at the Reevestock Music Festival.  Saturday’s headliner was Darrell Scott’s Electric Trio, and just days ahead of their performance, drummer Jeff Sipe had undergone hand surgery; he played with a large bandage nonetheless. Both bands put on fantastic shows as it turned out, with the backdrop of injury only adding charge to the atmosphere. Cristina played her set mostly standing, but did sit while playing some of her songs, which included music from her second and latest album, Make Myself Me Again. She played plenty of new music as well, which is coming sometime in the future on album number three. Afterwards, we enjoyed a lively conversation touching on everything from the apparent irony of how she fell in love with American blues music at a pub in England; how growing up in Europe affected her perceptions of both her American and Guatemalan identity before coming to live in the U.S. and then falling in love with the American West; how she has rewritten her own priorities while still staying true to her purpose in life; her obsession with Skip James and Blind Willie Johnson, and much more.

Cristina Vane poses for a photo before her performance at the Reeves Theater in Elkin, NC 08-04-23

Thank you so much for dropping by 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. And big thanks to everyone at the Reevestock Music Festival for having me emcee the event, which gave me this opportunity. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Southern Strings and Stories With Craig Havighurst

It is easy to think of someone who has incredible talents and intellect as unapproachable, like they exist on some other plane of reality. If it were a question of bona fides, I would have some doubts about being on the same stage with someone on the level of Craig Havighurst. Taken from his bio, Craig is a writer, multi-media producer and speaker in Nashville who has won awards for his work in print, radio and television. He also wrote the book Air Castle of the South: WSM and the Making of Music City, and hosts The String, a weekly show on WMOT where he interviews music artists ranging from icons to those newer to the scene. The String is also podcast on platforms worldwide, and here, we collaborate on a special episode, calling it Southern Strings and Stories.

Having brought Craig onto this series as a commentator in 2018 (in our episode on Jim Lauderdale), we had in the time since talked about collaborating on an episode, and the inaugural Earl Scruggs Music Festival finally gave us our opportunity. There, we met and set up shop on a balcony overlooking the grounds of the Tryon International Equestrian Center, at the heart of the festival honoring the music and legacy of the iconic banjo player. The concept was simple: record our conversation and use it in both The String and Southern Songs and Stories, with our own individual intros and song selections. So here you have it: a warm conversation touching on everything from the festival’s namesake to other artists (many from western NC where Earl Scruggs was born and raised) like Aaron Burdett, River Whyless and Fireside Collective, as well as Nashville newcomer Cristina Vane, and others. We also delve into the music scenes in Asheville, NC, and Nashville, and get to know Craig a bit more with his spoken word bio, which lets everyone know from the jump that, while estimable, he is anything but unapproachable.

Craig Havighurst

Songs heard in this episode:

“Denver Plane” by Aaron Burdett, excerpt

“Promise Rings“ by River Whyless from Monoflora, except

“How You Doin’” by Crisitina Vane, from Make Myself Me Again, excerpt

“And the Rain Came Down” by Fireside Collective, from Across the Divide, excerpt

“Chattanooga” by Chatham Rabbits, from WNCW’s Crowd Around the Mic Vol. 23, excerpt

“Foggy Mountain Breakdown” by Flatt & Scruggs

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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