Looking Back On The Year, Through The Decade & To The Roots Of Southern Songs And Stories

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 context to the show itself by going back to its beginnings in the year 2006.  

In 2006, the seeds for Southern Songs And Stories were planted with the concept for the talk feature What It Is on WNCW. The weekday round table of music journalists, artists and professionals debuted in 2007 and ran until 2012.

The stories uncovered on these podcasts just this year are too many to mention here, but how about tidbits like Mac Arnold working as a producer on Soul Train back in the day? Or that Marcus King’s grandfather Bill King was a member of the Country Gentlemen? Elizabeth Cook didn’t even want to be a musician although her family had a band when she was growing up. No, she wanted to be in business, so she majored in accounting and computer information systems. Luckily for us, she hated that job.

Joe Kendrick and Elizabeth Cook at MerleFest 2019

The Ruen Brothers perform at the Albino Skunk Music Festival in April 2019. Although they are from England, their music is inspired directly by Southern pioneers of rock, blues and country. Plus, they were too good to pass up when the opportunity arose to interview and feature them here. Here’s to breaking some more unwritten rules in 2020. Photo: John Gillespie

Southern Songs and Stories is produced in partnership with public radio station WNCW and the Osiris podcast network, and is available on podcast platforms everywhere. Would you help spread awareness of the artists featured here on Southern Songs and Stories, their music, and this series? Simply subscribe to the podcast and give it a good rating and a comment where you get your podcasts. For example, you can find us on Apple/iTunes here, on Stitcher here, and Spotify here. Our theme songs are by Joshua Meng, with a link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. Thanks for listening, and Happy New Year! - 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