Even though they have bragging rights, The dB’s will probably not go there. They could, though, because their band accomplished something that very few have done: make great music that sounded like no one before or after them. Sure, there are similarities with their heroes, how could there not be? The Beatles and Big Star were guiding lights for the Winston Salem by way of New York City quartet (whose core songwriters Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple worked with Big Star’s Alex Chilton and Richard Rosebrough along the way), but The dB’s played music that forged a new path. They were New Wave in the sense that they came on the scene at the same time that Elvis Costello, Talking Heads and Blondie were getting started, but their sound was different enough that the moniker did not quite fit. Power Pop? Kinda sorta, but then again not really. Make a Venn diagram of The dB’s and you will find them at the intersection of British Invasion bands, New Wave, Power Pop, and the following wave of Southern pop and rock epitomized by R.E.M. (whom Peter would work with later on). The dB’s were never a household name, but were hugely influential. And they arrived fully formed, having played together and written songs for years before leaving North Carolina. Now, decades later, we get to hear just how good they were from the jump with the release of I Thought You Wanted To Know: 1978 - 1981, a compilation of their early demos, outtakes and live performances.

Album art for *I Thought You Wanted To Know: 1978 - 1981* by The dB’s

In this episode Peter Holsapple talks with us about the dB’s new retrospective, how his musical upbringing in the hyper local scene in Winston Salem North Carolina served him well as an adult, his lifelong musical friendships, the seemingly unlikely influence of Mott the Hoople and much more. We feature music from I Thought You Wanted To Know as well, a collection that sounds as fresh and innovative now as it did when it was first put on tape.

Songs heard in this episode:

“I Thought You Wanted To Know” by The dB’s, from I Thought You Wanted to Know: 1978–1981

“Soul Kiss” by The dB’s, from I Thought You Wanted to Know: 1978–1981, excerpt

“Rock and Roll Queen” by Mott the Hoople, from Mott the Hoople, excerpt

“Nothing Is Wrong” by The dB’s, from I Thought You Wanted to Know: 1978–1981, excerpt

“Time Has Come Today” by The dB’s, from I Thought You Wanted to Know: 1978–1981

Thanks for visiting, we hope you enjoyed your time with us! 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. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

There may never be an episode of Southern Songs and Stories featuring music as far flung as this one, and at the same time there may never be an episode with a storyline that is so unexpectedly close knit. It started out by bringing together two artists I knew but who did not know each other, and who have differing styles of music. Then came a serendipitous revelation that set the stage for a great conversation, and concluded with another surprise when both artists picked a mutual favorite song to talk about in this Three Song Set, one from Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, whom you probably know better as George Michael.

Welcome to our Three Song Set with Kim Ware and Scott Newell, where Kim picks one of Scott’s songs, Scott picks one of Kim’s, and they both pick a mutual favorite of another artist to talk about. I have known of Kim’s work for far longer than I have known her -- we were in some of the same musical circles when we lived in Wilmington, North Carolina in the 1990s -- but it was only in recent years when she moved from Atlanta back to where she grew up in nearby Kings Mountain, North Carolina that I made a connection. Back in Wilmington, Kim was a drummer in bands like Tex Svengali, she also ran the record label Eskimo Kiss, and she remained in the background for years before picking up a guitar in 2006 and starting her own singing and songwriting journey as the Good Graces. Like Kim, Scott Newell chose a different instrument early on, as he played trumpet before picking up the guitar as his mainstay. While he lives just two counties over in Charlotte, Scott had never crossed paths with Kim until now. But their paths were always intertwined, because as they got to know each other before we recorded this episode, Scott and Kim found out that on Kim’s father’s side of her family, and Scott’s mother’s side of his family have ancestors who were brother and sister.

Kim Ware and the Good Graces - Prose and Consciousness.jpg

Songs heard in this episode:

“So What” by Miles Davis from Kind of Blue, excerpt

“Scam Likely” by Scott Newell from Psycho Electric, excerpt

“Mar Vista Point” by Kim Ware and the Good Graces from Prose and Consciousness, excerpt

“Praying For Time” by George Michael from Listen Without Prejudice, excerpt

Thank you for visiting, and we hope you enjoy your stay! There are more Three Song Sets in the works, and we would like to know what you think of the concept. You can contact us on our social media via Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and you can also drop a comment below this article. You can follow the series on podcast platforms everywhere, where it greatly helps 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 at 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. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Artist stereotypes do not apply

How many times have parents cringed when their children fell in love with a musician? Let's be honest, the world has looked askance at artists of all stripes (with notable exceptions) for most of our history. Musicians tend to be thought of as people who may be great at their art but who are nonetheless pretty bad at life skills like paying bills, getting to work on time, and sticking with the missus.

Aaron turns all those stereotypes on their head; he is not only a fantastic songwriter and musician, but he also runs his own construction business and is a devoted family man living a stone's throw from where he grew up in the western NC mountains. He is as meticulous and intense about his guitar and ballads as he is about his green built homes and raising his two girls.

As you'll see in our pilot episode, Aaron does both life and art exceptionally well. The folks around him are a big part of that.