Of Triumph, Tragedy and the Solace of Solitude With Steve Earle

At any given time, we have a number of interviews waiting for their moments on an upcoming episode of this podcast series. Late 2024 is no exception, and may be an extreme, as there are several interviews from both the Earl Scruggs Festival as well as IBMA from recent months now in our cue. Hurricane Helene disrupted the tentative schedule for those conversations with the likes of Lindsay Lou, Mountain Home and Unspoken Tradition’s Ty Gilpin and many more being put on hold, as I pivoted to covering the storm’s impact on music in the region. If you did not hear it already, I encourage you to go back one episode to “Songs Of Grief, Songs Of Hope: Helene’s Aftermath For The Western NC Music Scene” for a glimpse into what dominated (and continues to dominate in many ways) our thoughts and our experiences in early fall 2024.

It was a mild surprise, then, to steer back into a “normal” fashion here, picking out a gem of a conversation from earlier in the year only to find that tragic loss was top of mind for my guest, Steve Earle. “There’s that sorrow and loss theme again,” I thought. How weird is that?

It is not all gloom here though, not by a long shot, so please do not let that dissuade you from pressing ‘play’ here. Although Steve lost his friend and colleague Jeremy Tepper just two days before, he was in overall good spirits, as he talks about his rigorous solo tour, his relationship with his music before becoming sober, his favorite cover songs from both artists covering his music and vice versa, aspirations to record Irish music and perhaps even a jazz record, and memories of growing up in the midst of musical greats like Doug Sahm. It is a deep and insightful conversation from the Hall Of Fame songwriter, which even includes mention of his love of North Carolina trout fishing. Along the way, we hear excerpts of music from Steve Earle’s latest album, Alone Again (Live), as well as both his favorite cover songs — an Emmylou Harris cover of one of his songs, and his own version of a Bob Dylan classic.

Steve Earle

Songs heard in this episode:

“CCKMP” by Steve Earle, from Alone Again (Live)

“I Ain’t Ever Satisfied” by Steve Earle, from Alone Again (Live), excerpt

“Goodye” by Emmylou Harris, from Wrecking Ball, excerpt

“My Back Pages” by Steve Earle, from Sidetracks, excerpt

“Copperhead Road” by Steve Earle, from Alone Again (Live)

Thanks for joining us! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice, so easy! You can find us on Apple here, and Spotify here — hundreds more episodes await you.

From there it takes just a moment to give us a top rating, and where it is an option, a review! It makes a great difference because the more top reviews and ratings we get, the more visible we become to everyone on those platforms, which means that more people just like you connect with artists like Steve Earle.  

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 also to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Bluegrass, Country and A Whole Lot In Between: The Extraordinary Life and Career of Marty Stuart

When it comes to Marty Stuart, there simply is not enough time or space available to address the enormity and the lasting impact of his music, let alone his life story, here in this episode. We would need a whole year’s worth of podcasts to come close, and I doubt that he would be quite that generous with his time. Luckily, he was generous enough to give us 25 minutes of his time, in which he touched on everything from his time in Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash’s bands to his current work with his band since 2003, The Fabulous Superlatives. There was more, like mention of his ongoing photography project with the Lakota people, which for sake of time is left out even here (although you can read the full transcript of our conversation on my Substack page here).

What you will hear in this episode, though, is a master of his art holding court, telling rich tales filled with vibrant metaphors, as only he can. Joining in the conversation is music artist and lifelong bluegrass and country music fan and historian, Tom Pittman. We spoke with Marty Stuart ahead of his performance in Lenoir, NC in June 2024, which precedes his appearance as a headliner at the Earl Scruggs Festival in Tryon, NC over Labor Day weekend, beginning in late August. As with every episode in this series, there is music as well, ranging from Marty Stuart’s bluegrass to his more recent work, often referred to nowadays as cosmic country (spoiler alert — Marty says he does not even know what that term means).

Marty Stuart

Earl Scruggs (L) and Marty Stuart (R)

Songs heard in this episode:

“Lost Byrd Space Train (Scene 1)” by Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, from Altitude

“Shuckin’ the Corn” by Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, from Live At The Ryman, excerpt

“Vegas” by Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, from Altitude, excerpt

“I Need To Know” by Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, from Petty Country, excerpt

“Mojave” by Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, from Way Out West

Thanks for visiting, and we hope you will follow this series on your podcast platform of choice, and also give it a top rating and a review. When you take a moment to give great ratings and reviews, Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles become much more visible to more music, history and culture fans just like you. You can find us on Apple here, and Spotify here — hundreds more episodes await, including performers at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival in recent years like Rissi Palmer, Michael Daves, and Della Mae, as well as a collaborative episode from the festival itself with The String podcast host Craig Havighurst.

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 the staff at MerleFest for their help in making this episode possible. Thanks also to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

American Songcatcher: Bob Wills

Back in the day, I discovered the music of Bob Wills when I was a fresh faced college DJ at WXYC Chapel Hill. It was like hearing songs from an alternate universe to me, a kid who grew up listening to FM and AM radio’s menu of pop, rock and rap of the day, sprinkled with music bought from cassette clubs and record stores that ventured as far back as Buddy Holly and what we called beach music (which is its own cultural rabbit hole). Being the future audio producer that I was, our apartment’s answering machine messages were dominated by yours truly, and the soundtracks to these boisterous salutes were often songs that I drew from the ever-expanding roster of gonzo artists I found in the radio station’s album library. It was Will’s trademark, drawn out interjection “Ah ha!” — which so often punctuated his music —that grabbed me, an exclamation which record executives first regarded as something from out of this world. Luckily for all of us, they were quickly proven wrong in their assessment that audiences would be turned off by this refrain. That part of the legendary Bob Will’s story, as part of a compelling overview of his life and music, is detailed in this special collaborative podcast episode, thanks to Nicholas Edward Williams.

Welcome to this episode of American Songcatcher, with the story behind the King of Western Swing, Bob Wills. One of the most influential and iconic bandleaders and musicians of the 1930’s-1950’s, Bob came from a humble life of a poor sharecropping family, and was deeply influenced by old time and breakdown fiddle through his Texas state champion family of fiddlers in his father and uncle. Bob also loved all the turn of the century and 1920’s black music, and this confluence of cultures would help him create the craze that became Western swing, and the details of his journey to get there will surprise you. 

Bob Wills publicity photo circa 1946

American Songcatcher is one of my favorite podcasts, and it is also part of the programming lineup at public radio station WNCW. Tracing the roots of American music from its cultured past to artists playing it forward, folk musician, musicologist and host Nicholas Edward Williams takes listeners on a unique documentary-style podcast experience. Dive into the stories of centuries-old Traditional songs and migrants who carried their musical heritage here, and uncover the lives of pioneers and integral musicians who created and shaped styles such as Bluegrass, Ragtime, Jazz and Swing, Country, Gospel, Blues, Old-Time, and the Folk music that's derived from it all. Here's to the songs of old, may they live on forever.

Thank you for visiting us and giving this special episode 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, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed out theme songs.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Rural Roots That Run Deep With Nick Shoulders and Adeem the Artist

In the first of two episodes from MerleFest in April 2024, we highlight two artists making their debuts at the festival, Nick Shoulders and Adeem the Artist. Following this episode are two artists who have made MerleFest a regular stop over its history — 24 and 26 times, respectively — Jim Lauderdale and Donna the Buffalo.

Gallery images above: (left to right) Nick Shoulders, Adeem the Artist, Adeem the Artist performing at MerleFest 2024, Nick Shoulders’ comic in his series “Country Music History”

Nick Shoulders is from Arkansas, while Adeem the Artist, who now lives in Tennessee, has lineage from North Carolina going back seven generations. As with so many roots music artists, the place where their roots are found is central to their art, and you will hear more about that from both in our conversations here, including excerpts of their latest music.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Hoarse Whisperer” by Nick Shoulders, from All Bad

“Plot of Land” by Adeem the Artist, from Anniversary, excerpt

“Appreciate’cha” by Nick Shoulders, from All Bad, excerpt

“Arkansas Troubler” by Nick Shoulders, from All Bad, excerpt

“Rotations” by Adeem the Artist, from Anniversary, excerpt

“There We Are” by Adeem the Artist, from Anniversary

Thanks for visiting, and we hope you will follow this series on your podcast platform of choice, and also give it a top rating and a review. When you take a moment to give great ratings and reviews, Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles become much more visible to more music, history and culture fans just like you. You can find us on Apple here, and Spotify here — hundreds more episodes await, including performers at MerleFest in recent years like Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show, Colin Hay, Bella White and Peter Rowan.

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 the staff at MerleFest for their help in making this episode possible. Thanks also to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Finally, A Country That Welcomes Her: Rissi Palmer

Imagine getting your dream job and immediately being scrutinized for your appearance; being asked to wear a wig that was nothing like your natural hair; being quizzed on obscure bits of the history of your field; being asked whether you took the job as a stepping stone to another one. Imagine getting lots of hate mail about the fact that you look different than everyone else with that job. What about being stopped by security when they did not believe that you were really supposed to be in front of people at your own event? Would you stay in that job? I would not. And neither did Rissi Palmer, at least for a time. Fortunately, she came back in a few years, and she has a remarkable tale to tell, which is reflected in her latest album, Revival.

Palmer tells us about that comeback, which began in earnest with the 2020 debut of her Apple Music series Color Me Country Radio With Rissi Palmer; the love she has for her adopted hometown of Durham, NC; hints of what is to come in her next album, and much more in this episode which features excerpts of her music both live and on album.

Rissi Palmer performs at Earl Scruggs Music Festival 09-03-23 (photo: Joe Kendrick)

Songs heard in this episode:

“Seeds” by Rissi Palmer, from Revival

“I’m Still Here” by Rissi Palmer feat. Miko Marks, excerpt

“Summerville” by Rissi Palmer, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05-12-23

“Speak On It” by Rissi Palmer, from Revival

Thank you for visiting us 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, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed out theme songs.

This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Going Home to Where Dreams Come True: Miko Marks

As Carl Sandburg said in his poem “Washington Monument by Night”, "Nothing happens unless first we dream." In the case of Miko Marks, her music career took off only after she had a literal dream, where she reunited with her old producer in a jam session. Prior to that, her dream of making it as a country music artist had long laid fallow, having been put to rest for more than a decade. Even without the backdrop of dashed hopes, dropping out and eventually, sweet redemption, Miko Marks’ story is a remarkable one. Her music is central to this resurgence, with three strong albums to her credit in the past two years, including her 2022 country soul collection Feel Like Going Home. That album especially set in motion a wave of accolades and media coverage, and set the stage for her to tour all over the US, including an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, and Merlefest, where she also sang with Little Feat, whom she had toured with as well.  

I caught up with Miko Marks recently at her return engagement at the Albino Skunk Music Festival in May 2023. We spoke before her set, and talked about the connections between country music, gospel and soul, her unique comeback story, and what changes in the music business she believes would help artists like herself, who have historically been on the outside looking in.

Miko Marks performing at the Albino Skunk Music Festival in Greer, SC 05/12/23

Songs heard in this episode:

“One More Night” by Miko Marks, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival, 05/12/23

“Hard Times“ by Miko Mark, performed live at Albino Skunk, 05/12/23

“Long Journey Home” by Miko Marks, live at the Albino Skunk Festival, 05/12/23, excerpt

“Feel Like Going Home” by Miko Marks, live at Albino Skunk Fest 05/12/23

Thank you so much for dropping by and giving this episode a listen. Was this the first podcast from an artist performing at the Albino Skunk Music Festival that you have heard on this series? I bet you would enjoy recent episodes on Eilen Jewell and Jake Xerxes Fussell, who also performed at the festival last spring. 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 Albino Skunk Music Festival for their incredible hospitality. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Sierra Ferrell, Revisited

Hello and welcome to Southern Songs and Stories, with a favorite episode from 2021 here on this re-podcast of The Country Heart and Jazz Mind of Sierra Ferrell, published in late July of that year. Since then, Sierra Ferrell has enjoyed seeing the ranks of her fans swell on the heels of Long Time Coming, her album released later that summer. Currently, she is working on her next album with a bigger sound, including drums and pedal steel guitar, as well as fiddle tunes. 

Sierra Ferrell at the Albino Skunk Music Festival in May 2021

I interviewed Sierra Ferrell at the Albino Skunk Music Festival, which is happening again this week, May 11th through 13th in Greer SC, where I plan on interviewing more artists for future episodes here, so as we say in radio, stay tuned! Hopefully everything will line up for conversations with Miko Marks, Jake Xerxes Fussell and Eilen Jewell. Hope I am not jinxing things by saying that before I have the interviews in hand!

And a big tip of the hat to the Albino Skunk Festival, which is always punching above its weight with getting such great artists. Sierra Ferrell has blown up after playing there, and in its decades long history, internationally known artists like Lake Street Dive, The War and Treaty and Billy Strings have played the festival many times. The War and Treaty talked with me at Albino Skunk in 2019, by the way, and that remains one of my favorite episodes here as well. 

Just two weeks ago I was at Merlefest where I interviewed Peter Rowan and Bella White, and you should be seeing episodes with their conversations here before too long. Lots going on as always in podcast land, and I hope to share another bit of positive news here soon, but nothing is set in stone so that will have to wait. What will not have to wait is for you to share Southern Songs and Stories with someone you know who likes music, or history and culture, and follow and give us a top rating on your podcast platform of choice. 

Oh, and speaking of history, thanks to one of my favorite podcasts, The Road to Now, for sharing a clip from my podcasts on The Shelton Laurel Massacre on one of their recent episodes. You can find The Road To Now on Osiris Media, and co-host and Avett Brothers bass player Bob Crawford recently published his podcast miniseries Founding Son, on America’s sixth president John Quincy Adams, which is well worth a listen also. 

Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy our episode on Sierra Ferrell.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Lonesome Woman Blues” by Sierra Ferrell live at Albino Skunk Festival 05/14/21

“I’d Do It Again” by Sierra Ferrell, live at Albino Skunk Festival 05/14/21, excerpt

“T For Texas” by Sierra Ferrell, live at Albino Skunk Festival 05/14/21, excerpt

“Whispering Waltz” by Sierra Ferrell, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/14/21, excerpt

“Why’d Ya Do It” by Sierra Ferrell, live at Albino Skunk Festival 05/14/21, excerpt

“In Dreams” by Sierra Ferrell, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/14/21

Revisiting A Country Music Renaissance Man: Charley Crockett

2022 was a very good year for Charley Crockett. It was another prolific period for the Texan artist, who is mostly known as a country musician, although the breadth and depth of his music cannot be grasped with just that one handle. His first collection of 2022, Lil' G.L. Presents: Jukebox Charley found Crockett in his covers mode, which he has employed often since he burst on the scene in 2018 with his albums Lonesome As A Shadow and Lil' G.L.’s Blue Bonanza.

The Man From Waco, his 2022 album of originals, is a revelation. Listening to it for the first time on a road trip, I was a bit stunned because even though I loved his music before, I was not prepared for a record this diverse, for songs this good. It was like Charley Crockett found another gear, and it was well before the whole 44 minutes and 50 seconds of it played that I knew it was my likely favorite of the year. It was not just my favorite; it was a lot of people’s favorite, including WNCW listeners and staff, whose votes vaulted it to the overall number one spot in the Top 100 of 2022.

With a holiday break in between our last, Christmas themed episode and our next episode on banjo icon Earl Scruggs, it seemed like an ideal time to revisit our conversation with Charley Crockett from late summer 2020. You can reference the original article accompanying that podcast here. - Joe Kendrick

Reinvigorating Country With Joshua Ray Walker

For someone who is admittedly not a fan of reading books, Joshua Ray Walker conveys emotion and portrays characters so well that his songwriting presents what at first would seem like a kind of striking incongruity. Add to that the fact that he did not begin writing lyrics until he was already a number of years into his career, and the hint of inconsistency with habit and result grows louder. It is answered, however, in the fact that Walker is a keen observer of everyone in his orbit, and is gifted with an incredibly rare ability to create striking scenes with characters whom you might want to alternately embrace or avoid at all cost, but will surely not forget. And that is to say nothing of the expansive and innovative instrumentation, arrangement and good old fashioned hooks that he employs at every turn. Plus, his voice ranges from clear as crystal to nearly a snarl, always garnished with a delicious Texas twang. Simply put, Joshua Ray Walker is setting the bar for what country music can and should be: a home for immediately relatable songs packed with the full range of human emotions that take from the template set down by its pantheon of iconic artists, and make it new again with every riff and turn of phrase.

Joshua Ray Walker on guitar and Billy Law on bass during their live session on WNCW 02-21-22 (photo: Brenda Craig)

In this episode, Joshua Ray Walker talks about how his family influenced his career and his songs, how he approaches writing lyrics, the rich music scene of his East Dallas home (with an aside about this study which gave it a surprisingly very poor rating), and a lot more. Woven throughout is music from his live session on public radio WNCW where he played several songs from his third solo album See You Next Time. We also bring in a member of Joshua’s other longstanding project Ottoman Turks with a conversation with their bassist and vocalist Billy Law, who has an impressive new solo album of his own titled Alone Somewhere.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Sexy After Dark” by Joshua Ray Walker, live on WNCW

“Cowboy” by Joshua Ray Walker, live on WNCW, excerpt

“Flash Paper” by Joshua Ray Walker, from See You Next Time, excerpt

“Vaquero” by Ottoman Turks, from Ottoman Turks II, excerpt

“Dallas Lights” by Joshua Ray Walker, from See You Next Time, excerpt

“Three Strikes” by Joshua Ray Walker, live on WNCW

Thanks for dropping in on us here at Southern Songs and Stories, and I hope you might tell someone you know about the series, whether that is in person or on social media. Please follow us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, or any podcast platform you prefer. After that, it helps a lot when you give us a good rating and a review. Top ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. 

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 WNCW audio engineer Sean Rubin for recording our session with Joshua and his band, and 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

The Challenge of a Life Beyond Outlaw Country: Jeremy Pinnell

Have you ever thought about what motivated George Mallory, the early 20th century mountaineer? He was either the first or almost the first person to climb Mount Everest (he died up there, so we do not know), and is the person to answer to the question of why he wanted to do it with the famous reply, “Because it’s there”. Mallory is a real life example of a personality type shared with popular characters like The Mandalorian and Sherlock Holmes, both of whom despise being idle, and who regularly take on what may seem like impossible tasks. The answer to the question of the root of their motivation partly lies in the personality of our guest in this episode, Jeremy Pinnell. Like Mallory, Holmes and The Mandalorian, Pinnell needs a suitable challenge to get up out of bed every morning. Whether that is practicing mixed martial arts, being a husband and father or carving out a career in the unforgiving landscape of the modern music industry, he seems to find himself most comfortable in settings filled with high degrees of difficulty. Find out about his life story and his remarkable third album in this episode of Southern Songs and Stories.

Jeremy Pinnell

Songs heard in this episode:

“Fightin’ Man” by Jeremy Pinnell, from Goodby L.A., excerpt

“Joey” by Jeremy Pinnell, excerpt

“Want To Do Something” by Jeremy Pinnell, from Goodbye L.A., excerpt

“Cryin’” by Jeremy Pinnell, from Goodbye L.A., excerpt

“Goodbye L.A.” by Jeremy Pinnell, from Goodbye L.A

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy this podcast. I also hope you might tell someone about Southern Songs and Stories directly or on social media. You can follow the series on podcast platforms everywhere, where it helps more than you may realize 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. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists that make it.

The Country Heart and Jazz Mind of Sierra Ferrell

Meeting Sierra Ferrell was nothing like I expected. The scene was somewhere backstage at the Albino Skunk Music Festival this spring, and in her orbit were several new faces, one of whom was holding an elderly Boston Terrier. As I would soon find out, it was Jeremiah Jenkins whose main gig is booking Red Wing Roots Music Festival in Virginia who was holding onto the pup named, appropriately enough, Boston. However, it was not his dog. Sierra Ferrell had brought Boston, but Boston was not her dog either. She was just taking care of him for a friend by bringing him to South Carolina where the air would be better for his allergies, and holding him a lot — or in this case, getting someone like Jeremiah to do the holding. Before long many people came to know Boston, and a charming, eccentric story within the larger charming eccentricities of the festival itself was born. It seemed that almost as many people knew of Boston as there were those who got to experience the magnetic set of western swing, golden era country and fiery originals from Sierra and her band.

After her performance, she stayed through the next day to catch more of the music, which was when we took time to talk. Here, she tells us about her long awaited album debut on Rounder, titled (you guessed it) Long Time Coming, her musical upbringing and early, more rocking tastes, her new band, how the forests of her native West Virginia can be heard in her songs, and more. Many songs that Sierra Ferrell and her band played at the festival are here as well, which include several from her new collection. The music and conversation are lively and free-spirited, and hint at greater things to come in a moment when Sierra is already emerging as a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist to be celebrated.

Sierra Ferrell with Boston in the green room at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05-15-21

Boston, the elderly, blind and allergic Boston Terrier who practically stole the show

Songs heard in this episode:

“Lonesome Woman Blues” by Sierra Ferrell live at Albino Skunk Festival 05/14/21

“I’d Do It Again” by Sierra Ferrell, live at Albino Skunk Festival 05/14/21, excerpt

“T For Texas” by Sierra Ferrell, live at Albino Skunk Festival 05/14/21, excerpt

“Whispering Waltz” by Sierra Ferrell, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/14/21, excerpt

“Why’d Ya Do It” by Sierra Ferrell, live at Albino Skunk Festival 05/14/21, excerpt

“In Dreams” by Sierra Ferrell, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/14/21

Thanks for visiting! I hope you enjoyed the podcast, and might tell someone you know about it. You can follow the series on podcast platforms everywhere. And once you do that, could you take a minute and give us a top rating, and a review? In almost no time you will help make all of the topics and artists covered on this series more likely to be found by more people just like you. 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 Mark Johnson for supplying the live audio from Albino Skunk, and to Zig and everyone there for being so generous and accommodating. Thanks also to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where our former intern Joshua Meng wrote and performed our theme songs. - Joe Kendrick

The Ambivalence and Embrace of Saturday Night and Sunday Morning with Olivia Ellen Lloyd

Like the prophets of biblical times, music artists have often found it hard to gain acceptance in the places they came from. There is a heartbreaking scene in the documentary Every Night’s A Saturday Night: The Bobby Keys Story where the sax player famous for his time in The Rolling Stones sits outside his former high school, unable to bring himself to go to his old classmates’ reunion decades after leaving his small town of Slaton, Texas. Another example is my home town’s native son, Don Gibson, who left Shelby, North Carolina being thought of as pretty much a nobody that dropped out of school in the second grade before he went on to become a successful artist and one of the most celebrated song writers in country music history.

Olivia Ellen Lloyd could be the exception that proves this rule: she left her homeplace (which is even smaller than both Shelby and Slaton) and went on to make her first album while residing in Brooklyn, New York, however this success is celebrated rather than ignored back home in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. This experience, along with the loss of family and friends and her own struggle to come of age in a world where optimism is hard to come by provides the backdrop for her country and Americana based album Loose Cannon.

Olivia Ellen Lloyd

In this episode you will hear Olivia talk about her intriguing backstory and how she finds herself thriving in a much different place than where she grew up while she still embraces her homeplace, how she has a knack for bringing our worst impulses to life in a song, and much more, including music from her album Loose Cannon.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy this episode and will tell someone you know about it. You can follow this series on most every platform where you can find podcasts. And once you do, it helps even more when you give it a good rating and a review. Spreading awareness by giving this series a top rating, and even more so with a review, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. 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 public radio WNCW, where we worked with 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

Songs heard in this episode:

“High & Lonesome” by Olivia Ellen Lloyd from Loose Cannon

“Sorrow” by Olivia Ellen Lloyd from Loose Cannon, excerpt

“Emily” by Olivia Ellen Lloyd from Loose Cannon, excerpt

“The West” by Olivia Ellen Lloyd, from Loose Cannon

Tough Times Encapsulated in the Beauty of Her Song: Esther Rose

Esther Rose might surprise you. She certainly gave me a start at the very beginning of our conversation when I found out that she was not living in New Orleans anymore, after having called the Crescent CIty home for the past decade. It turns out that she had followed her muse to the high desert of Taos, New Mexico, a place that she had thought about moving to for years. That is not the only thing that you might find curious about her — other eye-openers include her list of influences which were three artists I had yet to hear about. For someone like me whose bread is buttered by research and preparation, twists like these do not happen very often, let alone more than once in the same interview. So prepare for a revelation with Esther Rose, whose music itself comprises the most pleasant of those surprises. With her third album How Many Times, she reveals themes of heartbreak, loss and renewal housed in a collection of ten songs that are rooted in country and early rock and roll (The Everly Brothers comes to mind), brought to life by a crack band of young players and tied together with a voice so crystalline as to make you almost wish you could have your heart broken that way, too.

Esther Rose

You can see the full interview with Esther on video, which is linked on my YouTube here. I hope you enjoy this episode, and might talk to someone you know to let them know about this podcast. You can subscribe to the series on most every platform where you can find podcasts. And once you subscribe, it helps even more when you give it a good rating and a review. Spreading awareness by giving this series a top rating, and even more so with a review, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. 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 Sean Rubin for engineering our interview and 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. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it.  - Joe Kendrick

Songs heard in this episode:

“Without You” by Esther Rose from How Many Times

“Good Time” by Esther Rose performed live

“How Many Times” by Esther Rose performed live

Running Horses and Reinventing Country: Charley Crockett

Charley Crockett loves to ride horses almost as much as he loves to play music. 2020 was going to be the year that I got to see him play his music live not once, but twice — first at MerleFest in spring, and next at Cold Mountain Music Festival in summer. Of course, the pandemic struck both of those appearances for Charley, and made every venue and festival reschedule or cancel the year’s events. The silver lining is that, most likely, I got to speak with him for far longer than I would have in person at either of those festivals when I called him while he was staying in Taos, New Mexico. There, an animated and focused Charley Crockett told me about everything from his love of rap and hip hop to Ray Charles and the recently departed James Hand. Our conversation covered everything from social constructs that work to compartmentalize music, to how he came to lose his favorite amulet while running a very fast American Paint horse in the San Luis Valley only to find it again just as he was about to give up. Charley has had a lot of reasons to give up on many things in his life, but luckily for all of us, he played on. “Loaded dice, chips stacked against you: damn thing’s rigged. You better believe it is. But you got to play anyway,” he told me, “And you can play your hand and carve something out for yourself.”

In this episode, Charley Crockett describes his approach to making his own brand of music, dubbed "Gulf and Western", talks about his native Texas and his time in New Orleans and California, and much more. There is also plenty of music from his seventh album Welcome To Hard Times mixed in along with interviews of Charley and producer Mark Neill, and commentary from host and producer Joe Kendrick.

Charley Crockett songs heard in this episode:

“Run Horse Run” from Welcome To Hard Times (excerpt)

“The Valley” from The Valley (excerpt)

“Welcome To Hard Times” from Welcome To Hard Times (excerpt)

“Fool Somebody Else” from Welcome To Hard Times

A Soundtrack To An Enduring Icon: Dolly Parton

If there’s one thing in music that practically everyone knows something about, it’s living legend Dolly Parton. And if there’s one thing in music that few people know anything about, it’s how film soundtracks are made. Both of these are a given; like the sun rising and setting, there is music in movies, and there is the transcendent career of Dolly.

(L to R): Mark Leggett, Dolly Parton and Velton Ray Bunch in studio for the making of the soundtrack to Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings

 In this episode we dive into the world of film soundtracks and the story of Dolly Parton with an interview of two of Dolly’s long time collaborators, Mark Leggett and Velton Ray Bunch. We’ll also feature some of their work from Dolly’s latest project, the series Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings, along with a new guitar piece from Mark, plus you’ll hear from western North Carolina artist Amanda Anne Platt along the way. Amanda has been on this series before, starting with our video documentary on her band here, and again on our episode on women in music here.

Songs heard in this episode:

Dolly Parton: “Muleskinner Blues” (excerpt)

Dolly Parton: “These Old Bones” (excerpt) from Halos & Horns

Mark Leggett and Velton Ray Bunch: “These Old Bones” (excerpt) from Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings

Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters: “Diamond In The Rough” (excerpt) from Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters

Mark Leggett and Velton Ray Bunch: “Sugar Hill” (excerpt) from Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings

Dolly Parton: “Jolene” (excerpt)

Mark Leggett: “Folktown” from Guitars & Blackbirds