Southern Songs and Stories

Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms make their home in the San Juan Islands, in Washington State, and their latest spring tour saw them make a stop at the Albino Skunk Music Festival in May 2025. This was two weeks ahead of their own festival, the inaugural East Sound Music Ramble, and part of an eastern swing that preceded other engagements including Telluride Bluegrass Festival. The duo has been very much on the go lately, which is in keeping with their recent past: sojourns to Louisiana, to celebrate the music of Cajun and country legend Jimmy C Newman; to The Last Frontier state for the Alaska Folk Festival; and to Vermont, where Caleb connected with Noam Pikelny, which led to becoming a guest member of bluegrass supergroup Mighty Poplar, to name a few. I spoke with Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms on a picture perfect spring afternoon in Greer, SC, in between their two sets at Skunk Fest, where we touched on all of these travels, both physical and musical; their own region's musical “rogue-ness”; the raw simplicity and danceability of their take on country music; and the importance of slowing down and being present. That and more awaits you, including their music, both live and on record, in this episode. (L to R) Caleb Klauder, Mike Bub and Reeb Willms perform at the Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25Photo: John Gillespie Photography & Design This is the second time Caleb Klauder has been on the series: the first was from 2019, when he spoke about producing feature guest Town Mountain's album New Freedom Blues in the episode Town Mountain: There's Never a Last Ride in the Van. Songs heard in this episode:“Gold In Your Pocket” by Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25“You Gotta Roll the Dice To Win” by Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25, excerpt“Sing Me A Sad Song To Make Me Happy” by Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25, excerpt“Alligator Man“ by Joel Savoy, Kelli Jones, Reeb Willms and Caleb Klauder, from Farewell Alligator Man, excerpt“Key To Life” by Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25, excerpt“Church With No Walls” by Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25, excerpt“He's Gone” by Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25Thanks for dropping by! 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. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify here and YouTube here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites. 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 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. This June, we welcomed WNCW intern Elena Dickson to this series as a producer as well, and she will be with us through July. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

In 2024, I had the idea to produce podcasts based on interviews from MerleFest, with the theme being a focus on both first-time performers and veterans. Combining two artists who made their debuts resulted in the episode “Rural Roots That Run Deep With Nick Shoulders and Adeem The Artist”, we followed that with two of the festival's mainstays in the episode “Jim Lauderdale, Donna the Buffalo and the Many Collaborations Of MerleFest”. It was great fun to compare and contrast artist experiences at the venerated event between newcomers and returning veterans, as well as dive into their stories and music along the way. This year, I picked up on the approach once again, interviewing bluegrass heroes Woody Platt and Buddy Melton in the episode that immediately precedes this one, titled “A New Team For Two Heavy Hitters Of Bluegrass: Woody Platt and Buddy Melton”. Now, we celebrate another MerleFest newcomer, Tami Neilson. Although she just made her first stop at the festival, she is no novice in the roots music scene, having grown up in a family band and having made records since 2008; I was all smiles when I saw her on the MerleFest lineup for 2025. Fun fact: when I sent in the request to feature Tami on this podcast, her publicist replied, “So just to be clear here — Tami is for Southern Songs & Stories? She is originally Canadian and lives in New Zealand so just checking!” I chuckled and replied, “Yes, that's correct. I break my own rules every so often. I've featured Ruen Brothers, Colin Hay and others over the years. New Zealand is south too right? ;-)”I spoke with Tami Neilson late at night, after her rousing Dance Tent performance, where she talked about her love of wide ranging musical journeys, her own journey to her adopted country of New Zealand, growing up in a family band and now bringing her sons on stage from time to time, playing the Grand Ole Opry and making music with greats like Willie Nelson, and a whole lot more. Tami Neilson playing her first of two sets at MerleFest on April 25, 2025. Photo: Willa Stein Songs heard in this episode: “Baby, You're A Gun” by Tami Neilson, from Kingmaker“Learn To Try Again” by The Chills, from Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs, excerpt“Borrow My Boots” by Tami Neilson, from Neon Cowgirl, excerpt“Beyond The Stars” by Tami Neilson, featuring Willie Nelson, from Kingmaker, excerpt“You're Gonna Fall” by Tami Neilson, featuring JD McPherson, from Neon CowgirlThanks for reading and listening! 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. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify here and YouTube here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites. 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. WNCW intern Elena Dickson deserves a big thanks for jumping in on production work for this episode in her very first week! Thanks as well 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. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed. - Joe Kendrick

It was Friday at MerleFest and I had already taken in an afternoon and evening of music the day before, which threatened more rain than it delivered. The one downpour that hit the festival grounds coincided with my campsite assembly, though, which made for an especially challenging time with raising my tent. Pouring rain makes tents heavy and unwieldy, but luckily for me, not impossible to put together — just fairly comical to passersby. The inside of it was a mess after that, but it was the only weather incident I experienced all weekend. It would not be MerleFest without at least a little rain, after all. As it would be an outlier for MerleFest to be without rain, it would be similarly unlikely for MerleFest to go without at least one of two contemporary bluegrass stars from western NC: Woody Platt and Buddy Melton. Fans have enjoyed Woody Platt's former band Steep Canyon Rangers thirteen times at the festival since 2006, while Buddy Melton's former group Balsam Range has made five appearances there since 2010. This year, they appeared in a new lineup: Woody Platt and the Bluegrass Gentlemen. I had the pleasure of catching up with Woody Platt and Buddy Melton in one of the few quiet spots available on the festival grounds, in the band's motor coach, where we talked about how this project began; how their region is recovering from Hurricane Helene and more recently, widespread wildfires; a certain Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cover they played live at the festival, as well as how they love to hear other players cover their songs. That and a lot more, including excerpts of music from Woody Platt's 2024 album Far Away With You awaits you in this episode. Woody Platt and the Bluegrass Gentlemen perform on Creekside Stage at MerleFest in Wilkesboro NC 04-25-25 Songs heard in this episode: “Long Time Coming” by Woody Platt, from Far Away With You“Like The Rain Does” by Woody Platt, from Far Away With You, excerpt“Find the Cost of Freedom” by Crosby, Stills Nash & Young, from Live At Fillmore East, 1969, excerpt“Walk Along With Me” by Woody Platt, from Far Away With You, excerpt“One Last Goodbye” by Woody Platt, from Far Away With YouThanks for reading and listening! 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. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify here and YouTube here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites. 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 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. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

The town of Elkin, NC, boasts only 4000 residents, but its downtown seems to resemble a town much larger than that. What looks to me like a downtown about half the size of my home town of Shelby, NC, turns out to be a good bit less populated than its footprint suggests. But making a bigger impression than expected is in keeping with everything I have experienced in this foothills town in the northwest part of the state — Elkin likes to punch above its weight. My first trip to Elkin was for the Reevestock Music Festival, created by the band Time Sawyer, whose members largely grew up there. It is a festival that garners national artists as well as regional favorites, and every time I returned, it came up a winner: well balanced, with enough star power but also plenty of pleasant surprises and new discoveries, plus it was almost intimate with its crowd of hundreds rather than thousands in attendance. Elkin remains a favorite destination for that festival alone, and now I can add to that list, with The Martha Bassett Show producing live events at the Reeves Theater for eight years running. Martha Bassett celebrates with guests and house band at the finale of The Martha Bassett Show 04/03/25Photo: Steel String Photography The Martha Bassett Show put on its 100th episode in April of this year, which seemed like the perfect time to trek up and take it all in. The show featured guests Liz Longley from Nashville, Hank Pattie & the Current from the Triangle region of NC, and a VA music artist who is best known for building guitars for stars like Eric Clapton, Gillian Welch, Vince Gill, Peter Rowan (and hundreds of others, famous or not), Wayne Henderson. I spoke with both Martha Bassett and Wayne Henderson while there, where we talked with Martha about the extraordinary nature of the show with collaboration amongst its guests a built-in feature, the ever-changing and now perhaps especially challenging landscape for the arts, and with Wayne about his world famous instruments as well as memories of Doc Watson, and current Grand Ole Opry member and client Marty Stuart. All of that and a lot more is here, including musical excerpts from The Martha Bassett Show on this episode of Southern Songs and Stories. Songs heard in this episode:Wayne Henderson and Friends “Sweet Georgia Brown” from The Martha Bassett Show 04/03/25Wayne Henderson and Friends intro from Martha Bassett into “Panhandle Rag” from The Martha Bassett Show 04/03/25, excerpt“I'll Fly Away” Martha Bassett with Liz Longley, Hank Pattie & the Current, Wayne Henderson and Friends and house band from The Martha Bassett Show 04/03/25Thanks for dropping by! 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. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify here and YouTube here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites. 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 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. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

The 19th century Swedish philosopher and poet Henri Frederic Amiel wrote one of the most eloquent observations about music, saying “Music is harmony, harmony is perfection, perfection is our dream, and our dream is heaven.” If Amiel is right, and I have a feeling he is, then pairing Andrea Zonn and John Cowan in a setting where they can sing some of their favorite songs both old and new, is bound to take you at least a good part of the way to heaven. With their debut collaboration, the album Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeons, the Nashville legends make the harmony part sound effortless, and with a cast of all stars behind them, have set their sights skyward. John Cowan and Andrea Zonn already had a harmonious relationship and had worked together in the decades leading up to now, but it was a quirk of having some more studio time together during the pandemic that set the stage for their first full length collaboration as band leaders. Here, Andrea and John detail that story behind their collaboration, as well as stories of their heroes like Leon Russell and Bill Monroe, and contemporaries like Tom Britt, their perspective on their own musical legacies, tales of their time in the shangri-la of western North Carolina's musical past, Green Acres Music Hall, and more, including music excerpts of songs from their new album. Andrea Zonn and John Cowan performing live Songs heard in this episode:“Face Of Appalachia“ by The HercuLeons, from Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeons“Straight Up” by The HercuLeons, from Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeons, excerpt“Resurrection Road” by The HercuLeons, from Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeons, excerpt“Barbed Wire Boys” by The HercuLeons, from Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeons, excerpt“Long Way From Home” by The HercuLeons, from Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeonsNoteworthy but not mentioned in our interview is John Cowan's recent book Hold To A Dream: A Newgrass Odyssey, which features a foreword by HercuLeons' producer Wendy Waldman, and is built on a series of John's interviews with heroes like Kris Kristofferson, Rodney Crowell and Loretta Lynn as well as contemporaries like John Carter Cash. Thanks for being here! 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. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify here and YouTube here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites. 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 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. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

It took a long time after I first read David Menconi's work to finally meet him, and longer still to sit with him for an extended conversation, but fortunately, the time has finally come. And if the saying “good things come to those who wait” applies here, if I was indeed waiting years for that Tuesday afternoon interview in late September 2024, then it is doubly appropriate now that our conversation sees the light of day in this podcast nearly another half a year afterwards. Decades after first reading his work, more than a year after first meeting him, and another stretch of months after interviewing him, now is the moment for all of this to come together. It all feels a bit fortuitous, a feeling which is echoed in our conversation, especially regarding the subject of David Menconi's latest book. David Menconi was a staff writer at the Raleigh News & Observer for 28 years, beginning in 1991, when the music scene in the region was exploding nationwide. He has also written for Rolling Stone, Billboard, Spin and New York Times. His latest book is titled Oh, Didn't They Ramble: Rounder Records and the Transformation of American Roots Music. David Menconi spoke with me at the IBMA conference in his adopted hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, in a conversation which touches on the remarkable story of Rounder Records, a music label whose story, as David put it, is the kismet story. A label formed by three idealistic folkies fresh out of college, it went on to champion the music of artists ranging from Alice Gerard to Alison Krauss, from the Blake Babies to Billy Strings, and from Ted Hawkins to Tony Rice. David talks about the Rounder Records story, the current state of the music industry, the challenges faced by writers and musicians alike, as well as the significant history of bluegrass music in the city of Raleigh and the state of North Carolina and more, including music excerpts from Rounder Records artists like Norman Blake and George Thorogood in this episode Southern Songs and Stories. David Menconi Songs heard in this episode:Tony Rice “Monroe's Hornpipe”, from The Bluegrass Album Band, Volume 6“Tango Cool“ by Ted Gioia & Mark Lewis, from Tango Cool, excerpt“Ginseng Sullivan” by Norman Blake, from Back Home In Sulphur Springs, excerpt“Move It On Over” by George Thorogood & the Destroyers, from Move It On Over, excerpt“Away From the Mire” by Billy Strings, from HomeThanks for being here! 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. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify here and YouTube here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites. 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 everyone at the International Bluegrass Music Association for helping to make this interview possible, and 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. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

It is great fun to witness lines reconverge in unexpected ways on this series. When I spoke with Andrew VanNorstrand and Chris Miller of The Faux Paws back at the end of summer, I learned that they had just received the masters for their next album. Fast forward to late winter the following year, and we happen to circle back to the band directly ahead of the release of their new record with this podcast. The trio, which is often a quartet on tour, is also set to come through southern Appalachia once again this spring, on the heels of their second full length album titled No Bad Ideas. The Faux Paws perform at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival 08/31/24Photo: Jess Maples It is easy to glance at The Faux Paws and mistake them for an old time string band or maybe a Celtic band, at least when they are playing banjo. But then, out comes the saxophone, and we are not in Kansas anymore. So, what are they, exactly? We answer that question in this conversation with banjo and saxophone player Chris Miller, and guitarist Andrew VanNorstrand, as well as musical specimens from their expansive, hypnotic and melodic new record. It is a lighthearted yet revealing conversation ranging from their experience playing contra dances, how being unmarketable is part of their DNA, to their relationship with the music of Earl Scruggs and more. Songs heard in this episode:“Bubwa - No Bad Ideas” by The Faux Paws, from No Bad Ideas“Rockingham” by The Faux Paws, from No Bad Ideas, excerpt“Night” by The Faux Paws, from No Bad Ideas, excerpt“15 Below” by The Faux Paws, from No Bad IdeasThanks for visiting! 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. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify here and YouTube here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites. 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 everyone at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival for helping to make this interview possible, and 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. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Conversation with NC banjo innovator Tray Wellington including his music, and commentary from host and producer Joe Kendrick

In the music business, the words “influence” and “inspiration” get thrown around a lot. Artist Y is “influenced” by artists A, B and C, or “inspired” by their love of genres D and E, often with no elaboration of what that really might mean. Influence and inspiration are often overused to the point of meaninglessness in these contexts, or perhaps misunderstood as something akin to emulation. It is an easy shortcut for folks reading or hearing those words to insert the phrase “sounds like” into the sentence when given no more substantial footing than those hackneyed terms. But in spending time with Lindsay Lou and hearing her perspective on bluegrass as a primary influence, this opened up another way to approach this, which was to think of “influence” and “inspiration” as something akin to a key opening a door, of being a catalyst for change and growth. The musical world heard in Lindsay Lou's fourth album Queen Of Time begins at a door which she unlocked over the years since first experiencing bluegrass jams as a kid. On this record, it is a world which welcomes bluegrass legends like Jerry Douglas, who makes a guest appearance, as well as first-call songwriter Jon Weisberger, plus maverick superstar Billy Strings. It is full of electric guitar and drums, adding synthesizers, organ and even djembe into the mix. Its lyrics and melodies flow from both a psychedelic experience with the sacred feminine, as well as her enduring bond with her extraordinary grandmother. It is a world where self-discovery incorporates but also supersedes tradition; it is a world where bluegrass is both there and is not there, all at once. Lindsay Lou performs at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival 08/31/24 Songs heard in this episode:“Queen Of Time” by Lindsay Lou, from Queen Of Time“I Can Help” by Lindsay Lou, from Queen Of Time, excerpt“Nothing's Working” by Lindsay Lou, from Queen Of Time, excerpt“On Your Side (Starman)” by Lindsay Lou, from Queen Of TimeThanks for dropping by! 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. You can find us on Apple here, YouTube here and Spotify here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites. 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 everyone at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival for helping to make this interview possible, and 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

A couple of weeks ago, I could not have predicted that I would come upon another way of crafting a Southern Songs and Stories podcast in this fashion. Regular or even casual listeners will be familiar with the go-to format of documentary style profiles of and interviews with music artists in this series; those of you who listen a lot will probably be familiar with some of the less traveled paths we have taken here as well, which include a remembrance for a friend and colleague who passed away unexpectedly, a survey of how western NC folks in the music business were coping in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene, as well as an old school, comedic Christmas radio drama, among others. Add to that list this episode, which is a live podcast, at least for part of it. And we are talking about a subject that is incredibly deep and wide, a subject which could easily fill a year's worth of episodes. It is a subject that I will revisit again in more depth in coming months — perhaps not here, but at least in person. More on that in the podcast itself, which I hope you enjoy hearing as much as I did in making it. Album art for the compilation Gastonia Gallop on Old Hat Records Here, we excerpt two parts of a presentation I gave at Queens University in Charlotte as part of their Senior Scholars series on January 17th, 2025. This episode adds to that original talk with additional commentary, music, and new avenues of exploration for the topic, which is essentially the impact from music born of social movements, especially as it relates to radio. At Queens, I gave an overview of 13 songs associated with four social movements: Labor, Civil Rights, Feminism and Environmentalism. Here, we focus on the portions of my talk on Labor and Civil Rights, with example songs ranging from hillbilly music from a 1930s cotton mill man (“Cotton Mill Colic”) to the most controversial and simultaneously most successful song in Billie Holiday's career (“Strange Fruit”), and more. Host Joe Kendrick on stage during his presentation to the Queens University Senior Scholars series 1/17/25. Photo: Daniel Coston Songs heard in this episode:“Gastonia Gallop” by David McCarn, from Gastonia Gallop: Cotton Mill Songs and Hillbilly Blues“Which Side Are You On?” by Pete Seeger, from If I Had A Hammer, excerpt“Which Side Are You On?” by Ani Difranco, from Which Side Are You On?, excerpt“Cotton Mill Colic” by David McCarn, from Gastonia Gallop, excerpt“Cotton Mill Colic” by Mike Seeger, from Classic Labor Songs, excerpt“Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday, excerpt“Blowin' In the Wind” by Bob Dylan, from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, excerpt“Blowin' In the Wind” by Tangled Up In Bluegrass, from A Tribute To Bob DylanThanks 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. You can find us on Apple here, and Spotify here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know and love already, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites. 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 everyone on staff at Albino Skunk 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

The new year arrived and “Auld Lang Syne” bubbled up to the top of playlists all over the land. There are so many versions of this classic, which speaks to the importance of remembering friends and happy times from years past, and it reminded me to pause and reflect on this series, which has featured a great many musical acquaintances and friends (and acquaintances who became friends) over a fairly wide span of time; Southern Songs and Stories began as a video documentary with Aaron Burdett (now in the band Steep Canyon Rangers) in 2015, and transitioned to a podcast in spring of 2017. So much has changed over this time, with both the artists profiled here as well as the podcast itself. In 2018, we partnered with the Osiris Media folks to share the series on their platform, as well as on the internet station Bluegrass Planet Radio, and later with public radio WNCW, where you can hear capsule versions of episodes on air. Thinking back to those early episodes, it is impossible not to feel the tug of nostalgia for that time -- it was an exciting beginning, full of hope for putting some of the music I loved onto the world stage of an emerging format, and a deep and rich period to experience and take part in the music scene in and around western North Carolina. I thought about David Childers after learning about his new collaboration with Abe Partridge, titled The Satan, You're a Liars. And so, to kick off 2025, here is a listen back to one of our first episodes on a musical hero to Abe Partridge, the Avett Brothers, and many, many more. (L to R) Joe Kendrick, David Childers and Dolph Ramseur at David's home after taping their interview 10-17-17 David Childers is a western North Carolina singer songwriter who has been a lawyer, a poet, a man who has always made music, and is also now a visual artist. We'll get to conversations from legendary producer Don Dixon, who worked with David again on his 2017 record Run Skeleton Run, and talk with his son, longtime band member and collaborator Robert Childers, as well as the head of Ramseur Records and Avett Brothers manager, Dolph Ramseur, plus Avett Brothers member Bob Crawford, and writer, musician and WNCW radio host Carol Rifkin. We'll also highlight David's music and the music that inspired him, and delve into many insights into Southern culture along the way. Songs heard in this episode:“Jesus Said” by Abe Partridge, from The Satan, You're a Liars“Johnny Got A Mohawk” by David Childers & The Mount Holly Hellcats, excerpt“Radio Moscow” by David Childers, from Run Skeleton Run, excerpt “Jesus Set Me Free” by David Childers, from Serpents Of Reformation, excerpt“It's Bad You Know” by R.L. Burnside, from Come On In, excerpt“Femme Fatale” by The Velvet Underground, from The Velvet Underground & Nico, excerpt“Brown Eyed Handsome Man” by Chuck Berry, from After School Session, excerpt“Belmont Ford” by David Childers, from Run Skeleton Run, excerpt“Collar and Bell” by David Childers, from Run Skeleton Run, excerpt“Price I Had To Pay” by David Childers, from Room 23, excerpt“Little Cindy” by David Childers & The Modern Don Juans , from Burning In Hell, excerptThank you for listening! 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 David Childers, Abe Partridge, and many more we have profiled that are at your fingertips.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

After surveying all of the available new Christmas and holiday themed music that I could find, I came up with a tidy playlist of nine noteworthy songs to share here in an episode that departs from our usual artist interview format. Here, we play full songs in several sets, with some back stories on each artist and song. Ranging from the elegant, folky take on “Coventry Carol” by The Milk Carton Kids to country leaning Americana in “Layaway Momma” from Adam Chaffins, to previous Southern Songs and Stories guest The Get Right Band and other fellow western NC artists, this episode celebrates an array of styles and perspectives on the season. With list in hand, little Joey Kendrick sits happily on Santa's lap across from sister Leigh, who ponders the validity of the this oddly formal and forced tradition. Circa 1976. Included here is a special from Christmas past, from my days producing the radio show What It Is on public radio WNCW, with founding panelists Jeff Eason and Fred Mills. We celebrated Jeff's life and many contributions to music and journalism after his passing in 2018 on this podcast, in the episode “Remembering Jeff Eason”. Following the music portion of this episode, we take you back fifteen years, to a time when What It Is was just two years old. You will hear a younger version of me (with a cold) talking by phone with Jeff and Fred in two short episodes, detailing some of our favorite holiday music as well as the Christmas and holiday music we would love to do without. Songs heard in this episode: Dulci Ellenberger “Colorful Christmas”Ana Egge “Silver Bells Ring” John Doyle and Mick McAuley “Gleann na-Ean”The Get Right Band “Christmas As A Kid”The Pinkerton Raid, “Happy XMas (War Is Over)”, from Winter Songs By Other PeopleAdam Chaffins “Layaway Momma” JD Clayton “Your Favorite Christmas Song” The Milk Carton Kids “Coventry Carol”, from Christmas In A Minor KeyJenn Grant “Bells Are Ringing”Thanks for listening! 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 and many hundreds more artists 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 The Get Right Band, Dulci Ellenberger, John Doyle, and literally hundreds more we have profiled that are at your fingertips. Speaking of Silas Durocher and The Get Right Band, their episode from 2023 stands the test of time, and you can find that by looking up “Psychedelia in the Carolinas Then and Now With The Get Right Band and Ken Friedman” on southernsongsandstories.com, as well as the search feature on your podcast platform of choice. 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

An interview delving into their unique approach, being at home in a liminal space, collaborating with fellow acoustic innovator Casey Driessen, and more in this conversation from their appearance at the 2024 Earl Scruggs Music Festival. Includes music excerpts from the band's third album, Love Your Mind.

Joe Kendrick speaks with Steve Earle by video call in June 2024, a conversation which took place after losing Jeremy Tepper just two days before, a conversation where he talks about his rigorous summer tour, his relationship with his music before he became 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. All that and more, including his love of North Carolina trout fishing as well as music from Steve Earle's latest album, Alone Again (Live)

Conversations with music artists Jesse Iaquinto and Josh Blake, as well as music professionals Jessica Tomasin, Liz Whalen Tallent, Jason Guadagnino, Rachel Shea and Russell Keith, including flood songs from Jake Blount, Rhiannon Giddens, Songs From The Road Band and The Seldom Scene. Included is a new song from Fireside Collective, "Whippoorwill".

Joe Kendrick posts an audio diary of the last several weeks events in western NC beginning with a lead up to Helene's arrival, and continuing with a trip to Raleigh for IBMA, a trip back home to the land of no utilities and then to the storm's aftermath, as well as a personal tragedy and a great loss for all of WNCW.

Conversations with Maya De Vitry and Joel Timmons about their musical collaboration, how the places where they were from and traveled to gave them equally essential but far different keys to their art, and more, including live music from both Maya De Vitry with Joel Timmons in the band, and Joel's own band Sol Driven Train.

An interview with Americana artist Margo Cilker, who talks about her extensive travels, cultural differences between Appalachia and the American West, working with Maya De Vitry, who performed with her at Margo's Albino Skunk Music Festival debut the day of our conversation, her focus on the lyrics to her songs, and more, including music from her live set.

On August 9th, 2024, host and producer Joe Kendrick traveled with WNCW intern and rising Carleton College senior, Will Prim, to the PNC Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, just ahead of Ketch Secor's show that night supporting Hank Williams Jr. Old Crow Medicine Show is headlining the Earl Scruggs Music Festival in Tryon, North Carolina, over Labor Day weekend 2024. The interview includes commentary and an excerpt of Old Crow Medicine Show's music, and is followed by the 2019 episode in this series titled "Anatomy of a Hit: Wagon Wheel"

A bilingual conversation with Larry and Joe at the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, NC. They are also part of the lineup at the upcoming Earl Scruggs Music Festival in Tryon, NC over labor day weekend 2024. In our conversation, we talk in depth about the duo's synthesis of musical styles and cultures, we discover why the harp became so popular in Venezuela, and we get into how their music often has themes of social justice with songs and lyrics about immigration and border issues in particular, and their conviction that cultural differences can be overcome without violence and discrimination. Plus, a tutorial on how to roll your r's! That, and live music as well as one of their brand new songs from Larry and Joe is all here.

Host and producer Joe Kendrick, along with WNCW's Tom Pittman, speak with the iconic country and bluegrass star, including commentary and music from Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives.

Conversations with and music from with Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear of Donna the Buffalo and Jim Lauderdale who were interviewed at MerleFest in late April 2024

Welcoming a recent episode of the music history podcast American Songcatcher to our series, courtesy of host and producer Nicholas Edward Williams

Conversations with two rising stars in the roots and country music world making their MerleFest debuts, along with excerpts of their latest music and commentary from host and producer Joe Kendrick

A short history of a gospel niche, with interviews of artists performing at the spring 2024 GospelSHOUT! event as well as live music, plus the unlikely story of how Henry Louis Gates Jr. helped lead us to discover something so surprising and unique in our own back yard

Music and conversation from cosmic country pioneer Daniel Donato, who talks in depth about his life's work is a service to listeners, his ever-present muse, playing with Bob Weir of Grateful Dead fame, and perhaps surprisingly, having been an angry kid who was an avid wrestler and more, along with commentary from host Joe Kendrick

It is natural that a second generation bluegrass banjo player would have soaked up as much of Earl Scruggs' style on the five string as possible when starting out; it is just as natural that they would push outside of those boundaries of the territory staked out by their pioneering forebears. In Tony Trischka's case, part of this instinct to turn bluegrass on its head early on in his career involved doing things like adding saxophone to an instrumental version of “Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms”, which began with a cacophonous drum solo. Now, we find the habitual trailblazer discovering and reinterpreting never before heard jams from none other than Earl Scruggs himself. It is a bit of a full circle moment, although that is not to say that Tony Trischka ever left the traditional bluegrass fold, either. He is and always was a banjo renaissance man, respected by fans of the roots music avant-garde and the three finger roll alike. In the past couple of years in his now nearly sixty year career, Tony Trischka has been excitedly traveling down an even deeper Earl Scruggs rabbit hole than even he could ever have imagined. Already at work on another book of re-transcriptions of Earl Scruggs' music, which had previously been transcribed by guitar players, a friend named Bob Piekel sent Tony over 200 home recordings of Earl made by John Hartford, which included other greats like Tony Rice, Mac Wiseman and Del McCoury playing for fun over many years in the 1980s and 1990s. These tapes revealed a side of Earl's playing, both in style and repertoire, that no one outside of those small circles of musicians ever heard, including multiple versions of songs like "Gentle on My Mind" and "Here Comes the Bride"; Earl playing blues licks on “Cripple Creek”; syncopations that he used only in those private settings. Brimming with inspiration, Tony Trischka crafted an album based on the John Hartford tapes, bringing in players like Sam Bush, Molly Tuttle, Michael Cleveland, Billy Strings and Mark Schatz, to record his new collection titled Earl Jam: A Tribute To Earl Scruggs. Tony Trischka plays banjo alongside Darol Anger on fiddle Just after Earl Scruggs' 100th birth anniversary, and just ahead of his own 75th trip around the sun, I sat with Tony Trischka at the Earl Scruggs Center following his performance at the Remembering Earl concert, which included the Travelin' McCourys and Jerry Douglas. This episode contains the bulk of that conversation, which was also partially excerpted in our earlier episode titled “An Update, and Two Quick Takes With Tony Trischka and Travis Book”, which includes a portion of Tony's interview that does not appear here. Songs heard in this episode:“John Henry Medley: John Henry/Bonaparte's Retreat/Twists and Turns” by Tony Trischka, from Territory“Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms” by Tony Trischka, from Heartlands, excerpt“Quite Early Morning” by Pete Seeger, from Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection, excerpt“Dooley” by Tony Trischka, featuring Molly Tuttle and Sam Bush”, from Earl Jam: A Tribute To Earl Scruggs Thank you so much for visiting! We are grateful that you took time to listen, and hope you can help us by spreading awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. From there it takes just a moment to give us a top rating and 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 find musical kinship with artists like Tony Trishcka, and legends like Earl Scruggs and Pete Seeger. I would love to hear your comments about that sort of thing and all things Southern Songs and Stories -- you can drop me a line at southernsongsandstories@gmail.com, and I will be glad to reply. Speaking of Earl Scruggs, check out our episode titled The Humble Genius of Earl Scruggs, which is chock full of interviews with bluegrass artists sharing their memories of Earl and how he impacted their lives. 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 Mary Beth Martin and Zach Dressel at the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, North Carolina for all their help in setting up my interview with Tony Trischka, 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

There are stories where the characters and events are so extraordinary and gripping that one can miss their overall meaning. It can be easy to take stories like the one you are about to hear at face value, and leave their larger context unrealized. But even the most casual reading of the events and people of Madison County, North Carolina from 1863 should raise a lot of red flags about our own worst tendencies. Even a pulp fiction version of the Shelton Laurel Massacre would lend plenty of insight into the all too often dark heart of humanity. But pull the lens back, and consider these events, their beginnings and repercussions in the arc of history, and you might come to an even more chilling conclusion. What caused neighbors and kinfolk to terrorize and murder one another in the Appalachian mountains all those generations ago, what larger forces that worked to bring out the cruelty and violence this chapter of history reveals, and what hatred and divisions that earned the place the moniker “Bloody Madison” are not only in history books; they are with us today. It would be nice to think that because America went through its Civil War, and Shelton Laurel had its Massacre, that it cannot happen again. But once you get sight of the forest beyond all its trees in this bit of history, you might wonder.

Travis is a musical treasure both for his work as founding member, songwriter and bass player for Infamous Stringdusters as well as for giving us his decidedly non-bluegrass, non-acoustic debut solo record Love and Other Strange Emotions. Hear his conversation with as well as commentary from host and producer Joe Kendrick in this episode, which includes excerpts of his new album.

What connects you to the year 1946? Think of the time immediately following World War II, and perhaps black and white images of men in fedoras and women in long dresses come to mind. Maybe you have parents or grandparents who were born around that time, or maybe you know someone who lived then and has past on. It is an era that now seems quite distant for most of us, a kind of abstraction that can be read about but which remains present only in its dusty tomes and mono records. But like all eras of our past, the time when bluegrass music was born remains with us in tangible, even impactful ways. In 1946, Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys recorded their first songs with new members Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, and a new genre of music was born. Born that same year in New York City was Pete Wernick, who came to know all of the Blue Grass Boys as well as most if not all of the other first-generation stars, and played with many of them eventually as well. He remains one of the few people today who embodies a direct link to this era, making it leap from the pages of history across the decades and get us tapping our feet to bluegrass music that is still being born. Pete Wernick Songs heard in this episode:“Waiting For Daylight” by Pete Wernick & Flexigrass, from What The“Powwow the Indian Boy” by Hot Rize, from Hot Rize, excerpt“Untold Stories” by Hot Rize, from Untold Stories, excerpt“Spring Break” by Pete Wernick, from On A Roll 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 everyone at IBMA for their role in making this episode possible, and you can listen to more episodes on this series on artists interviewed at previous IBMA conferences, like Sierra Hull, Bela Fleck, Stephen Mougin and Ben Wright (Sam Bush Band and Henhouse Prowlers respectively), and C.J. Lewandowski (Po' Ramblin' Boys), to name a few. 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.Southern Songs and Stories is currently ranked #13 in Southern podcasts here on feedspot.com, and moved up to a top 2.5% globally ranked podcast by Listen Notes, which makes us smile. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Conversation with the Durango, CO three piece acoustic band Stillhouse Junkies, including commentary as well as excerpts of their new music performed live

Stephen Mougin and Ben Wright speak with host Joe Kendrick from the fall 2023 IBMA conference about their own music as well as the history and future of bluegrass, along with excerpts of their latest music.

Tony Trischka pays homage to Earl Scruggs on the 100th anniversary of his birth with Earl Jam: A Tribute To Earl Scruggs; Travis Book steps out from his mainstay gig in Infamous Stringdusters to release a solo record, Love and Other Strange Emotions.

Delta blues found its voice and audience on the airwaves of KFFA's King Biscuit Time, a daily broadcast out of Helena, Arkansas. Bluesmen like Sonny Boy Williamson and Robert Lockwood Jr., who would go on to become legends, interspersed their own songs with advertising jingles. King Biscuit Time, which launched in 1941, gave unprecedented exposure to African American musicians while selling everyday grocery staples like flour and cornmeal. And it's still on the air. Reporter-producer Betsy Shepherd travels to Helena to tell the story for Gravy.

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

Despite bearing a title that might seem to point back to the old world, Nora Jane Struthers' latest collection Back To Cast Iron finds the Nashville-based artist striding confidently into a more electric, rock and roll kind of territory. In this episode, she addresses this evolution in her sound; she describes having gone from telling other women's stories to telling her own; husband and bandmate Joe Overton talks about his love of rock bands like Wednesday and Slow Pulp; we hear how both Nora and Joe balance work and life now that they have two children, and much more. Recorded in October 2023 at the Albino Skunk Music Festival in Greer, SC, this episode also features music from their set.

A special presentation featuring a recent podcast episode of The Broadside from public radio WUNC In today's episode of The Broadside, co-host and producer Charlie Shelton-Ormond looks at the influential, exploitative and evolving world of music in Southern prisons. You'll hear from a historian and incarcerated musicians, one of which is rapper Deon Thomas. As a person incarcerated in the state of Virginia, Deon doesn't have access to a recording studio. Instead, he's part of a small group of artists who record songs through phone calls and distribute them through a prison-only digital music service. It's a modern twist on a long and complicated tradition

When was the last time you picked up a book or a magazine instead of going to your smart phone or computer to read about music? I admit that, like so many of us these days, my first instinct is to scroll through social media or look at websites. The rise of digital media along with the ubiquity of smart phones has been nothing short of dramatic; the subsequent decline of print and other physical media is also impossible to ignore. Roots music journal No Depression, like so many others, went out of print in the midst of that sea change, although it continued online. Eventually it would reemerge, however, with new ownership and a new format as a quarterly publication, while offering a website covering music news as well as articles, columns and reviews. In an era where the expense of printing a magazine is more and more impossible to recoup, No Depression has managed to do just that. It remains as one of only a handful of music publications, and that is remarkable by itself. This is just part of our story here, though, as we welcome Assistant Editor and nodepression.com director Stacy Chandler to this episode of Southern Songs and Stories. Stacy spoke with me at the end of September, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina during the International Bluegrass Music Association's yearly event. Comprised of a wide ranging music industry conference as well as a music festival, the IBMAs, as it is often called, feature music panels geared towards music artists and professionals, showcase events where attendees can get introduced to new artists, and even Tai Chi classes courtesy of Jim Lauderdale. I was not up at 8 a.m. to take Jim's classes, but I did take in as much as I could in the whirlwind week of all things bluegrass, including this conversation with Stacy Chandler as well as bluegrass legend Pete Wernick, and both Steve Mougin and Ben Wright, who will be featured in upcoming episodes here. Stacy Chandler of No Depression interviewed at the IBMA conference 09-30-23 In this episode, we touch on the history of No Depression as well as some of the artists and articles in its current issue, plus we share takeaways from this year's IBMAs while we examine the bigger picture of bluegrass music in 2023. It is a far ranging conversation which focuses on one of the biggest weeks of the year for the genre, the ways bluegrass has changed over the decades, as well as the parallel story of print journalism in the age of smart phones. Songs heard in this episode:“No Depression In Heaven” by The Carter Family“Thirsty” by Mipso, from Book Of Fools, excerpt“Slipknot > Casey Jones” by The Waybacks & Friends, from One Way Or Another, excerpt“Listen To The Radio” by Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle, from More Than A Whisper: Celebrating the Music of Nanci GriffithThank 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 everyone at the International Bluegrass Music Association for making this episode possible, and 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

Shinyribs is an Austin Texas band that began in 2007 as a side project for Kevin Russell, who also goes by Kev, and was then still committed to The Gourds, the band he had co-founded fifteen years earlier. A few years later, The Gourds released their last album, and Kev sauntered over to Shinyribs full time. Known for his showmanship on stage and for a big band approach to both the concept and performances of his music, and drawing from a smorgasbord of funky roots-rock, big band swing, Tex-Mex, screaming soul and burlesque blues, while pumping out infectious rhythms and topping it all with hooky harmony, Shinyribs is a party waiting to happen. At least that is what it sounds like on first listen, and looks like at first glance. Shinyribs is a shindig, and a large one at that, but it is also a vehicle for Kev's unique brand of poetry, which can point to deeper, darker issues at times, especially on his latest album Transit Damage. I spoke with Kev in early October 2023 on a crisp, clear autumn afternoon in the rolling foothills of the Upstate of South Carolina countryside before Shinyribs' performance as a headliner at The Albino Skunk Music Festival, where we talked about the secret sauce that went into his new album, about making good records in the studio and being equally good live, how starting Shinyribs felt like a hail mary to him at first, plus we discuss James Brown and an Albino Skunk Fest memory which parallels one of The Godfather of Soul's signature parts of his shows. There is a lot more, including live music from Shinyribs' performance from that night, all simply waiting for you to press play. Songs heard in this episode:“Simply Belong To You” by Shinyribs, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10-06-23“Song of Lime Juice and Despair” by Shinyribs, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10-06-23, excerpt“Dark Cloud” by Shinyribs, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10-06-23, excerpt“Poor People's Store” by Shinyribs, recorded live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10-06-23, excerpt“If Love Is Earned” by Shinyribs, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 10-06-23Thank 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 everyone at the Albino Skunk Music Festival as well as John Gillespie for sharing some of his great photos of the Shinyribs show — many of the great people at Albino Skunk made this episode possible, and you can listen to more episodes on this series on artists who played there, like Miko Marks, Darrell Scott, and Eilen Jewell. We also have interviews with Nora Jane Struthers and the band Stillhouse Junkies from this fall's Skunkfest coming up, as well as conversations with Pete Wernick among others from this fall's IBMA conference. 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.Southern Songs and Stories was recently ranked in the top 20 Southern podcasts here on feedspot.com, which is worth a look. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Credit Halloween coming up for this. You probably know that this podcast has a direct tie to public radio station WNCW — it is produced in studio there where I am program director — but its origin can be traced all the way back to the 2006 Podcaster Con in Chapel Hill, NC, where I witnessed an event reflecting and directing the medium at its inception point, and gathered ideas for my own eventual foray into long form audio. The idea that first came to life was the music talk show What It Is, which aired weekday mornings on WNCW beginning in September 2007 and running until April 2012. Starting with music writers/editors Jeff Eason and Fred Mills, we added writer, musician and WNCW old-time music host Carol Rifkin to the music roundtable before bringing in many more voices over the series' nearly five year run. In 2009 I began my first blog site for What It Is and started podcasting in earnest — you can reference those archives here. On What It Is, we had wide latitude and an almost infinite supply of material to work with — after all, most everyone on the show (and especially the late Jeff Eason, Fred Mills and Carol Rifkin) was a music nerd of the highest order, and could talk about their love of it for hours if you let them. One of the themes we explored more than once was science fiction themes in music, first in May 2009 and then again that July. Carol Rifkin was along for the first conversation, which was longer than when Jeff, Fred and I revisited the topic that summer. Almost fifteen years later, I am digging around for ideas to round out my Halloween themed radio show, and thought back to my days producing What It Is, wondering if we made any episodes touching on the holiday. While we did not make an explicitly Halloween-centered episode, we got a good bit of the way there with these conversations which will give you plenty of ideas for a space-age playlist as we travel back in time for this special holiday podcast of Southern Songs and Stories. Songs heard in this episode:“Forbidden Planet” film score opening theme, by Bebe and Louis Barron“Creature With The Atom Brain” by Roky Erikson, excerpt“Rock Steady” by Aretha Franklin, excerpt “The X Files” by Mark SnowThank 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.Southern Songs and Stories was recently ranked in the top 20 Southern podcasts here on feedspot.com, which is worth a look. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

For Jonathan Wilson and Bella White, family figures prominently not only in their lives behind the scenes, but also in the musical paths both chose early on. It should come as no surprise that as a boy in rural North Carolina, celebrated producer and artist Jonathan Wilson played in a family band of sorts (he would fill in for various band members in his father's band at their practices), or that rising star Bella White's father played in old time and bluegrass bands in Calgary, Canada when she was growing up. What may seem much more novel is that the common thread between their two experiences, separated by decades of time and thousands of miles, is also roots music like country and bluegrass. For Bella White, roots music like bluegrass is easily identifiable in her sound; for Jonathan Wilson that foundation is not nearly as obvious. But as you will hear in our conversations, their love of music began with their shared background in acoustic roots music in places far beyond the limelight of Nashville or Los Angeles, where their paths eventually led. Bella White brought on Jonathan Wilson to produce her second and latest album Among Other Things, while Jonathan's latest album Eat The Worm takes off into decidedly psychedelic territory. I caught up with Bella White after her debut performance at MerleFest last spring, which followed her debut on the Grand Ole Opry, while Jonathan Wilson spoke with me recently by video call from his studio in Topanga Canyon, California. This episode features music from both artists as well as their conversations which touch on everything from Jonathan's wife using AI in creating his latest music videos to Bella White's intentional honesty and vulnerability in her songwriting, and much more. Songs heard in this episode:“The Way I Oughta Go” by Bella White, from Among Other Things“Charlie Parker” by Jonathan Wilson, from Eat the Worm, excerpt“Break My Heart” by Bella White, from Among Other Things, excerpt“The Village Is Dead” by Jonathan Wilson, from Eat the Worm, excerptThank 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, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. A big thank you to Ayappa Biddanda at Concord, Jonathan Wilson's manager Peter Sasala and father Al Wilson for their help in setting up interviews for this episode. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Call me biased, and I am, but the four days of the 2023 Earl Scruggs Music Festival ranked as one of the best music experiences of my life.

Conversation with and music from one of roots and Americana music's rising stars

Ed Snodderly is a renaissance man -- he is a prolific songwriter with a who's who of artists performing his compositions; his lyrics to the song "The Diamond Stream" are featured in Nashville's Country Music Hall Of Fame; he is half of the duo The Brother Boys with musical partner Eugene Wolf going back to their inception in the late 1980s, and this year he gave us his tenth solo album, Chimney Smoke. Ed also teaches songwriting at East Tennessee State University's Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music program; we bring in commentary from one of many notable program graduates, Amythyst Kiah, to this episode as well.We talk about the title song specifically, as well as what makes this collection, as Ed Snodderly's press release says, a “quintessential Southern album”. In our conversation via video call, we also take on the meaning of Americana, what artists get from studying music from previous decades and centuries, how he sees the live music business in the age of COVID-19, and much more, including music from Ed's new album. Ed Snodderly Songs heard in this episode:“Chimney Smoke” by Ed Snodderly, from Chimney Smoke“Just Like You River” by Ed Snodderly, from Chimney Smoke, excerpt“Better Just Ride The Mule” by Ed Snodderly, from Chimney Smoke, excerpt“Crow's Fever” by Ed Snodderly, from Chimney SmokeWe appreciate it so much when you tell someone about this series, and it is easy to follow us on your podcast platform of choice, where it will only take a minute to give us a good rating, and where it is an option, a review. When you do that, it makes this series go up in the rankings, which means that more people just like you will find it, and more people will get turned on to the artists and endeavors we profile. 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 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

Conversation with and live music from the country soul artist Miko Marks

Conversation with the North Carolina by way of Georgia music artist along with commentary and music from his live performance as well as his fourth album and his radio show

It is that time of year again -- the beginning of summer and in the U.S., Independence Day. The July 4th holiday is celebrated in many ways, including in song, like the one that starts off this podcast, Billy Stewart's version of the George Gershwin and Edward Dubose Heyward classic “Summertime”. With over 25,000 versions recorded in its now almost 90 year history, it is the most recorded song in the world. What are your favorite songs for the summer and for the holiday? We talk about the abundance of summertime and July 4th soundtrack possibilities in this episode, as we go back in time to a conversation I had on public radio station WNCW on my old show What It Is, a music talk show that featured a rotating roster of guests -- writers, music artists, DJs from WNCW and elsewhere, and music professionals. What It Is aired from 2007 to 2012, and this episode is from 2010, with the late Jeff Eason, along with then-WNCW host Zak Sitter, and Carol Rifkin, who continues to host the old time music show This Old Porch on WNCW on Sunday afternoons. Fireworks! (photo: Jill Wellington) Songs heard in this episode:“Summertime” by Billy Stewart“Rock Steady” by Aretha Franklin, excerpt“The Star Spangled Banner” by Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, from Flight Of The Cosmic HippoThanks for dropping by, and we are even more grateful whenever you share this with someone. Sharing in person is tops, but please also follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a top rating and, where it is an option, a review. It makes a great impact! Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to find a home with more fans. 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 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

This story begins with Citizen Vinyl, a combination vinyl pressing plant, recording studio, bar and restaurant in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, in the old Citizen-Times building. Built in the late 1930s, it was originally the home of two newspapers and the WWNC radio station. Wanting to host more events there, Citizen Vinyl reached out to Greg Cartwright, well known for his work in his band Reigning Sound; Greg then invited Amanda Anne Platt, who has been playing with her band The Honeycutters for more than a decade, and a relatively new artist in the Asheville scene, Wes Pearce. Postcard from 1939 depicting Asheville, NC's Pritchard Park and WWNC radio station The three artists shared the stage on the ground floor of the three story building, in the open space between the bar, record shop and pressing plant, and played from their existing catalog of songs as well as many brand new songs that have not yet had their chance to make it into the adjacent room to be pressed into discs. The audience was quiet and attentive, and while Amanda, Greg and Wes played, the rest of the world receded to the background as everyone focused on the trio, who took turns playing their songs on acoustic guitar.After their set, Amanda, Greg, Wes and I went upstairs to the old WWNC live performance studio to talk about the romantic atmosphere of their show, the resurgence of vinyl's popularity and how the collectability of 45s and LPs has flipped since COVID-19 changed so much for all of us, how they navigate their music careers post-COVID, the local Asheville scene and more. Live performance from 1939 on the radio in the WWNC studio where we taped our interview Songs heard in this episode:Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters “The Road” from Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters“Burden” by Wes Pearce, from Death & Darlins, excerpt“Alive” by Reigning Sound, from Memphis In June, excerpt“Girls Like You” by Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters, from The Devil and the Deep Blue SeaThanks for dropping by, and we are even more grateful whenever you share this with someone. Sharing in person is most appreciated, but please also follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a top rating and, where it is an option, a review. It is hugely impactful when you do this! Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to find a home with more fans. 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 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. Thanks also to Greg and Amy Gerald for hosting me during my stay in town and to Gar Ragland and everyone at Citizen Vinyl for their hospitality. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. — Joe Kendrick

It was a warm and picturesque spring day in the South Carolina countryside, just outside of the city of Greer, on the grounds of the Albino Skunk Music Festival, which got its name from some white skunks that were on the property, land which used to be a working farm. Now a largely wooded little valley of twenty plus acres, with one stage and many vintage RVs and campers that have been repurposed as a green room, accommodations, even storage, as well as a 1951 GMC bus that was originally owned and operated by Greyhound, which still runs and occasionally travels to other festivals. I sat with Eilen Jewell at the building dubbed the Nap Shack, on the hillside behind the stage. (L to R) Jerry Miller, Eilen Jewell, Jason Beek, Matt Murphy perform at the Albino Skunk Music Festival 05-13-23 It has been a tumultuous couple of years or so for Eilen Jewell. Much of the adversity and life lessons she took from this time are chronicled on her new album Get Behind The Wheel, her first involving an outside producer, Will Kimbrough — we touch on that as well as her love of Loretta Lynn, how she took her dad's record collection as a kid, which transported her to a past filled with artists like Mississippi John Hurt and Bessie Smith that continue to inspire her today, and how her young daughter has picked up playing the guitar without learning, as Eilen says, all her own bad habits on the instrument. Songs heard in this episode:Eilen Jewell “Where They Never Say Your Name” live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05-13-23“The Bitter End” by Eilen Jewell, from Get Behind The Wheel, excerpt“The Pill” by Eilen Jewell, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05-13-23“Alive” by Eilen Jewell, live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05-13-23Thank you for being here, and we are even more grateful whenever you share this with someone. Sharing in person is most appreciated, but please also follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a top rating and, where it is an option, a review. Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to find a home with more fans. 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 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. Thanks also to Charles Wiggins at the Isothermal Community College library for pointing me to examples where people talked about feeling like they were born too late, as well as Touring Logistics for supplying audio of the live performances at Albino Skunk, to Mark Johnson for recording Eilen Jewell's performances, and to Zig and everyone at the festival for their generous hospitality. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. — Joe Kendrick

We talked for an hour and a half and could have easily talked for much longer, although even in this relatively short time, it felt like our conversation was far greater than the time it occupied, almost like seeing the whole world in a grain of sand. Collaboration was the main topic we discussed, and as you will hear, collaboration for Peter Rowan comes naturally, and goes a lot deeper than just the songs themselves. Sixty years ago, he set foot on a path that would lead to one of his most noteworthy collaborations with Bill Monroe, joining the Blue Grass Boys in 1963. It was with Bill that he wrote the song “The Walls Of Time”, and in our conversation he details its genesis in a fateful sunrise experience with an enduring impact on him all those years ago. Following his years with Monroe, Peter Rowan collaborated with Jerry Garcia, Tony Rice, Flaco Jimenez, David Grisman and more recently, Molly Tuttle, to name just a few. Peter and I talk about those collaborations; about standing close to the fire of the great Bill Monroe; which roots music artists from younger generations have that fire today; we dive into a bit of music theory as well as Buddhist concepts that can also apply to music, and much more in this easy going and far reaching conversation. Peter Rowan Songs heard in this episode:“The Walls Of Time” by Peter Rowan, from Crucial Country“Doc Watson Morning” by Peter Rowan, from The Old School, excerpt“Midnight On The Stormy Deep” by Bill Monroe, excerpt“Midnight Moonlight” by Old & In The Way, from Old & In The Way, excerpt“Squeeze Box Man” by Peter Rowan, from Texican BadmanThank you for visiting, and are even more grateful whenever you share this with someone. Please follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a good rating and, where it is an option, a review. Great 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. 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 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. Thanks also to our guests, and we encourage you to check out their work. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. — Joe Kendrick

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