The MCP is weekly podcast featuring long form conversations and performances with successful entrepreneurially-minded indie creatives in music, film and writing.
In this revealing episode of The MCP, I sit down with Grammy-nominated songwriter, guitarist, and Americana mainstay Will Kimbrough for a wide-ranging conversation on the hard truths and quiet joys of a life in music.From his early days as a 12 year old electric guitar player to getting signed to EMI, and then John Prine's Oh Boy Records, to his work with Jimmy Buffett, Shemekia Copeland, and Todd Snider, Will offers a masterclass in musical longevity, humility, and hustle.A few of the stories and names he mentions reminded me of what I sometimes foolishly take for granted — namely my geographical proximity to musical greatness. For instance celebrated producer Jay Joyce has a studio not 50 hundred feet away from where I now sit, and in the other direction, three houses opposite, is Eric McConnell's studio, the legendary location where was recorded my favorite album of all time, Todd Snider's East Nashville Skyline.Incidentally, in the picture at top I am sitting across the table from that album's producer. I was so excited I had to share the story of discovering that album in a CD listening station at Waterloo records in Austin in the closing moments of an otherwise very dismal experience, which was me playing SXSW in 2004. That album is why I moved to East Nashville, and why I live there still. Crazy but true.Back to Will. Kimbrough opens up about navigating the highs and lows of the industry—learning to trust a team, the freedom of doing things DIY, and how obligation can become an artist's best creative ally. His career parallels a number of iconic Nashville personalities and institutions, like Mike Grimes (with whom Kimbrough formed the beloved trio the Bis-quits and signed to Prine's Oh Boy Records).Finally we get into his life-changing work with veterans through Songwriting with Soldiers and post-traumatic growth programs, and share a few stories about sobriety (his, mostly) and how he's managed to steer clear of some of the darker potholes that might have otherwise claimed a career now well into in its fourth decade.And yes—there's a live performance Kimbrough's song “For the Life of Me,” with me in there on guitar.00:00:00 "Desired Obligation" 00:01:08 Congrats on the Grammy Nom, Will 00:03:06 What caught your ear early on? 00:04:12 Seeing Bruce Springsteen on your 12th birthday 00:05:19 Riffing with Doyle at Grimey's about the power of earlier radio 00:06:18 The first thing Will did with an electric guitar 00:09:04 Constant Throughput makes you less precious 00:10:19 Riffing on Jay Joyce 00:11:51 Getting signed - "the shackles were on" 00:17:22 The collateral positives of getting signed 00:20:18 how to negotiate the tension between personal freedom and teamwork 00:23:11 Meeting Jimmy Buffett through Todd Snider 00:24:32 Trying to get dropped and forming the Bis-quits 00:26:49 Energy optimism and drive in finding a manager or launching a record 00:27:20 Why is it you make your best work when you're in a bad way? 00:28:48 Will's collective songwriting 00:31:31 Writing records with Todd Snider East Nashville Skyline and the Devil You Know 00:32:33 Korby's "East Nashville Skyline" story 00:35:54 The story about Todd Snider's fallout with Jimmy Buffett 00:38:00 Getting addicted to the school of Todd and Rodney Crowell and that crew 00:38:56 A version of the dream as expressed by Korby 00:39:55 Working with Shemekia Copeland 00:40:44 Warrior PATHH program 00:41:39 Wills Bob Dylan movie story 00:44:42 Setting up "For the Life of Me" live in studio 00:53:06 Will Kimbrough performs "For the Life of Me" 00:57:07 "Addicted to gratitude" 00:59:53 A story about John Prine's "Hello in there" 01:02:50 Are you melancholy or even-keeled? 01:05:41 How have you stayed open to the constant change? 01:07:30 Some notes on sobriety 01:12:27 That plato quote about everyone is fighting a hard battle 01:15:17 Talking about reading and writing 01:17:15 How a story about a song connects people 01:18:00 A story about writing with Jimmy Buffett Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe
What does human-curated radio mean in an era dominated by algorithms? In this episode of The Morse Code Podcast, I sit down with Celia Gregory from Nashville's WNXP to talk about the power of radio, music discovery, and how real people—not algorithms—shape the sound of a city.Celia shares her journey from college radio DJ to morning host at WNXP, the role of local radio in fostering music communities, and why she believes in giving underrepresented artists a voice. Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Jordie Lane on Artistry, Resilience & Reinventing the Indie Music Scene. In this episode of The Morse Code Podcast, host Korby Lenker sits down with the Australian-born Nashville-residing singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jordie Lane. Together they explore the raw realities of making a life in independent music, the necessity of artistic reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of creative authenticity. Jordie shares candid insights on navigating the ever-evolving industry, the emotional and financial struggles of being a full-time musician, and how personal reinvention is key to staying inspired. From songwriting secrets to tour life stories plucked from his dozen plus years as a road-dogging tourbadour, this conversation is a must-watch for musicians, songwriters, and anyone who believes in the power of storytelling through music.00:00:00 Intro00:04:53 The contrast between outward appearances and inward reality00:06:04 The concept behind "Tropical Depression"00:08:14 The pandemic's impact on Jordie's mental health00:10:10 How not being able to travel can increase anxiety00:11:25 Jordie's decision to make his struggles with anxiety a part of his "official" album rollout00:12:58 Korby's take on the podcast space as a reflection of culture's demaan for authenticity00:14:43 Jumping on the authenticity train is also possibly inauthentic00:16:01 Timeline of the album's creation and release00:19:05 How did you finance your record Jordie?00:20:32 Getting in and out of your own way as an artist00:23:43 Korby's recollection of filming Jordie's video for "The Changing Weather"00:23:59 The fundemental tension between confidence and its opposite00:25:04 Getting pooped on as a new dad00:26:17 Korby use of music as a means of trying to be loved00:27:42 The imprtance of being in a good headspace to making art00:30:12 Korby quotes Leonard Berstein's newborn baby quote00:31:12 Dostoyevsky's claim that in order to make art you have to be both sensitive and in pain00:33:11 Jordie's perspective on working in film and tv00:36:04 The fraught romance of touring00:38:01 The importance of low overhead to creative freedom00:39:18 Jordie loves the improvised element of on stage banter00:40:43 Jordie's advice to Korby about banter with a full band00:42:55 A sudden glimpse into Korby's organizational efforts00:44:03 The necessary discipline of a self-employed artist00:48:20 Why Jordie got a shelter dog00:51:13 The "42 Steps" of making the podcast00:52:37 Jordie sets up "Empty Room"00:53:42 Jordie and Korby perform "Empty Room"00:58:03 A compliment and an inquiry00:59:51 Jordie's current process for writing songs01:01:35 Co-writing and trepidation01:02:15 How Maya Angelou and John Prine write01:02:56 More detail on Jordie's "waiting" approach to songwriting01:05:11 What seperates those who create from those who don't01:06:06 How Meet Me at the End of the World was written01:07:53 The process of writing is more important than the end result01:09:20 Suddenly Jordie and Korby are going to try to write one Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe
The first time I saw a portrait by Shervin Lainez, I felt like I was hearing the artist's music through a photograph. There's an intimacy in the image, a quiet buzz that goes deeper than just the artist's face—it captures an essence. His work has graced the pages of Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and countless album covers, shaping the way we see some of the most defining voices in modern music. If you've ever admired a striking image of Adele, Billie Eilish, St. Vincent, Tame Impala, or Orville Peck, chances are you've seen Shervin's work.But what makes his photography so compelling isn't just the technical execution—it's his philosophy. Shervin doesn't take pictures; he builds connections. He listens to an artist's music, immerses himself in their world, and lets that inform the way he shoots. His style is adaptable—what he calls chameleon-like—but always true to the artist in front of his lens. As he describes in this conversation, his long years in the game have taught him that the real magic of photography isn't about the perfect lighting setup or the ideal location. It's about trust, energy, and presence. If he walks into a shoot anxious or distracted, the artist will mirror that. If he brings ease, they'll meet him there.I met Shervin back in 2013 or so. I had a show at the Rockwood in NYC and some artist I respect had their photos done by this cool guy in the city. I wasn't sure I could get him, but we figured out a place and in an hour I had a cache of photos I used for literal years. I mean, in addition to giving me something I could use and be proud of, he gave this awkward introvert a truly great experience. We talk about that experience and my perceptions of it. And, true story: after we taped this episode he shot a new round of photos for me, one of which is the main image I'm using across all my socials. A nice full circle moment.In this conversation, Shervin opens up about his relentless pursuit of his craft—the years he spent shooting for free, honing his skills by trial and error, refusing formal education, and pushing forward despite uncertainty. He breaks down the difference between ambition and expectation, explaining how wanting to grow as an artist is healthy, but expecting instant success can be toxic. His journey is a testament to the idea that success isn't about demanding the next big opportunity—it's about doing great work until the right people take notice.We also talk about mentorship, creative obsession, and the art of saying yes before you feel ready. Shervin shares why he never assisted another photographer, his feeling on “Can I pick your brain?” emails, and why his only real advice to young creatives is "just do it—over and over again". If you've ever struggled with self-doubt, comparison, or the pressure to succeed on someone else's timeline, this episode is for you.If you get something out of The Morse Code Podcast, please follow us on Apple Pods or Spotify or write a 5 star review or follow us on instagram or Tiktok or all of these things. See you next week! Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Let's just begin by saying there is nothing in Nashville like Pitch Meeting, Eric Fortaleza's weekly musical highwire act. Billed as “Nashville's Best Writer's Open Mic” the weekly show, which resumes this Tuesday February 25th features a powerhouse band of Nashville heavies (often of 10 or more players) whose job it is to back the any songwriter who's name is drawn from dozens of hopeful singer-songwriters. The catch - no one has heard the song, not the audience, and more importantly, not the band.“No chord charts, no pre-song run through,” says Pitch Meeting founder Eric Fortaleza. “We just go for it.”I've been to a few Pitch Meetings, and I count them among the most exciting musical experiences I've ever seen. Not only does the song somehow congeal around the band, but an arrangement seems to spring out of the ground like witched water — horn parts, a guitar solo, a bridge breakdown. I feel like you don't believe me. It's totally crazy.It all happens because of Eric Fortaleza, who has something of a gambler's taste for musical thrills and guts to spare. To me, he represents a new crop of Nashville musician, something different from the guys you see down on broadway, hoping to move their way up the ranks of touring musicians to become what is the gold standard of the Nashville Cat — the A-List studio musician. That's a laudable goal, to be sure, but in its application there's a sense of reticence, a holding something in reserve, because “you never know who's gonna be in the room.” People trying to get discovered may fire their flashiest tricks, but tricks are different from taking chances. Eric is ALL about taking chances. He came to Nashville from Sydney, Australia a couple months before the Pandemic. But he was born in the Phillipines. We talk alot about how being the child of immigrants had something to do with his inveterate hustle. We talk about alot of stuff in this episode. His unlikely but somehow inevitable move to Nashville after ten years on the Australian scene. Why he founded Pitch Meeting, what he likes about it, what's next. At some point in the conversation, the studio door opened to the afternoon glare and in stepped Eric's bandmate Owen Fader, who looks like and sings like a baby faced angel. They played a song together, which shifted the direction of the podcast moving forward. What do you think I mean?The Morse Code with Korby Lenker is a reader-supported publication. Support my music, writing and the Morse Code Podcast by becoming a free or paid subscriber.People like Eric are why I am doing this. He's one of the more inspiring people I've met — like past guests Barry Dean and Steve Poltz — I've had on the podcast. Music isn't some strategy for success or fame. It's about lifting people up and inspiring them to want more from life. At least, that's what it is for me, and it's how I felt when the session was over and the Eric and Owen and gone off to do something else. Go see Pitch Meeting. Subscribe to us on Spotify. Become a paid subscriber if stuff like this means something to you. We're doing it because life is short and we've a solemn obligation to live as big as we can! Alright get back out there and make something awesome. Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe
What happens when the interviewer becomes the guest? This episode of The Morse Code Podcast is a special one—Randa Newman, Korby's wife and creative partner, takes over the host seat to interview Korby in an intimate, revealing conversation about creativity, perseverance, and what it means to balance art with real life. Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Abby Jane is a singer and songwriter based in Nashville. Her debut EP “I Don't Want to Pretend” has been the talk of the town, at least in the circles I trade in, since it dropped in October 2024. Everybody loves her fresh take on the craft of confessional songwriting, and the remarkable instrument through which she delivers those songs.Abby Jane and I are sharing a show next Saturday Feb 15 at the Five Spot in East Nashville. Grab your tickets. Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Carl Anderson is a singer-songwriter from Virginia. His song swirls around like that plastic bag in the scene from American Beauty. A surprising unassuming clandestine charm that catches you unawares and then settles at your feet until the wind kicks up again. I have been a fan of his ever since we played a show together at the Bluebird in Nashville maybe like seven years ago. The way he sings is like no one else. You have to hear it for yourself (in this episode, you will).I'm so excited he's part of this show we're doing in a few weeks, at the Five Spot in East Nashville. Saturday February 15th. Carl is sharing some music, as is next week's guest, Abby Jane. Then I'll play a set with my new band, and then we're going to screen a world-premiere of the music video for my new song Meet Me at the End of the World, directed by MCP alum Mila Vilaplana. Throughout, Ryan Rado, who was on the pod a few weeks ago, is doing some live immersive painting. It's gonna be a great night and I'm very excited. If you live in Nashville here is a link for tickets.I've started making a new effort here on the podcast, which is to insert chapters into the YouTube video. For you it makes it easier to see the contours and compartments of the conversation (see below). For me it requires I listen back through the entire talk, which makes me reflect on what we discussed and whether it was worth it. So I know what I'm saying when I say this was a truly insightful and dare I say FUN conversation with a person for whom art's calling occupies a central position. Carl is serious about songmaking and unserious about its purpose. That is to say he holds the sacred cows lightly in his hand and only pets them when they ask. I am reminded that so much of the value in any conversation lay in its style, and not just its substance.We play a song together, his original, Separate Ways. Listen to the way he sings.Carl talks about what got him started on the creative path, his love for dancing, the pleasure of watching bad acting, Bob Dylan as the original troll, his in-and-out habit of fitness and its relationship to creativity, the strange and healthy beauty of having a job outside the industry.I share a little as well. What happened when I moved to Nashville twenty years ago. Why I burst into tears last week on my couch watching Fred Again's Tiny Desk Concert. How being yourself gives everyone else permission to be themselves too.Carl Anderson is a real one of one. I hope this conversation makes you want to finish the song you're working on. The Morse Code with Korby Lenker is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my music, writing and the Morse Code Podcast, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.00:00:00 Introduction/ In praise of Rock Club Owners00:04:27 In praise of Carl00:06:00 Carl reflects on his approach to songwriting00:07:27 Korby asks a weird question00:08:22 A story about roommates and song analysis00:09:27 How Carl got started songwriting00:11:19 When you realize that music is something you can do too00:12:01 Carl likes dancing00:13:14 Songwriting is a serious pursuit00:14:37 If you have musical talent you need to explore that00:16:13 Beethoven can't write a song like John Prine00:18:10 The new Bob Dylan movie and influence00:21:27 "Last time I talked to you you were pretty sober"00:24:21 Carl's take on health, fitness, and creativity00:29:54 Why did you move to Nashville Carl?00:35:23 Carl and Korby perform Separate Ways00:39:32 The stigma of employment when you're young00:43:02 Korby talks about his wake up call when he moved to Nashville 20 years ago00:46:04 Korby describes why he's doing this podcast00:46:36 Trying to not look too closely at what motivates you00:49:05 Do you want your kids to be artists?00:51:32 Fallow periods in the Life of an Artist00:52:40 The wonderful Dick Cavett show00:55:06 Watching cringe acting fascinates Carl00:55:46 Bob Dylan was the original troll00:58:10 "I'm not learning anything valuable here"00:58:40 Korby talks about the collaborative nature of film01:00:38 How Fred Again has inspired Korby in his novel01:04:52 "I used to want to be famous, I still do" but connection now too01:06:54 Korby and Carl reflect on meeting at the Bluebird01:07:50 A new season of collaboration starting with Feb 15 show!01:09:32 I am a very earnest person01:11:33 We had to stop because Carl must drive to Virginia Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe
MAIR is a musical force of nature. Whether she's playing mandolin, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, nylon string banjo, her sit-up-and-pay-attention virtuosity has made her an in-demand collaborator the industry over.She's been touring since she was thirteen, which makes her an industry veteran even though she's barely in her mid-twenties. If you're into bluegrass, you might have caught her — playing as Mary Meyer — with her brothers in the Meyer Band, or on her Lick of the Day series, maybe you saw her on stage with Sister Sadie, or at Stagecoach or SXSW, or with Anna Graves opening for Stevie Nicks or Maren Morris.Her new project MAIR, showcases her effortless singing, soft touch and flair for a tone poem kind of songwriting not unlike Elliot Smith. See it for yourself — or hear it rather — when she plays her original song “You in the Morning” live.But first before we go deep on relationships, including her recent divorce and the rebirth that came out of that (I share a good bit on that topic as well), her upbringing as a homeschooled kid in Missouri, what's going on inside her mind when she's improvising, and the bold vision she has for her own ideal career in music.I've been following Mair since probably 2022. I've dug the way she makes music and how she balances her dual identities — as a player for whom any band or song benefits — with an absolute need to expressive herself her own way. This is a magic person. Enjoy the episode! Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Quick note before the show - after taking almost 4 years off to produce the Morse Code TV Pilot, I'm about to release some new music. So so excited about this. The first single is called Meet Me at the End of the World. Its about reaching for love at all costs. I texted our guest Tyler Merritt the track after our interview last week and, to quote the man: “The whole song is super melodic. Great lyrical imagery. Super solid song bro”. So, early reviews are promising! The single launch party and Korby full band show (!) is Saturday Feb 15 at the Five Spot in East Nashville at 6pm. My friends Abby Jane and Carl Anderson are joining me on the bill, and podcast alum Ryan Rado will be live painting. We'll also be premiering the ridiculously ambitious music video we made for this new song of mine, directed by another MC podcast alum Mila Vilaplana. Ballroom dancing, a couple dozen costumed extras, a three-story tall LED lightwall made to look like a sunset in heaven, and a huge Viet Nam War protest set piece are some of the elements. We're filming next week and I'll be sharing behind the scenes clips and pics on my IG if you want to follow along. We're announcing the show Tuesday but here is the early ticket link for my substackies. We are gonna sell out — don't sleep on this :)And now back to our featured presentation~ Happy Publication Week to Tyler Merritt!!Tyler Merritt is an actor, musician, comedian, and activist behind The Tyler Merritt Project. Best known for his viral video “Before You Call the Cops” (seen now by more than 100 million people) and his bestselling debut I Take My Coffee Black, Jan 14th, 2025 just saw the publication of his second book, This Changes Everything: A Surprisingly Funny Story About Race, Cancer, Faith, and Other Things We Don't Talk About. No less a pop culture icon than Jimmy Kimmel wrote the foreword for Coffee, but his new book (which as of two days ago is available everywhere) features a who's who of admirers, reviewers and blurbers, including Trisha Yearwood, Joy Reid, Kristin Chenoweth, Heather Locklear, and about twenty more famous folks…Tyler is also a seasoned actor whose credits include Netflix's Outer Banks, the Disney series Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and A24's upcoming feature film The Inspection. So, I don't know how many threats that is, but it's a lot.Awhile back, I read I Take My Coffee Black, pretty much in one sitting. I loved it. Full of humor — both self-deprecating and barbed — pathos, and hilarious anecdotes, like the time he busted out an improvised rap to avoid being forced into a gang — there are no shortage of surprising revelations, praise in equal parts for rap icons and musical theater, and warm-hearted descriptions of big personalities (his force-of-nature mom comes to mind). The man's personal voice is so buoyant it basically floats on the page.Accordingly, this conversation was as wild a ride as the writing. Things got off to a rocky start (!) when Tyler reminded me he was still mad I didn't book him for a role in Morse Code. But we hugged it out and jumped into a fast, substantive discussion, based in part on a few shared perspectives. For one, we are both children of the West. He's from Nevada and I'm from Idaho. Having living here in the south for almost twenty years, I still retain much of the present-leaning-forward spirit of the west, and in reading Coffee, I felt Tyler had a similar perspective. The western half of America doesn't care where you're from. In that way it can be shallow and fatuous, but the south's preoccupation with its past can be a real head-scratcher to someone not from here. There was so much in this conversation — about Counting Crows, the Nashville music scene, George Floyd, Tyler's mom, the segregation that still exists in Nashville, how in some ways its more pronounced than in other southern cities.If you're still reading this it's probably because you know what a lovable, and loveably complicated person is Tyler Merritt. I hope you love this conversation and I hope it makes you buy his new book.PS I'm including a special exchange not included in the public pod as an exclusive for my Patreons. Up now.Last Week Redux. 10 minutes with Adam RossListen to Author and Editor in Chief of the Sewanee Review Adam Ross talk about the experience of writing a novel, and the sympathetic characters of Playworld, in an excerpt from the conversation we shared last week.Adam's second novel Playworld is a mere week old, and continues its reign of praise and adulation on the literary circuit. Seems like everyone loves it, (including me). As the Morse Code Podcast YouTube Channel nears 500 subscribers, we're going to include a 10 min highlight from each episode, going forward. We're working hard to build a community around creators and their important, life-giving, world-saving work.You can thank us, encourage us, join us, by subscribing to to the MCP channel. Thank you and stay passionate. ~Korby Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Published just two days ago, Adam Ross' second novel, Playworld — some dozen-plus years in the making — is one of the best books I've read in the last five years. I'm not alone! Sources no less venerable than The New York Times, the LA Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, are all lining up to sing its praises. “Dazzling and endearing,” writes Vogue. The Washington Post croons: “The book is quote so good, it will give readers hope for the year ahead.” Everyone is in love with this novel.Here's how it opens:“In the fall of 1980, when I was fourteen, a friend of my parents named Naomi Shah fell in love with me. She was thirty-six, a mother of two, and married to a wealthy man. Like so many things that happened to me that year, it didn't seem strange at the time.”Set in New York, Ross's bildungsroman (a pointy-headed word for “coming of age story”) follows a year in the unusual life of Griffin Hurt — a child actor, prep school 8th grader, aspiring wrestler and potential love interest of one Naomi Shah.What sets it apart from similarly ambitious romps, like Cloud Cuckoo Land, or A Gentleman in Moscow? The sentences are better dancers, for one. And the world building is so delightfully specific. Picture a line of fourteen-year-old boys, silently lining up for a wrestling meet's official weigh-in, some “hairy as fathers.” A minor character's teeth are said to be “fantastic, separate unto him, like furniture in his mouth.”The Morse Code is a reader-supported publication. To support my writing, original music and this podcast, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thank you.But great language and an evocative setting — it's not enough that a book entertain, or even wow. What sets Playworld apart is this: the pages are suffused with love, the great and complicated and imperfect love between people who themselves are, in spite of their shortcomings, vanities, or outright crimes, worthy of it.In this freewheeling conversation Adam and I discuss his approach to writing the novel, which I frame in the architect vs gardener approach. We talk about parenting in the 1980s versus now, and how Adam was careful not to allow Playworld to become the nostalgic celebration of yesteryear it might have otherwise been. We discussed one of the the themes: the tension many of us feel between filial loyalty and personal desire. And finally I asked him to read an excerpt from the book's middle, one that gets at the complicated relationship between two of the story's principle characters — Griffin and his dad — and also what makes Griffin's particular feelings of deficit so painfully relatable.Somewhere in there, I, fumbling around for a question that might get under some of the dazzling technique, the funny flawed characters, the dramatic surprises, finally asked him what personal quest — if any — he was on in writing Playworld.“I wanted to write something beautiful,” he said.I hope you enjoy this one — the book, and this conversation — as much as I did. ~korby Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Happy New Beginning! One quick important creative announcement: I have new music coming! Meet Me at the End of the World was written by me, live on a series I do called the East Nashville Songwriting Workshop, where I write a song live on the internet, start to finish. Usually it's a co-write, but this particular time the scheduled guest didn't show up so I was left by myself. Not ideal but the show must go on so I thrashed around in front of God and everybody and after 3 hours I'd made a song. The bigger surprise was that the song rang true and I really loved it and have wanted to share it ever since. It's a love song filled with wild emotion and exploding asteroids and an oblique reference to Melville (Moby Dick) and Steinbeck (The Pearl), shot through with bottomless thirst I equate with the feeling of being in love. The track was produced by Morse Code Podcast alum Anthony DaCosta and we're shooting a very ambitious music video for it directed by another podcast alum, Mila Vilaplana. Powerhouse Randa Newman is producing it while somehow nursing Baby Zuzu to the delightfully chunky condition we find her in today (Zuzu not Randa).Meet Me at the End of the World drops February 14 and I'm playing a full-band release show Feb 15 at the 5 Spot in East Nashville. More info in the coming weeks. It's been a while since I put some new music out. Cue feelings of excitement, and nervousness. Which is an appropriate segue to introduce this very special guest:Ryan Rado is a painter, musician, ontological coach, and host of the Make it Perfect Podcast.Don't worry about it. I also had to look up what an ontological coach was. And to be honest, I didn't do that until after taping our conversation, because I was moved by this conversation and wanted to know more about Ryan and his life and work. The way he was in the room, how he shared so freely, not only his creative philosophy but his battle — that might not be the right word — maybe relationship is better — with Tourette's syndrome, made me want to dig into what he's doing and why. Just how damn vulnerable he was and yet, firm. Is that the word? Enigmatic things are hard to put words to.I met Ryan at a screening of the Morse Code Pilot this summer. It was brief, but let me see if I can convey a little of the piquant nature of that exchange: see, I opened the evening by playing a few songs in the theater, just, totally acoustic no mics or PA. Which is my favorite way to perform or witness live music (there just aren't many situations where it can work).I played a couple of of my songs — one of them, Northern Lights, got an audible sigh from somewhere on the left side of the room, a couple rows back. Hearing that gratified me like a baby on the boob. All I ever wanted to do was make somebody sigh okay?Not only did I take the compliment, but I noted that a grown ass man was publicly responding — audibly — to another grown ass man sharing his heart. Unusual. Also indicative of an integrated being.The Morse Code is a reader-supported publication and podcast. To receive new posts and support my songs, stories, podcast epiosdes and video essays, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.I filed that nanosecond feeling away, and retrieved it the moment I opened an email from Ryan asking if I'd be interested in swapping guest tapings. I checked out his art and CV and it was clear this guy was exactly the kind of person I'm looking for in a guest — a person whose commitment to self-expression extends well beyond the act itself. As I read some interviews Ryan had given and learned more about how he came to paint, it was obvious to me that the lines between active expression and active living are, in Ryan's court, blurred.What I'm trying to say is that this is one of the most interesting and moving conversations I've had on the podcast to date. Ryan's transparency — with his past trauma, present joys, and his infectious desire to be fully himself — in what I might call a gladiatorial humility — was both challenging and moving. We looked at works of his art together, while he described not only what he was trying to achieve in them, but how they made him feel while looking at them in that moment. He talked about the Tourettes, even in realtime describing how hard was trying to resist the desire to lick the microphone while we talked. He got emotional talking about his young son's ability to punch right to the center of his art with the tossed-off remark flung with the precision of a 4th century Ketana.If you think I'm trying to get you to listen to this episode, you're right. Ryan is a special person. The goal of the Morse Code Podcast is to infected you with inspiration and bravery by presenting people who are inspiring and brave. It's a simple goal and I hope it's working.Listen to the episode and then look up Ontological Coach. That's the order I did it in.Happy New Year. Big changes coming for all of us.Korby Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
The end of the year is a good time to take a step back and think about what you're doing and why. Among my various (well, three) enterprises, I've been doing the Morse Code Podcast for more than a year - more than 60 full length episodes and 200+ videos. Proud of Jared and Randa and me and what we've achieved! I'm still figuring out the SEO and a bunch of other technical stuff I don't understand (like how to get substack to push the updated episode thumbnails to apple podcasts
Josh Plasse is an actor, producer and published author. The son of a Navy Seal, he's appeared in more than 50 episodes of network television, including iCarly, Grey's Anatomy and The Baxters. His first novel, Dust, drops February 4, 2025 on Resolve Editions. In 2022, Josh co-wrote, produced, and acted in the feature film Ride, starring C. Thomas Howell, Annabeth Gish and Forrie J. Smith. Originally conceived as a television pilot, the script sold to a production house, who bobbled the project when the pandemic hit. Josh and his team then re-imagined it as a feature, raised the $2 million budget and set to work.The story of Ride's ride — its inception, production and promotional effort — is worth the listen alone. It's a lesson not only in imagination and fortitude, but the critical role strategic planning plays in translating an original story into a commercial success. Sometimes you need to exercise as much creativity on the promotional side of your project as you do the art itself. Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Langhorne Slim is a singer-songwriter based in East Nashville. His new single “We the People (F*** the Man)” is a jubilant reminder to cast a wary eye on our supposed political overlords and instead focus on those things that make a society a place worth living in: loving our neighbors, looking each other in the eye, being *actually* alive on planet earth in this our once and mysterious life. Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Quinnlan Ashe is an actor, producer and podcaster based in Nashville, Tennessee. Among her credits are Ozark, I Want You Back, Chicago Fire, Brockmire *and* she played Lia in our own award-winning pilot, Morse Code, for which this podcast is named. Quinn's latest project is called Re-Wined. It's a podcast she hosts with friends and industry colleagues Katie Garrett and Annie Moore, where they revisit the films of their youths and see how they hold up. I love the show. It's funny and topical and has the chemistry and confidence of confidants. Addition to being one of the on-mic talents, Quinn also engineers and produces each episode. Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Spencer Thomas is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Athens, Georgia. He also plays keys for the beloved cosmic jamericana touring band Futurebirds. His new record, The Joke of Life, is shot through with contributions from members of My Morning Jacket, Drive-By Truckers, Futurebirds annd — it's been getting a lot of play at the Lenker house. Listen above, scroll down to watch on YouTube.But for a few short texts, Spencer and I hadn't met until he pulled up in front in front of my joint in East Nashville. He'd had a long drive so we took a walk around the block to catch up, break the ice and enjoy the perfect fall weather. Once we started talking we didn't stop. It was almost incidental, turning the mics on.We riffed on his early and present influences — Warren Zevon's name is an appropriate drop here — as well as the reasoning behind his decision to move to Athens — Athens, Georgia — during the pandemic. When I asked Why not Nashville? we charged into a chapter on the plusses and minuses living in a talent hotspot. That he chose an independent incubation makes sense when you listen to his music. You can't make a record like The Joke of Life in Nashville.Even though I've lived here almost two decades, my own formative years as an artist were spent well away from commercial centers (shout out to Bellingham, Washington) — great for cultivating an individual voice, but maybe you sell more records (or streams I guess) the closer you snuggle up to the money teat.Whatever the metric, Spencer and I tend toward the being apart, which is probably why I enjoyed this conversation so much. There was a lot of dishing on favorite bands — Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Dawes — and a thruline of mutual revelry in the joy of making art for its own sake.We got so carried away talking and listening that I nearly forgot to ask him to play my favorite song from his record, Little Gold. Glad to say we got it in there.Spencer is having a real artistic moment. You get the feeling that — after ten years of trying stuff, making up songs alone and with kindred, looking for his own orbit in the music of the spheres, he's finally hitting on something. Teetering on the fulcrum of his own invention. It felt good for me to catch him mid-stroke on an upward swing.On this day of thanks I want to thank YOU for being part of this Morse Code Community. Ours is a motley collective and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you guys so much. As Big Tech and Big Money and Bigness in general continue their march on our little patch of sacred humanity, I'm here for you, the artist. I have been in love my whole life with grouchy authors, unknown poets, quiet folksingers, radiant actors, the horse whisperers of culture, all, these fringey wonders who prioritize self-expression over self. My purpose for Morse Code is to celebrate you, inspire you, encourage you to thrash around inside yourself and see what's going on in there. The guests on this show are doing it. You can too. Personally, whether I'm writing a song or a short story or making a film, I'm in the meaning business. And meaning isn't something you find, once and for all. You discover a little bit more, every day. But only if you try.If you get something out of the Morse Code Podcast, please like and subscribe on your favorite listening platform, follow us on IG, and if you have a sec, write us a five star review on apple podcasts. Anything you can do goes a long way to helping us bring this mission to more and more people. And if you'd like to become a paid subscriber, that would be wonderful too. Whatever you do, we'll keep showing up, week after week, to talk to these amazing talents and see what makes them glow so bright.I wish you all the wonder of being alive. Thank you for being here. -Korby Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Steve Poltz is a… a.. what is he? In the man's own words, “I'm just a weirdo, a freak, a bon vivant, a rounder, a rabble rouser, a workaholic, a people pleaser, an idiot and a grateful kid who ran away and joined the circus.”Most of us know Poltz as one of the most charismatic live folksingers working today. Whether he's playing little club in Halifax, or trading verses with Jewel (whose hit song “You Were Made for Me” he co-wrote), or serenading Cayamo, Poltz is Poltz, full on and no exceptions. Hence the the superlative, announced each night, by the man himself:“This is the Greatest Show of My Life!”I shared a show with him once. Unsurprisingly, it was the same night I met Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. We became friends. Weird things happen when Poltz is around.Besides Jewel, the East Nashville-based folksinger has cuts with dozens of artists — Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Deer Tick, Sierra Hull, Nicki Bluhm among them — as well as a collaboration with the Wood Brothers on his critically-acclaimed record Stardust and Satellites.We talk about early years in the California folk rock scene. Hilarity ensues. Steve recounts what a typical show at the Belly Up was like during the Rugburns' heyday. Destroying stuff, making memories for everyone in the house except himself, since he was wasted. But we also explored more sensitive territory. Steve got clean more than fifteen years ago, after suffering a stroke onstage. We talk alot about that time, the before and after. I asked him how his motivations changed when he got clean. His answer is worth the listen alone. One thing about Steve Poltz is that he is better than just about anybody I know at making a person feel like he's the center of the world. Time and again in this interview a few minutes would pass before I'd realize he was interviewing me.Somewhere in there we played a song together, Steve's song Conveyor Belt. Steve played and sang and I did a harmony and even finagled a little solo into the deal. A sweet moment captured in the studio.This interview was the most fun I've had on the Morse Code Podcast so far. I hope you enjoy it. Please subscribe on whatever you're listening to (or watching) and help us grow this spot. Or consider joining as a paid subscriber. Either way, thank you for being part of this community. This episode sponsored by Writerfest, a creative gathering for aspiring writers, published authors, screenwriters, poets, and songwriters in. Attendees enjoy keynote talks by the best book, song, and screenplay writers in the business as well as in-depth break-out sessions with professional editors, literary agents, filmmakers, and music industry insiders. Writerfest is happening Nov 22 and 23. Find out more information on writerfestnashville.comThe Morse Code is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Mila Vilaplana is a film director, producer, and founder of Dipsomania, a production house focused on the creation of visually arresting psychologically-driven narratives. Originally from Cuba, Mila's work has received critical acclaim and film fest buzz for its bold Giallo-inspired imagery and unconventional approach to cinematic storytelling. Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Zach Williams is the founding member and frontman for The Lone Bellow, an Americana Folk featuring Zach, Kanene Donehey Pipkin and Brian Elmquist. Best known for their powerhouse vocals and emotive blend of folk, country, and soul, the storied trio exploded onto the scene in 2014 with their self-titled debut, which made a bunch of end-of-year lists and garnered praise from respected outlets like People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and NPR, who lovingly dubbed them an ‘earnest and magnetic folk-pop [trio] built to shake the rafters.'Zach got into songwriting after a personal tragedy—his wife, who was paralyzed in a horseback riding accident, inspired him to channel his grief into music. He'd been writing songs for a few years but the accident pushed him into bolder creative spaces and out into the NYC folk scene. Rockwood Music Hall, a mainstay of many an indie folk musician, played a key early role in Williams' success. Initially performing as a solo artist, Williams eventually brought in Pipkin and Elmquist, both of whom shared a similar passion for Americana music and storytelling. The trio quickly became a tight-knit unit, blending their diverse influences into a distinctive sound that continues to turn heads a decade later.The Bellow moved to Nashville in 2016, made a bunch more records, and shortly after this taping, performed a live concert with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.Zach and I sat down to talk about the evolution of his music and career, now in its second decade. Among the things I wanted to know was what he —at the outset of his creative journey — imagined a successful career to look like, versus what it eventually became. We touched on those early days, how the music scene has changed with the domination of Spotify and its ilk. He also played one live in the studio.If you're feeling what we do, take a second to like and subscribe. It helps a lot. Thanks for listening! This episode of the Morse Code Podcast is sponsored by Writerfest, a creative gathering for aspiring writers, published authors, screenwriters, poets, and songwriters in Nashville. Attendees enjoy keynote talks by the best book, song, and screenplay writers in the business as well as in-depth break-out sessions with professional editors, literary agents, filmmakers, and music industry insiders. Writerfest is happening Nov 22 and 23. Find out more information on writerfestnashville.com Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Yurina Yoshikawa is a writer, educator and Director of Education at The Porch Literary Collective here in Nashville. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, NPR, Lit Hub, The Japan Times, The New Inquiry and this autumn she won the inaugural $25,000 Southern Prize for Literary Arts.Yurina is also a gifted musician, playing viola for the Nashville Philharmonic and serving on the board.You might think a cap with that many feathers would be a comfortable fit for the head it covers. Not always. Even with the prizes, Yurina battles that sense of not being in the club. I share that feeling, so we got into it — where it comes from, whether it's true.That sense of apartness is one of the themes of her short story Dogwood, which she sent me in advance of our conversation. We broke down that piece, the inspiration behind it, and then we talked about the challenge she feels — as a mother, as an educator — of finding time to write. As someone who lives on the panic side of the writer's need to create, I was surprised and impressed by Yurina's light touch. She takes her time. At some point in the conversation I blurted “You strike me as a well-adjusted person!” I'm just not used to meeting creative people who are equal parts talented and sanguine.This episode of the Morse Code Podcast is sponsored by Writerfest, a creative gathering for aspiring writers, published authors, screenwriters, poets, and songwriters in Nashville. Attendees enjoy keynote talks by the best book, song, and screenplay writers in the business as well as in-depth break-out sessions with professional editors, literary agents, filmmakers, and music industry insiders. Writerfest is happening Nov 22 and 23. Find out more information on writerfestnashville.com Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Walker Burroughs is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and piano player based in Nashville Tennessee. Best known as a top 8 finalist on American Idol, he toured nationally as the keyboard player in Bobby Bones' band, and is presently playing shows with fellow Idol alum, season 8 winner Kris Allen. Walker is currently sponsored by Yomega Yo-Yos. Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Mason Mecartea is an actor and director based in Nashville, best known for his role as Dan Shelter in Stranger Things, and Cole in Damien Leone's Terrifier 3, which, as of this writing, is the #1 movie in the country. Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
On the season finale of the Morse Code Podcast, I talk with actor, comedian, musician, and self-proclaimed recovering Pentecostal Andi Marie Tillman about… well a lot of things. When someone shows up for the taping with pointy ears dressed like she escaped from the Renaissance Faire, you know it's going to be an interesting hour.If you haven't caught Andi's many viral improvs on Instagram and TikTok, I don't know what your problem is. Her hilarious cast of characters — Pawpaw and Pam, Charlene and Nashferatu (there are loads more) — do that basically impossible thing: they make you stop scrolling. And watch. And laugh. And then you're forwarding it on to someone who repeats the process. That's why she has has a third of a million followers on IG.I met Pam first, riffing her way through an IG reel. Heavy on the eyeshadow, smack-chewing gum, her mini-confessionals covered some broad territory — advice for staying married (“since everything that needs to be said has already got said”), reluctant gossip, candid admissions about candid emissions…The Morse Code is a reader-supported PODCAST. Help us bring these inspiring conversations with top shelf creatives to life by becoming a free or paid subscriber.I'm not from Appalachia but somehow I recognized the types: the pentecostal teenage preacher with the drawn-on mustache, bright-lipped Bethany, sage of the church of Jesus with Signs Following, who fondles the hedonic stones and spouts wisdom sloshed around like stolen water from the baptismal. These people are as lovable as they are funny. To see the extant of the impact they've had on Andi's fans, you need only scroll the comments, which are sometimes as hilarious as the things the characters say.Like a lot people, I saw something special, and followed. So imagine when a few weeks later I met Andi in person at my local water hole in East Nashville, sipping a mocktail. I was surprised to find a thoughtful, quiet person, more inclined to listen than talk. Which is a lot when it's me you're listening to.A few weeks later she and her husband Brandon were in our front yard, playing songs around a campfire. We were neighbors and now we are riends. Life in East Nashville is like that.To me, Andi is a consummate theater kid, and while I have some weird inclination for the stage, I was always intimidated by the theater types: those outgoing folks who seem to reflect all the light that shines on them, and then some. For Andi, it was in the theater that she found her tribe, where she felt most at home. We open our conversation talking about that, about the earliest manifestations of Andi's prodigious talent, and the unique way she's gone about finding its outlet.Over the course of the hour we get into relationships, horror films, transgression and its increased difficulty in an age of tolerance, sobriety (and not-sobriety), and we even play a couple of Andi's Joni-influenced originals.It was a joy to speak with someone so imaginative, and it was a fitting end to this wild first season of the Morse Code Podcast. Over the course of 46 episodes we've had musicians, actors, directors, writers, photographers, comedians — creatives, all. We've each got our own thing we're doing, but what ties this cast of characters together is that all of us are answering the calls to our own creative path, and doing it the best we can in the constantly changing landscape that is modern life. We wish you, and us, luck.Be back for Season 2 in mid October! ~Korby Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
I speak with a rising star in the comedy world, the hilarious and genuine Amber Autry. The before we taped I was in the audience at a sold-out set for Amber's Summer/Fall residency at Zanie's in Nashville. Her bits were so seamlessly interwoven with her improvised crowd work that the stitches were invisible — I couldn't tell where the rehearsed part ended and the improv began. Randa and I laughed our asses off and I left with a feeling that I had just seen someone special. On this wide-ranging conversation with our first comedian on the podcast, Amber and I get into her origin story, which, perhaps unsurprisingly, begins in Chicago. She went through the Second City conservatory in improv and acting, but it was a chance encounter with a street musician that threw her into standup. Suddenly found herself at an open mic. Her very first try went well, likely because, as Amber puts it, “I was the only funny person in a lineup of sadboy singer-songwriters.” Comparisons between comedy and music aren't always obvious, but as someone who has played a thousand shows, I have strong opinions about how to put one on. We talk about the similarities and differences between a comedian's set and the between-song banter of the performing songwriter. In my playbook, every moment onstage counts, and in someways the time between songs is even more important than the songs themselves, because it's in those moments that you really connect with an audience, or don't. I ask how she got so good at crowd work. Unsurprisingly the answer is, practice. Or as Amber puts it, “a willingness to embarrass yourself over and over as you get more comfortable with just having real conversation with audience members and trusting the funny will come.”The Morse Code is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.She talks about the value of watching bad comedy, how it can be as instructive as its excellent counterpart. I relate to this in terms of movies and books: how when you watch something that's boring or sad ordull or off the mark in some way, it gives you an opportunity to reflect on why that is. There's a connection here to that old saying, “everyone is a teacher.”Somewhere toward the end we figure out we were both raised in the church, and talk about the good and bad of that experience. From there its a short leap to the subject of therapy, and here Amber shares her surprisingly beautiful strategy for maintaining sanity in an extremely difficult industry. It has something to do with treating yourself like a someone whose well-being you're in charge of… but you should listen to Amber share the unique, practical application of that slippery approach. By way of comparison I share a little of my own background and spiritual journey. There was a long stretch of my life where I was sitting with a buddhist lineage, an experience which culminated with an extended session at a silent retreat at a Vippasana Center in rural Washington. I tell a little about that experience, the hilarity of it and the breakthrough that happened, the gift that resulted, which has helped me ever since. This conversation is a good representation of why I do this podcast. Amber is a bright light in the world. Getting to talk with her had the effect of cracking open my own heart, seeing what was inside — the soft the squishy the scared, and somewhere down in there, the funny. Go see Amber, she's touring constantly!Find Amber Autry: Website https://www.amberautrycomedy.com/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/amberautrycomedy/ Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
On the latest eisode of the Morse Code Podcast I speak with Emmy-nominated filmmaker Derek Dienner on his wild journey producing the independently-funded feature film — “Brave the Dark” starring Jared Harris (Mad Men, Chernobyl) — surviving cancer in his 30s, and staying motivated in a highly unpredictable industry.Derek and I met at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. He'd recently finished his first feature film and was in the process of finding a distribution partner to help him release it. Randa and I were there for a similar reason, but on the TV side, with Morse Code.In an industry of ravenous self-seekers, I was impressed with Derek's unusual combination of earnest sincerity and restless determination. He was looking for a solution to his own problem, yes, but he was also interested in mine. Actually interested. In one way, we were driven by a similar need — to tell a story as close to our actual lives as possible. In my case it's the world of woe and wonder that makes an indie-folksinger. In his, it was Stan Deen, a widely-loved teacher and philanthropist from Derek's neck of the woods, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Like the protagonist from, Stand and Deliver, Deen had an extraordinary impact on generations of young people from the area. It was from this well of love and regard that a script was born, led by Deen's adopted son, Nathan. Derek got involved, and raised an enormous amount of money by reaching out to people in the Lancaster area, setting up meetings over coffee, getting the backers one cup at a time.People don't really understand how long it takes to make a movie. It's years of your life — toiling through constant uncertainty, navigating the weird and sometimes impossible-seeming challenges that appear from nowhere. A lot of folks never finish. Understandable why. It's just really hard. We talk about the passion that fueled him through the process, and the belief that sustained him.Honestly I didn't know how this episode would go because it was my first with a producer type. But the time passed faster than I wished and our conversation left me bubbling with vim and vigor. It had something to do with Derek's open-hearted enthusiasm, combined with a refreshing transparency from a passionate filmmaker very much on the front lines of the current war that is indie filmmaking. I believe! Find Derek: Website: https://makefilms.cc/about/derek-dienner/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derekdienner/ Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Natalya Kay is a fiddler in the Irish tradition and a key member of Celtic super group Gaelic Storm. She and I met in the spring of 2020 when she moved into the house next door to mine in East Nashville. I think the first time we jammed was at a party in my front yard. I remember thinking two things about that encounter. One was, Man this girl can really play! The other was, being shocked to hear her say she had no interest in any kind of career as a professional musician. That seems like a long time ago now. This year she played countless festivals with Gaelic Storm, stadium shows with the Zac Brown Band, and a few weeks ago she was at the Hollywood Bowl sharing the stage with Harrison Ford, Jackson Brown and Brandi Carlile. Afterward, she got props from none other than Sir Paul McCartney.Natalya's meteoric rise has been the result not of an unrelenting determination, but her genuine talent and as she describes here, a consistent decision to walk through whatever door that opened, despite the chorus of self-doubt ringing in her ears. In the course of this lively conversation we come back to the theme of insecurity - a part of every artist's experience - and of resisting the temptation to let it win. Natalya laughingly describes the moment when she got the call from Gaelic Storm, the gig that ultimately changed her life. She tried to talk them out of the audition, saying she wasn't a good fit, she didn't have any experience.They insisted, she acquiesced. Now she's on the road traveling the world. The Morse Code is a reader-supported publication! To support the podcast, writing, and music, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.As a quiet homeschooled girl from rural Maine, she describes the irony of feeling absolutely at home on stage with GS, how she feels like it's the most natural thing in the world, being up there in front of all those people, fiddling away.Speaking of, I ask her about a few of the approaches specific to the tradition of Irish fiddling, the rolls for one. She demonstrates how she does it, right there at the table. It will be interesting to anyone who loves or even has a passing attraction to Irish music. Natalya breaks down the technique and shows how it affects the play of the overall tune. I loved seeing that. No player am I in the Irish way, but I do have something of a background in bluegrass and old-time music, and there's enough of a language shared that I felt I might back Natalya on her performance of Cliffs of Moher, a popular Irish jig which, being in 6/8 time, requires a completely different approach than the 4/4 of its American cousin. I did my best to stay out of the way and let Natalya's playing shine, a performance that alone was worth the listen.I hope you enjoy this conversation with a truly fresh voice in Irish Music.Find Natalya:Website Instagram Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
I speak with Latin GRAMMY-nominated songwriter, producer, artist, activist, chef and friend Alex Wong about his lifelong evolution as an indie music maker and meaning seeker.Whether writing and performing his own award-winning songs or producing albums for such luminaries as Vienna Teng and Delta Rae, Alex has always pushed his work beyond conventional ideas of what it means to be an artist. I would even say Alex is one of the most authentically integrated creatives I know. Everything he does is absolutely Alex Wong.To wit, in 2023 he launched The Permission Parties, a multi-sensory experience where each track from his upcoming album Permission is paired with a Chinese-inspired dish that shares a common emotion.I attended an earlier iteration of the Permission party series and can attest to both the delicious food and to Alex's ability to create syntheses of meaning by combining his personal past and his creative present.It's always interesting to me to learn why someone wants to write songs, especially songs in the genre loosely called Folk music but which to me means those written from a personal point of view (as opposed to songs expressly created for commercial appeal). We talk about what got Alex into folk and how the twists and turns of his multi-hyphenate career brought him to East Nashville.The last third of this episode features a challenging, maybe even difficult conversation in which Alex and I get into our different approaches to the cultural problems our time. Here is the backstory:In March of 2023 there was a mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, where a trans person killed three children and three adults. You remember. Like everyone else, I was shocked and saddened by the murders and so a few days later I joined several thousand of my neighbors at a vigil downtown. I was disappointed in the ceremony, which to me was a lot less about honoring those poor kids and their families and more about using the opportunity to advance a political agenda. I thought it was tasteless and said so in a short piece posted on Instagram. Alex challenged me in a private exchange. That's the backstory. The Morse Code is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.I brought it up in the podcast. It was hard for me to talk about, and I think for Alex too, but it was respectful and ultimately productive and I hope it inspires more such discussions in the future. It was the most political conversation I've hosted on the Morse Code Podcast and it made me reflect me on my conscious decision to stay away from political topics, not only on the podcast, but in my work generally. I wonder if that choice is the right one.On one hand, it's basic to my personality, this desire to bring people together with my writing and music and to point at what we have in common, what you might call the universalities of being human: falling in love, out of love, being afraid to do something and then doing it anyway, getting old, the crazy mystery that is being alive, that stuff. I'm drawn to novels and songs and artists who are similarly concerned. I've always been that way, starting with my college days in Bellingham Washington with my bluegrass band The Barbed Wire Cutters when I would look out from the stage and see loggers and college kid protestor types sipping beers and dancing, enjoying themselves together. It felt like a momentary truce in a protracted war, and one that sowed hope that a future resolution was possible. Division is the inevitable byproduct of political discussion. Most people don't seem to mind that, and instead are happy to charge headlong into the us versus them framing of every issue under the sun, from gun control to abortion to free speech to trans issues to the opening ceremonies at the Olympics, with the result that we all very nearly hate each other.So I think, why add my timid voice to the screaming match? What good would it do?But there's another side to that argument, which is maybe best phrased by Plato. “If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government, then you are doomed to live under the rule of fools.”Its an injunction to participate in a field of battle anathema to my very being. I don't enjoy arguing and I am not one of those people who needs to be right. I just want to be left alone to do my own thing. But that is perhaps cowardly of me. In fact I spend a lot of my free time listening to different arguments on every controversial issue out there, trying to understand both sides of the argument as best I can so that my judgment might be as sound as possible. But I do so privately, for my own sake. Call it part of a lifelong effort to work out my own salvation in fear and trembling.But maybe that's a coward's quest. I think about that. I notice people who put themselves forward for a truth they believe in and I see how they are pilloried and ostracized and ridiculed. Who would want to do that with their one and only life? Answer: people who are called to do it and for whom not speaking up would be the greater sin.I think about what that would look like to join those actors and agitators, and the prospect is an unhappy one. But maybe I should think again. Maybe a nuanced voice is needed. Ugh. It makes me very uncomfortable to write that. Which is probably a clue.To bring it back to Alex and to this podcast, maybe there's a way forward to engage the issues of our time that would be genuinely productive. This conversation is an example of that possibility, and hope.Interspersed with this discussion Alex and I play two songs, one he wrote for his daughter and one he wrote for the Palestine people. Find Alex:Website: https://alexwongsounds.com/IG: https://www.instagram.com/alexwongsoundsThe Morse Code is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
With some artists the creative spark doesn't stop just because the guitar gets put down. That's Annie Williams. Anyone who knows her would say the same. From her self-built straw bale house to her hand-sewn performance costumes to her deeply personal songs, the muse follows her everywhere she goes, and does its best to keep up. She just released her debut album, Visitor, seven years and one lifetime in the making. Produced with Bill Reynolds of Band of Horses, it's at once playful and fresh and, like Annie, pretty damn original. The cover of the record is a photograph of the artist jumping through a ring of fire on her motorcycle. The fire was real, the ring was homemade.The Morse Code is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.In this thought-provoking conversation we talk about some of the more notable moments in a career nosing into its twentieth year, like, say, her arrival in Nashville. She was living in Wyoming and a touring christian hip hop group saw her play and invited her to roll with them back to Tennessee. I mean of course.We discuss how her decision to break away from her small business designing handmade bags dovetailed unexpectedly with her first publishing deal, and how that led to sync licenses on several TV shows. And you might be hard pressed to get her to admit it, but Annie is an actor, and a good one. She was approached to star in the film A Funeral for Lightning directed by Emily Kai Bock, which premiered at TIFF and went on to win the Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film at the LA Film Festival. Like many of her opportunities, it was gifted, not sought.There's a word for people like Annie Williams and that word is autodidact. She teaches herself to do things and then she does those things at her own speed in a sort of secret dance with the world around her. Its an orchestration of energy, at once mysterious and inevitable.There's so much I won't tell you about, so you can discover it yourself. I guess I should say she plays an unreleased song live in the studio. Emily. Listen:I hope you take a moment to listen to or watch episode #141 of the Morse Code Podcast. It's a good one. Find Annie:Website: https://annie-williams.com/IG: https://www.instagram.com/anniewilliams___The Morse Code is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
I speak with director Spencer Glover about his experience with Disney as a participant in their coveted Launchpad program. Selected from more than 2000 applicants, the longtime Nashville filmmaker spent a year in the incubator, honing his skills under the auspices of industry execs.The experience culminated in his Disney directorial debut BLACK BELTS, a coming of age Kung Fu story you can watch right now on Disney+. Black Belts went on to win a 2024 NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Performance in a Short Form Series. Prior to the Launchpad experience Spencer created several films focused on stories that blend genre elements and grounded emotional characters. We met somewhere around 2018 when I was working on the web series version of Morse Code and he had just finished his award-winning film Message Read.We talk about the launchpad experience, what was good and bad about it, and discuss the phenomenon known as “industry brain” — how in wake of that extraordinary opportunity Spencer has had to learn to resist the temptation to write or direct what the market says it currently wants.We wax a bit nostalgic for the big budget films we both enjoyed as kids and then Spencer offers his perspective on whether it's necessary to move to LA to elevate your film career. He himself moved for the Launchpad gig with his partner Kariss and has since stayed. Finally we talked about the importance of spending your young years as freely as possible. In that context I share a couple stories from my early twenties, including the time I drove my VW Bus to the end of an unmarked dirt road in southern Utah, hiked eleven miles into the canyon and spent 5 days and nights in the with nothing but a gallon of water and five oranges. Oh to be young. Find Spencer: Website: https://spencerglover.net/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spenceglover.mov/ Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
I speak with award-winning music photographer Michael Weintrob about his unusual path through the visual side of music, and how keeping his head down and his heart open has resulted in one of the most exciting careers in the business.Michael and I met around 2013. I was instantly struck by his combustible hustle, a kind of leaning forward in life. I was rocking bowties back then (call it my Willie Wonka phase) and… he grabbed me in my native habitat.I've been following him ever since — through his launch of the Instrumenthead series, his installations at Jazzfest in New Orleans, the two exquisitely crafted Instrumenthead coffee table books, and the Instrumenthead Live concert series he produced during the pandemic, which featured more than 70 concerts filmed and broadcast out of the Weintrob studio. Pivot, move forward, pivot, move forward. Along the way Michael has cemented his reputation as a go-to live concert photographer for some of the coolest venues in the world: Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Ascend Amphitheater, the Newport Jazz Festival, the Newport Folk Festival, the Barcelona Jazz Festival and Bluegrass Underground. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talked about the evolution of Instrumenthead, from its genesis as a spontaneous idea backstage, to a slowly accruing catalogue of artists and opportunities. How it was anything but an overnight success.We also share stories of loss and tragedy — Michael going through a cousin's suicide and the death of my little sister — and how those life experiences changed our perspective and priorities. I also share a story I've never told before about a fated trip to see the Grateful Dead my senior year of high year, and the tragedy that happened along the way.Throughout, we take a look at some of the artists captured in Weintrob's camera, and learn why he chose the poses he did. Artists like Derek Trucks, Rhiannon Giddens, Bootsy Collins, Mickey Hart, and… me.I have a ton of respect and admiration for Michael Weintrob. A guy who not only blazed an original path through a fraught industry of intense competition and constant uncertainty, but who came out of it creating somethingculturally important, historical even.Website https://michaelweintrob.com/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/michaelweintrob/The Morse Code is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my weekly podcasts and short stories, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
I speak with author Liz Riggs about the impending publication of her debut novel, Lo Fi out on Riverhead Books June 9. Liz's publisher was kind enough to send me an advance copy, and from paragraph one I recognized the reverb-drenched setting — a world of live bands, late nights, broken AC, unravelling yard parties, and half-remembered conversations over hand-rolled joints — as my own. I was a devoted participant of the world of Lo Fi, namely the post-flood Nashville of the 2010s. I went to the clubs, I closed down the dive bars. Some remain (The Basement, The Blue Room, The 5 spot) many do not (RIP Mercy Lounge, 12th and Porter, ) but Lo-Fi's whiskey-soaked setting was for me an irresistible reminiscence of a Nashville that no longer exists.Because the protagonist was so well-drawn, I assumed Liz herself worked at a club in town. She didn't, it turns out. We talk about what she did do, and how her fangirl inclinations (she admits to a teenage fascination with a well know 90s boyband) were easily transferred to her enthusiastic main character. I'm always fascinated to hear an author describe her path to publication — everyone's is different, and in listening to the particulars of one I find inspiration for my own way forward. We talk about Liz's journey, including the nail-biting weeks, days and hours where she awaited her prospective publisher's final word as to Lo-Fi's fate. I've read of writers (mostly dead ones honestly) who scrawled out their first drafts in longhand. But I've never met a contemporary who does it. Liz talked about her preference for the pen, and the freedom that results from a page one decision to unplug.We discuss her decision to set the story in a time that predates the social-media everything culture of today, and how that absence made it easier to tell a story about criss-crossed communication and the innocence of fledgling love. We compared notes and found some shared ground in our attraction to artists who write their own material, as opposed to those who sing the songs other people make for them. Finally we talk about what's great about living in a town with enough neon appeal to be called “It City” by the New York Times, and what's maybe not so great about that. If you like books like Nick Hornby's High-Fidelity, or Roddy Doyle's The Commitments, you'll find alot to like about Lo-Fi too. Here's a link to pre-order the book, and if you live in Nashville Liz is celebrating with a release show June 9 at the OG Basement with performances by Chris Housman and Vinnie Paolizzi.Find Liz:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/riggser/Website https://www.lizriggs.com/The Morse Code is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
I caught Ryan Culwell — singer-songwriter, panhandle poet and father of four — on a recent pass through town, to talk about songwriting from a personal perspective, growing up in the Texas Panhandle, and what made him move back after a decade in the Nashville hopper. I've know the man for almost twenty years. I've been his fan and I've caught his shows. A few weeks ago I saw a post he wrote in white heat and flung against the wall like a dish in a fight. Anyone who has driven five hundred miles too far to play a show that didn't mean much beyond the comped meal will recognize the pain and frustration and insane hope in it. “Sometimes,” he writes, “I wake up in a panic at 3am or drift off into nightmares at the dinner table only to have my kids pull back into the real world when they ask if I can pass the salt.” I don't have kids but I do know the kind of paralyzing scary that comes with the head-first approach to life-leaping. Take your shots, sure, but miss too many and the hunger stops being poetic. It's one thing to do that when you're twenty-two and single, it's another thing when you've got a wife and a family. Ryan's been married I don't know how long, and with four kids, prudence might suggest a turn toward the surer waters of life's long river. I asked him about that. It was the one time in the interview he got emotional. The Morse Code is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.I won't spoil the surprise but I will say there's a celestial oasis out there somewhere for the artist partner. These brave and faithful men and women are hitching their wagon to a summer tornado. Aren't sure where you're going and you don't know when you'll land.This was one of the more candid conversations we've had on the podcast. Like Ryan, it was raw and honest and with a kind of heartbroke hope I've come to recognize in artists who do what they do because there's nothing else they can. We talked about how pretending everything is awesome gets you nowhere. The idea that if you leave home, you won't come back; even if you do, home changes, you change. He landed on Wendell Berry's advice — that you can't fix the world, but you can put two things back together. We discuss Voltaire's similar take two centuries earlier, take that the best you can do in life is tend an admirable garden. In discussing his rural Texas background, we hit on Ryan's love for people with a “knowledge of the hands” who can fix things, build things and the pleasure that comes with seeing the results of your labor. Finally we pick a couple songs together — two Ryan Culwell originals. I hope this conversation puts a crack in your heart. I hope it makes you less sure about what you think you know. And I hope it compels you get a little more familiar with Ryan and his music. He's a good one and he's out there. Go find him. Find Ryan instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanculwell/ website: https://ryanculwell.com/ Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
I speak with novelist Claire Gibson about her unusual journey toward publication, from roving the country as a young Army brat, to living at West Point as a faculty daughter, to the fateful day when a close friend made a galvanizing observation: she was in a unique position to capture the lives and experiences of the women of West Point in the 9/11 generation. The result was Beyond the Point, published by William Morrow in 2019.Claire and I met last year at Writerfest in Nashville — I found her soft-spoken demeanor belied a shrewd eye for the interior dramas of other people. Reading Beyond the Point I knew I had to have her on the podcast. Listen above or watch below.One of my favorite aspects of the novel involved her descriptions of the setting and the community of West Point itself. We talk about Claire's childhood growing up in a military family and how, in her own college experience, she faced opinions antagonistic to some of the values with which she grew up.We talk at length about the struggles particular to the writing life, from the nagging sense that there's always something you ‘should' be doing that would better serve those around you, particularly when you're a parent, and how creating space in your routine to allow for imagination's work is a prerequisite for everything that follows.Claire is currently at work on her second novel. She shares a piece of invaluable advice from author Dani Shapiro that may sound brutal to the uninitiated…As an avid reader I'm always down to talk books. We trade a few favorite recent titles. And I remember saying something about being intimidated by the same writers who inspire me.This was a great conversation between two bonafide book nerds and I hope in listening you're inspired to write something, read something, feel something.Find Claire:instagram https://www.instagram.com/clairecgibson website https://www.clairegibson.com/about Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
I speak with artist and multi-instrumentalist Robert Ellis, one of the best singer-songwriters of his generation. I'll tell you why: first, his songs do what great pop songs do - grab your attention with a hook as sticky as hot honey (check out “Bottle of Wine” for an example), but you get a sense there's always something held in reserve, something that won't be revealed until you come back for a second or third or fourth listen.That might have to do with Robert's respect for the mutable laws of music theory (we talk about the relationship of the V to I cadence as the backbone for all music since Bach), or his sense of play evident in a catalogue that already spans 6 albums across genres as diverse as bluegrass-inspired ripper (“Sing Along”) to 70s' Rock (“Nobody Smokes Anymore”), or the soft spun album “Yesterday's News” reminiscent of Willie Nelson's “Rainbow Connection”.Or it could have to do with the fact that while guitar is his primary instrument (he is a *very* good guitar player) his chops on piano are formidable enough that not only did he release an album on ivories (2019's Texas Piano Man), but he toured it heavily - in a white tux and top hat, often solo at the keys.The Morse Code is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Robert has played Tiny Desk, Mountain Stage, and more recently, Carnegie Hall and collaborated with countless musicians from Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes to Jamestown Revival to Tift Merritt.A few weeks ago he took time off his tour with Parker Millsap to talk with me about his free-spirited approach to songwriting, playing and creativity in general.In this wide-ranging conversation we talk about the narrative parallels between music and literature, and how even chord progressions have a narrative arc. We talk about the importance of — when evaluating a prospective work of art — shifting the question from “Is it perfect”? to “Is it me?” We even venture into territory of a purely philosophical bent, discussing Free Will and its role in a empathic worldview. Robert is consistent with his meditative practice, and as a father of three, his kids often join in for the morning meditation. We hit on the importance in being absolutely present while both performing and producing, and how that ethos applies to acting. Robert recently acted in a short film, directed by his wife, filmmaker Erica Silverman. He talked a little about that experience which I found revealing and charming and hilarious.Finally, the Texas Troubadour sat down to play his original “On the Run” live in studio on solo guitar. Watch and listen below.There's a lot more in this conversation, one of my favorite ever on this podcast. Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
On the latest episode of the Morse Code Podcast I speak with singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer Anthony Da Costa about the unique trajectory of his musical path, already nosing into its third decade. At 33, Anthony has continued to forge a symbiotic balance between helping fellow artists realize their own visions and making songs that are uniquely his own. We discuss his early history as something of young folk prodigy, spending his teenage years opening for artists like Loretta Lynn and Suzanne Vega. It was 2020 that saw him diving into the studio bunker, first with his own music and later, as a producer for hire. To my mind, Anthony is one of the most interesting song-forward producers working today. In a first-time feature for this podcast, we break open a Logic session for a track he produced for me — “Meet Me at the End of the World” — and talk through some of the color choices he made, and why. Finally, we play an unreleased song — “When You Get This Close” showcasing Da Costa's heart-on-sleeve lyrical approach and delicate musical touch. Song: When You Get This CloseAnthony Da Costa - Vocals, Guitar Korby Lenker - guitar, harmony vocals I hope you enjoy this conversation and I hope it inspires you to pick up your guitar. Korby Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
On the new episode of The Morse Code Podcast I speak with singer-songwriter and ultramarathon runner Jeremy Lister about his unusual - and unusually successful - path in music, starting with his emergence in Nashville as a breakaway artist in the late 2000's through his recent gigs singing with Eric Church at Coachella to his latest synch on Grey's Anatomy a few weeks ago.You never know how these conversations will go - the second half is spent unpacking Jeremy's addiction, before and after he got sober (he just celebrated his ninth year alcohol-free) and how his decision to leave it behind led to an passion for running, marathon running, and finally, running ultras. We also play an unreleased song of Jeremy's, performed live in the studio - “Dirt”. This episode got into some sensitive territory, including what was going on behind the scenes during the last Street Corner Symphony tour - an a capella group Jeremy co-founded that won Season One of the Sing-Off on NBC, hosted by Ben Folds. I've known Jeremy for almost twenty years, including the stretch he describes here. I had no idea what was going on with him personally at the time. It's a testament to that quote by Socrates, invoking us to Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.Below is a direct link to “Dirt”. At the end of the video there's an invitation to listen to (or watch) a playlist featuring all of the songs recorded live on the Morse Code Podcast. We're up to about twenty.Hope you find these conversations as inspiring to your own creative journey as I've found them to mine. ~KorbyThe Morse Code is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Morse Code at korby.substack.com/subscribe
In episode #132 of the MCP, I speak with director Kali Bailey about her career in cinema thus far, starting with the wildly successful fan film Neville Longbottom and the Black Witch (over 8 million views on YouTube), a piece written and directed by Bailey based on a character known to Harry Potter fans everywhere. We talk about the act of faith required in seeing a large creative project through to conclusion, as well as the importance of fostering relationships with studios as a means for bringing films from page to screen. There's a good bit on writing here as well: we discuss the freedom of writing screenplays without financial limitations in mind vs writing to those limitations so as to actually get something made. Finally, as a female creative in a male dominated space, Kali discusses dealing with sexism on set and the strategies she's employed to prevent it from derailing her vision. These are just a few of the topics we hit this great conversation with a rising director and a serious-minded artist.Listen above
Cody Duncum is a director and cinematographer working out of Nashville. His latest effort, a short film called Where the Bullets Go, has been busy on the film festival circuit, with official selections at the The Appalachian Film Festival, Filmfort, the Oxford Film Festival, IFF Boston, and more. An in-demand cinematographer, he's worked behind the camera with countless artists including Mumford and Sons, Miranda Lambert, George Kittle, Julian Baker, Kevin Morby… we talk about the realities of being a freelance filmworker, the future of the indie film, and the struggle to keep the paying gigs coming without losing sight of your own creative goals.
I speak with singer-songwriter Abigail Rose on the heels of her widely acclaimed debut EP Surprise Valley, about why she had to leave the comfort of her hometown in order to discover her artistic identity. We compare notes: I experienced a similar freedom of reinvention when I moved to Nashville almost twenty years ago. We discuss the perils and rewards of doing creative work with a life partner, and how making stuff together can deepen an already meaningful relationship. Finally I join her on three songs, live here in our studio.
I speak with singer-songwriter and mixed media artist Andrew Combs on the eve of his first solo gallery show (at Julia Martin Gallery in Nashville) about what it means to him in the context of a career spent largely in song and on stage. From touring with Kacey Musgraves to performing a set on perhaps the greatest taste-making venue ever — Tiny Desk on NPR — Andrew's decision to step back from the heavy touring that marked his twenties may at first seem surprising. But as we talk, I began to understand this thoughtful creator is — like many us — merely finding a way to make art in the context of his broader life: as a young father, as a person more comfortable in the privacy of a studio than under bright lights, and finally as one who, in a basic sense, is guided by a innate curiosity for expression and meaning, wherever that takes him. We discuss a few of his recent works and we play two of his original songs together, live in studio. Andrew's Solo Show “Fail Better” opens Saturday May 4 with a reception and live music (Andrew and friends) at the Julia Martin Gallery 444 Humphreys St Nashville TN. The show runs through May 25, 2024.
A great listen for anyone interested in the publishing game in its current iteration. I speak with the Editorial Director of Lake Union, an imprint of Amazon that publishes more than 80 titles a year, generating more than $40 million in yearly revenue. In her influential capacity, Danielle as been responsible for some of the biggest success stories at her firm. We discuss the evolution of book publishing, expectation versus reality in terms of what happens when your book get published, and then we talk about the interesting stuff. Why you should or should not write. And how shame, fear and celebrity worship hold people back from creating in their own lives.
I talk with three-time grammy winner, multi-instrumental singer songwriter, winner of numerous Native American Music Awards, and acclaimed painter, Bill Miller. Born on the Stockbridge-Munsee Reservation in northern Wisconsin, his big break came when Tori Amos discovered his music and invited him to open her tour for the Under the Pink album. They toured together for over a year. After that it was the same thing with Pearl Jam. If you ever saw Disney's Pocahontas, you remember the song “Colors of the Wind” sung by Vanessa Williams. Bill's flute playing throughout. That song won a Grammy and both the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. I'm really just scratching the surface of what Bill has achieved in his life. I met him when he played on my song “Crow Country”. We've since become good friends, sharing shows together, hanging out. I look up to him — as an example of grace and wisdom and a deep sense of honoring the Spirit which animates us all. We talk about his life and perspective on creativity and where it might come from. We discuss the importance of acknowledging loss and setbacks without allowing them to define you. Finally, he let me sit in on a couple of his original songs. It was a great day in the studio.
I talk with Grammy award-winning guitarist and singer Chris “Critter” Eldridge. A regular collaborator of Julian Lage's, Critter has lent his talents to Paul Simon, Justin Timberlake, T-Bone Burnett, Fiona Apple, The War and Treaty and more. We discuss the necessity of discomfort as a prerequisite for growth, and how raising a daughter has opened up new insights about failure and its role in personal development. We also got into some bluegrass stuff, discussing the Murder Ballad in traditional music and whether the time has come to retire it. I have a pretty strong opinion on this. Lastly I sat in with the gifted guitarist on a few songs - his arrangement of Little Sadie, and then we just let one rip with a tune we got from a Norman Blake record - Walking Cane Blues.
I talk with grammy and Emmy-award winning songwriter Drew Ramsey about the challenges and rewards of co-writing songs, which occasionally become hit songs. In this, Drew has decades of experience — his countless collaborations include India.Arie, John Legend, Jonny Lang, and Marc Broussard — and in his capacity as a songwriting professor at Belmont University in Nashville he's championed and incubated the next generation of songwriting hopefuls. We talk about Lightbulbs vs Batteries and the importance of discovering which one you are. We talk about the importance of bringing your weird to the songwriting room, and how it much easier to hone a wild idea into a communicable form than to punch up something that isn't there, and finally we play one together in the studio, his song "Home", the hit he wrote with Marc Broussard.
I speak with singer songwriter Robby Hecht about all things indie-folksinger. He's been making and releasing music since before Spotify was a thing, and in addition to being a multi-award-winning songwriter, his songs have been recorded by more than 60 artists. Robby is currently in the process of releasing his latest album “Not a Number” and he just showcased at SXSW. He's got some hard-earned perspective on what's changed since the days of selling pressed CDs out of a tweed suitcase. We've co-written a few songs together, and we spend a good chunk of time talking about the unique music mothership that is the international Folk Alliance Conference. Somewhere in there we play a couple songs together from his new record.
I speak with hit songwriter and producer Barry Dean, who, with four #1 hits, many singles, and countless cuts, somehow manages to act like an earnest kid grateful for the chance to take his shot. His songs have been recorded by Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Maren Morris, Alison Krauss, Jon Pardi, Ingrid Michaelson, Brothers Osbourne, and many, many others. In one of the podcast's most illuminating guests to date, Barry discusses his unusual path to success — he didn't move to Nashville until he was 38 — and how his approach to collaboration has evolved through the years. He also digs into a couple of the details for some of his best known co-writes, like “Daydrinking” (Little Big Town) and “God and Country Music” (George Straight), and is quick to sing the praises of his frequent collaborators — Lori McKenna, Luke Laird, and Natalie Hemby, among others. This intro doesn't do justice to the caliber of the conversation we had. Barry is full of insight, wisdom and humility. You just gotta listen.
I speak with Alex Berger, Founder and Creative Director of Nashville-based creative agency Weird Candy. He's shepherded the visual translation of artists like The Critical and Yot Club as well as tastemaker labels like War Buddha and 3 Sirens. We kick off this conversation with Alex offering a impromptu brand appraisal of... me. And with that we jump into a discussion of why artists have such a hard time tackling the necessity of articulating their particular flavor in a succinct and relatable way. I'm not gonna say this turned into a therapy session, but Alex did help me reframe this piece of the artist game in a way that was both empowering and actionable.
Korby speaks with producer, songwriter and artist Lamont Coleman about his evolution from being an in-demand beatmaker and producer in the NYC hip hop scene to writing with country artists on music row. Lamont was an instrumental collaborator on the hit “Sweetest Girl Dollar Bill” feat Wyclef Jean, Akon, Lil Wayne, but traded the hip hop lifestyle to be “more intentional” with his musical gifts. Lamont's self-described "non-religious" religious upbringing pokes up regularly in a conversation the veers often into basic questions about art's role in shaping individual development and cultural harmony.
Korby speaks with artist, songwriter and guitar player Boo Ray about the realities of maintaining a heavy tour schedule in a post-covid landscape, and how ‘the polaroid of the thing is sometimes more interesting than the thing itself.” A much-loved figure of the East Nashville Scene, Boo's band gets out and plays often. We talk about the spiritual analogue of the artist's life, how Boo sees it more as a calling than a dream, and we talk about the challenges he's faced staying sober in a boozy business. Lastly Boo plays a couple songs live in our studio, with and without Korby.
Korby speaks with Todd Sherwood, owner and talent booker of The 5 Spot, about the glory and heartache of running a Nashville institution for nearly twenty years. Since taking over in 2007 in his mid twenties, Sherwood has hosted more than 50,000 shows. In this insightful and often hilarious conversation, he talks about the history of the 5 Spot, some highlight moments (with photos), the picturesque reality of running a club outside the net of corporate control, what bands need to understand when they book shows, and how to rig an indoor rain gutter system out of garbage bags.
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
