Twenty Years In, A New Sound and A Different Kind Of Heartbreak: Lucero

Memphis quintet Lucero has been making straight ahead rock without a hint of pretense since 1998, and just over two decades in, they are at an inevitable crossroads of sorts. A little over twenty years in with record number ten would be mileposts no matter what life had brought a band, but throw in big life changes (welcome ones for front man Ben Nichols, as he will explain) plus a new approach to their sound and a turn towards writing about characters outside rather than inside the band makes for an intersection you can spot miles away.

Join me for a lively conversation with Ben, touching on everything from his band’s embrace of synthesizers to working with his brother on film projects, the different kind of melancholy and heartbreak that he knows now from being a family man, and a whole lot more including, of course, a good bit of Lucero’s music from their new album When You Found Me.  

Cover art for Lucero’s tenth studio album, When You Found Me

The addition of synthesizers to Lucero’s mix has updated the group’s supply of tools in their chest, imparting a kind of sci-fi aura to much of the album, while also harkening back to rock and roll bands from decades past.

Thanks for listening to the show, and I hope you might reach out to someone you know who is a fan of music, history or culture and let them know about this series. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Pandora, NPR One -- pretty much everywhere you can find podcasts. And once you subscribe, it helps even more when you give it a good rating and a review. Top ratings, and especially your reviews, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. My full interview with Ben Nichols is on video here, and it includes even more nuggets like what it was like working in Sam Phillips Recording Studio with its upstairs bar where you can still sense the presence of all the Sun Records greats from long ago.

Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where our audio engineer Sean Rubin graciously ran my video call with Ben, and also where we were lucky to call Joshua Meng our intern for time -- he wrote and performed our theme songs. I’m your host and producer Joe Kendrick, and this is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Back In Ohio” by Lucero from When You Found Me

“Outrun the Moon” by Lucero from When You Found Me, excerpt

“When You Found Me” by Lucero from When You Found Me, excerpt

“Pull Me Close Don’t Let Go” by Lucero from When You Found Me, excerpt

Dom Flemons: Finding New Ways Forward By Reviving Music's Past

For those who adhere to the old adage that “If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room,” you would likely feel comfortable being in the company of Dom Flemons. Now living in Chicago, he has called many places home, from his native Arizona to North Carolina to Washington, D.C., and has covered even more musical territory, mastering the banjo, fife, guitar, harmonica, percussion, quills, and bones in many styles along the way. He won widespread acclaim as a founding member of The Carolina Chocolate Drops, and after leaving the group in 2013, has not missed a beat, playing at Carnegie Hall, the Grand Ole Opry, the opening ceremonies for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, and has represented the United States at the 2017 Rainforest World Music Festival in Kuching, Malaysia. These accomplishments only scratch the surface of his remarkable career, to say nothing of his warmth, openness and modest charm.

Dom Flemons at the Outback Opry drive-in concert 09-05-20 (photo: Daniel Coston)

Thanks for dropping by, and I hope you might reach out to someone you know who is a fan of music, history or culture and let them know about this series. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Pandora, NPR One -- pretty much everywhere you can find podcasts. And once you subscribe, it helps even more when you give it a good rating and a review. Top ratings, and especially your reviews, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. My full interview with Dom Flemons is on video, which is on my YouTube here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW. Our theme songs are by Joshua Meng. This is Southern Songs and Stories, celebrating the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Music heard in this episode:

“‘Til The Seas Run Dry” by Dom Flemons from Prospect Hill

“Going Backward Up the Mountain” by Dom Flemons from Prospect Hill: The American Songster Omnibus

“Georgia Drumbeat” from Dom Flemons’ Prospect Hill: The American Songster Omnibus

“Shake Your Moneymaker” by Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band with Dom Flemons and Steve Cropper

“My Money Never Runs Out” by Dom Flemons from Prospect Hill

Winter 2021 Preview

After a brief pause over the holidays, it is time to jump into the new year with a strong lineup of guest artists here at Southern Songs and Stories. On deck is Dom Flemons who has a new song with Reverend Peyton featured in his episode, as well as Amythyst Kiah who is soon to raise her profile with her album Wary + Strange, with its lead single “Black Myself” scheduled for release on February 19th. Also in our pipeline are Ben Nichols of the band Lucero, and a relatively new artist, Pony Bradshaw, both of whom have new albums which we will explore as we speak with them in their podcasts. Here is a taste of what is soon to come, enjoy! - Joe Kendrick

Dom Flemons performs at WNCW’s Outback Opry drive-in concert September 2020 (photo: Daniel Coston)

They've Got It Covered: The Bluegrass of Darin and Brooke Aldridge

No survey of current bluegrass is accurate without mention of Darin and Brooke Aldridge. The husband and wife duo, whose first album came in 2008, are now at the center of what contemporary bluegrass does best. And they have the hardware and chart hits to attest to that — for starters, Brooke is the 4-time, reigning IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year, and their 2019 album Inner Journey rose to the top of the charts, surprising no one on both counts.

That they are among the best at what they do is a given, but their proximity to and influence at the core of the bluegrass community is perhaps less obvious. As flag bearers, they are helping lead the overall sound in new directions that some may not have foreseen. Taking in outside influences comes naturally to bluegrass as a rule, but taking on material outside of the canon of American authorship can be crazy or genius, depending on who does it. Darin and Brooke Aldridge play songs written by themselves, as well as songs by colleagues and collaborators like John Cowan and Vince Gill, but their song IQ seems highest when it comes to drawing chestnuts like “Tennessee Flat Top Box” or “Tear-Stained Letter” into sharp focus. By sticking the landing every time, they elevate and give new context, both to bluegrass and those originals.

cover art for Darin and Brooke’s seventh studio album, Inner Journey

I spoke with Darin and Brooke over a video call (linked here), where we talked about their knack for making great covers, what projects they have going on now, their work life outside of music, how they would pitch bluegrass music to someone who had not yet heard it, and a whole lot more. They also have a new song for Christmas called “Light Of the Stable”, which is part of music featured on this episode.

Thanks for visiting Southern Songs and Stories, and I hope you might tell someone you know about the series. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and all other major platforms. And once you subscribe, it really helps when you give it a good rating and a review. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks also to WNCW audio engineer Sean Rubin for his work on the interview audio. - Joe Kendrick

Songs heard in this episode:

“Foggy Mountain Rock” by Darin & Brooke Aldridge from Live at Red, White and Bluegrass!, excerpt

“Emmylou” by Darin and Brooke Aldridge from Inner Journey, excerpt

“Light Of the Stable” by Darin & Brooke Aldridge

“Someone’s Everything” by Darin and Brooke Aldridge from Inner Journey

Walking 100 Miles Through Barbed Wire To Get To The Reservoir: Kenny Roby

Make no mistake, Kenny Roby has turned in one of the most emotional and raw records of 2020. But listening to his fifth solo album The Reservoir, it is impossible not to feel solace. When he sings in the album opener “Don’t Ya Know What’s On My Mind”, “My mama told me I was special/ She never saw me in the dark/ A soft truth and a wet confessional/ Dressed in a mess and double parked”, you know right away that there’s going to be trouble ahead, and real soon. But Kenny’s voice is so reassuring, his music so assuaging, that you know it is all going to be okay in the end.

As this album began, circumstances were most definitely not okay in Kenny Roby’s world. Many things came to an end for him in 2019: the lives of friends and family, his marriage, his time in the Carolinas. And looming large, especially for this record, was the loss of his longtime friend and musical partner Neal Casal. Already in the beginning stages for Kenny’s album (which was originally to take the name of probably its most uplifting song, History Lesson), the project was upended in late August when news came that Neal had taken his own life.

As heavy as all of that was and is, the result is a revelation. As awful as it sounds to take the journey that Kenny Roby took, the destination is all the more alluring. Listening to The Reservoir is to witness what it is like to go through great hardship and come out with balance and calm, and even manage to keep a sense of humor.

In this episode, you will hear conversations with the native South Carolinian, who now lives in Upstate New York, as well as Dave Schools, who picked up production duties on The Reservoir after Neal Casal’s passing. Three of the sixteen songs in the collection find their way into the podcast as well, along with a flashback to the 1994 debut of Kenny Roby’s former band 6 String Drag.  

Kenny Roby

Thanks for dropping by Southern Songs and Stories, and I hope you might tell someone you know about the series. You can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, you name it. And once you subscribe, it really helps when you give it a good rating and a review. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. - Joe Kendrick

Songs heard in this episode:

“Akabanah” by Kodo from Ibuki (excerpt)

“She’s A Hurricane” by 6 String Drag from Six String Drag (excerpt)

“Don’t Ya Know What’s On My Mind” by Kenny Roby from The Reservoir

“Vampire Song (Whatcha Gonna Do)” by Kenny Roby from The Reservoir

“Just Because” by Kenny Roby from The Reservoir

Full interview of Kenny Roby is here

Full interview of Dave Schools is here

Arm in Arm on Their Journey: Steep Canyon Rangers

It could be easy to lose sight of this, with all of the trials and tribulations we have endured in 2020, but Steep Canyon Rangers is having a banner year. Beginning with their live album North Carolina Songbook, continuing with a surprise collaboration with Boyz II Men on the remake of their song “Be Still Moses”, and finishing with their studio album Arm in Arm, the western North Carolina six piece band has been fully en fuego despite all of the cold water thrown on the music world lately. Twenty years into their run, they have already won two IBMA awards and a Grammy, and unless things go even more sideways and the sky goes from blue to green in 2021, expect more hardware to come their way for these recordings.

(l to r) Woody Platt and Graham Sharp warm up in WNCW’s Studio B 9/28/20

Photo: Mike Gavin

In this episode, you will hear conversations from members of Steep Canyon Rangers as well as plenty of their latest music, including a live performance from Woody Platt and Graham Sharp of their song “Honey On My Tongue” on WNCW. Jacob Groopman of the band Front Country joins us along the way, and we get a word from Steve Martin as well.

Thank you for visiting us at Southern Songs and Stories, and I hope you might tell someone you know about this podcast. You can subscribe to the series on your podcast platform of choice, and it helps greatly when you give it a good rating and a review. Top ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. - Joe Kendrick

WNCW control room during the simulcast of Steep Canyon Rangers’ drive-in concert in Asheville NC 8/28/20

Photo: Joe Kendrick

Songs heard in this episode:

“One Drop of Rain” from Steep Canyon Rangers album Arm in Arm

“Golden Highway” from The Chapel Hillbilly Way by The Shady Grove Band, excerpt

“Afterglow” from Arm in Arm by Steep Canyon Rangers, excerpt

“Sunny Days” from Arm in Arm by Steep Canyon Rangers, excerpt

“Honey On My Tongue” live in Studio B on WNCW 9-28-20

Grass That Goes Against the Grain: Wood & Wire

In 2018, the four piece group Wood & Wire was nominated for a Grammy award for their album North of Despair. Since their four members had come up playing styles like jazz and punk rock, of course they would find themselves in a band on the verge of winning nationwide recognition as a bluegrass band -- from that hotbed of the genre, Austin Texas no less. Somehow, two plus two equals five with Wood & Wire, and here they are, carving out a niche that seems as unlikely as it is fortunate.

Wood & Wire

In this episode, singer and guitarist Tony Kamel and mandolin player Billy Bright talk about updating and spinning the old murder ballad “Darlin’ Corey” into their song “Pigs”, bringing in Peter Rowan for a tune, how growing up in Houston did not feel like growing up in the South at all, and how growing up in El Paso could easily be thought of as growing up somewhere not at all in Texas. That is just part of what they have to say, and of course, we feature some music from the band’s fourth studio album No Matter Where It Goes from Here.

Wood & Wire album cover for No Matter Where It Goes From Here

Thanks for dropping by Southern Songs and Stories, and I hope you might tell a friend about this endeavor. You can subscribe to this series on your podcast platform of choice, and it helps even more when you give it a good rating and a review. Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more visible to more people just like you. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Sean Rubin for the audio of my call with Tony and Billy, and to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it.   - Joe Kendrick

Songs heard in this episode:

“Clamp’s Chute” by Wood & Wire from No Matter Where It Goes From Here, excerpt 

“Pigs” by Wood & Wire from No Matter Where It Goes From Here, excerpt

“Roadie’s Circles” by Wood & Wire from No Matter Where It Goes From Here, excerpt

[“My Hometown” by Wood & Wire from No Matter Where It Goes From Here]

Carryin' On With Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires

Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires are amongst the most celebrated couples in music, and their star continues to rise. Theirs is a story that brings to mind iconic husband and wife teams like Johnny and June, and they can boast an ever growing legion of fans and critical acclaim. The past year or so has proved to be one of their most successful in terms of their music, while it has also been a span with times of great difficulty -- both with their art and their relationship. Jason and Amanda speak here in separate interviews from their home in wide-ranging conversations covering everything from Jason’s subconscious character portrait of a departed friend in the song “Only Children” to Amanda’s account of common misconceptions about their lives as artists, and they reveal a playful and affectionate side of themselves that does not often show itself in their lyrics.

Cover art for Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s 2020 album Reunions

Included in the podcast are excerpts of music from Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s latest album, Reunions, and Amanda Shire’s latest singles, as well as an unearthed live radio performance of the two playing “Relatively Easy” in early 2014. In a way, Jason and Amanda have come full circle in the time since: they find themselves today once again in a simpler situation than in the years between. Credit the coronavirus pandemic for that, but even so, those intervening six years can now be seen as a distinct chapter in their lives. Back when their performance of “Relatively Easy” was live on the radio, they didn’t have their daughter Mercy Rose; there were yet no Grammy awards. And this year when these interviews were recorded, Jason and Amanda’s lives had retreated from the stage to their home and their family life. Before, they didn’t carry the weight of the level of stardom they have since achieved; now, the pressure to maintain their status at the top of the musical food chain is relieved by current circumstances, which include having just released what will surely be more award winning work.

Artwork for Amanda Shires’ 2020 duet with Jason Isbell, “The Problem”

Thanks for visiting us here at Southern Songs and Stories, and I hope you might tell a friend about the podcast. You can subscribe to this series on your podcast platform of choice, and it helps even more when you give it a good rating and a review. Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more visible to more people just like you. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to WNCW’s Sean Rubin for engineering my call with Jason Isbell and for remixing “Relatively Easy”, and to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW. Our theme songs are by Joshua Meng. I’m your host and producer Joe Kendrick, and this is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it.

Music heard in this episode:

“Overseas” by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit from Reunions, excerpt

“The Problem” by Amanda Shires with Jason Isbell, excerpt

“Only Children” by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit from Reunions, excerpt

“Deciphering Dreams” by Amanda Shires from To The Sunset, excerpt

“Relatively Easy” by Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires live on WNCW January 22, 2014

Telling the Tale of Music

Recently, an old friend of mine hit me up to contribute to a storytelling compilation he was making, and after lots of procrastinating, I came up with my own story — or rather, my own account of how I love to tell stories. Brian John Mitchell is the friend in question, and he started his label Silber Records officially back in 1996, and has been making zines and comics for decades as well.  

album cover for Remora’s 2011 release Scars Bring Hope

As Brian says on the Silber website, “Good music deserves to be heard & we’re doing our part to make sure it gets from the bedroom to your ears…. Our music is likely mellower, but no less angst-ridden than the music we all grew up on.  Punk rock, post rock, metal, sludgecore, freak folk, americana, bedroom pop, drone, shoegaze, aggressive ambient, post apocalyptic pop, noise - it’s all music.” 

I hope you can take a few minutes and go to the Silbermedia Bandcamp page and listen to some of the stories that Brian compiled for his series.

Going Over Home With Doc Watson

In May of 1989, Doc Watson was 66 years old. He was known around the world, and had already cemented his legacy, but was nowhere near the end of his achievements. With four Grammy awards under his belt, he had four more to go. He had yet to be inducted into the International Bluegrass Hall Of Honor, and was probably not anticipating that the National Medal Of Arts would be awarded to him in the coming decade. One of his great contributions to the music world had begun just the year before: the event which was born out of the tragedy of losing his son, MerleFest.

It was a time when more people were awaking to and actively participating in the culture that Doc Watson knew in his youth. Although he had been at the forefront of the folk music boom in the early 1960s, which was itself an exercise in national self-rediscovery, that music was largely ignored by the Baby Boomer generation. By the time the late 1980s rolled around, there was still a core of roots music adherents, but their numbers likely had been waning since The Beatles arrived.

Enter Taylor Barnhill and Sheila Kay Adams, then his wife. Taylor, an architect, and Sheila, an old-time performer and lover of mountain tales, took on a project to preserve and reinvigorate oral traditions of the Southern Appalachians: a live radio show they called Over Home. They had no experience being on the radio or with producing live events, outside of Sheila’s budding music career. But they had more than enough heart to make up for it, and a willing partner in a soon-to-be public radio station with a signal covering parts of six states, WNCW.

In this episode of Southern Songs and Stories, we bring you a one-of-a-kind performance from Doc Watson. Instead of playing music, Doc tells stories. You probably know that Arthel “Doc” Watson often told stories in between songs at his performances, but this is a whole show’s worth. He opens up even more than usual, with tales from his own family’s history; stories that will make you laugh, and one especially that is pretty chilling. These are stories that give you a glimpse into the world that Doc was born into almost a century ago, a world that was then not so different from the time a century before it when many of these tales took place. And maybe best of all, they are stories which give us a bit more understanding of Doc himself. 

You’ll hear from Over Home producer Taylor Barnhill about his remarkable live series as well as we journey back to Doc’s performance on May 27th, 1989, on the campus of Isothermal Community College in Spindale, NC. All this has been lying dormant for more than three decades, until now.

(L to R) WNCW host Marshall Ballew, Jack Lawrence, Doc Watson, and WNCW Program Director Dan Reed at WNCW in 1997. Photo: Linda Osbon Bost

Thanks for visiting Southern Songs and Stories, and I hope you might tell a friend about the podcast. You can subscribe to this series on your podcast platform of choice, and it helps even more when you give it a good rating and a review. Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more visible to more people just like you. And it helps to spread awareness and make more people connected when you like and follow the show on our social media -- you can find those accounts linked on their icons in the masthead above. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available at https://www.osirispod.com/. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio at https://www.bluegrassplanetradio.com/. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW. Our theme songs are by Joshua Meng. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick 

The Allman Betts Band: Where The Song Is The Boss

Because it is 2020, nothing is the same, and music is no exception -- podcasts like this one included. As we all find ourselves in the new reality that the coronavirus pandemic has thrown at us, however, the old mantra that “the show must go on” still holds true. And in our case, Southern Songs and Stories goes on in a new way with this episode. With this podcast on The Allman Betts Band, it is the first time that we have done a show with an interview from a video call. A side benefit with this is that we can also share the video of our conversation, which is worth watching just to see Devon Allman changing his background images throughout the interview, so his Iron Maiden reference makes more sense there, for starters. That video is posted below. 

Devon Allman and Duane Betts are well known as the sons of Greg Allman and Dickey Betts, respectively, and their partnership now seems like it was meant to be, especially now that The Allman Betts Band’s second album, Bless Your Heart, is well on its way to being a big hit. But their friendship and musical partnership did not happen right away after they first met some thirty years ago, as teenagers attending an Allman Brothers show. Listen in for that story, as well as the meaning of letting the song be the boss, the expansion of their band members’ and co-writers’ roles on this album, and much more.

Devon Allman and Duane Betts of The Allman Betts Band.

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you enjoy our time with The Allman Betts Band. If you haven’t already done it, please tell someone you know about this series, and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. Bonus points if you give it a good rating and a review, which helps make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more visible to more people just like you. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup on both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available at https://www.osirispod.com/ . You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio at https://www.bluegrassplanetradio.com/. Thanks also to Sean Rubin at WNCW for engineering our interview session. - Joe Kendrick

Songs heard in this episode:

“Magnolia Road” from Bless Your Heart (excerpt)

“The Doctor’s Daughter” from Bless Your Heart (excerpt)

“Savannah’s Dream” from Bless Your Heart

Running Horses and Reinventing Country: Charley Crockett

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

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

Charley Crockett songs heard in this episode:

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

“The Valley” from The Valley (excerpt)

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

“Fool Somebody Else” from Welcome To Hard Times

BJ Barham and American Aquarium: It All Ends With Revealing Our History

In the first episode of this series, you got to hear about how BJ Barham turns uncomfortable conversations about the dark parts of Southern history into songs, about racial and class divides, how influential Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen are to his music, and about how things stand for American Aquarium and in the music business more generally during the coronavirus pandemic. But we left a lot on the table, including much of my conversation with Tyler Boone, who has a new single out, and lots more from BJ Barham, including producer Shooter Jennings as the band’s Bigfoot, and more insight into the culture and politics of the South. All that and more on this episode of Southern Songs and Stories.

BJ Barham of the Raleigh, NC band American Aquarium

American Aquarium songs heard in this episode:

“Before The Dogwood Blooms” from Lamentations (excerpt)

”Brightleaf + Burley” from Lamentations

“The Long Haul” from Lamentations (excerpt)

I hope you enjoy this podcast, and that you will subscribe to this series on your podcast platform of choice, and give it a good rating and a review. Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more visible to more people just like you. Plus, it never hurts to invite a friend to check out what we’re doing here at Southern Songs and Stories, which is produced in partnership with public radio station WNCW and Osiris Media. You can find us on Apple/iTunes here, on Pandora here, and Spotify here. Our theme songs are by Joshua Meng, with a link to his music here. Thanks for listening! - Joe Kendrick

BJ Barham and American Aquarium: It All Starts With Just One Word

With songwriting, and writing in general, things do not always happen in a straight line; they are not always created from start to finish. Pieces and parts can emerge seemingly at random. Ideas about the ending may come first, or maybe even every concept and point to be made can come to the writer at the onset. There are plenty of times that I have finished writing the script for a Southern Songs and Stories podcast, have recorded it and tweaked all the audio, only to struggle with a title for the episode. And then, I might change it several times before coming to a final decision. Musicians have struggled with album titles, too. Aren’t you glad that David Bowie changed his mind on what could have been called Shilling The Rubes, and instead titled his 1975 album Young Americans? Or that Talking Heads steered away from Melody Attack and went with Remain In Light?  

But this can work the other way around: some works flow from and present themselves only after the artist comes to their name. This is the case for BJ Barham and his band American Aquarium’s 8th studio album. Two years ago, Barham wrote down the word “lamentations”, and he knew that it would be his next album title before he created a single song for it. In hindsight, that word came to BJ Barham almost like a prophecy of Old Testament proportions: who could have known in 2018 just how bad things could get in two years’ time? And who could speak to the trials we would be going through, and the collective conversations we would be having so presciently in music that began with just one word? 

American Aquarium, with BJ Barham in center. The band changed three members and added another on their latest album, Lamentations.

This is the first of a two episode series on BJ Barham of American Aquarium, with in depth conversation with BJ Barham as well as guests Ronda Chollock, a music promoter from Charlottesville, Virginia, and music artist Tyler Boone, who grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, but now calls Hollywood home. We get into topics like how Barham articulates the dark history of the South so that people will start having conversations about racial and class divides, however uncomfortable those conversations might be. We touch on how bittersweet it must be to have a hit record with no way to play it in person to fans, about how metal and Southern rock have more in common than you might have thought, and working with yet another Grammy-winning producer, Shooter Jennings.

American Aquarium songs heard in this episode:

“Me + Mine (Lamentations)” from Lamentations (excerpt)

“A Better South” from Lamentations (excerpt)

“Highway Patrolman” live at the Grey Eagle 08-30-16

“The Luckier You Get” from Lamentations (excerpt)

I hope you enjoy this podcast, and that you will subscribe to this series on your podcast platform of choice, and give it a good rating and a review. Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more visible to more people just like you. Southern Songs and Stories is produced in partnership with public radio station WNCW and Osiris Media, and you can find us on Apple/iTunes here, on Pandora here, and Spotify here. Our theme songs are by Joshua Meng, with a link to his music here. Thanks for listening! - Joe Kendrick

Simple Truths And Charm With A Punch: Paul Thorn

For some reason, I had never seen Paul Thorn play live. Oh, I was familiar with his music, at least with a handful of songs especially. I thought I knew about Paul Thorn — his paintings, former boxing career, his colorful nature, that sort of thing. But boy am I glad that a good friend of mine wanted to drive some 250 miles just to catch him play in my home town earlier this year. That got me to thinking about Paul Thorn as an obvious fit for this series, and is he ever. There is so much more to Paul Thorn than I knew before meeting him and researching for this episode, and it is all quite entertaining and unique. There is way more than can be contained in the forty two minutes of this podcast, really, but it is at least a good start.

Paul Thorn playing with his band at the Don Gibson Theatre in Shelby, NC 03/06/20

Paul Thorn speaks at length about how confronting fear is central to his character, about growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi and going to the Pentecostal church where his father preached, how he likes music that is simple but universal, his habit of scouring flea markets and  yard sales, and much more. In this episode you will also hear from Angela Backstrom, music promoter and collector of vintage Western wear, my friend Jeff Williams, who planted the seed for this podcast, and of course, lots of music from Paul and his band.

Songs by Paul Thorn heard in this episode:

“Everybody Needs Somebody” live from the Don Gibson Theatre 03/06/20 (excerpt)

“I Don’t Like Half The Folks I Love” live from the Don Gibson Theatre 03/06/20

“Pimps & Preachers” live from the Don Gibson Theatre 03/06/20 (excerpt)

“800 Pound Jesus” from Hammer and Nail Live (excerpt)

“Mood Ring” from So Far So Good Live (excerpt)

“Mission Temple Fireworks Stand” from Mission Temple Fireworks Stand (excerpt)

I hope you enjoy this episode, and that you will subscribe to this series on your podcast platform of choice, and give it a good rating and a review. Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more visible to more people just like you. Southern Songs and Stories is produced in partnership with public radio station WNCW and Osiris Media, and you can find us on Apple/iTunes here, on Stitcher here, and Spotify here. Our theme songs are by Joshua Meng, with a link to his music here. Thanks for listening! - Joe Kendrick

Elonzo Wesley: The String Band With An Indie Rock Approach

There have been any number of bands that started out in one mode only to wind up in another sooner or later. In one of our film documentaries, Amanda Anne Platt talked about thinking that she was a rock and roller at first, only to have an artist friend tell her that the songs she was writing were country songs instead. The scenario where young musicians bang out power chords early on before growing into an acoustic adulthood is fairly common. And then there are hybrids: pioneering acoustic guitarist Billy Strings said that he learned to play music by playing bluegrass, but he learned how to perform by playing in a metal band. The band Elonzo Wesley is unique in this conversation, not in that its members have largely rock and roll beginnings which evolved into an acoustic present, but in the approach that they use in expanding their sound far beyond just these two points in the musical spectrum. Their lyrics set them apart as well, revealing a keen awareness of the human condition. And their songs are good no matter what the backdrop.

(R to L) Dennis Contreras, Taylor Winchester and Jeremy Davis perform at the Fillmore in Charlotte, NC

In this episode, Elonzo Wesley members Jeremy Davis, Taylor Winchester and Dennis Contreras talk about the concept of their sound, how influences like Radiohead are still present in their music, the inclusive nature of the Charlotte music scene, and an after hours tour story that ended surprisingly better than it began. Along the way, you will hear music from their performances in March 2020 at Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain, NC and at WNCW just ahead of that show, plus their cover of a song by My Morning Jacket. We get commentary from writer and photographer Daniel Coston about the band and his Queen City hometown, too.

Jeremy Davis and Taylor Winchester of Elonzo Wesley in their Southern Songs and Stories interview

Thanks for listening, and stay tuned for episodes on Elizabeth Cook and Paul Thorn soon! - Joe

Songs heard in this episode:

Elonzo Wesley “Them Houses” live at Pisgah Brewing 3-13-20

Elonzo Wesley “Golden” (single)

“Everything In Its Right Place” by Radiohead from Kid A excerpt

“Rule Of 7” from Elonzo Wesley live on WNCW 03-11-20

“Traveling Song” by Elonzo Wesley live at Pisgah Brewing 3-13-20

A Subtle Beauty And Poetic Message: Chatham County Line’s Strange Fascination

Even before the novel coronavirus pandemic turned life upside down, major changes were afoot for Chatham County Line. Banjo player Chandler Holt departed, although he is still playing with them on their new album and even joins them on some of their virtual concerts on their YouTube channel lately. Sonically, the big difference with Strange Fascination is the addition of drums -- Yan Westerlund, who is known for his playing in Mipso and Phil Cook’s group, is heard throughout the album, which was recorded at Mitch Easter’s Fidelitorium studio; Chris Boerner, who is often featured on guitar when touring with Hiss Golden Messenger, mixed and mastered it. The band has also moved away from using a single, ribbon type old school microphone towards singing into individual mics.

(L to R) John Teer, Dave Wilson, Greg Readling and Yan Westerlund in concert

Chatham County Line songwriter and frontman Dave Wilson and multi-instrumentalist John Teer are our guests on this episode of Southern Songs and Stories, where you will hear songs from their latest album, Strange Fascination, along with conversation on their lives in the midst of a pandemic, how they enlisted Sharon Van Etten to sing on the album’s title track, how Dave enjoys writing lyrics that make their point subtly and poetically, and more.

I hope you enjoy this episode on Chatham County Line, and that you will subscribe to this series on your podcast platform of choice, and give it a good rating and a review. Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more visible to more people just like you. Southern Songs and Stories is produced in partnership with public radio station WNCW and Osiris Media, and you can find us on Apple/iTunes here, on Stitcher here, and Spotify here. Our theme songs are by Joshua Meng, with a link to his music here. Thanks for listening! - Joe Kendrick

Chatham County Line

Songs heard in this episode:

“Oh Me Oh My” from Strange Fascination (excerpt) 

“Strange Fascination from Strange Fascination 

“Free Again” from Strange Fascination

“Your Don’t Know How It Feels” from Sharing The Covers (excerpt)

“Brice’s Crossroads” from Speed Of The Whippoorwill (excerpt)

Balsam Range: From Broom Dances And Cake Walks To Maybe The Best Bluegrass Band In Haywood County, NC

The first time Balsam Range won the International Bluegrass Music Association award for Entertainer Of The Year back in 2014, bassist Tim Surrett recalled how someone came up to the band and asked, “How's it feel to be the best bluegrass band in the world?” It was a question they were not quite ready for, as Tim went on to say, “all of us just started laughing. It's like, we're not even sure we were the best bluegrass band in Haywood County!” Five years and several albums later, the five piece group has won that award for the second time, but this time it did not go to their heads, either. They are as humble as they are talented, and are having as much fun making music as they were when they were kids, when playing bluegrass and mountain music was a way to relax from a day’s work. 

Balsam Range: (L to R) Darren Nicholson, Tim Surrett, Buddy Melton, Marc Pruett and Caleb Smith

Get set for a lively and in-depth conversation with members Buddy Melton, Darren Nicholson, Marc Pruett, Caleb Smith and Tim Surrett, as well as many Balsam Range songs in this episode. Plus, you will hear from musician, writer and radio host Carol Rifkin as we talk about how Balsam Range and many other bluegrass bands employ outside songwriters frequently, and how that phenomenon dovetails with old-time and mountain music traditions. 

Southern Songs and Stories is produced in partnership with public radio station WNCW and Osiris Media, and is available on podcast platforms everywhere. Please help spread awareness of the artists featured here on Southern Songs and Stories, their music, and this series by simply subscribing to the podcast and giving it a good rating and a comment where you get your podcasts. For example, you can find us on Apple/iTunes here, on Stitcher here, and Spotify here. Our theme songs are by Joshua Meng, with a link to his music here. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy this episode. - Joe Kendrick

Balsam Range performing at Goin’ Across The Mountain Live at The Foundation in Spindale, NC 1-18-20

Songs heard in this episode:

“Spring Hill”  from Mountain Voodoo (excerpt)

“Papertown” from Papertown (excerpt)

“Stacking Up The Rocks” from The Gospel Collection, originally on Five

“Get Me Gone” from Aeonic (excerpt)

“Last Train To Kitty Hawk” from Last Train To Kitty Hawk (excerpt)

“Jaxon Point” from Last Train To Kitty Hawk (excerpt)

A Soundtrack To An Enduring Icon: Dolly Parton

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

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

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

Songs heard in this episode:

Dolly Parton: “Muleskinner Blues” (excerpt)

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

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

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

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

Dolly Parton: “Jolene” (excerpt)

Mark Leggett: “Folktown” from Guitars & Blackbirds

Do You Know Your Own Gravity? Traveling To The Imaginary Worlds Of Los Coast

Tell me if this ever happened to you before: a new band impresses you with their debut album, and when you get to see their live show, they blow you away with an array of extra layers to their sound. Such is my experience with Austin, Texas band Los Coast. Their first record, Samsara, contained a diverse but tightly knit variety of styles and influences, from Motown to jazz to gospel, and even a hint of avant-garde. And their lyrics! Front man Trey Privott’s lyrics hit me like a ton of bricks. Guitarist John Courtney described their MO in an earlier interview this way: “We want to provide an experience for people to discover deep things about themselves if they close their eyes and zone into it, while simultaneously providing an experience for people who just want to have fun, to do so, in a sort of magical playful way. I guess in summary: the rabbit hole can get as deep as the listener wants it to.”

Los Coast sound checks barefoot with a Gillian Welch tune in Black Mountain, NC 9-28-19

Southern Songs and Stories is produced in partnership with public radio station WNCW and Osiris Media, and is available on podcast platforms everywhere. Please help spread awareness of the artists featured here on Southern Songs and Stories, their music, and this series by simply subscribing to the podcast and giving it a good rating and a comment where you get your podcasts. For example, you can find us on Apple/iTunes here, on Stitcher here, and Spotify here. Our theme songs are by Joshua Meng, with a link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. Enjoy! - Joe Kendrick

Songs heard in this episode (all performed live at Pisgah Brewing Company 9/28/19):

“Cymatics” (excerpt)

“Masquerade”

“(Everything But The) Kitchen Sink”

“Monsters”