Back in 2018, when this podcast was in its first year, I traveled to Burlington, NC, to interview the Charlotte by way of Elkin, NC band Time Sawyer. Since then, my path has intersected with Sam Tayloe and his band Time Sawyer many times, ranging from seeing them perform more shows and festivals, to emceeing for the Reevestock Festival in Sam’s hometown of Elkin.

Time never stands still, even for (especially?) the band Time Sawyer. Reevestock took a final bow in 2024; the band changed out guitarists and said goodbye to their banjo player and founding member; the city of Elkin went forward with Sam’s help to expand the concept and footprint of Reevestock with this year’s inaugural Milltown Get Down festival. There was a lot of ground to cover since I last spoke with him, so I took a sojourn to Charlotte to catch up with Sam Tayloe at his home. We had an in-depth conversation about producing festivals, his passion for community and building bridges, the evolution of Time Sawyer, and more, including music from the band’s new live album.

This episode stands out for all that and for the fact that it is hosted and produced by Molly Mattox, a student at Isothermal Community College in Spindale, NC. Molly took my class on media performance, which includes a podcast assignment. She chose this interview for her podcast, and did a great job. It is not easy to produce an episode of this podcast, even for me, but she grasped the concept, spirit, and tone of the series in — pardon the pun — no time.

Nathan Harris and Sam Tayloe of Time Sawyer at Milltown Get Down 2025.JPG

Sam Tayloe leads the huddle for Time Sawyer at Milltown Get Down 2025.JPG

Sam Tayloe of Time Sawyer at Milltown Get Down 2025.JPG

Photos by Daniel Coston Photography

Songs heard in this episode:

"Julie” by Time Sawyer, from Plumb Live at the Cock and Bull

“The Boxer” by Time Sawyer, from Plumb Live at the Cock and Bull, excerpt

“210 (It’s Over)” by Time Sawyer, from Plumb Live at the Cock and Bull, excerpt

“Noah Got Nothing” by Time Sawyer, from Plumb Live at the Cock and Bull, excerpt

“Oak and Pine” by Time Sawyer, from Plumb Live at the Cock and Bull

We are glad you are here! Could you can help spread awareness of what we are doing? It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify here and YouTube here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

You can follow us on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and now on Substack here, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed. - Joe Kendrick

Artist stereotypes do not apply

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

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

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