It would be very easy to think that rap and hip hop have little if anything in common with music like bluegrass and old time. After all, we have been led to believe that these styles of music come from cultures on opposite sides of the musical spectrum. How could the two have any common ground? Actually, they have many more connections than you might imagine. This connection is embodied in groups like Gangstagrass and in recent work by Jake Blount, and as members of Gangstagrass point out in our conversation here, rap and folk music both stem from the same instincts. At its heart, this is about a musical path that diverged centuries ago, or at least seemed to.

In this episode we speak with Dolio the Sleuth, Rench the Mastermind and B.E. Farrow of Gangstagrass, as well as Dan Tyminski, who performed with them last fall, and we welcome Dr. Jordan Laney of Virginia Tech and the Virginia Rural Health Association, and author, podcaster and former editor at No Depression and Folk Alley, Kim Ruehl, as we unravel a story that began centuries ago, but has only recently reached a pivotal chapter in its history.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Floo-id” by Turbo Pro Project, from Daydream, excerpt

“The Downward Road” featuring Demeanor, by Jake Blount, from The New Faith, excerpt

“Ride With You” by Gangstagrass, from No Time For Enemies, excerpt“Talking Columbia” by Woody Guthrie, from Hard

Travelin’: The Asch Recordings, Vol. 3, excerpt“Nickel and Dime Blues” by Gangstagrass, from No Time For Enemies

We are glad you came by, and are even more grateful whenever you share this with someone. Please follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a good rating and, where it is an option, a review. Great ratings, and reviews especially, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng who wrote and performed our theme songs. Thanks also to our guests, and we encourage you to check out their work. You can find more about Kim Ruehl on her podcast Why We Write, and soon you can hear Jordan Laney’s podcast The Bessie Lee Society. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. — Joe Kendrick

Years ago, when the tenth anniversary of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack was the topic on my WNCW talk show What It Is, writer and editor Kim Ruehl remarked that the movie made an indelible mark on the music scene by taking heretofore uncool hillbilly music, putting it in the mouth of George Clooney, and exposing all the punk and rock and roll kids to a style which could be truly offensive. It was a hilarious, spot-on statement, and indeed many a rough hewn, banjo-fronted band was born in the wake of the film’s massive success. O Brother was an inflection point for roots music like old-time and bluegrass, becoming a lens for discovering and interpreting a culture and its go-to musical styles for the broader public, akin to Deliverance a generation before.

Even though banjo sales jumped and the instrument became more prominent in settings both acoustic and otherwise, its perception did not change wholesale throughout our culture. Even though banjos enjoyed a renaissance in places before, like with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and would go on to become essential to the sound of folk-pop stars like Mumford & Sons, the instrument was still firmly anchored in music traditions born of its mostly White, Appalachian origin story. But what happens when you realize that story is only part of the history?

Tray Wellington Band performs at the Boonerang Music & Arts Festival 06-18-22 in Boone, NC

The banjo’s origin story, and how it moved into almost exclusively White contexts is touched on in this episode on Tray Wellington. The young artist from North Carolina also talks about his new album, Black Banjo, where he takes the instrument into a musical territory that borders bluegrass, old-time and jazz, while never staying so long in any one place that things get predictable. Tray talks here about how he cut his teeth playing at old-time music jams as well as other banjo players he looks up to, plus his love of making rap beats on the side. That and more at the link below and on podcast platforms everywhere.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Strasbourg/St. Denis” by Tray Wellington, from Black Banjo

“Gibbous Moon” by Tray Wellington, from Uncaged Thoughts, excerpt

“Naima” by Tray Wellington, from Black Banjo, excerpt

“Half Past Four” by Tray Wellington, from Black Banjo, excerpt

“Wasted Time” by Tray Wellington, with Tim O’Brien, from Black Banjo

Thank you for listening to this episode, and we would be even more grateful were you to share this with someone. It is super easy to follow us on your podcast platform of choice, and then it will only take a minute to give it a good rating, and on platforms with the option, a review. Great ratings and 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 Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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.

Wait, There Is Rap in Bluegrass Now?

Melody, Nuance and Innovation on the Banjo With Tray Wellington

Artist stereotypes do not apply