Hickory Wind: Marshall Chapman and Mourning Dove

Have you ever gone somewhere and wound up with time on your hands, which led to a longer stay? In a way, that’s what I am doing with this episode. In our last podcast, on Mac Arnold, the takeaway was that there was much more about the artists and history of Upstate South Carolina than I had figured on, so I gave it another go. I sought out artists who were born across a span of forty years — Marshall Chapman, and Niel Brooks and Lisa Stubbs, who make up the duo Mourning Dove — and uncovered more rich history, and a vibrant current scene.

Niel Brooks and Lisa Stubbs are Mourning Dove

“Hickory Wind” is a song that Gram Parsons wrote about the time when he lived in South Carolina, and both Marshall Chapman and Niel Brooks talk about it in their interviews. The music of Marshall Chapman and Mourning Dove would not have been the same, maybe not even possible, without the backdrop of pine trees that Gram sang about in that song. For Lisa, Nick Drake was more influential, and we sample one of his songs as well.

Marshall Chapman

I encourage you to spread the word about this independent project and consider helping by subscribing, rating and commenting on the show where you get your podcasts, and by becoming a patron. You can find out more about Mourning Dove on their website here and you can find out more about Marshall Chapman at her site here. Also, you can check out Peter Cooper’s music on his website. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick 

Women In Music: What They Face And Overcome

Making it in music is tough. It can be the most wonderful experience you could hope for, but surviving, let alone flourishing, is an elusive bulls-eye for musicians and music professionals everywhere. This theme comes up in every episode here on Southern Songs and Stories, in some way or another. Artists of all kinds are self employed and are walking a hard road to travel, especially financially. But not all artists are walking that same hard road -- some are walking one even steeper, and more dangerous. And when you are talking about making it in music, it becomes clear pretty quickly that being a woman puts you on a journey lined with pitfalls and roadblocks. In this episode of Southern Songs and Stories, we map out what that road can be like, as we hear from Amanda Anne Platt of the Honeycutters, Natalya Weinstein of Zoe & Cloyd, Hannah Kaminer, Alexa Rose and Ygerne Moonie, telling us about their experiences, both good and bad, as we question what makes music so male dominated in the first place, what preconceptions do to hold women back, talk about some of their musical heroines, and much more.

(L to R) Natalya Weinstein, Amanda Anne Platt, and Hannah Kaminer on set at IAMAVL for the video which serves as the starting point for our podcast episode.

Thanks for visiting Southern Songs and Stories, and thanks to the Women Of Music Action Network for their Breaking The Bowl article, which was my source for the facts about and recent history of how much country radio is ignoring women artists. I also referenced a New York Times article from January 2018 about gender diversity in the music industry to get a lot of the statistics mentioned in this episode. Thanks to our supporters on Patreon. Thanks to both the Osiris Podcast Network and to Bluegrass Planet Radio for carrying the show, and to everyone at I Am Asheville for producing the video which got the ball rolling for this episode. I encourage you to spread the word about this podcast and the great musicians we profiled, and consider helping us by subscribing and commenting on our show, and by becoming a patron. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it.  

Tellico: This Is Appalachia

When it comes to hard times, trouble and loss, Appalachian music might as well have the patent. The mountains are often more beautiful than bountiful. There is no second line down in the mines. Poverty and sorrow are ever present, but hardened resolve and hope are there too. The four piece band Tellico captures the spirit of Appalachia again on their second album, Woven Waters, with real life stories of love and loss and of hope and hardship put to song.

Tellico performs at Mountain Song in Brevard, NC 9-8-18

Although they are all not native to the Appalachians, the traditions and world view of the hill country and highlands are foremost in everything this four piece band does, even when they are influenced and informed by music and culture from places as far away as Japan. They are lifelong musicians who have day jobs and families, and all the while they manage to be in top form.

This episode features an interview with band members Anya Hinkle, Stig Stiglets, Aaron Ballance and Jed Willis as well as Ty Gilpin (who helped bring them to their new home, Organic Records), plus Jon Stickley of the Jon Stickley Trio, who produced earlier Tellico recordings, and who has played with Jed as far back as high school. We talk about working with Irish folk artist John Doyle, who produced their new album, how the blues is at the center of so much of Southern music, other artists who have mentored and influenced them, and how important the jam scene is to their music. There is plenty of Tellico’s music here as well, with many new songs excerpted from their performance at this year’s Mountain Song Festival, as well as the studio version of “Courage For The Morning”.

Tellico’s second album, Woven Waters, produced by renowned Celtic artist John Doyle

Thanks for visiting Southern Songs and Stories, and thanks to our supporters on Patreon. Thanks to both the Osiris Podcast Network and to Dawn Mac at Bluegrass Planet Radio for carrying the show, and to Sean Rubin for audio engineering the live music on this episode. Thanks to Tellico for their music and friendship. I encourage you to spread the word about this podcast and consider helping us by subscribing and commenting on our show, and by becoming a patron. - Joe Kendrick

The King Of Broken Hearts: Jim Lauderdale

One lucky afternoon, Jim Lauderdale did not have to go to a gig, and I got to sit down with him for an impromptu conversation. Doing an interview with Jim was always a goal, but it just so happened that it came unexpectedly. What could we talk about? What in music was there not to talk about with Jim Lauderdale?

Jim Lauderdale in Black Mountain, NC for Jam In The Trees 8-25-18

A great problem to have for anyone doing this is to land one of the most highly acclaimed songwriters and performers of their generation, no matter the time or place. But once you bring them to the microphone and pull off a lively conversation (you can be the judge of that in a bit here), what do you do then? It is as if you have just been given a Lamborghini for the afternoon at the track, and have been told to put it through its paces. Like being dropped off at base camp at Mt. Everest. It's all yours -- go for it!

So much has been written about Jim Lauderdale, that I paused and wondered what I could add with this podcast. He has been all over the world, has been interviewed countless times, has been on TV, and he has his own satellite radio show. They made a film documentary about him, for crying out loud. Jim Lauderdale was looking like a mountain that I could not climb, a race that I dare not attempt.

Jim Lauderdale & Roland White, the 1979 album that finally saw release almost 40 years after being made. It would take more than a decade after this recording for Jim's first album to come out.

Thankfully, this line of thinking did not last long. I had in hand almost 45 minutes of Jim Lauderdale talking about songwriting, acting, losing his Southern accent, giving a cringe worthy tour story, and in general being his jovial self. It would be criminal to waste the opportunity. Pretty soon, I got in touch with Glenn Dicker of Yep Roc Records and Red Eye Worldwide distributing, and Craig Havighurst, author, journalist and producer of Music City Roots. Both have known and worked with Jim for years. They are a key part of this episode, which includes a healthy portion of music from Jim, especially his latest releases, Time Flies, and Jim Lauderdale & Roland White, the 1979 collaboration that was lost until finally coming to light this year.

Thanks for visiting Southern Songs and Stories, and thanks to Osiris Podcast Network and Bluegrass Planet Radio for carrying the show. Would you spread the word about this podcast and consider helping us by subscribing and commenting on our show? Maybe even by becoming a patron? You can find out more at our Patreon page here -- and you can keep up with us on our social media, which are linked on our front page banner. Plus, our podcasts are available on practically every platform there is. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it.

State Of The Podcast Update

Doing this series is incredibly rewarding, just not so much in the money sense. You can probably already see where I am going with this...

Jim Lauderdale is featured in our next podcast. He is pictured here playing at Pisgah Brewing Company in Black Mountain, NC for Jam In The Trees on 8-26-17.

There was a time early this year, before I got this series on the Osiris podcast network and Bluegrass Planet Radio, that I started to believe that I should hang it up, but for the fact that I had Rob, Mitch and Mark supporting me through Patreon. The tip jar was low, but it wasn’t empty, and I resolved to keep going because somebody acknowledged that my series was worth something. It’s the same with everything in art -- you can live for a while on compliments, like Mark Twain said, but eventually you need to get paid, even if it’s not a whole lot. So please consider supporting Southern Songs and Stories and join us as a patron to keep this series going. - Joe Kendrick

Remembering Jeff Eason

Welcome to a special edition of Southern Songs and Stories, where we pay respects to Jeff Eason by sharing some of his work on air at WNCW, where I am program director. Back in 2007, I was the morning music host on WNCW, mixing the tunes from 6 to 10 AM weekdays. I came up with the idea to make a daily music talk segment, with myself as host, joined by guest panelists conversing about everything from record reviews, to moments in history, to editorials and think pieces. If you’re like me, you can talk about music for hours without really even trying, and that sort of spontaneous water cooler talk about artists, songs and such was already a real boost to my workday. So, I gave it a platform, called the show What It Is, and brought in fellow music heads Jeff Eason, who was then a newspaper editor at the Mountain Times in Boone, NC, and Fred Mills, who was then the managing editor for Harp magazine.

(L to R) Jeff Eason and Fred Mills in studio to record What It Is on 2-24-12. This was the last time Jeff, Fred and Joe Kendrick were on the show together.

Here is a wonderful tribute to Jeff from the Watauga Democrat.

We miss you very much, Jeff. You can find more of Jeff's work on What Is Is (244 episodes to be exact, which isn’t all of them, but is still a lot), here: https://www.southernsongsandstories.com/whatitis/

Time Sawyer

Let's say you are not that interested in playing music as a kid, not really into it until early adulthood. However, you decide to partner with your best friend from second grade and form a band, and make it a full time endeavor soon after graduating from college. This coincides with the worst economy in many generations. You not only don't let that stop you, you also decide to start a music festival in the town where you grew up soon after, when people are still pretty wigged out about jobs and money in general. And, you have a banjo in a band that is not a bluegrass act, ensuring that somewhere along the line, folks are going to want to put you in that category. However, the band you’re about to meet, as you might guess, fits all of those criteria, and they have done just fine. 

Time Sawyer plays in Burlington, NC 6-8-18, with Sam Tayloe on acoustic guitar and Houston Norris on banjo

This is our episode on Time Sawyer, the five piece band from Charlotte by way of Elkin, NC. They are lyrically deep, musically rich, and a lot of fun to be around. We get to know all the members of the band, and bring in syndicated radio host Cindy Baucom, photographer and writer Daniel Coston, and sound engineer Jim Georgeson to the conversation as well. Plus, we feature many songs from their live sets along the way.

Luke Mears takes a turn at lead vocals in Time Sawyer's second set

We encourage you to check out and subscribe to our podcasts here, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, TuneIn, and now, Spotify. Please take a moment to rate the show, and comment on the podcasts on those platforms -- it is tremendously helpful in our effort to spread awareness of Southern Songs and Stories and these artists and histories we showcase. You can also support the show directly on this website via the "Tip Jar" button, or on our Patreon page. Thanks to our supporters, to the Osiris Podcast Network and Bluegrass Planet Radio for carrying our series, and to Dynamite Roasting for sponsoring our show.

The Music And Culture Episode, Part Two

We wrap up our two part series on Southern music and culture with a focus on notable artists from the last half century, including icons like Doc Watson and more recent bands like Southern Culture On The Skids. Our guests from episode one are all here: Laura Boosinger, Daniel Coston, Ty Gilpin, Kim Ruehl, Stu Vincent and Garret Woodward, with conversations about Southern hospitality, how it can be sheik to be from the South nowadays, as well as the darker side of culture and history in the region. We also welcome writer and editor Fred Mills as well as Kruger Brothers banjo player Jens Kruger to this podcast, which features music from the likes of Pete Fountain, Doc Watson, Tom Petty, Laura Boosinger, R.L. Burnside, and many more.

Doc Watson, photographed in December 2010 by one of our guests on the show, Daniel Coston.

Thanks to our supporters on Patreon, to Dynamite Roasting, and to Bluegrass Planet Radio for carrying our series. Please spread awareness about this independent endeavor and consider helping us by subscribing and commenting on our show, and by becoming a supporter. It's easy to do, either with a one-time donation via the blue "Tip Jar" button on our site's front page, or by chipping in monthly on our Patreon page, which offers a lot of great bonus material. Thanks for listening, and we hope you enjoy the show!

The Jon Stickley Trio Podcast

In this episode we dive deep into the conversation and live music of the Jon Stickley Trio that we recorded at the Spring Skunk Music Festival earlier this year, which was excerpted in the video released earlier with Grae Skye Studio. This podcast also features former bandmates of the trio, with Robert Greer of Town Mountain, Brett Johnson, formerly of Atmosphere, Mike Ashworth, now with Steep Canyon Rangers, and Galen Kipar all reflecting on their time playing with Jon, Patrick and Lyndsay. We also highlight some of the music of all of those artists as we go.

(L to R) Lyndsay Pruett, Jon Stickley and Patrick Armitage

This episode is sponsored by Dynamite Roasting, organic and fair trade coffee, and we’re sponsored by you when you support Southern Songs and Stories on our Patreon page, or directly on our website, with links to both in the right column on this page. We’re glad you’re with us, and hope you may support the music of the Jon Stickley Trio and other artists you enjoy hearing here, and can spread awareness of their work as well as ours at Southern Songs and Stories.

SpringSkunk Music Fest Podcast part 2

Here's the second part of our three part series of podcasts on the festival, focusing on the Friday lineup including Stray Birds, Western Centuries, Forlorn Strangers, T Sisters, I See Hawks In LA, and Shinyribs. 

The van that is really a green room and practice space on the Albino Skunk Farm. Photo: Aaron Morrell

There are interviews and observations galore, covering everything from the nature of Southern culture to car camping and festivals as a kind of more appealing version of Thanksgiving. Plus we dive headfirst into the music of every artist on the Friday lineup, thanks to "Taper", our good friend Mark H. Johnson. 

Michael Edwards, "Taper" Mark Johnson and Joe Kendrick at SpringSkunk

Soon we will be unveiling our video interview with the Jon Stickley Trio and their performance footage, and more documentary footage of SkunkFest as well as our interview with Zig. Stay tuned, and thanks for being here!