Why Is Live Music So Good? Let’s Talk It Over

Do you love live music? This episode is for you! After taking in a number of shows after a bit of a lull, I was energized, engaged, and excited. It got me thinking about telling the story of not only those concert experiences, but also about the broader subject of live music. So let’s talk, shall we? I’ll start, and then hopefully you can respond, and we can compare notes in a future episode.

Southern Songs and Stories has been running for over five years as a podcast, and existed as a video documentary series years before that. You probably know that the main mode for both versions of the show remains a series of in-depth interviews with music artists and media professionals, along with commentary from yours truly, and music to round it all out. But every once in a while we branch out with different approaches. This episode is also a tangent, not focusing on one artist or group, but touching on the common theme of live music so often featured here. It is presented in three chapters, with each chapter putting forward a question to guide the narrative and also literally ask you that question. First up: what was your first live music experience? Then, what was your most recent concert or festival? And probably the biggest of all, what was your favorite?

Paul McCartney at Bonnaroo 06-14-13

This episode is a music diary of sorts, with no artist interviews at all. It is also the first Southern Songs and Stories to be offered as an NFT, or Non-Fungible Token. It is available online like every other in this series, but there are also a small number of unique versions of it available on the website uncut.fm, the company which states that their mission is to build a new podcasting economy, where hosts can connect directly with their fans, and distribute their work and receive payments without intermediaries. It is a bit like taking the crowd funding model up a notch, because everyone who buys the NFT version of this podcast owns something that they can then sell, trade, or give away. It is no longer a one-way street; it is not a subscription that will end; it is yours even if I stop producing Southern Songs and Stories and take down this site. You could think of it as a kind of digital trading card, or a way to bookmark a chapter in this series. The benefits? Imagine this first edition, limited run of ‘digital trading cards’ becoming more valuable in time; you could sell yours for a profit if you like, and that benefits me too because in addition to the first sale, there is a small return to every NFT’s creator on each subsequent transaction. And there are more benefits, like being a part of the unique community of contributors who will have access to a gated space on Uncut where we can talk about this episode or anything else we want to share. We might even come up with a new and better NFT for the next round. Everything is spelled out in the Southern Songs and Stories listing online at uncut.fm.

Songs heard in this episode:

“A Good Bass For Gambling” by Komiku, sourced from freepd.com

“Still Pickin’” by Kevin MacLeod, sourced from freepd.com, excerpt

“Eddie’s Twister” by Eddie Lang, sourced from Open Music Archive, excerpt

“Little Bits” by the Johnny Dodd Trio, sourced from Open Music Archive, excerpt

“Take The Ride” by Bryan Teoh, sourced from freepd.com

Link to video of the Isotope 217 performance at Vincent’s Ear, Oct. 5 1999 mentioned in the episode here

We are glad to have you visit us, and would be even more so 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.

What are your live music experiences? What else would you like for us to focus on in another live music themed episode? Everyone who buys one of the limited edition NFT versions of this episode on the website uncut.fm will have access to a gated space with everyone who supported us in this way, where we can start even more conversations about the music we love. 

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 Carlos Diaz and the team at uncut.fm for making it possible to make the NFT version of this episode available -- uncut.fm has a host of other podcast NFTs to offer on their website as well. I’m Joe Kendrick, and this is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it.    

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.

Don't Say No To The Muse: Side Hustles, Part Two

Let’s say you want to be a musician. The music bug bit you, and you just can’t resist the urge to pick up an instrument, maybe keep a notebook handy at all times to write down ideas and lyrics. You start recording pieces of melodies and sing them to your phone before the ideas evaporate. Maybe it was because you saw that performance where the light bulb went off over your head, or you heard a song in a movie soundtrack that moved you, or you got on stage and felt more alive than anywhere else. However it happened, you are soon wood shedding and finding like minds to play with and then finding an audience to play to. The muse serves up a sweet elixir, and you may be forever under its spell.

The Deer, from Austin, Texas, perform in Greer, SC 4-13-19. Photo: John Gillespie

Our guests on this podcast are firmly in that camp, but there are also plenty of musicians who have dropped out. Some came back, too. In our first episode on Side Hustles, there were a lot of examples of why music artists would want to quit making music, at least as a primary means of making a living. Making money by making music is harder than ever, it seems, unless you are at the very top of the heap. The pitfalls for professional musicians seem to have no end. But, there is no shortage of people making music, and plenty who stay with it through thick and thin. I hinted at why that’s the case in our first episode, but never spelled it out. If you haven’t deciphered the clues yet, stick around and it will come together by the end of the episode. Along the way, you’ll hear from Dangermuffin, Joey Burns of Calexico, The Deer, Max Brown and Phil Bronstein from The War and Treaty, and Dan Fedoryka from Scythian, along with a lot of their music, too.

Thanks for visiting! Please support the music of the artists you enjoy hearing here, and I hope you will spread awareness 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 about contributing on our Patreon page, linked in the column to the right. To correspond, shoot me an email and I will be glad to get back to you from southernsongsandstories@gmail.com.  This series is available on most every podcast platform, as well as on Bluegrass Planet Radio. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

The War and Treaty: Blowing The Roof Off and Loving Without Limits

Their biographies read like something out of a movie, and probably should be made into one. Maybe those plans are already being made. While being the subject of a film is highly unlikely for 99.9% of all other bands, including themselves less than a year ago, now it seems not only logical but also like it might be just another chapter in their story rather than the high point of their career. Who knows how far that career can go for The War and Treaty, but even without all the acclaim, Michael and Tanya Trotter would be just fine. The couple would be happy as long as they still could make music together, whether that meant being in front of small crowds or in front of full arenas.

The War and Treaty play at the Albino Skunk Music Festival in Greer, SC. Photo: John Gillespie

Michael and Tanya, along with Buddy Miller, who produced their album Healing Tide, speak about the couple’s incredible music and improbable journey, and we have conversations with Albino Skunk audience member Sharon Meeker and music therapist Gretchen Chardos Benner as well. There is plenty of music from The War and Treaty’s set at the Albino Skunk Music Festival too, and some history of how they came to resemble something out of a fairy tale. Their story definitely did not start out that way.

Thanks for being here, and stop by any time! We hope you would spread awareness of this independent project and the artists we profile, and one of the best ways to do that is to subscribe to our podcasts, and rate and especially comment on them wherever you get your podcasts. Check out what The War and Treaty are doing on their website, and the Albino Skunk Festival on their site here.

We have been quite busy lately, and have interviews with The Ruen Brothers, Elizabeth Cook, Dangermuffin, The Deer and David Ball in hand for upcoming episodes. Stay tuned! - Joe Kendrick