I finally got to see one of my favorite NC bands recently, in my hometown to boot: The Old Ceremony came to play Shelby, NC's Art of Sound and put on a wonderful show.
Here are a couple of tunes that I recorded from the Arts Council building, the former Post Office in downtown, starting with "Elsinore" from their album Fairytales and Other Forms of Suicide.
The Old Ceremony have a record coming sometime in the near future. Check them out on Yep Roc Records as well.
Western NC band Red June had a lively and delightful conversation with host Joe Kendrick at Moonlight Mile studio in our latest installment of the Lingua Musica Show series. 
(l to r) Will Straughan, Natalya Weinstein, Jeff Hersk, emcee Barbie Angell, John Cloyd Miller and host Joe Kendrick
You can find their latest album, Ancient Dreams, on Organic Records. They play the title track to their album in this episode. Click here to see the video, and we hope you enjoy the show!
Lingua Musica announces a new music documentary produced by Joe Kendrick and Tony Preston of Moonlight Mile studio called Southern Songs and Stories. Work on our half hour pilot episode featuring western NC singer-songwriter Aaron Burdett is underway, and includes footage of his performance on the Lingua Musica Show from earlier this year, more recent performances including one in the studio with Anya Hinkle of Tellico, scenes from Organic Records as well as his home and his parents' home. 
Aaron's parents' home is in Saluda, at the other end of this long and rather challenging roadThe show celebrates the music of the South and the artists who make it by showcasing their performances and the stories behind their songs. Here you'll get to know the music artists and professionals of the Appalachians and beyond, from their life at home to life on the road and from the studio to sound check. Join us on our journey into the hills and hollers, juke joints and concert halls, garages and record bins, city streets and tip jars as we take a trip down South on Southern Songs and Stories. Stay tuned for news of the pilot episode's release!
Anya Hinkle of Tellico and Aaron Burdett at Moonlight Mile studio
Our friend and three-time guest on the Lingua Musica show, Dave Desmelik has a wonderful young son named Holmes. This spring Holmes was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He has had one surgery and now is waiting to find out how the tumor behaves before doctors attempt anything further.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Holmes and his family. To find out more about how you can help, go to the Facebook group Holmes Team.
Dave Desmelik plays at the Foothills Farmers Market in Shelby, NC 7-5-14
Moonlight Mile studio and Lingua Musica are psyched to bring a music industry pioneer to western NC for an all-day workshop July 10th. Rick Barker is an author (check out his free book The $150,000 Music Degree), consultant and former manager of Taylor Swift, for starters. He has a wealth of experience and wisdom and is sharing it with music professionals and artists for the first time in person here in the southern Appalachians. Below is a link to the event. Join us!
http://www.musicindustryblueprint.com/moonlight-mile-event/
Unfortunately, we were not able to book enough guests for the workshop and it has been cancelled. Stay tuned for news on future events at Moonlight Mile.
Emily Easterly and her husband J Seger have traveled up and down the East coast, from Richmond to Miami, Brooklyn, and now, Asheville. Here, host Joe Kendrick talks with Emily and J before their performance with drummer Andy Woodward at Moonlight Mile studio in Arden, NC, on April 19th, 2014.
Emily and J talk about the genesis of their new EP, Get Bothered, which features artwork from Asheville artist and friend, Nathanael Roney. Nathanael also produced the video of her song "Decent Animal". We cover everything from why they chose to call Asheville home, working with heavy-hitting artists Johnny Hickman (Cracker) and Alan Weatherhead (Sparklehorse), how they manage life as a married couple working together in a band, Emily's Beatles fixation growing up and a lot more. The show kicks off with the title track of her record, "Get Bothered".
Thanks to Barbie Angell for emceeing the show, Tony Preston for hosting the event and producing the video, and to Emily, J and Andy for a great interview and performance! Click here to see the show, and thanks for visiting!
(left to right) J Seger, Joe Kendrick, Emily Easterly and Andy Woodward backstage
We had a fantastic time talking with husband and wife team Emily Easterly and J Seger before their show with Lingua Musica alum Andrew Woodward (check his appearance in our show on Kovacs and Polar Bear).
Enjoy a preview of our upcoming video of the interview and concert with these photos, which you can also view in our gallery here.
Lingua Musica blasted off in the starship Nighthawk with Asheville's Hank West & the Smokin' Hots recently and we are proud to present their interview and a hot new jam performed live in front of our studio audience. Their concert video will be available soon through the Moonlight Mile home page. Enjoy!
Some photos of our show 4-4-14 with Red June. You can view the photo gallery here as well. We look forward to posting the finished video of our interview and their performance soon!
Some photos of our show with Danny Barnes. You can view the photo gallery here as well. We look forward to posting the finished video of our interview and his performance soon!
I've been fascinated with Danny Barnes for years, especially since hearing his post-Bad Livers solo recordings. His blog delivers a constant supply of insightful, thought-provoking articles on the intersections of art and commerce in the life of a musician. Danny's music is both ancient and futuristic, simultaneously strange and familiar. 
Danny Barnes
We welcome Danny to the Moonlight Mile stage Saturday, March 22nd at 7:30 p.m. for an interview followed by his show. It's not your typical solo banjo performance, mind you.
“Typically, when you’re rollin’ out there (on stage), people start thinking about wagon wheels and rolling hay or something like that, you know. But actually, harmonically speaking it’s kind of an advanced instrument," Danny told the Eugene Register-Guard recently, "“The way it’s pitched and the timbre — you can play with an orchestra, a punk rock band, a traditional jazz quartet, a country band, a rock band. It fits in almost anywhere, because it’s somewhere between a drum and a melodic instrument.”
Get your tickets here or at the door at Moonlight Mile studio, located at 565 Long Shoals Road, Suite 203, Arden NC 28704. We recommend advance purchase as there is room for only 50 guests.
I warmed up for our upcoming conversation by recording this Danny Barnes' interview on WNCW
Danny outlines his music style "barnyard electronics", talks about themes of struggle and common dignity on his new record, how Earl Scruggs made one of the last great innovations in banjo music after revolutionizing it decades earlier, his love of Aphex Twin and grindcore and much more. -joe
It was a great night with Aaron Burdett on our show. He played with his new band and they were full of joy and passion. Aaron went from acoustic guitar to his telecaster about halfway through the performance, and I felt like my feet might be leaving the ground during his scorching cover of Bill Monroe's "Walls of Time" The full show will be available soon, and in the meantime here's the video of the title track of his new album.
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The room will fill quickly for the swinging cabaret that is Hank West & the Smokin' Hots this Saturday night, so let us know if you'd like to be on the guest list! It's a free show following our interview with the Smokin' Hots' Andrew Fletcher which will be filmed live for our next episode in the Lingua Musica show series. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.
Asheville, NC's Hank West & the Smokin' Hots
We're excited to welcome Aaron Burdett and his band to the show Friday, February 28th at Moonlight Mile studio in Arden, NC. Our show begins with an interview at 7:30 and continues with Aaron's live set thereafter.
Aaron's fifth album, Fruits Of My Labor on Organic Records, is getting a lot of well-deserved critical praise. His CD release show is March 7th at ISIS Restaurant & Music Hall in Asheville.
To be a part of the studio audience, drop us a line for your invitation to this free show! The room will fill quickly, and you will have a chance to be interviewed for a chance to be on the finished video of the show!
Saluda, NC's Aaron Burdett
Update: the episode is posted in a follow-up below.
We had a marvelous time last weekend with Noah Guthrie and his family when they trekked up the mountain to be with us for our latest Lingua Musica show. I interviewed Noah before his performance with his brother Ian in front of an intimate, adoring audience, some of whom had driven over two hours to get to Moonlight Mile. 
Ian Guthrie plays drums with Noah on the show 2-8-14
Noah just turned 20 and comes across as incredibly well grounded, even though his career has taken off into the stratosphere. Already making appearances on Dancing With The Stars and the Today show, and with millions of views of his YouTube channel, you might think Noah could have an air of superiority about him, however that's not the case whatsoever. He is as down to earth an artist as I've ever met, and has an easy-going demeanor that helped make conversation flow easily. 
Noah's father David Guthrie and host Joe Kenrdrick before the show
Stay tuned for our video of the show and for news of our upcoming shows this February 28th with Aaron Burdett and his band, Hank West & the Smokin' Hots on March 8th and Danny Barnes on March 22nd.
Thanks to Barbie Angell for emceeing the show!
Here's our show! Big thanks to Noah and his family, to Tony at Moonlight Mile, to Barbie Angell for emceeing the event, and to Country Fried Rock for their support. Enjoy the show!
We're happy to bring you the first episode in our new series with western NC singer-songwriter Dave Desmelik. Dave sat down with host Joe Kendrick and his longtime band mate Josh Gibbs for an interview and put in a performance with his band at Moonlight Mile studio in Arden, NC.
We welcome your comments here and on our social media; the conversation is never complete without you! -Joe Kendrick
Lingua Musica is sponsored by Country Fried Rock
The new Lingua Musica series launched last weekend with our friend Dave Desmelik and his band, who played at the new Moonlight Mile studio near Asheville, NC. 
Gary Wiley (bass), son Grady Wiley (drums) and Dave Desmelik play on the Lingua Musica show
With a brand new concept for the show in a studio that opened only weeks before, we wanted to choose wisely with our first guest. Who better to pick than Lingua Musica veteran subject Dave Desmelik? Dave is a kind and generous individual, and lucky for us, a bit of a risk taker. He jumped into our untested project without hesitation, bringing both his live band as well as his longtime friend and band mate, Josh Gibbs, for the interview portion of the show. Josh would have played live in the band as well were it not for a broken shoulder.
As showtime approached, we enjoyed seeing an audience full of friends and fans as Tony Preston adjusted lights, cameras and gear. We breathed a sigh of relief as the production went off without a hitch. The interview gave a view of Dave, Josh and his band as artists and family men that treasured their music as avocation, with profound dedication to not only their spouses and children but to each other as well. The performance was intimate and engaging, with Dave and his band playing music ranging all over his career, from his latest album Instrumental Swim all the way back to his days in the Flagstaff, Arizona band Onus B. Johnson.
Many thanks to Dave and his band, to Tony Preston of Moonlight Mile and to Sloane Spencer of Country Fried Rock for making the show possible. Also, thanks to longtime contributor and supporter of Lingua Musica, Barbie Angell for being there and live-tweeting the show. We'll be posting the finished video here as soon as it is finished later this week!
Lingua Musica begins a new music performance and interview series in partnership with Moonlight Mile studios near Asheville, NC with singer-songwriter Dave Desmelik on Saturday, January 18th. 
Dave Desmelik
Tony Preston, owner of AMR Media Productions, and Joe Kendrick, founder of Lingua Musica, have developed a new production which will be filmed in front of a live audience at the new Moonlight Mile studio. The show will feature live performances along with interviews of the artists. You will be able to see them here shortly after our live sessions.
On February 8th Lingua MUsica welcomes Upstate SC's Noah Guthrie. Noah is an incredibly talented songwriter with a powerful voice, and will perform with his brother Ian. 
We're also excited to announce our media partnership with the syndicated radio show, Country Fried Rock. Sloan Spencer has produced more than 200 weekly broadcasts of music and conversations from legends like James McMurtry to rising stars in genres from Americana to bluegrass and rock.
Potential sponsors, media partners and artists are encouraged to contact us about their interest in the new series. Stay tuned for more news on the show!
Charleston SC band Gaslight Street is a roots rock, blues and soul influenced band which just released their third album, Heavy Wind. Derek and the Dominos, Allman Brothers and Traffic are big influences for this six piece band. 
Campbell Brown spoke with host Joe Kendrick in our latest Google Hangout On Air version of the show in front of their performance at the One Stop in Asheville on January 1st, 2014. We talk about the diversity of the Charleston music scene, from bands like Sol Driven Train, Dangermuffin, The Royal Tinfoil, The Dead 27s, and Shovels & Rope to artists like Elise Testone. We also touch on the challenges of putting a big band on the road, how Campbell's wife Noelle is a key part of their sound and his love of carpentry.
I hope you enjoy the latest episode. Please drop us a line here or on our social media and we look forward to continuing the conversation with you!
Our latest show features award winning photo journalist, book author, public speaker and member of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, Vincent Schilling. Vince shares a wealth of experience with Native American history, culture and music with host Joe Kendrick in this conversation which was recorded on 12-21-13. Thanks to Myra Chapman for putting us together for our show! 
Vincent Schilling
We covered a range of topics, from issues like Native American cultural misappropriation, myths surrounding Native American history (the origins of Thanksgiving being one), the accuracy of the film Smoke Signals, favorite Native American music and much more.
Vincent and his wife Delores host Native Trailblazers, a radio show Fridays at 7pm EST, and his writing is featured on Indian Country Today Media Network. You can also keep up with him on his YouTube channel.
I hope you enjoy the show! And remember, the conversation is never complete without you, so feel free to leave a comment here or on our social media and we look forward to hearing from you! -Joe Kendrick
