Roots Rednecks and Radicals

I met Max Gomez at a show he played in my hometown. It was a solo acoustic show, and I was really blown away by his songs. They have a casual, and intimate feel. I knew I wanted to have him on my show and we finally worked out a time in his busy touring schedule. His songwriting incorporates some of the best elements of folk and country music. He weaves tales, explores heartbreak, and leaves you with a keen sense of the subjects in...

The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass Moca) is starting a record label aimed at developing artists, focusing on creativity, and giving exposure to musicians who are creating under-appreciated art. The first record on this new label came out last Friday. The Kasawambwe Brothers of Malawi recorded this album with help from Mass Moca. I spoke to Harlan Steinberger who runs a studio in Los Angeles called Hen House Studio. ...

In 2020 Amanda Shires released a song about the topic of abortion and women's reproductive rights. I had the chance to interview her about this song and it was such a great conversation. She really is an insightful and empathetic writer. She just put out a new album at the end of September and I wanted to bring this conversation to you again. A number of songs on the album deal with her divorce to Jason Isbell, and it just reminded...

The West Texas Exiles are a Texas based band that are making incredible music. They have a new album out, and on today's episode we talked about all kinds of things. The influence of Texas musicians like Buddy Holly and Willie Nelson. How the stark landscape of the western desert impacts them as artists, and how the band has been playing festivals like Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and the Luck Reunion. Colin Gilmore is the son of lege...

There is a new documentary out now on the history of Lilith Fair. It is really good! It touched on so many topics that are relevant to the music industry today. The artists in the documentary are so good; Sarah McLachlan, Bonnie Raitt, Erykah Badu, Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile, and Indigo Girls just to name a few. I wanted to bring my interview with Amy Ray of Indigo Girls to you again. It was such a treat to chat with her, and this...

I've been following Tyler Childers for quite a while now. He's always been an impressive songwriter to me, telling stories of his native Appalachia with his own twists and turns. His new album Snipe Hunter just takes things to the next level. He writes about deer hunting, foraging mushrooms, exploring Hinduism and Australia. The album is all over the place, but in a really fascinating way. As a guy who grew up in a hunting family, ...

I first came across Nathan Evans Fox on his TikTok account. He's from rural North Carolina and he has a fresh perspective on what it means to be from the south, and rural America. The common discourse on these issues is old and tired, and we need to be having these discussion about rural life and country music. He has a song out called Hillbilly Hymn that reflects on the idea of "Jubilee" from the Old Testament. The resetting of de...

Ozzy passed away last week. He was a massively influential artists who is credited with laying the foundations of what became the genre of metal. I wanted to do an episode taking a look at the first three albums from Black Sabbath. Today we'll be listening to tracks from the albums "Black Sabbath/Paranoid/Master of Reality." These three albums are quintessential to the metal genre, and the just rock!  Great riffs, arrangements, and...

Amanda Shires has been pretty quiet over the last year or so after her divorce with Jason Isbell. She has a new album coming out soon and this is the first track off that new record. It is mindful, and sad, and beautiful. It explores real human emotions about love and loss, and new directions. Today we take a look at the track and what makes it a wonderful poetic expression of a person going through some really difficult times. I h...