Southern Songs and Stories

Joe Kendrick speaks with Steve Earle by video call in June 2024, a conversation which took place after losing Jeremy Tepper just two days before, a conversation where he talks about his rigorous summer tour, his relationship with his music before he became sober, his favorite cover songs from both artists covering his music and vice versa, aspirations to record Irish music and perhaps even a jazz record, and memories of growing up in the midst of musical greats like Doug Sahm. All that and more, including his love of North Carolina trout fishing as well as music from Steve Earle’s latest album, Alone Again (Live)

Conversations with music artists Jesse Iaquinto and Josh Blake, as well as music professionals Jessica Tomasin, Liz Whalen Tallent, Jason Guadagnino, Rachel Shea and Russell Keith, including flood songs from Jake Blount, Rhiannon Giddens, Songs From The Road Band and The Seldom Scene. Included is a new song from Fireside Collective, "Whippoorwill".

Joe Kendrick posts an audio diary of the last several weeks events in western NC beginning with a lead up to Helene's arrival, and continuing with a trip to Raleigh for IBMA, a trip back home to the land of no utilities and then to the storm's aftermath, as well as a personal tragedy and a great loss for all of WNCW.

Conversations with Maya De Vitry and Joel Timmons about their musical collaboration, how the places where they were from and traveled to gave them equally essential but far different keys to their art, and more, including live music from both Maya De Vitry with Joel Timmons in the band, and Joel's own band Sol Driven Train.

An interview with Americana artist Margo Cilker, who talks about her extensive travels, cultural differences between Appalachia and the American West, working with Maya De Vitry, who performed with her at Margo’s Albino Skunk Music Festival debut the day of our conversation, her focus on the lyrics to her songs, and more, including music from her live set.

On August 9th, 2024, host and producer Joe Kendrick traveled with WNCW intern and rising Carleton College senior, Will Prim, to the PNC Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, just ahead of Ketch Secor’s show that night supporting Hank Williams Jr. Old Crow Medicine Show is headlining the Earl Scruggs Music Festival in Tryon, North Carolina, over Labor Day weekend 2024. The interview includes commentary and an excerpt of Old Crow Medicine Show's music, and is followed by the 2019 episode in this series titled "Anatomy of a Hit: Wagon Wheel"

A bilingual conversation with Larry and Joe at the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, NC. They are also part of the lineup at the upcoming Earl Scruggs Music Festival in Tryon, NC over labor day weekend 2024. In our conversation, we talk in depth about the duo’s synthesis of musical styles and cultures, we discover why the harp became so popular in Venezuela, and we get into how their music often has themes of social justice with songs and lyrics about immigration and border issues in particular, and their conviction that cultural differences can be overcome without violence and discrimination. Plus, a tutorial on how to roll your r's! That, and live music as well as one of their brand new songs from Larry and Joe is all here.

Host and producer Joe Kendrick, along with WNCW's Tom Pittman, speak with the iconic country and bluegrass star, including commentary and music from Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives.

Conversations with and music from with Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear of Donna the Buffalo and Jim Lauderdale who were interviewed at MerleFest in late April 2024

Welcoming a recent episode of the music history podcast American Songcatcher to our series, courtesy of host and producer Nicholas Edward Williams

Conversations with two rising stars in the roots and country music world making their MerleFest debuts, along with excerpts of their latest music and commentary from host and producer Joe Kendrick

A short history of a gospel niche, with interviews of artists performing at the spring 2024 GospelSHOUT! event as well as live music, plus the unlikely story of how Henry Louis Gates Jr. helped lead us to discover something so surprising and unique in our own back yard

Music and conversation from cosmic country pioneer Daniel Donato, who talks in depth about his life’s work is a service to listeners, his ever-present muse, playing with Bob Weir of Grateful Dead fame, and perhaps surprisingly, having been an angry kid who was an avid wrestler and more, along with commentary from host Joe Kendrick

Tony Trischka talks with host Joe Kendrick in this episode, which includes music excerpts from his extensive catalog as well as his forthcoming album, Earl Jam.

There are stories where the characters and events are so extraordinary and gripping that one can miss their overall meaning. It can be easy to take stories like the one you are about to hear at face value, and leave their larger context unrealized. But even the most casual reading of the events and people of Madison County, North Carolina from 1863 should raise a lot of red flags about our own worst tendencies. Even a pulp fiction version of the Shelton Laurel Massacre would lend plenty of insight into the all too often dark heart of humanity. But pull the lens back, and consider these events, their beginnings and repercussions in the arc of history, and you might come to an even more chilling conclusion. What caused neighbors and kinfolk to terrorize and murder one another in the Appalachian mountains all those generations ago, what larger forces that worked to bring out the cruelty and violence this chapter of history reveals, and what hatred and divisions that earned the place the moniker “Bloody Madison” are not only in history books; they are with us today. It would be nice to think that because America went through its Civil War, and Shelton Laurel had its Massacre, that it cannot happen again. But once you get sight of the forest beyond all its trees in this bit of history, you might wonder.

Travis is a musical treasure both for his work as founding member, songwriter and bass player for Infamous Stringdusters as well as for giving us his decidedly non-bluegrass, non-acoustic debut solo record Love and Other Strange Emotions. Hear his conversation with as well as commentary from host and producer Joe Kendrick in this episode, which includes excerpts of his new album.

What connects you to the year 1946? Think of the time immediately following World War II, and perhaps black and white images of men in fedoras and women in long dresses come to mind. Maybe you have parents or grandparents who were born around that time, or maybe you know someone who lived then and has past on. It is an era that now seems quite distant for most of us, a kind of abstraction that can be read about but which remains present only in its dusty tomes and mono records. But like all eras of our past, the time when bluegrass music was born remains with us in tangible, even impactful ways. In 1946, Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys recorded their first songs with new members Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, and a new genre of music was born. Born that same year in New York City was Pete Wernick, who came to know all of the Blue Grass Boys as well as most if not all of the other first-generation stars, and played with many of them eventually as well. He remains one of the few people today who embodies a direct link to this era, making it leap from the pages of history across the decades and get us tapping our feet to bluegrass music that is still being born. Pete Wernick Songs heard in this episode:“Waiting For Daylight” by Pete Wernick & Flexigrass, from What The“Powwow the Indian Boy” by Hot Rize, from Hot Rize, excerpt“Untold Stories” by Hot Rize, from Untold Stories, excerpt“Spring Break” by Pete Wernick, from On A Roll Thank you for visiting us and giving this podcast a listen! 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 on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to everyone at IBMA for their role in making this episode possible, and you can listen to more episodes on this series on artists interviewed at previous IBMA conferences, like Sierra Hull, Bela Fleck, Stephen Mougin and Ben Wright (Sam Bush Band and Henhouse Prowlers respectively), and C.J. Lewandowski (Po’ Ramblin’ Boys), to name a few. 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.Southern Songs and Stories is currently ranked #13 in Southern podcasts here on feedspot.com, and moved up to a top 2.5% globally ranked podcast by Listen Notes, which makes us smile. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Conversation with the Durango, CO three piece acoustic band Stillhouse Junkies, including commentary as well as excerpts of their new music performed live

Stephen Mougin and Ben Wright speak with host Joe Kendrick from the fall 2023 IBMA conference about their own music as well as the history and future of bluegrass, along with excerpts of their latest music.

Tony Trischka pays homage to Earl Scruggs on the 100th anniversary of his birth with Earl Jam: A Tribute To Earl Scruggs; Travis Book steps out from his mainstay gig in Infamous Stringdusters to release a solo record, Love and Other Strange Emotions.