Presenting original music from Western North Carolina musicians, but for people to hear everywhere.
Episodes
Jun 22, 2022
Jun 22, 2022
1 hr 7 min
Lang Owen stops by the podcast to talk about his new album She's My Memory
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Website: https://langowenmusicepk.blogspot.com/
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Thanks to Hello London for the closing song
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Growing up in Fairborn, Ohio, just outside Dayton, Lang Owen devoted much of his twenties to songwriting then set aside music to serve as a teacher and social worker. Over the years Lang’s professional work included teaching in the Japanese school system, managing an English as a Second Language program for immigrants, and providing mental health services at a major university. “All that getting around, including all the difficulties that came with it, helped me understand myself and others better, which has made me a better songwriter than I was in my twenties,” Lang comments. “Mostly, it’s opened my eyes to the resilience people demonstrate in getting through their lives. I want my compassion and respect for that to come through in my songs.”
Lang returned to music-making in 2017, releasing his debut album Welcome To Yesterday, which South Carolina Music Writer Kevin Oliver hailed as “evocative storytelling at its finest.”
The Post & Courier Free times included Welcome to Yesterday on its “But What About THIS Album” list in their Best South Carolina Music 2019 edition.
“Songs about something that seems like nothing but feels like everything” is how Lang describes She’s My Memory, set for release in June 2022. Exemplifying Lang’s comment “There’s always a story,” the album’s title track tells of a man with Alzheimer’s who glimpses his life through anecdotes of humble but defining marital moments told by his wife. This ten song collection will strike a chord with listeners who endeavor to live with love and purpose in a swirling world of relentless change.
Hello London is the solo project of musician James Froese. Hailing from Buffalo, NY, his sound is influenced by many indie, alternative and punk bands from The Smiths to Mayday Parade. In 2021 he released two EP's, At The End of The World and Stay That Way, and in 2022 Hello London will be releasing their debut LP.
May 16, 2022
May 16, 2022
50 min
Derek Piotr discusses his field recordings of authentic Americana and folk music spanning the decades of Western North Carolina
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Thanks to Admiral Radio for the closing song
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Folklorist Derek Piotr pulls together mountain songs from North Carolina crossing nearly a century. Child ballads and local murder songs sit alongside dulcimer & close harmony singing. The star of the compilation, Mrs. Lena Bare Turbyfill, could have been another Texas Gladden in her own right, but dozens of recordings of herself and her family made in 1939 remained on a shelf in The Library of Congress, until they were unearthed by Derek and presented on this collection. Mrs. Turbyfill's daughter Nicky also makes a notable appearance here.
Apr 27, 2022
Apr 27, 2022
49 min
Rooster joins the podcast to talk about their new album, their partnership, old houses, and storage units
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Thanks to New Age Americans for the closing song
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Asheville-based band, Rooster, is made up of Erin Kinard on drums and Annie Myers on guitar and was formed by two strangers around a campfire in the summer of 2016. Annie and Erin recorded their debut album, Bloodroot, in February 2019 in Swannanoa, NC with recording engineer and producer Matt Lohan. Rooster's first release was an eponymous collection of five original songs in 2017. Since then they have performed throughout Western North Carolina, creating both new songs and arrangements of beloved Americana. Annie and Erin thrive on the impact of powerful vocal harmony that blends into lush organic sounds like honey from the hive. In any configuration, the orchestrations are clean and uncluttered, but with a raw, gritty edge. They seem right at home in a wine bar, brew pub, honky-tonk or at a backyard barbecue. Rooster's Bloodroot made it onto WNCW's top 100 albums of 2020.
New Age Americans - These Young Adolescents from the Chicago suburbs formed in middle school when best friends Tyler “T-Hodg” Hodgett and Jake “From NAA” Smith wanted to melt faces. The boys found RJ “Caveman” McGaw as the missing piece to fulfill their live experience. The band had a successful tour of the Midwest performing with various artist such as iHeartRadios rock artist of the year, lovelytheband as well as former members of Lynyrd Skynyrd/Blackfoot with their group named Skinny Molly. After the tours the band took a short hiatus to graduate from college. As the band recharged, they released a series of singles and welcomed the talent of Alexander "Mississippi King" James for guitar and songwriting. The band is currently getting ready to tour again and working on their next studio album that is set to release summer of 2022.
Apr 18, 2022
Apr 18, 2022
23 min
Derek Frye returns to talk about all kinds of things, including religion but not religion
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Thanks to Lua Flora for the closing song
https://www.luaflora.com/
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https://music.apple.com/us/artist/lua-flora/1524890566
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After 7 years fronting the angsty Asheville rock band The Dirty Badgers, Derek Frye finds himself more eager than ever to showcase those same foreboding sounds through the haunting old time style of his Southern Appalachian ancestry. Born and raised in East Tennessee, Derek is a songwriter with deep rooted ties to the music born in the area. In the hyperbolic style of murder ballads, his songs are historical tales of heartbreak, trouble, strife, and ideas about the true nature of humanity. Derek's performances will take you on a journey through his life and those of his mountain ancestors.
Derek has taken the stage at some of Asheville’s most prominent festivals such as Downtown After 5 and Pridefest and has shared stages with artists like Cracker, Low Cut Connie, and Marcus King.
Lua Flora is the soundtrack of your favorite daydream. The Asheville, NC-based group’s sun-kissed melodies are rooted in the harmonies of Appalachia, rhythms of the West Indies, and lyricism of American folk. Releasing a collection of singles, Lua Flora has collaborated with Sons of Paradise, Richard Vagner, Victor Rice, and Karl Vincent Roth (of Satsang). With stellar reviews from publications such as Face the Current and Top Shelf Music, the outfit has established its unique yet home-like voice.
Apr 4, 2022
Apr 4, 2022
44 min
Kendra and Zack "BMLB" Harding, the duo that make up The Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs, return to the podcast with some tall tales that seem sort of true.
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Thanks to Cossette Gobat for the closing song
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The Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs, known to their friends as Kendra and Zack Harding, began gig-swapping as solo artists in 2014. They bonded over these shared gigs, their common love of dogs, and an enthusiasm for hiking. They decided to tie the knot in the fall of 2015. The Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs officially formed in early 2016, and they’ve been bringing songs of joy, pain, and dogs to audiences ever since.
Combining their unique backgrounds that range from classic rock to classical guitar, they create a blend of original music with deep roots in the past and a contemporary twist here and there.
The Bugs have played extensively throughout the Southeast, including performances in The Crown at the Carolina Theatre, The Grey Eagle’s Patio Show Series, Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival, and at Awendaw Green. They completed their first cross-country tour in early 2020, before going on a virus-mandated hiatus for a couple months. Their sophomore album Folk(ish) came out on April 9, 2021.
Combining their unique backgrounds that range from classic rock to classical guitar, they create a blend of original music with deep roots in the past and a contemporary twist here and there.
The Bugs have played extensively throughout the Southeast, including performances in The Crown at the Carolina Theatre, The Grey Eagle’s Patio Show Series, Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival, and at Awendaw Green. They completed their first cross-country tour in early 2020, before going on a virus-mandated hiatus for a couple months. Their sophomore album Folk(ish) came out on April 9, 2021.
Originally from Philadelphia, Cosette Gobat has devoted her entire life to music. A songwriting talent from a very young age, her career took off upon the signing of a record deal with Decapolis Records at age 14. She began touring the East Coast in high school, a move that projected her reach even further. Writing music for documentaries and playing festivals with big artists such as Sheryl Crow, Cosette was signed to another label, KBM Productions, with the release of an electronic EP called ‘Blindside’. After performing on ABC in 2015, she took her career into a different direction studying at Temple University and working as a mastering engineer under Michael Jackson’s ex-producer at Arctic Records in Philadelphia. The release of her debut album ‘Couteau’ in 2020 offered an introduction of her wide- range artistic ability and knowledge, a well-produced blend of folk, classical, and dream pop. Cosette’s music is described as an honest soundscape with poetic lyrics and drowned reverb, evoking a scenery into nostalgia and a sonic dimension.
Mar 21, 2022
Mar 21, 2022
50 min
Part 2 with Stevie Tombstone. More great stories and music.
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Thanks to Clark Blomquist for the closing song
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Stevie Tombstone is a quintessential troubadour, a veteran musician who crafts powerful folk songs tinged with classic country and vintage blues influences.
There are many different species of the Music Artist. Various combinations of singers, songwriters and entertainers. But it’s the ones that wear their art that get to us the most. The ones that don’t know how not to tell the truth in their music and reveal the raw and ragged triumphs that in the end are more beautiful because of the honesty of the struggle. These are the Artists that get in our bones and shake loose our demons by slaying their own with chords and words. Artists like Johnny Cash, Janis Joplin…and Stevie Tombstone." Outlaw Magazine
After a chance meeting with Roy Acuff, Stevie (then a young man) was certain he would always be a musician. Georgia born relation of the legendary fiddler, Clayton McMichen, Stevie immersed himself in the world of rock and the underground music scene of the 80s in Atlanta, but never lost the twang of his childhood. Almost three decades later he has become an accomplished performer, songwriter and guitarist, as well as an integral the Atlanta and Austin Music Scenes at various points in time. He now hangs his hat in Western North Carolina.
In addition to his published works with his 1980s swampabilly band, The Tombstones, Stevie has released five solo albums and half a dozen music videos. The Tombstones song, Nobody, became a college radio anthem. The roots punk song about the Carolina Lights and was later recorded by rock icon Stiv Bator.
Tombstone's debut full length release, 730 AM, featured performances by members of Wilco, Jason and the Scorchers, The Bad Livers, and The Georgia Satellites, and offered tracks that peaked on the Satellite Radio charts. After several comps and EPs, his 2011 release, Greenwood, reintroduced Stevie to Americana and folk listeners with the autobiographical tale of his journey to Greenwood to mark the grave of then un-honored Robert Johnson.
Over the years, Tombstone’s bandmates and co-conspirators have been a veritable who's who of underground and nationally recognized players. Priding himself in his ability to cross genres, he has also had the honor of sharing the bill with the likes of Leon Russell, The Stray Cats, Greg Allman, Willie Nelson, Drive By Truckers, Kevn Kinney, Johnny Bush, and The Ramones.
In addition to producing and writing for other artists, Stevie still performs over two hundred nights a year, enjoying a grassroots following that's kept him on the trail for the last three decades. His latest release, Raised on Roots a compilation of singles and EPs, is available now and enjoying growing airplay.
Mar 2, 2022
Mar 2, 2022
1 hr 32 min
Julia Sanders joins the podcast for part 2, recorded a year ago so it's like one of those photos siblings create from their childhood
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Asheville based songwriter Julia Sanders believes in letting life be your art supplies. With a soulful voice and moving melodies, her music draws inspiration from time living in New Orleans, Montana and the mountains of North Carolina. She winds the journey of heartbreak, love and self-searching into poetic songs that will have you shuffling across the dance floor with a tissue in hand.
Reilly Downes is an Alt Country/Americana singer/songwriter originally from the Texas Hill Country and now residing in Chicago. She has been compared to the likes of Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch, and June Carter Cash with the flare of Nikki Lane. She will be releasing her debut album May of 2020.
Feb 19, 2022
Feb 19, 2022
1 hr 4 min
Blake Hornsby continues with discussion of his most recent album and a truly unique influence
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Blake Hornsby is a psychedelic folk musician born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, currently based out of Boone, North Carolina. Hornsby's work is influenced by psychedelia, folk, eastern music, American primitivism, avant-garde, and sound healing. He recorded his first original music in the summer of 2015 on his laptop. This demo incorporated acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, synthesizers, vocals, and samples. In Autumn of 2016, Hornsby released his first album Solipsism & the Nectar of the Gods. This album included reworked versions of songs from his demo as well as new material. In 2018, Hornsby released Legend of the Unconscious Enigma as a follow up to his previous album. In contrast to his debut, he transitioned to a more organic sound without the use of synthesizers and electric guitar. He began experimenting with acoustic guitar in open tunings as well as more complex overdubs. In the Spring of 2019, Hornsby went on a solo trip to northern India. He purchased a guitar in Delhi and began writing new material in the Himalayas. When he returned to the United States, he perfected these songs and composed the remainder of the material on what would become Teetering on the Edge of the Void. Teetering On the Edge of the Void was Hornsby's first professional album. It was recorded in late 2019 to analog tape in a studio in Nashville, Tennessee. The result was a psychedelic world folk album tinged with heavy Indian influence and orchestrated segments. Released in June, 2020, this acclaimed album was his most ambitious to date. It became the final album in his conceptual trilogy and was self released on vinyl. Less than a year later, Hornsby released his first professional instrumental album. Dogwood Dance was recorded in Asheville, NC and exemplifies his advanced guitar style that has been compared to artists akin to John Fahey. The Australian record label Ramble Records funded its release on vinyl. Both of his most recent albums have gained attention worldwide and have been positively reviewed on blogs, as well as airplay.
Sullivan Smith & Stray Lions is a pop group or musical dance craze from Roanoke, VA. Started in 2019 as a bedroom project, Sullivan soon found a revolving door of musicians to back with live gigs and some recording. In other words... "Just a songwriter and a makeshift band."
Feb 2, 2022
Feb 2, 2022
59 min
Trouvere' returns to the podcast to discuss the alphabet, album track order, and what exactly Trouvere' is.
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Thanks to The Collect Pond for this week's closing song
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Trouvere started in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he played the local indie circuit including house shows and venues like Speaker Tree Records, Lynchstock Music Festival and The Wine and Garlic Festival.
During that time Trouvere's first ep, Saint Luna was recorded, but released just as he moved to WNC.
During his time here in NC, Trouvere has been recording and working on his first full length album, Conventional Comforts, which he have been slowly releasing over the course of the year as singles.
The Collect Pond is the name under which singer-songwriter Danny Moffat produces and self-releases his own music. The Collect Pond is named after a geographical location in New York, NY where The Collect Pond started. Moffat chose the name “The Collect Pond” for his own music since the imagery of an oasis in the city seemed fitting, as recording and self-expression offered a similar kind of respite, a way to cope with the tenseness that permeates New York life. Also, a “Collect Pond” creates a co-existing mix of species in one ecosystem, or musically speaking, a myriad of influences and styles under one name.
Jan 17, 2022
Jan 17, 2022
1 hr 11 min
Matt Walsh joins the podcast to talk about some of his road stories, studio stories, venue stories, and just regular place stories.
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Thanks to Iris Marlowe for the closing song
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Matt Walsh is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, filmmaker and actor from Statesville NC who performs 200 plus shows a year either solo or with his rhythm section, 'The Movers'. His albums Life After Rock N Roll (2017 Full Bloom Records) and The Midnight Strain (2018 Full Bloom Records) have been hailed by music publications and played on radio stations in the US, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Australia. Matt’s sound is a clever blend of numerous styles of the music that have influenced him since his youth - early electric and country Blues, Rock N Roll, Rockabilly, Soul, R&B, Country, Bluegrass, Jazz and Psychedelia. His focus on making all original music by combining the influences that inspired him, along with his own ideas, have produced an exciting blend of many genres without rules or limitations.
His exposure to music came first came from his mother through her love of Motown. When Matt was 9 years old, she took him to a Prince concert and afterwards, he knew he wanted to be a musician. His musical education began with his late uncle who turned him onto a record collection that included early 1950’s electric Blues and 1960's Rock which inspired Matt to play guitar. When he was 13, Matt got a knock off electric guitar for $25 at a flea market and set out to learn the instrument. He furthered his musical education when he began absorbing the music on old record labels, notably Chess, Sun and Stax .
Less than a decade later, he began performing in clubs and in the years to follow, he established himself as a highly regarded musician in the Blues world with his first release, Hard Luck (2007), as one of the few artists in the genre capable of writing relevant original material without relying on any cover songs from the past. The album got rave reviews in multiple music publications, radio play on stations around the world and a featured spot on XM 74 Satellite Radio as a 'Pick to Click'. Around this time Matt joined Bob Margolin (guitarist for Muddy Waters 1973-1980) and performed with some of his heroes, legendary artists like Howlin’ Wolf's guitarist Hubert Sumlin and members of Muddy Water's band, Pinetop Perkins and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith.
While he was looking for a new direction to expand his music, Matt started working with drummer Austin Hicks after they met on Craigslist in 2013. They formed the drum-guitar duo, the Low Counts and branded themselves as, "Blue Collar Rock-N-Roll". They turned heads, made dedicated fans and blew audiences away with their no frills, high energy stage show. Their ride was cut short on March 8th 2017 when Austin passed away unexpectedly. Matt wrote 27 songs that the duo released over three albums in the four short years they were together (The Low Counts 2014 Real Original Records, Unsettled Days 2015 Grimtale Records, Years Pass By 2015 Real Original Records)
Matt released his first full length solo studio album in almost a decade, Life After Rock N Roll' (2017 Full Bloom Records). The album reignited his standing as a solo artist and found him stretching out to make powerful, refined music that was entirely different than any of his previous works and his third full length studio album, The Midnight Strain (2018 Full Bloom Records) built upon that success. Matt released his fourth full length studio album 'Burnt Out Soul' (Full Bloom Records) on September 25th 2020 that he recorded at the legendary Columbia Records Studio A on Music Row in Nashville TN.
Iris Marlowe is a singer-songwriter from Chicago, IL. Iris has been playing and writing music since she was 3 years old. She begun taking music seriously in 2018 and started to cultivate her sound. After releasing two albums 'Savannah' (2019) and 'Winter Solace' (2020) she decided to work on a western album inspired by spaghetti westerns and the occult. 'Home' is the first single to be released from the upcoming album. It's a folk song from the record that focuses on the reflection and acceptance you feel when you outgrow the place you grew up in.