Artist: Cole Quest and the City Pickers Hometown: Brooklyn, New York Latest Album: Homegrown Personal Nicknames (or rejected band names): CQCP, incorrectly called: Cole West and The City Slickers. Holding out for Cold Cuts and The City Pickles.
(Editor’s Note: Answers provided by Cole Quest.)
What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?
One of my favorite memories was from our inaugural tour to Germany in 2023. It was a 20+ day adventure and for many in the band it was their first time traveling internationally. I was beyond excited – and equally nervous – leading up to and during the trip, running through the millions of things that could go wrong along the way.
But as we traveled, we were met with packed venues, heartfelt appreciation, and as close to “fandom” as we’ve ever experienced. It was unforgettable.
We closed the tour with four days in the small German town of Rudolstadt, which had swelled to 90,000 visitors and over 20 stages for the Rudolstadt World Music Festival. We played several sets and gave a handful of radio interviews, each appearance building momentum as more fans and followers came out to support us. Our final performance was the big one. Right before we walked on, I gathered the band into a circle and shared a heartfelt moment to thank them for everything that led to us being there. With tear-filled eyes, I stepped on stage just as the emcee finished our introduction to a billowing applause and a spontaneous rendition of “Happy Birthday.” It was my birthday – and I couldn’t have imagined a better way to celebrate it.
What other art forms – literature, film, dance, painting, etc. – inform your music?
I often find it hard to tell where others’ art ends and mine begins. We’re all products of our surroundings and, in my case, those surroundings have always been steeped in art.
My parents had a modern dance company for many years. My grandmother was a founding member of the Martha Graham Dance Company. My grandfather was Woody Guthrie. My great-grandmother, Eliza Greenblatt, was a Yiddish poet. My late aunt Ann Cooper was a painter. The list goes on – and that’s just on my mother’s side.
In our house, many hours were spent discussing what creative expression looks like and the different forms it can take. Having these conversations growing up really pushed my creative boundaries and ways of thinking. I often attribute sounds to colors (chromesthesia) and wonder if that came from these open discussions. I believe all of the art forms influence everything about my life all the time, including my music.
How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?
I find I actually do the opposite – and quite often. I find myself writing about “me,” putting myself in someone else’s shoes. I find I often use songwriting as an excuse to shift my own perspective – not necessarily to a “better” perspective – but more as exercise to deeper understand things from different angles. For example, “Plane Wreck At Los Gatos” or “Jolly Banker.”
I’m heavily influenced by my grandfather in that way. Growing up, it’s something I’ve always noticed about many of his writings and grew up understanding that to be the norm. It made sense to me, to use songwriting as a tool for greater understanding and gaining a broader perspective.
Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?
I’m not much of a food connoisseur, but I am a fan of good company and good conversation over a slice of cheesecake or a latke. My dream meal would be showing up to downtown Brooklyn’s famous cheesecake establishment, Junior’s, for a late night slice with Stevie Wonder.
To set the scene, Junior’s is basically a classic NYC diner including bright Broadway-style lighting outside, brown and orange vinyl booths, and your food order comes with the best-in-town complimentary beets, coleslaw, and pickles. The main difference is its exceptional desserts and historic presence. Because its location is a central hub of Brooklyn, it’s a true “mosaic of Brooklyn” according to the third-generation owner. The late-night crowd often includes folks coming in after seeing a concert nearby, locals looking to put a few back, families who missed “dinner time,” or the seasoned regulars appreciating a delicious milkshake.
I can’t think of a better spot to sit down and pick Stevie’s brain about all of his songwriting, his lyrical prowess, his thoughts on love, social issues, and anything part of the human experience.
If you didn’t work in music, what would you do instead?
I’ve spent many hours of my life as a computer programmer – and still do – but deep down, I’ve always wanted to drive what I call “the big square.” I want to drive big vehicles: coach buses, school buses, 18-wheelers, and RVs. It’s not that I crave the long hours behind the wheel, which is why I’ve never made it a profession; part of me wants to just spin the big steering wheel and navigate these oversized boxes in narrow and small spaces. I have no idea why.
Between other jobs, I’ve thought about getting my commercial license, but it just hasn’t happened yet. For now, I live vicariously through the 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker arcade game.
Now, one of our longest-running and most beloved Friends & Neighbors has brought her band and her new album to NPR’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. for her very first Tiny Desk Concert. IBMA Award winner and GRAMMY nominee Sierra Hull – accompanied by her touring band of Erik Coveney (bass), Avery Merritt (fiddle), Mark Raudabaugh (drums), and Shaun Richardson (guitar) – performed four songs from her latest album, A Tip Toe High Wire, from behind the iconic desk.
“Well you guys, this is truly a ‘pinch me’ moment,” Hull exclaims while introducing her second song. “I can’t believe we’re at Tiny Desk!” And that grateful, excited energy remained front and center through the group’s beautiful mini set.
From the grooving “Boom,” to the burnin’ and acrobatic instrumental “Lord, That’s A Long Way,” to the homage to her grandmother, “Spitfire,” to the wise and poetic “Muddy Waters,” the Americana, newgrass, and jamgrass textures of the studio recordings are present, but somewhat subdued in the acoustic, pared down Tiny Desk environment. This is the exact band and these are the exact arrangements you’ll hear at a Sierra Hull headline show or on the album itself, but this setting more immediately demonstrates how her bluegrass and string band upbringing in rural Tennessee is a foundation for everything she makes. Hull is always innovative and cutting edge, yes, but she accomplishes this not by forsaking bluegrass but by bringing it with her wherever she goes, from tours with Cory Wong or Béla Fleck to NPR Music.
Another stellar Tiny Desk Concert by another incredible bluegrass, string band, and Americana musician. If you haven’t yet enjoyed Sierra Hull’s Tiny Desk appearance, watch now above.
Next to fellow Kentuckians Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton, you’ll be hard pressed to find a singer more influential on the Commonwealth – or on all of Appalachian music – than Tyler Childers.
The Lawrence County-born artist first began cutting his teeth on dark corner stages inside diners across Eastern Kentucky and in grainy YouTube videos prior to laying the foundation for the cult-like following that’s been enamored with him since with 2011’s Bottles & Bibles and 2016’s Live On Red Barn Radio I & II. The following year he burst onto the national scene with his Simpson-produced studio debut, Purgatory.
From a voice as gritty and raw as the black gold he sings about on songs like “Nose On The Grindstone” and “Coal” to lyrics that shatter stereotypes and perceptions cast down on his home region by those outside of it, it’s easy to see why Childers’ music has become a soundtrack for not just part but all of Appalachia.
Whether it be the combination of humility and holler-bred antics within Purgatory, the intimate honky-tonk vignettes of Country Squire, the fiddle tunes of Long Violent History, the gospel-fueled experimentation of Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven? or the spiritual embodiment of Elvis on Rustin’ In The Rain, Childers has found success by shaking expectations at every turn, keeping old fans on their toes and bringing new ones in along the way.
When violence perpetrated by police was front and center during the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in 2020, Childers opted to cap off that fiddle album with its only vocal track, the protest anthem “Long Violent History.” During a heated societal moment, he approached the tune from an angle of empathy rather than pretentiousness as he tried contextualizing everything going on with past events like the Battle of Blair Mountain. Then in 2023 he had his first hit on country radio with “In Your Love,” an epic love tale that he recast as a gay one with the help of then Kentucky Poet Laureate Silas House in 2023.
While some fans have been turned off by his “political” statements, his viewpoints ultimately led to more people going down the rabbit hole of Childers’ catalog than ever before. This growth has culminated in sold-out shows at fabled venues like New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Lexington’s Kroger Field, London’s O2 Arena and the Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl. It also resulted in recording a track for last year’s TWISTERS soundtrack, collaborating with Olivia Rodrigo for a cover of “All Your’n” during a GUTS tour stop in Kentucky, and performing during The White House’s Fourth of July celebrations in 2024. Close to 10 years removed from his breakthrough moment, the singer is as popular and influential as ever.
That influence is sure to grow with the release of his latest studio album, Snipe Hunter. Recorded with and produced by Rick Rubin in Hawaii in early 2024, the 13-song compilation charts the red-headed stranger’s creative and spiritual coming of age with stories of the band’s success. The project is sprinkled with a bit of anti-capitalistic sentiment (“Eatin’ Big Time”), a yearning to escape on a trek to India (“Tirtha Yatra”), his fear of Koalas (“Down Under”) and hunting for whitetail deer (“Dirty Ought Trill”).
Much like its predecessors, Snipe Hunter captures Childers signature sound while also sounding like nothing he’s released before it, a fact no doubt aided by Rubin’s knack for crafting material that sticks to the cultural zeitgeist like superglue. Songs like “Nose On The Grindstone” and “Oneida” – a story about falling for an older woman – have been in Childers’ performance rotation, on YouTube playlists for years, and traded as coveted bootlegs, but the versions captured for Snipe Hunter, with their additions of organ, synths, and other studio toys, has each feeling reborn and completely new again.
Collectively, the album feels rooted in country funk bands of old like Goose Creek Symphony just as much as it incorporates more modern influences like Charlie Brown Superstar (whose remixes for Can I Take My Hounds To Heaven? are sublime) and Eric Church, serving up the perfect combination of past, present and future sounds in the process while sticking to the deeply personal Appalachian flavoring that has long highlighted his grand storytelling.
Bluegrass and country fans may recognize Kentucky-born, San Francisco-based fiddler Brandon Godman from touring, recording, and performing with folks like Dale Ann Bradley, Laurie Lewis, Jon Pardi, the Band Perry, the Music City Doughboys, and many more. He’s also an accomplished business owner and luthier, helming two fiddle repair and retail shops based in Nashville (The Violin Shop) and the Bay Area (The Fiddle Mercantile.) In addition, Godman helped found Bluegrass Pride and was instrumental in organizing the non-profit association’s float and marching contingent that won the coveted “Best Overall” ribbon from the 2017 SF Pride Parade.
Godman has played fiddle his entire life, beginning on the instrument as a young child in Northern Kentucky. His skills span old-time, bluegrass, western swing, country, contest fiddle, and beyond, and his career, by necessity often, has been remarkably varied, boasting stories of success, trials, tribulations, and highs and lows beyond his years. Now, filmmaker Bria Light has crafted a remarkable, heartfelt, and stunning documentary short all about Godman and his journey on and with the fiddle.
Shot and crafted in 2022 and 2023 as Light’s thesis film at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, The Road Home is an intimate and gorgeous look at Godman and his relationship with his instrument, his career path, and his rural home in Kentucky. The film includes lovely original music – much drawn from Godman’s acclaimed 2024 solo album, I Heard the Morgan Bell – that offers many varied samples of his expansive skillset on fiddle throughout, a perfect score and soundtrack for the 20 minute-plus documentary. Together, Light and Godman travel from California to Kentucky, visit with Godman’s family, share old memories and stories, and examine the complications and intricacies of family and community, the transient, intangible nature of “home,” and the pains and reliefs of leaving and returning.
Now, for the first time, The Road Home is available to screen online, right here on BGS and on YouTube. (Watch below.)
Light has a deft and artful touch as a filmmaker and director, utilizing the fiddle and Godman’s original compositions as an enormous character in these narratives, propelling the story forward and entrancing viewers with the sights, sounds, textures, and mythos of Northern Kentucky – as could only be delivered by a musician and creative like Godman. The end result is moving and illuminating, subverting expectations of the region, the instrument, the genres we associate with the fiddle, and the communities we expect – or don’t expect – to love these traditions and the people who keep them alive.
We spoke to Light via email about the film, its conception and making, and the twists and turns along the way that led Light and Godman to this stellar piece of visual, aural, and narrative storytelling.
Let’s begin by going back to the beginning. Can you tell us a bit of the story of how this film project came to be? What inspired you and how did you get connected with Brandon?
Bria Light: I made this film for my thesis film in the documentary film program at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and when it came time to look for a story that I would be spending all year working on, I knew I wanted a story that was music-related. But I also wanted to find a story that revealed something deeper about how music can help us find our way through the sometimes fraught path of being human. I eventually got connected with Brandon, who agreed to let me into his life and tell me this slice of his story.
This film tells such an expansive story in a relatively short amount of time. What was it like trying to condense such an interesting and often complicated narrative into this short film “package”?
I’ve sometimes used the metaphor that making a film feels like having the vast expanse and depth of the ocean stretching out before you and your job is to chart the best course from continent to continent. It can feel overwhelming! At every turn there are not only creative decisions to be made (What part of this person’s complex life do I focus on? Do I shoot this scene? Do I interview that person?), but also ethical ones (Who is affected by telling this story and how? Should I or should I not reveal someone’s identity? What impact am I hoping for this film to have and how is that best served?).
While you’re finding and crafting the story, it’s not always self-evident what the best, most meaningful storyline is and you want to explore a million different possible paths. You end up with hours and hours of footage (the ocean) that you have to fully explore to find the best course. And the thing is, you have to try things out to see if they work in a movie and until that golden moment where something works, it, well, doesn’t work. So it is a process of months – or years for feature docs – of trial and error, during much of which you suspect you might be terribly lost at sea and had no business becoming a sailor in the first place, to follow the metaphor… until one fine day you’re like, “Land ho!” and things start coming together and you can sleep again at night. [Laughs]
I feel like you let the music itself, and the tradition of fiddle music and roots music, do a lot of the storytelling here. What is it like translating music to a visual media like film in this way and leveraging it to help advance your narrative?
Absolutely. One of the key elements of my vision of the film from the beginning was to leverage the richness of this musical tradition and Brandon’s music within that to assist in telling his personal story. In fact, I pictured the music almost as a character itself. Music, of course, is a storyteller, even when it doesn’t have lyrics. So thinking of the music almost like the narrator of the story felt very natural.
Of course, Brandon creating his album of original tunes, I Heard The Morgan Bell, is part of the film’s narrative as well, so it all tied together organically. Additionally, since part of the film delves into the past and the creation of the album was the part of the story that was unfolding in the present, it helped provide a narrative thread to follow and to tie Brandon’s musical and personal evolution together from his past to his present.
Can you tell us a bit about what it was like traveling to Kentucky with Brandon?
It was very, very cold! Our trip to Kentucky took place over Christmas week and it just so happened to be during a cold snap that swept the entire country. It was in the single digits temperature-wise, in the negatives with wind chill, and the roads were covered in thick ice. I had envisioned going there and shooting scenes on the family farm with golden winter light sparkling in the crisp air, etc., and instead there was roaring wind so bitterly cold that you could barely be outside for two minutes before your fingers were completely numb. At one point, my camera was having some issues because it was so cold! But of course we filmed mostly inside and Brandon’s family was so warm and welcoming. I ate a copious amount of Mamaw’s famous chocolate peanut butter squares!
The music of the film is so stunning, and some of the selections went on to be included on Brandon’s 2024 album, which you mentioned already, I Heard the Morgan Bell – it was one of our favorite bluegrass albums of last year. Was there a “music supervision” process for the film? Did you leave it up to Brandon? What was it like collaborating on what would become the soundtrack and soundbed for your visuals?
Brandon was so generous in granting me permission to select music from his album, which was still in process, to use for the film. Through the course of our many hours of conversation over the year, he told me many of the stories behind the songs, of the inspiration and ideas that led to their creation. So I used that, along with the general feel and mood of the tune, to inform my choices as to which pieces to include where. Normally, you’re right, there would be a music supervision process, but in this case I had the privilege of working directly with Brandon, who was essentially also the film’s composer!
Do you have a favorite moment in the film? Or from the process of crafting it?
Hmm, there are so many memories attached to the creation of this film! I loved filming and editing the “Morgan Bell” scene in the church. The music is so gorgeous and I knew I would love filming in low light with stained glass church windows as the container for that wordless song that expresses so much emotion.
I also loved the moment in the editing process where I found the old footage of Brandon as a young teen on a local TV show. In Kentucky, his parents had given me a paper bag full of photo albums and old VHS tapes of Brandon at fiddling contests and other things to go through and see what I could use. Late one night, after a full day on campus, I headed back to the edit rooms in the journalism school to continue digitizing and going through the old VHS tapes. I got to one tape, began watching it, and it seemed to be all recorded re-runs of Days of Our Lives. After fast-fowarding through so many episodes of Days of Our Lives, I was wondering if that tape had been mistakenly included. I was about to stop when suddenly it cut to the footage of Brandon on the local TV station. It ended up becoming of my favorite scenes in the film, thanks to the very enthusiastic TV show host and a young, guileless Brandon.
Another favorite part of making the film was simply working with Brandon and getting to know him throughout our many conversations together. He’s such an old soul was a joy to work with, which is of course not always the case when making a film about someone’s real life. He was always open and willing to go along for the ride, despite the vulnerability required.
Filmmaker Bria Light, creator and director of ‘The Road Home.’
Maybe it’s an obvious question to ask, but what’s your goal? Making such an incredible and involved piece of art is goal enough, but where do you hope to take this film? How are you thinking about getting it in front of audiences? What’s next for the project?
I had several goals: I hoped some people might see a bit of themselves in the story and feel that they, too – despite having been made to feel othered in the past – belong in bluegrass and country music, that this music can be a home for everyone.
I also hoped that people would see Brandon’s story and say, “Wow, I didn’t realize there were still folks facing this type of persecution in the music industry.” This wasn’t so long ago. And unfortunately, as we all know, we are seeing today the continuation and resurgence of anti-LGBTQ laws and bigotry all over the country and the world. Another hope I have for the film is that by sharing stories that elevate the depth and humanness of the characters onscreen, folks from all sides of the political spectrum might, over time, begin to think about these issues in a new light.
What’s next? Recently the film screened to lovely and engaged audiences at the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival and next it will play a bit farther from home at the Sound on Screen Film Festival in South Africa. I’m also hoping to show the film at music events or conferences, to continue to share Brandon’s story with audiences around the country.
What did you learn during the making of The Road Home that was unexpected? What will you take with you into future projects – whether in a similar vein or in another space entirely?
I learned so much! I learned the importance of finding that balance of pre-planning and knowing what the story is about while at the same time going with the flow of real-life, nonfiction storytelling – that is to say, you can’t actually predict how life is going to unfold, so you have to hold your preconceived ideas in one hand, while leaving room for the story to reveal itself to you as it unfolds in real time in the other. One thing I “learned” (in quotation marks because I’m still learning it…!) is to trust the creative process, with its highs and lows, self-doubts, rewarding moments, and ultimately, you find that you have gotten to the end of your creative process and survived! There are really too many things I’ve learned that I’ll be taking with me into future projects, so I’ll just leave it there for now.
Somehow we’ve already arrived at August!? How did that happen? At any rate, there’s no better way to kick off the month than another brand new edition of You Gotta Hear This.
This week, we have a small but mighty collection of country and folk. Just a couple of days ago husband-and-wife duo Alyssa & Wayne Brewer announced an upcoming album, Lonesome & Blue, slated for release in September. To celebrate the announcement, they dropped the title track and lead single and for our roundup they’re sharing its accompanying music video for the first time. Watch below.
Plus, singer-songwriter Hannah Delynn gives a sneak preview of “Jealousy,” her third and final single from her upcoming September release, Trust Fall. Out next Friday, the number was produced by Maya de Vitry and is anchored by emotive piano, exploring the depths and catacombs of often squashed emotions.
To wrap things up, Texan country veteran Sunny Sweeney releases her new album Rhinestone Requiem today, so we’re spotlighting an as-yet-unreleased track, “Find It Where I Can,” that’s twangy, honky-tonkin’, and rocking and rolling, too. Congrats on the new LP, Sunny!
It’s all right here on BGS – and You Gotta Hear This!
Alyssa & Wayne Brewer, “Lonesome & Blue”
Artist:Alyssa & Wayne Brewer Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Lonesome & Blue” Album:Lonesome & Blue Release Date: July 31, 2025 (single); September 12, 2025 (album) Label: Sony/Orchard
In Their Words: “‘Lonesome & Blue’ is our first original offering as A&W Brewer. This song is our interpretation of a classic country tune written in our modern-day time. It’s a forbidden love, sad country song that was written to closely mirror the tumultuous relationship of George Jones and Tammy Wynette. In the video, we not only act out the tune as the characters, ‘Lonesome’ & ‘Blue,’ but also act out the characters’ daydream fantasy of being together as shiny country music stars. In the end, because of life, it doesn’t work out.” – Alyssa & Wayne Brewer
Track Credits: Alyssa Brewer – Vocals Wayne Brewer – Acoustic guitar, vocals Gary Brewer – Electric guitar Tom Killen – Pedal steel Mason Brewer – Drums
Video Credits: Director of Photography: Kevin Bryan, Visual Poet Studios Dave Santiago – Bartender Alyssa Brewer – Video editing, production Wayne Brewer – Executive producer
Hannah Delynn, “Jealousy”
Artist:Hannah Delynn Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Jealousy” Album:Trust Fall Release Date: August 8, 2025 (single); September 5, 2025 (album)
In Their Words: “‘Jealousy’ is a journey through emotional alchemy, I’d say. It’s certainly a vulnerable one and when Maya suggested we put it on the record, I was admittedly a little scared!
“So often, I think we shy away from difficult emotions because they feel shameful. They’re hard to look at, definitely – but I believe that beneath any feeling, even those which are seemingly abhorrent or benign, is an innocent desire. There is a deep chasm of pain with gold waiting within it. If we can just push past the discomfort, we can find what we’re really looking for. It’s a freeing reframe.
“Perhaps the feeling of jealousy, deep down, is a desire to be seen and recognized, to feel we belong. Who doesn’t want that? Instead of getting curious, however, we often bury or project these things in unhelpful ways, creating distance instead of closeness with ourselves and with others. Jealousy isn’t about what anyone else has; it’s about what we already have inside –we’ve simply lost sight of it.
“Following it as a sort of internal compass can connect us with that desire underneath, to recognize ourselves instead of seeking it elsewhere. It can free us from comparison and allow us to embrace our own light and celebrate the light of the other luminous creative beings all around us. (That’s everyone). Besides, the glory of a night sky is billions of stars beaming back at us… What fun would there be in seeing only one single light shining up there all by its lonesome?
“I’m so grateful to my dear, brilliant friends Alex Wilder and Lizzy Ross for sharing their bright light with us all. Alex created the beautiful piano parts within the song. I love, so very much, that the harmonies were a spontaneous unfolding between us three friends who love singing together. Also, it says quite a lot about Clare that we could write a song about jealousy together. The trust, the openheartedness, the non-judgment… may we all be that kind of friend and collaborator to one another. This whole team is bursting at the seams with bright, beautiful stars. Making this with them feels like I made a wish and it’s coming true.” – Hannah Delynn
Artist:Sunny Sweeney Hometown: Houston, Texas Song: “Find It Where I Can” Album:Rhinestone Requiem Release Date: August 1, 2025 Label: Aunt Daddy Records
In Their Words: “‘Find It Where I Can’ is about that ache you get when love turns cold and you start looking for warmth anywhere you can find it. It’s not about being reckless… it’s about being human. I heard Jerry Lee Lewis’ version of this song at a time when I had just gotten out of a long relationship filled with lonely nights – not single, just lonely. There’s a specific kind of ache that comes from loving someone who stopped reaching for you a long time ago. This song doesn’t point fingers. It just says, ‘Hey, I’m still here, and I still need something real. If you can’t give it to me, I’ll find someone who will.’ It’s really just a line in the sand.” – Sunny Sweeney
Photo Credit: Sunny Sweeney by Nash Nouveau; Hannah Delynn by Betsy Phillips.
New bestie Gina Chavez speaks about her journey in music, her deep love for connecting with people, and the influence of her mixed cultural background on Basic Folk. Her parents are of Mexican and Swiss-German descent. Her father, although second generation Mexican-American, was not raised with Spanish language or any Mexican culture. Gina discusses growing up in Austin, Texas, and the role music – or the absence of it – played in her household. She talks about being a choir kid in the ’90s before it was cool, about discovering her Latin roots later in life, and how singing in Spanish feels spiritually significant to her.
Gina also shares her experiences studying abroad in Argentina, running a college fund for girls in El Salvador, and the moment she unlocked her true singing voice in the studio. We hear about how she met her wife, Jodi Granado, at the Catholic Student Center at the University of Texas. Then, we get into her complex relationship with Texas, her Catholic upbringing, her advocacy work, and the joy of performing on Olivia Travel cruises. Throughout the interview, Gina emphasizes the importance of being true to oneself and learning to embrace and express all parts of her identity.
Artist:Grain Thief Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts Latest Album:House of the Dog (out August 1, 2025)
Genre is dead (long live genre!), but how would you describe the genres and styles your music inhabits?
We’ve sort of faced the “genre-bending” thing throughout our career, so by now you’d think we’d have a good idea of how to summarize ourselves and our music. The beauty is, though, that we don’t really have to put ourselves down for a genre for anything more than maybe a drop-down menu or an intake form.
We’re from Boston, Massachusetts, an area that’s not typically known for its bluegrass scene (think Aerosmith, Dropkick Murphys, and Marky Mark). But through playing together in the early stages, we landed on this instrumentation that would be typical for a bluegrass band. So, does that make us a bluegrass band? Not really.
We welcome our individual musical backgrounds into our collective creative process. Alex (fiddle) went to school for classical music while Mike (bass) played drums in a punk band. Zach (mandolin) grew up in the PNW old-time scene while Patrick (guitar) studied English and developed a knack for songwriting. Tom (resonator) is a hell of an electric guitar player and is ready at the drop of a hat to play any iconic lead guitar riff that you might’ve just made reference to. We’re a mess. Sometimes, it’s a beautiful one.
What this all translates to is that we have a wide range of musicality within our crew and we allow all of that into our creative process and see what we come up with. Sometimes that could be called bluegrass or maybe even derivative of classical. Sometimes it’s lyrically poignant while other times it’s an angsty punky notion. Sometimes it’s, “This bridge kind of sounds like Weezer!” Thankfully this process has allowed us to grow a wide audience and allows for opportunities that are inside and outside of the bluegrass genre.
What other art forms – literature, film, dance, painting, etc. – inform your music?
We’re a group of friends who are all just about the same age, so we’ve all grown up along the same cultural timeline – regardless of the fact that we all first met in our 20s. When we’re making any kind of cultural references together, whether satirically or literally, things generally land with the other band members. We all watch similar series and movies and someone might make a reference from childhood that’s stood the test of time. Other times we’re in the van looking for things to talk about and someone asks, “Hey have you seen Dune 2 yet?” while the odd-man-out immediately goes straight to “earmuffs” mode.
We’ve got hobbyist photographers and not-so-hobbyist visual artists within the group, so we share our work and inspirations with each other which leads to art direction brainstorming for band projects (album art, merch, etc). Many of us enjoy literature and some of us can barely read music. Not bad! While we haven’t necessarily organized the thought before, we certainly draw inspiration from other art forms and that spills into our music and our relationships together as bandmates.
What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?
Prior to making a record we generally go away for a few days (as much as time allows for) while we are on a break from playing shows to take a creative writing retreat. This has taken place now before our albums Gasoline (2020) and House of the Dog (2025), which are the two from our catalog of the past few years that are complete original compositions. This time together allows us to get away from the outside world and work distraction-free and it allows a significant amount of time for creative collaboration or to bring works to the group for arranging. This time together also acts as an opportunity to share meals together, check in, strengthen friendships, and generally just appreciate the role that we collectively play in each others’ lives.
If you didn’t work in music, what would you do instead?
Sadly we all have other jobs, too. Yay music industry life of 2025! Among us are skilled computer programmers, web developers, carpenters, general contractors, bartenders, sound engineers, CAD engineers, teachers, and more. Is anybody hiring for those positions? It’s literally no rest for the wicked. Yet here we are and we are grateful that there is still a place for being a professional musician in our lives at all.
We try to really make it count when we get to do this, and it has never felt like something that we have to do.
Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?
We’ve all got excellent taste in both food and music, so it’s going to be hard to pick a single pairing that would apply for all of us. Sometimes we can’t all even decide on the same place to eat on the road. But, I’ve got two words that are abundantly clear with this one: “Jerry” and “Dogs.” So, probably a night of grilling hot dogs to the soundtrack of Grateful Dead bootlegs.
Photo Credit: Lead image by Toan Trinh; alternate image courtesy of the artist.
In the most exciting moment of the Finding Lucinda road trip thus far, Ismay hears from interviewee Wolf Stephenson that there is some archival material he wants to share from the concrete tape vault. After sitting on the shelf for 40 years, Wolf has finally brought three boxes down to review. He finds that there is something mysterious and unexpected in the third box, so Wolf and Ismay try to get to the bottom of what in the world this mystery box contains. This piece of never-before-heard material gives Ismay insight into Lucinda’s musical development and the choices she made as a creative person. But most importantly, discovering this treasure gives Ismay an opportunity to see themself in a way they never have before.
Produced in partnership with BGS and distributed through the BGS Podcast Network, Finding Lucinda expands on the themes of Ismay’s eponymous documentary film, exploring artistic influence, creative resilience, and the impact of Williams’ music. New episodes are released twice a month. Listen right here on BGS or wherever you get podcasts.
Finding Lucinda, the documentary film that inspired and instigated the podcast, is slated for release in the fall. Both the film and podcast showcase never-before-heard archival material, intimate conversations, and a visual journey through the literal and figurative landscapes that molded Lucinda’s songwriting.
Credits: Produced and mixed by Avery Hellman for Neanderthal Records, LLC. Music by Ismay. Artwork by Avery Hellman. Jackson, MS Recording: Recorded at Malaco Studios. Sound Recordist: Rodrigo Nino Producer: Liz McBee Director: Joel Fendelman Co-Director & Cinematographer: Rose Bush Special thanks to: Mick Hellman, Chuck Prophet, Don Fierro, Jacqueline Sabec, Rosemary Carroll, Lucinda Williams & Tom Overby
Find more information on Finding Lucinda here. Find our full Finding Lucinda episode archive here.
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