Artist:Scott Sean White Hometown: Dallas, Texas/Nashville, Tennessee Song: “Hope You Never Do” (Featuring Radney Foster) Album:Even Better On the Bad Days Release Date: August 18, 2023 (single); January 19, 2024 (album)
In Their Words: “Eric Erdman and Radney Foster were writing at Radney’s house one day and the news or something came on the TV while they were having lunch. Whatever it was, it made one of Radney’s kids say, ‘Dad, I don’t even know what it’s like to ball up my fist to hit someone.’ And Radney teared up and said, ‘I hope you never do.’ Eric gave him a minute and then said, ‘We’re writing THAT!’ They got stuck on the idea for some reason and couldn’t get it where they wanted. It was a year-and-a-half later that I met Eric for the first time and for some reason, he thought I was the guy to help them and their other co-writer, Chad Wilson, get it unstuck. We got together over Zoom one day and left with this.” – Scott Sean White
Artist:Philip Bowen Hometown: Montgomery, West Virginia Song: “Anymore” Album:Old Kanawha Release Date: August 18, 2023
In Their Words: “We really wanted to do this song as an acoustic/bonus track on the record. I wrote it with the intention of it being more bare bones, and I love how it turned out. The acoustic guitar, fiddle, and piano are all that’s needed, and I think musically, it really hits differently when it’s scaled back like this.” – Philip Bowen
My sophomore album,A Cowgirl Rides On, set to be released October 20, 2023, is a true reflection of my heart and what keeps me going – bluegrass, gospel, western, Jesus, horses, love, and even a little bit of heartache. The songs written for the record were hugely inspired by the songs I included on this playlist. All of these artists and songs are ones I hold near and dear and have moved me in some big way.
I became strong in my faith as a Christian in my early 20s, which is around the same time I began performing and writing a ton. Being introduced to gospel and bluegrass had a big impact on me, and it continues to deeply connect me to my faith.
It’s been a long–time dream to release a record that feels a little bit bluegrass, a little bit gospel, and everything inbetween. Here are the songs that guided me there. I hope you find so much joy in them and that they become the soundtrack to your long drives, or to enjoy over your Sunday pancakes, or during the times you just need a little light. – Victoria Bailey
“Waiting At the Gate” – Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
This song is one of my all–time favorites. This whole album, Soldier of the Cross, is pure gospel gold. I actually cover this song on my upcoming record, and it was one of the most fun songs for us to record in the studio. Ricky Skaggs is just simply the best.
“Wayfaring Stranger” – Emmylou Harris
This Emmylou Harris album is really the pinpoint of when I fell in love with country music. Many have covered this classic song, but Emmylou’s version of “Wayfaring Stranger“ is my favorite by far. Her voice and the tone of this song are so haunting and beautiful… nothing compares.
“The Seeker”– Dolly Parton
Oh, Dolly… what would a playlist be without her? Dolly is undeniably the best and has inspired me in so many ways, but especially her love for Jesus and how she ties in a little bit of the gospel to most of her records. This song really gets me moving and grooving around my house.
“I Just Want to Thank You Lord” – Marshall Family
These harmonies are so good, and they really inspired how I wanted the harmonies to sound on my own record. I also wanted it to feel just as timeless and simple as this song by the Marshall Family. This song ends up being on most of my roadtrip playlists.
“The Fields Have Turned Brown” – Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley is a huge inspiration to me and such an important figure in bluegrass music and in the banjo world. The banjo is one of my all–time favorite sounds, and I included a lot of it on my new record. It just takes you to a good place.
“Wild and Blue” – Alan Jackson
I turn to this album quite often. What a combo! Alan Jackson and bluegrass/gospel. It’s just so good.
“Snake Trails” – Victoria Bailey
This is by far my favorite song on the record. It is a gospel song I wrote while riding my horse, Weasley, through the canyon one day. It brings me back to that place every time I sing it. It was one of the first written for the project and really sets a tone for the rest of the record. It was inspired by my horse and finding peace and connection to my faith being out on the trails.
“I Must See Jesus” – Snooks Eaglin
This song always gives me the same feeling as when you just finished a really good movie. My whole heart swells, and it brings me to a really special, peaceful place. His voice is incredible, and you can hear all the passion and honesty and faith in his delivery.
“End of the Line” – Moonsville Collective
These guys are like family to me and have inspired me endlessly over the years, watching them play and the way they are beautifully representing bluegrass/Americana music. This song, written by Corey Adams, is one that has always hit home hard for me at many times in my life. It is truly one of my favorite songs ever written, and it was an honor that I actually got to cover this song on my upcoming record.
“I’ll Fly Away” – Gillian Welch, Allison Krauss
When my producer, Brian Whelan, and I sat down to talk about making this record, we referenced the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack often. Not only is this movie legendary, so are all of the musical performers on the soundtrack. We loved the style of the recordings. Live, all in one room together, where you can hear all the cracks and the love, and it‘s exactly what we tried to emulate for my own record. Recording live was such a special part of making A Cowgirl Rides On.
“Where the Soul of Man Never Dies” – Ricky Skaggs & Tony Rice
Doesn’t get much better than this duet. This is often a Sunday soundtrack for me.
“Long Journey Home” – Billy Strings & Terry Barber
Billy Strings is such an amazing representation of modern bluegrass. His sound is timeless, and his guitar playing and songwriting match up to some of my bluegrass heroes. I’ve always loved this song, and he covers it so well.
“Angel Band” – The Stanley Brothers
This song just always pops in my head any time I hear the word bluegrass. It is so classic and pure, and the harmonies pull on all the heartstrings.
“Just Like Leaving” – Bella White
I have been a longtime Bella White fan, and she is such an important female artist in keeping the bluegrass sound alive. The rest of the record is incredible as well.
“Green Green Grass of Home” – Merle Haggard
You can’t have a playlist without Merle. This song always brings me to tears and really is a beautiful representation of Merle’s songwriting and voice.
Artist:Birds of Play Hometown: Telluride, Colorado Song: “Breathe” Album:Birdsongs of the American West Release Date: August 25, 2023
In Their Words: “‘Breathe’ was written as a response to witnessing my wife navigate a somewhat tumultuous time, rife with hard questions about meaning and purpose and her place in life. I was also wrestling with some of the same sentiments at the time and wrote this song as a friendly reminder to us both of the impermanence of all of our states and experiences and how much agency we have to reground with a simple breath. We worked this song up specifically for this album as it was one of the only songs in this group that we hadn’t played before recording Birdsongs of the American West. We’ve only started to play this live during our most recent tour around the PNW and it’s been really moving to see how deeply it’s resonating with our audiences.” – Alex Paul
On August 11 and 12 Queerfest returns to Nashville, Tennessee, after its first in-person event in 2022 was named Nashville Scene’s Best New Music Festival. The multi-venue festival and celebration of queer folk, roots music, and indie will take place at three popular Nashville music venues – the 5 Spot, Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge, and the Basement East – and will feature over eight hours of programming from LGBTQ+ identified musicians from across the genre landscape. (Full lineup and schedule below, tickets available here.)
In anticipation of this year’s event, we spoke to festival founder, community builder, singer-songwriter, and BGS contributor Sara Gougeon, founder and director of Pineworks Creative, about Queerfest, its growth, and why queer-centered communities are so vital, not just in Music City but in the music industry in general.
Congratulations on your second in-person Queerfest and your third ever! What are you looking forward to during this year’s festival?
SG: I’m so stoked about the lineup and the community. There are SO many phenomenal LGBTQ+ artists on this year’s lineup. And I’m so excited to bring the community together again in a way that supports queer music, artists, and organizations. I’m really looking forward to soaking up that energy.
Are there particular artists on the lineup you’re excited to have this year? Who are some of the artists and bands you think the QF audience will be most excited to discover?
I’m honestly excited for the lineup as a whole. As a songwriter and musician myself, I’m very particular about the artists and bands that I chose to book. If I had to choose one stand out band, it’d be The Collection. Their live show has this electric live energy and they also just seem so genuine. I’m stoked to be booking them. I love highlighting great music all around – regardless of how big the artist is. Sydnee Conley and Dani-Rae Clark are two up-and-coming artists who might not be as well known and their music blows me away. And Great Aunt who is coming all the way from Australia!
Liv Greene (center) performs with Jobi Riccio (right) and Christine Wilhoyte (left) at Queerfest 2022
How would you describe the growing and blossoming queer music scene in Nashville, and more broadly, in the music industry as a whole?
What an interesting question. There’s been so much growth and acceptance within the industry. I’m always blown away by how many phenomenal queer artists there are in Nashville. The industry as a whole is definitely seeing more artists come out.
It’s actually incredible to talk to artists who are a few generations older about that growth. I’ve heard stories from artists who were kicked off their label after coming out. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of history of that sort. But it’s been so incredible to build spaces, highlight queer music, and watch the industry become more inclusive in many ways.
Why do you think it’s so important to create and hold spaces like Queerfest for LGBTQ+ musicians, artists, and fans?
I decided to start Queerfest because of a personal need. I couldn’t find community spaces. And I was surprised that there weren’t places highlighting queer artists. And yet I noticed that there are SO MANY phenomenal queer artists, and so many queer people in general looking for inclusive spaces.
Queerfest and BGS have partnered on a column, Out Now, which was also created to hold space for LGBTQ+ folks in music. Who is on your wishlist to interview for Out Now? Is there anyone you dream of booking on a future Queerfest?
Oooh! I am so excited that we started Out Now! I’d love to interview Katie Pruitt and Joy Oladokun. Oh, and she’s definitely more in the popular music genre, but it’d be amazing to feature Fletcher one day.
And there are so many other artists: Becca Mancari, Jaime Wyatt, Shelly Fairchild, Palmyra, Aaron Lee Tasjan, SistaStrings, Leith Ross, Corook, Shelly Fairchild, Olive Klug.
And these artists who played the 2021 virtual festival: Mary Gauthier, Jaime Harris, The Accidentals, Izzy Heltai.
I’d love to have all of these acts both in-person and on Out Now!
Carmen Dianne (right) performs with band at Queerfest 2022
Do you have any advice for queer folks out there trying to find community and belonging in Nashville and in music?
Come to Queerfest!! But also, there are a lot of pockets of queer community/events/organizations popping up. Check out Outdoorsy Queers – I founded this community group with friends. We host hikes, climbs, park days, roller skating hangs, and more!
Other ways to connect with queer community in Nashville:
Artist:Rachel Gore Hometown: Wilmington, North Carolina Song: “Good Death” Album:Forgotten Woman of Folk Release Date: August 11, 2023 (single); October 6, 2023 (EP)
In Their Words: “I wrote ‘Good Death’ in the midst of dealing with a lot of anxiety – specifically surrounding death. I feel like it’s a topic that’s not normally discussed openly, so I wanted to write a song that took that fear and made it into something really beautiful. I recorded the song with Americana artist and producer Sarah Peacock, who transformed it into something beyond what I could have ever imagined.
“Much of ‘Good Death’ and the upcoming EP surrounds spirituality and Southern upbringing, so I knew for the video that I wanted to find some really beautiful old churches in the country. I brought this idea to the director, Corbin Eaton, who just blew it out of the water. We spent a day roaming around rural Tennessee finding the most incredible historical chapels, and we even got invited to record inside the last one we were filming. I’m so thrilled to share this song with the world, and I hope there are people who feel like ‘Good Death’ is exactly what they’ve needed to hear.” – Rachel Gore
Artist:Kim Moberg Hometown: Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the traditional territory of the Indigenous Nauset and Wampanoag Nations Song: “The Eighth Fire – Wings of the Winds” Album:The Seven Fires Prophecy Release Date: August 11, 2023
In Their Words: “The Seven Fires Prophecy teaches us that the Native Elders go to sleep because the people turn their backs on their ancient wisdom and teachings. It also tells us that if we learn to live with one another and our environment in peace and respect, the Seventh Fire will light the Eighth Fire which is the fire of brother and sisterhood.
“It is my never-ending hope that, with a lot of work, we can and will accomplish this.
“I wrote ‘The Eighth Prophecy – Wings of the Winds’ as my vision of hope after hearing a comment by National Indigenous Archbishop Mark McDonald who said, ‘When it is time for Indigenous People to return to the land, it will be the artists who will call them back.’ I believe the time has come for artists — songwriters, musicians, painters, dancers — to awaken the Elders by being open, listening, understanding, and learning from their wisdom and sharing what we learn through our art.
“The song title honors all directions of the winds – north, south, east, west, up and down – winds that carry the ancient wisdom of the Elders to us. That wisdom tells us that we already hold the power to rise up and take action for peaceful and positive change. All we have to do is listen.” – Kim Moberg
Artist:Julian Talamantez Brolaski Hometown: Goleta, California Latest Album:It’s Okay Honey Personal Nicknames (or rejected band names): Julian & the Knockouts
Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?
JTB: Probably the poet William Shakespeare. I know that sounds cliché to say. I love the way he combines words which have their roots in Old English with words of Romance origin, like his line: “The multitudinous seas incarnadine / making the green one red.” He drank deep from the fount of English, and I’m grateful for what he gave us — language that sings.
What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc. — inform your music?
Poetry, in both its written and oral forms. I think of folk music as a kind of oral poetry. And I love to see the trajectories of the way songs are passed down, change, and mutate, like a game of Telephone. The song “In the Pines,” for instance, or “Wildwood Flower.” There are so many versions of those songs, and stories around them, wayward histories, misheard and remade lines. I like to think of my songs as operating in that tradition, rhyming and stealing, dressing up old songs in new clothes. My song “Goodbye Brother,” for example, is a rewriting of the Carter Family song “Lula Walls.” And “Covid-19 Blues” is basically a ripoff of “Long Gone Lonesome Blues” by Hank Williams.
What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?
I do these vocal warmups before I sing that a teacher in Philadelphia taught me. They’re very annoying sounding, like a bratty baby crying, and then like a whining witch, and so I get kind of self-conscious doing them, but it really makes a difference. I meditate and try to get myself into a calm place, and focus on my intention to really be there with the songs, to sing them with my heart, and to give my all for the audience.
What has been the best advice you’ve received in your career so far?
My grandmother Inés told me whenever you are speaking or singing, always do it from your heart. Over the years, I came to understand that that is not a metaphor, that the feeling is actually quite literal, and bodily. So I try to feel that heartspace physically, and to remember to direct my songs from there. I think that’s a good piece of advice for life, too.
Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?
I live near the ocean in Goleta, California, near Santa Barbara. I love to sit and feel my toes in the sand, walk along the cliffs, smell the enmineralated air. I go to the ocean whenever I feel upset, and it always helps me. Sometimes, I write poems down there, or I bring my guitar and sit on my tailgate and watch the water. It’s very meditative to be in the water, too, swimming or surfing, and it’s humbling and exhilarating to feel the ocean’s power. I always get ideas in the water — if someone could invent a wetsuit with a zipper pocket for a waterproof notebook, that would be amazing.
Artist:Tim Higgins Hometown: Greensboro, Alabama Song: “Second Chance” Album:Higher Ground Society Presents: Patchwork Symphony Label: Cartographer Records
In Their Words: “This song is about a young man who just keeps making wrong decisions – who feels invincible. And because of those decisions, he gets the book thrown at him. Growing up, I’ve known a few very sweet, and seemingly all around good guys, who just keep doing all the wrong things – like they have some devil controlling them. And when you get a reputation with the police in a small town, you’re marked. They’ll follow you around; and when you’re immature, you’re an easy target. The law loves to make an example out of kids like that – I don’t know if it’s to try to scare everyone else straight – or perhaps it’s just about exerting power.
“In the Deep South, where this song is set and where I live, private prisons and the lack of mental healthcare and other resources feed into a system that doesn’t allow for second chances; it’s a system that allows for things to go from bad to the worst case scenario in an instant. Anyway, this is a little story about one such lost boy, who ends up in jail for a very long time – with ‘No Regrets’ tattooed across his chest when certainly, with age, he is very full of regret. Recorded at Cartographer Records in Mobile, Alabama, as part of their OddCollege Music series, ‘Second Chance’ will be featured on Higher Ground Society’s Patchwork Symphony, a compilation showcasing Alabama artists, funded in part by the Alabama State Council on the Arts.” – Tim Higgins
Artist:Abby Posner Hometown: Los Angeles, California Song: “The Starting Line” Album:Second Chances Release Date: August 11, 2023 Label: Blackbird Record Label
In Their Words: “I have always been torn between being an artist and having a family, and a part of this song is about working through some of these complicated feelings. ‘The Starting Line’ is also about feeling like an outsider, and ‘falling behind’ — it is a journey toward cultivating a new relationship and new perspective with that part of myself.
“I really wanted to do a stripped-down, live version of this song, because I didn’t want it to be perfect or over produced. The rawness is an important part of the song’s overall message. I have spent a lot of time in Temescal Canyon meditating, hiking, and unplugging from the sometimes chaotic hustle and bustle of LA! This is a place that I have always been able to self-reflect and see things more clearly.
“I hope that other artists, queer people, and non-conforming/unconventional folks will be able to hear this song as an anthem for being able to let their freak flag fly, and be proud of marching to the beat of their own drum.” – Abby Posner
Photo Credit: Jeff Fasano
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