The BGS Radio Hour – Episode 218

Welcome to the BGS Radio Hour! Since 2017, this weekly radio show and podcast has been a recap of all the great music, new and old, featured on the digital pages of BGS. This week we have a vertigo-inducing bluegrass whirlwind from our Artist of the Month Béla Fleck and an all-star lineup, we take a listen to some energetic and ethereal — yet totally traditional — bluegrass banjo from Jeremy Stephens, we dive into the latest from Watchhouse’s new release, and much more!

APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY

Watchhouse – “New Star”

We’ve watched Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz go through quite a few changes throughout their career in music, but one of the most joyful to watch has been their journey as parents. Even with COVID-19 halting touring for more than a year, their young daughter Ruby has already been to 34 U.S. states and nine different countries!

After their pandemic hiatus, the family of three is back on the road again as Watchhouse, the duo formerly known as Mandolin Orange, touring their new self-titled album. And Ruby, now a toddler, has perhaps transitioned back to road life even more smoothly than her father, who admits he’s still “struggling to find my sea legs.” For a recent Cover Story we spoke to Marlin about their name change, their new album, creativity through the pandemic, parenthood, and oh so much more.

Bobby & Teddi Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus – “Roll That Rock”

Husband and wife duo Teddi & Bobby Cyrus are joined by Bobby’s cousin, Billy Ray Cyrus, on “Roll That Rock,” a grooving bluegrass gospel song that they wrote together. According to Billy Ray, “When I started singing ‘Roll That Rock’ my inner spirit said Bobby Cyrus will know exactly what to do with this. He did. He wrote the gospel truth and then sang the daylights out of it with Teddi and a killer bluegrass band reminiscent of Earl Scruggs and Bill Monroe.”

AJ Lee & Blue Summit – “Monongah Mine”

A new favorite of BGS, California-based bluegrass band AJ Lee & Blue Summit tell the story of the 1907 Monongah, West Virginia mining disaster in this new track.

Béla Fleck – Vertigo

20 years since his last bluegrass album, Béla Fleck just returned this past week with My Bluegrass Heart . Home is where the heart is, after all! All September we’re celebrating Béla as our #ArtistOfTheMonth! Hear tracks from the new project — featuring an all-star lineup — and more on our Essentials Playlist, including this song featuring Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Bryan Sutton, and Edgar Meyer.

Paul Thorn – “Sapalo”

In this track with an R&B groove, Mississippi’s Paul Thorn turns the contents of a YouTube video of James Brown high on PCP into a song of redemption. Yes, you read that right! As he puts it, “It’s about being optimistic with whatever time you’ve got left.”

Elder Jack Ward – “The Way Is Already Made”

Elder Jack Ward puts his God-given talents to work on a new album that’s full of joyful gospel and sacred soul — as evidenced on its title track, “The Way Is Already Made.”

“If you’ve got that God-given gift you can do it — your choice if you want to sing rock ‘n’ roll, blues, gospel — but I choose the right side.”

The Grascals – “Maybelle”

“Maybelle” is a song that sounds like it came from deep within the mountains — exactly what The Grascals were looking for. From the haunting words to the clawhammer banjo and fiddle, “Maybelle” will grab your attention.

Hiss Golden Messenger – “Sanctuary”

On a recent episode of The Show On The Road, host Z. Lupetin dials in to North Carolina to chat with Grammy-nominated songwriter MC Taylor, who for the last decade and a half has created heart-wrenchingly personal and subtly political music fronting Hiss Golden Messenger.

The Way Down Wanderers – “Everything’s Made out of Sand”

The Way Down Wanderers recorded “Everything’s Made Out of Sand” in one take, belting and stomping into one antique microphone. The song’s lyric, music, and sonic landscape all capture the inspiration they gathered from the temporary nature of all things.

Seth Mulder & Midnight Run – “Carolina Line”

Seth Mulder & Midnight Run recorded “Carolina Line” with an Osborne Brothers-inspired arrangement that represents many of their various musical influences.

Matthew Fowler – “Going Nowhere”

In a recent edition of 5+5, Matthew Fowler spoke on the bold authenticity of Glen Hansard, a memorable birthday show in his hometown, Orlando, putting himself in the “hot seat” of a song, and much more.

The Felice Brothers – “To-Do List”

The Felice Brothers chose the very first take of “To-Do List” as the keeper, capturing the loose, playful quality of the group just getting the tune under their fingers. “The song was originally a slow waltz with the lyrics: ‘Into the fire that burns them/that’s how the idiots run,’ but I didn’t know where to go from there. I had written down a to-do list on the adjacent page and began to sing it and it seemed to work well with the phrasing. I wrote down many pages of ridiculous things and chopped them up into the melody. This is how the song came into being.”

Mike Younger – “Killing Time”

The lyrics of Mike Younger Music’s “Killing Time” take comfort in the remembrance of past friendships forged in the fire of struggle. Younger believes that artists have nothing to lose by speaking their truth and doing so unapologetically through song. “I greatly admire those writers and creative people in general, who, through their work, have lent their voices to the struggle for equity in our society, like John Lennon, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, and others.”

Jeremy Stephens – “Sockeye”

Banjo player and multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Stephens (co-founder of High Fidelity) has an old school, traditional approach to bluegrass that’s anything but backward. His new solo album, How I Hear It, includes several instrumentals that demonstrate this fact. “Sockeye” captures the energy and ethereal quality of Stephens’ live playing in a way many more sterile bluegrass albums, and purposefully more modern sounding records, can only aspire to.


Photos: (L to R) Béla Fleck by Alan Messer; Watchhouse by Shervin Lainez; Hiss Golden Messenger by Chris Frisina

BGS 5+5: Matthew Fowler

Artist: Matthew Fowler
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Latest album: The Grief We Gave Our Mother (September 10, 2021)
Rejected Band Names: Fatts Mowler. Although, I honestly still kinda love it.

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

Glen Hansard, for sure. I started listening to his music when I was 14, learning how to play guitar, and just getting into songwriting. A period of branching out from the music of my childhood, and into stuff I discovered for myself. I was a huge fan of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and lots of great classic artists, but Hansard was the first contemporary songwriter that really took hold of me. He’s an extremely dynamic and passionate performer. Super vulnerable and personable with the audience, too. I saw a ton of songwriters play the “dark and mysterious” role well, but he was bold and authentic. He’s just an inspiring dude.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

There’s an awesome club in Orlando called The Social where I first started going to see smaller shows. I loved that room — 300-something cap, close quarters, and a great view of the stage from all angles. I played a headlining set there for my birthday with a six- or seven-piece band (which was crazy) and actually turned 20 while onstage. The turnout was fantastic, everyone sang “Happy Birthday” for me, my mom called me during the set (they were out of town), and I had the distinct honor of graduating out of my teenage years doing something that was important to me in a place where I first fell in love with live music. It’s a happy memory that I’m grateful for.

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc. — inform your music?

I’m a big fan of movies. They’re awesome for gaining insight into different facets of life, especially at an age when you can’t always go and experience those things firsthand. Growing up, that was one of my BIG windows into the world. I’ve since done my own videographer work and grown to love it as another creative thing to do. I’m pretty big on making collages too — I like how it celebrates fusing seemingly different elements together to make something more wholly interesting. I think any creative endeavor strengthens ones creativity as a whole. It ALL informs the music.

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

I usually don’t write a set list out (if at all) until the absolute last possible second. The vibe of every room and situation is truly different, which is one of my favorite things about touring. A lot of times, if I’m playing solo, I’ll just write out a long list of possible songs and pick whatever I feel in the moment. It’s an exhilarating feeling to be off-the-cuff in a show setting. It makes the night feel more natural.

How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?

I usually never hide behind a character in a song. I mostly write from my own specific point of view — I find I’m able to feel more authentic in voice and emotion when I put myself in the “hot seat” of the song. That being said, I’ve always been intrigued by songwriters who can weave a story and put themselves completely out of it. I hope to grow as a writer with each album I make, and maybe that’s my move for the next one.


Photo credit: Mike Dunn

WATCH: Matthew Fowler, ‘Leaving Home/Open Road’

Artist: Matthew Fowler
Hometown: Orlando, FL
Song: "Leaving Home/Open Road"
Album: Beginning

In Their Words: "This was filmed toward the end of my tour with Sean Rowe this past spring. I had pretty much criss-crossed the country, driving something like 4,000 miles over the previous two weeks by myself in my little Kia. I would meet Sean at the shows we were playing together, we would separate for a couple days, and then meet back up again for more shows. By some gift from the scheduling gods, my friend Anthony happened to be in New York City on the same day as one of the shows; he graciously set aside some time to wander around the city, and take a video in-between sound checks in the Green Room of the Mercury Lounge, where Sean and I were playing that night." — Matthew Fowler 


Photo credit: James Dechert