Tag: podcast

Basic Folk: Bonnie “Prince” Billy

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Will Oldham, also known as Bonnie “Prince” Billy, has led an illustrious, sometimes mysterious career which has spanned decades and genres. Hailing from and still living in Lexington, Kentucky, in our Basic Folk conversation Will reflects on his journey from a young artist struggling to find his place in the music world to a seasoned musician who embraces collaboration and creativity.

LISTEN: APPLE • SPOTIFY • AMAZON • MP3

We dive into his latest album, The Purple Bird, discussing the pivotal role of producer David Ferguson in Will’s artistic evolution. He reveals how working with Ferguson and a host of talented Nashville musicians transformed his songwriting process and solidified his sense of belonging in the music community. With a mix of humor and heartfelt honesty, Will describes the joy of collaboration and the unique energy that comes from working with seasoned artists, particularly those from older generations.

Throughout this episode of Basic Folk, Will also touches on the contrasting emotions evoked by his songs, especially when dealing with serious themes wrapped in upbeat melodies. He draws parallels to the works of Phil Ochs, highlighting the importance of addressing difficult subjects through art. As we wrap up, he shares personal anecdotes about his family and the influence of his daughter on his music. Thanks to Will for making a wonderful record and being so willing to get seriously deep into some of its themes!

Photo Credit: David Kasnic

Basic Folk: Rose Cousins

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Rose Cousins and Edie Carey‘s friendship has blossomed for over two decades. On the occasion of Rose releasing her new album, Conditions of Love – Vol 1, the pair appear on Basic Folk to discuss the new music. They reflect on their early days and their first meeting as well as the ways they’ve influenced each other’s careers and personal growth.

LISTEN: APPLE • SPOTIFY • AMAZON • MP3

To witness Rose’s new album through the eyes (and ears) of her best friend feels like a huge privilege, a front-row seat looking into what the human heart and mind are capable of. Edie prompts Rose to expand on the challenges of balancing love and freedom, the complexities of navigating midlife, and why the piano is her soulmate. With humor and depth, they tackle the big questions of life, love, and the creative process, revealing the layers of their artistic identities.

“I just had a really moving, hilarious, enlightening conversation with my best friend Rose Cousins,” Edie reflects. “We talked about vulnerability, middle-aged gardening, accidentally putting in one another’s eye contacts, and befriending our own mortality. We also talked about her stunning new record, Conditions of Love – Vol 1.”

Explore more of our Artist of the Month coverage of Rose Cousins here.

Photo Credit: Lindsay Duncan

Dale Brisby on Only Vans with Bri Bagwell

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Dale Brisby is a one-of-a-kind personality, entrepreneur, and real-life (actual) cowboy. In this episode of Only Vans – that was filmed live at The MusicFest at Steamboat 2025 – we talk about when Dale and I used to date, about haters, documentary-making, attitudes, and all things rodeo.

LISTEN: APPLE • SPOTIFY • AMAZON • MP3

Dale Brisby is a force of nature when it comes to building a brand and he is a master at creating fun and unique content. Dale wears sunglasses all the time and if you can’t tell, I pause to join him in sunglass-wearing for this super fun chat with a man that can not walk five feet at MusicFest (or probably anywhere) without being stopped and recognized. Dale was a hired emcee at MusicFest in Steamboat, Colorado, where we recorded this episode in front of a large live audience. (Thanks John Dickson!)

It’s hard to give a description of Dale, so I highly recommend checking out his Instagram and his YouTube channel if you’re one of the few who are not yet a fan. Also, I really loved his How To Be a Cowboy series on Netflix. You get a sense of who Dale is when he says he’s the man who invented bull riding with one hand.

When preparing for this Only Vans episode, I was wondering if I would be interviewing the character of Dale Brisby or the man behind him. Are they the same person? Could I carry on an hour-long interview with someone who claims to be the best bull rider in the world while wearing a giant fake belt buckle, but also in reality is a really amazing cowboy….? Bottom line, and you’ll see, Dale is hilarious, but also a genuine person, a good man, and actually a real cowboy. Don’t forget to check out his Rodeo Time podcasts.

I want to apologize to Amy Reitnouer Jacobs and Cindy Howes for not giving them a shoutout at the intro of this podcast, because they’re also the true force behind our partnership with BGS, Good Country, and the BGS Podcast Network! Love y’all.

Enjoy!

 

Basic Folk: Sierra Hull

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

(Editor’s Note: The entire BGS team would like to congratulate Basic Folk on 300 amazing episodes of the podcast! Celebrate #300, featuring GRAMMY nominee Sierra Hull as our guest, with us below.)

When mandolinist Sierra Hull was little, her dad told her she was really good “for a 10-year-old.” The older Hull knew Sierra had a fiery passion for the instrument and he knew exactly how to motivate his daughter. He went on to say that if she wanted to go to jams and porch-play for the rest of her life, she’d learned enough. He gave her realistic advice, saying if she wanted to dedicate her life to music, she would have to work really hard. Because “that 10-year-old cute thing is gonna wear off.” Sierra, who would draw pictures of herself playing at the Grand Ole Opry with Alison Krauss and doodle album covers with the Rounder Records logo, took his advice to heart and got to work.

LISTEN: APPLE • SPOTIFY • AMAZON • MP3

Since then, Hull has shared the stage with more heroes than one could count. She’s inspired a new generation of younger players, she’s released five albums, and she’s considered a master of the mandolin. Her new album, A Tip Toe High Wire, is set for release March 7. In our Basic Folk conversation Sierra reflects on how growing up in the small town of Byrdstown, Tennessee, shaped her musical identity alongside bluegrass, gospel, and family traditions. She shares memories of family gatherings filled with music featuring Aunt Betty and Uncle Junior, the profound influence of church hymns, and how these experiences continue to resonate in her playing and songwriting.

Sierra also discusses the significance of A Tip Toe High Wire, her first independent release, highlighting the freedom and growth that come with that independence. She emphasizes the importance of authenticity in her music, allowing herself to explore new sounds while remaining grounded in her bluegrass roots. Elsewhere in the episode, she opens up about her personal growth, the pressures of being labeled a child prodigy, and her journey toward embracing imperfection in her art. We also dive into what we’ll call her “Stevie Nicks Era” with the amazing cover art on the new record. Sierra enjoys playing with elaborate styles in her album artwork and red carpet looks (helloooo CMA Awards). With a candid perspective on the challenges of the music industry, she encourages listeners to find joy in the process while appreciating the beauty of vulnerability.

Photo Credit: Bethany Brook Showalter & Spencer Showalter

Basic Folk: Gary Louris

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

(Editor’s Note: This special episode of Basic Folk featuring Gary Louris is guest-hosted by singer-songwriter and friend of the podcast Mark Erelli.)

You probably know Gary Louris as the leader of The Jayhawks – or as they refer to themselves, “a band from Minnesota.” The Jayhawks are pioneers of roots rock, alt-country, and Americana. Whatever you wanna call it, they’ve been making records where rock, pop, country, and other forms of American roots music overlap since the mid-1980s.

But Louris’s hidden superpower is that he’s kind of like a musical Swiss Army knife – he’s basically got a creative skill for any application. Want him and his band to serve as accompanists for some of the most distinctive singer-songwriters, like Wesley Stage and Joe Henry? He can do that. Looking for achingly perfect, near-fraternal harmonies on hit songs like Counting Crows’ “Mr. Jones”? He can (and did) do that. If you’re Tedeschi Trucks Band or The Chicks and looking for someone to write you some catchy, melodic, roots-pop songs? Gary’s your guy. If that’s not enough, he has also produced records for artists like Dar Williams, The Sadies, and The Jayhawks, too. Whatever your musical need may be, chances are that Gary Louris can do it.

LISTEN: APPLE • SPOTIFY • AMAZON • MP3

In between all these varied musical roles, Louris has also found time to release several solo albums, the newest of which – Dark Country – was released earlier this month. He recorded it mostly solo in his home studio and the word on the street is that this collection of songs, inspired by his wife, is his most intimate and romantic album yet. I’ve been a big fan of Gary Louris for basically my entire adult life and enjoyed our wide-ranging Basic Folk conversation, touching on the way technical limitations can shape an artist’s style, what he’s learned from a career’s worth of collaborations, his process working on his new solo album, the relationship between versatility and longevity, and what the influence of romance on his songwriting looks like now, in the fifth decade of his music career.

Listen to Mark Erelli guest on Basic Folk here.

Photo Credit: Steve Cohen

Travis Book Happy Hour: Casey Driessen

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Casey Driessen is simply one of the most inventive fiddlers on planet earth. I first saw him perform in his trademark red shoes with Tim O’Brien and have had the honor of performing with him in Woody Platt’s backing ensemble, The Bluegrass Gentlemen.

Casey is friendly and open-minded, but I get the sense he doesn’t suffer fools and I was admittedly a little intimidated going into this session. I knew that I’d be stretched musically and I really was. However, he and River cultivated a musical situation where presence and attention were all that was needed. We shared an unforgettable night of music that reminded me what Tuesday’s at 185 King Street are all about.

LISTEN: APPLE • SPOTIFY • STITCHER • AMAZON • MP3

This episode was recorded live at 185 King Street in Brevard, North Carolina, on December 3, 2024.

Photo Credit: Ken Voltz

Editor’s Note: The Travis Book Happy Hour is hosted by Travis Book of the GRAMMY Award-winning band, The Infamous Stringdusters. The show’s focus is musical collaboration and conversation around matters of being. The podcast includes highlights from Travis’s interviews and music from each live show recorded in Brevard, North Carolina.

The Travis Book Happy Hour is brought to you by Thompson Guitars and is presented by Americana Vibes and The Bluegrass Situation as part of the BGS Podcast Network. You can find the Travis Book Happy Hour on Instagram and Facebook and online at thetravisbookhappyhour.com.

Brendon Anthony & Jon Randall on Only Vans with Bri Bagwell

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

This is one of the more serious – and important – conversations I’ve had so far on Only Vans and I was lucky enough to get to have it with two good friends. Brendon Anthony is the newly named VP of Big Loud Texas and a brilliant fiddler. Jon Randall is a hit songwriter, producer, and co-founder of Big Loud Texas. We talk about things like the Texas music scene, the politics of live music, product versus legacy, and the impact of AI.

LISTEN: APPLE • SPOTIFY • AMAZON • MP3

Here is another Only Vans recording in front of a live audience at MusicFest at Steamboat in Colorado. Thank you so much to John Dickson and everyone at MusicFest for making this happen!

Today I am joined by two amazing human beings that I’ve known for over a decade (and a half…?), Brendon Anthony and Jon Randall. Brendon Anthony has recently been named the Vice President of Big Loud Texas, which is a record label that was founded by Randall and Miranda Lambert. It is a branch of the Big Loud record label that has artists such as Lambert, Hardy, and Hailey Whitters to name a few. Before that, Brendon was the director of the Texas Music Office and was instrumental in the creation of BMI Texas and the Texas Music Incubator rebate program, which supports music venues in Texas with over $20 million in tax rebates. We talk about a lot of other great things Brendon has done for Texas music and music-friendly communities, and even I was fascinated by it and learned something new. You can also find him playing fiddle on stages with people like Pat Green!

Jon Randall, co-founder of Big Loud Texas, has some hits you may know as a songwriter, including “Whiskey Lullaby,” “Tin Man,” and many of your favorite new Hold My Beer Volume II tracks by Wade Bowen and Randy Rogers. His producer credits are equally impressive: Dierks Bentley, Parker McCollum, Miranda, Jack Ingram, Pat Green – you get the picture.

These two guests are funny, down-to-earth, approachable, and they truly care about art in the midst of a time I’ve been referring to as “The Wild West” of music. When Jon also called it “the Wild West,” I almost fell off my chair with validation. Don’t forget to subscribe and share this episode!

Thank you so much again to Jon and Brendon and to Dirt Trail Entertainment for sponsoring these very special and very cold MusicFest episodes. Thanks to our show sponsors, Hand Drawn Pressing & CH Lonestar Promo, too!

Find our Only Vans episode archive here.

Basic Folk: Lilly Hiatt

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Singer-songwriter Lilly Hiatt has an interesting way of working melodies and a down-to-earth way of telling stories about her life and about how she sees the world. All of her albums have cool, crunchy guitar parts that take folk songwriting to a rockin’ level. On her new album, Forever, her diverse influences are woven into songs that touch on everything from relationships to anxiety and mental health to good old-fashioned rock and roll.

LISTEN: APPLE • SPOTIFY • AMAZON • MP3

In our Basic Folk conversation, we talked about the lessons that Lilly learned growing up the daughter of legendary songwriter John Hiatt and what it meant to her to see her dad go through the ups and downs of the music business while having the humility and self-belief to keep going. She also talks about how she thinks about herself as a performer – and how that’s changed since the pandemic. Before the pandemic Hiatt had a couple of really big records (Trinity Lane, 2017 and Walking Proof, 2020) that gained a lot of hype and attention. Once coronavirus hit, she had to sit in the house and ask the big questions like a lot of us did. She sat with the loneliness, alienation, and uncertainty.

You can hear in our interview just how much mutual respect and admiration we have for each other and how much belief we have in one another, not only as songwriters, but as women and as people who are in recovery. Very LYLAS vibes, lots of laughs.

Photo Credit: Jody Domingue

Basic Folk: Sam Moss

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Although the ever-enigmatic Sam Moss is not a great swimmer, he named his latest album Swimming. The folk singer with a gentle demeanor is back with thoughtful songs and captivating melodies. Hailing from New England, Sam has carved out a unique niche in the folk world, blending naturalistic themes with an introspective approach to songwriting. We explore how his New England roots continue to influence his music – despite his current residence being Virginia – and how his upbringing in a family of visual artists has shaped his artistic sensibilities.

LISTEN: APPLE • SPOTIFY • AMAZON • MP3

Sam also talks about how movement and the natural world inspire his songwriting, if not with more oblique lyrics. We dig into his latest album Swimming, where he boldly embraces more direct lyrical expressions; we discuss the balance between mood and narrative in his work, too. Our Basic Folk conversation touches on his journey from a shy young musician to a confident performer, as well, thanks in part to the encouragement of close friends like Jackson Emmer. He counts Emmer, who he played with in old-time duo The Howling Kettles, as one of his greatest inspirations for following his own creative arrow in music.

Elsewhere in the episode, we explore Sam’s passion for woodworking, a skill he honed as a respite from musical burnout. He describes the satisfaction of crafting tangible objects and how this practice complements his musical endeavors. We also really dive into his feelings around the word “gentle,” which is often used to describe his music and persona. He doesn’t actually mind being known as a gentle person– in fact, he hopes people do find his music soft and tender and, in that gentleness, that they still leave feeling his songs’ striking impact.

Photo Credit: Lead image by Jake Xerxes Fussell; alternate image by Alaina Shefelton.

Max & Heather Stalling on Only Vans with Bri Bagwell

Posted on by Justin Hiltner

Welcome to the first of four live episodes of Only Vans from the MusicFest at Steamboat 2025. Two of my inspirations and great friends, Max & Heather Stalling, helped us kick things off. We get into many topics such as ex-husbands, cassette collections, mortal vs. immortal musicians, skinny dipping – and they even perform a few live songs.

LISTEN: APPLE • SPOTIFY • AMAZON • MP3

Max and Heather Stalling are a staple of our music scene and these lovebirds are my favorite, you can tell. Heather is an accomplished singer-songwriter, incredible fiddle player, and I love that we had the opportunity for them to play three songs together live at our very first hour-long Musicfest podcast taping up in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in front of a live (and rather large) audience!

Max is a Texas A&M Aggie graduate, but we don’t hold that against him, because he has multiple amazing records out. Heather’s project, Blacktop Gypsy, is awesome and also available wherever you get your music. On this Only Vans episode, Heather makes me cry with a lovely impromptu monologue that I will cherish forever and, after joking that I never go to the late night jams in Steamboat at MusicFest, I did in fact attend an epic jam this year with Max, Heather, the Braun Brothers, and many more.

We joke about drinking a lot of wine and I outed Paul on a hangover after our hilarious “marriage” story, sorry! I also talk about the Sequestered Songwriters, which is something that Courtney Patton and Jason Eady started over COVID and that really helped a lot of us get out to a really large audience. If you have not checked out the Sequestered Songwriters videos on Facebook, I think they’re all still up there. A lot of people have told me [those videos] really got them through COVID and that was a way for us all to keep in touch with one another and learn some new tunes.

Thanks again to Dirt Trail Entertainment for sponsoring our MusicFest episodes. And thanks to our show sponsors, Hand Drawn Pressing & CH Lonestar Promo!

Photo Credit: Allison V Smith

Find our Only Vans episode archive here.