Tag: podcast

The String – Ron Pope

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

Ron Pope is a case study in good indie art and commerce. He’s an admired songwriter with an avid following for his cathartic, detail-laden songs and his wide-ranging command of roots and rock and roll genres.


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Over more than a dozen albums, Pope has steered his own ship in a business partnership with his wife/manager, Blair, and their label, Brooklyn Basement Records. The newest project is the sweeping album Bone Structure. A Georgia native, he got his career moving in New York and then moved to Nashville, where he’s raising a daughter and keeping the songs flowing. Also in the hour, a radio field trip to Nashville’s shrine of analog recording, Welcome To 1979.

Ricky Skaggs – Toy Heart: A Podcast About Bluegrass

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

Bluegrass legend and Country Music Hall of Famer Ricky Skaggs talks to TOY HEART host Tom Power about what it was like to grow up as a child prodigy, the real story of how he got pulled on stage by Bill Monroe, how meeting Keith Whitley changed his life forever — and the last time they ever spoke. Plus, a never before told story of how Bill Monroe thought Ricky would make a “fine Blue Grass Boy.”

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It’s the story of Ricky Skaggs… but the one that you may not expect. Skaggs is a notable entry point to bluegrass for many listeners and fans — like our first guest, Del McCoury is as well. Though his story is familiar: From playing the Grand Ole Opry as a tot, joining Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys, and going on to perform and record with J.D. Crowe and the New South, to his own smashing success in mainstream country and eventual return to his now dynastic bluegrass career. Still, Tom Power displays Skaggs in a fresh light, with stories from and impressions of the icon that even veteran fans will find refreshing and illuminating.

Subscribe to TOY HEART: A Podcast About Bluegrass wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop every other Thursday through May.

The String – Nora Jane Struthers and The Mastersons

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

Nora Jane Struthers just released her fifth album, celebrating her full life, Bright Lights, Long Drives, First Words, and says it includes “Good Thing,” the best song she’s ever written.

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Living the road life makes for tight musical couples. And in this split episode, Craig speaks with a new mom who tours and duets with her husband and a couple that’s been touring for a decade on their own and as side musicians. Then it’s The Mastersons, both of them, as Chris and Elanor talk about meeting, becoming part of Steve Earle’s band and maintaining an identity as an Americana duo. Their new project is No Time For Love Songs.

The Breakdown – ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

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This week, hosts Patrick M’Gonigle and Emma John dissect the bluegrass-centered soundtrack to the Coen Brothers’ film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, with a little help from their friends Chris Thomas King and Dan Tyminski.

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O Brother, Where Art Thou? was the movie that brought bluegrass to a new generation, and sent dozens of musical careers into the stratosphere. Fake beards not required.

Season 2 of The Breakdown is sponsored by The Soundtrack of America: Made In Tennessee. Visit TNvacation.com to start planning your trip.

The String – Music City Postcard: Asheville, NC

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

Episode 121 of The String is a field trip to Asheville, NC, which Rolling Stone last year touted as one of the best music scenes in the country.


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Those of us who visit Western North Carolina regularly already knew that fact, and this week’s show surveys the talent and the institutions making the region important in roots music and beyond. Features: Amanda Anne Platt of the Honeycutters, Echo Mountain Studio, WNCW radio, Crossroads Music, Sarah Siskind, Morgan Geer and more.

Photo credit: @CarShowShooter on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Del McCoury – Toy Heart: A Podcast About Bluegrass

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

In an interview backstage at the Grand Ole Opry host Tom Power talks to Bluegrass Hall of Famer and Grammy award-winner Del McCoury about how he started playing banjo, his (interesting) time in the military, joining Bill Monroe’s band, being replaced by Bill Keith, starting over, playing music with his sons, and how he found his way to becoming a legend of bluegrass music — and to some, defining the whole thing.


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Subscribe to TOY HEART: A Podcast About Bluegrass wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop every other Thursday through May.

 

The Breakdown – Alison Krauss & Union Station, ‘So Long, So Wrong’

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

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Episode 3 of The Breakdown’s second season explores Alison Krauss & Union Station’s 1997 album So Long, So Wrong.

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It was the album that nearly broke them – but instead, it made them. If you weren’t in love with Alison Krauss and Union Station by the end of their third album, So Long, So Wrong, you needed to check your pulse. Patrick and Emma find out the stressful story behind the second best creation of the ’90s (after Pop Tarts, of course).

Season 2 of The Breakdown is sponsored by The Soundtrack of America: Made In Tennessee. Visit TNvacation.com to start planning your trip.

The String – Leftover Salmon

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

Vince Herman and Drew Emmitt met in 1985 on Vince’s first night in Boulder, CO and formed a lifelong musical bond. With banjo player Mark Vann they merged two bands into one and became Leftover Salmon at the dawn of 1990.

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In the 30 years since, they’ve earned the respect and partnership of the highest levels of the bluegrass and acoustic worlds while playing music that’s as adventuresome as it is laid back. Herman and Emmitt marked the anniversary with a duo acoustic tour. The String’s host Craig Havighurst caught up with the pair at Nashville’s City Winery for a wide ranging talk about their years together.

The String – Hawktail

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

Four virtuoso string band musicians well known for their work with other bands are taking instrumental acoustic music to new heights in the band Hawktail.

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They are fiddler Brittany Haas, bassist Paul Kowert, guitarist Jordan Tice and mandolinist Dominick Leslie. And they recently landed on the Grand Ole Opry on release weekend of their second album Formations. Also, the delightful and clever throwback country duo of Noel McKay and Brennan Leigh. They’ve moved from Austin to Nashville and put out a masterful album of timeless songwriting.

The Breakdown – Dolly Parton, ‘The Grass Is Blue’

Posted on by Chris Jacobs

Season 2 of The Breakdown has arrived! Fiddler Patrick M’Gonigle and music journalist Emma John uncover bluegrass music one iconic record at a time, premiering with an in-depth exploration of Dolly Parton’s Grammy and IBMA award-winning album, The Grass Is Blue.

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In the heart of the Smoky Mountains, Emma gets to interview Dolly herself, who explains that bluegrass is so important to her that she risked it all to release her groundbreaking 1999 record. Of course, we’re glad that she did – who else knew that Billy Joel would go great with banjo?

Season 2 of The Breakdown is sponsored by The Soundtrack of America: Made In Tennessee. Visit TNvacation.com to start planning your trip.