MIXTAPE: Ashby Frank’s Songs For a Traveling Life

My new album Leaving Is Believing features songs that are related to my journey as an artist. I’ve spent 23 years on the road performing bluegrass, country and roots music, and I’m a huge history, food and geography nerd, so I’ve gained a unique perspective on both the culture in which I grew up and the cultures I’ve been fortunate enough to experience around the world throughout my travels. On this mixtape are some of my favorite songs that feel relevant to my life on the road, as well as some newer tunes that represent what’s moving me these days. — Ashby Frank

Blue Highway — “Message From the Wind”

Everyone has had that “urge to go” at one time or another, and I don’t know of another song that describes that feeling as well as this song does. It was perfectly written and sung by the great Shawn Lane, and I’d venture to guess that I’ve listened to it at least 10,000 times.

Rodney Crowell — “Earthbound”

The line “One man’s lust for life brings world renown, and the next guy can’t get two feet off the ground” always jumps out at me when I listen to this track. The same Rodney Crowell that wrote the classic “Song for the Life” that was recorded by bluegrass legends The Seldom Scene and Alison Krauss also wrote this song, and it’s one of my favorites. Lots of existential questions that we all have are masterfully referenced in “Earthbound,” but it also has such a catchy melody and production that the listener can choose to dive as deep into the lyrics as they want to. So perfect.

Mary Chapin Carpenter — “Down at the Twist and Shout”

Mary Chapin Carpenter is a songwriter’s songwriter. I’ve read that she wrote this song about a venue in Bethesda, Maryland, but the picture she paints with the words, melody, and backing musicians transports you so deep into Louisiana that you can almost smell the gumbo. It’s such a great song from such a great talent, and every time I hear it, I want to be in the scene she’s describing. What more could you ask for from a song?

Dale Ann Bradley — “Falling Down”

I wrote this song quite a few years back while I was stuck in an ice storm waiting for an accident to clear on I-40 coming back from a show at the old Pyramid in Memphis. The words came to me in less than 10 minutes, and I wrote the melody with a guitar as soon as I got back home. Everyone has doubts, insecurities, and anxiety, and I think for artists and creators, it’s amplified. This song is about those all too familiar feelings, which might be something you don’t hear a lot about in bluegrass music.

“Falling Down” was originally recorded by my buddy Will Southern when he was a student at Belmont, and the great Dale Ann Bradley came in to sing the harmony vocals. Luckily, she remembered the song and recorded it on her album The Things She Couldn’t Get Over some 15 years later and invited me to sing harmony and play mandolin on it. She did such a wonderful job and poured her heart into it.

Tim Wilson — “First Baptist Bar and Grill”

I grew up in rural west-central North Carolina and heard country comedians like Ray Stevens, Lewis Grizzard, Jerry Clower, Jeff Foxworthy, and Tim Wilson at my childhood home and at my grandparents’ home constantly. I think that the hokeyness that surrounds this sub-genre prevents a lot of people from realizing how brilliant and well-written a lot of the material is. These folks obviously greatly influenced my writing, and I’m really proud of that. This particular song is a masterpiece by the late great Tim Wilson.

Ashby Frank — “Arkansas Island”

This is one of three songs that I wrote on the new album, and all three of them come from a span of a few years in my life when I was living and working on cruise ships in the Caribbean. One day, I was stuck onboard in Cozumel because of a safety precaution known as “port manning” where the ship has to have a minimum number of employees onboard, and I wrote this song looking out my cabin window. The scene I witnessed looked very much like what you’d see at a marina or lakefront beach in rural America, and I thought that was amusing, so I wrote about it. The subtle Caribbean vibes that Scott Vestal added on the banjo and my Mountain Heart bandmate Josh Shilling added on organ really made this track fit the lyrics, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the end result.

The Wonderful Nobodies — “The Wire”

Lacy Green of The Wonderful Nobodies is one of my favorite singers and writers in Nashville. This song tells a different kind of story about performing and the highs and lows that go with it, creating tension and putting you on the edge of your seat.

Amanda Cook — “Point of No Return”

This is another song I wrote, and it’s about being a free spirit and going where you’ve never been before. There are many “normal life” sacrifices that are made when you pursue your dreams and try to make a living out of the art that you’re passionate about. But the rush that you get from a great performance where you connect with the audience, or from discovering a new town, venue, artist, song, or even a beautiful landscape is always something special and can be addicting. That’s what I wrote this song about, and Amanda, her band, and her producer Aaron Ramsey did a perfect job of presenting it.

Sean McConnell — “What the Hell Is Wrong with Me”

Sean McConnell’s 2021 album A Horrible Beautiful Dream is in my opinion one of the most masterfully written, produced, and performed collections of songs in recent American music. This song stands out to be included on this mixtape because it asks a lot of the questions that any sane professional musician would ask.

Sam Bush — “Same Ol’ River”

This song was masterfully written by the great Jeff Black, and to me the lyrics demonstrate the overwhelming feelings that free spirits often encounter when they think about the world around them and the myriad of possibilities in life and directions they could go. I first heard Sam sing this one at MerleFest when I was a teenager, and it’s still my favorite song that he performs.

Robbie Fulks — “Where There’s a Road”

Robbie Fulks has such a way with words, and this song is a road warrior’s anthem. So many of the lyrics to this one are relatable for any traveling musician, so it’s no surprise that there are also two great cover versions of this song by my friends Blue Moon Rising and the great Sam Bush.

Brandon Ratcliff — “Tale of Two Towns”

“Are you more brave for leaving or sticking around? It’s one dot on a map but a tale of two towns.” Whoa. Brandon Ratcliff is kind of new on the scene. He’s the son of roots music royalty (his mom is Suzanne Cox of the legendary Cox Family) and the writing on his new project has impressed me so much. This song really struck me and is very relatable to anyone that grew up in a small town.


Photo Credit: Melissa DuPuy

The BGS Radio Hour – Episode 209

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 bring you new music off of the beautiful new album Outside Child from Allison Russell, as well as bluegrass songs to celebrate springtime, and much more! Remember to check back every week for a new episode of the BGS Radio Hour.

APPLE PODCASTS, SPOTIFY

Kishi Bashi – “Waiting For Springtime”

To start off this week’s roundup, we visit our conversation with Athens, Georgia-based Kaoru Ishibashi, better known as Kishi Bashi, about his new EP Emigrant. When COVID hit, he and his daughter packed into a camper and hit the road, from the southeastern U.S. all the way to Oregon, over a period of several months. Along the way, he fleshed out the songs that became Emigrant through visiting places like the Ozarks, the Dakotas, and Montana, including Heart Mountain: a World War II Japanese internment camp he visited many times during the production of his documentary Omoiyari: A Songfilm by Kishi Bashi.


Reid Zoe – “When I Go”

This new track from singer-songwriter Reid Zoé is, on the surface, a song about dying, but really it’s about all of the questions that come with being a human on earth.

Full Cord – “Right In Step”

With a catchy melodic hook and low-tuned banjo, “Right in Step” is a lovely bluegrass tune full of love, hope, and togetherness – hopefully a respite from the uncertainty of the pandemic.

Sean McConnell – “Price of Love”

It’s been said that everything in this world comes with a price. For Nashville’s Sean McConnell, that price is reflected in loving someone — be it family, friend, or significant other — and the eventuality and certainty of you losing them. Yet still, he suggests, most of us are willing to take that risk for love, to give up our hearts completely. It’s the price that our heart pays for love in return.

The Deep Dark Woods – “How Could I Ever Be Single Again?”

A new song from pan-Atlantic singer-songwriter The Deep Dark Woods was inspired by English folk band Steeleye Span. Featuring Kacy Anderson on fiddle, the tune asks the titular question, “How Could I Ever Be Single Again?”

Sam Robbins – “Raining Sideways”

“Raining Sideways” is one of Sam Robbins’ most-requested songs, a stream of consciousness lyric that’s one of the most raw and authentic he’s ever written.

Lera Lynn – “A Light Comes Through”

A recent episode of The Show on the Road featured a deep dive with silky-voiced, southern gothic-folk songwriter Lera Lynn. Stick around to the end of the episode to hear Lynn introduce her favorite broken-romance number, “So Far.”

Graham Sharp – “Truer Picture of Me”

BGS recently caught up with Steep Canyon Rangers’ banjo player and songwriter Graham Sharp about the release of his new solo record, Truer Picture. We talked about Steve Martin’s influence on the Rangers and Sharp himself, as well as his approach to songwriting, nature inspirations, and the way literature and music coincide.

Our Native Daughters – “Quasheba, Quasheba”

Our Artist of the Month for May, Allison Russell, wrote this song for her many-times-great-great-grandmother Quasheba, who survived being enslaved, being ripped away from everything she knew, the horrible Middle Passage, having her children taken, and more. Russell says her art and a loving community have inspired her to connect with her ancestors and find connection through intergenerational strength, resilience, and transcendence, despite intergenerational trauma and abuse.

Grace Pettis – “Paper Boat”

Singer-songwriter Grace Pettis literally dreamed up “Paper Boat,” a song about coming of age, trying to fit in, and losing our innocence. She’s joined by her producer, Mary Bragg, on tender harmony vocals.

Allison Russell – “The Runner”

We spoke with our May Artist of the Month, Allison Russell, about the inspiration behind and creation of her honest and stunning album Outside Child, including this track “The Runner.” Read our two-part interview here.

Lost & Found – “Wild Mountain Flowers for Mary”

We hope, wherever you’re reading this from, that snow, frost, and the cold are truly retreating, giving way to longer days, warmer weather, and the gorgeous, humid, cicada-soundtracked days of summer. But, before we get to full-blown bluegrass season – and, hopefully, our first live music forays since COVID-19 shut the industry down in early 2020 – let’s take a moment to intentionally enjoy spring with 12 bluegrass songs perfect for collecting a wildflower bouquet, romping and frolicking in the meadow, and pickin’ on the back porch while the evenings are still cool.

Accidentals – “Wildfire”

The Accidentals spoke with BGS on loving and learning from Brandi Carlile, singing on stage with Joan Baez, the magic in meeting strangers and finding common ground, and much more in this edition of 5+5.


Photos: (L to R) Lera Lynn by Alysse Gafkjen; Allison Russell by Marc Baptiste; Kishi Bashi by Max Ritter

LISTEN: Sean McConnell, “Price of Love”

Artist: Sean McConnell
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Price of Love”
Album: A Horrible Beautiful Dream
Release Date: August 6, 2021
Label: Soundly Music

In Their Words: “‘Price of Love’ is a direct result of a conversation I had with my mother on the phone one day while was driving on tour. I was missing my wife and little girl back at home. We talked about the price your heart pays for giving itself fully to someone. It’s scary, you know? Scary that something could happen to them. That something will eventually happen to all of us. But yet, most of us decide to risk that. To take the jump. To give up your heart completely. It’s heavy shit.” — Sean McConnell


Photo credit: Alexa King

LISTEN: Ashley Ray, “Lawrence, Kansas”

Artist: Ashley Ray
Hometown: Lawrence, Kansas
Song: “Lawrence, Kansas”
Album: Pauline
Release Date: August 14, 2020
Label: Soundly Music

In Their Words: “‘Lawrence, Kansas is a love letter to my hometown. Sean McConnell and I wrote it at a time that I was coming up on living one half of my life there and one half of my life in Nashville. It really made me stop and think about how much I don’t want to lose my roots, I don’t want my memories of home to fade, I don’t want to lose my twang, I don’t want to forget how to get from one town to the next by way of all the back roads. Which made me think of what my Dad always told my sister and me on those back roads, ‘If you ever lose your way back home, look for Blue Mound Tower and remember we live north of there.'” — Ashley Ray


Photo credit: Electra King

WATCH: My Sister, My Brother, “Forever Now”

Artist: My Sister, My Brother (Garrison Starr, Sean McConnell, and Peter Groenwald)
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee and Los Angeles, California
Song: “Forever Now”
Album: My Sister, My Brother EP
Release Date: March 6, 2020

In Their Words: “When we wrote ‘Forever Now,’ I remember us all being excited about writing something upbeat. There’s nothing wrong with a sweet slow song, but we had already covered that ground. While having a different feel, this song comes from the same place as the others do. We were kind of trying to speak from the perspective of a 90-year-old man or woman, sitting on their front porch, wanting to share the worth of their experiences. There will be great days and terrible ones, you will love and you will lose, but none of it is forever. Don’t take the good for granted, and try not to hold on to the bad.” — Peter Groenwald


Photo credit: Joshua Black Wilkins. Director: Josh Kranich

BGS Songwriters Parlour at The Long Road 2019 in Photographs

It’s not every day that you get to handpick folks for a songwriters round in your very own personal Honky Tonk bar, but that was exactly the task handed down to us for this year’s Long Road Festival in Leicestershire in the UK last weekend. Outside, a bright, bustling, jovial festival celebrating the awe-inspiring depth and breadth of American roots music from around the globe. Inside? A dark, divey, straight-out-of-Nashville honky tonk — the perfect setting for Rose Cousins, Rhiannon Giddens, Sean McConnell, Jessica Mitchell, Francesco Turrisi, and our host Matt the Electrician to share songs and stories. And laughter. A lot of it!

Check out a few photos from the BGS Songwriters Parlour:


All photos: Justine Trickett

Sean McConnell: Just One Song That Came the Quickest

Editor’s Note: Sean McConnell will take part in the Bluegrass Situation Takeover at The Long Road festival, to be held September 6-8 in Stanford Hall, Leicestershire, England.

“The quickest song I’ve ever written is the title track off of my newest record, Secondhand Smoke. For me, my favorite songs, and the ones I feel are my best, happen very quickly. They tend to be the ones that come out of nowhere, like they are already finished and are just trying to birth themselves into this world.

“‘Secondhand Smoke’ came to me while I was driving. I had just had an intense reunion with my father who I hadn’t seen in many years. I was thinking about our time together that day as well as our time together when I was a kid. The lyrics just started coming and coming and coming. I heard the chords that belonged underneath them and everything.

“By the time the idea entered my brain and I had arrived at my hotel, pulled out my guitar, and recorded a voice memo of it I think maybe 45 minutes had passed. Structure-wise and lyrically speaking, that voice memo sounds pretty much exactly like what you hear on the record. I’m grateful for it. It’s a song I know I’ll play for the rest of my life.” — Sean McConnell


Photo credit: Joshua Black Wilkins

BGS 5+5: Sean McConnell

Artist: Sean McConnell
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Latest album: Secondhand Smoke

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

I would have to say David Wilcox. When I was beginning to write songs as a kid, David was a massive influence on me as a songwriter, guitar player, and vocalist. Nobody writes a hook like David Wilcox. He’s the king. Songs like “Language of the Heart” and “Show the Way” are still to this day on my desert island list.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

One of them would have to be playing two back-to-back sold out shows at the historic Gruene Hall last year in New Braunfels, Texas. Taking the stage both nights with a thousand people singing my songs back to me was completely intoxicating. The energy was [unlike anything] I’ve never experienced before.

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

Literature is a big one for me. I’ve always been a big reader. I don’t read books to intentionally look for song ideas. It’s more that what I’m reading expands my worldview, opinions, spirituality, and such. That then directly affects what I’m writing songs about. That is most definitely the case with my latest record, Secondhand Smoke.

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

The moment I played a chord on a guitar I just knew it. That sounds like a bullshit line out of a movie, but I can’t deny that it’s true. I first learned to play on my mothers 70s Yamaha. I had a chord book and figured out the basics. From the moment I felt those chords start ringing under my fingers I was hooked. Later on I would sneak up to my parents bedroom and take my fathers Taylor 515 Jumbo from underneath the bed and that only confirmed my addiction.

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

What a great question. I think Glen Hansard pairs well with a strong IPA and a basket of fish and chips.


Photo credit: Joshua Black Wilkins

WATCH: Sean McConnell, “Here We Go”

Artist: Sean McConnell
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Here We Go” (stream the studio version)
Album: Secondhand Smoke
Release Date: February 8, 2019
Label: Big Picnic Records

In Their Words: “I am very taken with, and have spent my life listening for, that voice that speaks to you in the silence. The one that calls you on adventures, that steers you towards your truth, and that reminds you, or at least reminds me, that this universe is so much more than what we can experience with our five senses. I am a firm believer in signs and following them. This is a song about that kind of listening and watching. It was a real thrill to write it with my friend, the supremely talented Ian Fitchuk.

“This live video was made at Pentavarit studios where the ‘Secondhand Smoke’ record was mixed by my friend and sonic wizard Bobby Holland, who also recorded and mixed this live version. Performing alongside me is the amazing Ben Alleman who will be joining me on tour. I love this slowed-down and vibed-out take of this song. I hope you enjoy.”— Sean McConnell


Photo credit: Joshua Black Wilkins

WATCH: Sean McConnell, ‘Nothing on You’ (featuring Lori McKenna)

Artist: Sean McConnell (featuring Lori McKenna)
Hometown: Nashville, TN
Song: “Nothing on You”
Album: Undone
Release Date: September 8, 2017
Label: Rounder Records

In Their Words: “Lori is one of my musical heroes, and I’m honored to call her a friend. In order to make this video happen, she was kind enough to wake up extra early on one of her writing trips down in Nashville. We shot the video in the spirit that the album was recorded — live and unedited. Singing this song together was a real joy. We only sang it one time through. We laughed as much as we sang that day. I’m so stoked for everyone to get to see it.” — Sean McConnell


Photo credit: Becky Fluke