WATCH: Joseph Decosimo, “The Fox Chase / Lost Gander”

Artist: Joseph Decosimo
Hometown: Durham, North Carolina
Song: “The Fox Chase / Lost Gander”
Album: While You Were Slumbering
Release Date: November 11, 2022
Label: Sleepy Cat Records

In Their Words: “Here’s one for all of y’all who’ve lost a dog. I recorded it at home, DIY style, singing and playing all the instruments — fiddles, banjo, pump organ — a while back, thinking it was a lovely pairing of old pieces, but when my dear dog Charlie died last August, this ballad about a dog wandering into the cosmos opened up some space for me to grieve my departed friend. I drew both pieces from the beautiful singing and playing of the Tennessee ballad singer and banjo player Dee Hicks, who sang over 400 songs — 200 of which he learned from his family. An old English hunting ballad, ‘The Fox Chase’ dates to the late 1600s but made its way with the Hicks family onto Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau, where their hounds sounded out across the tablelands and gorges. The second piece, the ‘Lost Gander,’ is a rare, regional banjo number in a special tuning that allows the shimmering chimes that Dee Hicks said sounded like geese honking in the sky at night. My friend and label pal Gabe Anderson had his departed hound Amos in mind as he put this video together with beautiful watercolors and sketches from N.C. visual artist Larissa Wood. I grew up on the southern end of the plateau and love how her watercolors capture this special landscape.” — Joseph Decosimo


Photo Credit: Libby Rodenbough

WATCH: Adeem the Artist, “Middle of a Heart”

Artist: Adeem the Artist
Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee
Song: “Middle of a Heart”
Album: White Trash Revelry
Release Date: December 2, 2022
Label: Four Quarters Records and Thirty Tigers

In Their Words: “I wrote this song for my friend Bob in many ways. Bob was a retired Knoxville Police Officer who I’d make bacon and eggs for every morning and we’d watch the news and watch the birds and he’d tell me stories about Carlene and the boys. I miss him, still. He was a richly problematic man who I loved deeply. A photo of him still hangs above my desk. I know he thought of me as one of his kids and even though we disagreed about nearly everything, his care and sensitivity are what drive me to continue to connect and relate with folks who seem so far removed from me.” — Adeem the Artist


Photo Credit: Madison Miles Photography

LISTEN: The Kody Norris Show, “Mountain Rosalie”

Artist: The Kody Norris Show
Hometown: Mountain City, Tennessee
Song: “Mountain Rosalie”
Release Date: October 7, 2022
Label: Rebel Records

In Their Words: “‘Mountain Rosalie’ is a song that I was first introduced to when I was just a kid. I’ve always considered it as one of the underrated gems of traditional country music. It’s a York Brothers number that was recorded by Reno & Smiley and then later cut by Ralph Stanley as well. We have performed it on some live shows in the past with an abundance of positive audience response. When the opportunity of recording some new music came about, ‘Mountain Rosalie’ was definitely at the top of our list.” — Kody Norris

Rebel Records Bluegrass · The Kody Norris Show – Mountain Rosalie (single)

Photo Credit: Amy Richmond

LISTEN: The Young Fables, “Been Here the Whole Time”

Artist: The Young Fables
Hometown: Maryville, Tennessee
Song: “Been Here the Whole Time”
Album: Pages
Release Date: September 30, 2022

In Their Words: “There were three songs that we had written that were non-negotiables for me for inclusion on the record. One was for my sister Lindy, one was for my father Big Ron, and one described my experience with losing them both inside the same year. ‘Been Here the Whole Time’ is a song that has been very important to my healing. It is essentially a collection of thoughts that my father shared with me over the years that I wanted to carve in stone so that I never forget them. What better way than to put them in a song? Now that we perform the song regularly, the words have become a mantra of sorts that will remain with me forever.

“I believe it’s important to realize that just because a loved one has moved on, it doesn’t mean they are not still with you. I imagine that my father is looking down on me and still witnessing my growth and my decisions in my daily life. He would not want me to shut down on account of losing him. ‘Been Here The Whole Time’ reminds me that there is so much life yet to live and that I should continue to live in a manner that would make my father proud.” — Laurel Wright, The Young Fables


Photo Credit: Jeremy Ryan

LISTEN: Amythyst Kiah, “Chained to the Rhythm” (Katy Perry Cover)

Artist: Amythyst Kiah
Hometown: Johnson City, Tennessee
Song: “Chained to the Rhythm”
Album: Pensive Pop EP
Label: Rounder Records
Release Date: August 12, 2022

In Their Words: “I remember watching the ‘Chained to the Rhythm’ music video and being blown away by a kind of infectious, self-medicated joy within an ever-colorful dystopia. It actually inspired the poem that would later become ‘Fancy Drones (Fracture Me).’ I’ve always been fascinated by songs that you can shut your brain off to and dance, while also pointing out that something is terribly wrong. Breaking free of the cycle of mindless consumerism and incessant comparison and creating a life of meaning and some sense of purpose is a difficult task. And while the irony of a famous pop star on a major label singing and performing a song that questions the very listener that is dancing is not lost on me, we do each have to ask ourselves, ‘When will we have enough?’

“The songs on Pensive Pop were chosen before the title, before any real concept came to light. Quite simply, I chose songs that I love and wanted to see if I could keep their integrity while also matching a sound that’s authentic to me. I enjoy games and this process was like a puzzle. The common themes throughout this record address the lamenting external factors that can impede us on our journey in life and the struggle to accept and work through those challenges. Fear is at the center of all of these songs: fear of rejection, fear of change, fear of sobriety, fear of living in the present. Pensive Pop is my reinterpretation of pop/rock songs in order to bring more attention to the stories being told.” — Amythyst Kiah


Photo Credit: Sandlin Gaither

LISTEN: The Alex Leach Band, “Together (We’re Going All the Way)”

Artist: The Alex Leach Band
Hometown: Jacksboro, Tennessee
Song: “Together (We’re Going All the Way)”
Album: All the Way
Release Date: August 19, 2022
Label: Mountain Home Music Company

In Their Words: “A few months ago I was in my office working on writing some new material, and after playing around with many ideas, a certain melody just kept coming back to me. It was catchy so I decided to write some lyrics with it. It was actually one of the easiest songs I’ve ever written! The words started flowing freely as I pictured being on the road doing what I love with the band, mixed in with some deep thoughts about my personal life, and thinking about how amazing this world would be if we all viewed one another as a brother or sister, even if we all don’t see eye to eye on things. Life is a journey so let’s stand beside one another and enjoy the ride together!” — Alex Leach

Crossroads Label Group · 01 Together (We’re Going All The Way)

Photo Credit: Sandlin Gaither

LISTEN: Nathan Kalish, “Past the Everglades”

Artist: Nathan Kalish
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Song: “Past the Everglades”
Album: Great Big Motel Bed In the Sky
Release Date: July 8, 2022
Label: JTM Music

In Their Words: “‘Past the Everglades’ is like my ‘Margaritaville.’ It’s about checking out. As a working musician and as any of the many jobs I’ve had in my life. You work hard and often just feel like an impostor at the end of the day or the end of a week or even after years. Stepping away from it and spending the rest of your days on an island. It’s a song about never feeling fulfilled from the results of hard work.

“My producing method is a mix between modern and classic techniques. We track in studio with the whole band playing at the same time. After each take I give some directions and the band talks through stuff together. Usually by the third take we all go in to the control room and listen. Then sometimes we make some micing, tone, arrangement or performance adjustments. We head back in the room together and do a few more takes until we are happy with our parts. Then we eat snacks until we are ready to do another tune.

“After we spend a whole day doing this I take them home to my studio (the Maroon Lagoon red room) and I smear and smudge them until I like it enough to show the world. Sometimes they don’t get to that point. That’s why we track a lot of tunes in a day. Sometimes I have to eat the weak cuts for sustenance on my way down the path of art. The goal is always to find a vibe that serves the lyrics or the mood of the tune. There are methods but no rules and everything can be an exception to a method if it serves the song.” — Nathan Kalish


Photo Credit: Ryan Hartley

LISTEN: Donna Ulisse, “Gray Rock, Red Clay Land”

Artist: Donna Ulisse
Hometown: Hampton, Virginia
Song: “Gray Rock, Red Clay Land” (written by Donna Ulisse and Becky Buller)
Album: Livin’ Large
Release Date: February 25, 2022
Label: Billy Blue Records

In Their Words: “My husband Rick Stanley found our eight acres of paradise on a website one evening and talked me into going over for a gander. We had lived in Nashville proper for 31 years and the thought of leaving was bittersweet but when we saw this place in Lebanon, Tennessee, it was love at first sight. There are random, large slabs of limestone running through the fields where the most interesting purple and yellow flowers bloom. We had to dig some of them up to get it looking like we dreamed, which gave me the first line of the song. My daddy and brother were also here to help us when we first moved and I don’t think I can ever look at the sweeping pasture without seeing my daddy bent over working on the land. And YES, there is red clay to shovel through to plant a garden…so the hook fell out as natural as the flowers that grow here.” — Donna Ulisse


Photo Credit: Kim Lancaster

Some Stardust Realm: A Q&A with Grammy Nominee Valerie June

Valerie June is in New York today, which means she’s not in Tennessee. When she’s not on the road, the singer-songwriter splits her time between the Big Apple and Humboldt, a small town of 8,500 souls nestled in the northwest corner of the Volunteer State. Known for its annual Strawberry Festival, it’s equidistant from the country music capital of Nashville and her beloved Memphis, but more crucially, her family lives there. “My mom is there, my whole family, and I still have my little room with all my stuff, a closet with all my old outfits and instruments.”

Humboldt is an oasis, where she can escape the city and see something besides concrete and skyscrapers—a place that feels like home. “Tennessee has that very specific personality to it, and sometimes I just don’t want to leave. And I still get down to Memphis or over to Nashville. Nashville is such a booming city, but Memphis is still a little sleepy. That can be great, but it can be bad because you just get so comfortable. There’s really not much push to go and do and explore more than just enjoying life.”

Big or small, famous or not, urban or rural, all of these places inform the music Valerie June makes, especially her most recent album, 2021’s breezily philosophical, buoyantly bluesy, unabashedly optimistic The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers. Those prescriptions, as she calls that round of songs, blend cosmic country with earthy R&B and churchly gospel into a sound that is familiar yet idiosyncratic, as though no one but Valerie June could have written, arranged, or sung these songs. She even brings in two of her Memphis heroes—soul-folk-in-action icon Mavis Staples and Carla Thomas, best known for a string of Stax hits (including “B-A-B-Y”) and for holding her own against Otis Redding.

As she explains, these songs may be grounded in place, but they’re all about dreaming yourself elsewhere—about dreaming as the foundation for a social movement. That idea took on new poignancy during the pandemic, when society seemed to be fraying at the edges, but it turned The Moon and Stars into Valerie June’s breakout album, landing on numerous year-end lists and earning her numerous Americana Music Award nominations as well as a Grammy nomination (her first) for the Best American Roots Song.

For its one-year anniversary, Valerie June added more prescriptions to The Moon and Stars, including new acoustic tracks and covers of songs by Nick Drake (“Pink Moon”), Stephen Foster (“Beautiful Dreamer”), and John Lennon (“Imagine”). In her small studio in her New York apartment, Valerie June sat down, guitar in hand, to speak with The Bluegrass Situation about visiting her different homes, singing with her heroes, and dreaming up a new movement.

BGS: There’s a distinct Memphis flair to this album, especially with the great Carla Thomas on there.

Yes! And Mr. Lester Snell did the string arrangements on this record. He’s an older gentleman who worked with Al Green and Isaac Hayes, Keith Richards, Margo Price, all kinds of people. Yesterday I had this little moment… A lot of times I can be down on myself. Man, I really went wrong there! I’ll just count up my failures. But yesterday I had a day where I was counting my blessings. Oh my god, Carla Thomas is on a record with me! That’s a victory. I’ll take it.

Did the pandemic make her or Mavis hard to get on the record?

I’d already captured “Call Me a Fool” with Carla, and Mavis said she wanted to do the song “Why the Bright Stars Glow.” We were gonna be in the studio together and everything, but when the pandemic hit that March, the world just stopped and she couldn’t do anything. I was even sculpting these ideas—like, could we send some studio engineers over to her house? Get everybody tested and just put the microphone through the mail slot? But it didn’t work, and we had to put the record out without her. But my manager said it was an extra long album cycle due to the pandemic and would I like to do something with some more songs? So, we were able to finally get Mavis. She’s a real saint. Saint Mavis.

Do you remember the first time you heard Mavis or the first time you heard Carla?

Mavis was part of the family growing up. She was like Cousin Mavis. My father would take us on family road trips, and the Staple Singers were always one of the first CDs that he played. And we would all sing along. There were five kids in our family, and everybody had their part.

And I knew Carla’s songs, but I didn’t know they were from her until I moved to Memphis and started studying Memphis music. You can’t live in Memphis without studying Memphis music. It’s everywhere. One year she played the Cooper-Young Festival, this small neighborhood event in Memphis, so I went down and saw her perform. She didn’t perform very much, but she was a star! She was just such a powerhouse, a joyful spirit like Mavis. Maybe that’s what happens when you get to record for Stax!

Can you tell me about the two titles for the album? When it was released last year, I wondered if the whole dream concept was rooted in that pandemic experience.

It was. And the reason why I added The Moon and Stars is similar. I wrote down the moon because the moon was with us every time Jack and I went into the studio. We didn’t plan it that way, but it was the week of a full moon. So, every night we’d enter the studio under a full moon. I wrote down Moon as a title, but I felt like there should be something more. Our last day in the studio, I walked out and there were three shooting stars crossing the sky. Okay, The Moon and Stars! But I still felt like there should be something more.

When the pandemic hit, I thought, our hearts are breaking. They’re breaking for so many reasons—racism, sex discrimination, age discrimination, so many issues. I saw the visions of people like Dr. King and people who’ve been pushing for change—even Mavis and Carla, two people who’ve seen all of these hard times. Carla has seen so much happen in that awesome city of Memphis. She’s seen it change and flip. I was listening to stuff like “A Change Is Gonna Come” and “Respect” and all of these movement songs. All of a sudden this clarity came over me. We can dream and hope for the future, and maybe we just need a prescription. We need a movement.

How do you mean?

There’s a lot of movements happening right now, but if I were to start a movement, what would I want it to be? I want it to be very loving and very hopeful and very positive. I want it to embrace all of humanity and sculpt a more harmonious and beautiful planet. Every movement needs songs. It needs its own “Change Is Gonna Come.” It needs something that will give you hope to open up your wishful mind and use your imagination. That’s what these songs are. They’re very ethereal. They put you in mind of some fantasy, some stardust realm where we look up at the stars and feel enamored. All of this is possible, but we’re drawing from the same cycles of trauma and oppression. It was all some deep thoughts.

So much has happened in the year since the album was released. Has your relationship to the songs changed during that time? Have they revealed new meanings or new implications?

They have changed. I put out the original version with arrangements that I created with Mr. Lester and Jack Splash, and now I’m releasing the new version with some acoustic songs, which have more fiddle and banjo. It was a musical chain, and I love it so much because it shows how songs can live in different realms. I love the beauty and evolution of a song. That’s what I’ve been experiencing with this record, because of the long album cycle. And when we do go on tour, that’ll be another evolution as we go from produced record to stripped-down acoustic versions to the live sound. They’re gonna keep growing and changing.

I like that about covers, too. I’m a songwriter, but I didn’t learn how to play technically. I just play to my own voice when I cover something. I can’t really do it like the original artist did it because I don’t know how to do that. You know, we lost Nick Drake a long time ago, but “Pink Moon” still lives with every person who sings it. It takes on a new character. So, the songs outlive the singer. It can go further and further and further.

The three cover songs on the new version seem to extend that dream theme. Was that planned?

When I was choosing the covers, I wanted songs that either worked with the theme of moon and stars or the theme of dreaming. It had to have “moon” or “dream” in the title. That’s how I chose “Beautiful Dreamer” and “Pink Moon.” And “Imagine” is one of those songs that sums up the record in a lot of ways. John Lennon had this dream for humanity.

And you also did “Summer’s End” on the recent John Prine tribute, Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows Vol. 2. How did that come about?

His label and his team, they know how much I love John. I love his music, and I got to tour with him and sing with him onstage. It was such a high point in my life. And they sent me a letter asking if I wanted to cover that song. And while I was singing it, I started wondering if the reason they asked me to do that song was because it goes [sings] “The moon and stars hang out in bars, just talking, and I still love that picture of us walking.” I was like, What? It was so perfect. I absolutely adore that song and sing it quite a lot on the road.

I wanted to ask about the Grammy nomination. Well, I don’t really have a question, just a congratulations.

Thank you. And thank you on behalf of Carla, too, because it’s huge for both of us. We were nominated for Song of the Year at the Americana Music Awards, and she came up from Memphis to sing with me at the Ryman that night. And she received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Inspiration. Is she not an inspiration to everybody! She was interviewed for the Memphis paper and she said the only thing she wanted was to be nominated for a Grammy. And now look at her!

That must feel good, to take somebody who is a hero and introduce her to a new generation of fans.

It’s true! Sometimes I wonder why we didn’t get her an achievement award sooner. Why does that happen with our elders? They’ve contributed so much and made it so we can be here. That’s what happened with John Prine toward the end of his life, and all the awards and appreciation meant so much to him. I think we need to thank people like John and Carla and Mavis for what they’ve given us. I was grateful for the Americanas and the Grammys for honoring and appreciating this beautiful star, this Queen of Memphis Soul.


Photo Credit: Renata Raksha

BGS 5+5: Erin Rae

Artist: Erin Rae
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Album: Lighten Up

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

Aside from my parents, I’d say it’s a toss up between the melodic storytelling of Kate Campbell, a Nashville songwriter that I grew up listening to, and Feist. Kate’s melodies and the way she captures the experiences of herself and others; the way she captures a feeling, I think I have spent enough time with a couple records of hers specifically that they are grooved into my brain, haha. Not to be dramatic. I listened to her record Moonpie Dreams a lot on my drives from Nashville to Cookeville, Tennessee, in college, and Nashville to Birmingham. There are so many references to Tennessee specifically. I was introduced to Feist by my friend April in high school, when “1234” came out, but then again I was reintroduced at about 19 when I started writing songs. A friend told me to listen to Let It Die in full, and that was in like 2010. I pretty much haven’t stopped listening. Her documentary called Look at What the Light Did Now inspired me and showed me the various avenues to explore and develop when making a record. I loved the input from her creative director, and I am continuously inspired by the soft strength of her voice, and her freaking guitar playing. Geez.

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

This will sound like a no-brainer, but last summer, I got to open for Trampled by Turtles + CAAMP at Red Rocks in Colorado. It was my first performance with a band since 2019, not to mention this legendary venue surrounded by all this natural beauty. I think what made it the most special though, was that my family flew out for the shows, and my management team is based just down the road in Denver, so they were there. I was feeling excited, prepared, and most of all extremely supported by everyone in my corner. The show had stayed on the books from the summer of 2020 when it got bumped, so it was that light at the end of the tunnel. I looked over at Sean Thompson, who was playing guitar and his hair was blowing back in the wind and his eyes were closed… epic, haha.

What has been the best advice you’ve received in your career so far?

I feel like I received this advice from two people I admire, but the gist from both folks was this: When you are playing a show, go ahead and consider it practice for the next one. Be in the moment of course, but do not worry so much about how perfect it is. You’re going to be playing shows for a long time. Each one is an opportunity to be present, and an opportunity to learn. Another piece along similar lines was from my dad. He likened playing shows to a meditation practice. Occasionally, you sit down to meditate, or you get up to play, and it’s just amazing; it’s just automatically flowing. And you think, “Oh, awesome, I have to remember this, surely I can make this happen again tomorrow,” and then inevitably the next show or set is just so-so. You can’t get out of your head. The goal is not to have a perfect show or perfect meditation every time; the goal is to be present and show up consistently as best you can. Over time, you’ll have played some great shows! And a lot of shows that were just okay, or even bad. But it’s not really personal.

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

I think the main one is a little mini meditation. I’m not saying that to brag about how mindful I am, because I am most definitely NOT. But Questlove said it best in his book, Creative Quest. He said he takes a little second to settle into the present moment. Sometimes I will say a little prayer, but mostly it’s just about feeling my feet on the ground and breathing into the moment. That’s the only place we can connect to one another!

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

I think I officially caught the bug at Cafe Coco, at the legendary open mic that used to happen there, back when it was hosted by Maurice Barrett. I had been teaching myself guitar a little bit, and was home for Christmas break from what ended up being my only semester in college, and my brother Wil took me to the open mic. I didn’t leave until 3 a.m., and after a couple more Thursdays of that, and some song ideas starting to percolate, I told my parents I was going to stay home for a semester to pursue music. A little optimistic of me, I will say, but that was ten years ago. I started taking guitar and vocal lessons that next month, and felt supported by everyone around me to keep going. That I’ve kept going is due mostly to the encouragement of any friends of mine that have nudged me to make records, or facilitated them. And now I’ve gotten to do so many bucket list things, and see so many places, and I can’t wait to keep going.

For my playlist, I chose five of my favorite songs from that record of Kate’s, Moonpie Dreams.


Photo Credit: Bree Fish