Americana Curious

What does it really take to build a career in music that lasts? After more than two decades on the road, Drew Holcomb knows that making great music is only part of the job. Just before taking the stage in Charleston with Ellie Holcomb to open for NEEDTOBREATHE, Drew joins Americana Curious to reveal the side of the music business fans rarely see. He shares how becoming a professional musician forc...

Jonah Kagen has racked up over half a billion streams, scored a Billboard #1 hit with "God Needs the Devil," and sold out headline shows across the globe. But as he shares on Americana Curious , the commercial accolades didn't bring validation—they forced him to isolate, face his inner demons, and dig into his darkest songwriting yet. In this raw, unfiltered conversation, Jonah joins host Ben Fann...

Andrew Sa grew up obsessed with Patsy Cline. Today, he’s challenging one of country music’s oldest assumptions: who gets to belong. The Chicago country artist’s debut album, American Rough , blends the sounds of classic country with deeply personal songs about love, masculinity, identity, and belonging. And Andrew isn’t asking permission to be part of the genre: “I’m not separate and I’m not diffe...

Chris Pierce was playing a corporate gig in a dark corner where nobody was listening when his phone rang. The caller represented Neil Young, and Neil wanted Chris to open his tour. But Chris’s fight for music started decades earlier. At 15, he suddenly lost his hearing. Surgery restored about 50% in one ear, and Chris made a choice that has defined his life and career: keep fighting for the thing...

Newport Folk Festival is famous for the unexpected. You never quite know who might walk onstage. This year, Dave Matthews made his first-ever Newport appearance , joining a long tradition of unforgettable surprises that has included James Taylor, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton and more. In this episode of Americana Curious , Ben Fanning and Zach Schultz pull back the curtain on what reall...

How does a band from Hawaii become one of Americana's fastest-rising groups? In this episode of Americana Curious , Ben Fanning sits down backstage with Twin Fin just before their sold-out show at Charleston's Pour House for a candid conversation about the unlikely journey that brought them here. From Coast Guard careers and backyard jam sessions to building a loyal fan base across the country, th...

What happens after you've already achieved the dream? Phillip Phillips captured America's heart by winning American Idol , releasing "Home" —the biggest-selling winner's single in the show's history—and touring alongside legends like John Mayer and Bruce Springsteen. But behind the success was a deeper journey: discovering that fame wasn't the finish line. In this episode of Americana Curious , ho...

Do bigger venues create bigger experiences—or do they take us further away from the music? In this episode of Americana Curious , Ben Fanning and Zach Schultz debate whether arenas have changed the live music experience for the worse and share the intimate venues that have left the biggest impression on them. From Charleston's beloved Pour House and Nashville's legendary Robert's Western World to...

How does an artist find a voice that feels unmistakably their own—and write songs that hold both hope and heartbreak at the same time? In this episode of Americana Curious, hosts Ben Fanning and Zach Schultz sit down with MC Taylor, singer, songwriter, producer, and bandleader of Hiss Golden Messenger. Across more than a dozen studio albums and a Grammy-nominated career, MC has become one of the d...

How does an independent band stay true to its roots, resist industry pressure, and survive for over three decades? In this episode of Americana Curious , hosts Ben Fanning and Zach Schultz sit down with Willy Braun, frontman and lead singer of the legendary country-rock band Reckless Kelly. Long before sold-out shows and a devoted following, the band survived by pooling "Band Bucks," sleeping on b...

What happens when a musician completely rejects the corporate machine? In this episode of Americana Curious, Ben Fanning and Zach Schultz sit down with singer-songwriter Mason Jennings to discuss his incredible 30-year independent career. Mason opens up about why he walked away from major label record deals, what it was really like working with (and turning down) Rick Rubin, his fun connection to...

What can leaders learn from Bruce Springsteen? A lot more than you might think. In this special crossover episode from the Lead the Team podcast , Ben sits down with Andy Freed—CEO, author, and a devoted Springsteen fan who has attended nearly 100 Bruce Springsteen concerts. Over the years, Andy noticed something remarkable: many of the leadership lessons taught in boardrooms are being demonstrate...

Some artists sound polished. Some artists sound real. The rare ones give you both. I caught up with backstage at the Charleston Pour House right before she took the stage — you can hear the traffic outside, the crowd starting to buzz, and the energy building before the show. At just 25 years old, Bella is writing songs with an emotional honesty and depth that feels timeless. We talked about emotio...

Winyah had 3 songs. Then they got the call to play Bonnaroo. No album. Just a deadline. So they did what most people won’t: They locked in. Slept on couches. Finished an entire record in weeks. Fast forward— They’re opening High Water Festival in Charleston… stepping on stage in front of 15,000.. And here’s what surprised me most: They’re playing the long game. → Eating clean on tour → Running bet...

What does Taj Mahal understand about music… that most artists still miss today? How did his approach to sound end up influencing Bob Marley? What does it actually mean to feel music instead of just hearing it? And what have we lost… now that music has become something we just consume? In this episode, Taj Mahal—five-time Grammy winner and one of the architects of modern Americana—shares a radicall...

What happens when your dream falls apart… right in the middle of a pizza shift? John-Robert was closing at work when he got the call… he’d been dropped by his label. Most artists don’t come back from that. He moved home to Virginia… built a studio. and started making music nonstop. No label. No plan B. No guarantees. Today, his music has millions of streams around the world. But the real story isn...

MORGXN, the Americana artist who just redefined what the Heartland means, joins Ben and Zach on Americana Curious for a conversation that you'll never forget. Early in his career, he was told he’d never make it in Nashville as an openly gay artist. So he left. But something pulled him back. Instead of abandoning the music… he decided to reclaim something bigger. The Heartland. Not as a place owned...

Some songs don’t just play; They mark seasons of your life. And you don’t realize it until years later. These are the Americana songs that shaped who we (Ben and Zach) have become. As you'll hear it's not because they were chart-toppers or because everyone else loved them... ...it's because they found us at a very specific moment. A long drive after a hard loss. A tiny club when you felt invisible...

There are voices that impress you. And then there are voices that feel like they’ve been EARNED. Al Nicol’s voice carries the high lonesome ache of Bill Monroe, the raw vulnerability of early Bon Iver, and the spiritual sway of Neil Young’s Harvest era. But what makes it unforgettable isn’t tone it’s the absolute TRUTH. In this episode of Americana Curious, Al opens up about masculinity, mortality...

Emily Scott Robinson isn’t chasing hits....She’s writing for your funeral. It's not dark...It's called powerful depth! In our conversation, Emily shares with us that she wants to write songs that are singable 40 years from now. Not viral...Not trending this weekend...Not forgotten next month. FORTY YEARS The industry rewards noise. Speed. Algorithms. “Content.” But Emily Scott Robinson is building...

20 YEARS. 0 LABELS. 1 PLATINUM RECORD. 💿🔥 Most bands don’t make it past year five. They call it the “Valley of Death” because 95% of indie artists don’t make it out alive. But The Band of Heathens just crossed 20 years, went Platinum, and they never signed the lease to a major label. How did they do it? 1️⃣ Surviving the Crossroads: At year six, the band almost folded. They had to ask: “Is the s...

Ben and Zach pull back the curtain on the albums that defined the last year and the artists poised to explode in 2026. From hard-working storytellers out of North Carolina to "super groups" creating interplanetary harmonies, this conversation isn't about a random "best of" list... ...it’s about the JEWELS and POWERHOUSE ALBUMS records that stayed on repeat. Why You Need to Listen: - The "Sonic Blo...

The industry wanted virality. She wanted honesty. Guess who won? She walked away from the band, the marriage, the map — and somehow walked straight into her true voice. Nikki Bluhm didn’t plan the reinvention. She didn’t chase the algorithm. She didn’t engineer a “moment.” She just told the truth. This is a woman whose band once went viral… in a van . Millions and millions of people watched someth...

Jake Owen iis a platinum-selling artist with ten #1 hits, a Breakthrough Artist of the Year winner, and one of the most recognizable voices in modern country. You know him from “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” “Beachin’,” and “American Country Love Song.” But after two decades at the top, Jake Owen did something most artists never dare to do - he reinvented everything. He stepped away from what was com...

At just 21 years old , Stella Prince has already done what most artists spend a lifetime chasing. She’s been called “the artist bringing folk music to Gen Z” by Forbes , sang at a John Prine tribute in Nashville, and will record her debut album under the Northern Lights in Iceland . But what struck me most wasn’t her voice (which has shades of Joni Mitchell and Brandi Carlile )… It was her work et...