Back Catalog Listening Party

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo sit down with Irish singer/songwriter Gráinne Hunt at the 2026 FARM Gathering + Presenter Summit in Minneapolis, MN. We revisit her 2019 album This Secret , drink lots of coffee and talk about recording the album in Nashville in just two days with a band she had never met or rehearsed with. And she has lots of trouble not singing along to...

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with fiddler/singer/songwriter Laura Cortese , who joins us from Nova Scotia for lunch to revisit her 2011 album The Poison Oaks . She talks about how this album was made while at a creative crossroads, leaving acoustic constraints behind and fun uses of fiddle and woodwinds. Featured Songs: Pine Ninety Move Around the Floor Bright Li...

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with folk/country songwriter Luke Callen , who joins us from his home in Eau Claire, WI to revisit his 2024 album Also Going Nowhere . He talks about growing tomatoes, the challenges of living with another songwriter and how living in Colorado helped shape his music. Featured Songs: Tomatoes from the Vine Wolves of New York Blind Men...

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk guitar virtuoso Yasmin Williams . She joins us from her home in Virginia with a West Coast IPA to revisit her 2021 album Urban Driftwood . She talks about her start on the electric guitar, how Guitar Hero shaped her technique and how she draws inspiration from both nature and city landscapes. Featured Songs: Sunshowers Juvenescence Th...

In this week's special encore episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with singer/songwriter Chris Koza who joins us from Denver with his dogs Murphy and Arlo to listen back to his 2008 album The Dark Delirious Morning. He revisits several different hairstyles, talks about his love of musicals and shares some wild stories about recording at the famed Pachyderm Studios. Recorded December 4...

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with singer, songwriter, journalist and author Jim Walsh . He joins us from Minneapolis with a local 612 beer to revisit his 2023 EP Shout It Out to You . He talks about his punk rock roots, how writing about other people's music is as healing as writing his own songs and the weird and revolutionary spirit of Minneapolis. Featured...

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with singer/songwriter Eleni Mandell , who joins us from Los Angeles to revisit her 2007 album Miracle of Five . She talks about the influence of punk band X, the song she wrote for Bettye LaVette and some cool videos she made inspired by Alfred Hitchcock and film noir. Featured Songs: Moonglow, Lamp Low Make-Out King My Twin Miss Me Girl...

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with bilingual singer, songwriter and pianist Yazmin , who revisits her 2018 album The Nautilus . She talks about recording in Havana, working with her father and growing up as a musical circus baby. We also nerd out about the Fibonacci sequence and the joy of a great breakup song. Featured Songs: Honey River Forevermore Who's There? Lay...

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with singer, songwriter and recording engineer Dawn Landes , who joins us from North Carolina to revisit her 2008 album Fireproof . She talks about working in Brooklyn recording studios by day, recording her own tunes by night and her obsession with Foley sounds. Featured Songs: Bodyguard Twilight Dig Me a Hole You Alone 🔗 Show Notes : h...

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with Grammy-nominated bluegrass singer, songwriter, bassist and band leader Missy Raines about her 2018 album Royal Traveller . She talks about taking lots of ill-advised leaps in her musical life, her deep love of The Roches and her cool collaboration as part of the First Ladies of Bluegrass with Alison Brown, Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull a...

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with Terry VanDeWalker -- founding member of beloved jam band The Big Wu . The drummer, singer and songwriter joins us from his home in Northfield, MN to revisit the band's 2002 album Spring Reverb . He talks about the unique sound of this record, captured by famed metal producer Bill Cutler and how it showcases the band's elaborate arran...

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with singer/songwriter Annie Gallup , who joins us from her home in Maine to revisit her 2015 album Ghost . She talks about revisiting her bluegrass roots, creating the ink and art for the album's handmade packaging and and the importance of venn diagrams to her songwriting. Featured Songs: Diamond Ring Ghost Town Kite West Memphis Arkans...

In this week's special encore episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo pay tribute to the late great Emmy-winning composer, violinist and mandolin player Peter Ostroushko by revisiting his iconic 1995 album Heart of the Heartland . They are joined by Peter’s longtime friends and collaborators pianist Richard Dworsky , guitarist Dean Magraw and former Red House Records president Eric Peltoniemi to s...

In this week's special 300th episode , Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with acclaimed singer, songwriter and novelist Josh Ritter who joined us from his home in Brooklyn to revisit his 2006 album The Animal Years , which was inspired by Voltaire, Mark Twain and everything happening around the Second Gulf War. He also talks about writing while running the back roads of Idaho, finding his voice...

In this special encore episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with Kansas-based singer/songwriter Elexa Dawson who joined us with a special hometown brew from Radius Brewing to revisit her 2019 album Music Is Medicine , which won her a Native American Music Award for Best Country Recording. She talks about recording the album in one weekend in Taos, drawing from her Potawatomi roots, the mag...

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with folk/rock favorite Catie Curtis , who joins us for lunch to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her album Long Night Moon . We talk about why this album has been such an important one in her life, how drums have shaped her music and ways she keeps these songs fresh and politically relevant decades later. Featured Songs: Passing Through...

In this special encore episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with NPR Tiny Desk Contest winner, Broadway composer and disability rights activist Gaelynn Lea , who revisits her 2018 album Learning How to Stay . We talk about reincarnation, space odysseys and the similarities between recording engineers and therapists. Originally Recorded September 18, 2020. Featured Songs: Bound By A Thread...

This week, hosts Anthony Ihrig and Mother banjo pop-in for a quick "hello" 👋 on the July 4th holiday weekend to wish you a happy summer season and remind you of a BIG milestone we have coming up that we don't want you to miss. We hope you are enjoying plenty of family, friends and good music this weekend, cheers!! ☀️🎶🍻 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer Seth Glier who joins us from his home in Western Massachusetts with dad snacks. He revisits his 2017 album Birds , shares the unique genesis of these songs and talks about creating musical space to grieve and crafting cinematic sounds with cutlery and other household objects. Featured...

In this special encore episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with Grammy-winning songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music scholar, actor and radio host Dom Flemons . Performing around the world as "The American Songster," he joins us from his home in Chicago with his massive record collection to revisit his 2014 album Prospect Hill and the 2020 expanded re-issue Prospect Hill:The American S...

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with singer/songwriter and Folk Potions founder Raina Rose , who joins us from her home in Austin, TX with a smoothie to revisit her 2013 album Caldera . She talks about the many landscapes that inspired the songs, taking her time to record them and how becoming a mother changed everything. Featured Songs: Woodsmoke Swing Wide The Gate Ba...

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with North Carolina-bred "comrade country" artist Nathan Evans Fox . He joins us from his home in Nashville with a gin and tonic to revisit his 2018 album Texas Dust and digs into his complicated relationships with family, Houston and drums. He also talks about his anti-confederate book club, exploring the history of southern history and...

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with legendary folk/rock duo Johnson & Drake who revisit their 1973 album Carry It On . They share incredible stories as they reflect on their quick rise to success touring with Jim Croce, REO Speedwagon, Earth, Wind and Fire and Linda Ronstadt. Plus we learn all about quadraphonic recording and what it took to obtain and remaster the...

In this week's episode, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with Midwest Country Music Award winner Molly Brandt , who joins us from her home in St. Paul to revisit her 2024 album American Saga . She talks about her love of crime podcasts and Ken Burns documentaries and drawing songwriting inspiration from dying strip malls, burlesque dancers and Paul Thomas Anderson's film There Will Be Blood. Fe...

In this week's special episode recorded for the Folk+ Online Music Conference, Anthony Ihrig and Mother Banjo talk with Celia Woodsmith and Kimber Ludiker from Grammy-nominated bluegrass band Della Mae . They join us from the road in Spokane, WA to revisit their pandemic album Family Reunion (2021) which waxes nostalgic about airport lines and touring life and also explores themes of loss and hope...