Americana Curious

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...

There’s a kind of wisdom that only comes from the road. Soren Staff from Them Coolee Boys summed it up in six words: “Change breaks you before it makes you.” He wasn’t being dramatic — just honest. Because for them, it’s not theory. They’ve lived it. From playing 10 a.m. festival slots while people were still setting up tents — “The first time we played there… it was like 10 a.m. on a Friday… the...

Briscoe has an incredible story, and you need to hear it now! Two redheaded kids in the same pair of Chaco sandals at summer camp. A back-porch pact to start a band if they ever wound up at the same college. And now—sharing the stage with Dave Matthews and lighting up the Newport Folk Festival. You’ll want to say you discovered this band first. 🔥 From campfire harmonies of John Prine’s “Paradise”...

He’s the man behind “Wagon Wheel” — the song that went from a Bob Dylan fragment to a global anthem, covered by Darius Rucker, sung at campfires, weddings, and stadiums everywhere. But few know the real story of how it was written. In this exclusive interview, Ketch Secor , founder of Old Crow Medicine Show , shares: -How “Wagon Wheel” was finished when he was just 17 -What it was like taking old-...

Mainstream country radio has no room for voices like Luke Tyler Shelton —and that’s exactly why his music matters. In this episode of Americana Curious , Ben and Zach sit down with rising Americana artist Luke Tyler Shelton , whose debut album Blue Sky (produced by Shooter Jennings) is already winning over true music lovers. From writing songs in parking lots to sharing the stage at Willie Nelson’...

Sammy Rae and The Friends didn’t just start a band—they sparked a movement. 🎤✨ In this unforgettable interview, Sammy Rae and The Friends reveal the wild story behind a tour bus breakdown that turned into something legendary…and the moment a single letter changed everything. From sold-out shows at Red Rocks to creating a global community of belonging, Sammy Rae and The Friends share how their hi...

From Dive Bars to John Mayer: The Last Revel’s Journey is Unbelievable! Three musicians. One relentless vision. And a record that feels like the point of no return. From Midwest dive bars to sharing stages with John Mayer, The Last Revel has always played like there’s something at stake. But this time…it’s different. They locked themselves away in a legendary studio. They called in heroes to push...

He didn’t chase the spotlight. He built a bonfire of truth—and let the crowd find him. Ryan Necci never set out to be a full-time musician and songwriter. He was a graphic designer. A weekend warrior. Then life cracked wide open. A brain tumor. A rescue dog fighting cancer. A marriage ending. And through it all—songs poured out. 🎶 Songs that bruised like Springsteen. 🖤 Lyrics that cut like Isbel...

700 Million Streams. No Label - Sons of the East 🎶 They tracked a stolen tour bus with AirTags. 🎤 They played their hearts out in front of Bill Murray . 🩲 And yes… they lost a full cube of fresh undies on tour. Sons of the East didn’t blow up overnight. They built their global cult following the hard way: No major label. No viral gimmick. Just killer harmonies, soulful songs, and relentless tou...

From Monkey’s Eyebrow to the Country Music Hall of Fame She learned to write songs before she learned to drive. Raised in the swampy river bottoms of rural Kentucky—riding a John boat to her dad’s hunting lodge— Kelsey Waldon found her way from front porches and thumb-picked guitars to sharing stages with Willie Nelson and Tanya Tucker. 🎙 Signed to John Prine’s legendary Oh Boy Records 🎧 Played t...