DadGrass Podcast

DadGrass Podcast is back with a song that’s been passed down through streets, kitchens, and crowded pub floors for generations “Tell Me Ma.” This week, we’re digging into the story behind the song, one that traveled across the ocean with Irish immigrants and took on a life of its own in places like New York, Boston, and beyond. It’s playful, a little mischievous, and full of the kind of rhythm tha...

In celebration of Fat Tuesday, today on DadGrass Podcast we’re heading to the streets of New Orleans for one of the most joyful, mysterious, and powerful songs in American roots music “Iko Iko.” You’ll hear the beat. You’ll feel the rhythm. And you’ll learn how to answer back. This episode is all about call and response, a musical conversation where one voice leads and everyone joins in. We’ll cla...

What feels like home to you? Is it a place you can point to on a map… or something you carry with you, like a tune that never quite leaves? Homeplace songs come from that ache, the one that shows up when a sight fades in the rearview mirror. When work pulls you somewhere loud and fast. When the land that raised you feels far away but not gone. Today's episode focuses on Homeplace Songs, and one of...

As we move through Black History Month, we’re taking time to honor Lesley Riddle, a Black Appalachian musician whose work sits at the foundation of American folk, blues and country music, even if his name was too often left out of the story.   Lesley Riddle carried melodies when there were no recordings. He shaped songs that became standards. He influenced the sound of the Carter Family and, throu...

In this episode of DadGrass, we listen to Wildwood Flower and learn about the incredible guitar playing of Maybelle Carter. Maybelle helped turn the guitar into a lead voice in American music. The way she played changed how songs sounded and how bands played together, a big idea that shaped country, folk, and Americana music. But sometimes in history, someone does something really important… and s...

Welcome to DadGrass, a family-friendly podcast about folk music, history, and the stories we hand down through song. I’m Tim. I'm a dad, music teacher, and lifelong folk musician. In our first episode, we’re starting with If I Had a Hammer, made famous by Pete Seeger, a song written so anyone could sing it. If I Had a Hammer uses simple tools to talk about big ideas: justice, freedom, and love bet...