Morse Code Podcast with Korby Lenker

This week on The Morse Code Podcast , I sat down with Nashville artist Paul McDonald — someone I’ve known in the periphery for years, but never really talked with until now. We cover a lot of ground in this one, but the big arc is this: what happens after everything falls apart… and how you find your way back. Paul had it all — record deals, red carpets, the kind of fast success most musicians onl...

If you’ve followed Lera’s career over the last decade — through True Detective (she both cowrote the Season 2 theme song with T Bone Burnette and Roseanne Cash , and acted in the show), through motherhood, through a handful of sonic evolutions — you know she’s not afraid to change. But in this latest season of her life, she didn’t just evolve; she let go. Gave her old self a funeral, as she puts i...

Nashville artist Jake Etheridge shares how “Happy Ever After You,” written with wife Mackenzie Porter, went viral overnight—leading to a record deal, praise from John Mayer & Brandi Carlile, and a whole new chapter for Thelma and James. Plus, live music & Nashville stories. Get full access to Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe

Korby talks with Clark Beckham about the highs and lows of American Idol, faith and expression, and what it means to stay the course as an artist. Get full access to Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe

There’s a moment in this week’s episode where folksinger and creative lifer Anna Vogelzang says, “I needed someone to look at me and say: you’re still doing this.” I’ve been thinking about that. Because it’s not always easy to tell, is it? Whether we’re still in it. Whether it still matters. Whether we still matter. Anna’s someone I’ve admired for years — not just because she writes these beautifu...

“I lived the dream I had at nineteen. Now I’m trying to see what else is out there.” —Jason Carter For 33 years, Jason Carter was the fiddler for the Del McCoury Band—a role as iconic in bluegrass circles as it gets. He joined at nineteen, fresh out of Eastern Kentucky, and spent the next three decades on the road, backing one of the most revered voices in American roots music. If you’ve seen Del...

Erin Rae is a Nashville singer-songwriter whose music blends introspective folk, vintage pop, and Americana into a sound both timeless and, I’d say, quietly radical. Raised in Jackson, Tennessee by musician parents, Erin was immersed as a kid in the language of song and storytelling. We talk about her early years in Nashville (she moved in her early 20s): late nights at the Cafe Coco RIP, and find...

Great conversation with bluegrass fiddler Bronwyn Keith-Hynes on her exploding career — from attending this year’s Grammys under the auspices of Molly Tuttle (in whose band Golden Highway she plays fiddle), to making her debut on the Grand Ole Opry last month, to a year chock full of tour dates and festivals playing under her own name. We talked about the pros and cons of playing in someone else’s...

In this intimate episode of The Morse Code Podcast, host Korby Lenker sits down with rising Americana star Leah Blevins for a vulnerable, wise, and deeply human conversation about music, identity, and the winding path of the creative life. Leah opens up about her roots in Eastern Kentucky, her gospel-singing family, and the twin bond that shaped her early years. She shares the pressures and reward...

In this revealing episode of The MCP, I sit down with Grammy-nominated songwriter, guitarist, and Americana mainstay Will Kimbrough for a wide-ranging conversation on the hard truths and quiet joys of a life in music. From his early days as a 12 year old electric guitar player to getting signed to EMI, and then John Prine’s Oh Boy Records , to his work with Jimmy Buffett , Shemekia Copeland , and...

What does human-curated radio mean in an era dominated by algorithms? In this episode of The Morse Code Podcast , I sit down with Celia Gregory from Nashville’s WNXP to talk about the power of radio, music discovery, and how real people—not algorithms—shape the sound of a city. Celia shares her journey from college radio DJ to morning host at WNXP , the role of local radio in fostering music commu...

Jordie Lane on Artistry, Resilience & Reinventing the Indie Music Scene. In this episode of The Morse Code Podcast, host Korby Lenker sits down with the Australian-born Nashville-residing singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jordie Lane. Together they explore the raw realities of making a life in independent music, the necessity of artistic reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of creativ...

The first time I saw a portrait by Shervin Lainez , I felt like I was hearing the artist’s music through a photograph. There’s an intimacy in the image, a quiet buzz that goes deeper than just the artist’s face—it captures an essence . His work has graced the pages of Rolling Stone, The New York Times , and countless album covers, shaping the way we see some of the most defining voices in modern m...

Let’s just begin by saying there is nothing in Nashville like Pitch Meeting, Eric Fortaleza’s weekly musical highwire act. Billed as “Nashville’s Best Writer’s Open Mic” the weekly show, which resumes this Tuesday February 25th features a powerhouse band of Nashville heavies (often of 10 or more players) whose job it is to back the any songwriter who’s name is drawn from dozens of hopeful singer-s...

What happens when the interviewer becomes the guest? This episode of The Morse Code Podcast is a special one—Randa Newman, Korby's wife and creative partner, takes over the host seat to interview Korby in an intimate, revealing conversation about creativity, perseverance, and what it means to balance art with real life. Get full access to Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscrib...

Abby Jane is a singer and songwriter based in Nashville. Her debut EP “I Don’t Want to Pretend” has been the talk of the town, at least in the circles I trade in, since it dropped in October 2024. Everybody loves her fresh take on the craft of confessional songwriting, and the remarkable instrument through which she delivers those songs. Abby Jane and I are sharing a show next Saturday Feb 15 at t...

Carl Anderson is a singer-songwriter from Virginia. His song swirls around like that plastic bag in the scene from American Beauty. A surprising unassuming clandestine charm that catches you unawares and then settles at your feet until the wind kicks up again. I have been a fan of his ever since we played a show together at the Bluebird in Nashville maybe like seven years ago. The way he sings is...

MAIR is a musical force of nature. Whether she’s playing mandolin, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, nylon string banjo, her sit-up-and-pay-attention virtuosity has made her an in-demand collaborator the industry over. She’s been touring since she was thirteen, which makes her an industry veteran even though she’s barely in her mid-twenties. If you’re into bluegrass, you might have caught he...

Quick note before the show - after taking almost 4 years off to produce the Morse Code TV Pilot , I’m about to release some new music. So so excited about this. The first single is called Meet Me at the End of the World . Its about reaching for love at all costs. I texted our guest Tyler Merritt the track after our interview last week and, to quote the man: “The whole song is super melodic. Great...

Published just two days ago, Adam Ross ’ second novel, Playworld — some dozen-plus years in the making — is one of the best books I’ve read in the last five years. I’m not alone! Sources no less venerable than The New York Times , the LA Times , the Boston Globe , the Wall Street Journal , are all lining up to sing its praises. “Dazzling and endearing,” writes Vogue . The Washington Post croons: “...

Happy New Beginning! One quick important creative announcement: I have new music coming! Meet Me at the End of the World was written by me, live on a series I do called the East Nashville Songwriting Workshop , where I write a song live on the internet, start to finish. Usually it’s a co-write, but this particular time the scheduled guest didn’t show up so I was left by myself. Not ideal but the s...

The end of the year is a good time to take a step back and think about what you're doing and why. Among my various (well, three) enterprises, I've been doing the Morse Code Podcast for more than a year - more than 60 full length episodes and 200+ videos. Proud of Jared and Randa and me and what we’ve achieved! I'm still figuring out the SEO and a bunch of other technical stuff I don't understand (...

Josh Plasse is an actor, producer and published author. The son of a Navy Seal, he’s appeared in more than 50 episodes of network television , including iCarly , Grey’s Anatomy and The Baxters . His first novel, Dust , drops February 4, 2025 on Resolve Editions. In 2022, Josh co-wrote, produced, and acted in the feature film Ride , starring C. Thomas Howell , Annabeth Gish and Forrie J. Smith. Ori...

Langhorne Slim is a singer-songwriter based in East Nashville. His new single “We the People (F*** the Man)” is a jubilant reminder to cast a wary eye on our supposed political overlords and instead focus on those things that make a society a place worth living in: loving our neighbors, looking each other in the eye, being *actually* alive on planet earth in this our once and mysterious life. Get...

Quinnlan Ashe is an actor, producer and podcaster based in Nashville, Tennessee. Among her credits are Ozark , I Want You Back , Chicago Fire , Brockmire *and* she played Lia in our own award-winning pilot, Morse Code , for which this podcast is named. Quinn's latest project is called Re-Wined . It's a podcast she hosts with friends and industry colleagues Katie Garrett and Annie Moore , where the...