Roots Rednecks and Radicals

Kacey Musgraves has always had a sense for social activism. Recently when she learned the story of brothers who were detained by ICE and also were Mariachi musicians she reached out to them. She had them perform on stage with her in Texas and it was a truly beautiful moment. Let's take a look at this story! 

Here's 5 more songs I think you'd enjoy that are out this month. Some of the best tracks I've been listening to. Lucy Liyou, Snail Mail, Kacey Musgraves, Deer Tick, and Shooter Jennings. With a bonus of Willie Nelson on two of the tracks. I hope you dig it! 

Wanted! The Outlaws gave us a template for what Outlaw Country music should sound like. And it came out in an era of country music that gave us a ton of classic albums. It features Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter and a handful of other artists who contributed to it. It's a certified classic and we're talking about this week! 

Lot's of good tunes out in the world right now. These are the songs I'm enjoying. Charley Crockett, Mitski, Iron & Wine, Ratboys, and India Ramey all have incredible music out you should be listening to. I hope you dig it! 

The bluegrass revival of the early 2000s has it's roots in music that was bubbling just under the surface years before. In the 90s there were artists laying the groundwork for what would become this musical phenomenon. Gillian Welch, Uncle Tupelo, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams and many other artists were forming the sounds of what was to come. Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings put out their album Re...

Sturgill Simpson is one of my favorite artists of all time. He just does things the way he wants to do them. He's made Outlaw Country, Bluegrass, and Rock records. And now he's trying his hand at Disco/Funk. He's just a weird dude and I love love it. He put this album out under the moniker "Johnny Blue Skies" and released it on vinyl/tape/CD only. Let's take a look at the record! 

I've been such a big fan of Charley Crockett for a long time now and I'm stoked to see him reach new levels in his career. He's super creative, and just a brilliant songwriter. He teamed up with Shooter Jennings for his newest release which really reminds me of Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger. Join me to take a look at this record. I hope you dig it! 

Charlie Parr is a roots musician from Minnesota that has been making music for decades. Over the years he's really created his own style that is based in the American folk and blues tradition. He's playing a show in my hometown (Carson City NV) Friday April 3rd at the Brewery Arts Center and I was super excited to hear he was coming here! We had a great talk about his music, I hope you dig it! 

My hometown is getting a treat. Charlie Parr and The Lowest Pair are coming through to play a show. I had a chance to talk with this dynamic folk duo about their music, and their most recent release Always As Young As We'll Ever Be. I hope you dig it! 

I have five more songs for you lined up this month. As always I like to bring you what's good in the world of new music and I have a great line-up for ya! This month we're listening to tunes from Jeff Tweedy, Jeremy Ivey (w/Margo Price), Courtney Barnett, Father John Misty, and the Milk Carton Kids.  I hope you dig it! 

Colter Wall announced on his Instagram recently he's taking a mental health break from music for the time being. There are few details surrounding this decision. But it's clear he needs a break. I wanted to take a minute and reflect on this decision, and what it means for the broader music industry. 

John Henry is an American folk hero. His mythology goes back to the 1800s and no one is quite sure what part of his story is real, or legend. Nevertheless his story lives on mainly in song form. And his story could not be more relevant today with the advent of LLMs and AI threatening to take people's jobs and change society forever. This week we take a look at some great renditions of his tale fro...

For some reason Country Music has become a space for people who want to run a grift and make a quick buck, and Kid Rock is one of the worst. He doesn't really make "country" music, but the crowd he is going after is the country crowd. In 2015 Kid Rock's career was waning and he was looking for a new move, and that's when MAGA came around. It gave him the opportunity to pivot and build a new audien...

Steve Earle is one of America's greatest living songwriters. His career spans decades, and he is widely respected as an incredible artist by so many musicians. His first album Guitar Town got his career started 40 years ago. It reflects the influence of other great artists like Guy Clark, and Townes Van Zandt who were huge inspirations for him. 

The Carolina Chocolate Drops (Rhiannon Giddens, Dom Flemons, and Justin Robinson) put out their album Genuine Negro Jig over 10 years ago. And it is still amazing. I wanted to take a look at this album because it is such an important piece of work in the folk community. It gave all the artists national attention, and launched the careers of Rhiannon and Dom. I hope you dig it! 

Bob Weir passed away just over a month ago. He was a giant in the world of American roots music. A founding member of the Grateful Dead, after Jerry Garcia's death he went on the play with RatDog, Dead & Company, and of course Bob Weird and Wolf Bros. His musical legacy is unparalleled and his tunes will live on! In this episode we take a look at three songs he wrote; Truckin', Sugar Magnolia,...

I've got 5 more songs for you that I'm diggin' this month! Lucinda Williams, Mitski, Ecca Vandal, Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), and Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) all have new music out and I wanted to bring these songs to you. They cover a range of styles from alt-country to indie rock and they are all great. I hope you dig it! 

This is the first episode in a series I plan on doing on protest music. Decades ago Woody Guthrie wrote a song that told the story of Tom Joad from Grapes of Wrath. After that Bruce Springsteen wrote an interpolation of Guthrie's song, and not long after that Rage Against The Machine covered Bruce's song in their own style. The story of Tom Joad still resonates today, and I wanted to share the his...

Lots of good music to go over with you this month. As always I try and keep you up to date on what's happening in the world of Indie/Alternative music. And I have some fun ones for you today. From jangly indie, to honky-tonking country this is what is tickling my fancy currently. As always, I hope you dig it! 

Justin Townes Earle passed away nearly six years ago. His death came as a shock to the roots music community. The son of Steve Earle was a bright shining star in the world of songwriters. Sammy Brue was a huge fan, and he's written a touching and heartfelt album dedicated to Justin's memory. He joins me on the show today to discuss this album. 

These two folk artists have made an incredible piece of art. It came out at the end of last year, and it's been on repeat in my headphones for awhile now. I've always loved to socially conscious lyrics of Woody Guthrie and this album feels like the best parts of what he was doing decades ago. I hope you dig it! 

MJ Lenderman and Waxahatchie (Katie Crutchfiled) have both had an amazing last few years. They've worked with each other, and played in either Wednesday or Snocaps, both bands that have been garnering a ton of attention lately. I wanted to share some of their tunes with you, I hope you dig it! 

I feel like this year gave us some incredible music from a variety of artists. I wanted to share with you some of the bands and songwriters that were on repeat for me this year. We'll be talking about Tyler Childers, Margo Price, Nathan Evans Fox, Wednesday, Turnstile, Scowl, Lucy Dacus and Jay Som. I hope you dig it! 

I have loved this movie since I was a little kid. It's campy, and honestly kinda bad but in the best way possible. The songs are fun, the puppets are bad, but the nostalgia lives on. I hope I can inspire you to make this classic a part of your Christmas tradition!