Southern Songs and Stories

Apr 08 2025 99 ep. 32 mins 97
Southern Songs and Stories Podcast artwork

Southern Songs and Stories is a documentary series about the music of the South and the artists who make it. We showcase their performances and discover the stories behind their songs with a look at their lives on stage, in the studio and at home as well as the family, friends, fans and music professionals around them.

  Music  Society & Culture
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Achieving a HercuLeon Record Decades in the Making: John Cowan and Andrea Zonn

Apr 08 2025 39 mins  
The 19th century Swedish philosopher and poet Henri Frederic Amiel wrote one of the most eloquent observations about music, saying “Music is harmony, harmony is perfection, perfection is our dream, and our dream is heaven.” If Amiel is right, and I have a feeling he is, then pairing Andrea Zonn and John Cowan in a setting where they can sing some of their favorite songs both ol

Reflections on Rounder Records, the IBMA and Music Journalism With David Menconi

Mar 25 2025 35 mins  
It took a long time after I first read David Menconi’s work to finally meet him, and longer still to sit with him for an extended conversation, but fortunately, the time has finally come. And if the saying “good things come to those who wait” applies here, if I was indeed waiting years for that Tuesday afternoon interview in late September 2024, then it is doubly appropriate

A Musical Animal That Puzzles and Delights: The Faux Paws

Mar 10 2025 33 mins  
It is great fun to witness lines reconverge in unexpected ways on this series. When I spoke with Andrew VanNorstrand and Chris Miller of The Faux Paws back at the end of summer, I learned that they had just received the masters for their next album. Fast forward to late winter the following year, and we happen to circle back to the band directly ahead of the release of their new re

Tray Wellington and the Black Stringband Symposium

Feb 25 2025 27 mins  
Conversation with NC banjo innovator Tray Wellington including his music, and commentary from host and producer Joe Kendrick

Of Wishing Wells and the Unattainable Woman With Lindsay Lou

Feb 11 2025 30 mins  
In the music business, the words “influence” and “inspiration” get thrown around a lot. Artist Y is “influenced” by artists A, B and C, or “inspired” by their love of genres D and E, often with no elaboration of what that really might mean. Influence and inspiration are often overused to the point of meaninglessness in these contexts, or perhaps misunderstood as som

Songs of Solidarity, Songs of Struggle: A Brief Introduction to Songs of Social Movements

Jan 28 2025 37 mins  
A couple of weeks ago, I could not have predicted that I would come upon another way of crafting a Southern Songs and Stories podcast in this fashion. Regular or even casual listeners will be familiar with the go-to format of documentary style profiles of and interviews with music artists in this series; those of you who listen a lot will probably be familiar with some of the less

David Childers, Revisited

Jan 07 2025 48 mins  
The new year arrived and “Auld Lang Syne” bubbled up to the top of playlists all over the land. There are so many versions of this classic, which speaks to the importance of remembering friends and happy times from years past, and it reminded me to pause and reflect on this series, which has featured a great many musical acquaintances and friends (and acquaintances who became f

The 2024 Christmas and Holiday New Music (and 2009 Radio Nostalgia) Special

Dec 13 2024 55 mins  
After surveying all of the available new Christmas and holiday themed music that I could find, I came up with a tidy playlist of nine noteworthy songs to share here in an episode that departs from our usual artist interview format. Here, we play full songs in several sets, with some back stories on each artist and song. Ranging from the elegant, folky take on “Coventry Carol” b

The Liminal Spaces and Myriad Phases Of Twisted Pine

Nov 26 2024 38 mins  
An interview delving into their unique approach, being at home in a liminal space, collaborating with fellow acoustic innovator Casey Driessen, and more in this conversation from their appearance at the 2024 Earl Scruggs Music Festival. Includes music excerpts from the band's third album, Love Your Mind.

Of Triumph, Tragedy and the Solace of Solitude With Steve Earle

Nov 15 2024 36 mins  
Joe Kendrick speaks with Steve Earle by video call in June 2024, a conversation which took place after losing Jeremy Tepper just two days before, a conversation where he talks about his rigorous summer tour, his relationship with his music before he became sober, his favorite cover songs from both artists covering his music and vice versa, aspirations to record Irish music and perh