Roots Rednecks and Radicals

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 from; Johnny Cash, Lead Belly, Rhiannon Giddens/Justin Robinson, Woody Guthrie, Charley Crockett and Drive-By Truckers. I hope you dig it! 

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 audience. And the world is worse because of it.  

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, and Touch of Grey. RIP Bob Weir! 

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!