Martin Anderson
Music Director & HostEschewing his mother’s taste for easy listening music early on, Martin Anderson was raised on his dad’s love for jazz, his brother’s Beatles/classic rock LP’s, and the bluegrass and Top 40 radio of the D.C. area. He began volunteering for the University of Delaware’s WXDR/WVUD eclectic overnight and morning mixes in 1989. Upon graduating with an American History degree, he moved to Eugene, Oregon, he spent the 90’s working in natural foods, environmental causes, and above all, public radio. He hosted various folk, world, Triple-A, and other shows at KLCC, and started a “Miles of Bluegrass” show at KRVM.
After two years working underwriting sales and various music and public affairs programs at KHSU in Arcata, CA, Martin joined WNCW in 2001 as your weekday morning host. He loves interviewing the many talented musicians who come to Studio B, stretching out with the many styles ‘NCW embraces, and reflecting listener requests, events of the day, and our beautiful Southern Appalachian landscape. As Music Director, he books our live sessions, and keeps in touch with the record labels and promoters that send us new music. When not at the station, he enjoys gardening, hiking, traveling, history, and raising his daughter on good music and more.
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Baltimore native Cris Jacobs has a collection of powerful songs and moving character sketches here. He’s also got quite the house band backing him up: The Infamous Stringdusters. They’re also joined by friends Billy Strings, Sam Bush, Lee Ann Womack, the McCrary Sisters, Lindsay Lou, and more. “I’ve always found so much comfort in roots music––in string band music,” Jacobs says. “There’s just something about the sound of all those instruments together that resonates with me to my core and brings me grounding and peace.” -
Peak of the WeekImagine that sweet, warm sound of Norah Jones recordings, with a psychedelic garage-soul sound this time. Fuzz guitars and other retro-60s sounds sync up wonderfully with Norah’s piano and voice here. “The reason I called the album Visions is because a lot of the ideas came in the middle of the night or in that moment right before sleep.” says Jones. “We did most of the songs in the same way where I was at the piano or on guitar and Leon was playing drums and we were just jamming on stuff. I like the rawness between me and Leon (Michels, the producer), the way it sounds kind of garage-y but also kind of soulful, because that's where he's coming from, but also not overly perfected.” -
One of our most anxiously awaited albums of 2024 so far is out! Across the 12 songs on Trail of Flowers, Sierra brings listeners on a beautifully-untamed, time-bending journey of resilience, rebirth and reflection, merging classic musicianship with decidedly modern concerns. In her transformation from train-hopping vagabond to viral sensation, she has honed her spellbinding style of storytelling in trailer parks, dive bars, truck stops and everywhere in between, but Trail of Flowers reveals the wealth of wisdom she has amassed along the way. Her extensive tour for it brings her and her band to The Fillmore in Charlotte on May 12th. -
"Katie Crutchfield's voice is the centerpiece of her music as Waxahatchee. It's shaky in a way that feels resilient...She's finding herself on Tigers Blood. You can hear the confidence shining through." (NPR). Saint Cloud was a breakthrough album for Waxahatchee, a welcome musical escape and comforting reflection for many from the pandemic, and it cemented her status as an important voice in the indie-Americana scene. We also loved her 2022 collaboration with Jess Williamson for the project called Plains. Now with Tigers Blood we see Crutchfield dig even deeper; the result is a complex and beautiful album that is sure to find a special place in people’s hearts once again. She plays in Asheville on Tuesday April 30th. -
We’re excited to get a new one from Corb and his band the Hurtin’ Albertans, from Canada’s foothills of the Rocky Mountains! "El Viejo is a stunning character study of gamblers and loners moving from card game to card game, perfectly bridging modern Americana with the likes of Jerry Reed, Del McCoury and Marty Robbins with a Springsteen-like sense of storytelling in three-minute bursts." - Glide Magazine "Listening to El Viejo is like cracking open a dusty, leather-bound book about the Old West, populated by rough-around-the-edges characters at the end of their ropes." - No Depression -
The “Ice Queen” native of Ottawa has been a fixture in the Austin/Texas blues scene for many years now, and has a string of great albums out, both solo and with others. She has been awarded the Blues Music Award’s Traditional Blues Female Artist award the past three years in a row, and is nominated for 2024, too! This is her first all acoustic solo album. Fans of Elizabeth Cotton and Maybelle Carter, definitely check it out. -
Peak of the WeekJoin us as we celebrate one of our favorite regional (Candler area) musicians, with a wonderful, humble, grounding spirit. As his website describes him, “When it comes to the modern-day singer-songwriter, he remains a bastion of musical talent and lyrical aptitude — a melodic voice-of-reason and safe haven amid a 21st century world seemingly gone mad.” This is his 5th solo album, in addition to his former work with Band of Horses. “[The album title track] is about letting go of innocence and facing the reality of a society that is in decline — one that is refusing to change course or even pause itself,” Ramsey says. “It’s searching for hope in all of this. It’s wanting my children to be able to experience this world with wonder and joy and not have to carry the weight of our mistakes. …I feel secure in what I do musically and I believe in what I’m writing. I try to write songs that I believe every word of. I don’t want to ever dance around something or have to sing lyrics that don’t feel like truth to me.” -
Steve Martin, banjo aficionado, singer/songwriter, oh and a bit of a comedian, has a funny new single with fellow banjoist Alison Brown, Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Trey Hensley, and Todd Phillips. It’s bound to be a hit at Bluegrass Radio… like WNCW! Sam Beam, a.k.a. Iron & Wine, has a 2nd single from his upcoming album Light Verse; this time it’s a call-and-response-style duet with Fiona Apple called “All In Good Time.” And Willie Nelson, approaching 91 next month but who’s counting, has a cover of Rodney Crowell’s powerful song “The Border”. -
She’s found great success in the country/pop world with her last few albums, as evidenced by her seven Grammy wins and tremendous record sales. But she maintains a strong sense of personal connection and acoustic foundation on this, her 5th album, exquisitely produced by long time collaborators Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk. Remaining true to your roots and convictions is perhaps to be expected from someone who counts John Prine, Alison Krauss, and Dolly Parton as her favorite role models! The album was primarily recorded in New York’s famed Electric Lady Studios, and is likely to be a Top 10 favorite of a lot of music fans. -
The country/folk/blues artist from Minnesota went to Portland, Oregon to record this one with acclaimed producer Tucker Martine. While all of his previous albums have been recorded live and often in one take with no overdubs, this is the first time to involve a producer and recording studio more… But it was still mostly recorded live. His influences of legends like Mance Lipscomb, Tony Glover, Willie Murphy and Spider John Koerner are once again brought to life through his wonderfully rich guitar work and singing. We hope you caught his great live session in Studio B last Thursday: video is currently on our Facebook page.
