The fountain of youth could very well be located in a mandolin, or a fiddle. At least for Sam Bush, playing the mandolin, along with the occasional fiddle, seems to give him an energy level that many people several decades his junior would envy. There is a lot to be said for playing music, whatever the instrument, and its benefits for well being. Cognitively and psychologically, there is a lot of data that affirms we can benefit greatly from playing music, even from simply actively listening to music. A lot of this boils down to a fundamental truth that learning is the catalyst for positive change and growth, and we can all continue learning and picking up new skills throughout our lives. Sam Bush, like so many career music artists, embodies that spirit, and serves as a great example of the heights we can achieve when we devote our lives to reaching towards our full capabilities. Musically, Sam Bush draws from a wide spectrum of styles, ranging from bluegrass to newgrass (which he helped establish and define as a sub-genre with his former group New Grass Revival), to rock and blues with his former project Duck Butter, to having been in both Leon Russell and Emmylou Harris’ bands, among many other projects. His stories are just as lively. From recounting his times with Earl Scruggs and Bill Monroe to his observations about young stars like Sierra Hull and Billy Strings, to his many performances at Green Acres Music Hall, Sam Bush has many a tale to tell. We get to all of that, and get a glimpse at what he has in store in the near future as well, in a spirited conversation from backstage at the 2025 Earl Scruggs Music Festival. Of course, there is much music to highlight in this episode too, including excerpts from Sam’s solo catalog, as well as the festival’s namesake. Sam Bush performs at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival, August 29, 2025 (photo: Eli Johnson) Songs heard in this episode:“Stingray” by Sam Bush, from Glamour & Grits“Brown’s Ferry Blues” by Tony Trischka, from Earl Jam, excerpt“Big Mon” by Sam Bush, from Late As Usual, excerpt“Foggy Mountain Special” by Flatt & Scruggs, excerpt“Circles Around Me” by Sam Bush, from Circles Around MeWe are glad you are here! Could you can help spread awareness of what we are doing? It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify here and YouTube here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.You can follow us on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and now on Substack here, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed. - Joe Kendrick

Easing up, letting things come to you, and practicing being present is a recurring theme in recent episodes of this series, and that mindset is on full display once again in this episode on The Wood Brothers. I sat with Oliver Wood, Chris Wood and Jano Rix backstage at the 2025 Earl Scruggs Music Festival, ahead of their Friday night headlining set at the award-winning event. It was one of the most jovial and insightful conversations I have had in quite a while, and we covered a lot of ground, ranging from the band’s sonic evolution and their penchant for improvisation and letting their subconscious steer the way in the studio and on stage, to their perspective on bluegrass and banjo icon Earl Scruggs, to Chris Wood’s British Columbia farmstead and Jano Rix’ salsa dancing. All that and more, including excerpts of songs from their ninth album, Puff Of Smoke, awaits you here. The Wood Brothers performing at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival in Tryon, NC 08-29-25 (photo: Scotty Robertson) Songs heard in this episode:“Puff Of Smoke” by The Wood Brothers, from Puff Of Smoke“Slow Rise (to the middle)” by The Wood Brothers, from Puff Of Smoke, excerpt“The Trick” by The Wood Brothers, from Puff Of Smoke, excerpt“Witness” by The Wood Brothers, from Puff Of SmokeThanks for visiting! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify here and YouTube here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.You can follow us on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and now on Substack here, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed. - Joe Kendrick

Welcome to the latest episode of the series Southern Songs and Stories, which recently made it into the top 10 best Americana podcasts on this list. Yay! It reminds me to ask you to give the podcast a top rating and where you can submit one, a review. That’s a huge part of making this series visible on platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere you follow podcasts. Really, it makes a huge difference, and only takes a minute or two. Thanks!Another update: this week I will attend the fall Albino Skunk Music Festival, where I will record my first ever live podcast, in front of an audience. On stage Wednesday afternoon October 1, we will be recounting the history of the event, now in its fourth decade, with founder Glynn “Zig” Zeigler, along with other special guests. I would love to see you there! Our time with Jeff Tweedy continues here, with an in depth conversation about his new triple solo album, Twilight Override. Not an overtly political songwriter, Tweedy nonetheless points to broad social issues in the overall themes of the album, and in one song in particular that he details in the interview, “Enough”. Jeff also talks about the makeup of The Tweedy Band, which features his sons and other, younger artists from his home town of Chicago, and how the group is especially well suited for multi part harmonies. We do not leave Wilco out of the conversation, either, and feature several new songs from his solo record along the way. The Tweedy Band (photo: Rachel Bartz) Songs heard in this episode:“Betrayed” by Jeff Tweedy, from Twilight Override“Stray Cats in Spain” by Jeff Tweedy, from Twilight Override, excerpt“Twilight Override” by Jeff Tweedy, from Twilight Override, excerpt“Jesus, Etc.” by Wilco, from Yankee Hotel FoxtrotThank you for stopping by! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify here and YouTube here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.You can follow us on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and now on Substack here, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed. - Joe Kendrick

In mid May, 2025, I spoke with Jeff Tweedy ahead of his show with Wilco in Charlotte, NC, and have been waiting for his forthcoming solo album to publish his interview here on Southern Songs and Stories. I was fortunate to get to listen to several songs from Twilight Override ahead of my conversation with Jeff Tweedy, and was one of, if not the first person to talk with him about the album, and especially about the song “Enough”. That conversation is coming in our next episode, once the full album is available in late September 2025, but here we bring you a bonus episode, with the part of our conversation that was broadcast on public radio WNCW the same afternoon, ahead of Wilco’s show at the Amp Ballantyne in Charlotte. The Jeff Tweedy Band (photo: Rachel Bartz) Songs heard in this episode:“Out In The Dark” by Jeff Tweedy, from Twilight Override“How Hard Is It For Desert To Die” by Jeff Tweedy, featuring Karly Hatzman, from Cardinals at the Window: A Benefit For Flood Relief In Western North Carolina, excerpt“Enough” by Jeff Tweedy, from Twilight OverrideThank you for visiting! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify here and YouTube here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. You can follow us on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and now on Substack here, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed. - Joe Kendrick

Is there such a thing as coincidence? Recently I read an essay by Henrik Karllson, in his Substack page Escaping Flatland, titled “Almost Anything You Give Sustained Attention to Will Begin To Loop on Itself and Bloom”, and I was especially struck by his comment that "Art is guided meditation". This was, to me, a new way of thinking about paying attention and slowing down, of being in the moment. It rang true. This coincided with working on this episode, and listening to Andrew Duhon’s song “Slow Down”, which features the lyrics “We’ve got to slow down/ All we’ll ever have is right here right now/ Right here right now/ I think we need to slow down/ Our eyes on the horizon line/ All these years/ It’s the things we keep our eyes on/ Seem to be the things that disappear when we get there”. Coincidence? I say that has to be a long shot. Slowing down can be helpful in a lot of situations, creative endeavors especially. Do you ever find yourself in a spot where you wish you could simply jump to the finish line, like in a project, or even with cooking dinner? I feel that way a lot when starting work on the scripts for Southern Songs and Stories episodes. The blank page is always the hardest part — just those first paragraphs can take up the better part of a day sometimes. You have heard the phrase “like pulling teeth”, I bet. The creative process can feel that way, at times: a painful slog, with no guarantees of any gain, that makes you question why you put yourself through it. Slowing down is key to making something worthwhile, whether that brings material gain or simply self satisfaction with a job well done. With patience, with letting things come to you, with sitting still and actively listening for the muse, good things can happen. There is no way to reap the rewards without paying the cost, and part of the bargain is giving something of yourself, something that might be as hard as pulling teeth. I hope you can slow down with us, and enjoy this episode on Andrew Duhon. Here, he expounds on his music and his band, while he also touches on religion, politics, and a lot more, including the hardest song that he has ever written, why he does not have a place to call home in New Orleans currently, and his own eye-catching chapeau, a vintage baseball cap that says “Cuban Boatlift 1980”. All that and more, including more of Andrew’s music, especially from his recent appearance at The Albino Skunk Music Festival in Greer, SC, awaits you in this episode. Andrew Duhon gives the thumbs up to this podcast, and to you, too Songs heard in this episode:“Bayou La Batre” by Andrew Duhon, from The Parish Record“Girl From Plaquemine” by Andrew Duhon, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/08/25, excerpt“Waco Kool-Aid” by Andrew Duhon, performed live at the Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/08-25, excerpt“Just Another Beautiful Girl” by Andrew Duhon, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/08/25, excerpt“Just In Case” by Andrew Duhon, performed live at the Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/08/25 Thank you for visiting! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify here and YouTube here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. You can follow us on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and now on Substack here, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed. - Joe Kendrick