It was Friday at MerleFest and I had already taken in an afternoon and evening of music the day before, which threatened more rain than it delivered. The one downpour that hit the festival grounds coincided with my campsite assembly, though, which made for an especially challenging time with raising my tent. Pouring rain makes tents heavy and unwieldy, but luckily for me, not impossible to put together — just fairly comical to passersby. The inside of it was a mess after that, but it was the only weather incident I experienced all weekend. It would not be MerleFest without at least a little rain, after all. As it would be an outlier for MerleFest to be without rain, it would be similarly unlikely for MerleFest to go without at least one of two contemporary bluegrass stars from western NC: Woody Platt and Buddy Melton. Fans have enjoyed Woody Platt’s former band Steep Canyon Rangers thirteen times at the festival since 2006, while Buddy Melton’s former group Balsam Range has made five appearances there since 2010. This year, they appeared in a new lineup: Woody Platt and the Bluegrass Gentlemen. I had the pleasure of catching up with Woody Platt and Buddy Melton in one of the few quiet spots available on the festival grounds, in the band’s motor coach, where we talked about how this project began; how their region is recovering from Hurricane Helene and more recently, widespread wildfires; a certain Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cover they played live at the festival, as well as how they love to hear other players cover their songs. That and a lot more, including excerpts of music from Woody Platt’s 2024 album Far Away With You awaits you in this episode. Woody Platt and the Bluegrass Gentlemen perform on Creekside Stage at MerleFest in Wilkesboro NC 04-25-25 Songs heard in this episode: “Long Time Coming” by Woody Platt, from Far Away With You“Like The Rain Does” by Woody Platt, from Far Away With You, excerpt“Find the Cost of Freedom” by Crosby, Stills Nash & Young, from Live At Fillmore East, 1969, excerpt“Walk Along With Me” by Woody Platt, from Far Away With You, excerpt“One Last Goodbye” by Woody Platt, from Far Away With YouThanks for reading and listening! 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. Thanks to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

The town of Elkin, NC, boasts only 4000 residents, but its downtown seems to resemble a town much larger than that. What looks to me like a downtown about half the size of my home town of Shelby, NC, turns out to be a good bit less populated than its footprint suggests. But making a bigger impression than expected is in keeping with everything I have experienced in this foothills town in the northwest part of the state — Elkin likes to punch above its weight. My first trip to Elkin was for the Reevestock Music Festival, created by the band Time Sawyer, whose members largely grew up there. It is a festival that garners national artists as well as regional favorites, and every time I returned, it came up a winner: well balanced, with enough star power but also plenty of pleasant surprises and new discoveries, plus it was almost intimate with its crowd of hundreds rather than thousands in attendance. Elkin remains a favorite destination for that festival alone, and now I can add to that list, with The Martha Bassett Show producing live events at the Reeves Theater for eight years running. Martha Bassett celebrates with guests and house band at the finale of The Martha Bassett Show 04/03/25Photo: Steel String Photography The Martha Bassett Show put on its 100th episode in April of this year, which seemed like the perfect time to trek up and take it all in. The show featured guests Liz Longley from Nashville, Hank Pattie & the Current from the Triangle region of NC, and a VA music artist who is best known for building guitars for stars like Eric Clapton, Gillian Welch, Vince Gill, Peter Rowan (and hundreds of others, famous or not), Wayne Henderson. I spoke with both Martha Bassett and Wayne Henderson while there, where we talked with Martha about the extraordinary nature of the show with collaboration amongst its guests a built-in feature, the ever-changing and now perhaps especially challenging landscape for the arts, and with Wayne about his world famous instruments as well as memories of Doc Watson, and current Grand Ole Opry member and client Marty Stuart. All of that and a lot more is here, including musical excerpts from The Martha Bassett Show on this episode of Southern Songs and Stories. Songs heard in this episode:Wayne Henderson and Friends “Sweet Georgia Brown” from The Martha Bassett Show 04/03/25Wayne Henderson and Friends intro from Martha Bassett into “Panhandle Rag” from The Martha Bassett Show 04/03/25, excerpt“I’ll Fly Away” Martha Bassett with Liz Longley, Hank Pattie & the Current, Wayne Henderson and Friends and house band from The Martha Bassett Show 04/03/25Thanks for dropping 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. 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. Thanks to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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 old and new, is bound to take you at least a good part of the way to heaven. With their debut collaboration, the album Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeons, the Nashville legends make the harmony part sound effortless, and with a cast of all stars behind them, have set their sights skyward. John Cowan and Andrea Zonn already had a harmonious relationship and had worked together in the decades leading up to now, but it was a quirk of having some more studio time together during the pandemic that set the stage for their first full length collaboration as band leaders. Here, Andrea and John detail that story behind their collaboration, as well as stories of their heroes like Leon Russell and Bill Monroe, and contemporaries like Tom Britt, their perspective on their own musical legacies, tales of their time in the shangri-la of western North Carolina’s musical past, Green Acres Music Hall, and more, including music excerpts of songs from their new album. Andrea Zonn and John Cowan performing live Songs heard in this episode:“Face Of Appalachia“ by The HercuLeons, from Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeons“Straight Up” by The HercuLeons, from Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeons, excerpt“Resurrection Road” by The HercuLeons, from Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeons, excerpt“Barbed Wire Boys” by The HercuLeons, from Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeons, excerpt“Long Way From Home” by The HercuLeons, from Andrea Zonn & John Cowan Are The HercuLeonsNoteworthy but not mentioned in our interview is John Cowan’s recent book Hold To A Dream: A Newgrass Odyssey, which features a foreword by HercuLeons’ producer Wendy Waldman, and is built on a series of John’s interviews with heroes like Kris Kristofferson, Rodney Crowell and Loretta Lynn as well as contemporaries like John Carter Cash. Thanks for being here! 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. Thanks to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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 now that our conversation sees the light of day in this podcast nearly another half a year afterwards. Decades after first reading his work, more than a year after first meeting him, and another stretch of months after interviewing him, now is the moment for all of this to come together. It all feels a bit fortuitous, a feeling which is echoed in our conversation, especially regarding the subject of David Menconi’s latest book. David Menconi was a staff writer at the Raleigh News & Observer for 28 years, beginning in 1991, when the music scene in the region was exploding nationwide. He has also written for Rolling Stone, Billboard, Spin and New York Times. His latest book is titled Oh, Didn't They Ramble: Rounder Records and the Transformation of American Roots Music. David Menconi spoke with me at the IBMA conference in his adopted hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, in a conversation which touches on the remarkable story of Rounder Records, a music label whose story, as David put it, is the kismet story. A label formed by three idealistic folkies fresh out of college, it went on to champion the music of artists ranging from Alice Gerard to Alison Krauss, from the Blake Babies to Billy Strings, and from Ted Hawkins to Tony Rice. David talks about the Rounder Records story, the current state of the music industry, the challenges faced by writers and musicians alike, as well as the significant history of bluegrass music in the city of Raleigh and the state of North Carolina and more, including music excerpts from Rounder Records artists like Norman Blake and George Thorogood in this episode Southern Songs and Stories. David Menconi Songs heard in this episode:Tony Rice “Monroe’s Hornpipe”, from The Bluegrass Album Band, Volume 6“Tango Cool“ by Ted Gioia & Mark Lewis, from Tango Cool, excerpt“Ginseng Sullivan” by Norman Blake, from Back Home In Sulphur Springs, excerpt“Move It On Over” by George Thorogood & the Destroyers, from Move It On Over, excerpt“Away From the Mire” by Billy Strings, from HomeThanks for being here! 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. Thanks to everyone at the International Bluegrass Music Association for helping to make this interview possible, and to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

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 record with this podcast. The trio, which is often a quartet on tour, is also set to come through southern Appalachia once again this spring, on the heels of their second full length album titled No Bad Ideas. The Faux Paws perform at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival 08/31/24Photo: Jess Maples It is easy to glance at The Faux Paws and mistake them for an old time string band or maybe a Celtic band, at least when they are playing banjo. But then, out comes the saxophone, and we are not in Kansas anymore. So, what are they, exactly? We answer that question in this conversation with banjo and saxophone player Chris Miller, and guitarist Andrew VanNorstrand, as well as musical specimens from their expansive, hypnotic and melodic new record. It is a lighthearted yet revealing conversation ranging from their experience playing contra dances, how being unmarketable is part of their DNA, to their relationship with the music of Earl Scruggs and more. Songs heard in this episode:“Bubwa - No Bad Ideas” by The Faux Paws, from No Bad Ideas“Rockingham” by The Faux Paws, from No Bad Ideas, excerpt“Night” by The Faux Paws, from No Bad Ideas, excerpt“15 Below” by The Faux Paws, from No Bad IdeasThanks 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. Thanks to everyone at the Earl Scruggs Music Festival for helping to make this interview possible, and to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick