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Western NC bandleader talks about his band's rise, the importance of funk, and how they are going forward without a banjo

Conversations with producer and artist Jonathan Wilson including music excerpts from his psychedelic fifth album Eat the Worm as well as rising Americana star Bella White, whose second album Among Other Things he produced, including commentary from host and producer Joe Kendrick.

With a new round of classes coming up through the Isothermal Community College Culinary Arts Program, this feature interview gave a voice to the program and two of its chefs. Chef John and Chef Roger, who help lead classes, shared what to expect when you join them in the kitchen. Things like how taste and texture affect one another and how smart grocery shopping and cooking at home help save money.

The body of Waynesville native, Airman Fredrick Mervyn Hall came home to rest after he went missing in action in the late 1960's during participation in the Vietnam War. After his remains were finally identified, the local hero was officially buried and laid to rest in early October. Hear this remarkable story from Cory Vaillancourt of Smoky Mountain News.

Sheila Kay Adams is a seventh-generation ballad singer, musician, and storyteller. She was born and raised in Madison County, North Carolina, in a little place named Sodom. It's an area well-known for its a cappella ballad singing, a tradition that dates back to the early Scots/Irish and English settlers of the mid-17th century. Also known as Henry Lee, "Young Hunting" is an 18th-century murder ballad likely of Scottish origin.

Shinyribs is an Austin Texas band that began in 2007 as a side project for Kevin Russell, who also goes by Kev, and was then still committed to The Gourds, the band he had co-founded fifteen years earlier. A few years later, The Gourds released their last album, and Kev sauntered over to Shinyribs full time. Known for his showmanship on stage and for a big band approach to both the concept and performances of his music, and drawing from a smorgasbord of funky roots-rock, big band swing, Tex-Mex, screaming soul and burlesque blues, while pumping out infectious rhythms and topping it all with hooky harmony, Shinyribs is a party waiting to happen. At least that is what it sounds like on first listen, and looks like at first glance.Shinyribs is a shindig, and a large one at that, but it is also a vehicle for Kev’s unique brand of poetry, which can point to deeper, darker issues at times, especially on his latest album Transit Damage. I spoke with Kev in early October 2023 on a crisp, clear autumn afternoon in the rolling foothills of the Upstate of South Carolina countryside before Shinyribs’ performance as a headliner at The Albino Skunk Music Festival, where we talked about the secret sauce that went into his new album, about making good records in the studio and being equally good live, how starting Shinyribs felt like a hail mary to him at first, plus we discuss James Brown and an Albino Skunk Fest memory which parallels one of The Godfather of Soul’s signature parts of his shows. There is a lot more, including live music from Shinyribs’ performance from that night, all simply waiting for you to press play.

Music inhabits its purest form when people get together to make music with one another. In this spirit, the fiddlers’ convention is an essential element of the traditional music ecosystem in Western North Carolina. This episode is adapted from an article by music writer Derek Halsey revisiting a newspaper article from the Watauga Democrat published on June 14, 1928 covering a fiddlers convention in the town of Blowing Rock.

The Peacock Performing Arts Center in Hayesville presents a wide range of programming. It’s Songwriters Series is a highlight of the lineup. Hosted by local songwriter Rob Tiger, the series brings some of the top songwriters in the field to Clay County. The Showcase functions as a songwriters round, giving some audience members a new way to experience uniquely crafted songs.

Plott-Tober fest is a new festival set to take place in Canton in 2023. This festival celebrates North Carolina's State Dog, the Plott Hound, as well as the German heritage of Haywood County. We spoke with festival organizer Bob Plott to learn more about the Plott Hound, German influence in Haywood County, and the festival itself, which will feature plenty of WNC traditional music.

The Cherokee Language Repertory Choir started in the spring of 2023. This choir uses the Christian Harmony shaped note tradition, but instead of singing it traditionally, in English, this choir sings in the Cherokee language. This effort revives a documented tradition of shaped note singing in the Cherokee community while helping to keep the Cherokee language a part of cultural practice in Western North Carolina. We spoke with organizers and a member of the choir to learn more.