Outback Opry

Jerry Douglas was effusive and ebullient all afternoon. He and his band approached their soundcheck session with a mixture of patience, focus and glee; it was the warm up for their first performance in front of a live audience in over a year. After sitting out the pandemic for all that time, the main hurdle to their exercise in knocking the rust off seemed to be finding what gear was in which bin, serving only to slightly delay them in getting things back into fifth gear. Jerry’s energy and enthusiasm continued afterwards, when he spoke about everything from his latest album project with John Hiatt to his analogy of the cyclical nature of musical tastes, which gave us the title to this episode.

Connie Regan-Blake has captivated the hearts and imaginations of people around the globe with her powerful performances and workshops. Entertaining audiences in 47 states, 18 countries and on 6 continents, she brings the wisdom, humor and drama of stories to main stage concerts halls, libraries and into the corporate world. www.storywindow.com“Lantern” is an outlandish fishing story. From, Dive-Into Stories: A Telling PerformanceAired 7/18

The Friday Feature spotlighted the 22nd Annual Real to Reel Independent Film Festival in Kings Mountain, NC. Real to Reel is presented by The Cleveland County Arts Council with films shown from around the world in the categories of Animation, Documentary, Feature, and Short. Interviewed was Marketing Coordinator for the CC Arts Council, Violet Arth. This interview originally aired July 16, 2021.

From July 9, 2021, The North Carolina Foothills Farm Tour was spotlighted during an interview with local N.C. Horticulture Agent Hannah Bundy. Hannah discussed upcoming farm tours that take place in Rutherford and Polk counties and how each month means a different theme and experience for those who attend.For more information on the tour, visit http://www.ncfoothillsfarmtour.com/

In the conclusion of this two podcast series, you get to hear some surprising facts about the Shelton Laurel Massacre and related events, which by themselves are still surprising to many people just considering the events of those tragedies. Even once you get past the shocking nature of the executions, there are lots of ironies and unexpected twists to the story. This episode features details on the Massacre itself as well as another big surprise that Vicki Lane, Sheila Kay Adams and Taylor Barnhill revealed in their interview, plus a theory on how the seeds of this terrible event were sown. Also featured is music about the Civil War and songs that were widely popular in that era.

This edition of More to the Story was a recap of the recent WUNC Public Radio Politics Podcast, "Disagreeing On What Makes A Fair, Free, and Secure Election." WUNC Politics Reporter Rusty Jacobs was special guest to go over the Democratic and Republican view for election integrity in North Carolina. This segment originally aired July 7, 2021.

Asheville Citizen Times City and County Reporter- Joel Burgess joined WNCW for this More to the Story on June 30, 2021, to go over the latest on the removal of the Confederate Zebulon Vance Monument. When the monument had almost been fully removed, a court halted the removal to conclude. Find out why the city says the holdup was costing them thousands of dollars.

This Friday Feature was a spotlight on the unique Asheville Radio Museum, located on the campus of AB Technical Community College. Guest was Stuart Smolkin, who serves as museum curator. Smolkin talked about all the vintage equipment visitors can view when they visit the museum, as well as what is a radio wave and just how did Morris Code work. This interview originally aired June 25, 2021.

There are stories where the characters and events are so extraordinary and gripping that one can miss their overall meaning. It can be easy to take stories like the one you are about to hear at face value, and leave their larger context unrealized. What caused neighbors and kinfolk to terrorize and murder one another in the Appalachian mountains during the Civil War, what larger forces that worked to bring out the cruelty and violence this chapter of history reveals, and what hatred and divisions that earned the place the moniker “Bloody Madison” are not only in history books; they are with us today. Read more...

Smoky Mountain News Politics Editor - Cory Vaillincourt went over his story 'The Return of the Don' about former President Donald Trump. This after Trump spoke at the Republican Party's State Convention, which Cory attended. If Trump runs again or not for president in 2024, Cory says he still is the main leader for the Republican party from what he witnessed. The interview originally aired June 23, 2021.