Roots Music Rambler

Adam Chaffins has spent more than a decade and a half in Nashville, playing in bands, picking up tours with other artists, writing, producing and occasionally releasing an album, several singles and, last year, an EP. Sure, he also happened upon fellow Kentuckian Brit Taylor, whom he married along the way. Adam plays in her band, co-writes and produces some of her work. But 2026 is proving to be worth the weight, ups and downs of the journey. On August 21st, his 2025 EP Trailer Trash gets a full, deluxe re-release as an album (brilliantly called Trailer Trash - Doublewide). One week later, Adam Chaffins will make his solo debut on The Grand Ole Opry. Chaffins joined Roots Music Rambler this week to talk about that long journey to what many think is the ultimate success in country music, his album, background, family and more. Among the stories he told included the experience of playing with Billy Strings, writing with Adam Wright and the truly charmed life he seems to be living. Oh, and we’re pretty sure Adam is eclipsing the popularity of Memphis, his ornery goat that often appears in his Instagram videos. Frank and Falls also celebrate the first two Roots Music Rambler haters – at least the first two blatant comments we deemed negative. It’s a sure sign the show has finally made it. Someone out there took time out of their day to tell us we suck! (We love it!) And this week’s Pickin’ the Grinnin’ choices have personal connections to each of our hosts. Frank chose her boss’s son’s band The Dead Bolts. Falls brags on Gracie Yates and Brock Burton, the former of whose mother and father helped advise him on a recent ripoff ploy on a car repair. It’s a Kentucky thing? Find the picks on Spotify (their names are linked above) and find Adam Chaffins online at adamchaffins.com, on Instagram and Spotify. Watch the Episode on YouTube Download the episode and subscribe at rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts. Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available. Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler. Notes and links: Adam Chaffins online Adam Chaffins on Spotify Adam Chaffins on Instagram Trailer Trash: Doublewide on Spotify Adam Wright on Spotify Brit Taylor on Spotify The Roots Music Rambler Store Roots Music Rambler on YouTube Roots Music Rambler on Instagram Roots Music Rambler on TikTok Roots Music Rambler on Facebook Pickin’ the Grinnin’ picks: The Dead Bolts on Spotify Gracie Yates on Spotify Brock Burton on Spotify Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts. Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Noah Guthrie first made a name for himself and his music when his YouTube cover songs were noticed by producers for the Ellen DeGeneres Show. He “won” a contract with Degeneres’s fledgling record label which never manifested an actual album for the South Carolina singer-songwriter. But an appearance on America’s Got Talent started the ball rolling for Guthrie. In that 2018 season of AGT he finished as a semifinalist. That soon placed him on the circuit of Today shows and Tonight shows, let to albums of originals and cover tunes and even landed him in the role of Roderick Meeks on the last season of the hit TV show Glee. Today, Guthrie is promoting his new album Oddly Flexible, an astonishing record of deep, emotional journeys through life and love. It features the single, “Heavy,” which documents Noah’s battle with his weight and self-image. The song has struck a nerve with fans who also deal with body image issues. Noah joined Frank and Falls on Roots Music Rambler this week to talk about the song, the album, Noah’s colorful journey and background. And yes, we talked about his beginnings on YouTube, including his amazing cover of LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It.” Frank and Falls also clarify a recent controversy around the Manchester Music Fest, reassuring everyone the 2026 event is on as planned and Falls will see you there! This week’s Pickin’ the Grinnin’ choices are two good ones! Frank likes Marfa and Falls brags on West Virginia singer-songwriter Austin Glaspell. Watch the Episode on YouTube Download the episode and subscribe at rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts. Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available. Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler. Notes and links: Manchester Music Fest Manchester Enterprise piece on Parks buyout Noah Guthrie Online Noah Guthrie on Spotify Noah Guthrie on Instagram Noah Guthrie on YouTube Noah’s audition on AGT The Roots Music Rambler Store Roots Music Rambler on YouTube Roots Music Rambler on Instagram Roots Music Rambler on TikTok Roots Music Rambler on Facebook Jason Falls on Instagram Jason Falls on TikTok Francesca Folinazzo on Instagram Pickin’ the Grinnin’ Choices Marfa on Spotify Austin Glaspell on Spotify Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts. Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elizabeth Sherman and Ryan Hardison started out as a couple. Then started tinkering with bluegrass music. Then the pandemic hit and they began recording multitracks of cover songs at home. As you may have guessed by now, that led to another step, then another and the duo heads into 2026 as Brand New Box of Matches, a bluegrass group with no fewer than three studio albums and an ever-growing list of both original and cover tunes in their repertoire. We sat down with Elizabeth and Ryan recently to learn more about their journey from music lovers to more serious, full-time musicians, their musical backgrounds and tastes, songwriting and a lot more. The Knoxville, Tennessee-based pair just announced a 2026 tour that includes a number of festivals and appearances sure to grow the fan base and get their music out there. Roots Music Rambler was tickled to be an outpost to help tell that story. Also in this episode, Frank and Falls talk about upcoming Roots Music Rambler “Backstage” episodes that will be shorter, informal catch-up interviews with various artists when the opportunities present themselves. The two also share this week’s Pickin’ the Grinnin’ choices for new music recommendations. Frank calls out Durham, N.C.’s alt-country band Fust while Falls shares his new fascination with West Virginia songwriter Olivia Ellen Lloyd. Watch the Episode on YouTube Download the episode and subscribe at rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts. Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available. Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler. Notes and links: Brand New Box of Matches Online Brand New Box of Matches on Spotify Brand New Box of Matches on Instagram The Roots Music Rambler Store Roots Music Rambler on YouTube Roots Music Rambler on Instagram Roots Music Rambler on TikTok Roots Music Rambler on Facebook Jason Falls on Instagram Jason Falls on TikTok Francesca Folinazzo on Instagram Pickin’ the Grinnin’ Choices Fust Olivia Ellen Lloyd Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts. Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you say you’re in a bluegrass band from Brooklyn, N.Y., folks in Appalachia will look at you pretty funny. The reaction is almost like the Pace Picante sauce commercial in the 1990s. “New York City? Get a rope!” But when you dig a little deeper, as we did with Avery Ballotta from the group Damn Tall Buildings, you not only discover some fine pickers and songwriters, but there’s a thriving bluegrass scene in the New York City area. And that quality musicians like Ballotta and bandmates Sasha Dubyk and Max Capistran, honed their bluegrass chops during their time at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Ballotta joined Roots Music Rambler to talk about Damn Tall Buildings’ new album The Universe is Hungry, which dropped in late October. We explored his background, how the group came together and their “paying it forward” mentality. Dubyk and Capistran run a music education program in Brooklyn. The trio also recently returned from a second overseas trip in conjunction with the U.S. State Department’s cultural outreach program. They taught, jammed and collaborated with students and musicians in Saudi Arabia, which only recently legalized music for citizens. They’ve also toured Ethiopia as a group as well. Avery was such a delight to chat with and we had a lot of fun comparing notes and talking about what seems to be a resurgence of bluegrass music around the country and world. Frank and Falls also talked about the recent Bruce Springsteen biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere starring Jeremy Allen White, and shared their Pickin’ The Grinnin’ picks this week which included Snowcaps and Joshua Slone. Watch the Episode on YouTube Download the episode and subscribe at rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts. Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available. Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler. Notes and links: Damn Tall Buildings online Damn Tall Buildings on Spotify Damn Tall Buildings on Instagram The Universe is Hungry (album) on Spotify Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere in IMDB Episode 9 - Mohammed Dohai The Roots Music Rambler Store Roots Music Rambler on YouTube Roots Music Rambler on Instagram Roots Music Rambler on TikTok Roots Music Rambler on Facebook Jason Falls on Instagram Jason Falls on TikTok Francesca Folinazzo on Instagram Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts. Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Americana music enthusiasts and concert-goers are constantly in search of the “next big thing.” We all want to be in on the ground floor of watching and artist’s rise to fame so we can say we were a fan from “the beginning.” Whether it’s seeing Tyler Childers with 20 other people at a dive bar in 2017 or standing next to Wyatt Flores at Laurel Cove watching Jesse Wells play, the undiscovered are always discovered by those who remember running into them along the way. On more than one occasion in the last six months, the “next big thing” label has been said in the same sentence with Emily Jamerson. The younger sister of Sundy Best founder and underground country godfather Nicholas Jamerson, Emily has emerged with songs and stories as moving and thoughtful as her brother’s. She has yet to record a full album, but a strong set of singles and some live sessions have made their way to the streaming services. They’re consistently good with each new one revealing more of the Prestonsburg, Ky., native’s promise. Emily Jamerson joined Jason Falls for an interview with Roots Music Rambler back in late September. Since that time she has continued to build a strong road presence, expanding to a full band for many shows, and her duet with her older brother, “Sunday Dinners” (which she talks about in the interview) started getting radio play. It’s on Nicholas’s latest album, The Narrow Way. Emily shared more reflections on growing up in the Jamerson household to compliment her older brother’s stories he shared with us back in the summer. She also shared the formal and informal advice and encouragement Nicholas has provided along the way, including a book (Michael Singer’s The Surrender Experiment), he gave her that helped push past self-doubt and finally write and share her music. And we talked about and listened to some of her latest music like ”Dried Paint” and “Run, Run Baby.” Frank and Falls also chatted about Christmas plans and traditions, plus each shared their Pickin’ the Grinnin’ pics for recommended music this week. Frank kept with the holiday theme and shared the music of Ottmar Leibert, whose 1990 album Poets & Angels is one of her favorites for this time of year. Falls calls out upstart honky-tonkers Jason Scott & The High Heat who he saw open for The Mavericks and Dwight Yoakam last April. Watch the Episode on YouTube Download the episode and subscribe at rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts. Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available. Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler. Notes and links: Emily Jamerson on Spotify Emily Jamerson on Facebook Emily Jamerson on Instagram Nicholas Jamerson on Roots Music Rambler Sundy Best on Spotify World Chicken Festival Michael Singer’s The Surrender Experiment The Roots Music Rambler Store Roots Music Rambler on YouTube Roots Music Rambler on Instagram Roots Music Rambler on TikTok Roots Music Rambler on Facebook Jason Falls on Instagram Jason Falls on TikTok Francesca Folinazzo on Instagram Pickin’ the Grinnin’ Recommendations Ottmar Liebert’s Poets & Angels Jason Scott & The High Heat on Spotify Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts.Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2025 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you, “Woke up this mornin’, dazed and confused,” and sung the lyric in your head, you’ve been bitten by the audio bug that is The Creekers. That line, the opening one from a song called “Tennessee” was the second-most played audio clip on TikTok this summer. It helped propel the Leslie County, Ky.-based bluegrass group to viral success, headline spots at music festivals, and ultimately a record deal with Warner Records. Co-founder Tanner Horton took time out from digging fence post holes on his home property one evening not long ago to sit in and tell us about the band’s success, songwriting, how they all came together and a lot more. It turns out all but one member of the band has some sort of familial relationship with each other, either as direct as brothers (Jagger and Ashton Bowling), cousins (Horton and Allen Hacker) or by marriage (Scott Sutton). And then there’s the outlier: fiddler Anna Blanton, whose live show antics have made The Creekers not just a sound for sore ears, but a sight to see live. She’s done everything from zip-lining to riding on her husband’s shoulders while jumping around the crowd. (Charlie Blanton incidentally, is the bass player for friend of the show Bill Taylor and the Appalachian Heatherns.) Horton told us the story of the band coming together, his history with cousin and fellow guitarist and vocalist Allen Hacker, how the TikTok virality happened and what exactly they’ve got in store in the coming months with the band’s new record deal. Frank and Falls also chatted about Falls’s recent trip outside of the Americana genre to take his daughter to a Tate McRae concert and they each share their Pickin’ the Grinnin’ pics for recommended music this week. Falls calls out Hazard, Ky., based vocalist Roy Caudill while Frank shares her experience seeing The Dirndolls live. Watch the Episode on YouTube Download the episode and subscribe at rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts. Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available. Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler. Notes and links: The Creekers Online The Creekers on Spotify The TikTok viral video that launched the band into stardom Jason Falls’s rant against the “sellout” commenter The Roots Music Rambler Store Roots Music Rambler on YouTube Roots Music Rambler on Instagram Roots Music Rambler on TikTok Roots Music Rambler on Facebook Jason Falls on Instagram Jason Falls on TikTok Francesca Folinazzo on Instagram Pickin’ the Grinnin’ Recommendations Roy Caudill on Spotify The Kentucky Music Mafia on Spotify The Dirndolls on Instagram Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts. Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2025 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices