Southern Songs and Stories

Ryan Bingham never knew until he was an adult that his path would take him into music full time, much less that he would become an international star, nor did he dream of eventually reaching millions more people in film and television. He did not play guitar with much skill until his early twenties. However, he wrote one of his most enduring hits while woodshedding on guitar and harmonica, “Southside of Heaven”. His musical foundation goes back to early exposure to a great record collection and the influence of his father and uncle, especially: as a boy, he was gifted a trove of LPs from the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Joey Lee, Terry Allen, and The Flatlanders, and you can hear bits and pieces of all those artists’ sensibilities and approaches in his music from the jump. As Bingham said in our interview, “I still got vinyl. My family had a bar back in the 60s and 70s in New Mexico called the Halfway Bar. And my uncle saved all the vinyl records out of there from those days. And he ended up giving them to me. And that was really the music I grew up on. I remember living with him at a time and, you know, him showing me how to clean the records with the brush and on the turntable. And I was really, you know, 10, 11 years old and just fascinated with the artwork on that. I remember he had like, Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen was live at the Armadillo World Headquarters — and all that Jim Franklin art, you know, and all those albums. It was just, I loved all that stuff. So I still got those records and play them all the time.” Ryan Bingham Currently working on a new album scheduled for release in 2026, Ryan Bingham is testing out a number of his new songs on the road, which is where he spoke with my friend Jeff Williams and myself when he played Charlotte recently, in October. In our conversation, we talked about everything from those early days where he was striving to simply have a better job than manual labor, key figures in his career like Marc Ford and Charlie Sexton, pivotal moments like joining My Morning Jacket, Wilco and Bob Dylan on stage, to playing with his current band The Texas Gentlemen, and a whole lot more, including his new song “The Lucky Ones” and excerpts from his latest live album, Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen Live at Red Rocks as well. When the Party Meets Poetry: Ryan Bingham Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:“Southside Of Heaven” by Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen, from Live at Red Rocks“Jingle and Go” by Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen, from Live at Red Rocks“The Lucky Ones” by Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen, excerpt“Bread & Water” by Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen, from Live at Red RocksThanks to my friend Jeff Williams for inspiring me to pursue interviewing Ryan Bingham, and for joining us in our conversation. Thanks also to the team at Sacks & Co. in Nashville for helping to coordinate with Ryan Bingham’s team and pave the way for this episode. Thanks to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng who wrote and performed our theme songs. Please take a moment and give us a top rating and where you can, a review. It makes a big impact on the ranking and therefore the visibility of this series to all the other music fans who also follow podcasts. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - 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) Pay Attention, Stop Listening To Yourself: The Wood Brothers Joe Kendrick 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

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) Feeling Like the Same Person on Stage and Off: The Jeff Tweedy Bonus Episode Joe Kendrick 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

What do the following styles of music have in common: Ragtime, New Wave, Dubstep, and Doo-wop? This group may seem quite divergent, but they all share a common characteristic: they are mostly types of music that no one plays much anymore. Then again, you could easily argue that these are simply sub-genres of larger categories like Jazz, Rock, Reggae and R&B, and live on in some form or another in the echoes of their sound within the broader contexts, such as they are, and here and there in all manner of newer sub-genres. And those broader contexts, those foundational genres, how are they holding up these days? Jazz has gone from ruling the airwaves, dance floors and record stores to being a mostly boutique, albeit diverse, corner of the American music map. Rock has long been declared dead, but soldiers on in bands both old and new. Reggae rose to international acclaim with Bob Marley but has not approached those heights following his untimely death. R&B may be the most robust of this small sample, with artists like The Weeknd and SZA amongst its current stars. Blues music has gone through sea changes of its own over the decades, and today, it is facing headwinds with younger audiences. As our guest Brooks Mason (known by his stage name Eddie 9V) puts it, younger music fans especially often think they will not like the blues because of its perceived predictability and reliance on old formulas. And while he is not wrong, he is also a prime example of how Blues music can garner new audiences with a new approach to the genre. Part of Eddie 9V’s approach is to, as he put it, lead a band that is not really a Blues band anymore. Brooks Mason, better known as Eddie 9V Where Are We at With the Blues? Dirt and Funk at Albino Skunk With Eddie 9V Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:“Saratoga“ by Eddie 9V, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival, 05/10/25“Check It Out” by Sean Costello, from At His Best - Live, excerpt“Love Moves Slow” by Eddie 9V, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25, excerpt“Yella Alligator” by Eddie 9V, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival 05/10/25, excerpt“Driving Wheel” by Eddie 9V, performed live at The Albino Skunk Music Festival, 05/10/25Thank 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. 

What do Paul McCartney, up-and-coming singer songwriter Ken Pomeroy, and a guy I passed on the street tugging along a French bulldog have in common? They all support my theory that pets inevitably resemble their owners–sometimes in looks, sometimes in spirit, but always in energy. When Ken Pomeroy introduced her song “Wrango” opening for I’m with Her and Iron & Wine at Asheville Yards on July 12, 2025, she described how the song was inspired by the liability her new dog had become from its quick temper. After WNCW’s Joe Kendrick and I spent some time with her, we slowly got to see where the pup’s feistiness came from. We talked about what it means to carry songs from childhood into adulthood, the tension between writing for yourself and performing for others, and the unexpected ways public commentary can rattle even the most grounded artists. As Ken says, “I never thought I’d care about online comments. But wow. I didn’t know how sensitive I’d be.”And then there’s “Flannel Cowboy”, Ken Pomeroy’s closing track at her show, that isn’t a love song, despite what you might assume. It's a quietly devastating reflection on friendship, ego, and the confusing wreckage of emotional fallout. It’s a song about looking in the mirror and realizing that, sometimes, the thing biting at you isn’t your dog, or your critics—it’s you.Her vulnerability isn’t just evident in the lyrics of her 2025 album, Cruel Joke, but in the way she speaks about songwriting as a spiritual act—one that gives form to feelings too big to hold alone. As a writer, I can relate to the need to shed some weight onto the page. Sometimes things get a little too loud and the only way to bring back the quiet is to release. Ken also told us about her connection to Cherokee heritage, her experience contributing to the language revitalization album ᎠᏅᏛᏁᎵᏍᎩ (Anvdvnelisgi), and what it meant to contribute to a project to empower young people to connect with their heritage. Whether she's reflecting on faith, feeling everything too deeply, or setting boundaries on what parts of her soul she's willing to hand over to strangers, Ken Pomeroy is an artist in full bloom. She's a songwriter first, a performer reluctantly, and a truth-teller always. — Elena Dickson Ken Pomeroy (photo: Kali Spitzer) Wrango Bites, Ken Writes: Ken Pomeroy on Vulnerability, Faith, and Folk Elena Dickson/Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:John Denver “Leaving On A Jet Plane”“Wrango” by Ken Pomeroy, from Cruel Joke, excerpt“Grey Skies” by Ken Pomeroy, from Cruel Joke, excerpt“Flannel Cowboy” by Ken Pomeroy, from Cruel Joke, excerpt“Galvladi” by Ken Pomeroy, from Anvdvnelisgi Thank you for being here! We hope you enjoy this episode, and 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. The radio adaptation of this episode is part of the programming lineup during Morning Edition on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This episode was written and hosted by WNCW intern Elena Dickson, with myself as editor and Ken Pomeroy’s co-interviewer.  - Joe Kendrick

In this episode, we welcome WNCW intern Elena Dickson to the podcast. Elena is a student at the University of Michigan, and here, she takes a turn at the helm for our episode on western North Carolina artist Sally Anne Morgan: My favorite Ralph Waldo Emerson quote reads, “Cause and effect, means and ends, seed and fruit, cannot be severed; for the effect already blooms in the cause, the end preexists in the means, the fruit in the seed.” It makes me think of the interconnectedness that lies beneath all our actions and that everything we do–from deciding what to eat for breakfast to moving across the country–has a deep impact on our lives in areas we don’t even realize. Sally Anne Morgan embodies Emerson’s coda. Even as a visual artist, musician, mother, and brewery owner, she emphasized how circular life feels: we are nothing without where we came from and where we came from wouldn’t have been possible without what we have become. She embodies this through her music through her traditional techniques to create innovative elements. Rooting herself in tradition while employing new age elements, she resists the conformity and neatness that recording software, and certain genres, often demands. While she views old time and other music traditions as a living artform rather than something that belongs in the archives. Her stories have a background and history but they have nothing close to an end. When I decided to apply to WNCW to enhance my senior thesis on Appalachian storytelling, I had to explain why I was doing what I was doing to a few more people than I would have liked. Next time someone asks, I will send them this podcast so they can see the fluidity of storytelling and how deeply enmeshed it is with all other aspects of our lives. Telling a story does not require a defined beginning, middle, and end. Instead, it requires a conversation and a dedication to honoring what the story was and what it is going to become. Sally Anne Morgan creates in a way that makes you want to participate in the conversation and keep the story alive. Sally Anne Morgan (Photo: Charlie Boss, published by KLOF mag) Old but Not Dead: Sally Anne Morgan and the Living Tradition of Old Time Music Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode:“Eye Is The First” by Sally Anne Morgan, from Second Circle the Horizon, excerpt“Flowers Of Shandihar” by Sally Anne Morgan, from Second Circle the Horizon, excerpt“I Saw A Heron” by Sally Anne Morgan, from Second Circle the Eye, excerpt“Blind Man’s Lament” by Black Twig Pickers, from Rough Carpenters, excerpt“Dog’s Dream” by Sally Anne Morgan, from Second Circle the Eye, excerpt“Callahan” by Sally Anne Morgan, from Second Circle the Eye, excerpt“Night Mint” by Sally Anne Morgan, from Second Circle the EyeSo glad you visited! 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 episode was written and produced by WNCW intern Elena Dickson, with editorial assistance from myself. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

In 2024, I had the idea to produce podcasts based on interviews from MerleFest, with the theme being a focus on both first-time performers and veterans. Combining two artists who made their debuts resulted in the episode “Rural Roots That Run Deep With Nick Shoulders and Adeem The Artist”, we followed that with two of the festival’s mainstays in the episode “Jim Lauderdale, Donna the Buffalo and the Many Collaborations Of MerleFest”. It was great fun to compare and contrast artist experiences at the venerated event between newcomers and returning veterans, as well as dive into their stories and music along the way. This year, I picked up on the approach once again, interviewing bluegrass heroes Woody Platt and Buddy Melton in the episode that immediately precedes this one, titled “A New Team For Two Heavy Hitters Of Bluegrass: Woody Platt and Buddy Melton”. Now, we celebrate another MerleFest newcomer, Tami Neilson. Although she just made her first stop at the festival, she is no novice in the roots music scene, having grown up in a family band and having made records since 2008; I was all smiles when I saw her on the MerleFest lineup for 2025. Fun fact: when I sent in the request to feature Tami on this podcast, her publicist replied, “So just to be clear here — Tami is for Southern Songs & Stories? She is originally Canadian and lives in New Zealand so just checking!” I chuckled and replied, “Yes, that’s correct. I break my own rules every so often. I’ve featured Ruen Brothers, Colin Hay and others over the years. New Zealand is south too right? ;-)”I spoke with Tami Neilson late at night, after her rousing Dance Tent performance, where she talked about her love of wide ranging musical journeys, her own journey to her adopted country of New Zealand, growing up in a family band and now bringing her sons on stage from time to time, playing the Grand Ole Opry and making music with greats like Willie Nelson, and a whole lot more. Tami Neilson playing her first of two sets at MerleFest on April 25, 2025. Photo: Willa Stein Wrangling Multiple Genres With Neon Cowgirl Tami Neilson Joe Kendrick Songs heard in this episode: “Baby, You’re A Gun” by Tami Neilson, from Kingmaker“Learn To Try Again” by The Chills, from Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs, excerpt“Borrow My Boots” by Tami Neilson, from Neon Cowgirl, excerpt“Beyond The Stars” by Tami Neilson, featuring Willie Nelson, from Kingmaker, excerpt“You’re Gonna Fall” by Tami Neilson, featuring JD McPherson, from Neon CowgirlThanks 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. WNCW intern Elena Dickson deserves a big thanks for jumping in on production work for this episode in her very first week! Thanks as well 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 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

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. Radio's Original Hit Format Lives On With the Martha Bassett Show Joe Kendrick 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