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On Episode 097, I'm joined by singer-songwriter Will Hoge. At the end of this week (Friday, June 26), Hoge is releasing his latest album, Tiny Little Movies. At 11 tracks long, Hoge delivers vivid imagery and detail as he breathes life into a cast of common and everyday characters. Throughout, he captures their anxieties, struggles, dreams, successes, and relationships with a delicate understanding and empathetic touch. In addition, Hoge's brand of Heartland Rock meets country sees the blue-collar Nashville troubadour often embraces a grittier and rollicking sonic punch that's as driving as anything in Hoge's diverse song catalog.

This episode's presenting partner is Smith Iron & Design and Wicker's Mesquite Smoked Jalapeno Jelly.

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On Episode 096, I'm joined by Mike Harmeier, the lead vocalist of blazing country outfit Mike and The Moonpies, and music producer Adam Odor. Mike and The Moonpies just released Touch of You: The Lost Songs of Gary Stewart, a 10 song collection of previously unreleased songs by the late iconic honky-tonking country legend. Here, I catch up with Harmeier and Odor to talk about how the instant classic collection came to be, recording the album during a Quarantine, and how essential Stewart is to the Moonpies sound. We dip into conversation about their previous works like Cheap Silver and Solid Country Gold, writing songs with winking meta self-references, and of course, our favorite classic video games such as Goldeneye & Red Dead Redemption.

This episode's presenting partner is Smith Iron & Design and Wicker's Mesquite Smoked Jalapeno Jelly.

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On Episode 095, I am joined by singer-songwriter Ruthie Collins. Collins recently released the calm, serene, and desert swept Cold Comfort. On the 11-track record, Collins captures the stark juxtaposition of the desert. At times, she's full of sunny and bright chorus lines and sun-kissed pedal steel swells. At others, Collins leaves us with the lonesome chill of an isolated desert night. All the while, Collins writes with a sense of vulnerability about heartbreak, tiring relationships, and moments of unsureness. At its' best, Cold Comfort glows with cosmic country ambiance and Collins finding strength during her most trying of times.

This episode's presenting partner is Smith Iron & Design and Wicker's Mesquite Smoked Jalapeno Jelly.

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On Episode 094, I'm joined by Oklahoma fiddler and songwriter Kyle Nix. Nix releases his debut album, the mesmerizing and sonically sprawling Lightning On The Mountain & Other Short Stories on Friday, June 26. Throughout, Nix displays his knack for raw, gritty, and visceral storytelling with a diverse, yet cohesive sonic palette. During this interview, Nix and I talk about the creative process, his friendship & mentorship with Oklahoma legends such as Byron Berline, the initial stages of Lightning, and Bob Dylan records & eras.

Check out Kyle Nix's site and preorder Lightning On the Mountain & Other Short Stories here.

This episode's presenting partner is Smith Iron & Design and Wicker's Mesquite Smoked Jalapeno Jelly.

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On Episode 93, I am joined by singer-songwriter Emily Scott Robinson. I spoke with Robinson back in mid-April and we hit a number of conversations ranging from how she's handling the Quarantine in the Arizona Desert, hipster cowboys, how she's morphed as a songwriter and storyteller, capturing the essence of small towns across America (including a small Friday Night Lights cameo), Spotify's Indigo Playlist, women songwriters in country music and the glass ceiling, and of course, the rich and vivid vignettes found on her 2019 album, the delicate, warm, comfortable, and sobering Traveling Mercies.

This episode's presenting partner is Smith Iron & Design and Wicker's Mesquite Smoked Jalapeno Jelly.

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On Episode 92, I'm joined by singer-songwriter Caleb Caudle. Caudle released the sultry Southern country groover album, Better Hurry Up, earlier this year. At 11 songs long, Caudle balances introspective storytelling that feels comfortable and well lived in with a back porch familiarity and a roots rocking edge that welcomes toe-tapping rhythms. Caudle offers a look at rose-colored nostalgia with the likes of the thrilling "Monte Carlo," the sweltering bounce of "Let's Get," and the gorgeously elegant sendoff on the closing "Bigger Oceans." Recorded at The Cash Cabin, Johnny Cash's Cabin-turned-studio, Caudle's songs find a Southern Gothic warmth with earthy tones, textured harmonies, and Caudle's own velvety vocals.

This episode's presenting partner is Smith Iron & Design and Wicker's Mesquite Smoked Jalapeno Jelly.

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On Episode 091, I'm joined by country songwriter Kathryn Legendre. Last year, Kathryn released the excellent EP, Making It Up. It was a blend of old-school honky-tonk ethos and the modern neo-traditional songs of the '90s. Throughout the five songs, she blended a familiar warmth found on old country albums that embraced pedal steel and smokey dive bar banter with clever storytelling and memorable choruses. Now, she's following up Making It Up with a two-song single, "One Long Sad Song" and "Waiting in Line." Again, Kathryn's natural country roots fill out the two-song punch and capture a restlessness and down and out sadness.

This episode's presenting partner is  The Blue Light Live and Wicker's Mesquite Smoked Jalapeno Jelly.

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On Episode 90, I'm joined by journalist Christian Wallace, an associate editor at Texas Monthly, where he has delivered some of the best in-depth reporting and robust storytelling of recent memory. Namely, his nuanced storytelling of the Permian Basin oilfield in both the written word and most recently, the breakout podcast series, Boomtown.

As a true West Texas native (a son of Andrews, Texas), Wallace and I discuss Far West Texas adventures, appreciation, and concerns that come with tourism, the oil industry, as well as the cliched stereotypes that are often associated with the various regions of West Texas.

Wallace, along with some of Texas Monthly's best minds, recently ranked, discussed, and wrote about the Willie Nelson discography--all 143 albums by the legendary Texan. We discuss that list, the creation & process, as well as a handful of superlatives for standouts.

Lastly, we turn our attention to songwriter artist Terry Allen--specifically, his 1975 full-length debut album, Juarez. 

For more information on Boomtown, click here. Check out Willie Nelson's Catalog Rankings here.

This episode's presenting partner is  The Blue Light Live and Smith Iron & Design.

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On Episode 89, I'm joined by singer-songwriter Gabe Lee. In 2019, Lee made quite the statement with the ever-impressive debut of farmland, a 10-song collection of sparsely arranged and primarily acoustic introspective storytellers and wallflower commentary. Lee didn't waste any time between his debut and follow-up, Honky Tonk Hell. Released in early March, Honky Tonk Hell is a natural progressive step in Lee's career as an artist. It finds his songs fully fleshed out as full-band anthems, rocking ramblers, and barroom hustlers. Still, Lee and company preserve the proper space and attention around Lee's strength as a lyricist and storyteller. Lee naturally weaves intimate experiences and thoughts with timeless expressions and newly-minted phrases.

Lee and I talk about the making of farmland & Honky Tonk Hell, growing up in Nashville, his songwriting process, and how he's utilized his time during this quarantine.

This episode's presenting partner is  The Blue Light Live and Smith Iron & Design.

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On Episode 88, I'm joined by Reckless Kelly lead vocalist and chief lyricist Willy Braun. This year, the pioneering Americana Country outfit is doing a first with the release of American Jackpot / American Girls, two 10-song full-length albums released the same day. Much as the titles allude, the 20 songs of American Jackpot and American Girls give Braun and company ample of space to explore a multitude of American themes without ever settling in on a "Rah Rah Rah" tired trope. Rather, songs seek out the true essence of the American Spirit with songs about Jackie Robinson, Tom Petty, grandfathers, Grand Canyon mule rules, Western exploration, rural living, a necessary reminder that we're a country of immigrants, the search for a sense of belonging, and that longing for home. 

Over the course of this hour, Braun and I talk at length about the recording of their latest album (due out Friday, May 22), songwriting, the effects of the Coronavirus on touring bands (and festival curators), playing drums, and working with the likes of fellow Idaho native Jeff Crosby, Jamie Lin Wilson, Jack Ingram, and Bruce Robison (and various multiple collaborators during The Next Waltz sessions).

This episode's presenting partner is Smith Iron & Design and Wicker's Mesquite Smoked Jalapeno Jelly.

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