Roots Music Rambler

The day this episode of Roots Music Rambler drops, so does a new album from virtual newcomer to the music scene, Trey Hedrick. But don’t let the debut album and baby-faced Hedrick fool you: This guy can write songs and play like you wouldn’t believe. 

In fact, Hedrick is a rare guest on Roots Music Rambler: Generally unproven with just a few social media followers more than the average bar band. But he’s got two things going for him that convinced us he’s well on his way to becoming the next big thing: He’s spent a few years touring and playing with other musicians many people couldn’t keep up with; And, his team sent us the album raw masters early to hear the whole thing.

It’s good, y’all. Very good.

We sat down with Trey back in the fall, well ahead of the album being finished. In fact, you’ll be able to tell from the conversation that we didn’t even know the name of the record (Sing, Appalachia) or the release date (today, Feb. 20, 2026) when we interviewed him. But we found, and you will discover, Trey has the mindset and maturity few first-album artists ever do.

Hedrick grew up on a cattle farm in Southeast Ohio in a family peppered with seasoned musical talent. He’s played guitar and mandolin since he can remember and told us his grandmother would call the grandkids in on a hot day and ask them to play songs for her. (Sneaky way of getting them to cool off.)

Hedtrick cut his professional teeth in the Athens, Ohio, music scene and sent some acoustic demos of a few songs to Nashville producer Sean Sullivan, who has worked with Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson, John Prine and others. Sullivan liked the demos and the two went into the studio and cut the record at the Tractor Shed last summer.

Hedrick’s storytelling stems from his upbringing in a proud, working-class family. Almost all the men in his family have ties to the coal mines, too, so he’s as Appalachian as they come. Our first impression of his songs was that he reminded us of a young Ricky Skaggs. We think you’ll agree. 

Also in this episode, Frank and Falls chat about a previous guest’s plans for new music this year and share our Pickin’ the Grinnin’ picks for the week. Frank called out Swedish rockers Sabaton. Falls recommended Damn Tall Buildings, whom we interviewed in Episode 66. Trey Hedrick’s interview fell before the Damn Tall Buildings one, but we saved it for debut day! 

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: 

Si Kahn online

Si Kahn episode of Roots Music Rambler

Trey Hedrick online

Trey Hedrick on Spotify

Trey Hedrick 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

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.

Find more at rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If most of us grew up the way Dakota Ray Parker did, we’d have given up a long time ago. But the resilient, friendly Parker navigated his way through a rough and tumble childhood to funnel those traumatic experiences into outstanding songs and singing in his music.

Parker joined us on Roots Music Rambler this week to talk about his turbulent upbringing, finding music was a natural escape to distract himself, then to writing and recording music that is now finding its way to a nice audience for the Kentucky native. His music is inspired by everything from Southern Gospel to 90s Country and even hip-hop. He told us his first musical dream was to be a rapper.

Parker released two albums in 2025 and continues to knock out singles every so often. His latest single “Clown” has already amassed 150,000 streams on Spotify thanks to his traditional sounding vocals and catchy lyricism. His new single “Freeborn Man” drops the day this episode does (Feb. 13). 

We not only got to hear his story and how he approaches songwriting, but we’ll listen to snippets of four of his songs on the episode as well. 

Frank and Falls also chat about Falls’s recent trip to the Grand Ole Opry and rant a little about people who talk at certain types of concerts. The two also have new Pickin’ The Grinnin’ choices for music recommendations this week. Frank points to multi-instrumentalist and frequent session and guest musician John Calvin Abney. Falls shouts out The Wildmans. 

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: 

Dakota Ray Parker Online

Dakota Ray Parker on Spotify

Dakota Ray Parker on Instagram

The Grand Ole Opry online

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

John Calvin Abney on Spotify

The Wildmans 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.

Find more at rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Emily Scott Robinson may just be one of the most underrated singer-songwriters in the Americana space. When folks get hold of her fifth studio album Appalachia her status should rise considerably. 

Robinson joined us on Roots Music Rambler for an episode that drops on the very day Appalachia hits stores and streaming services to talk about the album, the songs, her background and so much more. 

Robinson, who is originally from North Carolina but now calls Colorado home, wrote the record on the tail end of Hurricane Helene which devastated much of the Western Carolinas and East Tennessee. Her songs elevate the beauty of that land and the people there. She talked about that beauty, especially the neighbors-helping-neighbors response to the flooding and devastation.

Robinson also shared some behind the scenes stories of being and Oh Boy! Records artist, the legacy label of John Prine, recommended a Pickin’ the Grinnin’ choice of her own (Palymra) and a lot more in a fun, engaging conversation well worth the watch or listen.

Also in this episode, Frank asks Falls about his new podcast client Katie Combs. Falls, who produces podcasts through his day job consultancy at Falls+Parnters, is now producing Listen, Honey! Combs’s new show has already offered up two episodes of particular interest to Roots Music Rambler listeners. She has in-depth and not music-focused episodes out now with Nicholas Jamerson and Tanner Horton (The Creekers) well worth watching.

The two also share this week’s Pickin’ the Grinnin’ choices for new music recommendations. Frank raves about King Margo’s song “Send Me Out Like Autumn” and Falls raves about Western Kentucky roots rock band Hollerhead. 

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 Scott Robinson online

Emily Scott Robinson on Spotify 

Appalachia on Spotify  

Oh Boy! Records online

Listen, Honey! Podcast on YouTube

Listen, Honey! Episode with Nicholas Jamerson

Listen, Honey! Episode with Tanner Horton

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

Send Me Out Like Autumn by King Margo on Spotify

Hollerhead on Spotify

Palmyra (Emily Scott Robinson’s recommendation) 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.

Find more at rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

Find more at rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hunter Park quickly gained a reputation as one of the hottest up-and-coming singer-songwriters when her project She Returns from War made its first full album debut in 2015. Since, the road dogging and networking have done Hunter and the band well. A 2018 album, well-received by alt-country and alternative media, particularly in her native Charleston, S.C., was followed by the amazing Ruthless in 2023. 

And, hot off a fall tour opening for S.G. Goodman, She Returns From War is poised to drop a bonafide country album in 2026.

Park joined us on Roots Music Rambler to talk about the project’s rise from Charleston open-mic group to touring band. We talked about her moving to Nashville, touring with S.G. Goodman, and her brave openness of being a transgendered country music singer. 

With the style and sophistication of her writing and the boldness of her position as a deserving artist in the space, we can’t wait to hear the new album and see where 2026 takes her and the group. 

Frank and Falls also made some music recommendations in their Pickin’ The Grinnin’ segment. Frank is big on Presley Haile while falls recommended a Kentucky-based rock/blues/country group called The Shelby Lore Band.  

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: 

She Returns from War on Spotify

Ruthless (album) on Spotify

She Returns from War 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

Presley Haile

The Shelby Lore Band

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.

Find more at rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

Find more at rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Year 2025 has been a fairly impressive one in Americana and Roots Music and Roots Music Rambler fans have been there for it. On our year-ender episode, Frank and Falls not only recap their favorite new artists, albums and songs, but recall their favorite concerts and events of the year.

And, as a bonus, Falls caught up with Ashton Bowling and Allen Hacker from The Creekers backstage at their recent holiday tour stop in Louisville, Ky. The short green room interview is an added bonus to an episode that celebrates the year we had.

What’s your pick for Americana Album of the Year? The year 2025 had too many to choose from. Molly Tuttle, I’m With Her, Tyler Childers, Hayes Carll, Nicholas Jamerson, Patterson Hood, Jason Isbell and many, many more all produced great albums this year. And songs? From Kashsus Culpepper’s Believe to Molly Tuttle’s That’s Gonna Leave A Mark and Tyler Childers’ Bitin’ List to I’m With Her’s Ancient Light, there’s an entire playlist full of potential best songs of the year to choose from.

Frank and Falls also talk about the best new artist for 2025. Depending on your definition of new artist, some names we had on our list include Jesse Wells, Cait Justice, Del Roscoe, Ramona & The Holy Smokes, and even our bonus guests, The Creekers could all be up for that honor. 

And in true Roots Music Rambler fashion, Frank and Falls look back on the best live shows they saw in 2025. Their top choices may surprise you.

And, if you’re interested, Falls actually did a Top Songs countdown on our companion radio show, Appalachian Echoes. You can see his countdown, which includes a heavy bias toward Appalachian artists, on the Appalachian Echoes website.  

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  

Manchester Music Fest

Unbroken Circle Music Festival

American Music Festival

Evanston Folk Festival

Crossroads Acoustic Fest

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 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.

Find more at rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

Find more at rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's no secret that at Roots Music Rambler we love music  with that old school country sound. We’ve raved about previous guests like Kimmi Bitter, Logan Ledger and others. The latest episode reinforces our appreciation for the simpler tones of bygone eras as perhaps the queen of the sub-genre joined us.

Melissa Carper’s blend of country and western, blues, gospel and even ragtime sounds has made an imprint on the country and Americana spaces since her earliest  releases in 2015. Her latest regular, full-length studio album, Borned In Ya, was one of our top records of 2024.

Carper recently released a new record, A Very Carper Christmas, which is an album of all original holiday tunes, and kicked off a holiday tour in Louisville, Ky., opening for J.D. McPherson, to support it.

She joined us a few weeks back (so long ago she even “announced” the Christmas album to us during the recording) to talk about her journey growing up in a musical family, traveling the country on an adventure after deciding college wasn’t for her, and ultimately becoming one of the most unique sounding artists in the country and Americana space.

We also talked about her recent collaboration with Theo Lawrence and her involvement with the super group Wonder Women of Country with Kelly Willis and Brennen Leigh.  

Frank and Falls also chatted about music venues they would like to see shows in and each shared their Pickin’ the Grinnin’ pics for recommended music this week. Falls calls out Frankfort, Ky., based singer-songwriter Jeri Katherine Howell while Frank recalls a visceral reaction to discovering The White Buffalo.

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: 

Melissa Carper Online

Melissa Carper on Spotify

Melissa Carper on Instagram

Melissa Carper on Facebook

The Wonder Women of Country

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

Jeri Katherine Howell on Spotify

The White Buffalo 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.

Find more at rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 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.

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