Sisters In Song

 In this episode, we had the unique opportunity to chat with musician/ author Dennes Sims about his recently released novel, “Neckbeard the Awesome Pirate.” We also chat about how being a musician transitioned him into being an author, a voice artist, and a composer for audiobooks.   

Both of Dennes’s parents were professional musicians; his mother Barbara was a singer, and his father was a bassist and a drummer.   

From the age of 5, he started playing drums. His mother used to take him along to her band rehearsals, and she always told the story that one day Dennes just picked up a set of drumsticks and was keeping perfect time with the drummer.    

At 19, he started writing songs and was frustrated that he had no way to express them, so he bought a keyboard and taught himself how to play by ear, listening to Prince, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, and others. He also started performing live with bands as a singer.   

Over the years, he taught himself both guitar and bass guitar. Dennes says he tried the saxophone “but it sounded like a hit a goose with a scooter.”   

While I was teaching himself to play other instruments, he began writing short stories and then screenplays.  

Unfortunately, he says he never made any real inroads to making a career out of either. In 1998, he cut his long hair and got a real job, joining the FBI, and put aside his musical and writing ambitions. But he quietly kept doing them as hobbies over the years, recording all of his ownmusic.   

In 2021, he was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer and underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments for seven weeks. Amazingly, the doctors saved his life and his voice, but said he would probably not be a singer anymore.  

 God works in mysterious ways, they always say… because of the treatments, his voice timbre changed, and it gave him a wider range of expression. So, he started using it for a new purpose: narrating audiobooks.    

Flash to 2025, now retired from the FBI, he has narrated three audiobooks for an author’s trilogy of stories, and is currently recording the audiobook for his own debut novel, Neckbeard the Awesome Pirate.   

Be sure to check Dennes out here:   

 We had such a good time catching up with Kevin Johnston aka Stan Lang! On this episode, learn why Kevin uses the stage name, how he earned a chocolate bar on his first-ever gig, and what inspired this “simple country” doctor to get back into making music and performing. He also gives us the best-yet answer to “describe your sound in 3 words!   

Stan Lang is the alias under which Oregon native Kevin Johnston writes. He lives in Burns Oregon, a little town in the middle of the southeastern corner of the Oregon HighDesert. For 23 years he has been a generalist country doctor to approximately 7,000 people who live in a county roughly the size of Massachusetts. 

In the late 80’s, he wrote music and played in a college hard rock band, but he says, “when we never got the magical call up to the big leagues,” he eventually decided he should spend moretime studying and less time playing. 

He got married, sold his music gear, had 4 kids, worked as a social worker, went back to medical school, then ended up in the country as a doctor. 

 About 10 years ago his best friend had a cardiac arrest at the gym and he was the Emergency physician on-cal. Unfortunately, he was unable to resuscitate his friend. The grueling nature of taking care of friends and neighbors and losing his best friend and then having to tell his wife and children left him lost and in a very dark place. 

He started playing music again, to work through his grief, and slowly started performing and writing again, this time from the perspective of pain lived and witnessed rather than therebellious superficial complaints of youth. 

During COVID, he decided that he would finally record in a proper studio and created the album "Super Hero Blues." He continues to practice medicine, performs in a couple of coverbands, and performs his original music. He writes intermittently when the mood strikes, and continues to play to keep a modicum of sanity. 

Check Stan out here: 

 We really enjoyed talking with Natalie Del Carmen on this episode. And we’re really looking forward to her new album “Pastures,” which drops January 30, 2026. Natalie describes it as a ‘coming of age album,’ and Natalie seems wise beyond her years! We talk about how to deal with writer's block, writing from observation, and studying the music that you love.  

Raised amongst the pavement and pop radio of Los Angeles, Natalie Del Carmen creates her own musical geography with Pastures. It's the sound of a modern-day folksinger narrowing her focus and expanding her reach, funneling the wide-ranging sounds that appeared on her debut album — 2023's critically-acclaimed Bloodline — into a sharp, singular version ofAmerican roots music.     

With Pastures, Natalie Del Carmen joins the ranks of Kat Hasty, Maggie Antone, Noeline Hoffman, Ken Pomeroy, and other empowered artists bringing a female perspective — and a youthful outlook — to the Americana space.   

Be sure to check Natalie out here: 

We chatted with Kate and Brendan about their debut album, "One Year Since," How they make the band work while living bi-coastally, and what's coming up next for them. This was a really interesting conversation and we learned so much!

Kate (fiddle) and Brendan (cello) first started talking about making an album together during the bright, shimmery post-pandemic summer days of 2021. Despite living on opposite sides of the country (Kate is based in Portland, OR, and Brendan is based in Brooklyn, NY) they had built a musical connection through their shared appreciation of innovation and groove. Over the next several years, they performed at venues on both coasts of the US, playing tunes and singing songs from American Old-Time, Irish, and other traditional music styles. They also began writing and performing original material, much of which became the tracks for this album. Kate wrote the title track, One Year Since, in her basement during the pandemic. She recorded a voice memo of the tune and then forgot about it, only to discover it again one year later when many things about the world and her own life had changed. Fiddle in the Attic is for Kate’s fiddle, which was found in an attic in Scotland after anticipating its next tune for who knows how long. By December of 2024, Kate and Brendan were in the studio in rainy Portland with mostly original material written in the old-time fiddle style, one song Brendan composed from a poem, and one song by Emmylou Harris and the McGarrigle sisters. One Year Since is Kate and Brendan’s first EP as a duo.

Be sure to check them out at:

 We had some great conversation and great laughs with Kashena Sampson, who started out how we did—singing with her sisters and putting on shows for her parents! She told us about her third studio record (released October 2025), “Ghost of Me,” and what went into making the album. We also talk about the elephant in the room—the hardest part about being a musician.  

 Already celebrated by Rolling Stone for “evoking the best of Seventies folk,” Kashena Sampson turns a new page with her third record, Ghost Of Me. It’s an album that pulls up herAmericana roots and digs deep beneath the surface, uncovering the darker indie sounds that once provided the soundtrack to Sampson’s childhood. Laced with electric guitar, reverb, and synthesizer, Ghost Of Me offers a new backdrop for the songwriting and otherworldly singing of an East Nashville luminary who’s never sounded more authentic. 

 Sampson grew up on the move, living abroad with her family before traveling the world by boat, a gig that found her paying her dues as a cruise ship singer as a young adult. Thatdiverse upbringing is mirrored on Ghost Of Me, an album that spans genres, emotional depths, and astrological tides. “This is an album about ignoring the bullshit and doing what’s authentic to me,” she explains. “Forget the rat race. Forget the bad relationships. Forget trying to please everybody. I’m tired of doing that. I wanted to do something for myself, and that’s what Ghost Of Me became," she continues. "It’s an album for me.” 

Be sure to check Kashena outhere: 

 What an amazing conversation we had with Cole Quest of Cole Quest and the City Pickers. 

We talked about their latest album “Home Grown,” how Cole serves as the band leader and band member, and their performance on the famous Mountain Stage! 

Rooted in tradition yet driven by a restless New York energy, Cole Quest and The City Pickers are carrying bluegrass forward with wit, warmth, and originality. Led by dobro player, songwriter, and vocalist Cole Quest — grandson of folk icon Woody Guthrie —the band has carved out a singular place in today’s roots music landscape.   

Their latest album, Homegrown (Jalopy Records, 2025), produced by Grammy Award–winning engineer Steve Rosenthal, brings the band’s journey into full focus. The record weaves four new originals with reimagined takes on songs by John Hartford, Peter Rowan, and Woody Guthriehimself, linking Cole’s own creative voice with his grandfather’s enduring legacy. No Depression hailed it as “an album that deftly moves the legacy of Woody Guthrie along in all the right ways.” Critics like Songlines (UK), Glide Magazine, and the Berkshire Eagle have noted how the bandhonors its lineage while commanding its own path. Their broad recognition includes a Bluegrass Standard cover (August 2025) and a feature in Bluegrass Unlimited. 

 Formed by friends with a shared love of bluegrass, Quest first pulled the Pickers together in 2017 to record their debut self-titled project at the legendary Magic Shop studio. They went on to release their acclaimed EP Self [En]Titled on Omnivore Records in 2021. Over the years, they’ve won the Podunk Bluegrass Festival band competition, toured Germany multiple times, and shared stages with artists like Billy Strings, Sierra Hull, and Tony Trischka. 

Be sure to check Cole and the city pickers out here:  

 We had a great time chatting with Hannah DeLynn about her album “Trust Fall” available everywhere! We learned how this record cam from learning from her own hardships andfacing the things that were keeping her stuck. Hannah also gave us great advice about learning guitar and slowing down.   

Hannah Delynn, a Nashville-based vocalist/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, independently released her debut full-length album, Trust Fall, on September 5. Hannah’sability and openness to view life from many perspectives result in songs that are emotionally engaging and compelling. Finding freedom through vulnerability, this record is a testament to accepting self-responsibility and the myriad mixed emotions that entails.  

  Originally from Florida, Hannah found her way to Nashville in 2013 by way of New Zealand, British Columbia, and Australia, gathering stories (soon to be songs) along the way. 

  This collection of songs honors a potent sea of change in Delynn’s life as she reflects on a season of deep grief, loss, betrayal, and heartbreak, as well as beauty, love, generosity, and friendship.    

Be sure to check Hannah out here: 

 It was a great time talking with Jake about his transition from Political Science to music, how he puts a song together, and he had a really good take on when a song is truly finished.  

He also told us about how doing improv comedy lends itselfto songwriting, and of course, his new album “Idling High” available everywhere!    

Jake Cassman's music echoes the raw energy of indie rock, the artful melodicism of power pop, and the thoughtful and vulnerable songwriting of the best Americana. And since he began releasing music in 2013, Cassman has embarked on a musical odyssey that has taken him to intimate venues and major stages around the country, drawing in audiences with electric,eclectic performances, and songs that make the intimate seem epic and the political feel personal. This year will see the release of his debut LP, Idling High -- a staggeringly ambitious and disarmingly honest record that showcases Cassman's wry humor, acute observations, and deep compassion.   

Jake began playing piano at age five, and started writing music soon after. He loved Elton John from an early age -- but when his teacher couldn't show him how to play Green Day songs, he began teaching himself; and when he realized he wanted music to be his career, he left an Ivy League school to pursue it. Since then he has worked as a dueling piano player, musicaltheater composer, improv and sketch comedian, and podcast producer (just to name a few gigs). He is also a published academic and a school music educator, while still finding time to play pickup basketball most weekends and try new beers based on the silliness of their names.   

Cassman has contributed performances and songs to various political and social justice causes, and his inventive, award-winning music videos bring the stories and ideas from his songs to life in unforgettable ways. His previous project, Drunken Logic, contributed the song and video"What A Beautiful Morning!" to the 2016 anti-Trump compilation 30 Days, 30 Songs alongside R.E.M., Death Cab For Cutie, and more. Now using his own name, Cassman is poised to join acts like Counting Crows, Frank Turner, Sam Fender, and Lucy Dacus whose music is at once introspective and anthemic, and whose singing and writing voice is both timely and timeless.   

Be sure to check Jake out here: 

 What a delight talking with Rosy Nolan! We discussed her new album “Main Attraction” AVAILABLE NOW! We also talked about how music hasalways been consistent in her life, her favortie song on the album, and we happened to catch her the night before her move to Nashville!   

Los Angeles country artist Rosy Nolan’s upcoming LP Main Attraction (out Oct. 17) is steeped in Americana roots, Western swing, honky tonk, and old-time country, paying homage to the great American records of the 1920s–1940s. The album is drenched in heartache and longing—core themes that have defined Nolan’s songwriting throughout her career. 

Nolan is a California girl through and through. Born and raised in the East Bay—first in San Francisco, then Berkeley and Oakland for middle and high school. “I’ve lived in California most of my life. It’s in me, and it comes through in my music,” she says.Her songs draw richly from the state’s varied landscapes, weaving metaphors ofhighways, desert, ocean, and redwoods. Raised by Bay Area activists, with a poet mother and a father who fought injustice, Nolan’s upbringing shaped her fierce commitment to advocacy. “Activism remains a constant for me,” she says. “I use my voice to fight for women’s rights, have lobbied bills with the ACLU, and recently, I’ve been protesting the I.C.E. raids in Los Angeles.” 

In the early 2000s, New York pulsed with the techno-infused retro synth-pop and cool-kid fury of electroclash. Nolan found herself swept up in this vibrant club scene, but the nonstop partying and drinking eventually took their toll. Hitting rock bottom, she embraced sobriety through atwelve-step program and began focusing inward.Seeking something more organic, Nolan honed her craft as a singer-songwriter, forging a sound rooted in traditional folk. She immersed herself in the records of Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams, as a new wave of alt-country artists helped spark a fresh scene.   

Be sure to check Rosy out here: 

 We had such a great time catching up with Will Wesley! We talked about his busy tour life supporting Old Crow Medicine Show and Scotty McCreery, touring overseas, and his many nominations for the 2025 Josie awards!  

Will Wesley is a Country Rock and Americana artist. A storyteller whose sound blends a soulful edge with country rock energy into heartfelt storytelling. Born in Baker, Louisiana, Wesley was raised with a rebellious spirit and a love for music inspired by his father’s guitar. By age 15, he was sneaking into bars to perform with a beat-up six-string and a fire that would soon define his music career. 

He paved his path in the Baton Rouge blues scene, performing and touring alongside with legendary figures. He served as Grady Champion’s Music Director for five years. His talent earned him two International Blues Challenge regional victories and a reputation as one ofLouisiana’s fiercest young guitarists. 

 Today, Wesley tours across the US, Europe, and Southeast Asia, performing everywhere from intimate listening rooms to international stages, including the Switzerland International Country Music Hall of Fame and the Jackson, Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.  

 He shared stages with many including Alabama, RVSHVD, Jason Boland & the Stragglers, Redd Volkaert, When In Rome, Old Crow Medicine Show, Scotty McCreery, Hailey Whitters, and shared international stages with Swiss Rockabilly Star - Florian Fox, collaborating on Will's singles, “Wasted Again” and “Time's Catching Up To Me.”  

 In recognition of his accomplishments, he received seven nominations for his song, “Ready To Ride” at the 2024 Josie Music Awards. In addition, he received five nominations for his songs “12 O'Clock in Texas” and “The Search” at the 2025 Josie Music Awards. Both within Nashville, Tennessee. 

Be sure to check Will out here: