Song Divers

If the Americana Music association made a Pixar movie, the lead character could very well be based on our guest. Leon Majcen has the personality of a leading man that we're all rooting for. Tall, smirking, and handsome, Leon is an eye-twinkling, excited ball of musical energy. He is the type of songwriter that isn't trying to impress you or convince you he's good at what he does. He lets his songs do the that for him, and leaves his actual talking for connecting with you as a person. He has a devil may care way about him, which is both enviable and disarming. In groups, Leon is a life of the party kind of guy, but one-on-one, he's more reserved. You can still sense his anticipation for his next show or fishing trip vibrating under the surface, but he's more more at peace. Here is the guy that calls you out of the blue just to let you know he was thinking about you. Just checking in. It's that thoughtful inner lining that comes out in his songwriting. Pair that with his picking chops, and you've got a recipe for star to continue rising on the Americana and Country charts. His first album, Back Til I'm Gone, is a study of homesickness and growing up that got the attention of the industry and landed him in festival line-ups... and The releases he has coming next, including the single you're hearing right now, are a fantastic evolution of his artistry. We can't wait to hear them, and we think you'll feel the same way, after you get to know our dear friend, Leon Majcen.

If you sat next to Adam Randall at a coffee shop, you might observe a quiet but not standoffish guy, with the look of a friendly, unpretentious, nirvana fan with post graduate degrees. If you struck up a conversation, he probably wouldn’t self promote, or tell you he’s an artist, a prolific one, with 8 studio albums and EP’s. You might however, suspect it, and quickly recognize something special about him; Someone who stays with you long after the interaction, like a great indie-film. Someone who’s choices and experiences have distilled a calming presence, and settled him into whatever the opposite of a midlife crisis is.

The progeny of these characteristics is a songwriting ability that is so, well, Adam-- unique and so good. He's never stopped refining his perspective and style, and if you’ve been hip to Adam Randall for the decades he’s been at it, you know just how good that style's always been. And he's only getting better. The years haven't worn him out; they've polish him. He's only more resolute. More Refined... And his latest release, Antelope, is a perfect example of the indie-rock monk I’m describing. It's a beautiful, melodic, set of songs, unconventionally poetic and illustrative, but with enough room for the listener to inhabit the songs, and find their own personal meaning.

We’re loving this latest addition to his body of work, and we know you will too––Especially after you get to know him with us.

Let's dive in, with Adam Randall.

Stef, Ed, and previous Song Divers guests perform covers by the late John Prine on the 1-year anniversary of his passing from Covid-19 during the height of the 2020 pandemic. We welcome back songwriters Andrew Duhon, Rebekah Pulley, Kirk Adams, Liam Bauman, Dean Johanesen, and Joshua Reilly doing some of their favorite Prine tunes. Stef and Ed also perform in this episode. They put together a cut of "Picture Show" with their band Mercy McCoy, feat. Emma Robinson, and Ed gives us a solo performance of "Far From Me."

We miss you, John.

If you are listening to this episode years after it was recorded, the COVID-19 Corona Virus global pandemic is hopefully a thing of the past. Unfortunately, at the time of recording March 21, 2020, we are currently in the beginning of what will likely be a couple months of mandatory self isolation across the United States, and varying degrees of the same already in effect around the world. Businesses are closing, schools are shutting down, hospitals are filling up, and our government isn't helping. It's an unprecedented time that, despite years of warnings from the CDC and visionaries like Bill Gates, we aren't prepared for.

No matter who you are, the fabric of your daily life is being impacted, and now more than ever, people are finding community through the things that bind us. Things like philanthropy, art, and, of course, music. As borders close and states declare mandatory isolation, postponing tours and closing concert halls, social media has lit-up with musical and lyrical love, like lighters in a swaying audience, as musicians of all levels share live performances with songs of hope, songs of support, and songs to keep a firm hold of the beautiful role that music songwriting continues to play in soothing, saving, and uniting us.

As the world faces this unique challenge, Ed and I want to do our part to support the musical community that we are so grateful to be a part of, and so desperate to help during this time of economic hardship. So our next episodes are dedicated to all of the artists out there across the US, around the world, that are taking their performances online while the venues go off line, musicians that are playing on social media so that we can be physically distant but not emotionally separated, and for the live-streams being created to help sustain the musicians in every community.

First, we have to focus on our hometown. The Tampa and Saint Petersburg, FL areas are already being hit hard, but our artists don't stay down. You don't need to look hard on Instagram or Facebook to find your favorite musicians banding together to bring audiences inspired, heartfelt performances as a way to help these musicians keep the lights on and help all of us keep the darkness at bay.

The Dream Stream is one such performance. Slated for March 27th, 2020 and powered by Song Divers friends the Tampa Sessions, this live stream will feature a line up of 12 Tampa/St.Pete performers, including Song Divers alum J.T. Brown and Kristopher James, along with upcoming guests Shawn Kyle and Mountain Holler as well as many more we hope to have in the studio in the future.

In anticipation of that event, and the many more it will inspire, we got ahold of Nick Ewing, Kristopher James, and J.T. Brown to get more details on The Dream Stream and see how a few of the SouthEast's finest songwriters are weathering the storm.

Our last episode was with songwriter Brian Sutherland, a Nashville based musician and standout at the 2019 Downtown St. Petersburg Songwriter's festival. The first night of the fest Brian, a veteran of these events and in his early 30's, shared the stage with Liam Bauman, a young songwriter in his early 20's who by contrast appeared ever the rookie. Any reticence that may have been visible was extinguished when Liam hit his first notes with the steady strum of a guy whose been doing this for years–– And he has, a few tours under his belt and his EP still warm from a late 2019 release, Liam has been on our wish list ever since we saw him busking with a vintage Gibson at Cage fest here in Florida last year. In person, Liam is polite and reserved with lady-killer blue eyes that probably net him a few extra tips when he's working as a barista in his down time. He has an innocent smile that's almost misleading, because his sense of humor gives way to a maturity and depth of guy that has a lot to say and is really good at using his pen and his guitar to say it. Liam's EP is really good and a very enjoyable listen, and the unreleased song he played us during this episode has been stuck in my head for weeks. Which has been a very pleasant experience. This episode was a lot of fun, and he we hope you will join us in becoming big fans of Liam Bauman.

Every year, Songwriters festivals are happening all over the world, with a critical mass happening in around many of US's quote-unquote music cities. These are the dripping springs of Austin and the 30A Songwriter's fest which taked place every January in Florida's panhandle. These are meant to be different from a traditional music fest in that they focus on the story telling and attempt to create an environment for the focus to be on the song. The fall of 2019, in our market, we attended the first official Downtown St. Petersburg's songwriter's fest. Some of the venues need some coaching for year 2, but on the whole, the weekend was full of local and national songwriters showcasing their story telling. We saw previous Song Divers guests like Nashville's Lydia Luce, and St.Pete's Rebekah Pulley, and we saw a lot of other notable writers that we will likely see on the show in the coming months, and one in this episode.

Brian Sutherland is every bit of what Song Divers is about. The guys is a musical Swiss army knife. A trained cellist turned guitarist, turned band leader from the greater Tampa Bay area, now in Nashville, TN, Brian has spent time on tour playing alongside some really notable acts including... the Beach Boys. His resume is impressive, but it doesn't prepare you for the knock-your socks off songwriting that Brian is cranking out.

I wish we had done one of our video performances with him, because the way his fingers effortlessly float around the guitar neck was really fun to watch. I got to spend some time with Brian throughout the weekend prior to us sitting down with him, and they don't come better, more natural, or more fun than him.

When we recorded this episode, Brian had just finished his last slot at the songwriter's fest here in town, as well as a private gig and filling in for a festival no-show. To say his voice was raw is an understatement, and yet it sounds all the more full of feeling, emotion, and conviction. We wouldn't have had him tell us his story any other way. Divers, meet Brian Sutherland.

Born countries apart, and made in LA, the guys that make up the band Vintage Trouble are rock and roll incarnate. We were first introduced to Ty, Nalle, Richard, and Rick when they toured through a really cool and diverse Jazz Festival we have here in the Tampa/Clearwater area, which I realize is confusing considering they're an act with monster soul and blues swagger, and there aren't any jazz players in the group. Vocalist Ty Taylor is the poster child for the art of being a frontman. He's got a killer voice, he can jump about 7 feet in the air, and he makes it almost impossible not to get up and groove when they take the stage. And the band is stacked—as evidenced by the unplugged performance the whole group knocked out for us, and that you'll get to hear on the back half of this episode. I had come across these guys backstage at the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series, where they were polite, fun, and genuinely excited to be musicians—something you don't always see as clearly in bands of this level of fame and stature. From the fashion ads they appear in, to their newest music, Vintage Trouble is everything Rock 'n' Roll is supposed to be plus everything that it's missing.

The band was in a bit of a rush to get to soundcheck, but they gave us a little over an hour to hang and record with them backstage. We hope––actually we know–– you will enjoy their interview and performances. It's some of the coolest, best sounding stuff we've captured yet.

You are diving into part 2 of our episodes with Contemporary Folk Music legend Ellis Paul. If you are just picking up here, that's great––but, we do encourage you to pause and go back and listen to part 1 with Ellis. There are some references to topics we cover in part 1 that you might appreciate hearing in order. That said, you'll be fine and love it in any order you choose.

We just couldn't find enough of Ellis' golden nuggets to leave on the cutting room floor, so you're getting a second helping of one of our favorite guests yet. Ladies, Gents, and everything in between, we bring you more of Ellis Paul.

Throw heaping amounts of talent, determination and hard work into a pot; add a few tablespoons of timely mentorship, healthy competition and the kindness of strangers — and don’t forget a dash of good old-fashioned luck —and that’s your recipe for Contemporary Folk Music legend Ellis Paul.

Over a 30 year arc, Ellis has logged more than 5,000 shows and earned scores of accolades and awards (let’s save time and just say all the prestigious folk music awards). He's released 20 albums, landed songs in major motion pictures, and been a featured performer at countless major folk and songwriters’ festivals. He’s even picked up an honorary PhD and been the subject of a documentary. Yet he remains humble, open and as inspired as ever to create new music, turning out some of his finest, most vital work ever on his latest 2019 release, The Storyteller’s Suitcase.

We were thrilled by how generous Ellis was with his time in sharing hard-won insights into every aspect of what it takes to carve out a living, and a life, as a musician. We want to share it all with you, so we’re making this a two-parter. Enjoy Episode 1 now, and watch for Episode 2 of our visit with Ellis Paul.

Travers Brothership is a band formed around twin brothers Kyle and Eric Travers–– and built by the bond among their bandmates. Kyle and keyboardist Ian McIsaac joined us for the interview. Kyle is frontman –– tall, lean, and laid back. Ian is shorter, bearded, and equally as friendly. While Eric and Kyle share a bloodline, the whole band plays like family. A long history of learning and honing their craft has led them to their second full-length release and through experiences sharing bills and stages with the likes of Taj Mahal, Govt. Mule, Blues Traveler, and many more. These guys can write, they can play, and they stopped in to see us before hitting the Suwanee Hulaween stage with Anderson Paak, Bass Nectar, Billy Strings, and Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. We hope you appreciate hanging with the Travers Brothership as much as we did.