(Part one of two) Ansty McClain discusses the Trailer Park Troubadours record, "New Good Old Days", how he came into songwriting as a visual artist, and how KPIG radio saved the band.

With nine self-released CDs to her credit - her latest is 2007's "The Spiritual Kind" - Texas singer-songwriter Terri Hendrix is the gold standard when it comes to the independent artist. That also makes her the perfect interview for this mini-milestone, episode #50 of "Songs and Stories". In this chat recorded backstage at Don Quixote's Music Hall, Terri talks about what she's still learning after her ninth CD, her annual "Life's A Song" workshops, touring with producer Lloyd Maines, and gives some great tips to artists who might not have that first CD quite done yet.

Multi-instrumentalists Chojo Jacques (The Waybacks, Houston Jones) and Billy Bright (Two High String Band) discuss their new release, "Texacali Blues". Listen to this episode for a chance to win a copy of the record.

Nashville songwriter Claudia Nygaard talks about talk about what house concerts have brought to independent music, the good old days of vinyl records, and that ongoing argument about the "death of the CD" in the wake of dropcards and iPods.

I've said this more times than I can honestly count, but I'm convinced that the real dividend in this music path is all the folks I keep meeting along the way. Case in point: This podcast is a song circle, a gathering of other players (some old friends, some new) recorded at the American River Music Festival back in September of this year.

Joziah Longo (from Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams) discuss "The Great Unravel", their new record, and Joziah's "index card" method of songwriting.

In the first of this two-part interview, Americana singer/songwriter Corinne West talks about her vagabond upbringing, why she made the move from playing in bands to becoming a solo artist, and how your first CD (her 2004 debut "Bound for the Living") becomes your business card.

In the second half of this two-part interview, Corinne West talks about (and performs) "Handful of Gold" from her CD "Second Sight".

The new TV season always has a "Fall Preview", so why not do the same for the band and this podcast? This episode is a rundown of where we're playing in October (KSCO 1080 AM, Roudon-Smith Winery, Don Quixote's) and a quick look at the next few episodes I have lined up for the podcast (interviews with Corrine West and Joziah Longo).

Sherry Austin spent time in Hawaii doing covers in the "steak and winehouse" scene, but it wasn't until she moved back to her native California, settled in Santa Cruz, and discovered "the mighty KPIG" (and folks like Fred Eaglesmith and Robert Earl Keen) that she became the singer/songwriter folks around here are so fond of. Contest Note: This month's contest is a chance to win a Grateful Dread Radio cloth shopping bag. Listen to this interview for details.