The String

Episode 93: In the 1970s Nick Lowe carved out a place on the thoughtful side of punk and pop in England, landing "Cruel To Be Kind" on the charts with his band Rockpile but doing so much more besides. He produced Elvis Costello's first five albums and wrote the anthem "What's So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding?" In the late 90s, he reinvented himself, with a new focus on his mellifluous voice, starting a run of songwriting that's up there with anybody's. And it was all rooted in a passion for American roots, from Tin Pan Alley to country to rock and roll. Lowe has recently released another EP in a stretch of work with the band Los Straightjackets. Also this hour, the emotionally charged and luxurious roots pop of Dylan LeBlanc. 

Episode 92: This week's show is split between two string instrument masters who have little in common save for a lifelong commitment to nurturing traditional music while allowing it to grow and adapt to the times. Byron Berline is an Oklahoma based fiddler who's a hero in bluegrass music but who also led the way in the country rock movement out of Los Angeles for 25 years. He's recently had a setback when his famous and beloved Double Stop Fiddle Shop in Guthrie, OK burned down, with a huge loss of valuable instruments. Also in the show, Andy Statman talks about how and why he mastered the bluegrass mandolin and the Klezmer clarinet. He's released more than 30 exceptional albums, his latest being Monroe Bus, a tribute to Bill Monroe instrumentals that took on unexpected range and dimension.

Episode 92: This week's show is split between two string instrument masters who have little in common save for a lifelong commitment to nurturing traditional music while allowing it to grow and adapt to the times. Byron Berline is an Oklahoma based fiddler who's a hero in bluegrass music but who also led the way in the country rock movement out of Los Angeles for 25 years. He's recently had a setback when his famous and beloved Double Stop Fiddle Shop in Guthrie, OK burned down, with a huge loss of valuable instruments. Also in the show, Andy Statman talks about how and why he mastered the bluegrass mandolin and the Klezmer clarinet. He's released more than 30 exceptional albums, his latest being Monroe Bus, a tribute to Bill Monroe instrumentals that took on unexpected range and dimension. 

Only five artists or acts have been inducted into both the Country Music and Bluegrass Music halls of fame, and only one is actively touring and shaping the dialogue around roots music generally. And that's 64-year-old Ricky Skaggs. As a fiddler, mandolinist, singer and band leader he's bridged the country/bluegrass divide more deftly than any artist alive, and he still does it with sets that split the difference as his band can shift gears on a dime. In a full-hour feature interview, Skaggs reflects on two key periods of his career - the 1970s when as a twentysomething he worked with epic bands the Country Gentlemen, J.D. Crowe and the New South, and Boone Creek, which he started with a young Jerry Douglas. And we talk about the 2000s, when he turned his full attention back to bluegrass and quickly dominated the industry with awards and era-shaping records.

Only five artists or acts have been inducted into both the Country Music and Bluegrass Music halls of fame, and only one is actively touring and shaping the dialogue around roots music generally. And that's 64-year-old Ricky Skaggs. As a fiddler, mandolinist, singer and band leader he's bridged the country/bluegrass divide more deftly than any artist alive, and he still does it with sets that split the difference as his band can shift gears on a dime. In a full-hour feature interview, Skaggs reflects on two key periods of his career - the 1970s when as a twentysomething he worked with epic bands the Country Gentlemen, J.D. Crowe and the New South, and Boone Creek, which he started with a young Jerry Douglas. And we talk about the 2000s, when he turned his full attention back to bluegrass and quickly dominated the industry with awards and era-shaping records. 

No. 90 - Honky tonk maestro Dale Watson grew up in Pasadena, TX, just on the Galveston Bay side of Houston. With a father and brother who played country music, he was playing professionally by his early teens. In 1988, alt-country pioneer Rosie Flores convinced him to move to Los Angeles, where he became integral to the scene at the Palomino Club. Then it was on to Austin, a debut album on Hightone Records and a long run of critical and popular acclaim as one of the proudest, silkiest voices carrying the torch for country music. Now he's putting down new roots in Memphis TN. He's the new owner of a legendary south Memphis road house called Hernando's Hideaway, which he'll reopen after renovations this summer. He's taken his concept of Ameripolitan music to new heights with a growing Memphis festival and an awards show that just wrapped its sixth edition. And he made his new album there - his 32nd release. So there's a lot to talk about. Also, getting to know English folk singer and master guitarist John Smith, whose new album Hummingbird blends a few originals with a collection of age-old English ballads.

No. 90 - Honky tonk maestro Dale Watson grew up in Pasadena, TX, just on the Galveston Bay side of Houston. With a father and brother who played country music, he was playing professionally by his early teens. In 1988, alt-country pioneer Rosie Flores convinced him to move to Los Angeles, where he became integral to the scene at the Palomino Club. Then it was on to Austin, a debut album on Hightone Records and a long run of critical and popular acclaim as one of the proudest, silkiest voices carrying the torch for country music. Now he’s putting down new roots in Memphis TN. He’s the new owner of a legendary south Memphis road house called Hernando’s Hideaway, which he’ll reopen after renovations this summer. He’s taken his concept of Ameripolitan music to new heights with a growing Memphis festival and an awards show that just wrapped its sixth edition. And he made his new album there - his 32nd release. So there’s a lot to talk about. Also, getting to know English folk singer and master guitarist John Smith, whose new album Hummingbird blends a few originals with a collection of age-old English ballads. 

Will Kimbrough, 30-year veteran of Nashville TN is up to so many musical projects, it took a whole segment to cover them all. He's in three bands and an acoustic duo. He writes with and for Jimmy Buffett. He's been on the road over recent years with Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris, two of his heroes. He produces great records. And, lest we forget, he's a dynamic performing songwriter and guitarist, steaming ahead with a busy year of touring and a new album, the grooving and highly thought provoking I Like It Down Here. Also in the hour, an excerpt from a recent catch up with the mighty Steve Earle, who's just released his long awaited tribute to his late great friend Guy Clark. Full conversation is at WMOT.org.

Will Kimbrough, 30-year veteran of Nashville TN is up to so many musical projects, it took a whole segment to cover them all. He's in three bands and an acoustic duo. He writes with and for Jimmy Buffett. He's been on the road over recent years with Rodney Crowell and Emmylou Harris, two of his heroes. He produces great records. And, lest we forget, he's a dynamic performing songwriter and guitarist, steaming ahead with a busy year of touring and a new album, the grooving and highly thought provoking I Like It Down Here. Also in the hour, an excerpt from a recent catch up with the mighty Steve Earle, who's just released his long awaited tribute to his late great friend Guy Clark. Full conversation is at WMOT.org. 

Tulsa, OK has an important musical past but also a dynamic present built on the legacies and impact of Bob Wills, Leon Russell, J.J. Cale, Woody Guthrie and more. This special field trip edition of The String tours the exciting music scene in Tulsa with visits to Cain's Ballroom, Russell's Church Studio, currently under renovation, the Woody Guthrie Center, the Bob Dylan Archive and iconic honky tonk The Colony. We meet locals who are championing the next wave of Tulsa music, including singer/songwriter and producer Jared Tyler. See WMOT.org for photos, a playlist and more resources.