The WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour Podcast

APPALATIN’s foot-stomping, hip-swinging sounds organically unite Appalachian folk and high-energy Latin music. The name, Appalatin, reflects the unexpected meeting in Louisville, KY of Kentucky-raised musicians and masterful Latin émigrés from Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. Their all-acoustic performances of traditional stings of guitar, mandolin, upright bass, and charango, indigenous Andean flutes, hand percussion, harmonica and vocal harmonies have brought joy and happiness to listeners of all ages.

ZOE SPEAKS consists of Kentuckians Mitch Barrett, Carla Gover, and their daughter Zoey Barrett, along with bassist Owen Reynolds and multi-instrumentalist Arlo Barnette, who draw on their deep roots in the Eastern Kentucky region to put their own spin on everything from traditional ballads to finely-crafted originals. A smooth blend of Americana, Appalachian, and folk influences form a backdrop for the close vocal harmonies that are a defining feature of their sound. A veritable songwriting powerhouse, their awards are numerous and they have been a staple on the Kentucky music scene for over a decade Their latest release is ‘Wings’.

WoodSongs Kid: Maizie Manna is a 17 year old singer-songwriter and musician. from Berea, KY who grew up in a musical family.

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DANIEL CHAMPAGNE is an Australian singer/songwriter and a one-of-a-kind guitar virtuoso. He’s regarded as a leading light in acoustic music, with a firm reputation for making festivals buzz, holding crowds in his palm, dropping jaws and breaking guitars wherever he goes. Champagne has relocated to North America where he continues his exciting career as an international touring and recording artist. His latest release is ‘Satellite City EP’.

MY ONE AND ONLY is the husband and wife duo of Benjamin and Kassie Wilson. They have played stages throughout the U.S., as well as touring in Uganda, Africa, and have both graced the stage of the famed Ryman Auditorium in their hometown of Nashville. The duo gathers it’s strength from Southern-Soul mixed with Curious-Grit. They recently released their debut album ‘The Past Year’ which merges raw emotion with hollow-body guitars and home-grown harmonies.

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THE STEEL WHEELS hail from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia are familiar with the traditions of folk music and how a string band is supposed to sound. In fact, they’ve been drawing on those steadfast traditions for more than a decade. Yet, their name also evokes a sense of forward motion. Their musical style weaves through Americana and bluegrass, folk and old-time music, and the acoustic poetry of the finest singer-songwriters.

CONNLA have been quickly making an impact on the folk/traditional scene. Labelled as the Hottest New Group out of Northern Ireland, they have received fantastic reviews at home and internationally. They have already gathered a big following in the UK, Ireland, Europe and the USA. Their sensitive and innovative arrangements of traditional and modern folk songs and tunes, have helped them create a sound which is very identifiable as Connla.

WoodSongs Kid: Amber Brown is a 12 year old guitar player and singer from Williamsburg, Kentucky.

MURIEL ANDERSON is one of the world’s foremost fingerstyle guitarists and harp-guitarists. She is the first woman to have won the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship and has performed/recorded with Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Victor Wooten and the Nashville Chamber Orchestra. Her obvious joy of music, humor and her facility across the genres of folk, classical, jazz, bluegrass and international music is revered by guitarists worldwide. Muriel is host of the renowned Muriel Anderson’s ALL STAR GUITAR NIGHT® and founder of the MUSIC FOR LIFE ALLIANCE charity. Her current project is ‘Eclipse’ a CD of harp-guitar music to evoke the magic of the solar eclipse, enclosed in a greeting card by brilliant photo-artist Bryan Allen.

SISTER SADIE is the all-female/all-star bluegrass group comprised of some of the best-known women in bluegrass including five time IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year, Dale Ann Bradley, Tina Adair, Deanie Richardson, Gena Britt and Beth Lawrence. The group was born out of what was originally supposed to be a one time jam at The Station Inn in Nashville, Tennessee with five good friends. Shortly after that sold out show, the band began getting calls for gigs and the girls decided to officially form "Sister Sadie". The band’s highly-anticipated sophomore project has turned heads in a big way, garnering rave reviews by top publications, and also debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums chart.

WoodSongs Kid: Tia Penny is a ten-year-old singer/songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona.

MISSY RAINES has proven herself without doubt as one of the iconic bluegrass instrumentalist of all time. In 1998, Raines became the first woman to win IBMA's Bass Player of the Year award and she went on to win the title more than any other bass player in the history of the organization, male or female. On her newest release on Compass Records, ‘Royal Traveller’ Raines has stepped into the spotlight as a songwriter for the first time. The album digs deep into her family life and her upbringing in West Virginia. The stand out track “Swept Away”, features the 5 first women to win IBMA instrumentalist awards, Raines, Alison Brown (banjo), Sierra Hull (mandolin), Becky Buller (fiddle), and Molly Tuttle (guitar). “Swept Away” was named 2018 IBMA “Recorded Event of the Year”.

WILLIE NILE was hailed by the New York Times as “one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in years.” Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, Lou Reed, Lucinda Williams, Jim Jarmusch, and Little Steven are among those who have sung his praises. Willie has toured across the U.S. with the Who and has sung with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. As the induction program from the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame says: "His live performances are legendary.” His 12th studio album 'Children of Paradise' was released in the summer of 2018 to universal acclaim.

WoodSongs Kid: Marissa Goings is an twelve-year-old singer from Kingman, Kansas.

CEDRIC BURNSIDE still lives on several acres not far from the Holly Springs, Mississippi, home where he was raised by “Big Daddy,” his grandfather, the late singer/songwriter/guitarist R.L. Burnside whom Cedric famously played with, just as his own father, drummer Calvin Jackson, did. Cedric was literally born to the blues, more specifically, the “rhythmically unorthodox” Hill country variant which emerged from Mississippi, where he grew up surrounded (and influenced) by Junior Kimbrough, Jessie May Hemphill and Otha Turner, as well as delta musicians T-Model Ford and Paul “Wine” Jones. This Grammy-nominated and Blues Music Awards winner latest is ‘Benton County Relic’ which brings the blues alive for a new generation.

THE FARMER & ADELE are reimaging the modern cowboy/cowgirl while respecting its beginnings. Based out of Nashville, TN, The Farmer & Adele – led by Grace Adele and Keenan Wade – leads the pack of a new wave of musicians revitalizing western swing music. With a star-studded record, award nominations and their own morning radio show on WSM’s Route 650, The Farmer & Adele are a one-two punch of classic meets modern. The band’s debut effort, ‘Into the Wide Open Sky’, combines original compositions rooted in familiar styles of the American landscape. Traces of classic country, jazz and Tin Pan Alley songwriting interweave throughout the group’s top-notch musicianship.

WoodSongs Kid: Liam Farley is a nine-year-old fiddle champion from Chapman, West Virginia.

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SONGS FROM THE ROAD BAND is a North Carolina powerhouse group featuring Mark Schimick, Charles Humphrey, Ryan Cavanaugh, Sam Wharton, and James Schlender. Collectively, they have received top accolades in the bluegrass, Americana, and jazz genres. They are an all star band consisting of musicians from a wide variety of backgrounds including an IBMA award & Grammy recipient for songrwriting, performance, and producing, Banjo player in jazz pioneer Bill Evans Soul Grass project, a 2 time National Fiddle Champion, and played alongside legends likes of Larry Keel, Vassar Clements, Tony Rice, Chick Corea, Bobby McFerrin,George Benson, and more. The band is currently touring in support of their 4th studio album release "Road To Nowhere."

JOE CROOKSTON is a songwriter, guitarist, painter, fiddler, slide player, eco-village member and believer in all things possible. He’s a master storyteller. His music swirls with themes of lightness, darkness, clocks ticking, weeping willows, cynicism, hope, and the cycles of life and rebirth. Named 2016 Folk Alliance International Artist-in- Resident, he’s played with Suzanne Vega, Dar Williams, David Francey, John McCutcheon, John Gorka, Judy Collins and 100’s more.

WoodSongs Kids: Kelsie and Jordan Willis are twins from Greenup, Kentucky and love playing roots music.

CHRIS STILLS is the son of American rock musician Stephen Stills and French singer-songwriter Veronique Sanson and was raised between Paris and Los Angeles. His multicultural influences are infused in his work as a singer-songwriter and actor. Since his debut album on Atlantic Records, Chris has toured the world performing and recording with a variety of brilliant artists including, Don Was, Leanne Rimes, Ryan Adams, Government Mule, Smashing Pumpkins, Lucinda Williams, Ricky Lee Jones, and others. His songs have been featured in numerous movies and television including the hit Showtime series, ‘Shameless’ and films like ‘American Hustle’ and most recently ‘I, Tonya’.

ABBIE GARDNER is a fiery dobro player with an infectious smile. Whether performing solo or with the Americana darlings Red Molly, her acclaimed tales of love and loss, both gritty and sweet, are propelled by her impeccable slide guitar playing. Solo performances feature truly unique use of the dobro as a solo instrument, bouncing between a solid rhythmic backbone and ripping lead lines, all in support of her voice and award-winning songs.

WoodSongs Kid: Kevin Beddingfield is a ten-year old hot shot banjo picker from Flag Pond, Tennessee.

GAELYNN LEA has been bewitching scores of fans with her haunting original songs and experimental takes on traditional fiddle music. Lea performs from her electric wheelchair and holds her instrument like a tiny cello and loops her classically trained rhythms and melodies. She recently won NPR Music’s 2016 Tiny Desk Contest. In addition to performing and recording, Lea also loves to do speaking engagements about disability awareness, the power music, and leading an enriching life.

AUBREY LOGAN is known as “The Queen of Sass.” Her concerts are a mix of excellent musicality, jaw-dropping vocals, expert trombone-playing, a breathtaking array of originals and original takes on cover songs and, well…fun! Her heart wrenching musical stories has audiences in tears just before her comedic relief has them in stiches. Her appearances on Jimmy Kimmel and The Grammy Awards and a PBS special and London Live have kept her in the public eye and millions of fans have watched her head-spinning videos on YouTube and Facebook.

WoodSongs Kid: Elle Hack is a ten-year-old singer from Benton, Kentucky.

On this Special Event Broadcast of WoodSongs, we’re honoring one of the most important legacy’s in all of recorded music… Smithsonian Folkways in celebration of their 70th anniversary.

As Michael Johnathon notes, “Smithsonian Folkways is the musical treasure box of America's roots music. It is Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly and Big Bill Broonzy. It's what WoodSongs aspires to be. Our show was even based on Pete's old TV series Rainbow Quest. It's like WoodSongs is coming full circle as we present the great work of Smithsonian Folkways to a worldwide audience.”

Appearing on the broadcast will be three incredible Folkways artists that continue the tradition that Moses Asch, who founded Folkways Records in 1948 to document the "people's music”, carry forward. Artists appearing on the broadcast include: Dom Flemons co-founding member of the GRAMMY-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, Grenadian-Canadian songwriter and tradition bearer Kaia Kater and Iraqi-American oud player Rahim AlHaj. Folkways’ Huib Schippers, (Curator and Director) and Jeff Place (Curator and Senior Archivist) will join Michael to share the label’s mission, story and cultural heritage with WoodSongs’ global audience.

WoodSongs Kid: Mya Hunt is a thirteen-year-old vocalist from the Appalachian community in Mt. Vernon, Kentucky.