Wick's Picks Podcast

The Lexington studio wizards join me to talk about late drummer Robby Cosenza's legacy ahead of a tribute concert at The Burl on Feb. 8, 2025.

Paintsville, Ky. based rocker Sean Whiting joins the program to talk about the recent benefit for Byron Roberts and Manchester Music Hall, 2025 plans, transitioning to performing under a band name, and more.

Andy Hall and Andy Falco of the GRAMMY winning bluegrass group The Infamous Stringusters join me while passing through Lexington to perform at Manchester Music Hall. We discuss everything from the band's Kentucky roots (via the IMBA conference when it was held in Louisville) to making it 20 years as a group, their forthcoming album 20/20, and more.

Additionally, we also preview three songs off the band's new record along with three older cuts — "Rockets," "Rise Sun" and "Hitchhiker (Live From Covington, Kentucky)".

Northern Kentucky based singer-songwriter Jeremy Pinnell joins me inside The Hound studio this week to chat all about his new album Decades — from working on it with Shooter Jennings to the reflective nature of the songs within it — prior to its Oct. 31 release.

We also get an early sneak peek at seven of the album’s ten tracks including “Barabbas,” “Too Much Sugar,” “Save You,” “Standing Still,” “Stuck In The Rain,” “Come Home To Me” and “We’ve Been Wrong.”

This week on the podcast I’m joined by Lexington born, Wyoming raised bassist Shelby Means. You may recognize her from groups like Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Della Mae and Sally & George, but this year the singer has broken out under her own name with a debut record that’s pure bluegrass bliss.

Throughout the show the two of us discuss everything from her Kentucky roots to the timing of her new record, the differences between fronting your own music and being the part of someone else’s band, the story behind her Kelsey Waldon co-write “High Plains Wyoming,” and more.

Means was also joined by her partner, Sally & George and Sol Driven Train’s Joel Timmons, to pick around on duo acoustic renditions of the aforementioned “High Plains Wyoming” along with Calamity Jane” and “Joy.”

Bek and Tim Smallwood of Pikeville based blues rock collective Bek & The Starlight Revue join me inside The Hound studio this week me ahead of the fifth annual Mountain Grrl Experience Music Festival to preview this year’s gathering, talk about new music, co-writing and more.

We also heard three songs acoustic style from the duo as well — “Sail,” “9 To 9” and “Kentucky” — along with putting her through the ringer with a Kentucky Questionnaire.

This week on the podcast we preview the 11th annual Moonshiner’s Ball taking place Oct. 9-12 with co-organizer Travis Young and singer Scott T. Smith.

Together we talk about our favorites moments from festivals prior, who we’re most excited to see this weekend, the four artist’s at large and the festival magic that could come from it, and more. We also hear Smith perform three songs — “Free,” “Mama,” and “A Few Of Us” — from inside The Hound studio.

Unfortunately the audio file of our recording got corrupted and has left segment two of our conversation focused on Smith and his new music coming soon produced by Lexington’s Duane Lundy (Ringo Star, Abby Hamilton, Sunday Valley) unsalvageable. However, when more news about the project comes out you’ll be sure to hear about it here at Wick’s Picks first.

On this special bonus, Substack exclusive episode of Wick’s Picks I’m joined by Ludlow, Ky.’s Jordan Smart, who on Sept. 12 dropped his folk-y protest record Confessions Of A C.E.O..

Smart and I spoke candidly about his evolution as a songwriter from penning tunes like the light-hearted “Song For Prine” and “Pickle Song” to hard-cutting hymnals like “Amerikka’s Veins” and “Who Would Jesus Bomb?”; the positive feedback he’s received from using his platform to speak out about the [gen-o-cide] in Gaza, working to build a better world for everyone, comparisons he’s received to Jesse Welles, and more.

Since this was conducted via Zoom and not a proper in-studio Wick’s Picks appearance featuring music, I implore y’all to check out Jordan’s work on BandCamp including Confessions Of A C.E.O. and Songs Not Bombs — a two volume project he helped to curate featuring Nicholas Jamerson, John R. Miller, Lizzie No, John Moreland, Billy Bragg and others whose proceeds raised nearly $20,000 for the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund.

After a couple weeks’ hiatus my radio show/podcast returns with Stoll Vaughan. The Lexington born singer who spent time in Michigan, Indiana, Nashville and Los Angeles discussed everything from his relationship with Duane Betts to what brought him back to Kentucky, how he approaches co-writes, transforming a barn on his property into a recording studio, and much more.

Vaughan also performs three songs solo acoustic — “Weather In Kentucky,” the (currently) unreleased “Left Behind,” and “Fade Away”

This week on the program I’m joined by Louisville singer Ryan Anderson, who in addition to fronting Bendigo Fletcher now also is releasing music under the moniker Moose Loon.

Together we talked inside the Hound FM studio about everything from his musical origins to the recent opening of Gatton Park, what animals mashed together make a Moose Loon, his new EP out Sept. 12, what’s next for Bendigo, and more.

We also heard the entirety of Moose Loon’s soon-to-be-released four-song EP before closing out the show with the two latest singles from Bendigo — “One Little Drink” and “Tardigrade Love.”