Roots Music Rambler

From a Cumberland Gap shed to Nashville, Oliver Sayani finds 9 Kinds of Blue

Some kids discover country music on the radio. Oliver Sayani got a memorable introduction from a bearded stranger in a poncho who played John Prine songs at a hometown festival, then seemingly vanished. It’s the kind of story that belongs in a song. Fortunately, Sayani has plenty of those, too.

The Cumberland Gap, Tenn., native joined Frank and Falls to talk about his debut solo album, 9 Kinds of Blue, due November 1, and a musical education that took in mountain music, heavy guitars and a whole lot of honky-tonk. A friend’s shed supplied an early drum kit. His dad’s George Jones collection helped supply the country foundation. The road eventually led through Louisville, Blind Feline and Nashville.

Sayani originally headed to Louisville for engineering school, then changed direction toward music. Church gigs, cover bands and recording work helped keep him playing. One Nashville opportunity arrived with a joke about being cheaper than Brent Mason. Getting into a room with seasoned session players helped him realize he had something to contribute beyond simply keeping up.

For 9 Kinds of Blue, he found a musical partner in producer Pat Lyons, whose work with Colter Wall made the connection especially fitting. They talk about letting pedal steel, harmonica and the songs themselves do the heavy lifting. Sayani also traces “Highway Signs” to the pull of home and “Mountain Ballad” to a time when music helped him find his footing.

Before the interview, Frank and Falls take a long, occasionally spirited detour through artificial intelligence, creative work and what happens when a useful tool starts replacing the people who make things. Their Pickin’ the Grinnin’ choices return things to human-made music: Frank recommends Minnesota’s Wild Horses and The In Between, while Falls brings back the live-wire country and bluegrass of The Bankshafts.

Find Sayani’s music, show information and album updates on his website, with more listening on Apple Music and YouTube and updates on Instagram.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe at https://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts. Backstage Pass holders (members of our Patreon community) get episodes early and an ad-free feed. Join at https://patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s merch, available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic Rambler t-shirts, hats and stickers are available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

• Roots Music Rambler Backstage Pass on Patreon
• Oliver Sayani online and 9 Kinds of Blue updates
• Oliver Sayani on Apple Music
• Oliver Sayani on Instagram
• Oliver Sayani on YouTube
• Wild Horses online
• The Bankshafts online
• Roots Music Rambler on YouTube
• Roots Music Rambler on Instagram
• Roots Music Rambler on TikTok
• Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

Pickin’ the Grinnin’ picks:

• Frank: Wild Horses — The In Between
• Falls: The Bankshafts

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts. For early access and ad-free episodes, plus bonus content, outtakes and more, join the Backstage Pass community at Patreon (https://patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler).

Theme Music: “Sheepskin & Beeswax” by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Most album release parties are memorable enough without one of your musical heroes walking through the door. Randon Neeley’s October 7 celebration at Al’s Bar in Lexington came with exactly that surprise: Tyler Childers showed up. A few days later, Neeley was opening for him at the Pinnacle in Nashville. That seemed like a pretty good reason for us to move this conversation up the calendar.

The Owsley County, Kentucky, songwriter joins Roots Music Rambler to talk about Hungry Dogs, the record behind that remarkable week. The songs grew out of a restless stretch of his life: difficult relationships, losing his father and wanting to get home. Neeley describes the album’s common thread as a yearning to feel something and find where he belongs. He hopes people recognize their own experiences in it, too.

Getting those songs onto a record meant gathering a group of musicians connected through Eastern Kentucky University and building a fuller sound than his earlier work. Neeley talks about friends who cared about the songs, the value of a producer who keeps an ambitious artist grounded, and the drummer who arrived with three pages of notes when rehearsal time was scarce.

Then comes the week that changed the scale of things. Neeley explains what went through his head when he spotted Childers at the release party, how the invitation to the Pinnacle arrived, and the anxiety that gave way to an unexpected sense of peace before he stepped onstage. Going from that crowd back to his regular job on Tuesday was its own adjustment.

Falls first met Neeley while catching mutual friend (and friend of the show) Taylor Lansdale at the Burl. This time, he caught him between college and work. Frank couldn’t join the conversation, so there’s no Pickin’ the Grinnin’ segment in this special episode. There is, however, a young songwriter with a new album, a good story and plenty of reasons to keep going.

Listen to Hungry Dogs and explore Randon Neeley’s catalog on Apple Music. The episode’s musical transition features “Let Down Town.”

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe at https://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts. Backstage Pass holders (members of our Patreon community) get episodes early and an ad-free feed. Join at https://patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s merch, now available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic Rambler t-shirts, hats and stickers are available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

• Get the Roots Music Rambler Backstage Pass on Patreon
• Hungry Dogs on Apple Music
• Randon Neeley on Apple Music
• The Roots Music Rambler Store
• Roots Music Rambler on YouTube
• Roots Music Rambler on Instagram
• Roots Music Rambler on TikTok
• Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler for free on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts. For early access and ad-free episodes, plus bonus content, outtakes and more, join the Backstage Pass community on Patreon.

Theme Music: “Sheepskin & Beeswax” by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Photography: Luke Francis (portrait); Dalton Combs (Randon performing at the Pinnacle).

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A good song can start just about anywhere. For Aaron Kelly, that includes a trip to Goodwill, a dog sniffing his pants and a biology final that needed something better than a boring PowerPoint. The Chicago-area songwriter joins Frank and Falls this week with stories that make a pretty convincing case for paying attention.

Kelly grew up where Chicago’s sprawl met the country, and he still keeps a foot in both worlds. His farm has goats and chickens, and until recently, a Jersey cow named Helen. Sending Helen to live with other cows turned out to require a little adjustment: she had spent her life around goats. It’s the kind of everyday detail Kelly notices, remembers and sometimes turns into music.

His influences include Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt and John Prine. A Goodwill copy of Prine’s Fair & Square sent him deeper into the catalog, where the songs felt like they had always belonged in the American songbook. These days, he also plays Prine’s music with his side project, The Illegal Smiles.

Then there are the pants. Kelly donated a much-loved, patched pair, found them still hanging at Goodwill more than a year later and bought them back. His dog Banjo’s investigation of their new smells helped spark “Secret Science.” Frank and Falls have questions. Of course they do.

The conversation also gets into the lessons Kelly carried from Overman into leading his own band, the professor who encouraged his writing and the new record he’s working on. Songwriting still feels like therapy, and the excitement hasn’t worn off.

Before the interview, Frank and Falls trade favorite Prine songs. For Pickin’ the Grinnin’, Frank recommends Magnolia & Johnson Electric Co., while Falls points listeners toward Moonlight Mile and songwriter Jonathan Pennington.

Find Aaron’s music on Bandcamp, including Songs Still Sing, Letting the Animals Out and “I’ll Never Trust You (With My Heart Again),” and follow him on Instagram.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe at rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts. Backstage Pass holders (members of our Patreon community) get episodes early and an ad-free feed. Join at patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s merch, now available at rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic Rambler t-shirts, hats and stickers are available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

• Get the Roots Music Rambler Backstage Pass on Patreon - https://patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler
• Aaron Kelly on Bandcamp - https://mynameisaaronkelly.bandcamp.com/
• Aaron Kelly on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/aaron_nathaniel_kelly/
• Aaron Kelly on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/aaron.kelly.39948
• Songs Still Sing, including “Secret Science” and “Bluegrass Cats” - https://mynameisaaronkelly.bandcamp.com/album/songs-still-sing
• Letting the Animals Out, including “Talking USPS Blues” - https://mynameisaaronkelly.bandcamp.com/album/letting-the-animals-out
• “I’ll Never Trust You (With My Heart Again)” - https://mynameisaaronkelly.bandcamp.com/track/ill-never-trust-you-with-my-heart-again
• John Prine online - https://www.johnprine.com/
• The Roots Music Rambler Store - https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store
• Roots Music Rambler on YouTube - https://youtube.com/@rootsmusicrambler

Pickin’ the Grinnin’ picks:

• Frank: Magnolia & Johnson Electric Co. - https://magnoliajohnsonelectricco.bandcamp.com/album/magnolia-johnson-electric-co
• Falls: Moonlight Mile - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/moonlight-mile/15621726

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler for free on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts. For early access and ad-free episodes, plus bonus content, outtakes and more, join the Backstage Pass community at Patreon (https://patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler).

Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jack Browning doesn’t think country music needs a particular zip code. The British singer-songwriter grew up on his dad’s records, climbed the furniture to borrow a Johnny Cash CD, and eventually found that pedal steel and fiddle fit the stories he wanted to tell. The accent might surprise you. The songs make perfect sense.

Browning joined Frank and Falls this week to talk about his new album Painted Skies and the unlikely road that led to it. After touring in a rock band, he went back to construction work and enrolled in art school. Then the pandemic left him alone with a guitar and songs that needed a singer. There wasn’t a band to hide behind anymore.

That road eventually took him to Kentucky, where a painting commission and a show in Greenville led to friendships with the locals and a surprise visit from Benjamin Tod. Browning shares the story behind “Muhlenberg County Stars,” his love for John Prine, and what it means to be welcomed into a community thousands of miles from home.

The painting and music now feed each other. Browning painted his own album cover and talks about assembling a record the way he would a gallery show. He also recaps his first Americanafest, where Painted Skies arrived mid-festival. The timing was a happy accident, which prompts a little free media coaching from Falls.

Frank also recaps Evanston Folk Festival, including finally seeing longtime favorite Kathleen Edwards. For this week’s pickin’ the grinnin’ choices, Falls recommends Joe Jordan after catching his live show at The Burl. Frank chose One Acre West, the Americana duo whose self-titled debut captures the places behind the songs. There’s also some discussion of scones and a British accent Falls probably shouldn’t attempt again.

Find the picks online. Jack Browning’s music is on Spotify and Bandcamp, with CDs and vinyl available through his website. Find his paintings online, too, and follow him on Instagram and YouTube.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe athttps://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episodeon YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts. Backstage Pass holders (members of our Patreon community) get episodes early and an ad-free feed. Join atpatreon.com/rootsmusicrambler.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic Rambler t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

• Get the Roots Music Rambler Backstage Pass on Patreon for early and ad-free episodes and more - https://patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler
• Jack Browning online - https://jackbrowning.co.uk/
• Jack Browning on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/4yIRocVw0myaMyZ0C8ZN20
• Jack Browning on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jackbrowningartistmusician/
• Jack Browning on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxft3RB4E0MJjtfVLAChS1A
• Jack Browning’s artwork - https://jackbrowningartist.com/
• Painted Skies on Bandcamp - https://jackbrowning.bandcamp.com/album/painted-skies
• Red Eye Radio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/album/7w9eyDlntac86IdO9adhAJ
• “Speak Your Mind (But Ride A Fast Horse)” - https://jackbrowning.bandcamp.com/track/speak-your-mind-but-ride-a-fast-horse-2
• “Muhlenberg County Stars” - https://jackbrowning.bandcamp.com/track/muhlenberg-county-stars-2
• “Factory Reset” - https://jackbrowning.bandcamp.com/track/factory-reset
• “Painted Skies” title track - https://jackbrowning.bandcamp.com/track/painted-skies
• Americanafest - https://americanamusic.org/americanafest/
• Evanston Folk Festival - https://www.evanstonfolkfestival.com/
• The Roots Music Rambler Store - https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store
• Roots Music Rambler on YouTube - https://youtube.com/@rootsmusicrambler
• Roots Music Rambler on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rootsmusicrambler/
• Roots Music Rambler on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@rootsmusicrambleon
• Roots Music Rambler on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/RootsMusicRambler

Notes and links:

• Get the Roots Music Rambler Backstage Pass on Patreon for early and ad-free episodes and more
• Jack Browning online
• Jack Browning on Spotify
• Jack Browning on Instagram
• Jack Browning on YouTube
• Jack Browning’s artwork
• Painted Skies on Bandcamp
• Red Eye Radio on Spotify
• “Speak Your Mind (But Ride A Fast Horse)”
• “Muhlenberg County Stars”
• “Factory Reset”
• “Painted Skies” title track
• Americanafest
• Evanston Folk Festival
• The Roots Music Rambler Store
• Roots Music Rambler on YouTube
• Roots Music Rambler on Instagram
• Roots Music Rambler on TikTok
• Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

Pickin’ the Grinnin’ picks:

• Joe Jordan online
• One Acre West online

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler for free on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts. For early access to episodes and ad-free episodes, plus bonus content, outtakes and more, join the Backstage Pass community at Patreon.

Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Falls first heard David LaMotte in a Birmingham bookstore café more than 20 years ago. He was working in college sports public relations, spending much of his life on the road, and “Northbound” sounded like somebody understood. The song, from LaMotte’s album Corners, has been a favorite ever since.

After promises to do so, Falls finally tracked LaMotte down to join Roots Music Rambler. He did so this week to talk about writing songs that leave room for the listener’s own life. That includes knowing when to start over, as he did with “Deadline,” and recognizing a song in an unexpected gift. A friend’s toy boat and rubber ducks became “S.S. Bathtub,” a children’s song that found plenty of grown-up fans. College students apparently need bath toys, too.

The conversation also heads to Uganda, where a visit with musician Chinobay turned into “Kirungi.” In just 10 days, the two wrote and recorded the song with Ugandan and Congolese musicians and made a video featuring children from a local arts center. LaMotte shared how that collaboration came together and his plans to reunite with the musicians for a full album in Nairobi.

There’s more to his work than records and stages. LaMotte talks about Senderos, the nonprofit he and his wife started on their honeymoon in Guatemala, and his book You Are Changing the World Whether You Like It Or Not. His case for making a difference starts with ordinary people working together. Sometimes changing the world means showing up for a Tuesday meeting.

Frank and Falls also have their normal pickin’ the grinnin’ choices for music recommendations this week. Frank chose Bebe Stockwell, whose soulful folk-pop caught her ear on SiriusXM’s North Americana. Falls recaps seeing past guest Trey Hedrick at The Basement in Nashville, where opener Clara Rae stopped him in his tracks. Her voice had him thinking of Janis Joplin.

Find the picks online. David LaMotte can be found on his website, Spotify, Facebook and YouTube. His Patreon community gets new songs, weekly music and regular online gatherings.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe athttps://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episodeon YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts. Backstage Pass holders (members of our Patreon community) get episodes early and an ad-free feed. Join atpatreon.com/rootsmusicrambler.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic Rambler t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

• Get the Roots Music Rambler Backstage Pass on Patreon for early and ad-free episodes and more
• David LaMotte online
• David LaMotte on Spotify
• David LaMotte on YouTube
• David LaMotte on Patreon
• “Northbound” on Spotify
• “Kirungi” with Chinobay on Spotify
• “Kirungi” official video
• “S.S. Bathtub” on Spotify
• The Esaze project with Chinobay
• Senderos Guatemala
• You Are Changing the World Whether You Like It Or Not
• “Why Heroes Don’t Change the World” TEDx talk
• “What Music Can Teach Us About Peacemaking” TEDx talk
• The Roots Music Rambler Store
• Roots Music Rambler on YouTube
• Roots Music Rambler on Instagram
• Roots Music Rambler on TikTok
• Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

Pickin’ the Grinnin’ picks:

• Bebe Stockwell online
• Clara Rae on Instagram

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler for free on YouTube, Spotify,Apple Podcasts,GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts. For early access to episode and ad-free episodes, plus bonus content, outtakes and more, join the Backstage Pass community at Patreon (https://patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler).

Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

TICKET GIVEAWAY BONUS EPISODE

The ⁠North Springs Music Festival⁠ takes place in a hayfield in Whitleyville, Tenn., October 8-10. It's 10 acts on one stage each day for ⁠30 total sets from some of Roots Music Rambler's favorite artists⁠. Headliners Chris Knight, Taylor Hunnicutt and Silverada are the highlights, but Rambler fans will recognize a bunch of the remaining acts, making this a must-attend festival this fall.

Organizer Dustin Kennedy joined Falls for a short conversation about the festival, the lineup, what fans can expect. And then!!!! He offered up two weekend passes to one lucky Roots Music Rambler fan.

To enter to win the random drawing for the two weekend passes to this year's North Springs Music Festival, join our ⁠Patreon Backstage Pass community⁠. All new Backstage Pass members (the free, email subscription level ... no purchase necessary) will be entered to win. You must subscribe by 5 p.m. ET on Friday, September 25. The winner will be announced Saturday morning, September 26.

In addition to the headliners mentioned, fans will also see appearances by friends of the show Ben Chapman, Jason Eady, Bill Taylor & The Appalachian Heatherns, Hollerhead, and confirmed future guests/friends of the show Smilo & The Ghost, and Rye Davis. Others, who we'll pester until they become guests/friends of the show include Cole Chaney, Channing Wilson, Adam Hood, Addison Johnson, Parker Barrow, Tony Logue & The 184, Wes Shipp, Erin Viancourt, Low Water Bridge Band, Joe Stamm Band, Tyler James Kelly, Rob Leines, The Filthy Heathens, The Damn Shames, Mindy Miller, Low Gap, Gracie Yates & Brock Burton, Kevin Thomas, Kenny Feidler, Keagan Hatton, Jordan Lee King and Emily Hollingshed.

The pair of three-day passes is a $420 value. There is no purchase necessary to enter to win. Drawing will be done by Jason Falls using an online randomizer with each entry and chosen at random.

Who are you looking forward to seeing most if you win? Let us know in the comments.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ask Jason Eady to put a label on his music and he’ll take you to the back porch. If it works without electricity, it fits. The Mississippi-raised, Texas-based singer-songwriter has plenty of country in his catalog, but the blues and a laid-back Oklahoma groove are never far away.

Eady joined Frank and Falls this week to talk about that mix, his latest album Tulsa Turnaround and what makes the Tulsa Sound tick. The hosts first caught him at Crossroads Acoustic Fest in April, where his songs and the stories between them left both Frank and Falls wondering why they hadn’t been listening sooner.

For Tulsa Turnaround, Eady enlisted John Fullbright to produce and surrounded himself with Tulsa musicians who could give the songs the feel he was chasing. It’s less about showing off and more about leaving room for everybody else. The conversation runs from JJ Cale to the Gap Band, with a stop back in Mississippi for the guitar lessons that inspired “Mississippi Blues Man.”

There’s plenty of storytelling, too. Eady gets into the Hayes Carll road joke behind “Why I Left Atlanta,” how a show in Clarksdale grew into his Way Down in Mississippi weekend, and the perils of letting one funny song define a career. Which brings us to “The Matt Damon Song.” If you know it, you know we would ask about it.

Frank and Falls also recap Flood With Love in Kentucky before settling in for the conversation. They also have their normal pickin’ the grinnin’ choices for music recommendations this week. Frank chose the video for Hermanos Gutiérrez’s “Los Ojos Del Cóndor.” Falls pointed listeners toward singer-songwriter RJ Chesney.

Find the picks online and on YouTube. Jason Eady can be found on his website, Spotify, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, with more of his writing on Substack.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe athttps://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episodeon YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts. Backstage Pass holders (members of our Patreon community) get episodes early and an ad-free feed. Join atpatreon.com/rootsmusicrambler.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic Rambler t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

•

Get the Roots Music Rambler Backstage Pass on Patreon for early and ad-free episodes and more

•

Jason Eady online

•

Jason Eady on Spotify

•

Jason Eady on Instagram

•

Jason Eady on Facebook

•

Jason Eady on YouTube

•

Tulsa Turnaround on Spotify

•

“Tulsa Turnaround” on Spotify

•

“Mississippi Blues Man” on Spotify

•

Crossroads Acoustic Fest online

•

“Why I Left Atlanta” on Spotify

•

Way Down in Mississippi weekend

•

Jason Eady on Substack

•

Flood With Love online

•

The Roots Music Rambler Store

•

Roots Music Rambler on YouTube

•

Roots Music Rambler on Instagram

•

Roots Music Rambler on TikTok

•

Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

Pickin’ the Grinnin’ picks:

•

RJ Chesney online

•

Hermanos Gutiérrez’s “Los Ojos Del Cóndor” official video

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler for free on YouTube, Spotify,Apple Podcasts,GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts. For early access to episode and ad-free episodes, plus bonus content, outtakes and more, join the Backstage Pass community at Patreon (https://patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler).

Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you’ve heard much thunder around the bluegrass space of late, it’s likely due to the growing presence of Thunder & Rain. Erinn Peet Lukes’s new grass band has been around for more than 10 years. It has shape-shifted through a few different members, inner-circle romantic relationship issues and Lukes’s move from Denver to Nashville.

But now Lukes is settled in Music City and Thunder & Rain’s latest four-piece, all-female bluegrass roster is primed for the big time. Lutes (vocals and guitar) is joined by Amelia Ransom on fiddle, Laura Ray on banjo and the newest addition, Amanda Accari on upright bass.

Lukes joined Frank and Falls this week to talk about the group’s evolution, world travel, engineered virality with strategic cover songs and more. Frank and Falls saw the band live at Crossroads Acoustic Fest in April and couldn’t stop talking about their on-stage energy and playing chops.

The group’s latest album Storybook Sessions is a beautiful blend of country and bluegrass influence. They’re probably best known for their bluegrass cover of Guns & Roses’s “Sweet Child o’ Mine”. Lutes says the group is anxious to get back in the studio to record another album with the full, four-person lineup soon.

Frank and Falls also have their normal pickin’ the grinnin’ choices for music recommendations this week. Frank chose the Aaron Kelly Band and Aaron Kelly, who is a John Prine-inspired singer-songwriter. Falls offered up a book this time after coming around on Wilco. He read Greg Kot’s history of Jeff Tweedy’s career, Wilco: Learning How To Die.

Find the picks on Spotify and Amazon. Thunder & Rain can be found online, on Spotify, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe athttps://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episodeon YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts. Backstage Pass holders (members of our Patreon community) get episodes early and an ad-free feed. Join athttps://patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler.http://patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic Rambler t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

•

Get the Roots Music Rambler Backstage Pass on Patreon for early and ad-free episodes and more

•

Thunder & Rain Online

•

Thunder & Rain on Spotify

•

Thunder & Rain on Instagram

•

Thunder & Rain on TikTok

•

Thunder & Rain on Facebook

•

Thunder & Rain on YouTube

•

Storybook Sessions on Spotify

•

Sweet Child ‘o Mine on Spotify

•

Crossroads Acoustic Fest online

•

Vickie Vaughn on Spotify

•

Nettle Honey on Spotify

•

The Roots Music Rambler Store

•

Roots Music Rambler on YouTube

•

Roots Music Rambler on Instagram

•

Roots Music Rambler on TikTok

•

Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

Pickin’ the Grinnin’ picks:

•

The Aaron Kelly Band on Spotify

•

Wilco: Learning How to Die on Amazon

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler for free on YouTube, Spotify,Apple Podcasts,https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vcm9vdHNtdXNpY3JhbWJsZXIGoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts. For early access to episode and ad-free episodes, plus bonus content, outtakes and more, join the Backstage Pass community at Patreon.

Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to another in our Backstage episode of Roots Music Rambler. These are short interviews Frank and Falls are able to grab backstage (or just somewhere in person rather than on our virtual, longer-form interview episodes) and catch up briefly.

This week, Falls caught up with his fellow Pikeville, Ky., product Brandon Scott Coleman, a multi-genre virtuoso guitarist who plays said instrument for the new Cincinnati-based folk rock band Barnweaver. They released their self-titled debut album this summer and it is fantastic.

Coleman told us the story of how the band started in a chance meeting between singer/guitarist Kyle Swensen and bass player Bennet Miller in a Kroger. When they brought Coleman and drummer Andrew Gillum in to be session players for what was to be an album for the duo, the chemistry clicked and they knew instantly this was a four-piece band instead.

The “guitar virtuoso” label isn’t just a hyperbole, either. Coleman regularly plays with Kentucky-based cellist Ben Sollee, has toured with Grammy-award winner Dan Pugach, plays in his own jazz fusion trio, and has worked as a producer, arranger, music publishing house editor and free-lance musician for many years.

Two Pikeville boys talking on a podcast will inevitably bring up some inside-Pike County references, so prepare yourself for that. (Do you know how to pronounce “Marrowbone,” properly?) But you’ll enjoy getting to know Brandon and Barnweaver today.

Barnweaver anchors their online presence on Bandcamp for now. You can also find them on Spotify, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Falls also pulls back the curtain to reveal that Roots Music Rambler is building a Patreon community for our biggest and best fans which will feature exclusive content. An ad-free show feed, outtakes, more frequent commentary from Frank and Falls (separately and together) on topics of the day, album reviews, articles and more.

You will be able join the community for free to see what content is available in the exclusive feed, then upgrade to a paid subscription to access that content. We’ll be sure to make it cheap, but chock full of value.

That’s coming soon, so keep your eyes open on our social channels, our website at http://rootsmusicrambler.com or just keep listening and we’ll update you when the Patreon community is ready to join!

Enjoy getting to know Brandon Scott Coleman and Barnweaver in the meantime.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe at http://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

•

Barnweaver on Bandcamp

•

Barnweaver on Spotify

•

Barnweaver on Instagram

•

Barnweaver on Facebook

•

Barnweaver on YouTube

•

Ben Sollee online

•

Dan Pugach online

•

The Roots Music Rambler Store

•

Roots Music Rambler on YouTube

•

Roots Music Rambler on Instagram

•

Roots Music Rambler on TikTok

•

Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify,Apple Podcasts,https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vcm9vdHNtdXNpY3JhbWJsZXIGoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts.

Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

PHOTO Credit - Cincy Groove

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Pardon the interruption on the podcast feed with a special announcement, but we think you're going to love this!

To start the celebration of Roots Music Rambler's 100th episode (coming soon), we're launching a Patreon community to give you all kinds of member benefits. More on that in a moment, though, because in order to encourage you to join the Patreon community (we're calling it getting a Backstage Pass to Roots Music Rambler), we're giving away a two-day pass ticket to the upcoming Evanston Folk Festival (Sept. 12-13 in Evanston, Ill.)

All you have to do to be entered to win is join our Backstage Pass community on Patreon at patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler. You can join for free which essentially subscribes you to an email newsletter of new content from the show. (More on how to by-pass the payment thing below.)

Enter by 5 p.m. ET on Friday, September 4. All RMR Backstage Pass Patreon community members will then be put into a random draw software and one lucky winner will be chosen. We'll announce the winner on our social media channels and with another special announcement here in the feed on Monday, September 7.

The winner will receive one, 2-day pass (Saturday and Sunday) to the Evanston Folk Festival on Sept. 12-13 (the following weekend) at the Lakefront at Dawes Park in Evanston, Ill.

So, besides the entry to win this pass, why join our Patreon community? A few reasons:

• Early access to new episodes
• An Ad-Free episode feed
• Outtakes and extra interview clips not on the main feed
• Exclusive interviews not offered on the main feed
• Concert and Festival photos, videos, reviews and more
• Travel Guides to Festivals (planned)
• A 15% discount on all Roots Music Rambler store purchases
• And lots more!

Go to https://patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler and sign up for free. Or upgrade to the paid subscription for just $5 per month. But there is no purchase required to be entered to win the EFF Pass!

And spread the word. Tell your music-loving friends we've got lots more great content coming to them at https://patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Long-time listeners to Roots Music Rambler know we love to focus on the sense of place and how it impacts the songwriting and music influences of our artists. Every now and then, one comes along that brings an interesting confluence of places to the table. Julia Sanders certainly fits that bill.

Based in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, but also often calling Asheville, N.C., home, Sanders creates alongside her band and production team … from hundreds of miles away. While she does call both places home, a lot of her music is created in Mexico, then produced and brought to life in the Carolinas.

Originally from New Jersey, Sanders is an independent folk artist, but one whose songs can often feel deeper than a guitar and singing. Not only does she mix various arrangements and instruments into her repertoire, but her lyrics tend to go a little deeper in subject matter than many other songwriters. She writes about parenthood, the human connection, the meaning of life and beyond, but does so in a more granular way sometimes which gives her songs a more impactful connection with an audience.

Sanders has three full-length albums, one EP and a collection of singles out and hints at a potential fourth album coming soon during our conversation.

Frank and Falls also have their normal pickin’ the grinnin’ choices for music recommendations this week. Frank recently attended the 40th Anniversary showing and commentary event for the film (and soundtrack) of Stand By Me. Falls called out another New Jersey singer-songwriter this week in Allie Kenny.

Find the picks on Spotify and YouTube. Julia Sanders is online on her website, on Spotify, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe at http://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

•

Rolling Stone interview with Twin Temple

•

UPDATE - New comments from Charley Crockett on the Twin Temple issue

•

Julia Sanders online

•

Julia Sanders on Spotify

•

Julia Sanders on Instagram

•

Julia Sanders on Facebook

•

Julia Sanders on TikTok

•

The Roots Music Rambler Store

•

Roots Music Rambler on YouTube

•

Roots Music Rambler on Instagram

•

Roots Music Rambler on TikTok

•

Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

Pickin’ the Grinnin’ picks:

•

Stand By Me 40th Anniversary Live and Soundtrack Playlist on Spotify

•

Allie Kenny on Spotify

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify,Apple Podcasts,https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vcm9vdHNtdXNpY3JhbWJsZXIGoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts.

Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The music business has had ups and downs for Houston native Sam Morrow. He’s bounced around geographically and within his own sound through a decade or more and a half dozen studio albums. But his recent return to his home state of Texas, reconnecting with an old flame who is now his wife, and his clarity on what he wants to do musically produced a dandy of a Southern rock offering called Southern Boogie.

Morrow joined us on Roots Music Rambler to dig into the changes in latitude and attitude that produced the record, his journey from Texas to L.A. to Nashville and back, and how life is different now with all the changes.

Morrow has migrated from country to singer-songwriter to Southern rock throughout his career, but with Boogie, his sixth studio album, he seems to be where he should be – making bangers about life and love, all while bringing out his own spin on the sound of a Texas rocker.

Frank and Falls also catch up on Frank’s experience at American Music Fest at Chicago’s heralded music venue Fitzgeralds, and some fun live music plans for Falls’ July trip to the Windy City. (Spoiler: Lucia’s plans with her dad fell through and she got to see Lucy Dacus with the RMR crew and family!)

Frank and Falls also have their normal pickin’ the grinnin’ choices for music recommendations this week. Frank raved about Les Greene and the Swayzees, who performed at American Music Fest. Falls pointed folks to an Otis Gibbs documentary featuring the late Todd Snyder, who reminisced about one of his mentors, John Prine, before Snyder passed away last year. The film is called A Love Letter to Handsome John.

Find the picks on Spotify and YouTube. Sam Morrow is online at http://sammorrowmusic.com, on Spotify, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe at http://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

•

Sam Morrow Online

•

Southern Boogie on Spotify

•

Sam Morrow on Spotify

•

Sam Morrow on Instagram

•

Sam Morrow on YouTube

•

Sam Morrow on Facebook

•

American Music Fest online

•

The Load Out Podcast on Spotify

•

The Roots Music Rambler Store

•

Roots Music Rambler on YouTube

•

Roots Music Rambler on Instagram

•

Roots Music Rambler on TikTok

•

Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

Pickin’ the Grinnin’ picks:

•

Les Greene and the Swayzees on Spotify

•

A Love Letter to Handsome John by Otis Gibbs on YouTube

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify,Apple Podcasts,https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vcm9vdHNtdXNpY3JhbWJsZXIGoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts.

Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to another in our Backstage episode of Roots Music Rambler. These are short interviews Frank and Falls are able to grab backstage (or just somewhere in person rather than on our virtual, longer-form interview episodes) and catch up briefly.

This week Falls got a chance to catch up with the rocket ship that is becoming Hunter Flynn before a recent show he did in Louisville. Falls met Hunter in February on the set of another podcast: Listen Honey! With Katie Combs and the two planned for Flynn to come on Roots Music Rambler.

But Hunter got busy shortly after! He signed a record deal, hired a full band, jumped in the studio to record his first full-length studio album (due out later this year) and a lot more. He’s released a couple of singles from the new record this summer and even released a pretty fun music video for his single, “Robbing a Bank.”

Falls and Flynn finally caught up after Hunter’s sound check at a recent Louisville show so he could tell his amazing story to Roots Music Rambler. This one, kids, will send chills up your spine. Hunter told us about his dramatic revelation to focus on his art, selling insurance, growing up in Pulaski County, Kentucky and what the rocket ship feeling is really like.

Flynn is a rare breed for a relatively young artist: He’s focused, clear on the vision for his art and music, and extremely talented and affable. No wonder people keep comparing him to Tyler Childers.

See for yourself on this Backstage episode of Roots Music Rambler.

You can find Hunter Flynn online at http://hunterflynn.com as well as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Spotify and all the other streaming platforms.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe at http://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

•

Hunter Flynn online

•

Hunter Flynn on Spotify

•

Hunter Flynn on Instagram

•

Hunter Flynn on TikTok

•

Hunter Flynn on Facebook

•

“Robbing a Bank” music video on YouTube

•

Hunter Flynn on The Listen, Honey! Podcast with Katie Combs

•

The Roots Music Rambler Store

•

Roots Music Rambler on YouTube

•

Roots Music Rambler on Instagram

•

Roots Music Rambler on TikTok

•

Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify,Apple Podcasts,https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vcm9vdHNtdXNpY3JhbWJsZXIGoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts.

Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rock, rhythm and blues band Yarn made a triumphant return to the Americana charts this spring with their new album Saturday Night Sermons. The lead single, “Good Things,” spent several weeks in the AMA’s top 20 singles chart and the band is back on the road supporting their 11th-ish album. Founder and frontman Blake Christiana joined Roots Music Rambler this week to talk all about the album, the songs, guitarist Andy Thomas’s new solo project and how it affects the band and more.

Yarn’s first album, almost more of an acoustic, folk offering, dropped way back in 2007. While their music has matured and evolved through the years, they’ve held on to that folk and country sensibility with songs like “Goodbye Cowgirl” on the new record. But Yarn has also become more of a Southern rock band as various influences have floated in and out of the band. Yarn has been nominated for a number of Grammys over the years and has become a mainstay in the Americana / Rock / Southern Rock genres.

Lead guitarist Andy Thomas, a recent guest on Roots Music Rambler, just spun out a solo record. Yarn says he’s still in the band and they support him 100%. Christiana talked to us about embracing the various projects and interests of the band members and even said a constantly changing cast of characters is an asset for his music.

Also on this episode, Falls recaps his week at Cowan Creek Mountain Music School in Whitesburg, Ky. He chaperoned his daughter Katie who took a class, but served as a fly-on-the-wall observer of the now 25-year-old summer pickin’ and grinnin’ academy. Many friends of the show (The Local Honeys, John Haywood, Larry & Cheryl Webster) and others we often talk about (Don Rogers, Grace Rogers, Jesse Wells, Ella Webster) also factor into the story.

And, certainly, Frank and Falls have their normal pickin’ the grinnin’ choices for music recommendations this week. In step with the Cowan Creek experience, Falls chose dulcimer virtuoso Roxanne McDaniel. Frank slid in a little Steph Strings recco.

Find the picks on Spotify and find Yarn online at http://yarnmusic.net, on Spotify or Instagram.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe at http://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

•

Yarn online

•

Yarn on Spotify

•

Saturday Night Sermons on Spotify

•

Andy Thomas on Roots Music Rambler

•

Cowan Creek Mountain Music School

•

The Local Honeys on Roots Music Rambler

•

John Haywood on Roots Music Rambler

•

Larry & Cheryl Webster on Roots Music Rambler

•

The Roots Music Rambler Store

•

Roots Music Rambler on YouTube

•

Roots Music Rambler on Instagram

•

Roots Music Rambler on TikTok

•

Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

Pickin’ the Grinnin’ picks:

•

Roxanne McDaniel online

•

Steph Strings on Spotify

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify,Apple Podcasts,https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vcm9vdHNtdXNpY3JhbWJsZXIGoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts.

Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to another in our Backstage episode of Roots Music Rambler. These are short interviews Frank and Falls are able to grab backstage (or just somewhere in person rather than on our virtual, longer-form interview episodes) and catch up briefly.

This week, we share a recent chat Falls had with West Virginia-based singer-songwriter William Matheny. He hails from the Morgantown area of West Virginia where Falls spent time in graduate school. So, the two mucked it up a bit with some casual Morgantown banter, but not before we asked Matheny about his new record.

Material Witness is the name of the LP and it marks a step up in the recording and engineering approach for Matheny and his band. It was recorded at Ronnie’s Place in Nashville with the musicians coming from Matheny’s personal list of favorites. A couple of tracks even feature a fun change of roles as John R. Miller sat in on bass guitar. Matheny is Miller’s regular bass player when Miller is playing live, so turnabout is a fun little tidbit about the record.

Matheny says the album is more focused on mortality and the passing of time than his previous works, but his songwriting is so beautiful and the music brings the right amount of life to the stories. We know you’ll love it, and hearing more about Matheny’s journey to and through music, his approach to songwriting and more.

You can find William Matheny online at http://williammatheny.com as well as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and all the streaming platforms.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe at http://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

•

William Matheny online

•

William Matheny on Spotify

•

Material Witness on Spotify

•

William Matheny on YouTube

•

William Matheny on TikTok

•

William Matheny on Instagram

•

William Matheny on Facebook

•

John R. Miller on Spotify

•

The Roots Music Rambler Store

•

Roots Music Rambler on YouTube

•

Roots Music Rambler on Instagram

•

Roots Music Rambler on TikTok

•

Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify,Apple Podcasts,https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vcm9vdHNtdXNpY3JhbWJsZXIGoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts.

Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It normally only takes a song or two for anyone to get sentimental or teary-eyed at a Logan Mac show. Frank and Falls saw it first-hand at this year’s Crossroads Acoustic Fest in Seymour, Indiana in April. Mac’s deeply emotional music and raw reality-of-life stories are moving.

Mac joined us to talk about his songwriting, songs and new album Til The Ground this week on Roots Music Rambler. And what you’ll quickly discover is the hurt and longing you hear in his music comes from an ironically jovial and funny feller. Logan’s music had us crying but talking to him had us laughing just as hard.

The Oklahoma-born and bred singer-songwriter used to work the oil rigs. It’s that blue collar world he often writes about in songs like “Steel toe boots” that anchor a beautiful, 12-song LP released this year with vinyl available for pre-order.

But the song that grabbed Frank’s attention which we talked about quite a bit was an older tune called “Redbird” which is about Logan’s experiences with red birds and sensing they are his father checking in on him. Frank has a similar experience with her late father and red birds. Logan takes us through that song and story and offers us some eerie related ones as well.

Falls also recaps his festival jaunt to Railbird this year and he and Frank share some fun Pickin’ the Grinnin’ choices this week, which include The Pretty Goods and Local H.

Find the picks on Spotify (their names are linked above) and find Logan Mac online at http://loganmacmusic.com. His socials are on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe at http://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

•

Logan Mac online

•

Logan Mac on Spotify

•

Logan Mac’s Til The Ground on Spotify

•

Logan Mac on Instagram

•

Logan Mac on YouTube

•

Logan Mac on TikTok

•

The Roots Music Rambler Store

•

Roots Music Rambler on YouTube

•

Roots Music Rambler on Instagram

•

Roots Music Rambler on TikTok

•

Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

Pickin’ the Grinnin’ picks:

•

The Pretty Goods on Spotify

•

Local H on Spotify

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify,Apple Podcasts,https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vcm9vdHNtdXNpY3JhbWJsZXIGoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts.

Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to another in our Backstage episode of Roots Music Rambler. These are short interviews Frank and Falls are able to grab backstage (or just somewhere in person rather than on our virtual, longer-form interview episodes) and catch up briefly.

In this case, we wanted to make sure everyone out there knew about Flood With Love, a music festival happening on Saturday, July 25 at The Burl in Lexington, Ky. Not only does it have a killer, and Roots Music Rambler friends-of-show heavy lineup, but it raises money for disaster relief efforts for Kentucky communities devastated by disasters like floods, tornadoes and so on.

Falls caught up with the founder and primary organizer behind the event, Robby Chadwell, to talk a bit about this year’s lineup, the history of the festival (now in its sixth year) and more.

The lineup for the one-day event at The Burl’s Outdoor configuration, includes friends of the show The Local Honeys, Brit Taylor, Taylor Lansdale, Emily Jamerson, Hollerhead and (we hope soon-to-be guests) Miles Miller, Hunter Flynn, Bedford, The Jenkins Twins and many more.

The cost is just $30 and tickets can be purchased in advance at theburlky.com. You can find more information on the Flood With Love website. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook as well.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe at http://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

•

Flood With Love Online

•

Flood With Love Tickets

•

Flood With Love on Instagram

•

Flood With Love on Facebook

•

Kentucky 8-1-1

•

The Roots Music Rambler Store

•

Roots Music Rambler on YouTube

•

Roots Music Rambler on Instagram

•

Roots Music Rambler on TikTok

•

Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify,Apple Podcasts,https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vcm9vdHNtdXNpY3JhbWJsZXIGoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts.

Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Adam Chaffins has spent more than a decade and a half in Nashville, playing in bands, picking up tours with other artists, writing, producing and occasionally releasing an album, several singles and, last year, an EP. Sure, he also happened upon fellow Kentuckian Brit Taylor, whom he married along the way. Adam plays in her band, co-writes and produces some of her work.

But 2026 is proving to be worth the weight, ups and downs of the journey. On August 21st, his 2025 EP Trailer Trash gets a full, deluxe re-release as an album (brilliantly called Trailer Trash - Doublewide). One week later, Adam Chaffins will make his solo debut on The Grand Ole Opry.

Chaffins joined Roots Music Rambler this week to talk about that long journey to what many think is the ultimate success in country music, his album, background, family and more. Among the stories he told included the experience of playing with Billy Strings, writing with Adam Wright and the truly charmed life he seems to be living.

Oh, and we’re pretty sure Adam is eclipsing the popularity of Memphis, his ornery goat that often appears in his Instagram videos.

Frank and Falls also celebrate the first two Roots Music Rambler haters – at least the first two blatant comments we deemed negative. It’s a sure sign the show has finally made it. Someone out there took time out of their day to tell us we suck! (We love it!)

And this week’s Pickin’ the Grinnin’ choices have personal connections to each of our hosts. Frank chose her boss’s son’s band The Dead Bolts. Falls brags on Gracie Yates and Brock Burton, the former of whose mother and father helped advise him on a recent ripoff ploy on a car repair.

It’s a Kentucky thing?

Find the picks on Spotify (their names are linked above) and find Adam Chaffins online at http://adamchaffins.com, on Instagram and Spotify.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe at http://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

•

Adam Chaffins online

•

Adam Chaffins on Spotify

•

Adam Chaffins on Instagram

•

Trailer Trash: Doublewide on Spotify

•

Adam Wright on Spotify

•

Brit Taylor on Spotify

•

The Roots Music Rambler Store

•

Roots Music Rambler on YouTube

•

Roots Music Rambler on Instagram

•

Roots Music Rambler on TikTok

•

Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

Pickin’ the Grinnin’ picks:

•

The Dead Bolts on Spotify

•

Gracie Yates on Spotify

•

Brock Burton on Spotify

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify,Apple Podcasts,https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vcm9vdHNtdXNpY3JhbWJsZXIGoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts.

Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to another in our Backstage episode of Roots Music Rambler. These are short interviews Frank and Falls are able to grab backstage (or just somewhere in person rather than on our virtual, longer-form interview episodes) and catch up briefly. In this case, Falls was able to catch Kentucky singer-songwriter and guitar virtuoso Shelby Lore for a virtual conversation.

He’s the man behind the Shelby Lore Band which is based in Northeastern Kentucky in Carter County. That’s a little more than halfway between Lexington, Kentucky and Huntington, West Virginia if you’re traveling East. Less than halfway if you’re going West.

Falls first saw Shelby live filling in on lead guitar for fellow Kentuckian Jordan Lee King a while back and made my way to find him after the show, he was so impressed. I soon discovered he was not only a fantastic guitar player, but singer and songwriter on his own with a killer blues-rock-country blend of a band.

We chatted about his latest single “Memphis”, music in the works, playing live and supporting other artists while doing so. You’re going to like Shelby a lot.

You can find Shelby Lore and his band online at http://shelbyloremusic.com, on Spotify, Instagram Facebook and other places you find music.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe at http://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

•

Shelby Lore Band online

•

Shelby Lore Band on Spotify

•

Shelby Lore Band on Instagram

•

Shelby Lore Band on Facebook

•

The Roots Music Rambler Store

•

Roots Music Rambler on YouTube

•

Roots Music Rambler on Instagram

•

Roots Music Rambler on TikTok

•

Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify,Apple Podcasts,https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vcm9vdHNtdXNpY3JhbWJsZXIGoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts.

Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Noah Guthrie first made a name for himself and his music when his YouTube cover songs were noticed by producers for the Ellen DeGeneres Show. He “won” a contract with Degeneres’s fledgling record label which never manifested an actual album for the South Carolina singer-songwriter.

But an appearance on America’s Got Talentstarted the ball rolling for Guthrie. In that 2018 season of AGT he finished as a semifinalist. That soon placed him on the circuit of Today shows and Tonight shows, let to albums of originals and cover tunes and even landed him in the role of Roderick Meeks on the last season of the hit TV show Glee.

Today, Guthrie is promoting his new album Oddly Flexible, an astonishing record of deep, emotional journeys through life and love. It features the single, “Heavy,” which documents Noah’s battle with his weight and self-image. The song has struck a nerve with fans who also deal with body image issues.

Noah joined Frank and Falls on Roots Music Rambler this week to talk about the song, the album, Noah’s colorful journey and background. And yes, we talked about his beginnings on YouTube, including his amazing cover of LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It.”

Frank and Falls also clarify a recent controversy around the Manchester Music Fest, reassuring everyone the 2026 event is on as planned and Falls will see you there!

This week’s Pickin’ the Grinnin’ choices are two good ones! Frank likes Marfa and Falls brags on West Virginia singer-songwriter Austin Glaspell.

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Download the episode and subscribe at http://rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts.

Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at https://rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:

•

Manchester Music Fest

•

Manchester Enterprise piece on Parks buyout

•

Noah Guthrie Online

•

Noah Guthrie on Spotify

•

Noah Guthrie on Instagram

•

Noah Guthrie on YouTube

•

Noah’s audition on AGT

•

The Roots Music Rambler Store

•

Roots Music Rambler on YouTube

•

Roots Music Rambler on Instagram

•

Roots Music Rambler on TikTok

•

Roots Music Rambler on Facebook

•

Jason Falls on Instagram

•

Jason Falls on TikTok

•

Francesca Folinazzo on Instagram

Pickin’ the Grinnin’ Choices

•

Marfa on Spotify

•

Austin Glaspell on Spotify

Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on YouTube, Spotify,Apple Podcasts,https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vcm9vdHNtdXNpY3JhbWJsZXIGoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts.

Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

Find more at https://rootsmusicrambler.com and join our Backstage Pass Community on Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.