Jon Stickley Trio's "Rice Dream" Medley

Here  is another video of the Jon Stickley Trio playing at Spring Skunk Fest  2017. It starts with "Rice Dream" and folds  into "Never Stop" & "Della's Walk", with some neat effects courtesy of filmmaker Aaron Morrell. It's a mesmerizing medley which covers the gamut of influences for the band. Tony Rice, Bela Fleck, Shark Quest, Aaron Copland anyone?

We're working on more footage from the Trio to go along with their extensive, engaging interview, as well as more episodes of Joe's companion podcast. There is a wealth of great material to draw from and we look forward to presenting it to you here.

Thanks very much for  everyone who enjoys what we're doing at Southern Songs and Stories,  for helping spread awareness, and especially for our patrons . And a big thanks to the Jon Stickley Trio, to Zig and everyone at the Albino Skunk Farm!

MerleFest Was Great Fun And I'm Still Tired

A week ago today, I was emceeing at Hillside Stage at the 30th MerleFest in Wilkesboro, NC, wrapping up a packed three days of introducing artists and traipsing all over the festival grounds, taking in a lot of great music and talking to friends old and new. It was a hoot, as usual. This year was notable for having artists like James Taylor with the Transatlantic Orchestra, The Avett Brothers doing both their own sets and a tribute show to Doc Watson, and all-star jams with Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, Jim Lauderdale, Shawn Camp and Donna The Buffalo, for starters.

Hillside stage crowd gathers on Saturday afternoon

So, I went straight from my workaday schedule of early to bed and early to rise to the festival schedule of sleep being optional, and walking miles upon miles in weather that was more like mid-June than late April while wearing button-down shirts and slacks. Plus I'm not 25 anymore, so when Monday rolled around I was back at work, but in a semi-vegetative state. Wooo!

Sarah Jarosz

As usual, the music was tops. I still keep getting a couple of Stray Birds songs stuck in my head. Catching Mary Stuart for the first time was a real treat. Watching Jorma Kaukonen solo was goose bump territory.

Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives

The social scene was better than ever. I got to talk with an old colleague from WNCW, Charlie Purdue, whom I haven't seen in a dozen years or more, and to meet his wife. I just happened to park near Zig from Skunk Fest, who drove up his newly purchased camper van, and hung out there a good bit of the weekend. This lead to lots more interaction with Skunkers and artists alike -- members of bands like Front Country, Stray Birds and Mipso were hanging out almost constantly. I got to talk backstage with artists like Shawn Camp, Jim Lauderdale and Bela Fleck at length, and listen to Doc Watson stories from David Holt and Pete Wernick.

Donna the Buffalo and Friends -- Pete Wernick and Shawn Camp here

Some funny and awkward moments that stick out: overhearing a stage tech say to himself as he walked by, "And on jazz flute, Ron Burgundy!". Hearing a band member hauling off their gear say to a friend, "Hippy band's up next!". Watching James Taylor being cordoned off and escorted out by what seemed like every single security officer available. Finding out that no, your emcee status over there does not mean you get to hang out with the Avett Brothers over here. Getting to emcee an unfamiliar stage and trying to use the wrong mic to address the audience, leading to the burly stage manager (let's call him "Mr. Chuckles") to march over to me and point out the correct one, just a few feet to the right, barking "Come on, get with it!". Having to be the guy who told Donna The Buffalo that, no, the song they just played was supposed to be their last because time was up, and then watching Jeb Puryear start reciting a poem that said something about death and a raven (he came over and gave me a hug on stage afterward, so that made me feel better). Don't you just love being the messenger in situations like this? Yeah, me neither.

If a band goes over this 90 minute set limit, backstage folks be gettin' stressed

Soon we'll unveil more videos and the first part of the podcast in our SpringSkunk and Jon Stickley Trio series. I got another interview last week to add to the podcast, from Country Fried Rock's Sloane Spencer. She and her family are regulars on the Skunk Farm, and her perspective will be a nice addition to the piece.

Vintage organs tend to be heavy

In the meantime, I hope to catch our first episode's star, Aaron Burdett, when he has his album release show at Isis Restaurant and Music Hall next weekend. Good times! I promise to try to get more rest though. - Joe Kendrick

The Honeycutters Are Landing Haymakers

I was lucky enough to see our friends The Honeycutters at their album release show in Asheville recently, and it was a great time to reconnect with the band, with Organic Records and friends in the music world. It was also a reminder of just how many punches that Amanda Anne Platt and The Honeycutters have in their arsenal. Their record is called On The Ropes, and it is obvious that they're not the ones tucking in and covering up from a rain of blows: they're the ones dealing out the damage, one lick and one lyric at a time. When you get hit by their music, though, it feels just fine.

This is the second record with The Honeycutters' current lineup, and their fastest turnaround for an album. Just a year ago we were starting to latch on to Oh Me Oh My, and the band wasted no time in getting back into the studio last winter. At this pace, you might be prepared for a slight drop-off in overall quality, but not here. On The Ropes is arguably their best record yet, finding the band building momentum with songs that are instantly memorable.

The Honeycutters with Joe Kendrick before their show. Photo: Erin Scholze

Here's hoping that The Honeycutters keep pulling punches for many years to come. Country music needs hits like these. -Joe Kendrick

The Acoustic Melting Pot

It was an unusually warm March evening when my friend Jason Lineberger and I drove east to take in a show featuring some old friends in both Zoe & Cloyd and Tellico, and a quartet that I had not heard yet from Austin Texas called High Plains Jamboree. Eighty degrees in piedmont North Carolina is usually not seen until around May, and we had been enjoying several days of it already. There was a little extra bounce in my step as we walked up to the historic old courthouse in Dallas, NC that evening, and a budding optimism about the night ahead.

John Cloyd Miller and Natalya Zoe Weinstein opened the show

The show was part of MerleFest On The Road, a tour of artists playing together ahead of the big festival in Wilkesboro, NC late in April. What we witnessed was a blend of styles and influences that showcased several distinct Southern musical dialects, from Texas to Virginia and from old-time to country.

Aaron Ballance, Anya Hinkle and Stig Stiglets of Tellico

Tellico is from Asheville, NC, mainly, with dobro player Aaron Ballance living in the high country of Boone. We were less than two hours away from both those towns, but Anya noted the cultural boundary that they had crossed: "It's really different here, isn't it?" she asked me. Having lived in piedmont North Carolina most of my life, I knew exactly what she meant. This was a county whose largest employers used to be cotton mills, whereas the mountains historically had a lot of small farms. It's a difference in mindset that is subtle but still there to see for those who look closely, even in decades long removed from life surrounded by hogs and hay or spindles of yarn.

Bass player Simon Flory switches to guitar to take the lead for High Plains Jamboree

Texas is its own kind of South, and High Plains Jamboree represented the musical heritage of the Lone Star state well. From playful story songs about breaking down after neglecting to change an old Datsun's oil to harmonic cries for rain, the quartet played a solid set. I will seek them out again when MerleFest rolls around.

Taking a bow after all three groups joined together in the finale

I left with even more bounce in my step than when I came in. Chalk this up as another example of how music and culture can be made new when they blend. The members of Zoe & Cloyd, Tellico and High Plains Jamboree have roots in places ranging from Massachusetts to Mississippi to Alaska, but on a warm late winter night in North Carolina, they reminded us that sharing our traditions and songs can make for the best kind of harmony.