As Carl Sandburg said in his poem “Washington Monument by Night”, "Nothing happens unless first we dream." In the case of Miko Marks, her music career took off only after she had a literal dream, where she reunited with her old producer in a jam session. Prior to that, her dream of making it as a country music artist had long laid fallow, having been put to rest for more than a decade. Even without the backdrop of dashed hopes, dropping out and eventually, sweet redemption, Miko Marks’ story is a remarkable one. Her music is central to this resurgence, with three strong albums to her credit in the past two years, including her 2022 country soul collection Feel Like Going Home. That album especially set in motion a wave of accolades and media coverage, and set the stage for her to tour all over the US, including an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, and Merlefest, where she also sang with Little Feat, whom she had toured with as well.

I caught up with Miko Marks recently at her return engagement at the Albino Skunk Music Festival in May 2023. We spoke before her set, and talked about the connections between country music, gospel and soul, her unique comeback story, and what changes in the music business she believes would help artists like herself, who have historically been on the outside looking in.

Miko Marks performing at the Albino Skunk Music Festival in Greer, SC 05/12/23

Songs heard in this episode:

“One More Night” by Miko Marks, performed live at Albino Skunk Music Festival, 05/12/23

“Hard Times“ by Miko Mark, performed live at Albino Skunk, 05/12/23

“Long Journey Home” by Miko Marks, live at the Albino Skunk Festival, 05/12/23, excerpt

“Feel Like Going Home” by Miko Marks, live at Albino Skunk Fest 05/12/23

Thank you so much for dropping by and giving this episode a listen. Was this the first podcast from an artist performing at the Albino Skunk Music Festival that you have heard on this series? I bet you would enjoy recent episodes on Eilen Jewell and Jake Xerxes Fussell, who also performed at the festival last spring. This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng who wrote and performed our theme songs. And big thanks to everyone at the Albino Skunk Music Festival for their incredible hospitality. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Artist stereotypes do not apply

How many times have parents cringed when their children fell in love with a musician? Let's be honest, the world has looked askance at artists of all stripes (with notable exceptions) for most of our history. Musicians tend to be thought of as people who may be great at their art but who are nonetheless pretty bad at life skills like paying bills, getting to work on time, and sticking with the missus.

Aaron turns all those stereotypes on their head; he is not only a fantastic songwriter and musician, but he also runs his own construction business and is a devoted family man living a stone's throw from where he grew up in the western NC mountains. He is as meticulous and intense about his guitar and ballads as he is about his green built homes and raising his two girls.

As you'll see in our pilot episode, Aaron does both life and art exceptionally well. The folks around him are a big part of that.