Today, we talk one-on-one with Charlie Starr, lead singer of acclaimed American rock band Blackberry Smoke, whose highly anticipated new album, You Hear Georgia, will be released just about a month from now; an album which marks their 20th anniversary as a group. For the record, the band enlisted producer Dave Cobb, a fellow Georgian, to pay homage to the band’s deep respect for their roots – thus, the name of the album. Whether he’s performing to a crowd of thousands or conversing with one pers...
Apr 26, 2021•35 min•Ep. 261
Our guest on the show today is Bob Mehr, recent recipient of the Grammy Award for Best Album Notes, which Mehr earned for his work on Dead Man's Pop, a box set by the notorious and iconic midwestern rock band, The Replacements. Bob Mehr is also a New York Times Best Selling Author for his book Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements. While Mehr’s career is most certainly tied to The Replacements, he’s done a lot of other outstanding work, some of which we’ll dig into this hour. So kick ...
Apr 19, 2021•42 min•Ep. 260
Today we welcome members of the Nashville-based band, Great Peacock. Great Peacock’s latest album 'Forever Worse Better' stayed on the Americana Albums Chart for over four months. As their 3rd full-length release, it’s hailed as their defining album, a record about the three-way intersection between drive, desperation, and determination. It’s a wonderful record and we're happy to have caught up with the guys to discuss it. So thanks for listening, and now, please enjoy the conversation with Grea...
Apr 14, 2021•33 min•Ep. 259
Our guest on the show today is Jon Foreman, an artist that’s always searching for something - searching for a lyric or a melody, searching for a connection or acceptance. For Jon Foreman, most importantly, he’s searching for beauty and truth. And it’s out of this search that his latest release, Departures, was born. Though he’s most known as the leader of the multi-platinum selling, Grammy Award winning band SWITCHFOOT, his solo album Departures serves as the latest chapter in a lifelong search ...
Apr 12, 2021•34 min•Ep. 258
Our guest on the show today is Walter Parks, a wonderful musician, originally from Jacksonville, Florida. In the ‘90s, Parks led the well-loved folk group The Nudes before serving 10 years as sideman to legendary folk-blues artist Richie Havens. Walter also leads the blues outfit Swamp Cabbage, as well as recording and performing his own solo material. We really enjoyed getting to know him a bit, and we're so glad to able to share our talk with you now Part of Pantheon Podcasts Learn more about ...
Apr 05, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 257
Our guest on the show today is Langhorne Slim, whose stream-of-consciousness songwriting makes up his new album Strawberry Mansion, available via Dualtone Records. His decision to get sober helped inspire the new record, which he wrote in his adopted hometown of Nashville after it was hit by a tornado and the world at large was hit by a global pandemic. Amy caught up with Slim to discuss the new album, the struggles surrounding, and much more. Part of Pantheon Podcasts Learn more about your ad c...
Mar 29, 2021•41 min•Ep. 256
Our guest on Insights today is Garrison Starr, who, for a while, thought she was done playing music. A lifetime of trauma, from her upbringing in a fundamentalist Christian household in Mississippi to more than two decades navigating the music industry, left her spirit broken. Fortunately, she’s reconciled the pain of her past, wrestled shame and self-doubt into submission, and stands in her powerfully bared truth with her new album, Girl I Used To Be, which is available now via Soundly Music. A...
Mar 22, 2021•38 min•Ep. 255
On the show today, Amy Wright chats with Seth Walker, an artist that we've been inspired by time and time again. He always has something positive to share and his music is a real melting pot of sounds. Seth is an artist who realizes that, in these doubtful times, we all need a little push to get us through. He writes songs of hope, songs that give us comfort, and songs that make us move. His style is very vibey and draws heavily on the sounds of the Big Easy, New Orleans. If you know him, you lo...
Mar 15, 2021•41 min•Ep. 254
On the show today, Amy Wright talks with Tami Neilson, a truly inspiring and vibrant artist who has been an active musician virtually her entire life. And speaking of virtually, this conversation takes place over Zoom because Tami’s actually in New Zealand, where she’s been living for nearly two decades. In that timeframe, she’s released several albums, including Dynamite, Don’t Be Afraid, Sassafrass!, and most recently, CHICKABOOM!, and CHICKBOOM! Deluxe. Tami told us for CHICKABOOM! she really...
Mar 08, 2021•42 min•Ep. 253
Our guest today on Insights is A.J. Croce, who, over the past three decades, has established his reputation as a passionate piano player and serious vocal stylist, pulling from a host of musical traditions — part New Orleans, part juke joint, part soul. While his last album, Just Like Medicine, paired him with songwriting legend Dan Penn and an all-star cast of players, his new album, By Request, was born of memories — of favorite artists and shows, but mostly, of late-night gatherings with grou...
Mar 01, 2021•42 min•Ep. 252
Our guest this hour is New West recording artist and Nashville-based singer-songwriter, Aaron Lee Tasjan. Amy Wright had the pleasure of speaking with Aaron over Zoom about his new album Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!, which is available now and comes highly recommended by all of us here at Ditty. We’ve been fans of Aaron’s music and guitar playing for years, and especially his ability to bend genres while telling great stories. He’s got some great stories for you this hour as well. Part of Pantheon Po...
Feb 22, 2021•47 min•Ep. 251
Our guest today is Michael Brauer, a world-renowned, multi-Grammy award-winning sound engineer who’s worked with some of the most influential and successful artists in the world, ranging from Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Luther Vandross, and Paul McCartney, to John Mayer, Coldplay, My Morning Jacket and numerous others. Sam Shansky was able to catch up with Michael while he hunkers down in the Catskills in New York. Whether he’s working out of Electric Lady Studios, Mediasound...
Feb 14, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 250
Join Amy Wright as she talks with American Rock & Soul artist Maggie Rose. Rose is an Emmy award-winning songwriter and Nashville recording artist originally hailing from Potomac, Maryland. She has toured with Kelly Clarkson, Heart, Joan Jett, Sheryl Crow, and more. She has performed at the Grand Ole Opry over 75 times as well as Bonnaroo, CMA Music Fest, Bourbon and Beyond, AmericanaFest and the list goes on. Maggie caught up with Amy Wright to discuss her roots in Maryland, learning the ro...
Feb 08, 2021•29 min•Ep. 249
Our guest today is a founding member of the North Carolina-based band, Mipso. His name is Joseph Terrell, and he’s no stranger to DittyTV. He and the other members of Mipso visited our studios a couple of years ago to record a session for the DittyTV Concert Series. Joseph's on the line with Sam Shansky to discuss Mipso’s latest album – their 5th album together and first for Rounder Records. Let’s listen in. Part of Pantheon Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Feb 01, 2021•34 min•Ep. 248
In this episode, you’ll hear from Ben Nichols, founding member and bandleader of Lucero, a Memphis-based Americana Rock group with over 20 years of experience. In this conversation, Ben chats with an old friend his, DittyTV host and fellow Memphis musician, Mark Edgar Stuart. They reminisce on a variety of topics, which we think you’ll enjoy, and they also dig in to the making of Lucero’s 10th studio album, When You Found Me, which was produced by another Memphian, Matt Ross-Spang. See Part of P...
Jan 25, 2021•51 min•Ep. 247
In this episode of Insights, you'll be hearing from Nashville-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Lydia Luce. Lydia was known as the go-to strings session player in Nashville working with everyone from Dolly Parton to Eminem but is now stepping into the spotlight with her solo album Dark River. She’s a completely independent artist and, without the help of a label, has amassed millions of streams and thousands of fans, which, hopefully you’re one of or will be after this. Let’s ta...
Jan 25, 2021•30 min•Ep. 246
We’ll hear from Woody Platt and Graham Sharp of the Steep Canyon Rangers; the GRAMMY Award-winning outfit behind albums like Nobody Knows You, Out in the Open, and most recently Arm in Arm, which is available now via Yep Roc Records. They’ve also collaborated quite a bit with comedian and banjo player, Steve Martin, on albums like Rare Bird Alert, and The Long-Awaited Album. Woody and Graham are joined by Amy Wright whose got some great questions ready, so let’s get it to. Your conversations wit...
Jan 18, 2021•30 min•Ep. 244
Today on INSIGHTS we’ll hear from Raul Malo, founding member of The Mavericks, the GRAMMY Award-winning band behind albums like Music For All Occasions, Mono, and most recently En Español, the band’s first completely Spanish language album. Raul Malo stopped by to chat with Amy Wright about his life as a first-generation Cuban American, growing up playing in garage bands and dreaming of being a Rolling Stone, his work on the music documentary Havana Time Machine, and much more. See omnystudio.co...
Jan 18, 2021•29 min•Ep. 245
Hillman was the bassist and one of the original members of The Byrds, a band that advanced the development of country rock and Americana like none other; he was also a founding member of the “West Coast” version of The Flying Burrito Brothers, which he started in 1968 in Los Angeles with Gram Parsons. Chris is considered a true visionary and we’re so excited to have him on the show today. So, without further ado, here’s Chris Hillman and Mark Edgar Stuart. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
Jan 11, 2021•37 min•Ep. 242
In this episode, you’ll get to hear from Nashville-based Americana band, The Wild Feathers. Or a couple of its members at least. Sam Shansky caught up with Ricky Young and Joel King over Zoom to discuss The Wild Feathers new album, Medium Rarities, a really awesome collection of B-sides, covers, and other odds and ends that the guys worked up once the 2020 quarantine rendered touring a non-option. Which is to say, they had some time on their hands to something they’d never done before. I, for on...
Jan 11, 2021•40 min•Ep. 243
Amy Wright spoke with Becky over video call to learn a little about her background and her current projects. Becky is 2-time Grammy award-winning songwriter and a 10-time International Bluegrass Music Association award winner. As a special treat, she performs a couple of tunes on guitar, fiddle, and banjo during the call, so don’t miss those. Without further ado, here’s Amy Wright in conversation with Becky Buller. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts Le...
Jan 04, 2021•47 min•Ep. 240
Our Program Director Sam Shansky caught up with Tré over video call to discuss his album Caught it from the Rye, which is out now on Oh Boy Records. It’s a wholehearted musical experience with cryptic lyrics and existential folk snapshots that only an independent spirit like Tré could conjure. We think he’s an artist that you need to know, so we’re happy you’re here. Let’s listen in. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. ...
Jan 04, 2021•29 min•Ep. 241
Our guest this hour is the always spirited and always creative, Patty Smyth, who first made waves in the 1980s with the rock band Scandal, and who has since gone on to enjoy a successful career as a solo artist. One interesting note to make is that Patty was a huge star on MTV in its hay day, and DittyTV draws a lot of inspiration from those early MTV days, so it’s kind of a full-circle affair, which we love to see. With that in mind, I’ll hand it over to Amy Wright, who caught up with Patty ove...
Dec 30, 2020•39 min•Ep. 239
Our Program Director Sam Shansky caught up with Arlo over video call while Arlo hung outside a tattoo shop near Cincinnati called Designs by Dana, where his drummer was getting some work done. Arlo’s been living in Cincinnati for 41 years. He grew up in the church, drifted into the punk rock scene, but later developed into a singer-songwriter. In this talk, Sam and Arlo discuss his 2020 LP release, Die Midwestern, what it’s like working with Oh Boy Records and how he felt when he met John Prine,...
Dec 28, 2020•40 min•Ep. 238
Today, you’ll be hearing from Amy Wright as she talks in-depth with Ray Benson, the truly iconic front man and co-founder of the Western Swing and Country Music outfit, Asleep at the Wheel, a band of which about 90 people have been part of at some point since 1969. But Ray’s been the balanced center of the Wheel, so to speak, for over 50 years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 14, 2020•29 min•Ep. 236
Our guest this hour is Brandy Clark, the inspired and insightful singer-songwriter from Morton, Washington who's been nominated for 8 Grammy awards and who's collaborated with Dwight Yoakam, Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile and Kacey Musgraves, just to name a few. Today, she chats with Amy Wright about how she’s feeling to be currently nominated for two Grammy Awards, BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE for “Who You Thought I Was” and BEST COUNTRY ALBUM for Your Life Is A Record. See omnystudio.com/listene...
Dec 14, 2020•39 min•Ep. 237
Joe Firstman of the Nashville-based band Cordovas is one of the most interesting cats around with all sorts of great stories. He has important messages to share with the world and does so in a very intuitive way. Cordovas recently put out a record called Destiny Hotel, on ATO Records, and you can find your very own copy by visiting Cordovasband.com. Please enjoy this conversation between Joe and DittyTV host, Amy Wright. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podca...
Dec 07, 2020•27 min•Ep. 235
Our guest this hour is Suzanne Santo. Suzanne’s a Los Angeles-based songwriter best known as one half of the duo, Honeyhoney, but whose acclaimed solo work and collaborations with artists like Gary Clark Jr. are earning her fans far and wide. And maybe you’re already one of those fans since you chose this episode, but if not, we're glad you’re here cause Suzanne is an artist you need to know. So without further ado, please enjoy this conversation between Amy Wright and Suzanne Santo. See omnystu...
Dec 07, 2020•31 min•Ep. 234
Tammy Rogers is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. In addition to releasing three albums on the Dead Reckoning Records label, she is also a founding member of the Grammy Award winning bluegrass group The SteelDrivers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 30, 2020•44 min•Ep. 233
Host Tatiana Z takes Waylon back to his childhood: growing up around country royalty, playing Jerry Lee Lewis in Walk the Line, and his newest album, Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 23, 2020•33 min•Ep. 232
