For anyone who’s spent time around Nashville music over the last few decades, rocker Will Hoge is a familiar and trusted presence. He’s one of those artists whose name carries weight not because of hype, but because of longevity—someone who’s written great songs, toured relentlessly, survived multiple versions of the industry, and earned deep respect from musicians and listeners alike. Even if you don’t know his catalog intimately, you’ve likely felt his influence somewhere along the way. This c...
Jan 29, 2026•1 hr 10 min•Season 15Ep. 3
Packy Lundholm joins Korby Lenker for a deep musical conversation about taste, restraint, and how meaningful records actually get made. Korby first took notice of Packy after seeing him open for Phil Cook at The Blue Room in Nashville—an immediately clarifying moment that revealed both his musical depth and quiet authority on the instrument. The conversation then turns to What It Takes , Korby’s favorite record of 2025 by Mae Erlewine , produced by Theo Katzman . Packy breaks down how the album ...
Jan 22, 2026•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 14
In this week’s episode of The Morse Code Podcast , host Korby Lenker sits down with drummer, bandleader, and musical connector Jerry Pentecost . Known for his years with Old Crow Medicine Show and as well as touring with Bob Dylan , Jerry shares the unexpected path that led him from cover gigs on Printer’s Alley to the biggest stages in American music. This conversation explores the tension between loyalty and growth, how Jerry found his voice as a musical director, and what it means to be a Bla...
Jan 15, 2026•1 hr 21 min•Season 3Ep. 13
In this episode of The Morse Code Podcast , Korby Lenker sits down with Ron Pope for a wide-ranging conversation about longevity, independence, and what it actually takes to build a sustainable creative life. Ron reflects on his early success releasing music online, the lessons learned from major-label detours, and how he and his wife Blair ultimately rebuilt their career on their own terms. The conversation explores the less glamorous but essential parts of being an artist: discipline, embarras...
Jan 08, 2026•1 hr 15 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Why does music move us — and why do we so often stop listening? On this episode of The Morse Code Podcast , Korby sits down with journalist, musician, and Musicality for Modern Humans author Craig Havighurst to talk about the art of deep listening: how attention, empathy, and vulnerability shape not just how we hear music, but how we live. They explore the decline of music education, the rise of algorithmic culture, and why America’s musical legacy is both unmatched and under-heard. Craig shares...
Dec 18, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 11
I think one of the reasons I started this podcast was to talk to people like Stacie Huckeba . If you’ve been around the East Nashville creative scene for any length of time, you’ve seen her work — photos of Dolly Parton, Todd Snider , Elizabeth Cook , Jason Isbell , and countless others. What you may not know is that Stacie came into this line of work late , without a road map, and made a career out of instinct, trust, and relentless follow-through. And maybe the bigger surprise? Her photographs...
Dec 11, 2025•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 10
Allen Thompson joins Korby Lenker on The Morse Code Podcast for a conversation about the winding road of making music on your own terms. The two talk about Allen’s early years in East Nashville, the late great Todd Snider ’s lasting influence, and what it takes to stay true to yourself as an artist—even when it doesn’t pay. The episode closes with a soulful live performance of “Foolish and Blue,” recorded in-studio with trumpeter Ben Klassen . Get full access to Morse Code with Korby Lenker at k...
Dec 04, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 3Ep. 9
On this week’s episode of The Morse Code Podcast , host Korby Lenker sits down with genre-bending songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan for a wide-ranging conversation about art, identity, and staying weird in a world that wants to put you in a box. They talk about the challenges of navigating the music industry without losing your creative center, the unexpected gift of not fitting in, and how authenticity — even when it’s messy — can be a source of power. Aaron opens up about his journey from sideman to...
Nov 20, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 8
I didn’t know much about Jessica Willis Fisher before she came over to the studio. I knew she was part of the family band The Willis Clan , and I knew something bad had happened — but I didn’t know the shape of it. Or what she’d done with the pieces. Turns out, she’s one of the most quietly courageous people I’ve ever sat across from. In this episode of The Morse Code Podcast , Jessica and I talk about the long road from silence to self-expression — how writing became a lifeline, and how songwri...
Nov 13, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Season 3Ep. 7
One thing I’ve noticed about lifers — artists who stay in the game past the shiny early years — is that they tend to carry this quiet steadiness. Northeat based singer-songwriter and band leader Ryan Montbleau is one of those people. He’s been making music professionally for over two decades, without a label, without a gimmick, and without (as he puts it) a real “backup plan.” Just the work, the gig, the voice. We taped this conversation in the back studio at Ranch Vovo, and to be honest it felt...
Nov 07, 2025•55 min•Season 3Ep. 5
There’s a kind of artist who gets better the more they get broken open. Who wears the hard stuff — the heartbreak, the hangups, the spiritual confusion — like a second layer of skin. Liam St. John is one of those artists. You may have come across him recently via his viral single Dipped in Bleach , or maybe from his powerhouse audition on The Voice a few years back. But if you’re just tuning in now, you’re catching Liam right as things are starting to click. His sound has always been somewhere b...
Oct 30, 2025•54 min
There’s something I love about artists who don’t wait for permission. The ones who carry a crowbar so they can pry the tiny crack into a opening big enough to strut though. Judy Blank is one of those crowbar carryin types. Her latest ablum, “Big Mood” came out on tastemaker label Rounder Records this September. She grew up in the Netherlands, obsessed with American music — gospel, folk, Laurel Canyon, Springsteen. Instead of treating that dream like a fantasy, she followed it. First a trip to th...
Oct 23, 2025•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 4
This conversation, like Sloe Jack himself, is going to offend some of you. In a little over 6 months the 23 year-old Australian-born, Nashville-based artist has amassed a huge following on Social Media, mostly for his outspoken takes on all the hot button social issues. Under the rubric of, as he describes it, “Common Sense”, Jack has thrown himself against the liberal monolith that is the contemporary music business with the fury, hilarity, and dare I say charm, of a first rate provocateur. Bef...
Oct 09, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 3
This week on The Morse Code Podcast , I sat down with Nashville artist Paul McDonald — someone I’ve known in the periphery for years, but never really talked with until now. We cover a lot of ground in this one, but the big arc is this: what happens after everything falls apart… and how you find your way back. Paul had it all — record deals, red carpets, the kind of fast success most musicians only hope for. But after his marriage ended and the spotlight faded, he found himself broke, aimless, a...
Oct 02, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 2
If you’ve followed Lera’s career over the last decade — through True Detective (she both cowrote the Season 2 theme song with T Bone Burnette and Roseanne Cash , and acted in the show), through motherhood, through a handful of sonic evolutions — you know she’s not afraid to change. But in this latest season of her life, she didn’t just evolve; she let go. Gave her old self a funeral, as she puts it. And in doing that, she found a deeper connection to music — one that didn’t have to justify itsel...
Sep 25, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Nashville artist Jake Etheridge shares how “Happy Ever After You,” written with wife Mackenzie Porter, went viral overnight—leading to a record deal, praise from John Mayer & Brandi Carlile, and a whole new chapter for Thelma and James. Plus, live music & Nashville stories. Get full access to Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Jul 10, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Korby talks with Clark Beckham about the highs and lows of American Idol, faith and expression, and what it means to stay the course as an artist. Get full access to Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe
Jun 26, 2025•1 hr 37 min•Season 2Ep. 28
There’s a moment in this week’s episode where folksinger and creative lifer Anna Vogelzang says, “I needed someone to look at me and say: you’re still doing this.” I’ve been thinking about that. Because it’s not always easy to tell, is it? Whether we’re still in it. Whether it still matters. Whether we still matter. Anna’s someone I’ve admired for years — not just because she writes these beautiful, poignant songs, but because she’s a true creative lifer. She’s kept showing up through multiple r...
Jun 12, 2025•52 min•Season 2Ep. 27
“I lived the dream I had at nineteen. Now I’m trying to see what else is out there.” —Jason Carter For 33 years, Jason Carter was the fiddler for the Del McCoury Band—a role as iconic in bluegrass circles as it gets. He joined at nineteen, fresh out of Eastern Kentucky, and spent the next three decades on the road, backing one of the most revered voices in American roots music. If you’ve seen Del live any time since the early ’90s, you’ve seen Jason—bow flying, head tilted, every note right wher...
Jun 05, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Erin Rae is a Nashville singer-songwriter whose music blends introspective folk, vintage pop, and Americana into a sound both timeless and, I’d say, quietly radical. Raised in Jackson, Tennessee by musician parents, Erin was immersed as a kid in the language of song and storytelling. We talk about her early years in Nashville (she moved in her early 20s): late nights at the Cafe Coco RIP, and finding a community for her unique approach to songs and songwriting. She began developing her distincti...
May 15, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 25
Great conversation with bluegrass fiddler Bronwyn Keith-Hynes on her exploding career — from attending this year’s Grammys under the auspices of Molly Tuttle (in whose band Golden Highway she plays fiddle), to making her debut on the Grand Ole Opry last month, to a year chock full of tour dates and festivals playing under her own name. We talked about the pros and cons of playing in someone else’s band versus rallying under your own flag, and the challenge of striking any kind of reasonable work...
May 01, 2025•46 min
In this intimate episode of The Morse Code Podcast, host Korby Lenker sits down with rising Americana star Leah Blevins for a vulnerable, wise, and deeply human conversation about music, identity, and the winding path of the creative life. Leah opens up about her roots in Eastern Kentucky, her gospel-singing family, and the twin bond that shaped her early years. She shares the pressures and rewards of her recent publishing deal with Major Bob, how she's learned to balance discipline with inspira...
Apr 17, 2025•54 min
In this revealing episode of The MCP, I sit down with Grammy-nominated songwriter, guitarist, and Americana mainstay Will Kimbrough for a wide-ranging conversation on the hard truths and quiet joys of a life in music. From his early days as a 12 year old electric guitar player to getting signed to EMI, and then John Prine’s Oh Boy Records , to his work with Jimmy Buffett , Shemekia Copeland , and Todd Snider , Will offers a masterclass in musical longevity, humility, and hustle. A few of the sto...
Apr 03, 2025•1 hr 24 min•Season 2Ep. 22
What does human-curated radio mean in an era dominated by algorithms? In this episode of The Morse Code Podcast , I sit down with Celia Gregory from Nashville’s WNXP to talk about the power of radio, music discovery, and how real people—not algorithms—shape the sound of a city. Celia shares her journey from college radio DJ to morning host at WNXP , the role of local radio in fostering music communities , and why she believes in giving underrepresented artists a voice . Get full access to Morse ...
Mar 20, 2025•46 min
Jordie Lane on Artistry, Resilience & Reinventing the Indie Music Scene. In this episode of The Morse Code Podcast, host Korby Lenker sits down with the Australian-born Nashville-residing singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jordie Lane. Together they explore the raw realities of making a life in independent music, the necessity of artistic reinvention, and the relentless pursuit of creative authenticity. Jordie shares candid insights on navigating the ever-evolving industry, the emot...
Mar 06, 2025•1 hr 11 min
The first time I saw a portrait by Shervin Lainez , I felt like I was hearing the artist’s music through a photograph. There’s an intimacy in the image, a quiet buzz that goes deeper than just the artist’s face—it captures an essence . His work has graced the pages of Rolling Stone, The New York Times , and countless album covers, shaping the way we see some of the most defining voices in modern music. If you've ever admired a striking image of Adele, Billie Eilish, St. Vincent, Tame Impala, or ...
Feb 27, 2025•54 min
Let’s just begin by saying there is nothing in Nashville like Pitch Meeting, Eric Fortaleza’s weekly musical highwire act. Billed as “Nashville’s Best Writer’s Open Mic” the weekly show, which resumes this Tuesday February 25th features a powerhouse band of Nashville heavies (often of 10 or more players) whose job it is to back the any songwriter who’s name is drawn from dozens of hopeful singer-songwriters. The catch - no one has heard the song, not the audience, and more importantly, not the b...
Feb 20, 2025•1 hr 17 min
What happens when the interviewer becomes the guest? This episode of The Morse Code Podcast is a special one—Randa Newman, Korby's wife and creative partner, takes over the host seat to interview Korby in an intimate, revealing conversation about creativity, perseverance, and what it means to balance art with real life. Get full access to Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe...
Feb 13, 2025•1 hr 15 min
Abby Jane is a singer and songwriter based in Nashville. Her debut EP “I Don’t Want to Pretend” has been the talk of the town, at least in the circles I trade in, since it dropped in October 2024. Everybody loves her fresh take on the craft of confessional songwriting, and the remarkable instrument through which she delivers those songs. Abby Jane and I are sharing a show next Saturday Feb 15 at the Five Spot in East Nashville. Grab your tickets . Get full access to Morse Code with Korby Lenker ...
Feb 06, 2025•58 min
Carl Anderson is a singer-songwriter from Virginia. His song swirls around like that plastic bag in the scene from American Beauty. A surprising unassuming clandestine charm that catches you unawares and then settles at your feet until the wind kicks up again. I have been a fan of his ever since we played a show together at the Bluebird in Nashville maybe like seven years ago. The way he sings is like no one else. You have to hear it for yourself (in this episode, you will). I’m so excited he’s ...
Jan 30, 2025•1 hr 13 min
