The Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour Podcast

MARTIN SEXTON is well-known for his incendiary live shows and incredible success as an independent recording artist. In a career spanning over two decades, Martin has a reputation as a musician’s musician. Sexton, an upstate New Yorker, left home with seventy-five bucks and a Stratocaster to chase his musical dreams singing in the streets of Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, gradually and independently working his way to the premier venues of North America inspiring fans and musicians along the way. Sexton just released his 8th studio album Mixtape of the Open Road. http://martinsexton.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKGQbr1U4Vs DREW HOLCOMB AND THE NEIGHBORS have established themselves as a formidable indie act, selling more than 75,000 records, playing more than 1,500 live dates, selling-out headline shows. Drew, a Tennessee-born, duck hunting, French speaking, bourbon drinking, 1st edition book collecting, golf playing Eagle Scout with a Masters degree in Divinity from Scotland’s University of St Andrews (he wrote his dissertation on 'Springsteen and American Redemptive Imagination') who has spent the better part of the past decade as a professional musician recording, writing, and touring with his band Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors. The group are celebrating their new full-length studio album 'Medicine'. WoodSongs Kid: Reuben Hicks is 12 and from the Red River Gorge area in Slade, Kentucky. He started playing fiddle when he was 5 and recently played with cellist Ben Sollee.

PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND If you’ve seen them at Preservation Hall in New Orleans, you know just how special it is to experience this marvelously swinging band in a small space. Making their debut on WoodSongs, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band will be showcasing the classic American sound that was created in the Crescent City 100 years ago. The band (Charlie Gabriel, clarinet; Freddie Lonzo, trombone; Ben Jaffe, bass & tuba; Rickie Monie, piano; Joseph Lastle, Jr., drums; and Clint Maegen, saxophone) derives its name from the Preservation Hall venue located in New Orleans’ French Quarter and has traveled worldwide spreading their mission to nurture and perpetuate classic New Orleans Jazz. Whether performing at Carnegie Hall or Bonnaroo, for British royalty or with the Del McCoury Band, this music embodies a joyful, timeless spirit. www.preservationhalljazzband.com WoodSongs Kid: Isaac Stephens is a very accomplished 17 year jazz musician from Russell, Kentucky.

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL is the legendary Austin-based 9-time Grammy winning band led by the dynamic Ray Benson. For over 40 years Asleep at the Wheel have been carrying the traditions of Bob Wills across generations and the into the 21st century. The band's latest CD is a spectacular tribute to this legacy, called ‘Still The King: Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys.' BOB WILLS: Widely considered 'The King of Western Swing,' Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys performed thousands of shows across the United Sates for nearly six decades and recorded prolifically in the late ‘30s and early ‘40s. Early stars of American country music, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1968, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and the National Fiddler Hall of Fame in 2007. THE QUEBE SISTERS from Fort Worth, Texas are a triple-threat of fiddle champions playing and singing in multi-part close harmony. WoodSongs Kid: Zane Bolton is big country music fan. This 11 year old is from Henderson, Tennessee .

JOHN BERRY has one of the finest voices in country music. 20 years ago he had his first of many #1 Billboard Chart toppers with the incredible song "Your Love Amazes Me". He has recorded more than twenty studio albums, including one platinum album and two gold albums. In his career, Berry has also charted nineteen songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and six additional Top Ten hits. His new book 'Songs and Stories' is a collection of short stories about songs he has written or recorded. http://www.johnberry.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_8RNWopP08 10 STRING SYMPHONY is a Nashville duo combining world-class skilled instrumentalists with an incredible amount of soul and a love of crafting song. Rachel Baiman and Christian Sedelmyer (Jerry Douglas Band) met in Nashville, and realized a mutual love for the range and depth of the 5-String fiddle. The band expanded their sound a bit for their debut album. It showcases Sedelmyer's virtuosic improvisation and creative harmonic soundscape ideas alongside Baiman's old-time rhythm and emotional melodic sensibilities. http://www.10stringsymphony.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xymw4C8aUU WoodSongs Kid: Daisy Helmuth is 14 and from Lexington, Kentucky. She’s an aspiring singer/songwriter.

THE FAIRFIELD FOUR are one of the most prominent and respected names in gospel music. Featured in O Brother Where Art Thou?, their blend of rich harmonies, joined with the simultaneously grand and humble vision of soulful singers clad in tuxedo jackets and coveralls, made for an experience unmatched in pop, soul, blues, R&B and gospel music for nearly a century. The famed quartet will celebrate the heritage and tradition of both the music and its makers with the studio release of 'Still Rockin' My Soul', its first under the Fairfield Four Records banner. PBS recently premiered a dynamic celebration of the gospel tradition with 'Rock My Soul' anchored by The Fairfield Four and and The McCrary Sisters. http://thefairfieldfour.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=040tPQc8zsg THE McCRARY SISTERS are long known in Nashville circles as first-call session aces supporting some of music’s most vibrant artists. Possessing a unique familial musical history of their own as daughters of longtime Fairfield Four tenor Rev. Samuel McCrary, The McCrary Sisters - Alfreda, Ann, Deborah and Regina - each bring a unique energy and virtuosity to the group, not to mention varied experiences within the worlds of pop, rock, R&B and gospel music. 'Let's Go' is their new project of timeless spirituals and original tracks produced by Buddy Miller. http://mccrarysisters.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irp3_4Y3pVg WoodSongs Kid: Quinn Coffey is 14 and from Lexington, Kentucky. She performs a show stopping a capella version of 'Amazing Grace' with the McCrary Sisters backing her up.

T. GRAHAM BROWN is a journeyman and songwriter whose blue-eyed soul sound defies musical boundaries. He has recorded over thirteen studio albums and charted more than twenty singles on the Billboard charts. Three of these singles reached Number One and eight more reached the Top Ten. Brown’s voice is also recognized from his singing in a long list of advertising campaigns. Brown's latest, 'Forever Changed', is his first release in 9 years. It was just nominated for a Grammy and features guest appearances by industry giants like Leon Russell, The Oak Ridge Boys, Steve Cropper, and more. http://tgrahambrown.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ0SVvjxx6U THE REVEREND PEYTON'S DAMN BAND bridges genres and eras with an intensity and effortlessness few contemporary artists possess. The band has always been strong on authenticity, playing music that blends blues, ragtime, folk, country and other traditional styles with the sleek modern energy of do-it-yourself, homespun, punk fueled rock. 'So Delicious' is their 5th album, with songs that speak from the heart and capture the trio whose sound has been honed over 250 annual tour dates during the last eight years playing at their peak. http://www.bigdamnband.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWCcLW08dsU#t=56 WoodSongs Kid: Annie Grace is from Versailles, Kentucky and 13 years old. In 2013 she was signed to a development deal with the indie label, Long Island Records.

EXILE was founded in Richmond, Kentucky. They started by playing local clubs which led to touring with Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars. They scored a global hit with I Want To Kiss You All Over and then went on to rule the country charts with more popular songs. Band mates J.P. Pennington, Les Taylor, Sonny LeMaire, Marlon Hargis and Steve Goetzman come to WoodSongs with a new album. www.exile.biz THE LOCAL HONEYS are an Old-Time String Band Trio from Morehead, Kentucky. WoodSongs Kid: Alex Miller is an 11 year old from Lancaster, Kentucky. His idol is Hank Williams Sr. He's been playing guitar since he was 5 and singing since he was 3.

LARKIN POE’s music is a unique brand of ‘swampadelic soul’ with tight vocal harmonies, dizzying instrumental riffs and insightful lyrics. Born and raised in Georgia, sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell are the charismatic soul-singing/songwriting duo. The sisters’ musical journey began at the ages of 5 and 6 playing classical violin and piano. In their early teens, they won a prestigious award on Garrison Keillor’s 'A Prairie Home Companion' on NPR. HUMMING HOUSE is a powerful quintet that embodies edgy Irish traditions, independent artistry with its legacies of folk, soul and bluegrass. Formed out of informal Irish music jams and the songwriting of Justin Wade Tam, the five musicians have played major festivals and have released two studio albums and one live recording since 2011, the latest being ‘Revelries’. WoodSongs Kid: The Hollow Bodies are a roots and folk trio from Lexington featuring Riley Logan on mandolin, Blakeley Burger on guitar and fiddle and Chris Cupp on cello.

MINTON SPARKS fuses music, poetry, and her intoxicating gift for storytelling to paint word pictures of the rural South that put you square in the middle of the people and the places she knows like the back of her hand. She delivers words in beelines of bluesy rhythm and worries the hooks-and there are hooks-backed solely by the nimble acoustic guitar work of John Jackson, who’s perhaps best known for having played with Bob Dylan. Her latest album is 'Gold Digger', captures her and Jackson performing 11 memorable story-songs. http://www.mintonsparks.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo839EVCfrg DALE WATSON is a country music maverick, a true outlaw carrying on where Waylon Jennings left off. A member of the Austin Music Hall of Fame, he stands alongside Waylon, Willie Nelson, and George Strait as one of the finest country singers and songwriters from the Lone Star State. Dale's current release is 'El Rancho Azul' on Red House Records. http://dalewatson.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SobnlBTqGjQ#t=11 WoodSongs Kid: Natalie Fowler is a 12 year old fiddle student from Lexington, Kentucky.

JOSHUA MESSICK is from Asheville, North Carolina and the 2003 National Hammered Dulcimer Champion. Joshua breathes new life into an ancient instrument, weaving progressive, cinematic stylings and modern techniques into traditional melodies, original compositions, and powerful improvisations. Josh’s art blends genres, his compositions drawing on Celtic, Indian, Japanese, and New Age styles in addition to Appalachian folk, hymns, classical, and traditional favorites. http://www.joshuamessick.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fppdQKLe6V4#t=20 ANDY YOUNG is a Chicago-based musician, sought after at music festivals nationwide, performing Gypsy Jazz & Irish Traditional Music on hammered dulcimer. Never before have you heard the dulcimer played like this, transporting you at once to Jazz Age Paris and the Gypsy encampments of the dulcimer’s ancestry. His performances infuse expressive musical arrangements with humor and insight to provide a deep understanding of the role of music in our multi-cultural and interpersonal world. http://www.andyyoungmusic.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqcbrhruLWI TED YODER has revolutionized the hammered dulcimer through his pop symphonic approach on the instrument as a solo performer. He’s the 2010 National Hammered Dulcimer Champion whose highly engaged fanbase has nicknamed his innovative approach to playing popular songs 'Yoderizing.' The Goshen, Indiana-based instrumentalist-composer-singer is both a dazzling technician and soulful and lyrical visionary. http://www.tedyoder.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHn6pRArVvg

JOHN NEMETH was born in Idaho to Hungarian immigrants, and honed his harmonica chops while working as a truck driver, jamming along to Junior Wells in his cab. It all culminated in a move to Memphis last year. Being in the epicenter for soul and blues shaped his new album ‘Memphis Grease’. It’s slathered with fatback soul and blues done the Memphis way: tight horn lines, whirling organ with John’s soaring voice and wicked harp playing front and center. John won the 2014 Blues Music Award for Soul Blues Male Artist of the year and has just been nominated for six 2015 Blues Music Awards. http://johnnemeth.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OccUNl4EHSM KRISTIN ANDREASSEN is an award-winning songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has traveled the world with string-band sensation Uncle Earl and set hearts to flutter as one third of the folk-noir trio Sometymes Why. Along the way, she's performed and recorded alongside such maverick talents as John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Dirk Powell (Joan Baez, Cold Mountain), Sufjan Stevens, Aoife O'Donovan, Black Prairie and New York anti-folk icon Jeffrey Lewis. She won a Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest for her song "Crayola Doesn't Make a Color for Your Eyes". Andreassen’s new release, Gondolier, represents a new direction and focus, including the first time she’ll be touring behind a solo release. It draws upon those varied musical experiences in service of her captivating gifts as a songwriter and vocalist. http://kristinandreassen.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EELEjeYzfjM WoodSongs Kid: Carson Diersing is a 17 year-old harmonica wiz from Fountain Town, Indiana. At 13, he became the youngest harmonica player in history to be endorsed by Hohner Harmonicas. He also won the 2012 Honeyboy Edwards Fund for the Blues at The National Blues Museum.

JORMA KAUKONEN is one of the most highly respected interpreters of American roots music, blues, and Americana with a history that influenced popular rock-and-roll. A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy nominee, as well as one of Rolling Stone's "Top 100 Guitarists of All Time," he is a founding member of two legendary bands: Jefferson Airplane and the still-touring Hot Tuna, and is recognized as one of the leading practitioners and teachers of finger-style guitar. In 2015, Jorma celebrates the 50th anniversary of co-founding the Jefferson Airplane and is releasing a new studio album 'Ain't In No Hurry' on Red House Records. http://jormakaukonen.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdIis-6AhnU&list=PL365E875478A7B84C&index=20 LOWELL LEVINGER aka 'Banana' is a founding member of The Youngbloods, and the original ‘Hippie From Olema’. Banana began his career in bluegrass on the east coast before co-founding The Youngbloods. The band moved from New York City to West Marin in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1967. In 1969, the band's anthem of peace and brotherhood "Get Together" became a top 5 hit. Over his rich musical life Banana has worked with notable artists like Mimi Farina, Dan Hicks, David Grisman, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Peter Rowan and many others. His latest is 'Get Together' - Banana Recalls Youngbloods Classics. http://www.lowelllevinger.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzYxxE11E48&list=PL21155AF691A98C31&index=5 WoodSongs Kid: Rhyan Sprague is 13 and from Lexington, KY. She performs an original song on the WoodSongs broadcast.

On this week’s broadcast, Michael Johnathon selects some of his favorite WoodSongs Kids performances. WoodSongs has a long and consistent history of involving children, schools and families on our worldwide broadcast. This past year, we made WoodSongs Kids a featured segment every broadcast. Highlights on this show include: Sam Bush jamming with a young Sierra Hull; 12 year old Parker Hastings playing with his idol, guitar master Tommy Emmanuel; YouTube sensation EmiSunshine; Mya Hunt getting music advice from country superstar Lee Ann Womack; and kids from our two road shows in Ireland and Arkansas.

The Music Maker Relief Foundation was founded in 1994 to preserve the musical traditions of the South by directly supporting the musicians who make it, ensuring their voices will not be silenced by poverty and time. Celebrating their 20th year, they have assisted and partnered with over 300 artists, issued over 150 CDs and reached over a million people with live performance in over 40 states and 17 countries around the globe. The foundation just released a new book and double CD 'We Are the Music Makers’ showcasing the work they have done with artists over their 20-year history. Appearing on this Special Event Broadcast will be Tim Duffy, who co-founded the foundation with his wife Denise, plus three legacy Music Maker artists! http://www.musicmaker.org/ IRONING BOARD SAM has been playing professionally for more than 55 years. He has amassed a staggering repertoire of both originals and classic blues and R&B songs. A truly gifted and engaging performer, Sam’s powerful, soulful voice and remarkable piano prowess remain undiminished. In 2012, he was named "Comeback Artist of the Year" by Living Blues Magazine, Most Outstanding Musician by Living Blues in 2013 and made a triumphant return to a packed tent at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. He just released a new album new album 'Ironing Board Sam With The Sticks'. http://www.musicmaker.org/artists/ironing-board-sam/ BOO HANKS is the greatest Piedmont Blues rediscovery in many years. From Buffalo Junction, VA, he sings and plays guitar in the style of the legendary Blind Boy Fuller. At the age of 79, he made his first recording with Music Maker and at 82 he has enjoyed performances around home as well as Lincoln Center and Belgium. http://www.musicmaker.org/artists/boo-hanks/ BIG RON HUNTER is called the world's happiest Bluesman. He owns a voice that gives people chills. It’s the kind of voice that carries warmth and tenderness, a voice that is unmistakably his own and embodies everything that’s raw, pure and beautiful about the blues. http://www.musicmaker.org/artists/big-ron-hunter/ WoodSongs Kid: Isaac May is a talented mandolin player from Mount Eden, KY. He frequently performs with Michael on his opening song.

BLAIR CRIMMINS began his current music career in Atlanta, Georgia, with a determination to bring Ragtime and 1920’s style Dixieland Jazz to new audiences. What he created was a sound that is at once modern while being deeply rooted in the past. Now four years, and five hundred shows later, he has toured the Eastern United States playing large venues and has opened for national acts such as Mumford & Sons and Preservation Hall Jazz Band. A multi-instrumentalist and music academic, Crimmins writes songs and arrangements for a classic New Orleans style horn section. His newest studio album is entitled ‘Sing-a-longs’ and he will be performing on WoodSongs with his band The Hookers. http://www.blaircrimminsandthehookers.com DANIEL CHAMPAGNE is a young Australian singer, songwriter and one-of-a-kind guitar virtuoso. Inspired by his musical father, he began writing songs at 12, training classically through-out his teens and performing solo wherever he could, honing his craft and developing what would become the dynamite live show that he is renowned for today. Now regarded as a leading light in acoustic music, with a firm reputation for making festivals buzz, holding crowds in his palm, dropping jaws and breaking guitars wherever he goes. His current release is 'Pint of Mystery'. http://www.danielchampagnemusic.com/ WoodSongs Kid: Annabelle Watts is an incredible fiddle player winning several fiddle contest around the country this year and she also sings. She is from Philpot Kentucky and is 12 years old. http://www.annabellewatts.com