In 2011, Koda Kerl and Marie Borgman poured some Evan Williams in a hot cup of tea and decided to start a band. The idea was to organically grow a sound based around lively shows that would not be restricted by genre. They joined forces with Irishmen Ryan Lavin (Marsh Mahon on bass and Stuart Gunter on drums round out the unit) started ferociously playing as much as they could. After a year of building a reputation playing rowdy bar sets they signed with County Wide Records and cut their first EP. A few years of cross-country tours and the band began playing festivals such as FloydFest, The Festy, and Arizona's Tilted Earth Festival, sharing the stage with Old Crow Medicine Show, Robert Earl Keen, and the Infamous Stringdusters among others. Their eclectic sound blends Americana and Southern Rock with Irish, Gypsy, and Old-Time all wrapped up in a raging live performance. Their sophomore record "Sweet Afton" was released on October 27th. Here, they answer their Essential 8.

What's the story behind your album's title?
Sweet Afton seemed like the perfect name for us because for us it ties together the Blue Ridge (specifically Nelson County) and Ireland. Marie and I grew up in Nelson County and Marie lived at the foot of Afton Mountain, which is a beautiful and meaningful place to us... Lavin is from Galway, Ireland, and used smoke Sweet Afton cigarettes (which are now defunct) - The original name comes from a Burns poem but we felt like it represented our sound.

Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, something else or a combination?
When I first started writing I only wrote about personal experience, but I've been trying to write in different ways over the last few years. Maybe one of these days I'll pull out a Springsteen-esque narrative epic. 

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing?
I draw a lot from my personal experience,  but I also draw a lot from the people around my and the places where I spend time. And I think like most artists I'm inspired by the music and art that I love.

What do you love most about being on the road?
I grew up one of eight kids and we weren't able to travel much...touring has given me the opportunity to see so much of the country. I also love being able to meet new people. Touring gives you a chance to see a city in a unique way and get tips on the area from locals.

The Legendary Shack Shakers (JD Wilkes on piano, harmonica and vocals, Rod Hamdallah on guitar and background vocals, Fuller Condon on upright bass and Preston Corn on drums), the band Stephen King described as dynamite and guitar legend Jeff Beck called "a cross between the Yard Birds and the Sex Pistols," released their new album, After You’ve Gone, earlier this year.

With After You’ve Gone, the band delivers their swampy, rowdy, blues and punk influenced rock-n-roll while Southern Renaissance man Wilkes channels a dark arts shaman to recount the Southern Gothic folklore of his home. Colored by the devastation of his recent divorce, the album starts and ends with a Voodoo curse and tells a cautionary tale of forgiveness, just like any good murder ballad. As adept at expressing the heart-wrenchingly personal as he is at spinning Southern folklore, Wilkes allows songs of fury and forgiveness to flow like the same phases that are lived in times of loss and recovery.  Here Wilkes answers the Essential 8.

Did you have a musical mentor? Who was it and how did they influence you?
One of my biggest heroes is Lee Sexton from Letcher County KY. 

As a banjo player, I had always aspired to meet this old master who had learned how to play before the birth of Bluegrass. To me he was like Elvis, a hero so inaccessible I’d never get to learn from him. After all, here was a guy who had been recorded and archived by the Smithsonian in the 1950s...a star in the movie Coal Miner’s Daughter, etc.

One day I just decided to call the operator and see if he was listed. Sure enough, he was. I rang him up and he answered with a booming “yeeeELLO?!”. 

I couldn’t believe my luck! It wasn’t long before I was asking him if it was ok to meet him and he just replied in that friendly, old hoarse, country twang “Come ON!”

He was and still is a great mentor and an important, living American legend.

Where do you draw inspiration from when writing? Books, Movies, personal experience, other musicians?
I draw inspiration from local and regional folklore, the culture and blood-memory of my kith and kin, dreams, visions, nightmares, misremembered history and intense personal experiences.

When/where do you do your best writing?
Best ideas come in the morning while showering, but I have to hop out to write them down because, I find, that the ink and paper tend to get wet. 
Many melodic ideas come to me in dreams though. So I record them, sleepily, into my smart phone recorder. However, half the time, upon listening back the next morning, they’re all just groggy, unrecognizable groans. Absolute unlistenable gibberish!!!! But every once in a while I’ll catch something cool.

Karen & the Sorrows are back with a new full-length album, The Narrow Place, a collection that centers around singer-songwriter Karen Pittelman’s lilting vocals, Elana Redfield’s lonesome pedal steel, and Tami Johnson's firm backbeat, and eleven well-crafted songs. 

The Sorrows are at the center of a growing queer country scene, creating a community for people who love country music even if country music doesn’t always love them back. For the last six years, they’ve run Brooklyn’s Gay Ole Opry Festival and the Queer Country Quarterly. “Now more than ever, we are grateful to be in community with so many amazing musicians,” Pittelman says. “Country music can tell compelling stories about family, love, heartbreak, and strength. Those stories should include all of our families, all of our love, and especially all of our heartbreak and our strength.”  Here, front woman Pittelman answers the Essential 8.

When/where do you do your best writing?
This might sound kind of lazy, but I’ve dreamt a lot of my strongest songs. Usually, I'll realize in the dream that it’s a song I want to remember and then I’ll wake myself up and sing it into my phone. I’m a weird person to share a bed with, I guess. Otherwise going on long walks really helps me, especially with lyrics. And a lot of times I get ideas in the shower. That’s where I wrote, “Can’t Miss What You Never Had.” In the shower on my birthday!

Which song of yours gets the best crowd response?
Right now, it’s probably “Take Me For a Ride.” Especially if it’s the kind of crowd that wants to learn the hand gestures. We have some hand gestures for that one that get a little risqué and some people really made them their own on our last tour. Shout out to our new friends in Columbus, Ohio—they definitely won for most creative.

What’s your favorite food on the road?
Cheese eggs, raisin toast, and grits at Waffle House. I would eat that on the road every day if the band would let me. I wish someone would open up a Waffle House in New York. 

What’s the story behind your album’s title?
The album’s title The Narrow Place is a translation of the Hebrew word mitzrayim, which is also the name for Egypt in the story of Passover. For me, that story is about how it isn’t so simple to get free. It’s a bitter struggle, and so much gets lost, forgotten, or left behind. But that struggle is also what makes you who you are. 

On Derek Hoke's latest, Bring the Flood, the singer-songwriter dives into a sound far more ominous, threatening, and anxiously introspective than the music on his previous three full length releases would suggest.

“So much pain and sorrow/more than I’ve ever seen,” sings Hoke on the opening “Love Don’t Live Around Here,” an exploration of life passing by for people stuck in their small town existence. And for most of the next 40 minutes, he explores shades of unease of the characters that populate this world with the confidence and musical prowess gleaned through years of working in Nashville.

Assisted by contributions from Elizabeth Cook, Langhorne Slim, Aaron Lee Tasjan, and Luther Dickinson, then molded into a cohesive whole by longtime producer and friend Dex Green, Bring the Flood finds Hoke more visceral, honest and intuitive than at any other point in his career. It’s a bold, unexpected stride in a dynamic new direction, further separating him from his Nashville peers, and audacious proof that Hoke has stepped forward with confidence and is not looking back. Hoke answers his Essential 8.

Did you have a musical mentor? Who was it and how did they influence you? 
Not really... I’m from Florence, SC. Every musician I knew was in a Top 40/Classic Rock cover band (not that there’s anything wrong with that). I think there was only 3 of us at the time that wrote their own music. I remember getting an award for Best Local Songwriter. It was a tie. 

With "Love Don't Live Around Here," what was the “a-ha” moment when you knew the song was completed and perfect? 
The song “Love Don’t Live Around Here” came pretty quickly. Once I had the right 3rd verse feel, I knew it was done. I thought of people that grew up in a small town, went to school there, got married, had kids.  Never moved away. Maybe never even thought about it. 

What’s the story behind your album’s title?
“Bring The Flood” is like a cleansing idea, I think. Washing away something. I’m growing as an artist, and as a human being. I wanted to shed some of my past. It also reflects the changes in Americana at the moment. Or as I see it, an oncoming storm. 

When/where do you do your best writing?
Early morning. In my car. No radio on. Driving back roads. Best inspiration there is. 

Texas native Gary Kyle recently released the first of two EP's entitled "Rewind White," which centers on the Americana side of the singer-songwriter. The six-song set, with its balance of poignant ballads and energetic dance hall numbers, has a little something for every music lover - and showcases Gary's compelling versatility. The father of five (with number six on the way) kindly took the time to answer a few questions via email about the EP, what's ahead, and more.

You recently released a new EP, Rewind (White) which is the first half of an album you are releasing in two parts. What spurred you to do an album this way and do the EPs differ in any significant ways?
We got into the studio and recorded 12 new tracks. After listening back for a couple months we realized that there are six tracks that are very "Texas country"/"Red dirt" sounding tracks, and the other six tracks sound more of a "Nashville" style.

Why is the significance of the title, Rewind?
"Rewind" is the track that hits home for a lot of people. We all wish that we could take some things back in life, but our decisions have made us who we are today. Rewind...do over...second chance. Life is hard and everyone stumbles and falls, but we are all given the chance to stand back up. Tomorrow is a new day & we must remind ourselves that the view from the windshield is much bigger than the rearview mirror.
 
“Tornado” is such a fantastic energetic track as is “So Good So Far.” Was there any particular reason you placed those songs as the EP’s anchors?
I always love kicking off a new record with a fun song, and I thought "Tornado" was the right pick for that; not to mention, it was co-written by the great Dean Dillon.("Tennessee Whiskey", "Empty Glass", etc.) We knew that we were going to release that to radio. We put "So Good So Far" last as the "barn burner" on the record to showcase the musicianship of the guys in the band... So good so far...Can't wait for Rewind Blue.

A new feature here at TDC, The Essential 8 offers an artist a varied list of questions and asks them to choose 8 to answer, allowing readers and music lovers to gain insight into their process and get to know them on multiple levels.

First up is Jason Wilber, who as John Prine's guitarist and co-executive producer, helped the legendary singer/songwriter to a #2 debut on Billboard's Country Album Chart for Better or Worse, a Grammy win for Fair & Square, and Grammy nominations for Live On Tour and In Spite of Ourselves.  Released earlier this year, Wilber's  tenth studio album, Reaction Time, was produced by Paul Mahern and comes teeming with a diverse assemblage of stripped-down alt-country instrumentation and Wilber's signature vocals that toggle between Father John Misty, Jason Isbell, and Ryan Adams. Reaction Time's ten tracks feature catchy, noodling guitars and pedal steel that nod to the Bakersfield Sound, while ethereal textures pay homage to modern indie/folk and Americana, and sweeping string arrangements channel Bluegrass. Check out what Wilber had to say about the album and more in our first Essential 8.

What’s the story behind the album’s title, Reaction Time? 

Reaction Time is kind of a hacker’s love song. A mysterious courtship shot through the lens of the information age. It’s about the way our emotions still rule our minds, even though we are surrounded by computers and mathematical systems. We live in a time in which our devices and software give us almost superhuman powers compared to even 20 years ago.


In some respects, we do more, know more, and connect more in a day than our recent ancestors did in a month or even a year. But physically and psychologically we are still pretty much the same as we’ve been for a very long time. We are healthier, for the most part, but our bodies, our emotions, and our psyches are still essentially the same as they were in ancient times. So I think this creates a disconnect that people experience in lots of different ways. It reminds me a bit of the way Ray Bradbury and other science fiction writers of his era portrayed the future. Everything around us is different, but inside we’re still the same.


Where do you draw inspiration from when writing? 

All kinds of places. Certainly other works of art. Books, movies, music, paintings, sculpture, etc. It can be anything really. Any work where the creator's inspiration and intent shines through and connects with my aesthetic sense or my emotions. In my opinion, art is mainly about emotions. As opposed to logic. Even when artwork has overtly logical components, like geometric shapes, for instance, there still has to be an emotional “ah-ha” in order for me to be drawn in.


In terms of those works inspiring my own work, this happens in different ways. Sometimes, it’s very obvious. I will hear, see, or experience something that gives me a “creative buzz” for lack of a better term, and I’ll get sparks and flashes of ideas and inspirations that I do my best to immediately write down or record right there on the spot. Other times, it will be more cumulative. I will wake up in the morning or in the middle of the night with an idea. I’m sure these are stirred up by things I’ve recently done or seen, but there isn’t always an obvious link. And that’s OK too, I try not to question the “muse”. The origins don’t really concern me. I feel like my role is to capture the ideas and shape them into something that my instincts tell me is good and complete. It’s great feeling when that happens.


When/where do you do your best writing?

Typically it’s when I’m in my own house, right after I wake up, or sometime in the next few hours after waking. Occasionally, I will get an idea in the evening or afternoon, and it can be somewhere else, but mostly it’s mornings at home. I intentionally don’t focus too much on why and when inspiration strikes, but I do try to structure my schedule and priorities around be able to respond when it does.


What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician?

Incorporate everything that excites you in other people’s art into your own art. To me, this doesn’t necessarily mean copying things. It’s more about extracting the underlying principles and then adding them to your own palette. 

What’s your favorite food on the road?

Well, my favorite food is pizza and beer, good BBQ a close second. But the food I eat mostly is salad. Yes, this makes me sad.


Do you have any touring tips?

Sure, lots of them. Here are a few. All pretty common sense:
 
1. Pace yourself
2. Get plenty of sleep
3. Eat good food
4. Don’t overdo it with your vices (see #1)
5. Learn to recognize when you need space and when the other people around you need space, and act accordingly. Go for a walk, give yourself a timeout. 
6. Find positive things to engage your mind and senses (museums are good!)
7. Get some exercise on a regular basis
8. Don’t bitch about stuff any more than you absolutely have to because you will encounter tons of stuff that could be better in some way, to put it mildly. This will probably happen every hour of every day you are on the road. Learn to choose your battles. Both for your own sanity and for the sake of your road family, who is also dealing with all the same annoying stuff and doesn’t want to also have to listen to you bitching about it. This should probably be #1 on the list! :)


What do you love most about being on the road?

Seeing cool places and things; connecting with old friends; meeting new and interesting people; having lots of time to daydream. And of course, that short period of time during the day when you actually get to play music is almost always a highlight.


Which song of yours gets the best crowd response?

I guess it’s my song “Heaven”, which is on my new record Reaction Time and features my friend Iris Dement on harmony vocals. It’s a song I wrote a long time ago and it seems to connect with all kinds of people. It’s kind of a pragmatic midwesterner’s vision of the afterlife. 


Reaction Time is available now. For more information:
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​Award-winning songwriter Kendell Marvel has written hits for Chris Stapleton, George Strait, Jamey Johnson, and more.  This month he made his solo debut with LOWDOWN & LONESOME, a concept album, produced by Keith Gattis, that is reminiscent of the classic country greats combined with a southern rock edge.  The ten tracks, including nine originals and one cover, take the listener on a journey of heartbreak, vices and points in between. Recently, Marvel graciously took some time to answer a few questions about the album via email.

As a well-regarded songwriter, was being an artist and releasing your own album always a goal or desire of yours? And if so, why was now the right time to finally release your debut album?
I originally moved here to be an artist, but songwriting took off for me. I saw credible acts such as Cody Jinks, Jason Isbell, and Chris Stapleton having success without mainstream radio and thought now is the time if I’m ever gonna do it.

Lowdown & Lonesome is, of course, the opening track on the record, but why did you choose that song, about hitting rock bottom, for the album’s title?
We set out to make a concept record - I thought Lowdown & Lonesome was a great tune to build the record around. In all songs on the album, I’m either lowdown or I’m lonesome.

The album features all-star players and was produced by Keith Gattis. Why did you want to work with him and what did he bring to the project?
Keith and I are old friends and I have always loved the way his records sound. I knew he was the only guy who could make the kind of record I wanted to make.

Nashville by way of Florida singer-songwriter Parker Willingham pens songs that are experience driven, focusing on down to earth themes like relationships and small-town life. Songs of those nature can be found on his latest release, You Get Me Every Time. The twelve-track recording, produced by Kate Hart, is filled with originals and co-writes and features “One Kiss At A Time,” “Flipside,” and the title track. Recently, Willingham kindly took the time to chat via email about his roots, the album, and more.​​​

You were planning on a baseball career; what happened to turn your attention to music? And was music something that was there the whole time you were playing sports or something new?
I’d always enjoyed singing. When I was in high school, though, sports (baseball primarily) were my concentration. I never really thought about making music a career. I used to sing in the locker room and on the school bus to and from games; all of my friends used to tell me, ‘STOP SINGING!’  It really wasn’t until my sister signed me up for a singing competition at a local festival that I put baseball aside and picked up the guitar with any kind of seriousness (well, as serious as I can be).  I sang in a few competitions and out in public, and that experience turned a new leaf for me—which led to new gigs and opportunities.  I get a rush outta playing on stage.

You enjoy a variety of music from Styx to Skynyrd and Brooks and the Eagles. What eventually made you gravitate toward Country and who do you consider your influences artistically?
I’m a country music ‘fan;’ but creatively, I’ve always gravitated more toward blues and rock music. (I dig the rhythm.)  I think all three genres tend to go hand in hand. My musical influences range in styles from Stevie Ray Vaughn, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, along with George Strait and Garth Brooks.

Did you write all the songs on the album? If so, where do you draw from and if not, what drew you to record the songs?
I wrote more than half of the tunes on the new album (YOU GET ME EVERY TIME).  The song ideas came from real life experiences, feelings and the place where I grew up.  There are a few cuts on the project that I did not write; I was drawn to those tracks because I really liked the lyrics. I resonated with the storylines and the people who wrote them.

Throughout its eight-year history, The Festy Experience has worked hard to produce a diverse festival experience that illustrates its core values: a family-friendly atmosphere, a love of craft food & beer, appreciation for the outdoors, and of course, stellar music. This year The Festy Experience will be held October 5-8 in the Blue Ridge Bowl at Infinity Downs Farm in Arrington, Virginia. The lineup comprises a carefully curated blend of national and local roots music acts including Ani DiFranco, Phoebe Hunt, and Elephant Revival, whose member Charlie Rose kindly took some time to answer a few questions via email about The Festy, the importance of giving back, and more.

This is the Festy’s 8th year. How many years have you been involved and what makes the Festy special such that it has you returning? If this is your first time performing, what made you want to be a part of it?
​
This is Elephant Revival’s third year playing Festy. We love to be a part of music gatherings and celebrations. The Festy is a great opportunity to come together with fans and friends in other bands and make a joyful noise!
 

Being that performing is what you do, do you also like to catch live music? Is there anyone, in particular, whom you are excited to see or are planning on seeing for the first time at Festy?

Haha, I don't care much for music myself ;) (just kidding). I'm really excited to see Phoebe Hunt and her amazing band! Also, Della Mae is a must see. And any and all Stringdusters will get my ears to perk up!