In this episode, we had a great time talking with Rebecca Frazier about her latest release “Boarding Windows in Paradise , “ her obsession with flatpicking, and taking care ofyourself in a self-loving way. She also schools us on what flatpicking is!

Grounded in her roots as a native Virginian, bluegrass trailblazer Rebecca Frazier found herselfreawakening to a whole new journey of inspiration and invention. For the flatpicking luminary, who achieved notoriety in the music world as the first woman ever to appear on the cover of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, that creative rebirth turned into her most captivatingwork yet: BOARDING WINDOWS IN PARADISE, released September 13, 2024 on Compass Records.

The album title seems appropriate, as Frazier stepped into these last years with more strength and intention than ever before. Like the generations of her ancestors who havelived along Virginia’s coast, she, too, has weathered life’s hurricanes and battering winds — and witnessed its luminous beauty — and she wanted to capture that juxtaposition on this record.

Check out Rebecca here—

• Website: rebeccafrazier.com
• Facebook: Rebecca Frazier
• YouTube: Rebecca Frazier

Avery Hill was full of insightful things to say in this latest episode. As a musician and teacher (both ukelele and songwriting) we had a lot of questions for her. We talked with her about making mix tapes back in the day, drawing inspiration by seeing live music, and the power of the natural world.

Portland-based singer-songwriter Avery Hill is set to release her sophomore full-length album, The One Who Remembers, on November 1, 2024. This album marks a significant return to her roots as a storyteller and reflects Avery's profound personal journey. "The title is an introduction to myself as an artist," Avery explains. "I am not a flashy performer or a storm chaser; I am the one who remembers." She further elaborates, "Fundamentally, every artist is a 'rememberer,' and the purpose of art is to invite us all to remember what it is to be human." The album title, she adds, is also the title of the opening track and represents "a certain amount of humility" and "a truer picture of myself," emphasizing that her role is to reflect and make sense of experiences rather than seek attention.Avery's music career began in a home filled with the sounds of her parents' favorites. She recalls, "My mother bought me my first guitar and patiently listened to me rave about Joni Mitchell. My father made me mixtapes and taught me to harmonize to The Beach Boys on the radio." Originally aspiring to be a teacher, Avery's life took a creative turn after teaching in classrooms across Germany, Vermont, Washington, and Oregon.

Avery's passion for teaching remained strong alongside her music career. "Teaching music became as fulfilling as writing and performing," she says. She started teaching ukulele in 2013 and has become a staple in Portland's ukulele community. "I strive to educate everyone's inner musician, elevate their self-knowledge and confidence, and enchant them with insight, presence, and a handful of good jokes."

Check out Avery here--

• Website: https://averyhill.studio/
• Instagram: Averyhill.studio
• Facebook: Avery Hill
• YouTube: Avery Hill Ukelele Studio AND Avery Hill Song Studio

We talk with Emily the Band in this episode who Carolyn had the pleasure of meeting at her friends' wedding. (Thanks Tom and Amelia!). We talked about their NPR Tiny Desk Series video submission, their forthcoming EP "Mwah," and the struggle with perfectionism.

Emily the band is a three-piece, queer, girl group based in central Illinois. Although they officially became a band in 2021, the love story between Emily Antonacci, Camryn Proctor, and Abbey Haste began in their teens. After meeting in highschool and becoming musical collaborators, the trio realized they were platonic soulmates. Now they get to spend their early twenties sharing their indie-alt-pop anthems with audiences.

Check out Emily the Band here--

• Website: emilytheband.com
• Youtube: Emily the Band
• Instagram: Emily the Band
• Facebook: Emily the Band
• TikTok: Emilythebandofficial

We really enjoyed our chat with Sophie Gault about writing gut-punching songs and being a vessel for songwriting. Its always a pleasure talking to strong, genre-defying artists!

Reflecting on everything she had overcome, Sophie Gault found the title Baltic Street Hotel: “I used to hang out in Brooklyn a lot with my old bass player who was from Staten Island. I had returned to New York for the first time in eight, nine, ten years to promote my first album, and the Baltic Hotel is where I stayed. It felt like a homecoming. I was like, wow, I went to Nashville, I made an album. And at that point, I didn’t know I was going to make a second album, but I felt like I had accomplished something and I was proud."

Holler recently named Gault one of 10 New Country and Americana Artists You Need To Know (September 2024) calling the album "a joyfully eclectic mix of alt-country and breezy Tom Petty pop."

Check Sophie out here--

• Website: sophiegault.com
• Instagram: Sophie Gault
• TikTok: Sophiegault_

We are thrilled to be putting out our 75th episode with our conversation with Nashville's Devon Beck! We had a fabulous chat about how Devon arrived and stayed in Nashville, and her single "Blame It" and how it came to be.

Lauded as a "musical force" (CelebMix) Devon moved from Pennsylvania to Nashville to pursue her career in music in 2019. Since then, she has released six singles and her debut EP One Sided Expectations. She has quickly built a loyal following and has garnered nearly 370,000 cumulative streams on Spotify, a captivating audience on TikTok and the attention of several artists, songwriters and insiders including a collaboration with Sam Grow. She has previously opened for artists including Ernest, Joe Nichols, Maddie & Tae, Brett Young, Everclear, Nate Barnes, and more.

Check Devon out here:

• Website, https://devonbeckofficial.com/home
• TikTok, https://www.tiktok.com/@devonbeckofficial?lang=en
• Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/devonbeckofficial/?hl=en
• Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DevonBeckOfficial/
• Spotify, https://open.spotify.com/artist/7GFUytQSU8DZOmANgouv5r?autoplay=true
• YouTube Music, https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCsfHoCQookM6RQS5qUBJspQ

We really enjoyed talking with Mary Bragg about her new EP “The Quiet One” OUT TOMORROW (1/23/25). We got really deep chatting about the importance of listening, getting lost in theactivity of writing, accepting your inner critic rather than fighting it, and so much more including her recent wedding!

An artist, songwriter, producer, and engineer, the Swainsboro, Georgia native began to fully come into her own with her 2017 record, the critically acclaimed Lucky Strike. Hailedas a “sublime distilling of Southern grit” by NPR, the album dipped its toes into a kind of radical honesty that Bragg had only previously hinted at, which she then committed further to for her self-titled album, Mary Bragg, released in 2022. Covering heartbreak, divorce, coming out, grief, and self-actualization, Mary Bragg depicts themes centered around the life tenets most important to her – love, kindness, and honesty.

Bragg tours extensively, both with her band and solo, playing headline and festival dates to ever-growing audiences across the US, Canada, and Europe. Since earning her Master of Artsin Songwriting and Production at BerkleeNYC, Bragg just released a lush new EP, Tie Me to You, and hints at a forthcoming full-length record. Having opened tours for the Indigo Girls, The Secret Sisters, Mick Flannery, and even Miranda Lambert, Bragg is gearing up for a robust chapter, because, as Saving Country Music said, “Watch out.”

Check Mary out here—

• Website: marybragg.com
• Instagram: marybragg
• Facebook: Mary Lowman-Bragg
• YouTube: Mary Bragg music

We had a great conversation with Nathan Jacques about his concept album "The Dark Wanderer and the Bounty Heart," its accompanying videos, and 'Western Noir."

Hailing from quiet, wooded mountain towns of New England, Nathan Jacques is a singer/songwriter now based in Los Angeles, CA. Contrary to his geographical roots, Nathan paints deeply woven narrative stories in cinematic soundscapes that are undeniably and irresistibly western.

Starting with his 2021 debut album, "Loud Mind," Nathan has been building his brand and following offering something different than the traditional country trend taking Los Angeles and the rest of the country by storm. His unique sound features powerful yet soothing baritone vocals shepherding audiences through dramatic stories in song. Listening to Nathan Jacques feels like traveling through time and dreams into landscapes of classic films and records of old.

Check Nathan out here--

• Website: https://www.nathanjacques.com/
• YouTube: Nathanjacquesmusic
• Facebook: Nathan Jacques
• Instagram: nathanjacques
• TikTok: nathanjacquesmusic

We talk with Alice Wallace on this episode about her recent release “Here I Am,” (released June 2024) imposter syndrome, and the endless way to write a song.

Four years ago, Alice moved to Nashville after more than a decade in southern California, and Here I Am is the first of her albums to be recorded in true Music City style, backed by alineup of world-class musicians and recorded in two whirlwind days with no rehearsal. Produced by Nick Buda (Taylor Swift, Martina McBride, Dolly Parton), the album features some of the most talented musicians Music City has to offer.

In addition to Nick Buda on drums, the record features GRAMMY-winning guitarist Kenny Greenberg (Willie Nelson, Wynonna Judd, Hayes Carll), bassist Ted Pecchio (Doyle Bramhall II, Susan Tedeschi), and keyboardist Jimmy Wallace (The Wallflowers).

“This is an album about reclaiming myself–as an artist, as a woman, and as a person navigating a world that is beautiful and confusing and harsh,” she says. Since releasing her last LP, her life has changed immensely - a cross-country move, a career unexpectedly halted in 2020, falling in lovemore deeply than before, and being heartbroken more painfully than she ever knew she could be. “All of those changes gave me a chance to examine myself in ways I never had. This album covers a spectrum of emotion I haven’t been brave enough to share on an album before,” she continues. “This album is me.”

Check Alice out here—

• Website: https://www.alicewallacemusic.com
• IG: Alicewallacemusic
• Facebook: Alice Wallace