We really nerded out talking with Kevin about punk rock and the evolution of Sassparilla. He told us about their latest release “Honey I’m Using Again“ and its new sound. On the album,Blackwell reunited with longtime associates alongside family, featuring: Dan Power – Acoustic guitar, backing vocals, Doug Ebert – Upright bass, backing vocals, and Emmett Blackwell – Drums.     Kevin told us about his absolute love of writing music above everything else music-related. AND we have the newest single on our episode available TODAY wherever you get your music! It’s called “In the Dust of Things”.    Now based in both Portland, Oregon and Golden, Colorado, Sassparilla has long been known for its raw, electrified blend of Americana roots, punk ethos, and a blues mindset - melding old-time string-band traditions, hill country blues, and punk grit. With their eighth record, Honey, I’m Using Again, the band delivers their most vulnerable and visceral work to date, a fifteen-songcollection born out of addiction, loss, and the process of reckoning. Recorded in songwriter Kevin Blackwell’s basement in Golden, the album explores the deepest corners of human experience, touching on themes like substance abuse, aging, homelessness, and the suicide of close friends. Blackwell’s songwriting continues to blend religious imagery, gut-level despair, and a desperate hope that fights its way through the darkness.    Be sure to check Sassparilla out here:  Website: sassparilla.info.com  Bandcamp: Sassparilla  IG: sassparillapdx  Facebook: sassparilla

We talk with Maya de Vitry about her JUST RELEASED album, “All My Faith.” When we chatted, she was amidst getting the albums ready to ship out. She told us about growing up at bluegrass festivals and how music has always been a part of her and how much it serves as community and connection.     Originally from the green rolling hills of Lancaster, PA, Maya de Vitry is a Nashville-based fiddler-turned-songwriter whose music blurs the lines of folk, indie rock, and Americana. Her earliest years in the music industry are represented by the 4 full-length albums and 2 EPs withroots-Americana trio The Stray Birds, with whom she toured year-round for 7 years throughout USA, Canada, and Europe. After this formative chapter, she launched her solo career with her 2019 album Adaptations, earning praise from Rolling Stone Country, NPR Music, and No Depression. Since then, she has released three more full-length albums—How to Break a Fall(2020), Violet Light (2022), and The Only Moment (2024); an EP, Infinite (2023); and multiple singles, all of which are testaments to her personal reinvention and creative growth.   Energized by the spontaneity of live performance and a revelatory pursuit of truth in her lyric writing, Maya de Vitry returns with her fifth full-length album, All My Faith. Prioritizing presence and grit over studio polish, she sounds joyously at home in the alt-country and indie-folk realms. Recorded and mixed by 5-time Grammy Award-winning engineer Sean Sullivan and self-produced by de Vitry, All My Faith is a buoyant gathering of songs brought to life by a cast of her closest confidantes and collaborators. All My Faith was released on de Vitry’s own Mad Maker Studio label on July 24.  Be sure to check Maya out here:    Website: Mayadevitry.com  Substack: Maya de Vitry  IG: mayadevitry  Facebook: Maya de Vitry

We chatted with Eric Becker and Marty Buckenmeyer of Stunt Drummer and they told us how they cleverly got their name and their formation post-Covid. We also talked about their recent release “Warm Up, Tiger the band’s most feral, focused, and experimental release yet! We had some good laughs and such a great conversation these guys.  The band is made up of Marty Buckenmeyer (guitar/vocals), Erik Becker (guitar/vocals), Ethan Schee (bass), and J Leaver (drums).   Stunt Drummer thrive on collaboration and collision. Songs rarely arrive finished - instead they’re mashed together from riffs, mistakes, and half-ideas until something clicks. As the band puts it, the best moments come when things probably shouldn’t work, but somehow do.    Stunt Drummer aren't interested in fitting neatly anywhere. Their ideal setting? "A medium-sized, dimly lit bar with cheap drinks and free Narcan, in front of the restroom door." With Warm Up, Tiger, they deliver a record that’s loud, memorable, disorienting, and deeply alive - best experienced with the volume up and expectations off.  Be sure to check them out at:  Band Camp: Stunt Drummer  IG: stunt_drummer  FB: Stunt Drummer

We talked with Gainesville, Florida born-now Nashville talent Alex Hall about his latest EP “Turn This Love Around” We chatted with him about how his love of music started with his love of Elvis and how music is now just a part of who he is. We were fascinated in hearing about how he writes a song and how he’s out there doing it as an independent artist.  Nashville-based singer-songwriter Alex Hall released his star-studded new EP TurnThis Love Around. Boasting collaborations with Vince Gill, Tenille Townes and Mae Estes, the five-song collection finds Hall embracing creative freedom as an independent artist, with vulnerable love songs that don’t shy away from the turmoil of everyday life.  “The Turn This Love Around EP is a project about love, growth, the highs and lows of it all, and everything in between,” says Hall. “It touches on my experience with sobriety, the work it takes to build a strong marriage, and stepping into a different side of myself as asongwriter. When it came time to record, I went in a different direction – rather than bringing in the usual top session players in Nashville, I made the record in the studio with close friends I’ve shared the stage with over the years. I think that gave it more of my own fingerprint. It was also really special to have friends like Mae Estes, Tenille Townes, and Vince Gill be part of it. I’m a huge fan of all three, and I’m grateful to make music alongside them.”  Townes, who teamed up with Hall and Gill on the uplifting title track, says: “I love this song so much and I will always smile looking back at the day at Vince’s studio when we all wrote this. The stories shared and the time together talking about the heart of music is something I’ll alwayscarry with me. So glad this song found us that day, and what a joy to be a part of this release! Alex is one of my favourite voices to sing with and a friend I’ve known in this community for a long time, and having a song with the legendary Vince Gill is an absolute dream.”  Be sure to check Alex out here:   Website: alexhall.komi.io/  IG: musicbyalexhall  TikTok: Musicbyalexhall  FB: Alex Hall

We had a lovely time talking with Sarah Sharp about her latest album release “Déjà Vu” which includes so many great American Songbook favorites including single “Don’t Think Twice” (which you’ll hear on this episode). We talk about her experience growing up in a musical family, her residency at Austin’s The Elephant room every Thursday night, her experience as a sync licensed artist, and her pretending to be a bad singer when she does karaoke.    Sarah Sharp is an Austin-based jazz singer and songwriter whose signature sound fusesjazz, vintage pop, folk, and cinematic storytelling. Known for her warm, captivating vocals and poetic lyrics, Sharp has become a defining voice in Austin’s creative music scene, consistently named Austin’s Best Jazz performer. Sarah brings an unmistakable charisma to every stage, weaving together wit, elegance, and emotional depth.  The Houston-born and raised performer is a soulful songwriter and so much more. Shemasters Americana, Pop, and old-school country music while exploring other sounds and collaborations. And it's hard not to fall in love with her whole persona. As one reviewer wrote, she’s a little bit Tina Fey.    Sharp’s pedigree includes touring internationally with the Jitterbug Vipers, whose 2013self-produced album “Phoebe’s Dream,’ earned Top 5 placements in Austin MusicAwards categories for Best Female Vocalist, Producer, Songwriter, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Band of the Year, and Best Jazz Band. The record was added to more than 90 radio stations in the U.S. and Canada.     Be sure to check Sarah out here:  Website: sarahsharp.com  IG: Sarahsharpatx  FB:Sarah Sharp

From El Salvador to Georgia to Nashville, Angie K talks with us about having a reckless belief as an artist to make music, her 5th record “Whiskey and Hemingway”, and how she sees a song start to finish. We talk about “The Artists Way” and how Angie uses this and how we SHOULD! Angie’spragmatism is contagious!    Born in El Salvador, raised in Georgia, and now thriving in Nashville, Angie K has become one of the genre’s most dynamic independent forces. With accolades including 2025 Origins Impact Artist of the Year, CMT’s Listen Up Class recognition, multiple Grand Ole Opry performances, and national media acclaim from Rolling Stone, Billboard, NPR, and Music Row Magazine, she continues to carve out space for Latin artists in country and Americana.    Angie K has taken the summer by storm hitting the main stage at some of the biggest festivals of the summer including Country Thunder, Boots in the Park, and Tortuga providing support for Jelly Roll, Jake Owen, Carin Leon, Bailey Zimmerman and more. With over 35 million streams and half a million followers as an indie artist, she was named to Apple Music's ‘Trailblazers’ Class of 2025. Her new record ‘Whiskey and Hemingway’ landed on more than 15 editorial playlists and landed her a spot on the Brooks and Dunn tour in October 2026. She is a 3x Opry performer and recently debuted an original version of Disney’s “You Can Fly” for an international Walt DisneyWorld ad campaign.    Be sure to check Angie K out here:  Website: officialangiek.com  IG: officialangiek  TikTok: Angiek  Facebook: Angie K

From dancing on her bed with a microphone at 5-years-old to pop-rock heavy-hitter, Gina Zo is a ray of sunshine! We chat about her time on “The Voice,” how she writes a song, and co-writing in Los Angeles. And of course, we talked about her latest release, the deluxe version of her album “Burn Me Into Something Better” (released September 2025).     Gina Zo is a rock-pop singers songwriter and powerhouse vocalist celebrated for her fearless authenticity and raw, emotional storytelling. Originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia and now based in Los Angeles, she is carving out a distinct place as one of the most compelling voices in modern rock-pop.    In late September 2025, Gina released her highly anticipated debut album, Burn Me Into Something Better— searing, vulnerable exploration of transformation, heartbreak, and rebirth. The record was featured on EARMILK, which awarded it a 9/10 review and praised its unfiltered honesty: “What makes Burn Me Into Something Better stand out, though, is its refusal to sanitize. These songs aren’t neatly packaged pop; they’re jagged, raw, and proudly messy, mirroring the real-life transformations that shaped them. It’s a record that validates every stumble as part of the climb, every scar as part of the story.”    Now based in Los Angeles, Gina finds balance in cooking from scratch, reading murder mysteries, and walking around the Silver Lake Reservoir. With Burn Me Into Something Better ushering in her defining era, Dirty Habits setting the tone, and her holiday songs showcasing her versatility, Gina Zo stands at the forefront of a new generation of rock-pop artists—bold, untamed, and unapologetically real.  Be sure to check Gina out here:  Website: ginazomusic.com  IG: _ginazo_  FB: Gina Zo  TikTok: Gina Zo  YouTube: Gina_Zo

We had the best time chatting with Avery Hellman—Ismay—about how ranching and how that was the segway into their music career. We talk about re-writing folk songs, the Woollystar music festival (curated by Avery), and of course Ismay’s latest album “Half Truth”  Avery Hellman has been a rancher, an alt-country musician, and, always, a dreamer. But they recently found themself once more while looking for Lucinda Williams. In 2023, Hellman was hard at work on an album, podcast, and documentary delving into the psyche of the country singer-songwriter when they discovered how much poetry played into Williams’ general talents. “That was a really big shift for me,” Hellman says. “I was like, ‘Well, why don’t I learn how to write poetry?’” Add another job to that resume.    In 2026 Avery helped to launch Fossil Records with Margo Cilker, an indie label whose aim is to capture the expression drawn from seasons of work on ranches and in rural outposts.  ​ Currently, Avery is based in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. ISMAY also curates a music festival called Woollystar.    Be sure to check Ismay out here:   Website: ismaymusic.com  Bandcamp: Ismay  YouTube: Ismay  Instagram: Ismaymusic  FB: Ismay  Fossil Records: fossilrecords.com   Woollystar: Woollystar.com

Brooke and Darin called in to chat from the road on the way to play Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO. We talked about their brand new gospel album, “Soul Condition,” how they make a great writing team, still getting jitters and the Nashville numbering system.    Acclaimed bluegrass and gospel duo Darin & Brooke Aldridge return with theirhighly anticipated new 11-song album which arrived earlier this year, showcasing the soaring harmonies, heartfelt performances, and authentic storytelling that have made them one of the most beloved husband-and-wife teams in contemporary bluegrass, traditional country, and Christian music. The project includes special guest appearances from Grand Ole Opry Members, Sonia Isaacs and Becky Isaacs, along with the legendary John Cowan of New Grass Revival and The Doobie Brothers. Hailing from the mountains of North Carolina, Darin and Brooke continue to blend world-class musicianship, award-winning vocals, and a deep Christian faith into music that honors bluegrass and Southern gospel traditions while connecting with audiencesacross generation.     Be sure to check them out here:  Website:Darinandbrookealdridge.com  IG: darinandbrookealdridge  FB: Darin & Brooke Aldridge  TikTok: darinandbrookealdridge  YouTube: darinandbrooke

From farming in Hawaii to writing songs, Amber Westerman is the real deal! We chatted with her about her start about her experiences being an artist in Nashville and in Austin, the hardest part about being a career musician, and keeping her dream alive!    From the limestone hills of Marble Falls, Texas to the musical heartbeat of Nashville, TN, Amber Westerman embodies the essence of modern Americana music with a reimagined flare. Her musical journey ignited on the volcanic shores of Hawaii's Big Island, where she discovered her voice as a storyteller amidst a vibrant artistic community, shared her first time on stagewith roots music mainstay Mishka, and developed a sound that is uniquely her own.    Westerman is further delving into her Americana roots, crafting songs that bridge the gap between modern folk sensibilities and the timeless art of country storytelling. In an industry often focused on trends, she remains steadfast in her mission: making music that helps listeners feel more present in their lives and their hearts.    Be sure to check Amber out here:  Website: amberwestermanmusic.com  TikTok: Amber.westerman.music  IG: Amberwesterman  YouTube: Amber Westerman  Facebook: Amber Westerman