Husband and wife duo Carriage House seem to absorb the surroundings around them. From their time living in Red Wing, MN to their current home in La Crosse, WI, the melodies and soothing presence of Jenna and Jeffrey Kelly are part of the natural landscape. Both Jenna and Jeffrey care so much about the lyrics and telling a story poetically, where landmarks, hills, and community are meaningfully intertwined. Their dedication to connecting community reaches even further than their music through the house concert series they host. For this episode, they and host Tom Smouse were joined by multi-intrumentalist Cass. They discussed their songwriting and performing process, and I got to learn more about two of Tom's favorite songs of theirs.

Molly Maher is a connector and advocate for our local music scene who lives quietly under the radar. She’s got her hands in a variety of festivals, shows, and collaborations, which in itself is impressive to see. But it’s when you add in her own music, which carries such heart and weight in its lyrics, that you fully understand the importance of Molly’s voice in our scene. Sitting in her basement surrounded by iconic photos of Dylan and a collection of instruments made the whole experience of this episode magical for host Tom Smouse.

Daphne Jane builds worlds around her music. Using her own home, friends, partner, and iconic sense of style, Daphne has a vision of where her music lives. It’s no surprise that she creates Pinterest boards for each song to help her creative team understand the colors and landscape of her music. That intention and strength support songs that feel like a piece of life and authentically feel like they’re your own stories. For a podcast that explores how environments influence art, Daphne Jane exemplifies that theme expertly.