Rhiannon Giddens is a multi-instrumentalist, a singer, and a composer. She is a MacArthur Genius fellow, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and one the most dynamic voices in American folk and roots music performing today. She’s also one of the knowledgeable people you can possibly talk to when it comes to history of the banjo and American music generally. In the finale of season 11 Ms. Giddens joins Sebastian for a sprawling talk about how the history of the banjo is deeply connected to America's tumultuous development as a nation. Is the banjo America's most misunderstood instrument? Tune-in and find out how the Tango craze, African lutes, and Japanese men playing minstrel tunes all play a role in the story.

Pre-order Rhiannon Gidden's new album HERE

Listen to Sebastian's band Staring Contest HERE

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On this Bonus Episode Sebastian takes questions about the recent series on the Knights of the Air and the one-off on the Midnight Ride. The host grapples with questions about the American perception of Canadian history, tarring and feathering, WWI weaponry, and Paul Revere's plagiarized engravings. Sebastian also gives some important updates about the end of Season 11, the start of Season 12, and plays a new song from Staring Contest. Tune-in and find out how angry letters, machine gun poetry, and Canadian theatre all play a role in the story.

Get the new album from Staring Contest HERE

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Paul Revere is one of the best remembered heroes of the American Revolution. The Boston silversmith is often credited with rousing the Massachusetts countryside to resist the King's army as they moved against the towns of Lexington and Concord. However, he popular understanding of the famous "midnight ride" was largely shaped by a romantic poem written 85 years after the fact by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The image of Paul Revere as a lone rider, single handedly saving the revolutionary cause has become a textbook historical myth. The real story is way weirder and more exciting than the Longfellow poem would have you believe! Tune-in and find out how oar-silencing underwear, a smooth talking leather tanner, and a horse named Brown Beauty all play a role in the story.

Check out more from Sebastian's band Staring Contest HERE

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.