Back in 2017, I envisioned Southern Songs and Stories as a video documentary series, and pitched our pilot episode on Aaron Burdett to public television. Following Aaron’s episode, I profiled Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters, and made another go with video when I attended my first Albino Skunk Music Festival that spring, and sat with the Jon Stickley Trio.

The video documentary series dream did not materialize, however, and I pivoted to audio. Even though the video of the Jon Stickley Trio did not see the light of day, the audio did, and it launched this podcast series in October 2017. With the current chapter of Southern Songs and Stories soon coming to a close, I thought that it would be perfect to end where we began, and sit with Jon Stickley at the Albino Skunk farm in the rolling countryside of Greer, SC to deliver this conversation where we touch on his Trio as well as a new collaboration with Larry Keel, his Chords For Callum charity, and teaching the guitar. I will get my first guitar lesson from Jon on this very podcast, so that should be worth a listen just by itself!

It has been a marvelous nine year run. Let’s go out with a twang.

Jon Stickley Trio: (L to R) Lyndsay Pruett, Jon Stickley, Hunter Deacon

If you can make it as a professional musician in Austin, that is saying something. And if you can make it in Nashville, New Orleans, and also New York, that is saying something in all caps. Seth Walker has made it in all of the above locales. Making it as a professional musician in all of those iconic music scenes is not only impressive, but it also requires playing a variety of styles that sync with each city’s musical tastes. With his 12th album, Why the Worry, Seth Walker shows off what he has learned (and unlearned) from all of those years gigging and recording with a who’s who of roots music luminaries.

In recent years, he has called western North Carolina home, which is not terribly far from his childhood home in a Quaker commune, a couple hundred miles to the east in Burlington. That is where his music journey began, and is the place which serves as the backdrop to his forthcoming novella, about a young girl on a tobacco farm. I imagine Seth Walker may even make some paintings to go along with that story, as he is also an accomplished visual artist.

Seth is as laid back as he is intriguing, and we enjoyed a relaxed conversation at his home in Fairview, NC, nestled in the Appalachian mountains. Joining us was WNCW intern Elena Dickson, who hosted our recent episode on fellow western NC artist Sally Anne Morgan. We spoke about Seth’s musical past and present, ranging from his love of jump blues to how an inspired take of Al Green’s “Take Me to the River” set the wheels in motion for his latest album, to how Hurricane Helene very nearly left it in a ditch. All that and more, including music from Why the Worry, awaits you in this podcast.

Seth Walker poses with his Waterloo acoustic guitar

Songs heard in this episode:

“Why the Worry” by Seth Walker, from Why the Worry

“Magnolia” by Seth Walker, from Why the Worry, excerpt

“Take Me to the River” by Seth Walker, from Why the Worry, excerpt

“Strollin’ With Bones” by T-Bone Walker, excerpt

“Up on the Mountain” by Seth Walker, from Why the Worry

Thank you for dropping by! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify here and YouTube here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. You can follow us on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and now on Substack here, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed.

Thanks to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This episode features WNCW intern Elena Dickson, who co-produced the episode, and took part in Seth’s interview.

- Joe Kendrick

If you can make it as a professional musician in Austin, that is saying something. And if you can make it in Nashville, New Orleans, and also New York, that is saying something in all caps. Seth Walker has made it in all of the above locales. Making it as a professional musician in all of those iconic music scenes is not only impressive, but it also requires playing a variety of styles that sync with each city’s musical tastes. With his 12th album, Why the Worry, Seth Walker shows off what he has learned (and unlearned) from all of those years gigging and recording with a who’s who of roots music luminaries.

In recent years, he has called western North Carolina home, which is not terribly far from his childhood home in a Quaker commune, a couple hundred miles to the east in Burlington. That is where his music journey began, and is the place which serves as the backdrop to his forthcoming novella, about a young girl on a tobacco farm. I imagine Seth Walker may even make some paintings to go along with that story, as he is also an accomplished visual artist.

Seth is as laid back as he is intriguing, and we enjoyed a relaxed conversation at his home in Fairview, NC, nestled in the Appalachian mountains. Joining us was WNCW intern Elena Dickson, who hosted our recent episode on fellow western NC artist Sally Anne Morgan. We spoke about Seth’s musical past and present, ranging from his love of jump blues to how an inspired take of Al Green’s “Take Me to the River” set the wheels in motion for his latest album, to how Hurricane Helene very nearly left it in a ditch. All that and more, including music from Why the Worry, awaits you in this podcast.

Seth Walker

Songs heard in this episode:

“Why the Worry” by Seth Walker, from Why the Worry

“Magnolia” by Seth Walker, from Why the Worry, excerpt

“Take Me to the River” by Seth Walker, from Why the Worry, excerpt

“Strollin’ With Bones” by T-Bone Walker, excerpt

“Up on the Mountain” by Seth Walker, from Why the Worry

Thank you for dropping by! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify here and YouTube here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. You can follow us on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and now on Substack here, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed.

Thanks to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This episode features WNCW intern Elena Dickson, who co-produced the episode, and took part in Seth’s interview.

- Joe Kendrick

If you can make it as a professional musician in Austin, that is saying something. And if you can make it in Nashville, New Orleans, and also New York, that is saying something in all caps. Seth Walker has made it in all of the above locales. Making it as a professional musician in all of those iconic music scenes is not only impressive, but it also requires playing a variety of styles that sync with each city’s musical tastes. With his 12th album, Why the Worry, Seth Walker shows off what he has learned (and unlearned) from all of those years gigging and recording with a who’s who of roots music luminaries.

In recent years, he has called western North Carolina home, which is not terribly far from his childhood home in a Quaker commune, a couple hundred miles to the east in Burlington. That is where his music journey began, and is the place which serves as the backdrop to his forthcoming novella, about a young girl on a tobacco farm. I imagine Seth Walker may even make some paintings to go along with that story, as he is also an accomplished visual artist.

Seth is as laid back as he is intriguing, and we enjoyed a relaxed conversation at his home in Fairview, NC, nestled in the Appalachian mountains. Joining us was WNCW intern Elena Dickson, who hosted our recent episode on fellow western NC artist Sally Anne Morgan. We spoke about Seth’s musical past and present, ranging from his love of jump blues to how an inspired take of Al Green’s “Take Me to the River” set the wheels in motion for his latest album, to how Hurricane Helene very nearly left it in a ditch. All that and more, including music from Why the Worry, awaits you in this podcast.

Seth Walker with his Waterloo acoustic guitar

Songs heard in this episode:

“Why the Worry” by Seth Walker, from Why the Worry

“Magnolia” by Seth Walker, from Why the Worry, excerpt

“Take Me to the River” by Seth Walker, from Why the Worry, excerpt

“Strollin’ With Bones” by T-Bone Walker, excerpt

“Up on the Mountain” by Seth Walker, from Why the Worry

Thank you for dropping by! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, Spotify here and YouTube here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know by name, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. You can follow us on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and now on Substack here, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed.

Thanks to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This episode features WNCW intern Elena Dickson, who co-produced the episode, and took part in Seth’s interview.

- Joe Kendrick

In this episode, you get a familiar voice to not only this podcast but to all of roots music: Ketch Secor, of Old Crow Medicine Show, with a conversation from MerleFest in late April 2026. Just days after this episode is published, get set for another alumnus of this podcast, Jon Stickley of the Jon Stickley Trio, who will tell us about what he is doing these days, including a new project with Larry Keel in a conversation right ahead of the Trio’s performance at the Albino Skunk Music Festival.

Here, Secor reflects on the festival's pivotal role as the band's career launchpad, sparked by a chance encounter with Doc Watson in 1999, and details recent projects, including the documentary Louder Than Guns—which addresses school shooting advocacy—a new Old Crow album titled Union Made, and his role hosting Tennessee Crossroads. Secor also shares insights on the punk-adjacent, anti-hero mentality that shaped Old Crow's journey, drawing a distinct line between old-time music and bluegrass.

Photo gallery: Old Crow Medicine Show performs at MerleFest in Wilkesboro, NC, with percussive dancers including Arthur Grimes, April 2026.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Doc’s Day” by Old Crow Medicine Show, from Remedy

“Next Go ‘Round” by Old Crow Medicine Show, from Tennessee Pusher

This is Southern Songs and Stories, where our quest is to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed.

- Joe Kendrick

Don’t let the straightforward, down-to-earth aesthetic of Jontavious Willis’ music lead you to think that there is little complexity or depth to his art. Indeed, Willis exemplifies making something that isn’t really easy at all seem like a stroll down a country road in his native Georgia hill country. He is also well versed in the history and dynamics of his style of blues. From a recent post on his social media, for example, he said:

Ethnomusicologist Pete Lowry coined the term "Piedmont Blues" in the 1960s to describe a certain type of fingerpicking. But in my opinion, many of the titles are flawed. John Hurt and Hacksaw Harney, for example, were from the Delta. Even though they were great fingerpickers, they weren’t from the Piedmont region. Conversely, Barbecue Bob and Kokomo Arnold were from the Piedmont region of Georgia, and most of their styles could be associated with Delta blues. These terms are cool guidelines, but they aren’t concrete. I’m a Piedmont player because that’s where I’m from—the Piedmont region of Georgia.

I spoke with Jontavious Willis at MerleFest in Wilkesboro, NC in late April, 2026, where he performed solo, and also guested with Peter Wernick on his set. We talked about his style of blues and how it intersects with other genres, like bluegrass. We also talk about his relationship to the music of Doc Watson, the importance of connecting with his fans and how young musicians are keeping the blues alive and well. Willis’ latest album is West Georgia Blues, and we sample songs from that collection in this episode, as well as music from Doc Watson and Taj Mahal.

Songs heard in this episode:

“West Georgia Blues” by Jontavious Willis, from West Georgia Blues

“Country Blues” by Doc Watson, from Doc Watson, excerpt

“Goin’ Up To the Country, Paint My Mailbox Blue” by Taj Mahal, from The Natch’l Blues, excerpt

“Keep Your Worries on the Dance Floor” by Jontavious Willis, from West Georgia Blues

This is where I thank you for taking this musical journey with us and ask you to follow this series wherever you listen to podcasts, and to connect with us on social media, and Substack. This episode is no different, but one thing that is about to change is the future direction of Southern Songs and Stories. This is the third in a series of four interviews from artists at this year’s MerleFest, and next up is Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show. Beyond that, I am debating on what to do with the podcast. I hope to keep it going, maybe in a different format, but the current chapter of the series is soon coming to a close. There have been some big life changes for me recently which make me realize that I simply won’t be able to spend all the time I devote to this series as you’re hearing it now. But rest assured that I am not leaving music and podcasts and writing and will come to the next chapter of this story before long. In the meantime, there are close to 200 episodes in the series that you can still enjoy, for free, wherever you listen to podcasts, as well as that conversation with Ketch up next. Ketch is never not entertaining, so it’s sure to be worth your time. - Joe Kendrick

Maggie Rose is a class act. Have you ever met someone who has incredible presence? Someone who can walk in a room and cause everyone to take a pause and notice them, even without a word spoken or any invitation to look their way? This is how people react to Maggie Rose. It is rare enough, even for professional music artists, but when you witness it happening, it is something special. That is how I felt when speaking with the Nashville artist at Merlefest in Wilkesboro, NC, in late April 2026.

Maggie Rose’s fifth album is titled Half Moon, and it was the subject of much of our conversation. We touched on her many musical sisters and brothers in song, her first impressions of MerleFest, and her lifelong love of connecting with live audiences. That, as well as musical excerpts from Half Moon awaits you in this episode.

Album art for Half Moon by Maggie Rose

Songs heard in this episode:

“Half Moon” by Maggie Rose, from Half Moon

“Hiding In Plain Sight” by Maggie Rose, from Half Moon, excerpt

“This Life” by Maggie Rose, from Half Moon

Thank you for visiting! We encourage you to follow this series wherever you listen to podcasts, and to share it with a friend. We are especially grateful for top ratings and your reviews. You can follow this series on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and you can view these episodes and a lot more on my YouTube channel, at the handle JoeKendrickNC. We can also send you newsletters via Substack, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed.

This is Southern Songs and Stories, where our quest is to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed.

- Joe Kendrick

“My mom went to Juilliard, graduated from Juilliard. She taught us all of our instruments. We performed very high-level classical music, but we never felt a connection with the audience. And that's what we really yearned for.” — Dan Fedoryka

You might not guess that the Fedoryka brothers, the core of the four-piece band Scythian, would have started their musical journey in such a formal setting, judging from their freewheeling, sweat-soaked and jet-engine-loud performances. As spontaneous and loose as you may think they are, however, Scythian is actually leaning hard into that foundational experience with their approach. It is the second part of Dan’s quote that is obvious from the first notes they play on stage, as Scythian is well known for getting their audiences fully engaged in their show — wide swaths of spontaneous dancing, pockets of shoulder surfing, and much of the audience singing along at full volume.

You might not expect that such a scene would be commonplace at a music festival founded on the music of the decidedly non-raucous flat-picking guitar legend Doc Watson and the festival’s namesake, his son and frequent musical partner Merle. But they are a staple at the festival over their now 17-year tenure there, and Doc gave them their first opportunity to play the festival himself.

In April 2026, I caught up with Scythian for a conversation that touched on everything from their first time playing at MerleFest, to their nomadic warrior ancestors from Ukraine and much more. We also dive into brand new music from the band as we salute the memory of Doc and Merle with a hearty toast from their homeland, “Nostrovia!”.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Get There” by Scythian

“Bulgarian Suite” by Scythian, from Paste Studio’s “On The Road” session at the 7th Annual Suwannee Spring Reunion

“Life To Live” by Scythian

Thank you for dropping by! We encourage you to follow this series wherever you listen to podcasts, and to share it with a friend. We are especially grateful for top ratings and your reviews. You can follow this series on social media: @southstories on Instagram, at Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook, and you can view these episodes and a lot more on my YouTube channel, at the handle JoeKendrickNC. We can also send you newsletters via Substack, where you can read the scripts of these podcasts, and get updates on what we are doing and planning in our quest to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed.

This is Southern Songs and Stories, where our quest is to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed.

- Joe Kendrick