Open Mic Spotlight

Episode 80: Spinster

Sisters Rosalie, Rachel, and Amelia formed the trio, Spinster, after unearthing their grandfather’s accordion in a closet and spending several summers learning pop covers on a hodgepodge of acquired instruments, from the mandolin to the washboard, glockenspiel, and upright bass.

Spinster melds familial harmony and old-timey sensibilities with pop sounds, reviving classics of doo-wop, 80’s art pop, and 90’s boy band rock.

This episode features the lovely three sisters of Spinster plus host Heather Leigh Holt which makes four women who are all musicians and all teachers! You'll hear a lot of unique instrumentation, beautiful singing with lovely harmonies, and a lot of laughs. Check it out! 

Episode 79: Stellar's Jay

Stellar's Jay is the moniker for the music of Jayke Webb from Chattanooga, TN. It all started in Rogers, Arkansas in 2001 when Jayke, at the age of 15, picked up a guitar and began writing songs. The subject matter of these songs span from Jayke's endless need to travel, love gained and love lost, imaginative stories of war, pirates, and beasts, as well as an examination of what it means to be human. 

Episode 78: Rachel McIntyre Smith

Rachel McIntyre Smith is a singer-songwriter from Oliver, TN. She moved to Chattanooga when she started her marketing and communications studies at UTC. Currently, Rachel is finalizing her degree with an internship at Songbirds Guitar Museum. Find out what's next for her and find out why it was love at first listen for me! 

Episode 77: Summer Dregs

Summer Dregs is the production moniker of Carl Caldwell, a Chattanooga native who has been intertwined in the music scene for many years. Carl is a commercial music producer, but in the last year or two has dedicated some time to working with other artists. Find out how he got started, how he got to where he is now, and listen to some of his most recent collaborations with Swayyvo, Johnny Balik, Superbody, and more. 

Episode 76: Chelsea Ford and the Trouble

Chelsea and Jonathan Ford joined us all the way from Cincinnati, Ohio. Chelsea's voice is so unique and easy on the ears. They have a classic bluegrass-country sound that will make you feel right at home. You'll enjoy this episode. 

"Chelsea Ford and The Trouble features Ford on banjo, with Jonathan on acoustic guitar and Matt Crone on upright bass. The collection of tunes breathes in kicked-up red dust from rural paths and exhales stark, confident Americana, drifting from melancholy reflections to up-tempo, string-band Folk with Bluegrass inflections, complemented with violin, dobro and steel guitar. There are songs about killing a man alongside lover duets and laments about drinks holding on a little too closely. They are heartfelt tunes — played with top-notch skill — that are like pulling open photo albums to present both joyous and distressing recollections."
-Bill Furbee

Episode 75: Cloud Caverns

Cloud Caverns is an acoustic/experimental project comprised of Brandon Peterson and Dan Bouza. Brandon moved from New York to Chattanooga a few years ago but continues to collaborate with Dan from afar. While the two are mostly a studio project, Brandon Peterson plays a few live for us on this episode. His performances and song-writing are deeply beautiful. 

Episode 74: Ariel Omarzu

Ariel Omarzu is a singer-songwriter based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She is new to the professional music world but you will not be able to tell. The power and soul of her vocals will shake you to your core and leave you speechless. You don't want to miss this episode. 

Episode 73: Oh Jeremiah

This is a special episode featuring a live Chattanooga House Shows​ performance by Oh Jeremiah​ from Athens, Ga.

Prepare to laugh, get chill bumps, and feel like you were actually at the show. They’re amazing. Such a beautiful show and now everyone gets to be a part of it!

Oh Jeremiah is the singer/songwriter duo made up of Jeremiah Stricklin and his wife Erin. Started in south Mississippi and currently residing in Athens, GA, the couple draws its inspiration from the storytelling nature of their home state, echoing the likes of Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. Oh Jeremiah is known for its harmonies in the style of early Damien Rice and their peculiar onstage banter. Their debut album, the Other End of Passing Time, is available now.

Episode 72: Superbody

Superbody is in every sense of the phrase a true pop star. Listen to what gets him going and his new single!!

Episode 71: Bryce Cronan of The Afternooners

Bryce Cronan of the Afternooners joins us in the studio for the next round of the Summer Series with his smooth melodies and his Jack Johnson vibe. Listen to some interesting show stories like the time his band opened for Cherub!

Episode 70: The Mailboxes

The Mailboxes is an art-pop band from Cleveland, Tennessee. Members Jillian and Logan Ivey are creative partners who also happen to be married to one another. Jillian plays piano, sings really loud, and writes catchy indie pop melodies. Logan plays the drums, looks cool, and is trying not to break his arms again. They like touring across the country in their van and thru hiking in the mountains. They have a new project and album coming in 2019!

Episode 69: Thirstain Daniels

Thirstain Daniels is a Chattanooga native with the most beautiful voice. Listen to his stories about his up bringing in music and where he is headed! You will really enjoy his covers and originals played on this episode. 

Episode 68: Twisted Pine

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Heather talks with Boston-based bluegrass-pop band Twisted Pine about how they first met, their experiences within the bluegrass scene in Boston and why they’ve adopted a response of “four separate beds here” where it comes to questions about their personal relationships. The band started out hewing closer to their bluegrass roots, but over time, they broadened their approach, incorporating more indie pop hooks and rhythms into their string band sound. Built around some truly remarkable harmonies and luminous acoustic arrangements, their music is light on its feet but never lightweight, a rustic exploration of tone and texture that forgoes the usual genre limitations to become something utterly compelling and distinct.

The band first came together while they were attending different colleges in the Boston area and finding themselves playing alongside like-minded musicians at The Cantab Lounge in Cambridge. They released their self-titled debut record last year and have spent the intervening months touring in support. They perform two covers, including The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and The Cranberries’ “Dreams, finding nuance and fresh sounds buried in these familiar hits. They discuss how their songwriter process begins with a 50/50 split between Kathleen Parks and Rachel Sumner, and then they bring the skeleton of each song to the rest of the band to complete its creation. And they reveal that it’s in this final collaborative undertaking that the song expresses the resolve of the entire band.

Due to some recording complications, this specific podcast is built from two different sound sources: a live recording taken from their concert at the Tomorrow Building in Chattanooga, TN and audio from the original Open Mic Spotlight interview that the band was streaming on their Facebook page.

Episode 67: DJ and Marv

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga duo DJ and Marv talk with Heather about how their religious upbringing influenced the direction of their music, how they came to meet through a shared musical friend and when we can possibly expect their debut EP to be released. This episode is recorded at Andrew Meadow’s house, another local musician who also happens to be the producer of DJ and Marv’s forthcoming EP and who also works at Dynamo Studios at the downtown Chattanooga Public Library. Drawing upon the twin inspirations of the hip-hop and singer-songwriter genres, they create a sound that sits at the crossroads of these two disparate aesthetics, and they do so without the music losing any of its vivid movements or rhythmic ingenuity.

DJ and Marv first met through their shared friendship with Drakeford Lanier, another Chattanooga musician who introduced them due to their natural gifts for music. For his part, DJ has gone to college for audio production but found that he really wanted to sing and began following that passion shortly thereafter. Marv traces his musical history back to high school when he first started rapping. It also doesn’t hurt that DJ and Marv are cousins; so their communal interest in music feels more familial than forced. They are looking forward to the release of their debut EP sometime soon as they’ve already got about 72% of the record done according to Meadow. And with a sound as wonderfully involving and unique as theirs, it’s a project that should be on everyone’s radar.

Episode 66: Josh Driver

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Heather invites Chattanooga songwriter Josh Driver into the studio to talk with her and guest co-host Adam Stone of Over Easy about some of his influences and why “Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4” led him to pursue a musician’s life. Known for his work with The Dixieland Playboys and as a recent addition to Chattanooga hard rock group Subkonscious, Driver has always possessed a restless creativity, a stubborn and uncompromising need to widen his musical perspective. Throughout the past few years, he’s worked his way through the sounds of country, southern rock and hard rock, as well as adopting a more singer-songwriter-oriented viewpoint in an effort to develop himself fully as an artist.

In their discussion, Driver talks about his loathing of apartments (too many people, too much noise) and why he sees his job at Volkswagon as similar to working in a busy kitchen. He relates his brief history with Mo Pitney’s song “Behind This Guitar” and why it speaks to him in such a tremendous way. He briefly touches on his newfound respect and admiration for Jason Isbell and talks about listening to him while riding to a concert that featured Isbell and his wide Amanda Shires at the CMA Theater in Nashville. And through just a few songs, Driver reveals his country-soaked songwriter’s heart and discusses the evolution of his aesthetic from his earliest days to his more recent solo work.

Episode 65: Alex Volz

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Heather welcomes Chattanooga singer-songwriter Alex Volz to the studio. Over the last few years, Volz has been making the rounds in town and gaining a following for the acoustic expansiveness of both his children’s songs and for the more adult-oriented work of his alter ego Burly Temple. Relying on clever wordplay and a knack for surprising and complicated melodies, he spins stories that address weighty topics that children might come across in their young lives. With topics ranging from reproduction to materialism and time travel, his songs are filled with humorous narratives and striking insight into what makes all of us human, and how we can deal with those often elusive revelations.

Volz grew up in Chattanooga but moved to New York to get a degree in film and TV from NYU. He subsequently moved to Los Angeles (where he lived for 15 years) to write but found the work to be mostly devoid of any sense of individualism and creativity. After a time, his spouse and he began to talk about having a baby, and so they moved back to Chattanooga to raise a family. Since then, Volz has been sharing his love of guitar-driven rhythms and an astute lyrical wit with anyone within earshot. He also records as Burly Temple, although those songs aren’t ones you’re going to want to share with your children. But if you’re looking for songs that possess an equal influence from the daily events of a stay-at-home dad and the latest movie in the Terminator franchise, then Volz is your guy.

Thank you to Joshua Pickard for the summary of this episode. 

Episode 64: Cannon Hunt

Open Mic Spotlight – Cannon Hunt

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, singer-songwriter Cannon Hunt joins Heather in the studio to discuss the details of his upcoming EP, the effect that his faith has had on his music and how music became such an important part of his life at an early age. And at 15 years old, Hunt has the distinction of being the youngest guest on Open Mic Spotlight, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t miles of experience buried within his work. Whether he’s aiming for an electric revelry with his band Astrophe or simply conjuring acoustic landscapes with his guitar, he imbues these rhythmic stories with a maturity and an earnest perspective that seems to be drawn from a deeper insight.

Hunt began taking guitar lessons when he was 8 and found himself playing in the band at St Peter’s Episcopal Church when he was only 9. And though his parents are not musicians, he’s had their support in his development as a musician – and in fact, it’s his conversations about his faith with his mother that has given rise to some of the stories within his songs. He brings out a few covers including “Just Breathe” by Pearl Jam and “D.B. Cooper” by Todd Snider, revealing a wide range of influences. And it’s this collection of musical inspirations (Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead and Sturgill Simpson) that has given him the range to explore his own storytelling instincts without mimicking any specific musician.

Thank you to Joshua Pickard for the episode summary. Thank you to Jesse Jungkurth for mixing this episode.

Episode 63: Danny Alvarez

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight, Chattanooga musician Danny Alvarez stops by to talk with Heather about growing up listening to religious music in a conservative household, his musical epiphany on a Navajo reservation and his love of ‘90s hip-hop and R&B production. Armed with his keyboard, Alvarez doles out liquid grooves and mercurial rhythms that bounce around within a host of different genres. From Sam Smith to Stevie Wonder to Louis Armstrong, his choice of cover songs reveals the depths of his various influences. With a voice that could reach up into the rafters of the tallest cathedral, he paints a mesmerizing picture of accumulated creativity, resulting in a wellspring of sounds which highlights the inherent melodic commonality of his collected inspirations.

Born in New Jersey, Alvarez moved to Chattanooga with his family when he was in the 6th grade. Out of high school, he attended nursing school before graduating and becoming a fulltime nurse. But that hasn’t stopped him from following his instincts toward a path in music. After a time doing missionary work in the African nation of Chad, he eventually found himself helping out on a Navajo reservation, and it was here that he came to the realization that he could be doing something that could reach far more people than his missionary labors allowed him. He discusses his unique perspective of growing up in a conservative family where he was only allowed to listen to religious music (or Linkin Park when he could sneak it past his parents). And he attributes his current ambitions and understanding to the experiences that helped mold his younger years.

Thank you to Billy Campbell for mixing this episode. Thank you to Joshua Pickard for the epiosde summary.

Episode 62: Sophie Lockhart

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, singer-songwriter Sophie Lockhart joins Heather in the studio to talk about her studies at Lee University, how the guitar is not her main instrument and how she’s made the change to a full band for the release of her new single. Armed with just an acoustic guitar, her fiercely confident voice and a microphone, Lockhart invokes a timeless sound, one that doesn’t rely on cheap theatrics or studio manipulation to develop an intense emotional attachment. She talks about some of the artists that she listens to, including Jason Mraz, Needtobreathe and Chance the Rapper, and how they’ve all influenced her as an artist. She further explores those influences by covering songs by Mraz and The Script.

She discusses the details of her senior year studies at Lee University and reveals that her chosen instrument is actually the saxophone, with the guitar coming later to her. She started playing the guitar seriously about 4 years ago and began attending the Songwriter’s Night at The Heritage House Arts & Civic Center, which is where she first met Heather. She also talks about a new single called “Heart On Display” that she released at the beginning of last month with a recently collected backing band. She reveals that she’s constantly writing and playing to herself, amassing quit a catalog of unreleased songs that might find themselves sequenced into an upcoming record. She leaves Heather with parting advice to “be inspired by everything,” to watch the world with your heart as much as you do your eyes.

Thank you to Jesse Jungkurth from mixing this episode. Thank you to Joshua Pickard for the episode summary. 

Episode 61: Planes on Paper with Josiah Johnson

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Navid Eliot and Jenny Borst from Planes on Paper and Josiah Johnson from The Head and The Heart drop by the studio to talk with Heather. They’d all been visiting Chattanooga to play at Treetop Hideaways for Chattanooga House Shows, but due to unforeseen weather complications, they wound up performing at The Daily Ration.

Known for their gorgeous folk harmonies and acoustic melodies, Planes on Paper upend the expectations placed on singer-songwriter duos to create a sound which is refreshingly devoid of bland sentiment and obligatory affection. They’re romantics at heart and reveal their love for both each other (they’re a couple) and for the connections offered through their music. For his work with The Head and The Heart, and for his solo work, Johnson mines a parallel folk-centric aesthetic, filled with earnest acoustic arrangements and gospel-style harmonies.

As this was the last concert date on their current east coast schedule, they discuss their desire to be home, tending to pets and spending time with friends. For Eliot and Borst, they talk a bit about their collaborative processes and how each song finds it individual beginnings. They also briefly speak to the circumstances of their own friendship, involving friends of friends from elementary school and early performances with each other. While in town, they spent some time at Songbirds Guitar museum, with Johnson reveling in the stories behind the instruments and Eliot developing a fascination with the technical aspects of each piece. They trade off on songs between their two bands, going back and forth in a beautiful acoustic echo that speaks to the strengths of their respective creativities.

Thank you to Billy Campbell for mixing this epiosde. Thank you to Joshua Pickard for the episode summary. 

Episode 60: Caney Village

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Barrett Maury and Dakari Kelly of Caney Village drop by the studio to talk with Heather about the ways in which the band has changed over the years, how their parents have influenced them as musicians and why it’s always good to have a locater app on your phone. From the band’s earliest days as a folksy outfit following the work of bands like First Aid Kit and Lily & Madeleine to their most recent incarnation as a rockier, more electrified version of its former self, they’ve always concentrated on distinguishing real emotion from false sentiment. And when Maury and Kelly (minus band member Chris Blankenship) sit down to reinvent Tom Waits’ “Goin’ Out West” or rail against the inequities of Wal-Mart, there is still that need to find the honesty behind their words and music.

After talking a bit about how their parent’s helped to guide them in their musical studies during their formative years – Maury’s mother was a fixture in a handful of local bands when he was younger while Kelly’s father was a member of Chattanooga funk-soul band The Malemen – Maury and Heather get into a discussion about the merits of Creed and how she once lost a drummer due to her dislike of the Scott Stapp-fronted band. Eventually the talk circles back around to Caney Village, and they discuss the various influences that have helped to define the band.

They also manage to work their way through an instrumental version of Hall and Oates’ “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do).” They recall a time in Los Angeles when they had booked a room through Airbnb but found out that the place was most definitely not as advertised. Finally, they recall an incident where their truck filled with the band’s gear was stolen and how they used a locater app on their phone to chase the thief around Soddy Daisy. Thankfully, there is a happy ending…sort of. It involves a 200 foot ravine and numerous police cars.

Thank you to Billy Campbell for mixing this epiosde. Thank you to Joshua Pickard for the episode summary. 

Episode 59: Derick Anderson

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga singer-songwriter Derick Anderson embraces the realities of his newfound fatherhood and brings his son, Jack, to spend time with Heather in the studio. Anderson had been living in Washington for some years before moving down to Chattanooga to attend Southern Adventist University for their music program. Having been raised in a very religious household, he decided that he needed to find some answers on his own, both in terms of his faith and secular life. He talks about almost getting caught listening to the “Mortal Kombat” soundtrack when he was a kid – this being while his father was out of the house. His original songs cover substantial emotional ground, including stories of personal religious struggles, the need for companionship and the Chattanooga Choo-Choo.

Anderson also brings a first to Open Mic Spotlight: a cover of a song by The Foo Fighters, specifically “Times Like These.” And throughout all his performances, you can hear the coo and laughter of his son providing an innocent accompaniment. Discussing his influences, he counts artists like Ryan Adams, Jason Isbell and Andrew Duhon among those from whom he’s drawn particularly strong inspiration. He also talks a bit about his current project of forming a band called No Good Deeds with some local musicians and how they’re testing the waters a bit, writing and performing together to see how to best compliment one another’s styles. A discussion about the effects of red wine and sad songs is also broached. And with just an acoustic guitar and a voice filled with history, he conjures stories of love, ache and faith with a rare ease.

Episode 58: Drumming Bird

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga musician, Austin Sawyer, the main songwriter and member of Drumming Bird, stops in to talk with Heather about his studies at MSTU (where he founded the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity last year), his days performing with High Meadows Communion and how he got famous on Twitter for tweeting about the lack of college parking. Tackling a couple of original songs and a few covers – most notably “Angel From Montgomery” by John Prine and “Tear Down the House” by The Avett Brothers – Sawyer manages to distill the acoustic essence of these tracks and filter it through his own distinct musical perspective. Between his impressive fingerpicking skills and a knack for inverting familiar melodies, he creates a warm and natural atmosphere in the studio.

 

Briefly touching on his interest in copyright law and music publishing, he subsequently speaks about his experiences at Americana Fest, where he was a red carpet escort and had the opportunity to meet bands like The Lumineers and Old Crow Medicine Show. This happened through connections with one of his professors and led to him being a seat filler for the Americana Awards. Prior to his work as Drumming Bird, Sawyer performed in High Meadows Communion, a local folk rock band whose music dipped into a landscape of rural rhythms and pastoral phrasing. As Drumming Bird, he reveals that he derives a great deal of inspiration from artists like Father John Misty and Jason Isbell. 

 

Thank you Jesse Jungkurth for mixing this episode. Thank you to Joshua Pickard for the write up about this episode.

Episode 57: Nick and Luke

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, the Americana-varnished duo Nick and Luke stop by to talk with Heather about some of their more unusual experiences while touring, their desire to use music as a means to facilitate human-to-human interaction and how their sound shifts from day to day as their focus narrows and becomes clearer with each performance. With just some acoustic guitars (Gibson’s from the ‘30s and ‘40s), Nicholas Horner and Lucas Chohany create a roaring, harmony-soaked folk and country rumble that brings to mind the work of The Everly Brothers and The Stanley Brothers.

Their influences shine bright and are given full expression through their use of frenetic, finger-picked rhythms and emotional vocal interplay. Nick and Luke talk briefly about times on tour when their vehicle had damage to its exhaust pipe, and they stopped to play at a local technical college where the welding students were more than happy to fix the car. They also mention the time that they introduced some hip-hop rhymes to their set when a venue turned on the house music outside during their set.

They see their rural narratives and melody-rich songs as an extension of their inclusive attitudes, with each track offering a conversation between themselves and their audience. They also discuss how they approach these specific sounds and how they’ve continually adjusted the ways in which they express these individual inspirations. Nimble and grounded in an acoustic atmosphere, their work recalls the vibrant sounds of Willie Nelson and the lyrical associations of Merle Haggard. They also perform a roaring cover of “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry and a soothing ruminative version of Gillian Welch’s “Dear Someone.”

Thank you to Jesse Jungurth for mixing this episode. Thank you to Joshua Pickard for the write up about this epiosde.

Episode 56: Derek Wayne Martin

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga musician Derek Wayne Martin spends some time with Heather in the studio to talk about the ways in which he’s trying to help build the local music scene through his work at The Camp House, how his mom and dad met in a college rock band and why the best purchase of his life was a 1971 Ventura guitar he bought at The Picker’s Exchange. With his acoustic guitar in tow, Martin rambles through a couple of original songs while still paying homage to some of his influence by performing covers of songs by Ryan Adams, David Ramirez and Walt Aldridge. Careening through a folk-styled landscape of burnished harmonies and insistent strums, he shows that there is still much to learn from the unexplored cracks and crevasses of the singer-songwriter genre.

As the City Engagement Coordinator for The Camp House, Martin discusses his role in shaping the future of the Songwriter’s Stage contest (previously known as Songwriter Shoot Out) and how other local events there are helping to create a wider appreciation for different musical styles. He speaks to being surrounded by music from an early age, revealing that his mom and dad met when they were both performing in a college rock band—his mom was the drummer, and his dad was the guitarist. He also divulges that there was a history before his current folk fascination; namely, that he went through a bit of an angtsy alt-rock period before settling into his latest musical digs. And he briefly touches on the instrument of his music, a 1971 Japanese-made Ventura guitar that he purchased at The Picker’s Exchange and which has been the anchor to his most recent musical divergences.

Thank you Jesse Jungkurth for mixing this episode. Thank you Joshua Pickard for writing for this episode. 

Episode 55: Mountain Creek House Fire

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Pattee Wilbanks and Robert Lovett of Mountain Creek House Fire stop by the studio to talk with Heather about their collaborative process, some of their favorite places to play in Chattanooga and how their respective creative impulses compliment each other perfectly. Their music is drawn from the winding twin histories of folk and country music but is given new breathe and life through their effortless interactions. With just an acoustic guitar and mandolin, they spark a gorgeous series of stories that could be told on front porches or large stages across the country. Dipping into a well of bucolic experiences, their work possesses a vivid and affecting emotionality.

There’s a gentle simplicity inherent in the work of Mountain Creek House Fire, a rambling folk shuffle that eases down deep into your bones. Whether they’re discussing their admiration for local open mic nights or the time they were almost rained out at Nightfall, they evince an earnest sentimentality, one that doesn’t cater to rote instincts but seeks out new experiences in an effort to broaden its emotional perspective. They perform covers of “Honeysuckle Rose” by Fats Waller and “It Hurts Me” by Julie Miller, as well a few original songs that easily hold their own in that formidable company.

After Wilbanks talks a bit about her time dog-sitting, they announce that they have a new video coming out soon for “That Dog is Crazy,” which features clips of dogs that fans have sent in specifically to be included in the visuals for the song. Recalling the jaunt and sincerity that was common to the folk music of the early 20th century, they imbue these sounds with a modern tenacity and present them as a viable means for expression—a stringed rural ideology wherein they can conspire with anyone within earshot.

Episode 54: Midnight Promise

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga pop-rock trio Midnight Promise drop by the studio to talk about the process for how they collaborate on each track, the familial atmosphere that the band cultivates and how their differing musical tastes push them to experiment with various sounds. With influences as disparate as ‘80s metal, Pink Floyd and Rihanna, the band’s work doesn’t easily fit into any one category but runs through a collection of pop and rock inspirations that shake and rattle the bones of their collective musical histories. Expressing a certain universal emotionality, the band doesn’t shy away from grand statements but embraces the overarching sentiments which guide their music.

The band winds through a collection of eclectic and surprising covers including “Liza Jane” by Vince Gill, “You Don’t Know How It Feels” by Tom Petty and “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” by Van Halen. Their original songs feel just as unexpected and free from the sort of banal aesthetic that functions within the typical mainstream pop-rock landscapes. You can also hear percussionist Gene Ingram talk a bit about his years spent playing vintage 1864 bare-hand baseball. The band creates a casual and effortless acoustic rhythm in the studio, paring down some of the rockier elements of their music as they re-envision their songs in this specific environment.

Thank you to Jesse Jungkurth for mixing and editing this episode. Thank you to Joshua Pickard for writing for this episode.  

Episode 53: No Thank You, John

In this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga musician John Cotton of No Thank You, John drops by to talk with Heather about how he first got into recording, the trials of listening to contemporary Christian music and how he got involved with charity work in Uganda. Cotton moved to Chattanooga 9 years ago from Marietta to attend Lee University, and while he intended to study music, he wound up focusing on communication and audio/video production. Using what he learned in his classes, he now works as a freelance video producer and also handles various digital productions online. When not working his trade, he slips into the guise of an electro-pop artist and creates an electronic pop synthesis that fuses different influences into an elastic outlook on the movements of modern music.

With 3 EPs under his belt, Cotton has experimented with various genres in an attempt to harness the inherent unpredictability of his inspirations. Early on, he spent time working with his brother’s digital recorders, laying down some guitar lines and sounds from a Yamaha keyboard that he owned. Drawing away from the indie rock sounds of Oh So Cavalier, his first band in college, Cotton looked to an analog synthesizer he purchased as a means to reinvigorate his love of music. No Thank You, John was born out of a need to break free of genre and production rules and to keep the studio editing to a minimum.

He talks briefly about growing up listening to Christian music but admits to digging through his dad’s collection of Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin records when he got a little older. He performs a few original songs as well as a minimalist electronic cover of Arcade Fire’s “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains).” He drifts away from music for a bit when talking about his passion for Simone’s Kids, a non-profit organization that helps to fund various schools in Uganda. He closes out the set by talking about his want to incorporate a visual arts aspect to his new music, perhaps looking to bring in a selection of DIY lights and optic projections to his future live performances.

Episode 52: Hailey Miller

In this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga singer-songwriter Hailey Miller stops by the studio to discuss how she first learned how to play the guitar, the experiences that have shaped her music and how she hopes to continue pursuing music as she attends Belmont University in Nashville in the Fall—she recently graduate from Baylor. She quickly reveals a diverse cast of influences as she shares covers of “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King and “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore. She easily brings out the soul of King’s words as well as the hip-hop rhythms of Macklemore’s work, highlighting just how versatile her talents really are. She first picked up a guitar at the age of 8 and has been interested in theater and dance ever since.

Miller’s music revolves around the emotional weight of her words moreso than any overly complicated arrangements. Her voice lays across the strums and plucks of her guitar as various stories spring to life. It becomes apparent rather quickly that she would be just as at ease on stage as she is recording a podcast—and that sense of casual familiarity comes across in her relaxed manner and conversational ease. She debuts a new song and features a couple of tracks from her recently released EP, “One Way Home.” She dips back into her inspirations by covering “No Diggity” by Blackstreet, molding its R&B melodies into the frets of her acoustic guitar. She mentions artists like Colbie Calliet, Sara Bareilles and The Fugees as direct links to her musical development and delivers a selection of songs whose histories are as varied as you could imagine.

Thank you so much to Jesse Jungkurth for editing and mixing this episode. 

Thank you to our sponsor, the Blast From the Past Podcast. 

Episode 51: Nate Currin

 

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, singer-songwriter Nate Currin joins Heather in the studio to discuss how a religious upbringing drove him to seek out secular music and the deep influence that those bands would go on have on his own music in later years. Tasked with extolling a deep emotional canvas with just a voice and an acoustic guitar, Currin easily invests his work with an earnest and evocative twang and echo. He explores some of his influences by wandering through a stripped down version of “Wild Horses” by The Rolling Stones and subsequently channels the spirit of Ryan Adams on “Oh My Sweet Carolina” without breaking a sweat.

While chatting about the details of his current tour, Currin reveals the various places that he has lived, including 3 years spent in an RV camper. Between discussing stints working as a freelance graphic designer and how a mutual childhood friend of Mandy Moore’s tried to get his music into her hands, he talks about his continuing love for Van Morrison, Jason Isbell and Counting Crows. Over the last 8 years, he’s released 4 full-length records and 3 EPs and is currently spending a little time away from the studio to focus on touring and composing songs that may, at some point in the future, find themselves on a new album. Delicate in their emotional intonations, but resilient in their heart-on-sleeve longing, his songs shake and shimmer with an acoustic effortlessness.

 

Episode 50: The Local Stangers

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Seattle-based Americana duo The Local Strangers drop by the studio to share some of their achingly beautiful harmonies and discuss details of their upcoming record. Built around the twin influences of Aubrey Zoli and Matt Hart, the band expertly wind their way through dramatic folk and pop landscapes while keeping their sights set on creating a unique and earnest noise that owes a good deal to their collective inspirations. You can hear how these specific sounds affect the way they approach their music when they perform a folked up version of Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” transforming it into a mournful call-and-response narrative that slips gently from the strings of Hart’s acoustic guitar. They blend a soulful country swing with propulsive pop melodies and drape it all across an agile folk skeleton. As Zoli discusses some of their influences (Debbie Gibson, Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan), she reveals the various musical histories that have threaded their way throughout her work. Hart, meanwhile, talks about his love of theater, developed from an early age, and how he gained a better understanding of live performance that would shape the way he approached his music in later years. They wound up meeting in the musician’s section of Craigslist 7 years ago and immediately established a rhythmic rapport that would anchor their professional relationship in the years since they founded The Local Strangers.

Thank you to Jesse Jungkurth for editing and mixing this podcast.

49: Hannah Murphy

Hannah Murphy – Open Mic Spotlight

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Atlanta singer-songwriter Hannah Murphy joining Heather in the studio to discuss their first meeting at Eddie’s Attic at an Atlanta open mic night, how she first picked up the guitar when she was 13 and how her lack of internet led her to see the value of pursuing music as a creative outlet. Armed with just an acoustic guitar and a forceful but gorgeous voice, Murphy evokes the spare and fluid landscapes of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s folk scene, giving each moment here its own distinctive personality. She’s following a line of musicians stretching all the way back to the earliest folk storytellers who first began sharing their experiences at the beginning of the last century.

She delivers a few original tunes and a cover of a Jason Isbell’s “Cover Me Up,” with all the graceful movements of someone who’s been doing this for many, many years. She also spends time talking about some of the artists who’ve had such a powerful influence on her life, including Fleetwood Mac, First Aid Kit, Jason Isbell and Fleet Foxes. But she reserves a special place for legendary folk singer Joni Mitchell, a musician from whom she’s drawn acres of inspiration in regards to her own writing and arranging. By viewing her music as part of a healing process that she shares with her listeners, she is able to communicate a wealth of honest emotion and communal thoughts in a subtle and quietly devastating manner.

Thank you to Jesse Jungkurth for mixing this episode. 

Episode 48: Marcus White

In the Open Mic Spotlight podcast this week, Chattanooga artist Marcus White drops by the studio to discuss his tenure with several local bands, the varying roles he takes as both musician and producer and how electronic music can be just as physical as any other type of music. Hailing from Washington D.C., White attended Lee University on a music scholarship but wound up studying psychology. A few years later, he was approached by gospel musician Eddie James to join his tour on keyboard, and he jumped at the chance before finding himself drawn back to Chattanooga some time later. Bringing together classically-influenced piano lines, beat-tape dynamics and slinky synth grooves, his work moves from one genre to the next without regard for borders or baseless assumptions.

Known professionally as Killakeyz, White sifts through a wide range of inspirations to create a sound that feels expansive and limitless without feeling weighted down by the complexity of his arrangements. He uses the work of iconic artists like Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Stevie Wonder as the foundation on which he builds a fascinating and eclectic sound. Composed of equal parts jazz, R&B, pop and electronic music, his songs tend to hover at the edge of your senses, waiting for just the right moment to deliver a vibrant and necessary jolt of electricity to your nervous system. 

Episode 47: LadyLyn

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga singer-songwriter LadyLyn brings her soul-infused melodies to the studio and discusses her past history in college sports, the years spent singing solos in church and how she taught herself how to play the guitar.  Across a handful of tracks, she offers both original songs and covers, revealing an endless emotional reservoir from which she so casually draws inspiration as she explores the influence of countless musicians who have mined these well-worn sounds and driven her to create a distinct and ferocious roar all her own.

Having started her musical journey years ago on piano, she switched to guitar and discovered a deep echoing resonance hidden within its strings, allowing her to explore a deeper understanding of both herself and the expressive mechanics of her music. With the simple but intense interplay between her voice and her guitar acting as a guide, she crafts an honest and forthright lyrical landscape where shimmering chords and strummed rhythms capture the full experience of her pop and soul reverberations. She balances an intimate acoustic perspective with broad emotional associations, creating a deliriously creative blend of sound and purpose.

 

Episode 46: Gino Fanelli

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, New Orleans-influenced singer-songwriter Gino Fanelli stops by the studio to discuss his reverence for jazz vocalists, the history of his own cross-genre work and coffee can nachos—he also works his way through a handful of songs that span the length of his influences. Taking inspiration from artists like Louis Prima, Louis Armstrong and Jack Scott, Fanelli wrings a boundless emotional echo from the strings of his guitar, revealing both the staggering possibilities and rhythmic subversion that can be wrought from his chosen instrument.

Whether he’s performing and discussing the sonic details of King Louie’s song from “The Jungle Book” or the journey from his hometown of Detroit to Chattanooga, Fanelli creates a familiar and intimate space for his words and music to roam, filling the studio with a N’awlins shake and swagger that compliments the complex rhythms that form around his lyrics. With a history that includes time wandering the depths of rockabilly, swing and jazz, he filters all these sounds into a focused roar that immediately captures the mischievous spirit of Bourbon Street and all-night parties soundtracked by a coterie of ecstatic musicians.

Episode 45: Chris Johnson

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Christopher Andrew Johnson of Chattanooga dream-pop outfit Side Affect drops by to talk about his work and perform a handful of songs, including an unreleased new one and possibly an Abba cover. Drawing inspiration from bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Wild Nothing and Echo & the Bunnymen, Johnson builds a foggy pop environment in his songs where his jangling guitars, deadpan wit and Lou Reed-esque vocals collide and rebound at various points.

Between discussions of musical theater and the direction of future releases from Side Affect, Johnson loops a full group’s worth of instruments as he becomes his own one-man band. Using these eclectic sounds to evoke vast emotional associations, he brings an intimate atmosphere to the studio, full of murky melodies and a charged ‘80s dark pop energy. From his recent spot performing at NoonTunes to the numerous other shows he’s played around Chattanooga, Christopher Andrew Johnson is no stranger to the shifting perspectives and obstacles inherent to the local music scene.

Episode 44: Ben Strawn

Ben Strawn is a young and somewhat new artist to the Chattanooga music scene but don't let that fool you. This singer-songwriter from Cookeville, Tn will make you swoon with his lyrics and voice. His new EP was just released in June. Hear him perform some of those songs and others on this episode. Listen at www.openmicspotlight.com or on most podcast platforms like iTunes or GooglePlay. 

Thank you to Trenton Romanini for mixing this episode. For all of you industry recording and mixing needs visit www.TRoMixedThat.com 

Episode 43: Megan Saunders

Megan Saunders is a songwriter that grew up in Vermont but now resides in Chattanooga. She plays a variety of different string instruments including the guitar and banjo. Her band includes Jason Reed on guitar and Jonathan McWilliams on upright bass. Megan has released two albums and has played all over the US. She has won several national awards for singing and composing, including the Song of the Year award for songwriting in the American genre. This episode gives an up close and touching look into where Saunders came from and where she's going, both personally and as an artist. Listen at www.openmicspotlight.com or on most podcast platforms like GooglePlay and iTunes.

Thank you to Trenton Romanini for mixing this episode. For all you industry recording and mixing needs, visit TRoMixedThat.com.

Episode 42: Ian Sharp

Ian Sharp is one of the movers and shakers of the Chattanooga comedy scene. After life as a tourning musician with the band, In Faith Or Flames, he found himself loving comdedy. He got his start where most in Chattanooga have, JJs Bohemia's open mic. He now has created and hosts his own weekly open mic called ComedyFight at the Honest Point. In this episode, hear stories of band life, how he got into comedy, strategies he uses to write his comedy, and even hear some audio from a live recording. Listen at www.openmicspotlight.com or on most podcast platforms like iTunes or GooglePlay. 

Thank you Trenton Romanini for mixing this podcast. For all your professional industry recording and mixing needs visit TRoMixedThat.com

Episode 41: Buddy Shirk

Buddy Shirk is an an organist and a pianist who has performed on local, and national, and international television, as well as in numerous recording studios and churches. He served with the Baldwin Paino and Organ Co. and Cooper Music in Atlanta for many years in various marketing and managing positions and now is the store manager for Summitt Pianos here in Chattanooga, TN. He is one of the organists for the Tivoli on the Mighty Wurlitzer and that is where this episode was recorded. Listen at www.openmicspotlight.com or on most podcast platforms including iTunes or GooglePlay. 

Thank you Trenton Romanini for mixing this episode. For all of you professional industry recording and mixing needs visit TRoMixedThat.com 

Episode 40: Make Music Day!

Episode 40 gives light to the upcoming event, Make Music Day, a free celebration of music around the world on June 21st. It is held on the same day in more than 750 cities and 120 countries.
Make Music Day is open to anyone who wants to take part. Every kind of musician- young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion- pours into the streets, parks, plazas, and porches to share their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers. All of it is free and open to the public.
This episode will give you the inside scoop to Make Music Chattanooga! Find out how Taryn got it all started, what venues are participating, how you can get involved, and you will even heat some tunes from artists who will be performing on this fun day!

Episode 39: Gleewood

Gleewood is an Americana husband and wife duo from New Mexico. They groove through blues, folk, and rock 'n" roll, with lyrics that lend a story to folk and roots music enthusiasts with an energy that's swells into energetic guitar solos from the heart of the psychedelic 60s. In this episode you will hear stories of how these two met to stories of gunfights in CO! They also play some songs off their most recent released album, "Sweet, Sweet Time." 

Thank you to Trenton Romanini for mixing this podcast. For all of your industry mixing and recording needs visit www.tromixedthat.com

Episode 38: Michael Crowder

Michael Crowder may be a business man with a family, but he has been a part of the Chattanooga music scene for a very long time. He has been in several bands with his most notable and recent being Dark Horse Ten. Listen to stories of Crowder playing Chattanooga's sketchy gigs back before we had great venues like JJs hosting local artists and bands. Hear songs from his new solo project that he is working on, "Playing a Part". His story songs describe unmade choices, unwound relationships, and unbroken survivors of the human experience. Listen at www.openmicspotlight.com or on iTunes, GooglePlay, and other podcast platforms.

Thank you to Trenton Romanini for mixing this podcast. For all you industry recording and mixing needs visit www.tromixedthat.com 

Episode 37: Manatee Commune

Manatee Commune is from Bellingham, Washington. With the help of Chattanooga House Shows and Roots Rated, he put on a killer show. He was so kind to meet with OMS the next day to talk about the night and his inspiration for his vibey, lively, and dance envoking tunes. He seeks to capture the atmosphere of taking a thoughtful, self-reflecting stroll through the forest by combining the textures of rainy woods and the windy seas of the Pacific Northwest with the calming mood of clean surfy guitar licks and rolling arrpegiated sine waves. He also gives us a look at his Tiny Desk NPR video which helped boost his career to where it is today. You'll love this interview and his music that he performed just for the show! Listen at www.openmicspotlight.com or on any podcast platform like itunes or GooglePlay. 

Thank you to Trenton Romanini for mixing this podcast. For all of your professional recording and mixing needs visit www.TRoMixedThat.com

Episode 36: Lew Card

Lew Card was born and raised in Chattanooga before deciding to leave for the music Mecca, Austin, Texas, to pursue his musical career with mandolin. After sixteen years and playing with a variety of Austin bands, he's back! The past few years, Card has been creating his own music. He has released three albums and just recorded a new one in Austin this year which will be released in the near future. His outlaw country music combines soul, hard-luck narratives, and wit. In this epsiode, you will hear some new songs and covers including one by Townes Van Zandt. 

Thank you to Trenton Romanini for mixing this episode. For all of your professional recording and mixing go to www.tromixedthat.com. 

Episode 35: Tryezz

Tryezz is a local Chattanoogan that mixes jazz, funk, classical, and electronic styles into a combination that will get you movin' and groovin'. On multiple occasions, I have seen him turn a dying crowd into a crowd of dancers not wanting the party to end. He gains inspiration from all the beauty around him and lives by the motto, "Always a Student." 

Thank you to Trenton Romanini for mixing this episode. www.TRoMixedthat.com

Episode 34: Webb Barringer

Webb Barringer is a born and raised Chattanoogan. He is a singer-songwriter that draws influence from artists like Jason Isbell and Todd Snider. You will enjoy hearing songs that will be released on his upcoming albumn in June and his special and unique Rocky Top cover. 

Thank you to Trenton Romanini for mixing this epsiode. 

 

Episode 33: Roots of a Rebellion

Roots of a Rebellion is a group of musicians from Nashville, TN that play Reggae-Rock-Dub music for the soul. They are an upbeat and loving group that won Road the Bonnaroo last year. While in town last week, the En Root House hosted a pancake breakfast where we did a live interview recording. Their songs are full of love and positivity like 'Giving Tree' inspired by a Shel Silverstein poem. Listen on itunes or at www.openmicspotlight.com

Thank you to Trenton Romanini for mixing this episode. For all your industry quality recording and mixing needs, visit tromixedthat.com.

Episode 32: Jake Lemons

Jake Lemons was born and raised in Chattanooga, Tn. He has been writing songs and playing guitar since he was a teenager. His band, Jetsam in the Noose, has been together for a few years now. His music finds a way to address very tough topics in an upbeat way. It is a mix of blues, jazz, rock and folk, but in this episode you will hear the stripped down acoustic version. Along with some of his originals, you will hear classic covers including songs by the Doors, Hendrix, and Lennon. 

Thank you to Tremont Tavern for sponsoring this episode and making this episode possible. 

Thank you to Trenton Romanini for mixing this episode. 

Episode 31: Lowland Hum

Daniel and Lauren Goans are a husband and wife duo from Charlottesville, Virginia known as Lowland Hum. They write, arrange, and produce all of their own music, and have honed a cohesive visual arts aesthetic to match the hushed simplisity of their sound. They recently released their third full album, Thin. You can hear some of these songs and a beautiful Weezer cover in this episode. 

Thank you to Songbirds Guitar Museum for sponsoring this episode and making this podcast possible. 

Thanks you to Trenton Romanini for mixing this episode.