50 Podcast Picks from 2019

Have we seen the last of the Turnpike Troubadours? Here’s hoping for a revival and return to form in 2020 for the Oklahoma Red Dirt legends.

Stream or download 50 Podcast Picks from 2019: 50 Podcast Picks from 2019

After a maddening period that saw at least half a dozen stop and starts (cancelled shows, shaky performances, etc.), the Turnpike Troubadours — the rising Oklahoma-based band which seemed destined for big things — finally suspended all group activity in 2019. Some members turned their focus to other projects, while mercurial frontman and main songwriter Evan Felker retreated underground, leaving many to speculate that his personal problems threw the group’s future into jeopardy.

But late in the year, a new single by Felker emerged from Austin, TX, USA, where veteran singer-songwriter and producer Bruce Robison pinned down Felker to perform a few tunes in the studio for his burgeoning Next Waltz multimedia project. The song and video (see below) for “Whiskey In Your Water,” with Carrie Rodriguez singing a dual vocal, shows Felker in fine form and hints at exactly why he is so beloved by fans of the Troubadours and why concern for his well-being remains at the forefront of their thoughts.

We decided to kickoff our 50 year-end podcast picks with the tune in hopes that we haven’t seen the last of Felker and possibly the Turnpike Troubadours as a unit. It’s one of the songs from artists who made a big impact on the ears of our podcast producers in 2019.

Along with a bunch of great new discoveries this year, our podcast picks are highlighted by several career-best moments by some of our favorites, including many from friends and folks who have been guests on our show in the past.

So give it a listen with an ear toward finding your next favorite Americana or Roots act. We bet herein lies the fix you’re looking for in 2020. Here’s the playlist:

Whiskey In Your Water, Evan Felker with Carrie Rodriguez and The Next Waltzers
What You Don’t Know, Caroline Spence
Cordelia, Drunken Prayer
Good at Bad News, Tylor & The Train Robbers
Cheap Silver, Mike and the Moonpies
The House That Built Me, Tanya Tucker
Hey, Heartbreaker, Matt Woods
Things Like This, I See Hawks In L.A.
Big Black Chain, The Jackson County Kills
56 Fury, Rodney Crowell
Walk Through Fire, Yola
Jesus & Elvis, Hayes Carll
All Your’n, Tyler Childers
Ian McLagan, Drivin’ N Cryin’
Downtown, The Cactus Blossoms
Doubt, Clara Baker
Cocaine Country Dancing, Paul Cauthen
Giving Up, Tim Barry
California State Line, The Long Ryders
Emmanuel, TK & The Holy Know-Nothings
Mississippi Nuthin’, Shovels & Rope
So Long To The Traveling Kind, Tom Vanden Avond
Strange Shadows, Aaron Lee Tasjan
Colorado, The Quaker City Night Hawks
Sam’s House, An American Forrest
That’s How I Feel, Dori Freeman
Kind Days, John Calvin Abney
Rolling Stone, Whiskey Myers
Letter To Madeline, Ian Noe
Division Lines, Fernando
Back Into This Church, Ron Rogers & The Wailing Wind
Ruby, Strand of Oaks
Right At Home, Daystar
Old Black Magic, Josh Ritter
The Imperial, The Delines
Hard Time With The Truth, Kendell Marvel
Wake Up Call, Rich Layton and Tough Town
Wildflowers & Wine, Marcus King
The Dream Is Dead, M. Lockwood Porter
Fenceline, Anna Tivel
Excuse Me, Charley Crockett
Blue Earth County, Silver Lake 66
Sad Songs, Kassi Valazza
East October, John Moreland
Just Trying To Love, The Lonesome Billies
Old Soul, The Highwomen
Where The Buffalo Roam, David Quinn
Beautiful and Kind, Ryan Bingham
Turn Off The News (Build A Garden) (Acoustic), Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real

May Podcast Picks

Taylor Kingman is back in the spotlight fronting TK & The Holy Know-Nothings. Photo by Anne Marie for Local Hero Media.
TK & The Holy Know-Nothings (l to r): Sydney Nash, Jay Cobb Anderson, Taylor Kingman, Lewi Longmire and Tyler Thompson.

We’re here to help you finish the month of May on a hot streak, and we get things started with a dose of heat from TK & The Holy Know-Nothings, Portland’s scruffy new Americana outfit led by former Hill Dogs frontman Taylor Kingman.

The band just completed a short tour of the western states promoting the release of their debut, “Arguably OK,” out now via Mama Bird Record Co. Looking forward to big things from this talented bunch, which includes Jay Cobb Anderson of Fruition on guitar and Portland’s Mr. Indie Everything Lewi Longmire on bass.

We also share songs from two of Portland’s other shining stars of the moment, Kassi Valazza and Anna Tivel. Anna’s latest record, “The Question,” just out this spring on Fluff & Gravy Records, is garnering high praise nationally and around the globe as her popularity continues to skyrocket. And Valazza is quickly becoming a favorite of the podcast — we’re hoping to have her on as a guest for an upcoming episode soon.

This month’s Podcast Picks also include a number of tunes from fresh-out-of-the-oven releases, including awesome stuff from the new Jason Isbell-produced record by Josh Ritter, the first cut from the major label debut of Tyler Childers, another from Chris Shiflett’s upcoming Nashville-recorded release, and a killer tune from the awesome new album by The Quaker City Night Hawks.

Also included is a song from the new record by Kelly Willis, who will be in Portland for a show on June 7 at White Eagle Saloon, and a number from Shane Smith & The Saints’ new album, due to hit the streets in late June.

And to wrap things up, we toss a musical thank you nod to our friend Forrest VanTuyl of An American Forrest, who took time out to meet with us for the podcast special we published last week. Forrest reminded us of the greatness of Ian Tyson, who he regularly covers in his set, and also turned us on to the music of his wife, Margo Cilker. We, in turn, hope to tip you to Margo’s excellent music.

So enjoy! Here’s the list of our May Podcast Picks:

Desert Rose, TK & The Holy Know-Nothings
A Fine Colour, Kassi Valazza
Old Black Magic, Josh Ritter
House Fire, Tyler Childers
Shadow Of A Son, Anna Tivel
Let Me Down Easy If You Can (feat. Amanda Shires), Blackberry Smoke
Heaven Knows, Shane Smith & The Saints
Feral Roots, Rival Sons
El Camino, Elizabeth Cook
Hagler, Hillstomp
Gap Tooth Girl, David Quinn
To You, Matt Carson
Afternoon’s Gone Blind, Kelly Willis
Welcome To Your First Heartache, Chris Shiflett
Fox In The Henhouse, The Quaker City Night Hawks
Letter To Madeline, Ian Noe
M.C. Horses, Ian Tyson
Your Love Is My Rest, Margo Cilker