Anybody who has seen Tennessee singer-songwriter Matt Woods perform solo knows that all he needs is an acoustic guitar and his big, powerful voice to rock any house he’s in.
But last year, while out promoting his latest album, he toured the U.S. and Europe with a kickass four-piece band that cranked up the awesomeness to another level. Such was the case at last summer’s Wildwood MusicFest & Campout in Sheridan, OR, USA, where our podcast crew enjoyed a “full band” set of Matt Woods music for the first time, then retreated to the podcast RV for an interview and intimate performance by the man himself.
A longtime favorite and friend of the podcast and multiple time performer at Wildwood, Mr. Woods shares some tales from the road as well as a few of his greatest hits. The whiskey and laughs flow freely during this interview, so kick back and enjoy as podcast hosts Eric Kotila and Mike Lee get caught up with Matt while debriefing after the stunning Wildwood set with his band, The Natural Disasters.
Here’s the playlist:
Blue-Eyed Wanderer Jailbird Song (Live In The Podcast RV) With Love From Brushy Mountain (Live In The Podcast RV) Cold Civil War
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
Just a few weeks back, the Pacific Northwest became the center of the alt-country universe when Tyler Childers released his much-anticipated new album, Country Squire, the same day as he performed a set at Pickathon, just outside of our home base of Portland, OR, USA.
What nobody saw coming, though, was the big splash made the night before when Mike & The Moonpies, just hours before their late-night Pickathon set, announced the surprise arrival of their stunning new record, Cheap Silver & Solid Country Gold.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, the new all-women country supergroup, The Highwomen, crashed the Newport Folk Festival like a meteorite, playing tunes from their new self-titled new record (out tomorrow) and drawing guests on stage including Dolly Parton and Sheryl Crow.
But nothing seemed to steal the thunder from Childers, whose album sold more units in its first week than any other record in the states, marking another important milepost in the upward trajectory of alternative country music.
It’s fun to share tunes from all three of these groundbreaking records and so much more in our Podcast Picks for September. Give it a spin and you’ll also here fantastic new tunes from Tanya Tucker, Jason Hawk Harris, Joy Williams (of The Civil Wars fame), Midland and Sturgill Simpson.
Keep listening and things really get interesting when ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons shows up on “56 Fury,” an instant classic from the stunning new record Texas by the great Rodney Crowell.
We also share a tune from Mercury Rev’s re-imagining of Bobbie Gentry’s The Delta Sweete featuring the one-and-only Margo Price. And speaking of re-imagining, Aaron Lee Tasjan has released a new record, Karma For Cheap: Reincarnated, where he renders many of the songs from his last album as solo performances. We share a fresh tune here to wrap things up.
This batch of picks packs a serious punch with soon-to-be classics throughout. So be sure to listen from start to finish!
Here’s the playlist:
Country Squire, Tyler Childers Danger, Mike & The Moonpies Redesigning Women, The Highwomen Howlin’ At The Moon, Caleb Caudle Giving In (Giving In), Jason Hawk Harris Spies, Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ Bring My Flowers Now, Tanya Tucker Sing Along, Sturgill Simpson Fast Hearts And Slow Towns, Midland So Long To The Traveling Kind, Tom VandenAvond Somebody’s Daughter, Tenille Townes Times Like These, Hayes Carll 56 Fury, Rodney Crowell Something Real, Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real Sermon (featuring Margo Price), Mercury Rev The Devil Drinks Scotch, Matt Woods & The Natural Disasters Knock Knockin’, Wonderly Road Front Porch, Joy Williams Don’t Skip Out On Me, Richmond Fontaine My Whole Life Is Over (All Over Again), Aaron Lee Tasjan
