Justin Alan Payne is originally from Newark, Ohio.  These days, he's based in East Nashville.  Justin is currently on tour, and is stopping by Dayton this weekend, so this is an excellent time to talk to him for Episode 128.  Yes, we are trying to promote the show, but the vast majority of our conversation here is evergreen.

We talk about Justin's songwriting process.  What tool does he reach for first?  How does he figure out which of his multiple projects the song belongs to?  How does he know a song is…

(photo by Fred Shank)

there's always gonna be a little darkness, there's always a little melancholy…

My conversation with Tod Weidner remains the highest listened-to episode of this podcast. This is clearly a testament to how much this gentleman means to many people here in Ohio.  He's back in the Buckeye State this week to play a couple of shows, so we're having a brief chat in advance of that to invite folks to come out and listen. He's playing with the wonderful Peter Mulvey on Thursday May 2nd at…

This particular episode is an important one to me, and if you care about authenticity in music, I think it'll be important to you as well.

Country isn't my genre of choice, but I've been making an effort to listen to more of it over the last few years.  To keep it 100, as the kids say, the sound never spoke to me when I was young, and I couldn't see any value for me in that genre.  As I've gotten older, I've learned that country music is a vehicle for Black stories as well, despite what the music industry…

It's pretty cool to live in a place that has a venue where you can see 50 free concerts a year.  That place for us is Levitt Pavilion Dayton, and my guest of honor is their Executive Director, Lisa Wagner.  How do they make sure the concerts are diverse?  How much work does it take to put on a show at Levitt?  How in the world can they afford to deliver 50 concerts without charging for admission?  You'll learn the answers to these questions in this episode.

Levitt Pavilion Dayton

It fascinates me how people have such different backgrounds, but we still come together... and we make music together as one unit...

Simona Smirnova is from Lithuania, but currently based in New York City.  She's a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, teacher, generally interesting person, and true music professional. She specializes in the kanklés, which is a traditional Lithuanian instrument.  (I'd tell you more here, but I want you to listen to Simona talk about it.)

Simona has just…

At some point, you know, it's hard to carry a piano around...

Mary Beth Carty is a fascinating individual, a songwriter, an artist, and a multi-instrumental musician. She can be heard singing in four (4!) different languages on her new album, Crossing the Causeway. How did the diversity in the area she grew up contribute to her music?  How did she get started playing accordion?  What did her childhood smell like?  You'll get the answers to these questions - as well as hear me list some names of a musical…

If there was one thread I can find across all of my music, it is the deep love of storytelling...

Michelle Rhea Goddard is a Nashville-based songwriter who is originally from California.  Here album Breaking Bread: Songs of Reconciliation is arranged like a play, with an introduction, three acts, and an intermission. What is her writing process like? How did she come up with the idea to structure an album this way?  What did her childhood smell like?  You'll get the answers to all of these questions in…

Lo más importante... lo que quiero demostrar es el dialogo cultural... es como a través del arte, a través de la cultura, podemos generar espacios hermosos...

Ana Barajas is back on the podcast, as she has a new single out.  It's called "Ojos Bonitos", and is a cover of an old Andean folk song.  We talk about the song, the recording of it, and the video in this conversation.

Es mi placer dar la bienvenida otra vez a Ana Barajas, una música colombiana quién ahora vive en Texas.  En este plática…