PODCAST · music
Roots Music Rambler
by Francesca Folinazzo & Jason Falls
Where there are people, there is music. In our celebration of melodies and lyrics, harmonies and riffs, we typically focus on the songs or the people who wrote them. We often overlook the where. Join Francesca and Falls for Roots Music Rambler, a podcast exploration of the where as much as the who or what. We’ll interview emerging and established artists, fans and others in Americana, Outlaw Country, Bluegrass, Blues, Roots, Soul, World and beyond. But we will always get to the stories of where they’re from and how that impacted the music we know and love. It’s more than just their influences. It’s their families. Communities. Cultures. This show is a fun combination of music, travel, history and more. We dig into the stories from artists, musicians, songwriters, producers, fans and beyond, that don’t just expose their musical influences, but their life influences. Music follows the path of human movement. We tr
Episodes
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An album release, a surprise guest and an invitation to Nashville: Randon Neeley on Roots Music Rambler
Most album release parties are memorable enough without one of your musical heroes walking through the door. Randon Neeley’s October 7 celebration at Al’s Bar in Lexington came with exactly that surprise: Tyler Childers showed up. A few days later, Neeley was opening for him at the Pinnacle in...
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A pair of secondhand pants, a curious dog and a songwriter who keeps listening: Aaron Kelly on Roots Music Rambler
A good song can start just about anywhere. For Aaron Kelly, that includes a trip to Goodwill, a dog sniffing his pants and a biology final that needed something better than a boring PowerPoint. The Chicago-area songwriter joins Frank and Falls this week with stories that make a pretty convincing...
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British singer-songwriter Jack Browning brings country songs and a painter’s eye to Painted Skies
Jack Browning doesn’t think country music needs a particular zip code. The British singer-songwriter grew up on his dad’s records, climbed the furniture to borrow a Johnny Cash CD, and eventually found that pedal steel and fiddle fit the stories he wanted to tell. The accent might surprise you.…
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Singer-Songwriter David LaMotte talks songs that stay with you and the small steps that change the world
Falls first heard David LaMotte in a Birmingham bookstore café more than 20 years ago. He was working in college sports public relations, spending much of his life on the road, and “Northbound” sounded like somebody understood. The song, from LaMotte’s album Corners, has been a favorite ever…
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GIVEAWAY!!!! Dustin Kennedy talks North Springs Music Festival; Rambler giving away 2 weekend passes!
TICKET GIVEAWAY BONUS EPISODE The North Springs Music Festival takes place in a hayfield in Whitleyville, Tenn., October 8-10. It's 10 acts on one stage each day for 30 total sets from some of Roots Music Rambler's favorite artists. Headliners Chris Knight, Taylor Hunnicutt and Silverada are...
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Raised in Mississippi, living in Texas and loving the Tulsa Sound, Jason Eady makes real roots music
Ask Jason Eady to put a label on his music and he’ll take you to the back porch. If it works without electricity, it fits. The Mississippi-raised, Texas-based singer-songwriter has plenty of country in his catalog, but the blues and a laid-back Oklahoma groove are never far away. Eady joined…
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Well-travelled and settled, Erinn Peet Lukes is leading Thunder and Rain to bluegrass stardom
If you’ve heard much thunder around the bluegrass space of late, it’s likely due to the growing presence of Thunder & Rain. Erinn Peet Lukes’s new grass band has been around for more than 10 years. It has shape-shifted through a few different members, inner-circle romantic relationship issues and...
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Cincinnati-based folk rock band Barnweaver guitarist Brandon Scott Coleman talks band, album and more
Welcome to another in our Backstage episode of Roots Music Rambler. These are short interviews Frank and Falls are able to grab backstage (or just somewhere in person rather than on our virtual, longer-form interview episodes) and catch up briefly. This week, Falls caught up with his fellow...
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GIVEAWAY! We've got a 2-day pass to Evanston Folk Festival for one lucky listener!
Pardon the interruption on the podcast feed with a special announcement, but we think you're going to love this! To start the celebration of Roots Music Rambler's 100th episode (coming soon), we're launching a Patreon community to give you all kinds of member benefits. More on that in a moment,...
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Independent folk artist Julia Sanders offers deep introspection in cross-continent creative process
Long-time listeners to Roots Music Rambler know we love to focus on the sense of place and how it impacts the songwriting and music influences of our artists. Every now and then, one comes along that brings an interesting confluence of places to the table. Julia Sanders certainly fits that bill....
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Sam Morrow returns to Texas, Rock & Roll with Southern Boogie
The music business has had ups and downs for Houston native Sam Morrow. He’s bounced around geographically and within his own sound through a decade or more and a half dozen studio albums. But his recent return to his home state of Texas, reconnecting with an old flame who is now his wife, and…
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We’re witnessing the rocket ship that is Hunter Flynn
Welcome to another in our Backstage episode of Roots Music Rambler. These are short interviews Frank and Falls are able to grab backstage (or just somewhere in person rather than on our virtual, longer-form interview episodes) and catch up briefly. This week Falls got a chance to catch up with…
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Blake Christiana chats about 20-plus years of Yarn, new album and more
Rock, rhythm and blues band Yarn made a triumphant return to the Americana charts this spring with their new album Saturday Night Sermons. The lead single, “Good Things,” spent several weeks in the AMA’s top 20 singles chart and the band is back on the road supporting their 11th-ish album.…
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Roots Music Rambler Backstage with West Virginia Singer-Songwriter William Matheny
Welcome to another in our Backstage episode of Roots Music Rambler. These are short interviews Frank and Falls are able to grab backstage (or just somewhere in person rather than on our virtual, longer-form interview episodes) and catch up briefly. This week, we share a recent chat Falls had with...
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Logan Mac Pours His Heart Into Debut Album Til the Ground
It normally only takes a song or two for anyone to get sentimental or teary-eyed at a Logan Mac show. Frank and Falls saw it first-hand at this year’s Crossroads Acoustic Fest in Seymour, Indiana in April. Mac’s deeply emotional music and raw reality-of-life stories are moving. Mac joined us to...
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Roots Music Rambler Backstage with Robby Chadwell from Flood With Love
Welcome to another in our Backstage episode of Roots Music Rambler. These are short interviews Frank and Falls are able to grab backstage (or just somewhere in person rather than on our virtual, longer-form interview episodes) and catch up briefly. In this case, we wanted to make sure everyone…
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Adam Chaffins doubles down on Trailer Trash with Doublewide
Adam Chaffins has spent more than a decade and a half in Nashville, playing in bands, picking up tours with other artists, writing, producing and occasionally releasing an album, several singles and, last year, an EP. Sure, he also happened upon fellow Kentuckian Brit Taylor, whom he married…
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Roots Music Rambler Backstage with Shelby Lore
Welcome to another in our Backstage episode of Roots Music Rambler. These are short interviews Frank and Falls are able to grab backstage (or just somewhere in person rather than on our virtual, longer-form interview episodes) and catch up briefly. In this case, Falls was able to catch Kentucky...
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Noah Guthrie’s new album Oddly Flexible is Heavy in more ways than one
Noah Guthrie first made a name for himself and his music when his YouTube cover songs were noticed by producers for the Ellen DeGeneres Show. He “won” a contract with Degeneres’s fledgling record label which never manifested an actual album for the South Carolina singer-songwriter. But an...
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Funny, Thoughtful Nathan Evans Fox creates Heirloom To Seed Bank Life’s Work
Heirloom, the new album from singer-songwriter Nathan Evans Fox, is out and an impressive manifestation of both creativity and almost historical documentation of an Appalachian artist. Fox joined Roots Music Rambler this week to talk about the new album, his journey to Nashville from the…
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Rachel Swain hits the ground running with first full-length solo album
One of the Americana voices out of Chicago that you’ve heard Frank talk about on Roots Music Rambler drops her first full-length solo album today (Friday, May 29, 2026). So you know we’re going to talk to her, right? Rachel Swain’s Neon Lullaby is out and features a solid mix of the sounds that...
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Hollerhead poised for second full-length album, continued rise in Americana space
Jeremy Marshall, the singer-songwriter who founded and fronts the Alt-Country band Hollerhead, says he doesn’t know what to call the band’s genre of music. “We just play our music,” he told us when he joined Roots Music Rambler this week. The Western Kentucky-based band mixes a steady diet of...
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Americana and Folk artist Ismay goes Finding Lucinda, Discovers Self
Americana/Folk artist Ismay (Avery Hellman) was in a Lucinda Williams cover band started by their father early in her adult life. As a singer-songwriter herself, the musician, rancher and self-identified “dreamer” went looking for more understanding of the legendary singer-songwriter and produced...
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Lucciana Costa is the busiest, badass woman in Nashville
It’s not uncommon for a professional musician to juggle multiple gigs. Until they make it big or get a break playing in a band that does, there’s session jobs, maybe a songwriting contract, picking up live gigs in someone else’s band, slinging merch or someone, or even all that plus holding down…
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The Local Honeys talk music impact, the Kentucky music scene, hint at a new album
It’s been four years since Linda Jean Stokley and Montana Hobbs released a full album. The two, better known collectively as The Local Honeys, dropped a 45 last summer and have blessed fans with a couple of new singles in the last couple of months. But there has been no official announcement of a...
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Highway Junkie Andy Thomas’s first solo LP is out and rockin’ out!
There are few things we love better at Roots Music Rambler than talking to an artist about their first album. As this episode drops (March 27), so will southern rocker Andy Thomas’s debut solo record Highway Junkie. Andy spent some time with Frank and Falls recently to talk about the album, his...
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The Story Behind Crossroads Acoustic Fest (Plus an Exclusive Ticket Discount)
When Roots Music Rambler did our 2025 year-in-review episode, Frank told us her favorite music festival last year was the Crossroads Acoustic Fest in Seymour, Ind. She’s going again this year (and has convinced Falls to come as well). It takes place April 24-25 and features wonderful...
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Sophie Gault Comes Unhinged with Third Studio Album
Sophie Gault’s third studio album Unhinged dropped in early February of this year. But the singles rolled out as the record came to fruition and had already sold it for those familiar with her. The fiery guitar player and honky tonk songstress’s performance on the album mirrored its title. This...
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Roots Music Rambler Backstage: Josh Mitcham
Welcome to the first of hopefully many shorter episodes of Roots Music Rambler, we’re calling our Backstage with episodes. These are short interviews Frank and Falls are able to grab backstage (or just somewhere in person rather than on our virtual, longer-form interview episodes) and catch up...
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Newcomer Trey Hedrick dropped his debut album today. He’s about to get big!
The day this episode of Roots Music Rambler drops, so does a new album from virtual newcomer to the music scene, Trey Hedrick. But don’t let the debut album and baby-faced Hedrick fool you: This guy can write songs and play like you wouldn’t believe. In fact, Hedrick is a rare guest on Roots…
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Dakota Ray Parker turns a life of struggle to noteworthy country music
If most of us grew up the way Dakota Ray Parker did, we’d have given up a long time ago. But the resilient, friendly Parker navigated his way through a rough and tumble childhood to funnel those traumatic experiences into outstanding songs and singing in his music. Parker joined us on Roots Music...
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Emily Scott Robinson's fifth studio album brings Appalachia alive
Emily Scott Robinson may just be one of the most underrated singer-songwriters in the Americana space. When folks get hold of her fifth studio album Appalachia her status should rise considerably. Robinson joined us on Roots Music Rambler for an episode that drops on the very day Appalachia hits...
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Brand New Box of Matches Evolves From Pandemic Pickers to Hit 2026 in Stride
Elizabeth Sherman and Ryan Hardison started out as a couple. Then started tinkering with bluegrass music. Then the pandemic hit and they began recording multitracks of cover songs at home. As you may have guessed by now, that led to another step, then another and the duo heads into 2026 as Brand...
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A New Country Album Coming from Hunter Park and She Returns From War
Hunter Park quickly gained a reputation as one of the hottest up-and-coming singer-songwriters when her project She Returns from War made its first full album debut in 2015. Since, the road dogging and networking have done Hunter and the band well. A 2018 album, well-received by alt-country and...
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The Universe is Hungry for Brooklyn-based Bluegrass Group Damn Tall Buildings
When you say you’re in a bluegrass band from Brooklyn, N.Y., folks in Appalachia will look at you pretty funny. The reaction is almost like the Pace Picante sauce commercial in the 1990s. “New York City? Get a rope!” But when you dig a little deeper, as we did with Avery Ballotta from the group...
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Roots Music Rambler’s Best Albums, Songs, Artists & Events of 2025
The Year 2025 has been a fairly impressive one in Americana and Roots Music and Roots Music Rambler fans have been there for it. On our year-ender episode, Frank and Falls not only recap their favorite new artists, albums and songs, but recall their favorite concerts and events of the year. And…
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Singer-songwriter Emily Jamerson turns to 2026 poised for big things
Americana music enthusiasts and concert-goers are constantly in search of the “next big thing.” We all want to be in on the ground floor of watching and artist’s rise to fame so we can say we were a fan from “the beginning.” Whether it’s seeing Tyler Childers with 20 other people at a dive bar in...
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Melissa Carper brings old school country sound to Christmas, Roots Music Rambler
It's no secret that at Roots Music Rambler we love music with that old school country sound. We’ve raved about previous guests like Kimmi Bitter, Logan Ledger and others. The latest episode reinforces our appreciation for the simpler tones of bygone eras as perhaps the queen of the sub-genre…
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Tanner Horton discusses the ‘dazed and confused’ explosion of The Creekers
If you, “Woke up this mornin’, dazed and confused,” and sung the lyric in your head, you’ve been bitten by the audio bug that is The Creekers. That line, the opening one from a song called “Tennessee” was the second-most played audio clip on TikTok this summer. It helped propel the Leslie County,...
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The Gothic Indie Americana experience of Atlanta-based Del Roscoe
When you’re first experience with a band is seeing a publicity photo of them and each member is wearing an oversized, paper mache mask for a head, you either run for the hills or start exploring more. At Roots Music Rambler, we dive in head first. That’s the typical first impression one…
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Taylor Lansdale: From the Courtroom to the Stage
On the latest episode of Roots Music Rambler, singer-songwriter Taylor Lansdale opens up about his journey from the courtroom to the creative world of songwriting. Once a public defender in Montgomery County, Kentucky, Taylor found himself emotionally exhausted by the weight of his work. Turning…
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Ramona & The Holy Smokes attack Alt-Country charts with first studio album
When a band’s first album drops, it’s exciting. When it shoots up to a top three position on the charts – any chart for that matter – something is happening. That’s exactly what is happening to Ramona & The Holy Smokes whose eponymous debut album landed at No. 3 on the Alt Country Specialty Chart...
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On the verge of motherhood, Kentucky’s Brit Taylor drops new single, hints at new album
The new single from country singer-songwriter Brit Taylor “All for Sale” presents a cautionary tale for men who mess up. If you do, all you stuff is going on sale and you can take a hike. The song probably wasn’t intended for Taylor’s husband Adam Chaffins. He co-wrote and produced the track for...
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Chasen Wayne shares life’s ups and downs on new LP Corpus
Chasen Wayne took the long road to honky tonk stage success. The native Texan’s first job in the music industry – if you could call it that – was a club bouncer as a teenager. His reputation and professionalism landed him at a popular venue in Austin, Texas where he wound up booking shows, too....
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Chicago dive bar country staple Sparkle Carcass drops new record Maraschino Chevy
Long-time listeners of Roots Music Rambler will recognize the name of the band Sparkle Carcass. They happen to be one of Francesca Folinazzo’s favorite Chicago-based bands she sees play live frequently. And to their credit, they are well-known in the windy city as an alt-country, dive bar sorta...
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The Last Revel back with new Dave Simonett-produced album Gone for Good
Just a few short years ago, Minneapolis-based folk rock band The Last Revel may have been on its last leg. Co-founder and guitarist Lee Henke was burned out and needed a break. Fortunately, he went on the all-too-familiar journey of burned out musicians, found space, and therapy, which led him…
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Los Gallos offers mix of Mexican traditional music with country, rock and blues
Chicago-based Los Gallos is a perfect example of the blending of culture in Americana music. Their Mexican and Puerto Rican family backgrounds manifested in first-generation American players who grew up on country and rock radio in the U.S. has resulted in perhaps one of the most interesting…
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Shawn Camp drops Sis Draper project, co-written by the late Guy Clark
Singer-songwriter Shawn Camp has a number of No.1 and Top-10 hits to his name as a songwriter. He’s also had solo success as an artist through the years and is one of the members of bluegrass power group The Earls of Leicester. But perhaps the most fulfilling role he’s had through the years was...
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Resurrected Corduroy Brown rising with feel-good Appalachian rock
Corduroy Brown was so ill with COVID during the pandemic, he was airlifted from Huntington, W.Va., to more advanced medical facilities in Morgantown. During the helicopter ride, he died. Fortunately, quick work from the EMTs revived him. He survived and experienced something most people don’t: A...
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Inside Producing Records with La La Land Sound’s Anne Gauthier
We’re taking a bit of a diversion from the typical artist interview this week on Roots Music Rambler with a special guest. Anne Gauthier is the primary producer and engineer behind the great sounds and recordings that come out of La La Land Sound in Louisville, Ky. She has produced, mixed and...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Where there are people, there is music. In our celebration of melodies and lyrics, harmonies and riffs, we typically focus on the songs or the people who wrote them. We often overlook the where.
Join Francesca and Falls for Roots Music Rambler, a podcast exploration of the where as much as the who or what. We’ll interview emerging and established artists, fans and others in Americana, Outlaw Country, Bluegrass, Blues, Roots, Soul, World and beyond. But we will always get to the stories of where they’re from and how that impacted the music we know and love.
It’s more than just their influences. It’s their families. Communities. Cultures. This show is a fun combination of music, travel, history and more. We dig into the stories from artists, musicians, songwriters, producers, fans and beyond, that don’t just expose their musical influences, but their life influences.
Music follows the path of human movement. We tr
HOSTED BY
Francesca Folinazzo & Jason Falls
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Roots Music Rambler have?
Roots Music Rambler currently has 93 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Roots Music Rambler about?
Where there are people, there is music. In our celebration of melodies and lyrics, harmonies and riffs, we typically focus on the songs or the people who wrote them. We often overlook the where. Join Francesca and Falls for Roots Music Rambler, a podcast exploration of the where as much as the who...
How often does Roots Music Rambler release new episodes?
Roots Music Rambler has 93 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Roots Music Rambler?
You can listen to Roots Music Rambler on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Roots Music Rambler?
Roots Music Rambler is created and hosted by Francesca Folinazzo & Jason Falls.
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