The Mountain-Ear Podcast

The Mountain-Ear Staff

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Episodes

Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Scott Johnson of the Rampart Street Stompers (and Bonus: Al Jardine and The Beach Boys at Caribou Ranch!)
4d ago
Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Scott Johnson of the Rampart Street Stompers (and Bonus: Al Jardine and The Beach Boys at Caribou Ranch!)
Send us a textScott Johnson primarily lives in Boulder with his wife and two kids, but the family also owns a house in New Orleans, located on North Rampart Street. Over a decade ago, he played a gig and mentioned that he would have loved to learn how to play the sousaphone, as at the time he played upright and electric bass. A trumpet player and friend playing the gig with him said that he would help Johnson learn the ropes. This motivated Johnson to teach himself the instrument, and feeling comfortable playing New Orleans jazz, he gathered friends of his to form a band to play that jazz: the Rampart Street Stompers, a name that tributes his house.The band focuses on traditional New Orleans jazz from the 1920s and ’30s, from Louis Armstrong to Louis Prima, and the lineup has changed slightly over the years to home in on that particular sound. The current lineup consists of Johnson as band leader, sousaphone player, and vocalist; Fred Renken on trumpet; Fred Rollenhagen on trombone; Michael Bocim on clarinet; Al Scholl on banjo and guitar; Steve Balgooyen on drums; and Corinne Johnson, Scott’s daughter, as a vocalist. Other members have included Josh Schnabel on banjo and ukulele, Ellie Brown on vocals, and Justin Peterson on trumpet. Johnson calls the band a middle ground between Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Tuba Skinny, the latter of whom Johnson credits with inspiring the band in the first place.Also, stay tuned to hear responses from Al Jardine of The Beach Boys to questions about that band's time at Caribou Ranch in Nederland! Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear podcast featuring the news and culture from peak to peak. If you would like to be featured in the podcast, contact the host at media@themountainear.com!SUBSCRIBE ONLINE and use the COUPON CODE PODCAST FOR A 10% Discount for ALL NEW SUBSCRIBERS https://www.themtnear.com/subscribe/ You can find us online by visiting https://www.themtnear.com/Find us on Facebook @mtnearShare this podcast around wherever you've found it or by sharing the link https://themtnearpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ or https://www.themtnear.comYou can contact our editor at info@themountainear.com.Thank you for listening.
Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Andrew McConathy of Drunken Hearts
Oct 19 2024
Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Andrew McConathy of Drunken Hearts
Send us a textFor many years, Andrew McConathy worked as a children’s ski instructor at Vail’s Golden Peak, and after enough time had passed, he felt he wanted to find a different way to make a living. He started playing music on the side with two friends of his from the slopes, skiing by day and playing bluegrass together at night.He and Derek Shields had grown up ski-racing together in Vail, attending Middlebury College in Vermont to ski race before McConathy ultimately dropped out. Once both had moved to Vail on their own time, they started skiing again and playing together. The other friend, Ted Welles, ended up joining the two, and McConathy (acoustic guitarist and vocalist), Shields (upright bassist), and Welles (drummer) ultimately formed the first line-up of Drunken Hearts, playing in Welles’s basement and at open mics in Vail.McConathy remembers that the band name came from opening up a book and being inspired by the song title “Drunken Hearted Boy” from the Allman Brothers, a similar process to how The Grateful Dead got their name. It also emulated the song title “Drunken Hearted Man” by Robert Johnson, and McConathy remembers that the band originally went back and forth between Andrew McConathy and the Drunken Hearts and The Drunken Hearts before finally truncating it to its current name, Drunken Hearts. Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear podcast featuring the news and culture from peak to peak. If you would like to be featured in the podcast, contact the host at media@themountainear.com!SUBSCRIBE ONLINE and use the COUPON CODE PODCAST FOR A 10% Discount for ALL NEW SUBSCRIBERS https://www.themtnear.com/subscribe/ You can find us online by visiting https://www.themtnear.com/Find us on Facebook @mtnearShare this podcast around wherever you've found it or by sharing the link https://themtnearpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ or https://www.themtnear.comYou can contact our editor at info@themountainear.com.Thank you for listening.
Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Redd and the Paper Flowers
Oct 11 2024
Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Redd and the Paper Flowers
Send us a textChristina “Redd” Daugherty focused on open mics for a large part of her performing history but stopped performing as frequently during her approximately decade-long position as a high school English teacher at L&N STEM Academy in Knoxville, Tennessee. After the COVID-19 pandemic, however, she started performing at open mics again. At these open mics, she met and became friends with Katie Adams and Colleen d’Alelio, who had moved to Knoxville together after the pandemic and after performing in a group called Quality Code Names. A mutual friend, bassist Will Ross, introduced Daugherty to Gavin Gregg. Ross ultimately performed with both in a trio formation called Redd the Band, but Ross and Daugherty have stopped performing together due to creative differences. Soon after this new group of four met, though, they collectively realized they had similar musical goals and started playing together almost instantly.Daugherty had already started focusing on music full-time. After taking a music marketing class taught by Adam Ivy, she worked more closely with him and took much of his advice. Her students submitted on her behalf a video of her performing to the team of American Idol, and Daughterty ultimately received a confidence boost after placing in the Top 40 of Season 19.She also released various singles under her nickname Redd that she later compiled into the physical release Monsters & Mothers, and by the time of the release of that album, she had quit teaching entirely to pursue music. Now, with a group of people that gelled together quickly, Daugherty (lead singer and rhythm guitarist), Gregg (mandolin player and lead/backup vocalist), Adams (bassist, upright bassist, and backup vocalist), and d’Alelio (cellist and lead/backup vocalist) decided to form the group now known as Redd and the Paper Flowers. Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear podcast featuring the news and culture from peak to peak. If you would like to be featured in the podcast, contact the host at media@themountainear.com!SUBSCRIBE ONLINE and use the COUPON CODE PODCAST FOR A 10% Discount for ALL NEW SUBSCRIBERS https://www.themtnear.com/subscribe/ You can find us online by visiting https://www.themtnear.com/Find us on Facebook @mtnearShare this podcast around wherever you've found it or by sharing the link https://themtnearpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ or https://www.themtnear.comYou can contact our editor at info@themountainear.com.Thank you for listening.
Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Brandy Ray of Brandywine and the Mighty Fines
Oct 5 2024
Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Brandy Ray of Brandywine and the Mighty Fines
Send us a textBrandy Ray vividly remembers the date on which her current primary project, Brandywine and the Mighty Fines, performed live for the first time: March 6, 2020. This is because, a week later, COVID-19 caused the world to shut down. The band could finally kick themselves into gear once regulations were lifted, starting with a handful of gigs and booking more and more as they cemented the lineup.The core lineup of the band consists of Brandy on mandolin and vocals, her husband Joshua Ray on guitar and vocals, and Matthew Schexnyder on guitar and vocals, with all three serving as the primary songwriters as well. Early in the band’s run, Emerson Lamm contributed banjo and Lena Dow contributed bass and vocals. Currently, Maya Fabrikant will often contribute vocals and fiddle, Joe Gibb will often contribute bass, and Neil Mitchell will often contribute drums. However, the Rays and Schexnyder are the consistent core members.The name started as an in-joke from Brandy, or “Brandywine” herself. Due to her extroverted personality and excitement for interacting with others, as well as her consistent role in behind-the-scenes management, the band has crafted themselves around her being a central role. She jokingly called the other members the “Mighty Fines” because they have ultimately had longer experiences performing music. Gibb studied bass, and Joshua and Schexnyder have played guitar for most of their lives.However, Brandy had only started playing the mandolin a year before the band formed, having dabbled in music only occasionally throughout her life before then. Joshua knew Brandy loved to sing, so he bought her a mandolin and encouraged her to explore a new avenue of her musicality. She hasn’t looked back since. Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear podcast featuring the news and culture from peak to peak. If you would like to be featured in the podcast, contact the host at media@themountainear.com!SUBSCRIBE ONLINE and use the COUPON CODE PODCAST FOR A 10% Discount for ALL NEW SUBSCRIBERS https://www.themtnear.com/subscribe/ You can find us online by visiting https://www.themtnear.com/Find us on Facebook @mtnearShare this podcast around wherever you've found it or by sharing the link https://themtnearpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ or https://www.themtnear.comYou can contact our editor at info@themountainear.com.Thank you for listening.
Then and Now Episode 7: Mollie O'Brien and Rich Moore
Oct 3 2024
Then and Now Episode 7: Mollie O'Brien and Rich Moore
Send us a textMollie O’Brien and Rich Moore first met in 1981 and had both been in several bands in the bar scene before then. They had sometimes performed together but hadn’t fully leaned into being a duo. After getting married and having children, they realized it was much harder to perform in the bar scene than it was before. They decided to lean more into performances as a duo in 2006, when their daughters had graduated high school. They primarily perform American Roots music.O’Brien grew up in Wheeling, West Virginia, where she frequently attended local performances of famous artists. At a young age, she learned to play piano and sing along with it. In high school, she and her brother Tim performed various songs (especially from Peter, Paul, and Mary) at churches and coffeehouses.Meanwhile, Moore grew up in Philadelphia, where, at the age of 12, he saw The Beatles performing on the Ed Sullivan Show and became completely absorbed in the idea of music. His mother had already been a pianist and his dad a classical choral singer, and that Christmas, he got his first guitar and (coincidentally) started learning songs from Peter, Paul, and Mary.The two love being able to share music with an audience, and they love being able to perform music together in the studio. O’Brien loves the process of getting the song just right in the studio, and Moore loves the technical aspects of recording in the studio. The two have various solo and duo albums, including their duo albums 900 Baseline and Saints and Sinners, and even though they sometimes have a hard time getting categorized, they are always passionate about the music they create. Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear podcast featuring the news and culture from peak to peak. If you would like to be featured in the podcast, contact the host at media@themountainear.com!SUBSCRIBE ONLINE and use the COUPON CODE PODCAST FOR A 10% Discount for ALL NEW SUBSCRIBERS https://www.themtnear.com/subscribe/ You can find us online by visiting https://www.themtnear.com/Find us on Facebook @mtnearShare this podcast around wherever you've found it or by sharing the link https://themtnearpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ or https://www.themtnear.comYou can contact our editor at info@themountainear.com.Thank you for listening.
Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Nat Lefkoff
Sep 28 2024
Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Nat Lefkoff
Send us a textNat Lefkoff has been playing music and writing songs since he was around the age of nine – songs which he now considers terrible. For him, music started as a hobby and developed into a passion, and he performed in several bands throughout junior high and high school. He found himself getting more comfortable performing in local bars and other venues, and eventually, he moved to Washington to attend college, where he became involved in more projects.Around his college years, he started DIY touring of his own projects, and in 2017, he released his debut self-titled album. Just before the COVID pandemic hit, he was gearing up to play music full-time after his career as a teacher in the Santa Cruz area. Once the pandemic came, he had to put his full-time music career on hold for a while, eventually getting a job in disaster relief at quarantine centers and homeless shelters.After some time, he worried he was compromising his dreams for a stable life. However, one day a song came to him in a dream. He recorded the chorus to this song, which ultimately developed into the title track of his sophomore album, Heavy Lifting, and took this as a sign to finally play music full-time.Over the last three years, he has found an immense amount of support among the musicians he has befriended and performed with, and he still plans on focusing on music full-time for the rest of his life. He cites Neil Young as an early influence, remembering that his dad would play Young’s songs in the car and pause to emphasize great lyrics. Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear podcast featuring the news and culture from peak to peak. If you would like to be featured in the podcast, contact the host at media@themountainear.com!SUBSCRIBE ONLINE and use the COUPON CODE PODCAST FOR A 10% Discount for ALL NEW SUBSCRIBERS https://www.themtnear.com/subscribe/ You can find us online by visiting https://www.themtnear.com/Find us on Facebook @mtnearShare this podcast around wherever you've found it or by sharing the link https://themtnearpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ or https://www.themtnear.comYou can contact our editor at info@themountainear.com.Thank you for listening.
Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Randy McIntosh and Blessing Chimanga of Kutandara
Sep 25 2024
Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Randy McIntosh and Blessing Chimanga of Kutandara
Send us a textIn 1999, Amy and Randy McIntosh co-founded an organization of their own to continue teaching music from the African diaspora. They called it Kutandara, a Zimbabwe term meaning “to come together and have fun.” The two have now fully cemented their roles in the organization – Amy as the executive director, Randy as the artistic director, and both as instructors. After Randy had been denied opportunities to teach African music, he could now teach through his own program, which started in Lafayette. After moving locations over the next few years as nearby tenants became tired of the constant music, Kutandara finally settled in their current Boulder location.Kutandara has taught multiple groups over the last 25 years. These groups include Kunaka (meaning “really good”), Takapenga (meaning “we are awesome”), and Shamwari (a Shona term for greeting a friend). Currently, it teaches three primary groups. The adult group, Kutandara, includes three different bands: Kutandara Kombi, or the “little” band, with three marimbas, electric mbira, drum set, hosho, guitar, and vocals; Kutandara Marimba, in which seven musicians play bass, baritone, tenor, alto, and soprano marimbas; and Kutandara Marimba Experience, which includes the 7-piece marimba orchestra, drum set, electric mbira, guitar, electric bass, and percussion. Then, there’s the senior teen band Tanaka, loosely meaning “we have arrived.” Finally, there’s the junior teen band Mhodzi, which means “seeds,” a shorthand method of conveying the idea of those members being the seeds of tomorrow.Through these groups, Kutandara is dedicated to teaching people of all ages how to play music from the African diaspora, properly play a show, stay engaged the entire time, set up for a show, and get comfortable performing in front of an audience. Randy, who always found himself nervous playing piano by himself, loves performing with these groups and seeing them bring the pieces to life every show.While the program still uses the name Kutandara, it was incorporated as a non-profit in 2017. At that point, Amy and Randy dissolved Kutandara Center as a legal entity and reformed it as the 501(c)(3) entity Moon and Stars Foundation, named after one of Randy’s most popular original compositions.Over the years, Kutandara students have traveled to various places focused on African music, transitioning from visiting the Zimbabwe Music Festival (which Kutandara produced in Boulder in 2009) to Zimbabwe itself. The organization has been able to directly connect more with Zimbabwe, including meeting a local musician, Blessing “Coach Bled” Chimanga, on a 2017 trip to the country. After being asked to produce the annual Kutandara fundraiser for three separate years, Blessing became the first visiting artist of the organization. Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear podcast featuring the news and culture from peak to peak. If you would like to be featured in the podcast, contact the host at media@themountainear.com!SUBSCRIBE ONLINE and use the COUPON CODE PODCAST FOR A 10% Discount for ALL NEW SUBSCRIBERS https://www.themtnear.com/subscribe/ You can find us online by visiting https://www.themtnear.com/Find us on Facebook @mtnearShare this podcast around wherever you've found it or by sharing the link https://themtnearpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ or https://www.themtnear.comYou can contact our editor at info@themountainear.com.Thank you for listening.
Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Eric Halborg of Dragondeer and Tom Hamilton, Jr.
Sep 14 2024
Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Eric Halborg of Dragondeer and Tom Hamilton, Jr.
Send us a textOver a decade ago, Eric Halborg and Cole Rudy met as part of the Denver indie music scene. At the time, Halborg played and wrote for the punk band The Swayback (he currently also plays for Wabi), and Rudy played for the groups Barnacle and Varlet. Striking conversations, the two realized they both loved old-school blues.Halborg had practiced harmonica privately for a few years, finding time in the car after his stereo was stolen. When Rudy realized this, he asked Halborg to play for him, the first time Halborg had played harmonica for anyone else. From there, the two decided to form their own group, with Halborg providing guitar, harmonica, and vocals and Rudy providing guitar, lap steel, mandolin, and additional vocals.Eventually, the two fleshed out the lineup and thus the group’s sound by adding a drummer/percussionist and a bassist – Carl Sorensen serves as the former, with the latter role previously filled by Casey Sidwell and currently by Hunter Roberts. However, Halborg and Rudy are still the core of the group, called Dragondeer, creating the basic structure of the songs that the whole band fleshes out. Halborg loves the spontaneous back-and-forth among the musicians when he performs with the group on stage, and he loves directly experiencing the energy of the crowd and fellow musicians. He hopes the audience recognizes the group’s love of their performances and feels inspired by their energy.Despite sharing a name and having the same December 31 birthday, Tom Hamilton Jr (born in 1978) is not connected to Aerosmith’s bassist (not a junior and born in 1951). However, the younger Tom Hamilton has still had a storied music career. His father (Tom Hamilton Sr., of course) started as a drummer, and by the time Junior and his older brother Jim were born, seinor primarily played bass, performing in Philadelphia with a classic rock/blues band. For Junior, growing up with a band constantly playing in his basement, being a musician was a normal vocation for his family. His father never pressured him to play, but Junior felt it was a way to connect and communicate – he never focused on the idea of being successful. Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear podcast featuring the news and culture from peak to peak. If you would like to be featured in the podcast, contact the host at media@themountainear.com!SUBSCRIBE ONLINE and use the COUPON CODE PODCAST FOR A 10% Discount for ALL NEW SUBSCRIBERS https://www.themtnear.com/subscribe/ You can find us online by visiting https://www.themtnear.com/Find us on Facebook @mtnearShare this podcast around wherever you've found it or by sharing the link https://themtnearpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ or https://www.themtnear.comYou can contact our editor at info@themountainear.com.Thank you for listening.