There Is Entirely Too Much Going On Now but There Are Also a Lot of Good Parts
A new podcast, and a parade of more high caliber artists coming soon
In recent weeks, I have been on a tear, hosting conversations with Steve Earle, Marty Stuart, Larry & Joe and Aoife O’Donovan. Those are added to recent interviews in hand from artists Margo Cilker and Maya De Vitry, all of which will make their way onto Southern Songs and Stories and/or public radio WNCW. On the near horizon is Old Crow Medicine Show, when they come to Charlotte NC in early August.
I have three modes now: A. Prepare for and host the interview, B. Write and record the podcast, and C. Publish and publicize the podcast.
And then there’s everything else in the world. In the midst of making this series (the good, albeit intense part), there is the news of the day hanging overhead (the bad, also intense part). Let’s focus on one of the good parts: a new podcast episode on Jim Lauderdale and Donna the Buffalo at MerleFest.
In the second of two episodes from MerleFest in April 2024, we highlight veterans Jim Lauderdale, and Donna the Buffalo's Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear, as they recall their early times together and the many, many shared experiences at the feted roots music festival in a podcast which includes excerpts of music from their collaborative album as well as performances at MerleFest. To hear the episode, follow Southern Songs and Stories in an app near you.
In this newsletter, you are invited to the following transcript of the episode titled “Jim Lauderdale, Donna the Buffalo and the Many Collaborations of MerleFest”. Enjoy!
[“Wait ‘Til Spring“ by Jim Lauderdale and Donna the Buffalo, from Wait ‘Till Spring, continuing as bed]
When it comes to artists like Jim Lauderdale and Donna the Buffalo, I think back to a comment that Jerry Douglas made to me in an interview for this series, when he talked about what he called roots music 12 O’clock. Whereas the mainstream comes back around to roots music only so often in this metaphor, for artists like himself it is always roots music 12 O’clock. Like Jerry Douglas, our guests in this episode have always looked to it as their north star, even while they have wound their way around to some of the more prime time hours on the dial in their storied careers.
Amongst many, many albums of their own, the two collaborated on the 2003 collection Wait ‘Till Spring, with the title track playing now. In that eleven song record, Donna the Buffalo brought their trademark style blending old time, Cajun and Zydeco elements to the forefront, becoming the vehicle that took Jim Lauderdale’s country and bluegrass oriented songwriting into territory that sounds as fresh and innovative today as it did when it was released.
Jim Lauderdale is no stranger to collaboration, and has made records with artists ranging from Ralph Stanley to Buddy Miller, and worked extensively with lyricist Robert Hunter of Grateful Dead fame. Jim is also featured on a previous episode in this series titled The King Of Broken Hearts: Jim Lauderdale. In addition to their album with Lauderdale, Donna the Buffalo has collaborated on stage and on record with artists ranging from Bela Fleck to Malian musician Mamadou Diabate.
I caught up with Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear of Donna the Buffalo and Jim Lauderdale at MerleFest in late April 2024, a festival which encourages collaborations ranging from, say, impromptu guest appearances during an encore all the way up to the now legendary Hillside Album Hour, where the band The Waybacks make up the core of a larger ensemble of rotating stars, including, very often, Jim Lauderdale in the band, who use a classic album as the foundation for their set.
The story of MerleFest goes hand in hand with the careers of our guests, who have appeared at the festival in the vast majority of its 36 year run -- counting this year, Jim Lauderdale played 25 MerleFest weekends and Donna the Buffalo, 27.
MerleFest has itself always shown the world what roots music 12 O’clock means on its now 12 stages over the decades, and is a phenomenon that has become much more than the sum of its parts. It made the blueprint for so many other festivals and events, a format which has gone on to become more and more prevalent as one of, if not the, primary way to experience live music.
This episode of Southern Songs and Stories serves as a companion to our previous episode from the 2024 MerleFest, where we featured two up and coming artists who were making their debut at the event, Adeem the Artist and Nick Shoulders.
Today, we talk with Jim Lauderdale and Donna the Buffalo about their extensive history which goes back before even coming to the festival, memories of time spent with Doc Watson, key differences between old time music and bluegrass music, and much more, including more music from both.
I am your host Joe Kendrick, welcoming you to this episode of Southern Songs and Stories on Jim Lauderdale and Donna the Buffalo.
[SSaS intro theme with voiceover: Southern Songs and Stories is a proud part of the lineup at public radio WNCW as well as Osiris Media, the leading storyteller in music. Follow Southern Songs wherever you follow podcasts, with more at southernsongsandstories.com. Engage with us on social media -- Southern Songs and Stories on Facebook and @southstories on Instagram, as well as our YouTube Channel @JoeKendrickNC]
Southern Songs and Stories began ten years ago as a video documentary series which succeeded in producing two episodes before running out of steam on another, and eventually transitioning to a podcast format. Within that framework, the series has evolved from publishing roughly hour long episodes once a month to making shorter episodes bimonthly. The format is largely the same, focusing on artist profiles based on interviews, preferably in person, and utilizing live music performances whenever possible -- ideally from a show at or around the time of the interview. Beyond that, there have been many wrinkles within this approach, including theme episodes, for example artists’ side hustles; their tour stories; episodes diving deep into history and culture; even episodes with two artists talking about each other’s music as well as a mutual favorite song.
With Jim Lauderdale and Donna the Buffalo, we arrive at yet another new way to begin the conversation, with Tara, Jeb and Jim reminiscing about their many shared experiences over the years, especially at MerleFest. I was not so much an interviewer as a spectator, as they talked together in one of their few breaks from performing and signing autographs, in a classroom reserved for us at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, NC, home to MerleFest.
00:01:48 Jim Lauderdale
It seems like unless my memory is going going awry is that it seems like shortly after. I met y'all. I thought maybe the first sit in with you guys was here.
00:02:11 Jeb Puryear
Ohh that could be you know. I remember we came to see you at the Ryman. Me and Christy and and.
00:02:16 Jim Lauderdale
Right, yeah.
00:02:19 Jeb Puryear
And that was that Ricky Skaggs. And and Patty Loveless and you and you split halfway down.
00:02:21 Jim Lauderdale
Yeah.
00:02:27 Jeb Puryear
And. There was a there was a big show of Vince Gill and and then Bruce Morris. He was on the, you know, they taped like three of them that. But anyway that was really cool. And then I remember talking to you at the traditional stage over here and saying that we'd seen you over there.
00:02:31 Jim Lauderdale
Yeah.
00:02:43 Tara Nevins
Didn't we see you at Newport Folk Festival.
00:02:46 Jim Lauderdale
And then, well, that's when I met y'all. But then but.
00:02:48 Jeb Puryear
What's?
00:02:48 Tara Nevins
That after the thing you're talking.
00:02:50 Jim Lauderdale
About but then sitting in with you guys, I think it was here and then y'all invited me to Grassroots.
00:03:00 Jeb Puryear
You know, I think we were at South by Southwest and it was so long ago that they were promoting the first Austin Powers movie.
00:03:06 Jim Lauderdale
Wow.
00:03:08 Jeb Puryear
And.
Tara
I don’t remember that at all.
00:03:09 Jim Lauderdale
But but at any, any, at any rate.
00:03:11 Jeb Puryear
And remember, we, we saw you perform down there and then and then we.
00:03:15 Jim Lauderdale
At South By.
00:03:17 Jeb Puryear
And then we booked you and then we were asking, well, you know, and then, well, I think you asked us just like, well, she was. And then I was like, well, what you call them and then maybe we'll, you know, there, it was fun.
00:03:31 Jim Lauderdale
And we had one rehearsal.
00:03:34 Tara Nevins
Was that the first city and then?
00:03:35 Jim Lauderdale
Yeah. And that's the only rehearsal we've ever had was once, and then the songs that grew. Into our album, we're kind of melodies and I'd kind of just. Singing nonsense words and then eventually. But then we did, you know, here at MerleFest we, we did several they, they would put -- pair off people. And I remember we were at the hillside stage once and Peter, I mean Peter Wernick was also.
00:04:00 Jeb Puryear
Right.
00:04:08 Jim Lauderdale
On that, yeah.
00:04:08 Jeb Puryear
Yeah. They used to do a little bit more that kind of arranged marriage like. One time we. Yeah. Who's who's the Korean, reverend sun Young moon? Huge. He's the one that would, like, arrange marriages. Just like there be this huge, huge lines of people. And they were all getting married, but they never met.
00:04:33 Jim Lauderdale
And gosh, it's been a few years now, but then we.
00:04:33 Jeb Puryear
That's a little obscure reference, sorry radio listeners.
00:04:41 Jim Lauderdale
One time y'all were playing on the the Watson stage. And I and I just rushed, just made it in the nick of time. Right when y'all were gonna that I think that was kind of a joint show too, or or, or at least I was sitting in. But I made it. And I know Doc was alive because I remember he was backstage.
00:04:54 Tara Nevins
You were sitting in.
00:05:05 Jim Lauderdale
That was always cool too, really meaningful to see Doc, you know.
00:05:11 Tara Nevins
Ohh God yes.
00:05:13 Jeb Puryear
I think that I mean, I think the basics to me -- a lot of the basic story of MerleFest and is the the story of this area’s musical tradition and is presenting in this way and sometimes MerleFest and maybe a little shinier than some of the stuff or, you know, like the modernization of the South that kind of like. Goes with that or like the new Grand Ole Opry. But the real story is like.
00:05:35 Jim Lauderdale
Right.
00:05:39 Jeb Puryear
These guys really made this music and it got made right here and it was so freaking cool. And it just drew so much energy and attention from all over the world because it was so happening. And, and it's still playing out.
00:05:43 Tara Nevins
The Watson family.
00:05:45 Jim Lauderdale
Yeah. Yeah, well, I marvel at that every year that.One man, Doc, you know this. This thing. This festival's like the biggest one I play at. I don't know about you all, but it is. I mean, so he said you think about that one and the influence he had on guitar players and music in general and you know, his style is pretty staggering.
00:06:14 Tara Nevins
So yeah, it is. Absolutely.
00:06:26 Jeb Puryear
And also just like. Like a. Old world, sense of class and like a southern class of, of like intelligence and talent, and and all that stuff. I think it's just beautiful.
00:06:35 Jim Lauderdale
Yeah. Yeah. And a certain gracefulness, you know, graciousness.
00:06:50 Jeb Puryear
Yeah.
00:06:51 Jim Lauderdale
Yeah. Warmth. Yeah.
00:06:55 Tara Nevins
Yeah.
[“Blue Moon of Kentucky” by Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Alison Krauss et al, from MerleFest Live!: The 15th Anniversary Jam, excerpt]
Speaking of Doc Watson and collaborations at MerleFest, how about that live version of Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky” from MerleFest in 2003, taken from the compilation MerleFest Live!: The 15th Anniversary Jam. Jerry Douglas was the music director as well as dobro player throughout those sets, taking the lead role for a set of sprawling jam sessions including, in that song alone, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Alison Krauss, Sara Watkins, Stuart Duncan, Alan O’Bryant, Byron House, Sam Bush and Chris Thile.
And now, a live one from Donna the Buffalo at MerleFest in 2003:
[“Conscious Evolution” by Donna the Buffalo, from MerleFest Live!: The Best of 2003, excerpt]
Gotta love a “Third Stone From the Sun” quote. Gets me every time. That was Donna the Buffalo with some of “Conscious Evolution” by Donna the Buffalo, from MerleFest Live!: The Best of 2003 compilation.
Fast forward to 2024, and our conversation with band leaders and founding members Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear begins by asking them about their relationship to MerleFest, what changes they have seen over the decades they have played there:
We were trying to think about that before, but I just signed a poster and the first year was 1988. Well, we weren't here for really the first several years, I think. And we're trying to remember when we started here and I, I can't remember, really remember, but.
00:07:36 Jeb Puryear
It's been a long. It's -- somebody knows?
00:07:52 Tara Nevins
But. I mean, it's certainly been 24 years because, right? We started in. 2000 right here. Yeah, so that's 24.
00:08:01 Jeb Puryear
Oh. That's one here about 2000. That's twenty. Oh, my God. As we're talking about this, realizing. Yeah. So that's a real, that's surreal. You know, as as certain people was like, ohh, they've been a band for like 40 years and it's like people expect us not be able to walk across the stage, you know, but.
00:08:18 Joe Kendrick
Yeah, you've got those second generation fans. You know, yeah. Right. First generations had those kids, and now those kids are about to have kids.
00:08:23 Jeb Puryear
Yeah. No, that's that's true. Then I fell apart of the abused youth and yeah.
00:08:30 Joe Kendrick
It was funny. One time I was bringing you on on Hillside stage and. the act in front of you was kind of a country, kind of more like almost not really. Nashville. I don't know how you would describe it, but it wasn't like, kind of that country thing. And they were loading off and you guys were coming on. I remember one of the band members turned to the other. And says, “hippie band’s up next!”
00:08:56 Jeb Puryear
You got that right.
00:08:56 Tara Nevins
Oh my God, really.
00:08:59 Joe Kendrick
So it's a little anecdotes from behind the scenes, but you know, really thinking about Donna the Buffalo, you know, hippie band is is not a really a great moniker I guess, but it's not too far off. I was thinking the other night was watching you in the dance and I thought, you know, it's almost like. Instead of the secret sauce for the Grateful Dead being bluegrass if, if they had gone in that Cajun Zydeco direction and you know by way of upstate New York, you know, there you go cause that's that's that's really what's at the root of so much of what you're doing.
00:09:23 Tara Nevins
Yeah.
00:09:33 Jeb Puryear
Yeah. It's kind of.
00:09:38 Tara Nevins
I think part of it was like, you know, Jeb and I met playing all time fiddle and going to Mount Airy and Galax and, and that's really where it all started. And you know, that old time traditional fiddle is different than bluegrass. You know, pre comes before bluegrass, you know, and you just sort of all played together and nobody really takes steps out and takes breaks. You play together and you kind of just ride this groove kind of thing. So Jeb and I sort of come from that and. That sort of. Is sort of like kind of part of like kind of why we? Sound the way we sound.
00:10:12 Joe Kendrick
Yeah, it's that that old time, you know? It was. It was dance. Music was made to get you going and dancing. And it has that drone quality. So it has that ancient, you know, odd sort of base to it. And so you.
00:10:21 Tara Nevins
Exactly.
00:10:24 Tara Nevins
When we started, I mean, we really couldn't take breaks. It wasn't anything because we were old time musicians you have picked up an electric guitar, you know. Started writing songs and like it was a whole new. World for us, you know, in a way, even though we grew up listening to the radio and had our favorite bands and stuff like that. But you know, so we came at this from old time music and it's I think it's part of why we're so much kind of more groove. Oriented.
And you know, but we've certain certainly progressed as you know, as far as taking breaks and all that we do that now you know what? But it's been 20 years long. Time. Yeah, a long time. But I think that's why.
00:10:56 Jeb Puryear
Or maybe long.
00:11:00 Tara Nevins
You know. Part of that sound like you said. And then we, you know, we knew about the Cajun and Zydeco music and then we went to Louisiana, bought accordions and that we worked that into our sounds. So it's like a combination of all of that, you know.
00:11:10 Joe Kendrick
Yep. Yeah, yeah. Definitely. Yeah. That old time root to it all too. That's a good point because it's that fiddle. You're right. That's.
00:11:18 Tara Nevins
Yeah. That's where we you know, that's where we, that's where we, you know, intersect with, you know Doc Watson and all of that. I mean we we've traveled in every year to Mount Airy and Galax you know playing. Old film, music and “Cotton Eyed Joe” and everything. I mean that was, you know, that's what that's how you and I met. You know, the old time music world.
00:11:31 Jeb Puryear
What was the first year?
00:11:37 Jeb Puryear
Kelly, I think I went to Galax in ‘78. Yeah, yeah. Wow.
00:11:41 Tara Nevins
Really. Wow. You. Really. I don't think I would that really, but.
00:11:46 Jeb Puryear
You know us.
00:11:48 Tara Nevins
Yeah, you were young, but.
00:11:50 Jeb Puryear
Or maybe even ‘77.
00:11:52 Tara Nevins
No. And we, you know, we came, we were, like, totally steeped in old time music and and and bluegrass was like “ah, old time music” and it's bluegrass. And you know the world's didn't -- the world's now the bluegrass and old time musicians have really sort of melded and appreciate each other a lot more than they did years ago because years ago. You know, the bluegrass is, is so you know, there's a technical thing, there's the breaks, and it's all so slick and it's just not, you know, in the old time, you know, we're just, like, vamping away on these tunes A Part B, part A Part B part. And we're just riding a groove and we're rolling. Huddle, just playing it and no one's stepping out. And the world's didn't.
00:12:11 Jeb Puryear
There'll be a little like.
00:12:27 Jeb Puryear
I think Bill Monroe was quoted as saying he wouldn't cross the street to go hear old time music.
00:12:33 Tara Nevins
Yeah. And there's there, there is a saying there. There was always a saying that that we got a kick out of it was always like old time music -- better than it sounds, you know, cause if you're in it you're feeling it. But over the years, there's been a real. Thread and connection between a lot of the bluegrass players and the old time players you know, I mean, which is how it should be and and and they're they're born of the same, you know place.
00:12:55 Jeb Puryear
I think also. And that's been resonating too with the like back in the back in the early days. You know you'd have a rock festival or you'd have a bluegrass festival or you'd have a, you know, but now the when when we first started playing this type of music since this festival scene was like what we knew and what we enjoyed. We were like ohh wow we we. Playing this kind of music, we were wondering whether we'd ever playing festivals. As a matter of fact, it's one of the reasons we started our own festival because we thought we'd never get hired at a festival and.
00:13:31 Tara Nevins
MerleFest was one of the first ones to have such a variety of genres. Really this, you know, within the traditional world of Americana.
00:13:36 Jeb Puryear
Yeah.
00:13:39 Joe Kendrick
Yeah, it set the template for a lot of festivals really when you think about it
00:13:42 Tara Nevins
It's a serious Americana festival.
00:13:42 Joe Kendrick
Yeah, it's, you know, festivals have taken over in a big way. It's, it's like a main avenue for music artists and for fans to experience.
00:13:53 Jeb Puryear
If it wasn't for festivals, it would be. It could potentially be done out there.
00:14:00 Joe Kendrick
Yeah. You think about it right. And, and it's it's amazing to think of the sort of sea change that we've witnessed in our lifetime over the past 30 years, especially with festivals becoming so, so much more popular and so much bigger.
00:14:15
Yeah.
00:14:16 Joe Kendrick
MerleFest included but yeah.
00:14:19 Tara Nevins
You can hear the the effect of that here at MerleFest as there's so many different. Elements and genres kind of all seeping into everyone's music, you know? Here, I mean, I. Hear it? It's. Such a wide variety, but it all kind of comes back to this route kind of feeling, you know, especially interesting.
[jump to]
00:15:06 Joe Kendrick
Is there anybody that you see that's kind of in your mold that's coming along?
00:15:10 Tara Nevins
In our mold I mean. I don't know.
00:15:17 Jeb Puryear
I think there's some people that have been influenced by us a little bit, but I haven't seen too many straight lines.
[jump to]
00:16:10 Jeb Puryear
Well, we're sort of like a. We're a change up from what the main. You know, I used to joke off the stage when we play here, it's like, well, I know why you had us down here. Because we play so slow that it's like relative motion. And then when the Bluegrass comes back, it's like, whoa, it's like. Know if you listen to bluegrass all day, you get velocities. It's not that old anymore. The person's playing 5 million notes a minute, you know.
00:16:36 Tara Nevins
But how do you know who? How do you know who's influenced? You know what I mean? I don't know. We don't know who's I'm sure that there's somebody out there that.
00:16:40 Joe Kendrick
Yeah.
00:16:45 Tara Nevins
You know, and also being influenced by something is is sort of subtle too. You know, we don't, I don't know who's. Been influenced by our approach or our vibe, or you know, it's hard to say, I really can't. But I would say that there are plenty of very talented young people that are carrying the torch of of Americana Music. And I mean they're, it's amazing. And you know, there's.
00:17:06 Jeb Puryear
Yeah, absolutely. And then even in old time music like you know, there will be certain generational shifts and you know you we go the old time festivals all all the time and then at a certain point you'll be like, wow, you wonder whether it's going to lag and maybe not happen. And then all of a sudden you've realized there's like 1200 young people playing old time music voices, which is super cool.
00:17:32 Tara Nevins
Well, here's the here's the thing that's very interesting about that what you're saying Is that you know, when we, they called us the and when we started going from the north in different places. This our generation when we started going to like Mount Airy and Galax fiddle conventions and stuff.
None of us like we all just kind of like learn to play old time music and came and you know to these festivals and came. But now it's like this new generation. There's so many people that, like, went to Berkeley School of Music and they all graduated and they're all, like virtuosic players. And they decide they like old time music. So there's like incredible, like influx of. A generation, younger generation playing old time music that are very educated and studied on their instruments and very and really back our movement when we all came from different parts of the country and got into old time. Music.
And went down to these festivals and we're just the Northerners and the Westerners and whatever. And descending on these festivals. It wasn't like everybody had gone to Berkeley or music schools. We all just like fell in love with this music and just learn to play it. You know, this is like a this is sort of like a different vibe because so many people out of Berkeley and some of the music schools have have just taken to this music and are just running with it and are very technical and very able. And it's a different kind of.
00:18:50 Jeb Puryear
And so that's then in that crossover in the bluegrass where you know, I mean they'll they'll be there bluegrass thing and they'll be going.
00:18:53 Tara Nevins
Yeah.
00:18:58 Jeb Puryear
You know, do it, and then they're like, I even see him like they're. OK, now let's play tunes like tunes, tunes. We're gonna go play tunes, which is, like, totally different, but we're just pretty far out.
00:19:09 Joe Kendrick
Sometimes it seems to me that there are so many young players that are like you described, they they've come through and they've gone to school, you know, like East Tennessee state are all sorts of bluegrass schools now. It almost seems like there's too many of them for there to be enough fans, almost. It seems like this is a great problem to have.
00:19:25 Tara Nevins
Yeah.
00:19:26 Joe Kendrick
Because there's so many young people, there's this, always a fresh generation. Seems like that are really into this.
00:19:28 Jeb Puryear
Yes.
00:19:32 Tara Nevins
Absolutely. Yeah, it's great because you know, it's like we, we go to Louisiana too a lot and and it's it's it's like that down there. You know what I mean, the generation that music is so alive down there and and people love it and and young people are playing it and playing accordion and coming up and it's it's kind of cool to see that now I mean even though it seems like it's coming through educational facilities, you know what I mean, rather than the backwoods or whatever, it's different. It's kind of different, you know, and not that we all came from the backwoods, but we definitely came sort of. Just kind of discovered the music and got out the old 78s and learned or like you know learn from maybe a band, a local band that played that music or you know it's, it's like it's sort of a different you know evolution kind of.
00:20:14 Jeb Puryear
I think that harkens back to what I was talking about before too is like a whole area being like so involved with music that you get like multi generational all the time where it's like. You're -- and that's the same in Louisiana, and it's starting to be the same way in you know, upstate New York, where, you know, you have, you know, you have grandfather and you have the kid, you know, learning from the grandfather. And so just the place of music itself is higher, more elevated. in society across the board than in a lot of areas. Like. And that's one of the things that things special about this areas is music's part of life.
00:20:57 Tara Nevins
But I feel like you know this music is also being kept alive by people from all over. Because what I'm saying about these people that were at Berkeley or whatever, you know, that's up in Boston or wherever it is. You know, there's. So I feel like this music is being kept alive, certainly on a local level, but it's kind of being kept alive by a lot of people spread out far and kind Of wide that are. .
00:21:16 Joe Kendrick
It it does a good job of exporting that culture. This, the whole rootsy, bluegrass world and all of the different Americana type musics that are actively going out there with the State Department and doing tours and things.
00:21:20 Tara Nevins
Yeah. I think festivals are very,. Like MerleFest, I think is very responsible for bringing. For meshing these styles bluegrass in the old time and all of that I really I I do. I think festivals are. Right. Important and kind of responsible for that. Kind of. I don't know. That's my experience, you know.
00:21:52 Jeb Puryear
All right, no more questions.
[Jim Lauderdale With Donna the Buffalo “Holding Back” from Wait ‘Til Spring, continuing as bed]
We bring the house lights up on this episode with another album cut from Jim Lauderdale and Donna the Buffalo, their collaboration “Holding Back” from 2003’s Wait ‘Til Spring.
Jim Lauderdale’s new album is titled My Favorite Place, and comes recommended, as well as his live shows. Speaking of live shows, Donna the Buffalo’s own festival, Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival, is going on right about now, when this podcast first comes out. That’s in their home state of New York, and is a festival which has been going on almost as long as MerleFest, beginning just a couple years later, in 1990. Through it, Donna the Buffalo seeks to, as they say on their website, raise consciousness and funds for organizations that support Arts, Education and the fight against AIDs, both locally and globally.
Thank you so much for being here! We are grateful that you took time to listen, and hope you can help us by spreading awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice, both of which are free! From there it takes just a moment to give us a top rating, and where it is an option, a review! It makes a great difference because the more top reviews and ratings we get, the more visible we become to everyone on those platforms, which means that more people just like you connect with artists like Jim Lauderdale and Donna the Buffalo.
This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available at
https://www.osirispod.com/
. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio at
https://www.bluegrassplanetradio.com/
. Thanks to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng who wrote and performed our theme songs. I am your host and producer Joe Kendrick, and this is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it.
Epilogue:
00:24:19 Jeb Puryear
Like, yeah, then it actually works, because there's something about what we learned from old time music that we transpose over into playing this hippie music, just like you're talking about. And so.
00:24:30 Tara Nevins
The groove. The groove, yeah.
00:24:35 Jeb Puryear
And this is kind of a cool thing. And so just like the way the certain attack or just like and there's a vibe and there's certain of leaning against the each instrument leaning against each other and being like, making heat. So that's the kind of thing you learn playing. Old time music.
I mean, just like Tara saying it's about the. Through, but it's just like it's it's all. It's all in the center, and you and it's not about you necessarily. It brings this certain a certain element comes to life between you all.
00:24:57 Tara Nevins
Start riding a wave.
00:25:08 Jeb Puryear
And it just grows and then it really becomes something and you're just all a part of it. And it's like just.
00:25:15 Tara Nevins
It's all about groove. It's just groove.
00:25:15 Jeb Puryear
Most incredible feeling when an old time session really takes off it is.
00:25:20 Tara Nevins
Is happening. Yeah.
00:25:24 Jeb Puryear
The most incredible freaking thing.