Blount County Live

Blount County Live

por Let's Be Blount
Artes escénicasEntrevistas musicales
Temporada 1
Shanna in a Dress: She Biked Across America and Played a Show Every Night
Lee and Scott sit down with Shanna in a Dress, who drove eight hours from St. Louis to play in a basement in Blount County. That sounds like a lot until you learn she once biked from Seattle to Boston, sixty miles a day, hauling her own amp and merch, and played a show every single night when she got off the bike. She called it the Tour de Dress. Sometimes she even showered first. Shanna is part songwriter, part comedian, and entirely her own thing. She grew up in Northern Virginia, spent years in Boulder, did a stretch in Nashville, and currently lives in St. Louis while she figures out where to land next. (We're working on her. East Tennessee, y'all, let's woo this woman.) She's toured Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy and England, where she says her dry sense of humor finally found its people. She played our Songs and Stories event at The Station in Louisville the night before this taping and set a bar nobody's touched yet. She greeted every single person in the room before the show, learned their names, and called them out from the stage. That's not a gimmick. It's how she figures out what to play for you. Three songs live in the studio: "Sweet Spot," the title track from her new record, about the moment you realize everything you think you want comes with problems you don't have to deal with. She coaches musicians on their careers, and she spends a lot of that time talking people out of believing bigger is automatically better. Jimmy Buffett's bass player told her the contentment in this one is what makes it special, and he wasn't wrong. A song about a man she met on that bike trip in Colorado, who told her what he needed was his freedom. Then life kept putting them in the same place anyway, first Boston eight weeks later, then Nashville. Then it didn't. "Two hands on a clock. I guess that I just thought." And she closes with something that isn't on any record, a song for the big dreamers, about choosing the life of an artist and refusing to surrender to the status quo. We also get into her virtual songwriting group, the process she uses to break writer's block, why awards are validating but not necessary, and the strange problem of working for years in a world where audiences clap no matter what you do. Plus an exclusive preview of an unfinished song called "One Year Left," and a verse about a second piano that'll knock the wind out of you. If you like your music honest and your shows funny, this is the one. shannainadress.com, plus Facebook and Instagram "Sweet Spot" is out now wherever you stream Recorded in Lee's basement, as always Theme song "Maryville" by Wyatt Ellis Catch Jay Clark's Shindig, second Tuesday monthly at TriHop Songs by the Brooks runs mid August into September in Alcoa Songs and Stories returns to The Station this fall Thanks to Volunteer Home Mortgage for sponsoring this episode. If you're even thinking about buying a home or refinancing, give them a call, and tell them you heard it on Blount County Live.
T1 · E16
14 sept 2026
48:08
Jeff Barbra & Sarah Pirkle: Thirty Years of Building East Tennessee's Music Scene
Lee and Scott sit down with Jeff Barbra and Sarah Pirkle, and if you've been anywhere near live music in this region over the last three decades, you've felt their fingerprints on it whether you knew their names or not. They got married in '97, quit their jobs, and opened Appalachian Music Exchange on East Broadway, all in the same year. Jeff's a vintage guitar expert, so the shop moved a lot of serious instruments on consignment, Martins from the thirties and forties. They lived in a tiny apartment out back, so folks knocked on the door Sunday mornings wanting strings. Then came Behind the Barn. They launched it on WDVX in '98 out of Barley's in Knoxville's Old City, back before live music was much of a thing in this town, hauling their own PA in every single week because the venue didn't have one. Jeff was booking all three Barley's locations at the time. Over that run they had John Cowan, Chris Knight, Rosie Flores, Larry Cordle, Tony Furtado, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Chip Taylor. They booked Steep Canyon Rangers off a press kit that arrived as part of a torn open Cheerios box with a phone number scrawled on it and a cassette taped over an old Def Leppard tape. And there was the night David Allan Coe wandered over from across the street, got onstage with Chip Taylor, and became the first guy to drop an F bomb live on public radio. These days Behind the Barn lives at the Blue Tick Tavern on Broadway, third Thursday of every month, 7 to 9. Jeff and Sarah play two songs live in the studio. "Sweet Creation," the title cut from their last record, is about how good we've got it right here, all the beautiful places in East Tennessee you can go to find a little solace for your soul. Then Jeff plays "My God," a song Lee flat out calls a classic, and the story behind it came out of years of writing sessions at Jay Clark's old place on Alcoa Highway, right down from the Green Acres Flea Market, where the two of them would drink beer, write songs, then go heckle the heels at professional wrestling. (Jeff and Jay also did shows in luchador masks. That happened.) The recording came together when Jeff played it for his old engineer TJ up in Johnson City, and TJ said it had to go down that minute, Jeff sitting on the man's bed with two mics. Sarah's in the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame. The two of them won the gospel division of the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at MerleFest in 2000 with "When I Come Home," and by their own admission have milked it ever since. Their assessment of their record sales: some songs go gold and platinum, theirs went cardboard. But the part that might matter most is what they're doing now. Sarah runs the Smoky Mountain JAM program, Junior Appalachian Musicians, at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend, teaching kids the traditional music of this region on Mondays after school. Instruments are provided for kids who need to borrow them, financial aid is available, and they can take 40 kids but have never had more than 30. The tagline is "building community one tune at a time," and they mean it. Some of those kids have graduated high school and asked to come back anyway. Millie Rochelle started taking lessons from Sarah at five years old. Wes Lunsford of the Young Fables came up through them too, playing left handed, and Jeff never could break him of it. JeffandSarahMusic.com for their full catalog Behind the Barn, third Thursday monthly, Blue Tick Tavern, 7 to 9 PM Sign up for JAM at gsmheritagecenter.org, Mondays 4 to 6, starts the Monday after Labor Day "Maryville" by Wyatt Ellis Thanks to Volunteer Home Mortgage for sponsoring this episode
T1 · E15
17 ago 2026
41:49
Monet Maddox: The Shed Co-Owner Who Found Her Voice at 40
Lee and Scott sit down with Monet Maddux, singer-songwriter, co-owner of The Shed alongside her husband Scott, and living proof that the best chapters sometimes start later than you'd think. Monet didn't pick up a guitar until she was 40, when she found a little Martin parlor guitar in her husband's office, cradled it like a baby, and thought: "My hands aren't too small anymore." (There's a whole story behind that line, going back to a dad who taught her older brothers to play but kept telling little Monet to wait. She waited about thirty years.) Once Robinella taught her a few chords, the faucet turned on and didn't shut off. Monet went prolific - writing, writing, writing - and being at The Shed put her elbow-to-elbow with folks who'd become mentors and friends. Hayes Carll showed her a cheat for playing a G. A chance demo with Verlon Thompson (Guy Clark's guitar player for 30-plus years) led to Ray Wylie Hubbard hearing her songs and offering to produce her first album on the spot. That's the kind of thing that happens when you show up and do the work. Monet performs three songs live in the studio: "Lifelight," a soul-searching number born from seeing "the way, the truth, and the life" everywhere she turned for a week straight; "The Swallows," written for her daughter dreaming of flying away from Maryville; and her "Matador" song — the one where she flipped the word into "doormat" and dared herself to write something believable out of it. Spoiler: she nailed it. "How long did you think I'd let you walk all over me?" We get into her philosophy on the muse (she swears she could write a song about a pair of sweaty socks — and means it), her Lori McKenna approach of writing only when she's got something to say, and her remote co-writing partnership with Liz Longley conducted over voice memos. Plus, the story of her journalism-school dean telling her she wasn't good at it, and how that redirect eventually led her here. Her Echo Mountain sessions, recorded in a former church in Asheville with producer Paul Moak, are on the way, whenever life slows down enough to release them. Between a mother relocating from Alabama, a son moving out, a daughter in Colorado, and a knee replacement, Monet's got a lot going on. But that's kind of her whole thing: happy accidents all over the place. From journalism to graphic art to The Shed to the stage, Monet Maddox proves that East Tennessee's music scene has room for every kind of story, especially the ones that take the scenic route. 🎵 Find Monet's music on streaming platforms 📍 Catch live music at The Shed, and Jay Clark's Shindig, second Tuesday of every month at TriHop 🎶 Theme song "Maryville" by Wyatt Ellis 🙏 Thanks to Allevia Technologies for sponsoring this episode. Find them at Alleviatechnology.com
T1 · E14
17 ago 2026
43:10
Millie Rochelle: The Townsend Teenager Who Owns Every Stage She Steps On
Lee and Scott sit down with Millie Rochelle, and if you caught her opening for Sam Bush a few weeks back, you already know – this kid commands a stage like she's been doing it for decades. Turns out she kind of has. She's been gigging since she was 10 and doing musical theater as long as she can remember, which explains the stage presence that had Lee doing a double take. Millie performs two songs live: "Old Friend," her first single, which came together in the last twenty minutes of a Nashville co-write session when she blurted out the title and had to text her mom to stall the pickup. It's about looking in the mirror and not quite recognizing who's looking back. Then there's "Knee High Boots," her honky-tonk experiment – she'll be the first to tell you she's not a bluegrass musician, but she wanted to play in that sandbox anyway. We talk about the advice Sam Bush gave her backstage (spoiler: half of this business is the music, the other half is just being a decent human), recording at Kingship Studios in Nashville with producer Asher Condit, and the EP she's got in the can while she figures out whether to drop it all at once or keep the singles coming. Plus: winning both audience choice AND judges choice at the Shed's Battle of the Bands, touring Belmont with her sights set on Music Row, and a 13-year-old brother who's already learned the Free Bird solo and is angling for a spot in her band. Her dad's in the studio audience, by the way, and he still cries every time she performs. Some things don't stop. Homeschooled, Townsend-raised, and one year of high school left. Remember the name. 🎵 millierochellemusic.com – on Spotify, Apple Music, and everywhere else 📍 Catch her at Peaceful Side Social, Peaceful Side Brewery, Water Into Wine, and Alley Ray's 🎶 Theme song "Maryville" by Wyatt Ellis 🙏 Thanks to Volunteer Home Mortgage and the Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center for sponsorship. #BlountCountyLive #MillieRochelle #Townsend #EastTennesseeMusic #SingerSongwriter #LocalMusic #BlountCountyTN
T1 · E13
19 jul 2026
30:21
Becki Grace: From Three Mile Smile to Solo Ukulele
Lee and Scott sit down with Becki Grace – Blount County native, born-and-raised icon of the East Tennessee music scene, and one of the most emotionally honest songwriters you'll ever hear. Becki has music running through her whole story. She and her late husband fronted Three Mile Smile together, building a life and a series of albums around a shared love of music. When he was killed in a car accident on Alcoa Highway in January 2021, Becki – already a certified grief, loss, and trauma therapist – had to figure out how to come back to music completely solo for the first time in her life. As she puts it, nothing makes grief easier; you just get used to carrying it. In this episode, Becki performs two songs live on ukulele: "Cruel, Cruel Heart" – her very first solo composition and first single, released January 1st, 2026 (the first release of the year from our local music community). It came four years after her husband's death, when music and lyrics finally returned to her at the same time. And yes, it's about a certain local musician who shall remain nameless. Lesson learned: don't tick off a songwriter. "Breathless" – a gut-wrenching love song built from the real words and moments of the last time she saw her husband alive. She didn't even realize what it was about until she finished writing it. We also get into her fascinating recording approach (a different band, studio, and sound engineer for every single song), her online radio show "Local Honey" on Radio KCM spotlighting female and female-presenting singer-songwriters, writing songs in her sleep, and her powerful take on why emotion is the thing that bonds us all to music and each other. This is a raw, funny, deeply moving conversation about resilience, creativity, and rolling with whatever life throws at you – jazz hands and all. 🎵 Find Becki's music on Spotify, Bandcamp, ReverbNation, and BeckiGrace.com 📻 Catch Local Honey on RadioKCM.com, Thursdays 6-8 PM Eastern 🎶 Theme song "Maryville" by Wyatt Ellis 📅 Catch us at Jay Clark's Shindig, second Tuesday of every month at TriHop Pub #BlountCountyLive #BeckiGrace #EastTennesseeMusic #SingerSongwriter #LocalMusic #BlountCountyTN #Ukulele #LocalHoney
T1 · E12
7 jul 2026
38:42
Doug Wilhite: The Arkansas Blues Man Who Found His Home in East Tennessee
Lee and Scott sit down with Doug Wilhite, and if you're looking for someone who knows how to turn a rainy day into a hit song, this is your guy. This Helena, Arkansas native (that's the home of the blues, folks) moved to Tennessee in 2017 and immediately found his tribe at Brackin's Wednesday night jam sessions with Barry Swartz and Stan Giber. Doug opens with "Too Wet to Plow," a rollicking tale of farming, moonshining, and Sheriff Crow that came about when his wife Kathy said those exact words on a day they couldn't go hiking. The song weaves in the story of Kathy's grandfather, who was sheriff in Monroe County during Prohibition and hated busting moonshine stills because he knew that's how families fed themselves. It's the kind of authentic storytelling that makes you want to grab a mason jar and head for the hills. Then Doug performs "Meet Me in Knoxville," a heartfelt love song written when he was still living in Arkansas and Kathy was here in Tennessee. "All I could do is write a song. That's what I do when I'm helpless," he explains. The song captures that aching distance between lovers and the promise to cross any divide to get back to the mountains. Doug's debut album "Home No More" dropped in December 2023, produced by Grammy-nominated Matt Munsey, and he's working on a new project that leans more toward the raw energy of Led Zeppelin while keeping his country-folk-blues roots. From co-writing in Nashville (where publishers said "nah" to songs that became album favorites) to playing music in Ireland and Australia, Doug's journey proves that sometimes the best stories come from the detours. Plus, we debut our lightning round questions, where Doug somehow makes discussing ice cream flavors connect to grunge music and flannel shirts. The man knows his references, and Lee learns that maybe he should offer his wife co-writing credits before it's too late. From the Arkansas Delta to Blount County stages, Doug Wilhite represents that perfect blend of Southern storytelling and mountain authenticity that makes East Tennessee's music scene so compelling.
T1 · E11
13 jun 2026
28:55
Perry Bonck: The Air Force Vet Who Went from New Orleans Choir Boy to East Tennessee Songwriter
Lee and Scott sit down with Perry Bonck, and if you're wondering how someone goes from singing first soprano in the Archdiocese of New Orleans Boys Choir to writing heart-wrenching songs about military sacrifice, this is your story. Perry's the kind of songwriter who'll make you walk out of a venue in tears – in the best possible way. This New Orleans native landed in Tennessee after Katrina, but his journey to these mountains started way before 2007. We're talking 20 years in the Air Force as a crew chief, Desert Storm veteran, and a man who knows what it means to serve. His song "The Cost" – performed live in the studio – is a gut-punch tribute to the women who served alongside him, and trust us, you won't see that ending coming. Perry also performs "Just An Old Guitar," the song that started his recording career, about an old guitar his Uncle Larry (nicknamed "Shark" because he couldn't swim) passed down to him. It's the kind of family story that becomes the backbone of authentic country music, co-written with his late mentor Karen E. Reynolds, who helped shape his songwriting voice. But Perry's not just a performer – he's a music community builder. For nine years, he ran the Fleur de Lis Acoustic Series in his Tellico Village basement, hosting Grammy winners and packing 82 people in to see Blue Moon Rising. He teaches songwriting to kids through the Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival, proving that sometimes the best way to help a child find their voice is through a three-chord progression. From performing with Craig in their duo "Two for One" (yes, they split everything fifty-fifty) to regular gigs at The Abbey in Townsend TN, Perry represents that authentic singer-songwriter tradition that keeps East Tennessee's music scene rooted in real stories and honest emotion. His biggest streaming check was nine dollars, but his songs' impact on audiences? Priceless. Real stories, real service, real heart – that's Perry Bonck, and that's why his music hits different.
T1 · E10
8 jun 2026
35:14
Bill Cabage: The Four-Band Man Who's Been Keeping Blount County Music Alive for 50 Years
Lee sits down with Bill Cabbage and special cohost Shelby Shankland (who's running for Blount County Clerk, by the way), and if you're wondering how one man can be in four different bands without losing his mind, Bill's got it figured out. From Pistol Creek Catch of the Day to his Western swing combo with the Cats Away, this man's been the backbone of East Tennessee music since the Nixon administration. Bill's the guy who learned guitar from Marvin Russell (like every other guitarist his age in Maryville), cut his teeth on Beatles songbooks, and somehow turned a bass drum gig in the Everett High School marching band into a five-decade musical career. He's played everything from timpani to car horns (yes, actual car horns for a bluegrass album), and he's still making about the same money he made in 1975. But hey, where else you gonna spend your retirement funds – golf? We get two live performances showcasing Bill's fingerpicking skills that would make Chet Atkins proud, plus stories about Roger Miller at the old Hillbilly Homecoming, jamming at Jay Clark's New Year's Eve parties, and how he ended up president of the Sam Houston Schoolhouse board just by sticking around long enough. Bill's also teaching songwriting workshops with Music for Seniors, proving that if you don't have money for sheet music, just write your own songs – worked for Roger Miller, working for him. Plus, he spills the secret to managing multiple bands: keep 'em separate, stay eclectic, and remember that lowering expectations is always a good strategy. From teaching seniors to jam sessions with Griffin Vann, Bill Cabbage represents everything authentic about Blount County's music scene. He's the guy who shows up, plugs in, and makes it happen – whether it's at the library, Behind the Barn, or TriHop. Real talk from a real Blount county music veteran who's seen it all and is still having a ball.
T1 · E9
12 may 2026
28:13
Milk Man and the Big Band: The 20-Person Orchestra That Started at Open Mic Night
Lee and Scott sit down with Dino, aka Milk Man, and if you're wondering how a 24-year-old who's never taken a music lesson ends up leading an 18-20 piece big band, well, it all started with a gallon of Weigel's milk in a cup holder and a dream to crash open mic nights. This coding student turned music obsessive discovered Paul McCartney at 17, skipped the ACT to see Eric Clapton, and decided cyber security wasn't for him. Instead, he taught himself songwriting during the pandemic and formed what might be the most ambitious musical project in East Tennessee. We're talking strings, horns, backup singers called the Dairy Queens, and a Hammond organ that requires its own convoy of cars. Dino performs two songs solo with just harmonium – "Tired" and "All for You" from their first album "Let Me Tell You" – giving us a rare glimpse of how these big production numbers start before they become full orchestral arrangements. It's like hearing the Beatles in their bedroom before they hit Abbey Road. From the nearly-impromptu open mic that started it all to selling out the Bijou Theatre and getting their own PBS documentary, Milk Man and the Big Band proves that sometimes the best way to learn music is to jump in with both feet and 18 of your closest friends. They transcribe note-for-note Beatles arrangements, hire classical musicians who turn their noses up at rock and rollers, and somehow make it all work. Plus, we finally get the answer to why he's called Milk Man, and no, it's not what you think. The man just really loves his calcium. If you've ever wondered what happens when Phil Spector's Wall of Sound meets East Tennessee ambition, this is your episode.
T1 · E8
4 abr 2026
36:57
Mic Harrison and the High Score: The Arena-Cana Kings of East Tennessee
Lee and Scott sit down with Mic Harrison and Kevin Abernathy from Mic Harrison and the High Score, and if you've been sleeping on East Tennessee's best rock band, wake up. These guys just dropped "Peach Blossom Youth" – produced by Eric "Bottle Rockets" Ambel – and it's the kind of polished Southern rock that makes you want to drive fast with the windows down. Mic's been fronting this outfit since the early 2000s (the "High Score" comes from original guitarist Robbie Trosper's video game obsession), and Kevin joined the party eight years ago. Together they've created what Mic calls "Arena-Cana" – shooting for the balconies with hooks that grab you and don't let go. We get three live performances: "Lose You Over This" (about a family member's suicide attempt), "Dallas Sutton" (a Civil War-era tale of desertion), and "Old Man" (Mic's tribute to his father who died from Alzheimer's). These aren't your typical feel-good ditties – they're real stories wrapped in killer guitar work and harmonies that hit like the Stones in their prime. From pumping gas in West Tennessee to headlining the Shed, from opening for Cracker to creating backstories that keep you guessing, Mic and Kevin prove that East Tennessee rock doesn't need Nashville's approval. They're doing it old school – hiring producers, PR folks, and radio people because sometimes you gotta spend money to make money. Plus, Lee admits Mic Harrison is a major reason he moved to Blount County. High praise from a guy who's seen it all and chose these mountains anyway. Arena-Cana: it's a thing now, and these guys invented it.
T1 · E7
16 mar 2026
49:04
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