Music Makers and Soul Shakers with Steve Dawson

• Ep. 186 - Chuck Mead

  Singer, songwriter, bandleader and founder of the legendary BR549, Chuck Mead, joins me on the show this week.There’s some people that just have music in their veins and they can do things with it and within it that other people can’t - perfectly naturally with seemingly no effort. Well, Chuck is one of those guys. He just knows music. He understands country music and rock & roll in a deep way. He can sing it, feel and play it better than almost anyone. Chuck is known as the leader of the band BR549, which was a huge band in the alt-country scene in the 90’s before “Americana” existed. That band, almost single-handedly, turned Broadway in Nashville into a hopping live music scene, where there really was nothing much going on before they arrived. He’s also a fantastic solo performer and bandleader in his own right, as well as having a big part in the Broadway musical “The Million Dollar Quartet”.Chuck was born in Missouri, but grew up in Kansas, where he started playing music in all kinds of country and rock bands, but also played in a family band, touring on weekends all through high school and cutting his teeth that way. His band, The Homestead Grays, had some notoriety around Kansas, but when that band broke up, he moved to Nashville in the early 90’s. Broadway at that time was just a sleazy street with a couple bars, some cool guitar shops, and not much else. But that all changed once Chuck and his band (which became BR549) started playing basically 6 nights a week at Robert’s Western World and Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. Their notoriety led to them being put on the cover of Billboard magazine, which essentially started a label bidding war for the band and led to a deal with Arista records. The band made about 7 albums before splitting up. Since then, Chuck has made 4 solo albums, and played on the Grand Ol Opry a whopping 137 times. He’s been nominated for 3 Grammys and is still very active around Nashville. You can get all the latest onfo and find out when he’s playing at chuckmead.comThis season is brought to you by our main sponsors Larivée Guitars, Audeze, Izotope, FabFilter, and Chase Bliss.He’s also a hilarious fellow and a great story teller as you’ll hear, so now please enjoy my conversation with Chuck Mead! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  2:03:43

  --------

  2:03:43
• Ep. 185 - Pete Finney

  Steel guitarist and country music historian Pete Finney joins me on the show this week.I got to know Pete’s playing when I’d go and see Chris’ Scruggs' band The Stone Fox Five out in the parking lot of the East Nashville Legion during Covid. They’d put on a well-distanced weekly show that was my only live music for a couple of years! I loved Pete’s soulful playing and got to learn more about his interesting history, mostly on the pedal steel guitar, playing for all kinds of country legends - artists like Reba McIntyre, The Judds, Vince Gill, The Chicks, The Monkees and lots more. Pete has a unique style, and while he has clearly absorbed the classic country sounds, he doesn’t sound like anyone else. Pete’s path from the DC area playing almost every night in country bars, to Austin to play with Doug Sahm, to his move to Nashville in the 80’s is an interesting one, and Pete has carved out an incredible career in that time. Lately, Pete has also taken on the role of historian, and had a big hand in producing the Country Music Hall Of Fame’s “Dylan, Cash and The Nashville Cats” exhibit, which was one of the best collections of 60’s and 70’s country music stories, exhibits and paraphernalia ever put on display. Pete is a well loved Nashville icon and plays around town with many different artists. He has no website or social media, so you’ll have to just keep your ear to the ground about where to see himj play if you’re in Nashville, but don’t miss your chance if you get it!Enjoy my conversation with Pete Finney.This season is brought to you by our main sponsors Larivée Guitars, Audeze, Izotope, FabFilter, and Chase Bliss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  1:57:12

  --------

  1:57:12
• Ep. 184 - Nate Smith

  Drummer, composer and bandleader Nate Smith joins me on the show this week. While many people have come to know of Nate’s work through his recent collaborations with Vulfpeck, Brittany Howard, and as a member of the Fearless Flyers, Nate has been playing, touring and honing his craft for decades. His early experience with legendary jazz vocalist Betty Carter led to him being a full-time member of Dave Holland’s group for many years, and carved out a reputation as one of New York’s great up and coming jazz drummers. Nate’s wide range of skills and musical tastes led him to start his own group, Kinfolk, which has recorded 2 spectacular albums. A somewhat random invite led him to become a member of The Fearless Flyers, which exploded on youtube, and has paved the way for Nate’s own set of solo and collaborative videos that are highly original, exciting, and musical. His collaborations with musicians like Charlie Hunter, Cory Wong, Victor Wooten, Carrtoons, and Lionel Loueke are well documented on both album and youtube videos. Nate’s latest project is under his own name, entitled “Live-Action” and is an incredible collection of compositions, improvisations and collaborations with many of his musical partners. Nate will be touring quite a bit over the next while with his band, so be sure to catch them when you can!You can get all the latest info on Nate and all his projects, records and amazing set of videos at natesmithdrums.comEnjoy my conversation with Nate Smith!This season is brought to you by our main sponsors Larivée Guitars, Audeze, Izotope, FabFilter, and Chase Bliss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  1:18:26

  --------

  1:18:26
• Ep. 183 - Mike Farris

  Vocalist, songwriter and Grammy Award-winning artist Mike Farris is on the show today. Mike has this incredible new record out called “The Sound Of Muscle Shoals” that he recorded at the legendary Fame Studios with Rodney Hall (the son of Fame founder Rick Hall - the guy who is largely responsible for creating the Muscle Shoals sound that we all know and love). Mike has had an incredible career, from his early days in the insanely wild and high energy band The Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies, Mike honed his skills as an incredible frontman and vocalist, but as we talk about today, he feels like he never really learned to sing until he started making solo records in 2001. Since that time, Mike has continued to evolve as an incredible singer whose voice and delivery pull from soul, gospel, country and rock n roll - and all of them very convincingly, as only someone who has truly lived the life can. His 2014 album “Shine For All The People” won a Grammy award, and Mike has been consistently recording and touring the world for decades. I wanted to hear from Mike about his songwriting, how he captures his voice in the studio, how his travels (which include some incredibly rocky patches) have brought him to where he is today, and how he feels like a bit of a misfit in a world where people love to peg musicians under a certain style. We also get into the nuts and bolts of making his new album, and the legacy that he feels working in such a sacred space with incredible musicians.Mike has quite a few albums out under his own name and the Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies albums are also well worth hearing. But do check out the new record “The Sound Of Muscle Shoals” - it’s an incredible listen. You can catch Mike on tour and get all the latest info at mikefarrismusic.comEnjoy my conversation with Mike Farris!This season is brought to you by our main sponsors Larivée Guitars, Audeze, Izotope, FabFilter, and Chase Bliss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  1:23:54

  --------

  1:23:54
• Ep. 182 - Bruce Bouton

  Bruce Bouton is an accomplished pedal steel guitarist who has played on an extensive string of massive country albums and singles from the 80’s onward. From his multi-year stint backing up Ricky Skaggs, playing some of the most memorable steel licks of the era, to most of Garth Brooks’ musical output all through the 90’s, Bruce has also appeared on records for Emmylou Harris, Brooks & Dunn, The Mavericks, Shania Twain, Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Reba McEntire, and many more. Bruce has incredible skill on the instrument and has found a way to come up with hooky, accessible yet technically skillful parts and solos that have contributed to the success of so many of those recordings. He’s been at this a long time and brings a wealth of experience to sessions and gigs still today. Bruce also made an instructional pedal steel video that is well worth seeking out - I sure found it enlightening when I was starting to play steel. Bruce is still very active around Nashville and we had a chance to hang out at the Henhouse and spend an hour or so talking about lots of his history and path to where he is today.You can get all the current info on Bruce at his website:www.rockinlapsteel.comEnjoy my conversation with Bruce Bouton!This season is brought to you by our main sponsors Larivée Guitars, Audeze, Izotope, FabFilter, and Chase Bliss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  --------  

  1:20:44

  --------

  1:20:44

More Music podcasts

Trending Music podcasts

About Music Makers and Soul Shakers with Steve Dawson

Music Makers and Soul Shakers with Steve Dawson: Podcasts in Family