I first laid eyes and ears on Americana/roots act Old Crow Medicine Show at the 2005 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. At the time, I was a 20-year-old college student on my first solo road trip from my native North Country of Upstate New York — in search of the sound, the way. 

The first time I ever spoke to renowned Americana/country singer-songwriter Kelsey Waldon was in the spring of 2020. I’d only scratched the surface of her music and talent when we scheduled a phone interview. In truth, I was an instant fan from what I’d heard. And I’ve never forgotten that interaction. 

In truth, there are two camps when it comes to Texas singer-songwriter Willis Alan Ramsey: you’re either completely obsessed with his music, with his tunes becoming a pillar of the soundtrack of your life, or you’ve never heard of him. 

It’s been 20 years since the inception of The Infamous Stringdusters, the Grammy-winning string act whose tone and swagger encompasses an acoustic majesty coupled with a full-blown rock show attitude. 

“When you’ve been a band for 20 years, a lot of things change, including your perspective on how to create music and art,” said dobroist Andy Hall.

There’s a heaviness when you listen to Andy Thomas’ latest album, “Highway Junkie.” Not only from the swamp rock meets honkytonk melodies, but also the underlying tone and hard truths of this whirlwind journey of a singer-songwriter pushing into the next phase of his promising career. 

“It’s crazy when you set everything aside and put your mind to something,” Thomas said. “I’m a hard worker, and this album is a product of that.” 

It was a Friday afternoon a few weeks ago, and I was chafing. Perhaps you saw me. I was that 65-ish guy with sunglasses and a ball cap standing outside the REACH second-hand store in downtown Hazelwood. My lovely wife, my beautiful daughter and my spectacular three-month-old grandson are inside, browsing.

It’s safe to say that the whirlwind sounds and vibrant tones of Town Mountain (now referred to as “Americana”) were ahead of their time when the band first came to fruition in 2005 in the mountains of Western North Carolina. 

Regional country/rock act The Jon Cox Band will perform as part of the “Halloween Costume Party” at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Unplugged Pub in Bryson City. 

Kind Hearts, this hurricane has made me think about water, and I can say with certainty that water once had a role in my grandparents’ life that was near to a religion. Several years ago, a friend sent me a warning that confused me. “An organization named Nestlé is coming for your water.” What the hell? I struggled to understand how anyone could steal my water.

Country megastar Jamey Johnson will hit the stage for a two-night stand Sept. 20-21 at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.

Born in Alabama, Johnson set his sights on music after seeing his idol Alan Jackson perform live in concert.