logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2024
1h 19m

Ep. 225 - CHARLIE STARR of Blackberry Sm...

Scott B. Bomar, Paul Duncan
About this episode

Blackberry Smoke frontman and primary songwriter Charlie Starr goes deep on his music's Southern roots and wide-ranging appeal.

PART ONE
Paul and Scott talk Pearl Jam's new single, how travel defines fanhood, and why Blackberry Smoke are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to playing live. 

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with Charlie Starr

ABOUT CHARLIE STARR
Charlie Starr is a guitarist, vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the Atlanta-based Blackberry Smoke. Building a dedicated fanbase over the past two decades, Blackberry Smoke has perfected a gritty Southern brand of rootsy rock & roll that crosses genres. Their commercial breakthrough came with the 2012 album The Whippoorwill, which landed on Billboard’s mainstream, country, Americana, and indie charts. Their follow up album, Holding All the Roses, produced by Brendan O’Brien, became the first independently released album in modern history to hit #1 on the Billboard Country Album chart. Both Holding All the Roses and the follow up, Like an Arrow, hit #1 on the UK Rock chart in addition to topping the US country chart. Their 2021 album, You Hear Georgia, topped the Billboard Americana/Folk chart, giving the band dominance in yet another musical category. Blackberry Smoke’s most recent release, recorded with the help of Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb, is called Be Right Here

Up next
Today
Songcraft Classic: MIKE STOLLER ("Hound Dog")
We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2016 conversation with Mike Stoller. ABOUT MIKE STOLLERMike Stoller has written more than 60 songs that have appeared on the ... Show More
1h 31m
Jul 2
Ep. 259 - NORMAN GREENBAUM ("Spirit in the Sky")
Norman Greenbaum gave the world "Spirit in the Sky," one of the greatest records ever made. He chats with us about his iconic classic, as well as other musical adventures and misadventures over the last few decades. PART ONE: Paul and Scott chat about Instagram, artist accessibil ... Show More
1h 10m
Jun 25
Songcraft Classic: ANI DIFRANCO ("32 Flavors")
We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2021 conversation with Ani DiFranco. ABOUT ANI DIFRANCOSinger, songwriter, musician, producer, poet, author, spoken-word arti ... Show More
1h 30m
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2023
Pt 2 w/Jeff Carlisi from 38 Special, plus Todd Ronning from Bad Company & Paul Rodgers' new solo project
In part two of our interview, Jeff Carlisi gives us the back story on 38 Special's first big hit, Rockin' Into the Night, the writing partnerships that produced some of their biggest hits, role changes inside the band, their history with MTV, the shock of finding out th ... Show More
46m 45s
Aug 2024
Newcomers: Magdalena Bay
Few pop groups are making music as imaginative as Magdalena Bay. The Los Angeles-based duo of singer Mica Tenenbaum and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Lewin, have been steadily releasing music since 2016, eventually breaking out with their viral hit “Killshot,” four years later. I ... Show More
23m 2s
Nov 2024
Fleetwood Mac perfected turning drama into hits
In 1973, before their ascent to rock superstardom with Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were just two young lovers making music in Los Angeles. Their debut album, Buckingham Nicks, though commercially unsuccessful at the time, would prove to be the catalyst that ... Show More
52m 59s
Apr 2024
Backstage with Young Fathers
Back in November 2023, Host Alisha Sweeney joined Scottish trio Young Fathers in their dressing room before they opened for Depeche Mode at Ball Arena on their massive US tour. The band's 2023 album, their fourth, Heavy Heavy was nominated for the Mercury Prize in music---a prest ... Show More
17m 48s
Oct 2022
The Opus: Alice in Chains' Dirt is Coming Soon
The Opus podcast is rising out of the Dirt for a new season centered on the legacy of Alice in Chains’ sophomore album. Presented by the Consequence Podcast Network and Sony, the hit music history series is back to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the genre-changing classic.Laun ... Show More
49s
Nov 2018
Blood on the Tracks: Canonizing Bob Dylan's Human Opus
Presenting The Opus: an exploration of legendary albums and their ongoing legacy - beginning with Bob Dylan's 1975 record Blood on the Tracks; the gold standard of sharp, heart-wrenching songwriting, that spawned classics like “Tangled Up in Blue”. Join host Paula Mejia and a ... Show More
30m 41s
Mar 2024
Don’t overthink it with Bill Ryder-Jones, Anna Calvi and Poppy Hankin
Bill Ryder-Jones, Anna Calvi and Poppy Hankin discuss the first piece of music that really affected them, how their writing has changed as they’ve grown older, and how much they’re willing to give people control over their music.Bill Ryder-Jones is from West Kirby, Merseyside. He ... Show More
29m 59s
Feb 2024
From indie to pop with Chromeo, La Roux and Empress Of
Chromeo, La Roux and Empress of discuss longevity in the music world, the future of music media and the shifting notions of taste and trends.David “Dave 1” Macklovitch and Patrick “P-Thugg” Gemayel make up electro-funk duo Chromeo. The pair met in the mid-1990s at college in Mont ... Show More
26m 10s
Nov 2024
Connie Boswell - solo recordings 1950's
Connie (later Connee) Boswell was the central member of the Boswell Sisters trio in the 1920's and 30's although she had a series of solo recordings at the same time - here we will hear a few things from the 30's and early 40's (with Ben Pollack, John Scott Trotter and Frank Sigo ... Show More
1h 1m