DittyTV's Insights | Music Interviews

DittyTV's Insights is our music interview show for DittyTV, a 24/7 television network that produces and broadcasts music-focused entertainment including interviews, concerts, music videos, music news, artist profiles, album reviews, tour and festival coverage, and much more. Just tune in and enjoy world-class, handcrafted music entertainment from your favorite artists and artists you will love to discover. Part of Pantheon Podcasts.

Music Interviews
Music Commentary
101
Aaron Lee Tasjan
Our guest this hour is New West recording artist and Nashville-based singer-songwriter, Aaron Lee Tasjan. Amy Wright had the pleasure of speaking with Aaron over Zoom about his new album Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!, which is available now and comes highly recommended by all of us here at Ditty. We’ve been fans of Aaron’s music and guitar playing for years, and especially his ability to bend genres while telling great stories. He’s got some great stories for you this hour as well. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
45 min
102
Michael Brauer
Our guest today is Michael Brauer, a world-renowned, multi-Grammy award-winning sound engineer who’s worked with some of the most influential and successful artists in the world, ranging from Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Luther Vandross, and Paul McCartney, to John Mayer, Coldplay, My Morning Jacket and numerous others. Sam Shansky was able to catch up with Michael while he hunkers down in the Catskills in New York. Whether he’s working out of Electric Lady Studios, Mediasound Studios where he got his start, or any other space, Michael has an unparalleled ability to bring out the best possible sound from artists while putting his heart and into the work. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
74 min
103
Maggie Rose
Join Amy Wright as she talks with American Rock & Soul artist Maggie Rose. Rose is an Emmy award-winning songwriter and Nashville recording artist originally hailing from Potomac, Maryland. She has toured with Kelly Clarkson, Heart, Joan Jett, Sheryl Crow, and more. She has performed at the Grand Ole Opry over 75 times as well as Bonnaroo, CMA Music Fest, Bourbon and Beyond, AmericanaFest and the list goes on. Maggie caught up with Amy Wright to discuss her roots in Maryland, learning the ropes of performance in a Bruce Springsteen tribute band, her evolution into becoming a solo artist that transcends genre, as well as her new album Have a Seat, her podcast Salute The Song Bird with Maggie Rose and much more. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
27 min
104
Mipso
Our guest today is a founding member of the North Carolina-based band, Mipso. His name is Joseph Terrell, and he’s no stranger to DittyTV. He and the other members of Mipso visited our studios a couple of years ago to record a session for the DittyTV Concert Series. Joseph's on the line with Sam Shansky to discuss Mipso’s latest album – their 5th album together and first for Rounder Records. Let’s listen in. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
31 min
105
Ben Nichols of Lucero (Extended Interview)
In this episode, you’ll hear from Ben Nichols, founding member and bandleader of Lucero, a Memphis-based Americana Rock group with over 20 years of experience. In this conversation, Ben chats with an old friend his, DittyTV host and fellow Memphis musician, Mark Edgar Stuart. They reminisce on a variety of topics, which we think you’ll enjoy, and they also dig in to the making of Lucero’s 10th studio album, When You Found Me, which was produced by another Memphian, Matt Ross-Spang. See Part of Pantheon Podcasts
48 min
106
Lydia Luce
In this episode of Insights, you'll be hearing from Nashville-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Lydia Luce. Lydia was known as the go-to strings session player in Nashville working with everyone from Dolly Parton to Eminem but is now stepping into the spotlight with her solo album Dark River. She’s a completely independent artist and, without the help of a label, has amassed millions of streams and thousands of fans, which, hopefully you’re one of or will be after this. Let’s take a listen.  Part of Pantheon Podcasts
27 min
107
Steep Canyon Rangers
We’ll hear from Woody Platt and Graham Sharp of the Steep Canyon Rangers; the GRAMMY Award-winning outfit behind albums like Nobody Knows You, Out in the Open, and most recently Arm in Arm, which is available now via Yep Roc Records. They’ve also collaborated quite a bit with comedian and banjo player, Steve Martin, on albums like Rare Bird Alert, and The Long-Awaited Album. Woody and Graham are joined by Amy Wright whose got some great questions ready, so let’s get it to. Your conversations with the leaders and legends in the Americana and Roots music are right here on Insights. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
27 min
108
Raul Malo of The Mavericks
Today on INSIGHTS we’ll hear from Raul Malo, founding member of The Mavericks, the GRAMMY Award-winning band behind albums like Music For All Occasions, Mono, and most recently En Español, the band’s first completely Spanish language album. Raul Malo stopped by to chat with Amy Wright about his life as a first-generation Cuban American, growing up playing in garage bands and dreaming of being a Rolling Stone, his work on the music documentary Havana Time Machine, and much more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
26 min
109
The Wild Feathers
In this episode, you’ll get to hear from Nashville-based Americana band, The Wild Feathers. Or a couple of its members at least. Sam Shansky caught up with Ricky Young and Joel King over Zoom to discuss The Wild Feathers new album, Medium Rarities, a really awesome collection of B-sides, covers, and other odds and ends that the guys worked up once the 2020 quarantine rendered touring a non-option. Which is to say, they had some time on their hands to something they’d never done before. I, for one, am thankful they did, because what they produced is some of their best work yet. Let’s welcome to the show, The Wild Feathers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
37 min
110
Chris Hillman
Hillman was the bassist and one of the original members of The Byrds, a band that advanced the development of country rock and Americana like none other; he was also a founding member of the “West Coast” version of The Flying Burrito Brothers, which he started in 1968 in Los Angeles with Gram Parsons. Chris is considered a true visionary and we’re so excited to have him on the show today. So, without further ado, here’s Chris Hillman and Mark Edgar Stuart. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
35 min
111
Tre Burt
Our Program Director Sam Shansky caught up with Tré over video call to discuss his album Caught it from the Rye, which is out now on Oh Boy Records. It’s a wholehearted musical experience with cryptic lyrics and existential folk snapshots that only an independent spirit like Tré could conjure. We think he’s an artist that you need to know, so we’re happy you’re here. Let’s listen in. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
26 min
112
Becky Buller
Amy Wright spoke with Becky over video call to learn a little about her background and her current projects. Becky is 2-time Grammy award-winning songwriter and a 10-time International Bluegrass Music Association award winner. As a special treat, she performs a couple of tunes on guitar, fiddle, and banjo during the call, so don’t miss those. Without further ado, here’s Amy Wright in conversation with Becky Buller. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
45 min
113
Patty Smyth
Our guest this hour is the always spirited and always creative, Patty Smyth, who first made waves in the 1980s with the rock band Scandal, and who has since gone on to enjoy a successful career as a solo artist. One interesting note to make is that Patty was a huge star on MTV in its hay day, and DittyTV draws a lot of inspiration from those early MTV days, so it’s kind of a full-circle affair, which we love to see. With that in mind, I’ll hand it over to Amy Wright, who caught up with Patty over a video call to discuss her 2020 LP release, It’s About Time. Enjoy it, and thanks for listening. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
36 min
114
Arlo McKinley
Our Program Director Sam Shansky caught up with Arlo over video call while Arlo hung outside a tattoo shop near Cincinnati called Designs by Dana, where his drummer was getting some work done. Arlo’s been living in Cincinnati for 41 years. He grew up in the church, drifted into the punk rock scene, but later developed into a singer-songwriter. In this talk, Sam and Arlo discuss his 2020 LP release, Die Midwestern, what it’s like working with Oh Boy Records and how he felt when he met John Prine, as well as what it was like to record at Sam Phillips Recording Service with Matt Ross-Spang as producer and engineer. Let’s listen in. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
37 min
115
Ray Benson
Today, you’ll be hearing from Amy Wright as she talks in-depth with Ray Benson, the truly iconic front man and co-founder of the Western Swing and Country Music outfit, Asleep at the Wheel, a band of which about 90 people have been part of at some point since 1969. But Ray’s been the balanced center of the Wheel, so to speak, for over 50 years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
27 min
116
Brandy Clark
Our guest this hour is Brandy Clark, the inspired and insightful singer-songwriter from Morton, Washington who's been nominated for 8 Grammy awards and who's collaborated with Dwight Yoakam, Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile and Kacey Musgraves, just to name a few. Today, she chats with Amy Wright about how she’s feeling to be currently nominated for two Grammy Awards, BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE for “Who You Thought I Was” and BEST COUNTRY ALBUM for Your Life Is A Record. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
36 min
117
Suzanne Santo
Our guest this hour is Suzanne Santo. Suzanne’s a Los Angeles-based songwriter best known as one half of the duo, Honeyhoney, but whose acclaimed solo work and collaborations with artists like Gary Clark Jr. are earning her fans far and wide. And maybe you’re already one of those fans since you chose this episode, but if not, we're glad you’re here cause Suzanne is an artist you need to know. So without further ado, please enjoy this conversation between Amy Wright and Suzanne Santo. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
29 min
118
Joe Firstman - Cordovas
Joe Firstman of the Nashville-based band Cordovas is one of the most interesting cats around with all sorts of great stories. He has important messages to share with the world and does so in a very intuitive way. Cordovas recently put out a record called Destiny Hotel, on ATO Records, and you can find your very own copy by visiting Cordovasband.com. Please enjoy this conversation between Joe and DittyTV host, Amy Wright. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
24 min
119
Tammy Rogers
Tammy Rogers is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. In addition to releasing three albums on the Dead Reckoning Records label, she is also a founding member of the Grammy Award winning bluegrass group The SteelDrivers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
42 min
120
Waylon Payne
Host Tatiana Z takes Waylon back to his childhood: growing up around country royalty, playing Jerry Lee Lewis in Walk the Line, and his newest album, Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
30 min
121
Caleb Caudle
Caleb Caudle sits down with Amy Wright to discuss his newest album, Better Hurry Up. He even plays a few acoustic tunes! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
23 min
122
Billy Strings
Amy Wright talks with Billy Strings, one of the best bluegrass guitarists on the scene right now. They talk about his love for fishing, vintage cars, and of course, music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
49 min
123
Don McLean
Our guest today is Don McLean, the New York-born singer-songwriter who released his debut album, Tapestry, in the early1970s, and whose song"American Pie" spent four weeks on the Billboard charts and five decades in the minds of people all over the globe, eventually earning entry into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2017. A very big honor. McLean fell in love with folk and early rock’n’roll music at a young age and would go on to devote his life to touring and performing.His storied career has always fascinated me, so it was a real pleasure to get to speak with him and learn about his life. Take a listen and I’ll catch up with you again at the end of our talk. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
37 min
124
Hayes Carll
Hayes Carll sits down with Amy Wright to discuss his newest album, Alone Together Sessions. They also talk about the future of touring post COVID, and learning more about recording while in quarantine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
28 min
125
Ray Wylie Hubbard
Ray Wylie sits down with host Amy Wright to discuss his newest album Co-Starring. The album features an all-star line-up like Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, Elizabeth Cook, Larkin Poe, Don Was, and many more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Part of Pantheon Podcasts
23 min