Sisters Rosalie, Rachel, and Amelia formed the trio, Spinster, after unearthing their grandfather’s accordion in a closet and spending several summers learning pop covers on a hodgepodge of acquired instruments, from the mandolin to the washboard, glockenspiel, and upright bass. Spinster melds familial harmony and old-timey sensibilities with pop sounds, reviving classics of doo-wop, 80’s art pop, and 90’s boy band rock. This episode features the lovely three sisters of Spinster plus host Heather Leigh Holt which makes four women who are all musicians and all teachers! You'll hear a lot of unique instrumentation, beautiful singing with lovely harmonies, and a lot of laughs. Check it out! 

Open Mic Spotlight

Episode 80: Spinster

Stellar's Jay is the moniker for the music of Jayke Webb from Chattanooga, TN. It all started in Rogers, Arkansas in 2001 when Jayke, at the age of 15, picked up a guitar and began writing songs. The subject matter of these songs span from Jayke's endless need to travel, love gained and love lost, imaginative stories of war, pirates, and beasts, as well as an examination of what it means to be human. 

Episode 79: Stellar's Jay

Rachel McIntyre Smith is a singer-songwriter from Oliver, TN. She moved to Chattanooga when she started her marketing and communications studies at UTC. Currently, Rachel is finalizing her degree with an internship at Songbirds Guitar Museum. Find out what's next for her and find out why it was love at first listen for me! 

Episode 78: Rachel McIntyre Smith

Summer Dregs is the production moniker of Carl Caldwell, a Chattanooga native who has been intertwined in the music scene for many years. Carl is a commercial music producer, but in the last year or two has dedicated some time to working with other artists. Find out how he got started, how he got to where he is now, and listen to some of his most recent collaborations with Swayyvo, Johnny Balik, Superbody, and more. 

Episode 77: Summer Dregs

Chelsea and Jonathan Ford joined us all the way from Cincinnati, Ohio. Chelsea's voice is so unique and easy on the ears. They have a classic bluegrass-country sound that will make you feel right at home. You'll enjoy this episode.  "Chelsea Ford and The Trouble features Ford on banjo, with Jonathan on acoustic guitar and Matt Crone on upright bass. The collection of tunes breathes in kicked-up red dust from rural paths and exhales stark, confident Americana, drifting from melancholy reflections to up-tempo, string-band Folk with Bluegrass inflections, complemented with violin, dobro and steel guitar. There are songs about killing a man alongside lover duets and laments about drinks holding on a little too closely. They are heartfelt tunes — played with top-notch skill — that are like pulling open photo albums to present both joyous and distressing recollections."-Bill Furbee

Episode 76: Chelsea Ford and the Trouble

Cloud Caverns is an acoustic/experimental project comprised of Brandon Peterson and Dan Bouza. Brandon moved from New York to Chattanooga a few years ago but continues to collaborate with Dan from afar. While the two are mostly a studio project, Brandon Peterson plays a few live for us on this episode. His performances and song-writing are deeply beautiful. 

Episode 75: Cloud Caverns

Ariel Omarzu is a singer-songwriter based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She is new to the professional music world but you will not be able to tell. The power and soul of her vocals will shake you to your core and leave you speechless. You don't want to miss this episode. 

Episode 74: Ariel Omarzu

This is a special episode featuring a live Chattanooga House Shows​ performance by Oh Jeremiah​ from Athens, Ga. Prepare to laugh, get chill bumps, and feel like you were actually at the show. They’re amazing. Such a beautiful show and now everyone gets to be a part of it! Oh Jeremiah is the singer/songwriter duo made up of Jeremiah Stricklin and his wife Erin. Started in south Mississippi and currently residing in Athens, GA, the couple draws its inspiration from the storytelling nature of their home state, echoing the likes of Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. Oh Jeremiah is known for its harmonies in the style of early Damien Rice and their peculiar onstage banter. Their debut album, the Other End of Passing Time, is available now.

Episode 73: Oh Jeremiah

Superbody is in every sense of the phrase a true pop star. Listen to what gets him going and his new single!!

Episode 72: Superbody

Bryce Cronan of the Afternooners joins us in the studio for the next round of the Summer Series with his smooth melodies and his Jack Johnson vibe. Listen to some interesting show stories like the time his band opened for Cherub!

Episode 71: Bryce Cronan of The Afternooners

The Mailboxes is an art-pop band from Cleveland, Tennessee. Members Jillian and Logan Ivey are creative partners who also happen to be married to one another. Jillian plays piano, sings really loud, and writes catchy indie pop melodies. Logan plays the drums, looks cool, and is trying not to break his arms again. They like touring across the country in their van and thru hiking in the mountains. They have a new project and album coming in 2019!

Episode 70: The Mailboxes

Thirstain Daniels is a Chattanooga native with the most beautiful voice. Listen to his stories about his up bringing in music and where he is headed! You will really enjoy his covers and originals played on this episode. 

Episode 69: Thirstain Daniels

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Heather talks with Boston-based bluegrass-pop band Twisted Pine about how they first met, their experiences within the bluegrass scene in Boston and why they’ve adopted a response of “four separate beds here” where it comes to questions about their personal relationships. The band started out hewing closer to their bluegrass roots, but over time, they broadened their approach, incorporating more indie pop hooks and rhythms into their string band sound. Built around some truly remarkable harmonies and luminous acoustic arrangements, their music is light on its feet but never lightweight, a rustic exploration of tone and texture that forgoes the usual genre limitations to become something utterly compelling and distinct. The band first came together while they were attending different colleges in the Boston area and finding themselves playing alongside like-minded musicians at The Cantab Lounge in Cambridge. They released their self-titled debut record last year and have spent the intervening months touring in support. They perform two covers, including The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and The Cranberries’ “Dreams, finding nuance and fresh sounds buried in these familiar hits. They discuss how their songwriter process begins with a 50/50 split between Kathleen Parks and Rachel Sumner, and then they bring the skeleton of each song to the rest of the band to complete its creation. And they reveal that it’s in this final collaborative undertaking that the song expresses the resolve of the entire band. Due to some recording complications, this specific podcast is built from two different sound sources: a live recording taken from their concert at the Tomorrow Building in Chattanooga, TN and audio from the original Open Mic Spotlight interview that the band was streaming on their Facebook page. 

Episode 68: Twisted Pine

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga duo DJ and Marv talk with Heather about how their religious upbringing influenced the direction of their music, how they came to meet through a shared musical friend and when we can possibly expect their debut EP to be released. This episode is recorded at Andrew Meadow’s house, another local musician who also happens to be the producer of DJ and Marv’s forthcoming EP and who also works at Dynamo Studios at the downtown Chattanooga Public Library. Drawing upon the twin inspirations of the hip-hop and singer-songwriter genres, they create a sound that sits at the crossroads of these two disparate aesthetics, and they do so without the music losing any of its vivid movements or rhythmic ingenuity. DJ and Marv first met through their shared friendship with Drakeford Lanier, another Chattanooga musician who introduced them due to their natural gifts for music. For his part, DJ has gone to college for audio production but found that he really wanted to sing and began following that passion shortly thereafter. Marv traces his musical history back to high school when he first started rapping. It also doesn’t hurt that DJ and Marv are cousins; so their communal interest in music feels more familial than forced. They are looking forward to the release of their debut EP sometime soon as they’ve already got about 72% of the record done according to Meadow. And with a sound as wonderfully involving and unique as theirs, it’s a project that should be on everyone’s radar.

Episode 67: DJ and Marv

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Heather invites Chattanooga songwriter Josh Driver into the studio to talk with her and guest co-host Adam Stone of Over Easy about some of his influences and why “Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4” led him to pursue a musician’s life. Known for his work with The Dixieland Playboys and as a recent addition to Chattanooga hard rock group Subkonscious, Driver has always possessed a restless creativity, a stubborn and uncompromising need to widen his musical perspective. Throughout the past few years, he’s worked his way through the sounds of country, southern rock and hard rock, as well as adopting a more singer-songwriter-oriented viewpoint in an effort to develop himself fully as an artist. In their discussion, Driver talks about his loathing of apartments (too many people, too much noise) and why he sees his job at Volkswagon as similar to working in a busy kitchen. He relates his brief history with Mo Pitney’s song “Behind This Guitar” and why it speaks to him in such a tremendous way. He briefly touches on his newfound respect and admiration for Jason Isbell and talks about listening to him while riding to a concert that featured Isbell and his wide Amanda Shires at the CMA Theater in Nashville. And through just a few songs, Driver reveals his country-soaked songwriter’s heart and discusses the evolution of his aesthetic from his earliest days to his more recent solo work.

Episode 66: Josh Driver

Open Mic Spotlight is a weekly podcast that highlights the local musicians of Chattanooga and the bigger named artists touring through Chattanooga. Each episode contains conversations and performances of covers and originals. Learn more about the artists lives and their secrets to being successful in the crazy world of the music industry. This show includes all genres and styles from bluegrass, pop, rap, and even comedy!

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Open Mic Spotlight

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