Folk music duo Companion released their debut album Second Day of Spring in May 2022. Companion is made up of twins, Jo and Sophia Babb, who were raised in Oklahoma, and have been performing together since they were at least 15 years old. In Oklahoma, they performed primarily under the name The Annie Oakley but after moving to Colorado, they felt ready for a fresh start musically.The title track draws from a feeling they both had to start anew. In a new place, they were surrounded by new people and the natural scenery of Colorado. In this episode, hear them talk about drawing inspiration from their new surroundings and friends, changing their name, touring with Tori Amos, and their process of writing songs together.

North Carolina country artist Sarah Shook & The Disarmers released their latest album, Nightroamer, in February. In this episode, hear Sarah talk about being LGTBQ in country music, getting sober, and the first time they met a non-binary person.

Kaitlin Butts is a singer-songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her latest album, What Else Can She Do, is a collage of different female characters who tackle that question and draw from parts of the country artist's own life.The first track's title, "It Won't Always Be This Way" was a statement that she and her mother would repeat during a particularly rough period of their lives. And that statement has proven to be true. In just the last year or so, Kaitlin married fellow musician Cleto Cordero of Flatland Cavalry, moved to Nashville, and recorded this sophomore album. Listen to hear Kaitlin talk about going through that time, what it's like being married to another musician, and being more weird in country music.

Hear a preview of Songwriters & Tour Riders, as we give you an inside look at musicians coming from Oklahoma and those just passing through. Hosted by Matthew Viriyapah, hear musicians tell stories of recording, touring and living as an artist.

Mike McClure is a pioneer of the Red Dirt music scene that began in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He was part of The Great Divide and produced numerous other records for acts like Cross Canadian Ragweed and Turnpike Troubadours.With the pandemic giving many in the music industry a lot more time at home this year, Mike believes his latest solo record, Looking Up, is his most cohesive album yet. The album was written in the wake of close friends and mentors passing away, as well as him coming to grips with drinking.Hear him talk about his decision to give up drinking, recalling those early Red Dirt days and advice for those going through tough times.

Blackmankidboy, the latest album from Oklahoma City hip hop artist Original Flow, highlights his experience growing up and contrasted with today.While making this record, he lost his mother due to cancer and then was on the verge of giving up music. It threw him into a depression, but out of that grief, came a project that he calls some of his best work.In the episode, he talks about writing songs in his car and how he dealt with his mom's death.

The debut record from 25-year-old Daniel Donato brings together jam band music and outlaw country.It comes after about a decade of playing guitar professionally in Nashville. When he was 16, he was the youngest person to ever play with the Don Kelly Band at the historic Robert’s Western World and then toured with musicians like Paul Cauthen.A Young Man's Country was produced by Robben Ford and draws from his inspirations, such as The Grateful Dead and Merle Haggard.Hear how he tries to combine all of those into his banner of "cosmic country" and the story of how he got into the Grateful Dead thanks to his high school history teacher. 

One of Bartees Strange's fears is just being one thing.Born in England, Bartees Cox Jr. grew up in a military family that bounced around from place to place until they settled down in Mustang, Oklahoma. His mother is an opera singer and he sang in church choirs and operettas, before taking up football.He even planned to walk-on at the University of Oklahoma. Things changed, but for most of his life, he's felt like he has been forced to just do and be one thing at a time.Now as a musician, he released his debut LP Live Forever, where he wants his songs to be able to continue the conversation started by artists like Tyler, The Creator.

Tennessee Jet, whose real name is TJ, grew up traveling with his parents on the rodeo circuit. And while in the truck, he listened to traditional country music on the radio.His newest album, The Country, is an ode to country music. Each song represents a different style of the genre, from the ’50s to outlaw to alt-country. He even covered his dad’s favorite song, "Pancho and Lefty."In this episode, TJ talks co-writing with Cody Jinks and recording with Dwight Yoakam's band. He also talks about why female artists are writing most of the great songs in country music today and explains the origin of his name.

Kyle Nix is best known as the fiddle player for the Oklahoma country band Turnpike Troubadours. While that band has been on hiatus, Nix took that time to work on his solo debut, Lightning on the Mountain & Other Short Stories.The album is inspired by everything from Spaghetti Westerns and Ennio Morricone soundtracks, to short stories by Ernest Hemingway and Stephen King. And it features appearances from other members of the Troubadours and fiddle legend Byron Berline. In this episode, Nix talks about what it was like working with his bandmates again, those inspirations, and what it was like to record and release his debut album.

Jabee says the idea of his latest album's title, This World Is So Fragile and Cruel I'm Glad I Got You, "kind of floats throughout the climate we are living in." It comes after a four year period of learning and community work. And while this pandemic has put a pause on most musicians' tours and shows, Jabee has been continually organizing.He helped put together last weekend’s Oklahoma City march commemorating the March On Washington and organized a Juneteenth celebration earlier this summer. He also released a song with Julius Jones, a Black death row inmate whose petition for clemency has been taken up by Jabee, several professional athletes and others.In the episode, he talks about meeting Julius Jones, Juneteenth, the album and more.

Stefan Babcock is the singer and primary songwriter for the Canadian punk rock band, PUP. Their latest album, Morbid Stuff, was listed on NPR's list of The 15 Best Rock Albums Of 2019 and recently won a Juno award.With songs drawn from his life about things like a camping disaster with his sister, the death of his pet chameleon and destroying his car, the punk rocker translates bad experiences into music. But he tries to be careful not to glorify the myth of the tortured artist.In this episode, Babcock talks about his recent engagement and about that "fine line" in writing songs about mental health. 

Samantha Crain recently released her new album. It's an album she didn’t think she would ever going to make.Following three car accidents in 2017, Crain was left with debilitating injuries to her hands. She had to cancel her entire U.S. tour and suffered from depression and anxiety as a result. That period is reflected in the album's title, A Small Death.Crain talks about what it was like going through that period, the eventual making of this album, and her continued efforts to write music in the Choctaw language.

A veteran musician and formerly of the band Cheyenne, Beau Jennings turned to a new chapter of his career when he returned to Oklahoma after eight years in New York City. Forming a new band called the Tigers, Jennings released the album The Thunderbird.Jennings is also an architect and documentarian, having made a documentary (and accompanying album) titled The Veridigris about his relationship with Will Rogers.In this episode, Jennings spoke about that documentary, The Thunderbird and its newly released acoustic sequel, Son of Thunderbird, and drawing songwriting inspiration from people he meets.

Oklahoma City noise rock band Chat Pile takes its name from the large piles of waste of early 20th century lead mining in the northeastern Oklahoma town of Picher, which has been called America's most toxic town.The band released a noisy debut EP titled 'This Dungeon Earth' in May 2019, channeling what happened to Picher.In this episode, Griff and Randy, who also go by stage names Luther and Raygun Busch, spoke about what Picher means to the band, the making of their debut EP, and bad movies.

On his fifth album, LP5, Tulsa singer-songwriter John Moreland teamed up with producer Matt Pence and introduced new instruments into the studio like drum machines.In this episode, Moreland talks about growing up in the Christian punk rock scene in Tulsa, the recording and songwriting process behind LP5 and relearning how to enjoy songwriting amidst new pressures and expectations.

Johnny Manchild is the lead singer, pianist and namesake for the seven-piece piano rock band Johnny Manchild and the Poor Bastards.The Oklahoma City band spent all of 2019 releasing one song a month, which culminated in their latest LP, One Big Beautiful Sound.In this episode, Johnny talks about the challenge the band set for themselves last year, plans for their next album, and how collaborating with a YouTuber helped them reach a whole new group of fans.

Texas country and blues musician Charley Crockett has lived the life of a traveling musician, busking on the streets of New Orleans, Dallas, New York City and Paris.He has been featured on NPR, Rolling Stone and Billboard and has played the Grand Ole Opry, Austin City Limits, Newport Folk Festival and several venues in Oklahoma.In this episode, Charley talks about his recent open heart surgery, the relationship between blues and country, and his love for Oklahoma musicians and places.

Oklahoma City surf-pop band Husbands has been featured on NPR's Heavy Rotation and their song "Mexico" was named the number one song of 2019 by the Oklahoma Rock Show.Drawing inspiration from Devo and Talking Heads, Husbands' new album, After The Gold Rush Party, is about trying to balance their jobs and families with their creative energy.In this episode, Wil Norton and Danny Davis break down the album and explain how they went from a pool of seventy songs to just thirteen for the album.

Oklahoma folk / Americana singer-songwriter John Calvin Abney is everywhere. He's a sideman for folks like John Moreland and Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires and an acclaimed solo artist in his own right. Rolling Stone Country called him an 'Artist to Watch' and his music has been praised by Billboard, Paste Magazine, and No Depression.No Cover host Matthew Viriyapah spoke with John on two different occasions: just as he was about to leave on tour in spring 2019 with Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires and again in fall 2019, before the release of his 2019 solo album, Safe Passage.In the first half of this episode, Abney talks about how he found his own voice on his 2018 album, Coyote. He also explains his view on the craft of being a sideman and his wide range of influences, such as Japanese video game composers, The Beach Boys and those he calls his friends and peers. In the second half, Abney explores the origins and the making of his latest album, Safe Passage, and what his mom thinks about it.