Interviews and Featured on Americana Artists
HOME PAGE Making a Scene presents an Interview with Aaron Smith Aaron Smith’s songs explore the mystery of human experience, searching for the meaning of love, family, heritage, kindness, doubt, and grace. In vignettes infused with an infectious sense of hope and humor, the unlikely heroes of his songs — grandmothers and grandfathers, street preachers […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Mitch Hayes Americana/Folk Artist of the Year” (2016 and 2018 Queen City Music Awards), Mitch Hayes is an award-winning singer/songwriter, recording and national touring artist from Charlotte, North Carolina who now calls Oklahoma home. His music is as eclectic as the creative influences that have helped […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Michelle Malone A mainstay of American roots music for more than 30 years, Michelle Malone has built an award-winning career as a singer, songwriter, and road warrior. Her music is ingrained in the soundtrack of the American South, mixing the rebellious stomp of roadhouse rock & […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Kyle Culkin Kyle Culkin is an American songwriter, guitarist and roots music recording artist. He has worked over the past two decades as a multi-instrumentalist musician and the guitarist for nationally touring acts such as The Jeff Jensen Band. Culkin opened for the great B.B. King […]
HOME PAGE Making A Scene presents an Interview with Sara Petite An outlaw country headliner whose music reaches far beyond the genre’s borders, Sara Petite has built an award-winning career with songs that owe as much to the rock & roll roadhouse as they do the honky-tonk. Hers is a raw, rough-edged version of American […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Don Richmond of The Rifters The Rifters formed in 2002 in the fertile and creative music scene of Taos, New Mexico from members of two popular bands already active in the area. Jim Bradley and Don Richmond of Hired Hands, and Rod Taylor of the Rounders, […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Justin Cody Fox Is a Blues/Rock powerhouse with a double threat vocal and guitar prowess that’s been forged in fire since his early jump into the music industry at just 15 years old. Justin began honing his skills at a young age on late night family […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you an interview with Dean Mueller A professional musician for nearly 20 years, Dean Mueller has worked as a performer, producer, promoter, recording engineer and teacher. Now he begins a new phase of his career with Sky Fallin’, his solo album debut. The bassist-turned-singer-songwriter recorded his album of original […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Brian Kalinec Texan Brian Kalinec has been called “a combination of Woody Guthrie, John Steinbeck, James Taylor, and Rodney Crowell in the stories he tells” in a review in music magazine Rootsy. He has also been described by Robert Bartosh of Roots Music Report as “one […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with The Dilly Dally Alley Dilly was formed with the intent of eternally seeking out the perfect groove, as well as repairing and re-embodying communal spaces that dissolved from the pandemic. The tunes from Make You Whole are meant to be interacted with live. Crowd games and […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Erika Olson Erika Olson, an American Expat, raises babies and write songs in the high weald of East Sussex. Erika combines vulnerable vocals, contemporary storytelling, and musical influences spanning indie, folk, country, blues, Americana and pop. When pressed to describe her music, Erika likes to call […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Jake Pinto Jake Pinto’s eclectic musical story has shaped a charmingly honest solo debut rich in instinctive melodicism and cultured arrangements. To be released by Mother West on March 31, Sad Songs for Happy People is at once confessional and celebratory, marrying timeless songsmith instincts and […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Carter Sampson Carter Sampson is an Oklahoma born and raised, award winning singer songwriter. She tours nationally and internationally playing both solo and with her trio & band. Sampson won 1st place in the Chris Austin Song Contest at Merlefest and was a top 5 finalist in the […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Sarah Morris Sarah Morris has a habit of missing the forest. From the day the Minneapolis based singer-songwriter picked up a guitar, armed with the bone-deep memory of her parents’ well-loved record collection and rooted in the storytelling fire of a Mary Chapin Carpenter tune, she’s […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Kevin Bowe Kevin Bowe is a writer/producer/mixer/musician from Minneapolis. He has written songs on 3 platinum records and 2 Grammy winning albums working with Johnny Lang, The Replacements, Etta James, Joe Cocker, Paul Westerberg, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, 3 Dog Night, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Little Steven Van Zandt, […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Joel Leviton of December Friend December Friend was born out of the pandemic when Joel Leviton reached out to friends Jeff Victor (Minneapolis-musician extraordinaire) and John Wlaysewski (of Brooklyn-based band Late Cambrian) asking if they wanted to collaborate on a new project. Thankfully, they said yes. […]
Tommy Emmanuel Accomplice Two CGP Sounds Billy Strings helps Tommy Emmanuel light the fuse, and together they blow the roof off Accomplice Two with a feisty porch side run through Doc Watson’s “Doc’s Guitar / Black Mountain Rag.” Molly Tuttle then folds right into that high-powered bluegrass groove picking intensely and singing charmingly on […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Hilary Tipps and Steve Obermiller It took no time at all for Fort Worth, Texas songwriters Hilary Tipps and Steve Obermiller to fall in love and start their lives together. But it was a decade of trying to create life, deal with death and build careers […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Jake Ybarra It can be hard for an artist to pinpoint when the muse first struck and launched them into a creative life. For 25-year-old Jake Ybarra, the first step on his journey came in Harlingen, Texas, where Ybarra (pronounced “e-BAR-a”) was born into a musical […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Thomas Abban Uncompromising, mystical, mysterious, ethereal, with an artistic voice all of his own- multi-instrumentalist Thomas Abban is hard to categorize and even harder to ignore. His music balances the accessible with the bewildering. His ethereal voice glides above a tumultuous ocean of musical exploration. Rhythms […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Sarah Rogo Sarah Rogo is an artist, composer, and guitar player residing in Los Angeles, CA. With her haunting and unique slide guitar work, she defies genres and reshapes how the guitar can be used in composition and songwriting. You can find her as one of […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an interview with Martha Groves Perry Martha Groves Perry is a singer-songwriter, entertainer, and multi-instrumentalist based in San Francisco, California. Her original music has a straightforward, compelling and sometimes edgy clarity with strong blues, southern rock, and experimental influences and a badass Americana flavor. Her penetrating lyrics, described by her producer, Kenny […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Skarlett Woods Entwining Swing and Jazz into folk-themed stories of love, she has a stage presence that demands the attention of a room. Taking her listeners on up-beat rhythmic rides over heart- swelling arrangements of originals and covers, Skarlett has simply become more comfortable showing herself […]
Jaimee Harris Boomerang Town Folk N’ Roll/Thirty Tigers On just her second album Jaimee Harris has proven to be an impressive singer-songwriter, creating vivid character sketches, a myriad of emotions, and an honest way of expressing her own personal feelings through her narratives. She echoes Springsteen and Gretchen Peters to name just two. Those alone […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Buddy Mondlock Buddy Mondlock writes songs. He does it so well that some great songwriters have recorded his songs on their own albums. Guy Clark, Nanci Griffith, and Janis Ian, to name just a few. You might’ve heard his song “The Kid” (recorded by David Wilcox, Peter, […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Interviews the Scarlet Goodbye The Scarlet Goodbye, labelled “the most unlikely mash-up in Minnesota Music History”, is the creative combination of Daniel Murphy and Jeff Arundel. Murphy, pivotal in the launch of both Soul Asylum and the super-group Golden Smog, had stepped away from the game in 2012, after 30 […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Scott Allen As a Minnesota music fan, singer/bassist and live sound engineer, Scott’s had a unique exposure to Minnesota music and the artists performing it. On the bass and backing vocals, he’s played in bands with songwriters like Tom Mason, Mark Hasbrouch (Surahoolies), Phil Solem (The […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Laura Zucker Singer-songwriter Laura Zucker wins audiences over with a hard-won perspective and a positive spin. The powerful imagery of her songs and stories ring so true you might think she’s read your diary – and you’ll find yourself humming her infectious melodies for days to […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Austin Mayse Texas-born singer-songwriter Austin Mayse has returned to the studio for his second full-length album, Bridges & Kerosene. Produced by Hill Country music ace Chris Beall and engineered by Ron Flynt, it features songs that Mayse has brought to soulful solo life onstage in recent […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Humbletown Humbletown is a folk/bluegrass duo featuring Morgan Carnes on clawhammer banjo and Dylan Lewis on flatpick guitar and mandolin. The duo primarily writes their own songs in eclectic styles but also plays traditional songs, fiddle tunes, and folk and country covers. The duo prides itself […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Jo Jo Green! St Paul indie jazz pop fusion quintet, JoJo Green is a well-oiled machine that boasts a big, energetic, uniquely authentic face-smacking sound. With strong influences from Motown, Muscle Shoals, and The Summer of Love, JoJo Green gives a nostalgic feeling to a fresh […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Turn Turn Turn Turn Turn Turn is a trio who bonded over their mutual love of close harmony 60s and 70s country, folk, and pop music and formed an original Americana band. To create their distinctive sound, the band “turns” to the distant past of early […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with John Fusco John Fusco is the writer-producer of 12 motion pictures, including “Crossroads”, “Young Guns”, “Thunderheart,” “Hidalgo”, “The Forbidden Kingdom,” the sequel to “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” and the Academy Award-nominated “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.” Some of his other film productions include “The Shack” starring Octavia […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Preston Gunderson Gunderson has been a fixture in the Minneapolis music scene for 10 years. He started his career early at the age of 15 playing in the bars of Northern Minnesota, a place known as the “Iron Range.” He has since forged his songwriting and […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Serabee Sera hails direct from Kiln, Mississippi with the wandering strains of roadhouse blues and rollicking revivals psychically embedded in her songs. Irresistible, pop, country and R&B adorned in her soulful vocal presence and piano playing. As a singer, songwriter and musician, the creative edge of […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you an Interview with Kelley Smith Spoken words have never come easy for folk musician Kelley Smith, so in her late 30’s she decided to become an artist. “I was tired of being tongue-tied,” she says, “…I just wanted to paint little word pictures of what was in my […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Chris Murphy For 25 years, and with no sign of slowing, violinist Chris Murphy has made a living by writing, performing and recording original music. For Murphy, the path forward is charted by looking backward, to the troubadours and minstrels of ages past. Forget the […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with The Lowest Pair Kendl Winter and Palmer T. Lee are two kindred spirits who first met on the banks of the Mississippi while touring the Midwest festival circuit. Born and raised in Arkansas, Winter found herself drawn to the evergreens and damp air of the Pacific Northwest, as well […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Steve McCormick Steve McCormick has released six studio albums to date with Stars and Chandeliers being the most recent. His music is based in Americana. His soulful guitar playing and raspy voice carry the influence of iconic American artists like Townes van Zandt, Ry Cooder, Little Feat and […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Dan Israel With Social Media Anxiety Disorder, Minnesota singer-songwriter Dan Israel returns with his 15th studio album, a mere 17 months after his acclaimed 2018 release You’re Free. Social Media Anxiety Disorder was recorded in the spring and summer of 2019 at two different Twin Cities studios, featuring […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Doyle Turner Doyle learned to love music listening to his father play guitar and listening to AM radio and 8 track tapes. He found a voice that’s gotten stronger through the years, as he’s realized he’s beholding to effort, listening close, and grace. The music that’s […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene presents an Interview with Andrew Browning Truly gritty, west-coast-noir dripping with creosote, this dusty Outlaw Country might be the unlikely result of a 20-year hiatus to hang up his gear, change careers and raise a family. But this band and these songs snuck up on Andrew Browning and hit him […]
Making a Scene Presents Gerry Casey’s Interview with Ben Cutler Ben Cutler is a 16 year old singer songwriter from Belfast. He began playing at the age of 10 and quickly became comfortable on stage in front of all sizes of audiences. At 12 he entered and won the U/16 category at Banbridge Buskfest and […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Brian Blake Currently based out of North Mississippi near Memphis, Tennessee, Brian Blake is a songwriter who has been active in the Memphis-area music scene for more than 25 years. With musical influences and roots stemming from both Texas and Tennessee, Brian writes heartfelt and thought-provoking […]
HOME Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Stefan Prigmore Stefan has been creating and performing music since his teenage years, following his father into the business in the same way he learned from his father in the woods and the river. The joy Stefan finds in the outdoors and the gratitude he shows on […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Kirby Heard Since the November 2019 release of her first solo project, “Mama’s Biscuits”, Kirby Heard has become known for songs that take listeners on journeys through yesteryear and memories of home. Often introspective, inquisitive, and witty, these are songs with an authentic voice and perspective. […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Angela Easterling Angela Easterling brandishes her songwriting chops with rootsy, refreshing, homespun tunes. Her backing band, The Beguilers (bass, drums and lead guitar), master many complex styles, with instrumentation that fleshes out the stories in Angela’s songs, and adds some rocking fun. Their act is not quite […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Kenny Shore He recently showcased at the APCA Regional Fall Conference in Orlando, FL and again at the APCA National Conference in Hershey, PA. He grew up in North Carolina and wrote his first song after his grandfather gave him a homemade banjo at the age of 10. As a […]
HOME PAGE Making a Scene Brings you Gerry Casey’s Interview with Ben Reel Since his debut album `This Is the Movie’ back in 1999, Ben has reinvented himself from album to album, influenced by different styles of music over the years. As one critic said, ” He’s not afraid to throw in some in folk, soul, reggae […]
HOME Making a Scene Presents an Interview with Sara Niemietz “This album is about vulnerability and empowerment. It’s about speaking your piece, shaking off the past, and finding the superhero inside,” shares singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist andactor, Sara Niemietz. She continues: “As a kid, I used to run around with this blanket tied around my neck […]
