Howdy Friends, Tomorrow morning I'll once again be hosting Back to the Country from 9am-noon (CST) on WORT. This week's theme is the Smell of Country Music, and boy does it have a lot of smells! Dolly Parton has a new line of perfumes and body sprays, Kacey Musgraves has her own line of scented candles, and you can still buy Blake Shelton air fresheners on Etsy.
Starday, Hodags, Classic Cars, Necco Wafers, WORT-FM, Root Beer, Dogs, Record Collecting, an Mosrite
Nathan D. Gibson, PhD Musician, Ethnomusicologist, Folklorist, and Audio-Visual Preservation Archivist, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Tuesday, December 13, 2022
The Smell of Country Music on Back to the Country WORT 89.9FM
Monday, November 28, 2022
Press Play Exhibit Talk Now Online
Howdy Friends, Just wanted to let anyone who wanted to attend my Press Play exhibit talk last month but couldn't know that the presentation is now available on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzz1KT9tg4s
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Press Play Exhibit Talk 10/26/22 at Memorial Library
Tomorrow afternoon from 3-4:00pm (cst) on the 9th floor of Memorial Library (University of Wisconsin-Madison campus) I'll be giving an exhibit talk about Press Play: Recorded Sound from Groove to Stream. It was a joy to curate this exhibit with my colleagues at Mills Music Library and I'm excited to share some insights into our collections and what we do at Mills and the Wisconsin Music Archives.
Thursday, September 29, 2022
Playing Bass for the U.S. Tour of Irrbloss: Songs from the Poetry of Signe Aurell
What a fun month of music it's been! Last weekend's New England Shake Up was a joyous reunion of some of my very favorite bands and people. This weekend I'm off to Minneapolis to kick off a tour with Maja Heurling, Ola Sandström, and Livet Måssebäck Nord at the American Swedish Institute on Saturday (2-3:00pm). https://asimn.org/event/signe-aurell-irrbloss-concert/
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
A Back to the Country Back to School Special 9/14/22
Howdy friends, tomorrow morning (9am-noon CST) I'll be back on the airwaves hosting a Back to the Country Back to School special on WORT 89.9 FM.
Streaming via wortfm.org and available via 89.9 FM in southern Wisconsin.
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Press Play: Recorded Sound From Groove To Stream - A Special Collections Exhibit 9/7-12/22
Today marks a new semester at UW and I'm particularly excited for this one because today is also the opening of my first curated Special Collections exhibit! It's called Press Play: Recorded Sound from Groove to Stream and is located on the 9th floor of Memorial Library (UW-Madison). It'll be up all semester, but you'll have to visit when Special Collections is open to see it: M-F 9am-5pm.
This summer I spent countless hours pawing through the amazing collections at Mills Music Library and Wisconsin Music Archives and, using my favorite finds, I was given the opportunity to curate a show that illustrates what we collect and why, as well as how we engage various audiences with our collections. On display are roughly 300 rare, unique, beautiful, historic, iconic, and obscure sound recordings with accompanying texts expounding the evolution of sound recordings, how records are (sometimes) made, and why I hate Spotify, to name just a few topics.
The entire staff of Mills Music Library has been working on it for months and we're excited it's finally open. There's a playlist with some amazing tunes you can only hear if you scan the QR code or visit the Listening Station, and if you let me know you're coming in advance, I'll crank up the 1915 Edison Diamond Disc of "On, Wisconsin!" for ya!
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
Decca Delights with Nate Gibson on Back to the Country WORT 89.9FM 7/13/22
Howdy Friends, Tomorrow morning from 9am-noon (CST) I'll be back on the airwaves hosting Back to the Country. It recently occurred to me that I have previously created BTTC shows about RCA Victor, Capitol Records, Columbia Records, and even Mercury Records, but I have yet to do a show that focuses on the fifth major label of the '50s--Decca Records--and all of their amazing country music contributions. UNTIL NOW!
Friday, June 24, 2022
Nate Gibson & the Stars of Starday in More Record Stores
I recently returned from a trip to Nashville and I'm happy to report that the Nate Gibson & the Stars of Starday double LP is now available at the following fantastic record store locations:
Tuesday, May 10, 2022
Back to the Country: Country Music Pet Sounds
Howdy Friends, I'm sure most of y'all are familiar with the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" and Pink Floyd's "Several Species of Small Furry Animals...," but I'm here to remind you that country musicians have also been incorporating animal sound effects into their recordings for nearly 100 years.
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Back to the Country: The Trumpet In Country Music
Tomorrow's theme is the history of the trumpet in country music and I'll be covering a chronological retrospective of amazing trumpet playing from 1930-present. For sure, there'll be some western swing, some spaghetti western, some Tex-Mex, some rockabilly, some cowboy songs, some country soul, and a whole lot more.
As a trumpet player myself, I consider this show to be my manifesto for the trumpet as the quintessential country music instrument. I'm guessing Hank Penny, Al Dexter, Merle Travis, Tom T. Hall, and Danny Davis already agree with me, but if you need further convincing, please tune in! 89.9 FM in Southern Wisconsin or www.wortfm.org to stream!
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
FinnFest USA Presentation this Saturday on Fin-A-Billy: American Roots Music and Rebellion in Finland
Howdy Friends, I will be giving a virtual talk about my research in Finland for FinnFest USA's Folk Arts Series this Saturday and I welcome any and all interested friends to attend. The title of the presentation is "Fin-A-Billy: American Roots Music and Rebellion in Finland."
During the 1970s, there was an enormous American roots music boom in Finland, spawning hundreds of Fin-A-Billy (Finnish rockabilly, country, bluegrass, blues, and related genres) bands with thousands of fans. Folklorist and ethnomusicologist Nathan Gibson will share his research and musical samples of the ways many Finns have connected with American culture through American roots music over the last 60 years.
Please register for this free virtual event here.
Co-sponsored by Finn Fest USA and the Nordic Folklife project at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the folk arts series features artists, community members, culture workers, and scholars—all experts in various forms of Finnish folk arts. Links to the virtual program will be sent to your registered email address one day in advance of the event.
Although this event is free and open to anyone who can and wants to take part, we do hope you will consider donating to the Finn Fest USA organization, whose hard work and dedication makes events like this possible. If you have the ability to donate any amount of money to Finn Fest to support future programming, please visit their donation page here. Thank you for your generosity.
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Capitol for Capital: The WORT Winter Pledge Drive Show
Howdy Friends, I'll be back on the air tomorrow morning from 9-noon CST hosting Back to the Country on WORT 89.9fm. This week is the final week of our Winter Pledge Drive, so I'll be laying down some serious Capitol in hopes of raising some serious capital for WORT.
Monday, February 7, 2022
The Starday Studio Is Being Demolished. My Response...
There was a recent article in the Madisonian about the Starday Studio getting demolished soon and many of my friends have been messaging me about it. This is my response:
Thursday, January 20, 2022
Back to the Country - Country Music Doctors
This week I had a lot of fun putting together a 3-hour country music (broadly defined) radio program entirely by musicians with PhDs. It consists of friends, mentors, colleagues, and heroes and some really, really good music! The Back to the Country show originally aired yesterday (1/19/22) on WORT 89.9FM but will be available for the next two weeks on the Audio Archives page (archive.wortfm.org).
And just in case you heard something you liked and want to dig a little further into an artist or a song, below is a digital bibliography for the show!
Show: Back to the Country - Country Music Doctors
Air Date: 1/19/22
Host: Nate Gibson
Radio Station: WORT 89.9 FM and wortfm.org
Audio Archive: https://archive.wortfm.org/ [episode available through 2/2/22]
Spinitron playlist: https://spinitron.com/WORT/pl/15118893/Back-to-the-Country-Country-Music-Doctors
Music and Artist LINKS
Cliff Murphy - "Another Good Man Gone Bad"
Bio: https://www.arts.gov/about/leadership-staff/clifford-murphy
Music:
Say Zuzu - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_Zuzu
Hog Mawl - https://bit.ly/3rzWMG7
Bay State Lullaby - https://bit.ly/3tHGWw6
Jeff Todd Titon - "Old-Time Fire On the Mountain"
Bio: https://vivo.brown.edu/display/jtiton
Web: https://sustainablemusic.blogspot.com
Music: Fiddle Tunes for Slack Key Guitar - https://bit.ly/3AeK9V4
David Evans - "Railroad Blues"
Bio: https://www.memphis.edu/music/fac-staff/evans.php
Music: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAC2iDtd4sTXziv20ZjbY_w
Timon Kaple & Dead Columns - "Sugar" [feat Mississppi Bill Peden]
Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timonkaple/
Music: https://soundcloud.com/deadcolumns
Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes - https://bit.ly/3FNvUaJ
Mike Lee & The Double Double Digits - "The Saguaro Speaks"
Web: https://www.tallandsmallphotography.com/
Music: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm1wpmLhyH77HHa8PoxLlgQ
Omnimodern - https://www.youtube.com/user/omnimodern
Carrie Hertz & Thomas Grant Richardson - "You Are Not Alone"
Web: https://www.carriehertz.com/about
Web: TGR on LOC https://bit.ly/3tHW38Q
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRGtDJD1vHI
Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/tgrantrichardson
Rich Walter - "Stardust Medley"
Bio: https://mim.org/leadership/richard-d-walter-phd/
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z38i8xSQOqU
Ruth and the Stones - "Upset Apples"
Web: http://www.kellybosworth.com/ruth-the-stones
Music: https://bit.ly/3IjfmJp
Note: Big congrats to Jennie Williams who was just formally introduced as the new State Folklorist of West Virginia!]
Jon Kay - "October Dulcimer"
Bio: https://traditionalarts.indiana.edu/About/Staff%20Page%20Content/Jon%20Kay.html
Web: https://www.youtube.com/user/folktraditions/videos
Music: https://bit.ly/3GLLyEX
Sarah Dees [cello and vocals w/ Mary Okie] - "Sister Witch"
Bio: https://www.philrs.iastate.edu/directory/sarah-dees/
Music: https://maryokie.bandcamp.com/album/verily
Kysona Armstrong [w/ Christina Harrison] - "Riverside"
Web: www.kyshona.com
Music: https://kyshona.bandcamp.com
And this!: https://www.facebook.com/kyshona/videos/1706068926106634/
Jess Waggoner - "Diners and Queer Bars"
Bio: https://gws.wisc.edu/staff/waggoner-jess/
Music: https://queermadisonmixtape.bandcamp.com/track/diners-and-queer-bars
Jim James and the Damn Shames - "Fast Freightrain"
Bio: https://www.irp.wisc.edu/staff/spartz-james-t/
Music: https://www.facebook.com/damnshames
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXuIcgnJKhZQMvGPg4XbEMg
Charles Hughes - "Miss Mollys’ Reel"
Bio: https://www.rhodes.edu/bio/charles-hughes
Kori Graves and Blixie - "Ancisters"
Bio: https://www.albany.edu/history/faculty/kori-graves
Music: https://myspace.com/blixiemusic/music/songs
Earl Speilman and the Bluegrass Hoppers - "Bluegrass Breakdown"
Web: https://www.spielmanlegal.com/
Music: https://bit.ly/3tFKfnm
Rod Moag - "Fool Over You"
Bio: https://sites.utexas.edu/malayalam/biography-rodney-moag/
Web: http://www.rodmoag.com/
Music: http://www.rodmoag.com/discography.html
Jim Leary [songwriter] & Emil - "River Road Friday"
Bio: https://gns.wisc.edu/person/james-p-leary/
Music [Emil]: https://bit.ly/3qHKa0v
Phil Nusbaum - "The Dark Before the Storm"
Web: http://philnusbaum.com/
Music: https://www.facebook.com/Phil-Nusbaum-Music-291040003443/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs297_amDmh9tO03kEFYgFQ
LeRoy Larson - "Hoe-Down Medley"
Bio: https://folklife.wisc.edu/leroy-larson/
Music: https://www.library.wisc.edu/music/2021/01/11/remembering-leroy-larson/
Bill + Bobbie Malone - "Gathering Shells from the Seashore"
Bio [Bill]: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/country-music/bill-c-malone-biography/
Bio [Bobbie]: https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS3652
Web: https://www.facebook.com/Bill-C-Malone-239745532725337/
Music: http://www.rodmoag.com/discography.html
Lee Bidgood - "Bluegrass Tennessee"
Bio: https://www.etsu.edu/cas/das/bluegrass/facstaff/leebidgood.php
Web: https://leebidgood.net/home
Music and Film: http://www.banjoromantika.com/about-the-film.html
Holly Riley in The Adventures of Annabelle Lyn - "If Luck Be Your Lady (Live)"
Bio: http://dhc.umt.edu/about/staff/default.php?ID=7130
Web: https://www.hollyrileymusic.com/
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV-1CsL8mLw
And also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS9K_BJGFsM
Greg Reish - "She Belongs To Me"
Bio: https://www.mtsu.edu/faculty/gregory-reish
Web: https://www.springfedrecords.com/whoweare
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h_5-26bjPE
And https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ8tX7GJ5IJU7tKpcNRPFNw
Nadine Hubbs - "Queer Jolene"
Bio: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/nhubbs/
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MQLx_AVjuU
Travis Stimeling & Chris Haddox - "The Line"
Bio: https://www.music.wvu.edu/faculty/travis-stimeling
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7_wUzCkgEo
Note: Many congrats to Travis on his recent 2021 Belmont Book Award [Country Music Book of the Year] for Nashville Cats: Record Production in Music City [Oxford University Press]!
The Jeremiahs [feat Chris Wilson] - "Don’t Know That For Sure"
Mark Dillon - "Lost Highway"
Bio: http://www.avidblogs.com/mark-dillon-pro-tools/
Web: https://markdillonmusic.com/
Music: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe2Yz-LurcQcXG3Z7ObvT9Q
Jim Clark - "Dark Hollow"
Bio: www.barton.edu/tag/dr-james-a-clark-professor-emeritus-of-english-at-barton-college
Music and Poetry: https://bit.ly/3AimJhI
Neil Rosenberg - "Foggy Flats Blues"
Bio: https://www.mun.ca/folklore/people/dr-neil-rosenberg/
Web: https://www.bluegrasshall.org/inductees/neil-vandraegen-rosenberg/
Music: Homegas w/ Peter Aceves Narváez and Richard Blaustein https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-midSuSpHm0
And Crooked Stovepipe w/ Ted Rowe: https://bit.ly/3fHilPA
Tom Adler - "Cat’s Eye / Prairie Dog Town"
Bio: https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p078101
Web: https://www.mandolincafe.com/news/publish/mandolins_001347.shtml
Music: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBfCbdhSTYLbinl0jlgAp_A
East Texas String Ensemble [Stan Alexander, Ab Abernathy, Tom Nall, and Charles Gardner] - "Remember Me"
Web: https://www.discogs.com/artist/4918905-The-East-Texas-String-Ensemble
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3IGiNmG8wM
Pete “Dr Banjo” Wernick - "Beatin’ My Time"
Web: https://drbanjo.com/
Music: https://www.youtube.com/user/PeteWernick
Aaron A. Fox - "Live Forever"
Bio: https://music.columbia.edu/bios/aaron-a-fox
Music: https://www.youtube.com/user/EcoMusicology
Lucy Kaplanski - "Return of the Grievous Angels"
Web: https://lucykaplansky.com/
Music: https://lucykaplansky.com/videos
Kristina Jacobsen - "Gone Gone Gone"
Bio: https://music.unm.edu/faculty/kristina-m-jacobsen/
Web: http://kristina-jacobsen.com/
Music: https://soundcloud.com/kristinajacobsenmusic
Craig Morrison and his Bluegrass Buddies - "Your Old Standby"
Web: https://www.craigmorrison.com/
Tom & Ngaire Waeltz - "Little Miss Lilliana"
Web: https://www.sharecare.com/doctor/thomas-waeltz-xymtf42
The Happy Trailsters [feat Jocelyn Neal] - "Happy Trails" (edited by Carl Eddy)
Bio [Jocelyn Neal]: https://music.unc.edu/people/musicfaculty/jocelyn-neal/
Web [ICMC]: https://www.internationalcountrymusic.org/
Music [Carl Eddy]: https://www.reverbnation.com/musician/carleddy4
BONUS WEB CONTENT:
Craig Maki and the Country Music Doctors [Nate Gibson, Greg Reish, and Lee Bidgood] - Slow Down [Studio B Recording]
Web [Craig Maki]: http://www.jumpingfrom6to6.com/itv_bones_maki.htm
Web [Nate Gibson]: nathandgibson.com
Music: https://bit.ly/3qHG9Jx
Anti-Education References in Introduction:
Aaron Tippin - “Workin’ Man’s PhD” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t7ECnE43QE
Josh Martin - “Country Boy PhD” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdY_kcG90hc
Alabama Big Earl - “PhD in Skanky” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYZgCUOGv-A
Roland Whitt - “PhD in Country” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV_2wCI3r2I
Kenny Chesney - “Rich and Miserable” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCdJyZUKJyM
Harlan Howard - “Mister Professor” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGXYh_ZEq8w