East Tennessee's Own WDVX

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 3/8 - John Michael Ferrari & Sophie Love
2025-03-08 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
John Michael Ferrari is a highly acclaimed singer-songwriter and entertainer who loves being on stage. He believes that there are no strangers in the audience and shares his emotional songs about life’s experiences with sophistication and childlike wonder. His latest single, “Music with You,” is all about his audience, and he hopes they can feel the love he has for them through his music. He writes emotional storytelling songs. He loves what he does. There is no place he’d rather be than on stage.
Named Crossover Artist of the Year by three different organizations over the years, John Michael pens crossover genre soft yacht rock pop country songs, sometimes with jazz, blues, or Motown influences. He arranges the music how he and his music producer, Pepper Jay, best think communicates the story. It’s the John Michael Ferrari genre about life’s experiences. John Michael splits his time between Nashville and on a ranch in Pahrump, Nevada.

Sophie Love is a Singer, songwriter, harmonizer, musician 🎸🥁 loves acting, modeling and photography.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 3/10 - Kid Billy
2025-03-10 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Kid Billy is the solo project from Billy Litz, a multi-instrumentalist and singer with a lust for songwriting and member of the Asheville, NC based band Hustle Souls.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 3/11 - Kayleigh & Kaine
2025-03-11 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
East Tennessee’s own Kayleigh & Kaine join us this day.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 3/12 - Year Of October
2025-03-12 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Year of October is a fuzzed out rock band from Nashville, TN. They travel the U.S. in a minivan to bring their dirty riffs and dark grooves to people everywhere. Made up of Phlecia Sullivan (vocals), Josh Sullivan (guitar), and James Varner (drums) their original music has been described as a Black Sabbath sound with Amy Winehouse in the lead. They have become a staple in the Nashville rock scene by putting on a powerful show that pulls people in with their dynamic and energetic performance. Their fifth album entitled, ‘Keep on Fighting’ continues to grow their sound. The storytelling on this record covers a variety of topics from anger & depression to folk tales of ancient gods. Album out now.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 3/13 - Davey and the Midnights
2025-03-13 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Davey Allen is a versatile songwriter, musician, and artist. His work is deeply rooted in the vast American songbook. Allen has played music professionally for the past 20 years, the last six with Davey and The Midnights. The band formed on the west-side of Los Angeles, California in 2017. The group immediately set out to establish themselves as one of the hardest working Americana bands in Southern California. They’ve toured up and down the Western US coast, the deserts of the Southwest, the Rocky Mountains, the cornfields of the Midwest, and through the musical heartland of the US South. Since 2021 the band has called Indianapolis, Indiana home.
Davey and The Midnights have shared the stage with acts such as Kelsey Waldon, Dale Watson, Jesse Daniel, Nikki Lane, TK and the Holy Know-Nothings, the Cordovas, Cristina Vane, Chris Pierce, Rob Leines, and Izaak Opatz. Their emotionally charged, high energy performances are not to be missed.
Davey has also toured extensively as a solo artist and as keyboardist for rock hall of famer Eric Burdon. In addition, he has toured as a member of the San Francisco rock band The Stone Foxes. Davey is an advocate of many social causes and has previously donated a portion of his album sales to the Dolores Huerta Foundation and the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Center.

The WDVX Big Plate - 3/14 - Four Leaf Peat / Daniel Kimbro
2025-03-14 12:00 - 13:00 | Barley’s, 200 East Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37915, United States
Four Leaf Peat is Tennessee’s premier Traditional Irish Band and has been performing locally and regionally since 2004! Traditional Irish music ranges from vibrant dance tunes to soulful songs, and Four Leaf Peat’s performances are always marked by a keen sense of the tradition, mixed with just the right amount of influence from the rich musical history of East Tennessee. Four Leaf Peat’s unique sound is a result of its members’ various musical backgrounds, and their continued passion for traditional Irish music. By taking all of their years of musical training, and building on Irish influences like The Bothy Band, Planxty, Flying Cloud & Silly Wizard, to more modern twists on Traditional music such as Dervish, Open the Door for Three & Lunasa; Four Leaf Peat has built its own brand of Irish music which celebrates the musical bridge that spans the Atlantic.

Daniel Kimbro:
I live in East Tennessee. I have two kids, a whining, braying hound dog, and I have a wife who tolerates my making the pursuit of music my career and lifestyle.
I play the bass, mainly. I started out on the guitar, but the first cover band I auditioned for said, “we could use a bass player.”
I grew up in places called Morristown and White Pine in East Tennessee.
My parents fed me on a steady diet of bass and crappie fishing, The Stanley Brothers, Van Halen, Flatt & Scruggs, W.A. Mozart, The Police, New Grass Revival, Guy Clark, and Townes Van Zandt, among many others. Mom taught me the recorder and I played the trombone in the 5th grade. We had a family bluegrass band called “Mountain Soul” in which I played mostly guitar, and then some bass. Dad drove us all over East Tennessee with our plywood bass strapped to the roof of our car. One time we drove into a parking garage and forgot it was up there. I stopped playing trombone in college and immediately got laid. Speaking of getting laid, back to bluegrass…
Our family band played only the finest backwoods general stores, swap meets, cake walks, Civil War reenactments, volunteer fire-halls, tanning bed salons, Cocke County family reunions (we crashed one just to meet a really good clawhammer banjoist), and one massively awkward Seventh Day Adventist church service…I wouldn’t trade the times on stage with my parents and brothers for anything in the world. I would trade some of the food though.
I began my “formal” music education in 2001 at the University of Tennessee, which is where I began studying the double bass. I went to school for way too many years and managed to graduate with a degree and a half in Strings Performance and Studio Music and Jazz, though I’ll say I’ve learned more in the last 10 years than I did in the previous 25. I’m grateful to my college bass professor, Rusty Holloway, for the invaluable lessons he taught me about how to learn and perform music, and how to be a team player.
During college and after, I’ve been fortunate to travel and play with many different groups all across the U.S. and Canada, Northern Europe/Scandinavia, and Japan. During a tour with the Lovell Sisters Band I had the privilege of playing in front of perennial Grammy award-winning resophonic guitarist Jerry Douglas, and he asked me to join his band in 2013. I’m grateful to Jerry, and thanks in no small part to him I’ve been fortunate enough to share the stage (or at least sit around and pick) with many of the folks I grew up listening to.
In March of 2017 I was asked to handle bass duties on the Transatlantic Sessions 2017 US Tour, where I had the honor of subbing for bass great and personal hero Danny Thompson. During that tour I found myself accompanying Sir Aly Bain, James Taylor, Jerry Douglas, Alison Krauss, Rodney Crowell, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Roseanne Cash, John Paul White, Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, The Milk Carton Kids, Declan O’Rourke, Karen Matheson, Maura O’Connell, Joe Newberry, Russ Barenburg, John Doyle, James Mackintosh, John McCukser, Michael McGoldrick, and Donald Shaw. That was a whirlwind full of amazing music and lovely people. It is really fun to ask for more James Taylor in your monitor.
In 2014 or so I was introduced to Martin Harley by our mutual friend Sam Lewis. Martin and I hit it off and made a couple records, and now I go to England and Canada a fair bit. There’s lots of rule following, traffic cameras, and boot/hat fashion advice flowing both ways (oft ignored).Sam, Martin and I are currently working on a trio record. That’s right ladies. Trio.
In 2018 we in the Jerry Douglas Band were nominated for a Grammy award in the the “Best Contemporary Instrumental Record.” We lost.
In late 2018 I was asked to join the Flatt & Scruggs tribute band The Earls of Leicester. I said yes.
In early 2019 I was asked to once again step into Danny Thompson’s huge brogues and perform with the Transatlantic Sessions for the UK tour throughout Scotland, England and Ireland, alongside featured artists Tim O’brien, Molly Tuttle, Gretchen Peters, Cara Dillon and Paul McKenna. Then we did it again in 2020, right before Covid, alongside Tommy Emmanuel, Cahalen Morrison, Sierra Hull, Rachel Sermanni, and Cathy Jordan. I asked Cathy Jordan to marry me. She said no.
Though they don’t likely remember me, I’ve been able to make music with the likes of Brendon James Wright, Sam Lewis, Martin Harley, Robinella, Hector Qirko, R.B. Morris, Casey Driessen, Larkin Poe, Thom Hell, John Frazier, Matt Menefee, The Whistles & The Bells, Jeff Sipe, John Medeski, Jason Isbell, Maggie Longmire, Your Mom, John Hiatt, Sarah Siskind, …and I’ve been able to play some remarkable venues: The Ryman Auditorium, The Grand Ole Opry, The Tennessee Theater, Bonnaroo, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, MerleFest, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, StordFest, The Vancouver Island Folk Festival, The Kate Wolf Folk Festival, The Edmonton Folk Festival, New Orleans Jazz Fest, The Blue Note Tokyo, Chateau St. Michelle, Jammin at Hippie Jacks, The Bijou Theater, Rochester International Jazz Festival, and a bunch of others I can’t remember right now…anyway, it’s been fun, and it’s getting better all the time. Thanks for listening, and I hope to see you somewhere.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 3/15 - Laura Sawosko / Chris Long
2025-03-15 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Laura Sawosko‘s songs not only reflect her personal journey, but draw you into your own, through ruthless honesty and vivid imagery. Her vocal technique is raw and unrehearsed which parallels her guitar, while the piano introduces another unexpected layer of melodic and technical grace.
Laura was the keyboardist in her former band Surrender Dorothy that opened for the 1999 Phoenix Lilith Fair with Sarah McLachlin, Sheryl Crow, Martina McBride and Dido. She began her ambitious solo career as a singer/songwriter in 2000 after she graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Broadcasting and Music Composition from Arizona State University.
https://youtu.be/xN_EIJ_cf9U?si=sV8aHcA29Fyt2Wr9
Chris Long also joins us this day for The WDVX Blue Plate Special.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 3/17 - Chatham Rabbits
2025-03-17 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
We named our band after the wild rabbits that once ran rampant in Chatham County, North Carolina. Over a century ago, rabbits were the prized cash crop. Folks would come from all over to hunt and harvest the rabbits. Many decades later, we bought mill house in Bynum, North Carolina, on the banks of the Haw River. The house was once the home of a mill working family. They played music and the husband was a member of the mill-sponsored stringband, The Chatham Rabbits.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 3/18 - Jennifer Alvarado / 20cats
2025-03-18 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
At just four years old, Alvarado started writing songs. Her passion for songwriting only comes second to her love for God. As a teenager, she began leading worship in her church and felt a call to ministry. Her first single “Relentlessly” was released in 2015 followed by her first Christian album “Hello Life” that consisted of 13 original songs.
She returned to her country roots with her single “I Break Things” that was released in early 2020. She released four additional singles during 2020. She has a passion for recovery ministry and wants to help give a voice to the voiceless through music.
Her first EP project titled ”Playing with Fire” was released in April 2021. Her “Songbird” Project is a two part collection of songs that shows Jennifer’s growth as a writer and is sonically much different than her earlier projects. Part One was released in July 2022 and Part Two was released in July 2023.
She released a holiday EP “Christmas in Carolina” in December 2023 and is currently working on two new projects to be released in 2025. Her music has a country sensibility with a pop current running through it. Her voice is smooth and passionate with a sweetness and power that merge seamlessly into satisfaction for the listener. Her sound is a mixture of country, pop and blues that reflect an eclectic blend of influences.
She has been recognized locally for her songwriting and was named ”One to Watch” by Nashville Songwriters Association in 2021, 2022 and 2024. She was named the “2021 Country Artist of the Year” by Indie Star Radio. Her song “Curious” won “Best Pop Song” for the Indie Songwriting Awards in Winter 2022. Her song “Rock This Way” was named “Best Pop Song” and “Best Overall Song” by the Indie Songwriting Awards in Spring 2022. Her duet “Starz Collide” with Canadian band, The Whythouse, was named “Best Duet” for the Summer 2022 Indie Songwriting Awards. She was a finalist for five International Singer Songwriter Awards, a Josie Award for Female Music Video of the Year, and a Carolina Music Award for Country Female Vocalist of the Year in 2022. Her song “Catfish” recently won a World Songwriting Award for Best Modern Country Song and she just received three Rampage Music Awards for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Album of the Year and Single of the Year.​
She won Silver “Entertainer of the Year” at the International Singer Songwriter Awards in 2023, where she was nominated for seven awards total and was nominated for several of industry awards (see Awards page for full details).​
She is currently nominated for two Carolina Country Music Awards for Christian Country Single of the Year “Jesus in a Bar” and Humanitarian of the Year. And recently won “Album of the Year” for her “Playing with Fire – Deluxe” at the Who’s Hoo Country Awards.​
Psalm 37:4

20cats will also be joining us! Meow!

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 3/19 - Jacob Paul Allen
2025-03-19 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
“Appalachian Red Dirt,” That’s how Jacob Paul Allen describes his brand of Country Music. It’s a style and sound that he has crafted on stages large and small from coast to coast for the past 15 years. From the neon lights of Lower Broadway in Nashville, TN to the famed Whisky-A-Go-Go on the Sunset Strip in California, Jacob has been carving out his path and creating a sound that blends Country, Rock, Bluegrass and Americana in a way that is true to his Appalachian roots, yet feels so familiar that listeners are easily drawn in and left wanting to hear more. Whether he is playing a solo show or getting rowdy with his band, Jacob captures the audience with his infectious stage presence and reels them into the stories that he tells, both in his songs and his stage banter. Jacob released his debut EP “Southern Love” in January of 2023 and in May of 2023 he released his highly anticipated hometown anthem “Tyro” which has quickly become a crowd favorite.
His music caught the attention of Freight Train Management, an artist development company based out of Richmond VA, and he has recently partnered with them to take his music to the next level. With new songs being written and recorded and new venues being booked, 2024 is shaping up to wild ride for the JPA camp.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 3/20 - Three Times A Lady
2025-03-20 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Three incredible female solo artists together called “Three Times A Lady” present the most timeless show in country music with unmatched three part harmonies to boot. Initially starting out as a just-for-fun tribute to their all time favorite “Trio” albums (Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris), the combo grew artistically as the girls started playing their own original songs and adding in their own trio-inspired covers. Between them they have toured nationwide with the best in the business such as Little Big Town, Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lady A, Alabama and Blake Shelton as well as performing on the Opry 20+ times.
Already, the trio is playing across the country including iconic venues such as The Mulehouse Theatre, a residency at the legendary 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville, TN. They have also landed a residency at Dollywood. The iconic park built the show, “Trio Again”, around the band and they are set to perform there for the second year in a row this spring at The Showstreet Palace Theater.
Three Times A Lady released their first album in 2024 “Three Times A Lady: Live at 3rd & Lindsley,” which was named “ALBUM OF THE YEAR” by blog “That Nashville Sound.” They are also set to release an acoustic EP in the coming months.
Their show is filled with captivating storytelling and also includes their own award winning works such as “Married Alone” album title track by Sunny Sweeney & Vince Gill, Grammy nominated album title track “Stronger Than The Truth” by Reba McEntire and top 20 radio hit “Amen”.

The WDVX Big Plate - 3/21 - Tim Decker & Tennessee River
2025-03-21 12:00 - 13:00 | Barley’s, 200 East Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37915, United States
Tim Decker is originally from Jonesborough, TN now resides in Erwin Tn, with his wife Crystal. He started playing Piano at the age of 9. Progressing to Banjo and Guitar in his teen years he won 2nd place in the Kentucky State Banjo Championships in Middlesboro, Ky junior division. He attended East Tennessee State University (E.T.S.U.) as a music major and performed with the E.T.S.U Bluegrass Program under Jack Tottle. He played country music on the road on semiprofessional circuits and showcased twice in Nashville, Tn for major record labels with 2 different country acts in the early 1990’s. In 2012 Tim was half of the duo of “Decker and Skinner and the Blue Ridge Cut Ups” which appeared on the Song of the Mountains television show with Tim White. During that time, he raised a family and worked until taking early retirement and reentered the genre of Bluegrass Music. Tim’s influences are Bill Monroe, John Duffey, Charlie Waller, Red Smiley, Tony Rice, Earl Scruggs, J.D Crowe and Don Reno.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 3/22 - Darrell Wallace & Kevin Mahoney / The Lonetones
2025-03-22 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Darrell Wallace was born in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains (Knoxville, TN). Darrell is a member of the International Singer Songwriters’ Association and the Tennessee Songwriters’ Association. After meandering through a couple of states and several cities, he headed to Nashville. There he turned down two recording contracts and a publishing deal (maybe not the smartest move, but made sense at the time), he found himself as one of the up and coming writers with numerous appearances at the Bluebird Cafe.​​
Darrell’s early musical influences were Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Steve Earle, James Taylor and all of the Out Law Country folks, Waylon, Willie, etc. Today he is living the dream (the life of a rock star), playing venues throughout the south and parts of the north. His music is mixed with sounds of Folk, Americana and Country Rock(ish). He currently lives in Spring City, TN writing songs, playing music and loving life on the lake with his amazing wife!!!

Kevin Mahoney is a powerful singer and songwriter gifted with the rare ability to speak to the soul with his expressive and poignant lyrics.
With a career spanning 20 years, the versatility of his music touches genres of folk, rock, soul, folk funk and somehow all these still cannot define the spirit of his music. Festivals, Radio, TV & proud of the partnerships made with endorsements from pedal & pick companies helping to round out his talents while enhancing his welcoming & supportive nature to all he comes in contact with.
He has created his own style and reputation as a mesmerizing live performer and stands in his own light. A unique talent driven by passion, social awareness and love for his trade, his music manages to empower and speak for the many. He’s a jaw dropping guitar player who has developed a unique percussive style, teamed up with a powerful show stopping voice.
Concerned with making music that is relevant and vital to his audience, he engages with challenging narratives tackling the complexity of the human condition underpinned with a promise of hope.​
There is a versatility to Kevin’s music that is hard to categorize. Many have tried, resulting in labels such as Folk, Rock, Soul, Folk Funk and Americana; all of which somehow miss the mark. But sometimes music doesn’t need a defining genre and with the ability to articulate a sense of the bigger picture.​
Kevin’s music and social commentary manage to empower and speak for many. His songs are pictures, and stories, and feelings all put to music and delivered by a master craftsman.
He is a tireless performer & supporter of things good due to his belief in we make a small difference out of great love and commitment by challenging injustice wherever it’s found, educating via advocacy, campaigning for human rights, and raising issues that have been forgotten or ignored via fundraising initiatives, thus bringing about greater awareness for beautiful people in powerless situations
Kevin Mahoney. A unique talent driven by passion and love for his trade, continues to write, sing and play from the heart. It’s a road he’s been travelling for most of his life and, as he often tells his audience, ‘you keep turning up and so will I.’

The Lonetones are a genre-bending, modern-folk band from Knoxville, TN. Driven by the songwriting of married-couple Steph Gunnoe and Sean McCollough, the band artfully fuses urban and rural themes and musical styles. Steph and Sean have performed together since the year 2000 and have always surrounded themselves with talented musicians to help bring their songs to life. For this show they’ll play as a trio with cellist Cecilia Stair.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 3/25 - Eric Hagen / Taylor Hughes
2025-03-25 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Based in the MIdwest, his well-rooted sound rings with perplexing authenticity, suggesting he illegally phone-tapped into the wellspring at the heart of all timeless classics. Often praised for his powerful voice, he can infuse a modern story with gospel-like depth.
Eric Hagen‘s music is a heartfelt ode to the timeless dance between joy and sorrow wrapped in the faded splendor of a bygone era. His performances are like vintage postcards, each one a snapshot of a wistful journey through a land where the echoes of heartache linger in the dusty corners of forgotten jukeboxes.
“Accuse Me” is out now. Glide Magazine says: “Moving soul meets twangy bliss on Hagen’s new single, “Accuse Me.” The Southern soul influences are evident from the jump as the artist’s bluesy tones are greeted at the door with soaring vocal runs.”
“Deja Vu” was released on December 13th as the final single from the upcoming EP “Americana Lonesome” which is due to hit streaming platforms January 17th, 2025.

Taylor Hughes, a Kentucky-born, Nashville-based country music sensation, blends soulful vibes with southern rock-blues flair. Dubbed “Adele with a country kick” by Tennessee Star Magazine, she’s taken the scene by storm since her 2020 debut “Good Taste.” Hits like “Prayin’ to the Whiskey,” “Jesus and Jail” (2023), and “High on Something” have earned her international acclaim and Texas chart success. With awards like Lexington’s “Country Artist of the Year” (2023) and Josie Music Awards’ “Southern Rock/Country Rock Female Vocalist of the Year” (2024), plus her self-penned SiriusXM smash “Girl On A Fast Horse” with Whey Jennings, Hughes is unstoppable. Her performance style—raw, heart-pumping, and boot-stomping—electrifies stages, having opened for Chase Rice, Riley Green, Uncle Kracker, Alexandra Kay, and more, delivering pure country passion that leaves audiences hooked. She’s a rising star you can’t ignore.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 3/26 - Josh Morningstar
2025-03-26 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
When preparing for an album, some songwriters carve out specific times in a day to sit down and work on music. Not Josh Morningstar. The Maryland native is constantly writing songs—while he’s driving, while he’s on the road, while he’s at home—and stockpiling ideas for future tunes.
“I’m pretty much always writing in some form or fashion,” he says. “It’s not like, ‘Okay, June 1, I’m going to sit down and I’m going to spend the next 10 days writing a record.’ That’s not really how I operate. I just write, and write, and write, and then eventually, I’ll hit a point where I decide, ‘Okay, I probably need to record and release something.’”
Luckily, that meant Morningstar had plenty of options as he approached Josh Morningstar, his Late August Records debut and first full-length since 2018’s The Plea. Morningstar went through the abundance of recordings on his phone and picked out his favorites, the ones that he thought would go well together. “There’s some storytelling on there,” he says. “There’s love songs on there. There’s some funny songs on there. I really wanted to show the different aspects of who I am as an artist and as a songwriter—and this group of songs really represents that probably better than anything I’ve done. These songs come from my heart and my mind.”
That naturally translates to a diverse album that encompasses blazing honky-tonk with a sinewy groove (“Get By (We’re All Just Tryin’ To Make It)”), smoky blues rock with subtle organ shading (“Livin’ the Dream”), and conspiratorial folk music (“To Seek the Devil”). The songs’ arrangements are concise and elegant, decorated with just enough shading and texture to tease out subtle emotional nuance; for example, gentle piano and percussion cushion “Anywhere With You,” while desolate pedal steel and fiddle drive “Even As a Ghost.”
Morningstar recorded the album at Nashville’s Pentavarit Studios with Jay Tooke, a producer who formerly played with the Steel Woods. The two became friends after crossing paths on the road; Morningstar, who much prefers playing live to being in the studio, thought Tooke could make the recording experience an easy one. “I wanted as laid-back of an environment as possible,” he says, “and I knew Jay was a pretty laid-back guy, so I knew he’d be good for that.”
Morningstar’s instincts were right: The pair spent just two or three days laying down tracks and then an additional day polishing off three more songs. “After the first day I knew that it would be a good fit,” Morningstar says. “If a studio environment is very uptight and too professional, I feel very out of place. So it was really just Jay and I in there for the most part, and I could just be myself and try things. It was the right way to do it.”
Songwriting-wise, Morningstar was also selective about his co-writes, collaborating with Brent Cobb (“Livin’ The Dream”), Hayes Carll (“As Fast As She Can Go”), and Kendell Marvel and Waylon Payne (“Eyes on Forever”), and covering “Baltimore Jack” by Rorey Carroll. The result is an album brimming with relatable characters and lyrics that read more like rich, elegant prose. “Anywhere With You” is about treasuring what matters in a relationship—being together—while the earnest “Even As A Ghost” wears its romantic heart on its sleeve. Elsewhere, the main characters of “Get By (We’re All Just Tryin’ To Make It)” make bad decisions but are treated with empathy, as the song is a pointed critique of society’s power imbalances. “To Seek The Devil,” meanwhile, is a cautionary tale about sacrificing your morals or integrity to make dreams come true.
“Each one of those songs on the album comes from my life in a different way,” he says. “No, I didn’t meet my future self in a bar, like I say in ‘To Seek the Devil.’ But that song comes from the frustration of being an artist and feeling like you’re spinning your wheels. ‘Baltimore Jack’ is about a pretty notorious hiker on the Appalachian Trail. But even in that, I could see parts of myself.”
That Morningstar was here and present to record these songs was a blessing: In March 2020—just as the COVID-19 pandemic started—he nearly died due to an infection that arose after a tooth extraction went awry. “I went into the hospital and the world was normal,” he says. “I came out of the hospital and everything had changed.” In the last few years, he’s also dealt with the painful experience of losing friends and loved ones. Morningstar opted not to include the songs that dealt directly with these matters, preferring to hold them for a later date. “They were at the end of the record,” he explained, “and the end of the record felt more downtempo than I wanted it to be. But there’s lines and parts through all of the songs that reflect those losses.”
Other moments on the album provide levity—such as the jaunty opening track “The I Can’t Write A Song Song,” a lighthearted, stream-of-consciousness acoustic song that confronts his bouts of writer’s block with wry, good-natured humor. “I sat down one day and got very frustrated because I couldn’t write a song, and then I just started writing exactly what the song is,” he says. “It really didn’t take too long to do; it just came pouring out of me. Those are my favorites when I’m writing, the songs that feel like they come from somewhere else and you’re just a conduit.”
Morningstar is no stranger to resilience. A recovering heroin addict with more than a decade of sobriety, he weathered challenging times (including no less than six stints in different county jails) before finding a home in music. Morningstar has toured with or opened for Todd Snider, Shooter Jennings, Bobby Bare, and Jason Isbell, and made his name as a songwriter, with tunes recorded by Sunny Sweeney, Vince Gill, and others. Along the way, he’s found a kindred spirit in outlaw country artist Cody Jinks, who owns Late August Records. Jinks has recorded Morningstar songs on every one of his records starting with 2018’s Lifers, on which he cut “Must Be The Whiskey.”
Morningstar is grateful for their business relationship—but is even more thankful for their friendship. “Outside of anything business-related, Cody is one of my dearest friends,” he says. “He is a genuinely good person, and goes above and beyond not just for me, but anyone in his life. I’m grateful to be on his record label, and I’m grateful to have had him record my songs. But outside of any of that, I’m grateful to be able to call him a friend. That means more to me than any of that other stuff.”
For Morningstar, gratitude is indeed a common theme—for songwriting, for touring, and for the opportunities that music has given him. He cherishes the songs he writes and makes every single day count. “To really understand my music, I feel like you have to see me live,” he says. “But this record is as close to seeing me live—or understanding what it is that I’m about—more than anything I’ve done. I consider myself a troubadour. I write songs. I sing them, and I pack up and go on to the next gig. That’s what I like to do. It’s what I’ve done for 20 years at this point. It’s what I’ll do, God-willing, until I’m not here anymore.”

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 3/27 - Big Ears - Lara Downes / Dedicated Men of Zion
2025-03-27 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Nestled in Knoxville’s intimate and historic downtown, festival goers are offered nearly 200 performances during the festival—at restored historic theaters, soaring churches, refurbished warehouse spaces, museums, galleries, and clubs—with pop-up events and performances, exhibitions, films, literary readings, workshops, markets and talks taking place in cafes, bars, hotels, restaurants, in alleyways and other nooks and crannies of the city. The festival experience is full of surprises.
A festival pass offers access to all publicly announced performances—enabling festival goers to not only see familiar artists that they know and love, but also to explore the music of artists with whom they are not already familiar.
Big Ears presents extraordinary performances and arts experiences to connect more than 40,000 locals and visitors of all ages throughout the Knoxville community each year.
Founded in 2009, the Big Ears Festival is the flagship event of our organization. It explores the influences that inspire and connect musicians and artists, crossing the boundaries of musical genres as well as artistic disciplines. Every spring, Big Ears presents nearly 200 concerts, talks, workshops, film screenings, residencies, and more in over a dozen venues across downtown Knoxville. With a program budget of $3.5 million and a local annual economic impact of $68.9 million, the Big Ears Festival is one of the highest-profile arts events in the Southeastern U.S., garnering regular national media coverage, hosting numerous world premiere performances, and helping to define the cultural character of the region for many across the country.
Performing will be:
Recently honored as Classical Woman of the Year by NPR’s Performance Today, American pianist (and NY Times crossword clue) Lara Downes has been called “a musical ray of hope” by NBC News, “a classical music instigator pushing the music forward with great gusto” by the NY Amsterdam News, and “an explorer whose imagination is fired by bringing notice to the underrepresented and forgotten” by The Log Journal.
An iconoclast and trailblazer, Lara occupies a unique position of visibility through her dynamic work as a sought-after soloist, a Billboard Chart-topping recording artist, and a beloved NPR personality as host of her popular video show Amplify with Lara Downes. She has garnered millions of fans spanning diverse communities: her devoted NPR viewers and 100,000+ weekly listeners to her nationally syndicated radio programs intersect with her live concert audiences and her followers on streaming platforms to form a broad and constantly expanding fan base.

Harmony is serious business where the Dedicated Men of Zion come from. The group’s eldest member, Anthony “Amp” Daniels, remembers how serious harmony was to his mother. Every day, she would call her children inside, turn off the television, and make them sing in harmony, talk in harmony, do everything in harmony. Singing well together was a virtue that she and her sisters had learned from their own father, and Anthony passed it on to his own children.
The power of harmony fed the souls of the Black communities of rural North Carolina when both respect and money were especially scarce.
“That’s where that seriousness is from,” Amp remembers. “They demand respect. They’re serious about what they do and they don’t play with God.”
The Dedicated Men of Zion — all eight of them — come from a singing tradition that has flourished for decades in eastern North Carolina, around the city of Greenville and its small neighboring town of Farmville. Trained in the church and the home, the group’s four vocalists — Anthony Daniels, Antwan Daniels, Dexter Weaver, and Marcus Sugg — share the bond of that music and the literal bond of kinship. They are all related by blood or marriage.

Meet the New Guy Pint Night - 3/27 - Knox Brew Hub
2025-03-27 17:00 - 20:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Join us for Meet the New Guy Pint Night! Come out to Knox Brew Hub to congratulate and meet WDVX’s new Marketing and Community Relations Director, Benny Smith! Shake & howdy with WDVX staff, and $1 from each pint sold will benefit WDVX!
Thursday, March 27 from 5 to 8pm at the Knox Brew Hub at 421 Union Avenue Downtown Knoxville
We’ll be giving away a pair of passes to Southern Skies Festival featuring Charlie Crockett, The Dirty Guv’nahs, & more!

The WDVX Big Plate - 3/28 - Big Ears - Lonnie Holley / Lee Bains
2025-03-28 12:00 - 13:00 | Barley’s, 200 East Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37915, United States
Nestled in Knoxville’s intimate and historic downtown, festival goers are offered nearly 200 performances during the festival—at restored historic theaters, soaring churches, refurbished warehouse spaces, museums, galleries, and clubs—with pop-up events and performances, exhibitions, films, literary readings, workshops, markets and talks taking place in cafes, bars, hotels, restaurants, in alleyways and other nooks and crannies of the city. The festival experience is full of surprises.
A festival pass offers access to all publicly announced performances—enabling festival goers to not only see familiar artists that they know and love, but also to explore the music of artists with whom they are not already familiar.
Big Ears presents extraordinary performances and arts experiences to connect more than 40,000 locals and visitors of all ages throughout the Knoxville community each year.
Founded in 2009, the Big Ears Festival is the flagship event of our organization. It explores the influences that inspire and connect musicians and artists, crossing the boundaries of musical genres as well as artistic disciplines. Every spring, Big Ears presents nearly 200 concerts, talks, workshops, film screenings, residencies, and more in over a dozen venues across downtown Knoxville. With a program budget of $3.5 million and a local annual economic impact of $68.9 million, the Big Ears Festival is one of the highest-profile arts events in the Southeastern U.S., garnering regular national media coverage, hosting numerous world premiere performances, and helping to define the cultural character of the region for many across the country.
Performing will be:
Lonnie Holley was born on February 10, 1950 in Birmingham, Alabama. From the age of five, Holley worked various jobs: picking up trash at a drive-in movie theatre, washing dishes, and cooking. He lived in a whiskey house, on the state fairgrounds, and in several foster homes. His early life was chaotic and Holley was never afforded the pleasure of a real childhood.
Since 1979, Holley has devoted his life to the practice of improvisational creativity. His art and music, born out of struggle, hardship, but perhaps more importantly, out of furious curiosity and biological necessity, has manifested itself in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, performance, and sound. Holley’s sculptures are constructed from found materials in the oldest tradition of African American sculpture. Objects, already imbued with cultural and artistic metaphor, are combined into narrative sculptures that commemorate places, people, and events. His work is now in collections of major museums throughout the country, on permanent display in the United Nations, and been displayed in the White House Rose Garden. In January of 2014, Holley completed a one-month artist-in-residence with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation in Captiva Island, Florida, site of the acclaimed artist’s studio.

Lee Bains will also join us this day!

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 3/29 - Big Ears - Magic Tuber Stringband / Gladson Family Band
2025-03-29 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Nestled in Knoxville’s intimate and historic downtown, festival goers are offered nearly 200 performances during the festival—at restored historic theaters, soaring churches, refurbished warehouse spaces, museums, galleries, and clubs—with pop-up events and performances, exhibitions, films, literary readings, workshops, markets and talks taking place in cafes, bars, hotels, restaurants, in alleyways and other nooks and crannies of the city. The festival experience is full of surprises.
A festival pass offers access to all publicly announced performances—enabling festival goers to not only see familiar artists that they know and love, but also to explore the music of artists with whom they are not already familiar.
Big Ears presents extraordinary performances and arts experiences to connect more than 40,000 locals and visitors of all ages throughout the Knoxville community each year.
Founded in 2009, the Big Ears Festival is the flagship event of our organization. It explores the influences that inspire and connect musicians and artists, crossing the boundaries of musical genres as well as artistic disciplines. Every spring, Big Ears presents nearly 200 concerts, talks, workshops, film screenings, residencies, and more in over a dozen venues across downtown Knoxville. With a program budget of $3.5 million and a local annual economic impact of $68.9 million, the Big Ears Festival is one of the highest-profile arts events in the Southeastern U.S., garnering regular national media coverage, hosting numerous world premiere performances, and helping to define the cultural character of the region for many across the country.
Performing will be:
Magic Tuber Stringband is Durham NC- based duo, made up of Evan Morgan and Courtney Werner. Their primary instruments are guitar and fiddle, but they are not married to these particular axes and follow their instincts when they feel other instruments are called for.

The Gladson Family Band will also join us this day as well.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 3/31 - Stevie Jones
2025-03-31 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
East Tennessee’s Own Stevie Jones joins us this day!

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 4/1 - Jay Skaggs / Grassy Creek Bluegrass Band
2025-04-01 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Grassy Creek Bluegrass Band is from Gatlinburg, TN, with David on the guitar, Julia on the bass, Brian on the Mandolin & Ashton on the banjo.

Jay Skaggs will also join us this day!

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 4/2 - Duck Ryan
2025-04-02 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Duck Ryan joins us this day on The WDVX Blue Plate Special!

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 4/3 - Daniel Cain
2025-04-03 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Daniel Cain joins us this day.

The WDVX Big Plate - 4/4 - The Gladson Family Band
2025-04-04 12:00 - 13:00 | Barley’s, 200 East Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37915, United States
The Gladson family resides in Hancock County Tennessee and plays various styles of traditional music, including old-time fiddling, gospel singing, and traditional bluegrass. The family keeps the authentic spirit of the music alive by performing regularly at heritage events, festivals, revivals and funerals. They also help carry on the tradition by teaching traditional music through the Hancock JAM (Junior Appalachian Musicians ) program.

First Friday Live - 4/4 - Tinca Tinca
2025-04-04 18:00 - 19:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Tinca Tinca creates upbeat songs for nature-loving city dwellers.
Like Grizzly Bear, Tortoise, Flaming Lips, Andrew Bird, and the Arctic Monkeys, Tinca Tinca creates ambient, melodic indie rock that aims to inspire joy, connection, hope and progress. The band’s name is the Latin classification of a type of fish commonly known as the Tench, the bandleader’s last name.
Since starting in 2021, Tinca Tinca has been featured on WDVX, WUTK, Real Knoxville Music, and performed at an array of venues and festivals including the Tennessee Theatre, the historic Bijou Theatre, Sunset on Central, Dogwood Arts Festival, and live on WATE Channel 6 ABC. In the summer of 2023, Tinca Tinca began a partnership with the Old City Performing Arts Center as an artist on the roster of their performing arts label.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 4/5 - Dustin Brown / Anthony Wayne
2025-04-05 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
It’s Honest songwriting today from Dustin Brown.

Anthony Wayne joins us today as well!

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 4/7 - Ashton Browne
2025-04-07 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Ashton Browne is a Nashville based FIRE FOLK Singer-Songwriter. Browne’s stylings stun critics and fans alike. Artists ranging from Rickie Lee Jones and Loudon Wainwright to Bruce Hampton and Prince, are the kinds of comparisons made to Ashton’s unique performance style. The future is wide open for the kind of charisma the Browne projects to audiences large and small.
https://youtu.be/USZK5JcFfD4?si=de8qN9V29JsGQoug

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 4/8 – Jason Passmore / Blesser Heart
2025-04-08 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Jason Passmore grew up in Franklin, NC, stepping on the stage with his dad at the age of 5 years old. Hard work and dedication were the foundation that he was raised on and that translated on and off stage throughout his life. Through his determination to carry on his father’s legacy and put a stamp on the world with his own, he hit the ground, full steam ahead writing and performing his own music. His ability to relate to his fans through his music has driven his popularity in his two home states of Tennessee and North Carolina and his recent releases are pushing his name across the country. A veteran performer and singer-songwriter, he carefully constructs his lyrics to represent his life and the lives of the people that support him! Jason blends country, rock and blues together to present the world with his own unique style of music that has brought him national and global accolades winning awards and nominations as well as an invitation to host including (2024 International Red Carpet Awards Show Host), EP of the Year (2023 Josie Music Awards, Nashville, TN) and Best of Original Country Pop Artist (2023 Fair Play Country Music, International Red Carpet Awards Show, Holland) most recently.

First of all, they’re just funny. Blesser Heart is Ruth Brown, Cindy Hassil, Vicki Heidle and Sarah Motes Ashley and they have been making each other laugh for a long time. Then there’s the sound. Did you know that a group of altos is called a “ganache?” It is for them, anyway; four altos make a pretty rich sound and they just like to roll around in it.
They met as Alto IIs in the Knoxville Choral Society, and now they’re singing some pretty cool songs by Sarah Motes Ashley. An award-winning songwriter, she has songs playing in retail stores and videos and on Texas country radio and who knows where else – “they never really tell me, I just get the checks,” she says.​
What kind of music is it? It’s acoustic kinda pop. It’s folk without the depressing. It’s showtunes without the vibrato. It’s vocal harmony with uke or guitar, sometimes it’s covers or a cappella jazz with their designated grownup Harold Nagge on bass.
Their last gig before COVID was January 31, 2020 at Vienna Coffee in Maryville, and they were really looking forward to performing at the Casual Pint Downtown in April. But, along with a lot of things, that didn’t happen. They spent the pandemic Zooming and singing outside six feet apart.
For their first gig after the pandemic, they sang at the Tennessee Theatre in May 2022. Their recording plans kept on falling through, so they created the “Living Room Sessions” rehearsal videos. To be honest, the rehearsal vids are way more fun than the sanitized studio stuff anyway.​
​The second set of videos is called “Other Songs,” because they’re some of Sarah’s… other songs. Blesser Heart may or may not decide to sing those too.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 4/9 - Don Wall
2025-04-09 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Born in Massachusetts, Don Wall lived in Texas for 40 years before moving to Nashville, Tennessee in 2021 with his partner Kimberly. Don is a singer/songwriter who writes catchy melodies with a good beat, timeless themes, and poetic lyrics. He calls them “Stories with a Beat.” They are intended for dancing, mostly a two-step. Don started his musical journey as a drummer, after watching The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. He played in rock and roll and blues bands in high school and college. Eventually, Don took a break from music, moved to New York City and began a 40 year career as a journalist, mostly in TV news as a producer and on-air reporter. When Don moved to the Dallas bureau of ABC News in 1984, he started playing drums again and added country to his rock and roll chops. At the age of 40, Don first began playing guitar, eventually writing songs, and playing with experienced bluegrass, country, and Americana musicians. Overall, Don has always been a writer. In addition to writing for radio and television, he has written for newspapers, magazines, has published three books, and several poems. Songwriting challenges Don in new ways, ways he has never experienced. For Don, performing music, whether at a show on stage in Nashville, or playing for seniors is a privilege and rewarding experience he enjoys sharing.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 4/10 - Angela Easterling & Brandon Turner
2025-04-10 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
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 country, not quite folk, but all together unique and engaging.
Angela lives with her musical partner, Brandon Turner, and their three young sons on the Greer, SC farm that has been in her family since 1791. She released her 6th album, “Witness” in October, 2022. It went on to be chosen by American Songwriter Magazine in their Top 24 Albums of the Year, was named “Album of The Year” in The Greenville Journal, and was chosen #6 in the Favorite Albums of the Year Reader’s Poll on Americana Highways. It has earned rave reviews in No Depression, Americana UK, Glide Magazine and more. Her 5th album, “Common Law Wife”, went all the way to number 1 on the Roots Music Report Americana Country Airplay Chart, and remained in the top 5 on that chart for nearly 2 months, closing the year out as #12 on the top 100 albums. Her 2nd album, “BlackTop Road”, produced by Will Kimbrough, remained on the Americana top 40 airplay chart for 7 weeks, and was chosen as a top pick in both Oxford American and Country Weekly. She was selected for an official Americana Convention Showcase, official showcases at both NERFA and SERFA (Folk Alliance) and is a four-time Kerrville New Folk Finalist, a Telluride Troubadour and a two-time Wildflower Performing Songwriter Top 10 Finalist. The Boston Herald named her song “The Picture” “Best Political Country Song” in their Year’s best music picks. WNCW chose Angela’s live performance of the title song on “Common Law Wife” for Volume 20 of their popular “Crowd Around the Mic” series. Angela’s music was featured in commercials (Southwestern Bell) and several of her songs were used in the series “Horsepower” on Animal Planet. She has appeared on the WSM-hosted stage at the CMA Music Festival/Fan Fair, on the nationally broadcast public radio program “Michael Feldman’s Whad’Ya Know”, the popular ETV show “Making It Grow”, Sirius XM Outlaw Country’s “Buddy and Jim Show” with Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale, “The Martha Bassett Show”, and was also interviewed by noted NPR journalist Bob Edwards. She was invited to perform at the Smithsonian Institution’s exhibit New Harmonies: Celebrating American Root’s Music, as well as the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival. In 2019, Angela had the distinct honor of performing her song, “Isaac Woodard’s Eyes” at the unveiling ceremony of an historical marker in honor of the late civil rights hero, Sgt. Isaac Woodard.
Angela has toured the U.S., both solo and duo with Brandon, as well as with her crowd-pleasing band The Beguilers. She has played numerous concert series and music festivals, including Six String Concerts (Columbus, OH), Shakori Hills, Fall for Greenville, NC Apple Festival, Strawberry Festival, Albino Skunkfest and more. She has opened for or appeared with The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Jim Lauderdale, Scott Miller, The Steel Wheels, Sarah Jarosz, Elizabeth Cook, Lucinda Williams, Charlie Louvin, Robbie Fulks, Tracy Grammer, Mary Gauthier, Ray Price (at the Birchmere), Suzy Bogguss, Ellis Paul, Tom Brosseau, Eilen Jewell, Radney Foster, Will Kimbrough, The Oak Ridge Boys, and Lori McKenna.
