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Donovan Woods is a known as a true songwriter's songwriter. His tunes have been recorded by major musical stars, including Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley and Billy Currington. But some of the tunes that come from his pen are reserved for his own recordings. In the last 18 months, Woods has released Both Ways, and The Other Way - an acoustic re-imagining of the songs.

Amy LaVere's voice is what catches you first - girlish, but with the depth of someone with a full book of stories. NPR’s Robert Siegel once said that Amy LaVere “specializes in lyrics that are more barbed than her sweet soprano prepares you for.” Her latest album Painting Blue - produced by her husband and frequent musical collaborator Will Sexton - was released earlier this year on Nine Mile Records. In our live session, Sexton joined LaVere for some tunes from the new album.

Molly Tuttle's facility on acoustic guitar is already well-known, but on her recently released debut album When You're Ready (Compass Records), she also displays her songwriting skills. She sat down with Eric Teel to talk about her upbringing in a musical home, her practice routine, and her recent haul of awards.

The Commonheart is an 8-piece soul band from Pittsburgh. Stocked with fantastic instrumentalists and vocalists at every spot, the band flows seamlessly through rock, soul, r&b, gospel and more on their latest album Pressure.

Barrie is the musical project of Barrie Lindsay – a songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist currently living in Brooklyn, New York. 

Bouncing back and forth between New Orleans where she now lives, and Austin, Texas where she cut her musical teeth, Albanie Falletta has absorbed much of the sound of the American past. There was zydeco, jazz, and blues from the music festivals, and gospel music from churches and backyard parties.

The Suitcase Junket is the musical project of Massachusetts singer/songwriter and musical raconteur Matt Lorenz. It's a hard to describe amalgam of rock, blues, folk and even world music influences created by a veritable one man band with a rather creative ensemble of instruments.

Dixieland and ragtime wasn't Blair Crimmins' first musical stop, but it's the one he and his band The Hookers have made their home.  Their sound is a combination of witty lyrics, tight playing and the kind of deft percussion that almost sounds like they've got a sound effects guy in the band.

Ben Fuller (not to be confused with the country/Americana singer of the same name) is a singer and songwriter from the Lake Tahoe area. Earlier this year, Fuller released an EP called Service To The Stars. That in itself was a major accomplishment considering that just two years before, a freak brain injury nearly ended everything. Lucky to survive that incident without any major lasting effects, Fuller has altered his music's outlook, focusing now days on uplifting stories and messages which are on full display on the new release.

Sisters Chloe and Leah Smith have been making music since childhood, but the sound of Rising Appalachia is one born from their upbringing but educated by their travels and connections made around the world. 

Over the course of a celebrated career, much of singer and songwriter Marc Cohn's work has included elements of soul and gospel. Sometimes it played itself out in obvious ways. Othertimes, the gospel feel was simmering just beneath the surface.  That he has ended up connected with perhaps the greatest gospel group in the world - Blind Boys of Alabama -  makes complete musical sense.

Grizfolk is an alternative rock band based in Los Angeles with members from both the United States and Sweden. Newly signed to Nettwerk Records, Grizfolk released the album Rarest of Birds earlier this year, full of songs that blend rock, pop and folk into an infectious and radio-friendly sound.

Portland's indie folk-rockers Blitzen Trapper are nine albums into a career filled with accolades. Ahead of their first headline show in Southern Oregon, Eric Earley, Marty Marquis, and Brian Koch dropped by the JPR studios to talk about their early days, the seminal Sub Pop album called Furr, and how their newest album was transformed into a full blown rock opera. 

As a founding member of the cult-favorite Americana/alt.Country group .357 String Band, Joseph Huber was already making waves as a talented instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. Following the breakup of that band, he's added recording engineer, record producer, and general jack of all trades to his list of attributes.

Singer and songwriter Max Gomez is an old soul. It eminates in multiple ways: his music, his thoughful communication, even his appearance - usually topped with well-worn hat. Gomez's music is infused with the sounds of his childhood - classic county from the likes of Johnny Cash, plus the gritty blues music he discovered as a teenaged guitarist.

Over the course of three critically acclaimed albums, and the occasionally bumpy road in between, Dylan LeBlanc has embraced, perfected, and abandoned more than one approach to making a go of it as a working musician. On his newest offering Renegade - his first since 2016 - he's added a shot of gasoline to the slow simmer of his previous effort Cautionary Tale.

Kevin Russell (aka Shinyribs) may be one of the few who embrace the term "swampy" as a positive adjective. Following nearly two decades in cult-favorite The Gourds, Russell launched his Shinyribs project as an opportunity to incorporate all of the unique styles and influences he's absorbed.