Roots Music Rambler | Podcast Guru

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Where there are people, there is music. In our celebration of melodies and lyrics, harmonies and riffs, we typically focus on the songs or the people who wrote them. We often overlook the where. Join Francesca and Falls for Roots Music Rambler, a podcast exploration of the where as much as the who or what. We’ll interview emerging and established artists, fans and others in Americana, Outlaw Country, Bluegrass, Blues, Roots, Soul, World and beyond. But we will always get to the stories of where they’re from and how that impacted the music we know and love. It’s more than just their influences. It’s their families. Communities. Cultures. This show is a fun combination of music, travel, history and more. We dig into the stories from artists, musicians, songwriters, producers, fans and beyond, that don’t just expose their musical influences, but their life influences. Music follows the path of human movement. We trace the steps to bring better understanding to what we hear today and why we love it. Join us for the exploration of the real roots of music on Roots Music Rambler.

Recent Episodes

British singer-songwriter Jack Browning brings country songs and a painter’s eye to Painted Skies

Jack Browning doesn’t think country music needs a particular zip code. The British singer-songwriter grew up on his dad’s records, climbed the furniture to borrow a Johnny Cash CD, and eventually found that pedal steel and fiddle fit the stories he wanted to tell. The accent might surprise you. The songs make perfect sense. Browning joined Frank and Falls this week to talk about his new album Painted Skies and the unlikely road that led to it.

63 MIN

Singer-Songwriter David LaMotte talks songs that stay with you and the small steps that change the world

Falls first heard David LaMotte in a Birmingham bookstore café more than 20 years ago. He was working in college sports public relations, spending much of his life on the road, and “Northbound” sounded like somebody understood. The song, from LaMotte’s album Corners, has been a favorite ever since. After promises to do so, Falls finally tracked LaMotte down to join Roots Music Rambler. He did so this week to talk about writing songs that leave room for the listener’s own life.

68 MIN

GIVEAWAY!!!! Dustin Kennedy talks North Springs Music Festival; Rambler giving away 2 weekend passes!

In a Bonus Episode of Roots Music Rambler, North Springs Music Festival organizer Dustin Kennedy joins the show to talk about the upcoming festival, October 8-10 in Whitleyville, Tenn. The conversation culminates in a giveaway for two weekend passes to the event.

17 MIN

Raised in Mississippi, living in Texas and loving the Tulsa Sound, Jason Eady makes real roots music

Ask Jason Eady to put a label on his music and he’ll take you to the back porch. If it works without electricity, it fits. The Mississippi-raised, Texas-based singer-songwriter has plenty of country in his catalog, but the blues and a laid-back Oklahoma groove are never far away. Eady joined Frank and Falls this week to talk about that mix, his latest album Tulsa Turnaround and what makes the Tulsa Sound tick. The hosts first caught him at Crossroads Acoustic Fest in April, where his songs and the stories between them left both Frank and Falls wondering why they hadn’t been listening sooner. For Tulsa Turnaround, Eady enlisted John Fullbright to produce and surrounded himself with Tulsa musicians who could give the songs the feel he was chasing. It’s less about showing off and more about leaving room for everybody else. The conversation runs from JJ Cale to the Gap Band, with a stop back in Mississippi for the guitar lessons that inspired “Mississippi Blues Man.” There’s plenty of storytelling, too. Eady gets into the Hayes Carll road joke behind “Why I Left Atlanta,” how a show in Clarksdale grew into his Way Down in Mississippi weekend, and the perils of letting one funny song define a career. Which brings us to “The Matt Damon Song.” If you know it, you know we would ask about it. Frank and Falls also recap Flood With Love in Kentucky before settling in for the conversation. They also have their normal pickin’ the grinnin’ choices for music recommendations this week. Frank chose the video for Hermanos Gutiérrez’s “Los Ojos Del Cóndor.” Falls pointed listeners toward singer-songwriter RJ Chesney. Find the picks online and on YouTube. Jason Eady can be found on his website, Spotify, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, with more of his writing on Substack. Watch the Episode on YouTube Download the episode and subscribe at rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts. Backstage Pass holders (members of our Patreon community) get episodes early and an ad-free feed. Join at patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler. Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic Rambler t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available. Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler. Notes and links: Get the Roots Music Rambler Backstage Pass on Patreon for early and ad-free episodes and more Jason Eady online Jason Eady on Spotify Jason Eady on Instagram Jason Eady on Facebook Jason Eady on YouTube Tulsa Turnaround on Spotify “Tulsa Turnaround” on Spotify “Mississippi Blues Man” on Spotify Crossroads Acoustic Fest online “Why I Left Atlanta” on Spotify Way Down in Mississippi weekend Jason Eady on Substack Flood With Love online The Roots Music Rambler Store Roots Music Rambler on YouTube Roots Music Rambler on Instagram Roots Music Rambler on TikTok Roots Music Rambler on Facebook Pickin’ the Grinnin’ picks: RJ Chesney online Hermanos Gutiérrez’s “Los Ojos Del Cóndor” official video Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler for free on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts. For early access to episode and ad-free episodes, plus bonus content, outtakes and more, join the Backstage Pass community at Patreon (https://patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler). Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

67 MIN

Well-travelled and settled, Erinn Peet Lukes is leading Thunder and Rain to bluegrass stardom

If you’ve heard much thunder around the bluegrass space of late, it’s likely due to the growing presence of Thunder & Rain. Erinn Peet Lukes’s new grass band has been around for more than 10 years. It has shape-shifted through a few different members, inner-circle romantic relationship issues and Lukes’s move from Denver to Nashville. But now Lukes is settled in Music City and Thunder & Rain’s latest four-piece, all-female bluegrass roster is primed for the big time. Lutes (vocals and guitar) is joined by Amelia Ransom on fiddle, Laura Ray on banjo and the newest addition, Amanda Accari on upright bass. Lukes joined Frank and Falls this week to talk about the group’s evolution, world travel, engineered virality with strategic cover songs and more. Frank and Falls saw the band live at Crossroads Acoustic Fest in April and couldn’t stop talking about their on-stage energy and playing chops. The group’s latest album Storybook Sessions is a beautiful blend of country and bluegrass influence. They’re probably best known for their bluegrass cover of Guns & Roses’s “Sweet Child o’ Mine”. Lutes says the group is anxious to get back in the studio to record another album with the full, four-person lineup soon. Frank and Falls also have their normal pickin’ the grinnin’ choices for music recommendations this week. Frank chose the Aaron Kelly Band and Aaron Kelly, who is a John Prine-inspired singer-songwriter. Falls offered up a book this time after coming around on Wilco. He read Greg Kot’s history of Jeff Tweedy’s career, Wilco: Learning How To Die. Find the picks on Spotify and Amazon. Thunder & Rain can be found online, on Spotify, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube. Watch the Episode on YouTube Download the episode and subscribe at rootsmusicrambler.com, watch the full episode on YouTube, or download wherever you get your podcasts. Backstage Pass holders (members of our Patreon community) get episodes early and an ad-free feed. Join at patreon.com/rootsmusicrambler. Also be sure to help spread the love of the show with Roots Music Rambler’s new merch, now available at rootsmusicrambler.com/store. Authentic Rambler t-shirts, hats and stickers are now available. Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler. Notes and links: Get the Roots Music Rambler Backstage Pass on Patreon for early and ad-free episodes and more Thunder & Rain Online Thunder & Rain on Spotify Thunder & Rain on Instagram Thunder & Rain on TikTok Thunder & Rain on Facebook Thunder & Rain on YouTube Storybook Sessions on Spotify Sweet Child ‘o Mine on Spotify Crossroads Acoustic Fest online Vickie Vaughn on Spotify Nettle Honey on Spotify The Roots Music Rambler Store Roots Music Rambler on YouTube Roots Music Rambler on Instagram Roots Music Rambler on TikTok Roots Music Rambler on Facebook Pickin’ the Grinnin’ picks: The Aaron Kelly Band on Spotify Wilco: Learning How to Die on Amazon Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler for free on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts. For early access to episode and ad-free episodes, plus bonus content, outtakes and more, join the Backstage Pass community at Patreon. Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum; Copyright 2026 - Falls+Partners. All music on the program is licensed by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. Roots Music Rambler is a member of the Americana Music Association.

78 MIN