Get Up in the Cool

Latest Episodes:

Episode 50: Spencer & Rains (Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas Fiddle Tunes) Jul 12, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to episode 50 of Get Up in the Cool: Old Time Music with Cameron DeWhitt and Friends. That’s right! 50 episodes! Technically 53, but 3 of those are rebroadcasts or best of episodes, so they don’t count. And who better to feature on Get Up in the Cool’s 50th episode than Tricia Spencer and Howard Rains, experts in the field of traditional Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas fiddle tunes, fantastic visual artists, and, perhaps, Old Time’s cutest couple.

Tunes we’ll play:
Judge Parker Take These Shackles Off Of Me
Big Springs
Miller Boy
Kash Kersey
Cotton Eyed Joe
Get Up in the Cool
Bonus Track: Ladies’ Fancy

Buy Spencer & Rains' new CD/Book combo, The Skeleton Keys: http://spencerandrains.com/product/the-skeleton-key/
Follow Hamlin Street Diner on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hamlinstreetdiner/
Support Get Up in the Cool on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/getupinthecool

Support Get Up in the Cool

Episode 49: Palmer and Greg Loux (Old Time Power Couple/Run of the Mill String Band) Jul 05, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to Get Up in the Cool: Old Time Music with Cameron DeWhitt and Friends! This week’s friends are Palmer and Greg Loux from Run of the Mill String Band! I got to know them at my first clifftop back in 2014, when I gave their son’s friend a ride and ended up camping with them. I remember sitting in on a jam with them and not being able to keep up. Palmer has a taste for notey melodies with less internal repetition than your typical old time tune. Basically kryptonite for a banjo player like me who likes to match a fiddler note for note. Fortunately, she gave me the tunes in advance; so I had quite the homework session preparing for this interview. And I still play a lot of these tunes, especially this first one: Flowers of Edinburgh, which is beautiful and very interesting, and in the process of learning it, I think I became a better banjo player and old time musician in general.

Make sure and stick around after the interview to find out where Palmer and Greg are playing next and how to order all their CDs and download all their music. Also, details on how to support Get Up in the Cool and get access to exclusive, members-only content like this week’s bonus track, Blue River, which is one of the best bonus tracks yet featured on the show. You gotta hear it.

Let’s get started! Here’s my interview and jam with Palmer and Greg Loux; enjoy!

Tunes we play:
Flowers of edinburgh
Sail Away Ladies
Wagoner Hornpipe
Horseshoe Bend
Hell Up Coal Holler
Eye of the Beholder
Bonus Track: Blue River

Run of the Mill String Band: https://www.runotmill.com/
Snow Hill Strings: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/snowhillstrings
The Hootenanny: http://www.camphillkimberton.org/hootenanny/

Support Get Up in the Cool

Episode 48: Scotty Leach (Keeps Coming Back to Old Time) Jun 28, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to Get Up in the Cool: Old Time Music with Cameron DeWhitt and Friends! This week’s friend is Scotty Leach! Scotty was one of the first names on my list when I started asking people to be on my show, because he was basically the first friend I made at my first Clifftop. That was almost 4 years ago, and I think playing with Scotty that week was yet another point of no return for me and my relationship with Old Time music. Scotty’s fiddling… the best way I can think to describe it is “flippantly brilliant.” Case in point: he won first prize in the Morehead fiddling contest last year playing a tune he learned in a jam right before he went on stage. But more than just his fiddling, I really like him. I would go visit Scotty even if he wasn’t an old time musician, which is like the main reason I visit people any more. It was really neat to hear Scotty’s story. Somehow, a lot of the details were new to me, so once again, I’m glad for the pretense of this show to get to know my friends better.

Tunes we play:
Julianne Johnson
Mose Coffman’s Lost Indian
Katydid
Don Messer’s Breakdown
L&N Rag
Altamont
Bonus Track: Bill Brown

Support Get Up in the Cool on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/getupinthecool

Support Get Up in the Cool

Episode 47: Patrick Heavner (Pisgah Banjo Co.) Jun 21, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to Get Up in the Cool: Old Time Music with Cameron DeWhitt and Friends! This week’s friend is Patrick Heavner, the CEO and founder of Pisgah Banjo Company. If you’re a banjo nerd, this episode’s for you: we talk a lot of shop. I’m actually pretty ignorant when it comes to how banjos are made, so it was really cool to talk to someone who’s passionate about this whole other aspect of Old Time music. I sometimes forget that someone made my instrument, and they’re actually very responsible for my sound, even though I like to take all the credit.

In our interview, Patrick shares his philosophy as a business owner, and it really mirrors the spirit of the music that he’s enabling, which was really encouraging to hear. I love about this show that I have these talented, amazing guests, who are also generous and full of gratitude, and Patrick is no exception.

Tunes we’ll play:
What’re You Gonna Do With the Baby
Chicken and Dumplings
Jenny Run Away in the Mud in the Night
Tater Patch
Cat on a Leash
Bonus Track: June Apple

Pisgah Banjo Company: http://pisgahbanjos.com/
Balsam Banjo Works: http://balsambanjoworks.com/
Support Get Up in the Cool on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/getupinthecool

Support Get Up in the Cool

Episode 46: Ethan Hawkins (If You're Not Having Fun, You're Not Doing it Right) Jun 14, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to Get Up in the Cool, Old Time Music with Cameron DeWhitt and Friends. This week’s friend is one of my favorite flat-pickers, songwriters, and old time musicians, Ethan Hawkins. I met him at Mt. Airy a couple years ago, and immediately got a big ol’ crush on him. He’s a very good guitarist, with a dreamy voice, and he’s a very animated performer, so I’m really glad I got him on video. Oh, did I not mention that? Check out Get Up in the Cool's Facebook page and you'll find some videos from this episode.

Tunes we'll play:
Josie-O
New Harbor
How’s Your Family Been? (what’s the official title?)
Winderslide
Greasy Coat
Road to Malvern
Bonus Track: Grigsby’s Hornpipe

http://www.iamgailanne.com/
http://www.jubals-kin.com/

Support Get Up in the Cool

Episode 45: Kilby Spencer (Old Time Hand-Me-Downs) Jun 07, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to Get Up in the Cool: Old Time Music with Cameron DeWhitt and Friends! This week’s friend is Kilby Spencer, and he’s kind of my new favorite fiddler. I wasn’t able to fully enjoy his fiddling while playing with him, because I was really concentrated on trying keep up, and not make a fool out of myself. But I just finished editing our interview and jam, and my jaw was on the floor the whole time. Kilby’s awesome. And, the best part is, I didn’t even get a chance to be intimidated, because he’s one of the nicest, most hospitable people I’ve met in my travels. He let me crash at his house, threw a bunch of amazing musicians with awesome stories in front of my microphones, and fed me all the fried chicken I could eat. Five Stars, would do business again.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Kilby’s a kind and generous person and a fantastic fiddler. His story’s full of gratitude and humility; because he came to this music more honestly than most of us do, and I think that understanding of what he’s doing, why he’s doing it, and where it all came from, is apparent in his playing and living. I learned a lot playing with him, and I had blast. I’m so glad I got some of it on tape so you all could catch a glimpse.
Stick around after the interview for details on how to hear more of Kilby’s music and how to support Get Up in the Cool and get access to exclusive bonus content.

Tunes we’ll play:
Richmond
Lafayette
Nancy Blevins
Old Sport
Lost Train Blues
Katy Did
Bonus Track: Say Old Man Can You Play the Fiddle

Buy Always Been a Rambler: https://thecrookedroadramblers.bandcamp.com/
Buy albums from the Field Recorders' Collective: https://fieldrecorder.bandcamp.com/
Support Get Up in the Cool on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/getupinthecool
Buy Get Up in the Cool vol. 1: https://camerondewhitt.bandcamp.com/

Support Get Up in the Cool

Episode 44: Mark Simos (The Other Side of Complexity) May 31, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to Get Up in the Cool: Old Time Music with Cameron DeWhitt and Friends! This week’s friend is Mark Simos, fiddler and professor at Berklee College of Music. I visited him in his home back in February when I took my Boston trip. I didn’t know Mark at all prior to our session, but both Mark Kilianski and Adam Hurt recommended him, so my expectations were high. And I wasn’t disappointed! Mark’s a fantastic fiddler and he has a lot of ideas about what music is and why it’s important; traditional music especially. So, basically the perfect Get Up in the Cool guest. It was nice to not feel like I was being self-indulgent when I wanted to wax philosophical about fiddle tunes, he was right there with me. But, don’t get the wrong idea, this is by no means an overly talky episode. Mark curated a great jam of great versions of great tunes, with an emphasis on effective, intentional simplicity. I’m really excited for you to hear it!

Tunes we’ll play:
Old Aunt Jenny With Her Nightcap On
Old Billy Hell
Poor Little Johnny’s Gone to the War
Duck River
Shaking Down the Acorns
aking Down the ShAcorns
Bonus Track: Run All Night

Mark's CDs:
https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/MarkSimos
http://www.5-string.com/

Mark's songwriting book, Songwriting Strategies: A 360º Approach
(Berklee Press/Hal Leonard 2014)
www.songwritingstrategies.com
www.360songwriting.com - community site (w/book audio files)
https://www.facebook.com/songwritingstrategies/

Mark's blog:
http://songwriterscompass.wordpress.com/

Mark’s artist/songwriter site
www.devachan.com

The Singer Songwriter Handbook, which features Mark's chapter, "The Performing Songwriter's Dilemma":
http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/the-singer-songwriter-handbook-9781628920291/

Miles of Music camp:
http://www.milesofmusiccamp.com/

Berklee’s Summer Songwriting Workshop (June 26 - 30):
https://www.berklee.edu/summer/programs/songwriting

California Coast Music Camp July 9 - 15:
https://www.musiccamp.org/2017

Support Get Up in the Cool on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/getupinthecool

That Radiolab episode I mentioned:
http://www.radiolab.org/story/debatable/

Support Get Up in the Cool

Episode 43: Spencer Family and Friends (Living Links to the Source) May 24, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to Get Up in the Cool: Old Time Music with Cameron DeWhitt and Friends. This episode features a lot of my new friends! Thornton, Emily and Kilby Spencer, Kelly Brieding and Debbie Bramer. Kilby Spencer reached out to me a while back with some recommendations for guests, so I crashed at his and Kelly’s place in Crumpler, North Carolina, and he lined up some amazing guests for me, including Shohei Tsutsumi, whose episode aired last week.
Before my trip, I hadn’t heard a lot of this style of fiddling and banjo playing, so I was pretty blown away when we got started. I’m used to playing this nonspecific, northern, festival-style, so let’s just say I expended a lot effort trying to keep up with these folks. Unfortunately, because there were six of us playing in a living room, this episode was a little more difficult to mix than the average one-on-one session. You only really notice it on a couple songs were the vocals get a bit lost. I hope the energy of the jam makes up for it

Tunes we’ll play:
Sugar hill
Johnson boys
Lost Indian
Eighth of January
Stagger Lee
John Brown’s Dream

Spencer Family and Friends’ bands:
http://whitetopmountainband.com/
https://crookedroadramblers.com/
https://www.facebook.com/crookedroadramblers/
http://kelleyandthecowboys.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Kelley-and-the-Cowboys-349823465031/
Field Recorders’ Collective:
http://fieldrecorder.org/
https://fieldrecorder.bandcamp.com/
Buy Get Up in the Cool vol. 1:
https://camerondewhitt.bandcamp.com/
Support Get Up in the Cool on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/getupinthecool

Support Get Up in the Cool

Episode 42: Shohei Tsutsumi (Old Time in Japan/Appalachian Studies) May 17, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to Get Up in the Cool: Old Time music with Cameron DeWhitt and Friends! This week’s friend is Shohei Tsutsumi. He recently moved from Osaka, Japan, to Boone, North Carolina for an Appalachian Studies program at Appalachian State. We talk about what led him to do so, as well as the thriving Bluegrass and Old Time scene in Japan. Also, Dave Wood, the academic program director of Shohei’s program, joins us on guitar.

Subscribe to Shohei's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/OldTimerjp

Support Get Up in the Cool on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/getupinthecool

Tunes we’ll play:
forgot the first tune's title sorry guys i'm the worst
Cotton Eyed Joe
Red Bird
Grey Eagle
Old Joe Clark
Bonus Track: Soldier’s Joy

Support Get Up in the Cool

Episode 41: Tim Rowell (Will Teach You How to Play Banjo) May 10, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to Get Up in the Cool: Old Time Music with Cameron DeWhitt and Friends! I hope you’re ready for more banjo duets, because this week’s friend is Tim Rowell! Tim’s a fantastic clawhammer banjoist, tune collector, and educator, and we had an awesome time hanging out in Bach Bui’s apartment in Boston. And Bach joins us for most of the tunes, kind of playing fiddle back up while we take the melody; it’s awesome.

Tunes we’ll play:
Spider Bit the Baby
Stump-tailed Dolly
Lost Girl
Glory in the Meetinghouse
Hanings Farewell
Half Irish
Bonus Track: Willot’s Hornpipe

Tim's website: https://timrowell.com/
Banjo Camp North: http://musiccampsnorth.com/2017-banjo-camp-north/
Support Get Up in the Cool on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/getupinthecool

Support Get Up in the Cool

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected