Transcendent Tracks

Latest Episodes:

Summer Dean: Big Visions & The Biggest Life [Ep. 10] May 21, 2023

Show notes

Country singer-songwriter Summer Dean is a great example of persistence paying off. Taking small gigs while still working as a schoolteacher, she had a bigger vision, and kept bugging folks for better gigs (sometimes contacting them every 48 hours until they gave in) to the point that she could be a musician full-time and walk away from the classroom. Only 5 years into her career, she has already received 2 wins at the Ameripolitan Music Awards, snagged opening slots for Marty Stuart, Dale Watson and Asleep at the Wheel, and appeared at SXSW 2023. One of Summer’s ultimate visions is an induction into the Grand Ole Opry and no doubt she’ll keep pursuing it with her typical tenacity. For now, she has completed her second full-length album called The Biggest Life, produced by acclaimed songwriter Bruce Robison. Find out who Summer wants to induct her into the Opry, who she’d like to meet backstage, and what message was revealed to her during a visit to a medium.

Connect with Summer & Find Her Music:

Summer’s Musical Influences & Inspirations:

Johnny Bush
Kasey Chambers
Merle Haggard (Serving 190 Proof album, 1979)
Willie Nelson (Redheaded Stranger album, 1975)
Dolly Parton
Bruce Robison
Connie Smith
Gillian Welch (Everything Is Free, 2001)
Lucinda Williams (Car Wheels on a Gravel Road album, 1998)

References:

Hope, Dreams, and Bruce Springsteen [Ep. 09] Mar 26, 2023

Show notes

“You've just seen...the heart-stopping, house-rocking, earth-quaking, booty-shaking, testifying, death-defying, legendary E…Street…Band!”

If you’ve ever attended one of their live shows, you would’ve heard some version of this declaration from Bruce and by the end you’d probably agree whole-heartedly. David Burghardt certainly did after his first concert, and 40 years later he’s still going back for more.

Like many fans, he cites their music—and one album in particular—as a lifeline in an especially trying time and a reminder to find joy even when life isn’t easy. Find out what lyrics he wrote in everyone’s high school yearbook, which foundational song Bruce refers to as “an invitation” (and how I happily discovered it about 30 years late), plus his admiration for Bruce's open discussion of his mental health struggles even as he consistently writes music that uplifts others.

David’s Personal Soundtrack:

Thunder Road (from Born to Run album, 1975)
Born to Run (from Born to Run album, 1975)
Racing in the Street (from Darkness on the Edge of Town album, 1978)
Tougher Than the Rest (from Tunnel of Love album, 1987)
Jesus Was an Only Son (from Devils & Dust album, 1995)
Rockaway the Days (from Tracks box set, 1998)
Car Wash (from Tracks box set, 1998)
The Rising (from The Rising album, 2002)
My City of Ruins (from The Rising album, 2002)
Land of Hope and Dreams (from Wrecking Ball album, 2012)

References:

Bruce Springsteen Official Website

Episode Music Credits:

Intro: Great Great Lengths from Blue Dot Sessions
Outro: Lamplist from Blue Dot Sessions

Briget Boyle: Truth Coming Through [Ep. 08] Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

What do folk songs of the Balkans, traditional Irish music and a Metallica concert all have in common? Musician Briget Boyle can tell you. She understands and appreciates the importance of musical connections between people and how shared experiences create a culture of song. Through this lens, she has explored an incredible breadth of influences that she draws from in her solo work and expresses directly in her collaborations True Life Trio and Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble.

On a musical journey from the start, she began writing songs at the age of 12 and received an invaluable education from her parents who were both music industry professionals. Briget has long felt the call to songwriting and to use her powerful and beautiful voice to express truth through music. Briget’s album Heartbreak Residue is out April 2023.

Connect with Briget & Find Her Music:

Briget’s Early Musical Influences:

Briget's Personal Soundtrack:

Blue Is the Eye by Ye Vagabonds (from Nine Waves album, 2022)
Madison Cunningham
Brass music from Northern Greece & Southern Macedonia
Choral music from Bulgaria & Southern Albania

References:

Video Salty Tears by Briget Boyle (from The Next Line album, 2018)
MovieAlive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory
Songwriting Challenge FAWM (February Album Writing Month)

Episode Music Credits:

Intro: Great Great Lengths from Blue Dot Sessions
Outro: Lamplist from Blue Dot Sessions
Clip from Crimes & Misdemeanors by Briget Boyle

The Healing Power of Indigo Girls [Ep. 07] Nov 29, 2022

Show notes

In discussing her feelings on the music of folk rock icons Indigo Girls, podcast host and jam-maker extraordinaire Amy Fagan discovers a recurring descriptor: healing. She explains why Amy & Emily continue to be beloved by their die-hard fans for both their professional and personal contributions.

Connect with Amy:

Podcast Grounded in Maine
Facebook Grounded in Maine Podcast Group
Instagram @groundedinmainepodcast
Website Amy's Garden Jam

Amy's Personal Soundtrack:

You Left It Up to Me (from Strange Fire album, 1987)
Fugitive (from Swamp Ophelia album, 1994)
Midnight Train to Georgia cover (from 1200 Curfews album, 1995)
Get Out the Map (from Shaming of the Sun album, 1997)
Shame On You (from Shaming of the Sun album, 1997)
Go (from Come On Now Social album, 1999)

Indigo Girls Official Website

Indigo Girls Tumblr Blog "A Year A Month"

Episode Music Credits:

Intro: Great Great Lengths from Blue Dot Sessions
Outro: Lamplist from Blue Dot Sessions

Taylor Swift 101 [Ep. 06] Oct 01, 2022

Show notes

University professor Katy Head has often joked that she could teach a course on Taylor Swift, and here she’s off to an excellent start. Katy outlines the arguments for appreciating Taylor as an artist, business woman and storyteller. She also provides insight into the “Swiftie” fan community and the strong connection Taylor has with her fans...including bringing them to her house for food and listening parties. Class is in session!

Katy's Personal Soundtrack:

Picture to Burn (from self-titled debut album, 2006)
You Belong With Me (from Fearless album, original 2008; re-recorded Taylor’s Version, 2021)
Mean (from Speak Now album, 2010)
All Too Well (from Red album, original 2012; re-recorded Taylor’s Version, 2021)
Begin Again (from Red album, original 2012; re-recorded Taylor’s Version, 2021)
Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince (from Lover album, 2019)
Invisible String (from Folklore album, 2020)

Taylor Swift Official Website

Episode Music Credits:

Intro: Great Great Lengths from Blue Dot Sessions
Outro: Lamplist from Blue Dot Sessions

Bonus Track 03: Waiting on Willie Nelson Sep 21, 2022

Show notes

After seeing Willie Nelson live (again) a few nights ago, he has inspired me to say a little bit about why he is always worth waiting for.

A prime example.

Willie Nelson Official Website

Episode Music Credit: Horizon Liner from Blue Dot Sessions

Maya Rogers: Sound and Spirit [Ep. 05] Sep 06, 2022

Show notes

Musician Maya Rogers is a woman of many talents: singer, songwriter, composer, guitar and flute player, music therapist, teacher and most recently, children's book author. Her career pathway has been anything but straight and she has overcome setbacks that would've thrown most people permanently off course. Maya discusses these challenges, imagines a highly creative lineup for a fictitious concert and performs a new song she's working on called "Bring Forth the Light."

Connect with Maya:

Website Maya Rogers Music
Instagram @mayarogers.music

Find Maya's Music:

Buy on Bandcamp
Stream on Apple Music, Spotify or wherever you like to stream music

Maya's Favorite Artists:

Episode Music Credits:

Intro: Great Great Lengths from Blue Dot Sessions
Outro: Lamplist from Blue Dot Sessions

Pearl Jam Journeys [Ep. 04] Aug 07, 2022

Show notes

Elli Orovio has enjoyed experiences that any music fan would envy: attending 49 live shows to date, staying in the same hotels as the band and having not one, not two, but three chance meetings with musicians she loves. Pearl Jam have been such a part of her life for the past 30 years that she even named one of her children using the initials of lead singer, Eddie Vedder. Elli recounts all this and more...making you wish you had been wearing those overalls, getting coffee in the Philadelphia Starbucks and riding in that hotel elevator.

Elli’s Personal Soundtrack:

Alive (from the Ten album, 1991)
Release (from the Ten album, 1991)
Indifference (from the Vs. album, 1993)
Red Mosquito (from the No Code album, 1996)
Wishlist (from the Yield album, 1998)

Pearl Jam Official Website

Episode Music Credits:

Intro: Great Great Lengths from Blue Dot Sessions
Outro: Lamplist from Blue Dot Sessions

Bonus Track 02: 4th of July, United States (Freedom Sounds) Jul 04, 2022

Show notes

There are so many great songs that address the themes of freedom and independence. I discuss a few of my favorites, plus manage to include the movie Rocky IV in the process…

This episode title is a nod to the song 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) from Bruce Springsteen’s 1973 album The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. Another good one.

Episode Music Credit: Blue Straggler from Blue Dot Sessions

Next Gen Beatles Fandom [Ep. 03] Jul 03, 2022

Show notes

Beatles historian, writer and BC the Beatles podcast co-host Erika White discusses being part of a new generation of Fab Four fans. She went from self-proclaimed "weird kid who loved the Beatles" to a scholar who has influenced other younger fans to create content around the band from fresh perspectives. Find out which Beatles live shows she would like to time-travel to see, about her challenge to people who dismiss them as overrated and why she believes their legacy is so enduring.

Connect with Erika: