The one and only Charles Alexander joined us to talk us through how artists get paid through streaming, how to use streaming and other tools to grow your fan base, and what the Music Modernization Act means for artists and songwriters when it takes effect this year. Charles is the founder of label services and music marketing companies, Systemic and Outside The Box Music. He’s been an in-demand speaker at events and conferences like South by Southwest, Music Biz, CD Baby DIY and the Americana Music Festival and an adjunct professor at MTSU in its recording industry program. With a resume like that, it’s no wonder he was able to give us so much great info on this episode, and we were thrilled and honored to have him on. A LOT of great nuggets of wisdom in this one!

Current New Mexico volunteer fireman and frontman of the band Jubal, Taylor Kress joins us to talk about their newly pressed special edition burgundy 180g vinyl for their album 'County Ball.' It's the very first record on our very own Beer Me That Vinyl label! We talk a lot about the album, what the band has been up to this year, what it's like having band members living in different states, and of course, Taylor's chickens.

It’s that time of year again. Millions of Spotify users are showing their friends the year-end review of their own listening habits in well-designed sharable snippets. In this episode, we’ll talk about the power of a word-of-mouth generating marketing tool like Spotify Wrapped. As all of those stories are being shared, this is also the time of year in which many like to remind everyone that Spotify’s payment structure for artists is nowhere near what it should be. The second half of this episode digs into why that is and what, if anything, can be done to change it.

In an increasingly divided and polarized country, public figures who are nearly universally loved are an increasingly rare thing. Is it her philanthropy? Is it her angelic singing voice? Is it her down-to-earth personality? Many have posited that it's her natural aversion to 'getting political', but is that even the case? On this episode we discuss what's to love about Dolly, and trust us there is a lot. We also chronicle Dolly using her voice on political issues and lay out how she's able to do so without alienating significant chunks of her fan base. It may just be that she's a more skilled politician than anyone who holds public office...

In this episode, Garrett and Kent talk about what we're likely to see in terms of live music going into 2021. How long will it be until things are fully back to normal? Will there ever be such a thing as fully back to normal? What will the transition period of integrating shows back into our lives look like? How tenable are all the alternative concert ideas that we've seen in 2020 in a post-COVID world? We'll answer all these questions and more with as much optimism as possible!

The one and only Brian Clay joins the B&R Pod to talk about something we very rarely get the chance to talk about: Jazz. But more importantly we get to know Brian as he shares stories from his life and career in music that's taken him from Atlanta to (briefly) the midwest, and then right here to Knoxville. We also get some insight to how he used his Jazzspirations brand to help foster a vibrant Jazz scene right smack in the cradle of country music.

Lubbock, TX is evidently a place that is unlike anywhere else in the country, and Dan and Tugboat from Thrift Store Cowboys have the stories to prove it. On 'Lay Low While Crawling or Creeping' Thrift Store set out to score the soundtrack of West Texas, and the result of that was in incredible record and a bag full of amazing behind-the-scenes stories from the making of it. We get into allll of that and more on this podcast, and had a blast doing it. We're pairing this super cool 10th anniversary edition of the album pressed on sleek red vinyl with the Bed of Nails from Hi-Wire Brewing. So put on yer boots, enjoy this podcast, and pick yourself up a copy!

Mike Frede, el jefe from Last Days of Autumn Brewing sat down with us along with Zack Roskop of Knox Brew Tours for this Beer Me That Vinyl Episode of the B&R Music Podcast. It was a ton of fun to talk to Mike and learn about the history or Last Days as well as all of the connections it has to music. All of the beers they brew, food they make, and events they put on have a certain level of love and charm baked in, and hearing him tell the stories behind it all was a blast. If you listen to this podcast, it will make you want to come in and hang out at Last Days. Guaranteed. We caught Mike on a Wednesday morning before he took off for a daycation kayaking trip. Something about pouring a few Last Days beers from a pitcher at 10am on a weekday morning just felt right.

This month's Beer Me That Vinyl is one we've been excited about for a long time. Fifteen-year veterans of Knoxville's music scene Gamenight is pairing their latest album 'Buddro' with Last Days of Autumn's Panda Magic APA. This record is amazing and the perfect addition to any vinyl collection. Josh and Brandon Manis (aka the Bash Brothers) joined us on the podcast to talk about their band, this album, and a bunch of other great stories along the way. Also, Sisqo's "Thong Song" factored heavily into this episode somehow.

How do you go from playing gigs at bars a couple days a week to selling out theaters? Spoiler alert: the answer is hard work, having great songs, and getting your music in front of audiences... a lot. But the good news is, it doesn't have to seem scary or daunting. Erick Baker joined us to talk about how he got there and the lessons he learned along the way, and there are so many great pieces of wisdom in this conversation for musicians of every level!

On the part 2 of this month's Beer Me That Vinyl, Garrett and Zack Roskop of Knox Brew Tours sat down with Aaron Freeman and Zach Young from Abridged Beer Company to talk about their beer, music, and a whole lot more.

Adam and Sarrenna McNulty of Guy Marshall joined us to talk about their latest record 'The Love We've Made Together And Otherwise', and what a conversation it was! We go deeeeep on this one and were treated to great stories and insights behind the songwriting, production, and album art for the album. Touching on topics like love, religion, personal introspection, and so many other aspects that color the creation of this record, we now have a greatly strengthened appreciation for it. While listening to this episode, if you've already heard, you'll love it more. If you haven't, you'll want to listen immediately.

Garreth Spinn joins us to talk about things you need to know when getting into vinyl collecting like setting up your turntable, cleaning and maintaining records, different ways to categorize, crate digging, etc.. Also, we get on a few tangents of general music nerdery like music docs, band beefs, and more. It's a super fun episode whether you're a vinyl person or not.

Rebecca Neely of AC Entertainment / Live Nation jumps on the podcast to talk about booking talent for The Mill & Mine, The Signal in Chattanooga, and The Orange Peel in Asheville. She shares some of her process and her successes, and we do a little reminiscing on the growth of live music in Knoxville through the 90s and 2000s.

Zack Roskop from Knox Brew Tours turns the tables on the B&R Music Pod hosts and interviews Garrett and Kent. On this episode, he asks us about hospitality and tech riders, publishing rights, and the growing trend of locking up cell phones at concerts. Feel free to send in your own questions about any and all things music at info@bornandraisedknox.com and we’ll cover it on the next Beer with Zack episode.

Garrett Sale (aka William Wild) and Aaron McClain, owner/head brewer at Crafty Bastard join us on this episode of BMTV. Garrett had some incredible stories about the making of this debut self-titled record as well as his new record Push Ups, and we talk about how one of the tracks was selected as the end credits music for an award-winning film. Aaron from Crafty was full of great info about their beer and brewery. If you want to skip to the beer segment, it's at the 58-minute mark. This is our longest episode, because it's chock-full of great stuff, and we couldn't bear to cut any of it!

James Trimble from The Dirty Guvs joins the B&R Music Podcast to talk about the origin of their band and how to build a highly engaged fan base. We also chat about their upcoming record and the Guv'nah-curated Southern Skies Music Festival.

Tori Bishop from EXIT/IN, one of Nashville's most iconic music venues, joins us for a little promoter shop talk. We get into venue-side marketing for shows and ways bands can work with promoters to get them the biggest crowds possible. A lot of great info in this one, particularly for touring bands and managers.

The first installment of Beer Me That Vinyl where you can get an excellent record from some of our favorite bands paired with a package of local craft beer selected by the band. It's the perfect way to support the local music and beer scene at the same time. On this episode we talk to Tyler Anthony of Cereus Bright about their 2016 record 'Excuses' as well as Shane Todd from Elst Brewery!

Mathien is a unique man. Chicagoan by way of Knoxville, he's one of the most prolific songwriters and home recorders we've ever met. We talk with him about setting up your home studio, putting out a ton of music without sacrificing quality, and the story behind the theme song that he made for this podcast! Plus loads of other hilarious anecdotes and fun digressions along the way.