Red Barn Radio

Red Barn Radio
  • 4.7 (9)
  • PERFORMING ARTS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Roots Music Southern Style! Weekly interviews and performances from talented guests exemplifying Appalachian folk heritage - as it lives today. Join us as we bring musicians from all parts of the country who have roots in traditional genres founded in the southern United States. Red Barn Radio is a syndicated weekly radio show produced via live recordings in Lexington, Kentucky.

  1. 5D AGO

    Ian Gabriel

    Ian Gabriel (MIRAAGE) is both a professional Music Artist and a Motivational Speaker. Born and raised in Lexington, KY. The music has a Pop/Jazzy/Hip-Hop feel, spiced with horns and flow switches. This along with his voice creates beautiful soundscapes with soul and passion. MIRAAGE has been making music since he was very young and has been producing it professionally since 2010. He debuted his first full length project, "Donuts & Coffee" in 2015 which is a tribute album to the late great James Dewitt Yancy AKA J Dilla. The album displays MIRAAGE'S lyrical prowess and complexity over the instrumentation provided by J Dilla's "Donuts" album. He continues to provide intricacy and yet stay simple enough to make sure the message connects with his audience. He brings back true soul music into an industry that is now so hard to find. Ian is also an activist for foster youth and individuals with disabilities. He started speaking at different events/conferences at age 15. He uses humor and music to connect with youth, families, and professionals on various topics; Relating to his 13 years that he spent in the foster care system. Recently he gave a keynote for the 2nd time at the annual KECSAC con-ference (Kentucky Educational Collaborative for State Agency Children) and has also spoken at several events nationally. He's also been involved with different organizations building the futures for youth: such as TAYLRD (Transition Age Youth Launching Realized Dreams), YMO (Youth MOVE Oregon), and NYTD (National Youth in Transition Database). He has used these experiences to develop himself into a messenger of hope- delivering a powerful, informative, and entertaining experience every time he grips a microphone.

    59 min

  2. MAR 4

    Stripmall Ballads

    Stripmall Ballads is the haunted, dust-blown project of Phillips Saylor Wisor, a songwriter wandering the backroads between myth and memory. Drawing comparisons to Neil Young, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, and Maybelle Carter, his work lives in the tension between Appalachian tradition and modern disillusion-ment—aching with spectral beauty, dry wit, and a bone-deep sense of longing. From early lo-fi master-works like Since Jimmy Died to the sparse, cinematic ache of Distant, his songs are slow-burning dispatch-es from the heart of a fractured America—where ghosts speak in minor chords and resistance sounds like a hymn. Stripmall Ballads doesn’t just sing about forgotten places—it sings from them. Phillips Saylor Wisor – aka STRIPMALL BALLADS – is a Maryland-based rollicking musical rambler, rife with story-songs rich in emotion and hardihood. His brand of folk music sings the heartbreaking ballads of old brick buildings, vacant lots, and rustbelt towns. Of third shift papas, flood plains, and long drives through nowhere towns. He’s boots on the ground, guitar across the body, ever observing the ugly mundane mixed with the beautiful chaos of this place we trample upon on the daily. He’s shared stages with Tommy Prine, John R. Miller, Danny Barnes, Les Claypool, The Be Good Tanyas, Willy Tea Taylor, just to name a few. In his early days, Wisor found comfort in DC’s encampments searching for validation in the gritty corners of tucked away spaces. Where street people applauded and encouraged as he picked away, a rustling sound of Americana and folk, with boozed-up night chatter for background noise. As founding member of The Shiftless Rounders, Phillips dove deep into the Appalachian ocean of old time banjo and balladry. And as a fervent practitioner of Shape Note music, he has spent countless hours singing in the “old way” and devouring the harmonic notions of American roots music. With a nod to Woody Guthrie, Phillips deploys all these influences in his music. Stripmall Ballads is a testament to the enduring power of painting experience with emotion, forever a voice of the strange amongst strangers.

    59 min

  3. FEB 25

    Joe Troop

    Joe Troop is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter hailing from the North Carolina Piedmont. He is one half of the acclaimed panamerican folk duo Larry & Joe, and founder of GRAMMY-nominated stringband Che Apalache. His music is deeply inspired by a decade living in Buenos Aires and traveling throughout Latin America and the world. When the pandemic landed him back in North Carolina in 2020, Joe began working with stalwart organizers in order to more effectively meld his music and progressive social agenda. This culminated in his 2021 album “Borrowed Time,” featuring an epic cast of collaborators including Béla Fleck, Abigail Washburn, Tim O’Brien and Charlie Hunter. In December of 2021 the stars aligned, and Joe met his musical soul brother, Raleigh-based Venezuelan folk music legend and asylum-seeker Larry Bellorín. Soon thereafter he decided to put down roots in Durham to pursue the duo full time. When not on the road with Lare-bear, Joe leads various ensembles in NC, which play his original music.

    59 min

  4. FEB 10

    Eric Bolander

    Eric Bolander has been active on the music scene for many years. He writes thoughtfully, his songs have staying power, and he brings to the stage the same joy he brings to his students at the high school where he teaches art. Eric grew up in the Ohio Valley in the small Eastern KY town of Garrison. His dad passed on a humble and compassionate work ethic which became a driving force for Eric to achieve his life goals in subsequent years. Eric now lives here in Lexington, KY, and is a pillar in the city's art community. Eric always brings a great band to Red Barn Radio, and this week is no exception.

    59 min

  5. FEB 3

    Will Jones

    With deep bluegrass roots and a hard-edged traditional country sound, Will Jones is carving out a space where Appalachian soul meets outlaw grit.Will didn’t so much learn three chords as inherit them. Raised deep in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, his music carries the raw heartbeat of Appalachian bluegrass and the fierce edge of traditional country. “I knew three chords and the truth before I even knew my ABCs,” he says, summing up his earliest years in music, when he was already on stage with a guitar in hand, immersed in the mountain spirit that shaped generations before him.Born into the family band, The Cana Ramblers, Will learned early what it meant to perform. By age six, he was singing lead, strumming guitar, and commanding the crowd as the band’s natural MC. “I was always the one talking to the crowd,” he recalls. “Knowing how to entertain and hold a stage — that’s what I’m still doing now. Nothing’s changed.”Nothing’s changed, but he’s certainly refined. For Will, Appalachian bluegrass is the lifeblood that shapes both his music and his story. Now, Will’s music feels equal parts front-porch picker and highway poet, which comes through clearly in his most recent songs, “Lonesome Dove,” “My Country’s Showing” and “Devil’s Den.” While his artistry continues to expand, he explains, “the heart of my sound remains rooted in my bluegrass beginnings.” As Will puts it, “being surrounded by bluegrass mountain music as I grew up — that’s what made me, that’s what raised me.” When his sisters left the band to pursue other paths, Will faced a crossroads. “I knew I was meant to play music,” he says. “I wanted to take it to a bigger stage, and my family supported and encouraged that dream.” Driven by that hunger, at 17 he stepped out on his own, carrying the Appalachian soul with him and choosing the road less traveled. Now based in Nashville,

    59 min

  6. JAN 20

    The 65 North Pickers

    The 65 North Pickers are a high-energy bluegrass quartet that fuses the drive of traditional bluegrass with the exploratory spirit of jam band im-provisation. Their high-energy performances feature incredible original compositions that merge bluegrass with the nostalgic vibes of classic festival music, where the essence of the grateful dead meets the psy-chedelic flair of Jimi Hendrix. with listeners dancing out of their chairs and captivated by the music. Next week will be an unforgettable night of music and conversation with the 65 North Pickers!

    59 min

  7. JAN 14

    Michael G. Ronstadt

    Musician Michael G. Ronstadt has traversed a wide range of musical styles from singer-songwriter, folk, jazz, classical, Americana to new age. Ronstadt displays genre-blending explorations on cello and guitar in complement to thought-provoking lyrics, as well as instrumental work. In addition to his solo and group recordings with Ronstadt Brothers, Trotta & Ronstadt, Serenity Fisher & The Cardboard Hearts, Aaron Na-thans & Michael G. Ronstadt, he is a much sought-after studio musician, who has appeared on more than 200 albums in the last 20 years. Michael has recorded in studios across the United States in Philadelphia, Tucson, Phoenix, Nashville, New York City, New Jersey, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Germany & North Wales (UK). His versatile work has been tapped for studio and concert work by such artists as David Bromberg, Linda Ronstadt, Murial Anderson and Craig Bickhardt (SKB). He has opened up for artists like Ruthie Foster, Jor-ma Kaukonen (Hot Tuna, Jefferson Airplane), Steve Katz (Blood, Sweat & Tears), Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Neil Young, Death Cab For Cutie, Smashing Pumpkins and Josh Groban. He has toured and performed with the late, great Rick Rosas (Crazy Horse) and Dave Krusen (Pearl Jam). His performances have been heard at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering (Elko, NV), Philadelphia Folk Festival, San Diego Sail Festival, Musical Instrument Museum (MIM), Common Ground On The Hill Music Festival, and Tucson Folk Festival to name a few. Serenity Fisher has a piano style that is theatrical and passionate. Her music has been compared to Regina Spektor, Tori Amos and Fiona Apple.

    59 min

  8. 12/30/2025

    Bryce Mullins

    Episode 228 First Air 01-04-26 Bryce Mullins Cask Strength A OK Breakthrough Sidewalkin' Always Right by Your Side Alice's Saturday Night Train Raising Kane E.T Bryce Mullins is a seasoned fingerstyle guitarist and songwriter hailing from Batesville, Indiana, with a rich and diverse musical background. Initially introduced to the guitar by his father, Bryce's passion quickly grew, drawing him into a world where classic rock intertwined with classical music, blues, and bluegrass. A pivotal moment in his early development came when he encountered the works of Andrés Segovia, leading him to pursue classical guitar with fervor. Bryce's academic journey took him to the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Classical Guitar Performance under the guidance of Professor Clare Callahan. He continued his education at Austin Peay State University, obtaining a Master’s Degree in Classical Guitar Performance, studying with Dr. Stanley Yates. It was during this period that Bryce was introduced to the vibrant world of fingerstyle guitar, inspired by artists like Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, Jerry Reed, Tommy Emmanuel, Andy McKee, and Antoine Dufour. Armed with a deep understanding of technique and music theory, Bryce began composing his own fingerstyle guitar pieces. His debut album, "First Sip," released in 2017, garnered critical acclaim from outlets like Minor 7th, which praised his "melodic diversity" and the intricate interplay of melodies and contrasts in his compositions. This album marked the beginning of a distinctive voice in the fingerstyle community, where Bryce seamlessly weaves together his myriad influences into a sound that is both unique and familiar.

    59 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Roots Music Southern Style! Weekly interviews and performances from talented guests exemplifying Appalachian folk heritage - as it lives today. Join us as we bring musicians from all parts of the country who have roots in traditional genres founded in the southern United States. Red Barn Radio is a syndicated weekly radio show produced via live recordings in Lexington, Kentucky.

Information

  • Creator
    Red Barn Radio
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    342
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Red Barn Radio
  • Show Website
    Red Barn Radio

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