Blount County Live

Let's Be Blount

Blount County Live is a Let's Be Blount bi-weekly video podcast focused on live music and musicians in and from Blount County hosted by Lee Zimmerman and Scott Shankland.

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  1. 2월 13일

    The One and Only, Dr. Jay Clark: The Bear-Wrestling Appalachian Folk Extraordinaire from Blount County

    Lee and Scott sit down with Jay Clark, and if you're wondering how someone goes from chasing bears in Oklahoma to hosting the best listening room show in Blount County, well, buckle up. This man's got more stories than a Sunday sermon and twice the heart. Jay's the guy who teaches at Maryville College (yeah, he's got a PhD but insists students call him by his first name), runs an $82.5 million science center project, and somehow finds time to curate the second Tuesday Shindig at TriHop. He's the one telling rowdy crowds to shut up so you can actually hear the music – and somehow everyone loves him for it. We're talking about growing up in western Kentucky coal country, learning guitar from newspaper clippings, and why the mountains create the culture that makes East Tennessee so special. Jay performs "Seeds of Love" (a tribute to his grandmother Bertie) and "Sunday Afternoon" – the song that made Lee cry the first time he heard it. Fair warning: these aren't your typical feel-good ditties. Jay's also navigating a divorce after 25 years of marriage, working on new material that's "pretty tough," and planning a gospel album with an A-side for himself and a B-side for his mama. Plus, he drops some serious knowledge about bear behavior, biodiversity, and why the Little River might be one of the most incredible places on the planet. From house concerts to listening rooms, from coal fields to conservation, Jay Clark represents everything that makes Blount County's music scene authentic. And if you've never been to a TriHop Shindig, this episode will convince you to mark your calendar. Real stories, real music, real Appalachian heart.

    47분
  2. 1월 30일

    Cruz Contreras: The Black Lilies Frontman Who Came Home to Blount County

    Lee and Scott sit down with Cruz Contreras, and if you've been following East Tennessee music for the past couple decades, you know this man's resume. From studying jazz piano at UT to fronting the Black Lilies, to his trippy solo album "Cosmico" (seriously, check that one out), Cruz has been all over the musical map. But guess what? He's back in Blount County to stay. We're talking about life between Butterfly Gap and Montvale, where there's no cell service but there is internet (priorities, people). Cruz breaks down why he went solo, how he recorded "Cosmico" on a houseboat in Idaho with beat machines and iPhones, and why the Black Lilies are back as "Cruz Contreras and the Black Lilies." He's got shows coming up at the Shed in Maryville (February 28th) and New Year's Eve at the Down Home in Johnson City. Plus, he debuts two brand-new songs live in the studio – including one his wife asked him to write that's definitely not as dirty as advertised. Don't worry, it's still PG for our virgin-eared hosts. Cruz talks about growing up in a musical family (his brother Billy Contreras is a fiddle legend), remembering when gas was $1.13 and 411 was two lanes, and why East Tennessee keeps calling musicians back home. Even when you're touring 200 shows a year, sometimes you just need to find your way back to the hay barn with your guitar. Real talk from a real musician who's been there, done that, and decided home is where the heart is – even if the cell service sucks.

    39분
  3. 1월 8일

    Doug Harris and Blount County Blues

    Lee and Scott sit down with Doug Harris, and if you're trying to figure out which Doug Harris band you saw last weekend, join the club. This man's got more musical projects than Blount County has dive bars – the Dirty Dougs, Doug Harris Band, Dirty Doug and Johnny, and a few others we probably forgot to mention. But here's the deal: every single one of them is worth catching. Doug's heading to Memphis for the International Blues Challenge representing the Smoky Mountain Blues Society, and if you know anything about Beale Street in January, you know it's gonna be cold as hell and hot as fire musically. We're talking the largest blues festival in the world, folks. But Doug's not just about the stage – he's out here teaching seniors to play harmonica at Blount Memorial through the "Rare Air" program (yeah, that's air with an E for attitude). Turns out blowing into a harmonica might help with COPD, or maybe it's just the laughing and singing. Either way, it works. We get a full-on harmonica lesson (complete with World War I history and why we lost all the good blues fiddle players), plus Doug performs his original song "Catharsis" – which he swears he wrote to keep from killing somebody. Don't worry, he's feeling much better now. From teaching Lee harmonica to living across the street from Brackins (dangerous move), Doug's been holding down the East Tennessee music scene since 2001. And with an album dropping in 2026, this blues historian/musician/community treasure ain't slowing down anytime soon. Fair warning: He's got at least 14 harmonicas on him at all times, and he knows how to use 'em.

    47분

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Blount County Live is a Let's Be Blount bi-weekly video podcast focused on live music and musicians in and from Blount County hosted by Lee Zimmerman and Scott Shankland.