Have banjos, will travel.

Last night’s Roots was an object lesson in the radical and magical flexibility of bluegrass and its signature instrument, from home ground to the outer planets. From the Scruggs style rolling riches of the Larry Stephenson Band’s Kenny Ingram, to the adorable banjo uke of Supple Station Trio’s Taylor Brashears, to the newgrass energy of Mike Sumner with the Randy Kohrs Band, to the jamming and free-wheeling chops of Split Lip Rayfield’s Eric Mardis, it was a full spectrum of plectrum.

If you study American music you can’t get away from the story of the Mississippi Delta, the cradle of the blues and home to pioneers like Charlie Patton and Robert Johnson. But East of there, running from northern Mississippi down the middle of the state is a stretch known as the Hill Country, and in recent years this region has at last been acknowledged as a hotbed with its own sound and traditions, perhaps most notably through the rise to fame of the North Mississippi All-Stars.

All kinds of weighty things were going on in the world last night, from Kris Kristofferson’s poetry at the Ryman and President Obama’s poetic prose in Congress, but we remained focused on the business of the barn. It was an unusual night of music, and I think we were all wondering whether the pieces would fit together. Would it be e pluribus unum, or a house divided?

We love and strive for variety on Music City Roots, but we probably haven’t had a show as rangy and eclectic as we did last night. From Dylanesque folk to hearty gospel to classic songcraft, it was a quite a ride.

One of my best memories of last’s fall Americana Music Association festival took place in the middle of one of the showcase nights at the Mercy Lounge. A stellar band of jazz-aware sidemen took the stage, followed by a guy who looked a little, well, unfocused. J.D. Souther looked like a rumpled poet who’d slept in. But he donned a guitar and asked the noisy crowd to settle down a little so folks could hear the lyrics, and before long he’d cast a spell. His new materials sounded familiar and lived-in.

Nashville remains special because if you look closely, you can see the veterans who built Music City living and working side by side with the young artists who are building on their legacy and pushing the town’s musical traditions forward. It’s what gives the place continuity and soul.

So on our next show, Music City Roots presents prime examples of that dichotomy, as our musical guests include one of Nashville’s senior senators and one of its most remarkable alt-country youngsters: Cowboy Jack Clement and Chris Scruggs.

We figured Will Hoge would bring his cracking band and his life-affirming voice, but who knew he’d also leave us with an unofficial new theme song for MC Roots?
          

In case you haven’t heard of the Music City Curse, it’s this notion that developed over the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s that no matter how awe-inspiring a Nashville rock band was, it would never get a fair shake when it reached the New York and LA power-brokers who decide who gets big-time video and radio play or major label record deals.

When they said the word “snow” on TV we at Music City Roots cringed. We weren’t worried about putting on a great show, but you know how it is. The good people of middle Tennessee tend to batten down the hatches when anyone invokes the S word. But they came! And in droves. We had what felt like the biggest crowd yet for our winter season opener, a benefit for our friends/partners/sponsors The Nature Conservancy. And the performers, they were running at capacity too.

Of the many fortunate connections and developments that took place on the journey to getting Music City Roots on the air, few can compare to our love-at-first-sight relationship with the Nature Conservancy. This extraordinary organization signed on as a major sponsor early in the game, and it couldn’t have been a better match. We stand for integrity and authenticity in music; they protect the integrity of authentic natural spaces and resources. That’s why our second season launches January 6 with a fantastic show for the benefit of the Nature Conservancy.