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What's The Reason For This Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by What's The Reason For This Podcast
🎙️ What’s the Reason for This? is the unfiltered, unexpected, and sometimes unhinged podcast where music meets mayhem. Hosted by Kodi and Shay, two jamgrass junkies with a knack for storytelling, this show dives into the heart of the bluegrass and jam band scene—with a few nitrous-fueled detours along the way. 🤠🎻From parking lot legends and VIP miracles to deeply personal redemption arcs, each episode brings you wild tales, offbeat interviews, and honest conversations that explore the why behind the chaos. It’s about the music, the misadventures, and the magic that ties it all together.
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- 6 days ago1h 0m
Ben Wright - Bluegrass Ambassadors/Henhouse Prowlers - WTRFT S3E2
🚨 Season 3 keeps rolling with Ben Wright of the Henhouse Prowlers and Bluegrass Ambassadors.This one goes way beyond bluegrass.🎻 We get into:🌍 How the Henhouse Prowlers became musical ambassadors around the world 🪕 The wild story of Ben buying his first banjo for $199.99 🤝 Why music can connect people even when they don’t speak the same language 🇳🇪 Playing banjo alongside an ancestor of the instrument in Niger 🎶 Learning songs from the countries they visit and bringing them back home 🚢 Performing for refugees from dozens of countries in Rotterdam 🔥 Walking onstage with musicians they had never met and figuring it out in real time 🌱 Why community, curiosity, and making people feel seen sit at the heart of everything they doBen also opens up about how these experiences changed the mission of the Bluegrass Ambassadors, turning it into something much bigger than touring. It’s about using music to break down barriers, celebrate culture, and remind people that connection can start with something as simple as listening. One of the wildest moments comes from West Africa, where Ben realized he was playing his banjo alongside an instrument widely considered one of its ancestors. Two musicians from completely different worlds, connected instantly through sound. 🪕🌍🤯 And in Rotterdam, that mission came full circle with performances for refugees and an unrehearsed collaboration that Ben described as scary, imperfect, authentic, and completely human. ❤️🎶 🎧 Watch or listen to the full conversation with Ben Wright.🌎 Learn more about the Bluegrass Ambassadors and the work they’re doing around the world.🔥 Follow What’s The Reason For This? for more conversations about the music, people, and community behind the scene.
- 2 weeks ago47 min
Cotter Ellis - Goose - WTRFT S3E1
🚨 SEASON 3 IS HERE — and we’re kicking it off with a bang.For the first episode of Season 3 of What’s The Reason For This?, we’re joined by Cotter Ellis of Goose for a conversation from the Mishawaka in Colorado.Since our last conversation, a lot has changed.💿 Goose released Big Modern! 🏟️ Played Madison Square Garden ⛰️ Took over Red Rocks 🏠 Crashed a Colorado house party 🚀 And continued one of the wildest runs in live music🥁 We get into:💿 Creating Big Modern! and finding Cotter’s voice inside Goose 🏟️ What MSG and Red Rocks actually felt like from behind the kit 🪿 The Goose hate, internet critics, and musicians talking shit 🌱 Why growing the jam scene matters more than guarding it 🚌 The real grind of touring and life on the road 🥣 Going from vans and microwave oatmeal to sold-out venues 🥋 The story behind “Suck It, Storm” and “Kung Fu Fighting” 🧩 Goosemas clues, fan theories, and the world being built around the band ❤️ Why the people behind Goose might be the real secret to their successCotter also opens up about imposter syndrome, criticism, supporting other artists, success, and what it takes to keep chasing this life when there are no guarantees.🔥 Season 3 starts right here.🎧 Watch or listen to the full conversation with Cotter Ellis of Goose.🪿 Follow What’s The Reason For This? for more conversations from inside the jam, bluegrass, and live music world.💬 And send this episode to the friend who still thinks Goose is Christian rock. 😂
- 3 weeks ago58 min
WTRFT S2E47 - Lindsay Lou - Bluegrass Women
🎧 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi sits down with the incredible Lindsay Lou for a conversation about bluegrass, motherhood, finding your voice, and shining a light on the women who helped build this music from the very beginning. 🪕🔥💙Lindsay takes us back to growing up in a huge musical family 🎶👨👩👧👦, singing harmonies as a kid, and eventually heading toward a completely different career — earning degrees in human biology and Spanish with plans for medical school. 🧬🥼 Then she discovered the bluegrass community, fell HARD down the rabbit hole, and realized music could actually be her life. 🪕🤯🔥Lindsay opens up about: 🎶 Discovering bluegrass and becoming obsessed with Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and the Stanley Brothers 🚐 Years of touring, grinding, and even going without a real home base 🎤 Learning how to protect and understand that powerhouse voice 🏠 Moving to Nashville to surround herself with musicians — not chase fame ❤️🩹 How loss, divorce, COVID, and recordings of her grandmother helped shape Queen of Time 👶 How becoming a mother completely changed her body, brain, heart, and perspective on life 👑 The inspiration behind her new project Bluegrass Women — celebrating the women whose songs have been part of bluegrass history all along 🎻💪✨Lindsay shares the incredible realization that songs many of us associate with legendary male bluegrass performers were actually written by women — women whose voices were always there, even if their names weren't front and center. 🤯🎶👑She brings together an absolutely badass lineup of female pickers 🎻🪕🔥 to honor those writers, return to the original lyrics and source recordings, and remind the next generation of girls that there has always been a place for them in bluegrass. 💙💪🌈And because motherhood doesn’t care that you’re recording a podcast… Bart crashes the interview to reclaim Mom. 😂👶🎙️At its heart, this episode is about music, motherhood, representation, legacy, and authenticity — and the realization that women aren't new to bluegrass… they helped build the damn thing. 🪕👑🔥🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts and check out Bluegrass Women! 🎶💙✨
- Aug 18, 202644 min
S2E46 - Bronwyn - Rattling Bones
🎧 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi and co-host Shay welcome Bronwyn back to the dungeon nearly one year after their first conversation — and holy hell, a LOT has happened. 🪕🔥 From stepping away from Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway to building her own band, driving the van, writing her own music, and now releasing her new album Rattling Bones, Bronwyn is officially spreading her wings — and doing it entirely on her own terms. 💀🎻✨After a transition year of rotating musicians, Bronwyn has assembled a seriously stacked lineup featuring Tristan Scroggins on mandolin, Frank Evans on banjo, Grant Dresnok on guitar, and Grammy-winning bassist Larry Cook. Together, they’re rooted deeply in traditional bluegrass while still having the chops to stretch songs into completely different territory. 🎶⚡But the heart of this conversation is Rattling Bones — OUT NOW! 💀💿🔥 The deeply personal 13-song album represents a huge evolution for Bronwyn as a songwriter. After years of believing songwriting simply wasn’t something she did, she decided that if she was going to become a solo artist, she needed music that was truly her own. ✍️❤️🔥 That meant collecting random lines in her Notes app, finding inspiration everywhere, and getting outside her comfort zone to co-write with some incredible songwriters.Bronwyn opens up about: 🎻 The first year of officially leading her own band — and why having a consistent lineup has completely changed the live show 🚐 Going from touring on a bus to personally driving the van, tour managing, and running the operation herself — and why it gives her an even deeper sense of purpose ✍️ Teaching herself how to become a songwriter and finding confidence through collaborations with writers like Pat McLaughlin 💀 Writing “The Wishing Well,” her own dark Southern Gothic-inspired murder ballad — complete with creepy houses, river mist, and somebody getting tossed down a well 😳😂 🛣️ Turning the absolute chaos of Nashville’s Gallatin Road into a song because, apparently, anything goes on Gallatin Road ❄️ How WinterWonderGrass inspired “Blink of an Eye” and that wonderfully awkward question of whether someone in the crowd keeps looking at you because they like the music...or because they think you’re cute 👀😂 😵💫 The burnout behind “The Ride” and the complicated reality of achieving the dream you’ve worked toward only to discover that touring can still absolutely kick your ass 🔥 Why “Sticks and Stones” captures Bronwyn’s badass, don’t-give-a-shit side — and ultimately helped inspire the album title Rattling BonesBronwyn talks about building the record piece by piece across multiple recording sessions while she was still writing it — essentially “building the plane as it’s taking off.” ✈️😂🎧 Listen to the episode now wherever you get your podcasts — then go stream Rattling Bones, which is OUT NOW! 💀🎶🔥Go see Bronwyn and the band live. Stream the album. Buy the merch. Tell your friends. Support the artists putting in the miles. 🚐🪕❤️🔥
- Aug 12, 20261h 2m
S2E45 - North Fork Crossing - Portland Rose
🎧 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi and co-host Shay welcome North Fork Crossing into the dungeon for a hilarious, high-energy conversation about Montana bluegrass, life on the road, finding your sound, and what it really takes to build a band from the ground up. 🪕🏔️🔥The Bozeman crew takes us back to the beginning — from meeting as teenagers at Montana Fiddle Camp to reconnecting years later at a house party and realizing, “Dude…we should start a band.” What followed was a steady grind of pizza joints, house parties, bar gigs, festivals, DIY recordings, and plenty of miles in the van. 🚐🎶 North Fork Crossing opens up about: 🎻 Their wildly different musical backgrounds and how they came together 🎸 Starting out with plenty of Billy Strings covers before developing their own sound 🏔️ Learning from Montana bands like Kitchen Dwellers, The Lil Smokies, Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs, and The Last Revel 💿 Recording their first album DIY before leveling up for their new record, Portland Rose 🌹 🎤 Working with Travis McNamara to strengthen their arrangements and three-part harmonies 🏆 The pressure of the Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition — and why not winning ultimately made them a better band 📱 Using social media, personality, and plenty of ridiculousness to grow beyond Montana 🤝 Why relationships with other bands and the larger bluegrass community have been such a huge part of their journey And because it’s the dungeon, things obviously go off the rails. 😂 We get into ultimate frisbee 🥏, birding 🐦, questionable tour decisions, shaving heads, “North Fork Crotchley,” and the unforgettable story of a naked 1 A.M. sprint that ended with a busted toe. 🦶😂 Now the guys are starting to see the grind pay off — touring harder, releasing live recordings, building relationships with bands like Magoo, Armchair Boogie, and Clay Street Unit, and hosting Creekside Revival Festival at Pine Creek Lodge. 🎪🔥 At its core, this episode is about friendship, progression, community, and putting in the miles — respecting bluegrass tradition while figuring out exactly what North Fork Crossing sounds like. 🪕💛🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, check out their Dungeon Session, and go see these boys live!Buy the merch. Support the bands. Tell your friends. And LET’S FORKING GO! 🍴🪕🔥
- Aug 12, 202616 min
S2E45 North Fork Crossing Session
🎧 This What’s the Reason for This Session brings a little Montana bluegrass straight from Bozeman into the dungeon as North Fork Crossing takes over the cave for a rowdy, intimate set packed with originals, stories, mountain-town energy, and plenty of banter. 🪕🏔️🔥The session kicks off with “Portland Rose,” an original off the band’s new record featuring Silas Ray on vocals. 🚂🌹🎶 It’s a hard-driving tune about heartbreak, leaving town, and realizing sometimes there’s just no turning back. 💔🛤️Next up, the band dives into another original, “DLL,” before sharing some of the history behind North Fork Crossing. 🎻✨ They talk about meeting as kids at Montana Fiddle Camp, reconnecting later in Bozeman, and eventually writing music together. And apparently, they knew from the beginning that this particular tune was destined for a cave... they just didn’t know yet that the cave would be THE DUNGEON. 😂🦇🎉 Naturally, that means one thing: CONFETTI CANONS! 🎊💥The boys then switch things up with a cover from the Turnpike Troubadours, bringing some Red Dirt flavor into their Montana bluegrass world. 🤠🔥🪕 Afterward, we finally get the official-ish introductions — complete with nicknames, jokes, and classic dungeon chaos — as the band introduces Kid Sladen, Silas Ray, Matt Hickey, Ryan Lewis Kelly, and the rest of the crew. 😂🎸🎻They close things out with “Lonesome,” another song from their new album, written while sitting alone in a lift shack at Bridger Bowl before leaving the job behind to pursue bluegrass. 🎿🏔️➡️🪕 What came out of that lonely mountain shift is a fitting final tune about heartbreak, solitude, and chasing something bigger. 💙🌲🎶At its core, this session is Montana mountain bluegrass in its natural habitat — great picking, original songs, questionable nicknames, lots of laughs, and a bunch of mountain wooks hanging out in a basement cave making music. 😂🏔️🪕🔥🎧 Turn it up, crack a cold one, and welcome North Fork Crossing to the dungeon! 🍻⚡🎶
- Aug 5, 202654 min
WTRFT S2E44 - Mason Via
🎧 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi welcomes Mason Via to the dungeon for a conversation that spans everything from growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains to touring the world with Old Crow Medicine Show—and ultimately betting on himself to forge his own path. 🏔️🪕✨ Mason shares the winding road that's made him one of the most exciting voices in modern bluegrass. What starts as a conversation about childhood quickly becomes a masterclass on following your instincts, embracing your roots, and learning that the best career move isn't always the safest one. ❤️🎶Mason opens up about: 🎸 Growing up in a musical family in the Blue Ridge Mountains with an award-winning songwriter dad and a Deadhead mom 🎵🌄 🎭 His teenage "emo phase" (yes... My Chemical Romance and Green Day 🤘😂) before finding his way back to bluegrass ✍️ Writing songs as early as 11 years old and the life-changing advice from his dad: "Why play someone else's songs when you can write your own?" 💡🎼 🎤 Winning talent shows, playing coffee shops, experimenting with indie folk, funk bands, and discovering that every musical detour shaped the songwriter he is today 🎸⚡🪕 🎬 His unexpected journey through American Idol, making the Top 25, and why that experience became the perfect preparation for everything that followed 🌟📺 🐦 Landing the audition that changed his life with Old Crow Medicine Show, writing songs with the band, earning a Grammy nomination, and playing iconic stages like the Grand Ole Opry, Red Rocks, and the Ryman Auditorium 🎻🏆🌎 🚐 Why he chose to leave one of bluegrass's biggest bands to build something that was truly his own—and why he wanted to experience the grind of climbing the mountain himself 💪❤️🔥 🌲 The inspiration behind "See It While You Can," his heartfelt song advocating for America's public lands, and how it unexpectedly became a partnership with the National Parks Conservation Association 🏞️💚 🎶 His current touring band, songwriting philosophy, upcoming festivals, and why staying authentic is still the best career advice he's ever received 🎤🤝🚐 At its heart, this episode is about finding your own voice. It's about taking risks, honoring where you came from, resisting the pressure to become someone else, and trusting that authenticity will always outlast trends. 🌈🫶🎧 Tune in now wherever you get your podcasts!It's an inspiring conversation full of incredible stories, behind-the-scenes moments, plenty of laughs, and a reminder that sometimes the biggest leap forward starts with betting on yourself. 💙✨
- Jul 28, 202654 min
WTRFT S2E43 - High Country Hustle
🎧 This week on What's the Reason for This?, Kodi sits down with High Country Hustle for a conversation about building one of Colorado's fastest-rising bluegrass bands, surviving life on the road, making records the right way, and why community will always matter more than algorithms. 🪕🏔️✨Coming straight out of Durango, High Country Hustle has spent nearly a decade carving out their own sound. What started as a group of college friends jamming together has grown into a nationally touring band with three albums, a brand-new record, and more momentum than ever before.This one starts with the beginning...🎶 How three friends from Fort Lewis College accidentally started a band that never stopped growing 🚐 David Delaney's journey from Connecticut to Colorado and how a road trip changed everything 💍 Why weddings, private events, and local gigs are still some of the most important ways independent bands survive 📧 The surprising reason mailing lists are still more valuable than social media for musicians todayBut then the conversation shifts to making records...🎙️ The story behind recording New Old Roads with producer Scooter Smith 🎛️ Why having a producer with a "light touch" helped the band make their album instead of someone else's 🎻 David almost throwing away one of the album's best fiddle solos before the rest of the band stopped him 📝 Whiteboards, Google Sheets, endless revisions, and what really goes into making an independent bluegrass recordThen things get into the songwriting process...🏕️ How two unplugged writing retreats helped shape the entire album 🎵 Why every member brings songs to the table before the band collectively finishes them 🎻 The evolution of "Madeline the Quaker," a tune written over a decade ago that finally found its perfect home 💡 How collaboration continues to shape the High Country Hustle sound without losing each songwriter's identityAnd then the conversation gets hilarious...😂 The running joke about Berklee College of Music and David's classical background 🎓 Classical violin, upright bass, jam bands, and bluegrass somehow all colliding into one band 🎻 Learning over 70 songs after joining the group and earning his place almost overnight 🌭 Why David somehow became the band's "golden goose"... and a hot dog.The crew also dives into...🪕 Growing up around Telluride Bluegrass Festival and how those early experiences shaped their love for music 🎸 Why Durango has quietly become one of Colorado's strongest music communities 🎟️ How buying tickets early helps independent bands more than most fans realize 👕 Why merch isn't just merchandise... it's fuel for the next album and the next tour 🌎 Expanding into new states, finding new audiences, and what comes next after releasing New Old RoadsOf course, no What's the Reason for This? episode would be complete without plenty of laughs along the way. Between confetti cannons, Capri Suns mixed with LaCroix, arm wrestling challenges, Berklee jokes, and an ongoing campaign to convince everyone to join the mailing list, this episode perfectly captures why hanging out with musicians is just as entertaining as hearing them play.At its core, this episode is about building something that lasts. It's about trusting your friends, learning from every record, embracing every opportunity, and remembering that behind every independent band are countless hours of work that most fans never get to see. Most importantly, it's a reminder that bluegrass has always been about community first.🎧 Tap in now wherever you listen to podcasts. #HighCountryHustle #Bluegrass #ColoradoBluegrass #Durango #NewOldRoads #IndependentMusic #LiveMusic #JamGrass #BluegrassPodcast
About What's The Reason For This Podcast
🎙️ What’s the Reason for This? is the unfiltered, unexpected, and sometimes unhinged podcast where music meets mayhem. Hosted by Kodi and Shay, two jamgrass junkies with a knack for storytelling, this show dives into the heart of the bluegrass and jam band scene—with a few nitrous-fueled detours along the way. 🤠🎻From parking lot legends and VIP miracles to deeply personal redemption arcs, each episode brings you wild tales, offbeat interviews, and honest conversations that explore the why behind the chaos. It’s about the music, the misadventures, and the magic that ties it all together.
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