-[Male VO] This program is brought to you in part by Santa Cruz Guitar Company and Santa Cruz Parabolic Tension Strings.

-[Host VO] Also brought to you by Paige Capos and by Peluso Microphone Lab.

Additional support provided by these sponsors.

Hello and welcome to The Life Of A Musician.

Tonight's episode is recorded live from Constance Cabin at bachelors Hall in Danville, Virginia.

Let's step inside and listen.

-Hello and welcome to The Life Of A Musician.

I am your host, Brandon Lee Adams, and we are coming to you live from Constance Cabin at Bachelors Hall in the great city of Danville, Virginia.

And I'm sitting here with the really, really cool, down to earth awesome guy, Mr. Jesse Smathers of Lonesome River Band fame and Parts Unknown.

-What's going on, brother?

-How are you, man?

-Good to see you.

-I'm good.

-Thanks for having me.

-Well, thanks for being here.

This is a treat, man.

We've been jamming all morning.

-Yeah, I know.

And just for the folks back home, this is our first ever kind of get together, meet and greet.

-And it's a ball.

-Yeah.

-Do you--you can play.

-Oh.

-You can do it.

You got it, man.

-Hanging on like a skin tag, man.

-Me too.

We have that in common this morning.

What I wanted to--I wanted to just bring you out here and get you on the show, just because I've absolutely loved what you've done.

Your music, your singing, everything that you've been doing, that I've caught through the years.

And I'm like, "One of these days, I'm going to get with that cat, and it's going to be fun."

-And you have not disappointed.

-Oh, man, thanks.

-I know we just kind of went over some of your songs this morning, and I just kind of want to jump right into it.

I want to get as much music in as we can.

-Yeah.

-Because it's so so dang good.

-Oh, thanks.

-You want to tell us a little bit about yourself and a little bit about the song?

-Yes.

So I grew up in Eden, North Carolina, just up the road, not too awful far.

And I grew up playing Bluegrass music.

But I come from a musical family.

My granddaddy, Harold Smathers, played with a group called the Luke Smathers String Band, based out of Western North Carolina, Haywood County.

And they play a lot of old time music or string band music.

And what was neat--they start-- they started in the 30s.

But what was really neat is they took a lot of the popular music, pop music of the 20s and 30s, and did that with String Band instrumentation.

-[Brandon] Yeah.

-And so I've-- I've kind of carried on with that influence.

I grew up-- you know, growing up in Eden, there was a lot of Bluegrass music around, so I grew up going to Bluegrass festivals and Fiddler's conventions and stuff, but that Old Time String Band music has really been close to my heart, you know.

-[Brandon] Yeah.

-So I try to not draw -any real hard lines on -[Brandon] Right.

-Bluegrass or old time.

Just make good, feel good -mountain music, you know.

-Yeah.

mountain music is a good way to put it.

And it's real, it's from where-- where you're at.

It's, you know, it's-- that's home music.

And I think mountain music is probably the perfect way -to put it.

-Yeah, yeah.

It's a big spectrum, you know, mountain music's a big spectrum of different styles.

And Bluegrass falls right into that -[Brandon] Yeah, absolutely.

-spectrum, you know.

-Yeah.

Well, you got folk and blues and-- -Yeah, for sure.

-you know, the, you know, if you call string band, it's kind of string band can be any of those things.

-Right.

-And I think that's the cool thing.

The cool thing is you can't define it by anything other than how it makes you feel.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Maybe.

-Makes you move and dance, and it's a-- there's a real community aspect to making it -as well, you know.

-Absolutely, yeah.

I mean, going a little bit about that, you know, we were talking about that this morning, -that community aspect.

-Yeah.

-You're talking about, "Hey, folks, hear this, they can dance to it.

They feel it."

They can move around, you know.

I think you're accomplishing that -Thanks, man.

-in spades, man.

-Well, it's just much about the listener as it is the musician making it, you know, and so.

-Absolutely.

That's-- well--you've got one of these songs that you've written, and I just learned it this morning, and I'm gonna do my best to not mess you up.

-Oh, man.

-But tell us a little bit about this tune, man.

-Yeah.

So I live in Floyd, Virginia now, up Route Eight.

And anyways, it's a-- Floyd used to be called Jacksonville years ago.

And whenever I moved to Floyd, my wife is from Christiansburg, and so whenever I moved to Floyd, this was just something that kind of came to me -that I penned, you know.

-[Brandon] Yeah, man.

And it's called Sing Darling Sing .

And it just talks about a fellow's journey, kind of in a older time, you know.

-[Brandon] Yeah.

-Kind of court as gal, you know, who lived on the other side of the mountain, you know.

So it was going to be a pretty tough trip, I'd say.

-But worth it.

-Yeah.

But worth it.

-It's funny what those girls can do today.

-That's right.

-All right, brother.

Well, lay it on us.

-All right.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I started on a journey ♪ ♪ Across the tracks and [inaudible] of mine ♪ ♪ With poke strapped on my shoulder ♪ ♪ And sweet Sarah on my mind ♪ ♪ Sing darlin' sing sing sing darlin' sing ♪ ♪ Next Sunday is our wedding day ♪ ♪ Sing darlin' sing ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ -Yeah.

♪ Mockingbirds mock my tune as I travel with hop ♪ ♪ I plan today our Gordon Day into the mountain top ♪ ♪ Sing darlin' sing sing sing darlin' sing ♪ ♪ Next Sunday is our wedding day ♪ ♪ Sing darlin' sing ♪ -Get it, son.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ It's a long journey here it's a long journey there ♪ ♪ But it's worth every bus in your flooring, home repair ♪ ♪ Sing darlin' sing sing sing darlin' sing ♪ ♪ Next Sunday is our wedding day ♪ ♪ Sing darlin' sing ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ -Yeah.

♪ Well the wind whips through valley ♪ ♪ And makes it hard to go ♪ ♪ I never let it hold me back from my darlin' so ♪ ♪ Sing darlin' sing sing sing darlin' sing ♪ ♪ Next Sunday is our wedding day ♪ ♪ Sing darlin' sing ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Well I asked her daddy's blessing ♪ ♪ And prayed to get in bed ♪ ♪ Today's the day, I'll asked again ♪ ♪ Next Sunday, we [indistinct] ♪ ♪ If you call me first ♪ ♪ Then I'll say that you [indistinct] ♪ ♪ In a week from today, Sweet Sarah will be my bride ♪ ♪ Sing darlin' sing sing sing darlin' sing ♪ ♪ Next Sunday is our wedding day ♪ ♪ Sing darlin' sing ♪ ♪ Oh sing darlin' sing sing sing darlin' sing ♪ ♪ Next Sunday is our wedding day ♪ ♪ Sing darlin' sing ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ -Yeah, man.

That's fun.

And we remember the 'Oh'.

-That's right.

-We remember the 'Oh' in there -between those sayings.

-I only practiced it twice.

-I only practiced it twice.

-Yeah.

-And, you know, I'll take that.

-Yeah, man.

-I'll take that in a pinch.

-Me too.

-That's a good song, man.

-Thanks, brother.

-I really dug that, you know.

And you kind of draw your inspiration from just -whatever you feel.

-Yeah, yeah.

-You just work it out.

-Yeah.

And mountain music, you know, I feel like that's something that folks can dance to and it's a simple little story, you know.

That's something that makes mountain music and String Band music and bluegrass music special to me is simple music, you know, it can be comprehended pretty easily, you know.

-[Brandon] Yeah.

-It's just a story, and doesn't go over anybody's head too awful much.

-That's all right, though, but it's--that's the things, you know, the importance, I think, of any song is it something that sticks with you.

Does it make you feel a thing, and does it stick with you?

And sometimes that's 20 chords, -and sometimes that's... -Yeah, for sure.

-two, you know.

-Yeah.

-I was talking about, I did like Angelina Baker -on a track, that's two chords.

-Yeah, man.

-But every time I hear that song, -it just makes me feel good.

-That's right.

Yeah.

-You know, the worst day in the world, -that song makes me feel good.

-Yeah.

Yeah.

-You know.

And that's, you know, I think that's what makes music amazing.

It's--doesn't have really any rules to it.

-Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

We were just talking about that, you know.

It's not--there's--it's just music making, you know, it's not rocket science, you know.

It's just picking and having fun and... -[Brandon] Yeah, man.

-and the community aspect, you know, coming together with another musician or people who are dancing or listening, you know, and just playing something that you can all come together on, you know.

-So, like, I know you've got something you've been working on on the side, you know.

And I think you've just had so much of that music in you.

It's like, "Man, I gotta, I gotta do this."

-Yeah.

-So I get that.

Just--you kind of scratching that itch, -Yeah, yeah.

For sure, you know.

And, plus living in Floyd, I work-- I work part time with the Floyd Country Store and its sister program, The Handmade Music School up there where we give lessons and teach and we pass along Appalachian traditions, you know.

And so, just really being inspired by people who are wanting to learn, you know.

That's another thing that's just-- just being inspired by your peers and people all around, you know.

-Yeah, man.

You can get inspiration from anybody, any place.

And sometimes I'll feed off of that, like -Yeah.

-I'll see somebody -who wants to learn, it so bad -Yeah.

-that they'll just do whatever it takes.

And that inspires me.

And like, "Well, crap, I guess I better get off the couch and."

-Yeah.

Man, I learned something every time I give a lesson.

-I learn something new, you know.

So it's a cool thing, you know.

And plus, I feel like I'm keeping something -bigger than me or you alive, -[Brandon] Yeah, exactly.

-you know, in a way.

-Yeah.

I mean, it's really, it's like, the oral tradition.

-Yeah, for sure.

-You know, back before writing, -it was, everything was oral.

-Yeah.

-And, like, I have no clue where some of the songs I know come from, but I sure know the song, you know.

-Yeah.

-And such--that's a part of, you know, that's part of the tree, you know, -it grows past us.

-Yeah.

and that's really amazing.

Were there any pickers kind of coming up who were, like, kind of like, you listened and you like, "I kind of want to do that."

Like, inspirations, feel-- you know, those ones like, "Man, I have to do it because I heard this."

-Yeah, um, yeah.

That, you know, somebody we both love is Tony Rice, you know.

Tony--I grew-- growing up in Eden, Tony lived there in Reedsville, you know.

So he was--I always had a big connection to his music.

And I've been really honored to work with the Lonesome River Band for the past 10 years.

I grew up listening to the Lonesome River Band.

And then again, they-- Sammy Sheeler and his influence and drive on the banjo and Tim Austin on the guitar, that was something that really influenced me.

-[Brandon] Yeah.

-It was just that powerful downbeat rhythm section, you know.

And but then again, Sammy comes from an old time background too, you know, so he's tried to incorporate that into the Lonesome River Band sound.

And so have I, you know, with the past 10 years.

And so I've-- I'm really close to that.

But you know, pickers like Doc Watson and Norman Blake were always big influences to me.

And then even my granddaddy's band, the Luke Smathers String Band and even, you know, bands like the Skillet Liquors from North Georgia, you know, -[Brandon] Yeah, man.

-From old time music, -Riley Puckett and some of that.

There was a great guitar player from Eden named Gene Meade, who played guitar behind a great West Virginia fiddler, -Clark Kessinger.

Man-- -I know Robin.

-Yeah, yeah.

-I know Robin.

-Yeah.

And it was-- and Gene was just such a powerful rhythm player, you know.

It was almost too Bluegrass to be old time and too old time to be Bluegrass, you know.

But he could really get on it, you know.

So I have influences all over String Band music, but, you know, I even love-- I went through a phase, -you know, where I was-- -You can say Eric Clapton.

-It's okay.

-Eric Clapton.

Yeah, man.

-You can say Clapton, man -And ACDC and some of that.

-Yeah.

-You know, I went down -that wormhole too.

-Yeah.

-Well, it's got feeling to it.

-Yeah, for sure.

-I know there's one thing we talked on the phone.

I'm like, "Man, I got to get Jesse to talk about this."

As you know, you've got that drive, you've got-- you've kind of transferred over that LRB drive into what you're playing right here.

And it's really cool to sit next to you -and get this close and hear it.

-Oh, thanks.

-You know, is that something you guys worked on that is, like, what's the pocket?

Where's the pocket?

How do I push that?

I mean, I'm right-- I'm with you.

Tim Austin is kind of like the root of that guitar.

-Yeah.

Well, the founder, yeah, you know, he-- that was just a dynamic sound that he-- -[Brandon] Yeah.

-And I think he was influenced.

And I'm not--I hope I'm not speaking out of turn.

But I think he was influenced by people like David Parmley and Dale McCurry and, -[Brandon] Yeah.

you know, some of those dynamic rhythm players who were heroes of mine as well.

-[Brandon] Yeah.

I mean, Jimmy Martin.

-Jimmy Martin, yeah.

It all comes from that school, you know.

-Yeah.

So like, when you jumped into LRB, you're on the mandolin.

Now, how tough was it jumping mandolin guitar?

-Did you have to change a gear?

-Man, not really.

When Sammy called me in 2015 to join the band, he said, "Well, would you like to play a mandolin?"

Well, I had to buy one.

I didn't even own one at the time, you know, and we-- we got together and ate lunch, and, but I grew up hearing that music, so I knew a lot of the kickoffs and the words to a lot of those songs already, just from, you know, which-- And my mom had a little cheap A-model mandolin -that I fool around with.

-[Brandon] Yeah, yeah.

Taterbug.

-Yeah.

And I actually played that when I played with James King.

-[Brandon] Oh, Lord, I didn't know you played - with James King.

-Yeah.

I played with James King for about three years, you know.

That was my first gig, professional lap, fresh out of high school.

And so I played that little A-model mandolin, and kind of figured some stuff out.

But then, when Sammy called, I really started wood shedding on the mandolin.

But he--something he was real adamant about on the mandolin was me playing just one singular chop.

♪ ♪ ♪ -Right.

Wouldn't that 2B?

-Yeah.

No, not ♪ ♪ ♪ -Yeah.

-Just one chop, you know.

And after doing that for six, six years or so, then he--Brandon Rickman left after 20 years, and he asked, "Well, do you want to switch over to the guitar, or do you want to keep playing mandolin?"

I said, "Man, I think I want to switch over to guitar."

-[Brandon] I hear you.

-I was just, you know, -that was my dream gig.

-[Brandon] Right.

Right.

-You know, was to play rhythm guitar behind Sammy.

And it took about six months for me to really get relaxed in the pocket.

-[Brandon] Yeah.

-To be honest, I was-- I remember him telling me something one time, as he said, just, he said, "Relax it just a little bit."

You know, because I was-- I guess, eager and, -Yeah.

Well, you gotta be-- -and adrenaline and stuff like that, you know.

-I got it right now and I'm not even doing it.

-Yeah, I mean, it's a natural thing, you know, it's human nature.

And man, but that spoke.

That was just a big lesson.

Even though it was a simple lesson, it was a big lesson, you know.

And so I really try to think about dynamics and how-- how a band-- everybody has a role to play.

-Absolutely.

-You know, you-- in other genres of music, you're playing to a drummer.

-Um-hmm.

-In Bluegrass, you are the drummer.

-Exactly.

If you-- especially with the mandolin.

-Yeah.

The band itself is the drum.

-Yeah.

-Bass is your kick -Mandolin's your snare.

Guitar's kind of the high hit and banjo's kind of riding on top of that as well.

So I really hone in on what a banjo player's doing.

If it's time to take a break, and you can kind of push that front a little bit.

Then when you're singing, you can kind of back off of it a little bit and get a little more centered, you know, and really work those pockets of air behind a vocal, you know.

-It's really vocal-driven.

-Yeah.

Well, it's one of those-- it's feel music.

You can't really explain it.

-You just got to feel it.

-Yeah.

Oh, for sure, for sure.

Yeah.

And it's-- and it fluctuates, you know.

I mean, there's no metronome up on stage, you know.

So the music can fluctuate five, six beats, you know, or whatever.

-[Brandon] Um-hmm.

And that's okay, as long as you're doing it together.

-As long as you're doing it together.

And so I feel like we really do that, you know.

We're--we've been playing together for so long that it's-- there's just a kind of a fluid motion of playing on the front, playing in the middle, playing behind, depending on what the song calls for.

Every song calls for a little something different.

-Yeah.

You gotta--it's-- you gotta be in the moment with it.

And that--see-- I was curious about myself, because I was like, "Man, that had to be a little bit of work."

Kind of going from that 2 beat, you know, right on that two mindset -to filling in everything else.

-Right.

Yeah.

-Yeah.

-I wouldn't want to do it.

-Yeah.

Well, it's just, you know, it was a little change, but it wasn't, you know, I was really, I've always been really tuned in -to what a guitar players -[Brandon] Yeah.

-do it, you know.

I really love that rhythm guitar aspect.

I think that's a cool thing -in this music, you know.

-Well, absolutely.

It's like, the hardest working guy out in the band is, you know, I'm just going to say the guitar players are hardest working, y'all.

And I will fight you over it.

♪ ♪ ♪ But anyways, I just that-- was a question for me.

I had to, kind of just pick your brain on that.

-Yeah.

-But let's kind of get back to your stuff, man.

I know you got another tune that -Yeah.

-I want to do.

And what-- can you fill us in on this one?

-Well, then again, it's a simple little story.

-[Brandon] That's okay.

-But... - that's the best one.

- it's called, If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It.

-[Brandon] Okay.

-And it kind of tells of just different scenarios in life where why fix it if it ain't broke, you know.

But it kind of goes back to what I was saying earlier about this music, you know.

Simple music, you know.

It doesn't have to be super complex to be beautiful and cool, you know.

So that's--so it kind of has a double meaning in a way, you know.

-Yeah, man.

Well, you can say a lot in a few words, like, you know, what a difference a day makes.

-That's right.

-You know.

-That's right.

-There you go.

-That's right.

-I'll try to jump in on you if I can remember those words.

But if not, you know, we'll play it by ear.

We'll just do it again.

-That's right.

We'll just come into an economy style, have at it.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Well, my grandma had the same ♪ ♪ Struck chord when I was young ♪ ♪ Ain't no use in fixing them ♪ ♪ After all is done ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ Leave well enough alone ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ Leave well enough alone ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Well, my brother's got an old Ford truck ♪ ♪ Runs without complain ♪ ♪ He always wants to upgrade ♪ ♪ Although it's running great ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ Leave well enough alone ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ Leave well enough alone ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ -Yeah, man.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Well, there's a girl I've made my wife ♪ ♪ The prettiest girl I've seen ♪ ♪ She's always keen to change her look ♪ ♪ But she's prettiest to me ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ Leave well enough alone ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ Leave well enough alone ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ My mama loves [indistinct] ♪ ♪ Cooking was divine ♪ ♪ They offered her a brand new stove ♪ ♪ Better hope that works fine ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ Leave well enough alone ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ Leave well enough alone ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ -Yeah, man.

Let's--can we just do an acapella real quick on that?

I love that.

That chorus.

Get our pitch.

♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ Leave well enough alone ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ If it ain't broke, don't fix it ♪ ♪ Leave... ♪ -[Man VO] Thank you for being a part of our show.

We look forward to seeing you on the next episode of The Life Of A Musician.

♪ ♪ ♪ -[Brandon] Yes, man.

♪ ♪ ♪ -[Brandon] That feels good.

-[Male VO] This program is brought to you in part by Santa Cruz Guitar Company and Santa Cruz Parabolic Tension Strings.

-[Host VO] Also brought to you by Paige Capos and by Peluso Microphone Lab.

Additional support provided by these sponsors.