Advertise on podcast: Mississippi Arts Hour

This week Leslie talks with interdisciplinary artist, A.J. Haynes. Both a solo artist and lead vocalist for the nationally and internationally acclaimed band, Seratones, A.J. recently performed on the Grammy winning album, A Tribute to the King of Zydeco. She is a Louisiana native, but has lived and created art in Mississippi. Join us for a conversation that covers everything from teacakes, to community building. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry visits with Fletcher Cox, a master woodworker and craftsman who lives in the Jackson area. Cox is a past Governor’s Arts Award recipient and current member of MAC’s Artist Roster. They talk about his roots as a self-taught craftsman, how his work has evolved over the years and how he has given “new life” to fallen trees as furniture and other items. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David visits with the painter Josephine Alexander from Ashland, Mississippi. A native of Maine, Alexander runs a small vegetable farm and makes oil paintings. She received an Artist Fellowship grant from MAC this summer. They talk about her roots in the Northeast, coming back to painting after some time away, and her recommendations to would-be artists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry talks with longtime north Mississippi blues performer Eric Deaton. A native of North Carolina, Deaton moved to Mississippi in his late teens and learned the Hill Country blues style by playing with the masters of the music, including Junior Kimbrough and R.L.Burnside. Deaton has played with a “who’s who” of blues performers over the years and most recently recorded and toured with The Black Keys, the Grammy award-winning rock group. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kristen talks with author and visual artist Diane Williams about Fostering Love, her memoir of growing up in a troubled family. Diane talks about the challenges of telling a difficult personal story and the insights she gained through the project. Also joining the conversation is Meredith Coleman Magee, the publisher of Fostering Love. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry talks with musician, bandleader and producer Jimbo Mathus. They talk about the upcoming reissue of his 1997 album Plays Songs for Rosetta and the origins of that project, as well as his recent work with the Parchman Prison Band on their upcoming recording. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Leslie talks with television writer, producer, and showrunner, Laura Kittrell. Laura's work includes Insecure, High School, and The Michael J. Fox Show. Her most recent project Elle (from the world of Legally Blonde) premiered on Amazon Prime earlier this summer. Laura discusses the life of a showrunner, the nineties, and growing up in Meridian, Mississippi. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry finishes his recent trip to Oxford by visiting with Bill Perry, a jazz pianist and bandleader in the city. Perry tells about his beginnings as a musician,playing in a family band. He then branched out into jazz, leading a number of different groups. Perry also talks about his work creating self-produced movies in Oxford. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David travel to Hattiesburg to speak with singer/songwriter Elsie, who is currently competing on America's Got Talent tv show. She tells David about her years growing up in Columbia, Mississippi, the lessons she learned as a church musician, and her travels throughout the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry talks with Oxford writer Larry Wells about his new book, Backstory: A Literary Life on the Run. Co-authored with his late wife Dean Faulkner Wells, the book highlights the couple’s years working as freelance journalists, traveling throughout the U.S. and writing stories on wing walkers, cave exploring, literary graveyards and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David travels to Meridian to visit with Penny Kemp, President and CEO of the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAEX). They talk about Kemp’s roots in Meridian and her previous work in the arts. They also highlight MAC’s upcoming “Day for Artists” convening at the museum and several of the MAEX’s ongoing and planned activities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Larry travels up to Oxford to talk with singer/songwriter Arnie Brenn. Brenn is a Laurel native who creates multi-layered psychedelic influenced rock. They talk about Brenn's childhood working as a church musician, how the bass lines in his music originate from him playing sousaphone in marching band and the freedom of creating music in a tiny house. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we’re playing a classic “Arts Hour” show featuring the late Calvin Phelps, founder and longtime director of Pike School of Art who passed away last month. Through PSA, Phelps produced a lot of innovative arts programming in McComb and across the county. The interview was recorded in May 2017 by Malcolm White, MAC’s former executive director. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry catches up with Scott Barretta, host of Highway 61 on MPB. They talk about a number of things in the current blues scene in Mississippi, including the re-constituted blues band at the state penitentiary (Parchman), Mississippi artists at the Chicago Blues Festival and some of the young musicians who are starting to make a name for themselves, including Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, David visits with painter and visual artist Brejenn Allen from Meridian. They talk about her rural roots and the creative spirit within her family, her studies at the Art Institute of Chicago, and the role that Mississippi plays in her work and artistic practice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.