I've started a baseball history podcast, See You at the Ballpark!  One of its goals is to present players' first-hand perspectives and insights, and the first episode is a chat with pitcher Mike Smithson and his experiences on the 1988 Boston Red Sox who, after a managerial change at the All-Star Break, went on an incredible 19-1 winning streak.  The podcast is available on Spotify and Apple. 

The Spotify link is here. 

The Apple link is here. 

Thank you for considering giving the episode a listen.  

Oklahoma City!  It's time for a house concert!!!  Friday, April 4, join us as we host BEAU JENNINGS in a cozy living room setting!  Contact [email protected] for more information / reservation. 

Bluegrass-adjacent songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, fryer of chicken and eater of salad (his description on Bandcamp) John Depew plays a house concert in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, April 9.  We asked John a few questions, and he graciously responded.  Enjoy the chat below, and join us for the show. 
 
Curious Pair Presents:  What led to your interest in music? 
 
John Depew:  I don't really remember a time before music was a major part of my life. My dad is a musician and started me out young. My interest in music as more than a hobby in recent years really comes from wanting to ask questions with music in a way that connects with people who have the same questions and ideas, as well as the demonstrable positive impact that live music can have on the world in a time when I think society is very fragile. We deeply need shared in-person experiences that are unifying across ideologies and backgrounds, and music is one very powerful way to achieve that end. It's also really friggin' fun. 
 
CPP:  How many instruments do you play?  What are they? 
 
JD:  I can make noise on a lot of different things but my primary 4 instruments are mandolin, octave mandolin, guitar, and banjo (clawhammer, I don't do well with 3-finger banjo at this point), in that order of competency, I'd say.
 
CPP:  When did you begin to play the banjo?  How did you learn the instrument? 
 
JD:  I built a banjo out of a box of parts someone had given me about 15 years ago or so. Prior to that I hadn't played one much, but my brother had been learning some clawhammer tunes and he got me infected with a love for that sound, particularly melodic players like Adam Hurt among others. Having already played stringed instruments for years at that point certainly made it easier since the right-hand technique is the main thing I need to work on. Basically, I just left a banjo next to the couch for a few years and would pick it up for a few minutes whenever I had free time, and it kinda taught itself to me in a casual way. 
 
CPP:  Did / do you have any mentors who took you under their wing and showed you the ropes about music?  If so, who are they, and how did they help you grow? 
 
JD:  Yeah, definitely. Starting with my dad, who taught me a lot of foundational stuff when I was a kid. A couple guys, Kentucky White and Shelby Eicher, have been kind enough to show me some more advanced stuff in recent years, primarily music theory things that they can explain in 15 minutes but will take me years to really understand on a practical level. My current bandmate Peter Oviatt is a big motivator for me; he's a monster player but more importantly isn't shy about gracefully telling me the honest truth about places where I can improve. That's a hard relationship to find and I value it dearly. 
 
CPP:  Related question:  who are your influences?  And, how do they influence you? 
 
JD:  Musically, I'm influenced pretty obviously by Chris Thile and the sort of chamber-grass mandolin scene, but also in smaller ways by people across the spectrum from Dave Brubeck to Django Reinhardt to Debussy, Satie, Phillip Glass, Bela Fleck, and songwriters like Darrell Scott, Tim O'Brien, Norman Blake, folks like that. 
 
CPP:  Describe your daily music routine – what do you do to maintain your playing skills, write songs, and keep your ear open to discover new sounds?
 
JD:  Ideally, I try to spend a minimum of a couple of hours a day on an instrument. I tend to write best first thing in the morning, so whenever possible I try to get up early, make some coffee and get right to work before everyone else in the house is awake. Doesn't always happen that way but that's the ideal. Typically then once my kids are up I'm busy with other things until evening, which is when I generally put in real practice time, as opposed to creative time. Lately I've been doing a lot of work with a metronome, trying to break through some bluegrass speed barriers I have and hopefully improving my natural sense of timing (an area that matters less as a solo artist but creates challenges in a band setting if you're not really living in the pocket). 
As for keeping an open ear, a lot of my songwriting process revolves around hearing things that other people are doing that I don't understand and trying to understand them through songwriting. Easy example of this is odd meters. I've gotten interested in recent years in learning how to exist in meters like 5/4 and 7/8 for instance, or experimenting with layered rhythms in different meters, or harmony structures that aren't intuitive to me, but trying to 'intuitize' them by writing music using these tools that you barely understand. That's what really interests me as a musician these days.
 
CPP:  What is your preference, working solo or collaboratively?  Why? 
 
JD:  I've done two fully solo albums and one (most recently) with a trio since getting really serious about music as a business back around 2020. I like the freedom of playing solo, on one hand, because there's infinite room to improvise and deviate from the script and have a lot of fun just poking around inside the music. On the other hand, I've got a trio going now that I feel like is really stepping into next level music from what I've been able to do solo. There's just something about the dynamic range that we can create with a mandolin-banjo-double bass trio that is really something wholly different. So right now, I've been investing a lot of time in the trio format, but I'm actually really looking forward to playing some solo shows again because of the coziness I've found playing as a solo artist. Both formats are really fun and challenging but in very different ways. 
 
CPP:  What is / are some tips to frying chicken well?  Follow-up:  how did you discover this insight? 
 
JD:  Haha, this is not a question I've ever had in an interview. Love it! Temperature of the chicken is important, particularly with white meat, breast meat that's not quite frozen but not quite thawed is my preference because you can get it crispy without it overcooking, if you watch it closely. My favorite fried chicken uses de-boned thighs cut into strips or nuggets. Buttermilk dip and then into a dry flour mixture with white pepper and salt and baking powder. If you like extra crispy chicken, throw it back in the buttermilk and then back in the flour and let it sit a while so that buttermilk really sticks up a thick layer of flour. Then into the fryer. It's not really difficult. Awesome on a good green salad or with sesame sauce over steamed vegetables and sticky rice, or a bunch of other ways. 
 
CPP:  What do you do for fun? 
 
JD:  Hmm. I've tuned both my main hobbies ostensibly into jobs in recent years (music and cattle) so I guess you could say I work for fun, haha. I like to hike and bike, and I enjoy cooking and listening to records. I like to read, particularly poetry, and also I'm a big fan of fire (we heat with wood in the winter, and many evenings will hang out around a campfire through the evenings in the warmer months). 
 
CPP:  You’re playing Oklahoma City on April 9.  Do you have any memorable Oklahoma or Oklahoma City experiences? 
 
JD:  I used to come down to Quartz Mtn and the Wichita Mountains regularly to rock climb, even though I never got to be a high-level climber. I learned how to lead "trad" routes (I think 5.9 was the hardest I ever did, nothing really impressive, but still intense and fun) and have a bunch of great memories climbing Elk Slabs, Echo Dome, and some others. One time, we went to Quartz in January and tent camped in like single digit weather. We were the only ones there. Went to the restaurant at the Lodge down there and were the only customers all night, had like a two-hour conversation with the waitress, and drank beers. Everyone we met was astounded that we were there camping and climbing, but it was one of the most fun trips I can remember. Would do it again in a heartbeat but now I have a van with a heater and a guilt-complex, haha.
 
CPP:  What’s next for you musically? 
 
JD:  I've got a really fun summer season of shows with John Depew Trio this summer from Michigan on the east end to Oregon on the west. I'm working out the fine points of most of the material for the next album (we just put out Bell of Hope which I'm really proud of and excited about, here: https://johndepew.bandcamp.com/album/bell-of-hope). I'm also experimenting a little bit with a more traditional bluegrass side project, which will be a fun outlet for me; I'm playing occasionally in a contra-dance band, that's fun, and doing some session recording and producing work here and there which is also a really fun area to explore (anybody who's interested in that feel free to reach out to me). 
 
CPP:  Anything else?  Anything we left out that you'd like to add?
 
JD:  I write semi-regularly about all kinds of stuff on SubStack for anyone who didn't think this was long-winded enough, haha! You can find that here: https://substack.com/@johndepewmusic
 
John Depew appears on Wednesday, April 9 at a house concert in Oklahoma City.  Happy hour at 7:00 p.m.; music starts at 8:00 p.m.; BYOB; donation of $15 to the artist is suggested.  For reservations or more information, please contact [email protected] or 205-616-5009. 

In November 2016, I drove to Altus, Oklahoma to interview Eddie Fisher.  Wanting to write a book about Oklahoma baseball history, I wanted to include as many first-hand insights from players as possible.  Mr. Fisher and I sat down at his crimson-colored bar; I turned on my recorder; and we discussed many topics.  He shared that, when he learned that Alex Rodriguez signed a ten-year contract for more than $200 million, he poured himself a drink at the very bar we were sitting at and put pencil to paper to figure out how long it would take A-Rod to earn what he did during his fifteen year Major League career. 

It was a matter of a few games for A-Rod to collect what it took Fisher years to earn.  

We talked a little about Fisher's work with the Players Association and working with Marvin Miller to level the playing field between players and owners when I asked a goofy follow-up question. 

"So, what did you pour yourself to drink?"

"Vodka tonic."  He paused.  "You want one?  I'll mix you one."  

I passed, citing the drive back to Oklahoma City.  But, I appreciate Mr. Fisher spending an afternoon with me, answering my questions and sharing his perspectives and insights about baseball, and his kindness in offering me a drink.  Thank you very much, Mr. Fisher.   

The FABULOUS Georgia Parker returns for an Oklahoma City house concert on Monday, March 10!  Join us!  Message for reservations! 

Two for Tuesday!!!  One house concert -- two FABULOUS songwriters!  Join us!

An Oklahoma Return!  Hannah Juanita and Mose Wilson
           The last time Hannah Juanita and Mose Wilson played in Oklahoma City, it was Summer 2023 and their second stop on a six-week tour.  With their dog Loretta in tow, they performed an energetic house concert on a Tuesday night to the delight of their fans and country music lovers.  Hannah belted (no microphone) twangy tunes from her debut record Hardliner (2021), Mose plugged in his Telecaster and picked his tail off, and the two lifted a packed living room into a frenzy with their lovely duets, insightful songwriting, fun banter, and outstanding musicianship. 
            Good news!  Hannah and Mose are back, again on a Tuesday night, February 11, for a house concert where they plan on sharing new music.  Hannah released her second record, Tennessee Songbird, last summer, and Mose is slated to release his new record in May – country music “but there’s a lot of styles going on,” Mose says.  “There’s a lot of Cuban influence.  Lot of New Orleans jazz and soul influence.” 
            Hannah agrees.  “They’re country songs, but he’s added some different flavors.” 
            “We have a lot of new material,” Mose says.  “We’ll be trying out a lot of new tunes.”
           Hannah is excited to share songs from Tennessee Songbird, a record that was recorded over two days at Nashville’s The Bomb Shelter studio. 
           “I’m really happy with the songs,” she says.  And, the recording process – an experience she describes as flowing naturally and buoying her creatively and energetically. 
           The two artists have music in their blood.  “My mom says I was singing before I could talk,” Hannah says.  “I’ve always been naturally inclined to sing.”  Likewise with Mose and a guitar.  At the age of two, he received a toy violin as Christmas present, which he returned to his grandmother and asked for a guitar.  He’s been playing since age six and loving all the music he can soak up, from seeing Joe Perry in concert with Aerosmith as a youngster, to learning blues from his guitar teacher John Cook in Tullahoma, Tennessee, to digging on Thelonius Monk today. 
             “He’s been my go-to,” Mose says.        
           Toward the end of January, Hannah and Mose leave their Nashville homebase and head west to play shows in Missouri, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada, and California before one final stop in Oklahoma City as they close the circle and return to Music City. 
            “I think it will be a really nice way to end the tour,” Hannah says. 
          Hannah Juanita and Mose Wilson play a house concert in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, February 11.  Happy hour is at 7:00 p.m., and music starts at 8:00 p.m.  Donations of $15 per person are suggested for the artists.  For more information and a reservation, please contact [email protected] or 205-616-5009. 

Nashville Inspiration Coming to OKC
 
When Nashville musicians and husband and wife couple Zach Bryson and Marina Madden arrive in Oklahoma City in October to perform at a house concert, it will be a homecoming of sorts for one and a new city to explore for another. 

For Zach, who spent a sweltering summer in OKC nearly fifteen years ago (“Living there quote unquote?  I guess I loitered there.”), he looks forward to sharing new songs with old friends and stopping by a tried-and-true favorite, Jeff’s Country Cafe on Classen Avenue.  And thrifting. 

“We really like to go thrift shopping,” Marina says.  “I feel like the west is really good for it.” 

As Oklahoma City offers ample thrifting opportunities, Nashville provides a rich musical homebase for the two musicians who are amazed and inspired by the great music that surrounds them.  With heroes like Lucinda Williams and John Prine, Zach and Marina enjoy catching live music. 

“Living in Nashville, we have a great community of friends that are playing shows a lot,” Marina says.  “It’s kind of hard to go to a show in Nashville and not leave inspired afterwards.  We get to see some truly incredible musicians.  Our friend Jessie Gray is a person we get a chance to see pretty frequently in Nashville.  I would say we both leave her concerts feeling ready to write.”   

Sharing lives and love together also inspires creativity and music.  “I wrote a whole album, the last album I put out is called Beauty Songs for Sweet, and it’s just all songs for Marina,” Zach says. 

Marina recently released an EP, Code Red, and she is pleased with the finished product.  “It’s songs I’ve been really excited to put out for a while now,” she says.  “It’s just a very special piece of work that I’m really pumped about.” 

The couple will perform individual sets and “probably” sing a song or two together.   

After their Oklahoma City house concert, Zach and Marina head to Texas for a few shows before landing at the Black Pot Festival and Cook-Off in southern Louisiana, gigs in Florida, and then home to Nashville for the winter. 

But, before bracing for the winter, an Oklahoma City house concert awaits. 

“I’m excited to go back,” Zach says.  “I’ve always liked it a lot.” 

Zach Bryson and Marina Madden perform at a house concert on Saturday, October 19.  Happy hour at 7:00 p.m.; music begins at 8:00 p.m.  A donation of $15 is suggested.  For reservations, contact [email protected].   

Five Questions with Georgia Parker
 
            In anticipation of The Goodnights’ upcoming Oklahoma City house concert, we sat down with guitarist, vocalist, and all-around outstanding musician Georgia Parker.  We asked the Boerne, Texas native five questions about her experiences as a musician in general and with The Goodnights specifically.  And, about GWAR performing in Tulsa’s Cain’s Ballroom.    
           CP:  Who are some of your influences or mentors? 
           GP:  My biggest influences, and it sounds cliché, but Willie Nelson, but like Willie Nelson’s jazz records.  And Freddy Powers who wrote a lot of songs with Merle Haggard and played in his band and wrote a bunch of cool Texas swing tunes.  It’s like western swing but like songwriter and a whole other era of time.  And, then of course Cindy Walker, who wrote a ton of great songs for Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. 
         CP:  What brought The Goodnights together?  How did you guys meet and connect? 
         GP:  Ooo, I actually wonder this.  So, Sophia [Johnson] and Katy Cox have a band called Tiger Alley.  So, they’re kind of like a musical duo, and they’re both friends of mine, and we both like – I play mostly swing.  They play a lot of western swing and also write cool songs and play rock and roll and country music and all kinds of music.  But, we all play bluegrass.  So, we play – sometimes we play, the three of us, bluegrass nights together, and then what happens we’re all secretly off the mic:  can we get away with playing a swing tune right now? 
          CP:  This is a goofy question, but what makes it fun for you guys? 
         GP:  I think that, well, I mean, we love the songs.  And, in some ways, it’s back to basics.  Like we’re doing songs that maybe we used to do when we first got into western swing or that we just wouldn’t normally do in our regular projects.  So, that’s fun.  And also working up all the parts.  But, I think what makes it fun for us is we’re all friends, and we don’t get to spend enough time together.  And, so now, we have a reasonable excuse to hang out, and we work well together.    
          CP:  Have you been to Cain’s Ballroom?
          GP:  I’ve been.  I haven’t seen a show there.  Yet. 
         CP:  Anything stand out about being in the ballroom and walking around there and knowing that, seventy, eighty years ago, [Bob Wills] was on the stage fiddling and doing the ah-hah? 
          GP:  Yeah.  It’s just incredible, an incredible chunk of history, and I love the photos on the wall.  And Brett, Brett Bingham, gave us a tour of Cain’s the last time I came through Oklahoma and that’s the only time I’ve ever been there.  So, it was closed, and we kind of got to run around the whole place and look at everything.  And, he knows so much about Oklahoma music history and Bob Wills and all that stuff.  He’s a great tour guide.  Something else I couldn’t not think about was a friend of mine told me he saw GWAR there?  So, I was just imagining seeing GWAR and like looking up at Cindy Walker and Bob Wills and everybody, their photos up on the wall.  It’s cool to me that like – I’d rather that be happening than for Cain’s to close down and then build a new venue for something like that.  I think it’s cool that this is a sacred space for music, and, if that’s the music you like, then yeah. Be inclusive. 
           The Goodnights, featuring Georgia Parker, Sophia Johnson, and Katy Rose Cox, play a house concert in Oklahoma City on Sunday, October 13.  For details, please contact [email protected]. 

Pumped to share that the new issue of Oklahoma Today includes my story about the 1972 Putnam City High School baseball team -- state champs with three future professional athletes, including its catcher Steve Largent, Pro Football Hall of Famer.  Check it out!