Chicagoan Francesca Folinazzo (Frank) founded Roots Music Rambler as a music and travel blog in a pre-pandemic world. COVID killed events and travel plus her desire to play her banjo. Falls texted her in 2023 and said, 'Let's bring it back as a podcast!' He was raised on John Prine, babysat on Waylon Jennings and taught to drink and cuss the proper, mountain way. He hails from Pikeville, Ky., the birthplace of Dwight Yoakum, whose annual festival is Hillbilly Days.

Jason Falls shares an impressive find while raiding his mother’s vinyl collection #rootsmusic

New Episode alert! Roots Music Rambler drops Friday as Frank and Falls hear an emotional journey from Ashley Best who weathered the death of his first wife and years of alcohol abuse to find sobriety, love and new songwriting skills. The Ohio dairy farmer has a 2022 album out and is working on another now!

But Falls also tells of an impressive find while raiding his mother’s vinyl collection over the holidays.

The episode drops Friday at rootsmusicrambler.com, the Roots Music Rambler channel on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

Get the full episodes here: https://bit.ly/RMRFullEpisodesYT
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Discover the real roots of music, from Americana, Country, Bluegrass, Blues, Soul, World and beyond.

Welcome to Roots Music Rambler!

Hosted by Francesca Folinazzo & Jason Falls. Roots Music Rambler, a podcast exploration of the where as much as the who or what. We’ll interview emerging and established artists, fans and others in Americana, Outlaw Country, Bluegrass, Blues, Roots, Soul, World and beyond. But we will always get to the stories of where they’re from and how that impacted the music we know and love.

It’s more than just their influences. It’s their families. Communities. Cultures. This show is a fun combination of music, travel, history and more. We dig into the stories from artists, musicians, songwriters, producers, fans and beyond, that don’t just expose their musical influences, but their life influences.

Music follows the path of human movement. We trace the steps to bring better understanding to what we hear today and why we love it.

Where music, travel, history and culture intersect

Join us for the exploration of the real roots of music on Roots Music Rambler. Available wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get podcasts!

Website: https://rootsmusicrambler.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rootsmusicrambler
Spotify: https://jasonfalls.co/rootsspotify
Apple Podcasts: https://jasonfalls.co/rootsapple

Follow us on socials!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootsmusicrambler/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RootsMusicRambler
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RootsMusicRmblr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rootsmusicrambleon

#rootsmusic #americanamusic #countrymusic #americana #music #vinylcollection #rockabillymusic #ashleybest #rootsmusicrambler

From Rock Bottom to Rockabilly Success, Ashley Best is Now At His Best

Welcome to Episode 10 of Roots Music Rambler! Join us – hosts Francesca Folinazzo, who Jason calls “Frank,” and Jason Falls, who goes by “Falls” most of the time, as we explore the real roots of the music we love.

Ashley Best has one of the stories that just sets him up to write great country songs. The Cadiz, Ohio dairy farmer started playing music in his teens, then life got in the way. In his early 20s, his wife died unexpectedly and left him with two daughters to raise. The struggles of a widower got to him and he admitted to spending years self-medicating with alcohol.
Then he hit rock bottom.

The journey out of alcoholism included finding love again, getting back to his family farm, and rediscovering his ability to write and perform. Best produced an EP in 2018, then dropped his first full album, Something, in 2022. His mix of honky tonk swoon and rockabilly energy has produced strong music that matches nicely with his layers-of-life-experience voice that is unique, to say the least.

Best told us he describes his vocal quality as, “tired.” We think it’s “seasoned.”

Best joined us to share his emotional journey down and back, what it’s like playing honky tonks in the Ohio-West Virginia-Pennsylvania section of the country, how his grandfather’s old reel-to-reel recordings put him on his path to music and much more on an emotional and uplifting episode of RMR.

Frank and Falls also talk about their respective vinyl record collections, share their reaction to a local radio station’s top 2023 albums list and react to Jason Isbell’s recent dental work.

Buckle up for The Hoe-Down and the Throw-Down! It’s a new episode of Roots Music Rambler.

Notes and links:
Jason Isbell explains reason behind teeth fixing: https://www.cbs42.com/entertainment/jason-isbell-shares-reason-for-getting-teeth-fixed/
Ashley Best online: https://ashleybestcountrymusic.com
Something on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/album/61ED29HiqrbzFuCHArncfs
Ashley Best on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleybestcountrymusic
Ashley Best on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleybestmusic/
Ashley Best on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ashleybestmusic
Ashley Best on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ashleybest1796
Ashley Best on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6IWRDs6tclY475Q4rZnQDg
Roots Music Rambler on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/rootsmusicrambler/
Roots Music Rambler on TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@rootsmusicrambleon
Roots Music Rambler on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/RootsMusicRambler
Jason Falls on Instagram – https://instagram.com/jasonfalls
Francesca Folinazzo on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/workmomtravels/

Pickin’ the Grinnin’ Recommendations

Lucy Dacus on Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/07D1Bjaof0NFlU32KXiqUP
WFPK & Louisville Public Media online – https://www.lpm.org/music
WFPK 2023 Countdown Results & Playlist – https://www.lpm.org/music/2023-11-07/best-albums-of-2023-countdown
Join WFPK/Louisville Public Media – https://donate.lpm.org/membership

And be sure to get your MuskOx premium flannel shirts just in time for fall. Use the code RAMBLER on checkout for a discount! – https://gomuskox.com/rambler
Subscribe to Roots Music Rambler on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, GoodPods or wherever you get your podcasts.
Theme Music: Sheepskin & Beeswax by Genticorum

Frank and Falls interview rockabilly country honky-tonker Ashley Best! #ashleybest #rootsmusic

A new episode of Roots Music Rambler drops Friday. Frank and Falls interview rockabilly country honky-tonker Ashley Best about his journey from rock bottom to recording his first album.

Frank also tattle tells on her husband Tom who let the cat out of the bag on his Christmas present to her early. Falls and Frank discuss their respective vinyl record collections, review WFPK in Louisville’s top albums of 2023, and discuss Jason Isbell’s new teeth.

The episode drops Friday at rootsmusicrambler.com, the Roots Music Rambler channel on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

Get the full episodes here: https://bit.ly/RMRFullEpisodesYT
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Discover the real roots of music, from Americana, Country, Bluegrass, Blues, Soul, World and beyond.

Welcome to Roots Music Rambler!

Hosted by Francesca Folinazzo & Jason Falls. Roots Music Rambler, a podcast exploration of the where as much as the who or what. We’ll interview emerging and established artists, fans and others in Americana, Outlaw Country, Bluegrass, Blues, Roots, Soul, World and beyond. But we will always get to the stories of where they’re from and how that impacted the music we know and love.

It’s more than just their influences. It’s their families. Communities. Cultures. This show is a fun combination of music, travel, history and more. We dig into the stories from artists, musicians, songwriters, producers, fans and beyond, that don’t just expose their musical influences, but their life influences.

Music follows the path of human movement. We trace the steps to bring better understanding to what we hear today and why we love it.

Where music, travel, history and culture intersect

Join us for the exploration of the real roots of music on Roots Music Rambler. Available wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get podcasts!

Website: https://rootsmusicrambler.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rootsmusicrambler
Spotify: https://jasonfalls.co/rootsspotify
Apple Podcasts: https://jasonfalls.co/rootsapple

Follow us on socials!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootsmusicrambler/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RootsMusicRambler
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RootsMusicRmblr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rootsmusicrambleon

#rootsmusic #americanamusic #countrymusic #americana #music #vinylcollection #rockabillymusic #ashleybest #rootsmusicrambler

Mohammed Dohai explains the structure and make up of the Oud (Highlights)

Oud soloist and instructor Mohammed Dohai visits with Roots Music Rambler’s Jason Falls on his recent trip to Abu Dhabi for this week’s episode of Roots Music Rambler. In this segment, he explained the structure and make up of the Oud, which is a predecessor of the lute, mandolin and guitar, and is a popular lead instrument in what Dohai calls “Oriental Music.”

Hear the full interview including Dohai’s performance of an original piece on Roots Music Rambler at rootsmusicrambler.com, on the Roots Music Rambler YouTube channel or wherever you get your podcasts.

Get the full episodes here: https://bit.ly/RMRFullEpisodesYT
__________________

Discover the real roots of music, from Americana, Country, Bluegrass, Blues, Soul, World and beyond.

Welcome to Roots Music Rambler!

Hosted by Francesca Folinazzo & Jason Falls. Roots Music Rambler, a podcast exploration of the where as much as the who or what. We’ll interview emerging and established artists, fans and others in Americana, Outlaw Country, Bluegrass, Blues, Roots, Soul, World and beyond. But we will always get to the stories of where they’re from and how that impacted the music we know and love.

It’s more than just their influences. It’s their families. Communities. Cultures. This show is a fun combination of music, travel, history and more. We dig into the stories from artists, musicians, songwriters, producers, fans and beyond, that don’t just expose their musical influences, but their life influences.

Music follows the path of human movement. We trace the steps to bring better understanding to what we hear today and why we love it.

Where music, travel, history and culture intersect

Join us for the exploration of the real roots of music on Roots Music Rambler. Available wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get podcasts!

Website: https://rootsmusicrambler.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rootsmusicrambler
Spotify: https://jasonfalls.co/rootsspotify
Apple Podcasts: https://jasonfalls.co/rootsapple

Follow us on socials!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rootsmusicrambler/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RootsMusicRambler
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RootsMusicRmblr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rootsmusicrambleon

#arabicmusic #mohammeddohai #uae #oud #oudsoloist #rootsmusic #rootsmusicrambler #podcasts #americanamusic #countrymusic #americana #music

Mohammed Dohai performs an original piece just for the show! #mohammeddohai #rootsmusicrambler #oud

On Roots Music Rambler this week, United Arab Emirates-based Oud virtuoso Mohammed Dohai performs an original piece just for the show. He also talks with co-host Jason Falls during the episode to explain the Oud, Arabic music and much more.

Hear the full interview and more insights at rootsmusicrambler.com, on the Roots Music Rambler YouTube channel or wherever you get your podcasts.

#rootsmusic #americanamusic #countrymusic #americana #music #arabicmusic #mohammeddohai #uae #oud #oudsoloist #rootsmusicrambler