I’ve hung out with Kentucky songwriter Cole Chaney a couple times now. The first time, I drove up there to his grandparent’s house where he played some songs. We did some clay shooting, watched grandad mill a bunch of lumber, grandma cooked dinner and he generally just gave me a […]
I’ve known about Nolan Taylor a long time now. We actually met once, before Jon Grace’s much celebrated Laurel Cove festival in Bell County, Kentucky. Nolan was probably still a mailman back then, and our mutual friend Aaron Cordell (amazing drummer and former roommate of Hayden Karchmer lol) brought him […]
A dream come true for a certain Scotsman from Edinburgh. Years after I crossed the Atlantic and met the banjo-busking, ballad-belting, Guinness enjoying Sam Shackleton, he did the reverse journey and came to visit his long lost kinsmen in Kentucky. Very appropriate, as many people of Scots-Irish decent, very likely […]
Today I was leaving the courthouse in Nashville, after receiving a complete bullshit parking ticket on a street i’ve parked on for a decade, on which there are no signs indicating you can’t park there. I’m going to fight it in court, because fuck them. While I was leaving the […]
This was recorded during my time in Ireland with the Mary Wallopers. I had the opportunity to record with a variety of artists while I was there, and one was Rita Perry. She was kind enough to invite me to her house in Cavan, Ireland. I’d describe the area as […]
A lot of you might know me as Anthony Simpkins, folk music lover and banjo picker. Did you know I also am a life long martial artist though? I was in elementary school when I started Taekwondo, my parents probably thinking it was a great place for cheap babysitting. I […]
UPDATE 11/19/25 in light of comments from people, I really recommend no one buy anything online from Casper if you aren’t OK with potentially not getting it. In person, go for it, but not online. I’ve personally watched Casper repay hundreds of people on Paypal/Venmo. I can’t speak for everyone. […]
I got to spend some time in rural Oregon earlier this year, invited to the Jackalope Jamboree by the amazing group of people who put the festival on, Chad and Rian. Y’all might have seen some of the other videos we’ve released from those couple days with Emily Nenni (https://youtu.be/kx79GVSL60w?si=tWvya_yhzmAzVzKN) […]
Generations of cross Atlantic family exchange culminating in one 90+ year old arriving by himself on the doorstep of his grandson after 40+ years away from Ireland. Arthur (named after his grandfather, from Dublin) was supposed to arrive with his wife, but she got sick, so he went ahead and […]
