In 2009, Peter Case found himself in an unfamiliar and very scary situation. After a grueling tour schedule in 2008, Peter’s health was in decline. After going in for a routine procedure, Peter was rushed into emergency heart surgery. While the surgery was a success, his financial situation was grim. Faced with a six-figure medical bill, Case was left with a new passion for life but an almost insurmountable medical bill. Not long after, his biggest fans like Loudon Wainwright III, Richard Thompson and T-Bone Burnett rushed to his assistance. This generosity combined with a new passion for life led Peter to record his latest album Wig! in just three days. Peter stopped by the studio to chat with Matt Steadman about his renewed passion for music and the new album Wig! As a bonus, Peter breaks out the guitar and plays House Rent Party from Wig!

Frontier Ruckus is a folk-rock band from Michigan…well sort of. In fact, it’s a little bit tougher to accurately describe the sound of Frontier Ruckus and put it into one specific genre. Their sound borders on folk with tinges of Americana and rock, that much is true. But there are certain elements of experimentation in the band that cannot be ignored. Lead singer/guitarist Matthew Milia provides strong lyrically intense songwriting that left up to its own devices would be simple folk music. However, the rest of Frontier Ruckus, including Zachary Nichols on horns and singing saw add texture and depth to that sound resulting in a sound that is truly unique and 100% Frontier Ruckus

Most songwriters spend a majority of their life perfecting the craft of great songwriting. They toil over words and chords until the right combination comes out in their music. Then there’s Mary Gauthier. Mary didn’t write her first song until age 35 when the years of experience and heartache finally all came pouring out. Thirteen years and many awards later, Mary Gauthier (Go-SHAY) released the autobiographical album The Foundling to great critical acclaim. Mary stopped by the studio to play a few tunes from her catalog and talk about her latest album, what it means to be a songwriter and how great a job songwriting truly is.

Athens, GA musicians Packway Handle Band talk to Neal Cohen about their latest album What Are We Gonna Do Now? and their newest recording space in Athens that not only provides a great place for the band to put music to tape, but also holds the enormous 18 foot Packway Handle Band canvas perfectly. The band plays three songs from their catalog including the opener, a cryptic answer to the origins of their band name, What is a Packway Handle?

Tim Eriksen’s latest album, Soul of the January Hills, is an unedited, 14 song album of unaccompanied vocals. Because these are all single takes, it’s obvious from listening that Eriksen can sing, and do it well. So when Eriksen stopped by the AM 1690 studios, we knew it would be something special. What we didn’t know is that he was bringing his old pal Riley Baugus to perform with him. Baugus has worked with Willie Nelson, Robert Plant & Allison Krauss and on the soundtrack to the motion picture Cold Mountain.

Telegram is a trio that hales from Decatur, GA. Although they may look like a standard rock trio from a distance, these three guys are no slouches when it comes to their music. Rob Henson’s mastery of the upright bass make his presence in the band much more pronounced than expected. His ability to switch between plucked and bowed lines at a moment’s notice bring the bass to the forefront while still making sure to carry the careful rhythm of Jaime Shepard. Lead singer and guitar player Troy Beiser leaves nothing left to guess with his soulful, smoky singing voice and carefully crafted guitar lines.