Martha Spencer – Mountain Music from the Blue Ridge
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There's something about speaking to Martha Spencer from high up on White Top Mountain, in the corner where Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee converge, that immediately conjures the landscape she comes from. You can almost hear it in the signal, that crackle of elevation and distance, grounding her in a very real place. And that sense of place — deeply rooted, authentically lived — is the bedrock of everything she does.
Martha Spencer is a keeper of something precious in contemporary music. Growing up in a musical family in the Blue Ridge Mountains, she inherited not just instruments and melodies, but an entire way of understanding music as woven into the fabric of daily life. Her parents were musicians. Her cousins were musicians. The community around her breathed fiddle tunes and banjo rhythms like oxygen. In her telling, music wasn't a career path to pursue — it was simply what people did, as natural as the animals on the farm or the mountains on the horizon.
I grew up in a mountain music family playing old country and old-timey music, bluegrass—my parents were both musicians and I grew up playing in a family band.
— Martha Spencer
But here's where it gets interesting: Martha didn't stay put. She could have been content playing family band gigs in Virginia, and few would blame her. Instead, she's developed what she calls "a traveling spirit," taking her mountain music across Australia, throughout the UK, across Canada and Europe. She leads the Wonderland Country Band and Blue Ridge Girls, writes her own songs, and somehow finds the bandwidth to lead workshops and teach flatfoot dancing. She's even dabbled in ventriloquism — a detail that speaks to a creative restlessness that extends beyond music.
This tension between rootedness and restlessness defines her artistry. When asked to describe her music, she's refreshingly honest: "I just play kind of what I like." It's a simple statement that carries weight. In an age of genre-obsessed marketing and carefully curated brand identities, there's something almost radical about an artist who refuses easy categorization. Yes, she'll say "Americana," or "mountain country," but really she's operating in that deeper tradition where folk music, bluegrass, old-timey sounds, and contemporary songwriting exist in conversation with one another rather than competition.
I grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains with a lot of fiddle music, dancing, banjos, and animals in a rural area.
— Martha Spencer
What comes through most powerfully in her conversation is a genuine belief in music's connective power. She describes it as "the rhythm of the heart," something you feel not just in listening but in dancing — in the full-bodied expression of emotion that flatfoot clogging demands. For Martha, music isn't entertainment to be consumed passively. It's communion. It's a way of translating feeling into something that can be shared, regardless of where you're from or what language you speak.
The specificity of her background — those rural Appalachian mountains, the family band, the community ecosystem of musicians — gives her music authenticity that can't be manufactured. But her willingness to travel, to play with different groups, to write new songs while honoring old traditions, prevents her from being locked into nostalgia. She's not a museum piece. She's a living, evolving musician who understands that tradition isn't about preservation in amber; it's about transmission, adaptation, and creative renewal.
There's a generosity in how she talks about her craft too. She leads workshops. She teaches. She appears on podcasts from mountains where the signal might drop at any moment. She's clearly committed to passing along what she's learned, whether that's instrumental technique, dance steps, or that harder-to-define thing — the feeling of belonging to something larger than yourself.
The full conversation with Martha Spencer offers far more than a summary can capture. You need to hear her voice, hear the stories behind the songs, understand the landscape she's describing. In a music landscape often dominated by artists with slick production and polished narratives, there's something refreshingly vital about an artist still rooted in her community, still learning, still traveling, still discovering what she wants to say with her music. That's worth your time.
Welcome back to the Rugged Revival podcast. We are your home of case country Americana and roots music community. I'm here again with my mate Ronnie. He says he's got a sore throat but actually the real reason why he's got a bit of a dodgy voice today is because he's been screaming like a 12-year-old over the weekend when you're at a Scotty McCreery gig. Isn't that right? Yes, I was. I went to go and see Scotty McCreery in London and the vibe was amazing. He was incredible and I couldn't talk afterwards so there we go. There you go. So he's with us anyway. We are joined today by a very talented musician, a talented dancer and even a ventriloquist. I had trouble saying that. So I've gone through your socials and I can see you've been practicing that too. So it's the one and only Martha Spencer. How are you doing, Martha? Hi, thanks for having me today. I'm doing pretty good. I'm up on the mountain. Hopefully my signals are all right up here. Let's hope and pray it holds up but so where abouts are you today? Right now I'm up on the Grayson Highlands. I'm in the southwestern part of Virginia kind of where Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee come together. Uh Um up on a place called White Top Mountain and but I'm heading down to Asheville, North Carolina to play a gig at Western Wednesday's tonight. So yeah, that's where I'm partial I'm here for a little while. Fantastic. Okay. So me and Ronnie have been checking out your socials, your music and everything in between and we're great friends. So it's it's a real honor to have you on the show and we're thankful for our friends too for putting us on to you. So it's great in that respect. But I think for anyone listening and wanting to know more about you in a sentence or two or perhaps more, do you want to describe your music or introduce yourself and describe your music? Sure, yeah. Well, I I'd say yeah, Martha Spencer and I grew up in a mountain music family playing a lot of kind of old country and yes, old-timey music, bluegrass. And so my parents were both musicians and so I grew up playing in a family band. A lot of my cousins and big part of community and just everyday life around here. But also yeah, I tour quite a bit with different groups and I lead the Wonderland Country Band, Blue Ridge Girls. So play a lot of write a lot of songs. And so I guess kind of kind of play I guess I just play kind of what I like but I guess we kind of say in Americana you know, mountain country back vein of music. Fantastic. It's all good stuff and all stuff that we like which is great and you kind of touched upon your your kind of family life very briefly and I think it's a good place for for Ronnie to take over because you like to delving into people's family histories and beginnings. So over to you, mate. I do. Thank you, TJ. Martha, it's such a pleasure to to start questioning and start asking some things about your background to such a talented incredible artist like yourself. It's lovely to meet you. TJ has been going on like a broken record the whole time about how you're coming on and it's so lovely to meet you. So as with every show on the Rugged Revival, Martha, I love to ask our artists some questions about their backgrounds. So normally I start off with a with a question I ask most of the artists but I took some inspiration from our last artist which was Daniel Cain. And I'm going to ask you something different. So Martha, if your life was a documentary, what would we see in the opening scenes? So where did you grow up? Who were your characters in your early life? And then bring us up to today if you don't mind sharing that with us. Yeah. Well, like I said I was grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains which are part of the Appalachians. We have like a lot of fiddle music, a lot of like dancing. Uh A lot of banjos and all that and we had a lot of animals and grew up rural area. And I've always kind of liked to travel. So uh Um I would say like there's a huge community of of musicians where I'm from. So I grew up kind of in the family of musicians, not just my family but the whole kind of community of the mountains. But spent a lot of time around the Asheville. That kind of great music scene there as well and and toured a lot in Australia. I've been to the UK as well. Um And so I guess I got a little bit of a traveling spirit. Like I said, I play with quite a few groups. My parents both play quite a few instruments. So you know, play play some different instruments in different bands. I love like I said I always I think it was always encouraged to express yourself in your music and so I think writing is a great way to you know, get a lot of feelings out and hopefully you know, connect with other people and I think that's one of the beautiful things about music is it kind of connects us all together no matter where we're from or there's like a common vein. I think that's beautiful music kind of that rhythm of the heart and you kind of feel it in the dancing and everything. Absolutely. You You said about your your your parents were your sort of influences in in growing up and and music. Is there anybody in particular that inspired you going forward into your early years in in music? Is there any certain artist that you would say they definitely inspired me going forward? Yeah, like I said of course like yeah, there's a lot of folks like like I said I had a lot of instrument makers and different musicians around here luckily but also you know, I grew up listening to a lot of George Jones. I see George Jones I see. He would come into our Bristol if you've heard of Bristol but where like some folks call the birthplace of country music and he came there and got to see him when I was young and obviously I grew up going to the Carter Family Fold which is in that area and so the Carter Family music was a big influence on me growing up like of course Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash was part of that as well. Hazel Dickens who I think is a you know, a really great songwriter. I had a cousin Ola Belle Reed. He wrote like How Can I Keep From Singing things like that. So a lot of I would say in that a lot of you know, Dolly Parton of course and Loretta Lynn and that sort of style was kind of the lot of stuff I grew up listening to or being around. So I would say that would be some of the big influences. I think some contemporary artists like Willie Mae. Um a lot of people I guess I play music with through the years like people like um Luke Bell I spent a lot of time with. There's you know, folks like that. I think you know, there's so many great artists out there. So many to name them all but I think a lot of times I think for me I think music's always such a living thing that um that a lot of times I'm so inspired by people I play with or just in around on the road and stuff. That's pretty good. Not only are you incredibly talented as an artist but now we're going to be best friends because we both love George Jones growing up. So we've now got something massively in common. But no, that's great. Thank you so much for such a rich, incredible history in in music and growing up. So again, I'm going to I'm going to throw another weird question at you but so if you if we had a jukebox loaded with the greatest hits of your life, what song would you play at the moment you thought yeah, that's music is me. This is what I want. What what track would it be? What would you play? Of my my music? Uh Let's see. Ooh, that's kind of a hard question there. I think long after new album I'm kind of proud of probably one called Sometimes You Just Need Some Time. And and I think uh it's probably a good a good uh uh one I'm proud of just musically but also I think you know, sometimes sometimes you just need some time whether it's the good things or the bad things to get through. Sometimes you know, we all go through hard stuff at times I think. And so I think sometimes just knowing you know, everything's everything shall pass one way or the other. So I think that one maybe might be one. Rags to Riches is another one that I'm probably pretty proud of as far as just lyrically and kind of what's important in life sometimes. Yeah. Such great choices. Thank you for for sharing them. And then the last one for me, we know because we've followed you, we've seen you all over YouTube, we've listened to your albums, we've listened to your songs all the time. Obsessed is not the word. But what what would you say for everybody listening, everybody's watching this, what would you say sets you apart from everybody else in the music industry? Mhm. Well, I I don't that's kind of a hard question. I think um I reckon with anything we can only be ourselves. And so I think we all uh you know, bring what we do to whatever we do, you know, I'm sure there's always people that are have some similar things. But I would say with me I just try to be myself cuz that's really all I can be. For better or worse. And and like for me also I think it would go beyond the music business to where I think music to me, whether I'm on a stage or not, it's family, it's home, it's heart. So, I don't know, that's a good answer. That's perfect. Perfect, also. Thank you so much. TJ, over to you. Well, you'll be pleased to know, Martha, that I'm going to ask some easier questions. Um yeah, Ronnie likes to to kind of something different. I like to give some different questions. Why not? You've got to be different. You've got to be unique. I know. I'm not knocking you, mate. There you go. Um But like like Ronnie said, we're we're huge fans. Um and we're big fans of the old time country and bluegrass scene. And I find it incredible that we've got so many newer artists um and younger artists kind of coming out and, you know, keeping this scene, you know, alive and kicking. And um you know, giving it a a lease of life and perhaps in their own style as well. So, we've had the likes of Addie Levy on previously, who plays a lot of bluegrass. She's amazing. We love Addie. Uh and I met um Colby T. Helms earlier in the year. Um What an awesome guy he is. So, you know, we're glad to kind of add you to that list of people that that we now know um in that type of scene. But um you know, we we talked about you being a multi-instrumentalist. Um is there anything you can't play? I just find it incredible that I I'm struggling to just play the guitar, so let alone, you know, 15 other instruments. Uh where did you find the time to to learn all that? Well, like I said, a lot of it was just I guess a little bit of just being around so many musicians. Like I said, my mom plays several instruments. My dad played a few, too, or several, too. They both did. So, and they both taught a lot of music around the community. So, uh and there's just a lot of great pickers. So, I was just trying to catch this and that. I wouldn't say I'm great on But I try to you know, I enjoy playing It's like I guess being immersed in the culture of it, you know. A lot of people around here play several different instruments, you know. Um But I guess too, I guess trying like trying to make a living with music, the more instruments you can play, then sometimes the more different things you can you know, different bands. Like if you they need a bass player or if they need a fiddler, then you can kind of fill in there. So, I guess it's all just a thing of getting more work. That's amazing. Yeah, I'm very jealous. But uh no, it's it's fantastic you can do so many different things as part of your community, too. Um you talked about flatfoot dancing, as well. Is that the right term, flatfooting and flatfoot, you know, uh I I I was looking that up yesterday because it was just what I would Yeah, it was super interesting to me. And the first time I'd seen it was when I went to Colby T. Helms's gig and his girlfriend started doing this old dance, you know, everyone was kind of fixated on her in the corner. I was like, I've never seen anyone dance like that in my life. But it's cool. And uh it kind of just went with the vibe, the music, and everything else. So, I I thought that was amazing. Yeah, so for anyone that doesn't know what flatfooting is, how would you kind of describe it? Well, uh flatfooting is very similar if you've heard of clogging dancing or step dancing. Um and in our area, we would call it flatfooting. Some people might call it like buck dancing, like b u c k. Um but clogging is another a little more modern, I guess, with the taps. But I guess regionally, a lot of people call it flatfooting, which is just a step dance in Appalachia you would see quite a bit. I'm sure it's got some Scotch-Irish-English roots, as well as African, you know, indigenous, all that kind of combined in the mountains to this kind of style we do. So, it's got some similarities to different like maybe some Irish step dancing you see sometimes. But it's kind of its own thing. Yeah, and I know Colby, he's not too far from where I'm I'm from. So, I see Colby, who's got a band. He's a great player. Uh fantastic. Yeah, he's he's absolutely awesome. And the the kind of following he's built in the UK, probably like yourself, as well. Um it's it's um it's becoming really good. So, it's great to see. And um with the flatfooting, as well. Um I I was kind of doing some digging and doing some research on your background. And that's where I come across the fiddling documentary. And it had that, as well. So, I was just interested about that particular documentary. Um so, do you want to tell people, you know, what what that's about and how did you get to be involved in it? Yeah, it was a real cool documentary um that uh some sisters made and that about that a lot of it was it was a kind of about a lot of the just the music in this area, but kind of based a little bit around the Galax Fiddlers' Convention, which is a fiddlers' convention. This like one of the biggest one older older biggest fiddlers' conventions. These people get together. They have like some fiddle contests and things like that. Tons of jamming. Um a lot of camping. But so, it was kind of based a little on that. I grew up going to that you know, you know, all my life, really. And so, um it was kind of based on that. It was really cool. Uh yeah, I know um they kind of toured around different document like uh uh film festivals with that. And I think they did a good job with all of that. A lot of different players and and luthiers from the area. And I was yeah, glad to be a part of it. And the song I wrote, Home's Where the Fiddle Rings, is a part of that, as well. And has some dancing and Yeah, it's really cool. I think it's on Amazon and things like that. So, I would definitely check it out if if it's available everywhere. Yeah, absolutely. It's It looks like a really good watch and it's something I'm definitely going to to find the time to to to have a have a view of that. So, yeah, thank you for sharing that. And going back into your music, Martha. So, you talked about selling off going to doing solo work. And you've got the Wonderland Country Band. I love that that name. It's awesome. Yeah. And we also checked out your socials earlier. And you know, you've got the the Blue Ridge Girls band going on, too. So, do you want to kind of give us an overview of of kind of what what you're doing at the moment and and with your recordings? Yeah, so yeah, the last kind of the Blue Ridge Girls are actually have a new album that's coming out very soon. Uh that we've and we've put out some stuff we recorded down in Muscle Shoals at Muscle Shoals Sound and some different places down there. I have a few singles out with the Blue Ridge Girls, which is kind of more I guess kind of mountain bluegrass-y based. A lot of songwriting in that, too. And then the Wonderland Country Band kind of do a lot of I guess kind of mixed country, you know, a lot of you know, honky-tonk and some old time in there, too. But yeah, and I'm actually going to be starting, I think, on a new solo album in the end of June out of Nashville. So, um excited about that. That's just something Yeah. So, I'll probably have some new recordings for the Wonderland crew. And so, that's uh um Yeah, I love I love performing. I perform probably the most with the Wonderland Country Band these days. But and the Blue Ridge Girls and I still play with the Flat Top Mountain Band, which is my family band. Uh So, yeah, I just love love making music with people that are I'm pretty lucky to to get to spend a lot of time with people I care about. So, um pretty good life to spend time with the playing music with people you you're friends with. So, Um yeah, got some new things in coming out pretty soon, hopefully, with the Blue Ridge Girls and some new going to be in the studio in the end of June, actually. So, that'll be pretty exciting. Yeah. Perfect. And I don't know where you find the time, Martha, because you've got all of those bands going on and the solo work. And you know, I I think you've you've probably toured more extensively than a lot of our other artists that we've interviewed. So, you've been across Europe and Australia and, you know, far away lands. And it's been it's been amazing. And UK, obviously, which is why we're interested in speaking to you because you were due to play back in the UK, is it in August? That's right. Yeah, so we'll be a trio. It'll be Wonderland Trio. So, it'll be myself and a couple other folks. And we'll be playing a festival in Germany and then playing several shows in the UK. So, super excited. And and a festival in Ireland and some shows in Ireland and Northern Ireland. So, super excited to be back over. And hopefully get to see some friends over y'all's way. Absolutely. And and we'll we'll have to meet up hopefully when you've got some time over here and have a proper conversation, not over the the Wi-Fi and and things like that. That would be amazing to to catch up with you properly. But um so, it'd be it's interesting because we So, we speak to a lot of different artists from all over the US and and Canada and and Australia, even. And I'm always interested to kind of get their experience of playing to UK and European crowds and maybe how that differs to the US, for example. You know, what what's your experience like for anyone wanting to do what you're doing? What what the expectations that they should have? And are the crowds different to to the US? Um well, I think I I guess like uh I I guess several different parts of it. Seems like some areas are always different like anywhere, you know, like in like within the UK sometimes like I guess like Cornwall or if I went to different places, it seems like the every area kind of has its own uh sort of like like a audience response. But it seems like I think one thing I um like certain areas maybe don't dance as much as we do in the mountains. As far as like sometimes like the whole sometimes the full audience will be dancers like in the like in in the Appalachian area. Like just flatfooters like will just come out to the shows and that's what they do. They come out to dance or like two-step or in Nashville. But seems like I've got some some dancers in the UK, too, at some shows. And I the last time I I can't remember the Gainsborough Festival. There were quite a few dancers out at that festival um back in February. And so I think uh I don't know, I think there's I think the audiences in the UK are great. I think there's some wonderful people and uh always love getting to spend time uh you know, over there. There's a lot of people I've met through the years who are just wonderful folks and seem like very polite audiences and like uh rece- you know, like listen listen, you know, good and um yeah, I love coming to the UK and you know, uh I think the roads are definitely sometimes a little bit crazy in certain areas, they're definitely smaller than which we have our dirt roads and stuff too, but some of those city roads are like a little smaller to travel on or like I think it we were in Wales, there was one road that's really small. Uh but um but yeah, wonderful place to tour and I feel really lucky to whenever able to get over there. Yeah. That's amazing. And uh yeah, a few people have mentioned that you know, about the British crowds particularly that we are a bit more uh say polite. We are more reserved, shall we say, unless we've had a few drinks and then we we will try to flatfoot uh and get it horrendously wrong and look like absolute muppets, but uh you know, we'll give it a go. And if when we come and watch you play, you can watch me and Ronnie attempt to do some flatfooting. Yes, I want to see some flatfooting. Uh but there's some great yeah, definitely has there's some great flatfooters in the UK that I've ran into that are great clog dancers and flatfooters. I've ran into some clog chains and stuff, so yeah. I love it. I love it. Um before I hand back over to Ronnie, uh there was just one I I'd say we do a a bit of a deep dive into artist socials because we're nosey and you know, there's a lot of interesting stuff that you guys put out there. Um there's also some strange things and it it made me laugh one of the your posts when you're in Australia uh where you were preparing Appalachian cuisine for a bull named Seamus and uh I just found it a hilarious uh video and I was like, "What what is this?" So what was that post all about and what what I suppose what was that video all about? Um so I I as far as I toured in the in Australia with a wonderful folk singer named Archer and um so Archer um when I was over touring, um he kind of lives down you know, in that area. Uh uh like near my like outside like in the country, but kind of Victoria there and he has a he has a a a bull that um they rescued that has cerebral um palsy. And so um as a baby he couldn't graze without falling over. And so they started feeding him human food and so now he's like six, he's doing great and but he likes to eat all sorts of things and so they have a they started um a TV show. I guess it's like a YouTube thing and then maybe some over on the Australian TV um called Cooking for Seamus. And so he brings in different friends and chef I'm not a chef, but I was a physical friend um to cook for Seamus and and then see how he judges it. And so I made him some cornbread and pinto beans um from Appalachian cuisine and play some songs for this and uh Seamus is a great he's a wonderful creature. And it's a beautiful thing I guess uh just kind of you know, showing showing love to animals and uh you know, a cooking show for a a bull is pretty cool. So uh and Archer is a great uh person to tour with. So uh yeah, so it was a fun thing to be a part of. I think there'll be more episodes coming soon if you want to check out Cooking for Seamus. So it was a pretty fun fun show. It is, yeah. I loved it. It was really quirky and I thought I've got to ask you about it, so uh I'm glad I did. I'm glad you had fun doing it. Which is great. So uh So Ronnie, dude, over over to you, mate. Um I've been talking for a while, so I think you deserve to have your honor time. That's a that's a great story. Uh I am definitely going to go and check that out on YouTube. Um and I'm a little bit jealous cuz I love cornbread. Um and uh yeah, you have to make me some when you're over. Um but actually talking about YouTube, there was uh there was a joke. I was watching one of your videos uh and it's I've seen some of the videos where you've been out with some of the crowd and the crowd have brought their own instruments and there was uh a chap there with a banjo um and then you say, "Get the banjo started." And then you move away from the camera and then someone shouted over, "What's the difference between a banjo and an onion?" So TJ, what's the difference between a banjo and an onion? I don't know. You don't get tears in your eyes when you rip up a banjo. I just loved it. I thought what a great joke. Anyway, um moving on. So um Martha, because I don't explain this very well apparently according to TJ from our last couple of podcasts um we have started a playlist. Uh and on this playlist it's exclusive for our podcast guests and artists that we meet on the road. So what two songs should we add to the list uh that reflects your work so our listeners can check you out more. So it's your songs. Okay. Um I would say um maybe uh abducted by your love could be a fun one. Um That is a great song. Um and um also um let me think just a second. I'm sorry. Uh Yeah. Uh it's um maybe if um I would say um another one that kind of would be a little bit maybe uh different than that maybe could be Young Rover uh which would be a little more rootsy sort of style one. Um so those could be two that would be totally totally different. Um Uh if those two I I would throw out there or um maybe um Banks of New River could be a good one. That's maybe that one. Banks of New River and uh and Abducted by Your Love. Banks of New River is a song that my my mom co-wrote um with a fellow named Archer Hensley and we and Nick Bell a good friend who um passed a couple years ago um we did a duet on that on my Wonderland album and uh yeah, proud of that song and I live near the New River um which we had a lot of flooding back in October. So it's getting cleaned up, it's doing better now, but that could be a good song I think. Uh so maybe those two. Fabulous choices and I'll make sure that TJ puts one. Um great choices. So one of the questions I want to ask and I've asked quite a few artists is around the best album or the single or best album or single that you've listened to in the last 10 years. If you wouldn't mind sharing that with us. Um just of anybody? Anybody. Now did you want to do 10 years or did you want to do five years? This is the this is always the argument, isn't it? Yeah. I hate to always hate to talk in absolutes cuz there's so many good uh so you mean that has come out in the last five years? Yeah. Yeah. Um I would um one song I think uh that uh I real Um um I really like um I would say Lily Mae um I really like Honky Tonks and Taverns. I think that's beautiful song. Brilliant. I think that's the one I'm going to choose. Honky Tonks and Taverns. Done. Perfect. Yeah. Yeah, sorry. Thank you very No, that's great. That's fantastic, mate. I know I keep asking these ridiculous questions all the time and people are like, "Oh uh I've put people on the spot." But why not? Why don't we you know, just off the top of your head is always the best way. Um So Martha, just I I just wanted to talk about the the Rugged Revival community and I mean I know that Appalachian or the sort of roots music, country music have got a quite a small community over in the UK, but it's getting bigger and bigger. And what we try to do in the Rugged Revival is we try to get people on and we try to give people a shout out that we can that are emerging musicians or bands or emerging talent um and I just wanted to know from you, is there any emerging musicians, bands that you would recommend our listeners to check out? Oh sure. Um yeah, um you mean just from from anywhere? Yeah, that you think, "Do you know what? I'd like to give them a shout out." That'd be great. Sure. Um there's quite a few. Um I would say obviously there's uh some people I guess I don't know. It's hard to say when people are emerging or not, but if they hadn't you know, some people I would say you probably may have heard of uh cuz everybody's obviously there's a lot of super talented people, but depending on where you're from you may not have heard of, but I would say uh um Jamie Collins is uh somebody great that I play music with. Of course um I wouldn't call Lily Mae or Jamie really emerging, but they've been around, you know, but I would say both of them are emerging. Mat Kinman um Tyler Hughes is a a great uh songwriter uh singer from the Appalachians. Um uh um Let me think here a second. There's uh so many uh great artists. Um Archer of course that on a tour with he's a wonderful songwriter. Yeah. Yeah, um Jake Wire. Yeah, there's a few straight off straight off the cuff. Yeah. But there's but there's so many musicians that are great musicians I love to listen to but those are a few I can uh throw down the thing I'm playing with I'm playing with Todd Day Wait tonight he's a great which I I mean obviously tours around a lot too so uh Yeah. Uh yeah so Roger Harvey's another person I just at a show at so yeah some great musicians there's so many and it's hard to narrow it down. No, listen you've just off the cuff you listed so many and we really appreciate it and we'll make sure that you know we'll give them a shout out or TJ will go and go and pester them to see what they're doing and and try get involved. But it's all about you know I know this this podcast is about you and how great you are but you know we always like to give people a bit of a section just to say look you know we're here and we'll give you a shout and whatever but talking about emerging artists and emerging talent what advice would you give to someone who is just starting their first steps in becoming an artist? What what have you learned over your time that you would love to to give them advice on? Um I would say um you know uh play what you like you know um I would say with with anything you know just be yourself um you know don't get discouraged I think in and and um the same time like there are a lot of critics out there um so you know you just got to be true to yourself and and if you're just getting started or whatever and just remember there's quite a community of people that you know and I think obviously uh uh I would say get on here for making music and creating things you know cuz uh you know it's you know uh it's a brave thing to do to put yourself out there and I think it's a beautiful thing that can like I said connect so many people together in beautiful ways so I say heck yeah way to go. Brilliant. Thank you so much. Um so we've got to the part where I like to ask for some gossip now I'm going to ask you what is the most awkward ridiculous or juicy gossip thing that you've seen in the music world so far that you think I just wish I had some popcorn? Oh my goodness. Come on spread spread some gossip with the Rugged Revival. Uh-oh. I'm sorry I'm having a little Wi-Fi connection probably oh lord I don't Oh god. I is it I don't know if I can um I don't know if my you know my my mom always said if you don't have anything nice to say don't say nothing at all. Right. We'll take her advice then shall we? I don't know if I can I might have to pass on that one for tonight. Right. No worries and I understand it cuz he's taking your mom's advice so it's fine it's fine. I always like to try though. Sorry about that. No no worries. So on a personal level for you um when you're done doing a set or a gig or when you've had a really really busy time um what's one thing you like to do to chill out? Mm. Uh well I really enjoy um uh I nature and I like I said I like animals a lot um so I I said I go you know spend a lot of my time you know in in the country up in the woods and things like that so I I really enjoy you know being outside you know I enjoy uh uh sometimes just lazing around drinking some diet Dr. Pepper. But yeah I think uh you know spending time you know with people you that you care about of course but I enjoy being outside and I enjoy uh uh you know walks and things like that listening to the birds I enjoy uh you know I could just hang do you know when I'm um you know you know just kind of hang out hang around go out on the town sometimes but yeah I like to I like thrifting. I like to go to little bits. Mm probably. I thought we were talking about um was it with Addy or was it with Jesse we were talking about going to so over here we've got TK Maxx and over there they've got T TJ Maxx. Um and we're talking about you know going into some of the thrift shops trying to you know search for all the clothes trying to find some random outfits and I said and I haven't forgotten this TJ said that when we go to meet you all at some point we will go in get the most ridiculous outfit and wear it to a gig so I haven't forgotten that and I'm going to keep him to it but I'm there with you we'll go into the thrift shops and we'll we'll go shopping and then we'll have a good time so that's that's great. What a great I'm pretty sure you said that you're going to dig out a gold dress and and it was Addy Levy that we spoke to about this so Addy will back me up when he's when you said yeah if you could find a gold dress cuz I think that's what Addy was trying to find and I'd love to be an enormous one for Ronnie so I'm not sure if TK Maxx or TJ Maxx How rude. I know but we've got to put it out there mate. Martha I'll see you in a gold dress why not. Um I'll come to you one of your gigs in the UK in a gold dress let's do it. Um so I'm going to put I'm going to give you a couple more random questions and I promise I'll leave you alone if that's all right. So if a country song was written about your most embarrassing or funniest moments in your touring life what would the title be? Um oh lord. Yeah. Uh Mm. Uh Broke down in crazy legs or something like that I guess. Yes. I love it and that just feeds really nicely into my second last question which would be you get one chance to fake a tabloid or social media headline about yourself so what would it be? Mm. That I could uh maybe one that I could fake. Oh uh Yeah. Um yeah. I guess it'd be interesting to know if you know if you said you would passed on or something Just to see the responses just to see what everybody's saying. I don't know I don't I love it. I don't know. Brilliant we'll stick with it we'll stick with it. Okay. Yes. And then I promise you the last one from me and this is about Martha going forward. So I've asked all of our artists that we've had on recently um this could be in 3 months 6 months 9 months 3 years 16 years what is Martha's top three goals? What is your top three goals? Yeah I think I would definitely I just want to you know keep touring new places I think like new venues and always love to get to new areas you know kind of expanding on I love to tour and meet people out on the road. Definitely want to um uh I'd like to get this app new album out so for sure so I'm excited being in the studio doing that so I think new album new touring and um I guess um you know I love to do collaborations with people and and so one thing I've been doing is uh this live from the Hills and Highways I've kind of started on this year where with really you know just different people I think are cool I've always liked to kind of on the side do some documentary stuff with people who I think I like just people stories and stuff like that so I definitely want to just I would also kind of like to focus on that a little bit this year so those are kind of three goals I think for myself. Fabulous fabulous and then when in a in a in a while's time we can we can come back to you and we can start looking and ticking them off about what you've achieved in the last year and the next top three goals so yeah no it's great. TJ over to you you'll be happy to know that's the end of my rambling. Yeah like I said I'm I'm the easy person to speak to I won't ask you weird and questions like that hopefully anyway we'll see. Um so yeah you're a very well traveled lady from all of the places that you've been so you've probably been to more places in the UK than me and Ronnie put together to be fair so you can tell us all about where we should go in the UK but next year we're hoping to get over to America to visit some places particularly where we've kind of virtually been on the podcast so Appalachia regions Virginia Kentucky Texas all these places so if if we were to come to your home state where should we where would you recommend that we go? Well I would say definitely check out the Carter Family Fold check out the Floyd Country Store are two really cool places there's a a trail called the Crooked Road which winds through um uh uh like the southwestern part of Virginia and there's a lot of cool like jams and festivals and things all through it. If y'all need a place to stay, you can holler at me. Oh, you're so kind. Thank you so much. We will call you up on that as well. Be warned. So, yeah, fingers crossed anyway. We're going to get over to the to the USA next year at some point. We'll book our flights, I think, by the end of the month, Ronnie, before our wives don't let us go, you know, they they might change their minds and then not let us. Uh there you go. So, I think we've been talking Sorry, say that again, Martha. I just said bring him with you. No, maybe not. We will have a good time. They're not listening, are they? So, we we've been asking you so many questions, and we've been talking a lot. And I think towards the end of the show, we just love to kind of hand over to to the artist to to talk us through anything that you'd like to talk about, particularly anything that you want to plug, any shows that are coming up, or anything that people should check out on your behalf. Yeah, so everybody can check out marthaspencermusic.com, and that's got I said, I've got several albums out myself or with other groups you can check out. And as well as I'll be touring kind of throughout the states a bit and this couple, yeah, obviously, but in August, I think I think it's second weekend in August all the way through the 25th, I'll be in you know, Europe and and in the UK. So, hope to see some folks at some of those shows, and I'll be a few different places around, but really excited to be back over there, and I appreciate y'all having me on your show today. Oh, that's fantastic. No, it's it's been a real honor to have you on, and like we said, we'd love to be able to to meet you in person in August, hopefully, when you're over here, and maybe even do a grid session. So, we'll that's something that we started recently of of some live session recordings. If you've got the time and and the wants, then you're you're more than welcome to get involved in that. That'll be a another honor for us as well. But, because he's so good at it, I'd like to have Ronnie do the closing segment of the show. And so, Oh, you're such a liar. You're such a liar. Um cool. Martha, it has been an absolute pleasure to speak to you, and thank you so much for joining us on the Rugged Revival. What I'd like to do a lot of the time is when I've been researching some of our artists, I like to try and note down as many comments as I can the people have made about your your production, your shows, your gigs, and what you're doing. And let me tell you, I have got so many comments that I'm going to I'm going to run through them just a just a couple of them just to really end on on the note of just proving how how amazing, how great, and how talented you are. So, the first one I've got here is, "Her voice is a pure mountain tone, especially when accompanied by banjos, mandolins, and acoustic guitars. Martha Spencer's approach to old-time music is authentic as her life itself." "Roots country at its finest. The songstress's song I can't even say that one. The songstress's vocals transport listeners to the country music of old. Martha Spencer brings her family's Appalachian root music forward, mixing traditional country, old-time, and original music." And the top one that I've seen, which just proves it for for everybody, is she's truly a national treasure, performing in a classic old-time style that will have you picturing speak-easies than a touch of wild western saloons. So, it has been an absolute pleasure talking to you, Martha. You've been incredible. And if you've got a drink somewhere, a cup, a bowl, anything you can raise for the end of the show, we'd like to raise a toast. Favorite drink? That Dr. Pepper. Brilliant. You weren't joking, either. We're going to We're going to raise a toast to the grit, the grind, and to the revival. Cheers to everyone for listening, and thank you so much for joining us. All the best.
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