Best known for the 2004 hit “Life Less Ordinary,” the indie rock band Carbon Leaf has been at it since the early 1990s. That’s when they got their start in Richmond, Virginia, alongside the likes of the Dave Matthews Band, Cracker, GWAR, Fighting Gravity, the Pat McGee Band, and more. The band just released its much-anticipated new album, “Time is the Playground,” Carbon Leaf’s first full-length record in a decade. The album blends nostalgic storytelling with nuanced, folk-infused indie rock, and is a brilliant rumination on time, love and personal growth that features both rediscovered musical fragments and brand new material. We recently caught up with Carbon Leaf founder Barry Privett on The Load Out music podcast to discuss all that is Carbon Leaf.

If you are a musician and have a stamp of approval from the likes of Stevie Wonder, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, and blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa—odds are good things are coming your way. Thus is the case of our latest guest on the Load Out Music Podcast: British-born blues rocker Joanne Shaw Taylor, who released her latest album, Heavy Soul, this past June.

Taylor’s new record, Heavy Soul, dropped June 7, through Joe Bonamassa’s Journeyman Records. It was produced by Kevin Shirley who is known for his work with the Black Crowes, Journey, and Aerosmith. The album infuses Taylor’s blues origins, blending contemporary soul-pop with traditional blues; and its title track delves into emotional struggles with powerful lyrics and stirring melodies.

Ultimately, Taylor’s focused on trying to ensure her sound is fresh album-after album while still maintaining her unique signature style.

“When I look back on my catalogue of work, hopefully when I’m 170-years-old,” she noted with a laugh. “I want every album to be different…I want them all to sound like the same artist. Does it sound like me? I’m not going to put out a rockabilly album. And also, how do I keep it fresh for myself?”

Enjoy a terrific chat with the amazingly talented Joanne Shaw Taylor on the latest episode of The Load Out Music Podcast.

Welcome back to the Load Out Music Podcast where we most recently caught up with a much-heralded Americana band from my home state of Virginia. They are widely known for their annual Red Wings Roots Music Festival in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in the western part of the state and have an ambitious new album out entitled SIDEWAYS. They are The Steel Wheels and we learned they are NOT named after the Rolling Stones album of the same name. We welcomed in Trent Wagler of the band to talk all things Steel Wheels. Enjoy!