Backstory Sessions

Still Rockin

Hello Backstory fans! In this very special episode we sit down with the amazing and living part of rock history, Artimus Pyle!  discuss how our interview with Artimus came together, and our personal recollections of growing up listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd. 
A Kentucky native, Artimus was the drummer for the band, and survived the plane crash that took the lives of some of his band mates back in 77.. In our conversation with Artimus, we talk about his band, the Artimus Pyle Band, their work with various veterans groups and charities, and a recent local event to raise money for the flood victims in eastern Kentucky.  He also shares his feelings about the upcoming 45th anniversary of the plane crash, cover bands, and a few stories about Skynyrd. We also chat about the re-release of Street Survivors, the biopic about events leading up to the crash, and also a tribute album he is working on with other artists to be released soon. We can't thank Artimus enough for coming by to talk with us briefly, and we hope to have him back soon for a longer conversation. Its rare to get to talk to a member of arguably one of the most influential bands in rock, and it was an honor to do so! 
 

A Short Drive

Corbin and London KY comprise 4 of the exits as you head South on I75 toward Tennessee, or just over the Kentucky border as you head north, and as you go farther off the highway, you get to see and experience some of the really interesting and unique things only found in this part of the state. In this episode we chat with the tourism directors of both Corbin (Maggie Kriebel Monhollen) and the London Laurel County Tourism Commission (Kelly Burton). Both of these dedicated women tell us about how they ended up working in tourism, and about all the fun and interesting things going on in the area from October to December and beyond. From festivals, to hiking and camping, and of course chicken, to the world's only place to see a moonbow, the area has something for everyone to enjoy. Lots of great information from our guests that will have you wanting to come by and check out all the Fall festivities and other events happening throughout the year. 

Through the Years

Hello again Backstory family! We have a very special episode for you! Cat’s Whitley County High School class has just had their 40th reunion, and had chosen “Through the Years” way back in 1982 as their class song.  We first have the honor of talking with Steve Dorff, who wrote the song, and shares the story of how it got written, as well as the events that transpired in pitching the song to Kenny Rogers. Steve also shares some additional stories from his long and successful songwriting career. With five decades, 20 top 10 hits, Grammy and Emmy award nominations, and a spot in the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame under his belt, Steve has had his songs recorded by over 250 artists. A truely remarkable career, with no signs of slowing down. We can’t thank him enough for agreeing to sit down with us and talk about the song and share his own impressions of it, as well as feedback he continually gets about it. We then turn our attention to some of Cat’s classmates who share with us what the song has meant to them looking back at thier high school days, and what it means to them now, 40 years later. We also hear the ways in which life has changed for each of them after high school, and where they are now. It is an interesting mix of stories that are funny, sweet, at times bittersweet, and definitely have many twists and turns. One thing is clear though : The Whitley County class of ‘82 is a special group. The love they share for each other as classmates is evident in every minute of this episode. From the feedback we received in planning the episode, to the lengths they all went to to make sure those who weren’t able to attend the reunion were still able to be a part of it was amazing. We hope you enjoy this sentimental episode, and we congratulate the Whitley County Class of ‘82 on their 40th reunion. Special thanks to our guests (in no particular order): Angie Wilson, Gary Bryant, Nat Hyde, Jim Wilson, Judith Streetman Sherman, Tami Moses Cox Mason, and Teresa Rountree

Feels Like....

Welcome to the first episode of Season 7! Its going to be a great one, and we are happy to be back and bringing you all the awesome guests, and their backstories again.
We have a great episode for you with our new friend, singer/songwriter Allie Colleen. Allie chats with us about a variety of topics including tattoos, summer jobs, touring, and of course her music. We talk about some of the inspirations for her songs, and how they came to be recorded. Her recent single "Feels Like", was written by Allie, and Kimberly Atwood, and is produced by Lee Brice, and Jerrod Niemann.  We found Allie to be just the nicest person, sweet, funny, intelligent, thoughtful, caring, and engaging. We know you will enjoy this episode and will want to check out more of her music and info at www.alliecolleenmusic.com

Bagels to Burritos

Hello again Backstory fans! In this episode we chat with actor, writer, and director Bret Lada. He has appeared in many network tv shows, such as Law and Order, Orange is the New Black, and others. Bret’s film, “The Andy Baker Tape” tells the story of 2 half brothers who are food bloggers, and through a series of twists and turns, end up going missing during a road trip chronicled by one of the brothers. Bret talks about the genesis of the project, the issues he and his team ran into while filming, as well as the long process in getting the film edited, music scored, and a host of other topics. It’s a great look into taking a film project from concept to completion on a small budget, and the highs and lows of it all. Lots of interesting insights from this great guest.This episode also brings an end to Season 6. We chat a bit about the season, and share some of our favorite happenings, and give very vague hints about what’s coming next season. We want to thank our guests from this season, and also you our listeners. Our guests are appreciated for their time and willingness to tell their stories, and our listeners for, well, listening, and providing feedback, and stories of thier own. We are forever grateful!Wel will return on Sept 25th with a new season, and more great Backstorys!

Miller Time

Hello again Backstory fans! In this episode, after talking about the various fairs we have attended, we sit down with singer songwriter Alex Miller. Alex was a contestant on American idol and is currently touring to promote his new album, “Miller Time”. He will be opening for Niko Moon at the Kentucky State Fair later this week.  Alex shares some great stories with us about songs he has written and recorded, his early days of performing, and getting to meet and work with some of his own idols in recently. He is a young rising star in country music, who has worked to bridge the gap between the traditional country music and current country genres. His love for the older icons of country has heavily influenced him, and his willingness to stretch and see what’s possible will keep him going for years to come. His talent, humor, and work ethic comes through in this really interesting interview, and we look forward to having him back again soon. We know you will enjoy it!

A Klass Act.

Hello Backstory fans! In this episode we present an interview we did with actress Yulia Klass awhile back. We chat about a few of her memorable roles, as well as her recent movie “Captors”. She has worked alongside many action movie stars, such as Bruce Willis, Steven Segal, and many others, and enjoys playing strong roles that get to kick butt, as you will discover.It’s an interesting conversation with a hard working and very down to earth person who enjoys what she does. We hope to have Yulia back for a longer talk in the future, as she is a great guest..We also talk about Chicken, bricks, and a few other random items in the beginning part of the episode. We hope you enjoy another interesting chat!

Erzulie

Hello Backstory fans! In this episode, after talking about a few things happening in our neck of the woods, we chat  with writer/director Christine Chen and actress Leila Anastasia Scott from the movie "Erzulie". The story goes, A reunion between four friends quickly goes awry when they find themselves face to face with ERZULIE: the swamp mermaid goddess. Christine talks about the origins of this project, and her vision for it, as well as the challenges she faced in getting the project off the ground and filming a movie in a Louisiana swamp, sometimes at night. Leila shares her thoughts on playing the strong female character Erzulie, who features prominently in a Creole folk tale. This is a really interesting interview with 2 great guests. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Bowen’s Heart

Hello again Backstory fans! In this episode we talk with Matt Hammitt, whose son Bowen was born with a severe heart defect. We discuss the range of emotions that he and his wife dealt with upon hearing the news, and the ensuing issues they dealt with leading up to Bowen’s birth, as well as things dealt with though various surgeries Bowen has had. They chose to document the process and have released a documentary to help families who are dealing with these sorts of issues. There are some grim statistics regarding the effects that a serious illness of a child can have on a family, and this family’s amazing story serves as a great example and reminder that we can get through many things with faith, hope, and love. Matt shares his family’s story, and fills us in on how Bowen is thriving and doing some inspiring things of his own. It’s a really unique story told from a different point of view rather than focusing specifically on Bowen. We thank Matt for sharing his family’s amazing journey with us. We also talk a bit before our conversation with Matt about the recent flooding in eastern Kentucky, and some of the great response by local businesses in our area to help the victims of the severe flooding that took place earlier this week. And, finally, we give a shout out to a new dinner theater murder mystery opening next weekend in our area at the Kentucky Playhouse in Corbin KY. 

Don’t Poke the Bear

Hello Backstory fans! We have a really great episode for you this week. We sit down and chat with actor Vernon Wells! If you've ever seen some of the Mad Max movies, Commando,  or Weird Science, among others, Vernon will be instantly recognizable as portraying some of the most intense and potentially scary roles in these movies. We found him to be quite the opposite from his on screen personas though. We have a long talk with him about his intro to acting, and he reveals lots of interesting and funny stories about his long career. He has worked with many icons in the film industry through the years, and talks about their influence on him. From listening to his stories of working with Mel Gibson, his first meeting with Clint Eastwood, and much more, we get the sense that Vernon has remained grounded, and continues to enjoy acting, as well as helping the other actors and directors he works with currently perfect their craft. We chat about his many upcoming and current projects as well. Definitely a genuinely nice, charismatic, funny, and sweet man. Until in front of the camera, or until you poke the bear. We thank Vernon for his time and being such a great interview guest.