Hosted by Unknown Host · 🇺🇸 US · EN
Established thought leaders with verified media credentials.
The podcast that unearths hidden Americana gems, shares untold stories from legends, and proves music still has the power to move us all. If you believe Americana music can transform the world, you’re in the right place. Too many overlook its raw beauty and power to connect, heal, and inspire. We spotlight the artists carrying that torch — unsung heroes writing the soundtrack to something bigger. Each week, hosts Ben Fanning and Zach Schultz bring you intimate, entertaining conversations with artists changing the world one song at a time — like Old Crow Medicine Show, Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, The Wood Brothers, American Aquarium, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and rising stars you’ll soon love. You’ll discover: • New music to love • Hard-earned lessons from the road • The stories behind your favorite songs • Big inspiration — and a good laugh Join us to celebrate the voices, values, and stories that keep Americana alive — and prove why music still matters.
Unknown Host hosts Americana Curious.
How does an independent band stay true to its roots, resist industry pressure, and survive for over three decades? In this episode of Americana Curious , hosts Ben Fanning and Zach Schultz sit down with Willie Braun, fro
What happens when a musician completely rejects the corporate machine? In this episode of Americana Curious, Ben Fanning and Zach Schultz sit down with singer-songwriter Mason Jennings to discuss his incredible 30-year i
What can leaders learn from Bruce Springsteen? A lot more than you might think. In this special crossover episode from the Lead the Team podcast , Ben sits down with Andy Freed—CEO, author, and a devoted Springsteen fan
Some artists sound polished. Some artists sound real. The rare ones give you both. I caught up with backstage at the Charleston Pour House right before she took the stage — you can hear the traffic outside, the crowd sta
Winyah had 3 songs. Then they got the call to play Bonnaroo. No album. Just a deadline. So they did what most people won’t: They locked in. Slept on couches. Finished an entire record in weeks. Fast forward— They’re open
What does Taj Mahal understand about music… that most artists still miss today? How did his approach to sound end up influencing Bob Marley? What does it actually mean to feel music instead of just hearing it? And what h
What happens when your dream falls apart… right in the middle of a pizza shift? John-Robert was closing at work when he got the call… he’d been dropped by his label. Most artists don’t come back from that. He moved home
MORGXN, the Americana artist who just redefined what the Heartland means, joins Ben and Zach on Americana Curious for a conversation that you'll never forget. Early in his career, he was told he’d never make it in Nashvi
Some songs don’t just play; They mark seasons of your life. And you don’t realize it until years later. These are the Americana songs that shaped who we (Ben and Zach) have become. As you'll hear it's not because they we
There are voices that impress you. And then there are voices that feel like they’ve been EARNED. Al Nicol’s voice carries the high lonesome ache of Bill Monroe, the raw vulnerability of early Bon Iver, and the spiritual
Emily Scott Robinson isn’t chasing hits....She’s writing for your funeral. It's not dark...It's called powerful depth! In our conversation, Emily shares with us that she wants to write songs that are singable 40 years fr
20 YEARS. 0 LABELS. 1 PLATINUM RECORD. 💿🔥 Most bands don’t make it past year five. They call it the “Valley of Death” because 95% of indie artists don’t make it out alive. But The Band of Heathens just crossed 20 years
Ben and Zach pull back the curtain on the albums that defined the last year and the artists poised to explode in 2026. From hard-working storytellers out of North Carolina to "super groups" creating interplanetary harmon
The industry wanted virality. She wanted honesty. Guess who won? She walked away from the band, the marriage, the map — and somehow walked straight into her true voice. Nikki Bluhm didn’t plan the reinvention. She didn’t
Jake Owen iis a platinum-selling artist with ten #1 hits, a Breakthrough Artist of the Year winner, and one of the most recognizable voices in modern country. You know him from “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” “Beachin’,” and
At just 21 years old, Stella Prince has already done what most artists spend a lifetime chasing. She’s been called “the artist bringing folk music to Gen Z” by Forbes, sang at a John Prine tribute in Nashville, and will
There’s a kind of wisdom that only comes from the road. Soren Staff from Them Coolee Boys summed it up in six words: “Change breaks you before it makes you.” He wasn’t being dramatic — just honest. Because for them, it’s
Briscoe has an incredible story, and you need to hear it now! Two redheaded kids in the same pair of Chaco sandals at summer camp. A back-porch pact to start a band if they ever wound up at the same college. And now—shar
He’s the man behind “Wagon Wheel” — the song that went from a Bob Dylan fragment to a global anthem, covered by Darius Rucker, sung at campfires, weddings, and stadiums everywhere. But few know the real story of how it w
Mainstream country radio has no room for voices like Luke Tyler Shelton—and that’s exactly why his music matters. In this episode of Americana Curious, Ben and Zach sit down with rising Americana artist Luke Tyler Shelto
Taj Mahal
five-time Grammy winner and one of the architects of modern Americana
1 appearance on this show
Emily Scott Robinson
Recording Artist
1 appearance on this show
Jake Owen
1 appearance on this show
Zach Williams
frontman and founder · Drive Force Golf
1 appearance on this show
Drew Holcomb
1 appearance on this show
Oliver Wood
The Wood Brothers
1 appearance on this show
Paul McDonald
host of Men at the Movies · King’s College London
1 appearance on this show
Sharon Van Etten
musician
1 appearance on this show
Adam Lazzara
lead singer and frontman · Taking Back Sunday
1 appearance on this show
Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
Grammy-nominated bluegrass artist
1 appearance on this show
BJ Barham
American Aquarium
1 appearance on this show
Crys Matthews
1 appearance on this show
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Americana Curious is hosted by Unknown Host. The show is categorised under Interviews (interviews) and has published 0 episodes.
Americana Curious regularly covers Interviews, History, Music, Commentary. It sits in the Interviews category, with a interviews focus.
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Americana Curious hasn't explicitly signalled guest openness in recent episodes. That doesn't rule out pitching. your hook just needs to be especially compelling and relevant to their recent content.
Episodes of Americana Curious average 39 minutes. a focused format where a clear narrative arc and tight preparation matter most.
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