Call & Response

In the final episode of this season, Adia is joined by “Queen of Bounce” Big Freedia. From Beyoncé to Kesha, Freedia’s collaborations proudly reflect her upbringing in New Orleans, and the spirit of the church that resides in her. Adia and Freedia talk about what it means to be insistent on pursuing liberation, the relationship between good food and good music, and the power

The music of the South is always drawing upon the church, either relishing in it, or rebelling from it. When Memphis-born artist Julien Baker started reckoning with her faith, “the entire paradigm of my life evaporated.” Since then, Julien has channeled this reckoning into her music, lacing her lyrics with radical honesty and self-reflection. In this episode, Julien and Adia sh

From Bessie Smith to Megan Thee Stallion, Southern Black women have built on a long legacy of giving their bodies a voice through the blues. On this week’s Call & Response, hip-hop scholar Dr. Regina N. Bradley makes it clear that Southern Black music is not frozen in time, but embracing and challenging the issues connecting younger generations. For the playlist of songs curated

Tressie McMillan Cottom says the blues go beyond the beat and key. It’s a feeling born and inherited from the experience of Southern Black women. As Call & Response dives deeper into the blues, the sociologist and 2020 MacArthur fellow says she can hear the historical echoes of pain and urgency throughout Southern music -- and wants listeners to understand why they do too. For th

What happens when one artist’s work is read through the lens of another? Tré Burt’s rambling bluesman sound means his music is constantly compared to that of Bob Dylan, but as a Black man living in 2021, his writing draws from very different perspectives. In this interview, Tré and Adia distinguish what it means to write from experience versus observation, share how working b

Born in Chattanooga, and based in Johnson City, Tennessee, Amythyst Kiah’s sound is a blend of old-time music and fingerpicking blues with a punk-indie sensibility. Like many of us who came up in the South, Amythyst had to find and define her voice, even as she was told she couldn’t be into Green Day or into skateboarding and also play the guitar. This week’s episode of Call

Just hours after a Confederate monument was removed in Richmond, VA, Jason Isbell made his take very clear: “Nostalgia requires a lack of examination.” Amid the backdrop of a region reckoning with its past, this week’s Call & Response features Adia Victoria speaking with Jason, the Grammy award-winning songwriter from Green Hill, Alabama. Jason reflects on his identity as a w

Welcome back to Call & Response. To open season two of our show, Adia is joined by fellow Southerner and singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus, whose latest album, “Home Video” is drawn largely from her childhood journals. In their conversation, Adia and Lucy talk about growing up in the church, learning to trust your own voice, and questioning what it means to be a reliable narrator fo

“What could be possible in the future when it comes to our artists? What is possible when it comes to us looking at each other? What can be possible when we shun a scarcity mindset? When we say this table is big enough for all of us? No, fuck that. Let's build a new table where everyone has a full plate, because we understand that when we create, we are able to feed.” In this f

On Saturday at Newport, Allison Russell convened a super group of BIPOC performers to take the stage lead by the legendary Chaka Khan. The very next morning, we recorded this conversation. “It's not going to take anything away from you to let us in,” says Allison. “I wanted everyone to be able to see and hear and feel this majesty, this diversity, these expansive, intensely i