THE SOUND OF RECONNECTING ROOTS
The sound of Reconnecting Roots blends yesterday with modern day- just like the content of the show. We are at an exciting place in the human timeline, as well as in music, where we have the means to use modern technology and intertwine it with the innovation of our ancestry. Reconnecting Roots will show you how this all mends together; the music will let you hear it.
The album with original music from Reconnecting Roots Season 2 is out now! firekid (Dillon Hodges & Heidi Feek) and Mandy McCauley took iconic songs from the American public domain that tied in with the topics of each episode of Season 2. Some of the original recordings can have words that hurt, and some of those words have powerful messages of hope. firekid and Mandy sat down in a cabin in Paradise Valley, Montana and their little house in Muscle Shoals, Alabama to examine these songs, re-write and re-imagine them for the ears and hearts of today.
These songs have been woven into the fabric of our American musical heritage. Through the years, the melodies and lyrics have evolved. We are sure they will keep doing so depending on who is telling that particular story and how it pertains to their personal experience. That’s what music can do, it lives on, it evolves, it bridges generational gaps. And somehow, even if we never met the original songwriters, through the magical mystery of music, the melodies and messages can become our own.
THEME SONG: WE'RE HOME
What Mandy McCauley and firekid (Hodges/Feek) set out to write was a feeling of nostalgia, warmth, and hope. "We're Home" blends Katherine Lee Bates' "America the Beautiful" lyrics, a song engrained in the songbook of America, with the idea that this country is home to all of us. Every artist throughout the series will connect you back to America's roots. Whether they perform an original or sing a cover, the Reconnecting Roots' artists bring exceptional talent to every episode.
SEASON 2 HOUSE BAND
Each episode features iconic music and performances of old songs made new re-imagined by house band firekid and Mandy McCauley. Reconnecting Roots Season 2 continues to engage a new generation seeking to learn about the past while encouraging us all to make a better future.
Alex Wong
Performs "Daisy Bell"
Alex makes music. He's always felt that music is more of a conversation between creator and receiver, rather than a monologue. He connects with people while making his music and we are all about this connection.
Sarina-Joi Crowe
Performs "Don’t You Forget About Me"
This talented girl has been signing since the age of seven. You may recognize her from her appearance on Season 14 of American Idol as a Top 12 Finalist. Sarina is a Tennessee native, and she's just pure joi.
Austin Tyler Jones
Performs "Patches" in our Seed to Supermarket episode
Austin Tyler Jones is a soul man who sharpened his musical chops in Columbia…Tennessee. Austin Tyler Jones is a family man, a working man, and a ridiculously talented man. The song he sings is written by the recently deceased legendary songwriter Rick Hall of Fame Studios and speaks to the toil and labor of farming.
Erin Enderlin
Performs her song “Last Call” recorded by Lee Ann Womack
When Erin Enderlin writes a song, more is born than melody and rhyme. Women and men leap from her music, as fully formed and real as we are, all blood and sweat, living, loving, killing, and dying. Her song alludes to our longing to connect to one another.
firekid
Performs song “Magic Mountain” in our Progress and Preservation episode
firekid’s ability to combine their roots bluegrass sounds with electronic sounds is a great parallel to progress and preservation.
Paul Sikes
Sings his original “Anywhere But Now” in our introductory episode
A Nashville native and son of a preacher, Paul's song exemplifies our tendency to look to the past with rose colored glasses. He is a Nashville native and currently on the road with Billy Ray Cyrus.
Mandy McCauley
Season 1 Featured Artists
Wrote and arranged our show’s theme song with the help from firekid
On her album, The Understudy, there is a culmination of her prior musical pursuits, a reflection of all that is Mandy. This album features what Mandy calls “folk hop”, a fusion of organic sounds like acoustic guitars with an 808 behind it. Her collaboration with Firekid created an amazing tribute to “America the Beautiful."
SEASON 1 FEATURED ARTISTS
Mandy McCauley
Wrote and arranged our show’s theme song with the help from firekid
On her album, The Understudy, there is a culmination of her prior musical pursuits, a reflection of all that is Mandy. This album features what Mandy calls “folk hop”, a fusion of organic sounds like acoustic guitars with an 808 behind it. Her collaboration with Firekid created an amazing tribute to “America the Beautiful."
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