x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Open Mic Spotlight

Heather Leigh Holt

Open Mic Spotlight is a weekly podcast that highlights the local musicians of Chattanooga and the bigger named artists touring through Chattanooga. Each episode contains conversations and performances of covers and originals. Learn more about the artists lives and their secrets to being successful in the crazy world of the music industry. This show includes all genres and styles from bluegrass, pop, rap, and even comedy!

technology podcasting

All Episodes

52:58

Episode 60: Caney Village

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/10/30

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Barrett Maury and Dakari Kelly of Caney Village drop by the studio to talk with Heather about the ways in which the band has changed over the years, how their parents have influenced them as musicians and why it’s always good to have a locater app on your phone. From the band’s earliest days as a folksy outfit following the work of bands like First Aid Kit and Lily & Madeleine to their most recent incarnation as a rockier, more electrified version of its

en

32:13

Episode 59: Derick Anderson

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/10/24

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga singer-songwriter Derick Anderson embraces the realities of his newfound fatherhood and brings his son, Jack, to spend time with Heather in the studio. Anderson had been living in Washington for some years before moving down to Chattanooga to attend Southern Adventist University for their music program. Having been raised in a very religious household, he decided that he needed to find some answers on his own, both in terms of his faith and

en

40:00

Episode 58: Drumming Bird

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/10/17

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga musician, Austin Sawyer, the main songwriter and member of Drumming Bird, stops in to talk with Heather about his studies at MSTU (where he founded the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity last year), his days performing with High Meadows Communion and how he got famous on Twitter for tweeting about the lack of college parking. Tackling a couple of original songs and a few covers – most notably “Angel From Montgomery” by John Prine and “Tear Down the

en

37:51

Episode 57: Nick and Luke

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/10/10

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, the Americana-varnished duo Nick and Luke stop by to talk with Heather about some of their more unusual experiences while touring, their desire to use music as a means to facilitate human-to-human interaction and how their sound shifts from day to day as their focus narrows and becomes clearer with each performance. With just some acoustic guitars (Gibson’s from the ‘30s and ‘40s), Nicholas Horner and Lucas Chohany create a roaring, harmony-soaked folk and

en

46:05

Episode 56: Derek Wayne Martin

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/10/03

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga musician Derek Wayne Martin spends some time with Heather in the studio to talk about the ways in which he’s trying to help build the local music scene through his work at The Camp House, how his mom and dad met in a college rock band and why the best purchase of his life was a 1971 Ventura guitar he bought at The Picker’s Exchange. With his acoustic guitar in tow, Martin rambles through a couple of original songs while still paying homage to

en

37:40

Episode 55: Mountain Creek House Fire

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/09/25

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Pattee Wilbanks and Robert Lovett of Mountain Creek House Fire stop by the studio to talk with Heather about their collaborative process, some of their favorite places to play in Chattanooga and how their respective creative impulses compliment each other perfectly. Their music is drawn from the winding twin histories of folk and country music but is given new breathe and life through their effortless interactions. With just an acoustic guitar and mandolin,

en

43:15

Episode 54: Midnight Promise

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/09/19

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga pop-rock trio Midnight Promise drop by the studio to talk about the process for how they collaborate on each track, the familial atmosphere that the band cultivates and how their differing musical tastes push them to experiment with various sounds. With influences as disparate as ‘80s metal, Pink Floyd and Rihanna, the band’s work doesn’t easily fit into any one category but runs through a collection of pop and rock inspirations that shake and

en

33:47

Episode 53: No Thank You, John

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/09/12

In this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga musician John Cotton of No Thank You, John drops by to talk with Heather about how he first got into recording, the trials of listening to contemporary Christian music and how he got involved with charity work in Uganda. Cotton moved to Chattanooga 9 years ago from Marietta to attend Lee University, and while he intended to study music, he wound up focusing on communication and audio/video production. Using what he learned in his classes, he now

en

42:11

Episode 52: Hailey Miller

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/09/05

In this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga singer-songwriter Hailey Miller stops by the studio to discuss how she first learned how to play the guitar, the experiences that have shaped her music and how she hopes to continue pursuing music as she attends Belmont University in Nashville in the Fall—she recently graduate from Baylor. She quickly reveals a diverse cast of influences as she shares covers of “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King and “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore. She easily brings out

en

41:33

Episode 51: Nate Currin

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/08/28

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, singer-songwriter Nate Currin joins Heather in the studio to discuss how a religious upbringing drove him to seek out secular music and the deep influence that those bands would go on have on his own music in later years. Tasked with extolling a deep emotional canvas with just a voice and an acoustic guitar, Currin easily invests his work with an earnest and evocative twang and echo. He explores some of his influences by wandering through a stripped down

en

44:01

Episode 50: The Local Stangers

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/08/22

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Seattle-based Americana duo The Local Strangers drop by the studio to share some of their achingly beautiful harmonies and discuss details of their upcoming record. Built around the twin influences of Aubrey Zoli and Matt Hart, the band expertly wind their way through dramatic folk and pop landscapes while keeping their sights set on creating a unique and earnest noise that owes a good deal to their collective inspirations. You can hear how these specific

en

44:45

49: Hannah Murphy

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/08/15

Hannah Murphy – Open Mic Spotlight On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Atlanta singer-songwriter Hannah Murphy joining Heather in the studio to discuss their first meeting at Eddie’s Attic at an Atlanta open mic night, how she first picked up the guitar when she was 13 and how her lack of internet led her to see the value of pursuing music as a creative outlet. Armed with just an acoustic guitar and a forceful but gorgeous voice, Murphy evokes the spare and fluid landscapes of the late ‘60s

en

40:47

Episode 48: Marcus White

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/08/08

In the Open Mic Spotlight podcast this week, Chattanooga artist Marcus White drops by the studio to discuss his tenure with several local bands, the varying roles he takes as both musician and producer and how electronic music can be just as physical as any other type of music. Hailing from Washington D.C., White attended Lee University on a music scholarship but wound up studying psychology. A few years later, he was approached by gospel musician Eddie James to join his tour on keyboard, and he

en

35:51

Episode 47: LadyLyn

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/07/31

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Chattanooga singer-songwriter LadyLyn brings her soul-infused melodies to the studio and discusses her past history in college sports, the years spent singing solos in church and how she taught herself how to play the guitar. Across a handful of tracks, she offers both original songs and covers, revealing an endless emotional reservoir from which she so casually draws inspiration as she explores the influence of countless musicians who have mined these

en

42:10

Episode 46: Gino Fanelli

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/07/25

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, New Orleans-influenced singer-songwriter Gino Fanelli stops by the studio to discuss his reverence for jazz vocalists, the history of his own cross-genre work and coffee can nachos—he also works his way through a handful of songs that span the length of his influences. Taking inspiration from artists like Louis Prima, Louis Armstrong and Jack Scott, Fanelli wrings a boundless emotional echo from the strings of his guitar, revealing both the staggering

en

39:24

Episode 45: Chris Johnson

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/07/17

On this week’s Open Mic Spotlight podcast, Christopher Andrew Johnson of Chattanooga dream-pop outfit Side Affect drops by to talk about his work and perform a handful of songs, including an unreleased new one and possibly an Abba cover. Drawing inspiration from bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Wild Nothing and Echo & the Bunnymen, Johnson builds a foggy pop environment in his songs where his jangling guitars, deadpan wit and Lou Reed-esque vocals collide and rebound at various points. Between

en

38:52

Episode 44: Ben Strawn

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/07/10

Ben Strawn is a young and somewhat new artist to the Chattanooga music scene but don't let that fool you. This singer-songwriter from Cookeville, Tn will make you swoon with his lyrics and voice. His new EP was just released in June. Hear him perform some of those songs and others on this episode. Listen at www.openmicspotlight.com or on most podcast platforms like iTunes or GooglePlay. Thank you to Trenton Romanini for mixing this episode. For all of you industry recording and mixing needs visit

en

43:42

Episode 43: Megan Saunders

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/07/03

Megan Saunders is a songwriter that grew up in Vermont but now resides in Chattanooga. She plays a variety of different string instruments including the guitar and banjo. Her band includes Jason Reed on guitar and Jonathan McWilliams on upright bass. Megan has released two albums and has played all over the US. She has won several national awards for singing and composing, including the Song of the Year award for songwriting in the American genre. This episode gives an up close and touching look

en

33:11

Episode 42: Ian Sharp

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/06/26

Ian Sharp is one of the movers and shakers of the Chattanooga comedy scene. After life as a tourning musician with the band, In Faith Or Flames, he found himself loving comdedy. He got his start where most in Chattanooga have, JJs Bohemia's open mic. He now has created and hosts his own weekly open mic called ComedyFight at the Honest Point. In this episode, hear stories of band life, how he got into comedy, strategies he uses to write his comedy, and even hear some audio from a live recording

en

27:41

Episode 41: Buddy Shirk

Open Mic Spotlight ·

2017/06/20

Buddy Shirk is an an organist and a pianist who has performed on local, and national, and international television, as well as in numerous recording studios and churches. He served with the Baldwin Paino and Organ Co. and Cooper Music in Atlanta for many years in various marketing and managing positions and now is the store manager for Summitt Pianos here in Chattanooga, TN. He is one of the organists for the Tivoli on the Mighty Wurlitzer and that is where this episode was recorded. Listen at

en

81 results

Similar Podcasts

Lead With AI

Tamara Nall

Linux in the Ham Shack

Black Sparrow Media

Data Engineering Podcast

Tobias Macey

Eye On A.I.

Craig S. Smith

Reflections

Livewire Labs