Morse Code Podcast With Korby Lenker podcast

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Shervin Lainez on Ambition vs. Expectation and The Hard Truth About Creative Success | MCP #219 54:21

3 dagen geleden54:21

54:21

The first time I saw a portrait by Shervin Lainez , I felt like I was hearing the artist’s music through a photograph. There’s an intimacy in the image, a quiet buzz that goes deeper than just the artist’s face—it captures an essence . His work has graced the pages of Rolling Stone, The New York Times , and countless album covers, shaping the way we see some of the most defining voices in modern music. If you've ever admired a striking image of Adele, Billie Eilish, St. Vincent, Tame Impala, or Orville Peck , chances are you’ve seen Shervin’s work. But what makes his photography so compelling isn’t just the technical execution—it’s his philosophy . Shervin doesn’t take pictures; he builds connections . He listens to an artist’s music, immerses himself in their world, and lets that inform the way he shoots. His style is adaptable—what he calls chameleon-like —but always true to the artist in front of his lens. As he describes in this conversation, his long years in the game have taught him that the real magic of photography isn’t about the perfect lighting setup or the ideal location. It’s about trust, energy, and presence . If he walks into a shoot anxious or distracted, the artist will mirror that. If he brings ease, they’ll meet him there. I met Shervin back in 2013 or so. I had a show at the Rockwood in NYC and some artist I respect had their photos done by this cool guy in the city. I wasn’t sure I could get him, but we figured out a place and in an hour I had a cache of photos I used for literal years . I mean, in addition to giving me something I could use and be proud of , he gave this awkward introvert a truly great experience. We talk about that experience and my perceptions of it. And, true story: after we taped this episode he shot a new round of photos for me, one of which is the main image I’m using across all my socials. A nice full circle moment. In this conversation, Shervin opens up about his relentless pursuit of his craft —the years he spent shooting for free, honing his skills by trial and error, refusing formal education, and pushing forward despite uncertainty. He breaks down the difference between ambition and expectation , explaining how wanting to grow as an artist is healthy, but expecting instant success can be toxic. His journey is a testament to the idea that success isn’t about demanding the next big opportunity—it’s about doing great work until the right people take notice . We also talk about mentorship, creative obsession, and the art of saying yes before you feel ready . Shervin shares why he never assisted another photographer, his feeling on “Can I pick your brain?” emails, and why his only real advice to young creatives is "just do it—over and over again" . If you’ve ever struggled with self-doubt, comparison, or the pressure to succeed on someone else’s timeline, this episode is for you. If you get something out of The Morse Code Podcast , please follow us on Apple Pods or Spotify or write a 5 star review or follow us on instagram or Tiktok or all of these things. See you next week! Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe…

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Eric Fortaleza's Pitch Meeting is the Most Dangerous Music in Nashville | MCP #219 1:17:05

10 dagen geleden1:17:05

1:17:05

Let’s just begin by saying there is nothing in Nashville like Pitch Meeting, Eric Fortaleza’s weekly musical highwire act. Billed as “Nashville’s Best Writer’s Open Mic” the weekly show, which resumes this Tuesday February 25th features a powerhouse band of Nashville heavies (often of 10 or more players) whose job it is to back the any songwriter who’s name is drawn from dozens of hopeful singer-songwriters. The catch - no one has heard the song, not the audience, and more importantly, not the band. “No chord charts, no pre-song run through,” says Pitch Meeting founder Eric Fortaleza. “We just go for it.” I’ve been to a few Pitch Meetings, and I count them among the most exciting musical experiences I’ve ever seen. Not only does the song somehow congeal around the band, but an arrangement seems to spring out of the ground like witched water — horn parts, a guitar solo, a bridge breakdown. I feel like you don’t believe me. It’s totally crazy. It all happens because of Eric Fortaleza , who has something of a gambler’s taste for musical thrills and guts to spare. To me, he represents a new crop of Nashville musician, something different from the guys you see down on broadway, hoping to move their way up the ranks of touring musicians to become what is the gold standard of the Nashville Cat — the A-List studio musician. That’s a laudable goal, to be sure, but in its application there’s a sense of reticence, a holding something in reserve, because “you never know who’s gonna be in the room.” People trying to get discovered may fire their flashiest tricks, but tricks are different from taking chances. Eric is ALL about taking chances. He came to Nashville from Sydney, Australia a couple months before the Pandemic. But he was born in the Phillipines. We talk alot about how being the child of immigrants had something to do with his inveterate hustle. We talk about alot of stuff in this episode. His unlikely but somehow inevitable move to Nashville after ten years on the Australian scene. Why he founded Pitch Meeting, what he likes about it, what’s next. At some point in the conversation, the studio door opened to the afternoon glare and in stepped Eric’s bandmate Owen Fader, who looks like and sings like a baby faced angel. They played a song together, which shifted the direction of the podcast moving forward. What do you think I mean? The Morse Code with Korby Lenker is a reader-supported publication. Support my music, writing and the Morse Code Podcast by becoming a free or paid subscriber. People like Eric are why I am doing this. He’s one of the more inspiring people I’ve met — like past guests Barry Dean and Steve Poltz — I’ve had on the podcast. Music isn’t some strategy for success or fame. It’s about lifting people up and inspiring them to want more from life. At least, that’s what it is for me, and it’s how I felt when the session was over and the Eric and Owen and gone off to do something else. Go see Pitch Meeting . Subscribe to us on Spotify . Become a paid subscriber if stuff like this means something to you. We’re doing it because life is short and we’ve a solemn obligation to live as big as we can! Alright get back out there and make something awesome. Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe…

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Randa Takes Over. A Morse Code Podcast Valentine's Special | MCP #217 1:15:08

17 dagen geleden1:15:08

1:15:08

What happens when the interviewer becomes the guest? This episode of The Morse Code Podcast is a special one—Randa Newman, Korby's wife and creative partner, takes over the host seat to interview Korby in an intimate, revealing conversation about creativity, perseverance, and what it means to balance art with real life. Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe…

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"I Had to Renew My Contract With Myself." Abby Jane | MCP #216 57:41

24 dagen geleden57:41

57:41

Abby Jane is a singer and songwriter based in Nashville. Her debut EP “I Don’t Want to Pretend” has been the talk of the town, at least in the circles I trade in, since it dropped in October 2024. Everybody loves her fresh take on the craft of confessional songwriting, and the remarkable instrument through which she delivers those songs. Abby Jane and I are sharing a show next Saturday Feb 15 at the Five Spot in East Nashville. Grab your tickets . Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe…

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Bob Dylan is the Original Troll. Carl Anderson | MCP #215 1:12:37

4 weeks geleden1:12:37

1:12:37

Carl Anderson is a singer-songwriter from Virginia. His song swirls around like that plastic bag in the scene from American Beauty. A surprising unassuming clandestine charm that catches you unawares and then settles at your feet until the wind kicks up again. I have been a fan of his ever since we played a show together at the Bluebird in Nashville maybe like seven years ago. The way he sings is like no one else. You have to hear it for yourself (in this episode, you will). I’m so excited he’s part of this show we’re doing in a few weeks, at the Five Spot in East Nashville. Saturday February 15th . Carl is sharing some music, as is next week’s guest, Abby Jane . Then I’ll play a set with my new band, and then we’re going to screen a world-premiere of the music video for my new song Meet Me at the End of the World, directed by MCP alum Mila Vilaplana . Throughout, Ryan Rado, who was on the pod a few weeks ago, is doing some live immersive painting. It’s gonna be a great night and I’m very excited. If you live in Nashville here is a link for tickets . I’ve started making a new effort here on the podcast, which is to insert chapters into the YouTube video. For you it makes it easier to see the contours and compartments of the conversation (see below). For me it requires I listen back through the entire talk, which makes me reflect on what we discussed and whether it was worth it. So I know what I’m saying when I say this was a truly insightful and dare I say FUN conversation with a person for whom art’s calling occupies a central position. Carl is serious about songmaking and unserious about its purpose. That is to say he holds the sacred cows lightly in his hand and only pets them when they ask. I am reminded that so much of the value in any conversation lay in its style , and not just its substance. We play a song together, his original, Separate Ways . Listen to the way he sings. Carl talks about what got him started on the creative path, his love for dancing, the pleasure of watching bad acting, Bob Dylan as the original troll, his in-and-out habit of fitness and its relationship to creativity, the strange and healthy beauty of having a job outside the industry. I share a little as well. What happened when I moved to Nashville twenty years ago. Why I burst into tears last week on my couch watching Fred Again’s Tiny Desk Concert. How being yourself gives everyone else permission to be themselves too. Carl Anderson is a real one of one. I hope this conversation makes you want to finish the song you’re working on. The Morse Code with Korby Lenker is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my music, writing and the Morse Code Podcast, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 00:00:00 Introduction/ In praise of Rock Club Owners 00:04:27 In praise of Carl 00:06:00 Carl reflects on his approach to songwriting 00:07:27 Korby asks a weird question 00:08:22 A story about roommates and song analysis 00:09:27 How Carl got started songwriting 00:11:19 When you realize that music is something you can do too 00:12:01 Carl likes dancing 00:13:14 Songwriting is a serious pursuit 00:14:37 If you have musical talent you need to explore that 00:16:13 Beethoven can't write a song like John Prine 00:18:10 The new Bob Dylan movie and influence 00:21:27 "Last time I talked to you you were pretty sober" 00:24:21 Carl's take on health, fitness, and creativity 00:29:54 Why did you move to Nashville Carl? 00:35:23 Carl and Korby perform Separate Ways 00:39:32 The stigma of employment when you're young 00:43:02 Korby talks about his wake up call when he moved to Nashville 20 years ago 00:46:04 Korby describes why he's doing this podcast 00:46:36 Trying to not look too closely at what motivates you 00:49:05 Do you want your kids to be artists? 00:51:32 Fallow periods in the Life of an Artist 00:52:40 The wonderful Dick Cavett show 00:55:06 Watching cringe acting fascinates Carl 00:55:46 Bob Dylan was the original troll 00:58:10 "I'm not learning anything valuable here" 00:58:40 Korby talks about the collaborative nature of film 01:00:38 How Fred Again has inspired Korby in his novel 01:04:52 "I used to want to be famous, I still do" but connection now too 01:06:54 Korby and Carl reflect on meeting at the Bluebird 01:07:50 A new season of collaboration starting with Feb 15 show! 01:09:32 I am a very earnest person 01:11:33 We had to stop because Carl must drive to Virginia Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe…

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MAIR Gets Personal: The Private Life of a Virtuosic She-Wizard | MCP #214 1:00:31

5 weeks geleden1:00:31

1:00:31

MAIR is a musical force of nature. Whether she’s playing mandolin, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, nylon string banjo, her sit-up-and-pay-attention virtuosity has made her an in-demand collaborator the industry over. She’s been touring since she was thirteen, which makes her an industry veteran even though she’s barely in her mid-twenties. If you’re into bluegrass, you might have caught her — playing as Mary Meyer — with her brothers in the Meyer Band , or on her Lick of the Day series, maybe you saw her on stage with Sister Sadie , or at Stagecoach or SXSW, or with Anna Graves opening for Stevie Nicks or Maren Morris. Her new project MAIR, showcases her effortless singing, soft touch and flair for a tone poem kind of songwriting not unlike Elliot Smith . See it for yourself — or hear it rather — when she plays her original song “You in the Morning” live. But first before we go deep on relationships, including her recent divorce and the rebirth that came out of that (I share a good bit on that topic as well), her upbringing as a homeschooled kid in Missouri, what’s going on inside her mind when she’s improvising, and the bold vision she has for her own ideal career in music. I’ve been following Mair since probably 2022. I’ve dug the way she makes music and how she balances her dual identities — as a player for whom any band or song benefits — with an absolute need to expressive herself her own way. This is a magic person. Enjoy the episode! Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe…

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Viral Sensation Tyler Merritt Talks Race, Humor, and his Inspiring New Book. MCP #213 1:05:30

6 weeks geleden1:05:30

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Quick note before the show - after taking almost 4 years off to produce the Morse Code TV Pilot , I’m about to release some new music. So so excited about this. The first single is called Meet Me at the End of the World . Its about reaching for love at all costs. I texted our guest Tyler Merritt the track after our interview last week and, to quote the man: “The whole song is super melodic. Great lyrical imagery. Super solid song bro”. So, early reviews are promising! The single launch party and Korby full band show (!) is Saturday Feb 15 at the Five Spot in East Nashville at 6pm . My friends Abby Jane and Carl Anderson are joining me on the bill, and podcast alum Ryan Rado will be live painting. We’ll also be premiering the ridiculously ambitious music video we made for this new song of mine, directed by another MC podcast alum Mila Vilaplana . Ballroom dancing, a couple dozen costumed extras, a three-story tall LED lightwall made to look like a sunset in heaven, and a huge Viet Nam War protest set piece are some of the elements. We’re filming next week and I’ll be sharing behind the scenes clips and pics on my IG if you want to follow along. We’re announcing the show Tuesday but here is the early ticket link for my substackies. We are gonna sell out — don’t sleep on this :) And now back to our featured presentation~ Happy Publication Week to Tyler Merritt!! Tyler Merritt is an actor, musician, comedian, and activist behind The Tyler Merritt Project . Best known for his viral video “Before You Call the Cops” (seen now by more than 100 million people) and his bestselling debut I Take My Coffee Black , Jan 14th, 2025 just saw the publication of his second book, This Changes Everything : A Surprisingly Funny Story About Race, Cancer, Faith, and Other Things We Don’t Talk About. No less a pop culture icon than Jimmy Kimmel wrote the foreword for Coffee , but his new book (which as of two days ago is available everywhere) features a who’s who of admirers, reviewers and blurbers, including Trisha Yearwood , Joy Reid , Kristin Chenoweth , Heather Locklear , and about twenty more famous folks … Tyler is also a seasoned actor whose credits include Netflix's Outer Banks , the Disney series Falcon and the Winter Soldier , and A24’s upcoming feature film The Inspection . So, I don’t know how many threats that is, but it’s a lot. Awhile back, I read I Take My Coffee Black, pretty much in one sitting. I loved it. Full of humor — both self-deprecating and barbed — pathos, and hilarious anecdotes, like the time he busted out an improvised rap to avoid being forced into a gang — there are no shortage of surprising revelations, praise in equal parts for rap icons and musical theater, and warm-hearted descriptions of big personalities (his force-of-nature mom comes to mind). The man’s personal voice is so buoyant it basically floats on the page. Accordingly, this conversation was as wild a ride as the writing. Things got off to a rocky start (!) when Tyler reminded me he was still mad I didn’t book him for a role in Morse Code. But we hugged it out and jumped into a fast, substantive discussion, based in part on a few shared perspectives. For one, we are both children of the West. He’s from Nevada and I’m from Idaho. Having living here in the south for almost twenty years, I still retain much of the present-leaning-forward spirit of the west, and in reading Coffee , I felt Tyler had a similar perspective. The western half of America doesn’t care where you’re from. In that way it can be shallow and fatuous, but the south’s preoccupation with its past can be a real head-scratcher to someone not from here. There was so much in this conversation — about Counting Crows, the Nashville music scene, George Floyd, Tyler’s mom, the segregation that still exists in Nashville, how in some ways its more pronounced than in other southern cities. If you’re still reading this it’s probably because you know what a lovable, and loveably complicated person is Tyler Merritt. I hope you love this conversation and I hope it makes you buy his new book . PS I’m including a special exchange not included in the public pod as an exclusive for my Patreons . Up now . Last Week Redux. 10 minutes with Adam Ross Listen to Author and Editor in Chief of the Sewanee Review Adam Ross talk about the experience of writing a novel, and the sympathetic characters of Playworld , in an excerpt from the conversation we shared last week. Adam’s second novel Playworld is a mere week old, and continues its reign of praise and adulation on the literary circuit. Seems like everyone loves it, (including me). As the Morse Code Podcast YouTube Channel nears 500 subscribers, we’re going to include a 10 min highlight from each episode, going forward. We’re working hard to build a community around creators and their important, life-giving, world-saving work. You can thank us, encourage us, join us, by subscribing to to the MCP channel . Thank you and stay passionate. ~Korby Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe…

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Adam Ross and PLAYWORLD - the Novel Everyone is Talking About 1:21:08

7 weeks geleden1:21:08

1:21:08

Published just two days ago, Adam Ross ’ second novel, Playworld — some dozen-plus years in the making — is one of the best books I’ve read in the last five years. I’m not alone! Sources no less venerable than The New York Times , the LA Times , the Boston Globe , the Wall Street Journal , are all lining up to sing its praises. “Dazzling and endearing,” writes Vogue . The Washington Post croons: “The book is quote so good, it will give readers hope for the year ahead.” Everyone is in love with this novel. Here’s how it opens: “In the fall of 1980, when I was fourteen, a friend of my parents named Naomi Shah fell in love with me. She was thirty-six, a mother of two, and married to a wealthy man. Like so many things that happened to me that year, it didn’t seem strange at the time.” Set in New York, Ross’s bildungsroman (a pointy-headed word for “coming of age story”) follows a year in the unusual life of Griffin Hurt — a child actor, prep school 8th grader, aspiring wrestler and potential love interest of one Naomi Shah. What sets it apart from similarly ambitious romps, like Cloud Cuckoo Land , or A Gentleman in Moscow ? The sentences are better dancers, for one. And the world building is so delightfully specific. Picture a line of fourteen-year-old boys, silently lining up for a wrestling meet’s official weigh-in, some “hairy as fathers.” A minor character’s teeth are said to be “fantastic, separate unto him, like furniture in his mouth.” The Morse Code is a reader-supported publication. To support my writing, original music and this podcast, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thank you. But great language and an evocative setting — it’s not enough that a book entertain, or even wow. What sets Playworld apart is this: the pages are suffused with love, the great and complicated and imperfect love between people who themselves are, in spite of their shortcomings, vanities, or outright crimes, worthy of it. In this freewheeling conversation Adam and I discuss his approach to writing the novel, which I frame in the architect vs gardener approach. We talk about parenting in the 1980s versus now, and how Adam was careful not to allow Playworld to become the nostalgic celebration of yesteryear it might have otherwise been. We discussed one of the the themes: the tension many of us feel between filial loyalty and personal desire. And finally I asked him to read an excerpt from the book’s middle, one that gets at the complicated relationship between two of the story’s principle characters — Griffin and his dad — and also what makes Griffin’s particular feelings of deficit so painfully relatable. Somewhere in there, I, fumbling around for a question that might get under some of the dazzling technique, the funny flawed characters, the dramatic surprises, finally asked him what personal quest — if any — he was on in writing Playworld. “ I wanted to write something beautiful,” he said. I hope you enjoy this one — the book, and this conversation — as much as I did. ~korby Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe…

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Ryan Rado: Being Willing to Fail and Somehow Not Failing | Morse Code Podcast #211 58:44

8 weeks geleden58:44

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Happy New Beginning! One quick important creative announcement: I have new music coming! Meet Me at the End of the World was written by me, live on a series I do called the East Nashville Songwriting Workshop , where I write a song live on the internet, start to finish. Usually it’s a co-write, but this particular time the scheduled guest didn’t show up so I was left by myself. Not ideal but the show must go on so I thrashed around in front of God and everybody and after 3 hours I’d made a song. The bigger surprise was that the song rang true and I really loved it and have wanted to share it ever since. It’s a love song filled with wild emotion and exploding asteroids and an oblique reference to Melville (Moby Dick) and Steinbeck (The Pearl), shot through with bottomless thirst I equate with the feeling of being in love. The track was produced by Morse Code Podcast alum Anthony DaCosta and we’re shooting a very ambitious music video for it directed by another podcast alum, Mila Vilaplana . Powerhouse Randa Newman is producing it while somehow nursing Baby Zuzu to the delightfully chunky condition we find her in today (Zuzu not Randa). Meet Me at the End of the World drops February 14 and I’m playing a full-band release show Feb 15 at the 5 Spot in East Nashville . More info in the coming weeks. It’s been a while since I put some new music out. Cue feelings of excitement, and nervousness. Which is an appropriate segue to introduce this very special guest: Ryan Rado is a painter, musician, ontological coach, and host of the Make it Perfect Podcast . Don’t worry about it. I also had to look up what an ontological coach was. And to be honest, I didn’t do that until after taping our conversation, because I was moved by this conversation and wanted to know more about Ryan and his life and work. The way he was in the room, how he shared so freely, not only his creative philosophy but his battle — that might not be the right word — maybe relationship is better — with Tourette’s syndrome, made me want to dig into what he’s doing and why. Just how damn vulnerable he was and yet, firm. Is that the word? Enigmatic things are hard to put words to. I met Ryan at a screening of the Morse Code Pilot this summer. It was brief, but let me see if I can convey a little of the piquant nature of that exchange: see, I opened the evening by playing a few songs in the theater, just, totally acoustic no mics or PA. Which is my favorite way to perform or witness live music (there just aren’t many situations where it can work). I played a couple of of my songs — one of them, Northern Lights, got an audible sigh from somewhere on the left side of the room, a couple rows back. Hearing that gratified me like a baby on the boob. All I ever wanted to do was make somebody sigh okay? Not only did I take the compliment, but I noted that a grown ass man was publicly responding — audibly — to another grown ass man sharing his heart. Unusual. Also indicative of an integrated being. The Morse Code is a reader-supported publication and podcast. To receive new posts and support my songs, stories, podcast epiosdes and video essays, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I filed that nanosecond feeling away, and retrieved it the moment I opened an email from Ryan asking if I’d be interested in swapping guest tapings. I checked out his art and CV and it was clear this guy was exactly the kind of person I’m looking for in a guest — a person whose commitment to self-expression extends well beyond the act itself. As I read some interviews Ryan had given and learned more about how he came to paint, it was obvious to me that the lines between active expression and active living are, in Ryan’s court, blurred. What I’m trying to say is that this is one of the most interesting and moving conversations I’ve had on the podcast to date. Ryan’s transparency — with his past trauma, present joys, and his infectious desire to be fully himself — in what I might call a gladiatorial humility — was both challenging and moving. We looked at works of his art together, while he described not only what he was trying to achieve in them, but how they made him feel while looking at them in that moment. He talked about the Tourettes, even in realtime describing how hard was trying to resist the desire to lick the microphone while we talked. He got emotional talking about his young son’s ability to punch right to the center of his art with the tossed-off remark flung with the precision of a 4th century Ketana. If you think I’m trying to get you to listen to this episode, you’re right. Ryan is a special person. The goal of the Morse Code Podcast is to infected you with inspiration and bravery by presenting people who are inspiring and brave. It’s a simple goal and I hope it’s working. Listen to the episode and then look up Ontological Coach. That’s the order I did it in. Happy New Year. Big changes coming for all of us. Korby Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe…

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a holiday message from Korby 8:43

9 weeks geleden8:43

8:43

The end of the year is a good time to take a step back and think about what you're doing and why. Among my various (well, three) enterprises, I've been doing the Morse Code Podcast for more than a year - more than 60 full length episodes and 200+ videos. Proud of Jared and Randa and me and what we’ve achieved! I'm still figuring out the SEO and a bunch of other technical stuff I don't understand (like how to get substack to push the updated episode thumbnails to apple podcasts 🤬). But as to the intention? I'm 100% in. The podcast is evolving. I started doing it for one reason and now, that reason has changed. Next week we’re about to shift into high gear with a new slate of um pretty ambitious projects — music, film, writing — but in this moment of quiet early morning end-of-year darkness, I wanted to take stock in what I’m doing and why. In typically earnest Korby fashion, I hope my message brings some cheer, encouragement and vision. As always, thank you for being here with me. And if the Morse Code Podcast resonates with you, consider joining as a paid subscriber. Something else that would be helpful? Giving us a five star review on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify , or even writing a short review (on Apple ) saying why you like what we’re doing. That goes a long way, not only to helping build the pod, but it makes me and Jared and Randa feel nice. If you’re a patreon subscriber, I’m posting this video over there, but with a little more of the transparency, vulnerability that particular community fosters. There’s a particular question I’m asking over the patrons… I wish you guys all the meaning and music your heart can handle. Happy New Year. ~Korby Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe…

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Josh Plasse: Son of a Navy Seal Injects Discipline Into the Hollywood Game — with Fantastic Results | Morse Code Podcast #210 1:01:48

10 weeks geleden1:01:48

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Josh Plasse is an actor, producer and published author. The son of a Navy Seal, he’s appeared in more than 50 episodes of network television , including iCarly , Grey’s Anatomy and The Baxters . His first novel, Dust , drops February 4, 2025 on Resolve Editions. In 2022, Josh co-wrote, produced, and acted in the feature film Ride , starring C. Thomas Howell , Annabeth Gish and Forrie J. Smith. Originally conceived as a television pilot, the script sold to a production house, who bobbled the project when the pandemic hit. Josh and his team then re-imagined it as a feature, raised the $2 million budget and set to work. The story of Ride’s ride — its inception, production and promotional effort — is worth the listen alone. It’s a lesson not only in imagination and fortitude, but the critical role strategic planning plays in translating an original story into a commercial success. Sometimes you need to exercise as much creativity on the promotional side of your project as you do the art itself. Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe…

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Langhorne Slim: Finding the We in ‘We the People’ | Morse Code Podcast #209 1:08:35

11 weeks geleden1:08:35

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Langhorne Slim is a singer-songwriter based in East Nashville. His new single “We the People (F*** the Man)” is a jubilant reminder to cast a wary eye on our supposed political overlords and instead focus on those things that make a society a place worth living in: loving our neighbors, looking each other in the eye, being *actually* alive on planet earth in this our once and mysterious life. Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe…

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Ozark’s Quinnlan Ashe on Growing as an Actor by Working Behind the Camera | Morse Code Podcast #208 1:23:52

12 weeks geleden1:23:52

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Quinnlan Ashe is an actor, producer and podcaster based in Nashville, Tennessee. Among her credits are Ozark , I Want You Back , Chicago Fire , Brockmire *and* she played Lia in our own award-winning pilot, Morse Code , for which this podcast is named. Quinn's latest project is called Re-Wined . It's a podcast she hosts with friends and industry colleagues Katie Garrett and Annie Moore , where they revisit the films of their youths and see how they hold up. I love the show. It’s funny and topical and has the chemistry and confidence of confidants. Addition to being one of the on-mic talents, Quinn also engineers and produces each episode. Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe…

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Spencer Thomas: Futurebirds Keyboardist Gets Real on The Joke of Life | Morse Code Podcast #207 1:10:59

13 weeks geleden1:10:59

1:10:59

Spencer Thomas is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Athens, Georgia. He also plays keys for the beloved cosmic jamericana touring band Futurebirds . His new record, The Joke of Life , is shot through with contributions from members of My Morning Jacket , Drive-By Truckers , Futurebirds annd — it’s been getting a lot of play at the Lenker house. Listen above, scroll down to watch on YouTube. But for a few short texts, Spencer and I hadn’t met until he pulled up in front in front of my joint in East Nashville. He'd had a long drive so we took a walk around the block to catch up, break the ice and enjoy the perfect fall weather. Once we started talking we didn’t stop. It was almost incidental, turning the mics on. We riffed on his early and present influences — Warren Zevon ’s name is an appropriate drop here — as well as the reasoning behind his decision to move to Athens — Athens, Georgia — during the pandemic. When I asked Why not Nashville? we charged into a chapter on the plusses and minuses living in a talent hotspot. That he chose an independent incubation makes sense when you listen to his music. You can't make a record like The Joke of Life in Nashville. Even though I’ve lived here almost two decades, my own formative years as an artist were spent well away from commercial centers (shout out to Bellingham, Washington) — great for cultivating an individual voice, but maybe you sell more records (or streams I guess) the closer you snuggle up to the money teat. Whatever the metric, Spencer and I tend toward the being apart, which is probably why I enjoyed this conversation so much. There was a lot of dishing on favorite bands — Bruce Springsteen , Tom Petty , Dawes — and a thruline of mutual revelry in the joy of making art for its own sake. We got so carried away talking and listening that I nearly forgot to ask him to play my favorite song from his record, Little Gold . Glad to say we got it in there. Spencer is having a real artistic moment. You get the feeling that — after ten years of trying stuff, making up songs alone and with kindred, looking for his own orbit in the music of the spheres, he’s finally hitting on something. Teetering on the fulcrum of his own invention. It felt good for me to catch him mid-stroke on an upward swing. On this day of thanks I want to thank YOU for being part of this Morse Code Community. Ours is a motley collective and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love you guys so much. As Big Tech and Big Money and Bigness in general continue their march on our little patch of sacred humanity, I’m here for you, the artist . I have been in love my whole life with grouchy authors, unknown poets, quiet folksingers, radiant actors, the horse whisperers of culture, all, these fringey wonders who prioritize self-expression over self. My purpose for Morse Code is to celebrate you, inspire you, encourage you to thrash around inside yourself and see what’s going on in there. The guests on this show are doing it. You can too. Personally, whether I’m writing a song or a short story or making a film, I’m in the meaning business. And meaning isn’t something you find, once and for all. You discover a little bit more, every day. But only if you try. If you get something out of the Morse Code Podcast, please like and subscribe on your favorite listening platform, follow us on IG , and if you have a sec, write us a five star review on apple podcasts . Anything you can do goes a long way to helping us bring this mission to more and more people. And if you’d like to become a paid subscriber, that would be wonderful too. Whatever you do, we’ll keep showing up, week after week, to talk to these amazing talents and see what makes them glow so bright. I wish you all the wonder of being alive. Thank you for being here. -Korby Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe…

1
Steve Poltz Just Played the Greatest Show of His Life | Morse Code Podcast #206 1:38:46

14 weeks geleden1:38:46

1:38:46

Steve Poltz is a… a.. what is he? In the man’s own words, “I’m just a weirdo, a freak, a bon vivant, a rounder, a rabble rouser, a workaholic, a people pleaser, an idiot and a grateful kid who ran away and joined the circus.” Most of us know Poltz as one of the most charismatic live folksingers working today. Whether he’s playing little club in Halifax, or trading verses with Jewel (whose hit song “ You Were Made for Me ” he co-wrote), or serenading Cayamo , Poltz is Poltz, full on and no exceptions. Hence the the superlative, announced each night, by the man himself: “This is the Greatest Show of My Life!” I shared a show with him once. Unsurprisingly, it was the same night I met Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak . We became friends. Weird things happen when Poltz is around. Besides Jewel, the East Nashville-based folksinger has cuts with dozens of artists — Billy Strings , Molly Tuttle , Deer Tick , Sierra Hull , Nicki Bluhm among them — as well as a collaboration with the Wood Brothers on his critically-acclaimed record Stardust and Satellites . We talk about early years in the California folk rock scene. Hilarity ensues. Steve recounts what a typical show at the Belly Up was like during the Rugburns’ heyday. Destroying stuff, making memories for everyone in the house except himself, since he was wasted. But we also explored more sensitive territory. Steve got clean more than fifteen years ago, after suffering a stroke onstage. We talk alot about that time, the before and after. I asked him how his motivations changed when he got clean. His answer is worth the listen alone. One thing about Steve Poltz is that he is better than just about anybody I know at making a person feel like he’s the center of the world. Time and again in this interview a few minutes would pass before I’d realize he was interviewing me. Somewhere in there we played a song together, Steve’s song Conveyor Belt . Steve played and sang and I did a harmony and even finagled a little solo into the deal. A sweet moment captured in the studio. This interview was the most fun I’ve had on the Morse Code Podcast so far. I hope you enjoy it. Please subscribe on whatever you’re listening to (or watching) and help us grow this spot. Or consider joining as a paid subscriber. Either way, thank you for being part of this community. This episode sponsored by Writerfest , a creative gathering for aspiring writers, published authors, screenwriters, poets, and songwriters in. Attendees enjoy keynote talks by the best book, song, and screenplay writers in the business as well as in-depth break-out sessions with professional editors, literary agents, filmmakers, and music industry insiders. Writerfest is happening Nov 22 and 23 . Find out more information on writerfestnashville.com The Morse Code is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Morse Code with Korby Lenker at korby.substack.com/subscribe…

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