New year high gear. We are flying down the road, windows down, aimed at something we can’t quite see. This week we expanded Ranch Vovo — the production company that houses our television pilot Morse Code — so that we now have a record label imprint, distributed by Symphonic Music (!) My partner Randa Newman and I are releasing a bunch of music this year under the RV imprint. To wit: after six weeks of pre-production — casting, location scouting, crewing up — we spent the week filming the music video for my first song of 2025 Meet Me at the End of the World, directed by Mila Vilaplana and starring Mason Mecartea and Emma Naumovska. The single won’t drop until March BUT we are screening the a sneak premiere of the music video at my show February 15 at the 5 Spot in Nashville. A 6pm show, because baby Zuzu goes to bed early.
Life is as beautiful as you allow it to be - get your tickets here.
And now….
MAIR!
MAIR is a 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 in the Morning”, 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!
00:00:00 Morse Code Recap
00:02:27 MAIR introduction
00:04:32 Korby tells MAIR what he loves about her music
00:05:50 What about MAIR's bluegrass background has best served her
00:07:25 The lack of pop and country in MAIR's childhood house
00:09:37 No music in Korby's house growing up except Christian Radio
00:11:16 "It took me years before I could hear people talk about God and the church"
00:12:31 MAIR on getting married and divorced young
00:14:14 Korby reveals he too was married and divorced young
00:14:51 What you learn on the other side of divorce
00:21:02 MAIR talks about the abuse she faced in her marriage
00:22:30 "The illusion was pierced forever"
00:24:38 Freedom is of paramount importance
00:25:22 The downside of touring
00:28:39 Recent tour with Matt Marr
00:29:52 The new album MAIR in the Morning
00:34:09 Where the new songs come from
00:36:19 MAIR plays "You in the Morning" LIVE
00:38:12 Being an introvert in the Music Business
00:39:29 "I'm in the meaning business"
00:41:56 How the idea of success changes as you get older
00:46:19 Whats great about growing up homeschooled
00:50:27 Whats not great about growing up homeschooled
00:53:20 What's going on inside MAIR's brain when she's improvising
00:57:59 When does the new record come out?
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