[piano intro] - [Announcer] "Shaped by Sound" is made possible through support from Come Hear NC, a program of the North Carolina Arts Council within the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

- [Producer] "Shaped by Sound".

- 13 North Carolina artists, their songs, their stories, this stage.

[bright upbeat music] [band playing "Fire Country"] ♪ Pink moon over the Palisades ♪ ♪ Chasing mailbox money up the 1 highway ♪ ♪ Smoke in the canyons reflected in your face ♪ ♪ I got five bucks and the East Coast to my name ♪ ♪ Fire country ♪ ♪ I took a vow ♪ ♪ To put this out ♪ [band continues playing "Fire Country"] ♪ Does everyone live in different worlds ♪ ♪ On my knees I press my hands ♪ ♪ Against the TV screen ♪ ♪ I'm talking to you ♪ ♪ Are you talking to me ♪ ♪ Tell me what's between us ♪ ♪ What's between ♪ ♪ Fire country ♪ ♪ I see you now ♪ ♪ What if this all burns down ♪ ♪ Down, down ♪ ♪ Down, down ♪ ♪ Down, down ♪ ♪ I tune my guitar to the names ♪ ♪ Of old lovers ♪ ♪ Plastered in posters on the wall, well ♪ ♪ This one's dedicated to anyone ♪ ♪ Who's ever been in love ♪ ♪ To the wildflowers raging in the bluffs ♪ ♪ And the inmates on the interstate ♪ ♪ In orange jumpsuits and a dollar pay ♪ ♪ This is for the wind ♪ ♪ That's snatching what we're saying away ♪ ♪ This one's for earthquakes, yeah ♪ ♪ This one's for hurricanes ♪ ♪ This one's for fire country ♪ ♪ I'm in you now ♪ ♪ What if this all burns down ♪ ♪ Down, down ♪ ♪ Down, down ♪ ♪ Down, down ♪ ♪ Down, down ♪ ♪ Down ♪ ♪ I think and I pray ♪ ♪ I think and I pray ♪ ♪ To all that came before ♪ ♪ To everything ♪ ♪ That may remain ♪ ♪ To all that crosses over ♪ ♪ This interstate ♪ ♪ Fire country ♪ ♪ You're on fire country ♪ ♪ Welcome to fire country ♪ [music ends] The last record, there was like a guitar that was very much involved that, it's an old guitar of my brother's, he pulled out, and we were playing on it.

It very much felt like the songs wanted to come through that guitar.

It was kinda like a catalyst.

I decided that I was gonna call the record Country from that.

That was sort of like, "Fire Country" was the first song, it was like the initial hook into that.

And I, at the time, had a couple other songs I was kinda working on, and the word "country" was in it for some reason, it was just showing up.

And I was like, "I can't have the word country in this song, like I gotta figure something else out," you know, 'cause I already got that going on.

- [James] Yeah.

- And some part of me was like, "Well, what if you just called it Country, and it's not a country record, but the name of it is Country."

- Yeah.

- And that was like a really fun place to start from, and that's when the rest of the songs showed up, and it felt like, okay, this is the journey right now.

- Yeah.

- Thing to do.

- So within this record, it sounds like you're sort of stretching and expanding that idea of genre.

You kind of just spoke to it just now, like this isn't a country record.

- Mm-hmm, yeah.

- Right?

But it does have this direct connection to place.

- Yeah.

The idea of country is something that actually isn't contained within a border, or that is uncontainable.

♪ Sometimes it's Lucinda ♪ ♪ Sometimes it's Emmylou ♪ ♪ Sometimes it's Rosetta ♪ ♪ And sometimes it's June ♪ ♪ But lately it's July ♪ ♪ Between the heat and my luck ♪ ♪ I've been switching out the stations ♪ ♪ In my mama's truck ♪ ♪ What you looking for out there, girl ♪ ♪ Wild as anything ♪ ♪ I believe in everything ♪ ♪ What you looking for ♪ ♪ Out there, girl ♪ ♪ Wild as anything ♪ ♪ I believe in everything ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Oh, sunshine in the rear view ♪ ♪ Are you singing along ♪ ♪ With the sisters of the road ♪ ♪ And their siren song ♪ ♪ Heartbreak to heartbreak ♪ ♪ Devour them coast to coast ♪ ♪ Did you kill the lady killers ♪ ♪ And go riding with their ghosts ♪ ♪ What you looking for ♪ ♪ Out there, girl ♪ ♪ Wild as anything ♪ ♪ I believe in everything ♪ ♪ What you looking for ♪ ♪ Out there, girl ♪ ♪ Wild as anything ♪ ♪ I believe in everything ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ In the crossroads ♪ ♪ In the crystals ♪ ♪ That you gaze into ♪ ♪ Lies the world ♪ ♪ You stand, waiting to step your life into ♪ ♪ Take it away ♪ ♪ Take it away, take it away ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ You're what you're looking for ♪ ♪ Out there, girl ♪ ♪ Wild ♪ ♪ As anything ♪ ♪ I believe ♪ ♪ You're what you're looking for ♪ ♪ Out there, girl ♪ ♪ Wild as anything ♪ ♪ I believe in everything ♪ ♪ Believe ♪ ♪ I believe ♪ ♪ I believe ♪ ♪ I believe in everything ♪ [band continues playing "Truck"] [band continues playing "Truck"] [song ends] - What you do, as far as your music goes, it seems like a very spiritual process?

- Yes.

- And I'm wondering, when did you sort of realize that, like, it's not about sitting down, hammering out a song, it's more about putting your finger on the pulse of what's inspiring you.

- Yeah.

- And what is out there that's larger than you.

- Yeah, I love that.

The piano is something that feels really tied to that for me.

Since it was always around, and since I have like a very musical family, it was something that wasn't mine, actually.

It was larger than me, in this way, even then, because it was connected so much to ancestral or familial place, in almost a way of as I got older, like responsibility, or duty in this way.

It's not, the song is not necessarily mine, but it is, since I'm writing it, since I'm catching it, who I am has an effect on it.

I think songs in that energy source, whatever it is, are everyone's.

- And once you've sort of grabbed onto it, tuned it to yourself.

- Mm-hmm.

- Then it becomes your version of what that is.

- Yes.

♪ Colt legs swaying in a cotton dress ♪ ♪ Barefoot on the road ♪ ♪ Where they misspelled ♪ ♪ Independence ♪ ♪ You're doing what the sign says, dance ♪ ♪ Dreaming 'bout that future big romance ♪ ♪ I'm my mother's daughter ♪ ♪ Wild child of the summer ♪ ♪ I'm my mother's daughter ♪ ♪ Old soul **** talker ♪ ♪ We tattoo on her sage advice ♪ ♪ Like you can have it all ♪ ♪ Just not at the same time ♪ ♪ And absence makes the heart grow, yes ♪ ♪ Fonder of someone else ♪ ♪ And sing while you work ♪ ♪ La, la, la ♪ ♪ Sing while you work ♪ ♪ La, la, la, la ♪ ♪ Come strawberry season ♪ ♪ Sing while you work ♪ ♪ La, la, la, la ♪ ♪ Since while you work ♪ ♪ La, la, la, la ♪ ♪ I'm my mother's daughter ♪ ♪ Wild child of the summer ♪ ♪ Oh, oh ♪ ♪ I'm my mother's daughter ♪ ♪ Fire drawn to the water ♪ ♪ Throw a little salt over your shoulder ♪ ♪ Love is a gift ♪ ♪ Love is a spell you cast ♪ ♪ Love can spoil ♪ ♪ But love can last ♪ ♪ Even when you walk away ♪ ♪ Love when you walk away ♪ ♪ And sing while you work ♪ ♪ La, la, la ♪ ♪ Sing while you work ♪ ♪ La, la, la ♪ ♪ Sing while you work ♪ ♪ La, la, la ♪ ♪ Sing while you work ♪ ♪ La, la, la ♪ ♪ Sing while you work ♪ ♪ La, la, la, la ♪ ♪ Sing while you work ♪ ♪ La, la, la, la ♪ ♪ Sing while you work ♪ ♪ La, la, la, la ♪ ♪ La ♪ ♪ I'm my mother's daughter ♪ ♪ Wild child ♪ ♪ Of the summer ♪ ♪ La, la, la, la ♪ ♪ Fire child drawn to the water ♪ ♪ La, la, la, la ♪ ♪ La, la, la, la, la ♪ ♪ La, la, la, la ♪ ♪ La, la, la, la ♪ ♪ La, la, la, la ♪ ♪ La, la, la, la, la ♪ ♪ La, la, la ♪ [song ends] - I wanted to talk a little bit about the stage, and the aesthetic of your show.

We were talking to you about it initially, and sort of work shopping what you wanted it to be, and you said you wanted to create like an ocean, and have it be at the edge of the earth.

- I mean, the ocean's very much a, it's been a big part of my dream life.

My parents live at the outer banks.

I spend a lot of time at the ocean, and it's very tied to the source of those songs.

It's interesting to me as the place that humans, a long time ago, once crawled out of, you know?

That we're always maybe trying to, like, we miss it, maybe, on some cellular level.

The power of the ocean is similar, of course, to the power of fire or something, and it's like, not controllable by humans.

We really try to control land, and obviously we try to control those other elements, as well, but the power of that feels very intriguing to me.

[band playing "Femme Fatale"] ♪ Ain't you heard that ♪ ♪ Babe, I'm trouble ♪ ♪ And I been looking for you ♪ ♪ All my life ♪ ♪ When they see me ♪ ♪ They start running ♪ ♪ 'Cause trouble's coming for you ♪ ♪ Day and night ♪ ♪ You can blame it on the stars ♪ ♪ You can tell it to the moon ♪ ♪ Baby, I wouldn't be so bad ♪ ♪ If it didn't feel so good ♪ ♪ You can try and escape me ♪ ♪ But I came for you ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Like the sun ♪ ♪ I get down ♪ ♪ Drape the days in a midnight black gown ♪ ♪ And I punch the buttons ♪ ♪ In the neon frown ♪ ♪ Of the jukebox ♪ ♪ 'Til it brings me round ♪ ♪ You can blame it on the stars ♪ ♪ You can tell it to the moon ♪ ♪ Baby, I wouldn't be so bad ♪ ♪ If it didn't feel so good ♪ ♪ You can try and escape me ♪ ♪ But I came for you ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ [band continues playing "Femme Fatale"] [band continues playing "Femme Fatale"] ♪ Ain't you heard that ♪ ♪ I'm an angel ♪ ♪ One kiss and it's lights out ♪ ♪ You can blame it on the stars ♪ ♪ You can tell it to the moon ♪ ♪ If you got somewhere to be ♪ ♪ You'd better get going soon ♪ ♪ You can try and escape me ♪ ♪ But I came for you ♪ ♪ Blame it on the stars ♪ ♪ Tell it to the moon ♪ ♪ Baby, I used to be good ♪ ♪ But I went bad for you ♪ ♪ Try and escape me ♪ ♪ I came ♪ ♪ For you ♪ ♪ Escape me, I came ♪ ♪ For you ♪ ♪ Escape me, I came ♪ ♪ For you ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh ♪ [song ends] - Can you talk to us a little bit about your community here in North Carolina?

- I mean, North Carolina's just like a fantastic place to be an artist, I feel like.

And the music community is, there's so many different people doing so many different things.

Everybody is like very supportive of each other.

It's very DIY, it's very, everyone should be involved.

And that's just incredible, and incredibly fruitful.

Like, my band, we all live within five minutes of each other, for the most part.

That's incredible, to just have that sort of like very fertile ground, right around us.

People pursuing that just makes more of it happen.

North Carolina is that place for people.

- It's really cool.

Skylar, thank you so much for being on the show.

- Thank you so much, James.

- Thanks for playing.

[Skylar chuckles] Thank you.

- Thank you.

♪ All my gratitude for roses ♪ ♪ All my gratitude for the queen ♪ ♪ All my gratitude for the players ♪ ♪ In the queen's company ♪ ♪ The company is a garden ♪ ♪ And the garden is a stage ♪ ♪ Where the party's writing sonnets ♪ ♪ Players whisper from the page ♪ ♪ Are you ♪ ♪ Free ♪ ♪ The road, she's our mistress, yeah ♪ ♪ The road, she is our bride ♪ ♪ The road, it is for travelers ♪ ♪ Won't you ride, Sally, ride ♪ ♪ Ride on, won't you, Sally ♪ ♪ All you sailors lost at sea ♪ ♪ Dreaming of the forest ♪ ♪ And the easy company ♪ ♪ Are you ♪ ♪ Free ♪ ♪ Are you free ♪ [band continues playing "All My Gratitude"] [band continues playing "All My Gratitude"] [band continues playing "All My Gratitude"] ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ [band continues playing "All My Gratitude"] ♪ This song is for the singers ♪ ♪ So catch it while you can ♪ ♪ And give it back out ♪ ♪ To whatever's listening ♪ ♪ What's listening is the ether ♪ ♪ What's listening is the stars ♪ ♪ What's listening is the boys ♪ ♪ In the back of their cars ♪ ♪ Getting free ♪ [band continues playing] ♪ Are you free ♪ [Skylar vocalizing] [Skylar continues vocalizing] [song ends] - [James] Thanks for joining us on "Shaped by Sound".

If you'd like to hear more of our discussion from today, you can find it over on our website, PBSNC.org/ShapedBySound, or you can find it on the PBS App.

♪ In white satin heat ♪ ♪ You knelt in roses at my feet ♪ ♪ Your hand upon your heart ♪ ♪ Like some kind of prayer ♪ ♪ What do we do with all this swearing ♪ ♪ This humming buzzing in the air ♪ - [Announcer] "Shaped by Sound" is made possible through support from Come Hear NC, a program of the North Carolina Arts Council within the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.