Transcendent Tracks – Details, episodes & analysis

Country singer-songwriter Summer Dean is a great example of persistence paying off. Taking small gigs while still working as a schoolteacher, she had a bigger vision, and kept bugging folks for better gigs (sometimes contacting them every 48 hours until they gave in) to the point that she could be a musician full-time and walk away from the classroom. Only 5 years into her career, she has already received 2 wins at the Ameripolitan Music Awards, snagged opening slots for Marty Stuart, Dale Watson and Asleep at the Wheel, and appeared at SXSW 2023. One of Summer’s ultimate visions is an induction into the Grand Ole Opry and no doubt she’ll keep pursuing it with her typical tenacity. For now, she has completed her second full-length album called The Biggest Life, produced by acclaimed songwriter Bruce Robison. Find out who Summer wants to induct her into the Opry, who she’d like to meet backstage, and what message was revealed to her during a visit to a medium.

Connect with Summer & Find Her Music:

• Website Summer Dean Music
• Facebook Summer Dean Music
• Instagram @summerdean
• Twitter @summerdeanmusic
• YouTube @summerdean734

Summer’s Musical Influences & Inspirations:

• Johnny Bush
• Kasey Chambers
• Merle Haggard (Serving 190 Proof album, 1979)
• Willie Nelson (Redheaded Stranger album, 1975)
• Dolly Parton
• Bruce Robison
• Connie Smith
• Gillian Welch (Everything Is Free, 2001)
• Lucinda Williams (Car Wheels on a Gravel Road album, 1998)

References:

• 5 Female Artists Creating the Future of Country Music
• Ameripolitan Music Awards

“You've just seen...the heart-stopping, house-rocking, earth-quaking, booty-shaking, testifying, death-defying, legendary E…Street…Band!”

If you’ve ever attended one of their live shows, you would’ve heard some version of this declaration from Bruce and by the end you’d probably agree whole-heartedly. David Burghardt certainly did after his first concert, and 40 years later he’s still going back for more.

Like many fans, he cites their music—and one album in particular—as a lifeline in an especially trying time and a reminder to find joy even when life isn’t easy. Find out what lyrics he wrote in everyone’s high school yearbook, which foundational song Bruce refers to as “an invitation” (and how I happily discovered it about 30 years late), plus his admiration for Bruce's open discussion of his mental health struggles even as he consistently writes music that uplifts others.

David’s Personal Soundtrack:

• Thunder Road (from Born to Run album, 1975)
• Born to Run (from Born to Run album, 1975)
• Racing in the Street (from Darkness on the Edge of Town album, 1978)
• Tougher Than the Rest (from Tunnel of Love album, 1987)
• Jesus Was an Only Son (from Devils & Dust album, 1995)
• Rockaway the Days (from Tracks box set, 1998)
• Car Wash (from Tracks box set, 1998)
• The Rising (from The Rising album, 2002)
• My City of Ruins (from The Rising album, 2002)
• Land of Hope and Dreams (from Wrecking Ball album, 2012)

References:

• VH1 Storytellers - Bruce Springsteen
• The Seeger Sessions

Bruce Springsteen Official Website

Episode Music Credits:

• Intro: Great Great Lengths from Blue Dot Sessions
• Outro: Lamplist from Blue Dot Sessions

A dedication. Rest in peace, Dad.

Episode Music Credit: Horizon Liner from Blue Dot Sessions

Writer Dawn Lyons shares how the music of Richard Marx pulled her through a very difficult time in her life, how he continues to inspire her writing and tells stories of encounters with Richard himself (both virtual and in person).

Connect with Dawn:

• Website Lines by Lyons
• Instagram @linesbylyons
• Twitter @linesbylyons

Dawn's Personal Soundtrack:

• Should've Known Better (from self-titled debut album, 1987)
• Touch of Heaven (from Flesh and Bone album, 1997)
• When You Loved Me (from Stories To Tell album, 2010)
• Satisfied (from Repeat Offender album, 1989)
• Now and Forever (from Paid Vacation album, 1994)
• Not In Love (from Limitless album, 2020)
• Whatever We Started (from Beautiful Goodbye album, 2014)
• Take This Heart (from Rush Street album, 1991)
• When You're Gone (from My Own Best Enemy album, 2004)
• Through My Veins (from Emotional Remains album, 2008)

Richard Marx Official Website

Tequila Talk Podcast w/Daisy Fuentes & Richard Marx

Episode Music Credits:

• Intro: Great Great Lengths from Blue Dot Sessions
• Outro: Lamplist from Blue Dot Sessions

EDM fan Mel Booth discusses electronic trio Above & Beyond and the DJs on their Anjunabeats and Anjunadeep record labels. She shares stories of some of the international gigs she's attended, how a video game streaming service became a pandemic-era destination for fans and explains that EDM is truly a family affair...connecting her father, her son and friends across the globe that have become like family.

Mel's Personal Soundtrack:

• LeSonic and Wassu In Aere
• K90 Red Snapper (Allen Watts remix)
• K90 Breathe
• K90 Malaya
• Paul Oakenfold Southern Sun
• Leaving Laurel Secret Place
• Tinlicker Bird Feeder
• Monolink Father Ocean
• Ben Bohmer Breathing (Live at AnjunaDeep Prague)
• Spencer Brown Hippie Hill
• David Hohme In Your Sway
• Ben Pierre Setting Sun
• Ilan Bluestone Will We Remain (Live at ABGT350 Prague)

Mel's Above & Beyond Track Recommendations:

• Sun and Moon (Official Music Video)
• Sun and Moon (Live at ABGT250)
• Sun and Moon Acoustic (Porchester Hall, London)
• Northern Soul
• Satellite
• Satellite Acoustic (Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles)
• On A Good Day
• On A Good Day (Live at ABGT200)
• On A Good Day Acoustic (Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles)
• Above & Beyond Live in Columbia for Cercle

Above & Beyond Official Website

Episode Music Credits:

• Intro: Great Great...

Introducing Transcendent Tracks: Stories About the Power of Music.

Episode Music Credit: Great Great Lengths from Blue Dot Sessions

What do folk songs of the Balkans, traditional Irish music and a Metallica concert all have in common? Musician Briget Boyle can tell you. She understands and appreciates the importance of musical connections between people and how shared experiences create a culture of song. Through this lens, she has explored an incredible breadth of influences that she draws from in her solo work and expresses directly in her collaborations True Life Trio and Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble.

On a musical journey from the start, she began writing songs at the age of 12 and received an invaluable education from her parents who were both music industry professionals. Briget has long felt the call to songwriting and to use her powerful and beautiful voice to express truth through music. Briget’s album Heartbreak Residue is out April 2023.

Connect with Briget & Find Her Music:

• Website Briget Boyle
• Website True Life Trio
• Website Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble
• Facebook @brigetboylemusic
• Instagram @brigetsongs
• Website Waxsimilie Productions

Briget’s Early Musical Influences:

• Ani DiFranco
• Alanis Morissette
• Sarah McLachlan

Briget's Personal Soundtrack:

• Blue Is the Eye by Ye Vagabonds (from Nine Waves album, 2022)
• Madison Cunningham
• Brass music from Northern Greece & Southern Macedonia
• Choral music from Bulgaria & Southern Albania

References:

• Video Salty Tears by Briget Boyle (from The Next Line album, 2018)
• Movie Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory
• Songwriting Challenge FAWM (February Album Writing Month)

Episode Music Credits:

• Intro: Great Great Lengths from Blue Dot Sessions
• Outro: Lamplist from Blue Dot Sessions
• Clip from Crimes & Misdemeanors by Briget Boyle

In discussing her feelings on the music of folk rock icons Indigo Girls, podcast host and jam-maker extraordinaire Amy Fagan discovers a recurring descriptor: healing. She explains why Amy & Emily continue to be beloved by their die-hard fans for both their professional and personal contributions.

Connect with Amy:

• Podcast Grounded in Maine
• Facebook Grounded in Maine Podcast Group
• Instagram @groundedinmainepodcast
• Website Amy's Garden Jam

Amy's Personal Soundtrack:

• You Left It Up to Me (from Strange Fire album, 1987)
• Fugitive (from Swamp Ophelia album, 1994)
• Midnight Train to Georgia cover (from 1200 Curfews album, 1995)
• Get Out the Map (from Shaming of the Sun album, 1997)
• Shame On You (from Shaming of the Sun album, 1997)
• Go (from Come On Now Social album, 1999)

Indigo Girls Official Website

Indigo Girls Tumblr Blog "A Year A Month"

Episode Music Credits:

• Intro: Great Great Lengths from Blue Dot Sessions
• Outro: Lamplist from Blue Dot Sessions

University professor Katy Head has often joked that she could teach a course on Taylor Swift, and here she’s off to an excellent start. Katy outlines the arguments for appreciating Taylor as an artist, business woman and storyteller. She also provides insight into the “Swiftie” fan community and the strong connection Taylor has with her fans...including bringing them to her house for food and listening parties. Class is in session!

Katy's Personal Soundtrack:

• Picture to Burn (from self-titled debut album, 2006)
• You Belong With Me (from Fearless album, original 2008; re-recorded Taylor’s Version, 2021)
• Mean (from Speak Now album, 2010)
• All Too Well (from Red album, original 2012; re-recorded Taylor’s Version, 2021)
• Begin Again (from Red album, original 2012; re-recorded Taylor’s Version, 2021)
• Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince (from Lover album, 2019)
• Invisible String (from Folklore album, 2020)

Taylor Swift Official Website

Episode Music Credits:

• Intro: Great Great Lengths from Blue Dot Sessions
• Outro: Lamplist from Blue Dot Sessions

After seeing Willie Nelson live (again) a few nights ago, he has inspired me to say a little bit about why he is always worth waiting for.

A prime example.

Willie Nelson Official Website

Episode Music Credit: Horizon Liner from Blue Dot Sessions