All Of Our Friends (TOTR 516)

-originally aired on WTTU 88.5 FM The Nest on Saturday, January 24, 2026
-Listen to the archive:
Stream All Of Our Friends - TOTR 516 by Teacher On The Radio | Listen online for free on SoundCloud
-special guest interview & most songs selected by Nathan Evans Fox, celebrating our scheduled live folk music show on Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at the Wesley Arena -- that may or may not happen, as we all wait out the actual impact on us of “winter storm Fern”
-all views only represent the host, the guests, & the artists played, never the student managers or the Communication department or the university

Carsie Blanton - The Little Flame
Leon Bridges - Blue Mesas
D’Anglelo - Ain’t That Easy
Anna & Elizabeth - Here in the Vineyard
Warren Gently - Motherless Child
Alan Lueth - Nothing Equals Nothing
Alan Lueth - Springs Eternal
Nathan Evans Fox - Hillbilly Hymn
Interview with Nathan Evans Fox
Nathan Evans Fox - Some Things Are Coming Back Again 
Emily Hines - All Of Our Friends
Eric Church -Higher Wire 
Guy Clark - Dublin Blues
Don Williams - Amanda
Brent Cobb - Diggin’ Holes
Emmylou Harris - Green Pastures
Stephanie Lambring - Fine
Gary Stewart - Draggin’ Shackles
Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall - In His Arms
David Bazan - Don’t Change
Shania Twain - Any Many of Mine
Doc Watson - Intoxicated Rat
Lainey Wilson - Atta Girl
Speedy West & Jimmy Bryant - Boogie Man
Aretha Franklin - Medley: Precious Lord, Take My Hand/You’ve Got a Friend in Jesus (LIVE)

Do The Trick (TOTR 515)

 

-originally aired on WTTU 88.5 FM The Nest on Saturday, January 17, 2026

-you can listen to the episode archive here: Stream Do The Trick - TOTR 515 by Teacher On The Radio | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

-special guest interview & most songs selected by Average Joey, celebrating the release of his new album Fellow Traveler, out everywhere you stream music on 1-16-26

-all views only represent the host, the guests, & the artists played, never the student managers or the Communication department or the university

Memphis Jug Band - On The Road Again

Spitzer Space Telescope - Rovin is Me Pleasure

Endless Mike and the Beagle Club - Some of My Favorite Songs

Charlie Parr - Boombox
Average Joey - Die Easy
Nick Shoulders - Apocalypse Never
Andrew Sunfrog - Her Name Is Good
Average Joey - Better Days

Average Joey - Check Engine Light
Average Joey - Punk Rock to Honky Tonk Pipeline
Interview with Average Joey 

Average Joey - Do The Trick

Average Joey - Bro, I Told You I Contain Multitudes
Sally Schaefer & Tyler Bagwell - Slats
Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits - Life Is Excellent

Bo Burnham - That Funny Feeling

Jonny Fritz - Are You Thirsty
The Hills and the Rivers - Middle Garden
Forest Sun - Lost Your Mind Rag
Gillian Welch - April the 14th Part 1
Hurray For The Riff Raff - Ogallala
T Bone Burnett - Everything And Nothing

Average Joey - People

Growing Up Is Hard To Do: Cookeville theater’s latest production explores the magical world of emotional freedom

Peter Pan is an eternal pop icon in the public domain, first conceived more than 100 years ago by the Scottish novelist and playwright J.M. Barrie. Not only does this storyline (and its countless adaptations and interpretations) deal with topics of our lost and endless youth, it brings with it a compelling cultural currency from Wendy, Peter, and the Lost Boys. Neverland has a magnetic charm that refuses to die.

Whether it's an addition to the canon or a wild fan fiction doused in pathos, the recent play Lost Girl has been making a profound impression at campus and community theaters across the country. 

This chilly MLK weekend, Lost Girl opens at the Cookeville Performing Arts Center (CPAC)--and runs through January 24th--with an emotional intensity that should give us all pause. In this emotional epilogue to what happened once upon a time in the Neverlandverse, Kimberly Belfower's contemporary script takes a timely inventory of timeless themes about growing up and moving on.

Anyone as old as this reviewer knows that nostalgia can be both a delicious and dangerous drug. Our profound protagonist is a maturing Wendy Darling, portrayed perfectly and with passion by Meredith Mannle. Multiple monologues deal with everything from the breakup blues to the mental health journey of young adults in this postmodern high-tech dystopia of a world. It’s not an easy role but Mannle secures the emotional heft of this production with the inner honesty of her acting. It feels especially poignant that her father and Cookeville thespian pillar Patrick Mannle is directing the production.

For someone who has been out of high school for exactly 40 years this year, it was amazing to see so many high school acting stars interact with more mature cast members, all of them in roles that are challenging to our protagonist. From local staple of the stage Evan Cole to newcomer Anthony Rece. Matt Kirby plays the therapist in his first local production since he participated in Cookeville Children’s Theater at the end of the last century! As to how this works in the story line, it’s disarmingly vulnerable to see our protagonist find the solutions to her challenges not with these outside “helpers,” but deep within herself. The show is really forward with an arc of empowering self-liberation that’s not to be missed. 

Any locals who have frequented the Backstage Series at CPAC know what an immersive experience it can be. It’s a fun thing for us critics to say that a show breaks the proverbial “fourth wall” between actors and audience. But at the always well-done Backstage shows, it’s like they said, “What fourth wall,” as they conceived the entire experience. 

Get there early and linger late for this one, because the entire venue has been artistically infused with sparkly Neverland vibes. Unplug from our screens and plug into this entire thing, which is less than two hours long, and without an intermission, so you will be home for bedtime or late night shows or available for a nightcap around Cookeville. 

Lost Girl is an amazing show, where it’s truly exciting to see how 21st century writers, producers, and actors can completely reinvent a canonical myth from the dawn of the 20th century. We never outgrow that sentimentality about love lost, just we always have opportunities to move on from heartbreak and better ourselves.

-Local poet, DJ, and teacher, Andrew William Smith has been Cookeville’s theater critic for the last two decades

-photo of Wendy (Meredith Mannle) courtesy of CPAC

For more information and tickets: Backstage Series | Cookeville, TN

Running Out Of Daylight (TOTR 514)

 -originally aired on WTTU 88.5 FM The Nest on Tuesday, December 16, 2025

-episode audio archive posted after the live show

-counting down my Best albums of 2025, from #25 to #1

-all views only represent the host, the guests, & the artists played, never the student managers or the Communication department or the university

25 - Geese - 100 Horses - from Getting Killed, released on 9-26-2025

24 - Friendship - Tree of Heaven - from Caveman Wakes Up, released on 5-16-2025

23 - John Francis O’Mara - Walking In Babylon - from Forbidden Hymns, released on 10-10-2025

22 - Lord Huron - Watch Me Go - from The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1, released on 7-18-2025

21 - Jordan Smart - Padlock - from Confessions of a CEO, released on 9-12-2025
20 - Dakota Ray Parker - Higher Ground - from his self-titled, released on 2-7-2025
19 - The Waterboys - Blues for Terry Southern - from Life, Death and Dennis Hopper, released on 4-4-2025
18 - Sharon Van Etten - Something Ain’t Right - from Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory, released on 2-7-2025 

17 - Florry - Pretty Eyes Lorraine - from Sounds Like . . . ., released on 5-23-2025
16 - Jesse Welles - Change Is In The Air - from Pilgrim, released on 7-4-2025

15 - The Dog’s Body - Gravity Bong - from Deer of Wisdom, released on 7-4-2025

14 - Friends In Real Life - Failed Careers -  from their self-titled, released on 2-21-2025

13 - Mumford & Sons - Caroline - from RUSHMERE, released on 3-28-2025

12 - Nicholas Jamerson - Running Out Of Daylight - from The Narrow Way, released on 9-12-2025

11 - Jesse Welles - In The Morning - from Devil’s Den, released on 8-22-2025

10 - Garrett T. Capps - Time Ain’t Nuthin’ - from Life Is Strange, released on 3-25-2025

9 - Noah Cyrus - Apple Tree - from I WANT MY LOVED ONES TO GO WITH ME, released on 7-11-2025

8 - Palmyra - Restless - from Restless, released on 3-28-2025

7 - Jesse Welles - Fear is the Mind Killer - from Middle, released on 2-21-2025

6 - Willi Carlisle - Sound & Fury - from Winged Victory, released on 6-27-2025

5 - S.G. Goodman - Nature’s Child (with Bonnie Prince Billy) - from Planting By The Signs, released on 6-20-2025 

4 - Fust - Gatelag - from Big Ugly, released on 3-7-2025

3 - Jason Isbell - Ride to Robert’s - from Foxes in the Snow, released on 3-7-2025

2 - My Morning Jacket - Die For It - from is, released on 3-21-2025

1 - Tyler Childers - Poachers - from Snipe Hunter, released on 7-25-2025

Forever Never Ends (TOTR 513)

 

-originally aired on WTTU 88.5 FM The Nest on Tuesday, December 9, 2025

-Listen to the audio archive here: Stream Forever Never Ends - TOTR 513 by Teacher On The Radio | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

-counting down my Best of 2025, from #50 to #26

-all views only represent the host, the guests, & the artists played, never the student managers or the Communication department or the university

Arthur Buck - Everywhere - from Arthur Buck 2, released on 10-3-2025

The Laughing Chimes - High Beams - from Whispers in the Speech Machine, released on 1-31-25

Charlie Crockett - Crucified Son - from Dollar A Day, released on 8-8-25

AVTT/PTTN - Received - from AVTT/PTTN, released on 11-14-25

Big Thief - All Night All Day - from Double Infinity, released on 9 -5-25

Matt Berninger - Bonnet of Pins - from Get Sunk, released on 5-30-25 

The Lumineers - Better Day - from Automatic, released on 2-14-25

James McMurtry - Sailing Away - from The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy, released on 6-20-25 

Madi Diaz - Ambivalence - from Fatal Optimist, released on 10-10-25 

Sunny War - Rise - from Armageddon In A Summer Dress, released on 2-21-25

My Politic - From The Early Days - from Signs of Life, released on 5-23-25

Bonnie Prince Billy - from Turned To Dust (Rolling On), released on 1-31-25 

Valerie June - Endless Tree - from Owls, Omens, and Oracles, released on 4-11-25

The Devil Makes Three - Half as High - from Spirits, released on 2-28-25

Panda Bear - Praise - from Sinister Grift, released on 2-28-25
Home Is Where - shenandoah - from Hunting Season, released on 5-23-25 

Dan Spencer - There’s a Fountain - from Weave Your Web Liar Man, released on 11-7-25 

Florence + The Machine - Sympathy Magic, from Everybody Scream, released on 10-31-25

Jeff Tweedy - Forever Never Ends, from Twilight Override released on 9-26-25

The Head and the Heart - Cop Car, from Aperture released on 5-9-25 

Brown Horse - All The Right Weaknesses, from All The Right Weaknesses, released on 4-4-25

Joshua Quimby - Speeding Tickets, Hot Coffee, Good Donuts, & Dank Weed - from Something Like Country, released on 6-6-25
Crys Matthews - Waking Up The Dead - from Reclamation, released on 1-17-25 

Ken Pomeroy - Wolf in Sheep’s Clothes - from Cruel Joke, released on 5-16-25 

Tobacco City - Bougainvillea - from Tobacco City, released on 3-7-25

North Star Bound (TOTR 512)

 -originally aired on WTTU 88.5 FM The Nest on Tuesday, December 2, 2025

-our annual holiday show

-episode audio archive posted after the live show

-all views only represent the host, the guests, & the artists played, never the student managers or the Communication department or the university

Leon Bridges & Norah Jones - This Christmas I’m Coming Home
Tanner Usrey - Run Run Rudolph

Tim O’Brien & Ben Winship - Santa Ate A Gummy 

Florence Dore - Christmas

Murray Attaway - Old Christmas

Larry Fleet - That Spirit of Christmas

Joe Stamm - Christmas Spirits

Shane Pendergrast - Winter Grace

Madi Diaz - Kid On Christmas

Old Crow Medicine Show - Store Bought Christmas
Jesse Welles - Amazon Santa Claus
Cam Penner - Balsam Fir

Sofia Talvik - Let Peace Be The Song
Kate Rusby - Arrest These Merry Gentleman 

Windborne - Welcome in Another Year
Kristin Guthrie & Kyle Knapp - Canticle of the Turning

Janice Burns & Jon Doran - Down in yon Forest

Adam Ruzzo - Huron Carol

Bonny Light Horseman - Jane Jane

Angela Perley - North Star Bound
Jaimee Harris, Jared Tyler, & Amy Helm - Light of the Stable
Amy Speace - First United Methodist Day Care Christmas Show
Hannah White - Emmanuel
Brandi Carlile - O Holy Night
The McCrary Sisters - Go Tell It On The Mountain
The Golden Gate Quartet - Amen
Old Crow Medicine Show - Bethlehem PA
Tom Wuest - Burn This as a Light

image by Alxey Pnferov

Tennessee Buddha (TOTR 511)

 

-originally aired on WTTU 88.5 FM The Nest on Tuesday, November 25, 2025

-listen to the archive here: Stream Tennessee Buddha - TOTR 511 by Teacher On The Radio | Listen online for free on SoundCloud

-all views only represent the host, the guests, & the artists played, never the student managers or the Communication department or the university

-thanks to our guest Dan Spencer for the interview & for helping choose the songs; follow Dan on Instagram at @danspencermetal   

-Go see Dan Spencer with full band on Saturday, November 29th at Mean Mel’s - 5760 Highway 111 - doors at 7, show at 8, wsg Twin Stacks, Worm, Silver Kit - follow Mean Mel’s at @meanmels

Pumpkinseed - Tennessee’s Song

Pumpkinseed - State of Tennessee

Dan Spencer - Fat Vampire

-Interview with Dan Spencer

Dan Spencer - Heaven or Knoxville

Judee Sill - Jesus Was a Cross Maker

Dan Spencer - Where Do They Lay When They’re Free

Dan Spencer - Eternal Platitude

Dan Spencer - Weeping Weekend

Dan Spencer - Suffering

Songs: Ohia - Just Be Simple 

Dan Spencer - A Night of Love

Dan Spencer - There’s A Fountain

Dan Spencer - Alison

Dan Spencer - Immaterial

Dan Spencer - Lazy Vampire

Dan Spencer - Don’t Look at Me

Destroyer - Looters’ Follies

Dan Spencer - Weave My Web

Dan Spencer - Tennessee Buddha

Dan Spencer - Return to Your Dark Master