Garret K. Woodward, Smoky Mountain News Journalist Profile

Articles

Brighter Days, Where Did They Go?

3 weeks ago | smliv.com | Garret K. Woodward

When you find yourself in conversation with JJ Grey, you walk away from the interaction with a kick in your step. This isn’t someone who is blowing smoke. Rather, the beloved singer of JJ Grey & Mofro casts a real, honest sense of truth about our world. For someone who grew up in the rough-n-tumble backwoods and urban areas of North Florida, Grey doesn’t carry himself with any darkness or self-doubt.
Lonesome wind: Upstream Rebellion to play Folkmoot Center

3 weeks ago | smokymountainnews.com | Garret K. Woodward

“The feeling of playing there was fulfilling,” said guitarist Adam Winebarger. “The band competition was really just an excuse for us to come to the place where those who have inspired us spent plenty of time playing music.” And although the group didn’t win the competition, what does remain is this fresh, hungry act eager to make its mark on the storied acoustic scene here in Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia.
How did we do it: Graham Sharp of Steep Canyon Rangers

1 month ago | smokymountainnews.com | Garret K. Woodward

“It was sort of a recalibration,” Sharp said of the performance. “When the Rangers play a show, everything’s tight and arranged. But, with this, everything is brand new. You don’t really know how these songs will work live or where they’re going to go [musically].” The “Rangers,” as in Steep Canyon Rangers, the Grammy-winning group that Sharp founded 25 years ago in the dorms while a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Following Helene, Big Pillow Brewing crafts its next chapter

1 month ago | smokymountainnews.com | Garret K. Woodward

“It feels great to see all these smiling faces,” said Chris Donochod, co-owner of Big Pillow. “And things are starting to feel a little more familiar again.” Just about eight months ago, floodwaters from Hurricane Helene bulldozed through the mountains of Western North Carolina, with Hot Springs (population: 538) smack dab between the French Broad River and Spring Creek. Both bodies of water ripped through the community, destroying most of downtown in the process.
Neal Francis Shakes Catholic Guilt, Reimagines His Masculinity on New 'Return to Zero'

1 month ago | rollingstone.com | Garret K. Woodward

May 18, 2025 Neal Francis onstage in New Orleans, where he played two sold-out shows at Tipitina's.
Neal Francis Shakes Catholic Guilt, Reimagines His Masculinity on New ‘Return to Zero’

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Garret K. Woodward

Neal Francis onstage in New Orleans, where he played two sold-out shows at Tipitina's. - Credit: Anthony Guagliardo*Rising funk/soul sensation Neal Francis has just finished a raucous set at the Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina, and the charismatic yet introspective rocker wipes sweat from his face and grabs a seat backstage. The dressing room is purposely quiet and calm, with no one except his bandmates and a curious journalist present.
Gone for good: The Last Revel to headline Cold Mountain Music Festival

1 month ago | smokymountainnews.com | Garret K. Woodward

“Honestly, I don’t know if we would’ve been able to do this career for as long as we have without persistence,” said guitarist Lee Henke.
Full circle: Astro Record Store opens in Waynesville

1 month ago | smokymountainnews.com | Garret K. Woodward

“There’s enjoyment and there’s convenience,” Mawby said. “As things become more and more convenient, I think people look for ways to invest their time and find enjoyment.” One of those ways is collecting and listening to vinyl records. Once disregarded as dusty, scratched relics of a bygone era in the music industry, the tangible, yet incredibly intrinsic product that is an actual record has roared back to life over the last decade.
Some of the Best Americana Music Is Being Made by a Burly Canadian Songwriter

1 month ago | rollingstone.com | Garret K. Woodward

April 30, 2025 Matt Andersen, a Canadian songwriter who just released the new album 'The Hammer & The Rose,' is putting his own spin on Americana music.
Some of the Best Americana Music Is Being Made by a Burly Canadian Songwriter

1 month ago | shorturl.at | Garret K. Woodward

Canadian singer-songwriter Matt Andersen has an unrelenting work ethic. Since the early 2000s, he’s seemingly always been on tour or recording new music. Andersen immediately cites his father, a self-employed tree logger who worked long days in the northern woods of Andersen’s native province of New Brunswick. “He always told me he wanted to work for himself,” Andersen tells Rolling Stone.