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They say true country music, “real” country music, is dead these days. We can sometimes echo that sentiment too often on this podcast. I know I say it, I imagine it too often, whether it’s in the name of the cargo, the atomic junction, or wherever I am. It’s especially true when I hear Sam Hunt or Florida Georgia Line on the radio.
But despite all the “get off my lawn” sentiment surrounding modern country music and the technology that’s being infused into music-making today, there are still plenty of old souls out there whose playing styles harken back to those darker days of the 1970s. I’m talking about singer-songwriters or bands who are fighting the growing digital divide, relishing an era of country music that could slide seamlessly into a mix with Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmknybg6nt4
One such artist—ironically, someone who uses digital loops in her live shows, as she can play up to eight instruments simultaneously— is our latest guest on the music podcast : Florida-based Anna Wescoat . In late 2024, Wescoat debuted with her debut album, World Famous, which was produced by singer-songwriter and friend of the show Ben Jarrell. The record is a testament to the spirit of country music from half a century ago, finding Wescoat sounding like a young Cline or brimming with the stylistic intricacies of the great George Jones at the height of his powers.
Wescoat’s prowess began early, playing the piano from a young age. She is now an apprentice and plays about 30 instruments. However, Wescoat didn’t entertain the idea of becoming a professional musician until about six years ago.
“I grew up playing with my family, playing at church,” she said. “Then someone came and asked me, ‘Would you be willing to perform for an event we’re putting together—we’re opening a new restaurant.'”
Encouraged by her husband, Wescoat agreed to do it regularly, but the restaurant closed. This made her realize how much she enjoyed playing live music.
“One thing led to another and I ended up becoming a one-woman band,” Wescoat added, saying she now plays about 100 venues in the region, all the while raising children at home. “That I’m able to make a living—it’s a huge blessing for me.”
When Wescoat broke up, like most artists, she was playing other people’s songs. But that’s changed.
“A lot of what I grew up with was Southern Gospel, but I also grew up with a lot of bluegrass,” she said. “In my teens and college years, that’s when I started listening to a lot of country and started getting into old-school country. I kind of resonated with those stories. Patsy, Loretta, certainly artists like George Jones and Merle Haggard. I love anything from the ’60s and ’70s, with those harmonies like the mamas and the papas and the joans and the joans, the ’60s, the ’60s, the ’60s.
Prine makes sense when you approach Wescoat’s music. She’s a natural-born storyteller, echoing her narrative style, and she wants to be a torchbearer.
“I feel like what’s missing today, in the country in particular, is that it doesn’t have the meat and the meaning that it used to have,” Wescoat noted.
As she built her career, she found it frustrating that many guided her to listen and take direction, which is popular today. But in Wescoat’s mind, “it all feels the same.”
“It’s a machine that ends up with the same thing over and over again,” she observed. “To me, it doesn’t feel individual anymore. Here’s the recipe… I don’t write like that. To me, this is more ear candy than anything else.”
Ear candy—that’s not what Anna Wescoat is creating. She’s building a unique sound grounded in the sonic power of country music of the past.
