Tom Pollard
500 episodes listed below
Regional music discovery with working-musician shop talk.
Music of America Podcast moves across the country one featured state at a time, pairing local musicians and bands with relaxed, practical conversation. Tom Pollard keeps the talk close to songs, gear, bands, videos, recording choices, and the odd story behind how someone started playing.
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Music of America Podcast is a state-by-state tour of musicians, bands, and working music people. The format is direct. A featured state sets the week, and each weekday brings another guest from that state's music orbit. Tom Pollard gives the show its steady frame, opening with casual setup, sponsor reads, and the sense that the next conversation could go anywhere a musician's story naturally goes. The talk is not glossy. It is practical, friendly, and full of small details: guitar chords learned from music videos, childhood church bands, old groups, new songs, bass bags, recording rooms, amps, and how a riff turns into a finished band arrangement. South Carolina week captures the range well. Josh Gable is introduced through years of playing guitar as a hired-gun, drop-in-and-play-for-fun kind of musician. Jefferson Thomas brings location, background, and darker songwriting references into the room. Elliot Poston's path runs through classic country, gospel, and heavy rock. Taylor Deming's story starts with rock and a video game connection. Dazer brings the group dynamic, with Austin writing lyrics, Grant bringing guitar parts and riffs, and Shay and Shranko helping shape the rhythm-section architecture of the songs. The show is strongest when it stays in that musician-to-musician lane. A question about where someone is from can become a conversation about scene identity. A question about a song can become a lesson in how a band divides creative labor. A gear read can sit right next to a serious point about independent artists, recording support, or streaming economics. The pacing is leisurely, and the editing leaves room for jokes, corrections, repeated phrasing, and side comments. That looseness is part of the appeal. It feels like sitting near a merch table, a studio couch, or a rehearsal-room corner while people compare notes on how the work actually happens. Listeners looking for tight celebrity interviews may find it too informal. Listeners who enjoy regional music discovery, indie-band craft, and real-world musician talk will find a deep catalog with a clear organizing spine.
Made for: Best for listeners who enjoy indie bands, local scenes, musician origin stories, gear talk, and practical conversations about how songs and performances come together.
What sets it apart: The state-by-state structure gives the show a built-in map, while the conversations stay close to craft rather than celebrity. It treats regional musicians as working artists with processes, tools, scenes, and stories worth hearing.
Each week we feature a daily guest from a featured state of that week. We begin with Alabama and end the season with Wyoming artists. Monday - Friday a different guest from the music industry will be on hand talking about their craft, from artists to producers, manufacturers, promoters....Every day a different guest...every week a different state. (www.musicofamericapod.com)
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Tom Pollard maps American music through candid artist conversations about songwriting, collaboration, influence, and the places where those stories take shape.
Tom Pollard uses geography as a way into musicians' working lives, moving from state to state while keeping each episode focused on one guest.
Fifty states become your record-store bins, with Tom Pollard pulling local artists forward.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A riff first look at a South Carolina band with real chemistry.
The South Carolina wrap up gives Dazer a clear showcase. The band comes across as young, sure of its sound, and comfortably inside that 90s and early 2000s lane, with a host who plainly enjoys what he is hearing.
An informal Rhode Island music chat built around open ears, road memory, and a song called Darlene.
Tom Pollard spends time in Rhode Island with Chris from Warwick, and the talk settles into a simple point: keeping an open ear can improve both life and music. The song "Darlene" gets a grounded backstory, too.
A loose Pennsylvania stop that settles into song meaning, family banter, and an easygoing chat with the writers.
Friday’s Pennsylvania stop in Music of America lands just outside Philadelphia, where Tom Pollard speaks with Mighty Joe Castro and the Grava Men and lets the conversation move from "Domino" to the Domino’s Pizza joke and back again.
Katrina Lynn's country identity and family history give this Pennsylvania stop its clearest pull.
Katrina Lynn's Pennsylvania stop works best when it stays close to family and place. Tom Pollard gives her room to talk through the split between her country identity and her father's rock background, and the memory behind I Feel So Country lands because it feels lived in, not…
A loose, honest stop where grief and self-doubt become a song.
This stop in Pennsylvania centers on Lou and Magda, with Tom Pollard giving them space for a music conversation that moves at an easy pace. The sharpest moment comes with "Human," tied to a friend's unexpected death and the singer's fear of dying.
Joe Wong interviews drummers and musicians about craft, history, and the working musician's life.
Lij Shaw interviews producers and engineers about mic technique, mixing, and studio business.
Ian Shepherd and working mastering engineers dig into Atmos, loudness wars, and vinyl cutting.
Co-hosts Ed Thorne and Paul Third dissect mixing, mastering, and studio gear with working engineers.
This episode previews upcoming guests on the Music of America podcast, featuring interviews with musicians like Black Hill Soul, Josh Gadsden, Elizabeth Lindquist, and Johnny Hastings discussing their music and backgrounds.
Music of America wraps up its South Carolina run with a conversation focused on Dazer, a young band the host clearly likes a lot.
Host Tom Pollard interviews musician Taylor Deming from South Carolina about his music career, influences like Alice in Chains, new songs, and his old band, while also discussing a sponsor's distribution deal with Universal Music Group.
This episode introduces Campfire, a non-profit streaming platform designed to fairly compensate musicians through transparent subscription models, while featuring guest Elliot Poston from South Carolina.
This episode features an interview with musician Jefferson Thomas from South Carolina, discussing his background and music, along with a sponsor segment for Tony Vaughn bass gig bags.
Host Tom Pollard introduces a week of interviews from South Carolina, starting with musician Josh Gable, and promotes a recording studio in New Mexico.
A podcast featuring daily interviews with music industry professionals from a featured state, starting with South Carolina.
Host Tom Pollard interviews Grant Malloy-Smith about his new album and discusses a Landry Amps guitar amplifier.
Host Tom Pollard introduces the show's format, discusses his custom guitar, and prepares to interview the band Ghost Cat Rodeo.
Host Tom Pollard introduces the Music of America podcast and previews an interview with musician Red Ed from Rhode Island, including a sponsor ad for Doug Deutsch Publicity Services.
Tom Pollard spends Tuesday in Rhode Island with Warwick musician Chris Monte.
Host Tom Pollard interviews Nils Freiberger from the band Dirty Jeans, discussing their music and promoting Big Records World's upcoming events.
Music of America closes its Pennsylvania run with a stop in Collegeville, just outside Philadelphia.
Tom Pollard spends this Pennsylvania stop with Katrina Lynn from White, Pennsylvania.
Tom Pollard’s Pennsylvania stop lands in West Grove with Strays and Misfits.
Host Tom Pollard interviews the band 10 O'Clock Hill from Oregon, discussing their music and a custom guitar.
This episode features an interview with musician Barrie Dempsey in McMinnville, Oregon, discussing new music and updates from the past few years as part of a state-by-state music series.
Host Tom Pollard introduces the Music of America podcast, which features daily interviews with music industry guests from different states, and previews an episode with Joseph Glaude from Oklahoma discussing jazz and blues.
Host Tom Pollard interviews musician Joseph Rhodes and discusses the Campfire non-profit streaming platform that pays artists directly.
Host Tom Pollard introduces the Music of America podcast, featuring a country music artist from Oklahoma and discussing branding services.
Host Tom Pollard interviews solo guitarist Joe Brooks and discusses a new nonprofit streaming platform called Campfire that pays artists fairly.
This episode features an interview with Joe Sims from the band Axe Master in Ravenna, Ohio, discussing their new album 'A Beast and Plagues' and their music, including a segment on guitar tone and an amp product.
Host Tom Pollard interviews members of Radio City, a rock cover band from Columbus, Ohio, and discusses progressive artist management with George Schmidt.
Host Tom Pollard interviews Jason Thoms of Dakota Pro Musica and discusses Progressive Artist Management.
Host Tom Pollard interviews musicians Jared and Amanda Haft from Fargo, North Dakota, and promotes a custom guitar shop.
Host Tom Pollard interviews Joe Utke of the band Buffalo Alice, discussing their music and gear, with a sponsor segment for Landry Amps.
Host Tom Pollard introduces the Music of America podcast, highlighting a guest from North Dakota and discussing Progressive Artist Management's role in the music industry.
Host Tom Pollard introduces the show's format and previews an interview with Scotty Willard from Stillwater Junction, while promoting bigrecords.world's services.
Host Tom Pollard introduces the show's format and previews an interview with Zay Grassley and a feature on Monkey House Guitars.
Host Tom Pollard interviews Ross Osteen about his new album and discusses a custom guitar built by Joe Mendel.
This episode features an interview with the band Laurel Canyon East and their duo members in Asheville, North Carolina, discussing their music and a promotion for the Hotel Music Videos Roku channel.
Host Tom Pollard interviews Brad Howard, a retired Air Force musician from North Carolina, about his traditional country sound and career.
This episode features hosts Alan and Arthur Aurelia discussing opera and classical music in New York, particularly Staten Island, while promoting weekend radio broadcasts and a recording studio in New Mexico.
This episode features an interview with Stephen Antonelli, director of the New York Mandolin Ensemble, discussing bluegrass, mandolin music, and his background in the music industry.