The Mulberry Tree

07/30/2025

Hello,

This Sunday, August 3 on The Mulberry Tree we will take an hour to hear a variety of songwriter selections. It all seemed to flow very well and I think you will enjoy the ride. This week’s sneak peek playlist video is the extremely talented Brandi Carlile with “Wasted,” a song you can find on Brandi’s collection “The Story.” Enjoy the video and I’ll meet you around the tree with:

Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell
Brandi Carlile
Greg Brown
Kris Delmhorst
John Prine
Sky Smeed
The Creek Rocks
Tim Grimm and the Family Band
Lori McKenna
Gregory Alan Isakov
Tyler Childers
Shawn Colvin
The Cactus Blossoms – 2 tracks
Mark Knopfler and Chet Atkins
Barb Barton

The Mulberry Tree airs on Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. CST on KSMU 91.1 FM, Springfield Missouri's NPR affiliate station, and also at the following locations: Branson - 90.5, West Plains - 90.3, Mountain Grove - 88.7 Joplin - 98.9 and Neosho - 103.7. AND we also stream live at ksmu.org.

Meet you on the airwaves!
Emily

The Fox Theater. Atlanta, GA. 30 Apr 2016.

07/23/2025

Hello,

On The Mulberry Tree this Sunday, July 27, I will spend the first few songs of the hour bidding adieu to the month of July. After that we’ll enjoy a great selection of various songwriters and musicians. I know you’ll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed putting it together for you.
This week’s sneak peek playlist video features John Prine performing “Clay Pigeons” from his collection “Fair and Square.” John Prine rarely covered other songwriters’ tunes, but in this case, he tapped into the library of Blaze Foley and came up with that special song. Meet you around the tree with:

Ray Bonneville
John Prine – 4 tracks
Del Barber
Geoff Bartley
Kevin Faherty
Carlene Carter
David Gilmour
Tommy Prine
Jerry Garcia & David Grisman
Jerry Douglas, Russ Barenberg, Edgar Meyer

The Mulberry Tree airs on Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. CST on KSMU 91.1 FM, Springfield Missouri's NPR affiliate station, and also at the following locations: Branson - 90.5, West Plains - 90.3, Mountain Grove - 88.7 Joplin - 98.9 and Neosho - 103.7. AND we also stream live at ksmu.org.
Meet you on the airwaves!
Emily

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0TOuVVAwQI

Song begins at 1:20"Clay Pigeons" (written by Blaze Foley, first on Foley's 1989 Live At The Austin Outhouse (...And Not There) cassette, covered by John Pri...

07/16/2025

Hello,

I’ll primarily be focusing on songwriters and their offerings for this Sunday’s program, airing on July 20. Included in the list below is The Cactus Blossoms who perform this week’s sneak peek playlist video with “You’re Dreaming” which is part of their collection of the same name. Grateful to KDHX in St. Louis for making this video possible. As a side note, KDHX was a beloved community radio station in that city for decades. KDHX provided a myriad of music genres for all to enjoy, including live performances, one of which is this week’s video. Sadly, the station was sold but the memories remain.
Please enjoy the video and I’ll meet you around the tree Sunday evening at 9 pm with:
James Taylor
Kathleen Edwards
Willis Alan Ramsey- 2 tracks
Big Smith
The Shandies
Barak Hill
My Politic
Judy Collins, Jonas Fjeld and Chatham County Line
The Lonesome Heroes
Zach & Maggie
Josh Ritter – 2 tracks
The Cactus Blossoms
Carly Simon

The Mulberry Tree airs on Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. CST on KSMU 91.1 FM, Springfield Missouri's NPR affiliate station, and also at the following locations: Branson - 90.5, West Plains - 90.3, Mountain Grove - 88.7 Joplin - 98.9 and Neosho - 103.7. AND we also stream live at ksmu.org.
Meet you on the airwaves!
Emily

The Cactus Blossoms perform You're Dreaming live at the 88.1 KDHX Studios in St. Louis, June 17, 2016. Hosted by Jeff Corbin for The Back Country. Audio by J...

07/09/2025

Hello,

I’ll meet you around The Mulberry this Sunday, July 13 so we can enjoy my one-hour playlist of songs I chose just for you. Variety is the theme for Sunday evening, I’ve even thrown in a couple of incredible covers of songs written by the late Merle Haggard. I’m always fascinated with the spin that musicians put on a sometimes well-known song. It’s a big risk to take, but I believe you’ll really enjoy the selections I made.

Speaking of those Merle Haggard covers, let’s enjoy Dave Alvin with this week’s sneak peek playlist video as he puts his mark on “Kern River,” a song Merle wrote about a place he visited near his hometown of Bakersfield, California. Kern River was an actual place of solace and reflection for him, but also ended up being the site he chose to name as the place where a fictional tragedy occurs as the song lyrics describe. Dave Alvin does a great job on the song, which is found on a collection titled “Tulare Dust: A Songwriters' Tribute to Merle Haggard.” Dave has such a unique deep voice, which pairs so well with Merle's song. See what you think. Meet you around the tree with:

Emmylou Harris
Arnold McCuller
Rebecca Folsom
Mark Brown
Jason Isbell
Tish Hinojosa with Peter Rowan
Suzy Bogguss
Dave Alvin
Rhiannon Giddens
Alan Rhody with Maura O’Connell
Richard Shindell
Cave States
Zach Madden
Jake Shimubukuro
Ali Matthews

The Mulberry Tree airs on Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. CST on KSMU 91.1 FM, Springfield Missouri's NPR affiliate station, and also at the following locations: Branson - 90.5, West Plains - 90.3, Mountain Grove - 88.7 Joplin - 98.9 and Neosho - 103.7. AND we also stream live at ksmu.org.

Meet you on the airwaves!
Emily

Dave Alvin plays Merle Haggard's "Kern River" from his tribute album to California songwriters, West of the West, for Sawyer Sessions. Grab West of the West ...

07/02/2025

Hello,

I would enjoy your company around The Mulberry Tree this Sunday, July 6 when I bring you an assortment of singer-songwriters and musicians in a playlist that will get our minds right for the week ahead. This week’s sneak peek playlist video features Steve Earle with “Love’s Gonna Blow My Way.” That song is included in Steve’s collection titled “The Low Highway.” Enjoy the video, and I’ll meet you around the tree Sunday with:

Keb Mo
Dan Cunningham
Joni Mitchell
Eric Bibb
Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway
Sari Andersen
James Taylor
Robert Earl Keen
Shelby Lynne
Steve Earle & the Dukes – 2 tracks
Dar Williams
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Patty Griffin
Danny Carter and Friends

The Mulberry Tree airs on Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. CST on KSMU 91.1 FM, Springfield Missouri's NPR affiliate station, and also at the following locations: Branson - 90.5, West Plains - 90.3, Mountain Grove - 88.7 Joplin - 98.9 and Neosho - 103.7. AND we also stream live at ksmu.org.

Meet you on the airwaves!
Emily

Steve Earle and The Dukes - "Love Is Gonna Blow My Way" (eTown webisode #439)Subscribe To Our Weekly Podcast:Apple Music: http://bit.ly/eTown_PodSpotify: htt...

06/25/2025

Hello,

I have a very special program for us this Sunday, June 29. The first three-fourths of this edition of The Mulberry Tree will be an encore from September 18, 2010 when Larry Lee co-hosted with me. Toward the end of the program on Sunday, I will have a nice sendoff for Larry, who passed away on May 10 of this year. He was a founding member of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, a member of the Vinyl Kings, Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Re**er Band, and most recently, The HigLeeWils. Larry was an extremely successful songwriter and producer. To highlight his contributions to the music community, my program features tracks from albums that Larry produced while living in Nashville and Ozark, and some of Larry’s original songs. He introduces those tracks in his own words. I hope you will join me in keeping Larry’s spirit alive through his music.
There is no sneak peek playlist video this week. Instead, I offer up a photograph of Larry’s last band, The HigLeeWils trio (myself, Larry, and David Wilson). We made real fine music together, elevated each others' songs, and I am grateful for having that experience with two extraordinary musicians. Please join me around the tree with:

Danny Carter
Wil Maring & Robert Bowlin
Sally Barris – 2 tracks
Hugh Prestwood
Richard Leigh
Juice Newton
Larry Lee – 3 tracks
The HigLeeWils

The Mulberry Tree airs on Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. CST on KSMU 91.1 FM, Springfield Missouri's NPR affiliate station, and also at the following locations: Branson - 90.5, West Plains - 90.3, Mountain Grove - 88.7 Joplin - 98.9 and Neosho - 103.7. AND we also stream live at ksmu.org.

Meet you on the airwaves!
Emily

06/18/2025

Hello,

It will be so good to gather with all of you around The Mulberry Tree this Sunday, June 22. We have a whole summer ahead of us now that it has arrived officially. I put together an hour of music for us where we can just kick back and enjoy the season. I prepared a playlist that has a wide variety of styles and arrangements, tempo and harmony. Please join me and the fine musicians and songwriters listed below. In the meantime enjoy this week’s sneak peek playlist video featuring The Riverside performing their song “Settlements” from their collection “Through Frontiers and Unlit Mines.” Meet you around the tree with:

Gordon Lightfoot
Punch Brothers
Mick McAuley & Winifred Horan
Lyle Lovett
Avett Brothers
Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch & Fats Kaplin
The Riverside
Allison Russell and Brandi Carlile
Redbird
Sara Jarosz
Son Volt
David Gray
Trout Fishing in America
Jay Ungar and Molly Mason

The Mulberry Tree airs on Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. CST on KSMU 91.1 FM, Springfield Missouri's NPR affiliate station, and also at the following locations: Branson - 90.5, West Plains - 90.3, Mountain Grove - 88.7 Joplin - 98.9 and Neosho - 103.7. AND we also stream live at ksmu.org.

Meet you on the airwaves!
Emily

Anger has a way of building up around our hearts and after a good while causes us to struggle to hold ourselves and our relationships together.At times it fe...

06/13/2025

Hello,

It’s time for my annual acknowledgement of Father’s Day, and the arrival of summer. Summer solstice this year falls on June 20 at 9:41 pm. It’s my hope you can be outside that evening and see some fireflies. For this week’s sneak peek playlist video, you’ll have the pleasure to listen to and watch Lori McKenna perform “When You’re My Age” from her album “The Balladeer” released just a few years ago. Please join me around the tree this Sunday, June 15 at 9 pm with:

John and Jamie Hartford
Leon and Eric Bibb
Cat Stevens
Lori McKenna
John Prine
Amy Speace
Tim and Mollie O’Brien
Dennis Warner
Gillian Welch
Sky Smeed
Erica Wheeler
Marideth Sisco and Mary Alexander
Jay Ungar, Molly Mason

The Mulberry Tree airs on Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. CST on KSMU 91.1 FM, Springfield Missouri's NPR affiliate station, and also at the following locations: Branson - 90.5, West Plains - 90.3, Mountain Grove - 88.7 Joplin - 98.9 and Neosho - 103.7. AND we also stream live at ksmu.org.
Meet you on the airwaves!
Emily

Lori McKenna - When You're My Age (Official Video)New single "When You're My Age" by Lori McKenna off her upcoming album, The Balladeer. Available everywhere...

06/04/2025

Hello,

I look forward to meeting you around The Mulberry Tree this Sunday, June 8. Together, we’ll enjoy an hour of songwriters and musicians who seemed like a good fit to set a mood. My list of those artists are below, which includes the subject of this week’s sneak peek playlist video, Slaid Cleaves. He performs “Flowered Dresses” for us, a song included on his collection “Unsung.” I’ll be saving a seat for you to join me and these fine folks:

Ethan Ballinger
Sierra Ferrell
Slaid Cleaves
The Highwomen
The Creek Rocks
Kim Richey
Paul McCartney
Aoife O’Donovan, Chris Thile, Yo Yo Ma,
Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer
John and Jamie Hartford
Lucinda Williams
Robert Earl Keen
Alison Krauss
Notting Hillbillies
William Ackerman

The Mulberry Tree airs on Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. CST on KSMU 91.1 FM, Springfield Missouri's NPR affiliate station, and also at the following locations: Branson - 90.5, West Plains - 90.3, Mountain Grove - 88.7 Joplin - 98.9 and Neosho - 103.7. AND we also stream live at ksmu.org.

Meet you on the airwaves!
Emily

Slaid CleavesFlowered DressesOff BroadwaySt. Louis, MOJuly 21, 2019

05/28/2025

Hello,

I got a lot of enjoyment out of putting together the playlist for this coming Sunday’s edition of The Mulberry Tree, airing June 1. Yes, it’s really about to be the month of June.
Listed below are the musicians and songwriters who we’ll hear during the hour. It’s a nice tapestry of music I think you’ll very much enjoy before starting a new week. Included in the list below is Mary Chapin Carpenter, who we’ll hear in the last set of the hour. For this week’s sneak peek playlist video, we’ll enjoy Mary performing her amazing song “Goodnight America” live at Red Rocks, backed up beautifully by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. It’s a song I treasure and I hope you’re able to take the time to soak it in. Meet you around the tree with:

Stephen Stills/Manassas
Lisa Biales
Laurie McClain
Steve Earle
Dylan Charles
Ben Bullington
Cheryl Wheeler
Hugh Prestwood and Judy Collins
Melinda Mullins and the Layton Hollow Gals
Emmylou Harris – 2 tracks
Ralph McTell
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Randy Buckner

The Mulberry Tree airs on Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. CST on KSMU 91.1 FM, Springfield Missouri's NPR affiliate station, and also at the following locations: Branson - 90.5, West Plains - 90.3, Mountain Grove - 88.7 Joplin - 98.9 and Neosho - 103.7. AND we also stream live at ksmu.org.
Meet you on the airwaves!
Emily

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x77eicBXflw

05/21/2025

Hello,

Memorial Day weekend will be my focus this Sunday, May 25 on The Mulberry Tree. Along with remembering those who fought for and served for our country, we can take the hour together to recall the time spent with our loved ones who eternally live in our hearts. This week’s sneak peek playlist video features Tim O’ Brien and Darrell Scott with a beautifully pared down and simple performance of Darrell’s song “Memories and Moments.” Enjoy the video and I’ll meet you around the tree with:

Tim O’Brien
Judy Collins
Mark Knopfler
Carole King
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Eva Cassidy
Emmylou Harris
Carly Simon
Merle Haggard
Richard Shindell
Wil Maring and Robert Bowlin
Dallas Jones
Ben and Ellen Harper
Molly Drake with Nick Drake (piano)
Ilace Mears

The Mulberry Tree airs on Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. CST on KSMU 91.1 FM, Springfield Missouri's NPR affiliate station, and also at the following locations: Branson - 90.5, West Plains - 90.3, Mountain Grove - 88.7 Joplin - 98.9 and Neosho - 103.7. AND we also stream live at ksmu.org.
Meet you on the airwaves!
Emily

Tim O'Brien & Darrell Scott perform "Memories And Moments" in the Washington, DC studios of WAMU's Bluegrass Country.Join us at http://www.bluegrasscountry.o...

05/14/2025

Hello,

This Sunday, May 18 on The Mulberry Tree, a variety of songs will set the stage for our transition into a new week. I cannot let the week go by without acknowledging the passing of songwriter Larry Lee. I had already produced this Sunday’s show beforehand, so my intention is to acknowledge Larry’s songs in a future edition of The Mulberry Tree to air soon. Stay tuned for that. Meanwhile, here’s the list of songwriters and musicians who will grace the airwaves Sunday. Included in the list is Poco, whose timeless song “Just for Me and You” is this week’s sneak peek playlist video. Meet you around the tree with:

Willie Nelson
Poco
Emmylou Harris with Anna & Kate McGarrigle
James Taylor – 2 tracks
Alison Krauss
Emmylou Harrison with Vince Gill
Cheryl Wheeler
John Gorka
Bob Dylan
Gillian Welch
Kris Kristofferson with Steve Earle
Sara Watkins – 2 tracks

The Mulberry Tree airs on Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. CST on KSMU 91.1 FM, Springfield Missouri's NPR affiliate station, and also at the following locations: Branson - 90.5, West Plains - 90.3, Mountain Grove - 88.7 Joplin - 98.9 and Neosho - 103.7. AND we also stream live at ksmu.org.
Meet you on the airwaves!
Emily

Check out the dobro on this!