The Oxford American has announced the premiere of Points South, a new magazine-style podcast.
The first episode, now available across platforms, features Ken Burns and Rhiannon Giddens on African and African-American contributions to country music—from the Carter Family to Lil Nas X—and how those influences have been erased in American cultural memory. Filmmakers Julie Dunfey and Ken Burns discuss the soundscape of their PBS documentary Country Music. Plus: Dom Flemons performs from Black Cowboys live from the Oxford American stage.
The premiere season, which will air through the end of the year, will feature longform storytelling, live music performances, and conversations with Southern artists and writers. Upcoming episodes include John Paul White, Mary Miller, Los Texmaniacs, John Jeremiah Sullivan, and many more. The season will also include “The Prologue,” a series of feature-length segments that examine underreported stories in Southern history and their reverberations in the present.
Points South’s music is arranged by Trey Pollard (S-Town), co-owner of Spacebomb Group, the podcast’s post-production team, which includes a house band that performs the Points South theme music and score. Spacebomb will also co-produce adaptations of stories from the OA. In addition to live music recorded from the Oxford American stage, Points South will feature performances and conversations captured by Fayetteville Roots Festival.
This podcast is made possible by support from Arkansas Humanities Council, UAMS, and Andy and Somers Collins.
For more information, visit oxfordamerican.org/pointssouth. Points South is available across podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Overcast, and Simplecast.
Little Rock Culture Vulture 