For the Sake of the Song

Bobby Stevens

Bobby Stevens is a singer/songwriter and guitar player in St. Louis who writes self-described “tender tunes” but whom I would describe as kindred spirits with John Prine , Bruce Springsteen, and the podcast’s namesake, Mr. Townes Van Zandt. When Bobby’s not around town singing and playing guitar, you can also find him co-hosting the beloved poetry open mic with his partner, Kyle, at The Heavy Anchor the last Wednesday of every month, creating what has become such a special space in the St. Louis poetry, art, and music communities.Playlist Track Listing:Playlist Track Listing:Burnout” by Green Day“Hiding Out In The Open” by Feist “Politics of Free” by Woods “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan “My Favorite Picture of You” by Guy Clark“X-Ray Style” by Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros “I Wish It Would Rain” by The Temptations “Girls In Their Summer Clothes” by Bruce Springsteen “Aside” by The Weakerthans“The Way It Goes Sometimes” by Garrett T. Capps “Old Note” by Lisa O’Neill “That’s the Hurt” by Zack Kelley “Girl With The Dirty Hair” by Adam Carroll “The Grave & the Cradle in Bloom” by Andy Cook “I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny NashFor the Sake of the Song Intro/Outro Music: "Gun" by The Maness Brothers

Skylar Townsend

Skylar Townsend is a St. Louis-based singer/songwriter who released her debut album, “Hit the Ground Runnin’”, in late 2025 and you can find it on streaming services everywhere! Playlist Track Listing:“Don’t Fool Around (with the Biggest Fool Around)” by The Goldenrods“Tulsa Time” by Don Williams“Blue” by LeAnn Rimes“Drunken Angel” by Lucinda Williams“They’ve Closed Down the Honky Tonks” by Miranda Lambert“Rattlesnake Girl” by Jaime Wyatt“Crackers” by Barbara Mandrell“The Book of Love” by The Magnetic Fields“Motorcycle Drive By” by Third Eye Blind“Dear Miss Loretta” by Carly Pearce & Patty Loveless“I Wish I Was the Moon” by Neko Case“Timber I’m Falling In Love” by Patty Loveless“A Lesson In Leavin’” by Sierra Ferrell and Nikki Lane“Queen of The Clowns” by Summer DeanCarole With An E” by Brennan Leigh

Travis Dodds

Travis Dodds is well-known around St. Louis, mostly for his amazing guitar playing, which he’s been doing for nearly 20 years now, but he also plays bass, keyboards, synth, mandolin, and sings. And he’s got a lot of former bands to his name, including Jr. Clooney, LePonds, Yannon, Laika, and Big Color, and he also releases solo work as MacsHeadroom. His current project is called God and they just released their first EP back in November 2024 and they are working on their full-length now. If you want to hear the playlist of someone who grew up in Arkansas going to honky tonks and death metal shows, check it out!Playlist Track Listing:“The Way Up: Opening & Part One” by Pat Metheny Group“Out of Sequence” by Drab Majesty“Either Way” by Wilco“Selkies: The Endless Obsession” by Between The Buried And Me“Right Where It Belongs” by Nine Inch Nails“I Ain’t Living Long Like This” by Waylon Jennings“Green Man” by Type O Negative“Ice Monster” by Minus the Bear“Witches’ Rave” by Jeff Buckley“Goodbye” by The Sundays“Aja” by Steely Dan“Julien” by Carly Rae Jepsen“The Valley Road” by Bruce Hornsby and the Range“Under The Pressure” by The War On Drugs“Brakhage” by Stereolab

FERGUSON

FERGUSON is a singer/songwriter out of Nashville whose indie rock music channels the best of ‘60s-70s era pop. His debut album, State of Gold, was released back in 2019 (under his full name, Ian Ferguson), and he quickly followed that up the with the B-sides record Junk the following year. And now FERGUSON has released his latest album for our listening pleasure, Never In My Life, which came out in late September on County Fair Records. Recorded with producer Will Brown in East Nashville, FERGUSON wrote all of the songs and played every instrument on the album and the result was 10 pop songs that are described as “a spiritual cousin to the experimental pop sounds of Sargent Peppers and Pet Sounds”.  Check out Never In My Life wherever you get your music and make sure to follow FERGUSON online to see what comes next! Playlist Track Listing:“Solitude” by Duke Ellington“Love Hurts” by The Everly Brothers“ Walk on By” by Dionne Warwick“Hereos and Villains” by The Beach Boys“Ruby” by Silver Apples“I’ve Been Waiting for You” by Neil Young“Tonight Will Be Fine” by Leonard Cohen“Monkberry Moon Delight” by Paul and Linda McCartney“Queen Bitch” by David Bowie“Satori Part I” by Flower Travellin’ Band“M.E.” by Gary Numan“Coming Up” by Paul McCartney“I Can’t Hardly Stand It” by The Cramps“Voices Carry” by ‘Til Tuesday“Maureen” by SadeFor the Sake of the Song Intro/Outro Music: "Gun" by The Maness Brothers @TheManessBrothers

Julianna Riolino

Julianna Riolino is a singer/songwriter from Ontario whose music has been described as alt-country, rock ‘n’ roll, pop, and more and she's been described as embodying Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt in one person, which is pretty badass! After the success of her debut album, All Blue, Julianna has followed up with her second album, Echo In The Dust, released in October 2025 on MoonWhistle Records. On the album you can expect to hear “big feelings layered with guitar twangs, vivid pedal steel, and walloping horns”. Chicago’s Reader said the album is “a roots-rock album that floats in currents of postpunk, punk, and doo-wop”. And, in this host's humble opinion, Julianna is one of the best out there right now so make sure you check out Echo In The Dust and then check out Julianna's tour schedule to you can make sure to catch her when she comes through a city near you because she is one hell of a performer to boot! Playlist Track Listing:1. “Winter Is Blue” by Vashti Bunyan2. “Sally Go Round the Roses” by Pentangle3. “On Her Side” by Erin Rae4. “Swim Practice” by Mariel Buckley5. “Whatever That Means” by Dorothea Paas6. “Mr. Sellack” by The Roches7. “freefall” by Jane Inc.8. “Your Heart’s A Tin Box” by Kassi Valazza9. “Rags” by Bria Salmena10. “Play It Out” by Wolf Alice11. “Sunday” by The Cranberries12. “Skin & Bones” by The Sundays13. “Running Errands (Yesterday)” by U.S. Girls14. “Honky Tonk Women (Live)” by Ike & Tina Turner15. “You’re No Good” by Linda RonstadtFor the Sake of the Song Intro/Outro Music: "Gun" by The Maness Brothers @TheManessBrothers