SEGMENT 1
Joseph Franklyn McElroy’s family has been in the Smokies for over two hundred years. Joseph is interviewing Mike Ogletree, best known for his work in new wave bands such as Fiction Factory and Simple Minds. He currently lives in the Smoky Mountains exploring the Scottish roots of Appalachian music. Joseph recommends that any interested viewer should read Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia, which has a forward by Dolly Parton who is a cousin of his. Joseph explains the geographic and cultural connection of Scotland to the Appalachian Trail. Early Scotch-Irish immigrants brought their musical traditions, mostly folk musical instruments like fiddles and rudimentary guitars. With the added influence of West Africans and the Cherokee and new subgenre became prominent in Appalachia known as bluegrass. In the McElroy family’s establishment, the Meadowlark Motel, Mike is the artist in residence and has introduced a music program. As a self-taught musician was influenced by the Cajun-style band called The Meters. He was also interested in traditional Scottish music as well as popular rock.
SEGMENT 2
For Mike, it was a challenge not to migrate due to his adventurous nature and he welcomed the challenge. Mike first came to California and worked at a film studio then moved to New York. While successful, his biggest challenge was moving from a small town environment to a city that is sustainable but the life of a musician can bring you down. Mike was still looking forward to a change. Mike and Joseph met at the General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen of The City Of New York. They were instrumental in moving the Alexander Hamilton house to a national park. While in New York he became friends with many Scottish people and discovered that there was a strong interest in his culture and history. He was asked to perform at the Burns Supper. As a fan of Robert Burns, setting his poetry to music was not a challenge. While doing so, Mike discovered Scottish Reggae. Mike performed the famous love poem A Red Red Rose by Robert Burns. He explains that the beat is what makes it reggae.
SEGMENT 3
After losing his wife, Mike decided to stay in the Rockies because to him it is like a fantasy Scotland. He’d go off by himself in the woods after school and have dreams of his freedom and liberty. When Mike came to the mountains he discovered the place he dreamed of in the woods. In the mountains, he enjoys hiking to waterfalls, enjoying the scenery, and visiting the Maggie Valley Bird Sanctuaries. Mike’s musical education began with the music of the south so he was familiar with the heritage. He learned about the African American influence then began listening to Scottish music so he could understand the influence. He discovered that many musicians brought jigs and Scottish music to the mountains, which would later evolve into the fiddling style you hear in Bluegrass. Mike plays another song, Man of Sorrow by Bob Dylan. Mike and Joseph reflect on the sense of community held in both the Rockies and Scotland as well as the straightforwardness of the people. Joseph recalls that while growing in the Smoky Mountains people would gather with instruments and make music. It was a spontaneous environment where anyone could play
SEGMENT 4
Every Saturday night Mike does a live music show at the Meadowlark Motel. He welcomes walk-in musicians to share their mountain and he will share Scottish songs with them in return. Even during this pandemic, there are opportunities to hear live music. The Fairground has been doing drive-in concerts with bluegrass and country musicians. Many musicians don’t have anywhere to play so they are grateful to be playing outdoors. Mike has a website that is a nod to his black and Scottish culture called the blexcotsman.com. He can also be found on the Meadowlark Motel’s Facebook page because they Livestream his performances.
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:47.910 –> 00:00:53.160 Joseph McElroy: Howdy. Thanks for joining us on this week’s episode of gateway to the Smokies
00:00:53.880 –> 00:01:10.890 Joseph McElroy: This podcast is about America’s most visited National Park, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the surrounding towns. This area is filled with ancient natural beauty a deep-storied history and rich mountain cultures that we will explore with weekly episodes.
00:01:11.970 –> 00:01:24.180 Joseph McElroy: I am Joseph Franklin McIlroy man of the world, but also deep roots and these mountains. My family has lived in the Great Smoky for over 200 years my businesses and travel but my heart is in culture.
00:01:25.080 –> 00:01:30.630 Joseph McElroy: Today we’re going to talk about the Scotch Irish influence on the Smoky Mountains culture.
00:01:31.080 –> 00:01:42.390 Joseph McElroy: I will introduce you to a good friend of mine, Mike ogletree formerly a drummer for the band civil minds, who’s not living, who’s now living in the Smoky Mountains exploring the Scottish roots of Appalachian news.
00:01:43.920 –> 00:01:49.080 Joseph McElroy: Now hang on to the end and I will give you some tips and resources to continue explorations of the smoke.
00:01:51.600 –> 00:02:01.080 Joseph McElroy: So I like to start each episode with a folk tale or jack tale or interesting historical tidbit that sets the stage.
00:02:02.040 –> 00:02:10.560 Joseph McElroy: I’d like to get you to refer you to book called I’m reading called way ferrying strangers. The musical voyage from Scotland and all sorts Appalachian
00:02:10.890 –> 00:02:18.420 Joseph McElroy: By fi only Richie and Doug, or as a forward by Dolly Parton is, by the way, is your cousin of mine and I learned quite a bit.
00:02:19.020 –> 00:02:28.200 Joseph McElroy: And I think is particularly relevant to this episode about Scott is cultural influence on the music culture of the Appalachian the Smoky Mountains.
00:02:29.190 –> 00:02:46.020 Joseph McElroy: Yeah so. Did you know The Cherokee called the Appalachians the unending mountains, and that’s because they saw going from Alabama, all the way to the bell Island. The Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador. And that’s a long, that’s a long amount of change, but
00:02:47.400 –> 00:02:53.730 Joseph McElroy: About 400 million years ago, Europe and North America for one large continent.
00:02:54.570 –> 00:03:12.330 Joseph McElroy: And and and running along the spine of that come there was a colossal mountain change that we’ve called the Colonia could cook Caledonian Appalachian Mountain change that connected with North America. What became eventually northern Europe, including Scotland and Ireland.
00:03:14.370 –> 00:03:28.530 Joseph McElroy: So about 15 million years ago, the cotton that continent, because of the continents because of geopolitically of geo geographic pressures. I forget the word I’m from the mountains. I don’t know all the words all the time.
00:03:29.610 –> 00:03:30.720 Joseph McElroy: When I know when I need them.
00:03:31.890 –> 00:03:45.240 Joseph McElroy: And and it basically Cotton’s the kind of started splitting and the mountain ranges Scott split and they became the Appalachians and the North American they became the collect Caledonian range and Scott that ended in Scotland, Ireland.
00:03:46.020 –> 00:03:53.460 Joseph McElroy: So this recognition of this sort of distant heritage has led to the creation of the International
00:03:54.960 –> 00:04:04.110 Joseph McElroy: Appalachian Trail and it follows a Scottish to a core stretching from Cape Breton the foreign other several and to the mode Galloway in the southwest.
00:04:05.130 –> 00:04:09.660 Joseph McElroy: Mike might be able to produce that better when we get to it. But anyway.
00:04:11.850 –> 00:04:18.390 Joseph McElroy: I found that really poetic in that Scotch Irish end up in the mountains of
00:04:19.320 –> 00:04:32.910 Joseph McElroy: The Appalachian, especially in the Smoky Mountains and it seems like everybody originated from the Smoky Mountains and Appalachian it’s just one long homeland of mountains, you know, the Scottish have a long history of I migration.
00:04:34.410 –> 00:04:42.810 Joseph McElroy: Before coming to men in America. Many of them were relocated from Scotland into Ulster and Northern Ireland and they became known as the Scots Irish
00:04:43.290 –> 00:04:51.540 Joseph McElroy: But a drought and 1717 force thousands to migrate to America. And then there was many waves. After that, you know,
00:04:52.110 –> 00:04:55.620 Joseph McElroy: The Scotch Irish were always roamers and adventures.
00:04:56.100 –> 00:05:07.770 Joseph McElroy: And by set the mid 1700s, the ones who continue to the middle and upper Carolinas and eastern Tennessee where especially strong and Wanderlust and a sense of into it into the duality.
00:05:08.250 –> 00:05:20.490 Joseph McElroy: They became the original frontiers, the second and third generation, you finally reach the valleys and mountains of the French broad and the Smoky Mountains can be called the essence of Scots Irish this
00:05:21.630 –> 00:05:32.610 Joseph McElroy: They had pushed beyond the most forbidding barrier discovered the most rugged country and settled under most isolated conditions, a country where individual liberty was the prize and
00:05:34.620 –> 00:05:35.940 Joseph McElroy: For them was the cost
00:05:37.740 –> 00:05:55.770 Joseph McElroy: But these early Scotch Irish immigrants brought with them a strong musical tradition played mostly and folk music instruments like a fiddle and rudimentary guitars and and their lyrics, we have spoke of lament and loss and with a particular fondness for the homes.
00:05:57.870 –> 00:06:06.930 Joseph McElroy: Move moving into the middle of the next century influences a civil war reconstruction and multiple cultures.
00:06:08.010 –> 00:06:19.590 Joseph McElroy: You know, besides as the Scotch Irish especially you know at West African and the Cherokee had a strong influence on it. You saw the rise of a some Java sub genre of
00:06:20.340 –> 00:06:34.110 Joseph McElroy: Folk music that that became that became really strong got a stronghold in the Appalachians bluegrass the star a style that places and equal emphasis on heartfelt vocals and instrumental virtuosity.
00:06:34.650 –> 00:06:44.280 Joseph McElroy: And it was an it along with old time music made its way into the larger I because it was such well play music. It was fun and people could dance to.
00:06:45.750 –> 00:06:58.110 Joseph McElroy: It out a lot of debt to the Scotch Irish tunes that preceded it, and then added a new found complexity in the form of multi instrumental arrangements which are like
00:06:58.740 –> 00:07:08.850 Joseph McElroy: THE BLUEGRASS groups typically had a fiddler a five string Banjo which is important to note it originated in Africa was brought over by slaves and
00:07:09.690 –> 00:07:24.540 Joseph McElroy: And and and who modified it and learn how to play. Yo, Scott. Scott tires and bloopers music going away that then brought a percussion element to to balance that help actually create bluegrass
00:07:25.650 –> 00:07:33.420 Joseph McElroy: And then there was of course the flat top God could our guitar and upright bass and other types of interest string instruments.
00:07:38.280 –> 00:07:43.260 Joseph McElroy: I’m not at this point, you know, I want to introduce somebody knows a lot about music and
00:07:43.920 –> 00:07:54.870 Joseph McElroy: And and Scottish culture and is now learning about skydivers culture in the mountains of North Carolina is my goal which are he’s a he was a Scottish Scottish drummer and he was a
00:07:55.530 –> 00:08:03.090 Joseph McElroy: Guitarist of Afro European descent and he’s, he’s a founding member of the Scottish rock band called
00:08:03.540 –> 00:08:14.400 Joseph McElroy: cafes York I guess it’s how you say it, but He’s best known for his work in the new wave bands. Back in the 80s called fiction factory and you know the Mega Man. Simple Minds. Remember
00:08:15.120 –> 00:08:34.950 Joseph McElroy: Don’t You Forget About Me and he was instrumental in bringing some interesting beats to that type of music, especially reggae sort of introduced a reggae into new new wave, and especially simple mind sound that you know that really helped elevate it to another level.
00:08:36.210 –> 00:08:37.290 Joseph McElroy: Mike, how you doing,
00:08:38.070 –> 00:08:47.100 Mike Ogletree: Hey, great. Thank you very much, Justin. Happy New Year. Happy New Year to everyone is listening and we actually watching as well. They just listening.
00:08:47.580 –> 00:08:53.670 Joseph McElroy: Well, a podcast or listening to put the video up on on on
00:08:55.260 –> 00:08:56.760 Joseph McElroy: YouTube and things like that so
00:08:57.690 –> 00:09:04.590 Joseph McElroy: Yeah, so they’ll see my wonder I wonderful wintery background and your, your, your studio
00:09:05.940 –> 00:09:06.750 Mike Ogletree: Right, right.
00:09:07.860 –> 00:09:27.150 Mike Ogletree: Now I’m doing great and being up here in the mountains. Really, so I couldn’t really ask for anything better because the air up here is so fresh and clean be because of the fact, we’re in a valley. Right. And just come Washington and
00:09:28.260 –> 00:09:39.780 Mike Ogletree: I think I’m I don’t want to actually leave it at the moment, you know, because I’m just so so healthy and so well and I can get out and I can walk around.
00:09:40.890 –> 00:09:49.620 Mike Ogletree: Surrounded by woodland rivers mountains and snow and snow in the mountains. Today we notice
00:09:50.820 –> 00:09:55.920 Mike Ogletree: And it’s just idyllic you know i every day. I have to pinch myself in the morning on
00:09:59.070 –> 00:09:59.700 Joseph McElroy: Facebook.
00:09:59.940 –> 00:10:02.190 Joseph McElroy: Your winter, you know, your winter.
00:10:03.300 –> 00:10:04.410 Joseph McElroy: Trends trends.
00:10:05.550 –> 00:10:06.930 Joseph McElroy: I mentioned everybody that
00:10:08.520 –> 00:10:10.170 Joseph McElroy: Mike is actually
00:10:11.280 –> 00:10:23.880 Joseph McElroy: My family’s had a motel in the mountains called Miller motel for 45 years and it’s a place called it’s in Haywood County, North Carolina, which originally had the tagline gateway to the mountain. So that’s where I stole it from
00:10:24.420 –> 00:10:33.840 Joseph McElroy: And in that county is it’s the highest average elevation County, West of the east of the Rockies, I believe, and it
00:10:34.770 –> 00:10:45.150 Joseph McElroy: It in in that county is Maggie Valley, North Carolina, which is my hometown and where the middle arc motels located and Mike is the artists and reticent residents there we’ve
00:10:45.720 –> 00:10:58.560 Joseph McElroy: We’ve upgraded the experience to be what we call Appalachian chic and Mike is introducing a whole music program there so you know what you know what what influences
00:11:00.660 –> 00:11:15.300 Joseph McElroy: I want to, I want to get a little bit into your history so people know you know who you are. And I’m especially interested in, you know, you know, we’re talking about Scotch Irish in its influences on culture. Well, you had an influence on you know the 80s music
00:11:16.620 –> 00:11:25.740 Joseph McElroy: So there’s a sort of an echo of that whole cultural influence there and your personal story. Do you want to, you want to talk about that for a minute.
00:11:26.550 –> 00:11:31.200 Mike Ogletree: Well, yeah. Because it’s funny how different things resonate.
00:11:33.000 –> 00:11:39.690 Mike Ogletree: With a person as they’re picking up music, especially where people who are self taught
00:11:40.500 –> 00:11:52.110 Mike Ogletree: And that’s not put down people are self taught because I’m self taught Paul McCartney was self taught you know there’s so resistant to successfully musician yourself time but
00:11:52.950 –> 00:12:05.040 Mike Ogletree: Haven’t done those interested or I picked up on as a self taught musician there. I decided it would be my guiding direction musically and it was
00:12:06.450 –> 00:12:11.760 Mike Ogletree: style of music that we came out of Louisiana certain, you know,
00:12:12.960 –> 00:12:24.930 Mike Ogletree: Cajun style music by bank or a group called the meters which consisted of the Neville brothers. Sure, already you know I was feeling those
00:12:25.530 –> 00:12:38.070 Mike Ogletree: Those Southern rhythms French influence. If anybody was it Nicole at the second line with that which will influence, they’re
00:12:38.580 –> 00:12:48.090 Mike Ogletree: Already at at the beginning of my musical career is being influenced by southern rock style fields, you know,
00:12:48.750 –> 00:12:59.430 Mike Ogletree: And from the Allman Brothers is, well, you know, and the doobie brothers. These were all these are the types of bands that I’ve listened to, to get my direction.
00:12:59.880 –> 00:13:12.210 Mike Ogletree: As a drummer as a self taught musician. You also have other influences. So that was, that was an interesting start and then to take that and mix it in with
00:13:12.600 –> 00:13:31.530 Mike Ogletree: The pop music that I was hearing on the radio, like, you know, the I like to listen to rock like deep purple in rock and the early rock bands Led Zeppelin, and all these popular bad and of course the Beatles. So I had this great mixture of
00:13:32.550 –> 00:13:47.610 Mike Ogletree: Of popular music and traditional music and from both sides, you know, from America, and from Europe in Scotland and remember in Scotland country music was really, really popular by just, you know,
00:13:48.270 –> 00:13:53.100 Joseph McElroy: So, you, you, you got into Simple Minds and you brought in that regard to sell right
00:13:54.330 –> 00:14:09.870 Mike Ogletree: Well, it wasn’t really a reg D side, it was more of this and I, we call it a funky jazz. Jazz funky and if you know that style that Cajun second lane style. It’s like that. It’s kind of
00:14:10.500 –> 00:14:27.870 Mike Ogletree: Funky, but it’s Jazzy, you know, it’s got a real loose feel too and that’s why I brought into everybody and I played in and it wasn’t always, you can always, you know, always, always welcome because it’s refreshing. It’s been a great
00:14:29.430 –> 00:14:44.790 Joseph McElroy: So you really have an understanding of what those early Scottish Irish immigrants had is, you know, new, new experiences new sounds hearing. You know, you know, the sounds of America Cherokee and sort of incorporating it into your own way of doing music
00:14:45.900 –> 00:14:46.920 Mike Ogletree: Yeah yeah
00:14:48.330 –> 00:14:50.790 Joseph McElroy: What does it feel like empowering to
00:14:51.360 –> 00:15:12.030 Mike Ogletree: Totally. I mean, this is the thing about being a musician and being involved in the arts, and I think it’s something that any artist needs to appreciate is that when when you are in a creative space you are empowered, you’re, you’re empowered and so
00:15:13.440 –> 00:15:34.380 Mike Ogletree: That means that you can in that moment, do whatever you wish for you have a responsibility to remain I feel you have a responsibility to remain true to something, and that is that that is where you know you have to say, you know, am I going to go this direction, that direction.
00:15:35.520 –> 00:15:54.300 Joseph McElroy: Cool. I think we’re going to be taking a break here. So when we come back we’ll get into a little bit of your New York experience. And then how you felt an urge and and desire to come to these mountains and and your experiences here. So I think that we got the right
00:15:55.380 –> 00:15:56.460 Mike Ogletree: Well, let’s go to break
00:18:23.700 –> 00:18:41.430 Joseph McElroy: Hi, welcome back to gateway to the Smokies podcast and I’m your host justifiable McIlroy I’m here speaking with like ogletree formerly of Simple Minds and now exploring Scottish roots music music in the mountains of North Carolina. Hi, Mike, how you doing, welcome, welcome back.
00:18:42.690 –> 00:18:55.320 Joseph McElroy: So we were talking about, you know, the your influences and, you know, I thought, you know, you ended up migrating to America, like many Scotch Irish before you
00:18:56.490 –> 00:18:58.560 Joseph McElroy: And you ended up in NYC.
00:19:00.300 –> 00:19:03.840 Joseph McElroy: How did you, how did, how did the challenges of migration affect you.
00:19:05.070 –> 00:19:11.430 Mike Ogletree: Well, it was more of a yeah it was more of a challenge, not to migrate.
00:19:13.740 –> 00:19:14.070 Joseph McElroy: To it. True.
00:19:14.190 –> 00:19:15.870 Mike Ogletree: You know, because
00:19:16.950 –> 00:19:20.520 Mike Ogletree: As you said in your introduction Scott Scottish people
00:19:22.620 –> 00:19:33.210 Mike Ogletree: There’s a certain element that wants to get out and explore and for whatever reason, and I definitely have that gene, you know,
00:19:34.860 –> 00:19:36.270 Mike Ogletree: I couldn’t wait to
00:19:37.410 –> 00:19:55.710 Mike Ogletree: Go on my first European tour, for instance, I couldn’t wait to go on my first British tour. So the concept of getting out and exploring with something that I welcome rather than that. Yeah, was that there was a challenge to you by welcome the challenge so
00:19:57.390 –> 00:19:57.540 Joseph McElroy: So,
00:19:58.200 –> 00:19:58.590 Mike Ogletree: The biggest
00:19:58.980 –> 00:20:04.950 Joseph McElroy: Scotch Scotch desire to be roaming and exploring is pretty intense.
00:20:05.310 –> 00:20:08.820 Mike Ogletree: Exactly. And then, and the
00:20:11.550 –> 00:20:18.090 Mike Ogletree: Chance, you know, to go out and see places and meet people and do all that kind of thing. I think that’s what’s
00:20:19.230 –> 00:20:20.400 Mike Ogletree: Fundamental to
00:20:22.410 –> 00:20:36.960 Mike Ogletree: Any one who wants to be an artist or musician, you are you going to be white connect with people. I think that illusion. I don’t agree with that. But I think the idea of connecting with people is what was, what were the Europeans.
00:20:38.250 –> 00:20:44.190 Mike Ogletree: Or an actor or whatever you’re all you’re doing something that you want to connect to those that’s pretty
00:20:45.960 –> 00:20:49.920 Joseph McElroy: Cool. What was, what was your musical experiences.
00:20:50.970 –> 00:20:52.620 Joseph McElroy: In America, like to begin with.
00:20:54.060 –> 00:20:56.310 Mike Ogletree: So first of all, I came to California.
00:20:57.450 –> 00:20:59.760 Mike Ogletree: And I spent too much time here.
00:21:02.880 –> 00:21:10.410 Mike Ogletree: Isn’t you know about. I had to. I had to have the California experience, you know, as a musician. So I was in the desert.
00:21:11.100 –> 00:21:31.560 Mike Ogletree: And I was working in a film studio and I was being exposed a lot of really, really good people and that we’re experts in their musical field production recording all that stuff. And the desert was too.
00:21:32.580 –> 00:21:41.070 Mike Ogletree: Hard so I moved in New York and to get back to some kind of normal climate.
00:21:42.420 –> 00:21:57.150 Mike Ogletree: But still stay in that creative artistic environment and no better place in my opinion for the kind of work I was doing then New York City. So I moved there.
00:21:58.230 –> 00:21:58.830 Mike Ogletree: And
00:22:00.060 –> 00:22:05.460 Mike Ogletree: I said I had a good amount of success here. You know what it was what I was doing.
00:22:06.390 –> 00:22:17.040 Mike Ogletree: But the challenges here and this is why you see the biggest challenge for me was moving from the country country small town environment.
00:22:17.790 –> 00:22:34.590 Mike Ogletree: To the city, you know, which would be sustainable, as long as you can sustain it. You know, because the life of a musician, a rock musician on the road. It can be quite a companion be down. No, so
00:22:35.640 –> 00:22:49.170 Mike Ogletree: I was looking for a loop. I was looking forward to a break right about the time that you and I met up and I’m looking forward to a change because you know me up and I was in New York in
00:22:49.770 –> 00:22:54.270 Joseph McElroy: Well, you know, it was interesting. We met at what’s called the general Society of
00:22:55.620 –> 00:23:06.270 Joseph McElroy: Mechanics and tradesmen of the city of New York, which is the oldest trade school in America was a free trade school for the trade back in the day, establish I think the 1786
00:23:07.980 –> 00:23:08.700 Joseph McElroy: Are but
00:23:10.650 –> 00:23:14.940 Joseph McElroy: We were instrumental in working on bringing the moving the Alexander
00:23:15.960 –> 00:23:17.610 Joseph McElroy: Hamilton. Hamilton house.
00:23:18.930 –> 00:23:27.090 Joseph McElroy: Along with a couple other societies to National Park, and we were doing some fundraisings for that correct, Mike. That’s where we met.
00:23:27.360 –> 00:23:28.860 Mike Ogletree: Yeah, that’s exactly right.
00:23:29.730 –> 00:23:41.400 Joseph McElroy: Started a singer, songwriter career working on Scott and Scott his songs, especially word Robert Berman inspired poetry songs. How did that transition happen.
00:23:43.500 –> 00:23:44.100 Mike Ogletree: Well, that was
00:23:45.180 –> 00:23:48.150 Mike Ogletree: A return to roots really
00:23:49.680 –> 00:24:15.360 Mike Ogletree: In New York, I became friends with Scottish people in New York, of course. And it turned out that there is a huge interest Scottish culture Scottish people and all over America. And then as I learned about last week I realized it was actually international so
00:24:16.110 –> 00:24:31.560 Joseph McElroy: Most of the Scots Irish you know evergreen and in through New York and Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and they. Yeah. So there’s a lot of Scotch Irish up here and you know the migration down over the Appalachians was called the Pennsylvania trail.
00:24:32.010 –> 00:24:33.090 Joseph McElroy: Really, yeah.
00:24:33.150 –> 00:24:34.560 Mike Ogletree: Oh yeah yes you can read a book.
00:24:35.490 –> 00:24:38.010 Joseph McElroy: So, so anyway, then and then maybe
00:24:38.070 –> 00:24:42.090 Mike Ogletree: beds and you know the the hot where we
00:24:43.590 –> 00:24:55.140 Mike Ogletree: Really had to postpone our Burton’s name but burns Nate is a burn suffer. They have every January, and they have a huge one in New York. In fact, they have several in New York.
00:24:55.500 –> 00:24:56.670 Joseph McElroy: Robert was the
00:24:56.970 –> 00:25:01.710 Joseph McElroy: Poet Laureate Scotland back in the 1600s.
00:25:02.010 –> 00:25:06.990 Mike Ogletree: And 18th century no yeah 18 1716
00:25:08.310 –> 00:25:10.170 Joseph McElroy: He was highly popular in
00:25:10.230 –> 00:25:11.970 Joseph McElroy: Pain Scotch Irish
00:25:13.050 –> 00:25:13.200 Joseph McElroy: And
00:25:13.530 –> 00:25:15.030 Mike Ogletree: He said Bob Dylan OB.
00:25:15.060 –> 00:25:15.390 Mike Ogletree: De
00:25:15.690 –> 00:25:28.380 Joseph McElroy: Are very important in that he is actually one of the first music colleges studied that the balance of the Scotch Irish instead of just recording the words he recorded the tunes as well. But anyway, continue
00:25:29.820 –> 00:25:30.540 Mike Ogletree: Yes, so
00:25:33.210 –> 00:25:45.780 Mike Ogletree: So yeah, so I grew up with that music and when he, when he, when he turned to me and said, Good any other musician, but my boss asked me if I wanted to.
00:25:46.950 –> 00:25:55.290 Mike Ogletree: Do a born suffer do part of your presentation about. I said, of course, because I knew all the stuff I learned it in school.
00:25:56.730 –> 00:26:04.410 Mike Ogletree: I enjoyed reading it as an adult actually got a lot of concept from some of the
00:26:05.580 –> 00:26:25.140 Mike Ogletree: Words in the message either bars poetry because I love poetry as a young man, so it was no big leap for me to incorporate that music into what I was doing at the time, and then it turned out that it was something quite unique which I then called Scottish again.
00:26:27.300 –> 00:26:31.110 Joseph McElroy: Well, why don’t you give us a little sample. You didn’t mention it to you.
00:26:32.010 –> 00:26:32.550 Mike Ogletree: Yeah yeah
00:26:33.450 –> 00:26:38.070 Joseph McElroy: One of those poems of birds, you’d like to share those in a Scottish reggae
00:26:39.180 –> 00:26:39.990 Mike Ogletree: Yeah yeah so
00:26:42.990 –> 00:26:48.600 Mike Ogletree: Well borns you said he was like hugely popular hugely influential
00:26:50.070 –> 00:26:55.620 Mike Ogletree: And and one of the reasons for his popularity because it was a bit of a ladies man.
00:26:57.180 –> 00:27:04.260 Mike Ogletree: So, and he wrote, of course, love songs love poems and
00:27:06.720 –> 00:27:08.070 Mike Ogletree: If you look at the
00:27:09.120 –> 00:27:24.090 Mike Ogletree: Evolution of the Romantic poets, you’ll find bottoms features among the top five Romantic poets in history. So does that. But this is one of his romantic porn.
00:27:26.070 –> 00:27:27.480 Mike Ogletree: Which we learned in school.
00:27:30.540 –> 00:27:34.800 Mike Ogletree: And adjusting your little red light, just to give you an idea what Scottish Greg is like
00:27:45.210 –> 00:27:47.040 Mike Ogletree: Scottish dialect. Right.
00:27:48.960 –> 00:27:54.000 Mike Ogletree: Oh, my love is like red, red, though.
00:27:55.260 –> 00:27:56.640 Mike Ogletree: New Les Brown.
00:28:04.050 –> 00:28:05.130 Mike Ogletree: Melody.
00:28:06.840 –> 00:28:08.430 Mike Ogletree: Sweet. The playing
00:28:12.690 –> 00:28:13.320 Mike Ogletree: Field.
00:28:31.500 –> 00:28:31.860 Mike Ogletree: This
00:28:41.400 –> 00:28:41.850 Joseph McElroy: So,
00:28:46.920 –> 00:28:52.140 Joseph McElroy: We have just a quick, quick, they, what makes it reggae why, why do you have to be
00:28:52.710 –> 00:28:53.580 Mike Ogletree: Is to be yet.
00:28:57.390 –> 00:29:07.080 Joseph McElroy: Yeah, adding a different percussion to music helps change it. So when we come back, we’re going to talk about how Mike made the decision to go to the Smokies nobody’s
00:29:07.080 –> 00:29:07.650 Finding
00:29:09.450 –> 00:29:12.540 Joseph McElroy: Music Smoky Mountain Music Alright, sounds
00:29:12.810 –> 00:29:14.130 Mike Ogletree: Good. All right.
00:31:35.790 –> 00:31:42.570 Joseph McElroy: Welcome back to the gateway to the Smokies podcast with Joseph bath or and I guess Mike ogletree we’ve been talking about.
00:31:43.320 –> 00:31:50.730 Joseph McElroy: Music in the in the Scottish influence music and we were talking about in New York and the creation of Scottish reggae
00:31:51.480 –> 00:31:58.230 Joseph McElroy: Now we’re talking about a little bit about the migration to the Smokies Mike so you migrate to the Smokies
00:31:58.680 –> 00:32:02.460 Joseph McElroy: I know I have a little bit of this, a little bit of input into that and, you know, because
00:32:02.910 –> 00:32:14.400 Joseph McElroy: You’ve gone through a similar tragedy. I had gone through it says our lifetime. And I know I put up a place to stay. But what made you decide to come down and actually make it at home for a while. Maybe him for a long while.
00:32:16.830 –> 00:32:22.740 Mike Ogletree: Well, what made me decide who is who. I said, you know, the beginning that this is like a
00:32:24.090 –> 00:32:39.510 Mike Ogletree: Fantasy Scotland. For me, it’s where where I grew up in Scotland was on the outskirts of the of the town and it right next to the woodland so after school, I would
00:32:41.220 –> 00:32:52.770 Mike Ogletree: Go off by myself to the woods. Remember, it’s good to the woods, because in the woods. I could just dream about, you know, having my
00:32:53.250 –> 00:33:07.350 Mike Ogletree: Freedom and my liberty to do whatever the heck I wanted, and they will trees were rivers or hills in the mysteries in all kinds of fantastic things
00:33:08.130 –> 00:33:18.930 Mike Ogletree: And I used to do that almost every day after school when I was a child, you know, from the age of seven, up until 12am when I came here to the mountains.
00:33:19.710 –> 00:33:34.410 Mike Ogletree: That’s what I discovered I discovered that dream right in reality the woods. The rivers fresh shield and the freedom, you know, and so this is perfectly good
00:33:35.040 –> 00:33:43.950 Joseph McElroy: Things there in the video individuality freedom, you know, would you say as part of the Scotch Irish character to really love things like hiking waterfalls.
00:33:44.160 –> 00:33:51.540 Joseph McElroy: Yeah, horse trails, you know, you know the the high mountain tops the views, all the things that the Smoky Mountains have to offer.
00:33:52.740 –> 00:34:03.930 Mike Ogletree: Yeah, well I mean today, for instance, this morning. It was kind of overcast, I love it when it’s overcast so worldwide. So, because I can put my link or
00:34:04.890 –> 00:34:15.990 Mike Ogletree: Take a walk down by the river, you know, our go for a little bit more Haycock to the waterfall and and it’s not you know it’s not
00:34:16.860 –> 00:34:33.570 Mike Ogletree: Unpleasant or anything. It’s just, it’s a little bit overcast me there’s a little bit of drizzle. I love that. I don’t mind like walking out now. So I was it I’m able to do that will, and that’s something that I used to enjoy doing and Scott, you know, or
00:34:34.950 –> 00:34:37.380 Mike Ogletree: Yeah, if I if I if I won you
00:34:38.910 –> 00:34:47.970 Mike Ogletree: Do go out in the woods. For instance, you take a walk through the woods and I have no have a pair of binoculars. So if I see something I want a
00:34:48.660 –> 00:35:09.180 Mike Ogletree: Take a look at and go and get a closer look and I see from a distance. I can see Robin Oculus and I’d be an interesting piece of scenery, or something that we should have tons of, you know, so I like bird spot and Maggie Valley is a bird sanctuary.
00:35:10.260 –> 00:35:10.680 Joseph McElroy: Yeah.
00:35:10.740 –> 00:35:22.560 Mike Ogletree: Guess you must because you’ve got that Maggie values a bird sanctuary, so that we run the migratory path of a lot of birds here so
00:35:23.010 –> 00:35:24.900 Joseph McElroy: When I was on the brand gration
00:35:24.990 –> 00:35:35.310 Joseph McElroy: The path for the monarch butterflies and we have that we have in the, I think the month of June, we have this huge fire fly spectacle them flying in
00:35:35.610 –> 00:35:51.570 Joseph McElroy: Right. Incredible. So the natural wonders are, you know, incredible the Smokies it’s you know it’s something that attracts everybody. So when you got here. What did you find out about the music was something we did something and you find something that resonated with you.
00:35:53.250 –> 00:36:02.250 Mike Ogletree: Yeah, because, you know, like I said my music my musical education started with music from the sad.
00:36:03.840 –> 00:36:04.980 Mike Ogletree: Cajun using
00:36:06.480 –> 00:36:09.720 Mike Ogletree: The meters second line, Louisiana.
00:36:11.040 –> 00:36:22.290 Mike Ogletree: Allman Brothers doobie brothers just southern rock in in general and then going into. So I was already familiar with.
00:36:24.240 –> 00:36:35.670 Mike Ogletree: The, the musical heritage of the service and bluegrass had already been introduced to New York because it’s very popular, you got
00:36:36.180 –> 00:36:44.850 Mike Ogletree: bluegrass music that’s where I saw Ralph Stanley is, you know, and then put it the clinch Mountain Boys.
00:36:45.690 –> 00:36:59.640 Mike Ogletree: In his family group and I just fell in love with Bluegrass rhythms and all that. And then I learned about African American connection you went into through the banjo.
00:37:00.120 –> 00:37:10.500 Mike Ogletree: And how that brought into percussion, Norman. And the next thing I knew I was listening to Scottish music and how it influenced
00:37:11.100 –> 00:37:21.900 Mike Ogletree: The mountain music because when I came to the mountains. Of course I did more research to help me understand it integrate with what I was
00:37:22.680 –> 00:37:39.030 Mike Ogletree: Running into here and it turns out there were many musicians who came here. Back in the day, who brought jigs and reels and all that kind of lively Scottish and Irish music
00:37:39.690 –> 00:37:56.880 Mike Ogletree: To their parlor, as it were, and that was the music that they will play, they would dance and they would pass on to their children and their relatives, and then they would then that would then evolve into what became
00:37:58.590 –> 00:38:01.170 Mike Ogletree: befuddling style and
00:38:02.550 –> 00:38:03.090 Mike Ogletree: Today,
00:38:04.560 –> 00:38:11.400 Mike Ogletree: We have wow, everybody. I mean, I just think it’s fantastic. It’s terrible. Fiddle playing that they have
00:38:12.090 –> 00:38:33.930 Mike Ogletree: In bluegrass and it’s like a competition, or worse, you know, and that’s very similar to what we do in Ireland today. It’s kind of evolved the same way as these kind of competitive Irish piddling similar to this. It’s not competitive because this kind of idea or battling on the instrument.
00:38:35.700 –> 00:38:40.440 Mike Ogletree: Discovered all that, you know, and then just insert the song writing
00:38:41.670 –> 00:38:43.770 Mike Ogletree: Style. You can have
00:38:44.790 –> 00:38:50.820 Mike Ogletree: brings out the same kind of feelings in the same messages squashed on writing
00:38:52.560 –> 00:38:56.070 Mike Ogletree: Brings up you know so you good songs, Scott.
00:38:57.480 –> 00:39:09.450 Mike Ogletree: Martin songs that talk about, you know, despair and loss struggle and no that’s awesome Scottish really consider this game. You know that there’s a similarity to the curve.
00:39:12.120 –> 00:39:19.500 Mike Ogletree: Yeah, exactly. laments meeting Scottish music is the music of the romantic despite examples here.
00:39:21.510 –> 00:39:32.490 Joseph McElroy: Well, that brings us actually do you mentioned another song. Yeah. Mike is those that I like a particular song called man of Constant Sorrow and he actually made a Scottish reggae version of it.
00:39:32.760 –> 00:39:33.030 Mike Ogletree: Right.
00:39:33.690 –> 00:39:39.300 Joseph McElroy: And it’s a famous bluegrass song that’s now has a new flavor. And I asked him to
00:39:41.550 –> 00:39:42.180 Joseph McElroy: Do that.
00:39:42.300 –> 00:39:47.160 Mike Ogletree: Yeah, let’s do that because he is a lot, man made
00:39:51.810 –> 00:39:52.560 Mike Ogletree: The blue glass.
00:40:00.630 –> 00:40:02.490 Mike Ogletree: Constant Sorrow.
00:40:07.230 –> 00:40:08.250 Mike Ogletree: Marty.
00:40:16.200 –> 00:40:18.510 Mike Ogletree: To hold kill my know
00:40:19.650 –> 00:40:20.190 Mike Ogletree: The place.
00:40:22.620 –> 00:40:23.490 Mike Ogletree: Was born
00:40:27.120 –> 00:40:27.510 Mike Ogletree: He
00:40:29.670 –> 00:40:30.360 Mike Ogletree: Was
00:40:35.520 –> 00:40:37.170 Mike Ogletree: FROM KENTUCKY tickle mama.
00:40:37.620 –> 00:40:38.220 Yeah.
00:40:40.950 –> 00:40:41.250 Joseph McElroy: You know,
00:40:45.420 –> 00:40:50.490 Joseph McElroy: That was a real, a real pleasure when you reveal that to the world.
00:40:52.440 –> 00:40:54.300 Joseph McElroy: You’re going to see Raven Fairchild didn’t
00:40:55.050 –> 00:41:01.380 Mike Ogletree: I got to see him at the elevated. Yeah, he was playing it was, I think,
00:41:02.520 –> 00:41:07.770 Mike Ogletree: I mean, he died last year. So I saw him the year before. So just shortly before he died.
00:41:08.160 –> 00:41:08.520 Joseph McElroy: There were a
00:41:09.780 –> 00:41:12.570 Joseph McElroy: World famous blue Fiddler from Maggie Valley.
00:41:12.600 –> 00:41:13.800 Mike Ogletree: Know banjo. Banjo
00:41:14.610 –> 00:41:20.070 Joseph McElroy: banjo for Maggie valley. Yeah. And as a few. I think it’s a Grammys, and that’s
00:41:21.150 –> 00:41:23.940 Joseph McElroy: It’s pretty pretty sell or missing balsam range yet.
00:41:24.270 –> 00:41:37.740 Mike Ogletree: So balsam range. Don’t in Canton, which is the long term, you know, sure. I went down to the Canton towns here last year before the call. Well, wants to be the year before last. Yeah.
00:41:40.230 –> 00:41:42.480 Mike Ogletree: And I saw them at their can turn fear and
00:41:43.590 –> 00:41:49.980 Mike Ogletree: Unbelief. Unbelievable. Yes. When, when they were, I think you would have been drunk last night because it will replace in the home crowd.
00:41:51.450 –> 00:41:58.170 Mike Ogletree: But that there is just terrific fan and I have their album, of course, and
00:41:59.190 –> 00:42:10.200 Mike Ogletree: You’re good. Yeah, apparently I haven’t met them about pilot or just don’t ask box riches that makes sense because that’s one of the things that I think makes a mountain man.
00:42:10.830 –> 00:42:28.260 Mike Ogletree: And it’s what connects the mountain at personality to the Scottish personality which is you have people just don’t ask a simple, you know, straightforward structure as ganas de noble share that that’s that’s a Scottish
00:42:28.860 –> 00:42:40.440 Joseph McElroy: When I when I was growing up, you know, in the Smoky Mountains, you know, we would periodically get together and people show up with instruments and start just making bluegrass and country songs and
00:42:40.800 –> 00:42:47.280 Joseph McElroy: And dancing having a party. I think that’s there’s reminiscence of that in the Scottish tradition, isn’t there.
00:42:47.400 –> 00:42:52.980 Mike Ogletree: Yep, yep. It’s called Chinese. Definitely. Well, the Irish particularly these days, they have what they call
00:42:54.030 –> 00:43:01.830 Mike Ogletree: Sessions and it’s about asking. Yes. Ah, you and and these these sessions are instruments, the world over.
00:43:02.670 –> 00:43:11.730 Mike Ogletree: Because they’re so spontaneous and anybody could turn off, anybody could play and they they can happen anywhere and
00:43:12.630 –> 00:43:22.230 Mike Ogletree: I you can obviously be happy to an island but I participated in many sessions in New York, where you walk into a pub.
00:43:22.890 –> 00:43:31.710 Mike Ogletree: That you go to and all of a sudden you walk in and all of a sudden one night, there’s a an Irish paper sitting in the corner.
00:43:32.400 –> 00:43:43.710 Mike Ogletree: With a group of musicians around him and he’s going, you know, crazy on the on the Irish pains and everybody’s jamming along and everybody seems to know the songs
00:43:44.310 –> 00:44:03.870 Mike Ogletree: And it goes on all night. And last one example Scotland was not so much. No big used to be the same, you know, maybe you get something done up with an accordion somebody else were painting pistol or something like that. And they start doing jigs and reels and people start dancing and singing
00:44:06.660 –> 00:44:11.640 Joseph McElroy: People dance the dance by themselves there. Right. It’s the same thing in the mountains of North Carolina, we call
00:44:12.870 –> 00:44:12.960 Joseph McElroy: A
00:44:13.680 –> 00:44:15.600 Joseph McElroy: critical part of my, my experience.
00:44:15.900 –> 00:44:18.000 Mike Ogletree: Logging de colon here, right.
00:44:18.300 –> 00:44:19.140 Joseph McElroy: What you got,
00:44:19.410 –> 00:44:21.330 Mike Ogletree: No. Do you call it clogging here in the
00:44:21.660 –> 00:44:29.010 Joseph McElroy: Lobby, but there’s a form of coffee, where man, a man and a woman get up and just dance by themselves, just go out there is called booked into
00:44:29.430 –> 00:44:29.940 Mike Ogletree: Oh really,
00:44:30.240 –> 00:44:33.960 Joseph McElroy: Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, so
00:44:33.990 –> 00:44:35.460 Mike Ogletree: We call that drunk dancing.
00:44:37.560 –> 00:44:40.920 Joseph McElroy: Well, I think we’re going to break down and come up and speak tomorrow when we get back
00:47:03.090 –> 00:47:10.050 Joseph McElroy: This is Joseph Franklin McIlroy back with gateways to the Smokies podcast with, I guess, Michael over tree.
00:47:11.040 –> 00:47:23.880 Joseph McElroy: And so, Mike, you know, we’re winding up things here in the last part of the show. So why don’t you give us some insights in some places and venues and things to do that. You think represent Scottish culture in the smoke.
00:47:25.410 –> 00:47:26.550 Mike Ogletree: Oh, definitely, as
00:47:27.630 –> 00:47:30.990 Mike Ogletree: The code jack of the would be Asheville right
00:47:32.670 –> 00:47:34.470 Joseph McElroy: At what does that
00:47:34.650 –> 00:47:36.120 Mike Ogletree: Gotcha. That’s a pub.
00:47:37.290 –> 00:47:38.190 Mike Ogletree: in Asheville
00:47:38.430 –> 00:47:39.480 Joseph McElroy: Yakima would
00:47:39.660 –> 00:47:52.200 Mike Ogletree: Just have the word which but the thing is you see with the coronavirus there’s no. I mean, I can tell you about this place. But no, it’s open. It’s crazy.
00:47:52.260 –> 00:47:57.060 Joseph McElroy: Well, it’s good to be open because this podcast is going to be going on. Is it going to be evergreen, it’s gonna be around.
00:47:58.080 –> 00:47:59.550 Mike Ogletree: I said, that’s fantastic.
00:48:00.150 –> 00:48:04.290 Mike Ogletree: Have you can get great for every night they have something
00:48:06.510 –> 00:48:15.330 Mike Ogletree: Well, not, not every night or something. Celtic or something like that. But because of Monday nights now open for every other night. They’re all time. MUSIC
00:48:15.780 –> 00:48:39.780 Mike Ogletree: Of the of Celtic music of the Scottish music or Cajun music or Irish music. But if you if you were to look up their schedule at least two or three times a week they have some kind of Scotch Irish music on on the on the repertoire either a musician or a jam session or something.
00:48:40.890 –> 00:48:45.060 Joseph McElroy: And of course, during the, during the warmer months you do you do
00:48:46.080 –> 00:48:51.030 Joseph McElroy: Music Scottish Scottish songs. Every Saturday night hotel. Right.
00:48:51.090 –> 00:48:54.000 Mike Ogletree: Yeah, and right. That’s right. Every Saturday night.
00:48:55.680 –> 00:49:00.090 Mike Ogletree: Live music show with local musicians as well with i’d like to
00:49:01.560 –> 00:49:06.870 Mike Ogletree: Get into jam worse and have them. Show me his chops. You know, so I can learn
00:49:07.830 –> 00:49:23.100 Mike Ogletree: Mountain music and the banjo phone sales and then I show them that it’s got your songs. I know so that they can pick up a night, and then we mix the whole thing together named up with a mountain Scottish bluegrass ECHO.
00:49:23.700 –> 00:49:24.360 Joseph McElroy: I was great.
00:49:24.480 –> 00:49:27.900 Mike Ogletree: Me along right now I’m doing every Sunday afternoon.
00:49:28.440 –> 00:49:43.080 Joseph McElroy: Or an amalgam alien general and Waynesville you know the whole that whole area has wonderful bluegrass and old time music venues things going on. We usually this those things on on some various sites that we have
00:49:43.620 –> 00:49:48.420 Mike Ogletree: Yeah, we got the, the fear ground here actually has been doing driving concepts.
00:49:48.540 –> 00:49:49.320 Joseph McElroy: Like dry.
00:49:50.070 –> 00:49:59.820 Mike Ogletree: With some fantastic musicians bluegrass and country musicians like legends of all of the of the of the genre has been up here.
00:50:01.140 –> 00:50:05.610 Joseph McElroy: The things that you’re doing on Sundays are out of the civilians are out of doors and well
00:50:07.140 –> 00:50:10.950 Mike Ogletree: Well, yeah, this is the thing. It’s kind of sad because
00:50:12.120 –> 00:50:15.180 Mike Ogletree: I keep on hearing up. I haven’t been out of
00:50:16.500 –> 00:50:21.750 Mike Ogletree: Here country for months, but I keep on hearing about this nuclear to play no
00:50:23.190 –> 00:50:23.460 Joseph McElroy: No.
00:50:25.080 –> 00:50:26.970 Mike Ogletree: No, I love being able
00:50:26.970 –> 00:50:37.620 Mike Ogletree: To go out there and I Sunday afternoon and and I invite people to come and participate some live music couple last weekend. So it was just great.
00:50:39.030 –> 00:50:43.200 Joseph McElroy: You have a Facebook page because himself the black Scotsman right
00:50:44.040 –> 00:50:45.540 Mike Ogletree: Right, because that’s what I am.
00:50:45.810 –> 00:50:47.550 Mike Ogletree: My mama was a Scottish woman.
00:50:47.580 –> 00:50:49.260 Mike Ogletree: My daddy was from Alabama.
00:50:49.680 –> 00:50:52.500 Joseph McElroy: I wanted to give a shout out to your, your URL.
00:50:53.190 –> 00:51:06.090 Mike Ogletree: Yeah, well it’s the black Scott’s when.com and it’s black Scotsman spelt with bl E x C O d s MA THE BLACK scotsman.com
00:51:07.170 –> 00:51:11.580 Mike Ogletree: But you, if you were to go to our metal at Mattel
00:51:12.750 –> 00:51:23.310 Mike Ogletree: Facebook page, you would you would find it because we live stream to each week. And you can do that, but yeah.
00:51:25.710 –> 00:51:31.500 Mike Ogletree: I would like to My dream is to have a concert here with all my friends.
00:51:33.390 –> 00:51:35.940 Mike Ogletree: Motel and they stay at the motel.
00:51:36.390 –> 00:51:40.800 Mike Ogletree: For a weekend for four or five days and we just, you know,
00:51:43.410 –> 00:51:44.430 Mike Ogletree: Do some music.
00:51:44.490 –> 00:51:48.510 Joseph McElroy: Together and nature opens up one of that’s one of the things will do so people
00:51:48.510 –> 00:51:49.470 Mike Ogletree: Will door.
00:51:49.950 –> 00:51:52.350 Joseph McElroy: And we’re gonna make a blow out, that’s for sure.
00:51:52.860 –> 00:51:53.220 Because
00:51:54.630 –> 00:52:04.740 Joseph McElroy: You know, we’re getting close to time. I have a couple shout outs. Again, I want to, you know, you might mention that, you know, we’ve done stuff. There’s a Scottish Museum in in
00:52:05.250 –> 00:52:11.700 Joseph McElroy: Franklin. Franklin, North Carolina, which doesn’t have the largest tartan collection in the world.
00:52:12.630 –> 00:52:18.390 Mike Ogletree: Except it’s the only Totten Museum in the world.
00:52:18.660 –> 00:52:19.350 Joseph McElroy: There. Yeah.
00:52:19.680 –> 00:52:25.770 Mike Ogletree: So like, like a museum a standalone museum for is the only one.
00:52:26.310 –> 00:52:34.230 Joseph McElroy: And when we do a Robert Burns Day, which we did a dinner, which we did last year that somebody from there will come and do some history or maybe some bagpipes or something.
00:52:34.650 –> 00:52:46.200 Joseph McElroy: This year we actually do it because a coven but we’ll probably do streaming toast on the Saturday before the day then the day is January 25 so January 23 you know
00:52:46.800 –> 00:52:58.650 Joseph McElroy: Look to if you want to do see a little toast about Robert Burns day, who is the, you know, a great poet in Scotland, and maybe a little music by Mike on a Saturday Night Live to the Facebook page for the middle art motel.
00:53:00.060 –> 00:53:01.770 Joseph McElroy: Some other things I want to mention
00:53:03.150 –> 00:53:13.050 Joseph McElroy: You know, we’re sponsored by things I’m involved with right now smoke. I have a website called smoky adventures com, which is really
00:53:13.680 –> 00:53:31.590 Joseph McElroy: A detailed resource for people wanting finding things to do in the mountains and places to go. It’s got information listings. Yes. And it also has things to Dubai, we’re introducing all sorts of trail maps and books and various resources.
00:53:32.760 –> 00:53:37.890 Joseph McElroy: To for people to go to to help their their their adventures in the mountains.
00:53:38.910 –> 00:53:44.550 Joseph McElroy: We also list things like wedding venues. The middle arc is a wedding venue, but we’re also going to be promoting other wedding venues.
00:53:44.880 –> 00:54:00.240 Joseph McElroy: Because we think it’s a great place to have outdoor weddings in the mountains, especially in this type of dynamics outdoor weddings could be a real valuable thing. So we have from all over the area in Tennessee and, you know, and then everywhere.
00:54:01.650 –> 00:54:18.180 Joseph McElroy: I’m also I have also developed a relationship with where traveler magazine where traveler magazine has been around about 80 years and many of you might have seen their magazines and hotel rooms around the world and about 243 million
00:54:18.840 –> 00:54:30.930 Joseph McElroy: Readers worldwide, and they get about 7 MILLION ONLINE visitors. They’ve been a traditional magazine. They haven’t really paid attention to the online, but we’re helping build that out. I have actually have a marketing company that’s doing that.
00:54:32.130 –> 00:54:38.850 Joseph McElroy: And they have always been city focused and I convinced them to create their first destination focused
00:54:39.780 –> 00:54:46.800 Joseph McElroy: Location and so we’re, we’ve created a Great Smoky Mountain section on the where traveler magazine website.
00:54:47.370 –> 00:54:54.030 Joseph McElroy: Which is going to focus on, you know, really great stories about people in places in the mountains.
00:54:55.020 –> 00:55:13.740 Joseph McElroy: And you know and and roundups and things to do and and get experts to give advice good concierge just to, you know, recommend things. So it’s going to be a really great travel magazine and a resource for people to take advantage of.
00:55:16.320 –> 00:55:17.160 Joseph McElroy: The
00:55:18.210 –> 00:55:25.860 Joseph McElroy: The I wanted to get it get access to us to find out more about us. You can go. We have a Facebook,
00:55:26.970 –> 00:55:36.480 Joseph McElroy: Podcast for this podcast called a gateway to the Smokies podcasts its Facebook com slash gateway to the Smokies plural.
00:55:36.780 –> 00:55:46.530 Joseph McElroy: podcast.com you go there and you’ll it will be posting there always be live streaming of the event also point will be posting links to things that we mentioned in here.
00:55:47.700 –> 00:55:58.020 Joseph McElroy: What I just posted a link to a book that I took a lot of information from from here, Mike, I said to him, and he read it, he’s loving this book called way fairing strangers. Yeah.
00:55:58.950 –> 00:56:14.400 Joseph McElroy: Fiona Richie and I think I mentioned it before and tug of war over the foreword by Dolly Parton so I put the link to that book. You can go see it on our Facebook page and hopefully you might be interested in that. It’s really great.
00:56:15.990 –> 00:56:22.710 Joseph McElroy: Resource for the Scottish Irish Scots Irish influence on a political music and it gives it, it actually starts with the
00:56:22.980 –> 00:56:32.670 Joseph McElroy: History of Scottish music and then the move to Ulster, and that history of Scottish mix music and holster and it gets into things like they’re seafaring
00:56:33.480 –> 00:56:41.970 Joseph McElroy: People there’s there’s wagon train leaders who are minstrels they talk about Mr. Lee talking about balladry is it totally fascinating book.
00:56:43.110 –> 00:56:46.410 Joseph McElroy: That gives a lot of details about this and you know
00:56:48.030 –> 00:56:50.550 Joseph McElroy: It’s it’s a worthwhile book to have in your collection.
00:56:52.740 –> 00:57:06.720 Joseph McElroy: So next week I’m going to have Dave angel, who’s the owner of elevated mountain Distillery in Maggie valley. He’s going to explore with us the distilled spirits in the history of moonshine, and the Smoky Mountains.
00:57:08.160 –> 00:57:08.790 Joseph McElroy: You know the
00:57:10.020 –> 00:57:14.310 Joseph McElroy: Total story. I got my family’s farm and I found the old fox on track.
00:57:15.120 –> 00:57:29.460 Joseph McElroy: Cabin. My grandfather had one was cleared out back. I found a big spot where there was remnants of a big black fire and there was a bloke broken and mason jar glass. And so I always figured my family might have had a little bit in inputted
00:57:30.090 –> 00:57:40.140 Joseph McElroy: Into the moonshine business, not sure how but I wouldn’t put it past my granddaddy because that that that box and Kevin was on wheels. It could move
00:57:41.880 –> 00:57:42.750 Joseph McElroy: So,
00:57:43.800 –> 00:57:52.020 Joseph McElroy: I appreciate everybody coming to listen to our first podcast and come listen to us next time next week, same time, same place.
00:57:53.220 –> 00:57:54.210 Joseph McElroy: I think that’s it.
