Host
Host of the StoneOnAir Podcast.
Bryan's been fading in and out of fashion since 1997. A lifelong love of media led to 20 years in the radio industry in both the ROCK & TALK formats. After "jumping the fence" at the inaugural Bonnaroo in 2002 he has been back to the farm every year since, an accomplishment that he is unapologetically very proud of.
36mIs Bluegrass getting younger? We walked the IBMA red carpet in Chattanooga and asked the players who would know: James Kee of East Nash Grass, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Molly Tuttle, and Sierra Hull. The same theme kept coming up: a new generation is stepping in, and the people who came up before them are passing the torch.
55mBilly Strings is reopening the Tivoli Theatre in Chattanooga, a 105-year-old landmark that just finished a $75 million restoration. We sat down with Nick Wilkinson of the Tivoli Foundation to find out how it happened, why a city spends that kind of money on a theater, and how the live music business really works.
29mLive from The Caverns in Pelham, Tennessee, we recap CaveFest 2026 with our ticket winner, plus the venue, the music, and the camping. Barry and Russ are joined by Bryan, back on the show after a couple of months, our bicoastal correspondent Elizabeth Thorpe, who flew in from Washington State for her third CaveFest, and Abby, the fan who won our ticket giveaway and is at her very first CaveFest! Listen to this week's episode here or watch it on YouTube.
22mWe officially have confirmation on Bonnaroo's 2027 cancellation. We got together to share our initial reaction, and Barry literally pulled over on the side of the road to record this. As far as The What Podcast goes, we're still here every week and we'll have a deeper dive into this news next week. Listen to this week's episode here or watch it on YouTube.
1h 9mIs Hulaween everything Bonnaroo used to be? We put the question to John, our EDM and jam-scene correspondent, and his answer says a lot about how both festivals have changed. John makes the case for Hulaween, String Cheese Incident's own festival at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, where the daily lineups just dropped.
1h 9mHow has Bonnaroo changed over the years? We asked someone with a rare vantage point - Elizabeth Thorpe, festival photographer and our West Coast correspondent, who's been going to Bonnaroo since 2004 and now shoots it from inside the photo pit. Beth walks us through what the festival experience is really like from behind the lens: the "first three songs only" rule, why the pit is her happy place, and how Bonnaroo has evolved from a freewheeling field party into something bigger, busier, and more produced.
56mWhat do Bonnaroo fans actually want from a podcast? We surveyed our listeners - and 89% agreed on the answer. In this episode of The What Podcast, Barry, Bryan, and Russ break down the results of our listener survey: where you're really listening (YouTube is running away with it), how you found the show, and what content you want more of.
1h 10mBonnaroo puts out an official music census every year asking fans what they want to see next - so this year, we sat down together to answer every single question. We walk through it all: genres, headliners, comedy acts, late-night programming, the future of That Tent's new location, Bonnaroo Radio, and more.
56mMeet the man who's become a Bonnaroo legend, one signature at a time. Caleb Arias, creator of the Bonnaroo Yearbook, joins us for the third time to break down how his passion project exploded this year. What started as pitching strangers to sign a notebook is now three-hour lines, sold-out printed editions, and fans hand-crafting custom trinkets just for him.
1h 30mBonnaroo 2026 might have been the best one yet, and we are here to break down the entire weekend for you! We recap a festival full of serendipity: a surprise wedding in The Grove, an unforgettable run-in with singer-songwriter Jesse Welles on Shakedown Street, Bryan's first-ever Roo Run, and the Noah Kahan set and fireworks that closed it all out.
1h 8mWe're back from The Farm! First, Barry and Russ give a quick recap of an unforgettable Bonnaroo 2026 (our full deep-dive recap is coming soon!). Then we bring you our live panel from the Planet Roo stage, where we sat down with the nonprofits behind Bonnaroo's charitable mission: Kelsey Dewald (Planet Roo / Bonnaroo Works Fund), David Conover (Grundy County Food Bank), Emily Torgrimson (Eat for Equity), Anna Sampson (We Are Neutral), and Nancy Tarr & Deborah Dunn (Well Dunn Foundation).
50mIt's Bonnaroo Week! We all got together at Lo Main in Chattanooga to get hyped, swap stories, and run through our last-minute tips before we all head to the farm. Joining us: Austin (aka Squeegee Guy), Tara, and Cassie. We get into going VIP, counting up our Bonnaroos (the math is harder than you'd think), taking family to the farm, staying safe out there, the shows we can't wait to see, and our final tips before we leave.
