Packy Lundholm joins Korby Lenker for a deep musical conversation about taste, restraint, and how meaningful records actually get made.

Korby first took notice of Packy after seeing him open for Phil Cook at The Blue Room in Nashville—an immediately clarifying moment that revealed both his musical depth and quiet authority on the instrument.

The conversation then turns to What It Takes, Korby’s favorite record of 2025 by Mae Erlewine, produced by Theo Katzman. Packy breaks down how the album was made and why it feels different from so many modern studio recordings—less polished, more human, and deeply musical.

From there, the episode opens into a wide‑ranging discussion about tone, self‑editing, collaboration, and why the best musical decisions are often the ones nobody notices. If you care about making work that’s honest rather than impressive, this episode will resonate.

🎸 Live Performance: Packy performs “65 Deluxe,” recorded live on the podcast in Nick Drake’s CGCFCE tuning.

🎧 Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen wherever you get podcasts.📝 Paid subscribers can also read After the Conversation, a personal reflection from Korby on what this episode stirred in his own creative life.

In this week’s episode of The Morse Code Podcast, host Korby Lenker sits down with drummer, bandleader, and musical connector Jerry Pentecost. Known for his years with Old Crow Medicine Show and as well as touring with Bob Dylan, Jerry shares the unexpected path that led him from cover gigs on Printer’s Alley to the biggest stages in American music.

This conversation explores the tension between loyalty and growth, how Jerry found his voice as a musical director, and what it means to be a Black artist working inside the Americana scene. It’s also about doing the work — showing up, staying humble, and trusting the long arc of a creative life.

👉 Subscribe for bonus segments and reflections from Korby at morsecodepodcast.com

In this episode of The Morse Code Podcast, Korby Lenker sits down with Ron Pope for a wide-ranging conversation about longevity, independence, and what it actually takes to build a sustainable creative life.

Ron reflects on his early success releasing music online, the lessons learned from major-label detours, and how he and his wife Blair ultimately rebuilt their career on their own terms. The conversation explores the less glamorous but essential parts of being an artist: discipline, embarrassment, learning the business, and staying in the work long after the spotlight shifts.

They also talk about writing through grief, how parenthood has reshaped Ron’s relationship to touring and ambition, and why showing up consistently matters more than chasing moments. Toward the end of the episode, Ron performs a live acoustic version of “The Life in Your Years,” accompanied by Korby on baritone ukulele.

Topics include:

Building a long-term career outside the traditional music industry

The role of embarrassment, discipline, and resilience in creative work

Writing honestly through grief and loss

Balancing art, family, and sustainability

A live performance of “The Life in Your Years”