The Porch Sessions

The Porch Sessions

The Porch Sessions is a web portrait of the vibrant contemporary music scene in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, a historical crossroads between the Mississippi Delta and New Orleans.” Every month, Drew Young interviews musicians from a range of Southern genres – blues, country, Americana, singer-songwriters – and each represents a distinctive voice of the Gulf South. Music-Rising at Tulane is proud to partner with Drew Young and his collaborator, Paul West, on this original, innovative series of interview-performances with young musicians.

Each session is in three parts and each seven-minute segment has a song, some conversation and storytelling, and the musician’s backstory. The series reflects the region’s unique qualities through interviews that take place on the century-old porch of a beautiful home in downtown Hattiesburg. These are candid and intimate interviews carried off in Drew Young’s genial style and captured by the naturalistic cinematography of Paul West. The Porch Sessions are committed to showcase the musicians and their personal stories but also to shine a light on the network of music venues and outlets that nurture this creative community.

The Porch Sessions take a broad curatorial lens when considering guests and we strive to bring authentic, culturally relevant artists to our viewers in the hope that our audience will gain a deeper appreciation of the creative landscape – and soundscape — of the distinctive Gulf South region. On occasion, a segment will feature a given artist performing in a club.

Drew Young is an artist-in-residence at the University of Southern Mississippi, as well as a veteran guitarist and lecturer on the music industry. Paul West is a former student of Young’s and a graduate of the USM Entertainment Industry program.

    Please look at our Learn section for our course listings

    • The Porch Sessions – Aurora Nealand – Part 1

    • The Porch Sessions – Aurora Nealand – Part 2

    • The Porch Sessions – Aurora Nealand – Part 3

    • The Porch Sessions – Mahala – Part 1

    • The Porch Sessions – Mahala – Part 2

    • The Porch Sessions – Mahala – Part 3

    • The Porch Sessions – Mark Mann – Part 1 – “Fissures Of Men”

    • The Porch Sessions – Mark Mann – Part 2 – “Mosquito Truck”

    • The Porch Sessions – Mark Mann – Part 3 “Zoo Station”

    • The Porch Sessions – Miss Sophie Lee – Part 1

    • The Porch Sessions – Miss Sophie Lee – Part 2

    • The Porch Sessions – Miss Sophie Lee – Part 3

    • The Porch Sessions – Scott Chism & The Better Half – Part 1

    • The Porch Sessions – Scott Chism & The Better Half – Part 2

    • The Porch Sessions – Scott Chism & The Better Half – Part 3

    • The Porch Sessions – The Deltamatics – Part 1 – “Off The Reservation”

    • The Porch Sessions – The Deltamatics – Part 2 – “Fool For You”

    • The Porch Sessions Dr. E. Part 1 ‘Mr Blues’

    • The Porch Sessions Dr. E. Part 2 ‘Maybe’

    • The Porch Sessions Dr. E. Part 3 “Cortez is my buddy”