Article Contributed by Mike
Published on February 3, 2026
Presented by Radio Bristol at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Radio Bristol’s beloved Farm and Fun Time series returns to the stage at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum on Thursday, March 12, featuring Jake Xerxes Fussell, Hannah Juanita, and host Kris Truelsen with Country Casserole.
Reared in Georgia and now settled in North Carolina, Jake Xerxes Fussell has established himself as one of the most thoughtful listeners and interpreters of American folk music working today. Drawing from a deep personal archive of songs—many sourced from nineteenth- and twentieth-century vernacular traditions—Fussell approaches folk music not as a museum piece, but as a living, breathing conversation.
Since the release of his self-titled debut on Paradise of Bachelors in 2015, Fussell has issued five studio albums that steadily expand and refine his singular approach. His most recent studio album, When I’m Called, was produced by James Elkington and features contributions from Ben Whiteley (The Weather Station), Joe Westerlund (Bon Iver, Califone), and Blake Mills, with backing vocals from Joan Shelley and Robin Holcomb.
New show announcement—tickets on sale now.
Reviewing the album, Pitchfork wrote, “No other American singer is repurposing our old folk scripts with so much authority or ingenuity.” That sentiment has been echoed widely, with The New Yorker describing Fussell as “a folksinger in the truest sense,” while The Guardian praised him as “one of the great magpies of American song.” NPR’s Ann Powers has gone further, calling Fussell “maybe the leading interpreter of American folk music right now.”
More recently, Fussell collaborated with Elkington on the score for Rebuilding, a feature film directed by Max Walker-Silverman and starring Josh O’Connor. The soundtrack was released on Fat Possum Records in November 2025, further underscoring Fussell’s ability to move fluidly between traditional forms and contemporary storytelling.
Joining Fussell on the Farm and Fun Time stage is Hannah Juanita, whose songwriting blends classic country, honky-tonk, and modern Americana, alongside host Kris Truelsen and house band Country Casserole, keeping with the show’s long-running tradition of warmth, spontaneity, and deep musical roots.
For a taste of Fussell’s intimate, quietly commanding performance style, watch his NPR Tiny Desk Concert below.
Radio Bristol’s Farm and Fun Time
Thursday, March 12
Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Bristol, TN / VA
Featuring: Jake Xerxes Fussell · Hannah Juanita
Host: Kris Truelsen with Country Casserole
Tickets: On sale now
More info: jakexerxesfussell.com
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