OTR Replay: Andy White Joins In On Gillian and Dave, Michael and Brian Fall Out Over A Gaelic Murder

Gillian and Dave Hamer Hall 2025 — Image: Michael Mackenzie

In this encore episode of On The Record, we worship at the altar of Gillian Welch & David Rawlings with guest Andy White joining the chat.

The conversation widens into stagecraft: tuning mishaps, the art of filling dead air, and the delicate question of whether you should tell stories between songs or let the song do the work.

That segues beautifully into a bigger theme: the thrill (and terror) of the no-setlist life.

Bill Frisell becomes the exemplar: dazzling, improvisational, apparently operating without a set list.

From Frisell they leap to Elvis — specifically Baz Luhrmann’s concert-footage film EPiC (Elvis Presley in Concert), made from newly uncovered Vegas-era material.

Michael’s key point is unexpectedly roots-adjacent: underneath the jumpsuits and spectacle, Elvis is vulnerable.

He’s also a kind of bodily conductor, cueing the band with movement rather than a baton.

In the week when celebrated guitarist James Burton turns 87, we should herald his incredible work in Elvis’s Las Vegas band between 1969 and 1977.

You’ll also hear Brian and Michael bickering over the relative merits of a British crime series spoken mostly in Scottish Gaelic.

Because if they agreed on everything, what would be the point of this podcast?

You can catch Andy White live on stage in Nov at the Merri Creek Tavern.