Steve Earle speaks with Kyle Meredith about Ghosts of West Virginia, his new album that was inspired by the 2010 West Virginia mining explosion that killed 29 miners. The songwriter/activist tells how the album has its roots in a theatre production called Coal Country, why he specifically wanted to make a record for people that doesn’t necessarily vote the same way he does, the importance of telling the stories of those involved, and his thoughts on unions being the common ground between the counties factions. Earle goes on to discuss the task of taking all of this information and making it musical, why he enjoys using ghosts as a writing tool, and the stories on ghost-based movies that he enjoyed in his youth.
Listen to the interview above and then check out the tracks below.
