Video by Radimir Godin

Like last week’s release, Benjamin Dakota Rogers, my new friend Odie Leigh came to my attention through word of mouth that was generated through, of all places, TikTok. Yes, that 21st century grapevine is capable of spreading new music far and wide, and although I don’t participate, I do benefit. Odie’s playful, unique and homegrown style caught my ear and stayed there for some time. We became fast friends when she visited our offices in Nashville, and we decided it would be just splendid if I rode with her to New Orleans, stopping along the way at various New Orleanian locales that made her who she is today. The first stop? Her grandparents lakehouse on stilts in Shreveport, Louisiana. A charming little spot right on lake Caddo, on the Texas border. Grandma’s feng shui is unmatched, the interior feels like somewhere Mark Twain would write his next masterpiece. Its massive cyprus tree forests were the perfect backdrop for a little weekend of songs and stories, each sunset more magnificent than the last. She did most the rowing; I had to film! And film I did; this might be the most beautiful looking recording i’ve ever had the privilege of capturing. Her unorthodox picking of neon green strings bounced off the algae green swamp like it was another perfectly evolved part of the ecosystem. Her grandparents were awesome, relaying decades of generations of stories on the lake, of bandits who stole lawn furniture, boats overloaded with family, storms and floods that nearly leveled them. They felt like my own family, by the end. We headed south after a couple days, but more on that adventure later. Odie just dropped her first EP, “How Did It Seem To You?“! You can find it on Spotify at If you wanna see what else she’s up to, you can find her on Instagram at @odieleigh. Our undying love and gratitude go to our executive producers for making this project possible: Brad Sirois, Mitchell Davis, Keith McQuillan, David Jameson, Lisa Galvan, Irvin Maddox, Josh Collins, Brady Jones, Julie Nestoroff, VJ Arizpe, and Rusty Shackleford. Consider becoming a Patreon contributor to help sustain this project. For the price of a cup of coffee every month, you let us continue finding and filming amazing artists. GemsOnVHS is a long running series of intimate, off-stage performances by songwriters we love. We’re on instagram (@gemsonvhs or @anthonysimpkins) Like us on FB too! ()