There’s something I love about artists who don’t wait for permission. The ones who carry a crowbar so they can pry the tiny crack into a opening big enough to strut though. Judy Blank is one of those crowbar carryin types.

Her latest ablum, “Big Mood” came out on tastemaker label Rounder Records this September.

She grew up in the Netherlands, obsessed with American music — gospel, folk, Laurel Canyon, Springsteen. Instead of treating that dream like a fantasy, she followed it. First a trip to the States. Then a show. Then another. One small door opened, she walked through, and another one opened after that. Eventually, she found herself signed to Rounder Records and living in Nashville — not because someone chose her, but because she kept showing up.

This week on The Morse Code Podcast, Judy and I talk about the slow-building path to a creative life. No big break, no silver bullet — just persistence, a willingness to reinvent, and a deep love for the craft itself. We talk about self-doubt, staying honest in a culture obsessed with branding, and what happens when you follow the thread of your own taste, even if it takes years.

It’s a conversation about saying yes — not to a label or a gatekeeper — but to yourself.

At the end of the episode, Judy performs a stripped-down version of her haunting, beautiful song Fading Star — which you can also watch as a stand-alone video. The song is a gut-punch, and I think you’ll be glad you stuck around to hear it.

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Next week’s guest is one of my favorite episodes we’ve ever taped, Liam St John. Do not miss it. And if you didn’t catch our last episode with walking controversy Sloe Jack, find a short clip below.

In personal musical news I’ve been spending my free time working on piano version of Gillian Welch’s “Hashtag”. There are a couple great non-diatonic chords in there that sound perfect on guitar but getting them to not land janky in a piano setting, is tricky. Results forthcoming.

~k

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