Photographed by in Knoxville, TN by Cody Bennett
Raised in:
Knoxville, Tennessee
Lives in:
Knoxville, Tennesee
Last concert you attended:
Needtobreathe and friends on the Tour de Compadres.
Now would ya look at that:
Photographed in Douglasville, GA at Foxhall
Being raised in:
Nashville, Tennessee
Favorite snack:
Peanuts and grapes.
Now would ya look at that:
This little dude was just killin’ it at this wedding that I recently shot.
Photographed in Canton, GA
Raised in:
Marietta, Georgia
Lives in:
Woodstock, Georgia
Favorite southern beer(s) right now:
Creature Comforts Tropicália and Orpheus Brewing Transmigration of Souls, both from Georgia.
Now would ya look at that:
See also: Caleb, Part I and Part II
Photographed in Woodstock, GA
Raised in:
Marietta, Georgia
Lives in:
Woodstock, Georgia
Favorite southern beach:
I’d give the edge to St. Augustine – lots of character and a perfect beach for bocce. Also, the food is unreal. I love O’Steens for fried shrimp or Columbia Restaurant.
Now would ya look at that:
See also: Caleb, Part I
Photographed in our backyard
Raised in:
Marietta, Georgia
Lives in:
Woodstock, Georgia
Favorite movie based in the South:
Big Fish. It captivates the day dreamer in everyone. The colors, bizarre characters and creatures make for a true Burton film. Plus, Ewan Mcgregor is a freakin’ stud.
Now would ya look at that:
When the weather gets crisp, I crave tea. Here in Houston, the cooler weather is coming and going every few days, and when it dips below 60 I officially declare it Hot Toddy weather. Last year I shared my Go To Hot Toddy. It’s still my ultimate favorite, but it’s a lot of work. When Alabama based Piper & Leaf reached out about partnering up for a post, the first thing that came to my mind was if I could use their tea to whip up a hot cocktail much quicker. Every one of their loose leaf artisan teas sounded delicious, and I chose a handful that I thought may pair well with liquor for a super fast and tasty Toddy. Get a look behind the company with founder and owner Caleb Christopher, photographed by White Rabbit Studios. And of course, don’t miss the two incredibly easy recipes for winter sippin’ to warm your bones.
A bit about yourself:
I always loved starting business even as a kid, and I did everything from lawn-care to web-design before Piper and Leaf. I was born and raised in Huntsville, AL and still live here with my wife who is also a co-founder of Piper and Leaf. We have 4 small children and one more expected any day. When we get the chance we enjoy hiking, camping, traveling, and cooking as a family.
Tell everyone about how Piper & Leaf got started:
We got started as a collaboration between my wife, some of her siblings, and myself. We started by selling compost and compost tea at a farmers market in Huntsville, Alabama with our teas as a side product to hopefully attract attention to the booth. It did attract attention, so much so that we ended up ditching the compost and moving our focus to tea. We quickly expanded to several farmers markets in the area, and then opened up our first shop less than a year after our first farmers market.
What sets your tea apart:
Our unique process, which starts with farmers in our area. We source delicious fruits and herbs at the peak of ripeness and pair their flavors with various premium teas from around the globe. This results in a fantastic combination of flavors that you just can’t beat.
Current favorite flavor offering:
Summertime Chai is my all time favorite blend. To me, it is the perfect compilation of natural sweetness and spice. Refreshing in the summer and soothing in the winter.
With Christmas quickly approaching, what would you recommend to compliment seasonal eatings:
Mistletoe Grove is the perfect addition to any holiday meal. Hot, cold, or used as a mulling spice to create the ultimate cider.
In an 8 oz mug, steep 1 tsp of tea for 7 minutes in tea ball with boiling water.
Add rum and honey to taste, stir, sip.
The fruity flavors of strawberry paired with lemongrass make this black tea pair perfectly with rum. It has an element of a hot tiki drink to it!
In an 8 oz mug, steep 1 tsp of tea for 7 minutes in tea ball with boiling water.
Add brandy, stir, sip.
This tea is a combination of honeysuckle blossoms, echinacea, oranges, jasmine, lemon verbena, lemongrass, and mint. There is a small amount of black tea in this otherwise herbal brew, contributing to its unique body and slightly caffeinating it.
Photographed by Stephen DeVries
My introduction to Caleb Chancey, performing as War Jacket, was this simple performance of “Box of Wine.” What is there not to like about it? I downloaded Leaflet No.1 on NoiseTrade for free and was hooked. It’s safe to say Alabama is producing some seriously excellent musicians.
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Stream: “Remember You Used to Love Me”
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Raised in:
Ozark, Alabama
Lives in:
Birmingham, Alabama
Describe your sound in 5 words or less:
Ambient folk rock.
Favorite southern sound:
Music – Current (Duquette Johnston) and Old (Son House).
Life sound – My wife and kid laughing.
“Nobody’s walking out on this fun, old fashioned family Christmas!” – Clark Griswold
Marc Broussard “On Santa’s Way Home” from Christmas Gumbo. Everyone needs a collection of fun, somewhat ridiculous, Christmas songs, and this is one of mine. Broussard’s Bayou-soul track is one of my favorites from the album, and it’s especially fitting to sing about doing a little dance on Bourbon street as Mark and I head to New Orleans today. Bonus: Broussard is from Carencro, Louisiana.
Sleeping at Last “Snow” from their Christmas Collection (free on NoiseTrade!) Ryan O’Neal singing about snow, what more could you want? Sleeping at Last has become one of my all time favorite bands and have produced some of the most gorgeously written and composed songs that I’ve heard in the past year. I highly recommend getting their entire Yearbook collection, a 12-EP project.
Folk Angel “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” (featuring Robbie Seay Band) from Christmas Songs Vol 3. You can get their Christmas Songs Vol 1 collection for free on NoiseTrade, or get the entire collection for a great price here. Every song is solid, which is expected from a collection of artists that got together to write and rearrange traditional Christmas songs. The band is made up of Jeff Capps, Caleb Carruth, Ryan Duckworth, and Hunter Hall, who all live in the Dallas area.
Seryn “Go Tell It on the Mountain” from Seryn and Friends Christmas (and download this song for free here). I featured Seryn a few months ago and knew I’d be sharing more of them. I’ve been eagerly anticipating their Christmas album release and this unique rendition is my favorite. They even managed to make me like “Away in a Manger,” one of my least favorite Christmas songs. Bonus: Seryn is from Denton, Texas.
Future of Forestry “The Earth Stood Still” from Advent Christmas EP, Vol 2. This song is BEAUTIFUL, and that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
Get more Christmas music in your life and listen to my 300+ song Christmas playlist on Spotify.