This session is one of those that sticks with me. I brought the Davisson Brothers Band in to play “Best You Can Do,” and what makes it special is it was written and performed by three generations of West Virginia troubadours. You’ll hear it right in the lyric—each verse is a handoff: “Hey there boys…,” “Hey there dad…,” and “Hey there Grandpa…,” all circling back to that simple, hard-earned line: hold on to your life and do the best you can. I also tell the story behind the song, because the story matters. Donnie and Chris came up playing five nights a week through grade school and middle school just to keep the lights on, and they clawed their way into a national touring act that represents West Virginia as good as anybody ever has. This was the first time they ever released a song with their father Eddie—white hair, Les Paul—and he played it for us while going through intense cancer treatment, fighting through pain and still ripping solos. For me, this is Appalachian music in its purest form: family, work, survival, and pride. It’s not polished culture—it’s lived culture, recorded live with real people.