WTRFT S2E44 - Mason Via

🎧 This week on What’s the Reason for This?, Kodi welcomes Mason Via to the dungeon for a conversation that spans everything from growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains to touring the world with Old Crow Medicine Show—and ultimately betting on himself to forge his own path. 🏔️🪕✨ Mason shares the winding road that's made him one of the most exciting voices in modern bluegrass.

What starts as a conversation about childhood quickly becomes a masterclass on following your instincts, embracing your roots, and learning that the best career move isn't always the safest one. ❤️🎶

Mason opens up about: 🎸 Growing up in a musical family in the Blue Ridge Mountains with an award-winning songwriter dad and a Deadhead mom

🎵🌄 🎭 His teenage "emo phase" (yes... My Chemical Romance and Green Day 🤘😂) before finding his way back to bluegrass

✍️ Writing songs as early as 11 years old and the life-changing advice from his dad: "Why play someone else's songs when you can write your own?" 💡🎼

🎤 Winning talent shows, playing coffee shops, experimenting with indie folk, funk bands, and discovering that every musical detour shaped the songwriter he is today 🎸⚡🪕

🎬 His unexpected journey through American Idol, making the Top 25, and why that experience became the perfect preparation for everything that followed 🌟📺

🐦 Landing the audition that changed his life with Old Crow Medicine Show, writing songs with the band, earning a Grammy nomination, and playing iconic stages like the Grand Ole Opry, Red Rocks, and the Ryman Auditorium 🎻🏆🌎

🚐 Why he chose to leave one of bluegrass's biggest bands to build something that was truly his own—and why he wanted to experience the grind of climbing the mountain himself 💪❤️‍🔥

🌲 The inspiration behind "See It While You Can," his heartfelt song advocating for America's public lands, and how it unexpectedly became a partnership with the National Parks Conservation Association 🏞️💚

🎶 His current touring band, songwriting philosophy, upcoming festivals, and why staying authentic is still the best career advice he's ever received 🎤🤝🚐

At its heart, this episode is about finding your own voice. It's about taking risks, honoring where you came from, resisting the pressure to become someone else, and trusting that authenticity will always outlast trends. 🌈🫶