SHEROES Radio host Carmel Holt joined WYEP’s Rosemary Welsch to talk about “The Road to Joni,” a 10-week series exploring the legacy and renaissance of Joni Mitchell. Carmel is traveling the country and speaking to artists and radio hosts about Joni's impact on their lives and careers.
Their conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Rosemary Welsch: I'm Rosemary Welsch, and I am here with Carmel Holt, who is the host of SHEROES, which we air every Monday night here at WYEP at 10 p.m. Welcome to WYEP.
Carmel Holt: It's so great to be here. Thank you for having me.
Welsch: Quick synopsis for someone who doesn’t know about SHEROES: What is it?
Holt: It is a feminist music show.
Welsch: Why did you decide that you wanted to focus on the female voice?
Holt: Because I've been in the music industry and in radio for over 25 years. I know from being in this space how much it’s needed on both sides — my own personal experience and spending so many years interviewing artists and hearing their experiences.
Welsch: Well, you've drilled down even deeper for a new podcast about an individual who is unlike any other in music: the great Joni Mitchell. You have a new podcast called The Road to Joni. First of all, why "The Road"?
Holt: The road? Because I had this idea early on. I started SHEROES during the pandemic, and with my background in radio, I know how important it is to connect with your audience and listeners. I missed that feel of getting to know the listeners and wanted to connect with all the many radio stations across the country that carry SHEROES. I thought it would be great to do a tour, stopping at radio stations that carry SHEROES to connect with the audiences and the people on the air, like yourself.
Being a huge Joni fan, I was at Newport in 2022 when she took the stage for the first time in years after her aneurysm. I flew out to the Gorge in Seattle last year for my 50th birthday to see her first headlining show in 23 years. I’m such a deep fan; she means so much to me and to so many people. So, I was determined not to miss any opportunity to see her. She announced her shows at the Hollywood Bowl in October, and that’s already on my calendar.
A friend who works in the car industry heard my ideas about a road trip and said she could probably find me a car to drive if I wanted to do that. It kind of went over my head, but the next morning, while walking the dog, all these ideas suddenly came together. I thought, if I'm going to drive across the country to see Joni, I should do a whole series on her. That’s how it all came together.
Welsch: You have an incredible array of people that you’re talking to about Joni, ranging from jazz artists to rock artists. Can you throw a few names at us?
Holt: The first episode featured Kathleen Edwards, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, and Lucius, who have been very close to the whole “Joni Jam” and “Joni Renaissance.” The second episode is with the great Don Was, who’s a producer, bassist, and president of Blue Note Records, along with Bonnie Raitt. From there, we have Natalie Merchant, Madison Cunningham, Bela Fleck, Brittany Howard, and Esperanza Spalding's Sister Strings.
Welsch: This is a podcast that you have going on. What do you find in common when talking to someone like Bonnie Raitt and then to someone who’s 30 years younger? They all have a connection to Joni. What themes do you hear?
Holt: There are common themes. For women, especially, I’ve been hearing how Joni gives women artists — and women overall — this sense of agency and freedom to be fully who they are and embrace that unapologetically. Overall, it’s about not giving limits to where your artistry can lead you. It’s about making art for the sake of making it and to please yourself first, not pandering or chasing something. It’s beautiful how, in episode one, there's never a moment in Joni's records where you feel she’s chasing something. It’s all about the pure artistry and pleasure of creating.
Welsch: I think artists today have more options because there are so many avenues to get music out. But when Joni was doing it, there was a narrow way to get your music out, mostly through radio. So, she was taking a big risk.
Holt: That’s true. It wasn’t easy to be a woman during that time, and it still isn’t. Getting a record deal and holding onto it while resisting the pressures from record companies was a struggle she faced.
Welsch: I think about how she mentioned that artists like Paul Simon and Sting were getting accolades for bringing world musicians into popular music, and she pointed out that she was doing that a decade before. She didn’t get that kind of attention.
Holt: Nor did she receive much credit for being an incredible producer, self-producing everything from her second album onward.
It took her three tries to get into the Rock Hall of Fame. She should have gone in on the first ballot.
Welsch: We’re talking with Carmel Holt, and she has this new podcast that dives deep into Joni Mitchell and her incredible music. You mentioned Joni Jams and a concert coming up. Can you explain how these jams helped bring Joni back into focus?
Holt: When Joni had her aneurysm in 2015, they didn’t know if she would walk, talk, or sing again. I’m not sure whose idea it was, but I believe it was Joni’s to start inviting people into her home for music. She missed having music around, so she brought people in to play. Brandi Carlile connected with her and started curating these evenings at Joni's house, inviting friends like Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, and Paul McCartney, as well as newcomers like Sister Strings and Taylor Goldsmith. They would sit around casually, share food, and play songs—both their own and Joni's.
There are many stories in the Road to Joni series where people share the songs they sang to her, which must have been nerve-wracking. Eventually, she started singing along and playing guitar again. Taylor shares a story about being there when she picked up an electric guitar for the first time since her aneurysm. There was a dream to bring the jam back to Newport, where she hadn’t performed since 1969. Brandi started cooking up this plan, but nobody knew if Joni would sing or just be there. Even the night before the rehearsal, no one knew how much she would own that moment. Then she surprised everyone in front of a sea of fans, singing and taking leads on several songs, which brought everyone to tears.
This whole process literally brought her back to life, creating a beautiful circular relationship between her and generations of artists, as well as the fans. The audience has played a huge role in amplifying her resurgence.
Welsch: It’s an interesting perspective; the aneurysm led to Joni coming back to music and performing for a generation that may not have had that opportunity.
Holt: Absolutely. It’s incredible. People often forget that in 2002, she said she was done. Kathleen Edwards shared a story about doing a show for Joni's 70th birthday, and Joni wasn’t in good enough health to sing but came to read a poem. It’s miraculous to see this chapter unfold, connecting timelines and tracing Joni’s story.
Welsch:You’re going to be at the concerts. What can you tell us about that?
Holt: About the Joni Jams, there’s a bit of secrecy around them. I’m not sure who the guests will be, but I have some guesses based on the core group Brandi Carlile refers to as the cast and crew of the Joni Jam. That would likely include Lucius, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, Blake Mills, Sister Strings, and Alison Russell. Wendy and Lisa were there for the Gord shows, so I would guess they’ll be in Los Angeles too. It’s two nights at the Hollywood Bowl on the 19th and 20th—Joni’s first headlining show in her adopted hometown of Los Angeles in over two decades.
Welsch: It’s amazing. Well, we’ve been speaking with Carmel Holt. SHEROES is coming your way tonight, and the new podcast, Road to Joni, is available wherever you get your favorite podcasts. This will definitely be a new favorite.
Holt: Thank you so much, Rosemary. It’s been a pleasure to be here.
