Episode
Travel to Listen: Why This Southern City Is America's Most Underrated Music Town
- Podcast
- Unpacked by Afar
- Published
- May 19, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1460
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://pdst.fm/e/p.podderapp.com/9063871245/mgln.ai/e/211/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML4397080701.mp3
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Summary
Welcome to Travel to Listen, a new Unpacked series hosted by veteran music journalist Tim Chester. Over four episodes rolling out every other week, Tim takes us into the cities where music is more than entertainment—it’s the shortcut to a place’s soul. This week, he goes to the source in Macon: meet the people keeping the city’s legendary songbook alive, and find out why a trip here might be the most soulful detour you’ve never considered. In this episode How the Macon Music Revue transforms songs by Little Richard, the Allman Brothers, and R.E.M. into something new—without losing what made them legendary Why Charles Davis believes there’s “something in the water” in Macon—and how the city’s Indigenous roots may be part of its musical soul The story behind the new Otis Redding Center for the Arts: from a 1965 music camp at Otis’s ranch to a full museum and education hub that opened in March 2025 What visitors to Macon often don’t know about Otis Redding—the savvy businessman, devoted family man, and farmer who owned cows, chickens, and horses Where to eat, drink, and hear live music in Macon: from Capricorn Sound Studios to H&H Soul Food, where the Allman Brothers ate when they were broke Meet this week's guests Charles Davis is the frontman of the Macon Music Revue, a band that reinterprets the city’s iconic catalog with a soul-forward sound all their own. A longtime Macon radio voice, Charles is one of the city’s most active stewards of its musical legacy. Justin Andrews is the director of special projects and outreach at the Otis Redding Foundation, and the grandson of soul legend Otis Redding. He helped bring the Otis Redding Center for the Arts to life when it opened in March 2025. Guest host Tim Chester is a freelance travel and culture writer who has spent t…