The Redding Brothersan excavation

The lighter side

The Curios

The novelty songs and one-offs — proof the band never took itself too seriously.

Between the earnest records there was always a second current: songs about polar bears, Mister Rogers, caffeine, and leprechauns. They filled all-ages shows and fan-club mailings, and they're preserved here with the same care as everything else.

The set

Mister Rogers Wisdom From The Green Shag Carpet
The Polar Bear Song Wisdom From The Green Shag Carpet
Leprechaun Wisdom From The Green Shag Carpet
Caffeine Wisdom From The Green Shag Carpet

More strays live in the deep shelves — radio ads, outtakes, and oddities in the trove.

Brushes with fame

Five years of conference booths, festivals, and Nashville coffee shops meant the band kept wandering into famous people. Some encounters left photographs. Others left only a theory about aliens.

Three brothers meet three brothers: the Reddings with Hanson, at the William Morris Agency booth
Three brothers meet three brothers: the Reddings with Hanson, at the William Morris Agency booth
The band with Dennis Haskins — Mr. Belding himself — at the NACA conference booth
The band with Dennis Haskins — Mr. Belding himself — at the NACA conference booth
Western Kentucky University, 2007 — the band, moments before performing with Jason Mraz (not pictured)
Western Kentucky University, 2007 — the band, moments before performing with Jason Mraz (not pictured)

Not pictured, but on the record: Edwin McCain caught a show and complimented the djembe; Governor Joe Manchin III came to the Armory to see them off to the Middle East; and Nicole Kidman looked at Micah once in a Starbucks, with documented consequences.

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