Michael Gaither has been a journalist, teacher, even a joke writer for Jay Leno. All roads led to music. His CDs "Spotted Mule and Other Tales" (2006) and its autobiographical follow-up "Dogspeed" (2009) mix folk, Americana, and even a little gospel to tell funny and poignant stories of everyday life. Michael also hosts the "Songs and Stories" podcast (available at michaelgaither.com and on iTunes), which features stories behind his songs and interviews with other independent songwriters.