Loved it SO much! These people show that people are just people. Great job!!

One of my all time favorite podcasts!!

This is about the songs in the same way The Old Man and the Sea is about fishing. Completely remarkable

Thanks for paying attention to a long neglected American subculture and the art it has been creating for 250 years.

This podcast removed a lot of my misconceptions about this group of believers. Abe’s journey was raw and real. His song in the final episode broke my heart. I highly recommend this podcast .Blessings to y’all!!

Guy has a great story to tell but allows his personal issues to get in the way for prolonged personal therapy sessions. Result is unlistenable for me.

I haven’t had a podcast affect me in such a deep way like Alabama Astronaut did. You get taken in an authentic modern day spiritual journey which gives you space for open, inner reflection. Loved it. It reminded me that people matter and conversations are important and every person not only has value but has the power to change you. Unbelievable job.

I think the podcast gets tiring if you aren’t into bible fundamentalism and debate over bible passages. The claim that the podcast isn’t about religion or a specific faith, but the music one finds in these snake-handling churches is a bit specious.

Abe has an open mind, open heart, and open ears; he and Ferrill present a podcast that opens listeners’ minds, hearts, and ears. Thanks for putting this work out there and starting civil conversations about otherwise sensitive topics.

I listened to this podcast after seeing Abe perform a few times at 30A Songwriters Festival. I had read a few articles on Abe beforehand (Thank you Salvation South, Chuck Reece & Tad Bartlett). I loved his live performances and songs. His art work and interest in capturing music that may have never been recorded was a bonus. This podcast was still such a welcome surprise. The Anthropology Major (UTC)/Live Music fanatic in me had no idea what I was in for and along the way I found some lost faith in the goodness of people. Thank you Abe Partridge. You are truly an Alabama Astronaut.

But these guys over complicated the whole thing with unnecessary voices and “contributions” that add nothing. It’s hard to follow and is not organized in a good way.

What adjectives describe this podcast? Fascinating, spirited and eye-opening come to mind. Abe has lifted the veil of misconceptions that most of us have about serpent handlers and their congregations. While the podcast opening stresses that it is not about religion but instead about documenting and preserving the music, I gained a better perspective about the folks who belong to and practice this faith. Abe is an amazing artist and he treats this journey as he would in painting or writing a song. And he does it with both affection and respect. I found the people to be down to earth, warm and intelligent. Alabama Astronaut is one man’s uncertain journey to document an art form that leads to revelations within in his own faith and the friendships he forges along the way.

This was nourishing and beautiful. Thank you for making it.

Besides being obsessed with Abe’s music and art, I love this podcast. I am a Mountain Momma in WV raised in the coalfields and Baptist Church. There was a snake handling church near my Mamaw and Papaws house in Sarah Ann, WV. I was always intrigued by that small portion of the Bible that they created a whole religion out of. My great grandmother was a preacher, everyone in the congregation spoke in tongues, music and a whole band was the driving force of church besides the love of the lord. All my uncles were coal miners and preachers, the AH-HA preachers. I just always thought it was the way they could catch their breath. Hearing all of these story’s bring back so many memories. Thanks Abe. Come back and play in our barn. We, the frogs and crickets miss you.

I cannot put into words how much I love this podcast. It has changed my life!

What an interesting podcast. Kept me listening all the way through… excited for a second season!

This is a podcast of love—-for music and for people. Excellent job by a expert podcaster about an open hearted artist and his relationship with curious and devoted musicians and religious folks.

Great show. He’s also a really good musician

My brother turned me on to the show on a trip back from Bristol TN to Carrollton GA. I am an avid podcast listener and Alabama Astronaut is one of the best I’ve ever heard. It is a beautiful historic story of our region recorded and told with passion as deep as its subjects faith. Can’t wait to dive into the recordings on the website. Thank y’all for what you do✌🏻🤟🏼✊🏻

I was hooked at the beginning and couldn’t wait for the next episode. I love the way Abe and Ferrill recounted the stories and adventures without the usual judgements and prejudice that most documentaries are peppered with. They put the human face on everyone they met to the point that I know people just like them ( minus the snakes). Awesome podcast!!!!!

Absolutely enthralling and inspiring. It’s easy to be around people who may not look like us, but much more difficult to be around people who don’t think like us. The openness in which Abe approaches the snake handlers is absolutely inspiring and the stories they share are as well. These people are not crazy, but their views may be too foreign for some to get past - which is what this podcast does so well. True anthropology in its best form.

This unexpected journey has made a believer out of me. That belief is that it’s easy to make fun or criticize something you don’t understand. To Ferrill and the gang, thank you for going on the quest for undocumented music, and humanizing the people who make it. I’m looking forward to season 2!

One of the last American music traditions hides in the Appalachian foothills’ snake-handling churches. And Lord, it has power! A great listen.

Having grown up in holiness churches, I have found so much comfort in this podcast. I started listening because Abe is local to me, but kept listening because I’ve always been fascinated by this group of people. Their faith, their music, their values and now I feel like I actually know them thanks to Abe & Ferrill. I feel like Cody & Cassy are my people. This podcast is life changing at best; thought provoking at the very least. I’ve laughed, cried, researched, took notes, questioned, subscribed, got the music, emailed (probably too much) and it just keeps getting better. I never want it to end. 🥹😍😭

Abe and Ferrell (pod)cast pearls to the swine.

I will write a full review when I finish this first season. This is extremely interesting to me as a pastor and artist in the South.

This podcast is one that you absolutely, without question, do not want to pass by. Surrounded by Deadly Serpents, Absolute Poison, Bound Bodily Limbs & A Fire’s Fire, lord some of the Most Captivating, Moving & Important Music that has lied dormant, undocumented & unheard by anyone(but a small group of folks)…THIS Podcast, will Drag you through the Fire, Cover you in the Poison & allow the Serpent’s Tongue to Tickle your Toe’s, as it introduces you to this Music. This Podcast is a Genius Collaboration of the Minds of Two fellas, One whom I am Honored to call my Friend and another who I look forward to meeting One Day. This is Worth Your Time, Take The Ride….

I love Abe’s music and art so I had to give a listen. It’s a fascinating quest on finding authentic, deep rooted music steeped in a sub culture of religion that most find taboo. It was intriguing and entertaining.. I learned so much. Abe is a person who I believe, lives his truth. To me… that’s what the world needs most.

This was a marvelous journey from the beginning to the end of season 1. A fair, fun, and honest look into a subsection of often misunderstood Appalachian culture.

Y'all, this podcast that Abe Partridge and Ferrill Gibbs have put together is amazing. It's so many things. It's the quest for music and songs and spirit. (It's a little bit of a love-letter, too, to the Mobile punk scene, if you know what to listen for.) It's a journey that captures the beauty of driving back-country Alabama and Southern roads. I'm so glad that Chuck Reece turned me on to Abe's music a few years back, because this is magical. (Oh, and yes, there's snake-handling, too, but as they say at the top of each episode, this ain't a podcast about snake-handling).

I rarely listen to podcasts, but when I received the email of this release it definitely piqued my interest. I was NOT disappointed! Abe is such a talented and genuine soul… Ferrill captured the narratives with perfection and kept me intrigued through the end. Thank you for giving us insight to a life & culture that few ever get to experience first hand. Cassy Coots has a beautiful voice! I’d love to hear more from her. :)

Abe Partridge is a once in a generation writer and artist. This podcast is a look into the obscurity and genius of Abe and a fascination with a culture that is weaning its way out of the world. The music so freaking cool and the stories are somehow cooler. Give it a listen. Trust me.

This is an incredibly wonderful look/listen into Appalachian spiritual music and the rockin’ roots. I love the warm familiarity of the recordings included, remembering visited church services from childhood. The partnership of Abe and Ferrill is PERFECTION. Anyone who LOVES music and history and off-the-beaten-path stories will love this!

Fascinating and so well done. Abe is a fantastic artist so it’s no surprise his podcast is 5 stars!