Curious Goldfish Podcast

From jazz to Americana, New York to Paris, a singer finally finding home

Get the stories behind the episodes → curiousgoldfish.com

Sweet Megg talks about her album "Never Been Home" and the move from jazz toward Americana that came with it. She gets into the story behind her stage name, balancing love and a career, and a life lived between New York, Nashville, and Paris. It is her most personal record yet, and she closes with a performance. What does it mean to finally find a place you can call home?

🎵 Sweet Megg's latest: Never Been Home

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction
0:47 The Upcoming Album
1:13 The Stage Name and the Journey
3:31 Viral Success and Collaborations
11:06 Life in Nashville
15:20 Album Themes
17:05 Her Most Personal Album
19:19 Challenges and Growth
21:34 A Turbulent Love Story
25:49 Love and Wanderlust
40:05 Final Thoughts and Tour

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. → State of Music survey summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode. The moments that didn't make the clips, and one curiosity prompt each issue. → Subscribe

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

A Kansas fossil museum sparked an album about digging up buried strength

Get the stories behind the episodes → curiousgoldfish.com

Lily Vakili built "Oceans of Kansas" around a visit to a fossil museum in western Kansas and the idea of unearthing strength you forgot you had, especially after her band broke up. She is open about raising a son with autism, the lesson of assuming competence, and a life shaped by a diverse background and human-rights work. She closes with "Okoboji" and "April Fools." What do you dig up when you go looking for what is buried in you?

🎵 Lily Vakili's latest: Oceans of Kansas

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Resilience Through Change
1:36 The Album "Oceans of Kansas"
3:17 Touring and Inspirations
8:37 Personal Challenges
15:30 Assume Competence
19:14 Background and Human Rights
24:16 The Power of Music
26:00 Reflections on the Album
28:14 Orphan Songs
30:16 60 Seconds of Curiosity
34:21 Live Performance: "Okoboji" + "April Fools"

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. → State of Music survey summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode. The moments that didn't make the clips, and one curiosity prompt each issue. → Subscribe

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

At fifty, the parts of yourself you only meet in midlife

Get the stories behind the episodes → curiousgoldfish.com

Matthew Perryman Jones sits on a Nashville back porch and talks about turning fifty and the hidden parts of yourself that surface in midlife. He gets into mental health, the long arc of his career, and writing with real emotional depth. He shares the story behind "Cancion de La Noche" and an unusual recording process, then closes with "A Long Way Home From Here" off "Cold Answer." What do you find when you finally get curious about your own midlife?

🎵 Matthew Perryman Jones' latest: Cold Answer

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Midlife Reflections
3:15 The Interview Begins
4:00 Turning 50
6:14 Nashville and Career Beginnings
13:57 Creativity and Songwriting
20:26 Curiosity and Growth
28:18 The Healing Power of Music
33:59 Mental Health Challenges
39:01 The Story of "Cancion de La Noche"
42:51 The Recording Process
51:15 Current Journey and Plans

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. → State of Music survey summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode. The moments that didn't make the clips, and one curiosity prompt each issue. → Subscribe

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

Two North Georgia friends and a sound they call swamp grass

Get the stories behind the episodes → curiousgoldfish.com

Logan Simmons and Malachi Mills of The Band Loula talk about how the band came together, the North Georgia roots behind their "swamp grass" sound, and the friendship and faith that hold it together. They get into recording at Ivy Manor and the touring grind of an up-and-coming band, then close with a live performance. What keeps a young band grounded as things start to take off?

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Georgia Roots
1:43 Meet The Band Loula
3:25 First AmericanaFest
4:38 Collaborations and Influences
5:43 Recording at Ivy Manor
13:40 Touring Challenges
18:09 Future Plans
25:20 Faith and Personal Growth
36:48 Georgia Roots and Inspirations
38:09 60 Seconds of Curiosity
Live Performance

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. → State of Music survey summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode. The moments that didn't make the clips, and one curiosity prompt each issue. → Subscribe

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

A Hall of Fame songwriter who set Emily Dickinson's poems to music

Get the stories behind the episodes → curiousgoldfish.com

Marcus Hummon wrote "Bless the Broken Road" and "Cowboy Take Me Away," and now he is setting Emily Dickinson's poetry to music on "Songs for Emily." He talks about a career that moves between three-minute hits and full operas, the women who have shaped his imagination, and collaborations with Mary Chapin Carpenter and Darrell Scott. What keeps a Hall of Fame writer chasing brand-new forms this far in?

🎵 Marcus Hummon's latest: Songs for Emily

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 The Appeal of Dickinson
1:38 Meet Marcus Hummon
2:36 The Magic of Songwriting
3:46 Collaborations and Inspirations
7:05 Emily Dickinson's Influence
8:52 Setting Poetry to Music
25:17 A Lifetime Achievement Award
29:46 Storytelling in Music
39:40 The Journey of "Bless the Broken Road"
47:21 60 Seconds of Curiosity

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. → State of Music survey summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode. The moments that didn't make the clips, and one curiosity prompt each issue. → Subscribe

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

Too Texan for Mexico, too Mexican for Texas, and finding a way back

Get the stories behind the episodes → curiousgoldfish.com

Louie TheSinger grew up in Fort Worth caught between two cultures, and his music sits right in that tension. He talks about the new album "One for the Hometown," the weight behind "If I Die Tomorrow," a hard 2018 of loss and guilt, time in prison, and the faith and fatherhood that pulled him forward. He is heading into his biggest tour yet. What does it take to build a life back from the bottom?

🎵 Louie TheSinger's latest: One for the Hometown

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction
0:41 The New Album and Tour
2:03 The Story of "If I Die Tomorrow"
4:16 Artistic Process and Authenticity
6:34 Growing Up in Fort Worth
13:40 Identity in the Industry
19:28 A Message of Hope
21:06 2018: Loss and Guilt
23:52 Coping and Finding Faith
25:59 Prison and Musical Aspirations
30:30 The Biggest Tour Yet
39:01 60 Seconds of Curiosity

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. → State of Music survey summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode. The moments that didn't make the clips, and one curiosity prompt each issue. → Subscribe

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

Twenty years and nine albums in, the goal shifts from surviving to thriving

Get the stories behind the episodes → curiousgoldfish.com

Tony Dekker of Great Lake Swimmers opens up about the band's ninth album, "Caught Light," and an instinctive way of writing that has kept him going two decades. He gets into recording in a converted farmhouse, the strange new logistics of touring, and how family life and loneliness both shape the songs. What does it take to keep a band thriving, not just lasting, after twenty years?

🎵 Great Lake Swimmers' latest: Caught Light

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Songwriting Instincts
1:36 Meet Tony Dekker
1:40 The New Album "Caught Light"
3:29 Touring and Feedback
5:13 Songwriting Process and Themes
7:40 The Logistics of Touring
12:28 Recording in Unique Places
19:37 Loneliness and Connection
21:19 The Pandemic's Impact
28:50 60 Seconds of Curiosity
31:31 Future Outlook

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. → State of Music survey summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode. The moments that didn't make the clips, and one curiosity prompt each issue. → Subscribe

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

An Americana legend on aging, sobriety, gratitude, and a record called Hillbilly Speedball.

Get the stories behind the episodes → Subscribe to Chords of Curiosity

Webb Wilder has been an Americana fixture for decades, and at AmericanaFest he's reflective: about getting older, his sobriety, and the gratitude that comes with both. He talks about the album "Hillbilly Speedball," the Webb Wilder persona, and the Elvis and Tom Petty threads in his DNA. What does a music lifer learn about himself once the noise quiets down?

🎵 Webb Wilder's latest: Hillbilly Speedball

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Reflecting on Life and Mortality
3:04 AmericanaFest and Career Highlights
6:01 WMOT Roots Radio
8:46 New Music
16:30 Farewell With Four
20:28 Southern Roots and Elvis
21:56 Tom Petty and Rock 'n' Roll
23:51 The Webb Wilder Persona
26:15 Sobriety and Growth
32:16 Hillbilly Speedball
37:57 60 Seconds of Curiosity

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. Get the State of Music survey summary free → State of Music summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode: the moments that didn't make the clips, what I'm learning running this show, and one curiosity prompt every issue → Subscribe free

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com · 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts · 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

A married duo on scheduling creativity, dodging AI, and maybe moving to New Zealand.

Get the stories behind the episodes → Subscribe to Chords of Curiosity

Dani and Nick of South for Winter make genre-bending roots music and a marriage work at the same time. They talk about scheduling creativity, their take on AI's limits in roots music, and the big life questions: relocating to New Zealand, starting a family. They close with "This Man Will Be the Death of Me" and "All I Want to Do." How do you keep a marriage and a band healthy when they're the same thing?

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Creative Struggles
1:37 Meet Dani and Nick
1:55 Managing Marriage and Music
4:39 The Evolution of Their Sound
12:33 Musical Influences
14:35 Creative Process and Future
19:03 AI in the Music Industry
23:03 Life as an Independent Band
27:47 Future Aspirations
36:36 Live Performance: "This Man Will Be the Death of Me"
39:46 Live Performance: "All I Want to Do"

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. Get the State of Music survey summary free → State of Music summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode: the moments that didn't make the clips, what I'm learning running this show, and one curiosity prompt every issue → Subscribe free

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com · 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts · 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast

Memphis's pride returns with new confidence, a new album, and an engagement ring

Get the stories behind the episodes → curiousgoldfish.com

Cyrena Wages comes back to the show with more confidence than the first time around. She talks about her growth since "The Vanity Project," an upcoming album, the new single "Miss Melancholia," and an engagement that is reshaping her life. The Memphis-Nashville pull runs through all of it. What changes in the music when you finally trust yourself?

⏱️ CHAPTERS
0:00 Self-Confidence
1:24 Reintroducing Cyrena Wages
1:54 Her Journey and Growth
6:59 Memphis and Nashville
11:51 Looking Back at The Vanity Project
17:54 The New Album
18:10 The Story of "Miss Melancholia"
20:23 Future Singles
23:16 Engagement and Personal Life
29:31 60 Seconds of Curiosity

📊 FREE REPORT: What 573 fans and artists told us about streaming, AI, and where the money in music actually goes. → State of Music survey summary

📬 NEWSLETTER: Chords of Curiosity goes deeper on every episode. The moments that didn't make the clips, and one curiosity prompt each issue. → Subscribe

ABOUT CURIOUS GOLDFISH
A music podcast about more than music. Inspired by Ted Lasso. I talk with singer-songwriters and bands in Americana, folk, roots, and country about the lives behind the songs: resilience, faith, marriage, the business of music, and what keeps an artist going. Every episode ends with the same question about curiosity, and no two answers are alike.

New episodes every other week.

🌐 curiousgoldfish.com 🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts 📸 @curiousgoldfishpodcast