First Spin

This week, I’m joined by Ben Ryan, guitarist and vocalist for Dogwood Tales, an indie rock band from Harrisonburg, Virginia. 

Ben and I talk about growing up in Virginia, the band’s beginnings, and the Shenandoah Valley’s place in their music. We get into what it means to make a record rooted in home, the complicated feelings that come with small-town life, and the importance of having a community that shows up for you.

We also talk about Destination Heaven, their collaborative album with Euphoria Again, and the process of making music together. There’s a lot here about songwriting, collaboration, and the influences that find their way into a record, including some you might not immediately expect from listening to Dogwood Tales.

We chat about Newport Folk Festival, the new songs, and the road, because Dogwood Tales are on tour RIGHT NOW (Nov/Dec 2026) across the East Coast and Midwest.

If you’re near one of their upcoming stops, go check them out. And whether you can make a show or not, give Every Star in Rockingham County a listen. Genre-defining is not an exaggeration. 

Enjoy my conversation with Ben!

Songs featured in this episode:

Ralph Sampson

7xover

Every Star in Rockingham County

Mt. Jackson

Destination Heaven

McMemories

Introduction music Blood Sugar Blues by former First Spin guest, Drew White.

If you enjoyed this episode, it’d mean a lot if you left a quick review—it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show.

And if you want to hear more artists worth your time, follow First Spin on social:
📱 TikTok
📸 Instagram

Official Spin Podcast Spotify Playlist

Official Spin Podcast Apple Playlist

Thanks for listening—see you next week.

This week's episode is a little different. Instead of featuring an up and coming artist, I sit down with someone who is genuinely trying to make the music industry a better place for artists. Duncan Greive, co-founder and CEO of Lume, a new music platform built around a simple idea: putting the album back at the heart of music.

Duncan traces his path from music journalist and editor to digital media founder and, eventually, back to music with Lume. He explains how years of watching streaming reshape listening habits left him wondering whether something had been lost along the way. While platforms like Spotify and Apple Music have made virtually all recorded music instantly accessible, that convenience has also encouraged playlists, algorithms, skipping, and passive listening—often at odds with the time and intention artists put into making an album.

We also discuss the importance of superfans, creating direct relationships between artists and listeners, why Lume was designed around the needs of artists rather than investors, and whether digital music can recapture some of the permanence and intentionality of physical media.

We also turn to one of the biggest issues facing musicians today: AI-generated music and why Lume has committed to never hosting AI artists..

Introduction music Blood Sugar Blues by former First Spin guest, Drew White.

If you enjoyed this episode, it’d mean a lot if you left a quick review—it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show.

And if you want to hear more artists worth your time, follow First Spin on social:
📱 TikTok
📸 Instagram

Official Spin Podcast Spotify Playlist

Official Spin Podcast Apple Playlist

Thanks for listening—see you next week.

On this week's episode of First Spin, I chat with singer/songwriter Theo Kandel about his brand new album "A Horse Named Friday," his love of riddles, life in New York, inflation resistant Miller High Life, bowling, and his upcoming West Coast tour.

Songs featured in this episode:

Flight to JFK

A Horse Named Friday

She's Mad, She's Magic

7/10 Split

The Station

Ghost Lives

Introduction music Blood Sugar Blues by former First Spin guest, Drew White.

If you enjoyed this episode, it’d mean a lot if you left a quick review—it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show.

And if you want to hear more artists worth your time, follow First Spin on social:
📱 TikTok
📸 Instagram

Official Spin Podcast Spotify Playlist

Official Spin Podcast Apple Playlist

Thanks for listening—see you next week.

In this special episode of First Spin, I sit down with the three members of verygently (Tristan Bushman, Drew Erwin, and Joey Hendricks).  We chatted about the origin of their name, how what started as a "what if" turned into an actual band, finding their harmonic sound, working with songwriting heroes like Ruston Kelly and Noah Gundersen, and writing heartfelt songs with fun hooks.  Their debut LP, "Sorry Sarah" releases October 8, 2026.

Introduction music Blood Sugar Blues by former First Spin guest, Drew White.

If you enjoyed this episode, it’d mean a lot if you left a quick review—it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show.

And if you want to hear more artists worth your time, follow First Spin on social:
📱 TikTok
📸 Instagram

Official Spin Podcast Spotify Playlist

Official Spin Podcast Apple Playlist

Thanks for listening—see you next week.

In this episode of First Spin, Hayden sits down with singer-songwriter Danny Golden for a conversation about his new album, The Big Blue, and the life experiences that shaped it. The discussion centers on the emotional terrain behind the record — sobriety, surrender, grief, creative doubt, and the strange ways music can help make sense of change. Danny talks about how getting sober transformed not only his daily life, but also his relationship to songwriting, performing, and even his own inner voice. The conversation also explores the origin stories behind several songs, including “War Fever,” and where that title comes from.

Songs featured in this episode:

Powerless

War Fever

The Big Blue (Shadow's Song)

If You're Looking For a Sign, This Is It

Great American Novel #2

Hungry Ghost

War Fever - Acoustic Field Recording

Introduction music Blood Sugar Blues by former First Spin guest, Drew White.

If you enjoyed this episode, it’d mean a lot if you left a quick review—it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show.

And if you want to hear more artists worth your time, follow First Spin on social:
📱 TikTok
📸 Instagram

Official Spin Podcast Spotify Playlist

Official Spin Podcast Apple Playlist

Thanks for listening—see you next week.

This week I sit down with Dylan Grantham, who released music under the name Young Ritual. Dylan and I talk about his OCD, not rushing his music, and the trend away from short form content and towards platforms like Substack.   Dylan's unique childhood set the stage for a life in music, even if it looks a bit different than his family envisioned. Hope you enjoy my conversation with the immensely talented, Dylan Grantham.

Songs featured in this episode:

Float

You

Julianna

Wild Child

I Could Never

Famous

Introduction music Blood Sugar Blues by former First Spin guest, Drew White.

If you enjoyed this episode, it’d mean a lot if you left a quick review—it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show.

And if you want to hear more artists worth your time, follow First Spin on social:
📱 TikTok
📸 Instagram

Official Spin Podcast Spotify Playlist

Official Spin Podcast Apple Playlist

Thanks for listening—see you next week.

In this episode of First Spin, I sit down with indie-folk artist Will McCartt for a conversation about creativity, emotional vulnerability, and the process of finding your voice as an artist.

We talk about how music was always present in Will’s life — from playing guitar in church bands growing up to eventually writing a song for a major life event — but how it took years before he truly viewed songwriting as something personal and essential. What started as a hobby slowly evolved into a way for him to process emotions, experiences, and seasons of life.

Will touches on how songwriting became a space where he could finally process things honestly. That shift not only transformed the music itself, but also changed the way audiences began responding to it. We also dive into the atmospheric nature of indie folk music and discuss artists like Gregory Alan Isakov, Novo Amor, Lord Huron, and The Paper Kites. Will talks about building songs that feel immersive and cinematic — music that creates a sense of place as much as melody — and how layering textures and emotion together can completely change the way a listener experiences a song.

Beyond the music itself, we spend time talking about the realities of trying to build a career as an independent artist today: balancing demanding day jobs, navigating social media algorithms, staying authentic online, and trying to create meaningful art in a world that constantly demands attention. Will shares the philosophy behind his TikTok presence and why he intentionally focuses more on emotional connection than traditional promotion.

Along the way, we also get into conversations about family, marriage, creativity, growing up in Appalachia, and the strange tension between modern digital life and the desire for something slower, quieter, and more human -- discovering that honesty might be the thing connecting most powerfully with listeners.

Songs Featured in This Episode:

Coastline

anymore

Baby, Keep on Drivin'

So Long

With Her

Introduction music: Blood Sugar Blues by Drew White

Introduction music Blood Sugar Blues by former First Spin guest, Drew White.

If you enjoyed this episode, it’d mean a lot if you left a quick review—it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show.

And if you want to hear more artists worth your time, follow First Spin on social:
📱 TikTok
📸 Instagram

Official Spin Podcast Spotify Playlist

Official Spin Podcast Apple Playlist

Thanks for listening—see you next week.

In this episode I sit down with Nashville-based singer/songwriter Drew White.  Drew and I talk about his fantastic 2025 release, Concrete Americana, life with missionary parents, choosing kindness, battling diabetes, touring the Southeast, So Far Sounds and more.  

Songs featured in this episode:

Medicine

Concrete Americana

Kings Street

Blood Sugar Blues

Dandelions

Dreaming in the City

Introduction music Blood Sugar Blues by former First Spin guest, Drew White.

If you enjoyed this episode, it’d mean a lot if you left a quick review—it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show.

And if you want to hear more artists worth your time, follow First Spin on social:
📱 TikTok
📸 Instagram

Official Spin Podcast Spotify Playlist

Official Spin Podcast Apple Playlist

Thanks for listening—see you next week.

This week I sit down with the incredibly talented Khatumu. We talk about her experience of racism with a kid at work, how she passed time during covid lockdowns, the influences that developed her unique sound, and the neighbor that heard her singing through the wall and changed her life.

Songs featured in this episode:

hunting days

exposure therapy

blackout

matador

psuedo doctors

Introduction music Blood Sugar Blues by former First Spin guest, Drew White.

If you enjoyed this episode, it’d mean a lot if you left a quick review—it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show.

And if you want to hear more artists worth your time, follow First Spin on social:
📱 TikTok
📸 Instagram

Official Spin Podcast Spotify Playlist

Official Spin Podcast Apple Playlist

Thanks for listening—see you next week.

This week I sit down with Noah Thomas who releases music under the name American Fraternity. Noah and I talked about his brief experience in Greek life, graduating college during Covid, life in Los Angeles, and the importance of displaying confidence.  You can catch American Fraternity live in Los Angeles on May 13th!

Songs featured in this episode:

Nights Like This

In Your Room

Sometimes

California (Is Heavy On My Mind)

Introduction music Blood Sugar Blues by former First Spin guest, Drew White.

If you enjoyed this episode, it’d mean a lot if you left a quick review—it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show.

And if you want to hear more artists worth your time, follow First Spin on social:
📱 TikTok
📸 Instagram

Official Spin Podcast Spotify Playlist

Official Spin Podcast Apple Playlist

Thanks for listening—see you next week.