After spending a couple of years playing around their hometown, as well as venturing up the East Coast, the Athens, Georgia quartet Squalls would enter Electro-Acoustic Systems Studio in September of 1984 and make a record. In Episode 65, the band’s frontman and primary songwriter, Bob Hay, tells the story of how Squalls’ 1984 self-titled ep came to be. Recounting the events and inspirations that led to its creation, the native Midwesterner touches on his journey to Athens and the supportive environment there that helped facilitate the band’s formation.

Nearly 35 years ago, a group of extraterrestrials became stranded on Earth. Posing as college students attending Auburn University, they would make the most of the situation by starting a band and making a record. In Episode 64, Brian Teasley aka Birdstuff tells the story of how Man or Astro-man?’s 1993 debut full-length Is It…Man or Astroman? came to be. Recorded in a 100 year old house in rural Alabama, Teasley touches on the band’s experience working there with engineer Jim Marrer as well as the events that led to the album’s creation.

In the fall of 1984, singer-songwriter Carla Olson of the Los Angeles based band The Textones would visit Madame Wong’s West for an evening of live music. It is there, after being pulled on stage to sing with that night’s performer, that she would meet and befriend her future duet partner– the late, great Gene Clark. In Episode 63, Olson tells the story of hers and Clark’s 1987 album So Rebellious a Lover. Considered to be one the first true Americana albums, Olson recounts the events and influences that brought about its creation including her musical journey from Texas to Los Angeles, the living room singalongs that would inspire the album’s specific sound, and the transformative experience of working with the legendary songwriter and founding member of The Byrds.

After spending some years contributing to various projects within the Los Angeles music community, musician Ben Schwab would take advantage of the time afforded to him through the Covid 19 lockdown, as well as a new sense of creative freedom, to focus his energy towards the creation of Sylvie. In Episode 62, the California by way of Ohio songwriter tells the story of how Sylvie's 2022 self-titled debut came to be, touching on the key events and influences that inspired the album’s conception.

Shortly after the release of their debut album in October of 2021,  the band Coco would begin work on its follow-up. In Episode 61, Maia Friedman, Oliver Hill, and Dan Molad discuss the making of their 2024 sophomore effort 2. Written and recorded during significant transitions within their personal lives, the members of Coco touch on the catalysts that would result in the album’s creation including their shared and unshared histories, formation, and experiences recording in both Virginia and Yucca Valley.

In August of 2000, the San Francisco based indie pop band Call and Response would travel to the other side of the country and make a record in the sleepy college town of Athens, Georgia. For Episode 60, Call and Response’s Carrie Clough, Dan Judd, Terri Loewenthal, and Simone Rubi tell the story of how their 2001 self-titled debut came to be. Recounting the events that led to the album’s creation, the bandmates touch on the key influences that would guide its lyrical and sonic directions as well as their experience working with the late, great Bill Doss.

In 2002, the Los Angeles based country psyche band Beachwood Sparks would go on an extended hiatus. Making the most of the opportunity presented, multi-instrumentalist Farmer Dave Scher would begin to construct a record, enlisting the help of his Beachwood bandmate Jimi Hey. In Episode 59, Scher tells the story of Spirit Stereo Frequency, the lone full-length effort by All Night Radio. Sharing insight into the experiences and events that helped shape its creation, Scher touches on the painstaking process of recording the album in his Echo Park apartment as well as the concepts and influences that inspired its overall sound.

After forming in 1978, the New York City based band The dB’s would, by the next year, begin recording material at Blue Rock Studio in Manhattan. The end result would become a seminal classic. In Episode 58, Peter Holsapple and Will Rigby tell the story of their band’s 1981 debut full-length Stands for deciBels. Recounting their formation and the recording of the album, the two bandmates detail their long history of playing music together which first began during their youth in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

In the Spring of 2022, singer-songwriter Milan McAlevey would begin to develop the material that would make up his 3rd solo release. Working in his home studio in South Portland, Maine, the songs would start to move in a specific direction while still maintaining the same darkness, humor, and sincerity of his past works. In Episode 57, McAlevey tells the story of his 2024 album Bucksport Motel, discussing its lyrical inspirations, the influence country music had over its musical direction, and the people that would help color the finished product.

After a day spent searching for a place to make a record, members of the Richmond, VA by way of Redlands, CA band Cracker would decide to make a detour and get something to eat at Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace. It was there that everything would seemingly fall into place. In Episode 56, Cracker’s David Lowery tells the story of his band's 1993 sophomore effort Kerosene Hat. Recorded with producer Don Smith in Pioneertown, Lowery touches on the band’s experience making the album in an old barn that once served as a soundstage and the unexpected commercial success that would follow its release.