Lyrical

Skye Zentz is a trusted voice in the Hampton Roads songwriting community. She is not only a songwriter, but also as an educator, producer and leader. She's no stranger to WHRO, as her parents hosted a folk music program here in the past and Skye writes songs for the Batten Environmental Education Initiative. As a songwriter, she has the ability to write in many different modes - whether it's a personal song drawing on ancient mythology or writing the music for an adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland," Skye places herself in her songs and presents ideas in a way that is both insightful and relatable. We discuss some of her favorite lyrics and songwriters, how she felt drawn to music and empowering the local songwriting community and her role as an educator at the Muse Writing Center.

On the song, "Every town," Logan Vath sings, "You don't have to settle to settle down." Logan grew up in Nebraska, but found his way to Hampton Roads thanks to the Navy. On the latest episode of Lyrical we break down that journey and the constant struggle he faces as a restless spirit trying to settle down and establish roots. Logan's lyrics are carefully worded and packed tightly into his songs. You may have to listen once or twice to a song to pick up on all of the intricate details of his songwriting. We did our best to slow things down on this episode and peel back the story, and I hope you'll enjoy it.

Songwriter Ben Hardesty and bass player/cellist Amos Housworth of The Last Bison join host Jonah Grinkewitz for the second episode of Lyrical. Location and identity are very important to Ben's songwriting. Ben describes himself as an "experience-based" songwriter. He draws on key moments from his past, including growing up in the rainforests of Bolivia and the swamps of Chesapeake, as well as traveling in Europe as a young adult. Ben and Amos also discuss how their lineup has changed in recent years, and what this means for the band's new musical direction. Upon their debut, NPR described them as "Classical influenced southern folk rock." But as Ben shares in this episode, they are finally coming back to the music that they grew up listening to, such as David Bowie, U2 and the Police. Whether it's folk rock or synth pop, the characteristic soaring vocals, intricate textures and melodic hooks persist in their newest album "Süda" which is out now.

Songwriter Allen Hudson of the Portsmouth rock band Court Street Company kicks off the first episode of "Lyrical." Allen takes us through his songwriting narrative, from his earliest songs to his newest. We discuss his biggest musical influences, including the Foo Fighters, the Killers and Big Star. We talk about the stories behind his songs: him growing up and meeting the girl of his dreams, his appreciation for blues mythology and being perfectly happy with the person he loves. To end the episode, Allen and Jonah play the song that brought them together to form the band Court Street Company.

Go behind the lyrics with local and national songwriters.