Meet Our Makers

In this episode, we get to meet Hayden Thorpe. Hayden is a singer/songwriter from the UK, who is probably best known for his band Wild Beasts. Although they disbanded a few years ago, Hayden has been working hard within a solo sphere, and has just put out his third record, NESS, which is based upon a book by Robert Macfarlane, which itself is about the very real place of Orford Ness, a defunct military test side island off the coast of the UK. In this chat, Hayden and I discuss the conception, musicality, and production of Ness the album, but also go deep into the place it's inspired by - including the tamed and untamed wilderness there, the confluence of past and present. We talk what it was like relinquishing lyrical control, as almost all the lyrics are taken straight from Macfarlane's book. We also touch on Wild Beasts (a band I love) and what it was like working with them for so long and carving out their very distinct identity, and then having it come to a close. Thank you for listening.

In this episode, we get to meet Henry Hall. Henry is a musician and actor from LA, whose new album, Stop Doing Funny Stuff, is out now. (That didn't stop me from screwing up the title of it TWICE, but, I digress.) In this chat, Henry and I discuss the record and its myriad of influences and styles. We talk inspiration - both lyrically and musically - of folks as eclectic as Patsy Cline, Morrissey, and Jens Lekman. We also touch on his comedy lineage, as Henry is the son of comedy legends Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brad Hall. We talk his own discovery of and relationship with comedy, including his own lead series role in the new show Dinner With the Parents, as well as the glory that is Julia's show, Veep. We talk about a lot more, too; it's a very casual, fun, funny, light-hearted conversation. Thank you for listening.

In this chat, we get to meet My Brightest Diamond - aka: Shara Nova. I got to speak with Shara surrounding the release of her newest MBD record, called Fight the Real Terror. In this discussion, she and I go deep into this album - its themes, its stark minimalism, and its conception, which was borne largely by the loss of the great Sinead O'Connor. Shara had a deep affinity for Sinead's work both musically and politically, and I speak with her about how Sinead's voice (and I mean that in all shadings of the word) has inspired her own work and her own life, as an artist, a human, and an activist. It's a great talk with a great artist (and someone who I've been listening to for virtually my whole music-listening life). Thank you for listening.

In this episode, we get to meet Icelandic singer-songwriter, Emilíana Torrini. Torrini has been releasing music for quite some time, debuting in the 90s, but has just released a totally bewitching new album this past June called Miss Flower. The story of this record is so rich and layered and surprising, it makes sense that she and I mostly use this chat as an excuse to take a deep dive into its world. Miss Flower, the character of this album (because it is, indeed, a story album), was based on a real person, and the tale of how Torrini found out more and more about this woman's twisting-and-turning life (which includes love letters, crushes, espionage, and various countries) feels like some old classic noir film brought to musical life. (And for that matter - the album has also been turned into a full-on film as well, which we also touch on.) It's a great talk, and will hopefully make you want to delve into Miss Flower again and again, looking for clues, connecting dots, and getting lost. Thanks for listening.

In this chat, we get to meet Phosphorescent - aka: singer, songwriter, guitarist Matthew Houck. Matthew's been at the game for a while now, and we caught up to chat about his newest Phosphorescent record, Revelator, which came out back in the spring. Truthfully, this chat was done around then, too, but kept getting pushed and delayed in posting. So here we are! Huzzah! It's a lovely chat, well worth the wait, as we dive into all things Revelator, including its themes, production, songwriting, history, etc. Matthew is such a lovely, warm guy; an open book down to chat about anything. It's a very laid back but engaging conversation, and I think you'll enjoy. Thank you for listening.

In this episode, we meet pop auteur/singer-songwriter Kate Nash. Kate Nash has just released her brand new record - her first in a little bit - on Kill Rock Stars, entitled 9 Sad Symphonies. In this chat, Kate and I discuss her new record at length, especially what went into creating it and some of the underlying themes across its songs, such as mental health and wellness, depression, and love. We touch on her early material, such as her hit debut record Made of Bricks (which spawned successful singles like "Mouthwash" and "Foundations") and how her relationship to these songs has changed over time. We also talk the early MySpace days that helped give rise to her career, and why she has such a fondness for that era of the music business. And of course we talk about GLOW, the great Netflix series she starred in alongside Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, and more. We talk about what that show meant (and means) to her, and how sad we both are that it got unceremoniously canceled after three seasons. Thanks for listening!

In this chat, we get to meet Tracyanne Campbell, the frontwoman of celebrated Scottish indie rock icons Camera Obscura. Back with their first album in over a decade, Look To The East, Look To The West, Camera Obscura have a lot to say now that they're back on the scene, and effortlessly prove that their return was worth the wait. In this talk, lead singer & songwriter Tracyanne and I discuss the new album at lenght, including some of its themes, its musicality, its production, and what led to them reconvening in the first place (turns out it had a lot to do with Belle And Sebastian's cruise ship music festival back in 2019). We also touch on some of the factors that contributed to their long absence, including the unfortunate passing of longtime keyboardist Carey Lander, back in 2015. It was such a pleasure to speak with someone I've listened to and looked up to for so long as a sharp and potent voice in music, and I'm so happy the band is back. Thank you for listening.

In this chat, we get to meet Canadian singer, songwriter, multi instrumentalist, folk music icon, Loreena Mckennitt. In this conversation, Loreena and I dsicuss her new live recording The Road Back Home, which is out now on her own Quinlan Road label , and how she distinguishes it as a “field recording” more than a proper live album. We discuss touring during COVID, and the trials and tribulations of that, as well as her love of world traveling and how those travels have impacted her work over the years. And moreover, we talk about how she came to love and be a part of the Celtic folk music world. We also touch on her expansive tour from this spring where she revisited her landmark album The Visit for its 30th anniversary — and be sure to check out her tour in Europe starting this summer to commemorate the 30th anniversary of The Mask And The Mirror. So needless to say - Loreena has been making vital, beautiful music for several decades now, and so we had a LOT to talk about. It was an honor and pleasure. Thank you for listening.

In this chat, we get to meet Molly Drag. Molly Drag is the pseudonym of Montreal singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Michael Charles Hansford. In this talk, we dive deep into his brand new album, Mammoth, out now on I'm Into Life Records. But we also talk about...well, a lot of other things. Truthfully, this is quite a spontaneous and circuitous talk, because Michael and I have been following each other's work for a couple years now, and have chatted here and there before, making this conversation much more of a catching up & hanging out kind of episode. Which is great! We talk the new record of course, but also things like home recording, Kelly Reichardt films, the virtues of being a DIY artist, work-life balance, and more. It's an amiable talk with a super talented guy. Thank you for listening.

In this chat, we get to meet Iron & Wine - aka: singer/songwriter/guitarist, and general indie folk icon, Sam Beam. Sam has just recently put out a brand new Iron & Wine record entitled Light Verse, so we do spend a good amount of time discussing this album. We touch on its themes of loss and acceptance, the time it took to make, and the collaborators he had on it - including none other than the legendary Fiona Apple. We also look back on his seminal 2nd record, Our Endless Numbered Days, which turned 20 this year. We talk about creative ruts, file sharing and leaked music, and do some light myth-busting about his debut album. I also get personal and tell Sam just how much his music has meant to me, and how integral its been to my development especially as a musician myself, over the year. It's a lovely, jovial conversation, and one I will go cross off the bucket-list now. Thank you for listening.