Michael Gaither - Songs and Stories

Here are two more podcasts from material collected at last May's Strawberry Music Festival. This time, we do a big "thank you" to the Breakfast Club crew. Read the show notes and listen to more podcasts like this one at http://www.michaelgaither.com.

In this podcast, I talk with Joziah Longo, lead singer and songwriter for Gandalf Murphy and the Salmbovian Circus of Dreams. He explains the intention behind the band's name (there is no Gandalf Murphy), how starting on the folk circuit gave them freedom with their lyrics, and their multiple-genre approach that allows them to play any style of music they wish. Read the show notes and listen to more podcasts like this one at http://www.michaelgaither.com.

We just finished a very fun (and full) weekend of music at Roudon-Smith Winery in Scotts Valley. After Saturday's show, and after we tore down all the soundgear, I sat down and chatted with Bev Barnett and Greg Newlon abou their new CD, "Any Doorway Will Do". Read the show notes and listen to more podcasts like this one at http://www.michaelgaither.com.

It's amazing what one little bluegrass song about a mule can do for you. "Spotted Mule" pretty much wrote itself, became the title track to my CD, a video on YouTube, and people are still discovering it. Well folks, Icing, the spotted mule herself, is now up for sale. In this podcast, you'll hear some background on the song *and* an interview with Krista Koenig, Icing's owner/trainer. Read the show notes and listen to more podcasts like this one at http://www.michaelgaither.com.

What comes first? The music or the lyrics? That's probably the most-asked question about songwriting, and the answer is simply, "yes". (As in, "Yes, the music or the lyrics definitely come first".) Every song is different, and every one has a different starting point. Some songs - most of mine, actually - start with a title. In this podcast, I talk about how the song "High and Lonesome" came about. Read the show notes and listen to more podcasts like this one at http://www.michaelgaither.com.

I run a monthly open mic night at the Wooden Nickel Bar and Grill in Freedom, California. In this podcast, I'll talk about how I ended up doing that and play a recording of something very very cool that happened there a few months ago. (You'll have to listen to the podcast to hear the story.) Read the show notes and listen to more podcasts like this one at http://www.michaelgaither.com.

This episode looks at my song "Jack of All Trades" and walks through how a tune can change between the original draft and the demo - which is included in the podcast - and even in the final recording session. I also explain the story behind the lyric, "I even wrote for Jay Leno one time". You can hear more podcasts like this one at http://www.michaelgaither.com.

In Songs and Stories episode #2, I talk about our band and how we sort of formed by accident (a happy accident). You'll also hear what folk musicians sound like at 10:00 am on a Sunday morning as I play highlights from our recent appearance on "Please Stand By", a live weekly show on KPIG radio out of Freedom, California. Please visit this podcast at http://www.michaelgaither.com/

In this premiere episode, I pick apart my song Highway 17, give you a little history of the windy mountain highway that connects Santa Cruz and San Jose, California, and take you on an audio tour of the morning commute. Please visit this podcast at http://www.michaelgaither.com/