Sisters In Song

 We had such a fantastic chat with Lenny Zenith on this episode talking about his latest release “He/Hymn.” We talked about his decades long career, what’s coming up next for him, and what he calls “lush pop”.  

 A vibrant tapestry of sound that defies easy classification, Lenny Zenith’s He/Hymn (released October 2024) is a sonic exploration of the redemptive power of music. “I honestly think this album marks an evolution in my songwriting,” he confesses. Each of He/Hymn’s nine tracks stands as a miniature masterpiece, contributing uniquely to the album’s overall narrative. Zenith’s versatility as a songwriter and performer shines through. His lyrics, vibrant and often poetic, navigate universal themes of love, loss, and the human condition, while his musical prowess creates lush, cinematic soundscapes.  

  Beginning his journey of self-discovery in New Orleans where he found refuge in compassionate doctors who helped him navigate the challenges of being a transgender adolescent, he emerged as a confident artist who fronted acclaimed bands such as Jennifer Convertible, Tenterhooks, Minor Planets, and Pop Combo. His collaborations with renowned producers James Murphy (pre-LCD Soundsystem) and Wharton Tiers (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.) and performances with legendary acts like U2, Iggy Pop, The Replacements,and X underscore his influential presence in the music world. 

 Check Lenny out here: 

 We caught up with Rita Bliss while she was working hard in Dallas! We chatted about her recent release “Peaches and Apple Pies,” her monthly residency at Batch Brewing and Kolaches in Austin, TX and finding family at ‘the best bar in Texas.’ 

 Rita Bliss is a folk musician from Rochester, New York and is now based in Austin Texas. Though a Rust Belt native, Rita’s melodies are rooted in familiar old-time banjo sounds that evoke travels along the backroads of the South. Influenced by John Prine, Joni Mitchell, and Nanci Griffith,Rita’s songwriting weaves together timeless love stories with long drives, porch gatherings, and letters between loved ones. The love stories are unabashedly queer, the porch gatherings are sometimes rowdy, and the conversations often touch on true-to-life mental health challenges. 

Check Rita out here: 

 We had the chance to catch up with Mike Wheeler. We talked about letting the songwriting process happen organically, the therapeutic aspect of songwriting, and music as an all-inlifestyle. We also visited a little bit about Bertha Grateful Drag that he plays with.  

 Mike Wheeler is a singer-songwriter originally hailing from Vermont. With stintsin Montreal, New Zealand, Augusta, GA, Key West, Colorado, Wisconsin, and Kentucky-- where he was called "hands down, one of the finest WKY singer-songwriters going at the moment" (News4U, 2017)-- Wheeler now calls Nashville home. 

 Mike's debut LP, Roll Another Dime, produced by Grammy-winning studio engineer, RobEaton, was released by Pacific Records in March of 2022. The record features appearances by Adam Chaffins, Todd Smallie, Rob Eaton Jr., and Sierra Ferrell. He is hoping to release 2 albums in 2025!

 In recent years, Mike has performed at Newport Folk Festival, CaveJam, & Sea Hear Now as a member of BERTHA: Grateful Drag, as well as Folk Alliance International, ROMP,Maverick Festival (UK), Dark Songs, Aiken Bluegrass Festival, The Frendly Gathering,IBMA: World of Bluegrass, Steelbridge Songfest, and countless clubs, pubs,living rooms, and dives, paving his grassroots DIY.

 Check Mike out here: 

 In this episode we talk with Matthew Herd of the Seafarers and numerous other musical endeavors. We talk to him about the Seafarer’s latest album “” and his work on his own soloproject. We also talk about spanning genres, the song “graveyard” and goingto the cinema alone.  

 Matthew Herd is a Scottish songwriter and saxophonist living in east London. 

He writes for and performs with Seafarers, an acclaimed group of six long-term musical collaborators, who have been described as spanning the worlds of indie rock, chamber pop, and jazz. 

 Matthew can be found performing with The Howl & The Hum, and Elanor Moss. Also with Misha Mullov-Abbado, and in trio with Will Glaser and Liam Noble. 

  Check Matthew out here: 

 We had a great time talking with Lauren about music as the constant in her life, wearing every single hat as a working musician, and females with huge voices who don’t hold back (likeLauren!). We also geek out over arts and crafts! 

  This soulful rocker, originally from Chicago, has had a passion for singing throughout her entirelife. Growing up in a household that was rich in music, her influences were widely varied from artists such as Susan Tedeschi, Bonnie Raitt, The Pointer Sisters, Eva Cassidy, Etta James, Joss Stone, Kelly Clarkson, and many more.  

Despite these modern musical influences, Lauren was classically trained throughout most of her early life. She began classical piano lessons at the age of 8, was an active member of several choirs and began taking classical voice lessons when she began high school. She eventually took her love of singing to the Quad Cities and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in music with an emphasis on voice at Augustana College. During her college years she spent a summer living inNovafeltria, Italy, learning the language and touring and studying opera. Initially she planned on becoming an opera singer, but quickly realized that rock and soul music were more her style.   

Since moving to Nashville, Lauren has continued to tour and release new music. Her album, “Love on the Rocks” that was released in the summer of 2021 debuted at #14 on the BillboardBlues Chart, #4 on Roots Music Report & #21 on the NACC Blues Charts. Anderson has opened for bands such as Beth Hart, Ana Popovic and Mike Zito. Zito was also a featured artist on her sophomore album, on the tune "Back to Chicago". She just released her third full-length album, “Burn it all Down”, which features Albert Castiglia on the track “Zombie Blues” and JohnSalaway on “Hit The Spot.” 

 Check her out here: 

 We talk with singer, songwriter, playwright, activist, and author Tara MacLean on this special episode of Sisters in Song. 

It was such a pleasure talking to Tara about becoming your own inner-nurturer, meditation to get herself back in tune, and all things music. 

Canadian singer/songwriter Tara MacLean has been an internationally renowned and award winning recording and touring artist for over 25 years. She released her first album with the Nettwerk Music Group in 1996 and Sony Music Publishing Canada. Since then has been signed with Capitol Records, and EMI Canada with her JUNO nominated band Shaye. She haswritten and recorded seven solo albums and two with Shaye.    

Tara has recently received the Senate of Canada Medal for her activist work in her community. She finished a run of three summer seasons with her hit theater show that she wrote, produced, and directed called, “Atlantic Blue-The Stories of Atlantic Canada’s Iconic Songwriters” inCharlottetown. The summer of 2019 saw Atlantic Blue produced and directed by the world famous Charlottetown Festival playing three nights a week to sold out crowds. 

Tara received the SOCAN Songwriter of the Year award as well as Solo Recording of the Year for her latest album, Deeper at the PEI Music Awards. Deeper was nominated for Pop Album of the Year at ECMA 2020. Her duet with Catherine MacLellan, "This Storm", received the award for Song of the Year. She performed “Songs from Atlantic Blue” in Concert with the PEISymphony Orchestra. Last year, Tara received the Stompin' Tom award by the East Coast Music Association, marking an outstanding contribution to music in the region. 

Tara MacLean is an environmental and social justice activist, a zen student, a poet, author and a playwright. She resides in her home province of Prince Edward Island, and also lives on Salt Spring Island, BC. She considers herself bi-coastal. Her greatest joy is being a mother to herthree beautiful girls. 

 Check Tara out here: 

 Today’s episode is part of the annual Podcasthon. 

 Podcasthon is the world’s largest podcast charity initiative, bringing together podcasters globally to raise awareness for charitable causes. Traditional fundraising methods like charity galas, marathons, and auctions have their limits. They often require large budgets,exclusive access, or short-lived engagement. Meanwhile, charities around the world struggle to reach new audiences and create long-term connections. Our charity of choice is American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). https://afsp.org/ 

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Mission :

Save Lives and Bring Hope to Those Affected by Suicide 

Established in 1987, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is a voluntary health organization that gives those affected by suicide a nationwide community empowered by research, education and advocacy to take action against this leading cause of death. 

AFSP is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide, including those who have experienced a loss. AFSP creates a culture that’s smart about mental health by engaging in the following core strategies:  

  Call or text 988 or text TALK to 741741 

 We catch up with Henry Bitzer who we met while in Nashville for AmericanaFest last fall. Henry talks to us about taking a gap year (or more) to pursue his music career, music as an extension of himself, and man’s best friend…the guitar. Also have the fun of hearing us strugglewith numbers on this episode!!!   

Henry Bitzer is a songwriter, guitarist, vocalist, and classically trained pianist from St. Paul, Minnesota. He has spent the past four years performing live music across the U.S. His first full length freshman album, Skydive, was released in May of 2024. 

Henry Bitzer is currently based out of Nashville, Tennessee and continues to nurture his craft in the music capital of the world.   

Check out Henry here:  

 What a pleasure it was to talk with Ben and Kassie of Goldpine about their new album “Three” AVAILABLE THIS SUMMER! We also chatted about their opportunity to perform the nationalanthem at the Kansas City Chiefs game, and you better believe we totally nerded out!  

After nearly a decade of honing in on their sound, Goldpine released their sophomore album "Two" and continues to waste no time showing what they stand for. Their lead single, “Do You Have Me,” showcases Kassie’s powerhouse of a voice. Starting out slow, the song cycles through a pattern of harmonious verses and a commanding chorus, ultimately building to an instrumental interlude of southern electric guitars and a rhythmic tambourine. Goldpine is cathartic, moody, dissonant and relevant, all intertwined into one.  

Check them out here:  

Website: Goldpinemusic.com 

 In this episode, we talk with Robby Johnson about his latest single (released February 7, 2025) “Thank God It’s Friday, a love song about…beer! We also talk about his path to his music career, getting the push he needed, and being authentic.  

 When Robby Johnson came to Nashville to cut a couple of songs, he never imagined that he’d end up in the recording studio as a full-fledged artist with six of his own tunes on the project and then shooting a music video with director Ryan Smith (My Kinda Party). But life works inamazing ways sometimes, as Robby proves. 

After high school, he took a job in a manufacturing plant. The equipment noise was deafening, but against the 110-decibel background levels, Robby could sing as loud as he wanted to on his shifts. His destiny finally took form one Christmas when he received a paid demo session as apresent. The experience changed him forever. It was the first time he realizedhis voice might be special and that his songs could affect those who heardthem. In 2012, Robby decided to come to Nashville and cut more songs. So stronglydid he believe in his dream that even when the company where he worked as amanufacturers’ sales rep refused to give him time off, he took a leap of faith and moved to Nashville. 

Check Robby out here: 

Hear us totally geek out while talking with Sean McConnell about the song in the room that wants to be born and how to find it. We talk about the difference between commerce and art, surrounding himself with the right environment for writing, and capturing lighting in a bottle. We discussed the slow patient process of making his new album, “Skin.” Available NOW!

Sean McConnell has just one tattoo--his wife's name. It represents a commitment, a sign that's more than skin-deep. But on the cover of the Nashville singer-songwriter's new album "Skin," art and symbolism bloom like tattoo ink itself. An open palm beacons listeners, itself a symbol of his faith, while embers of Earth and nature, faith, and love serve as tangible and metaphorical guideposts along McConnell's renewed musical journey. 

Check him out here: