On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast we’ve got a pair of singer-songwriters who exist in a sort of post-genre world: Evan Honer and Wyatt Flores.

Honer first came to wider attention with a cover of Tyler Childers’ “Jersey Giant,” but kept people’s attention with a rapid succession of progressively more polished albums, all tied together by his own solid songwriting. For his latest, Everything I Wanted, Honer found himself a new home city, Nashville, where he built a studio in his garage and—as you’ll hear in this conversation—locked himself away to make something bolder than he had before. The result is shiny pop with a gritty heart, and just a touch of country influence. Think Jason Isbell or Pinegrove, two artists Honer cites as inspirations. Check out “Curtain” from Everything I Wanted right here, which I should mention was released by Honer’s own very active independent label, Cloverdale Records. He’s a busy dude, and he’ll be touring the US early next year, so keep an eye out for that.

The other half of today’s conversation is Honer’s friend Wyatt Flores, who travels a similar musical ground but you can hear a bit more country in his flavor profile—maybe that’s his roots growing up in Oklahoma. If you’re of the TikTok generation, you may have seen him there; if you’re a bit longer in the tooth, you may have seen Flores on Stephen Colbert, NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series, or even a recent Austin City Limits appearance. Part of the story behind his debut album, last year’s Welcome to the Plains, was Flores’ struggles with his newfound fame and a sense of imposter syndrome. While it’s brave of him to put that stuff out in the open, it’s pretty clear from the record that he’s the real deal.

In this lively conversation, these two young dudes talk about making music, about an impromptu road trip in a busted up trailer, about the strong coffee and rowdy crowds down under, and much more. Enjoy.

0:00 – Intro

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Evan Honer and Wyatt Flores for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great stories at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

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On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got two guys from different generations who’ve collided with big riffs in recent years: Tom Morello and Jordan Benjamin.

Tom Morello is best known as the guitarist for Rage Against the Machine, which smashed together heavy music and activism in the 1990s, inspiring countless bands—some good, some bad, as he’ll freely admit—to sprinkle some hip-hop into their rock. Morello went on to form Audioslave with Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell and find a whole other area of success, but he didn’t stop there: Morello goes wherever the muse takes him, from playing with Bruce Springsteen to doing acoustic sets as The Nightwatchman. He’s always working on new music—and always outspoken politically.

Morello tapped Jordan Benjamin to contribute to his 2021 single “Hold the Line,” which makes perfect sense, because the music that Benjamin records under the name Grandson is certainly inspired by Rage, among other artists of course. Grandson has been releasing records for the past decade or so, fusing hip-hop and alt-rock elements with unabashedly political lyrics. For his latest album under the Grandson name, Inertia, Benjamin leaned into a more organic rather than electronic sound—you’ll hear him talk about the transition in this chat. Check out the song “God is an Animal” from Inertia right here.

In this lively conversation, Morello and Benjamin talk about working together, about the magic of band chemistry, and about the “technological hellhole we find ourselves in.” It’s still fun, though, check it out.

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Jordan Benjamin and Tom Morello for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great shows in the Talkhouse Podcast Network. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

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On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got two British gentlemen who made big waves in the past couple of decades and who’ve collided just recently for a celebratory remix: It’s Tom Vek and Gus Unger-Hamilton.

Tom Vek released his instant-classic debut We Have Sound back in 2005, putting his own spin on post-punk and dance and riding the wave of so-called “indietronica” with catchy tracks like “Nothing But Green Lights.” He hasn’t exactly been prolific since then, releasing quality albums every few years while also working hard in other areas of the industry: Check out both supercollector.com and his upcoming music player, Sleevenote. But in celebration of We Have Sound’s 20th anniversary, Vek asked a bunch of friends and fellow musicians to remix each of the album’s tracks, including folks like Baths, Glass Animals, and the other half of today’s conversation, Gus Unger-Hamilton of the band alt-J. Check Unger-Hamilton’s remix of Vek’s song “Cover” right here.

It’s unsurprising that Unger-Hamilton put his own spin on Vek’s song: alt-J has been scribbling in the bombastic, weirder corners of indie-rock and art-rock for since 2007, though they didn’t release their big debut, An Awesome Wave, until 2012. They’ve since embraced their oddness on a string of records, with the latest being 2022’s The Dream, which was hailed at the time as a return to the power of their debut. New music is likely on the horizon, though as you’ll hear in this chat, alt-J is currently without a label home. 

Label homes are one of many things these two chat about in this lively conversation: They’re both into the logos of their favorite record companies, they’re both really into fancy watches, and they’re both back into the lost art of reading a good book. Though Gus admits he hasn’t read a particular novel that his band famously borrowed a title from. Listen and find out which one.

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Tom Vek and Gus Unger-Hamilton for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by The Range. See you next time!  

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠.

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast we’ve got two old friends who’ve worked together on such culture-crushing songs as “Dick in a Box”—one of whom is known more for the music, and the other for the funny. It’s Andy Samberg and Asa Taccone.

Samberg you surely know for his years on Saturday Night Live and Brooklyn Nine-Nine and tons of big movies. Before all that he was part of the trio The Lonely Island, which blew up on SNL with “Dick in a Box,” among other hilarious jams. The Lonely Island also features Jorma Taccone, and when Samberg and Taccone needed some musical help for their SNL shorts, they would often call Jorma’s brother Asa, who helped them shape “Dick in a Box,” “Motherlover” and plenty of other songs.

But Asa’s less inclined toward the funny stuff that his childhood friends are known for; he’s been making his own decidedly less silly music since 2011 in collaboration with Matthew “Cornbread” Compton under the name Electric Guest. The duo just released their first album since 2019, and it’s called 10K—you’ll hear the meaning behind the name in this chat. As you’ll hear, there’s no jokey rap to be found, just a compelling mix of soulful pop: You might not be surprised to learn that in recent years Taccone has also collaborated with the likes of The Weeknd and Carly Rae Jepsen. Check out “Play Your Guitar” from 10K right here.

As you’ll hear, Samberg and Taccone are pretty comfortable with each other, because their friendship goes way back. They talk about Samberg’s decision to take a swing at the big time, Lonely Island deep cuts, and the alternate name that Electric Guest briefly considered. Enjoy.

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Andy Samberg and Asa Taccone for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by The Range.

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠.

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Podcast’s spin-off series, host Nick Dawson sits down with actor turned writer-director Crispin Hellion Glover, who is currently starring in both the Kafka-esque drama Mr. K and his third directorial feature, No! YOU'RE WRONG. or: Spooky Action at a Distance, which also stars his father, Bruce Glover, who passed away earlier this year. In a wide-ranging conversation, Glover talks about the acting job he’s still mad he missed out on at 13, supernatural goings on at the chateau he bought in the Czech Republic, his very imaginative alternative to traveling by car, plus his hopes for the future of AI (which is not what you’d think) and his understandable reservations about self-cloning. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse at talkhouse.com/film. Subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast.

On the latest episode of the Talkhouse Podcast’s spin-off series, host Nick Dawson sits down with actor, writer-director, playwright and novelist Tim Blake Nelson, who can currently be seen in the boxing drama Bang Bang and whose new play And Then We Were No More is now at La MaMa in New York City. In a personal, profound and often surprising conversation, Nelson opens up about everything from his morning routine to his recurring dreams, from his earliest childhood memories – some of which are truly remarkable – to a pivot point in his life that was transformative. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse at talkhouse.com/film. Subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast.

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On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast we’ve got a pair of singers who both look to classic sounds for inspiration—and one of whom happens to also be the creator of one of the biggest animated shows ever. It’s Liz Gillies and Seth MacFarlane.

Now even if you don’t know his name, you almost certainly know Seth MacFarlane’s work and voice. He’s the creator of the animated comedy Family Guy, which will enter its 24th season next year. He also co-created American Dad and The Cleveland Show, plus directed the movie Ted, among many other TV and film accomplishments. If that weren’t enough, MacFarlane has a second career as a musician, a pursuit born out of his love for big band music of days gone by: It’s not a lark or a joke, either. MacFarlane is a serious student of classic songwriters, which led to his ninth and latest album, Lush Life: The Lost Sinatra Arrangements. As that title suggests, MacFarlane was given access to a massive number of songs that had been arranged—often by big names—for Frank Sinatra to sing, but that had never actually been recorded. MacFarlane recruited an A-team to get them in shape, and he sang the hell out of them. Check out “I Never Felt This Way Before” right here.

The other half of today’s conversation is MacFarlane’s friend and sometime musical collaborator Liz Gillies, who’s also a multi-hyphenate. You may have seen her on TV—going all the way back to Nickelodeon—in movies or on Broadway. She even provided voices on a couple of MacFarlane’s shows. But the two really found their working spark during the pandemic with Songs From Home, and that collaboration continued in 2023 with a holiday album called We Wish You The Merriest. As you’ll see from this conversation, Gillies and MacFarlane have a friendly rapport.

In this lively conversation, Gillies grills MacFarlane on the origins of Lush Life, a fascinating story in which MacFarlane is deeply invested. They also talk about how Liz likes to go out when they’re on tour but Seth prefers the comfort of a hotel room, how to pronounce Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and more. Stick around for the end, when they get a little silly coming up with podcast names.

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Seth MacFarlane and Liz Gillies for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme was composed and performed by The Range. See you next time!

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠.

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast we’ve got a pair of singer-songwriters who came up in the social media age, and who, as you’ll hear, have leaned on each other for support as their careers have taken off. It’s Girl in Red and Gigi Perez.

Girl in Red is the name under which Norwegian singer Marie Ullven started making intimate, sometimes sad bedroom recordings back in 2016 or so. Some of those songs, like 2018’s “I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend” really connected with people, and she became something of an icon, especially to young gay women. Her sound has grown over the years and Ulven has embraced bigger opportunities, including opening shows for Taylor Swift—it doesn’t get a lot bigger than that. Her last album, the hilariously titled I’m Doing it Again, Baby! was released last year, and as you’ll hear in this conversation, Ulven is stepping into acting as well: She’ll star in a film called Low Expectations, which she filmed earlier this year. Check out Girl in Red’s “Hemingway” right here.

Gigi Perez is another fantastic songwriter and performer whose “Sailor Song” was everywhere last summer, and for good reason: It’s simple and gorgeous and undeniably catchy. Perez first started writing songs a few years ago in the wake of her sister’s passing, and she’s both created some incredible music and played big shows—including opening for Coldplay—in the past few years. Perez’s debut album At the Beach, in Every Life came out earlier this year, and it’s a thoughtful, sometimes uplifting, sometimes heartbreaking set of really personal songs. Check out “Sailor Song” right here.

In this conversation, these two resilient ladies get into some real talk, touching on Girl in Red’s recent stint in rehab and her upcoming movie role, the inevitable comedown after a big tour, songwriting camps, and Perez’s favorite movie of all time. Enjoy.

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Girl in Red and Gigi Perez for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great stuff at Talkhouse.com. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠.

Today’s Talkhouse Podcast features a pair of guys who’ve been making records for a long time and still manage to keep things not just interesting, but awesome: Mac McCaughan and Eric Johnson.

Mac is the co-founder of legendary indie label Merge Records as well as the singer and guitarist for the band Superchunk, which has been making great, great records for about 35 years now, though they did take a bit of a break in the early aughts, which Mac mentions in this chat. Since reigniting around 2010, Superchunk has released five solid records that both reflect their maturity and bring the punk-rock energy. The latest just came out, and it’s called Songs in the Key of Yikes. It’s their first with new drummer Laura King, and you can catch Superchunk this weekend at Riot Fest in Chicago and then on a West Coast tour that starts October 9 at Pappy & Harriet’s in the California desert. Check out “Is It Making You Feel Something” from Songs in the Key of Yikes right here.

The other half of today’s chat is Eric D. Johnson, who’s both one-third of Bonny Light Horseman and the only constant member of Fruit Bats, the name under which he’s been recording his smart, often gentle songs since around 2001. The newest Fruit Bats record, Baby Man, just came out on Merge, and it’s an absolutely stripped-to-the-bone affair, with Johnson’s voice even more front and center than usual. He lays it all out there and it’s easy to get sucked in by his words and lovely melodies. He’ll be touring all over in October, doing it “an evening with Fruit Bats” style. Check out “Let You People Down,” a song that comes up in this conversation, right here.

In this easygoing chat, Eric and Mac talk about their long histories, from Eric’s time in the Shins and I, Rowboat to Superchunk’s not-that-fun stint opening for Teenage Fanclub. They also use some baseball analogies to talk about sequencing an album, and they commiserate about being dudes with unusually high singing voices. Enjoy.

0:00 – Intro

2:37 – Start of the chat

4:10 – They commiserate about their unusually high singing voices

6:30 – On influences

8:21 – "Indie rock changed my life"

11:27 – On vocals

13:45 – On "ringing your bell"

15:02 – On the Fruit Bats record: Baby Man

16:49 – Album sequencing is like a batting order

18:47 – On the indie rock scene in the '90s

21:37 – On “Let You People Down"

22:37 – Artist discovery pre vs post-streaming era

24:55 – On bad opening gigs

31:31 – On Baby Man

33:59 – On Songs in the Key of Yikes

39:00 – On the upcoming Superchunk tour

41:24 – Eno on owning your own mistakes

42:48 – On the piano and piano songs

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast, and thanks to Mac McCaughan and Eric D. Johnson for chatting. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse on your favorite podcasting platform, and check out all the great stuff in our podcast network. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!

Find more illuminating podcasts on the ⁠⁠⁠Talkhouse Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠.