You most likely know Jay Buchanan as the showstopping frontman for the boisterous rock outfit, Rival Sons, He has held that title for the better part of two decades. During that time, Buchanan and his band have built a huge worldwide following, and collaborated with some of the true luminaries within the spheres of Americana and rock music. In recent years, Jay has even dipped his toe into the acting world with a role in the 2025 biopic, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. Still, after all of that, something seemed to be missing. 

So, without a plan, Jay Buchanan went to the desert to create deliberately. Unsure exactly what he was chasing creatively, Buchanan connected with an old friend to borrow a windowless bunker in the expanse of the Mojave Desert. It was in this isolated environment that Jay set to work writing a series of songs that would become his first solo album, Weapons Of Beauty. That record, which often presents a different musical and lyrical side to Buchanan’s work in Rival Sons, is an unfiltered ten song collection that beautifully captures Buchanan’s raw vocals and lived-in storytelling.

During our chat, Jay discusses his time in the desert, as well as the experimentation and faith that were required to complete Weapons Of Beauty. He even admits that as he boarded a plane to record the album, he had no idea whether or not his ideas and his songs would be good enough to pull him through. Day by day, and song by song, he built the record with producer and longtime collaborator, Dave Cobb, still never sure how successful the end results might be. 

This conversation also includes a fair amount of heady discussion and introspection. Jay shares his love of Transcendental Meditation and also declares that joy is a choice to be defended. We cover the limitations of living in the middle of what we’ve begun calling “The Technological Choke”, and we talk about running through life with a child's wonder. There is discussion of the joys and lessons of parenting, and the pursuit to maintain something of a tumbleweed lifestyle. 

This conversation actually happened in two parts. Jay and I had a chat for about thirty minutes when we were cut short by a family emergency. Thankfully, everything at home was all good, and Jay and I were able to reconnect a week or so later. As such, this chat is a bit longer than normal, but I assure you that it’s worth every second. Join me now for a broad and absorbing conversation about finding the magic that is there to be seen out there. 

Let’s get into it.

Cheers,Matty C

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End Credits

Thanks so much to Jay for joining me. Be sure to grab his new solo record, Weapons Of Beauty now wherever you get your music. 

The What Am I Making podcast is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C. 

Our theme music was written and recorded by David J. Baldwin

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