What Am I Making Podcast

Like so many children of his generation, Mike Connell fell in love with rock and roll the moment that he saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Growing up in Raleigh, NC and Georgia during the 1960s and 70s, Mike was obsessed with the jangling cacophony of the British Invasion. In addition to the Beatles, Mike and his brother David, tore through the catalogs of The Rolling Stones, The Who, and The Kinks absorbing a new sonic vocabulary littered with ringing choruses, chiming guitars, and an unshakable sing along power.

Unwilling to just sit by the sidelines, Mike and David formed The Connells in 1984 and began playing gigs almost immediately. Their debut album, Darker Days - produced by the legendary Don Dixon - arrived in 1985 on Black Park Records to critical acclaim, and immediate comparisons to another southeast band on the rise; R.E.M.

1987 saw the band release their sophomore effort, Boylan Heights with Mitch Easter at the controls. At this point, The Connells became a full time touring outfit and rode the college circuit for well more than a decade. The band would eventually release 9 studio albums in their first 17 years, all while maintaining an ambitious road schedule.

To celebrate more than four decades as a band, The Connells are set to release a 40th anniversary edition of Darker Days, which arrives on October 26th of this year. The new release features a complete remaster of the album as well as a couple of bonus tracks not featured on the initial release. I sat down to talk with Mike Connell for an in-depth conversation on the history of the band, the anniversary release of Darker Days, and so much more.

Let’s get into it.

Cheers,Matty C

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End Credits

Thanks so much to Mike for joining me. You can find out all about The Connells, the 40th anniversary edition of Darker Days and so much more at https://theconnells.bandcamp.com/

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.

You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it.

Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show.

You can email the show anytime at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking

Nicole Atkins grew up on the Jersey shore in a family that her own father described as “trash with cash”. While her rowdy and athletic family were not musical, they loved the nightlife and knew how to throw a party. Nicole was never an adept athlete, instead gravitating towards music and the arts, with her family remaining supportive from the beginning of her artistic journey.

Neptune City, Atkins’ major label debut arrived to some acclaim in 2007 and even landed her opening slots on massive tours with The Black Keys and Nick Cave. However, middling sales left her in a sort of musical limbo. She dutifully continued to churn out solid records, but at some point Atkins felt as though she had lost the spark behind her creative self. A move to Nashville with her husband helped Atkins to find a true community of songwriters and musicians that helped her to recapture a sense of purpose in her own work.

One of Atkins’ longtime friends and champions in the music industry was legendary singer and songwriter, Chris Isaak, who after hearing some of the songs that Atkins had written for her next album, offered to sign her to his Wicked Game imprint, a subsidiary of Sun Records. With a label and small budget in place, Atkins reached out to Wilco multi-instrumentalist and producer Pat Sansone to steer the sonic ship. Working together Atkins and Sansone created a sonic landscape that pays homage to Lee Hazelwood, Scott Walker, and Roy Orbison, while showcasing Atkin’s unique voice and stylistic approach.

Drama, Atkins’ stunning new album feels much like a timeless classic that has been tucked away for decades just waiting to be rediscovered. For her part, Atkins asserts that she hopes to “write modern songs that could be part of the Great American Songbook.” But in her own way. “I’m not trying to rehash or celebrate some bygone era,” she says. “I’m just taking what I like melodically from the past, and channeling it into my songs. I like to make them deeply personal. The question I come back to is - how do I make this sound exactly like me?”

With Drama, Nicole Atkins has found the truest version of her recorded self so far.

Let’s get into it.

Cheers,Matty C

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End Credits

Thanks so much to Nicole for joining me. You can find out all about her tour dates and recordings at https://www.nicoleatkins.com/

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.

You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it.

Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show.

You can email the show anytime at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking

Growing up in the wilds of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Jeremy Porter knew that he needed to get where the action was. That meant getting out and getting south to a city like Milwaukee, Chicago, or Detroit where music, culture, and art were readily available. After high school and a year at Northern Michigan University, Porter decamped for the Detroit area where he hoped to continue his education, but more importantly to try to find a life in rock and roll.

Jeremy cut his teeth and built a series of bands before throwing his full weight behind his current outfit, Jeremy Porter And The Tucos. That band is a dexterous trio built around Porter’s aching songs, and a hard charging rhythm section. Since the formation of The Tucos in 2010, Porter and company have released seven full length LPs, an EP, and a three album career retrospective, as well as appearing on a host of compilations and tribute projects. The band’s terrific new album, Sell Their Souls was just released in August.

Jeremy is also a dedicated live performer, routinely playing throughout the country either with the trio or as a solo performer. We talked about the realities of life on the road, and we investigated the changing ways in which people are socializing, drinking, and entertaining themselves, which is drastically shaping the face of live music venues across the country. We also discussed the enduring power and resilience of Jeremy’s adopted home city of Detroit. We covered its ups and downs, dove into its vibrant music scene, and even waxed a bit poetic about our beloved Motown.

Let’s get into it.

Cheers,

Matty C

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End Credits

Thanks so much to Jeremy for joining me. You can find out all about his tour dates and recordings at https://www.jeremyportermusic.com

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.

You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it.

Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show.

You can email the show anytime at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking

The Knife, The Needle, the debut album from Elanor Moss was initially recorded in New York City, but Moss felt haunted by a different, quieter version of the record within her own mind. She felt those recordings were “too rollicking” and were lacking in weirdness and Englishness. Eventually, Moss scrapped the sessions and decided to begin anew, decamping to a cabin in the Scottish Highlands with her band of collaborators, recording live to tape. The resulting album is a haunting collection of psych-folk littered with themes of intimacy, memory, and time.

Moss sought a spare, but symphonic approach to the arrangements and leaned upon her collaborator Matthew Herd to channel the elegant and open arrangements found on records by folk legends like Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, and Vashti Bunyan. Anchored by Moss’s powerful voice and Herd’s arrangements, the songs on The Knife, The Needle play out like dream sequences from a lost Bergman film.

During our conversation, Elanor and I discussed the spectre of the Church in her West Midlands childhood, and how that experience may have informed a form of moralistic storytelling within her own songs. We also covered her early discovery of Joni Mitchell and the portal that opened into the wonderful, complex world of folk music. We hit upon our innate desire to be a part of something larger than ourselves, and Elanor and I leap headlong into our shared lifelong appreciation for symbolism.

Let’s get into it.

Cheers,

Matty C

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End Credits

Thanks so much to Elanor for joining me. You can find out all about her tour dates and recordings at https://www.elanormoss.com/

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.

You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it.

Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show.

You can email the show anytime at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking

“Sometimes life gets so dark, it starts to feel like a bad trip,” at least that’s how Lily Seabird reflects on the seasons that led to the making of her new record, Lightspheres on Their Way. Seabird’s third record in as many years deals in mortality and reverence for the innately human, piecing her troubadour-ish folk to a grungy rock sentimentality.

Born from a period of reckoning and renewal, Seabird orients Lightspheres on Their Way around a holistic realism that buoys the spirit, with loose, earthy arrangements that meet intensity and depth with both twangy spaciousness and searing drive. As Seabird’s press release says, “Lightspheres on Their Way is a testament to the depths one can reach in their art when you stop trying to tell the story of what happened to you, and instead start talking about who you are.”

Based in beautiful Burlington, VT, Seabird spends a wide swath of her time in motion, touring with her band across North America and Europe. Seabird and I discussed life on the road in 2026 as well as diving deeply into her hometown scene in Burlington, and discussing her new album. We also covered some of Seabird’s approach to songwriting, and the sonic evolution that she has been undergoing in recent years.

So join me now for a conversation with one of the rising names in the alt-country movement, here are me and Lily Seabird.

Let’s get into it.

Cheers,Matty C

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End Credits

Thanks so much to Lily for joining me. You can find out all about her tour dates and recordings at https://lilyseabird.com/

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.

You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it.

Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show.

You can email the show anytime at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking

No Depression magazine was first launched by Grant Alden and Peter Blackstock in 1995 as a response to the burgeoning alt-country movement happening within American music. The magazine took its name from a Carter Family tune that had been covered by seminal alt-country act Uncle Tupelo on their first LP. For the last three decades, No Depression has been at the vanguard of American roots music, combining in-depth historical features that explore the fascinating history of Americana with regular reporting on the most exciting things happening in today’s world of alt-country.

No Depression published gorgeous print editions from 1995 to 2008 when the recession and the rising print costs forced Alden, Blackstock and publisher, Kyla Fairchild to make the magazine an online only entity. For five years, the site was a community run entity with no paid editors or writers, all organized by Fairchild and community editor, Kim Ruehl.

By 2015, the community run version of the site was so successful that the magazine launched a series of in-depth pieces by Ruehl, and a few other writers. This set the groundwork for the newest phase of the magazine, a non-profit membership based model now spearheaded by Managing Editor, Hilary Saunders.

Hilary joined me in the Sheddio talk about the history of No Depression and its place within the halls of American roots music. We cover the crucial need for journalism and photography within a music scene, and hit upon the enduring power of the printed word, whether on paper or online. There is also talk of cultural gatekeeping, as Hilary and I break down the place that the music critic still has in a world where every record ever made is accessible at the push of a button.

Let’s get into it.

Cheers,Matty C

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End Credits

Thanks so much to HIlary for joining me. You can find out all about the amazing work she is doing at https://nodepression.org/

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.

You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it.

Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show.

You can email the show anytime at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking

Aaron Lee Tasjan was experiencing the worst bout of imposter syndrome of his career when he sat down and wrote Todd Snider a vulnerable email asking for advice. Tasjan, despite writing and recording some of the most astute Americana rock songs of the last decade and being nominated for a Grammy, just didn’t see a future for an independent singer, songwriter, and guitarist like himself.

Snider read Tasjan’s email and immediately replied: “I think I have some ideas. I’ll write you back tomorrow.”

The next morning, Tasjan awoke to a signature Todd Snider missive for how to move forward as an artist. It was a novel-length email that read like the battle plans for the Invasion of Normandy. The exact specifics don’t matter, but Tasjan devoured his mentor’s words and took them to heart. Within Snider’s email, he reminded Tasjan that, “Songs are like mantras — you’ve got to say them every night,” Tasjan recalls Snider challenging him. “So, what’s in there that you’re repeating every night?”

In response to Snider’s query, Tasjan began writing feverishly, unbothered by expectations and immune to any pressure to match his acclaimed albums like In the Blazes, and Karma for Cheap. By the time he had finished, Tasjan had Get Over It, Underdog, his most inspiring LP to date. Produced by Tasjan and his longtime sound engineer Mark Miller, the album is a celebration of the power of songwriting, the unbreakable bond of friendship, and the determination of the dark horse.

During our conversation, Aaron and I covered his family’s circuitous moves around the country before settling outside Columbus, OH. We hit upon the diverse music scene within Nashville that extends far beyond country music. Tasjan describes records as being something like a mirror for listeners, leading us to further conversation about the ways in which Aaron connects emotionally with his fanbase. There is also talk of writing bad songs to get to the good ones, as well finding a way to allow our creative selves to be driven by the soul and not the ego.

It’s all of this and so much more with me and Aaron Lee Tasjan.

Let’s get into it.

Cheers,Matty C

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End Credits

Thanks so much to Aaron for joining me. You can find out all about his music, find tour dates and more at his website https://www.aaronleetasjan.com/

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.

You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it.

Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show.

You can email the show anytime at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking

Growing up just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio, Arlo McKinley soaked up a hardcore midwestern outlook on the world; one filled with hard work, humble hopes, and good manners. The McKinley family instilled a deep love of country music in young Arlo. The church choir provided some early singing lessons, and eventually McKinley picked up a guitar and slowly learned to pen his own songs. As Arlo developed his own songwriting voice, he eventually found a legendary mentor in John Prine, who signed McKinley to Oh Boy! Records in 2014.

Die Midwestern, McKinley’s second album was released in 2020 to critical acclaim. Fader magazine called the album, “... a raw but perfectly balanced album laced with existential crises, addictions, and world-weary resilience.” The songs on Die Midwestern are littered with raw, personal stories that come straight from the life of Arlo McKinley.

During our conversation, Arlo and I talked about life on the road in 2026, focusing on his desire to tour in a slower, and calmer manner, which led to further discussion about the temptations of the road and the expectation from fans for the performer to party. We also unpacked some of Arlo’s songwriting practices, and we hit upon the way that grief creeps into a songwriter’s work.

We have got all of that and more with the terrific Arlo McKinley.

Let’s get into it.

Cheers,Matty C

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End Credits

Thanks so much to Arlo for joining me. You can find out all about his music, find tour dates and more at his website https://www.arlomckinley.com/

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.

You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it.

Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show.

You can email the show anytime at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking

Charlotte Cornfield was raised amidst culture, music, and art in Toronto. Born to a pair of artistically inclined parents, Charlotte was immersed with classical, jazz, and folk albums from birth. She fell in love early with Joni Mitchell, and the deeply involved stories that lay beneath Mitchell’s gorgeous voice. Eventually, Charlotte began playing and writing her own songs while also exploring the vast history of roots music and the legacy and influence of Canadian greats like Mitchell, Neil Young, and Leonard Cohen.

By high school, Cornfield was leading a band and performing her own songs. Over the intervening two decades, Charlotte has refined her songwriting and honed her sonic approach, culminating in her newest full length record, Hurts Like Hell. The album is Cornfield’s first release since the birth of her daughter in 2023.

During our conversation, we chatted openly about the challenges that Charlotte faces as a mother trying to navigate the world of indie rock. She shares the story of the touring mothers support group chat that she is a part of, which has provided her with a huge network of resources and support since her daughter’s birth.

Charlotte and I also talked at length about the ways that she approaches storytelling in her own songwriting, and we geek out over the gloriously awesome Canadian power pop band Sloan. We also talk about the rising tide of so many talented women right now in the world of alt-country and roots music, a phenomenon that Charlotte suggests is largely happening due to the influence and example of the great Lucinda Williams.

There is a lot to unpack here.

Let’s get into it.

Cheers,Matty C

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End Credits

Thanks so much to Charlotte for joining me. You can find out all about her music, find tour dates and more at her website https://charlottecornfield.com/

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.

You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it.

Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show.

You can email the show anytime at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking

Tommy Nickoloff never set out to be a filmmaker. Growing up in the narrow world of Lorain, Ohio just outside of Cleveland, the arts were something other people did in other places. In Lorain, you worked, you took care of your family, and you did what was expected. Nickoloff’s childhood friend Jason Molina refused to accept that path for himself. From the get go, Nickoloff remembers Molina as something of a different breed, possessing a rare bravery that allowed him to chart his own path.

In high school, both Nickoloff and Molina were encouraged by teachers and counselors to go away to college and get out of Lorain. Nickoloff set off across the country, while Molina commuted just a few miles down the road to Oberlin College, which might have been geographically close, but it was a cultural haven miles away to a boy from Lorain.

Jason Molina would go on to lead the bands Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Company, which were both anchored by his titanic songwriting. For close to twenty years, Molina cranked out some of the most literate rock and roll of the last half century, until his untimely death at the age of 39. Despite such an early exit, Molina left behind a massive catalog that includes more than 15 studio albums as well as a slew of singles, EPs, and live recordings.

Encouraged by a friend to tell Jason’s story, Nickoloff set out to recapture his youth with Jason Molina. The new documentary, You Fuckers Figure It Out is an intimate look at the youths of Molina and Nickoloff. The film paints a vivid portrait of growing up in the post-industrial landscape of northern Ohio at the height of the Reagan era.

Tommy and I began talking so quickly that we got ten minutes into the chat before I realized I had not yet hit record. Because of this production gaffe, we missed some of our initial conversation that sets up the relationship between Tommy and Jason. Additionally, we will talk about Jason’s first band, The Spineriders a few times, but the context for that was also lost in the un-taped segment. Regardless, this is an amazing conversation of how Tommy Nickoloff set out to honor the story of his friend and in the end wound up finding his own purpose and path as a filmmaker. Art breeds art, my friends.

Let’s get into it.

Cheers,Matty C

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End Credits

Thanks so much to Tommy for joining me. You can find out all about his new documentary at https://www.yffio.com/

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.

You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it.

Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show.

You can email the show anytime at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking