Hoosier singer-songwriter Jon McLaughlin performs two shows with the Carmel Symphony Orchestra on December 18th. Morning host Matt Pelsor caught up with him for a delightful chat to talk about his new music, his podcast Dadville with singer-songwriter Dave Barnes, and shooting the music video for his new song “Why it Hurts.”

Lukas Nelson sings with his famous family on The Willie Nelson Family album, which came out on November 19th. His own band, Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real released a new album in July called A Few Stars Apart. Matt Pelsor speaks with him about both albums, plus his extensive work on the 2018 film A Star is Born, and about his spiritual experiences with astronomy and swimming with dolphins.

Sting is out with a new record called “The Bridge” on November the 19th. He talks with Matt Pelsor about the European tour that brought him to some ancient venues, including a special one he played on his 70th birthday. He also spoke about his Las Vegas residency, and his cameo in Hulu’s “Only Murders in The Building.”

Dave Pirner recently talked to Matt Pelsor about how his band navigated the pandemic, having put out their twelfth studio album just before lockdowns started. He reflected on the impact of their biggest song “Runaway Train,” and talked about the experience of having Prince record one of his songs.

Billy Idol will bring an intimate acoustic performance to Old National Centre on November 27th with his longtime guitarist and collaborator Steve Stevens. Morning host Matt Pelsor recently caught up with him to talk about their musical relationship, the inspiration for his new EP “The Roadside,” and his association with pop star Miley Cyrus.

John Mellencamp turns 70 on October 7th, 2021. His impact on music, and the Hoosier state can’t be overstated. In 2008, Paul Mendenhall spent a full hour with him in his art studio to talk about his career. From the big hits to his personal favorites, John Mellencamp generously reflected on his music, and offered some signature commentary on the state of things.

Vance Joy is having a great year. Morning host Matt Pelsor sat down with him over Zoom to talk about the two new songs we’ve enjoyed so far in 2021. He broke down the collaborative effort that went into his song “You” with Benny Blanco and Marshmello, and talked about what it meant to break the song “Missing Piece” on the TV show Grey’s Anatomy. And because this interview was recorded while the Summer Olympics were happening, he wanted to talk about his love of skateboarding.

Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach joined Laura Duncan in the summer of 2015 while Black Keys were on hiatus to talk about his side project “The Arcs” ahead of their only full-length release “Yours, Dreamily.” Laura asked about the difference between producing for his own projects versus other artists, and was surprised by an impromptu second interview with fellow collaborator and bandmate, the late Richard Swift.

Chris Martin of Coldplay speaks with WTTS host Rob Humphrey about debuting their new song “Higher Power” from the International Space Station, as well as his songwriting process and what he did for the teacher who first encouraged him to write songs. Rob asked about working with mega-producer Max Martin, and got an entertaining response to a question about favorite movies.

Singer songwriter Brett Dennen just embarked on his first post-pandemic tour, which brought him through Indianapolis on July 9th. He and WTTS morning host Matt Pelsor talked about his new album, “See The World,” which he finished just before the world shut down, and how the confluence of a finished album and a global pandemic affected him mentally. They also talk about fatherhood, wine, art, and their shared love of the great outdoors.