The Other 22 Hours

As a founding member of the legendary Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and a three-time Grammy winner, Jeff Hanna has navigated nearly sixty years in the industry, which also includes credits with the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, and many others. In this conversation we explore the geography of inspiration, from the 1970s Troubadour scene to his forty-year anchor in Nashville’s song...

As the architect behind Rolling Stone Country and the host of the Nashville Now podcast, Joe Hudak has spent decades at the center of the industry. Along with Alison Abbey Hudak, a veteran editor who has shaped the narrative of Nashville’s elite lifestyle media, they offer a wealth of experience in creative survival. This conversation dives into the "show business" of art , the moral weigh...

What happens to the creative spirit when you have been a professional "lifer" since the age of nine? Derek Trucks, widely considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time and a veteran of the Allman Brothers Band and Eric Clapton’s touring lineup, joins us to discuss longevity and leading a 12-piece musical circus. We explore the gradual shift from student to teacher, the grounding fo...

How does an artist outlast the industry machine to build a career entirely on her own terms? We sit down with GRAMMY-winner, ACM Vocalist of the year, and CMA Horizon Award recipient Suzy Bogguss to explore the evolution of a 40-year career that spans platinum records and her 2026 induction into the Grand Ole Opry. This conversation is an invitation to reconsider what we value, moving away from th...

GRAMMY-nominated songwriter Amythyst Kiah has performed with Moby and Billy Strings and is a member of the supergroup Our Native Daughters. She joins us for a startlingly honest look at the "farce of surface-level success." After a label debut and a whirlwind of global exposure, she found herself "barely hanging on for dear life" amidst the pressure of a rat race industry. We explo...

James Victore is an Emmy Award-winning artist and author whose work is held in the permanent collection of the Louvre and has been exhibited many times at MoMA (NYC). Victore has shaped the visual language of institutions from 'The New York Times' to the City of New York. In this conversation, we explore the spiritual gravity of "staying in the pool" when creativity gets hard, disc...

Singer-songwriter S.G. Goodman has earned critical acclaim, award nominations, and has worked with legends like Tyler Childers, Jason Isbell, and Jim James of My Morning Jacket. In this episode, we discuss the grueling physical and mental requirements of "making it." From working manual labor to stay afloat while not on the road to navigating the complex realities of running a bona fide bu...

5-time GRAMMY-nominee Hunter Hayes has spent his entire life on the national stage, from performing at the White House at age seven to sharing stadium spotlights with the likes of Stevie Wonder and Taylor Swift. Yet, behind the multi-platinum accolades was a realization that his professional development had far outpaced his personal life. In this episode, we explore the vulnerability of "growi...

Butch Walker has spent decades at the summit of the music industry, producing multi-platinum records for icons like Pink, Katy Perry, and Green Day while fronting his own high-energy solo tours. Yet, despite reaching that peak, he found himself "climbing the hill" so intently that he had forgotten to look at the view, leading to burnout and a desire to step back. In this conversation, we e...

Kathleen Edwards has been releasing records for over 20 years on labels such as Rounder and Dualtone, she is critically acclaimed by NPR, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Rolling Stone, and has worked with Jason Isbell, Bon Iver, John Doe, Marren Morris. We talk to Kathleen about winning the lottery, quitting as an ego reset, why musicians are the bottom of the food chain, finishing on a po...

UMAW (the United Musicians and Allied Workers) is a labor organization that 'Aims to organize music workers to fight for a more just music industry and to join with other workers in the struggle for a better society.' Their campaigns include Fair Pay at SXSW, #MyMerch (raising awareness of venues taking an unfair cut), Justice at Spotify, and probably most prominently, The Living Wage For...

Chely Wright has sold over 1.5 million records with 90s country anthems like "Single White Female" and "Shut Up and Drive," she released her landmark autobiography, "Like Me" in 2010, becoming the first mainstream country star to come out, and forcing open conversations about LGBTQ identity, after a 10 year absence she returned to The Opry in 2019, released another book &#3...

Jim Keller started in the music industry as part of Tommy Tutone, writing the hit '867-5309/Jenny', then the bands career sank and he left performing, landing as an assistant and then manager for Phillip Glass, Nico Muhly, Ravi Shankar, and others, before 'retiring' and returning to making music by hosting jam sessions with members of The Black Crowes, Levon Helm's band, The Be...

Max Wanger is an LA-based photographer who has shot the likes of Taylor Swift, Mandy Moore, Blake Mills, Glen Hansard, Madison Cunningham and past guests of ours Lucius, The Watson Twins, and The Milk Carton Kids, as well as Conde Nast Traveler, Virgin Records, Vans, Nike and many many more. We talk to Max about listening to the lull, doing jobs that pay the bills while protecting play and soul in...

Raye Zaragoza has released 4+ records all independently, toured as Tigerlily in the Broadway touring version of Peter Pan (updated for indigenous representation by Native American playwright Larissa FastHorse), wrote the music for the Netflix series 'Spirit Rangers', and has placed songs in a substantial number of TV shows from Greys Anatomy to Station 19. We talk to Raye about the toxic h...

Kris Delmhorst has released 12+ records independently and via Signature Sounds, has written/performed and recorded with Mary Gauthier, Lori McKenna, Grant Lee Phillips, Peter Wolf (lead singer of J. Geils Band), and more, is critically acclaimed by The Boston Globe, LA Times, Pop Matters, and all your favorite songwriters, and has written for tv & film, as well as countless festivals all over...

Will Hoge has released 13+ albums both independently and on major labels (Atlantic), has been nominated for Grammy, ACM, and CMA awards, and has toured with NEEDTOBREATHE, Jason Isbell, Lisa Loeb, Sugarland, Michelle Branch and others. We talk to Will about the emotional and professional fallout of writing politically charged songs, the role of parenting in shaping artistic courage and empathy, th...

Malin Pettersen is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and Spellemannprisen winner (Norwegian Grammy), who has released multiple solo records as well as records with her band, Lucky Lips, has toured extensively throughout Europe and America, and has been acclaimed by Rolling Stone, Forbes, No Depression, Paste and even Iris Dement is a fan. We talk with Malin about the illusion of success, cultural dual...

Jillian Jacqueline has released 4+ records/EPs on both major and independent labels, she started performing at 8 years old, had a charting song at 12 (with Billy Dean and Suzie Bogguss), has worked with Vince Gill, Suzy Bogguss, Richard Marx, Keith Urban, and Shane McAnally, played the Grand Ole Opry, and toured all over the world. We talk to Jillian about redefining success, industry expectations...

Flyte are the British duo of songwriters Will Taylor and Nicolas Hill, who started creating together in grade school before signing to a major label (Island Records), leaving that for indie labels (Nettwerk), working with producers such as Ethan Johns, and collaborating with the likes of The Staves, Laura Marling, and Madison Cunningham. We talk with them about a lot of the inner workings of their...

Lera Lynn has released 8+ records, written and recorded songs for True Detective (HBO) with T-Bone Burnett and Rosanne Cash (as well as being cast as a character), played Late Night with David Letterman, toured extensively nationally and internationally, and has been praised by NPR, Rolling Stone, Nylon, and other outlets. We go deep with Lera on learning and setting your own boundaries with yours...

Yancey Strickler is a writer and entrepreneur that co-founded Kickstarter (and was CEO for 3 years), Metalabel, The Creative Independent, and A-Corp (Artist Corporations). Essentially, each of these ventures exist to equip creative people with capabilities, knowledge, and tools that make them more powerful. We cover the different facets of this at length, especially his concept of, and push to cre...

Josh Radnor is an actor, director, writer, singer/songwriter best known as Ted Mosby from the TV show 'How I Met Your Mother'. In addition to 9 seasons of the hit show, he has written and directed multiple films, appeared on Broadway, released multiple solo records of original music, and has a duo with Australian singer/songwriter Ben Lee. We talk to Josh about giving yourself permission t...

AJR are a multi-platinum trio of brothers who started busking in NYC in 2005, and have gone on to release 10 records/EPs (mostly independently, with only 1 major label release), rack up 8+ platinum singles (some multi) and 1 platinum record, nominations for Billboard, iHeartRadio, and American Music Awards, and tours selling out places such as Madison Square Garden and the Hollywood Bowl. We talk...

Dave Hause's spans 30+ years, from Philly-based punk and hardcore bands (like Paint it Black and The Loved Ones) to his solo career, dozens of records and world-wide touring, and starting his own label with his brother called Blood Harmony Records. We talk with Dave about the blue collar work of a creative career, showing up and doing the work, the role and power of anticipation in a creative...