The Art Inside the Craft

Katie Callahan is not only a wife and mother, but a dynamic and fascinating singer songwriter. Her journey has taken her from growing up in Hawaii, being a worship leader in church, to finally expressing her creativity through her own songs as a singer songwriter. Extraordinary is a fitting title for her latest album and this conversation with Katie was a lot of fun getting to know more about her...

A.J. Croce may have grown up with a famous last name from his father, Jim Croce, but his talent and complete dedication to his craft laid aside any doubts of his ability. A.J., who first performed as a paid musician at the age of 12, has work with some true legends in the music game and established himself as a unique talent. Having stayed away from performing his fathers music live until the last...

Johnny Stachela is without a doubt one of the top slide players in the game today. He's spent his lifetime dedicated to the craft of guitar playing and landed himself not only among phenomenal band mates in his various bands, but also among some of the best of all time. His close friendship and partnership with Duane Betts has resulted in incredible music and every time I've seen them take the sta...

Doug Levitt has had a fascinating couple of careers. He began as a London based foreign correspondent for CNN and ABC but decided that singing and song writing was the right path for him. He spent a number of years traveling via Greyhound bus which lead to a BBC World Service Documentary and an album titled Edge of Everywhere. Doug and I discuss his roots in music and how he ended up switching car...

Omar Doom has spent his entire life, and career in pursuit of following his artistic passions and creating pieces of work that grab your attention.  Whether painting along the Seine in France, creating incredible, and interesting music, or plying his acting craft alongside actors like Brad Pit and Vanessa Ferlito in a Quentin Tarantino film, Omar is absolutely a master at his chosen disciplin...

Jimmy Gnecco is as talented a musical artist that I've come across in my many years of searching out new music.  His dedication to following his artistic integrity, whether a solo project or in his band OURS, has resulted in opportunities like singing on the Spiderman 2 soundtrack with Brian May from Queen playing guitar,  Lana Del Rey writing a song called "Jimmy Gnecco", and the late C...

Benjamin Dakota Rogers is a phenomenal singer songwriter and multi instrumentalist out of Canada that has been leveraging social media, especially TikTok, to help spread the word about his music.  He records and films a lot of his content out of his barn and has created a tremendous following of fans because of his efforts.  And for a guy that has to often times drive 8+ hours between Ca...

Myron Elkins and his band just dropped their first full length album, Factories, Farms, & Amphetamines, which was recorded at the historic RCA Studio A in Nashville, TN with the Legendary Producer, Dave Cobb.  They are a young band with a sound that harkens back to every Detroit, MI legend that you can think of and they do it very well.  From the first time I saw them on stage openin...

Elizabeth Moen may have started her life with Iowa roots but her incredible talent as a singer, and songwriter has taken her from between the Missouri and Mississippi rivers that border Iowa, and onto the international stage.  She has created her own genre of music by blending r&b, rock, sentimental ballads, and a splash of edge punk from time to time.  And all that musical talent ha...

Andrew Combs is one of those singer songwriters that just blows me away each time he puts out a new album.  The interesting ways that he approaches the lyrics and music that accompanies his cinematic stories is a true gift.  You never know what to expect but you can always expect something incredible. Andrew explains the mental health issues leading up to the album and how his friend, pr...

Episode 21 is a fun conversation with the incredible musician, author, and artist, Andy Aledort.  His entire career seems to be an examination of how he can express himself through his guitar and that passion has lead him to play with, and count himself among the legends in the game.  Andy is as humble about his talents as he is giving with his knowledge and I consider it an honor to hav...

Alan Paul has spent years interviewing some of the most incredible musicians of all genres.  We deep dive into how he got started and how that passion lead him to some of the most incredible and insightful stories and interviews ever written.  Eventually, we get to his most recent book Texas Flood: The Inside Story of Stevie Ray Vaughan which he co-wrote with legendary guitar player and...

Maggie McClure and Shane Henry are the singer-songwriters, husband and wife duo that joined forces under the band name, The Imaginaries.  I found them through the John Cuniberti OneMic Series and have been a fan ever since.  Their infectious harmonies and talented songwriting work perfectly together and their music is an extension of the powerhouse of creativity that they embody. This ep...

Noah Lekas is an incredible poet, writer, and musician who draws on his mid-west roots as well as the literature and words of some of the greatest writers of this and the last century for his various inspirations.  His book Saturday Night Sage and vinyl album Sounds From the Shadow Factory were incredible works of art on their own and along with the films and music that were created based on his w...

Dickie Prall may have small town Iowa roots, but his skills as a singer songwriter have taken him across the United States preforming for fans of his everywhere.  His last album, Minus Thieves, which was co produced by Pat Sansone of Wilco and Joshua Shapera, was incredible and we discussed the difficulties of have a new album available just as Covid hit.  Dickie is out touring now and luckily I'l...

While David Duchovny may be best known as a 2 time Golden Globe, multiple SAG nominations, and actor in more movies than I can list, his music and songwriting are what lead him to The Art Inside the Craft podcast.  We discuss the songwriting process, how the album had to be started, stopped, and restarted because of covid, and getting the band out on the road. Follow him on website , Instagra...

Chris Roberts may have stumbled into a career as a musician but he’s quickly become a powerful force in the music world. His first EP, Red Feather, grabbed my attention from the very first song and his most recent, Lost and Found, did the same. His vibe is rock and roll, Cowboy Hippie and is a real call back to classic bands like Delaney and Bonnie, The Band, and Joe Cocker.   Check out his music...

This episode of the Art Inside The Craft is with singer songwriter, Kaiti Jones.  In 2021 Kaiti released an incredible album titled Tossed and I had the opportunity to discuss it with her.  She writes from the heart and takes her time to craft the music the way that she wants it to appear on the album.  She throws in a lot of interesting elements and always surprises me from song to...

Episode 13 features Warren Haynes, who has contributed to some of the most incredible music ever made.  His ever inventive and unique touch has been felt with bands like The Allman Brothers Band, The Dead, and of course the music he's created with Gov't Mule.  I invited him on the show to discuss their new album Heavy Load Blues, which is more of a traditional blues album and features a...

Colton Crawford is an incredible banjo player in one of the most exciting and ground breaking bands touring the roads today, and that's not even the most interesting thing about him.  Picking up the banjo relatively late, in his early 20's, he worked to master the instrument that guys like Steve Martin really brought into pop culture.  So what do you do once you've got that in hand, well...

Al Torrence is a Pennsylvania native whose built an amazing career out of his passion for music.  He's the owner for Music Garden Studios, a premier recording studio in New Brighton, Pa where he lays down tracks with life long friends that are the studio band, and also the backing band for the incredible singer songwriter, Charles Wesley Godwin.  Al has produced both hit records for Godw...

Episode 10 is with the incredible singer songwriter, Charles Wesley Godwin.  Charles created a true masterpiece with his 2019 album Seneca and he's recently released another album, How The Mighty Fall.  It's feels like a part 2 of Seneca in that it's full of more heartfelt stories, more of the sincerity that Godwin exudes, and incredible album production through his friend and guitar pla...

Kirk West may have started out as a gear head in Navada, Iowa, but his passion for photography and music took him to Chicago, and then around the world.  He's been a tour manager for the Allman Brothers Band and photographed some of the most incredible musicians through out the 1970's and 1980's in Chicago.  He and his wife Kirsten also purchased the house that the Allman Brothers Band l...

In episode 8 I talk with John Cuniberti about the history of recorded music, his OneMic Series, and how musicians having a conversation between them selves in the studio with their instruments is critical.  We discuss how he sets up the musicians around the mic and how that affects the balance and overall sound of the recordings.  We also touch on the historic rooms that these are record...

Texas native, Thomas Csorba released a self titled album last year and in my opinion, it was one of the best albums of the year.  I talked to Thomas shortly after the release of the album and among the things we discussed were, Beau Bedford of the Texas Gentleman producing, as well as a few of my favorites from the album.   Get over to his website and pick up an album or check his tour d...