Pursuing the Muse

Welcome back to Pursuing the Muse. Joining us today is Nashville’s Sophie Gault an east coast raised songwriter and guitarist celebrated for her aggressive playing style and a commitment to uncompromising honesty. Stay tuned as we discuss the single comment from her manager that redefined her sound, the eight-hour marathon session that captured lightning in a bottle, and why she considers the act...

Welcome to Pursuing the Muse. Today we’re joined by Nathan Evans Fox, a musician whose brand of country blends Appalachian roots with deep empathy.  Stay tuned as we discuss the raw emotion of Nathan becoming a father while losing his own in the same year. We’ll also explore his inventive "rewilding" of the banjo and hear all about his beautiful new album, Heirloom, out now, Pick it up tod...

Welcome again to Pursuing the Muse! Today we are joined by Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist, the frontmen and primary songwriters of the Austin-based Band of Heathens, who are celebrating twenty years of making great music. Stick around to hear how their song craft has evolved over the years. Learn how Hurricane grew into a platinum monster. And find out which band member played linebacker in college. ---...

Welcome to Pursuing the Muse. Today we feature Warner Hodges, an Americana pioneer who rose from childhood drumming in USO country bands to defining the cowpunk sound with Jason and the Scorchers. He's also played alongside Dan Baird and Homemade Sin, as well as, the Bluefields. Now he's fronting the Warner E Hodges Band and not missing a beat. In this episode, Warner reveals why his wife...

Today's guest is Nate Sipe, a founding member of the legendary Minnesota string band pert near Sandstone, who has been a staple of the Midwestern roots scene for over twenty years. As a multi-instrumentalist and co-curator of the Blue Ox Music Festival, Nate offers a unique look at the pipe dream of a lifelong career in music. In this episode, Nate reveals the origin of the band's name, di...

Welcome back to Pursuing the Muse! I’m your host, Tom Compton Today, we are exploring the intersection of faith and melody with Father James Wallace. He's a native of Winnetka, Illinois and a trained canon lawyer, Father James serves as pastor in the archdiocese of Chicago and a professor at Mundelein Seminary Today we'll be discussing how your favorite rock songs can be seen through a spi...

Welcome to Pursuing the Muse. This episode we're exploring bridging the world of music and the teachings of the Buddha. Our guest today is a retired Buddhist monk whose background includes being a college music major and a musician in the US Navy. His search for life's answers led him to the Thai Forest Buddhist tradition in the lineage of Bhikkhu Buddhadasa. In this episode, we'll rev...

Welcome to Pursuing the Muse; I’m your host, Tom Compton. Today, we’re joined by Henry Conlon, a Nashville-based artist originally from Long Island whose baritone voiced songs are helping him make a name for himself in the music world. Stay tuned as we discuss surviving an ice storm, the whirlwind experience of recording full albums in just two days, and the real-life newspaper obituary that inspi...

Welcome to Pursuing the Muse! Today, we are joined by a very special returning guest, Jon Danforth. An Arkansas native now living in Dallas, Jon is here to discuss his brand new LP, Natural State—a rootsy, nostalgic project six years in the making. Listen in as we discuss the 'bacon and birds' inspiration behind the lead single, how a 'weed bouquet' led to a life-changing confessio...

Welcome back to Pursuing the Muse. Today, we’re joined by Gary Landess, frontman of the Chicago-based dirty blues rock quartet Gatorwater. Known for their slithering slide guitar and a rhythm section that thumps like a creature emerging from the swamp, the band recently released their heavy new album, Hydrophonic. In this episode, Gary reveals how a warped, unplayable guitar accidentally launched...

Welcome to Pursuing the Muse. Today, we are joined by the legendary Justin Warfield. From signing a solo deal at sixteen on Quincy Jones’s label to his global success with She Wants Revenge, Justin has spent thirty years navigating diverse genres.  Stick around as we discuss how Beastie Boys made it safe for him to be a 'total weirdo' in early hip-hop, the 'perfect storm' involving...

Welcome to Pursuing the Muse. This go round we have Mark Guarino, a veteran journalist for the Washington Post and ABC News, and author of the award-winning music history book, Country and Midwestern.  We discuss how Chicago’s role in country and folk history is like an independent research lab. While Nashville became the high-profile factory producing the finished "products" for the mass...

Welcome to Pursuing the Muse. This week we’re diving into the wonderful new album, Clams Casino, with the artist who created it, Brian Dunne. Brian is a singer-songwriter based in New York. He’s known for combining rock and roll with raw, literate self-examination, and he is also a member of the supergroup Fantastic Cat. Stick around as Brian discusses the core conflict of his working-class charac...

Welcome to Pursuing the Muse. Today we welcome Atlanta musician Elijah Johnston, winner of the 2022 Vic Chesnutt Songwriter of the Year Award. His new album, Stupid Soul, blends lush Americana, power pop, and 90s alternative sounds, earning praise for its diversity. Elijah's most recent release is the holiday song "The Joy in Everything". Hear Elijah discuss how recording Stupid Soul b...

Today on Pursuing the Muse, we are in conversation with Nashville native, Gabe Lee! Gabe is an award-winning songwriter, recently named Saving Country Music’s 2023 Album of the Year winner for Drink The River. Known for crafting songs that blend country, folk, and rock, Lee is celebrated as a versatile performer and profound storyteller. Stay tuned to hear Gabe reveal the working title of his next...

Welcome back to Pursuing the Muse! Jon Nolan is back for his second appearance on the podcast. We are diving deep into his fantastic new album, Slow Cooker. Jon hails from Newmarket, New Hampshire, aka "Shoe Town". He is a seasoned musician, having co-fronted Say ZuZu with Cliff Murphy as well as taking the reigns with his own band, Good Company.  Stay tuned as Jon reveals the raw, emotion...

Welcome back to Pursuing the Muse. I’m Tom Compton, and today we’re talking the recent vinyl release of the Yayhoos two albums with half the members of the band: Terry Anderson and Eric Ambel. The Yayhoos are a roots-rock supergroup, featuring former Georgia Satellites frontman Dan Baird, Eric Ambel of The Del-Lords, Terry Anderson of the Olympic Ass Kickin Team and bassist extradoinaire Keith Chr...

Welcome back to Pursuing the Muse! I’m Tom Compton, and we are kicking off season four strong with a special guest, welcoming Grammy Award-winning musician, songwriter, and producer Buick Audra.  She's a Nashville resident, her fourth solo record, ADULT CHILD, is a strikingly personal concept album released in June 2025. She is also the guitarist and primary songwriter in the melodic heavy duo...

We're shutting down season three with a return of two of the season's great guests, Mike Delevante and Tim Fitzgerald. We're inventing a new genre of Chicago Nash Jazz Rock. Listen in for talk of singing harmonies, playing overseas, Hammond organs and all that AI can't replicate. The show notes have fact checked that Sha Na Na did perform at the Woodstock festival as claimed by Mik...

This week, Pursuing the Muse declares "The thrill is not gone" because we're thrilled to feature blues phenom D.K. Harrell. At just 27, this Award-winning guitarist and vocalist is recognized as a leading light of the younger generation of blues artists. His new Alligator Records debut album, Talkin' Heavy, showcases his powerful original songs and unique sound, cementing his place...

This week, Pursuing the Muse is excited to feature Scottish-born, Texas-raised, and Nashville-based country singer-songwriter Callum Kerr. Beyond his music, Callum is an accomplished actor, having starred in 13 films and TV series, including hit Netflix shows like Virgin River and One Piece. He's just released his debut EP, 'Roots Under Me'. In our chat, Callum shares about his Grand O...

Welcome to Pursuing the Muse! Today, we're joined by Lucy Kaplansky, a New York folk singer-songwriter who took a detour as a psychologist, before returning to music with acclaimed solo albums and supergroups such as Cry Cry Cry. Lucy and I discuss her new career retrospective album, "The Lucy Story," her unique songwriting process, co-writing with her husband, and the emotional impact...

This week on Pursuing the Muse we're joined by the talented Jessica Willis Fisher. Jessica is a Nashville based singer-songwriter and fiddle player. She has an acclaimed new album out now called "Blooming" which is the follow up to her debut "Brand New Day". She is also the author of the powerful memoir, "Unspeakable", which chronicles the domestic abuse of her childhoo...

Welcome to Pursuing the Muse! Today, we're excited to bring you an in-depth conversation with a true master of the blues, the legendary Larry McCray. Get ready to dive deep into his musical journey and the creative process behind his compelling new album. Larry McCray is an acclaimed American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, originally from Magnolia, Arkansas. He learned guitar from hi...

Get ready for a deep dive into the mind of Dustin Lowman! In the latest episode of Pursuing the Muse, Tom Compton sits down with singer-songwriter Dustin Lowman to discuss his captivating album, "Invulnerable,". Dustin Lowman is a singer-songwriter residing in the greater New York City area, drawing inspiration from masters like Bob Dylan. He released his album "Invulnerable" in la...