The Resistance

From his days fronting the indie rock band Hey, Rosetta! to his current run as a solo artist, Tim Baker 's music has always had a way of connecting at a deeper level. On this episode, the Canadian songwriter opens up about creative friction and why it means everything to the process of making anything. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite an impressive and growing list of fellowships, awards, and prizes, author/poet Michael Kleber-Diggs opens up about the difficulties of sensitive subjects and the very real struggles he still faces to believe whether or not his voice is needed.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of The Resistance, Alasdair MacLean chronicles his songwriting journey and the creative lessons learned, how The Clientele 's most popular song only took 10 minutes to write, and the connective tissue of their brand new album, I Am Not There Anymore . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Johnnyswim 's infectious pop music has carried them from The Today Show to The Tonight Show , but the primary goal of their work has always been about creating meaningful connections. On this episode, Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano tell us about the way art generates community and how music continues to heal them to this day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our discussion with singer-songwriter Jill Andrews takes a number of turns, from her ability to differentiate herself from her music to the subjects that are too personal to write about. And just as her music finds a way to effortlessly connect with the listener, we’ve no doubt her insights here into creativity and resistance will do the same. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With 3 Grammy wins, 16 million albums sold, and 30 years of experience, the members of Hanson have learned a thing or two about creativity and resistance. In this episode, they emphasize the importance of being present and the difficulties of differentiating oneself from one's work.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Life doesn't get in the way, so to speak, for Colin West . As an award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter, West has instead learned to embrace the mundane and routine for the substance it provides the stories he tells, including his latest film, Linoleum , a New York Times Critics Pick starring Jim Gaffigan, Tony Shalhoub, and Rhea Seehorn. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After nine full-length albums, numerous global tours, multiple Brit Awards, and four Platinum releases, you'd think Fran Healy and his bandmates in Travis would be a bit more confident in their ability to write a great song. But Healy says it was never about talent. It's just about a willingness to dig and nothing more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In nearly 20 years as frontman of The Wood Brothers , Oliver Wood has built an incredible catalog of Grammy-nominated, genre-defying music. The key to such longevity is his career-long fight to stay distracted—yes,  distracted —in his creative processes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a teenager, acclaimed vocalist Liz Vice lived with a severe autoimmune disease that could have killed her. On this episode, Liz tells us about the creative fears that still have a hold on her, even as her gospel/R&B fusion has made her an NPR darling and given her a considerable platform. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joshua Henry , fresh off his appearance in the film Tick, Tick...Boom! , is a three-time Tony nominee known for his work in Carousel , The Scottsboro Boys , Hamilton, and Waitress who also recently released his debut album, Grow . The secret to so much success? Henry says he tries to listen to "the voice before the voice" as a daily practice. Check out our latest conversation on The Resistance. Se...

Conor O'Brien is trying his best to avoid "the algorithm blues." As the songwriter and central figure in the Mercury Prize nominated band  Villagers , Conor knows a thing or two about the wrestling required with and the shadow side of social media. As a recording artist, there's an inherent need to stay in front of listeners—to create content, to stay connected, to fan the flames of fan...

On this episode of The Resistance, screenwriter Tony Tost  ( Longmire , Damnation , The Terror ) describes the (lack of) mental issues with writing in his career and why he believes that to be the case. He also opens up about his uncommon path toward a career in the arts and how that's given him such a different perspective on creativity and fear. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

Josh Radnor has found success on the screen and stage and, most recently, as a songwriter, but despite his experience and expansive platform, he still wrestles with the same basic fears, voices, and pressures that plagued him when he was first starting out. We recently spoke with Josh to hear more about his creative drive and the lessons learned in a career in the arts. See omnystudio.com/listener...

Natashia Deón wears many, many creative hats, including that of acclaimed author (for her celebrated novel, Grace) . On this episode of The Resistance, Natashia speaks openly about the power of her faith to fuel her activities and what she’s learned about balance and self-care in the midst of so many demands. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oscar-nominated composer Emile Mosseri speaks about the devastating beauty of Minari , his journey to becoming a composer, and the tension of working toward someone else's creative vision versus his own. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From his multi-Tony Award musical Spring Awakening to penning hit singles like "Barely Breathing", Duncan Sheik has experienced considerable success on multiple fronts as a songwriter. However, he says nothing is more important than making art that is, first and foremost, interesting to him. The marketplace will make its demands, but that all-too-often comes at a cost to the artist. On this episod...

After 15 years in the music biz, Mat Kearney says the only healthy rudder when it comes to his work is whether or not he's personally interested. It's a hard lesson to learn, to wall off the surrounding influences and pressures, but he's done so once again on his captivating new album, January Flower . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak with musician/composer Saunder Jurriaans ( Ozark , American Gods ) about the anxiety and adventure of stepping out into something new—the resistance he faced when releasing music of his own making for no other reason than obedience to the impulses inside him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this latest episode, singer-songwriter Josh Kelley details his journey toward personal betterment, a years-long battle against toxic voices of fear and deference. On the other side, he shares some valuable lessons learned and how they affect his creativity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To hear Mahogany L. Browne 's story is to not only understand more about the substantive work of an acclaimed artist but also to unearth something deeper about the importance of claiming your own voice. Her courage to face her fears has gifted us with meaningful writing, a platform she's leveraged to encourage and elevate so many other voices. On the verge of releasing her new novel,  Chlorin...

We're not sure how Alisa Xayalith or Thom Powers crafted something so meaningfully synthetic, but their new album is a heartening, even healing listen. This episode features an honest conversation with The Naked & Famous about how meaningful art can somehow emerge from a season of loss and confusion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's no way to make this more palatable: friction is essential to creativity. This episode of The Resistance features an honest conversation with acclaimed singer-songwriter William Fitzsimmons , an artist who has learned the connective value from allowing friction to do its work. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode of the Resistance features an honest conversation with acclaimed musician Brooke Waggoner about the tension of when to stop and start, when to move forward and how to let go. There are no right answers, but there are meaningful questions asked and Brooke has much to teach us based on the journey she's taken. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fortitude and fragility are strange bedfellows, but singer-songwriter Mindy Smith says both are essential to her craft as a songwriter. It's a mix we all need if we seek to do the work before us. To chase the dream, to bring about the imagined, to pin down the evasive—we must enter the fragility of the unknown and walk it out with an unfounded confidence. See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...