FaceCulture: Giving You The People Behind The Music

Burmudian singer-songwriter Heather Nova has been releasing music for well over 25 years, and the passion and fervor with which she approaches her music to this day is inspiring to see. We spoke about her album Pearl (2019) and what songwriting means to her, but also on a more personal level about going through a divorce, her relationship with nature, and how topics like these find a way into her...

I had interviewed Canadian musician, singer and songwriter Patrick Watson years earlier, in the same hotel, so I knew he would be a interesting and willing talker. When I arrived, however, I realized I had forgotten my research, and the hotel restaurant was so loud that there was no real way to do the interview inside. We had to be creative, so when Patrick spotted a very colorful egg to sit in I...

Before doing this interview I actually had met Wesley on one occassion, only briefly, when I was filming an interview with him in one of the first weeks as an intern at FaceCulture. The Lumineers were already riding high with their hit song "Ho Hey" and their debut album but what struck me about Wesley was how open he was in talking about his life and his music (something that at the time I though...

To be honest I didn't know that much about the drums before getting the opportunity to talk to founder, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Pierce just over a year ago. So I didn't really know what to expect, but from the get-go this conversation felt like talking to someone I had know for years. Jonathan spoke openly and candidly about being vulnerable, what makes him most happy, tapping...

I remember being shown a performance of "Flow" on YouTube years ago and it absolutely mesmerized me. This was before loop stations were commonly used so the fact that he could create all these sounds and weave them into an awesome track just seemed so amazing to me. And most importantly, you could see the passion, the genuine creative talent, with which he did it. So fast forward to years later an...

This was the third time I personally had the pleasure of sitting down with Beth Hart (FaceCulture has spoken with her many times). She's such an honest and candid person and because she's had quite the life already she always has an interesting perspective on things. Which makes my job even easier. For this interview the only aim was to focus on positive things, like her early love for the piano,...

Although being a self-proclaimed introvert this interview with American singer-songwriter Damien Jurado was one of those conversations that felt very natural from the beginning. We spoke about his upcoming record What's New Tomboy, how he writes his songs, his friendship with producer Richard Swift who sadly recently passed away, and a memory of Bo Diddley's Oh Yeah, among other things.  Support t...

It was such a pleasure sitting down Status Quo's own Francis Rossi for a conversation. The interview took place in the American hotel in Amsterdam, where Rossi said he had lived for several months in years past. He seemed to be in a great mood and is quite the conversationalist which made the interview flow very naturally. We talked about his experiences in the music business, his relationship wit...

I had heard and read a lot about James before sitting down with him, both good and bad. Of course I'd seen him on X-Factor UK but I didn't really know what to expect. He was in Amsterdam for a showcase and was kind enough to sit down with us to talk about his music, reinventing himself, letting go of the pressure he dealt with earlier in his career, music snobbery and more! What I remember most fr...

Although FaceCulture had spoken to him before, this was personally my first time sitting down with Sabaton's Joakim "Jocke" Brodén. The funny thing is that I initially was supposed to talk with drummer Hannes and it was only minutes before that I realized that Joakim was going to do the interview. Sometimes in this line of work the most fun and sincere conversations are the ones that you didn't pr...

Over the years we have been lucky enough to have spoken to the guys from Nothing But Thieves, and vocalist Conor Mason in particular, on a number occasions. This particular interview is a short one, about 12 minutes, in which we catch up with Mason and reflect with him on the band's second album Broken Machine (2017) and how he is in a much better place after having gone through struggles with exh...

Back in early 2018 we had the chance to talk to Billie Eilish, a rising star at that point. The buzz around her was already quite strong and you could feel that she was going to do great things in music and beyond. We spoke about songwriting, unexpected fame, what makes a good song, her ambitions outside of music, and a lot more. Check it out! Support the show Thank you for listening! For more int...

It was such a treat to sit down with one half of Swedish powerhouse Roxette: Per Gessle. Having been responsible for some of the most iconic songs of the late 80s/early 90s on their hit albums Look Sharp! and Joyride, Per had more than his share of insight into the music industry and how they fared in it. We spoke about his early influences, sudden international success, the arrival of grunge musi...

In early 2018 Dominic Richard Harrison, aka YUNGBLUD, was in Amsterdam and our Brazillian colleague Joao Perassolo caught up with him and spoke about his musical upbringing, not being afraid to speak out, Polygraph Eyes, rock 'n roll getting a bit boring, and a lot more! His usual infectious energy makes for both a interesting and fun, but above all honest, conversation. Support the show Thank you...

Hearing the stories guitarist and songwriter Rich Robinson has to tell from his 35+ year experience in music are simply amazing for any music lover, and I must admit this interview inspired me a great deal. Robinson talks about his early influences like R.E.M. and the Beatles, She Talks To Angels, surreal moments in his career, his critique of the music industry, his friendship with fellow guitari...

We had the pleasure of speaking to guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer Billy Howerdel, who aside from A Perfect Circle is also known for his solo project ASHES dIVIDE. We spoke with Billy about his guitar playing, early influences, how he works with Maynard James Keenan, controlling your ego, reactions from fans, future plans, and a lot more!  Support the show Thank you for listening! For m...

Over the years we have been lucky enough to sit down with English singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti on a number of occassions. This interview, conducted in March of this year, is the latest in which we talk about the road to his chart-topping album Singing To Strangers, a cinematic quality, Bob Dylan, his love for entertaining people, and a lot more!  Support the show Thank you for listening! For m...

I remember listening to Death Cab For Cutie quite a bit in my first years of college, well before the idea of working in music was planted in my mind. So having the chance to sit down with Ben and Nick was such a treat. We talked about their album Thank You For Today, it being a pivotal album for the band because of a lot of changes they were experiencing, learning from every album they've made, a...

This wasn't my first time sitting down with English singer-songwriter James Morrison. I was lucky enough to have a conversation with him on a few other occasions and the thing that struck me every single time, aside from his kindness, was his honesty and willingness to talk about the difficult things in his life. On this occasion we talked about his latest album You're Stronger Than You Know, self...

We spoke with American country music superstar Carrie Underwood in August of 2018 right before her very first live performance in the Netherlands. We talked about her sixth album Cry Pretty that was released a few weeks later, writing songs about real life, her voice, getting into producing, and a lot more! Support the show Thank you for listening! For more interviews with your favorite artists vi...

Nathaniel Rateliff is another one of those artists that had been on my radar for a while. Over the years I had listened to his work with the Night Sweats and saw him perform live at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. It was such a treat to get the chance to pick his brain a little bit, this time with a focus on his solo album And It's Still Alright, vulnerability and what it means to have a solo album out...