Inside the Musician's Brain

Episode 60 features guitarist, singer and songwriter Ben Morrison of CA based band, The Brothers Comatose. Ben gets us up to speed on everything that's going on with the band, including the making of their excellent new album, 'Golden Grass.' The Brothers Comatose have been a part of the roots scene for almost 20 years, but in the last few years they have made a huge jump in profile after releasin...

Episode 59 of Inside the Musician's Brain features two of the hottest up-and-coming bands on the acoustic/bluegrass scene: Clay Street Unit and Mountain Grass Unit. It's no secret that the roots music scene is booming, and there have never been more promising bands coming of age. Clay St are Denver locals who brought Chris on board to produce their debut album, 'Sin and Squalor,' due out 2.13.26....

Episode 58 of Inside the Musician's Brain features a songwriter with a style all his own - Bahamas. For almost 20 years Bahamas has been putting out excellent albums, touring the world and building a dedicated fan base who love his unique, laid back, soulful sound. We learn all about the making of his new album, 'My Second Last Album,' his songwriting process, how his career has evolved over the y...

Episode 57 of Inside the Musician's Brain features one of the biggest stars in bluegrass over the past 30 years, Dan Tyminski. From his early days with the trailblazing Lonesome River Band, to a handful of amazing solo albums, many years with the legendary Alison Krauss & Union Station, and now his own band (The Dan Tyminski Band), Dan has more than made his mark on bluegrass with his incredible v...

Episode 56 of Inside the Musician's Brain features one of the bright young stars of bluegrass/acoustic music - AJ Lee. AJ is a standout singer, mandolin player and songwriter, who just received a nomination for female vocalist of the year at the 2025 IBMA Awards. AJ Lee and Blue Summit have been making waves on the festival circuit in recent years for their stellar singing, playing and repertoire....

Greg Ormont is the excellent lead singer of psychedelic funk explorers Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. Last summer I got to know Greg and the rest of the band/crew when the Stringdusters went out on tour with Pigeons for a run of dates. It was our first introduction and everyone hit it off - Pigeons put on an amazing show! Greg and I recap the tour as well as his musical journey, the band's backstory,...

Episode 54 of Inside the Musician’s Brain features one of the true legends of bluegrass music, the great Del McCoury! For over 60 years Del has been at the forefront of bluegrass music with his signature vocal style, his eclectic songbook and his standout band. His career started alongside the founder of bluegrass music, Bill Monroe, in the mid 1960’s. After a short stint with Monroe, Del set out...

In today's episode, Chris is joined by the incomparable Brittany Haas. Brittany jumped right into a career in music, joining acoustic pioneers Crooked Still right out of college. She quickly made a name for herself as one of the most powerful fiddle players on the scene, blending all the big fiddle influences into one cohesive sound that is always recognizable right away. As her career evolved, sh...

Episode 52 of Inside the Musician's Brain features a true original, G. Love. With his eclectic blend of folk, blues and hip-hop, G. Love has been blazing his own trail since the early 90's when he went from being a street performer in Boston to signing a major label deal with Epic Records. Hits like 'Baby's Got Sauce' put G. Love and Special Sauce on the map, launching a long and diverse career th...

Inside the Musician's Brain is back for season 6, and we are kicking things off with one of the great legends of the 5-string banjo, Mr. Tony Trischka! Tony is an innovator of the highest order, with a number of influential albums under his own name. He was also Chris' teacher from back in the day so there's lots to discuss. Tony talks about everything from the importance of finding joy in music,...

Welcome back to another season of Inside the Musician's Brain! Premiering August 26, Chris will be in conversation with guests including Del McCoury, Dan Tyminski, Brittany Haas, G Love, Tony Trischka, and many more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is episode 50, and today Chris is joined by Taylor Goldsmith - standout singer, songwriter and guitarist for the amazing band Dawes. Their new album 'Oh Brother' just dropped, and Taylor breaks down the vision and songwriting process behind the project. He gets into the evolution of his process over the years, and how he's found his voice as a writer, leading to more personal, impactful songs...

This week on the podcast, Chris is joined by Grammy winning sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell, the dynamic duo behind roots rock powerhouse Larkin Poe. Early in their career, Rebecca and Megan were 2/3 of the Lovell Sisters, a progressive acoustic band that was making waves in the bluegrass world before changing their sound, rebranding and starting their journey as Larkin Poe. Now well established...

Chris' guest on episode 48 is Israel Nebeker, lead singer and songwriter of Oregon indie folk gem Blind Pilot. After an 8 year break between albums, Blind Pilot is back with an excellent new record, 'In the Shadow of the Holy Mountain.' Israel talks about that long break, his challenges writing new songs, how he got through the writing dry spell and ultimately how the new album came together. In t...

On today's episode of Inside the Musician's Brain, Chris is joined by musical icon Ani DiFranco. Ani discusses her experience performing on Broadway as Persephone in the hit Anais Mitchell musical Hadestown. She also breaks down her new album, Unprecedented Sh!t, from the songwriting to the shift in production and sound. Ani shares some great thoughts on the power of stories, which can entrap us o...

Episode 46 of Inside the Musician’s Brain features standout soul singer-songwriter JJ Grey. JJ just released his first album in almost 10 years, ‘Olustee.’ The long hiatus happened naturally, as did the flood of songwriting that followed, and JJ takes us inside that process. He also talks in depth about his spiritual journey, the realizations he’s made along the way, and the role they play in his...

Chris' guest on episode 45 is legendary singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter. After connecting on their shared love of dogs, this conversation explores many different aspects of Mary Chapin's long, successful career in music as a gifted writer, singer and performer. She breaks down her craft and reflects on the evolution of her career, including some great perspectives on how to keep inspiratio...

Episode 44 of Inside the Musician's Brain features an interview with the amazing Cris Jacobs. Cris is an outstanding singer/songwriter from Baltimore, MD, whose new album, 'One of These Days,' is already making waves. This talk goes deep into the creation of the album, including Cris' personal journey of reframing his relationship with music to rediscover the joy, overcome writer's block and put o...

Today's episode features an interview with Amigo the Devil, a truly unique artist who straddles the line between folk and heavy metal with his banjo, his powerful voice, and his incredible original songs. Amigo (AKA Danny Kiranos) has built a fiercely loyal following with his brutally honest and sometimes dark perspectives that give a voice to what many experience in life. He takes us inside his u...

On today's episode, Chris is joined by Grammy winner and two-time IBMA fiddle player of the year, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes. Known mainly for her work as a member of Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Bronwyn is one of the best fiddle players on the acoustic scene. She does an amazing job of taking us inside her learning process, and her strategies for improving. This is really good stuff! Bronwyn also give...

Inside the Musician's Brain is back for Season 5, and joining Chris to kick things off is one of the titans of acoustic/roots music, Mr. Jerry Douglas. Now well established as the greatest dobro player ever, Jerry fought prejudices against the instrument in the early part of his career, ultimately establishing its place in bluegrass forever more. He takes us through his early collaborations with J...

On this week's episode, Chris chats with Nashville based guitar master Daniel Donato. After cutting his teeth at the honkytonks on lower Broadway, Donato is now out on his own and taking the world by storm with his new sound, 'Cosmic Country.' He takes us inside his world with an in depth look at his songwriting, his life and his vision for what's to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

On today's episode, Chris is joined by The Milk Carton Kids - a successful duo with a sound and energy that's all their own. Much of the conversation revolves around the making of their brilliant new album, I Only See the Moon. After completing an initial version of the album, the band made the decision to scrap much of what they had and dig deeper to create something more powerful. Kenneth and Jo...

Today Chris is joined by the one and only Mike Gordon - bassist, singer & songwriter for the legendary rock band Phish. Mike goes deep into his musical journey, his peak experiences on and off stage and the making of his excellent new solo album, Flying Games. He also gives us an inside look at how Phish stays synchronous and continues to evolve after 40 years as one of the most influential bands...

Alison Brown is a world-class banjoist, record label owner, and all around trailblazer in the music industry. Her performing/recording career has produced numerous amazing albums, collaborations, appearances and accolades. She's also created a successful record label (Compass Records) and become a leader in the music industry. Alison's excellent new solo album 'On Banjo' features an all star cast...