Journey of a Song

Send us Fan Mail "You better love that too." Calling all musicians! Fox and Bones have written a song specifically about what it's like to play music in  modern times, and they're sharing all of their wisdom in this episode! This popular Portland duo has toured the globe and released multiple albums. In their song, "Already Here (Music in Modern Times)," they get real...

Send us Fan Mail "It's not my fault. There's just more to it than that." Are you a music lover? Concert enthusiast? Are you struggling with maintaining your mental health over the course of the pandemic? This episode of Journey of a Song is for you.  John Flinchbaugh's new record Adaptation Station  was written in  part before the pandemic, but the songs on it--like this e...

Send us Fan Mail "Even if our precious truths are torn and tattered, love will still be love." Life is hard and complicated. Figuring out why we're here is hard and complicated. Even when we know why we're here, imposter syndrome can plague us, keeping us from answering our calling. In "Nothing Else Matters," songwriter Christine Hand reminds us that everything done w...

Send us Fan Mail "Am I crazy for thinking we could make it, baby?" When does excitement and attraction become unhealthy infatuation? What is the line between a crush and an obsession? In "(I'm) Crazy," pop artist Vanalika Shan explores these questions in dreamy, vibe-y detail, using a driving beat and enchanting harmonies to obscure what she calls an "ethereal nightma...

Send us Fan Mail "Everyone has a little bit of what someone else needs." With these words, Portland-based soul/Americana artist Karyn Ann begins a slow, meditative exploration of what it means to truly be receptive to our communities and the world around us. Commissioned for the award-winning independent short film, Second Story , "Wasting Time" advocates letting go of control,...

Send us Fan Mail "Hey, mama, can we slow down?" With these words, sung in a soft and delicate falsetto, David Tribble asks the question that most of us have been asking ourselves for the past year and a half.  Being human is hard, and messy, and full of uncertainty—but there is a lot of joy to be found in the moments where we pause, breathe, look around us, and take it all in.  That kind...

Send us Fan Mail "Couldn't heal much, 'cause I faked I was okay." With these words, animated duo YES NO YES begin to tell the story of complicated young love.  Their lyrics explore the inevitability of change, the non-linear process of getting to know someone, and the faith it takes to stay together against a soundscape of upbeat electro-pop. In this episode, YES NO YES and Emm...

Send us Fan Mail "I see clearly that I'm not okay." These words--so clearly, vulnerably, and fearlessly articulated--break "Sea Song" wide open, beginning the chorus and delineating the moment of reckoning when we finally choose to acknowledge our problems and begin the arduous, rewarding process of healing.  In this episode, Emmeline sits down with Puerto Rican native Xav...

Send us Fan Mail "Don't let what we have fall prey to a shallow society." Set against a soundscape of feel-good R&B, these words highlight the extent of what Quentin Moore strives to offer in "You Forgot Your Heart."  Part social commentary, part old-fashioned heartbreak anthem, "You Forgot Your Heart" takes the listener as deep as they'd like to go. Tho...

Send us Fan Mail "Why am I the same?" This poignant question serves as a haunting, thought-provoking conclusion to "Houston," the coming-of-age ballad off of Billy Law's brand new album, Alone Somewhere.  Billy's sparse musical rendering emphasizes the loneliness of one's early twenties, when the shift from college life to adulthood forces a sort of personal reck...

Send us Fan Mail "How do you stop a good guy with a gun?" This poignant question concludes the chorus of Chris J. Norwood's brand new single off of his forthcoming album, I Am Not Cool .  In "Good Guy with a Gun," Chris tells the deceptively simple story of a gun owner who followed all of the rules, lived as a family man, and still met an untimely demise. In this conversat...

Send us Fan Mail "You're a con artist selling works of art to an unsuspecting girl in exchange for her heart." With these words, the narrator of "Romeo" points a sure finger at the world's most well-known romantic hero. In "Romeo," the young alternative pop artist Taylor Davidson flips Shakespeare's story on its head, arguably delineating the journey of...

Send us Fan Mail "The sun gently lays the valley's burden down." With these words, Rob Case begins to paint a beautiful picture of the untamed New Mexico terrain that serves as the stage for his childhood memories--and emphasizes the freedom he felt when traveling there.  In his image-laden song "Homeplace," Rob strives to convey to his audience the wild world in which he...

Send us Fan Mail "In this life, I will survive." In "Anxiety," one of the tracks from her brand new album M.I.A., R&B songstress Karri articulates the struggle to find motivation and purpose amidst the chaos. Singing against the soothing soudscape of an a acappella chorus, Karri shares the inner monologue of someone who is trying desperately to claw her way out of a state o...

Send us Fan Mail "Where are you going?" This poignant question marks the beginning of the chorus to Joe Savage's new song, "First Sight of Danger," from his new record, El Camino.  Marked by a familiar but restless bass line and a driving country guitar, "First Sight of Danger" explores the concept of finding one's footing.  In this episode, Joe and Emmeline...

Send us Fan Mail "Have I got time up my sleeve?" With these words, Dallas-based singer-songwriter Tusing concludes "Up My Sleeve," the second single from his new album, Driving to the Game.  In "Up My Sleeve," Tusing expresses and examines the push and pull of time and the core fear therein that motivates so many of us into and out of relationships, dreams, and realit...

Send us Fan Mail "The only thing on my mind is gravity; I need levity, and I need the answers why." With these lyrics, Denton-based pop phenomenon Zeke Forever turns "fade." featuring rap artists Global Octopus into much more than a catchy vibe.  With thoughtful lyrics and compelling vulnerability, Zeke gives voice to the frustration of uncertainty in a year where uncertainty h...

Send us Fan Mail "Trying to keep a peaceful mind is like trying to catch the moonlight." With these words, Hightower launches the chorus of "Treading Water," a raw and honest depiction of the attempt to navigate the moments of preparation or stagnation in life. Written and produced during the pandemic, "Treading Water" is art reflecting life, delineating the journey f...

Send us Fan Mail "Where are you running off to now?" With this playful yet poignant question, Cat McGee begins her complex composition about the importance of taking time to be present, to reflect, and to share in the spaces between the hustle and bustle of daily life.  In this episode, Cat talks about how and why "Don't Rush Me" has two versions--one fast and teasing, one...

Send us Fan Mail "You don't get to be lonely."  With these words, Vanalika begins exploring the social ramifications of the term "lonely"--how we use it, how we wield it, and how its meaning changes as we amass experience.  A deeply introspective songwriter with pop savvy and affection, Vanalika uses a poignant subject and a palatable pop beat to start an important convers...

Send us Fan Mail "These Ozark mountains, Ozark kin; they hide their secrets, old as sin." With these words, Jenni Mansfield Peal sets the scene for her haunting child ballad, "Two Sisters."  The song's delicate minor soundscape unfolds like the white river mist Jenni describes, a dark and contemplative space for one sister to share her resentments, her anger, and her confu...

Send us Fan Mail "They say there's hope for you where the sun always shines." With these words, singer-songwriter John Mason sets the tone for his beautifully nostalgic "California," a tune he penned about an uncertain time for his family.  Infused with equal parts wistfulness and hope, grief and love, "California" explores life's moments of transition and t...

Send us Fan Mail "Give me new eyes; still won't change my mind." With these words, Remy Reilly begins weaving a tale of young love, heartbreak, and the realization that, as she so melodically articulates, there are often fewer answers than questions. Using the dichotomy of bright, upbeat percussion and a sad story, Remy illustrates the way heartbreak feels in a world that is always...

Send us Fan Mail "When I find myself asking why, I just look at your smile." With these words, written nearly four years ago, Douglas Allen seeks to capture the sweetness of new love and the yearning for proximity with which we've all become so familiar over the past year.  Amidst the chorus of ambient stringed instruments--guitar and dobro included--Douglas's lyrics read like...

Send us Fan Mail "Do you know what it feels like to fall apart and smile at the same time?"  With this poignant question, Dallas-based pop artist Michael Sanchez articulated the feelings that fueled not only the creation of his thoughtful banger, "Life of the Party," but his entire album, appropriately titled The Other Side of Fear.  Amidst a pulsing bass and an electronic soun...