Meet Our Makers

In this episode, we get to meet singer, songwriter, metal-lover, producer, Sasami. The mononym of one Sasami Ashworth, Sasami has recently put out her anticipated second album, SQUEEZE. In this chat, Sasami and I talk a lot about the new record, including its mistifyingly disparate influences, from nu-metal to folk, from System of a Down to Sheryl Crow. We talk about industry misogyny, culture, so...

In this episode - the first of 2022 - I have the privilege of meeting Tony- and Grammy-award winning songwriter, singer, and composer Anaïs Mitchell. Despite having several solo records under her belt and a side-gig in folk trio Bonny Light Horseman, it was her 2019 Broadway hit musical Hadestown that catapulted her to the public eye. In this chat, Mitchell and I discuss Hadestown, including its v...

In this episode, the final episode of 2021, we get to meet singer/songwriter José González. Speaking with me from his home in Sweden a couple days before the release of his newest record, Local Valley, José and I chat about the album and his excitement about touring. We discuss the themes and sonic risks he took this time around, including the sounds from around the globe that influenced the album...

In this episode, we get to meet Meric Long, a singer/songwriter/guitarist best known as one half of indie rock band The Dodos. In this chat, Meric and I discuss what went into the band's newest record, November's Grizzly Peak, including some of the themes, the tone, the production, as well as their attempt to get back to what Meric describes as his original intention with the project. We talk abou...

In this episode, we get to meet Xenia Rubinos, a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist hailing from Brooklyn. I actually interviewed Xenia once before, years ago, but because we'd already gotten a lot of the "meeting" out of the way, we were able to really zero in on her brand new album, Una Rosa, which came out this fall on ANTI-. In this chat, we discuss a lot about the record, including theme...

In this episode, we get to meet Nite Jewel, which is the alias of singer, songwriter, producer, instrumentalist Ramona Gonzalez. In this chat, Ramona and I discuss, at length, her newest record, No Sun, which came out this past summer. We discuss minimalism, history, how the lament as a musical form inspired a lot of this new material, the personal bent behind this new record, the "chill wave thin...

In this episode, we get to meet Madi Diaz. Madi is a singer-songwriter based in Nashville, who has just released her deeply personal and honest new solo record, History of a Feeling. Out on Anti-, the record details, with autopsy-like precision, the aftermath of a relationship gone awry. In this chat, Madi and I discuss at length this new album, and the comfort level it took for her to release suc...

In this episode, we get to meet Indigo Sparke. Indigo is a singer-songwriter who just put out her debut record, Echo, back in February. In this chat, she and I talk about the process of making her first album, including coproducing with Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker. We talk about some of the symbiosis between her record and Lenker's recent solo album, as well as the artistic sojourn she took in Ita...

In this episode, we get to meet Spencer Krug. Spencer is best known as one of the lead singers and songwriter of indie rock veterans Wolf Parade, but he has a long history of solo work and other bands, such as Sunset Rubdown, Moonface, and more. In this chat, Spencer and I discuss his latest solo record, Fading Graffiti, which is his first to come out under his given name. We talk about transformi...

In this episode, we get to meet SPELLLING, which is the pseudonym of singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Chrystia Cabral. In this chat, Chrystia talk quite a bit about her brand new album, The Turning Wheel, which is out now on Sacred Bones. We discuss some of what went into the process of making it, some of the inspirations behind it like childhood, storytelling, myticism, and...

In this episode, we get to meet singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Juana Molina. Speaking to me from her home in Argentina, Juana and I discuss the brand new, 21st century reissue of her 2nd album, Segundo. We talk about the origin of that album, her process then vs. now, as well as the journey of going back at it for the reissue. We also discuss her long-lost first album, her...

In this episode, we get to meet Japanese Breakfast, aka Michelle Zauner. Under the Japanese Breakfast name, Zauner has just put out her third record, Jubilee. She also recently released her debut memoir, Crying in H Mart, which landed on the NYT Bestsellers List. In this chat, she and I discuss the album -- sonic and lyrical inspirations, the concept of exploring joy, and more -- as well as the me...

In this episode, we get to meet singer-songwriter Skye Edwards, who is best known as the lead singer of famed trip hop band Morcheeba. In this chat, Skye and I discuss their new record, Blackest Blue, and reflect on their 25 years in the business, including the group's origin and the conception of their first album. We also touch upon what led to her departure from and eventual return to the band,...

In this episode, we get to meet composer and violinist extraordinaire Sarah Neufeld. In this chat, Sarah and I discuss the very busy 2021 she's shaping up to have. Besides being a core member of Canadian giants Arcade Fire, Sarah is also part of music collective Bell Orchestre, and has numerous solo records. She and I talk about her new solo record, Detritus, out in May 2021, as well as the first...

In this episode, we get to meet singer-songwriter Rosali. Originally based out of the Philly scene, Rosali recently relocated to rural Michigan - in the midst of the 2020 pandemic. In this chat, she and I discuss some of the motives behind that move and the healing benefits of it. We also talk at length about her brand new album, No Medium, which just came out in May 2021. We talk about vulnerable...

In this episode, we get to meet Nandi Rose, who records music under the alias Half Waif. Under the Half Waif name, Nandi has been putting out albums for quite some time, including last year's excellent The Caretaker. This year, she has a new one, Mythopoetics, coming in July. In this chat, we discuss the new album, as well as her connection to nature and healing, her desire to demolish the line be...

In this episode, we get to meet Jenn Wasner. Best known as the lead singer and guitarist for indie rock band Wye Oak, Jenn has just released her second solo album under the name Flock of Dimes, called Head of Roses. In this chat, we discuss a lot about the new album, including the dark emotional place that led to much of its creation. We talk about compassion and hope, the healing beauty of the na...

In this episode, we get to meet Peter Silberman, frontman and chief singer/songwriter of indie rock band The Antlers. In this chat, Peter and I discuss the music he's made throughout his career, including the Antlers' landmark 2009 album, Hospice. We also talk a lot about their brand new album, Green to Gold, which comes after a 7-year hiatus from the group, a gap that saw Peter undergo a serious...

In this episode, we get to meet singer, songwriter, and pianist Lia Ices. In this chat, Lia and I discuss many things, including her beautiful new album Family Album, which was put out via her own label Natural, in January 2021. We discuss what went into the album thematically, aesthetically, and spiritually, as well as what it was like working with the late JR White on production. We also talk a...

In this episode, we get to meet Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas of The Besnard Lakes. In this chat, we discuss some of the backstory and the aesthetic of their new album The Besnard Lakes Are the Last of the Great Thunderstorm Warnings, as well as what led them to that very long and strange title. We discuss what they've been up to during quarantine, what it's been like for them to be operating so inde...

In this episode, we get to meet Nika Danilova, aka Zola Jesus. Nika and I discuss each of her studio albums, from her debut up to a highly collaborative album she was supposed to be working on in 2020 that got delayed due to the pandemic. We also discuss her intensely personal songwriting style, her relationship with her past work, her love of pop music, the toxicity of fandoms, and more. We even...

In this episode we get to meet Charles Spearin, multi-instrumentalist and part of two legendary Canadian bands: Do Make Say Think and Broken Social Scene. In this chat, we discuss the origins of both bands, the creative process behind most Broken Social Scene songs, his time during quarantine, as well as Charles' experience in Northern Italy making his 2020 imporvisational album with Josefin Runst...

In this episode, we get to meet Anjimile. Anjimile - or Jimi as he sometimes likes to be called - is a singer-songwriter from Boston who just put out his debut record, Giver Taker, this year. In this chat, we discuss the inspiration and background of the album, including the grant that led to its formation. We also discuss Anjimile's journey as a DIY musician, from making songs in college that har...

In this episode, we get to meet Azure Ray. Azure Ray is a dream pop duo consisting of Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink. The pair have been releasing music for just about 20 years, and are about to reissue their self-titled debut album for its 20th anniversary. In this chat, we discuss the reissue, including the process of poring over that period of their lives for the first time in years, as well as t...

In this episode, we get to meet Ane Brun. Ane is a Norwegian singer and songwriter, who has released many albums across her acclaimed career, including several that shot up the Scandinavian music charts. In this chat, we discuss her two (2!) new albums she had for the fall of 2020, including what compelled her to divide the two in the first place. We also discuss a bit about her life during quaran...