Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with Linda Perry.     ABOUT LINDA PERRY Singer, songwriter, musician, producer, and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Linda Perry first made her mark as an artist, serving as lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the group 4...

Three-time Grammy nominee and My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James joins us to talk about the evolution of his songwriting and the band's new album, Is .  PART ONE: Paul and Scott chat about ideal song length and extend an invitation to Taylor Swift  PART TWO: Our in-depth conversation with Jim James ABOUT JIM JAMES: Jim James is best known as the frontman of the band My Morning Jacket, which he f...

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2015 conversation with Bill Withers.   ABOUT BILL WITHERS Pop and R&B legend Bill Withers released nine albums between 1971 and 1985 that included such classic songs as “Lean on Me,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Grandma’s Hands,” “Use Me,” “Lovely Day,...

Guster's Ryan Miller discusses his songwriting process before Scott, Paul, and Ryan go totally off the rails on 80s pop songs, Sebastian Bach, and other random stuff. One of the most fun interviews we've had in a while!  PART ONE: Paul and Scott chat about the time Paul opened for Guster, their friend who met his wife thanks to Guster fandom, and the phenomenon of social cultures forming around ce...

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2021 conversation with Dan Nigro.  ABOUT DAN NIGRO: Dan Nigro is a record producer and songwriter who has produced and written songs for and with Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Sky Ferreira, Joe Jonas, Kylie Minogue, Lewis Capaldi, Caroline Pola...

Best known for his song "Electric Love" (with nearly 2 BILLION streams on Spotify!), BØRNS took some time off and has now reinvented his sound with a fantastic new EP.  PART ONE:  Paul and Scott talk about Omnivore Recordings, a new Buck Owens LP, who they wouldn't want to invite over to Songcraft world headquarters, and other random stuff.  PART TWO:  Our in-depth conversation with BØRNS ABOUT BØ...

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with Lucinda Williams.  ABOUT LUCINDA WILLIAMS One of the most revered songwriters on the face of the earth, Lucinda Williams was once crowned “America’s Best Songwriter” by People magazine. She first gained widespread attentio...

Six-time Grammy winner, Academy Award nominee, and Songwriters Hall of Famer Glen Ballard joins us to talk about his work with Michael Jackson, Alanis Morrisette, Dave Matthews, and many others! PART ONE Paul and Scott talk about the awesomeness that is Omnivore Recordings, dig into the Fire Aid concert, and talk about their '90s music geekery.  PART TWO Our in-depth conversation with Glen Ballard...

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our milestone 100th episode with the legendary Lamont Dozier!  ABOUT LAMONT DOZIER Lamont Dozier, along with brothers Eddie and Brian Holland, wrote and produced more than 20 consecutive singles recorded by the Supremes, including ten #1 pop hits: “...

Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes joins us to talk about the evolution of humor in his songwriting, why he's transparent with his fans, and maybe the most Bob Dylan of Bob Dylan stories we've ever heard.  PART ONE: Paul and Scott address the recent wildfires in the Los Angeles area, and encourage people to help make a difference by considering a donation through one of four organizations:  Fire Aid (firea...

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. What better way to kick things off than where it all began? Here's a look back at episode one and our conversation with Jim Peterik.   ABOUT JIM PETERIK Singer, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist Jim Peterik is best known as a founding member of the band Survivor and t...

Songcraft celebrates ten years with a look back at episode highlights and behind-the-scenes stories from our first decade! Plus, a few announcements about what's new in 2025.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Six-time Grammy winner, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer, and Kennedy Center honoree Amy Grant joins us to chat about the pursuit of honesty in songwriting, the stories behind some of her songs, and her catalog of modern day Christmas classics.  PART ONE Paul and Scott chat about the idea of a "definitive" version of a Christmas song, discuss their favorites, debate about Christmas songs they l...

Bonnie McKee chats about co-writing hits with Katy Perry, including "California Gurls" and "Roar," as well as her own artist career that has resulted in successful singles such as "American Girl."  PART ONE: Scott and Paul share a little preview of what's to come as they prepare to celebrate Songcraft's 10 anniversary PART TWO Our in-depth conversation with Bonnie McKee ABOUT BONNIE McKEE: Bonnie...

Grammy nominee and four-time ASCAP Christian Songwriter of the Year Jeremy Camp dives deep with Songcraft on creativity, loss, honesty, and following the right path.  PART ONE Paul and Scott get in the weeds on Billboard magazine's recent "100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time" list. Plus, we preview the remaining episodes for 2024 and offer a sneak peek at what's ahead for our 10th anniversary...

Three-time Grammy nominee and pop songwriting powerhouse Justin Tranter joins us to talk about his process and his remarkable lists of hits for Chappell Roan, Fall Out Boy, Imagine Dragons, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, and many others. PART ONE: Scott and Paul nerd out on this year's Grammy nominations PART TWO: Our in-depth interview with Justin Tranter ABOUT JUSTIN TRANTER: Nominated for Songwri...

Grammy-winning Southern roots rock duo Larkin Poe (sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell) join us to chat about their creative process and their exciting forthcoming album, Bloom .  PART ONE: 'Tis the season! Scott and Paul chat about the classic Halloween songs. Is it time for a modern day resurgence of spooky music? PART TWO: Our in-depth conversation with sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell, known to t...

Storytelling folk troubadour and songwriter's songwriter David Wilcox dives deep on his creative process. PART ONE: Paul and Scott pay tribute to the late Kris Kristofferson and Hugh Prestwood before diving in to a cringey lyrical trend that they're happy to see fade into history.  PART TWO: Our in-depth conversation with David Wilcox ABOUT DAVID WILCOX: Emerging from the Asheville, North Carolina...

From Miley's "Wrecking Ball" to The Weeknd's "Earned It" to his own successful instrumental albums, Oscar and Grammy nominated songwriter, composer and producer Stephan Moccio gives opens up on his creative process.  PART ONE Paul and Scott share some of your submissions for favorite lyric lines, as well as lyrics that bug you from songs you otherwise love. In addition, they pay tribute to past So...

Electronic music pioneer Howard Jones joins us to talk about everything from classic hits such as "Things Can Only Get Better" and "No One is to Blame" to his recent live album, Live at the O2 .  PART ONE Paul and Scott remind our listeners to send in their favorite lyric line, as well as their least favorite lines from songs they otherwise love. Then Richard Evans joins us to talk about his book...

Shelby Lynne is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her landmark classic album I Am Shelby Lynne, which won her a Grammy award for Best New Artist. We recently sat down with Shelby to discuss the evolution of her songwriting, from her early days in Nashville to her recent genre-defying "comeback" album Consequences of the Crown.  PART ONE Scott and Paul talk about their favorite single lyrical lin...

Three-time Grammy nominee Tayla Parx talks about her artist career and her role as a behind-the-scenes songwriter who has crafted huge hits for Ariana Grande, Panic! At the Disco, Dan + Shay, and many others.  PART ONE: Is Dave Grohl this generation's Phil Collins?  PART TWO: Our in-depth interview with Tayla Parx ABOUT TAYLA PARX: Three-time Grammy nominee Tayla Parx is both a highly regarded art...

Two-time Grammy nominated duo The Secret Sisters (Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle) join us to chat about their development as songwriters and reaching new creative heights with their latest album.  PART ONE: Scott and Paul chat about Scott's recent trip to see Norah Jones and Lake Street Dive perform at Red Rocks and discuss the ways concerts have changed in recent years. Plus, they take an opportun...

GRAMMY-winning producer, artist, and songwriter Charlie Peacock defies categorization. Paul chats with him about everything from his early days on the Norther California jazz scene, to writing hits for the Christian music world, to producing everyone from the Civil Wars to Switchfoot.  PART ONE: Scott and Paul talk about aging, the Rolling Stones concert Scott just saw, the centrality of energetic...

Acclaimed genre-crossing songwriter and interpreter Madeleine Peyroux takes stock of her songwriting over the years and shares insights into the creation of her latest album.  PART ONE Paul and Scott talk music books, the value of recording, and whether or not performers should stick to a strict or loose interpretation of a song when performing live.  PART TWO Our in-depth conversation with Madele...