Songfacts Podcast

I am really excited to bring you today's guest as he not only shares stories of some of the most recognized songs of the '90s, but also of his battles with addiction and a great message of hope. Jim Sonefeld is the drummer for Hootie & the Blowfish and co-writer of some of their biggest hits, including "Time" and "Hold My Hand," which we talk about here.   Jim recently released a book detailing hi...

Well I am very excited for you all to listen to today's show as we have Ayla Schafer. Ayla is an English singer and songwriter who has one of the most unique journeys we have had on the show to date.   This episode goes in depth about how music can affect us as people. As I record this intro, I am camping in the Wyoming highlands and have had a few days to reset, slow down, and clear my head of al...

Over the last three decades, Janiva Magness has become one of the preeminent voices in contemporary American roots music. She's garnered nearly 30 Blues Music Award nominations, and in 2009 became only the second woman to receive the highly coveted B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award. Here, we learn all about her new album, Hard To Kill, and because we caught up with her and her band as they w...

Ten years ago BJ Barham and his band American Aquarium were about to call it quits. They'd been touring nationally at small clubs and had seemingly plateaued in their growth as a band. They'd written some new tunes and decided to hop into a studio with Jason Isbell to record what they thought would be their swan song album, Burn. Flicker. Die. It was not.   As BJ describes in this Songfacts Podcas...

On today's show we have a legendary songwriter and musician Jack Tempchin. Jack is best known for penning the songs "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and "Already Gone," recorded by the Eagles, but there's a lot more in his catalog to explore. Most recently he has been performing with the band Mrs. Henry. In this episode, we get to hear about their collaboration "Waiting," a song that sounds and feels like...

Today on the show we have Naomi Cowan, one of the rising stars of Caribbean music. Naomi was raised in the music business: her father, Tommy Cowan, was Bob Marley's road manager, and her mother, Dr. Carlene Davis-Cowan, is a renown reggae singer. Growing up, Naomi spent her weekends backstage, which has given her comfort within the spotlight. In this episode, Naomi tells the stories behind some of...

Even by the lofty standards of the late '60s, The Chambers Brothers were visionaries, blending rock, gospel and psychedelia into a musical bouillabaisse seasoned with social awareness. Lester is the third of the four Brothers, who were joined by a white drummer named Brian Keenan. The Chambers family is from Mississippi, but they formed their band in Los Angeles after the oldest brother, George, w...

In this episode of the Songfacts Podcast, we discuss the music and life of John Mellencamp with David Masciotra, author of Mellencamp: American Troubadour. Mellencamp has a reputation for being a bit... prickly, but David saw a different side of him when he was invited to Mellencamp's Indiana studio to conduct an interview. He's one of the few journalists to get such and invitation. There's a lot...

Finally, the Songfacts Podcast is here to talk about Dylan! There is no better person to guide us through this episode than Dr. Stephen Arnoff, who is the author of the new book, About Man And God And Law, available via E-book now and hard copy on May 3, 2022.  Dr. Arnoff, who also hosts a podcast by the same name, takes a unique look at Dylan and his works. We discuss how one line from "Maggie's...

Michelle Willis... is so startlingly talented. She's probably one of the best singers I've ever heard in my life. ~David Crosby When asked how her 2012 self would react if told she would have David Crosby and Michael McDonald play on one of her albums one day, Michelle Willis would not have been surprised. That's not arrogance, it's self confidence, and Willis oozes with it. She is a performer who...

Today on the show I am speaking with Paul Peck. Paul got his start in the music industry as a student at Tulane University. After an inspiring trip to the New Orleans Jazz Fest, he joined the Superfly team that eventually was involved in organizing the first Bonnaroo festival in 2002. In this episode, we get some behind-the-scenes stories on how that came together, and how he put together "super j...

A few short months ago, The Heavy Hours came on the show and introduced us to their amazing music. In this episode, we have them back to take us track by track through their new album Gardens, comprised of songs they wrote a few years ago. It's set for release on February 18. This is truly "behind the music" - you'll hear the rough audio clips they had recorded on their phones as they constructed...

Today’s episode has been a long time coming. I first heard the name Tristen on this show last year when I interviewed Aaron Lee Tasjan. After taking a deep dive into her music I knew that she should be on the show! So here we are!  Tristen came to Nashville years ago as a confident young songwriter and we chat about that journey, her latest album release from last year call “Aquatic Flowers” and I...

Today, we bring you Teddy Grossman, a singer and songwriter whose first full-length studio album, Soon Come, will drop on March 22, 2022.  Grossman left his 9-5 in early 2020, to pursue his passion. He has a voice that simply must be heard - it reminds me of St. Paul and The Broken Bones and Leon Russell. His lyrics are both relatable and personal, and his story, even at its beginnings, is worth h...

Hello and happy new year to all of you! Welcome to a new year of Songfacts Podcast, A little over a year ago, I was scrolling Facebook and saw a couple of ladies jamming to Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here." Well, it caught my attention (to say the least) and I went into a wormhole of all their amazing videos.  The sisters Megan and Rebecca Lovell make up the core of Larkin Poe. They play bluesy r...

For the second year in a row, with the help of a handful of my fellow podcast hosts over at Pantheon Podcasts, we bring you this holiday songs special. Covering a wide range of your not-so-typical, but nonetheless very festive songs, the Pantheon crew covers a lot of ground in everyone's own unique style. Each participating host sent me a short tidbit about a song that is near and dear to them wit...

On the show today I get another chance to speak with someone who has been a part of the story of my favorite band, the Grateful Dead. Dennis McNally tells us about his first Dead show in 1972, gives us some truly amazing Songfacts (you'll want to hear the story of Terrapin Station), and recounts his time with the band as their biographer and publicist. If you love the Dead like I do, stick around...

Ben Apatoff is an author who recently released Metallica: The $24.95 Book. It's all about... you guessed it, Metallica! As a reader of many musical biographies, I was pleasantly surprised to read this because it breaks the format that many books of this nature follow. I highly suggest you give it a read... after listening to this show, of course.  Ben and I dive into a long list of lingering quest...

Formed in 2008, Set It Off has never been your traditional emo band. Their new single, "Skeleton," proves it, with happy, poppy tones mixed with smart and dark lyrics. In this episode, we chat with lead singer Cody Carson as we talk about the new track and go back into the Set It Off catalogue to discuss some of their favorites. Please enjoy the fun, razor sharp and energetic Cody Carson of Set It...

The Heavy Hours are on a roll. Recently, they've written with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, recorded an EP in upstate New York with Simone Felice (who also produced Lumineers and Avett Brothers albums) and opened for St. Paul and The Broken Bones.  Today on the show, I catch up with Jonathan Moon (bass), Michael Marcagi (lead vocals) and AJ Yorio (guitar) to talk about all of that and get the sc...

Today on the show we have Stephan Moccio, a pianist and composer who has written some songs you may have heard! We talk about a few of those today, including "A New Day Has Come" by Celine Dion and "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus.  When he isn't creating the beautiful melodies of some of pop's biggest hits, Stephan also writes some of the best piano music I have heard, which he features prominently...

One thing most of us can relate to is setting deadlines. Sometimes it's for work or school projects, and sometimes it's for chasing dreams. Marcus Atom told his mom that if hadn't reached a certain level of success in music by the time he was 30, he would look for another career. Well, it just so happens that on his 30th birthday, yep, the exact day, he got his chance. On this episode of the Songf...

Sometimes music just touches us in a way and we can't explain why. Is it the lyrics, the voice, the sounds of the band, or a single instrument? I think it's different every time it happens. Today's guest has done that for me. Tim Higgins has a voice that is as distinct as it is powerful. His lyrics touch on how he sees his surroundings, and his delivery fills up a room and will make you listen.  H...

Today's episode of the Songfacts Podcast is all about Jackson Browne, his life and songs. Our guest, Justin Cox, examines his work in great detail on "After The Deluge: An Unofficial Jackson Browne Podcast." After 12 episodes, Browne granted Cox an interview for episode 13 as part of the press for his 14th album, Downhill From Everywhere, released in July 2021. Here, Cox explains what makes Browne...

In a world where everything is transient, Sofie Fatouretchi just wants to create something beautiful that lasts. The Vienna-based artist, who performs under her first name, started her musical journey as a classically trained violinist before becoming a global DJ and talent scout for the indie label Stones Throw Records. In 2016, she curated the underground hip-hop and soul compilation Sofie's SOS...