Songversations With Eric Hutchinson

Eric and Byrnes listen through the frontrunners for the Grammys Record of the Year, including Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Ella Langley, Bruno Mars, Raye, and Olivia Dean. Eric also explains the difference between Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Next, they discuss some upcoming Christmas releases and discuss holiday music's increasing stranglehold on listeners after November 1st. Finally,...

Patrick Droney is a singer, songwriter and producer who began playing guitar when he was six, developing quickly into a prodigy who, at the age of only 13, earned the New Generation Award from the Robert Johnson Blues Foundation. After attending the Clive Davis School of Recorded Music at NYU, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career as a songwriter, signing a publishing deal and becoming a br...

Cynthia Addai-Robinson is a talented actress who’s appeared in TV shows like Spartacus, Arrow, Shooter, Power, and Chicago Med. She featured in the movies “The Accountant” and “The Accountant 2”, alongside Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal. She currently stars as Queen Miriel in the hit Amazon Prime show "The Lord of the Rings - Rings of Power", which debuts season 3 on Nov 11th. Cynthia joins Eric for...

James Austin Johnson is a comedian and actor who is in his sixth season as a cast member on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. He’s known for his insanely good impressions including Donald Trump, and for his viral videos of celebrity impressions and original characters on social media. James is also a screen and stage actor whose credits include "A Complete Unknown,", "Inside Out 2" "Barry" "Better Call Saul,"...

Maoli is a singer and songwriter who has garnered over 1.2 billion lifetime streams, making a unique blend of roots reggae, island soul, and country music, while celebrating his home state of Hawaii and its values of love, positivity and unity.  He recently made his debut appearance at the iconic Grand Ole Opry and had his national television debut on The TODAY Show. His latest album MMO...

Jon Lampley is a trumpet and sousaphone player, a singer-songwriter, a composer, and a bandleader. He just wrapped up 11 years as part of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s house band with Louis Cato and Jon Batiste. He co-founded the high-energy jazz-funk ensemble Huntertones and has performed for years with jam-rock mainstays O.A.R. and pop-soul powerhouse Lake Street Dive. His new solo album...

Eric and Byrnes discuss today’s music news and listeners’ burning questions. They review Spotify’s Top 5 Songs of the Summer and discuss whether Shakira is the most underrated artist of the 21st century. Next, they dig into Oasis’s new plan to keep concert ticket prices low and fair, reminding Byrnes of the time he saw Pope John Paul II at Giants Stadium. They also listen to the new commercial jin...

Jon Wertheim is an Emmy-award winning correspondent for 60 Minutes, longtime writer at Sports Illustrated, and analyst for the Tennis Channel. He also co-hosts the tennis podcast Served with Andy Roddick. Jon joins Eric to discuss Prince destroying Michael Jackson in ping pong at Paisley Park and living in Portland, Or in the height of grunge music. They also discuss SNL musical comedy, advice on...

Emily Gould is a talented writer, novelist and critic. She is a features writer at New York Magazine, where she also writes Dinner Party - the magazine’s flagship daily newsletter. She is the author of several books, including And The Heart Says Whatever, Friendship, and Perfect Tunes (now in paperback!) Emily joins Eric to discuss going to high school together in the 1990’s, and her love of Bikin...

Congressman Jamie Raskin proudly represents Maryland’s beautiful 8th Congressional District, which also happens to include Eric’s hometown of Takoma Park, MD. He is the ranking member of the House Committee on the Judiciary in the 119th Congress, and he served on the Select Committee to investigate the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol. Rep. Raskin joins Eric to discuss Maryland musi...

Songversations is on vacation this week, so please enjoy a re-broadcast of our chat with actress, Mayim Bialik! Mayim Bialik is best known for her lead role as Blossom Russo in the 90s sitcom Blossom. She played the role of Amy Farrah Fowler on the CBS comedy, The Big Bang Theory, and served as host of Jeopardy! for 2 seasons. She is also the host of her popular mental health podcast, Ma...

Chris P. is a Patreon supporter and member of the Songversations Nation! He’s a born and bred New Yorker who loves music and runs a chain of bagel shops called Tompkins Square Bagels. Chris joins Eric to talk about growing up in Brooklyn, learning about classic rock & roll music from his dad, witnessing early NYC hip hop in the 1980s, the song that drove him crazy at the old restaurant he worked a...

Anya Marina is a fabulous singer and songwriter and one of Eric’s best pals. She has tour extensively and shared the stage with acts from Jason Mraz to Spoon to comedian Nikki Glazer. You’ve heard her music on Grey’s Anatomy, Gossip Girl and in Twilight: New Moon. Check out her new songs Bob Dylan’s “The Man In Me” and Robbie Dupree’s “Steal Away” from her forthcoming covers album! Anya joins Eric...

Jade Catta-Preta is a Brazilian-born queer comic and actress. Prior to the pandemic, she hosted the iconic E! Network series The Soup and most recently served as the host of Hulu’s hit dating show Hotties. She’s toured America and Brazil doing stand up comedy and you’ve seen her in shows like Modern Family, 2 Broke Girls, and Californication Jade joins Eric to di...

Songversations is on vacation this week, so please enjoy a re-broadcast of our chat with comedian, Gareth Reynolds! Gareth Reynolds is an internationally touring stand-up comedian. He co-hosts both the smash-hit podcast The Dollop with Dave Anthony, and We’re Here To Help with Jake Johnson. Check out his new film Give It Up, in select theaters now! Gareth joins Eric to talk about adoring...

Sammy Rae & Will Leet are the main songwriters of Sammy Rae & The Friends - one of the coolest, up and coming bands going today. You can catch them on their Fall Tour starting in October! https://www.sammyrae.com/  Sammy & Will join Eric to discuss if John Mellencamp stole everything from Bruce Springsteen, early years singing Lee Ann Womack and John Denver, New Haven Pizza Wars, and the...

Ian Martin Allison & Zach Miller are Eric’s friends and touring bandmates who join today to talk about music and life on the road with Eric. They discuss Willie Weeks’s bass playing, Steve Gadd’s drumming, Robyn, Madison Cunningham, and Vanilla Ice’s second act.  Ian Martin Allison is a versatile electric bass player who has worked as a session and touring musician with a diverse group of art...

Dave Barnes & Jon McLaughlin are both singer/songwriters who have shared the stage with acts like Adele, Kelly Clarkson, and O.A.R., and have had their songs recorded by acts like Carrie Underwood, Lady A, and Blake Shelton. They are also the hosts of the popular parenting podcast Dadville. Dave & Jon join Eric to talk about performing at the Oscars, writing a hit song, and whether...

Taryn Delanie Smith is a comedian and actor, who was recently named a “Creator to Watch” by Tiktok. She is also a former Miss New York who began posting comedy videos during the pandemic, and her second-ever video went viral with over 21 million views and counting  Today, she is best known for her character Denise The Heaven Receptionist, and she has a new book coming out in fall 2026 via Simon &...

Songversations is on vacation this week, so please enjoy a re-broadcast of our chat with comedian, Iliza Shlesinger! Iliza Shlesinger is stand-up comedian, writer, and actress. She’s released 7 comedy specials to date including her most recent - A Different Animal. Iliza joins Eric to talk about dance clubs in Eastern Europe, EDM, memories of working at Steve Madden, Jethro Tull, and her love for...

Singer/Songwriter Anya Marina joins Eric and Byrnes to discuss today’s music news and listeners’ burning questions. They recap the online blowback to what the best Australian song ever is, discuss Taylor Swift’s induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and debate the usefulness of Suno AI for songwriting.   Next, the gang opens up the Songversations Mailbag to talk underrated bands and how imp...

Noah Galuten is a chef, James Beard Award-winning cookbook author, and author of the Don't Panic Pantry cookbook. His latest cookbook is Grill Time!: Why You Should Be Grilling for Better, Healthier, Easier, and More Delicious Meals.  Noah joins Eric to share his esoteric music taste which is right up Eric's alley. They discuss Noah's youth growing up as the son of a LA music producer, Dean Martin...

S.E. Cupp is a TV commentator, nationally syndicated columnist, book author, and public speaker. You’ve seen her on CNN hosting the show “S.E. Cupp Unfiltered” and her latest podcast “Off The Cupp with S.E. Cupp”.  S.E. joins Eric to talk about going to Catholic school, teenage crushes, gangsta rap, working at the NY Times, and which Fleetwood Mac song reminds her of Nine Inch Nails. S.E.’s Playli...

Celebrated tennis champion, coach, and television commentator Rennae Stubbs joins Songversations to chat! She talks about the songs that fueled her childhood growing up in Australia, her school dance soundtracked by George Michael, her obsession with a cover of a Joni Mitchell song, and the song that no American has heard but every Aussie knows by heart. Rennae’s Playlist:https://open.spotify.com/...

Songversations is on vacation this week, so please enjoy a re-broadcast of our first-ever episode with Magician and Comedian, Justin Willman! Justin joins Eric to discuss his career, including his #1 Netflix Special - Justin Willman: Magic Lover. They discuss what songs influenced Justin’s earliest stage shows growing up in St. Louis. Then they talk about performing at The White House, misundersta...