The Resistance

Our conversation with award-winning poet Li-Young Lee opened our eyes to new layers of Resistance—a fearful proposition—even as we were also reminded of the maturation and growth possible when we face it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As one half of renowned electronic duo Thievery Corporation, Eric Hilton (along with his musical partner Rob Garza) is responsible for a massive catalog spanning the last quarter century. He's influenced an entire generation of producers and DJs and with three solo releases slated for 2020, he remains as busy as ever as an artist. It's all a result of his optimistic outlook—one he works hard...

Sarah Siskind 's vulnerability as a songwriter is also what makes for such meaningful conversation. As a parent, she struggles to manage family and career. As an artist, she's hungry for the time and space to create. As a single woman, she wrestles with being alone for the first time in her life. Her willingness to share from these wells allow her to connect and offer hope in ways that few artist...

Despite Rosi Golan 's 12 years in the music industry , the Israeli-born singer-songwriter says some fears loom larger than ever before. From the vulnerability of releasing personal material, to the fear of getting lost in the shuffle, to the worries of living up to expectations, Rosi swims in the Resistance in several forms. Fortunately, she's mentally wired to push back against such doubts, a son...

How can you give away what you've lost? On this episode, singer-songwriter John Mark McMillan details the Resistance he faced during a 10-year descent into doubt and confusion while serving a fan base searching for answers and meaning. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown is one about reward and resistance. It asks tough questions about how far the burning heart inside can carry a person. Is a sense of calling enough? What if the rewards aren't there when we believe we need them? Brown has earned his Pulitzer (and then some) but it required a long lean into lonely spaces. See omnystudio.com/listen...

Zach Williams is worried about what you will think of him. Aren't most of us? The latest episode of The Resistance is all about this tension and how it affects the creative life of Zach Williams and his bandmates (Kanene Donehey Pipkin, Brian Elmquist) in The Lone Bellow . Even after several acclaimed albums, Zach says he's learning to set aside others' expectations in order to craft the art he's...

For the last two-plus decades, Alex Ebert has stayed the creative course, a prime example of an artist who does what he feels. That might sound like an enjoyable path, but as Alex shares his story, it's fraught with industry questions, critical backlash, and a general sense of loneliness. In short, a commitment to making art on one's own terms comes with a heavy cost. See omnystudio.com/listener f...

In the midst of a global pandemic and being quarantined with our own makeshift home studios, we thought it appropriate to process this greater reality of Resistance that we all face these days. It's hard to find the positive in such a negative situation, but if we're present, we can face the Resistance even in these darker days. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What role does Resistance play for an artist who has achieved so much so early? To hear Sierra Hull tell her story, she's experienced as much Resistance as ever as she's released her latest album—the stunning masterwork known as 25 Trips . From industry hurdles to lessons learned about believing her own voice, Sierra's proof that the Resistance hits all of us equally. There's never a way aro...

Film composer Nathan Johnson ( Knives Out, Looper, Kill the Messenger ) says he's always ready to jump. As a lover of creative challenge, Nathan says the key to being able to make that leap is a willingness to say yes to what you don't know how to do. It's that sort of "anything goes" approach that's allowed Johnson to craft such inspired and innovative compositions that bolster his cinematic proj...

After a several month break, The Resistance is back with some exciting changes to announce! Listen in to hear more about the program going forward and what's in store for this next step in the journey. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was immediately clear that Fantastic Negrito would close our first season of The Resistance once we began our conversation. Here was a man speaking—nay, preaching—from a lifetime of hard-fought battles with resistance. Record label woes. A car accident and ensuing coma. The inability to use his hand—to literally make music. Relearning it all after his supposed prime had passed...

Join Matt Conner, host of The Resistance, and Jay Kirkpatrick, audio engineer, as they reflect on the most recent guest conversation—this time with  Glen Phillips , solo artist and front man for Toad The Wet Sprocket. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's taken some time for Glen Phillips  ( Toad the Wet Sprocket ) to realize the ebb and flow of popularity and the shifting sands of the music industry have nothing to do with his value as a person or his worth as a cultural voice. These days, he's "over" the idea of a career, he says. It's simply about obedience to the creative impulses that he feels. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Join Matt Conner, host of The Resistance, and Jay Kirkpatrick, audio engineer, as they reflect on the most recent guest conversation—this time with Americana artist Drew Holcomb . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Resistance, Drew Holcomb  explains the posture needed to consistently create and how he's learned to protect the initial impulse that sparked his creative pursuits in the first place. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we have a special bonus episode that deviates from our typical interview format. Last week, Tokyo Police Club frontman Dave Monks sat down to discuss The Resistance, and in our conversation, he disclosed a list he keeps in his writing journal that lists rules he's picked up along the way as an artist. Aptly titled Rules For Artists, Monks graciously agreed to share those lessons learned...

Even after a decade fronting one of Toronto's most successful bands in Tokyo Police Club and previous solo releases, Dave Monks still wrestles with a resistance that plagues us all: a need for permission. Our latest episode features a personal and revealing conversation with an experienced artist who still wonders whether or not he really has the permission to follow his creative impulses. See omn...

Join Matt Conner, host of The Resistance, and Jay Kirkpatrick, audio engineer, as they reflect on the most recent guest conversation—this time with pop artist  Sarah Jaffe . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our conversation with pop artist Sarah Jaffe  speaks directly to the shadow side of comparison and how destructive it can be if we let it rule our mindset. Sarah has learned the hard way to be very intentional with her time and efforts in her hopes to keep the "Dark Energy" away, as she sings so aptly on her latest single. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Matt Conner, host of The Resistance, and Jay Kirkpatrick, audio engineer, as they reflect on the most recent guest conversation—this time with singer-songwriter Denison Witmer . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been six years since we've heard from Denison Witmer . In that time, he's settled into normal life of work and play, friends and family. He's nurtured the relationships that mattered most without ever knowing if his passion and talent for music would ever come back around again. Maybe he would shy away from such comparisons, but the sacrifice feels a bit Abrahamic. See omnystudio.com/listener...

Join Matt Conner, host of The Resistance, and Jay Kirkpatrick, audio engineer, as they reflect on the most recent guest conversation—this time with acoustic duo Lowland Hum .  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When was the last time you felt like an imposter—at your craft, at your vocation, at parenting? What if the moment you felt those feelings most intensely—perhaps on a stage in the middle of a crowded room of fans—you decided to confront it in the boldest way possible? Daniel and Lauren Goans have learned to defy their doubts with courageous acts of creativity and that's our subje...