WTTS In Conversation

Prolific singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco chats with morning host Matt Pelsor about her return to touring after the pandemic, and the funny reason she played three encores at a recent show. Matt also shared the origin story of his fandom for her, and he asked about the inspiration for the title track to her new album “Revolutionary Love,” which sparked some poignant reflection. Ani DiFranco plays th...

Band of Horses frontman Ben Bridwell talks to morning host Matt Pelsor about the various inspirations for the new album Things are Great ; breakups, both personal and within the band, as well as musical inspiration from a hotel room in Iceland. He shares on their decision to produce the record internally, and on his appreciation for being able to play out again; as well as why he’s looking forward...

Derek Trucks chats with morning host Matt Pelsor about the new Tedeschi Trucks Band quadruple album project I Am The Moon that comes out in stages throughout the summer. They talked about his unique style of playing, and when he realized he had a style all his own. Finally, Derek explained just what it is he loves so much about his preferred guitar, the Gibson SG. Tedeschi Trucks Band plays TCU Am...

Chris Vos of The Record Company chats with morning host Matt Pelsor about taking furniture from a legendary music venue on tour, Midwestern culture and ‘isms,’ as well as his role in popularizing bratwurst in LA. Plus, he shares his beer brat recipe, and talks about the struggle that was making the new album “Play Loud”

Paul Janeway of St. Paul and the Broken Bones chats with morning host Matt Pelsor about his vast record collection, the band’s many TV appearances–including an Emmy-nominated appearance on CBS Saturday Morning, and a career turning point when they played David Letterman’s final season. He also shares the funny story of shrugging off an initial offer to open for the Rolling Stones–something they ev...

Adam Granduciel talks with morning host Matt Pelsor about re-visiting select tracks on the album “I Don’t Live Here Anymore” after the album was mastered–something that rarely happens. Matt asks about working with Lucius again on the album’s title track, and Adam brings up their new member Eliza Jones and what she’s adding to the band’s sound and their current tour.

Ben Rector talks with morning host Matt Pelsor about the origin of “Joy,” the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop character created for his current album “The Joy of Music.” They explore the collaborators on the record, including Snoop Dogg and saxophone phenoms Dave Koz, and Kenny G; and Ben talks about golfing with one of his musical heroes.  Ben Rector plays TCU Amphitheater at White River State Pa...

Singer-songwriter Todd Snider talks with morning host Matt Pelsor about his unique philosophies on life and music, and what audiences wanted from the first shows after the worst of the pandemic. He also talked about the movie Hard Luck Love Song , inspired by his song Just Like Old Times; plus his poignant tribute to John Prine after his death, and how it inspired the way he performs now.

Nathaniel Rateliff joins us again to talk about making SNL history, the new Night Sweats album, his signature guitar from Gibson, and getting back out on the road with the band.

Graham Nash plays Brown County Music Center March 27th. Morning host Matt Pelsor spoke with him about reviving the same dates he had to cancel two years ago, his new music, his new book of photographs, his double live album coming out in April, and the controversy surrounding close friend Neil Young and his choice to be removed from Spotify.

Singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus performed in Indy on February 12th. Morning host Matt Pelsor caught up to her a couple of weeks before the show BEFORE she suffered the herniated disc that made her do the Indy show and other dates lying on a couch. They talked about her new music, her songwriting process, and her newfound philosophy on fully appreciating the joys of life.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame producer and engineer Glyn Johns turns 80 this month. In this episode, he explains the difference between a producer and an engineer, and shares an infamous Rolling Stones story in this 2015 interview with Paul Mendenhall that coincided with his book: Sound Man: A Life Recording Hits with The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, Eric Clapton, The Faces…

This episode features two shorter interviews with bands visiting in 2022, starting with The Head and the Heart, who play WTTS Rock On The River at TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park on Friday, September 30th. They’re one of our more prolific Sun King Studio 92 performers, and this interview was from their 2013 visit. Second, it’s a 2014 interview with St. Paul and the Broken Bones, who wil...

The Avett Brothers come to Garfield Park on Saturday, August 20th. Seth Avett spoke with Paul Mendenhall in 2015 just before a show in West Lafayette about their North Carolina roots, and their enduring success in American roots music, as well as his professional and personal relationship with his brother Scott.

Don McLean brings the “50th Anniversary of American Pie World Tour” to Clowes Memorial Hall May 1st, 2022. The singer-songwriter sat down with morning host Matt Pelsor to talk about the song he’s best known for, as well as setting the record straight on an urban legend surrounding it, and whether or not he’s ever baked an apple pie himself.

Hoosier singer-songwriter Jon McLaughlin performs two shows with the Carmel Symphony Orchestra on December 18th. Morning host Matt Pelsor caught up with him for a delightful chat to talk about his new music, his podcast Dadville with singer-songwriter Dave Barnes, and shooting the music video for his new song “Why it Hurts.”

Lukas Nelson sings with his famous family on The Willie Nelson Family album, which came out on November 19th. His own band, Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real released a new album in July called A Few Stars Apart. Matt Pelsor speaks with him about both albums, plus his extensive work on the 2018 film A Star is Born , and about his spiritual experiences with astronomy and swimming with dolphi...

Sting is out with a new record called “The Bridge” on November the 19th. He talks with Matt Pelsor about the European tour that brought him to some ancient venues, including a special one he played on his 70th birthday. He also spoke about his Las Vegas residency, and his cameo in Hulu’s “Only Murders in The Building.”

Dave Pirner recently talked to Matt Pelsor about how his band navigated the pandemic, having put out their twelfth studio album just before lockdowns started. He reflected on the impact of their biggest song “Runaway Train,” and talked about the experience of having Prince record one of his songs.

Billy Idol will bring an intimate acoustic performance to Old National Centre on November 27th with his longtime guitarist and collaborator Steve Stevens. Morning host Matt Pelsor recently caught up with him to talk about their musical relationship, the inspiration for his new EP “The Roadside,” and his association with pop star Miley Cyrus.

John Mellencamp turns 70 on October 7th, 2021. His impact on music, and the Hoosier state can’t be overstated. In 2008, Paul Mendenhall spent a full hour with him in his art studio to talk about his career. From the big hits to his personal favorites, John Mellencamp generously reflected on his music, and offered some signature commentary on the state of things.

Vance Joy is having a great year. Morning host Matt Pelsor sat down with him over Zoom to talk about the two new songs we’ve enjoyed so far in 2021. He broke down the collaborative effort that went into his song “You” with Benny Blanco and Marshmello, and talked about what it meant to break the song “Missing Piece” on the TV show Grey’s Anatomy. And because this interview was recorded while the Su...

Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach joined Laura Duncan in the summer of 2015 while Black Keys were on hiatus to talk about his side project “The Arcs” ahead of their only full-length release “Yours, Dreamily.” Laura asked about the difference between producing for his own projects versus other artists, and was surprised by an impromptu second interview with fellow collaborator and bandmate, the late...

Chris Martin of Coldplay speaks with WTTS host Rob Humphrey about debuting their new song “Higher Power” from the International Space Station, as well as his songwriting process and what he did for the teacher who first encouraged him to write songs. Rob asked about working with mega-producer Max Martin, and got an entertaining response to a question about favorite movies.

Singer songwriter Brett Dennen just embarked on his first post-pandemic tour, which brought him through Indianapolis on July 9th. He and WTTS morning host Matt Pelsor talked about his new album, “See The World,” which he finished just before the world shut down, and how the confluence of a finished album and a global pandemic affected him mentally. They also talk about fatherhood, wine, art, and t...