Small Room, Loud Stories

Joel McGlothlin spent decades playing guitar before deciding it was finally time to seriously tackle jazz and start playing in front of people again. We talk about learning music later in life, what jazz musicians are actually doing when they improvise, why some 30-minute jams work better for us than others, songwriting, performance nerves, the local jazz community, and the importance of finding t...

Sarah Bradbury joins me in the 4½ Inch STUDio for a conversation about songwriting, punk roots, performance anxiety, and learning to make music on your own terms. Sarah talks about going from playing bass in punk bands to writing and recording her own music as I Choose Izumi, and about the songwriting block that once made her wonder whether she'd be able to write again. We get into Song Machine, G...

Kevin Vaught has been playing guitar since 1968, although life has given him more than a few reasons to put it down along the way. These days, hand and nerve problems have made playing a challenge, but he's working his way back to the instrument that has been a constant throughout much of his life. Kevin joins me in the 4½ Inch STUDio for a wide-ranging conversation about getting back into playing...

What happens when three musicians with different backgrounds, influences, and approaches start making music together? Matt, Michael, and Colin of Tides Away join me in the 4½ Inch STUDio for a conversation about how the band came together, the creative limits that can actually make songwriting easier, and what each of them brings to the music they make together. Along the way, we talk influences,...

Jason Derek has worn a lot of hats over the years; drummer, songwriter, front-man, teacher, counselor, producer, and lifelong student of creativity. In this conversation, we follow the winding path through local bands, college, teaching psychology, stepping away from music, and eventually finding his way back with a renewed sense of purpose. Along the way, we talk about the realities of making mus...

Conor Churchill joins Rob Miles to talk about the winding path from jazz trumpet to Americana songwriting, life on the road, the craft of writing songs, finding your voice, and why sometimes it takes a thousand emails to build the life you want. Check out Conor's music here !

Songwriter, attorney, community builder, and host of the Third Street Coffeehouse Songwriters Round, Mona Raza joins us in the STUDio for a conversation about why songs matter. We talk about discovering music later in life, finding the courage to perform, writing from personal experience, the influence of great songwriters like John Prine and Bob Dylan, and why every song should contain something...

Krystine Smith of Euterpea Fantasy Flute joins the 4 1/2 Inch STUDio for a conversation about music, imagination, and the unusual paths instruments can take. We talk about her creative journey, the ideas behind fantasy flute work, and how sound can stretch far beyond traditional expectations of what a flute is supposed to be. Along the way, we explore the practical side of making music, the storie...

Will Henson joins us in the 4 1/2 Inch STUDio for a wide-ranging conversation about music, family, storytelling, songwriting, and the winding roads that lead people into a lifetime of creativity. We talk about growing up in a musical family, learning instruments, performing in bands, writing songs, improvisation, memorable local music stories, and the connections that form through years of making...

John Hildreth joins us in the 4 1/2 Inch STUDio for a wide-ranging conversation about songwriting, recording, local history, creativity, and the many paths that can lead a person into music. We talk about writing songs that arrive fully formed, moving between instruments, building projects around stories and places, and John's ambitious upcoming double album inspired by the people, history, and la...