Songwriters on Process

On this week's episode, I talk to all three members of The Lone Bellow! Zach Williams,  Kanene Pipkin, and Brian Elmquist go deep into their songwriting processes and even learn a few things about ea…

Aly and AJ Michalka have been writing and recording songs together since they were teenagers. It’s  easy to see why: their processes are remarkably in sync.  Listen to the sisters talk about this smo…

"I'm so much more prolific when I exercise."

Tim Burgess of The Charlatans admitted to me during episode 55 of the podcast that "rock stars aren't supposed to exercise, but we all have our secrets, do…

"When I sit down to write, the house has to be clean. Also, the dogs have to be walked because they need to fuck off and leave me alone," Kathleen Edwards told me. Now in podcast form, my 2020 joint …

S.G. Goodman was raised a farmer's daughter and studied philosophy in college. This means that not only does she love to ponder, she has time do it during those long days in the field. The product of…

Julian Lage has been hailed as one of the "most prodigious guitarists of his generation," so this was a new one for me: an interview with a songwriter who doesn't write lyrics, only instrumentals. As…

“A good song has fragmented fireworks. It needs to pull people in with interesting turns of phrases, word combinations that no one has heard before.”

Hear Gavin Rossdale of Bush explain why the painte…

"When you have a regimen, it's ok to let up on yourself. Because you know that tomorrow, you'll be doing it again."

Madison Cunningham firmly believes in the writer's regimen. You have to put in the w…

"If I have one piece of advice to give, it would be to write something the moment you wake up." Will Sheff of Okkervil River likes a good writing ritual. He believes in writing every day, just as a p…

In most workplaces, falling asleep on the job is not a good thing. But if you’re in Metric, Emily Haines says it's a great thing.  In fact, she and her bandmates love it when they catch each other na…

"I still have your cutlery, by the way," Butch Walker tells Matt Nathanson in this episode. Nathanson's latest album Boston Accent  was produced by Walker.  And while the two may have shared kitchen …

People tell John Moreland that he writes "bummer songs," which we both agreed is ironic gives that he cannot be in a bummer mood when he writes. "If I'm doing anything creative, my mind needs to be i…

Kelsey Waldon finds the beginnings of spring and fall to especially conducive to songwriting. A good yellow legal pad helps as well. Her latest album is called No Regular Dog on Oh Boy Records.

Ready for some light summer reading? Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes isn't. He's currently reading Homer's The Iliad.

This is the second time I've interviewed Goldsmith, and I remain in awe of his reading …

"This is gonna sound gross, but I'm a 34 year old adult and I've just started flossing for the first time in my life."

Come for the process, stay for the hygiene! Yes, there is a connection between Ke…

Martin Courtney of Real  Estate says that songwriting can be a "painstaking" process, so he's trying something new. "I'm trying to plow through it, take a step back, then chip away at it," he told me…

For Laura Veirs, the songwriting process involves giving the muse a good, long side eye. That's when she's not painting, surfing, reading, or exercising--all while being a  single parent. "I try to d…

Six-time GRAMMY nominees The Black Pumas are not a found sound band. But Adrian Quesada loves nothing more than a good turn signal. "I’m always superimposing a 6/4 rhythm on them whenever I’m at an i…

BJ Barham of American Aquarium & I were reading S.A. Cosby long before it was cool! But seriously, now that Cosby has received universal acclaim for his books RAZORBLADE TEARS and BLACKTOP WASTELAND,…