Meet Our Makers Meet OurMakers

In this chat, we get to meet Molly Drag. Molly Drag is the pseudonym of Montreal singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Michael Charles Hansford. In this talk, we dive deep into his brand new album, Mammoth, out now on I'm Into Life Records. But we also talk about...well, a lot of other things. Truthfully, this is quite a spontaneous and circuitous talk, because Michael and I have been following each other's work for a couple years now, and have chatted here and there before, making this conversation much more of a catching up & hanging out kind of episode. Which is great! We talk the new record of course, but also things like home recording, Kelly Reichardt films, the virtues of being a DIY artist, work-life balance, and more. It's an amiable talk with a super talented guy. Thank you for listening.

In this chat, we get to meet Iron & Wine - aka: singer/songwriter/guitarist, and general indie folk icon, Sam Beam. Sam has just recently put out a brand new Iron & Wine record entitled Light Verse, so we do spend a good amount of time discussing this album. We touch on its themes of loss and acceptance, the time it took to make, and the collaborators he had on it - including none other than the legendary Fiona Apple. We also look back on his seminal 2nd record, Our Endless Numbered Days, which turned 20 this year. We talk about creative ruts, file sharing and leaked music, and do some light myth-busting about his debut album. I also get personal and tell Sam just how much his music has meant to me, and how integral its been to my development especially as a musician myself, over the year. It's a lovely, jovial conversation, and one I will go cross off the bucket-list now. Thank you for listening.

In this chat, we get to meet claire rousay. claire is best known as an ambient composer, crafting soundscapes with keys, found sounds, drone, and other experimental elements. But in this chat, she and I talk quite a bit about her brand new album sentiment, which is out now on Thrill Jockey, which includes much more singer-songwriter style material. Now, it's still a claire rousay record, and we discuss how she tried to keep a hold on her experimental spirit despite having more lyric- and guitar-focused songs than ever before, including her choice to produce all the vocals on the album with a sort of robotic autotune effect. We also talk about inspirations, how emo and folk music impacted her as a music listener and creator, live performance, and more. It's a very candid, down to earth, and occasionally lovably self-deprecating chat with one of our most intriguing voices in current-day experiment pop music, and I think you'll enjoy. Thanks for listening.

In this chat, we get to meet Julia Holter. Julia is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and composer extraordinaire, who just put out a wondrous new record, Something in the Room She Moves. In this chat, Julia talk a lot about this new album, including the production, the songwriting, the stories, and the risks of these songs. We talk titles, the Beatles, performance, as well as her work in film scoring (such as her score for Never Rarely Sometimes Always), and more. It's a lovely chat with one of our best artists. Thanks for listening.

In this episode, we get to meet El Perro Del Mar, AKA: Swedish singer, songwriter, musician, producer Sarah Assbring. In this chat, Sarah and I talk at length about her newest full-length EPDM record, Big Anonymous, out now on City Slang. It's been a while since the last one, and we had a lot to talk about. We talk about the dark and emotional (and very personal) themes on Big Anonymous, the ways in which her sound has (and hasn't) shifted over the years, her lyrical technique, and the ways in which this album was more therapeutic than she ever thought it'd be. We also touch on the peculiar but fitting choice to include a Burt Bacharach cover on this album, as well as how she wrestles with being a contrarian in a world of immediacy and people pleasers. Thank you for listening.

In this episode, we get to meet Bonnie "Prince" Billy - aka Will Oldham. Will has had a great year in music, putting out one of his best records yet with Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You (by some counts his 21st record!) back in August. In this chat, Will and I discuss that album at length, including some of what went into and inspired it. We talk about his long history of selecting perfect singing partners and musical collaborators, and how important singing and voices are to him, and how much we have left to learn from older musicians. We also touch on his old material with Palace Brothers, his intermittent acting career (which was his original career aspiration), and the longlasting magic and legacy of his most famous song "I See a Darkness". It was a warm and rambling talk, like hanging with an old pal, and I think you'll enjoy it. Thank you for listening.