What Am I Making Podcast

What Am I Making
  • 4.8 (18)
  • Music
  • Updated Weekly

Hey there. I’m Matty C. For the formally inclined folks in the crowd, the official designation is Matt Carlson. I am a 50 year old musician, songwriter, and graphic designer that's spent the Covid era pondering deep and meaningful questions about music, film, literature and art in the 21st century. It seems as though we’re living in age where musicians have to give their music away, content is around every corner and we don’t seem to really value much of any of it the way we used to. What is it really like to make a living pursuing a life in the arts these days? Why are we seeing a lower percentage of artists in the workforce than at anytime in 100 years? Now, I’ve reached a point of massive change in my life and I am preparing to spend more of my time, and hopefully, generating a portion of my income from my creative endeavors. That’s a terrifying endeavor, but it’s also incredibly exciting. I’ll be discussing these ideas and a whole lot more of my own curiosity and creative endeavors on this platform using the written word, videos, podcasts, music and probably some other assets I learn along the way. I’ll be seeking out smart, and fascinating creatives as they build their own lives while fighting an ever-growing series of new challenges and opportunities. All of these journeys and detours are an effort to share my exploration of culture in the modern world, and to help shine a brighter light on the work I have been doing for years as a musician, designer and podcaster. This discussion is at the very center of our civilization, what it means to be human andhow to find a meaningful way to connect through that shared humanity in the form of artistic expression. Art is at the core of the relationship. Let’s explore it with that context, and that incalculable value, in mind. If you enjoy what you hear on the show, please subscribe to my Substack where I also I post this podcast as well as a variety of essays, video and recordings regularly in my search to find out what art really matters to people right here and right now, and they are willing to do to invest in our culture. Thank you so much for being here. It’s wonderful to have your support. https://whatamimaking.substack.com whatamimaking.substack.com

  1. 8h ago

    WAIM #156: Scott McCaughey

    Scott McCaughey is a man about town in the world of indie rock. He first leapt on to the scene as leader of the Young Fresh Fellows in the early 1980’s, but that has been far from his sole musical pursuit. Over the intervening four decades, McCaughey has also led The Minus 5 and is a founding member of The Baseball Project along with recent guest Steve Wynn. In addition to that trio of terrific bands, McCaughey has also toured and recorded with REM, Wilco, and Robyn Hitchcock just to name a few. In November of 2017, McCaughey suffered a stroke and wondered if his days of music making might be behind him. Peter Buck of R.E.M. brought a guitar to McCaughey while he was still recovering in the ICU. McCaughey remembers being able to make a D chord or an A minor and feeling as though recovery and rehabilitation might be possible. Thankfully, McCaughey has recovered significantly from the stroke and has returned to recording, playing live, and even performing solo, a task that still leaves him a bit uneasy. During our terrific conversation, Scott and I talked about his reticence to playing as a solo performer as he gets ready to play alone and unadorned at Wilco’s vaunted Solid Sound Festival this summer. We talked about the rhythms and rituals that make baseball feel like home, and we grapple with the gross reality of being inundated with sports betting propaganda while trying to simply watch a baseball game. Scott also shared the difficult story of losing his little sister while out on a recent tour, which leads to ruminations on the cycle of work, death, life, and play, and so much more. Let’s get into it. Cheers, Matty C ------------------------- End Credits Thanks so much to Scott for joining me. Be sure to check out his work in The Young Fresh Fellow, The Minus Five, and The Baseball Project wherever you get your music.  The What Am I Making podcast is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C. Our theme music was written and recorded by David J. Baldwin. You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it. Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show. You can email the show anytime at whatamimakingblog@gmail.com. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 10m

  2. 3d ago

    WAIM #155: Music Writers Josephine Matyas & Craig Jones

    Josephine Maytas and Craig Jones have forged a life together built around rock and roll and the open road. Maytas, a veteran travel writer, and Jones, who is a musician and political economist have spent the better part of the last two decades seeking out the most sacred spaces on the American sonic landscape. Their travels have taken them from the Delta of the Mississippi to the Appalachian hills of southwestern Virginia, and from the dusty plains of Oklahoma to the wilds of the northern woods, and nearly everywhere in between. Maytas and Jones have taken these collected aural explorations and put them in a pair of terrific books that catalog and contextualize the places where American music was born and bred. Their first book, Chasin’ The Blues, follows the origins and the evolution of American blues music. The pair’s newest book, The Music Lovers Guide To North America is a tome dedicated to some of the holiest sites in modern American music. Our pair of intrepid guests have visited museums, halls of fame, birthplaces, recording studios, graveyards, and private homes to find the ghosts of our musical past. During our chat, Craig and Jo share some of their favorite spots, including a few of the places that were wholly surprising to them. We break down the energy and reverence of these sacred sonic spaces, and we try to capture the holy experience of standing in the spot where greatness happened. Plus, we’re even treated to a few tricks and tips for how to get the most out of your next rock and roll pilgrimage. Let’s get into it. Cheers, Matty C ------------------------- End Credits Thanks so much to Jo and Craig for joining me. You can find out all about their work and get both of their terrific books at https://musictravelguides.com/ The What Am I Making podcast is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C. Our theme music was written and recorded by David J. Baldwin. You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it. Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show. You can email the show anytime at whatamimakingblog@gmail.com. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

    57 min

  3. Jun 8

    WAIM #154: Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats

    Eric Johnson describes himself as a midwestern mutt. During Johnson’s early years, his family moved around a lot throughout the midwest with stops in Wisconsin, central Illinois, and both of Michigan’s peninsula’s before the family finally settled in the Chicagoland area. By the time Eric reached his high school years, he was dabbling in theater and music. Once he moved into the city from the suburbs, Johnson figures he could have either landed at Second City or The Old Town School of Folk Music to find his path. He found the Old Town School first and began working in earnest as a songwriter. Johnson soon found himself collaborating with the members of the Chicago band, Califone. That band’s encouragement and access to recording equipment led the way to the creation of the first two Fruit Bats LPs, Echolocation and Mouthfuls. Throughout the early aughts, Fruit Bats continued to churn out excellent records to critical acclaim and a small, but passionate fanbase. Within the last ten years, Johnson has seen his band, and his own creative work blossom. During our chat, Eric shares the wave on which he and his band have been riding for the previous decade. There is a surety in this recent work that has brought forth a looser, and more playful version of the band. There has also been an uptick in fan interest as Fruit Bats have seen their audiences grow at the same time their work is reaching an artistic zenith. The band’s most recent effort The Landslide is a sprawling, shimmering example of the creative wave that Johnson and his band are riding at the moment. Eric and I discussed the evolution from the early work with Califone through to the present day, and some of the ways in which time and place have changed Eric Johnson both as a person and as a songwriter. Let’s get into it. Cheers, Matty C ------------------------- End Credits Thanks so much to Eric for joining me. You can find out all about his work at http://www.fruitbatsmusic.com/ The What Am I Making podcast is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C. Our theme music was written and recorded by David J. Baldwin. You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it. Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show. You can email the show anytime at whatamimakingblog@gmail.com. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 2m

  4. Jun 5

    WAIM #153: Hunter Morris

    Hunter Morris is the kind of musician that has held on to his day job. It is a tale as old as time; a singer/songwriter churns out good work that improves and evolves over time. Yet, he still cannot find a large enough audience in the days of streaming to generate a full time income. So, on most mornings, Hunter Morris heads to work, pulling on a pair of waders and prepping the tackle for his fly fishing guide business, which takes him to rivers across northern Georgia. Fishing and the outdoors have been integral to Morris’ life since he can first remember. Growing up in rural Georgia, Hunter ran wild in the woods, and along the streams of the area. Rural life may have offered a pastoral approach to living, but Morris found it deeply lacking in cultural enrichment. As much as he loved the natural surroundings and the fishing and hunting culture that abounded in his small town, he also longed to find a place with more culture and curiosity. Eventually, Morris corralled his own curiosity and a new batch of songs to form his first real band Gift Horse. Although, they only released one album, 2010’s Mountain Of Youth, a title which Morris would be hard pressed to let go of, the band helped to set an important foundation. By 2017, he evolved into a poppier brand of slackened Americana with the outfit Hunter Morris & Blue Blood, which rattled off a trio of terrific albums in a handful of years. Now, Morris has emerged under the moniker Mountain Of Youth with a new batch of songs he’s christened Nowhere, NW. During our rapid fire discussion, Hunter and I covered the musical evolution he has made from Gift Horse through Blue Blood and into Mountain Of Youth. This new project and the new album are an attempt by Morris to stand on his own two feet as a musician and as a songwriter. While he received production help on the record from Ben Hackett and enlisted a crew of excellent players, Morris also sought to open up and allow himself to be more vulnerable when writing and recording the new album. Hunter talked openly about the sacrifices that are made to live like an artist. He shared a poignant story of how his former high school classmates have gone from deriding his pursuit of a life built around fishing and music to reminding him how lucky he is to do what he loves. Morris then quickly pointed out that while there is always a degree of luck in life, it takes an incredible amount of work and discipline to run your own business and to work to make a name for yourself in the music business. We discussed the idea of making your own luck, the surety that everything will fall apart sooner or later, and the joy of seeking out the freaks in this world. Let’s get into it. Cheers, Matty C ------------------------- End Credits Thanks so much to Hunter for joining me. You can find the new Mountain of Youth album wherever you get your music and you can follow him on Bandcamp at https://mountain-of-youth.bandcamp.com The What Am I Making podcast is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C. Our theme music was written and recorded by David J. Baldwin. You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it. Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show. You can email the show anytime at whatamimakingblog@gmail.com. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 7m

  5. Jun 1

    WAIM #152: Andrew Kenny of American Analog Set

    Andrew Kenny and his bandmates have always been good scrapbookers. They kept tour flyers, set lists, photographs, press clippings, and loads of other ephemera from the earliest days of The American Analog Set. As the band began to work with the esteemed reissue label, Numero Group, these scrapbooks took on an outsized value. The resulting pair of box sets chronicling the length and breadth of the AmAnSet catalog are gorgeous both aurally and visually. Kenny grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, slowly finding his way into a life immersed in music. He joined his first band in high school and then formed another short-lived outfit before the Analog Set began in earnest in 1995. During their initial stint from 1995 to 2005, the band were darlings on the indie scene, touring worldwide and garnering critical acclaim for their recorded work. The band’s 2001 breakout release, Know By Heart remains one of my favorite records of the last twenty five years. For nearly two decades the band was largely silent, but Kenny kept busy with his side project Wooden Birds, as well as working on original scores for film. In 2023, The American Analog Set reemerged with a new album, For Forever, and have even played a few one off shows in spots around the country. During our discussion, Andrew and I also talked about the deep presence and connection of playing music with other people. We also explored the unique language of each band and how that language, at least for Kenny, turned an ordinary life into an extraordinary one. You’ll also find talk of being too dumb to quit, being a fan of your own band, and why Fort Worth has nothing to do with Dallas. Let’s get into it. Cheers, Matty C ------------------------- End Credits Thanks so much to Andrew for joining me. Be sure to check out all of his work and upcoming tour dates at https://www.amanset.com/ The What Am I Making podcast is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C. Our theme music was written and recorded by David J. Baldwin. You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it. Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show. You can email the show anytime at whatamimakingblog@gmail.com. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 1m

  6. May 29

    WAIM #151: Steve Wynn

    Steve Wynn formed his first band, The Light Bulbs at age 9. His second outfit, Sudden Death Overtime got its start while Wynn was just beginning middle school. Eventually, after a series of youthful explorations of a life in music, Wynn formed The Dream Syndicate in 1981. Success came quickly for that band as they found themselves entwined with a burgeoning new psychedelic pop scene in Los Angeles that was being dubbed The Paisely Underground. This cadre of bands included Green On Red, The Bangles, The Three O’Clock, Opal, and The Rain Parade. While the Paisley Underground scene was short-lived, it provided a massive boost to the beginning of the Dream Syndicate’s career. By the time the band released their second album, they spent eight weeks touring with R.E.M., garnering them a much larger audience. The Dream Syndicate were critical darlings however, and not a huge commercial success, and by 1988, Wynn and his bandmates packed it in to go their separate ways. Since the dissolution of The Dream Syndicate, Wynn has been busy with a prolific solo career and a busy life of side projects. In 2007, he formed The Baseball Project, a band which writes songs solely about the great game of baseball and its history. The Baseball Project, whose well-pedigreed lineup features Scott McCaughey, Peter Buck, Linda Pitmon, Wynn, and even Mike Mills on occasion, has now released four full length records and tour regularly around the US. Wynn also has a long history of playing house concerts and appearing in alternative venues. During our conversation, we discussed the beauty of playing in smaller and more unique spaces, especially as a solo artist. Steve and I also talked about how limitations and prompts, like writing about baseball, are helpful for his own creativity. We also hit upon the compulsion of the creative mind, and the sacrifices that one often has to make to live life fully as an artist. Cheers, Matty C ------------------------- End Credits Thanks so much to Steve for joining me. Be sure to check out aloof his work and upcoming tour dates at https://www.stevewynn.net/ The What Am I Making podcast is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C. Our theme music was written and recorded by David J. Baldwin. You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it. Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show. You can email the show anytime at whatamimakingblog@gmail.com. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 5m

  7. May 25

    WAIM #150: Julia Steiner of Ratboys

    Julia Steiner found her musical soulmate the moment she arrived on campus at Notre Dame University. Steiner, already an avid musician and budding songwriterby the time she graduated high school, had already developed a virtual friendship with Dave Sanger on a Facebook Group for Notre Dame’s incoming Freshman class. Upon meeting in person, the pair felt a deep connection and began trading mix CD’s to deepen their respective musical wells. The friendship between Dave and Julia quickly blossomed into the formation of Ratboys, an outfit built around the pair’s original songs and youthful exuberance. By the time their studies at Notre Dame had wrapped up, Ratboys relocated to Chicago and began to climb their way up the indie rock ladder. Over the course of six albums and six EPs, including the brand new LP Singin’ To An Empty Chair, Ratboys have steadily built a core audience and a sea of critical acclaim. The band, which now features Julia and Dave, as well as Marcus Nuccio and Sean Neumann, is spending an overwhelming portion of 2026 on the road across North America and in Europe. During our discussion, Julia and I covered the travails and triumphs of life on the road, exploring the importance of staying grounded and in the moment while also hurtling across the globe one day at a time. We shared our experiences of blogging about life on the road and the way that process can help deepen our appreciation for the previous day’s events. Julia shared some of her approaches to songwriting, noting how editing, or in some cases, choosing not to edit, can be the key to making a good song great. Let’s get into it. Cheers,Matty C------------------------- End Credits Thanks so much to Julia for joining me. Be sure to check out her work in Ratboys wherever you get your music. And you can find all of their tour dates at https://www.ratboysband.com/ The What Am I Making podcast is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C. Our theme music was written and recorded by David J. Baldwin. You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it. Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show. You can email the show anytime at whatamimakingblog@gmail.com. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 2m

  8. May 22

    WAIM #149: Ken Shipley of Numero Group

    You could think of Numero Group simply as a record label, but you’d be missing the point entirely. Sure, with its massive catalog of neary 1,000 releases, it is technically a label, but as their own ideology says, “There is no Numero sound, rather there is a Numero aesthetic.” Ken Shipley and his partner Rob Sevier first began Numero when Shipley lost his job at the famed massive reissue label Rykodisc, a place famous for churning out reissue packages from legendary artists like David Bowie, Nick Drake, and myriad others. As Shipley began work on what would become Numero Group, he focused on seeking out lessor known artists to reissue. Much of Numero’s early catalog was defined by their Eccentric Soul series, a running series of compilations featuring some of the finest, but lessor known sounds in American regional soul. These comps often focused on now defunct labels that once featured groundbreaking artists, or they might have laser-focus on the soul scene in a particular community. Yet, while soul may have helped build the business at Numero, Shipley and his colleagues were always seeking out new and exciting sounds regardless of genre. In the two plus decades that Numero has been in business they have dabbled in afrobeat, disco, funk, soul, lounge music, ambient, new age, techno, slowcore, punk, shoegaze, lo-fi pop, and more. Numero has taken an almost museum-like approach in much of the curation work they do with these releases. Buying a Numero record is a listening experience that often comes with scholarship, contextualization, and enlightenment about the artists involved. During our chat, Ken and I discuss Numero’s process for finding sonic needles in the hay stack, sharing the long arc that can often be required for a record to eventually see the light of day. We cover the fading regionality of American music and the ways in which the internet has homogenized some of our sounds. Ken and I talk about how Numero helps to foster sonic curiosity, all while striving to be a label that has offerings for the music lover from teens to octogenarians. Let’s get into it. Cheers,Matty C ------------------------- End Credits Thanks so much to Ken for joining me. You can find out all about his work at https://numerogroup.com/ The What Am I Making podcast is hosted, written, and produced by me, Matty C. Our theme music was written and recorded by David J. Baldwin. You can subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. Please be sure to like, rate and review the show if you enjoy it. Our work is solely sponsored by listeners and readers like you. Please lend your support today with a paid subscription at whatamimaking.substack.com/. Now is a crucial time for new paid subscribers. Please step up and support the show. You can email the show anytime at whatamimakingblog@gmail.com. You can also leave us a voicemail with your questions or concerns at speakpipe.com/whatamimaking Get full access to What Am I Making at whatamimaking.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 4m
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4.8
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

Hey there. I’m Matty C. For the formally inclined folks in the crowd, the official designation is Matt Carlson. I am a 50 year old musician, songwriter, and graphic designer that's spent the Covid era pondering deep and meaningful questions about music, film, literature and art in the 21st century. It seems as though we’re living in age where musicians have to give their music away, content is around every corner and we don’t seem to really value much of any of it the way we used to. What is it really like to make a living pursuing a life in the arts these days? Why are we seeing a lower percentage of artists in the workforce than at anytime in 100 years? Now, I’ve reached a point of massive change in my life and I am preparing to spend more of my time, and hopefully, generating a portion of my income from my creative endeavors. That’s a terrifying endeavor, but it’s also incredibly exciting. I’ll be discussing these ideas and a whole lot more of my own curiosity and creative endeavors on this platform using the written word, videos, podcasts, music and probably some other assets I learn along the way. I’ll be seeking out smart, and fascinating creatives as they build their own lives while fighting an ever-growing series of new challenges and opportunities. All of these journeys and detours are an effort to share my exploration of culture in the modern world, and to help shine a brighter light on the work I have been doing for years as a musician, designer and podcaster. This discussion is at the very center of our civilization, what it means to be human andhow to find a meaningful way to connect through that shared humanity in the form of artistic expression. Art is at the core of the relationship. Let’s explore it with that context, and that incalculable value, in mind. If you enjoy what you hear on the show, please subscribe to my Substack where I also I post this podcast as well as a variety of essays, video and recordings regularly in my search to find out what art really matters to people right here and right now, and they are willing to do to invest in our culture. Thank you so much for being here. It’s wonderful to have your support. https://whatamimaking.substack.com whatamimaking.substack.com

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